Germanys Proposals on EU Multiannual Financial Framework

Germanys Proposals on EU Multiannual Financial Framework GERMANY’S REFORM PROPOSALS ON THE FUTURE STRATEGIC DIRECTION OF THE MULTIANNUAL FINANCIAL FRAMEWORK Introduction This report is written from the perspective of Germany concerning the EU Multiannual Financial Framework, which is the seven-year structure that regulates its annual budget. The account starts with a review of the existing financial state and standing of Germany within the context of her strength within the network of states. It provides an assessment of the demographic and human resource capabilities of Germany in the areas of education and skills, technology, and research and development. The report proceeds by giving an outline of the reform proposals of Germany on the future strategic direction of the financial framework by highlighting areas of particular interests as regards increasing or decreasing the package, and the potential areas for a rebalancing of the budget. The report concludes by outlining how the proposed spending priorities will give value-added opportunities for the EU as a whole. In writing the report considerations were given to the overall evolution of the budgetary debate over the recent years. 2.1  Reform Proposals Two policy areas which have dominated the overall EU expenditure over the past decades are agricultural and structural policies. The two policy areas are the focus of Germany’s reform proposals. Germany seeks a reordering of spending priorities, maintenance of the overall budget level while exploring other means of revenue generation for the EU budget. The reforms proposed are as follows: 2.2  Proposal 1 Reduce CAP Spending By 10% (Heading 2) According to (EC, 2011), currently over a fourth of the EU budget is expended on subsidies to farmers whether they are involved in any significant economic activity or not. The EC outlines that direct payments to farmers are based on traditional entitlement as opposed to definitive need for social protection in agriculture. Germany proposes that direct payments received by the top 11 EU member states be reduced by 50%. These measures will result in a reduction of CAP spending by 10%, which represents â‚ ¬27.8 billion in the next financial package. 2.3  Proposal 2 Reduce Cohesion Fund Spending by 10% (Heading 1b) According to (Bachtler, 2003), the convergence objective is to correct fiscal and societal disparities amongst EU member states with a GDP less than 75% of the EU average. Currently all regions in EU member states with a GDP above 75% of the EU average are covered under Heading 1b. Germany proposal is that the requirement to have a GDP below 75% should apply to member states only and not the regions. Germany is of the view that restructuring of the eligibility conditions would save a total of â‚ ¬32.5 billion. 2.4  Proposal 3 Increase the EU’s Foreign policy budget by 5 % Heading 4 of the MFF is currently allocated about 6% of the EU budget. (Sà ¶derbaum, 2005) observes that since the institution of the Common Foreign and Security Policy in 1992, the tendency has been to put the heading at the bottom of the budget. He asserts that the poor funding has negatively impacted the management of EU external relations. The 5% additional spending would represent an increase of â‚ ¬2.94 billion. 3. HOW PROPOSED SPENDING PRIORITIES WILL CREATE VALUE-ADDED OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE EU 3.1  Value Added Opportunities Thus, Germany would like to see the savings from the aforementioned proposals reallocated into the following priority areas: 3.2  Youth Employment According to (Eurostat, 2014), there are 7.5 million youth in the EU not in employment, education, and training. Germany’s youth unemployment represents 7.7 % of this figure. Germany believes this problem can be addressed by apprenticeship schemes and initiatives in Germany and across the EU. Companies who engage in the schemes will benefit from net profits on their investment, and the apprentices will learn skills that will increase the prospect of future employability that will result in increased tax revenue and less welfare payments. 3.3  Competitiveness Research and Development According to the (EC, 2011), the EU accounts for 24 % of global research investments. (Van Noorden, 2014) believes that the EU needs a push presently to increase its Research Development spending because it faces the risk of falling behind its international competitors in America and Asia. Additional spending will help to increase collaboration between science and industry and augment the extent to which researches are successfully translated into new technology, ensuring that the EU is prepared to face the challenges of the future. 3.4  Expansion of the Trans Europe Network According to (Spiekermann, 1996) the purpose of the trans-European networks (TEN) is to improve economic and social cohesion through efficient connection of the main economic centres. The savings from the cuts should be reassigned to completion of key transport projects through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the EUs funding system for trans-European transport. This would expedite completion of networks that will improve the inter-operability between the central and outer regions of the union, and bring economic opportunities and beneficial social impact. 3.5  EU Foreign Policy (Euractiv, 2011), outlines that the EU struggles to find a single voice global affairs and is often marginalized by other countries. It presents the argument that the EUs declining influence abroad is proportional to its foreign expenditure and the size of its diplomatic corps. (Emerson, et al, 2011), expresses the need for a restructuring of European diplomacy through the building of a first rate diplomatic corps. The spending will strengthen EU’s influence so it can play an active role in creating peace and well-being in an interdependent world. 3.6  Renewable Energy (105 Words) References Bachtler, J., 2003. Reforming EU Cohesion Policy: An Assessment of the Debate.Intereconomics,38(6), pp. 302-305. Emerson, Michael, Rosa Balfour, Tim Corthaut, Jan Wouters, Piotr Maciej KaczyÅ„ski, and Thomas Renard.Upgrading the EUs Role as Global Actor. Centre for European Policy Studies, 2011. EurActive (2013, January 23) .The EUs role in global governance. Retrieved March 5, 2014, from http://www.euractiv.com/global-europe/eus-role-global-governance-linksdossier-503726 European Commission. (2011). CAP Towards 2020 Impact Assessment. Retrieved February 10, 2014, fromhttp://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/rica/pdf/PO0202_direct_payments.pdfEuropean Commission. (2011). Innovation Union Competitiveness Report 2011. Overall picture: Europe’s competitive position in research and innovation. Retrieved March 5, 2014, from http://ec.europa.eu/research/innovation-union/pdf/competitiveness-report/2011/overall_picture.pdfEuroStat (2014).Unemployment Statistics. Retrieved February 10, 2014, from http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Unemployment_statistics Sà ¶derbaum, F., Van Langenhove, L. (2005). Introduction: the EU as a global actor and the role of interregionalism.European Integration,27(3), 249-262.Van Noorden, R. (2014, January 08). China tops Europe in RD intensity. Retrieved February 14, 2014, from http://www.nature.com/news/china-tops-europe-in-rd-intensity-1.14476. Conclusion Germany considers that the principal means by which the EU can meet its objectives is through innovation, technological advancement, research and development, employment creation, training, new skills development, economies of scale, a modern energy policy, and a comprehensible and participatory foreign policy. In order to achieve these key targets fundamental changes are necessary in the content of the budget, revenues, and the overall spending programs so that budget expenditures can add beneficial value to the EU. Under this budgeting approach, priority would be given to policy areas that are most favourable to long-term competitiveness. Given the traditional budgeting pattern of the past Germany appreciates that this is an ambitious budgeting framework to advocate, but it is one that would provide lasting value by making the EU the most competitive and modern society in the world. Lastly, Germany recognizes the need for other means of revenue to finance future EU budgets. Many options has been proffered, such as an EU tax on financial transactions, revenues from greenhouse gas emission, EU tax linked to air transport, EU VAT, and EU energy tax. The issue of EU own resource is a controversial one because Member States have always shown opposition to the idea of an EU tax. In addition, introducing a new tax in the current economic climate runs the risk of disaffecting citizens and other Member States. However, Germany is of the view that deliberation must continue on the development of viable options through which the EU budget can be financed in order to relieve the donor fatigue on her part and other net contributors.

