Men and Women Through Body Languages Essay Example for Free

Men and Women Through Body Languages Essay Abstract Communication had its verbal and nonverbal understandings, but they also have their misunderstandings. Body language has industrialized itself with different types of language that were brought up by the society. Men and women weren’t use to these body languages towards the similar gender. Miscommunication has been a problem when dealing with these differences. Men and women continue to build body languages that only made sense to themselves and not to the opposite gender. Although one defeats the other in a general body language such as; gestures for men and facial expressions for women, they will always be equal. Body languages may also differ between the two parties through culture and behavior. By knowing the differences between the two genders, a mutual understanding may be established. What is â€Å"communication†? Realistically, we can never fail to harass the use of communication because of its purpose in the society. Communication can be either verbal or nonverbal (Carnes.2010). How DO Men and Women communicate differently using body language? That’s the question we would usually ask ourselves and scarcely know the answer. According to Gray, author of the best-seller â€Å"Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus† (1992), one of the reasons that men and women differ in their use of nonverbal communication is that their reasons for communicating are often different (Carnes.2010). This means, in most situations, a man will commonly misunderstood a woman’s language because the perspective of one gender is distributed at a different angle. Diligently, Communication has altered itself through the different uses of body language between men and women; therefore, by expanding our knowledge of its diversity; we can unravel the miscommunication between two different parties. Such as the different types of verbally communicating, there are also different types of body language. We can’t entirely stress ourselves to see that, it is now a common and preferable use to most nowadays. Body language has industrialized itself through, facial expression, gestures, and physical contact by different classes of the society, whether it’s from the low class (Gangs, uneducated, etc.) to the high class (the Rich, prejudice, perfectionists, etc.). Research shows that women tend to make more eye contact during communication than men (Carnes.2010). Part of the reason for this is that, they want to be able to engage an emotional connection. An emotional connection through facial expression provides women an easier approach without the need to decide the words she wants or needs to say. This is why women are often taken for granted by men, because men read the emotions shown by women differently. Despite women’s abusive use of eye contact, men also have their side of use. Unlike women, men use eye contact to intimidate by nonverbally asserting dominance (Grover). Since men and women use similar nonverbal communication approach to different ends, they may interpret it differently when confronted. However, eye contact isn’t the only facial expression they differ, but also a simple smile. Women smile more often than men, however, this doesn’t necessarily mean that women are naturally happier than men. Freeman, author of â€Å"Women: A feminist perspective,† asserts that men rely on more obvious gestures and are more likely to use their hands to express themselves (Carnes.2010). Majority of the time, men decide to let their hands do the talking, such as women; they try not to stress themselves with words in order for them to remain in a safe zone. Similar situation happens within cultures such as the Samoans. The High Chiefs would speak with a lot of hand movement in a tradition ceremony. This means, they fear that words wouldn’t deliver correctly or satisfy the opposite. Because men dominant over gesture than women; women tend to make up for it with more facial expressions. However, that doesn’t mean women don’t know how to use gesture, for they use more subtle and restrained gestures and exhibit deferential gestures, such as lowering the eyes when interrupted or confronted (Carnes.2010). According to Carnes (2010), since men are more likely than women to associate touching with sexual intentions, heterosexual men are less to use touch during conversation with other men. Due to what men call, â€Å"Manly hood† or a similar term called â€Å"standards†. Men tend to keep distances from people when they talk to them and touch them less. Men do not express too much when touching other men unlike women, where they are far less concerned about touching other women because they also use touching as an expression of friendship or sympathy. They stand close to people and touch them to generally connect with whoever they are talking to. The difference between the two are simple, men aren’t as open as women where they express their feelings to men through touching just as to other women. This is considered a nonverbal difference because, like other reasons, it can be interpreted in different ways by different genders. Miscommunication has been a problem when dealing with these differences such as relationships. Romantic relationships often end due to miscommunication between the man and woman (Renwall.2010). It’s not because either of the two didn’t have good intentions, it’s because they didn’t communicate well enough to understand each other. Among males, competition is more important. Women in the other hand, concentrate more on cooperation. Studies show that as males’ age, their fact-to-face communication eventually resembles two people sitting in the driver’s and passenger’s seats, in the front seats of a vehicle (Renwall.2010). However, girls sit or stand in a circle when communicating, so that it’ll them to form a bond with each other. Were all-too-familiar with the iconic scene of a husband whos just returned from work, and buries himself in the daily newspaper. His wife wants to talk to him about his day, but hed rather enjoy the escapism that the newspaper provides. In this scenario, neither the man nor the woman is right or wrong. Instead, theyre exhibiting the common communication style of men and women, in a particular situation (Renwall.2010). In addition to (Carnes) relationships, women tend to lean forward when talking to a person, to show that they’re listening. They tend to use nonverbal communication as a means of enhancing her relationship with the person she’s communicating with. Often of times when couples or friends get into a major argument, it’s by miscommunication. But by learning how to communicate more effectively with opposite gender, you can prevent such situations that could even be fatal to the relationship! (Renwall.2010). There are times when women tend to say things while moving in circles; especially if there’s something that’s bothering them. By dropping hints instead of attacking the matter head on, women feel they are working at maintaining the relationship (Finkle.2011). However, it can contradict if a man is totally confused because he lacks at interpretation. Women go in circles, but men go for the jugular. To elaborate more on that; when men are bothered by something, they most likely focus on verbally communicating with just few words such as, â€Å"that’s just wrong†. Women interpret this as a heartless and tactless way of communicating, which may lead to arguments (Finkle.2011). Although one is dominant than the other to certain categories; women tend to be better at understanding body languages than men. Women are often better at picking up differences between what someone is saying with his words and body language. Sometimes women would communicate with men nonverbally; however, they wonder why men do not understand. On a daily basis, you would hear a man or a group of men calling out to a woman by saying words such as â€Å"hey baby, damn you’re hot, hello sexy momma, etc.† this is what Sam Grover of the eHow contributor community meant when he said â€Å"The reason is because men rely more on verbal communication than women.