Pressure Groups †Amnesty International Essay

In Great Britain, the number of political parties is very small, whereas the number of pressure groups runs into thousands; as the membership of political parties has fallen, that of pressure groups has increased. The aim of all pressure groups is to influence the people who actually have the power to make decisions. A pressure group is an organised group that seeks to influence the government decisions or protect or advance a particular cause or interest. Groups may promote a specific issue and raise it up the political agenda. Pressure groups are sometimes able to gather sufficient support to force government to amend or even scrap legislation. For example, in March 1998 around 300,000 people went to London to protest about the Labour government’s rural policies – the ‘Countryside March’ – the government reacted by announcing plans for a Ministry of Rural Affairs and by publishing a white paper investigating all aspects of rural life. In return, these groups have an input into the making of decisions. My presentation is mainly focused on the one of the most influential pressure group and human rights organisation in the world, called Amnesty International. Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights to be respected and protected for everyone. It undertakes research and takes action aimed at preventing and ending grave abuses of these rights, demanding that all governments and other powerful entities respect the rule of law. It campaigns globally and locally. Amnesty International members and supporters exert influence on governments, political bodies. Activists take up human rights issues by mobilizing public pressure through mass demonstrations, vigils, direct lobbying, publication and promotion of research findings, human rights education or co-operation with student groups. Amnesty International works with and for individuals the world over. For example, it takes action to : stop violence against women or abolish the death penalty. Ever since Amnesty International started campaigning in 1961, it has worked around the globe to stop the abuse of human rights. In 1961 Peter Benenson launched a worldwide campaign, ‘Appeal for Amnesty 1961’ with the publication of a prominent article, ‘The Forgotten Prisoners’. The imprisonment of two Portuguese students, who had raised their wine glasses in a toast to freedom, moved Benenson to write this article. His appeal was reprinted in other papers across the world and turned out to be the genesis  of Amnesty International. The first international meeting was held in July, with delegates from Belgium, the UK, France, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and the US. They decided to establish â€Å"a permanent international movement in defence of freedom of opinion and religion†. On Human Rights Day, 10 December, the first Amnesty candle was lit. In January 1962 the first research trip was undertaken. This trip to Ghana, was followed by Czechoslovakia in February (on behalf of a prisoner of conscience), and then to Portugal and East Germany. Moreover, At a conference in Belgium, a decision was made to set up a permanent organization that will be known as Amnesty International. During all these years Amnesty International has undertaken many of the campaigns and actions and developed human rights. It broaden its territory and became one of the most stronger human rights protector. In January 1969, UNESCO granted Amnesty International consultative status as the organization reached another milestone – 2,000 prisoners of conscience released. In 1977 the organisation was awarded Nobel Peace Prize for its â€Å"campaign against torture†, and the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights in 1978. After 30 years the organization broaden its scope to cover work on abuses by armed opposition groups, hostage taking and people imprisoned due to their sexual orientation. Thousands of Amnesty International members respond to Urgent Action appeals on behalf of individuals at immediate risk. Publicity through the news media and the internet takes its message in many languages to millions of people. It is an organisation independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion, it is democratic and self-governing and financially self-sufficient. Amnesty International has more than 2.8 million members, supporters and subscribers in over 150 countries and territories, in every region of the world. It has offices in 80 countries around the world, for example in Sweden, Senegal or Bangladesh. Amnesty International research teams focusing on particular countries and themes investigate reports of human rights abuses, cross checking and corroborating information from a wide variety of sources and contacts. It receives information from many sources, including: prisoners and others suffering other human rights abuses and their representatives, lawyers and  journalists, refugees, community workers and human rights organizations and defenders All Amnesty International campaigning and research is fact based. Among the many activities it carry out, it sends experts to talk with victims, observes trials, monitors global and local media, publicizes its concerns in documents, leaflets, posters, advertisements, newsletters and websites. Amnesty International’s current six year ( 2010 -2016) strategy aims to empower rights-holders whose rights are challenged and strengthen the human rights movement.