Analysis of the Chinese Cosmetic Market

Analysis of the Chinese Cosmetic Market Abstract Women have an inherent love of beauty. The rapid economic growth, coupled with the huge development of cosmetics industry in China, contributes to the significant changes of cosmetics consumer behavior. Cosmetics have become a routine tool to make women more presentable. Understanding behaviour of consumers is a key to the success of business. As a huge potential consumer group, understanding of their attitudes and buying behavior towards cosmetics seems to be necessary. This study focused on investigating and analysing the purchasing patterns for female college students. Via the systemic study, companies will be beneficial to have a better understanding of college females in terms of cosmetics purchasing. The survey was conducted with focus group and questionnaires. The results of questionnaires will be analyzed by using SPSS and data were analysed by frequency analysis, cross-tab analysis and multi-respond analysis. Introduction Research background With the expansion of social group and rising incomes, beauty consciousness among women has changed. Cosmetics entered into womens lives on a daily basis. The act of beautifying physical appearance not only becomes a distinct way to express ones image but also a pattern to show respect to other people (Choi, Kim, Kim, 2007). Following decade of years tremendous economic development, the Chinese cosmetics industry is undergoing fast changes and advancement. It further enhances the consumption level of urban and rural residents, improve the consumption environment, optimize consumption structures, and contribute to expansion of the fields of consumption (Tao, 2005). Consumer categories such as cosmetics benefited from the rapid growth in consumer spending, and have become a huge money maker. Meanwhile, the increasing fashion and beauty consciousness, as a natural outgrowth of rising incomes, diversify consumers demands. Obviously, this potential has not only attracted international cosmetics companies, but also led to more domestic cosmetics producers trying to enter the market. As a consequence, competition will be further intensified among foreign and domestic companies. Previous research indicated that females spending on cosmetics still making up of the main income for the entire cosmetics market. An increasing number of female college students starting to show strong interest in enhancing their appearance through make-up (Huang, 2003). With a high level of interests in appearance, they have revealed a great potential. College students represent not only the remarkable consumption potential but also the future mainstream. Thus, the female college students patterns of consumption gradually become a major concern (Choi, Kim, Kim, 2007). Studying consumer behavior enables companies to understand why consumers make the purchase decision and predict how they will react to promotional messages. On the purpose of maintaining and expanding market share, understanding of consumer behavior will be required to suit their changing needs. Therefore, research need to be conducted to provide cosmetic companies with basic data required in establishing marketing s trategies for advancement into Chinese market to tailor consumption patterns of female college students. Scope and objectives of study When reviewing the literatures on the cosmetic and toiletry industry, the existing research related to Chinese cosmetic consumer is typically concerned with the entire market. Not many studies are available specifically focus on college students buying behavior. In the regard, considering the massive size of China, the present study limits itself to the female college students. By and large, this dissertation makes an attempt to investigate and analyse purchasing pattern of female college cosmetic consumers. In particular, this study aims to achieve the following objectives: To pinpoint and obtain a general picture of the cosmetics industry in China. On completion of this objective, the intention would be to get an insight into the cosmetics environment and the rapid growth trend of the industry so as to have a good knowledge base that can support the study throughout the dissertation. To investigate and analyse cosmetics buying behavior of female college students in China. The intention of this objective would be to a) understand how college student perceive cosmetics, b) identify their characteristics in terms of cosmetics purchase, and c) develop a greater understanding of motivation for purchasing, different factors involved in purchase decision of cosmetics and how product attribute, such as price, quality etc, effects buying patterns, thereby mapping out a model for female college students purchasing behavior. Based on the analysis of the research carried out, briefly propose a number of key recommendations enable companies in the industry to target their marketing strategies at college cosmetics consumers. The data that plan to be gathered for this research will be obtained from both primary and secondary resources. The secondary sources of data will be derived from published articles from internet database, journals and magazines, theses, and related studies on cosmetics. On the other hand, the primary source of information regarding the study will be gathered from focus groups and questionnaires, prepared by the researcher, which will be delivered to the respondents of the research. Significance of study The boom of cosmetics industry in China has brought about changes in consumer behavior. The importance of the study cannot be understated. It is anticipated that the outcome of this study will certainly contribute towards a better understanding of the changing perception and behaviour of cosmetics buyers. Furthermore, there are a number of literatures that have discussed the female consumer behavior with regards to the purchase of cosmetics. This study will combine the relevant literature with own findings from primary research to provide an in-depth discussion. Therefore, the study will be significant in terms of better positioning of products and more effective marketing communication to tailor the demand of college females. This means that the findings will not only be able to benefit both foreign and domestic companies who have the willingness to enter the market but also various retailers who want to expand sales. Literature review Many theories have been proposed to explain consumer behaviors within certain industry area. Understanding todays consumer is the key to realising the future needs and expectations of beauty consumers, and is potentially relevant to improving marketing effectiveness (Tang, 2008). Previous studies hold that knowing the psychological process by which consumers make purchasing decisions enables marketers to grasp opportunities and even predict the shifts and future development trend of the consumer markets. Additionally, it exerts positive impact on improving cosmetics sales (Yau, 1994). In this generation, cosmetics are used by women of practically all walks of life High-end cosmetics The desire to be beautiful could be considered a human tendency, as it is exhibited by almost every culture