Confucious and the golden rule Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Confucious and the golden rule - Assignment Example sus’ positive assertion, considering other people and making efforts to help them would be living according to this code every day (Henderson, 2014). There are no exemptions from Jesus’s golden rule because he is the one who stated it. Jesus expects his followers to do positive things to others proactively that they themselves would like others to do to them (Henderson, 2014). However, Confucius’ golden rule can have exemptions considering it was a teaching for his students and stated by a mortal in contrast to Jesus, a deity. Jesus’ golden rule infers that God’s grace deliberates salvation to those who are good to others, but only when they have faith in him. This deliberation is a response to Christians’ repentance toward God (Reilly, 2010). The proof of this faith is visible in Christians’ God-given ability to adhere to the golden rule, which is the rule I live by. To show my faith in God, I live knowing that doing good to others is what God initially intended of

Counterterrorism Mid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Counterterrorism Mid - Essay Example Understanding who may potentially attack a specific target also will disclose what tactics might be expected. Additional counter measures can be implemented to deal with group specific threats. In the United States, terrorist threats may be international or domestic. International threats come from groups who perceive the US as too intrusive in their homeland or their economic system. For example, Al-Qaeda has threatened the US because they see the US military bases in the Middle East and the Western capitalist ideas as a direct threat to Islam (Pape, 2003, p.7). Domestic terrorism is carried out by people who have an extremist view on a singular social issue. This is usually the environment, animal rights, or anti-abortion. However, on occasion racist and hate groups may act to diminish another citizen's human rights through the use of terrorism. Traditionally, acts of domestic terrorism were viewed as criminal acts and carried the same judicial implications as any other criminal act. For example, the destruction of a church may have once been viewed as arson and the process and sentence would be implemented accordingly. However, more recent laws and acts have made the motivation for the crime a differentiating factor between crime and terrorism. A person that bombs a corporation could be considered a terrorist if they did so as an act of social protest or part of an activist group. This gives law enforcement greater powers to gather evidence and investigate. In addition, the label of terrorism carries with it more severe sentencing. Fighting terrorism is a combination of law enforcement and counter-terrorism. Typical law enforcement techniques are used to analyze a crime scene, but the investigation and disruption of terrorist activity is unique to terrorism. If the crime is linked to international terrorism, the perpetrator may forfeit certain constitutional rights and the right to due process. Under the Bush administration policies, a person committing a crime that is linked to Al-Qaeda can be labeled an enemy combatant, rather than simply a criminal. This gives the government the power to hold them indefinitely without a trial and suspend the right to habeas corpus. The government can additionally justify 'sneak and peek' searches of their residence and the homes of their associates that may become suspect. Their communications can be monitored and their personal records seized. 3.) The Nature of Surveillance The war on terror and modern technology has combined to totally revolutionize the nature of surveillance. Surveillance used to involve watching a person, tailing them, and monitoring their activities. Police could also wiretap their telephone with sufficient probable cause to be able to get a warrant. However, technology has made everyone's communications more accessible than ever before. The use of cell phones and electronic financial records has made it easier to monitor or locate a subject. In addition, the war on terror has made courts more sympathetic to law enforcement and have eased some of the tight restriction on getting a warrant. These changes, when taken together, have a great potential to impede the civil

Consumer Buying Behavior Towards Chocolates Consumption Marketing Essay

Consumer Buying Behavior Towards Chocolates Consumption Marketing Essay Through this descriptive study we have tried to analyze the various attribute that different buyer seeks while making purchase of chocolates of different size and quantity for different purposes altogether with significant differences in favorite brand; flavor; price and place of buying etc. Also, we have tried to examine the various degree of relationship that exist between the different attributes of the product that consumer favors and the brand loyalty that consumer have toward his liked brand. Also main emphasis is laid to find out what results in brand loyalty and is this relationship is significant with changing marketplace. Keywords: Chocolate, Consumer behavior, Consumption INTRODUCTION: If people thought that chocolates were just restricted to kids think again. According to a recent study conducted by a major chocolate brand in India the major consumers of chocolates apart from kids are teenagers and people between the ages of 15 35. Chocolates which were considered expensive once have now become affordable by one and all. Most of the chocolate brands in India produce chocolates in different sizes that are priced according to their sizes. Chocolates like Diary Milk and Five Star can be got for just  `  10. Chocolates in India are slowly and steadily substituting the mithai or traditional Indian sweets. Due to the increasing levels of social consciousness people prefer gifting well wrapped chocolate packets rather than sweets on occasions and festivals. Taking advantage of this situation the top chocolate brands in India are now concentrating on the packaging and are introducing well packaged chocolates for specific occasions.   OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to make generalization of consumers buying behavior towards the purchase of chocolates and than to measure the extent of brand loyalty, altogether with knowing what other marketing mix variable affect buyers decision regarding the purchase of chocolates. This study is a step toward generalizing the consumer purchase pertaining to following major set objectives: To know the customer behavior and to identify the level of customer satisfaction towards different brands of chocolates. To know the significant promotion mix that plays role in particular market. To test the brand loyalty among different gender of different age. CONSUMPTION OF CHOCOLATES IN INDIA Chocolate consumption is gaining popularity in India due to increasing prosperity coupled with a shift in food habits, pushing up the countrys cocoa imports. Chocolate market in India is pegged at Rs 2,000 crore and is growing at the rate of 18 20 per cent per annum. The global chocolate market is estimated around $80 billion. The Indian chocolate market is seen growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 15-20%. The Indian chocolate market is thought to be worth some R1,500 crore and has been hailed as offering great potential for Western chocolate manufacturers as the market is still in its early stages. Over 70% of chocolate consumption takes place in the urban areas. Chocolate consumption in the rural areas is negligible in India. Chocolate market is a highly concentrated market, with Cadbury having 70 per cent and Nestle around 20 per cent. The two giants have been instrumental in building up the chocolate market in India with huge investments in product development, advertis ing and brand building. Modern trade constitutes about 10% of the overall chocolate category, or roughly Rs 320 crore, according to Nielsen. Of this, brand Cadbury Dairy Milk has a share of 35%, while Bournville and Silk together account for 18%. Facts Figures: Indian Chocolate Industry as today is dominated by two companies, both multinationals. The market leader is Cadbury with a lions share of 70%. The companys brands like Five Star, Gems, Éclairs, Perk, Dairy Milk are leaders in their segments. Until early 90s, Cadbury had a market share of over 80 %, but its party was spoiled when Nestle appeared on the scene. The other one has introduced its international brands in the country (Kit Kat, Lions), and now commands approximately 15% market share.  Bars or molded chocolates like Dairy Milk, Amul, Nestle Premium, and Truffle account for 35 40 per cent of the total market (in terms of volume). The Count chocolates such as Five Star, Kitkat, Perk etc. is the next largest segment, accounting for 30 per cent of the total market. Panned chocolates enjoy 10 per cent of the total market share. In India, chocolates are consumed as excitement / enjoyment and not as snack. Therefore, more than 75 per cent of chocolate purchases are impulse. Ch ocolate consumption in India has nearly trebled since 2005, which is the reason why leading chocolate companies are investing in bringing premium brands such as Toblerone. Seasonal and boxed assorted chocolates have been experiencing the fastest growth, and sales are expected to expand 13% between 2010 and 2015. Cadbury India, which has been on an overdrive to promote its premium brands such as Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk and Bournville, is now rolling out Toblerone from parent Kraft Foods stable. The per capita consumption of chocolates in India, according to Chandramouli Venkatesan, director (snacking strategy), Cadbury India, has increased from 40gm per person per year in 2005 to 110-120gm. However, the launch of Toblerone is in line with Cadbury Indias business objective of growing the premium-gifting chocolate market. Gifting is a Rs 15,000-crore category in India, of which branded chocolate gifting is about 6%. Cadbury Indias share in branded chocolate gifting is 80%. Despite the fact that Indians have strong affinity for sweets, the size of domestic confectionery market is small on account of traditional consumer tastes and habits. The Chocolate market in India is a niche market penetrated largely in urban areas and per capita consumption is low as compared to those in developed countries of the West. Cadbury Indias main source of revenue is its 70% bite of the 23,000 tonnes Indian chocolate market. Advertisement Trends (AdEx division of TAM Media Research) Regional GEC took the second place with a 21 per cent share ad volumes of chocolates, followed by Hindi movie with 13 per cent share during January-November 2007. Cadbury India Ltd was way ahead of its peers with 66 per cent share followed by Nestle India Ltd and Parle Products Private Ltd during January-November 2007. As expected chocolate advertising skewed towards kids channels and regional GEC took the second position. Cadbury India Ltd rules chocolate advertising on television. Chocolate advertising rose by 30 per cent during January-November 2007 compared to January-November 2006. Maximum chocolate advertising was during Raksha Bandhan across 2005 and 2006 and January-November 2007. 17 per cent more advertising during third quarter 2007 (Raksha Bandhan festival) compared to first quarter 2007. LITERATURE REVIEW After having detailed study of Principles of marketing management book by Kotler and Keller, we came to know about consumer purchasing behavior and other various attributes of marketing mix like place and product strategy in alignment with promotion and pricing strategies and concept of brand loyalty with all the major attributes of a good brand. Beside this detailed study of various research papers and articles has also been made to know the practical applicability of the concept. Consumer leant about chocolate from many sources, mainly from friends and families, through advertisement and from their own experience. Whether a promotion and advertising hurt or help a brand is under-researched (Mela, Gupta Lehman, 1997). In the long-run, advertisement help brands by making consumer less price sensitive and more loyal. The purchase decision pertaining to particular brand and loyalty is a result of