Effects of Music on Human Behavior

As music has changed through out the years, artists have become much more lax with the message that they send to the public. As laws of censorship change, a separation of the public’s freedom of speech and the medias has become very significant. As the government cracks down, many artists fight to keep their freedom. With people blaming their actions on the lyrics of the music they are exposed to, this is going to be a hard feat for the artists to accomplish. Although the fight of the musical artists against the government has been going on for the past 20 years, it has become even more emanate now. Are the actions of people to be blamed on the music? What effect does music have on the social behavior? Should these effects make harder censorship laws, or is music protected by the Bill of Rights? Music has become a large part of everyone’s life. Preservation of music is very important to the preservation of the american culture so these problems cannot be ignored. The most misunderstood music is Rap. Children as well as teenagers have a hard time interpreting emotions in music (Weinberger). This misunderstanding is most relevant in rap music, because it is harder for children to relate to the artist. In cases like these, apparent or older sibling has to explain the message to the child (Weinberger). In particular, â€Å"gangsta rap† is distinguished by lyrics that often involve references to street gangs, gunplay, sex, drug use and violence, and has been accused of extolling violent behavior. Studies have found that exposure to rap music â€Å"tends to lead to a higher degree of acceptance of the use of violence. † In addition, several major rap artists have been charged with violent crimes in real life, and many worry that their actions seemingly condone the violent messages in their music. Their celebrity status also serves to glamorize their violent behavior (Mediascope). Although there is violence, sex, and drug reference in modern rock music, most have a much deeper message about life. It has been resolved that rock music has had more influence on older adolesencents then their parents do (Weinberger). Rock music is much easier for teenagers to relate to with all of their pressures and problems. â€Å"Kids who listen to Heavy Metal and Rap tend not to do as well in school, or it maybe that troubled students are drawn to these types of music† (Weinberger 99) The most rebellious music is Punk. Punk spreads the true ideas of the modern teenager through the media. â€Å"When parents look at Punk music they see everything that is wrong with their children just as their parents did† (Robertson). Parents should pay more attention to the music that their children listen to. They must also censor the music (American Acad†¦). Even with all of the violence, sex, and drug references in music, there are many benefits. Listening to music keeps the brain in shape. Listening involves learning, memory, and emotions (Ezarik). Studies of the Mozart Effect have shown that listening to music can make babies more creative, smarter, healthier, and happier (Ezarik). Some doctors in ancient Greece even believed that music was just as important as medication in treating patients (Gregory). Other studies of music, faster music tends to make people work faster where as music with long, gentle notes tend to relax (Gregory). The effects of music psychology can be seen in stores in our own community. Many play background music in order to get shoppers to stay in the store (Gregory). Music is important in adolescent lives: teenagers spend between four and five hours a day listening to music and watching music videos and name music listening as their preferred non-school activity. It is not surprising that government officials, researchers and parents alike are concerned about the impact of music on teenagers. Disturbed by the amount of violence portrayed in modern music, adults worry that these messages are contributing to the rise in violence among kids. Forty-eight percent (48%) of Americans say that violence in popular music should be more heavily regulated and 59% would ike to restrict violence in music. (Mediascope) The effects of stimulating and sedating music were determined for heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure of premature infants in an intensive care nursery. The results indicate that the calming and stabilizing effect of sedating music might help to reduce the use of sedative drugs in infants on ventilators and reduce the incidence of respiratory problems (Journal of Mus†¦). The basic rights of freedom of speech are outlined in the Bill of Rights. Do these rights also cover the freedom of speech in music? Music is a form of media and should be censored, just as movies and television (American Acad†¦). Many performers do see themselves as large role models, but they also believe that parents should take action. â€Å"How much damage can I do with a pen? † (Eminem, Rap Artist) When parents are not around, who are children supposed to look up too? (American Acad†¦) There is really no way that parents can regulate all of the music that their children listen to, but it is a start for parents just to find out what kind of music their children are exposed to (American Acad†¦). Even with these changes many bands have not received the message to clean up or get out (Gregory). How far should the government go in their intervention? Keeping records that should not be open to the public off the shelves, taking away publishing rights from some artists that go to far with their music is up to the public to decide. Many parents look at the music that their children listen to and do not even consider it music, but porn. With all the reference to sex not only in the music, but also in the music videos shown on television. Although the government has made a lot of threats to try to intimidate the music industry; many parents believe that these threats should be carried out in order to end the violence (American Acad†¦). â€Å"Music may contribute to the atmosphere of violence that some argue is generated by popular media. Critics claim that music negatively affects teenagers by repeatedly exposing them to themes such as Satanism, substance abuse, murder, suicide and sexual