Essay about Cubism - 666 Words

Pablo Picasso Pablo Picassso was probably the most famous artist of the twentieth century. During his artistic career he created a large body of work that consisted of sculptures, prints and ceramics, while experimenting with several different materials. Today Picasso is known as one the forefathers of the artistic movement known as Cubism. Pablo Picasso was born on October twenty-fifth 1881, in Malaga, Spain, to Jose Ruiz and Maria Picasso. Rather than adopt the common name of his father, Picasso took the more unique last name of his mother as his own. quot;An artistic prodigy, Picasso at the age of fourteen, completed the one month qualifying examination of the Academy of Fine Arts in Barcelona in one day.quot; as stated by ( ).†¦show more content†¦This change in Picasso’s work became known as his quot; Rose Periodquot; as stated by ( ). Picasso went on to meet George Braque, whom is also regarded as one of the forefathers of the Cubist movement. During this period in his artistic career, Picasso created the portrait of Manuel Pallares. To create this work of art Picasso chose to use oil as his medium of choice. What is so fascinating about the painting is his application of the medium. Picasso uses the brush and or palette knife to create a cross hatch effect throughout the painting. Picasso chose to use neutral tones to describe the mood of the painting. The figure of Manuel Pallares is shown in a three-quarters view within the composition. The deliberate positioning of the figure leads the viewer to believe that Manuel was not someone of importance. His wardrobe also lets the viewer know that he is an average person. Picasso’s treatment of the details is very representational of the Cubist style. Sharp lines and a vast array of contrasting shapes and colors emphasize the creases of the suit jacket. This same attention to detail is present in the mustache and the background as well. On the other hand, Picasso’s treatment of the Manuel’s face is quite different. Picasso uses softer shapes to fine the attitude of Manuel. The blandness of the face leads one to assume that Manuel was a man of peace in a world of chaos. The background also suggests that he is a man that is completely involved with hisShow MoreRelated Cubism Essay1305 Words   |  6 PagesCubism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before the twentieth century, art was recognized as an imitation of nature. Paintings and portraits were made to look as realistic and three-dimensional as possible, as if seen through a window. Artists were painting in the flamboyant fauvism style. French postimpressionist Paul Cà ©zannes flattened still lives, and African sculptures gained in popularity in Western Europe when artists went looking for a new way of showing their ideas and expressing their views. In 1907 Pablo PicassoRead MoreEssay on Cubism1872 Words   |  8 PagesIn 1907, The Cubism is a new art movement which was created by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque who challenged the traditional art by refusing the single viewpoint in their painting. The achievement they got was based on Picasso’s first phase which he called Analytic Cubism and then developed to second phase – Synthetic Cubism. From studios of Picasso and Braque, there are many different forms of Cubism have been created and became something that changed the world of art. This art movement was formedRead More Cubism Expressionism Essay668 Words   |  3 Pagesart (Arnason 124). They also referred back to art from Africa and Oceania (Arnason 124). One of the more famous artist that also referred to African art for inspiration was Pablo Picasso. Picasso with Braque have been credited for developing cubism. Cubism was a revolutionary turn in the history of art. It was not an abstract style in itself, but it gave way to the many varieties of nonobjective art that made its way throughout Europe (Arnason 156). It can be seen as a more radical expression ofRead MorePablo Picasso Cubism Essay1071 Words   |  5 PagesCRITICAL TASK ANALYSIS Step 1: Description Pablo Picasso is a widely acknowledged Spanish artist in the twentieth century. He was born in Malaga, Spain in 1881.Cubism was the first style of abstract art which evolved at the beginning of the 20th century in response to a world that was changing with unprecedented speed. In 1909, Picasso used cubism influenced by Paul Cezanne created an artwork called â€Å"The Factory at Horta de Ebro†. The painting is a cluster of three dimensional buildings and a wide rangeRead MoreCubism : A Successful Artist Essay1648 Words   |  7 PagesPicasso Cubism Picasso just like any other artist evolved over his long artistic career but his evolution of fracturing and multi-views during the Cubism movement is of most importance. Cubism was developed by Picasso and Georges Braque and lasted from 1909 to 1912 and involves the use of monochromatic neutral colors and the taking apart of objects and analyzing them based on their shapes. The later is defined as fracturing, while the multi-views is when he looked at different objects from differentRead MoreEssay about Picasso and Cubism982 Words   |  4 PagesAlong with George Braque, Picasso was responsible for the invention of cubism. Cubism is one of the most radical restructuring of the way that a work of art constructs its meaning. Cubism is a term that was derived from a reference made to geometric schemes and cubes. Cubism has been known as the first and the most influential of all movements in twentieth century art . Before Picasso did any cubism paintings, there were works exibititing a raw intensity and violence due to his reading of non westernRead MoreWhat Was Cubism And Fauvism?853 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is Cubism and Fauvism? Well, lets start with Cubism first. Cubism is a style of modern art developed by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. These two artist were always working with each other very closely, so closely that their paintings were almost indistinguishable in who the artist was. Fauvism on the other hand, â€Å"was the first of the avant-garde movements that flourished in France in the early years of the twentieth century† (Rewald, Hilbrunn Timeline of Art History). Fauvism was first portrayedRead MoreImpressionism vs. Cubism Essay1002 Words   |  5 PagesImpressionism