Creole Men In The Awakening Essay Example For Students

Creole Men In The Awakening Essay In Kate Chopins novel, The Awakening the characters of the Creole men are diverse and different as the character Edna. Most of Kate Chopins stories center around a Woman unsatisfied with her position in life, while living in a man dominated society. The three main characters are typical men of that era. Chopin shows the diversity in each of those three characters. Roberts awakening, and the struggle to do what is the right thing. Alcee and how he is carefree and not concerned with societys expectations of him, and so has a reputation. Mr. Pontiller, a business man first and foremost, with little left for wife and family. Robert did the right and noble thing by leaving to go to Mexico so as to not have to see the object of his forbidden love. Alcee sees Edna as another one of his conquest, and does not give up, pursuing her at all cost. Alcee has not concern of what society thinks of him so he is able to do as he pleases. Mr. Pontieller, while he believes himself to be a kind husband, is a typical businessman of the era. He wants his wife to obey him. He wants the perfect Creole wife, one who can help him excel in the business world he loves so much. In exploring these three men in Kate Chopins The Awakening, there are certain aspects of each, while different, the same. All live in the 1800s were morale reputation was considered to be the utmost importance to the businessman, yet, Alcee seems unconcerned with any morale or business responsibility. In exploring the character of Robert who seems to be at a crossroad in his life. Search for his fortune, find a wife, prosper and be respectable, or, do the unthinkable and follow his heart. Mr. Pontellier is the typical Creole husband and businessman. Leonce is convinced that fulfilling monetary needs excuses the paucity of time he spends with the children, never presuming that some needs cannot be monetarily satisfied: He has his hands full with his brokerage business making a living for his family on the street(885)} Even to himself, Leonces thought smack of the self-pity of the empowered. Perhaps because he is aware of his own neglect, Leonce projects his guilt onto Edna, expecting flawless mammal performance on her part to remedy his domestic absence. (Patrsn, Out Of A Convention of Awakening, np)Patterson describes Leonce has having self-pity due to his empowererment. With the privileges of wealth and social standing comes self-debasement. Leonce is so caught up in his own ideals that he fails to see his reaction to his wife, and children. He is caught in turmoil between society and having no other way out. Then Mr. Pontellier got up, saying he had half a mind to go over to Kliens hotel and play a game of billiards. (Chopin, 174) Leonce does not spend time with his family while at the summer cottage, having never cultivated intimacy with his children and wife, Leonce would rather be with the boys, having fun, doing his own thing, leaving all the everyday responsibilities to his wife, or hired help. Leonce is out of his element when not doing business. While at home Leonce expects his wife to be attentive to his every word, treating him more like a prospective business partner than her husband. Leonce does not accept Ednas lack of attention, and gets at her the only way he can, through her children. Leonce has a chance to vent his discouragement toward his wife. He thought it very discouraging that his wife, the sole object of his existence, envinviced so little interest in things which concerned him and valued so little his conversation. (177) He reproached his wife with inattentions (178) It is obvious that Ednas inattentions where of Leonce and not the children. Leonce wanted to get at his wife from h er lack of interest in his time at Kliens. This behavior is somewhat indicative of a selfish person, looking to his own needs, or someone who does not have a clue about intimacy. After he reproaches Edna he goes outside and smokes a cigar like it was the most natural thing in the world to do. (178) The real event is that Leonce has gotten even with his wife, for her inattention to him. Later the next day Leonce feels somewhat guilty for his outburst towards his wife He had regained his composure which seemed to have been somewhat impaired the night before. (179) Leonce knows that he acted emotionally as being out of sorts describes. Leonce does not tell his wifeanything, but later sends her a gift package as if to make up to her what had happened. Leonce was in turmoil, regarding his actions, although Leonce is still choosing to remain aloof towards Edna. How generic, sending a gift with out a word of apology. Leonce has no idea how badly he has behaved in sending a gift without a w ord of apology; it is as though he were trying to mend a business relation. Leonces whole character is that of a man who has no intimacy with wife or children. A successful business is what he loves, what has become his whole life. Leonces only reason for marrying was to help him in his business, stable married man, father, and beautiful obedient wife. Leonce has another lover, his business. Leonce is so worried that his business will suffer if Edna leaves the house, he wrote writes to tell him she is leaving the house. Leonce immediately writes a letter of unqualified disapproval and remonstrance. (316) Leonce is not thinking about what this action will do to his reputation. No Leonce is thinking about his financial integrity (316) Leonce demonstrates again the lack of intimacy for his wife, were his business is concerned. Leonce is afraid if this gets out that his business will suffer. Leonce strategically makes a plan to save face and gives Edna minute instructions-to a well-know n architect concerning the remodeling of his home, changes which he had long contemplated, and which he desired carried forward during his temporary absence (316) Leonce is a self-absorbed businessman. Leonce believes, that he adores his wife and children. What he adores is what they do for him in his business. A good reputation went a long way during the 1800s in which he lived. Leonce is quick to remedy any obstacle that will get in the way of his business. Leonce is a man of the 1800s through and through. Chopin has given a glimpse of the Alcee a single man who lives life as he pleases. Alcee has chosen to become a rogue of society, not adhering to the social norm that most men in that time period adhered to.On one end of the socio-political spectrum is the unmarried Creole man who shares an intimate moment with a married woman, an experience that inspires a physco-sexual awakening in both. Introduced as a special rebel, this Creole bachelor has created for himself an unconventio nal public image, which separates him from the more conventional Creole men. In fact, his unconventionality serves as a stimulus for the awakening in the woman he encounters. (Brown, Awakened Men In Kate Chopins Creole Stories, np) Alcee wants the freedom to do what he wants. He seems to be a man of means and so does not have to work in order to have material possessions. On the contrary,and inquired if he were related to the gentleman of that name who formed one of the firm of Laitner and Arobin, lawyers. The young man admitted that Laitner was a warm personal friend, who permitted Arboins name to decorate the firms letterheads and to appear upon a shingle that graced Perdido Street (307-308) Alcee had income from a law firm for which he did not work. Alcee was a 19th century playboy, while living in an 18th century society. Alcee had a reputation among the Creoles. Now if I were like Arobin you remember Alcee Arobin and that story of the consuls wife at Biloxi (201) Alcee seems to focused his attentions on Edna and then pursues her, with no regard for her reputation Alcee instinctively knows when a woman is not content with her place in life. Alcee uses his charm and understanding friendship to gain the trust of these women. Alcee takes them out every night to the races, the club, or just for a drive. Alcee gives them his attentions with out demanding payback. This behavior is not uncommon with men who consider themselves a Ladys Man. His hand had strayed to her beautiful shoulders, and he could feel the response of her flesh to his touch he seated himself beside her and her lightly upon the shoulder. I thought you were going away, she said, in an uneven voice. I am, after I have said goodnight. Goodnight, she murmured. He did not answer, except