It Was The Year 3000. The World Was Just Coming Out Of Another Major W

It was the year 3000. The world was just coming out of another major war, World War Four. It has been a little over a year since the war ended. Things are recovering nicely. My older brother T.S. was recruited, he survived. We were happy to see him come home. School has just started back again, things have changed, the teachers seem to be very timid and quiet, they have hardly given us any homework. A lot of people I know have lost their families, I'm lucky to still have my family. None of my close friends were effected either, my friends and I are all well off, we could afford not to get hurt. This was are last year in school. We were to graduate in four months; then we would never have school again. The month before school ended, some talk about the Hitler of World War Four was afoot. See, what this man tried to do was take over the world with an army of ?zombies.? Actually they weren't really zombies, they were normal people, but with chips in their head. But, this man, Alexander, couldn't just get a lot of people to volunteer to be zombies, so he tried to take over a small country. The country was Kerblakistan. He actually did take quite a few prisoners, and he also had quite a few allies, they were Japan, Germany, and China, they were all promised the world. But, the rest of the world was against him, us being the most powerful. We completely destroyed Japan and Germany. This was no large war, the smallest of all the world wars. So, rumor has it that Alexander, who disappeared after the war, was back at the same old stuff again. He is said to have taken the soldiers from the war, to turn into his zombies. The government was not ready to deal with, or look into this, after this war. But, there has been speculation on what could happen. So, here we are at home, my friend Jay, and my brother T.S. and I. We had just heard on the news that Alexander has assembled an army and has just invaded the northwest coast. He has not killed many people, but only taken them prisoner. The army has had unsuccessful attempts to stop him, being worn from the war. Alexander's army was growing larger and larger, the zombies were not unstoppable but close to it. So, we all get in my car and head down to the army surplus store. Being an ex-soldier, my brother was entitled to buy any weapons he wanted, on top of the ones he already had. He bought us two guns apiece, and since Jay's parents were in space, he would be sticking with us. We bought some food rations and headed home, there was so much commotion, I'm glad we had an early start. We got to my brother's apartment, and turned on the news. We packed duffel bags with our weapons, food, clothing, and gas masks. We were preparing for something the world has never seen before. Then, we hopped in bed for a restless sleep. We awoke in the early morning to commotion outside. We saw no one, except for people walking aimlessly in the streets and police cars. It looks like the worst was happening, we locked the doors, ran downstairs, we notice there were no radio, or television communications. We boarded the windows and bolted the doors as best we could. Jay kept watch while we ate?and planned?for what would take place. After we had all eaten, we took a sheet of titanium from the attic, we all went down to the basement, with everything we needed and shut ourselves in with the titanium. We were down there for days, we just about went insane. The power was turning off and on for long periods of time. That was the worst. We were hearing things outside, horrible things, gunshots, screams all of it. We gathered our bravery, and began to cut a whole in the titanium. We got into the upper house, only to find it broken into. But, nothing was gone. So we felt endangered and decided to venture out.

Finding Text Complexity in a Three-Word Poem

Finding Text Complexity in a Three-Word Poem The length of a poem does not define its text complexity. Take, for example, the world’s shortest poem: FleasAdamhadem Thats it. Three words, actually two if you consider the contraction hadem as one word. The poem’s attribution is generally given to Ogden Nash (1902-1971) although there are some who credit Shel Silverstein (1931-1999). An article by Eric Shackle, however, found the originator of the poem was Strickland Gillilan (1869-1954). The article notes: At last, after searching dozens of websites, we discovered the identity of the mystery poet. It was revealed on a US National Park Service website describing Mount Rainier National Park. The Mt Rainier Nature News Notes of July 1, 1927, contained this brief item:THE SHORTEST POEM: We like poetry but we cannot stand it in too large doses. The following, which according to its author, Strickland Gillilan, is the shortest poem existing, deals with the antiquity of