The Pan American Airlines

Pan Am was an American icon for more than sixty years. The company skyrocketed into success and set the industry standards for others to follow. With Trippe at the helm, it seemed the company could do no wrong and that the world was truly within its grasp. However, changes in competitiveness in the marketplace, thanks to the Transpacific Route Case and deregulation, coupled with decline in air travel and soaring fuel prices caused the company's ultimate demise. Juan Trippe: The Man Behind Pan American: Juan Trippe, founder of Pan American World Airlines, graduated from Yale in 1921. He became bored with working on Wall Street, and after receiving and inheritance, started to work with New York Airways, a commuter service that served the wealthy and powerful. Eventually, with the aid of some of his wealthy friends, Trippe invested in an airline named Colonial Air Transport (â€Å"Juan Trippe†, 2005). Trippe's interests lie in servicing the Caribbean, though. As such, he created the Aviation Corporation of America, based in Florida. It was this company that Trippe would use to take over fledgling Pan American Airways. Pan Am's first flight from Key West to Havana took off on October 28th, 1927, and signaled the beginning of an era of evolution for the aviation industry. Besides Pan Am, Trippe established China National Aviation Corporation, providing domestic service within the Republic of China. He also became a partner in Panagra, the Pan American-Grace Airways, holding a quasi-monopoly for air travel in many parts of South America (â€Å"Pan American-Grace Airways†, 2005). But, it would be Trippe's Pan Am and his famous Clipper planes that would indelibly etch his aviation efforts in the minds of millions of people. Trippe was known, in the aviation industry, for his innovation. He believed Pan Am was the standard setter, and that air travel should be just for the wealthy, but for the general public as well. He is often credited as the father of the ‘tourist class' and saw great potential for expanding his customer base with the development of jet aircraft. Introducing 707s and DC-8s into his fleet, Trippe was able to lower fares and increase passenger numbers (â€Å"Juan Trippe†, 2005). It was Trippe's desire to service even more passengers that led to his request of friend Bill Allen of Boeing to produce an even larger aircraft. The end result was the Boeing 747. Yet, despite his best efforts, the oil crisis of the 1970s and airline deregulation, would see Trippe's Pan Am eventually crumble apart (â€Å"Juan Trippe†, 2005). History of Pan American World Airlines: Pan American World Airlines, commonly known as Pan Am, was the primary international air service provider in the United States for approximately sixty years. Pan Am was a cultural icon of the 20th century, and the unofficial flag air carrier of the United States (Shaw, 1997, p. 12 – 13). It was their dedication to customer service and innovations, such as the use of jumbo jets and computerized reservation systems, that would help shape the industry. Major Henry â€Å"Hap† Arnold and a few partners founded Pan American Airways Incorporated in 1927. They had obtained a U.S. mail delivery contract to Cuba, yet did not have the physical assets available to actually do the job. A few short months later, Trippe had formed Aviation Corporation of America, with backing from William Rockefeller and Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, along with others. With Whitney at the helm as President, Aviation Corporation had obtained the landing rights for Havana, by acquiring a small seaplane service between Key West and Havana. During the same time, the Atlantic, Gulf and Caribbean Airways Company was established, by New York investment banker, Richard Hoyt (â€Å"Pan American†, 2005). It would be these three companies that would merge in a holding company called the Aviation Corporation of the Americas, in June of 1928. Hoyt was named Chairman, Whitney was made President, and Trippe and his partners held forty percent of the equity. Pan American Airways Incorporated was created as the primary operating subsidiary of Aviation Corporation of the Americas, with Trippe positioned as the operational head of the new company (â€Å"Pan American†, 2005). The United States government approved the transfer of the original mail delivery contract to Pan Am, without hesitation. The government had feared that the German-owned Colombian carrier SCADTA would have no competition in routes between the US and Latin America. The government further assisted Pan Am by insulating it from American competitors, choosing Pan Am as their ‘chosen instrument' for American foreign air routes (Bilstein, 2001, p. 79). This monopoly on foreign airmail contracts allowed Pan Am to expand quite rapidly. Plans were made to expand Pan Am's service through all of Central and South America. The next decade saw Pan Am purchasing multiple failing airlines in their target territory, as well as the negotiation with postal officials to win airmail contracts in their regions. Trippe toured Latin America, with Charles Lindbergh, to negotiate landing rights. Within a few short months, Trippe had opened up service down the west coast of South America, all the way to Peru. With the purchase of New York, Rio and Buenos Aires Line, Pan Am opened up a seaplane route along the eastern coast of the continent, including Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Santiago, Chile (â€Å"Pan American†, 2005). Pan Am's stock soared, with the development of their South American network. Negotiations with Britain and France, to start a seaplane service between the United States and Europe began in earnest. The British state carrier, Imperial Airways, was eager to partner with Pan Am, however France's Aeropostale was on of Pan Am's competitors in South America, was less eager to help. Eventually, Pan Am was able to negotiate a contract offering services from Norfolk, Virginia, to Europe by way of Bermuda and the Azores. In addition, they obtained another airmail contract, this time servicing Boston to Halifax (â€Å"Pan American†). Pan Am's next plan of action was to begin land plane service, over Alaska, to China and Japan. Lindbergh's services were once again called upon, as he was sent to survey the area, in 1930. Yet, due to the political turmoil in the Soviet Union and Japan, it was determined