all around the world. KIRARA(PDF) Research suggests that beauty consciousness among people in general is changing. Vigneron and Johnson (1999) reported that peoples needs for appearances and materialism were increasing. That is human beings wanted to satisfy the need to look and feel good. This created a boom in the cosmetic and toiletries sector across the world. Chambers Encyclopedia defines cosmetics as (a) articles intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled or sprayed on, introduced into or otherwise applied to the human body or any part thereof for cleaning, beautifying, promoting attractiveness or altering the appearance and (b) articles intended for use as a component of such articles. Now a variety of cosmetic and toiletries ranging from natural to sophisticated items are available in the market. The pattern and preference of use of these items vary according to different segments of gender, age and socio-economic class. When we review the literature on the cosmetic and toiletry industry, not many studies are available especially about Indian scenario. Patterns of women purchasing cosmetics Most early theories of consumer behavior were concerned with the purchasing characteristics and influential factors. Schutte and Ciarlante (Schutte Ciarlante, 1998)argued that in China the purchase decision is typically based on the usefulness of the product such as its physical characteristics and price value. However, recent studies outlined by Liang (Liang, 2008) suggested that womens purchasing pattern differs with men. Their buying decision tend to influenced easily by the purchasing environment, and have more impulse purchase. Besides, generally speaking, females have strong self-awareness when purchasing, which means majority of the decisions were made on the basis of personal preference or subjective impression, sensation. Characteristics of purchasing cosmetics In general, female invest more money on various cosmetic products and even spared no expense because they pay more attention to appearance than men (Huang, 2003). The characteristics of modern Chinese females regarding cosmetics purchase can be summed up in three points: Easily affected by market atmosphere Normally, products promotion, advertising and other factors can easily tempt young females to make irrational purchases. In a research by Cong (Cong, 2008), results showed that 56% of females bought unneeded or unexpected cosmetics products as a result of discount, followed by the purchase due to interests aroused by shop environment and sales exhibition (40.8%). Accounts for 22.8% of females who bought useless products or had irrational consumption were affected by advertisement. Thus, compare with men, female is prone to be encouraged over-consumption by commercial appeals. Mood consumption Female tend to have more generous sentiments in the process of purchase. Their certain desires are prone to be roused and affected by mental activities. Oliver Yau (Yau, 1994) contended that mood consumption normally occurs in two situations. One of which might be triggered by delusion under particular circumstance. For example, lots of females had encountered situation that unexpected spending happens after being paid out the salary. Another circumstance that contributes to mood consumption is likely to happen in the case of that female with unusual mood. Such as, a considerable number of female go shopping when they feel frustrated and happy. Relatively low loyalty to brands Chinese cosmetics consumers show less passion on being loyal to brands. They would like to try several brands to compare them rather than be from the same brand (Labbrand, 2009). Besides, another reason that contributes to low brand loyalty is seasonal consumption of Chinese consumers due to the significant difference in climate between summer and winter (Mo, 2008). Customers have to change their purchase habit to suit the season. For instance, customer tends to use more sunscreen to protect their skin and less oily cream in summer than they do in winter. Purchasing influences As established by Access Asia Limited (Access Asia Limited, 2008), Chinese consumers heavily rely on products, stores and services they know and trust. The same philosophy is applicable equally to product brands, with word-of-mouth communication proving to be a pervasive reason for consumers to change brands and most potent marketing tools in China. This is supported by Xuecai Liang (Liang, 2008) who claimed that among the females, friends group plays a very important role on information communicating about different brands of cosmetics. Some people will only buy products that they have been recommended by friends. However, the increasing effects of advertising on the urban and younger Chinese buyer cannot be neglected as their media exposure increases (Yang, 2004). In addition, the physical characteristics like reliability, innovative technology and high brand profile are the important factors when make a cosmetic purchase, a study by Yuyuan Huang suggested that (Huang, 2003). Taking different attitudes towards local and foreign brands as example, Huang explained that foreign brand represent high quality and status at the Chinese consumers view, while local brand are perceived as shortage of these selling advantages, even both product sold at the same price. Besides, it worth to notice that local cosmetics consumers now are prepared to pay more for better quality, service, and convenience. The variety of choice is seen as another factor. According to Shen, Liu and Huang (Shen, Liu, Huang, 2005), majority of the consumers will prefer to shop in large stores when they can easily reach such places, whereas finding the lack of product choice in smaller stores (especially in terms of range of price) to be embarrassed. It can be argued that larger stores will provide more bargains, which means the products tend to have higher price value. Such stores are also considered as being more convenient to shop in, contributing to the flourishing development of the discount retailing sector over recent years (Access Asia Limited, 2008). Moreover, in the eyes of Chinese consumer, the depth of communication brands had with their customers is vital. According to survey conducted by Labbrand (Labbrand, 2009), Chinese consumers have a strong demand to communicate with brands. For instance, they would like to receive inquiry from brand concerning their feeling about the products they use, or to be informed in time when brand have special events. Besides, consumers considered that from communicating with brand they can better compare and finally find the most suitable cosmetics for their specific needs and desires. Thus, it can be argued that companies who kept contact with consumers tend to have higher sales and brand loyalty. Industry review The huge advances witnessed over the past two decades have improved the living standards of millions of Chinese citizens. With the upgrade of living standards, private consumption among expenses has reached a higher level. The rise in private consumption translated into greater spending on personal care products in the booming cosmetics industry (Tao, 2005). In China, the development of the cosmetic industry has