Close Up Brand Analysis

BA 170 Midterm Paper Never settle for second best. And yet, since its inception in the Philippine market, second place has been Close Up’s niche. Though the brand has indeed been successful in differentiating its use and targets from the irreplaceable number one, the dream to finally land the gold continues to linger. Overview of the Brand Close Up was launched by Unilever in 1967 as the first gel toothpaste in the world. The product’s unique structure made it easy to market it as a new and diverse product, all other brands having manufactured the same opaque white consistency toothpaste normally has.Furthermore, the brand made sure to put the blue ocean strategy to their advantage. While competitors were going the more medical approach, Close Up branded itself as the more relatable brand to the youth. Currently, Close Up has eight variants out in the market. All their lines are made to function as the ‘fresh breath maker’, promising consumers long-lasting fresh breath. The variants mostly just differ in flavor apart from the Close Up Milk Calcium, which adds the teeth strengthening function to their product. Company Vision Close Up envisions itself as the number one toothpaste brand for the youth.Their goal is to get young adults to feel how much the brand can help them achieve fresh breath, which, in turn, can boost their confidence to face their everyday challenges. Close Up’s goal is to be the youth’s first choice when it comes to toothpaste brands. The Close Up Mission In line with the company vision is their mission to give the youth that confidence to make ‘the moment’ happen. Much of Close Up’s brand identity revolves around the concept of ‘the moment’, which they define as that special instant of interaction between two or more individuals.It may be as simple as asking someone to be their date to the high school prom or as big as saying I love you to their special someone for the first time. Close Up makes sure to be the factor that pushes the consumer’s insecurities aside in order for them to be confident enough to pursue that perfect moment. Target Market The brand associates itself with Filipinos aged 18-24 who are both sociable and optimistic. These young adults need that confidence to get up close and personal with others and believe that white teeth and fresh breath are important for social confidence and intimacy.Market Analysis The Toothpaste Market Based on Datamonitor, the toothpaste market in the Philippines has increased at a compound annual growth rate of 3. 3% between 2004 and 2009, with Colgate leading the pack with a share of 51. 7%. But after two decades of continuous growth, the toothpaste industry saw a decline in market usage causing most companies to cut prices. Currently, Close Up stands as the industry’s number two with a market share of approximately 20%. What are the factors that affect toothpaste choice in the market? A journal published by Ben Paul Gutierrez shows that there are thirteen attributes consumers look for when selecting their toothpaste. These include variables such as the ability to clean teeth properly, ability to give smooth and white teeth, ability to prevent cavities and the approval of dentists. (insert table of complete list here). Furthermore, the research shows the characteristics of the decision maker (ultimately, the one who chooses and purchases the product) and connects them to two behaviors, namely switching and involvement.Switching refers to the consumer’s brand loyalty whereas involvement refers to the buying behavior. (show table of high involvement/low involvement) Close Up and Colgate are both able to achieve high switching and brand involvement, which are expected of brand which have high market shares. Close Up’s Position In terms of age, Close Up has been consistent in marketing itself to the young adults. Map A shows the relationship between pric e and age and proves that Close Up is unique in its choice of age segment. This is particularly evident in their advertising, which will be discussed further in this text. insert perceptual map a) Looking at functional benefit (Map B), however, we see that Close Up lags behind Colgate, who has, over the years, developed more and more products to address different oral needs. This is also because Close Up has continuously focused on producing toothpaste with the same functional benefits, a few outliers aside. Though this is good for brand reinforcement, meaning that consumers quickly associate the same need to the brand, this may be a factor as to why the brand has stayed a challenger. insert perceptual map b) On the other hand, Map C illustrates the relationship of price and size. Here, Close Up is generally positioned in between two markets, with Colgate at Sensodyne being the higher priced brand (MORE ANALYSIS HERE) Lastly, Map D shows the relationship between price and functional benefits, which may also be interpreted as the consumer’s value for money. (insert perceptual map c) (insert more analysis) generally -toothpaste market, positioning, pricing, market behavior, segmentation breakthrough Consumer Insight -target market, trends, insight Current strategies Recommendations

