Environmental Factors Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Environmental Factors - Research Paper Example Marketing environment factors profoundly influence company's marketing operations. The paper attempts to explore various environmental factors such as free-trade Agreements, global demographic changes, increased competition, technological advances, legislative compliance that influence marketing decisions of General Motors (GM) in its domestic and international operations. Impact of Free-trade Agreements In 1994, the US entered into a Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada called NAFTA. Just in the prior year in 1993, GM exported only 1600 vehicles to Mexico but in 1999, gearing its marketing efforts, the company could export 52,000 vehicles to Mexico despite currency crisis in Mexico (The Trade Partnership, 2004). This demonstrates that GM could take advantage of free trade agreement to boost their sales. Demographics and Physical Infrastructure People’s behavior, characteristic, their growth trends will largely influence the demand of goods and it becomes extremely impo rtant for a company to know about demographic changes taking place locally and globally so that company can divert its marketing efforts to exploit these changes. Different countries have different population growth rates. Higher population growth rate in a country or region is likely to create higher demand for a product. China and India both have huge populations of over 120 billion with huge untapped market of passenger vehicles. Both have been growing at much higher GDP growth rates relative to world average. GM recognized this fact and directed its marketing efforts toward fastest growing automobile markets in the world. GM formed a joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. Group (SAIC), China in 1997. The joint venture markets its most popular brands such as Cadillac, Buick and Chevrolet and in 2010, it sold 1 million vehicles. China sales are rising at a record rate and in 2011 it touched over 1200,000 units. In order to harness full potential, GM has formed 11 jo int ventures in China and currently, GM is a leader among all automakers in China selling almost 2.5 million vehicles there. Saturated markets of Western Europe and many developed countries show either negative or near zero population growth rates and it is obvious that GM is not likely to achieve favorable results by any level of marketing efforts in that region (General Motors China, 2012). Legal/Political Environment Marketers need to understand the legal/political environment of the country before embarking on the business in an alien land. GM expanded into the countries such as China, India, and Russia for manufacturing and marketing their products only after when these countries liberalized in their bid to become market economies. No company would like to work in a hostile environment. Legal setup is equally important so that whenever required the company can approach an independent judicial system for a fair hearing and remedy. The company needs to follow local laws on enviro nment, on emission standards, corporate laws and the laws that are enforced by regulatory bodies in that country. That is why it becomes extremely important for the company to get fully acquainted about all applicable legal requirements of the country where it plans to market its products. This will also ascertain whether it is in the benefit of the company to operate there or not if the stringent laws may impede its growth. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) of 1977 and Social Responsibility The

Zara Case Analysis Essay Example for Free

Zara Case Analysis Essay Focused on manufacturing affordable yet high fashion concept apparels for women, men and child, Zara is one of the most popular fashion brands in the world now. It is also one of my most frequently visited boutiques. The success of Zara is not a miracle; it is the result of successful operation management. First of all, Zara has a special planning and design cycle. Zara hires 200 designers and make 11,000 styles of apparels every year, which is about 5 times as many as comparable retailers produce each year. Zara’s production is based on small batches, and this reduces the throughput time. Zara’s timeline began one year in advance of the start of the corresponding year, which means designers start working on the initial ideas for 2013 Spring/Summer collection since 2012. After finishing the initial design collection, the company produced only 50-60% of in-season apparels in advance, with the rest being manufactured on a continuous basis after they are available to the public. Competitors like HM and Gap, on the other hand, has 80% of its apparels produced in advance, which lead to great amount of inventory in warehouse and high probability of leftovers. This will hurt the companies’ bottom line as the leftovers are usually heavily marked down at the end of the season. Because of its continuous manufacturing method, Zara does not have high amount of inventory and has significantly less leftovers that need to be discounted and would result in loss. Zara can focus on manufacturing only popular collections and thus maximize its profit. However, this does not mean that Zara will satisfy all consumer needs on popular apparels and Zara actually does this on purpose. I think many of us have the experience of being disappointed because we cannot get some amazingly designed Zara apparels as it is sold out and it is never available again. Zara actually does this to make its customers think that they should get it now before it’s gone forever. The believe of no second chance makes customers buy what they like immediately without second thought. Also, as Zara launch new collection of clothes every two weeks, customers tend to go back to the shop frequently to check out for new collections. This will increase their revenue as well as the more customers come, the more they spent. Last but not least, its distribution is effective. All finished apparels are gathered in a distribution center in Arteixo, this distribution center is carefully selected, as it is nearest to ll manufacturing plants. Besides shipping cost, Zara also saves inventory cost by doing frequent shipment (two times a week). In order to make the sorting process more efficient, Zara made uniform price tag that includes prices in all currency for apparels shipped to different destination, so that shipping staffs will not need to sort the products when they ship. In conclusion, Zara’s success is one of the best examples of successful supply chain management and it is worth study by everyone who is interested in business.