been to a new stage and it shows a sound momentum of growth. Market potential: Chinese cosmetic market continues to surge In recent year, the continuous rapid economic growth generates good environment and favorable development space for cosmetics industry maintaining a rapid rate of growth. In 2003, china had become the second-largest cosmetics market in Asia after Japan, and was the eighth largest in the world (Li, 2005). According to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of China, the Chinese cosmetics market generated total revenues of RMB?488.3 billion in 2007, representing annual sales grew by 26.3 percent over the same period last year. In 2008 and 2009, the sales grew by 22.2% and 17.2%, respectively, over the same period, to reach respective values of RMB?596.5 and RMB?348.2 billion in 2008 (HKTDC, 2009). At the same time, it has also been taken note that the performance of the market is forecast to decelerate, but still increase by approximately 13% annually (Datamonitor, 2009). Overall, the cosmetics industry is surely faster than the economic growth which means the long term potential of the C hinese cosmetic market is fairly vast. Additionally, given its population of approximately 1.3 billion, China has the largest market potential. Chinas share of the global cosmetic market may seem small compared to huge markets like the US and Japan, but with a population of over a billion people, the growth potential there is staggering, said Lenka Contreras, vice president and head of the Consumer Products practice for Klines research division (Pitman, 2005). Chinas cosmetics market is still far from saturation. Characteristics of chinas cosmetics market The consumer market development is vigorous With economy expanding and mass livelihood improving, awareness of personal well-being prompts strong and continuous growth in the consumer market. It not only reforms the consumption pattern but also drive the sales (Asia consulting, 2008). In that sense, it is predicted that the Chinese cosmetic consumer market is dynamic. Women stimulating the market growth Female is still an essential part of Chinese cosmetics market, especially those office ladies. As Chinese women are now increasingly beauty consciousness and awareness, the use of cosmetics has become a part of their daily routine (Fung, 2005). Accordingly, the rising proportion of young females in white-collar jobs has formed the loyal customer basis for this market, and the cosmetics sales have been driven. Their spending on cosmetic is outgrowing over other areas. National Bureau of Statistics has come up with data that shows women ages from 20-54 account for 27.21% of the total population. Being more economically independent, the enormous number of consumers in the group will generate huge demands than ever (HKTDC, 2009). The famous-brand effect appears day by day on the market The rising sales of famous-brand products reflected that customers attitudes concerning cosmetics have changed (Chen Xue, 2005). As the improving residents consumption level, people are willing to pay more attentions to those well-know cosmetic products which were considered with high grade, quality assurance and harmlessness. For example, customers will be highly delighted with brand-name products that can prevent wrinkles or keep moisture balance in the skin. Due to the impression lifted in mind, its sales increased dramatically and gradually become the main growth point of the entire market. Instead, few shows interest in low-end cosmetic products (China Consulting, 2008). Consumer In Chinese cosmetics market, consumers ways of spending are undergoing a significant change. Dianyi Zhang, president of China Cosmetics Association, claimed that modern customers behave more independently on consumption. Consumers tend to utilize different channels and rely on various measuring standard to get a pleasing cosmetics, rather than dependent on advertising. In addition, changes also occur on consumer group. Depending on the difference in requests on brand, quality, price and personal affordability, consumers were divided into low, middle and high classes. And, every class has a great number of loyal customers (HKTDC, 2009). Women of all ages were concerned with their lifestyle. The rising purchasing ability of women helped them to spend more on personal grooming. This grooming consciousness was encouraged by womens active participation in advertisement or fashion shows, such as the popular Fashion TV program (Pitman Simon, 2009). In china, consumption pattern of consumers is changing. The consumers have become globalized in their thinking and are ready to enjoy with some impulsive shopping. Access to various brands and products give them better knowledge towards cosmetics, due to fast-flowing information (Tang, 2008). Therefore, as a cosmetics producer, motivations and type of products purchased should be different depending upon the segment of consumer targeted. Competitive situation The business environment in China has been improving, especially since 2001, when the country joined the World Trade Organization. The commitment to opening its market in compliance with the WTO rules has further stimulated the market, with greater participation from international and domestic player. Consequently, competition between multinationals and local players is heating up across the country (Utsunomiya, 2003). Foreign Brands Continue to Dominate in the Chinese Market International brands play a dominant role in the upper-end cosmetics market, such as PG (Olay), Unilever (Ponds), Shiseido, LOreal and Estee Lauder etc (See Table 1) , due to young womens pursuit of well-known brands in literary. These large multinational cosmetic players have entered the mainland market one after another to build their own manufacturing basis and sales network (Sunfaith China Ltd, 2005) and many of those players have been operating successfully in the China market, making their brands well-known and occupy about 80% of the total market share. According to certain statistics, the world top 15 brand of cosmetics had set up own specialty stores (HKTDC, 2002). Even so, those cosmetics magnates have accelerated expansion into low-end products. For example, Avon and LOreal launched low-end cosmetics one after another to suit the changing customers needs and purchasing behavior, and expand the market share (HKTDC, 2009). Transformation of local Chinese companies is under way Compared with foreign companies domestic players have smaller market share due to several weaknesses. For instance, weak financial ability, lack of research and development capability, and lack of experience in brand management and marketing. Therefore, most of those players produce low-end product with only a small number making high-end product that can compete with foreign players (Li, 2005). Nonetheless, as the economic growth domestic companies has undertaken a transformation, gradually changed the impression with low quality and price, and entered into high-end market so as to become more competitive (Ocn, 2008). Facing with the open markets and trade liberalization in China, the previous mentioned increasingly fierce competition is inevitable. On the purpose of responding