Health Insurance and Medicare Essay

I. Introduction The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was signed into law on March 23, 2010 by President Barack Obama. Along with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (HCERA), it represents the momentous transformation of the U.S. health care system. Its main goal is to decrease the amount of uninsured citizens as well as to reduce the overall costs of health care. It is a vastly complex reform that will affect many people in aspects of their health care, costs, and the country. There are many opinions about how this reform will affect the nation, some saying it will make us better off, others saying we will be worse off, and those who do not think it will make a difference. But regardless of these opinions, what the majority does agree on is that these laws may be difficult to understand and that many are not even aware of these changes. There are many problems that the health care industry is facing. The cost of health care may arguably be the most important factor that people are concerned about. Many think that health care policies and premiums are too expensive. Coupled with the fact that our population is aging, meaning that there will be more elder people with more health problems, health care costs are rapidly growing and take up a huge chunk of the federal budget. There are also many loopholes within the current health care system. Individuals who are looking to buy insurance can be denied based on their pre-existing conditions. Some insurance policies even have a lifetime limit on benefits. What all these examples basically sum up is that the people who are in need of health care the most are those who are also the most unlikely to be insured, or are under insured. In an attempt to address these issues, the PPACA and Reconciliation Act were established. The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act was enacted to amend the PPACA. It is divided into two titles, one addressing the health reform and the other addressing student loan reform. It makes changes to some parts of the PPACA. That is why many people commonly refer to the overall health reform as just the PPACA. The most noted change this brings  is that it requires almost all citizens to have health care insurance, or to pay a penalty. Some examples and cases regarding this issue will be discussed later on. The PPACA also considerably expands public insurance as well as funds private insurance coverage. It will close loopholes such as setting life time limits as well as making it illegal to reject coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. In terms of affordability, the PPACA will expand Medicaid to cover low-income families and individuals across the nation. It also aims to cut down and reconstruct Medicare spending, which will be the main focus of this paper. II. The Impacts of the PPACA and HCERA on Medicare and Health Physicians The PPACA is made up of 10 titles. I will be discussing selected provisions in Titles II, III, IV, and V regarding Medicare. These include program modifications and payment to Medicare’s fee-for-service program, the Medicare Advantage, prescription drug programs, Medicare’s payment process, changes to address, waste, fraud, and abuse, and other miscellaneous Medicare changes. As for the HCERA, the first title has provisions detailing health care and revenues. Subtitle B of Title I involves provisions that change provisions PPACA relevant to those listed above (Medicare Advantage, fee-for-service, and prescription drug programs). Subtitle D has provisions regarding decreasing fraud, abuse, and waste in Medicare. Subtitle E discuses revenue related provisions such as a provision that changes Medicare tax provision in PPACA. A. Impacts on Medicare According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the provisions in PPACA as amended by the HCERA will reduce direct spending by an estimated $390 billion (CRS, 2010). The provisions that are predicted to produce the largest savings include the following: (1) developing an Independent Payment Advisory Board to create changes in Medicare payment rates is presumed to save about $16 billion (2) decreasing Medicare payments to hospitals that aid a vast number of low-income patients, is expected to reduce expenditures by an estimated $22 billion (3) permanent deductions to Medicare’s fee-for-service payment rates (4) changing the high-income adjustment for Part B premiums, and (5) making maximum payment rates in Medicare Advantage closer to spending in fee-for-service Medicare. However, it is critical to  note that these are just estimates. Medicare is made up of four parts that are each accountable for paying for various benefits, dependent on different eligibility criteria. Under traditional Medicare, Part A and Part B services are usually paid by a fee-for-service basis (services supplied to a patient is reimbursed through a separate payment). Part A supplies coverage for skilled nursing facility (SNF) services, inpatient hospital services, hospice care, and home health care, which are subject to some limitations. Provisions that reduce Part A spending make up a large part of the savings related to this legislation through either payment changes or constraining payment updates. PPACA will alter Medicare’s payment updates to Part A hospitals to account for cost savings, which will significantly reduce Medicare spending in the next 10 years. Under PPACA (Title III Subtitle A Section 3001), beginning for discharges on October 1, 2012 hospitals will acquire value-based incentive payments from Medicare. The first year of the value based purchasing (VBP) program will aim at collecting data and assessing performance. Starting in 2013, adjustments to hospital payments will be made based on performance by the VBP program. There will also be VBP standards established (i.e. levels of improvement and accomplishments), as well as a method for assessing how hospitals perform. Hospitals with the highest score will obtain the biggest VBP payments. Those that meet or go beyond the standards are able to receive an increased DRG payment for each discharge within the year. However, to provide for these VBP incentive payments the DRG payments will be reduced by a certain percentage: 1.0% in 2013; 1.25% in 2014; 1.5% in 2015; 1.75% in 2016; and 2.0% in 2017. An alternate choice to receive covered benefits would be Medicare Advantage (MA). Private health plans are paid a per person amount to supply all Medicare-covered benefits to those who enroll in the plan under MA. The payments made to MA plans are decided by comparing the maximum amount Medicare will pay for benefits with a plan’s cost of providing those required benefits. If the plan’s cost is below the maximum, then it is paid  the cost plus a rebate equal to 75% of the difference to the maximum. But if the plan’s cost is above the maximum, then it is paid and must also charge the enrollee the difference between the cost and the maximum. PPACA modifies how the maximum payment is decided. Beginning in 2012, it will implement benchmarks (maximum amount Medicare will pay for benefits) calculated as a percentage of per capita FFS Medicare spending. It will also increase benchmarks depending on the quality of the plan. Those with a high quality rating will get an increase in their benchmark while new plans or those with lesser enrollments may also qualify to get an increase. PPACA will also vary the plan rebates based on quality with new rebates set from 50% to 70%. In regards to changes affecting Medicare’s prescription drug benefits, the health reform makes a few changes to the Medicare Part D program. PPACA increases the premiums held by higher income enrollees. The income standards are set to be at the same manner and level as that in Part B. Beginning in 2011, those enrolled in Part D will have a 50% discount for drugs during the coverage gap. In extension, HCERA will supply a rebate of $250 to those who enter the gap in 2010. Hopefully this phases out the â€Å"donut hole† (coverage gap) by slowly lessening the cost-sharing and coverage gap for generic and brand name drugs. Medicare’s finances are operated through two trust funds, the Hospital Insurance (HI) and the Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) trust fund. The main provider of income to the HI fund, which pays for Medicare Part A, is the payroll taxes paid by employers and employees. Medicare Part B and D are funded by general revenues and monthly premiums. In addition to all the previous provisions addressing Medicare’s financial issues, there is another precautionary step being taken. The PPACA has a provision to establish an Independent Payment Advisory Board with the goal of decreasing Medicare spending. B. Impacts on Physicians The PPACA and HCERA make various changes to the Medicare program, which in turn affects physicians and how they practice. Some of these provisions have clear consequences, such as immediately changing physician reimbursement, while others have indirect influences on how physicians may practice in the  future by modifying the incentives to improve the delivery and quality of care. PPACA broadens the Medicare Physician Quality and Reporting Initiative (PQRI) incentive payments though 2014 and administers a penalty for those who fail to report quality measures starting in 2015. It also supplies for a further bonus to physicians who meet the requirements of an assessment program, such as the Maintenance of Certification Program, while penalizes the physicians who fail to meet those standards in the future. Under Section 3002 of Title III, Medicare claims data will be used to provide reports to physicians that measure resources used to provide care for Medicare beneficiaries. Under Section 3007 of Title III, the Secretary of HHS is obliged to create and administer a separate payment modifier to the Medicare physician fee schedule. This payment should be based on the relative cost and quality of the care provided by physicians. The quality of care should be assessed based on risk-adjusted measure of quality determined by the Secretary. Costs are also assessed based on measures determined by the Secretary. Risk factors such as ethnicity, demographic, socioeconomic characteristics, and health status should be taken into account. By January 1, 2012 these explicit measures of cost and quality, along with implementation dates of the adjusted payments should be published. III. Regulations & Implementation With such significant changes and provisions being made, there should be a way to keep track of how each is being regulated and implemented. I will discuss the regulations, time limits, and effective dates on how each are being done so by year. The first changes of 2010 start with Medicare provider rates. This includes reductions in the annual market basket updates for hospital services. Currently, there have been productivity adjustments added to market basket update in 2012. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have issued these updates for varying provider types starting in August 2010. The  implementation of the Medicare Beneficiary drug rebate, which supplies a $250 rebate to those in the Part D coverage gap, started January 1, 2010. In May 2010, the CMS published a brochure containing information about the coverage gap in Medicare Part D. As of March 22, 2011, about 3.8 million people have received the $250 rebate (HHS, 2011). As for closing the Medicare drug coverage gap, on December 17, 2010 CMS sent a letter to pharmaceutical companies addressing guidelines to the Medicare Coverage Gap Discount Program. This program became effective on January 1, 2011. Moving onto provisions implemented in 2011, Medicare payments for primary care will provide a 10% bonus payment for services. It will also provide the same bonus to general surgeons working in areas with a shortage of health professionals. This is being implemented starting in January 1, 2011 through December 2015. As for the MA payment changes, they will restructure payment to private plans and prohibit higher cost-sharing requirements. This has been in effect since January 1, 2011. The CMS issued a notice to MA plans in April 2010 addressing the freeze in 2011 payment rates at 2010 levels. A Medicare Independent Payment Advisory Board made up of 15 individuals to arrange proposals and recommendations to decrease the per capita rate of growth in spending if it exceeds targeted rates was planned to be established. On October 1, 2011, funding was made available and the first proposals are due January 15, 2014. In 2012, the second part of the MA plan payments, which reduce rebates paid and provide bonuses to high quality plans, went into effect on January 1, 2012. On February 28, 2012 the CMS sent out a letter to MA plans addressing the payment rates for 2012. Fraud and abuse prevention was also implemented on January 1, 2012. It establishes procedures for screening and reporting those who participate in Medicare. On March 23, 2011 CMS issued a notice addressing the fee that providers would have to pay to fund the screenings. Later on in the year, on October 1, 2012 Medicare value based purchasing was put into effect. This creates a program to pay hospitals based on their quality of performance. This coming year in 2013, there will be a few provisions to come into effect  starting off the new year. On January 1, 2013 the Medicare tax increase (increases the Medicare Part A tax rate on wages by 0.9% on incomes of $200,000), Medicare bundle payment pilot program (program to create and assess payments for certain services), and the latter part of the prescription drug coverage gap (reducing coinsurance) will be put into effect. As for 2014, the last of the Medicare provisions will be implemented. The Medicare Advantage plan loss ratios are mandated to be no less than 85%; this will begin at the start of the year on January 1, 2014. The second implementation for that year will be Medicare payments for hospital-acquired infections; it will decrease payments to those hospitals for their hospital-aquired conditions by 1% and this process will continue onto 2015. IV. Cases Challenging PPACA When the PPACA and HCERA were signed into law, many people opposed and sued claiming that the reform was unconstitutional for a number of reasons. The most controversial was the mandate that require most citizens to obtain health insurance coverage, and if failing to do so would have to pay a penalty in the form of an individual tax. Another debated provision was the expansion of the Medicaid program to cover even more individuals, such as those with low income. All of these separate cases were then merged into a single case, The National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, 567 U.S. (2012). When ruled, it was a momentous Supreme Court decision in which the Court maintained Congress’s authority to enact the provisions of the Affordable Care Act and the Reconciliation Act. In December 2011, it was announced that there would be a 6 hour oral argumentation heard by the Court over a time span of three days beginning on March 26, 2012 and ending on March 28, 2012 discussing varying debatable topics of these provisions. By a vote of 5 to 4, the Court maintained the Individual Mandate aspect of the PPACA as a binding exercise of Congress’s authority to lay and collect taxes. The critical characterization of this financial penalty as a tax is what passed the mandate as constitutional. Preceding this landmark case there were many previous hearings held, all  having similar conflicting opinions. The Eleventh Circuit was also dealing with arguments in relative cases challenging PPACA. While it was assumed that the Fourth Circuit, which had heard oral arguments before the Eleventh Circuit, would issue a decision on PPACA first, the Eleventh Circuit was actually the second to issue its opinion, on August 12, 2011. In Florida ex rel. Bondi v. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (2011) the plaintiffs of the case were two private individuals, the National Federation of Independent Business, and 26 individual states. The Eleventh Circuit then published a 300-plus page opinion finding by a 2:1 majority that the Individual Mandate (requiring health insurance coverage) is unconstitutional, and thus created a split of authority between the two Circuits. The Eleventh Circuit heard this appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, which saw the Individual Mandate to be an unconstitutional exercise of Congress’s authority. The district court also found that the Individual Mandate was not applicable to the rest of the PPACA, meaning that the whole act was invalid. The plaintiffs in the district court case also debated that the PPACA’s expansion of Medicaid was unconstitutional, but the district court granted the government judgment on that issue and the Eleventh Circuit agreed to that court’s decision. These two cases show how divided opinions can be and how difficult it was and is to pass a health reform law. Opinions are still divided, concerning many aspects such as the Medicaid expansion, the Commerce Clause, and the Necessary and Proper Clause. On the issue of Medicaid expansion, no one, single opinion had the support of the majority of the Justices. Also, on the issue of if the Individual Mandate was within the authority of Congress under the Commerce Clause and the Necessary and Proper Clause, again there was no single opinion that was supported by the majority of the Court. Despite all these controversies, and even though the act has passed, there are still those who are continuing to pursue litigation in order to repeal and defeat the PPACA. V. Conclusion Medicare spending has been increasing much more rapidly compared to the general economy, and this definitely raises concerns about Medicare’s  long-term sustainability. The provisions in the Affordable Care Act and the Reconciliation Act were established to decrease Medicare program costs by about $390 billion over the following 10 years through modifications in payments to various providers, by leveling payment rates between fee-for-service Medicare and Medicare Advantage, and by boosting efficiencies of how health services are delivered and paid for. Overall, the PPACA and HCERA are momentous pieces of legislation that will restructure the future of the U.S. health care system. It is still unclear of how well these provisions have been implemented, with some still having yet to be so. The main concern is probably how well costs will be contained or reduced. With all of these new taxes, hopefully the reform will actually reduce the federal deficit over the next ten years that these provisions are being implemented. There is still much work to be done within the next few years, to see how this reform works out. Many people are glad that it has passed and support this reform as well as encourage it to be expanded, while others oppose the reform arguing that it creates too much government involvement in the issue. But since it has passed and is enacted in the present, people should make use of what is being provided. Some are not even aware of the changes in the health care industry and are oblivious to how they are being affected. That is why it is important to stay informed and make decisions, after all this is what directly affects your future. References CRS Analysis of CBO (March 20, 2010). Estimates of the effects of PPACA and the Reconciliation Act combined. Congressional Budget Office. Retrieved October 31, 2012 from: http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/113xx/doc11379/AmendReconProp.pdf Barrett, Paul M. (June 28, 2012). Supreme Court Supports Obamacare, Bolsters Obama. Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved November 3, 2012 from: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-06-28/supreme-court-supports-obamacare-and-bolsters-obama Congressional Budget Office (March 2009). An Analysis of Health Insurance Premiums Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Letter to the Honorable Evan Bayh. Congressional Budget Office, Washington, DC. Retrieved November 3, 2012 from: http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=10781. Kaizer, J. (2010). Implementation Timeline. Health Reform Source. Retrieved November 5, 2012 from: http://healthreform.kff.org/timeline.aspx Hilgers, David W. (February 2012) Physicians post-PPACA: not going bust at the healthcare buffet. The Health Lawyer, Vol. 24. Retrieved November 4, 2012 from: http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publishing/health_lawyer/health_mo_premium_hl_healthlawyer_v24_2403 Pozgar, George D. (2009). Legal essentials of health care administration. Missisauga, Ontario: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Michael Brown. National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, Secretary of Health & Human Services 567 U.S. (2012) No. 11-393 Argued March 26-28, 2012 – Decided June 28, 2012 Florida ex rel. Bondi v. U.S. Department of Health a& Human Services, 780 F.Supp. 2d. 1256 (N.D. Fla. 2011), order clarified by 780 F.Supp. 2d. 1307. (N.D. Fla. 2011).