Exporting Toys from Belgium to the People’s Republic of China

[pic] ________________ KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN Faculty of business and economics International Marketing Toys: Exporting toys from Belgium to the People’s Republic of China [pic] Julie Mertens 1 Master TEW Prof. Pierre FrancoisAcademic year 2008-2009 1. Table of contents2 2. Introduction3 3. Consumption culture in the People’s Republic of China 4 1. China and its economic growth 1. Export5 2. Open economy 3. Middle class people’s consumption culture 2. Culture 1. One child policy 2. Filiarchy6 3. Six pocket syndrome 4. Parental education 5. Children’s personal expenditures . Mian zi7 7. Mien-tsu & Lien 8. Guanxi 9. Fake products 10. Cheaper before better8 11. Religion 12. Astrology & superstition 13. Language 14. Emotions9 15. Business culture 16. Research studies 17. Hofstede10 4. Proposed Marketing adaptations 11 1. Segmentation 2. Targeting 3. Positioning 4. Price adaptations 12 5. Product adaptations 1. Product specifications 2. Assortment chang e13 3. Brand name 4. Image 5. Packaging 6. Service level 6. Distribution Strategy14 7. Communication15 1. Media and the message 2. Advertisement and promotion 5. General conclusion16 6. References17 7. Apendices18 . Introduction Nowadays, in this time of economic depression, some people believe the era of globalization is over. Others consider globalization as a necessity in these times of integration into one worldculture. In this paper, I will try to indicate if and to which extent the marketing-mix should be adapted when exporting Belgian toys to the People’s Republic of China. First, a little company introduction is given. Secondly, some relevant facts and numbers about the People’s Republic of China are discussed. Then, some cultural differences between Belgium and PRC are considered. Finally, the proposed marketing adaptations will be under consideration. Lilliputiens: a company introduction Lilliputiens is a Belgian company that specialises in the production of fabric-based toys. What sets them apart is the extremely high product quality. Their aim is to ensure that all of their toys combine their three core values: provide quality toys at reasonable prices, which are fun to play with, great to look at and have an educational value. [pic][pic] In order to properly stimulate their little customers, namely boys and girls in the zero to five age range, they have created gentle toys made of soft fabric. Their senses are stimulated thanks to the use of a diverse range of textures, sounds, shapes and colours. The toys are designed with the knowledge that toys enable children to imagine, touch, create and think. Those provide a key role in children’s development. Another special feature of the toys is that they evolve in a way that accompanies the baby throughout his or her passage into early infancy. As the child grows, the new play elements are revealed, making new activities and games possible. As a consequence, these toys no longer need to be put back in the box after just three months! Not only dolls but also a play mat, a food pyramid, a table set and a ruler are amongst the Lilliputiens’ product line. [pic] [pic] [pic] 3. Consumption culture in the People’s Republic of China China and its economic growth China is the greatest and most challenging new frontier that international marketers are facing today. China is the most populated country in the world. With one fifth of the world population and the largest population of children in the world, it is an enormous potential market. China’s economic growth has risen 11% during 2007 and keeps developing. There is new money to spend by the 200 million acquisitive people in the middle class. But numbers are not everything; you have to win people’s hearths to be and stay in business. Let that be the issue of this paper. [pic] Figure 1: China’s estimated per capita income per province in 2003 As shown in figure 2 and 3, China’s economic growth passes unequally. Eastern regions have known a faster growth that has given rise to an enormous gap between Eastern and Western China. Eastern China has become more occidental with different needs as a result. In this paper, only China’s Eastern, urban regions will be discussed since China’s ten largest cities, which contain only four percent of China’s population, account for approximately 22 percent of its earning power and 19 percent of its spending power. The urban children’s market contains around 100 million children. Figure 2Figure 3 Export The Chinese market is a paradise for both internal and foreign investors. In 2006, Belgium has exported for almost 3 billion euro to China. This makes China Belgium’s thirteenth trading partner with 1. 1% of our GDP. However compared to India, Belgium’s eighth business partner, the export ratio is lower. To further improve export, good connections will be needed. Open economy According to Eugene Wang, China is relatively open to foreign investments. China has the largest supply of foreign direct investments. Compared to India, China’s tariff protection is more modest and keeps declining. This has resulted in a rapid increase in the volume of imports. In 2003, China’s imports rated 30% of its gross domestic product, which is twice the import ratio of the U. S. Foreign firms with facilities within China account for 25% of all manufactured goods. These goods can be exported or could serve China’s internal market. Middle class people’s consumption culture The present middle class or â€Å"new rich† have made money and acquired standing in only one generation. China has an ambiguous relationship towards foreign culture; Chinese both worship and avert it. Imported goods represent purchasing power, status and good taste. Chinese start to adore Western culture and lifestyle. Although the Western consumption culture conflicts with their traditional consumption culture of thrift and spending in proportion to income, the middle class have become a part of the consumerism culture, especially in the fashion consumption. Albeit their norms and values tend to incline towards the Western culture, imitation is gradually transferring into their own consumption culture. â€Å"I consume so I exist† is the new attitude. The new rich surpass actual needs and as a result become more qualified for merchandising and advertisement. They spend a lot of money on consumer goods, like toys. A potential market is definitely there! Culture Cultures are learned by parenting as well as social interactions and therefore they can change. Despite the impact of current globalization, cultural differences will stay. One-child policy The biggest cultural difference between the rest of the world and China is the â€Å"one-child policy†. Since 1979, due to China’s history and more specifically the population control, law states a maximum of one child per household. Observational data shows that there are 18% more boys than girls. Compared to the world average, this percentage lays 15% higher! In China, men stand for responsibility for the family and are raised to become the head of the household. Therefore, people prefer to have a baby boy rather than a baby girl. However, in the urban regions this is gradually changing. More and more parents cherish the