Category: Uncategorized

Market Search Proposal

Name

Institution

Year

Cover Letter

Market search and sales capitalization is on one of the main ways to grow a company. By looking for new markets, a company is able to increase its product outlet margins and thus more revenue and capital generation. Beau & Ro Bag Company being a thriving company in its New York markets, it is high time the company’s management thinks of aboard markets that can help increase sales and revenues. The right way to get into a new market is to capitalize on already existing channels in a new country or adopt a join venture. Beau & Ro Bag Company will in this case choose a joint venture approach with a Malaysian ladies’ handbags company by the name Mel and Molly. The company seeks to operate under the Mel and Molly’s brand name and use its existing marketing channels to sell its handbags. The ultimate goal is to increase sales by fetching the growing Malaysian market.

Company Description

Beau & Ro Bag Company is a ladies’ hand bag company located in New York with its markets spready all across the U.S. The company has had a healthy financial growth due to the increasing market share that has seen its revenues increase steadily over the five years (Cateora et al., 2020). Beau & Ro Bag Company, Inc. is located in New York, NY, United States and is part of the Textile Manufacturing Industry. Beau & Ro Bag Company, Inc. has total employees across all of its locations and generates $86,000 in sales (USD). Beau & Ro Bag Company was Incorporated In 2014 where it has managed to grow tremendously in terms of market size and sales thus adding to its revenue basket. With the company seeking more markets abroad, the management targets the Asian markets that area very promising in terms of sales volume outlet (Išoraitė, 2016). Beau & Ro Bag Company has managed to take a considerable share in the U.S. handbag market that has positioned it strategically for future growth.

Marketing Strategy

The target market for Beau & Ro Bag Company will be Malaysia where it will take a joint venture approach with Mel and Molly. The reason for going abroad is to capitalize on a new niche that already promises great future in sales due to the growing middle class. Beau & Ro Bag Company majors in the sale of Clutches, crossbody bags, fanny packs, backpacks and wine totes that are a key product line that will also fetch good attraction from Malaysian customers (Cateora et al., 2020). The target market in Malaysia offers both growth and stability as already seen in other South Asian countries.

Proposal

The main goal of moving into Malaysia is to take advantage of the rising middle class that offers a potential market for the company’s products. In line with this, the company seeks to operate a joint venture with Mel and Molly an already market giant in Malaysia. Through this move, Beau & Ro Bag Company will be able to increase and adopt new markets that will add to its corporate growth agenda. The external market in Malaysia is already promising with Mel and Molly already fetching good outlet for its products (Othman et al., 2019). The joint venture will not only benefit Beau & Ro Bag Company btu also add to Mel and Molly’s ambitious growth plans by adding more knowledge and insights into the sale of ladies’ handbags. For this reason, the joint venture appears to be the most lucrative approach that will benefit both firms in their growth agenda. By adopting joint venture with Mel and Molly, Beau & Ro Bag Company will be in a position to integrate with the Malaysian market with ease by using the already established supply chains.

Marketing Mix (4Ps)

Product

The product being introduced into the market is a collection of ladies’ hand bags and accessories. To be precise, Beau & Ro Bag Company seeks to sell Clutches, crossbody bags, fanny packs, backpacks and wine totes to the new market. By joining hands with Mel and Molly, Beau & Ro Bag Company will be able to introduce the new designs and bags to the Malaysia market.

Pricing

The pricing will be determined by the local market averages to ensure that the prices are favorable and affordable to the local customers. Going by the current pricing by Mel and Molly, the medium hand bags will sell at $45.55. The crossbody bags will retail at $33. The clutches will vary depending on the size and design where the average price will be $57.

Placement

Product placement is a modern merchandising strategy for brands to reach their target audiences without using overt “traditional advertising. Beau & Ro Bag Company will try to reach out to the established market already being fed by Mel and Molly (Othman et al., 2019). This approach will save on advertising cost and thus build on an already stable and strong market.

Promotion

The promotion avenues for the Beau & Ro Bag Company’s products will be done through the already established channels by Mel and Molly. The main avenue will be to use the Mel and Molly’s websites where the product and prices will be advertised. The other promotion avenue will be the social media as the company seeks to reach the young women. Malaysia has extensive internet coverage and high number social media users that makes it a favorable avenue o reach out the young women (Išoraitė, 2016). Key sites to be used in promotion include Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in the promotion activities.

Financial status and goals

Beau & Ro Bag Company has made remarkable achievements in terms of revenue generating over its five years history. The company has managed to gain steady revenue growth that makes it strategically positioned to broaden its market. The company’s revenue stands at 55,600 million dollars where it seeks to invest 20% of this into Malaysia. The total amount to be invested into the new market is $12,350 that will go into the marketing and establishment of the new sales channels in Malaysia. The projected sales will vary but the current target is to gain a revenue of $8000 in the first year of operation. These projections will also vary with the market demand where the turnover rate is projected to remain at 25% after sales. This will therefore translate to a profit marketing of 45% or $10,000 in the first one year.

References

Cateora, P. R., Meyer, R. B. M. F., Gilly, M. C., & Graham, J. L. (2020). International marketing. McGraw-Hill Education.

Išoraitė, M. (2016). Marketing mix theoretical aspects. International journal of research granthaalayah, 4(6), 25-37.

Othman, B., Harun, A., Rashid, W., Nazeer, S., Kassim, A., & Kadhim, K. (2019). The influences of service marketing mix on customer loyalty towards Umrah travel agents: Evidence from Malaysia. Management Science Letters, 9(6), 865-876.

BUSI 4940: Chapter one summaryChapter one is titled ‘strategic management: creating competitive advantages’. The chapter begins by posing a fundamental question in how much credit or blame does a leader deserve? The chapter focusses on answering the question by highlighting on two perspectives of leadership. The first one is the romantic view whereby the leader is the driving force behind an organization, for instance, Steve jobs in apple and secondly, the external control perspective that cites external forces as determinants towards a company’s success, for instance, economic downturns. Leadership makes a difference in any company in that proactive ones constantly make changes in their company’s strategies that give their companies an edge compared to other companies. Another aspect of a leader who makes a difference is one that understands the company’s resources and capabilities. A thorough understanding of strategic management is also crucial to any leader.

Another concept discussed in the chapter is the definition of strategic management. Strategic management is classified into three levels: Analysis, formulation and the implementation. To come up with a strategic plan, a company’s leader should consider the competitive advantage that is both unique and valuable which cannot be copied by the competition. Also, key aspects in the company should be considered to ensure the success of a strategic plan such as the company’s goals, short term and long term perspectives as well as understanding what the company has to give up to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. However, the business environment is unpredictable in such a way that a company may make an intended strategy, but due to the business environment, they end up adopting an alternative approach.

Another concept introduced in the chapter is on corporate governance and stakeholder management. Corporate governance is the relationship among the various participants who determine the direction in which a company moves. Stakeholder management is viewed as zero-sum, where stakeholders compete for attention and as symbiosis where stakeholders receive mutual benefits.

BUSI 4940: Chapter two summary

Chapter 2 is titled “analyzing the external environment of a firm: creating competitive advantages.” The main concept introduced in the chapter is the analysis of the external environment of a firm. A firm that does not keep up with its external environment finds itself losing a competitive advantage, therefore creating an environmentally aware organization is crucial. The process of doing so is first doing an environmental scan, then monitoring the environment and finally gathering competitive advantage. When armed with these tools, a firm can be able to make forecasts of its external environment. Another way of keeping up with the external environment is the use of scenario analysis which involves the detailed assessment of the ways trends may affect an issue and lead to development of alternative futures. In order to get a snapshot of how a company is doing, a SWOT analysis is used. A SWOT analysis looks at the Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats affecting a firm. A company needs to be aware of its strengths and the opportunities available to it as well as observing the weakness the company has and the threats that may affect it in the external environment.

The external environment has factors that are difficult to control, for instance, the political and economic aspects. One of the aspects of an external environment is the threats of new entrants in the companies industry. New entrants usually bring with them new ideas that are attractive to the customer base. For a company to be successful, they need to be aware of the threats and react accordingly to continue being competitive in its market segment. Other external factors that may affect the firm are the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of substitute products and services; the intensity of rivalry among competitors in the industry as well as how the internet and digital technologies affect competitive forces. The chapter concludes with ways in which a firm can do good industry analysis and therefore help the company be more aware of the external factors that may affect it.

BUSI 4940: Chapter three summary

Chapter 3 is titled ‘Assessing the internal environment of the firm.’ The chapter focuses on realizing how a company can maintain a competitive edge by optimizing the firm’s internal environment. The first concept introduced to assist in this endeavor is value chain analysis Value is what most amounts of buyers are willing to pay for what a firm produces. A value chain analysis is used to determine which areas a company gets more value and how it can get the most out of these areas. The value chain analysis has two types of activities the primary activities, for instance, outbound logistics and support activities that are related to technology, human resource management, and general administration. Also, understanding the interrelationships between different aspects of the value chain is critical for any manager. For example, a good manager will ensure what happens in one department is communicated to the other; for instance, when something happens in a firm’s marketing department, hence it is essential that the operation department knows.