Extraction and Evaporation Recrystallization Essay

1. To the components of a simulated pharmaceutical preparation, Panacetin, and identifying the unknown component of the mixture through extraction and separation methods. 2. To learn how to purify by recrystallization, how to dry them and how to obtain a melting point. PRECAUTION: ACETANILIDE AND PHENACETIN ARE EYE AND SKIN IRRITANTS. Minimize contact with your unknown compound. THEORY: In this experiment, Panacetin, a pharmaceutical preparation will be separated from its components by making use of their solubilities and acid-base properties. Panacetin contains aspirin, sucrose and an unknown component that may be either acetanilide or phenacetin. Of the three components, only sucrose is insoluble in the organic solvent dichloromethane (CH2Cl2 or methylene chloride). The insoluble sucrose can be filtered out if Panacetin is dissolved completely in dichloromethane by gravity filtration or centrifugation leaving the soluble aspirin, acetanilide and phenacetin in the solution. Although the acetanilide and aspirin are both quite insoluble in water at room temperature, the sodium salt of aspirin is very soluble in water but insoluble in dichloromethane. Aspirin, which is a strong acid can be converted to the salt, sodium acetylsalicylate by extraction with an aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate . This salt will migrate from the dichloromethane layer, in which it is insoluble, to the aqueous layer, in which it is soluble. The unknown component will stay behind in the solution  and can be isolated by evaporating the solvent from the dichloromethane solution. Adding HCl to the aqueous solution restores aspirin as an insoluble white solid. In the third experiment, the identity of the unknown component of Panacetin will be purified. Purification is necessary because the separation procedure may be imperfect leaving traces of small quantities in the compound after separation or chemical reactions may occur prior to or during the separation adding new impurities. The unknown component can be purified by recrystallization, in which an impure solid dissolves in a hot (usually boiling) solvent then crystallizes from the cooled solution in a purer form. METHODS/PROCEDURES: This experiment was followed from the textbook on pages 52-53 for experiment 2 and 59-60 for experiment 3 excluding the microscale part. First, weigh approximately 3.00 g of Panacetin and transfer it to a clean, dry 125 ml Erlenmeyer flask. Add 50 ml of dichloromethane to the flask , stir the mixture with a stirring rod to break up any lumps. When it appears that no more of the solid will dissolve, filter the mixture by gravity. Collect the undissolved solid on the filter paper and set it aside to dry. Once it has completely dried, reweigh the solid. This compound separated by gravity  filtration is known as sucrose. Next, transfer the filtrate to a separatory funnel and extract it with two 30 ml portions of 5% sodium bicarbonate . For each extraction, use a stirring rod to stir the liquid layer until any fizzing subsides before a stopper is placed on the funnel and shaken. Dichloromethane will be on the bottom layer and will be drained to a different container. Transfer the dichloromethane layer back into the funnel for the second extraction. The upper layer will be transferred in an Erlenmeyer flask and will be used for recovery of acetanilide. Combine the two aqueous solutions in the same container and acidify slowly with 6M HCL to bring it to a pH of 2. Cool the mixture to room temperature or below while swirling the flask occasionally in an ice bath. Collect the aspirin by vacuum filtration. Wash the aspirin on the filter with cold distilled water. Dry the sample thoroughly before weighing and leave it in the hood for the next lab schedule. Before proceeding to recrystallization, triturate the compound with 20 ml of hexane. Crush the solid with a stirring rod and filter. Recrystallize the unknown drug component from experiment 2 by boiling it with just enough water to dissolve it completely, then letting it cool to room temperature then to 0 C. In order to induce crystallization, it would be helpful to scratch the walls of the flask so that crystals would have a surface to attach to. Use vacuum filtration to isolate the sample then dry the product to a constant mass and weigh in a tared vial. Grind a small amount of the dry unknown component to a fine powder on a watch glass using a spatula. Divide the solid into four equal portions. Combine portions 1 and 2. Mix portion 3 with an approximately equal amount of finely ground acetanilide and mix portion 4 with an approximately equal amount of finely ground phenacetin. Obtain the melting point ranges of the purified unknown (portions 1 and 2), mixture with acetanilide and mixture with phenacetin. Each melting point should be measured on two samples- more than that if melting points are imprecise or accurate. Safety Issues: (all of these are taken from MSDSonline.com) 1. Acetanilide Potential Acute Effects: Hazardous in case of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant). Potential Chronic Health Effects: Hazardous in case of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant). 2. Phenacetin Eye and skin irritant 3. Dichloromethane Potential Health Effects Inhalation: Causes irritation to respiratory tract. Has a strong narcotic effect with symptoms of mental confusion, light-headedness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and headache. Causes formation of carbon monoxide in blood which affects cardiovascular system and central nervous system. Continued exposure may cause increased light-headedness, staggering, unconsciousness, and even death. Exposure may make the symptoms of angina (chest pains) worse. Ingestion: May cause irritation of the gastrointestinal tract with vomiting. If vomiting results in aspiration, chemical pneumonia could follow. Absorption through gastrointestinal tract may produce symptoms of central nervous system depression ranging from light headedness to unconsciousness. Skin Contact: Causes irritation, redness and pain. Prolonged contact can cause burns. Liquid degreases the skin. May be absorbed through skin. Eye Contact: Vapors can cause eye irritation. Contact can produce pain, inflammation and temporal eye damage. Chronic Exposure: Can cause headache, mental confusion, depression, liver effects, kidney effects, bronchitis, loss of appetite, nausea, lack of balance, and visual disturbances. Can cause dermatitis upon prolonged skin contact. Methylene chloride may cause cancer in humans. Aggravation of Pre-existing Conditions: Persons with pre-existing skin disorders, eye problems, impaired liver, kidney, respiratory or cardiovascular function may be more susceptible to the effects of this substance. 4. Aspirin Eye Contact: Moderate Eye Irritation: Signs/symptoms may include redness, swelling, pain, tearing, and blurred or hazy vision. Skin Contact: Moderate Skin Irritation: Signs/symptoms may include localized redness, swelling, itching, and dryness. May be absorbed through skin and cause target organ effects. Inhalation: No health effects are expected. Ingestion: May be harmful if swallowed. Gastrointestinal Irritation: Signs/symptoms may include abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. Repeated ingestion may cause: May be absorbed following ingestion and cause target organ effects. Target Organ Effects: Prolonged or repeated exposure may cause: Auditory Effects: Signs/symptoms may include hearing impairment, balance dysfunction and ringing in the ears. Clotting Disorders: Signs/symptoms may include increased blood clotting time and internal bleeding (hemorrhage). Liver Effects: Signs/symptoms may include loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, weakness, abdominal tenderness and jaundice. Central Nervous System (CNS) Depression: Signs/symptoms may include headache, dizziness, drowsiness, incoordination, nausea, slowed reaction time, slurred  speech, giddiness, and unconsciousness. Kidney Effects: Signs/symptoms may include reduced or absent urine production, increased serum creatinine, lower back pain, increased protein in urine, and increased blood urea nitrogen (BUN). Pulmonary Edema: Signs/symptoms may include chest discomfort, shortness of breath, significant cough with frothy sputum production, bluish colored skin (cyanosis), increased heart rate, respiratory failure and may be fatal. Single exposure may cause: Immunological Effects: Signs/symptoms may include alterations in the number of circulating immune cells, allergic skin and /or respiratory reaction, and changes in immune function. 5. Sodium Bicarbonate EMERGENCY OVERVIEW Warning! May cause respiratory tract irritation. Causes eye and skin irritation. Target Organs: Blood, kidneys, heart, liver, eyes, skin. Potential Health Effects Eye: Causes eye irritation. Skin: Causes skin irritation. May be harmful if absorbed through the skin. Ingestion: May be harmful if swallowed. Causes gastrointestinal tract irritation. Inhalation: May cause respiratory tract irritation. May be harmful if inhaled. Chronic: May cause liver and kidney damage. Adverse reproductive effects have been reported in animals. Laboratory experiments have resulted in mutagenic effects. Chronic exposure may cause blood effects. 6. Hydrochloric Acid POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS: Inhalation: May cause irritation (possibly severe), chemical burns, and pulmonary edema. Skin contact: May cause irritation (possibly severe) and chemical burns. Eye contact: May cause irritation (possibly severe), chemical burns, eye damage, and blindness. Ingestion: Not a likely route of exposure. Target Organs Effected: Respiratory System, Skin, Eye Chronic Effects: Repeated or prolonged exposure to dilute solutions may result in dermatitis. Discoloration of the teeth may occur as a result of long term exposure. Interaction with Other Chemicals Which Enhance Toxicity: None known Medical Conditions Aggravated by Exposure: None known OBSERVATIONS/RESULTS: In Experiment 2, the extraction of substances from one another is based on the differences in their physical and chemical properties. Approximately, 3.0029 g of panacetin was weighed and completely dissolved in 50 ml of dichloromethane and filtered. The residue was left to dry and weighed (sucrose). Then 30 ml of NaHCO3 was added to the filtrate. This solution was transferred into a separatory funnel. This formed two layers. Top layer was the organic layer (NaHCO3) described as a clear liquid. Bottom layer was the aqueous layer and was yellow in color. The filtrate was washed twice with NaHCO3. HCl was added to the aqueous solution until the pH equaled to 2.0. It was filtered through vacuum filtration and allowed to dry until the next week’s lab. This filtrate is known as aspirin. Meanwhile, the unknown in the organic layer was also allowed to settle for the next experiment. In experiment 3, before we went to do recrystallization, we first did trituration of the unknown by adding 20 ml of hexane. We crushed the solid and filtered. Even with the addition of approximately 27 ml of boiling water into the compound, it started to dissolve. That was the first clue that we have acetanilide as our unknown. We went ahead and continue heating and swirling the solution over a hot plate. There was the formation of brown oil-like globules. We were then asked to decant the clear liquid from this solution. This clear liquid was allowed to cool to room temperature then to 0 C. There was formation of white crystals at the edge of the beaker. Through vacuum filtration, we were able to filter the product, weighed and used for melting point measurement of the unknown. The solid was divided into 4 equal parts. First 2 parts were combined, 3rd part was mixed with acetanilide and the last part was mixed with phenacetin. After taking the melting points of all these 3 substances we were able to identify the unknown product to be acetanilide. No big issues encountered during this experiment. Transferring some products as well as the final crystals from watch glass and filter paper and leaving some products were crucial to get the most final product. This explains why the percent recovery for the unknown was low. Some crystals fell off or didn’t transfer to the filter paper. Even though the % recovery was relatively low (88.4079%), this experiment still produced a 0.6898 g of product. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: This experiment was focused on two main objectives. First, the analysis of panacetin to find out what percentages of sucrose, aspirin and the unknown component it contains. Second, to find out whether the unknown is acetanilide and phenacetin. A big part of the composition of panacetin was made up of the unknown. We were able to determine the composition of sucrose to be 17.95 %, Aspirin 26.93% and the unknown to be 55.12% After following the experiment procedures, we were able to purify through recrystallization the end product to be acetanilide. This is an odorless white crystalline solid substance which has a melting point of 114 C. Our experimental value for acetanilide’s melting point was 117 which indicates that the result had a very narrow range and close to the literature value. I would therefore conclude that we had isolated a close to pure product of acetanilide with little impurities present. 1. a. Describe any evidence that a chemical reaction occurred when you added 6 M HCl to the solution of sodium acetylsalicylate A chemical reaction took place upon the addition of 6M HCl to a solution of sodium acetylsalicylate because a precipitate formed known as aspirin. b. Explain why the changes that you observed took place. The observed change took place as a result of the acid reacting with the salt forming a compound insoluble in water. 2. Describe any explain the possible effect on your results of the following experimental errors or variations. In each case, specify the component (s) whose percentage(s) would be too high or too low. a. After adding dichloromethane to Panacetin, you didn’t stir or shake the mixture long enough Improper stirring or shaking of the mixture will result in incomplete dissolution of the panacetin mixture. There will be loss of some solid analytes during filtration. The recovered amounts will be lower than they should be leading to a final percentage to be low. b. During the NaHCO3 extraction you failed to mix the aqueous and organic layers thoroughly. If the aqueous and organic layers were not thoroughly mixed the acid would remain in the solution and the extraction would be less efficient resulting to a low percentage yield. c. You mistakenly extracted the dichloromethane solution with 5 % HCl rather than 5 % NaHCO3. If 5% HCl is used instead of 5% NaHCO3 that would protonate the aspirin and keep it in the organic solution making the aspirin, acetylsalicyclic acid. d. Instead of using pH paper, you neutralized the sodium bicarbonate solution to pH 7 using litmus paper At ph7 the bicarbonate wouldn’t be able to act as a base and extract a proton because at pH of 7 it would protonate itself so it wouldn’t be able to react with aspirin. 5. Write a balanced reaction equations for the reactions involved a. When aspirin dissolves in aqueous NaHCO3 C9H8O4 (aq) + NaHCO3 (aq) —–> C9H7O4Na (aq) + CO2 + H2O Weak acid weak base Strong Base Strong acid b. When Aspirin is precipitated from a sodium acetylsalicylate solution by HCL C9H7O4Na + HCl ————-ËÆ' C9H8O4 + NaCl Strong Base Strong acid Weak Acid Weak Base Assuming that both reactions are spontaneous under the standard conditions, label the stronger acid, stronger base, weaker acid and weaker base in each equation. Experiment 3 1. a. What is the minimum volume of boiling water needed to dissolve 0.200 g of phenacetin? b. About how much phenacetin will remain dissolved when the water is cooled to room temperature? c. Calculate the maximum mass of solid (undissolved) phenacetin that can be recovered when the cooled solution is filtered. 0.200 g-0.0125 g (amount soluble in cold water)= 0.1875 g 2. An unknown compound X is one of the four compounds listed in table 3.2. A mixture of X with benzoic acid melts at 89 C, a mixture of X with phenyl succinate melts at 120  °C and a mixture of X with m-aminophenol melts at 102  °C. Give the identity of X and explain your reasoning. X is phenyl succinate. When a compound mixes with a different compound, the melting point of the mixture will be lower than the melting points of either of the pure compounds. Basing from the table, the melting point of pure benzoic acid is 121 C but when mixed to X, it went down to 89 C. Likewise with O-toluic acid and m-aminophenol. Since the melting point of mixture X with phenyl succinate has a melting point of 120 C, the melting point of pure X must be equal or closer to 121. Mixing X with phenyl succinate did not change the melting point thus X must be phenyl succinate.