that that route was not viable. Instead, Trippe focused on developing service from San Francisco to Honolulu, with continuing flights on to Hong Kong and Auckland. By 1934, Pan Am had secured rights to land at Pearl Harbor, Midway Island, Wake Island, Guam, and Subic Bay. By 1935, the company had been awarded the airmail contract between San Francisco and Canton, China (â€Å"Pan American†, 2005). Pan Am's ‘Clippers' were the only aircraft capable of transcontinental travel, at the time. The airline prided itself on service, and their flight crews formal naval-style uniforms and procession when boarding harkened to this fact (Gandt, 1995, p. 19). As World War II set in, most of Pan Am's fleet was called into military service. This allowed Pan Am to open new routes in central Africa and Iran. By early 1942, Pan Am was the first airline to operate a route that circumnavigated the globe (â€Å"Pan American†, 2005). Following World War II, Pan Am's fleet was rejuvenated with faster planes made up of Boeing 377s, Douglas DC-6s and Lockheed Constellations. Competition from began to impact the previously untouched Pan Am. TWA began service to Europe, Braniff to South America and Northwest Orient began service to East Asia (Bilstein, 2001, p. 169). Hoping to reposition itself as America's chosen international carrier, in 1950, Pan Am changed its name to Pan American World Airways, introduced ‘economy class' service, and began to offer around-the-world flights. Significant Accomplishments of Pan Am: Trippe had positioned Pan Am as a leader in the aviation industry through a variety of tactics. Airmail contracts had launched the company and expanding passenger service had firmed its hold on the industry. However, competition had intensified during the company's first two decades of service. To remain competitive, Trippe began investing in new aircraft. Jets and wide-bodied airplanes, such as the DC-8 and 707, were used to increase the number of passengers they could service, while reducing costs. The company was the first to operate 747 service, in 1970, and was one of the first three airlines to take out options on the Concorde, however, did not exercise this option. Diversification was another competitive option for Pan Am. Trippe bought into the InterContinental Hotel chain, as well as a business jet, the Falcon, as complimentary businesses. In addition, Pan Am was involved in developing a missile-tracking range in the South Atlantic and also in operating a nuclear engine-testing lab, in Nevada (Ray, 1999, p. 184). It was in 1962 that Pan Am would introduce the next industry innovation. The organization contracted IBM to build PANAMAC, a computerized airline and hotel booking system. Occupying the fourth floor of the Pan Am Building, PANAMAC not only managed Pan Am's flight and hotel reservations, but also was a database of knowledge on geographic areas, airports, aircraft, other hotels, and even restaurants (â€Å"Pan American†, 2005). In 1971, Pan Am expanded Terminal 3 of John F. Kennedy International Airport, dubbing it ‘Pan Am Worldport'. The largest airline terminal for several years, Worldport was most noted for its flying saucer shaped roof that was suspended far from the outside columns of the terminal, allowing airplanes to pull their noses under the roof, preventing passengers from getting wet as they got on or off the planes (â€Å"Pan American†, 2005). Intercontinental routes flourishing, in 1964, Pan Am began providing helicopter service between New York's major airports and Manhattan. Their fleet had grown from 707s, 747s and DC-8s, to include: 720s, 727s, 737s, 747SPs, Lockheed L-1011s, and eventually Airbus A300s (â€Å"Pan American†, 2005). This diversified fleet allowed Pan Am to meet a variety of needs for the varied routes they serviced all over the globe. Pan Am was not only a great leader in the aviation industry, but also a leader in humanitarian flights. The company flew approximately 650 flights a week between West Germany and West Berlin. And, in 1966, Pan Am flew Rest and Relaxation (R&R) flights during the Vietnam War, carrying American service men and women to Hong Kong, Tokyo, and a variety of other Asian cities for well-deserved R&R (â€Å"Pan American†, 2005). In 1973, the energy crisis dealt a staggering blow to Pan Am. High fuel prices and low demand for air travel were only Pan Am's beginning worries. The Transpacific Route Case was one of the most damaging policies for the company. Prior to the Transpacific Route Case, the only airlines allowed to fly civilian transpacific routes were Pan Am and Northwest Orient. President Dwight Eisenhower opened the case, in 1959, to investigate opening the transpacific market up to more competition. Although Eisenhower closed the case, Kennedy reopened it in 1961. By 1969, the Civil Aeronautics Board had awarded additional transpacific routes to airlines including: American Airlines – Australia, Fiji, Hawaii, New Zealand, and Samoa Continental Airlines – Guam, Hawaii, and Saipan Northwest Airlines – Hawaii to Asia flights Trans World Airlines – Hawaii, Japan, and Taiwan Western Airlines – Hawaii (â€Å"Transpacific†, 2005). This additional competition drastically reduced Pan Am's international passenger service as well as profit margins. The large fleet of 747s the company had invested in, while expecting a continued increase in travel demand, would now weigh down the company and eat away at their profit margin. In response to this new competition overseas, Pan Am worked on further developing their domestic market. Road blocked at winning approval for new domestic routes, it was airline deregulation, in 1979, that would allow Pan Am to expand its service in the United States. However, the gift of deregulation would also be the company's greatest bane. Trippe had failed to create a strong domestic presence for his airline. He now found himself competing with established carriers in the domestic market, for the routes he wished to enter, plus had to compete with them on international routes as well. In response, Pan Am absorbed National Airlines, in 1980, yet a bidding war caused the company to sell for a much higher price than its worth (â€Å"Pan American†, 2005). The two companies were at odds with one another from the beginning. The two disparate fleets caused the company to run inefficiently and ineffectively. Their route networks were incompatible as were the two