various attributes of the product. Advertisers must remember that advertising messages are interpreted differently between different genders (Maldonando, Tansuhaj Muehling, 2003; Hogg Garrow, 2003; Putrevu, 2001). Previous studies have proven that females were more likely to engage in elaboration than men (Maldonado Muehling, 2003). Hogg and Garrow (2003) found that women paid more intention about the details of the characters of an ad when asked to analyze advertising messages. They said that this may be explained by the fact that females have a greater tendency than men to consider external information and information related to others. Women are comprehensive processors who try to gather all available information about the product Advertisement can change consumers perception of a product in terms of attributes content and proportion and also influence consumers taste for attributes (Gwin Gwin, 2003). Brand preference and product attribute: Attributes are the characteristic or features that an object may or may not have and includes both intrinsic and extrinsic (Mowen Minor, 1998). Understanding why a consumer choose a product based upon its attributes helps marketers to understand why some consumers have preferences for certain brands (Gwin Gwin, 2003). Both tangible and intangible attributes of a product are equally important in choosing a product or brand (Myers, 2003). There is no evidence that certain attributes are more related to customer loyalty than others (Romariuk Sharp, 2003). Romariuk and Sharp (2003) suggested that marketers should focus more on how many attributes the brand should be associated with and not what attributes. For low-involvement products, consumers have more objective view of the nature of the attributes (e.g. food, cosmetics) because they are constantly being advertised and promoted. Price is another form of attribute used by consumers to evaluate a product. Price can sometimes be an indicator of quality; with a higher price indicating higher quality (Mowen Minor, 1998; Siu Wong, 2002). Consumers perceive that a higher price can be attributed to the higher cost of quality control (Siu Wong, 2002). Some consumers are highly price sensitive (elastic demand), whereby a high prices may shift consumers to competitive brands (Mowen Minor, 1998). Therefore price can have a positive or negative influence on customers. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY In this study the problem pertains to both State of nature and relationship among the variable i.e.; what is general behavior of consumer and than inferenceing the relationship that exist among the different variables to test the extent of brand loyalty and influence of one variable over the other from the data. As the study is related to the study of consumer behavior toward chocolates thats why the appropriate research design used is Fundamental descriptive with the use of both qualitative and quantitative design with static research approach. Formalized research design is also taken into consideration in order to test the Hypothesis framed. In this cross sectional co-relational field study data related to various independent variables dependent variables was collected from the stratified sample of 100 individuals, including males and females of different age groups constituting the sample. All the respondents were approached on the basis of simple random sampling in convenient ma rket place to ensure the accuracy precision of results. Personally administrated questionnaires were used for conducting the survey. INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS: In our study 48% (41) of respondent are males while 52% (45) of respondent were females. In this 57% (49) respondent are student, 16% (14) were professional, 13% (11) were businessman while 14% (12) respondent were females. 33% respondent includes people of age group 10-18, while other includes those of age 19-59. Q.1 who do purchase how frequently and how much they purchase Out of 86 respondents 13 (15%) respondents buy chocolates daily while 35 (41%) of them buy it weekly compared to 16 (19%) who buy them monthly against 22 (25%) respondents who buys it occasionally. In this 12% of males buy daily while 14% of female buy it daily. While 42% of males buy chocolates in a week against 33% of females, whereas 31% of females like to buy chocolate in a month compared to 22% of males. The result of collected sample reveals that 62% (53) respondent buys less than 5 chocolates a week, while 28% (24) people buys 5-10 chocolates a week. Only 3% of respondent said that they buy more than 15 chocolates an week against 7% who buys 10-15 chocolates a week. The analysis of sample data results that females buy more chocolates than males in a week as 38% of them buy 6-10 chocolates while only 17% of males do so. 73% of males generally buy chocolate in between 1-5 packs a week compared to 51% of female respondent. It is analyzed that 21% (18) of respondent purchases chocolate costing between 5-10 Rs while 47% (40) buys chocolate that cost 10-20 Rs. Chocolates costing 20-50 Rs is preferred only by 24% (21) of respondent and only 7 (8%) out of 86 respondent buys chocolates costing more than Rs 50. Price of chocolate significantly affect different gender differently as 22% female purchase chocolates costing 5-10 Rs against 19% males, while 49% of females prefers to buy those costing in between 10-20 Rs as against 44% of males. 32% Males buy chocolates those costing in between 20-50 Rs compared to 18% of female buying the same. Q.2 For whom it is purchased In collected sample 41% (35) respondent buys chocolates for self consumption against 29% (25) who never buys for them-self. Among them 44% (38) respondent purchases for children against 15% (13) who never buys for childrens. 