Another concept introduced in the chapter is the Resource-based view of the firm. The concept is also used to get an idea of the competitive advantage a firm has. Successful companies are successful because they have mastered the art of learning how to master heir internal assets, and those resources can lead to a competitive edge. The resources are divided into tangible resources, intangible resources, organizational resources, and strategic resources. To protect company resources, companies can use various methods. The methods are the use of physical uniqueness, path dependency, casual ambiguity, and social complexity. A company’s ability to maintain originality will increase the value of the product, and hence the company has a competitive advantage over competitors. Finally, it is essential to evaluate the firm’s performance. Some of the ways of assessing performance are financial ratio analysis and using a balanced scorecard.

BUSI 4940: Chapter Four summary

Chapter four is titled ‘recognizing a firms intellectual assets: Moving beyond a Firms Tangible Resources’. In the chapter, the main idea is that the company value is the physical aspect and the intellectual assets the company has. The material resources that a company has are as important as the intellectual resources in that intellectual resources also add to its overall value. The intellectual resource is tied to people rather than the physical assets which a company has. In some cases, the intellectual value of a company can be higher than that of the physical assets that the company has. The measure of the company’s intangible assets is referred to as intellectual capital. For instance, an apple’s physical value is at 117.2 billion, while its market value is 510 billion.

Another concept we can get from the chapter is the central role of human capital. Human capital is part of the intangible resources available to a company divided into human capital and social capital. Human capital is the individual’s skills that the company’s employees have, while social capital includes the networks of relationships individuals have throughout the organization. Therefore, knowledge management is needed to use the knowledge the employees have into explicit knowledge documented. Another concept introduced is human capital. Human capital is the skilled people who work for you. A company has to find ways to target and recruit skilled resources, develop these skills, and retain human capital.

Attracting capital requires creating a social environment that is conducive for employees to work in and offer enough financial compensation that is attractive enough to bring the human capital to the company. The employees of a company should communicate effectively to disseminate information faster and work efficiently, and for this to happen, there should be effective communication between group members. The chapter introduces ways to make communication better by overcoming barriers to communication. Finally, the chapter concludes with ways to protect the intangible resources in a company’s strategic plan.

BUSI 4940: Chapter Five summary

Chapter Five is titled ‘creating and sustaining competitive advantage.’ In the chapter, we learn that Businesses compete for markets and hence the need to select a sustainable marketing strategy to the market. The business can either choose to use a low-cost position or a uniqueness perceived by the customers. In a low-cost leadership position, the firm will be required to create a value chain focused on managing a sustainable relationship with the business. In differentiation, the customers are given a diverse product and services, hence, can choose from a wider pool of commodities that satisfy their different needs. Some of the examples of companies that pursue leadership strategy include McDonald’s and Walmart. In the differentiation strategy, one can use the examples of Apple and Target. Hence, apple has different products than those found with the competitors; the unique feels of its devices and the unique designs make apple customers loyal to the brand.

In cost leadership, the firm aims to reduce the cost of all the activities that it is doing. The different individuals in the firm, including the marketing department, sales, advertising, value chain, and even the service providers, aim to reduce the cost to maximize return. In cost leadership, an experience curve is created with time. By improving competition, the business will demand loyalty from the customers, suppliers, stakeholders, and other market players. There are numerous ways to create a differentiation strategy that includes product development, technology, customer service, and many other innovative strategies.

The focus strategy exploits the business needs and aims to differentiate the target market to reduce costs. The resultant effect of this is improved loyalty by customers, suppliers, and even other stakeholders. The Focus can be faced with different disadvantages and may include: other company’s adaptation of the focus strategies; hence the business is unable to continue benefiting from the advantage it once enjoyed. Companies can choose to use a combination strategy that involves a mix of differentiation and low cost. The strategy can be done; nonetheless, the concept is hard to master. The internet digital strategy is also very efficient as technology allows for instant response in business. Hence, industries can use different strategies depending on the life cycle of the industries.

BUSI 4940: Chapter six summary

The chapter is titled ‘creating value through diversification.’ The chapter starts by stating that Businesses need to create value through diversification as it continues to grow. Initially, the use of differentiation and low cost is essential. Nonetheless, with increased growth, businesses need to succeed healthily. For example, the company seeks to create mergers, joint ventures, acquisitions, and internal development through diversification. A firm may choose to diversify in related or unrelated businesses that include concentration on one line of business or a complete shift from the business line into other economic activities. In related diversification, the company creates economies of scale, market power, and the same industry and line. The company can major in the best sector by creating synergy, increasing differentiation, negotiating power improvement by the customers, and grasping a higher market share. Hence, making a vertical integration or horizontal integration. In vertical integration, the business looks to reach other costs that other external persons previously handled, such as contract cost, monitoring cost, and negotiation costs. In horizontal integration, the company majors on matters that are within its grasp.

In diversification for unrelated products, the business can choose to be the parent or restructure based on the asset, capital, or management. For example, they are selling assets that are not being used, hence improving asset utilization efficiency to create income and value for the business. Diversification can be done through mergers, internal development, or acquisition to achieve the desired market portfolio. Mergers involve companies’ consolidation to become one while acquisition is buying another firm to become part of the original business. In strategic alliances, companies agree to collaborate and benefit from one another. For example, in reducing manufacturing cost, the companies can create sustainable innovations that benefit the businesses in reducing manufacturing costs. In internal development, the business grows on its own through corporate entrepreneurship. The different ways to grow are effective depending on the company and the tactics that it has in reaching their growth and development goals

Business and Intellectual Property Law

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation

Course Name and Code

Professor’s Name

Date

Business and Intellectual Property Law

Forms of Intellectual Intangible Property Protection

An inventor's most precious asset is intellectual property. It comprises of discoveries, literary and artistic works, logos, emblems, and designs that are utilized in business, as well as the masterpieces of talented artists. Patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secret protection are the main types of intellectual property law (Moore, 2). Due to the similarities between intellectual property and real and personal property, related freely exercise for the treatment of intellectual property as an investment that can be purchased, traded, licensed, or transferred. Partners, developers, and artists can safeguard their work from illegal usage thanks to intellectual property regulations.

For the most part, copyrights are the only method of safeguarding for culturally significant works of song, movies, literature, poetry, architecture, and other media. The exclusive abilities to duplicate, create infringing copy, publish copies, perform, or exhibit a work protected by copyright belong to its creator (Moore, 2). These restricted classifications grow as innovators produce new ways to express themselves. Audio recordings and software applications are increasingly considered to be products of intellectual property. Copyright infringement typically lasts for the lifetime of the author plus 70 years for works produced after January 1, 1978 (Moore, 4). The copyright lasts for 95 years from the year of the job's original release or for 120 years from the year of invention, whichever comes first, for unnamed, unattributed, or work produced for rent. Copyright can only be asserted by the creator or by someone who receives their claims from the creator, such as a publisher.

An inventor gets the total entitlements to avert others from duplicating or trading his or her goods or services for a specific period of time through patent rights. In most countries this period is estimated to be twenty years (Hopenhayn and Francesco, 7). Patent aspirants must strike a defendable argument. Due to the fact that patent claims can be as diverse as the technologies they cover, candidates must establish limitations for what constitutes their creation and what parts are subject to violation. Claims are evaluated by professionals to prevent preserving technology that is already accessible or simple to obtain. A trade secret is any amount of data that can be employed to manage an organization and is significant enough to provide a current or potential monetary benefit (Klasa et al., 1). Such include subscriptions for customers, marketing plans, delivery procedures, and ingredients for well-known food items. Contracts and nondisclosure agreements typically shield private information from release. Only if the information hasn't been disclosed are proprietary information considered to be genuine.

Remedies to Violation of Intellectual Property

The types of intellectual property rights that were violated, the severity of the harm, and the legal actions that the victims of the violation choose to take will all affect the remedies for intellectual property theft. The majority of the time, individuals who have experienced an intellectual property violation will bring a defamation suit to trial (Seuba, 8). Criminal proceedings for the violation will proceed independently from a legal trial, and only state officials, not the offended parties whose rights were violated, may commence court prosecutions, albeit they may denounce the violation to the law enforcement agencies. An injunction is an adequate remedy, and the complainant must show that if the court did not issue an injunction requiring the accused to act or prohibiting the accused from acting, significant harm would result (Seubar, 15). The victim of an intellectual property breach must demonstrate that a violation was actually committed in order to obtain a legal remedy. In an attempt to evade punishment, defendants may make a variety of claims, such as that there was no infringement because of acceptable use restrictions. 

Discussion: DynaStudy v Houston School District

This is a very simple and direct case of violation of intellectual property rights. Many study manuals were produced by DynaStudy. These manuals were reportedly very useful, so the principal of a Houston District High School bought a few, copied them, and gave them to the learners. The bottom of the study materials explicitly stated that duplicating the content was unauthorized. The principal was alerted to this comment by a teacher, who then responded through email when the principal dismissed the issue. The litigation's proof also includes further emails. The school staff had occasionally circulated copies of documents with the copyright notices and DynaStudy's logo obscured or edited out. The document was discovered openly shared on social media in places as far away as New Jersey, and some copies made it outside of the Houston school district. In this scenario, officials and instructors either had no knowledge of copyright law at all or were aware of it but chose to disregard the consequences. 