to continue to caress her. He did not say good night until she had become supple to his gentle, seductive entreaties. (315-316)Alcee had his reputation for being with married women. Alcee chooses women who are marrie d, leaving him with no responsibility for their welfare when he was finished with them. Alcee is concerned with conquest. It is as if Alcee wants to live up to his reputation, to show that he can. Alcee was an exciting man to be with, preferring the game of seduction to the actual seduction itself. Robert Lebrun is a most complex individual. He spends summers on Grande Island with his mother and brother. Robert is infatuated with the married women at the cottages. Robert..had constituted himself the devoted attendant of some fair dame or damsel. Sometimes it was a young girl, again a widow; but often as not it was some interesting married woman. (185) Robert is a good friend to these women. Robert is never taken seriously by the married women though. It was understood that he had often spoke words of love and devotion to Madame Ratignolle, without any thought of being taken seriously. (186) Robert wants to be taken seriously, knowing what it would mean to the woman. Robert is trying to fulfill a secret desire, what to become in this life. Robert knows his intentions go on deaf ears, until the day that Madame Ratignolle talks with him about Edna. His faced flushed with annoyance and taking off his soft hat he began to beat it impatiently against his leg as he walked Why shouldnt she take me seriously? he demanded sharply. Am I a comedian, a clown, a jack-in-the-box? Why shouldnt she? You Creoles! I have no patience with you! Am I always to be regarded as a feature of an amusing programme? I hope Mrs. Pontillier does take me seriously. I hope she has discernment enough to find in me something besides the blaguer. If I thought there was any doubt- (200) Robert is awakened to the idea that Edna may take him seriously. Why would Ednas friend tell him this if something had not been said? Robert is starting to think about what if. Roberts infatuations are stirring in him a desire to find the right path and, now there are two paths to follow. Roberts intentions were q uite never real to him, until that day when Madame Ratignolle had spoken of Edna. Robert laughs about it at first, and even assures Madame Ratignolle, that there is no earthly way of Mrs. Pontillier ever taking me seriously (201) Robert does the proper thing at first, then he cannot help but being near the object of his desire. Robert would stay away from Edna sometimes an entire day, then redouble his devotions as if to make up for lost time. (211) Robert can not stay away from Edna, he has become to infatuated with the idea that Edna has taken him seriously. Robert was more a friend to Edna than Alcee, for Ednas children adored Robert (199). Robert was a kind soul, and yet, there is nothing kind in his motivations toward Edna. Robert is stuck, he continues his friendship with Edna, but things start to change for him. He realizes that he is in love with Edna, a married woman. This realization leads Robert to go to Mexico. Robert knows that nothing will ever come of the relationship so he leaves. Robert has chosen to do the right thing and get away from the desire of his heart. Robert cannot be near his desire and he thinks that by leaving to go to anther country that will help him. Robert is quite mistaken though. Roberts desire for Edna brings him back to the city. Robert cannot bear to be away from Edna, and he cannot bear to be near her. Robert is confused by his feelings; he seeks out a friend, someone whom he can talk with. Robert is quite taken back when the object of his desire is at the same place he has gone for refuge. Robert wants so much to tell Edna of his feelings for her but cannot permit himself to do so. Roberts feeling betray him and he finds himself getting anxious and wanting to leave the company of his beloved Edna. Robert uses an excuse to keep from staying with her (325), then sees the hurt look and changes his mind. Robert cannot bear to hurt Edna. Robert has elevated Edna on a pedestal of total morality, and feels that he has no right to be with her. Robert is truly a gentleman, yet when he realizes that Edna has changed toward her ideas and has become friends with Alcee, Robert feelings suddenly start to change, even unknown to him. Robert proclaims his love for Edna, his desire to marry her, thinking that this is what Edna would want. Loyalty To Family In The Short Story barn Burning EssayDomestic Goddess Editor, Kim Wells August 23, 1999 Out Site*http://www.womenwriters.net/domesticgoddess/Lu.htmlPlatizky, Roger: Chopins the Awakening, Explicator, Winter 95, Vol. 53 Issue 2 EBSCOhost Full DisplayOnline October 30, 2000Wilson, Robert W: Feminine Sexuality and Passion: The StormOctober 22, 1992Online November 16, 2000Out Site* http://www.interchg.ubc.ca/rq/eng204-1.htmBrown, Pearl L: Awakened Men in Kate Chopins Creole StoriesEBSCOhost Full Display Online October 30, 2000Chopin, Kate: The Awakening and Other Selected Stories, Patterson, Katherine: Out of a Convention of Awakening: Defining A Space Beyond Awareness, Feminist Issues, Fall 1991, Vol. 11 Issue 2EBSCOhost Full DisplayOnline October 30, 2000 Bibliography:

Flannery OConnor The value of literary realism Essay Example For Students

Flannery OConnor: The value of literary realism Essay In questioning the value of literary realism, Flannery OConnor has written, I am interested in making a good case for distortion because it is the only way to make people see. Kurt Vonnegut writes pessimistic novels, or at least he did back in the sixties. Between Slaughterhouse Five, Mother Night, and Cats Cradle, Vonnegut paints a cynical and satirical picture of the degradation of society using distortion as the primary means to express himself. In Cats Cradle, the reader is confronted with the story of the narrator, John, as he attempts to gather material to write a book on the human aspect of the day Japan was bombed. As the story progresses, he finds that becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish reality from illusion. He meets up with a midget, a dictator, and a nations object of lust as his journey progresses, and he eventually ends up the sole leader of a remote island and witnesses the end of the world. Using implausible stories and unbelievable characters and situations to convey his message, Vonneguts utilization of literary distortion allows him to move the reader and prove his point in a far greater way than he could by just blatantly shouting his opinions. Anyone unable to understand how useful a religion can be founded on lies will not understand this book either16, states the narrator, concerning Cats Cradle. Throughout the text, Vonnegut uses the religion of Bokononism, which is a fictitious faith founded on the basis of deception, to establish that people can prosper and be happy under false beliefs. When two men founded the island nation of San Lorenzo, Cats Cradles model for society, it was decided by them that the only way to keep starving natives from revolting was to create a religion focusing on the individual and then outlaw it. By doing this, the people could all employed full time as actors in a play they understood, that human being everywhere could enjoy and applaud 144. So became Bokononism, one of the men taking charge of the government, and the other, Bokonon, retreating into the forest to preach his faith. After exploring the theory of Bokononism, and machinations of the men behind it, the reader is left wondering if Vonnegut is implying that democracy and our American ideals could be, perhaps, an elaborate hoax. Bokonons words: I wanted all things To seem to make more sense, So we all could be happy, yes Instead of tense. And I made up lies So that they would all fit nice And I made this sad world A par-a-dise 109 Upon his arrival at San Lorenzo, John is struck by the illusionary visage that the island projects. From his room in the luxurious Casa Mona, he is blessed with a view of the islands one paved street, the harbor, the airport, and a multiplicity of well manicured lawns and hedges. However, the squalor and misery of the city, being to the sides and back of the Casa Mona, were impossible to see 131. This clouded sense of beauty projected by the hotel may be interpreted as yet another metaphor blasting the concept of nationality. Perhaps the bells and whistles decorating our freedom and independence are merely distracting us from the corruption and destruction being planned behind the scenes? Perhaps we really have no business calling ourselves one nation under god, as we are simply millions of people with millions of different interests? As John states: aâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦a seeming team that meaningless in terms of the ways God gets things done, a textbook example of what Bokonon calls a granfallon. Other examples of granfallons are the Communist party, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the General Electric Company, the International order of Odd Fellows-and any nation, any time, anywhere. 