28% (24) of respondent buys chocolates only for the gifting. The percentage of those who buys always and never for special occasion is approximately 27% and 24% respectively. Analysis shows that 42% of females always buy choclates for self consumption where only 39% of males do same for self consumption. When it comes for buying choclates for children than insignificant of gender both have same buying behaviour. Males seems to gift chocolate more than female as 20% of them buy it for gifting compared to 12% of females. Q.3 what motivate to buy chocolate In a study of 86 respondent it was found that 17% (15)of the respondent were very tempted by the display ads while 34% (29) respondent are moderately affected by the display ads while it has no affect on purchase decision of 13% (11) of respondent. In the undertaken study visual ads highly affect 41% (35) respondent while only 9% (8) of respondent are not affected by it. 24% (21) of respondent perceives affect of family and friends on their purchase decision while it has no affect on 5% (4) of respondent. This shows that family and friends has very high affect on purchase decision of chocolates buyers. Very insignificant numbers of respondent only 2% are affected by sales-man persuasion while it has no affect on 49% (42) of respondent. Also celebrity endorsement has only a moderate influence on purchase decision of respondents. Only 9% respondent are affected by celebrity endorsement compared to no affect on 16% respondents. 42% females are affected by visual advertisment against 39% of males while the display ads affect male more compared to females with 24% and 11% of significant impact on purchase decision respectively. Also family and friend affect females(27%) more against males (22%). Q.4 Important Attribute of the chocolate It can be inferred from study that taste is very important for buying chocolate 95%males 93% females buy chocolates because of taste. 54% males 49% females are showing neutral response to availability, while 27% males 36% females say that availability is most important for buying chocolate. 19% males 15% females have least impact of availability. Price is most important consideration for 29% males 33% females. It affects 42% males 29% females moderately. For 29% males 38% female price is least important. Packaging seems to impact purchase decision of 49% males 58% females moderately during purchase of chocolates. For 22% males 27% females packaging is most important consideration for buying chocolate. 29% males 15 % females have least impact of packaging. Q.5 Advertisement seems to have moderate impact on purchase decision irrespective of gender; however 29% males 22% females are mostly affected by advertisement. 17% males 24% females are not affected by advertisement. Q.6 Forms of chocolate impact 54% males 44% females moderately while 24% males 27% females are mostly affected by form of chocolate. 22% males 29% females are least impacted by form. 80% chocolate buyer seems to buy particular brand against 7% who do not care for the brand name Q.7 how advertisements persuade consumers to purchase Sample in hands results that 20% of people like to buy due to emotion in their advertisement while 43% of respondent love fun in advertisement while only 27% of people like knowledge in the promotion mix against 10% of people who likes music/jingle. So it can be concluded that people watch and are persuaded due to fun content in the advertising of the chocolate more than any other factor. While analysing data on the basis of gender it can inferred that males (81%) like fun and emotional content in advertisement than females(47%), while female (33%) prefer knowledge content more than males (19%). While 20% of female loves music and jingles in comparison no male like it. Q.8 which brand mostly prefered by consumers In the undertaken study it was found that Cadbury is the most favoured brand with 70% of share as against 21% of Nestle, 4% 5% respectively for Amul and miscellaneous ones. It can be inferred from the collected data that females (71%) like Cadbury more than males (68%), while males prefer nestle (24%) more than that of females (18%). While demand for Amul chocolates is found to be very insignificant and equal in both the gender. Q.9 effect of increament in rates The sample analysis say that 82% respondent are highly brand loyal as 18% of them will buy the costly pack of same and 64% of them will not show any change in demand pattern. Only 5% of respondent are in favour of shifting brand against 13% who will reduce the purchase quantity if the rate increases by 2-5 Rs. The deep gender-wise analyses of result show that both genders are equally brand loyal towards price sensitivity. Results show that around 64% (in both gender) will have no change in their purchase decision while 19% of them show positive relation toward buying as they will buy more thinking quality has improved. Also its seems that Law of demand (increase case) operate on males more than females as 15% 11% of them will reduce buying chocolate with increase in prices. Q.10 from where consumers mostly buy The sample study results show that 35% (30) respondent buys from local shop against 49% (42), 7% (6) and 9% (8) respondent who buys from store, cafeteria and malls respectively. In this study, males (42%) prefer to buy more from local shop than compared to females (29%) while female (55%) prefer to buy more from stores against males (41%). While the ratio of buying from malls and cafeteria reveals there is no significant impact of it on gender as both have almost equal choices in this regard. Q.11 what consumers do if preferred bran not available The analysis of sample data says that 9% of total respondent will buy costly pack of same brand while 56% of them will move to next shop. This shows that 65% of respondent are highly brand loyal against those 30% who will buy another brand or other (6%) will postpone their purchase decision. The analysis of sample data gives result that females are highly brand loyal than males as 71% of them will buy the costly pack of same brand or move to another shop compared to 59% of males if that particular is not available. While36 % males 24% female say that they will shift to another brand while 6% of both genders will postpone their purchase decision. Q.12 how much customer are loyal to specific brand To check brand loyalty and competitive affect we has analyzed that 15% of respondent will not buy any other brand while 53% of them may consider the same against 35% who are not sure of taking decision. Our study 41 male 45 female respondents were there if another brand of the same product appears in the market then 7% males 22% females will not buy the new brand. 