Marketing Communication Comparison of Shoe Companies

Marketing Communication Comparison of Shoe Companies Introduction: This report is presented with the aim of facilitating a comparative analysis of the marketing communication strategies and mix adopted by the athletic shoe brands Adidas and New Balance. This research entails a high magnitude of relevance as the two brands i.e Adidas and New Balance are operating simultaneously in the international market which is defined as being competitive. For illustrative purposes: Competitors of the Shoe Brands: Adidas New Balance Nike Puma New Balance Reebok Asics Woodlands Red Tape NIKE, Inc. Adidas-Salomon AG Ariat International AZ3 DC Shoes Fechheimer Brothers Company OshKosh BGosh Saucony Woolrich Combating completion as such is required for substance and growth.. Organizations such as Adidas, New Balance and many more are in continuity into market research to cater to consumers whose tastes and fashions are changing in rapidity necessitating variation in products by modifications, modes of advertising, sales and promotional approaches and appealing pricing strategy to attract consumers who are not only quality conscious but price conscious. To render an in-depth analysis, I propose the following: Primary Research: Consumer Poll Secondary Research: Books, Journals, Websites Analysis of Compiled data Primary and Secondary Research data employing the following business tools: S.W.O.T Analysis Marketing Mix Market and Literature Review: Origin: New Balance Shoes: New Balance Athletic Shoe was created by an orthopaedic shoe manufacturer in 1906. The individual who is credited for the birth of this reputed shoe brand is William Riley and the organization came to be known as the New Balance Arch Company. In the 1900s, New Balance Arch manufactured custom-made arch supports to rectify orthopaedic foot problems and help in relief of pain. In the year 1930, the very first handmade running spike was created by New Balance Arch. Paul Kidd acquired new Balance Arch in 1956. The Organization manufactured first running shoe employing a rippled rubber sole, which was produced with a multitude of widths in 1961. James S Davis, in 1972 bought New Balance and then it was christened as New Balance Athletic Shoe. New Balance Athletic Shoe bought the rights from Iron Age of the Dunham brand names. In 2000 the organization created the RC1001, which happened to be the primary shoe to present the N-ergy SC. System comprised of a technological superiority in the New Balance bringing about high-performance suspension system. New Balance Athletic Shoe also gained successfully the rights to the PF Flyers brand in the year 2000. New Balance Athletic Shoe commenced its first width centralized concept unit at Harrods with a merger with Sweatshop in 2001. The organization signed on the dotted line a license agreement along with the Franco Apparel Group for sale of kids apparel in 2003. It also opened its stores in Santa Barbara and Ontario in the same year. In 2003 New Balance Athletic Shoe stepped with intent to diversify into the market of China. In 2004, New Balance Athletic Shoe entered into agreement alongside New Era Cap to add in their product line performance headwear in its product line categories, a business agreement with Eyewear Designs to initiate sales of highly innovative performance sun wear and eyewear, and a mutually beneficial agreement with Moretz Sports to produce high quality performance socks. New Balance Athletic Shoe successfully acquired Warrior Lacrosse in Warren, Michigan in 2004 and also commenced its concept outlet in US and Canada at the same year. A totally-new comfort performance Shoe brand, Aravon, was by this organisation introduced at retail outlets in 2004. In 2005, Innovative Hockey was bought by the organization to function as a new section named Warrior Hockey. In August 2006, New Balance Athletic Shoe bought Brine, a reputed industry world leader in soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and volleyball, based in Milford, Massachusetts. Adidas: Adolf Dassler, a German National residing in a relatively unknown German Village created Adidas, the phenomenon in athletic shoe brand who named the shoe by utilising his nickname Adi and adding it on to the first syllable of his last name. In the very beginning Adidas hired reputed athletics to promote their product line. Jesse Owens, in the Olympic Games of 1936 wore Adidas shoes while performing at the games and later on as the brand gained popularity many sports personalities commenced sponsoring the brand. Towards the end of Seventies, Adidas gained phenomenal popularity and was dominating the global market in sportswear. Kaka, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and many celebrity soccer players such as e are being sponsored by Adidas. For nearly eight decades Adidas has been very much an integral part of the sports world providing state-of-the-art sports footwear, accessories and apparel. Currently, the organization takes pride in holding a global position in the sports goods sector. Adidas products especially shoes are available in almost every nation of the world proving the fact that the organization has carved a distinctive niche for itself. Adidas has emerged into a large multinational corporation. It possesses a distinctive logo and the catchy advertising slogan Impossible is Nothing further cement the brand image and popularity. The business organization with intent to have sustenance of the image it has created in the minds of the global consumers allocates huge sums in advertising and promotion of the brand. The brand employs sports stars to project its corporate philosophy of passion, grit, determination and perseverance through its Impossible is Nothing Campaign especially at the current recessional phase which is predominant in the current economic world scenario. (Borderick 2005) Methodology: Primary Research: Initially primary research method was employed. Consumers were interviewed about the two brands i.e. Adidas and New Balance Shoes. Data was compiled and a theoretical approach was devised to compare the brands. The questionnaire utilized had 10 vital questions which helped in gaining required responses for the analysis Secondary Research: While the function was carried out for the secondary research, books and websites and learning modules were referred to. On the basis on the primary and secondary research data compilation, analysis was carried out and inferences drawn. Analysis and Discussion: http://www.wikinvest.com/images/thumb/e/e7/Footwear_market_shares.PNG/400px-Footwear_market_shares.PNGPie Chart The above figure statically indicates the fact that New Balance has a large share in comparison to Adidas. Nike stands at 6% while Adidas at 16% which is almost half of Nike. Marketing Mix: http://www.soopertutorials.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/4ps.gif New Balance Adidas Product New Balance Athletic Shoe has created the RC1001, which stands out to be the first shoe to feature the N-ergy SC System, a technological strategy innovation in the high-performance suspension shoes The shoes are known to offer comfort and style and are light in weight. They have great value for money. The grip which the sole provides is on account of good design and is useful especially in hiking. They go with ease on the legs and prevent any kind of twist or sprain. Price Commences from a pricing range of USD 59 The basic pricing range is USD 65 onwards Place New Balance Athletic Shoe are marketed in more than 120 countries on six continents. New Balance is in possession of wholly-owned subsidiaries in the Sweden, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, UK, France, Germany, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, South Africa, and Brazil. Adidas is sold in all the developed and developing economies of the world. Adidas follow one level channel or an indirect channel to make their product reach out to the final consumer. The products are manufactured by the producer and it then reaches the retailer who in turn sells