A Marketing Opportunity for Powerbike in Thailand Assignment - 5

A Marketing Opportunity for Powerbike in Thailand - Assignment Example In this report, we find that there are on-going developments that are supporting the bicycle sale business. The major one is the will by the government to support plans leading to use of bikes for short trips within towns and also by students to go to school. This is meant to promote a healthy lifestyle among the citizenry. The residents have also accepted the bikes as they are flexible and can be used to go to other areas that cannot be accessed by vehicles. In Powerbike’s move to change its production base to Bangkok, the company is faced with stiff competition from other well-established industry players, for instance, K.C.I Bicycle & Part Company. However, by focusing on customer needs and developing on its strengths, our company will manage to stay ahead of the competition and remain profitable in this urban market. Thailand is one of the rising Asian countries experiencing rapid economic expansion because of improved governance and high rates of foreign direct investment (FDI). This expansion brings with it pressures on social amenities as more people move from the rural areas to look for gainful employment in towns. The boom years made Bangkok one of the most active and heavily congested cities. The major pressure exerted by this population explosion is on public transport as the locals have to commute daily from residential areas to their places of work. This then necessitates adoption of other modes of transport to ease pressure on vehicular transport. This report focuses on the Thai bicycle market taking a deeper analysis of the consumer behaviour, demographics and psychographics. It gives advice on appropriate ways to maintain market share and weighs the likelihood of entry to the Bangkok market which is characterised by dense population and chaotic public transport. This is done by analysing both external and internal business environment on factors supporting or discouraging expansion programs, for instance, competitive forces analysis. Market segmentation, targeting and positioning are used to give a picture of the specific products Bangkok consumer market demand from bike manufactures.

Nagel and Russell on Absurdity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Nagel and Russell on Absurdity - Essay Example Thomas Nagel and Betrand Russell wrote about the absurdity that defines life. Many philosophers have focused on the issue of absurdity as it is one of the surging worries that human beings experience continually. This explains why different philosophers have been trying to highlight the causes of the debilitating feeling that every venture in life is absurd. Realizing the causes of the feeling of absurdity has not been enough. There is the ardent desire of understanding the different ways of dealing with absurdity. This paper will analyze the views of Nagel and BetrandRussell concerning the absurdity. Summary of the ‘Absurd’ by Nagel Nagel begins by highlighting the fact that many people often make known their feeling that life presents a lot of absurdity, sometimes in a continuous manner. However, he asserted that few of the reasons used to explain how the absurdities of life result serve as adequate defense to explain why life is that way. He provides examples of the reasons that people have put forward as potential causes of absurdity. One of these reasons is the opinion that whatever transpires in life at the moment does not present evidence that it will matter in a million years into the future. The feeling that current ventures in life do not present any feasibility of being crucial factors in a progression of a million years. Nagel refutes this claim by highlighting that such thinking invites critical thought of analyzing whether things really matter. If one can doubt whether something happening in the current life will matter in the future, then it is only rational to realize that whether that thing is b ringing happiness or misery, it may not even matter (Pojman 555). For other people, the absurdity of life emerges from the realization that human are minute forms in a vast universe. This perception of human life in terms of space and time in comparison with the entire universe does not suffice to explain the cause of absurdity in life. Nagel argues that this reason is insufficient because little would change even if humans occupied a larger proportion of the universe (556). He opined that living a longer life and occupying greater space would imply that absurdity would increase at the same proportion of space and time. Nagel also mentions that some people experience absurdity because they realize that all then justifications used to present life with meaning will eventually diminish. However, Nagel mentions that even if these justifications were reliable enough to define the entire process of life, they would diminish eventually. He further argues that even if a single justificatio n had the potential of defining an individual’s entire life, it would require an additional justification to make it worthwhile (556). According to him, all chains of justifications depend on external factors for their relevance, factor that makes them diminish at some point. With this argument, Nagel highlighted that it was pointless to blame the insufficiency of justifications for the absurdity of life. In the second part, Nagel begins by highlighting the fact that absurdity resulted from the crises and discrepancies between the pretexts and aspirations of an individual in life. However,he highlights that individual often visualize a way of adjusting aspirations. In case such an adjustment is impossibility, the individual tries to avoid the reality of the absurd situation. However, the feeling of absurdity increases when an individual does not find a valid escape from the previously defined aspirations (557). Moreover, Nagel highlighted that a person’s ambitions were possible causes of the feeling of absurdity especially if the person keeps searching changes that present the potential of altering life. This may often result is an individual takes life’s decisions activities too seriously. He highlights that although life needs constant attention, taking it too seriously can be detrimental causing absurdity. Moreover, perceiving others

