Thursday, October 31, 2019

Education for the Unemployed Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Education for the Unemployed - Coursework Example Education for the unemployed is a move that will cater for the education of parents so they too may be helpful in the education of their children. The budget to carry out this project is one that proves there is a lot of emphasis on the education materials that are to be used and thus push for there being an element of seriousness in the project (Jeffrey & Jeffery et al., 2008). The move is one that will encourage parents to push their children to try and give their all in the classroom and be able to get a future that is stable. Education the unemployed without asking them for anything in return but to give their children an education, the parents will be more than helpful if they aim to ensure that their children are as well educated. The budgetary allocation of $100,000 was to make sure that the education program was to go on without a hitch. $30,000 is to be used for the salaries top the teachers and the staff that are involved in the teaching process. $10,500 is to be allocated to the curriculum materials that the parents would use to learn, $2000 for the training of the staff and the teachers that would be teaching the parents as well. Furthermore, the money would be used to train the parents as well in the methods and means that are used in teaching. $9,500 would be used for administrative purposes, $1,500 for the development of the project and as a result $8,000 would be used in the benefits of program. With education there is always the requirement for there to be some out-of-class experience, thus there are bound to be trips, thus the allocation of $30,000 for travel, with $3,500 used for the operations of the school and $2,000 for the receipt of licenses so as to ensure that the school is as well legitim ate in the eyes of the government and the education governing boards. There will be a need for some miscellaneous funds and it is with this that $3,000 is allocated for ‘other’ services

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Kellogg Company Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Kellogg Company - Coursework Example This paper examines business strategy of Kellogg’s Company by taking into account its strategic plan, an evaluation of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and the comparison of the company with other companies in terms of strategic planning. Overview of Kellogg Company Kellogg Company is currently the leading producer of cereal and convenience foods such as cookies, cereal bars, frozen waffles, meat alternatives, pastries, piecrusts, and ice cream cones. The products of Kellogg are manufactured in more than seventeen (70) countries and marketed in more than one hundred and eighty countries (180) around the world (Kellogg Company, 2010). Strategic Planning Strategic planning refers to the process of developing a mission and long-range objectives and how such objectives will be accomplished. Strategic plans are often developed for five years but they are regularly reviewed and revised annually to achieve the laid down objectives for five years (Simerson, 2011:1 35). Strategic planning process entails the developing of mission, analyzing the environment, setting objectives, developing strategies, implementing, and controlling the strategies (Lussier, 2011:128). Strategic planning can help companies to identify products that are suited to the needs, objectives, and resources of the firm and in the development of plans for introduction of new products in the market. Despite the positive contribution of strategic planning in organizational planning, it has some problems. One of the problems associated with strategic planning is the emphasis of quantity instead of quality. Most strategic plans stress on the achievement of quantitative results while ignoring or paying less attention to quality (Botten, 2009). The second problem of strategic planning is the failure or neglect in the analysis of internal and external environment. Another problem that is associated with strategic planning is the implementation of the goals and strategies as outline d in the vision, mission, and goals of organization (2008). Although companies often do strategic planning, its successful implementation is an arduous task. Financial implications are another problem associated with strategic planning. The cost needed to implement strategic plans adds more burden to organizations. Failure by companies to allocate sufficient resources towards the implementation of strategic plans can jeopardize the whole process (Simerson, 2011). Tesco Company was also faced with strategic planning problems. Tesco is one of the largest food retailers in the world with United Kingdom as its dominant market. The company developed a strategic plan and it has yielded results for the firm. Strategic planning has brought fortunes to the company by successfully engaging in branding and effective service delivery to customers (Cavusgil, Knight & Riesenberger, 2008). Through effective strategic planning, Tesco has fostered and established brand identity and awareness through consumer experience and brand extension approaches. Strategic planning has enabled Tesco to compete with other companies in food retail sectors and to adapt to various business environments (Needham, 2009). Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Growth –Share Matrix Due to increase in competition and need for market share expansion, companies

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Compatibility of marketing strategies to environment

Compatibility of marketing strategies to environment The beverage industry is highly taken up by the Cola-War between the two giant rivals, Coca Cola and PepsiCo. However, Coca-Cola holds the major share world-wide, the case is reverse for the Pakistani market, where, Pakistan Beverage Ltd. had been and is a major player in the beverage industry. PEPSI is under PBL and is a market leader with over 70 percent market share of the soft-drink industry in Pakistan. (Indian Pakistani trade unit website). The current marketing plan is aimed at analysing, the scenario of the company with respect to its marketing activities and proposing/recommending, any changes required. This marketing plan aims to identify the compatibity of the companys basic marketing strategies to its marketing environment, its competitors, its customers keeping in lieu its over all strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities. This plan then aims to analyse the companys mission statement with respect to its goals and objectives followed by the analyses of the current marketing strategies and marketing mix. Lastly, this report proposes recommendations the company should look into adopting. COMPANY INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION: According to the official website of Pepsi Co, PepsiCo is a world leader in convenient foods and beverages, with 2005 revenues of more than $32 billion and more than 157,000 employees. Pepsi co, Inc is founded by Donald M. Kendall, and Chief Executive Officer of Pepsi-Cola and Herman W. Lay, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Frito-Lay, through the merger of two companies(official website of Pepsi). However, Pepsi-cola was formed by the end of 1890s. With brands that are almost 100 years old, Pepsi ® Co. PepsiCo is organized in six divisions: Frito-Lay North America, Frito-Lay International, Pepsi-Cola North America, Gatorade/Tropicana North America, PepsiCo Beverages International and Quaker Foods North America. The Companys North American divisions operate in the United States and Canada and accounts for seventy percent of its sales. Its international divisions operate in over 175 countries, with PepsiCos largest operations in Mexico and the United Kingdom. PepsiCo is working hard to build its presence in emerging markets like India, China and Russia. PepsiCo World Headquarters is located in Purchase, New York. PepsiCo is traded as PEP on NYSE. In the year 2006 Pepsi was ranked among Top 100 Brands by Business Week, ranks 18th PepsiCo ranks 18 out of Top 50 Companies for Diversity list by DiversityIncs. However according to the annual report of 2005, the growth in the carbonated sector, had slowed down and due to that, the company is now ahead into diversification in organic products. (Official website of PepsiCo) PepsiCo is a leader in innovation (three of top ten new food and beverage products are Pepsi-Cola brands). Consumers consider PepsiCos Quaker and Tropicana brands the healthiest among all brands. PepsiCos success is the results of superior products, high standards of performance, distinctive competitive strategies and the high integrity of its people. (Source: official website of Pepsi Co, www.pepsico.com) BRANDS AND COMPANIES PepsiCo has hundreds of brands. These are some of the best known: Frito-Lay Brands, Pepsi Cola Brands, Gatorade Brands, Tropicana Brand, and Quaker Brands (Official website of Pepsi Co.). (Source: www.pepsico.com) MARKETING ENVIRONMENT: According to Dibb et.al, (2006), the marketing environment consists of the political, legal, regulatory, societal/Green, technological and economic and competitive forces (also known as PESTLE), that surrounds the buyer and the company. Marketing environmental forces are an important element because; they influence the customer by affecting their life style, standard of living, preferences and needs of a product as well as also alter opportunities that the marketer may want to take advantage of. It helps plan how marketing activities should be planned. The company has to keep a close view of the changes taking place in the marketing environment. To study how Pepsi Co, operates in Pakistan, it is an essential to view the macro environment. It consists of the factors and forces that directly affect the microenvironment of a company. MACRO ENVIORNMENT: The macro environment of Pepsi Co. Pakistan is as follows: ECONOMIC: Inflation: Inflation is basically a rise in the price of goods and services. But with respect to Pepsi, there is a very insignificant price change in the product and consumers drink Pepsi habitually so it does not create an impact on the demand of the product. Price Sensitivity: Because of the nature of the products there are some industries in Pakistan that are highly sensitive to the price. The Beverage industry is one of those sensitive industries because of its nature and competition in the market. The competition between the Pepsi ® and Coca Cola plays a very important role in determining the prices of the drinks. A decrease in the price by one competitor forces the other competitor to reduce the prices as well. Pepsi ® offers various discounts and cutting off the prices, time to time, in order to capture the market and give benefits to the people. Taxation: Taxes are imposed by the governments; it is one of the main reasons for an increase in the prices. Pakistan Beverages Pvt. Ltd. always tries to retain the prices but sometimes it is essential for them to make an upward change Currently the soft drink industry is under double taxation. The current tax rate is 25% at the retail price. According to Senator Ahmed Ali, Chairman, Senate Standing Committee, after the tax reduction, can not only benefit the companies but also result in a three fold benefit to the country. (Source: www.brecorder.com) TECHNOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT: The technological environment, perhaps, is the most dramatic force now shaping our destiny. Technology has a tremendous impact on lifestyles, consumption patterns and our economic well-being. (Kotler, 2003) Although Pakistan is not a very technologically advanced country, it has always remained up to date with technology. POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT: The political environment includes the laws, government agencies and pressure groups that influence the overall running of the company (Kotler, 2003).The uncertain and