bugs.It runs thus: Adam had em! This short poem would meet the three standards for measuring text complexity according to the Common Core: 1. Qualitative Evaluation of the Text: This measure refers to the levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands. Teachers can review three poetic terms in this three word poem by pointing out that despite its brevity, the structure is a rhyming couplet of iambic meter. There is even an internal rhyme with the â€Å"am† and â€Å"em† sounds. There are even more figurative devices in the poem beginning with the name Adam in the first line. This is a literary allusion from the Bible as Adam is the proper name given to the first man created by God in Genesis. His companion Eve, the first woman, is not mentioned, it’s not â€Å"Adam and Eve/ had’em.† That could place the setting of the poem earlier in the Bible than her appearance in Genesis 2:20. Despite the allusion to a religious text, the tone of the poem is casual because of the contraction, â€Å"had’em.†   The title â€Å"Fleas† associated with the character Adam is comical since it implies a certain level of uncleanliness. There is even a bit of ownership since Adam had fleas, the fleas dont â€Å"have Adam,† and the use of the past tense â€Å"had† infers that he might now be cleaner. 2. Quantitative Evaluation of the Text: This measure refers to readability measures and other scores of text complexity. Using an online readability calculator, the three word poem’s average grade level is a 0.1.    3. Matching Reader to Text and Task: This measure refers to reader variables (such as motivation, knowledge, and experiences) and task variables (the complexity generated by the task assigned and the questions posed) In reading this three word poem, students would have to activate their background knowledge about fleas, and some of them might know that that scientists   recently concluded that fleas probably fed on dinosaurs as they need to feed on warm vertebrates blood. Many students will know the role of fleas in history as the transmitters of plagues and diseases. A few students may know that they are wingless insects that jump as high and as wide as an 8.5† X 11†. Explained in the Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) section of The Common Core State Standards is the description that they were built to â€Å"create a staircase of increasing text complexity, so that students are expected to both develop their skills and apply them to more and more complex texts.† The three word poem â€Å"Fleas† may be a little step on the text complexity staircase, but it can provide a workout of critical thinking even for the upper grade students.

How to Explain Employment Gaps

How to Explain Employment Gaps School happens, children happens, illnesses happen. But at the end of these trials and triumphs, the workplace is there waiting for us, ready to judge.  Of course it should forgive the dreaded work gap, especially given your very excellent reasons for taking some time off the job, but don’t rely entirely on the one-in-a-million boss that understands the idea of work life balance. Take the following three steps to ensure your application doesn’t suffer because of employment gaps.Explain It on  Your ResumeYou can’t ignore the gap. But you don’t want to get too defensive about it either. Instead, add a brief â€Å"Career Summary† section at the top, a simple and concise paragraph that explains your gap professionally. If your time off was for personal reasons, briefly touch on that. If it was for an additional degree or qualification, this should be emphasized as a strength, rather than a weakness to be explained. Sell it, baby!Go into Detail Your Cover LetterThe whole point of a cover letter is to make a personal connection, and provide valuable context for your application. It’s the best possible way to convince them- on paper, anyway- that you’re right for the job, with or without the work gap.Find a way to make lemonade; even if you were just exhausted, you can always sell that time as time spent recommitting yourself to your career purpose. Be honest, professional, and show the hiring manager all your silver linings.Prepare to Discuss It in Your  InterviewDon’t just plan to skate through the interview and hope the topic doesn’t come up. You must be prepared to discuss your work gap. Have a few answers prepared- and practiced. And then just focus on being yourself: warm, professional, likeable, and competent.Make sure you find some way to use the work gap to your advantage. It can make the interviewer see you as a stronger, more insightful person. Or a sharper and more driven future employee. The bottom line here is to make the absolute best you can out of this gap in your employment history. In most cases, you can turn this liability into an asset with a bit of perseverance, thought, and charm.

