Environmental and Competitive Analysis of Easyjet Essay

This report has been written in order to provide an environmental and competitive analysis of the low-cost airline industry sector from the position of Easyjet. It will give a brief history into Easyjet and the low-cost airline industry. It will analyse the internal strengths and weaknesses as well as the external threats and opportunities. Competitors will be analysed through the use of porters 5 forces model. Recommendations will be made for EasyJet’s marketing strategies for the next three years. Corporate History Easyjet was founded in 1995 by Stelios Haji-Ioannou who based the firm around the low-cost, no-frills model of the US flight operator ‘Southwest’. The concept of Easyjet is based on the fact that short flights within Europe are price elastic, meaning the lower the prices the more people will travel within Europe. The deregulation of the European airline industry in 1992 authorised any European airline to operate, fly and land anywhere within Europe. This allowed airlines to expand routes and operate within Europe with much higher precision. Easyjet was initially started from its ‘hanger’ headquarters at Luton airport with two Boeing 737-300’s offering flights from London Luton to Glasgow and Edinburgh at a price of  £29 each way. To date easyJet has now expanded into offering 125 routes from 39 major European airports using their fleet of 122 aeroplanes. EasyJet has also expanded into having large basis at not only Luton airport but also Liverpool, Geneva, and AmsterdamBack in 1999 easyJet gained free mass exposure to an audience of around 9 million viewers through ITV’s ‘fly on the wall’ documentary series ‘Airline’. The launch of easyjet.com in 1997 has become an integral part of the business model and has seen a huge change in the culture of booking travel tickets. Currently easyJet.com provides around 90% of bookings today and in 2001 hit ten million sales making it the second busiest travel website in the UK. Ryanair and easyJet are in fierce competition with each other as they are the two largest low-cost airlines operating within the UK. Since easyJet’s takeover of the low-cost airline â€Å"Go† in 2002 it has become Europe’s largest airline in this sector but still faces fierce competition. EasyJet Mission StatementA mission statement should be the ultimate goal of a firm and should filter down into every department of an organisation. To provide our customers with safe, good value, point-to-point air services. To effect and to offer a consistent and reliable product and fares appealing to leisure and business markets on a range of European routes. To achieve this we will develop our people and establish lasting relationships with our suppliers. (http://easyjet.com/EN/About/index.html)EasyJet’s environmental code based on three pointsTo be environmentally efficient in the airTo be environmentally efficient on the groundTo lead in shaping a greener future for aviation, for example:- carbon offsetting- shaping future aircraft design- for example, the ecoJeteasyJet high efficiency = lower emissions = low faresSWOT AnalysisA SWOT analysis analyses the internal Strengths and Weaknesses of easyJet along with the external Threats and Opportunities. Strengths†¢Well known, respected and memorable brand name†¢Strong and well known leadership figure in Stelios: â€Å"No Bullshit† approach†¢Motivated workforce independently trained at the easyJet academy†¢Very effective advertising strategies developed to reinforce the easyJet brand along with mass exposure through ITV’s ‘Airport’†¢Good knowledge of the market and effective responses to competitors attempting to steal potential customers†¢Fly to a large number of main holiday destinations†¢Lower carbon emissions due to using newer fleet of aircraft†¢Cost reduction with the removal of travel agents†¢High passenger volume†¢Low operating costs†¢Diversification into other markets, car rental, internet cafes and hotels†¢Flat managerial hierarchy, thus reducing costs†¢Innovator with regards to online booking and ticket-less travelWeaknesses†¢Fly only within Europe and no current intentions to expand outside of the continent†¢Rely on computer bookings to such extent that business would be unable to operate with computer failure or virus attack. †¢No customer retention/relationship policy. †¢No points scheme to reward frequent flyers†¢Access to European airports allowed by the deregulation of the industry, which may vary in the future†¢Outsources many of its services to third parties which may be damaging to its reputation†¢Success of Easyjet makes it difficult and expensive to train staff quickly enough. Opportunities†¢Lower costs further†¢Increase fares†¢Introduction of more countries into the European Union has increased potential customers and flight destinations†¢Expand into new routes, outside of Europe, and long haul†¢Decrease turn around times†¢Improve aircraft utilisation†¢Vertical integration to eliminate outsourced functions of easyJet’s procedure†¢Gain first mover advantage with regards to using alternative ‘greener’ fuel cells†¢Introduction of points scheme to reward and retain frequent flyersThreats†¢Rising fuel prices †¢Introduction of a carbon emission tax or other environmental regulations†¢New emerging competition†¢Competitors undercutting prices or offering similar prices for a more efficient/better service†¢Aircraft maintenance problems†¢Terrorism reducing air travel numbers†¢Emerging alternative modes of transport†¢Reputation lost in event of well publicised incident†¢DelaysPEST AnalysisA PEST analysis analyses the Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural and Technological factor influencing the low-cost airline industry. Political Factors†¢Threat of terrorism upon airlines†¢Governments applying taxes upon carbon emissions†¢Introduction of more countries into the European unionEconomic Factors†¢Increasing fuel costs and other environmental restrictions†¢European Union regulations†¢Prospect of higher security and insurance costs due to the increased risk of terrorism. †¢Continuing growth of air travel through continuing globalisation†¢Introduction of the Euro single currency is likely to integrate Europe even moreSocio-Cultural Factors†¢Travel and holidays are becoming more and more typical for a large percent of the UK  population†¢Continuing growth of multi-national enterprises has caused business travel to become more common†¢Gaining customers from France and Germany may cause problems as these nations are still very reluctant in using credit cards over the phone and on the internetTechnological Factors†¢Advancements in e-commerce resulting in increased online competition†¢Improvements in engine technology will allow easyJet’s planes to run more efficiently and reduce emissions†¢Increases in fuel technology offering easyJet alternative fuel sources Porter’s 5 forces model Porter’s 5 forces model looks at: the threat of substitutes, the threat of new entrants, the power of suppliers, the power of buyers and the rivalry among existing firms to analyse the competitiveness within a certain industry. The threat of substitutes†¢Fairly low threat from other modes of transport as the cost and time advantage clearly separates the low cost airlines from the luxury and comfort offered from substitutes such as high speed train services. For example London to Glasgow takes 6 hours on a train and costs around  £80 whereas Easyjet offers the service in 1 hour only costing  £29. †¢Regarding travel into mainland Europe the distance is far too great for train, car and ferry travel to be a realistic worthwhile substitute. For example if a customer was to drive to the south of France for a short weekend break the travel would take too long for it to be realistic and practical trip . The threat of new entrants†¢Limited capacity at suitable airports means any new airline would find it hard to find suitable take off and landing slots. †¢Huge start up capital required for the purchase of aircraft†¢New entrants would be working as a ‘loss leader’ for a number of years due to the large initial expenses†¢The low cost airline industry within the UK is fairly mature but as easyJet were one of the initial firms into this industry they hold a strong position. However within the rest of Europe there are many holiday operators who are attempting to enter the low cost airline industry themselves. The power of suppliers †¢The price of fuel is directly related to the cost of oil which is ever increasing. Easyjet rely on being able to obtain fuel but have no control over the price. †¢Aircraft manufactures are extremely concentrated within the industry with Boeing and Airbus the two main manufactures. The dependence of spare parts from a certain manufactures could pose a risk. †¢The more Easyjet expands the more power it will hold over its suppliers through gaining ‘economies of scale’. The power of buyers†¢Buyer power within the airline industry, especially the low cost sector is especially strong as customers often shop around and try to find the best price. This factor has been extended through the introduction of many online flight search engines such as travelsupermarket.com and lastminute.com. †¢The Civil aviation authority (CAA) provides protection against(1) the consequences of travel organisers failure for people who buy package holidays, charter flights and discounted scheduled air tickets and(2) licences airlines and ensures compliance with requirements of European and UK legislation relating to financial resources, liability and insurance of airlines. †¢Customers experience no negative feature of switching supplier so are happy to do so. Rivalry among existing firms†¢Ryan Air, BMI baby, MyTravelite, Jet2 and Buzz are all competitors with the UK low cost airline industry but Ryan Air is the only one of these to have succeeded and shown a continuously yearly profit. †¢British Airways and other traditional flight operators flying from the UK are competitors but on a much lower scare as they are targeting different market segments†¢There are over one hundred European based low cost airlines,  many of them are very small but still act as competition for easyJet. Different Types of competitorsSimilar specific – same product, technology and target marketSimilar general – Same product area but serving different segmentsDifferent specific – Same need satisfied by very different meansDifferent general – Competing for discretionary spend(Brassington, pg 866)In relation to Easyjet the similar specific competitors are the other ‘no-frills’ low cost airlines, operating within Europe. The largest firm that fits this specification is Ryan Air thus they are easyJet’s prime competitor. Other ‘no-frills’ low cost airlines operating within the UK include Jet2, bmibaby and Flybe. The similar general competitors are other airlines that operate within Europe but which are targeting a different type of clientele. Within the UK the largest operators are British Airways and Virgin but both of these operators tend to concentrate on the more upper class expensive business flights. They are also not in direct competition with Easyjet as they offer flights all over the world and are not restricted to just within Europe. The different specific competitors are firms which offer travel into Europe by means other than air travel. This would be the channel tunnel operator Euro tunnel and the English channel ferry operators such as P&O, Brittany or Stena Line. These are not in direct competition as the main differentiation is that on both the channel tunnel and the ferry crossing people can take their cars onboard. It is also a much longer process so unless visiting the west coast of France weekend breaks would seem rather pointless as the duration of the ferry would be too long. Different general competitors could be firms offering holidays and trips within the UK where no air travel is needed at all. Different general competitors could also be firms supplying other luxury items that may be bought instead of a holiday, such as a new car. Competitor analysisAs the range of competition throughout these groups (above), is at varying intensities the similar specific and similar general groups will be broken down into four segments for ease of analysis. Competition will be analysed through a competitor analysis. Who are our competitors?Segment 1Ryanair: Easyjet’s direct competitorsSegment 2Other UK based low-cost airlines: Jet2, flybe, bmibaby,Segment 3Standard UK based airlines: British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, KLM and BMISegment 4European based low-cost airlines: There are over 100 European low cost airlines such as: Condor, g’wings, SkyEurope and Blu Express. AssumptionsIt is inevitable that the continuous growth in the low cost airline industry will begin to slow down as the industry is becomes saturated. It is believed that the current mass of operators will be whittled down to a handful of major airlines. A large number of the smaller low cost airlines that will unavoidably struggle to compete will be involved in take-overs allowing the bigger players in the industry to continue to grow. What are our competitor’s strengths and weaknesses?RyanAir Strengths†¢Well known and respected brand name†¢Low costs due to low airport charges†¢High internet booking ratio†¢High aircraft utilisation†¢Use single type of aircraft†¢Fast turn around times†¢High seat densityRyanAir Weaknesses†¢Recent reports of poor customer service†¢Negative press†¢Airports are often long distance from travellers end destinationUK based low cost airline Strengths†¢All have their own website for bookings and ticket-less travel†¢Some have strong financial backing†¢Fast turnaround time†¢Low operating costsUK based low cost airline Weaknesses†¢Relatively small in comparison to easyJet and RyanAir†¢Large advertising costs†¢Small network of routes†¢Competing in competitive industry resulting in many mergers and take-overs†¢Restricted to the use of certain airportsStandard UK based airlines Strengths†¢Res pected and well known brand names †¢Worldwide service†¢Strong financial backing†¢Respected standard of serviceStandard UK based airlines Weaknesses†¢Low aircraft utilisation (compared to easyJet)†¢High costs†¢High pricesEuropean low-cost airline Strengths†¢Use of  single currency (Euro) can reduce costs†¢Closer to emerging markets (Eastern Europe)†¢Low costs†¢Well know brand names, in their respected home countriesEuropean low-cost airline Weaknesses†¢Relatively small compared to easyJet and RyanAir†¢Virtually unknown in the UK†¢Competing in fierce industry†¢Restricted use of certain airportsWhat are our competitor’s objectives?RyanAir – â€Å"RyanAir’s objective is to firmly establish itself as Europe’s leading low-fares scheduled passenger airline through continued improvements and expanded offerings of its low-fares service. RyanAir aims to offer low fares that generate increased passenger traffic while maintaining a continuous focus on cost-containment and operating efficiencies.† (Ryanair.com)UK based low cost airlines – Initially the UK based low cost airlines objectives are to survive in the industry by increasing their market share. The inevitable saturation of the market will cause many of the smaller low cost airlines to be merged or taken over by the larger players. In order to avoid this smaller low cost airlines need to differentiate themselves from the crowd or gain a unique selling point through lower costs, excellent customer services or exploiting new routes. Standard UK based airlines – Aim to continue their dominance of flights in and out of the UK by emphasising the quality of the service they provide. They also plan to reduce prices in order to shorten the gap between themselves and the low cost airlines. European bases low cost airlines – European low cost airlines need to survive in the market by increasing their market share. This could be established by increasing their network routes or branching into un-targeted countries within Europe. It is also plausible that mergers will occur within this sector to reduce the risk of failure. RecommendationsEasyJet can not avoid the increasing oil and petrol prices which is bound to effect the industry sooner rather than later. It may be recommended that easyJet start looking into using alternative renewable fuel sources. If easyJet can get hold of the technology to run their fleet of planes on a ‘greener’ fuel they may gain first mover advantage and capture large amounts of the competitions customers. Over the next three years it would be recommended that easyJet focus on ‘joining the dots’ of their European network rather than attempting long haul flights as this would be difficult and would carry a large initial risk. If easyJet could ‘join the dots’ in their European network it would fight off the competition from the emerging low cost airlines attempting to grow within the industry. Conclusion In conclusion easyJet have built a strong brand which has positioned them in an excellent spot within the low cost sector of the airline industry. With this sector of the industry predicted to grow, competition is likely to intensify even more but as easyJet has already built a strong brand and customer base it is unlikely they will be forced out of the market. EasyJet need to continue its advertising strategies, reinforcing its image and brand name to continue as one of the industries leading airlines. As the UK market is saturated and offers small or no growth opportunity, it would be logical for easyJet to focus on the expansion of their route networks within Eastern Europe. EasyJet should accomplish this through providing the routes themselves or merging with a competitor that already does. Reference List Bird’s eye view. SWOT analysis of low cost carrier industry (April 2007)http://www.air-scoop.com/downloads/SWOT_Low-Cost-Carriers_Air-Scoop.pdf [7-12-2007]Blythe, J (2006) Principles and Practice of Marketing, Thompson Learning, Bedford Row, LondonBrassington, F. Petit, S. (2003) Principles of Marketing, page Pearson Education, Harlow, EssexChannel 4 news. How green is easyJet? (May 2007) http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/society/environment/factcheck+how+green+is+easyjet/509642 [20-11-2007]Crawford,C. Easyjet SWOT Analysis (2004) http://www.marketingprofs.com/ea/qst_question.asp?qstID=3412 [25-11-2007]Hoffmann, J. Ryan Air – Environmental Analysis, Discussion of core competencies and Strategy Proposal (2004)http://www.grin.com/en/preview/39017.html [25-11-2007]Manzoor, M. Easyjet (2005) http://www.marketingprofs.com/ea/qst_question.asp?qstID=9339