unstable political environment in Pakistan causes many hindrances to each and every industry likewise the other industries; the beverage industry suffers a lot. Pepsi had also suffered a lot of boycotts for being an international brand. PORTERS FIVE FORCE ANALYSIS: According to Dibb et al, (2006), Michael Porter defined a model for competitive advantage, which consists of five competitive forces. This report will make use of the Porters five forces, to COMPETITOR ANALYSIS: All beverages available in the market are competitors of Pepsi ®, directly or indirectly. These competitors include Coca Cola, RC Cola, Pakola, Double Cola, Amrat cola, Makah Cola. Pepsis direct competitor is Coca-Cola. The non-soft drink competitors are tea, coffee, water, energy drinks, sports drinks, milks, etc which are all consumed on beverage occasions. Pepsi aims to gain a greater share of these occasions. Although Pepsi ® has captured over 70% of the market share in Pakistan (ipbu.co.uk) there is much rivalry between the two cola giants. They have to observe each others strategies for setting prices and executing promotional ideas. Pepsi and Coca-Cola had/have different brands of soda competing with each other: Brand Pepsi Coke Dark Cola PEPSI COCA COLA Diet DIET PEPSI DIET COLA Low calorie PEPSI ONE PEPSI EDGE PEPSI MAX(outside the US) COCA COLA 2 COCA COLA ZERO Lemon Lime Soda SIERRA MIST 7 UP(outside the US) SPRITE Cherry Soda WILD CHERRY PEPSI CHERRY COKE Orange juice TROPICANA MINUTE MAID Iced Tea BRISK NESTEA Root Beer MUG BARQS Sports Drink GATORADE POWERADE Citrus Soda MOUNTAIN DEW Mello Yello Surge Vault Vanilla-Flavored Pepsi Vanilla Vanilla Coke Lime-Flavored Pepsi Lime Coca-Cola with Lime (Source: website of Wikipedia for cola wars) STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF COCA-COLA: STRENGTH WEAKNESS Operating System Low market share Financial Strength Less Promotion Weaker Distribution Network (Please refer Appendices 1(a) for the explanation on the Strengths and weaknesses of Coca Cola COMPANY ANALYSIS: In Pakistan PEPSI Co. is operated under Pakistan Beverage Ltd, which is a major player in the beverage industry. It has been the market leader since 1988; still there is a healthy competition between these two major players, Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Over all, Pepsi Co holds a share of over 70% in the industry and the beverage industry of Pakistan has shown an enormous growth of 30% in the year 2006. (Source: www.iptu.co.uk, pepsico.com, brecorder.com) PRODUCTS OFFERS BY PAKISTAN BEVERAGE Ltd. Flavor Brand Color Cola Pepsi ® Orange Marinda Lime 7 Up Mango Slice Lime Mountain Dew Lemon Teem SWOT ANALYSIS: SWOT analysis is a framework, for generating alternatives. It refers to strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors whereas, opportunities and threats and external. (Dibb et al. 2006) The SWOT analysis of PEPSI is as follows: SWOT ANALYSIS OF PEPSI: STRENGTH WEAKNESS OPPORTUNITY THREAT Intensive Distribution Network Lacks Worldwide Acceptance Natural Environment Brand Image Sweeter Taste Operating System Population Financial Backup Promotion Financial Assistance Diversification Awareness Target Market Food division should expand internationally Social, cultural, economic, political and governmental constrains Quality Standard Target health conscious customer base National Image Focus on most important customer trend- Convenience (Please refer Appendix 1(b) for an explanation of the points mentioned above). TOWS MATRIX: TOWS matrix makes use of the SWOT analysis to provide strategic options: STRENGTHS S Intensive Distribution Network Sweeter Taste Promotion Target Market Quality Standard National Image WEAKNESSES W Lacks Worldwide Acceptance Operating System Financial Assistance OPORTUNITIES O Natural Environment Population Diversification Food division should expand internationally Target health conscious customer base Focus on most important customer trend- Convenience SO Strategies Intensive distribution network to reach a wider population Expand into healthier products by its quality standards Target health conscious customers through its promotion and new product launches as it has a national image WO Strategies: Gain advantage through expanding into food based products as it has a name for that THREATS T Brand Image Financial Backup Awareness Social, cultural, economic, political and governmental constrains ST Strategies It has a strong national image to overcome the brand image. It can improve on quality to overcome issues such as pesticides in Pepsi Make use of the national image to overcome, social, economic pressures WT Strategies Slowly build up its image in different countries and avoid unnecessary businesses Give financial backup, to franchises in other countries Should be responsive to the needs of customers around the world rather than just the western market STRATEGIC OPTIONS AND EVALUATION: After analyzing, the TOWS matrix, we can evaluate strategic options for PEPSI as mentioned below: OPTION 1: MAKE USE OF THE STRONG DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM TO EXPAND IN THE UNREACHED MARKETS OPTION 2: PEPSIS NATIONAL IMAGE IS VERY STRONG; IT CAN ALSO EXPAND INTO HEALTHIER PRODUCTS AND TARGET HEALTH CONCIOUS CUSTOMERS. OPTION 3: EMPHASIE ON PRODUCT ATTRIBUTES MORE, SUCH AS, QUALITY THAN THE BRAND IMAGE OPTION 4: DIVERFIY INTO OTHER PRODUCTS SUCH AS FOOD AS ALREADY LAUNCHED IN OTHER COUNTRIES AS IT HAS A STRONG PROMOTION BASE OPTION 5: ADOPT SCHOOLS OR CHARIBLE INSTITUTIONS TO MAKE A FAIR IMAGE OF THE BRAND IN PAKISTAN DUE TO BRAND ISSUES OPTION 6: LAUNCH NEW FLAVOURS OF PEPSI, SUCH AS DECAFFINATED DRINKS. OPTION 7: MAINTAIN THE CURRENT POSITION MARKETING STRATEGY AUDIT: According to Dibb et al. (2006) Marketing strategy articulates the best way for a company to use its business resources and tactics to achieve its marketing objectives. It consists of the specific strategies for the target markets and positioning, the marketing mix and marketing expenditure levels. In marketing strategic audit, a company defines its mission statement and marketing objectives and analyzes whether the marketing strategy responds to the threats and opportunities in achieving those goals. BUSINESS MISSION: In the first step of the strategic planning, the company defines its mission statement. A mission statement drives the goals that are to be attained. It also defines the core area of activity of the company as well as, gives everyone a clear view of what the company wants to achieve. (Dibb et al. 2006) Following is the mission statement of Pakistan Beverages Pvt. Ltd. and the analysis of its strength and weaknesses. Pepsi ® Cos overall mission is to increase the value of our shareholders investment. We do this through sales growth, cost controls and wise investment of resources. We believe our commercial success depends upon offering quality and value to our consumers and customers, providing products that are safe, wholesome, economically efficient and environmentally sound, and providing a fair return to our investors while adhering to the highest standards of quality. (Source: www.evablue.com) The mission statement of Pepsi ® Cola International is no doubt a customer and environment oriented mission statement. It identifies the objective of the business that is to increase the profit through customer satisfaction by not compromising on the quality of the product. (Please refer Appendix 3(a) for the strengths and weaknesses of the mission statement) MARKETING OBJECTIVES: The mission of the company leads to a hierarchy of objectives, including the business objectives and marketing objectives. Marketing strategies must be developed in order to support those marketing objectives. The marketing objectives of the company should be clear and specific. (Dibb et al, 2006 and Kotler, 2002). The following are the marketing objectives of Pakistan Beverages Pvt. Ltd. To have the sales figure that is better than the last year The awareness of the product Availability of product to all segment of the consumers (Please refer Appendices 2(b) for an explanation of the points mentioned above.) MARKETING STRATEGY: Strategies direct the opportunities to follow, it leads to the target market that should be captures, the basis for competing and differential or competitive advantage to attain for the desired product. (Dibb et al. 2006) The marketing strategy of Pakistan Beverages Pvt. Ltd. is, To provide the customer the best beverage of the country To create awareness among the customers about the best soft drink available in the country. To give the product, a substantial support to capture its place in the market. (Please refer Appendix 2(c) for the explanation of the points mentioned above) STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE AND STRATEGIC FOCUS: After reviewing the overall corporate vision, mission statement, corporate goals and the SWOT analysis, ANSOFF matrix, provides an overall direction of the firm and it helps in the decision making process. (Dibb et al. 2006) ANSOFFS COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES Fig: 1.1 Ansoffs competitive strategies (source: Kotler, 2002, pg 100) According to the Ansoffs matrix, a company may choose one or more competitive strategies to assist strategies objectives. The three growth patterns defined are, intense growth for existing products, diversified growth for new products and new markets and integrated growth for the growth of the company. (Kotler, 2003; Dibb et al. 2006) Currently Pepsi Co. Pakistan is following Intense Growth Strategy through market penetration. MARKET PENETRATION: Market penetration is a strategy for increasing sales for existing products in the existing market. (Dibb et al. 2006) Pepsi try to achieve increased market share through aggressive advertising. Pepsi also sponsors a lot of sports activities and get into promotional offers and deals with different restaurants and educational institutions THE DIFFERENTIATED MARKETING STRATEGY: Selective Strategy: Selective strategy is also known as differential strategy. The product itself may or may not be different as in many cases only the promotional message and distribution channels vary. (Source: www.netmba.com) The Company is very much selective in all of its effort because any slightest change can affect the company. PBL not always uses the same routine for the overall promotion of PEPSI. Since this company has to compete well and one of the business mission of Pakistan Beverages LTD is to become the number one in the Pakistani market, thats why they dont want to give any place to its competitor untouched to attack on the company brand. Cue Strategy: Having so many competitors in the market, especially Coca Cola, Pepsi ® is facing difficulties in differentiating this product. Now the company is using the Cue strategy so as to perceive the customer, that this is the only brand in the market. Pepsi is made available everywhere through intensive distribution. To do this, Pepsi provides stands and refrigerators to the retailers so that PEPSI is made visible at once. MARKET SEGMENTATION: According to (Dibb et al. 2006) market segmentation is a process where heterogeneity can be grouped into smaller homogenous groups. Pepsis market is segmented into two distinct groups: Distribution. Consumer. Distribution With regards to sale, there are three distinguished areas where Pepsi ® is distributed: Open market place, small shops and kiosks. Institutional sales (hotel, club, restaurants etc.) Educational institutes (school, colleges, universities etc.) Consumers As far as consumers are concerned, undifferentiated marketing is practiced. Company doesnt want to confine Pepsi ® to any particular segment. However, their advertising campaigns depict that Pepsi ® is targeted more towards teenagers TARGETING: According to Dibb et al. 20066, targeting involves, decision required to cater a specific segment. TARGET MARKET STRATEGY: A company must keep in mind its capabilities and resources before following a specific targeting strategy. (Dibb et