Saturday, August 31, 2019

A journey by bus

It is generally said that a Journey by bus is not as thrilling as one by train or rear plane is. However, I had quite a pleasant experience of the Journey by bus which I undertook few months ago. It was the month of January. My annual examination was over. I had recess for some days. My parents decided to go to my uncle's house at Smaller by bus. Hearing the news my heart danced with Joy. It was 15th January 2014. We got into the bus at Subtotal bus terminal in due time. It was winter. There was pleasant sunshine. The sun started punctually Just at 6 a. M.I sat beside a window and was looking outside. The sun was rising with all its splendid beauty. Within an hour our bus began running leaving the urban areas at a high speed along the road with green fields on both sides. I was looking at the houses, trees, and meadows through the window with a cheerful mind. Things came to my vision and vanished in the twinkling of an eye. Everything on either side seemed running swiftly to the oppo site direction. When the bus was running through the forest of ‘Modular gear', the tall trees with green leaves gave a nice view.I was really charmed at the green beauties of Nature. It filled my heart with great Joy. The bus ran continuously for three hours. It then stopped at a place named Plash. There was a restaurant by the roadside. We got down from the bus and had light refreshment there. After a few minutes the bus began Its Journey again crossing the green fields on both the sides of the road. This time we saw bare-bodied youngsters tending cattle and grown up people working In the field. Occasionally we saw village women and girls bathing and washing clothes In the ponds. At about 12 noon we reached Smaller.Thus our Journey came to an end. The Journey by bus was really a pleasant one. I can hardly forget the sweet memory of this Journey. The scene of the Journey peeps Into my mind when I become tired of the monotonous urban life. Words- 361 a journey by bus By brandie d After a few minutes the bus began its Journey again crossing the green fields on both grown up people working in the field. Occasionally we saw village women and girls bathing and washing clothes in the ponds. At about 12 noon we reached of this Journey.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Ribena Marketing Essay

Ribena Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Product 3. Promotion 4. Price 5. Place 6. Bibliography Introduction Ribena was first made in 1936 when HW Carter, a Bristol based food and drink manufacturer, started making pure fruit syrups to use in making milkshakes. This was when it was discovered that the blackcurrant syrup contained very high levels of vitamin C. People saw how valuable it would be as a nutritional drink and it went on sale in hospitals and nursing homes. The name Ribena was not used during this period but after the War, Ribena went on sale all across the UK and Ireland.The word Ribena was based on the Latin name for blackcurrant â€Å"Ribes Negrum†. The name is very important to the product, it needs to be easy to remember, easy to spell and easy to say especially if the target audience is children. Ribena also has the added advantage that the name has an international ring to it. Ribena has established a strong brand name over the years and it has maintained its position in the market. In recent years Ribena have introduced new flavours to the market such as Strawberry, Raspberry, Apple, Orange, Raspberry and Pomegranate. Product A product is defined as anything that can be offered to satisfy a need or want.To help its product sell in greater quantities, a business must give consideration to the packaging and brand name it uses. Ribena is available in lots of different flavours these include Blackcurrant, Strawberry, Orange, Raspberry, Raspberry and Pomegranate. The blackcurrant flavour is available in original and really light (low calorie). Ribena’s target market is every child and every parent. Ribena is a brand that children love and that mothers prefer to buy for their family because it is rich in Vitamin C and has a unique blackcurrant taste. Mothers are satisfied that they are giving their children a nutritional drink; full of vitamin C.Mothers will be more likely to give their children Ribena to bring to school with them as a drink for their lunch rather than a bottle of coke because of the nutritional value in Ribena. Ribena’s iconic slogan uses their nutritional value to attract customers â€Å"The blackcurrants in Ribena contain four times the Vitamin C of oranges†. Another key aspect of the product is the packaging. The packaging needs to attractive and bright in colour in order to attract the child’s attention. It must attract the consumers’ attention enough to make them want to buy Ribena ahead of all the other brands like Robinson’s, Mi Wadi, Kia Ora†¦Ribena is packaged in glass bottles, plastic bottles and cartons. The glass bottles only come in 600ml, 1 litre and 2 litres. The plastic bottles range in size from 330ml, 500ml, 1litre and 2 litres. The single carton comes in 288ml. The cartons also come in a multi pack; 4 cartons of 200ml and 10 cartons of 200ml. In 2000 Ribena launched â€Å"Ribena Pouch Pack†. It was developed for older childre n who want the great taste of Ribena but in a more grown up and trendy pack. The Ribena Pouch is still very strongly linked to Ribena’s key messages which are that Ribena is full of vitamin C, very nutritional and it has a unique blackcurrant taste.The target market for the Ribena pouch is the children themselves especially older children who are buying their own drinks. It is very up to date with an emphasis on a key point about Ribena that it is purple. The packaging for the Ribena pouch pack is portable, light to carry and re-sealable so can be used again. The colour distinguishes it from its competitors like Robinson’s, Mi Wadi and Kia Ora. Since its launch in March 2000, sales have been very good, with more and more consumers buying into this new trendy packaging. PromotionPromotion involves communicating with customers to let them know about the product and to persuade them to buy it. The four main ways to promote a product are advertising, sales promotions, publ ic relations and personal selling. Ribena put a lot of money into their advertising campaign each year. One of the main reasons Ribena has been so successful throughout the years is due to their strong advertising campaign especially their television adverts. The advertisements change with the years but Ribena’s main message remains the same. Ribena’s core values are based around its vitamin C goodness and its unique blackcurrant taste.The TV advertisements feature the Ribenaberry cartoon characters. They have evolved with the brand over the years. The Ribenaberry cartoon characters are very popular and are an excellent advertising tool. The target market for Ribena is children and most children watch cartoons so they would be able to relate to the ads compared to the Capri sun ad which isn’t as child friendly as the Ribena one. The cartoon characters covey the essence of the drink and the fact that it is made from blackcurrants. They also add an element of fun to the ads which appeals to children. This encourages hildren to buy it and obviously mothers would be more inclined to buy Ribena for their children compared to fizzy drinks because of the nutritional value. Ribena also use a lot of purple in their adverts. Ribena emphasises that it is a very nutritional drink suitable for children and they incorporate this into their advertising, sales promotions, public relations and personal selling. Ribena also use their website to promote competitions, discounts, new products that they are launching etc†¦ In May 2009 Ribena launched a range of sales promotions initiatives as part of their summer campaign. t was basically a loyalty scheme that allowed consumers to collect on-pack tokens and redeem them for prizes that included kites, juggling balls, cricket sets and skittles. In Ribena’s 2009 summer campaign they also gave away 1 million free inflatable â€Å"office assistants† as part of their summer on-pack promotion in ord er to win one of office assistants consumers had to purchase a bottle or carton of Ribena’s and text in an on-pack code. Consumers could also choose between a male or female inflatable. The promotion took place from May 1st and ran for 12 weeks. It was part of a ? 6 million campaign for the brand.In May 2011 Ribena launched their summer advertising and promotion campaign. Their aim was to target more than a million consumers in order to promote the brand and increase sales. The campaign centred around a mobile â€Å"Berry Wagon†. It toured around the UK stopping in in picnic areas giving out free samples. The Ribena tour targeted young adults to mums and families. Ribena also gave away 300 free passes to family friendly festivals around the UK. The promotion also drove consumers to the Ribena website, further promoting engagement with the brand. Inflatable office assistant Ribenaberry cartoon character The Ribena â€Å"Berry Wagon†Price The price is the amount o f money the business charges consumers for its product. It is important that the business charges the right price for its product. If it is too high, consumers will not buy it. If it is too low, the business might make a loss and consumers might think it is inferior. The price of Ribena is quite reasonable considering the nutritional value. . It appeals to parents who believe that the higher price is worth paying because they believe Ribena is better for their children than fizzy drinks such as Coca-Cola, Club Orange. In this way, Ribena makes higher profits from the higher price.The Ribena prices range from â‚ ¬1. 23 to â‚ ¬3. 94. Here is a list of the prices in Euro â‚ ¬: Ribena ready to drink carton 288mlâ‚ ¬1. 45 Ribena ready to drink 500mlâ‚ ¬1. 59 Ribena Pouch Pack 288mlâ‚ ¬1. 45 Ribena Blackcurrant 1litreâ‚ ¬2. 89 Ribena Blackcurrant 2 litreâ‚ ¬3. 94 Ribena Strawberry 1litreâ‚ ¬2. 89 Ribena Ready to drink blackcurrant 10 X 200mlâ‚ ¬3. 49 Ribena R eady to drink strawberry 10 X 200ml â‚ ¬3. 49 Ribena Ready to drink blackcurrant 4 X 200mlâ‚ ¬1. 23 Ribena Ready to drink strawberry 4 X 200mlâ‚ ¬1. 23 The Ribena prices range from 99p to ? 2. 95 Here is a list of the prices in Pounds ? : Ribena ready to drink carton 288ml 99pRibena ready to drink 500ml 99p Ribena Pouch Pack 288ml 99p Ribena Blackcurrant 1litre? 2. 65 Ribena Blackcurrant 2 litre? 2. 95 Ribena Strawberry 1litre? 1. 89 Ribena Ready to drink blackcurrant 10 X 200ml? 2. 59 Ribena Ready to drink strawberry 10 X 200ml ? 2. 59 Ribena Ready to drink blackcurrant 4 X 200ml? 1. 40 Ribena Ready to drink strawberry 4 X 200ml? 1. 40 Place Place involves the business getting its product to consumers by using an appropriate channel of distribution. The product has to be available where and when people need and want it. In order to manufacture Ribena the fruits need to be harvested.Harvest starts in July and it lasts for about eight weeks. Weather conditions are very impor tant to ensuring a good crop. They need a frost –free spring, steady rain in May and June and a sunny harvesting season in July and august. The Scottish Crop Research Institute has been trying to develop new blackcurrant varieties that cope with difficult weather patterns for the past 15 years. They completed a three year trial of two new varieties which were harvested for the first time in 2007 and have been specially bred to withstand the effects of climate change. Blackcurrant harvesters do not cut the berries off the bush.The berries on blackcurrant bushes ripen all at the same time, which makes picking them easier. Speed is very important, blackcurrants are not long lasting and therefore most of them are pressed into juice within 24 hours which are made into concentrate. They are then taken to the Ribena plant at Coleford, Gloucestershire in the UK, where it is held in tanks beneath the factory and is bottled as needed throughout the year. Ribena is well distributed thro ughout England, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. It is sold in supermarkets, newsagents and garage forecourts around the country.It is available everywhere children might look for it. If they are shopping with their parents in the supermarket, it is there. If their parents pull in to get petrol, Ribena is there also. Bibliography http://www. ribena. co. uk/summer-soundtrack/ http://www. facebook. com/#! /RibenaUK http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=mxf6OPoaXCA http://theodmgroup. com/2011/06/03/gift-with-purchase-promotion-ribena-drinks/ http://www. brandrepublic. com/news/899422/Ribena-launches-range-promotional-activity-2009/ http://www. promomarketing. info/ribena-offers-a-summer-of-festival-fun/P004419/