companies' corporate cultures. Insurmountable debt began to be accumulated. In an effort to recover, the Pan Am Building was sold off to MetLife, in 1981, and in 1985, Pan Am's entire Pacific route was sold to United Airlines. The money from the sales was used to invest in new aircraft, and despite the beginning of shuttle service between Boston, New York and Washington D.C., the financial losses and declining customer service plagued the company (â€Å"Pan American†, 2005). The final straw came with lax security on board Pan Am flights. Despite the development of the Alert Management Systems, in 1986, in order to reduce cost and avoid inconveniencing customers, Pan Am kept security at a minimum. The Lockerbie bombing caused Pan Am to be associated with terrorism and brought a $300 million lawsuit, filed by more than 100 families. By March 1991, the company began to sell off it's most profitable routes, and on December 4th, 1991, the airline's last flight from Bridgetown, Barbados to Miami was completed. In the end, Pan Am was an American icon for more than sixty years. The company skyrocketed into success and set the industry standards for others to follow. With Trippe at the helm, it seemed the company could do no wrong and that the world was truly within its grasp. However, changes in competitiveness in the marketplace, thanks to the Transpacific Route Case and deregulation, coupled with decline in air travel and soaring fuel prices caused the company's ultimate demise.

Effectiveness of Brand Extension in Personal Care Product: A Case Study on Dove of Unilever

Brand is perceived to be in important intangible asset for company which gives company a cutting edge in product market through positioning in consumer mind. To leverage on success of brand, companies go for brand extension which is offering different new product in the same brand name.Such brand strategy is intended to be pursued to save cost of launching new brand, to minimize risk of brand failure and to leverage on success of existing brand. Organization who are in personal care product business often go for such brand extension treating brand as their assists where they try to leverage on their brand equity by launching new products under already established brand names (Vanitha et al, 2001). There are many factors that define the effectiveness and success of brand extension in personal care products.Perceived Quality of Parent Brand, the relative importance of fit of brand with consumer characteristics and mission of brand are important variable which determine brand success (P ark, et al, 1991). Beyond those factors, in case of personal care brand extension, media planning, brand development and brand management and public relation to communicate the brand are considered to be influential in evaluating the success of brand extension.This research work is perused to evaluate the effectiveness of brand extension strategy in personal care products in general and brand extension strategy of Dove brand of Unilever. The report will elaborate whether brand extension strategy of Dove was successful one considering the variable mentioned above.The report is prepared based on customers’ responses collected through survey and observations of branding expert to assess such effectiveness. The turnover from products launched under brand extension strategy will be dependent variable that will be evaluated against Brand Campaign, Media Planning, Brand Development and Brand Management, and Public Relation Strategy of brand. The study will be based on Dove brand of Unilever which will outline how company changes branding strategy with evolution of Dove brand.1.1 Background of the OrganizationUnilever’s journey as business organization started at 1872 as margarine business. In 1890, the company was named as Lever Brothers Limited. In 1930 Margarine Unie (Netherland) and Lever Brothers Limited (UK) merged and renamed as Unilever Limited. Serving 2 billion customers worldwide, the company is achieving annual turnover of â‚ ¬51 billion in 2012 (Unilever, 2013). The company sells its products across 190 countries where emerging market now counts for 55% of the business. The company have portfolio of 14 cash cow brand that are generating â‚ ¬ 1 billion sales worldwide. The company employs around 173,000 people around the globe (Unilever PLC. 2013a).The portfolio of categories shows that around 35% of revenue comes from Suvoury, Dressing and spread, followed by Personal Care which is about 28%, Home Care which is 18% and food and beverag e segment covers 19%. Unilever has a portfolio of 400 brands among which some are world largest in terms of generating ideas. With an asset base of â‚ ¬46.16 billion, the company has operating profit of about â‚ ¬7 billion (Unilever PLC. 2013b).Dove is a billion brand of Unilever which is generating annual revenue of â‚ ¬2.5 billion a year in 80 countries. Dove Brand was launched in 1957 as alternative to soap to care of dry skin. Since 1980 many product is launched under Dove brand ranging from body-wash, deodorants, body lotions, facial cleansers, to shampoos and conditioners through brand extension (Unilever PLC, 2013). Unilever terms Dove as a brand with a purpose.1.2 Rational of the StudyBrand is perceived to be very important factor to position product in consumers’ mind. A brand image has become a salient resource and critical success factors of competition which gives firm competitive advantage in product market. To leverage on such competitive edge firms at times takes strategy of brand extension to leverage the success of existing brand to optimize and rationalized investment in brand. But such brand extension produced mixed result in terms of effectiveness or return on brand extension due to brand fit with product launched, functionality of brand and consumer attitude to accept new product (Kim and Deborah, 2008).To change consumer perception on the ground of functional benefit of brand, organization has to  reshuffle its branding communication to reposition brand in consumer mind which communicate a broader view of brand rather than functional benefits. The effectiveness of such brand extension depends on how firm develop brand, build brand and plan media to communicate the brand and maintain public relation to engage stakeholders (Bottomley and Stephen, 2001). Innovation of Branding campaign is another important parameter in this