64% males 44% females may be considering the new brand. 5% males 18% females shall not consider new brand. 24% males 16% females cant say they will buy new brand or not. CONCLUSION: In study of 86 respondents it was found that 95% (82) respondents like Cadbury Brand, 68% (59) respondents like Nestle Brand, 24% (21) of respondents like Amul Brand 1% respondents like Other Brand. So it can be concluded that Cadbury is most famous brand among others. 50% Cadbury buyers like to buy Dairy milk out of 82 respondents 15% Cadbury buyers like to buy 5 Star out of 82 respondents. 10% Cadbury buyers like to buy Perk out of 82 respondents. So, the findings from study that most preferred chocolate are Dairy Milk out of Cadbury buyers. 36% of Nestle buyers like to buy Kit -Kat out of 59 respondents. 24% of Nestle buyers like to buy Éclairs out of 59 respondents. 20% of Nestle buyers like to buy Munch out of 59 respondents. 52% of Amul buyers like to buy Chocà ³ Mines out of 27 respondents. 48% of Amul buyers like to buy Chocà ³ Zoo out of 27 respondents. To be concluded that Kit -Kat and Chocà ³ Mines is most preferred chocolate in Nestle and Amul respectively. Also, it was found that 59% (51) of respondents like chocolate flavor, 23% (20) likes coffee flavor 20% (17) respondents like nuts flavor. So it can be concluded that chocolate is the most profitable flavor coffee second most profitable. APPENDIX 1. Ho = their exist no relationship between the gender who buy chocolate for self consumption, children, gift. Ha= Gender have significant impact on the purpose of buying chocolates. Gender Child Chi-Square(a,b) .186 13.000 Df 1 2 Asymp. Sig. .666 .002 Gender Gift Chi-Square(a,b) .186 34.907 Df 1 2 Asymp. Sig. .666 .000 Gender Self Chi-Square(a,b) .186 2.116 df 1 2 Asymp. Sig. .666 .347 After applying Chi square test on the data it is found calculated value of test is less than the tabulated one. It means that Ho is accepted thats prove that their is very insignificant difference in perception of both the gender and thus both gender buy chocolates for self consumption, gifting and children in a equitable amount. APPENDIX 2. Ho = their is no relationship in gender and frequency of buying chocolates Ha= Gender affect frequency of buying chocolates. Gender How Often Chi-Square(a,b) .186 13.256 Df 1 3 Asymp. Sig. .666 .004 our Ho is selected and Ha is discarded. Thus use of chi square test proves here that both the gender have similar frequency in buying chocolates. APPENDIX 3. Ho= Cost do not affect the purchase decision of diferent age group Ha = different age group have different perception towards cost Age Cost Chi-Square(a,b) 45.209 26.279 Df 30 3 Asymp. Sig. .037 .000 Here in this study it is found that the age and cost have significant relationship among them. It means different age group have different reaction towards different price levels. Thus our Ha is accepted and Ho is rejected. APPENDIX 4. Ho=Visual ads do not have different on different gender Ha=Visual ads affect different gender Gender Visual Ad Chi-Square(a,b) .186 32.256 Df 1 4 Asymp. Sig. .666 .000 Here Chi Square test show that tabulated value of Chi square is greater than calculated thats why our Ho is accepted, which means that there is no relationship betwen gender and visual ads. APPENDIX 5. Ho= The cost of chocolate do not affect the brand purchase Ha=The price of chocolate affect the brand purchased Cost Brand Chi-Square(a,b) 26.279 85.558 Df 3 2 Asymp. Sig. .000 .000 Here Chi Square test show that tabulated value of Chi square is greater than calculated thats why our Ho is accepted, which means that there is no relationship between cost and brand purchased.

Essay on The White Mountains and My Brother Sam Is Dead :: My Brother Sam Is Dead Essays

The White Mountains and My Brother Sam Is Dead During childhood and adolescence, we are all faced with decisions that will affect our futures. Even a simple choice such as choosing books to read or clothes to wear can make an impact on our lives. The decisions made by Will Parker in The White Mountains and Sam Meeker in My Brother Sam Is Dead, however, are of a much greater magnitude. Their difficult decisions change the lives of many other characters. By choosing to go against their families' beliefs, Will and Sam both become orphans. The two young men are cast out into a dangerous world and have to learn about independence and its hardships. From the very beginning of The White Mountains, Will Parker clearly observes that Capping is a questionable and unethical process: "Why should the Tripods take people away and Cap them? What right have they?" (19) He believes that each person should be allowed to control him or herself and that no machine should be in supreme command. Will's decision to leave home shows this, and his escape to the mountains proves that the Tripods can't make everyone a follower. Will and his friends experience many close calls but are never captured. Will also is tempted to become Capped by the lure of a pretty girl's face (Eloise). He learns that "Before Capping there might be doubts and uncertainties and revulsion. . . . When the Cap was put on the doubts vanished" (133). After hearing this, Will almost gives in to Capping, but then he realizes that in doing so, he would be going against all of his beliefs. In My Brother Sam Is Dead, Sam Meeker clearly shows what he believes by enlisting in the American Revolutionary Army. Even if it means losing his father's love and trust forever, Sam feels that what England is doing to the colonies is wrong. He also knows that if he doesn't fight on the American side, his soul would never rest. Sam Meeker risks everything, including his life, to support and defend the new United States and all of his beliefs. He and the other soldiers could have easily given up and gone home, but they know that by letting the British win, they would show everyone how weak the American army, as a whole, really is. His brave decision to stay does cost him his life, but it also helps to ensure that the Unites States would be free of England.