Coca-Cola Company vs. PepsiCo, Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Coca-Cola Company vs. PepsiCo, Inc - Essay Example The two companies have set some pension plans that have had many effects on the companies’ level of investment and risk while also, it affects their levels of sale and production of products. These plans are aimed at benefiting their retired employees while each company uses a quite different approach from the other. The two companies have developed strong public relations across many nations that assist them in linking customers to their company. The International Financial Report Standard (IFRS) has been a significant unit within the management of funds on the pension plan. It helps the companies realize whether the scheme of pension plan brings a loss or a profit for the company. The companies can therefore classify the pension plans as either assets or liabilities according to the IFRS report. It also enables the companies determine whether they have overfunded or underfunded the pension plan. In 2009, the coca-cola company held a third position among the companies that ha ve adopted a cash balance report meant to cater for the pension plan schemes (Diebold, 2010).   The coca-cola executive managers rejected the use of a constitutional approach in funding pension plans. As a result, there were minimized risks to the coca-cola company. Additionally, the company secured more benefits to the employees in comparison to year 2008. Following this actions, the company reported $31.9 billion in revenue operation, which was a higher value compared to $28.9 billion in the preceding year. On the other hand, because of the plan, mobility of the workforce went up while the career benefits accumulated from the plan increased compared to the preceding approach that dealt with pension plan. During the same year, 2009, Pepsi Co Company, through the assistance of the International Financial Report Standard (IFRS), developed a method of offering a final salary pension to the new employees. These were meant to benefit its workers and their family members upon their ret irement. This plan included medical fees among other benefits for the retired employee and is differently calculated. This method required a high quality pension scheme capable of securing the retirement of both the present and the newly employed workers. Up to date, the method is still applied in the company (Warfield et al. 2012). However, the method posed a higher risk to the Pepsi Company and brought in a decline of the total sales of Pepsi as compared to the year 2008. At Pepsi Company, Pension plans cover full time employees while their benefits are determined on the bases of either years of service for the worker, or a combination of service or the years of service. Retirees are eligible for life and medical insurance benefits upon meeting a specific age and service requirements. Their share of the pension costs is capped at certain dollar amounts on bases of years of service. The expected return on the pension plan assets is based on the company’s investment strategy on the pension plan as well as on their expectations for their long-term rates of return. In calculating their funding levels and capital gains in the pension plans, a market-related valuation method that realizes investment loses or gains for the securities included in their equity allocations. With complete reliance to the Financial Report Standard (IFRS), the company ensures that the amount of funds allocated for the pension plan does not exceed the expected gains. This is

Human Resource Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Human Resource Management - Case Study Example Part One, an overview of Tesco, provides a rationale for selecting the organisation, identifies specific features of the context within which it operates and key features of its business strategy, shows how it responds to the wider business environment, and explains the implications of the business strategy adopted for the management of people. Part Three diagnoses and critically evaluates the key elements of Tesco's HR strategy and the nature and scope of HR practice, with particular attention to the degree by which HR practice supports the organisation's business strategy and the extent to which different aspects of HR strategy are horizontally integrated. As a company that depends for its success on the quality of direct employee contact with customers through a unique and special shopping experience, Tesco like other similar companies claim that its people are its most important asset. Guided by a key core value of looking after its people so they can look after their customers, Tesco provides market-leading working conditions for its staff. However, it doesn't stop there. It also encourages suppliers to do the same: offer attractive benefits and wages, flexible work hours and leave, profit-sharing, subsidised meals, childcare vouchers, and an award-winning pension scheme, amongst other benchmarks. Achieving its business objectives would have been difficult without trust and dependence on the skills and commitment of employees who are encouraged at all levels to make their fullest possible contribution to business success. Guided by the slogan "Every little helps", Tesco delivers a unique shopping experience for customers, an objective that demands ongoing training to ensure that employees understand the right customer service objectives and strive to achieve them. Tesco was chosen for this paper because the quality of its people is recognised as a key factor for its profitability and stellar business performance, despite the bad press it gets from time to time due to the fact that despite their best efforts, it could never satisfy every

7 Ps Of Rural Marketing In India Marketing Essay