82 Bokononism says that if there is a god, he is a practical joker, and the destruction of the world is thought of to be the Almightys final horrible joke. .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004 , .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004 .postImageUrl , .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004 , .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004:hover , .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004:visited , .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004:active { border:0!important; } .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004:active , .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004 .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u8a79d9547b4415ac49a03e594d066004:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Gothic Horror EssayIn one of his last statements, Bokonon states that this God is hardly the all-loving entity he is perceived to be. Someday, someday, this crazy world will come to an end, and our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if, on that sad day, you want to scold our God, why go ahead and scold Him. Hell just smile and nod. 218 In this same cool manner does Bokonon go about breaking the news that God does not intervene with human affairs, rather it is man who must control his own destiny. Man blinked. What is the purpose of all of all this? he asked politely. Everything must have a purpose? asked God. Certainly, said man. Then I leave it to you to think of one for all this, said God. And He went away. 215 While the notion of a practical joking funnyman as a heavenly father may offend some churchgoers, it is Vonneguts way of saying that we may be taking our concept of religion too far. Only MAN is sacred in Bokononism, and that may be an aspect left out of organized faith. We may only live once, and wasting our lives preparing for the one hereafter may be a phenomenal waste of time. In conclusion, while some of the events and ideas present in Cats Cradle may register as ridiculous and just plain weird, it is with these feelings that Vonnegut wished his readers to experience his novel. Only by creating extreme situations and extraordinary theories was Vonnegut able to reproduce the level of absurdity he felt towards society. When a novel simply denouncing God, America, and progress may have been shunned and ignored by the masses, the humorous and witty, yet bitter account of the end of the world present in Cats Cradle was able to make an impact.

Haagen Dazs Case Study Essay Example

Haagen Dazs Case Study Essay Haagen-Dazs has been successful for over half of the century. What are the sources for these successes is always challenging marketers of Haagen-Dazs itself and the competitors as well. Preparing good marketing strategies is always the policy craved deeply into marketers teams. Having an overview of the current market situation of ice cream industry and Haagen-Dazs profile will provide some new insights for the future development of the company. Along with that, market segmentation, target, and positioning determined by Haagen-Dazs are worth dwelling deeply into. Before getting any further steps, considering carefully the external and internal factors that influence the operating of Haagen-Dazs is necessary in coming up with impressive tactics. Succeed or failure in creating values for customers in order to capture back values in return depends mostly on the marketing mix that Haagen-Dazs employing into its strategies. Product, price, place, and promotion strategies are all helping Haagen-Dazs differentiating with other competitors. Maintaining the uniqueness of its business is directly relating to the survival of Haagen-Dazs in a competitively strained market. Thus, looking into its weaknesses and threats to find out new ways of doing things is critical than ever. Haagen-Dazs needs to target more segments, changing its marketing programs to fit with the new segments will never be redundant. It should also think of gaining control over those loopholes threatening its reputation and ethically consolidating its commitment to customers as a back wall for new launching. We will write a custom essay sample on Haagen Dazs Case Study specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Haagen Dazs Case Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Haagen Dazs Case Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer II. CURRENT MARKET SITUATION 1. INDUSTRY Global sales of ice cream reached 13 billion liters in 2002, an increase of 3% over the previous year. This was a significant improvement over 2001, when sales expanded by 1. 8%. This trend continues extending to the future. Growth has been driven by rising levels of disposable income, which allowed consumers to purchase non-essential foods on a more frequent basis. Demand for ice cream is also becoming less seasonal, with the product increasingly serving as a snack throughout the year. Continued product innovation was also critical in boosting demand, underpinned by increased levels of advertising expenditure from the major international players. As the result, more and more companies try to get into the ice cream competitions around the world. Recently, Unilever announced its ever ambitious investment in ice cream category. Unilever today unveiled plans to shake up the ice cream market and strengthen its global leadership by boosting its US$ 6. 6 billion global ice cream business. One of the biggest changes in ice cream industry that challenges most of the companies is the change in consumer buying behavior. Bulk ice cream used to dominate the market with 70% share, while the rest are frozen novelties. Today, the share has been reversed to 30% and 70%, in favor of frozen novelties. However, this trend seems to be favorable by some ice cream franchising companies that inherently dominate in offering frozen novelties such as Baskin Robbins-31 Flavors. Despite these changes, ice cream has still been considered as a lucrative industry. Sales and revenues grow increasingly years over years. The competition in winning the market share becomes one of the most important strategies for both existing companies and new comers. 2. COMPETITOR AND MARKET SHARE There is no doubt that Haagen-Dazs’ biggest competitor is Ben Jerry’s. These two companies are very similar but yet also very different. Both of them had control the global super-premium ice cream market. They had about 42% of the market, with the remaining 15% being divided up between a numbers of smaller firms that compete on either a local or national basis. How Haagen-Dazs compete with their competitor? In general, Haagen-Dazs are trying to create and add more values to their products offered to consumers. They clearly state that their brand stand for premium ice cream which is thicker, creamier and pricier than their competitor. At the meantime, they introduce their new product with a major advertising effort. On the other hand, Baskin Robbins is also a challenge to Haagen-Dazs. In reality, Baskin Robbins does not compete directly with Haagen-Dazs because Baskin Robbins mainly targets at different market as well as manufactures premium ice cream, not super premium ice cream. However, with strong marketing strategies, Baskin Robbins may distract the affluent young adult market Haagen-Dazs pursuing. Many adults, especially adults with children, are increasingly attracted by what Baskin Robbins is following. Based on 2002 statistic, Baskin Robbins alone took over 45% of U. S market for premium ice cream. Similar to Baskin Robbins, Dreyers is claiming up in the market share for premium ice cream, and threatening Haagen-Dazs by distorting the affluent adult market. Dreyers strongly believes that Ice Cream with half the fat and a third fewer calories than full-fat premium it offering would take the ice cream world by storm. III. COMPANY PROFILE