Chik-Fil-a

Chick-fil-A is one of the most successful fast food restaurant establishments in the country. With over 1,300 locations in 37 states in the Southern U. S. , they continue to grow the brand by expanding to new territories (Chick-fil-A Company, 2009, para 1). In 2008 Chick-fil-A has seen a 12. 17 percent sales increase over the chain’s 2007 performance and a same store sale increase of 4. 59 percent (Chick-fil-A Company, 2009, para1). Throughout the years Chick-fil-A has come up with many innovative ideas to continue expanding business and satisfying their loyal customers. One of the ideas was to offer different types of restaurant set-ups to cater to customer’s needs. The different restaurant set-ups include mall/in line, stand-alone, drive-thru only outlets, dwarf houses, Truett’s grills, licensed non-traditional outlets (franchises) and satellite/lunch-counter. After proper research of different geographical locations the writer has decided to buy into a chic-fil-A franchise zoned in the Columbia County, Grovetown area. Executive Summary Chick-fil-A’s mission is â€Å"to be America's best quick-service restaurant at winning and keeping customers† (ChristiaNet, 2009, para 2). We will strive to be the premier fast food franchise of its kind in the North East market with future goals of expanding into our European territories. Our goal is to keep one step ahead of the competition by offering a clean environment, dynamic customer service, and overall quality products and services. Chick -fil-A's purpose statement reveals the heart of the company: â€Å"That we might glorify God by being a faithful steward in all that is entrusted to our care, and that we might have a positive influence on all the people that we might come in contact with† (ChristiaNet, 2009, para 2). We want our customers to experience the highest level of satisfaction there is to offer during their visit at our franchise. We will deliver a quality controlled atmosphere with efficient state-of-the art appliances, and provide extraordinary customer service so that every customer will benefit from our success. Identify the marketing segment for the product and explain why this segment was selected; The location selected to launch the Chik-fil-a franchise will be in Columbia county centrally located in Grovetown. This area was selected because of its potential profitability. Potential profitability is a function of the current market size, its anticipated growth, current and anticipated levels of competition, and customer behavior and expectations (lacobucci, 2010 ). Columbia County’s rapid growth has transformed this county from a rural neighbor of Augusta to the major suburban county in the second largest metropolitan area in Georgia (Columbia County, 2009, para 1). There a re many reasons for their rapid growth – a growing and diversified job market, a premier school system, affordable land, open spaces lending an air of the countryside, and a stable, conservative county government. Columbia County is predominantly residential and includes a highly-skilled workforce. According to Federal census figures released over the past decade, Columbia is the region's fastest growing county. However, there are still some improvements needed for the revolving community. As stated above Grovetown is a city on the move, constantly reinventing itself to appeal to a variety of residents. However, there are improvements needed that would make the Grovetown area more marketable. Currently there aren’t enough eating places in close proximity to residents living west of the county which is considered Grovetown. There is only one Mexican and Chinese restaurant, a McDonald’s, Subway, and KFC in the community. Surrounding areas offer a larger variety of fast food and dining restaurants but the closest Chic-fil-A is about 10 miles away from the Grovetown area. There are currently only six chik-fil-A locations throughout the city of Augusta which is not considered many at all. That is going to give the entrepreneur a huge advantage at start-up that there is not many other chik-fil-A’s close by and throughout the city. Being that Chick-fil-A is America’s number one choice of fast food, the others don’t stand a chance. Discuss the target market and why these customers will be targeted; The target market will include residents living in the Grovetown/Harlem area and also the army base, Ft. Gordon located approximately 2 miles from the Gate 2 Grovetown entrance. Military personnel make up the vast majority of residents living in the Grovetown area. Ft. Gordon also serves as a training base for new soldiers coming into service so there is a large market segment being targeted. Ft. Gordon only has a Blimpe’s, Popeye’s, Burger King, Godfather’s pizza, Chinese, and Huddle House. Based on the current market, Chik-fil-a will have a huge competitive advantage. With sickness rapidly attacking the bodies of young and older adults healthier alternatives are taken into consideration. Exercise with a combination of healthier diets is now a priority of much of America. Chik-fil-a will be one of the healthier alternatives that Grovetown will welcome hole-heartedly. What’s better than to start your morning with a custom cup of coffee and a low calorie breakfast sandwich? Adding the franchise here will attract morning employees heading to work, 3rd shift workers heading home from work, and many customers in between are most likely to choose Chick-fil-A over McDonald’s and Subway on any given day. Conduct a SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunities and treats) analysis for the company; SWOT Analysis Chick-fil-A is a unique position of competition. We compete against neighborhood fast food chains such as McDonald’s, KFC, and Subway. However, there is really no threat against America’s preferred fast food restaurants, Chik-fil-a. Offering numerous low calories, fat free items, Chick-fil-A has the best competitive