7 Ps Of Rural Marketing In India Marketing Essay Indias rural market holds high potential for increased consumer buying, as per the reports prepared by the NCAER. This paper explains the potential of the rural market and the issues of concern with regard to rural marketing. Rural markets are becoming important for reasons of economic growth in these areas and increasing interfirm rivalry in urban market. The rural buyer is less educated, price sensitive, more traditional and is keen viewer of T.V and video programmes. Products for rural markets have to be simpler, easy to use, visually identifiable, affordable, communicated in an interesting style and available at the customers door step. Rural consumer behaviour is a very complex phenomenon, which needs more efforts to understand, explain predict. In order to get a clear understanding of the same, every marketer should realize that consumer behaviour is, in fact, an assumption every marketing manager must make, if he plans to hit the rural market. The marketing program consists of numerous decisions on the mix of marketing tools to use. These tools consist of 4Ps of marketing i.e. product, price, place and promotion. The marketing mix is considered as the sole vehicle for creating and delivering customer value. 7 Ps of Rural Marketing in India ABSTRACT Indias rural market holds high potential for increased consumer buying, as per the reports prepared by the NCAER. This paper explains the potential of the rural market and the issues of concern with regard to rural marketing. Rural markets are becoming important for reasons of economic growth in these areas and increasing interfirm rivalry in urban market. The rural buyer is less educated, price sensitive, more traditional and is keen viewer of T.V and video programmes. Products for rural markets have to be simpler, easy to use, visually identifiable, affordable, communicated in an interesting style and available at the customers door step. Rural consumer behaviour is a very complex phenomenon, which needs more efforts to understand, explain predict. In order to get a clear understanding of the same, every marketer should realize that consumer behaviour is, in fact, an assumption every marketing manager must make, if he plans to hit the rural market. The marketing program consists of numerous decisions on the mix of marketing tools to use. These tools consist of 4Ps of marketing i.e. product, price, place and promotion. The marketing mix is considered as the sole vehicle for creating and delivering customer value. Intoduction What Rural Means Typically, from an Indian census point of view, rural has been defined with a deprivation orientation, rural being a landmass without access to continuous electricity, water, the stock market. There has been a correction in this view, however. Marketers today define rural as people living a different lifestyle as opposed to that of those who have settled in the bigger cities and towns. Rural is defined as pastoral in nature and as a mass of people who relate their income closely to the lands they till or use to raise their cattle and livestock. The Census of India defines urban India, says Gupta of TSMG. Urban India constitutes places with a population of more than 5,000, a population density above 400 per square kilometer, all statutory towns, that is, all places with a municipal corporation, municipal board, cantonment board, notified area council, etc. and with 75% of the male working population engaged in non-agricultural employment. All non-urban is rural. In simple words, we can say that rural India is a less developed countryside where the infrastructure is primitive, houses are of mud or brick but rarely painted well, the primary source of livelihood is agriculture, employment opportunities in the organized sector are negligible, eating choices are restricted to home-cooked, simple food, schools are far away, health facilities are rudimentary. Marketing Mix It refers to a set of actions, tactics, tools or variables that a company uses to promote and sells its brand and product in the markets. The 4Ps of marketing mix are: Product: refers to anything that is capable of or can be offered to satisfy need or want? Price: refers to the amount customers have to pay in order to acquire a product or services. 3 Cs of pricing Customer Values Competitor Prices Cost of Company Place: refers to point of sale Promotion: This refers to all the activities undertaken to make the product or services known to and preferred among the consumers. The Rural Market Environment in India The marketing man is a decider and an artist- a mixer of ingredients, who sometimes follow a recipe, developed by others and sometimes prepares his own recipe. And, sometimes he adapts his recipe to the ingredients that are readily available and sometimes invents some new ingredients, or experiments with ingredients as no one else have tired before. This paper is emphasized on understanding the marketing environment as it is the success key to effective marketing management for rural marketing. The rural market environment needs a separate examination as it varies significantly from that of the urban market. The rural customer shows distinctive characteristics which makes him/her different from urban buyers. 1. The Rural Consumer: Size of Rural Consumer Group: We all know that the heart of India lives in its villages and the Indian rural market with its vast size and demand base offers great opportunities to marketers. 12.2% of the world lives in Rural India and to successfully tap this growing market is every marketers dream. Characteristics of Rural Consumer Group Location pattern:-Though the aggregate size is very large, individual subsets of this market tend to be rather small and disparate. Geographical, demographical, statistical, logistical differences are very apparent. Each of these market segments differs and requires different strategies to be formed. The face of Indian agriculture is changing from dry land and irrigated agriculture into high-tech and low-tech agriculture. Farmers in states like Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have reaped the benefits of adopting new age farming practices. This has radically changed the economics of farming, with the investment in these systems lowering the cost of cultivation, increasing yields due to integrated crop management practices and reducing the dependence on rainfall. As a result, disposable income has grown sharply. The aspirants are becoming climbers showing a sustained economic upturn as purchasing power is increasing in the rural markets. Further, due to the diversity of this