Fast Food Industry Essay

1. Executive Summary This report provides an analysis of the international marketing environment of fast- food industry in US and evaluates the international marketing activities of McDonald’s, which is considered a key player. Firstly, the PEST framework is used to analyse external environmental factors influencing the industry. The Porter’s Five Forces framework is utilised to analyse the competitive rivalry within the industry, and its attractiveness for potential new entrants. Key players and their positioning was identified using a strategic-groups model, mapping brand value against global presence. Based on the industry analysis, McDonald’s was identified as the market leader and an examination of their market entry modes was carried out. Their international marketing mix was evaluated to identify success factors, drawing focus upon international branding, international distribution, international communications and standardisation vs. adaptation of the service offering. An internal analysis identified the firm’s strengths and weaknesses whilst an external analysis considered the opportunities and threats posed to McDonald’s as market leader. Finally, short and long term strategic and tactical recommendations were outlined in order to enhance McDonald’s competitive position within the global fast-food industry. These recommendations are both realistic and well supported, based upon the evaluation of their current strategy and activities. 2. Introduction The global fast-food industry is dynamic with a variety of competitors. This report identifies the current factors influencing the industry before specifically focusing on McDonald’s Corporation, who is considered as the current global leader. Based on this analysis, the report identifies several areas for improvement and makes strategic recommendations for McDonald’s to enhance its position. 3. International Marketing Analysis†¨3.1. PEST Analysis and Environmental Impact Matrix (Macro Environment) The following framework provides an analysis of the external international marketing environment, relating to the fast-food industry: *These ratings are based on the authors’ subjective judgement Political Global fast-food firms must comply with country-specific political requirements, such as national minimum wage regulations, affecting costs. Hygiene and quality regulations vary significantly between nations and may influence the quality of products provided by fast-food outlets (FDA, 2012). Different countries set varying regulations regarding labelling and packaging. For instance the UK government pressured firms to promote healthy eating, and several fast-food companies have voluntarily included calorie information on their products (BBC, 2011). Economic Despite the 2008 recession and the resulting decrease in consumer confidence across the globe, average consumer fast-food spending has increased (The Economist, 2010) due to convenience and low-cost. Consumers are still looking for the convenience of eating out, but are drawn to the low prices of fast-food over table-service restaurants (Financial Times, 2009). Many fast-food chains have capitalised upon the recession by introducing new deals in addition to their already low-priced menus. Between 2005 and 2010, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe and Russia accounted for 89% of global growth in the fast-food industry (Passport, 2012). Social Increasing consumer awareness about healthy lifestyles has pressured many fast-food players to offer healthier selections within their menus (BBC, 2011). This includes offering low- calorie options and salads alongside burgers, and prominently displaying nutritional content. The fast-food industry has also been heavily criticised for targeting young children by including toys within children’s meals (New York Times, 2003). Recently in the UK, the broadcasting of ‘junk food’ adverts during commercial breaks in children’s programmes has been banned (BBC, 2007), following increasing childhood obesity. Technological As consumer familiarity with new technology increases, fast-food firms are using channels such as social media websites to engage with their customers. For example, McDonald’s is the 9th most ‘liked’ brand on Facebook (CNBC,  2012) (Appendix 1). Additionally, digital displays allow outlets to change their menus efficiently, to suit the time of day (NRA, 2012) and self-service ordering points have increased service speed and reduced labour costs. Environmental Environmental lobbyists and governments are pressuring the fast-food firms to become more ‘green’ (Greenpeace, 2012). Rainforests are being destroyed to increase the area of land for beef production to meet the demand for beef-burgers (Kline, 2007). Recycling is a prominent global issue and in response, McDonald’s adopted recyclable packaging. Increased environmental awareness among consumers provides firms with a significant opportunity to position themselves as ‘green’ to garner customer loyalty (National Pollution Prevention Centre for Higher Education, 1995). Legal Global operators must comply with country-specific regulations and legislation. This includes opening hours, taxation and employment regulations such as the National Minimum Wage Regulations (1999) in the UK. Firms are often required to meet national food standards such as the requirements set out by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Furthermore, authorities are becoming increasingly worried about childhood obesity associated with the industry (WHO, 2012) and have tightened regulations regarding targeting children. 3.2. Porter’s Five Forces – Fast-food Industry This framework identifies the competitive forces affecting the fast-food industry: THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS Industry dominated by global chains with very high brand values High brand awareness and loyalty Retaliation from strong incumbent players Low initial capital outlay Low fixed costs Economies of scale POWER OF SUPPLIERS Many undifferentiated suppliers Fast-food chains have high purchasing power due to high volume COMPETITIVE RIVALRY IN THE FAST-FOOD INDUSTRY Fragmented market Low exit costs Low margin, high turnover – drives competition High brand power POWER OF BUYERS High product differentiation Target many segments High price sensitivity THREAT OF SUBSTITUTIONS Alternative foodservice options Ready meals and home cooking ingredients Main players quite differentiated No switching costs Convenience is the value adding component which is difficult to substitute Threat of New Entrants – Moderate The industry is dominated by a number of international Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) chains, including McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC and Domino’s (Datamonitor, 2010). These global brands are extremely valuable, boasting strong customer loyalty and recognition; indicating consistent quality and service. Key players including McDonald’s, adapt their marketing orientation to suit local cultures and social norms (Datamonitor 2010), strengthening the brand and avoiding consumer alienation. New players struggle to compete with incumbent firms, as their brands are unknown and advertising campaigns are expensive. Established chains have the resources to retaliate aggressively through pricing promotions, deterring new players from entering the marketplace. New entrants lack economies of scale, which existing chains have developed over time, and utilise to remain competitive in this low-margin, high-turnover industry. However, social media websites have evened the playing field in terms of marketing communications; they allow firms to efficiently communicate their message inexpensively. Initial capital outlay and fixed costs are low, encouraging new entrants (Datamonitor, 2012). Threat of Substitutions – Moderate Substitutes are readily available: food can be purchased almost anywhere, through foodservice or retail. However, convenience is the value-adding component of the service which reduces the threat of substitutes. Consumers can cook at home cheaply, but this lacks the convenience element which people require nowadays. Ready-meals are therefore a more substantial threat, competing with fast-food on price as well as convenience  (Datamonitor, 2012). If you are ‘on-the-go’ however, without access to a microwave, QSRs are almost uncontested if you want a hot meal in a short timeframe. With many differentiated players (Datamonitor, 2012) and varying service offerings, customers can select the best value option. Competitive Rivalry – Strong Although McDonald’s and Burger King almost hold a duopoly in the ‘burger segment’, the market as a whole is fragmented with many global chains and independent operators (Datamonitor, 2012). Competition is primarily cost-based with firms continuously investing in their production and service processes to undercut competitors. Exit costs are low and capacity is easily increased through franchising. Branding is the most prevalent weapon for competing; McDonald’s spent over $650 million on global advertising in 2009 (Datamonitor, 2012). Power of Buyers – Moderate Figure 1 shows sales and growth of the top ten fast-food companies (Euromonitor International, 2012). The market’s competitiveness increases buyer power and customers are price sensitive (Muhlbacker et al., 1999) with no switching cost between providers. However, key players attempt to reduce buyer power, offering a product range which caters for the entire demographic, rather than one specific segment. For example, McDonald’s target children with ‘Happy Meals’ and professionals with breakfast options and take-away coffee (McDonald’s, 2012). Firms are increasingly promoting differentiated products: McDonald’s â€Å"Big Mac†, Burger King’s â€Å"Whopper† and offers such as Domino’s â€Å"Two for Tuesday† campaign. High brand value and customer loyalty has reduced buyers’ bargaining power. The 2011 ranking of the top 100 brands indicates McDonald’s’ success (Interbrand, 2011). 10 Power of Suppliers – Moderate Figure 1: Top Ten Fast-food Companies by Growth. With a competitive global supply chain, supplier power is limited. â€Å"17,500 British and Irish farms that provide us with top-quality ingredients.† (McDonald’s – UK, 2012) These farms supply Tier 1 suppliers who transform raw materials into food items, ready for McDonald’s to cook and serve. Due to the number of suppliers in the industry, it is difficult for them to  leverage significant power over fast-food firms. The supply of soft-drink is dominated by Coca-Cola (McDonald’s and Burger King) and Pepsi (KFC) due to their global distribution channels. Additionally, Coca-Cola and Pepsi provide fast-food chains with equipment such as refrigerators and drink dispensers. This markets their brand and aligns it with fast-food brands, reducing costs for customers, which would otherwise be passed onto them (SMO, 2011). 3.3. Identification of Key Players and their Competitive Position 3.3.1. Strategic Groups The following framework identifies the key players in the international fast-food industry and identifies which firms are in the most direct competition with each other: Brand value and the chain’s global presence (Appendix 2) are significant indicators of overall performance. The above strategy-group chart maps the firms’ performance. Brand value (US$) is plotted against the chain’s global presence, in terms of the number of outlets worldwide. The strategy-grouping shows that McDonald’s has the highest global market value and revenue in the industry, despite Subway having more international outlets. 4. Key Player – Evaluation of International Activities 4.1. Identification of Key Player Based upon their global presence, market value and revenue, McDonald’s is identified as the key player in the industry. 4.2. McDonald’s International Market Entry Modes In 1940, McDonald’s operated only one QSR but today has restaurants at 33,000 locations in 119 countries. McDonald’s utilises a variety of international market entry modes for rapid expansion: sole ventures, franchising, master franchising and joint ventures. 15% of McDonald’s branded restaurants are operated as sole ventures. This involves a significant capital commitment but allows the highest degree of control.†¨Most restaurants are operated as franchises, allowing rapid expansion without high capital requirements. Franchising has also allowed McDonald’s to benefit from local knowledge, demonstrated by the menu differences by country. However, McDonald’s maintains control over crucial aspects such as the supply chain, marketing mix and staff training. Master Franchising introduces a third party as a ‘go-between’ to overcome geographical and cultural barriers. The combination  of the master franchisee’s local knowledge and McDonald’s brand and model has been a successful formula, allowing expansion whilst maintaining significant control. McDonald’s has also expanded internationally through joint ventures. Again, this allows for rapid expansion and utilises the knowledge of firms in closely-linked markets. Both firms invest equity in the project, there is a lower financial risk for both parties; however, many joint ventures end in hostility and conflict due to firms taking advantage of one another (Brown and Harwood, 2010).

Physical Dimensions of Human Occupation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Physical Dimensions of Human Occupation - Essay Example The other actuators of the humerus are the latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major. The other muscles are the levator scapulae, the rhomboids, the trapezius, the rotator cuff, the subscapularis/teres major, the infraspinatus/teres minor for controlling the axial rotations, and the supraspinatus/deltoideus which handle the abduction. The other muscles are the levator scapulae, the rhomboids, the trapezius, the rotator cuff, the subscapularis/teres major, the infraspinatus/teres minor for controlling the axial rotations, and the supraspinatus/deltoideus which handle the abduction. The other muscles are the levator scapulae, the rhomboids, the trapezius, the rotator cuff, the subscapularis/teres major, the infraspinatus/teres minor for controlling the axial rotations, and the supraspinatus/deltoideus which handle the abduction. The other actuators of the humerus are the latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major. As one raises one's arms, all eight muscles are utilized in reaching and gripping the mug and bringing it down. The three muscular joints are utilized: the sternoclavicular joint, the acromioclavicular joint and the glenohumeral joint. Extension and flexion of arms and shoulders The other muscles are the levator scapulae, the rhomboids, the trapezius, the rotator cuff, the subscapularis/teres major, the infraspinatus/teres minor for controlling the axial rotations, and the supraspinatus/deltoideus which handle the abduction. The other actuators of the humerus are the latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major. Eccentric 5 Choose one of the movements above and discuss the way the joint and surrounding structures enable the movement (600 words) Extension /Flexion: Proximal and Distal Interphalangeal JointsThe other muscles are the levator scapulae, the rhomboids, the trapezius, the rotator cuff, the subscapularis/teres major, the infraspinatus/teres minor for controlling the axial rotations, and the supraspinatus/deltoideus which handle the abduction. The other muscles are the levator scapulae, the rhomboids, the trapezius, the rotator cuff, the subscapularis/teres major, the infraspinatus/teres minor for controlling the axial rotations, and the supraspinatus/deltoideus which handle the abduction. The other muscles are the levator scapulae, the rhomboids, the trapezius, the rotator cuff, the subscapularis/teres major, the infraspinatus/teres minor for controlling the axial rotations, and the supraspinatus/deltoideus which handle the abduction. The other actuators of the humerus are the latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major. As one raises one's arms, all eight muscles are utilized in reaching and gripping the mug and bringin g it down. The three muscular joints are utilized: the sternoclavicular joint, the acromioclavicular joint and the glenohumeral joint. These joints are affected with the movement of raising and lowering one's arms. The fingers affect the movement as the person grips the mug and carries it to the work surface. The other muscles are the levator scapulae, the rhomboids, the trapezius, the rotator cuff, the subscapularis/teres major, the infraspinatus/teres minor for controlling the axial rotations, and the supraspinatus/deltoideus which handle the abduction. The other actuators of the humerus are the latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major. The upper limb makes a very significant contribution to most activities of daily living and impairments can

