Managing Strategic Marketing Malaysian company PROTON Essay

Overseeing Strategic Marketing Malaysian organization PROTON - Essay Example Promoting blend is one of the center segments of a showcasing plan. This paper portrays how PROTON, a vehicle Malaysian vehicle fabricating organization, can improve its promoting blend to assess the accomplishment of the advertising plan. Before delving into the subtleties of the promoting blend, let us become acquainted with what a showcasing plan really is so as to improve comprehension of advertising blend. A showcasing plan is an all around structured procedure to promoting an item or to make attention to a company’s items and administrations among the clients. An appropriately structured showcasing plan not just incorporates characterizing advertising objectives and targets of an organization yet in addition incorporates the systems and strategies to accomplish the promoting objectives. Actualizing a powerful advertising arrangement and finding a way to screen the presentation of the arrangement are significant for any assembling organization. Showcasing blend is one of the fundamental apparatuses utilized by the chiefs of an organization to screen and control the working of the advertising plan. Showcasing blend is one of the center segments of an advertising plan. A showcasing blend incorporates appropri ate arrangement of apparatuses and rules which an organization can use to advertise its items and administrations in the market. Supervisors utilize advertising blend to assess the accomplishment of the showcasing plan of their items. The appraisal or assessment makes the directors know whether the promoting plan is suitable for the item or it should be changed. Being the promoting supervisor of PROTON, which is a main vehicle producing organization, I will propose upgrades in the advertising blend of my organization so as to cause it to contend adequately with the fundamental contender of the organization. 2. Foundation of the Company The name of the organization where I fill in as showcasing administrator is PROTON. PROTON is a Malaysian organization which was built up in 1985 and from that point forward, it has been a significant piece of the Malaysian car industry. PROTON manages assembling and circulation of traveler and business vehicles. Some principle sorts of vehicles, whic h the organization fabricates, incorporate business vehicles, family vans, and private vehicles. Notwithstanding the execution of ISO 9000 guidelines of value, PROTON has likewise received the QS 9000 quality norm, which has additionally been embraced by numerous individuals of the acclaimed American vehicle producing organizations like General engines and Ford. The organization has done coalition with Sauber and Petronas which truly assist PROTON with accomplishing its objectives in the global market. 3. Presentation of the Product The item, which I have been advertising throughout the previous a half year, is Cronze Family Van. Cronze van is another item made by the PROTON vehicle fabricating organization in a joint effort with the Lotus car organization. Cronze is a 7-seater vehicle, which is an affordable vehicle for huge families. The absolute most appealing highlights of this van incorporate wonderful shape, worked in sound system, amazing motor, high mileage, and ability to h old countless individuals one after another. Low fuel utilization and high mileage are two of the most extraordinary highlights of this van. Individuals like to purchase such vans which expend less measure of fuel and give high mileage. Another appealing element of this van is that a client can

Class Project Survey Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Class Project Survey - Research Paper Example because of changing worldwide atmosphere. Ocean level is likewise expanding and we are presently presented to the danger that a generous bit of US Gulf Coast alongside Eastern Seaboard. We are likewise breathing dirtied air the same number of more nations over the world are in effect exceptionally industrialized, and consequently, extent of perilous gases remembering CO2 for the air has expanded altogether. (McKay, 403) 1. B) How do powers outside of the US sway your activity possibilities? Our activity possibilities are influenced by inner monetary circumstances, yet additionally by factors that are outer to the economy of US. To begin with, chances of employments in the nations outside the US have diminished essentially because of the ongoing worldwide money related emergency. What's more, second, the degree of redistributing has been expanding step by step on account expanded accessibility of modest work from nations like India, Kenya, (McKay, 385-387) Philippines, and other creat ing nations. 1. C) How do powers outside of the US sway your physical security? The physical wellbeing of US residents is ceaselessly being undermined by fear based oppressors gatherings of Islamic locales of the world. The occasion of 9/11 exhibited how amazing the Islamic psychological militant gatherings have become. Despite the fact that, the US government has taken astounding safety efforts, yet we despite everything don't feel completely made sure about. (McKay, 283) 1.

Systems And Analysis and Design Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Frameworks And Analysis and Design - Case Study Example The subsequent stage is to combine the sets of state-changes into sections just as to set up a state machine outline together with the states in the correct progression. Stage four involves searching for concurrent ways. The last advance looks for additional changes (Satzinger, Jackson and Burd, 2012). The UML outline utilized to demonstrate the states and changes of an article is the state machine graph. It very well may be made for any difficult space classes with unpredictable conduct or for monitoring status conditions (Satzinger, Jackson and Burd, 2012). The watchman condition is a test or qualifier on the change and it is a valid/bogus condition that ought to be fulfilled before the progress terminating. All together for a progress to fire, the trigger must occur, and the gatekeeper needs to gauge to valid (Satzinger, Jackson and Burd, 2012). The area model class chart is a specific case. The area model is basic to perceive all the space classes required in the new framework. The space portrayal is too utilized in planning the database. The space model class chart and the utilization case graph are the significant models out of which others get data. The inner depictions like preconditions, just as post conditions in these areas, utilize data in the class graph. These exhaustive delineations are additionally basic for making the framework arrangement outlines. Subsequently, the action charts, inside and out depictions and framework grouping outlines should all be steady with respect to the means of a given use case (Satzinger, Jackson and Burd, 2012). Compositional plan is a broad plan of the general framework structure. It is otherwise called calculated structure or general plan. Then again, Detail configuration is a low-level plan that involves the structure of the express program subtleties (Satzinger, Jackson and Burd, 2012). The area model; produced during frameworks investigation, is utilized to

Underrated Questions About Persuasive Research Essay Topics You Need to Read About

Underrated Questions About Persuasive Research Essay Topics You Need to Read About The Pain of Persuasive Research Essay Topics It's important to understand that essay topics are just basic ideas that leave you pondering an idea that might be a huge deal to another person. Without a suitable content, excellent research paper topics aren't going to make sense. At times, they are simply the easiest ones. There are numerous research paper topics and suggestions for your consideration. The key issue is to select a topic that you really can dig into. The very first step you will want to assume is that your topic will probably be too broad, in other words, it is going to require that you deal with an excessive amount of information for a single essay. A superb paper topic ought to be interesting and ought to incorporate an original idea or position try to prevent cliche topics which will likely bore your reader. There are several intriguing topics that could be become a persuasive essay if you take the opportunity to consider about doing it. As an example, in college, you might be requested to compose a paper from the opposing viewpoint. Though some say absolutely free public transportation would assist the environment and cut back traffic, others think completely free public transportation is too pricey, and the government can't afford to cover it. If you still feel you need help, even if you've managed to pick a topic, you may always employ a custom writing service to assist you produce a fabulous research paper of which you'll be proud and will guarantee you a nice mark. Consequently, anyone will have the ability to take our expert services. Now you have a great idea of the way to hunt for college research paper topics, you are prepared for some suggestions. Your work is to choose whether or not there ought to be a particular age when kids are given access to a smartphone. As soon as you get the prompt, attempt to correct the academic format with the support of numerous free online writing guides. Most significantly, you likely have a great deal of wisdom and opinions on gaming technology. The company world is changing all of the time. Researching any issue about government or laws can get overwhelming because of the intricacy of the issues and even due to the wording of some laws. Exploring the topic to the extent of having the ability to cover the issue from several aspects is your primary strategy. When you're taking the aid of our experts, they will give you comprehensive details on the kind of essay you are getting involved in. Following your rich research, now you can move on to drafting an outline along with all the areas and important information you might have encounter. You are interested in a topic that has lots of available material for you to use. Therefore, once you are becoming prepared to compose the fashion essay papers, it's quite important to be sure which you are thinking about the requirements of all sorts of individuals and discussing the topic in the appropriate way. The New Angle On Persuasive Research Essay Topics Just Released Narrowing down to a specific element of a wide topic lets you concentrate on a single subject. You're an actual topic enthusiast! Therefore, it's always important to locate a topic that interests you. Quite frequently, the ideal topic is one which you truly care about, but you also will need to get ready to research it. The 30-Second Trick for Persuasive Research Essay Topics Writing an excellent persuasive research paper is a difficult job. Your essay may revolve around gender issues from different areas of the world such as women rights in the Middle East and so forth. To approach the paper with at least anxiety, you should choose a topic that you are feeling comfortable writing about, and one which you're confident you can grasp the appropriate scholarship on. For this reason, you may need to look for good topics for high school research papers on the internet. Life is much better than it was 50 decades ago. In light of the above mentioned, let's consider some intriguing research paper topics and suggestions for your research paper. What follows is an extensive collection of the most fascinating research topics to have you started. Following are 20 research topics which can help you get started exploring new regions to create a well-supported paper. Hence, if you'll stick to the preceding suggestions then you might have the ability to compose your argumentative persuasive essay in virtually no time.