Policy issues affecting the police Essay

Just like any other department in the government, the police force is largely influenced by the policy issues that the government adopts. Be it new laws or strategies, they have to adjust their operations so as to fit what the policies dictate. The duty of the police is to maintain law and order and in doing this they have to incorporate policies set by the government. As it will be shown in this paper, these policy issues may affect the activities of the police force such that they may have to completely change their modes of operations to fit the government’s requirements. Many policies concerning police conduct, human rights and police duties are have been put forward in many forums and conferences addressing national security. Analysis Unlike in the past where the police had an absolute power, a police officer nowadays may find himself or herself being sued for violation of human rights such as police manhandling or assault (Freund, 2006; Meadows, 2000). There are several policies that have been put forward following revision of several laws which affect the police directly. Policy issues on human rights requiring specific procedures of arrest and handling of suspects have been made. The fourth amendment has limited police power especially with the private law that protects citizens from unwarranted searches and seizures. This means that before a police officer can search or seize private property, there must be a warrant which is given when the need to search premises is of great importance to protect security. Individual liberty and human rights protects citizens from false detention. The fourth amendment comes as a civil liability to the police officers which limits their activities since they have to pay attention to avoid breaking the law (Freund, 2006). This has affected the police in that it has limited their ability to obtain as much information as possible concerning a crime. Some officers have also found themselves in court over what can be referred to as assault during arrest. Perhaps one of the most current policy issues that has affected the police is the government’s anti-terrorism policy. A strong policy especially after the 9-11 attacks on the U. S brought out the importance of the need to heighten security to prevent such attacks from happening in future. The government aims at keeping the possibility of any terrorist attack which must involve the police (Pleck, 2004). The involvement of the police force in the war against terrorism has led to the need for more training on the police officers on incident management and terrorism intelligence. As the government noted, the police force was not well equipped to handle such severe incidents hence the need for training on incident management. Again, there the need to develop intelligence skills to counter any form of threats calls for proper training of the police. In order to ensure that the needs of this policy are met, the government has introduced special training schedules for the police which they have to attend to keep updating them on better skills and intelligence on avoiding terrorism attacks as well as how on how to deal with terrorism incidents if by any chance they occur (Pleck, 2004). Community policing is a policy issue that has come up as a result of the need for the community to take part in their own security through reporting any suspicious act to the police. This is because the community is at the best position to identify those that live among them (Palmiotto, 2000). The government requires that the police officers work hand in hand with the community so as to curb crime activities in the society. The effect of this on the police is that there has been need for training to help them be able to deal with the community and aid in identifying between potential danger and normal happenings (Palmiotto, 2000). The police have also been given the extra duty of training and educating members of the public on how to identify potential threats within the community and how they can deal with them in conjunction with the police. The community policing mostly focuses on vulnerable groups such as children and women who are likely to be victims of violence. Policy issues concerning rape have been put forward which has necessitated for trained specialists to handle rape calls as well as interaction between the police and medical practitioners to help in solving such cases (Palmiotto, 2000). The government advocates for advancement in technology for sustainable developments. As a matter of national security, there has been the rising need for the police to upgrade their technology so as to meet the ever increasing crime rates. Technology has been used by criminals to steal from numerous citizens and this has raised an issue of concern. Cyber crimes, phishing and identity theft have been on the rise. The problem with these kinds of crimes is that catching the perpetrators can be quite hard due to the advancement in technology that is used to conduct the crimes. Keeping up with these developments poses a challenge to the police who have to come up with more advanced methods to locate cyber thieves, hackers and identity thieves. More often than not, the police are subject to the laws of prosecution and provision for justice. Policies on the procedures of prosecution highly affect the police. For example, the police are bound by law to only file a prosecution when there is substantial evidence for the occurrence of the crime. Different policies exist for different kind of prosecutions. The juvenile justice for example has undergone many changes and new policies have come up following proceedings from various cases. Juveniles have a wide range of rights and detention of a juvenile can only be under serious suspicions of delinquency. Proof that is beyond reasonable doubt must also be established to ensure that the juvenile offender poses a threat to the community (Rick, 2003). Policies on juveniles also require that they be put under preventive detention according to the standards set by the law (Rick, 2003). This differentiates juvenile offenders from adult ones. The police therefore should pay attention to such details so as to be on the safe side of the law. It is also part of their duties to act according to the laws. Conclusion It is evident that the police’s activities are highly influenced by policy issues. The government which also determines the rules of a country constantly comes up with policies for national development. These policies may alter a department’s activities or increase its responsibilities depending on how the policy issue is to be tackled. It must also be noted that apart from government policies, each police department has its own policies which guide the officers (Miller, 1997). These include the code of ethics that must be followed by the respective officers. Rules on duties rosters, dress code and punishment for police misconduct within the department are strictly followed. Breaking of these laws may result in serious circumstances and hence the police officers must follow them to the letter. Word Count: 1179 References Freund, E. (2006). The Police Power, Public Policy and Constitutional Rights. New York: Callaghan & Company. Meadows, R. J. (2000). A Study of Police Misconduct and Litigation: Findings and Implications. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice. 41(2), 77-92. Miller, S. et al. (1997). Police ethics. London: Allen & Unwin, 1997. Palmiotto, M. (2000). Community policing: a policing strategy for the 21st century. New York: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Pleck, E. (2004). Police in the fight against terrorism. American Journal of Police, 25(1), 38- 45. Rick, A. (2003). Juvenile Justice. New York: Odhams Press.