Principles and Practices of Effective Leadership Critical Thinking Mod Essay - 5

Principles and Practices of Effective Leadership Critical Thinking Mod 5 Leading Teams - Essay Example One of the advantages of the use of virtual teams is that it allows companies the ability to optimize the use of its human capital. Companies that use virtual teams are able to take advantage of the skills and capabilities of employees of the company that are located in foreign countries. There are differences in the managerial approaches that leaders use when working with a virtual team in comparison to face-to-face teams. Leaders that have a face to face team can use any of the traditional managerial concepts and theories such as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, equity theory, ERG theory, acquired needs theory, or reinforcement to lead the staff. The five needs of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in ascending order are physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization (Cherry, 2013). Intrinsic rewards are effective to keep the members of a team productive and motivated. An example of an intrinsic reward is telling a person they did a good job on a task. Managers have to pay attention to the body language of the members of team as a preventive measure to ensure the members of the team are not suffering from morale problems. When dealing with a virtual team the manager has to adapt his leadership strategy. Virtual teams require the use of electronic communication tools such as groupware or video chatting capabilities. An excellent website that allows people from different parts of the world to communicate using video chatting is Skype. It is important for leaders to closely monitor the progress on the project by following up with the members of the team. Avoiding information overload in virtual teams is important because information overload can cause stress and inefficiencies among the members of the team. â€Å"There are more global virtual teams today than ever before† (Meyer,

In What Ways Have the Recent Technological And Institutional Essay

In What Ways Have the Recent Technological And Institutional Developments Shaped Public Service Broadcasting In the UK - Essay Example In such a market with a large number of private players (with large funds and new technologies to back them), the PSBs with their obligatory roles as public service broadcasters which disallows them to focus on earning revenues, are finding it increasingly difficult to survive in this fragile economic scenario (Shooshan and Cave, 2000, 71-83). In this context, Singer opined that, â€Å"increased number of TV services means that audiences are getting fragmented. Where once a show on the publicly owned BBC, or its commercial rival ITV, regularly commanded audiences of 20 million, now a good audience is under half this† (Singer, Getting over our public service broadcasting addiction, April 2010). Along with this, the Internet has now emerged as large threat, taking away a large portion of UK audience, whereâ€Å"70% (80% in urban areas) are on the internet; there are movies on your Xbox, and assorted forms of catch-up TV† (Singer, ibid). In the internet, the most popular a renas are the social networking sites (like, Facebook, Twitter., etc.,) that allow open interactions between various users, thus making it necessary that the UK PBS in order to modernise itself must look towards allowing a greater scope for interactions amongst its recipients. In this context, in the 2005 Ofcom review, Richards, Foster and Suter give us a fair idea of the extent of technological invasion, where they state, â€Å"Fifty per cent of households already have digital television, and take-up has been extremely rapid†¦Other digital technology is increasingly competing for viewers’ attention. Ownership of DVD players has exploded – reaching 45% of... This essay stresses that PSB has always been at the core of UK cultural development, and in the Ofcom’s research it has been seen that despite changing consumption patterns, public support for the main objectives of PSB remain unchanged. Thus, it is necessary that Ofcom, while making suitable change to shape the present PSB that would be more suitable to the present context, must keep the traditional institutional values intact within the UK PSBs. It should create a suitable status for the PSB operating in the digital environment, create specific superscriptions for PSB, and allow them to make use of the new technological innovations to fulfil the superscriptions and adjust to the modifications in the present media landscape and modifications in the listening and viewing patterns of the recipients. This paper makes a conclusion that the UK must make provisions in their legislations to formulate specific superscriptions for PSB, which would cover the new mode of communication and technology services, thus allowing PSB to make optimal use of their potential in advocating democracy, social values and wider cultural participation, using the new form interactive media. The government also must allow the PSB media to respond completely in its own way, to the hurdles arising from the networking society, taking part in market competition, while keeping in mind various legal issues that dominate the public/private structure of the electronic world.

Charles Dickens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Charles Dickens - Essay Example However, the violence, human feelings and moral questions on the issue that Dickens raised cannot be questioned. French revolution, indeed, is an integral and significant part of history. It had its impacts on the minds and actions of people which cannot be denied. In that, Dickens concerns were true and honest. The events that the novel describes are beautifully and realistically portrayed. The novel makes the reader ‘live’ that age and understand the events of that period. Critics believe that Dickens was in favor of revolutionaries without paying much attention to the middle class social group of the 18th century and their contributions to the French revolution. T.A. Jackson (1930) suggests that the representation of Dickens is in support of the violent acts, cruel manners and vengeance to answer the feelings of domination that revolutionaries had. However, others view violence and revenge as a means of portraying the negativity of violent acts and the horrors of reve nge on the society, people and the involved parties themselves. Dickens depicts violence and revenge as the beginning of another violent and brutal disagreement rather than the end of the enmity that existed between two groups, a tale of two cities is analyzed to affirm Dickens’s firm believe on this notion . Annotated Bibliography Glancy, R. F.

Marketing strategy assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing strategy assignment - Essay Example Without the accurate market information, introduction of a new product is likely to fail. This step ensures that the company confirms the actual state of the consumer market (Ferrell, 2012). It actualizes what the market really needs, the features desired, pricing, motivation to buy and distribution channels. These are important aspects in the decision making process. The research conducted on the market revealed that the market was eagerly waiting for the introduction of the new product mainly to be used in social places such as bars, restaurants and offices. Timing This is the second stage in the marketing process that ensures all elements in the marketing process are integrated. The production of the new product should be complete before it is a launched to avoid loss of sales and credibility in the product (Ferrell, 2012). There have been numerous cases in history where the marketing of a new product has failed owing to the fact that the product manufacturing lags behind the laun ch of the new product. This explains the reason why the company was not willing to take chances with the manufacture of the Toeopener that is why a number of units were produced before the product was launched. Capacity The company should ensure that it has the required resources in terms of inputs and personnel to keep up with the manufacturing process if the introduction of the Toeopener is successful. Testing The new product has to be tested in the market to ensure that its features are in line with the customers’ need (Ferrell, 2012). This is establishes whether the customers are willing and able to pay the set price. Additionally, it ensures that the distributors are comfortable to sell and market the product. Distribution The company... The company decided to come with a clear marketing process to ensure successful sales for the new product in the Canadian market. To begin with, there are various reasons why the introduction of a new product in the market.Marketing research is the first step in the introduction of a new product. Without the accurate market information, introduction of a new product is likely to fail. This step ensures that the company confirms the actual state of the consumer market.The new product in the market mainly targeted to be used in social places with frequent activity and a high number of visitors. The first segment that is targeted by the introduction of the product is homeowners who would like to have an easier time while opening doors in their homes. However, this may be the smallest segment, as most homeowners prefer opening and closing their doors normally. Bars are the second segment in the consumer market. This is because bars have high numbers of clients and the Toeopener makes ope ning the door efficient and easier for them. The third segment is the restaurant owners who find the device highly convenient since they also have a high number of clients. The Toeopener also minimizes the spread of germs across surfaces in the restaurants since no one gets to handle the doorknob or handle using their hands. The final segment of clients is offices that have a high number of visitors and a high level of activity. It is much easier for the workers to open the door while carrying a pile of files.

Media violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Media violence - Essay Example Various individuals and research groups have constantly attributed the increased rate of violence among the children and youths as a result of media influence (Phillips 26). Various forms of media present violent incidences as well as games with numbers attracted towards these violent views and video games constantly increasing. It is equally important to note that other researchers attribute violent media as an outlet of aggression as opposed to source of violence among any group within the society. The paper therefore explores the reasons why violent games and videos need to remain out of blame while searching for increased rise of criminal activities among children and the youth. To derive sufficient evidence that will lead to real answers, a focus on trends as well as averages is essential as opposed to simply relying on statistical outliers to measure the extent that criminal games and videos as well as other forms of criminal forms of games presented by the media affect the society (Foster). Focusing on logical trends like where an individual goes to work on eight hours a day and then heads home to engage in other forms of leisure while a kid plays for one hour and heads for a shooting spree is essential. It is also important to recall that even if there exists a connection between violent games as well as aggressive behavior, there lacks evidence to signify casualty (Hofmann133). There is a likelihood that violent criminals may choose violent games but there is still millions of children who engage on violent games day-day out but the vast majority of these children still remain as normal and law-abiding citizens. In the U.S, the concept interrelating video game violence and young people was taken to the national spotlight in a case where a California law banned sale of some specific violent related videos and games was brought in the Supreme Court. The enforcement of the 2005 failed to take effect at the

Students Living at Home and Living Away from Family Essay Example for Free

Students Living at Home and Living Away from Family Essay This Chemistry module is designed for students who wish to study physical sciences or health sciences at tertiary level. | Pre-requisites:| None| ASSESSMENT STRATEGY * The outcomes of this module will be assessed using a variety of assessment strategies including, assignments and reports, in-class tests, laboratory investigations and an examination. * It is proposed that the following approximate weightings be assigned to the various forms of assessment within this module. * There may be significant variation in the assessment methods utilised by trainers in this module. Assignments/reports: 15-25% * Tests: 15-25% * Laboratory Investigations; 10 – 25% * Final Examination: %40 – 60% SUMMARY OF LEARNING OUTCOMES 1. Describe composition of matter and chemical change. 2. Explain trends within the periodic table. 3. Describe Chemical Bonding in its various forms 4. Calculate chemical quantities and stoichiometry 5. Explain Oxidation Reduction reactions 6. Demonstrate a knowledge of Organic Chemistry (Optional Element) LEARNING OUTCOME| ASSESSMENT CRITERIA| 1. Describe composition of matter and chemical change. 1. 1 Describe the nature of matter in terms of atoms and molecules, elements and compounds . 1. 2 Describe atomic structure and electron configuration. 1. 3 Describe chemical change in terms of transfer or sharing of electrons| 2. Explain trends within the periodic table. | 2. 1 Describe chemical periodicity including distinguishing between metals and non-metals2. 2 Relate the electron configuration of elements to their place in the periodic table| 3. Describe Chemical Bonding in its various forms | 3. Recall chemical names and formulae of common ionic and covalent compounds. 3. 2 Describe the nature and theory of chemical bonding for ionic and covalent compounds, metals and network solids3. 3 Describe and explain the shapes and polarity of simple molecules. 3. 4 Describe the states of matter in terms of intermolecular forces. Include the properties of gases. | 4. Calculate chemical quantities and stoichiometry| Students must demons trate that they can complete calculations involving:4. chemical quantities, the mole, percentage composition, and empirical formula. (optional)4. 2 balanced equations, mass-mass stoichiometry, mass-concentration stoichiometry 4. 3 solution stoichiometry, concentrations and volumetric analysis. | 5. Explain Oxidation Reduction reactions| 5. 1 Define Oxidation and reduction and identify oxidised and reduced species in chemical reactions. 5. 2 Determine oxidation number and use it to determine whether oxidation reduction has occurred in particular reactions.