† This could sometime be a turn off for most women because it gives an image that they are cheap (Ta’amu.2012) There are differences in behaviors as well as differences in the purpose behind their behaviors (Amos,2012). These are the two primary ways that show up through the differences between men and women in body language. This means, some of these differences are done naturally; similar to genetics. Others are picked off through experience from places and can definitely differ in cultures. As mentioned earlier, women are more open than men, thus displaying their type of behavior called nurturing behavior. Contraire, on the men side, they display behaviors of a king; power and dominance. However, this was known to be facts in the past. In the modern world, these tendencies are subject to far more variability than ever before. This is due to increased acceptance and comfort with each gender displaying non-typical body language in many different situations (Amos.2012). Men and women use language differently and communicate differently because they were usually brought up differently. The society expects boys and girls as different background. Boys are expected to put themselves forward, while girls are expected to be humble. The most common body language differences are receiving and sending messages. When receiving messages, as mentioned before; women tend to be better. Unfortunately, men tend to be less skilled at using indirect body language to influence communication without actually knowing it at all when sending messages. Unlikely as it is, there are factual physical reasons for these differences. Women process messages using up to 16 different parts of their brain at once, while men process messages using about six or 7 different parts of their brain at once. Neither is better than other, but each processing pattern does influence the receiving and sending of messages based on gender (Amos,2012) This is the reason for women’s power to multitask and their creative imaginations. As with most things divided up along gender lines, the body language differences between men and women are best used as general guidelines (Amos.2012). This is saying that by knowing these differences between men and women, we may establish a better understanding between the two genders. Relationships between others may last longer than usual. One of the most common ways to better understand the opposite gender is by trust. They are a starting point, if you will, for engaging in interactions and going through the process of establishing rapport and building trust (Amos.2012). Once both men and women better understand each other’s perspective, both can improve on interpretation and understanding. The key is to be respectful of differences and not belittle or judge either gender based on body language issues (Amost.2012). We’re all addressed to our own action, words, perspective, and intention. There will always be a time when we got to face the differences. Just as the saying goes â€Å"Let’s sit, and settle our differences†. By knowing the differences between the two genders, we can start knowing that neither is right or wrong. Despite who is dominant, both men and women have fallen into miscommunication. Therefore, by understanding how the opposite gender tends to communicate, and by using some of those methods yourselfyou can prevent miscommunication and strengthen the relationship with your special someone (Renwall.2010). Through the expansion of human knowledge, we unraveled the differences. This study has a lot of implications and great information for mangers who manage both genders, leaders, ministers, CEO of companies etc†¦ A deeper understanding of the way men and women communicate many domestic and social conflicts in society can be resolved. (Ta’amu.2012) References * Carnes, D. (2010, July 12). Retrieved November 30, 2012, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/172581-do-men-women-use-nonverbal-communication-differently/#ixzz2BnRKgKyj * Renwall, G. (2010, March 16). Retrieved November 30, 2012, from http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Men-and-Women-Communicate-Differentlyid=3940430 * Grover, S. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2012, from http://www.ehow.com/info_8110509_gender-differences-nonverbal-communications.html * Amos, J. (2012, October 15). Retrieved November 30, 2012, from http://www.bodylanguageexpert.co.uk/bodylanguageandmenandwomen.html * Finkle, L. (2011, October 12). In Communication. Retrieved November 30, 2012, from http://incedogroup.com/do-men-and-women-communicate-differently-3-telltale-examples-that-say-they-do/

Product, Pricing, and Channels Paper Essay Example for Free

Product, Pricing, and Channels Paper Essay The following paper reviews how the Magnolia Bakery, offers its products and services to a target markets that are considering fresh bread from the oven every day delivery at the customers’ doors, early in the morning, for family breakfast. This discussion reviews include several areas such as the product features and benefits; the phases of the product’s lifecycle; the packaging of the product; the pricing strategy, and the channels of distribution. Product Features Magnolia Bakery offers four new items on its already extended list of products. These are four different kinds of bread. The choices of bread were carefully chosen to offer quality and healthy benefits. The choices are: Baguette, Black Bread, Focaccia and Bagels. Each one of these types of bread has a particular texture and taste that will give to the customer a great breakfast experience: Baguette is a thin loaf of French bread with a crisp crust, very characteristic of France. The Baguette is made with wheat flour and no added additives; Black Bread, or Rye Bread, is made with various quantities of flour from rye grain. Rye is a cereal grain, which gives a dark color and more dense texture from the wheat flour breads. This bread has important qualities because it holds a substantial amount of fiber and small amount of fat. This is good bread for diabetic patients since it doesn’t cause a spike in blood sugar, as the other breads do. Focaccia Bread is another option. This is a more flat bread topped with olive oil and herbs. The texture of Focaccia Bread is similar to the pizza dough, and it is made with high-gluten flour. Our Focaccia will be have supplements with nutritive value and low calories using little amount of olive oil. And for last, but not least-the Bagel-all American breakfast bun. Bagel is yeasted wheat dough bread first boiled and then baked. Bagel will be a product that can be offered to the Jewish community. With these new items, that Magnolia Bakery wants to provide, it will offer a new service of delivery, from 5:00 to 10:00 am, directly to the door of the customer. Product Life Cycle The lifecycle of the bakery would have started with the introduction stage and that would have consisted of the target marketing, price, distribution, and promotion. The price had to be adjusted around the culture and the quality of the product. The distribution step would have included on how they would make the bread and where they would make bread in order to give it to the customer. The next that the bread company experienced in the beginning would have been the marketing part. Now with marketing is where they figured out who, what, and whys of who they would want to market too. This stage is important because if a customer like the service that is being provided, word of mouth travels fast. The information that is gathering through marketing and the customer is what products they like and how often certain breads or pastries are purchased. The growth stage is vital because this is where the company depends on the customer and the company pushes forward their name within the indu stry. In this stage there should be an increase in marketing, distribution, promotion, and pricing. Pricing is a big deal because the product should never be over priced however, the bakery is indebted to the investors for some years so this should evaluated. The items that are baked are done