Monday, August 19, 2019

The Cloning Debate Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Topics

The Cloning Debate Not so far in the future, a young boy of the age of six, dying a heart-wrenching death, will only be able survive with a bone marrow transplant.   His parents will have searched near and far for a match, but none will come to their aid.   The only possible way that they can produce a perfect match for their son's bone marrow is to clone their son.   Unfortunately, at this time this topic is still being discussed and debated upon with the government.   Their only child that has been their treasure for six years might die.   A clone of their son becomes their apple of aspiration to keep the treasure from being buried. With a scenario as presented above, cloning might seem like the answer to hundreds of lives taken at the expense of uncontrollable forces.   But is there another side to the story?   Isn't there always?   Professor Kevin Williams of Georgetown University is still depicting the ambiguity of this topic when he states, "Like Adam and Eve, we want to be God, to be in control.   The question is, what are the limits?" (U.S. News World Report).   Making an identical copy of another human being is a rather drastic move, a move that in most people's eyes can only be carried through by God.   Some deem that cloning would put us in the shoes of God.   They believe that instead of God creating life, we would.   Some professors beg to differ, like David Fletcher of Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL who argues, "It is still only God who creates life." Perhaps cloning is not the answer and our society should leave reproduction up to the natural ways.   But then one must ask themselves the question of 'why not'.   Is there some horrible outcome that will back fire due to the aberrant ways of creating a child?   Is bring... ...volunteers, would we misuse it like Green thinks?   Are we capturing the phenomenon or is it destined to engross us? Sources Cited Coghlan, Andy.   "Reprogram Your   Body."   www.newscientist.com/nsplus/insight/clone/reprogram.html (16 April 2001). Decker, Christine.   "OSU Ethics Specialist To Provide National Report On Religion, Cloning."   www.orst.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/1997/March97/courtclone.htm  Ã‚   (17 April 2001). Green, Ronald M.   "I, Clone."   www.sciam.com/1999/0999bionic/0999green.html   (17 April 2001). Herbert, Wray.   "The World After Cloning."   www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/970310/10clon/htm   (16 April 2001). Vere, Steven.   "The Case for Cloning Humans."   www.best.com/~vere/cloning/htm  Ã‚   (17 April 2001). Wachbroit, Robert.   "Genetic Encores: The Ethics of Human Cloning." www.puaf.umd.edu/IPPP/Fall97Report/cloning/htm   (17 April 2001).

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Fall of the House of Usher Essay -- Literary Analysis, Edgar Allen

In the story â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† by Edgar Allen Poe, the character Roderick Usher is the last male member of the Usher family. The Usher family has a nearly impeccable direct line of descent as stated in paragraph 3 of the story. Roderick has only one living relative, his sister Madeline. This means that the Usher family is in jeopardy of disappearing because neither Roderick nor his sister has any children. Therefore there is a possibility of incest between Roderick and Madeline. However this could result in many difficulties and problems for the potential children and possibly on the consciences of Roderick and Madeline. In the story Roderick sings a poem entitled â€Å"The Haunted Palace† to the narrator of the story. Since Roderick Usher is having doubts about the security of his family line he uses the poem as a way of expressing these emotions without stating them explicitly. The organization of the stanzas in â€Å"The Haunted Palace† shows a lot about the poem’s overall meaning. The poem is literally about a palace in a beautiful valley. The palace is inhabited by spirits and a ruler of the valley. The valley is a happy place until it is attacked by evil spirits and their ruler dies. The attack of the spirits leaves the palace a dark and gloomy place. But this literal translation of the poem does not show its metaphorical meaning. A metaphor of the poem can be found through the organization of the poem as a whole. Stanza I describes the setting of the poem: â€Å"In the greenest of our valleys† (1.1). It also mentions the palace which is in the valley. Stanza II describes the palace in more detail, labelling it as a beautiful place. Stanza III gives information on the tenants of the palace; spirits live inside with â€Å"the ru... ...oderick refers to the spirits as good and says that they sing about: â€Å"The wit and wisdom of their king.† (4.8). â€Å"The ruler of the realm† (3.8) whom the spirits are singing about could represent the house of Usher, but not the literal house of Usher, instead they are singing about the Usher family. It is known that this is a name often given to both the house and the family: â€Å"†¦the ‘House of Usher’ – an appellation which seemed to include, in the minds of the peasantry who used it, both the family and the family mansion.† (Poe par.3) Therefore Roderick could be saying all of this because he is proud of his family and believes that he is letting down the â€Å"House of Usher† by not continuing the direct line of descent that his family has continued for so many years. Thus when the king dies in the poem (5.3-4), Roderick could think that his family line has already died.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Inner Peace- religion Essay

Analyse how the individual is guided towards acheiving inner peace in TWO religious traditions. (18/20)Inner peace is defined as an internal quality of calmness and security which puts the mind at ease and fills the adherent with a sense of tranquility and assurance. For adherents to Christianity and Islam, inner peace is an inevitable and hugely rewarding consequence of genuine faith. It is developed rather than striven for, through a unique combination of personal, communal, scriptural and doctrinal means. Christians believe that inner peace is obtained by being in a close relationship with God. This involves accepting the gift of love from God and accepting that grace is given and not earned. Christianity teaches God lives in the hearts of His people, all are made in His image and likeness, therefore Peace lies within. The Bible states: â€Å"Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God† (1 Peter 1:2). Christianity seeks to bring adherents to recognit ion; all who love God will gain peace, by living a life modeled after Jesus Christ. Essentially, faith in God instills within the adherent a sense of security and meaning conductive to the development of inner peace.The Christian tradition indicates the primary way of focusing inner peace and improving efforts at peacemaking is by returning to the Gospels and the sacred writings of Christianity. The reason for doing this is to renew the Christian’s knowledge and understanding of Jesus as the model peacemaker. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus’ teachings are echoed by recalling his words and actions: â€Å"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you† (John 14:27). The individual is guided toward inner peace through the Bible, which facilitates greater familiarity with the nature of God and acts as a source of practical, ethical and spiritual guidance. Christianity provides guidance for many forms of personal prayer using such means as scripture, writings from religious figures and various forms of meditation and contemplation. Centering prayer provides guidance for the Christian to go to their ‘inner’ place and there encounter God. This sustains the adherent in everyday life and contributes to a sense of peace and wellbeing. In being thankful and expressing gratitude to God, believers experience inner peace. The World Community for Christian Meditation proclaims: â€Å"Meditation and prayer is a practice that can bring peace, not only to individual meditators, but also to the whole world†.A significant means in which Christianity guides  adherents to find inner peace is through the concept of forgiveness. Jesus of Nazareth taught his disciples to pray:â€Å"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us† (Matthew 6:12). Through the death of Jesus, forgiveness is available to the repentant sinner, allowing them to have peace with God which is the very foundation of ‘inner peace’. Failure to forgive others leads to stored anger and resentment. The Protestant tradition places the emphasis on each person having the responsibility of speaking directly with God, who will grant absolution. It is the acceptance of the gift from God of forgiveness or wrongdoing which is the obtaining of inner peace for the Christian. Islam teaches that inner peace may only be found through complete submission to God’s will, which is primarily achieved by adherence to a prescribed set of guidelines for living. â€Å"In remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction† (Qur’an 13:28). Acceptance of the will of Allah not only removes the fear and anxiety about the future, but concentrating on God can protect humanity from being overwhelmed by all aspects of life such as greed and fear which destroy inner peace. Jihad is central to this life of submission. Greater Jihad is the concept relating to the ongoing struggle to make oneself and one’s community ‘ perfectly’ Muslim. It embodies peace on a personal level, working through the individual and their role in the community.Inner peace is only possible when the Five Pillars are lived in faithful obedience to God’s will. Obligatory prayers, known as Salat, remind Muslims of Allah’s closeness to them. The Qur’an states: â€Å"Perform the prayer for my remembrance† (Qur’an 20:40). Attention is drawn repeatedly to Allah, marginalizing earthly distraction in order to devote more fully to the divine. Sawm or fasting, reminds participants of those who do not have enough to eat or difficulty living. In being reminded on these things, Muslims are reminded to place too much importance on material goods. They are reminded to place their trust in God for provision of food, which can help them to achieve inner peace. Hajj involves the spiritual, mental and physical journey from one’s normal place of living to Makkah. In the midst of a million pilgrims, the individual Muslim experiences the inner peace of the Ummah. Sufism is an Islamic theology that began to develop in the first century of Islam. Sufism stresses that the traveler on the spiritual path must first abandon himself or herself to the will of God and then only will God’s peace enter their heart. A frequent  Sufi proclamation is: â€Å"There will be no peace until there is inner peace†. The Australian Centre for Sufism and Irfanic Studies offers courses in spiritual development and Sufi psychology that aim to bring people closer to God and inner peace. One of the centre’s aims is to make people more aware that self-centeredness can be a barrier to spiritual enlightenment.Therefore, the religious traditions of Christianity and Islam present several means in guiding the individual to achieve inner peace. It is through the belief systems, actions and thoughts of these religious traditions, that those individual adherents can learn how to achieve inner peace and develop an understanding of peace so that it may be en acted.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Comparative Study on Consumption Patterns of Soft Drinks and Fruit Juices Essay

A drink, or beverage, is a liquid specifically prepared for human consumption. In addition to basic needs, beverages form part of the culture of human society. or any liquid suitable for drinking; â€Å"may I take your beverage order? † or A liquid to consume, usually excluding water; a drink. This may include tea, coffee, liquor, beer, milk, or soft drinks Types of beverage The various types of beverage are: †¢Alcoholic beverages †¢Non-Alcohol beverages †¢Soft drinks †¢Fruit juice †¢Hot beverages †¢Other 1. Alcoholic beverages. An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol, although in chemistry the definition of an alcohol includes many other compounds. Alcoholic beverages, such as wine, beer, and liquor have been part of human culture and development for 8,000 years. 2. Non-alcohol beverages Non-alcoholic beverages are drinks that would normally contain alcohol, such as beer and wine but are made with less than . 5 percent alcohol by volume. The category includes drinks that have undergone an alcohol removal process such as non-alcoholic beers and de-alcohol zed wines. Non-alcoholic variants: †¢Low alcohol beer †¢Non-alcoholic wine †¢Sparkling cider 3. Soft drinks The name â€Å"soft drink† specifies a lack of alcohol by way of contrast to the term â€Å"hard drink† and the term â€Å"drink†, the latter of which is nominally neutral but often carries connotations of alcoholic content. Beverages like colas, sparkling water, iced tea, lemonade, squash, and fruit are among the most common types of soft drinks, while hot chocolate, hot tea, coffee, milk, tap water, alcohol, and milkshakes do not fall into this classification. Many carbonated soft drinks are optionally available in versions sweetened with sugars or with non-caloric sweeteners. 4. Fruit juice Juice is a liquid naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue. Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating fresh fruits or vegetables without the application of heat or solvents. For example,orange juice is the liquid extract of the fruit of the orange tree. Juice may be prepared in the home from fresh fruits and vegetables using variety of hand or electric juicers. Many commercial juices are filtered to remove fiber or pulp, but high pulp fresh orange juice is a popular beverage. Juice may be marketed inconcentrate form, sometimes frozen, requiring the user to add water to reconstitute the liquid back to its â€Å"original state† 5. Hot beverages Hot beverages, including infusions. Sometimes drunk chilled. ?Coffee-based beverages ?Cappuccino ?Coffee ?Espresso ?Cafe au lait ?Frappe ?Flavored coffees (mocha etc. ) ?Latte ?Hot chocolate ?Hot cider ?Mulled cider ?Tea-based beverages ?Flavored teas (chai etc. ) ?Green tea? Pearl milk tea ?Tea ?Herbal teas ?Yerba Mate ?Roasted grain beverages ?Sanka 6. Other Some substances may either be called food or drink, and accordingly be eaten with a spoon or drunk, depending on solid ingredients in it and on how thick it is, and on preference: †¢Soup †¢Yogurt OVERVIEW OF THE INDUSTRY The beverage market is worth $55 billion worldwide. The tides are turning for many beverage categories. While the carbonated soft drink and beer categories are merely treading water with flat sales, the energy drink category is surging ahead like never before. Bottled water, ready-to-drink coffee, ready-to-drink tea and sports drinks follow close behind with substantial sales increase- drinks without added sugar, no beer, along with developments in juice drinks and dairy-based drinks, are helping to turn around sales in these categories. What follows is a category-by-category look at the state of the beverage industry, including the top brands, new products, innovations and future trendsetters. In order to be successful in the marketplace, one has to think in terms of health innovation, flavor innovation, ingredient innovation and specific age groups. These are the factors that will shape the future of the beverage industry. â€Å"Today’s consumers are concerned with overall health and wellness. As a result, there is significant impact on food and beverage purchases. Many studies have shown that consumers are as concerned with good health as they are about maintaining a high quality of life. † Do you know what type of new beverage consumers are most likely to try? Do you know where they are most likely to pick those products up? Do you know why? Beverage Industry wanted to know the answers to these questions and to delve deeper into the ever-increasing number of new product launches in the beverage market. â€Å"The soft drink industry is training people to seek out new products, even the big guys are coming out with limited-edition flavors, and consumers are beginning to see that there is more flavor activity going on in the category. Whether that really nets anybody any sales gains is another thing, but it is teaching consumers to seek out and try new products. It’s also trying to create some excitement there. † In spite of several challenges and restrictions faced by this industry, it is a ‘roll’ like never before. Customer preferences may have shifted, but they are still always on the look out for a can of ‘coke’ or a new ‘flavored’ drink to quench their thirst. INDIAN BEVERAGE MARKET The size of the Indian food processing industry is around $ 65. 6 billion, including $20. 6 billion of value added products. Of this, the health beverage industry is valued at $230 million; bread and biscuits at $1. 7 billion; chocolates at $73 million and ice creams at $188 million. The size of the semi-processed/ready-to-eat food segment is over $1. 1 billion. Large biscuits & confectionery units, Soya processing units and starch/glucose/sorbitol producing units have also come up, catering to domestic and international markets. The three largest consumed categories of packaged foods are packed tea, biscuits and soft drinks. The Indian beverage industry faces over supply in segments like coffee and tea. However, more than half of this is available in unpacked or loose form. Indian hot beverage market is a tea dominant market. Consumers in different parts of the country have heterogeneous tastes. Dust tea is popular in southern India, while loose tea in preferred in western India. The urban-rural split of the tea market was 51:49 in 2000. Coffee is consumed largely in the southern states. The size of the total packaged coffee market is 19,600 tones or $87 million. The total soft drink (carbonated beverages and juices) market is estimated at 284 million crates a year or $1 billion. The market is highly seasonal in nature with consumption varying from 25 million crates per month during peak season to 15 million during off-season. The market is predominantly urban with 25 per cent contribution from rural areas. Coca cola and Pepsi dominate the Indian soft drinks market. Mineral water market in India is a 65 million crates ($50 million) industry. On an average, the monthly consumption is estimated at 4. 9 million crates, which increases to 5. 2 million during peak season. RECENT ISSUES 1. Xtazy, another energy drink for the Indian market The Indian market for energy drinks was estimated recently to have a size of Rs 500 crore, about 90 million Euros. The market which is so far dominated by Red Bull, is attracting various new players which want to get a share in a growing business. One of the aspirants is Xtazy, an energy drink from the US. â€Å"Xtazy is the forth largest energy drink inthe US†, says Rohan Malhotra, Managing Director of R. M. Indian Liquor Pvt. Ltd. , the exclusive importer for Xtazy. Malhotra has launched Xtazy already in Eastern India, and was looking now for a distributor in the Delhi area, when FII spoke to him during IFE fair in Delhi recently. In order to take on Red Bull and get a share of 20% from their business, Malhotra wants to offer better conditions to distributors. â€Å"We provide a margin of 6-8% to a distributor, who thus can earn about Rs 6 a can†, Malhotra says. â€Å" This is more than what Red Bull offers which is only about 2 – 3 Rs per can. † Xtazy is available in cans of 350 ml, thus more than the usual 250 ml of other energy drinks, and will be priced with a MRP of Rs 85. Four variants are offered, Cranberry Blast, Sugar Free Passion Fruit-Pineapple, Orange Blast and Lime Blast. Malhotra has planned several marketing measures to promote Xtazy, like PoS actions, coupons and direct marketing in a first round, and night parties in a second round. In marketing communication, he is highlighting not only the variants, but also health effects as the USPs of Xtazy, which are derived from ancient herbs used in the drink like gingko and guarana. The extract of gingko biloba leaf has been shown to dilate blood vessels and has the ability to increase peripheral blood circulation, especially to the brain, the company writes in a leaflet. Guarana from Brasil would serve to promote weight loss by increasing the metabolic rate and reducing the appetite. Besides the US, Malhotra says, Xtazy would be marketed also in Israel, Ukraine and in Turkey and would soon be launched in China. 