There Are An Estimated 12 Million Undocumented Or Illegal

There are an estimated 12 million undocumented or illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States, and their presence has been a source of heated political debate for years. Hard-liners believe that undocumented immigrants are destroying our nation by stealing jobs and social benefits away from American-born citizens. Others recognize the importance of illegal immigrants and believe their existence in the United States is necessary for the country’s success. Currently, President Donald Trump is demonstrating his anti-immigrant sentiment by building a wall to separate the U.S. and Mexico in attempt to block illegals from entering. An immigration reform or mass deportation of illegals could have a serious effect on America’s†¦show more content†¦universities, were associated with an additional 262 jobs for native-born workers† (â€Å"Value Added†). Apart from high-skill jobs, immigrants also develop low-skill labor for American workers wi thout a high school diploma or college degree. We find that 1,000 new immigrants to a US Metropolitan Area generate approximately 1,200 new local jobs, about 62% of which are in the non-traded sector (Bryan). Undocumented immigrant laborers inflate the supply of labor for both high and low-skilled American workers. Additionally, illegal immigrants benefit the economy in the United States by increasing the annual salary and the standard of living for native-born workers. Immigrants and American citizens are often not drawn to the same job markets, which means there is little to no competition between the two. If illegal immigrants and native-born workers happen to find themselves competing for the same jobs, businesses will often expand to adapt to the extra supply of labor. In fact, illegals actually boost the wages of American-born workers. â€Å"Immigrants and natives tend to have different levels of education, work in different occupations, and possess different skills, the jobs they perform are frequently interdependent and complementary. This increases the productivity of natives, which increases their wages. Second, the additionShow MoreRelatedMy Company Is One Of The Largest Agricultural Producers1250 Words   |  5 Pagesof $11.6 million is the third largest only behind Dole Industries and Nature Valley Farms. Traditionally, our consortium of agricultural growers join forces to hire the volume of labor to satisfy the economical and expeditious harvest of the seasonal crops. This labor force combined equals almost 25 thousand men and women. The large majority of the work force hired are documented immigrants and are eligible for work in the United States. There is a smaller portion that are undocumented immigrantsRead MoreThe Devastating Impacts Of Illegal Immigration1368 Words   |  6 Pages Sheldon Jackson Argumentative Essay â€Å"The Devastating Impacts of Illegal Immigration† If ever there was a polarizing problem growing in the U.S., illegal immigration is definitely exploding to the top. This issue is at the center of the political arena and debate. It has the heart and minds of the nation stirring. President Obama wrote, We have to deal with the 11 million individuals who are here illegally. We all agree that these men and women should have to earn their way to citizenshipRead MoreIllegal Immigration Is The Land Of Freedom And Opportunity1208 Words   |  5 Pagesfreedom and opportunity. 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This hard press issue of immigration reform affects everyone living in the United States. Due to the heavy inflow of undocumented citizens sneaking into this country families are being torn apart, our economy is suffering, and the hard workingRead MoreImmigration reform has been one of the â€Å"hot† topics that have been consistently at the forefront of800 Words   |  4 Pagesthere are more illegal immigrants in our country than legal immigrants. This is a major controversy in the realm of other social policies. Illegal immigration, or undocumented immigrants, refers to foreign people entering the United States without government permission or violating the immigration law. This is typically done by sneaking into the country or staying beyond the allotted time frame. There seems to be no general agreement on how the government should alleviate undocumented people enteringRead MoreThe Legalization Of Legalizing Immigration Reform1488 Words   |  6 Pagesmight ask, however. why the presence of illegal immigrants is still apparent within the country s boundaries if everyone on this territory is equal to one another. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, the number of illegal immigrants in the United States was estimated at 11.5 million in 2011. The population of these illegal immigrants flourished by 27% between 2000 and 2009, as stated by the Department of Homeland Security. With the growing rate of undocumented immigrants, is the government takingRead MoreIllegal Immigration Should Be Allowed721 Words   |  3 PagesIllegal Immigration Should Be Allowed Illegal immigration is the immigration of someone from his or her home country to another country without becoming a legal citizen. Illegal immigrants have many different names; illegal aliens, undocumented workers, and unauthorized citizens are just a few names they are called. Whether undocumented workers should stay in the country or leave has been debated in the United States for a long time. In the year 2006, there was an estimated 11.5 to 12 million undocumentedRead MoreDeportation Of The United States Essay1527 Words   |  7 Pagesof the economic, social, and political processes that are foundational to the United States as a nation. Millions of immigrants are deported every year. The ethnicity of immigrants living in the United States come from all around. Mexico has the largest population of immigrants coming to America. â€Å"The number of unauthorized immigrants living in the United States is estimated to 11.2 million, the majority of whom are from Mexico† (Boehm , 32). Some immigrants entered the United States illegally (by

Women s Leadership Style Of Leadership - 2061 Words

LITERATURE REVIEW AND ANALYSIS If you look up the word â€Å"leader†, in the dictionary, there will no pictures of famous leaders beside it. There will be no reference regarding sex or gender. Instead, the definition will refer to a leader as a person, a human-being. Yet, when society thinks of the word leader, their thought process is often biased. Society tends to think of men first. The question remains: Why can’t women become great leaders? An effective leader can lead in many ways, as well as adopt their own leadership style, to â€Å"tailor-fit† their followers. Men change their leadership styles, so why can’t women? Oprah is a leader first; secondly, she is a woman. Oprah uses three different styles of leadership: Transformational, Servant, and Authentic leadership. Throughout the world, Oprah Winfrey is known for her charismatic style of leadership, commonly referred to as transformational leadership. Transformational leaders are characterized as being both charismatic and visionary. Furthermore, they have an appeal that makes their followers achieve more than what is required of them. â€Å"Born into poverty in rural Mississippi in 1954, Winfrey is an enormously successful businesswoman, television host, Academy Award–winning actress, film producer and philanthropist† (U.S. Department of State, 2014). With over 14 million Twitter followers, her own television network, and a net worth of 2.7 billion, the question is, how does she do it? Oprah Winfrey exhibits a charismaticShow MoreRelatedWomen s Organizational Effectiveness Leadership Styles873 Words   |  4 PagesFemales more than males embrace organizational effectiveness leadership styles. This is evident by the styles in motivation, expectation layout, rewards programs, and leadership enthusiasms (Zheng, 2015). Moreover, the female gender is better at acquiring social interaction talents over their male counterparts. 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A Story of Personal Conquest During the Civil War Essay Example For Students