violence, which may be heavily reinforced and normalized by the frequency of their portrayal. Heavy metal and rap music are especially criticized for lyrics that many believe glorify violence. Music lyrics have also become increasingly explicit in the past two decades. Songs commonly make graphic references to sex, drugs and violence, whereas such sensitive topics were cleverly veiled in the past. †(Mediascope) The public, and parents, should be aware of sexually explicit, drug oriented, or violent lyrics on compact discs, tapes, music videos, and the Internet. The music industry should develop and apply a system of specific content-labeling of music regarding violence, sex, drugs, or offensive lyrics. If labeling is not done voluntarily by the music industry, then regulation should be developed to make it mandatory (American Acad†¦). â€Å"Forty-seven percent (47%) of mothers with children in public schools believe that violent messages in rap music contribute â€Å"a great deal† to school violence, and 66% of 13- to 17-year-olds believe violence in music is partly responsible for violent crimes like the 1999 Columbine High School shootings. However, no studies have documented a cause-and-effect relationship between violent or sexually explicit lyrics and adverse behavioral effects. Studies show that the preference for heavy metal music may be a significant indicator for alienation, substance abuse, psychiatric disorders, suicide risks, sex-role stereotyping, or risk-taking behaviors during adolescence, but music is not the cause of these behaviors. It is hypothesized that teenagers already struggling with those issues may be attracted to heavy metal music, because the lyrics express their own troubled feelings. (Mediascope) The music video industry should be encouraged to produce videos and public service messages with positive themes about relationships, racial harmony, drug avoidance, nonviolence and conflict, pregnancy prevention, and avoidance of sexually transmitted diseases (American Acad†¦). â€Å"Music Television (MTV) redefined music for future generations by creating music videos, and the unique fusion between rock music and visual images continues to be a hit. A 1996 study revealed that boys and irls ages 12 to 19 watch MTV for an average of 6. 6 and 6. 2 hours each week, respectively. But despite music videos' popularity among adolescents, many adults criticize the medium as studies show that music videos often contain violence, sexism, suicide and substance abuse. A 1998-1999 study revealed that music videos were more violent than feature films and television, averaging four violent scenes each, and a 1997 study reported that 22. 4% of MTV videos contained overt violence and 25% depicted weapon carrying. (Mediascope) Pediatricians should counsel parents to become media-literate. This means watching television with their children and teenagers, discussing the content with them, and initiating the process of selective viewing at an early age (American Acad†¦). What actions has the government taken to get the ball rolling on these problems many people are wondering? The government has set up a rating system for music. As with movies, it is separated into age groups that are mature enough to listen to the content of the album. The government has also required a label to be placed on albums with explicit content. The label simply states â€Å"Parental Advisory Explicit Content† (VH1, 100 most†¦). Although the government has taken a few steps, there is much more that could be done. As for the laws that are involved none are truly enforced out of fear of a lawsuit, or problems involving the loss of support to pass these laws by the music industry and the artists. As ideas and times change in the world, the message in music will also change. Looking back in the past few years the change in music has been very substantial, with the introduction of new music such as techno. Music may be stepping away form violence by itself. If music does take this step away, all by itself, there may be no reason for the government to intervene with censorship. There is no reason why people should be able to get away with their actions because of listening to music. Music may have a substantial effect on many people, but everyone knows the difference between right and wrong, fact and fiction.

File Sharing essays

File Sharing essays Dont take something that doesnt belong to you. A common sentence many parents tell their children as theyre growing up. At that young age, usually the punishment was a timeout or something taken away. Yet we grow older, and thus the punishment is worse. Its now called stealing, and as they say, you do the crime, you pay the time. Stealing by law is illegal, so then I ask, well if thats the case, why do we have such a thing as file sharing. WWW..the first three letters on a website. The world wide web, and truly it is, the worldwide web. File sharing has most likely been around since the internet was, but back then it wasnt seen as too much of a threat, for only a few knew about it. Today though, millions turn on the computer and file share. So you ask, well how do we stop this. But to respond, I say, there is no way to stop it..all efforts are a waste of time and money, for the more you try to stop it, the more people will find a way against it. ****In the past year or so, the RIAA has tried to file lawsuits against those who illegally trade files on the internet. Though this may be true, why do we still have as many file shares out there today. According to the RIAA some 61 million people in just the US regularly share music online. In general the P2P (peer to peer) activity has not diminished. P2p traffic is likely to stay around and grow in the future. While the RIAA tries to stop this activity with its numerous lawsuits, one has to ask the question, how can they fairly sue people for their activities, and is their a way to guarantee all violators are prosecuted? Well no, there isnt. It will always be an unfair business, those trying to sue against file sharers. There is no way to guarantee the fairness of this. Too many people file share and will continue to file share. As long as there is internet service, we will have filesharing. *****Many say that money is lost in the music indus...

