Mergers and Joint Ventures Essay Example for Free

Mergers and Joint Ventures Essay When a company is first born, the last thing on its owners mind is merging with another company. A merger is sometimes a voluntary and sometimes and involuntary transaction. If a company has found itself in a place of financial difficult or is simply exhausted all its resources to remain open, a merger may be the only way its employees can retain their position. The alternative would be to close its doors and give up. Below we will discuss the differences between horizontal, vertical, and conglomerate mergers and how these differ from a joint venture. Horizontal mergers occur between businesses within the same industry. Often between organizations that share the same space or sell similar competing goods or services. A horizontal merger is simply put two companies who consolidate to work as one to make the goods or services better or more profitably. A good example would be when Hewlett Packard and Compaq merged. Two rival competitors selling similar goods who merged together to continue making products as a team. According to the Minority Business Development Agency, â€Å"a vertical merger occurs when two or more firms, operating at different levels within an industrys supply chain, merge operations.† The idea behind a vertical merger is synergy. When two companies that are not necessarily selling the same type of product or products, but are in the same supply chain merge together to make a more efficient company is synergy. One example of a vertical merger would be if American Airlines merged with Boeing manufacturing company. This would cut out the middle man between American and Boeing, and give American more control of the process, versus having to go through a middle man. Conglomeration mergers are mergers between two companies that have nothing in common. Usually these two companies merge to diversify their holdings. An example of a conglomeration merger would be  like a company that makes ice cream merging with a company that owns grocery stores. Although the two companies are different, one can help the other and thus make a profit for both of the companies. The difference between a conglomeration merger and a joint venture is that a joint venture can be entered into by any two companies working separately from their original purpose on a joint project that will produce a profit for both companies. The companies agreeing to a joint venture do not necessarily have to change their original company structure or management. The original company may be a different entity entirely. Joint ventures enable companies to diversify. All of these mergers are example of companies that joined forces, and either one or both disregarded their individual identity. A joint venture in comparison is when a commercial enterprise is undertaken jointly by two or more parties, while maintaining their individual identities. This could be when a cable company and phone company create a joint venture to offer their customers’ services yet have all their bills on one tab. This makes it easier for companies to offer discounts for bundling services and makes it easy on the customer because they can go to one place rather than several places for different products. References http://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/horizontalmerger.asp Minority business development agency, U.S. Department of Commerce, (n.d.), Retrieved from http://www.mbda.gov/node/1409 N. Jones, 2010. Mergers vs joint ventures: What’s the difference? Retrieved from: http://www.brighthub.com

The Political And Legal Systems Of Indonesia

The Political And Legal Systems Of Indonesia 1. Country profile: Indonesia is located in the southeast part of Asia. Indonesia stretches 5120 km along the equator and has 13000 islands between Australia and Asia. Due to this there has been an influence on the social, cultural, economic and political life of the country. Indonesias total area is 80% sea mass. Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Papua and Sulawesi are the five a largest island of which java is the most populated island, a total population of 125 million (CIA 2010). Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia. Indonesia has a tropical climate which consists of two seasons summer from May to September and the rainy season from October to April. Indonesia experiences rain during both the seasons. The fourth most populated country in the worlds is Indonesia with a population of 242.96 million (CIA 2010). Indonesia is the largest Muslim country. It is an ethnically diverse country with more than 300 languages. http://mapoftheunitedstates.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/indonesia_.jpg Figure 1: Indonesia Map Sources: CIA Website 2010 2. Political system and Legal systems: Indonesia today is Southeast Asias most vibrant democracy. The Indonesians enjoy a level of political freedom. The present improved political system now encourages freedom and equality for the people of Indonesia. Figure 2: Political system of Indonesia Source: Indonesia 2009: An official handbook The three key branches of the Indonesian government are The executive branch The legislative branch The judicial branch 2.1 Executive branch: The president is the head of the state and government, in turn is on top of the executive branch. Under him is the vice-president, cabinet ministers and also non-departmental agencies. He is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The main role of the president is to govern his nation, make policies and look in to the foreign affairs. The president has the power to assign and reject the cabinet ministers. One of the main roles of the president is to assign the judge for the Supreme Court. 2.2 Legislature branch: This branch consist a representative body which is the peoples consultative assembly or (MPR). The MPR has the right to question the integrity of the president. The MPR has two lower chambers i.e the Peoples Representative Council or the (DPR) and the Regional Representatives Council or (DPD). 