Brands And Branding Company Waitrose

Questions: Q1. Ways in which the company Waitrose can continue to develop and maintain the strong brand image:Q2. Application of the concept of value chain model in the context of Waitrose Regional Recipe Indian Meals.Q3. Appropriate marketing research activities for Waitrose for testing opinion of the consumers towards new range of meals and determining the core target group of customers of Waitrose.Q4. After being successful in the range of Indian meals, suggesting the company to diversify the range of products regarding other regional recipes.? Answers: Ways in which the company Waitrose can continue to develop and maintain the strong brand image: Having a brand image is very important in todays market where there is an environment of cutthroat business. A brand image is needed that is rock solid. It is for standing out among the different competitors and capturing the attention of the customers (Kotler et al. 2009). For building and nurturing a good brand image, a multidisciplinary step must be applied that incorporates public relations (Coomber, 2002). Several requirements are needed to be fulfilled for building up the foundation of the brand image (Clifton and Ahmad, 2009). The first step in doing so is marking out the target group of audiences. This will comprise of a mixture of internal and external groups, like partners, customers, employees and industry analysts. The specification of the audiences is very important. For crafting an effective strategy for marketing, the company must know whom they are targeting. That would speak to the concerns and needs of the customers directly. Determination of critical business objec tives is very important. Long term and short term goals must be clearly chalked out. If not done so, there can be a waste of resources that are valuable for the company (Paley, 2007). Once the determination of business goals and key audiences are done, the companys brand persona can be built up. Customers should be appealed by it. Articulation of product benefits and differentiators must be achieved. The brand image is defined by the brand persona so it is good if kept relevant and simple (Dent, 2011). Documenting the key messages and aligning them with the audiences are to be done next. Once the foundation of the brand has been laid, the promotional activities need to be ramped up. This is for building a constant and loyal customer group and generating sales. Three components are necessary for promoting the brand image. They are public relations, social and search (Miletsky and Smith, 2009). PR will disseminate the key messages and position the company as a leader. Social media can be a valuable aid in sharing information and interacting with the customers. Search Engine Optimisation gives the company a good ranking is the market and influences all aspects of it (Chevalier and Gutsatz 2012). Prominent listing of the brand image is needed in places where customers search for information. Waitrose is a company working with Noon products in partnership for developing a successful formula for providing a range of Regional Recipe meals of India. These meals are one of the biggest sectors of readymade meals that consumers buy. UK consumers seek these authentic and sophisticated dishes for themselves. As disposable income is increasing, more families want up-market recipes. This is an opportunity for retailers to take control over the market. A sound business has been put up by Waitrose in working in collaboration with the Noon Products which has a good reputation in the market. They have developed an exclusive range of Indian dishes whose basis is regional dishes. There are several ways by which Waitrose can continue to maintain the strong brand image that it has established by their range of Regional Recipe Indian Meals. According to Ragavendran et al. (2009), brand awareness is one of the major marketing strategies of any company. It assists in effective communication with the major stakeholders of the company. If brand awareness is not created by the company, it will fail to communicate with the employees, suppliers and consumers. Waitrose must be aware of this fact. It must create brand awareness for itself. It will help in retaining the existing customers as well as retaining the new customers who constantly seek new good quality Indian recipe meals. The new products that the company will be launching can be identified by the customers and they will be aware of those products. In the re-branding phase, recognition of the preferred brands can be done by the consumers. For this, they need to enhance the brand loyalty and the quality of the product (Giraldi et al. 2007). On the other hand, product quality is an essential feature that leads any company towards higher brand equity in the market. In the viewpoints of (Thompson, 2015), delivering good quality product creates brand recognition and higher levels of profit. Superior position in the competitive market can be easily achieved. Waitrose needs to maintain the good product quality that it has to sustain in the market. Consumers do not compromise with product quality. They have a tendency to buy the products with the best quality (Blain, 2005). Pricing strategy needs implementation in case of Waitrose. This strategy helps the organisation in achieving the respective business objectives that are predetermined (Baker, 2010). Such strategy has been an essential factor in modern marketing. According to Beristain and Zorrilla (2011), effective strategies for pricing will help a company to maintain the brand image. If the pricing is done effectively by Waitrose, more consumers will make it their choice of brand. Distribution channel also has to be taken into account for maintaining the brand image Waitrose has. Distribution channel helps in allocating the goods within a specific time and at the right place. For retail trade and maintain brand image, it is quite essential. Same is applicable for Waitrose. It has to maintain its structure of the distribution of products to ensure the long-term effectiveness and preserve the greater competitive advantage. If the meals are distributed in the effective markets in a proper manner, it w ill be easier for the consumers to relate to the meals and thus consumer retention will be achieved. One major factor that must not be overlooked by Waitrose is promotional strategies. Such strategies are essential in making significant business plans which have a vast influence in maintaining the brand image. As because the company has launched new meals, effective promotion al strategies are needed. Larger is the brand promotion, stronger will the brand get. A larger figure of customers is attracted by keeping the brand in alignment with the needs and concerns of the consumers (Ozer and Phillips, 2012). Waitrose can maintain its strong brand image by building better communication with the customers. A brand name can be promoted by conducting significant marketing campaigns. Execution of various advertising mediums is needed to be done by the company like televisions, radios, telemarketing and the internet. A larger group of consumers will be targeted by this strategy, which will u ltimately have an effect on the brand name. Customers are the most important part of any company. It is utmost necessary to satisfy their needs. Thus, a company