How Internet Advertising Affects the Customer Essay

The World Wide Web has emerged to be one of the greatest revolutions to business advertising and other forms of advertisements. Internet advertising is the use of the Internet on the global basis to promote and market products, brands, services, business groups or even announcements through the communication with customers online. Businessmen focused on making higher profits have put a little more emphasis on the Internet advertising and this is due to the fact that many people are accessing the Internet for their business needs (Wasiak, 2010). Electronic commerce enabled by the Internet allows business transaction to be done online. Many products are sold online through the Internet and this is because of the massive advertisement that is done on the Internet. Advertisement is one of the most crucial processes in the marketing of a product or service. It serves as a tool for making decisions on what good or service is of good quality to the consumer and the households. Some times back, advertisement was done through mass media, bill boards and use of other communication media like the television and the radio (Sheumaker & Wajda, 2009, p. 14). Most people used the magazines to get information as it was what they could afford and most customers could read the new brand products in the market through the advertisements that were being done at the magazines (Clemons, 2009). This paper explores the merits and demerits in Internet advertising as it applies to the customers and seeks to provide recommendations and suggestions for further research. How Internet Advertising Affects the Customer Introduction The modern world of information age has seen the Internet as one of the widely used forms of communication. The Internet has also modeled trusteeship among large numbers of people even those from different continents. Today, businesses can now be transacted through the Internet with much ease and fast speed. In the present world, almost three quarters of the entire world population can access the Internet. This has made Internet advertisement to become common and has benefited sellers to sell their goods and services online. Internet advertising has brought significant impacts to the consumers. It has affected the customers both positively and negatively in several ways. Of specific importance, it should be understood that Internet advertisement has really pushed the financial markets of specific nations to a higher notch and thus leading to the growth of the economy (Clemons, 2009). One of the advantages of Internet advertising to the customers is the fact that it reaches a larger audience than any other form of advertisement. Majority of individuals, particularly the customers are at the peak of Internet use to find the best goods of the best quality to purchase. As advertisements reach a large number of customers, these same customers can share the information on a certain product discovering more about the benefits or the dangers of a given product. As Wasiak puts it, â€Å"Social media has changed the way people interact amongst themselves and with their media† (Wasiak, 2010). This is common among pharmaceutical products where Internet advertisements have provided a slot for patients’ forums. This is also beneficial to product makers as they realize privileges when a large number of customers from all parts of the world are able to have a look at their product type and makes purchases. Internet advertising is perhaps the most cost effective for producers and sellers. Since Internet tools used for advertisements are increasingly getting cheaper, customers can get access to information on a variety of products from different companies and make comparisons. Internet advertisements are usually done through many ways. A website can be created about a specific company and the goods and services that it offers can be listed on that website. The producers can also program pop-up windows that are programmed to pop up whenever specific websites are opened. At the same time, Internet advertising can be done by sending customers messages to their mail boxes telling them about the benefits or the quality of a new brand of good in the market (Wasiak, 2010). While messages and the pop-ups may irritate the users of the Internet, they mean so much to willing and interested customers to have a keen look at the product or service being advertised. A good businessman is one who uses the least cost possible in the production of his goods and services. Advertisement falls under the channel of production and Internet advertising is one of the least cost effective methods of advertising. The use of other forms of advertisement like the televisions and other media has become too expensive for a rational producer and more so, it reaches only local customers. The cheapness of Internet advertising has made it to be very popular among many people in the whole world (Clemons, 2009). With the Internet advertising, many companies and producers are able to establish various statistics that can be of help to the improvement of their services and quality of the goods. This implies that all the features of the Internet advertising can be traced by the people placing those advertisements on the Internet. These features can be tested and measured and consumers or consumers can find enough data for analysis in order to establish critical information about the companies they are trading with. Some websites allow consumers of a certain product fill a form of client satisfaction and this greatly improves on product quality improvement. The improvement of the quality of products is of direct benefits to the consumers or customers (Wasiak, 2010). Customers are able to access information on the number of people purchasing a particular product, the negative responses about particular goods and services, the recommendations posted on the websites by customers and many more. This data or statistics is very necessary not only to the producers or the advertisers but also the customers. Internet advertising helps to improve the standards of advertisement as information about a particular product is available and the customer can find more about the product with just a few mouse clicks. Unlike in bill board advertisement where customers can see a new brand of a product being advertised and plan to check the details later, Internet advertising is all about a click of a mouse and everything will be at the eyes of the customer(Clemons, 2009). While Internet advertising offers significant benefits to the customers, it has the capacities to ruin the tastes and preferences of customers. Although the advantages of Internet advertising overweigh the disadvantages, specific limitations of advertising through the Internet have to be appreciated as well. For instance, the customers suffer a lot of mind torture trying to create the real picture of the goods being advertised on the Internet. An eligible customer would want to touch, feel and even taste the good before deciding to go for it in the market. This is one capacity the Internet advertising is lacking which is very vital in the convincing the mind of the customer to buy the good. This however does not really affect the sales and purchases of goods and services that are advertised on the Internet. A customer builds trust of a website and trusts whatever he or she is being told about the good or service. The choice is still for the customer to decide whether he will buy the product or not (Wasiak, 2010). During the age of the radio and television advertisements, the marketing function gained a lot of popularity (Sheumaker & Wajda, 2009, p. 114). There have been many questions as whether the Internet advertising will have a big impact on the marketing of goods and services as the radio and television advertisement did. Many people still have doubts whether Internet advertising would ever be as popular as radio and television. Perhaps it may never bring a greater impact on the customers as radio and television advertisements have done. This observation can be justified while thinking on the basis of a developing world where Internet access is still a challenge. It should be well understood that Internet access among customers is key for successful marketing. Without Internet connection, the customers will not get critical information about a particular product the customers on the choice of good to buy (Sheumaker & Wajda, 2009, p. 114). Another effect the Internet advertisements have had on the customer is that they have been so successful in the persuasion of a customer to make a first instance purchase of a good or a service. It is so clear that a consumer can opt to buy a good or even a service at the first instance he or she sees the advert on the website. This is so unlike for the bill board advertisements and other forms of advertisements. The customer can see an advert of a commodity on a bill board advert, and decide to come back for the details later. But for the Internet advertising, the customer can choose to buy the product on the first instance he or she sees the advert on the Internet (Sheumaker & Wajda, 2009, p. 116). The problem is whether the customer will come back to another time for the second time to purchase more products. Retention of a customer is one of the motives of a producer or anyone advertising a specific product. It can be difficult for one to retain a customer online, but if, the customer decides to come back or not to (Clemons, 2009). Spending time online is another effect of Internet advertising to a customer. For a loyal customer, he or she must spend most of her entire life on the Internet trying to see and compare the brand types and prices of different goods and services in order to pick the good or service with the best quality at the least cost possible. This is one effect of the Internet advertising that most customers have grown to live with. Spending most time on the Internet has its own disadvantage to the lives of the customers. It really deprives them of time to do other things or activities of their lives. This means that even some very important schedules have to be ignored and one to concentrate on other important matters. A customer is to pick the best alternative, whether to be at the Internet and try to see whatever is being advertised or attend to other social matters. Statistics show that a customer spends 5. 3 percent of his entire life on the Internet (Sheumaker & Wajda, 2009, p. 118). This is not healthy for a normal individual. Internet advertising has made work very easy for many customers and clients in getting very essential services like the booking of flights and even the booking of hotels and lodges. With the Internet advertising, a tourist in America can now book his flight in the house, book his hotel lodge in Africa in his house. This is so unlike what used to happen long time ago when Internet advertising did not exist. Had the Internet advertising not been there, tourists would be forced to reach their destination first before heading to the hotel to book for their accommodation (Wasiak, 2010). Internet advertising has made it very easy for other clients to get services done at the most convenient time possible. This has often saved a lot of time and expenses for the customer he or she could have incurred if the Internet advertising had not been there. The occurrence of Internet advertising is possible due to the fact that there are many goods that are being sold on the Internet and so many services being offered. To create an awareness of the presence of such goods and services, the producers of the sellers of such goods and services must advertise them to their online customers. Conclusion and Recommendations In conclusion, Internet advertisements have taken the storm of all business advertising in the modern world. The contributions of Internet advertising to the customers have widely been appreciated. However, while customers online have gained extensively from the Internet advertisements, there are other negative effects that the Internet advertising has brought to them. Many companies have invested intensively in Internet business advertisements so as to reap the maximum benefits brought by the technology of Internet advertising. However, security threats emanating from malicious attackers and hackers have compromised the smooth development in Internet advertisements and purchases. In some cases, there are different personalities who personify themselves as sellers online and cheat people to rob them of their money. It is not so common but when it happens it is disastrous. Despite all these, many customers have been motivated to buy online. Women most especially who used to be very afraid of using their credit cards online today they are the most leading in number to use the Internet to buy products of their choice. Companies have therefore the responsibility of improving their sites by enhancing them with antivirus software such as McAfee to keep off attackers and make customers to buy and sell online without any fear of being robbed of their money. Generally, Internet advertising has brought a lot of impacts to the customers and the consumers in general. Despite a few cases of the disadvantages of the online advertisement, it has really helped in pushing the marketing sector into higher notches. It has really facilitated trade between continents on a greater perspective as it was never expected before and this has been due to the wider audience that receives the adverts that are being posted on the Internet. Therefore, Internet advertising can be said to have helped many customers in terms of purchases and in many other positive ways.