2. Australia-based â€Å"Aromas† launches first coffee store in India. Australia-based â€Å"Aromas,† one of the leading coffee chain shops, launched its first cafe outlet in India at Hiranandani, Powai, and Mumbai. The company also tied up with Ideal Hospitality Private Ltd (IHPL), which would own the brand in the country and south-east Asia. Jayant Mahiskar, chairman and MD, IHPL, said, â€Å"Aromas is being launched keeping in mind the true coffee connoisseurs. We aim at targeting the youth and corporate at our outlets and Powai with a mix of residential and office complexes was a natural choice. The coffee has been created from selection of the original beans and blended to suit all tastes. Aromas ensures freshness and fullness of flavor. † According to the agreement with Aromas, IHPL will pay about 1. 5% of the gross revenue earned. Further, the company has decided to invest about Rs. 50-75 crore in the next three years to expand its footprint with 99 outlets in India. 3. China rejects Coke bid to take-over major juice maker China has rejected Coca-Cola’s $2. 5 billion bid to buy a major Chinese juice maker. The purchase of Huiyuan Juice Group Ltd would have been the biggest foreign acquisition of a Chinese company to date. The proposed purchase was rejected on anti-monopoly grounds, the Chinese commerce ministry announced on its website. Coca-Cola’s bid in September prompted an outcry by nationalists who urged the government to bar foreigners from acquiring one of China’s most successful homegrown brands. Rival juice producers warned that the acquisition would give Coca-Cola too dominant a position in China’s beverage market. A Coca-Cola spokesman in Hong Kong learned of the rejection of the sale had no immediate comment. Huiyuan’s founders and major shareholders already had endorsed the sale. If Coke were to take over Huiyuan, it will dominate the soft drinks market in China, which not only hurts consumers, but also other sector participants. Huiyuan controls more than a tenth of the Chinese fruit and vegetable juice market that grew 15% last year to $2 billion. Coca-Cola has a 9. 7% share and dominates in diluted juices. According to analysts China’s ruling on Coke could cut both ways in that Chinese firms that have been making increasingly high profile acquisitions abroad may run into trouble of their own. 4. Pepsi’s Slice kicks off the new season with ‘Aamsutra’ PepsiCo’s popular mango juice drink brand- Slice kicks off the 2009 season with it’s new ‘Aamsutra’ concept. According to Homi Battiwalla, business head, juice & juice drinks, PepsiCo India, Slice had seen powerful consumer momentum post the re-launch of 2008. The new winning formulation has been appreciated by consumers. Aamsutra has driven strong disruption in the juice and juice drink category. All of this has made Slice the fastest growing mango drink brand in the country. â€Å"South India is the lead market for mango drinks in the country. Andhra Pradesh is the biggest mango market and also the fastest growing market for Slice and mango drinks in the country. Tamil Nadu is amongst the top three states and Slice is the market-leader in Tamil Nadu,† he added Pepsi has now opted for a new brand ambassador, Katrina Kaif. â€Å"The creative thought behind the new communication was to further enhance the Slice experience into dimensions of pleasure, sensuality and indulgence. Last year’s commercial was about enumerating the principles of ‘Aamsutra’ or the art of experiencing pure mango pleasure with the new Slice. This year, the commercial portrays the next level to bring alive the mango indulgence, stated Hari Krishnan, Vice President, JWT. The company has now opted for a 360 multimedia campaigns involving digital, print, radio, impact outdoors and sampling in core markets. 5. Parle Agro launches lemon flavoured drink â€Å"LMN† Parle Agro, one of the leading food & beverage companies in India, has launched a new fruit-based lemon drink LMN in the non-carbonated segment. The new brand is a natural lemon juice drink and the only brand in India with a taste closest to home made, fresh lime water (Nimbu pani). According to the company, LMN will offer consumers a healthy, refreshing drink with the goodness of vitamin C. Every summer, the Indian beverage market has seen cola majors battle it out. This summer, the launch of LMN will see the cola wars taking a back seat and the battle spilling over to the non-cola segment, to be more precise in the nimbu paani category. PepsiCo India last week launched a nimbu pani drink, Nimbooz, under the 7Up brand On the occasion of LMN’s launch, Nadia Chauhan, joint managing director and CMO, Parle Agro, said, â€Å"Nimbu pani has traditionally been India’s most commonly consumed cold beverage. In fact the idea of a branded lemon drink is so simple that you would wonder why nobody thought of it earlier. The challenge for us was packaging a natural product while retaining its fresh, original taste throughout its shelf life. † LMN will be available in 110 ml Tetra, 200 ml Tetra and 500 ml PET packs priced at Rs 5, Rs 10 and Rs 23 respectively. The company aims to touch a turnover of Rs 3000-3500 crore by 2011. The company will target both (youth and adult) segments of consumers to turn them into branded consumers of nimbu pani. Besides this LMN will also target an emerging segment of consumers who are looking for a healthy and refreshing beverage in the country. â€Å"For the last 20 years, Parle Agro has been the market leader in fruit based beverages, we have constantly worked keeping in mind Indian preferences while formulating products that cater to the Indian palate. It is without any doubt that only an Indian company can understand what real nimbu pani tastes like and what the Indian consumer wants in a packaged offering,† Chauhan added. Further, the company claims that packaged nimbu pani will have tremendous growth potential, higher than other packaged drinks mainly because of a major shift in consumer behavior. Today, the beverage consumer is looking for hygiene, convenience, refreshing taste, affordability and year-round availability. The name LMN is derived from the SMS version of the word lemon. Parle Agro also owns other fruit drink brands like Frooti, Appy Fizz and packaged drinking water, Bailey. 6. PepsiCo launches ‘Nimbooz,’ packaged lemon juice with no fizz and artificial flavours. PepsiCo India has launched its packaged nimbu paani, Nimbooz, under its 7Up brand. The home-made nimbu paani or lime juice has been specially created to suit Indian tastes. The lemon juice, no fizz and artificial flavours, is available in trendy, convenient packs. The drink offers great value to consumers in three packaging formats of 200 ml returnable glass bottles (RGB), 350 ml PET and 200 ml Tetra attractively priced at Rs 10, Rs 15 and Rs 10, respectively. According to Ms Punita Lal, Executive Director- Marketing, PepsiCo India, Nimbooz, is specially developed to suit Indian tastes and preferences. â€Å"Nimbooz is an affordable offering for consumers on the go because of its ready-to-drink format that is both convenient and hygienic. The proposition of the Indian refresher perfectly captures the mass appeal of this product and will certainly drive consumer connect, stated Ms Alpana Titus, Executive VP-Flavours, PepsiCo India. PepsiCo has drawn up an intensive consumer activation campaign to market Nimbooz. The 360 degree marketing communication plan will revolve around building awareness through multi-city launches and road shows, comprehensive 3D activation, leveraging Out-of-Home (OOH) media, radio, press and outdoors. Aggressive trial generation and sampling initiatives will also be taken forward across major cities of the country. A special ‘Nimbooz Highway Gadi’ has been created that will visit the four major highways connecting Delhi to Jaipur, Dehradun, Agra to drive trails and consumer education. 