Thorntons chocolate Essays

Thorntons chocolate Essays Thorntons chocolate Paper Thorntons chocolate Paper 2.0 SWOT Analysis 2.1 Strengths 2.1.1 Manufacturing Thorntons Plc conducted their key manufacturing and selling activities in house. The ability to monitor the process of the boxed chocolate selection provides them with greater control over the manufacturing process. This has enabled them to protect the recipe of their core products. In addition, years of manufacturing in the chocolate industry has also helped to develop their manufacturing expertise. Review has also shown that Thorntons was the only possible manufacturer for 70% of its product lines. This will give them competitive advantage over other chocolate producers. 2.1.2 Quality The use of quality ingredients assured the quality of the boxed chocolate selection. It has enabled them to differentiate themselves from other chocolate producers. The company owned retail outlets provided a good quality of service by providing personalized messages on icing during special occasions. Thorntons chocolates freshness is a distinctive feature of their product. Using more cocoa butter instead of vegetable fat has also shown the quality in their products. The company has maintained the customers experience by selling fresh and quality products. 2.1.3 Brand Name Thorntons has become a well known brand to the consumers. Research survey has shown that consumers ranked Thorntons in the 5th place in their typical UK high street products. Their shops have also become part of the UK high street. 2.1.4 Products In 1925 a recipe for Special Toffee gave the business an outstanding product. Walter Willen created the original recipes for Thorntons Continental chocolate range, which became the largest selling specialist assortment of chocolates in UK. Furthermore, since these products are still around until the present day, it shows Thorntons have expertise in chocolate making. New development of French dark chocolate and Belgian milk and white chocolate selection has also been added to the Continental range. In addition, products were also expanded to include gifts for every occasion, which included chocolate scented t-shirts and New Easter eggs. With the continuous innovation of producing new products, Thorntons can overcome the problem of seasonal goods. It helps them to increase sales during peak and off peak season. 2.1.5 Technology In 1998 the company had started to install EPOS in the shops. Electronic Point of Sales will allow them to increase efficiency and have more timely performance information. It will also help them to reduce losses in the future with up to date performance information. 2.1.6 Wide Distribution Channel Thorntons have their own shops to sell their products. Besides that, they have collaborated with other retail outlets such as Marks and Spencer, Tesco and also other grocers in order to widen and strengthen their market distribution channel. Moreover, they also sell their chocolate to pubs and restaurants to broaden their market share. 2.2 Weaknesses 2.2.1 Short Lifespan of Product Thorntons chocolate does not have a long shelf life and is often unsuitable for sales in many retail outlets, corner shops, garages and some of the supermarkets. 2.2.2 Fluctuations of Demand The company faces a lot of pressure and fluctuations of demand due to strong seasonal pattern. During festive season such as Christmas and Easter, business can increase tenfold within a few days. This will lead to the inefficiency of labor and production of chocolate. 2.2.3 Extra Cost of Labor To meet seasonal demand packing staff requires the increased use of casual workers, which will lead to a fall in efficiency. Furthermore, seasonal demand also requires the use of temporary staff in retail outlets. Temporary staff often do not often have the quality and experience needed, which could lead to unsatisfied customers. In addition, the need for casual workers will also increase the cost of the company. 2.2.4 Packaging The chocolates are enrobed in chocolate rather than molded. Thus, their hand made appearance makes the packaging process less open to automation because the chocolates are not in uniform sizes. 2.2.5 Customers Expectation Franchising did not provide the customer with the same experience as shopping in a Thorntons-owned shop and occasionally it could be difficult to maintain standards. As a result of this, Thorntons could end up losing customers because they cannot meet the customers expectation. 2.2.6 Drop in Perceived Value Thorntons have made progress to develop the companys commercial customers and have broadened the range of chocolate products to suit supermarket shelves. These newly developed products to suit the commercial customers were different compared to those sold at Thorntons own outlets. They differed by style and recipe and regular customers could not be sure if they were made by Thorntons. As a result of this, it may lead to a drop in the regular customers perceived value and Thorntons itself losing their identity. Thus, they may end up losing regular customers. 2.2.7 Lost Focus in Initial Objective In 1998, Thorntons have introduced another 132 new and updated products and have widened the product range to place emphasis on count lines, which acted as a snack or impulse buy. This has attracted a wider range of customers but it also brought them into competition with products of such companies as Nestle and Cadburys. Here it shows that they have already lost focus, because they should not be competing with brands such as Nestle and Cadburys. Thorntons should have focused on their box chocolates and use their competitive advantage over others. 