Marketing Analysis for Samsung Essay

INTRODUCTION Samsung was founded by Byung-Chull Lee on March 1, 1938, in Taegu, Korea, with 30,000 won. Initially his business focused primarily on trade export, selling dried Korean fish, vegetables, and fruit to Manchuria and Beijing. In little more than a decade, Samsung-which means â€Å"three stars† in Korean-would have its own flour mills and confectionery machines, its own manufacturing and sales operations, and ultimately evolve to become the modern global corporation that still bears the same name today. For over 70 years, Samsung has been dedicated to making a better world  through diverse businesses that today span advance technology, semiconductors, skyscraper, plant construction, petrochemical, fashion, medicine, finance, hotels and more. The flagship company, Samsung Electronics, leads the global market in hightech electronics manufacturing and digital media. Samsung move to partner with Google for their Android OS and the recent series of Smartphone has tremendously brought their revenue to greater heights. In 2011, the stellar Samsung GALAXY S II sold more than 10 million units worldwide, achieving the No. 1 global market share for smartphones (2011 Samsung Electronics Annual Report). Approx 94.5% of Singapore household has a hand phone in 2008.   Likely the percentage should be higher now. The functions of a hand phone have evolved greatly in this decade. From means of communication via SMS and calls, hand phone or rather Smartphone serves consumers a far range of functions today. A Smartphone offers more advance computing ability and connectivity then conventional mobile phone. Generally the established Smartphone brands in Singapore are Apple, Samsung, Nokia, HTC & Motorola. The rapid growth and success of Samsung are the reasons why our group chose this brand. We hope through in-depth research and analysis can we better understand the success factors behind this rapidly sprang brand, particularly in the Smartphone industry. 2.  SURVEY RESEARCH Survey research approach is done via questionnaire targeting general public. It can be used to gather information about people’s knowledge, attitudes, preferences, or buying behaviour for Smartphones. Basha and Harter (1980) state that â€Å"a population is any set of persons or objects that possesses at least one common characteristic. Through our survey, we sample a population which we hope can be representative of the Singapore consumers. This approach is selected by the group because it is the most widely used method to collected primary data to meet our research objectives. Through the primary data collected, we hope to draw certain information through analysis on consumer behaviour on the purchase of smartphones. Research Objectives The purpose of this survey is to understand our responders behaviour and attitude towards smartphone. We segmented the questionnaire into 4Ps namely product, price, place and promotion. We hope that with this survey finding we can better understand the needs of smartphone users, why they will or will not be using and also the reason why others are not using Samsung smartphone and the likelihood of them using Samsung in future. With the findings, we hope to draw conclusive data and make recommendations. 2.2  Contact Method We personally gave out the survey forms as shown in Appendix 1 to the general public at Ang Mo Kio Hub and Nanyang Polytechnic. We have given out to 41 respondents and used 30 of them for analysis (11 were deemed as void due to insufficient information or non completion) 2.3 Sampling Plan & Survey Questions A segment of the population selected for marketing research to represent the population as a whole. The survey is to be conducted with a sampling size of 30.The questions were limited to 10 to avoid being too lengthy resulting in fatigue respondents. First part of the survey included information pertaining respondents’ background such as gender & age which then we proceed to gathering information like consumer preference. Five point Likert scale was used to measure few variables. 3.  CUSTOMER We will further describe the customer segment for Samsung smartphones using demographic, psychographic and behavioural factors. 3.1  Demographic factors The targeted segment is for both male and female, probably age between 14 and 55, skewed more towards the Gen Y. The country or area should have good network (Eg: 3G, 4G, wireless connection) to ensure optimal usage of Smartphone features. 3.2  Psychographic factors There are basically three segments of users broadly in which Samsung wishes to target; entertainment focused, communication-focused and information-centric users. The entertainment-focused users are generally younger group which see a mobile device as a lifestyle choice, and they’re willing to pay extra for a device that’ll help keep them entertained. Entertainment can also include things like social messaging with friends, facebook and networking. The communication-focused users are extroverts who live to communicate with others. They’re often in people-facing jobs like sales. They’re willing to pay extra for a mobile device that lets them keep up with others in multiple ways. E-mail, SMS, voice, conferencing, video calling — basically, anything communication-related is compelling to them, and they will pay extra for a device that does it well. The information-centric users are more introverted. Rather than focusing on their dialog with others, they tend to do a lot of thinking on their own, and want their mobile device to be a  memory supplement and a means to capture new information. They’re will ing to pay extra for features that help them capture and remember ideas and information. 3.3  Behavioural factors Past users of Samsung (Be it handphone or other appliances) will likely purchase Samsung again due to familiarity and if they have had pleasant experience with the phone, the likelihood of repurchase is high. 4.  MARKETING MIX 4.1  Product a.  3 Levels of Product A product is normally defined as the physical items that consumers purchase. But actually the nature of a product can be further explored in 3 levels. They are The Core Product, The Actual Product and The Augmented Product which are further explained in Appendix 3. Smartphone industry is growing rapidly with many new brands coming in for a slice of market share each fighting towards fulfilling consumer growing wants. Understanding the 3 levels of product can better enable Samsung to position itself. Based on Kotler’s Three Level of Product Framework, the Samsung smartphone core product is giving consumers tool of communication. Through product  differentiation of smartphones, consumers are given a variety of choice for the actual product as illustrated in Appendix 3. Samsung’s strategy will ensure it is already at the finishing line when consumer tastes change hence it produces a wide product range for every taste and demand. b.  Consumer Product Samsung smartphone is categorised as a Shopping Product. Consumers will compare on the price, style, function, quality and suitability of the smartphone due to the multiple brands and model available in the market. Having achieved unmatched global competitiveness in hardware, Samsung has been focusing on enhancing its software capabilities in user interface, user experience, and design and brand awareness. To remain competitive, Samsung must continuously develop quality and innovative smartphones to stay in the lead. c.  Brand Development Strategy The most difficult step in developing a marketing plan is normally the process of developing a brand strategy. It’s often the biggest challenge face by most businesses but it is an important step in creating the company identity. In the smartphone market, Samsung branding still falls behind Apple. However Samsung in recent years has been very aggressive and rapidly gaining market share. We will move on to discuss Samsung brand development strategy. ‘While many companies that sponsor events are focused on boosting their brand awareness, Samsung Electronics looks at things a little differently. The Korean giant – a major sponsor of the recent Youth Olympic Games (YOG) – says that â€Å"brand preference† is a better indicator of whether its investment has paid dividends.’ (The Straits Time, 13 Sept 2010) Samsung sponsorships in Youth Olympic Games (YOG) and the upcoming London 2012 Olympics will certainly provide strong profile and brand power. Through sponsorship in the Olympics, Samsung seeks to, through user experience boost up their brand. d.  Survey Result on Target Segment Perception (Product) From our survey findings, 94% of the respondents are smartphone users with with 2 respondents one non-smartphone user and one unsure. We have checked with the unsure respondent and respondent was using a smartphone bought to her by her daughter. The strong percentage of smartphone users 94% as per survey results showed a strong And 60% of the respondents responded they are likely to purchase Samsung for their next phone. 4.2  Price a.  General Pricing Approach Price will always be the key concern of consumers’ before making any purchasing decision (Smith and Carsky, 1996). The level of price is found to positively affect behavioral intentions mainly because price establishes image of the brand in the eyes of the consumers (Aaker, 1991). The price set for any product including smartphone is crucial as it directly impacts on consumer purchase. The company’s range of low- to high-end smartphones caters to almost every budget. Based on client perceived value and market offerings, Samsung adopts  a value based pricing strategy. ‘If there is a consumer for it, we will offer the product, says Younghee Lee, senior vice-president of sales and marketing for Samsung’s mobile business.’ (The Business Time, 17 March 2011) b.  Price Compared to Competitors Samsung stays on a competitive price and with its vast product line; every price range is met with a product. We have used the recent launch of Samsung S3 Smartphone with its competitors as illustrated in Appendix 4. Samsung S3 smartphone is considered the high end product series in the smartphone market and we have chosen close competitors mainly Apple iPhone 4S and HTC One. From the comparison, though Samsung S3 is the latest product launch amongst the three phones, it still stays at a less than $100 price difference with competitors. The price Samsung offers is very close to its competitors giving it an edge over them. c.  Product Mix Pricing Strategies The product mix is the collection of products and services that a company chooses to offer its market and pricing strategies based on what objectives the company had set for them. Samsung’s product strategy is to create Android devices across varying price points and flood the market through as many carriers across the world as possible. The original Galaxy S was sold through about 240 different global vendors. Product-line pricing involve setting price for different products within a product range at different price point is the strategy Samsung applied for smartphone. For example, Samsung had a lot of smartphones products with different design and feature at different prices as shown in Appendix 5. The greater the feature and benefit obtain, the higher the consumer have to pay. d.  Price Adjustment Strategies A set of strategies used by companies to adjusted their basic prices to account for various customer differences and changing situations. The  commonly use strategies are Discount and Allowance Pricing, Segmented Pricing, Psychological Pricing and Promotional Pricing. In the smartphone industry, discount and allowance pricing adjustment strategy is commonly used. This strategy allows companies to adjust their basic price to reward customers for certain responses, such as early payment of bills, volume purchases, and off-season buying. This strategy can come in many forms. Seasonal discount is a price reduction to buyers who buy merchandise or services out of season. For example, when Samsung Galaxy S3 is launch, the price of Samsung Galaxy S2 was reduced. In this scenario, older model of smartphone is the same as off season products. Seller will offer discount to encourage the buyer to purchase off older models. Allowances are another type of reduction from the list price. For example, trade-in allowances are price reductions given for turning in an old item when buying a new one. Trade-in allowances are most common in vendors selling smartphone. e.  Survey Result on Target Segment Perception (Price) Through our survey findings, most respondents rated price as ‘most important’ factor to consider when buying a smartphone. An interesting thing to note is 40% of the respondents mentioned they will pay up to $300 for a smartphone and 30% mentioned they are willing to pay more than $1500 for a smartphone. It is therefore important to draw specific data to understand the needs and wants for those segmented clients. 4.3  Place a.  Number of channel levels Place is also known as channel, distribution or intermediary. It is the mechanism through which goods are moved from the manufacturer to the consumer. We have analysed Samsung smartphone distribution as shown in Appendix 6. Samsung practises indirect channels using selective distribution. The channel contains one to two intermediary levels. Through the major telcos and authorised dealers, Samsung distribution in Singapore is very intense, and this is exactly what Samsung wants. One can purchase a Samsung Smartphone at every neighbourhood in Singapore. All authorised distributors were given product training & support whenever needed. All telco (SingTel, M1, Starhub) also have dedicated staff to provide training & desk support to consumers should they require assistance on how to use the smartphones. b.  Channel intensity From the Appendix 6, the distribution channels are intense diverting to over 300 outlets making it easily accessible for consumers. The wide and broad channels are one factor for Samsung success. c.  Number of outlets, location The outlets for Singapore are estimated to be over 300, with at least one outlet in every neighbourhood and the availability to buy online with free delivery. d.  Survey Result on Target Segment Perception (Place) From our survey results, 99% of the respondents bought their phone through the various channels with 49% through telco and dealers. Consumers prefer buying phones with contracted lines and this might suggest Samsung can consider giving a better incentive to telcos and dealers to further boost up their sales. 4.4  Promotion a.  Marketing Communications Objectives Marketing communications objectives is paramount to marketing success. If there is no objective, than there will be no way to measure the marketing success. After all, an objective is the goal intended to attained, which should be attainable and can be measured. Understanding the Product Life Cycle (as illustrated in Appendix 7) of each product can enable the company to respond with the marcom objectives. Though Samsung started its Smartphone in 2008, in our opinion the stage for Samsung smartphone is at its maturity stage in the Singapore context. During launch of a new smartphone, the objectives will be more informative like: Telling market about the new product Explaining how a product works Suggest new uses for a product Marketing effort by Samsung is normally conducted for launch of new products. As for their existing products, it is conducted together with their vendors like IT fairs and Electronic fairs. The marketing communication objectives for these efforts will be different from a new launch. The objectives these efforts are: Encourage brand switching Persuading customers to purchase now Build brand preference Keep product in consumers’ mind Maintain top of mind awareness Promotion Mix Attractive prices of good products are not enough for a business to generate maximum sales and profits. The benefits of products have to be communicated to customers. In marketing, this is commonly known as â€Å"promotion†. The total marketing communications programme is called â€Å"promotion mix†. Elements of promotion mix include Advertising, Sales Promotion, Public Relations, Personal Selling and Direct Marketing. The elements of promotion mix used by Samsung smartphone are: 1) Advertising Deliver marketer’s message using any paid form of mass media outlets, it involve non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services by an identified sponsor. The 3 purpose of advertising are Informative, Persuasive and Reminder. Samsung has been using all three purposes for their advertising campaign in different occasion. Let’s look into Samsung individual advertising purpose and objectives. Sales Promotion Sales promotions normally refer to encouraging customers to respond or undertake some activity using some form of incentives through special short-term techniques. Some of the sales promotions technique used by Samsung smart phone is: a)  Joint promotion with Major Telco Samsung smartphone often had joint promotion with major telco to boost up the sales of the smartphone. For example the  promotion that was in the Starhub official site that offers  Samsung Galaxy S3 at different price depending on the plan  sign up or the Samsung Galaxy S2 at a low price with 2 years plan. (As shown in Appendix 8) b)  Joint Promotion with Major Electronic Mega Store Samsung always conduct joint promotion with major electronic mega store during ad-hoc promotion fair. Premiums like additional SD card, screen protector, casing or 0% interest instalment plan is often used during such fair. This promotion is used to enhance the sales by offering some perks and also to clear stock for the older model smartphone. (As shown in  Appendix 9) Survey Result on Target Segment Perception (Promotion) Through our survey findings, respondents rated ‘current mobile plan expired’ as the most important factor which influence their purchase of smartphone. This might be an important indicator for Samsung to have intense tie up promotions with the telcos to offer consumers attractive rates for those plans that have expired. A significant percentage of respondents also mentioned the launch of new  smartphone is influential in making the purchase. These are likely the consumers who are willing to pay a premium price for the latest launch of smartphone. Samsung can utilise this and through advertising for example; television commercial, newspaper advertisements, internet announce the new launch in a tasteful manner to attract this segment of consumers. 5.  CONCLUSION Constantinides (2006) emphasizes that marketing mix is a framework of the dominant marketing management paradigm to identify market development, environmental changes and trends. Several studies confirm that the 4Ps is indeed the trusted conceptual platform of practitioners dealing with operational marketing issues (Romano and Ratnatunga, 1995; Coviello et al., 2000). The wide acceptance of the 4Ps among field marketers is the result of their profound exposure to this concept during college years, since identifying the 4Ps as the controllable parameters is likely to influence the consumer buying process and decisions (Brassington and Pettitt, 2003; Soekartawi, 2005a). We conducted the survey to evaluate different segments of customers’ attitude toward 4Ps. It is expected that with this survey findings with the primary data we have collected can we better understand and provide recommendation for Samsung  to develop greater understanding of how to serve existing and potential customer based on 4Ps concept for a basis to meet profitability of their business. Through our survey, we realised a very important trend; almost 94% of the respondents carry a smart phone. Assuming the latest data from Singstat stating 95% of Singapore household having a handphone, and with that equate to 94% of them having a Smartphone, the total volume of smartphone market is estimated to be minimum 3-4Million in Singapore alone. Current users of Samsung are generally satisfied with the features and functions of the phone. However as Samsung faces close competition with its competitors, Samsung needs to continuously come out with new innovation and technology to stay in the lead. As Samsung is in its maturity stage of the product life cycle, Samsung needs to differentiate itself from competitors. However the tricky part is to position products across different, yet overlapping, market segments. It is important to note, however, that since some consumers may belong to both segments, positioning claims for a product should never conflict. To avoid confusing consumers, it may be necessary to make a broad appeal to both segments and then change the positioning slightly within each segment. As Samsung smartphone do has many variations, approximate 24, the positioning within each range should be unique and clear to consumers. Overall we feel that Samsung has done well to come this far and stay in the lead. The advantages Samsung has over competitors are the wide distribution channels and the vast product variations. Samsung must continue to ensure its distributors and telcos are given attractive incentives which in turn can bring in non Samsung users. Samsung should also focus on building brand loyalty, which will ensure retain of past and current Samsung consumers. Their primary goal should be to maintain their current market share and extend the product life cycle. REFERENCES Samsung Electronics 2011 Annual Report accessed on 25 June 2012 http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/corporateprofile/download/2011_annual _rpt.pdf Singapore in figures 2011 http://www.singstat.gov.sg/pubn/reference/sif2012.pdf accessed on 25 June 2012 Constantinides E (2006). The Marketing Mix Revisited: Towards the 21st Century Marketing. J. Mark Manag, 22: 407-438. Porter, M., â€Å"Competitive Strategy – Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors,† (New York: The Free Press,1980). Smith, M.F., and Carsky, M.L. (1996). Grocery Shopping Behaviour:A Comparison of Involved and Uninvolved Consumers. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 39 (2), 73-80. Aaker, D.A. (1991), Managing Brand Equity. Capitalizing on the Value of Brand Name, Free Press, New York, NY. Busha, Charles H., and Stephen P. Harter. Research Methods in Librarianship: Techniques and Interpretation. Orlando, FL: Academic Press, Inc., 1980. Romano C, Ratnatunga J (1996). The Role of Marketing, Eur J. Mark, 29: 9-30. Brassington F, Pettitt S (2003). Principles of Marketing, Third Edition, Prentice Hall/Financial Times. New Jersey. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-27/samsung-overtakes-nokia-as-world-sbiggest-phone-vendor.html http://www.samsung.com/sg/aboutsamsung/corporateprofile/valuesphilosophy.html