al. 2006). Undifferentiated Strategy: Undifferentiated strategy is, when a company designs, one market segment to cater the entire target market. (Dibb et al.2006). Although, Pepsi uses an undifferentiated Strategy, yet the main focus of Pepsi ® seems towards youngsters under the age bracket of twenties. This generation is called Generation X and constitutes a larger portion of the population. As a result all promotional schemes are targeted towards them. MARKETING PROGRAMMES: To make the marketing strategy a reality, it is very important to make an appropriate marketing mix (Kotler, 2003; Dibb et al. 2002). MARKETING MIX: Marketing Mix comprises of the 4 Ps as mentioned below: Product Price Place/distribution Promotion These are the very essential parts, which determine the success of any corporation. Among these Product, Place, and Promotion are in the hands of the company but sometimes price may or may not be set by the company as in the case of competitive-based pricing, depends upon competitor price and the market mechanism. (Kotlet, 2003; Dibb et al. 2006). In the case of the Pepsi ®, company sets great stress on these elements, which will be discussed briefly, THE PRODUCT VARIABLE: Product variable involves, creating a product keeping customers wants and need in view. (Dibb et al.2006). Pepsi ® A Consumer Product Pepsi ® is a consumer product. People buy Pepsi ® for the personal consumption. So the attributes of people affect this product very much. Peoples liking and disliking, people views about themselves, their views about the product, product positioning in the peoples mind, their taste, preferences, habits, income are some factors, which affect the sale of the Pepsi ®. Category __ Convenience Product Pepsi ® falls in a category of convenience product because of Low price Widespread distribution, convenient locations. Mass promotion by the producer. Product Attributes Quality: Normally consumer category products are very quality sensitive. Pepsi ® is a drink for refreshment and thirst quenching, therefore; the company must focus on the quality level. PRICE VARIABLE: According to Dibb et al. (2006) Price is very a sensitive issue in the case of every product. It is also a major threat in the competitive market. Sales figures are unusually affected if the pricing for the product is not set according the considerations. It is a common experience that Low-Price strategy is normally used to gain a high market share. This strategy is especially useful for the case of new product. (Kotler, 2003) Also High-Price strategy is also set for the purpose to perceive the customer, a product of high value. (Kotler, 2003) Based on the above assumption, we can say that prices affect the people perception about the product. People perception is very important in the purchase decision. Customer buys the product about which they perceived that it is the better product. Event-Based Pricing Pakistan Beverages Pvt. LTD also makes use of the special events in Pakistan. One of the most important events in the Pakistan is RAMADAN. The price of Pepsi in the season of Ramadan in normally less as compared to other seasons. But this special price is normally on the 1 and 1-1/2 liter bottles not on the 250ml. Pricing Strategies: Different pricing strategies exist for different marketing purposes. So marketing objectives plays a significant role in the determination of pricing strategy. Market-Penetration Strategy: Every firm can easily gain a large market share if it provides the better value that justifies the cost of the value. Pepsis pricing strategy is based on the marketing penetration strategy in order to become a market leader in the beverage industry. Positioning Strategy and the Price: It is a general practice that product price is set according to the product positioning. Product positioning gives an imagery of the product i.e. whether the product is luxurious or the convenience product. (Kotler, 2003) Pepsi ® is positioned as a consumer (convenience) product and people buy this product frequently with little involvement, comparison. Pepsi ® is positioned as a drink for thirst quenching and refreshment. So it cannot charge a high price for the product because several substitutes exist in the market. PLACE/DISTRIBUTION: Place Utility Concept: The product must be available at a convenient place for the customers ease (Dibb et al. 2006). One of the most important Concepts is the place utility. One of among several reasons to get a big market share in the Karachi market is the mass distribution by the company. It has been observed that people value the availability of the product. Thus the company follows an Intensive distribution strategy to make the product available everywhere. Distribution Strategy: Pakistan Beverages LTD has a very strong strategy for the distribution of the product. Company knows the importance of the distribution network in this competitive environment. Thats why a proper distribution network is working under the control of Pakistan Beverages Ltd. Intensive Distribution: Intensive distribution is to make the product available at all possible locations (Dibb et al. 2006). Company believes in the Intensive distribution of the product. What makes the Pepsi ® to adopt this strategy is the nature and category of the product because this product is consumed with little or no involvement so one of the great factors which affect the sales of this product is the availability of this product. PROMOTION: Promotion activities refer to the communication activities used to inform consumer about the product (Kotler, 2003). Integrated Marketing Communication Strategy: Pepsi ® is convenience product and it falls under a category of habitual buying behavior. There are many substitutes of Pepsi ® in the market. People buy this product with little involvement. So this kind of products usually requires a well-established promotion strategy. Pepsi ® is also involved in the heavy promotion of this product. So in order to make its promotion and communication more effective, it uses the integrated marketing communication strategy. Promotion Mix: Pepsi ® uses different promotion tool for the promotion of this product. The selection of the tool depends on the nature of the type of promotion Product Life-Cycle Stage: A companys strategies change according to the product life cycle stage. (Kotler, 2003) Promotions for the products in different stages require different promotion strategy. The product, which is in the introduction strategy, requires heavy promotion strategy to create awareness about the product. In the same way, products in the different stages require some other strategy. Since Pepsi is in the middle of the Growth and Maturity stage, the company uses a Push strategy. . Figure: 1.2 (source: Kotler, 2003 pg, 328) Push Strategy: A push strategy refers to, making use of the companys sales force and promotional activities to create consumer demand. (www.tutor2u.net) Company uses a push-strategy for its product Pepsi ®. Company builds-up the consumer demand by different means i.e. by advertising, sales promotion and consumer promotion, so that the product can be easily pushed through its channels and outlets. In promotion, Pepsi ® focuses on two areas, Sports Music In sports, Pepsi ® gives adequate coverage to cricket, which is the most watched sport in Pakistan and Music, by making Leading Cricketers such as Wasim Akram and Shahid Afridi endorse for the product and as well as Pop singers such as Hadiqa Kiyani promoting Pepsi. Tools of Promotion Another major decision is to determine which tool for the promotion is to use. Some of the tools for the promotion are given below. Advertising: This tool is quite successful for the past few years. Company uses this tool to promote its product among its customer. Advertising Objectives Persuasion: The main primary objective of the advertising of the Pepsi ® is to persuade the consumer to buy this brand. Pepsi ® advertises through the following media: Magazines and newspapers. Radio and television. Outdoor displays (Posters, billboards, signs and skywriting). Pepsi ® conducts advertising to achieve the following benefits: Long-term build up of the Pepsis image Institutional advertising. Long-term build of the brand name, Pepsi ® Brand advertising. Information dissemination about a particular sale (price reduction) or event (new promotional scheme) Classified advertising. (Kotler, 2003) (Please refer APPENDIX 3(A) for brand image and brand identity) RECOMMENDATIONS AND CHOSEN MARKETING STRATEGY: Pepsi is the leading soft-drink brand of Pakistan. Currently all the efforts done by the company, are keeping Pepsi as a market leader however, the company should adopt the following in order to maintain its share and to remain aggressive in the market. ANSOFFS MATRIX: INTENSIVE STRATEGY: The company has already adopted the strategy of Market Penetration through, advertising and pricing however, there is a very little development of Pepsi in the other two strategies: PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: It is a strategy to increase sales by either developing new products or by making an extension of the current product. (Dibb et al. 2006) Although Pepsi has been in Pakistan from a long time, it has done very little in order to launch new products as already launched in other countries. Pepsi should think about extending the current line of Pepsi to the decaffeinated Pepsi as well as brining other flavors of Pepsi in Pakistan. Expand into Healthier Products: Many consumers are seeking to lead a healthier lifestyle, reducing fat and sugar in their diets. It should, launch Tropicana and energy drink products in Pakistan. Because of the increase in the consumer health awareness, the rise in sales for these markets has steadily grown over recent years. MARKET DEVELOPMENT: Product development is a strategy to improve sales by introducing current products in new markets. (Dibb et al. 2006). PEPSI is right now, catering most urban and some rural areas. Pepsi should reach the old age people and rural places like those in Balochistan and NWFP which remains uncatered. MARKETING MIX: Although the marketing mix of Pepsi is very good, the alternatives and recommendations mentioned above can go with the same marketing mix but, however, it should i

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Power of Language :: Communication Metaphorical Metaphors Essays

The Power of Language Metaphors are not only a powerful way of allowing people to visualize a message that a person is trying to convey, but they are also a creative way of putting things that we see or think about every day into a new light. Speaking metaphorically isn't always very effortless and it certainly isn't easy for the listener to make the connection between what you are describing symbolically and what you are actually saying. Many writers use metaphors because they are a unique and creative way to express common ideas and they can also be very fun. Metaphors can be positive or negative depending upon which way the author would like to go. In the articles on Science, we certainly were able to see several different metaphors used for various reasons. Particularly in the article, "The Body at War: Media Views of the Immune System" by Emily Martin we saw Martin draw a unique parallel between our bodies, (predominantly our immune systems), and larger issues concerning race, class and gender. This, like many metaphorical comparisons, might seem like an unlikely possibility for a connection, but once she begins to explain why she feels that the media's representation of our immune system is so closely related to other social issues we are forced to take a second look. The way in which Martin makes her comparisons, with her unique word choice and style, comes across as quite a powerful and convincing theory. Mary Shelly also touched on some metaphorical language in her excerpt from her novel "Frankenstein." Although the power of language here is much more subtle there is clearly comparisons being made of what we would usually assume were completely unrelated topics. Shelly does a superb job of delicately interweaving metaphors about the power of human nature and the almost insatiable pursuit of knowledge that really call for the reader's earnest attention to the detail of her writing. In Martin's article we see how she gradually begins to set up her comparison of differing anti-bodies that are present in our bodies to gender, class and race roles present in our society. Martin describes media representations of such things as AIDS awareness and immune system function short films as presenting parts of our body at war with the bacteria and disease that is constantly trying to invade our bodies. Our "self" is clearly the good guy and anything that tries to permeate our bodies without our body's direct consent is considered to be the bad guys.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Kfc Founder

