How Changes in Communication and Technology Affected the Role of the Modern Diplomat The WritePass Journal

How Changes in Communication and Technology Affected the Role of the Modern Diplomat Introduction How Changes in Communication and Technology Affected the Role of the Modern Diplomat ). Kopp and Gillespie (2011) gave a sardonic definition of a diplomat as â€Å"an honest man or woman who is sent to lie abroad to carry out certain tasks for the welfare of his/her country† (p. 3). This definition more or less shows the purpose of a diplomat’s work. Although written sardonically, the statement only conveys an atmosphere of suspicion that has always enveloped the diplomatic profession.   The diplomat represents the interests of his own nation, seeking information that can provide an advantage to his government whilst being protected by international codes and regulations (Barker, 2011). In order to clarify how communication and technological changes have affected the role of the modern diplomat, this brief will first discuss how the diplomat carried out his duties in the past, followed by how these duties and roles have changed now with the advent of such changes. Overview of the Diplomat’s Role A diplomat has certain roles to perform. He must serve as a trained theologian; he must be able to quickly solve the most complex problems in correct dialectical shape, and must be a specialist in civil and canon law, amongst other relevant fields. He has several functions, such as negotiating serious and/or secret agreements, and some of these negotiations aim to prevent the occurrence of wars, while some others provoke such occurrence (Shaw, 2006). The diplomat is sent on a mission where he must represent the sending state and protect its interests in the receiving government. He reports what occurs in the receiving state and fosters friendly relations. Part of his role is to generate diplomatic documents. These documents engender the greatest amount of information about international relations (Jonsson and Hall, 2002). There are also customary functions that he must carry out with the receiving state (Aust, 2005), such as trade promotion cooperation, matters relating to economic, defence, cultural, and scientific concerns, and those relating to terrorism, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and other related issues. Diplomacy is the sort of thing that a nation cannot manage to lose; to the point that even the poorest country would make an effort to afford a modest diplomatic corps (Singh, 2002). Accordingly, when a diplomat pursues a consular function, this task is in keeping with the Vienna Consular Convention and does not forego his diplomatic immunities and privileges. This point is important to stress here since there are some overlapping functions that may take place between consular and diplomatic works, specifically in protecting one’s nationals, given that the consul has limited immunities and privileges compared to the diplomat (Aust, 2005). Performing consular work is part of the role of the diplomat, which is necessary to mention when considering changes in communication and technology. This is because such changes have in one way or another eased up the overlapping functions due to the speedier processes entailed in carrying them out.    How changes in communication and technology affected the role of the modern diplomat The role of the modern diplomat has been greatly affected by changes in communication and technology. The rapid means of communication and transportation has diminished the importance of the modern diplomat. Prior to these developments, the diplomat was allowed considerable discretion in how he dealt with matters that arise on short notice. This is because of the lengthy time it took to communicate with his home government, given the limited available communication channels (Jonsson and Hall, 2002).   With the absence of a previous position of his government, it was the diplomat who shaped policy; he was given enough leeway even in the implementation of policies developed in his country.   In the past, the diplomat had the opportunity to avoid making decisions by doing nothing due to the slowness of events.   During World War II, state leaders did not bother the diplomat (i.e. ambassador) for important things. They could not also telephone or correspond directly to one another (Singh, 2002). The limitation posed by the then not-so-advanced technology has set this kind of environment. Today, the modern conditions characterised by speedy exchange of information paved the way for the disappearance of this opportunity (Batora, 2008). Through mobile devices, internet technology, and other similar devices, the modern diplomat can be instructed conveniently and rapidly on what position he is to take, what he is to say, etc. The advancement of technology has enabled the foreign office to direct and follow almost every detail of negotiations. In similar fashion, national leaders and foreign ministers have enabled themselves to communicate directly in as much as the diplomat is able to communicate to his home government as occasioned by advanced communication technologies. Early technological developments escorted the improvement in air travel, which affected the role of the diplomat. They would often see themselves shunted aside by the sorties that their bosses (presidents and prime ministers) performed in relation to improved air travel, where these chief executives coul d now afford to visit various foreign countries, including their diplomats’ own posts (Singh, 2002). If analysed carefully, one would surmise that the surge in communication and technology has in fact made the whole process of information sharing more rapid and convenient. This would affect the pace and speed in which the home country responds to certain information that reaches its hands. On a positive light, the diplomat is in fact aided by these information channels when relating new information to his government (Cornago, 2013). Members of the media, who in the past had difficulty accessing a foreign country due to limited air travel, have also in effect helped the diplomat in relating news stories that he may have set aside; thereby not putting all the burden of information dissemination on his shoulders. It is like providing the diplomat the opportunity to focus on more important details of his job, such as promoting friendly relations with other nations, performing negotiations, etc. Information dissemination would then become a limited area of his duties as the media enters into the scene in a very active fashion. In Gilboa’s (2000) article, changes in communication has affected the role of the diplomat in such a way   that the media is now playing an important role in contemporary diplomacy, a role that it did not use to play prior to these changes. Officials and journalists often utilise the media extensively to promote negotiations.   The media thus play an active part in contemporary diplomatic processes, which only the diplomat used to undertake prior to all those changes in communication and technology. As social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook continue to serve as a fresh source of information for political events, diplomats are being encouraged to use social media as a regular part of their jobs to participate directly in political discussions (Paris, 2013). If one wants the latest political news, he needs only to read blogs, follow Twitter, or watch YouTube (Cooper, et al., 2013). Gone are the days that a nation would wait for the diplomat to relate the official information about similar events. Hence, it may be inferred that the enhanced complexity of information flows in diplomatic processes, amongst others, has bridged geographic distances (Batora and Hocking, 2007). The effects of technology are greatly far-reaching so as to transform diplomacy, which is being reinvented gradually for the information age. Through available technology, diplomacy can enable   physical presence in a virtual fashion (Batora, 2008). The United States and the UK have already taken this big stride to digital diplomacy. Those lagging behind are seen to lose influence over time albeit their engagement in private diplomatic communication. Canada lags far behind US and UK although it has recently displayed little interest in utilising social media in its diplomatic functions (Paris, 2013). There are more positive effects of changes in communication and technology in the role of the diplomat. With the advent of globalisation comes the so-called   globalisation of international relations (Lawson, 2002), suggesting new important diplomatic functions due to an increasing awareness about the idea that global problems necessitate global solutions, thereby expanding the scope of the diplomat’s role from merely representing his country. It is worthy of note that globalisation will allow the diplomat to operate in the future at the bilateral and multilateral levels, and the advancing communications technology is seen to conveniently aid such operation by the diplomat (Copeland, 2009). With the aid of changes in communication technologies, diplomats have been transformed as ‘globalisation managers’ who are charged with managing the ‘global village’ (Lawson, 2002). The advancing communication technologies enable the diplomat to perform his dutie s speedily, which can likewise permit him to respond to various   issues right away, such as international terrorism, drug trafficking, and climate change, to name a few. The abounding information, which may be verifiable or not and can be readily accessed anytime and anywhere is marshaled by modern means of communication. The modern diplomat has now a genuine task of inspecting and analysing the content and credibility of all available data and opinions, putting these data in a broader and more profound political context. This can then provide a suitable guideline for decisions by the diplomat’s home country (Bolewski, 2007).   It therefore proves to show that despite the information age in which the modern diplomat functions and in the midst of the available information, the diplomat’s task is to screen this information in terms of truthfulness and credibility. He must not use such information right away in his diplomatic decisions but must scrutinise them instead. Not only do changes in communication and technology expedite the diplomatic process, but they also provide the necessary information to the diplomat as well. It is therefore apparent that structural changes have taken place in the diplomatic environment due to technology and modern means of communication. The acknowledgement of the value of the media to his tasks is considered one of the ways in which changes in communication and technology have affected the role of the modern diplomat. Cooper et al. (2013) even claimed that today’s emphasis in diplomatic work is much more on interaction with the media and language ability, putting a decline to the written skills of the diplomat. Cooper et al. do not however mean this literally, but what they are pointing out is that the media have played an important role in the diplomatic process, to the point that the diplomat must consider interaction with them part of his routine. It must be noted that negotiations and diplomatic missions are two main areas of diplomacy which have been considerably influenced by technology. Virtual negotiations now take place amongst diplomats, in which they reach certain commitments and agreements electronically, such as through voice conversation, video conferencing, and exchange of emails and faxes. Virtual diplomatic missions and virtual   Ministries of Foreign Affairs contribute to enhancing negotiators’ investigative power as they continuously search for information (Batora, 2008). This setting is helpful for diplomats who are engaged in other processes or events and can save themselves so much time and trouble travelling. It also allows poor countries to save much money in travelling since e-negotiations are cost effective. Thus, a diplomat can participate in multiple negotiations and other events that occur simultaneously in geographically dispersed locations (Grech, 2006). On a separate note, this can bring certain risks, such as lack of face-to-face interpersonal relations with fellow diplomats, increased participation expectancy by citizens, susceptibility to attacks, misreading of information, loss of credibility, lack of identity verification in online presence, and delicate maintenance (Grech, 2006). These threats are brought by the online nature of virtual diplomatic missions. The injection of communication technologies in diplomacy has corresponding negative repercussions such as those mentioned because virtual diplomatic missions cannot trade the culture delivered by a physical relationship in an embassy or consulate. Since human factor is of high value to diplomacy, changes in technology will not change the importance placed by the diplomat on personal contacts, feedback mechanisms, and human experience, which all characterise diplomatic procedures (Aneek, 2010). In a virtual diplomatic setting, the diplomat is in fact deprived of developing relationships with fellow diplomats and the citizens, and such deprivation could be unfavourable to certain diplomatic functions such as developing bilateral relations and negotiations. Since interpersonal relations are lacking in virtual diplomacy, it would be difficult to verify identity in this fashion and illegitimate users may exploit this service, leading to adverse results.   Increased vulnerability to attacks therefore puts the virtual diplomacy in a   detrimental situation. Added complexity is thus required since special care must be warranted to ensure clearness and ease of understanding of site navigation . On a similar note, delicate maintenance of mission websites is essential, which a subject specialist must ensure. This subject specialist must be a diplomat also since only a diplomat has the best understanding of the nature and context of information (Grech, 2006). There is also a threat to misinterpret information available in diplomatic mission websites because of the text-based nature of information, which can cause confusion than when such information is presented on a face-to-face basis where diplomats can have an open discussion and active deliberation (Grech, 2006). Conclusion This paper tackles the role of the modern diplomat alongside changes in communication and technology. The diplomat is sent by the home government to a receiving government for purposes of performing certain duties in behalf of the home country. Diplomacy is a process that every nation must carry out in its international relations activities. In the past, a diplomat was tasked to relate news and information in the country where he was posted, and such information can aid his own government in designing certain decisions. This has changed now however; first, due to availability of air travel, and second, because of the prevalence of communication technologies that can enable speedier transmission of information. The modern diplomat no longer holds the banner of bringing news stories and information to his own country since he is outdone by the media in this department. However, he is not involved in a rat race with the media; instead, his daily activities include interacting with the media who aid him in conveying necessary information to the home government and to the world. In the past, he did not incorporate the media to his daily activities. Globalisation, a phenomenon aided by advances in communication technologies, affects the way the modern diplomat performs his role. Alongside ease in communication and information, his role is now seen to expand bilaterally and multilaterally as he faces global issues in his task to manage the global village. The threats posed by changes in communication and technology in the role of the modern diplomat and his adoption of virtual diplomacy are increased participation expectancy by citizens, susceptibility to attacks, misreading of information, loss of credibility, lack of identity verification in online presence, and delicate maintenance. References Aneek, C. (2010). International Relations Today: Concepts and Applications. New Delhi: Dorling Kindersley Pvt. Ltd. Aust, SA. (2005). Handbook of International Law. UK: Cambridge University Press. Barker, J. C. (2011). The Protection of Diplomatic Personnel. England: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. Batora, J. (2008). Foreign Ministries and the Information Revolution: Going Virtual? Boston: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. Batora, J. and Hocking, B. (2007). Bilateral Diplomacy in the European Union: Towards ‘Post-Modern’ Patterns? ECPR/SGIR 6th Pan-European Conference: Turin 12-15 September. Bolewski, W. (2007). Diplomacy and International Law in Globalized Relations. New York: Springer. Carta, C. (2012). The European Union Diplomatic Service: Ideas, Preferences and Identities. Oxon: Routledge. Cooper, A. F., Heine, J., and Thakur, R. (2013). The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Copeland, D. (2009). Guerilla Diplomacy: Rethinking International Relations. US: Lynne Rienner Publishing. Cornago, N. (2013). Plural Diplomacies: Normative Predicaments and Functional Imperatives. The Netherlands: Koniklije Brill NV, Leiden. Gilboa, E. (2000). Mass Communication and Diplomacy: A Theoretical Framework. Communication Theory, 10 (3), 275-309. Grech, O. M. (2006). Virtual Diplomacy: Diplomacy of the Digital Age [Published Dissertation]. Malta: Faculty of Arts, University of Malta. Jonsson, C. and Hall, M. (2002) .Communication: An Essential Aspect of Diplomacy. 43rd Annual ISA Convention, New Orleans, LA, March 23-27. Kopp, H. W. and Gillespie, C. A. (2011). Career Diplomacy: Life and Work in the US Foreign Service. US: Georgetown University Press. Lawson, S. (2002). The New Agenda for International Relations. Cambridge, UK: The Polity Press. Paris, R. (2013). The Digital Diplomacy Revolution: Why Canada is Lagging Behind? Retrieved on March 19, 2014 from http://opencanada.org/features/the-think-tank/essays/the-digital-diplomacy-revolution/ Shaw, J. (2006). The Ambassador: Inside the Life of a Working Diplomat. Virginia: Capital Books, Inc. Singh, N. N. (2002). Diplomacy for the 21st Century. New Delhi: Naurang Rai for Mittal Publications.