regard. The study will evaluate the brand extension strategy of Dove through examining through differ ent factors mentioned just above to justify brand extension strategy in Personal care product category.1.3 Business Research QuestionsThe following research question will be designed to conduct the study. what is the brand extension strategy of FMCG company in personal care products What are the factors that affect brand extension strategy of an established brand in case of personal care products How brand campaign, media planning, customer attitude, brand development and management, public relation reshuffle brand extension strategy in case of Dove brand of Unilever What is the statistical observations of effect of components of brand extension in positioning product in consumer brand1.4 Research objectiveEvery research is conducted with fulfillment of some objectives in mind. Those objectives persuade the researcher to pursue research in this field of study to enrich the researcher intellectual observation. The following are the research objective of the study which motivates the researcher to pursue this research. To review brand extension strategy in personal care productTo trace out the reasons that plays key role in developing brand extensions strategy in personal care products To explore the critically success factors that determines the effectiveness of brand extension strategy in personal care products To extract out how brand campaign, media planning, customer attitude, brand development and management, public relation played role in affecting success of brand extension of Dove brand of Unilever To evaluate the outcome of the study through statistical test to validate the findings of the study on rand extension strategy of Dove To suggest appropriate and specific recommendations and to provide conclusion along with mentioning the scope of future scope of study.2.0 Literature ReviewLiterature review is very important part of any credible research and it provides the research an opportunity to review similar and related previous research to take knowle dgeable insight to design his or her study. The second chapter of the research will cover the literature review related to title of the research. The following sections will be covered by this chapter.2.1 BrandBrand can be defined as name, tern, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers (AMA, 2011).2.2 Brand Extension and Types of Brand ExtensionBrand extension is strategy of launching and selling new product under an established brand name of other existing products to persuade customer’s perception with success of existing products (Monga and Deborah, 2007). Extension can be described as strategy to sell new products without establishing a new brand of the company (Chen and Liu, 2004).There are two types of brand extension mostly used in branding strategy. The following graph is elucidating such types of brand extension.2.3 The Reasons o f Brand ExtensionThere are logics why organization goes with brand extension instead of launching new brand for every new product. The most influential arguments are reducing risk and cost of launching new products, increasing sales and profit of the company and being able to ask a premium price (Alokparna and Zeynep, 2012). The other reason includes increase brand awareness and perceived brand value of the company (Smith and Park, 1992).2.4 Brand Extension in Personal Care productsBrand extension in personal care product is more prevalent than other types  of product due to homogeneity in product nature and communication of common perception to the consumers. From Unilever to P&G everyone does follow brand extension strategy more or less in their personal product portfolio (Xie, 2008).2.5 Factors that Determines the success of Brand Extension strategyVarious factors brand extension strategy of personal care products. The given case outlined the following factors that were conside red influential in affecting brand extension strategy to Dove from soap to other personal care products2.5.1 Branding CampaignBranding campaign is very important parameter to change customer perception from a narrower point of view to broader point of view. Earlier Dove is considered a cleansing cream or moisturizing cream (Tom et al, 2012). Whenever Unilever intended to communicate Dove as Masterbrand, it reshuffles its campaigning strategy to communicate Dove brand campaign as â€Å"Campaign for Real Beauty† (Deighton, 2008). The case produced the following discussion.2.5.2 Branding to Change Customer AttitudeSuccessful brand extension strategy change customer attitude to the favor of new product launched under established product category. In Dove case, the branding campaign redefines the notion of beauty to the women of the world by saying that every woman possesses real beauty, which is merely not defined by size, skin or age.The brand defines beauty as function of self- esteem, feeling superiority about oneself. Such bold step to change women attitude toward beauty invites discussion and debate, which ultimately gave the familiarity of new product under Dove brand (Deighton, 2008a). The following comments are from Marketing Director of Dove.2.5.3 Media PlanningMedia planning is very important to communicate brand extension to new launched products. The effectiveness of media planning largely defines how effectively and efficiently message can be communicated to the target customers (Jack and Roger, 2002).Uniqueness and cost consideration are most influential ingredients in media planning where company favors to choose unusual media to attract easily customers’ attention and least cost media to save marketing cost of the organization (Clarke, 1997). Dove posted a filming featuring dove in YouTube for which Unilever did not spend a penny literally.2.5.4 Brand Development and Brand ManagementBrand development is successful predictor of brand fu ture. If an innovative and compelling brand is developed, it is mostly assured that brand will emerge as successful. Whenever a brand is successfully positioned in one product category, it is very easy to extend it to new product (Kumar, 2005). Successful brand development requires innovative brand development team, alignment of branding communication with characteristic of products so that they best fits each other (Monga and Deborah, 2007). In case of Dove Brand, extension brand development was