2.3 Opportunity 2.3.1 Use of Technology Thorntons have also made use of the internet to let customers place their orders or make online purchases, retain existing customers and also attract new customers. Besides that, online purchases can allow them to receive information quickly and determine whether certain products are favorable or unfavorable to the consumers. Furthermore, online purchases can give them time to make the chocolates and let them know how much they need to produce for the online customers. 2.3.2 Penetration to European Market Thorntons expanded their business thorough the acquisition of Gartner in Antwerp, which was their first European acquisition. After that, they used Gartners products trough Thorntons retail network well as selling its own confectioneries to the Belgium companies customers. Consequently, they acquired 2 French confectionery retailers, Candice-Martial SA and Societe Nouvelle de Confiserie. Thus, Thornton made use of the opportunities for growth through acquisitions in Europe. 2.3.3 Seasonal Sales Thorntons chocolate are highly dependable on seasonal festivals. This way, when festive seasons arrive, the sales will boom and will increase the profits. The differentiated product range suits the various demand of customers during different festive seasons. 2.3.4 Export to Other Foreign Markets Thorntons began to develop sales outside UK by exporting to Europe and Australia which had reached 300 thousand pounds. Export to these foreign markets will increase production and could achieve economies of scale. 2.4 Threats 2.4.1 Competition Against Established Companies When Thorntons wanted to attract a wider range of customers, they entered into the middle range market. The expansion of the target market has lead them into competition against established companies such as Nestle and Cadburys. Since Nestle and Cadburys are already well known in this market segment, they have already created a high barrier for Thorntons to enter. Moreover, by entering the middle range market, Thorntons which is not used to automation and mass production will lose its competitive advantage if they are in the middle range market. In other words, Thorntons will not be able to use their existing resources and advantages to compete with Nestle and Cadburys. 2.4.2 External Factors During Easter 2003, Thorntons sales was affected by the hottest summer in 30 years. In June 2003, it revealed that the companies own stores sale had increased by only 0.9%. This shows that the sales of Thorntons will be affected by external forces such as weather. 2.4.3 Other Substitutes Thorntons competed with a wide range of products ranging from 5 to 10 pounds. Specialist retailers such as Body Shop and KnickerBox provided gifts in the same price range. Besides, postal gifts such as flowers and wine were also addressed to the same market. This way, instead of choosing from Thorntons, consumers will have more choices to choose from the market and in this particular price range. 3.0 Porters 5 forces Analysis on the Chocolate Industry in UK The five forces framework helps identify the sources of competition in an industry or sector. (Johnson Scholes 2002, pg 112) 3.1 Threat of Entry There are many factors which will lead to the threat of entry. These factors are economies of scale, product differentiation, capital requirements, cost advantages of independent size, access to distribution channels and government regulations. 3.1.1 Product Differentiation In this case, it is mentioned that the UK confectionery market is highly competitive with a great deal of product and packaging innovation. In addition, the chocolate market has many sub-sectors. This shows that the chocolate industry in UK has manufacturers who place great focus on product differentiation. When these chocolate manufacturers differentiate their products, it creates a wider choice for chocolate lovers and this will discourage new entries from new manufacturers. 3.1.2 Huge Capital Requirement/Economies of Scale Furthermore, in order to compete among the existing competitors in the chocolate market, those new comers will need huge capital requirement. This is because great economies of scales have already been achieved by those existing ones. In summary, the threat of entry to the chocolate industry in UK is very high. New potential chocolate manufacturers will need huge capital requirements in order to differentiate their product and to compete with the existing manufacturers which have already achieved a high economy of scale. 3.2 The Power of Supplier 3.2.1 Product Differentiation In this case, the suppliers are the ones who supply raw ingredients for those chocolate manufacturers to make chocolates. They are more powerful when they supply differentiated products, which make switching among other suppliers difficult. In this industry, the main raw ingredients such as cocoa beans are not differentiated. Thus, the buyers have the choice to switch among other suppliers because cocoa beans are not differentiated. Therefore, the suppliers do not have as much power as the buyers. 3.2.2 Substitutes In addition, when there are few substitutes among the suppliers, the supplier will be more powerful. In this case, there are a number of suppliers in the chocolate industry which will make switching among suppliers easier, making them less powerful. Examples of cocoa producers are Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia and other countries. (Refer to appendix A) If one of the suppliers increases the price of raw ingredients, chocolate manufacturer like Thorntons can easily switch to other suppliers. This shows that the suppliers have less power in this case. 3.2.3 Suppliers Revenue Suppliers have more power when the industry represents a small portion of suppliers revenue base. In the chocolate industry, the suppliers could not afford to lose the buyers as the purchases of the buyers represent a substantial portion of their revenue. This explains that the suppliers have less power in this industry. 