Democracy and Industrialization Essays

Democracy and Industrialization Essays Democracy and Industrialization Paper Democracy and Industrialization Paper Democracy and Industrialization were both key factors in the development of western and non-western civilizations. These two forces of change were equally significant in their impacts on society. By exploring the distinctive characteristics of these two forces, it becomes very clear just how important each of them were to our world, both yesterday and today. Furthermore, after dissecting important information from primary and visual sources, I will explain how they illustrate this impact of change on society. Democracy The enforcement of democracy has been a significant issue in the organization of many societies over hundreds of years through out history. In order to understand the profound effects of democracy, one must first understand the meaning and history behind it. â€Å"The word comes from two Greek words: demos, meaning â€Å"the people, and kratein, meaning to rule. These two words are joined together to form democracy, literally meaning to rule by the people† (Barr, E. , Rankin, T. Baird, J. 1999, History of Democracy). The Greeks were the creators of democracy. They formed this style of government because they desired to have a system that was a direct opposite form of government than a dictatorship. Because they were the creators of democracy, it is apparent that their form of government was the closest to a true democracy than any other society that has proceeded them thus far. â€Å"Their civilization was broken down into small city-states (never more than 10,000 citizens), and all the men voted on all issues of government. There were no representatives in the Greek system of government. Instead, they ruled themselves directly; each man was a life long member of the decision making body† (Barr, E. , Rankin, T. Baird, J. 1999, History of Democracy). This idea, that citizens should be involved in the decision making process of their own government, carried on to the Roman Empire as well, another non-western civilization. Its concepts survived and eventually even carried on to the western societies, such as England, France, and of course, The United States of America. According to the text, World Civilizations, the American Revolution was the foundation for which democracy was truly established in the United States, because it called for an end to â€Å"the power of sovereign central government over the colonies† (Sherman, D. others, 2006, p. 112). By exploring two relevant visual sources in the World Civilizations text, it is more clearly understood how and when the decolonizations took place. Map 19-1 of the text illustrates the extent of European control during the late 18th century, prior to the wars of independence (Sherman, D. others, 2006, p. 10). In contrast, map 19-2 shows the development of the new nation states that were established at the beginning of the 19th century (Sherman, D. others, 2006, p. 111). By comparing the difference between these two maps, it is clear to see how rapidly the European Colonial systems diminished during the passing of such a short period of time. After the break away from the rule of Great Britain, â€Å"the new central government created in America by the Articles of Confederation was, in a negative sense at least, a democratic government† (Sherman, D. others, 2006, p. 113). Our American form of democracy had several problems during its establishment, such as the fact that slaves and women were given no rights. However, this was also true during the times of the great Greek democracy. The exceptional difference within the American form of democracy, however, is that it gave a way for future changes to be made by means of the Constitution. Unlike the Greek system, which continued its suppression of women and minorities, the American form of democracy has adapted to changes made through out the years, in order to truly stand by the claim that all men are created equal. In today’s great American democracy, it no longer matters what racial or religious background a person is from, nor the color of their skin, nor their gender. Anyone willing and able may take part in our governmental system, whether it is by casting a ballot during a state-wide election, or even running for a political position, such as the Presidency of the United States. Industrialization According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Industrialization is defined as, â€Å"the process of converting to a socioeconomic order in which industry is dominant† (www. britannica. com). The changes that took place in England during the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and 19th centuries provided a prototype for the early American Industrialization later on. The onset of the Industrial Revolution was a major turning point in humankind’s history, because almost every aspect of daily life and human society was eventually influenced in some way. According to the text, the exact reasoning behind why Industrialization occurred in England is a topic that is still up for debate. However, there background of England at the time does offer some insight as to why an Industrial Revolution was inevitable. These reasons include England’s transformation from a feudal society into a commercial one, as well as its â€Å"unique enthusiasm for science and engineering† (Sherman, D. others, 2006, p. 95). An outstanding visual source is depicted in illustration 18-2 of our text, in which there is a scene painted of several welders pounding away at metal objects, while bridges are being built behind them and the streets are busy with middle class workers (Sherman, D. others, 2006, p. 92). This picture is an excellent depiction of the everyday lives of the working class citizens during those times. It’s as if the Industrialization was brought back to life through this painting, so that we could get a glimpse into the past. Without this class of citizens, industrialization of England, or any other country, would not have been possible. Drawing from the sources from chapter seventeen of the text, World Civilizations, there were many social developments that were related to industrialization. Apparently, â€Å"In the wake of industrialization came great social changes† (Sherman, D. others, 2006. p. 81). Industrialization affected the middle and working classes the most. Both classes grew significantly in numbers and they both climbed up on the social ladder. In addition, urban areas grew, which was where these two classes worked and lived. The middle class was able to enjoy a â€Å"rising standard of living, increased prestige, and growing political influence† (Sherman, D. others, 2006, pp. 81-82). The working class, on the other hand, was affected in many negative ways by the industrialization. â€Å"Clearly it was this class that bore the burdens of urban social problems: overcrowded slums, poor sanitation, insufficient social services, and a host of related problems (Sherman, D. others, 2006, pp. 82). In addition, the other classes, such as the peasants, the artisans, and the aristocracy, begin to diminish because those classes were associated with the older ways of production, such as the agricultural economy. In addition to manpower, there needed to be tools and technological advances made in order for industrialization to take place in Europe as well as America. The steam engine, which was developed by James Watt, was probably the single most important technological advance that helped industrialization to thrive. After James Watt improved the design of the steam engine, this type of engine quickly was applied to other industriesto power railroad locomotives, ships, and later the first automobiles. † (Backer, P. , date unknown, The Cause of the Industrial Revolution). So, although the causes of industrialization may be debatable, it is certain that the effects of it are still profoundly affecting societies all around the world, even till this day. In conclusion, democracy and industrialization were both key factors in the development of western and non-western civilizations. These two forces of change were equally significant in their impacts on society. By exploring the distinctive characteristics of these two forces, it has been made very clear just how important each of them were to our world, both yesterday and today. Furthermore, after dissecting important information from primary and visual sources, I have illustrated this impact of change on society. Both concepts were important to our world’s past, and both will continue to play a significant role in our world’s future societies. References Barr, E. , Rankin, T. Baird, J. (1999). History of Democracy. Retrieved 10/10/07 from http://library. thinkquest. org/26466/history_of_democracy. html Backer, P. (unknown). The Cause of the Industrial Revolution. Retrieved 10/29/07 from engr. sjsu. edu/pabacker/causeIR. htm Industrialization. (2007). In Encyclop? dia Britannica. Retrieved October 27, 2007, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online: britannica. com/eb/article-9042374 Sherman, D. others. (2006). World Civilizations: Sources, Images, and Interpretations (Fourth Edition). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Transnational Corporations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Transnational Corporations - Essay Example The transnational corporations have large revenues and can exercise more power than the individual states across which they operate. The companies ‘command enormous financial resources, possess vast technical resources, and they have extensive global reach’ (CSIDS, n.d, p.1). It has been noted that the combined revenue of General Motors and Ford is larger than the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (Ward, 2003). Comparable statistics and facts apply to other giant automobile corporations in the world and the individual economy of certain countries. It then beats logic in the kind of influence that these transnational corporations can have on the regional and global economy. As such, the transnational corporations have significant market power (Ietto-Gillies, 2012). They play significant roles and they have negative and positive impacts on the local, regional, and global development issues. This paper focuses on the roles that the T NCs play in shaping the global economy and the significant impacts that have been observed from the move to go global. The domination of these large corporations in different sector of the world economy is illustrated. The impacts of the TNC Significant developments have been recorded in the foreign direct investments by the transnational corporations since the 1980s with the TNCs taking different forms (Lundan, 2011, p.640). Significant increases have also been observed in the worth of the FDIs. For instance, the total global foreign direct investment in 2002 amounted to about $651bn (CSIDS, n.d). The developed nations are the major home countries for the foreign direct investors and the countries receive much of the proceeds from the investments. Much literature is available that focus on the impacts of TNCs on the home countries (the developed nations) and the literatures conclude that the outflows in Foreign direct investments relates positively with the net productivity in the home country (Sauvant, 2008, p.229). To the developing nations, the foreign direct investments provide the largest source of external finance to the home economy (CSIDS, n.d). Nonetheless, it is still debatable as to whether the transnational corporations help in developing this underdeveloped nations or the corporations are just in pursuit of their interest and do not care about their negative impacts on the society. In as much as the organizations may be considered sources of funds to the recipient nations, it is also worthwhile to note that the organizations are out to seek profits. Efforts to have a state of balance between these two conflicting roles (a profit-seeking organization and source of funds to the recipient country) lead to mixture of negative impacts of the transnational corporations on the national and regional economies. Potential benefits of TNCs One of the positive impacts of the TNCs is that they create employment opportunities in the recipient nations (CSIDS, n .d). Availability of cheap labor is one among the factors that drive a company to go global and establish its FDIs in

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 14

Research paper - Essay Example This implies that racist organizations, as well as other antisocial organizations, exploit Internet to achieve their objectives. Social media networks are widely being used propagate vilification and hostility against other groups. In most cases, cyber-racism and hate speech in social media networks are characterized by cultural and ethnic divides. Although the Internet has revolutionized many areas of the human society, it also has far-reaching negative consequences when abused, misused or used without proper guidance. Dixit and Green (188) assert that the Internet is one of the platforms through which people propagate racial violence. It is observable that people can freely interact and express their views on the Internet without jurisdiction or geographical restriction. However, this freedom has not been accompanied by the responsibilities that it deserves. For this reason, cyber racists have seriously abused that freedom. Such groups often use the Internet as the avenue in which to unleash hostile sentiments against whom they consider detestable or unwelcome. In many cases, the groups or individuals that have been attacked do not take such prejudice kindly. They are likely to respond to such negativity in a similar negative manner or with a higher degree of counter-retaliatory abuse. Ultimately, it is easy to observe that the Internet is a potential battlefield for racist groups. It is also an avenue for extending extreme ideologies that result in social divide. Sexism is another largely contested consequence of the Internet usage. Sexism refers to the discrimination against women. It could be true that men and women have equal access to the Internet globally (Szoka and Marcus 69). However, the same cannot be said about online experiences of both sexes. It this case, women face a wider spectrum of discrimination. The discrimination is in many cases, multifaceted and to a greater extent

