Friday, November 15, 2019

New marketing plan for HMV canada

New marketing plan for HMV canada This report proposes a new marketing plan for HMV Canada and incorporates proposals on new profit streams detailed examination of the marketing environment, swot analysis, provides information on SMART objectives, gives a clear segmentation targeting and positioning report, proposals for 7Ps and control and evaluation will be provided in the end. This report has been created in close teamwork , using primary information through interviewing some of the HMV managers and secondary information available in HMV annual reports. HMV group is a leading specialist entertainment retailer operating through different stores in the UK, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore and transactional local territory websites, which include digital, download. It operates a small specialist chain of entertainment shops in the UK trading as Fopp. In Live entertainment, the group operates 12 venues, summer festivals and ticketing in-store and online. The group is extending to high-quality cinema and pay-to-play games. Hmv is also the UKs leading bookseller, operating as, In-store, Online digital Waterstones. Profit /loss 2010 Directory HMV UK Ireland: Total sales of 1,242 £m increased by 7.6%. HMV International: Total sales of 253 £m decreased by 8.5%. Hmv Live: The Groups result includes 0.9 £m of profit after tax making an operating loss of 0.2 £m. Waterstones: Waterstones total sales decreased by 6.5%, making total sales of 513.6 £m. Joint venture 7digital Inc: The Group acquired 50% of 7digital Inc, a digital media services company, The cash paid for it was  £8.1m. Acquisition of MAMA Group Plc: The acquisition of MAMA Group Plc for  £47.0m in cash, This was to achieve control over the Mean Fiddler Group, Net assets acquired was a total of 20 £m. HMV UK Ireland: The business now trades from 285 stores, following the integration of 32 ex-Zavvi [ex-specialist competitor] stores. HMV International: 125 HMV stores in Canada, 7 stores in Hong Kong, Singapore and local territory websites. Waterstones Total of 314 stores. the groups strategies: The company has successfully delivered most of the strategic objectives in the three-year plan commencing March 2007; The new strategies will be discussed later. FORCES ANALYSIS: Competitive Rivalry: [strong competitiveness] Supermarkets: Online: In general, supermarkets are not considered effective competitors to Large Range Retailers, as they stock a narrower range of titles, predominately best sellers and do not provide the browsing experience or pre-sales service offered by the others. Hmv competes with Amazon, iTunes, Play.com and other generalist and mass merchant retailers; Amazon offers a superior browsing experience as they have the ability to generate recommendations based on past purchases, as well as huge range of products. HMV Canada competes with Future Shop/Best Buy and Wal*Mart. The threat of entry: [high] The barriers to entry are low at all levels, with the increasing number of New competitors entering the internet sector to market their product directly to consumers, and also the use of technology that makes small companies, they face low barriers to entry with investments usually being recovered in short time, the threat is high . The power of buyers: [high] Because of the strong market position of Hmv as main routes to market, and as important marketing vehicles, Hmv are able to negotiate significant discounts with suppliers for the volume they sell, so the suppliers will have no option but to agree to higher discount terms. The power of suppliers: [low] In this market, the power of high street retailers like Hmv controls suppliers and as a result make their power very low, as discussed before, the buyers are very powerful and can incredibly threaten the suppliers to agree on important discount rates. So, the power of suppliers in this market is low. The threat of substitutes: [high] As discussed above, the technologic development and the growth of new digital market has made it easy for new substitutes products to compete with the high street retailers, and the threat of new substitutes in the market has become greater. SWOT analysis internal Strengths Market leading specialist in music, DVD and books Waterstones, member of HMV group is UKs largest high street bookseller Ottakars takeover- specialist book portfolio Fopp Stores [the group operates as a small specialist trading as Fopp.] Operations in seven territories Connections in film industry and events and festival ticketing. Few loss-making stores important Sales growth every year 100% of all packaging used in deliveries is either Re-used or recycled. outstanding product range across all genres Vibrant and stimulating store environments in key shopping locations. The use of in-store radio and listening posts and the latest plasma screen video walls. in-store personal appearances (PAs) :[album signings, and also live performances] Group synergies [Hmv and Waterstones have key operational features in common, example: the management of stock and inventory]. Strong internal communication with head office and employee in stores SWOT analysis + PESTEL external PESTEL Opportunities Political Economic Strategic alliances with media distributors/producers. Live music and entertainment evolve the product mix in stores and online Invest in cinema screens Social Online social networking Loyalty card scheme develop store atmosphere (increase footfall) Sufficient disposable income Technological Internet /digital downloads Pay-to-play services. Digital products E-books/e-readers and related accessories Mobile phone digital media In-store instant digital product purchase. Environmental Decrease Carbon footprint Reduce energy usage in stores. reduce water usage in stores: Waste management /recycling. green build [energy efficient ] Legal SMART objectives. Concentration on increase of revenue and profitability of business in 2011 through implementing new profit streams detailed in 7P proposals below, and monitoring the performance and execution of these business plans . The renaissance of stores of Hmv Group by reducing marketing expenses. Developing online music download portlal for affrortable pricing in first quarter of 2011. Pay more attention to the internet free illegal file sharing by finding new solutions how to ban or stop these type of anti-copyright issues by working with government in order to come up with new actions against those issues. Because an illegal file sharing causes much problems to financial, political and social ways for the Hmv Group Plc. Market segmentation, targeting and positioning strategies. Through this part of the report, it will be focused on the methods in which a well-built strategy of market segmentation, targeting and positioning factors to successful marketing planning. Market Segmentation. It is generally suggested that, a market segment is made of a group of consumers who have similar set of needs and desires. There are a number of effective methods, which Hmv Group management should approach to segment HMV in competitive market: Geographic country, cities, population destiny, climate. Psychographic lifestyle, characteristics, personality. Demographic family life cycle, income and occupation , race, nationality, religion, education, age, sex. Behavioural knowledge, attitudes, readiness to purchase, occasions, benefits, loyalty status. From these concepts, it will be more convenient to apply to market segmentation of Hmv Group Plc. From the research it has been proven that, the geographic strategies of Hmv stores in Canada are basically located in every high street of the cities and towns. This is a successful way to open the Hmv stores in busy places where more consumers visit to purchase the products. If we look at psychographic strategies of Hmv Group Plc, it aims to change or effect positively to consumer lifestyles and personalities. Therefore, the Hmv concerns these terms into consumer views and commitments as to keep existent consumers and also new consumers by supplying with quality and brand new products. Demographic strategies, which Hmv that should be chosen with reasonable and profitable decisions. For that reason, several stages in the family life cycle which will be the most effective factors that should be concentrated: Bachelor stage: Young and single people who aged between 16-25 years old and they have few financial obligations which means they are able to spend money for new products. The classification of this group segment in occupation and income is normally semi skilled or unskilled (Group D) and casual workers, students or unemployed individuals (Group F). Usually, they are most likely to show their interests in buying entertainment products such as games, movies, music albums, books and new technologies such as mobile phones, computers and other brand new products. Newly married couples: In addition, another segment of people who are newly married couples without children and they aged between 20-30 years old. They have higher purchase rate of consumer desirables. This target group has disposable income available, therefore being valuable consumer group. The social grades for newly married people are basically, professional, intermediate managerial skilled (Group B) and junior managerial skilled, supervisory or skilled individuals (Group C1/C2). Market Targeting. Hmv Group Plc should apply market targeting in order to make decisions how those certain segment groups can be targeted. Differentiated market when an organisation targets numerous groups of segments. It would be effective decision for the Hmv Group Plc to choose differentiated market, for the reasons of having several pointed segments for their products. Because, it develops different products and services with separate marketing mix strategies targeted at the changing groups in competitive market. It is widely proven that, the most usual customers of Hmv are perceptive devotees who observe each purchase as a high priority. However, one of the visions of Hmv is to make their discerning shoppers and casual browsers satisfied by providing trusted and valuable brands. Product Positioning. Product positioning determines on the position within the market that product is to inhabit. In this way of strategy, Hmv should do product positioning by appealing product income and how it varies from present and possible competing products. According to Wilson and Gilligan (2005, p.354), there are several influences on product positioning and it would be good decision for Hmv Group Plc to pay attention to these suggestions of authors: Product variety Performance Prices Distribution network Advertising and promotion Consumer profiles Word of mouth Customers experiences Media used By analyzing these suggestions of authors, the product positioning strategy that Hmv can come with by attracting consumers by offering promotional, quality and price discounted products that might change consumers buying behaviour.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Use of Imagery in Refugee Mother and Child by Chinua Achebe :: Refugee Mother and Child Chinua Achebe Essays