vs. Cubism Art, according to Websters Dictionary, is a human skill of expression of other objects by painting, drawing, and sculpture. People have used art as a form of expression for a long time. From the Mesopotamian era to the Classical Greeks and the present. Art is expressed in many different ways and styles, and is rapidly changing, one style replacing another. Impressionism and Cubism broke away from the traditional style of painting. They were both looking forRead MoreCubism by Pablo Picasso and George Braques1048 Words   |  4 PagesDuring the beginning of the 20th century the world was developing at an unprecedented, intense speed, artists were looking for a new Avant garde way to create works. Hence, cubism came to life- â€Å"a truly revolutionary style of modern art developed by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braques† (Lance 2010 :2). Many critics challenged this new style due to its unconventional use of semiotics and lack of social sense. However, this is exactly what Cubists wanted to be, unconventional- challenging the traditionsRead MoreCubism and Multiplicity of Narration in the Waste Land3022 Words   |  13 PagesCubism and Multiplicity of Narration in The Waste Land Abstract The aim of this essay is to consider the multiplicity of narration in The Waste Land and its relationship in enrichment of content and meaning in the poem. There is an attempt to convey the Cubist traits and find concrete examples in the poem. This study will try to specify evidences for conformity of cubism and multiplicity of narration in the poem. While Eliot juxtaposed so many perspectives in seemingly set of disjointed images,

Critique of Health Related Information Sources Free Essays

Critique of Health Related information sources Abstract Background – The internet is a vast source of information containing over 70 000 health related sites and discerning credible sites can often be a challenging task. It is important however so that reliable information can be obtained. Methods – A series of critique questions were devised to determine the credibility of a health based online journal article and health based website. We will write a custom essay sample on Critique of Health Related Information Sources or any similar topic only for you Order Now Questions were determined according to guidelines based on accuracy, links to authority, current relevance, scope of coverage, objectivity and design of each source advised by Hendrix and Winters (2001) [2]. Findings – Journal Article; was deemed a credible source coming from a peer reviewed journal with many credible references and no apparent bias or conflict of interest. The main author had significant authority and relevance in the given field and discussions were examined in depth. Most limitations are accounted for though no mention was made regarding possible complications of using slightly out dated data. Findings – Website; was deemed a non-credible source according the critique questions. Very few authors could be linked to articles and most articles were associated with product promotion indicating high levels of bias. While articles were maximum 4 years old, no references were made to original findings and therefore age and accuracy of data could not be confirmed. Conclusion – keeping in mind critiquing criteria is important when discerning any information sourced from the internet whether it is peer-reviewed or not as this does not guarantee 100% credibility. The website chosen was relatively easy to discern. More thought and critical thinking would be required to discern more popular health websites. Introduction Websites can be created by anyone with access to a computer and internet [1] and are subject too misleading or incorrect information whether accidentally or maliciously [2]. There are over 70 000 health-related websites available [3] the form of journals, websites, blogs, other social media, the list goes on. As a health professional, one needs to be aware of the extensive amounts of new and existing research available over the internet, but also how to valuate, discern and decide which information is reliable. Deciding the credibility of a website is not always straight forward. Research shows that even credible websites may not necessarily always provide highly accurate health information [4]. A study found internet to be a desirable medium used by collage students with 74% of participants obtaining health information from the internet via websites such as Yahoo, Ask Jeeves an d health. com [5]. Some of these sites may seem reputable but are not subject to peer-reviewing. Information subject to peer-review, such as online journals, is significantly more likely to be credible and contain reliable information [6]. The aim of this report is to evaluate and critique, two health related internet sources, a journal article ‘Energy density of foods and beverages in the Australian food supply: influence of macronutrients and comparison to dietary intake’ [7] and a website ‘Goodhealth. com’ [8] Methods Sources were critiqued based on criteria adapted from Hendrix and Winters (2001) [2]. Detailed questions were answered in regards to the following topics; accuracy, links to authority, current relevance, scope of coverage, objectivity and design of each source. This information was then critically analysed to determine the reliability and credibility of each source. Findings Journal Article – Energy density of foods and beverages in the Australian food supply: influence of macronutrients and comparison to dietary intake. [7] This article explores the relationship between energy density and the percentage of energy as fat, carbohydrate or percent water weight of individual foods and beverages listed in the 1999 Australian Food and Nutrient Database [9] composed by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand [10], as well as Australian dietary intake data obtained from the 1995 National Nutrition Survey (9). Links are made between relationships found in this and other studies towards the increase in overweight and obesity in Australia and worldwide. Analysis This is a peer-reviewed study sourced from the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, straight away indicating likely reliability. Methods, while generally clear, failed to sufficiently describe how energy density was calculated for Australian dietary