within the store and they are not resold. Within the maturity stage is could be a long wait because this is where over cost has subsided and the bakery will begin to see the fulfillment of their hard paying off. The business began to become more lucrative and the business can began to look within some other options. The options could include building another store in other states or around town. The decline stage is not necessarily a company closing its door, but it could also mean it is being sold off to a corporate minded company and being able to grow. This could include a name change for them or relocation. In could also mean changing the color of a product and making if different. However, with a bakery they could do a face lift on the building and do a reopening. It is vital that all the se stages have a plan to go along with it, because if not during the decline a business can close their doors forever. The cycle may not always go in this order but it will give a good idea of what may happen. Packaging With packaging for backed good there are many ways to add value to the  product. Going green: the company can purchase boxes and bags for their bread products that are recycled, the use of pot consumer materials can reduce the carbon footprint and this is something that some consumers look at in recent years. Coupons: the addition of coupons to the packaging can help to gain reoccurring business, if you buy a loaf of bread and the box has a coupon for a free loaf when you buy 2, this could help to expand on other products as well. (Imagine a coupon for a free dozen muffins when you buy 2 dozen at regular price) Vibrant designs: the use of vibrant colorful designs on the packaging may help to peak interest in the product contained within. If you are at a neighbor’s home and they have a beautiful blue and gold box sitting on the table, this may peak interest in what is inside the box. Other ways to increase the value of a product in this case could be to have a menu on the box, perhaps you open the bag and printed on the inside (safely) is a copy of the menu of products sold by the establishment, and this can be a constant reminder of what other products are available every day. Though some of these ideas may cost more than others, the ideas to draw the consumer in, so they will consume more product the appeal is one way to increase consumer traffic. One last way to increase value of the service would be to include a survey with the delivery; this survey could help critique the performance of the delivery driver as well as the quality of product. This kind of feedback can always help to improve the business and help make it better. Pricing Strategy Magnolia Bakery will need to implement a pricing strategy when launching its new delivery service. Magnolia should consider how much consumers, specifically in its target market segments, will be willing to spend for the value this service provides. Since this new service being offered gives Magnolia the capability to reach a greater number of customers, management should focus its strategy on attracting these new customers. This means Magnolia Bakery should take a sales-oriented approach to its pricing strategy, meaning a strategy with a goal of increasing sales by getting customers â€Å"in the door.† There are a couple of different ways this can be done. Magnolia could provide incentives for customers to start using its service through a limited time introductory offer, such as free delivery for the first 30 days. Magnolia could also offer discounts to existing  customers in exchange for bringing in business from a friend, providing them with an incentive. Once it establi shes a customer base, Magnolia will also want to look at maximizing its profits. Prices for the product should match in-store prices, as the costs of producing the product are not affected by the distribution method, with the exception of volume discounts. The increased costs come from transporting the goods to the customer. There should be some charge for the convenience of the delivery service to offset costs, but this charge should not be so high that it discourages customers from using the service. A reasonable starting point would be $10 per week, with distance from the store as a consideration. Magnolia should also consider that higher volume orders bring in more profit. An offer of no delivery charge for orders over $50 dollars per week, for example, may encourage larger orders. However, not everyone in Magnolia’s target market segments has an income that would be sufficient for them to take advantage of volume discounts. Senior citizens are a group that would find the service useful, but would be more encouraged to use it if Magnolia offered a senior discount or sent out coupons in the mail. Finally, Magnolia will need to factor in competition with regard to its pricing, as there are others who could offer the service as well. Too high of a price compared to competitors would reduce sales, while too low of a price could start a price war. Distribution Channels In the four â€Å"P’s† of marketing, placement is a very important element in the marketing strategy. Multiple distribution channels will aid Magnolia Bakery in expanding our reach and also grow revenue from the sale of the bakery’s fresh bread and other products. Offering direct delivery in the neighborhoods of our shops will continue with our focus of personalized service to loyal customers. Building distribution channels using local retail grocers and specialty markets will allow us to sell through value added resellers (VAR). Members of our sales team have already contacted several wine and gift related boutiques that have an interest in Magnolia Bakery’s breads and desserts, to include in gift baskets and special picnic baskets. When working with value added resellers such as these shops specializing in food baskets, we will be able to work together to find the right products to complement the others goods joined in the baskets. While considering all distribution channels, including those of our value added resellers, we need to know that we will meet the needs of consumers. Our bakeries and production plants will need to be able to handle the increase of sales and that of certain products during times of peak demand. The value added resellers will be the places where our customers will be coming in contact with our goods and we will need to be able to deliver to the VAR to complete the delivery channel. Our level of service will play an important role and we must do it in ways that are preferred by customers. How we deliver our baked goods to our customers is just as important as the products themselves. We need to supply the right products at the right times, to the right places. Whether we are using a direct distribution channel delivering products through our stores to customers, or through value added resellers, we must have consistently quality products every time. Conclusion There are still a lot of questions to answer and decisions to make from the concept of an idea to introducing the product to the customer. Before launching the fresh baked bread to the customer, Magnolia Bakery has to check that everything is in position so it goes efficiently. What if one of these questions, not answered, or a decision made before the release of the product causes dissatisfaction? The product may not reach expected sales goals. Many aspects play into the success of the final product and whether if fails or thrives. The product, pricing, placement, and promotions, as well as the channels in which Magnolia Bakery is delivered are important parts of launching any new product. References Focaccia Bread Nutrition Facts. (2013). Retrieved from weight loss answers.com: http://weightloss.answers.com/nutrition/focaccia-bread-nutrition-facts Jr., D. P., J.P. Cannon Jr., E.J. McCarthy. (2011). Basic marketing: A marketing strategy planning approach (19th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Nathan, J. (2014). www.slate.com. Retrieved from A short history of the bagel: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2008/11/a_short_history_of_the_bagel.html Taste Williams-sonoma. (2012, February 28). Retrieved from blog.williams-sonoma: http://blog.williams-sonoma.com/focaccia-bread-basics/