Historical laws and Security Essay

Historical Laws and Security Checkpoint CJS/250 April 24, 2013 Historical Laws and Security Checkpoint The Babylonian King Hammurabi established the code of Hammurabi. It was established by the king himself in 1750 B.C. and discovered intact in 1901. It contains 282 clauses variety of obligations, professions and rights, as well as retail, slavery, marriage, stealing, and outstanding debts. If any of the clause was to be violated the punishment that would be handed down would be severe (Clifford, 2004). This code is well known for serious punishment. The principles outlined are in the form of Lex talionis, or the law of retaliation to fit the crime (an eye for an eye). The Draco’s code was named for the Greek of Athens citizen where it was written in 621 B.C., the first law written in Greece was very harsh that the word Draconian is used today to describe how severe and unreasonable the law is. Concerns to penalty for any offense that was committed death would be the result. It was very important to introduce the notion to the state, not the private citizens, is responsible for the punishing persons accused of crimes. The Law of The Twelve Tables originally included 10 laws. Written in Rome in 450 B.C. was meant to govern the Romans. It was the foundation of the modern public and private law. They helped organize how crime would be prosecuted publicly and instituted a method whereby the involved parties could look for compensation from their aggressors. It was then the basic rule of Roman law was written and that justice would not be left at the hands of the judge alone to interpret. In 529 A.D., Corpus Juris Civilis or Justinian code was the result of Emperor Justinian’s desire and remembrance for his codification of Roman law  in a series of book (Clifford, 2004). Legal maxims derived from Justinian Code which inspired the modern concept of justice a word that comes from the emperor’s name. The foundation of civil law, one of the two main legal system, the other been English common law was formed by the Roman code that govern modern Western civilization. One of the high point in the middle ages occurred under King John of England, with the creation of the Magna Carta in 1216 which he was forced to sign. This document established the English due process which greatly reduced the king power by making decision in parliament instead on his own. The most important of the Magna Carta’s 61 clauses was the 39th it states no freeman shall be captured or imprisoned except by lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land (Clifford, 2004). Within a 70 year span England produced the next significant contribution to the system of law enforcement in developing the Statue of Westminster in 1285. King Edward involved the citizens in crime prevention and apprehension. It established three practical measures focusing on the security of affected citizens, the watch and ward, a hue and cry, and the assize of arms. In our current society, publicly and privately these laws have played a major role today. The legal system which we have in place would be the same, but instead it is different. One of the most important is the Magna Carta, and it can be seen in the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights, Article 21. Our economy today is drastically changing. With the amount of cutback it would be difficult for our finest to be all over the city to monitor any issues that may occur. With the assistance of the private forces the numbers has double or triple with less authority or priviledge as would an officer. Having both is beneficial to our society and the feel of safety is an encouragement to us all. References Clifford, M (2004) Identifying and exploring security essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ Pearson Prentice Hall.