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Acknowledgement

Chapter 1 The Problem and its Background Introduction The term RFID refers to Radio Frequency Identification, a technology which uses radio waves to automatically identify items or people. Most commonly this involves the use of an RFID tag and a reader device. In general terms, Radio Frequency Identification systems consist of an RFID tag (typically many tags) and an interrogator or reader. The interrogator emits a field of electromagnetic waves from an antenna, which are absorbed by the tag. The absorbed energy is used to power the tag’s microchip and a signal that includes the tag identification number is sent back to the interrogator.The use of a wireless non-contact system that uses radio frequency  electromagnetic fields  to transfer data from a tag attached to an object, for the purposes of automatic identification and tracking. Some tags require no battery and are powered and read at short ranges via magnetic fields (electromagnetic induction). Backround of the Stud y Tanauan Institute has already been using the Library System. Since the institution is already using such technology, these will be the first time for the institution to use Radio Frequency Identification.The researchers thought of maximizing its use by creating a system that will track the students who borrowed books, which will be having RFID stickers for monitoring purposes, in the library. Currently, the school’s library is using the â€Å"Library System† in monitoring the books, which has a number of limitations. It is not capable of generating reports that can determine the books that are mostly borrowed which can help them decide on the number of a particular book they will be purchasing in the future. It is also using Microsoft Visual Basic for the system’s database which can only store very limited information.On the other hand, the system that the library is using in recording the attendance of the users cannot help them in identifying the library use rs of the month. The librarians need to manually count the number of times each student had logged in the system. Lastly, they have also no means of reminding the library users regarding their borrowed book Statement of the Problem Not capable of generating reports that can determine the books that are mostly borrowed. No means of reminding the library users regarding about their borrowed books. Manual counting the number of times each student had logged in the system. Objectives of the StudyGenerally, the researchers aim to design and develop a system that would enhance the use of the current Library System with the help of RFID in the said Institute. Specifically, the study aims to: Design and develop a system that will generate reports to determine the trend in book borrowing Use MySQL for the system’s database Determine the library users of the month in just a click of a button Remind the students and faculty members regarding their borrowed books Test and evaluate the sy stem’s accuracy and reliability Scope and Delimitation There would be some limitations to the project that should be taken into consideration.This study limits its coverage to the students of the Tanauan Institute only. It will be conducted for two semesters which consists of 10 months. Two low frequency ACR122U Smart Card Readers will be used for the system: one for the monitoring of books and the other one for the recording of the attendance. The system will be written in Microsoft Visual Basic 2010. The database that will be incorporated with such is Microsoft My SQL. It will execute only in platforms running Windows Operating System. The applications of the system will only cover the monitoring of books and tracking of the borrowers.Other unavoidable circumstances, such as power interruptions and speed of access, and other more complex areas of RFID Technology, such as securing the data, are no longer part of the study. Conceptual Framework For the researchers to be able to come up with a Radio Frequency Identification Reloading System, they will need very flexible and versatile knowledge in using the VB. NET programming language and in using the MS Server 2008. They will also be needing materials such as ACS Readers, tags which should be compatible with the reader and a desktop running Windows operating system.The related foreign and local studies and literature would also be of big aid to them because of the given information and problems with solutions of these materials. With all the knowledge, the materials to be used and the related resources, the researchers will need to carefully plan the whole study which is going to be the foundation of their research as a whole, gather and analyze data before they design and code the system. After the coding stage, the researchers need to test and evaluate their study. If necessary, modifications should be done to perfect the system. Conceptual ParadigmBelow is the figure of the conceptual paradigm of the study: NOTE:::: REVISED PARADIGM MAKE A NEW DIAGRAM.. PLACE IT HERE!!!.. Figure 2. Paradigm of the study Definition of Terms Accuracy – is a characteristic of a reliable system achieved from a number of tests and evaluation. Circulation Management – is a division in the library which is in charge of managing the borrowing and the returning of library materials. Collection Management- is a division in the library which is in charge of maintaining the collection of the library materials through adding or updating records.Database – is an organized collection of data needed for storing, updating, retrieving and viewing information for a particular system. Library Management System – is the system which will be an aid for monitoring the books and tracking and reminding the borrowers in a certain library. Radio Frequency Identification – is one of the newest identification technologies that use electromagnetic fields to transfer and read data that will be integrated by the researchers in this study. Chapter 2 Related Literature and Studies A. Related Literature Foreign LiteratureHolloway (June 2006), Microsoft EMEA Manufacturing Industry Solutions Architect, wrote a white paper which explained the components of a basic RFID system and how it works. According to him, an RFID system is composed of three important pieces of equipment such as: (1) a small radio device called a tag, or the transponder, which contains the data, (2) the reader, or the interrogator, that transmits and collects data to be downloaded from and uploaded to the tag, and (3) the host computer installed with an RFID software to process the data into valuable information.Daniel (2004) summarizes the operation in a basic RFID system as discussed below: First, the tag will enter the RF field of the Reader then, the RF signal will power the Tag that will transmit the ID with other data which, on the other hand, will be sent to the computer by the Reader. Then, the computer will be the one sending data to the Reader which will be transmitted to the tag. In a paper published by Mitrokotsa and Douligeri (2009), â€Å"Integrated RFID and Sensor Networks: Architectures and Applications†, they discussed and differentiate RFID and Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) Technologies.They also discussed why these technologies should be implemented to various fields of business and their requirements. Since the proponents will be using RFID, the tips, which are proven effective, given in this study on how to have better RFID-based systems will be of big help in conducting their study. Soldatos (2010) formulated a study entitled Rich Client Application for RFID EPCIS Repository wherein he created software which intended to provide a UML-like graphical representation of the business locations, and read points of an enterprise with a more user friendly RFID-based software system.Dhanalakshmi and Mamatha (n. d. ) wrote a paper wherein they discussed the proj ect that they created entitled â€Å"RFID Based Library Management System† which is very similar to the study being conducted by the proponents. In their study’s conclusion, they have indicated and proven that RFID in the library speeds up its transactions such as book borrowing, returning, searching thus enables staff to do more of its responsibilities. Mutigwe and Aghdasi (n. d. also conducted a study entitled â€Å"Research Trends in RFID Technology† wherein they have given attention at continuing research activities in the field of RFID and talked about the possible major burdens that RFID Technology is facing today such as privacy, high costs, and social and legal concerns. Local Literature Garcia (2009) made a study, â€Å"Student Recognition Using Radio Frequency Identification for Tarlac State University†, which was undertaken to develop a system that would support and improve the current way of identifying students at Tarlac State University.The system is capable of importing excel files to update student records. Through the images and the information displayed by the system, security officers find it easy to identify the students entering the school campus. Reports can be generated for administration and filing purposes. The concern of security was also addressed because the system can control users and produce integral records. Similar to the study of the proponents, the system that they will create can also generate reports for monitoring and inventory purposes.Another study which also focused on the record keeping of students who enter and exit the school premises is the â€Å"Design of RFID Interface System: A Prototype† conducted by Engr. Dellosa (2007). He designed a circuitry capable of indicating the arrival and departure of the students in such a way that the students can also be notified. He also developed software capable of capturing and recording the student’s names together with their time of a rrival and departure within the school premises. B. Related Studies Foreign StudiesA study of Botterman and Oranje (May 2009) entitled â€Å"Study on The Requirements and Options For RFID Application in Healthcare† proved that RFID Technology is versatile and can also bring improvements in the field of healthcare. It also proved that the speed of access and speed of processing of transactions, the inventory of equipment, and the monitoring of the patience and employees can be improved by RFID. Lastly, Zherdev (2011) performed a study, â€Å"Storing and Reading Sensor Data from Battery Assisted Passive RFID†, which dealt with tags of battery assisted passive-type and ISO 18000-6C standard.His study evaluated and improved a system designed to transmit information about the bearings status of railway wagons. It is related to this study being conducted by the proponents since they will also be using the passive type of RFID tags. Shariff of Longitude Consultancy Services m ade a proposal for schools to implement systems incorporated with RFID Technology for attendance monitoring, library management, and logging in school buses. He reasoned out the needs for such advancement which made the proponents more eager in pursuing this study.Local Studies Studies were not only done in other countries but also in the Philippines as well. Filipinos also hunger for knowledge and improvements in the field of Technology. One of the pioneers in using RFID Technology to make its transactions faster and more efficient is the Mapua Institute of Technology with its Cardinal Plus Model which made many transactions convenient ever since it was introduced to the Institute such as securing student identification upon entering the campus and online grade access of students.This study is somehow related because both implementation targets are in universities. A study conducted by Balbacal (2005) entitled â€Å"Automated Bus Fare System† is related to the system that th e researchers is planning to create. In Balbacal’s system, she used reloadable cards which used barcodes in riding a bus and paying for the fare. The amount to be reloaded on a card depends on the user’s capability to pay. However, Aquino et. al’s (October 2009) â€Å"Automation of the Movie TheaterCharging Procedures Through the Use of RFID† proved that RFID Technology