to the changing customer demands, market players have devised a variety of marketing strategies so as to create impressive product image in customers mind and drive them to spend more money on their own products. Distribution channel SWOT analysis of the female market Future develop trend Cosmetics players opt for natural and organic standards In karara (PDF) the main reasons for boom in cosmetic industry as increasing fashion and beauty consciousness coupled with rising incomes and focus on health and fitness. A natural and holistic approach attracts these women, especially where there is an interest in complementary health and in overall well being. Summary of key issues related to your literature and industry review The key issues section is where you, having completed the situation analysis consider what are the key issues facing the company and the market. So in a sense it is a summary chapter at the end of the first section of your report. In this chapter you should give an indication of what you think are the most important issues facing the company and the market. Research methods Approach Data gathering method Data Processing In this study, the self-administered semi-structured questionnaires will be used to collect quantitative data and the interviews will be used to provide qualitative insights into the data collected. The data will then be presented by means of graphical representations and illustration and the difference would be highlighted. Secondary research: The following information could be considered using desk research to give a general review and help to assist analysis of primary researches: Cosmetics industry review The purpose of this part is to find out important information concerning the entire cosmetics markets in china. Main issues that need to investigate include: Main characteristics of Cosmetics Industry in china What current market development trend is What Competitive situation is within cosmetics market Development opportunities of the cosmetics market within china This information will be helpful to better understand and form general perceptions of industry situation in china. There are several ways to obtain required information above. Data sources: Internet Databases Go to college library website and use its databases, such as: Marketline Academic Search Premier Business Insights Access Asia Series Business Source Premier To look for industry reports and e-journals those contain information regarding the Chinese cosmetic market. Find out information about the current cosmetics market and even see what demographics suit Shiseido to introduce the product to. Applying databases is a good way to get information due to its huge information storage volume and reliability. Most of them are academic-based, and have a comprehensive understanding on specific field. Websites: Look up necessary websites such as www.shiseidochina.com where might be possible to get some internal data sources. The use of this data is to define the competitive position of the firm, an evaluation of a marketing strategy the firm has used in the past, or gaining a better understanding of the company. Even, their past researches on consumer behaviors. The internal data sources might be sales marketing reports and accounting financial reports of the company. Magazines Newspapers It is also possible to look at some Chinese cosmetics industry magazines so that to acquire valuable industry information and some current cosmetic issues happened in china. Quantitative Qualitative methods In order to ascertain consumers cosmetics buying patterns and product satisfactions, quantitative and qualitative researches are both required to be implemented. It should be noticed that the understandings of consumers would exert significant impacts on companys marketing strategies. Besides, it is valuable for coming up with comments and suggestions to Client Company after analyzing Chinese customer. The main objectives of quantitative and qualitative research falls into several parts as followed: Motive of Purchasing Cosmetic Product Motives are defined as general drives that direct a consumers behavior toward attaining his or her need and the motivational drive directly affects the specific benefit criteria consumers use to evaluate products. Thus, understand buying motivations will provide evidences to Client Company to better position its products. Information Sources There are differences in using information sources among various age groups. Knowing customers through what kinds of channels to get products information could help Shiseido sell products more effectively to target audiences. Evaluative Criteria for Purchasing Cosmetics As for criteria for purchasing cosmetics, the responses will be in order of quality, price and volume of content. It is crucial to see what element is more important to customers when buying cosmetics. This will do company a favor to develop products or marketing strategies. Place of Purchasing Cosmetics In terms of the place of purchase, primary research should focus on finding out the reasons for selecting these places of purchase. Then, company can identify the perfect place to sell its products on the basis of information provided by survey. Satisfactions and dissatisfactions It is well known that satisfactions with a product will perform huge influences on its sales volume. This primary research should identify the level of satisfactions towards Shiseido and try to find out any aspects that consumers wish to see changes. Quantitative research Questionnaires As the measuring tools of this study, questionnaire based on previous studies and results of preliminary research were used. In this case, this study was carried out in the country of China. Therefore, questionnaire in English should be translated into Chinese. To reach a variety of different customers, questionnaires are supposed to carry out at different city within china so that to get as many points of views as possible. Questionnaire is consisted of 3 main sections: Section 1 is simply some questions on demographical characteristics of respondents like gender, age and occupation etc. to profile consumers. Section 2 emphasizes on customers buying behavior on cosmetics. As objectives mentioned above. For instance, purchase motivation information sources, evaluative criteria for purchasing basic skin care items and color make-up products, store type of purchasing cosmetic product and reasons for store selection persons to exert influence upon purchasing and satisfaction/dissatisfaction on cosmetics purchased. Section 3 focuses more on investigating customers perceptions concerning Shiseido products. Such as, customers brand awareness of Shiseido, brand image and brand position in customers mind. Additionally, the results of questionnaires will be analyzed by using SPSS. The analysis conducted in the study with SPSS statistics package includes frequency analysis, cross-tab analysis, analysis of variance and Multiple Range test. Survey In order to keep questionnaire short enough to maintain respondents interests, there must be some questions cannot be asked. Thus in this project, I will also consider conducting several surveys to complete the missing parts. And