7. Coke launches fruit-flavoured Fanta Apple nationally After successfully introducing it in southern markets last year, Coca-Cola India has launched its fruit-flavoured soft drink ‘Fanta Apple’ nationally. The product is available in 200 ml and 300 ml returnable glass bottles and also in 500 ml PET pack priced at Rs 8, Rs 10 and Rs 22 respectively. During the Fanta Apple launch in October 2008, Venkatesh Kini, marketing vice-president, Coca-Cola India, said that the company had planned to reach about 3. 5 lakh customers with sample apple flavoured drink to extend its market leadership in the fruit flavoured segment in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. â€Å"As per consumer research, we have found that after orange, apple is the most preferred fruit in the country and Fanta Apple has been developed specially for the Indian palate,† Kini said on Monday. According to experts, the nationwide launch of Fanta Apple is a part of the company’s $250 million business plan for the country. Fanta Apple is the second flavour after Fanta Orange under â€Å"Fanta† brand of the company. â€Å"We have had an excellent response down south with a reused value to the drink and with the national launch of Fanta Apple, we are stepping stones to extend Coca Cola India’s market leadership in the fruit-flavoured sparkling drink segment,† Kini added. The company has also announced Bollywood actress Genelia D’Souza as the new brand ambassador of the Fanta brand. According to reports, the current expected Indian soft drink market is about Rs 6,000 crore, in which the company shares about 50% market with its various brands like Coke, 7 Up, Fanta, Sprite and Thums Up. STUDY OF GROWTH OF SOFT DRINK MARKET SOFT DRINKS Carbonated drinks are dominated by artificial flavors based on cola, orange and lime with Pepsi and coca-cola dominating the market. The entire part of the drin. †¢Cola products account for nearly 61-62% of the total soft drinks market. †¢Two global majors’ Pepsi and coke dominate the soft drink market. †¢NCAER survey says 91% of soft drink in the country is in the lower, lower middle and upper middle class people. †¢The market is worth around Rs. 5000 crores with growth rate of around 10-15%. †¢The annual per capita consumption in India is only about 6 bottles vis- a- Vis 340 bottles in the U. S. †¢The production as soft drinks has increased from 5670 million bottles in 1998-99 to 6230 million bottles in 1999-2000 industry source. †¢Growth market this year is expected to be 10-15% in value terms and 20-22% in volume terms. However, the market for carbonated drinks is stagnating and not growing as expected. MAJOR PLAYERS IN SOFT DRINKS SEGMENT COCA COLA: thanda matlab coca cola!!! Coca cola has truly remarkable heritage. From a humble beginning in 1886 it has now become the flagship brand of largest manufacturer, distributor of non alcoholic beverages in the world. In India, coca cola was the leading soft drink till 1977 when govt. policies necessitated its departure. Coca cola has made its return to the country in 1993. and made significant investment to ensure that the beverage is available to more and more people in remote as well as inaccessible parts of the world. Coca cola returned to India in 1993 and over the past ten years has captured the imagination of the nation, building strong association with cricket, the thriving cinema industry, music etc. coca cola has been very strongly associated with cricket, sponsoring the world cup in 1996. In 2002, coca cola launched the campaign,†Thanda Matlab coca cola†. in 2003,coke was available for just rs,5 crores in the country. FANTA : GHOONTH BHAR SHARARAT KAR LEY!!! Fanta entered the Indian market in year 1996 under the coca cola brand . over the years, Fanta has occupied a strong market place and is identified as â€Å"the fun catalyst†. Fanta stands for its vibrant color, tempting taste and tingling bubbles that not just uplifts feelings but also helps free spirit thus encouraging one to indulge in the moment. LIMCA: LIME AND LEMONI!!! Drink that can cast a tangy refreshing spell on anyone, anywhere. Born in 1971, Limca has been the original thirst choice, of millions of consumers for over three decades. The brand has been displaying healthy volume growing year on year and limca continues to be leading flavoring soft drinks in the country. Dive into the zingy refreshment of limca and walk away a new person. SPIRITE: SPIRITE BHUJAYE PYAAS BAKI SAB BAKWAAS!!! World wide sprite ranked as no. 4 soft drink and is sold in more than 190 countries In India, sprite was launched in year 1999 and today it has grown to be one of the fastest growing soft drinks, leading clear lime category. Today sprite is perceived as a youth icon. With strong appeal to youth sprite has stood for a straight forward and honest attitude. Its clear crisp hingtaste encourages today’s youth to trust their instincts, influence them to be true who they are and to obey their thirst. THUMS UP: TASTE THE THUNDER!!! Strong cola taste, exciting personality. Thums up is a leading carbonated soft drink and most trusted brand in India. Originally introduced in 1977, thums up was acquired by the coca cola company in 1993. Thums up, is, known for strong, fizzy taste and its confident, mature and uniquely masculine attitude. This brand clearly seeks to separate the man from the boys. MAAZA: YAARI DOSTI TAAZA MAAZA!!! Maaza was launched in 1976. In 1993, maaza was acquired by coca cola India. Maaza currently dominates the fruit drink category. Over the years, maaza has become synonymous with mango. â€Å"Taaza Mango, Maaza mango, Botal mei aam, maaza hai naam†. consumers regard maaza as wholesome, natural, fun loving drink real experience of fruit. The campaign builds on the existing equity of the brand and delivers a relevant emotional benefit to the moms rightly captured in tagline, â€Å"yaari dosti, and taaza maaza†. PEPSI: YEH DIL MAANGE MORE!!! Pepsi cola is a carbonated beverage that is produced and manufactured by Pepsi co. It is sold in stores, restaurants and from vending machines. The drink was first made in the 1890’s in North Carolina. The brand was trademarked on June 16, 1903. There have been many Pepsi variants produced over the years. †¢Diet Pepsi †¢Crystal Pepsi †¢Pepsi twist †¢Pepsi max †¢Pepsi samba †¢Pepsi blue †¢Pepsi gold †¢Pepsi holiday spice †¢Pepsi jazz †¢Pepsi x(available in Finland & brazil) †¢Pepsi next(available in Japan & south Korea) STUDY OF GROWTH OF FRUIT DRINK MARKET FRUIT JUICES Branded fruit juice market in India holds an immense potential. Usually confused and considered synonymous with non-aerated drinks, fruit pulps, juices and squash are high sugar beverages, which are centrifuged and filtered to give a semi- clear appearance. In the past, this sector enjoyed an excise exemption, keeping cost at minimal. However the withdrawal of exemption has inflated costs and can affect growth, with dramatic change possible on reintroduction of excise exemption. MARKET †¢The organized fruit beverage market is estimated at Rs. 500 crores market. (Nectars, drinks and juices combined). †¢The market has grown at a 20% to 25% rate. †¢Of this, more expensive juices segment has grown at rate of 40%this year. It accounted for only 15% of the fruit beverage 3 years back. †¢In –home consumption of juices has gone up from 30%, three years back to 80%today. †¢Mango based drinks account for two thirds of fruit drinks industry. MAJOR PLAYERS IN THE FRUIT DRINK SEGMENT DABUR REAL Dabur’s flagship brand real fruit juice is a market leader in packaged fruit juice category. Real was launched in 1996 and the brand has carved a niche for itself by claiming to be the only fruit juice in packaged form . i. e. 100%preservative free. Real, with market share of 57% comes in nine flavors: †¢Orange †¢Mango †¢Pineapple †¢Mix fruit †¢Grape †¢Guava †¢Litchi †¢Tomato †¢Cranberry Real Active is 100%fruit juice with no added sugar and is available in following variants: †¢Orange †¢Apple †¢Orange- carrot GODREJ The food division of godrej industry produces and market fruit drinks, fruit nectar and sofit soymilk. Godrej’s brand JUMPIN comes in the following flavor: †¢Mango †¢Pineapple †¢Apple †¢Litchi †¢Orange Godrej’s x’s is a range of fruit nectar with more fruits. It’s available in following flavors: †¢Orange †¢Apple †¢Grape PEPSI’S TROPICANA. Tropicana brand fruit juice enjoys a market share of 25% and has registered a double digit growth and has outpaced the growth of fruit juice market in India. It is available in following flavors: †¢Orange †¢Apple †¢Grape †¢Cranberry LEH BERRY It is a product from Ladakh Foods. Its first fruit juice in Delhi and it’s selling it in the more affluent parts of town. It enjoys a market share of 4% and is available in a variety of flavors: †¢Pineapple †¢Apple †¢Mixed fruit †¢Orange †¢Blackcurrant †¢Mango †¢Guava PARLE’S FROOTI and APPY Frooti was launched back in 1985 and enjoys market dominance with 85% of market share. Parle’s Agro’s APPY, in 1996 had a market share of 5% in the fruit drink segment; in 2003 its new variant-APPY FIZZ was launched. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY METHODOLOGY Every project work is based on certain methodology, which is a way to systematically solve the problem or attain its objectives. It is a very important guideline and lead to completion of any project work through observation, data collection and data analysis. According to Clifford Woody, â€Å"Research Methodology comprises of defining & redefining problems, collecting, organizing &evaluating data, making deductions &researching to conclusions. † Accordingly, the methodology used in the project is as follows: – Defining the objectives of the study Framing of questionnaire keeping objectives in mind (considering the objectives) Feedback from the respondents Analysis of feedback Conclusion, findings and suggestions. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The main aim of this research study is to analyze the preference of people (of different age groups) on consumption patterns of Soft Drinks and Fruit Juices. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY †¢To study the preferences of the people for soft drinks and fruit juices. †¢To find out the factor(s) that influences the consumer’s consumption of soft drinks and fruit juices. †¢To test the know-how of the consumers regarding the various existing brands of soft drinks and fruit juices. †¢To explore the next best beverage after soft drinks and fruit juices. †¢To find out how the beverage is positioned in the mind of the consumers. SCOPE OF THE STUDY †¢This study is confined to the North West Delhi region covering areas of Paschim Vihar, Pitam Pura, Rohini area, Punjabi Bagh. †¢Seasonal drinks are not considered in the study. †¢We are considering only canned juices. †¢We are not considering water & alcoholic drinks. RESEARCH DESIGN A research design is a framework or blueprint for conducting the marketing research project. It specifies the details of the procedures necessary for obtaining the information needed to structure and/or solve marketing research problem. On the basis of fundamental objectives of the research we can classify research design into two general types: EXPLORATORY RESEARCH CONCLUSIVE RESEARCH Exploratory research is one type of research design, which has its primary objective the provision of insights into, and comprehension of, the problem situation confronting the researcher. Conclusive research is designed to assist the decision maker in determining evaluating and selecting the best course of action to take in a given situation. Conclusive research can be further divided into two types:- †¢Descriptive †¢Experimental The research design used in this project is a DESCRIPTIVE DESIGN. Descriptive study as the name implies is designed to describe something-for example the characteristics of users of a given product, the degree to which the product use the varies with income, age, etc. SAMPLING TECHNIQUE USED: This research has used convenience sampling technique. 1) Convenience sampling technique: Convenience sampling is used in exploratory research where the researcher is interested in getting an inexpensive approximation of the truth. As the name implies, the sample is selected because they are convenient. SELECTION OF SAMPLE SIZE: For the study, a sample size of 100 has been taken into consideration. SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTION: Research will be based on two sources: 1. Primary data 2. Secondary data 1) PRIMARY DATA: Questionnaire: Primary data was collected by preparing questionnaire and the people were randomly being requested to fill them. 2) SECONDARY DATA: Secondary data will consist of different literatures like books which are published, articles, internet and websites. In order to reach relevant conclusion, research work needed to be designed in a proper way. STATISTICAL TOOLS USED The main statistical tools used for the collection and analyses of data in this project are: †¢Questionnaire †¢Pie Charts †¢Bar Diagrams DATA ANALYSIS & FINDINGS Q1. What do you prefer to drink? (Tick any 1) Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Soft Drinks5757% Fruit Juices4343% Total100100% Q2. Frequency of consumption of your preferred drink in a week? SOFT DRINKS Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage. Daily2849% 2-6 times2340% Above 7611% Total57100% FRUIT JUICES Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Daily1023% 2-6 times3070% Above 737% Total43100% Q3. On what occasions, do you often consume the Soft Drinks? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Feeling Thirsty1818% Parties / Celebrations4545% Without any reason (just like that)2525% Others1212% Total100100% Q4. On what occasions, do you often consume the Fruit Juices? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Feeling Thirsty1717% Parties / Celebrations3232% Without any reason (just like that)2424% Others2727% Total100100% Q5. What induces you to buy Soft Drinks? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Price with quantity3030% Health Drink 44% Status symbol 88% Taste3232% Variety2626% Total100100% Q6. What induces you to buy Fruit Juices? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Price with quantity1313% Health Drink 4040% Status symbol 1515% Taste2222% Variety1010% Total100100% Q7. If not a Soft Drink or a Fruit juice, which other beverage (other than water) tops your mind? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Coffee3030% Tea2525% Shakes(Milk/Ice cream/Fruit)88% Lassi1212% Sharbat2525% Total100100% Q8. How do you rate canned juices as compared to fresh juices? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Equivalent to fresh juices 2424% Have artificial added flavor 3636% Healthy with preservatives 4040% Total100100% Q9. How do you view Soft Drinks? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage As a health drink44% As a status symbol88% As an aid to put off thirst5555% Any other3333% Total100100% Q10. How do you view Fruit Juices? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage As a health drink4040% As a status symbol1515% As an aid to put off thirst3232% Any other1313% Total100100% Q11. Do advertisements affect your purchases? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentag.

Bang and Olufsen: Design Driven Innovation Essay

The key concern identified in this particular case is that Bang & Olufsen are lacking a strong sense of management. Designers seem to be the forefront of business innovation and innovation management needs to be altered. The article identifies that the designers are making major decisions in terms of product development, and although this may seem effective, management should have an influence on the entire company in order to make informed decisions in relation to the business’ innovation strategy. Bang & Olufsen follow a more semi-radical innovation approach, this is clear in the fact that the business has not changed the existing business model for some time, and more focus is towards technological advances. This is ineffective as for design driven innovation it is important to adopt an entirely radical innovation strategy. While B&O consider the design driven strategy as the best take for the future, the problem it causes is that they are unintentionally opening up the fut ure of the business into the designers hands. Thus, Bang & Olufsen requires a radical change of the business model in order to effectively conform to a radical innovation strategy. The company needs to realise that change is necessary and aim to be more involved in the decision making process. B&O need to use the designers as a guide for product development, and be more concerned with executing its innovation strategies and using the company image as a representative to users of their products. An effective way of ensuring this is possible is through thorough examination of the internal and external environment, and a structured innovation plan. Post work: This article, along with the discussion in the lecture has provided me with insight into issues involved in the case and marketing in general. There were several issues including conflicted vision within the company which led to missed deadlines and inability to effectively cooperate between the designers, engineers and management of B&O. This educated me on business’s requiring a solid vision in order to reach innovative goals and overall business objectives. Not only that, but management needs to be more involved in the innovation process so as to ensure input from people who envision ideas in the virtual world to be considered. Another fact relevant in the article as discussed in the lecture is concerning market research.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"B&O lacked a sufficient amount of market research†, which although good in some way, allowing the company to be more innovative and create new, impressive products, it often led to wasted time developing concepts that had no â€Å"substanc e†. Thus we can see that market research is an extremely important aspect of marketing management in order to be efficient, and to effectively identify consumer wants and needs to develop concepts worth producing. A final important point about marketing I have learnt is that, the designs of both â€Å"Idea Lab† and â€Å"Idea Land† is key as one develops a product and whilst one focuses more at the technological side. A significant point here is that ideas of both â€Å"Idea Lab† and â€Å"Idea Land† would be much simpler to develop if the two were working together. Therefore, companies should attempt to combine both product ideas and technological developments in order to successfully achieve innovative objectives.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Data Summary and Discussion

The data presented shows the amount charged on credit cards by households of a given size and income. This data shows that while the amount spent by households varies depending on the size and income, the combination of both might also have an important bearing on the amount of that household’s debt. The debt range for the entire data set of 50 households is $1,864 to $5,678 per year, while the incomes in the set range from $21,000 to $67,000 per year. The households’ sizes in this data set range from one (1) to seven (7). When each variable is taken singly, one finds that each does to a significant extend predict the amount of debt that the household carries. What is specifically shown in this data is that households tend to have a higher amount of debt depending on the number of persons who live in the house, as it largest households generally carry a debt amount that lies on the higher end of the spectrum. For example, the average debt for the three seven-person households lies at $4,911, which is only about seven hundred dollars below the highest debt amount of $5,678. The data also shows that the average debt for the five one-person households is approximately $2,781. However, what the data also shows is that even though debt rises as the household size rises, it does so at a decreasing rate. The fact that the average debt for one-person households is significantly higher than the lower end of the range demonstrates that the low end might represent an extraneous amount, and