A Story of Personal Conquest During the Civil War Essay This is a historical drama set in a small town in South Carolina during the American civil war of 1861- 1865 (Gallagher 13). It takes place in the entire during the entire span of the war, extending to one year after the end of the war- during the reconstruction of the southern economy and infrastructure destroyed by the war. The film targets all American of all ages and age, and especially those who have never experienced the effects of a civil war, and have never been in the fronts of a war. I believe that the film will create awareness to the American populate on the effect civil wars that are rampant in various parts of the world. It will also make all Americans appreciated the peaceful co-existence we have today, and appreciated the efforts of those who sacrificed to ensure that the future generations of America will always live in peace. Much as the civil war involved modern organized warfare, it was also a story of personal conquest for the rich southern slave owners who had to let the slaves go. Characters and Characterization We will write a custom essay on A Story of Personal Conquest During the Civil War specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now 1. Jason Smithson -He is a tall rugged white young man of about 30 years, born in South Carolina but educated in laws in the north, and so speaks him English with a distinctive northern accent -He is good hearted, compassionate and friendly, and the most likable Smithson. -He falls in love with a black slave girl who works in his fathers farm, and so when the war comes, he has to make a choice between protecting his familys interest in slavery, fight against it, or marry Mary Peseta- to the disapproval of his uncle. -He faces dilemma of supporting the emancipation proclamation and succeeding as a cotton farmer once he takes over his fathers farm. -His northern education and his love for made him revolt on the idea of slavery at first, though his uncle convinces him of the need to own slaves, he joins the southern forces by reconsidered him decision when a black slave engages him in a conversation as they march towards Maryland. He decides to support Lincolns Emancipation proclamation and goes against his kin. He later marries Mary after the war. 2. Jake K. Smithson Jasons uncle. A rich slave owner who is short and snobbish, mean and is always yelling orders and cracking his horse skin whip to the slaves in his cotton fields. -He is the proprietor of Jasons cotton farm until he is through with college. Hates Jason and cannot understand his desire to marry a black girl. He convinces Jason to join the southern forces. He is later convinced by Jason on the need to support the release of slaves. -He dies immediately after the war. 3. Mary Peseta -She is a skinny black slave girl working on Smithson farms. She has scars all over her body from the whipping by Jasons Uncle. She is courageous enough to confess her love for Jason knowing that Jasons uncle will hurt her. -She marries Jason after the end of the war, and helps Jason to run his farm. 4. Peter Patrick -He is a scar faced black slave who meets Jasons on the battalion towards Maryland. He is bitter about his familys predicaments, and the fact that he was forced to join the secession forces to keep his family safe. Forces Jason to lead a revolt among the solders in his battalion and adopt the emancipation proclamation. He gets injured during the war. Jasons adopts him and his kin as a part of his family after the war. He assists Jason to manage the farm. .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc , .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc .postImageUrl , .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc , .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc:hover , .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc:visited , .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc:active { border:0!important; } .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc:active , .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u9e2dd9cd9bd455d82f037f88ca38c4dc:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Short Stor EssaySynopsis of the Acts Act One: This act is set in Smithson cotton farm in South Carolina. Jake K Smithson is seen riding his horse across the cotton fields, yelling orders and expletives to groups of slaves picking cotton in the hot sun. He whips the slaves, especially those who seem to be slower than the others. Jake is then seeing explaining to Jason why he should attend school in one of the northern states. He also cautions Jason on the consequences of his affair with a black woman, of which Jason states clearly that he loved her. Jason leaves South Carolina to pursue law. He returns after three years, in February 1861. He finds out that his uncle has been mistreating Mary and quarrels him. On April 12, 1861, the seven southern states declare their secession to form the Confederacy States of America (McPherson 36). His uncle explains and convinces him why he should join the secessionist forces and protect the interests of his family and him farm. Jason offers his services to the southern forces and joins the battalion that should engage the Union forces in Maryland. This scene ends with Jason kissing riding towards the battalions meeting point, while Mary looks on and cries. Act Two: Jason is seen in his shooting drills in a training camp for the battalion. With him is Peter, a slave who has been forced to join the force. Peter explains to Jason on the evils of slavery, explaining how his family has been tortured in the slavery. He recounts how he was made to join the forces to ensure his family is not killed by their owner. Jason is disturbed by peters claims, and is seen in a flash recounting the good times he had spent with Mary, and how he has betrayed his Christian education in the north Act Three: Jason leads a revolt in his battalion where Peter is injured in a friendly fire between the separationist groups. They both join the group that heeds to the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Lincoln on January 1, 1863. The group joins the Union forces and barricades the south economy. Eventually the southern forces are defeated when Robert Lee to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865 (Hagerman 267). The rebuilding of the economy begins and Jason and Peter head to South Carolina. Jake dies almost immediately after the war and Jason takes over the proprietary duties of the farm. He marries Mary, and adopts Peter and his family. He employs the former slaves to work on his farm, and betters their conditions through pay and better housing. He also appoints Peter to help him run the farm. The film ends during an evening party in Jasons main farm houses as they all celebrate Marys first child. Bibliography: Works Cited Gallagher, Gary E. The American Civil War. Oxford: Osprey Publishers, 2003. Print. Hagerman, Edward. The American Civil War and the Origins of Modern Warfare: Ideas, Organization, and Field Command. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University. Press, 1992. Print. McPherson, James M. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.

The Battle Of The Buldge Essays - Battle Of The Bulge, Belgium

The Battle Of The Buldge The Battle of The Bulge As 1945 approached it seemed, to most, that Germany's surrender was only a matter of time. The Allies, having been on the offensive for so long, had an all time high determination and morale. The idea that Germany could muster the supplies, troops, or will to launch an offensive seemed crazy. In fact, many were already asking the questions of when and where the assault on the Rhine should be launched. Hitler, utilizing his talent of strategic vision, noticed a hole in the Allies defenses. He saw the Ardennes Forest of Belgium was lightly defended. The Ardennes Forest had traditionally been thought of as impassible to tanks and there fore not an option for either side. The Allies left only four divisions to defend a front of over eighty miles. Because the Germans had now been pushed back almost to Germany, and in some places were already fighting on German soil, the Allies lost the important intelligence on troop movements provided by French and Belgium residents. As a result Germany was able to do major troop movements and buildups right behind the front lines. Hitler secretly assembled the twenty-one divisions that would later take place in The Battle of The Bulge with out the Allies even knowing. Field-Marshal von Rundsted is generally credited with the plans for the offensive, however in actuality he was strongly opposed to the plan. It was Hitler and his immediate staff who secretly developed the plan, and turned down all requests for changes or revisions. In one of von Rundsted's request for revisions Hitler responded The Plan itself is irrevocable(World War II Trevor Hall and Gerald Hughes, Smithmark Publisher) The plan was actually brilliant in its simplicity, and if Germany had the fuel, men and supplies that Hitler's plan required, it could have succeeded giving Germany a major victory in the west. Fortunately for the Allies, Hitler's idea of the amount of fuel and number of men at his disposal was greatly exaggerated, and his plan did not take into account that three of his Panzer tank divisions were down to roughly 100 tanks per division, less than half the amount in the American armored divisions. At 5:30 in the morning of December 16, 1944 with the benefit of fog and clouds keeping Allied planes on the ground, Hitler attacked a 90 mile American front between Monschau and Echternach using twenty one German divisions high on morale but low on fuel. The first wave of the attack was by the 150th Panzer Brigade, a unit of about 2,000 English speaking Germans who knew American slang and customs. Under command of Colonel Otto Skorzeny, and using captured Jeeps and wearing American combat jackets, the Germans moved through the American lines cutting telephone wires, turning signpost, and setting up false mind field indicators. The 150th was under orders that if captured tell the Americans that thousands of Germans in Jeeps were behind the American lines. This operation was a huge success thirty-two of the forty Jeeps that went in came back, and the ones who did not make it kept their orders and spread rumors of large number of undercover Germans. The Americans took the bait and set u p checkpoints causing massive traffic jams and hundreds of American soldiers were sent to jail if they could not answer check questions such as the height of the Empire State Building. Later the Americans commended these under cover operations as Military Genius. Less respectable were the acts committed by the 1st SS Panzer Brigade known as Battle Group Peiper. This unit captured the city of Stavelot and discovered a group of civilians huddled in a basement, the Germans took them out and shot in cold blood. Later that same day the US 99th Infantry Division retook Stavelot and held their positions until reinforcements arrived. Ironically while Peiper was held up in Stavelot he was with in a mile of a lightly guarded American fuel dump containing 2.5 Million gallons of gasoline. But he did not know that it was there and therefore made no attempt to capture the fuel that could have changed the entire offensive. While Peiper was held up in the