Cmo Retirar la Peticin de Green Card a Familiar

Cmo Retirar la Peticin de Green Card a Familiar Los ciudadanos y los residentes permanentes pueden retirar la peticià ³n de una tarjeta de residencia, tambià ©n conocida por green card, que presentaron para un familiar. En este artà ­culo se explica quià ©nes pueden retirar dicha peticià ³n, cà ³mo se hace y las condiciones especiales que aplican a la green card por matrimonio y porquà © es importante cancelarla a tiempo en algunos casos y no seguir con la tramitacià ³n hasta el final. Quià ©n Puede Retirar la Peticià ³n de Permiso de Residencia para Familiar Puede solicitar la cancelacià ³n de la peticià ³n de permiso de residencia la persona que inicià ³ el proceso de pedir aun  familiar mediante la presentacià ³n del documento que se conoce I-130. Segà ºn las leyes migratorias de Estados Unidos sà ³lo pueden patrocinar una green card por parentesco: Los ciudadanos americanos, para: Esposos/as. Esto aplica tanto a los enlaces entre un hombre y una mujer como a los matrimonios entre personas del mismo sexo.Hijos/as. Establecià ©ndose tres categorà ­as segà ºn la edad y/o el estado civil de a persona pedida.Hermanos y padres, cuando el solicitante tenga al menos 21 aà ±os de edad. Los residentes permanentes legales para: El marido o la mujer.Hijos solteros, si bien hay dos categorà ­as dependiendo de la edad. Cà ³mo se Solicita la Cancelacià ³n de la Peticià ³n para la Tarjeta de Residencia Escribir una carta en inglà ©s al USCIS en la que se indique: El nombre del solicitante de los papeles para un familiar y su direccià ³n en Estados Unidos.El nombre completo de la persona beneficiada para la que se solicitaron los papeles, indicando tambià ©n su fecha y paà ­s de nacimiento.La fecha en la que la peticià ³n fue admitida a trmite por el USCIS (filed). Eso est en la carta en la que se recibe confirmacià ³n del recibo del papeleo.Una breve descripcià ³n de la razà ³n por la que se cancela la solicitud. La direccià ³n a la que hay que enviar la carta es la de la oficina de inmigracià ³n a la que se envià ³ la peticià ³n de los papeles para el familiar. Hasta Cundo se Puede Cancelar la Peticià ³n Como regla general, si el beneficiario de la peticià ³n est en Estados Unidos, se puede retirar la peticià ³n en cualquier momento antes de que se apruebe  el ajuste de estatus. Si el familiar que va a recibir el permiso de residencia est en otro paà ­s, se puede pedir la retirada hasta justo antes de que el beneficiario entre por primera vez en Estados Unidos como residente. Es decir, incluso despuà ©s de la entrevista en el consulado pero antes de que el oficial migratorio en una frontera de los Estados Unidos estampe el pasaporte del beneficiado, que se convierte asà ­ en residente permanente. En estos casos en los que el familiar est en otro paà ­s y el proceso de peticià ³n est avanzado y ya en và ­as de pasar a trmites consulares puede ser recomendable enviar al Centro Nacional de Visas, NVC por sus siglas en inglà ©s, o al  consulado americano competente una copia de la carta enviada al USCIS en la que se abandona la peticià ³n de permiso de residencia. El Caso Excepcional de los Matrimonios con Ciudadanos Americanos La forma ms rpida de conseguir la green card es por matrimonio con un ciudadano americano. Pero estas tarjetas de residencia pueden tener  una particularidad: son temporales por dos aà ±os antes de convertirse en permanentes cuando la residencia se recibe antes de cumplirse dos aà ±os de casados. En estos casos el ciudadano americano puede cancelar la peticià ³n del cà ³nyuge extranjero no sà ³lo hasta el momento en el que à ©ste gana la green card del modo seà ±alado anteriormente. Sino que tambià ©n puede impedir que el esposo inmigrante pueda cambiar su estatus de titular de green card temporal a permanente. Es suficiente si a  los dos aà ±os se niega a firmar conjuntamente la peticià ³n de remocià ³n o levantamiento de la condicionalidad. En estos casos el cà ³nyuge extranjero pierde la tarjeta de residencia y es muy posible que deba abandonar Estados Unidos. Los à ºnicos casos en los que se permite que el ciudadano americano no firme la remocià ³n de la condicionalidad y el marido o la mujer extranjero se conviertan en residentes permanentes son: Fallecimiento del solicitante ciudadano americano.Divorcio, en el que la parte extrajera pueda demostrar que su matrimonio fue de buena fe.Malos tratos sufridos por el cà ³nyuge extranjero en base al programa VAWA.Situacià ³n extrema, como violencia en el paà ­s de origen del cà ³nyuge extranjero o enfermedad del mismo. Una vez que el Familiar Extranjero se Convierte en Residente Permanente,  ¿Puede el Patrocinador Pedir una Cancelacià ³n de la Tarjeta de Residencia? En principio no, a menos que se pueda probar documentalmente o con otra clase de evidencia que ha habido fraude o situacià ³n similar. Es relativamente comà ºn en los casos de peticiones por matrimonio que cuando las cosas van mal haya acusaciones y reproches mutuos y que el patrocinador se pregunte si puede quitarle la green card al esposo o a la mujer con la que ahora se lleva mal. Pero hay que entender que el desamor y las peleas conyugales no son prueba de que el cà ³nyuge extranjero se hubiera casado sà ³lo por los papeles, con engaà ±o y calculadamente. Antes de hacer una acusacià ³n de que un matrimonio ha sido falso hay que ser honestos consigo mismo y pensar si uno tiene realmente pruebas o simplemente se est dolido o se tienen celos. A Tener en Cuenta por Sus Consecuencias Graves Si una persona cancela la peticià ³n de un familiar, si despuà ©s se arrepiente y desea volver a instaurarla debe darse cuenta de que debe empezar el proceso desde el comienzo, rellenar de nuevo todos los papeles y pagar los aranceles correspondientes. Adems, hay que tener en cuenta que si no son buenas las relaciones familiares entre la persona que pide los papeles y la beneficiada por la green card puede haber problemas de carcter econà ³mico que hay que tener en cuenta. Y es que a lo largo de la tramitacià ³n de un familiar uno de los papeles que se firma es lo que se conoce como affidavit of support o declaracià ³n de mantenimiento. Los deberes que se tienen al firmar este contrato duran 10 aà ±os, en la mayorà ­a de los casos. Y no importa que solicitante y beneficiado no se hablan o, en el caso de matrimonio, que se haya producido un divorcio. Por todo ello se recomienda tomar este test de respuestas mà ºltiples que sirve para aclarar importantes dudas sobre la green card. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