Refugee Mother and Child is a poem that seems to be written to arouse response from the reader. The pitiful image of a mother holding the corpse of her son is not only sourcing empathy from the reader but also helps the reader reflect on their own fortunate lives. In fact, Chinua Achebe is a leading writer for African causes, especially for the injustices in the world. The first stanza seems to be written as an introduction to the following stanza. The poet begins by allowing the reader to visualize the – â€Å"Picture of a mother’s tenderness for a son she soon would have to forget.† This immediately conveys the theme of ‘death of a child’ and also helps set the ‘sorrowful’ mood of the poem. The short introduction allows the reader to settle them down and focus more on the tragic scene, thus maximizing the response from the reader. Following the ‘theme’ and ‘mood’ set by the first stanza, the second stanza described the living environment of the â€Å"Refugee Mother and Child† as – â€Å"The air was heavy with odours of diarrhoea of unwashed children with washed-out ribs and dried-up bottoms struggling in laboured steps behind blown empty bellies† The filthy image of the environment that the mother and child lived in is projected through negative connotation. For example, the words ‘odours’ and ‘diarrhoea’ suggests the presence of diseases and sicknesses. This allows the reader to imagine a smelly and filthy place crammed with ill people. The reference to illness, which seems to be a link with the theme of ‘death’, foreshadows the tragic story of the mother and her dead son although it has not been clearly stated that her son is dead. Furthermore, the grotesque image of the setting is strongly reinforced by the mentioning of â€Å"unwashed children with washed out ribs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Chinua uses the children as a clear symbol of innocence and the unfortunate, as the children has been given birth in places where vital resources such as water and food are lacking. This will naturally allow the reader to reflect on their own fortunate lives and raise awareness of these unfortunate children living in famines. The words ‘laboured steps’ also suggests child labour, linking to real cases in lesser economically countries such as Africa, China and Algeria. As the second stanza continues, the constant reference to death is evident when the poet describes the – â€Å"ghost smile between† the mother’s â€Å"teeth and in her eyes the ghost of a mother’s pride.† The careful choice of the technique, personification, enables the reader to visualize the emptiness of the mother’s smile and spirit, by comparing the nouns ‘smile’ and ‘eyes’ with ‘ghost’, which communicates the idea of death.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Anti Imperialism Speech Against the Annexation of the Phillippines