3.2.4 Forward Integration Suppliers are powerful when they have the capability to integrate forward. In this case, since most of the suppliers revenues are from the established chocolate manufacturers such as Cadburys, Nestle and Throntons, it is extremely difficult for the suppliers to acquire these established companies. Therefore, suppliers are not as powerful as the buyers. 3.3 The Power of Buyer 3.3.1 Product Differentiation According to Porter, backward integration can allow the firm to enhance differentiation by gaining control over the production of key inputs to be able to differentiate its products better. (Porter 1998, pg 318) In this industry, Thorntons and other chocolate manufacturers are the buyers. Buyers have power when the product is not differentiated making it easier to switch. In this case, the raw materials used to produce chocolate are such as cocoa beans, eggs, cream butter, vegetable fat and sugar. All these raw materials are usually not differentiated for the production of chocolates. 3.3.2 Buyers Purchase Moreover, buyers have more power when the buyers purchase represents a substantial portion of sellers revenue. In this case, well established companies like Nestle, Cadburys and Thorntons purchase large amount of raw ingredients from the suppliers to produce the many different types of chocolates. These purchases represent a substantial portion of the suppliers revenue. 3.3.3 Backward Integration Furthermore, buyers will be more powerful when they have the capability to integrate backwards. In this case, Thorntons has the capability to make European acquisition such as Gartner and Candice-Martial SA and Societe Nouvelle for a total of 8.65 million pounds. This shows that Thorntons has the potential and ability to integrate backwards by taking over their supplier of raw chocolate ingredients. 3.4 Substitutes There are many substitutes for the consumption of chocolates such as other confectioneries and snacks. As a gift, consumers can choose substitutes other than chocolates. For instance, in the 5 to 10 pounds price range, consumers can choose from Thorntons, Body Shop and Knickerbox. Also, during festive seasons such as Valentines Day and Mothers Day, consumers have a variety of choices to choose from like flowers, cards, CDs and soft toys. This clearly illustrates that chocolate indeed has a number of substitutes. 3.5 Rivalry When an industry has a large number of competitors and they are of similar size and power; or has high fixed costs and also high barriers of exit, it means that the rivalry is strong. 3.5.1 Number of Competitors In this case, there are many strong competitors in the UK chocolate industry such as Masterfoods, Cadbury, Nestle Kraft and Jacob Suchard. These big fours contribute more than half of the UK box chocolate market, which is 72% of total value of sales which account to approximately 503 million pounds. (Refer to appendix B) Besides the big 4, they also faced competition from other small chocolate retailers and owned labels which account for 14% of total value of sales which is approximately 98 million pounds. Furthermore, smaller more specialist chocolate brands such as Elizabeth Shaw also compete with Thorntons. On the other hand, Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury Taste the Difference who have high quality images that support the sale of own-labeled box chocolates would intensify the rivalry in the industry. 3.5.2 High Fix Cost/High Exit Barrier Furthermore, chocolate manufacturers incur high fixed cost. Any new entrants who wished to compete with those established brands in the industry will incur a high cost to purchase the machineries and facilities to produce chocolate. When they have invested such high capital in buying machineries, product differentiation and advertising, it will be very expensive for them to leave the industry. Hence, the rivalry of the chocolate industry is intense. 4.0 Strategy Implemented by Thorntons Thorntons uses the product differentiation strategy. Johnson and Scholes (2002, pg 322) states that differentiation strategy seeks to provide products or services unique or different from those of competitors in terms of dimension widely valued by buyers. Many other manufacturers make greater use of vegetable fat which results in a shelf life of over a year. However, Thorntons uses more cocoa butter in their products in order to maintain the customers experience of the fresh product. This shows that their products are different from others. Thorntons chocolates are enrobed in chocolate rather than moulded unlike other brands such as Nestle and Cadburys where they mass produce the chocolates. In other words, due to the hand made process, the chocolates represent luxury and high end if compared relatively to chocolates mass produced by Nestle and Cadburys. The creation of Special Toffee, based upon cream butter and eggs in 1925 shows that Thorntons has been applying the differentiation strategy since its humble beginning. In addition, it has self manufactured Easter Eggs, which included names and messages that added to the range of freshly made and fresh tasting confectioneries. The innovation of adding names and personal messages through the sale of easter Eggs shows that Thornton indeed tried to differentiate their products in order to enhance the quality of their service. (Generic Strategies: Michael Porter 2006) Walter Willen, the creator of Thorntons Continental chocolates became the largest selling specialist assortment of chocolates in the UK. Likewise, the continental range included a French dark chocolate and a Belgian milk and white