Bettys Summer Vacation Details and Summary

Bettys Summer Vacation Details and Summary Christopher Durangs plays are well-known for addressing taboo content in a biting and humorous manner.  Betty’s Summer Vacation, with its  talk of incest, murder, mutilation, rape, â€Å"three ways,† exposing/flashing, and more, is no exception. Durang notes that his sometimes irreverent manner in dealing with these sensitive topics is meant to reveal to an audience just how far news and entertainment have gone in desensitizing people towards topics that should produce feelings of horror and revulsion, but which are now are glossed over alongside stories of the latest Hollywood scandals. He likens modern audiences to those in Ancient Rome who found entertainment in gladiator battles and sending Christians to fight lions. He writes: â€Å"But I’ve not written a documentary, I’ve written a play; and it’s a farcical play as well, in which we are not meant to EMPATHIZE with the characters the way one is meant to empathize with Blanche DuBois or Willy Loman; it’s more like following the stories of Candide and Cunnegonde in Candide, or the characters in a Joe Orton farce, or even the characters in a 1930s screwball comedy (though admittedly a dark one).† It may be jarring to read or experience a Durang play if you are unprepared for his style. But, Durang aims for â€Å"healing laughter† that comes from serious events that are now distant enough from an audience that when described in a particular manner can be found humorous. Plot Synopsis Betty is on summer vacation in a shared rental property with her friend Trudy, Trudy’s mother Mrs. Siezmagraff, Keith, and Buck. Trudy is a talkative young woman who grates on Betty’s nerves. Buck is an over-sexed lout and Keith just might be a serial killer with a head in a hatbox. Mrs. Siezmagraff is a codependent, Auntie Mame-ish wild woman.  She invites a homeless man, Mr. Vanislaw, to come over for the night as her date. Mr.Vanislaw is wearing a trench coat and sneakers and he flashes everyone in the house and alludes to his penis every chance he gets. Trudy and Betty beg Mrs. Siezmagraff to keep Mr. Vanislaw under control, but she refuses to acknowledge his lewd behavior just as she refused to acknowledge that her late husband molested Trudy. After a night of charades, Mrs. Siezmagraff and Mr. Vanislaw go out drinking. Mrs. Siezmagraff passes out on the floor and Mr. Vanislaw, mad that his date is no longer able to perform, goes in search of Trudy and rapes her. Afterwards Trudy is furious with her mother for allowing the man into their house and demands that she do something, but Mrs. Siezmagraff turns a blind eye and says, â€Å"Every time I get a husband or a boyfriend, Trudy’s always after them.† Trudy is enraged and grabs a kitchen knife and cuts off Mr. Vanislaw’s penis. Keith then cuts off his head. During these events there is canned laughter, similar to that of a laugh track, coming from the ceiling. At first it is sporadic and confusing to the characters, but eventually they become accustomed to the laughter and question why some line or action might get a laugh while others do not. Then the Voices in the ceiling start talking back to the characters and making requests. Those requests soon turn into demands. When Mrs. Siezmagraff calls 911 and the dispatcher tells her to bring Keith and Trudy to the police station, and Betty goes for a walk, and Buck leaves to find the towns’ easy widow, and there is no one left for the Voices to watch, they get frustrated and angry and crash through the ceiling and into the setting of the play. They are a three-headed monster of sorts. They have three different personalities, but share a connected body bound with wires and tubing. The Voices demand that Betty and the rest of the residents at the summer share put on a courtroom drama to entertain them. After an Oscar worthy performance by Mrs. Siezmagraff in which she plays defense attorney, abusive mother, and long lost Irish maid, The Voices pronounce Keith and Trudy innocent of all charges. However, The Voices won’t stop there. They want violence and more violence. They want Keith to cut off more heads and Trudy to cut off more penises. When Buck comes home, this is just what Keith and Trudy do, all the while bonding nicely over the gruesome experience. The Voices want more. They want Keith to blow up the house. Betty begs to escape and manages to run as Keith turns on the gas stove and pulls out a match. Production Details Setting: A nice seaside summer community - maybe somewhere on the New Jersey shore. Not a trendy, chic location. Time: Summer Cast Size: This play can accommodate 9 actors. Male Characters: 5 Female Characters: 4 Characters that could be played by either males or females: 0 Roles Betty is a reasonable young woman. She is the most normal of the group of characters assembled at the summer share. She feels pressured by her job and her mother and is looking for a relaxing vacation at the beach. Trudy uses words as medication. She speaks long and incessantly about anything and everything. She is not used to being listened to and is surprised when Betty or The Voices acknowledge her. She is desperate for attention. Keith is a quiet young man who is looking to be left alone. He had a troubled childhood similar to Trudy’s and learned to cope by cutting off people’s heads. Buck is a â€Å"lout-hunk.† He is sexist in a naà ¯ve way. He believes that all women want to be with him just as he wants to be with them. He prefers to get off about 20 times a day and feels in pain if he falls short of this number. Mrs. Siezmagraff is a grand old woman. She lives life in a large way with self-inflicted blinders. She refuses to see herself or her daughter as a victim, instead choosing to view Trudy as competition for the love/lust of despicable men. Mr. Vanislaw is a derelict who gets his jollies by exposing himself to women as often as possible. He is uncomplicated and unapologetic in his wants and desires. The Group of Voices are comprised of two men and one woman. They are a cross section of demographics that TV stations poll to see what America finds entertaining. Production/Character Notes In the script provided by Dramatists Play Service, Inc, Christopher Durang has notes for potential directors, actors, and producers. He writes about tone, character choices, the use of blood and much more. Any theatre or company looking to produce Betty’s Summer Vacation would find it useful to read and study these notes. Content Issues: Language, murder, violence, rape, incest, sex

Eurasian Energy Politics and Security Research Paper

Eurasian Energy Politics and Security - Research Paper Example The existing projects and pipelines between Russia and the EU, including the issues in these projects shall be discussed. Alternatives to Russia, especially South Caucasus and Central Asia will also be considered. The proposed pipelines, Nabucco, Transcaspian pipeline, and BP’s new project for natural gas shall be included in this discussion. Finally, China’s entrance to Eurasian energy politics shall also be considered under this discussion. This paper is being discussed in order to conceptualize a clear understanding of energy politics, including its significant points of interest which now impact on the current relations between Eurasian nations. States in the Caspian and Central Asian region have proven oil reserves numbering about 38 billion barrels and this does not include possibly undiscovered barrels of crude oil in the region (Cohen and DeCarlo-Souza, p. 5). Kazakhstan is considered to be the largest oil producer in the region with onshore fields in the northern Caspian Sea and other regions. Turkmenistan is the largest natural gas producer in the Caspian region and is serving the energy needs of the region well. Since the Caspian oil reserves were discovered, most energy exports from the Caspian and Central Asia came from the Caspian and Central Asia came from the Russian Empire, supplying consumers in Europe and Soviet Union (Cohen and DeCarlo-Souza, p. 5). Significant exports from the Caspian started with the establishment of the 1997 100,000 Baku-Novorossiysk pipelines transporting oil to Georgia’s Black Sea Coast (Cohen and DeCarlo-Souza, p. 5). In 2001, Kazakhstan started pumping oil from its Tengiz oil fi eld into Novorossiysk via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium or the CPC. The CPC is shared by various oil companies from different countries. Russia lost its control of the Caspian oil exports in 2005 when the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline was opened (Cohen and DeCarlo-Souza, p. 5).  

Cleaning up oil spills Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cleaning up oil spills - Research Paper Example The most famous method is to use chemical treating agents like dispersants, surface washing agents, and bioremediation agents (â€Å"Chemical Treating Agents† par. 1). Dispersants are basically mixture of chemicals, made up mostly of surfactants and other additives. The surfactant molecules are amphiphilic in nature which can be both soluble in protic (i.e. water) and aprotic (i.e. oil) solvents. During oil spills in bodies of water, surfactants combined into aggregates called micelles which consist of hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tails. The heads are attached to the water molecules by hydrogen bonding and the tails to the oil molecules which lessens the interfacial tensions between oil-water molecules. Due to the mechanical action in the ocean, the oil molecules especially below the surface of the water break apart into smaller molecules which can stay suspended to be washed by current (Renee and Lee par. 5). The use of surface washing agents or commonly known as degreaser are usually used for surfaces or structures that have been oiled and are usually sprayed on the surface. This chemical promotes emulsification of oil and the instability causes it to flocculate and coalesce in the surface for physical recovery. The actions of the two mentioned chemical agents are usually followed either by natural means or induced biological actions. The natural means can include microbial degradation and photo-oxidation. The latter method proceeds under sunlight where the natural targets are the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) of the oils. The process (also known as photolysis), degrades the PAHs in the form that can be available for microbial degradation (The American Academy of Microbiology 4). In addition, bioremediation is also an effective way to clean up oil spills. The use of bioremediation  agents  includes microbiological cultures, enzyme additives or nutrient additives which can significantly increase the rate