Investigative Procedures Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Investigative Procedures - Assignment Example The allegations against the accused must be verified independently to ascertain reasonable grounds for further investigations. Once this is done, the CEO and CFO must be informed. Using a suitable team for instance the manufacturing plants' accounts department, documents should reviewed for any evidence. Investigations should then proceed to neutral persons then to third parties to corroborate evidence. Care should be taken not to violate suspect’s rights or break the law in seeking evidence and the truth. Introduction Internal fraud is becoming a common problem in organizations today because the employees have knowledge of the internal mechanisms and procedures for the organization. Some are in charge of divisions and so influence decisions and can manipulate by abusing their positions to commit internal fraud and thefts and still be able to cover their tracks. The employees may also leak information to outsiders who then use that information to commit frauds and the employee gets a payoff for their services. Employee fraud incidences have been on a steep incline especially during and immediately after the global financial crisis. The US for instance reported employee fraud that cost firms a total of $ 994 billion. The UK CIFAS data show that staff fraud increased by 40% since 2008 and the trends are interesting because it is the younger employees who are reportedly committing more crimes (Cohen, 2011). The same report also showed a 63% increase in staff fraud in 2011, compared to 2008 with fraud statistics in 2010 showing that staff fraudsters were mostly youngsters with 29% being under the age of 21 years while those aged between 41 – 50 years making up just 30% while no instance of internal fraud was reported for those above age 50 (Cohen, 2011). This paper will answer various questions and thereafter make a conclusion 1. Given the situation, discuss some of the options the company has for handling this situation.   This is obviously a preca rious situation since the plant manager gets a lot of respect from the CEO and CFO and their families are very close. However being close to the CEO and CFO should not stop investigations from taking place since this would amount to complicity and cover-ups by the top management. The investigator should be a senior manager for instance the Human Resources manager or the Legal advisor; since the crime is just alleged at this point. Certain facts should be ascertained to meet a specific threshold before in depth investigations can be carried out with the plant operator being interviewed and maybe being forced to go on leave pending investigations. To avoid upsetting the existing relations and causing too much friction, the signs and evidence of internal fraud must be established. These include accounting anomalies, weaknesses in internal controls, analytical symptoms, lifestyle symptoms, behavioral systems and employee tips and complaints. From the given scenario, Mr. Reynolds should consider the case serious and warranting an investigation since he has already received a tip from an employee in that plant, that the plant operator is exhibiting an erratic personal behavior while his lifestyle has changed beyond his normal means. Care must be taken to protect the identity of the informer (Goldman, 2007). Mr. Reynolds should then obtain prior evidence from the relevant person’s incognito and write a report, and request a report from the informer. An auditor or accounts

Benefits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Benefits - Essay Example The revelation in the current time is vital for policy makers as well as the baby boomers as if prepares them adequately before the financial challenges expected in their golden years (Dominguez, 2011). Primarily, the overseeing trustees have called upon the Congress to look into the issues and implement changes necessary to curtail future â€Å"disruptive consequences†. Although current scheduled financing is anticipated to be sustainable for the projected long-run program costs, disruptive consequences for taxpayers and beneficiaries can be avoided entirely through legislative corrections. Motivated and willing leaders should be charged with this legislation which is critical considering the over 105 million beneficiaries of both Social Security and Medicare programs. Laws and Concepts Provision of government-mandated benefits through Medicare for the aged and Social Security for the general public derives its funding through budgetary allocations. Deductions made on salarie s of the employed and income contributes greatly to the provisions of such benefits; up to the amount allocated by the legislators in congress. Consequently, the report by Dominguez exposes the pitfalls lying in wait for the Medicare and Social Security programs. As such the report serves to hasten the speed at which Congress pushes for changes in the federal budget to raise the $14.3 trillion federal debt. Despite the push to beat the deficit target set for Aug 2, prepositions for privatization of Medicare have been sounded by the Republicans. This way, older Americans will be offered a subsidy to purchase coverage from private insurers. That notwithstanding, the Democrats’ backing of an overhaul sought to extend the life of Medicare would still necessitate immediate action to allow for options and time to phase in changes that will adequately prepare the affected (Turner, 2010). Recommendations Considering the pitfalls plaguing the government-mandated benefits, planning is paramount in the subsectors of the business community. For instance, the perceived challenges resulting from the sagging economy and aging population will not only affect the future financing of benefits, but also various sectors of the business community. Of greater concern are the effects of mandated benefits which include paying lower wage for employed labor, having catered for their mandated benefits. As such, the employee will be motivated to work even at lower wages because mandated benefits are guaranteed for working (Weerapana, 2009). Additionally, leaders elected into key legislative roles should be vetted as willing and able to push for necessary laws and policies. Otherwise, leaders that are likely to undermine the pillars of health and financial security should not be entertained. Healthcare Programs Summary According the article â€Å"Medicare, Medicaid, CLASS in crosshairs of 'Gang of Six' deficit plan†, Anderson (2011), points out the plan by a group of senator s to reduce the federal deficit that is feared might significantly cause cuts in government healthcare programs. The reductions, anticipated to occur over a 10 year period would require the Senate Finance Committee to find a $500 billion in healthcare spending. The elimination of the Community Living

Appeasement and wars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Appeasement and wars - Essay Example It is through this party that Hitler controlled Germany with no mercy (Evans 2006, p. 14). This paper will discuss the universally popular consent of Hitler’s rule. In other words, this is the main view of Hitler’s dictatorship rule. Hitler attained full control of Germany the after the First World War crisis (Evans 2006, p. 23). He used charismatic oratory, as well as propaganda, appealing to financial needs, anti-Semitism and nationalism to set up an authoritarian regime in the country. With a rearmed military, as well as a restructured economy, he pursued an aggressive international policy with the aim of expanding or increasing Germans boarders (Bracher 1972, p. 15). This eventually led to the explosion of the Second World War. The fighting broke out after Germany invaded the territories of Poland and Poland chose to resist German’s attempt. Hitler’s name is never forgotten in Germany. During the First World War, Hitler joined the German armed forces. He even got rewards for his stern bravery. However, when he got news of German’s defeat in the First World War, Hitler was extremely depressed. He felt that it was extremely dishonorable for the whole Germany to lose in such a war (Bracher 1972, p. 15). Hitler used documentaries and movies as propaganda devices. He was concerned and appeared in a series of films via Universum Film AG (UFA) by the revolutionary filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl. Such films were Victory of Faith (1933), Triumph of the Will (1934) and Day of Freedom: Our Armed Forces (1935) (Bracher 1972, p. 23). Victory of Faith (1933) or Der Sieg des Glaubens was the first documentary to be directed by Leni Riefenstahl. She was hired regardless of the being opposed by Nazi officials, who disliked employing a female or a non-member of the Nazi Regime. Riefenstahl’s film talks about the Fifth Party Rally of the Nazi Regime, which took place in Nuremberg from August 30th to September 3rd, 1933. Triumph of the Wil l (1934) was made also by Leni Riefenstahl. It recounts the 1934 Nazi Party Congress that took place in Nuremberg. The event was attended by over 700,000 Nazi followers. The film contains excerpts from talks given by different Nazi leaders at the Congress, incorporating portions of speeches by Adolf Hitler, combined with recordings of massed party members (Joll 1990, p. 4). This film portrayed to the Germans of how Hitler was an able leader that could bring success to their nation. It is through this film that a majority of Germans started to admire Hitler. Hitler also used his right hand man, Fritz Darges, to spread propaganda and rule the Germans effectively. Fritz Darges headed the SS movement after being appointed by Hitler. Germans liked how the SS carried out its duties, and how it made their country safe (Bracher 1972, p. 34). The SS, the selected guard of the Nazi regime, wielded increasing control through its power over the police force. Political antagonists, mainly those in the Social Democratic Party of Germany and the Communist Movement of Germany, along with Jews, were subject to persecution, intimidation, as well as discriminatory legislation. In the opening two years of Hitler’s chancellorship, he, through the help of the SS, followed a rigorous strategy of Gleichschaltung (coordination), by which state governments, political parties along with professional and cultural organizations were brought in proportion to Nazi goals. The economy, culture, law and education all

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Strategic Management - Essay Example The company should use the generic strategies to achieve competitive advantage. These generic strategies include; differentiation, focus and cost leadership. Cost leadership strategy strongly emphasizes on working towards a goal of producing low priced products. Many people would be attracted to companies that offer lower prices for their services and products. For example, South West airlines have used this strategy, and the profits have grown immensely through application of cost leadership strategy. Differentiation strategy emphasizes on production of unique products and services that are better than their competitors and are valued more by customers. For a company that wants to make great changes, differentiations of their products is very important. Focus strategy means developing a certain market target. A focused strategy targets market segments which are less vulnerable to any substitutes or in situations where competition is weakest. This will enable a company to attain comp etitive advantage. For a business that is undergoing large change, marketing strategy implementation is also very important. A company may be undergoing a change like change of product, change of process; change of location change of product composition etc. customers may not be aware of these changes and may become reluctant to buy their products (Paley, 2006 pp.21). These changes may have a negative impact on the company if they do not follow well defined strategies. The initial purposes for change which in most cases are done with an aim of increasing profit may not be met if they are not well advertised. For example; a company may decide to change their products. When these products get to the market customers who are not aware of them may be reluctant to buy. Buyers have to be made aware of the products through good marketing strategy. They need to be made aware of the benefits of using the products. Advertisement is a good marketing strategy in the business set up undergoing m assive change. Appealing means of capturing people to buy your product cannot be under weighed (Foxall, 2005).The advertisements should be made in such a way that it targets many people. For example; advertising in popular television and radio programs can capture millions of people. Similarly, advertisements can be done by use of large and attractive billboards in busy streets. For example; using a popular celebrity in your advertisement billboards can attract more attention. Good marketing strategy should be based on well developed ideas and well budgeted. It would require a good sum of money especially if large commercial advertisements have to be done. It should also ensure that the targeted population is reached. For example; a product that targets youth should have marketing strategies that adequately draw their attention more. Strategic management theory Strategic management is the approach and the process of pointing out the objectives of an organization and implementing pol icies that will ensure achievement of these objectives. In broad term, it can be seen as a combination of the formulation, implementation and evaluation of the strategy. Management theory provides a framework for knowledge organization. It also provides blueprint for actions that can guide organizations in achieving their objectives (Parnell, 2004 pp.34). Many managers rely on these contributions that were made by past industrialists.

Literature Review of Balanced Scorecard in Higher Education

Of Balanced Scorecard in Higher Education - Literature review Example Also instrumental in improving the internal and external communications in the organization and monitoring performance of organizations against strategic goals and objectives, the balanced score card has extensive usage and gained acceptance in almost all sectors of the market. Originated by Doctor Kaplan and Doctor David Norton as a framework for performance measurement adding to the strategic non-financial performance measures to the conventional financial metrics, they have provided this framework for executives and managers for assessing the overall and balanced view of the performance of organizations (Schmeisser, 2011, p.194). The balanced score card presents an integrated result oriented collection of key performance measures including financial and non financial measures which comprises both the present performance of the firm and also its future performance drivers. The main premise of the score card is based on the fact that financial evaluations alone are not enough for ca pturing the value-adding activities. Kaplan and Norton (1992), suggests that apart from using financial measures firms must also develop a comprehensive framework of other measures as indicators or predictors of financial performance too (Beard, 2009, p.1). ... The following diagram would highlight on the different performance measures and their linkages in the balanced score card. Figure 1: The Balanced Scorecard links Performance Measures (Source: Kaplan & Norton, 1992, p.72) 2. Characteristics of Balanced Scorecard Characteristics of the scorecard is the presentation of the combination of financial and non financial measures each of which is compared with a target value within a concise and single report. The most unique characteristic of this scorecard is that it determines the most relevant and crucial information by capturing information which is most relevant for the business. Based on the vision of an enterprise, strategies are formulated and derived from its goals. For measuring the achievement of the objectives, relevant characteristic numbers can be assigned to these goals. This translates the enterprise strategy into figures which can then be communicated towards all divisions in the company and therefore can communicate the str ategy to all workers in the company (Welz, 2007, p.7). In this way every worker adept to which goals need to be attained first in order to attain the desired objectives of the business. Link between the strategic level and the operational level can be reached by the derivative by further sub goals and relevant figures from the strategy for each department. Because of the fact that the balanced scorecard considers goals which are directly linked with the success of the organization it remains succinct and concise (Niven, 2006, p.xxi). The concept of the balanced score card is to include information and data from all divisions of the organization under the controlling of entrepreneurial success. This is the reason why it is perceived

East Asia Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

East Asia Studies - Essay Example Although much of the regional transformation in the recent years has been so positive, principally in the economic sphere, various challenges abound, this challenges pose the risk to stability in this region. It is rather hard to count on which of the two; economic and security, could trigger stability in the region. The discourse of security and economic situations has been hugely dominated by the rise of China’s economy which has a huge role of the foreign affairs and has also transformed the geographic landscape of the region, which has sent the policy makers in the region searching for effective ways to cooperate, while still evading uncertainty concerning its future course. Another trend that is being overlooked in the region is Japan’s own steady transformation. The growth of China in the region accompanied by global political influence and rapidly growing defense expenditures has stirred up the public sentiment of Japan towards China. Additionally, situations at the Korean peninsula have been in recent years has become increasingly destabilizing security and the geographical flashpoint. Most importantly the continued growth of China’s economy and its current modernization has the great security concern in the region (Beeson 187). Another reason for tension in the region and its neighbors is the use of water due to the increased population pressure; the whole per capita water accessibility has declined by between forty and sixty per cent. This creates a security concern in the scramble for resource now that there is a great rise of China population and the great industrialization in Japan the great weather that is experienced in the region does not come to of help to the highly populated region. The currency crisis has also been a major concern of the East Asian region. This issue has been of concern for quite a long time spreading from Thailand and becoming more regional. This issue has brought about retrospect in the imbalances of t he structure of the economy of Thailand which exposes it to short term debt; this has in turn affected the currency values of the countries that have had the same experience such as Koreas, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines (Beeson 206-210). Amongst these countries, some of them such as Indonesia did experience great currency movements; with their currency facing up to 80% loss of its value. It is significant to note that this financial crisis had an influence on the regional institutional development, and it affected the reputation and standing of the major powers in various ways with Japan suffering the greatest damage of its regional leadership ambitions (Beeson 203-206). With much concern to the environment, the capacity of China has faced some greater challenges which are associated with the continued processes of economic developments, which have also been extended beyond the borders. There is some indication of the impact of the population of China on the East Asian co untries with the growing prices of commodities and resources such as Oil. The consumption of such commodities in China continues to rise which brings about the continued thinking of the significant development and significant future of the East Asian. Some sources argue that unless the externalities that are associated wi

World Trade in Merchandise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

World Trade in Merchandise - Essay Example Between the months of June and September, the price index lost 11.5 percent in terms of the dollar. (United Nations, 2009, p.45). The reason that can be identified for contraction in trade is a financial crisis. There was slow growth in output by almost 2 percent and the probability to fall further was high as well. The impact of the decline in total world production was magnified in trade. Since the month of September 2008, the imports and exports of the major developed and the developing countries declined. (World Trade Organization, 2009). The share of developing countries in the total global trade started to rise. It was assumed that a ‘decoupling effect’ would emerge into the picture and the developing countries will be less exposed to the economic downturn. As all regions of the World are slowing at once, the decline in demand conditions is more widespread than that of the past. The second reason that can be accounted for is the presence of increasing global supply chains in total trade. In the production process, the goods are supposed to cross many boundaries and the components in the final product are considered each and every time they cross a boundary. The only way to avoid such kind of effect is to measure the transactions in trade on the basis of the added value at each stage of the process of production. Shortage of trade finance can be regarded as the third reason for the situation. Shortage of trade has lead to a shortage of trade. This problem is receiving attention from government and other international institutions. The role of the WTO has been like an honest broker. It brings the top players to work together that will ensure the availability and also the affordability of trade finance. Protection is yet another factor that contributed to a contraction in trade. Rises in the level of protection are threatening to the prospects of recovery and delay the downturn. In the long run, the aggravated protectionism policy is a source of concern. 2. â€Å"Free trade, one of the greatest blessings which a government can confer on a people, is in almost every country unpopular† Lord Macaulay (1800-1859). It is true then and arguably very true today. (a) Critically discuss THREE forms of non-tariff barriers used by governments to limit the free flow of trade and assess their possible effects on consumers in any market of your choice. Nontariff barriers The three forms of nontariff barriers are imported quota, import licensing requirements, and import deposits. American firms have registered few grievances against Dutch firms. The Dutch came up as the neutral traders of Europe as they opted for a level playing field for trade matters. Soft drinks, beer, and petroleum products are the items where excise tax is levied. The excise tax is borne by the importers in addition to customs duty. The European Union aims to create a single international market and harmonize the excise taxes. Nontariff barriers are a measure used by the government to favor goods that are produced domestically over goods produced in foreign countries. The nontariff barriers are used to reduce the volume of imports so as to help the domestic producers. A quota may be defined as the maximum limitation either in physical units or in other terms imposed on imports of a product for a certain period of time.