In 1920s, Reuben Mattus, a young entrepreneur with a passion for quality and a vision for creating the finest ice cream, worked in his mothers ice cream business selling fruit ice and ice cream pops from a horse drawn wagon in the bustling streets of the Bronx, New York. To produce the finest ice cream available, he insisted on using only the finest, purest ingredients. The family business grew and prospered throughout the 1930s, 40s and 50s, and by 1961 Mr. Mattus decided to form a new company dedicated to his ice cream vision. He called his new brand Haagen-Dazs, to convey an aura of the old-world traditions and craftsmanship to which he remained dedicated. The Haagen-Dazs brand spread rapidly during this period. By 1973, Haagen-Dazs products were enjoyed by discerning customers throughout the United States. Then in 1976, Mr. Mattus daughter Doris opened the first Haagen-Dazs shop. It was an immediate success, and its popularity led to a rapid expansion of Haagen-Dazs shops across the country. In 1983 Mr. Mattus agreed to sell Haagen-Dazs to The Pillsbury Company, which remained committed to the tradition of superior quality and innovation on which Haagen-Dazs was founded. Since then, it has become a global phenomenon, available in 54 countries. Ice Cream lovers the world over now recognize the unique Haagen-Dazs logo as synonymous with the ultimate super-premium ice cream. In 1989, Pillsbury became a member brand under the control of General Mills Co, Ltd. The missions and visions of Haagen-Dazs have still remained with it until now. Haagen-Dazs was also recorded as the first to introduce the world to ice cream bars for a grown up palate, with the introduction of the Haagen-Dazs ice cream bar line in 1986. Other super premium innovations followed, with Frozen Yogurt in 1991, Sorbet in 1993, and the Italian inspired Haagen-Dazs Gelato line in 2000. In 2005, Haagen-Dazs franchised its license to Nestle group to sell Haagen-Dazs ice cream in North America. However, the market outside of North America still maintain with Pillsbury. 1. MISSION The philosophy of Haagen-Dazs is â€Å"to find the purest and finest ingredients and craft them into the best ice cream, sorbet, and frozen yogurt. Haagen-Dazs mission is to provide every customer with high quality dessert eating experience. † 2. SEGMENTATION Haagen-Dazs based on three main segmentations to target their market. These segments consist of demographic, socio-cultural and psychographic. First, we look at demographic segmentation. Haagen-Dazs splits the market into groups based on income. They focus on consumers who have higher income to spend on luxuries such as their super-premium ice cream. They also separate the market based on age and aimed on the adults. Even though they do not segregate flavors by gender, they do tend to give marks for romantic and sensuous image of ice cream. Besides, they highlight the indulgence and pleasure related to sex. The second one is the socio-cultural segmentation. Different cultures and nationalities have different needs, especially in foods. European people have preferences in alcohol drinking; Japanese people are famous for their tea arts. On the other hand, Islamic countries are negatively sensitive with luscious images while Westerners express their enthusiastic for romantic. Observing carefully the socio-cultural can really give Haagen-Dazs a good tool in catching their target markets. The third one would be the psychographic segmentation. In psychographic segmentation, Haagen-Dazs divide buyers into group based on lifestyle and have their eyes on those buyers who take pleasure in the lavishness and indulgence linked with the brand. Haagen-Dazs had established an ambience behind its cafes which uses furniture that is comfortable and in deep shades of browns, burgundy and red to add a feeling of insulate and familiarity. 3. TARGET Decide not to completely follow these segmentations; Haagen-Dazs has narrowed down its business to carter to two main target markets. The first segment is affluent, pleasure seeking adults who are generally brand conscious, innovators and trend followers. Second is the market of health conscious, young adults who are interested in desserts but prefer natural ingredients and low fat substitutes. By identifying only two target segments and focusing on a small but profitable segment of the market, Haagen-Dazs is practicing a niche market strategy. 4. POSITIONING Haagen-Dazs positioning is mostly based on its product and service differentiations. They uphold their high quality and luxurious ice cream by using special selected ingredient. They also ensured that fresh cream is used for a rich creamy flavor and there is no excess air. While most of other companies test their product quality only within their manufacturing processes, Haagen-Dazs seriously bring it a step further to ensure that quality tests take place at every stage of production by visiting and testing ingredients suppliers, checking manufacturing processes and equipment daily, tasting ice cream in-store. There is clearly strong evidence to its product quality and that value will be perceived later as a testified commitment in the market. In addition, Haagen-Dazs associates its brand with luxurious tastes by using best ingredients from around the world and ensuring fresh cream is used for a rich creamy flavor, fresh skimmed milk for body and texture and fresh egg yolk for delicate flavors. As a matter of high quality product differentiation, they advertise that their ice cream is ALL ICE CREAM. Haagen-Dazs positioning is also based on image differentiation. This company use deep maroon gold logo to provide strong brand recognition and image differentiation. This logo is communicated through advertising that conveys their brand’s personality which is various exotic flavors. Combining with the ambience of each Haagen-Dazs cafe shops, it is brought to the most exclusive status ice cream company in world. VI. SWOT ANALYSIS Marketing strategy plays an important role in the survival of a company. Coming up with a smart marketing strategy seems to be a vital point that push up the competitive advantage of the company in that market. However, the microenvironment and macroenvironment factors are always putting their influences into the decision making process of marketers. Not to be an exception, Haagen-Dazs’ marketing processes are often impacted by these factors. Before dwell into the marketing mix of Haagen-Dazs, we are going to evaluate those factors that most probably affect this company’s marketing strategy by SWOT analysis. 1. STRENGTHS Developed brand with an attached history of perfection and luxury The idea of Haagen-Dazs dates back to the early 1920’s and was founded by Reuben Mattus. It was a family business before it was sold to the Pillsbury Company in 1983. Haagen-Dazs is one of the largest international brands and it started off with only three flavors: vanilla, chocolate and coffee, and up to date its product list with more than 63 new flavors nowadays. Holding a strong brand name, Haagen-Dazs has been building a special image in the consumers’ mind. Every time, talking about Haagen-Dazs, consumers easily relate to the super premium, artful and lustful ice creams that most probably only Haagen-Dazs is taking dominance over other competitors. In fact, Haagen-Dazs’ brand equity has been expanding over and over many different markets around the world. With a high product level and product quality, Haagen-Dazs is confident in stating their philosophy â€Å"Make it like no other. † Strong market position Building up a strong brand also leads to a strong market position. The company markets its products in more than 100 countries outside the US. Taking up to 42 percent of global ice cream market, Haagen-Dazs becomes one of two main players in super premium ice cream market. Under the General Mills’ control, Haagen-Dazs continues to build and expand its fast-growing nternational businesses across the world to become a megabrand. Obviously, strong brand name and leading market position will help in generating more revenue in the near future. Intelligent market targeting While other ice cream manufacturers focused on children, Haagen-Dazs was the first companies focusing on adult ice cream lovers. Recognizin g not only children loving ice cream, but adults also love ice cream as much as any others. Quickly taking advantage, Haagen-Dazs became the first-mover into a very potential segmentation that was forgotten by other competitors. This wise