again, on the purpose of obtaining as much information as possible, there might be several surveys being conducted. Questions will touch upon similar aspects as in questionnaire but more comprehensive. Qualitative research Focus group Focus group allows respondents to discuss with moderator which means it is an interactive process. Thus, it will help to deeper understand customers perceptions and dig up opinions regarding products. Therefore, focus groups will be organized that will incorporate people from as many demographics as possible. In these focus groups I will carry out tests in which place Shiseido products and 2 other competitors to see which product they prefer. I will ask them what they think about Shiseido in any aspects. Also we will ask them what their preferences are in cosmetics. The aims are: Find out what respondents think and feel, and what their opinions are about a Shiseido in a group. Explore participants responses to find out why they feel or perceive products the way they do. By doing focus groups an in-depth view of peoples thoughts about the cosmetics can be known. Potential questions could be: What reason you use cosmetics for? Do you prefer natural cosmetics or other? why How often do you use cosmetics? Wha

motivation :: essays research papers

I once had an interesting conversation with the owner/manager of a clothing manufacturing company. He operated a large and successful business, principally supplying uniforms for the corporate market. He was surprised by some of his workers. They worked on a piece work rate (paid per item) and some of the very efficient staff did not produce as much as they were capable of. They worked hard at the start of the pay period, but then they tapered off. He expected them to work hard the whole time, as they were paid by what they produced - the harder they worked, the more they were paid. He expected that the extra money reward would motivate them. Motivation is a complex concept. Remuneration is also complex. Individuals react in different ways to pay schemes. A simple explanation for the clothing worker behaviour is that they did not work just for the money. They enjoyed the working environment and the social interaction it provided. They liked to have work, to be employed, and yes they needed a certain level of income. But once they achieved that, the pressure to work hard was reduced. Given that the actual work task was quite monotonous and repetitious, it was not surprising that they exhibited this behaviour. Drastic work design was required. People think that money is a motivator. It does have an effect, but motivation involves far more. Sales people are the classic example. Most are on performance based schemes. But what is one of the main themes sales and marketing consultants write about? You guessed it - how to motivate your sales team! Consultants would not need to write motivation articles if financial reward alone worked. Equity in compensation practices Positive effects come from good financial and non-financial rewards. It is very important to have a well managed remuneration system in place. Fair and reasonable reward is essential and very important for good morale. I believe strongly in the equity theory of motivation. Simply put, the theory states that people have to believe that their pay is equitable with others. When they compare their salary and benefits with their colleagues and co-workers, they must believe that they are being fairly compensated. If they believe their compensation is not equitable, they become very de-motivated and their work performance suffers. Financial and nonfinancial rewards I subscribe to the theory that states it is the nature of the work that is important.

There Are No Children Here Essay example -- Essays Papers

There Are No Children Here Alex Kotlowitz was a freelance journalist. In 1985 a friend came to him and asked him to write a text for a photo essay he was doing on (children living in poverty) for a Chicago magazine. That is when he met the Rivers brothers, Lafeyette, age ten, and Pharoah age seven. He spent only a few hours with them interviewing for the photo essay. Lafeyette had an impact on Kotlowitz. When asked what he wanted to be, Lafeyette responded with "If I grow up, I'd like to be a bus driver." Meaning, at ten years old, he wasn't sure if he'd make it to adulthood. In 1988 Kotlowitz suggested to the boys' mother, LaJoe, the idea of writing a book about Pharoah, Lafeyette and the other children in the neighborhood. LaJoe liked the idea. However, she then said, "But you know, there are no children here. They've seen too much to be children." Alex Kotlowitz entitled his book, There Are No Children Here. It is a story of two brothers growing up in a housing project of Chicago. By the author following the boys throughout their day to day lives, we, the readers, are also enveloped in the boys' surroundings. We learn about their everyday lives, from how they pick out their clothes, to how they wash them. We go to school with them and we play with them. Throughout the book, we are much like flies on the wall. We see and feel everything the boys' go through at Henry Horner Homes, the project where they live. LaJoe moved into the Henry Horner...

Essay on Role of Women in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart :: Things Fall Apart essays

Women in Things Fall Apart The position and image of women in Things Fall Apart is an important topic. Unfortunately, people have not paid much attention to it beyond going along with the assumption that this novel presents women as a sadly oppressed group with no power. This assumption may appear to be right, but there is much more to think about. Women in Things Fall Apart are the primary educators of children. Through story telling and other forms of discourse, they educate and socialize the children, inspiring in them intellectual curiosity about social values, relationships, and the human condition. The stories the women tell also develop the artistic consciousness of the children, in addition to entertaining them. The women bear children, cook and take care of the household in many other ways. Through their labor, they are an important pillar of the society. The presence of Chielo, the priestess in Things Fall Apart is instructive. She is a spiritual leader, whose authority is unquestioned. Grace Okafor comments on the Igbo view of women's ritualistic power: The ritualistic function of women emanated from belief in the ritual essence of women as progenitors of the society. The idea is that women know the secret of life since they are the source of life. Because of their biological function in the life-giving process, the society looks on them to safeguard life. Thus, it is the biological role of women that influenced belief in their power. (Okafor, 9-10) There is a memorable question that old Uchendu asks, which emphasizes the position of women in Things Fall Apart in a dramatic way: Can you tell me, Okonkwo, why it is that one of the commonest names we give to our children is Nneka, or "Mother is Supreme"? We all know that a man is the head of the family and his wives do his bidding. A child belongs to its father and his family and not to its mother and her family.