intake data. Logical assumptions can be made as to how this was done, but further clarity is required. Data used was collected from 3673 individual foods, 247 beverages and dietary information from 13 858 people. This high volume of information and participants allowed for greater range of variances and increased reliability of findings. Results clearly presented findings and statistical evidence to support relationships (or lack of) between energy density and main macronutrient energy source. The article is well referenced, citing 23 references, particularly articles from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition plus other journals and databases such as the Australian Food and Nutrient Database. According to SciVerse Scopus [7] this article is cited in 13 additional articles. Author, TC Crowe, Associate Professor and academic at the School of Exercise and nutrition at Deakin University has been involved with many studies prior to and since this article [11,12]. Though published in 2004, all the data used is from 1999 and 1995, making it slightly outdated. Due to the nature of the study, date is an unlikely relevant criteria. It is possible an influx of new products could have affected results of the study, though for this to be determined, a similar study would need to be carried out using the most recent AusNut from 2007 [9] . Recent studies that support the findings of this article are referenced throught the discussion, though most focus more on the relationship between energy density and overweight and obesity problems. As this is published in a nutrition journal, it can be assumed that the target audience is a combination of health professionals, academics, university students and government officials. The depth in which the article explains its findings is thorough yet simple, making it easy to understand even without a health or science background. The results section visually represents the data so that relationships can easily be seen and supports with appropriate statistical evidence. The discussion section does not go into great scientific detail but includes supporting information from other studies and focuses on the relationships between energy density and macronutrients and the links towards overweight and obesity issues. There is no apparent evidence towards any conflict of interest regarding the main author and study. Crowe was guarantor and involved in all stages of the study with support from the remaining authors [7]. Data used was collected by independent organisations, which further eliminates any possibility of any bias while publication in a European journal increases credibility from an Australian circle to a more global view. This is an observational study design which provides level III-3 evidence according to the NHMRC guidelines [13]. The design of the methods allowed results to be presented in a clear and concise manner, easily portraying the studies findings. The study acknowledges that it was, however, limited by the following; 1. Population daily food intake was collected over a 24 hour time period. Dietary habits are subject to change daily and different days could present different results. 2. No weighting system was used regarding daily food intake thus may lead to bias by under or over representing a particular food. 3. Comparisons cannot be made between individual foods and population daily intake due to differences in data sets. Other limiting factors may include differences in food consumption habits and availability between 1995 and 1999. Evaluation The evaluation provides sufficient information to determine this study is a reliable source. While there is some room for improvement in methods and certain limitations need to be noted, it comes from a reliable source and cites many articles from similarly reliable sources. There are no apparent conflicts of interest and whilst slightly outdated, the results are not likely to vary greatly over time. Health Related Website – www. goodhealth. com. au The website titled ‘Good Health Now! ’ [9] is a small collection of health related articles ranging from 2009 to 2012 along with links to recent health related news articles from ABC News [14] and Natural news [15]. Many (non news) articles have an external link located within the article. The website is well presented, aesthetically pleasing and seems to supply a varied range of health topics. After short investigation, however, it is apparent information on each topic Is quite limited. Analysis When looking at the accuracy of the website there appears to be no process in which the information has been reviewed or critically analysed before being posted. No references are found within the text nor listed at the end with the exception of one article, which had a direct link to an article from the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition [16]. There were however, links in many articles to generally unfamiliar sites relating to the issue of discussion, often offering a product or service. While ABC News appears a reputable source, some headline appear to have authors and quotes or references while others appear to be press releases containing relatively general and basic information. Articles within the website have 1 of 3 author names; Admin, Katrina or Guest. Searching Admin or Katrina produced no information though some information could be found regarding the Guest articles. The end of each Guest article presented a small biography titled either Author Bio, Bio or no heading at all. Those without the heading Author Bio assumed the biography was not regarding the article author. While it is possible to contact site administrators through the site, not contact information is available. Accounting these factors no judgment can be made on any authors level of authority or expertise with the exception of the few named Guest authors where further research would need to be done. Considering the high number of links to related sites promoting products, there is a strong bias towards product awareness, particularly regarding Guest articles. No specific ‘last update’ date was found on the website though each article states the publishing date. Articles range in date from 2009 to 2012 appearing relatively current, however the audience are unable to determine the age of the data this information was sourced from. Aimed at health