Emergency Operations Plan Essay Example for Free

Emergency Operations Plan Essay Brownsville Texas is located in approximately 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and it is vulnerable to a major hurricane like Hurricane Katrina that devastated much of Louisiana in 2005. During Hurricane Katrina many of the things when wrong because emergency leaders were because, emergency managers were not prepared for the after mass of the hurricane. It is important for a city to have a structured Emergency Operations Plan in place in the event of a major hurricane. This will help make emergency operations run smooth and emergency managers make important decisions. Hurricanes are measured in Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. This gives the hurricane a rating of 1 to 5 based on its sustained wind speed (NOAA, 2013). The rating is also based on the amount of damage a hurricane can create once it makes land fall. For example â€Å"any storm that reaches a sustained wind speed of 74-95 miles per hour (mph) is considered a category 1 hurricane† (NOAA, 2013). Any hurricane that reaches a sustained wind speed of 111-129 mph is category 3 hurricane and it falls in a major hurricane category. Category 3 hurricanes and higher are considered the most dangerous and have the potential to create the most damage (NOAA, 2013). 1.Purpose of the plan The purpose of this plan is to establish an Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) that will provide guild lines and procedures for emergency managers in the event of a major hurricane in the South Texas area. The Emergency Operations Plan will show the vulnerabilities of the City of Brownsville, major concerns that city managers have, contact information for local hospitals, Fire Department, Police Station and it will also help emergency managers coordinate operations with local, State and Federal Agencies. It will also indicate the location of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the Unified Command Center. The EOC leader or manager will have complete command and control of all emergency operation, before, during and after the hurricane has made landfall in the city of Brownsville. The EOC will be the primary base of operations throughout the disaster. This means that all emergency operations will be coordinated through the EOC and all emergency managers and team leaders will report to the EOC, as soon as they arrive on scene and before any operations start. The EOP will establish a chain of command that will be followed by all agencies and private organizations  involved in emergency operations. This will include all local, State and Federal agencies assisting or participating in the EOP. The EOP will also indicate the locations of the primary and secondary EOC. The secondary location for the EOC will be used in the event that they primary location of the EOC is damaged during the hurricane and can no longer be safely used to conduct emergency operations. The EOP will also indicate who will participate in the emergency operations and what role they will have throughout emergency operations, before, during and after the hurricane. This will help emergency managers better utilize the resources that will be available to them. This will also help emergency managers plan and execute emergency operations in a safe and protective manner. The goal of the emergency plan is to provide as much information as possible to the community before the hurricane makes land fall. During and after the hurricane mission is to save as many lives as possible. This will be done through conducting emergency operations, providing medical care to the injured and by establishing temporary shelters to people that have had to evacuate their homes. 2.Situation Brownsville, Texas is located in South Texas and is a city that is approximately 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. The cities or communities along the Gulf of Mexico coast line are vulnerable to a potential hurricane during hurricane season. Hurricane season normally starts on June 1st and ends on November 30th (Brownsville Herald, 2014). This is the time when tropical storms form out in the Gulf of Mexico. But not all storms that form are considered hurricanes. When a storm becomes a hurricane, they are considered very dangerous storms because they have the potential cause a lot of damage. This EOP is designed to be put into action in the event of a category 3 hurricane or higher threatens the city of Brownsville. A category 3 hurricane can bring rains that can last for a long period of time. This can cause floods in certain parts of the city, the high winds are also a major concern because â€Å"framed homes may incur major damage or removal of roof decking and gable ends (NOAA, 2013). These high winds can also break trees that can cause roads to be blocked for long periods of time. A category 3 or higher hurricane can also affect the electricity and running water in the city. This means that people in many communities  throughout the city can be left without running water or electricity for days. 3.Assumptions Assuming a category 4 hurricane in enroute to the Gulf of Mexico coast and it will directly affect the city of Brownsville, emergency managers have a plan in place to start warning the community of the threat the 4 hurricane poses. This is done by using the media and providing up to date information on the status of the hurricane. At least five days before the hurricane makes land fall emergency managers need to start providing the community with up to date information on the hurricane. This will include strength of the hurricane and the potential damage it will create. Emergency managers should make plans to conduct emergency operations for at least 24 to 48 hours after the hurricane makes land fall. This will include the first responder’s response time and evacuation operations if they are needed. Evacuating people from the local hospitals is a priority. At least five days before the hurricane makes landfall hospitals should need to contact and make arrangements for the hosp itals to be evacuated (DSHS.TX, 2013). 4.Concept of Operations The concept of emergency operations plan is to create a unified response to the threat of a category 4 hurricane. The will be done by creating establishing a chain of command that all agencies and private organizations can follow. The EOP will keep the community informed of any changes or any important information that they will need before, during and after the hurricane. The EOP will also establish a Unified Command Center where different agencies can work together with one common goal. The goal is to save and protect as many people as possible from the threat of hurricane. This can be done by providing early warning of the hurricane and establishing a chain of command. This is will also help emergency managers effectively us all the resources that they have at their disposal. The EOP will also establish a list of agencies and organizations that will be involved in the emergency planning and any operations during the disaster. 5.Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities The Brownsville Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security will be  the lead agency in charge of all emergency operations (OEMHS). OEMHS is responsible for planning and efforts to mitigate the effects of, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters whether natural or man-made (COB, 2011). The local, State and Federal agencies and private organizations that will be involved in the EOP will be: A.Brownsville Police Department B.Cameron County Sherriff’s Office C.Brownsville Public Works Department D.Texas Department of Public Safety E.Brownsville Fire Department F.United States Border Patrol G.United States Coast Guard H.Texas Army National Guard I.American Red Cross J.Local Hospitals K.Private Businesses These agencies are considered first responders and will play a very important role in the EOP. Each of these agencies will have specific mission and will provide assistance to the community as it is needed. The assistance can be anything from helping people evacuate from their home to assisting in the city evacuation route. Each agency will have a representative at the Unified Command Center. This means that all operations and assignments will be given to the first responders from the Unified Command Center. A.Brownsville Police Department The Brownsville Police Department will maintain a command post at the Brownsville Police Department. Their representative will coordinate any and all operations through the Unified Command Center. The Brownsville Police Department will also assist in closing street or roads that are considered dangerous or that might possibly flood. They will also maintain public order and ensure that the public stays away from areas that are considered dangerous. They will also enforce any curfews that are order by emergency managers. B.Cameron County Sherriff’s Office The Cameron County Sherriff’s Office will assist the Brownsville Police Department in enforcing road closers and any curfews that are set in place. They will also maintain a command post at the Sheriff’s Office. They will also maintain a command center at the Sherriff’s Office. This will help coordinate emergency operations and asses the needs of their officers. They will also assist in the evacuation of any people that are need of assistance. The Sherriff’s Office will also help identify disabled and elderly people that might need to be evacuated before or after the hurricane has made landfall. C.Brownsville Public Works Department Brownsville Public Works Department will in charge of placing closer sign around the city streets that have been identified as flood areas. They will also place signs on the highway that will identify the emergency evacuation routes. The Public Works Department will also be in charge of evaluating the damage to the roads and street in