it to the final consumer. Promotion The company fails to have endorsements in huge sporting events, retarding its ability to gain international brand-recognition. Adidas now just does not advertise innovatively but makes the much required impact with executions which are brilliant. Television and other forms of advertising are in regularity employed and the organization successfully conveys their characteristics of innovation and technology coupled with huge success stories with personalities such as Emil Zatopek and Mohammad Ali to name a few. S.W.O.T Analysis: (Kotler 2001) A S.W.O.T Analysis in context of a business organization assists us in comprehending the strengths of the organization, the weaknesses it possesses, the opportunities the organization could explore and the threats which could harm its growth and existence. New Balance Shoes: Strengths Innovations New Balance Athletic Shoe focuses on continuous research and development work. New Balance Athletic Shoe has brought into various new products over the years. The business house was the first to produce handmade running spikes. It also created the first running shoe having a rippled rubber sole that was produced in multiple widths. The firms continuous innovations have helped it to remain competitive and improve market share. Global reach The firm possesses a number of licensees, joint ventures and distributors all over the world. International operations help the brand to use advantage of a range of market opportunities while refraining from overexposure to any specific market. Unique approach to athletic products The Companys aim is to provide the elite and daily athlete with footwear, apparel and accessories that assure superior performance, fit, quality and comfort. Understanding that the size of feet varies among people, New Balance sells shoes in up to six different widths from a narrow 2A to an expansive 6E.The company has created 18 different foot models (lasts) to design its footwear around. Each last takes into account the users i.e. men, women and kids and the use. All in all, they create a complete fit and size profile to design a superior shoe called 360 Fit. This new approach provides the organization a competitive better advantage. Weaknesses Lacking celebrity endorsements New Balance Athletic Shoe has focused on an Endorsed by no one belief or philosophy. The company fails to undertake celebrity endorsements like its competitors Nike, Adidas and Reebok. Its brand building process are hence at a position which is disadvantaged resulting in brand unawareness up to some extent by this. Opportunities Growth in the fitness equipment market The fitness equipment market in the US and UK is expected to grow at steady rate in the near future. Fitness equipment manufacturers have now started to offer high quality equipment at lower prices. This has helped increase the penetration of these products in the home fitness market, as opposed to the earlier trend, when such products were only found in fitness and training clubs. Treadmills, elliptical machines and other types of equipment that are used for cardiovascular workout are now available to consumers at reasonable rates. This is increasing the demand for such products and New Balance is well positioned in this market through its home exercise equipment product range. Threats Rising raw material costs The principal materials used in manufacturing footwear products are natural and synthetic rubber, plastic compounds, foam cushioning materials, nylon, leather, canvas, and polyurethane films used to make Air-Sole cushioning components. As a result of rising oil prices, the prices of synthetic rubber and plastic based products has increased. Rising oil prices will further increase the prices for petroleum based products. Increasing raw material costs would increase the companys production costs and may affect its profitability. Intense competition The business is subjected to high competition with many large companies such as Nike, Adidas and Reebok. The market launch of technologically better and improved products by competitors such as Adidas and Reebok, could lead to decline in the firms market share. Further, these competitors have greater resources and strong brand names. The competition from these big brands is very high and propels the company to invest large amounts in marketing and brand maintenance strategies. Adidas: Strength: The prime strength of the organization is its 8 decades of existence in the global market. The employment of high end technology in the production process improves quality, precision and durability which are the most desired aspects by athletes. The organization has the largest international portfolio of celebrity sports ambassadors. The business as a part of promotion sponsors football teams and has a high consumer brand loyalty mainly in U.S.A and India. Statistics and surveys indicate that Adidas has the maximum level of popularity and brand image in India. Adidas possesses the largest international portfolio of sports ambassadors. The organization in continuity sponsors football teams and has a high fan following particularly in U.S.A and India. Statistics and surveys reveal that Adidas has the maximum level of popularity and brand image in India. Weakness: The pricing strategy of Adidas for all its products including athletic footwear lacks flexibility and is highly rigid and this proves to be a weakness in a general price conscious economy. Adidas is hovered over with a close competitor in the form of Nike, Puma and many more in the global market. The Indian subcontinent, which in now identified as a potentially growing market with high potential of revenue, the brand has not been showing good revenue results. In a global price conscious economy, the high level of rigidity in pricing poses a weakness. Adidas is plagued with a close competitor in the form of Nike in the global market. The Indian subcontinent, which in now recognized as an emerging market with high potential of revenue, the brand has not performed well. Opportunities: Adidas should avail the opportunity to explore new world markets in the global arena. Health consciousness among the people in general is creating a good need for athletic shoes which should be skillfully tapped by Adidas. Creative advertising employed in continuity could open up opportunities of market growth and sustenance. The brand has tremendous opportunity to explore new avenues and markets in the global market. Health consciousness among the world populace in general is creating a good demand for athletic shoes Effective advertising employed in continuity could present the opportunity of market growth and sustenance. Threats: Statistics show that Reebok, a competitor of Adidas has a good market share and employs a higher sum for market communication strategies. This presents a threat which is growing for Adidas. New entrant brands such as GAP, CAT prove to be a threat as they are eating in on the market share of Adidas which it has created over a period of time Statistic reveals that Nike, a competitor of Adidas has a large market share and allocates a much larger sum for market communication strategies. This proves to be a threat which is growing for Adidas. Relatively new brands such as GAP, CAT prove to be a threat as they are cutting in on the market share of Adidas. Conclusion: Statistics state that Adidas rules over New Balance shoes in the Global Market. Without an element of doubt both the brands fulfill the quality criteria. Their marketing approach differs creating a certain amount of limitations especially in the case of New Balance Shoes. Adidas is undoubtedly performing better and will continue to do so Recommendations: It is recommended that New Balance Shoes commence celebrity endorsement for their product and even sponsor sports events like Adidas does. The excessive competition creates this need. With a change in the promotional activities the company might not improve market share. Adidas has to focus on moving ahead of Nike which is the only close serious competitor dominating the market.