chocolate selections. Also, in order to top the product range, a new classic traditional assortment and a Premier Selection of hand-finished chocolates were established. In other words, this shows that by differentiating the chocolates, Thorntons chocolates have became more welcomed and loved by the consumers. At Thorntons, great importance is given on product development. For instance, Thorntons repackage and re launched the classic range, adding Swiss and Austrian selection to the core Continental range and introducing an awesome American range in order to differentiate the range of its chocolates. In addition, 27 new countlines were introduced providing a five fold increase in the available range. By differentiating its products, Thorntons will broaden their target market which ranges from children to adults. Target market consists of a set of buyers sharing common needs or characteristics that the company decides to serve. (Kotler et al. 2003, pg 230) This can be seen by the introduction of the childrens themes including dinosaur eggs, fossils and Dalmatian spots. Furthermore, Thorntons introduced further 132 new and updated products which place emphasis on countlines to act as a snack or impulse buy. In other words, when product is differentiated, different segments of the market will then be targeted and thus increasing the popularity of Thorntons in the mind of young and old. Thorntons continued differentiating their products by adding additional items to their core product such as chocolate scented T-shirts and underwears; and Easter eggs on sticks that could be hidden in the garden. Furthermore, they relaunched the best selling continental selection for Christmas 1999 and a chocolate champagne bottle designed for the millennium celebrations. Not only that, they have adult eggs and novelty eggs which contained a CD when purchased. Product differentiation continues when Thorntons repositioned many of their products so that they could be associated with every occasion such as birthdays, success, exams or job changes and not only festive seasons. Additionally, the company directed towards younger women by introducing Eden, which combine exotically named flavors such as Forbidden Fruit, Grand Passion and All About Eve. With its chic packaging, it shows that packaging was also differentiated to attract this market segment. All these years, Thorntons has tried its best to differentiate its chocolates and have achieved unbelievable results. For instance, Thorntons was the only possible manufacturer for 70% of its product line due to product differentiation. Therefore, we strongly recommend Thorntons to continue and focus on the product differentiation strategy.

Spotlight on Appalachian Author Cynthia Rylant

Spotlight on Appalachian Author Cynthia Rylant Cynthia Rylant has written more than 60 childrens books since her first book was published in 1982. Her work has been honored with numerous awards, including a Newbery Medal. Rylant writes both picture books and novels for older readers. In a few cases, she has also illustrated her own books. Cynthia Rylants Early Years Cynthia Rylant was born in Virginia. After her parents divorced, Cynthia went to live with her grandparents in Cool Ridge, West Virginia, while her mother attended nursing school. When Cynthia was eight, she and her mother moved to Beaver, West Virginia. Although she went on to college and graduate school, ultimately earning a masters degree from Kent State University in Ohio, her early years had a great impact on her writing. The Appalachian Influence Cynthia Rylants first book, When I Was Young in the Mountains, is based on her life with her grandparents in the 1950s. The family lived simply, with no electricity or running water but enjoyed living in the country. The book was designated a Caldecott Honor Book for the quality of the artwork by Diane Goode that so effectively illustrated the text. The Relatives Came, illustrated by Stephen Gammell, was also a Caldecott Honor Book. It was published in 1985. Rylant went on to write other books that were set in Appalachia. Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds benefits from the fact that the illustrator, as well as the artist, grew up in Appalachia. Barry Moshers watercolors help to bring Rylants words to life. The book was published in 1991. In 1996, Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story was published. Most Popular Characters If you didnt immediately recognize Cynthia Rylants name, you will probably recognize some of the characters she has created. Four- to eight-year-olds love Poppleton, Henry and Mudge, and Mr. Putter and Tabby. Poppleton is a very large pig who has wonderful adventures in a series of books for beginning readers. Mr. Putter is an old man who adopts an old cat, Tabby. The most popular characters of all are Henry and Mudge. There are over 20 Henry and Mudge books. They are excellent for young readers in grades 1-3. Younger children enjoy them as read-aloud books. Henry is a little boy, who has no one to play with until he gets a dog. Mudge grows from a tiny puppy into a 180-pound loveable companion. While the books have illustrations like picture books, they are divided into several chapters, creating a nice transition for young readers ready for something more than picture books. Books for Children Ages 9 to 12 Cynthia Rylants books for children in grades 5-8 have also won acclaim. The topics tend to be more serious than many of her picture books. Rylant was honored with a Newbery Medal for Missing May, a story of love and coping with the death of a loved one. A Fine White Dust was also a Newbery Honor Book. Rylant now lives in the Pacific Northwest and her haunting novel The Islander is set on an island off of British Columbia.