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Colonel Sanders| | Born| Harland David Sanders September 9, 1890 Henryville, Indiana, U. S. | Died| December 16, 1980  (aged  90) Louisville, Kentucky, U. S. | Cause  of death| Pneumonia| Nationality| American| Education| School dropout[1]| Occupation| Entrepreneur| Board member  of| Kentucky Fried Chicken(founder)| Religion| Disciples of Christ| Spouse(s)| Josephine King (divorced) Claudia Price| Children| Harland David Sanders, Jr. Margaret Sanders Mildred Sanders Ruggles| Parents| Wilbur David Sanders Margaret Ann Sanders  (nee Dunlevy)[2]| Signature| |Colonel[a]  Harland David Sanders  (September 9, 1890  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ December 16, 1980) was anAmerican  businessman and restaurateur who founded the  Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)restaurant chain. Sanders passed through several professions in his lifetime, with mixed success. He first served his fried chicken in 1930 in the midst of the  Great Depression  at a  gas station  he owned in  North Corbin, a small city on the edge of the  Appalachian Mountains  in south eastern Kentucky. With a flair for promotion and dedication to providing quality  fast food, Sanders oversaw his franchise in becoming one of the largest in the world.His likeness appears on their boxes to this day, and a stylized graphic of his face is a trademark of the corporation. Contents * 1  Early Life * 2  Early jobs * 3  Career * 4  Death and legacy * 5  Footnotes * 6  Further reading * 7  External links| ————————————————- Early Life Harland Sanders at age 20 Sanders was born on 9 September 1890 in a thin-walled, four room shack on a country road three miles east ofHenryville, Indiana. [3]  He was the oldest of three children born to Wilbur David and Margaret Ann Sanders. 3]Sanders was of Irish descent. [4] Sanders' father was a mild and affectionat e man who tried to make a living as a farmer, but fell and broke his back and a leg and had to give it up. [3]  For two years he worked as a butcher in Henryville. [3]  One afternoon in the summer of 1895 he came home with a fever and died later that day. [3]  Sanders' mother took work in a tomato-canning factory, and the young Harland was required to cook for his family. [3] Sanders dropped out of school when he was 12. [5]  When his mother remarried in 1902 his stepfather beat him.So then, with his mother's approval, he left home to live with his uncle in  Albany. [6] ————————————————- Early jobs Sanders falsified his date of birth and enlisted in the United States Army at the age of fifteen, completing his service commitment as a mule handler in Cuba. [6]  He was honorably discharged after four months and made his way to  Sheffield, Alabama  where an unc le lived. [6]  It so happened that his brother Clarence had also made his way there, in order to avoid his stepfather. 6]  During his early years, Sanders held many jobs, including: steamboat pilot, insurance salesman, railroad fireman and farmer. [7] Sanders married Josephine King in 1908 and started a family, but after his boss fired him for insubordination while he was on a trip, Josephine stopped writing him letters. He then learned that Josephine had left him, given away all their furniture and household goods, and taken the children back to her parents’s home. Josephine ’s brother wrote Sanders a letter saying, â€Å"She had no business marrying a no-good fellow like you who can’t hold a job. He had a son, Harland, Jr. , who died at an early age, and two daughters, Margaret Sanders and Mildred Sanders Ruggles. [8][9] ————————————————- Career Sanders remains the official face of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and appears on its logo The  restaurant  in  Corbin, Kentucky  where Colonel Sanders developed Kentucky Fried Chicken Colonel Harland Sanders, in character In 1930 Sanders opened a  service station  in  Corbin, Kentucky  where he cooked chicken dishes and other meals such as  country ham  andsteaks  for customers. 10]  Since he did not have a restaurant, he served customers in his adjacent living quarters. His local popularity grew, and Sanders moved to a motel and 142 seat restaurant, later  Harland Sanders Cafe and Museum. Over the next nine years he developed his â€Å"secret recipe† for frying chicken in a  pressure fryerthat cooked the chicken much faster than  pan frying. In 1939 food critic  Duncan Hines  visited Sanders’s restaurant incognito and was so impressed he listed the place in â€Å"Adventures in Good Eating,† his famous guide to restaurants throughou t the US.As his success grew, Sanders played a more active role in civic life, joining the  Rotary Club, the chamber of commerce, and the  Freemasons. [11]  In 1947 he and Josephine divorced, and in 1949 he married his secretary Claudia, as he had long desired. [12]  He was â€Å"re-commissioned† as a Kentucky colonel in 1949 by his friend, Governor  Lawrence Wetherby. [13] Around 1950, Sanders began developing his distinctive appearance, growing his trademark mustache and goatee and donning a white suit and string tie. 13]  He never wore anything else in public during the last 20 years of his life, using a heavy wool suit in the winter and a light cotton suit in the summer. [7]  He bleached his moustache and goatee to match his white hair. [12] At age 65, Sanders' store having failed[7]  due to the new  Interstate 75  reducing his restaurant's customer traffic, he took $105 from his first  Social Security  check and began visiting potential franchisee s. [14] The franchise approach was successful, and less than ten years later (in 1964) Sanders old the Kentucky Fried Chicken corporation for $2 million to a partnership of Kentucky businessmen headed by  John Y. Brown, Jr. The deal did not include the Canadian operations. In 1965 Sanders moved to  Mississauga,  Ontario  to oversee his Canadian franchises and continued to collect franchise and appearance fees there and appearance fees in the U. S. (He was locally active. For example, his 80th birthday was held at the  Inn on the Park  in  North York, Ontario, hosted by  Jerry Lewis  as a  Canadian Muscular Dystrophy Association  fundraiser. [15]  In September 1970 he and his wife were  baptized  in the  Jordan River. [16]  He befriended  Billy Graham  and  Jerry Falwell. [16] In 1973, he sued  Heublein Inc. — then parent company of Kentucky Fried Chicken  Ã¢â‚¬â€ over alleged misuse of his image in promoting products he had not helpe d develop. In 1975, Heublein Inc. unsuccessfully sued Sanders for libel after he publicly described their gravy as â€Å"wallpaper paste† to which â€Å"sludge† was added. [17] ————————————————- Death and legacy Gravesite of Harland Sanders.Sanders later used his stockholdings to create the Colonel Harland Sanders Trust and Colonel Harland Sanders Charitable Organization, which used the proceeds to aid charities and fund scholarships. His trusts continue to donate money to groups like the  Trillium Health Care Centre; a wing of their building specializes in women's and children's care and has been named after him. [18]  The  Sidney, British Columbia  based foundation granted over $1,000,000 in 2007, according to its 2007 tax return. [19] Sanders died at the Jewish Hospital[20]  in  Louisville, Kentucky, of pneumonia on December 16, 1980. 21][22]  He had been diagnosed with acute leukemia the previous June. [8]  His body lay in state in the rotunda of the  Kentucky State Capitol; after a funeral service at theSouthern Baptist Seminary  Chapel attended by more than 1,000 people. He was buried in his characteristic white suit and black western string tie in  Cave Hill Cemetery  in Louisville. Since his death, Sanders has been portrayed by voice actors in Kentucky Fried Chicken commercials in radio and an animated version of him has been used for television commercials.The Japanese  Nippon Professional Baseball  league has developed an  urban legend  of the â€Å"Curse of the Colonel†. A statue of Colonel Sanders was thrown into the river and lost during a 1985 fan celebration, and (according to the legend) the â€Å"curse† has caused Japan'sHanshin Tigers  to perform poorly since the incident. [23] A manuscript of a book on cooking, which Sanders apparently wrote in the mid-1960s, has been fo und in KFC archives. It includes some cooking recipes from Sanders as well as stories. KFC plans to try some of the recipes, and to offer the book online. 24] ————————————————- Footnotes 1. ^  Sanders was given the honorary title â€Å"Kentucky Colonel† in 1935 by  Governor  Ruby Laffoon. 1. ^  Seven World Figures Who Drop Out Of The school, Sevenrare. com. 2. ^  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Harlan Sander's Family Tree†. www. genealogy. com. Retrieved 2009-03-09. 3. ^  a  b  c  d  e  f  The Human Tradition in the New South By James C. Klotter 130 4. ^http://www. kentuckyfriedchicken. com/about/pdf/50th_anniversary. pdf 5. ^  http://www. colonelsanders. com/ 6. ^  a  b  c  d  The Human Tradition in the New South By James C.Klotter 131 7. ^  a  b  c  Ozersky, Josh (2010-09-15). â€Å"KFC's Colonel Sanders: He Was Real, Not Just an Iconâ₠¬ . Time. Retrieved 2010-09-18. 8. ^  a  b  Edith Evans Asbury (1980-12-17). â€Å"Col. Harland Sanders, Founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dies: [Obituary]†. The New York Times: p. A33. 9. ^  Josh Kegley,  Daughter of Colonel Sanders dies at age 91,Lexington Herald-Leader, September 25, 2010. 10. ^  KFC. co. uk | About Us | KFC History 11. ^  The Human Tradition in the New South By James C. Klotter 138. 12. ^  a  b  The Human Tradition in the New South By James C. Klotter 142 13.   a  b  Ã¢â‚¬Å"KFC – Colonel Sanders Cafe & Museum – America's First Kentucky Fried Chicken†. Corbinkentucky. us. 1964-02-18. Retrieved 2010-07-30. 14. ^  I've Got A Secret  interview, originally broadcast April 6, 1964 (rebroadcast by GSN March 30, 2008). 15. ^  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Dinner for Col. Sanders†. Toronto Star  (Toronto ON): p. 23. 10 July 1970. 16. ^  a  b  The Human Tradition in the New South By James C. Klotter 153 17. ^  Kleber, John E. ; Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter (June 1992). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. p. 796. ISBN  0-8131-1772-0. 18. ^  Ã¢â‚¬Å"About Us: Tillium Health Center†.Trilliumhealthcentre. org. Retrieved 2010-07-30. 19. ^  Harland Sanders Foundation on the CRA web site 20. ^  Col. Sanders, fried chicken king, dead Chicago Tribune (1963-Current file) [Chicago, Ill] 17 Dec 1980: 5. 21. ^  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Milestones†. Time. 1980-12-29. Retrieved 2008-05-19. 22. ^  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Col. Sanders, 90, Dies of Pneumonia†. The Washington Post. 1980-12-17. 23. ^  White, Paul (2003-08-21). â€Å"The Colonel's curse runs deep†. USA Today. Retrieved 2009-05-28. 24. ^  Schreiner, Bruce (2011-11-10). â€Å"Colonel Sanders harbored more than one secret†. News & Record. Associated Press. Retrieved 2011-11-12.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

What are the key similarities and differences between Freud and Jung’s theories of dreams?