Multi-Channel Retailing Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Multi-Channel Retailing - Speech or Presentation Example The global retail operations of Costco can be primarily classified into four major segments such as: Discount and Variety Retail – Warehouse Clubs and Superstores 2. Grocery Retail 3. Gasoline Retailers and, 4. Online Retailing Source: (Costco Wholesale Corporation, 2012) Advantages Offered by Costco’s Each Distribution Channel The distribution facilities offered by Costco incorporate a large number of potential buyers from different demographic backgrounds that are segregated based on family or business, income-level, age and gender. According to the present revolutionary transformations in the retail format, customers are highly focused on purchasing goods through online or catalog shopping. Therefore, the distribution process of Costco highly utilizes the benefits provided by the online format in order to provide adequate support to each group of customers. The company, in this regard, is highly focused on targeting the customers within the age group of 18 to 45 year s who generally prefer to purchase goods through online retailing format (Costco Wholesale Corporation, 2012). In relation to the similar retailers such as Wal-Mart, the organization has been identified as one of the major competitor for Costco. However, the organization is more competent than its competitors regardless catalogue/online shopping or store retail operations. Differentiating Buying Process of the Customers In relation to the distribution process of products, the operational process of Costco incorporates an effective strategy that ensures to provide various advantages to the organization. Therefore, the major advantageous factors that Costco avail from its exceptional distribution channels including brick and mortar store and catalogue or e-commerce format are depicted hereunder: The ‘shopping in person’ customers of Costco generally tend to purchase their preferred products through a modest online or catalogue format. In this context, the steps of online or catalogue shopping have been discussed hereunder. Identifying Needs: Identifying needs of the products is the initial step where the in-person customers tend to recognize merchandise(s) in accordance with their taste and preference. Searching and Obtaining Information: In this step, the in person customers are focused on searching information about the online store or catalogue regarding the availability, buying terms and condition, payment option and shipping facility among others. Evaluating and Selecting Retailers/Channels: After obtaining information about online/catalogue, the customers evaluate and select appropriate retailer or distribution channel. Visiting Online Shopping Website/ Catalogue: Visiting online shopping website/catalogue is the final step customers wherein the in person customers purchase their preferred or desired products via complying each term and condition of the retailer. In the due course of time, after a consumer starts to continuously visit an onlin e website for purchase his/her loyalty towards the retailer increases. Source: (Costco Wholesale Corporation, 2012) Retail Strategy: Focusing on Retail-Mix Elements Location: Location can be considered as one of the primary elements for any retail organization to efficiently perform its various distributional activities. In the context of the