Demand For Owner Occupied Housing

Demand For Owner Occupied Housing In this assignment I am going to explain the economic concept of Owner occupied Residential. The assignment generally includes examples and graphical analyses to demonstrate the issues that will affect the owner occupied residential market. The housing market of any country or places is determined by a range of demand and supply factors. There is always a demand for housing; the main reason for that is mainly due to population growth, the life expectancy rates improved, and also the incline of one person household. Furthermore, as the demand is high consequently there also will be a supply. Owner occupied sector means that the householder who ultimately live and own at the same property. The property types can differentiate as house, flats, apartment, bungalows and etc. The non- price determinant factors affecting the supply to change: Construction Cost Government Legislation Government Polices i.e. tax benefits or building social housing Building Technology Supply for owner occupied housing: The supply curve is upward sloping, but to determine the supply for housing, it is mostly decide by the house prices; therefore when house prices are high, this will encourage more people to built houses and the curve will shift itself as an increase or decrease in supply. For example, when advance building technology takes place, it is a way that can reduce the cost on building houses, and increasing the revenue for suppliers, the supply curve S1 will ultimately shift to the right S2, as shown in graph 1.0, this represents an increase in the quantity supply at each and every price such as using the prefabrication technique, it will reduce the construction period and labour cost comparing with the in-situ technique. In another hand when the cost of the building houses increase, i.e. when the availability of labour are less, it will raise the labour cost. This will lead the supply decrease, and to apply this to the graph 1.0, the supply curve S1 will then shift to the left S3. http://www.tutor2u.net/economics/revision-notes/as-markets-supply_clip_image002.gif The non- price determinant factor affecting demand to change: The current price of housing Income and life expectations rates of change Statistics of the number of households Government polices i.e. tax benefits or building social housing Mortgage and interest rates Demand for owner occupied housing: The demand curve is downward sloping from left to right and when demand curve shift to the right or left it will represents an increase or decrease of demand. Through graph 1.1, the demand curve D shift to the right D1 indicates that when there is more demand on properties. This fact can be achieve by the non-price determinant factor, i.e. when mortgage interest rates are low, it will made the property more affordable, and also increasing the demand. In another hand, to decrease the demand will depends on the non-price determinant, i.e. When prices of housing are expected to fall the quantity demand will decrease because buyers will wait for a lower prices and therefore will decrease the demand which will shift the demand curve onto the left D to D2. `http://www.tutor2u.net/economics/revision-notes/as-markets-demand_clip_image006.gif Elasticity of Demand: Elastic Demand: Elasticity of demand shows the changes to demand in relation to the price. Elastic demand means the price will not change much, but the quantity of the demand will have a higher rate. Properties which are elastic are normally luxury and it has a very competitive market and many alternatives. Diagram: Elastic Demand Curve Inelastic Demand: The demand curve in inelastic demand is steep, and it is dictated by the quantity of demand does not change to the same amount as the price do. Therefore, the more inelastic the demand is the more steeper the curve is. In a short term run, when the price of house increased, the demand will be inelastic as there are no other choices and it requires time to find other close substitutes. Diagram: Inelastic Demand Curve Perfectly Elastic Demand: Perfectly elastic demand shows a horizontal line. This means that elasticity in demand is perfect, the reason for that is when there is any change in price and the demand slightly decline or nothing, then the price elasticity of the product is infinity. For example, when the supplier increases the price above the market equilibrium the demand will evaporates as the buyers will choose the cheaper option. Diagram: Perfectly Elastic Demand Curve Perfectly Inelastic Demand: Perfectly inelastic demand consist a straight vertical demand curve and it represent zero elasticity at any price. This indicates quantity of demand will remain the same and does not depend on any change in price. Generally, perfectly inelastic demand will take place while buyers have no choice in the consumption of a good. Diagram: Perfectly Inelastic Demand Curve Elasticity of Supply: Inelastic Supply: When the quantity of supply is less than the increase in price, then the price elasticity is described as inelastic. According to graph 10000 the supply curve is shallow due to the given change in price there is a smaller change in supply. For example when government have announced to build more social housing, the houses will not be constructed immediately, because it takes time for the legal complexities, obtaining planning permission and also the construction period. In the short term the construction are price inelastic and this will classified as supply inelastic. Diagram: Inelastic Supply Curve Elastic Supply: When the quantity of supply is greater than increase in price, then the price elasticity is described as elastic. The curve which is shown in figure 1000 indicates for a given change in price there is a greater change in supply. The most important issue to determine the supply whether is elastic or inelastic, time tends to be the main matter, in long term supply the quantity of houses will increase and it will therefore becoming more elastic. Diagram: Elastic Supply Curve Perfectly Elastic Supply: The supply curve is horizontal due to the quantity supplied does not affect with the price fluctuations. The firm can supply an unlimited amount of product at that price. Perfectly Inelastic Supply: The supply curve is vertical as the quantity of the product remains steady and it is produce regardless on any price. For example, land is perfectly inelastic supply due to houses price increase and the land supply remains the same. Areas that are not developed can built up, in addition developed areas can also change its land use, however these are time consuming. http://www.bized.co.uk/sites/bized/files/images/diagrams/small/pes_0.gif FOUNDATION, n.d. Construction Sample [Online]. Available at: https://environment7.uwe.ac.uk/resources/constructionsample/cd_hybrid_mini/topic_foundations/foundationtest.pdf [Accessed 2nd January 2013] ENCONOMICS HELP, n.d. Price Elasticity of Supply [Online]. Available at: http://www.economicshelp.org/microessays/equilibrium/elasticity-supply.html [Accessed 2013] BIZED, 2001. Perfectly Inelastic Supply Curve [Online]. Available at: http://www.bized.co.uk/reference/diagrams/Perfectly-Inelastic-Supply-Curve [Accessed 2013] TUTOR2U, n.d. Demand and Supply for Housing [Online]. Available at: http://tutor2u.net/economics/content/topics/housing/housing_demand_supply.htm [Accessed 2013] SLIDESHARE, n.d. Real Estate Market Dynamics [Online]. Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/elitedealmaker/real-estate-market-dynamics-6712039 [Accessed 2013] PARLIAMENT UK, n.d. Housing Supply and Demand [Online]. Available at: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/key_issues/Key-Issues-Housing-supply-and-demand.pdf [Accessed 2013] WEST BERKSHIRE COUNCIL, 2007. Drivers of the Housing Market [Online]. Available at: http://www.westberks.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=14178p=0 [Accessed 2013] ENCONOMICS ONLINE, n.d. The Housing Market [Online]. Available at: http://www.economicsonline.co.uk/Competitive_markets/The_housing_market.html [Accessed 2013] TUTOR2U, n.d. Understanding Supply [Online Image]. Available at: http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1hl=zh-TWsafe=activesa=Ntbo=dbiw=1061bih=877tbm=ischtbnid=R4gRjLTiE6LwRM:imgrefurl=http://www.tutor2u.net/economics/revision-notes/as-markets-supply.htmldocid=AoEfVEaeh4TdzMimgurl=http://www.tutor2u.net/economics/revision-notes/as-markets-supply_clip_image002.gifw=638h=481ei=-ncFUfW3I9SXhQfP4oGQBgzoom=1ved=1t:3588,r:6,s:0,i:96iact=rcdur=1614sig=100585240784303594567page=1tbnh=187tbnw=256start=0ndsp=17tx=123ty=89 [Accessed 2013] 21ST CENTURY LEARNING, n.d Understanding Demand [Online Image]. Available at: http://www.google.com/imgres?start=131um=1hl=zh-TWsafe=activesa=Ntbo=dbiw=1061bih=877tbm=ischtbnid=HmWyNf1UYY0xiM:imgrefurl=http://21stcenturylearning.sharepoint.com/Pages/Eco4Demand.aspxdocid=e8sXSzDr4_u-kMimgurl=http://www.tutor2u.net/economics/revision-notes/as-markets-demand_clip_image006.gifw=626h=452ei=LIcFUdr3MaLX0QWpyIDQDAzoom=1ved=1t:3588,r:40,s:100,i:124iact=rcdur=610sig=100585240784303594567page=7tbnh=172tbnw=253ndsp=20tx=164ty=60 [Accessed 2013] BIZED, n.d. Perfectly Inelastic Supply Curve [Online Image]. Available at: http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1hl=zh-TWsafe=activesa=Ntbo=dbiw=1061bih=877tbm=ischtbnid=5kwQZzlnCUzHAM:imgrefurl=http://www.bized.co.uk/reference/diagrams/Perfectly-Inelastic-Supply-Curvedocid=MFG6fGYhpV5IUMimgurl=http://www.bized.co.uk/sites/bized/files/images/diagrams/small/pes_0.gifw=341h=199ei=QOQFUbixOpGN0wX08oHQBAzoom=1ved=1t:3588,r:5,s:0,i:93iact=rcdur=665sig=100585240784303594567page=1tbnh=159tbnw=272start=0ndsp=17tx=134ty=54 [Accessed 2013] BUZZLE, 2011. Perfectly Inelastic Supply [Online]. Available at: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/perfectly-inelastic-supply.html [Accessed 2013] INFOCHEESE, 2008. Elasticity of Demand of Housing [Online]. Available at: http://www.infocheese.com/elasticityofdemandhousing.html [Accessed 2013] BIZED, 2001. Perfectly Elastic Demand [Online]. Available at: http://www.bized.co.uk/reference/diagrams/Perfectly-Elastic-Demand-Curve [Accessed 2013] Myers, D., 2004. Construction Economics: A New Approach. United Kingdom: Routledge