same ambitions for their girl. In fact, in the big cities girls are preferred because parents will not have to worry about being able to provide enough hope chest. [pic] Figure 4: Advertisement to promote the one child policy: carry out family planning – implement the basis national policy Filiarchy Whether a child is born as a boy or a girl, it is born with much more responsibility on his shoulders than in the rest of the world. When it comes to education, health or money, parents will do whatever it takes to contribute to the success of live of their children. For that reason, the one child determines the household. According to Mc Neal and Yeh, Chinese children influence the consumption pattern in such a significant way, namely by 68%, that outsiders look upon him or her as a â€Å"spoiled brat† or â€Å"little emperor†. In the case of toys, the influence on the parents’ purchases mounts up to 93% for children in the zero to five age range. On an annual basis, Chinese children exert a direct influence on play item purchases of three billion dollar per year. It can be said that China has shifted from a patriarchy to a filiarchy; kids have become the centre of the universe! Six pocket syndrome Chinese parents spend much more time, money and effort on their only child’s development. Chinese children are not only raised by their parents but by the whole family. This second source of money, the grandparents, lives in the same household due to other standards of living. This results in six adults indulging one child. This effect is better known as the â€Å"4-2-1 indulgence† or the â€Å"six pocket syndrome†. Parental education In China, society is much more collective than in Belgium. This is reflected in the Chinese family and kinship system. It is not unusual that grandparents live under the same roof. Not surprisingly, family has a tremendous impact on a child education. From birth, Chinese children are learned to respect and obey their elders. Unlike in Belgium, Chinese adults keep seeking for parental approval. Children’s personal expenditures In the first place, children learn about new products from other children, followed by advertisement and store visits. Research has shown that there is a difference in requests between boys and girls. Beyond expectations, girls ask significantly more for toys than boys! But who pays for their expenditures? For children under the age of four, it are the parents and other relatives who buy and pay for the toys. Unexpected but true, according to Chan children start to spend their own money on their own wants and needs from the age of four, mostly toys and food! Mian zi Chinese children do not spend all of their money. A four year old saves around 75% of his pocket money. Their regular income can be spent but special incomes given on birthdays or Chinese New Year are expected to be saved. Learn how to manage money is a second but just as important reason why Chinese parents give their children money. China derives from a socialist economy and has a culture that emphasizes on saving money because they believe this contributes to the development of one’s prestige, which is called â€Å"mian zi†. Mien-tsu & Lien Mien-tsu stands for a reputation through drive, ostentation and success –often expressed by personal wealth-. The more mien-tsu a person has, the higher his social status is and the more influence a person has on others and important decisions. A person’s mien-tsu is dynamic; it can change over time by someone’s success or failure. Lien represents the confidence of society in a person’s sincerity and can only be lost by misconduct. Together, they determine the importance of a person in his interpersonal relations among Chinese. In China, this is extremely important when doing business, because contracts are defined by trust and connections. Guanxi If a Chinese wants to be successful in business, he needs more than just brains. Guanxi is a personal network of influence and social relationships that is used to obtain a service or favor for ‘reasonable purposes’. Guanxi can be compared to social capital and so it is not an act of bribery. The line between guanxi and corruption is rather thin. Chinese have a different view on corruption and crime. Corruption is very big issue in China, even within the Chinese government, which censors certain information. As a result, statistics should always be used with cautiousness. Fake products In China, counterfeiting is a national sport. 40% of all counterfeit toys have China as its country of origin. Although China has signed international agreements on patents and production rights, there are two reasons why they do not hold on to them. First, it is a result of historical factors. Most Chinese do not consider copying someone else’s work as a crime. Secondly, Chinese believe the Western companies are already rich enough, so counterfeiting does not harm the genuine producers. This way, China stays the epicentre of the fake industry. [pic] [pic] Cheaper before better The question: â€Å"Are Chinese genuine and counterfeit products are worse than Western products† has no unilateral answer. On the one hand, China stands for â€Å"cheaper -and therefore often dangerous- instead of better†. Think of the Mattel incident, where Chinese toys had to be taken back because the paint had too much lead in it. The â€Å"Made in China† is rather a warning than a quality label. On the other hand, a difference between â€Å"made in China† and â€Å"Made by China† has to be made. European companies who produce in China generally correspond to the Western criteria, so â€Å"Made in China† does not always indicate risks. According to Holslag, a researcher at the Brussels Institute for Contemporary China Studies, China will catch up to the Western norms concerning quality within the foreseeable future. Also a shift from knickknacks to high-tech products is taking place. Religion China is a country full of traditions. One of them is Confucianism, which was the state doctrine until 1912. Confucianism is not really a religion but more a philosophy or guideline for everyday life and determines what to eat, how to behave, what to wear, ect. According to Confucius, laws are not a good basis of the State. He believes imbueing people with rituals is more effective to reach State stability. Confucius’ society is very hierarchic; everyone knows his position and should act like it. Though society is not static. His idea was that talented people should be able to move up in society, which has had a great impact on the Chinese vision of life. Later, Buddhism, Christian and mainly Taoism influences mingled with Confucianism into neo-Confucianism. So, it is not strange to find a Chinese who is a Confucian, Buddhist as well as a Taoist. [pic] Nature & Astrology & superstition Chinese culture stands in function of nature. Chinese consider themselves part of nature and try to live in harmony with it. In Chinese astrology, the zodiac of twelve animal signs represents twelve different types of personality. The zodiac traditionally begins with the sign of the rat, followed by the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, ect. This year, Chinese New Year falls on 26th of January and stands in the sign of the ox. Superstition plays an important role