2.3 Judicial branch: The Indonesian judicial system has three main courts i.e. the high court, Supreme Court and the district courts. The Supreme Court is the highest level. These courts have the rights to exercise both civil and criminal cases. Indonesia has different courts for different matters, religious courts, military courts and administrative courts. Firstly all the civil disputes are handled in a state court and then forwarded to the high court. A commercial court exists to handle bankruptcy and commercial matters. The three branches of the legal system in Indonesia are The notaries Advocates Legal consultants. A notary is appointed by the Department of Justice Human Rights who is trained legally to notarise deeds. A notary prepares and executes the formal deed called the notarised deed, it is also known as the authentic deed. The legal documents require notarised deeds. The role of the notary is to make sure that the parties have considerable amount of proof for their deeds and the deed is executed properly. The notary should be present when a party plans to start a company. A notary is appointed by the government and his duty does not include giving legal advice. These parties need to get legal advice before they meet the notary. The main duties of the notary are to prepare and verify the documents. The parties are free to choose any notary they want. Advocates are lawyers who practice privately and have formal legal training. The main duty of the advocates is to focus on litigation but they can also provide general legal advice. For advice on foreign transaction experienced lawyers are needed.Hiring a good and trust worthy lawyer is essential for doing business in Indonesia. Some of the important laws relevant for businesses in Indonesia are given below: The Law on Investment The Labour Law The bill on Mineral and Coal Mining The Oil and Gas law The Shipping Law Law on Disputes and Conflict resolution Corporate Law Land rights Few tips for the foreign investors There should not be any restrictions on the type of business the company is planning to start. A good notary is a must to set up a business. The employees who have an important position should be paid well. Build good relations with the company and the society. 3. Economic system Under the leadership of Suharto who was the president of Indonesia for over three decades the economy had witnessed two major financial crises. This was during 1997- 98 and 2008. Indonesian economy is directly dependent on three main sectors, Agriculture Manufacturing Service. These crises were direct result of corrupt politicians, natural disasters, disturbances in the society and terrorism. The result was that the economy suffered which in turn caused in drop of employment opportunities and loss of manpower that migrated in search of employment. The graph shows the distribution of workforce among the three key economic sectors. Indonesias Employment Figure 3: Indonesian Employment Source: Economy Watch The three main sectors that constitute the Indonesian Economy are: Primary Sector: Agriculture by far is the largest employment sector. Some of the common produce is rice, pork, coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, rubber, eggs, copra, palm oil and peanuts. Indonesia stands 4th in world market for the production of coffee and rice. Secondary Sector: Nearly 27.9% of Indonesians GDP comes from the manufacturing sector (EIU 2010). Tertiary Sector: Service sector has for long has been the pillar of Indonesian economy contributing nearly 38.5% towards the countrys GDP. Global financial crises slowed down the IT sector. However, it has been predicated to contribute up to 15% towards the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) during the period of 2010-2014 (EIU 2010) . Hospitality industry has surprisingly started contributing towards Indonesian economy. The tourism industry flourished with no major impact due to the global recession. 4. Economy: Indonesia has the largest economy in Southeast Asia. It is a market based economy with a significant involvement of the state. There are a large number of state owned enterprises (SOEs). Indonesia is considered as an emerging economy. In the end of 2009 the GDP was $540.3 billion and the per capita GDP was $2717. The GDP growth in 2010 reached 5.9% and to further accelerates to an average of 6.2 % a year in 2011-2014. In terms of GDP industrial sector is the largest (46.9%), followed by services (37.2%) and agriculture (15.9%)  [i]  . Indonesia is a major exporter of oil (US Department of State 2010) Indonesia is market leaders in the production of palm oil and one of the main producers of rubber, coal, liquefied natural gas and cocoa. Some of the prime industries are mining, petroleum and natural gas, cement, textiles and chemical fertilizers. There is a reduction in the poverty of the population. Indonesian economy has been improving after some major financial crisis in the past, thus investing on Indonesian Economy would be associated with low risk. Growth in GDP by field of business from 2005 to 2009: Growth (%) 2007 2008 2009 Agriculture 3,5 4,8 4,13 Mining and Quarrying 2 0,5 4,37 Manufacturing 4,7 3,7 2,11 Electricity, Gas and Water Supply 10,3 10,9 13,78 Construction 8,6 7,3 7,05 Trade, Hotels and Restaurants 8,4 7,2 1,14 Transportation and Communications 14 16,7 15,53 Finance, Rental and Business Service 8 8,2 5,05 Services 6,6 6,4 6,40 GDP 6,3 6,1 4,55 Sources: Bank Indonesia and Asian Development Bank 2010 Distribution of GDP by field of business from 2005 to 2009: Distribution of GDP (%) 2007 2008 2009  [ii]   Agriculture 13,8 13,7 15,3 Mining and Quarrying 8,7 8,3 10,5 Manufacturing 27,4 26,8 26,4 Electricity, Gas and Water Supply 0,7 0,7 0,8 Construction 6,2 6,3 1,0 Trade, Hotels and Restaurants 17,3 17,4 13,4 Transportation and Communications 7,3 8 6,2 Finance, Rental and Business Service 9,4 9,5 7,2 Services 9,3 9,3 5,6 Sources: Bank Indonesia and Asian Development Bank 2010 4.1 Inflation Rate: According to the financial report in April 2011 Indonesian inflation rate stood at 6.16 %. During the period between 1997 to 2010, Indonesian inflation rate averaged between 13.26% and reaching its all time high of 82.4% in the third quarter of 1998 and reached a all time low record of -1.17 % in first quarter of 2000. 4.2 Social Economy: The population of Indonesia stood at 232.4 million during 2010. It has a healthy percentage of population who are young. The median age is 27.2 years and the population growth is 1.175%. Looking at the age structure, 28.4% of the population is between 0-14 years, 67.5% are between 16-67 and 5.8% over 65 years. Life expectancy is 70.46 years. As of February 2011, labour force was 116.5 million. When dividing the labour force by sector, one finds that agriculture employs the most people (42.1%), closely followed by the services sector (39.3%). 