can also improve the field of entertainment. Their system was able to eliminate queuing problems & improve charging operations of the system implied on improvement in the efficiency, reliability & accuracy of the operation. Even though the field of implementations of their study and the researchers’ are not the same, the purposes of both are identical. The researchers want to eliminate the redundancy in recording the attendance of the students which the existing system is not capable of.In Villame’s (2010) research entitled â€Å"Carrier Suppression Locked Loop Mechanism for UHF RFID Readers†, he made an improvement on the front-end architecture of UHF RFID readers to address the problem of having the performance of the reader limited as the active components in the receiver become saturated due to having the readers being exposed to strong carrier leakage signals because of the antenna reflections and limited isolation of circulators and directional couplers.This would be of great help but the researchers indicated that other complex aspects of RFID such as isolation of signals will not be covered by this study. Chapter 3 Methodology Research Design In every study, the method of research to be used is very important. The whole study somehow depends on such method because it will determine how the data collected will be handled. The goal is of this method is to acquire accurate and systematic data which are based on facts that can be used in averages, frequencies and similar statistical calculations.It often uses visual aids such as graphs and ch arts to aid the reader in understanding the data distribution. The researchers are also taking into consideration the use of developmental research. In a paper published by James D. Klein et. al, (n. d. ) they define it as studies that involve the production of information with the goal to improve the development of instructional design, development, and evaluation. Such research is based on either situation-speci? c problem solving or generalized inquiry actions. SamplingThe researching process will take place at the Tanauan Institute, a institute located at J. V. Gonzales St. Pagaspas Tanauan City. The researchers have chosen this institution because it is where they are currently studying and it was the first time the school will use the RFID system. Instruments/Tools The primary tools that will be used in gathering the needed information for this study are researching and browsing from the net. The secondary tools will be the related foreign and local literature and studies that the researchers have gathered.Gathering Data The process of the data we gathered is divided into five phases namely: Identify and Analyze the Requirements. In this phase, the proponents will gather all possible requirements that the end user expects from the system to be developed. These requirements will dictate the functions that will be integrated in the system. Design the System. Upon gathering and analyzing the requirements of the end user, the designing of the system will follow. This phase is important because the system’s design will dictate the overall system architecture.If the proponents have inquiries about the system, they can gather and analyze the requirements again. Code the System. After designing what the system will look like, the proponents will start the actual coding of the system. This design of the system will be the basis of how the system will look like. Test the System. To ensure that the system is efficient and reliable, several tests will be cond ucted. If the system fails the testing phase, the proponents will go back to the second phase which is designing of the system. 5. Acceptance of the System.After having proven that the system is functioning well, it will be deployed to the end user and they will be trained on how to use it. They will evaluate if their requirements and expectations have been met. If not, the proponents have to go back to the first phase again and start all over. Software Specification |Operating System |Microsoft Windows XP or higher | |Microsoft SQL Sever |2008 or higher | |Microsoft .Net Framework |4. 0 or higher | |Windows Internet Explorer |7 or higher | |ACS CCID Driver | | Hardware Specification |Memory |2 GB or higher | |Processor |2. GHz or faster | |Hard Disk |At least 3GB of available space | |Monitor |1024Ãâ€"768 or higher resolution | |Printer | | |ACR122U NFC Reader | | Gantt Chart ILAGAY DITO†¦ Chapter4 The Proposed SystemUser and Needs of the Study Proposed system is the T anauan Institute New College Library Management System. Through our software user can add books, update books, search books, update information, edit information, record the attendance of the borrowers, borrow and return books in quick time. Our proposed system has the following advantages. ? User friendly interface ? Fast access to database ? Less error ? More Storage Capacity ? Search facility ? Look and Feel Environment ? Quick transaction All the manual difficulties in managing the Library have been rectified by implementing computerization.Analysis General Features of the System RFID technology has been applied in libraries just over a decade, though the technology is not yet mature but its rapid development allows more and more functions to be achieved. RFID is still in its developing stage in libraries, the technology originally can only simply achieve the self-check-in and check-out function, but till now, the effectively inventory, logistics and sorting the returned books a re all able to be achieved. The library can adopt RFID technology aim of improving the self-service.Patrons can borrow and return the items using automatic lending machines, which require a library card and a PIN. Self-service becomes much easier with this new technology as it does not require line of sight and max. 3 items can be borrowed at a time. So far, the frequency of self-service is nearly 100%. Besides, sorting the returned books greatly reduces the library staffs manual work. As RFID label has anti-theft function, there is no need for an extra alarm strip to be attached to the item, which makes the borrowing and tagging tasks a lot easier accordingly. Chapter 5 ImplementationProgram Testing We the researchers have come up to test the system with different specifications to know the compatibility of it to the system. The researcher make sure that they will not have any problem during implementation and also we asked the end user to see and to test the system, if they had an y wanted to changed or add on the system. To ensured that the system is efficient. Documentation Plan The documentation has seven chapters. The first three chapters were made during the first part of the study, these three chapters guide the researcher to create a system what look alike.The last four chapters were made at the second part together with the system proposal. Data Management Plan We the researchers gathered data by acquiring information on some schools, browsing the net, getting some ideas with the old system, library research, asking personal questions and getting information through handouts. Resource Management Plan The development of the software would not be possible without the following components: A. Computer – an electronic device uses to manipulate data. B. USB Flash Drive – is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface.C. Hard Disk – wherein the system is stored and the soft co py of the documentation is saved. D. Ballpen & Paper – use for writing down the documentation and other important information. E. Internet – the primary tool of the researchers that used to gathered the needed information or data. F. Printed Materials – used for additional reference. G. Printer – used to provide hard copy of the program code and documentation. All the data which were manipulated throughout the process of the study were stored in the computer hard disk drive with back up on several flash drives.Quality Assurance Plan The researchers ensure the most precise and direct method of providing the software with highest regard on procedures thereby providing easy access for end user. Accuracy and efficiency of the software is likewise ensured thereby providing the end users guaranteed reliable software. Security Plan The researchers ensure that all data, documentation, codes and system were provided sets of back up. And though the system, the rese archers put a login form on the system to ensure that no one can access or view, only the end user can use it.Training Plan Formal training on how to use the program for end users will be provided by the researcher, if needed. The system is intended to use by an end-user acting as the administrator and could add another administrator that will do the same task to facilitate all their activities. Chapter 6 Maintenance Upon the implementation of the system, that is downloading and debugging the entire system, the researchers assures extension of services for future modifications or updates of information already published responsibilities: 1.Provided with the necessary updates on information, the researchers will plan the necessary layout modification, if needed. 2. According to the layout planned, necessary changes in the codes follows. 3. Appropriate testing of the modified code is to be done to ensure efficiency and accuracy. 4. Updating other details is provided by the system 5. P roviding back-up of the modified code 6. Providing updated documentation 7. Entrusting all the used resources to the appropriate authorities. Hardware maintenance is beyond the duty of the researcher. Chapter 7 The Summary of Findings, Conclusions and RecommendationSummary Library Management, particularly Circulation and Collection, in Tanauan Institute uses a semi-automated system which has a number of limitations such as incapability of automatically generating reports and statistics, and loss, inconsistency, and in accuracy of data. Since this institution is already using RFID Technology in monitoring the attendance of its students, the researchers attempted to resolve such issues by creating an RFID-Based Library Management System using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 with the students and the librarians as the target beneficiaries in mind.Modified waterfall was the research model used by the researchers which helped them in the distribution of the tas ks they need to accomplish. Descriptive method of research was also utilized in order to gather data more accurately and systematically with the use of data gathering tools such as surveys with open and close ended questions, interviews, and time motion study represented by graphs and tables to test and evaluate the system’s reliability and the user’s acceptance. ConclusionThrough months of conducting this study, starting from the data-gathering-phase up to the deployment-phase, with the aid of the surveys, interviews, and time motion study analyzed, the researchers concluded the following statements about their Tanauan Institute New Library RFID-Based Library Management System: †¢ The system was able to generate statistics and reports by just a click of a button which can help them in forecasting and identifying the library users of the month.They can now finally be assured regarding the accuracy and reliability of the data generated. †¢ The system can cater larger amount of data which is what the library practically needed at this time that they are upgrading the amount of their collection. Data loss will now be finally eliminated. †¢ The system was able to track whom librarian is accountable for the loss of a returned material. †¢ The system was able to help them in reminding the students regarding their unreturned materials. RecommendationsFor the future researchers to improve, the researchers suggest the following: †¢ Module for printing of a receipt-like for library users as a confirmation of the material that they have returned or borrowed †¢ Module for printing of a book-card-like after adding or updating a particular library material so that librarians can now generate it with just a click of a button †¢ Module to Include visitors who don’t have RFIDs LAGYAN PA NG RECOMMENDATION YUNG NDI NYO NAGAWA..