MCH Programs and Policies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MCH Programs and Policies - Assignment Example y contraceptives were safe for use and a litigation by over 60 women and medical groups’ in 2001 forced FDA to approve emergency contraceptives for use over-the-counter for all women. Thereafter, various state government established laws that allowed sale of emergency contraceptives without a doctor’s prescription but in 2011, the Obama administration restricted access to those under 17 years (Center for Reproductive Rights, 2015). The policy has improved economic welfare of many women. They are not inconvenienced by unwanted pregnancies, although it has not reduced the risk of acquiring sexual infections. Religious groups believe plan B causes abortion while but researchers prove it prevents implantation. Emergency contraceptives have reduced agony and suffering from women who previously had to seek abortion services after unprotected sex. College girls no longer drop out of school due to unwanted pregnancy inconveniences (Glasier & Baird, 1998). Drug manufacturers, women rights group, FDA and religious groups have vested interests the bill. Drug manufactures, would want it approved for use by all without restrictions. Women groups find it a right violation and medical groups such as pediatric associations believe that it important because it reduces the cost of unwanted pregnancies and the risk of complications during delivery and late abortions. Religious groups find it immoral. The FDA and government find that people are likely to abuse the drugs (Culp-Ressler, 2013; Faà ºndes, Tavara, Brache, & Alvarez, 2007). Culp-Ressler, T. (2013). Judge Rules Emergency Contraception Should Be Available To All Women Over The Counter. Retrieved from http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/04/05/1826411/judge-plan-b-over-counter/ Faà ºndes, A., Tavara, L., Brache, V., & Alvarez, F. (2007). Emergency contraception under attack in Latin America: response of the medical establishment and civil society. Reproductive Health Matters, 15(29),

Unit 4 PP Mini Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 4 PP Mini - Coursework Example Accidents during the erection of the tent, destruction of property during the party, fighting and other violent acts, breaking of bottles and glasses, and cuts resulting from the acts are some of the risks identified. Accidents during the preparation of the tent, cuts, and an arising medical condition require an articulate risk management strategy. While caution and guidance is required, the occurrence of such issues demands immediate first aid. As such, first aid kits and an efficient first aid individual or staff is essential for the alleviation of the possible detrimental effects that can arise. The team need to be alert and available throughout the process. Therefore, it should be a member of the planning team (Royer, 2013). In addition, violent acts and unruly behaviour, destruction of property, breaking of glasses and other acts are risks that need prioritization. These acts would most likely result from young adults enchanted by the prohibited. Such acts can be curbed by availing a security personnel during the event.The security personnel will be well equipped to ascertain minimal disruptive, with certainty of no serious effects. For instance, while it may be impossible to prevent unexpected behaviour, the personnel will ensure that such actions will not get out of hand to cause harm or destruction (Royer, 2013). The prioritization of the risks will lead to certainty in the implementation of the risk management plan. However, proper financing is critical to the success. As such, there will be need to ensure that the $500 budget will meet all the specifics of the party and stand efficiently for the risk management

Industry Paper-Exploring organaizational development and strategies Essay

Industry Paper-Exploring organaizational development and strategies - Essay Example With the advent of time, the vacuum cleaner industry has undergone drastic changes. The globalization of the markets, rapid developments in the technologies, easy access to cost-effective manufacturing destinations and growing concern for eco-friendly products and services have stressed the need of modifying the organizational structures and strategies (European Commission, 2009). The vacuum cleaners are supplied in accordance to the demands of the customers, government, society and environment so that every stakeholder can get benefitted. All the key players of the vacuum cleaner industry such as Dyson, Dirt Devil, Electrolux, Kirby, Hoover, Vax, Black & Decker, Miele, Oreck and many more have same organizational structures and strategies. However, they differ in terms of their competency level and product differentiation strategy. The early form of vacuum cleaners was the self-contained ones which were the foremost and sole suction machines. These first machines were introduced and invented in Europe