market, mar keters need to think, plan and act locally. It is therefore essential to develop an accurate Marketing Mix for selling to rural India. Socio-economic position: The sudden lure of rural India can be attributed to the socio-economic changes sweeping rural areas today. Increased productivity meant more income in the hands of the farmer who now wanted to buy the same products as his/her urban counterpart did.The process of income generation creating hope for better standards of living was also accelerated by companies and banks adopting villages for an integrated rural development. So, while fertilizers companies interest in adopting villages lay in increasing consumption of their products, companies like TISCO, TELCO ITG made it a part of their social commitment. The Integrated Rural Development Programme encompasses education, health, modern farming practices, land development co-operative marketing of produce. Culturally a Diverse and Heterogenous Market:-The rural market is not only a scattered market, but is also diverse heterogenous. Rural consumers are diverse in terms of religious, social, cultural linguistic factors. Various tiers are present, depending on the incomes like those of Big Landlords, Trades, Small Farmers, Marginal Farmers, Laborers Artisans. State to State Variation in Extent of Development:-There is also great deal of difference between different states in extent of development. The study provided by IMRB shows that each sate have different various parameters such as availability of health education facilities, availability of public transport ,electricity, TV transmission, post offices and water supply so on. Literacy Level:-It has been estimated that rural India has a literacy rate of 28% compared with 55% for the whole country. The picture has been changing over the years. For e.g. a decade ago, the literacy rate in rural India was only 20%. The adult literacy programmes launched in the rural areas are bound to enhance the rural literacy rate in the years to come. Lifestyle:-The rural consumers are marked by a conservative and traditional bound lifestyle. But the fact is that the lifestyle is undergoing a significant change. The change can be attributed to several factors such as: Growth of income change in income distribution Growth in education Enlarged media reach Growing interaction with urban communities Marketers efforts to reach out the rural market. Buying Behaviour Undergoes Major Change In recent years, some convergence in aspirations seems to be taking place between the urban and rural markets. The trend seems to be stronger among the younger generations. It is been found that aspirations of youth are same in both urban rural market, the only difference is that rural youth are still not in a position to follow their aspirations as that of urban youth. No stereotype Rural Consumer: The low purchasing power/ low per capita income low literacy level are the common traits of rural consumers. Rural consumers are traditional-bound, with religion, culture tradition strongly influencing their consumption habits. But still, the rural consumers do not share a common buying behavior. There are consumers who can afford high-priced brands and are also willing to buy. There is thus great scope and need for segmenting the rural market on the basis of buying behavior. 2. The Rural Demands Steady Growth: The recent NCAER publication The Great Indian Middle Class further reveals that the Indian middle class consisted on 10.7 million households or 57 million individuals of which 36 per cent lived in rural areas. No wonder, the rural markets have been a vital source of growth for most companies. For a number of FMCG companies in the country, more than half their annual sales come from the rural market. Although with the substantial improvement in purchasing power, increasing brand consciousness, changing consumption pattern and rapid spread of communication network rural india offers a plethora of opportunities for marketer. Composition of Rural Demand:- Many new products have entered the consumption basket of the rural consumer, they have started buying and using a number of modern products, which were unknown in the rural market. There are several products which have already well established in the rural market such as packaged tea, bath soaps, washing soaps, detergents, safety razor blades, scooters, motorcycles etc. On the other side there are many products, the rural market has overtaken the urban as the demand of motorcycles is also more in the rural market than the urban market. Rural Marketing Mix Product: Product for the rural market must be built or modified to suit the lifestyle needs of the rural customers. The rural market is not a homogenous set of customers with preferences frozen in time. The company should keep in mind that before developing the products for rural market, marketers must identify the typical rural specific needs. Urban products cannot be dumped onto rural markets without modifications. For instance, shampoos or soaps with distinctive, strong rose or jasmine perfumes are very popular with the rural women in South India. The urban women do not identify as strongly with these perfumes. Sachetization is also a distinctly rural-driven phenomenon. As demand in several categories is being created, intensity of use is quite low. On average, rural folk would use a shampoo only once a week. Habits take time to change and making unit sachet packs affordable is the key to inducing trial and purchase. Systematic, in-depth research that can help understand the depths of the mind of the villagers, their buying criteria, purchase patterns and purchasing power are an essential input while developing rural specific products or services. In the rural market product developers should aim at eliminating all the cost-adding features, i.e., features which a rural consumer is unwilling to pay for as he sees no obvious utility. This would redefine value in the minds of the consumer and tremendously increase product acceptability. The product strategies to be followed in rural market: Newly/ Modified product Utility Oriented product Avoiding sophisticated packaging Application of Value Engineering Small unit packaging