Introduction Historically, dreams have often been given cultural significance all over the world, and various speculations abound on the origin and function of this intriguing phenomenon. However, it was the pioneering work of Freud in the late 19th Century which truly revolutionised the way dreams are discussed in much contemporary discourse. Although as a theory it is unfalsifiable and does not easily lend itself to empirical investigation, it subsequently remains somewhat outside of the conventional scientific approach to the study of psychological phenomena, as do the ideas of Jung. Psychodynamic theories have nonetheless been influential particularly with regard to dreams since their exact purpose and the genesis of their content is not demonstrably explicable in terms of mechanistic perspectives on sleep and mind. Clearly then these theories appeal to people, and they have resulted in psychotherapeutic methods of analysis that have been helpful to some people (Freud, 1940). With this in min d, this essay will seek to establish the individual contributions of Freud and Jung, where they concur and where their theories come into conflict. In order to do this each theory must first be outlined. Freud ascribed a crucial central position of dreams in his overall model of the psyche (Jones, 1913). He saw dreams as indicative of pathologies and emotions affecting conscious life, either directly or through the action of his proposed concept of the unconscious. Freud believed that in fact the majority of the mental processes governing an individual’s thoughts, feelings and therefore behaviour, take place in the unconscious mind, and that an intrinsic censor keeps these processes and underlying drives from conscious awareness (Freud, 1922). This unconscious-conscious distinction is necessary, Freud argues, because the feelings evoked by conscious knowledge of true motivational drives and internal struggles would be unacceptable, and therefore these must be hidden in the un conscious. These unacceptable notions only become available to consciousness in transformed appearance; becoming something analogous but more acceptable to the individual. One of the primary ways Freud supposed that the unconscious communicated its contents to the conscious mind was via dreams. The actual experienced content of dreams Freud names the manifest content, whereas the true meaning of the dream as it is stored in the unconscious was dubbed the latent content (Freud, 1900). Through the method of psychoanalysis, utilising such techniques as free association and projective methods using external stimuli, such as the Rorschach inkblot test, Freud believed the latent content of dreams could be uncovered, and that the revelation of this information In the light of consciousness could alleviate many neurotic symptoms (Fenichel, 2006). As far as Freud was concerned, dreams communicate their message through symbolic means. Images encountered in dreams represent some aspect of the dreamer’s psyche and their interpretation can result in profound insights into the inner life of an individual. For Freud, the meaning of certain dream symbols could be ubiquitous between individuals; if one person was dreaming of the Eiffel tower then this could be interpreted in much the same way as if another person were also dreaming of the Eiffel tower. The only way the interpretation would differ would be in regard to the dream context; that is, the place the object of the Eiffel tower occupied in relation to other dream objects, the motifs and themes involved in the dream as well as more ambient feelings surrounding dream objects. Therefore, two dreams involving the Eiffel tower could be interpreted quite differently, but the symbolic Eiffel tower could be said to have similar if not synonymous meaning between persons, according to Freud (1954). A key aspect of Freud’s theory of the unconscious is that the ego (the symbolic self) develops defence mechanisms to p rotect itself from thoughts and feelings that it finds unacceptable, typically these are feelings of inadequacy, social comparisons or unbearable desires of some kind. This arsenal of defence mechanisms includes repression, denial, sublimation and projection. This list is not comprehensive but these are the primary mechanisms by which feelings that are deemed harmful to the ego are exiled to the unconscious (Freud, 2011). In Freud’s theory, these unconscious desires and feelings then manifest themselves symbolically in dreams through almost universally recognisable and interpretable symbols. Another aspect of this theory is that dream objects may form categories. In other words, different but perhaps similar objects may mean the same thing in terms of latent content. One classic example of a semantic category of this kind is phallic symbols; essentially anything cylindrical is often interpreted to denote a phallus, or more abstract ‘power’ (Orrells, 2013). The dr eam analysis would then proceed with the latent content supplanted in the place of the manifest content, and the true meaning of the dream could be interpolated depending on the dream context. Freud was essentially working towards an encyclopaedic knowledge of the meaning behind each dream symbol (Freud, 1900) and although there was some acknowledgement that these symbols could be represented differently between diverse people, much of his theory lacks generalizability. This point becomes especially relevant when it is remembered that his theory was developed using only qualitative data obtained from neurotics (Freud, 1922). As a contemporary of Freud’s, Jung developed his theories largely without his input. When the two met they found that most of their ideas regarding the unconscious and its expression in dreams were compatible if not identical. However, there were some key areas of divergence; chiefly there are new concepts introduced by Jung, and disagreements over the ex act nature of the unconscious. Despite specific differences, there is no denying the striking similarity of the theories with regard to the genesis of dreams, the structure of the individual psyche and to a large extent the interpretation of dream content. Freud and Jung agreed that dreams harbour feelings, thoughts and desires which are unacceptable or painful to conscious awareness. Jung took this notion a step further and coined the term ‘complex’. A complex centres on a certain theme which pervades a person’s life again and again in many different ways. It must be a recurring theme which profoundly influences the psychology of the individual. Unlike the more general terms used by Freud, the idea of a complex provides a more structured way of understanding an individual’s unconscious expressions through the methods used in psychoanalysis, and the term was adopted by Freud into his psychology (Schultz and Schultz, 2009). Jung also introduced the concept of the collective unconscious, as he felt that Freud’s formulation of the unconscious was apt when applied to the individual, but incomplete as it could not account for the consistency of certain dream themes and even specific symbols between individuals (Jung, 1981). Jung believed that the consistency of dreams between individuals was best explained by introducing a new level to the unconscious; a communal level where universally relevant archetypal symbols filter in disguised form into the conscious awareness of individuals through dreams. These archetypes are fundamental aspects of life which apply to all people, and as such are ingrained in some way in all cultures, but are expressed differently between cultures in their respective myths, legends and deities. For Jung, archetypal images include that of the mother, to give an idea of the sort of motifs supposedly inherent in the collective unconscious. Although Freud would later acknowledge the idea of a collective unconsc ious (Jung, 1936), he still did not attribute particular importance to it like Jung did, seeing it as more of an ‘appendix’ to the personal unconscious. The collective unconscious was of paramount importance in Jung’s theory of dreams; he supposed that many dream images and themes could be interpreted as representing archetypes present in the collective unconscious (Jung, 1981). It is necessary here to delve a little further into Jung’s theory of the general human psyche to fully appreciate his perspective on dreams. Jung believed the ultimate goal of life was ‘individuation’ (Jung, 1923), which refers to the unification of personality, and an acknowledgment of all unconscious impulses. This integration of the unconscious with consciousness can only occur with the two still operating in relative autonomy but with the conscious mind achieving a degree of acceptance of the unconscious; both the collective and personal unconscious that is. Until individuation can be achieved, the individual must continue to attempt to differentiate themselves from the collective consciousness through the establishment of an individual persona. The persona is shaped through the processes of socialisation and individual experience and therefore the persona an individual choses to project may not truly reflect how they are feeling or thinking. Jung argued this persona is also shaped by the collective unconsciousness, and this struggle for individuation against the archetypes, and the strain felt by wearing the persona like a ‘mask’ is expressed in dreams (Jung, 1923). The idea of integrating opposites features heavily in Jung’s theories, and he believed that dreams could be expressions of this internal struggle, which is a perspective shared by Freud. However, it is clear that there is disagreement on the origins of the internal struggles; for Freud they arise only from the pressure of individual desires which are deemed as unacceptable by the conscious mind, whereas Jung saw in dreams the process of socialisation via exposure to the collective unconscious and the archetypes, while at the same time the ego struggles against such influence for the possibility of individuation. It can be gleamed from this description of the theories of Jung compared to those of Freud that Jung’s had more of a spiritual aspect to them. The idea of a collective unconscious inhabited by concepts that are familiar to all people does have an air of transcendence compared to the personal unconscious, which is concerned only with the unbearable thoughts of the one individual concerned. The objectivist worldview of Freud can be clearly contrasted here with that of Jung who did not discount spiritual perspectives, but saw in them analogies, representations and affirmations of his own concepts, albeit expressed with some artistic licence and cultural influence. The goal of individuation, Jung thought, was at the mystical h eart of all religions, whereas the collective unconscious gave rise to all manner of representations in religious texts. This brings us to another way in which the theories differ. Freud conceptualised the unconscious as being overwhelmingly focused on negative emotions and thoughts concerning the ego. The complex for Freud was always a malevolent phenomenon. Jung did not believe this necessarily had to be the case, and stipulated that the unconscious could contain desires, thoughts and feelings of any emotional valence. Jung believed that the contents of the personal unconscious could have been repressed from consciousness for any number of reasons, which differs drastically from the opinion of Freud who believed that this was only possible through the activation of the defence mechanisms he conceived of. Indeed, Jung saw many of the archetypes as benign abstractions (Jung, 1981) shared by all cultures which are universally effective in shaping the socialisation of all members of a society. Jung’s theory then has greater scope, in encapsulating the macro-level influences which affect all people as well as individual tendencies expressed in dreams; Freud focused to heavily perhaps on the individual and their immediate relations. Both Freud and Jung believed that unconscious underlying emotions for certain concepts drive external behaviour, the primary disagreement is over the placement of these emotional drives. Jung proposed that images filter up from the collective unconscious and are given individualised guises appropriate to each individual (but they nonetheless represent the same archetype). Feelings regarding this archetype arise from personal experience and inherent inclinations. These feelings are then expressed in the personal unconscious through dreams and take on personal significance in the conscious mind. In Freud’s theory, the process of unconscious expression takes place solely in the personal unconscious and is concerned with emot ions, thoughts and desires surrounding personal relationships and experience (Williams, 1963). Both of these psychodynamic theorists saw dreams as a key diagnostic tool in psychotherapy. However, there was some divergence in interpretative technique; primarily that Jung did not believe that the meaning of one dream symbol could be transferred effectively between people. To reuse the earlier example, to dream of the Eiffel tower could be interpreted completely differently depending on who dreamed it, their personal circumstances and the dream context. The dream image