18.6% are employed in the industrial sector. The table shows the distribution of the employment among the major industries. Industry # of employees % Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fishery 42,689,635 41.83 Mining and Quarrying 1,062,309 1.04 Manufacturing 12,440,141 12.19 Electricity, Gas, Water 207,909 0.20 Construction 4,733,679 4.64 Trade, Hotels, Restaurants 20,684,041 20.27 Transportation, Storage, Communication 6,013,947 5.89 Finance, Real estate and Business services 1,440,042 1.41 Community, Social and Personal services 12,778,154 12.52 Source: Indonesia 2008: An Official Handbook Indonesias official unemployment level is currently 7.4 %; a decrease from former levels of unemployment between 8 and 9 %. 5. Cultural issues Indonesias workforce values is as given below: http://www.geert-hofstede.com/graphs/hofstede_indonesia.gif Figure 5: Geert Hofstedeà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ Cultural Dimensions Sources: Geertz Hofstede 2009 The above graph indicates that Indonesians are generally inclined towards distribution of power in a pyramid like structure as opposed to individualism which is promoted in western cultures. Culture is a multi layered which incorporates a multitude of aspects which has to be closely understood before any new venture is planned. Below figure outlines a few key determinants which constitutes a culture, Figure: Cultural Norms Source: International Business, Asia pacific edition. The Indonesian culture is quite different from the western culture. Tradition is very important for the Indonesians even though they live in a modern society. This does not mean they dont welcome the western culture. Indonesians are proud of their background and are not very keen on learning about different cultures. They in turn expect the foreigners to invest time and effort in learning their culture. In order to build good relations with the Indonesians it is better to learn their language and culture. This wont be an obstacle since the Indonesians are friendly and polite people. To establish itself it is mandatory for business to invest and participate in the development of the social structure and economy of Indonesia. Variables such as gender, age, marital status and education affect the ease with which personal and commercial relationships are formed. In order to penetrate and govern smooth operations it is advised to nominate older and mature executives to be in charge as opposed to young executives. It has been proved that aggressive nature of pursing business has many risks associated as the social structure calls for investing time in nurturing and building relationships adhering to the cultural norms which in turn will lead to successful business operations. 6. Ethical Issues: The most common ethical issues encountered are employment practices, human rights, environmental regulations, corruptions and the moral obligations. Skilled labour is more of a commodity in Indonesia as the local companies invest minimal time and effort on training their staffs. Investing on training and development is one of the key initiatives that have to be undertaken by any new ventures. Recent trends show employees value the time and money invested in training and development which in turn leads to increased loyalty and increase production. Drastic changes in management policies have to be subtle and well planned, as this might lead to insecurity and misunderstanding. It is suggested to seek assistance from independent auditors to review any human rights violations that might indirectly affect the business. But recent trends suggest minimal human right violations. Environmental regulations in Indonesia are still being formalized and this in turn posts a challenging dilemma of adhering to the policies which is far inferior to that of the home nations environment policies. Added measures have to be put in place to maintain the delicate balance of the local surroundings and ensuring minimal impact to the environment. Corruption in Indonesia has been a long standing issue. Recent change in the government structure has not been to counter this major concern. This has been a major determinant for foreign investors to shy away from Indonesian markets. To negate this factor the organizations culture and leadership should draft a code of ethics against corruption. And emphasize all business practices to strictly adhere to these ethics. 7. Trade: Due to the improvement in Indonesias trade the economy had seen a lot of positive changes. This change has increased employment opportunities, has reduced poverty and increased the status of the middle class. Indonesia has been able to recover well after the financial crisis when compared to the neighboring countries. Because of this Indonesia can increase its share in the global market and increase the domestic sales. For this to happen successfully Indonesia needs to reform its trade structure and reduce the tariffs and quotas. Even though there has been a drastic growth in the export of the countries resources, it has not made any progress in the exports of manufactured products. The main concern of the producers in Indonesia is they cannot compete with the producers who manufacture with reduced costs. One of the main reasons for Indonesias products to be weak in competition is the low level of connectivity. The high cost of transportation is one of main causes in the declining of trade. Trade between countries might be cheaper than trading among the islands. Transportation using trucks is inconvenient because of the poor roads in Indonesia. Another main disadvantage that reduces international trade is the low performance of Indonesias main ports. Just-in-time production is not possible in Indonesia because of the inefficient and expensive transports. Another issues concerning international trade is licensing and policies imposed by the government. Indonesia does not encourage in improving the logistics which deprives them of new technologies. 8. Investment opportunities by sector: Indonesian economy has great potential for foreign investments, as it is a large country with ample natural resources, mining and energy, forestry, agriculture, and marine resources, many of which are not exploited yet. The country has a very large and inexpensive workforce as well as a significant market. Indonesia has been experiencing a steady annual economic growth and this growth is continuing for years. 8.1 Energy: As an emerging economy, Indonesia depends heavily on an increased production domestically of energy resources. Energy is the largest export product and the second largest import product. When considering both the exploited/developed and unexploited/undeveloped energy resources, there is still a great potential for increased trade and investment in the energy sector. 