must be able to understand the consumer behaviour. (Smith, 2015) stated that a company must study the processes involved in selection, purchase, usage and disposal of products. Many factor influence a consumer when that person chooses one product over another. Waitrose must understand this concept to maintain its strong brand image. By following the above mentioned ways, Waitrose will be able to continue the strong brand image it has. Application of the concept of value chain model in the context of Waitrose Regional Recipe Indian Meals The model of value chain was first given by Michel Porter. According to him, the value chain is a process that helps in performing activities like designing, producing, marketing and delivering. Implementation of strategies is achieved by this chain and the historical background of the company is reflected by it. He also suggested many activities like support activities and primary activities. In his opinion, primary activities comprise involves the process of any transformation of input into output. Support activities are about organisations staffs and their functioning. It also supports primary activities indirectly and directly. Primary activities include logistics, both inbound and outbound, operations, sales, marketing and service (Walters and Rainbird, 2004). Support activities are procurement, human resource management, developments in technology and infrastructure. Inbound logistics is the arrangement of inbound movement of parts, materials. Operations mean management of a pr ocess that converts inputs into outputs. Procurement is the acquisition of services, goods and works from an outside source. Human resource management will involve activated like recruitment, hiring, development and assessment. Technological developments include advancements in software, hardware, procedure. Infrastructure is activities like finance, control, legal, quality assurance, public relation and strategic management (The Innovation Value Chain). The very idea of the value chain has its basis on the viewpoints of the organisation and the idea of assessing the manufacturing organisation as any system. Each subsystem is made up of input, output and transformation process. These involve the consumption and acquisition of resources like labour, money, materials, buildings, equipment, land, management and administration. The way of carrying out value chain determines the costs and has an effect on profits (Roper and Du, 2015). With an aim of analysing the value chain model of Waitrose, it can be stated that the organisation may emphasise towards both the primary activities and support activities, which may influence the performance of the organisation in an extensive manner. At the same time, it can be stated that through the incorporation of value chain model an organisation may also fulfil the needs and expectations of the customers in the context of regional recipe Indian meals. Apart from this, it can be also stated that through the incorporation of value chain model the organisation may also enhance its business performance in the internal business context. In this context, more specifically it can be argued that through incorporation of value chain model an organisation can enhance the strategic capability and it may also influence the efficiency of the organisation in a positive manner (Antras and Chor, 2013). In relation to this, rationally it can be argued that Waitrose can utilize the primary activities of value chain through concentrating towards its research and development related aspects along with product designing capability, which will ensure the quality of its food products. Moreover, it will also ensure the needs and expectations of the customers. Apart from this, the organisation should need to emphasise towards its production and marketing related constituents, which may enhance the opportunity for the organisation to accrue the attention of the customers. In this context, more specifically it can be argued that during the product designing and manufacturing procedure an organisation should need to emphasise towards procurement and technology development related aspects. As it can be argued that adequate procurement help an organisation to certify the entire process and technological development may help an organisation through reducing the cost and physical effect towards th e process, which also reduce time involvement. In this context, more identically it can be argued that through the incorporation of primary activity and supportive activity an organisation may enhance the overall of the business. On the other hand, it can be also stated that through the incorporation of inbound logistics and outbound logistics, an organisation may also enhance the ability of its marketing and sales. Simultaneously, through the incorporation of logistics an organisation may enhance its services quality in case of food business. At the same time, it can be also argued that incorporation of logistic may also reduce risk involvement during the transportation and shipping service and it may also ensure safety and security for food products i.e. transportation. Thus, it can be argued that both distribution and service are considered as one of the key constituents, which may enhance the overall efficiency of the organisation (Prajogoa and Olhager, 2015). On the contrary, support activities also may enhance the efficiency of an organisation. In this regard, it can be argued that through incorporating e-commerce and advanced technological tools or mechanism an organisation may enhance the efficiency of its services. Consequently, support activities have assisted an organisation through improving the quality of human resource management practice (Holwega and Helo, 2015). In this regard, more specifically it can be argued that Waitrose can incorporate good practice principles of human resource management, which may enhance the skill, knowledge and efficiency of the workforce. At the same time, it also helps an organisation to motivate its workforce through training and development, promotion and reward-related aspects. In this context, it can be also claimed that through emphasising towards both primary and supportive activities Waitrose may develop the planning process, management principles, quality and legal aspects. Based on the above stated discussion, it can be argued that value chain model is one of the effective business model, through incorporating which Waitrose may develop its strategic capability through ensuring the position of Waitrose regional recipe in Indian meals. At the same time, it can be argued that incorporation of value chain theory can help Waitrose to enhance its competitive advantages in the operating marketplace. On the other hand, it can be argued that through the incorporation of value chain model, Waitrose can fulfil the increasing demand of the customers regarding regional recipe of Indian meals. In this context, it can be also argued that through the incorporation of value chain model an organisation may enhance its operational efficiency. At the same time, it also may enhance the flexibility of an organisation in terms of strategic capability and strategy development related aspects, which may lead the organisation to benefit its customers and to ensure the competit ive advantages amid the rivalry. On the other hand incorporation