The court’s verdict found the school administration guilty of copyright infringement. DynaStudy was awarded $9.2 million as per the jury for the damages it faced (Danystudy v Houston School Distric). The school district went ahead to force the whole school administration to participate in online copyright training annually. I fully agree that the school administration was guilty of copyright violation. The fact that they claimed that they did not have knowledge of the copyright is not considerable. Ignorance, they say, is the worst defense. However, the principal knew about it but he disregarded it in an email. The compensation was also a good decision since DynaStudy was affected. I also understand the school district’s decision to have the school administration partake online classes on copyrights. It will reduce the chances of the school being involved in such a case again.

Sources

1. Moore, Adam, Adam D. Intellectual property and information control. Routledge, 2017.

2. Hopenhayn, Hugo A., and Francesco Squintani. "Patent rights and innovation disclosure." The Review of Economic Studies 83.1 (2016): 199-230.

3. Klasa, Sandy, et al. "Protection of trade secrets and capital structure decisions." Journal of financial economics 128.2 (2018): 266-286.

4. Seuba, Xavier. The global regime for the enforcement of intellectual property rights. Cambridge University Press, 2017.

5. Danystudy v Houston School District. https://advance-lexis-com.libdatab.strayer.edu/document/?pdmfid=1516831&crid=d3f2ebf3-fb74-43d1-a972-fc94ce5edfa8&pddocfullpath=%2Fshared%2Fdocument%2Fnews%2Furn%3AcontentItem%3A5W70-1341-DY2V-D2DH-00000-00&pdcontentcomponentid=261374&pdteaserkey=sr0&pditab=allpods&ecomp=rz2yk&earg=sr0&prid=883b7c11-8e96-41f4-b0ee-bc5fc68be82

About the Culture of Nigeria

Student’s name

Institutional affiliation

About the Culture of Nigeria

Introduction

Also known as the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Nigeria ranks as the most populous black nation in the world. Nigeria’s current head of state and government is President Muhammadu Buhari, and its capital city is Abuja. The country’s official language is English, and does not have an official religion. Nigeria’s form of government is a federal republic that has two legislative houses House of Representatives (360) and House of Senate (109). The country covers a total ear of 923, 768 (Square miles). Nigeria is home to over 200 million people, with the largest population being the youth. By the end of 2021, Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to be $ 440 billion. Nigeria’s monetary unit is the Nigerian Naira (₦). Nigeria is home to the second-biggest film industry in the world and is a fashion, creative, and technological hub in Africa. This text discusses Nigeria’s culture at length.

Social Stratification

The highest tier of Nigeria social class consists of wealthy businessmen, politicians, and educated elite. However, these individuals only consist of a tiny section of the entire population. The majority of Nigerians today languish in abject poverty. Low-class Nigerians have less chances of breaking the poverty cycle. Corrupt politicians, poor education, ill health, lack of opportunities and lack of wealth investments work to keep them poor. Some ethnic groups have caste systems where specific community members are viewed as pariahs. The criteria for determining members of the lowest caste vary across areas. Some of the criteria include being members of a specific clan or family, an inhabitant of a given village, or a minority group. The Igbo community calls its lower-caste group Osu. Community members tend to discourage business contact, personal and romantic contact with members of the Osu irrespective of the individual traits of merits. Since the Osu are considered untouchable, they do have access to business or educational opportunities, political representation, or general social interactions. This caste system is also found among the Ibibios and Yoruba. Wealth also tends to be a symbol of social stratification, particularly modern Nigeria and urban areas. While past ethnic groups held traditional lineage and hereditary titles importance, in the current world, money has become the new marker of social status (Akintan, Jewitt, & Clifford, 2018). Today, the wealthiest Nigerians-elite members of society- are identified with fancy hairstyles and clothing, Western-style homes, and expensive cars. The elite also have better English command, reflecting better educational attainment.

Religion

According to estimates, 50% of the Nigerian population are Muslim, 40% Christian, and 10% practice a variety of indigenous religions. Muslim religion is widespread across Nigeria, but the strongest footholds are among the Yoruba and Housa. In Nigeria, Islam is similar to throughout the world. Its foundation is the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, as outlined in the Q’uran. In the South of Nigeria, Christianity is deemed most prevalent. Most Igbo are Christians, as are Yoruba. Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, and American Southern Baptist are the most renowned forms of Christianity. Additionally, Nigeria is host to a number of Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh-Day Adventists. While Christianity and religion are the most dominant regions, neither is independent of influence of indigenous religions (Okeke, Ibenwa, & Okeke, 2017). This explains the perceived shortcomings in religion. Most indigenous religions tend to be ancestral worship that runs in the family passed through the spirit world, and has the power to influence the living world. When this is missed with Islam, it leads to the formation of the Bori cut that uses spirit to know why people suffer. According to traditions, the officials tend to be mostly male. Among the Igbo, men function as priests to the Igbo goddesses while women function as priestesses to the Igbo gods. While both women and men rank top in the Yoruba religion, traditional priests tend to be well respected.

Gender Roles and Statutes

Labor is divided along gender lines in Nigerian society with very few women in active professional and political arenas. In urban areas, more women are getting involved in professional practice, but the gap still remains. Women are still largely outnumbered by men. Women that manage to enter professional practice rarely advance into higher management roles (Chinwendu & Shedrack, 2018). Notably, women continue to play a huge role in the Nigerian economy particularly in rural areas. Women are required to earn a huge portion of the family entire income. As a rule, men do not have an obligation to provide for their children or wives. As such, women have been traditionally farming and selling homemade products in local markets to feed and clothe their children. Division of labor along the lines of gender also exist in industries. Women do not cultivate the same crops as their male counterparts. In Igbo society, yams are viewed as men’s crops, while women are expected to farm cassava and beans. Similarly, modern Nigeria is patriarchal in nature. Men dominate over women in nearly all sectors. Nigeria being a signatory to the International Convection of Equality for Women holds little meaning because women still have less legal rights than women.

Ethnicity

There are over 250 ethnic tribes in Nigeria. The three most dominant and largest include Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa. Additional smaller groups include Fulani, Kanuri, Ijaw, Ibibio, Edo, and Tiv. Before being conquered by the Europeans, Nigeria’s ethnic groups have separate histories. Their current grouping was a result of the British colonization. They have grouped a single entity. Various ethnic groups did not see themselves as being part of one culture. Coupled with ethnically biased and ever-changing ethnically biased national leadership, lacks of nationalism have caused intense civil war and ethnic conflicts (Falola, Genova, & Heaton, 2018). Today, there continue to be bloody confrontations among various members of ethnic groups. As regards ethnic breakdown, Hausa-Fulani comprise 29% of the population. The Yoruba and Igbo follow closely at 21% and 18%, respectively. The Ijaw, the Kanurai, the Ibibio, and Tiv make up 10%, 4%, 3.5%, and 2.5% of the population.

Etiquette

There is a great culture of etiquette that is observed in Nigeria. Age is well respected here. In a place where average life expectancy is rather low, the people that make it into seniorhood earn special admiration and respect. The case is true for men and women. Greetings are important. A long list of wishes and handshakes for a family counterpart and good health are usually expected upon meeting people. Worth noting, shaking hands, passing things, and eating with the left hand is deemed unacceptable.

Conclusion

The Nigerian culture is among the most distinct in the world. From their religion, gender roles and ethnicity, social class to etiquette, it is evident that the Nigerian culture is rich and diverse. Nigeria has among the biggest populations in the world. The majority of its population is Muslim, although Christianity and other religions are common in the world. Roles in society are divided along gender roles and women rarely make it to leadership positions across various life arenas.

References

Akintan, O., Jewitt, S., & Clifford, M. (2018). Culture, tradition, and taboo: Understanding the social shaping of fuel choices and cooking practices in Nigeria. Energy research & social science, 40, 14-22.

Chinwendu, O. D., & Shedrack, M. C. (2018). Investigating the influence of social class on consumers’ shopping behaviour in Nigeria. International Journal of Marketing Research Innovation, 2(2), 38-48.

Falola, T., Genova, A., & Heaton, M. M. (2018). Historical dictionary of Nigeria. Rowman & Littlefield.

Okeke, C. O., Ibenwa, C. N., & Okeke, G. T. (2017). Conflicts between African traditional religion and Christianity in eastern Nigeria: The Igbo example. Sage Open, 7(2), 2158244017709322.

ABRAHAMIC COVENANT

NAME

PROFESSOR

INSITUTION

COURSE

DATE

A biblical covenant generally refers to a religious covenant well described in the bible. The Abraham covenant was for Abraham himself and his offspring’s regardless of whether they were of natural birth and adoption. In genesis chapter 12, the chapter marks the important part of Abrahams promises from God. In this chapter, God promises Abraham a great nation. God also promises to bless him and make his name a great name among other names. In chapter 15 of the book of Genesis, God takes up the responsibility of fulfilling the covenant he promised to Abraham. Chapter of 17 of Genesis gives a full insight that the covenant between Abraham and God would be everlasting. In chapter 18 of the book of the Genesis, the terms and stipulation of the covenant are restated. This reticulation is in accordance to the massive destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is interconnected to the offering of Isaac, Abraham’s son.