separated from brand management in specific market.2.5.5 Public Relation and Brand ExtensionPublic relation or PR is emerging as very effective tool in communicating messages of new brand or brand extension to customers. The recent observation is that impact of advertisement is falling and that of PR is rising. PR is more effective when it comes to matter of communicating credibility of brand, saving of cost and clutter (Và ¶lckner and Henrik, 2006).Moreover, Brand friendliness with PR can formulate a compelling communication strategy of brand extension with low cost (Tom et al, 2012a). Public relation of Dove was compelling covering both positive and criticism comments from leading press and marketing commentators which gave the firm great publicity (Deighton, 2008). New York Times mentioned about PR success of Dove as below3.0 Research MethodologyResearch methodology will be third chapter of the research, which is mainly a roadmap of the research to the outcome, which will be employed with different type of methodology to extract out the insight from the incumbent research (Hunter and Leahey, 2008). The research methodology section will employ the following techniques.3.1 Design of ResearchThe most important element in research methodology is research design which will be cornerstone for further research steps to extract out relevant information from collected data. The research design consist of planning of  research, dissecting and collecting raw data and obser vations from the key stakeholders to build a harmonious research that will fulfill social objectives (Brymanand and Bell, 2003). The research design is launched with research philosophy.3.2 Philosophy of ResearchThe research philosophy is very important ingredient of research design where philosophy concentrates on reasoning of rationality and scientific approaches, law of generalization to develop and establish knowledge. This research is based on positivism philosophy where transparency of research will be ensured through usage of true sense to make reproduction of information (Hussey and Hussey, 2007).This philosophy of research mainly employs scientific tools and techniques to reason knowledge of imagination extracted from observed behavior (Saunders et al, 2009). The research philosophy that stands against this research philosophy is anti-positivism philosophy which prefers people judgment on research issues. Positivism philosophy uses statistical tools which is not used by ant i-positivism philosophy (Remeniyi et al, 2008).3.2.1 Justification of Positivism PhilosophyThe justification for selecting positivism philosophy is that in this philosophy research is carried out on through objective manner to explore the cause effect relationship between exogenous and indigenous variables (Irving, 2006).3.3 Research ApproachThere are mainly two broad type of research is used by the researcher for conducting research. These approaches are induction and deduction approach. This research will be based on deduction approach, which is a top down research approach concentrating to relate research outcome with reasoning rather than a subjective general statement. This approach is very much relevant to bring a concrete conclusion. Deductive approach depends on earlier conceptual and theoretical structure, which is supported by quantitative data (Steinar, 2007).3.3.1 Justification of Deduction ApproachThe strongest argument of using deduction approach is that this approach is based on scientific principles, which leads to highly structured and organized ground for the development of research hypothesis. This approach is also relevant for collection of research data to elucidate the relation and dependency among the variables to prove the hypothesis (Kumar, 2008).3.4 Methods of ResearchQuantitative and qualitative two research methods will be used in this research through application of different qualitative and quantitative research technique.3.4.1 Quantitative MethodsThis method will be used for collecting primary data collection. Different statistical parameters will be used under this method. The graphical presentation will be employed as instrument of quantitative method along with charts to display information more visibly (Churchill and Iacobucci, 2005).3.4.2 Qualitative ResearchIn case of subjective measurement qualitative technique will be employed. Brand extension and product categories have many dimensions that are qualitative in nature whic h need subjective evaluation. This method will be used mostly in case of data which are nonnumeric in nature and more concerned with behavioral aspect of the respondents.This research has applied a mixed approach of research by incorporating qualitative and quantitative variable. Quantitative one has been applied to find the Effectiveness of Brand extension in case of Personal care products. On the other hand, to measure impact of public relation, media planning and brand management qualitative approach will be used.3.5 Data SourcesData will be collected from mainly two types of sources, primary sources and secondary sources. For primary data, population will be female customers of Unilever in London. Beyond customers, brand manager of Dove at Unilever UK will be asked for an interview, which is also another source of primary data. Total 100 customers will be surveyed and three managers will be interviewed.The primary data will be concerned with collection of data through a question naire that will ask about demographic profile of customers and research topic related questions where respondent will be asked on predetermined questions (Agresti and Finlay, 2009). The questionnaire will provide some statements and give respondent to put score based on their  opinion. The secondary source of data will be relevant articles, books, website and annual report of Unilever. Appropriate referencing will be provided to authenticate the sources of secondary data.3.5.1 Sampling, Design and Size3.5.2.1 Target PopulationThe target population of the research is all the potential respondents relevant to research study within some specific parameters (Churchill and Iacobucci, 2005). For the purpose of this study, the population included female users of Dove brand of Unilever UK in London. The demography of the respondent is developed in such a way that customers from different age, ethnicity and income level is selected.3.5.2.2 SamplingSampling