of value chain model may assist an organisation to develop relationships with its stakeholders and it may also improve overall performance of Waitrose in the in international market as well as in the domestic environment. A diagram is depicted below for better understanding the above-stated context. Figure: 1. Value Chain Model (Source: Institute of Management Account, 1996) Appropriate marketing research activities for Waitrose for testing opinion of the consumers towards new range of meals and determining the core target group of customers of Waitrose. The concerned company for this particular case study is Waitrose, dealing with readymade meals. After being successful in its country of origin England, the company has been able to flourish its business even in countries like India. One of the giants belonging to the community of the British supermarket chains, the decision regarding presenting Indian foods to the people of UK has proved to be a matter of major success. The partnership with Noon products has created an opportunity for the people of UK to satisfy their demand of tasty and top quality recipes (Miletsky and Smith, 2009). To deliver success for them, Waitrose studied the growing market demands regarding the Indian recipes. With strong links with respective parties like suppliers, store houses, packaging, storing and selling goods this retail company is able to satisfy the demand of the customers effectively. Since 1995, the sales percentage of the Indian meals covered nearly half of their total sales figures. One of the most important market research carried out by the company was to understand the high level regarding taste and quality of Indian foods (Dong and Kaiser, 2010). Most importantly, the company chose some of the bet Indian foods for offering to the public. The food items were both inventive as well as profitable for the company commercially. The food items served consisted of both main and sub menus that created a sense of completeness of the Indian cuisine. The market research carried out by this company revealed that people of UK have a liking for the foods that were especially cooked in Hyderabad. In addition, the company decided to add tasty foods belonging from the states like Goa and Punjab that is known to add diversity in the food culture in India (Kotler et al. 2009). When the company was sure that customers are quite interested to taste Indian food, Waitroses joint collaboration with Noon products was an effort to provide the clients the taste of the Indian heritage foods. Being a believer of quality, the company did everything to make its customers satisfied by offering a range of diversified Indian foods. The company did everything to establish strong relationship with the clients (Grubor, Djokic and Milicevic, 2014). The launch of these foods was carried out in a step by step procedure, where Waitrose did some smart market review techniques. The activities for testing customer opinion are as follows: Choosing best quality raw-materials- Waitrose did not wanted to compromise with the quality of the foods offered for sale. The timely supply of these materials was also controlled by the company (Chevalier and Gutsatz, 2012). Approval of the quality by technology department- To provide the customers with utmost satisfaction regarding the quality of the raw materials used, the company send the raw materials for being tested by the department of food quality checking. Conceptualising the food soon to be offered- To reach the level of prior satisfaction regarding the original taste of the menu, Waitrose did numerous tastings of the menu for a couple of weeks to derive the actual taste (Liao, 2009). Alterations during the testing period- Before the food was actually served, Waitrose wanted to make some certain adjustments with the quality of the food. To maintain the level of diet of the European customers, certain necessary changes were made in the level of nutrients to adjust with the preference of the customers (Spence and Bourlakis, 2009). Maintain the level of standard regarding quality and production process- It was necessary to find out whether the new food belongs to the highest level regarding the taste and the nutrition level and adequate safety measures are taken while preparing the food (Hansen and Birkinshaw, 2015). Sending for trials- Numerous trials were arranged for the items that were going to be launched by the company in the market. As regarding the quality and level of nutrients and even preference of some old customers were taken to make the menu finalised. Designing and Packaging- Designing the product along with mentioning of the standard level of the product and then finally designing the sketch of the packet in which the item is to be packed and sold. Then the food item is packed with care and then released in the market for sale (Ullah and Kane, 2010). Arrival in the market- After these procedures are completed, the products are finally ready for launch in the market. After carrying out proper inspection of the material, the products are made available in the stores for sale (Howlega and Helo, 2015). It can be concluded that Waitrose made use of the proper mix of marketing by using the varied and superior quality of the product and keeping price of these new products within the range of the customers. Determining the core group of customers for Waitrose: After launching a brand new product in the market, the next important thing to be done is to make efforts for selling the product and more importantly fulfil the needs of the customers. Waitrose also need to make a target set of customers to make these products sell well and perfectly recover the cost of investment made towards these products. Firstly, the products are to be proportioned according to the needs and demands of the people (Dent, 2011). The target set of customers should be identified properly and the first thing will be to manage and retain the old customers by satisfying them again with the latest food products. The presence of the close competitors makes Waitrose to identify the target set of customers effectively and wisely. Before targeting the customers, the company needs to evaluate and divide the market accordingly: Segment of behaviour- It would be the responsibility of Waitrose to find out proper customers to enjoy loyalty. By offering quality products and that too at reasonable price would attract more customers. Segmenting the Demography- In UK, Indian foods are quite popular. It is better to identify the age, nationality, and earnings. People from Asia is residing and visiting UK in large numbers every year, so these Asian people are to be targeted. Using the geographical pattern- UK have a cold climate and Indian foods being spicy could be easily digested. Keeping information of the needs- UK is quite busy country and people generally cannot afford any time to waste in cooking. People of UK are quite attracted towards rich foods so; busy people like office goers and families interested in tasting regional meals are commonly targeted (Clifton and Ahmad, 2009). So keeping these market segmentations in mind along with appropriate marketing and advertising strategy, Waitrose can really offer to hold the market by selling regional Indian foods. Even the opinion and feedback of the customers need to be collected to find out the level of