Paper on your career or dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Paper on your career or dream - Essay Example In a similar way, I thought that the best career path I should follow was that of a nurse. Reading interesting stories about the way nurses saved lives made me want to become a nurse in my life. As I progressed through school, I realized that nurses only provided care to patients with doctors playing the most important role in saving lives. However, becoming a medical doctor did not attract me as the appropriate career choice. After joining college to undertake a marketing course, I still have not discovered my career choice although I have engaged in modeling with the view of traveling around the world next year. Nonetheless, travelling around the world will open my viewpoint about various perspectives that will make me identify the choice of career path that I will follow although I think the business world appears more appealing and the best choice for anyone traveling across the world. Consequently, my marketing course will help me market the future business that I will engage in with my traveling exploits creating contacts that will become crucial once I started practicing

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Odalisque, Harmony in Red Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Odalisque, Harmony in Red - Research Paper Example These paintings are infused with southern light, bright colors, and a profusion of decorative patterns. They emanate a hothouse atmosphere suggestive of a harem†.2 The painting’s dimension is noted as 15 1/8 x 21 5/8 in. (38.4 x 54.9cm). As exemplified through the title, the predominant colors seen in the painting are red, with other colors ranging from white, yellowish orange, lavender, shades of gray, pink, green, and brown. The focal image is the reclining figure of a woman, researched to be â€Å"Henriette Darricarrià ¨re (born 1901), a young woman skilled in the arts of ballet, piano, violin, and painting who lived near Matisses studio†. 3 Viewers are given a glimpse of the model’s exposed left breast; yet, the rest of her body as skimpily covered with a white thin overcoat. The model’s skin illuminates as she lounges in a peaceful stature with her eyes closed and her left arms raised where her hands are noted to rest just beneath her left cheeks. Both her ankles are adorned with foot anklets, one in green emerald color (right ankle) and the other in intermittent colors of yellow and brown. The background is predominantly red, with the walls seemingly covered in geometric triangular patterns. A gray side table rests beside the bed and another oval yellow table with similar decorative figure in the same shade positioned beside it. Matisse’s style in painting was noted to be diverse. As explicitly noted, â€Å"Matisses painting moves quite freely from one style to another, from an almost naturalist, contoured technique, in which the play of light and shade is translated into classic perspective, to a concept in which large flat areas of colour dispense with volume and offer themselves up for audacious ventures into geometric, even abstract, forms†. 4 The geometric patterns shown in the painting evidently proved the contoured technique and effectively manifested binges of naturalism and realism in

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

First Indian reservation in New Jersey, in the Watchung Mountains Term Paper

First Indian reservation in New Jersey, in the Watchung Mountains - Term Paper Example rom the northern Arctic shores to southern tip of Cape Horn, everywhere alike in the main physical characteristics, with exception of the Eskimo in the extreme North, whose features were Mongolian. This belief that Columbus was in India was later refuted by Amerigo Vaspucci after whom the continent was named. History of original inhabitants of this continent encompasses a broad range of cultures and uniqueness. American Indians, as they are commonly referred to, varied greatly from region to region, as did their reactions to European settlement. The Watchung Mountains in New Jersey, whose natural beauty characterizes the locale, came into existence some 125 million years ago when volcanic eruptions covered the area with two thick lava flows (Meisner, 2002) 1. Millions of years of geophysical transformation gradually exposed the basaltic jutting edges of the buried lava and came to be known as the First and Second Mountains of Watchung. Between them nestled a broad fertile valley through which flows the Green Brook and the peaceful valley-river, Passaic 2. The name Watchung is derived from an Indian word meaning "on the hill" or "high place". A large Native community known as the ‘Lenape’ or ‘Delaware Indians’ lived in this area that they called ‘Lenapehoking’, which meant land of the Lenape. Delaware Indians are a closely-knit Native American group of the Algonquian branch of the Algonquian-Wakashan linguistic stock. In the 17th century their territory included all of what is now New J ersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, Southeastern New York State, Northern Delaware and a small part of Southeastern Connecticut. As part of the Eastern forests Lenapehoking had many rivers, streams, lakes and dense forest with rich wildlife. The Passaic River was integral to the Lenape existence, providing transportation and sustenance. Two branches of the Great Minisink Trail, known as the Indian highway between the shore and the Delaware River, ran along the Passaic. Many

Monday, August 26, 2019

Early Canadian History Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Early Canadian History - Term Paper Example As such, a focus upon some of the key issues that were first represented and controversial with regards to public education, a focus upon the differential that existed between urban and rural public education, a discussion and analysis of the court and resources that were leveraged within early Canadian public education, and a focus upon the feminize nation of the teaching profession will be engaged within the course of this brief analysis. Whereas it is true that Canada was but one of many modern states that engaged with the concept of public education during the course of the 19th century, the level and extent to which this occurred and the unique concerns and mechanisms by which it was engaged helped to allow this process to be unique and separate to Canada.1 As such, it is the hope of this author that the reader will gain a more informed understanding of the way in which early Canadian public education came to be formulated, the means through which it is differentiated from many other public education institutions throughout the world, and the residual impacts of this formulation that can continue to be felt within the current era. As with any dynamic shift, a level of pushback existed with regards to a general societal acceptance of a public education system. ... ugh it is true that the local and regional partners had been ineffective in providing compulsory education for all stakeholders, these individuals nonetheless believed that their model was. Due to the fact that a level of local an individual control existed with regards to what material would be represented the student and how engagement in the learning process would take place.3 This is not particularly surprising due to the fact that it continues to be evidenced within the current era. Any time a federal system seeks to implement a broad level of overarching regulations and norms for the system, individuals within society oftentimes push for a degree of extended autonomy through which they can continue to leverage their own power in lieu of accepting the norms that are specified by the federal government. Evidence of this is continually seen within the United States and has increasingly been noted within the economy and social dynamics of Canada throughout the past several decades. As something of a corollary to the issue that is previously been referenced, it must also be understood that distinct ethnic communities within Canada felt that a normalization of education within a public system would necessarily decrease the level of shared history and cultural integration that these respective communities had formulated over the decades. As even a cursory level of analysis reveals, the different provinces of Canada represent distinct racial and ethnic compositions; especially within the early years of Canadian society. Says one author, â€Å"Due to the fact that the sheer geographic mass of Canada was so large, it was difficult if not impossible for stakeholders within the government to immediately allocate fair levels of funding to achieve the goals they had set out to

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Business environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 3

Business environment - Essay Example In its mission, the bank endeavours to build strong markets in various parts of the world. In addition, HSBC aspires to build a strong customer relation that is keen in upholding excellent service delivery, sales and solutions. It is worth noting that the bank desires to achieve morally based long tern proceeds for all stakeholders. To achieve these objectives, the bank is keen in developing strong team players that will work to produce excellent results. A rewarding and challenging business environment is vital for any business to grow and as such the bank continues to develop a decent working environment for its workers. HSBC aspires to specialize in various banking groups by upholding a commitment to interior philosophies and banking values. HSBC bank is one of the leading banking institutions in Turkey in customer service. This lead is attributed to an excellent working environment for its employees and other stake holders. The working environment is conducive and friendly promoting excellence in customer service. In addition, the bank has over years created strong team players keen at creating service packages that will attract wider markets. The bank has invested greatly in technological innovations that have seen customer service taking place online. Indeed the bank has achieved its objectives despite few challenges that are common to other financial institutions. HSBC’s core responsibility is to provide financial services to its customers. It is for this purpose that the bank has continued to build a strong customer service that is keen at keeping the promise of high level service delivery and financial solutions amid the dynamic corporate environment. In its corporate social responsibility, the bank invests in the education of needy students at all levels of study. The bank also invests in other sectors of the

Saturday, August 24, 2019

A regression analysis study on the relationship between oil price Dissertation

A regression analysis study on the relationship between oil price volatility and UK oil and gas companies' returns - Dissertation Example The findings of the regression analysis also support the evidence of oil prices volatility having no impact upon the returns generated by the oil and gas sector of UK. Strong but negative relationship between oil and gas sector returns and various other factors such as benchmark equity index i.e. FTSE100, exchange rate movements and short term interest rates are found in the study consistent with some previous other research findings as well. VARIABLE CHOICE Under previous studies of El-Sharif (2005) and Sardosky (2001), there are few variables taken into consideration to check the returns generated by oil and gas sector companies of UK. In study of El-Sharif (2005), this impact is studied through using four variables which are returns generated from oil prices volatility, returns generated by UK equity index, returns generated by foreign exchange rate movements, and lastly returns generated from short-term interest rate. Under the current study, one additional variable has been adde d in the overall model of the study i.e. returns generated from Natural Gas Prices Volatility. ... This variable is considered in this study as the chief variable influencing the oil and gas sector companies returns. Returns generated from Gas Prices Volatility Gas prices, is the second factor which has the influences upon the returns of the oil and gas sector companies returns besides oil prices volatility. Returns generated by Equity Index of UK This variable is taken into consideration to study the overall influence of the equity market of UK upon oil and gas sector. Returns generated by Foreign Exchange Rate Movement Since UK is one of the largest oil producers in the European Union, therefore, it also exports oil and allied products to other nations as well. With such exports, the oil and gas sector of UK is highly impacted by the foreign currency movements as a result this factor is also studied under this research. Returns generated by Short-term Interest Rate Short-term interest rate is included in the model because it provides the alternative investment horizon to the inv estors. It is assumed that variability in the short-term interest rates can direct the decisions of investors. 3.6 Research Methodology (Edited) This research follows the literature that uses the international APT model. Previous studies facilitated their empirical analysis to relate impacts of global factors on stock returns (see Jorion, 1990; Khoo, 1994; Faff and Chan, 1998; Faff and Brailsford, 1999; Sadorsky, 2001; Sadorsky and Henriques, 2001). The two-factor version of the model used in most prior related studies is derived from the multi-factor model shown below: Ri,t = ? i ?+ ?kFk,t +? ?i,t (1) where Ri,t is the stock market’s excess return