Constitutionalism in England in the 17th Century Essay

Analyze the development of Constitutionalism in England during the 17th century. England’s lengthy history of hereditary monarchs and abusive absolutists has led to the system of constitutionalism in 17th century English government. The encouragement of these absolutism practices triggered the need to search for a new way to govern. The reigns of the Stuart monarchy led to the shift from absolutism to constitutionalism during 17th century England. After witnessing the success of Louis XIV’s of France establishment of absolutism, England would soon see that James I, and his son Charles I, will fail at establishing absolutism in England and see a constitutional government established. After the death of Elizabeth I, the last of the Tudor dynasty, in 1603, James VI of Scotland rose to power as James I of England. James I was not used to having to rule with Parliament, therefore he did not get along with them. Since James I was also King of Scotland, he went to great length s to make an attempt at bringing Scotland and England as close to union as he could. His anger towards Parliament’s refusal of associating with Scotland financially was only the beginning of his problems with English Parliament. In 1618, the Thirty Years War broke out. England participated in this war until internal and financial problems drove them to cease their involvement in European affairs. The â€Å"Addled Parliament† also met during the reign of James I. The â€Å"Addled Parliament† was named that because of its ineffectiveness, it lasted only a few weeks and no real progress came out of its assembly. When King James I passed away, Charles I was the successor as King of England. Charles I married Henrietta Maria, the Catholic sister of King Louis XIII, this aroused suspicion of his religious preferences. Moreover, the efforts of Charles and the archbishop, William Laud, to impose the Anglican Book of Common Prayer upon England and Scotland triggered anger of the Puritans and rebellions by the Scots. Parliament signed a Petition of Right in 1628, which declared that thing king could not impose taxes without Parliament’s consent, the quartering of soldiers in private houses, arbitrary imprisonment, and the declaration of martial law in peacetime. Charles I originally accepted this petition but eventually failed to carry out this agreement because it limited his power. Charles soon decided that since he could not work with Parliament he would not call them to meet. Charles practiced personal rule for eleven years, which forced him to find ways to  collect taxes without the support and approval of Parliament. An example of these taxes is ship money, a tax on seacoast towns to pay for the defense of the coast. Charles I also raised funds with the Act of Revocation in 1625, which revoked all land gifted to nobility from the church or royal family since 1540. Continued ownership was subject to an annual rent. Eventually, Charles I could not rule any longer without the help of Parliament, hence the beginning of Long Parliament in 1640. During Long Parliament, Parliament passed the Triennial Act, forcing Charles I to call them to session at least once every three years. Also, in 1641, Parliament presents The Grand Remonstrance, wh ich was a demand for political and church reform. The Grand Remonstrance ordered Charles to stop the ship money tax inland, abolish and demolish the Star Chamber, and requesting that English Common Law have power over the king. This irritates Charles to the point that he declares some members of Parliament â€Å"outlaws†, one of them being Oliver Cromwell. The accused members flee Parliament and begin to plot against Charles I, hence the beginning of the English Civil War. The success of Parliament during the first phase of the English Civil War can be attributed to Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army. This army consisted of radical Puritans and Independents, who believed they were fighting for God. Cromwell was one of the Independents. The first phase of the war was ended with capture of Charles I. Blinded by his belief in divine right, Charles took advantage Parliament’s troubles and decided to flee to the Scots for protection. The Rump Parliament now accused the king of treason saying that he had acted as a tyrant, traitor, murder, and a public enemy to the good people of the nation. Charles was beheaded for his actions in 1649 and his attempt at absolutism was put an end. This was a great achievement in the rise of absolutism, as Parliament continued to gain more power in England with every passing monarchy. After the death of Charles I, his son Charles II rose to power (during the civil war). The Roundheads, supporters of Parliament, we re victorious by the end of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector of England and held all executive power; legislative power was given to Parliament. Cromwell came to find that it was difficult to work with Parliament, even more so when members debated his authority. Six years after the death of Charles I, who Cromwell fought so hard to eliminate, Cromwell himself had done the exact same thing as  Charles; demolish Parliament. After the death of Cromwell in 1658, England was damaged by all the change and turmoil that had occurred. This left Europe wanting to go back to tradition. Parliament kept the power that it had gained back and it played a big role in the government by not allowing taxes without its consent. Since Cromwell did not leave an heir to the throne, Parliament allowed Charles II to return from exile and take power. This is the beginning of a period known as â€Å"The Restoration†. The moral lesson that was taken from the English Civil War was, â€Å"Parliament could no more exist without the Crown than the Crown without Parliament.† Shortly into Charles II’s reign, the â€Å"Cavalier† Parliament was called to session. It was filled with Royalists, supporters of Charles I & II during the English Civil War. During this session, Parliament disbanded the Puritan army, while pardoning most of the Puritan rebels. They also restored the authority of the Anglican Church b y enforcing the Clarendon Code. The Clarendon Code contained the Act of Uniformity, which stated that all clergy and church officials had to conform to the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. It also forbade ‘non-conformists’ from worshipping publically, teaching their faith, or attending English universities. Even though he permitted the Clarendon Code, Charles II favored religious tolerance. In 1672, he declared the Act of Indulgence, which suspended all laws against Catholics. Parliament, not able to get the king to recant the Act of Indulgence, passed the Test Act, which only allowed members of the Anglican Church to hold military or civil offices. Charles later dismissed Parliament and relied on the French to finance his rule. When Charles II died, the threat of Catholicism grew larger for Parliament when Charles’s brother, James II, a strong catholic, took the throne. The ascension of James II to throne essentially meant a new constitutional crisis was at hand for England. James II’s attempt to make Catholicism the primary religion in England once again created conflict between the monarch and Parliament over religion. James issued another Declaration of Indulgence allowing Catholics the right to hold offices, contrary to the Test Act. When James’ second wife, a strong Catholic, became pregnant, Parliament’s outrage could no longer be calmed. A group of members from Parliament invited William of Orange, husband of James’s protestant daughter Mary, to invade England and take to throne. While William and Mary raised an army to invade England, James, his  wife, and infant son fled to France, living the rest of their lives under the protection of James’s cousin, Lou is XIV. The Glorious Revolution had occurred in England not over what form of government it would have, but rather who the monarchy would be. In 1689, Parliament offered the throne to William and Mary, who accepted with the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights eliminated absolutism in England forever, making it impossible for the king to oppose Parliament or do without Parliament’s approval. In the Bill of Rights, the people were given rights to petition, to bear arms, and the right to trial by a jury. The Bill of Rights established a government based on the rule of law, where no one was above the law including the king. This laid the foundations of a solid constitutional monarchy. The theory of divine right was now rejected in England, and the power to rule came from Parliament and the people, not God. The rise of constitutionalism can be greatly contributed to the foolishness of the monarchies that believed in absolutism and divine right of kings. These absolutist monarchs virtually destroyed themselves by ruling greedily and were more power-hungry than they could handle. The acts and counter-acts that were exchanged between the monarchs and Parliament set the stage for civil war. The victory of the Parliament a fter the English Civil War generated the superiority of constitutionalism in 17th century England.

The Success of Starbucks - 808 Words