accessibility of the newly launched product. Both Waitrose and Noon product should make proper market survey to find out the appropriate group of customers. By doing so, the purpose of segmentation of market and positioning the product will be justified (Wenzhong, 2015). After being successful in the range of Indian meals, suggesting the company to diversify the range of products regarding other regional recipes. Dealing with regional Indian meals has proved to be major success for Waitrose in UK. Now, with the target increased the company should also try to increase the level of customers by providing them the different ranges of food products and market the products among a variety of customers. For attaining this objective, the company should try to maintain a pattern of offering relatively similar type of product by following the term of marketing called Line of product (Yousefi Darestani and Najafi, 2014). It means a group created by few types of similar products that will help the company to attain an increase of the market share and earn maximised level of profit. Based on the success of the introduction of the Indian foods, the company will be able to increase the image of their brand and make appealing about the fact that the company can make the ;people of UK taste the other regional foods (Smith, 2015). In context of the present day business operation methods, it is necessary for the company to introduce different types of foods. However, the diversification process of the product should be done accordingly and after proper planning and identifying the needs of the customers. The effectiveness of this diversification programme is to be done after carrying out proper SWOT analysis and then analysing the portfolio, i.e. the current capabilities of the company to launch and sell a new product. Choice of the diversified regional recipe: Likewise Waitrose opted to launch the Indian foods belonging from the state of Hyderabad, Punjab and Goa, the next segment of the target foods should be Chinese or Thai food. Both these foods have an appeal and interest to taste these diversified foods is quite higher among the people of UK. Popularity and availability of food corners and food chain restaurants selling Chinese and Thai foods all over Europe and its popularity makes is suitable for Waitrose to merchandise these products ( Ozer and Phillips, 2012). SWOT analysis regarding the choice of these two products reveals the probability and likeliness to increase the rate of success of these cuisines in the UK market. SWOT analysis will help to find out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that are prevailing in the way of the company in launching these products. The identified SWOTs of Waitrose are discussed in brief: Strengths: Financially capable to invest in launching these two products Immense popularity of these two foods in UK, especially Chinese Recent success of Indian spicy foods Large number of Asian people visiting and staying in UK Cheaper and expensive foods are available in these two categories Weaknesses: Too early to diversify a new product Opposite nature of the food that has been successful Choice of the foods without prior market survey (Paley, 2007). Opportunities: Proved success of Thai and Chinese food in the UK market Perfect choice of people for eating less spicy foods Diversified taste when compared with other foods, especially Indian cuisines Little cheaper than Other menus (Dent, 2011). Threats: Presence of restaurants offering Thai and Chinese foods Extremely competitive business scenario due to presence of competitors Ever changing and quick alterations in taste and preference of customers Presence of recession in UK market (Coomber, 2002). Portfolio Analysis is carried out by most of the firms that help the company to find out the perfect mix between market and the products offered. Current and future position of the company regarding financial capabilities is also measured using this technique. This tool is also applied to make market survey regarding the taste pattern of the customer. It clearly helps the company to find out which products can satisfy the demand of the people and that too in which best possible manner. Based on the preference and results obtained from the market survey, Waitrose can identify and imply the best option of the new regional foods (Zhou and Zhao, 2010). Proper market survey will reveal that in UK people from South East Asia comes to stay for studies or for work. On the same side, UK is also known to be a country of people of high and different culture. Presence of people from China, and Thailand has paved the way to open restaurants of these two genres. This is the reason behind the popularity of thee foods in the entire country. The fact of popularity is not only the presence of people from these two countries, but local residents in the cities and towns of UK is also likely and attached with tasting foods that is mainly sourced from China and Thailand (Antras and Chor, 2013). These two meals are regarded as the perfect alternative of spicy Indian foods along with contrast in taste and price. If Waitrose can arrange to sell these two products side by side, people will have the option to compare and then make purchase of the foods according to their choice. Being these two Asian products are quite similar to each other and the difference of price is quite cheaper when compared with Indian products. So, the matter of budgetary issues will be solved for the customers. From the competitive point of view, Waitrose will be a few steps ahead of its close rivals Sainsbury and Tesco regarding sale of regional foods. Even studies have shown that popularity of Chinese food is higher among people of all ages. Teenagers are also very much attracted towards this food (Blain, 2005). The beginning part of this segmented and diversified business should be divided into numerous quantitative measures like the process of selling packaged water for drinking. Consuming a portion of this kind of food will help Waitrose to sell their new product as well as help people to find suitable alternatives and options to choose their meals. With proper marketing techniques and depending on the level of brand loyalty and reputation owned by Waitrose, the company can surely be successful in launching their new product. If Waitrose is able to capitalise on the results obtained from SWOT and portfolio analysis, the objective of launching other regional cuisines will be successful and possible. Popularity of these two regional foods among majority of the people in UK will automatically help Waitrose to create a proper alternative regional product (Baker, 2010). Product positioning and clearly evaluating the strategies of sales of the close competitors will help the concerned company to produce an efficient and appropriate marketing mix. Launching these two categories of food will help people to choose freely between the options like spicy and healthy foods. From the analysis of the market and the preference pattern of customers, it can be said that if Waitrose is able to utilise the opportunities and minimize the weakness diversification of these regional recipe is possible to be popular (Kotler, et. al. 2009). Conclusion This case study shows us the importance of having brand image and support of customers in launching diversified range