Public Opinion and Responding to Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Public Opinion and Responding to Crisis - Essay Example Again, the core needs of the public and the society at large becomes a major factor that influences decision at all school administrative meetings. For example once the call by the public for a morally upright generation keeps going high, the school’s decision on curriculum becomes affected whereby they begin to put in place more subjects and programs that are directed at improving the moral fiber of students (Kowalski, 2007). 2. What is a command center and where should it be located? In a typical school environment, it is important that there exists a central point where all critical information will be channeled to all to whom such information may concern. For instance in the event of a disaster whereby students and staff must run for their lives, it is important that there will be only one central point where command will be issued from. Such a centralized point where commands are issued is what Kowalski (2007) refers to a command center. In explaining where the command ce nter ought to be located, it is important to point out that at all point in time, the command center must be centralized. This means that it should be operated by only one identified outfit. This is important so that in the event of responding to crisis, there will not be inconsistency with commands that are given. Based on this, it is important to point out that the command center must be located in the office of the safety officer, who must be a trained specialist to interpret and attend to crisis. 3. Detail information first responders should receive prior to any crisis. First responders are presumably people who are not very familiar with how to conduct themselves in the event of any major crisis. For this reason, it is very important that the kind of information that is given to them in the event of a crisis become one that is very precise and in-depth. Without this, it is possible that these first responders would not know the right actions to take with reference to the inform ation they receive. Regarding the precision of the information, it is important that the first respondent be made aware of the kind of crisis that is at hand. The first respondent must also know the scope of risk involved in the crisis. More importantly, the information must clearly state out the rescue or safety processes. Prior to any crisis, there is the tendency that the emotions of respondents will raise. Some of these emotions will be characterized with fear and panic. It is therefore important also that the information given to first respondents become one that will take into consideration the psychological wellness of the respondents. 4. Respond appropriately to the following â€Å"Difficult Questions† as the school’s principal: a. Do you think the parents are being unreasonable? No b. What is your personal opinion? They are only expressing their concern and sometimes ignorance towards the welfare of their wards. c. Why do you think the superintendent decided t o do that? The superintendent was only trying to make the stipulated regulations work while ensuring that major protocols and bureaucracies surrounding the response to crisis were not broken. d. What is the overall annual budget for t