by Hubert Booth in early period of 1900s and his company’s name was Goblin. Next, the upright vacuum cleaners were created which had a revolving brush for loosening the debris. These appliances were conceived by James Murray Spangler and a few years later were introduced in US by Hoover. The early entrants of the vacuum cleaner market in UK were Electrolux in 1908, followed by Vorwerk in 1929 and Miele in 1931 (European Commission, 2009). During the period of 1960s, the concept of professional carpet cleaning was inaugurated. This latest trend was refined by Alan Brazier under the brand Van in 1980s. This was the turning point in the European vacuum cleaner industry as Vax Ltd. took over more than half of the UK market by the end of 1980s. Hoover and Bissell launched the extractors or upright carpet washers in Europe and US in the early years of twenty-first century. In 1911,

Market and company overview of pret a manger

Market and company overview of pret a manger Prà ªt a Manger established in 1986 by two college friends Sinclair Beecham and Julian Metcalfe (who also is the founder of Itsu sushi bar/restaurant). It is a UK based sandwich retailer, which now is an international business (Prà ªt). They named the company Prà ªt a Manger, which in French means ready to eat (see Appendix 1.0) Rix (2004) states, a product is a set of tangible attributes in an identifiable form and he adds, each product is identified by a commonly understood descriptive (p. 199). Prà ªt produces sandwiches, filled baguettes, soup, salad and coffee. It also prepares desserts, muffins (the American variety), cakes, and croissants. Some locations also serve sushi and noodles. Prà ªt has a range of vegetarian options including roasted vegetable sandwiches and hummus wraps. In marketing though, customers seek to purchase its quality and benefits (Rix, 2004). Prà ªt essentially provides fresh fast food made with natural ingredients. They are passionate about freshness all food is made fresh in the shop on the day of purchase. Sandwiches are packaged in paperboard rather than sealed plastic, to emphasise that they are fresh and cannot be kept overnight. Some packaging contains recipes for some of their products; these are for people who want to make sandwiches like Prà ªts for themselves. Mor eover, Prà ªt also provides a delivery service for orders over  £30 minimum. Service can be identified as activities that meet customers needs or wants solely on intangible benefits (Rix, 2004). Their services are excellent; the staff are friendly, always greet with civility, approachable and enthusiastic, which makes their customers feel welcome (ref). Rix (2004) states Marketers are increasingly being faced with a choice between profitably satisfying the wants of their customers and complying with the wishes of various other groups in the community (p. 5). Prà ªt is aimed at the middle to upper class including white-collar workers and businessmen and women who use it regularly to have a coffee before work, especially the City type customers (ref). Therefore, Prà ªt stores are normally found near the train or tube stations, affluent places such as Canary Wharf, and cities such as Central London. These are places where will be more consumers that they are targeting at. Prets competitors include Starbucks, Costa, Nero and Eat. Relatively speaking, Starbucks is the biggest competitor since it is the largest coffeehouse business in the world. Companies that anticipate changes in consumer behaviour and respond with new gods and services are likely to achieve long-term health and profitability. But companies that change consumer behaviour have the opportunity to make major breakthroughs in new markets and industries (Hoffman et al. 2005) Already there are about 240 Prà ªt shops, which are mainly based in the UK. Statistically, their yearly turnover is approximately  £270 million a year (see Appendix 1.1) Task 1 P 1.1 Situation Analysis A thorough analysis of the situation in which the firm finds itself serves as the basis for identifying opportunities to satisfy unfulfilled customer needs (City of London Academy, Edition 1). Need to be changed One of procedures of the marketing planning is the marketing audit, which plays a huge part that constantly is being conducted throughout the whole process. It is to study internal factors, while also anticipates stakeholders and external factors. The Chartered Institute of Marketing says: Carrying out the marketing audit provides the opportunity to review and appraise your whole marketing activity, enabling you to assess past and present performance as well as to provide the basis for evaluating possible future courses of action. (year) Marketing audit breaks down into two categories: The microenvironment is the forces close to the company that affect its ability to serve its customers (Kotler et al. 1998, pp. 885-886). This is focusing on the internal business experiences, where an organization has a complete control, giving this opportunity to improve the business. The macro-environment is the larger societal forces that affect the whole microenvironment (Kotler et al. 1998, pp. 885-886). This is the external factors, where a business barely or has absolute no control on, that changes may adversely affect the organisation. (ref) SWOT analysis is a method, which came from the research conducted at Stanford Research Institute. It draws all the evidence from several analytical techniques used, provides basic useful information of developing the business, marketing objectives or aims and new products into the market. Prà ªt undertakes a SWOT analysis, which its abbreviation is Strengths, the strong features and positions of the company, Weaknesses, where the company needs to improve in order to maintain the best