Example: Induce rural customers to buy and try the new product i.e trial by low unit packs, Sachets(HLL),Cavin Care -Chik, PG-Vicks Vaporub, Godrej with 6ml sachet , One Rasna sachet can make six glasses Social Cultural variations Combi- Packs Colgate offers toothbrush with small toothpaste Family Packs-Britannia , Priyagold Price: The villagers due to their price sensitivity are very cost sensitive.This does not mean that a rural consumer is a miser. He is not simply looking for the cheapest product rather he understands and demands value for money in every purchase that he makes. Pricing therefore is a direct function of factors including cost-benefit advantage and opportunity cost. Pricing offered to consumers should be for value offerings that are affordable. The consumer is looking for tangible price advantages today. It is believed that rural consumers believe in smart buying. A study revealed that the average rural consumer takes approximately 2 years to decide on buying a watch! He will not do so unless he is totally convinced that he is getting value for money. Impulse buys and purchases are very rare when considering the value for money factor that reigns supreme in most rural purchase decisions. It must be remembered that the rural consumer does not have a budget problem. He has a cash flow problem. This is because the village folk receive funds only twice a year. At these times, he is capable of making high volume purchases. So, when there is a cash flow crunch, marketers need to provide financial products, schemes or solutions that suit the needs of the rural population. The Pricing Strategies to be followed in rural market Large volume- low emerging Overall efficiencies and passing on benefits to the consumers Low cost/value for money products Low volume-low price Example: Low cost products i.e Clinic-plus in 50 paisa, one rupee, two rupee pack, Colgate at Rs. 50 /- HLL derives 50% of its revenue from rural areas, sells Lux shampoo in a four milliliter sachet priced at 50 Paisa and six-milliliter sachet priced at one rupee Place: A village as a pace of promotion, distribution and consumption is very different from town and city. The most crucial link in ensuring the success of rural marketing efforts is distribution. In Rural India, the selection and use of distribution channels is a nightmare. As in Rural Indias 3 million outlets are located in 6.3 lakh villages. Thus, marketers are faced with the problem of feeding 3 million shops located in vastly diverse areas each of which records an average sale of only Rs.5,000 per outlet. Further problem is that even this sale is mostly on credit. The diversity in the distribution of shops is the self-limiting factor in terms of servicing the rural distribution network. Rural distribution has a rigid hierarchy of markets that make channel decisions relatively structured. It is essential for rural marketing companies to understand this hierarchy. Rural folk are habituated to traveling once a week for their weekly purchases to a satellite town. For durables where the outlay involved is typically large, the purchase would be made in an assembly market for reasons of choice and availability of adequate cash flow. It is therefore not necessary for a marketer of TV sets to take their distribution channel all the way down to the village shop. A TV will not be sold there as the cash flow does not exist at that point in the hierarchy of markets. A television distributor must be present at assembly markets which are much smaller in number, more controllable, easier to reach and service. Keeping the hierarchy in mind will help decide the optimum level of penetration required to reach a critical mass of rural consumers. Haats are the nerve centre of Rural India. They are a readymade distribution network embedded in the fabric of rural society for over 1000 years. Right from the time of Chandragupta Maurya, Haats are seen as a place for social, cultural and economic interchange.One in every five villages with a population of over 2000 has a haat. A lot of re-distribution also occurs through haats. This is because, a large number of retailers and sub-wholesalers buy from haats for their village stores. What is most attractive to marketers is that 90% + of sales in haats are on cash basis. Traditionally, in village shops a lot of credit sales occur due to the fact that in a small geographic area of a village, everybody knows everybody. Apart from the 90% cash sale, 5 to 7% is conducted on barter system and the rest 3 to 5% is on credit. Also attractive to companies wishing to use the system is the low selling overheads. Participation fees at haats are a flat Re.1 to Rs.5 per stall and this rate is comm on to a giant like Hindustan Lever and the smallest local seller. Distribution costs must be reduced through optimum utilization of the network. Thus, incorporating haats in the distribution strategy of a rural marketing organization selling consumer goods and FMCG products (typically once a week purchase items) is a tremendous opportunity. Perhaps the other most important factor to consider while developing rural distribution strategy is that the move from transactional marketing to relationship marketing is most evident in the village market. A strong bond needs to be created with every consumer even in the remotest villages and smallest town. The distribution strategies to be followed in rural market: Segmentation Covering of villages having population above 2,000 Distribution to feeder market or mandi town Direct contact with rural retail. Example: Samsung van displays all the products, the company has tied up with local distributors to showcase the Samsung range in local melas. Promotion: Promotion aspects always create a challenge in rural areas as they have a very thin population density but are spreaded in the large remote area. There are a lot of barriers that militate against homogenous media and message delivery. The rural consumer likes to touch and feel a product before making a choice. Demonstrations are undoubtedly the most effective promotional tool that shapes purchase decisions of the rural population. In todays information era, it is very important for companies to wise-up on emerging