A Letter to Explain the Subtleties of Revelations Essay

A Letter to Explain the Subtleties of Revelations - Essay Example Probably the first thing that it is important to understand is that Revelations is grounded firmly in the time of its writing – that is, the first century after the death of Christ, and it can take on a completely new meaning when looked at under that light. Probably the first thing that it is important to understand is that Revelations is not at all unique, but rather part of a â€Å"literary tradition† of apocalyptic literature that was flourishing in the first century (Kirsch 38). This literary tradition was not just Christian, but also Jewish, and in fact expanded to many other groups, including â€Å"shamans† and other religious leaders (38). Many of these works take the form of visions granted by a divine being, said to show the end times and to warn people of the coming apocalypse, so in this way too is the Book of Revelations part of a broad tradition (103). But, I can imagine you saying, this is part of the bible, not just some raving of a Shaman. The fa ct remains, however, that there was a great amount of apocalyptic literature that was coming in and out of popularity during this era, and the decision of what would become canonical (or part of the Bible) and what would become apocryphal (not part of the Bible) would be made only centuries later and through an incredibly complex and fraught political process. So, in some ways, if you are worried about the end of the world as depicted in revelations, you also have to be worried about the end of the world depicted in a wide variety of other literature in this genre. So now that we have understood a little bit about the cultural and literary context that Revelations came from, it is important to delve into the historical realities that surrounded its creation, which have a palpable impact on one’s understanding of it once one is aware that the historical context exists. The first century after Christ’s death was an incredibly uproarious time religiously, and Christianity is in fact part of that uproar. During this time period there was widespread social unrest, especially in Judea, because of the relatively recent conquest of the area by the Roman Empire (45). This was simply the latest in a long line of conquests and enslavements that Jews (at this period Christians might be better understood as a sect of Judaism rather than as an independent religion) had suffered, which was made especially dire by the destruction of the Second Temple. These times of conquest and upheaval have always been accompanied by the emergence of apocalyptic literature (48), which serves several purposes. One is to provide hope and spirit to the people suffering – the end of the world necessarily means the prevailing of the righteous at the hands of the evil, which is an especially appealing idea to a downtrodden people. Another is to solidify the base of believers, whose beliefs might be weakened or who might be tempted to stray from the teachings of their religion based on the persecution that they suffer at the hands of the conquering force. So along with being part of line of literary traditions of apocalyptic literature, Revelations is also a fairly common response to political upheaval. One of the most commonly known prophesises in revelations, for instance, is the â€Å"mark† or â€Å"seal† of the devil (Revelations 13:16) that will become spread widely during the end

Ls week7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ls week7 - Essay Example This contains extensive involvement on the part of American professionals, who, as contributors far exceed those from elsewhere. This has been has been credited to the fact that it is closely associated with Cornell Business School, as well as other American business schools. Organisational theory is a major focus of Clegg’s argument. Considering the writing of Hinings and Greenwood (2002) questions are asked about such things as organisation theory. Such things as the effect and impact of large organisations upon wider society, and the role they should play are discussed, and how these place controls upon the organisations concerned. There is also discussion of the place power plays within organisations, as well as the importance played by schools of business, a topic I have myself discussed earlier. This brought me to an understanding of how research must aim to produce findings that are both capable of being utilized by companies and which can be comprehended by industry le aders. This provides links between the schools and the businesses they seek to serve. . As stated by Bennis and O’Toole (2005) business schools need to benefit from knowledge which is already available as well as new data. However within the work place environments this can become especially complex. to arrive at a better comprehension of ways in which knowledge can be used in order to increase the competitive edge, (Syvertsen, 2008) It was thus recommended by Bennis and O’Toole in 2005 that the schools of business need to place more emphasis on research. Also important, state the authors, is the use of undergraduate programmes, because in the search for new knowledge it is such programmes which produce questions and to overturn or discard knowledge already in place. The creation of fresh knowledge needs theories to be arrived at, requires theory building as well as the ability to form and analyse

Positives and negatives of obamas presidency period Research Paper

Positives and negatives of obamas presidency period - Research Paper Example One of the most commendable aspects of the Obama presidency has been his rapprochement with the Iranian government over its nuclear program. The fact that the Iranian nuclear program has been a source of major controversy over the past decade can be considered to have been a source of much contention on the international scene. This is mainly because of the fact that the United States has been drawn into the issue as a result of the activities of the powerful Israeli lobby which has had much influence in the formulation of American policies over Iran. It is for this reason that Iran has been largely isolated from the international scene due to the sanctions imposed against it by most of the western powers (Mostofi 226). In addition, the economic sanctions that have been imposed against it have created a situation where its people have come to face many hardships mainly because of the constant shortages of food as well as the reduction of the purchasing power of the state because of t he blockade on its financial sector. Moreover, the decision to impose sanctions against it has ensured that the prices of natural gas and oil have remained high on the global markets in addition to the lack of exploitation of the extensive reserves that Iran possesses. Therefore, the initiative taken by Obama to promote dialogue with Iran has ensured that American interests will be protected within this country once the negotiations come to an end. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have come to be extremely unpopular with the American public and this is mainly because of the fact that there has been massive loss of American life as well as high expenditure in wars which have failed to achieve their intended objectives ("Obama Commits to Troop Withdrawal from Iraq by 2011" 3). It is for this reason that Obama’s order to withdraw American troops from both of these

Training teachers to produce software program and using in their Thesis Proposal

Training teachers to produce software program and using in their classes - Thesis Proposal Example Additional research has demonstrated that 53% of the aspiring teachers who participated believed that they had confidence in their software programming skills in the classroom (Yost et al. 2003). Studies have shown that 50% of all educational professionals apply software educational material in the learning environment. The application of computer aids differs from educational locations. In some locations, the instructor application of software programming approaches 100%. In other locations the instructor application of software programming is nil. Many instructors attribute this deficiency to time constraints, economic constraints and deficiency in instructor preparation (Education World n.d.). The instructor application of software has been proven to increase student’s ability in quantifiable courses. The instructor application of the software programming has yet to be proven to enhance the students’ skills in social studies, language and the arts. Research has demonstrated that software programming consists of various levels which may be assessed distinctively. These implementations may be applied with varying levels of success to quantitative and graphic courses (Roschelle et al. 2001). There are courses which provide effective lesson administration and enable aspiring teachers to aggregate interactive classroom participation in the lesson plan. Those desiring to become educators may acquire the software programming skills in order to properly administrate the lesson plans and connect items to an assortment of web based resources. The web based resources may apply visual and auditory aids in order to facilitate classroom instruction. Aspiring teachers may acquire or enhance software programming ability by the following implementations: The integration of software programs in the classroom by the aspiring teachers

Utilitarianism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Utilitarianism - Essay Example The assumptions of utilitarianism are: 1) Human well-being is a common good; 2) Everyone should be included in the assessment of utility; and 3) The right actions promote what is good for society. The elements of utilitarianism are: 1) concept of happiness, 2) impartiality, 3) consequentialism, and 4) balance of good and bad consequences. Utilitarianism values happiness or utility, which is defined as â€Å"pleasure and freedom from pain.† Utilitarianism further places high priority on impartiality, because we should all be impartial to each other’s happiness. Each of us is considered as holding one utility, whatever our social classes and positions, and other defining characteristics maybe. Furthermore, utilitarianism is consequentialist ethics, because the moral values of actions depend on their total consequences. Finally, PU underlines the importance of balancing positive and negative consequences. The loss of utility of others should be justified by the increase in happiness of other people. Utilitarianism prioritizes the PU over subordinate moral values, but Mill argues for the assessment of the quality of our action’s consequences. He emphasizes that the quality of decisions should be more important than the quantity of consequences. Estimates of utility should give greater weight to higher quality pleasures. Higher pleasures pertain to pleasure from activities that exercise the intellect, feelings, imagination, moral sentiments, and other essential moral values. These activities allow for greater choice and responsibility. Lower pleasures refer to pleasures of sensation and are more passive pleasures. Mill also argues that it is important to protect civil rights, because doing so will lead to high social utility. The maxims of justice are additional important subordinate principles of doing the right actions. Utilitarianism assesses actions in terms of their consequences, but it can also evaluate motives and

Human Sexuality Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Sexuality Reflection Paper - Essay Example My concentrations in Professor Fanelli’s lectures and reading course material, has challenged my intellectual capabilities, thus shifting me to the best level of understanding my own values and attitudes in relation to human sexuality. Learning about sexual development is fun because by finding parts played by both stereotypes and gender roles in a society is not only of great importance, but also of very great influential despite of how someone may categorize and identify themselves. Boys identify themselves as being boys by acting and dressing like ones as well as liking a variety of things that boy likes. Those expectations offered to both men and women with regard to sexual behavior and gender role, seems to be very intriguing because it questions cultural expectations that is held for each sex. For instance men and women are not only differentiated by their sex organism but also by their different occupations in the society like a man taking care of the cattle while women taking care of the house and children. Furthermore, getting knowledge from psychological and biological perspectives provides me with a range of better understanding of how distinctive people can be and how they feel as well. After covering the topic called sexuality in young adulthood, I had really gained a wide knowledge involving solitary sex, sexual fantasies of people containing distinct sexualities, sex with other such as touching, kissing, foreplay among others, various techniques and positions constituted in sexual intercourse and the three R,s, that is reflect, review and recite. Each of the aspects mentioned above is both fun to explore and interesting to learn about and that is why this topic on sexuality in young adulthood was my favorite one in class. However, it was considered weird if boys did things that girls could do comfortable and vice versa. It was comfortable

The Social Concept in Terms of Culture and Norms Research Paper

The Social Concept in Terms of Culture and Norms - Research Paper Example To begin with, it is imperative to define the exact nature and importance of these strategies in the context of the concert hall. Interpretive strategies spring from that aspect of a field’s study which seeks to define the same in the context of an individual’s life and link the same with various factors at a regional, international and global level. (Norberg - Schulz,1996; P 414 – 428) The role of an interpretive strategy in the case of the two concert halls discussed here is to bring out a variety of features in the structural implications of the building. These features have been further discussed below. One of the major features of an interpretive strategy lies in its ability to transform a space and transport an individual to a place beyond the structure where the building and the individual in question are in perfect tandem as far as everyday activities and a sense of drama in this everyday life are concerned. This has been termed as Hermeneutics. (Hale, 20 00; P 213 – 233) On a more technical grid, the term hermeneutics adheres to the play of a person’s sense of aesthetics when regarding the two concert halls discussed in this paper. The finer point shows that the hermeneutic tradition helps create a platform where a person may experience the concert hall as an extension of his or her daily living. This is an important point made by the term ‘modern aesthetics’, which cater to more than a marriage of fine art and engineering for positive structural implications in the concert hall.

Boston Lyric Opera Essay Example for Free

Boston Lyric Opera Essay 1. BLO’s eight customer objectives The first objective is to gain generous contributions. The amount per donator, ration between new donators and new contacts (collection rate) and the total amount of the donators and contributions are ways to measure how this aspect is doing. Incentives for the staff should also be incorporated into these objectives, especially ones that steer the process towards multi-year support programs. To measure the board involvement and recruitment, it is important that the reputation of the new board member is blameless and since operating in Boston, a local person with strong ties to the community would be better. To measure involvement the easiest way is to look the member’s activity, how many times they’ve been in meetings and how they’ve acted to build strategy. For example number of new initiatives. Also hours spent educating the board members about strategy and vision could be one measurement. Building an artistic reputation is hard and so is measuring it. Reviews on papers give a sight how the opera is doing, but the best way to know is to make a consumer survey for example once a month. Also comparing the growth in visitors between BLO and other operas gives an idea. Rating different aspects is another way to measure the artistic view. Giving value for example to the lead singer or the orchestra will help to understand how the opera is doing on its main field. These measures aren’t very proactive though, but helpful anyway. One objective is to launch a residency program. Its success can be measured by the amount of acceptances to invites and by comparing the audience amounts to normal. Like when measuring artistic reputation, the best way to measure how exciting and diverse opera’s repertories are is to see reviews and audience amounts. The grading system works when the given grades are compared to the rivals’ same grades and the shows are compared. These are of course not proactive measures. BLO wants to collaborate with other major artistic institutions like museums and theatres. Also other operas and specially talents working in them are important. One way to measure collaboration is the amount of tickets to opera that our associates sell. How many per cent of the total amount of sold tickets is it and have these collaborations brought new visitors to BLO. Community support and focus on community programs can be measured with the amount of local donators and specially the amount of new supporters. Has the PR-campaign been affective? Have local companies supported the opera? This can be measured with the amount of companies. Measurements that measure processes in line with the strategy are not always easy to find and it usually takes a lot of time to find the right ways to use them. Often they need to be adjusted or reset to fit the strategy. The main challenge is to find measures that are pro-active and directive instead of controlling. 2. Boston Lyric Opera had not really measured their organizational performance before. This had ultimately caused lack of focus and limited accountability. Boston Lyric Opera was mainly led by qualitative values as quantitative measures and financials were not the topmost factors in decision making. The new general director Janice Del Sesto and BLO’s board acknowledged that there was a history of expensive opera productions and large losses in Boston’s opera scene and they had to adapt a new business philosophy in order to operate fiscally. Non-profit organizations often have a lack of focus and their strategy concentrates to too many things at the same time. Ken Freed, a BLO board member, acknowledged that a more formal strategic planning process was essential for BLO in order to avoid mistakes that several arts organizations had made in the past. They decided to adapt the Balanced Scorecard to focus their strategic planning process. Using the Balanced Scorecard, BLO and its employees could see their day-to-day activities within a bigger and more strategic context. They started the change by defining BLO’s mission, strategy, competitive advantages, and distinguishing characteristics that would make it unique. The biggest change here was BLO reshaping its strategy. They acknowledged that their most important â€Å"customers† in this situation are the people who resourced their organization. BLO received nearly 70 percent of their operating budget from sources other than ticket sales, mostly from donors and supporters. BLO decided to place donors and supporters as their main interest group in the Balanced Scorecard. They were the body that enabled BLO to carry out their mission and strategy. Even though Boston Lyric Opera is a non-profit organization and its output is intangible, its organizational performance can be measured by quantitative measures. The Balanced Scorecard would bring quantitative measures alongside the qualitative measures. The Balanced Scorecard required BLO to quantify their activities. BLO acknowledged that and they for example created a database where they linked quantifiable donor data to qualitative information about donor meetings etc. Basically, the Balanced Scorecard required BLO to be managed like a business. 3. Lyric Opera had a new question ahead of them. They had to figure out what they wanted to become. BLO’s existing strategy was not valid anymore as their operating expenses rose and revenues from ticket sales were limited. BLO decided to adapt the Balance Scorecard in order to set new strategic objectives and measure their performance against those objectives in order to overcome to challenges they were facing. Adapting the Balanced Scorecard, BLO was able to compose a clear and precise strategy. Actually, the strategy itself was quite complex and multidimensional but the Balanced Scorecard gave it a framework that presented the new strategy clearly. BLO set three strategic themes that they felt were important in reaching their goals and they had objectives and measures of success for all of the themes. Using the Balanced Scorecard and the strategy map, BLO was also able to communicate the new strategy clearly to their staff, stakeholders, and other associates. The fact that BLO now had sufficient information of their organization and operations, it could draw new donors to them. By using the Balanced Scorecard, BLO recognized their key success drivers and they started to focus on the activities that had the greatest impact on their goals. They all had a clear common goal and BLO’s staff worked cross-departmentally, motivationally to reach the goal of providing unique, uality opera in Boston. However Jessica Del Sesto and Sue Dahling-Sullivan faced some difficult challenges and barriers to capture the above-mentioned benefits. There was some opposition from a few board-members of changing the organization’s governance structure, adapting the Balance Scorecard and managing an art organization by quantitative measures. These â€Å"old school† members did not under stand that BLO could not compete with the great opera houses and they could not standout from the crow without differentiating in some way. Del Sesto and Dahling-Sullivan were still able to carry out the new strategy and capture the benefits to make BLO a highly successful arts organization. One of the most crucial parts of the adapting a new strategy was to communicate the strategy clearly to their staff, board members and other stakeholders. It is an unconditional requirement that people understand the new strategy and its benefits in order it to succeed. Del Sesto and Dahling-Sullivan used the strategy map in communicating the new strategy and it clearly presented the reasons and benefits of the new strategy and it lighten opposition substantially. . The departmental managers and the employees of BLO are more empowered after the BSC but the artistic leaders are less. The managers are now more empowered because every department now gets to plan its own scorecard, and describe the ways how the department would meet the high level strategic goals. The employees are with the scorecard more empowered, as they can see the w ork in a more strategic context and therefore set priorities more effectively themselves. However the artistic leaders felt that the scorecard and specially the repertory planning template could limit their opportunities in designing productions. . Del Sesto uses the BSC as a managerial system. The BSC purely concentrates on the big picture; everything is based to support strategy. Del Sesto believes that the BSC helps her to steer board members’ attention to proper tasks. Also, she thanks BSC for helping employees to think more strategically, and with greater clarity towards their objectives. All in all, Del Sesto is clearly more interested on the management aspect of the BSC. One explanation to this is that BLO is a nonprofit organization. Its reason to exist is not to make profit to its owners but to offer culture to the community. All the objectives connected to the three main points are easier to measure with controlling measurements. 6. Kaplan and Norton have studied the success of BSC implementations in different organizations. They have concluded five principals that contribute greatly to the success. These principals can also be found on BLO’s BSC implementation. The process started with planning. Group consisting members from all functions thought in several meeting how the BSC should be made and what BLO is now and what it wants to be. All possible views were brought to conversations and the members were challenged to use their imagination. As a result the group made three strategic themes which determined the main points to BLO’s future strategy. These three big themes were divided to smaller parts and brought to a form that is clear to everyone in the organization. This is similar to Kaplan’s and Norton’s principal 1, where the strategy is translated in to operational terms. The BSC was completed by determining the actions to be made so that the strategy can be fulfilled. After this all parts of the organization got to make scorecards of their own and were so committed to the strategy. The whole organization was aligned to meet the strategy (Principle 2). The project succeeded because BLO was able to find the crucial processes and finish them through. The personnel were part of the developing strongly. During the process of creating the BSC, the role of the entire staff in overall success was emphasized. This made them easier to adapt the new way of doing things and easier to understand the strategy and how it can be fulfilled (Principle 3). Often when BSC implementation fails it is because the scorecard is considered to be only management’s project, just a top-level adjustment. As always with large scale organizational changes, also this project faced some resistance. Some board members and artistic staff were unsure about the motives for changing the old customs. This problem however was solved, as the need for change was successfully communicated through various levels of the organization (Principle 5). Other crucial point which was done well was the targeting. The mission was announced clearly and the goals were easy to understand. The three major themes were chosen wisely and chopped in to smaller pieces well.

Hindustan Motors Limited Analysis

Hindustan Motors Limited Analysis Hindustan Motors Limited is ancestor to all automobile manufacturing companies of India. It was established in 1942 before Indias independence. It was a flagship company of C.K. Birla group. Initially company had a small assembling plant at Port Okha, Gujarat. Main purpose was to reduce transportation cost because all parts were imported from foreign companies. Later it was shifted to Uttarpara, West Bengal due to cheaper raw materials and cheap labor cost. This later resulted in one of the most successful motor car of India the ambassador. Apart from the ambassador Hindustan Motors Limited has been active in production of various types of passenger cars, trucks and multi utility vehicle. Hindustan motors collaborated with Mitsubishi motors, Japan and introduce mid size premium segment cars such as Mitsubishi Lancer, Lancer select and Lancer Cedia. The company brought first sports utility vehicle to India which was Mitsubishi Pajero. Besides passenger cars (Ambassador, Grand, and Avigo), Multi Utility Vehicles (Trekker, Porter, and Pushpak) and the RTV, Hindustan Motors also manufactures passenger cars in the mid size premium segment (Mitsubishi Lancer, Lancer Select, and Lancer Cedia) and has brought in Sports Utility Vehicle (Mitsubishi Pajero) into the Indian market in collaboration with Mitsubishi Motors, Japan. Company made collaboration with General Motors and their joint venture produced Bedford trucks and Vauxhall motors during eighties and nineties. The partnership became 50-50 when General Motors bought Hindustan Motors plant at Halol, Gujarat in 1999. After almost seven decades Hindustan Motors is still actively contributing in countrys automobile market. Its manufacturing facilities are established in Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Hindustan Motors motto is quality, safety with environmental care. It has been providing total solutions for customer care. Executive Summary: C. K. Birla: He is the chairman of the Board of Hindustan Motors LTD. He has a vast experience of business as he has been a successful industrialist since decades. Along with the chairmans post he serves as an independent non executive director of Hindustan Motors LTD. Manoj Jha:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He is recently promoted as a Managing Director at Hindustan Motors LTD. He is an executive vice president of engineering division and member of the management board. He studied hi engineering from Ranchi University. Yogesh Goenka: He is a chief financial officer, compliance officer and company secretary. He did Bachelor of commerce as well as AICWA, ACS, MBM. OBJECTIVE OF THE COMPANY: Main objective of the company is to provide an automobile with comfort and safety. The company has collaboration with international companies such as general motors, Vauxhall motors and Mitsubishi motor suggests that company has always been thriving for technology. Still the company is looking for development and technological enhancement to overcome recent declining in its sell. According to the chairman of Hindustan Motors the company main objective is to increase the selling of their models by improving its managerial structure. The company is looking for new and affordable product which can boost up their selling. Main purpose of this project paper is to study about declining of their once most successful model the ambassador. The Product-à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   The ambassador The ambassador model was based on Morris Oxford model which was manufactured in Cowley by Morris motors. Initially Hindustan motors started the production of Land master in 1954 near Uttarpara plant Kolkata. This led to production of ambassador in 1957. Thus 1957 can be counted as e year when ambassador first came into existence. The ambassador was considered to be best suited to harsh Indian terrain thats why it became very popular. AT that time it was said if you want to have comfort have an ambassador. Till 1980s there were only two Indian cars available in Indian market: ambassador and padmini. Due to its comfort and ability to sustain heavy blows on harsh terrain ambassador captured almost 70% of the Indian automobile market. It is to be noted that ambassador was once called the limousine of India because all politicians, famous businessmen prefer to have ambassador. It was a status symbol because of its proud appearance. It is strange that till 2001 the ambassador remain popular in taxi segment because it was said that the ambassador has ability to sustain shock during motor accident better than any other car available at that time. The credit goes to the manufacturing department of ambassador because the chassis of ambassador was such rigid that it can bear heavy blow from front as well as from side and rear. Till 90s India was sellers market means customer had to wait for a long time to get the product. Take an example of BAJAJ scooter, during 80s the condition was if son wants a scooter than father should apply for that so that after a long time son can be able to drive it. Well it is an exaggeration but the conditions for automobile market were very bad especially for a new company to jump in because government had laid very harsh rules on foreign companys entry and imported material became very costly. This give ambassador a dominant position for a few decades with some extraordinary features as discussed above and the ambassador succeeded to maintain it for a long period. Decline-à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   The product is in decline during last decade and the sales are decreasing it is surprising for such once successful model. To find out the products recent condition PORTER model analysis and SWOT analysis have been carried out as shown below. PORTER model analysis:- Against new entrants such as Maruti Suzuki, Honda, Ford, Hyundai etc the company failed to compete and continued with their existing strategy. It has found that after the year of 2000 the product has been in decline the table below gives its detail. As shown in the table despite of increasing number of automobiles in India the selling of ambassador is continuously decreasing. The company failed to cop up with ongoing circumstances such as in case of suppliers it failed to judge the pace of the industry and it remained slow in comparison of others. The company remained stick to only one brand means they didnt have varieties of products. The ambassador was available with nearly the same features throughout its existence. While Maruti Suzuki which has become the largest car manufacturer of India implemented various products having various features which made the company growing in terms of profit and selling. Companys market share has been decreased due to internal rivalry among union and management. SWOT analysis: Strength: Ambassador was the first car produce by an Indian company. It became a huge success story as well. There was a time when ambassador was exported to the countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri lanka and Myanmar. It was exported to Middle East countries as well. Due to its long reign in India Company has a broad network of service centers. It consists of 115 strong dealers, 50 parts dealers and 60 additional exclusive parts dealers. In 2006 the company has invested huge amount to establish production capacity for its product part. As stated earlier the image of ambassador as a car is still strong in Indian customers mind as trustworthy vehicle in all terms. Weaknesses The model hasnt been changed much since its first appearance. A customer needs change with improvement in outer look as well as its performance. As far as performance is concerned the ambassador is OK if compared with the modern cars. In case of look, its not at all attractive or impressive for younger generation. The company came to manufacturing when government rules were tough for any outsiders. As stated earlier Indian market at that time was sellers market. Low volume high price is all that Hindustan motors gave to its customers. When the laws were made liberal and new companies jumped into Indian market the company didnt make considerable changes for manufacturing process which couldnt cop up with new demand. Ambassador is the most dominant among all products of Hindustan motors. However new customers want safety with fuel efficiency. Ambassador promises safety but it was not fuel efficient when compared to modern cars. The employees were not efficient due to union problems which were a result of improper human resource management. Though the company had made several tie ups but later on when required to obtain new technology it lacks global export markets. Opportunities The ambassador is still recognized as the most comfortable car. Old age people prefer to have ambassador than any other car due to its impressive record against accidents. The company can modify the same car and it can make it more fuel efficient to attract middle class. There are examples of such long reigning cars. Take an example of Volkswagen beetle which was introduce in early 40s and its production continued till the beginning of 21st century. Volkswagen has achieved this by continuously changing the design and internal features. Same is needed to be done in case of ambassador as well. Threats Employees are not motivated enough to their job faithfully. More and more new companies are coming to India as it is becoming a giant market for automobile industry. Every companys aim is to provide the most fuel efficient and trustworthy car. According to company ambassador has been designed and manufactured over the years in such a way that it is almost difficult to change its features. It is most important to see how company has implemented the marketing mix strategy to its product so that it is declining. 4 PS OF MARKETING: Product: Ambassador the first Indian car manufactured in India. The most successful car of Indian automobile history. Figure : Ambassador The ambassador has a powerful 5420 cc engine, heavy axles, hydraulic brakes and bigger suspensions. Before considering the ambassador first of all it is required to know what company should be looking for when they introduce their product. For whom it is manufacturing its product? How much benefit they are expecting? Which position going to be the best for their product? What is their product offering that others is not? When the ambassador was launched the company was fully aware that only rich people would be buying their product therefore they provided all facilities that were present at that time. Also ambassadors have been used by ministers as well so for them there were special models having security implements such as bullet proof glass. The company was fully aware of what it going to achieve because at that time there was no competition and the market was open to it. Price: Pricing is another important element of marketing mix. Pricing brings money back to the company and companys profit depends on it. Other three Ps depends on price; it is easy to understand that remaining P require cost. Product needs cost from early design to manufacture. Placing means distribution also needs cost. Promotion also requires cost. These costs are variable cost to the company. Pricing to be perfect must show supply and demand relationship. Pricing a product too high or too low cause loss to the company therefore it should lie in between. There are different factors which should be considered as shown below. Fixed and variable costs Competition Company objectives Proposed positioning strategies Target group and willingness to pay In case of ambassador Hindustan Motors has used Product Line Pricing i.e. For the same product the company has set different prices for different features. Place: Place strategies Place strategies include the ways of distribution by the manufacturer. The manufacturer should have a clear idea about the market. The manufacturer should be aware of the demand and accordingly it should provide the supply. These demand and supply should be balanced properly because in a condition where supply is less than demand, the customer dissatisfaction in acquiring the product results into loss for the company. In most conditions the customers starts favor other companies product though they are not as better. Therefore just because of improper supply the company lost its good will. There are mainly two kinds of placing strategies. The manufacture may go through any one of them depending upon which suits it the most. As shown in figure in one strategy there isnt direct contact between manufacturer and the customer in this case the company doesnt need to carry out surveys for demands all it needs to do is maintaining proper supply to the whole seller. However in this case the company may not come to know about what the customer wants and this leads to misinterpretation of customer need due to indirect contact having so many extra elements in between. This problem can be removed by maintaining direct contact of the company with its customer as shown in figure. In this case the manufacturer directly supplies its products to the customer. But this needs a wide distribution network by the company which is costly depending upon the size of the company. First channel of distribution is called indirect distribution and second channel of distribution is called direct distribution. indirect distributiondirect distribution Figure : Above indirect distribution (left) and direct distribution (right).   The ambassador has been distributed by indirect distribution method thats the reason why in later years the company fails to recognize the customers need. Depending on the type of product being distributed there are three common distribution strategies available: Distribution: According to the nature of the product there are few distribution strategies as shown below. Intensive distribution: As the name suggests this distribution is high in numbers and widely spread. It generally doesnt need the survey as the products are common and general. Example: chocolate, soft drinks, biscuit Exclusive distribution: Some products are there which need proper demonstration and guidance so that customer can be made fully aware of what he is paying for. These products are highly prices. Example: Cars, bikes etc. Selective distribution: This kind of distribution consists of wide space where customer has a freedom to have a look and select a product from wide varieties. Example: TV, computers etc. Hindustan motors have used exclusive distribution method over the year which is common for any car manufacturer. Promotion Promotion means advertising the product. A product without promotion is a complete failure as through the promotion the customer comes to know about the product. There are different promotion strategies as shown below. Advertisement: Advertisement can be said as a non personal promotion activity through media. Public relations: Good relations with the customers as well as media persons make the promotion easier as in this case company doesnt need to do anything. Sales promotion: Company can give vouchers or coupons to attract the customer. Discount scheme, free scheme are examples of sales promotion. Personal selling: Door to door selling or personal to personal selling comes under this category. Promotion of ambassador comes under the public relations as due to its image as a successful car the media and people has been promoting it over the years. The company has never or barely used advertisement or sales promotion. RECENT CONDITION: Company Sales during 2010 (million Rs.) Hindustan motors 5802.7 Maruti suzuki 296230.10 Swaraj Mazda 7167.60 Mahindra and Mahindra 186021.10 Table : Comparison of sales with other companies (Source: http://bseindia.com/bseplus/StockReach/AdvanceStockReach.aspx?scripcode=500500) It can be seen from the figures that at present the company is far behind from market leaders like Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra and Mahindra. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: Critical analysis of this particular project requires thorough understanding of marketing mix strategy. To give personal views about anything first of all one should make himself familiar with the subject. Thats exactly what I did. Before starting the project I went through on line papers and explanation about the marketing mix strategy. I found that though everywhere the concept to be used was marketing mix but its implementation was different. Like All roads lead to Rome all of them were leading to the success of their company by successful implementation of marketing mix strategy. During the lectures I heard the tutors saying about getting into marketing mix by doing a practical experiment. It is obvious that they were not saying about establishing a new company of implementing a marketing mix strategy actually. Its about taking any company and than putting my own ideas about marketing mix strategy into motion. The same thing has been done by me during this assignment. I have sele cted a company the product of which is in decline since three or four years. I carried out analysis based on what was taught to me. Now I am going to give my personal opinion about marketing mix strategy and its implementation. In the beginning it is important about the value offered by the company to its customers. I have selected the oldest Indian automobile company named Hindustan motors. The product which I considered was ambassador car. The product has been successful until last two decades than it started declining due to the factors which I have discussed earlier. So what is value? In general the value can be defined as the ratio of function to the cost. Any company can increase the value of its product by increasing its function and decreasing its cost. Functions may vary accordingly such as it may be visual appearance, comfort, promising performance etc. It seems simple to increasing value by increasing function or by decreasing cost but actually it is the most important and complex feature for any manufacturing company to be succeeded. A customer always judge the product by the value offered from it. Sometimes it may be more functions sometimes it may be less costs. The company should be therefore aware of what customer wants from its product. If company knows the value expected from the customer it tries to make some changes into the product in terms of functions or cost. This is not an easy task because the company has to make some changes in its manufacturing process and sometimes within the organization. One wrong step can lead to complete contradict out come and leads company to the loss. According to Devst the value creation process is more effective in manufacturing company than other sectors (Deyst, 2000). Other sectors include service sectors such as an airline company, insurance company where the company provides service instead of the product. It appears that these service sectors change their goal and direction more rapidly than the manufacturing sectors. Therefore value creation process is not as important for them as it is for manufacturing companies. For manufacturing companies final value of the product depends on value of the product during its manufacturing process. In other words according to Lean development of product and final value of the product are strongly related with each other (Lean, 1998). Thus the value should be defined after each phase of the product development process. However creation of value at each stage requires severe value addition to move ahead of the competitor. There are few who think that value creation process cant lead company towards its goal. According to Lloyd value creation doesnt indicate the vision of the company. Value is nothing rather than a conceptual idea. I dont agree with that because I have found during the research for this particular company that defining value is the most important factor to attain marketing lead. Hindustan Motors failed to attain value in terms of appearance and fuel efficiency of ambassador when other companies were launching new products into the market. This leads to decreasing sales of ambassador. The company didnt make proper market research and they continued to do the same over the past years. The outlook of the ambassador is the same as it was 40 years ago. The ration of function to cost became unstable due to decreasing functions of the car. In terms of price also the car was costly as company was making limited production and failed to grasp new concept of high volume production for low price and high profit. From my research of old papers and publications I found one thing in common. Most of the authors consider marketing as an art of selling. However now day marketing is becoming more than an art. It has become a necessity. Without marketing selling the product is impossible. Now days lots of companies are spending more and more money on marketing their product. The marketing value of the product is sometimes higher than the manufacturing and raw material value. It is strange that Hindustan Motors took the marketing strategy very lightly. According to me the main reason is when they came into existence they didnt have any competitors all they need to do is manufacturing and selling of the car. As I have stated earlier before 80s Indian automobile market was sellers market which means manufacturing companies have the command on the market not the customers. Having customers command on the market is essential otherwise the development stops. The same thing happened, ambassador remains the same car as it was when it was first introduced. Hindustan Motors didnt promote the car because as a single Indian car it was already famous. Distribution was not that much difficult because car owners were few. The price of the ambassador was relatively high because those who needed the car didnt have another option. Also the government rules on importing the components were harsh and company was paying high prices for them. It seems obvious what the company did during those years. But when the scenario changed during 90s the market became open to all the government rules became soft and lots of other car manufacturers jumped into the Indian automobile market. This was the time when the ambassador should have changed its strategies. However they didnt make considerable changes on the other side new companies like Maruti Suzuki got the nerve of an Indian customer and introduced cheapest car in the market. Due to this drastic change once giant Hindustan Motors has become a company in loss with one of its most successful car an ambassador in decline. FANTASTIC FOUR The four Ps of marketing which should be studied and understood in a proper way to attain success. During the project I came to know that balancing these four is not an easy task as it seems. Any cannot pick the product randomly, it cannot sell it in the price it wants, it cannot distribute the product whenever and wherever it decides and it has to promote its products such a way that customer attracts to buy it. I have considered all four Ps including my understanding about them, Product Pricing Placing Promotion Product: An initial P for any company to think about. It seems strange to consider which product to be made for marketing. As per my previous understanding marketing comes into picture after selection of product. This was true in old times. But now a days company should be keen towards the product it is going to manufacture. The market condition , market surveys future of the product, availability of the raw materials, environment effect of the raw materials are some of the important factors to be considered before the start of manufacturing the product. I think right product at right time removes half of the troubles for marketing. Take an example of ambassador; it arrives in the market when there were no competitors. As a result it dominated the market for decades. Due to proper timing and place Hindustan motors saved their expenses for promotion. They didnt promote it ever i.e. since my childhood I have never seen an advertisement of ambassador or huge posters promoting the car. A mbassador got promoted by its customers which is ideal for any product. Sometimes good product becomes a loss for the company when it launched at improper timing. There are so many examples of excellent movies which didnt succeed on the box office due to adverse conditions. Pricing: Pricing of the product is non variable factor for the company. The company decides the price of any product after considering other Ps. The expenses during the product stage i.e. manufacturing and raw material expenses. Expenses due to distribution and promotion also considered. The company adds its expected profit as well. Pricing is the most deciding factor because as I think many manufactures are not aware of the ideal price and the customers always think that they have paid more. This dissatisfaction leads to decreasing sales and loss of the company. I think that before pricing the product the company should make a proper survey and it should make the customers fully aware of what they are buying and how much they will get after paying the price. I have seen three kinds of customers, Those who care about price only Those who care about quality only Those who care about balancing the price and quality These customers are generally from three different classes, those who are looking for price are generally relatively poor, those who are looking for quality are rich and those who select the product after looking at price and quality are middle class people. Depending upon the nature of the product the company can make changes in its product. In case of ambassador the companys initial target was rich people because the middle class of India was not in a condition to buy a car. The company provides good quality with comparatively higher cost but it got the customers from India who was looking for the quality. When the era changed and middle class customers increased who now were in a condition to afford a car changed the situation of the market completely. Failing to see this upcoming Hindustan motors fell behind the Maruti Suzuki because of higher price. Placing: Placing according to me is a strong decider for the products success. A product should be distributed such that it gets perfect conditions for it. Ideal customers, ideal geography can be considered as conditions which the company should be looking for. I think that company should be clear and perfect about the product distribution. It involves lot of investment to carry the product from the manufacturing plant to the market. It is economically critical to change the place by distributing the product from one place to another. Thats why I think that for placing also the company needs proper survey in order to distribute the product at right place on right time. Promotion: Advertisement is becoming utmost necessity for selling of the product. Modern market is complex with so many products and companies. It is required therefore for any company to promote the product in a way that customers know about the features of the product. Promotion should be maximum and precise, or I can say it should be concentrated heavily on its target. The company should be aware of the targeted customers and market and should therefore emphasize heavily on them. If it is improper than company will be investing heavily in useless activities. Without promoting or improper promoting the product leads to heavy losses as can be seen in case of ambassador. When it was launched it didnt have any need of being promoted. As a first Indian automobile it was already famous so the company didnt have any need to promote it and company did the same as well. But when as I have discussed later the market changed there was immediate need of promoting to show the new customers wha t the car is and why it was so successful. The company failed to do so and product sell decreased. CONCLUSION: After making a project report on the declining ambassador car I can say that with changing time the company should focus on the ongoing conditions as well as it should be prepared of future. Same strategy wont work for all time in all kind of situations. Customers, environment and competitors change accordingly and company should be looking for continuous improvement rather than remain satisfied from the present. Ambassador is an excellent example of how once market leader can go into loss due to improper marketing strategy by the company.

Thomas Aquinas Impact On Western Thought Through Time Philosophy Essay

Thomas Aquinas Impact On Western Thought Through Time Philosophy Essay St. Thomas Aquinas was an Italian philosopher and theologian living between 1225 -1274 of the medieval period. Aquinas began his education at Montecassino, a monastery which became his first battle site. Thomas was later transferred to the University of Naples in France; this is where he came into contact with a newly found mendicant order of Preachers or Dominicans, and Aristotles philosophy. Aquinas became a Dominican, against the will of his family and eventually went to Paris to study, before going to Cologne with Albert the Great, a philosopher whose interest in Aristotle reinforced Aquinass own predilections  [1]  . Aquinas was a classical proponent of the natural theology at the onset of European Scholasticism, and is regarded as the founder of the Thomism school of philosophy and theology. Aquinass philosophy significantly influenced subsequent Christian theology, particularly that of the Roman Catholic Church, as well as Western philosophy in general. Thomass most signif icant and enduring works include the Summa Theologica  [2]  , an article that systematically expounds his mysticism of the quinquae viae and the Summa Contra Gentiles. Aquinas was well known for his contribution to Christian theology, but he was also a classical Aristotelian as well as an Empiricist, and he significantly influenced these two ideas of Western thought. Aquinas believed that truth is well revealed through both natural revelation and supernatural revelation-through faith as in the scripture, for these two elements, Aquinas was careful enough to separate them in a complementary rather than contradictory manner. He argued that, although Gods existence and His attributes may be easily deduced, specific aspects such as the Trinity and Incarnation may only be revealed through special revelation. As mentioned above, His two outstanding works are the Summa Contra Gentiles translated and published in English as the On the Truth of the Catholic Faith, and the Summa Theologica known as the Compendium of Theology. The former piece was broadly intended for non-Christians; while the latter significantly addresses Christians and is more of a philoso phical work on Christian theology. Aquinas utilized scriptures and traditions of the Catholic Church as the raw material data of his theology. He believed that these materials were produced by Gods revelation to humans throughout history. In addition, faith and reason are the two fundamental tools, which are necessary for processing and interpreting this raw data of theology with an aim of obtaining the true knowledge of God. Aquinas blends Aristotelian philosophy with Christian theology to argue that God reveals himself to humans through nature. This implies that Gods nature can be studied through rational thinking as well as though the study of nature  [3]  . Aquinas proposed five statements regarding Gods divine qualities from his classical consideration of what God is not. This include: God is simple, He is devoid of matter or form or even body and soul; God is perfect, deficient of nothing; God is infinite, He is unlimited as He created all things, but humans are limited being, physically, rationally, and emotionally; God is immutable, inept of change with regard to His in nature and character; and God is one, His essence is the same as His existence. Aquinas also pioneered the Principle of Double Effect when it comes to ethical decisions. According to this principle, when an otherwise justifiable act such as self-defense is likely to cause an effect, then one may basically be obliged to avoid it for example if it results to the death of another  [4]  . Modern philosophy is a reaction in favor or against Aquinass views As outlined above, Thomas Aquinas has shaped modern worlds philosophy especially when it comes to theology and ethical philosophy. At large, modern worlds philosophy began in the sixteenth century; but nobodys system of philosophy has entirely corresponded to everybodys perception of certainty; bit to what, if set aside for mens perception, common men may not agree on what is common sense. Against all this, St. Thomass philosophy distinctively stands based on the universal common conviction that supports brotherhood of men, in their common consciousness that, all things attested by the ability of the senses originate from God  [5]  . Rene Descartess argument Rene Descartes is regarded as the Father of Modern Philosophy. Descartess system of thought depicts a major break away from all previous philosophical systems, mainly, away from Aristotle and Aquinas philosophy. For example, unlike Aquinas, a proponent for the tabula rasa model of the human mind (At birth, the human mind resembles a blank recording device and as one grows it records data from sensory experience), Descartes posited that human beings are born with innate thoughts and ideas, these ideas exist in their minds even at birth  [6]  . Further, Thomas Aquinas argued that if humans had innate ideas of Gods existence, then proof of His existence would be inappropriate and faith would be irrelevant as human beings would have direct knowledge and experience of Gods essence and nature. Thus, Descartes was trying to offer the world a philosophy which he thought was compatible with both the new world of science and the convention of Christian faith. However, his philosophy was hi deous to the Church. As a result, in the same way the Roman Catholic Church had condemned Galileo in 1633, thirty years later, it added Descartes work on its Index of proscribed reading material. John Lockes argument John Locke, an advanced philosopher of the seventeenth-century, effectively presents his argument against Descartes innate ideas, in a manner that is similar to that of Aquinas. Locke criticize Descartes claim that God must exist based on Descartes idea of God in his mind even though he (Descartes) has disconnected his mind from his senses. Locke argued that, holding such a claim is the same as believing that millions of gods must exist just because millions of different minds have ideas of millions of different gods. However, Locke used Descartes argument that in order to have a clear and distinctive idea of something one must have a clear understanding of that which they are having an idea about. Locke uses scripture to argue that in the Bible, no other belief clearly distinguishes a believer from an unbeliever except the belief that, Jesus is the Messiah, and He (Jesus), is able to save everyone who formed this belief with no requirement of other beliefs whatsoever  [7]  . Immanuel Kant argument From research, it is clear that St. Thomas Aquinas and Immanuel Kant were born almost half a millennium apart and, on the exterior, the styles of argumentation of the two philosopher and their broad approaches to philosophy emerge as being equally distinct from each other; nevertheless, both philosophers aimed to congeal the essential knowledge of God. Kants metaphysics legitimately attempted to develop a kind of critical science that would guarantee the truth of knowledge. Similarly, Aquinas succeeded in arguing that some of the worlds most closely held beliefs can be justified in the course of rational thinking; exclusively, he tried to generate a wide-ranging argument in favor of the Gods existence, which supports the most central doctrines of the Catholic Church. Comparing Thomas Aquinas to Kent, one can argue that Thomas was more ensconced in the conventional hierarchy of the Catholic Church and interpretations of Gods existence than Immanuel Kant. Thomas main focus was placed u pon the issues and concerns regarding the relationship between God and man, in as well as the relationship between God and the natural world. Basically, he aimed at investigating the various aspects of the world that casts doubt to the existence of God, and as a result, why Gods existence is questioned so often. Ultimately, Aquinas writings would then be adopted as the accepted books of theology for the Catholic Church, and consequently, would strongly possess a kind of stigma for either those who were not Christians or not Catholics, especially after the protestant reorganization. Indisputably, in as much as, Aquinas arguments were definitely rational. This implies that, he purposed to draw an abstract of claims regarding the nature of God and mankind by examining physical anomalies. This distinguished him strongly from most of the modern philosophers, particularly with regard to the fact that he supposed that true faith required rational investigation; however, it made him similar to Immanuel Kant, who also believed that faith in God and salvation require critical analysis. Aquinass impact on the Catholic Churchs philosophy Aquinas believed that Gods existence is neither patently obvious nor is it beyond proof. In the Summa Theologica, Aquinas outlines five rational proofs (quinquae viae) for the existence of God, these include: God is an unmoved mover (ex motu), as everything that is moved is moved by God, the source of all motion. God is the cause of all things; this is argued though the argument of the first cause (ex causa), where everything that is caused is caused by God. Through the argument from contingency, Aquinas argues that Gods existence is not contingent of any other being. But the universe contains contingent beings as something cannot come of nothing. God is the pinnacle of perfection; it is from this lesser degrees of perfection derive their meaning. This is outlined in the argument from degree. The final argument is the teleological argument, also known as the argument from design (ex fine). According to this argument, all natural bodies in the world are in themselves unintelligent, and are guided by God to act towards ends rationally. Aquinas understood that Jesus Christ was ultimately divine and He (Jesus Christ) is not simply a human being or merely God in humanly inhabiting the body of Christ. Nonetheless, Aquinas posited that Christ also had a justly cogent human soul, resulting in a duality of natures that endured even after Incarnation. In essence, these two natures existed concurrently yet distinctively in a single existent human body. Aquinas is also credited for defining the four cardinal virtues: prudence, temperance, justice and fortitude. For these values, Aquinas held that they are revealed by nature and are and necessary for everyone. Further, he highlighted three theological virtues; faith, hope and charity, which are the chiefest, supernatural and distinctive from other virtues as their object is God. Furthermore, Aquinas distinguished four kinds of law: natural law-discovered by reason, eternal law- Gods decree that governs all creation), human law-natural law as applied by governments and institutions and divine law-this is specifically revealed in the scriptures  [8]  . According to St. Thomas Aquinas, the ultimate goal of human existence is to find eternal union and fellowship with God. He believes in life after death for those who have experienced Christs salvation and redemption while living on earth. The Incarnation is an adorable vision which will be granted to Christians as a perfect and everlasting happiness through understanding of the very quintessence of God. Thus, during an individuals existence on the earth, their life must be inclined toward right things such as peace, holiness and charity.