Managerial decision making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Managerial decision making - Essay Example A hallmark of today's business environment is its chaotic nature. This chaos is rooted in unprecedented rates of change and high levels of complexity. In turn, rapid change and effective decision-making create an environment of high risk in which decision makers possess little certainty about what the future holds. They perceive events through opaque lenses and base their decisions on large measures of speculation and only small doses of certainty. A large part of the complexity of today's projects is tied to the variety of options facing all project players, from project managers to team members to customers. Naturalistic decision making helps managers to understand how decision are made in complex situations, uncertainty and changing conditions.Research and understanding of naturalistic decision making helps organizations to interpret cognitive functions and improve their everyday performance. Following Cannon-Bowers et al 1996: "There is no doubt that the overriding strength of th e NDM perspective on decision making research is its focus on how decisions are made in complex, real-world environments" (p. 193). Managers do not always remember and thus learn from their mistakes, because they do not realize they have made mistakes. A naturalistic decision making gives managers means to disengage themselves from a particular situation, from its narrative, from one's roles, and from a dominating conceptual scheme. Effective application and understand of naturalistic decision making enables one to assess one's situation, to evaluate present and new possibilities, and to create decisions that are not parochially embedded in a restricted context or confined by a certain point of view. Naturalistic decision making takes into account ethical theory but not abstractly (Flin 1996). In complex environment, naturalistic decision making is crucial for organizational behavior and effective performance. This is because in the first instance ethics has to do with human relationships and human activities, not with abstract formal principles. It generates conclusions from that particular set of events, taking into account not merely the situation but its narrative and the set of mental models or conceptual schemes that frames these events. Naturalistic decision making and cognitive processes are essential to get one from a particular situation to a more disengaged perspective (Bazerman 1995). It is often argued that human beings are motivated primarily by self-interest; in business, managerial or corporate self-interest, sometimes even greed, accounts for questionable and even egregious behavior. Moreover, none of us is perfect, so in large companies there are bound to be errors of judgment. Other explanations also attempt to account for these events and their perpetra tors (Flin 1996). It is then sometimes argued that social, political, and legal institutions, along with the corporate culture and the particular roles and role responsibilities of the managers and companies in question, create a causal nexus that constrains what might consider morally appropriate behavior and often precludes the consequential avoidance of harm. In contrast to traditional decision-making, "Under naturalistic decision making a similar emphasis on task complexity has not been made explicit. In fact, attention to factors that contribute to decision complexity, and how decision makers cope with these, must be examined more fully if the definition of core NDM features is to be fully realized" (Cannon-Bowers et al 1996, p. 193). Following naturalistic decision making approach, organizations and managers understand that acting in one's own interest where one's well-being is the object as well as the subject of action does not necessarily exclude taking into account the interests of others, for those interests are almost always necessary to achieve success. Third, acting in one's own self interests in either sense is not necessarily evil. One must be careful to distinguish not only the quality of the action itself and

Privatization in Public Administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Privatization in Public Administration - Essay Example Developing countries have adopted the privatization for planning as a policy and system for national socio-economic development. Privatization involves strategies that would reduce the task of the state by assigning larger roles for the private sector. Despite all identified challenges and disadvantages, the privatization of public administration would bring forth more effectiveness in organizational management and service delivery. Although the change is a major threat to the job security of public employees, it is more likely to continue as the improved level of productivity has already been proved. In delivering the public service, privatization can make use of the advantages of competition and flexibility. These advantages also help in attaining greater effectiveness and increased response to the needs of customers. These objectives are very difficult to be achieved within the public sector either due to the incapability of the government or due to the slow procedures of the gove rnment machinery. When the government plans for the privatization of any stream of public administration, it has to enter into a â€Å"performance contract† with the commercialized enterprise to determine the post privatization relationship between government and the firm. The performance contract must; Specify the long-term objectives involve performance criteria between the government and the firm specify the level of performance of the enterprise specify the certain penalties if the enterprise fails to fulfill any agreed performance. As Cook and Uchida point out, in many developing countries as well as in the developed countries privatization and commercialization have gained recognition and adequacy (1-23). It also helps the government in putting the government structure on track and strengthening industries controlled or administered by the state. Considering all the aspects of privatization, some support the view that ‘privatization is always political’, by political they mean governments have aims which are non-economic. To illustrate, privatization leads to the transfer of assets into the undesired private hands with the complete knowledge of the government, aiming at only special classes of buyers. On the way to privatization, there would be some political impediments too, such as conventional or disruptive attitude of existing managers and employees of state-owned enterprise who are afraid of the challenges of privatization. A well formulated privatization policy with strong determination can overcome such impediments. On the way to privatization there are many political and economic goals to be achieved and there are some political impediments to overcome. According to Donaldson; -It is the level of government’s strength and commitment that determines the precision in launching privatization. -It is the business needs that describe what sort of buyer should be invited. -Mass privatizations can be welcomed, but they may not help in adequate corporate governance. -A pro-competitive structure is an essential element of privatization which must be obtained. (Source: Donaldson, 19-37). One among the several advantages of privatization is that privatization brings more revenue to the government when compared to the public enterprises; so government can easily earn a little more by leasing out an enterprise to private undertakings. As the private organizations are very much concerned about the quality of service they provide, there will be increased levels of accuracy and commitment towards the job. Besides, the privatization of the public enterprise helps in getting out of the political interference. They have the expertise in proper