Solar energy and environmental impacts Research Paper

Solar energy and environmental impacts - Research Paper Example Solar energy is copious in the earth and it suggests important potential for the alleviation of climate change; therefore, it is desirable due to its inherently small burden on the environment and has opportunities for positive social impacts. This is further helped by the fact that the cost of solar technologies has been reduced to significant proportions and technical advances coupled with favorable public policies that has resulted into reduction of costs. The use of solar technologies has the advantage of having low lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions when compared to other forms of fossil fuels. This is because the production of solar energy through the photovoltaics (PV) emits no pollution nor does it emit greenhouse gases (Fell, 2012). Moreover, it has the effect of improving the health and livelihood of most of the world’s poorest neighborhoods as it addresses the gaps that is not filled by the available modern energy services (IEA, 2010). Environmental Impacts A report by The Wall Street Journal stated that the development of solar on lands that are deemed desert by disturbing the caliche deposits found underground leading to the release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. A similar study has equally found that the development of a solar plant could cause emission of about 6000 metric tons of carbon each year from the disturbance caused by the plant (Wall Street, 2010). Forests play a crucial role in the life of both plants and animals and hence any form of deforestation hinders the proper functioning of these species thus damaging the atmosphere. The role played by forests in human life cannot be gain said and therefore when they are cut to create room for solar plants, the absorption of carbon dioxide ceases or the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere when the tree is left to rot or is burnt. This has the overall effect of occasioning carbon dioxide build-up in the atmosphere that eventually leads to climate change. This is what happens during the installation of large-scale solar-power projects as ecosystems are interfered with when huge tracts of land are put in use. Forests have to be cleared to prevent shading of solar panels and allow for easy installation of solar posts. The removal of the forests thereafter leads to a change in the natural carbon sequestration rate that thereafter affects the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in the atmosphere. It is important to note that land use will ultimately affect the climate of a place including the local climate, microclimate and the temperature of the surface of land. Therefore, when solar panels which usually have low reflectivity and utilizes or converts large amounts of solar insulation into heat, there is the likelihood it may affect the global climate or the climate of a particular place. To minimize the effects that come about because of land use, it is important that when a solar installation is to be put in place by any stakeholder, the land selected should be in areas with low population density that translates into a low environmental sensitivity. Solar Energy and Climate Change The use of solar energy has an advantage in the sense that carbon savings derived from the use of solar energy outweighs the development of this form of energy. This means that a solar plant can save nearly 560, 000 metric tons of carbon per year (Wall Street, 2010). There is therefore a need to expand the solar power potential in order to meet the climate

Manage oh$s task 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Manage oh$s task 3 - Essay Example ent and policy, planning, implementation, measurement and evaluation, and management review of the health and safety systems in order to ensure continuous improvement to the plan. The plan covers employees, visitors to the department, contractors and suppliers, and to a limited extent, students. This policy recognises that the ADMC is responsible for the health and safety of all employees in the workplace. In fulfilling this responsibility the management of ADMC has a duty to provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risks to health. To meet the objectives of this policy checks should be made regularly to ensure that the following is adhered to: State (Y/N) A successful OHSMS is based on continuous improvement of the cycle. Continuous improvement is about doing things, reviewing them and improving them where possible. The Plan, Do, Check, and Act (PDCA) strategy can be used to ensure continuous improvement. This is discussed in the following sections. 15.5 Act - If checks carried out reveal that things are not going according to plan then the process has to be reviewed. Even if checking reveals that things are working well it is still important that some improvements are made to the process on a timely basis. This challenges the Safety Manager to think outside of the box. The actions need to also be integrated into other aspects of the operations. Provision of biological and sanitary waste bins, encourage staff to wash hand after using rest rooms, advise pregnant women if case exists, infected persons to be referred for medical treatment, provide information on signs and symptoms of communicable disease, sterilise contaminated areas, sanitation and cleaning schedule, workplace inspections, provide gloves, safety goggles to cleaners buy less or non hazardous substances, store hazardous substances in flame proof cabinets and locked storage rooms, install fire detection systems and fire extinguishers, carry out emergency evacuation

Physics of a Car Essay -- Physics Car Driving machine Essays