Elecriccity and Magnatism Essay

A hostile takeover defense wherein the target firm makes its stock less attractive to a potential acquirer is called Choose one answer. | a. a standstill agreement. | | | b. greenmail. | | | c. a poison pill. | | | d. crossing the palm with silver. | | Question 38 Marks: 1 Compared to managers, shareholders prefer Choose one answer. | a. riskier strategies with greater diversification for the firm. | | | b. riskier strategies with more focused diversification for the firm. | | | c. safer strategies with more focused diversification for the firm. | | | d. afer strategies with greater diversification for the firm. | | The Enron employee who reported the financial manipulations at the company to her superiors can be considered to have engaged in Choose one answer. | a. an act of courage. | | | b. white-collar crime. | | | c. vindictive disloyalty. | | | d. managerial opportunism. | | Question 40 Marks: 1 The longer the focus of managerial incentive compensation, the greater the ____ top -level managers. Choose one answer. | a. earnings potential for | | | b. incentives for | | | c. potential tax burden for | | | d. risks borne by | | Marks: 1 The choices that a firm has for entering the international market include all of the following EXCEPT Choose one answer. | a. acquisition. | | | b. leasing. | | | c. exporting. | | | d. licensing. | | Question 36 Marks: 1 There are few true mergers because Choose one answer. | a. few firms have complementary resources. | | | b. of managerial resistance. True mergers result in significant managerial-level layoffs. | | | c. integration problems are more severe than in outright acquisitions. | | | d. one firm usually dominates in terms of market share, size, or value of assets. | | Market power is derived primarily from the Choose one answer. | a. size of a firm and its resources and capabilities. | | | b. core competencies of the firm. | | | c. depth of a firm strategy. | | | d. quality of a firm top management team. | | Question 34 Marks: 1 The use or application of entrepreneurship within an established firm is called Choose one answer. | a. transformational leadership. | | | b. corporate entrepreneurship. | | | c. corporate emergence. | | | d. exceptional R&D. | | Four perspectives are integrated to form the balanced scorecard framework. The financial perspective focuses on the view of the firm by the Choose one answer. | a. employee. | | b. general society. | | | c. customer. | | | d. shareholder. | | Question 32 Marks: 1 Managers may decide to invest ____ in products that are not associated with the firm’s current lines of business to increase the firm’s level of diversification and decrease their employment risk. Choose one answer. | a. free cash flows | | | b. unsubstantial pro fits | | | c. marginal profits | | | d. frozen assets | | An international diversification strategy is one in which a firm Choose one answer. | a. acquires a firm in a foreign country | | | b. expands into a potentially large number of geographic locations and markets | | | c. xpands into one or a few markets | | | d. expands into nearby markets | | Question 30 Marks: 1 Firms needing to change their strategies should Choose one answer. | a. emphasize the training and development of internal managerial talent. | | | b. implement transformational leadership. | | | c. focus on their core customer base. | | | d. create more heterogeneous top management teams. | | The primary responsibility for effective strategic leadership of the organization rests with the Choose one answer. | a. top management team. | | | b. stakeholders. | | | c. CEO. | | | d. board of directors. | | Question 28 Marks: 1

Marketing Plan for beauty salon The Tulip Term Paper

Marketing Plan for beauty salon The Tulip - Term Paper Example Threats 4.0 Objectives and Issues†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 i. Objectives ii. Issues 5.0 Marketing Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..8 i. Positioning ii. Product/Service Strategy iii. Pricing Strategy iv. Distribution Strategy v. Marketing Communications Strategy vi. Marketing Research vii. Marketing Organization 6.0 Action Programs..................................................................................................................11 7.0 Budgets†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..12 8.0 Controls†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9.0 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 10.0 Appendices†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Marketing Plan for beauty salon â€Å"The Tulip† I. Executive summary â€Å"The Tulip† beauty salon is devoted to providing customer satisfactio n by offering them an extremely pleasant experience with top notch service and products in a soothing and serene atmosphere at an exceptionally reasonable cost. Mission: To supply products and services aimed at enhancing beauty while providing an atmosphere for the customers to unwind in. â€Å"The Tulip† beauty salon aims at a market that is ripe for its kind of service and product provision. In this fast paced capitalist world, people more than ever need time to unwind and tend to their bodies and â€Å"The Tulip’ provides them with just the opportunity. An idyllic location has been short listed for â€Å"The Tulip† that is located in XYZ shopping mall very close to Qatar’s main business district. This will allow for women with busy corporate lives to still be able to make time for their beauty regimen due to sheer convenience of location. Customer demand will also be generated from the neighboring residential districts where employed as well as unempl oyed women will make â€Å"The Tulip† their regular choice for beauty salon. â€Å"The Tulip’s† owner, Lucy Jane Marie is a beauty and cosmetology expert who is renowned in her field and has widespread understanding of this business. Due to the owners past success and fame, she will be able to attract additional loyal customers for â€Å"The Tulip†. â€Å"The Tulip’s† competitive edge lies in several factors. First and foremost is its central location, which is within easy access of the target market and gets a lot of foot traffic due to being located in a large and successful shopping mall. Secondly, the beauty salon provides and atmosphere and ambience that is contributes to relaxation, pleasure and beautification of the customer while radiating professionalism. Moreover, there is the convenience factor which is enhanced by setting salon hours around the general schedules of working women. For added convenience â€Å"The Tulip† beau ty salon provides a wide range of products and services so that the customers can avail all beauty related services at the same place and not have to go to different salons for different products and services. Finally, â€Å"The Tulip† beauty salon has the added advantage of gaining from the reputation of its owner Lucy Jane Marie who has been renowned in this industry for many years. II. Current Marketing Situation A. Market

Discussion Questions VI Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion Questions VI - Essay Example Market segmentation is a division of the population of consumers into identifiable segments. So within each segment are people with shared characteristics. This makes it easier to identify their needs and wants and identify market opportunities, as the purpose of a segmentation system is to target consumers better. This can affect the product, price, promotion and place in the marketing strategy. One of the determinants of the effectiveness of such an approach is the homogeneity of the segment in terms of consumer behavior. â€Å"The process by which managers make decisions about segmentation in the international consumer market† (Craft, 2004) is therefore an important part of the strategy of segmentation. Segmentation can be made along geographic, demographic, economic, technological or cultural lines. Multinational and global market challenges in any segment must be faced with strategic planning considerations. We shall discuss these in relation to segmentation based on cultural differences and analyze product branding, advertising and promotion for different cultural segments with rationale and examples. A segmentation system based on culture divides consumers according to their customs and traditions, language, beliefs, values, religion, and so on. Subcultures can also be a consideration for further precise segmentation. These aims affect strategic planning considerations involving â€Å"market demographics, sales channels, operational implementation, and adaptable approaches to niche markets currently being served or targeted.† (Bauman, 2002) Planning enables the decision makers to see greater opportunities arising out of the non-traditional core markets. It also makes them evaluate their core competencies, skill sets, product development, competitive advantages, and so on. This then also has implications â€Å"for functional tasks such as the sales planning and advertising† (Dix, 2002) and product branding. Product branding in China presents a

Sage 50 vs Lawson ERP Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sage 50 vs Lawson ERP - Research Paper Example As described in its website, the major Sage 50 Apps include Tracker App, Mobile Sales App, Foreign Trade App, and Construction Industry App. The Tracker App provides businesses a secure access to their accounts through the smartphone. The Mobile Sales App assists businessmen to work on the move using tablet. Foreign Trade App is really beneficial to make the work of trading in multiple currencies easier. Similarly, the Construction Industry App provides all the facilities needed to manage industry specific tax (Sage). The Sage 50 Accounting is a comprehensive software capable of managing VAT, sales, expenses, and profits more efficiently. In addition, this accounting software allows businesses to access their accounts remotely using the Sage Drive. The company offers annual pricing as well as monthly pricing options. It charges $269 annually and $29.5 monthly for the subscription of this accounting product (Sage 50 products). The Sage 50 Accounting software does not require any speci al hardware or software, and therefore it is easy for businesses to implement this software. Lawson is the world’s leading Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software company having strength of over 4,500 customers, 4,000 employees, and offices in more than 40 countries around the globe (Lawson Software). The company has well-expanded operations worldwide, and it offers a wide range of ERP applications and industry-specific solutions to meet the needs of small, medium, and large scale enterprises. The company was acquired by Infor recently, and currently the combined organization is the world’s third largest enterprise software company behind Oracle and SAP (Lawson Software). The two major product offerings of Lawson are branded as S3 and M3. Here, the letter S stands for service and this product (S3) was introduced to â€Å"help service industries ‘staff, source, and serve† (Lawson