Brownsville after the hurricane has passed (COB, 2001). This will help emergency managers identify the streets that can be used during emergency operations and will also identify the streets that need to be fixed during recovery operations. They are also in charge of clearing the city’s drainage system. Clearing the drainage pipes is very important task, because it will help clear the water from some of the flooded areas. This will also help speed up the recovery operations around the city. They will also maintain an agency representative at the Unified Command Center to help coordinate any emergency operations within their agency. D.Texas Depart ment of Public Safety The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will in charge of all evacuation routes (TXDOT, 2014). They will coordinate with city managers and establish an evacuation route 72 to 60 hours before the hurricane makes landfall (TXDPS, 2013). DPS will also coordinate with the city’s public works and coordinate the road closers along the highway. This will limit the access to the evacuation route to only controlled entry points. This will help DPS maintain control of the traffic coming in and out of the evacuation route. DPS will also coordinate with other law enforcement agencies in the area and will assign specific duties in regards to the evacuation routes. DPS will set of refueling station for vehicles that need gas along the  evacuation route. DPS will also have a representative at the Unified Command Center. They will also set up a command center at their main office, this will help them coordinate and support their operations. E.Brownsville Fire Department The Brownsville Fire Department (BFD) will play a very important role in any and all emergency operations. The BFD is highly training and equipped to handle any emergency. They have boats and breaching equipment that could be used to get people out of flooded areas. The BFD will also help establish a triage center that will help evaluate any injuries and help prioritize any medical emergencies. The will maintain personal in the Unified Command Center and will help coordinate with emergency operations from their main office. They will also assist as a liaison between the local hospitals in the immediate area. This will help evacuate the injured and facilitate operations in the triage center. F.United States Border Patrol The United States Border Patrol will maintain a show of force during all emergency operations in the Brownsville area. They will assist DPS with any and all evacuation operations and they will help enforce road closers throughout the city. This will establish a base of operations at their local Border Patrol Station and will respond to any emergency that might arise. The Border Patrol will also maintain a law enforcement presence in the city and the surrounding areas. The Border Patrol has the capability to respond to any emergency and can sustain law enforcement and emergency operations before, during and after the hurricane makes landfall. G.United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard will assist in the evacuation of people in the immediate and mandatory areas. They will also help supply small boats that the emergency responders can get into flooded areas. The Coast Guard will also maintain a representative at the Unified Command Center. H.Texas Army National Guard In the event that the Texas Army National Guard is needed, the Brownsville Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security will make a formal  request to the Governor’s Office. The Texas Army National Guard will be notified of their activation at least 72 hours before the hurricane makes landfall (TXDPS, 2013). The Texas Army National Guard will assist agencies evacuate people if needed. They will not assist in any enforcement operations as per State law. After the hurricane makes landfall they will assist in rescue operations and they will set up food and water distribution sites. Any medical personal will report to the triage center, they will then help treat and evaluate the injured. The Texas Army National Guard will coordinate with the Fire and Police Departments and will assist them in any rescue operations that they are needed in. The Texas Army National Guard can provide assistance with personal, equipment and air support. I.American Red Cross The American Red Cross and provide assistance in many different ways during a major emergency. In the event of a hurricane or any major disaster American Red Cross will be in charge of establishing shelters around the city of Brownsville. They will also register and keep track of the number of people at a shelter at any given time. They will also be in charge of distributing food, cloth and personal items to the people that need them. They will assist emergency managers set up food distribution locations throughout the city for emergency responders. They will provide assistance to people that been separated from their family members. This will help reunite families that have been separated during rescue or evacuation operations. J.Local Hospitals Brownsville has two main hospitals that will need to be kept informed of the statue of the hurricane. In the event of a category 4 hurricane the hospitals will shut down and will only take in emergency patients. This would be patients that need immediate medical attention or that have life threating injuries that need to be attended too. The two hospitals in the city of Brownsville are: †¢Valley Regional Medical Center is located at 100A E. Alton Gloor Bvd, Brownsville, Texas. †¢Valley Baptist Medical Center Brownsville is located at 1040 West Jefferson Brownsville, Texas K.Private Businesses In the event of a major disaster the Brownsville Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security will make arrangements with local businesses to coordinate supplies and equipment that might be needed during a hurricane. The business will provide food, water and any equipment that might be needed by first responders, for example pumps, generators and shovels. The OEMHS’s finance department will keep track of all the equipment and supplies that are received are ordered and received by private businesses. This will help keep track of what is being used and what supplies are needed. Any special equipment that needs to be ordered or requested will be done by the OEMHS’s finance department. This will help keep track of the money that is being spent. 6.Administration and logistics The Brownsville Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security will coordinate all emergency operations in the City of Brownsville. The Unified Command Center will have a team of representatives of each agency that are involved in emergency operations as well as representatives from the State and Federal government. The will get continuous updates of the situation and will make decisions on any issues. They will also provide logistical support to all emergency operations as it is needed. This means that they as they receive information or requests for any equipment or support the OEMHS will address this situation and take action. 7.Plan development and maintenance The OEMHS is responsible for developing the EOP in coordination with the agencies that will be involved in the plan. This means that the OEMHS will meet with the different agencies that will participate in the plan and address any issues they might have with the EOP. It is the responsibility of the OEMHS to keep the EOC updated. Every year there are changes to roads, hazards and other things that might affect emergency operations. It is the responsibility of the OEMHS to maintain the plan and to ensure that it is up to date. It is the responsibility of the OEMHS to coordinate training with the agencies involved. The OEMHS should also coordinate ensure that the city managers that will in charge of the EOP be certified and maintain their certification through FEMA. 8.Authorities The authorities that will be in charge of all emergency operations will be the Brownsville Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. The OEMHS is responsible to address any and all jurisdictional issues that an agency might have. This EOC is designed to be used during a major hurricane but it is flexible and can be used for any other kind of disaster. Communications Communications is a very important part of the EOP. In the event of a major hurricane or any other kind of disaster, communications will play a very big part in emergency operations. During emergency operation all agencies involved will use TXLAW 1, as the primary radio frequency. This will ensure that all agency managers and team leader are able to communicate with the EOP. All agency dispatchers and agency managers will monitor TXLAW 1 throughout emergency operations. This will continue until all emergency operations have stopped or the agency in no longer participating in any emergency operations. If an agency does not have radios with the TXLAW1 frequency, the OEMHS will provide radios to the agency command post and team leaders during emergency operations. Radios will be provided to private organizations like the Red Cross that will set up staging areas, establish shelters and coordinate distributions site. Team leaders and managers will remain in contact with the Unified Command Center all times. In conclusion the EOP will establish guideline that emergency managers can follow. This will help them set up a structured chain of command and establish emergency operations in the event of a major disaster or hurricane. This plan is flexible and can be changed or modified as it is required for any disaster. It is very important the OEMHS provides continu es training and maintain the EOP up to date. This will ensure that emergency operations are conducted in a safe and productive manner. References Reagan, M., (2014, April 10) Early hurricane outlook predicts light season. The Brownsville Herald. Retrieved from