in Chinese culture. Although fortune-telling is forbidden, people go to fortune-tellers to ask whether their child will be a boy or a girl. Language Mandarin is the most spoken language in China. If you speak Mandarin, you have 915 million native speaking conversation partners! Next to the official language, there are numerous dialects. Besides the different spoken languages, there are also two written languages. [pic] Emotions You will not often see a Chinese crying! Chinese often get blame for not saying what they really think or feel. Westerners find that Chinese behave in a cold manner. A possible explanation is the fact that people were hanged in the past for taking a different view on certain matters. Another explanation is that defending one’s opinion is a Western way of dealing with a situation when there are opposing thoughts. Chinese are learnt at school to accept what is told. Business culture A difference between Belgian and Chinese culture is that Chinese do not work by a model as much as Belgians do. In Belgium, people set up a plan and execute it. In China, people are much more flexible. They anticipate and react on the situation. A possible explanation can be found in their education. Chinese children come in contact with much more opinions during their family education. Laws, contracts and rules are less significant. Chinese have a different calendar, namely the Moon calendar. Fortunately, for business they also use the Gregorian calendar. Research studies Culture is defined by what we buy and why we buy it. National culture determines consumer behaviour, not income. (De Mooij) At first sight, culture does not seem relevant when it comes to toys. Toys are used for children’s entertainment. However, there certainly is a difference in usage between Belgium and China. As mentioned before, Chinese parents find it extremely important that their child stands out from the mass. Therefore, Chinese parents buy toys to stimulate their children to learn as soon as possible rather than for entertainment. So, marketing, branding and advertising strategies should be adapted when exporting toys to China. Hofstede But how different are the Belgian and Chinese culture? According to Hofstede, one can define cultural difference on the basis of five dimensions on a 0 to 100-range scale. The degree of power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation determines a national culture. The higher the score, the more dimension determines the culture. Belgium belongs to the more developed Latin countries cluster and China falls under the less developed Asian countries. [pic] Figure 5: Cultural difference between China and Belgium Power distance More than Belgian culture, the Chinese culture knows a larger power distance. In China, the acceptance of hierarchy and authority is higher. Since all people are treated fairly, they do not resist and respect higher ranked and elder people because these stand for wisdom. As mentioned before, Chinese rely much more on human relationships (guanxi) than on contracts. Individualism Esomar research shows that China is a collectivist culture, in which loyalty and social network (Mien-stu, Lien & Guanxi) are important. In China, the group where you belong to defines your identity. In Belgium, people and society are more individualistic, which has enabled capitalism. Masculinity Concerning the masculinity/femininity, there is not much distinction between Belgium and China. Both countries have some features of both characteristics. Uncertainty avoidance In Belgium, people believe they have faith in their own hands. In China, people depend much more on fate and believe their destiny is determined for them. In this fatalistic country, failure is unevitable. Belgians are more threatened by risk and uncertainty than the Chinese. As a result, the Chinese are much more open to change. This confirms the Confucianism influence on China. Long-term orientation Like other Southeast Asian countries, China is long term oriented. This has the similar effect as the Confucian values, which are acceptance of change, perseverance, thrift and pursuit of peace of mind. Belgium, on the other hand, strives for immediate results like other Western countries. According to Hofstede, these cultural differences will remain over time, how much globilization even takes place. Now that the Chinese culture has no mysteries anymore, let’s take a look at which adaptations are to be made. 4. Proposed Marketing adaptations Cross-cultural awareness – the understanding that what is normal in one culture can be offending in another one – starts to gain credit. People start to recognize that to be successful in foreign business, the company should adapt the marketing mix to the country’s values and culture. However, adaptation is very costly and time-consuming. Although China is becoming more Occidental, the marketing mix should be adapted only until the profits do not make up for the costs anymore. Segmentation There is no such thing as an average consumer! Therefore, there is no use -or value- in making an average product. First, the company has to distinguish the different market segments based on similar product needs for consumers. For the Chinese toy market, a distinction between the urban and rural households can be made. The question â€Å"whether a market segment is specific enough to make it a segment on its own† depends on four P’s. The first P stands for product. Children in urban China play with different and more qualitative toys than children in rural China. The second P stands for price. Since urban China is much wealthier, they are less price sensitive than rural China. Also the service level, the third P, differs. The more cultivated East demands a higher servicelevel. The final P, promotion, varies from TV advertisement and word of mouth in urban China to only word of mouth in rural China. | |Size |Product |Price |Service |Promotion | |Urban |36 % |High quality |High |High |TV + word of mouth | |Rural |64 % |Different toys |Low |Low |Word of mouth | Table 1: Segmentation: the four P’s Targeting In a next phase, the company has to make a strategic choice. This hard-to-reverse decision, namely the decision which specific market segment will be targeted, depends on the value that can be offered to customers. Although the final consumers are children between zero and five years old, most of the time it will be the parents who will buy the toys. Since the most profitable segment is China’s urban household segment, this market segment will be targeted. For the reason that this target group lives highly concentrated in the cities, they are easy to reach customers. Positioning Brand positioning is the process by which marketers try to create an image or identity in the minds of their target market for a certain product. The question is whether a brand should be global or not. In this case, a global image of the brand is not important. It would be better to distinguish the positioning since in China the focus would be on learning during playing compared to recreation and entertainment in Belgium. Although it is costly, the company will benefit from this investment because of the positive effect on buying behaviour. Two company images will not confuse customers since there is