of the Eiffel tower for Jung does not inherently mean anything in and of itself. Although both methods of interpretation have resulted in the lessening of neurotic symptoms for some patients (Freud, 1954; Jung, 1936) the fact that these theories are essentially speculative cannot be overlooked lightly. Both Freud and Jung attached paramount significance to dreams in the functioning of the human mind, reading great meanin g into sometimes seemingly arbitrary dream images, but the fact that these theories cannot be empirically tested and rely on mainly neurotic patients for the acquisition of evidence is a serious criticism of both theories. The purpose of dreams is another area in which these theories put forward different views. Both theorists agree that the unconscious is expressed in dreams, but Jung adds that socialisation occurs through exposure to the collective unconscious, and individuation is sought through the establishment of an appropriate place for the ego in relation to the archetypes (Jung, 1936). Therefore, dreaming is a process of growth for Jung, whereas Freud saw dreams as expressive and in need of interpretation for them to really be of use to the dreamer. A common theme in both theories though when it comes to the purpose of dreams is compensation. In psychoanalytic theory, it is assumed that dreams can arise to compensate for a conscious attitude thus balancing the position of t he ego, this perspective is shared by both Jung and Freud. In a compensatory dream, the dreamer may be expressing a contrary attitude to one consciously held, although this would occur in disguised form as the manifest content in the dream. This assumption would factor into the psychoanalytic strategy employed by both theorists, where they would most notably differ would be in their interpretation of the meaning of certain symbols; whether they represent archetypes (as in Jung’s theory) or are analogous to personal relationships with people or objects in conscious life (as in Freud’s theory). To conclude, there initially appears to be many more similarities than differences between the theories of Freud and Jung regarding dreams. Both postulate the existence of an unconscious which expresses itself with symbolic images through dreams for the purpose of compensation; both see the interpretation of the unconscious expression as potentially beneficial, and the pathology o f neuroses is seen to have a causal influence in the unconscious desire. Despite these fundamental similarities there is also much divergence. Most of the theoretical difference is created by the proposition of the collective unconscious by Jung. This introduces a spiritual element, and an additional purpose of dreaming, which involves communing with archetypal forms to establish personal identity, and maintain a properly socialised persona. This is mostly incompatible with Freudian theory, which takes a more objective view and focuses on patterns of unconscious expression within the personal unconscious between individuals, seeking to establish a universal method of dream interpretation, something Jungian theory would deem impossible. References Fenichel, O. (2006). The psychoanalytic theory of neurosis. London: Routledge. Freud, A. (2011). The ego and the mechanisms of defence. Exeter: Karnac Books. Freud, S. (1900). Distortion in dreams. The interpretation of dreams, 142-143. Freud, S. (1922). The unconscious. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 56(3), 291-294. Freud, S. (1940). An Outline of Psycho-Analysis. International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 21, 27-84. Freud, S. (1954). The origins of psycho-analysis (p. 216). M. Bonaparte, & W. Flie? (Eds.). New York: Basic Books. Jones, E. (1913). Freud’s theory of dreams. London, England: Bailliere, Tindall & Cox Jung, C. G. (1923). Psychological types: or the psychology of individuation. Oxford, England: Harcourt, Brace Jung, C. G. (1936). The concept of the collective unconscious. Collected works, 9(1), 42. Jung, C. G. (1981). The archetypes and the collective unconscious (Vol. 9). Princeton: Princeton University Press. Orrells, D. (2013). Freud’s Phallic Symbol. Classical Myth and Psychoanalysis: Ancient and Modern Stories of the Self, 39. Shultz, D. and Shultz, S. (2009). Theories of Personality (9th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. Williams, M. (1963). The indivisibility of the personal and collective unconscious. Journal of Analytical Psychology, 8(1), 45-50.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Advertisement and Promotion in Business The WritePass Journal

Advertisement and Promotion in Business Abstract Advertisement and Promotion in Business ). With the ongoing increase in competition across all industries, companies that fail to advertise or promote their products and services risk losing their competitive edge regardless of how proper the other elements of the marketing mix are (Reynolds Lancaste, 2013). This paper covers different issues of advertisement and promotion. These include the marketing communications’ scope and below the line advertisement approaches that can be used to promote Pringles, one of their products. It also designs a plan for an integrated promotional strategy for Pringles. Task 1 – Scope of Marketing Communications 1. Explain the communication process that applies to advertising and promotion. Communication in advertisement and promotion aims to ensure that that the messages that businesses intend to pass to their consumers are effectively relayed (Shimp Andrews, 2013). There are different steps through which these messages undergo before arriving to their target audiences. In promotion and advertisement, the sender – in this case, the advertising company – encodes the message and relays it through a transmission device (Wharton, 2013). Encoding is the creative creation of cues that can either be verbal or non-verbal that will pass the intended message to customers in the most effective manner and also attract the highest possible attention among the target customers (Reynolds Lancaste, 2013). After the message has been encoded, ideal transmission devices or avenues are used to pass the message (Wharton, 2013). With the different customer segments being targeted by companies, it is important to select the most ideal avenue through which the advertisement can be passed (Pride, 2013). The message is then decoded by the receiver, where it will trigger different actions in response to the advertisement, which include making purchases of the advertised products or services (Reynolds Lancaste, 2013). Whereas companies expect the communication processes of advertisements to lack barriers, there are several that may limit the attainment of the intended advertisement objectives (Wharton, 2013). One of these is the presence of many other adverts by competing companies that may divide the attention of target consumers this is mainly referred to as clutter (Kaser, 2012). 2. Explain the organisation of the advertising and promotions industry. The advertising and promotions industry comprises of different entities. These include advertisers, advertising agencies, media organizations and external facilitators (Friedlein, 2014). The roles played by all these parties contribute towards the success of the industry. To ensure effectiveness of this industry, different countries have different approaches of managing these involved parties (Oguinn et al., 2011). In the United Kingdom and Europe, there are different bodies that are involved in the running of the industry. These include the European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA), and the Promotional Marketing Council (PMC) (Warc, 2014). EACA represents media agency associations and full-service advertising across Europe (EACA, 2014). It is based in Brussels, Belgium, and focuses on the promotion for responsible effective and honest advertisement. The organisation also promotes high levels of professionalism and fosters close cooperation among different advertisers, a gencies and media outlets in Europe. PMC, on the other hand, represents the sales promotion industry. Some of the parties represented include suppliers, clients and agencies across several countries in Europe (Warc, 2014). 3. Assess how promotion is regulated. Regulation involves the creation or certain rules and regulations to govern different activities in advertisement and promotion. In the United Kingdom, an advertising self-regulatory system for non-broadcast advertising was set up in UK in 1961. This step was taken to ensure that advertisements are responsible and achieve the purpose of making customers aware of products and their repurchase of the products. The UK regulates the promotion industry by using a combination of practice and legislation codes (Advertising Standards Authority, 2014). There are two regulatory committees that create, revise and monitor advertising codes. These are the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP). The BCAP code creates broadcast advertising rules while CAP creates rules for non-broadcasting advertising, direct marketing and sales promotion (Farrell Gordon, 2012). These rules are enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). With the changes that are always taking place in advertising, these rules are regularly revised to increase effectiveness (Kaser, 2012). However, keeping up with this pace is quite challenging because of the increase in advertisement avenues that has been made possible by technological advancements. As a result, increasing numbers of customers are falling prey to advertisers that advertise inexistent or poor quality products (Cho et al., 2014). 4. Examine current trends in advertising and promotion, including the impact of ICT. The current trends in advertising and promotion have majorly been influenced by the increase in the use of the internet and social networking among target customers, which has largely been as a result of ICT development (Friedlein, 2014). There are various internet related trends in product advertising and promotion. These trends include; social media, online display advertising and mobile advertising. Advertisements on the social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, are on the rise and are referred to as sponsored content (Seth Kapoor, 2014). Companies are taking advantage of the growing number of people using these avenues because in total, there are approximately 2 billion people signed up to different social media platforms (Tuten Solomon, 2012). Online display marketing is on the rise, and involves the advertisement of company websites on other websites that target consumers frequently use (Kaser, 2012). According to Persaud and Azhar (2012), an increase in the use of smartpho nes has also given rise to internet mobile advertising. This is where advertisers reach consumers personally through platforms, such as social media or sending links to company websites, in the form of text messages (Persaud Azhar, 2012). Whereas these developments provide a convenience of reaching a wide range of clients in a short time and on a smaller budget, there are also different associated demerits (Friedlein, 2014). One of these is the information risk that customers and companies may be prone to because of hacking (Cho et al., 2014). Social media has been regarded by some researchers as one of the fastest avenues through which information passes. Thus, any mistake by a company that may tarnish its reputation can be detrimental to its brand (Tuten Solomon, 2012). Task 3: Primary techniques of below-the-line technique of sales promotion 1. Explain primary techniques of below-the-line promotion and develop a BTL campaign for the brand, â€Å"Pringles† Below-the-line promotion Below-the line advertisement is a promotional strategy that tends to use other mediums apart from the typical ones like the internet, broadcast, print and billboards (Kaser, 2012). Many companies in the present-day business environment utilize this strategy alongside above-the-line and through-the-line advertisement (Reynolds Lancaste, 2013). One of the main attributes of this approach to advertisement is that it is less expensive. However, many companies combine this with above-the-line promotions so as to maintain a better market position, below-the-line promotion being just as complement (Gautam, 2013). Several below-the-line advertisement techniques are discussed hereunder. Field marketing or promotion: It is a process through which salespeople target customers on a one-on-one basis with the aim of promoting certain products and services (Stone Desmond, 2007). One of the advantages of this approach is that it provides customers with a close interaction with the product being promoted and the salesmen. However, this is time consuming and some customers may not be quite welcoming to the salespeople (Sigala, 2010). The use of coupons: this below the line approach to promotion involves handing coupons to prospective purchasers of commodities and offering incentives or discounts to attract customers, especially those who are price-sensitive (Wharton, 2013). Given that such approaches often offer product at reduced prices for a short duration, there is always a risk of reduced sales when the company resumes its original prices (Kumar Rajan, 2012). Loyalty programs: These are packages that offer rewards to the frequent buyers of commodities due to their loyalty to the retail outlets (Grewal et al., 2011). Such programs are common in the airline industry, where frequent flyers of a given airline numbering a specified number of flights are awarded for their loyalty in different ways, which may also include free flights. These programs are however more ideal for customers with easy accessibility to the company products (Kaser, 2012). A below-the-line campaign for Pringles Pringles is a potato and wheat manufactured snack owned and run under the Kellogg Company (Pringles, 2014). Below-the-line advertisement can be used to compliment the current promotional strategies used. One of the below-the-line approaches that can be used to market Pringles is the field promotion or field marketing approach. To effectively implement this promotional strategy, it is vital for the company to recruit salespeople that have the experience and skills needed to enable them convince people they have never met before to choose the Pringles over competing products in the market (Kaser, 2012). Small samples ought to be distributed for free or be sold at a lower price. Considering that the company mainly targets teenagers and students (Gillespie Hennessey, 2010), it is advisable for the company to use younger salespeople who are more aware of how to approach and appeal to teenagers. The most ideal places that promoters of this product can target are those with high population of teenagers, like schools, colleges or recreational parks. Though this marketing approach provides an excellent avenue for building a relationship between the target customers and the brand, companies have to invest heavily in training salespeople or promoters to enable them deal with customers of diverse tastes and backgroun ds (Sigala, 2010). 