The Situation Of Hong Kongs Ocean Park

The Situation Of Hong Kongs Ocean Park Introduction In contemporary international business with an increasingly open market, many local enterprises are facing severe competition from large scale international company. In the case of disparities in overall strengths, it is quite essential and necessary for local business to explore new development ideas as well as new space for development. With its continuing effort on re-engineering these years, Hong Kong Ocean Park has turned a profit of 95.7 HK$ millions in 2004. However, with the coming opening of Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong Kong Ocean Park should be well prepared for the challenge from its main competitor by starting from its own characteristics, repositioning, identifying its absolute advantages, carrying out redevelopment plan with the support from its partners and local government. This report is mainly focused on the statement of the current situation of Hong Kong Ocean Park and discussion about its future development. To begin with, there will be some basic introduction of Hong Kong Ocean Park like its mission, vision and so on. Next goes the analysis of external and internal environment. After that, strategic choices will be discussed. And finally, suggestion and recommendation are proposed to the CEO and Board of Ocean Park. 1. Strategy concepts and vocabulary Mission: Ocean Park provides all guests with memorable experiences that combine entertainment and education, while inspiring lifelong learning and conservation advocacy. Our aim is to maintain a healthy financial status, while striving to deliver the highest standards of safety, animal care, products and guest service (Ocean Park Hong Kong, 2010). Goals and objectives: -boost the number of annual visitors from four million in 2004 to five million by 2010; -to make a 0.5 per cent contribution to Hong Kongs gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010. Vision: Ocean Park aspires to be a world leader in providing excellent guest experiences in a theme park environment connecting people with nature (Ocean Park Hong Kong, 2010). And, more specified, its vision is to become number one marine-based park for each family not only from Hong-Kong but also from mainland China. The main performance measures to determine the success of Ocean Park are the following: Firstly, it has high reputation in both Hong Kong and mainland China. As it has been operated for more than 28 years, it become a long-time favorite of several generations, many local people were sympathetic to Ocean Park. Thus, people who had visited the park as children were now bringing their own children to it. Secondly, it had become a fixture of Hong Kongs cultural heritage. Thirdly, the number of visitors in 2004 is 4 m of people (with daily maximum capacity 35 000 people); total revenue in 2004 was 536.2 HK$ m comparing to 428.3 HK$ m in 2003, surplus for 2004 year was 95.7 HK$ m comparing to deficit 4.1 HK$ m in 2003. And finally, its new brand (Whiskers) is recognizable at every house in China and plays a major role in the success of Hong Kong Ocean Park. On one hand, we have stakeholders, who help to achieve parks purpose and mission, such as Hong Kong government, Home Affairs Bureau and the Tourism Board, employees of Ocean Park corporation and parks visitors (customers). On other hand, we have those, who interfere with achieving parks purpose and mission, such as activist groups (certain environmental groups and animal rights activists), who insist on forbidding of buying and transportation exotic animals to park, trade associations and unions (bus companies and taxi drivers), who are against building a mass transit railway (MTR), and competitors, who want to regain the market share. 2. External Environment Key driving forces and their ranking Raise and spend HK$5.55 billion from private and government loans to revamp parks well-worn product line (approval of development plan) Global changing in tourism for Hong-Kong and Asia-Pacific region (development of tourism in region) Disneylands arrival worldwide success of main competitor-Disneyland, coming to Hong Kong (Disneys success or failure) PESTEL ANALYSIS FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS for amusement park industry 1) Threat of new entry As entertainment and theme park industry requires a lot of money (for park equipment, human resources maintenance), the entry barrier is high. Also lots of time is required for parks planning, construction, development and launching, a lot of licenses and legalization is needed (safety, sanitary, security etc). Besides this, a large space of land is essential to the development of the amusement park, especially in Hong Kong, where the land price in real estate market is high. 2) Threat of rivalry With low differentiation of products visitors choice will be based on price and service only. As a result, there is an additional pressure on the price and service competition. Ocean Park needs to carry out different plans and activities such as redevelopment and introduction of new attractions. There are no rivals with exactly the same range of products. Disneys arrival is only expected. 3) Threat of substitution In the familys leisure activities segment, where Ocean Park is operated, many organizations provide different kind of services. These include Cultural Center, Zoo and Botanic gardens. Thus, Hong Kong, as a metropolis, has a variety of cinemas, karaoke clubs, family cafes, concert halls and museums. Such services cant offer full range of activities, which Ocean Park provides, but they have an impact on number of customers, especially during the days of unique events, such as blockbusters premieres or festivals. 4) Bargaining power of buyers (visitors) As Ocean Park successfully established and positioned its image with unique attractions, it has become a must see place for foreign visitors. The tourist bargaining power is low due to it is hard for visitors to get the same experience at any other place as they have had in Ocean Park. Local residents have a high buying power as they have many other choices for leisure. For instance, they can go to Wetland Park for ecotourism and nature and wildlife experience, they can also go to movies or fitness club for entertainment purpose. Moreover, the switching cost is relatively low for them. 5) The power of suppliers Suppliers have quite high power. Thus, construction elements of amusement rides are huge and complicated, thats why park is highly tied with supplier. Additionally, supplier is responsible for maintenance of objects he has developed for park. This caused in higher dependence of selected constructor. Otherwise, this market is developed and the choice of suppliers is become greater now. While constructing buildings (hotels, etc) with particular contractor park cant easily change to another contractor because of high switching cost). The situation with the exotic animals is such as Ocean Park can buy in particular country only. The underlying dynamics, which are driving five forces 1) Aftermath of economic crises and increasing in number of suppliers will decrease supplier power. 2) Disneys arrival decrease entry threat in entertainment park industry and increase competitors rivalry. 3) Developing of new technologies will affect rising of substitutes. Also competitors with new technologies will win (in this aspect Disney has an advantage) 4) Disneys arrival increase demands in diversification of Ocean Parks products. 5) Ticket price advantages (185 HK$ for adult ticket at Ocean Park compared to 295HK$ for the same ticket at Disney). 