Unforgettable Memories of A Weekend in New York

Mum handed my sister and me our passports and boarding tickets, hugged us tightly for what seemed like five minutes, and waved goodbye to us as trickled down her cheeks. It sounds strange to say this but I couldn't stop smiling, and neither could Sarah, my 19-year-old sister who was my guardian for the weekend. She was such a laugh, and always had something funny to say about everything. I knew it was going to be a fun and unforgettable weekend. The plane was due to depart from Heathrow to New York at one that Friday afternoon of the 13th October. As we sat laughing a joking the departures lounge our flight number was displayed on the huge television screen, and next to it the word ‘Boarding' flashed. It was time to leave. We picked up hand luggage and headed towards gate number 13. ‘Typical! ‘ I said to myself in my head, ‘Out of all 50 gates I we have to board through the unluckiest number of them all! ‘ Still, I'm not a very superstitious person; I'm just not that keen on flying. Anyway, I didn't let onto my sister about my nerves, she'd only make me feel worse! We had been sat on the plane for about 3 hours, and only four to go.  Like read about memories? Read also  Flashbulb memory! Everyone sat around us had been drinking and so they were all merry and laughing and joking about, that made me feel slightly more relaxed but I still couldn't wait to get off the plane. I sat in my seat and watched the film ‘Almost Famous' I was amazed by size of the television and how they fitted in the seat, my sister just laughed at me and told me I needed to get out more. Before I knew it, it was time to land. I fastened my seatbelt and began to feel slightly nauseous as the plane began to descend. We finally landed and after around 10 minutes we were allowed to get up and head to the doors. As I stepped off the plane the ice cold air hit me and I wrapped my arms around myself to help stay warm. The pilot had said as we landed that it was around -20C but I hadn't realised how cold that was. We caught a yellow taxi to our ‘motel' and got straight into bed. We had a long day ahead. I woke up at 8 and we walked to a local cafeteria for a bagel and cup of coffee. I was amazed at everything the surroundings, everything was so different from back home. ‘First stop, the Empire State Building, get a good view of the whole place ok? ‘ I replied to my sister with a nod and a laugh as we looked around to see everyone staring. I don't think everyone in the cafeteria was that impressed that she managed to spit out half her bagel as she asked me that question, but I found it amusing and we fell about laughing together. We caught a taxi to the building and entered a lift which took us halfway up the building, we then had to swap to another lift because the building is so tall that having only one lift would cause the cables to snap. Being told this by the guide didn't exactly help with my fear of heights. Finally, we reached the top and the view was just breathtaking. I had never seen anything like it. I stood there speechless for about thirty minutes, and looked out over the city for miles. I t was a surreal experience and views that imprinted my mind. Next up, we had to catch a ferry to Statton Island to see the world-famous Statue of Liberty. I took pictures but I knew the photos wouldn't show the astounding statue that stood for me. We caught a ferry back to the mainland and walked around Time Square. It held a resemblance to Piccadilly Circus, but was somewhat more exciting. We both looked like typical tourists with our huge bags, maps and cameras but everyone around was friendly and helped us with directions. It was getting late in the afternoon and we had been shopping for an hour or so and ended up in a nail bar. We sat there giggling together as we slurped our chocolate milkshakes and had our nails painted. By 9. 30pm we were both shattered but my sister said there was one last thing we had to do. I had no idea where we were going and all I can remember is it is somewhere off Fifth Avenue but we soon arrived at a huge outside ice rink. I was so excited I couldn't wait to try skating. We skated for about an hour, it was even colder being on the ice but we both managed to skate round at least once without falling over each other. We laughed so much and everyone around us laughed at us too but we didn't care. After that we headed back to the hotel. I collapsed onto the bed still dressed in my clothes and was out like a light. I slept like a log and didn't wake until the alarm went off at 7 that morning. We headed to the same cafeteria again for our morning bagel and coffee. Soon after that we hit the shops for some serious shopping. The selection of clothes and gadgets was never ending, each shop we entered I had to buy something. After a good few hours shopping we visited St Patricks's Cathedral, it was a big tourist attraction -there were a lot of English and Irish people around there, but it wasn't really that appealing to us so we didn't stay long. The last place we had left to visit was Ground Zero, we felt that as we were in New York we had to go and pay our respects. The area was devastating and very emotional. The memorial listed all the names of those who had died in the tragedy and I found it really upsetting and felt homesick, even though I had only been away two days. My sister hugged me and said to me ‘Let it make you realise what you've got and don't take it for granted. This is why you have to live life to the full and take every opportunity that comes along. Its not every day you get taken for a weekend shopping in New York is it? † she then smiled at me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. She was always capable of putting a smile back on my face, no matter how I felt. My sister had always been known as a joker and so to hear her say something like this really meant a lot. We got back to the hotel mid-afternoon and packed up our bags. Our flight departed at 6 that evening and we were on our way home. We landed at Heathrow at 1 in the morning. I had slept for most of the plane and car journey home. I walked in the front of the door of my house and inhaled deeply, it smelt of home, and I smiled to myself. The holiday was really fun and it had taught me a lot, it brought me closer to my sister and the advice she gave me at ground zero will stay with me forever, and the new experiences will stay with me forever too. I hope to return back there in the near future, to relive my happy memories.

Maxis Essay

Introduction Maxis Communications Berhad is a leading mobile phone service provider in Malaysia. Maxis Communications Berhad was established in the early 1990s and commenced mobile telecommunications operation in August 1995. It was then listed under the first board in Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE). At present Maxis Communication Berhad is the biggest telecommunication provider in Malaysia. The company has total subscribers at 13.95 million as of December 2010. Maxis Communications Berhad, through its subsidiary, Maxis Berhad, engages in the provision of mobile, fixed line, and international telecommunications services in Malaysia. It also provides Internet and broadband services; and wireless multimedia related services, as well as owns, maintains, builds, and operates radio facilities and associated switches. The company was founded in 1995 and is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Maxis Communications Berhad is a subsidiary of Binariang GSM Sdn Bhd. It uses the dialling prefix identifier of â€Å"012†, â€Å"017† and â€Å"0142†. In 2002, Maxis purchased TimeCell, a rival mobile service provider, from Time dotcom Berhad. Prior to the purchase, Maxis offered phone numbers beginning with 012, and TimeCell 017. Now, subscribers can choose between the two. Maxis provide a variety of mobile communication products and services. They offer prepaid call plans, monthly subscription plans, global roaming, MMS, WAP (over both GSM and GPRS), Residential Fixed Line services, Broadband Internet plans, and as of early 2005, 3G services to both prepaid and post-paid subscription customers. Maxis Broadband make consumer can enjoy internet access in outdoor or indoor. It can go online at speed over 15 times faster than traditional dial up and do more, much more over the internet. Profile Maxis Berhad, with its consolidated subsidiaries (together, ‘Maxis’), is the leading mobile communications service provider in Malaysia. Maxis were granted licences to operate a nationwide GSM900 mobile network, a domestic fixed network and an international gateway in 1993. It commenced its mobile operations in August 1995 and launched its fixed line and international gateway operations in early 1996. Since its establishment, Maxis has been providing a full suite of services on multiple platforms to fulfil the telecommunications needs of individual consumers, SMEs and large corporations in Malaysia. Maxis’ mobile service is offered on a post-paid basis under the Maxis brand and via a prepaid format under the Hotlink brand. The use of these two distinct brands, underpinned by synergistic values, has enabled Maxis to develop its prepaid business successfully while maintaining growth in its post-paid segment. Maxis has also pioneered and led the Malaysian market in delivering innovative mobile products and services. It was the first to launch 3G services in Malaysia — known as Maxis3G — in July 2005, and in September 2006, it became among the world’s first to use HSDPA, a high-speed upgrade of its 3G network, to provide wireless broadband services. It was the first operator to bring the BlackBerryâ„ ¢ and Apple iPhoneâ„ ¢ smart phones to Malaysia. The company in April 2009 unveiled the first commercial NFC-powered service in Malaysia. Maxis provide enhanced post-paid packages to corporate and SME customers, based on its highly successful consumer post-paid plans. These plans are custom-made to meet the needs of enterprises, especially improved communications within and beyond their compound. Maxis’ international gateway services include termination of traffic into Malaysia from international telecommunications companies, supporting Maxis’ own outbound international direct dial (IDD) traffic, collecting international transit traffic and bandwidth leasing services. Maxis presently maintain bilateral  connections with more than 95 carriers in 38 countries and have capital investments in a number of submarine cable systems to carry its international voice and data traffic. Maxis’ significant growth and strong track record of bringing innovation, excellent customer experience and value to stakeholders has won the company numerous awards over the years. The latest awards include: Malaysia’s Top Ten Companies: Ranked 1 – Asia’s 200 Most Admired Companies, The Wall Street Journal Asia, 2006 Asian Mobile Operator of the Year – Asian Mobile News Award, 2007 Fourth Most Valuable Brand in Malaysia – Brand Finance, 2008 and 2009 Service Provider of the Year (Malaysia) – Frost & Sullivan, 2008 Mobile Data Service Provider of the Year (Malaysia) – Frost & Sullivan, 2009 Recipient of the Asia Pacific Super Excellent Brand Award – Asia Pacific International Brands Summit Malaysia, 2009 Maxis’ vision is to bring advanced communications services to enrich its customers’ lives and businesses, in a manner that is simple and personalised, by efficiently and creatively harnessing leading edge technology, and delivering a brand of service experience that is reliable and enchanting. Analysis of Market Structure Market structure classifies some of the key traits of a market, including: Number of firms Similarity of the products sold Ease of entry into and exit from the market. Comparison of Market Structures Market Structure No. of Sellers Types of Product Entry Conditions Examples Perfect Competition Large Homogeneous Very Easy Small crops, International commodity markets Monopolistic Competition Large Differentiated Easy Boutiques, Restaurants, motels Oligopoly Few Usually differentiated but sometimes homogeneous Difficult Car Making, Tobacco Products, Oil Monopoly One Unique Extremely difficult Public utilities MAXIS TELECOMMUNICATION FIRM. Few Competitors like DIGI, CELCOM, TUNETALK etc.. Entry into Telecommunication is Difficult. It requires a large amount of capital. Perfect Competition Perfect Competition Market has very large number of small firms, which acts independently rather co-coordinating decisions centrally. Perfect Competition is Price takers due to Huge Competition. Perfect Competition mainly deals with Homogenous Products. Homogenous mean Goods from one firm cannot be differentiated from other. Comparing Maxis with Perfect Competition Perfect Competition Maxis 1. It has very large Number of firms. 2. Entry Requirement is very easy. 3. Very less amount of Capital is enough. 1. It has few Competitors in the Market like DIGI, CELCOM, OKTEL etc.. 2. Entry Requirement is Difficult. 3. It requires large amount of Capital. On Comparing Maxis with Perfect Competition market structure. Maxis do not come under Perfect Competition. Monopolistic Competition Monopolistic Competition Firm has many Small Sellers. They involves in differentiated Product. It is free from Price Competition. It has Easy Entry as well as Exit. Comparing Maxis with Monopolistic Competition Monopolistic Competition Maxis 1. It has many small sellers. 2. Entry requirement is easy. 3. It’s free from Price Competition. 1. It has a few Competitors in the Market. 2. Entry requirement is difficult. 3. It has competition in price with their competitor. On comparing Maxis with Monopolistic Competition market structure. Maxis do not come under Monopolistic Competition. Monopoly Monopoly is a Single Seller in the market. It deals with unique product. Entry Barriers is very difficult. Comparing Maxis with Monopoly Monopoly Maxis 1. It has Single Seller in the market (free from Competitors). 1. It has its Competitors in the market. On comparing Maxis with Monopoly market structure. Maxis do not come under Monopoly. Oligopoly It has very few seller (which is dominated by a few large firms).. It deals with Homogenous as well as Differentiated Product. Entry Barrier is difficult. Comparing Maxis with Oligopoly Oligopoly Maxis 1. It has few Sellers in the market. 2. Entry Barrier is difficult. 3. It requires a large amount of Capital. 1. Maxis have few Competitors in the Market. 2. Entry barrier is difficult. 3. It requires the large amount of Capital. On Comparing Maxis with Oligopoly market structure. We came to know that Maxis is an Oligopoly. Behaviour of Maxis The behaviour of Maxis can be identified by considering the number and size distribution of firms (market share in terms of subscribers and revenue) in the market; the extent to which products are differentiated; how easy it is for other firms to enter the market; and the extent to which firms are integrated or diversified. However, as there are only 3 large cellular communication firms (Maxis, Digi and Celcom), individual market shares are used to measure market power. The basic conditions faced by the cellular communication firms are: Demand conditions †¢Price is relatively elastic as seen by huge swings in net additions leadership quarters to quarters as different cellular communication firms took on price-leadership. Source : MALAYSIA TELECOMMUNICATIONS REPORT Q3 2011 Where the actions and the outcomes of these actions are interdependent among several agents and this interdependence is mutually recognized. Neoclassical economics assume perfectly rational agents, perfect information and zero transaction costs under perfect competition. However, due to limited cognitive capability and/or imperfect information, bounded rational agents experience limits in formulating and solving complex problems and in processing (receiving, storing, retrieving, transmitting) information. Routine standard procedures or heuristic approaches to decision-making are employed by bounded rational agents. The sum of the market shares of the n-largest firms. Maxis subscriber net addition dropped to a dismal 120,000 users in 3Q10 before regaining to 274,000 users in 4Q10. The relevant substitutes are provided by fixed-line Telco’s for local city calls (fixed-line rate of RM0.04/minute versus cellular rate of RM0.15/minute) and Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) providers for IDD calls. However, these are not of major concerns currently as the mobile services are cannibalizing/substituting fixed-line services while the VoIP providers are competing in a value-conscious segment with an inferior product (i.e. poorer voice quality). Supply conditions The cellular technology adopted is the European GSM standards. However, due to constant technology changes, both Maxis and Celcom have launched 3G services earlier while Digi had its 2.75G (EDGE) services previously and recently added 3G services in order to be able to compete with both Maxis and Celcom. The market structure analysis summary of Maxis is as follows: Data Observations and/or Measurement Analysis/Comment No. of Firms 3 Regulated Oligopoly Market Share Cellular industry subscriber market share (overall) Cellular industry revenue market share (overall) Subscriber/Revenue market share: Celcom: 33% & 36.0% Digi: 25% & 25.3% Maxis: 41% & 42.1% There is no single dominant firm. However, Maxis is the leading firm in both revenue & subscriber market share, followed by Celcom and Digi. Product Differen-tiation Product differentiation based on calling plans and pricing structure to appeal to different customer segments. Value-added services (ring-tones, etc.) are quite homogenously provided by 3rd party provider. Minimal product differentiation as airtime is airtime and VAS contents are widely available across all 3 firms. Entry barriers Licensing and regulations Heavy capital investments & minimum efficient of scale required First-mover advantages: Network & Lock-in effects High entry barriers mainly due to government regulations Due to frequent technology changes, incumbents do incur substantial ongoing capital expenditures and face the dangers of being â€Å"leapfrogged† by potential entrants Numbers portability not implemented yet to counter the lock-in effects of personalized phone numbers. Exit barriers Huge sunk costs Bulk of capital investments are asset specific to Telco operations. Source : MALAYSIA TELECOMMUNICATIONS REPORT Q3 2011 Price competition Using game theoretic model, Telco’s are assumed to provide a homogenous product and have sufficient capacity to serve the market demand. It is a non-cooperative game as there weren’t any enforceable agreements between them as they compete in the marketplace. It is a repeated one-shot simultaneous game as they were driven by quarterly performance accountable to shareholders. As such, they would decide on their pricing strategies independently and aware of rivals’ prices in the market while forming certain expectations about rivals’ pricing strategies. Actions available are Maintain Price and Undercut Price. Payoffs are ranked in order of preference (higher number is preferred). The most preferred outcome by firms is where one undercuts price while its competitors maintains price, leading to market share gain at the expense of its rivals. When all firms maintain prices, there is no change in market-share and profitability. When all firms undercut prices, market-share remains with reduced profitability. The strategic-form representation in a simplified 2-player model is as follows: Telco2 Telco1 Maintain Price Undercut Price Maintain Price 3,3 1,4 Undercut Price 4,1 2,2 Example of Game Theory Solving for Nash equilibrium, both players have Undercut Price as their dominant strategy resulting in a Pareto-inefficient Dominant- Strategy-Equilibrium at (2,2). This is a repeated Prisoners’ Dilemma game and these interactions are witnessed in the current market through an escalating price-war resulting in reduced Average-Revenue-Per-User (ARPU). Example of Starter pack price wars involving Maxis and Digi Launch Date Maxis Hotlink 017 Digi Beyond Prepaid Sep 8, 2005 RM20 to RM10 Oct 27, 2005 RM18 to RM9.90 Nov 25, 2005 RM10 to RM8.80 Dec 10, 2005 RM9.90 to RM8.50 Average Revenue per User Source : Articles from 2009 to 2011, Press release 2009 to 2011, Maxis reports 2009 to 2011, Digi Reports 2009 to 2011, Celcom Reports 2009 to 2011. If this game is repeated infinitely, collusive behaviour through the use of Tit-For-Tat strategy may result in non-competitive/monopolistic-like pricing which reduces public welfare. Though Maxis had a higher ARPU previously according to the above data, Maxis always need to be proactive in monitoring firms’ behaviour to detect possible tacit collusion through price-signaling. Product differentiation The above game theoretic analysis suggests that if the price-war continues,  Maxis and the other two firms will eventually be forced to price at their marginal costs – similar to a perfectly competitive firm. Therefore, it is rational to expect Maxis or the similar firms to soften the intensity of the price competition through product differentiation and customer segmentation. It is important to note that traditional microeconomic theory treats all consumers as homogenous. In reality, this is not the case and these firms are thus offering different calling plans, pricing structures (ON-Net/Off-Net), pre-bundled minutes and services, etc. Due to bounded rationality and heterogeneous consumption, consumers find it difficult to make head-to head cost-benefits comparisons and thus make the products appear to be somewhat non-homogenous and not fully substitutable for one another. These firms are also competing and differentiating through demand stimulation (‘shifting’ the demand curve) by organizing SMS contests, sponsoring shows like ‘Malaysian Idol’ which encourage SMS voting, etc. where the SMS charges are priced much higher than normal SMS charges in order to drive higher non-voice revenue and profitability as illustrated by Maxis, Celcom and Digi’s 2010 announcements below. Source: DiGi AGM 2011 IRwebsite One has to take note that the marginal costs are almost negligible relative to the huge fixed-cost investments required. ON-Net refers to calls within the same provider’s network. OFF-Net refers to calls made from one provider to another provider’s network. Decision-making based on imperfect information (uncertainty about future, costly to acquire perfect information) and/or limited cognitive capability. Through product differentiation, each differentiated product is addressing its relevant market instead of addressing a large homogenous market, thus allowing Telco’s to raise price above marginal cost (and reduce consumer’s surplus) without losing its entire market share. Thus, product differentiation can soften price competition and create a degree of market  power. We find from the above data that Maxis currently have the highest market power and leading company with the highest revenue. However, these type of firms balance between the reductions in welfare caused by product differentiation pricing above marginal costs versus the increased in welfare by allowing disparate consumers’ preferences to be closely met. Each firm also ensure proper ethical behaviour on the part of the Telco’s to ensure that public welfare is protected in SMS contests, SMS voting, etc. to prevent undesirable negative consumption externalities such as encouraging the habit of ‘gambling’, excessive spending, etc. Advertising Maxis often use advertising to create brand and/or product differentiation in order to soften the price competition. To the extent that persuasive advertising create customer loyalty through perceived differentiation over essentially identical products, they create market power in the sense that consumers may be willing to pay more for preferred brands, thus allowing these type of firms to raise prices above marginal costs. Following the previous assumptions with payoffs ranked in order of preference (higher number is preferred), the most preferred outcome by firms is where one advertises while its competitors don’t, leading to market share and profitability gain at the expense of its rivals. When all firms don’t advertise, there is no change in market-share and profitability. When all firms advertise, market-share remains with reduced profitability. Maxis uses similar strategy by advertising less gaining market share and more profit at expense of its rivals which we can see below: Advertising Expense of 2005 by Malaysian cellular communications industry Communications Sector: Mobile Line Services RM (million) Communications Sector: Mobile Interactive Services RM (million) Total RM (million) Celcom 52.3 Celcom 6.6 58.9 DiGi 37.7 DiGi 5.1 42.8 Maxis 47.8 Maxis 1.9 49.7 Source : www.mcmc.gov.my, Reports by Maxis, Celcom and Digi 2005 Customer Satisfaction Source : SKMM Consumer Survey 2007 at www.mcmc.gov.my The Customer-Satisfaction-Index (CSI) for the three firms are almost similar. We find that Maxis’ performance is satisfactory in the market and can be considered as a leading oligopoly firm among the three. Conclusion Maxis is one of the Malaysian oligopoly cellular communications industry with high entry barriers, mainly due to government licensing restrictions; and high exit barriers due to huge capital investments (sunk costs). However, frequent technology changes could potentially allow â€Å"leapfrogging† by competitors or potential entrants. The market share is with intense price-competition as the market gets more saturated. Non-price competition  is also intense, mainly through advertising. However, as price-competition escalates, other cellular communication industries are pricing closer to marginal costs as evidenced by the steady drop in ARPU over the past few years. Consumer satisfaction is high for Maxis though consumers are seeking for even lower communications charges and greater geographic coverage. Maxis is currently doing a good job and should continue to push ahead with its plan to allow greater customer choice. Maxis should also monitor for deceptive advertising, SMS contests & voting, etc. and also possible tacit collusive behaviour through price-signaling. It is also recommended that Maxis conducts benchmarking against regional and international cellular communication industries on key areas like profitability and/or returns on equity to determine fair-returns, service quality, technical efficiency, etc. to determine the success of its policies in future. _______ References www.theedgedaily.com Digi gains market share†, The Edge Daily, 5 Dec 2005 www.osk188.com www.digi.com.my www.maxis.com.my www.celcom.com.my Maxis Quarterly 2009 Report Maxis Quarterly 2010 Report DiGi 2009 Report DiGi 2010 Report Celcom Annual Report 2010 Maxis Annual Report 2010 DiGi Annual Report 2010 www.mcmc.gov.my www.mobileworld.com.my/ Profit_expense_2005 www.boardroomlimited.com Dixit, A and Skeath, S (2004): Games of Strategy (2nd Ed), W.W.Norton www.wikipedia.org Rosenberg, E.A. and Clements, M.: â€Å"Evolving market structure, conduct and policy in local telecommunications†, The National Regulatory Research Institute. SKMM Consumer Survey 2007 at www.mcmc.gov.my www.boardroomlimited.com/irdigi/†¦/DiGiAGM2011IRwebsite www.theedgemalaysia.com/†¦/170320-digis-2q-profit-up-187-divide†¦ www.digi.my/aboutdigi/media/mr_press_det.do?id=5240†¦4†¦ www.mysarawak.org/2009/10/30/digi’s-subscriber-base-to-grow.html www.boardroomlimited.com/irdigi/irdigi/FA220709.pdf http://telcoblog.nst.com.my/2009/05/celcom-vs-digi-q1-2009.html http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/8/29/business/1910200&sec=business http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/29/business/2675455&sec=business http://telcoblog.nst.com.my/2009/05/celcom-vs-digi-q1-2009.html axiata.listedcompany.com/misc/axiata_presentation_2Q2011.pdf http://www.theedgemalaysia.com/insider-asia/180047-maxis-and-digi-offer-yields-at-fairly-low-risks.html www.maxis.com.my/†¦/Announcement_04_2009_Financial_Result_†¦ axiata.listedcompany.com/misc/axiata_presentation_1Q2011.pdf www.maxis.com.my/personal/†¦/1Q_2011_IR_Pack_(FINAL).pdf Maxis_4Q10_Presentation_FINAL_2 http://www.maxis.com.my/mmc/index.asp?fuseaction=press.view&recID=452 www.maxis.com.my/†¦/Announcement_02_2010_Press_Release.pdf www.maxis.com.my/personal/about_us/†¦/Anmt-PressRelease.pdf www.maxis.com.my/mmc/index.asp?fuseaction=press.view†¦499 www.maxis.com.my/†¦us/†¦/Maxis_4Q10_Presentation_FINAL.pdf http://www.theedgemalaysia.com/insider-asia/179310-mobile-subscriber-additions-surprisingly-robust.html http://www.thesundaily.my/news/business/celcom-may-pass-service-tax http://www.scribd.com/doc/39862337/Telecommunications-Sector-Update-Sizing-Up-The-Pure-Mobile-Domestic-Players-%E2%80%93-Maxis-vs-DiGi-22-10-2010 http://www.scribd.com/doc/60333044/EN for MALAYSIA TELECOMMUNICATIONS REPORT Q3 2011

Roles Of Botanical Garden In Plant Conservation Environmental Sciences Essay

The subject for this essay is the functions of botanical garden in works preservation. The essay will be divided into four chief parts. The first portion discuss about the botanical garden. This portion will include the debut, history and development, web and map of botanical garden. Second portion will explicate the importance of works preservation and the planetary scheme for works preservation. The 3rd portion is the function of botanical garden in works preservation. The 4th portion will be the illustration of botanical garden in Malaysia and its functions in works preservation. The last portion will be the decision of the essay. 2.0 Botanic Gardens 2.1 Introduction Botanic gardens or botanic gardens are by and large well-tended Parkss exposing a broad scope of workss labelled with their botanical names. They may incorporate specializer works aggregations such as cacti and succulent workss, herb gardens, workss from peculiar parts of the universe, and so on ; there may be nurseries, once more with particular aggregations such as tropical workss, alpine workss or other alien workss. Botanic gardens are frequently run by universities or other scientific research organisations and frequently have associated herbaria and research programmes in works taxonomy or some other facet of botanical scientific discipline. In rule their function is to keep documented aggregations of life workss for the intents of scientific research, preservation, show and instruction, although this will depend on the resources available and the particular involvements pursued at each peculiar garden.2.2 History and DevelopmentThe beginning of modern botanical gardens can be traced to European mediaeval medicative gardens known as physic gardens, the first of these being founded during the Italian Renaissance in the sixteenth century. This early concern with medicative workss changed in the seventeenth century to an involvement in the new works imports from geographic expeditions outdoors Europe as vegetation bit by bit established its independency from medical specialty. In the eighteenth c entury systems of terminology and categorization were devised by phytologists working in the herbaria and universities associated with the gardens, these systems frequently being displayed in the gardens as educational â€Å" order beds † . With the rapid rise of European imperialism in the late eighteenth century botanic gardens were established in the Torrid Zones and economic vegetation became a focal point with the hub at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, near London. Over the old ages botanical gardens, as cultural and scientific administrations, have responded to the involvements of vegetation and gardening. Nowadays most botanical gardens display a mix of the subjects mentioned and more: holding a strong connexion with the general populace there is the chance to supply visitants with information associating to the environmental issues being faced at the start of the twenty-first century, particularly those associating to works preservation and sustainability.2.3 NetworkWorldwide there are now about 1800 botanical gardens and botanical garden in approximately 150 states ( largely in temperate parts ) of which about 400 are in Europe, 200 in North America, 150 in Russia and an increasing figure in East Asia. These gardens attract about 150 million visitants a twelvemonth so it is barely surprising that many people gained their first exciting debut to the admirations of the works universe in a botanical garden. Historically, botanical gardens exchanged workss through the publication of seed lists. This was a agency of reassigning both workss and information between botanical gardens. This system continues today although the possibility of familial buccaneering and the transmittal of invasive species have received greater attending in recent times. The International Association of Botanic Gardens was formed in 1954 as a world-wide administration affiliated to the International Union of Biological Sciences. More late coordination has besides been provided by Botanic Gardens Conservation International ( BGCI ) which has the mission â€Å" To call up botanic gardens and engage spouses in procuring works diverseness for the wellbeing of people and the planet † . BGCI has over 700 membersA – largely botanic gardensA – in 118 states and strongly supports the Global scheme for works preservation by bring forthing a scope resources and publications, and by forming international conferences and preservation plans. Communication besides happens regionally. In the United States there is the American Public Gardens Association and in Australasia there is the Botanic Gardens of Australia and New Zealand ( BGANZ ) .2.4 Role and FunctionBotanic gardens have had a altering function throughout history, get downing frequently as medicative gardens for the survey and cultivation of workss with mending belongingss and traveling through many stages including of class as pleasance gardens. But the fact that their aggregations are more or less scientific means they are continually accommodating and functioning the demands of their societies in germinating ways as new challenges face those societies. In current times, they are going cardinal participants in both the preservation of workss and in the instruction of the people who come to see them.A They are besides get downing to play a function in the extenuation of the effects of clime alteration, and could be perfectly critical to the endurance of the planet as they are absolutely placed to assist travel species around and assist ecosystems to accommodate to new climes in different parts.3.0 Plant preservation3.1 ImportancePlants are universally recognized as a critical portion of the universe ‘s biological diverseness and an indispensable resource for the planet. In add-on to the little figure of harvest workss used for basic nutrient and fibers, many 1000s of wild workss have great economic and cultural importance and potency, supplying nutrient, medical specialty, fuel, vesture and shelter for huge Numberss of people throughout the universe. Plants besides play a cardinal function in keeping the planet ‘s basic e nvironmental balance and ecosystem stableness, and supply an of import constituent to the home grounds for the universe ‘s carnal life. At present we do non hold a complete stock list of the workss of the universe, but it is estimated that the entire figure may be in the order of 300,000 species. Many of these species are in danger of extinction, threatened by habitat transmutation, over-exploitation, foreign invasive species, pollution and clime alteration. The disappearing of such critical and big sums of biodiversity poses one of the greatest challenges for the universe community: to hold the devastation of the works diverseness that is so indispensable to run into the present and future demands of world. Plant preservation, long the hapless relation of the preservation universe, has started to come into its ain since the rise of preservation biological science as a recognized subject in the 1980s. Plant preservation, and the heritage value of exceeding historic landscapes, was treated with a turning sense of urgency. Specialist gardens were sometimes given a separate or bordering site, to expose native and autochthonal workss.3.2 Off-site works preservationOff-site preservation is the preservation of workss off from their countries of natural happening. The term ex situ is often used to depict the off-site preservation. Off-site preservation non merely include turning the workss in botanic gardens, the construct extends every bit good to field cistron Bankss, clonal aggregations, and source plasma Bankss where propagating tissues and seeds are preserved for turning in the hereafter. Off-site preservation can affect a scope of works parts-the whole works, seed, other tissues, or famil ial stuff in civilization. Whole, populating workss have peculiar value for preservation and will go on to be a major concern of off-site preservation. But conserving whole workss is non simple. To capture the scope of familial fluctuation, such aggregations require big figure of workss ; these are expensive to set up and keep. If the workss are annuals, they will necessitate seasonal reproduction. Outside their natural habitat some workss may necessitate manus pollenation and particular intervention of fruit and seeds to guarantee sprouting. It is fortunate that bettering engineering is doing storage as seeds, seedlings, rootstocks, tissues in civilization, and even DNA an option for many workss.3.3 Global Strategy for Plant ConservationThe entry point for the scheme is works preservation ; other facets such as sustainable usage, benefit-sharing and capacity edifice are besides included. The Strategy provides an advanced model for actions at planetary, regional, national and local degrees. The scheme is suppo rted by a broad scope of organisations and establishments – authoritiess, intergovernmental organisations, preservation and research organisations ( such as protected-area direction boards, botanic gardens, and cistron Bankss ) , universities, research institutes, nongovernmental organisations and their webs, and the private sector. The most advanced component of the Strategy is the inclusion of 16 outcome-orientated marks, aimed at accomplishing a series of mensurable ends by 2010.3.3.1 AimsThe ultimate and long-run aim of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation is to hold the current and continuing loss of works diverseness. The Strategy will supply model to ease harmoniousness between bing enterprises aimed at works preservation, to place spreads where new enterprises are required, and to advance mobilisation of the necessary resources. The Strategy will be a tool to heighten the ecosystem attack to the preservation and sustainable usage of biodiversity and concentrate on the critical function of workss in the construction and operation of ecological system and assure proviso of the goods and services such systems provide.4.0 Role of Botanical Gardens in Plant ConservationBotanic gardens have jointly accumulated centuries of resources and expertness that now means they play a cardinal function in works preservation. Many of these activities contribute to ex situHYPERLINK â€Å" hypertext transfer protocol: //www.bgci.org/ourwork/ex_situ/ † preservation, but botanic gardens besides play an of import function in in situHYPERLINK â€Å" hypertext transfer protocol: //www.bgci.org/ourwork/Ecosystems/ † preservation Gardening and cultivation accomplishments allow us to turn workss that might be lost in nature, which means their workss ‘ diverseness can be conserved in the gardens, but besides allows us to see Restoration and rehabilitation of debauched home grounds. Populating aggregations of workss cod species under assorted groupings, to keep a life shop of familial diverseness that can back up many activities in preservation and research. Seed Bankss and aggregations of life workss allow species to be safeguarded. Plants must be carefully collected stored to guarantee maximal familial diverseness is retained, and much research is required to find the best manner of hive awaying each species. This is the preservation of works diverseness in situ, and botanic gardens are cardinal to this scheme ‘s capacity and success.. Research and development into works taxonomy and genetic sciences, phytochemistry, utile belongingss, informing choice of workss that can defy degraded and altering environments ( particularly of import in face of the menaces posed by clime alteration ) . Education is a strength of botanic gardens that allows them to pass on the importance of conserving workss, making out to diverse audiences, and besides to pass on how this may be achieved. Associating workss with the wellbeing of people, and besides assisting conserve autochthonal and local cognition, to promote the sustainable usage of works resources for the benefit of all, as portion of sustainable development. The preservation of works diverseness is critical for sustainable development and botanic gardens are playing a cardinal function as Centres of preservation action. Gardens maintain a broad scope of species as life workss, in seed Bankss and tissue civilization ; harmonizing to appraisal of BGCI, there are likely over 80,000 species in cultivation in botanic gardens of the current estimation of 270,000 known works species in the universe. Botanic gardens contain aggregations of workss for instruction, scientific intents and show ; they can be: Taxonomically-based – aggregations of a peculiar household, genus or group of cultivars ; Collections of native workss ; Plants which portion a common geographical or ecological beginning such as Mediterranean, desert or alpine ; Wild relations or cultivars of utile species such as medicative, aromatic or textile workss ; Shared wont or life signifier such as an grove, botanical garden or lush aggregation. Botanic gardens besides have of import preservation aggregations peculiarly of rare and threatened workss. Harmonizing to the IUCN Red List of threatened workss 34,000 taxa are considered globally threatened with extinction. Presently, over 10,000 threatened species, about a 3rd, are in botanic garden cultivation. These workss contribute to species recovery programmes and supply long-run backup aggregations. Botanic gardens undertake research – from works taxonomy, ecology to engendering systems. With their expertness in gardening, botanic gardens develop extension and cultivation methods for workss which have ne'er been in cultivation. All these countries are indispensable for species recovery programmes and reintroduction of workss into the wild, such as developing techniques to re-introduce the Dragon Trees into the natural state. A major cause of biodiversity loss is the over-collection of wild workss for gardening, medical specialty and nutrient. Bringing workss into cultivation can take the force per unit area off the wild populations, and besides back up supports by bring forthing income and promote trade Botanic gardens besides manage protected countries within and outside their garden to advance biodiversity. These ecosystems such as woods, shrub land, catchment countries, and coastal countries provide indispensable services from the coevals of H2O, cycling of foods and refilling of dirt birthrate and bar of eroding which are critical to the supports of all people. One of the major causes of species decline is invasive foreigner species which threaten workss, works communities and ecosystems. Botanic gardens with their accomplishments in designation and gardening proctor invasive species and work locally and nationally to reconstruct home grounds that are of import for diverseness. Botanic gardens work with their local communities and visitants on instruction and environmental preservation programmes which promote environmental consciousness and sustainable life. Globally, botanic gardens receive more than 200 million visitants a twelvemonth. Further, botanic gardens are cardinal establishments working with their authoritiess and other administrations on cardinal policies, national biodiversity schemes and action programs.5.0 Botanic Garden in Malaysia – Rimba Ilmu5.1 IntroductionRimba Ilmu is a tropical botanical garden, set up in the University of Malaya campus in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is modelled after a rain forest garden construct instead than a formal flower garden. It emphasises the vegetation of the Malaysian and Indonesian part. Together with the life aggregations of over 1,600 species, the Rimba Ilmu besides houses the University of Malaya herbarium ( acronym KLU ) and has its ain Environmental Education Programme. The Rimba Ilmu is a member of the Botanic Gardens Conservation International ( BGCI ) and the South East Asia Botanic Gardens Network.A Rimba Ilmu means â€Å" The Forest of Knowledge † in the Malay linguistic communication. The garden, established in 1974, occupies an country of 80 hectares. It is partially buffered by old gum elastic plantings and the life aggregations, largely from Malaysia, are one of the most of import biological conservatories in Malaysia. There are besides works species from other parts of tropical Asia, the Pacific islands, Australia, South America, Africa and Madagascar.A Rimba Ilmu ‘s mission is to bring forth and advance consciousness and cognition of tropical works life and its environment, ecology and preservation through the development and direction of installations and activities appropriate to its map in a university located within Malaysia ‘s most developed and populated landscape. The Herbarium ( a mention library of preserved works specimens ) is Malaysia ‘s largest university aggregation incorporating some 63,000 accessions. In the Garden, there are several chief show aggregations, including medicative workss, thenars, and the citrous fruit and citroid aggregation. The Conservatory of Rare Plants and Orchids, opened in 2000, and the Fernery, with seting constitutions made over several old ages and commissioned in 2003, are accessible merely to particular group visits and research contacts, and a new bambusetum ( populating aggregation of bamboos ) was completed at the terminal of 2003 and by and large accessible to the populace. There is besides a little research aggregation of bananas. A high spot in the development of the Rimba Ilmu is the constitution of a particular botanical garden ( populating aggregation of trees ) get downing in 2001 as the ground tackle for our â€Å" Millenium Forest † undertaking, which seeks to prosecute friends and concerned parties in set uping biologically diverse forest plantings in doing a new wood within the metropolis of Kuala Lumpur.A Besides holding a general aggregation of species from a assortment of works households selected for instruction, Rimba Ilmu is besides developing assorted particular aggregations runing from those of medicative workss, wild orchids, thenars, pandan, tropical fruit trees, gingers, aquatic workss, wild citrous fruit relations to rare and endangered workss in demand of preservation.5.2 Role in Plant ConservationRimba Ilmu is an of import depository for many types of workss, including preservation aggregations of rare and endangered workss, and particular aggregations of the utile workss ( such as citrous fruits and starch thenar ) and their wild relations. In 2001, two other particular aggregations, bamboos ( sponsored by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute ) and bananas ( anchored by one of the university ‘s research groups in banana cytology ) , were besides begun. Over 2004-5, with the aid of DHL and affecting their employees, a particular aggregation of Malayan wood trees has besides been established. Outside of the Rimba Ilmu, it may be really hard to detect so many different species of some groups, and the home grounds of some of these workss may hold already been altered or damaged. Conservation besides involves public consciousness, and visitants are foremost treated to a lasting exhibition on Rain Forests when they start to acquire familiar with the Garden.A6.0 DecisionBotanic gardens maintain a broad scope of species as life workss, in seed Bankss and tissue civilization. Therefore, botanic gardens contain aggregations of workss for instruction, scientific intents and show. In decision, the botanical garden drama an of import function as the ex situ preservation for works and besides in situ preservation site. The preservation of works diverseness is critical for sustainable development and botanic gardens are playing a cardinal function as Centres of preservation action.

The Changing Global Econ FIANL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

The Changing Global Econ FIANL - Essay Example The main features of globalization include liberalization, specialization of trade and exchange, increased connectivity, multi-dimensionality and top-down process. Liberalization Globalization is characterized by liberalization; liberalization is the freedom granted to businesspeople and industrialist to establish industries and carry out trading activities within the boundaries of their own countries or abroad. Liberalization involves free exchange of capital, goods, services, and technological advancements between countries and regions. Globalization guarantees increased trans-boundary cultural exchanges resulting from free flow of immigration, more differentiated products, tourism, and economic integration. Specialization of trade and exchange Specialization is the basic way through which trade works to improve people’s lives. International trade takes place because one country can produce what another country cannot produce. Prior to globalization, cross-border business wa s limited because most of the national economies were self-contained entities separated from one another by barriers to international trade and investments. Globalization has enhanced cross border business opportunities and enabled firms to sell what they can produce and buy those commodities they do not have the capacity to produce. Regional and international organizations have been formed to oversee the seamless trade among countries across the world. Member countries have to follow the guidelines provided. Trade and exchange has allowed countries, multinational companies, small companies, large scale and small scale producers to gain economically and small Increased Connectivity Globalization makes it possible for various localities to be connected with the rest of the world through removal of barriers to connectivity. This is achieved through the role of globalization of breaking national boundaries and enhancing the links between one community and another. Globalization creates proper links between countries through international transmission of information, literature, culture, technology, and knowledge. The space age device, the internet, has enhanced communication and knowledge exchange among people from different locations in the world instantly. It has also permitted people to understand the various cultures in the world, making it easy to interact and do business together. Multi-dimensional Process A multi-dimensionality approach to globalization implies that the concept can be looked at from three dimensions: economical, political, cultural, and ideological. Globalization in economic terms means opening up of global markets by enhancing free trade and commerce among countries of the world. Politically, globalization means decentralization of power and functions of state, which grants more rights and freedoms to people through empowerment of the private sector. In cultural terms, globalization refers to the exchange of cultural values among various societies and nations of the world. Ideologically, globalization is the spread of liberalism and capitalism. Top-down Process Globalization origintates from the industrialized world and Multinational Corporations, and spans to less industrialized countries. Technologies, capital, goods, and services are manufactured in industrialized countries and sold to the developing world. It is the responsibility

HRM and Collective Bargaining Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words - 1

HRM and Collective Bargaining - Assignment Example A recommendation would be to employ distributive bargaining for better results. Â  The following is an integrative report on the role of the human resources function in terms of negotiating with labor unions. The report will delve into management relations with unions, and how these relationships are likely to be affected if either the union or management take a rigid stand during collective bargaining negotiations, and not exercise flexibility. The report will also look into such factors as health and safety regulations, misconduct, payroll, minimum wage, and others, to establish arguments and issues from either side and will attempt to culminate all these factors to come up with meaningful conclusions and/or provide future recommendations. Â  Where possible, the report will endeavor to provide examples of real organizational cases to strengthen relevant arguments. The report will make use of extensive established literature in the subject area to gain and provide theoretical input towards its discussions. Â  Employment relationship is protected by two different types of regulations namely legal and voluntary regulations (Willey, 2003), where legal regulations refer to standardised laws passed by the government like processes for dealing with complaints about infringement of legal rights; and the provision of solutions; whereas voluntary regulations refer to the additional discretion employers have, in compliance with legal regulations, in determining pay and employment conditions and the procedures followed; use of grievance procedures; disciplinary procedures; the roles of consultation and collective bargaining; and the involvement of third parties to the regulation of employment relations (Willey, 2003; Newell and Scarbrough, 2002).

Oldham Pond Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Oldham Pond - Essay Example An example of a response by the ecosystem would be a spurt in the population of phytoplankton in the aquatic body, due to an upsurge in the nutrient level (John & Eugene 109). This phenomenon has such negative effects on the environment as hypoxia, which is oxygen depletion in the water. On top of promoting an increase in phytoplankton levels, it also promotes plant decay, while seeming to favor natural plankton and algae as compared to more developed plants. This plant decay causes a substantial reduction in the quality of the water, as well as depletion of aquatic oxygen during decomposition of algae, which causes death of fish. Eutrophication decreases the recreational value of water bodies, hurting tourism. The premise of this paper is to study Oldham pond and its tributaries and evaluate the effects of eutrophication. Conductivity of the pond was measured using a portable conductivity metre. Conductivity is the measurement of how much material found dissolved in the pond. Polluted ponds have more dissolved solute than clean ponds. Conductivity below 250 is preferable, with upward of 600 being the cause for alarm. Measurement of temperature was done using a thermometer, while the levels of dissolved oxygen were measured using a dissolve oxygen electrode (Ansari 90). The sampling was carried out on the 4th and 25th of February, 2012. For the organisms in the pond, Ad Libitum sampling was used, where much information about the organisms was measured (John & Eugene 106). According to the results, the temperature of the water was comparable to that of the surrounding air. The slight difference is the difference in conductivity of heat by air and water. Dissolved oxygen levels were also concurrent to those that are recommendable (11 mg/l). Conductivity, however, was found to be higher than recommended. Recommended conductivity is below 250 (Boqiang et al

Privacy Rights in Domestic Relations Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Privacy Rights in Domestic Relations - Case Study Example According to some, the case was decided fairly, and within the boundaries of constitutionality and fairness. However, to others, it was a monstrous atrocity committed in the name of upholding the constitution. Much of this opposition came from the pro-lifers who saw this as a reaffirmation of a law that promoted what was tantamount to mass murder in their eyes. The laws were seen by â€Å"Pro-choicers† as a burden to women and aimed at creating restrictions, which resulted in the embarrassment that would eventually force women to carry the unwanted pregnancy to term. The case is significant in helping to show that the abortion law in America contrary to popular belief is more of constitutional than family law. This is underscored in that the only clause that was struck out from the five was the one requiring a woman to show evidence of her husband’s acquiescence to the operation. This was done on the basis that it occasions an undue burden on the woman, and may interfer e with the woman’s freedom to have an abortion (4LawSchool.com, n.d.). In this case, the issue of privacy is unequivocally relevant since those who had brought it forward wanted women to be able to have abortions on the strength of their own convictions, without being forced to consult their spouses of parents. Prior to the ruling, a married woman could not have simply had an abortion without her husband’s concept. Yet the fetus was in her and any health implications would be on her besides, a pregnancy will interfere with the woman’s life more than the man’s (Lloyd, 2011). Furthermore, the child might not be the husbands hence the need for an abortion. The disclosure would have traumatized the woman, and she may have carried the pregnancy to term rather than own up. The same case applied to minors having to seek permission from their parents. This amounts to an invasion of their privacy since if a girl has problems communicating with her parents, she may end up keeping the pregnancy until it was too late out of fear. Had I been a j udge in the trial, I would have struck down all the five requirements because abortion is allowed; there is no reason for it to be made harder for women than it has to be.  

Historical Geography of North America Journal Review Essay

Historical Geography of North America Journal Review - Essay Example Mann's sources are recognizable experts in this arena and the article cites them prolifically. While many of Mann's points make enough logical and reasonable sense to dispel the widely held romantic version of the early settlements, the author's arguments rely on a connect-the-dots logic in the absence of a complete historical record. The author succeeds in making the point that the early American settlers were not faced with the typically romantic ideal of cooperation with the environment and struggling against Mother Nature. Instead, he paints a stark picture of famine, disease, and constant hardship replete with starvation and cannibalism. His vision of the Europeans being able to stave off hostile attacks from the Natives is based on the theory that the Natives had been severely weakened by Malaria. Mann also dispels the myth of Pocahontas saving the life of John Smith in 1607. However, this is a literary story that is part of America's myth and hardly an historical moving revelation. The real power of the article is the sense the author gives us that, "Much of what we learned in grade school about the New World encountered by the colonists at Jamestown turns out to be wrong". It demands further investigation and invites a more deeply researched debate. The author contends that the ecology of ... s little evidence offered for the damage done by the earthworm purportedly imported in European soil, it has been long held that the agricultural practices of Europe had a profound effect on the New World. The author also magnifies the destruction that domesticated animals did to the native's farmland, and the resulting tensions between the Natives and the Europeans. Here again, the author gives a reasonable view of animal farming in New England of large animals running wild and destroying the crops of the Natives. However, the evidence is anecdotal and does not consider the viewpoint that it may have been more likely that the animals were restrained and managed as they were in England, as that would be in the best interest of the settlers. However, Mann's point that they altered the ecological landscape cannot be refuted. The strength of the article, apart from its intellectual stimulation, is its contention that European farming and agricultural practices forever transformed the landscape. Mann explains why the different approaches held by the Natives and Europeans to the concept of property ownership came at odds and favored the Europeans. The Native culture believed in a constantly evolving landscape where property rights would shift according to need and use. The Europeans believed in private property ownership and were thus able to accumulate property. The introduction of new plants and controlled agriculture invaded the New World and left a permanent change on the face of America. There can be little argument that tobacco and corn changed the soil, the land, the people, and the economy of the New World. In conclusion, this article is a well-written consensus of a number of noted experts. While it may be somewhat shy of hard evidence, the incomplete historical

Ranking method Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ranking method - Research Paper Example The users don’t have to scan through every webpage to find the relevant ones or those with relevant tweets or news. Many ranking functions have been developed for the purpose of evaluating the websites and the web contents. Each of these functions is based on a different algorithm which uses a certain criteria to evaluate the relevance of web content and the data. This paper will consider three separate papers that make an illustration of the use different criteria to apply the ranking algorithm to solve ranking problems based on different aspects. We will seek to find out the themes that are common in these papers, the non-overlapping concepts and any disagreements. We will also determine the various ranking algorithms and their use by researchers to improve ranking. The various aspects of the ranking algorithms will also be looked at to determine their importance to internet users. In the world today, there is an exponential increase in the demand for information which has been highly facilitated by the advancement of informational technology. This has resulted in the development of billions of online items and websites that try to satisfy the users’ needs. Most of these items and websites do not serve the interest of the users fully. Therefore there is the need to optimize these items by ranking them according to their usefulness and also gather information on the usefulness of various websites to users [2]. In this paper, we analyze three research papers which mainly revolve around improving the user experience in the online industry. The articles are Dupret etal [1], Feng etal [2] and Kumar etal [3]. Each one of them compliments the other in that they all propose how to optimize ranking of items in a website and how to evaluate the success by deriving the user engagement using a proposed metric. A summary of how to optimize the informational items found online will be provided which largely try to address the problems

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. Essay Example for Free

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. Essay Company A wholly-owned subsidiary of Belgium-based Anheuser–Busch InBev, is the largest brewing company in the United States. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and nearly 20 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of Americas largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the companys family entertainment division, Busch Entertainment Corporation. It is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. AB’s objectives as a corporation are: * To increase domestic beer segment volume and per barrel profitability which, when combined with market share growth will provide the source for earnings per share growth and improvement in return on capital employed. * To provide a great tasting fresh beer to our consumers by limiting self life to 110 days, and providing a â€Å"born on date† on all our products. * To build a high-performing, diverse workforce, while providing a safe, productive and rewarding work environment, in which all our employees can benefit. * To be a good corporate citizen and good neighbor in every community where we do business and promote the responsible consumption of our products. * To preserve and protect the environment and support communities where we do business, by complying with all applicable environmental laws, regulations, and permits. Products and Services Anheuser-Buschs best known beers include brands such as Budweiser, Busch, Michelob, Bud Light, and Natural Light. The company also produces more than 100 beers, import beers, specialty beers, nonalcoholic brews, malt liquors ( such as King Cobra and Hurricane), and flavored malt beverages (e.g. the Bacardi Silver family and Tequiza). Currently, the number 1 ranked beer in America is Bud Light. The company introduced a flavored 12% abv malt liquor under the name Spykes in 2007. It was sold in colorful, 2-ounce bottles. Available flavors included mango, lime, melon and chocolate. Free public tours of the brewery are given. The tour takes visitors through the complex, and those of the legal age can enjoy two free glasses of any Anheuser-Busch product in the Hospitality Room after the tour. Tourists can see beer being made in a working part of the brewery (from behind plexiglas shields). The company keeps a rotation of its famous Budweiser Clydesdales at its headquarters, and visitors to the brewery can observe the Clydesdales in their exercise field and see their places in the carriage house. Some of the herd is kept at the company farm in St. Louis County. The farm, known as Grants Farm (having been owned by former President Ulysses S. Grant at one time), is home to a menagerie of animals. Since 2008, approximately half of the Budweiser Clydesdales are kept at the Warmsprings Ranch. Introduction/History Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. traces its roots to 1852 and the Bavarian Brewery in St. Louis. The struggling brewery was acquired by Eberhard Anheuser, a successful soap manufacturer, in 1860 Anheuser had no experience in the brewing business, but his son-in-law did. Adolphus Busch, a successful German businessman, joined his father-in-law in the business in the 1860s and took on increasing responsibility. Through new technologies and modern marketing practices, he transformed the local brewery into an industry leader. In the early 1870s, Adolphus Busch became the first American brewer to use pasteurization, which allowed beer to be shipped long distances without spoiling. By the mid 1870s and early 1880s, he introduced artificial refrigeration, refrigerated railcars and rail-side icehouses. These technological innovations allowed the company to grow and distribute beer across the country. Budweiser was the first national beer brand, introduced in 1876. Twenty years later, Busch introduced Michelob, America’s first specialty beer. To market his beers, Busch used traditional, proven selling methods but in a far more organized and deliberate manner than his competitors. He pioneered the use of giveaways and premiums, and used his brewery as a show place for the public to visit. When Eberhard Anheuser died in 1880, Adolphus became president of the brewery. In 1901, the company broke the 1 million barrels of beer sales mark for the first time, making it one of the nation’s leading breweries. Adolphus Busch died in 1913 and was succeeded by his son; August A. Busch, Sr. The brewery’s bleakest period began at midnight on Jan. 16, 1920, when national Prohibition became law. Rather than close its doors, as more than half of the nation’s breweries did, Anheuser-Busch diversified and remained in business. Under the leadership of August Sr., the company marketed more than 25 different non-alcoholic products such as soft drinks, truck bodies and ice cream. In preparation for Prohibition, Anheuser-Busch released Bevo, a non-alcoholic cereal beverage, in 1916. On April 7, 1933, beer was re-legalized. Recovery from Prohibition was slow but steady under Adolphus Busch III, who became president of the company in 1934, upon the death of his father, August Sr. Economic conditions caused by the Great Depression also restrained growth, but, thanks in part to the introduction of the metal can in 1936, sales began to climb. By 1938, Anheuser-Busch hit the 2 million barrel mar k. During World War II, the company diverted many of its operations in support of the war effort, voluntarily relinquishing its West Coast markets to conserve railcar space for war materials shipments. Following the war, America and Anheuser-Busch experienced an era of growth and prosperity throughout the 1950s and 1960s. In 1946, August A. Busch, Jr. became president of the company following the death of his brother, Adolphus III. Beginning with the opening of the Newark, N.J. facility in 1951, August Jr. created a national network of nine breweries. Under his leadership, beer sales increased from 3 million barrels to more than 34 million barrels, and corporate diversification was extended to include family entertainment, industrial products, real- estate and can manufacturing. In 1957, Anheuser-Busch became the leading U.S. brewer, a position it retains today. August A. Busch III was elected president of Anheuser-Busch, Inc. in 1974, and the next year succeeded his father, August Jr., as chief executive officer, becoming the fourth generation of the family to lead Anheuser-Busch. August III led the company to build four additional breweries, expand the family entertainment business, and significantly strengthen the company’s horizontal and vertical integration. In 2008, Anheuser-Busch and InBev combined to become Anheuser-Busch InBev. The new company is the world’s largest brewer and one of the top 5 consumer goods companies in the world. Mission It is AB’s mission to be the United States beer company. The company is working hard to elevate and enhance the image and relevance of beer, plus making their brands the preferred beer of choice. It is also AB’s mission to deliver superior returns to their shareholders, which in return will provide more benefits and resources for the company. Product/Bud Light In 1982, the company introduced Bud Light nationally, which grew quickly in popularity and today is one of the world’s best selling beer brands. Bud Light is an American style lager made from rice, hops and barley malt. It is less alcoholic than regular Budweiser beer. It is marketed in the premium-light category, and Anheuser-Busch banks on the drinkability of Bud Light being its defining characteristic Bud Light Marketing Strategy Bud Light beer has long directed their marketing strategy through sports. For years their ads have dominated the Super Bowl advertising bonanza. Bud Light also has used various sports themes in their commercials and has a strong presence in many sporting events (in the venue and through television). Bud Light’s advertising campaign has been extremely effective. They have targeted the young male demographic and have done a phenomenal job of it. Relying on humor and sports has been the staple of their strategy, and it has worked very well with their target audience. Advertisements for Bud Light almost always are a comedy, and as they close they briefly plug the actual product. This has been their recipe for success. Bud Light has well graded commercials and a very high percentage of the beer market. Who can forget the â€Å"secret fridge,† â€Å"real men of genius,† â€Å"hidden Bud Lights,† or countless other commercial lines that Bud Light has created. The ads are remembered, and in marketing that is half the battle. But, that is the issue. Why is beer being marketed solely through the use of comedy? Because comedy is much more successful than a realistic commercial. How successfully would Bud Light market themselves if they were forced to use the reality of their product? Would they show how drunken men get home after football games? Would they show people drinking too much? Would they show the average user of their product? No, of course not. They would never be able to market their product successfully if they used its real circumstances. While Bud Light solely relies on comedy, many other beer manufacturers have taken other approaches. Some show where their beer is made. Samuel Adams commercials currently focus on the early years of their organization and the development of their company. Additionally, most beer ads, other than Bud Light, heavily stress using responsibility while drinking. Guinness beer is a good example. Although Guinness mostly uses comedy to sell their product they stress responsibility in every ad, and even have comedic ads focused on responsibility. Bud Light should consider using a similar formula if they continue to stick to comedy. Bud Light has an amazingly successful marketing strategy through the use of comedy and sports. * Geographic Anheuser Busch sells its beer products domestically and globally. It operates 14 breweries in the U.S., brewing approximately 30 kinds of beer. They offer a wide variety of premium and sub-premium beverages, each of which has a unique taste and price. Another area of interest for A-B is the international marketing of their beer. This segment is regulated by Anheuser-Busch International, which operates 15 breweries – 14 in China and one in the United Kingdom. The product of Budweiser is brewed in seven other countries outside the United States under the direct supervision of Anheuser Busch brew masters. They include Argentina, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Spain. * Psychographics Anheuser Busch reaches out to diverse groups of people with various psychographics. They deal with people that have a social lifestyle and enjoy going out to bars and clubs. They also deal with consumers that are interested in sports. Anheuser- Busch is a major sponsor of every sporting event possible, taking profits in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NASCA. Lastly, Anheuser – Busch maintains a strong social affiliation with consumers who drink beer just for relaxation and comfort. A major market consists of social drinkers who drink one or two beers a night after work. Consumer Markets Anheuser Busch’s primary consumer market consists of males and females over the age of 21. The age groups range from seniors, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and a part of Generation Y. They also target every category involving family life cycle, including married, single, divorced, widowed, and parents. AB products are not sold to a particular social class, however depending on whether the consumer’s are Capitalists or underclass, might play a major role in deciding which AB beer they purchase. Finally, ethnicity is a major focus for AB, they believe in promoting diversity in all of their relationships. They actively support numerous community programs sponsored by a wide variety of ethnic groups; they encourage the development of minority and women-owned companies by purchasing more than $400 million in annual goods and services from those companies. Anheuser-Busch is also a close friend and partner with Americas ethnic communities. Their programs are designed to preserve the unique traditions within diverse communities and to provide immediate and long-term benefits through joint efforts with national, regional and local organizations. Business Markets AB has a variety of business markets that it is involved with. The most important are grocery stores, super centers (Wal-Mart), convenience stores / gas stations, warehouse membership clubs (Costco), restaurant / bars, and sporting event venues. Restaurants/Bars are the most important business markets for A-B, because they buy and distribute the most amount of beer. Also, restaurants and bars are two of the easiest places that adults can access beer. Finally, in a bar, most beer is distributed from a tap off of keg, and more beer can be distributed with a keg, than selling bottles or cans individually. Size and Growth A-B owns nearly 50 percent of the United States domestic market share in the beer industry. The company produced close to 11 billion barrels of beer in 2009, which is 7.5 times its closest domestic competitor. The company has four trademark brand families; Budweiser, Michelob, Busch and Natural, each of which play a key strategic role as the volume drivers of the company. A-B’s size is definitely strength, because the company has the resources in place to increase beer industry volume, while continuing to meet the needs of today’s consumer. A-B currently offers over 40 brands of beer. Of this wide variety of premium and sub-premium beverages, each beer offers its own unique taste and blend. Yet, A-B is not standing still; the company is committed to creating new beverages that appeal to today’s adult consumers. To meet these changing tastes, A-B introduced more than 30 new in the past five years and encouraged consumers to experiment with their new flavors. Of these, Budweiser Select, the newest addition to the Budweiser family was introduced, and has become one of the company’s most successful new product launches, with more than 2 million barrels sold. Other new offering included malt beverages, flavored beers, and beers such as BE, which combines fruit flavors with caffeine and guarana. A-B’s relentless commitment to constantly improving and innovating new products is keeping them ahead of the competition. Distribution Over the years, Bud light has been distributed in many sizes and containers. Bud light is primarily distributed in just three packages cans, 12-ounce glass and aluminum bottles. Along with this expansion came advances in bottling automation, new bottling materials and more efficient distribution methods. These advances have brought to market many new containers and package designs. Eagle Packaging Eagle Packaging, Inc. satisfies all of Anheuser Busch’s packaging needs. It supplies 100 percent of Anheuser-Buschs domestic crown and closure liner material. This means Anheuser Busch spends less time dealing with numerous suppliers, and more time spent on producing beer. Eagle Packaging, Inc. also stands behind every product they sell, and they continuously work with their manufacturers to provide Anheuser Busch with the highest quality products and services possible. With Eagle Packaging, Inc. as Anheuser Busch’s partner, they improve their business position by offering innovative solutions and proactive ideas. They also work with Anheuser Busch to coordinate a â€Å"Just in Time â€Å"delivery schedule. This saves Anheuser Busch inventory space and costs, while keeping them properly supplied. Longhorn Glass Corp. Longhorn Glass Corp. supplies Anheuser Busch, the nation’s largest buyer of glass bottles, with about 8% of its glass bottles. This Anheuser Busch subsidiary was established in Houston, Texas in 2001. Longhorn Glass Company provides 60% of Anheuser’s, Houston brewery, with its longneck bottle needs. The company primarily produces one product, Amber Longneck bottles. Anheuser-Busch Recycling Company Anheuser – Busch Recycling Company recycles used beverage cans, which are converted into sheet aluminum for manufacturing new cans. The company was formed in 1978 to provide a positive alternative to mandatory deposits and to help reduce container costs. They recycle over 90% of the cans sold domestically by the Anheuser Busch beer company. For over a decade, it has been the world’s largest recycler of aluminum beverage containers. Metal Container Corporation The purpose of the Metal Container Corporation, the largest partner of Anheuser Busch, is to provide cans, lids and services that exceed the expectations of our customers and consumers. Metal Container Corporation was formed in 1973 and operates eight can and three lid manufacturing facilities that are strategically located across the United States. It supplies 60% of Anheuser-Busch’s domestic beer cans and 75% of Anheuser-Busch’s domestic lids. Their main customers are Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Grupo Modelo. In total, the company makes more than 26 billion cans and 29 billion lids annually. Precision Printing Packaging, Inc. Precision Printing and Packaging, Inc produces more than 25 billion metalized labels annually for Anheuser-Busch and other customers including Bush Beans, Wrigley, and Pepsi. The company supplies 80 percent of Anheuser-Buschs labels. Pricing Methodology A-B is best described as market oriented because the sales of their products do not depend on an aggressive sales force, but rather on the customer’s decision to purchase their product. The company focuses on customer wants and needs by offering a diverse selection of products while giving a relentless commitment toward quality and by doing so is able to distinguish its products from competitors’ offerings. The company is also able to adhere to customers wants and needs by offering different prices for their beer, while still offering the same relentless commitment to quality. A wide variety of premium and sub-premium brands, offer a broad range of prices. However, price does not excuse A-B’s commitment to quality on all its products. Budweiser is on the upper echelon, where as Natural is on the lower end. Competition The emergence of the Bud Light brand was illustrated to develop a competition-based position. In the mid-1970s, Miller Brewing Company introduced a brand that was called Lite beer from Miller. In contrast, Lite beer from Miller was positioned as the beer that tasted great, but had fewer calories than regular beer. The advantage of this product was that users could drink more without getting filled up. The campaign, which was developed by Backer Spielvogel, targeted 18-34 year old males with blue-collar occupations, who were the heavy users of the beer category. The campaign was supported by the endorsement of ex-athletes and other beer-drinking personalities and aired on television during sports programming. The result was impressive sales of Late. Consumption of the brand was substantial in-home as well as in bars and restaurants, where 30% of all beer is sold. Unexpectedly, however, the majority of users were not the 18-34 year-old heavy drinkers of beer. Rather, more moderate drinking 25-44 year old professionals were the dominant Lite users. Anheuser-Busch viewed Lites introductory campaign as a potential threat to their Budweiser brand, which at the time commanded 43% of the beer market. A-B responded by entering the light market in 1977 with the premium Natural Light brand and in 1978 with a super premium Michelob Light brand. The logic behind these introductions was that A-B dominated Miller and other brewers in distribution, and this domination would enable A-Bs new light brands to emerge as strong players in the light category. A-B introduced Budweiser Light (currently known as Bud Light) in 1982. The goal was to market a brand that, unlike Natural Light and Michelob Light, would have a strong point of advantage in relation to Lite. The advantage was the heritage of Budweiser, the king of beers. The introductory campaign was targeted at the 25-44 year old professionals, which by this time all light beers were targeting. The position was the light beer with superior quality because it is made by A-B. The introductory campaign featured a clydesdale horse, which was an icon that A-B had associated with their Budweiser brand, running free on the beach and the slogan bring out your best. The voice-over explained that the brand had been developed slowly over time with the same care, quality, and commitment that went into Budweiser to ensure that it lived up to the heritage of Budweiser. Subsequent executions showed season-appropriate sports including football, hockey, skiing and baseball. Each was aired during sports programming. Indeed, Miller Lite had over 50% of the light beer market and Coors light entry was the second leading beer in the light category. Business results were impressive. In 1982, Budweiser Light sold more product than Lite had in its first three years, and by the end of 1983, Budweiser Light achieved a 20% share of the light beer market. At the same time, Budweiser Light had failed to make significant inroads in the out-of-home market. Apparently, when people asked for a Budweiser Light in bars and restaurants, they were more often than not being served either Miller Lite, or a regular Budweiser. As a result Lite beer from Miller maintained a market share of over 50% in the light category. A-B also found that a substantial percentage of Budweiser Light sales were at the expense of the flagship Budweiser brand. To address these concerns, A-B made several changes in their marketing program for 1984. One change was the brand name from Budweiser Light to Bud Light. The other was to introduce a new campaign called Make it a Bud Light. It focused on the fact that Bud Light was a light beer and that if they just asked for a light they might get any number of different objects that were not Bud Light beer. It was anticipated that this campaign would be run for several months and then Bud Light advertising would return to the heritage focus that had been used to launch the brand. However, when it was found Bud Lights sales increased in response to bar call, the campaign was run for five years. In 1987, Miller Lite was still the leading brand in the light category and had actually maintained its advantage over Bud Light. Sales of both brands had grown substantially as light was now almost 30% of the beer market. A-B was particularly concerned about these developments because the growth of the light category was largely at the expense of their Budweiser brand. Indeed, many of the heavy-drinking blue-collar males under 25 were abandoning regular beer for light beer. In addition, the growing consumption of white wine and soft drinks were limiting growth of the beer category. In an effort to capture the under-25 heavy user, A-B segmented the market and developed two campaigns. One was focused at the 25-44 year old professionals, who were the traditional users of the light category. The other campaign was targeted at the under-25, heavy user of beer. It featured a dog named Spuds MacKenzie, a party animal who attracted the attention of beautiful women. As their share and sales began to decline in the nineties, Miller Lite sought a campaign that would deliver news. In 1997, Millers CEO Jack MacDonough decided that a dramatic change was needed if Miller Lite was to reestablish its position as the number one light brand. He hired Fallon McElligott, the hot Minneapolis agency. Their charge was to attract 21-24 year olds with the proposition that Miller invites you to Miller Time, where its always fun, entertaining and unexpected anything can happen. Two Swedes, copywriter Linus Karlsson and art director Paul Malmstrom, developed the Miller Time campaign. These creatives were under 30 and were best known for work on Diesel Jeans in Europe, which included humorous references to American culture. These drastic marketing measures by Miller still weren’t enough to top A-B. Today, the light category has 40% share of the beer category sales and Bud Light is the best selling beer in the U.S and the number one beer in the world. Bud-Light is brewed at all 12 Anheuser Busch based breweries. Environmental Impact * Ethics/Social responsibilities A-B is making many extensive efforts to get involved in the community, by teaming up with charitable foundations and reaching out to those in need. Over the past decade, the company has donated more than $320 million to charitable organizations, including those that support education, health care, the arts, cultural enrichment, social services and environmental conservation. A-B released a â€Å"making friends† campaign which involves local communities, disaster relief and â€Å"true music† in which they sponsor music artists and related programs. The company also created a one million dollar â€Å"fallen heroes’ fund† which is a scholarship fund for spouses and children of those killed in Iraq. A-B has worked hard to establish a history of giving back to build on lasting friendships. By investing in and adding communities, the company is enhancing its image and reputation, increasing awareness for its brands, and creating loyalty among its customers. A-B has earned a reputation as the industry leader in the fight against alcohol abuse. The company has promoted responsibility efforts for nearly 100 years, and over the past two decades, have invested more than a half billion dollars in a comprehensive portfolio of more than two dozen community-based programs and national advertising campaigns to promote responsible drinking and help prevent underage drinking and drunk driving. A-B has also created effective community based programs that train bartenders, waiter, store clerks, etc. on ID checking, and also have distributors bringing speakers into schools about issues such as drunk driving and underage drinking. In their effort to promote responsible drinking, A-B is strengthening the community, which in return is strengthening the company’s image and reputation. A-B’s commitment to quality extends beyond packaging development. The company operates with care and concern for the world’s environment. A-B Recycling Corporation (ABRC) is one of the world’s largest aluminum recyclers. In 2009, ABRC recycled more than 1200 million pounds of aluminum and was introduced into the Waste Wise Hall of Fame by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. ABRC also develops educational programs that promote voluntary recycling. A-B’s longstanding commitment to waste reduction and recycling programs has not only made up for their consumption of natural resources, but has also built a reputation for about the environment. * Legal/Regulatory/Political A-B experiences many threats do to new laws and regulations regarding the distribution of alcohol, such as: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. In dealing with alcohol, the ATF regulates the qualification and operations of distilleries, wineries, and breweries, as well as importers and wholesalers in the alcohol industry. ATF has established mutually beneficial working relationships to minimize the regulatory burdens on businesses while still providing necessary government oversight and protecting consumer interests. The ATF National Laboratory Center is the premier tester of new products coming onto the market, as well as the facility that determines whether any products currently on the market pose a health risk to consumers. To ensure alcohol beverage labels do not contain misleading information and adhere to regulatory mandates, ATF examines all label applications for approval. The goals of the ATF are to ensure the collection of alcohol beverage excise taxes; to provide accurate deposit and accounting for the taxes; to prevent entry into the alcohol industry whose business experience or associations are a risk of tax fraud; and to suppress label fraud, commercial bribery, diversion and smuggling, and other unlawful practices in the alcohol marketplace. Many states have started to use â€Å"Dram shop† laws. Under dram shop liability laws, a person injured by an intoxicated person can sue the business or establishment that contributed to that person’s intoxication. Regulation of the sale of liquor to minors or individuals who are intoxicated; requiring most states require an alcohol license. These limit the time and place where sales take place. The government also regulates the production of alcohol by taxing businesses that take part in the selling and production of alcohol. This provides a source of revenue for the government. The Alcohol Beverage Act of 1988 which, requires all alcoholic beverages to bear a clear and conspicuous label warning of the dangers of alcohol consumption. Laws limiting alcohol distribution, and advertising such as college sporting events * Technology AB continues to implement several cost saving initiatives. Brewery modernizations, such as improvements to packaging line flexibility and increased bottle line speed, reductions in brewery material costs and transportation initiatives, including several consolidation and improved scheduling of shipping carriers, contributed nearly $100 million in incremental productivity improvement savings. Analysis of Marketing Strengths and Weaknesses Through my analysis, I have identified that A-B has many current strengths in all aspects of their domestic operations. They offer a unique product, which is distributed and promoted to precision. A-B has very few if any current weaknesses. Strengths Product A-B owns nearly 50 percent of the United States domestic market share in the beer industry. The company has four trademark brand families; Budweiser, Michelob, Busch and Natural, each of which play a key strategic role as the volume drivers of the company. A-B’s size is definitely strength, because the company has the resources in place to increase beer industry volume, while continuing to meet the needs of today’s consumer. A-B currently offers over 40 brands of beer. Of this wide variety of premium and sub-premium beverages, each beer offers its own unique taste and blend. Yet, A-B is not standing still; the company is committed to creating new beverages that appeal to today’s adult consumers. To meet these changing tastes, A-B introduced more than 30 new products in the past 5 years and encouraged consumers to experiment with their new flavors. Of these, Budweiser Select, the newest addition to the Budweiser family was introduced, and has become one of the company’s most successful new product launches, with more than 2 million barrels sold. Other new offering included malt beverages, flavored beers, and beers such as BE, which combines fruit flavors with caffeine and guarana. A-B’s relentless commitment to constantly improving and innovating new products is keeping them ahead of the competition. Along with variety in beer, A-B is offering a variety in new packaging styles and shapes to elevate the image of beer. A-B launched aluminum bottles for those consumers who want to look stylish when out at a club, bar or upscale restaurant. The company also released a new clear plastic label to its Bud Light and Budweiser Select packages, which enhances the premium image and appeal of the brands. By offering new product lines in packaging, A-B is strengthening its image as the leader in the market. Place A-B owns and operates 12 strategically located breweries in the United States. These breweries give A-B a competitive advantage of its competitors by reducing freight costs associated with shipping out supplies, but also by offering the freshest beer of any major brewer. On average, A-B beers are 14 days fresher than the nearest competitor. Promotion A-B encounters significant advertising and promotional expenses; however these costs are necessary because advertising and promotion are key elements of their marketing strategy. Each year the company advertises through numerous sponsorships, programs and campaigns to focus on their unique imagery and product difference. A-B also does a fair amount of advertising through sporting events, they have been the exclusive beer advertiser during the Super Bowl for the past 18 years, and are also associated with the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, and the majority of National Football League teams. They also are currently in contract to sponsor Dale Earnhardt Jr. A-B is also known for its creative, catchy commercials. The Clydesdale horses are recognizable by most, and Budweiser Select’s national advertising campaign featured U.S. beer company President August Busch IV which highlighted the company’s sophistication and its â€Å"Expect Everything† brand identity. Price A wide variety of premium and sub-premium brands, offer a broad range of prices. However, price does not excuse A-B’s commitment to quality on all its products. Budweiser is on the upper echelon, where as Natural is on the lower end. Employee A-B has worked hard to develop and build a diverse workplace, in which teamwork and open, honest communication is valued. They are committed to promoting diversity in ethnic background. At the centerpiece of their effort is â€Å"Partners In Economic Progress,† a structured initiative designed to ensure that minority and women-owned firms have an opportunity to do business with A-B and its subsidiaries. In their efforts to building a diverse work force A-B has strengthened its brand name, as well as developed a strong relationship with many ethnicities. A-B has also worked hard to create a safe, productive and rewarding work environment, where each employee is responsible for contributing to the company’s success. The company emphasizes preparing employees for challenging and rewarding careers through extensive training and education provided by the A-B Training and Development Group (ABTDG). ABTDG’s main focus has been developing skills for employees of all business units within A-B, giving special consideration to technical, leadership and professional development. Technical training focuses on brewing, packaging, sales, maintenance, engineering and information technology, where as leadership and development courses center more general skills needed to prepare the future leaders of A-B. A-B has also offer highly competitive salaries and one of the most generous benefit packages in the industry. Benefits include health, dental, vision, and prescription plans; vacation; holidays; 401 (k); pension.

ASDA Company Analysis

ASDA Company Analysis Asda was formed by a group of farmers from Yorkshire (North of Britain) in 1965. It expanded south in the seventies and eighties, in the process of expansion bought rival chain of superstores Gateways superstores in 1989 for  £705m. This move unexpectedly went against the company because it was very hard for the company to sell too many different products. It was almost at the brink of disaster and to cop it up had to raise money from shareholders in the years 1991 and 1993. In the year 1991, Asda recruited Archie Norman from Kingfisher as the new chief executive, and that addition returned to its roots as a food retailer, and the strategy to be cheaper highlighted it than its three large rivals. For achieving this Asda concentrated on keeping the price low rather than involving in loyalty schemes (described in detail in Asda Approach). The Road to Wal-Mart  I have long been an admirer and I went on a pilgrimage to Wal-Marts headquarters in 1994, I came away thinking they had something we have got to have. In many ways I think this is coming home.  Archie Norman, former CEO Asda. That was what the new chief executive, Archie Norman observed form Wal-Mart and applied to outstand, first of all Asda had the advantage that it had larger stores than its rivals. Next to that, Everyday low price strategy was copied, by focusing on keeping the prices low rather than putting more money on expensive advertising and promotions. This was achieved by the Roll-back campaign, this idea was also taken from Wal-Mart. Take over by Wal-Mart Wal-Mart bought Asda or in other words (as the company focus on) became part of the Wal-Mart family on 26 July 1999 for $10.8 billion. Since then, A gain of one million new customers was claimed by Asda. Even after buying Asda, it was decided the name Asda would stay. Wal-Mart is a giant U.S. retailer and has a large form of superstore, named as Wal-Marts Supercentre, which is also applied here as ASDA-Wal-Mart banner. In July, 2000, Wal-Mart name first appeared, when the Asda-Wal-Mart super centre opened in Bristol. Two more Asda-Wal-Mart super centres opened in 2000. As the Asda applied approaches from Wal-Mart, it was already following and copying Wal-Mart practice to get rid of its crisis through most of the nineties. So it was not a very big transformation for Asda, and thats why the planning to make hypermarkets and Wal-Mart style supercentres was started but it was not very easy in the UK. The reason was the barriers from the government and law [2] Introduction Asda is the second largest supermarket chain in the UK with a 16.8% of the grocery market. Which is also offering food, drink, clothing and general merchandise. It also provides a range of financial services, sold both in the supermarkets and online all over the UK.   Asda is an abbreviation of  ASquith and  DAiries The company is famous for providing the most economical products as compare to others and is known for its two famous marketing campaigns; the first one is Asda price campaign and the other is smiley face rollback campaign. [1] Asda Approach: Asda, as it made its strategy emphasis on low prices and highlighted its popular no-frills Smart Price range. As a result, Asda was crowned Lowest Price Supermarket by The Grocer magazine for the past 11 years. [1] It you go through the current strategy of Asda, which is also described on their official website in a section your Asda, How we do business, very clearly defines the Asda culture: At Asda saving money and keeping costs low is part of our culture. Saving you money every day  isnt a marketing slogan; its the single-minded focus of everyone at Asda. When were asked what it is that we do differently from other retailers what it is that gives us the ability to keep costs low and pass that on to customers in lower prices we dont point to a handful of major initiatives. We talk about everything we do all of the little things that when added together make a big difference. [3] Market share As mentioned earlier, Asda the second largest supermarket chain in the UK. Lead by Tesco and followed by Sainsbury and Morrisons Current Situation Fueling recessionary concern  Asda  yesterday reported through Wal-mart a second quarterly drop in like-for-like sales, 0.4% lower in the three months to end May 2010 as figures show that Asdas market share amonst supermarket rivals Tesco, Sainsbury and Morrisons, has slipped below 17%. New store openings limited growth this year as also Asda indicated that promotions and lower prices for main food products did not have expected effect on turnover and profits as customers reigned in spending. Asda acquired Netto UK stores last year, with the addition of Danish discount supermarkets operators existing UK oulets taking its number of Asda to 377 stores. Asda itself was acquired by Wal-Mart in 1999, although it was decided to stay with the Asda brand name in the UK and the figures released were are part of the second quarter results from the giant US retailer. Asda added that tax increases and cuts in government spending would make the next 18 months challenging for the company and it UK customers whilst Asda indicated that it expected that UK family disposable income would decline in the period. Tesco TSCO grocery market share fell to 30.8%, according the Kantar World Panel market share data. J Sainsbury SBRY remained in third spot with a market share of 16.1%, up from 15.9% a year earlier. Morrison MRW edged up to 11.6% from 11.4% previouly. Kantar monitors the household grocery purchasing habits of 25,000 demographically representative households in the U.K and also indicated that discount retailers Aldi, ex-Netto and Lidl held a combined market share to 6.1% compared with 6.0% a year earlier. [5] Grocery market growth slows Sainsburys and Morrisons outperform 2011/03/04 The latest grocery share figures from Kantar Worldpanel for the 12 weeks ending 20 February 2011 show that the market is subdued as shoppers watch their pennies. Overall market growth slowed slightly this period to 3.9% compared to 4.2% last month. However, both Sainsburys at 5.2% and Morrisons at 4.5% outperformed, growing ahead of the market. Sainsburys market share moved up to 16.5%, compared to 16.3% a year ago, which continues their strong run, gaining share every month since March 2009. Morrisons maintains its 12.3% market share from the same period last year. Tesco and Asda performed slightly behind the market, with share now standing at 30.3% and 16.9% respectively. Fraser McKevitt, Retail Analyst at Kantar Worldpanel commented: Waitrose followed the market trend of slightly slower growth this period, but still posted increased sales of 6.6% compared to a year ago, taking its market share to 4.4%, the highest ever recorded by the retailer. [6] Asdas market share falls again Asda, the Wal-Mart-owned supermarket, saw its market share slip for the fifth consecutive month in March, as the low-priced retailer continued to suffer at the hands of rivals with more premium ranges. Comment The chain saw its market share fall from 16.9pc to 16.8pc over the 12 weeks to May 16. The monthly rolling data put Asdas year-on-year growth at 2.5pc, lagging the overall markets growth of 3.3pc. Earlier this month Asda appointed a new chief executive Andy Clarke to help turn around the chain. Asdas focus on value may be working against the company with the latest figures showing that consumers are continuing to shop at the premium end of the market, said Kantar Worldpanel, which publishes the monthly figures. While Asda suffered, upmarket rival Waitrose maintained its strong run with an increase in market share from 3.8pc to 4.1pc. It saw year-on-year growth of 12.5pc nearly four times the total grocery market growth of 3.3pc. Meanwhile, Kantar said that Tescos premium Finest Range continued to perform well. A spokesman for Asda said that the chain is addressing its under-performance: We know where we want to be, we know what we need to do, and were doing it. J Sainsbury saw its market share grow by 4.4pc, while Wm Morrison saw its share grow by 6pc. One analyst said that over the last four weeks there has been a convergence in the sales performances of the big four. [7]