Physics of a Car The average driver doesn’t think about what keeps their car moving or what keeps them on the road, but that’s because they don’t have to. The average driver doesn’t have to worry about having enough downforce to keep them on the road or if they will reach the adhesive limit of their car’s tires around a turn. These are the things are the car designers, professional drivers, racing pit crews, serious sports car owners, and physicist think about. Physics are an important part of every sports and racing car design. The stylish curves and ground effects on sports cars are usually there not just for form but function as well allowing you to go speeds over 140 mph in most serious sports cars and remain on the road and in reasonable control.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The aerodynamic efficiency is the single most important element in designing a competitive car for professional racing or getting the car model on the front of a Car and Driver or Motortrend. Aerodynamics is the study of the motion of gases on objects and the forces created by this motion. The Bernoulli effect is one of the most important behind car design. The Bernoulli Effect states that the pressure of a fluid, in gaseous or liquid state, varies inversely with speed or velocity and a slower moving fluid will exert more pressure on and object than the same fluid moving slower (Yager). The goal of car designers is to make the air passing under a car move faster than the air passing over the car. This causes the air passing over the car to create more downforce than the air passing under the car creates upforce creating a force additional to the car’s weight pushing the car to the road. Large amounts of downforce are needed to keep light cars grounded at high speed and keep to cars from sliding around turns at high speeds. The Venturi Effect is also an important in aerodynamic design. The Venturi Effect states that as a fluid, in gaseous or liquid state passes through a narrow space its speed increases (Yager). This is the reasoning behind keeping cars as close to the ground as they can be safely. The narrow space between the car and the ground increases the speed of the air flowing beneath it causing a decrease in pressure to do the Bernoulli Effect and increase in downforce. The Venturi Effect is the reason for front ground effects, which feature small air ducts or venturi tunnels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ... ...both worlds for its purpose, the dragster. The Dragster has extremely wide rear tires for acceleration and to keep it going straight. The dragster has extremely thin tires in the front to reduce rolling resistance and because handling is not a concern the car goes in a straight line it does not need to turn.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to have a fast and efficient car all these things I have discussed need to be taken into consideration. A fast car should be designed with aerodynamic surfaces for a balance of maximum production of downforce and minimum drag creating surfaces. It should have as small an engine as possible to reduce mass and reduce the necessary size of the frontal area, but a large enough engine to be able to produce enough horsepower to be able to create more force than the resistance the car faces to accelerate and enough to balance with those forces at high speeds. The tires should be wide enough for fast acceleration and good cornering but not so wide it creates large amounts of rolling resistance. Your overall best example of such a car would be formula one races or Indy cars because they have to have good handling, fast acceleration and reach and maintain high speeds.

Rural Marketing in India

RURAL MARKETING IN INDIA: In a market where life has revolved around deep rooted community values, joint families, and social customs and taboos (women, for example, are not allowed to wear trousers), marketers realize that the traditional routes of market entry and brand building employed in urban India are often not feasible. As Adi Godrej, Chairman of the Godrej Group, says, â€Å"The challenge [for brands] is to understand the [psyche] of the rural consumer, create better distribution, and [appreciate] the heterogeneity. In recent times, rural India has witnessed a wave of change. Dinesh Malhotra, general manager of Linterland (rural arm of Lintas), points out, â€Å"With media exposure and increasing literacy levels, people in rural India are now demanding a better lifestyle. † The educated â€Å"rural yuppie† (males in the 15-34 age group) is moving out to work in nearby towns and cities, and sending money home to his family. This has created an indirect increase in disposable incomes and a surge in demand for consumer goods. The rural youth are slowly evolving as â€Å"opinion leaders† in influencing brand and product decisions in a market that was swayed by village elders for centuries. When building a brand in rural India, word-of-mouth is a huge motivator. Focused brand-building initiatives—like participation at community events such as â€Å"melas† (village fairs), â€Å"haats† (markets), street theater, van campaigns, and puppet shows—generate positive word-of-mouth and influence buying decisions Cholayil Ltd. , a purveyor of the herbal soap â€Å"Medimix,† campaigned in mobile vans to promote its brand. We run a van campaign which visits the interior villages where there are no distributors. We halt the van at specific points [where village folks congregate and watch videos shown on these vans] and give out product samples. † However, contrary to claims of Medimix’s success, Malhotra believes that â€Å"van campaigns can be very expensive. [Al ternatively, promoting one’s brand] in large congregation points like village markets and fairs has a far wider reach, and is more cost effective. † Direct media promotions have helped build knowledge of product categories and change long-entrenched living habits. Colgate-Palmolive, a leading oral hygiene product manufacturer, entered the rural market at a time when â€Å"Neem† twigs (the Neem tree has herbal properties) and non-dentifrice products like ash, charcoal, or salt were the norm for brushing teeth (in fact in some rural pockets, this