The Use of Helicopters for the Primary Purpose of Air Ambulances in Wor

Introduction In this paper we will discuss the first documented use of helicopters for the primary purpose of Air Ambulances in World War II. During 1943, the United States, British Commonwealth and the Chinese faced the armies of Japan, Thailand and Indian National Army. The Burmese Independent Army started off on the Japanese side, but later switched sides fighting with the allied forces. Under the control of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the United States made a decision to support the Chinese during the war with aircraft.1 With Japan controlling much of the Chinese territory, the main supply route for the Chinese was thru the Burma Road. This supply route was essential to operations in the area shaped a restructure for the way supplies would be delivered to soldiers fighting and patients being able to get the urgent care they extremely needed. The only logical and expeditious way to do all of this would be through the use of aircraft flying a supply route known as â€Å"the Hump.†2 History Commanders from all units across the world have thought about how to take care of their troops in times of war. Maybe one of the most heavily weighed thoughts is how much risk I am willing to take if I can’t provide my men immediate medical care at the time when they most need it. Dated back as far as 1866, the idea of an â€Å"Air Ambulance† has been on the minds of certain individuals across the world. Paris, France first used the hot air balloons in order to evacuate more than 160 soldiers from the besieged city to medical care facilities.3 In the beginning, using a hot air balloon to rescue shipwrecked sailors seemed logical since the balloons where already delivering mail and supplies across the area of operations. This action dire... ...pter Evacuation, http://olive-drab.com/od_medical_evac_helio_ww2.php Ed Holmes, MEDEVAC Flight in WWII, http://www.helis.com/stories/burma45.php History of Air Ambulance and MEDEVAC, Mercy Flight, http://www.mercyflight.org/content/pages/medevac Map Of Burma, BBC, Animated Map: The Burma Campaign, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/animations/wwtwo_map_burma/index_embed.shtml Mark W. Bielauskas, Imphal, The Hump and Beyond, http://www.comcar.org/Air%20Commando%20Group/1st_air_commando_group_beginings.htm Peter Dorland and James Nanney, DUST OFF: Army Aeromedical Evacuation in Vietnam, CMH Publisher, 90-28-1, page 9 U.S. Army Medical Department, Call Sign – DUSTOFF â€Å"Chapter 1† http://www.bordeninstitute.army.mil/other_pub/dustoff/Dustoffch1.pdf World War 2 Burma, History Channel, http://www.history.co.uk/explore-history/ww2/burma.html

Hank Kolb Case Study Essay

Quality, or lack of, is the result of many decisions made by many people over a long period of time. The Hank Kolb case quality problems all point to one fundamental problem, management. There are four special cause variations in a quality process: man, machine, materials and method. The Hank Kolb case has issues in each of these four fields and this case analysis will examine the issues within the four cause variations and show how they all point to management as the main perpetrator of poor quality. Recommendations, both short and long term approaches, will be outlined to help management create a quality product and work environment in each of the four fields. The â€Å"man† root cause of poor quality is seen in the lack of training and poor attitudes of workers. Training is not a prerequisite to individuals moving into new positions. This creates under-qualified people in skilled labor roles. The attitude of the workers considers quality as a topic that burdens and impedes people from doing their jobs. Issues with the â€Å"machine† aspect are an improper maintenance process and the machine used for something it is not designed to do. With no scheduled preventative maintenance, nonstandard downtime was running at 15% of actual running time and repairs had been made twice a month for the last six months. Keeping the machinery in top-running condition has not been a priority and its’ effects have been felt down the line with over-pressurized cans. The plastic nozzle heads were often found with burrs on the inside rim. This forced the company to increase the application pressure at the filling head to solve this problem. Quality is being affected within the â€Å"materials† variable. Finally, there are numerous problems identified within the â€Å"methods† cause variation. There is lack of policy and procedure. Examples of this are completing inspections after the fact and not having any feed-back loops. Not having equipment maintenance records is another example of the lack of methods that have added to the overall lack of quality. These four special cause variations can be visualized in a fishbone diagram (appendix 1) to show the cause/ effect relations of quality problems. Each special cause variation points to poor management as the fundamental problem in this case. This is exacerbated as the company puts market share and schedule above quality and safety. To create a solution to the quality problem, Hank will need to first deal with managerial support and attitude. Hank should create a company-wide quality policy that is actively backed by senior management. Then, a training program should be initiated for all skilled labor and supervisory positions. Next, start collecting data on how and why the machinery is breaking down. Soon after, Hank should do a cost benefit analysis to see if upgrading the machinery will boost production of the Greasex product. Hank needs to be aggressive with the nozzle supplier to demand greater quality. Finally, all policies and procedures will need to be created and implemented with quality at the forefront of every concept.