The Market Audit And Preliminary Marketing Plan Marketing Essay

The Market Audit And Preliminary Marketing Plan Marketing Essay The market audit and preliminary marketing plan is prepared to inspect lunching the SOLO in Afghanistan. It has been based on the market analysis such as socio-cultural and economic analysis of Afghanistan and also, determines how to stable to launch the SOLO product, which is target market and how to be adapted to fit into Afghanistan market as well as determine the competitors. Based on this analysis, preliminary marketing plan has been prepared to determine the marketing mix. Firstly, the product, SOLO is a brand of a carbonated lemon-flavored soft drink. Sports drink is necessary in Afghanistan where dry desert are. The product may be accepted by some kinds of people, including young Afghans who have been affected by western culture, the foreign workers and the members of international military which stationed in Afghanistan. Solo as a new health soft drink will be known and chose. This soft drink (SOLO) will be sold in capital area at first. In this area, not only the people have stronger purchasing power, but also there are many foreign officers and businessmen working and living in capital area. In addition, this product will start out in the region of stress concentration of foreign companies, hotels, bars, famous restaurants then move to local retailers. This product will also be sold by other middlemen. Roshan Cola Company is a local Mineral Water and Carbonated Soft Drink manufacturer. We will corporation with Roshan then our product can use its marketing channels and share the market range. The competition of Afghanistans beverage market is not intense competition and our product can own a large market in Afghanistan, but still got many competitors such as Coca-Cola. The goal for SOLO is to entry into the Afghan several main cities, around capital city- Kabul to successfully enter the Afghan market, to achieve a 10% market share within the first step and to promote to a large consumer a taste of this product (Soft drink not only cola).This product will attract new customers (Foreigners and locals) for the soft drink. The target markets are the hot summertime cities and arid conditions, where Afghan people indicate a huge market for clean and refreshing non-alcoholic beverages (Non-drinker for religious reasons). Expected sales in 2010 will be approximately AU$ 80 million with increases expected. The first year is the repair year, due to the highest cost associated with setting up the requirements. Follow the sales operating and distribution systems start to work, in the following years, the profit expectations will be higher step by step. The product will be adapted to fit the market in Afghanistan. These adaptations include the packaging, bottling size, color and so on. We will sell paper cup and glass packaging in Afghanistan that does not sell in Australia to reduce cost and keep the price low. Advertising will be the first show in a new market and also the first choice for a company to communicate with potential customers. The main advertising plan is to use television, radio, internet, newspapers and billboards. The other way of TV advertisements is in a form of product placement. In addition, we will use two types of sales promotion which are trade sales promotion and consumer sales promotion. Moreover, we also use personal selling method and other promotional tools. Distribution will include transportation by shipping, flight and motor carrying from Perth to Kabul. The product will be sold in the outlet of Roshan Cola Company and variety of other retail outlets which is a local agent who is familiar with local conditions is very necessary to sales in Afghanistan such as hotels/ resorts, restaurants, convenience store and vending machine. Finally, pro forma financial statements and budget has been prepared to demonstrate its evaluated profits and sales with expenses in the first year to the fifth year. Profit expectation will be lower in the first year due to the highest costs with additional resources for set up. Over five years, profit and sales will significantly increase with reducing distribution costs. As a result, the launch of SOLO into the Afghanistan market has to be successful with better profit for the SOLO Company. Market Audit Introduction Following is the afghan socio-cultural and economic analysis. It may be helpful to solo entering the afghan market successfully. Socio-cultural analysis -Geography: Afghanistan is an inland country in Southwestern and borders with Pakistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and China. It is dry to semiarid and cold in winter and hot in summer (Afghanistans web site [ACC], n.d.). Plateau and mountainous make up 2/3 of 647,500 sq km land. Moreover, there is a wide range of desert in this country (Saba Bakhter, 1997). -Education literacy rates: Afghans valued religious education instead of science, technology and literature studies in the past. At present, 54 thousand children are studying in school. However, there have been 11 million illiterates in Afghanistan (Qazi, 2008). -Health care: According to Blood (2001), there is a high mortality rate of infants and pregnant women. Moreover, the health of afghan children is threatened by the several of infectious and parasitic diseases. And still worse, the long war leads to the thousands of injuries and damages of medical facilities. On the other hand, many international organizations help Afghans improve the basic preventive and curative primary health services. -Political legal system: Afghanistan is an Islamic Republic, and the major constitution is established according to Islamic law. However, there is not a uniform legal system in Afghanistan because of the long war. (Lau, n.d.). -Language: Pashto and Dari are the major official languages of Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, 35% of people speak Pashto and 50% of people speak Dari. Moreover, Turkic languages, including Uzbek and Turkmen, are the main languages too in Afghanistan (Qazi, n.d.). Economic analysis -Population: An estimated data of the population of Afghanistan in 2003 is 23,897,000 and the annual growth rate of Afghan population is 3.88% between 2000 and 2005. However, these data is unsure because the long civil war leads to the large numbers of death and emigrants (Afghanistan-Population, n.d.). -Gross domestic product: Agriculture is the main revenue source. A large amount of food products, including corn, rice, barley, wheat, vegetables, fruits and nuts, offer the opportunities of export. In addition, the natural mineral has been the main economic pillar industries (Qazi, 2010). -Foreign investment: In present, only some companies are investing public transport and infrastructure, such as telecommunications, express delivery and aviation, because of the long war in Afghanistan (Herold, 2003). On the other hand, a trillion dollars worth of minerals, including copper, iron, chromium, magnesium, rubies, emeralds, lapis lazuli, nickel, mercury, gold, silver, lithium, and uranium, are found in Afghanistan in June 2010. In addition, many countries have been aware of the opportunity of investment in Afghanistan. (Haidari, 2010). -Trade restrictions: A highly differentiated import tariff regime has been the main trade restrictions in Afghanistan. Though the government of Afghanistan has made some measures, such as adjusting the tariff rates and decreasing the process of the import license applications, to improve trade policy and customs administration in recent years, some problems are affecting the trades: firstly, the shortcoming of government leads to the weakness of business environment; secondly, transport and other infrastructural constraint the trade; thirdly, the main support services, such as commercial insurance and freight forwarding are lacking; fourthly, government restraint against the use of foreign trucks; fifthly, the local authorities increase the fee of transport; and finally, some complex customs checks are frequently in some problematic border areas (Afghanistan: Trade Policy and Integration, 2010). The product Solo is a brand of a carbonated lemon-flavored soft drink. Schweppes Australia launched this soft drink as a sports drink in 1973. Schweppes Australia defines it as masculine drink and cooperates with AFL (Australia Football League) perennially. Moreover, it has had 6 variants: Regular Lemon, Lemon Lime, Solo Sub (no added sugar), Solo Strong, guarana and caffeine (Solo (soft drink), n.d.). Evaluation the product as an innovation Sports drink is necessary in Afghanistan where dry desert are. The product may be accepted by some kinds of people, including young Afghans who have been affected by western culture, the foreign workers and the members of international military which stationed in Afghanistan. Solo as a new health soft drink will be known and chose. Advantage Solo could help drinkers replenish lost water and energy after a lot of movement. It is health because the materials of solo are all natural and it do not include too much cocaine. In addition, different flavors of solo drinks are for different people and the cheaper price is the main reason of the choice of many people. Relative advantage Firstly, solo as a sports drink will be liked by the young Afghans who like sports. Moreover, it is a good choice for the workers in desert. Furthermore, the product from Australia should attract the international garrison, especially Australian soldiers. In addition, it is beneficial to Afghan government because import of solo could relieve water shortage. Compatibility Firstly, the sport enthusiasts and soldiers could accept solo quickly. Moreover, Afghanistan is a large drink market because of the lack of water. In addition, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have been known by Afghans and the soft drink market has been developing gradually. As a result, solo will have a favorable market prospect in Afghanistan. Major problems and resistances to product The flavor with little sour may be not liked by Afghans. Because of the different culture, Afghans might reject the products from western. As a result, Afghans could not accept the new comer western drink at the beginning. The price of solo might be not accepted by most of Afghans who have only low income. As a result, it becomes very important that company need to discuss with Afghan government to reduce the costs of transport and tariff. The market This soft drink (SOLO) will be sold in capital area at first. In this area, not only the people have stronger purchasing power, but also there are many foreign officers and businessmen working and living in capital area. According to Afghan economy position and internal transportation condition, this will slowly move into the general population in Afghanistan. Describe the market(s) in which the product is to be sold This soft drink will be served in Afghanistan capital area (tropical area and dry) where have more and more foreign officers and international businessmen entry Afghanistan, to implement post-war reconstruction and partake The UN economic aid program. Geographical region(s) -Capital city: Kabul (200, 0000 populations) -Paghman region: Paghman (15, 0000 populations) -Jalalabad region: Jalalabad (20, 5000 populations) Kabul province is made up of 14 districts; Paghman is a part of it. Jalalabad is a main city in Afghanistan Form of transportation and communication available in that region -In Kabul city: There is the nation biggest international airport in Kabul. The airport is connected to Kabul from a 4 lane highway. This airport has two main cargo airline operate by Emirates Sky Cargo and Etihad Crystal Cargo (operated by World Airways), communicate among Afghanistan, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Follow by the post-war reconstruction; throughput will be expanded in 2011, which is when Ariana Afghan Airlines and Kam Air will receive their new airplanes. Trucks are the best choice to transport goods from airport to another district, or to the other cities of this area. In several years, Afghan government, with the help of foreign companies or organizations, has working on many of Kabuls roads. During the war, many Kabuls roads have been broken, but follow the attracted the attention of international society, Kabul gets more and more help from many countries to rebuild the highways and main roads in Kabul city. (xpatulator.com) -Paghman region: There is a popular place near Kabul, Paghman garden is the very famous place where people relax and spend weekends with families and friends. Paghman is a village used to be a royal garden. But now is open to the public. Because this area is so close to the Kabul city and also there is a holiday resort and beauty spot. The transportation is convenient; trucks can though this area and the roads condition can be accepted. -Jalalabad region: There is a very important place in Afghanistan, there is connected by roads with Kabul and Peshawar in Pakistan. There has highway between the city of Jalalabad and Kabul. All the trade between the two nations (Afghanistan and Pakistan) passes through this city. Highway transportation will be served in this area. All of the regions have highways linking the Kabul International Airport. Follow post-war reconstruction, get more and more help from developed countries to improve and maintain the road infrastructure. Currently, at least 22 Internet Service Providers giving their services in Afghanistan. (cia.gov) In 2007 there were at least 535000 users, mostly in the capital area. At the same time, Television and Radio are served in Afghanistan, they have English TV programs and English Radio programs and several different languages programs (Kabul Radio). The table shows internet users in Afghanistan around several years: (internetworldstats.com n.p 2010) Consumer buying habits Soft drink, especially soda drink is bought as a very famous recreational beverage in many years. Different cultures people have the same habit that drink the icy soda drink in summertime. The carbon dioxide in soda drink can bring out human body quantity heat by hiccup. Afghanistan is a four distinct seasons country, in summer there is hot and dry. Follow by post-war reconstruction many foreign officers and businessmen entry Afghanistan, drinking soda drink is in their culture. And this habit will affect local population in the years that followed. Almost Afghan are Muslim, they do not drink beer and alcohol. Soda will be the second welcome recreational beverage in their society behind tea drink. Product-use patterns -Foreigners: consume the product as part of the daily experience and holiday experience. Due to the locations and season chosen, the heat associated with these areas it will be used for cooling down and quenching consumers thirst. In Kabul area is hot in summer and owing to the geographic reason this area is dry. -Locals: consume the product as part of the holiday experience. Due to the religion reason almost Afghan do not drink beer and