Income Inequality and Redistributive Policies Essay Example for Free

Income Inequality and Redistributive Policies Essay This paper discusses the factors that determine the increase in pay gap between top executives and the average worker. Income inequality has continued to be an economic issue in the United States. The changes in income inequality in the United States have been researched and well documented. The findings reveal an alarming state of affairs concerning income inequality in the country. Most labor economic policies have started to focus on the income inequalities in the country. One of the programs that target this issue is redistribution. For Redistributive Policies to work, it is important to know the factors that contribute to the increase in income gap between the executives and the average workers. Its significance in labor economic policies is vast because of its requirement for mobility as well as heterogeneity in the labor market. It is important to know how the factors established play part in income determination (Piketty Saez, 2003). As will be revealed in the paper, these factors do exist and play a major part in income inequality. Literature analysis The main concepts in the topic of discussion need to be defined. Income is defined as the total of all income components that are showed on tax returns. Income comprises of salaries and wages, pensions, gains from business dealings, capital incomes, rents, and realized capital profits. Income is thus defined as the market income prior to reduction of income taxes. Income is very different from wealth, and the main focus of the paper is income (Piketty Saez, 2003). Available literature defines income inequality in a manner that is completely different from the commonly known inequality, that is, poverty and unfairness. Income inequality refers to the unequal distribution of income among players in a specific economy. This could be income distribution in a particular nation or at the global level. Income inequality metrics seek to give a system of gauging dispersion of income. Income inequality in the economy of the United States is evident in different categories of people. There is income inequality between the executives and the average workers, as in the focus of this paper; there is inequality between men and women and inequality between whites and blacks. Income inequality between the executives and the average workers in the United States is an issue that needs to be handled with the seriousness it deserves. One of the efforts to achieve this is income redistribution (Piketty Saez, 2003). Income redistribution is the reassignment of income from some people to others. Studies reveal that there is concentration of income among the executives, that is, this group tends to earn more that the average workers. Therefore the distribution in this case is from the executives to the average workers. There have been many debates as to the rationale behind redistribution. It is clear that with the increase in income inequality something needs to be done (Piketty Saez, 2003). This will be discussed in a later part of the paper. Statistics to reveal income inequality It is evident from statistics that there is rampant income inequality in the United States. Following the reason of the hard work principle, current executives must work more that the average workers. They also work harder than they used to work forty years ago. As a result, their pay is expected to be higher than that of the average workers and also that it was forty years ago. In the year 2000, the average Chief Executive Officer salary was more than 500 times the salary of the average worker. This is a tremendous increase for in the year 1960 the salary of a Chief Executive Officer was only 40 times that of an average worker (Chingos, 2004). For many other reasons other than hard work, the salary of the executives went up tremendously than corporate gains, while that of the average worker increased in proportion to the rate of inflation. While the salaries of the average workers remained more or less constant they continued working hard as indicated from the results in productivity. The economic inequalities between the executives and the average workers can be observed from a broader scale, as indicated in the rise in pay between income quintiles. Between the year 1979 and 2001, the pay of the top quintile went up by 53 percent, while the pay of the lowest quintile increased by a mere 3 percent (Bebchuk Grinstein, 2005). This is the phenomenon that has marked the economy of the United States; the top quintile though earning more is the one that receives higher pay that the lowest quintile despite the fact that it is the one that earns the least (Kopczuk, Saez Song, 2009). Quite a number of the people who belong to the lowest quintile are the poor. Close to 13% of the United States public, which are about 37 million people are poor. More than a third of this group is, which is about 13 million are young people. Trends in the income, wealth and poverty statistics show an increasing gap among classes. The wealthy are getting wealthier, with the poor becoming poorer. There is an increasing gap between the pay of the executives and that of the average workers and there is no sign that this will change in the near future. This is an argument brought up by the Institute for Policy Studies that has been studying executive income since the year 1994 (Kopczuk, Saez Song, 2009). In the year 2007, the mean ratio between the pay for the Chief Executive Officer and the average worker was 344:1. There was a slight decrease in the average ratio to 319:1. There is a probability that the average ratio will continue to rise. The current estimate is almost hitting 400:1. If there is no remedy in place, there rate will continue to go up with a huge stock option gains by the executive. This is a worrisome state of affairs that should be handled immediately by public policies (Kopczuk, Saez Song, 2009). The public outcry about the income of the executives seems to have gone down in the recent past as a result of rallying of the broader capital market. The focus has shifted from the income to other matters like public health. Cavanagh, who is the director of the Institute for Policy Studies, argues that the income inequality between the directors and the average workers in the United States is a serious matter. He claims that the gap is still very wide, in fact wider than in most other nations worldwide (Chingos, 2004). This is considered a problem in a country that is supposed to be an example of a democracy in the world. The director argues that going back only one generation in the United States, the average ratio in the income between the two groups was 30:1. Based on the factors that are discussed later in the paper, it is not possible for the executives to earn the same amount of income as the average workers. Nevertheless a ratio of more than 300:1 is an exaggeration that should be carefully taken care of. The United States seems to be owned by just a few individuals in the top quintile, with the majority living in poverty. The country seems to be experienced very high rate of income and wealth inequality. The wall street journal reported that the average Chief Executive Officer of a sizeable company earns more than 10 million dollars per annum. This is a vast amount as compared to the 10,000 dollars per annum earned by an average worker (Kopczuk, Saez Song, 2009). Factors that determine the increase in income inequality It is a societal feature that people tend to earn differently. The positions held by people determine the kind of payment they receive due to the fact that they tend to hold varying responsibilities. The importance and complexity of the executive position means that they will obviously receive higher pay that the average workers. For the purpose of providing enough motivation for a wider range of occupation to be occupied, with motivated servants, the society requires to offer varying rewards (Chingos, 2004). Partisan politics The executives are the decision makers in any organization. As a result it is expected that they will always make decisions that are in their favor. Incestuous corporate boards of directors on regular bases approve compensation benefits to the CEOs and other top authorities that are unreasonable. While seated in the board, they only think of their own interests without caring about the hardworking average worker. The average workers have no one to defend their interests and as a result their pay rise increase slowly and after a very long time. This is what has led to the widening in the gap in the gap between the incomes of the two groups. Research reveals that, it is possible for the salary of an average worker to remain constant without increase for a decade (Chingos, 2004). Basic salary While job evaluation is used as the basis for determining pay increase for the workers, this is usually not the case with the executives. The pay increase and compensation for the executives is usually determined by the compensation committee. This is a committee that includes a number or all the members of the board within the organization. The decisions of the pay rise and compensation for the executives has nothing to do with the reports from job evaluation. It is also independent of the data on payment within similar organizations. This therefore means that there is no standard in pay and compensation of executives. There are also no standard rules to govern income and compensation for executives. Basically, income for executives is set to compete with pays of other executives in the market. As a result, the payment is always higher as compared to the salaries of the other workers in the organization. Recent researches reveal that the incomes for the executives within all companies are on the increase. A study of 100 major companies in the united states done by Mercer Human Resource Consulting reveled that the mean sum direct compensation for the CEOs in the studies companies was 4, 419, 300 dollars in the year 2004 (Bebchuk Grinstein, 2005). Executive benefits and privileges In the United States, executives are paid their basic salaries plus other benefits. This is what is together known as the Total Cash Compensation. The executives may also be compensated for their efforts with cash plus shares in the organization, which are most of the times subject to vesting limitations. This is what it means to be provided with long-term incentive. After the expiration of the time referred by the vesting restrictions, the shares are transferred. Vesting can be on the basis of performance, time or both performance and time. The incentives are provided to the executives as a way of motivating them to put more effort in running the company. These are some of the benefits that are not available to the average worker, therefore explaining the difference in their income (Bebchuk Grinstein, 2005). Benefits for the executives are obviously different from those offered to the average workers. The executives are the ones who receive higher fringe benefits, insurance and pension schemes. Most of the executives negotiate high packages during the time of employment. This is mostly tied to their education level, skills and experience. In this case, they are able to collect a lot of money from the company regardless of their performance. Executive privileges are special benefits that they receive. These perquisites are mostly paid to the executives and the top managers of the organization. These may be items like vehicles, membership to clubs, special parking among other amenities. It is common for the United States executives to get perks as part of their overall compensation (Chingos, 2004). Executive bonuses In the basic salary of the executives, most of their pay is not constant, they payment may be entitled to a compensation that varies with their level of performance. The intention of this compensation is a motivating factor for the executives to perform better. For example, there can be a reward for achievement of a particular target. One of the most common variable pay is what is known as executive bonus. This is a kind of compensation that is paid on achievement of some short-term objectives. The compensation is on the bases of any number of performance results. The compensation can be based on the judgment of the board or the amounts of profits or market share gained by the business. Nearly all the companies in the United States offer compensation or bonuses to their executives. This is a benefit that is not enjoyed by average workers in these companies. The Mercer research reveals that the executives of the 100 companies had a mean bonus of 1. 4 million dollars in the year 2004. This bonus is equivalent to 141% of their annual basic salary. This indicates that the bonuses are higher that the pay they receive as a basic salary. In other words, even if the ratio of the basic salary of the executives to that of the average worker was low, the bonuses accounts for the increased level of the income inequality among the two groups. It is evident that with this kind of income, there is no way the income inequality between the two groups can be avoided (Chingos, 2004).