advantage. The benefits and drawbacks of each of our competitors as compared with the services we offer are hardly a match in quality and price. When it comes to nutrition, McDonald’s falls short of the victory over Chick-fil-A. However, McDonalds wills serve as our most stiff competition. In addition to hamburgers, fries, and soft drinks, McDonalds offer grilled chicken sandwiches, an array of salads, Fruit ‘n Yogurt Parfaits, Apple Dippers with Low Fat Caramel Dip, juice, 1% low fat milk, and, at many restaurants, soups (McDonalds Nutrition, 2009, para 5). It has helped McDonalds tremendously; however, Chik-fil-A’s healthier choices are a bit more pleasing to the taste buds. On the other hand, Subway has proven to have a nutritional advantage over Chick-fil-A but the quality of service or product does not add up to exceed it’s customer base. KFC has surely stepped up their competitive edge by comparing their items to its competitor analyzed by its calorie value. If you go to the KFC website it displays the meal choices and calorie values of McDonalds, Subway and Dunkin Donuts against its new grilled chicken meal. Chick-fil-A was not one of the selected fast food components that KFC could compare itself to. Chick-fil-A’s main strategy is to focus on providing a quality controlled tmosphere for the customer with extraordinary customer service while gaining loyal customers. McDonald’s is focusing on growing market share with a disciplined pricing strategy to provide great tasting food at an affordable price (McDonalds Media Center, 2009, para 3). Chick-fil-A understands that the customer drives the business and that most important is to satisfy the customer through superb customer service by offering extensive training to their employees. The writer can attest that competitor’s such as McDonalds, KFC, and Subway can all use improvement in this area. Another competitive edge is our involvement within the community. We will always oblige to be a sponsor for any charitable activities going on in our community. Chick-fil-A and McDonalds are heard more in the media providing programs and sponsorships for their employees and charity events. The residential outlets are continuing to grow tremendously in Columbia County offering Chik-fil-a great opportunities and sponsorship possibilities. Describe the market position for your product and service. A quality that distinguishes chik-fil-A from there fast food competitor’s is it’s commitment to the customer and as a result they have been honored with three Customer service based awards. Product quality is another area that has an effect on the volume of business. If customers are accustomed to receiving quality produced products they are motivated to buy from the supplier because they know what they can expect each time. That is important element in fast food chains. Who wants to drive away from the restaurant with cold food? Complete turn off for the customer and it is sure to leave a bad taste in their mouth for this particular restaurant. In surveys conducted by Marketing and Research Counselors, Inc. Chick-fil-A’s core menu products, including the Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich, Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets and Chik-fil-A Chick-n-Strips, have consistently ranked number one in their respective categories (Chick-fil-A: Food, 2007). So chik-fil-a will provide the market with products that are favorable by much of America. The â€Å"Eat Mor Chikin† campaign has increased the chain’s sales five-fold. The chain has turned the theme into a fully integ rated marketing program, which includes store point-of-purchase materials, promotions, radio and TV advertising, and clothing and merchandise sales (Chick-fil-A: The Cows, 2007, para 1 ). Chick-fil-A’s marketing presence is here to stay. The company currently has more than 1,380 restaurants in 37 states and Washington, D. C. and enjoyed an aggressive expansion year, opening 80 new restaurants in 2007 (Chick-fil-A Company, 2007, para ). It’s just a matter of time before this company takes its business global and leaves its competitor’s in the wind. Product/Services America loves Chick-fil-A because it can fit into almost any healthy diet through moderation and balanced menu choices. The Chick-fil-A menu offers 10 menu items with 10 or fewer grams of fat. Foods are also cooked in 100 percent refined peanut oil which is naturally trans-fat and cholesterol free (Chick-fil-A: Food, 2007). So not only are the â€Å"eat mor chikin† products delicious, but nutritious as well. Chick-fil-A’s current marketing plan is a huge success. Chock-full a sponsors many events including the Chick-fil-A Bowl, the Atlantic Coast, Southeastern and Big 12 Conferences and Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America sponsorships have introduced new audiences to the brand (Chick-fil-A, 2009, para 6). The company participates in many charities around town and always seen in the community volunteering time and making a difference. For the most part prices do not change within a 12 month period. Products offered coincide with all Chick-fil-A locations, however, services vary. We take pride in offering our customers the best service so we will honor product prices that are currently held at the corporate offices.ReferencesChristiaNet. (2009) Chick-fil-A CEO, S. Truett Cathy. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from http://christiannews.christianet.com/1097585115.htm Columbia County. (2009) Columbia County Georgia General Information . Retrieved December 5, 2009, from http://www.columbiacountyga.gov/ Hoovers Inc. (2009) Chick-fil-A, Inc.- Overveiw. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from http://www.hoovers.com/company/Chick-fil-A_Inc/hrfkki-1.html Iacobucci, D. (2011). Marketing management: 2010 custom edition. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. McDonalds. (2009) McDonalds Media Center . Ret rieved December 9. 2009, from http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/eat.html McDonalds. (2009) McDonalds Health, Fitness, and Nutrition . Retrieved December 9. 2009, from http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/eat.html Waiter on the Way. (2009) Chick-fil-a Southwest. Retrieved December 11, 2009, from http://www.waiterontheway.biz/Chick-fil-a%20Southwest