Friday, August 23, 2019

How will e-health affect patient participation in the clinic pros and Essay

How will e-health affect patient participation in the clinic pros and cons - Essay Example E-health is defined as â€Å"a new term used to describe the combined use of electronic communication and information technology in the health sector OR is the use, in the health sector, of digital data-transmitted, stored and retrieved electronically-for clinical, educational and administrative purposes, both at the local site and at a distance† (WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, 2003). When it comes to clinical purposes, e-health makes easy it to manage and update medical records, allows electronic prescribing of medications, and makes patient management less demanding. E-health also fosters learning. Patients can access information about their condition and treatment options. There are also online support groups for people with similar conditions through e-health. Doctors can also use e-health for their continuing medical education. ICT health tools can also be used for organizational purposes. Scheduling of appointments and monitoring of laboratory results are made easier with e-health. The development of e-health has made it possible for healthcare professionals to give and for patients to receive quality, effective, and efficient healthcare services. Through the use of various e-health tools and services, communication and health management are a lot quicker and easier. Information is easily accessible and there is less stress on both healthcare providers and patients. E-health tools allow healthcare providers to care for the patients based on each one’s individual needs, allowing them to give care that is patient-centered. For patients, e-health tools provide them with information regarding their condition and encourage them toward self-care. E-health has evolved a lot and many consider it to be an indispensable tool in the industry of healthcare. Laboratories rely heavily on computers for analysis and many diagnostic

Thursday, August 22, 2019

In writing a narrative essay Essay Example for Free

In writing a narrative essay Essay Include sensory and emotional details, so the reader will experience the story, not just read about it Have the story support the point you are making, and make reference to that point in the first sentence. Write in the first or third person Descriptive Descriptive essays have text which describes traits and characteristics of people, objects, events, feelings, etc in intricate detail. Whatever is being described will be thoroughly examined. For example, if you were describing roses, you would explain: Where they come from What they look like What colors they are How they grow and smell When you write a descriptive essay, you want to involve the reader’s senses and emotions. For example, you could say, â€Å"I got sleepy† or describe it like this, As I was waiting for Santa, my eyelids began to get heavy, the lights on the tree began to blur with the green branches, and my head started to drop. The second sentence gives vivid details to make the reader feel like he is there. Exposition See more: how to start a personal narrative essay examples Expository essays can compare, explore and discuss problems, or tell a story. An exposition essay gives information about various topics to the reader. It: Informs Describes Explains In writing an exposition, the text needs to: Be concise and easy to understand Give different views on a subject or report on a situation or event Explain something that may be difficult to understand as you write your essay. Remember that your purpose is to explain. Argumentative In an argumentative essay the writer is trying to convince the reader by demonstrating the truth or falsity of a topic. The writer’s position will be backed up with certain kinds of evidence, like statistics or opinions of experts. The writer is not just giving an opinion, but making an argument for or against something and supporting that argument with data. To know how to write an essay in an argumentative way, you have to research and backup what you say in the text. Learn by Example When learning how to write an essay, sometimes the best way to learn is to look and analyze essay examples. Following are excerpts from narrative essays: Looking back on a childhood filled with events and memories, I find it rather difficult to pick on that leaves me with the fabled warm and fuzzy feelings. As the daughter of an Air Force Major, I had the pleasure of traveling across America in many moving trips. I have visited the monstrous trees of the Sequoia National Forest, stood on the edge of the Grande Canyon and have jumped on the beds at Caesar’s Palace in Lake Tahoe. The day I picked my dog up from the pound was one of the happiest days of both of our lives. I had gone to the pound just a week earlier with the idea that I would just look at a puppy. Of course, you can no more just look at those squiggling little faces so filled with hope and joy than you can stop the sun from setting in the morning. I knew within minutes of walking in the door that I would get a puppy†¦ but it wasnt until I saw him that I knew I had found my puppy. Looking for houses was supposed to be a fun and exciting process. Unfortunately, none of the ones that we saw seemed to match the specifications that we had established. They were too small, too impersonal, too close to the neighbors. After days of finding nothing even close, we began to wonder: was there really a perfect house out there for us? The following is an example of a famous narrative written by John Updike, Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu: The afternoon grew so glowering that in the sixth inning the arc lights were turned onalways a wan sight in the daytime, like the burning headlights of a funeral procession. Aided by the gloom, Fisher was slicing through the Sox rookies, and Williams did not come to bat in the seventh. He was second up in the eighth. This was almost certainly his last time to come to the plate in Fenway Park, and instead of merely cheering, as we had at his three previous appearances, we stood, all of us, and applauded. Following are excerpts from descriptive essays: Like his twisted feathers, his many scars, the reliable old owl chose the gnarled, weather-beaten, but solid branch often—it being a companion to the wise alone with the night and the last branch to creak in the heaviest wind. He often came to survey the fields and the clouds before his hunt, to listen to the steady sound of the stream passing through reeds under the bridge, while combing his feathers for the unwanteds—whatever they might be. Here is a descriptive essay about a first visit to a favorite diner written by a student at Roane State Community College:When entering the door at Lou’s, two things are immediately noticeable: the place is rarely empty and seems to consist of a maze of rooms. The first room, through the door, is the main part of the restaurant. There is another, rarely used, dining room off to the right. It was added during the oil well boom of the seventies. Through the main dining room is yet another room; it guards the door leading into the kitchen. This room contains the most coveted table in the place. The highest tribute Lou can bestow on anyone is to allow them access to seats at this table. This table is the family table; it is reserved for Lou’s, and her daughter Karen’s, immediate family and treasured friends. Here is an example of a descriptive essay from St. Cloud State:Billy Rays Pawn Shop and Lawn Mower Repair looked like a burial ground for country auction rejects. The blazing, red, diesel fuel tanks beamed in front of the station, looking like cheap lipstick against the pallid, wrinkled texture of the parking lot sand. The yard, not much larger than the end zone at General G. Patton High School on the north end of town, was framed with a rusted metallic hedge of lawn mowers, banana seat bicycles, and corroded oil drums. It wasnt a calico frame of rusted parts, but rather an orchestra of unwanted machinery that Billy Ray had arranged into sections. The yellow-tanked mowers rested silently at the right of the diesel fuel. Once red, now faded orange, mowers stood at attention to the left. The oil barrels, jaded and pierced with holes, bellared like chimes when the wind was right. The bikes rested sporadically throughout the lot. In the middle of it all was the office, a faded, steel roof supported by cheap two-by-fours and zebra paneling. Billy Ray was at home, usually, five blocks east of town on Kennel Road. Following are excerpts from exposition essays: This family was a victim of a problem they could have avoided-a problem that, according to Florida park rangers, hundreds of visitors suffer each year. Several times a month, ranger Rod Torres of OLeno State Park said, people get scared and leave the park in the middle of the night. Those people picked the wrong kind of park to visit. Not that there was anything wrong with the park: The hikers camped next to them loved the wild isolation of it. But it just wasnt the kind of place the couple from New Jersey had in mind when they decided to camp out on this trip through Florida. Here is an example of a student model answer of an Expository Essay from The Write Source:Did you know that 7 out of 10 students have cheated at least once in the past year? Did you know that 50 percent of those students have cheated more than twice? These shocking statistics are from a survey of 9,000 U.S. high school students.Incredibly, teachers may even be encouraging their students to cheat! Last year at a school in Detroit, teachers allegedly provided their students with answers to statewide standard tests.Here is an another example of an expository essay. This example comes from Essay Start:Throughout history and through a cross-section of cultures, women have transformed their appearance to conform to a beauty ideal. Ancient Chinese aristocrats bound their feet as a show of femininity; American and European women in the 1800s cinched in their waists so tightly, some suffered internal damage; in some African cultures women continue to wear plates in their lower lips, continually stretching the skin to receive plates of larger size. The North American ideal of beauty has continually focussed on womens bodies: the tiny waist of the Victorian period, the boyish figure in vogue during the flapper era, and the voluptuous curves that were the measure of beauty between the 1930s and 1950s. Current standards emphasize a toned, slender look, one that exudes fitness, youth, and health. According to psychologist Eva Szekely, Having to be attractive at this time . . . means unequivocally having to be thin. In North America today, thinness is a precondition for being perceived by others and oneself as healthy (19). However, this relentless pursuit of thinness is not just an example of women trying to look their best, it is also a struggle for control, acceptance and success. Finally, here are excerpts from argumentative essays: Gun control has been a controversial issue for years. A vast majority of citizens believe that if gun control is strictly enforced it would quickly reduce the threat of crime. Many innocent people feel they have the right to bear arms for protection, or even for the pleasure of hunting. These people are penalized for protecting their lives, or even for enjoying a common, innocent sport. To enforce gun control throughout the nation means violating a persons Constitutional rights. Although some people feel that the issue of gun control will limit crime, the issue should not exist due to the fact that guns are necessary for self defense against crime, and by enforcing gun control is violating a citizen’s second amendment right to bear arms. Another examples of an argumentative essay comes from Bogazici University:Throw out the bottles and boxes of drugs in your house. A new theory suggests that medicine could be bad for your health, which should at leastcome as good news to people who cannot afford to buy expensive medicine. However, it is a blow to the medicine industry, and an evenbigger blow to our confidence in the progress of science. This new theory argues that healing is at our fingertips: we can be healthy by doing Reikion on a regular basis. On Essay By Example, on the other hand, the sample argumentative essay addresses online games and socialization:

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The crisis of communism Essay Example for Free

The crisis of communism Essay Why did Deng Xiaoping survive the ‘crisis of communism’ whilst Mikhail Gorbachev did not? The dominant powers of communism, China and the Soviet Union, were about to face a major test to their systems of governance in the 1970s and 1980s. Consequently, only one of them would survive. The ‘crisis of communism’ had its roots in the disillusionment of the people, after having been ruled for so long under repressive and clearly human rights-ignorant regimes. Deng Xiaoping managed to escape the wrath of this protest movement by, although reforming the economic system of China in various ways, clamping down on political systems, ensuring that the power of democracy bestowed on the people was not enough to usurp upon Xiaoping’s rule over the country. Gorbachev suffered a dissimilar fate. His failed economic policies of glasnost and perestroika, and the simultaneous political leniencies of his era meant that the Communist Party lost its place in the Soviet Union. One by one, the satellite states of the Eastern bloc would break away from the USSR’s control. Xiaoping became ruler of China among very difficult times, both economically and socially. The aftermath of Mao Tse-tung’s underwhelming contributions to policy was taking its toll on the people of China. Xiaoping was originally meant to be purged by the Gang of Four in 1976 during their attempted coup d’etat of the Chinese Government. One of the Gang of Four’s members was Mao Tse-tung’s last wife, Jiang Qing. However, when Hua Guofeng was appointed Communist Party chairman, he managed to turn the Red Army over to his side. The Gang of Four were subjected to a show trial and all given life sentences in prison. Consequently, the Democracy Wall was set up as a medium for which to criticise them and their treasonous crimes. With this sociopolitical relaxation in place, initialised by Huang Xiang, Deng Xiaoping rose to power. Xiaoping’s first reforms were on agricultural policy. The Great Leap Forward (GLF) and the Down To The Countryside migration movement of people from urban to agrarian communities, both bids to boost the role of agriculture in China’s economy, drew huge losses, and exacerbated the state of poverty among rural communities in China’s north and west, as the Soviet Union had predicted. To make matters worse, the communities who had been submitted to the GLF policy suffered severe droughts which decimated crops and left people hungry. To attempt to remedy these issues, Xiaoping abolished the communal system of agriculture and reissued the peasants with their private plots of land. Although the prosperity of rural Chinese communities wavered under Xiaoping’s rule, he had large support from them as a whole. China also underwent huge economic reforms under Xiaoping, which he termed ‘market socialism’. He directed Hu Yaobang, the General Secretary of the CCP, to impose most of these reforms. For the first time since the rule of the Kuomintang, China opened its markets up to the rest of the globe, in pursuit of a ‘free market’ approach to its trade. In this way, China would be able to benefit from the dollar of others, as its internal production suffered. Xiaoping also set up ‘Special Economic Zones’ (SEZs), such as the town of Shenzhen, which is now a city of 3.5 million people. Xiaoping’s economic policies were initially successful, but increased inflation and internal government corruption led to protest. Also, many of the party elders (most of them Maoists) opposed free market reforms and the attempts made by Xiaoping to make China’s government more transparent and open to scrutiny. When student protests in Beijing began, Hu Yaobang was criticised for being ‘lax’ by his political opponents, and was forced to resign, being replaced by Zhao Ziyang. When Hu Yaobang died, 100 000 students called for the government to reassess his legacy, and engaged in a mass protest in Tiananmen Square, demanding greater transparency of the Chinese government. Communism was being challenged by the people. Xiaoping, however, had a hold on the army, and used them to deal with the protests. This was a complete volte-face on Xiaoping’s part. Although he opened up the idea of democracy to the people of China for the first time, Xiaoping was relentless in silencing the Tiananmen protesters, even resorting to massacre in order to hold ‘peace’. When the defiance of the infamous ‘Tank Man’ was caught on tape, being seized by army officials, the Chinese government did its best to censor its release. Their attempts failed, and suddenly the whole world knew of the extent to which the Chinese government would go to maintain its hold of power on the people. Although Xiaoping was able to withstand these challenges to communism, Gorbachev could not. Gorbachev came to power in the Soviet Union succeeding a tide of disillusioned leaders whose ‘inertia’ in decision making meant that the Soviet Union’s economy, social tension and standard of living were starting to go stale. The age of these past leaders, due to their old age and ridiculously poor health, was termed the ‘gerontocracy’ of the Soviet Union. To rectify the inaction of these leaders and the disillusionment of the people towards the Communist Party, Gorbachev decided immediate reforms were needed to restart the economy and to regain social trust. He introduced two key policies: glasnost, meaning openness, which was make the government more transparent and allow freedom of speech; and perestroika, a political movement of Gorbachev’s which introduced demokratizasiya (democratisation of the government) and economic reforms which allowed foreign investment. Gorbachev’s perestroika movement also had other hidden side effects; it would cause the end of the Eastern bloc and the dissolution of Eastern Europe. The perestroika movement cut Gorbachev’s Communist Party into two: liberals who wanted this reform to be accelerated and ‘old communists’ who did not like the idea of reforming the Soviet Union’s systems at all. After some setbacks, Gorbachev managed to push the reforms through. However, his intention to keep a one-party system failed, as elements of a multi-party system began to crystallise. Boris Yeltsin, formerly a supporter of Gorbachev, was now independent of the Communist Party and challenging him. Meanwhile, after the international embarrassment caused by the censorship of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor explosion, Gorbachev began releasing Soviet dissidents who had been kept imprisoned, and allowed even greater freedom of expression, rather than tightening it, as Xiaoping did. Gorbachev also supported the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, which signified the end to the repressive ‘iron curtain’ the Soviets had been ‘protectedâ⠂¬â„¢ by for nearly forty years. However, it soon became clear that perestroika was not targeting the correct areas of the Soviet Union’s economy which needed serious attention. Although Gorbachev now allowed privatisation and engagement in foreign trade and investment, much of the macroeconomic aspects of the Soviet command economy were still intact, such as price controls, and the monopolistic control of the means of production by the State. Thus, perestroika was a largely unhelpful ‘trickle-down’ policy, contrasting the SEZ policy of Xiaoping’s, which had the inverse effect. Perestroika only moved the bottleneck of the Soviet economy downwards, which failed to alleviate the continuous poverty which afflicted the country. The conservative side of the Soviet government was appalled with Gorbachev’s actions and how the Communist Party’s power was gradually being marginalised. Gorbachev also saw this, and to quell the opposition’s protest, he attempted to avert the dissolution of the Soviet Union by installing the New Union Treaty, which proposed a new confederacy named the ‘Union of Sovereign States’ which would replace the Soviet Union. But within it, the federal system would be less centralised and there would be a greater distribution of political power, which reduced the Communist Party’s control even more. Gorbachev was meant to sign the treaty on 20 August 1991, but was stopped by a coup d’etat attempt of Yeltsin’s (assisted by several others). On the day of the proposed signing, they issued an ultimatum for Gorbachev to declare Gennady Yanaev of the Communist Party the new President of the USSR, or call a union-wide state of emergency. Gorbachev accepted to do neither. He was consequently placed under ‘house arrest’ as the citizens of Moscow began erecting barricades around the presidential estate. On 21 August, tanks intruded on the Red Square, and an attack on the White House was imminent, but the tanks were barricaded by trolleybuses. When the coup was officially over, Gorbachev dismissed all members of the State involved with the coup from their positions. After this incident, Gorbachev knew that his popularity was waning. His last major political decision was to establish the Belavezha Accords, which denounced the 1922 treaty that established the Soviet Union. The Belavezha Accords were signed on December 8 1991, On December 25, Gorbachev officially resigned as President of the Soviet Union, replaced by Boris Yeltsin, and on December 26 the Soviet Union ceased to exist. Conclusively, it is clear that while there were similarities between the reformation of the Chinese and Soviet political and economic systems as a response to the ‘crisis of communism’, the reason why Xiaoping succeeded this era and Gorbachev did not was because the Chinese government retained control over its people and did not allow opposition to the Communist Party. Gorbachev marginalised this power, which polarised the Soviet government. Gorbachev also relied on a ‘trickle-down’ economic policy to save the Soviet economy, which unfortunately did not achieve what it set out to do. Finally, Gorbachev’s attempts to ‘democratise’ the Soviet Union and prepare its federal system for reformation failed when it resulted in a complete dissolution of the entity.