An Envision brought Alive :: essays papers

An Envision brought Alive The video of the glass menagerie met to my exact expectation of the play. While reading the play I could only grasp in my mind the picture of each of the characters, the setting they were in, and the relationships they were engaged in. Therefore I could only envision what I thought their faces would look like or the expressions they were making. But after watching the video I was able to put the puzzle pieces together and finally see what I was missing through the portrayal of characters, the setting, and the relationship between the characters. The portrayal of the characters was done almost exactly to the play. I felt that each of the actors did an exceptional job at this. Amanda’s character came alive in the movie and emphasized her typical role of a nagging and annoying person. Her overall attitude, motions, and facial expressions helped bring alive her character. She expressed tones in her voice, that you wouldn’t be able to hear in reading the play, which helped illuminate her characters determination with dominating over her children and also with winning over Jim. The portrayal of Tom was also done very well, a young man tired of living at home with a mother who will not leave him alone and a sister who he feels bad to leave behind. The actor used good expressions such as the roiling of his eyes to his mother and his angry faces when she pushed him to the edge. In the play I didn’t grasp how frustrated he actually was, but the movie helped me understand with his character. I felt Laura was the b est portrayed character. Her weak and humble attitude, her shy and nervous ways, her small frame, her little girl look were all shown in the video. Her emphasis on her disability was also portrayed well in the movie. In the scene with her and Jim in the living room when he tells her he didn’t even notice she had a problem with her leg, she becomes greatly embarrassed and shy and wants to not talk about that subject. Jim’s character was also portrayed well in the play I found him to not really like Laura or feel bad for her when he tells her he is engaged, but in the movie I found him to be more caring and sympathetic towards Laura and her feelings.

Violence in The House on Mango Street

In the novel The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros reveals how violence affects women on Mango Street. The women in Mango Street have abusive husbands and fathers. They don’t do anything about it because they seem to be used to being abused. Esperanza tries to deal with the violence in her neighborhood by trying to protect her friend Sally from some boys but it turns out being a failure for her. Esperanza finds it important to try and protect her friend Sally from kissing some boys. She goes to tell the boy’s mother what happen and the mother said was â€Å"That’s all? What do you want me to do she said, call the cops? † (97) The mother of the boy clearly didn’t care about what was happening, she probably thought they were just playing a game. Esperanza seemed disappointed and angry because all she wanted was for her friend to be back with her. Not the boys who made her kiss them or who knows what else they might have made her do to get her keys back. Sally didn’t really seem to be bothered from what Esperanza told. She just wanted to protect her friend, but she clearly couldn’t do anything about it. The chapter â€Å"Red Clowns† depicts how Esperanza had to deal with sexual violence by some boys who touched her at the carnival. Esperanza didn’t realize what had happened to her because she didn’t know anything about sex. She expected sex to be like in the movies she watched, so she believed everyone had lied to her about it. Girls like Esperanza see things about sex in media and believe it has to be like in the movies, shows, and in novellas. In fact, teens report that their main source of information about sex, dating and sexual health comes from what they see and hear in the media. † (Sexual Behavior. What Teens Learn From Media). It basically says that media is a high influence on the way kids see sex. This is clearly what happened to Esperanza since she said it wasn’t what she saw in the movies. It was a big let down for her even though she didnâ€⠄¢t want to be touched by the boys. â€Å"Linoleum Roses† is another chapter that depicts how Esperanza’s friend married an older man who brings violence to her life. Sally married an older man to get away from the violence she got at home from her father, who would beat her so she wouldn’t bring shame to his family. Sally ended up getting married with an older man who now beats her. Sally’s husband doesn’t allow her to go out or to communicate with her friends because he believes she belongs to him and finds the need to control her to keep her with him. â€Å"He also won’t appreciate the younger women being close to family and friends. † (Advice Women Need When Dating Older Men). This is what is happening to Sally she just doesn’t really mind because to her he is only violent once in awhile not all the time. She needs help and Esperanza notices that but she can’t really do anything about it but continue being her friend. Violence is a big part in the life of Esperanza’s best friend who she thought she had to protect because she truly cared for her. Esperanza just wanted her friend Sally back for them to be young and reckless. In the end Esperanza got past the violence in her neighborhood and what had happened to her because she wanted to live in her dream home alone.