is a technique to filter responde nt from population to conduct the study as deal with whole population is literally impossible. the influential sampling method is probability sampling where equal chance of each candidate from population might be selected. There are other sampling technique that could be employed in this research study which are random sampling, systematic sampling, stratified random sampling etc (Foss, 2007). Having considered time and resource constraint, convenience sampling technique is best suited with this study3.5.2.3 Design of SampleDesign of sample refers to the process of selection of sample units. A self-administered survey will be conducted among the targeted sample and the in person with female users of Dove brand in London.3.5.2.4 Sample sizeA sample size of 100 is expected to be collected for this study. Beyond them 3 managers will be asked for interview. Enough time will be given to each participant to reduce the error. The questionnaire is designed in simple English to reduce risk o f ambiguity. RespondentsNumber Female users of Dove brand 100 Executives managing Dove Brand 3 Total 1033.6 Data Analysis Tools and TechniquesGraph, table and different diagram will be used to display data that will be collected through questionnaire. These will be done in primary data analysis. The core part of the questionnaire will be based on 5-point Likeart Scale. The questionnaire provided to female users of Dove will consist of close-ended questions and interview questionnaire provided to the managers of Unilever will be open-ended questions. To assess the responses C-alpha test will be employed. The following techniques will also be used in this study.3.6.1 Usage of Statistical Tools for AnalysisTo examine, filter and transform the collected data with research objective statistical tools will be used for reaching conclusion and approving decision making (Panneerselvam, 2004). Data will be analyzed through application of most up to date statistical tools used in business rese arch.Two distinct questionnaires were used in this research to analyze effectiveness of brand extension strategy of Dove brand. The following statistical tools have been used in this research. Graphical Technique: the graph will be produced in spreadsheet software of Microsoft Office Excel. In addition to generation of graphs, excel will be used in most quantitative analysis of the study.Pearson Correlation Matrix: Correlation matrix is in fact a technique to develop relation between dependent and independent variables. It mainly observed how variables are dependent of each other. Scaling Technique: Scaling technique will be used in this study in case of subjective evaluation of respondents. In this procedure, weight is assigned according to rank (Cooper and Schindler, 2008).Result will be presented as percentage through rank percentage analysis. Regression Analysis: Regression analysis is used in research arena mainly to calculate the dependency of dependent variable with independe nt variables. It incorporates different statistical test such as P value, t-test to assess the influence of the relation in terms of statistical consideration. The regression equation of this study will be as belowWhere, Y= Dependent variable (Dove Brand Turnover) ÃŽ ± = Constant ÃŽ ²1= Coefficients of brand campaign X1= Brand campaign ÃŽ ²2= Coefficients of customer perception toward brand X2= Customer perception toward brand Î’3= Coefficients of Brand Development and Management X3= Brand Development and Management Î’4= Coefficient of Media Planning X4= Media Planning Î’5= Coefficient of Public Relation X5= Public Relation e= Error term3.7 Ethical ConsiderationTo complete research with appropriate research guidelines research ethics is very important. Considering ethical aspect of research enough time is given to the respondent of the study so that they can depict their true view on research questions. Primary and secondary data will be used in this study. Consent from the respondents will be taken and appropriate permission will also be ensured for usage of their given data.Confidentiality of the responses will be maintained strictly to ensure privacy of their data. The disclosure of respondent identity will be based on their permission where if they are not willing to disclose identity, their identity will not be exhibited. Beyond that fact, usage of any secondary data from any source will be acknowledged with appropriate reference. Hence, the ethical aspect of research will be followed very strictly in this research.3.8 Possible Research OutcomeThe research is pursued to find out whether brand extension strategy of personal care product is effective through analyzing the case of Dove brand of Unilever. The incumbent researcher is very must interested to explore the association of brand extension through different factors in making success of newly launched products. The research will produce how brand campaign, customer perception towards brand, b rand development and management, and brand, media planning and public relation associates in making brand extension effective in case of Dove brand of Unilever.3.9 LimitationThe main limitation of the research is the period allocated for conducting the study. Another important limitation is the inability to remove the biasness of the responses due to subjective nature of the data. Another limitation is the dimension factors related in brand extension in addition to mentioned factors, which might produce incomplete conclusion.4.0 Time Scale of ResearchThe dissertation will be produced by maintaining the following time scale Task to be Executed Week 1 Week 2-4 Week 5-8 Week 9-11 Week 12 Questionnaire Development and Outline of the ThesisSurvey ConductData mining and FilteringIntroductionLiterature ReviewResearch MethodologyData AnalysisSubmitting First DraftSubmitting Second DraftProof Reading and Error CheckingFinal Submission5.0 ConclusionIt is observed that brand extension strategy in personal care products is more prevalent and effective than any other products. This research study is intended to explore the effectiveness of brand extension strategy of Dove brand of Unilever. The researcher believes that the study will produce valuable insight in such evaluation that will be useful for both the executives and academicians. It will also create opportunity for further research in this field of the study.