strategy has been contributing to the strengths of Haagen-Dazs for long. Use the finest ingredients to deliver product excellence Another strong aspect of Haagen-Dazs is the commitment to the quality of its products. Mr. Mattus insisted on using only the finest, purest ingredients to produce the best ice-cream; and his passion for quality soon took him to the four corners of the globe. His unique ice cream recipes included dark chocolate from Belgium and hand-picked vanilla beans from Madagascar, creating distinctive and indulgent taste experiences. The old tradition and craftsmanship of superior quality and innovation remained committed even after Haagen-Dazs was sold to Pillsbury Company. By continuously searching for new flavors and improving the quality of its products, Haagen-Dazs really differentiate itself with the products of other companies. Especially, the mixing between ice cream and alcohol becomes the most famous and special ice cream that only Haagen-Dazs can innovate. The secret formulas for this mixing can be considered as one of the competitive advantages of Haagen-Dazs to other companies. Vastly invested in consumer research Understanding tastes and preferences of customers is one of the key element for development its products. Before production actually begins, Haagen-Dazs unhesitating pours large amount of money for researches based on consumer-driven philosophy to understand the consumer preferences, desires and needs. As the result, more than 65 artful and unique flavors have been introduced to the market. The most recent introducing of Haagen-Dazs consists of the six Reserve Series which are believed costing millions dollars to look for uniquely new ingredients such as Lehua Honey, Lehua Blossom imparts, Amazon Chocolate, or Brazilian Acai Berry Sorbet. Used creativity and innovativeness to support brand identity Up to now, Haagen-Dazs offers a rotating range of products from ice cream to sorbet, frozen yogurt and frozen snacks in more than 65 flavors. Haagen-Dazs also markets flavors using pieces of cookies and candies. Besides that, Haagen-Dazs have introduced limited promotion for the â€Å"Reserve Series† as an exclusive line available in limited quantities in order to get attraction of ice cream lovers on these flavors as well as to prove the product level and quality attached to its brand. Strong advertising campaigns Haagen-Dazs brand was first advertised on national television in 1981. Most print ads for Haagen-Dazs in the 1980s showed images of delicious-looking ice creams. In 1989 after General Mills (GMP) took over Haagen-Dazs Company Inc. , Haagen-Dazs brand came to symbolize desire, pleasure, and indulgence. GMP engaged the services of Bartle Bogle Hegarty to launch an ad campaign. All through the early 1990s, Haagen-Dazs ads used the same theme and structure, with only minor variations in presentation depending on the country. The print ads were placed in publications like People, Vanity Fair, Esquire, EGG, Interview, etc. The campaign also included ads on radio and outdoor media, and in-store promotions. Consumers could easily identify Haagen-Dazs through its unique design and its advertisement. 2. WEAKNESSES In spite of its strengths, Haagen-Dazs still confront with some drawbacks that are deterrent to the ambition of reaching the first position of super premium ice cream producer in the world. These weaknesses are going to be discussed respectively as follow. Regarded as high Costly The first weakness is the high prices of Haagen-Dazs’ product. Although he world is moving to a general economic trend of higher earnings, more disposable income and leisure time, they need to understand that it’s not just the affluent or upper class people eating their ice-creams but also those of the lower and upper middle-income segments desiring for tasting the uniqueness of its ice creams. Setting the price too high seems to ignore this huge segmentation. And it also means that Haagen-Dazs accepts to b e kicked out and only to become a watcher looking competitors sharing the â€Å"big pie†. Focus on a narrow range of market segment As mentioned above, Haagen-Dazs is only focusing on affluent adult segment. This market target might be attractive at first, but it’s gradually losing the competitiveness. In fact, when there are more and more companies jumping into the adult segment, Haagen-Dazs will not be the sole player in this segment any more. At that time, Haagen-Dazs must share its market with many prospective competitors who may possess better marketing strategies, or innovations. Sexual image used in advertisement and no updated advertisement campaign Haagen-Dazs ice cream main theme is more for the adult. The same ads content repeatedly used and sooner customers will fail to take notice of it; consequently, it may lose the appeal of its position in the consumer perception. The biggest problem here is some Haagen-Dazs advertisements are unsuitable in some cultures or civilizations. Especially, it may have adverse effects when using these advertisements in Islamic countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, etc. Costly Distribution The fact that Haagen-Dazs ice creams need to be kept at a temperature substantially lower than most of other ice creams in order to keep its intended firmness is making it more expensive for storage and distribution. Moreover, to keep its commitment to provide the products with finest ingredients, Haagen-Dazs has to exploit materials in many far-distant places and transport back to its plants in different areas. The result is that it takes a great deal of money for Haagen-Dazs to move ingredients and materials around. Off course, the cost production and the prices of final products must be unexpectedly high. 3. OPPORTUNITIES Market for ice cream products getting larger Ice Cream lovers in the world over recognize the unique Haagen-Dazs logo as synonymous with the ultimate super-premium ice cream. In the early of its stages, Haagen-Dazs was only available at gourmet shops in New York City, but soon distribution expanded throughout the east coast of the United States since people who tasted the distinctive ice-cream transmit the good taste all around through their mouth. Soon, the opening of their first shop led to a rapid expansion of Haagen-Dazs shops across the country. However, since The Pillsbury Company bought Haagen-Dazs; it has become a global phenomenon that available in more than 60 countries and even owning over 1,000 outlets around the world. The success of Haagen-Dazs was created by their persistence in remain the quality and using only the finest natural ingredients. As an example of the acceptance of abroad on U. S. ’s product, Japan represents the second largest ice cream market in the world, with annual sales of about $4. 5 Billion. By the way, Haagen-Dazs capturing 50% of the market in Japan following by others six Japanese super premium ice cream products. However, that is only the beginning of the game. Many other highly potential markets are still untapped waiting for Haagen-Dazs’ actions. Chinese market is the next target Haagen-Dazs should focus on expending its brand name. Malaysia still has many place for Haagen-Dazs while Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand are untapped by ice cream industry. Targets low fat demand These days, people are more emphasize on their own health. As the increasing of health consciousness, people tend to live in a healthy lifestyle by eating well and exercise regularly. On the same time, diet seems to be a trend in the society, not specific for only woman but the male nowadays do take care of their body figure. Therefore, you can find out the products all around the market are all about Light, Low Calorie, Low Fat, No Fat, Fat Free, No Sugar, Sugar free, and Zero Calorie. For Haagen-Dazs, they came out with almost fourteen flavors of light ice-cream with only half the fat. Besides that, they also have the special taste of frozen yogurt with all the goodness of yogurt, naturally a good source of calcium with live and active culture. More than that, Haagen-Dazs produce all their ice-cream with natural ingredients that their ice-cream always make consumers feel comfortable in color and tasted cool and refreshing. Yet it seems not enough for Haagen-Dazs to win their competitors in this running. There are still many spaces for Haagen-Dazs to expand their emperor in these low fat or healthy frozen desserts. The behavior of eating outside is increasing Nowadays people are more likely to