a language and character barrier between both countries. Price adaptations A price can be determined on the basis of costs, by looking at competitors’ prices or in proportion to the value created towards the end-consumer. I would suggest the company to go for the third option. Although the company’s first goal should be market penetration – resulting in low prices –, still a skimming pricing strategy seems best. The dolls are of a superior quality and luxury products demand a high price. I believe 50 euro or 465 Chinese Yuan would be an appropriate price for a 25 by 15 centimetre doll. This high price can be justified because the toy cannot only be used for entertainment but also for educational purposes. Since the income of the middle class is only rising, according to my market research (see apendix) at this price there will be enough potential buyers. Another reason that justifies a high price is the high level of pre and after sales service Chinese demand, which will be discussed further. Product adaptations †¢ Product specifications Nowadays, toy manufacturers do not adapt the features of the dolls! But research has shown that it hurts the childern’s self-esteem. Therefore, the company should customize the skin colour, hair, eyes, height, ect. as shown in figure 6. [pic] Figure 6: A Chinese Lilliputien doll with yellow skin, dark hair and dark slit-eyed eyes. One of Lilliputiens’ toys is the food pyramid by which children can learn how to put together well-balanced meals. Since people in China eat other vegetables, other meat and noodles and rice instead of potatoes, this pyramid should be adapted. Another Lilliputien toy, the table set also should be modified since Chinese eat with chopsticks instead of fork and knife. [pic] [pic] Figure 7: Food pyramidFigure 8: Table set †¢ Assortment change Children like choice; therefore the product line should be expanded. The current themes like the circus, the Indians, the Pirates, the nativity of Jesus Christ could be supplemented with the twelve zodiac animals of the Chinese astrology. A doll of the child’s animal sign can be given as a gift at the child’s birth. A less perfect acquisition for the assortment would be a Buddhist doll, Chinese would find it inappropriate and rude. †¢ Brand name Due to a different language and moreover a different alphabet, it is crucial to change the company name and product names. â€Å"Lilliputiens† would be unpronounceable. My suggestion would be to render the company’s name by transliteration, so that is sounds the closest to its original name. Pu-Tien means â€Å"all over the world†, which fits with the company philosophy, to give all children over the world the chance to play. †¢ Image The new rich people love to show off their wealth. A good idea would be to create a good recognizable logo to put on each doll so that others can recognize the brand and they can brag about expensive purchase. The advertisement campaigns should be identifiable by showing rich and fortunate people. †¢ Packaging Since the packaging has to sell the product, it is essential to make it as colourful and vibrant as possible. The company certainly has to use the colour red on the packaging, since in China, red has a positive connotation and stands for success, honour, fertility, happiness and love. Qualitative information, about the fact that this toy is educational as well as entertaining, must be provided to the Chinese parents. A good idea could be to use a combination of Chinese and English language in the toys manual. Due to internalization, the Chinese middle and upper class have become familiar with English. Toys are often given as a gift. The packaging has to look nice, because gifts are used to build up and strengthen relationships. The dolls are very soft and have different textures, therefore the company could use an open packaging so potential customers can feel and see the product before purchasing. Service level When a child has a need, it wants the need to be gratified as soon as possible. Since fast delivery is thus very important, there has to be enough inventory at any time. Because the Pu-Tien toys are more than just toys, this educational plaything stimulates senses and development of a child, there is need for pre sales service. Although China pays a lot of attention to pre-sales service as well as post sales service, they do not expect a guarantee on toys. Given that the dolls are made for children between zero and five years old, avoiding small parts and implementing warnings can prevent danger to children. Safety regulations are less strict in China. Nevertheless, the company should keep their high level of quality. Since the dolls are made in Belgium, the company should exploit their country of origin effect and explicitly mention â€Å"Made in Belgium†. Distribution strategy †¢ Business culture In China, paper means nothing. So if contracts do not work, what will? You need to band with local people and win their trust. This is where the Guanxi comes in. To obtain a certain service or favour, a personal network of influence and social relationships are a must. According to Li Qinfu, contact with the Chinese government also plays a very important role. When Westerners want to do business they contact their lawyers, when Chinese do business they contact government officials. †¢ Parallel import I would not set a lower price in the Chinese market than in the home market because due to relative low trade barriers, the risk and impact of grey export from China to Belgium would be too big. †¢ Mode of entry At first instance, due to low costs and a high control level, I would recommend the company to set up a website. But on further consideration, children want their needs to be gratified as soon as possible. In addition, if the toys are reachable (merchandising), they will also nag more, which helps children to get what they want if they have shut-up parents. Shipment costs for a prior delivery would be too large in proportion to the retail price. Another reason why a website would not be a good mode of entry is the level of pre and after sales service a Chinese consumer demands. The target segment, namely middle and upper class people with high requirements, searches for qualitative, pedagogical responsible and save toys. Therefore, these luxury toys should be sold in fancy local retail stores, not in ordinary supermarkets. The trade-off of using retail stores goes between the fact that the products are reachable, ready for delivery, a high service level and less control, more risk and higher investments. Since toy dealers are not motivated to deliver good sales support, a good way to check the service is ghost shopping. This market research technique of sending fake customers will tell if sales men give the right information and service to potential buyers and customers. Since feedback from distributors does not come easily because they are independent, a good idea is to improve relationships with local parties by means of guanxi. Communication A good strategy is nothing if it is not well executed. Advertisement is the most culturally sensitive element of the marketing mix. Therefore, it is wise to decide well how to say what you want to say. †¢ Media and the message When announcing the product launch to