Helen Of Troy :: Ancient Greece Greek History

Helen Of Troy Helen was the most beautiful woman in the entire Greek known world. She was the daughter of the god Zeus and of Leda, and wife of the King of Sparta. The hero Theseus, who hoped in time to marry her, abducted her in childhood but her brothers rescued her. Because Helen was courted by so many prominent heroes, Menelaus made all of them swear to abide by Helen's choice of a husband, and to defend that husband's rights should anyone attempt to take Helen away by force. Helen's beauty was the direct cause of the Trojan War. The ten-year conflict began when the three goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite asked the Trojan prince Paris to choose the most beautiful among them. After each of the goddesses had attempted to influence his decision, Paris chose Aphrodite, who had promised him the world's most beautiful woman. Soon afterward Paris sailed to Greece, where Helen and her husband hospitably received him, Menelaus, king of Sparta. Helen, as the fairest of her sex, was the prize destined for Paris. Although she was living happily with Menelaus, Helen fell under the influence of Aphrodite and allowed Paris to persuade her to run off with him, and he carried her off to Troy. Menelaus then called upon the Greek leaders, including Helen's former suitors, to help him rescue his wife, and with few exceptions they responded to his call. Agamemnon his brother led the forces to Troy. During ten years of conflict, the Greeks and Trojans fought irresolutely. Then Paris and Menelaus agreed to meet in single combat between the opposing armies, and Helen was summoned to view the duel. As she approached the tower, where the aged King Priam and his counselors sat, her beauty was still so matchless and her sorrow so great that no one could feel for her anything but compassion. Although the Greeks claimed the vic tory in the battle between the two warriors, Aphrodite helped Paris escape from the enraged Menelaus by enveloping him in a cloud and taking him safely to Helen's chamber, where Aphrodite compelled the unwilling Helen to lie with him. Unable to capture the city after a siege of ten years, the Greeks resorted to strategy. Agamemnon's forces, namely Odysseus, came up with a plan. They sailed away and left the Trojan horse, filled with armed warriors, on the shore. Sinon, a Greek spy, persuaded the Trojans to take the horse into the city, convincing them that to do so would mysteriously make Troy invulnerable.