Cost Volume Profit Essay

Some things we know: The objective of every business is to make money (profit) for the owners Profit = Revenues – Expenses Revenues = Sales = Quantity sold x price per unit Expenses = the costs related to: the specific revenue (COGS) or the specific accounting period Matching Principle Role of Management is: Planning, control and performance measurement, and decision-making Decision-making relates to future events and involves risk Full costing (full-absorption costing) is a good historical tool but may not Be the best indicator of future activity because it is based on past events. Cost Behavior Variable Costs – total dollars change with volume, Cost per unit is constant Fixed Costs – total dollars are constant, cost per unit changes with volume Mixed Costs – include some variable costs and some fixed costs Total Cost = Fixed Costs + Volume(variable cost per unit) Fixed Component Variable Component Purely Fixed $25,000$ 0 Purely Variable 0 5.00 per unit Mixed Costs 10,000 2.00 per unit Total Costs $35,000$7.00 per unit Graphing Total Costs X axis (horizontal/across) = volume Y axis (vertical/up & down) = dollars Estimating the Composition of Mixed Costs Account Analysis Scattergraph – Visual inspection of plotted points High-Low Estimation Theory: The change in total costs between the high volume point and The low volume point, must be purely variable costs Linear Regression (computer assisted scattergraph) Contribution Margin Income Statement Ignores the function of the expenses Focus is on cost behavior (fixed and variable) Used extensively in forecasting future potential outcomes (planning & decision making) Because Profit = Revenue – Expenses(Costs) Where: Revenue = Volume x price per unit AndTotal Costs = Fixed Cost + (Volume x Variable cost per unit) Therefore: Volume x price per unit Less Volume x variable cost per unit Less Fixed costs Profit Revenue Less Variable Costs CONTRIBUTION MARGIN Less Fixed Costs Pretax Profit KNOW THIS FORMULA FRONTWARDS AND BACKWARDS Margin of Safety = the difference between the expected level of volume and the break-even point (normally using sales dollars but could also use units sold). When comparing two or more alternatives it may be helpful to look at the Margin of Safety as a percentage of sales. Contribution Margin Ratio = CM per unit / Selling Price per unit OrContribution Margin / Sales Operating Leverage = Fixed Costs / Contribution Margin Or Contribution Margin/Pretax Profit Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) Analysis Break-Even Point = the point at which profit = zero (i.e. we break even) = The point at which Contribution Margin = Fixed Costs Once we know the break-even point, we can begin to plan for target profit Target Pre Tax Profit versus Target After Tax Profit Pretax Profit$100 Less Tax Expense 40 After Tax or Net Profit$ 60 Effective Tax Rate = Tax Expense / Pretax Profit(40% above) Tax Expense = Pretax Profit x Effective Tax Rate Net Income = Pretax Profit x (1- effective tax rate) Pretax Profit = Net Profit / (1- effective tax rate) Multiple Product CVP Analysis Weighted-Average Contribution Margin (also referred to as blended average) PRODUCT MIX IS CRITICAL Product 1Product 2Total Units Sold10020 Selling Price$10.00$50.00 Variable Costs 5.00$30.00 Sales$1,000$1,000$2,000 Contribution Margin 500$ 400 900 CM Ratio 50% 40% 45% SO LONG AS THE PRODUCT MIX REMAINS AT 5:1 THE PROJECTED CM RATIO WILL STAY AT 45%. Therefore if sales are expected to be $20,000, AND WE SELL 5 of Product 1 for every 1 unit of Product 2, Contribution Margin should be $9,000 ($20,000 x 45%) However if sales of Product 1 are only $1,000 and the remaining $19,000 are sales of Product 2 the Contribution margin is only $8,100 and the CM Ratio drops to 40.5%. $ 1,000 x 50% = $ 500 plus$19,000 x 40% = $7,600 $20,000 $8,100 = 40.5% of sales or (1/20 x .50) + (19/20 x .40) .025 + .38 = 40.5% When computing the Weighted-Average Contribution Margin USE SALES DOLLARS as the weighing factor (NOT UNITS). Constraint = a limitation of resources To maximize profits given a limited resource, produce the product that generates the highest contribution margin per limited resource. This may not be the product with the highest contribution margin ratio. Illustration: A company manufactured two types of beer, premium and regular. Both types of beer are brewed in the same kettles. A regular batch brews for 15 days and yields 12,000 bottles. A premium batch brews for 30 days and yields 12,000 bottles. Regular beer sells for $1.00 per bottle and has variable costs of $0.40 per bottle. The premium sell for $1.50 per bottle and has variable costs of $0.50 per bottle. Assuming unlimited demand of both products, which product should the company brew? PremiumRegular Per Batch: Sales$15,000$12,000 CM$12,000$ 7,200 CM % 66.67% 60.00% CM per Limited Resource (Days) CM$12,000$ 7,200 Divided by days 30 15 CM per day of limited Resource use $400 $480 Regular beer has a higher CM per limited resource. Therefore, given unlimited demand of both types, produce only regular. Proof: In 30 days we can make one batch of premium, which will yield $12,000 in CM. In the same 30 days we can make 2 batches of regular, which will yield $14,400 in CM. We are in business to make money for the owners, not percentages. You can’t deposit percentages in the bank!