image of the business as possible internal issues, Opportunities, where the company can grab chances to better themselves and to expand their reputation, and Threats, where the company relish challenges that may affect the business external issues (Rix, 2004). Example of SWOT analysis is shown below: Table 1: (1.1 Explanation of SWOT analysis) Strengths Non-stop producing new products. Often do offers. Prices are cheap and affordable. Always create new advertisements. Services are fast and easy. Weaknesses Products are not healthy. Advertise unhealthy products i.e. burgers Contributes to obesity. Loaded with sugar. Opportunities Exploitation of interest in healthier eating. Sponsoring could help the business their sales. Home deliveries service Threats International exchange rate Increasing labours wages Competitors pricing Competitors invent similar products, might be better. Source: The researcher PEST is an analysis of external factors, generally considered to be outside the control of a business. The PEST analysis is to identify both presents and futures opportunities and threats. PEST stands for Political; Economic; Social and Technology (ref). Clear explanation of each of these are shown in the following: Table 2: (1.1 Explanation of PEST) Political These are factors that are controlled by the government policies. Economic These factors are related to political and are concerned about interest rates, exchange rate, economic growth and income levels. Social Concerning the factors of age, size of families, healthy lifestyle and religions. Technology Factors concern such as computers, machineries, motor vehicles etc. Source: The researcher P 1.2 A mission or vision statement is a statement that provides a signpost of where your business aims to be in the future (Chartered Institute of Marketing, ). Choose better one A mission statement has to be concise and explicitly explain that provides a clear view of Prà ªts intention to customers and stakeholders, what is their business and who their customers are. It also provides motivation within the organization, helps them to focus on accomplishing their objectives (ref). This helps marketer to make informed decisions of suitable strategies and programs. Here are the two mission statements of Prà ªt: Turnover currently  £270 million: to increase 9% within 2 years time. To expand wider and open new stores this year: 3 new stores to be opened in Birmingham, (BBC News, 2010). According to media sources, Prà ªts turnover is constantly increased in the recent years. Although economic crisis has just ended, nonetheless the business somehow managed to make profits. This shows that the businesss financial situation is stable and secure. Table 3: (1.2 Marketing Mix for Prà ªt a Manager) Product Hoi sin Duck Wrap is a Cantonese style of wrap Prà ªt does. Inside the wrap has shredded roast duck, hoisin sauce, red onions, cucumber, leaf spinach and a touch of mayo in a tortilla wrap. The wrap contains nuts, sesame free, dairy free, GM free and high protein, which keeps customers full longer. Every single Pret store has its own kitchen, they make the product every single purchase day, to make sure it is fresh and healthy. Those left unsold at the end of the day, they will not be re-sold, but will be collected by the charities, and then given to those are homeless. Price This product quite pricey due to the qualities it contains, which cost  £2.95 each. This can be cost plus pricing, average cost of the product and service plus a profit margin; it has a high mark-up. Place The channels of distribution of this product will be service providers to consumers, as well as direct marketing through the website so the consumers can shop at home, but minimum of  £30. This product sells in a clean and pleasant environment, affluent places like the city, where the market targets will perform the desire behaviour. Usually during lunchtime, when this product can be purchased the most. Promotion Prà ªt promotes the product through word of mouth by informal communication about the product by ordinary individuals, satisfied customers or people specifically engaged to create word of mouth momentum. Sales staff often plays an important role in word of mouth. This promotion also includes leaflets, shop windows, and its own website, targeting at older group, middle and upper class groups. Source: wesite SWOT analysis is used to get something in the right position in the market and help in companys strategic planning. It must be done before Prà ªts product (Hoi Sin Duck Wrap) is launched and at regular intervals after that, also needs to spend resources to maximize profit and minimise potential threat (ref). The following table shows the SWOT analysis of Prà ªt that may influence their sales of the new product. Table 4: (1.2 SWOT Analysis for Prà ªt a Manager) Strengths Prà ªt is well known for handmade sandwiches, which are made with natural ingredients, and immaculate service, which the quality of products and customers are the companys priorities. The business also does delivery service that other sandwich bars do not provide, as well as online order. Thus, these advantages may aid to gain repeat sales of Hoi Sin Duck Wrap. Weaknesses Prà ªt is considerably to be one of the most expensive sandwich bars in the world. This also means that the business only has certain target audience and stores can be found in affluent areas only. Prà ªt stores are generally small that unable to provide sufficient seats for customers to eat in. Thus, the sales of Hoi Sin Duck Wrap will not be expectedly high. Opportunities Prà ªt does not franchise. The business could take this opportunity to franchise out; not only Prà ªt can gain popularity, the business can also earn some fees from franchising! Prà ªt does not