David Contracts Written Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

David Contracts Written Project - Essay Example Offer There must be an offer in any form if a contract. A contract includes an offer by indication of an offerer who is the person or party that makes the initial offer to enter a contract, and an offeree. The offeree is the person or the party to whom accepts the offer under certain terms. A contract can only come into existence when the offeror presents his or her offer to the offeree under certain conditions and terms and the offeree accepts it willingly without supplementary negotiations. An offer is an affidavit or a proclamation of the terms on which the offeror is amenably obligated to in the agreement (Gillies 85). It is the current intention to be in obligation in an agreement with certain and definite terms presented to the offeree. Expression of willingness to a contract can take different forms such as email, fax, letter and even conduct provided it presents the basis by which the offer is ready to contract. The court of law determines whether parties have a valid offer o r an agreement by using a test called the objective test. The contractual intention to be obligated in a contract is judged objectively and evenhandedly in the courts of law (Gillies 89). Courts emphasizes that the most important thing is how a reasonable individual would view the situation in a contract and not a party’s or individuals real intentions in a contract that matters. The conditions and requirements of an offer should have the following: terms of payment that includes detailed information of the item on offer and date of payment, price and delivery date. Without any of the above-mentioned conditions being fulfilled in an offer, the offer on sale is not an offer but rather an advertisement. An offere can decide to revoke an offer before acceptance by the offeree. Nevertheless, the offere must inform the offeree of the planned revocation. However the offere may not revoke an offer if has been sheathed in an option. In a unilateral contract, the offere may revoke the offer at any given time. Meeting of the Minds. Meeting of the mind an element in a contract, is sometimes called consensus ad idem, mutual assent or mutual agreement. Meeting of the minds in contract law refers to the intentions of the persons on parties in a contract. It refers to the situation where the parties forming a contract have a common understanding in the particular contract. The reasoning behind the mutual assent is that no person or party is held to an agreement that they are not aware exists. Legal remedies may not come into action where a particular obligation in an agreement is mainly a moral one and not a legal obligation. There can only be a meeting of minds when all parties forming a contract are well aware of the legal obligations. The destruction of mutual assent can occur in the event of fraud, misrepresentation, duress, mutual mistake or undue influence.   Consideration Consideration refers to the legal value pertaining to contracts. Consideration refers to the things of value a party expects from the other in future pledged while forming a contract (Yelpaala 78). The consideration takes the form of services, money, physical objects, abstinence from future actions, physical objects to mention just but a few (Yelpaala 78). A payment is not a consideration if by pre-existing

Ismg 15 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ismg 15 - Essay Example To be able to overcome the fears of undesirable outcomes of speaking the truth, one needs moral courage. Moral courage is not exactly different from physical courage but varies in degree and occasions that present risk. Both present a risk possibility. By doing one’s nearest duty, McCain means people should place a focus on their personal obligations or responsibilities. People should keenly attend to the tasks that form their day, and perform with their best ability. The fact that McCain is a high profile politician adds an element to that idea. As a politician, he could be clarifying his duty as the people’s servant. His nearest duty is representing the peoples’ interests and grievances to the government. His political career best describes his undertaking of his nearest duty. McCain’s decision to decline the offer for freedom shows his moral courage because he was not willing to leave his comrades behind. Although he might have been aware of the consequences of his decision, he put aside his personal interests and chose to remain with his soldiers. The torture he opted to undergo suggests his physical courage. I approve of Kierkegaard’s father’s teaching technique. In as much as he often denied him permission to go out, the day he offered to take him on a walking tour he was so elaborate in describing details of what Kierkegaard did not know. He may have been waiting for that day to be the one to offer his son the deepest and derailed teaching, just as he did. Kierkegaard identifies more with Williams. Unlike the friend who does not want to choose, Kierkegaard had earlier made a decision to get married to Regine Olsen, whom he then broke up with just before writing the article. He knew firsthand the consequences of getting married and regretting it, or not getting married and regretting it because he had been in both worlds. The second excerpt is similar to Sartre’s theory of existential

The law of defamation in england and wales works to protect Essay

The law of defamation in england and wales works to protect corporations and individuals from unfair and unjust statements which unfairly damage their reputatio - Essay Example The law of defamation is the product the attempts of jurists of different historical time frames, attempting to balance two diametrically opposing tendencies, namely, the safeguard of the esteem of individuals while ensuring the freedom of speech in the available channels of expression. This has been a tricky business in United Kingdom and reforms in the past have been only window dressing. After the enactment of the Defamation Act of 1952 it took over four decades for attempting a major change in this direction, with the institution of the Defamation Act of 1996. The drafting of 1996 Act is necessitated by the spurt of the media and their global nature. The huge compensations which individuals are able to get from the press and electronic media for cases involving the reputation of individuals was not conducive to the development of the freedom of the media in the age of free information. Though, it is a subject under the purview of the law, its ramifications are huge on the functioning of the media, discouraging legitimate investigative journalism and open criticism of public policy. Since media today is international in production and dissemination, the British law can become a stumbling block in the international freedom of press. Magazines, newspapers and broadcast though might have originated elsewhere might create unforeseen legal consequences if any of the stories are defamatory in nature when they are circulated in Britain or broadcast through British stations. Globalization has produced a crisis in the tendency of the state to control the media. Broadcasting is the central channel in the formation of opinion in the globalized world. The rapid progress in technology increased the possibility of sending news and view across the globe. The British broadcasting industry is a predominantly a state affair in spite of the much trumpeted independence and autonomy. The defamatory Act if pursued vigorously

Data Communication & the Cloud Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Data Communication & the Cloud - Research Paper Example The components of data communication include the message i.e. the information or data to be communicated and popular forms include text, numbers, pictures, audio and video. The sender is an important component as it is the device that sends the data message as it can be computer work station, telephone handset or a video camera as the receiver is the device on the other end receiving the information as the transmission medium is the physical path by which a message travels from the sender to receiver e.g. twisted pair wire, coaxial cable, fiber optic cable and radio waves. Data communication and other aspects such as networking are changing the way business is done and the lifestyle of people in the world today. Business decisions have to be made even more quickly and the decision makers required access to accurate information relevant to the subject at hand. Computer data communication models in the world today enable the transfer of information through long distances and the inform ation appears almost instantaneous through computer networks2. Businesses today rely on computer networks and internet works in relaying the information across varied distances in modes that enable the efficient communication of data and the development of personal computers brought about tremendous changes for business, industry, science and education as a similar revolution is occurring in data communication and networking. Technological advances are making it possible for communication links to carry more and faster signals and as a result services are evolving to allow the use of this expanded capacity. An example is the establishment of the telephone services such as conference calls, call waiting, voice mail and caller ID has been extended as research in data communication and networking too resulted in new technologies. Data communication in the form of text, audio and video from all points of the world has been made possible due to the access of internet to download and uplo ad information quickly and accurately at any time. As the information is being sent and received, there is need for the security of the message as to avoid distortion and third party interference. On the other hand the storage and speed has led to the invention and introduction of a cloud computing concept. Cloud computing is a new key discipline of high performance computing sophisticated information technologies in order to treat some of the major high performance computing challenges enabling trusted technical computing solutions for the 21st century customers. It is a technology that allows consumers and businesses – generally the users - to use applications without installation and access their personal files at any computer with internet access and also allows for much more efficient computing by centralizing storage, memory, processing and bandwidth as well as provide information techn

A Colorful Day at the Football Stadium Case Study

A Colorful Day at the Football Stadium - Case Study Example A college football game can be the most colorful event in anyone's memory. The colors filled the parking lot. There were cars of every imaginable color. Some were the typical red and gray. There were cars that were the colors of the teams, which were green and blue. Near the entrance there were two very important looking black cars. The parking lot was also filled with banners. There was a huge green banner that proclaimed its support for the visiting team. There were several blue banners that had the name of the home team printed on them. There was even a banner on the truck from the local television station that was red, white, and blue. Along one side of the parking lot was a row of very colorful vendors. There was an orange sign that said 'French Fries' on a yellow background. There was a huge red sign that advertised 'Coca-Cola'. A purple sign was used to attract buyers to a van selling sports memorabilia. Everywhere you looked in the parking lot you would see a different color.Inside the stadium, the fans were as colorful as the parking lot. In one se ction there were over 200 people that wore green sweatshirts, the color of the visiting team. They wore hats that were gold with the team insignia. Their pants, mostly jeans, were a rainbow of various colors. A diehard fan had painted himself the color of the home team. The only clothing he wore that wasn't blue and white were his red sneakers. Many fans had banners, which announced their favorite team.