Annexation of the Philippines – Argument Against I reflect on our own Declaration of Independence that states â€Å"Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. † We went to the Philippines to protect them from Spain and now here we are doing what we were keeping Spain from doing to these people. I ask you†¦ do we have their consent to annex them? Do they believe it is in their best interest to be annexed to our great country? And what measures are we taking to fund a continued military presence to care for these people? If the Filipinos are not in support of this annexation, they will most assuredly fight us that will result in unnecessary violence and bloodshed of both American soldiers and Filipinos, whether you think them civilized or uncivilized. This is hypocritical to what we ourselves claim in our ideals expressed in our Declaration of Independence†¦ the right to self govern. With this move of annexation are we not acting on the grounds of Imperialism which goes against our belief as a Republic? Are we conquerors, or are we liberators? I believe we should allow Aguinaldo, who we brought there from exile, to set up their own government and create a strong partnership that is agreeable for both the Philippines and the United States with mutual prosperity. Let us be the inspiration and model of their new venture and not force it upon them. This move will be viewed by eyes of other countries; it will impact their perception of our United States and the freedoms our nation values.

Friday, November 8, 2019

New York City The Financial Capital of the World

New York City The Financial Capital of the World unlike some of the lesser-known cities in this series, you probably don’t need to be sold on the professional and cultural advantages of   new york city. but as a reminder, here’s what’s great!culturemuseums:  they’re here, and they’re abundant: from the met to the folk art museum and weird ones like the morbid anatomy museum in brooklyn, if someone important made it, chances are we display it somewhere  in this city.theater: in addition to the fancy bright lights of broadway (hamilton is playing here and only here, just saying) and their attendant ticket prices, there are also discount tickets and off-broadway theaters offering accessible and once-in-a-lifetime shows for snobs and populists alike.music: from the grittiest underground club to dizzy’s jazz supper club at lincoln center, there are options for even the pickiest listener every night of the week.food: when people coming to the city for the first time ask me for restaurant re commendations, i just sort of laugh. there are way too many choices to offer up one option that will suit everyone. my favorite is butter midtown, alex guarneschelli’s masterpiece on 46th st, for the record. we have every cuisine you can imagine at every possible price point, from the $2 gourmet food truck special to the $$$$$ plate at [insert exclusive fancypants resto here]. periodic restaurant weeks offer prix fixe tastes to those of us with smaller wallets.job forecastaccording to the bureau of labor statistics, the top 5 industries in new york are:financial services (duh, didn’t you guys listen to hamilton yet?)health care,  especially providing assisted living services for seniorsprofessional, scientific and technical servicesretail trade and food service.  it’s a tough climate, but if you can find your audience, it can be a resilient and rewarding field.manufacturing,  particularly electronics and apparelwhile the cost of living is intense (weâ€⠄¢re always ranked in the top 5 most expensive cities in the  nation, if not higher), new york is also home to a vibrant community of freelancers and self-employed creative types, from graphic designers to copyeditors. we make our workaday homes in coffee shops and coworking co-ops, and utilize nyc’s expansive (though occasionally dysfunctional) public transit to get from place to place so we can read on the train.housing outlookas manhattan’s up-and-coming neighborhoods in this year’s roundup for aspiring buyers included jackson heights, jamaica, and ridgewood in queens; kensington, bay ridge, and sunset park in brooklyn; washington heights in manhattan; and the south bronx. new york magazine also recommends renting in ditmas park in brooklyn, sunnyside in queens, cliffside park and bloomfield in new jersey, st. george in staten island, and hudson heights in way-uptown-manhattan.nyc may not make sense for every professional or up-and-comer, but if you’ re willing to broaden the scope of your housing search and make up for the expense of, well, everything with the availability of free, cheap, and discounted cultural abundance- it may be the city you’ve been waiting for.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Nouns in Spanish and How They Are Used