Communications Essay about Running a Night Club

Communications about Running a Night Club - Essay Example existing for such a business, however the disadvantage could be that there will be a higher level of competition for the business that is proposed to be set up. Another issue that needs to be considered is the question of overheads. Some very popular nightclubs in Dublin, such as the Bodytonic, actually started off in a small sweaty basement, but it is now a thriving nightclub with many branches. Therefore, starting off small appears to be a better business proposition because it would keep the overhead costs down. There would be lower maintenance expenses, because it could be started in the basement of a private house and can later be expanded after it starts making money. Since the private house in question may be a little out of the way, it may be necessary to carefully advertise the opening of the new business and to post signs and directions to reach the nightclub. This could be done using some cheap form of advertisement, such as flyers or word of mouth rather than incurring a great deal of expense for advertising in the well known magazines. Some large arrows and hand written signs strategically placed could also serve to provide the right directions, so that the party crowd can move from the general nightclub area to the proposed establishment. One of the most important factors that must be taken into consideration is the current recessionary atmosphere, where most businesses are struggling to pull in enough customers to sustain their expenses. Therefore, the club fees may need to be low at first, so that it encourages people to come and sample the music. If the advertised entry fees are lower than what is available at other clubs, it would provide an incentive for customers to choose the new establishment instead. Also, other promotional measures may need to be considered, such as for example, allowing free entry for a partner, so that this encourages couples to come to the new nightclub rather than patronizing the already existing ones. Another

Danderous hazing rituals ,binge drinking and inappropriate behavior in Essay

Danderous hazing rituals ,binge drinking and inappropriate behavior in fraternities and sororities - Essay Example Fraternities espouse the idea of Brotherhood. A college student enters a college or university and has an entire selection of fraternities that he could pledge into. As soon as he has decided, he becomes a pledge to this fraternity, he is given a series of tests or tasks that he must accomplish – part of hazing – to prove his loyalty and commitment to the Brotherhood, and to prove that he is strong or at least courageous enough to be able to fight for his brothers when the opportunity arises. Sadly, opportunities arise far too often, as fraternities as more often than not involved in fights with other rival fraternities. This is one of the bad behaviors looked down upon among several undesirable fraternity activities. Once the pledge has passed the initiation rites, he then enters the fraternity as a full-pledged brother, and is usually entitled to all the perks and advantages that the fraternity has to offer. One of the advantages of joining a fraternity is becoming part of a housing system wherein all the brothers supposedly share responsibility for. This includes keeping the house tidy, cooking meals for their brothers and generally maintaining the fraternity house to be a desirable group bachelor pad to be enticing enough to stay at and to attract other possible future influential members. Part of keeping the brotherhood alive means running one of the most important social activities on campuses that maintain or promote the status of a fraternity: having great and well-attended parties. This usually involves inviting partner fraternities or sororities that have the â€Å"hottest† kinds of people as their members. What this entails is maintaining and widening its social network to include the most influential people on-, and sometimes off-campus. Parties such as these are often venues for heavy drinking, and indulgence in other undesirable vices. Of course indulging in these vic es often

Framework for conflict analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Framework for conflict analysis - Essay Example During the late 90s, a transfer of power in the Kremlin saw the emergence of Vladimir Putin as the head of the State. At about the same time, the tension in Chechnya began to simmer with the repeated skirmishes involving Chechen militants, who had now begun to target people in the neighboring Russian republics (John Russell, 2007). The Situation in Chechnya can be attributed to a similar situation in Africa, where smaller states have been trying to break off from bigger powers. Russia on the other hand, has always resorted to mass bombings and oppressive techniques to keep the region under its control. In doing so, Russia has violated several international conventions in areas such as Human rights, which has added to the animosity within the Chechen population (Bruno Coppieters, 2002). Additionally, it it is the Chechen civilians who have borne the brunt of this long period of oppression and it is thus quite natural for them to rebel any perceived occupation. Since the inception of the Soviet Union, Stalin was of the view that western powers were colluding to overthrow the communists. In doing so, he always viewed the Chechens as collaborators and deported them to Kazakhstan in order to prevent any mass uprising. With Stalin’s death, the Chechens were allowed to return to their homeland. This has been one of the main contribution that has helped keep Chechen nationalism active. Russia began to offensive in 1999 through a massive air campaign which began with the eviction of separatists from the neighboring republic of Dagestan. This was followed by a massive land offensive that consisted of shelling and ground troops. The Chechen rebels launched their fight from the mountains and resorted to Guerilla warfare. They mingled in the local population and carried out surprise attacks on the advancing Russian troops. However, this made

See below Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

See below - Coursework Example Fear of being shown up results when a person lacks brave as well as courage in her capabilities undertaking her job. She, therefore, finds it hard to give the job to her subordinate since they will outperform her. Managers may have difficulty in delegating duties as a result of the absence of trust. She gets a lot of sureties that the particular employee has all the knowledge and ability it needs to undertake a certain task as per the provided guidelines. A manager may have difficulty in delegating duties due to lack of time. When a manager gets overwhelmed with work, she always find herself not having the time to recollect herself and make a decision on the particular staff members to control certain tasks. Others find it difficult to delegate the duties due to the need for control. A manager with a higher sense of need for control prefers things to get performed with specific procedures. As a result of getting excessive controlling, she ends up having difficulty in delegating since she wants to remain in a certain position of command over her staff (Narayana Reddy, Appannaiah & Sathyaprasad, 2010). These difficulties can get overcome when the manager do away with the fear of getting shown up. In this case, the subordinates should not boast that they have outperformed their manager when given the chance to do so. These difficulties can get overcome if the manager builds trust with all the staff members. This will make the manager feel secure that all the employees have the capability of undertaking a task by following the set guidelines. The difficulties in duties delegation can get overcome when the manager creates time to recollect herself conduct a simple study and identify the specific employees who can undertake specific tasks. This will help the manager to pass on the some of the responsibilities to other staff members hence enhancing the delegation. A manager should reduce the tendency of having the need for control, and, therefore, accommodate