The chart below gives a tabular description of the covenant between Abraham and God. The reference table gives the chapter and the verse and the content which was said. The second table indicates to whom the content in the verse was addressed to, whether God, Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. The third column outlines the circumstances or situations under which the statements’ in the verses were reiterated. The fourth column indicates the ingredients or materials which composed the covenant. The fifth column outlines the development of the covenant in the book of Genesis. The last column elaborates whether there was any change in the content or any change in the emphasis of the covenant.

Reference Addressed to Circumstance under which it was Reiterated “ingredients” which compose the covenant Development in the Book of Genesis Any change in content or emphasis Genesis chapter 12-1- the Lord had said to Abraham to move out of his home country, from his descendants and fore fathers to the place God would show him. Abraham Gods call for Abraham to move from Haran to Canaan Abraham moved from Haran to the land of Canaan. Started with a call from God to Abraham Emphasis put on faith as Gods call to Abraham required faith Genesis 12:2-and the lord will make Abraham and his descendants a great nation and He will bless him and make your name great; and you shall be a great blessing. Abraham Gods call for Abraham to move by faith

Gods promise of blessings to his seeds and off springs. Abrahams call “I will bless thee”. God promises to make Abraham a great nation Genesis 12:3-I will bless those people who bless you, and will put a curse on those that curses you. In this all your families on earth shall be blesses.

Abraham Again Gods call for Abraham move to faith Gods promise of blessings It contains the start of the stages of development. This chapter gives a strong emphasis of who He will bless and those whom He will curse. Genesis 12:7-and the lord appeared unto Abraham and said, I will give land on to your off springs: and there built he an altar unto the lord, who appeared unto him

Abraham God appears to Abraham on himself. Gods promise to Abraham to give him the land of Canaan. also God commands Abraham to build an alter for Him Develops from stage one where God promises to give Abraham a land Gods promise to Abraham that he will give the land of cannan unto his off springs. God also tells Abraham to build an altar for him on that land that he will give him. Genesis 12:8- the lord removed from there a mountain. Bethel was located on the east of the mountain. He pitched his tent. Bethel was on the east and on the west was Hai. There, Abraham built an altar for the lord. After, he called upon the mighty name of the Lord

Abraham Abraham’s execution of the command from God. Abraham obeying the words from the Lord by building an altar for him in the mountain on Bethel. Develops from where God commanded Abraham to move Abraham built an altar as commanded by the lord. Genesis 12:9-and Abraham journeyed, going on still towards the south.

Abraham Abraham following the order of the lord to move from his original homeland Haran to the land the lord will show him. Abraham obedience to the lord. It takes continuation from the chapters one where the lord had instructed Abraham to get out of his country and leave for the destination he will show him. Abrahams move from the land of his descendants unto the place he will be shown by the lord. Genesis 13:1-Abraham went out of Egypt. He went out with his wife and all his property. He didn’t leave behind Lot with him.

Abraham He moved out of the land Faith and obedience Develops from the command to leave his land Emphasis of leaving the land Genesis 13:3-and Abraham set out on his travel to Bethel from the south. Abraham moved to the destination where he had set his tent between the land of Bethel and Hai.

Abraham Abrahams move Gods alter Develops from where Abraham was to build an altar for the lord Gods emphasis for Abraham to build an alter for Him Genesis 13:4-Abraham reached the place where he had set his tent. He called upon the name of the lord.

Abraham Gods call to Abraham. altar Develops from gods command for an alter Emphasis on the altar. Genesis 13:14-then God said to Abram, Lot had been separated with Abraham. Lift up thine own eyes and look the place where you’re on the north, south east and west.

Abraham God talking to Abraham The promised land to Abraham It takes continuation from the promise land in chapter one The promised land Genesis 13:15-for the whole you see with your eyes, the lord will give it to you. Abraham Promise of God Gods promise of land It develops form chapter one where the Lord promised Abraham to give him a land to settle on. “I will give it to you” Genesis 13:16-and the lord will make the seeds of Abraham many: your seed shall be numbered the way man is able to number the dust on the earth.

Abraham. Gods promise to bless Abraham with many seeds. Abraham’s off springs will be many in large numbers. It develops from Gods promise of a great nation in chapter two. Emphasis on a great nation in large numbers. Genesis 13:17-God told Abraham to rise up and cover the whole land lengthwise and breadth wise. All that land will be given unto him.

Abraham Gods voice to Abraham The promised land Continues from the promise of a new land from which Abraham will settle Emphasis on the land Genesis13:18-Abraham set out the tent he had made, and dwelt in the palin of Mamre, which is located in Hebron, and built an altar as per the commands of the lord.

Abraham Abrahams building an altar for the Lord Setting up of an altar for offering sacrifices to the lord Develops from where God commanded Abraham to build an altar for him. Emphasis on the altar of the lord Genesis 15:1-the lord appeared to Abraham in a vision and told Abraham not to fear anything for the lord is His shield and his exceeding big reward.

Abraham Gods vision Gods promise to protect Abraham Started with a vision from the lord Protection and shield unto Abraham Genesis 15:3-and Abraham told the lord that since he had given him no son, he had no heir of his own.

God Abraham plea to God Abraham complains to the lord that he has no heir Abraham lack of his own child Abraham pled to God to give him his own heir Genesis 15:4-the word of the lord came to Abraham saying that he will get an heir from his own blood.

Abraham Gods appearance to Abraham Lack of an heir to Abraham Continuation from where Abraham complained to God on his lack of a child of his own. God promises to give Abraham a son of his own Genesis 15:5-and God brought Abraham he abroad, and told Abraham to look towards the heaven, if he is able to count the stars, he told him that his seeds shall be countless as the number of stars.

Abraham Gods a appearance to Abraham That his nation will be a great nation with a comparison the number of star s in heaven. Develops from the stage where the lord promised A Abraham a great nation of his own seed. Great nation. Genesis 15:6-and Abraham had strong faith in the lord. Abraham Faith and trust in the lord almighty Abraham obedience to the Lord Developed from the obedience of he commands laid upon him by God Abraham had faith in the lord. Genesis 15:7-and God he said unto Abraham, I am the living almighty who took you far out from the land of Ur, and I will give this land to you to inherit it.

Abraham Gods voice to Abraham He is the only God in existence That Abraham should no other God to listen to. Land to inherit

Genesis 15:8-and Abraham asked the lord how he shall know whether he will get the inheritance.

God Gods address by Abraham Abraham questions how his nation will be great Abraham lack of a heir to his throne Abraham questioning the lord

Genesis 15:9-and the lord instructed Abraham to, to take a heifer which was three years of age, and a she goat aged also three years and a turtle dove and a pigeon which was young enough.

Abraham Gods call to Abraham Gods command It develops from the stage where the Lord commanded Abraham to set up an altar for him Offering unto the lord,

Genesis 15:10-and Abraham accepted all these unto him, and divided the animals in the middle, and laid each piece just adjacent to each other: but he did not divide the birds into two.

Abraham Abrahams action Sacrifice to the lord The building of an altar Sacrifice and offering to the lord

Genesis 15:13-the lord said to Abraham, that his off springs will be strangers in a new land that does not belong to them. His people will serve the strangers. They will be oppressed for four hundred years. Abraham Gods call Suffering of his seeds Develops from the promise of great nation which will deviate from the acts of God. Great nation ,the nation shall serve in the nation of the strangers for a long time

Genesis 15:14-and that the nation that his people will serve will be judged by the Lord. Afterwards, Abraham’s descendants will leave with great things in their possession. Abraham Gods promise His nation becoming slaves in another land The suffering will be as a result of their disobedience to God Victory after the suffering

Genesis 15:15-God tells Abraham that he will go to his fathers in peace having been buried in a good age.

Abraham Gods promise Fulfillment of blessing Abrahams death in good age will be as a result of his obedience A fulfillment of life

Genesis 15:16-but the fourth generation of Abraham shall come hither again since the sins of the Amorites are not yet full.

Abraham Gods projection of what will happen in the future God will save the nation from slavery Sinfulness of the great nation. Revilement of good terms of the nation with God

Genesis 15:17-when the sun had set, and had become dark, a lamp which was burning and a smoking furnace between the pieces which Abraham had laid down.

Abraham Gods manifestation in great power Gods acceptance of the sacrifice Develops from where Abraham built an altar Sealing of the covenant

Genesis 15:18-on that same day, the lord initiated covenant with Abraham, saying, which stipulated that upon the seeds of Abraham, God had given them the land in Egypt till the great river of Euphrates. Abraham Making of a covenant Giving of the land to the Abraham Gods acceptance of the offering The land

Genesis 17:1-when Abraham had attained ninety nine years of age, the lord appeared to Abram, and the lord said to Abraham that he is the Almighty lord, and that he should walk before him and he will receive perfect.

Genesis 17:2-the lord made a covenant with Abraham and made a promise to him that his seeds will multiply in large numbers. Abraham God manifests himself as the Almighty Abrahams attainment of a good old age Obedience of Abraham to God. Good old age

Genesis 17:4-as for the lord, their covenant will still remain between them two. Abraham will live to be and remain father of a great nation

Abraham Gods promise Promise for being obedient Sealing of the covenant Great nation

Genesis 22:2-and he said, take on your only son, whom you love so much and go into the land of Moriah and give him as a sacrifice there on the mountains which I will tell you of.

Abraham Gods call Sacrifice of his only begotten son Develops from the stage where Abraham got a son of his own blood Gods test to Abraham on his faith

Genesis 22:18-and in the lineage of Abrahams seeds, the whole earth will be blessed, for Abraham had obeyed Gods voice..Abraham Gods promise Gods promise Develops from his obedience to the commands of the lord Great nation

Genesis 24:1-and Abraham was old,: and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all these Abraham Fulfillment of a blessing Abraham attained an old age as promised by God Develops from obedience of Abraham Abrahams obedience earns him a good old age

Genesis 26:2-and the Lord made an appearance to Abraham, and said, go not down in Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of. Isaac Gods appearance Isaac to from Egypt God starts dealing with Isaac Promised land

Genesis 26:6- and Isaac dwelt in Gerar. Isaac Gods call to Isaac Isaac to move to Gerar Develops from the covenant set with Abraham Continued fulfillment of the promise

Genesis 28:13-and behold, the lord stood above it ,and told him ,I am the lord God of Abraham your father, and also the mighty God of Isaac; the land whereon thou lies, I will give it to you ,and to your seed. Jacob Gods voice to Jacob Promise to bless him and his nation. Develops from the agreement set with their father Continues blessings as promised from before

Business 1301 Internet Assignment #1

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Course Tittle

Professor’s Name

Date

A 100-Year American Company

URL of the internet site used- https://www.caswellmassey.com/

Upon researching on the internet, one of the American companies that have been in business for at least 100 years is Caswell-Massey Company. It is an American original soap and fragrance with historical, and modified formulations liked for many years. This company has really changed over its lifespan producing different kinds of products and services. It is renowned for men grooming essentials, skincare, and soap products. The company usually craft their products with pure, quality components which is the seal of the brand. All products are sulfate-, phthalate-, and cruelty-free to give a pure and lavish personal care experience. The company has changed over lifespan from their earliest original home remedies to new fragrance technology they use nowadays.

The historical shift of Caswell-Massey Company has had a positive impact in a way that it has helped the company create purpose, improve team cohesion, and improve the sense of commitment. The shift has enabled the company to grow, develop, and target more consumers worldwide. The historical shift has increased the efficiency of the work processes in this company, making more satisfied clients and employees. Due to the shift, the new delivery process has increased the speed in which a client gets the products. The rapid change over the years has forced Caswell-Massey Company to restructure and make changes to retain their competitive advantage. The shift has made their products life cycles shorter, which needs augmented investment in development and research to uphold a balanced portfolio of products. The historical shift in this company has led to numerous positive features – that has resulted to remaining relevant in the business sector and also retaining a competitive edge. It has encouraged invention, developed skills, and led to an improved business opportunities.

Even if the times have been tough, Caswell-Massey Company’s founding standards stayed true and forged ahead to generate new achievement and persistently honored the trust that clients place within it. This company rebranded in 2017 which involved the launch of a new catalogue and a new website. Rationalized formulations of their “Centuries” collection and “Heritage” men’s colognes have been re-released. They also re-launched their vital oil business in partnership with MKG Bio Alchemy and prepared 2018 releases of new women’s and unique men’s fragrances in partnership with the globe well-known the New York Botanical Gardens and International flavors and Fragrances. This company continues to produce and formulate innovative, exclusive items that preserve a dependable consumer base. All of its personal care and fragrance products are still made in America, a lot of using the original preparations.

The outbreak of Covid-19 has had an impact on company business operations. Being a soap and fragrance company, the demand for their products has really augmented, increasing their sales and promoting their business all over the universe. One of the significant aspects of driving the worldwide soap business includes the growing overall concerns concerning personal hygiene and cleanliness and the ever-increasing international population. The increasing apprehensions over individual sanitation result from increasing purchasing of personal care products and soaps, mainly through the underdeveloped markets as hygiene and sanitation are given lots of primacies towards a healthy living standard. The hygiene products’ demand has positively impacted the Caswell-Massey Company and benefited them during this Corona Virus outbreak.

About Unilever-The Multinational Company

Student

Institutional affiliation

Course title

Instructor

Due Date

About Unilever-The Multinational Company

Introduction

The Unilever Company is a British-Dutch multinational consumer goods firm with head office in London, England. Unilever handles products that range from food, wellbeing vitamins, ice cream, condiments, minerals, and supplements, cleaning agents, coffee, tea, breakfast cereal, pet food, water and air purifiers, personal care products, toothpaste, and beauty products. Unilever has been ranked the biggest soap producer in the world and the third-largest user goods business in the world. Further, Unilever is also the biggest producer of ice cream. Worth noting, Unilever is listed as a dual company which consists of Unilever PLC positioned in London, United Kingdom, and the Unilever N.V. situated in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Both companies operate as a single business and are headed by the same directors. The products produced by Unilever are available in approximately 190 countries across the world. The multinational company has over 400 brands with 2020 recording a turnover of 51 billion Euros. 13 of its brands had sales that surpassed 1 billion Euros in 2020. Unilever is divided into three divisions including Home Care Products, Foods and Refreshments, and Beauty and Personal Care products. Unilever has various research and expansion facilities that are found in the United Kingdom, the United States, China, the Netherlands, and India. This essay is a report of Unilever as a multinational firm including the historical background, business purpose, clientele, web page, and marketing strategies.

Background and History of the Unilever Company

Unilever began as a British soap-making company identified as Lever Brothers. They revolutionalized the action of business by introducing a soap called Sunlight Soap in the 1890s. The idea was William Hesketh Lever invention who founded the Level Brothers. The idea helped the company become the maiden company to make cleanliness popular in Victorian England. Additionally, the soap was emulated worldwide after it became successful in the UK. This made the Lever Brothers more renowned and they obtained more business globally. This success was associated with William’s strategy of both manufacturing and selling the products. In 1872, Van den Bergh and Jurgens formed their own company that produced margarine. At the time, there was a lot of competition in the Dutch margarine industry. In the 1920s, Van de Berth and Jurgen agreed to merge another margarine manufacturer from Bohemia so as to strengthen their company and beat competition (Backhaus, et al., 2001). In 1927, the two main producers of butter namely Van den Berghs and Jurgen were consolidated to form the Margarine Union. Two years later, in 1929, the Margarine Union and the Lever Brothers Company of the United Kingdom merged to form Unilever. In the 1930s, the management and structure of Unilever were termed as a professionally managed hierarchy that was primarily non-family (Cayla & Arnould, 2008). For the purpose of tax, they established two separate entities, one in Rotterdam and the other in London. Historically, Unilever grew to become a multilocal company but it used to work on regional brands with regional supply chains. It was not until the mid and early 1990s that the company began globalizing its brands.

Today, Unilever is ranked as the most consumed product brand in the world particularly in food, personal care, and home care. In 2002, Unilever had attained a global revenue of â €š ¬48,760 million (Matusitz, 2010). It continues to have two main parenting companies namely Unilever PLC and Unilever NV. Noteworthy, Unilever has two main competitors including Procter & Gamble and Nestle. Unilever has various products available worldwide particularly food products such as Blue Band, Lipton, Knorr, Broke bond, Walls, and Ben and Jerry. As regards personal care, products such as Vaseline, Ponds, Rexona, Dove, Lux, Pepsodent, Lifebouy, Lynx, Sunsilk are the most common ones.

Unilever’s Business Purpose

Unilever’s industry purpose is simply making sustainable living commonplace. The company’s corporate purpose talks of maintaining the highest principles of corporate performance to all the people they work with, the societies they touch, and the surroundings on which they impact. Unilever brands are actively involved in social change and they place sustainable development at the center of all their activities. For the firm, there are various ways of supporting social causes and contributing to sustainable development. The company, through the objectives of corporate social responsibility and collaborating with NGOs, is able to support social change, In an interview, Anna Palencia, the CSR and Communication Director of Unilever Spain revealed that since 2010, Unilever had come up with a Sustainable Living Plan for the company. The plan is a cross-cutting project that aims that making the quality of life better for millions of people, an objective that is consistent with recent global projects of the United Nations as well as agenda 2030. Alan Jope, Unilever’s CEO said that he hoped the giant global consumer would be remembered for three things namely being a symbol of diversity and inclusion, proving that running a business in a responsible manner can generate better financial outcomes, and is the home of many purpose-led brands. Without a doubt, Unilever is making strides in the right direction to achieve this purpose. Over the years, Unilever has made strides to make the Sustainable Living Plan a reality which is a 10-year strategy for the company’s growth. The strategy plans to reduce its ecological footprint while increasing its social impact. Nowadays, Unilever has many sustainable brands of living like Lifebuoy, Domestos, and Dove that have constantly outperformed the standard growth rate of any of Unilever’s portfolio. In 2019, Unilever made a pledge to reduce the use of plastic casing by over 100, 000 metric tons. It is also its goal to process and collect more packaging than the company sells by 2025. Additionally, Unilever has made notable strides as regards gender equilibrium. In 2019, the corporation attained long-standing goals where women held half of the managerial positions in the many outlets across the world. This represents an increase from 38% in 2010. The company has put up processes to help achieve advancement on gender balance within a short time and the strategy aims at doing this with a sense of urgency. This includes mandatory standards to attain balanced slates such as truly flexible work arrangements like job sharing, an equal combination of women and men candidates for promotions and new hires, nutrition and child-care programs for developing countries, and paternity and maternity leave packages. There is small ground that Unilever has not yet covered in its programs in a bid to attain its business purpose.

Unilever’s Clientele

Unilever Company produces products that target all single consumers in the market that range from the elderly population to the small children. In nearly all households, one of the five products that the people use is a product of Unilever Company. Unilever has managed to attain this success by investing in a variety of products ranging from cleaning products, personal products, and food and beverages. Unilever’s sole aim is to meet the day-to-day needs of people everywhere in the world and assisting them with good products so they can enjoy life (Suganthi, 2016). Because they produce healthy and quality products, it has been easy for them to tap into the needs of healthy consumerism. As a result, Unilever has managed to acquire a wide and loyal market that targets all individuals that have purchasing power. Additionally, because the company realizes that clients have different tastes, wants, and preferences, Unilever has segmented its market by having a wide variety of products and segmenting the market to ensure that all products go well with the end-users.

Unilever’s Web Page.

Unilever’s website employs various elements on its website that point specifically to the business it conducts including links, images, headings, paragraphs among others. To begin with, on the Unilever home page, the company has embedded links for various social media platforms. By clicking on the links, the users are redirected to Unilever’s Facebook page, Twitter, Linked in, Youtube channel (Singh, et al., 2012). Additionally, there are hyperlinks that guide users as to how to communicate with them. There is a link for contact information where users can easily locate the phone number, email address, and physical location of the company. Further, throughout the website, the company has employed the use of subheadings and paragraphs. Furthermore, there are also links that direct users to view published articles and other news and features that the company would want the general population to know about. The headings appear in relatively bigger fonts and bright colors that make it easy for the users to see the information they are searching for (Murphy & Murphy, 2018). Additionally, the website has employed the use of images which make the experience of using the interface even more exciting for users. The images make the experience enjoyable as they are not only interacting with texts but also images. For instance, on the web page, there is an image of a forest that is covered in greenery. The image is used to make reference to the action that their product, Dove, is taking against climate change. Additionally, the company has put u images of some of its leading brands on its homepage including Lifebuoy, Dove, Knorr, Lipton, Rexona among others. This makes it easy for users to know the exact brands that Unilever deals in because by just looking at the images, they can see the logo and identify the products. All these elements are designed to make the customer experience attractive and easy so that they appeal to potential clients.

Unilever’s Marketing Strategies

Unilever’s marketing mix analyses the company in terms of products, pricing, place, and promotion. Strategies such as customer experience, marketing investment, and product innovation have helped the company grow to the multinational firm it is today. As regards product strategy, Unilever products are divided into four categories namely food, personal care, refreshment, and Homecare and Water Purifier (Jurietti, et al., 2017). Unilever’s products have over 400 brands demonstrating its tremendous strength within the FMCG sector. Unilever mostly concentrates on 13 brands whose sales exceed over 1 billion Euros annually. Personal care items comprise the largest category of Unilever recording a turnover of 20 billion Euros. Unilever has a pricing strategy which is penetration. Penetration simply means low process and high quality. The company uses competitive pricing and carries out research about the current market. The prices of items are often changed in accordance to existing market conditions. Additionally, the company has a variety of products that cater to the cost segments that range from high prices to low prices. Noteworthy, the company has formed a prestige division that sells Talenti for the cost of premium ice cream, and premium personal care items.

As regards place and distribution strategy, Unilever has operations in over 190 countries. The company employs a distribution strategy to market the product. The strategy can be explained in terms of the thousands of distributors and millions of retailers it has across the world. The company capitalizes on global distribution and manufacturing to reduce costs. It also has a big distribution channel that includes direct outlets. The company has also set up warehouses in strategic locations. It is here that C &F agents take the goods to stockists before finally getting t the retailers. In India alone, Unilever’s distribution network comprises 45 forwarding agents, 4000 stockists, and about 6.3 million outlets for retailers (Sim et al., 2016). Unilever also employs a promotion strategy. It is among the biggest spender when it comes to marketing with 7 billion Euros going into marketing annually. Unilever integrates e-commerce with digital marketing to drive its sales. Unilever has employed digital campaigns such as the All Tings Hair campaign, an online video channel to market its business. Further, the company has used celebrities such as sportsmen and Film stars to promote their brands globally. Other promotional channels employed by the company include free sampling, discounts, hoardings, and print media to help build the Unilever brand on a global scale.

Conclusion

Unilever is a multinational firm with British roots that deals in products ranging from food, wellbeing vitamins, ice cream, condiments, minerals, and supplements, cleaning agents, coffee, tea, breakfast cereal, pet food, water and air purifiers, personal care products, toothpaste, and beauty products. The company has its headquarters in London, England. The text discusses the firm in terms of its historical background, business purpose, clientele, web page, and marketing strategies. The company started as a soap-making company called Lever Brothers before merging with Margarine Union to form current-day Unilever. Universe corporate purpose talks of maintaining the highest principles of corporate actions to all the people they work with, the societies they touch, and the surroundings on which they impact. The company’s clientele is all single consumers in the market that range from the elderly population to the small children. In short, the clients are people that have purchasing power. Unilever uses elements such as links, images, headings, and paragraphs on its website to appeal to users. Strategies such as customer experience, marketing investment, and product innovation have helped the company grow to the multinational firm it is today.

References

Backhaus, K., Mühlfeld, K., & Van Doorn, J. (2001). Consumer perspectives on standardization in international advertising: A student sample. Journal of Advertising Research, 41(5), 53-61.

Cayla, J., & Arnould, E. J. (2008). A cultural approach to branding in the global marketplace. Journal of International Marketing, 16(4), 86-112.

Matusitz, J. (2010). Disneyland Paris: a case analysis demonstrating how globalization works. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 18(3), 223-237.

Murphy, P. E., & Murphy, C. E. (2018). Sustainable living: Unilever. In Progressive Business Models (pp. 263-286). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

Jurietti, E., Mandelli, A., & Fudurić, M. (2017). How do virtual corporate social responsibility dialogs generate value? A case study of The Unilever Sustainable Living Lab. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 24(5), 357-367.

Sim, S., King, H., & Price, E. (2016). The role of science in shaping sustainable business: Unilever case study. Taking Stock of Industrial Ecology; Clift, R., Druckman, A., Eds, 291-302.

Singh, J., Scriven, J., Clemente, M., Lomax, W., & Wright, M. (2012). New brand extensions: patterns of success and failure. Journal of Advertising Research, 52(2), 234-242.

Suganthi, V. (2016). Marketing strategy of FMCG product: A case study of Hindustan Unilever limited. Marketing, 1(9).

(Name)

(Instructors’ name)

(Course)

(Date)

The Coca Cola Company

Operating in the highly competitive beverage industry, The Coca Cola Company is one of the leading players in the industry with over 100 years of industry experience, and 140,000 employees worldwide. The company is an international corporation that deals with the manufacture, retail and marketing of its products and services throughout the world. Working under the umbrella of, Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most priceless business brands, The Coca Cola Company’s portfolio entails billion dollar brands comprising Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, Sprite, Fanta, Sprite, Powerade, and Minute Maid among other reputable brands (thecoca-colacompany.com 1).

This paper presents a business overview of The Coca Cola Company. The paper provides an overview description of the firm, its industry, customers, and operational activities. The paper concludes by highlighting some of the significant recent events.

Industry

As previously mentioned, The Coca Cola Company operates in the cutthroat beverage industry that has seen the collapse of many companies that have tried doing business in it. Because the beverage industry is complex and multifaceted, The Coca Cola Company has managed to develop unique products and services for the sustenance of competitive advantage. Internationally, the company is the No. 1 manufacturer and distributer of sparkling beverages, juices, and ready-to-drink coffees and teas (thecoca-colacompany.com 1).

Customers

The Coca Cola Company serves over 50 billion customers worldwide. The company has outlets in over 200 countries and for that reason, it is estimated that the company serves a remarkable number of 1.6 billion beverage drinks every day (thecoca-colacompany.com 1). The market niche for The Coca Cola Company is approximated to be 40% in the USA, 38% in Asia, and 23% in the rest of the world (thecoca-colacompany.com 1). Notably the target customers for the coca cola brand includes anyone who is old enough and capable of purchasing one of its branded beverages. The customers of The Coca Cola Company are varied and are inclusive of customers with various health problems, who the company has taken an initiative of producing beverages suitable to this group.

Operational Activities

Apart from the daily business operational activities including manufacturing, production, sales, and marketing, The Coca Cola Company engages in various sustainability activities, which have been linked with the company’s success. The Coca Cola Company has long been committed to the building and development of sustainable communities and it engages in a number of projects in relation to this (thecoca-colacompany.com 1). Not only is the company focused on environmental initiatives, it also supports healthy living, safe work environments and the enhancement of economic development for the communities in the regions that the company operates (thecoca-colacompany.com 1). The company’s Operational activities have assisted the company in setting itself aside from its competitors in the beverage industry.

Recent Events

Being the end of the year, the most recent event of The Coca Cola Company involves the 2011 Christmas campaign. This campaign will include a performance of the “Shake It Up Christmas” by the well famed musician, Natasha Bedingfield (thecoca-colacompany.com 1). The Christmas campaign is one the of the company’s marketing and public relations events that the company engages in each year. In addition to this, The Coca Cola Company has also been engaged in cash do nations, as well as, relief involvement in the rehabilitation of those affected by Thailand floods (thecoca-colacompany.com 1). Conclusively, the company has also recently invested in India’s long-term sustainable growth by providing cash donations, which have gone into the development of India as a state (thecoca-colacompany.com 1).

Work Cited

“The Coca Cola Company”. thecoca-colacompany.com,

Retrieved from: http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/?WT.cl=1&WT.mm=footer1-about-red_en_US

Millennials Preparedness to Real-World Environment

Andrew Extejt

Bowling Green State University

Millennials Preparedness to Real-World Environment

Graduate unpreparedness to the real world has become the primary growing concern in a career that significantly develops anxiety and culture of uncertainty among the millennials. Should more education courses attempt to create real-world environments to better prepare students or should colleges streamline coursework in favor of more classes devoted to a career as well as significant preparedness? It is an inquisitive question as both are to some extent solutions to student unpreparedness in college. However, I support the act of colleges streamlining the coursework in favor of more class devoted to significant preparedness and career as it works out better in curbing the problem. The necessity of getting a tertiary level education is acquiring the knowledge as well as the skills essential in performing practical work in the job field. Therefore, the reality of student graduating while not contented regarding career preparedness is a great catastrophe that requires immediate action at the college level. Restructuring of the college’s coursework in favor of more classes being dedicated toward a career is discussed into an in-depth extent as a valid measure of curbing student anxiety as well as enhancing major preparedness to the real world environment.

A high percentage of the graduates from the universities as well as other advanced level learning institution is not satisfied with what they are taught. It significantly means that the professors as wells other staff are not doing their work correctly or the students do not play their part well (Dondlinger & McLeod 2015). These are alarming questions but essential in elaborating the cause of the growing concerns of anxiety and uncertainty towards career preparedness. According to the researchers’ reports, it is right that the tutors are delivering their services of feeding the students with all the knowledge required in consideration to the education curriculum. However, they forget the bit of teaching the same scholars the practical technicalities that are efficient in the field. “55 percent of students felt they were well prepared to work but only 18 percent of employers felt the same.” (Wurdinger & Qureshi 2015). Apart from the substantial general coursework, the students are also subjected to the co-curriculum activities which are mandatory to miss as well as a standardized test that they are supposed to acquire more than the recommended pass mark or retake the same course. Also, the same students have to be active in the school clubs and other non-curriculum activities vital for the social-being such as participating in religious activities. It is written to be evaluated through the continuous assessments and take part in co-curriculum events, but the practical skills part in the coursework should also be given the same weight. When all these things are put together, it becomes tiresome, and the students will have limited time dedicated to the practical work that prepares them to survive in the real world environment.

It is essential to restructure the tertiary level education coursework as the vital thing of students being in that institution is being capable of living well after the course which involves financial stability, helping the family and giving back to the community. The act of developing self-dependency at the millennial age is vital in preparing the students to face the real world, and the course framework should be structured in a sound way that considers knowledge instigation as well as work preparedness. All these elements regarded as “well-being” in the real world refers to the act of being capable of working or investing as well as inventing a viable business that is worth and paying (Ravitch 2016). Education sharpens peoples’ mind, and that is the reason behind an individual specifying to a particular discipline at the advanced level that one has the potentiality and willingness to work at after the completion of the course. It is healthy and right for the students to participate in the co-curriculum activities as it dramatically plays a significant role in mind refreshment but they are supposed to manage their time well not to spend all of it out there in the field and end up having problems in other parts of education. Some have the talents that are worth as well as paying even more than the other careers in the world, hence the co-curriculums cannot be ignored as well. Streamlining the coursework is vital to make sure that every essential element based on class, extra-curriculum and career preparedness are adequately granted enough time to prevent dragging behind one side (Dunn, 2016). Since students are often not prepared, changing how the coursework is structured will help them to be more sucsessful.

For instance, consider the case of these graduate that move out to the career environment and cannot stand in one job even for a year. It is an excellent example of college-level unpreparedness, and it depicts the importance of rectifying the coursework. This postgraduate realizes that the career that they have secured does not fit their requirements, or they are not capable of giving out what is recommended in the field. All this involves career unpreparedness at the college level education. In the university, the professors are keen in ensuring that students are fit in the class work that they teach and prove it by testing them through the standardized test. “…the schools’ inability to show them applicable skills as one of the leading ways schools failed to help them,” (Irvine et al. 2015). It is right that they have acquired the knowledge, but they should also gain the skills fundamental to their work through practical experience in the career environment. The tutors at the college level have to put up a strategy that equips the students with the appropriate expertise in the real world in such a way that they will be able to work and secure a place after the course.

In the world today job opportunities are limited, and only a few, as well as the sharpest outcompete others in securing the available chances. It has reached an extent that in acquiring a career one have to be experienced and capable of putting the skills in practice efficiently or having a connection with a person who can persevere in training you how to do the job (Murcia & Idárraga, 2013). Hence, making it very rare for the university graduate securing good careers immediately after their course completion. Therefore, in the college students are supposed to be depicted in a program that will to a profound extent train them how to plan and come up with new viable ideas that will effectively open broad ways at the real world. For instance, it is evident in real life situations that among the most prominent and wealthy people in the world are the businessmen. They spend adequate time and energy investing and inventing new ideas that fill the gap in the society earning those lots of capital. In reality, people in business do not make a living through working by themselves, but they employ others, people, to work for them in the ventures they have invested enhancing diversity. Teachers are supposed to align the curriculum in such a way that the learners have adequate time to develop the skills of planning and coming up with new opportunities by the utilization of the available resources (Hew 2016). Current students do not have the resources available to them and much of their time and energy is being put into things that will not help them in their career.

In colleges and other tertiary level learning institutions, practical techniques of rectifying the coursework in a manner that will depict enough time to career preparedness are supposed to be adopted. Some of these measures include introducing and reorganizing internships into a more efficient way, increasing the number of projects done throughout the course as well as encouraging students to get involved in activities that can earn them income during their holidays and other free time. To start with is the rescheduling the methodologies of offering internships and others related attachments. Some colleges are never serious about this activity, and it becomes an option regarding the individual student’s interest. Others provide the internship opportunity but once in the whole time course duration. It is traumatizing to the extent of taking learning institutions as business-oriented ventures whose aim is just earning the capital and have no concern of where the graduates will end up to in future. Internships are among the best techniques of introducing students to the real world as they will have the time to get experience and interact with professionals in that particular field who will significantly share their skills.

Therefore, colleges are supposed to put implement them as part of the coursework in such a way that it will be inevitable for a student to skip. Also, it is crucial for the students to attend various internships up to three of them or more if possible depending on the duration of the course. The more they get exposed to the working environment to more they master the skills and techniques required in the field, and this will be essential when it comes to securing a career (Fincher et al. 2017). During the internships, there is a capability of the students identifying a particular gap in the society that they will utilize as opportunities to start inventions through the experience gained. It sharpens their brains as well as technical skills that make them innovative, and they will not undergo too much struggle when they get out to the real world which favors the productive people. Nowadays during the interview sessions, the interviewer’s panels are not much concerned with the papers and grade point aggregates that one get on course completion but the kind of skills and experience the one has. In the end, those graduates with positive recommendations and experience after undergoing to various internships are favored and first secure the job opportunities.

The second issue regards increasing the number of projects partaken by the students throughout the coursework (Wurdinger & Qureshi 2015). The higher the number of these projects the well-equipped the student will be. Many institutions only put in consideration one general project at a particular phase of the course, but that is not right. Projects make students to think critically, carry out significant research, analyze the issue, come up with a plan and finally present it to a panel of professors who either certifies it or insist that more should be done. Projects cannot be ignored as partaking them make students have practical experience of how the real world is and develop the cognitive of being active in identifying a problem in the society as well as being fast to generate a valid solution (Entwistle & Ramsden 2015). Students with adequate skills will not depend on employment but will be there to study the environment and come up with their innovations that will be productive to the community.

Projects have an unusual approach that is unique in such a way that skipping one step leads to significant failure as it will interfere with rest of the work. The same case happens in the real world, especially in the workplace. Therefore, projects will equip the students with the smartness and be used to correctly doing things following all the required steps as well as avoiding the alluring shortcuts. Furthermore, these projects will boost the students’ courage as they make a presentation and this will be applicable in the career field during the interviews as well as when presenting other constructive ideas (Murcia & Idárraga, 2013). Thus, the learning institutions should make the significant rectification of giving students adequate time to carry out projects as well as other practical experiments as they play an essential role when it comes to career preparedness. The professors should also not ignore any of these projects, and they have also to ensure credibility in testing the students’ capabilities.

The other solution to graduate career unpreparedness and anxiety is encouraging students to get involved in part-time activities that will significantly earn them income. The fact of their presence in school sharpens the mind and gains skills that enable them to work and be financially stable for their sustenance as well as that of their families. Talents work out well as part-time work for the students, but they can also be significantly be involved in all the other fields such as business as long as it is not interfering with their studying program (Dunn 2016). Therefore, having the potentiality of being productive and earning while still partaking their course is significant as it will ease the parents’ burden as well as developing a sense of responsibility. Students who are used to work even when at school have an easy time when they graduate as they are used to the real world and knows which fields they fit better hence secure the best careers. Also, it is essential as they develop the sense of belonging and impedance as they will not all the time rely on their parents to cater for their expenses as well as school fees.

For instance, take an example of a student who at the other side is a musician and spends his free time composing songs and attending other relevant occasions to entertain the audience. At long last, he knows his career field and will significantly take a course related to music ending up improving his skills that are effective in facing the real world after course completion. The anxiety of unpreparedness will not affect him, and he will be longing when that time comes to complete his studies and get in the field on a full-time basis. He will not be part of the growing concern culture of unpreparedness to career “…21 percent of students said there are not enough internship opportunities,” (Dondlinger & McLeod 2015).

Today many learning institutions have adopted new technology as a way of equipping students with practical skills necessary at the workplace as a way of preparing them to face the real world. Although, it seems that either one of the party the students or the tertiary level tutors have failed to do their work correctly. All the blame cannot be subjected to the college level schools as even students have to play their part well. At the tertiary level, the professor expects to deal with mature people who should not be pushed all the minute to do the right thing at the right time. It is evident that the practical lessons are framed as part of the coursework in various institutions, but some students end up not attending the sessions that particular moment is hence missing the practical based context of the entire course. The issue of work unpreparedness has emerged to be a devastating menace in the community where the students’ tamarack and waste lots of their time trying to find fitting job opportunities. Some even end up losing hope living a frustrated life where it is challenging to have a good livelihood. Therefore, it is a task of all the affected party whether the students, professors, and the tertiary learning institutions to reschedule the coursework appropriately and enhance proper management of time and available resources towards students’ job preparedness.

From the above discussion, it is true that there are anxieties and growing concerns regarding graduate unpreparedness towards the real world, but restructuring the tertiary level coursework schedules will be a sound solution to the problem. Taking the mentioned above measure will significantly enable psychological and physiological preparedness of the students to join the career fields as they will be adequately trained and experienced. It is not the learning institutions and tutors duty to make the sound changes but also government’s responsibility to appropriately intervene with the education system in such a way that it will improve students’ preparedness to join the real world. Also, students at the individual level should make the efforts of curbing the anxieties and growing concern cultures and adopt productive actions that will enhance their survivability in the world as well as careers.

References

Dondlinger, M. J., & McLeod, J. K. (2015). Solving real world problems with alternate reality gaming: Student experiences in the global village playground capstone course design. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 9(2), 3.

Dunn, M. E. (2016). Reclaiming Opportunities for Effective Teaching: An Institutional Ethnographic Study of Community College Course Outlines. Lexington Books.

Entwistle, N., & Ramsden, P. (2015). Understanding student learning (Routledge revivals). Routledge.

Fincher, M., Kelly, C., Harrison, M., Harrison, Z., Hopson, D., & Weems, S. (2017). Articulation and transfer for career and technical students: Best practices for dealing with real and perceived barriers to baccalaureate degree attainment for applied science students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 41(8), 531-535.

Hew, K. F. (2016). Promoting engagement in online courses: What strategies can we learn from three highly rated MOOCS. British Journal of Educational Technology, 47(2), 320-341.

Irvine, J., Molyneux, J., & Gillman, M. (2015). ‘Providing a link with the real world’: Learning from the student experience of service user and carer involvement in social work education. Social Work Education, 34(2), 138-150.

Murcia, L. J. T., & Idárraga, U. Q. (2013). ” Attitudes of Preservice Teachers Towards Teaching Deaf and ESL Students” (Doctoral dissertation, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira. Facultad de Bellas Artes y Humanidades. Licenciatura en Lengua Inglesa).

Ravitch, D. (2016). The death and life of the great American school system: How testing and choice are undermining education. Basic Books.

Russell, J. E., Van Horne, S., Ward, A. S., III, E. A. B., Sipola, M., Colombo, M., & Rocheford, M. K. (2016). Large lecture transformation: Adopting evidence-based practices to increase student engagement and performance in an introductory science course. Journal of Geoscience Education, 64(1), 37-51.

Wurdinger, S., & Qureshi, M. (2015). Enhancing college students’ life skills through project based learning. Innovative Higher Education, 40(3), 279-286.

Mines R Us

Report of Risks and Opportunities

Stewardship for Mines R Us will be more than environmental performance. It will include a consideration of human issues and social problems that emanate from its operations in the other regions. The new area of operation is unique because of its indigenous importance and historical heritage. It is important that the specific areas within the new community remain untouched and unpolluted by the consequences of the mining company. As a business, the company uses raw materials directly from the natural environment. Profitability and meeting of shareholder objectives are determined by the management of input costs, ability to maintain production, and remaining competitiveness. The company is also expected to positively influence community relations and its brand perception.

Mines R Us Board of Directors decision to open a new mining operation in an area of significant indigenous importance and heritage would require a show of having an authentic approach to stewardship. To achieve this, responsible management will be required to undo unwarranted environmental situations and human issues through a modification of the company’s management concepts. At present, the company uses a model that focuses on the capitalistic management of resources. The Board must combine responsible management practices with physical stewardship approaches and actions including creation of protected areas for the new location, renovating infrastructure relating to the areas of significant indigenous importance, limiting harvests to a level that does not degrade the heritage areas, reducing and possibly eliminating harmful activities that may lead to loss of value for the heritage areas, ensuring pollution of the environment is limited to levels that do not have a negative impact on the indigenous community, restoration of degraded areas, using sustainable methods, and creating positive value by establishing community gardens. These suggested approaches touch on the three impact areas of climate change, local environment, and local community. Overall, the report recommends that the Board upgrades its management and governance to include sustainability in a firm-wide approach. Specifically, the new mining operation area will need stronger and more active policies and reporting on the same.

Mines R Us previous cases have shed a lot of light on the need for the company to use a responsible business mindset in order to ensure sustainability. At present, the company faces several operational risks including a threat to its license to operate due to perceptions of negative impact to the environment, inconsiderate approaches that contribute negatively to climate change, and a degradation of the local environment. Over-consumption of local resources in other areas means that the organization will have to change tactic in the new area. As such, the main risks include strategic risks, compliance risk, operational risks, reputational risks, and financial risks. The new business plan to include a comprehensive sustainable plan that touches on positive contribution to climate change, the local environment, and the local community. This new approach poses a strategic risk because it may fail to meet shareholder goals of profitability and cost reduction. Compliance risks mean that the laws of the new area of operation may change with time, leading to immense losses. Additional regulations in future relating to the environment, local community, or even the overall climate and others regarding pollution may lead to compliance risks. Operational risks relating to the new sustainable approach in management and corporate culture may lead to internal failure due to poor reception from employees. All of the above risks also lead to financial risks due to lost revenue or extra costs. In the end, the company risks its reputation if it fails to adhere to the expectations of protecting the environment, the local community, and working towards the reduction of its effect on climate change. A damaged reputation leads to outright loss of revenue, in the case of Mines R Us, loss of operational permits and licenses.

An opportunity arises from the above risks and new expectations. First, the company has a fresh chance to implement an organizational-wide strategy that is sustainable both in the production of raw materials and how it relates with the social and human aspects of its operations. There is also an opportunity to redeem its current reputation due to the incidences in Canada leading to loss of natural heritage sites and the devastation of the local community in Peru. The new area gives the company an opportunity to showcase a responsible business mindset and stewardship by implementing the aforementioned suggestions to actively participate in creating positive outcomes for the climate, the local environment, the local community, the people, and the social aspects of the new area. Protecting the areas of indigenous importance and heritage should be top of Mines R Us strategy for the new area, creating a new platform to showcase shared responsibility, corporate social responsibility, stakeholder consideration, and stewardship for the people, the environment, and the local community.