increase life standard influence by their higher education and environment. Due to the income’s increasing, people tend to spend more to achieve a better standard of living. Besides, they are more able or willing to spend the amount for satisfying their own needs and wants. Moreover, as we can see these days many people rather spend their leisure times and weekends at shopping mall than stay at home. As a habit, people would stop by to purchase some dessert as a finger licking. Then, the rising number of young people who demand in fast food and ice cream do effect the situation. Moreover, shopping wasn’t still a purpose of buying things but to away from the busy life and enjoy a plentiful meal or to taste a simple kind of happiness by melting a scoop of refreshing ice-cream in mouth. Preparing well for this trend, Haagen-Dazs are holding the key to open the door of a bigger room. Rising demands for cereals Cereal stands for breakfast food which made of wheat, maize, rye, etc. In the market, we can find that many of the brand has started to add in the cereals into their product because the rise of health consciousness. Due to the demand for cereals, company could have take the chance and to come out with several Multicultural environment People are always mentioning about â€Å"global village† or whole nation this days. The term means that due to the speed of electric communication all the human society started to implode, and we have gone back to the village way of life. We all start to know each other and communicate in an nstantaneous way. Then, people from different countries, cultures, races, religion and so on will be gather and started to treat each other as their own nation. As the people more familiar with the others cultures, they would slowly influence by each other and as a result they would accept each other to create a peaceful lifestyle and take everyone as their o wn family members. Therefore, acceptance of cultural can help them to accept each other lifestyle and mainly food as well. Wisely, looking at multicultural environment as opportunities will be a strategic way to cope up with the globalization. Nestle and Haagen-Dazs in US joint venture Two of the worlds biggest names in the ice cream sector, Nestle of Switzerland and Haagen-Dazs, a unit of the US-based Pillsbury Company have joined forces in the massive US market. The companies said that Nestle USA’s novelty ice cream operations and Haagen-Dazs frozen dessert business would form the back bone of a new 50/50 joint venture with combined sales of around US$600m. Both partners otter complementary products, Haagen-Dazs strong position in the super premium category combine well with Nestle’s novelty products. Together, they will be better able to grow their respective businesses in the worlds biggest ice cream market, commented Peter Brabeck, chief executive of Nestle. The Swiss group will bring its expertise in frozen dessert technology to the venture, while sales will be boosted by Haagen-Dazs direct store delivery. The venture will lead to cost reductions though operational and distribution efficiencies. The deal is still subject to approval by the Federal Trade Commission, and will include Nestle’s production facilities in California and Maryland and Haagen-Dazs site in California. The latters chain of shops in the US and its international ice cream operations are no included in the venture. 4. THREATS Customers may displace US products with products from Asian countries How does consumer used to think about U. S. products? Of course, high quality, durable, good condition as well. However, for most of them such as Asian, they treated U. S. product as a shopping goods or luxury goods because of its selling price. If we compare the price of several U. S. imported product to some Asia made product, obviously there is a big different etween both of the price. In Asian countries which own a big population, they could easily hire labors even though the company only pays such cheap wages. Therefore, it’s easy for them to reduce the producing cost but also to producing more. More than that, the high taxes that been charged on U. S. products during the export process do cause why people can’t afford to purchase them. Diseases such as mad cow may threat the market of the ice cream industry. To make ice-cream, we will need few key ingredients such as milk, cream, egg yolk, and sugar. Therefore, mad cow disease will directly bring the ice-cream industry such difficulty because without any of the ingredient, especially milk, the ice-cream wouldn’t be produced. According to the research, the human equivalent of Mad Cow Disease causes memory loss, emotional instability including inappropriate outbursts, an unsteady gait, progressing to marked weakness, severe rapidly progressive dementia and death, often within a year of the onset of symptoms. As people noticed that how serious will the disease affect them, they will start avoiding the product made by milk or any product which related to cow as well. Political problem and regulations Political problem do cause problem to their country production. If both of the country couldn’t deal with each other or they maybe start a war, it may affect the economical and trade relations break as well. For example, USA actions in Middle East and Iraq may affect the relationship between Arab countries and USA. Besides, violent politically related acts in Middle East and gulf region could gave bad image about this region and may affect trading between countries. Besides, the regulations set out by different governments or organizations make it difficult to be conformity in managing and producing processes. Specially, following the regulations related to sanitary and healthy product practices from authority organizations such as Foods and Drugs Administration of U. S (FDA) may divert company from innovating activities. Growing Ice Cream Outlet Threats It is believed that one can find out there are different kinds of premium ice-cream brand when he or she walks on a street or inside a hopping centre, for example, Tipperary Organic, Maud’s, Mars Nestle Tubs. This has shown the market now has over saturation of Premium ice creams; and the next aiming of premium ice cream producers may be super premium ice cream. More than that, Haagen-Dazs was threatened by other brands from different way. For example, Ben Jerry has taken the lead of coming out with a creative idea that they set up Cinema Stand, there’s a brand new Australian Hom emade Ice Cream cafe in Liffey Street, Maud’s Ice Cream Mall Stands and more. Furthermore, the economic have faced a small depression these days, therefore the demand for convenience products are actually increasing by day to day while shopping and luxury products may be affected in some ways. Moreover, there’s also growing demand for private labels. Losing control through mass franchising Haagen-Dazs has been franchised its products to hundreds countries around the world. Following a centralized structure in the organization seems to be inappropriate for its size. Controlling the whole organization through one headquarter located in the U. S makes it always overloaded. The problem of quality consistence in its product cannot be testified perfectly at those outlets far from the reach of headquarter. Specifically, recent warnings of sanitary problem of Haagen-Dazs ice creams in China questioned the controlling and testing processes being applied at these franchises. If Haagen-Dazs doesn’t take any action to fix this problem, the image of the company may be destroyed aggressively. V. MARKETING MIX Marketing mix plays an important role in the overall marketing strategy of a company. Nobody can deny that a good marketing mix means a strong competitiveness of a company. In this situation, Haagen-Dazs can be considered as one of plenty successful companies employing a very tactical marketing strategy. Due to the characteristics of ice cream industry, Haagen-Dazs product is determined as a combination of physical products and services. Thus, the marketing tools being used include seven Ps that are going to be analyzed in more details below. 