Marketing of Hardbite Chips

Hardbite Chips Langara College School of Management MARK 1115 Introduction to Marketing D. Hill 23 November 2009 Executive Summary This report provides an analysis of Hardbite Chips and the Snack Food Industry and offers recommendations for Hardbite Chips to develop an effective marketing plan. Hardbite Chips is an environmentally sustainable business that provides healthy, good-tasting, and quality potato chips. The target market we have selected for Hardbite Chips is health conscious consumers, particularly those with children.It is our belief that the consumers will be attracted by the healthy features of our product and will be willing to pay slightly more for these benefits. It is our objective to significantly increase awareness of our product among these consumers. As our funds for promotional activities are limited and our target market can be hard to reach our marketing mix focuses heavily on sales promotion. Advertising and public relations will help us promote the features of our product and position it as a high quality brand in the minds of consumers. We hope to use personal selling to increase the number of retailers that carry our product.We believe Hardbite Chips has the ability to obtain satisfactory profits and grow the business. This will allow the company to better compete against the numerous competitors in the industry and increase sales. As the business grows, more funds can be spent on promotional activities enabling the company to expand its target market and appeal to more retailers. Table of Contents Current Marketing Strategy†¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 1 Company Mission Statement.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 1 Internal and External Analysis PEST Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2 SWOT Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 Competitive Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 Target Market†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5 Marketing Objectives and Issues†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 Marketing Research†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 Product Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 8 Pricing Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 Distribution Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 10 Integrated Marketing Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 10 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12Appendix I†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 13 Endnotes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 14 Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 15 Current Marketing Situation The Canadian snack food market presents a lucrative opportunity for new and existing companies in the industry. In 2008, Canadians ate an average of 3. 2 kg of potato chips. 1 Food stores capture the majority of snack food purchases in 2001 at approximately 67% and supermarkets accounted for approximately two-thirds of this. Convenience stores took the third largest share of the market at around 13%.Mass merchandisers and wholesale club stores have increased their market share in recent years, passing convenience stores, as more of these types of locations have opened in Canada. However, this change has not yet significantly affected food stores. 2 In 2007, Canadian retail grocery stores sold over $1. 8 billion worth of snack food, with potato chips accounting for approximately $550 million. This continues the recent trend of 6% growth in annual retail sales of potato chips. 3 This growth has encouraged companies to expand into nich e markets by offering unique flavours and organic products.The Canadian snack food industry has seen an increase in new entrants in recent years despite the presence of big corporations. These big corporations have economies of scale which give them a significant competitive advantage in terms of cost. Furthermore, these corporations benefit from massive advertising budgets that allow them to hold on to their majority market share. Frito-Lays, a division of PepsiCo. , is the leader in the Canadian snack food industry with multiple SBUs that offer many different products, including different varieties of chips in various flavours. However, the opportunity exists for smaller companies to come in nd target niche markets. In fact, â€Å"in 2006, 106 Canadian snack food manufactures shipped $1. 6 billion of product†. 4 However, big corporations are beginning to see the potential of these markets and are beginning to expand into them. A good example of this is Frito-Lays and the in troduction of their Wasabi flavoured chips5. Company Mission Statement Hardbite Chips is dedicated to providing our customers with a healthy, good-tasting, and quality potato chip. In doing so, we are committed to be an environmentally sustainable company with strong ties to the community. Internal and External Analysis PEST Analysis: Hardbite Chips | |Political Environment |Economical Environment | |Mandatory nutrition labeling |Economic recession | |Provincial Government policy bans junk food sales in elementary and |Tough to get capital | |high schools |People are less likely to spend money on unknown premium brands | |Social Cultural Environment |Technological Environment | |Trend away from unhealthy snacks |Equipment needed to expand production is expensive | |Potato chips blamed for contributing to obesity | | |Recent discovery of acrylamide, a possible carcinogen, found in | | |carbohydrates cooked at high temperatures | | |People looking to buy environmentally friendly products | | |Competitive Environment |Demographic Environment | |Heavy competition in industry |Many consumers more interested in environmentally friendly products | |Low brand loyalty among consumers in industry |Many people are concerned about health | |Large corporations have majority of market share | | SWOT Analysis: Hardbite Chips | |Strengths |Weaknesses | |Product is hand-cooked |Limited cash-flow makes it difficult to grow | |Potatoes are grown locally |Brand is fairly unknown | |Focus on quality |Small production facility compared to major competitors | |Unique flavours | | |Growing brand awareness | | |Sold in many health stores and on many campuses in BC.Also sold | | |across BC in well known stores such as London Drugs, Shoppers Drug | | |Mart, Overwaitea, and IGA Marketplace locations | | |Opportunities |Threats | |Expanding market |Provincial Government policy bans junk food sales in elementary and | |Many consumers are becoming more interested in environme ntally |high schools |friendly products |Larger competition may enter market | |Many consumers are concerned about health |Economic recession | |Opportunity to target niche ethnic markets |Tough to get capital | | |People are less likely to spend money on unknown premium brands | | |Low brand loyalty among consumers in industry | Competitive Analysis We wish to position Hardbite Chips as a top quality potato chip brand in the minds of consumers. It is our desire to utilize the frequent consumer assumption that quality and price are related. [pic] We believe Hardbite Chips has the potential to develop a niche competitive advantage. Our primary focus is on serving health conscious consumers.Thus, our most important unique selling proposition is to focus on the healthy qualities of our product. By producing an all natural potato chip that is free of trans-fats, we believe we will appeal to health conscious consumers. Also, Hardbite Chips was an early entrant into the expanding healt hy potato chip market and the company has expanded its distribution points from originally selling in health food stores. It is our belief that this has created brand recognition among the early adopters of healthy snacks. As the number of consumers purchasing healthy snacks increases, we think these early adopters will recommend the product to consumers helping the brand grow.Furthermore, with the discovery of acrylamide, a possible carcinogen, in baked and fried carbohydrates cooked at high temperatures, including many of the existing potato chips on the market, we have an advantage over many of our competitors as our product is not cooked at high enough temperatures to produce acrylamide. Hardbite Chips also uses unique ingredients such as Himalayan salt which provides more nutrients while keeping sodium levels low. This can be particularly appealing to health conscious consumers, especially to those with high blood pressure. Another unique selling proposition Hardbite Chips can use is to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers. Our company is committed to be an environmentally friendly company.Our potatoes and spices are supplied by local growers and our packaging is supplied by a local manufacturer. By highlighting these facts we believe we can convince environmentally conscious consumers that our company operates with similar values. As the â€Å"green† movement grows larger, we think we are situated to capture a large portion of this growing market. Another advertising appeal that we could use as a unique selling proposition is our unique flavours which may appeal to particular ethnic groups. While we attempt to make flavours that we think will appeal to everyone, we realize that certain ethnic groups may find some of our flavours appealing as they are familiar with them.For instance, our creamy coconut and curry flavoured chips may have a special appeal to Thai people as coconut milk is often added to curry in many Thai recipes. Although w e currently offer only a few unique flavours, it is our desire to develop more. By looking for inspiration in traditional ethnic foods we believe we can find flavours that appeal to Canada’s diverse ethnic communities as well as more traditional consumers of potato chips. Target Market In examining the potato chip market, we have decided to segment the market based on a psychographic segmentation. Our key considerations are the consumers’ motives, personality, lifestyle, and geodemographics.Since, there is normally just one person who does the grocery shopping for an entire family, most likely a parent, it is our desire to target this person. In particular, we are interested in targeting working parents who are raising children in an urban environment. In terms of personality and lifestyle we would segment these people by looking at the type and amount of activities they do. We are looking to target people who have full, active schedules and are looking for healthy foo d options but do not have time to compare products on their own. For motives, we are looking for parents that are concerned about providing healthy snacks their children will actually eat.By using geodemographics, we will be able to slightly modify our advertisements for certain ethnic neighbourhoods. We have chosen to target this segment because our product is capable of meeting their needs and should easily appeal to them. Also, as this segment purchases most of the food for their family, our product will be exposed to their children as well. This will help grow brand recognition and will help increase the sales of our product among other segments. The primary challenge we foresee in targeting this segment of the market is our ability to find an appropriate and effective media to communicate to them. These people balance work and family obligations which can take up a substantial amount of their time.For a convenience product such as snack food, these people may not pay attention to ads for different brands. Also, these people often have other things on their mind so they may be distracted when presented with our ads. Marketing Objectives and Issues Our objective is to increase consumer awareness of our product by 30% in the next year. Since our product is still fairly unknown and the company has been focussed on expanding production facilities, we believe now is a good time to increase promotional expenditures and raise awareness of our product. We are most concerned with increasing the awareness of our product benefits and decreasing customer resistance to buying our product.To measure the success of our objective, we will use monthly surveys to determine the approximate number of consumers aware of our product. When increasing awareness of our product, we wish to focus on the benefits that our product offers to consumers. These benefits would include the healthy aspects and quality of our potato chips. We believe consumers will perceive our all-natural, h and-cooked products as highly compatible with their lifestyles. Thus, as consumers become aware of our product, sales should increase. Also, by increasing awareness of our product we hope to decrease consumer resistance to buying our product. In recent years, potato chips have come under attack for contributing to obesity and related health problems.Additionally, carbohydrates cooked at high temperatures have been found to contain acrylamide, a possible carcinogen. Our product addresses these concerns and by informing consumers of this, we believe they will decide to choose our product over our competitors leading to an increase in our sales. In order to measure the effectiveness of our strategy, it is important to receive continuous feedback from consumers. Therefore we will survey consumers throughout the year to measure changes in awareness of our product and the change in the number of people buying our product. We will also ask consumers how they view our product compared to th ose offered by other snack food manufacturers and how they perceive our product in terms of health.Challenges in meeting our marketing objectives will include selecting an effective channel through which to educate consumers about our product. Also, as more companies are entering into the market we will be competing with them to make customers aware of our products. Another challenge that may present itself is the large companies in the industry may also become aware of our product and choose to emulate some characteristics of our product reducing our competitive advantage and making it harder to convince consumers are products are differentiated enough to be material. To overcome these challenges we will attempt to communicate with consumers as close as possible to the point of purchase.Our integrated marketing communication strategy will be the key to providing us the opportunity to meet our marketing objectives. Marketing Research Our research thus far has only included secondary sources of information. However, this information has given us a basic understanding of the market, changes occurring in the market, and our competitors in the industry. Statistics Canada has provided us with detailed information on the total sales of snack food in Canada as well as how large a portion potato chips make up of these sales. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Services have helped us to determine where the majority of snack foods are purchased by consumers in Canada.Industry Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have also supplied us with detailed information about the size of the industry as well as general performance information for the industry. Despite the high cost of primary data, it is our belief that it would benefit the company to conduct such research. This would allow us to better define the exact size and distribution of our target market, the growth of this segment, and the rate at which this segment’s beliefs and attitudes are changing. Primary data will also allow us to develop new flavours that are customers would enjoy. To gather this information we would recommend the company use internet surveys with screened internet samples and to design the questionnaire to provide data on all of these areas so as to keep costs as minimal as possible.We have chosen screened internet samples because they can provide real-time reports and can be personalized for individual respondents. Also, since the segment we have chosen to target is quite active and busy, internet sampling will allow us to reach these consumers and hopefully receive a high rate of responses. Additionally, primary data is needed to assess the company’s ability to meet the marketing objectives. For this we would recommend the company conduct internet surveys with recruited internet samples each month. This will allow us to determine the effectiveness of our promotions. We have included a sample survey that the comp any may use for this purpose (see Appendix I). We have chosen the internet sample method because of its relatively low cost.However, as the company grows, we would recommend the use of focus groups to help develop and test new flavours of chips and to help determine the most effective way of promoting the product to our target market. Although they are more expensive, focus groups allow us to get more detailed information from consumers which we can then use to better serve our customers. Product Strategy Potato chips are at the maturity stage in the product life cycle. Many of our competitors have been in the business longer than us and have established a hold over some share of the market. Many new entrants to the industry, including Hardbite Chips, target niche markets that have been underserved by larger, more established companies. Our product is aimed at satisfying the needs of health conscious consumers.To meet these needs, our product provides consumers with many healthy fea tures not included with other potato chips. By making our potato chips trans-fat and cholesterol free we provide a product that consumers can snack on without having to worry about high cholesterol and its detrimental effects on health. We also use Himalayan salt instead of table salt on our potato chips. Himalayan salt provides â€Å"84 minerals in the same ratio as healthy blood plasma† and is a lower sodium alternative to table salt. 6 We believe this will be particularly appealing to health conscious consumers, especially those with high blood pressure. Another health benefit our potato chips have over those of most others potato chips, is our unique cooking process.During this process, temperatures do not get high enough to create acrylamide in our potato chips. Since acrylamide is has been found to be a possible carcinogen, we believe customers will see this as a significant benefit. Our product is augmented by offering our potato chips in different and unique flavours. Also, information about the healthy qualities of our product can be found on the packaging. We would like to further augment the product by increasing the number of flavours available and providing a guarantee of consumer satisfaction with our product. Our long term goal is to position the Hardbite Chips as a top quality brand in the minds of consumers. Pricing StrategyOur pricing objective is satisfactory profits. This will enable us to compete with our competitors and continue to grow our production levels. Our competitors in the industry are numerous and many have developed economies of scale giving them the advantage of lower costs. Therefore, to achieve our objective we want to position our product at a slightly higher price than our competitors. We want to utilize the assumption of uncertain consumers that price and quality are related. However, we must be careful not to price our product to high as the market for potato chips is elastic. It is important that the company has enough sales to cover our fixed costs and provide satisfactory profits.As we our selling a product in the maturity stage of the product lifestyle, the distribution channels we use is important to the company. Thus, it is important that we price our product at a level that appeals to wholesalers and retailers. Our pricing strategy is to focus on the market for healthy and high quality potato chips. We believe this will allow us to price our product at a price slightly above our competitors. In order to encourage customers to try our product we will offer coupons. This will allow us stimulate demand by offering a lower price temporarily. We can then discontinue the rebate once people are aware of our product. Distribution StrategyHardbite Chips currently distributes the potato chips it produces through numerous distributors. This strategy has helped the brand grow from being sold in mainly in health stores to being sold on many campuses across BC in addition to well known stores such as London Drugs, Shoppers Drug Mart, Overwaitea, and IGA Marketplace locations. This has allowed the company to increase demand for its products without having its own sales force. Given the proportion of snack food sales in retail grocery stores, we believe it is important that we communicate directly to these retailers to encourage them to carry our brand. We also think selling our product in convenience tores will help increase brand awareness. Retailers that we feel would immensely help increase our sales include Safeway, The Real Canadian Superstore, and 7-11. Getting our product sold in vending machines would also help increase brand awareness. Despite a provincial ban on the sales of junk food in elementary and high schools, vending machines are found in many high traffic areas. As our packaging has information on the health benefits of our product, health conscious consumers may be more inclined to buy our product given the alternatives. IMC Strategy Our primary communicatio n objective is to convince consumers our product is a healthy choice for their snacking needs.We would also like to communicate our commitment to the environment and our community. We feel that these messages can complement each other and work to position the company as caring and responsible in the minds of consumers. Given the size of our company and the limited amount of funds we have for promotion, we cannot afford to spend the amount we would like to on advertising. Thus, to reach our target market, we think we should advertise in magazines devoted to healthy lifestyles. The reason we have chosen magazines is they are a relativity low cost advertising option, they have a long advertising life and they have a high pass-along rate.We believe public relations may be the most cost effective way to increase customer awareness of our product. Sponsoring community activities, like a community garden, and co-sponsoring events like eco-challenge, which receives national television cover age, will help establish us as a health conscious and environmentally friendly company. Sponsoring activities like this will also likely result in positive media coverage for the company. This media coverage will inform consumers of our product that we were unable to reach through our advertising. Sales promotion provides many appealing options and offers the easiest way to reach our target market. For these reason it will be the largest portion of our target segment.Since potato chips are a convenience product, consumers spend a little time deciding which product to buy and they are not likely to remember advertising for a particular potato chip brand. Therefore, a point of purchase display may significantly help sway a consumer in favour of our product. This allows us to be the last promotional item they see before they make their purchase. Providing samples is another sale promotion technique that we think would work well for our product. By being able to sample our product befor e purchasing it, consumers will be less put off by our slightly higher price. As we discussed in our pricing strategy, we would also like to use coupons to entice customers to buy our product. By temporarily reducing our price we believe many more consumers will be willing to try our product.As we discussed in our distribution strategy, we would like to use personal selling to encourage more retailers to carry our product. By doing this together with our other promotional elements we hope to create an effective mix of push and pull strategies that will convince more retailers to carry our product. As the company grows and more funds can be spent on promotional activities we would like to increase the amount of advertising done. We would like to use different forms of media to reach our target market. Also, as consumer awareness of our brand grows and we increase our product offerings, we would like to expand our target market and create slightly different marketing campaigns to targ et certain ethnic groups. ConclusionDespite heavy competition in the snack food industry we think Hardbite Chips can produce satisfactory profits and continue to grow. Given that potato chips are in the maturity stage of the product life cycle, increasing the number of retailers that sell our product is an important part of our strategy. By increasing the number of retailers who sell our product, we will make it easier for our target market to purchase our product. We believe by increasing awareness of our product we can capture a large portion of health conscious consumers. By using our promotion mix to inform consumers of the benefits and features of our product, we can convince members of our target market segment that our brand is of high quality.Although our price is slightly higher than most of our competitors, we believe consumers will perceive our product as worth the extra cost. Appendix I Sample Survey |1. List all brands of potato chips that you are aware of. | |_________ _____________________________________________________________________ | |______________________________________________________________________________ | |______________________________________________________________________________ | |2.Are you aware of the brand Hardbite Chips? (if your answer is no, skip to question 4) | |Yes ___ No___ | |3. What product features of Hardbite Chips are you aware of? | |______________________________________________________________________________ | |______________________________________________________________________________ | |4. On average, how often do you buy potato chips? |More than once a week ___ | |Once a week___ | |Once a month___ | |Once every 2-3 months___ | Endnotes 1. Statistics Canada, Canada Food Stats: Analysis, http://www. statcan. gc. ca/ads-annonces/23f0001x/hl-fs-eng. htm 2. L. B. C. Consulting, Canada: Market Development Reports: Snack Food Market in Canada, Global Agriculture Information Network Report, United States D epartment of Agriculture (Ottawa, Canada: Foreign Agriculture Services, 2003), 6. http://www. fas. usda. gov/gainfiles/200301/145785163. pdf 3. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Retail Sales in Canadian Grocery Stores, 2007, http://www. ats-sea. agr. gc. ca/can/4714-eng. htmAgriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Retail Sales in Canadian Grocery Stores, 2006, http://www. ats-sea. agr. gc. ca/can/4715-eng. htm 4. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada's Snack Food Industry, http://ats-sea. agr. gc. ca/supply/3320_e. htm 5. The Province, â€Å"From pasta to potato chips,† May 21, 2006, Canadian Newstand, ProQuest 6. Sarah Merson, â€Å"SALT — THE PROS AND THE CONS,† Foods Matter (UK), March 2009, 9, EBSCOhost Bibliography Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Canada's Snack Food Industry. http://ats-sea. agr. gc. ca/supply/3320_e. htm. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Retail Sales in Canadian Grocery Stores, 2006. http://www. ats-sea. agr. gc. ca/can/4715-eng. htm.