involve a lot of advertisements. Advertising plays a major part in every organization Prà ªt should seriously think about advertisements on television and newspapers etc. Thus, Hoi Sin Duck Wrap is highly unreachable. Threats The risk of competitors entering the market. Competitors such as Starbucks often distribute discount vouchers. Customers are aware of the price and generally; they tend to go for cheaper options. Thus, Hoi Sin Duck Wraps product life cycle is predictably short. Source: website Prà ªt must consider on the external environment influences, which may have impact on its product. It is a strategic planning technique that provides a useful framework for analysing the environmental pressure on Prà ªt and its product (ref). Table 5: (1.2 PEST for Prà ªt a Manager) Political Economic Social Technology Source: The researcher Task 2 P 2.1 Marketing Barriers Barriers are vague obstacles that tend to thwart a marketing plan and unable to pass messages to external stakeholders. A marketer needs to understand and identify each of the barriers that they are confronting, in order to avoid scuppering the plan. Marketers generally realise these barriers when they manage to envisage a business is not growing or a prolonged unstable position (ref). These barriers can be both internal and external, and all must take into account: Not knowing your product Lack of knowledge in a businesss product and what services the business can provide to their customers can be an immense barrier to the business success. There will be no guarantee, security, customer loyalty, and number of complaints will increase, the business is ineffectual and needs improvement immediately. Whilst the business competitors understand their products, this can adversely affect the business turnover and repeat sales will not occur. Not knowing your competition If a researcher does not know where a business stands and positions of the business competitors, it is highly unlikely that the business can topple its competitors. Competitors study and observe their own competitors. This will give competitors the ideas how to better their performance. Gradually, competitors successfully satisfy customers and therefore eventually, the business will be ceased. Not understanding the market A product is ready to enter the market. However, if a researcher does not know what a business segmentations are can cause problems to the sales campaign. If the researcher does not know where these segments are, which segment should be regarded and disregarded, the marketing plan will not be effective. It is also concerned with costs. For example, the researcher does not study the environment for the business products, high premises cost, electricity and gas, the business will have no the potential to reach the top. Capital requirements The amount of financial resources that every new business enters a market is immense. Businesses such as manufacturing industries and building constructions are required extortionate machineries in order to run its business. Investments can also occur to existing businesses. For instance, investing in new product: finance availability for research and development, production, marketing etc. The investment risk is great, therefore creates barrier. However, there is a prospect of overthrowing the business competitors. Government policy This is concerned with macro-environment. Government policies sometimes are forced to halt competition. For example, laws and regulations such as product testing regulations, global warming and limits on access to raw materials can inhibit the growth of competitions due to licensing requirements. P 2.2 Solutions for marketing barriers Knowing your product It is vital to understand wholly and study what products and services that Prà ªt are providing, how they are functioned and any most recent information that a marketer should know. This will guide the marketer to the right direction and helps to plan a marketing strategy. Having knowledge of the companys products can laden relationships with customers, suppliers and other stakeholders. For instance, customers expectations will be made, therefore sales enhance. Suppliers will be delighted to supply, as Prà ªt seems stable and able to meet payments on time. Knowing your competition It is important to know and learn about competitors. Competitors can be one of keys to a Prà ªts achievement, as researchers can study and observe the business competitors to acknowledge its weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This consists of competitive pricing, niche market availability, promotion, advertisements and other relevant useful information that can be learned. Understanding your market Researchers must know what are the target groups and who prà ªt is selling its products to. To conduct a market research can help researchers to understand the specific target audience and customers expectations in terms of price and quality. Methods of market research can be primary and/or secondary, quantitative and/or qualitative. Internet is a very effective tool that can help Prà ªt to overcome its barriers. Information and data that are needed can mostly be found online. Also, if researchers are struggling, good guidelines can also be found on the Internet. Until researchers are fulfilled with the results, decisions are then made and subsequently, implement a marketing plan. Task 3 P 3.1 In competitive world, companies need to produce new products to satisfy customer needs. A company cannot expect to continue growth or to maximise profit by relying exclusively on its existing products. The company must retain to control its market by continuous product innovation that involves complete new product development, product improvement, which is to discover different