Nouns in Spanish and How They Are Used Nouns are an essential part of speech in Spanish and English and can be found in most sentences. Definition of ‘Noun’ In English and Spanish, a noun is a word that refers to and names a person, place, thing, concept, entity, or action. By itself, a noun does not indicate any action or indicate how it relates to other words. Grammatically, a noun can serve as the subject of a sentence or the object of a verb or preposition. Nouns can also be described by adjectives or replaced by  pronouns. Similarities and Differences Between Nouns in Spanish and English Nouns function in much the same way in Spanish and English. They typically but not necessarily come before a verb and relate to other parts of speech in similar ways. They can be singular or plural. But there are at least three major differences: Spanish nouns have gender. Nouns listed as such in dictionaries are either masculine or feminine. The designation is often arbitrary - some words associated with males are feminine, and a word such as persona (person) is feminine whether it refers to males or females. Some words can be masculine or feminine depending on the meaning. The significance of gender is that masculine nouns are accompanied by masculine adjectives, and feminine nouns use feminine adjectives.Complete sentences in Spanish do not need nouns (or even pronouns)  if the meaning remains clear without them, in part because verb conjugation and gendered adjectives give more information about the subject in Spanish than they do in English. For example, rather than saying Mi coche es rojo for My car is red (coche is the word for car) you could say merely Es rojo if its clear what youre talking about.In English it is very common for nouns to function as adjectives; such nouns are called attributive nouns. For example, in dog leash, dog is an attributive noun. But with rare exceptions, Spanish connects the descriptive noun to the main noun using a preposition, often de. Thus a dog leash is either correa de perro (literally, leash of dog) or correa para perros (leash for dogs). Types of Spanish Nouns Spanish nouns can be classified in numerous ways; six types are listed below. The categories listed here are not exclusive - most nouns in fact fit into more than one category. And since Spanish and English both come from Indo-European, these categories apply to English as well. Common nouns are the most common type of noun. A common noun refers to things, being or concepts without referring to a specific one of them. For example, humano (human) is a common noun, but Catrina is not, because it refers to a specific human. Other examples of common nouns include ordenador (computer), valle (valley), felicidad (happiness), and grupo (group).Proper nouns refer to a specific thing or being. As in English, Spanish proper nouns are typically capitalized. Examples of proper nouns include Casa Blanca (White House), Enrique (Henry), Panam (Panama), and Torre Eiffel (Eiffel Tower). Some nouns can be either common or proper, depending on the context. For example, Luna is a proper noun when referring to the moon that circles the Earth (note the capitalization), while luna is a common noun when it refers to a planetary satellite in general.Countable nouns refer to entities that can be counted. Examples include casa (house), loma (hill), mà ³vil (cellphone), and nariz (nos e).Uncountable nouns, sometimes called partitive nouns, refer to things that cant be counted, such as concepts. Examples include tristeza (sadness), indignacià ³n (anger), and opulencia (opulence). Many nouns can be countable or uncountable depending on how they are used. For example, leche (milk) is countable when it refers to types of milk but uncountable when referring to quantities. Collective nouns are used to represent a group of individual nouns. Examples of collective nouns include rebaà ±o  (flock),  multitud (multitude), and equipo (team).Abstract nouns refer to qualities or concepts rather than things or beings. Examples include inteligencia (intelligence), miedo (fright), and virtud (virtue). Key Takeaways Nouns in English in Spanish function in sentences in very similar ways and can be classified in the same ways.A key difference between the nouns of the two languages is that Spanish nouns have gender.Pronouns sometimes substitute for nouns, and in Spanish subject nouns are frequently omitted from complete sentences.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Supply Chain Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Supply Chain Operations Management - Essay Example ASDA Company’s fast food entity’s supply chain operations management must ensure delivery of approved ingredients on time. ASDA Plc If ASDA Plc’s head office is strategically situated in Holborn Circus, London (www.ASDA.co.uk). The store was set up during the 1800s. With a tried and true grocery chain experience dating as far back as the United Kingdom’s Victorian age, Sainsbury Plc is another good alternative if both Tesco Plc and ASDA Plc do not deliver quality services and high quality products to the ASDA Chicken Curry with Brown Rice processed meal global processed food supply chain, especially within the United Kingdom environment (Plunkett, 2008). ASDA Plc has all the necessary expertise to ensure the supply chain connections are not spoiled by the unscrupulous inclusion of horse meat. With the discovery of several hamburger patties being tainted with horse meat, many companies turned to online purchases to promote the produces and services of the c ompanies. In the same light, ASDA Plc will play an important part in eradicating the hose meat scare issue. The people will learn to accept the ASDA Plc and other companies’ explanation that the products, including the ASDA Chicken Curry with Brown Rice processed meal products, are not tainted by the unauthorized inclusion of the horse meat into the final processed food product alternatives (www.ASDA.co.uk). In the same light, ASDA Plc will play an important part in eradicating the hose meat.... Other possible locations include Scotland chicken growers or chicken farms. Other alternative sources of chickens are chicken farms located in Wales. ASDA must purchase quality chicken products from tried and tested chicken suppliers. Chicken Fat & Stock ASDA can purchase the chicken fat and stock ingredients from the same the England chicken growers or chicken farms. If ASDA cannot find available sources of chicken fat and stock in England, ASDA purchasers can buy the chicken fat and stock requirements from the quality Wales chicken farms. Similarly, the ASDA purchasing officers can also purchase the chicken fat and stock from established Scotland farms. ASDA should buy their chicken fat and stock requirements only from established chicken fat suppliers. Wheat Flour. ASDA can purchase the wheat flour from the England sources of Wheat flour. If ASDA cannot find available sources of wheat flour in England, ASDA purchasers can buy the wheat flour requirements from the quality Wales whe at flour sources. Similarly, the ASDA purchasers can acquire the wheat flour from sources located in Scotland. ASDA must purchase quality wheat flour ingredients from preapproved chicken suppliers. Dried Onion ASDA can buy the Dried Onion ingredients from the England suppliers of dried onions. If ASDA cannot find available sources of wheat flour in England, ASDA purchasers can acquire the dried onions from the quality Wales suppliers of dried onions. In the same manner, the ASDA can acquire the wheat flour from sources located in Scotland. ASDA must purchase quality dried onion needs from qualified chicken suppliers. Apple Puree ASDA can buy the apple puree ingredients from the England suppliers of apple puree. If ASDA cannot find locate local sources of