of regional food services to the customers, and that too in UK. It is generally the quality of food products that matters the most. Waitrose is reputed to provide quality service to people and that is the reason behind the collaboration between these two companies. As the segment of this service was totally new, the reason for making a proper image of the brand especially in the competitive market was essential to be successful. Starting from the quality of food items, the collaboration with Noon products assured people about the quality and then the technology used in packing and preserving the foods ensured that the company made no casualty regarding the health and safety issues of people. Each and every process undergone in launching the new product determined that from the companys point of view, the main thing was to ensure that the new food menus will not affect the health of people and no compromise is made regarding the standard of maintaining high level of hygiene. After analysing it is seen that Waitrose have some weakness that can prove to be a danger for the company. Despite of having a good amount of customer loyalty, depending on its subordinate company Noon product and pricing and costing strategy needs to be managed. Promotional activities need to be done in the most appropriate way possible. Close monitoring on the demand of the customers and sending the new items for testing to the customers for receiving feedbacks and then thoroughly sending the products for multi stage development and innovation is needed before the menu is finally launched in the market. Waitrose should try to follow the strategy to keep various types of items for offering and allow the customers to make choices regarding the variety of food products chosen. Increasing the level of revenue and keep a strong position in the market is advised to keep a variety of food items and introducing Indian cuisines is one such appreciable strategy. When market survey shows that the preference of the customers are all coined towards tasting regional foods, it is advised that Waitrose can start offering Thai and Chinese foods. The natural matter of increasing demand for Chinese and Thai foods is helpful for the company to introduce these products. Individual observation related with this work After taking up this assignment, I have learnt the importance of making close market study and fulfilling the demand of the customer. The observations are totally positive, as Waitrose have fulfilled every criteria and utilised all the possible opportunities by maintaining a strong brand value. Proper market survey and the way of dealing with the clients are quite high standard. The only negative observation in this case is the little bit high priced Indian cuisines and making Chinese and Thai food as its alternative both in terms of price and quantity. Personal learning from undertaking this assignmentFrom personal point of view, I have learnt the procedure of running a business and matching the changing environment of the business situations. I have also learnt the different type of market analysis like SWOT, Market Mix, Value Chain and its applicability in business. The importance of maintaining quality of food products and keeping options regarding choice of menu is appreciable. Success or Failure of this assignment--- This assignment is successful from all points of view. The diversification of Waitrose is successful and businesswise, the company has all the factors of achieving success and fulfil the goal and objectives. Company Introduction After being established in the year 1904 in UK, the company has gone to become one of the leading supermarkets. Majorly, a dealer of food products, this company has offered diversified range of food products especially Indian, Chinese and Thai foods. Nearly 5% of the total food market share is in the hands of Waitrose. Market share of foods: Maintaining brand image and proving satisfactory services to the customers is going to be helpful for Waitrose in diversifying a new range of spicy Indian foods. From this case study it can be learnt that the value of keeping information regarding the want of clients and duly fulfilling them satisfactorily. The strategy of fulfilling the desires of people to have Indian spicy foods in the markets of UK is possible only because of Waitroses effort to join hands with Noon products. It is successful only because of the close observation of the fact that the Indian foods are in high demand. Product Innovation: Swot and Matrix Mix: To make this event successful, it is the responsibility of all the department of the company Waitrose and the related company Noon product to work together all together even in all departments starting from accounting department to all the other important departments like food manufacturing, recruiting, sales and marketing, and providing service to the customers. Only by putting a joint effort, the new expansion can become successful. This introduction is really experimental in nature, a strong effort put by the team is essential to make the effort fruitful. With the growing demand of the spicy Indian foods in the market of UK, similar products are launched by the close competitors of Waitrose. It is quite natural that the company of this case study Waitrose is eyeing to expand the business operations. Offering a different type of food items and especially finding out the demand of the spicy Indian menus in UK and providing with the same is quite notable. Waitrose even after introducing new type of food in the segment of the UK market will have to face strong competition from the other retail giants and that is the reason why it is suggested to carry out value chain model conceptualised by Porter. Market Segmentation: Product Diversification Conclusion: This work is quite critical in nature because introducing regional foods in the UK market. The observations of this case study are positive because demand of Indian and other regional foods like Chinese and Thai is growing in popularity. From personal point of view the importance of different market analysis and aligning these factors in the context of the company. By undertaking this assignment, it is learnt that analysing market demand and importance of a company to effectively fulfil the demand of customers. This exercise is successful because Waitrose have taken suitable strategies to ensure that the customers are satisfied and the profitability section of the company is also benefitted. After using these strategies, the company is able to remain advantageous over its close rivals. Reference List Books Clifton, R. and Ahmad, S. (2009).Brands and branding. New York: Bloomberg Press. Coomber, S. (2002).Branding. Oxford, U.K.: Capstone Pub. Kotler, P. et. al., 2009. Marketing Management. Pearson Education. Miletsky, J. and Smith, G. (2009).Perspectives on branding. 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Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush, By Virginia Hamilton Essays

Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush, By Virginia Hamilton Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush, by Virginia Hamilton, was first published in 1982. The estimated reading level for this book is twelve years old and up. Some of the issues examined in the book, such as child abuse, disease, and drug use, will be better understood by junior high age students. This novel would probably attract more female readers than male. The protagonist is a teenage girl named Tree who lives with her mentally challenged brother, Dab. She is responsible for taking care of herself and Dab. Tree begins to see a ghost who reveals her early childhood to her. Throughout the novel we see Trees struggle with what the revelations signify about her life as well as her daily struggle to keep her tiny familynamely herself and her brotherafloat. SETTING: The story takes place in the late seventies. Tree and Dab live in Detroit. The story takes place mostly in the home, as well as in the places Tree is transported to by Brother Rush. Their home is not described in great detail, with the exception of the little room where Tree sits to draw and where Brother Rush appears. Tree loves the tiny room and while in it she draws pictures of families, of space. The fact that she so treasures this small place of her own is revealing of just how cramped the living space is. CHARACTERIZATION: The characters are well developed and behave realistically. Rather than tell us what each character is like, Hamilton lets each character reveal itself through his or her actions. For instance, we learn that Tree is protective of her older brother by how carefully she takes care of himas with helping him with his bathas well as by the concern she has in cooking their meals. These descriptions also serve to reveal Trees taking on of adult roles. Trees character is round. She changes as a result of what Brother Rush reveals to her about her past. Her perspective about herself as an African American is also altered through her conversation with Silversmith. Dab is a flat character; he stays the same from beginning to end. MVy changes in that she is humanized, particularly in the eyes of Tree. In the beginning of the novel MVy is described as an almost mythical, larger than life figure who appears bringing gifts and food, then leaves but whose presence permeates the dwe lling despite the brevity of the visits. Other characters include Silversmith and Old Miss Pricherd. Silversmith is a flat character. Old Miss Pricherd changes as a result of being asked to move in with Tree. This change is important as it relates to a major theme in Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush. THEME: The major theme in SWBR concerns love and acceptance. No one is infallible and in order to love we must accept each others deficiencies. MVy was unable to accept Dab and this led to the abuse she inflicted on him as a small child. Tree learns the truth about the abuse and must learn to forgive MVy in order to continue loving her. Acceptance is also echoed in the conversation she has with Silversmith; Tree must accept and appreciate her skin color in order that she not be self-conscious or ashamed. Old Miss Pricherd is a sneaky, mean-spirited woman at the beginning of the novel, but changes once she is allowed into the familyif only because it means no longer living alone. At the very end of the novel, Tree demonstrates her growth and acceptance of her new life by affectionately approaching the old woman (Granny Pricherd). STYLE: Hamiltons style is very direct, straightforward. This lends some credibility to the more fantastical aspects of the novel, namely the appearance of Brother Rush. She has her characters speak in colloquial grammar and at times carries that grammar to the narrative. This has the effect of not only drawing the reader in but of immersing the reader in a world that may be very different from her or his own. POINT OF VIEW: The story is told from Trees point of view. This is very effective, as it allows us to see how she feels about her family and her life. One

Is Capital Punishment Murder by The State †Sociology Essay

Is Capital Punishment Murder by The State – Sociology Essay Free Online Research Papers Is Capital Punishment Murder by The State Sociology Essay Throughout history people have been put to death for various forms of wrongdoing. Methods of execution have included such practices as crucifixion, stoning, drowning, burning at the stake, impaling, and beheading. Today capital punishment is typically accomplished by lethal gas or injection or electrocution. The theory of punishment is to protect society against criminals, retribution that means paying for the crime you competed, deterrence which means stopping other people to offend the same crime or other crimes which I don’t think really works. Some people feel punishment reforms the criminals so they don’t offend again. I’m using Timothy McVey to decide whether capital punishment is morally wrong and never justified and acts as a deterrent. Early on the morning of 19th April 1995 Timothy McVey detonated a bomb outside the federal building in Oklahoma city killing 168 people including 19 children. He didn’t have a bad upbringing just the divorce of his parents. After looking at newspaper articles the image of the firemen holding the dead baby was a big effect on Timothy McVeys trial, it disgusted the world. In the trial that was in 24th September 1997 he pleased not guilty. His plea hurt the victim’s parents. ‘During the trial I had locked eyes with him whilst he was pleading guilty this is which really hurt’. Timothy McVey said ‘given the chance he would kill my grandchildren again’. On Saturday 9th June the execution took place, witnesses were surrounded around television links. His last words were ‘sorry these people had to die’. He didn’t mean sorry they got killed but sorry they had to die. He had no sympathy. I think the execution was both justice and veng eance. This was justice because all the victims’ families saw him die this was a relief but they thought he was killed loss painlessly and faster then there poor family but it wasn’t humane as it was on video link to over 300 people. Innocent people are sometimes arrested for crimes, which they haven’t committed when they are executed are they really innocent. Derek Bentley and Craig attempted to burgle from a factory, but Craig and Bentley were spotted climbing over the gate and by the time they had reached the roof, the police had arrived. Bentley was arrested, but Craig fired several shots fatally wounding a police officer PC Sidney Miles. On January 28th 1953 Bentley was 19 he was executed by hanging. His friend Chris Craig who fired the shots during the break in was too young to be hanged. At the time he was 16 years old. So Bentley was innocent but didn’t commit the crime he was executed for. I think Bentley should have been charged with burglary and Craig charged with the shooting. From the knowledge of the case study on Bentley I have realized capital punishment can take the lives of those who are innocent, As Bentley was killed because the act of his friend. The video dead man walking shows evidence of how the execution cannot be humane. Matthew Poncelet wasn’t treated humanly through his execution as he was walking to the lethal infection in his slippers, as they didn’t let him wear his boots. He was handcuffed and had chains about his ankle restricting movement. The few hours he got in spend with his family weren’t quality time they couldn’t hold him, hug him or even kiss him goodbye. I think this is not humane his mother brought him up in the world and couldn’t even say goodbye. When people say life it doesn’t