Miscommunication about transfer funds Case Study

Miscommunication about transfer funds - Case Study Example The message receiver should exert enough efforts to clarify any vague or confusing message by contacting the message sender. Evidently, all parties must contribute to the clear message sending process of business communication. Introduction Task-related organization communication includes message sending factors within the organizational framework. The research delves on wrong message organization communication sending. The research delves on resolving wrong organization message sending. The affected parties must contribute to making sure the organization communication messages are received the same way as the message sender, the manager, intends. Statement of the Investigation Issue There was miscommunication in the task-related transfer of funds aspect of the business organization’s communication channel. The organization’s manager did not indicate which currency should be used in the transfer of funds. Consequently, the organization employees erroneously deposited th e funds using the wrong United Arab Emirates Dirhams currency, instead of the correct United States dollars currency. Consequently, the finance department moved to correct the erroneous transfer funds deposit. ... One such common barrier is noise. Often noise blurs out the vivid message from being received in the original context. The noise will block one or more words from reaching the message receiver’s ears. Another message barrier is document smudge. The smudge may hide or misrepresent a letter or letters on the document. A huge smudge may cover an entire word resulting to the distortion of the original document. Lastly, the appearance of the entire document may obscure the true message of the documents. For example, the general message did not mention the exceptions to the main message. Another barrier to the effective task-related organizational communication is culture (Kutz, 2012). The culture of one county, United States, is different from the culture of another country, country where Dirhams currency is used. The countries that use Dirhams include the United Arab Emirates and Morroco. If the United Arab Emirates plans to send money to the United States, there is confusion as t o whether the money sent will be in United Arab Emirates Dirhams currency or in United States dollars currency. To resolve the currency issue, the message sender and the message receiver should include the currency in the message. When sending messages between two different cultures, one word or group of words may have different meanings. The United Arab Emirates may interpret a payment of 200 as to mean payment in Dirhams currency. On the other hand, the United States individual who receives a message that he or she will be paid 250 may interpret the amount is $250 United States currency. Furthermore, communication structures contribute to effective business communication. The use of special language

Gender and Religion in South East Asia Term Paper

Gender and Religion in South East Asia - Term Paper Example Various religious beliefs predominated over the places for centuries and the recent forms of religions like Christianity, Buddhism and Islam came to these lands. The advent of the new religions shifted the position of the females too. Earlier the position of female in these places was held high and they enjoyed a prominent role in the society. As time passed by, there witnessed change in these two aspects. The present essay plunges an anthropological study into the matter of gender and religion at the Southeast Asian regions. Throughout the ages, religions and gender of South East Asia have got some kind of significance. Both these play a vital role in the anthropological development of the places. The article, ‘Transgenderisn and Gender Pluralism in Southeast Asia since Early Modern Times’ by Michael G. Peletx takes the words of Reid (1988,146) that â€Å"in the South East Asia the history tells that women predominated in a good many ritual contexts associated with agriculture, spiritual, and other religious powers that men could not match† (Peletz, 2006, 312). The women folk had a close association with the control of the society. The transgendered individuals (male bodied but dressed in female dress) too had taken a key position in the rituals of the people. High levels of sexuality and erotic attributes were associated with such transgendered individuals.... â€Å"The lowlanders occupy the plains and valleys and cultivate wet rice; they are organized into stratified societies and states traditionally headed by divine kings† (Winzeler, 2008, p.271). Among the major lowlanders include Thai of Thailand, Lao of Laos, Khemer of Kambodia, Shan of northeastern Burma, Vietnamese of Vietnam and Burmese of Burma. Owing to the influence of India and Hindu- Buddhist traditions the lowlanders were turned to be ‘Theravada Buddhists’ (Theravada being the southern tradition, or the â€Å"smaller vehicle† of Buddhism) (Winzeler, 2008, p.271). The highlanders live at the mountains and â€Å"were traditionally organized at the village level as tribal societies rather than states, are generally egalitarian, and migrate frequently† (Winzeler, 2008, p.271). These highlanders are more influenced by China and so they stick on to their own native beliefs which usually included shamanism (Winzeler, 2008, p.271). The entry of the Western world had its effect in the land. Some of the ethnic religious beliefs gave way for Christianity. The dominance of the Christianity has paved way the change of religion in some of the places. The post colonial aspects of gender have played a crucial role in the socio political milieu of the countries which are commonly called as Southeast Asia. As most of the south eastern countries have embraced Theravada Buddhism which gave a new outlook for the women folk of the religion. The female ascetics were honored well in the society. In comparison with the female monks of the other nations like Japan, China, and India the feminine gender of the Southeast Asian countries enjoyed supremacy in their total procedures as women. The