8.2 Oil, gas and coal: Among the countries in Asia, Indonesia is among the top ranked country as it has proven gas reserves of about 3.18 trillion. It is predicated that the requirement is likely to increase in local power plants. Due to disappointing exploration by major players, oil production has decreased during the last decade. Its currently consumes nearly 1.2 million bbl/d of oil which makes it a net importer. The country has invested heavily on the production of natural gas targeting the export market, but declining oil production has forced them to divert most of its gas production into local markets. 8.3 Telecommunications: Indonesia for several years has been the fastest-growing mobile phone market in the Asia-Pacific region with annual growth rates of up to 60%. Even though Investing on mobile markets has been high its relatively small compared to the cost of establishing a fixed-line network. Millions of Indonesians who otherwise would not have access to telecom services now have a mobile Phone (CIA 2010). 8.4 Infrastructure: Indonesia has experienced rapid growth in the total number of road vehicles, particularly motorcycles, but also cars and trucks. Inadequate infrastructure is therefore often mentioned as one of the main impediments to investments in Indonesia. The government with the help other financial aids, is trying to improve the infrastructure by introducing new projects (Bloomberg 2010). 9. Foreign exchange: Exports are an integral part of Indonesian economy as it generates foreign exchange. This in turn allowed it to acquire raw materials and machinery required for the development. The earnings from Export helped Indonesia to borrow from international financial markets and development agencies. This helped government sponsor developmental projects in Indonesia. Because of the increase in borrowing by 1990 Indonesias total foreign debt was US $ 54 billion. A committee was established in 1991 named The Foreign Debt Coordinating Committee to check the growing foreign debt. Indonesia was funded by World Bank, Netherlands, Japan, Denmark and Asian Development Bank. The supply and demand relationship between international and the domestic market is determined by the foreign exchange rates in Indonesia. In an effort to stabilize the exchange rates the Bank of Indonesia regularly sterilizes the exchange rate. 9.1 Currency: The currency of Indonesia is the Rupiah It is a freely convertible currency. Since the rupiah was subjected to high inflation during the Asian Financial crisis in 1997-98, the rupiah has been considered as risky currency to hold. After the recovery of the economy the currency has been relatively stable. Today, this perception has changed as the solid fundamentals of the economy and sustained high yields underpin the attractiveness of investment. Historical exchange rates: Year IDR/USD IDR/NOK 2004 8,939 1,335 2005 9,704 1,507 2006 9,159 1,431 2007 9,143 1,559 2008 9,699 1,721 2009 9,754 1,675 2010 9,048 1,525 2011 8,590 1,534 Sources: Norges Bank, CIA 10. Financial management: Indonesia Financial sector in Indonesia is divided into banks held by local governments, banks held by state, private sector banks, foreign banks and cooperative banks. However three major players in the microfinance industry which govern the Indonesian markets are the state-owned BRIs, BPRs are small financial institutions and pawning company. Since 1986 the BRI unit has been profitable and has operated as an autonomous entity since its 1987. The Indonesian Movement for Microfinance Development (GEMA PKM) which is an organization comprising representatives of the government, NGOs, financial institutions, the business sector, universities, and research institutes. There primary objective is to partner in the drafting of a Microfinance Act, also formulating some best practices which would aid in poverty reduction and for the growth in economy. One such change was to introduce Tax Laws to fix corporate income tax to 25% from 2010.Description Description Final Income Tax Rate (%) Rentals of land and buildings 10% Proceeds from transfers of land and building rights 5% Interest on time or saving deposits and on Bank of Indonesia Certificates (SBIs) other than that payable to banks operating in Indonesia and to government approved pension funds 20% Interest on bonds other than that payable to banks operating in Indonesia and to government approved pension funds 15% Sale of exchange-traded shares on the Indonesian stock exchange 0.1% Forward contract derivatives 2.5% T ax Rate (%) The primary agenda in front of National Committee is to draft out issues and road blocks that are elevating poverty; It also organizes meeting between business and institutions in order to identify and assess policies that are currently imposed on small businesses and MFIs; They are in the process of accelerating the passage of a new Credit Collateral Law that will simplify distribution of microcredit system. 11. Recommendation: Indonesia remains as attractive destination to invest, but has been found vulnerable to multiple risks. Therefore is it imperative for Organizations to take a proactive approach while considering investment options. Below are some of the strengths which will aid in decision making and also some of the weaknesses that have to be assessed in order to formulate an effective risk management strategy. Weakness Low investment rate Limited bank intermediation Infrastructure deficiencies Persistent corruption and lack of transparency Interethnic tensions exacerbated by high unemployment and poverty Strengths Strengthened banking sector Diversity of natural resources (agricultural, energy, mining) High competitiveness underpinned by low labour costs Consolidation of political stability Dynamic tourism 12. Conclusion: The above report provides a high level overview of the feasibility and associated risk involved in investing in Indonesia. The current business environment posts several challenges some of the main issues are bureaucracy which lacks transparency, uncertain legal structure, poor infrastructure and lacks security. But recent trends all point towards organizations exploring developing economics in search of expansion as the market has tremendous opportunities. Decentralization of power is not adding in smooth investment as this structure introduces further levels of bureaucratic process. Adding to the above mentioned problems Indonesia has been prone to natural calamities which add to the existing risks. 13. Executive Summary: As the fourth most populated country in the world, Indonesias large domestic market offers a wide range of investment opportunities for foreign and domestic investors. This report will try to assess some of the key elements such as the political system and legal system asses the favorability and ease of investment in Indonesian markets. Then the report shifts its focus on the economic system which by far is one of the most important factors that directly influences investment decisions. Economic growth which has been predicated to be in the range of 5% and 7 % for the next five years, which shows proactive approach by the Indonesian government to attract FDI. The projected FDI by 2014 is expected to reach approximately US$222 billion. The government has made amendments to reduce income tax on cooperates and fixed it to a flat rate of 25%. The licensing process has been made easy to encourage investments in the mining and shipping sectors. Decentralization of government sectors has acted as a major road block in simplifying the licensing process for foreign organizations to invest in Indonesian markets. Indonesia currently has some of the largest deposits of natural gas and oil resources across Asia. According to the recent trends and investigating the various sectors contributing towards the current situation, Indonesia can be considered as a medium risk investment opportunity. It is recommended to take a cautious approach in investing in Indonesian markets. Foreign investments should consider investing on Indonesian Limited Liability Company to reduce potential risks. Also opening small branch offices and assessing the market condition is the most suitable option of investment.

Critical success factors of cable tv (pay-tv) against other competitors in hong kong.

Critical success factors of cable tv (pay-tv) against other competitors in hong kong. Abstract In this proposal, we hope to learn the real business strategies though the finding from research. And try to give some suggestion for these companies to increase their sales and profit. There are the flows of the research proposal. First, to introduce the background of Pay-TV Limited and its industry. Let you have a basically knowledge of this industry in the pass and now. Secord, to list the objectives to help myself to achieve the proposal aim. Third, to have a critical review of relevant literature from books, articles, internet, or magazine. Discussing the business theory how to apply in the real business world, and in the case, we can see which strategies the company is using and what success factors here. Most important, what we can understand clearly the marketing strategies in a real situation from the result of the research. Additionally, to describe the research method which I had used. Including the data collection method, sampling method and the size of sample. By using questionnaire, 100 to150 people will be asked, in order to find out the competitive advantage of Cable TV. Relationship between factors (the quality of TV programme, the price, customer supporting service) and the attitude of people towards which Pay-TV will be found. Aim This works aims to point out the attractive and competition of Pay-TV and though the research to find out their success factors (competitive advantage with main competitor), and to treat the finding as business strategies learning. Besides, to provide some suggestions and evidences how to get more potential customers, in order to increase the sales and profit of these companies. Background Some may not understand why Pay-TV can exist in Hong Kong a long time and have a stable marketing share. In fact, the major choose to watch Free charge TV such as TVB and ATV. However, this free-charge TV programme can not satisfy some people. But, Pay-TV programme focus on this market, they produce special TV programme and buy copyright of overseas TV programme, which free-charge TV have not provided. Besides, another selling point of Pay TV is that provide sport direct seeding such as football and NBA. In recently years, the more fierce competition was caused by more and more pay-TV service Company had entry to this market. However, the Cable Pay-TV which was the first Limited successfully obtaining a Subscription Television Broadcasting Licence from the Government and can also maintain a stable marketing share these year. And its main competitor is NOW-TV which is subsidiary Company of PCCW. (REVIEW OF PAY TV MARKET) The following are the background of Cable Pay-TV and Now-TV. I-Cable The Pay-TV service is operated by Hong Kong Cable Television Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Group. The Group successfully obtaining a Subscription Television Broadcasting Licence from the Government in 1993 which Pay-TV service launched in the same year set the trend of multi-channel pay-television service for Hong Kong. Hong Kong Cable currently produces over 10,000 hours of programming a year, which is the largest television programs producer in Hong Kong. Throughout the years, it has successfully established a leading position in News, Movies and Sports television programming and will continue to introduce innovative local and international programmes for customers. (http://www.i-cable.com) Now TV Now TV is a 24-hour pay-TV service provider in Hong Kong. It is transmitted through the companys Netvigator broadband network via an IPTV service. It is transmitted through the companys Netvigator broadband network via an IPTV service, with a total of 175 channels, of which 156now Broadband TV Channels, including eight high-definition channels and 15 music channels and 19 pure TVB PAY VISION Channel, and another 17 categories and VOD service. Launched in September 2003, the service is operated by the leading Hong Kong fixed-line telecom operator PCCW, through its subsidiary, PCCW VOD Limited. As of June 2009, the user up to 990,002 1000, 700,005 of them in 1000 to paying customers. However, I-Cable is like to success maintain their market share against the challenge of Now TV. In order to know clearly the success factors of I-Cable (business strategies, promotion, price, the programme quality, supporting service) we need to ask a number of questions. (http://www.now-tv.com) CableTV VS Now TV Why people choose Pay-TV? What channel of people in contact Pay-TV? Which one is more famous? What is the relationship between factors and the attitude of people towards watch Cable-TV/Now-TV? How do people needs changing? Can Cable-TV/Now-TV meet these changing needs? The answer will be found in the following. Objective and research questions Below are the main points of the objectives of this research Study the general demographic of target customers. Study the TV watching behavior of customers. Determine the customers, performance on various kinds of TV Programme. Identify the reason of choosing Pay TV. Evaluate which attributes of Pay TV are important to customers. Identify which is the most effective promotion channel. Examine the channel people how to get the Pay-TV information. Examine the reasons why they buy Pay-TV services from that channel Examine the impact of price, sport direct seeding of customers towards Pay-TV. Examine the Supporting service of Pay-TV. Well analyze the market theories such as 7Ps of market strategies form the results of research. The answers of the above are based on the relevant literature, and the sampling interview. The all detail as follows. Critical review of relevant literature There are 5 parts of critical review, the first 4 parts are the finding form the relevant literature. The last 2 parts are the introduction of market strategy of them, and the review of this part. 1. The main difference between free-charge TV and Pay-TV According the literature, Free-charge TV offer mainly entertainment programme, and the major of programme are made by themselves. and their programme focuses on popular habit. However, Pay-TV offer over 100 overseas TV channel and Sport direct seeding, and some of this programme is information programme what offers professional knowledge, the information of special habit to people. (Kotler, P. and G. Armstrong (2008)) In these years, more and more people are willing to pay money watching Pay-TV. The reasons are easy to understand, the two local free-charge TV cant satisfy the people, and young people who aged around 20, their needs of watching TV are changing. In the pass, people treat TV as their main entertainment everyday. However, the young have much other entertainments, and they watch TV in order to watch sport competition, get information. It means Pay-TV still has a great potential market in the coming years. 2. The current competition of Pay-TV market in Hong Kong 3. The promotion strategies of two Pay-TV limited The promotion strategies of them is similar, their promotion focus the potential customers who have special needs such habit (cooking, religion, drama) or want to watch non-local TV programme (Discovery Channel, CC TV). And their promotion are also similar, the number of TV programme and sport direct seeding are their selling points. Now TV is more emphasize their promotion to attract the potential customer now, but Cable TV just keep quality of their original service. In fact, people used to watch Cable TV because their longer history and people know their quality of TV programme more. In marketing, Cable-TV is like a cash-cow, 4. The famous TV programme Cable TV has the excellent news TV programme, and English league direct seeding. It is one of the reasons why Cable TV can maintain market share. Although English league may be not the highest level football league (many people agree Spain league is becoming the highest league in recently years and the Spain league direct seeding is offered by Now-TV in the future 3 years.), However, anyone know that major of Hong Kong people like to watch English league more than others. Additionally, Cable TV has also the direct seeding of champions of league and World Cup in 2010. It is a great competitive advantage with Now-TV in this year and the coming 3 years. (The newest situation of people needs change) 5. The relationships between factors and the attitude of young people towards I-Cable/Now-TV There are some factor will influence young people how to choose which Pay-TV. a) Price(extend) Cable TV adopt non- selectivity Price(packaging of service), we need to buy a number of channel at the same time; Now TV offers selectivity Price, we can pay a basic free, then the extra-charge are based on each channel, but Now TV are also offer a price for the packaging of all services. According one news, a great number of people are unsatisfying because Cable TV increase the basic charge from $239 to $259, and the extra-charge of football direct seeding. (http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/091124/4/fbx5.html) b) Promotion c) Sport direct seeding (extend) It is one important factors why Cable TV success and they can increase the price in a bad economy. Cable TV spend a high cost to get the right of footfall direct seeding, and increase the price to cover the cost. It is their strategy. However, they may ignore the young people needs change. In recently years, English League is successful in Hong Kong, it has many factors such as the time of competition, and football player stars. However, the Spain League are willing to start early in the next year, and many stars transfer from English league to Spain League. It may make people prefer watch Spain league more. (http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/091120/4/fa0e.html) d) Technique supporting and customer service (extend) Cable TV had a developed supporting system early, but they dont improve anything. However, Now TV usually improves their Technique supporting system. I believe Now TV will have a developed system what is better than Cable in the coming several years. 6. Market strategies(extend) Pay-TV adopts the Concentrated Marketing (Kotler, P. and G. Armstrong 2008)(Where the organization concentrates its marketing effort on one particular segment. The firm will develop a product that caters for the needs of that particular group). The all detail marketing theory and suggestions will describe after the sampling interview. Research methods/ Methodologies Category Options The degree to which the research question has been crystallized Exploratory study Formal study The method of data collection Monitoring Communication Study The power of the researcher to produce effects in the variables under study Ex post facto The purpose of the study Reporting Descriptive Causal-Explanatory The time dimension Cross-sectional The topical scope Breadth and depth of the study Statistical The research environment Field setting The participants perceptional awareness of the research activity Actual routine The main purpose of our study is needed to find out the comparison of Cable TV and Now TV. We need to collect the primary data and secondary data to analysis the success factors each other. First, we collect the secondary data from internet to know backgrounds, histories, and the annual reports of each Pay TV Limited. and collecting other useful information on the internet, articles or relevant literature. Second, to use â€Å"Personal Interview† (Questionnaire) collecting the primary data. Indeed that information is related to our objective. We will design a set of questionnaire about 7ps. The method is taken by samples in Hong Kong (different regions in Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territory), a half of male and female. It can be avoided unfair saturation. The sample size will be 100 to 150. The age distribution limits are around 18 to 65. Our survey method is face-to-face interview, after the interview well give them a little gift. (Such as coupon) We can understand the competitive advantage each other through the result of information and make the recommendations how to maintain market share and what service they need to improve. However, secondary data is limited, so we will get the information mainly come from primary data. Project Plan Refer to the page15 or Excel [project plan]

Dramatic Irony in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Essay -- William Shak

Shakespeare uses irony to great effect in his many plays, specifically dramatic irony, and some cosmic irony, in the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. But why does he use it? What is he trying to achieve or portray? It varies throughout the play, but there are general trends as the story develops. In the beginning we see that it is almost comical uses. The irony then develops into more interesting and intriguing uses meant to keep the audience, especially the groundlings, interested and wanting more. And then finally, he uses dramatic irony to point out some of the reasons why this is a tragedy during and before the climax. In the beginning you see irony without much apparent consequence, which can be seen as amusing in some views and helped to draw people in. Some examples of this would be Romeo and Juliet talks to each other and fall in ?love? before realizing that their parents apparently hate each other. Another example is when Juliet?s nurse comes to talk to Romeo about Juliet, and the friends of Romeo mock her thinking her another stranger. Both of these and other ironies in the opening acts are meant to be entertaining and to keep the groundlings happy, along with other factors, while at the same time setting the stage for the play to become a tragedy, and slowly starting to shift to a more depth as the play progresses. In the center, specifically act three you see the use of irony to be more serious, often trying to lightly foreshadow and keep the audience interested. From Tybalt aggravating Mercutio and then Romeo with his death, after Romeo seemingly feels and professes ?love? for him due to his very recent secret marriage to Tybalt?s cousin, Juliet. Shortly after Tybalt?s death Romeo is banished due to his, a... ...e party, to Romeo killing Tybalt right after marrying his cousin and talking about his love for Tybalt, to Laurence?s message about the plan being delayed due to a cruel twist of fate. Not only does Shakespeare use cosmic irony in this play, he makes the characters, especially Romeo again, put their faith in the gods who then appear to betray him with a list of unlucky coincidences that help lead to his downfall. The use of irony has a great effect on the plot and characters in Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare managed to use dramatic irony for various purposes throughout the play that drastically help the build up of conflict, tension, and emotions. His use of cosmic irony after the protagonists put faith in fate adds a cruel twist into the story that helps to enrich the play and develop the characters. It is amazing how he manages to merge it all into the play.

Hard Hits in Womens Tennis Industry Causes a Racket Essays -- Explora

Hard Hits in Women's Tennis Industry Causes a Racket From sunrise to sunset, I constantly hit fuzzy balls over the net. At age eight, my plan was to be a professional women's tennis player, so I figured that I needed to start training now. Wanting to be just like Martina Hingis, I loved to watch how she could hit the ball with such pace and accuracy. Some of the best women athletes drive themselves to participate in this grueling sport, and, although tennis was once not the most popular sport, I still wanted to be one of these women. Throughout history, women competing in sports has been debated, and women were once excluded from sports entirely. Luckily, I was not born in this era. Within the last century, women have made complicated advances towards being created equal in sports. Broer discusses how women were once degraded from playing sports since the physical activity was considered unlady-like and masculine, but times are changing. When women tried to participate in athletic competitions, they were labeled as inferiors to the men and were thought to be unfeminine. The reason for this was the difference in upbringing of men and women. Men were taught to show evidence of physical strength and control; while on the other hand, women were expected to develop physical attributes and domestic abilities (201-223). Women broke through these stereotypical thoughts of being homemakers during the second part of feminism. This was precisely when doors began to open, and playing courts were allowing the shift in sports. Women's tennis was gaining national and global attention. The combination of elegance and athleticism in tennis was thought to be perfect for women. Women were only allowed to play in mixed gender tournaments.... ...ky.com. 2002 Aug 1. 2004 March 17. <http://www.twincities.com/mld/kentucky/sports/other_sports/3775992.htm>. Smith, Lisa. Nike is a Goddess: the History of Women in Sports. New York: Atlantic Monthly Pr., 1998: 135-149 "Special Report: Women and Minorities in Tennis". Tennis Industry. 1997 March/April. 14 March 2004. <http://www.tennisindustry.com/mar_apr1997/news.html#Women1>. Tennis Channel Quotes. 10 March 2004. 10 March 2004. <http://www.thetennischannel.tv/quotes.php>. "The Tennis Channel". Lexisnexis. 8 Jan. 2004. 15 March 2004. <https://web.lexisnexis.com/universe/document?_m=bd9aacf99e3b88fe751f9ce1a8f28998&_docnum=1&wchp=dGLbVtzzSkVA&_md5=4194a3fcba6e3f0903bb26231282f86c>. "Two-handed or One-handed Backhand?" United States High School Tennis Association. 17 March 2004. <http://www.ushstca.org/HSTMAG/202twohand.htm>.

Compare and Contrast Roman and Han Empires Essay

The Roman and Han empires were both very powerful, in their own rights. Although their culture and beliefs were very different, their ideology and governments were, at points, very similar. Both empires experienced a rise, plateau, and fall, which eventually changed their entire empires. One thing that was a key aspect in both societies was religion. While the Han empire brought Confucianism as a main element in daily life, the Roman’s had several different religions that each played a key role. The Han empire trained bureaucrats formally in the teachings of Confucian philosophy. The Roman emperors were sometimes, after death, referred to as demigods. At the same time this was going on in the Roman empire, Jews and Christians were being persecuted. While the Romans had polytheism, Christianity and Judaism, the Han empire had Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. The Chinese did better to make their religion more an aspect of everyday life and law, while the Romans did not care as much. The fragmentation in religious beliefs in Rome lead to hostility among the people. In both empires the lack of stable economy and government caused the empire to be weak and so susceptible to attack and invasion. Rome was already faltering from within, with tax collection becoming corrupt and the economy slowing down, when the Germanic tribes came and invaded. What was left in the east became the Byzantine Empire. In China, the weak centralized government was very unpopular due to over taxation. The Huns then invaded, and the Chinese could not fend them off. Unlike the Roman empire though, the Chinese bounced back a few hundred years later, in the 600s with the Sui and Tang dynasties. In both the Han and Roman empires, the people themselves had something directly to do with the decline of their societies. If a country is not stable and happy from within, it will not stand a chance to any outside invaders. While the element of religion in the Han dynasty brought the people together, it was not strong enough to hold the people together, while religions themselves caused people in the Roman empire to be against one another.

Good and Service Experience

Model and explain the Servuction Model as a service encounter framework. Relevance for fast food market and what is the role of customer B in the model? The Service encounter is defined as a period of time during which a consumer directly interacts with a service. Service encounters occur where it is necessary for consumer and producer to meet in order for the former to receive the benefits that the latter has the resources to provide. This definition includes all aspects of the service firm with which a consumer may interact, including its personnel and hysical assets.Servuction concentrates on consumers' perceptions of the service encounter. The Servuction model is a simple but powerful model that illustrates factors influencing the service experience of a customer when enjoying a service. It concentrates on consumers' perceptions of the service encounter. The framework, developed by Eigher and Langeard emphasizes experiential aspects of service consumption and is based on the idea of organizations providing consumers with complex bundles of benefits.The elements of the service experience are divided into wo parts- visible and invisible. The visible part consists of the inanimate environment within which the service experience occurs, the service providers or contact personnel who interact with the consumer during the service experience. The visible part of the organization is is supported by the invisible part, comprising the support infrastructure, which enable the visible part of the organization to function. The invisible part refers to the rules, regulations and processes upon which the organization is based.Although they are invisible to customers they have very rofound effect on the consumers service experience. The model is completed by the introduction of other customers, with whom each consumer may interact within the system. This is important because the actions of fellow consumers can contribute greatly to the overall encounter. Everyone and every thing that comes into contact with the consumer is effectively delivering the service. There is often large number of contacts between the service provider and the customers which makes it difficult in identifying the servuction system.Only consumers can define the service encounter hat matters to them and essentially create their own bundle of benefits from the contributory elements of the service offer. Therefore the service encounter is defined by customers , rather than producer-led definitions. Relevance for fast-food market: The servuction model for a fast-food market is used for understanding consumer experiences: consisting of visible service, contact personnel , other customers and home delivery and Wi-fl connection free for customer. The contact personnel of the fast-food market would include a waiter/ branch manager, counter employees and a ecurity guard.The other customers would be customer B. The invisible organization and systems could be a very fast delivery within 5 minutes, a good setup with approximately 10 staff and a good music system in the restaurant. Role of Customer B: Customer B represents all other customers who are part of customer A's experience. Consumption of service are â€Å"shared experience† because it often occurs in the presence of other customers. As in the case with the other visible components of the Servuction model, other customers can impact customer A's experience.