indeed it does. This is the debt carried by a two-person household. A better comparison of the one-person household average debt could be made with the calculated debt per head for the entire data set. The total number of persons in all households is 171, and the total debt for all households is $198,203. The average debt per capita for this group of persons is about $1,159. This, compared with the average debt for the one-person households, shows that the debt for the one-person households does represent a disproportionately high size of twice as much as the overall per capita debt. This might be explained by the fact that the fixed costs for households generally remain relatively the same regardless of how many persons may live in the house. Other factors that bear on this are extraneous, such as the spending patterns and financial awareness of the persons in each household. However, another major factor to consider in predicting household debt is the annual income of the persons within each house. Which is a Better Predictor: household size or income? However, further analysis shows that even household, by itself, does not predict the amount of debt very well. In fact, the data points toward the fact that household size predicts the annual credit card charges better than household income. Looking back at the previous example, one sees a household that earns $26,000 producing debt comparable to most of the higher-end earners. Part of this debt size has to be attributed to the fact that the household earning such a small income in comparison to other household is faced with the challenge of supporting seven persons. Another household earning $23,000 supports six persons and shows credit card charges of $4,127 per year. Other households of comparable earnings ($21,000 and $27,000) show smaller credit card charges of $2,448 and $2,477 respectively, and this can be attributed to their smaller household sizes. Combination of Household Size and Earnings The income range for the data set has already been stated as $21,000 to $67,000. The total income for this group is $2,174,000 and the average income is $43,480. The average debt for each household is $3,964 which falls approximately in the middle of the $1,864 to $5,678 range. However, what one notices is that though the average debt for the three 7-person households is shown to be $4,911, the highest debt in that segment goes to the household with the highest income. Therefore, the $5,301 debt goes to the household that earns $55,000 per year, while the lowest debt of $4,603 goes to the household that earns only $26,000 per year. This demonstrates that the combination of household size and household income is an overall better predictor of credit card charges that any of those variables alone. According to this, a household made up of three persons and earning $40,000 should show a credit card charge within the median range of about $3,800 – $4,100. This would be expected to be comparable to any other household of three persons, yet slightly below those households of three that have higher earnings. Other Data Necessary to Make Accurate Predictions Other information concerning these households’ loans, mortgages, and neighbourhood locations would also be requested of the client. According to the discussion above, though, it would appear that despite the fact that household size predicts the annual credit card charges better than household income, other factors also affect the size of credit card debt. What one notes is that most of the low-earning households do still show a disproportionately higher amount of debt than their counterparts of high-earning households with similar household sizes. Households that, for example earn twice as much as another do not generally show twice as much debt in this data set. Neither is this so for households that have twice as many persons. One contributor to this is the existence of fixed costs, as mentioned above. However, this does not account for all the discrepancies. Therefore, other factors that might contribute to credit card charges include the amount of previous debt (such as university tuition loans, mortgages, etc) that each household has incurred. They may also include the household’s attitude toward its finances and toward debt in general. Other factors involve the cost of living within the geographical area of the particular household and the general lifestyle to which the household is accustomed. Work Cited Professor’s Name. â€Å"Data Sheet.† Name of Class. City: University, 2007.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Biography of General Douglas Haig

One of the worst ones was when he sent a lot ot troops to an unsuccessful offensive on the Somme River in July-November 1916, which lead to 420,000 British casualties. The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles that happened in World War 1 and it was the bloodiest war that happened. HIS strategy of attrition (â€Å"kill more Germans†) also resulted in enormous numbers of British casualties. Yet another flawed plan had been hatched by General Haig in an attempt to defeat the Germans on the French and Belgian Flanders in 1917. This attack was also known as the Third Battle of Ypres.It was a significant attack and a rather large one for It was estimated that 4. 5 million shells were fired from 3,000 guns from the British side. This attack resulted In huge amounts of casualnes for the British. Haig's original plan for this attack was to push across the Gheluvelt Plateau, take the village of Passchendaele. and then break through to open country. But his attack was not s uccessful and the heavy rain that happened generally slowed the attack down. The thick mud in the trenches clogged up rifles and immobilised tanks.Also the fact that he drainage systems there were mainly destroyed due to the bombing that took place there made everything worse. It was believed that the third Ypres offensive was mixed with his personal teelings. General Haig wanted to achieve a British victory without the help of the French because he wanted to embarrass PM David Lloyd George, who had humiliated him earlier and he wanted to prove that the days of the cavalry had not passed through that attack. In general his talth tor cavalry didn't do him a lot ot good, also he was slightly too traditional for he said that the machine gun was a much over rated weapornHowever, his reputation as a great military leader was not wrong. He had lead amazing battles and allowed the British to progress slowly to their victory In 1918. He did exactly this during his attempt to defeat Germans in July-November 1917; though he had only weakened the Germans. it had paved the way for the final assault. He also naa an amazing sense Tor war. He was one 0T tne Tew people wno naa Knew was going to be a long and terrifying war. But his sense had helped him and his country tremendously when he was able to finally defeat the Germans and brought the war to a conclusion before the end of 1918.