the potential customers by the media, the message strategy is of crucial importance. According to Hofstede, the communication style depends on the five dimensions of local culture. China is a developing, high context and collectivistic country. The best communication style is a less informative and more persuasive and emotional approach. When advertising on TV, a good idea would be to use the least words as possible. Optimally, only utilize non-verbal language. Not only because collectivistic cultures are more visually orientated (De Mooij), but also because children between zero and five cannot read and have a very small vocabulary. Toddlers have very well developed visual capabilities and are sensitive to emotions. For that reason, a visual advertisement would do better. In combination with a lot of colour, children’s attention will be monopolized. Although Hofstede suggests a less informative approach, I believe that the message towards the (grand)parents should be informative (information on age, warnings†¦) and focus on the educational value of the product. Pu-Tien toys provide a key role in a child’s development: its senses are stimulated thanks to the use of a diverse range of textures, sounds, shapes and colours. As slogan I would recommend: â€Å"Pu-tien tested, child & educational approved! † As mentioned before, Chinese culture has shifted from a patriarchy to a filiarchy. As a result, advertisement will focus on children and their needs. †¢ Advertisement and promotion Not only the message, also the medium by which potential consumers are informed matters. In a first phase of promoting the product, children need to get to know the product. To gain product awareness, the company should adopt sampling. By offering certain pre-school kindergartens and day nursery centres some free samples, children will come in contact with the Pu-Tien product range. This is a win-win situation. Schools will be thankful to receive teaching aids nd our company will benefit from other children’s word of mouth, which is the best marketing tool. If our product line appeals to the children, children will nag to their parents to get the product. Sampling has as advantage that it is the most effective promotion strategy but unfortunately it is extremely expensive. Advertising on TV will be a second step of the company’s promotion strategy. Due to hypersegmenta tion, there are almost 3000 TV stations in China. With the given marketing budget, it would be too expensive to advertise on all of them. I would suggest advertising on one children’s channel as well as on one adult channel. Although the company’s target group is children between zero and five years old and their personal expenditures start from the age of four, mostly adults will buy the product for them. Since grandparents live in the same household, also raise their grandchildren and are happy to spend their money on their grandchildren’s formation, the commercial should consist of not only the child’s parents but of the whole family. Also some traditional symbols or Chinese icons should be put in because it will help to make the connection between the Western and their own consumption culture. As marketing manager, I think it is best not to invest money in global advertisement. I have computed the extent of standardization and found that toys are a cultural product. Therefore, the message and medium should change. It is not necessary to have one corporate brand image because the children in Belgium and China will not come in contact with each other, so it will not be confusing. Conclusion SWOT-analysis Strengths The major strength of the company’s product is the educational value that comes with the product. Chinese find education extremely important. Weaknesses A relative high price is chosen due to the risk and impact of parallel import. But a small segment with a high price can be more profitable than large volumes of low profit margin products. Opportunities Learning more about China, its culture, rules and laws and setting up a social network, with the government as well, will be extremely important. This will take some time, effort and money but it will enlarge the company’s chance to succeed tremendously. Threats I believe the biggest challenge will be the fierce competition from less qualitative and counterfeit dolls that are much cheaper. To conclude, as a marketing manager, I must say China stays a black box. When you have done all research that is possible; business in China still is risky. At least with the suggested adaptations the risk will be minimized and the success is multiplied. 6. References Interview Interview with my neighbour Yan Lu, a Chinese middle class woman living in Belgium since then years Books Kotler, P. et all (2005). Principles of Marketing. Prentice Hall Harlow. pp XVIII, 788. Chan, K. & McNeal, J. (2004). Advertising to children in China. The Chinese University Press of Hong Kong. pp. I, 1-21, II, 23-42. Latham, K. & Thompson, S. & Klein, J. (2006). Consuming China. Routledge. Yau, O. H. M. (1994). Consumer behaviour in China. Routledge. pp III, 63-83. Usunier, J. -C. (2000). Marketing across cultures. Prentice Hall Harlow. pp V Articles Mooij, M. (2005). Mapping cultural values for global marketing and advertising. Dobbelaere, B. & Reynebeau, M. (2008). Bijlage China: de rode boekjes: middelpunt van de wereld, 1,3 miljard sporters, een exploderende economie, paradijs voor investeerders, kleine vrouwen, een wereldmacht, de nieuwe rijken, een milieuramp, de diaspora, traditionele cultuur, culinair. De Standaard Reportage Marketing to children. Een, Koppen, 23/12/2008 Internet pages http://www. lilliputiens. be/EN/philosophy_nobel. htm 28/10/2008 http://www. allcountries. org/china_statistics/4_4_basic_statistics_on_national_population. html 25/11/2008 http://www. namingnewsletter. com/article. asp? id=42 25/11/2008 http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m2294/is_9-10_53/ai_n16084036 23/12/2008 http://benmuse. typepad. com/ben_muse/china/index. html 25/11/2008 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Positioning_(marketing) 23/12/2008 http://simonworld. mu. nu/archives/105889. hp 24/12/2008 http://smallswordsmagazine. com/articles/life/chinesesarcasm. html 3/01/2009 http://www. wing-international. com/ 03/01/2009 7. Apendices [pic] Market research: Questionnaire: What is an appropriate price for the Pu-Tien doll? 1) Are you a male/female? 2) How old are you? 3) What is your highest level of education you have achieved? 4) What is your marital status? 5) How much do you earn each month? 6) Do you live in one of China’s big cities? 7) What is your housing type? 8) Do you have (grand)children? 9) How many (grand)children do you have? 0) Is it a boy or a girl? 11) Do you believe your (grand)child’s development is important? 12) Do you like to spend money on your (grand)childrens (birthday)presents? 13) How much would you normally spend on your (grand)child’s birthday? 14) Have you ever bought a Pu-Tien doll for your (grand)child? 15) Where you pleased with your purchase? 16) What was the occasion you bought the doll for? 17) How much did it cost you? 18) Did you found it a reasonable price? 19) What would have been the highest/lowest price at which you would buy a Pu-Tien doll?