ways in improving existing products effectively, and imitative products, which means a copied product that is already exist in the market by other companies. It is essential to know how to manage a new product, which goes through its life cycle (Kotler et al., year) Every product has its life cycle, showing how long a product will last for. Product life cycle is the phases a product goes through from its introduction to its final decline (ref). The product life cycle has five main phases: Table 6: (3.1 Product Life Cycle) Induction This is the starting point, where a product has just begun its sales life. There is usually no profit making due to higher cost of marketing and development. Growth This is the period when a products sales has just set to rise, and the cost begins to fall due to economies of scale the more consumers purchase the product, the quicker the product will run out, therefore the more quantities of the product will be supplied by the suppliers. Maturity A sale is expanding at a slower rate and profits are soaring. More and more consumers purchase the product. The pricing may be lower due to greater competition. Saturation A market is begun to fall due to many other similar products, better products, out of date etc. The product will not be produced as much as it used to. Decline The ending of a product where the sales cannot survive again, therefore the price will be reduced more. The product then is withdrawn. Source: author , date Hoi Sin Duck Wrap is a product, which has been developed and marketed to Prets customers, and is currently market leader. Still as the researcher knowledge, there is no market follower for this product. Kotler et al. (year) believe a product tends to develop, improve and modify through research, as well as to identify, create and deliver the new product that has not emerged in the market yet. Every business must have its segmentation and targeting, its own branding and knowing relationship marketing in order to innovate flawlessly and increase demand. Segmentation technique is separated a market into groups, where there will be different segments requires and different market approaches. It is concerned on understanding customers lifestyles, preferences and aspirations. This can help businesses to find out what consumers are expected and their needs in order to develop products and increase overall demand. ACORN and MOSIAC help to identify groups consumers who are willing to purchase, therefore there will be a market for each product. Table 7: (3.1 Segmentation) ACORN A Classification Of Residential Neighborhoods, is a tool used to identify and understand the population and the demand for products and services. Businesses use this information to identify consumers needs and try to target at more consumers. Also identifying consumers age, income, employment, and type of holidays they go for etc. CACI Information Services develops classification of residential areas, market analysis and provides information. MOSIAC This is another classification to identify household types by combination of credit history, share ownership, postcode data etc. This can help businesses what type of characteristics they are aiming at. Source: author, date Segmentation technique also includes geographic, demographic, and psychographic. This can be developed so that it can create an effective marketing plan. Geographic This is a method to identify customer behavior information, such as consumer density, past purchasing behaviors etc, which may differ from other countries. Demographic This uses population factors based on variables such as age, gender family size, income, occupation, education, religion, race and nationality (ACORN). Psychographic A breakdown of consumers according to different characteristics, including the attitudes expectations and activities of consumers, their interests and lifestyles. Source: author, date Task 4 P 4.1 Marketing ethical is related to or concerning morals, justice or duty, based on ideas of right and wrong. Rules or laws that have already been set, everyday we make any decision may consider on those principles (Baker, 2006). There two main approaches in ethical identified by Rix (2004) are rules approach and outcomes approach. Rules approach is otherwise known as deontological. It is when rules must be strictly adhered, despite of the outcome. Rix (2004) states trust is one of the main keys of ethical rules in marketing. For instance, a products appearance is deceptive that lures a customer into purchasing the product, although it does not physically harm the customer is still ethically wrong. Likewise a company intends to maximise profit by conducting unethical approaches, such as making redundancies without a reason, the action is regard as unethical (Rix, 2004). Outcomes approach is otherwise known as teleological. It is occurred when an outcome is seemingly good and bad, dependi ng on the outcome prospective. For instance, Tesco brings a product into the market, but other groceries have had the product in the market already. Tesco set an unreasonable price for the product that is much lower than other competitors, which competitors accuse Tesco of unethical pricing. A contrary point of view from Tesco, that the outcome is beneficial to its stakeholders. If this action stays on, it may produce a greater amount of good than damaging others (Rix, 2004). P 4.2 Marketing mix is a tool that a company has the complete control. There are 4 main elements (4ps) in marketing mix, which are product, price, place and promotion. The fifth P, which is people, sometimes is added to demonstrate the relationship with customers. 2 further Ps are usually added within service industry, which are process and physical evidence (Lancaster and Reynolds, 1999). Conclusion