6) The main rival (Disney) is also same market oriented (families with children), therefore, this could rise buyers power. Based on the five forces analysis, the main dominant force of industry is substitutes. Less importance has suppliers and further buyers. Looking forward, the five forces will change in this way: -Rivalry will increase with Disneys arrival; -Buyer power will increase slightly; -Substitute threat will also increase; -Entry threat decrease dramatically; -Supplier power will also decrease. Five forces much more affect Wetland Park Ocean Parks key competitor, located at the northern part of Tin Shui Wai, in Yuen Long, than Ocean Park itself, because Wetland parks products are less differentiated. It has a 10,000m2 visitor centre, Wetland Interactive World, and a 60-hectare Wetland Reserve (Hong Kong Wetland Park, 2010). Arrival of other competitor Disney and its substitutes doesnt affect much Ocean Park because it has its own niche. More differentiation of new products, directed mainly to Chinese native culture will affect rivalry, substitutes and buyers. Unique high-quality products and services also will influence buyers. For seeking suppliers big impact will have Internet and special web-sites with best quality of service, characteristics, recommendations and prices. Strategic group/space analysis for Ocean Park There are 2 key competitors for Ocean Park: 1) Hong Kong Wetland Park, mentioned above. It is a conservation, education and tourism facility, consisted of large visitor centre, Wetland Interactive World and a Wetland Reserve. This park provided visitors with opportunities to observe wildlife, awareness and understanding the values of wetlands throughout the East Asian Region and beyond, wetlands conservation. So, its mainly about wetlands. The Hong Kong Wetland Park is also going to be a world-class ecotourism facility to serve both local residents and overseas tourists (Hong Kong Wetland Park, 2010). Compare to Disneyland and Ocean Park, Hong Kong Wetland Park has different facilities and product range (such as themed exhibition galleries, a theatre, a souvenir shop, an indoor play area), provide different services and thus, like Disney and Ocean Park, has its own niche. The range of facilities provided is the narrowest among 3 parks. Therefore, Wetland Park cant meet demand of those visitors, who are looking for excitements and extreme pleasure, which can be found on a rides at 2 other parks. 2) Hong Kong Disneyland, arriving in a nearest future. After 28 years of operating as a near monopoly, Ocean Park would soon have to compete with one of the biggest names in the entertainment and theme park industry. Moreover, Disneyland targets the same group of parks customers families with children. It has well-known brand and reputation. Its the world leader in terms of entertainment. Several of Disneys characters (Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Winnie the Pooh) were household names all over the world, including in Hong Kong. Image, which Disney company holds almost for a century (The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923) and Disneyland itself (first park was opened in 1955) for half a century (compared to 28 years of Ocean park) helps to attract visitors not only from Hong Kong and midland China, but also from different part of the globe, especially those who are from the USA and Europe (The Walt Disney Company, 2010). But, despite of distinguish of Chinese culture, Disney characters may be not as popular in Hong Kong as Ocean Parks mascot, Whiskeys. Among other advantages of Disneyland are: location (it could be reached in just 10 minutes from Hong Kongs airport and less than 30 minutes from downtown Hong Kong); the price claimed to be the least expensive among the five Disney amusement parks throughout the world; the area of Disneyland is 310 acres compared to 215 acres of Ocean Park; 5 times greater investment than for Ocean Park; world-renowned innovation; high customer service standards. Strategic groups within the entertainment and theme park industry in Hong Kong Broad Ocean Park Disneyland Product range Narrow Wetland Park Global Local Geographical Scope On one hand, Ocean Park is a part of entertainment and theme industry. Its market is families with children. On other hand, Disneyland, its future competitor, applies to the same market. Despite of this, Ocean Park has its own niche with visitors from mainland China and products range, combining entertainment and leisure as well as education. 3. Internal Environment Ocean Parks resources 1) Tangible: financial private and government loans; expected HK$5.55 billion investment; HK$145 billion economic effectiveness; surplus from operations in 2004 was HK$182.2 million on revenues of HK$536.2 million; net current assets HK$283.2. physical Sea World, marine life and real animals: 35 rides and attractions; favorable and convenient location on the southern side of Hong Kong Island; wide range of new activities, such as the Abyss Turbo Drop thrill ride, seasonal and special events (Chinese New Year, Easter Holiday, Summer Holiday, Halloween and Christmas), popular water-related activities, interactive activities with animals, edutainment programs, successful Sea Jelly Spectacular and so on. 2) Intangible: long-time reputation of park with government, customers; new brand sea lion named Whiskers; cultural heritage of Hong Kong; great number of repeated visitors. 3) Human: 37 100 employees, their skills and knowledge; Thomas Mehrmann, new CEO of Ocean Park, and his previous experience at US-based Six Flags Corporation. Main capabilities of Ocean Park 1) New products, facilities and services development capability continually adding new features and attractions. Therefore, in a nearest future Ocean Park will become one of the best marine-based theme park with strong connection with nature. 2) Research and development, marketing and sales capabilities: plan to refurbish and rename Ocean Parks 2 major areas (the Lowland and the Highland), new hotels to be developed, including a five-star boutique, spa-type hotel, plan to open offices in the major urban areas of Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai to enhance promotional activities in Hong Kong and attract more mainland visitors. 3) New incentive compensation that linked employee compensation to the financial performance of park. The competences of Ocean Park local market loyalty, customers trust and love long-term reputation, distinct Chinese characteristics recognizable brand education in combination with recreation cost and differentiation of product, encouraged visitors to return to the park distinctive work culture, with its own norms and practices Competitive Advantages of Ocean Park over Disneyland cultural heritage of Hong Kong, orientation mostly on visitors from midland China first-mover advantages primary focus of Ocean Park on real nature and wildlife in contrast to Disneys strengths in cartoon characters, castles, virtual reality and fantasy no need to engage in high-profile advertising and publicity, rely more on word-of-mouth more diverse and wide range of products price advantage: the admission price for Disneyland is expected more than twice higher for child and one and a half higher for adult than price of Ocean park. And visitors from mainland China are very price sensitive. SmartFun Annual Pass program with unlimited admission to the park for its holders within a year, and discounted prices for food, souvenirs orientation not only on entertainment, but also on education of visitors special events for traditional Chinese holidays (Chinese New Year) besides events for western holidays (Halloween) Despite Ocean Park build its strategy on its resources, capabilities and competences, it cant relay only on them they need to be developed, innovated and refreshed, because they may begin to look dated and shabby for their visitors. For example, it can import more species, construct water/sea-related facilities and hotels. Overall, Ocean Park resources are sustainable, with some exception such as, the impact on these resources from environmental groups opposition. SWOT ANALYSIS Positive impact Negative impact Internal environment Strengths -diversified and wide range of amusements (thrills, animals, seasonal and special events) -product line revamp -highly linked with culture of mainland Chinese visitors, knows their demands and behavior -the main, oldest and most famous