Organic Food in Spain: Market Segmentation Essay

Abstract In recent years, consumers concerns on environmental and health issues related to food products have increased and, as a result, the demand for organically grown production. Higher costs of production and retailer margins generate a gap between real prices and those consumers are willing to pay for organic food. In this paper, consumer willingness to pay for organic food in two Spanish regions is analyzed. Markets in both regions are segmented considering consumers lifestyles. Results indicate that consumers concerned about healthy diet and environmental degradation are more likely to buy organic food and are willing to pay a higher premium. Organic attributes are easily identified in perishable products as the premium consumers would pay for organic meat, fruits and vegetables is higher. 1 PUBLICADO EN International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, (2001), 3, 207-226. 1 Market segmentation and willingness to pay for organic products in Spain 1. Introduction Food consumption in most developed countries has attained a saturation point in quantity terms, and consumer food choices are broader than in the past. The result is a more diversified consumption. In this saturated market environment, distribution channels, marketing activities, diversification strategies and food quality are increasingly important. In addition, consumers have become more concerned about nutrition, health and the quality of food they eat. The increasing importance of health, and the impact food production has on the environment, on consumer food choice is well documented in the literature (Jolly et al. , 1989; Jordan and Elnagheeb, 1991; Oude Ophius, 1991; Baker and Crosbie, 1993; Grunert and Juhl, 1995; Kleijn et al., 1996; Viaene and Gellynck, 1996; Chupitaz and Keslemont, 1997). As a consequence, organic products production and consumption have grown in recent years. The number of papers which have been devoted to the study of organic food markets has increased (Lampkin, 1989; Beharrel and MacFie, 1991; Landell Mills, 1992; Tregear et al. , 1994; Lin et al. , 1996; Vetter and Christensen, 1996; Thompson and Kindwell, 1998; among others). Organic farming refers to a farming system which uses organic manure, and avoids or largely excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and chemicals. A recent study carried out by FAO (1998) has shown that an adequate management of organic farming generates a positive impact on the environment (e. g. , reduction of water â€Å"contamination†, increased soil fertility due to crop rotation). On the demand side, consumers have positive attitudes towards organic products as they perceive them as healthier than conventional alternatives (Beharrel and MacFie, 1991). In the case of Spain, although the production of organic food products has considerably increased during the past decade, demand is still very low as only 0. 5% of food expenditure is allocated to such products. The main obstacle with organic production seems to be the difficulty in selling organic products in retail food markets. Although consumers search for more diverse, higher quality and healthier food products, organic products face problems related to consumer product acceptability (new product, high price and deficiencies in distribution channels (Roddy 2 et al. , 1994)). On the production side, high costs, especially labor costs, and the difficulty of shifting from conventional to organic farming are also limiting factors (Vetter and Christensen, 1996; Hamiti et al. , 1996). Furthermore, food availability and seasonality influence marketing activities and make it difficult to establish appropriate retailing outlets. Higher costs of production and retailer margins jointly may result in higher prices than consumers are willing to pay for organic food attributes. The objective of this study is to estimate the willingness of different consumer segments in Spain to pay for organic products, in order to assess alternative price strategies carried out by producers. From other studies, it was expected that consumers would be willing to pay a premium for organic products. This expectation is based on the idea that these products are healthier and may diminish negative environmental effects associated with conventional agricultural production. In order to expand the scope of our results, in this study we have considered a wide range of food products: 1) vegetables; 2) potatoes; 3) cereals; 4) fruits; 5) eggs; 6) chicken; and 7) red meat. Among the different methodological alternatives to assess consumers willingness to pay, the contingent valuation (CV) approach was chosen (Hanemann, 1984, 1987). Although CV is a method primarily used for monetary evaluation of consumer preferences for non-market goods (e. g. , unpriced natural resources), it is also useful in this context because the organic market is still too â€Å"thin†, and organic products are not available in all retail outlets. The paper is organized as follows. In the next section, some descriptive statistics on the evolution of organic farming in the European Union (EU) and, particularly, in Spain are shown. A brief description of the survey instrument used is provided in section 3. Next, consumer market segments based on consumers’ lifestyles are defined and characterized taking into consideration both socioeconomic characteristics and attitudes towards organic food products and environmental concerns. In section 5 the willingness to pay of each segment and all products considered are calculated. A brief outline of the theoretical foundation of the CV method is also included. Finally, some concluding remarks are outlined. 2. Relative importance of organic agricultural production in the European Union and Spain 3 Land under organic farming in EU countries has dramatically increased from 425 thousand ha in 1992 to 2.9 million ha in 1999 (Table 1). Although the area has grown seven fold, it still represents only 2. 2% of total cultivated agricultural land. The proportion of land devoted to organic production on total cultivated land varies from country to country. The highest values are found in Austria (8. 4%), followed by Finland (6. 3%), Denmark (5. 5%), Sweden (5. 5%) and Italy (5. 3%). The lowest are found in the rest of the Mediterranean countries (Portugal, Greece and Spain) in spite of the important increase of land devoted to organic products in these countries. Among EU countries the most spectacular increase in land devoted to organic production has taken place in Italy, although a high percentage corresponds to pastures. (Insert Table 1) Organic farming in Spain has been developed only recently but has increased rapidly during the past few years. Land devoted to organic production has increased from 7,900 ha, in 1992, to 352,000 ha, in 1999, when it accounted for 1. 4% of the total utilized agricultural land, still under the European average. Three-fourths of Spanish organic farming is concentrated in three regions: Extremadura (47%), Andalucia (17%) and Castilla-Leon (12%) (Table 2). In relative terms, regions with higher percentages of organic farming on total utilized agricultural area are Canarias (7. 7%), Extremadura (6%) and Comunidad Valenciana (2. 6%). Normally, organic production in each region is highly related to the crops which are traditionally produced there. At the national level, cereals and olives are the main organic crops followed by nuts and fruits. However, it is noticeable that a high percentage of land devoted to pastures is under organic production, mainly concentrated in the central and southern part of Spain. This explains the relative importance of Extremadura and Andalucia in organic production. Navarra, on the other hand, is the region in which more diversification exists, producing a wide variety of organic agricultural products (fruits, vegetables, cereals and meat). (Insert Table 2) Available information on consumption is less precise. According to the European Commission, EU expenditures on organic products accounted for 1. 5 million Euros in 1991, representing 0. 3% of total food expenditures. The proportion varies from country to country. Expenditure on organic products in Denmark lies between 2% to 3% of total food expenditures; in Germany, it represents 1. 2%; in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and the Netherlands it is 4 less than 1%. In the case of Spain, the relative importance of organic food products is lower, accounting for only 0. 5% of total food expenditures. Comparing the Spanish figures on production and consumption of organic food products, it is clear that production has increased faster than consumption. The demand for organic food in central and northern European countries is growing more rapidly than in Spain. The main consequence is that, today, more than 50% of organically produced fruits and vegetables are sold in foreign markets leaving, to a certain extent, consumers unattended in the domestic market. Producers get a premium when selling in foreign markets and they expect and want to earn the same premium in the domestic market. However, as in Spain most of the conventional food products are less expensive than in other European countries (mainly, pasta, fruits and vegetables), the gap between conventional and organic products prices is higher in Spain, limiting the expansion of organic food consumption. The study tries to provide a better understanding of Spanish consumers in relation to organic food. Assuming that higher prices is the main limiting factor for increasing organic consumption, special attention will be paid to the maximum premium consumers are willing to pay for such products. As a previous step, consumers will be segmented according to their lifestyles and, then, market segments characterized taking into account consumers socioeconomic characteristics and attitudes towards organic food products and environmental concerns. 3. Data The data used here come from a survey conducted in July-August 1997 in two Spanish regions: Navarra and Madrid. Navarra was selected not only because it is one of the most important producing regions in Spain, but also because it produces a wide variety of organic food products. Madrid is one the most important regions, together with Cataluna, in terms of organic food products consumption. Samples in both regions were selected using a stratified random sample of food buyers on the basis of age and district of residence2 . Four hundred respondents were randomly selected and personally interviewed at home in each region. Respondents were the main purchasers of food products within the household. The first question in the questionnaire was respondents’ 2 Census data were available in both regions. 5 degree of knowledge of what an organic product was. If the respondent did not know anything about them, he/she was not interviewed. So, only respondents with at least some knowledge of organic products were considered 3 . Only 10% of respondents in Navarra and 5% in Madrid claimed to buy organic products regularly, while another 55% in Navarra and 42%, in Madrid, were occasional buyers. These percentages are similar to those obtained in other studies ( ullen and Wholegenant, 1991; M Hansen and Sorensen, 1992, 1993). 4. Market segmentation for organic food As mentioned above, the first step in this study was to group consumers into homogeneous clusters. Consumers were segmented according to their lifestyles as previous research has shown that the willingness to pay for an organic product might be influenced by individual ways of living rather than by the usual socioeconomic variables (Hartman and New Hope, 1997). Once the market segments were obtained, they were characterized taking into account both consumers socioeconomic characteristics and their attitudes towards organic food products and environmental issues. Among socioeconomic characteristics, age, gender, education level, family size and income were judged to be the most relevant. Lifestyles as well as attitudes towards environmental issues, on one hand, and towards organic food products, on the other, were measured by three tested scales (the complete scales are shown in the Appendix). Respondents were asked to evaluate, assigning a value from 1 to 7, their agreement with different sentences. These three scales have been reduced by a principal components analysis to extract main dimensions on each aspect. 4 The main results from these analyses follow. i) Lifestyles. Table 3 shows the correlation between the original variables (sentences) and factors obtained from principal components analysis in Navarra and Madrid. In Navarra, lifestyles was summarized in three factors which account for 53% of the total variance (Table 3, top). The first one, ‘Natural food consumption’, explains 30% of the total variance and is linked to 3 Only consumers with at least a certain knowledge on what organic products are were interviewed. In a previous qualitative research, 90% respondents said they had heard or knew something about organic products. More or less the same percentage was found in the survey. Thus, the sample seems reasonably representative. 4 The non-linear principal components analysis (De Leeuw and Rijckevorsel, 1980) was also used as an alternative to condense the information. Results were almost identical to those presented. 6 consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and the concern for reducing the consumption of red meat, processed food or food with additives. The second factor, ‘Life Equilibrium’, explains 14% of the total variance, and refers to the existence of a real interest on keeping a balance between work and private life, living in a methodical and ordered way and trying to reduce stress. Finally, the third factor contributes to 9% of the total variance. It is called, ‘Health care’, and shows the interest of consumers for keeping themselves healthy, through practicing sports, following a natural diet, controlling salt ingestion and regularly checking their health. In Madrid, four factors were selected which account for 62% of the total variance (Table 3, botton). The first three factors are similar to those obtained in Navarra, but in a different order, indicating that their relative importance differs. The first factor here is, ‘ Health care’, which explains 28% of the total variance and is linked to consumers awareness to regularly check their health. The second factor, ‘Natural food consumption’, contributes to explain 13% of the total lifestyles variance and, as in the case of Navarra, is linked to variables indicating consumers consumption of healthier food products. The third factor, ‘ ife Equilibrium’, has a similar L interpretation to the case of Navarra. Finally, the fourth factor, ‘Mediterranean diet ’, is related to a high consumption of fruits and a moderate consumption of meat. (Insert Table 3) ii) Attitudes towards environmental issues. In relation to attitudes about environmental issues, two factors were selected in both regions which explained 63% and 70% of the total variance in Navarra and Madrid, respectively (Table 4). The first factor, ‘Environmental conservation’, is related to variables indicating that consumers have an active interest in reducing the effect of environmental degradation by recycling products and using recycled products, etc. The second factor, ‘Environmental concerns’, is linked to those variables showing consumers awareness about the negative effect of development on the environment. (Insert Table 4) iii) Attitudes towards organic food products Table 5 shows the results of the principal components analysis carried out on variables related to consumers’ attitudes towards organic food products. The original information was summarized in two and three factors in the cases of Navarra and Madrid, respectively (Table 5). In Navarra the two factors account for 45% of the total variance. The first factor, ‘ Positive aspects’, emphasizes the quality, taste, healthiness, attractiveness and absence of harmful effects 7 of these products. The second factor, ‘Negative aspects’, is related to the perception that organic products are only a new fashion and more expensive than the conventional ones. In Madrid