The success of Starbucks Starbucks was born in 1971 as a small coffee shop. With the management of Howard Schultz, Starbucks turned into a business legend and built a kingdom of coffee. It was dominate specialty-coffee brand in North America. By mid-2002, the company was serving 20 million unique consumers in more than 5000 stores all over the world. It developed at a very high speed. The gross profit of the company increased from 730.2 million to 1938.9 million in about 5 years (1998-2002). Its retail business expansion was also amazing. In 1998 there were 1755 Starbucks’ stores in North America while the numbers increased to 4574 in 2002. It was also true of its international expansion. There were only 131 stores in 1998. But in 2002†¦show more content†¦The respondents showed that more people strongly agreed the Starbucks care more about making more money and building more stores. The percentage of the increasing number was about 7%. There was also a change on Starbucks’ customer base. Compared with the established customers, the new customers tended to be younger, less-educated, and lower income. What’s more, these customers visited the stores less frequently with average 15 cups of coffee per week. The established customers consumed 19 cups of coffee per week on average. The new customers had very different perceptions of the Starbucks brand. Their overall opinion of Starbucks was 25% while the established customers’ was 44%. This definitely showed the lower customer loyalty. On the term of â€Å"worth paying more for†, there were only 8 percentage of new customers though it was worth. It also meant that it was hard to retain these new customers. When someone cared more about the price and thought there was no significant difference between Starbucks and other coffee brand, he or she would not come again. From exhibit 9 we could see the direct link between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Starbucks focused too much on its business expansion and lose sight on the customer satisfaction which had bad influence on its future development. The company should come up with a new plan to salve these problem and meet customer s’Show MoreRelatedStarbucks : The Success Of Starbucks1080 Words   |  5 Pages What factors accounted for the extraordinary success of Starbucks in the early 1990s? What was so compelling about the Starbucks value proposition? What brand image did Starbucks develop during this period? The factors for the extraordinary success of Starbucks is all due to the vision of Howard Schultz. Schultz wanted to change the coffee drinking experience by establishing benefits to create value in the coffee drinking experience. One of his vision was to recreate the coffee culture in ItalyRead MoreStarbucks : Starbucks s Success1409 Words   |  6 Pages Starbucks in Turkey MBA 642 Dr. Pradeep Gopalakrishna June 24, 2015 Jeffrey Allen â€Æ' 1. Has Starbucks has done well in Turkey? What are some of the common growth drivers in terms of consumer characteristics, market characteristics, and entry strategies across USA and Turkey that might account for Starbucks’ success? Starbucks has had some success in Turkey. There are several reasons for its success in both the United States and Turkey related to common growth drivers such as consumer characteristicsRead MoreStarbucks : Innovation For Success1604 Words   |  7 PagesStarbucks FruVe Innovation to Success Coffee is a traditional approach to beginning a day. There is a variety of coffee flavors that can be accompanied by condiments. Starbucks, a United States, based company recognized the complexity of coffee preferences. More recently, Starbucks has expanded their products to include more than breakfast pastry and coffee. For the more sophisticated, adventurous or urbane coffee connoisseur, there are flavorful drinks that can satisfy the diverse tastes ofRead MoreThe Amazing Success Of Starbucks1148 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction This research paper will provide Key Aspects into how Starbucks balances both the positive and negative positions in concern to ethical and cultural guidelines. Country and Company examples will be provided. Like the pros and cons of many traditional companies and markets becoming obsolete, constant economic flux, Structure, strategy, technological, cultural US companies are even branching out global. Expanding globally allows U.S. companies to expanding their business into differentRead MoreThe Great Success of Starbucks550 Words   |  2 Pagesâ€Å"Starbucks is known as one of the foremost retailers, roasters, and brands of speciality coffee in the world after working hard in getting succeed.† They are obligated to offering customers the premier quality coffee and the highest coffee familiarity, while functioning in techniques that generate social, environmental, and economic advantages for the society in which they do their business. (Super brands, 2012) Similarly, â₠¬Å"they are functioning and authorization beyond than 8,500 coffee shops inRead MoreWhat Starbucks The Starbucks Success Story?894 Words   |  4 PagesEsmeralda de los Santos Starbucks 1. 1 What explains the Starbucks success story? 2 The success of Starbucks because Howard Schultz’s opinion of the Starbucks brand. Schultz wants to develop the company s value and inspired of a company which would make the customer the center of its success and would change the coffee drinking experience in the U.S. Starbuck has some factors to make it successful, the first one is the atmosphere, Schultz wants to recreating the Italian coffee culture, the originalRead MoreStarbucks success story2578 Words   |  11 Pagesï » ¿Starbucks Starbucks could be called one of the largest success stories in American history. The company started from humble beginnings and worked its way to the top. Starting from a small building in Pike Place market in Seattle Washington, there are now more than 20,000 locations worldwide. The company’s mission and goals have allowed it to succeed in a fast pace world, and Starbuck’s loyal customers have stuck by their favorite brand through it all. The Starbucks experience is unique from allRead MoreStarbucks s Success Of The Starbucks Coffee Company896 Words   |  4 PagesIt seemed to me that Starbucks had become a craze overnight. All of a sudden, everywhere I turned someone was carrying a cup embellished with the famed green siren. The first Starbucks opened in Seattle, Washington in 1971 as a small store that served mostly coffee and tea. In the year 2000, the company had grown to more than 3,000 cafà ©s. By 2014, the company had more than 20,000 stores open within 67 c ountries worldwide. In the United States, not only can you buy Starbucks products from local storeRead MoreThe Secret of Starbucks’ Success in China1180 Words   |  5 PagesArticle Review and Analysis ----The Secret of Starbucks’ Success in China The current event article I found tells about the successful marketing strategies that the Starbucks Corporation takes to enter into the market of China, and simultaneously the problems and difficulties it has in the process of market expanding. The Starbucks Corporation is the global leader in specialty coffee consumption. Arising almost overnight from a market in Seattle, Washington, the company today provides quality premiumRead MoreStarbucks: A growing Success1660 Words   |  7 PagesStarbucks is part of a global empire that is continuously growing and which offers a new institution of business thinking. Their way of thinking positioned them on a unique level by the way of which they conduct their business. They incorporated fresh new thinking into strategic, tactical, and operational planning. The company developed a structure that encompassed both horizontal and vertical growth, with control mechanisms set in place. Even with setting such a high standard of business, there

Knoxville Campaign in the Civil War

Reaction Paper On The Aids Epidemic - 918 Words

Module 2, Activity 1: Reaction Paper After reading the five given articles carefully there are critical points that I would like to articulate in my reaction paper. These articles provoked me to think that we are blessed to have health professional that were able to discover HIV/AIDS and the causes of Kaposi s Sarcoma and Pneumocystis pneumonia of homosexual men in July 1981, following the report of these cases of PCP and cases of other rare life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers in America we began to recognize the importance of being aware of HIV/AIDS. These articles outlined major events in the AIDS epidemic. The thing that stood out to me is the information on Kaposi s sarcoma. This cancer was so rear that it may be missed and not diagnosed even by dermatologist during the 80’s (Altman). Not being able to diagnose this rare and rapidly fatal form of cancer was a concern of the physician’s right at the beginning (Altman). There are multiple forms of Kaposi s sarcoma from the classic Mediterranean Kaposi s Sarcoma, Endemic (African) Kaposi sarcoma (mentioned in the article), iatrogenic (transplant-related) Kaposi sarcoma and epidemic (AIDS-related) Kaposi sarcoma which is the most common type of KS in the United States (American Cancer Society). The virus can be present in the body for a long time, often many years, before causing major illness (American Cancer Society). When HIV damages the immune system, people who also are infected with aShow MoreRelatedThe Prevention Of Hiv / Aids Essay984 Words   |  4 Page sthat I would like to articulate in my reaction paper. These articles provoked me to think that we are blessed to have health professional that were able to discover HIV/AIDS and the causes of Kaposi s Sarcoma and Pneumocystis pneumonia of homosexual men in July 1981, following the report of these cases of PCP and cases of other rare life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers in America we began to recognize the importance of being aware of