Hello Kitty Singapore Essay Example for Free

Hello Kitty Singapore Essay A person has many needs at any given time. Abraham Maslow sought to explain why people are driven by particular needs at particular times. According to him, human needs are arranged in a hierarchy (refer to Figure 1), from the most pressing to the least pressing. In order of importance, they are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs and self-actualization needs. The most basic level of needs must be satisfied first before desiring higher level needs. Therefore, having a Mctoy fulfils the forth level needs, called as ‘Esteem Needs’. Self-esteem is the desire for status, self-respect and prestige. Owning the series of Hello Kitty dolls has gained a sense of fulfilment to the individual because it is not that easy to get the limited edition toys at any time. Besides that, the ‘Kiasu’ attitude which is very popular among Singaporeans to have something which everyone else is having, regardless of whether it is of any use. The fear of losing out drives the feeling to fulfil their esteem needs, where they are happy knowing they too have one like others. In order to fulfil the esteem need, people are often engaged in either profession or hobby to gain recognition. For those who loves collecting dolls, use this hobby as a platform to gain recognition from others so that they will be praised. Thus, they feel that by owning the series of hello kitty dolls can make them gained recognition. How has McDonald’s created value to its consumers by offering Hello Kittty dolls in their Extra Value Meals? Marke ting experts, Don Peppers and Martha Rogers say that ‘The only value a company will ever create is the value that comes from customers.’ Customer value is the relationship between the consumers perception of benefits they believe they will derive from a purchased compared to the price that will be paid. The total benefit package includes functional attributes of the product and related service attributes. Creating value not only transforms sales effectiveness, it also provides insulation from price pressure. There are many sales strategies, tactics and techniques for creating value for customers. McDonald’s has identified the benefits that consumers would gain from the promotion by creating a series of value to its customer through the promotion. The total value created to its consumers by McDonald’s comprises of four sources namely product, services, personnel and image. Firstly, the product (Hello kitty Dolls) were given as a premium to its loyal consumers at its cost price when consumer purchases the Extra Value Meal, rather than charging any extra amount for it. McDonalds has created value to its consumers by offering this product premium. In terms of service, McDonald’s has created value to its consumers an alternative way of getting the exclusive dolls, where these dolls can only be purchased through McDonald’s outlets during the limited period of time. This series of limited-edition toys will not be available as and when consumers want them. Thirdly, the satisfaction gained by consumers by owning these dolls. As the dolls were limited edition and were sold at cheaper price, McDonald’s has created the satisfaction feeling among its consumers when they own them. And finally image value is created to McDonald’s consumers where the consumers have the option to choose designs of their preferences during the one-month promotion. The image of ‘Kitty’ representing different cultures wedding costumes creates value to those owning them. Thus, McDonald’s has added up values from all the four sources mentioned above to successfully create values to its consumers through its ‘Hello Kitty’ Promotion. Recommendations and Conclusion Here are several alternatives that McDonald’s should have considered before carrying out the promotion to avoid such havoc from happening: 1) Study the consumer behaviour of Singaporeans 2) Periods of the promotion 3) Increase the number of toys offered for promotion In conclusion, the havoc caused from the ‘Hello Kitty’ Promotion in Singapore has not tarnished McDonald’s image in any aspect. This was proven when McDonald’s introduced another six sets of designs featured royal costumes around the world a year after, and the sales seem not to be declining. There was no repeat of the previous year’s frenzy as McDonald’s was prepared. Several precautions were taken such as limiting the number of dolls each customer can buy to four, and had more dolls in stock for panic buying. Besides that, to monitor and control the crowds, McDonald’s has hired security personnel and mobile squad officers to visit McDonald’s outlets.

Effect of Globalization and Commercialization on Sports

Effect of Globalization and Commercialization on Sports â€Å" Critically evaluate how globalizing and commercial forces have influenced sports generally and football especially. You should also include in your analysis the influence of globilization and commercialization on the management and governance of organizations in light of Stewart and Smith’s (1999) unique features of sport. You should discuss the implications of these changes on the management of sporting organizations. You must be critical rather than descriptive in your analysis and refer to theory wherever possible† This paper seeks to present how commercialization and globalization have affected sports industry in our days and how sport managers have to respond to these two factors. Sports always were concerning human communities, and were at the centre of human activities. At the early 590 BC the Greek athletes were financially rewarded for an Olympic victory-winning (Harris, 1964). â€Å"Sports has not always had such an international flavour. Sports first spread across international borders through imperialistic efforts. As countries such as Great Britain colonised various areas throughout the world, sport was used to impose the conquerors culture on the colonised land† ( Masteralexis, Barr and Hums,1998, p.210). Nowdays sports attract the public interest and â€Å"Modern sports and modern mass media are both multibillion-dollar businesses. Elite sports cannot function as they do without the mass media to publicize and underwrite them. The huge market for sports equipment and team-related merchandise is to a large extent sustained by the medias 24-hour-a-day sports coverage, and the economic infrastructure of the mass media depends to a considerable extent on the capacity of sports to create large, loyal cohorts of readers, listeners, viewers, and interactive consumers† (http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-253580). Sport is a main interest in modern societies as more and more people participate like ever before. This massive growth of sport interest and activities has drove to main changes the major characteristics of sport. These changes that characterize sport are related to social changes as â€Å"among these changes some trends may be identified. First, sporting activities in western countries are characterized by a trend toward pluralisation i.e. by the increase in the number of sports that are practiced. At the same time sport activities know a process of diversification and differentiation: recreational, competitive and professional sports are becoming more and more separated. Second, sport activities are subject to a growing individualism. Sport is more and more seen as an option for an individual. The general ideology concerning sport has moved â€Å"from sport as a collective right to sport as an individual option† leading to the adoption of the principle of â€Å"let the user pay†. Individualism and pluralization may be seen as the cause of a trend toward the â€Å"marketization† (or commercialization ) of sport. In effect, sport is among the fastest growing leisure markets. All sorts of sport, and not only top sport are characterized by a growing involvement of money.† ( Enjolas, 2001). â€Å"Today, sport is big business and big businesses are heavily involved in sport. Athletes in the major spectator sports are marketable commodities, sports teams are traded on the stock market, sponsorship rights at major events can cost millions of dollars, network television stations pay large fees to broadcast games, and the merchandising and licensing of sporting goods is a major multi- national business. These trends are not just restricted to professional athletes and events, many of them are equally applicable to the so-called amateur sports† (Slack, 1998). Here is a selection of some examples that certificate the above : â€Å"a report published by Deloitte & Touche and Sport-Business Group has revealed that Manchester United heads football’s rich list with a turn over of 117m pounds. It is based upon turnover season 1999-2000. In the 2nd is Real Madrid with turnover of 103.7m. pounds.†, â€Å"Kellogg has signed its biggest ever UK sports sponsorship deal. It is linking its Nutri-Grain brand with Rugby League’s Challenge Cup. Kellogg will invest more than 1 million pounds into the sponsorship.† , â€Å"Musicians, sports stars and actors are rapidly overhauling established business tycoons as some America’s wealthiest young people.†, â€Å"Hays and Robertson is planning a two-way floating International Brands Licensing, the Admiral and Mountain Equipment brand business on Aim in June 2002, in an attempt to raise its market value to 11.5 m. pounds. Hays and Robertson will then join with Sky in a deal to sell England kits and other football kits later on in the year and focus on purchasing licenses for other brands for UK distribution.†(as cited in Beech and Chadwick, 2004, p. 8-9). Also as cited in McGaughey and Liesch (2002) ague that, â€Å"†¦ sport has gradually commercialized through the growth of spectatorship, with revenues being generated via gate-takings and activities such as on-course betting (Rowe, 1996). While the advent of ‘live’ broadcasting and the commentary of sports through radio and television initially resulted in declining revenue for sporting bodies, popular sports have increasingly entered more economically rewarding contracts with television interests, with ‘the negotiation of television contracts rapidly becoming the biggest issue in the game’†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p.384). According to Beech and Chadwick (2004), the development of a sport as a business is characterized by a sequence of phases. These phases are: the foundation of the sport, its codification, stratification, professionalisation, , post-professionalisation, commercialization and post-commercialization. The commercialization of a sport involves the development of an â€Å"overtly business context, external organizations see the opportunity of using the sport for their own purposes, typically marketing in the forms of sponsorship – involving governing bodies, leagues and clubs – and endorsement – involving players. If the sport organizations, leagues and clubs are inept in their management of the greatly increased financial revenues which become available, they will become available, they will come under pressure to the extent that some professional clubs in particular may be forced out of existence† (p.6). The commercialization in the English soccer began at the end of 1960, when Texaco (an oil company) and Watneys (a brewery) offered sponsorship to cups (Beech and Chadwick, 2004). â€Å" †¦by the end of the 1990s commercialization had become firmly embedded across the whole of the top leagues as well as the FA, with sponsorship of a range of events and facilities, including individual stadia, common practice. Clubs websites had become integrated with betting companies, mobile phone companies and other external organisations, typically offering directly soccer-related services. Weaker (in terms of financial success) clubs have faced major pressures such as being forced into administration.† (p.7). Some examples that present the commercialization in the 1990s are â€Å"†¦ between January 1993 and January 1997, shares in football sector rose 774per cent, outperforming stock market by a factor of 10.†( Marrow, 1999), â€Å"†¦18 month period between 1995 and 1996, shares in Manchester United and Tottenham rose 336 per cent and 368 per cent respectively.† (Marrow, 1999), â€Å"many individuals made slot of money from stock market floatation as Hall Family (Newcastle): 3m 1989-1992- sold a 41.6 per cent stake for 55m. pounds.† (Walters G, 2008, Lecture 1, Birkbeck notes). The commercialization of the sports has led to the commercial consumer income e.g. shirt sales, the commercial sponsorship income e.g. shirt sponsorship, the stadia development, the increasing of supporters-fans, matches are scheduled for tv audience, the merchandising have become more aggressive, expensive and targeted, the tickets price is higher (Walters G, 2008, Lecture 1, Birkbeck notes). Here are some comments about the commercialization in football: â€Å" One of the reasons the fanzines are not encouraged is because the clubs fear any threat, small or large, to their complete control of merchandising income. Clearly fans want to identify with their clubs and if control also means ensuring that certain basic standards of product and service are met then that’s not necessarily a bad thing†¦the trouble lies with the way that merchandising has taken over at the expense of developing almost any other form of identification with the club† (Perryman, 1997, p.6), à ¢â‚¬Å"this should have been a golden age, a perfect time to be a football supporter. Heysel and Hillsborough were in the past. We had seen off the hooligans and nearly all the fences. Where we were once the enemy within, we were now the height of fashion†¦ tv programmes, plays and even opera took an interest†¦ football shirts were everywhere. There was a boom†¦ this should have been everything we ever wanted. Instead, just when it was, at last, all right to be a football fan, everything went sour†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ( Horton, 1997, exploitation 13-14). â€Å"Globalization can be described as a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society. This process is a combination of economic, technological, sociocultural and political forces† (Wikipedia, 2008). â€Å"In sports, globalization does not mean promoting international games and joining test matches or international competitions. It is a temporary event with minimal lasting effects and therefore is just called internationalization. The globalization of sports intimidates sports organizations that hold the right of franchise in these countries. So, it is a big problem for the professional associations, like those in baseball and soccer in Japan and in Korea and basketball in the Philippines. Sports management is something that is not directly related to globalization.   But, today, due to the wide coverage of media and the popularity of sports, globalization is an inevitable issue, even for the local sports organizations. The international sports enterprises are always looking for a chance to invade a new market, and in this sense, sports is very similar to agricultural and industrial products† (http://ccs.cla.kobe-u.ac.jp/staff/amano/WWW/amano.html, 2008). Also â€Å"the global development of sport has also accelerated from the 1980s. For example, one can find the flows from country to country of sports goods, equipment, and landscapes have grown such as the development of the media-sport production complex and projects images to global audiences.†(Lee and Lin, 2007, â€Å"the Sport Journal†). According to Masteralexis, Barr and Hums (1998), â€Å"Sport is subject to many of the same forces that are increasing the global distribution of consumer and entertainment products today† (p.209) as sports are affected by international influences as athletes play professionally in foreign countries, people watch sport events from other countries and they consume products of foreign teams. The sports industry like the general business, have realized that they have to expand their boundaries in order to sell their products in the global marketplace, by creating â€Å"products that they have the same appeal and generate the same demand in all corners of the world† (p.212) considering the different cultures, laws, languages, customs, traditions. â€Å"Efforts in globalizing the sport product can be seen on two fronts: 1. corporations are attempting to utilize the sport theme and sport products to enter the international marketplace and 2. professional sport leagues are attempting to spread the popularity of their leagues and associated products (televised games, licensed sport products, etc. ) overseas† (p.213). As an example â€Å"†¦many sport leagues, particularly those in North America, have sought out global markets through expanding television broadcasting and licensing, and by developing new leagues to introduce their specific sports to new geographic areas (Rushin, 1993). The most obvious example of this is the World League of American Football (NFL Europe) which despite financial losses, is seen as a means to introduce the professional football product to Europe, and expand television interests (King, 1996). In this way, professional sport leagues seeks out new revenue opportunities in many different markets†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ( Mason, 1999, p.406). Trenberh and Collins, 1994, suggested five â€Å"manifest market conditions† that affects the sports industry and the sports managers work: â€Å"1.a trend toward a increased professionalism in leisure and sports organizations 2. continued development of commercial forms of sport 3. maturation and normalization of career structures in leisure and sport 4. a mounting awareness of the need for fiscal accountability in the public and non-profit sectors and 5. the targeting of management skills by government as a way of enhancing sport systems ‘effectiveness’† (p.276). According to Boucher(1998), â€Å"†¦there is n question that the field of Sports Management has grown and developed at a rapid race, particularly over the past decade. Concurrent with this growth have been advancements made by professional and academic associations, formed to further needs of a variety of individuals who are affiliated with Sports Management†. Sport managers have to be aware of the changes that impact their work environment and have to be capable of knowing the new technology, which affects the sports industry and have to understand that sport and sport management as a whole, is growing as a popularity worldwide and sport managers themselves should learn, understand and respect the â€Å"differences when dealing in the international sport marketplace† (Masteralexis, Barr and Hums, 1998, p. 36), â€Å" †¦ it is imperative that sport managers understand the issues surrounding the governance and management of international sport†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Masteralexis, Barr and Hums, 1998, p. 213). In order to manage the sport product, sport managers should always consider that: â€Å"1. the sport product is intangible and subjective making it difficult to ensure costumer satisfaction 2. the sport product is inconsistent and unpredictable 3. the sport product is a perishable commodity, developed in anticipation of demand and produced and consumed simultaneously 4. aspects of financing and budgeting for sports organizations differ from those of a typical business 5. for a manager there is a highly complex network of stakeholders ranging from government agencies to sponsors, volunteers and members 6. sport enterprises earn significant income from sources extraneous to the sale of the service(e.g. sponsorship and television rights) 7. managers of sport leagues must heighten competition to be successful, not eliminate it† (Trenberth, Collins, 1999, p.20). In addition the role of marketing is very important for a sport manager, in order to attract consumers, as marketing helps : 1. to guide a sporting organization in its selection of the â€Å"sport product† and its target costumers 2. to identify and monitor the activities of business competitors 3. to develop and implement promotional strategies 3. to develop and implement distribution strategies 4. to coordinate the research and information needed to carry out the marketing functions(above), audit their performance and help ensure their repeated success. (Trenberth, Collins, 1999, p.218). Sports managers need to understand also the strong need of : 1. financial management 2. share and stock market 3. mergers and acquisitions 4. sports law, commercial and international law 5. TV rights and EU law in European cases( Trenberth, Collins, 1999, p.279). Conclusion This paper has sought to highlight how commercialization and globalization has changed the worldwide picture of sports. As we can conclude a sport manager, in order to be competitive in the global marketplace and in order to be able to react to the changes of the international rules of commercialization have to be aware of the needs of the market and â€Å"consumers†-fans that address. According to Markle(1997), (as cited in Trenberth, Collins, 1999, p.281), â€Å"†¦sports managers need to understand the nature of the business and the disposition of the consumer through demographics, psychographics, socioeconomics, etc†¦sports managers need to built their business, the product and the perception of the product to be attractive and appealing †¦ to built relationships with sponsors, to learn their business needs and become an agency rather than a salesperson. They should under-promise and over-deliver†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Also we should always have in mind what Robert L. Boucher (1998, p.79) suggests : â€Å" call me naà ¯ve, but it is possible that today’s promoters of commercialism in sport have become intoxicated by sponsorship revenues? †¦is it right for a sport manager only to be conduit by which a sponsor can achieve greater market penetration? My contention is simply that in our quest for legitimation, we may have sold our souls to the interests of big business. It can be argued that much of what comprises the Sport Management domain is not related to business and producing entertainment for profit. In fact, a large percentage of sport enterprises in the global community are of an amateur nature where the motives of participants, spectators and administrators are of a more altruistic nature. Perhaps Chelladurai’s (1992) observation that there are really, in fact, two fields, that management of human services in sport and management of entertainment services through out spor t, is entirely accurate. In any event, the need to return in a balance in orientation and to refocus has never been more pressing†. References Beech J. & Chadwick S. (2004), â€Å"The Business of Sport Management†, Ashford Colour Press, Gosport Boucher R. (Journal of Sports Management,1998, 12,76-85), â€Å"Towards Achieving a Focal Point for Sport Management : A Binocular Perspecive†, Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc Encyclopedia of Britannica, on line, 2008. from http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-253580/sports Enjolras B, â€Å"Commercialization and the voluntary organization of sport:the Norwegian model under pressure?†, Paper prepared for the Seminar â€Å"idrett, samfunn og frivillig organisering†, NFR, 9-10/01/20011, from http://web.bi.no/forskning/isforg.nsf/62af2dc31b641632c12566f30039282c/6dd187f9b8d0a3c3c125696f003d6d3a/$FILE/Enjolras.PDF Harris, H.A. (1964). Greek athletes and athletics. London: Hutchinson. Lee and Lin, (2007). â€Å"The Global Flows of International Professional Baseball System†, from http://www.thesportjournal.org/2007Journal/Vol10-No4/07ping-chao.asp Mason D.(1999). â€Å"What is the sports product and who buys it? The marketing of professional sport leagues†. European Journal of Marketing, Vol.33, No.  ¾, 1999, pp. 402-418 Masteralexis L., Barr C., Hums M., (1998), â€Å"Principles And Practice of Sports Management†, United State of America :Aspen Publishers McGaughey S. and Liesch P. (2002). â€Å"The global sports-media nexus: reflexctions on the ‘super league saga’ in Australia†, Journal of Management Studies 39:3, may 2002. USA: Blackwell Publishers Professional Sports in Globalization: A Comparative Study of the Japanese Baseball and the Philippine Basketball†, from http://ccs.cla.kobe-u.ac.jp/staff/amano/WWW/amano.html Slack T., (1998). Studying the commercialization of sport: The need for critical analysis. From http://physed.otago.ac.nz/sosol/v1i1/v1i1a6.htm Trenberth L., Collins C. ( 1999), â€Å"Sport Business Management in New Zealand†, New Zealand: The Dunmore Press Walters G., (2008), from the lesson â€Å"The economics and governance of professional football†, Lecture 1 â€Å"the business of football: an historical perspective†, Birkbeck notes Wikipedia, 2008, from www.wikipedia.com Effect of Globalization and Commercialization on Sports Effect of Globalization and Commercialization on Sports â€Å" Critically evaluate how globalizing and commercial forces have influenced sports generally and football especially. You should also include in your analysis the influence of globilization and commercialization on the management and governance of organizations in light of Stewart and Smith’s (1999) unique features of sport. You should discuss the implications of these changes on the management of sporting organizations. You must be critical rather than descriptive in your analysis and refer to theory wherever possible† This paper seeks to present how commercialization and globalization have affected sports industry in our days and how sport managers have to respond to these two factors. Sports always were concerning human communities, and were at the centre of human activities. At the early 590 BC the Greek athletes were financially rewarded for an Olympic victory-winning (Harris, 1964). â€Å"Sports has not always had such an international flavour. Sports first spread across international borders through imperialistic efforts. As countries such as Great Britain colonised various areas throughout the world, sport was used to impose the conquerors culture on the colonised land† ( Masteralexis, Barr and Hums,1998, p.210). Nowdays sports attract the public interest and â€Å"Modern sports and modern mass media are both multibillion-dollar businesses. Elite sports cannot function as they do without the mass media to publicize and underwrite them. The huge market for sports equipment and team-related merchandise is to a large extent sustained by the medias 24-hour-a-day sports coverage, and the economic infrastructure of the mass media depends to a considerable extent on the capacity of sports to create large, loyal cohorts of readers, listeners, viewers, and interactive consumers† (http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-253580). Sport is a main interest in modern societies as more and more people participate like ever before. This massive growth of sport interest and activities has drove to main changes the major characteristics of sport. These changes that characterize sport are related to social changes as â€Å"among these changes some trends may be identified. First, sporting activities in western countries are characterized by a trend toward pluralisation i.e. by the increase in the number of sports that are practiced. At the same time sport activities know a process of diversification and differentiation: recreational, competitive and professional sports are becoming more and more separated. Second, sport activities are subject to a growing individualism. Sport is more and more seen as an option for an individual. The general ideology concerning sport has moved â€Å"from sport as a collective right to sport as an individual option† leading to the adoption of the principle of â€Å"let the user pay†. Individualism and pluralization may be seen as the cause of a trend toward the â€Å"marketization† (or commercialization ) of sport. In effect, sport is among the fastest growing leisure markets. All sorts of sport, and not only top sport are characterized by a growing involvement of money.† ( Enjolas, 2001). â€Å"Today, sport is big business and big businesses are heavily involved in sport. Athletes in the major spectator sports are marketable commodities, sports teams are traded on the stock market, sponsorship rights at major events can cost millions of dollars, network television stations pay large fees to broadcast games, and the merchandising and licensing of sporting goods is a major multi- national business. These trends are not just restricted to professional athletes and events, many of them are equally applicable to the so-called amateur sports† (Slack, 1998). Here is a selection of some examples that certificate the above : â€Å"a report published by Deloitte & Touche and Sport-Business Group has revealed that Manchester United heads football’s rich list with a turn over of 117m pounds. It is based upon turnover season 1999-2000. In the 2nd is Real Madrid with turnover of 103.7m. pounds.†, â€Å"Kellogg has signed its biggest ever UK sports sponsorship deal. It is linking its Nutri-Grain brand with Rugby League’s Challenge Cup. Kellogg will invest more than 1 million pounds into the sponsorship.† , â€Å"Musicians, sports stars and actors are rapidly overhauling established business tycoons as some America’s wealthiest young people.†, â€Å"Hays and Robertson is planning a two-way floating International Brands Licensing, the Admiral and Mountain Equipment brand business on Aim in June 2002, in an attempt to raise its market value to 11.5 m. pounds. Hays and Robertson will then join with Sky in a deal to sell England kits and other football kits later on in the year and focus on purchasing licenses for other brands for UK distribution.†(as cited in Beech and Chadwick, 2004, p. 8-9). Also as cited in McGaughey and Liesch (2002) ague that, â€Å"†¦ sport has gradually commercialized through the growth of spectatorship, with revenues being generated via gate-takings and activities such as on-course betting (Rowe, 1996). While the advent of ‘live’ broadcasting and the commentary of sports through radio and television initially resulted in declining revenue for sporting bodies, popular sports have increasingly entered more economically rewarding contracts with television interests, with ‘the negotiation of television contracts rapidly becoming the biggest issue in the game’†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p.384). According to Beech and Chadwick (2004), the development of a sport as a business is characterized by a sequence of phases. These phases are: the foundation of the sport, its codification, stratification, professionalisation, , post-professionalisation, commercialization and post-commercialization. The commercialization of a sport involves the development of an â€Å"overtly business context, external organizations see the opportunity of using the sport for their own purposes, typically marketing in the forms of sponsorship – involving governing bodies, leagues and clubs – and endorsement – involving players. If the sport organizations, leagues and clubs are inept in their management of the greatly increased financial revenues which become available, they will become available, they will come under pressure to the extent that some professional clubs in particular may be forced out of existence† (p.6). The commercialization in the English soccer began at the end of 1960, when Texaco (an oil company) and Watneys (a brewery) offered sponsorship to cups (Beech and Chadwick, 2004). â€Å" †¦by the end of the 1990s commercialization had become firmly embedded across the whole of the top leagues as well as the FA, with sponsorship of a range of events and facilities, including individual stadia, common practice. Clubs websites had become integrated with betting companies, mobile phone companies and other external organisations, typically offering directly soccer-related services. Weaker (in terms of financial success) clubs have faced major pressures such as being forced into administration.† (p.7). Some examples that present the commercialization in the 1990s are â€Å"†¦ between January 1993 and January 1997, shares in football sector rose 774per cent, outperforming stock market by a factor of 10.†( Marrow, 1999), â€Å"†¦18 month period between 1995 and 1996, shares in Manchester United and Tottenham rose 336 per cent and 368 per cent respectively.† (Marrow, 1999), â€Å"many individuals made slot of money from stock market floatation as Hall Family (Newcastle): 3m 1989-1992- sold a 41.6 per cent stake for 55m. pounds.† (Walters G, 2008, Lecture 1, Birkbeck notes). The commercialization of the sports has led to the commercial consumer income e.g. shirt sales, the commercial sponsorship income e.g. shirt sponsorship, the stadia development, the increasing of supporters-fans, matches are scheduled for tv audience, the merchandising have become more aggressive, expensive and targeted, the tickets price is higher (Walters G, 2008, Lecture 1, Birkbeck notes). Here are some comments about the commercialization in football: â€Å" One of the reasons the fanzines are not encouraged is because the clubs fear any threat, small or large, to their complete control of merchandising income. Clearly fans want to identify with their clubs and if control also means ensuring that certain basic standards of product and service are met then that’s not necessarily a bad thing†¦the trouble lies with the way that merchandising has taken over at the expense of developing almost any other form of identification with the club† (Perryman, 1997, p.6), à ¢â‚¬Å"this should have been a golden age, a perfect time to be a football supporter. Heysel and Hillsborough were in the past. We had seen off the hooligans and nearly all the fences. Where we were once the enemy within, we were now the height of fashion†¦ tv programmes, plays and even opera took an interest†¦ football shirts were everywhere. There was a boom†¦ this should have been everything we ever wanted. Instead, just when it was, at last, all right to be a football fan, everything went sour†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ( Horton, 1997, exploitation 13-14). â€Å"Globalization can be described as a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society. This process is a combination of economic, technological, sociocultural and political forces† (Wikipedia, 2008). â€Å"In sports, globalization does not mean promoting international games and joining test matches or international competitions. It is a temporary event with minimal lasting effects and therefore is just called internationalization. The globalization of sports intimidates sports organizations that hold the right of franchise in these countries. So, it is a big problem for the professional associations, like those in baseball and soccer in Japan and in Korea and basketball in the Philippines. Sports management is something that is not directly related to globalization.   But, today, due to the wide coverage of media and the popularity of sports, globalization is an inevitable issue, even for the local sports organizations. The international sports enterprises are always looking for a chance to invade a new market, and in this sense, sports is very similar to agricultural and industrial products† (http://ccs.cla.kobe-u.ac.jp/staff/amano/WWW/amano.html, 2008). Also â€Å"the global development of sport has also accelerated from the 1980s. For example, one can find the flows from country to country of sports goods, equipment, and landscapes have grown such as the development of the media-sport production complex and projects images to global audiences.†(Lee and Lin, 2007, â€Å"the Sport Journal†). According to Masteralexis, Barr and Hums (1998), â€Å"Sport is subject to many of the same forces that are increasing the global distribution of consumer and entertainment products today† (p.209) as sports are affected by international influences as athletes play professionally in foreign countries, people watch sport events from other countries and they consume products of foreign teams. The sports industry like the general business, have realized that they have to expand their boundaries in order to sell their products in the global marketplace, by creating â€Å"products that they have the same appeal and generate the same demand in all corners of the world† (p.212) considering the different cultures, laws, languages, customs, traditions. â€Å"Efforts in globalizing the sport product can be seen on two fronts: 1. corporations are attempting to utilize the sport theme and sport products to enter the international marketplace and 2. professional sport leagues are attempting to spread the popularity of their leagues and associated products (televised games, licensed sport products, etc. ) overseas† (p.213). As an example â€Å"†¦many sport leagues, particularly those in North America, have sought out global markets through expanding television broadcasting and licensing, and by developing new leagues to introduce their specific sports to new geographic areas (Rushin, 1993). The most obvious example of this is the World League of American Football (NFL Europe) which despite financial losses, is seen as a means to introduce the professional football product to Europe, and expand television interests (King, 1996). In this way, professional sport leagues seeks out new revenue opportunities in many different markets†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ( Mason, 1999, p.406). Trenberh and Collins, 1994, suggested five â€Å"manifest market conditions† that affects the sports industry and the sports managers work: â€Å"1.a trend toward a increased professionalism in leisure and sports organizations 2. continued development of commercial forms of sport 3. maturation and normalization of career structures in leisure and sport 4. a mounting awareness of the need for fiscal accountability in the public and non-profit sectors and 5. the targeting of management skills by government as a way of enhancing sport systems ‘effectiveness’† (p.276). According to Boucher(1998), â€Å"†¦there is n question that the field of Sports Management has grown and developed at a rapid race, particularly over the past decade. Concurrent with this growth have been advancements made by professional and academic associations, formed to further needs of a variety of individuals who are affiliated with Sports Management†. Sport managers have to be aware of the changes that impact their work environment and have to be capable of knowing the new technology, which affects the sports industry and have to understand that sport and sport management as a whole, is growing as a popularity worldwide and sport managers themselves should learn, understand and respect the â€Å"differences when dealing in the international sport marketplace† (Masteralexis, Barr and Hums, 1998, p. 36), â€Å" †¦ it is imperative that sport managers understand the issues surrounding the governance and management of international sport†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Masteralexis, Barr and Hums, 1998, p. 213). In order to manage the sport product, sport managers should always consider that: â€Å"1. the sport product is intangible and subjective making it difficult to ensure costumer satisfaction 2. the sport product is inconsistent and unpredictable 3. the sport product is a perishable commodity, developed in anticipation of demand and produced and consumed simultaneously 4. aspects of financing and budgeting for sports organizations differ from those of a typical business 5. for a manager there is a highly complex network of stakeholders ranging from government agencies to sponsors, volunteers and members 6. sport enterprises earn significant income from sources extraneous to the sale of the service(e.g. sponsorship and television rights) 7. managers of sport leagues must heighten competition to be successful, not eliminate it† (Trenberth, Collins, 1999, p.20). In addition the role of marketing is very important for a sport manager, in order to attract consumers, as marketing helps : 1. to guide a sporting organization in its selection of the â€Å"sport product† and its target costumers 2. to identify and monitor the activities of business competitors 3. to develop and implement promotional strategies 3. to develop and implement distribution strategies 4. to coordinate the research and information needed to carry out the marketing functions(above), audit their performance and help ensure their repeated success. (Trenberth, Collins, 1999, p.218). Sports managers need to understand also the strong need of : 1. financial management 2. share and stock market 3. mergers and acquisitions 4. sports law, commercial and international law 5. TV rights and EU law in European cases( Trenberth, Collins, 1999, p.279). Conclusion This paper has sought to highlight how commercialization and globalization has changed the worldwide picture of sports. As we can conclude a sport manager, in order to be competitive in the global marketplace and in order to be able to react to the changes of the international rules of commercialization have to be aware of the needs of the market and â€Å"consumers†-fans that address. According to Markle(1997), (as cited in Trenberth, Collins, 1999, p.281), â€Å"†¦sports managers need to understand the nature of the business and the disposition of the consumer through demographics, psychographics, socioeconomics, etc†¦sports managers need to built their business, the product and the perception of the product to be attractive and appealing †¦ to built relationships with sponsors, to learn their business needs and become an agency rather than a salesperson. They should under-promise and over-deliver†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Also we should always have in mind what Robert L. Boucher (1998, p.79) suggests : â€Å" call me naà ¯ve, but it is possible that today’s promoters of commercialism in sport have become intoxicated by sponsorship revenues? †¦is it right for a sport manager only to be conduit by which a sponsor can achieve greater market penetration? My contention is simply that in our quest for legitimation, we may have sold our souls to the interests of big business. It can be argued that much of what comprises the Sport Management domain is not related to business and producing entertainment for profit. In fact, a large percentage of sport enterprises in the global community are of an amateur nature where the motives of participants, spectators and administrators are of a more altruistic nature. Perhaps Chelladurai’s (1992) observation that there are really, in fact, two fields, that management of human services in sport and management of entertainment services through out spor t, is entirely accurate. In any event, the need to return in a balance in orientation and to refocus has never been more pressing†. References Beech J. & Chadwick S. (2004), â€Å"The Business of Sport Management†, Ashford Colour Press, Gosport Boucher R. (Journal of Sports Management,1998, 12,76-85), â€Å"Towards Achieving a Focal Point for Sport Management : A Binocular Perspecive†, Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc Encyclopedia of Britannica, on line, 2008. from http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-253580/sports Enjolras B, â€Å"Commercialization and the voluntary organization of sport:the Norwegian model under pressure?†, Paper prepared for the Seminar â€Å"idrett, samfunn og frivillig organisering†, NFR, 9-10/01/20011, from http://web.bi.no/forskning/isforg.nsf/62af2dc31b641632c12566f30039282c/6dd187f9b8d0a3c3c125696f003d6d3a/$FILE/Enjolras.PDF Harris, H.A. (1964). Greek athletes and athletics. London: Hutchinson. Lee and Lin, (2007). â€Å"The Global Flows of International Professional Baseball System†, from http://www.thesportjournal.org/2007Journal/Vol10-No4/07ping-chao.asp Mason D.(1999). â€Å"What is the sports product and who buys it? The marketing of professional sport leagues†. European Journal of Marketing, Vol.33, No.  ¾, 1999, pp. 402-418 Masteralexis L., Barr C., Hums M., (1998), â€Å"Principles And Practice of Sports Management†, United State of America :Aspen Publishers McGaughey S. and Liesch P. (2002). â€Å"The global sports-media nexus: reflexctions on the ‘super league saga’ in Australia†, Journal of Management Studies 39:3, may 2002. USA: Blackwell Publishers Professional Sports in Globalization: A Comparative Study of the Japanese Baseball and the Philippine Basketball†, from http://ccs.cla.kobe-u.ac.jp/staff/amano/WWW/amano.html Slack T., (1998). Studying the commercialization of sport: The need for critical analysis. From http://physed.otago.ac.nz/sosol/v1i1/v1i1a6.htm Trenberth L., Collins C. ( 1999), â€Å"Sport Business Management in New Zealand†, New Zealand: The Dunmore Press Walters G., (2008), from the lesson â€Å"The economics and governance of professional football†, Lecture 1 â€Å"the business of football: an historical perspective†, Birkbeck notes Wikipedia, 2008, from www.wikipedia.com