Free Essays on Holograms And Holography

I. Introduction Holograms are objects that exist in a two dimensional state, but can be perceived by the human eyes to be in a three dimensional state. They make you want to reach out and touch it, but only come to find this two dimensional object. This is the entire purpose of a hologram, to convince the human eye that there is an object where one does not exist. Holograms have been a known technology for a while, but understanding how they work is a whole other story. You hold a hologram up to yourself and look at it thinking, â€Å"Am I seeing things?....Is someone pulling a Jedi Mind Trick on me?†¦.Is there really an object there?† How is this possible? This paper will cover how this is possible and various other aspects of holography. II. Creating Holograms A. The Idea Holograms are kept on a holographic film sheets. This film is similar to regular photography film, only with special properties in its chemical make up that allow multiple different angle patterns to be recorded onto the film. The film does not record light waves. If it recorded light waves, then it would be nothing more than photographic film. What is of interest about this hologram film is collecting interference patterns of light. After this pattern of interference is recorded onto the film it can be called a hologram. The film acts like a lens after it has been developed with the interference pattern of the object you want to create a hologram of. This lens stores the information about the object like the data stored on a computer, except in this case it is stored as a pattern of interference on the film. When light is passed through this â€Å"lens† it uses a process of diffraction upon the recorded interference pattern to reproduce the object recorded. This eff ect can be achieved by either reflecting light from the surface of the film, or shining light through the film from the opposite side. Metallic films require that you reflect the lig... Free Essays on Holograms And Holography Free Essays on Holograms And Holography I. Introduction Holograms are objects that exist in a two dimensional state, but can be perceived by the human eyes to be in a three dimensional state. They make you want to reach out and touch it, but only come to find this two dimensional object. This is the entire purpose of a hologram, to convince the human eye that there is an object where one does not exist. Holograms have been a known technology for a while, but understanding how they work is a whole other story. You hold a hologram up to yourself and look at it thinking, â€Å"Am I seeing things?....Is someone pulling a Jedi Mind Trick on me?†¦.Is there really an object there?† How is this possible? This paper will cover how this is possible and various other aspects of holography. II. Creating Holograms A. The Idea Holograms are kept on a holographic film sheets. This film is similar to regular photography film, only with special properties in its chemical make up that allow multiple different angle patterns to be recorded onto the film. The film does not record light waves. If it recorded light waves, then it would be nothing more than photographic film. What is of interest about this hologram film is collecting interference patterns of light. After this pattern of interference is recorded onto the film it can be called a hologram. The film acts like a lens after it has been developed with the interference pattern of the object you want to create a hologram of. This lens stores the information about the object like the data stored on a computer, except in this case it is stored as a pattern of interference on the film. When light is passed through this â€Å"lens† it uses a process of diffraction upon the recorded interference pattern to reproduce the object recorded. This eff ect can be achieved by either reflecting light from the surface of the film, or shining light through the film from the opposite side. Metallic films require that you reflect the lig...

Heres Why Your College GPA Matters

Here's Why Your College GPA Matters In high school, you likely focused on getting good grades- and, consequently, having a high grade point average (GPA)- because you wanted to get into to college. But now that youve done that, you may be wondering, Does GPA matter in college? While this may seem like a simple question, it doesnt have a straightforward answer. In some situations, your college GPA can matter quite a bit; on the other hand, a GPA can mean nothing beyond whether or not you can graduate. Why Your GPA Matters in College There are many reasons you will want to maintain a good GPA in college. Ultimately, you will need to pass your classes in order to get your degree, which is the point of going to college in the first place. From that perspective, the answer is clear: Your GPA matters. If your GPA drops below a certain threshold, your school will send you a notice youve been  placed on academic probation  and tell you what steps to take in order to recover from it. Along the same lines, you may need to keep it at or above a certain level to keep your scholarships, other financial awards or loan eligibility. Additionally, things like academic honors, research opportunities, internships, and some classes have GPA requirements. Its always a good idea to ask your academic adviser about any GPA requirements you should be aware of, so you dont find out youre in trouble after its too late to fix it.   Do College Grades Matter for Jobs? Your GPA may or may not play an important role in your life after college- it depends on your post-graduate plans. For example, Graduate school admissions are very competitive, and youre required to put your GPA on an application. If youre interested in furthering your education but the damage to your GPA is already done, dont fret: Good scores on the GRE, GMAT, MCAT or LSAT could make up for a sub-par GPA. (Of course, getting into grad school will be a lot easier if you focus on maintaining a good GPA from the start of college.) Even if youre not thinking about more school, you should know some employers will ask you for your GPA when you apply for a job. In fact, there are companies- generally, large companies- who require applicants to meet the basic GPA requirement.   Beyond the aforementioned situations, theres a good chance your GPA may never again come up after graduation. In general, employers focus more on your level of education, not the grades that got you there, and theres no rule that says you  need  to put your GPA on your resume. The bottom line: Your college GPA is only as important as it is for your future plans. While you may not feel pressure to focus on maintaining a high GPA as you did in high school, theres no reason why you shouldnt work hard in your classes and succeed as best you can academically. You never know, after all, what jobs or graduate school programs you might end up applying for years after you graduate.

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF E-GOVERNMENT IN INDIA Essay

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF E-GOVERNMENT IN INDIA - Essay Example This makes it doubly responsive as well, but provides a healthy iv. Larger Urban area than rural area: Chandigarh, spread in an area of approx 115 Sq Kms, is a cosmopolitan with a mix of rural and urban areas, but having majority of urban area makes life simpler for planners (79 Sq. km Urban area and 36 Sq. km Rural area.), as basic infrastructure is available as per the urban services. Therefore any e-initiative can be started off without much additional infrastructural investments. v. Effective Power distribution network: Chandigarh has one of the best electricity distribution systems in India. Efforts are being made towards further rationalization of power tariff and energy reforms vi. Progressive IT location: Some of the industries that have already placed their footprints on Chandigarh are; VLSI Design, Software Development, ITES, BPO etc. During the year 2003-04 software exports from Chandigarh amounted to more than US $ 2.3 billion, which indicates towards its potential as an IT destination. There are about 3000 IT professionals working in and around the main parks viz. Chandigarh Technology Park, Quark City, and the SPIC Incubation Centre vii. Aware and Active Citizens: Literacy rate in Chandigarh is reasonably high. Furthermore, the Chandigarh Administration also targets that by the end of 2006; at least 30% of all school graduates would have the requisite soft-skills to be recruited into the ITES industry. Citizens have responded in good measure towards this end by offering requisite support by sending their wards for IT training. viii. Right IT infrastructure: Infrastructure is the key to any development in the society. IT initiative is no exception. The city is home to national level institutes such as Central Scientific Instruments Organization (CSIO), Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH), and PG Institute of Medical Education & Research. The NASSCOM KPMG Study 2004 cites Chandigarhs strengths as high

Securing America and Protecting Civil Liberties Essay - 1

Securing America and Protecting Civil Liberties - Essay Example The liberties held so dear to the Americans was changed in number of ways where the law enforcements agencies had the right of conducting the searches of the homes and offices without a notice in advance or there were regular monitoring of the computers, email messages and text messages so that the clients can be eaves dropped on and so on. The clash between the civil liberties and the national security had taken place a number of times where the restrictive laws have played an important role to abridge the gap that exists between the two. In response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, on September 14, 2001, Geroge W.Bush declared the state of emergency which gave him the right to invoke his presidential rights passing the Patriot Act which not only centralized the law enforcement powers to the Justice Department, but also gave CIA the oversight of the gathering of the domestic intelligence, and the rights of the citizens and non residents as stated in the constitution were disregarde d. After the terrorist attacks, the Patriot Act has played a very important role where several have debated over how ethical or unethical the Act was. The Department of Justice wanted to do everything possible to ensure that the terrorist attacks in the future can be prevented and therefore Patriot Act in this respect played a very important but at the same time a very controversial role. There were a number of operations carried out so that the Americans could be protected but in the aim of protecting the innocent America, their way of life was put in jeopardy and the true essence of the America life style was lost. It has been debated a couple of times that the first amendment, fourth amendment have been affected and eroded by the USA Patriot Act which gave birth to a large number of legislative changes , where most importantly the investigative powers of the law enforcement agencies was increased. Amendment 1 stated: â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment o f religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.† (Bill of Rights and Later Amendments ushistory.org) Amendment 2 stated: â€Å"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.† (Bill of Rights and Later Amendments ushistory.org) The American Government made changes to the surveillance laws and gave the law enforcement authorities to not only spy on the citizens but also limit the checks on those powers such as public accountability etc. â€Å"The USA Patriot Act permits seizure of voice mail pursuant to a search warrant , al lows victims of computer trespassing to invite law enforcement to monitor attacks on their computers without needing a court order.† (Etzioni, A., & Marsh, J. H. (2003). Rights vs. public safety after 9/11: America in the age of terrorism. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield) Initially when America declared the war on terrorism, it was