Definition Essay †A Good Friend Essay

When I asked Google to define a friend it gave me 82,300,000 related results, but when I asked the definition of a good friend it only showed 47,000,000 results. This proved how people tend to have more challenges in characterizing what a good friend is, probably because it is harder to find one. Generally, a friend is described as a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations. Almost every single one of us will immediately nod in agreement to this definition and explain how your good friend never fails to make you smile. They are the ones who support every action you made, every word you said, and every decision you take. As stated above, a good friend is something scarce since they are more than just a friend, but do they necessarily have to be someone who never disagrees? In my own opinion a good friend dishes out hard truths, has your best interest at heart, and will not hesitate to be a villain when required. Yes, they are not your family members corresponding to our common understanding, but they will act like ones. A good friend will act like your father. Try to remember those days when anything is possible but to see eye to eye with your father. When your father was sick and preferred going for alternative medication but you tried to convince him that what he need is to see a doctor. Not to mention smaller disagreements, for instance when your father said that he was going to take the express way, you said it would be better to take the regular road. Arguments with our fathers are inevitable, it happens regularly because both of us think we know better than the other. However, we often forgot the real reason for our arguments; it is because we want the best for each other. Similar cases will most likely occur with our good friends too, not as numerous but nevertheless it happens. There are moments when we make stupid decisions and we need someone who knows we are settling for something less than what we deserved to advise us. At the end of the day, a good friend will never leave or forsake you despite all the arguments you both had, again just like your father. A good friend will act like your mother. Our mothers are the most genuine and honest women in our life. They dare to unmask all the concealed pain, although she alone will take the consequences of being hated by doing something out of love. She will look you straight in the eye and said your boyfriend is not being faithful despite the fact that she had only met him twice. She know you that well that she can tell her beloved child is denying reality just because she did not want to be broken hearted. You will hate her that much for dragging you out of the fantasy you have been living, but eventually you will thank her for that. For me, a good friend will do exactly the same. When they disclose an ugly truth that everyone kept secret from you with reasons to protect you, they will unveil it slowly and let you be broken. It is a tough love undoubtedly, but they did it because they care and it is better for them to be hated now rather than to let someone slap you on the face with that ugly truth in the future. However, they will not let you burn to the ground. They will help you to stand back up and move on when you are ready to be helped, like how your mother will tolerate your continuous crying, falling grades, and will even bake your favorite cake to nurse your broken heart. A good friend will act the way your sibling does. You jumped over the fence, broke the windows, covered up for each other, and got grounded together. Both of you will stay in one room and keep quiet while trying to hold your tears from bursting when your parents were fighting. Those memories of what you had been through together are priceless. Nonetheless, there are also days when your big brother or sister brought back their date, you are happy for them but suddenly you became invisible. You tried to distract them and grabbed their attention back but it ended up in a nasty fight. This is how a good friend will react despite every effort they make to be happy for you. I will be jealous when one of my good friends is getting along with a new friend of hers, or when she finally found the love of her life. We will end up fighting for not being able to spare time and listen to each other’s problems but ultimately we will always forgive each other because the fight is not worth losing our relationship. Thus for me, a true friendship will not be a ride somewhere over the rainbow where every day is sunny and happy is all you will ever be. Troubles will not melt like lemon drops and identical to family relationship it will have its own ups and downs. They will act like your father because they want the absolute best for you. They will act like your mother because they care too much to worry about being hated by you for doing the right thing. They will act like your siblings and be anxious about losing their loved one. Undeniably, some of you do not have a good relationship with your family, and friends are your refuge. You definitely do not need them to behave the way your family does, but I need to warn you that those friends are not friends for a lifetime. The truth is, if they really care for you and want you to be happy, they will make you understand how important it is to love your family no matter how damaged it is. Therefore, I believe, and you should too, that a good friend who treats you as their family is a best friend. Nicoline Djohan ( 1,038 words) View as multi-pages