amusement park in the country, hometown favorite -28 years of operating as a near monopoly -no need to engage in high-profile advertising and publicity, rely more on word-of-mouth -strong business connection to the local government (support from the government of Hong Kong and mainland China) -previous experience of Thomas Mehrmann (new CEO of Ocean Park) in theme park industry (at US-based Six Flags Corporation) -local market loyalty -positive image of park Weaknesses -located on a hills-hard to get to some riders-thats why visitors experienced rides only once -different facilities are old and un-attractive and need renovation -a lot of activities depend on weather -no substantial capital investment External environment Opportunities -focusing on delivering mainland Chinas visitors as well as foreign visitors -plan to build a mass transit railway (MTR) station to connect Ocean Park to the subway grid -the development and improvement of the amusement machinery, which can impact the services and features of the organization and its relationship to their foreign visitors -raise the standards of park with Disneyland arrival fostering sponsorships -plan for building new hotels (boutique and spa-type) orientation on new luxury tourism market segment Threats -economical instability (such as the Asian financial crisis of 1999-2001, lasted for 3 difficult years for Ocean Park), outbreak of different diseases, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 (Both these factors can affect number of visitors and their buying behavior, worsening the park financial situation) -arrival of Disneyland Hong Kong -location on valuable real estate: it could be shut down and its land could be sold off for other recreational or commercial purposes. 4. Strategic Choices Business-level strategy Hong Kong Ocean Park uses hybrid strategy, which seeks simultaneously to achieve differentiation and low price relative to competitors (Johnson, Scholes, Whittington, 2008). Most activities were carried out based on this Strategy. 1) Hong Kong Ocean Parks admission fee is Adult HK$185, Child HK$95 which is lower that of Disneys: Adult HK$295(weekdays) HK$350(holidays); Child HK$210(weekdays), HK$250(holidays). 2) Hong Kong Ocean Park did not spend too much on new fixed-asset attractions due to short life circles of them and difficulty in coming up with an encore. 3) It keeps part attractions fresh, novel and exciting while minimize costs. Instead of buying in new attractions, Hong Kong Ocean Park focused on culture innovation. Some relative low-cost ideas proved successful: Seasonal and special events attracted repeat visits every year. 4) Hong Kong Ocean Park did not take part in highly cost advertising campaign. Compared to its competitors, Hong Kong Ocean Park tended to rely more on word-of-mouth to generate additional business. Since Hong Kong Ocean Park was the local residents favorite theme park and had high reputation in Hong Kong even in Asia. Hong Kong Ocean Park had profound influence on several generations in Hong Kong, people who had visited the park as children were now bringing their own children to visit the park. Actually, Hong Kong Ocean Park was locally born and bred and had become a fixture of Hong Kongs cultural heritage. 5) Hong Kong Ocean Park had a clear organizational structure, no too much redundancy. It can save labor cost. 6) Hong Kong Ocean Park had identified its strategic customers clearly; those are Local tourists and Mainland Tourists. So, it carried out several plans to attract its key customers. a) It hosts several festival events and activities to complement its park offerings with distinct features, like Chinese New Year. It had distinct Chinese characteristics that reflected its roots in Hong Kong, a quintessentially Chinese city. b) Retained its unique SmartFun Annual Pass Program and tactically reviewed and developed value-added benefits to build sales and local customers loyalty. This program encouraged annual pass holders to visit the park repeatedly. Visitors to the park would spend money in other areas to boost revenue beyond the admission fees. 7) Hong Kong Ocean Parks had clear and definite position; that was to become the best marine-based theme park in the world need a source here!!, to provide customers with a place for recreation and education about marine life and environmental conservation. This unique strategic position is differentiated Hong Kong Ocean Park from its competitors and ensure its advantages over the main competitors. Competitive strategies of Hong Kong Ocean Parks competitor Disneyland was regarded as Hong Kong Ocean Parks main competitor and it adopted a differentiation strategy. With a differentiation strategy, a company provides products or services that offer more benefits than those of its competitors which are widely valued by buyers. The aim is to make a company advantageous over its competitors by offering better products or services at the same price or increasing profits by a slightly higher price (Johnson, Scholes, Whittington, 2008). More specifically, Disneyland took below action plans in line with its differentiation strategy: 1) The selling points of Disneyland were Disney cartoon characters, fantasy world and famous Americans brands, 23 rides and attractions. 2) Disney has strong abilities to create fantasy and virtual situations, and it was going to leverage the benefits of animation into its amusement parks. 3) There would be two hotels in Hong Kong Disneyland which could provide guests with better recreation facilities. 4) There was going to be a subway station linking Disneyland to other parts of Hong Kong which enable Disneyland to has convenient transportation advantage over its competitors. 5) Unique Disney World-styled wedding ceremony was offered to guests in Disneyland. Strategic direction In 2005 Ocean Park had good business characteristics it became profitable, with significant market share, effective management team and successful recognizable brand. Otherwise, arriving of Disneyland could negatively impact on success of a company. To avoid this, Ocean Park must define a right strategic direction. Most preferable direction is product development. This means that Ocean Park need to improve its products range and number of additional services. Thus, by offering new wide set of entertainment and educational products for all target groups, the company can gain advantages to harden its brand, attract new consumers and retrieve lost customers, who not engaged with old facilities and services any more. Despite the international tourists is a minor group in customers totals, company could start to develop a new markets. This development includes marketing campaign directed to tourists from selected countries and making contracts with tour agents. Realization of these methods helps to increase tourists share when local citizens share will decline after Disneyland coming. International Strategy International Strategy for Ocean Park is limited to marketing policy for preferable countries. The main reason of this limitation is that Ocean Park cant be expanded to other countries like Disneyland does, for example. Its based on local flora and fauna and strongly attached to Chinese culture. Also other countries may not have such resources. Ocean Park is a unique, not common product. Not every country even needs it. Thus, expansion is considered in case of marketing development only, such as connection with potential tourists, opening of offices, TV advertising and so on, which helps to enhance promotional activities in Hong Kong and attract visitors. CAGE FRAMEWORK for Ocean Park Cultural distance: With increasing popularity of the Ocean Park, the CEO and Broad of Ocean Park need to think about it attractiveness to tourists in case of the whole world. Indeed, Ocean Park activities are affected by cultural heritage, but it only helps park to attract tourists not only from Asia, but also from all over the world. High priorities should be given to those countries, from where the number of tourist is significant. Administrative and political distance: Its important to consider at first countries with good and stable relationships with China and Hong Kong. Geographic distance: High priority should be given to those countries, from which the number of tourist is significant, then to neighbor countries. Therefore, Ocean Park need to make agreements with tour agents in these countries, organize different sales and advertising, so, expand its marketing presence in these countries. Economic distance: The economic circumstances of a country is an important factor when carrying out international strategy. Therefore, the amusement theme park cant be developed well in the countries with bad economic circumstances. Thus, the main orientation of Ocean Park will be on countries with high income per capita or high level of consumer wealth. 5. General introduction and future of development Hong Kong Tourism Since the reunification (except during the SARS outbreak in), the Hong Kong tourism industry has performed well. In 2004, Hong Kong tourism industry reached new heights, with 21810630 tourists, increasing by 40.4% compared to the figures of 15536839 in 2003 (subject to SARS impact), meanwhile, the revenue of tourism amounted to 91.8 billion Hong Kong dollars, up to 9.6% over 2003 (http://www.discoverhongkong.com). Hong Kong government has always been thinking of a new positioning and development direction. In the Governments policy report, it is identified that Hong Kong to be Backed by the Mainland and towards the world, to be an international metropolis providing quality services, and it is clearly stated the new policy as Market Leads, Government Facilitates. need a source here!! Tourism is the most robust momentum in services industries, one of the pillar industries of Hong Kong and is paid high attention by Hong Kong government. In the new situation and new policy paradigm, the Government begins to make overall planning for the tourism industry, which means that the Government will take more proactive measures to promote the development of tourism (http://www.gov.hk). In 2004 mainland visitors continued to be the majority of Hong Kong tourism with a number of 12245862 tourists, increasing by 44.6%. Free exercise program was the driving force to promote further expansion of mainland market. Moreover, from July 1, 2004, the free exercise extended to 32 cities in South China and East China, 100 million 58 million residents from these cities could apply for travel to Hong Kong with the name of free exercise. In 2004, there were 426 million free exercise visitors, accounting for 34.8% of the total number of tourists; which rose more than twice than 134 million tourists in 2003 (http://www.discoverhongkong.com). With the support from the government as well as the increasing trend of visitors travelling to Hong Kong, it is predicted that there will be a bright future for Hong Kong tourism which will directly promote the development of them park industry in Hong Kong. 6. Suggestions to Hong Kong Ocean Park Generally speaking, Hong Kong Ocean Park, with Disneylands arrival, should transform hybrid strategy to differentiation strategy. More specifically, it involves two main parts: marketing strategy as short term goals and infrastructure construction as long term objective. However, it should always stick to its mission and vision of delivering the highest standards of safety, animal care, products and guest service, be a world leader in providing excellent guest experiences in a theme park environment connecting people with nature. put a source here! Marketing strategy Product: Keep on introducing a variety of interactive activities with animals. For example: the Ocean theatre that staged dolphin and sea lion shows every day. Keep focus on seasonal and special events like Chinese New Year and Halloween. For instance, during summer holiday, some water-related activities such as water-war of foam parties should be organized which target teenagers. Develop a niche products, e.g. Sea World-styled wedding ceremony. Provide more sophisticated products to its customers than Disney. For example, build boutique hotel and spa-style hotels for tourists with higher income, expectations and needs. Such, move to a new market segment, even luxury tourism. Price: Concentrate on giving value for the money the customers have paid. It is quite essential to attract mainland visitors who are more sensitive on price. Provide guests with more amusement facilities at a lower price than Disneyland to attract more visits. As to the local residents, it is suggested to offer them the annual pass as it creates loyalty and a real sense of value by encouraging annual pass holders to visit the park repeatedly. Some special offer to different groups in the society is also recommended, for example, a discount for students during holidays. As a step of moving from hybrid to differentiation strategy after Disneys arrival, at first, Ocean Park should keep its prices, but later, with differentiation of its products range, the prices could be increased. Promotion: Make full use of word of mouth marketing and the advantage of being the localized theme park. Proceed the promotion through the unique feeling of growing together with Hong Kong (Yan Le, 2007). Advertising campaign in Hong Kong can be carried out through the interactive quiz of the knowledge about animals to inspire their interest in nature and wildlife. As there is a significantly increasing number of mainland visitors to Hong Kong, it is strongly suggested that Hong Kong Ocean Park should establish agencies in major cities in China to showcase its unique attractions and attract more mainland visitors. Expand the marketing campaign to international markets to attract foreign tourists. In case of Disneys arrival, Ocean Park can start more aggressive marketing politic for attracting tourists from all over the wor

Free Hamlet Essays: Talk and Action in Hamlet :: GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Hamlet

Talk and Action in Hamlet The character of Hamlet is very prestigious, but he has many shortcomings. In many cases, he shows that he is all words and no action. He waits until the very last minute to take a course of action. Hamlet realizes this, and he wishes that he had the characteristics of Fortinbras, Laertes, and Horatio. During the course of the play, Hamlet just talks and talks about what he plans on doing, but when an opportunity arrises to make good on his word, he backs down. for instance, when he finds Claudius praying, he could have easily killed him and been done with it. but instead, he makes up an excuse for himself, saying that it is dishonorable to kill someone in the church. Even Laertes agreed with Claudius when he said in Act IV, Scene 7 that "no place indeed should murder sanctuarize." The only times that Hamlet takes action is when he has no choice. He takes action when he is sent to England. He only does anything, because if he doesn't, he will be killed. The other time that he uses action instead of words is, of course, at the end. but by that time, it is already too late. Laertes, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. He was all action and no talk. A very headstrong character, he was rash and let his emotions make his decisions for him. an example of this is when he finds out about his father's death, he immediately assumes it was Claudius and enters the castle by force, fully intending on killing him. This is what Hamlet needs to be like, but only in moderation. Sometimes, when the time calls for it, you must act on instinct, without having to think it through for a couple of days. Hamlet didn't want to be brash and end up getting killed like Laertes did, but then again, Laertes did avenge his father's death a lot faster than Hamlet did. And in spite of all the thinking and planning, Hamlet still ended up the same way that Laertes did. Fortinbras was a mix of the previous two. He carefully planned out his strategy, and then acted on it when they were finished. He showed that he was not too reckless by sending his captain ahead of him to announce that he was coming, so that the king might have repay him instead of fighting him and losing men.