Tower of Hanoi Solutions

Tower of Hanoi Solutions Introduction The Tower of Hanoi is a puzzle popularized in 1883 by Edouard Lucas, a French scientist famous for his study of the Fibonacci sequence. However, this puzzles roots are from an ancient legend of a Hindu temple. The legend states that there is a secret room in a hidden temple that contains three large pegs. One of these poles has 64 golden disks stacked upon it, each disk being smaller then the disk underneath it, with the biggest disk at the bottom. Since the beginning of time, monks have been trying to shift the 64 disks onto the third peg. The monks also can only transfer the disks if the following rules are followed. First, the monks can only move one disk at a time, and second, they cannot put larger disks on top of smaller disks. Once all 64 disks are shifted to the third peg, the world will end. After encountering this puzzle (in a simpler form) at a science fair a couple years ago and seeing it occasionally even today in an engineering classroom environment, I decided that this was the perfect opportunity to examine this puzzle at a deeper level. (A basic rendition of a 3 disk tower)   Ã‚   Aim My aim is to explore the different patterns that lead to the answer to the legend: how much time would it take for the world to end? Finding an Optimal Strategy In order to get closer to solving this puzzle, the goal will be to find the most efficient way to get 64 disks onto the third peg. To better grasp the mathematical concepts and patterns when solving the tower, it would be easier to look at a simpler version of the puzzle, such as the following 3 disk example. Binary Code (Standard Gray Code) We can relate the pattern seen above to binary code, specifically Standard Gray Code. Standard Gray Code is a binary numeral system where two successive values differ in only one (binary) digit. Using this method may bring us closer to being able to solve the 64 disk tower. If we relate the example in Figure 1 with Standard Gray Code, using 3 binary digits, we are left with something like this: 000 Step 1 001 Step 2 011 Step 3 010 Step 4 110 Step 5 111 Step 6 101 Step 7 100 Step 8 For example, Step 1 is shown by the three digits 000. The next step is 001, changing the digit that corresponds with the smallest disk, which means disk 1 is the first disk to move in the solution. And to continue, Step 2 is 011, showing that now the middle (second) disk is being moved. This method could lead us to the solution of a 64 disk tower, as it would show which disk to move; however, the flaw in this method is that even though the binary digits can show which disk has moved, it does not show where to move it. There are always two possibilities for each disk, and when we factor in the 64 other disks, the calculations get extremely tedious and suboptimal as a solution. Recursive Pattern The next viable solution is finding a recursive pattern to determine how many moves it would take to solve the puzzle, depending on the number of disks. A recursive pattern uses information from the previous step to find the next. In order to move n amount of disks from peg 1 to peg 3, we can again refer to Figure 1. The first step is transferring n-1 disks from peg 1 to peg 3. We assign a variable to the number of moves this takes, in this case, M. Next, transfer the middle disk to peg 2 (step 3) and finally, transfer the remaining disks from peg 3 to peg 2 (step 4). When you move n amount of disks to any peg, the number of moves will be the same, no matter which direction you choose to go. From this, we can find an equation to finding the moves needed for any number of disks:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2M + 1, where M equals the number of moves needed to transfer n-1 disks from peg 1 to peg 2. This brings up another flaw to the problem. In order to find how many moves needed to transfer 64 disks, we also need to calculate the number of moves for 63, 62, 61, etc amount of disks as well. Because of this, the recursive pattern cannot be used to find the time it takes before the world ends. However, what the recursive pattern can do is generate numbers that lead into a non recursive pattern. # of Disks # of Moves 2M + 1 1 1 2(0) + 1 = 1 2 3 2(1) + 1 = 3 3 7 2(3) + 1 = 7 4 15 2(7) + 1 = 15 5 31 2(15) + 1 = 31 From Table 2, we can see that the third column represents a geometric progression that can help us find a formula for a non-recursive pattern. Non-Recursive Pattern (Explicit Pattern) When looking back at Table 2, there is a direct correlation that can be made from the number of disks and the number of moves. Recognizing that there is a geometric progression, one could infer the pattern that is being used though the power of two. # of Disks # of Moves 1 21 1 = 1 2 22 1 = 3 3 23 1 = 7 4 24 1 =15 5 25 1 =31 Therefore the function to find the number of steps with any number of disks would be 2n 1, with n being the # of disks. Just to further prove that 2n 1 is the correct function, we can graph 2n 1 and compare to the number of disks and moves in Table 2. It completely fits the data points, confirming the relation between the points and the function. Now we can just plug in the function: 264 1 = 590,000,000,000 years Conclusion In order to move 64 disks from the first peg to the third, the monks would need over 590 billion years, assuming that they can move one disk per second. The function 2n 1 was found by recognizing the geometric progressions in the recursive formula and using it in an explicit pattern. This function can be used to find the most optimal number of moves it would take to move any number of disks to the third peg. Bibliography Bogomolny, Alexander. Tower of Hanoi. Tower of Hanoi. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2017. . Johnson, P. Sam, Recurrence Relations And Their Solutions (Problem : Tower Of Hanoi), 2015 December 26, and 1/1. Information on Subsets of a Set. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2017. . Longman, Addison Wesley. Millers Mathematical Ideas, 9th Edition Web Site Chapter 4 Internet Project. Millers Mathematical Ideas, 9th Edition Web Site Chapter 4 Internet Project. Pearson Education, n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2017. Math, Dr. Ask Dr. Math FAQ: Tower of Hanoi. Mathforum.org. Drexel University, n.d.  Ã‚   Web. 3 Mar. 2017.