technologies. It has in fact become a medium to attract larger audiences for a product demonstration. Technology must be used to prepare a database of customers and their requirements. The use of video using mobile vans and even large screen video walls at events should be arranged. Several visual communication and non-verbal communication are used by the companies to reach the rural audience as large proportion of the rural population cannot read or write. More importantly, in rural India, the word of mouth is the key influencer. Intermediaries are the foundation to rural distribution. If the intermediary understand s and is constantly reminded about your product, then the end user will not be allowed to forget. The re-use capacity and colour of the container in which the product is packed is also a crucial factor. Infact, reusable packaging is considered a major aid in promoting sales for products in the rural market. Consumer and Trade schemes such as discount coupons, off season discounts, free samples, etc. encourage spending. Lucky draws and gift schemes are a major hit in most states. The use of local idioms and colloquial expressions are an excellent way to strike a rapport with the rural consumer and must be borne in mind when developing media plans and public relations programmes. The rural consumer is very down to earth but equally discerning and marketers need to step into the shoes of the rural folk while creating product promotion campaigns. Another unique feature of rural markets is that the Decision making process is collective. The persons involved in the purchase process influ encer, decider, buyer, one who pays can all be different. So marketers must address brand messages in their campaigns at several levels. Apart from regular household goods, several agribusiness companies have also started providing gift schemes with offers for free jewellery that influences the ladies to pressure the farmers to purchase agricultural inputs from select companies. This promotion strategy thus makes women influence purchase decisions that they would ordinarily not be involved in. Youth power is becoming increasingly evident in villages. Rural youth bring brand knowledge to the households. This has forced several companies to change the focus and positioning of their products and services towards this segment that is growing in absolute number and relative influence. The promotional strategies to be followed for promotion in rural market TV Radio Print media Cinema Hoarding Example: 1. Films on products like Vicks, Lifebuoy, Colgate and Shampoos are shown in rural cinemas halls. 2. LIC and Private insurance companies have been showing short movies in rural theatres to create awareness about life insurance People:-An essential ingredient to any service provision is the use of appropriate staff and people. Consumers make judgments and deliver perceptions of the service based on the employees they interact with, therefore it is necessary for the companies to provide proper training to their staff. Staff should have the appropriate interpersonal skills, aptititude, and service knowledge to provide the service that consumers are paying for. Process:- It refers to the systems used to assist the organisation in delivering the service. Banks that send out Credit Cards automatically when their customers old one has expired again require an efficient process to identify expiry dates and renewal. An efficient service that replaces old credit cards will foster consumer loyalty and confidence in the company. Physical Evidence:- Physical Evidence is the element of the service mix which allows the consumer again to make judgments on the organisation. If you walk into a restaurant your expectations are of a clean, friendly environment. Physical evidence is an essential ingredient of the service mix, consumers will make perceptions based on their sight of the service provision which will have an impact on the organisations perceptual plan of the service. Cases of Rural marketing mix in India 1.Coca Cola When Coca -Cola re-entered the Indian Market in the mid-1990s , it took the high road to marketing and got nowhere. More recently it re-invented itself and its TV commercial showed Bollywood star Amir Khan first as a Punjabi Farmer and also in other rustic roles in different parts of India .Coca -Cola available at Rs. 5 a bottle Result was within months Coke was able to reach out to rural audiences in large numbers all over India . 2.Arvind Mills When Arvind Mills discovered even the cheapest brand could not make dent in the rural markets .It introduced ready-to-stitch RufTuf Jeans with price as low as 195 a Piece The Jeans were distributed using local retail outlets in villages with population up to 5,000 .Tailors were trained and given Machine accessories needed to stitch heavy denim In about year and a half Arvind sold 50 Lakh Rug Tuf kits because it had beaten the lowest-priced organized sector jeans around Rs. 300 at that time Conclusion Today, the rural market is blooming with the increase in the disposable incomes of the households. By nature, rural marketing is complex and studying the perception of rural consumers is always a difficult task unlike that of urban consumers. An effective communication not only provides information about products, but also educates the consumers regarding the use of products. Therfore, it is necessary that rural consumers have to be thoroughly studied so as to have better knowledge of rural marketing and work out appropriate marketing strategies. The essence of modern marketing concept is to satisfy the customer, and naturally all the marketing activities should revolve around the customers and their buying behaviour. The consumers need to be guided in the proper direction in order to make a decision. Theres a necessity to raise the emotional involvement of consumers in order to prevent brand defection. The marketers must recognize that rural marketing is primarily developmental marketing must be willing to take an approach of market seeding in the initial stages. It is often said that markets are made, not found. This is particularly true of the rural market of India. It is a market meant for the truly creative marketer.