Marketing and sales strategy of Juicy Fruit Smoothies

Marketing and sales strategy of Juicy Fruit Smoothies This opportunity analysis document identifies and summarises the background, status and future plans for the creation for Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd. This idea is Juice and Smoothy Bar which is seen in most shopping centres, cinemas and department stores. This new type of business will offer the consumer a wide range of beverages ranging from soft drinks to fruit flavoured beverages with nutritious ingredients. In addition, this new business will sell a variety of ice creams and chocolate. Beverages are among the most sellable items that people can offer. Selling beverages like concentrate juice, vitamin c juice and nectar juice is most profitable during the summer where a frozen juice or smoothie drinks can be refreshing relief from the heat of the sun. This is the reason why it will be a good idea to start a business selling juice fruit and smoothie drink if seeking a good and profitable starting start up business. The Juice and Smoothie brand has been has been a  successful product brand all over the world. Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd will use 100% nutritious fruits to promote a healthy advertisement campaign and attract conscious health goers. This business will open one juice and smoothie bar and will continue to expand in shopping centres, entertainment spots, transport companies and gyms.   Juicy Fruit Ltds start up cost is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬71000. The main source of the cost is from the general operating expenses such as payroll, suppliers, insurance, advertising and other overheads. The remaining costs are the overheads that are normally associated with opening up a premise. We need an investment of about à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬100,000 to get the business started. The start up assumptions is illustrated below: Start-up Funding Start-up funding for expenses à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬54000 Start-up assets funding à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬17000 Total Funding Required à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬71000 Assets Non cash assets from start-up à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬5000 Inventory à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2000 Long Term Assets à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬10000 Total Assets à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬17000 Liabilities Long Term Liabilities à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬100000 Total Liabilities à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬100000 Start-up Requirements Advertising à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬5000 Insurance à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2000 Marketing Promotion à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬5000 Payroll à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬40000 Repairs Maintenance à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1000 Shipping Delivery à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1000 Internet à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1000 Total Start-Up Expenses à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬54000 Start-up Assets Start-up Inventory à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2000 Other Current Assets à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬5000 Long Term Assets à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬10000 Total Assets à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬17000 Total Funding Required à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬71000 Objectives The objectives of Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd  are the following: Create a state-wide sales staff. Establish strong sales revenue by 2013. Maintain tight control of cost and operation during expansion. To successfully expand our products Mission Statement Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltds mission is as follows: Quality: Our fruit juices are the highest quality, most nutritious food productsbecause we will accept nothing less. Innovative: Our products have always been in the forefront of the health and nutrition wave. Innovative products, state of the art manufacturing, quality assurance and industry expertise are the bases for our past and future successes. Integrity: Our customers depend on the quality of our juice products. Our commitment to the highest standard is the foundation of our customers trust in Oasis Juice.  Delivering freshly made juice to consumers depends on extensive cooperation and mutual reliance between supplier and retailer. We stand behind our product, our service and our word. Company Description Business Definition Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd will offer a range of smoothies, juices and energy drinks. Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd will have over 50 different flavours that can only be bought in this store, while still selling the already popular ones, such as Power Punch. These refreshment drinks are healthier than soft drinks as they are made from real fruit and blended together to make the smoothie. In order to make these smoothies we will use frozen fruit. Put it in the blender along with some frozen yogurt for thirty seconds and the smoothie is ready to serve. It is really simple and speedy method but it creates a great tasting product. Long Term Aim of the Business Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd will be a great opportunity to enter the food and beverage industry providing the consumer with another business to choose from when they decide on their commodities. The main long term aim of the business is to provide excellent customer satisfaction, be miles ahead of the leading competitors and to be profitable. Many people like smoothies and other sweet like products but Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd will provide much healthier options that will assist in the competitive advantage. New smoothie recipes will be implemented as time goes on and more promotions will be on offer. Key Features and Benefits Key Features of Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd will include: Skilled staff who are aware of the need for high quality in every smoothie Online service where customers will be made available of the ingredients in each smoothie and also the weekly special offers, without having to go into the store. Key Benefits to customers will include: Great tasting drinks made in front of your eyes Quick service Ability to sit down in store and enjoy your smoothie Small Large Size (low prices) Huge selection of flavours Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd plans to be as customer friendly as possible and therefore will offer lower prices than the competition. We will welcome criticism from customers on how we can improve our products and of possible different flavours of smoothies. We believe that this will be a great success as we will be giving the customers exactly what they want. The customer will also be able to decide in the store what fruits they want in their smoothie, without the need for the recipe being in use. However, we will have to charge a slightly higher price in order to provide this service. We will be the only company to provide this service and we think that it will be extremely popular. As people are increasingly trying to eat healthy we feel that now is the perfect time to get into the smoothie market. We have a wide range of target outlets such as coffee shops, sandwich bars, gyms, sports clubs, health clubs and hotels, as well as having stores of our own in shopping centres throughout the country. Most people know that fruit loses its nutritional content over time however what most people dont know is that this loss occurs within minutes. Therefore, it is crucial that the ingredients be as fresh as possible in order for the customer to receive maximum benefits. Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd has taken this under consideration and has a system that is focused on maximising freshness. Value Proposition At the minute there is no company providing the customers with high quality fresh smoothies at a low price. The recipes are very limited and the prices are high. Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd will be the first smoothie bar that offers a wide range of smoothies at affordable prices. Products Juices/Smoothies Energy Drinks Ice Cream Sweets/Chocolates Analytical Spending and Outsourcing Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd has a need for analytical spending in order to find out what kinds of fruits and smoothie flavours people are looking for. The major areas that would need to be analyzed would have to be: types of fruits, recipes, ice cream flavours, and potentially meals in the future. At this point in time Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd should be focusing on spending for research into what kinds of fruits people in the area would desire. Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd should also focus on trying to analyze how they can transport fruits from areas at a low cost. This would entail finding good transportation routes, good areas to find quality fruits, and also how to go about getting them for a decent price. Through these tests Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd should be able to figure out a way to get a good quality product thus giving them an advantage on the competition. It would be good for them to try to outsource the testing for recipes to outside service providers. This would allow them to get a more wholesome perspective on what kinds of blends to use in the smoothies and also would allow Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd to be more forward looking and potentially expand into the global market at some point in the future. This way they do not have to focus completely on just the local area for business and will be able to become more profitable through expansion. Barriers to Entry Products The Smoothie and Juice Bar industry is a successful industry will many businesses doing quite well despite the economic downturn. The main competitors such as Zumo already are a global brand and would have more stakes in the market and experience. That alone may cause concern for the success of Juicy Fruits. Loyalty to Customers In any market or sector it is known that customer satisfaction gives a better competitive edge for businesses already in the market. Since firms that have a high reputation and have built up their clientele over the years, the customers will remain loyal to that business which gives that business a competitive advantage. Economies of Scale Large and more experienced businesses may be able to operate more efficiently due to minimal costs. These businesses are also more experienced because of the length of time spent in the sector thus giving them more of a competitive advantage. SWOT Analysis Strengths: The Smoothie Juice market is a widely known and successful industry Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd will provide quality products than the leading competitor including fresh fruits Chocolate: Cadburys and Nestle will be our suppliers Drinks: Red Bull Coca Cola Smoothies: Fresh Fruits with nutrients Professional products that will be sold to colleges, schools, restaurants and gyms Successful due to the unquestionable ability to provide top of the range products including healthy options. Weaknesses: Our rival companies like Zumo and Innocent may have a better stake in the market and more experience along with knowledge. The competitors may formulate new tactics for the new entrant Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd Opportunities Future developments in the smoothie recipes and further business expansion Provide allergy free products such as peanut free drinks and chocolates Threats The major competitors such as Zumo Innocent Any contamination to the food supply and shortages Possible increase in supplier costs# Strategy Implementation Summary Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd will penetrate the smoothie and juice beverage industry by creating and deploying new smoothie and juice products and brands. The business will also locate in a logical and more accessible area. Shopping Centres Gyms are the busiest places that a lot of consumers go to for recreation. Since that Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd is promoting healthy beverages it is a right step in locating in a gym. We want to let the customer experience a fast and friendly service without the inconvenience of waiting too long for their purchase. The business is for a customer that wants a quick drink on the go and who wants to get in and out fast. Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd has identified that the market is busy and the potential target customers will range from school and college goers to business people who will be passing by the juice bar at regular intervals and that is why location is a number one success pattern. In addition to providing a quality product and an extensive menu of delicious items, to ensure customer awareness and loyalty, as well as positive public and media support, Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd can continue to offer more promotions if it deems to be a successful juice and smoothie bar. Strategy Pyramid Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd strategy is to show people that JF has an excellent product, convenient accessibility, and with a community benefit. To execute on this strategy, Juicy Fruits will be locating its bars at easily accessible with the Dublin area. Juicy Fruits will be pricing its products competitively and training the staff to the highest standards in the country In doing so, Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd has to: Provide a customer with a quality product at a competitive price Provide the customer with a more convenient method for obtaining their desired product Demonstrate how Juicy Fruits appreciates customer loyalty buy offering promotions, coupons, loyalty cards, etc. Continue to implement future marking strategies and to ensure that Juicy Fruits will be ahead of the leading competitors Identify future developments and possible merging with other retail companies such as Spar or Centra Continue will some market research in the area of customer satisfaction. Are the customers satisfied with the level of service? Are they happy with the products? Any feedback? This could be done through feedback cards. Strategy Pyramid.jpg Market Analysis Target Market The target market is vast, covering almost all demographics, with an emphasis on the age group of 15-35 i.e. older school goers, students and young professionals. Thus locating the franchises near colleges, shopping centres and in town is important. Perhaps it might also be beneficial to cooperate with a current institution in Ireland for the start up of the company, i.e. cooperate with a shop, such as Centra or Spar, using their well known brand name to help solidify the name of this new franchise. This again would result in an addition to the already high start up costs, but it may well be the smartest and most effective route forward. An in depth researching of the market prices would also be needed and Juicy Fruits would most certainly have to charge less than its competitors in order to gain a foot hold in the market. This might have to be continued for several months/years in order to persuade people away from companies