Australian Oligopolistic petition-Free-Samples for Students

On 30 th May 2017, the Financial Review published an article by James Frost titled; â€Å"Treasurer attacks banks, pushes out levy due date.† This article is centered on Treasurer Scott Morrison’s speech wherein he criticized the Australian banking sector as an oligopoly whose continued operation has had detrimental financial disadvantages to all Australians. The Treasurer argued that the cheap funding costs, internal modelling benefits and dominant market share have placed the big four banks at an advantageous position thus enabling them squeeze petitors to the wall. The treasurer referred to the House of Representatives Economic mittee whose review of the big four banks concluded that the banking sector is an oligopoly with the major banks having significant pricing power. This concentration of market power in the sector is a systemic risk that continues to hurt the economic interests of the population at large. Mr. Morrison stated that the government was keen on altering the state of affairs and the planned introduction of the bank levy was a move towards improving petition in the banking sector, although concerns remain whether the levy costs will be passed on to customers. However, there were mixed reactions when it came to light that as per the draft legislation, the first payment had been pushed back to March 21 st .   While this push had been said to affect revenue collections, the Bankers Association Chief Executive Anna Bligh we ed the move to avoid â€Å"rushing a hastily designed policy.† Further concerns have been raised with respect to the draft legislation such as the likely tax grab effect on all accounts and the fact that the policy is not intended to apply to foreigners. Whereas neoclassical economists have elaborated what a petitive market entails, politics and business lobbying have made meaningless the idea of petition in Australia’s banking sector. Though the Australia Bankers Association argues that the banking market is petitive, of all the over 100 banks, societies and credit union operating in Australia, it is only four banks that control over 84 per cent of the mortgage market in Australia (The Australia Institute, 2017). The four banks have drawn benefit from the banking oligopoly that focuses on safe and high-margin mortgages (Janda, 2016). The banks managed to convince the regulatory body to allow them set aside lower sums of money to cover potential losses. This move allowed the banks to provide more mortgages without necessarily having to raise more capital from shareholders. As a result of this immense market dominance, it is argued that the big banks were abusing their market power. This dominance enabled them to enjoy record h igh profit margins for many financial years but scandals involving rigging of interest rates, poor financial advice and insurance frauds brought into question the exploitation and unaccountability that these banks have enjoyed for so long (Kaye and Westbrook, 2016). As of late 2016, there was a public outcry to alter the status quo to correct the financial systemic errors and it was agreed that reform had to be undertaken to cure the situation. Consequently, a parliamentary inquiry into the major banks was missioned with the objective of encouraging petition and monitoring the sector closely. The House Economics mittee made proposals thereafter to have reports filed to the government twice yearly and r mended the doing away with constraints in obtaining licenses. To ensure transparency in loan pricing, it was proposed that banks should be required to share with each other customer data. Further r mendations included the setting up of a Banking and Financial Sector Tribunal at the cost of the banks and that banks had to name executives responsible for major breaches a panied with a detailed explanation of the specifics of the breaches (Shapiro, 2016). In the 2017 budget, the Treasurer seems to have taken huge consideration of the need to introduce reforms to the banking sector. These reforms entail a bank levy in the form of tax targeting the major banks and the introduction of further measures that will promote petition and accountability in the banking system (Hawkins and Sanyal, 2017). From the foregoing discussion, it emerges that the major causes of the so-called systemic errors in the banking sector are as a result of lack of petition and transparency in the sector. The 2017 budget reforms are therefore a we ed move that should be zealously implemented to cure the defects in the banking sector. One r mendation to achieve this ou e is to address the concern that the banks may pass the tax costs to the customers. Although it has been assured that the tax does not apply to bank deposits or mortgages, it is r mendable that the Australian petition and Consumer mission should monitor closely to ensure the banks do not mislead customers in a bid to defeat the objectives of the reforms. Further, there is also need to address the unfair advantage that is enjoyed by the major banks due to the generally accepted assumption that in the event of a crisis, these big banks will most certainly receive government support. This perception endears these banks to financiers as opposed to their petitors. To ensure this inequity is removed from the picture, reforms should be adopted to provide for a criteria of ensuring that the small banks also receive monetary support from the government in the event of a crisis. This measure will lead to the realization of a fairly petitive market in terms of the neoclassical economic standards. The fact that Australia’s banking sector is an oligopoly is undisputed. It is mendable that the government is taking measures to address the disquiet that has been evoked by the unpleasant state of the sector. Politics aside, all stakeholders need to work together to ensure the proposed reforms are fully effected and that further measures as r mended above are taken to ensure   fair petition and transparency are upheld. This way, confidence and trust will be restored in the financial sector of the economy. The government should also focus on other sectors of the economy that are not petitive enough such as the energy sector Degotardi, M. (2012). petition in Banking. [Pdf] Available at: https://www2.deloitte /au/en/pages/ economics /articles petition-in-banking.html [Accessed 24 Aug. 2017]. Frost, J. (2017). Treasurer delays bank levy, pushes petition argument. [Online] Financial Review. Available at: https://www.afr /business/banking-and-finance/financial-services/bank-levy-bill-introduced-aims-to-aid petition-in-oligopoly-market-20170530-gwg7pv [Accessed 24 Aug. 2017]. Hawkins, P. and Sanyal, K. (2017). A levy on major banks and improving accountability for bank executives – Parliament of Australia. [Online] Aph.gov.au. Available at: https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/BudgetReview201718/Banks [Accessed 24 Aug. 2017]. Janda, M. (2016). The banks are too big for the nation's good — here's why. [Online] ABC News. Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-31/janda-aus-banks-are-too-big/7789830 [Accessed 24 Aug. 2017]. Kaye, B. and Westbrook, T. (2016). Australian watchdog says bank 'oligopoly' needs more reform. [Online] U.S. Available at: https://www.reuters /article/us-australia-banks-idUSKCN12E0F3 [Accessed 24 Aug. 2017]. Morrison, S. (2017). Building an accountable and petitive banking system | The Hon Scott Morrison MP. [Online] Sjm.ministers.treasury.gov.au. Available at: https://sjm.ministers.treasury.gov.au/media-release/044-2017/ [Accessed 24 Aug. 2017]. Shapiro, J. (2016). Bank oligopoly 'adverse' for consumers. [Online] Financial Review. Available at: https://www.afr /business/banking-and-finance/financial-services/bank-inquiry-report-targets-big-four-oligopoly-20161124-gswfb5 [Accessed 24 Aug. 2017]. The Australia Institute. (2017). Bank customers pay for oligopoly. [Online] Available at: https://www.tai.org.au/node/614 [Accessed 24 Aug. 2017] With a decade's experience in providing essay help,