HIV/AIDS (Altman). Maybe not need These articlesRead MoreThe Reagan Administration, The U.s. Government1498 Words   |  6 PagesThe Reagan administration, the U.S. government, and newspapers remained complete silence when the situation had already gone out of control. President Reagan and the government cut the research budget for AIDS when scientists and doctors desperately needed it. Before Reagan’s election to office, the Carter administration had held a tight line on health spending. However, President Reagan’s plan for the Centers for Disease Control worsened the situation. The executive Office of Management and BudgetRead MorePreventing AIDS1541 Words   |  7 PagesAIDS Essay Today many people around the world are infected with a serious disease called AIDS. Unfortunately, the disease has led to many deaths worldwide and yet it still remains untreatable. Many Public Health Departments are now taking the lead in publicizing education about AIDS. Public awareness and prevention programs are possible solutions to the spread of AIDS. The issue of this paper is on AIDS Prevention Programs that target women. One outlook is that prevention programs that target womenRead MoreEssay on Whole Foods Markets Tipping Point1223 Words   |  5 PagesIn his book, The Tipping Point: How little things can make a big difference (2000), Malcolm Gladwell highlights the power of intelligent action and the potential of little changes for starting epidemics. Concepts such as the law of few, the stickiness factor, and the power of context arouse epidemics both in macro-level and in micro-level. In detail, the law of few affirms the influence on communication. Connectors, mavens, and salesmen each has abilities to conjoin, collect, and cajole; they distributeRead MoreMovie Reaction Paper: And the Band Played On889 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿Movie Reaction Paper: And the Band Played On This is not a political issue. This is a health issue. This is not a gay issue. This is a human issue. And I do not intend to be defeated by it. I came here today in the hope that my epitaph would not read that I died of red tape. This striking line said by a character in the movie And the Band Played On, which I later found out to be the actual words of Roger Gail Lyon in Congress1, depicts how a society so caught up with discrimination and stereotypesRead MoreVaccinations and Children1531 Words   |  7 Pagesmost serious adverse reactions, out of all that are in use. There is approximately 1,000 infants die each year as a direct result of the DTP vaccine. Approximately 35,000 acute neurological reactions occur within 48 hours of the shot. (www.tuberose.com). Doctors, FDA, and CDC are all telling us the vaccines are safe, but are they really. I visited a site called the Tragedy of Vaccinations and in this site it had pictures and a list of names of children who had a severe reaction to vaccinations, firstRead MoreHIV/AIDS Research Paper1253 Words   |  6 PagesHIV/AIDS Throughout history, few illnesses have carried as much significance as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS. Similar human catastrophes have presented in our history such as, bubonic plague, leprosy and tuberculosis. All of these dreaded sicknesses have caused pain and suffering across cultures. Pain is associated with the physical distress of the patient, suffering is culturally distinctive, it describes the affliction of the human spirit and how community members cope with it.Read MoreRisk Communication and Risk Management1750 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Risk Communication Abstract In this paper, I have discussed risk communication and risk management. In the first part of the paper, I have identified and explained the risk communication management and its significance. Later, I have discussed the importance of risk communication for security managers in any organization. Risk communication can be simply described as an interactive process of exchange of information and opinion among individuals, groups, and institutions; often involves multipleRead MoreDoctor And Patient : Analysis Of The Care Of The Terminally Ill1615 Words   |  7 PagesDoctor and Patient: Analysis of the Care of the Terminally Ill in Mario Bellatà ­n’s Beauty Salon The protagonist of Mario Bellatà ­n’s Beauty Salon accommodates his guests in his former beauty salon in a way that elicits both positive and negative reactions. While the back cover of the book describes the protagonist’s actions as an â€Å"almost saintly dedication as his ‘guests’ continue to arrive and die,† others disagree about the selfless nature of his motives. Because of the strict set of rules and theRead MoreThe Nutritional Principles Of Nursing Course Essay1667 Words   |  7 Pages Nutrition and HIV Tiffany Schenck Rasmussen College Author Note This paper is being submitted on December 9, 2016, for Virginia Aulik’s Nutritional Principles of Nursing course. â€Æ' Nutrition and HIV It s been 30 years since the HIV/AIDS epidemic shook the world. What is the current status of the virus globally? Are you at risk? Is there a cure? HIV does not make someone dangerous to know. You can shake their hand and give them a hug without becoming infected. In America, 8% of

Going After Cacciato Free Essays

Waking up from the American Dream in Going after Cacciato (Tim O’Brien) What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle Can patter out their hasty orisons. (from Anthem for Doomed Youth, Wilfred Owen) Sassoon’s epitaph â€Å"All Soldiers are dreamers† at the beginning of the novel functions as a signpost signaling the shape the novel will take. We will write a custom essay sample on Going After Cacciato or any similar topic only for you Order Now It does not merely deal with brutal horror, it is imagination. Reality and dream, fact and imagination are interwoven. The choice of Siegfried Sassoon suggests the Great War, the English experience of war, which can be compared to the American Vietnam experience, for it had the same impact: total disorientation and national trauma because of lost values. This novel then deals, in story and structure, with the war experience, but also with the US society’s influence on that war through the ordinary soldier. The common grunt raised the question how to act properly in this horrible situation, in which he even did not know whether his presence was morally justified or not. Yet he concluded that, although he knew this war was just as insane as any other war, he should not run away from his duty. He stayed in the war, because of his personal obligations to society. Not out of idealism, but merely because his people expected him to. In novels dealing with Vietnam we often see veterans coming back into the American society (like in Caputo’s Indian Country), but here we are confronted with the country itself. The novel Going after Cacciato deals with the journey to Paris an American soldier fantasizes about. It is November 1968 and Spec. Four Paul Berlin is in his observation tower in Quang Ngai, Vietnam, by the South China Sea, performing his tour of duty, which lasts 365 days for the common grunt, the foot soldier he is. He feels he has come to Nam in another way than soldiers had gone to the Second World War and to Korea. His lieutenant, Lt Corson had been in Korea, and he was looking back to it with nostalgia: â€Å"In Korea, by God, the people liked us. Know what I mean? They liked us. Respect, that’s what it was. And it was a decent war (†¦ The trouble’s this: Nobody likes nobody. (p. 134) New were the blindness of war, the inertia, drugs were taking over, the creation of the new word â€Å"fragging†, i. e. killing a superiour officer It all illustrated this war was supposed to be different from those wars in which Paul Berlin’s ancestors had fought, with in their mind the American dream. However, Vietnam was not different at all. Soldiers who enth ousiastically started their participation in Vietnam, were as quickly traumatized by the killings, as any other soldiers. A war like any other war. Stories that began and ended without transition. No developing drama or tension or direction. No order. (p. 255) When Paul realizes this, the main question for him is how to determine his own place in it. As he does not know an anwer, the possibility, or rather the necessity of dreaming something else in the face of horror, is brought to Vietnam. He starts to think about Cacciato. This bloke fishes in the world’s Great Lake Country where everybody says there is no fish. He dutifully goes through all the motions and all of a sudden het gets out, and Paul is intrigued. Paul’s squad is sent to go after Cacciato. They are following the unmarked character and find him more and more almost a holy character, less defined as they go along. Finding him a friendly leader almost, they follow him. From soldier among soldiers, he develops into a friendly symbolical figure pointing the way. The seductiveness of Cacciato leads them on. He sheds his war implements. He is that annoying, different, seperate chap who bounces the ball, who nobody can trace and think of, who does not really exist, he has not even got a first name! Cacciato, that just fulfills. Going after Cacciato means â€Å"going after a dream†, following that dream, but it can also mean â€Å"going after to actually get that dream†. Time and time again there is this ambiguity of going on the hunt after Cacciato, or following the Italian on desertion; there is the choice between reality and dream for Paul. Cacciato, who nobody has actually seen, has hit upon an idea which his indeterminance made