conscious adults, the website boasted a motto of ‘enabling all the live a healthy, happy life’ with a not so hidden agenda towards advertisement and product promotion. While some articles provided some detailed information many were lacking in detail. The provided a brief overview to draw the customer in [17] but then required them to search further if truly interested. Language and detail was very simple therefore there was lots of room for improvement in detail and coverage of article in general. Evaluation While initially appearing professional, lack of evidence and references significantly demises the source’s credibility, with the high amount of product promotion suggesting excessive levels of bias in featured articles. Combined with lack of detailed, sufficient information this site appears to be neither reliable nor credible. Conclusion Completion of reviewing sources illustrates the importance of evaluating information found on the internet. The critiquing criteria used provided a solid guide to deciphering the reliability of each source. While journal articles are generally deemed a reliable source care must be taken to ensure they are peer-reviewed, even then, this does not guarantee 100% reliability. Consequently, the critiquing criteria should always be kept in mind. Lack of credibility of the Good Health Now! 9] website was quickly apparent once investigation started. A lot more attention and investigation would be required if investigating more well known health websites such as health. com or WebMD. Credibility is a lot less apparent and investigation would become significantly more reliant on the critiquing framework. ? References (1) McGowan J. Evidence-based health care and the Internet . Canadian Medical Association. Journal 1998 Oct 06;159(7):843-843. (2) Hendrickx L, Winters C. Evaluating healthcare information on the Internet: Guidelines for nurses. Crit Care Nurse 2001;21(2):62-5, 67-8. 3) Ahmann E. Supporting families’ savvy use of the Internet for health research. Pediatr Nurs 2000;26(4):419-23. (4) Kunst H, Groot D, Latthe PM, Latthe M, Khan KS. Accuracy of information on apparently credible websites: Survey of five common health topics. Br Med J 2002 Mar 09;324(7337):581-2. (5) Escoffery C, Miner KR, Adame DD, Butler S, al e. Internet Use for Health Information Among College Students. Journal of American College Health 2005;53(4):183-8. (6) Lazaroiu G. The Quality and Credibility of Process Control in Research. Economics, Management and Financial Markets 2012;7(2):185-191. 7) Crowe TC, La Fontaine ,H. A. , Gibbons CJ, Cameron-Smith D, Swinburn BA. Energy density of foods and beverages in the Australian food supply: Influence of macronutrients and co mparison to dietary intake. Eur J Clin Nutr 2004;58(11):1485-91. (8) Good Health Now! [internet] No Date [cited 2012 Sep 13] Available from: http://www. goodhealth. com. au/ (9) Australian Food and Nutrient Database (1999): Australian and New Zealand Food Authority. Available from: http://www. foodstandards. gov. au/ (10) McLennan W ; Podger A (1998); National Nutrition Survey. Nutrient Intakes and Physical Measurements, Catalogue No. 4805. 0 Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics. (11) Crowe TC, Cameron-Smith D. Low-carbohydrate diets in Australia: prevalence and public perceptions. Med J Aust 2005 Jun 06;182(11):594-5. (12) Crowe TC, Seligman SA, Copeland L. Inhibition of enzymic digestion of amylose by free fatty acids in vitro contributes to resistant starch formation. J Nutr 2000;130(8):2006-8. (13) Australian Government – National Health and Medical Research Council. NHMRC Levels of Evidence and Grades for recommendations for developers of guidelines. 2009 Dec. 14) ABC News [Internet] No date [cited 2012 Sep 13] Available from: http://www. abc. net. au/news/ (15) NaturalNews. com [Internet] Not date [cited 2012 Sep 13] Available from: http://www. naturalnews. com/index. html (16) Njike V, Faridi Z, Dutta S, Gonzalez-Simon A, Katz DL. Daily egg consumption in hyperlipidemic adults – Effects on endothelial function and cardiovascular risk. Nutri tion Journal 2010;9(1):n/a. (17) Good Health Now! – True Causes of Diabetes [internet] No Date [cited 2012 Sep 13] Available from: http://www. goodhealth. com. au/220/conditions/diabetes/the-true-causes-of-diabetes/ How to cite Critique of Health Related Information Sources, Papers

Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Satisfaction

Question: Discuss about the Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Satisfaction. Answer: Introduction: Background of the Problem. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a global management issue for any organization that focuses on competitiveness in the industry/ market. In the recent years, CSR has captured the attention of managers, scholars, and practitioners among others. However, little is still on how and whether corporate social responsibility has impacts on employees regarding satisfaction, performance and turnover (Kotler Lee, 2004). Employees are considered to be the "first customers" to the organization who tirelessly contribute to its success. Therefore, understanding the employees' perception about CSR would help in answering the question about the relation between CSR and employee performance (Rahbek Pedersen, 2015). This paper examines the extent to which corporate social responsibility influence the employee's performance in an organization. Research Topic The research topic to be tested in the study is, "Corporate Social Responsibility as a source of employees' performance and satisfaction in an organization": Case of Coca-Cola Company. Management Decision The findings from this research would be of great assistance to organizational managers, stakeholders, practitioners and scholars in their future research and decision-making (Bryman Bell, 2011). In particular, the research will help in answering the following question; how can the management use CSR in making decisions concerning employees' performance? And how can such decisions affect the company's performance in the market? Research Question The research question for the study is; Is Corporate Social Responsibility a source of employees' satisfaction in an organization? Specific questions to be addressed are (Bryman Bell, 2011); How does engaging in CSR impact the employees' performance? To what extent can CSR be used to improve the employees' morale? Does active CSR participation has an impact on the employees' satisfaction? General purpose would be; To examine Corporate Social Responsibility as a source of employees' satisfaction (Bryman Bell, 2011). Specific Objectives; To investigate how engaging in CSR impact the employees' performance. To evaluate the extent at which CSR can be used to improve the employees' morale. To examine if high CSR participation has an impact on the employees' satisfaction. Hypothesis H1: Corporate Social Responsibility has an impact on employees' satisfaction and performance. References List Bryman, A. Bell , E., 2011. Business Research Methods. 