alcohol drink. The product can be as a recreational beverage into their culture and also can be consumed any day or on special occasions. Product feature preferences This preference in Afghanistan for can and small bottom also can be in glass bottom in some cases to reduce cost. The 6 cans package and 24 cans box will be sold in supermarket and other retailers shop. Soda drink can be bought for storage at home or in offices. For convenience stores, glass bottom and paper cup will be welcomed because the price will be lower. Shopping habits Foreigners who come from China, America and Europe would most likely buy the product for work or outdoor activities that are chilled for drinking in offices or during hikes to somewhere. The product will be for cooling down and relaxing on their free time. Locals will buy chilled packs for cooling down or later consumption with dinner. Convenience stores or supermarket will be the most likely place they could buy the soft drink. Festivals and family parties will increase consumption of the product. Distribution of the product Owing to the natural of the dissemination from foreigners to locals this product will start out in the region of stress concentration of foreign companies, hotels, bars, famous restaurants then move to local retailers. Typical retail outlets Types: Plans: Hotels Bars Beginning: Will sell in main hotels and bars, where foreigners usually stay. Glass bottom and can package will be sold. Supermarkets retailers Second wave: Will sell 6 cans package and 24 cans packages in local supermarkets, for foreigners and locals later consumption. Convenience stores and kiosks Expanding to the local market and demand pulls the product through the channel, it is long range plan. Vending machines A part of second wave, main put in expatriates communities and foreign offices. Airports and train stations Target for the tourists (both foreign and local). Service stations in scenic spots as well. Product sales by other middlemen Roshan Cola Company is a local Mineral Water and Carbonated Soft Drink manufacturer. We will corporation with Roshan then our product can use its marketing channels and share the market range. Due to Roshan Company is from Afghanistan, it deeply understands the local market and we will provide more competitive ability products. (alibaba.com) Advertising and promotion Advertising media usually used to reach your target market(s) Will be used television advertising on local TV channels both in local language channels and English channels will be painted in conjunction billboards by side of highway and on the side of houses. In some areas, taxi advertising will be used too. Sales promotions customarily used Sampling and discount are the main types used in soft drink industry. Pricing strategy Customer mark-ups The Afghan inflation rate (consumer prices) is 20.7% in 2008 and 30.5% in 2009. (cia.gov) Types of discounts available Discounts can be as high as 10% in summer and as high as 15% in winter, depends on different season. Compare and contrast your product and the competitions product(s) Competitors products Brand name The competition of Afghanistans beverage market is not intense competition. Our product can own a large market in Afghanistan, but still got many competitors. Such as Coca-Cola, Coca-cola is the most famous beverage company in the world. In 2005, Coca-cola came back to Afghanistan beverage market, and it cooperation with Habib Gulzar Non-Alcoholic Beverages Firm. Coca-cola became to domestic product. Features Coca-Cola is carbonic acid beverage as same as our product, but it is different taste and different area. Afghanistan is a large market. Different customers have different habits. Our products can be chosen by different people, although Solo and Coca-Cola are competitors. Package Coca-Cola got two types package, such as Pop Can and Plastic bottle. Also it got 375ML, 2Lites and 500ML for capacity. When Coca-Cola back to Afghanistan, it wrote: Coca-Cola back to Afghanistan. in 2005. Competitors prices Before 2005, Afghanistan sold Coca-Cola were import from Iran and Pakistan. At that time, the price of Coca-cola is 0.4 USD, but when Coca-Cola produced in domestic. The price decrease to 0.2 USD to sale in Afghanistan. Competitors promotion and advertising methods Coca-cola Company is a large company around the world. They used their forces to impact customers. Beverage companies always use TV, radio and internet advertising to advertise their products. It was so famous when Coca-Cola back to Afghanistan. Media support also a important way to improve brand force. That will lead people to choose which beverage to drink. Competitors distribution channels Coca-colas distribution channel is use every retail shop and supermarket to selling their product, because Coca-cola is a famous company in the world. Most of shops and supermarkets are willing to sell it. Vending machine is also another distribution channels, also include hotel and bars. Market size Estimated industry sales for the planning year The Afghanistan beverage market has been steadily growing over the last fewer years. Before Coca-cola company moving in to Afghanistan. Afghanistan already had a large population like drink beverages. Afghanistan has 33million population, most of goods need import from other countries include beverage, so build a factory and sell it domestic is the best way to selling our product. Estimated sales for your company for the planning year Compare with the Coca-Cola company sale their product. They planned 4 million boxes to sale in each year. We cannot sale so many like Coca-Cola Company, but as we think 1 million boxes in each year is the first target. In the follow years each year increase 10% until as same as Coca-cola. Government participation in the marketplace Agencies that can help you Assistance with launching the Solo beverage brand in Afghanistan may be sought from some of the following agencies: Embassy of Afghanistan Ministry of Commerce Industries (MoCI) Ministry of Finance (MoF) Afghan Customs Department (Division of MoF) Afghanistan Reconstruction and Development Service (ARDS) Department of Commerce Afghanistan Investment Reconstruction Task Force Department of State Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, Afghan Desk Department of State United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) Australian Embassy (http://www.embassyofafghanistan.org/documents/BusinessandInvestmentResourceGuide-Jan012009.pdf) Regulation you must follow Our company must follow Government Policy. Customs brokers must be employed to process any products imported into Afghanistan and are to submit an Import Declaration to Customs. The importer needs to be registered on the Treasury Ministrys National Importers Registry and in the case of beverages; importers must also be registered on the Registry of Importers in Specific Sectors and the Federal Taxpayers. Taxes also need to submit to government. Preliminary Marketing Plan The marketing plan In todays Afghanistan, consumer demand will remain unfulfilled, as available imports are often of expensive, poor quality, or both. Simplex product form will remain unfulfilled Afghan consumers at all. The market for soft drink is exceptionally large in capital city area of approximately 380,000 people, where temperatures can often over 40C in the summertime. Marketing objectives The goal for SOLO is to entry into the Afghan several main cities, around capital city- Kabul. This product will attract new customers (Foreigners and locals) for the soft drink. To successfully enter the Afghan market To achieve a 10% market share within the first step To promote to a large consumer a taste of this product (Soft drink not only cola) Target market(s) (specific description of the market) The target markets are the hot summertime cities and arid conditions, where Afghan people indicate a huge market for clean and refreshing non-alcoholic beverages (Non-drinker for religious reasons). Expected sales year 2010-2015 Expected sales in 2010 will be approximately AU$ 80 million with increases expected. Follow the first couple of years when it finds its place in Afghanistan, for instance, consumers begin to know this brand and fall in love with the taste, through the product advertising. Expected sales for the first five years are as the table: Year Sales in AU dollar 2010 80 million 2011 120 million 2012 200 million 2013 240 million 2014 280 million Profit expectations year 2010-2014 The first year profit expectations will be lowest; the first year is the repair year, due to the highest cost associated with setting up the requirements. Follow the sales operating and distribution systems start to work, in the following years, the profit expectations will be higher step by step. Years Profit in AU dollar 2010 3.8 million 2011 28million 2012 42 million 2013 56 million 2014 70 million Market penetration and coverage The capital city-Kabul will be targeted heavily, owing to its position and population and foreigners collection location. At the same time, there is resort area that attracts local and tourists. Product adaptation or modification The product will be adapted to fit the market in Afghanistan. These adaptations include the packaging, bottling size, color and so on. We will sell paper cup and glass packaging in Afghanistan that does not sell in Australia to reduce cost and keep the price low. The smaller bottling size is a great size for the forgeries and locals for lunch or dinner, and also for outdoor activities, easy to carry. Core component The core component of SOLO is soda, sugar and fruit flavors. There are 4 variants of this product: original lemon, lemon lime, solo strong and solo sub (sugar free). The latest addition is solo strong and also, it is energy drink which contains guarana and caffeine. This variant is to fit in with male consumers who like energy drink. In the other hand SOLO SUB is to fit in female consumers who do not like sugar. Packing component The products label must have the following information, both in Afghan and English: Brand name of the product Type of product (carbonated beverage/energy drink/Moslem drink) Country of origin Company name and address Company Slogan Nutrition information table (especially alcohol-free) Short introduction of Company Net content Support services component We will set a support service line in the form of an 1800 number (Toll-free telephone number) for consumers. At the same time, our home page (Afghan) will create an area for consumers feedback with any problems or advices. The number and web address will be clearly identified on the packaging. Promotion mix Advertising Advertising will be the first show in a new market and also the first choice for a company to communicate with potential customers. Advertising can send the information quickly to the audiences and has a huge reach. It always accesses the mass media and makes affection in short time. Advertising can develop market and reinforces the brand and helps us sells our products. The main advertising plan is to use television, radio, internet, newspapers and billboards. After economic analysis and research, television is the highest used media in Afghanistan. Not like internet, on TV set can be watched by one person or whole families. The number of the audiences can be huge and the affection will be deeply. The other way of TV advertisements is in a form of product placement. Placing the product advertisements before or behind the news or others TV programs (sports or cartoon) will increase the reach for our product. Game on is the theme for SOLOs advertisements, it is a free lifestyle, to educate the target market on happiness and passion. The other form of advertising used will be billboards. There is a great form of outdoor advertising which is use a painting on building envelopes and beside the freeways where they command high-density consumer exposure. The radio advertising is a form of advertising via radio. Local radios in Afghanistan have big range of audiences, both foreigners and locals (Radios have English programs). The newspaper and magazine advertisements will be a continuation of the television and radio advertisements using pictures. The internet advertisements as well to put in this market by the follow step. Objectives To let consumers (foreigners who are not Australian and locals) understanding our product and fall in love with it (Taste and this lifestyle). To make an impact in the target market in those cities we have chosen to promote SOLO, using different media. Not only promote the product but also promote the Australian lifestyle- Game on (happiness and passion, especially for locals). Media mix First step we will use TV advertisements to open the market, make consumers to know us. Radio and billboards are the second step to make consumers understand what we provide that not only just soft drink but also a lifestyle. Internet is the auxiliary channel to expand the market range. Four different media will work together. Message The information will send to consumers clearly. We promote a lifestyle which called Game on. Let consumers feel happy and fill with passion. Sales promotions There are two types of sales promotions: Trade sales promotion and consumer sales promotion. Trade sales promotion is known to push the products through the retailers, induce retailers into stocking and supporting certain products. Consumer sales promotion attempts to pull a response from consumers give directly to consumers to encourage them into action. The trade sales promotion strategy to the selected outlets will include discounts and surrender part of the profits. In another way, push strategy used will be for staff of retailers to give them push money for not only stocking products but also supporting them. The consumer sales promotion strategy includes many tactics to induce purchasing of SOLO. The first tactic will be to sell the soft drink in glass bottle and in paper cup. This will be a popular style to sell SOLO in Afghanistan, because these packaging will reduce the cost and keep our price always lower and it is a good packaging for lunch or dinner. The second tactic is to run a redemption game is called Kick the can! The game will enable player to win an I-pod and we will put the competition show on our official website. The players have an opportunity is watched by the whole world. Objectives A push strategy to retailers by surrender part of the profits. A pull strategy to promote to new customers of offering a redemption game. Personal selling Personal selling is the face- to- face promotion of the products to the customers by agents, store employees, assistants and relations officers. It can be effective because of the persuasiveness of the sales staff that has the ability to inform a customers decision. The personal selling can be in a way by local boys who wear the sportswear (yellow jersey) to promote SOLO. Looking like the sports star in the commercials and newspaper advertisement to provide taste testing and distribute the circular. Other promotional tools The current