possible, and it speaks to the imagination. Paul goes after him, catches him, thus completing his mission, but lets Cacciato escape. Cacciato then leads them through the beautiful high country, through orderly Mandalay, normal Delhi, to a beheading in gruesome Tehran, all the way via Athens to Paris; the change of scenery symbolizes the hope Paul first feels, gradually turning into despair and total confusion. His experiences on the way show Paul that he cannot actually leave the war behind. â€Å"Can’t get away from it,† Doc mumbled. â€Å"You try, you run like hell, but you just can’t get away. † â€Å"It’s the truth. † (p. 178) Arrived in Paris and having hugged, outbursts of rain and thunder presage the forthcoming difficulties. Reality soon makes the squad go and hunt down Cacciato again. Oscar, the streetwise Detroit black, insists on the Real Politik of getting Cacciato to save their own skins from punishment for desertion. They have to arrest Cacciato and abandon their dream, because society expects them to do so. â€Å"Oscar’s right,† Doc said, and sighed. â€Å"You can’t get away with this shit. the realities always cath you. † â€Å"But maybe. † â€Å"No maybes. Reality doesn’t work that way. † (p. 275) Paul Berlin is not ready yet to stop Cacciato and lets him escape again. Choosing reality and turning his back on the dream are, however, close at hand. In the promotion scene Paul remembered himself answering questions to a committee that scared the living daylights out of him. â€Å"Why do we fight the war? † they asked him, but at the same time the committee told him the answer: â€Å"to win†. Very afraid, he repeated this and got the job. Paul then realizes society urges him to do as he is told, and not to think for himself, as society will do that for him. He has to conform and shut up. He knows this cannot be right, but on the other hand his fantasized run for Paris would have been an equally unhappy experience to him in reality. For fantasy it had been all along. His dream of going after the freedom and peace Cacciato led him to, had all been a dream within a dream. The latter dream was dreamt in order to avoid having to solve the dilemma of staying in or running away from the war. He finally woke up from that dream, for now he had found the answer: he had to go through it; trying to escape and fleeing from social obligations was not according to his background, his personality and his beliefs. â€Å"I fear what might be thought of me by those I love. I fear the loss of their respect. I fear the loss of my own reputation. Reputation, as read in the eyes of my father and mother, the people in my hometown, my friends. I fear being an outcast. † (p. 286) The novel is structured round three elements that are in accordance with the three different activities of Paul Berlin’s conscience: reflection, imagination and memories; he is wondering how people die in the war, he thinks about going to Paris and he stands on guard. The killings of war and their stories are told non-chronologically, as if they happen at this very moment. Paul Berlin tries to get things straight, tries to get a chronological list of the men killed. He needs order, wants to keep it straight, but he has problems with this. The structure of the novel reflects the structure of any war: it is confusing and without order, sometimes a mess and going in different directions. The hero solves this problem by making up a story himself. It is a story in the third person, told as a reality, told almost as observed by an omniscient observer, who has no involvement; but at the same time we know they are Paul Berlin’s imaginations. All of a sudden this woman comes up in the he-country of Vietnam; only in imagination a beautiful girl is possible there. By the end of the novel the reader knows that the squad never went after Cacciato any further than the hill, and that Paris only denoted the illusion of seeking the Far West. In reality they had always been in the Far East. The unlimited possiblities of the Imagination, as that of the United States and its American Dream as well, fail in the reality of the Vietnam War. Berlin, whose name points to the American commitment to saveguard freedom (by setting up the airbridge to the city of Berlin under siege of the Soviets in 1948) finds himself in a situation in which the values, ideals and intentions of the United States no longer have the absolute meaning they seemed to have in previous wars. In Paris, the heart of Western civilization, Paul Berlin lacked the courage to free himself, even in his dreams, and reality took over: No question, it was all crazy from the start. None of the roads led to Paris. p. 203) He has to accept that he and his comrades would be the very deserters, who would flee from the original idea of the American Dream, that told them that the only way if you really wanted to overcome all problems is to keep on trying. Only Cacciato, who with his childish simplicity and innocence, with his optimism and his individual power embodies the mythical American loner, he frees himself from the society that tells him what to do. He is, how ever, lost, together with these values, in the Vietnam War. The American Dream had led young Americans into a place where they had no right to go. They were supposed to fight and defeat the Viet Cong to serve the American nation, but in this war, just like in any other, confusion and death were the real victors; the war served no American purpose at all. The lesson Paul learned from the Vietnam War was far from significant: â€Å"Don’ never get shot†. â€Å"There it is,† said Eddie Lazzutti. â€Å"Never. Don’ never get shot. † (p. 254) He might have learned that back home in the US as well. So in Vietnam this trail West was a fake one. In Fort Dodge you could build good solid houses, in the wilds of Wisconsin you fraternized with your father who told you, back there, to look for positive things in the war. In Nam, however, there is only the squad, and all of a sudden this â€Å"boom†, like in Billy Boy Watkins’ story, the case of the grunt dying of fright. It is the ultimate war story, the story of Vietnam. So Paul starts dreaming his own dream, he rejects the American dream. He nevertheless does not reject reality. Like Arthur Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne, he does not want to give in to the code of society, but does not want to be lured into the moral wilderness either. He wants to stay part of that society, although he knows its claims are based on air. â€Å"†¦ it is this social power, the threat of social consequences, that stops me from making a full and complete break. † (p. 286) However nasty the war may be, it is better to take part than to be isolated, so Paul Berlin ends his dream, in order to face reality. bibliography: Going after Cacciato (Tim O’Brien) Walking Point: American Narratives of Vietnam (Thomas Myers) How to cite Going After Cacciato, Papers

Strategy Move Of the Apple Free Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Strategy Move Of the Apple. Answer: Introduction The assignment deals with the strategy move of the Apple as part of the study of strategic management. Strategic management concept deals with the strategies/acts taken by the organisation to achieve competitive advantage. In this process the company must have strong knowledge of the business that is strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. On conducting the SWOT analysis the company can utilise the strengths to minimise the weaknesses. It should grab the opportunities while ignoring the threats. It is simply management of the unfeasible contingencies (Hill et al., 2014). In the assignment the central focus is on the strategy or move of the company in recent time. It is an American based multinational technology company established on April 1, 1976, by Steve Jobs. The company offers various products. It sells computer softwares, consumer electronics, entertainment devices such as DVD players, flatscreens, video games, and others. In the communication category the company se lls cell phones, telephones, and laptops. It also designs and sells printers, computers. The products of the company have always been powerful (www.apple.com, 2018). This is the rationale for the choice of the organisation for study of strategic management. In regards to the organisation chosen the assignment covers the strategy move, why and how the strategy is implemented. Assuming the role of the manger an alternate strategy is suggested with rationale. The report then presents recommendations for the company followed by conclusion. Apple strategy The recent strategy move of the organisation is the iOS storage prices. It went up due to higher NAND flash costs. Apple has been the beneficiary of the NAND flash revolution. The pricing system is considered much better than previous. It is considered favourable for larger capacities. The last Apple SSD prices $2 per gigabyte. It may even rise in 2018. In June 5, 2017, the organisation first announced about the 192GB increment to the base configuration, costs $0.52 per gigabyte. It then announced the next increment, 48GB, costs $0.67 per gigabyte. Further the prices of the iPad Pro models were raised. The price for the models 256GB and 512GB was increased by $50 each. Overall with the strategy the prices have become very competitive (Harris, 2018). Earlier in 2016, the company made huge profit with the users buying 64 gigabyte model of the iPhone 6s /6s plus instead of the 16 gigabyte model. It only takes extra $12 to make the 64 gigabyte model where it earns extra $100 over the 16 gigabyte model. In the 64 GB model