3 edition ed. Washington, DC: Oxford University Press. Kotler , P. Lee, N., 2004. Corporate Social Responsibility: Doing the Most Good for Your Company and Your Cause. 1 edition ed. New York: Wiley. Rahbek , E. Pedersen, G., 2015. Corporate Social Responsibility. New Jersey: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Marketing Plan for Pharmasim Essay Example

Marketing Plan for Pharmasim Essay A) Executive Summary The management team at the over-the-counter cold medicine (OCM) group of Allstar Brands is looking to utilize revenue generated by Allround to help fund new opportunities in emerging markets. Therefore, it is critical that Allround maintain its market-leading position in terms of market share, profitability, and sales in order to fund these new initiatives. While Allround is a leader in brand awareness and brand most frequently purchased, there are direct competitors to Allround. These competitors offer various products from general cold medicine offerings to single-use medicines. It is likely that these companies will continue to develop new offerings in that arena to have greater coverage across different segments. To defend against these moves, the Allround brand must expand its line, and introduce new products to the market. This will provide an additional area for growth and revenue, allow the company to use the strong brand recognition to help launch the new products, and ensure that the product lineup is meeting current consumer trends and demands. Our sales force works with the channel’s large retailers/chain stores (direct sales) or with wholesalers/retailers (indirect sales) to ensure prominent product placement. Our sales force also works to maintain relationships with the key decision makers at each of these channels. If these relationships are damaged, there is a direct impact to sales and therefore profitability. Our outlined marketing plan will work to strengthen these relationships and allow for a dialog with the channels that will be invaluable for our organization. We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Plan for Pharmasim specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Plan for Pharmasim specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Plan for Pharmasim specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer It is evident that Allstar Brands needs a detailed marketing plan in order to positively progress in the future. Outlined below are the key areas in a marketing plan as well as suggestions for achieving our marketing objectives. B) Situation and Environment Analysis SWOT Analysis Strengths Allround has the highest brand awareness of any other competitor. Allround has the highest market share based on sales revenue for OTC medicine. Allstar is the market leader in the cold remedy market. Weaknesses Allround has a low customer retention rate compared to some other competitor brands. Allstar’s current product offering only focuses on the cold category, which is a small portion of the total available market. Allstar has a small sales force to promote its product. Only 14% of total marketing expenses allocated to sales force. Product placement in stores is not optimum. Allround contains alcohol, which is a side effect that consumers dislike. Allstar has only one product on the market. Consumer preference is leading to capsule form, and most competitors already supplying in capsule form. Opportunities Allstar has the ability to tap into another segment of the market by offering a brand extension, such as the cough or allergy segments. -Allstar has the ability to add brand extensions that fit customer needs. -Allstar can remove the alcohol from its product line. Threats -Consumers perceive alcoholic content in OTC medication negatively. -Other OTC competitors are receiving higher doctor recommendations than Allround. -Allround has a lower customer retention rate compared to other competitor brands. Allstar is only focusing on the cold category, which makes up a small portion of the available market. -Product placement in stores not optimal compared to competition. -Introduction of new products by competitors can erode Allstar’s market share. Competitors CompanyAllstarBBEthikDriscolCompetitor Summary Brand NameAllroundBesthelpExtraDryup Market SegmentColdAllergy/ColdCough/Cold/NasalAllergy/Nasal/ColdDiversified in other market segments Product4-hr multi symptom cold liquid4-hr cold capsule12-hr cold capsule4 hr multi-symptom cold capsuleAll cold medicine in capsule form Price$5. 9$4. 89$4. 49$5. 09Lower MSRP unit price for competitors Market share40. 4%25. 2%19. 5%14. 9%59. 6% Share Cold Sales Revenue$355M$222M$172M$131M$525M Total Sales$355M$286M$395M$255M$936M/$1491(63%) % of Business Related to Cold Sales100%78%44%51% Cold Sales $’s Period 0$355M$222M$172M$130M$879M Total Allstar’s major competitors are BB, Ethik, and Driscol. All competitors of Allstar’s are diversified into other categories of the OTC market and not dependent upon just the cold segment. This is one area where Allstar can potentially improve its sales and diversify its product lines. Although Allstar has the highest brand awareness, it also has the highest price amongst competitors. The fact that Allround has a strong reputation in the market place due to the product effectiveness allows Allround to maintain a higher price than its competition. All other competitors supply its OTC in capsule form, which is the preferred method of consumption by consumers. Allstar must be aware of the various formulations of the competitors, be selective in considering new products to market, and pay attention to newly offered products and the markets the competitors are targeting. The Allstar team needs to reassess the strategy and approach each period based upon competitor information while maintaining the long-term strategic objectives. Economics Allstar must monitor the economic conditions when deciding the appropriate budget allocations to advertising, sales force, promotion, and discounts. Inflation is a major influential factor that can affect total pricing and the costs of goods sold, which will affect the company’s bottom line. In order to sustain proper pricing, Allstar’s marketing team must monitor inflation and deflation in the market place to determine the optimum pricing strategy. Allstar must adjust its pricing to reflect inflation rates in the market as this will have a negative impact to net income, as costs will continue to rise. Social/Cultural Allstar must focus on the needs of its customers and monitor any changes in the behaviors of its consumers. One factor to consider is the amount of medication in Allround and the perceptions of physicians and consumers. Obtaining recommendations from the medical community is crucial to the success of the product, as some consumers value the advice from physicians. Some doctors may not recommend Allround because of the alcohol content or that the multi-symptom formulation contains too much medicine. Our team must decide the best formulations of OTC medications that meet the needs of the consumers while at the same time satisfy the medical community in terms of medicinal content and brand effectiveness. Allstar must also consider motivational factors to get consumers to continue to buy our products and the appropriate sales force and incentives to motivate the sales force to promote our brand. Some consumers are motivated to purchase based upon coupons. Motivational factors vary for the various sales channels: large grocery stores, mass merchandisers, and chain drugstores are incentivized by turnover and allowances, and independent drugstores by the number of sales people on the account. Allstar must ensure the appropriate allocation and combination of promotion and sales force to ensure our product gets the optimum attention and exposure. Political/Legal The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the amount of medication that can be contained in a single dose and the frequency in which a consumer should consume the dosage. In selecting new products, the Allstar marketing team must select products that will avert potential risks for the company. Selecting a product that has not received FDA approval could delay time to market and miss a potential sales window. Introducing a product to the market that has higher than average the recommended ingredients could be a potential risk should the FDA impose stricter regulations on the amount of ingredients. The team will pay close attention to the formulations offered before introducing these to the market place, scrutinize the ingredient type and amount of medication in each, and assess the risk associated to the potential regulation of the product. Natural Environment Climate change is an ongoing concern and can affect the weather patterns and temperature fluctuations, which can affect the health of the population as a whole. Changes in climate could potentially increase or decrease the demand for OTC products. The team must monitor symptoms of consumers and offer products that meet the needs of the consumers. Currently, the most reported symptoms are aches, chest congestion, and coughing. The reported symptoms could potentially change over time and Allstar needs to take into consideration potential changes that could occur based upon changing environmental factors. Technological Allstar is C) Marketing Objectives Allstar’s long-term marketing objectives are: 1)Increase market share 10%+ 2)Increase net income annually by 20+ (annual growth) 3)Increase customer satisfaction to at least 60% 4)Increase consumer brand awareness to at least 85% The team will also evaluate results at the end of each period via the performance summary report and adjust the short-term strategy via the various input elements: marketing strategy, marketing mix, pricing, promotion, sales force allocation, target markets and channels. Overall, we will adhere to our long-term plan to achieve our long-term objectives. D) Target Market Prior to determining the best way to market our product, we needed to identify our target market of consumers. In doing so, we sought to identify and profile distinct groups of buyers who might prefer our product over our competitions’ product. Based on this, we aligned our advertising and promotion accordingly. When analyzing the market research, we noticed that young families, mature families, empty nesters, and retired individuals accounted for over eighty-five percent of the cold, cough, and allergy market. Additionally, as Allround treats several different symptoms, it can be appealing to a large market with varying symptoms. Because of this, we used this demographic variable to identify our market. For psychographic considerations, the interests and opinions of the target market were considered. For example, we did not initially target young families. The original formulation of Allround included alcohol as an ingredient. Due to this ingredient, we did not market to young families for fear of an unintentional backlash from this demographic. We were aware that young parents would not approve a pharmaceutical company marketing a cold medicine with alcohol as an ingredient to buyers with young children. When we were able to reformulate our product, we removed the alcohol from Allround’s composition, and added young families to our target market. Another factor we noticed when analyzing the market research was an interest in the effectiveness of the product. We observed that members of our target market (young families, mature families, empty nesters and retirees) were primarily concerned with the effectiveness of a medicine, and had a smaller amount of concern for the price of the product. In other words, we deducted that members of this market group had the socio-economic background that would allow them to purchase a higher priced cold medicine if it was proven to be effective. By including both young and mature families in our target market, we believed we would see an increase in usage. By nature, colds and coughs are contagious. Families living in close quarters are likely to share colds, and therefore increase the need for cold medicine. This was another significant variable we analyzed when identifying our target market. Also, minimal side effects is an appealing attribute of our medication. Both young and mature families have many working parts, and we believe we can effectively target this group by touting our reduced side effects that allow families to go about on their daily routines. Geographic considerations involved reviewing the shopping habits of the target group. We sought to analyze where customers are going to purchase our product. According to the research, our target market shops predominately at grocery stores for cold and cough medicine. Because of this, we will geographically target our market at grocery stores. E) Positioning For value positioning, we are considering several factors to best position our product. We are pleased with the effectiveness of our product in regards to symptom relief. We believe that this will increase value in our product, and result in more satisfied customers. This will also lead to repeat purchases from happy customers, and will increase the likelihood for customers to purchase other Allround products. This will allow us to introduce new Allround products to the market. For positioning in regards to pricing, we are seeking to find the delicate balance between price and customer-perceived value. As Allround has a large portion of market share, we can factor in high volume of sales in our pricing plan. Higher volume sales can lead to a reduced unit cost and overall, more significant profits in the long term. Because our customers view our product as effective in regards to cold symptoms, we can increase the price a bit to reinforce the notion that Allround may be a little more expensive but overall, it is worth the slightly higher price. Factors also used to determine the price positioning of Allround will also include our competitions pricing, customer satisfaction, and overall brand awareness. As line extensions are introduced, we will elect to use either a market penetration or skimming strategy, depending on the product and target market. The strategy used in the future will be determined after an in-depth analysis of the market and evaluation of the new produce. For Allrounds advertising in regards to positioning, we will continue to increase the advertising budget. This will allow Allround to remain on the high-end value side of the market while simultaneously keeping pace with our competitors. Allround is in the mature stage, so the advertising message will focus on reminder messages. The reminder message will be used to stimulate repeat purchases and serve as a reminder that Allround is the superior cold medicine. For Allrounds promotion in regards to positioning, we will devote a portion of our budget only when needed. Times when our promotional budget will increase will likely be if there is a decrease in Allrounds market share, or to combat a competitors new product. When Allround introduces a line extension, we will not devote the majority of our advertising budget to promote it. Rather, we will aim for a low to medium advertising expense, and carefully direct our message. Line extension advertising will be informative in an effort to create awareness of the product. It will also be used to highlight the relationship the product has with Allround. Because Allround is a leader in the market with heightened brand awareness and consumer confidence, the relationship with Allround can be used to our advantage. When Allround introduces a brand new product, we will use a medium to high advertising expense. The new product will be in the introduction stage in its product life cycle, so advertising will need to be used more. The advertising message for new products will be informative, seek to help customers form a preference for the new product, and reassure customers that the new product is as good as Allround Though advertising strategies vary for Allround, line extensions and new products, we will use the same channel decision strategy for all products. This strategy will be used regardless of the products life cycle stage. We will maintain a channel sales force according to demand for the products. When a channel segment is experiencing growth, we will increase the amount of sales force present at these locations. For Allround, these high-volume sales channels are grocery stores and chain drug stores thus far. Because of this, we have allocated more salesmen at these channels. Our strategy is to continue to monitor the level of sales at the different channels, and increase sales force at channels where sales are growing and/or have the potential for large amounts of growth. F) Product Currently, the Allround brand has the highest brand awareness and conversion ratio amongst its competitors. Consumers view the brand positively and it has the highest market share in OTC cold medicine. The main emphasis on the product is the brand’s effectiveness over the various categories and limited side effects. The medical community is recommending products that do not produce side effects. For this reason, the team has made the decision to market products that do not contain alcohol. Product Positioning Allstar’s value proposition to consumers is to offer products that will meet all their cold medication needs, providing high-quality products with multi-symptom relief without adverse side effects. We feel that with the reputation of the Allround brand, consumers are willing to pay for a high-quality product that meets his or her needs. We will emphasize the following four key areas: 1. High Quality Product/Competitive Price: Offer products that are high quality and at a competitive price to maximize net income up to the point that consumers will tolerate. . Product Benefits: Offer products that will meet the needs of the consumer from a multi-symptom perspective that will make them satisfied with our products and motivate them to repurchase. 3. Product Differentiation: Multi-symptom solution compared to competitors, such as, Besthelp 4. Side Effects: Offer products that minimize negative side effects, such as removing alcohol content to gain more physician recommendations. G) Price The pricing strategy will rely upon the following key factors: 1)Inflation/Deflation 2)Consumer purchase decision criteria )Balancing the tradeoff between price and symptom relief 4)Analysis of competitor pricing / competitor product offering / historical pricing We will monitor the tradeoff graph in the PharmaSim module each period to ensure that we are pricing the product close to the optimal line (price vs. symptom relief). Thus far, we have learned that we need to continue increasing our prices to keep up with inflation and make some manual modifications to the price depending on the previous period’s price increase while monitoring what is happening in the future period regarding the economic factors. Consumers’ purchase decision criteria will be the one of the main decision factors in determining how we price our product each period. We determined that the key element in the consumer purchasing decision is product effectiveness for Allround, which we can measure by customer satisfaction. We need to ensure that our product has the highest level of customer satisfaction each period. By linking customer satisfaction with performance-based pricing, we believe we will be successful. Since products offered are at different stages of the product life cycle, we will position the pricing appropriately for each product. As Allround is in the mature stage, we will take advantage of the consumer loyalty and try to maintain an optimum price to reap benefits from this product line to help with the financing of other product introductions. We will price new products competitively using penetration pricing based upon where the competitors are in the market and once consumer loyalty and market presence are established, we will increase the pricing to an optimal level as to maximize net income, while continuing to increase our market share. H) Promotion For Allround, we plan to use a combination of push and pull strategies. For the most part, we will use a pull strategy for Allround as the product is in the mature lifecycle and we need to continue to advertise and contribute funds to the consumer promotion budget using trial sizes, coupons, points of purchase, and co-op advertising. Our push strategies will include our sales force to help promote the brand and detailers to help obtain recommendations from the medical community. We will use trade allowances as a way of enticing the sales channels to buy at the higher volume by decreasing the lowest volume discount and increasing the highest volume discount. When introducing new products, we will use the same trade allowances as Allround and decrease the discounts once the new products establish a market presence over future periods. We believe that this strategy will help us achieve higher unit sales, as we will entice the channels to buy at the larger volumes as they will benefit from a larger discount. As the new products mature, we will gradually decrease the volume discount to maximize our net income. In period 4, we decided to allocate 70% of all funds to Allround and 30% to Allround+. As the majority of the sales are still with Allround and the product is still Allstar’s moneymaker, we did not want to allocate too many funds into the new brand Allround+. As we introduce other products, we will establish a long-term strategy of allocating funds as follows to our product line: Allround40% Allround+30% Allright30% Advertising For Allround, we will use various advertising messages depending where we are in the product cycle. We initially will focus on benefits and reminder advertising, as well as continue to use comparative advertising against Besthelp. On new products, our strategy will focus on heavy primary and benefit, with some comparative advertising. As the product ages, we will place emphasis from primary to benefits and reminder advertising. For Allround, the advertising message is â€Å"Relieves Aches, Clear Nasal Congestion, Reduces Chest Congestion, Suppresses Cough, Minimizes Side Effects, and Won’t Cause Drowsiness. † We added â€Å"Won’t Cause Drowsiness† when we removed the alcohol from Allround and got rid of â€Å"Dries Up Runny Nose† as we already have a message of â€Å"Clear Nasal Congestion,† which could be confusing to consumers. I) Place (distribution) The period zero sales report shows that direct distribution channels are almost twice as much as indirect distribution channels (direct distribution channels account for 63. 4% of sales, while indirect distribution channels account for 36. 7% of sales). Because of this, we will prioritize direct channels for our distribution. The direct channel sales are motivated by volume discount and promotional allowances; these two factors impact overall shelf space for Allround. Volume discount and promotional allowance are factors for indirect channels as well, so we will use this information in our marketing mix with regards to promotion. We will adjust these volume discounts and promotional allowances after each period to correspond with channel growth rates and sales. J) Evaluation and Control We will employ various methods to evaluate our performance after each period. We determined that an in-depth analysis after each period is essential to maintain our product as a leader in the market. The company dashboard and performance summary will serve as primary tools in this analysis. This is where we will gather information regarding our marketing strategy, mix, promotions, sales force and price; we will use this information to compare how effective we were in achieving the marketing goals aforementioned. Another method we will use to evaluate our performance is by analyzing the percentage of changes in each of our decision points. For example, we will calculate the percentage of growth in our sales force, our product price and our advertising budget. We will then cross-reference these calculations with our overall performance in the period. An increase in price of 3. 5% may cause a negative trend in our market share; because of this, we will look to adjust our price to better capture market share. By performing similar calculations and comparative analysis, we hope to identify any positive or negative trends and adjust accordingly. While changes will occur, our overall marketing approach will not change drastically. We will adjust as our line is extended and new products are launched due to differences in the marketing life cycle of each product, but the core of our marketing strategy will remain relatively unchanged.