Sarah Dessen Research Peper

Love is a powerful thing, but can be quickly damaged when those who love, abandon their loved ones. Author Sarah Dessen portrays many themes and subjects in her works, most of which include love, friendship, romance, and abandonment. One of Dessen's works is Lock and Key, where Dessen's story telling method fits the feel of the story, allowing it to move forward as Ruby lives day by day but still clings to her past. It's a thought provoking and intelligent story about all kinds of relationships and love.Another novel by Dessen is Along for the Ride which is also about new elationships, romance, and getting through the past. It feels as if Auden is sharing confidence as she discovers that people are not easy to figure out and can change. She is quite the original character. Author Sarah Dessen deals with the theme of abandonment and romance in the novels Lock and Key, and Along for the Ride There are many traits and characteristics that come along with all characters. The main charact er from Along for the Ride is Auden. She is an independent young woman who never got to experience a normal childhood.Since Auden was never given ttention she always did what her parents wanted trying to get some recognition, so she immersed herself into her school work in order to succeed like her parents. Auden is a very smart individual; she went to private schools her whole life, and got accepted to her first choice of college. The main character from Lock and Key is Ruby who is very independent and does not take help from others. Everyone has abandoned her so why wouldn't people she met in a new place do the same? So she grew up thinking that no one could be trusted.She is closed off and does not open up to people; she is alone most of the time and prefers it that way. Both Auden and Ruby grew up independently, they were abandoned by their parents in form of parenting and had to grow up as an individual, which led them to stay closed off from others. The selections didn't only have main characters with common traits but also shared some similar themes. When reading a story of any kind there always themes expressed throughout. Some themes are obvious while others are vague. And some stories have multiple themes while others have one.Some of the themes expressed in both novels are: it's important to be able to open up to others and express ndividuality; certain people can be trusted over time; Friendships are important and can be found in unexpected places; Finding friends can also help a person find themselves. Also for both novels, it's never too late to do anything. A person should never feel like they can't do something because the time for it passed; don't Judge anything or anyone; when a person meets someone new they shouldn't instantly judge and categorize the individual; No one ever knows who a person is Just from their looks.Express individuality be able to open up; No one should close themselves off to anyone. Both novels shared many similar theme s, and have expressed the struggles that the characters had to deal with. We all face many struggles throughout life, some harder than others. Throughout the novels Lock and Key and Along for the Ride both the main characters, Ruby and Auden, face many struggles, involving many things from love and romance to family and abandonment. Ruby feels alone and lost after being abandoned by her mother and so many other people in her life.Ruby never received any attention trom ner mother growing up; the li ttle attention sne d receive was violent and not welcomed. Ruby was never really told the truth; her mother made her think her father wanted to leave her and her sister wanted nothing to do with her, which caused Ruby to struggle and suffer greatly. Auden never had the childhood most children had experienced. Missing out on many things, she wasn't like most kids her age. Auden always met their high expectations for school and what they approved.She was never given much of any attention fro m her parents so she was immersed in school while other kids would be immersed in friends and sports. Since she always met her parent's expectations she was never given any of the attention she deserved. Both characters faced struggles of being abandoned they were completely ignored and kept to themselves. All people are used to routine one way or another, whether they are used to the same set schedule every day or they are used to the routine of change. Auden always enjoyed being alone, up all night going to same cafe every night.She was used to the same old schedule, living with her successful mother, keeping to herself mostly, and going to school. Ruby was used to the always changing, unexpected life style. Alone with Just her mother, Ruby was always moving around until her mom left too. She as used to living on her own as a teen when abandoned by her mother for good. She was used to her mother's unexplained absences, and her mother abandoning her once and for all was Just a part of the routine she was used to, chaos. But routines break and so does the chaos, opening up new beginnings.We may have the routines that we stick to but everything changes; the only thing constant is change, which opens up new beginnings. Auden changes her regular routine when she goes out of her comfort zone and decides to spend the summer at her dad's. Auden tries things she normally wouldn't, feeling she missed out on a lot. She makes new friends and gets more involved with the people around her and mostly her family. Auden learns it's never too late to do what she missed out on. With Auden's new start, her and her new friend Eli make a quest to do what Auden's missed out on, and along the way learn the true meaning of friendship.Opening up for Ruby is difficult; she likes to hold things in; she does not ever express her feelings because with her upbringing she felt no one could be trusted; in her new home, however, she is learning that it's okay to open up and take help when sh e needs it. Ruby, once being closed off, learns o change for the better; she starts to open up and reach out to others which she wouldn't normally have done. It was difficult for Ruby to get used to such a new lifestyle, now in a big, expensive house living with her sister who she thought had abandoned her, with new people, new friends, new things learned and to be learned.Both of the girls, Auden and Ruby, change and start off on new beginnings in new environments; they both start to reconnect with who they had been abandoned by. They are also starting to open up to new friends, some whom seem to be a little more than Just friends. Love is powerful and healing; it is all around us, and it is what helps us to keep on pushing through the hardships in life. Friendships, friends, or any relationships were the last thing Ruby was looking for, but over time relationships and friendships began to develop in the least likely of places.