Friday, November 1, 2019

Research Report Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Report - Research Paper Example Breeding of genetically modified animals is counted as a procedure too (Jha 1). The use of animals has increase by 1% in 2010. This includes the 1.6 million procedures done involving the genetically modified mice. According to Judy McArthur, a chief inspector at the animals’ scientific procedures inspectorate of the Home office, excluding the genetically modified animals, the increase is less than 1%. This is because of the increase of the number of fish up to 23%, which counts for about 93 000 of the total animals. Dogs, primates, cats and horses are protected by the law, therefore, the total number of the procedures done using the animals is 19, 773, which accounts for around 0.5% of the total. The number of the dogs used in the procedures dropped by 2%, and that of cats dropped by 32%. In toxicology tests, the number of animals used dropped by 11%. Barney Reed, a senior scientist at the RSPCA described the rise of these procedures as astonishing. He pointed out that the rate of carrying out the procedure had incerased by 37% for the past one decade. Martin Walsh, the head of the Home Office’s animals scientific procedure division, provided that efforts are being made to reduce the number of animals used for research, as well as ending the use of animals as household products. The main ethical question raised in the article is why scientists breed the genetically modified animals, yet they could be endangered by such procedures. Here, according to professor Dominic Wells from the royal veterinary college, one of the reasons why the scientists produce more of the genetically modified animals is because they have refined their procedures. The scientists, therefore, produce two lines of mice that do not show any adverse phenotype until they are crossed. This enables them to generate any number that they want before they conduct any procedure. Breeding of the mice help the scientists