like Zumo. This would result in low income for the first few accounting periods and with the high start up costs the margin for a healthy profit in the first two years is very low. However, all of this being said, the fact that there is only one other Smoothie and Juice Bar company out there in the market in Ireland at the moment means the potential for a new company is excellent, as long as an efficient strategy is put in place to effectively corner a section of the health food market. Market Segmentation The effects of the industry affect how we will have to market, as well as what services/products we will have to offer in Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd. For example, we will have to separate our juice and smoothie products from others as well as focus on their weaknesses and exploit them. The major competitors we have in the beverage industry are cafes and corporations such as Starbucks. Juicy Fruits will have to be sure to specify how much healthier their product is in comparison to coffee and why it is a better choice. This will hopefully allow for them to attract customers away from the competition as well as allow them to gain a solid foothold in the market. Geography segmentation is not a very large part of Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd concerns. The target market/customers for the company are a very large range that doesnt target anyone in particular. Just your average people, the only part of the geography that would be major is being sure to be in a densely populated location such as in downtown Dublin or directly on/near the campus. Now we will look at the different tiers that Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd would be concerned with. Tier 1 (Industries Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd can leverage on their own) Fruit and Smoothies Ice Cream Tier 2 (Industries that can be leveraged with help from a partner) Recipes Organics Tier 3 (Future industries to get involved in) Food (full meals) Vegetables Fitness Competition The two main competitors in this industry are Zumo and Innocent. Zumo has been in Ireland since 2001 and are the largest juice and smoothie bar chain in Europe, with over 100 bars in 13 countries. Their company is extremely similar to ours as they make up their smoothies in store also. We will have an advantage over Zumo as we will have a greater selection of smoothies and also the customers will have the option of choosing the fruits that go into their smoothies. We expect to steal a lot of their customers due to this. Zumo is already a well established company and have had the luxury of charging high prices for their product and having a huge mark-up. In order to break into their market we intend to have cheaper prices and also have special offers weekly. E.g. For one week have the Power Punch smoothie at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.50. This is extremely good value and although we will not be making that much profit off this deal, we expect that it will attract customers into the store and also that we will sell quite a large amount of the products on special offer. Innocent is a UK based company which was founded in 1999. They provide smoothies and juices also, however the key difference between our company and theirs is that we intend to make ours fresh in store whereas their product comes readymade in cartons and plastic bottles. Their product is sold at a cheaper price than ours however a lot of the goodness is lost in the smoothie and also the majority of people find that it doesnt taste as nice as the freshly made smoothies. Competitive Advantage Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd will be successful if it is able to satisfy the key customer criteria. This includes: high quality product, affordable prices, speedy and friendly service. It will have advantages over other smoothie providers for the following reasons: Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd has a keen interest in satisfying the customer, and therefore spends time perfecting their recipes. The wide range of flavours that Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd will provide should satisfy all tastes. The customer will have the ability of choosing what goes into the smoothie on off chance that there isnt a recipe that suits the customers taste. We will provide high quality smoothies in less than a minute. This speed is vital in order to compete with the competitors as customers will not be willing to wait for over 5 minutes for their smoothies. This time will be increased drastically if there is a queue. Therefore it is vital to us that the smoothie is made and in the customers hand in two minutes. This speed is also good for the quality of the product. As outlined earlier, the nutrients leave the fruit within minutes, therefore this process keeps our product as healthy as possible also adding to its appeal. Marketing/Sales Strategy Marketing Strategy The Fruit Juice and Smoothie bar market is currently occupied, in Ireland, by one major company, Zumo. The Zumo chain of bars is, at present the only realistic competition to the introduction of a new franchise of smoothie bars. The creation of the new chain Juicy Fruits would most certainly result in direct retaliation from this major competitor and plans must be put in place to differentiate the products that Juicy Fruits intend to sell from those of Zumo. Similarly, other areas of competition, such as coffee houses like Starbucks and Insomnia must be planned for. An emphasis on the healthier aspects of a smoothie over things like coffee must be stressed in an early advertisement campaign. As there is only one major competitor in this area there is obvious room for growth in the market. An informative and cost effective advertisement campaign would be essential and would have to be run early in the life of the company, perhaps even before the first Smoothie and Juice bars opened. This obviously will result in a high start up cost; however the lack of any effective advert campaigns currently from Zumo would result in excellent market coverage for said ad campaign. Market Share Due to well established companies already in this market, we expect to initially have a small market share. However, once we have an advertising campaign in place we expect this to rise to approx 5% within one year. Advertising and Promotion As already stated, it would be essential to run an informative advertisement campaign early in the companys development. This would be necessary in order to corner the market early on in the business development. It would be my recommendation to run this advert campaign before the first store opened its doors in order to generate some anticipation and create a slogan about the new franchise. It would also be wise to run discounts and offers for the first few weeks of existence, in order to draw in more potential customers. Deals would have to be good enough to pull current Zumo customers away from their usual purchases. As Ive said in the above section, forming a partnership with a well established company would be very beneficial to the future development of the franchise. This would convey some trust towards the company and perhaps add loyalty to the brand name from those already loyal to the shop that Juicy Fruits will now operate out of, (Centra, Spar etc.) Getting the correct theme for the Smoothie and Juice Bars will also be essential. The current competition, Zumo, uses green and yellow as their main colours and is very easily distinguishable. Juicy Fruits would have to also use colours that suggested healthiness and fruitiness, without using the same colours as Zumo. It is essential that Juicy Fruits remains differentiable from Zumo. I would suggest the use of blues and reds on all things Juicy Fruit; this would strongly differentiate the franchise from the competition, and suggests a cool, healthy atmosphere. An advert campaign would get people buying smoothies instead of other commodities such as coffee should also be run, targeting young professionals. It should be noted that, in the morning, a full smoothie has just as much energy providing substances as coffee, and is substantially healthier. This campaign should be run later in the companys development, as the already high start up costs do not need to be added to from the get go. It should also be made clear that our smoothies and juices are significantly cheaper than the competition (and we will have to make this the case, at least in the first one to two years of the companys life) in order to draw potential clients out from Zumo and bring them in to us. High quality produce would be required, with an emphasis on fair trade fruits in order to increase popularity with the public. Perhaps a companywide statement saying Juicy Fruits will only buy fair trade produce would be in order. This would also be an excellent selling point for the new business and would hopefully draw in new customers. Sales Strategy The promotional and marketing side of the business will be about à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1000. When the company is set up the business will then open up with promotions such as a buy 1 get the 2nd at half price offer. This type of strategy has been very successful with food and beverage industries and I have no doubt that this type of strategy will give Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd the start-up success it needs Pricing I have analysed the pricing scheme for Juicy Fruits competitors along with our prices which are as follows: Juicy Fruits Zumo Smoothies à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬3 large, à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2 small Smoothies à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬4 Energy Drinks à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.50 Energy Drinks à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬3 Soft Drinks à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.50 bottle, à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1 can Soft Drinks à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.70 Ice Cream à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.20 Ice Cream à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.50 Fruit Juices à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.00 Fruit Juices à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.50 Chocolate à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.00 Chocolate à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.30 From the table above, Juicy Fruits pricing scheme is quite better and attractive than Zumos pricing scheme. Zumos products are much more expensive than Juicy Fruits which would help the consumer on choosing a product for less. It would be a decision of supply and demand. Research Development In the food and beverage industry, the requirement for RD is a crucial element as it involves checking your competitive advantage and also keeps tabs on your competition. Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd will be providing new smoothie recipes and will require more market research to ensure that these recipes have not been already invented. If and when a new recipe is invented patents, copyrights and branding legal requirements will need to put in place. If the new inventions and products are not legalised then anybody could take the products and use them for their own. With legalisation, this helps to eliminate this with the legal system. Staffing Operations Management (including Board) Organisational Chart Staffing Training Plans With Juicy Fruits the recruitment and employment procedures will be like the same as many other businesses. The main procedures that this business will take will be an interview, performance appraisal and there will be a trial period. The main key areas that Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltds employment procedures will undergo will be: Conduct a job analysis and determine what the responsibilities of the job will be Determine what skills are needed to carry out these responsibilities Draft an advert Candidates to be chosen based on interview performance, availability and references At the end of about six months there will be a performance appraisal which will evaluate the job performance of each staff member in order to extend his/her employment The performance appraisal will help to: Inform employees on the status of their performance Check to see if the employee might require more training Identify personnel decisions; to analysis salary increases or bonuses Assess and provide communication between the employee and administration The trail period will be for one month and upon completion of that period there will be a small performance appraisal as mentioned above. Since the Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd is just starting up, there will be minimal amount of staff that will be required until the business expands which will then be a requirement to hire addition staff. Personnel Management Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltds management team will consist of a Director, an Operational Director, a Managing Director, and Accountant, General Manager a Supervisor. In order to deliver efficiency to the consumer it is critical that the products and machinery is up and running and that everything is fully operational. The Board of Directors will be as follows: Director (Stiophà ¡n Mac Suibhne) Operational Director (Padraig Sheehan) Managing Director ( Barry Cunneen) Accountant ( Jesse Dunham) Operations The main operational requirements for Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd will include: Location for the business Staffing Inventory Functional Website (for promotional purposes) It is imperative that staff be fully trained on the equipment to include manual handling training and healthy and safety before the initial opening of the business. All legal requirements will need to complete before opening. Factors Determining Success The main factors that will determine the success and future success of Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd are: Competition it will be important for me and my colleagues to keep an ongoing track of the businesss competitors in order to reach full market potential. Since that Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd already has competition with some main companies offering the same type of products, it will be our job to continue to expand the business and continue to offer bigger and better offers and products. Reducing Overheads ensuring that the overheads will remain low will be our top priority and will continue to be a business objective. The main methods of reducing costs will be both change insurance requirements and cutting supplier costs as the business continues on. Development for Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd as already mentioned, Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd will expand from one premises to many others pending the success within the first year of business. Market research such as surveys or questionnaires may provide feedback on our products and help to assess customer satisfaction High Customer Satisfaction customer satisfaction is the top success factor for this business and it will operate a boomerang approach to returning customers if they are kept happy with the products and service. Other Operational Factors The main operational factors that need to be addressed are: Quality Assurance: Keeping the products and customer service up to date will be a main priority. Location: Juicy Fruit Smoothies Ltd will need a location in either a shopping centre or a gym to start up. Many of these jui