African Americans and Politics Essay

For decades African Americans have faced struggles throughout history. Most notably, African Americans were involved in slavery, suffrage, and the civil rights movement. These struggles were very visible and everyone was aware of what was going on. However, now African Americans are involved in a struggle that it not visible and recognizable. This is a struggle that is used to capitalize on wealth and prevent African American families and individuals from living normal lives. They are involved in environmental racism. Environmental racism â€Å"refers to intentional or unintentional racial discrimination in the enforcement of environmental rules and regulations, the intentional or unintentional targeting of minority communities for the siting of polluting industries, or the exclusion of minority groups from public and private boards, commissions, and regulatory bodies. †[1] This form of racism has been plaguing African American communities for years and most people have not taken notice. There are many form of environmental racism; however, this paper will specifically address redlining, blockbusting, racial profiling, and housing segregation and how each has impacted the African American community. Redlining is the act of refusing or increasing the cost of services such as loans, insurance, banking, and access to healthcare to citizens based upon race. The practice involves taking a map and drawing a red line through neighborhoods where banks would not invest money. Redlining was used to segregate African Americans in the housing, workforce, and school market. Parents had to find work in other areas of the city because there were not any resources available in the community. Because of redlining, schools became over crowded with 50 students crammed into one classroom. With the schools overcrowded, teachers were not able to provide special attention to the needy students and other students became uncontrollable. Cathy Cohen would argue that African Americans were being marginalized in the school system. To be considered marginalized means, to have continuously been denied access to dominant resources, barred from full participation in dominant institutions, and defined as â€Å"others, â€Å" living outside the norm and values agreed upon by society (Cohen 1999). African American students were all forced to go to one school in the community to keep them out of the White schools. Along with marginalization, Blacks were, and still are, a part of a power struggle. Blacks were seen, and will always be seen, as an inferior race. Also, Blacks have been disempowered knowingly and unknowingly. African-Americans have been taken advantage of and used to make other races feel superior. Blockbusting was a practice used by real estate agents and developers in the United States to encourage white property owners to sell their homes by giving the impression that minority groups (such as African Americans) were moving into their previously racially segregated neighborhood. [2] When African Americans began to move into the inner city, fear arose that they were an economic threat. Blockbusting was also the cause of many White Americans moving into the suburbs. The practice of blockbusting involved an African American purchasing a home for very cheap in a predominately White neighborhood. The real estate broker would contact the White residents and offer to buy their houses for quick cash and resell the house to an African American family for much higher. Real estate agents claimed that African Americans moving into a predominately White neighborhood would cause property values to go down and urged White homeowners to sell as soon as possible. Real estate agents indicated that the property values would go down because African Americans would not keep up their property, avoid lawn care, and if would affect the entire neighborhood. This practice has caused major shifts in urban neighborhoods, especially Chicago, in recent decades. The Blockbusting methods were profitable and became common across the nation. For example, by 1962, when blockbusting had been in practice for fifteen years, Chicago had over 100 operators and the city had been changing an average of two to three blocks a week for several years. Blockbusting is the reason why cities such as Chicago are now predominately African American and the surrounding suburbs are predominately White. Blockbusting caused African Americans to be marginalized as well. They were denied fair participation in the housing market. Real estate agents inflated housing prices for African Americans to gain commission. White homeowners already had prejudices about African Americans and the real estate agents only made the situation worse. The stereotypes that Black families do not take care of their property was the main reason White homeowners sold their homes. Racial profiling is â€Å"the inclusion of racial or ethnic characteristics in determining whether a person is considered likely to commit a particular type of crime or an illegal act or to behave in a â€Å"predictable† manner. †[3] The practice of racial profiling is a huge problem in the United States. African Americans are usually the targeted victims in the act of racial profiling. It is believed that an African American driver will be more likely stopped than a White driver. Some police officers share the belief that Black drivers will most likely possess an illegal substance of committing an illegal act. However, policemen argue that they do not base their arrests on race but are greatening their probability of a successful search. Some policemen also argue that the probability of catching a Black offender is greater than catching a White offender. Whether the statement is true or not, it places a bias on African Americans and White Americans. The belief that African Americans men are more likely to commit crimes is unfair and not true. One cannot base the behavior of all African American men on the ones that have done wrong and been imprisoned. Another belief of racial profiling is it is the cause of the racial disparities in the American prison system. There are many more African American men in the jail system than there are White men. The previous statement is mostly likely to be true. Because some policemen hold biases and have prejudices against African Americans, it will cause more African Americans to be placed in the jail system. Another instance of racial profiling involved African Americans owning nice material possessions such as a car or a house and African Americans being in a predominately White neighborhood. For example, in an episode of Family Matters, Eddie was in his car travelling through a predominately White neighborhood and was pulled over by the police for â€Å"failure to signal. † However, the routine traffic stop turned into nothing more than a beating for young Eddie. The significance of the episode shows that racial profiling does exist in the United States and it takes place every day. The practice has impacted African Americans because hundreds of innocent people have been harassed and humiliated by police officers simply because of their race. The most recent national example of environmental racism occurred when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005. When New Orleans was flooded with tons of water, there were no relief efforts for days and almost a week. Many believed this was due to the fact that majority of the New Orleans population was African American. The population was basically ignored for days until the help decided to come. Citizens of New Orleans were faced with intentional racism and were denied help for several days. This has impacted African Americans because many people died because of the heat, starvation, and disease from the water. African-Americans have been marginalized for centuries. To be considered marginalized means, to have continuously been denied access to dominant resources, barred from full participation in dominant institutions, and defined as â€Å"others, â€Å" living outside the norm and values agreed upon by society (Cohen 1999). Most recently, African-Americans were marginalized in regards to the outbreak of HIV/AIDS. While HIV/AIDS was once considered to be the disease of white gay men, Blacks are now the center of the epidemic. With the turn of the new millennium, the outbreak of AIDS in the Black community has soared. Black men who consider themselves to be â€Å"down low† are the center of the rising epidemic. The men have intercourse with other men while continuing to have intercourse with their female partners thus spreading the AIDS virus. Even though the soaring rate is shocking, there has been limited response from the African-American community. One can argue that Blacks have been marginalized from the resources to treat the epidemic. However, the Black community seems to be ignoring the spreading AIDS virus and focusing more on electing a Black president and high blood pressure. While both electing a Black president and lowering high blood pressure are important issues, similar emphasis should be put on the rising AIDS epidemic. In a sense, African-Americans have marginalized themselves from dealing with AIDS. Continuing to turn a cold shoulder to the issue will not fix the problem. Although Blacks are being marginalized when it comes to AIDS, they are also marginalized when it comes to property and social relationships. For example, when it comes to receiving bank loans, African-Americans is marginalized heavily. Some bank loan officers practice redlining which causes Black residents, whether qualified or not, to be denied loans for property. By using the redlining technique, bank loan officers are marginalizing Blacks from being able to own their own property. Relating back to the AIDS epidemic, Black men were marginalized for having the virus. For instance, if a Black man was open about his homosexuality would be marginalized heavily. Homophobia could be a valid reason for the marginalization of Black men. With open homosexuality, an African-American could be left out from participating in activities and denied being recognized as a normal individual. Homophobia could damage an individual’s social life and leave him feeling disempowered. [4] Along with marginalization, Blacks were, and still are, a part of a power struggle. Blacks were seen, and will always be seen, as lower than Whites. Also, Blacks have been disempowered knowingly and unknowingly, which is the center of environmental racism. African-Americans have been taken advantage of and used to gain wealth and keep at the bottom of the ladder. In short, there are many types of power struggles. One does not have to see power to know that it is taking place. [5] For instance, being called an inferior race is a power struggle within itself. African-Americans that believe that they are actually inferior will begin to act that way. They will begin to doubt themselves and their abilities in life. Once they have it in their mindset that they are inferior, it will cause them to act that way. Housing Segregation is â€Å"the practice of denying African American or other minority groups equal access to housing through the process of misinformation, denial of realty and financing services, and racial steering. †[6] The act of housing discrimination involves real estate agents and landlords not providing African American families with an accurate account of available housing. Housing segregation happens when landlords and real estate agents lure White Americans to available housing only in white communities, and African Americans to Black or diverse and mixed communities. The realtor and landlord usually work together in the process and will agree not to tell the African Americans about the available units in the European American communities. This process goes back to the assumption that African Americans residents will bring down the property value of homes in the neighborhood because they will not take care of their own property. Housing segregation is intentional racism that excludes African Americans from participating fairly in the housing market. Black families should be able to live wherever they please without regardless of the demographics of the neighborhood. With all that African Americans have been through, environmental racism should not be ignored or taken lightly. People should take heed to the practice and fight for what is right. All of the above forms of environmental racism have plagued the African American community. It has caused a major shift in the urban cities such as Chicago. Real estate agents have inflated the costs of housing for Black families moving into predominantly White areas. African American families can fight the issues by becoming more aware of their surroundings and becoming familiar with the practices. They can hire good lawyers to defend them and fight for justice. With regards to the AIDS epidemic, African Americans have been marginalized when it comes to resources and thus leads to environmental racism. African American of the new generation, as a whole, should stand together and fight the justice that was promised to them in the United States Constitution. ———————– [1] Dictionary. com [2] Dictionary. com [3] Dictionary. com [4] Cathy J. Cohen, The Boundaries of Blackness (The University of Chicago Press) 47-48. [5] John Gaventa, Power and Powerlessness (The University of Illinois Press) 1-32. [6] Dictionary. com.

Retail Calculator

package retail. calculator; import java. awt. *; import java. awt. event. *; import java. text. DecimalFormat; import javax. swing. *; public class RetailCalculator extends JFrame { //create ojects JLabel department; JLabel number; JLabel name; JLabel price; JLabel discount; JLabel sale; JComboBox dept; JTextField itemNum; JTextField itemName; JTextField itemPrice; JTextField itemDisc; JTextField salePrice; JButton calculate; JButton clear; public RetailCalculator() { //set object variables super(â€Å"Retail Sales Calculator†); //window title setSize(250, 250); //set window size etDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame. EXIT_ON_CLOSE); //window close GridLayout grid = new GridLayout(7, 2); setLayout(grid); department = new JLabel(â€Å"Department†); dept = new JComboBox(); dept. addItem(â€Å"Select†); dept. addItem(â€Å"Apperal†); dept. addItem(â€Å"Automotive†); dept. addItem(â€Å"Cosmetics†); dept. addItem(â€Å"Jewlry†); dept. addItem(â €Å"Pets†); dept. addItem(â€Å"Pharmacy†); //add ItemListener†¦ combobox and jtextfield dept. addItemListener(new ItemListener() { public void itemStateChanged(ItemEvent ie) { String str = (String)dept. getSelectedItem(); itemNum. setText(str); //end public void }); //end item listener number = new JLabel(â€Å"Item Number†); itemNum = new JTextField(10); name = new JLabel(â€Å"Item Name†); itemName = new JTextField(10); price = new JLabel(â€Å"Original Price†); itemPrice = new JTextField(10); discount = new JLabel(â€Å"Discount†); itemDisc = new JTextField(10); sale = new JLabel(â€Å"Sale Price†); salePrice = new JTextField(10); salePrice. setEditable(false); calculate = new JButton(â€Å"Calculate†); clear = new JButton(â€Å"Clear†); //add objects to JFrame add(department); add(dept); add(number); add(itemNum); add(name); add(itemName); dd(price); add(itemPrice); add(discount); add(itemDisc); add(sale); add( salePrice); add(calculate); add(clear); //add event listener to calculate sale price calculate. addActionListener(new ActionListener() { public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent retail) { String input1; String input2; double origPrice; double percOff; double clearance; input1 = itemPrice. getText(); input2 = itemDisc. getText(); origPrice = Double. parseDouble(input1); percOff = Double. parseDouble(input2)/100; clearance = origPrice – (origPrice * percOff); DecimalFormat df = new DecimalFormat(â€Å"$#,###. #†); salePrice. setText(df. clearance); //output to jtextfield } }); //clear feilds clear. addActionListener (new ActionListener() { public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent event) { //JButton event dept. setSelectedIndex(0); //clear itemNum. setText(null); //clear item number itemName. setText(null); //clear item name itemPrice. setText(null); //clear item name itemDisc. setText(null); //clear item name salePrice. setText(null); //clear item name } }); setVisible(tru e); } public static void main(String[] args) { RetailCalculator rc = new RetailCalculator(); } }