1. PRODUCT Haagen-Dazs offers to customers a wide range of products. Basically, there are seven different classifications for their products. It includes ice cream, reserve, light ice cream, sorbet, frozen yogurt, bar, and novelties (shop specialty). Under each classification, there are many other different sub-products with various flavors. Even though it is abundant in product types, the core products that Haagen-Dazs offering to its customers are frozen desserts. In other words, what the customers are really buying is ice cream or yogurt inside of Haagen-Dazs containers. Based on marketing concept, actual products that Haagen-Dazs offers in the markets must include many other added values such as packaging labeling, marketing, distribution, advertising efforts and many others of the company. However, the final products that Haagen-Dazs selling to each customer must be known as the augmented products which are added some kind of values consisting of delivery services, customer communication, and other kind of services at Haagen-Dazs outlets that create the feeling of indulgence and lasting pleasure. Hence, the value created and the products strategy that being applied by Haagen-Dazs must be come along the process of developing their product from the start-up of the products until reaching the consumers’ hand. The variety in the product line shows that Haagen-Dazs is following many different segments in its target market. Off course, these segments must be convergent to the general target market, affluent adults markets. The only difference in the adult segment is the differences in taste and preferences. Therefore, by pursuing various product lines helps Haagen-Dazs reach its positioning strategy. Comparing Haagen-Dazs and other ice cream manufacturers, Haagen-Dazs is obviously dominant in the product level. Its products are not the same with any normal ice cream, not premium ice cream also, but it is Super Premium ice cream. By promising the finest ingredients and the unique flavors in the products, Haagen-Dazs differentiates itself with other competitors. In reality, Ben Jerry is the main rival of Haagen-Dazs in offering Super Premium Ice Cream; however, Haagen-Dazs make them more popular than the rival by the famous mixing of ice cream and high qu

How Do You Calculate Your GPA Step by Step Instructions

How Do You Calculate Your GPA Step by Step Instructions SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips How exactly do you take a document as complicated as your transcript and shrink it all down to one number? If you are wondering how to take all the final grades you've gotten in high school and figure out your GPA, then this article will show you exactly how to make that calculation. I'll take you through step by step. What Is a GPA? Most likely, in your high school classes, your final grades are given as letters (A-, B+, etc.) or as percents (92, 85, etc. out of 100). A GPA, or grade point average, first converts those letters or percents into numbers, then averages these numbers together. Because it's made up of all your grades, your GPA is one of the most important factors for college admission. It is a good indicator of your intelligence, work ethic, perseverance, and willingness to push yourself. GPAs are useful for colleges to easily compare you to other students who graduated from your school, and to all the other applicants. Why? Well, imagine you're an admissions officer who is looking at thousands of college applications. Would you rather go through each transcript, add up all the A's and all the B's, and then compare that to the next person, and so on forever? Or would you rather just have an easy summary number that could be used for a quick comparison across the board? Your GPA is that quick summary number. // Turn the hard to eat ingredients of your transcript into the gooey smore deliciousness of a GPA. Probably not with an open flame, though. The Difference Between Weighted and Unweighted GPA There are two main types of GPAs: weighted and unweighted. When schools use unweighted GPAs, they use a scale that goes from 0.0 to 4.0 and doesn't take the difficulty level of classes into account. However, some schools use a weighted GPA model, which takes class difficulty into account by using a scale that goes from 0.0 to 5.0. This gives higher numerical values to grades earned in honors/AP/IB classes. Suppose Jeremy gets an A in standard-level US History while Lakshmi gets an A in AP US History. With unweighted GPAs, both A’s are treated the same- each becomes a 4.0. On the other hand, with a weighted GPA, Jeremy's A would convert to a 4.0, while Lakshmi’s A would convert to a 5.0 to show that her class took a lot more effort to ace. // This article focuses primarily on explaining and calculating unweighted GPAs. For more information on weighted GPAs, check out our other article. Sure, you can pick them up, but doesn't it help to know how much each weighs? How Do You Calculate Your Unweighted GPA? The first thing to do in order to calculate a grade point average is to convert each of the final class grades you’ve gotten so far in high school into the right decimal. Here is the standard unweighted scale for doing this: Letter Grade Percentile GPA A+ 97-100 4.0 A 93-96 4.0 A- 90-92 3.7 B+ 87-89 3.3 B 83-86 3.0 B- 80-82 2.7 C+ 77-79 2.3 C 73-76 2.0 C- 70-72 1.7 D+ 67-69 1.3 D 65-66 1.0 F Below 65 0.0 Then, perform the following calculation: Add all the converted decimal grades together – this is your sum. Count the number of classes you’ve taken. Divide the sum by the number of classes, and you have your unweighted GPA // In the next section, we'll go through an example calculation of an unweighted GPA. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Step of an Unweighted GPA Calculation Let me show you an example of how to calculate an unweighted GPA so you can see how this will look inpractice. (To see how to calculate a weighted GPA, check out our other article.) We'll use a sample transcript for incognito CIA operative John Doe. #1: Convert Grades Into Decimals In order to learn how to calculate a GPA, let’s first convert John's letter grades into numbers: 9th Grade 10th Grade th Grade 12th Grade 3.0 4.0 4.0 3.0 4.0 3.0 2.7 3.0 3.3 3.7 3.7 4.0 3.7 4.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 4.0 3.3 3.0 3.3 3.3 4.0 3.7 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.7 4.0 3.0 3.0 2.7 4.0 3.0 // Let’s also count how many classes he took each of those years: 9th Grade 10th Grade th Grade 12th Grade 10 classes 10 classes 8 classes 6 classes #2: Calculate Individual Year GPAs To get each individual year’s GPA, all we need to do is divide the sum by the number of classes. If this division ends up with a long decimal, simply round to the nearest tenth: 9th Grade 10th Grade th Grade 12th Grade 35 / 10 = 3.5 35.7 / 10 = 3.57 27.7 / 8 = 3.46 19.7 / 6 = 3.28 #3: Calculate Cumulative High School GPA To get a cumulative GPA for John’s entire high school career, we add up the sums for all the years and divide by the number of classes he took over all those years: 35 + 35.7 + 27.7 + 19.7 = 8.1 (sum of all final grades) 10 + 10 + 8 + 6 = 34 (total number of classes taken) 8.1 / 34 = 3.47 (GPA) So, his GPA for all of high school is 3.47. Pro tip:the cumulative GPA is NOT an average of each year because the number of classes taken each year is different. // #4: Calculate GPA Submitted to Colleges (Optional) Finally, if we wanted to figure out the GPA that John would send out on his college applications, we would do the same process, but leave off senior year. Since applications go out in the beginning of 12th grade, those final grades don't make it into the application GPA: 35 + 35.7 + 27.7 = 98.4 (sum of final grades from 9th to th grade) 10 + 10 + 8 = 28 (number of classes taken from 9th to th grade) 98.4 / 28 = 3.5 (college application GPA) John’s application GPA is 3.5. Is nicely done, John! What’s Next? // Interested in diving even deeper into the differences between weighted and unweighted GPA? Check out our guide to the benefits and drawbacks of both. Want to see step-by-step weighted GPA calculation? Let us show you how it’s done. Curious how your GPA compares? See what a good or bad GPA score is, and how you stack up against the average high school student. Want to improve your GPA?Check out our in-depth guide to raising your grades, from a writer who got a perfect 4.0 GPA. Read it for free now:

Global Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global Marketing - Essay Example The company is a UK multinational company which was established in the year 1760 (Hamleys, 2010). The target market is determined to be the United States of America (USA) and is believed to have significant opportunities for the future growth of the company. Considering the marketing concept, it is further noted that marketing strategies of a company should be developed with due concern to the macro-economic environment of the target market along with the micro-economic factors influencing or likely to influence the company’s operation in the region. With this concern, the discussion of the paper will focus on evaluating the macro-economic environment of the USA with the implication of PESTEL model. This shall provide an insight to the market prospects and thus assist in developing advantageous strategies. 2. Macro-Environment Analysis: PESTEL 2.1 Political Environment It is of no doubt that the political factors of the USA possess a significant amount of sovereignty in the wo rld economy. The political environment of the economy had been observed to witness inconsistency for the preceding few years. Notably, the downfall of white supremacists in the economy can be observed as a most important revolution that ever took place in the post-modern era (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2009). Currently, the political environment can be assumed to be steady from a general view point. However, with an in-depth perspective, conflicts can be observed in terms of fiscal challenges and the formation of effectual monetary policies (Paul, 2011). It is quite noteworthy that the economy is facing a challenge of widening fiscal deficit as an effect of the recent economic downturn. In order to prevail over the obstruction of growth the political leaders are intending to lessen the deficit amounts through budget cuts. This in turn is fuelling up conflicts and instability in the political environment of the USA (Jackson, 2011). 2.2 Economic Environment Similar to other developed economies, the US economy was also strongly affected by the recent economic downturn. Over the last consecutive years, i.e. from the pre-recessionary period to the current year, the economy has faced a highly volatile environment with declining GDP and employment rates. However, the forecasts reveal that the unemployment rate which is further likely to be affected conversely by the up-surging inflationary rates (Tilton, 2011). For instance, the current actual GDP of the economy is recorded to be 1.8% which is further identified as significantly less than the quarterly average growth rate, i.e. 3.3% (Trading Economics, 2011). Furthermore, experts state that the GDP is likely to become steady in the subsequent five years providing opportunities to the small size enterprises. The fluctuations of the economic growth can be observed from the diagram represented below (Tilton, 2011). Source: (Tilton, 2011) Another major trend of the US economic environment can be witnessed as t he increase in imports. However, with a declining consumer spending rate, the opportunities are likely to be obstructed (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2011). 2.3 Social Environment The population of the US has been recorded to grow moderately in the past few years. The last census report reveals the total population to increase by 0.87% from that of the preceding fiscal year. It is further estimated to grow moderat

Economic and financial markets Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Economic and financial markets - Case Study Example In 1992 Starbucks became a public limited company (www.mhhe.com) through an IPO. The coffee is supplied mainly through its own and franchised coffee-shop chains as well as through supermarkets. Starbucks’ main competitors in the speciality coffee-shop business are Costa Coffee, Barista and Coffee Bean. Though its mainstay remains its coffee brewing business, Starbucks also offers other hot and cold drinks, hot and cold sandwiches, ice cream, pastries and snacks. Many people have bought its mugs and tumblers to express their appreciation for the Starbucks brand. A more recently created Starbucks Entertainment Division and its Hear Music label also offers books, music and films. Clearly Starbucks has expanded from just a coffee label to a much larger enterprise (www.starbucks.com). Comments on Starbucks’ Pricing Strategy In the given assignment, we are asked to comment on the pricing strategy of Starbucks chain. We are told that at a local Starbucks, customers are offered a variety of alternatives with the following price list: Freshly brewed coffee ?1.55 Cafe Latte ?1.99 Capuccino ?1.99 Vanilla Latte ?2.29 Caramel Machiato ?2.65 Cafe Americano ?1.70 Expresso ?1.35 Cafe Mocha ?2.25 White Cafe Mocha ?2.65 The above prices are for the ‘tall’ size of the above beverages. ... tte, Cappuccino and Cafe Americano come in the price range ?1.70 to ?1.99, and the last or uppermost tier is for its fancier offerings such as Vanilla Latte, Cafe Mocha and White Cafe Mocha, costing between ?2.25 and ?2.65 respectively. It is also possible that the people ordering these beverages form different classes of customers for Starbucks. Quite possibly the cost of making these beverages and the additional labour and ingredients that are put in have also affected the final price charged by Starbucks. So we can see that there are three tiers of prices possibly indicating low, medium and high class customer preferences. Anyway as far as a cup of coffee goes, there is not much overall variation between the lowest price of ?1.35 and the highest price of ?2.65 a cup at Starbucks- indeed it is very reasonable and such a price difference will readily be accepted by a consumer (Kotler, 1990). Product pricing theory advises us that when setting the price of a product, we should take i nto account the price elasticity of demand for a product (McConnell & Brue, 2005). However one must regard a cup of coffee as a basic necessity especially in the winter season, so its price elasticity is relatively low. Its only real substitute is tea, but even that loses favour in the winter season. For avowed coffee fanatics, no other beverage will do. Starbucks’ pricing strategy will most likely also be impacted by the price charged by its competitors, whether it is entering into a new marketplace and is willing to offer price discounts in the beginning period, or whether it wants to place itself at the higher end of the market and charge higher prices, focusing only on a select group of high end customers having purchasing power. Obviously it is aided in this by its international

The Reasons for Transfering the Home-Country Human Resource Management Term Paper

The Reasons for Transfering the Home-Country Human Resource Management Policies to the Overseas Subsidiaries by Organizations - Term Paper Example The most common reason for the transfer of home-country human resource management policies to overseas subsidiaries is the need for organizations for promoting homogenous policies in all their sectors so that conflicts and failures are minimized. Such issue is highlighted in the study of Wilton (2010) where reference is made to the example of Japanese firms that had to establish branches and operational units abroad. Japanese firms tend to promote team working and task sharing; however, after entering the US market the Japanese firm had to align their HRM strategies with the US laws and ethics (Wilton 2010). In order to avoid conflicts with local laws and culture, the Japanese firms transformed their HRM policies promoting ‘task demarcation and functional specialization’ (Wilton 2010, p.141). From a similar point of view, Sparrow (2009) notes that firms may choose to transfer their home-country human resource management policies to their overseas subsidiaries in order to reduce costs related to training of new employees. Such perspective can be valuable only if the time during which the home country HRM policies are used in the overseas subsidiary is limited; if such practice is continued for a long period of time, then the cost involved would be much higher compared to the development of new HRM policies, aligned with the local culture. This means that expatriates who are sent to work to overseas subsidiaries for supporting the transfer of their firm’s HRM policies to these units should be given a time framework for finishing their tasks. On the other hand, it is perceived that the promotion of policies, which have been already tested in the home country, should be preferred (Stahl and Bjorkman 2006). Introducing new policies is always risky, especially if taking into consideration the physical distance between the mother company and its subsidiaries (Stahl and Bjorkman 2006). Most important, the HRM policies developed in the home country a re fully aligned with the organization’s mission and values (Stockhammer 2011).