Bad Or Good :: essays research papers

Bad or Good We live in a world in which our primary food is the information. We perceive the outside world through images, and each image has an echo in our brain, generating feelings, attitudes and sometimes questions. Although we belong to the same specie, thousands of differences or similarities divide and classify us. Each of us perceives in his own way the information he receives. For some of us, something could be beautiful, for others the same thing could be ugly. Behind these two words, beautiful and ugly, we can see another words or, better said, concepts: good and bad. But what do good and bad mean? Do they really exist? On one hand, good and bad are two words that express our opinion in terms of perceived images. We give the images values, which can be, as I already said, good or bad. On the other hand, being so many types of human beings, it is normal to be different kinds of perception and interpretation of information. Therefore, having many people who can interpret things in different ways, it is difficult for somebody to say what is good or bad, and in the same time to have his opinion shared by everyone. Trying to classify, we might come up with a result that might be true or not, depending on the point of view. In other words everything is relative. Paradoxically, when we start thinking we, we discover that we actually know almost nothing, or that there are many things left, to be known. On the other hand, the more we know, the more we want to know. This desire of knowing more and more might be expressed through questions. One big difference that separates the human beings from animals is that

Essay --

When asked about a certain food, the first thing that might come to mind is the taste, the look, or the texture. What does not come to mind is the ingredients that make the food for what it is. Today, many food items contain the ingredient high fructose corn syrup. While some people may cringe when they hear those words, others will explain the true meaning behind HFCS. Based on several articles, the truth of the matter is that high fructose corn syrup is just another replacement for sugar. There is no sufficient evidence proving that HFCS is worse than sugar, however that does not mean it is better for you either. HFCS is just as bad as sugar, meaning that there is no large effect on the body compared to sugar, but they both do have side effects if over consumed. When comparing and contrasting high fructose corn syrup with sugar, the similarities outweigh the differences. For instance, in the â€Å"myth vs facts† article it claims that HFCS is the same as sugar when it comes to the number of calories, composition and absorption in the human body. In addition, when it comes to sweetne...

Philippine Labor Force Essay

Just from taking a look of the stark reality of Philippine Society today, any one would say that it would be a no – brainer to answer the question of possible change. Change, in the Philippines? They say. Impossible. Yet in spite of the dim reality we are in do I gain the audacity to say that the Philippines is not a hopeless case, I believe it is not, for the simple the reason that if I believe that nothing can be done to change our country, then that is how it will be. if I believe that there is still hope, that something can be done, then I can be a precursor of change, and hence, something can be done. Anyway, we have nothing else to lose, and everything to gain, and as such we should put ourselves in that perspective. I think the reason the Philippines is the way it is today is because somehow, someway, we, us Filipinos, somehow caused all of this to happen to us. Of course no individual would dare intentionally wish upon themselves poverty, what I mean is, as a collective, as a people, as an entire race that had spanned generations and generations of culture, we have somehow allowed our society – which could have flourished into a rich nation – to deteriorate, very, very nearly to the point of no return. We have allowed ourselves to blindly steer into the direction of poverty when we were heading into the direction cities such as Shanghai, Singapore, and Hong Kong are in now. Many actually do believe we are at that point of no return already. But if everyone thought that we cannot change, then how then will change be possible? If we collectively keep denying that we are responsible for this Philippine mess we have collectively gotten ourselves into, then change becomes impossible. If we accept entirely that we are – at some level – all at cause of how things are now honestly, graciously; until we accept responsibility for the whole of our reality shall we gain the power to change part of it. So therefor, I shall accept that I am also responsible for all this mess. As a youth with certain ideologies, this is one thing I can do, accept that I have contributed to what is. I am responsible for the deterioration of my country, of its rich culture, of it’s society. I have allowed crime, poverty, corruption to flourish. So therefor shall I become an igniter of change. I shall bring people to the awareness that change is still possible. If ALL of us would accept everything as a part of their creation shall we be able to change everything. As Jose Rizal had wisely said,† Ang kabataan ay ang pag-asa ng kinabukasan,† never has that quote made perfect sense until now. Imagine if everyone thought like that. Progress would come about to our country fairly quickly, wouldn’t you think? My duty as a student may not be as grandiose as those who go out of their way to change lives, build villages, and adopt babies from those in need. My duty is simple, yet absolutely vital. My duty is bring everything I have said above to as much people as I possibly can. Awareness is start of wisdom, as the saying goes, and in juxtaposition, collective awareness is an absolutely powerful igniter of change. If we all want it enough, it happens. I wise person once told me, that the people are the true movers of change, never the government officials. Government officials follow the people. This has been perfectly demonstrated across history; from Greek governance through public opinion, to the breaking down of the Berlin Wall, to the Chinese revolutions which shifted 1920’s Communist China which started through student visions of a better China, to our very own EDSA revolutions, our own 1986 revolution. Change comes in numbers. True change is a collective effort, People Power at its most powerful. As such I cannot stress any further the importance to instill the ideas in others a sense of hope and optimism for the future. From awareness, comes action. Ideas beget action, and so does my actions as a student after imparting the ideas of hope to others. I would probably, as a student – architect, physically help In projects that aim to provide housing for underprivileged folk in scales similar to Gawad Kalinga, and maybe soon, hopefully, provide them that with my own resources. I would probably also, bring about new innovative and convenient design solutions for the impoverished, such as the recent mind-blowingly innovative creation of the coca-cola light bottle, wherin a steady stream of light is made available in low cost housing from just installing a 1. L bottle into rooftops. Some other creation that would greatly benefit the mass population is something I would like to create. Probably also, I would like to teach others who want to get into the construction industry tricks and tips and gaining skillsets required for masonry and carpentry. I want to help people learn how to catch fish with a fishing rod, instead of giving them the fish. I think they would greatly benefit from that. This has made me see the possibility of what we can do to improve Philippine Society. Call me crazy but might it be possible that we were given this framework of poverty that we may find the power within ourselves to change it? Could you entertain the possibility that we were born into this country, this context of poverty, that we might change it ourselves? Singapore has done it. The US has done it. China is doing it. Why can’t we? We have nothing else to lose, and everything to gain, and as such we should put ourselves in that perspective, and watch reality change before our eyes.