tradition still continues). In 2001, Colgate-Palmolive launched â€Å"Operation Jagruti† to educate villagers about oral hygiene and its benefits vis-a-vis traditional products like â€Å"Neem. † Through product trials and free samples, the company was able to generate awareness in this new market. On a similar note, CK Ranganathan, managing director of Cavin Kare, notes, â€Å"When we entered the rural areas in South India, people used to wash their hair with soap. When we launched the ‘Chik’ brand of shampoo we educated the people on how to use it through live ‘touch and feel’ demonstrations and also distributed free sachets at fairs. This strategy worked wonders in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh—two important states in India. Colgate and Cavin Kare have shown that communication is key when it comes to building brands in rural markets. As R. V. Rajan, managing director of the Anugrah Advertising Agency, adds, â€Å"To communicate effectively, it is important to understand the fears, aspirations, and hopes of the rural consumer. † Not to mention the traditions and stereotypes that have governed their lives for centuries. While communicating the brand message, marketers must realize that language plays a prime role. Though a large part of urban India is well versed in English (thanks to the British and modern television), in rural India, heritage plays a powerful role and regional languages are predominant. There are 15 regional languages, and 1600 dialects in India, and as one moves into the countryside, English is replaced with regional tongues. V. S. Sitaram, Dabur India executive director, explains, â€Å"Often people treat India as one big market, but the reality is that India is more like the European Union—a mix of different cultures, habits and languages. † Dabur is also considering the use of South Indian celebrities to propagate the brand message in South India. Marketing companies not only need to customize their communication, but in some cases they must also change their product names to match regional differences. Take toothpaste, for example: â€Å"Dabur’s Lal Dant Manjan† (red toothpowder in Hindi) was rechristened as â€Å"Dabur Sivappu Pal Podi† (red toothpowder in Tamil, the local language) for the South Indian market. Affordability of the product is also a critical success factor when building brands. A spokesperson from Tata Group, which retails the Sonata brand of watches to rural India, says, â€Å"[rural folks] think of a purchase in terms of how it serves their needs and how well its suits the family, rather than the individual. Products must be affordable and immensely practical. Furthermore, since the rural consumer often survives on daily wages, he engages in daily purchases. Several companies like Cavin Kare, Godrej, and Dabur adopted the â€Å"single use† sachet strategy, which has worked in their favor. As Byas Anand, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, Dabur India, claims, â€Å"We introduced one-rupee sachets (2. 5 cents) for Dabur Vatika shampoo which resulted in doubling of volumes in the rural market. † Though pricing is important, rural consumers favor quality as well. For rural consumers, a purchase is a bigger investment than it is for the urban, veteran consumer. Hence, a particular brand will be rewarded only if it earns the rural consumer’s trust through consistent product quality. As R. V. Rajan says, â€Å"the rural consumer is conscious of value for money, and it might be difficult to convert him to a new brand. However, once converted he is fiercely loyal to the brand. † This issue will be a challenging one for corporations when they strategize their brand entry and decide how to balance pricing with brand quality. The challenge doesn’t end with just building brand awareness. While television and direct marketing activities help rural consumers learn about different brands, ensuring product availability is even more critical. Marketers in rural India claim that setting up a supply chain that reaches the remotest rural areas is extremely arduous given the infrastructure in the country. According to Harish Manwani, chairman of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), â€Å"The rural market [centers] are scattered over large areas and [their] connectivity to the urban centers is poor. To overcome the distribution challenge and increase penetration in rural hinterlands, HUL launched a unique operation called Project Shakti in 2001 (â€Å"Shakti† is a Hindi word which means â€Å"strength†). The project targeted rural women from existing self-help groups to work as â€Å"direct-to-home† distributors for HUL products, and helped the company break into a market they were unfamili ar with. Malhotra (Linterland) believes that, â€Å"While Project Shakti might have worked for HUL, it is not an established channel. Reasons like relatively high capital investment, gender roles, and taboos could present an upper limit to those sales numbers. According to Malhotra, a â€Å"hub and spoke† model of distribution is the â€Å"future. † As he explains, â€Å"We successfully adopted the hub and spoke model for Dabur India and it has worked very well. Here, feeder towns, primarily on the highways serve as hubs, where companies can rent a warehouse and stock their products. [Spokes are comprised of] ‘cyclist salesmen’ [who] then distribute products to small retail outlets in nearby rural pockets. † In short, customized and affordable products, effective distribution, and focused marketing initiatives are essential factors in building credibility for a brand in rural India. Brand awareness and trust will play a key role in combating the blitz of local copycat brands that are formidable competition. If marketers tailor make their brand building initiatives according to the dynamics of the rural market, it may no longer come as a surprise to see the rural Indian consumer sitting before a Samsung television, enjoying a bag of Frito-Lay potato chips, and drinking a bottle of Coke.