Blink †Malcom Gladwell Essay

Among the thought provoking topics Gladwell presents in Blink, I found slicing as one the most interesting. The idea that short snippets of information can potentially allow more accurate perceptions of people and situations than longer periods with in-depth study and exposure to information. The awareness of the unconscious realizations occurring much quicker and more accurately than cognitive thought, inspires additional pontificate on ways to cut through the noise that interferes with conscious thoughts. Additionally, his identification of potential noise spurs the mind to ignore the slices offer opportunities to understand potential causes for historical perceptions that have proven to be incorrect. While reading Gladwell’s elaboration on the various methods of slicing, several historical business decisions come to mind. Gladwell’s review of speed dating offers many similarities to my experiences interviewing candidates to fill vacant positions on various teams I ha ve managed. My process for interviewing candidates is a multistep process, where my first interview is normally no more than 30 minutes, containing about 15-20 minutes of my explaining the position being filled and the needs of the company. Gladwell specifically identified the purpose was not to determine if both speed dating parties want to establish a relationship together. The purpose was to decide if each person has enough interest in the other, to at least learn more about him/her. In the 10 minutes where I directly interview candidates for skills and competencies, I am simply deciding if I want to bring this person in to learn more detail about their skills and competencies. Gladwell also identifies that slicing is not always effective, due to noise received by the conscious self, sometimes allowing cognitive thought to challenge the unconscious perception. Although I take detailed notes on each candidate, there are many instances where, despite the notes and the observed mannerisms, my ‘gut’ suggested an opposite direction from the logical choice. In retrospect, I realize that during these initial interviews, as I put significant effort into evaluating skills and competencies as a whole. There was just too much data reviewed, instead of focussing on individual slices of data. In some cases my mind even justified the potential issues, offering undue credit to candidates because of their persuasive discussions and mannerisms, thereby continuing the hiring process with candidates that should not have made it past the first round. During one interview in particular, I was filling a position as Category Manager and my pool of candidates was somewhat limited. My company’s push to hire diversity candidates made the pool even shallower. After bringing candidates in for first round interviews, I decided to post the position online for a second time. The subsequent candidates were not significantly better than the first round. I could not identify a specific reason for my disinterest in the candidates, they just didn’t feel right. Most did not offer the typical image I associated with a successful category manager. As a favor to a colleague, I agreed to interview a wild card candidate for my vacancy. She had no experience with category management, but her career history showed steady progression and 3.8 GPA throughout her chemical Engineering major offered evidence of her intelligence. My colleague spoke very highly of her abilities and during the initial interview her image was consistent with high performing category managers I have known in the past. In reviewing my notes after the interview, I documented her lack of experien ce as being a key opportunity. Although my logical decision should have been to remove her from the list going forward, I followed my ‘gut’ and continued the interview process with her. As the process continued, she was eventually hired for the position on my team. I had somehow convinced myself that she could learn the trade and excel at it in a short period of time. Within a few months of hiring her, we both realized she wasn’t going to meet the requirements of the position and eventually, she went back to her previous company. I couldn’t help but wonder how she could have performed so well during the interview compared to the other candidates, but not be able to perform the duties of the actual job itself. After finishing Gladwell’s elaboration on priming, I gained better insights as to potential reasons why I hired the wrong person. Gladwell offered great examples of priming and how key words can impact an individual’s performance on tests. During the interview process, I normally discuss my educational and career history in an effort to reduce anxiety in candidates. I can’t help but wonder if during my discussions, I primed candidates, thereby pushing them to perform at anticipated levels based on my initial perception as they entered the first interview. Based on this theory, the words I chose during the interview process could have unintentionally encouraged one candidate and discouraged others. I find the concept of priming to be very thought provoking and it will definitely impact my speech at the beginning of each interview. Although Gladwell’s discussion regarding interpretations of slices of time proposes a more accurate perception is achieved by the unconscious mind well in advance of the conscious mind. Key points perceived during the initial moments could potentially shape my perception and thereby cause the subconscious to choose priming words to reinforce that perception. Being aware of this possibility is a key part of addressing it. From my experience illustrated above, focusing on neutral wording during future interviews will be a priority going forward.