the three factors explain the 59% of the total variance. In this case, the organic food positive aspects were divided in two factors, ‘Quality and healthy aspects’ and ‘External appearance’ (related to organic food products’ attractiveness and taste). The â€Å"negative aspects† factor is related to the same attitudes as in the case of Navarra. (Insert Table 5) Market segmentation The K-means cluster analysis technique (Malhotra, 1993) was used to identify market segments in relation to organic food products. Lifestyles factors (Table 3) were used as segmentation variables. Three segments in Navarra and four segments in Madrid were identified. Each segment was characterized taking into account: consumers’ socioeconomic characteristics (age, gender, education level, family size and income); factors related to attitudes towards environmental issues (Table 4); factors related to attitudes towards organic food products (Table 5); and the consumption level of organic food products 5 . Results from cluster analysis and market segments characterization are shown in Tables 6 and 7, for Navarra and Madrid, respectively. (Insert Table 6) In Navarra, the first segment accounts for 25% of the sample (Table 6). It includes those people who show a leaning towards natural food consumption and a balanced life, but with no excessive care for their health. This is a potential consumer group of organic products as most of respondents occasionally consume them and a high proportion is willing to taste them in the near future. For this reason, the segment is labeled †Likely consumers†. Consumers in this segment are mainly women, middle-aged, with an educational level of high school or less and they positively assess the beneficial aspects of organic food products. The second segment includes 52% of consumers. It is formed by respondents evenly split between men and women. They are also not well educated (high school or less) and 75% are of medium income. They are worried about health and the balance between private life and work, but pay less attention to follow a natural diet. The percentage of regular and occasional 5. Four categories were defined: 1) regular consumption, 2) occasional consumption; 3) no consumption but probably yes in the near future; 4) no consumption at all. 8 consumers is the highest among all segments; therefore this segment is called â€Å"Organic food consumers†. Nevertheless, this big proportion could reflect certain confusion among consumers between real organic products and those grown in home gardens, for self-consumption. This is very frequent in this area. Navarra is a very important producer region of fruits and vegetables and many people living in town keep strong links with rural areas. This fact could also explain the negative value assigned to the â€Å"natural food consumption† factor. Furthermore, no need for a special consideration of healthy diet is shown as it is intrinsic to consumption habits. The third segment accounts for 23% of respondents. This is clearly the least involved group on natural food consumption, life equilibrium and health care and includes the highest percentage of no consumers. The relatively low potential consumption together with the lack of awareness about health and more natural diets suggest that organic consumption in this group will not be stimulated. Therefore, this segment is labeled as â€Å"Unlikely consumers†. Half of consumers in this segment have less than 35 years old. Finally, it is important to note that among the â€Å"unlikely consumers† half of them have more than a high school. Results from segmentation in Madrid are different because of the heterogeneity of an over 5 million inhabitants town (Table 7). Four segments were identified. Half of the consumers within the first segment (23% of the population) are over 60 years old and there are more households with 2 o fewer inhabitants than in the other groups. Consumers in this group are better educated than in other segments. However, almost 90% of consumers are of medium or modest income. They are not very aware of environmental problems but are worried about health issues and try to follow a â€Å"balanced† life. Mediterranean diet is valued positively but consumption of organic products is not of much interest for them as they do not appreciate the positive organic food products attributes. Therefore, this segment is called â€Å"Unlikely mature consumers†. (Insert Table 7) The second segment is similar to the previous one in terms of the consumption level although the percentage of regular and occasional consumers is even lower. In relation to sociodemographic characteristics consumers in this segments are younger, than those of the first segment, the percentage of male consumers is higher and, finally, family size is larger. They are not very involved in environmental issues, have a negative image of organic products and are not worried about diet and health but try to maintain a certain equilibrium between working and 9 private life. This segment is labeled â€Å"Unlikely young consumers† and accounts for 20% of the population. The third segment (22% of the population) is also mainly formed by households with 3 or 4 members (usually a couple with one or two children). The percentage of consumers educated beyond high school is very low in this group (17%). Consumers within this segment are looking for a more natural diet in which Mediterranean products play an important role, although they show a negative attitude towards the external appearance of organic food products. They are occasional buyers of organic food and are likely to increase their consumption if the natural attribute of such products is reinforced. Thus, this segment is called â€Å"Likely consumers†. Finally, the forth segment accounts for 35% of the population and is labeled â€Å"organic food consumers†. The percentage of regular and occasional consumers is the highest in relation to other groups. It is quite similar to the second segment found in Navarra although it is smaller. Consumers do not show special socioeconomic profiles. Only it is noticeable the high percentage of female consumers. People within this group participate more actively in environmental conservation tasks and are more concerned about food diet and health. As it can be observed from tables 6 and 7, market segments found in both regions present certain similarities although they are more heterogeneous in the case of Madrid. The â€Å"organic food consumers† segment is larger in the producing region (Navarra) as previously discussed. In any case, different market segments, with different socioeconomic and lifestyle characteristics, normally mean differences in preferences. In this paper, the main objective was to evaluate the consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for organic products. In the next section we will answer this question and will identify differences across segments in both regions. 5. Willingness to pay: the contingent valuation method Consumers willingness to pay (WTP) for organic food products is here measured using a direct valuation method: contingent valuation (CV). A mixed questioning procedure, normally called closed-ended with follow-up was used. This procedure consists of a dichotomous choice (DC) question and a maximum WTP question. In the DC question, consumers are asked whether or not they are willing to pay a premium, A, to buy an organic food product instead of a i conventional one. The amount Ai is a percentage over the price of the conventional product and 10 differs across consumers (5%, 10%, 15% and 20%)6 . Consumers responses are YES if they are willing to pay at least Ai for an organic product or NO, otherwise. Consumers are then asked for the exact premium they are willing to pay. The dichotomous individual response is linked to the maximum utility choice which allows us to calculate the WTP from appropriate welfare measures (Hanemann, 1984). Hanemann (1984) assumed that consumers know, with certainty, their utility function before being asked and after paying the amount Ai for buying organic food products. However, some components of these utilities are unknown or unobservable by researches who consider them as stochastic. This issue is the crucial assumption which explains the relation between statistical binary response models and the utility maximizing theory (Hanemann, 1984, 1987). Assuming a linear utility function and a logistic distribution function for the binary question, the WTP can be measured through the estimation of the following logistic function (Hanemann, 1984): Pi = (1 + e -(? + ? Ai) )-1 where, Pi : 1 if consumers are willing to pay the amount Ai and 0 otherwise Ai : the four premiums offered to consumers (5%, 10%, 15% and 20%) Therefore, the mean of WTP is calculated as follows: E(WTP) = ? ?0 (1 + e -(? + ? A) )-1 dA = -? /? (1) Survey data consisted of 400 questionnaires but only 360 were available in Navarra and 376 in Madrid for estimation purposes. The rest of questionnaires were dropped out because interviewers had not answered the dichotomous question. Model defined in (1) was transformed to a linear one: DCi = ? + ? Ai where, DCi : is the logarithm of the probability ratio (Pi /1- Pi ) (2). 6 Consumers are randomly offered a premium of 5, 10, 15 or 20% above the marketed price for a conventional product. Our 400 interviews resulted in 100 answers for each amount A i . 11 Tables 8 and 9 show the maximum willingness to pay for various organic products (vegetables, potatoes, cereals, fruits, eggs, chicken and red meat) in Navarra and Madrid 7 . As we were interested in knowing if WTP differences existed across market segments, we tested for differences in WTP using a covariance analysis method. The unrestricted model was equation (1) adding the appropriate dummy variables. Two types of restrictions were tested: i) no differences across all segments; and ii) differences between any pair of segments. Results from Likelihood Ratio tests are shown in Tables 8 and 9. (Insert Table 8) (Insert Table 9) Also, we tested for starting point bias, that is, if premium offered to consumers biased WTP results. A linear regression was used to estimate consumers WTP as a function of the offered premium. A significant relationship would mean that WTP results were biased. Only in the case of potatoes in Madrid, results were conditioned to the offered premium. In the case of Navarra, all estimated parameters in segments 1 and 2 are individually significant at 5% level (Table 8). As expected, ? coefficients are negative, meaning that the higher is the premium (Ai) offered to consumers, the lower is the probability of answering YES. The third column in each segment shows the willingness to pay for organic products. The WTP is significantly different among all segments at 5% significance level (first column in Table 8). However, no differences were found between segment 1 and segment 2, indicating that potential and actual consumers are willing to pay a similar premium for all products. In both segments, the WTP ranges from 15% to 25% over the price of conventional products. Consumers included in the third segment, â€Å"Unlikely consumers†, are more reluctant to pay a premium for an organic product which is consistent with their attitudes and lifestyles. Most of the estimated parameters are not significant indicating that their WTP is zero. Only in the case of eggs is the WTP close to 10%. In general terms, consumers in Madrid were willing to pay a smaller premium for an organic product (Table 9). Furthermore, when compared to Navarra, results obtained in Madrid are substantially different as market segments differ. The most interesting result is that all segments are willing to pay a higher premium for fruits and vegetables. It seems that for 7 For comparison purposes the sample average WTP for different products in Navarra and Madrid are respectively: vegetables (13%, 12%); potatoes (9%, 9%); cereals (10%, 8%); fruits (13%, 13%); eggs (10%, 11%); chicken (13%, 9%) and; red meat (14%, 11%). 12 perishable products, like fruits and vegetables, the specific characteristics of organic production are more appreciated by consumers. Consumers’ WTP is significantly different across all segments when jointly considered. However, differences segment 1, 2 and 3 are quite small and not significant in most products. On the other hand, the â€Å"Organic food consumers† are willing to pay a higher and significantly different premium than the rest for an organic food product. Only for animal products (red meat, chicken and eggs), differences between real and potential consumers (market segments 4 and 3) are not significant. Among â€Å"unlikely consumers† (market segments 1 and 2), the older ones, worried about natural food consumption, are willing to pay a higher premium for organic meat products than the younger. 6. Conclusions Organic farming practices are becoming increasingly popular among producers although they still represent a marginal share of arable land. New possibilities to get subsidies within the Common Agricultural Policy has favored a rapid growth of organic production although a high percentage is devoted to pastures. On the demand side, the increase concerns about health, diet and environmental deterioration have, at least among some market segments, stimulated the demand for organic food. In Spain, organic food production and consumption have grown more slowly than in other â€Å"northern† European countries. One of the main obstacles for organic food expansion in Spain is the existing gap between conventional and organic food prices. Approximately 75% of organic production is exported to foreign countries where food prices are higher than in domestic markets. As the producers price strategy is oriented to fix more or less the same price level in both domestic and foreign markets (mainly in Germany and Denmark where the consumption of organic products has undertaken a noticeable increase in the last years), the result is that the premium Spanish consumers have to pay for organic food products is higher in comparison to other European countries. Two issues were explored which can affect the future development of organic production in Spain. The first was to detect market segments which could be potential consumers of organic food. The second issue was the identification of the maximum premium the various market segments were willing to pay for such products in order to help producers to take adequate pricing strategies in domestic markets. The study was carried out in two Spanish regions: one is 13 an active producing area ( avarra) while the other is the main food consumption market N (Madrid). Differences between regions were also analyzed. Finally, one of the main outcomes of this paper is that it covers a wide range of products in order to make comparisons both between products and market segments. In relation to the first issue, market segments were identified considering consumers lifestyles and, then, were characterized taking into account not only consumers socioeconomic characteristics but also consumption levels and attitudes towards organic food products and environmental issues. Similar segments were obtained in both regions although more heterogeneity was found in the case of Madrid. In general terms, three broad market segments were identified: consumers, likely consumers and unlikely consumers. The surprising result is that organic food consumers in both regions were larger than expected taking into account expenditure figures discussed in section 2. The answer to this surprising result is that in many areas consumers are supplying their own products. They consider them organic, simply because no fertilizers are used, when really they are not, as there is not any official certification. In spite of this result, some concluding remarks can be outlined. In general terms, consumers socioeconomic characteristics are not very relevant when explaining differences among market segments. Lifestyles and attitudes towards environmental issues are key factors explaining organic food consumption and have to be considered when designing appropriate promotion strategies by producers or marketers. In relation to the second issue, three main results were obtained.