2. Evaluate other techniques that can also be used in this BTL campaign. Apart from the above below-the-line approach that can be used by Pringles, there are several other methods that may be adopted to boost sales and promote the product. They are examined below. Pringles can use the Intercept method, where trained sales personnel are positioned at retail outlets besides the shelves holding Pringles in retail stores and supermarkets (Stone Desmond, 2007). Their main role is to persuade incoming buyers into the stores to purchase Pringles by highlighting their advantages over other competing products. Whereas this approach can increase the sales for the company, it has been criticized for causing impulse buying among customers (Pride, 2013). Sponsorship is also an ideal below the line promotional strategy that can be used by Pringles. This is whereby the company supports events and activities through provision of funds and other resources that are valuable to the success of the event (Woisetschlger Michaelis, 2012). For Pringles, this strategy can be implemented by sponsoring sports for schools and youth concerts. Awareness of the company or products can be increased by ensuring by printing T-Shirts, caps or any other apparel to be worn by those attending the event. Even with this convenience that the strategy offers to customers, it can be quite cost intensive for the company depending on the size or magnitude of the event being sponsored (Lee et al., 2012). This may have an adverse impact on the company’s return on investment. Task 4: Plan Integrated Promotional Strategies 1. Follow an appropriate process for the formulation of a budget for this integrated promotional strategy An integrated promotional strategy refers to an approach to promotion where a company uses different avenues to and tools to increase the awareness of products (Kaser, 2012). This section presents a plan for a promotional strategy that can be used to market Pringles. Even with the current success that it enjoys across the markets that it operates (Gillespie Hennessey, 2010), there is still a need for the company to penetrate more in the market and further increase its market share. To implement a successful promotional strategy, it is vital for the company to identify the resources or activities that will be involved. After they are identified, the appropriate budgetary allocation will be done to facilitate the strategy (Reynolds Lancaste, 2013). The avenues that will be used in this promotion strategy are TV commercials, billboards and online advertisement through social media outlets. The budget is summarized as below. Promotional Techniques Budget allocation TV commercials  £1 million Billboards  £100,000 Social media promotion YouTube video advertisements  £50,000 Facebook  £50,000 Twitter  £50,000 Total  £1.25 million    23: Carry out the development of a promotional plan for the Pringles and plan the integration of promotional techniques into the promotional strategy for Pringles The table above represents the promotional techniques that will be used in the promotion of Pringles. TV commercials will be used by airing advertisements of the product on channels that air programs that are mostly viewed by the company’s target customers, who are teenagers and the youth (Saxena, 2010). The most ideal channels on which to air these advertisements are music or sports channels. Billboards will be effective if they are located in areas that are densely populated and are located close to outlets of the products. With an increasing number of people who have signed up on Facebook and Twitter social networks, advertising products on these sites also increases their visibility among the target audience (Tuten Solomon, 2012). It also enables the company to actively engage with the customers that it is targeting. Thus, it will be imperative for Pringles to consider utilizing these avenues for promotion. 4. Appropriate techniques for measuring campaign effectiveness There are different approaches that can be used by companies in measuring the effectiveness of their promotional campaigns. One of these is the amount of feedback from customers. This is usually mainly in form of inquiries through different avenues about the product being marketed (Pride, 2013). When inquiries are high, it means that the advertisement strategy was effective, and vice versa. Another approach that can be used is the estimation of sales prior to and after the launch of the promotional campaign or the return on investment (ROI) (Kaser, 2012). Successful promotional campaigns ought to result in an increase in sales levels of the company and create revenues that surpass the investment that was put in the promotional activity. For social media advertisements, tools such as SentiStrength can be used to assess the reception of consumers to the advertisements. SentiStrenth is a sentiment measuring tool that evaluates the level of positivity or negativity of short texts that ar e mainly used in commenting on social media sites (SentiStrength, 2014). Conclusion Advertisement and promotion are vital components of the marketing mix. Some of the roles that they play include increasing of awareness among target customers about a company’s products and attracting new customers. This paper has addressed different issues that relate to this component of marketing. Under the scope of marketing communications, the paper has explained how the communication works process in promotion. It has also discussed how the organisation and regulation of the advertisement industry in the United Kingdom. The concept of below-the-line advertisement and an integrated promotional strategy that can be used to market Pringles have also been presented. For companies that intend to maintain their competitiveness in the market and attract a wide range of customers, it s vital for them to ensure that their promotional strategies are relevant to their target audiences. Whereas this paper has provided an in-depth understanding on the concepts of advertising and prom otion, in future, primary research can be incorporated, with members of the marketing department and a section of its target customers as respondents. References Advertising Standards Authority, 2014. About Regulation. [Online] Available at: asa.org.uk/About-ASA/About-regulation.aspx [Accessed May 2014]. Cho, S., Huh, J. Faber, R.J., 2014. The influence of sender trust and advertiser trust on multistage effects of viral advertising. Journal of Advertising, 43(1), pp.100-11. EACA, 2014. About Us. [Online] Available at: eaca.eu/ [Accessed 31 May 2014]. Farrell, T. Gordon, R., 2012. Critical social marketing: investigating alcohol marketing in the developing world. Journal of Social Marketing, 2(2), pp.138-56. Friedlein, A., 2014. Six trends in advertising you need to know for 2014. [Online] Available at: marketingweek.co.uk/opinion/ashley-friedlein/six-trends-in-advertising-you-need-to-know-for-2014/4009135.article [Accessed May 2014]. Gautam, A., 2013. A study on (below the line) promotion strategies of telecom industry in western (Up) circle (India) with special reference to Reliance Communication. European Journal of Business and Management, 5(22), pp.74-79. Gillespie, K. Hennessey, ‎.D., 2010. Global Marketing. Mason: Cengage Learning. Grewal, D. et al., 2011. Innovations in retail pricing and promotions. Journal of Retailing, 87, pp.43-52. Kaser, K., 2012. Advertising and Sales Promotion. Mason, USA: Cengage Learning. Kumar, V. Rajan, B., 2012. Social coupons as a marketing strategy: a multifaceted perspective. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 40(1), pp.120-36. Lee, D.-C., Hung, L.-M. Chen, M.-L., 2012. Empirical Study on the Influence among Corporate Sponsorship, Organizational Commitment, Organizational Cohesiveness and Turnover Intention. Journal of Management and Sustainability, 2(2), pp. 43-53 Mishra, P., 2009. Sales Management: Keys to Effective Sales. New Delhi: Global India Publications. Oguinn, T., Allen, C. Semenik, R., 2011. Advertising and integrated brand promotion. Mason: Cengage Learning. Percy, L. Rosenbaum-Elliott, R., 2012. Strategic Advertising Management. Oxford: Oxford University press. Persaud, A. Azhar, I., 2012. Innovative mobile marketing via smartphones: are consumers ready? Marketing Intelligence Planning, 30(4), pp.418-43. Pride, W.M., 2013. Marketing 2014, 17th ed. Mason: Cengage Learning. Pringles, 2014. Products. [Online] Available at: pringles.co.uk/products [Accessed 31 May 2014]. Reynolds, P. Lancaste, ‎G., 2013. Marketing. New Jersey: Routledge. Saxena, R., 2010. Marketing Management 4E. London: McGraw-Hill Education. SentiStrength, 2014. Sentiment Analysis. [Online] Available at: http://sentistrength.wlv.ac.uk/results.php?text=Luois+Vuitton+have+nice+clothes+but+i+hate+their+pricessubmit=Detect+Sentiment [Accessed 19 May 2014]. Seth, S. Kapoor, K., 2014. Fostering Creativity Innovation In Marketing Communication through Social Media. The International Journal Of Business Management, 2(1), pp.19-24. Shimp, T. Andrews, J.C., 2013. Advertising promotion and other aspects of integrated marketing communications. Mason: Cengage Learning. Sigala, M., 2010. The Handbook of Field Marketing: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding and Outsourcing Face-to-face Direct Marketing. Journal of Product Brand Management, 19(1), pp.67-68. Stone, M.A. Desmond,J ‎., 2007. Fundamentals of Marketing. London: Routledge. Tuten, T.L. Solomon, M.R., 2012. Social Media Marketing. New York: Prentice Hall. Warc, 2014. Promotional Marketing Council. [Online] Available at: warc.com/ContentandPartners/PromotionalMarketingCouncil.info [Accessed May 2014]. Wharton, C., 2013. Advertising as Culture. Bristol: Intellect. Woisetschlger, D.M. Michaelis, M., 2012. Sponsorship congruence and brand image: A pre-post event analysis. European Journal of Marketing, 46(3/4), pp.509-23.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Dredd Scott Case Study essays

Dredd Scott Case Study essays In 1848, the United States had acquired new lands in the Mexican cession and the question was whether or not the south should be allowed to spread slavery to the new states. Dredd Scott was a slave to a U.S. army surgeon, Dr. John Emerson in St. Louis, Missouri-a slave state. Dr. Emerson was transferred to Illinois, a state in which slavery was forbidden; he took Dredd Scott with him anyway. Two years later, he relocated again to Fort Snelling, Louisiana-another state where slavery was not only forbidden but an area in which, the Missouri Compromise of 1820 prohibited slavery. In 1846, Mr. Scott brought suit in a Missouri court to obtain his freedom because he felt that living in a free state would constitute freedom for him. He was successful in winning the case, but the Missouri Supreme Court reversed the judgment. Dredd Scott, with the help of some abolitionists arranged for the sale of Scott to John Sanford who was the brother of the widow of Dr. Emerson and who was already a cit izen in New York so that the jurisdiction could be taken by the federal circuit court in Missouri. The federal court held against Mr. Scott and he appealed to the Supreme Court under a writ of error. The Privileges or Immunities, Due Process, and Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. 1. Can a negro, whose ancestors were imported into this country, and sold as slaves, become a member of the political community formed and brought into existence by the Constitution of the United States, and as such become entitled to all the rights, and privileges, and immunities, guarantied by that instrument to the citizen? 2. Whether the provisions of the constitution, in relation to the personal rights and privileges to which the citizen of a State should be entitled, embraced the negro African race, at that time in this country, or who might afterwards be imported, who had then or ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