mean life but really means 25 years. In 1966 Myra Hindley was found guilty of murder of Lesley Ann Downey and John Kilbndge. As the death penalty was abolished Myra Hindley was given a life sentence. In 1985 the sentence was extended to 30 years this was done without her knowledge and dies in November 2002, after serving 36 years in jail. Myra was the longest serving female prisoner in Britain. There were many reasons why people thought she should be released. Myra was a catholic so she went against the church murdering people. Myra admitted the guilt she has for her victims she was no longer a danger to society because maybe it reformed her so she wouldn’t reoffend. She was unfairly treated because she was female. But on the other hand there were reasons not for release. She only helped in search for Pauline Reide and Keith Bennett because she was hoping for parole. Parents of the victims put pressure on to keep her in prison. Society ne eded to respect the law. Her release would send out the wrong message. I think Myra Hindley shouldn’t have been released because the mother of Keith Bennett never saw him again after the murder she wouldn’t say good bye. The vindication so she has to respect that she did wrong and serve her time. Life imprisonment must be worse than execution because before the death penalty got abolished people knew what would happen if you committed a crime. Execution is a quick death those who sentence others to death should carry out the execution themselves. But prisoners in jail often commit suicide because the depression so staying in prison. I think the death penalty is right because they obliviously know what their doing when they murder people and put them through hell. But I don’t think it can be humane because it’s retribution like an ‘any eye for an eye’. People should pay for the crime they commit. It is used to protect society against criminals and acts as a deterrence which means it stops people committing the same crime when they find out how they suffered. 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Free Essays on Sister Kate

Jean Bedford portrays the women as victims in ‘Sister Kate’. Do you agree? Discuss with detailed reference to the text. The women are portrayed in the novel ‘Sister Kate’ as victims of society and especially men. The author of the novel, Jean Bedford, is an active feminist and uses the characters in the novel to express her views on 19th Century working-class women. The text suggests that men are continuously degrading the females in the workplace and in their own homes. Police officers were constantly harassing the Kelly women when the men were gone. The women were expected to stay home and look after the house and the large numbers of children while the men were out working, stealing or just having fun. The majority of the women had dull lives due to family commitments (which the men were exempt from) and limited employment opportunities. All of the lower class women in the novel tend to be housewives, barmaids or prostitutes. Jean Bedford really stresses the point that women had no rights as employees, if they somehow managed to get a job. When Kate Kelly obtained a job at the Hotel she was told she was on ‘half wages, while you’re learning’. When she asked Ivy, a fellow barmaid, how long it would take before she was paid full wages, ‘Ivy looked around shiftily. She was not paid the full rate herself.’ Even though they despised it, most of the women in the bar had to sell their bodies after work to make enough money to live on. Prostitution became almost a routine for some of the girls in the bar. In fact Ivy kept whoring herself until she was nearly dead. Kate would often find Ivy intoxicated and ‘crumpled against a wall between the hotel and their rooms, her skirt still hitched around her waist and her hands closed tightly around the coins left by her hasty customer’. W hen Kate attended to the half-conscious and drunk woman, Ivy made ‘feeble movements towards her clothing’ and obviously thought it wa... Free Essays on Sister Kate Free Essays on Sister Kate Jean Bedford portrays the women as victims in ‘Sister Kate’. Do you agree? Discuss with detailed reference to the text. The women are portrayed in the novel ‘Sister Kate’ as victims of society and especially men. The author of the novel, Jean Bedford, is an active feminist and uses the characters in the novel to express her views on 19th Century working-class women. The text suggests that men are continuously degrading the females in the workplace and in their own homes. Police officers were constantly harassing the Kelly women when the men were gone. The women were expected to stay home and look after the house and the large numbers of children while the men were out working, stealing or just having fun. The majority of the women had dull lives due to family commitments (which the men were exempt from) and limited employment opportunities. All of the lower class women in the novel tend to be housewives, barmaids or prostitutes. Jean Bedford really stresses the point that women had no rights as employees, if they somehow managed to get a job. When Kate Kelly obtained a job at the Hotel she was told she was on ‘half wages, while you’re learning’. When she asked Ivy, a fellow barmaid, how long it would take before she was paid full wages, ‘Ivy looked around shiftily. She was not paid the full rate herself.’ Even though they despised it, most of the women in the bar had to sell their bodies after work to make enough money to live on. Prostitution became almost a routine for some of the girls in the bar. In fact Ivy kept whoring herself until she was nearly dead. Kate would often find Ivy intoxicated and ‘crumpled against a wall between the hotel and their rooms, her skirt still hitched around her waist and her hands closed tightly around the coins left by her hasty customer’. W hen Kate attended to the half-conscious and drunk woman, Ivy made ‘feeble movements towards her clothing’ and obviously thought it wa...

Ethics Perspective in Applied Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethics Perspective in Applied Leadership - Essay Example The author of the paper states that in the Kant categorical imperative perspective, the company should do what is right. Matters considered right always have benefits to the people that require showing concern to other people. Besides, what is right for the company requires acceptance from the majority hence considering their opinions.  Communitarianism deals with considering the responsibilities in the community rather than a single individual. In the organization, this ethical perspective focuses on promoting the values that people share in addressing differences in the cultures. In the process of addressing the cultural difference and using only universal values, leaders always show concern for every individual and implement altruism in the process. Considering others rather than a single individual is an action that is in altruism. The showing of concern before and in the process of trying to promote communal values is an act of altruism. Hence, it is justifiable to state that altruism is the prerequisite of other ethical perspectives such as utilitarianism and communitarianism. The process of using these ethical perspectives requires consideration and concern to other people before taking actions.