New Zealand Births, Deaths Marriages Available Online

For individuals researching their New Zealand whakapapa (genealogy), the  New Zealand Ministry of Internal Affairs offers  online access to New Zealands historical birth, death and marriage records. To protect the privacy of living people, the following historic data is available: Births that occurred at least 100 years ago Stillbirths that occurred at least 50 years ago (officially recorded since 1912) Marriages that occurred at least 80 years ago Deaths that occurred at least 50 years ago, or the deceaseds date of birth was at least 80 years ago Information Available Via Free Search Searches are free and generally provide enough information to help you ascertain that you have the correct individual, although information collected prior to 1875 is fairly minimal. Search results typically provide: Births - registration number, given name(s), family name, mothers given name (not maiden name), fathers given name, and whether a the birth was a stillbirth. Expect to find a large number of births with no given name recorded for the child. Births were required to be registered within 42 days, yet children were often not named until they were baptized.   Deaths - registration number, given name(s), family name, date of birth (since 1972) or age at death Marriages - registration number, brides given name(s) and family name, and grooms given name(s) and family name. Parents for the bride and groom can often be found after late 1880/early 1881. You can sort search results by clicking on any of the headings.   What to Expect from a Purchased Printout or Certificate Once you find a search result of interest, you can either purchase a printout to be sent via email,  or an official paper certificate sent through postal mail. The printout is recommended for non-official research purposes (especially for registrations after 1875) because there is room for  more information on a printout than can be included on a certificate. The printout is typically a  scanned image of the original record, so will contain all the information that was provided at the time the event was registered. Older records which have been since updated or corrected may be sent as a typed printout instead. A printout will include additional information that is not available through search: Births 1847–1875:  when and where born; given name (if provided); sex; name and surname of father; name and maiden surname of mother; rank or profession of father; signature, description and residence of the informant; date registered; and signature of the deputy registrar   Births post 1875:  when and where born; given name (if provided); whether child was present at the time of registration; sex; name and surname of father; rank or profession of father; age and birthplace of father; name and maiden surname of mother; age and birthplace of mother; when and where parents were married;  signature, description and residence of the informant; date registered; and signature of the deputy registrar.  Information available for births recorded in the MÄ ori Registers (1913 – 1961)  may be slightly different. Deaths 1847–1875: when and were died; name and surname; sex; age; rank or profession; cause of death;  signature, description and residence of th e informant; date registered; and signature of the deputy registrar   Deaths post 1875:  when and were died; name and surname; sex; age; rank or profession; cause of death; duration of last illness; medical attendant who certified the cause of death and when they last saw the deceased; name and surname of father; name and maiden name (if known) of the mother; rank or occupation of the father; when and where buried; name and religion of minister or name of witness to the burial; where born; how long in New Zealand; where married; age at marriage; name of spouse; children (including number, age and sex of living children); signature, description and residence of the informant; date registered; and signature of the deputy registrar. Information available for deaths recorded in the MÄ ori Registers (1913 – 1961) and War Deaths from WWI and WWII may be slightly different. Marriages 1854–1880: when and where married; name, surname, age, rank or profession, and marital condition of the groom;  name, surname, age, rank or profession, and marital condition of the bride; name and signature of officiating minister (or Registrar); date of registration; signatures of bride and groom; and signatures of the witnesses. Marriages post 1880: when and where married; name, surname, age, rank or profession, and marital condition of the groom;  name, surname, age, rank or profession, and marital condition of the bride; if widow/widower, the name of former wife or husband; birthplace of bride and groom, residence (present and usual) of the bride and groom; fathers name and surname; fathers rank or profession; mothers name and maiden surname; name and signature of officiating minister (or Registrar); date of registration; signatures of bride and groom; and signatures of the witnesses.  Information available for marriages recorded in the MÄ ori Registers (1911 – 1952)  may be slightly different. How Far Back are New Zealand Births, Marriages and Deaths Available? Official registrations of births and deaths began in New Zealand in 1848, while marriage registration began in 1856. The website also has some earlier records, such as church and place registers, dating back as early as 1840. Dates for some of these early registrations may be misleading  (e.g marriages from 1840–1854 may appear with a registration year of 1840).   How Can I Access More Recent Birth, Death or Marriage Records? Non-historical (recent) records of New Zealand births, deaths and marriages can be ordered by individuals with a verified RealMe identity, a verification service available to New Zealand citizens and immigrants. They can also be ordered by members of  organizations approved by the New Zealand Registrar-General.   For a fascinating historical overview of the keeping of New Zealands registers of births, deaths and marriages, see the free PDF version of Little Histories, by  Megan Hutching of the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage.