The Ethical And Legal Dilemmas - 1519 Words

Some of the most difficult medical decisions to be made are those involving the life of a disabled or non-viable fetus. Such decisions are often filled with ethical and legal dilemmas. The fetus is just one of the many lives affected in the decision making process. In these scenarios, clear communication between the parents of the fetus and the health providers is crucial. Making the wrong decision could result in the weight of a large burden for the rest of one’s life. In this paper I will bring to light the ethical and legal dilemmas involved in beginning of life scenarios, along with examples of such situations, and ways health care providers can avoid such dilemmas. The principles of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice are what make up the foundation of bio-medical ethics. According to Kantian moral philosophy, autonomy is defined as the capacity of an agent to act in accordance with objective morality rather than under the influence of desires. Respect for autonomy is that the patient has the right to refuse or choose his or her treatment. Beneficence is defined online as a concept in research ethics, which states that researchers should have the welfare of the research participant as a goal of any clinical trial or other research study, meaning that a practitioner should act in the best interest of the patient. Non-maleficence, according to the medical ethics textbook, is not harming others, which implies that physicians not technically competent toShow MoreRelatedThe Ethical And Legal Dilemma2044 Words   |  9 Pagestheir beliefs are often in stark contrast with a doctor or nurses’ obligations as a healthcare provider (Henderson, 2005). An ethical and legal dilemma is created when a Jehovah’s witness refusal for blood transfusions puts a patient’s freedom and autonomy regarding medical intervention against a nurse or doctor’s duty to provide lifesaving treatment. This ethical dilemma affects nursing because it places the nurse in a difficult situation where they must knowingly respect all individual religiousRead MoreEthical and Legal Dilemma in It4378 Words   |  18 PagesEthical and Legal Dilemma in IT Nanette E. Armstrong Capella University TS5536 Ethical and Legal Considerations in Information Technology 17 March 2012 Ethical and Legal Dilemma in IT Based on the definition of cyberethics as given by Tavani, â€Å"the study of moral, legal, and social issues involving cybertechnology† (2010, pg. 3), law is usually/always a part of cyberethics to one degree or another. Being right or wrong based on society’s value builds the fundamentals of ethics. MoralRead MoreIdentification of Ethical and Legal Dilemmas1689 Words   |  7 PagesETHICAL DILEMMA In the current scenario, my client has been experiencing severe depression and suicidal tendencies. Through diagnosis, I have come to learn that she had been involved in a romantic relationship with her previous counselor during the counseling period. She also claims hat she has been having suicidal feelings since the romantic relationship was terminated six months ago. She accepts responsibility for the romantic relationship. It is to be seen what ethical and legal dilemmas areRead MoreEthical and Legal Dilemmas of Surrogacy Essay2979 Words   |  12 PagesEthical and Legal Dilemmas of Surrogacy Christie Blackwell HCA 322 Dr. Nine Bell June 17, 2013 Ethical and Legal Dilemmas of Surrogacy Many individuals have a life plan consisting of college, marriage, and then children. After numerous methods of conception, many couples are still unable to conceive a child. A woman who enters into a contract with a couple, agreeing to carry and birth a child, then hand that child over to the contracted couple, who is often unable to conceiveRead MoreEthical Dilemma By Using Legal Principles1755 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction There is one case study of an ethical situation that needs to be solved. This essay will deliberate and analyse this dilemma. Intending to use Kerridge’s model for indicating ethical decision-making in this practice. That is including identify the ethical dilemma by using legal principles and concepts to examine it. Case Study Here is a scenario of Mark, who is 28-year-old and was injured from a car accident. He had been diagnosed with significant internal bleeding by a doctor. ThereRead MoreEthical Legal Dilemmas in Nursing Essay2393 Words   |  10 Pages Ethical Legal Dilemma in Advanced Practice Nursing Ethical Legal Dilemma in Advanced Practice Nursing The profession of advanced practice nursing is characterized by several attributes, one of them being the delicate balance between the law and the ethical code. One may argue that the legal system was designed around ethical principles but in the following paper, the author will attempt to point out the distinctions that separate and define legal and ethicalRead MoreThe Ethical And Legal Dilemmas That Ms. Burrows1167 Words   |  5 PagesDissecting an Ethical Case Study Section #1 The ethical and legal dilemmas that Ms. Burrows admitted to in the stipulation and final agency order were: billing insurance after taking payment for services, inadequate documentation and record keeping, and failure to have a signed mandatory disclosure (Stipulation Case No. 2013-938). When making reports to third parties such as insurance providers, counselors are required to be truthful and forthcoming (American Counseling Association, 2014). TakingRead MoreLegal And Ethical Dilemmas Of The Healthcare Industry2131 Words   |  9 PagesControversial topics exist in nearly every industry, but perhaps none more dramatic and differentiated than those issues in the Healthcare industry. Legal and ethical dilemmas are constantly present within the Healthcare industry, so it is important to understand the governing laws and that there is an understandable diversity of opinions on these sensitive topics, which can lead to differing opinions about the â€Å"right† thing to do in a particular situation (Harris, 2008). One such topic is that ofRead MoreLegal and Social Environment of Business Ethical Dilemmas1792 Words   |  8 PagesLEGAL AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS ETHICAL DILEMMAS Ethics is an essential component of all situations and decisions of life, whether personal or professional. Ethics defines itself as, a systemized set of generally accepted standards or moral values and also the academic study of such belief systems (Massey stream glossary). Ethics can further be divided into various categories depending on the issues and aspects of each respective case. An ethical dimension of business decision-making hasRead MoreEthical Legal Dilemma Advanced Practice Nursing Case Study II3315 Words   |  14 Pages Ethical Legal Dilemma Advanced Practice Nursing Case Study II Norman Ginn Kaplan Ethical and Legal Perspectives MN 506 Tracy Towne Ethical Legal Dilemma Advanced Practice Nursing Case Study II Health insurance policies have set limits on what services will be paid for with a terminally ill person in the home and these limitations may conflict with the nurse’s obligation to provide care for the terminally ill patient (Fry, Veatch Taylor, 2011).   Speaking with the family of a 59 year old

Analysis Of The Movie The Ghost Of The Shell Trailer

Since the beginning of media, producers have created products that applied to the biggest audience. Unreliable political and current event information and bias leads to underrepresentation of various ethnicities and identities. Mass media coverage portrays figures that appeals to the larger audience, hence, isolating others. The Ghost In The Shell trailer was released on Nov. 13 2016 and featured Scarlet Johansson - a white actress. The film is based on the Japanese manga series of the same name. The protagonist, Major Kusanagi is simply referred to as â€Å"The Major† and erases the identity of the main character. â€Å"To justify the casting choice, screenwriter Max Landis stated: ‘There are no A-list female Asian celebrities right now on an†¦show more content†¦And although I wasn’t sure if it was going to resonate with him, I took him anyway. When Diego Luna’s character came on screen and started speaking, my dad nudged me and said, â€Å"he has a heavy accent.† I was like, â€Å"Yup.† When the film was over and we were walking to the car, he turns to me and says, â€Å"did you notice that he had an accent?† And I said, â€Å"Yeah dad, just like yours.† Then my dad asked me if the film had made a lot of money. I told him it was the seco nd highest grossing film of 2016 despite it only being out for 18 days in 2016 (since new year just came around). He then asked me if people liked the film, I told him that it had a huge following online and great reviews. He then asked me why Diego Luna hadn’t changed his accent and I told him that Diego has openly talked about keeping his accent and how proud he is of it. And my dad was silent for a while and then he said, â€Å"And he was a main character.† And I said, â€Å"He was.† And my dad was so happy. As we drove home he started telling me about other Mexican actors that he thinks should be in movies in America. Representation matters.[9] Normalizing a diverse cast in film can often begin to gently lift the â€Å"minority† labels. â€Å"From 2007-2012, only 12.4 percent of speaking characters in the top 500 grossing films were played by black actors. Although one might think that is fair, given that African-Americans make up 12.6 percent of the population, theShow MoreRelatedCrossing the Chasm76808 Words   |  308 Pagesoriginal Star Wars movie— â€Å"Now there’s a name I haven’t heard for a long, long time.† The same might well be said of a number of the companies that served as examples in the original edition of Crossing the Chasm. Reading through its index brings to mind the medieval lament, â€Å"Where are the snows of yesteryear?† Where indeed are Aldus, Apollo, Ashton-Tate, Ask, Burroughs, Businessland, and the Byte Shop? Where are Wang, Weitek, and Zilog? â€Å"Oh lost and by the wind-grieved ghosts, come back againRead MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 PagesLeadership Chapter 2 Organization Strategy and Project Selection 1.4 Projects and programs (.2) 1.4.1 Managing the portfolio 1.4.3 Strategy and projects 2.3 Stakeholders and review boards 12.1 RFP’s and vendor selection (.3.4.5) 11.2.2.6 SWAT analysis 6.5.2.7 Schedule compression 9.4.2.5 Leadership skills G.1 Project leadership 10.1 Stakeholder management Chapter 11 Teams Chapter 3 Organization: Structure and Culture 2.4.1 Organization cultures [G.7] 2.4.2 Organization structureRead MoreMarketing Management 14th Edition Test Bank Kotler Test Bank173911 Words   |  696 PagesStrategic management E) Distribution management Answer: A Page Ref: 5 Objective: 2 Difficulty: Easy 3) Identify the correct statement about marketing management. A) It is primarily concerned with the systematic gathering, recording, and analysis of data about issues related to marketing products and services. B) It focuses mostly on monitoring the profitability of a companys products and services. C) It focuses solely on attaining an organizations sales goals in an efficient manner. Read MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesHRM 28 PART 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 THE LEGAL AND ETHICAL CONTEXT OF HRM Equal Employment Opportunity 56 Employee Rights and Discipline 84 PART 3 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 STAFFING THE ORGANIZATION Human Resource Planning and Job Analysis 110 Recruiting 132 Foundations of Selection 154 PART 4 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Socializing, Orienting, and Developing Employees 182 Managing Careers 208 PART 5 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 MAINTAINING

Neighborly Shared Food Samples for Students †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Neighborly Shared Food Group. Answer: Introduction This report is about Neighborly Shared Food (NSF). NSF is a food sharing cooperative in the inner city of Auckland. NSF was formed in 2015 by three neighbors who wanted to avoid unnecessary wastage of food. The three contacted other neighbors who were vegetable and fruit growers for their own consumption, and as a result, they came up with Neighborly Shared Food. They elected a community representative and also set up a Facebook page to communicate with other members and exchange extra food. NSF increased in popularity, and as a result, the community representatives decided to increase their cooperative activities and so decided to build an online system to support their activities. Users and stakeholders The new online system would be of gigantic gain to future community representatives. This is so because the new system will eliminate paperwork, support many tasks at once, make it easy to share and receive information (Clewell, Aronson, Society for Ecological Restoration International, 2013) and also make it easy for new members to apply. The new system would also make it easy for the organization of members details and the registration of new members. It will also make it possible for the administration and users to track the activities of their group. Users and stakeholders of the system include members of NSF, members of the community, proposed online users and the members of the financial district. Members of NSF include the founders and registered members who contribute directly as vegetable and fruit growers or those that participate indirectly by buying the produce from those selling. Online members are also an important part of NSF since they contribute a great deal in advertising and marketing by telling a friend to tell a friend.' The banking community is the bank where the cooperative society members keep their returns, get their loans whenever necessary and also get financial advice. Functional features and non-functional features Functional requirements are those requirements that delineate the function (s) or one or more components of the proposed system. The online system introduced by the members should consider some of the functional requirements that will be critical to the system. Some of the functional requirements may include; interface (back-end and front-end), business requirements and compliance. The interface of the proposed system is very important. The back-end and front-end design of the proposed system should be considered. The back-end part of the system includes those that are managed by technicians so that the end users can access whatever they want in an easy and convenient manner. The back-end should be well documented to give those who might debug the system at a later date easy time. The front-end should be made in a way that is attractive to the users. In addition to attraction, it should be easy to use and interact with. There should also be a customer care platform to address customer issues. The platform should be interactive to make it possible for users to get help whenever they encounter any problems or find it difficult to use the online system (Lovelace IBM, 2014). It is important to take note that the business requirements are very important. The proposed system should be in line with the business requirements of NSF. The proposed system should be able to satisfy the goal of the members of NFS and make it easy for them to do business and manage their stuff. The proposed system should be compliant to international standards (Pollack, 2016). The proposed online system should be well tailored to ensure that it meets the purpose it was made for. Non-functional requirements for the proposed online NFS system are performance, scalability, reliability, security, capacity, and availability (Todinov, 2015). The non-functional requirements support the system making it perform optimally. The system should be designed with scalability in mind. The database management system used should accept a significant amount of data. The whole system should be made in a way that it accepts growth and grows with the growing number of members. The system should be reliable. The proposed system will consist of various components that will work together to achieve a common goal (Zavou, Keromytis Columbia University, 2015). Community representatives and other users, hardware resources, software resources and database management system all comprise the proposed system. The components have to work together in an efficient and effective manner to achieve performance. A system that performs as it should is handy when using it to make decisions regarding the maintenance of the system, making good business decisions, as well as evaluating and managing investment projects (Port, 2013).Activities from the input, process to output should be synchronized to ensure that the system is reliable and functions as it should be. The system should be secure. Security is a very critical component of any information system today. Given the hostile environment today caused by hackers and malicious individuals, it is essential that those coming up with any computerized system make it their business to make their operations secure and safe from these malicious parties (Simpson, 2016). Database security should be implemented to ensure that the integrity of stored data is not interfered with. The online system should be encrypted to make it secure. The communication of members with the system should have an end to end encryption to make it secure and protect the system from unauthorized access or manipulation (Boddington, 2016). The system should support availability. The users should be able to access critical system services whenever they need them (Bauer, Adams, Wiley, 2012). The members of NFS should be able to log into the system and use it concurrently. The system should support several users at a time making it possible for more than one user to access the system and use the system. The system should take issues seriously to deal with availability so that authorized users can have access to those functionalities that they want. All users from vegetable and fruit growers, community representatives, online members and technical people responsible for administering the system should be able to have access to the system by their access privileges. Access privilege ensures that users do not interfere with the system by abusing their access rights unnecessarily. Users policy for the proposed system Users that would interact with the online system according to the access privilege levels granted. Other users will be granted only read permission, others read/write and others super-user privileges (Jeffery Schubert, 2017). The access rights of each user should be well defined to eliminate chances of users abusing the system. The proposed system should be made in such a way that the users cannot easily escalate their access privilege rights (Rocha, 2013). This helps keep the system safe and easy to manage. There are those who could be given only read permission like customers who buy vegetables and fruits. They can only be able to view the prices posted and be able to order for whatever they want through the platform provided. Vegetable and fruit growers may be given read and write permission to make it possible for them to view prices for their produce and even be able to post the prices that they would like their produce to go for. The system administrator may have the capability of modifying the system and correct any errors that may arise as a result of system software errors, hardware problems or user errors (Lambert Kanopy, 2016). Core functional features of the system The core functional feature of the system is to provide up to date information to the members. All the activities intended to be carried out will be posted by the community representatives on the online platform that is being made. This makes it possible for members to access information and to follow the activities of NFS. This also improves the outreach of NFS to the community thereby improving their sales and exchange with all the stakeholders involved. The system also makes it easy for new members to register and follow the activities of NFS. The information stored also makes it easy for the management to follow the records of their members since it easy to manage electronic records compared to handling manual documents. Backup and recovery The system belonging to NFS has to create a backup system that will be relied upon when one or more critical functionalities of the system are down or interfered with. The implementers of the proposed system came up with an incremental back-up system. Back-up is meant to protect NFS against data loss, corruption or disasters (natural or instigated). The incremental back-up system was chosen to identify and store only those data that had changed since the last back-up like for example, a list of newly registered members and their contributions since the last back-up. The backed up data is kept off-site (Kurtz, 2012) to prevent loss or destruction by natural phenomena or malicious humans. The back-up is scheduled to take place twice every week. One takes place on Monday, and another one is done on Friday. Incremental back-up was chosen to eliminate duplication of data and unnecessary wastage of storage media. The back-up scheme is supposed to be numbered across levels with back-up n done on Monday and back-up n-1 done on Friday. Whenever it is necessary to get any data from the back-up, the person charged with the administration of the system uses their access privilege right of read/write to be able to access the stored files. The system administrator then mirrors the storage media to the original storage devices so that they can be accessed when needed (Orlando IBM, 2016). Conclusion The proposed system will improve the activities of Neighborly Shared Food. NSF will be able to reach out to members of the society through their proposed system. The proposed system will improve service delivery, improve tracking of their activities and management of member information. Therefore, it is a good idea to come up with the online system to aid the members of the Neighborly Shared Food to sell their products and also buy from other members those products that they do not produce. References Bauer, E., Adams, R., Wiley InterScience (Online service). (2012). Reliability and availability of cloud computing. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley-IEEE Press. Boddington, R. (2016). Practical Digital Forensics. Packt Publishing. Clewell, A. F., Aronson, J., Society for Ecological Restoration International. (2013). Ecological restoration: Principles, values, and structure of an emerging profession. Washington, DC: Island Press. Jeffery, K., Schubert, L. (January 01, 2017). PaaSage. Ieee Cloud Computing, 4, 3.) Kurtz, J., National Renewable Energy Laboratory (U.S.),. (2012). Fall 2012 composite data products, backup power. Lambert, S., Kanopy (Firm). (2016). Risky Business. Lovelace, M., International Business Machines Corporation. (2014). IBM Tivoli storage manager as a data protection solution. Poughkeepsie, NY: IBM Corp., International Technical Support Organization. Orlando, K., International Business Machines Corporation. (2016). IBM ProtecTIE implementation and best practices guide. Pollack, E. (2016). Dynamic SQL: Applications, performance, and security : rapid response and flexibility in the face of changing business requirements. Port, M. (2013). Book yourself solid: The fastest, easiest, and most reliable system for getting more clients than you can handle even if you hate marketing and selling. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Rocha, A. (2013). Advances in information systems and technologies. Berlin: Springer. Simpson, W. R. (2016). Enterprise level security: Securing Information Systems in an uncertain world. Todinov, M. T. (2015). Reliability and risk models setting reliability requirements. Zavou, A., Keromytis, A., Columbia University,. (2015). Information Flow Auditing in the Cloud.

Richard Wagner; Wunderkind Or Monster Essays - Operas,

Richard Wagner; Wunderkind Or Monster Diana Glazer European History AP Research Paper Richard Wagner; Wunderkind or Monster? Richard Wagner remains the most controversial genius in music, perhaps in all the arts. The controversy began during his life - over ten thousand books about him were published before Wagner's death in 1883 - and continues still. The musical world is divided in Wagnerians (sometimes called Wagnerites) and anti-Wagnerians. Many have switched positions as the discover more about their genius, or their monster. In the case of most artists, knowledge of their private lives is not essential to an understanding of the nature of their work. Although Wagner's life doesn't explain his work, it cannot be ignored in an analysis of his work, because it is often the direct antithesis of his creative spirit. Furthermore, bad people are generally more interesting than good ones. Wagner is fascinating: an incredible music-dramatic genius who was an undiluted monster. Wagner is that enigmatic blend of good and evil, great and cruel that sporadically appears in Germany, the country of Kant and Himmler, of Bach and Walter Ulbricht, of Goethe and Goebbels. Wagner's conceit was almost pathological. He read everything aloud to his relatives and friends. He didn't expect criticism, only applause. In Of Mice and Music, Deems Taylor writes Wagner had the emotional stability of a six-year-old child. When he felt out of sorts he would rave and stamp, or sink into suicidal gloom...He was almost innocent of any sense of responsibility. He was convinced that the world owed him a living...He was equally unscrupulous in other ways. His second wife had been the wife of his most devoted friend, from whom he stole her. And even while he was trying to persuade her to leave her first husband he was writing to a wealthy woman, whom he could marry for her money...He had a genius for making enemies. He would insult a man who disagreed with him about the weather... But h e also concludes that this undersized, sickly, disagreeable, fascinating little man was right all the time..What if he was faithless to his friends and to his wives? There is a greatness about his worst mistakes. The miracle is that what he did in the space of seventy years could have been done at all, even by a great genius, is it any wonder that he had not time to be a man? He was a complex monster. Financially, he cheated his best friends. For example, Otto Wesendock (the man whose wife Wagner stole away) who bought the publishing rights to Rheingold and Walk?re in 1859, had wide experience with Wagner's character, and was perhaps not too startled to learn that Rheingold was sold again to Schott of Mainz without any intention on Wagner's part of repaying the original advance. As a requital Otto was granted the rights to G?tterd?mmerung - an unwritten work! But in 1865 Wagner demanded that Otto without reimbursement give up all claims to Ring (he had also paid for the incomplete Siegfried) and even surrender - amiably and generously - the orchestral score of Rheingold, his only remaining asset of these transactions, to the Ring's newest proprietor, the Bavarian King. The climax of double dealings came, when King Ludwig's ownership rights, for which he had paid untold thousands of marks, were ignored by Wagner, who proceeded to sell the Ring to individual theater for his own prof it. Obviously, Wagner was a crook on a scale befitting his musical genius. His duplicity extends to almost everything else he did. He extolled the virtue of chastity in his early operas while having numerous affairs. Working in his study in Haus Wahnfried in Bayreuth on the first act of his Buhnenweihfestspiel ( a stage-consecrating festival play) Parsifal allegedly a religious work, he wrote to his douce amie, Judith, to send him amber and powdered scents which he spread in his bathroom, located underneath the study so that he could breathe in the ;aromatic fumes rising from below and with them memories of Judith's glowing embraces, while working on the pious admonitions of good, old Gurnemanz. Yet he had the audacity to refer contemptuously to Rossini as Italia's voluptuous son, smiling away in luxury's most luxurious lap. Wagner's pathological hatred of the

Flora and Fauna Essays

Flora and Fauna Essays Flora and Fauna Essay Flora and Fauna Essay | Flora and Fauna| | 10/3/2013| | Outline Australia’s unique flora and fauna: Australia has a large variety of unique flora and fauna spread all over the continent, from coast to coast, including in the ocean. More than 80 per cent of the country’s flowering plants, mammals, reptiles and frogs are unique to Australia, along with most of its freshwater fish and almost half of its birds. Australia is home to more than 140 species of unique marsupials, including kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, wombats and the Tasmanian devil, which is now found only in Tasmania. There are 55 different species of kangaroos and wallabies, native to Australia. Australia’s marine environment is home to 4000 fish species, 1700 coral species, 50 types of marine mammals and a wide range of seabirds. Most marine species found in southern Australian waters occur nowhere else. Australia has over 1000 species of Wattle and around 2800 species in the Myrtaceae family, (gum trees and eucalypts). Describe the threats to Australia’s flora and fauna: Extinction Since European settlement of Australia began, a little over 200 years ago, 18 species of Australian mammals and about 100 species of native plants have become extinct. Currently about 40 species of mammals and many hundreds of species of plants are threatened with extinction. These figures are among the worst in the world. Extinction is a natural ongoing process. However at the moment the majority of extinctions are caused by humans. We can clearly tell that it is the humans that are doing the damage, because of the unusually fast rate of extinction. The current rate of extinction in Australia is 100 times the background rate (naturally occurring rate of extinction). There are many things that cause extinction, some of these are: * Habitat loss Natural causes (flood, fire, drought) * Introduced species Picture Caption: This image shows the crisis that Australian flora and fauna are presently in. In this image the more red the region is, the more species in region are thought to be endangered and threatened. As we can see the species under the most threat reside around the capital cities and the coastal regions. This is because habitat has been clea red around the capital cities and higher numbers of threatened species. Also over 50% of Australia is uninhabitable so many plants and animals live in coastal areas because they cannot survive in central Australia. : That is also why we might see higher threatened species rates on the coasts of Australia. Habitats under threat: Habitat loss is currently the main cause of species extinction in Australia. The main causes of habitat loss in Australia are; agriculture, clearing for urban living, logging and mining. When an ecosystem has been dramatically changed by human activities, it may no longer be able to provide the food, water and shelter all animals need to survive. Every day there are fewer places left, wildlife can call home. Most native species cannot exist outside a natural ecosystem. Australia is one of the top ten land clearing nations in the world. While clearing rates are starting to decline, we are still clearing more vegetation then we are planting or are able to regrow naturally. This continuous trend threatens Australia’s environment and flora and fauna species. In addition clearing land increases the chances of erosion and sedimentation of waterways and reduces water quality, also dramatically affecting our flora and fauna. Introduced species: One of the greatest threats to Australia’s Flora and Fauna is introduced species. Australia has a large number of introduced mammals and birds. Introduced frog species, have caused extinction of many native species, due to a massive change in the food pyramid. A prime example of an animal that is greatly damaging Australia’s native species is the Cane toad, which was introduced originally to destroy the harmful cane beetle. It is damaging Australia’s native species, because larger animals see cane toads as prey and therefore hunt them. When cane toads are ingested, a poisonous toxin is put into the predator causing rapid heartbeat, excessive salivation, swelling and eventually death. The animals that commonly suffer are native reptiles, snakes and crocodiles. Risk of natural hazards: It isn’t only humans that are causing the irreversible damage to Australia’s native species. A very small threat to our animals is natural causes. These causes include fire, erosion, floods, drought, landslide and cyclones. Many of these things are a very common occurrence in Australia. One of the main natural hazards that Australia faces often is fire. Tens of thousands of animals died in the Victorian bushfire. Not including the many thousands that had to be euthanized afterwards, due to severe burns and dehydration. Most are small, non-flying animals that could not escape the flames. Insect populations took the worst hit. Natural factors usually occur at a slower rate and therefore cause a low extinction rate. Human activities occur at a faster rate and cause higher extinction rates. Human activities are mostly responsible for the present extinction rates. Current policy position: Different governments around Australia have various pieces of legislation that protect Australia’s flora and fauna. The state governments are responsible for the bulk protection and sustainability of flora and fauna, while the federal government has little power over matters relating to flora and fauna. Many rules/laws on these legislations are very similar and have a few small differences to fit each state/ territory’s needs. However all legislations aim to protect all native species from harm, minimise the loss of habitat and to prevent extinction. These types of flora and fauna legislations are in place in all states/ territories around Australia. An example of this type of legislation is the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act from 1988, which was the first Australian legislation to deal with issues relating to flora and fauna. The Flora and Fauna Guarantee act Victoria (1988) is designed to: * Protect species Protect genetic material and habitats, * Prevent extinction and * Allow maximum genetic diversity within the state of Victoria. Future action plan: There are many individuals, groups and governments that are having big impacts on the state of Australia’s flora and fauna. Some of which are positive and some are negative. The majority are positive; however there are more steps that individuals, groups and governments could take to ensure a brighter future for Australian native species. Individuals Wildlife Tourists Wildlife tourism is watching wild animals in their natural habitat. Australia has a large amount of wildlife tourism due to our unique flora and fauna species. These include; kangaroos, koalas, echidnas, dingos, platypuses, wallabies and wombats. Animal tourism in Australia is very beneficial not only for the tourists but also for the animals. When tourists come to Australia, they are educated about the animals, their habitat and how important it is to protect these animals. The tourist’s views and opinions are then changed and they walk away caring more for the animals and plants, as well as the importance of maintaining biodiversity. Secondly a proportion of the revenue raised from tourism goes towards more educational projects as well as conservation projects, which are very beneficial to all animals. Wildlife Tourism has many positives and the Australian wildlife tourism is moving in the right direction, but there are more highly important steps that need to be taken by the Australian tourism industry, to protect flora and fauna. When building accommodation for tourists, animal’s homes and habitats are often knocked down, causing disturbance to animals and leading to increased vulnerability. As explained earlier habitat loss is one of the major causes of extinction and should be minimised as much as possible. Instead accommodation should be constructed away from animal’s habitats, where it does not affect them too much. Secondly stricter rules should be in place to prevent the feeding of animals by tourists. Feeding of wildlife by tourists can have severe consequences for social behavior patterns. Artificial feeding can also result in a complete loss of normal feeding behaviors. When feeding of animals stops some animals are unable to locate their natural food sources. Hunters Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife or feral animals, by humans for food, recreation, or trade. Although hunting is not very common in Australia, it is still having a big impact on Australia’s flora and fauna. Hunting is seen by some as good for the environment as well as flora and fauna, because it keeps feral pests in check and gives native animals a chance. The majority of animals hunted, are feral. These include non-native animals such as rabbits, hares, feral goats, pigs, buffalo, feral donkeys, horses and camels, which have been proven to endanger our native animals. Also the taxes from hunting activities go to the state or federal governments for such purposes such as enhancing wildlife habitat and managing and maintaining national parks. These things are beneficial, however it is quite clear, in the case of hunting the negatives outweigh the positives. The main reason is hunters are only allowed to pursue specific species. Some environmentalists argue that hunting creates an imbalance in the natural elements of the environment. For instance, if an animal that is typically a predator is hunted to lower numbers, their prey will increase in number. Nature has a delicate balance and hunting can have an impact on that natural balance. Opponents to hunting claim that animals have their own ways of population control and humans are not needed to aid that process. Groups WIRES WIRES are the largest wildlife rehabilitation charity in Australia. It is not for profit organisation that provides rescue and rehabilitation for all native Australian fauna. All animal rescuers and carers are volunteers. WIRES mostly respond to individual public reports of sick, injured or orphaned native wildlife. WIRES volunteers will rescue a sick animal, foster it and release it back into the wild. WIRES also educate kids about the importance of native animals and how to act and look after them to ensure they remain happy, healthy and in abundance. After rehabilitation of animals, WIRES releases animals back into the environment. However as we know, animals have a lower chance of survival after being released as they are not adapted to certain ways of living, predators and finding food. They may also be hunted. This is why WIRES needs to develop reserves where the animals can be released and monitored. With no roads and anti-poaching patrols, to ensure the best chance of survival. Green Groups (Australian bush heritage fund) There are many different green groups across Australia, dedicated to protecting Australia’s diverse environment, especially its unique Flora and Fauna. One of these is the Bush Heritage Fund, which is a national, independent, non-profit organisation that’s aim is to preserve Australias biodiversity by protecting the bush. It is Australias most widely supported environmental national organisation. The Australian Bush Heritage Fund has a very simple yet effective scheme of protecting the biodiversity of flora and fauna. They do this through the creation of reserves on private land. The land the fund purchases are private and protected, meaning that no one can hunt/degrade habitat on the land. This means animals can live naturally, without harm. For example, the fund now owns Naree station. This reserve in Naree protects many native and impotant plants and animals. These include: Animals on protected on the Naree property: * Brolga (vulnerable) * Freckled duck (vulnerable) * Little red flying fox * Pied honeyeater (vulnerable) * Spotted harrier (vulnerable) Brown treecreeper (vulnerable) * Kultarr (endangered) The reserve also protects iconic plants such as: * Coolabah tree * Bimblebox * Leopardwood * Beefwood * Supplejack * Belah The things the fund is doing are great and very beneficial for the flora and fauna of Australia. However, the fund could be doing many other things to protect our native flora and fauna. Firstly they should be conducting more research on the flora and fauna of Australia, to ensure they are purchasing the most important pieces of land, where the most vulnerable species are located. Secondly the fund should introduce education schemes for land owners, teaching them how to best manage their land to protect flora and fauna, as they have more land than the fund and therefore bigger impact on the flora and fauna. Zoos Zoos are defined as a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they are bred. However nowadays zoos are much more than that. Many zoos have now set up conservation society’s, such as the Taronga conservation society. There are a number of things zoo’s conservation societies do to help protect animals. This includes educating people about animals to help them make better decisions, breed animal populations that are endangered/ critically endangered, to increase their numbers and give the species a better chance of survival and help sick/ unwell animals to recover with vetinary care. These things are all important, however there is so much more zoos could be doing to ensure the preservation of animals. Firstly when they release animals into the wild, they may become sick or hunted again. Zoos should therefore establish protected reserves where no hunting/ poaching is allowed and all animals especially re-released ones are safe. Secondly zoos should establish anti poaching patrols to make sure a minimal amount of animals are hunted in the first place. Lastly zoos should lobby for better legislation concerning poaching and habitat destruction, as they have a much bigger voice and authority than many other people/groups. Government National parks/ state parks National/State Parks are large areas of public land set aside for native plants, animals and the places in which they live. They also protect places important to Aboriginal people. Because the area in National parks is protected, no habitat is allowed to be cleared as the land is owned by the government. This ensures there is not a loss of habitat leading to vulnerability of certain species of animals and plants. National parks also educate visitors, both adults and children alike, about the importance of Australia’s native flora and fauna and what steps need to be taken to ensure they can survive. The education scheme also teaches about how individuals, even children can have an impact on the native species of Australia. These things are all fantastic and there was nothing to fault about national arks, until recently. Unfortunately within a few months, we will start seeing hunters being allowed to hunt in national parks. This should be stopped as it is a danger to tourists and native animals that live in the national parks. Also this type of activity will disrupt the natural food chain that has developed in national parks. This will also mean tourists w ill be more hesitant to visit national parks due to hunting, leading to less people being educated about Australia’s flora and fauna and smaller amounts of money being raised, to fund vital environmental schemes.

Complete Project on Nike Essays

Complete Project on Nike Essays Complete Project on Nike Essay Complete Project on Nike Essay A SUMMER TRAINING REPORT ON MARKETING STRATEGY OF NIKE AT â€Å"NIKESHOES INDUSTRIES LIMITED† SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT OF BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (BBA) TRAINING SUPERVISORSUBMITTED BY SESSION 2005-2008 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The present work is an effort to throw some light on Marketing Strategy of Nike at â€Å"Nike Industries Limited†. The work would not have been possible to come to the present shape without the able guidance, supervision and help to me by number of people. With deep sense of gratitude I acknowledge the encouragement and guidance received by my organizational guide †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. nd other staff members. I convey my heartful affection to all those people who helped and supported me during the course, for completion of my Project Report. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This marketing strategic plan has been written keeping in mind the Indian operations of Nike Inc. – the glo bal sports shoe giant. It aims first, at analyzing the sports shoe industry India and finding a place in it for Nike. It then sets out to describe the target audience for the product range and finally suggests a host of marketing strategies and activities that will help Nike to achieve its target of becoming the #1 sports shoe brand in India. The plan begins with a brief overview of the product category being dealt with, namely premium quality sports shoes. It also dwells briefly on the history of the company and its current position and activities. The project moves on to the crux of the matter – the marketing plan to be followed by Nike in India. Firstly, the objectives behind this plan and the core strategy are stated. Customers to be eventually targeted are described and compared with competitors’ customer targets. After starting the objectives and reasoning behind them, the actual marketing programs are described in detail. This includes aspects such as pricing, advertising, promotion, sales, channels, and the company website. Suggestions are made on each and every one of these aspects; improvements and innovations are recommended. The plan then goes on to the customer analysis section. The customer base is identified and various segments are pointed out. Various criteria and factors have been taken into consideration while segmenting the market. We have also tried to ascertain why customers buy these products, how they choose, and what factors matter most when making their decisions. The last few pages of this marketing plan deal with the various ways in which the plan, once implemented, can be monitored and controlled TABLE OF CONTENT 1)INTRODUCTION 1-13 a)Background of the problem1 b)About The Nike Industry 3 c)Nike Maxsight4 d)Industry Overview5 e)Product Trend8 2)RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 14-20 a)Research objectives14 b)Research design15 c)Data sources15 i)Primary data 15 ii)Secondary data 15 d)Questionnaire design formulation16 e)Sample design17 f)Limitations of the research20 3)COMPANY PROFILE 21-43 a)Nike Industries Ltd. A company profile21 b)Recent Development21 c)Future Plan23 d)Risk and Concern28 e)Literature Review31 f)4ps of Nike40 g)SWOT Analysis 41 4)DATA ANALYSIS 44-63 5)CONCLUSION FINDINGS 64-67 6)RECOMMENDATIONS68-75 a)OTHER SUGGESTION INCLUDE69 7)ANNEXURE 76-82 8)BIBLIOGRAPHY 83 INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM Since the late 1980s, Business School marketing professor Itamar Simonson has looked for ways to understand how consumers make choices . Much of his work debunks the accepted theory that giving consumers what they want and making a profit are the most basic principles of marketing. Customers may not know what they want, and second-guessing them can be expensive, says the professor who teaches MBA and PhD marketing and consumer decision-making courses. In Simonson’s words, â€Å"The benefits and costs of fitting individual customer preference are more complex and less deterministic than has been assumed. † That’s because â€Å"customer preferences are often ill-defined and susceptible to various influences, and in many cases, customers have poor insight into their preferences. † In one of his recent papers, Simonson tackles the issue of one-to-one marketing and mass customization. Supporters of these marketing approaches have suggested that learning what customers want and giving them exactly what they want will create customer loyalty and an insurmountable barrier to competition. In an example taken to the extreme in the 2002 movie Minority Report, Tom Cruise’s character runs through a shopping mall past talking billboards that recognize him by name and urge him to buy products he had earlier expressed an interest in such as jeans and Ray-Bans, the ultimate in personalized advertising. But Simonson has this to say: â€Å"The fact that consumer preferences are often fuzzy, unstable, and manipulatable is unlikely to change. So, the effectiveness of methods to give customers exactly what they (say they) want has been grossly exaggerated. † His take on the long-held assumption that individual marketing will supplant targeted marketing is â€Å"not so fast. † In studies, he has learned that â€Å"even when customers have well-defined preferences and receive offers that fit those preferences, it is far from certain that the response to such offers will consistently be more favorable than those directed at larger market segments. † It’s all psychology. Consumers with well-defined preferences may be skeptical that a marketer could match expectations. Those who don’t know what they want may not ever see the fit with what the seller wants them to buy. So, individualized offers depend on customers’ preferences ; how the offer was extended ; and on trust. â€Å"Effective individual marketing requires not only an understanding of individual preferences and matching offers to those preferences, but also a thorough familiarity with the various factors that impact customers’ responses,† Simonson writes. This is a tall order, one that some companies have been able to fill, at least to some extent. For example, Amazon keeps track of customers’ purchases and suggests other books they might like. Dell builds computers from mass-made parts to customers’ specifications. But Simonson argues some companies can take the concept too far, like the Custom Foot chain of shoe stores that took detailed measurements and specifications from each customer to design one-of-a-kind shoes. Custom Foot didn’t take into account that some customers were put off by the individualized attention, Simonson says, and felt obligated to buy the shoes because the store went to so much trouble. They often didn’t come back. So knowing only the customer preferences is not enough. It is required to understand other aspects of customer behavior. Kipping this in mind, present study will find out and analyze consumer behavior of Nike shoes with reference to ladies segment. ABOUT THE NIKE INDUSTRY In sport, visual acuity and protection can mean the difference between winning and losing. Light conditions have a dramatic effect on how the human eye perceives and, subsequently how the body reacts and performs in the sun glinting over the upper deck, shallow contrast on a putting green, or quickly adjusting from shadows to light on a tennis court or mountain bike single track. Nike knows that in athletic competition, even small advantages are critical to performance. Nike has spent the last eight years exploring the human eye to understand the science of vision in the development of the new Nike MaxSight Sport-Tint Contact Lens, available August 2005. WHAT IT IS Nike MaxSight, developed in partnership with Bausch Lomb, is a tinted soft contact lens that behaves like sunglasses, reducing glare and filtering out 95% of UVA and UVB and more than 90% of blue light. But because the lens rests directly on the eye, there’s virtually no distortion as with standard sunglasses. Athletes get the same clear view at all angles. Plus, Nike MaxSight eliminates the environmental effects that plague sunglasses like fogging, scratching, additional weight, or nosepieces and frames to obstruct vision. There’s no obstruction from the edge of the lens, the frame or the nosepiece, because they don’t exist. And there are no pressure points and no slippage. Max Sight also eliminates light leakage, reducing the need to squint, allowing the eye to relax and perform more naturally. Nike MaxSight is, in effect, one giant visual sweet spot. Nike Maxsight HOW THEY WORK Nike’s patented Nike MaxSight Light Architectureâ„ ¢ selectively alters specific wavelengths of light within the visual spectrum to enhance key elements in sport. The athlete gets crisp, clear vision without anything getting in their way. By removing most of the blue light, contrast and clarity are enhanced - a decided advantage for any competitor. For sports not conducive to eyewear, such as golf, tennis and soccer, athletes will see marked improvement, even on days where the sun’s not at its brightest. Nike MaxSight provides through-and-through tinting (unlike cosmetically tinted lenses), so there’s no bending or scattering of light. Plus there’s limited incidental light or peripheral flickering creeping around the sides, as with sunglasses. Athletes tested in Nike MaxSight lenses found they squinted less, were able to relax more, and had exceptional views of contours and movement. Marco Materazzi of Italy’s Inter Milan football club and Baltimore Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts are among the pro athletes wearing Nike MaxSight. It has been a lot of fun to start the season this hot,† said Roberts early in the MLB season. In fact, he became one of the first true fans of Nike MaxSight after impressive initial results. During a spring daytime game, Roberts said, â€Å"I wore the lenses and went 2 for 4. They are so awesome. † With Nike MaxSight, there’s minimal squinting in bright light, and quicker visual definition when going from bright light to shadows. Wearers will also discover a game-day benefit – the look. â€Å"It makes the eye look distinct, the large-pupil effect,† says Alan Reichow, Nike Vision Consultant. It looks competitive. † ROLL OVER PHOTOS FOR A MAXSIGHT LENSE SIMULATION THE WEAR Nike MaxSight is a 30-day lens, though most athletes will wear them selectively and for short durations. Lenses come in six-pack packaging. Nike MaxSight is available with or without a correction, thereby making it accessible to athletes whether they wear contacts or not. THE HISTORY Nike began exploring the Nike Max Sight technology in 1997, conducting an initial clinical project, then subsequent research projects using collegiate athletes. Oregon’s Pacific University baseball players were the first athletes to undergo testing. Coach Greg Bradley requested that he be allowed to try them before his players. â€Å"He’d never worn contacts,† says Dr. Reichow. â€Å"He took two pitches and turned around and said, ‘I’ve never seen a ball that distinct and clear. Put them on anybody who wants them. ’ INDUSTRY OVERVIEW Bill Bowerman said this couple of decades ago. The guy was right. It defines how he viewed the world, and it defines how Nike pursues its destiny. Ours is a language of sports, a universally understood lexicon of passion and competition. A lot has happened at Nike in the 30 years since we entered the industry, most of it good, some of it downright embarrassing. But through it all, we remain totally focused on creating performance opportunities for everyone who would benefit, and offering empowering messages for everyone who would listen. We feel lucky to have a genuine, altruistic reason to be: the service of human potential. Thats the great benefit of sports, and were glad to be in the middle of it. What started with a handshake between two running geeks in sleepy Eugene, Oregon, are now the worlds most competitive sports and Fitness Company. The World Headquarters is in Beaverton, Oregon. The Pacific Northwest is Nikes hometown, but like so many ambitious souls, we have expanded our horizons to every corner of the world. Nike employs around 23,000 people, and every one of them is significant to our mission of bringing inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. Along the way Nike joined up with some great partner companies that help extend our reach within and beyond sports. Cole Haan offers casual luxury footwear and accessories out of New York City and Yarmouth, Maine. Bauer Nike Hockey, based in Montreal, Quebec, is the worlds leading manufacturer of hockey equipment and a wholly owned subsidiary of Nike, Inc. Nike partnered with Hurley International, a premium teen lifestyle brand founded by 20-year industry veteran Bob Hurley based in Costa Mesa, California. In 2003, Nike completed the acquisition of Converse, the globally recognized footwear brand with nearly a century of sports heritage, and home of the perennially popular Chuck Taylor All-Star and Jack Purcell footwear. Exeter Brands Group: In August 2004, Nike created the Exeter Brands Group, a wholly owned subsidiary, dedicated to building athletic footwear and apparel brands for the value retail channel. This portfolio of brands includes the Official Starter Properties LLC and Official Starter LLC which are the sole owners and licensors of the Starter, Team Starter and Asphalt brand names as well as master licensee of the Shaq and Dunkman brands, a line of athletic apparel, footwear and accessory products for the value retail channel. Separate business units within the Nike brand include The Jordan/Jumpman 23 brand and Nike Golf. As small as we feel, the Nike family is a fairly vast enterprise. We operate on six continents. Our suppliers, shippers, retailers and service providers employ close to 1 million people. The diversity inherent in such size is helping Nike evolve its role as a global company. We see a bigger picture today than when we started, one that includes building sustainable business with sound labor practices. We retain the zeal of youth yet act on our responsibilities as a global corporate citizen. If you have a body, you are an athlete. And as long as there are athletes, there will be Nike. PRODUCT TREND Bovine skin was by far the most preferred leather material, followed by goat/kid/lamb/sheep skin and crocodile skin. Respondents overwhelmingly preferred the color black and, to a lesser extent, dark brown. For handbags/briefcases, popular colors included light brown, white and red. Consumer Segments with the Biggest Spending Power Male professionals, managers and executives are the segment with the biggest spending power for now and in the coming three years. Other major consumer segments include male office workers; sole proprietors/business owners; female office workers; and female professionals, managers and executives. The Competitiveness of Hong Kong Brands/Suppliers of Leather Consumer Goods. Most retailers consider Hong Kong brands to be either very competitive or quite competitive in both high-end and mid-range segments, but less competitive in the low-end segment. The competitiveness of Hong Kong brands mainly rests on their product style/design and quality, with most respondents picking those as the major reasons behind the attractiveness of Hong Kong brands in the high-end and mid-range segments respectively. PRODUCT PROFILE Apart from delivering a pair of comfortable sports shoes Nike also provides a number of value-added features with its products. The features that are a part of every Nike sports shoe are as follows. High Performance Sports Shoes: Nike has patented the â€Å"Air† system and has made it into a regular feature in most of its models. Many models feature an air pocket in the shoe that reduces the weight of the shoe and reduces pressure on the heels. Besides the overall design and compactness of the shoes have made it a favorite of many professional athletes around the world. Comfort: Nike shoes are renowned all over the world for the comfort they provide. Well padded and cushioned, they provide a tremendous level of comfort to the wearer and reduce the strain to his feet while playing. Lightweight: This attribute is in line with the two described above. A lightweight shoe provides greater mobility and eases the pressure on the feet of the wearer. Durability: People purchasing a pair of shoes at such a high price often feel that they have made an investment. They would obviously want to see their shoes last a long time. To prove this point we draw the example of the authors of this marketing plan. All of us own a pair of Nike’s and have been wearing them for well over two years – a symbol of the durability of Nike shoes. Style: Nike’s designs are considered to be the most stylish in the industry and beat all others as far as looks are concerned. Attractively packaged, it is a delight to bring a pair home. Add to this the â€Å"Swoosh† – the most recognizable symbol in sports and you have a product that would give the user a definite sense of pride. Nike shoes also come with a guarantee card that enables the owner to return it in case of manufacturing defects. However, owing to the fact that the company implements strict quality control measures, coming across a defective pair in a store are a rarity. The most recent additions to their line are the Nike 6. 0 and Nike SB shoes, designed for skateboarding. Nike has recently introduced cricket shoes, called Air Zoom Yorker, designed to be 30% lighter than their competitors. [ Nike positions its products in such a way as to try to appeal to a youthful. materialistic crowd. [5] It is positioned as a premium performance brand. NIKE 6. O NIKE SB RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research comprise defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions; collecting, organizing and evaluating data; making deductions and reaching conclusions; and at last carefully testing the conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulating Hypothesis. In short, the search for Knowledge through Objective and Systematic method of finding solutions to a problem is Research. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ?To study the tastes, preferences, and buying behavior of consumers in case of footwear of Bata. ?To analyze buying behavior of ladies segment of consumers. To recommend strategies to Nike to increase sales in ladies segment. The main objectives of this study are: ?Working of Insurance Plans ?SWOT analysis of the product sold ?Comparative study with the competitors RESEARCH DESIGN TYPE OF RESEARCH: Descriptive research Descriptive research includes Surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds. The main characteristic of this method is that the resea rcher has no control over the variables; he can only report what has happened or what is happening. DATA SOURCES There are two types of data. Source of primary data for the present study is collected through questionnaire and answered by consumers of Nike shoes. The secondary data is collected from journals, books and through Internet search. PRIMARY DATA The data that is collected first hand by someone specifically for the purpose of facilitating the study is known as primary data. So in this research the data is collected from respondents through questionnaire. SECONDARY DATA For the company information I had used secondary data like brochures, web site of the company etc. The Method used by me is Survey Method as the research done is Descriptive Research. RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS Selected instrument for Data Collection for Survey is Questionnaire. QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN FORMULATION Under this method, list of questions pertaining to the survey are prepared for marketing staff of consumers of Nike shoes. Questionnaire has structured type questions as well as unstructured type questions. Structured objective type questions are prepared for the respondents with fixed response categories. Some of the questions are of multiple-choice type. The questions have more than one alternative. Questionnaire: A questionnaire consists of a set of questions presented to respondent for their answers. It can be Closed Ended or Open Ended Open Ended: Allows respondents to answer in their own words are difficult to Interpret and Tabulate. Close Ended: Pre-specify all the possible answers are easy to Interpret and Tabulate. TYPES OF QUESTION INCLUDED: DICHOTOMOUS QUESTIONS Which has only two answers â€Å"Yes† or â€Å"No†? MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS Where respondent is offered more than two choices. IMPORTANCE SCALE A scale that rates the importance of some attribute. RATING SCALE A scale that rates some attribute from â€Å"highly satisfied † to â€Å"highly unsatisfied â€Å" and â€Å"very inefficient† to â€Å"very efficient† SAMPLING UNIT: Who is to be surveyed? The marketing researcher must define the target population that will be sampled. The sample Unit taken by me; General public of different age group, different gender and different profession EXTENT:- Where the survey should be carried out? I have covered entire residential area of Delhi city for the survey TIME FRAME:- When the survey should be conducted? I conducted my survey for 8weeks from 10th may to 10th July SAMPLING FRAME:- The source from which the sample is drawn SAMPLING TECHNIQUE: How should the respondent be chosen? In the Project sampling is done on basis of Probability sampling. Among the probability sampling design the sampling design chosen is stratified random sampling. Because in this survey I had stratified the sample in different age group, different gender and different profession SAMPLE SIZE Consumers of shoes, 50 nos STEPS FOLLOWED IN COMPLETING THE STUDY (i)Libraries at (a) Indian Council for Applied Economic Research (ICAER),(b) Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Delhi, (c) Council of scientific and industrial Research (CSIR) (d) PHD chamber of commerce, are visited. Management / marketing books, journals are consulted. (ii)Internet sites containing information on Nike shoes marketing are browsed. (iii) Sample survey was conducted. (iv)Data was thoroughly checked for error. DATA PROCESSING METHODOLOGY (i)Once the primary data have been collected, they are (I) edited – inspected, corrected and modified. (ii)Tabulation – bring similar data together and totaling them in meaningful categories. Questionnaires are edited both in the field and later in home. Field editing took place just often the interview. Generally editing is required for open type of questions. Brief notes or symbols are frequently used during the interview to initially record the interviewer’s response since it was not desirable to interrupt the flow with lengthy note taking. Then immediately after the interview, brief notes are respondent. The responses are thoroughly checked in home for incorrect, inconsequential or contradictions categories are developed only often the replies has been reviewed. This review provided a feel for the pattern of answers and thus determine what categories best represent the answers. The collected data are placed into an order. Percentages of respondents answered similarly are calculated and placed in a table. Then this is interpreted. This involved drawing conclusion from the gathered data. Interpretation changes the new information immerging from the analysis into information that is pertinent or relevant to the study. CONCLUSION WAS DRAWN BASED ON THE SURVEY FINDINGS Finally recommendation was made to improve the sales strategy of Nike shoes to increase the sales volume in ladies segment. SAMPLE DESIGN THE BASIS OF SAMPLING: Consumers of Nike shoes are chosen randomly, so that unbiased, representative sample may be obtained. LIMITATIONS OF RESEARCH The geographical area was very much limited to residential area so the results are not particularly reflection of the current behavior. BIASES AND NON-COOPERATION OF THE RESPONDENTS. ?The collected data are placed into an order. Percentages of respondents answered similarly are calculated and placed in a table. Then this is interpreted. This involved drawing conclusion from the gathered data. Interpretation changes the new information immerging from the analysis into information that is pertinent or relevant to the study. Due to limited time period and constrained working hours for most of the respondents, the answers at times were vague enough to be ignored. ?Most of the people in India take their Nike Shoes in the period preceding March so the response to initial contacts were not all encouraging and that has been the primary reason in the inability to quantify the results large enough so as to deduce any relevant outcomes. COMPANY PROFILE NIKE INDUSTRIES LTD. – A COMPANY PROFILE Nike India Ltd (BIL) is India‘s largest footwear company. Nike first established itself in India in 1931 and commenced manufacturing shoes in Batanagar in 1936. The company has its Headquarters in Kolkata and manufactures over 33 million pairs per year in five plants located in Batanagar (West Bengal), Faridabad (Haryana), Bangalore (Karnataka), Patna (Bihar), Hosur (Tamil Nadu). It secures its leather supply from two tanneries in Mokamehghat (Bihar) and Batanagar (West Bengal). It has a distribution network of over 1,500 retail stores and 27 wholesale depots provide excellent access to consumers and wholesale customers throughout India. As on December 31, 2006, the Canadian parent had a 51 per cent stake while institutional holding was about 13 per cent. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS Nike India has said that it’s Faridabad and Mokamehghat units are being taken over by Fashion Shoe Private Ltd and BDCL Enterprises Pvt Ltd, respectively. The company is also enabling the buy back provision in its Articles of association to enable buy back of shares. The assets and liabilities of both the units will be transferred to these companies and shares will be offered in the agreed ratio to the existing shareholders of Nike India Ltd on a record date, which will be fixed by the Calcutta High Court. While retail sales have increased both in value and volume, wholesale sales have declined due to restriction of supplies as a means to recover customers‘outstanding. General recession and sluggish market conditions in the industry also have had a direct impact on lower sales and profitability. Resistance of consumers to price rises in popular volume products as well as discounts to clear slow-moving stocks and under utilization of production capacity adversely affected the operational results. The lockout declared at the Peenya factory on October 1, 2007 due to serious industrial relation problems and non-compliance with the tripartite settlement has been withdrawn. The footwear manufactured in this factory, which was shifted to the company‘s other factories and associated manufacturers, will now be gradually produced within the factory. The commencement of production from this factory will help in re-cooping the minimal loss being suffered by the company from this lockout. In Simonson’s words, â€Å"The benefits and costs of fitting individual customer preference are more complex and less deterministic than has been assumed. That’s because â€Å"customer preferences are often ill-defined and susceptible to various influences, and in many cases, customers have poor insight into their preferences. † In one of his recent papers, Simonson tackles the issue of one-to-one marketing and mass customization. Supporters of these marketing approaches have suggested that learning what customers want and giving them exactly what they want will create customer loyalty and an insurmountable barrier to competition. But Simonson has this to say: â€Å"The fact that consumer preferences are often fuzzy, unstable, and manipulatable is unlikely to change. So, the effectiveness of methods to give customers exactly what they (say they) want has been grossly exaggerated. † His take on the long-held assumption that individual marketing will supplant targeted marketing is â€Å"not so fast. † In studies, he has learned that â€Å"even when customers have well-defined preferences and receive offers that fit those preferences, it is far from certain that the response to such offers will consistently be more favorable than those directed at larger market segments. † It’s all psychology. Consumers with well-defined preferences may be skeptical that a marketer could match expectations. Those who don’t know what they want may not ever see the fit with what the seller wants them to buy. So, individualized offers depend on customers’ preferences ; how the offer was extended ; and on trust. â€Å"Effective individual marketing requires not only an understanding of individual preferences and matching offers to those preferences, but also a thorough familiarity with the various factors that impact customers’ responses,† Simonson writes. This is a tall order, one that some companies have been able to fill, at least to some extent. For example, Amazon keeps track of customers’ purchases and suggests other books they might like. Dell builds computers from mass-made parts to customers’ specifications. But Simonson argues some companies can take the concept too far, like the Custom Foot chain of shoe stores that took detailed measurements and specifications from each customer to design one-of-a-kind shoes. Custom Foot didn’t take into account that some customers were put off by the individualized attention, Simonson says, and felt obligated to buy the shoes because the store went to so much trouble. They often didn’t come back. So knowing only the customer preferences is not enough. It is required to understand other aspects of customer behavior. Kipping this in mind, present study will find out and analyze consumer behavior of Nike shoes with reference to ladies segment. FUTURE PLAN The management says that it is not averse to outsourcing if it worked out cheaper. It is also open to the idea of importing shoes mostly from China if it works out cheaper. Nike and Reebok India Company have announced an agreement to foray into retailing partnership for sale of Reebok and Rockport footwear in Nike outlets. The partnership entails retailing a range of sports shoes for walking, running, tennis and training for personal fitness and sports ranging between Rs 900-2,500. An attractive valuation compared to its peers is the main trigger for the scrip. Besides, the company’s aggressive focus on retailing and revamping of business (a division into shoes and apparels) is also helping sentiment for the scrip. Plans are afoot to start selling apparel in India made by the joint venture North Star. There’s talk that the company is planning on a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to cut costs. For the third quarter ended 30 September 2007, Nike India reduced its losses to Rs 5. 68 crore (Rs 8. 51 crore) on a 9. 2% increase in net profit to Rs 154. 27 crore (Rs 141. 26 crore). Despite reducing its losses for the quarter, Nike India has, over the last few quarters, been continuously recording weak performances as a result of an overall slowdown in the industry due to lower consumer spending. Increasing domestic competition, particularly from the unorganized sector, has also been eroding into the company’s market share. The company is finding it difficult to maintain its market share in a highly rice-sensitive Indian market, despite having strong brand recall. 97% of the company’s revenues are from the domestic market while the remainder is from exports. Nike India is the biggest player in the Indian shoe market. Nike India’s major problems include its high cost of production and low emphasis on marketing. The company may be able to address the first prob lem through outsourcing products. Bata’s brand image has been restricted to that of a company that emphasizes on utilitarian products more than trendy ones. Customers feel the company is lacking in innovation. Hence, their preference has shifted to other local brands. Nike India has a large marketing network with over 1,500 showrooms, 27 wholesale depots and eight retail distribution centers across the country. Besides, there is a network of 300 exclusive wholesalers servicing 25,000 dealers all over the country. However, in spite of this and the license to sell other brands like Nike, Hush Puppies and Lotto, Nike has not been able to improve sales consistently. The recent rise in sales during the third quarter ended September 2006 can be attributed to the festive season. Recently, it also entered into a retailing tie-up for Lee Cooper shoes. Nike India has also been trying to focus on aggressive marketing of its product. The company has been going through a period of transition for the past one year. With the expansion of the retail industry in New Delhi and Mumbai, the company has recently decided to shift its marketing operations to Delhi in order to provide value shopping for its customers. However, the manufacturing activity and the registered office will continue at Kolkata. Nike India has plans to invest in sophisticated machinery to retain its niche place in manufacturing. The company has put a fresh focus to its retail business. The company has decided to cleanse its wholesale operation by building relationships with credit-worthy buyers. It is to the company’s credit that it has lately overhauled its marketing set-up into a four-tier retail structure that will be stocked with products matching the area’s customer profile. A Nike outlet in an up market place will offer a distinctly different range of footwear from another in the suburbs. At the top of the four-tier structure will be international stores stocking brands like Nike and Reebok. Next will be city stores, located in up market areas and catering to middle and high-income groups. The company has identified the brands Power, North Star, Bubble gummers, Marie Claire and Hush Puppies for the top end of the market. Third in line will be family stores at commercial locations displaying basic and mid-range footwear. At the bottom will be bazaar stores that will basically aim at driving volume sales at lower price points. The management of Nike India is taking major steps in terms of improving market penetration, focus on stores configuration, distribution logistics, better industrial relations and overhead rationalization. Launching of new products always remained at the center stage of the company’s operations. At the same time, with the opening up of the economy, more and more goods will be imported from China. This may significantly affect Nike India’s prospects unless it manages to wean away customers with a drastic cut in costs. Alternatively, like other Indian manufacturers, even Nike may consider relocating its manufacturing bases in China. However, it is not that easy a task to undertake. Nike India, the 51% subsidiary of Toronto-based Nike Shoe Organization, remains the biggest player in the Indian shoe market, though its share in footfalls has been decreasing over the years. Now in a determined bid to straddle across all product and price points, Nike India has decided to restructure its 1,300-outlet strong retail business division along specific customer segments into Bazaar, Family, and City and Flagship stores. Nike India has decided to appoint brand managers for each product group in a newfound aggression to tackle dwindling sales. Each of these managers assisted by a dedicated team would be like a brand champion responsible for procurement, production, advertisement, promotion and re-supply. Nike India has roped in Ogilvy Mother for devising its festive season advertising, side-stepping JWT, its incumbent agency. The job involves developing special communication directed towards the festival season shoppers. Nike India Ltd (BIL) is India’s largest footwear company selling over 60 Mn pairs per year in India, USA, UK, Europe, Middle East and Far East. BIL has a market share of 60% in leather products and 70% in canvas shoes. The footwear industry in India is highly fragmented and dominated by the unorganized sector. The industry size is around Rs 75 Bn and is growing at around 10% annually. It competes with Indian players such as Liberty Shoes, Phoenix International, Mirza Tanners, Tatas, Action Shoes and Lakhani Shoes and global players like Adidas, Reebok and Nike. Accessories and garments contribute footwear sales account for more than 96% of sales while the balance. The turnover break up is as follows – ? Products Volume (%) Value (%) ?Rubber and Canvas 50: 30 ?Leather 29 :57 ?Plastic 21: 9 GROWTH DRIVERS The company has a very comprehensive distribution network which comprises its own and franchise stores. It has 1500 showrooms, 25 wholesale depots and 8 distribution centers. POPULAR BRANDS Nike owns brands like Hush Puppies, Signor, Marie Claire Power, Sandak, Hawai, Naughty boy and Ambassador. It also distributes other brands such as Nike and Lotto. Focus on middle-class and upper class Nike will continue to focus on middle and upper class customers. It is introducing ‘budget stores’ which will help customers to identify with the brand. It is also increasing focus on rural thrust for volume growth in the low-priced footwear segment. RISK AND CONCERN Lifting of quantitative restriction on import of footwear will lead to the market being flooded by imports. Labor issues have always bothered BIL and this resulted in disruption of manufacturing activities on numerous occasions. Competition is hotting up in the domestic market due to popular brands such as Gaitonde, Red Tape, Lotus Bawa and Tatas. These brands are gaining market share especially in the premium segment and in this segment BIL has no significant presence. Latest Results Sales for Q3 FY2000 increased by 5. 5% yoy to Rs1. 7bn. profits dropped by 90% yoy to Rs3. 8 Mn due to lower operating margins and higher depreciation and interest. Depreciation increased by 6. 3% yoy to Rs 37 Mn while interest cost increased by 9. % yoy to Rs 23. 4 Mn. Operating margins dropped by 3. 3% due to increase in input cost. The Peenya plant has not commenced operations despite lifting up of the lock out since July 3, 2007. VALUATION BIL’s long-term success is dependent on the how labour issue is tackled and the flexibility, which it can adopt to meet threat of imports and competition from lo cal footwear companies. Long term investors with a two-year investment horizon can accumulate the stock at current levels. It is also increasing focus on rural thrust for volume growth in the low-priced footwear segment. Lifting of quantitative restriction on import of footwear will lead to the market being flooded by imports. Labor issues have always bothered BIL and this resulted in disruption of manufacturing activities on numerous occasions. Competition is hotting up in the domestic market due to popular brands such as Gaitonde, Red Tape, Lotus Bawa and Tatas. These brands are gaining market share especially in the premium segment and in this segment BIL has no significant presence. Sales for Q1 CY2001 decreased marginally by 0. 6% yoy to Rs 1590. 7 mn. There was a net loss of Rs 30. 2 mn as against a profit of Rs 39. mn in the corresponding period of the previous year. The loss is due to lower operating margins and higher interest. BIL’s long-term success is dependent on the labor issue and the flexibility, which it can adopt to meet threat of imports and competition from local footwear companies. Long term investors with a two-year investment horizon can accumulate the stock at current l evels. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (In Rs Million) 200012 (12) 199912 (12) 199812 (12) Q1200103 Q1200003 Sales 7,315. 70 7,103. 90 6,353. 20 1590. 7 1600. 9 % Growth 2. 98 11. 82 (0. 6) Net Profit 304. 60 242. 60 166. 30 (30. 2) 39. 6 % Growth 25. 56 45. 88 (176) EPS(Rs) 5. 90 4. 70 3. 20 3. 08 % Growth 25. 53 46. 88 Ratios 200012 (12) 199912 (12) 199812 (12) Q300009 Q399909 OPM(%) 9. 77 9. 08 7. 16 1. 09 6. 9 NPM(%) 4. 16 3. 42 2. 62 2. 5 ROE(%) 8. 95 7. 44 5. 31 Nike understated 9 month losses Brief Financials (in Rs. Mn. )Detailed Quarterly Period ending (months)30-Sep-2007 (9)31-Dec-2006 (12)31-Dec-2006 (12) Net sales 4980. 206461. 177172. 91 Other Income42. 1063. 6165. 21 Total Income5022. 306524. 777238. 12 Cost of goods sold4974. 706471. 797051. 76 OPBDIT47. 6052. 98186. 36 PAT-117. 20-74. 1039. 80 Gross Block-2191. 072062. 26 Equity capital-514. 22514. 22 EPS (Rs. )1. 440. 77 DPS (Rs. )-0. 000. 75 BV (Rs. )-37. 2738. 71 P/E range (x)-0. 0 0. 00. 0 0. 0 Debt / Equity (x)-0. 320. 26 Operating margin (% of OI) 0. 90. 82. 6 Net margin (% of OI)-2. 3-1. 10. 5 As on 30 June 2007, the public, institutions and foreign bodies held 31. 23%, 13. 91% and 0. 16% stake in the company, respectively LITERATURE REVIEW The study of consumer behavior has evolved since the Information Processing Model (Bettman, 1979) assumed that the individual is logical in his/her buying process. This model was criticized because it failed to treat different consumption phenomena motivated by symbolic meanings (Holbrook and Hirschman, 1982). Individuals are not always looking for efficiency and economy, but also for distraction, aesthetic, expression, etc. (Boyd and Levy, 1963). Calling for a broadening of theoretical frameworks of consumer behavior, many authors pleaded in favor of the study of all consumption forms (Holbrook, 1986), being inspired by European semi logy and American semiotic (Levy, 1959, 1963, 1981; Hirschman, 1980; Kehret-Ward, Johnson and Louie, 1985; Mick, 1986; Holbrook, 1986; O’Shaughnessy and Holbrook, 1988; Noth, 1988; Stern, 1988; Grafton-Small and Linstead, 1989). These are the study of signs, meanings and production of symbols. Fantasy, emotion and pleasant aspects of consumption were then tackled from an experiential point of view. The Experiential View is a phenomenological perspective that perceives consumption as a primary state of consciousness having a variety of symbolic meanings, responses and hedonist criteria (Holbrook and Hirschman, 1982; Olshavsky and Granbois, 1979). The basis of the traditional Information Processing Model is the optimization of the utility of a product under the basis of a utilitarian evaluation of its tangible characteristics. Nevertheless, it neglects emotional aspects. On the other hand, the Experiential View leaves out different factors such as economic conditions, expectations, some elements of the marketing mix (price, distribution), perceived risk and conflicts, but mostly the social influence of the consumers’ reference groups (Holbrook and Hirschman, 1982; Business Central Europe, 1994) which is the aim of the Symbolic Interactionism Perspective. Acquisition, possession and consumption are activities taking place in a process of impressions creation or identity management which is, according to Belk (1978), an interactive process concerning both the image of goods consumed and that of the individuals consuming them. The Symbolic Interactionism Perspective deals with the relationship between consumers and the products they consume, and suggests that a significant proportion of consumption behaviors consist of social behaviors, and vice versa (Solomon, 1983). This leads us to consider the importance of socialization processes (family, reference groups) through which individuals learn the meanings of symbols and those of consumption. With the aforementioned meanings being negotiated and built through interactions with others, consumption is not only an individual activity, but also a social process of goods definition (Gallant and Kleinman, 1983). Since individuals are often motivated to acquire products according to what they mean to them and to members of their social reference groups (Leigh and Gabel, 1992), their behavior is subject to the pressures of cultural norms and the expectations of socialization institutions rules such as those coming from family and other reference groups (Faber, O’Guinn and McCarthy, 1987; Engel, Blackwell and Miniard, 1993). Thus, Symbolic Interactionism Perspective considers the human spirit as fundamentally social, and dependent on shared symbols. The symbols being generated at a global level (Geertz, 1973; Solomon, 1983; McCracken, 1986, 1988; Leigh and Gabel, 1992), the Symbolic Interactionism Perspective accepts as precept the fact that society and its culture precede every individual action, and that a cultural consensus results from interactions, communication, and negotiation between social actors (Charon, 1989). If, at a conceptual level, the consumption good becomes an instrument of communication, at an operational level, image variables may be regarded as the intangible attributes of the product that carry cultural and social meanings. According to Erickson, Johansson and Chao (1984), an image variable is defined as â€Å"some aspect of the product that is distinct from its physical characteristics but that is nevertheless identified with the product†. The image variables emerge from four cognitive representations individuals have of their environment: the symbolism of advertising, the celebrity endorsement, the brand, and the country of origin of the product. The made-in is considered by Dichter (1962) as the fifth element of the marketing mix, and is defined as the country where are located the corporate headquarters of the organization doing the marketing of the product or the brand (Johansson, Douglas and Nonaka, 1985). The country of origin carries a rhetoric that influences consumers’ preconceptions towards the products of a country. Its meaning can be conceived as an indication serving as a basis of evaluation (Bilkey and Nes, 1982), when one considers a product as a bundle of information. Consequently, according to Kaynak and Cavusgil (1983), the images of a foreign country that are formed by consumers are made of cognitive, affective and behavioral components. The first one represents the perceived characteristics of the country. The second one concerns the appreciation or not of those characteristics, and the third one corresponds to the actions about the country that the consumer feels are appropriate. A tendency to evaluate positively the local production compared to imported production, and biases in favor of industrialized countries have been found in previous studies (Bilkey and Nes, 1982; Cordell, 1992). This does not mean the consumer will not buy the product, but rather that he is not inclined to do so (Schooler, 1971). â€Å"When entering foreign markets, sellers often face quotas, tariffs, and non-tariff barriers. In addition, they may face an intangible barrier in the form of consumer bias on the basis of product origin† (Schooler, 1971). The informational value of the country of origin was also found to vary according to the level of involvement of the consumer in purchasing the product and the presence of other cues such as brand name, guarantee and price (Ahmed and d’Astous, 1993). In a recently published meta-analysis of country-of-origin effects, Peterson and Jolibert (1995) conclude that the average effect size is lower (0. 19) for purchase intention, higher (0. 30) for quality/reliability perceptions and context dependent. More specifically, they found that the characteristics of the study (research design, type of respondents, study cues, sample size, stimulus context etc. ) influence the relative effect of country-of-origin to a lesser degree for quality/reliability perceptions than for purchase intention. However, the type of respondents (students, consumers or businesspeople) had no influence on quality/reliability perceptions. Stanford GSB marketing professor Itamar Simonson and Ran Kivetz, an assistant professor at Columbia University, asked a group of 195 Columbia students to do; eat a lot of sushi. Participants were offered a frequent diner program that would reward them for their patronage at various university dining locations and given a card that would track their purchases. They were randomly assigned to one of two groups those in the low requirement group were told they would have to purchase 12 sandwiches to get two free movie tickets, whereas those in the high requirement group were told they would have to purchase 12 sandwiches and 12 orders of sushi to get two free movie tickets. So, the second group had to do much more to receive the same reward. Kivetz and Simonson also asked participants how much they liked sushi relative to the typical student. The result? Students who liked sushi were much more likely to join the frequent diner program that required them to purchase both 12 sandwiches and 12 orders of sushi. It shows a common mistake that consumers make if they see an offer that seems to fit them better than other consumers, for example, a program that requires sushi-lovers to eat sushi that fit completely colors their assessment of how attractive the offer is, Simonson says. As a result, by creating what appears like personal fit, marketers can attract consumers to frequency programs and many other promotional offers. Kivetz and Simonson replicated these findings regarding influences on participation in frequency, or loyalty, programs in studies with travelers interviewed at domestic airports. The sushi study is among a number of studies Simonson has been conducting since the late 1980s about how consumers make choices. Much of his work debunks the accepted theory that giving consumers what they want and making a profit are the most basic principles of marketing. The theme that pervades Simonsons work is that customers may not know what they want and second-guessing them can be expensive. In his words, â€Å"The benefits and costs of fitting individual customer preference are more complex and less deterministic than has been assumed. Thats because, Simonson says, customer preferences are often ill-defined and susceptible to various influences, and in many cases, customers have poor insight into their preferences. In another recent paper, Simonson tackles the issue of one-to-one marketing and mass customization. Supporters of these marketing approaches have suggested that learning what customers want and giving them exactly what they want will create customer loyalty and an insurmountable barrier to competition. In an example taken to the extreme in the 2007 movie Minority Report, Tom Cruises character Anderson runs through a shopping mall past talking billboards that recognize him by name and urge him to buy products he has expressed interest in such as jeans and Ray-Bans; the ultimate in personalized advertising. But Simonson has this to say: The fact that consumer preferences are often fuzzy, unstable, and manipulatable is unlikely to change. So, the effectiveness of methods to give customers exactly what they (say they) want has been grossly exaggerated. His take on the long-held assumption that individual marketing will supplant targeted marketing is not so fast. Thats because consumers are very difficult to figure out, science fiction and technology notwithstanding. Furthermore, even when customers have well-defined preferences and receive offers that fit those preferences, it is far from certain that the response to such offers will consistently be more favorable than those directed at larger market segments. Its all psychology. Consumers with well-defined preferences may be skeptical that a marketer could match expectations. Those who dont know what they ant may not ever see the fit with what the seller wants them to buy. So, individualized offers depend on customers preferences; how the offer was extended and on trust. Effective individual marketing requires not only an understanding of individual preferences and matching offers to those preferences, but also a thorough familiarity with the various factors that impact customers responses, he writes. This is a tall order, one that some companies have been able to fill at least to some extent. For example, Amazon keeps track of customers’ purchases and suggests other books they might like. Dell builds computers from mass-made parts to customers specifications. But Simonson argues some companies can take the concept too far, like the Custom Foot chain of shoe stores that took detailed measurements and specifications from each customer to design one-of-a-kind shoes. Simonson argues that Custom Foot didnt take into account that some customers were put off by the individualized attention and felt obligated to buy the shoes because the store went to so much trouble. They often didnt come back. Indeed, an Internet search produces no Website. Simonson, who has received many prestigious awards for his research on consumer behavior and marketing, teaches MBA and Ph. D. marketing and consumer decision-making courses. The loyalty program article is slated for publication in the Journal of Marketing Research this year. Online customization gives consumers the opportunity to choose characteristics they want in a product when they shop for it online. Many companies are looking at online customization as the future of online business Janis Crow, Kansas State University marketing instructor, researched how people make choices on the Internet. She recently studied consumers in an online environment and their ability to customize several products pizza, shoes, and electronic devices. Crow said that her study posed two questions for respondents: first, how difficult is it to customize a product, and secondly, how likely is the person to purchase the product he or she has customized? All participants in the study chose to customize products. In terms of customers’ likelihood to purchase, a greater number of customers made purchase decisions when there are more options to choose, she said. However, it was slightly more difficult when more features were offered. She created a website where people could customize products to their individual preferences and needs. Crow selected three generic products: pizza, shoes, and a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). Thirty-one college students took part in the study. Students could customize the three products, and I provided a drop-down box on the site with attributes to choose from, she explained. Consumers could click on a drop-down box to customize a product they would want to purchase, she said. She found that more people relied on the default choices rather than selecting other choices that were offered. She said, some research suggests that many people do not want to put a lot of effort into purchase decisions. A lot of times, people may not have preferences already in mind, she said. When consumers have the chance to create preferences, the question is whether they rely on previous preferences or if they develop new ones, she said. In the future, Crow says she will be studying strategies that consumers go through during purchase decisions. I will be studying decision processes to develop computer aids that could help the consumer reach their purchase decision, she said. Although her current project involves analyzing the consumer behavior of college students in an online environment, in future projects she plans to analyze other demographic groups. † Customization will be a key business opportunity in the future for businesses online or in more typical shopping envi ronments, Crow said. She hopes her research will help consumers in making purchase decisions and help businesses determine products to offer and how to offer them. Hong Kong companies, including leather consumer goods suppliers, have shown a growing interest in tapping the mainland consumer market after Chinas accession to the World Trade Organization and gradual opening of its domestic market. For Hong Kong companies targeting this vast market, a good understanding of the behavior of mainland consumers is necessary in order to formulate an effective and suitable market strategy. In view of this, the HKTDC conducted a survey study in four major mainland cities in February 2007. The study was composed of two interlocking surveys. The first survey (survey on shoppers) successfully interviewed a total of 1,000 shoppers of leather consumer goods in four major cities, namely Beijing (BJ), Chengdu (CD), Guangzhou (GZ) and Shanghai (SH). The second survey (survey on retailers) interviewed managers/officers-in-charge of major department stores in these four cities. The survey study analyses leather consumer goods in terms of consumer behavior, the competitiveness of Hong Kong brands and the consumer segments with the greatest biggest spending power. The main survey findings are as follows: CONSUMER BEHAVIOR Shopping locations, Department stores were the most preferred type of retailers, followed by outlets in shopping malls and chain stores. Product variety, guaranteed quality, brand choice, price, services and store environment were cited as the major reasons for visiting a leather consumer goods store. SHOPPING TIME Thirty-eight percent of respondents visited leather consumer goods shops at least once a month. Shopping during weekends is common. Other popular shopping occasions include National Day (1st October), Chinese New Year (January/February), New Years Day (January) and Labour Day (1st May). MARKETING CHANNELS Promotional activities in shopping malls and department stores are the most popular promotional and sales activities, followed by discount/price reduction, TV commercials, discount coupons, promotional stands, exhibitions, buy-one- (or more) gets-one-free. PURCHASING POWER On average, respondents owned 4. 2 pairs of shoes, 1. 2 pieces of wallets, 1. 3 pieces of belts and 1. 3 pieces of handbags/briefcases. Over the past 12 months, an average respondents spending on leather consumer goods was as follows: Shoes: RMB 597 (total) RMB 328 (per pair) Wallet: RMB 226 (total) and RMB 193 (per piece) Belt: RMB 220 (total) and RMB 194 (per piece) Handbag/briefcase: RMB 476 (total) and RMB 359 (per piece) SELECTION CRITERIA When choosing leather consumer goods, product quality stood out as the principal consideration for respondents, followed by product material, craftsmanship, style/design, price and brand. POPULAR BRANDS Most respondents considered brands important. 4PS OF NIKE Nike’s 4Ps comprised of the following approaches to pricing, distribution, advertising and promotion, and customer service: Pricing: Nike’s pricing is designed to be competitive to the other fashion shoe retailers. The pricing is based on the basis of premium segment as target customers. Nike as a brand commands high premium. Place: Nike shoes are distributed to Multi Brand store front and the exclusive Nike stores across countries. While this necessitates a second trip for the customer to come and pick up the shoes, it allows Nike to offer a much wider selection than any of the competition. Promotion: Location, targeted advertising in the newspaper and strategic alliances serves as the foundation of Nike advertising and promotion effort. The athletes and other famous sports personalities are always taken as brand ambassadors. They form the prime building blocks of their portion strategy. Product: The product range of Nike comprise of shoes, sports wear, watches etc. Its product history began with long distance running shoes in 1963. (Past 17 years: Air Jordan basketball shoes). Wide range of shoes, apparel and equipment. For example: ? Nike Oregon Digital Super Watch ?Nike Presto Cee Digital Medium Watch ?Nike Presto Cee Digital Small Watch ?Nike Ron Analog Watch ?Nike Triax 10 Regular Watch ?Nike Triax Armored II Analog Super Watch ?Nike Womens Imara Fit Digital Watch SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT ANALYSIS NIKE, INC. STRENGTHS ?Nike is a very competitive organization. Phil Knight (Founder and CEO) is often quoted as saying that Business is war without bullets. Nike has a healthy dislike of is competitors. At the Atlanta Olympics, Reebok went to the expense of sponsoring the games. Nike did not. However Nike sponsored the top athletes and gained valuable coverage. ?Nike has no factories. It does not tie up cash in buildings and manufacturing workers. This makes a very lean organization. Nike is strong at research and development, as is evidenced by its evolving and innovative product range. They then manufacture wherever they can produce high quality product at the lowest possible price. If prices rise, and products can be made more cheaply elsewhere (to the same or better specification), Nike will move production. ?Nike is a global brand. It is the number one sports brand in the World. Its famous Swoosh is instantly recognizable, and Phil Knight even has it tattooed on his ankle. WEAKNESSES ?The organization does have a diversified range of sports products. However, the income of the business is still heavily dependent upon its share of the footwear market. This may leave it vulnerable if for any reason its market share erodes. ?The retail sector is very price sensitive. Nike does have its own retailer in Nike Town. However, most of its income is derived from selling into retailers. Retailers tend to offer a very similar experience to the consumer. Can you tell one sports retailer from another? So margins tend to get squeezed as retailers try to pass some of the low price competition pressure onto Nike. OPPORTUNITIES ?Product development offers Nike many opportunities. The brand is fiercely defended by its owners whom truly believe that Nike is not a fashion brand. However, like it or not, consumers that wear Nike product do not always buy it to participate in sport. Some would argue that in youth culture especially, Nike is a fashion brand. This creates its own opportunities, since product could become unfashionable before it wears out i. e. consumers need to replace shoes. ?There is also the opportunity to develop products such as sport wear, sunglasses and jewellery. Such high value items do tend to have associated with them, high profits. ?The business could also be developed internationally, building upon its strong global brand recognition. There are many markets that have the disposable income to spend on high value sports goods. For example, emerging markets such as China and India have a new richer generation of consumers. There are also global marketing events that can be utilized to support the brand such as the World Cup (soccer) and The Olympics. THREATS ?Nike is exposed to the international nature of trade. It buys and sells in different currencies and so costs and margins are not stable over long periods of time. Such an exposure could mean that Nike may be manufacturing and/or selling at a loss. This is an issue that faces all global brands. ?The market for sports shoes and garments is very competitive. The model developed by Phil Knight in his Stamford Business School days (high value branded product manufactured at a low cost) is now commonly used and to an extent is no longer a basis for sustainable competitive advantage. Competitors are developing alternative brands to take away Nikes market share. ?As discussed above in weaknesses, the retail sector is becoming price competitive. This ultimately means that consumers are shopping around for a better deal. So if one store charges a price for a pair of sports shoes, the consumer could go to the store along the street to compare prices for the exactly the same item, and buy the cheaper of the two. Such consumer price sensitivity is a potential external threat to Nike. DATA ANALYSIS 1. Demography of respondents ANALYSIS: It was observed that the majority of the respondents consist of professional from various fields like engineers, software professionals, working executive etc. who effective form 38% of our database. While 36% were students from various fields. Others constitute designers and athletes etc. he further study is carried on the buying behavior of the above mentioned categories of consumer, which shows that our consumer is well educated and is very well informed about the product. 2. Consumer’s income level and spending capacity on shoes ANALYSIS: In the survey conducted a direct relation between the income level and the spending capacity was observed. Also it was found that students were spending in the range of Rs 1000 – Rs 3000 as compared to the working class professionals who were ready to spend between Rs 3000 – Rs 6000, since they have higher spending power because of higher income levels. SHOPPING SEASON ANALYSIS: Amongst the student and the prof