Contract Law Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Contract Law Assignment - Essay Example The above elements from are explained below. Offer and Acceptance. When one party proposes something to another, he is said to make an offer. If the party agrees to the proposal without any change in it, he is considered to have made the acceptance of that offer. Thus, when the offer is accepted in a mirror image condition, a contract is said to have been formed subject to other conditions. This mirror image rule is necessary to ensure that there is a consensus of the subject matter among the parties i.e meeting of the minds between them. In other words, the acceptor has understood clearly what the offeror has meant. This is an objective test in English law to determine existence of a contract. An offer is always confused with an invitation to treat. Advertisements and displays in shops are the examples. They are not offers but invitation to treat. An acceptance must be unqualified and correspond to what the offeror purports to convey. A qualified acceptance becomes an offer and it i s for the original offeree to accept or not, any change in the condition. If the qualified acceptance is accepted, the original offeror becomes the offeree and the qualified acceptor becomes the offeror. ... And not at the time of receipt of the letter by the offeror. If the letter is addressed incorrectly or posted improperly, postal rule will not apply. Contracts can also be concluded by fax and the Internet (Salzedo, Brunner and Ottley 2004). In Hyde v Wrench (1840) it was decided that a counter offer amounted to rejection of the original offer and therefore, subsequent acceptance of the original offer did not bind the offeree. In this case, the plaintiff made a counter offer of ? 950 against the offer of ? 1,000 by the defendant to sell his farm. On refusal of the counter offer, the plaintiff accepted the original offer of ? 1,000 which the defendant did not agree to. Therefore, the plaintiff brought a suit for specific performance. It depends on the wording of the offer and reply by the offeree. Sometimes the offeree may purport to make some enquiry in connection with the offer made including some counter price when time limit to accept the offer has not ended (Oughton and Davis, 20 00). In such cases, it cannot be taken as counter-offer or rejection of the offer as held in Stevenson, Jacques and Co v McLean (1880). In Carlil v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co (1893), the defendants advertised offering a reward to anyone who contracted influenza in spite of using their smoke ball meant to cure the disease. It was held that the advertisement was an open offer or unilateral to the whole world and hence, any one relying on the offer, bought the product was entitled to the reward if the product claim failed. The defendant’s contention that it was a mere invitation to treat was rejected. However, in Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain v Boots Cash Chemists (Southern) Ltd (1953), it was

Engagement Letter Apollo Case Essay Example for Free

Engagement Letter Apollo Case Essay Anderson, Olds and Watershed (AOW) will audit the balance sheet of Apollo Shoes as of December 31, 2011 and the related statements of income, retained earnings and cash flows for the year then ended. Our audit will be conducted in accordance with the Standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). Our audit will include examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used ad significant judgments and estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. An audit includes obtaining an understanding of internal control sufficient to plan the audit, including making risk assessments, and to determine the nature and extent of audit procedures to be performed. An audit is not designed to provide assurance on internal control or to identify control deficiencies. However, we are responsible for communicating to the Board of Directors of Apollo Shoes significant deficiencies and material weakness in internal control that come to our attention during the course of our audit. AOW is required to obtain reasonable assurance that the financial statements are free from material misstatements, whether caused by error or fraud. However the audit does not guarantee the accuracy of the financial statements. Even though the audit is properly planned and performed in accordance with the PCAOB standards, an unavoidable risk exists that some material misstatements may not be detected due to inherent limitations of an audit, together with the inherent limitations of internal control. Consequently, our audit is not designed to detect errors or fraud that is immaterial to the financial statements. At your request, but pending approval by your Board of Directors, we will prepare all required federal tax returns and the state franchise tax returns. We will also provide your staff with a list of schedules needed by our staff during the audit. The delivery dates have been discussed and mutually agreed upon. We understand that your staff will prepare all schedules in the package, all financial statements and notes thereto, and the Form 10-K for our review. The scope of our services however, does not include preparation of any of these statements. GA-1.2 Fees Our billing for services set forth in this Engagement Letter, which we have estimated will total $750,000 discussed with you on October 18, 2011. For the services rendered the due date of the audit report will be February 15, 2012. Matters that can cause work in excess of fee estimate We want you to receive the maximum value for our professional services and to perceive that our fees are reasonable and fair. The following matters explain what issues arise most frequently: Changing requirements Although we attempt to plan our work to anticipate the requirements that will affect our engagement, three types of situations make this difficult. Sometimes, these new requirements are not communicated in time for us to anticipate their effects in our preliminary planning. Secondly, in spite of our anticipation and planning, the work necessary to comply with new requirements may be underestimated. Finally, in some instances, you may decide that it is advantageous to you to have them applied immediately. Incorrect accounting applications or error in your records We generally form our fee estimates on the expectation that your accounting records are in good order so that our work can be completed based upon our normal testing and other procedures. Should we find numerous errors, incomplete records or disorganized bookkeeping methods, we will have to do additional work to determine the necessary corrections have been made and properly reflected in the financial statements. Lack of audit facilitation or timely preparation To minimize your costs, we plan the means by which your personnel can facilitate the audit (e.g., what schedule they will prepare, how to prepare them, the supporting documents that need to be provided). We also discuss matters such as availability of your key personnel, deadlines and working conditions. Therefore, if your personnel are unable, for whatever reason, to provide these materials on a timely basis, it may substantially increase the work we must do to complete the engagement within the established deadlines. Unforeseen events Even though we communicate frequently with clients and plan our engagement with management and their staff, unforeseen events can occur. Examples include the following: accounting problems, litigation, changes in your business or business environment, contractual or other difficulties with suppliers, third-party service providers, or customers, etc. when those circumstances occur, additional time is needed to provide you with assistance and complete our engagement in accordance with professional standards. GA-1.3 Authorization This Engagement Letter sets forth the entire understanding between Apollo Shoes and Anderson, Olds and Watershed regarding the services described therein. Please confirm your acceptance of this Engagement Letter by signing below and returning one copy to us in the enclosed self-addressed envelope. We appreciate the opportunity to continue to work with Apollo Shoes and ensure you that this engagement will be given our closest attention.