Water shortage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Water shortage - Essay Example as an increase in human demand together with overuse of water (Maestu, 2013).Whereas the idea of water stress is comparatively new; it may be described as the hardness of getting fresh water sources for use for a certain period of time which may further lead to deterioration and depletion of the water resources available (Majumder, 2015). A water crisis on the other hand is a condition where the available unpolluted, drinkable water in a region is not enough to fulfill that given area’s demand. Water shortage may be as a result of 2 means; physical water shortage and economic water shortage, where physical water shortage is due to insufficient natural water sources to meet the demands of a given region and economic water shortage is due to poor management of the available water sources (Chartres & Varma, 2010). The United Nations Development Programme, claims that poor management of the adequate water sources is found more frequently to be the lead cause of agricultural ,household, environmental and industrial requirements, but do not have the means of providing it in a manner that is accessible. Reducing water shortage is an objective of several government and countries. The UN acknowledges the significance of minimizing the number of persons having no reliable access to fresh water as well as sanitation. Thus, the reduction of water shortage is one of the millennium development goals that should be met by this year (Postel,

Organisation Structure, Employee Motivation And Effectivness Dissertation

Organisation Structure, Employee Motivation And Effectivness - Dissertation Example It will then discuss the applicability of various motivational theories towards the improvement of employee motivation and effectiveness in the day to day running of organisations. Literature Review This paper seeks to give an analysis of the interrelationship among organisational structure on employee motivation and organisational effectiveness. The question that the research paper seeks to answer is whether organisational structure has a significant impact on employee motivation and organisational effectiveness. In an attempt to answer this question, an integrative review of literature will be conducted. Aswathappa, (2005) asserts that many researchers have concentrated in research work on areas of improving productivity based on separate aspects such as organisational structure, motivation of workers and organisational effectiveness disregarding the fact that the interrelationship between the three plays an integral part in production. It is for this reason that the study in quest ion studies the relationship between the three aspects. To begin with, the researcher will give general overviews of the four theories. The researcher will then describe the research methodology and give an overview of the reviewed literature. Historical overview Virgin Group is a collection of companies constituting one of the largest organizations in the globe. Since its establishment, Virgin Group has posed diversity in its business operations in the entire industry. The smart structure of the Virgin Group owes its origin to the core founder, Richard Branson, who created a decentralized organizational structure that allows its employees to act based on their own reasoning. This helps reduce bureaucracy where workers are subjected to adherence to bureaucratic procedures. In... This article stresses that Virgin Group is a collection of companies constituting one of the largest organizations in the globe. Since its establishment, Virgin Group has posed diversity in its business operations in the entire industry. The smart structure of the Virgin Group owes its origin to the core founder, Richard Branson, who created a decentralized organizational structure that allows its employees to act based on their own reasoning. This paper makes a conclusion that environmental changes can sometimes have adverse effect in large organisations as a result large organizations that have complex structures such as Virgin Group need to adapt swiftly to these changes. In this case such an organisation requires an organic structure that will allow flexibility in an ever dynamic environment. If each of these companies were to operate independently then, each providing a unique good or service, Virgin Group would been said to have product departmentalization where each division operates based on the product or service it offers. However, Virgin Group structure offers a unique scenario because a company affiliated to it does not have to necessarily specialize in one department. The executive is required to look at fairness in judgement of different situations since different situations require different interventions. In addition to this, the theory serves minor purposes in the public domain. Virgin Group understands th e importance of job security and stability in ensuring motivation of it employees.

Johann Sebastian Bach Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

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Four Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Answer three question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Answer three question - Essay Example In â€Å"Legacy† a pregnant lady gets attracted and falls in love with a hunchback and â€Å"when they went to sleep, she spooned the man right from behind, her ballooned belly found way and fitted into the created spaces by the hunch in his back† (144). The theme on â€Å"Drunken Mimi† is about the romance and binder perfectly employs imagery to capture the love as it would happen though in the most unordinary way. The strange things continue to happen, â€Å"an old male imp walking on stilts get in love with a strange mermaid whose nerve cells prolong throughout his hair. In this strange way, the male body appears to shrink at first, deforming and disappearing while the strange female body becomes a sight of sensuality, creation and continual expansion† (7). Bender brings to life the old story we would hear from our great forefathers. She is simply a legend who makes the readers feel the intensity of such unordinary sentiments, even while she strives to make us feel the triviality of the most strange and astonishing incidences. Bizarre things take place in most of these stories. Quite unimaginable things and events. Yet it is possible to see the strand of human familiarity sticking out of these stories like hair would under an old

Formal memo(globalization) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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