the storage is four times bigger (Stenovec, 2018). The storage prices of the company are constant across the capacity. New pricing was later not announced. A couple of weeks later it was found that first 192GB now costs $0.78 per gigabyte.It was also same for the 448GB costsand the same increment was observed in MacBook Pro flash. There was overall parity between the iOS and Mac in storage pricing (Harris, 2018). When compared to 2017, in 2016, the flash storage prices have increased dramatically, which means 50%. The demand for the flash is high. It is due to this demand and the continued growth of the sales of smartphones new iPhones have moved from16GB to 64GB. It is also attributed to the strategy of the large storage capacity in every model (Hern, 2018). The factors considered by the company in product pricing internationally are cost of business, local import laws, currency exchange rate, tax laws, and business practice. The new products of Apple has same price may it be dollar or pounds. It is anticipated that the company is taking advantage of British customers accepting the hike in prices as per EU referendum (Hern, 2018). Analysis of strategy It can be considered a smart move for apple as it removed the price disincentive for the larger capacities. The company has launched a useful product for its customers. The company is using strategies to make the product personal for the consumers. The storage makes the product my iPad for the clients (Shekhar, 2017).The strategy move was possible as the company always focused on the storage and can be believed to be right. It is the high margin part of the business. As the consumers mainly focus on the applications and to ensure the desired performance storage is the tax. There is no doubt that Apple has sincerely invested in the improved flash storage technology. It has enabled the vendors to built more capacity. Although the industry of semiconductors has been through ups and down, it has been of major concern because of the fabs rising cost. Apple can be successful with the flash plants. It is the biggest consumer and innovator, which made it come out successful with the investme nt in the unprofitable plant (Gershon, 2016). In the strategic management study the pricing is considered to be the four Ps of the marketing. It includes product, price, place and promotion. In every B2C strategy the pricing part is one of the key elements. It is also one of the challenging part. Apple has been successful in implementing this strategy. The company could well define its position and created brand strategy. It effectively identified its distribution channels (Hill et al., 2014). According to Kienzler Kowalkowski (2017), the pricing strategy of Apple is known as price skimming. It is the strategy where the price is set high for new products in the market with few competitors. However, with the increase in competition, the prices may be lowered. The pricing strategy indicates about the companys confidence in the flash supply. It appears to be driven by the Toshibas flash business and its winning outcomes. However, it might be better if the Apple resumes on its lower costs considering the Toshiba's new fab launch. I t will relive the supply constraints. The strategy move of Apple seems favourable for the customers and the company. In addition there is the presence of profitable segment with the spot price ($0.11 per gigabyte) for MLC flash chips (Harris, 2018). In the 64 GB model the storage is four times bigger and hance more expensive than the 16 GB model. Kirshner Nediak (2015) considers the scalable pricing system as the answer to design pricing that scales up and down. In this pricing system the organisation is able to capture both types of customer segments. It includes the small customer segment going for cheaper products and other segment that can go for bigger deals. The common weapon for the scalable pricing is the product feature. By packing different versions of the product as in Apple, the version with higher functionality is set at higher price. The number of users and the depth of usage is the other two important parameters considered by Apple in setting high storage price. It means with the increase in number of users, the customer can derive more value. The depth of the usage increases with the increase in storage space and customer want to pay more. Therefore, pricing around storage is automatically increasing the revenue from existing customers every year (Dub Misra, .2017). According to www.researchgate.net, (2018) Apple has the multi-pronged strategy as per which small numbers of products are offered at high profit goal. Therefore, people starve for new products. Using this strategy the company launches premiere product at premium price. The company prices its cheapest product at a mid range with a high quality features. The competitors are trying to develop features same as Apple but at lower prices. Premium pricing is the strategy of offering the newly launched product in the market with similar products at a competitive advantage. The company has effectively used this strategy at the first stage of the product life cycle (Pantelous Passalidou, 2015). The pricing strategy so far was justified as the results of the differentiation method of the Apple. According to Ray Gehani (2013), product differentiation in marketing is the method of distinguishing the product from other products in the particular target market. Product differentiation means manufacturing the product differently from the competitors products as well as the own products of the company. Apple has always been successful in manufacturing its products in innovative manner. Every time the company was successful in creating different products right from 1984 including macintosh to iMac, iPod, and iPad in 2010. The innovation made even the rivals appreciate the product- IOS 7. Hence, the customers are bound to have clear thought about the device and design. Further, credit also goes to strong supply chain of Apple. Three times in arrow it has been ranked first for supply chain (Nielson, 2018). The product strategy of the company has improved the gross margin on the iPhone line. It significantly increased the profits of the company. The strategy of the company is different from other companies like Samsung. The later being vertically integrated makes its own features like memory and display. Samsung is thus creating demand for the AM-OLED technology. In this context the Apples move to leave the base model at 16-gigabytes is very tactical. The global market of Samsung comprises of 32% out of which 12% may be for Apple. Against the 46% of the Samsung, the sales volume of Apple is increased to 23% (Harris, 2018). Despite the product excellence, the premium pricing and price skimming strategy used by Apple to have its own limitations. It is the platform nature of the Smartphone and in this type of the market the competitive advantage is the huge market share. As this is the merging market the smartphones and tablets manufacturers experience maximum growth. Consequently, there are many outstanding quality gadgets sold at lower prices. The company has the edge in product quality. It is the matter of preference by individual customers. Since people have different viewpoints it may be debatable. There are many countries where the alternatives from Samsung, Amazon, are attracting customers. The alternative products although much cheaper than the Apples products are improving day by day. This is the matter of concern given the fact that it is the platform market. It may be difficult for Apple to lead the market in the future as it is surrendering more market sharein India, China and other countries (Derdenger Kumar, 2013). Alternate strategy and rationale As the manger of the company the aim would be to deliver value through product leadership. The aim would be to avoid discounting heavily. The strategy would be to reduce the price conflicts with channel partners and avoid competing on price. The rationale for the move is the influence of the price on the perception of the market about company offerings (Reimann, Schilke, Thomas, 2010). It is not goal to let the market perceive the product as the commodity. Therefore, the focus will be on innovating the methods to keep the prices low and yet make the profit. The only concern with Apples product in the market is the expensive nature for high quality, when compared to other products such as Google, Amazon, and other vendors. As a manger I will try to link the price to the value gained by customer on using the product. I believe in having clear alignment between price and the value. According to Nagle, Hogan Zale (2016) the price should have strong message for the consumers and reflect the companys values. Since the operational efficiency is ensured the price must be high. Setting lower price and aiming for customer intimacy may let people doubt if the luxury item is even luxury. Therefore, competitors prices must be analysed properly. Owing to the Toshiba's new fab launch, the prices must be lowered anyway. At this point the company may opt for the penetration pricing. On the other hand, innovative measures are required to not compromise on the operational efficiency. The markets where the consumers are very sensitive to the price fluctuations, it would be effective to increase volume while selling at lower price (Osei, 2017). Penetration pricing is the strategy to gain the market share, by lowering the prices of the products when the market has many more competitors (Spann, Fischer Tellis, 2014). After the strong market penetration I would aim for raising th e prices to a profit level and to level where more number can afford to buy product. The above mentioned alternate strategy would be justified considering the fact that premium strategy would be beneficial only till the product is sustaining its competitive advantage. In future, there are high chances that the brand may lose its aspiration status with increasing competition from low cost smartphones. Further, there are also chances that Apples products may gain saturation in the developing market (Zhang, 2017). Therefore, I believe that it would be risky to continue with high end niche name. In the last the few years Apple has showed slow iPhone sales with nose-divided iPad sales growth. Although Apple has very strong position in iPhone in US market, it is losing shares in other countries. There are many instances in past where Apple has underperformed trying to maintain the super-high profit margin. On the other hand the Googles Android is trying to dominating the smartphones platform (Blodget, 2018). Therefore, the overall aim would be to maintain simple price stra tegy to avoid confusing buyers with too many options. Recommendations The trend to built brand awareness by low cost devices is expected by the experts to continue and intensify in coming years to come. It means in the future the focus should not be on the low-end gadgets. Instead the objective should be to use the phenomenal profitability as a competitive tool argued (Spann, Fischer Tellis, 2014).). It is suggested by the experts that Apple should sell some of its old gadgets (and not the latest one) at lower prices. It may be sold if the prices are very high than the similar local alternatives. The different product line of 5S and 5C,of iphone has premium pricing strategy. It is suggested that Apple should not have same price for both the products. If the company is offering any of its products at cheaper price then it is either weak or small and old. Despite having high quality alternative in the market Apple is selling Mini at price which is greater than high quality alternatives. It is recommended that the pricing strategy should be such that the company must sell its latest version of particular product (say Mini) at high price while keeping a competitive price for other recent models. The modification in prices are recommended by the experts as Apple is high profit making company and it would be easy for the organisation to spare a little profit. It is believed that the slight modification in the pricing strategy would not cost too much for the company. Further, action of the company that is under criticism is not competing on price under the right condition. The company is catering to the mainstream price sensitive market through iPhone 5C. It is only good method to set lower price at the time of development of the product during early stage of new company. It is not considered to maintain the same pricing system when rivals like Samsung are offering products in high-end and low-end markets. The sales of the smartphones are surging and hence Samsung is gaining traction in emerging market. In this situation it may be called right condition to call for lower cost options. There are buyers who buy a branded product when the price is justified according to them. Apples decision to serve price sensitive market with low iphone price can pay off in a big way. It may happen so if it continues to sell its high end products to higher-end consumers (Wambui, 2013). Since the company has well tired its products with different models of iPods, iPad, laptops and desktops, it could appeal a wide variety of buyers. The company never sacrificed on the high-end brand reputation.Chiang) recommends tired pricing as it would be effective for Apples SaaS business as et al. (2018), it can appeal different customer segments. The main objective of the tired pricing is to focus on value instead of dollars as profit. Conclusion The report clearly highlights the pricing strategy of Apple for competitive advantage. In this context the report explains the iOS storage prices of Apple. The report has explained as to bow the strategy was implemented and underling causes. The premium and price skimming strategy of Apple has been beneficial for the company in many ways. Apple well defined its position and created brand strategy. Owing to the product differentiation method, the storage pricing system was successful. The high price system of Apple may be beneficial in generating high profits for the company, it came out with limitations. The company has the edge in product quality, but alternative products from rivals at cheaper prices are a matter of concern in long run. It is considered to better to deliver the product leadership strategy. As a manager, personal decision would be to innovate the methods to keep the prices low and yet make the profit with new products. I would aim for raising the prices to a profit level and to level where more number can afford to buy product. I would opt for penetration pricing strategy after the strong market penetration. It is justified as in future; the brand may lose its aspiration status with increasing competition from low cost smartphones and saturation in market. Overall I would ensure the pricing strategy is simple enough. Further, the company is recommended to take advantage of the phenomenal profitability. Due to emerging alternative products at lower prices from rivals the Apples decision to serve price sensitive market with low iphone price can pay off in a big way. Apple is also recommended to go for tired pricing strategy. The assignment has enhanced my knowledge on the strategic management especially in regards to pricing and product strategy. References Blodget, H. (2018).Come On, Apple Fans, It's Time To Admit That The Company Is Blowing It.Business Insider. Retrieved 28 February 2018, from https://www.businessinsider.in/Come-On-Apple-Fans-Its-Time-To-Admit-That-The-Company-Is-Blowing-It/articleshow/25838001.cms Chiang, M., Ha, S., Sen, S., Joe-Wong, C. (2018).U.S. Patent No. 9,865,009. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Derdenger, T., Kumar, V. (2013). The dynamic effects of bundling as a product strategy.Marketing Science,32(6), 827-859. Dub, J. P., Misra, S. (2017).Scalable price targeting(No. w23775). National Bureau of Economic Research. Gershon, R. A. (2016).Digital media and innovation: Management and design strategies in communication. SAGE Publications. Harris, R. (2018).Apple's strategic move on storage pricing: Much better for larger capacities | ZDNet.ZDNet. Retrieved 28 February 2018, from https://www.zdnet.com/article/apples-strategic-move-on-storage-pricing/ Hern, A. (2018).New iPhones: why is Apple's pricing the same in pounds and dollars?.the Guardian. Retrieved 28 February 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/13/apple-iphone-x-launch-uk-prices-dollar-parity Hill, C. W., Jones, G. R., Schilling, M. A. (2014).Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach. Cengage Learning. Kienzler, M., Kowalkowski, C. (2017). Pricing strategy: A review of 22 years of marketing research.Journal of Business Research,78, 101-110. Kirshner, S. N., Nediak, M. (2015). Scalable dynamic bid prices for network revenue management in continuous time.Production and Operations Management,24(10), 1621-1635. Nagle, T. T., Hogan, J., Zale, J. (2016).The Strategy and Tactics of Pricing: New International Edition. Routledge. Nielson, S. (2018).Market Realist.Marketrealist.com. Retrieved 1 March 2018, from https://marketrealist.com/2014/02/apple-valuation-compared-peers Osei, G. (2017). Customer Intimacy Adoption and its impact on Organisational Performance.Journal of Research in Marketing,8(1), 600-616. Pantelous, A. A., Passalidou, E. (2015). Optimal premium pricing strategies for competitive general insurance markets.Applied Mathematics and Computation,259, 858-874. Ray Gehani, R. (2013). Innovative strategic leader transforming from a low-cost strategy to product differentiation strategy.Journal of technology management innovation,8(2), 144-155. Reimann, M., Schilke, O., Thomas, J. S. (2010). Toward an understanding of industry commoditization: Its nature and role in evolving marketing competition.International Journal of Research in Marketing,27(2), 188-197. Shekhar, S. (2017).Homing choice and platform pricing strategy(No. 247). DICE Discussion Paper. Spann, M., Fischer, M., Tellis, G. J. (2014). Skimming or penetration? Strategic dynamic pricing for new products.Marketing Science,34(2), 235-249. Spann, M., Fischer, M., Tellis, G. J. (2014). Skimming or penetration? Strategic dynamic pricing for new products.Marketing Science,34(2), 235-249. Stenovec, T. (2018).Here's how much money Apple makes when you buy a 64GB iPhone instead of a 16GB model.Business Insider. Retrieved 28 February 2018, from https://www.businessinsider.in/Heres-how-much-money-Apple-makes-when-you-buy-a-64GB-iPhone-instead-of-a-16GB-model/articleshow/51577479.cms Wambui, E. (2013). Samsung Smartphone strategic marketing: analysis of Samsung Smartphone marketing strategy decisions and the consumer perception to the implemented strategies. www.apple.com. (2018).Business.Apple. Retrieved 28 February 2018, from https://www.apple.com/business/ www.researchgate.net. (2018).What are Apple's pricing strategies?.www.researchgate.net. Retrieved 28 February 2018, from https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_are_Apples_pricing_strategies Zhang, Q. (2017). Research on Apple Incs Current Developing Conditions.Open Journal of Business and Management,6(01), 39.