Promotional mix free essay sample

Introduction: The marketing mix is a business tool used in marketing and by marketing professionals. The marketing mix is often crucial when determining a product or brands offering, and is often synonymous with the four Ps: price, product, promotion, and place; in service marketing, however, the four Ps have been expanded to the Seven Ps or Eight Ps to address the different nature of services. Definition: The definition that many marketers learn as they start out in the industry is: Putting the right product in the right place, at the right price, at the right time. The marketing mix refers to the set of actions, or tactics, that a company uses to promote its brand or product in the market. The 4Ps make up a typical marketing mix. When marketing their products firms need to create a successful mix of: the right product sold at the right price in the right place using the most suitable promotion. We will write a custom essay sample on Promotional mix or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page To create the right marketing mix, businesses have to meet the following conditions: The product has to have the right features for example, it must look good and work well. The price must be right. Consumer will need to buy in large numbers to produce a healthy profit. The goods must be in the right place at the right time. Making sure that the goods arrive when and where they are wanted is an important operation. The target group needs to be made aware of the existence and availability of the product through promotion. Successful promotion helps a firm to spread costs over a larger output. 1.Product: (refers to the item actually being sold) A product is seen as an item that satisfies what a consumer demands. It is a tangible good or an intangible service. For example good will for intangible. Tangible products are those that have an independent physical existence. Typical examples of mass-produced, tangible objects are the motor car and the disposable razor. A less obvious but ubiquitous mass-produced service is a computer operating system. The marketer must also consider the product mix. Marketers can expand the current product mix by increasing a certain product lines depth or by increasing the number of product lines. Marketers should consider the features and benefits you offer, your unique selling points (What makes your product/service different from everyone elses) and what potential spin-off products of services might be. Marketers should consider how to position the product, how to exploit the brand, how to exploit the companys resources and how to configure the product mix so that each product complements the other. The marketer must also consider product development strategies. 2.Price: (refers to the value that is put for a product/ the amount a customer pays for the product) Price is a critical part and is very important of your marketing mix as it determines the companys profit and hence, survival. Choosing the right price for your products or services will help you to maximise profits and also build strong relationships with your customers. By pricing effectively you will also avoid the serious financial consequences that can occur if you price too low (not enough profit) or too high (not enough sales). When setting a price, the marketer must be aware of the customer perceived value for the product. Your overall pricing strategy will depend on your marketing, business and lifestyle objectives. Three basic pricing strategies are: 1. market skimming pricing, 2. market penetration pricing and 3. neutral pricing. The reference value (where the consumer refers to the prices of competing products) and the differential value (the consumers view of this products attributes versus the attributes of other products) must be taken into account. 3.Place: (refers to the point of sale/ refers to providing the product at a place which is convenient for consumers to access) In every industry, catching the eye of the consumer and making it easy for her to buy it is the main aim of a good distribution or place strategy. Whether its a retail store, online shop or on social media place refers to the channels and locations for distributing your product, related information and support services. This is how you will position your product or service in the marketplace. Place represents the location where a product can be purchased. It is often referred to as the distribution channel. This may include any physical store (supermarket, departmental stores) as well as virtual stores (such as ebay) on the Internet. Being in the right location can be a deciding factor in whether a customer buys from you or not. To find out where your ideal customer is buying from its worth doing some market research. 4.Promotion: (this refers to all the activities undertaken to make the product or service known to the user and trade) Promotion is the business of communicating with customers. It will provide information that will assist them in making a decision to purchase a product or service. How do you promote and market your business now (or intend to)? Regardless of how good your business is, if you don’t promote it and tell people you exist, it’s unlikely you will make many sales. Compare what your competitors do for promotion, noting what does and doesn’t work for them as well as yourself. Promotion is more than selling and advertising your business. It’s about attracting the right people to use and reuse your business. There are a number of techniques to use and they can be combined in various ways to create the most cost effective strategy for your needs. This can include online, branding, public relations and advertising. The additional elements that make up your marketing strategy are- 5.People: (the employees of the organization with whom customers come into contact) Every employee in your business (if you have them) can influence the marketing of your products and services. Knowledgeable and friendly staff can contribute to creating satisfied customers, and can provide the unique selling experience that an organisation is often seeking. If an outstanding team provides a competitive advantage, then the quality of recruitment and training becomes essential to achieving your marketing objectives. Make sure you have processes and training in place to get the most out of your team. 6.Process: Process represents the buying experience the customer gets when they buy your product or service. For example, the way a fine bottle of wine is presented and served in a restaurant, the reaction of a business to a complaint or the speed of delivery in a fast food outlet. A poor process can undermine the other elements of the marketing mix. Budget airlines, for example, may offer very competitive headline prices, but if the final price is inflated by additional charges such as baggage charges and administrative fees, customers may begin to feel they have been taken advantage of. Try to document your key processes and procedures so your staff and suppliers know what to aim for. 7.Physical evidence: (pertains to how you, your products, or your company is presented in the market place) The physical environment where your products or services are sold and delivered can have a significant impact on how your customers experience your business. The physical environment can be the quality of the furnishings in your consulting rooms, the design of your reception area or website. Creating a positive physical environment doesn’t have to be costly – a vase full of fresh flowers or a creative window display can make a big difference. Many marketing specialists are now seeing the 4Ps as too product-oriented and have adopted the 4Cs marketing mix. In recent times, the concept of four Cs has been introduced as a more customer-driven replacement of four Ps. And there are two four Cs theories today. One is Lauterborns four Cs- (consumer, cost, communication, convenience), another is Shimizus four Cs- (commodity, cost, communication, channel). Pcategory C category C definition Product Consumer Products are likely to produce as consumer orientation. Price Cost reflecting the total cost of ownership. Many factors affect Cost, including but not limited to the customers cost to change or implement the new product or service and the customers cost for not selecting a competitors product or service. Promotion Communication represents a broader focus. Communications can include advertising, public relations, personal selling, viral advertising, and any form of communication between the organization and the consumer. Place (Distribution) Convenience With the rise of Internet and hybrid models of purchasing, Place is becoming less relevant. Convenience takes into account the ease of buying the product, finding the product, finding information about the product, and several other factors. Robert F. Lauterborn proposed a four Cs classification in 1993[7] which is a more consumer-oriented version of the four Ps that attempts to better fit the movement from mass marketing to niche marketing: After Koichi Shimizu proposed a four Cs classification in 1973, this was expanded to the Seven Cs Compass Model to provide a more complete picture of the nature of marketing in 1981. It attempts to explain the success or failure of a firm within a market and is somewhat analogous to Michael Porters diamond model, which tries to explain the success and failure of different countries economically. P category C category C definition Product Commodity It is not product out. The goods and services for the consumers or citizens. Price Cost There is not only producing cost and selling cost but purchasing cost and social cost. Promotion Communication Marketing communication : Not only promotion but communication is important. Communications can include advertising, sales promotion, public relations, publicity, personal selling, corporate identity. Place Promotional mix free essay sample Introduction: The marketing mix is a business tool used in marketing and by marketing professionals. The marketing mix is often crucial when determining a product or brands offering, and is often synonymous with the four Ps: price, product, promotion, and place; in service marketing, however, the four Ps have been expanded to the Seven Ps or Eight Ps to address the different nature of services. Definition: The definition that many marketers learn as they start out in the industry is: Putting the right product in the right place, at the right price, at the right time. The marketing mix refers to the set of actions, or tactics, that a company uses to promote its brand or product in the market. The 4Ps make up a typical marketing mix. To create the right marketing mix, businesses have to meet the following conditions: The product has to have the right features for example, it must look good and work well. We will write a custom essay sample on Promotional mix or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The price must be right. Consumer will need to buy in large numbers to produce a healthy profit. The goods must be in the right place at the right time. Making sure that the goods arrive when and where they are wanted is an important operation. The target group needs to be made aware of the existence and availability of the product through promotion. Successful promotion helps a firm to spread costs over a larger output. 1.Product: (refers to the item actually being sold) A product is seen as an item that satisfies what a consumer demands. It is a tangible good or an intangible service. For example good will for intangible. Tangible products are those that have an independent physical  existence. Typical examples of mass-produced, tangible objects are the motor car and the disposable razor. A less obvious but ubiquitous mass-produced service is a computer operating system. The marketer must also consider the product mix. Marketers can expand the current product mix by increasing a certain product lines depth or by increasing the number of product lines. Marketers should consider the features and benefits you offer, your unique selling points (What makes your product/service different from everyone elses) and what potential spin-off products of services might be. Marketers should consider how to position the product, how to exploit the brand, how to exploit the companys resources and how to configure the product mix so that each product complements the other. The marketer must also consider product development strategies. 2.Price: (refers to the value that is put for a product/ the amount a customer pays for the product) Price is a critical part and is very important of your marketing mix as it determines the companys profit and hence, survival. Choosing the right price for your products or services will help you to maximise profits and also build strong relationships with your customers. By pricing effectively you will also avoid the serious financial consequences that can occur if you price too low (not enough profit) or too high (not enough sales). When setting a price, the marketer must be aware of the customer perceived value for the product. Your overall pricing strategy will depend on your marketing, business and lifestyle objectives. Three basic pricing strategies are: 1. market skimming pricing, The reference value (where the consumer refers to the prices of competing products) and the differential value (the consumers view of this products attributes versus the attributes of other products) must be taken into account. 3.Place: (refers to the point of sale/ refers to providing the product at a place which is convenient for consumers to access) In every industry,  catching the eye of the consumer and making it easy for her to buy it is the main aim of a good distribution or place strategy. Whether its a retail store, online shop or on social media place refers to the channels and locations for distributing your product, related information and support services. This is how you will position your product or service in the marketplace. Place represents the location where a product can be purchased. It is often referred to as the distribution channel. This may include any physical store (supermarket, departmental stores) as well as virtual stores (such as ebay) on the Internet. Being in the right location can be a deciding factor in whether a customer buys from you or not. To find out where your ideal customer is buying from its worth doing some market research. 4.Promotion: (this refers to all the activities undertaken to make the product or service known to the user and trade) Promotion is the business of communicating with customers. It will provide information that will assist them in making a decision to purchase a product or service. How do you promote and market your business now (or intend to)? Regardless of how good your business is, if you don’t promote it and tell people you exist, it’s unlikely you will make many sales. Compare what your competitors do for promotion, noting what does and doesn’t work for them as well as yourself. Promotion is more than selling and advertising your business. It’s about attracting the right people to use and reuse your business. There are a number of techniques to use and they can be combined in various ways to create the most cost effective strategy for your needs. This can include online, branding, public relations and advertising. The additional elements that make up your marketing strategy are- 5.People: (the employees of the organization with whom customers come into contact) Every employee in your business (if you have them) can influence the marketing of your products and services. Knowledgeable and friendly staff can contribute to creating satisfied customers, and can provide the unique selling experience that an organisation is often seeking. If an outstanding team provides a competitive advantage, then the quality of recruitment and  training becomes essential to achieving your marketing objectives. Make sure you have processes and training in place to get the most out of your team. 6.Process: Process represents the buying experience the customer gets when they buy your product or service. For example, the way a fine bottle of wine is presented and served in a restaurant, the reaction of a business to a complaint or the speed of delivery in a fast food outlet. A poor process can undermine the other elements of the marketing mix. Budget airlines, for example, may offer very competitive headline prices, but if the final price is inflated by additional charges such as baggage charges and administrative fees, customers may begin to feel they have been taken advantage of. Try to document your key processes and procedures so your staff and suppliers know what to aim for. 7.Physical evidence: (pertains to how you, your products, or your company is presented in the market place) The physical environment where your products or services are sold and delivered can have a significant impact on how your customers experience your business. The physical environment can be the quality of the furnishings in your consulting rooms, the design of your reception area or website. Creating a positive physical environment doesn’t have to be costly – a vase full of fresh flowers or a creative window display can make a big difference. Many marketing specialists are now seeing the 4Ps as too product-oriented and have adopted the 4Cs marketing mix. In recent times, the concept of four Cs has been introduced as a more customer-driven replacement of four Ps. And there are two four Cs theories today. One is Lauterborns four Cs- (consumer, cost, communication, convenience), another is Shimizus four Cs- (commodity, cost, communication, channel). Communication represents a broader focus. Communications can include advertising, public relations, personal selling, viral advertising, and any form of communication between the organization and the consumer. Place (Distribution) Convenience With the rise of Internet and hybrid models of purchasing, Place is becoming less relevant. Convenience takes into account the ease of buying the product, finding the product, finding information about the product, and several other factors. Robert F. Lauterborn proposed a four Cs classification in 1993[7] which is a more consumer-oriented version of the four Ps that attempts to better fit the movement from mass marketing to niche marketing: After Koichi Shimizu proposed a four Cs classification in 1973, this was expanded to the Seven Cs Compass Model to provide a more complete picture of the nature of marketing in 1981. It attempts to explain the success or failure of a firm within a market and is somewhat analogous to Michael Porters diamond model, which tries to explain the success and failure of different countries economically. P category Promotional Mix free essay sample Explain what promotional Mix is and what each thing does. Promotion mix elements are advertising, sales promotions, public relations, personal selling, and direct marketing. Promotion mix is when a company’s promotion strategy focuses on more than one element, so the challenge is to integrate these different communication tools in an effective way. To be sure promotion mixes works with the overall marketing mix, thereby combining elements of promotion with place, price, and product to position the firm’s offering in peoples minds. Promotion mix is broken down into three parts Mass Appeals (advertising, sales promotion, and public relations), Personal Appeals (personal selling and direct marketing), and Buzz Appeals (word of mouth). Mass Appeals Advertising is nonpersonal communication from an identified sponsor using the mass media. Advertising can establish and reinforce a distinctive brand identity. That helps marketers bond with customers and boost sales. Advertising can also be very expensice, so firms must ensure that their messages are effective. We will write a custom essay sample on Promotional Mix or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Adversiting is the highest extent of marketers control over communication. Sales promotions includes programs such as contests, coupons, or other incentives that marketers design to build intrested in or encourage purchases of a product during a specified period. Sales promotion provide retailers with incentives to support brands, and build excitement for retailers and consumers. Side effects of sales promotions is that it doesn’t focus on brand loyality, and the number of competing promotions may make it hard to break through the promotional clutter. Public relations is a communication activites that create or maintain a positive image of a firm and its products. Public relations is relatively has low cost and has high credibility. The effects on public relations is that it is a poor message control, which means it has no gurrantee that message will even reach the target. This makes it difficult to track the results. -Personal Appeals Personal selling is direct interaction between a company representative and a customer. Personal selling is direct contact with the customer and gives the salesperson the opportunity to be flexible, so they can modify the sales message to coincide with the customer’s needs. Also, personal selling can get immediate feedback from the customers. The bad effects to personal appeals is a high cost per contact with customers. Difficult to ensure consistency of message when it is delivered by many different company representatives. Direct marketing is the efforts to gain a direct response from individual consumers. Direct marking can target specific groups of potential customers with different offers. Markets can easlity measure the results, and can provide extensive information and multiple offers with a single appeal. Also, direct marketing can collect information for a company marketing database. The downfalls to direct markerting is consumers may have negative opinion of some type of direct marketing, and also, direct marketing cost more per contact than mass appeals. -Buzz Appeals- Buzz appeal is a type of promotion mix, which has the lowest extent of marketer’s control over communication. Buzz appeals is a clutter of types of promotional mix. Word-of-mouth the act of consumer creating and distributing marketing- relevant information to another consumer. Word-of-mouth marketing is an effort by an organization to affect how consumers create and distribute marketing-relevant information to another consumer. Buzz marketing is using high-profile entertainment or news to get people to talk about their brand. Viral marketing is creating entertaining or informative message designed to be passed along in an exponential fashion, often electronically or by e-mail. Guerrilla marketing is an â€Å"ambush† to consumers with promotional content in every place they are not expecting to encounter this kind of activity. Experiential marketing is marketing technique that helps to connect consumers actual interact with there brand, so they can make a more informed purchased decision. Consumer-generated media is opions, comments, and product-related stories avaiable to others consumers through digital media. Bad side effects to the buzz marketing is that activities are designed to decieve consumers, direct advertising mostly at young adults, damanges property, stealth marketing activities deliberately deceive or lie on behalf of clients, and online SPAM is used.

Legislation, a policies, a standards or codes of practice that influence provision of health service for service users Essays

Legislation, a policies, a standards or codes of practice that influence provision of health service for service users Essays Legislation, a policies, a standards or codes of practice that influence provision of health service for service users Essay Legislation, a policies, a standards or codes of practice that influence provision of health service for service users Essay There are many legislation, policies and codes of practices in the health services in England. Legislations such as the health and safety act Work Act and Data protection Act are the main and important legislations in organisations such as schools, care homes and nurseries. Under legislations there are policies these are policies can be the confidentiality policy and the anti-bullying policy however there are many more as each organisations has a different one but the confidentiality policy and anti-bullying are the ones that can be found in care homes, nurseries and schools. Codes of practices are what organisations expect their employees to follow in order to provide good care for their service users. The Health and Safety Act The health and safety at work Act 1974 also referred to as HASAWA or HSW is the main piece of legislation covering occupation health and safety in the United Kingdom. The Health and safety executive is responsible for enforcing the Act and a number of other regulations relevant to the working environment. In community schools, community special schools and voluntary-controlled schools statutory health and safety responsibilities fall on the local authority (as the employer) and on the head teacher and staff (as employees). The governing body, as the management body, should ensure that school staff and premises comply with the local authoritys (LAs) health and safety policy and practices. The governing body, having control of the premises, must take reasonable steps to make sure that the buildings, equipment and materials are safe and do not put the health of persons at risk while they are on the premises. Employees have a responsibility to make sure that they carry out their duties safely without risking themselves, the pupils or visitors. They must also cooperate with others who have duties for health and safety by carrying out instructions and reporting unsafe practices. The head teacher, who has delegated responsibility for the day-to-day management of the school, has a particular role in seeing that the governing bodys health and safety policies and procedures are carried out. Since the HASAWA was first passed additional regulations have been added to reflect change sin practice, technology and understanding. These regulations include: Reporting Of Injuries, disease and Dangerous occurrences Regulation (RIDDOR) 1995 Food Safety Act 1990 Control Of substances Hazardous to Health Regulation (COSHH) 2002 Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 etc Source: governornet.co.uk/cropArticle.cfm?topicAreaId=28contentId=722mode=bg Accessed on the 22nd/3/11 Policies. Every organisation has to have their own health and safety policies to state how they will operate under the legislation. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 state that organisations must have a health and safety policy. Most organisations also have a variety of policies linked to their regulations. These would include: Manual Handling Policy; Disposal of Body Fluids, and; First Aid Policy. Other policies are only relevant in certain setting, such as: Challenging Behaviour Policy, and; Medication Policy. Confidentiality policy The confidentiality policy plays a big role in organisations as most of their service users prefer that their personal details stay private and within that care setting. It is rare that organisations dont have a confidentiality policy as this policy is there to ensure the safety of those who attend the organisation. Organisations who their service users are children or young teenagers respect the confidentiality policy in the following ways: -Parents/carers will have ready access to files and records of their own children but not any other child. -Staff will not discuss individual children with people other than the parents/carers of that child. -Information given by parents/carers to the organisation staff will not be passed on to third parties. -Personnel issues will remain confidential to the people involved. -Any anxieties/evidence relating to a childs personal safety will be kept in a confidential file and will not be shared within the organisation except for the childs key worker and Manager. Clients Files. All clients have the right to view their files. However, no clients will have access to any information from a third party (e.g. the clients partner, children or other agencies) which is stored in their files. This is to protect the safety and confidentiality of others. However when a child is under the age of 16 years old, parents/ careers still have the right to access their files. But otherwise third party information should be stored separately within the client record. All computer records will be password protected and compliant with IT security procedures. The Care Value Base The care value base is a range of standards for health and social care. It is designed to guide the practice of professionals working in this area. This overall aim of the standards is to improve clients quality of life, by ensuring that each person gets the care that is most appropriate for them as an individual. The care value base offers guidance and sets standards in organisations. Standards and codes of practice in care homes provides clear guidance on aspects of care and management, underpinned throughout by the recognition of the right of older people to be treated as individuals, and to be treated with dignity and respect. The aim of the standards is to: * protect the interests of weak vulnerable people from possible exploitation, abuse and indifference; * ensure that providers have a clear view and understanding of what is required of them; * protect staff in carrying out their duties; * Ensure that care of quality is provided in an environment of quality. Legislations, policies improve health services by making sure that every legislation or policy that comes out benefit them and protect them in a way or another. It also way to make sure that people are safe in certain environments, that they are not being discriminated against and that organisation are encouraging equality and diversity.

Internationl Business Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Internationl Business Practice - Essay Example The main person responsible for coining the term globalization is considered to be Theodore Levitt. With the passage of time, the phenomenon has grown at a steady rate whereby the setting under which it is held is one that focuses on the global patterns related with the sociological findings. The aspect of whether or not globalization is a newer form of western imperialism is manifested in the definition of the same word. Globalization, for that matter, is remarked as Internationalization since the nature of the two terms is on a worldwide scale more than anything else. West tries to exploit the basis of globalization which the third world countries could bring to the benefit of the developed nations. However, on the part of the two terms, the one thing common however is the fact that these have identified themselves well with the changing (and growing) trends, where most of these are credited on the shoulders of the World War II, after which there has been a resurgent rat race nonetheless. Globalization is a phenomenon and it is one that is here to stay for long. The world has become a global village due to globalization and it is a good omen if seen in the proper perspectives. In an economic zone, globalization plays a significant role at increasing trade on an interna tional front which as compared to the global economy, is much faster and ahead of its time. Globalization improves the technological infrastructures and supports in the development of the telecommunications not only on a regional scale but throughout the world, thus providing help and facilitation to the west more than anything else. With the help of globalization, the legal stance is one that focuses more on the increase in the number of different standards worldwide, which in all essence must be made use of. These include copyright laws, privacy obligations, patenting and others which somehow or the other mesh along well with the legal framework of different multinationals and institutions

Airline Deregulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Airline Deregulation - Essay Example Although the different airlines were competing on different levels the major airlines Delta, American and United airlines adopted the hub- and spoke system that entailed a shift in the route structure, so as to increase their bargaining power as a supplier. The intensity of competitive rivalry Competition between airlines are increased as more and more airlines joined the market ever since.The impact of the five components consists, Entry of new airlines This made the customers enjoy low pricing from the different carriers, making customers have a variety of airlines to choose from increasing the quality of services from the airlines. The major airlines had to do product differentiation so as to keep their clientele base by opting for a method called the hub. The government had to do a distribution in the routing of the airlines so as not to affect the original Airbus so much making adjustments in who the carriers should operate to what destinations. Due to the competition that the d eregulation enforced on the airlines, the major carriers opted for this FFP’s loyalty strategy. This was a way to win the trust and loyalty of their customers and to maintain their clientele base, they were rewarding their customer's free flights, if there could frequently be flying in their bus, this strategy brought about loyalty that was necessary to keep the hub operation going. Such products were able to put the big air companies on the market, increased their customer base and ensured sustainability of their business.

Letter to state representative about Comprehensive Cancer Care Research Paper

Letter to state representative about Comprehensive Cancer Care Improvement Act of 2011 - Research Paper Example The Comprehensive Cancer Care Improvement Act of 2011 now titled as H.R. 3705 offers a comprehensive government intervention that improves on the health care services provided to survivors and their quality of life. The bill â€Å"aims to improve survivorship care throughout the cancer care continuum by supporting coverage of comprehensive cancer care planning, establishing grant programs to increase provider education of palliative care and symptom management, and investing in survivorship-related research.† I appeal to you as a health care provider and as one of the many citizens who know or is related to someone afflicted with the disease. Anyone who has been acquainted with the disease, one way or another, will attest that Cancer must be addressed to alleviate the sufferings of the patients. I believe that Comprehensive Cancer Care Improvement Act of 2011 is one way to carry out this goal. In this regard, I urge you to support the review the bill and to support its enactment by voting for its passage in the

Uk Chocolate Market Analysis Marketing Plan Marketing Essay

Uk Chocolate Market Analysis Marketing Plan Marketing Essay UK chocolate market is considered the 2nd largest market amongst the EU after Germany, with an average consumption between 4kg to 10kg per head. Not only UK is among greatest chocolate consumers in EU but also holds highest share on sales of confectionery market since 2003. Average annual growth rates in last few years in chocolate market show an increasing trend in volume sales reaching  £4.83bn, and expected to reach up to 684,000 tons till end of 2010, growing at rate of 2.4%. The changing consumer purchase patterns towards how products are produced in terms of their impact on environment and health are considered factors on which future market growth of chocolate will be depending on. For this reason the confectionery and chocolate market has started struggling due to the lobby created by healthy eating, health conscious community. The organic chocolate market is thus becoming the recent trend for consumers because of the increasing awareness of the economic and environmental concerns surrounding cocoa production. These changes are well monitored by market players whose response towards these changes is evident from entering of organic companies into chocolate market and big conventional manufacturers investments in the processing of organic chocolates. Yet, although organic chocolate markets expected to grow at exceptional growth rates, the sector is still niche market when compared to the conventional and possess very little share in the total chocolate market. Moreover, with the squeeze on disposable incomes, an increased focus on price, the buy one get one free offers have been replaced with special price, multibuy and round-pound type deals. Continuous innovations in rival sectors such as biscuits and cakes etc are offering tough challenges for chocolate market. The outlook for the market still remains positive, but chocolate brands need strong effort in terms of providing customers with high value and healthy products. The major players of Chocolate in UK market fighting neck to neck in the battle of market share are Cadbury Kraft, combined market share of around 40%, after Cadburys takeover by Kraft. Mars, market share of 15% and turnover of more than 9.6 billion pounds Nestle Kitkat, market share of 20.4% Green Blacks, market share of around 5 % in conventional and more than 90% share in organic chocolate market For the information regarding the current trends in UK chocolate market , it is evident that the focus of communities are now towards healthy eating for which they now are conscious as of what ingredients are their products made up of. Thus if a company desires to enter chocolate market in such demanding trends where customers have full range of variety to choose from the safest path to choose will be organic chocolate market. This would be safer in that sense that as trends of people are shifting from only fun and enjoyment food towards healthy safe food, soon it is expected that the conventional market leaders will also be converting existing brands to organic and natural ingredients used products. Market Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning For this section statistic data about consumer attitude towards chocolate in UK by age, sex, social grade etc is required. This data is available in Keynote market research report to which there is no access from here. However , I have tried my best to broadly describe the target segment but still as per requirement of the instructor, detailed data figures are required. The organic chocolate market is considered amongst those popular opportunities which have been derived by changing consumer trends and liking towards healthier and environmentally safer food items, specifically the focus on use of healthier and environmentally safer ingredients. Consumers driving growth According to a market research demand for organic food items including organic chocolate is spread across the social spectrum, including workers, pensioners, students and people on benefits, and accounts for almost 33% of their total spending. For the purpose of our organic chocolate segment a significant portion of worker and student class will be our main target market segment. Descriptive Data For Organic chocolate market segment, as a new entrant our target market would include working class and students. The total population of UK is divided into following age group segments: For our organic chocolate segment, we would target population ranging from year 10 to 44. This would account for almost 48% of the total population of UK , obviously the whole 48% will not be part of our target market as organic chocolate is a niche of conventional chocolate market, our working and student class will be covered in these age group description. So as an estimate organic chocolate demand can be expected from 40% of the 48% target population. Socio-demographic Description The segment aimed as target segment will be people living in North West of England. This is so as we are initially introducing our product in test market covering NW of England only. Target customers will be in age group of year 10 to approximately 44. Children below 10 are essentially not part of our target segment because it requires awareness to choose healthy food items for which reason children above year 10 are selected. The age limit selected till 44 is for the reason that above this age group most people are suffering from heart and diabetic deceases thus for them at a later stage diet or low sugar items shall be introduced. Target segment will be constituting of students and working class. Psychographic/behavioral Description Our chosen segment is people with health conscious attitudes and preference towards safe and healthy food. This segment has awareness about environmental issues also and thus do not have wild fun loving lifestyle but a graceful lifestyle with healthy and enjoyable eating patterns. Positioning The current segmentation in UK chocolate market described in view of a perceptual map is shown below: Thus we will be positioning our product in high quality depicting its healthy making nut that much high price. It will be positioned similar to milk tray shown above in figure but bit higher in quality. Product Specification and Branding Strategy There are already few very popular organic chocolate brands in UK including Green and Blacks which holds a very significant share in organic chocolate market. Thus the introduction of our organic chocolate brand needs some cutting edge or competitive advantage over others. We will introduce this difference with providing our organic chocolate lovers a variety of combinations and natural healthy flavors in our chocolate products. First of all, our brand choco naturals will be classified in three ranges targeting three set of places with different usage style. Organic chocolate bars After dinner mints items Organic chocolate gift boxes The basic composition and ingredients of all three variety of our brand will be almost same, i.e. Dark Chocolate dark bitter chocolate made from 70% organic cocoa solids, brown cane sugar, vanilla and soya lecithin Semisweet Chocolate- organic sugar, organic chocolate, organic cocoa butter, organic flavors, milk fat and soya lecithin White Chocolate- no cocoa solids, but organic cocoa butter, sugar, vanilla and milk On this basic organic composition of our brand the cutting edge would be its natural and healthy flavoring and combo mixing of white and dark chocolates. The conventional choco bars available in market have introduced all kind of variety including nuts, wafers, biscuits etc, but as our brand is providing its customers with chocolate that is good for health also we will enhance their flavor and appetite by mixing fruit chunks in our brands and good cholesterol nuts i.e. almonds and walnuts. Moreover providing combo mixing of dark and white chocolate will deliver chocolate lovers taste of two in one and with added advantage of health benefits of dark chocolate. Our products will be offered in following sizes and weights Organic chocolate bars Initially as we are introducing our brand in test market we will only supply bars in 2 sizes i.e. 50g bar and 100g bar After dinner mint items These will be offered in round balls 100 g each to popular hotels and restaurants to serve their customers as after dinner items and will be provided with fruit chunks and combo variety explained above Organic chocolate gift items For our test market this will also be provided in two sizes i.e. 1 lb and 1  ½ lb box packing As the specialty of this brand of chocolate lies in it being healthier, close to nature and for those who have high concern for health and environment , we will have high focus of packaging choco naturals_ chocolates in an environmentally friendly rappers which are biodegradable packaging and have zero waste components. Our three line of products will be properly labeled describing components and all details regarding calories, fats etc. As the brand has high insistence on being organic, the design of packaging of chocolates will show the making of chocolate from most natural and organic ingredients through its color and style creating a warm connection with those who love being close to nature, adding value for them. Developing Brand Personality As an introductory brand it is one of the most important responsibilities of us to define our brand and portraying its strengths which meet all standards set by the market. These include the consistency in taste and quality delivered etc. When developing brand identity consistent delivery of the value must match promises made to target customers. The logo, mark, theme line, and look and feel as part of choco naturals identity will create a recognition in the minds of our target customers and will make them remember choco naturals. As choco naturals_ chocolates are made from fully organic ingredients with an added combination of natural fruit chunks that enhance the product benefits, the logo will depict such closeness to nature, health and taste. Similarly the mark and theme line will deliver same identity of the product. Creating brand identity begins with having a clear idea of target customers. When a customer decides which brand they prefer to buy they have many considerations in mind including its price , quality, benefits but the final thing which eventually wins is the brands identity created in the mind of the customer. This if carefully developed, as in our case that choco naturals chocolates reflects the attributes and preferences of its target customers will make choco naturals chocolate win over other conventional brands. choco naturals chocolates will be developed as a sophisticated brand which is aimed as providing taste with health. Pricing Strategy and Price Strategy to opt: Of the many pricing strategies, for choco naturals chocolates, four strategies are of value. These are Competition based pricing Market oriented pricing Premium pricing Psychological pricing We will chose a combination of market oriented and psychological pricing. Premium pricing could also be opted but as our target market also includes students and worker class, it might create a luxury brand image which might effect the closeness we want our brand to develop with target customers. Similarly competition based pricing method would have also been a very safe strategy but for having an added value, we choose market oriented pricing which is based on analysis and research of target customers and on those prices if the effect of psychological pricing is also added it is expected to create more value for our products. Pricing objectives: Purpose of choosing this combination of pricing strategy is to provide such a price to the customers which is not too high to loose connection from target customers and not too low that can portray the brand as a low standard brand. The objective is to set such a price that can portray our target customers the essence of the organic image our brand portrays i.e. natural. In terms of sales, this strategy for pricing is expected to create a healthy market share in organic chocolate market at a good pace and constant increase in level of sales and profit. The positioning of this brand will also support this pricing strategy. Recommended Price: Organic Chocolate Bar 100g  £2.95 50g  £ 1.95 After dinner mints Pack of 4 round balls 100g each for  £6.95 Organic chocolate Gift boxes ( combo mix of dark white and multi flavored fruit chunks) 1 lb  £19.95 1  ½ lb  £ 29.95 Retail Distribution Strategy As we are introducing 3 categories in organic chocolate brand, the distribution will to 3 different type of outlets. These are: Organic Chocolate bars Large super stores and coffee and tea cafes After dinner mints Three to five star Hotels Organic Chocolate gift boxes Large super stores As initially we are introducing our brand in test market, choco naturals chocolate will be available in stores, cafes and hotels in north west of England mainly. The super stores which will sale our products include Sainburys super market Ltd, having 5 outlets in NEW Tesco, having 9 outlets in NWE Woo Sand super market, having 1 outlet in NWE ASDA Stores Ltd, having 6 stores in NWE WM Morrison supermarkets, having 6 stores in NWE The selective Hotels in which we would initially supply our after dinner mints will be some three to five star hotels with good reputations so that association of our brand with such names can deliver positive impression of our brand to the segment of our target market visiting those hotels. These include: Holiday Inn Hard Days Night Hotel Beech Mount Hotel Feathers Hotel Trout Beck Inn Hotel Park House Hotel We will be opting selective distribution strategy to make our products available to our target market. The product will not be massively available as we initially want to access response from test market and moreover the sophistication of our product might get distracted if it gets available in each and every store. Thus at start selective supermarkets, hotels and cafes will offer our products to customers so that the brand may create its image with the help of the image of the places these are available at. Our products will not be available at web based distribution sources as it initially requires to develop a status in local market and then be available at global level. Integrated Marketing Communications Strategy The integrated marketing strategy we have planned for our product is hitting the market segment in North West in selective ways. We are not going for the guerilla marketing tactics because its high quality product and market is not very wide. We have to introduce the product and usually the products in the early stages of their Product life cycle need careful tactics for marketing and advertising because profit margins are lower therefore selective media should be used instead of using the short gun approach. The main objective behind our campaign is to introduce our product and its benefits along with creating brand identity. We will focus our attention in the initial phase of the campaign to create awareness about our product in the native market (North West of England). In this phase we will tell our customers about the value we will deliver. In the second phase of our campaign we will emphasize on promotion and advertisement of our brand. First phase would help us to identify again the interested segment so in the second phase we will scrutinize and promote to our potential valuable customers. For promoting our brand we are not using all the tools of integrated marketing communication strategy which are advertising, sales promotions, direct marketing, website and public relations). We are going to use only advertising, direct marketing and we will create our website as well. For advertising we will select the print and electronic media for print media we will only advertise in best selling food journals and news-letters of Northwest. For electronic media we make a 45sec. advertisement. We will use celebrity endorsement in our advertisement. The celebrity we will use would be environmentalist and heads of NGOs promoting nature friendly products. We will air our ads on food based local channels for the middle aged women and men and music and music based and entertainment channels for youngsters slots would be prime time. We would go for cooperative advertisement. We will not go for sales promotions because its a high quality product and sales promotions would give a negative impact. For direct selling we will hire a team which would convince the customers. Our customers for after dinner mints would be owners of famous cafes and restaurants. In initial days we will use mall intercepts in large super stores and departmental stores offering organic products. Public relations is mostly done for service sector so it wont make any significant impact here but in later stages when there would be larger sales volume then we will introduce PR for our premium customers. In later stages we will also conduct seminars for creating awareness of organic food but in initial phase profit margins are too low. We would create a website for promotion but not for sale because customers are very conscious in trying a new product and for a product like chocolate it wont work at all. In maturation phase when customer response would be good we may go for online dealing. So in our IMC our focus in print media would be on chocolate bars, in electronic media it would be more on gift items. And in direct selling we would promote after dinner mints and gift items but the whole campaign would promote the brand.

Abortion Essay -- essays research papers

China - Two researchers say comprehensive new data shows that traditional family patterns in China, combined with tough population-control measures, have resulted in ``female infanticide on a grand scale'' -- close to 800,000 baby girls abandoned or killed in a single region between 1971-80 alone. G. William Skinner, an anthropologist and China specialist at the University of California-Davis, and Chinese researcher Yuan Jianhua based their conclusions on an analysis of 1990 Chinese census data. They presented their findings at the Association for Asian Studies' annual meeting last weekend in San Diego. While the phenomenon of disappearing girls isn't new, the paper by Yuan and Skinner is the first to show how location and family composition help determine infants' fate: The more rural a baby girl's surroundings, and the more sisters she had at birth, the higher her chances of not surviving. The researchers say most of the girls were abandoned or killed at birth. Chinese officials have long maintained that missing girls are adopted or raised on the sly, but Skinner said the data does not allow for concealment. Skinner and Yuan, who works for a semiofficial agency in Beijing that does population projections for the Chinese government, focused on a 1 percent census sample of China's lower Yangtze region. Located around the central metropolis of Shanghai, the area ranges from crowded coastal cities to surrounding rural communities, and had a population of 140 million in 199...

Jim Casy as a Jesus Christ Figure Essay

In John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck uses several characters and situations to symbol something greater. The character, Jim Casy, is portrayed as an allegorical figure that represents Jesus Christ. Casy’s ideals and beliefs are very similar to those of Jesus Christ. Jim Casy is used to represent Jesus Christ, and to give the people going through a hard time a glimpse of hope and strength. Steinbeck portrays Jim Casy as Jesus Christ. The first notable comparison between them would be their initials. Both Jesus Christ and Jim Casy have the same initials. They also both have a strong love for humanity and saw the good in people. Jim Casy let people around him know that it shouldn’t be God that they should lean on, but on each other. In the novel, he says, â€Å"It’s love. I love people so much I’m fit to bust, sometimes. † (23) This showed that Casy wanted people to lean rely on each other. He believed that people struggling together was by far better than one person struggling alone. Both Jesus Christ and Jim Casy go to the wilderness to get their thoughts and beliefs together. Casy’s main goal was to find the meaning of â€Å"holy†. Casy tells the Joad family, â€Å"An’ I went into the wilderness like Him, without no campin’ stuff. † (81) While in the wilderness, Jim Casy realizes that holy is when mankind is united as one. He believed that every person was just one piece of a universal soul and that people could only be holy if they were united. Both Jesus Christ and Jim Casy also sacrificed themselves to protect others. Tom Joad, who already committed the crime of breaking his parole and leaving Oklahoma, knocked out a deputy. He was then instantly put in the danger of going back to prison. Jim Casy selflessly offers to take the blame and go to jail instead of Tom so that Tom would be able to lead the family. Lastly, both Jesus Christ’s and Jim Casy’s beliefs are spread after their deaths. When Jim Casy is brutally murdered, Tom Joad vows to spread Casy’s beliefs onto more people. Jesus Christ and Jim Casy share many similarities, a few being in their names, their love for humanity, their wilderness experiences, and their sacrifices. Steinbeck portrays Jim Casy as Jesus Christ in order to show that people working together will give them hope and strength. Steinbeck sends the message that people must always look towards a brighter future and stick together. He says, â€Å"But when they’re all workin’ together, not one fella for another fella, but one fella kind of harnessed to the hole shebang-that’s holy. † (81) Although the Okies were being driven off their land, Casy worked hard to get the people to work together. One of the many ways Casy reaches out to people is by taking the blame and going to jail instead of Tom. By doing so, Tom was able to carry on with his journey and guide his family as well. This gave people the incentive to start working together and relying on each other. Casy desperately wanted to give his people some hope and spirit that would allow them to look towards a brighter future. Casy says, â€Å"I gotta see them folks that’s gone out on the road. I got a feelin’ I got to see them. They gonna need help no preacher can give ‘em. † (52) Casy knew that his purpose in life was to help those people in need. Therefore, he took every opportunity he could to help. He organized a group of migrants to picket outside a peach picking camp. By working together, the migrants managed to keep reasonable wages for their work. Even though he knew the risks of going to jail if there was ever a leader, he still did not stop fighting for his people. Jim Casy fought for his people till death. His message, however, remained alive and touched the hearts of many of the Okies. Before Tom leaves his mother, he says, â€Å"But I know now a fella ain’t no good alone. † (418) This showed that Casy was successful in spreading his message. He was able to make Tom realize the importance of a community during desperate times. Though Tom was just one person, he was sure that his people would soon get his message. Steinbeck portrays Jim Casy as Jesus Christ in order to emphasize the importance of unity in a community and also to give people enough hope and strength to allow them to carry on. Jim Casy is a symbol of Jesus Christ. He is used to give his fellow people hope and strength by working together. He has several similarities with Jesus Christ in his life and even in his death. His beliefs and ideas provide hope and strength for those in need. Steinbeck used Jim Casy to give the Okies some spirit to carry on and look forward to a brighter future.

3 Types of Recommendation Letters

3 Types of Recommendation Letters A recommendation letter is a written reference that offers information about your character. Recommendation letters may include details about your personality, work ethic, community involvement, and/or academic achievements. Recommendation letters are used by many people for many different occasions. There are three basic categories or recommendation letters: academic recommendations, employment recommendations, and character recommendations. Here is an overview of each type of recommendation letter along with information on who uses them and why. Academic Recommendation Letters Academic letters of recommendation are typically used by students during the admissions process. During admissions, most schools- undergraduate and graduate alike- expect to see at least one, preferably two or three, recommendation letters for each applicant. Recommendation letters provide admission committees with information that may or may not be found in a college application, including academic and work achievements, character references, and personal details. Students might request recommendations from former teachers, principals, deans, coaches, and other education professionals who are familiar with the students academic experience or extracurricular achievements. Other recommenders may include employers, community leaders, or mentors. Employment Recommendations Letters of recommendation for employment and career references are a major tool of individuals who are trying to get a new job. Recommendations can be put on a website, sent in with a resume, supplied when an application is filled out, used as part of a portfolio, or handed out during employment interviews. Most employers ask job candidates for at least three career references. Therefore, its a good idea for job seekers to have at least three recommendation letters on hand. Generally, employment recommendation letters include information about employment history, job performance, work ethic, and personal accomplishments. The letters are usually written by former (or current employers) or a direct supervisor. Coworkers are also acceptable, but not as desirable as employers or supervisors. Job applicants who do not have enough formal work experience to secure recommendations from an employer or supervisor should seek recommendations from community or volunteer organizations. Academic mentors are also an option. Character References Character recommendations or character references are often used for housing accommodations, legal situations, child adoption, and other similar situations where understanding a persons character is important. Almost everyone needs this type of recommendation letter at some point in their life. These recommendation letters are often written by former employers, landlords, business associates, neighbors, doctors, acquaintances, etc. The most appropriate person varies depending on what the letter of recommendation will be used for. Asking For a Recommendation Letter You should never wait until the last minute to get a recommendation letter. It is important to give your letter writers time to craft a useful letter that will make the right impression. Start seeking academic recommendations at least two months before you need them. Employment recommendations can be collected throughout your work life. Before you leave a job, ask your employer or supervisor for a recommendation. You should try to get a recommendation from every supervisor you have worked for. You should also get recommendation letters from landlords, people you pay money to, and people you do business with so that you have character references on hand should you ever need them.

Supply, Demand and Pricing

Supply, Demand and Pricing Free Online Research Papers Who is familiar with corn market? Who cares about corn production, price, and its implication on producing biofuel? Not all of us but there are some people that are very interested in this market and they have a good reason for that: corn is the star on grains market . There is a growing demand for corn because the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are both strongly committed to expanding the role of biomass as an energy source. In particular, they support biomass fuels and products as a way to reduce the need for oil and gas imports and to foster major new domestic industries - biorefineries - making a variety of fuels. Corn is a grain that is used mostly for food, it can be food for humans and can feed animals but lately it has another use – is used to produce biofuel and the amount of grains used to produce fuel is exploding. Corn importers like Japan, Egypt, and Mexico are worried that a reduction on US corn export will ruin their livestock and poultry industries. At the stock market, corn is trading at 10 years highs and the predictions are that will continue to grow. This prediction is based on the emerging competition between 800 million automobile owners who want to fuel their cars to maintain their mobility and the 2 billion poorest people in the world who wants to just have food on the table for their families. Thinking a little further, we can say that if the corn price keeps increasing food riots and political instability in countries as Indonesia, Nigeria, Mexico could disrupt global economical progress. Escalating competition for the US corn crop drives up the price for it. Besid e external competition it cannot be ignored the local competition of traditional feedlots, dairies, pork, poultry and egg producers who will have less corn available for their farms and at the end they will have to increase their prices on the meat market. As we can see starting from corn, its price and its new use for producing ethanol, which further is the biofuel, used to replace oil we came to understand that a shift in a single product on the market could produce a huge wave on other markets. Corn was a grain that was subsidized and has it price regulate by the state but since it can be used for fuel production the investment in this crop is driven by the price of oil because the conversion of agricultural commodities into fuel become hugely profitable. The huge profits from converting corn into ethanol following the late 2005 oil price hikes led to a switch toward building more distilleries to produce biofuel. A demand for corn will increase the price which will make more people to switch acreage to corn from soybeans, wheat and even cotton to cash in on the higher prices. All farmers will see this as an opportunity and they will not loose it. At this point in time, there is questionable how much corn production will increase because the predictions are that many landowners will produce corn in detriment of wheat, soybeans and rice. The corn-to-ethanol conversion rate is 2.7 gallons per bushel and that means a lot of corn to be produce to cover the biofuel needs of USA in order to keep the crud-oil price at a low rate. The highest factor on ethanol production is the high oil prices, which lead to greater interest in ethanol production and thus, higher corn prices. If the oil price goes down then the demand on producing ethanol will reduce the urgency to produce more ethanol and the corn price will fall, so the demand curve will change its trend. Looking at the map we can see that ethanol sector is adding over 2 billions gallons to its capacity. There is a hope that one-third of the corn byproduct that emerges from the distillery as distillers grain will offset the loss of corn for feeding but how we will offset the loss of corn for food? I wish to have the answer. Who would have thought that corn would become highly traded at the stock market? Hard to say that but it is clear it is in great demand and it will be for years to come. A shift in use – from food to fuel- and corn is the star. The demand for biofuel will increase and with the increase awareness for protection of our environment, the biofuel represent a good alternative. References: Hagen, Barbara – Corn has deep economic roots- USA Today-01/25/2007 – retrieved from EBSCOhost on March10, 2007 Truini, Joe – Food vs. fuel? – Waste News –01/22/2007- Vol 12 Issue 19, p 3-21 – retrieved from EBSCOhost on March11, 2007 ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/Scripts/print.asp?page=/April06/Features/Ethanol.htm Research Papers on Supply, Demand and PricingDefinition of Export QuotasAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaGenetic EngineeringTwilight of the UAWBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductOpen Architechture a white paperPETSTEL analysis of IndiaCapital PunishmentIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in Capital

Why has the UK's productivity lagged behind that of its major Article

Why has the UK's productivity lagged behind that of its major competitors and what can be done to improve the productivity and competitiveness of the UK economy - Article Example A person such as the Exchequer Gordon Brown’s UK Chancellor, in his speeches, productivity is his main theme. However, despite the fact that UK is lagging, it is far much at the forefront in terms of labor and capital markets structural amendments. To come up to the analysis that UK’s productivity is low, examination of the economy’s six sectors took place and the results indicated that it’s true that output was low. Those sectors examined are; car production, retailing software, telecoms, food processing and hotels. McKinsey Global Institute a global most highly regarded management consulting firm is the one that conducted the research regarding the matter. UK should address several issues to increase its output. One of the major concerns is increasing expenditure to boost high levels of research and development and reducing diversion of resources towards the public sector which is less productive. It is vital for the state to increase its level of investment despite the fact that the Crash of Lehman Brothers led damaged the country’s economy in the year 2008 because many other firms held off from investing in the modern, most efficient technology and processes. Businesses should enhance their levels of innovation, come up with good labor relations, improve their technology usage and adopt modern technology to ensure that businesses stay for long in their field. The government should come up with extra reforms in its business regulations in order to boost investment thus increasing productivity of the

Pharmacy Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pharmacy Application - Essay Example It made me wish that I could do something for the people I left behind in Vietnam or at least do something to honor their memory. Some time in 2010, I decided that in order to feel better about my good fortune, of having come to the land of plenty, I needed to give back to the community in memory of those ill people I left in Vietnam. My search for relevant part-time work led me to the Oak Park Regional Medical Center. For more than a year, I did assistant work in the Critical Care Unit Dentistry Department where part of my duties included assisting the dentists with paperwork, sterilizing their tools, filling water pitchers, cleaning out shelves and restocking supplies. While I was working there, I began to observe that the patients who were being treated also had the same complaints as the ones in Vietnam, the medicines were too expensive. But somehow they managed to afford it. I wondered if this case was the same everywhere in America. Then in 2012, I found myself fulfilling my dream of honoring the memory of my countrymen by volunteering at the Shawnee Medical Mission Center. This was the first time that I was exposed to the world of Pharmacy. Here I was tasked to do my part at the In-Patient Pharmacy. My duties here were more important than those that I did at the medical center. I was personally in charge of checking and removing outdated medicines form the supply shelves, as well as labeling medicines. I felt like I was in my element as I did my job there. It felt like the perfect fit for me. So I began to consider a career in Pharmacy. While I was contemplating this idea, I learned that my relative in Vietnam had developed a degenerative nerve disease and she could not afford her medication which only cost $.50 Vietnam cents. She died soon after her diagnosis because they could not afford to medicine. This was the catalyst that I was looking for. My relatives death pushed me to enroll in