4 Tips for Duke Essays That Will Get You Accepted

4 Tips for Duke Essays That Will Get You Accepted SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Do you want to be a Blue Devil? If so, you’ll need to submit strong Duke essays as part of your application. Duke requires its applicants to answer two to four essay and short answer questions when they apply. In this article, we’ll break down each of those questions and explain exactly what you need to do to write amazing Duke supplement essay. What Is the Duke Supplement Essay? Duke requires that you submit two to four writing samples as part of your application. You’re required to answer one longer essay prompt and one short answer question. You also have the option of answering up to two more short answer questions. Duke requires the Duke supplement essay questions as part of its application process for a couple of reasons. First of all, written essays are a great way to assess your preparedness for college. Duke wants to see that you can write clearly and concisely and can follow all of the necessary grammar conventions. Duke also wants to get to know you more as a student and possible member of its campus. Essays are a great way to learn more about who you really are beyond your test scores and other credentials. Finally, your Duke essays are a great place to demonstrate your affinity for Duke itself. Why do you want to go there? Your essays can highlight your passion for the university. It’s extremely important to put time and effort into each one of the Duke supplement essay prompts so that you’re able to meet all of these needs. Duke Supplement Essay Prompts You’ll have to answer at least two and as many as four Duke supplement essay prompts for your Duke application. All students are required to write one longer essay. The essay you write will be determined by whether you’re submitting the Common Application or the Coalition Application (Duke accepts both). You’re also required to answer at least one short answer question. There are two more short answer questions that are optional for all applicants. If you apply to Duke via the Coalition Application, you’ll select one essay prompts to answer. For more information on how to ace your Coalition Application essay and an analysis of each prompt, check out our in-depth guide. If you apply to Duke via the Common Application, you’ll need to select one essay. For more information on how to craft an amazing Common Application essay and in-depth look at each prompt, check out our blog post dedicated to that very topic. 2018-19 Required Duke Essays All Duke students are required to answer one short answer question for their Duke admissions essay. The short answer question you respond to is determined by which school within Duke you’re applying to. If you are applying to the Pratt School of Engineering as either a first-year or transfer applicant, please discuss why you want to study engineering and why you would like to study at Duke. (150 words maximum) If you are applying to the Trinity College of Arts Sciences as either a first-year or transfer applicant, please discuss why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something particular about Duke that attracts you? (150 words maximum) 2018-19 Optional Duke Essays You also have the option of responding to two optional Duke essays. Duke makes it clear that these Duke admissions essay prompts are completely optional. You won’t be penalized if you don’t answer them. Duke University seeks a talented, engaged student body that embodies the wide range of human experience; we believe that the diversity of our students makes our community stronger. If you'd like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you've had to help us understand you better- perhaps related to a community you belong to or your family or cultural background- we encourage you to do so. Real people are reading your application, and we want to do our best to understand and appreciate the real people applying to Duke. (250 words maximum) Duke’s commitment to diversity and inclusion includes gender identity and sexual orientation. If you would like to share with us more about either, and have not done so elsewhere in the application, we invite you to do so here. (250 words maximum) Required Duke Essays, Analyzed If you are applying to the Pratt School of Engineering as either a first-year or transfer applicant, please discuss why you want to study engineering and why you would like to study at Duke. (150 words maximum) 150 words isn’t a lot of words to describe your love for Duke and your passion for engineering! You’ll need to be clear, succinct, and honest in order for your Duke admissions essay to stand out. Because the word limit is so constrained, it’s better to focus on one or two specific ideas, rather than trying to cram as many thoughts as possible into your short essay. While you may be enamored of Duke’s entire engineering faculty, choose one specific professor whose work you admire and expand on that. Any depth you can achieve in this small space will go a long way. Be sure to answer both parts of this question: you need to explain why you want to study engineering and why you want to study engineering at Duke. While the two answers might be intertwined, both should be clearly present in your response. When discussing why you want to study at Duke, pick things that are unique to Duke’s program. Don’t just say you want a great engineering education - you can get that at dozens of universities. Instead, specify what makes Duke’s engineering program different than all of the others. If you’re stuck, try perusing their course catalogue and looking at the program’s website and any recent publications. Chances are, you’ll catch something that stands out. If you are applying to the Trinity College of Arts Sciences as either a first-year or transfer applicant, please discuss why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something particular about Duke that attracts you? (150 words maximum) This Duke admissions essay question is also constrained in word count and focuses more on Duke’s merits than the engineering question. You’re not required to have any particular major in mind here, but it may be helpful to consider your academic course of study as you’re looking for reasons why Duke stands out to you. Duke is asking this question because they want their admitted applicants to enroll, so you need to demonstrate why your passion for this university would result in your attendance next fall. Convince the admissions committee that Duke is the one school for you. You can do this by researching specific facts about the university and its community. Because this question doesn’t ask you about your course of study, you don’t need to limit yourself to academics. If there’s something about Duke’s campus or culture that really stands out to you, now is the time to talk about it. Better to be honest and true to yourself than spew a bunch of platitudes that you think the admissions committee wants to hear. Optional Duke Admission Essay Prompts, Analyzed Duke University seeks a talented, engaged student body that embodies the wide range of human experience; we believe that the diversity of our students makes our community stronger. If you'd like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you've had to help us understand you better- perhaps related to a community you belong to or your family or cultural background- we encourage you to do so. Real people are reading your application, and we want to do our best to understand and appreciate the real people applying to Duke. (250 words maximum) Treat this question as an opportunity to share more about yourself. If you have something real and important to write about, do so. But don’t try to invent an experience that doesn’t actually belong to you - it’ll come across as fake and insincere. Unless you really have nothing to say, I’d suggest including something. If you choose to answer this question, lean into authenticity. Don’t be scared to be vulnerable or honest. While the question talks about Duke’s commitment to diversity, don’t feel like you have to invent diverse experiences just to fit in. Share about your unique perspective. Be sure to indicate why this point-of-view belongs to you, and you alone. Your perspective is made up by your experiences and interactions, so you can highlight how these have affected you. Duke’s commitment to diversity and inclusion includes gender identity and sexual orientation. If you would like to share with us more about either, and have not done so elsewhere in the application, we invite you to do so here. Don’t answer this optional essay unless you have something real to say. Don’t feel intimidated or scared that ignoring this question will reflect badly on you. It won’t. You should really only address this prompt if you’re a member of the LGBTQ community. What will reflect badly on you is making something up that comes across as insincere, or worse, ignorant. Speak truthfully and from the heart. Similarly, if you do have reflections on gender identity and sexual orientation, don’t feel like you have to share them. Remember, this essay is optional. It’s completely fine if you’re not quite comfortable enough or ready to talk publicly about these topics. If you choose to answer this question, only speak about real experiences that happened to you. It’s better to keep them personal. This essay isn’t the place to reflect on the overall political climate surrounding LGBTQ+ rights, especially if those issues don’t relate to you. It is, however, the space to talk about your specific identity and journey. How to Write Great Duke Essays If you want your Duke essays to stand out and help you get admitted, follow these tips! #1: Use Your Own Voice The point of a college essay is for the admissions committee to have the chance to get to know you beyond your test scores, grades, and honors. Your admissions essays are your opportunity to make yourself come alive for the essay readers and to present yourself as a fully fleshed out person. You should, then, make sure that the person you’re presenting in your college essays is yourself. Don’t try to emulate what you think the committee wants to hear or try to act like someone you’re not. If you lie or exaggerate, your essay will come across as insincere, which will diminish its effectiveness. Stick to telling real stories about the person you really are, not who you think Duke wants you to be. #2: Avoid Cliched or Overused Phrases When writing your Duke essays, try to avoid using cliches or overused quotes or phrases. These include quotations that have been quoted to death and phrases or idioms that are overused in daily life. The college admissions committee has probably seen numerous essays that state, â€Å"Be the change you want to see in the world.† Strive for originality. Similarly, avoid using cliches, which take away from the strength and sincerity of your work. Don’t speak in platitudes about how the struggle for gay and lesbian rights has affected you†¦ unless it actually has! #3: Check Your Work It should almost go without saying, but you want to make sure your Duke essays are the strongest example of your work possible. Before you turn in your Duke application, make sure to edit and proofread your essays. Your work should be free of spelling and grammar errors. Make sure to run your essays through a spelling and grammar check before you submit. It’s a good idea to have someone else read your Duke essays, too. You can seek a second opinion on your work from a parent, teacher, or friend. Ask them whether your work represents you as a student and person. Have them check and make sure you haven’t missed any small writing errors. Having a second opinion will help your work be the best it possibly can be. That being said, make sure you don’t rely on them for ideas or rewrites. Your essays need to be your work. #4: Only Answer What You’re Comfortable With Remember, Duke’s optional essays are just that - optional. It can be tempting to respond to everything on the application and if you have an important story to tell, you definitely should. However, if you have nothing to say, don’t feel like you need to make something up. You’re better off answering less, honestly, then you are answering more, dishonestly. What’s Next? Have you taken the ACT or SAT yet? Not sure which one you’ll do best on? Read our guide to choose the test that’s right for you. If you've taken the SAT and want to improve your score, check out our guides to improving your Reading, Writing, and Math scores. Not sure what you want to major in?Don't worry! With our advice, you'll figure out what you should study as an undergrad. Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now: