Company overview and market analysis for pepsico

Company overview and market analysis for pepsico PepsiCo Inc. is the worlds second largest soft drink brand and the worlds largest potato chips manufacturer. In this report, we will be analysing PepsiCo Inc.s marketing strategies with regards to its North American market. Where absolutely required, PepsiCos international efforts are mentioned as well as some past advertising feats. I will, however, try to cover as much of PepsiCos recent strategies as possible. Relevant references are cited at the end of the report, following with a number of images in the Appendix. Company Profile: In New Bern, North Carolina, USA, Caleb Bradham created a fountain drink, which contained digestive enzymes pepsin and kola nuts. This was then known as Brads drink. Subsequently, it was renamed and marketed as Pepsi-Cola (Soda Museum 2010). The Pepsi-Cola Company, in 1965, merged with Frito-Lay Inc., to become PepsiCo Inc. Pepsi is PepsiCo Inc.s flagship product and signature drink (PepsiCo Inc. 2010). Advertising efforts in the early years of Pepsi-Cola mainly presented itself as a bargain brand compared to rival Coca-Cola. However, since the later part of the 20th Century, PepsiCos marketing strategy is focused towards the young people with taglines such Choice of a New Generation being the spotlight. Macro Environment: Political: PepsiCo Inc. is a multinational company. As such, it is exposed to different political environments. In 2006, The Centre of Science and Environment (CSE) based in India found that soda drinks including Pepsi-Cola had high pesticide content. Following this, the state of Kerala banned the sale and production of Pepsi-Cola, along with other soft-drinks. However, this decision was later reversed by the Kerala High Court. Five other Indian states have partial ban on soft-drinks (BBC 2006 The Hindu 2006). As part of a major public health initiative in the US, sugar-sweetened drinks and syrups would be levied a new tax called the soda tax (Reuters 2010). Economic: The financial crisis of 2008-2009 has had its effects on the soft drinks sector. During this period, the soft drinks industry lost over $55 billion (Beverage Digest 2009). Also, the packaged food industry reduced spending on non-essential food items such as snacks. Being a multinational corporation, PepsiCo has to take into account the fluctuations in foreign currency rates. The financial crisis caused the Mexican peso, British pound, the Euro and the Russian ruble to depreciate. As such, PepsiCos net revenue growth was reduced by 5% (Annual Report 2010) In the US, interest rates have been abysmally low between zero and 0.25% since December 2008 thereby allowing companies such as PepsiCo to make use of low borrowing rates to invest in operations and new product development (Murchie 2010). Likewise, in the UK, The Bank of England has maintained an all-time low interest rate of 0.5% (BBC 2010). Social: There is a new demand for healthy foods and beverages. As a result, PepsiCo is increasingly investing in developing healthier options to its beverages as well as promoting Heath Foods (Annual Report 2010). In the recent years, PepsiCo has launched Diet Pepsi, Diet Pepsi Max, Caffeine Free Pepsi, Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Natural and Pepsi One as variants of Pepsi-Cola. PepsiCo has also added a new line of products such as Aquafina Alive, Propel Health Water, Sobe Life Water, Dole Single Serve Juices and many more to meet this growing demand (PepsiCo 2010). PepsiCo has developed a Blue Ribbon Advisory Board, made up of leading health and wellness experts and third-party advisors from across the globe in order to help the corporation face these newly strengthened consumer demands. Furthermore, PepsiCo has recently worked alongside the Clinton Foundation, American Heart Association, and the North American beverage industry in order to set policies regarding placement of the correct products in the correct areas. Technological: PepsiCo Inc. relies heavily on technology to carry on its different operations and perform efficiently. Their technologically advanced distribution system, Direct Store Delivery (DSD), allows them to supply distributors and retailers with fresh stock efficiently (PepsiCo 2010). PepsiCo also has an extremely sound information technology infrastructure. To build and maintain an efficient IT infrastructure is a key asset to the corporations operations and helps improve the communication flow within their massive corporate framework. It also helps them improve the effectiveness of their operations and maintain financial accuracy. Micro Environment: Competitive Analysis: The carbonated beverages industry is highly competitive. The companies have to compete against global, regional and local manufactures on various factors including price, quantity, variety and distribution. The prime competitor of PepsiCo Americas Beverages is The Coca-Cola Company. In terms of carbonated soft drinks (CSD) consumption, Coca-Cola has a larger market share in the US as well as in many markets outside North America. Also, in Interbrands Best Global Brands list, Coca-Cola is ranked number 1, while Pepsi is listed much lower at number 23 (Interbrand 2009). However, PepsiCos snack brands hold significant leadership in the snack industry worldwide, with Pepsi commanding 28% of global sales. PepsiCo Inc. also faces stiff competition from other beverage companies like Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Nestle Corporation and Danone as well as other food companies such as Kraft Foods and Unilever. Segmentation, Target and Positioning: Market Segmentation: Geo-demographic: A multinational corporation has to take additional factors such as geo-demography into consideration. Trends affecting the US might not have an effect on countries such as Japan or Russia. Also, particular ads and marketing strategies are interpreted differently in different countries due to the difference in language and culture. For this reason, PepsiCo Inc. has adapted to the culture, tastes and language of the countries in which they do business. For example, in July 2009, Pepsi started marketing itself as Pecsi in Argentina after reports that its name was incorrectly pronounced by around 25% of the population (AdAge.com 2009). Psycho-graphic segmentation: PepsiCo has different products to suit different needs. It has segmented its beverage department to cope for different psycho-graphic variables such as activities, interests and opinions. For the health-conscious, Pepsi has products such as Diet Pepsi and Diet Caffeine Free Pepsi, while for those engaged in sports, Pepsi has its highly successful Gatorade range of isotonic drinks (PepsiCo 2010). For naturalists, Pepsi has products such as Pepsi Natural and Aquafina Alive. Products such as Pepsi and Pepsi Max are available for the mass market. Target Markets: The primary target group of PepsiCo for its Pepsi line of products are people in the age group of 13-34. It also targets people that are athletes and overweight (PepsiCo 2010). Pepsi has a distinctive style of portraying times in their ad campaigns. Their Generation Next campaign suggested that Pepsi is not just a drink for the next generation but that its drinkers are a generation ahead of their counterparts (PepsiCo 2009). Pepsi has products that target the different cultural and regional aspects of a particular country. It has products such as Nimbooz by 7UP in India where it targets the huge demand for country-style lemon drinks (PepsiCo India 2009). While in Mexico, it has Manzanita Sol, an apple-flavoured beverage. Apple is Mexicos second most popular soft drink flavour and Manzanita Sol means little apple sun in Spanish (Bevnet.com 2005). Positioning: Pepsi has positioned its products strategically against those of The Coca-Cola Company. Although Pepsi is second to Coca-Cola as a recognisable soft drink brand, it leads the markets of non-carbonated beverages and potato chips (Frito Lay). Since the acquisition of Tropicana and Gatorade and manufacturing its own brand of bottled water, Pepsi has earned the number one spot as non-alcoholic beverage company in North America. Pepsi is now heavily inclined to developing healthy food alternatives. This has positioned them strategically in a niche market that is growing fast. Marketing Mix: Product: PepsiCo Inc. has four main divisions that manufacture, market and sell a variety of products including snacks and beverages. These divisions are: (PepsiCo 2010) PepsiCo Americas Beverages (PAB) Frito-Lay North America (FLNA) Quaker Foods North America (QFNA) PepsiCo International (PI) PAB sells concentrates and syrups to Pepsi bottlers as well as directly sells finished goods to distributors and retailers. PAB brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Tropicana Fruit Juices, Gatorade isotonic sports beverage, Lipton tea, Sierra Mist, Dole and SoBe (PepsiCo 2010). PAB also has a joint venture with Unilever and Starbucks through which it sells ready to drink tea, coffee and water products. Additional, PAB also licenses and markets the Aquafina brand of bottled water (PepsiCo 2010). FLNA manufactures snack foods which include brands such as Lays potato chips, Doritos tortilla chips, Tostitos tortilla chips, Cheetos cheese flavoured snacks, Fritos corn chips, Ruffles potato chips, SunChips and Smart Food (PepsiCo 2010). QFNA manufactures cereals, rice pasta and other branded products such as Life cereal, Pasta Roni, Aunt Jemima mixes and syrups and Quaker Oats (PepsiCo 2010). PepsiCo International manages the international operations of PAB, FLNA and QFNA. PepsiCo International licenses and markets PepsiCos brands in international markets. It also markets some region-specific brands including, but not limited to, Walkers potato chips, Mirinda, 7UP, Gamesa, Sabritas and Copella apple juices (PepsiCo 2010). PepsiCo Inc.s reputation and popularity gives the company the confidence to introduce new products. Their success depends on product innovation and the effectiveness of their advertising and marketing strategies. Place: Pepsi-Cola is available at almost everywhere. Pepsi has exclusive resale rights with fast food chains such as Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell. It also exclusively sells its products at many supermarkets and malls. Pepsis products are also available at the leading departmental stores, gas stations and retailers. Pepsis vending machines are available at many office complexes and universities. Pepsi is also available at the White House (please check IC account for reference TIME Magazine). Due to its Direct Store Delivery system, Pepsi can get its products in these places and can maintain supply to a sustainable level. FLNA and QFNA products are available in all the leading supermarkets and retailers. Promotion: Pepsi-Cola has a strong promotion strategy. They use different marketing communication strategies which include print ads, television ads and billboards, point-of-sale as well as the Internet. PepsiCos marketing strategies include both push and pull promotions. However, their pull promotion strategies are more widely spread. Push Strategies: PepsiCo has several exclusive tie-ups with many fast food chains, supermarkets and malls. PepsiCo also has Point-of-Sale (POS) agreements with leading departmental stores and retailers. PepsiCo also provides incentives to distributors and retailers if they meet or exceed the sales target. Pull Strategies: Throughout its history, The Pepsi-Cola Company has been known to create one of the finest ads. Since it became PepsiCo Inc., Pepsi has focused most of its marketing communication towards the young generation (PepsiCo). Pepsi is well-known for its Generation Next ad campaign as well as some catchy taglines such as the classic Pepsi. Choice of a New Generation sung by Michael Jackson to the recent Refresh Everything and Every Pepsi Refreshes the World. Pepsi is also known to constantly rebrand itself to boost its reputation and trust as a company that keeps up with changing time. In 2009, Pepsi launched a new logo and rebranded most of its products in North America (Reuters 2008). One of the main advertising platforms over the years for Pepsi has been the Super Bowl, the National Football League championship game. Pepsi beverages have been advertising in the Super Bowl since 1987. However, in 2010, Pepsi opted out of advertising on this platform focusing its marketing efforts on the internet instead, ending a 23-year run. Frito Lay, however, continued to advertise in the Super Bowl (NBC News Associated Press 2009). In 2010, Pepsi announced that it would again start advertising in the Super Bowl (Reuters 2010). On an average, advertising on the Super Bowl cost Pepsi $3 million for 30 seconds of airtime in 2009. (NBC News Associated Press 2009). Pepsi is known to get its products endorsed by celebrities, some of which have been hugely popular with the people. Pepsis endorsement deal with Michael Jackson was perhaps one of the most expensive and popular deals of its time (Reuters 2009). However, since its overhaul in 2009, Pepsi has been including local people or amateurs in its ads to create a sense of connection with its consumers. For example, for the 2011 Super Bowl, PepsiCo has launched a competition wherein it is giving people a chance to make six 30-second ads for its Doritos chips and Pepsi Max with the winner receiving up to $5million for the best ads (Reuters 2010). Pepsi also has a huge presence on the Internet. In 2008, Google/YouTube teamed up with Embassy Row, a production company run by the creator of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Michael Davies and Pepsi, to launch a new online video series called the PopTub. This daily show deals with pop culture, internet viral videos and celebrity gossip. PopTub is updated daily by Pepsi (Reuters 2008). PopTub and YouTube provide Pepsi a big online advertising platform. Pepsi even has its own YouTube Channel (YouTube 2010). Social networking is becoming an important aspect of peoples lives. As such, Pepsi has not left this area uncovered. PepsiCo and its subdivisions are present on Facebook and Twitter social networking sites. PepsiCo frequently updates its account on these websites, using them for marketing purposes, announcing new products and offers as well as general gossip (Facebook 2010 Twitter 2010 PepsiCo 2010). Pepsi Refresh Project is a new campaign launched by PepsiCo Inc. in 2009 and will run over the course of 2010 to freshen up the image of its flagship drink, Pepsi. The project invites people to submit their ideas on how to refresh their communities. PepsiCo has promised to give at least $20 million to fund these projects. This new campaign will be used by Pepsi to market its flagship as well as Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Max. This campaign will have a huge social media presence as people would be required to go online to submit their ideas as well as vote on winners (NBC News Associated Press 2009). Recommendation: PepsiCo Inc., as a multinational organisation, strives to be the worlds premier consumer food products company. In order to remain competitive, PepsiCo and its subdivisions need to be aware of the changing trends of the marketplace. PepsiCo needs to keep innovating and investing in healthier food options. The Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSD) market is continually declining. In 2008, the US CSD market share declined by 3% (Beverage Digest 2009). Keeping such trends in mind, Pepsi should launched healthier variants of their carbonated beverages and gradually move towards the increasingly more popular non-carbonated beverage sector, such as fruit juices and bottled water. PepsiCo needs to revise its marketing strategy to include the not-so-young group of people in its communication as these people are often left out from its marketing material. Also, by constantly monitoring current and potential customers, as well as reviewing the success of their marketing strategies, PepsiCo would be in a better position to identify changing market trends and develop better products for their target markets. The company, in 2007, had announced a major purchase of renewable energy sources which would help it in reducing its electricity costs as well as help improve its environmental footprint (NBC News Associated Press 2010). PepsiCo needs to keep investing in green resources as this would bring financial benefits in the long term as well as increase its reputation as a Green Company.

Freud V Erickson Essay -- Psychology Psychologists Compare Contrast

Sigmund Freud is probably the most familiar name that comes to mind when one thinks of famous psychologists. Freud was born in Freiberg, Moravia in 1856, but when he was four years old his family moved to Vienna, where Freud was to live and work until the last year of his life. The scope of Freud's interests, and of his professional training, was very broad - he always considered himself first and foremost a scientist, endeavoring to extend the compass of human knowledge, and to this end, rather than to the practice of medicine, he enrolled at the medical school at the University of Vienna in 1873. He concentrated initially on biology, doing research in physiology for six years under the great German scientist Ernst Brà ¼cke, who was director of the Physiology Laboratory at the University, thereafter specializing in neurology. Eventually, Freud set up a private practice in the treatment of psychological disorders, which gave him much of the clinical material on which he based his th eories and his pioneering techniques.(Amacher) Freud's theories of development relied heavily on the belief that infantile sexuality must be seen as an integral part of a broader developmental theory of human personality. This had its origins in, and was a generalization of, Breuer's earlier discovery that traumatic childhood events could have devastating negative effects upon the adult individual, and took the form of the general thesis that early childhood sexual experiences were the crucial factors in the determination of the adult personality.(Freud2) From his account of the instincts or drives it followed that from the moment of birth the infant is driven in his actions by the desire for bodily/sexual pleasure, where this is seen by Freud in almost mechanical terms as the desire to release mental energy. This lasts until puberty, when mature genital development begins, and the pleasure drive refocuses around the genital area.(Amacher) It was also a friend and fellow psychoanalyst of Freud’s, Erik Erickson, who created one of the major theories that open a window to the development of everything that makes us who we are on the inside. It is referred to as Erickson’s Theory of Human Development and it simplifies the complex topic of human personality.(Miller) First, let’s talk about the man himself. Erik Homberger was born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1902. The conditions ... ...believed that personality continued to develop across the lifespan and describes stages of adult development not considered by Freud. Both theorists emphasized the unconscious, but Erickson went beyond this to discuss the importance of the collective unconscious; an idea Freud particularly rejected. Both theorists had little physical evidence to support their hypothesis, however because of the early stages of development that the field of psychology was in, they were accepted based primarily on merit, and have been later evaluated by evidence, and some parts accepted and others disregarded. Bibliography Amacher, Peter. 'Freud's Neurological Education and Its Influence on Psychoanalytic Theory.'Psychological Issues IV, no. 4, monograph 16. New York: International Universities Press, 1965. Battino, R., & South, T. 1997. Ericksonian Approaches: A Comprehensive Manual. Neuyptology Press Freud, Sigmund, Brill, A. A., ed. (1938). The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud, New York: The Modern Library Freud, Sigmund. (1935). An Autobiographical Study., London: Hogarth Press. Miller, P. (1983). Theories of Developmental Psychology. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman and Company.

The Analysis of the Uk Supermarket and Tesco

The analysis of the UK supermarket and Tesco Introduction: The role of supermarket is becoming far more significantly in daily life. Consumers could see different kind of brands and variable goods. The role of the supermarket is tried to satisfy the consumers’ demands. Since the supermarket came out, the advantages such as low price and cost, much convenience made the supermarket develop quickly. As a consequence of the rapid development, the supermarket plays an important role in the retail industry. It not only saves large amounts of labor capital and operating cost, but improves the shopping environment.In this essay I will make a specific analysis of the UK supermarket system through economic theories. Firstly, I will analyse the situation of the UK supermarket via Five Forces Model (Michael Porter 1979). And then, I will select the largest supermarket in UK, Tesco, to analyse the strategy of this firm by using the value chain (Michael Porter 1985). Tesco is the largest Br itish retailer both by global and domestic market share. And it is the third largest retailer in the world followed the Wal-Mart and Carrefour.Tesco opens around 2,440 stores and employing more than 400,000 people. Tesco has entered into areas such as clothes, electronics, financial services, internet services and gas stations. Currently, the market share of the retailer in UK is more than 30 percent. As of March 2008, Tesco could be found in every postcode of the UK. Five forces analysis The aim of the five forces model illustrated by Michael Porter (1979) is to analyze an industry to determine that which forces can influence the industry strongly so that the firm could make the best position in this industry.And the five forces include: the threat of new entrants; the power of buyers; the power of suppliers; the threat of substitute products and the competitive rivalry among the existing companies. Threat of new entrants Firstly, the threat of new entrants is rather low. It is pre tty difficult for new entrants to enter the UK supermarket because of many barriers such as economies of scale, capital requirements of entry, cost advantages, differentiation, etc. There are many supermarkets in UK and the four largest Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrison account for 75. percent of the UK supermarket in the 12 weeks ending 1 November 2009 (Wikipedia). For new entrants, it is difficult to occupy the market share of the UK supermarket in current structure. The first barrier is that small scale of supermarket could not create high margin. It is necessary for the entrants to consider the capital requirement according to the large scale of the operation. Many supermarket firms like Tesco and Asda have the cost advantages in supplication factor and other economic factors.It makes a large barrier for new firms to enter the market because of the disadvantages in cost requirement. Comparing the existing firms, the new enters need more cost and capital to establish the new brand and the access to marketing channels in order to attract the consumers. The existing supermarkets have built the famous brands, stable consumer groups and distribution channels. The strength of the brand name and channels could be a very powerful mean to build a barrier to entry. In order to keep the market stable, government also has the ability to establish a barrier.For instance, if the government can make a determination that how many supermarkets could be established in one region, as a result, the entrants will not be limited to build new facilities. And the new entrants may require many licenses from the government of other legal branches in order to operate. That is also a type of barrier for entry. The existing companies will make a specific analysis aim at the threat of the new entrants and then publish relevant measures to prevent the entrants to enter the supermarket system. There are so many barriers for new entrants to enter the supermarket system that the threat of them is rather low.Power of the buyer Secondly, the power of the buyer is not strong as well. People need their daily life products, so they must do shopping. For the large supermarkets, there are many factures influence the buyers’ selection such as the comfortable shopping environment, convenient transportation, free parking, etc. However, because of the homogeneity of these factors, what the consumers concern more is the price of the products. Different company makes different price strategy based on the respective position. Clubcard of Tesco is the company’s customer loyalty programme – the way of saying ‘thank you' to consumers.It is pretty popular that the number of active member increased over 15 million from 13 million at the start of 2008/9. Clubcard is a main reason for consumers who prefer the Tesco rather than other competitors. Power of the supplier Thirdly, the power of the supplier is also low. The majority of the products in different s upermarket are homogeneity. Many large firms like Tesco and Asda have the unified operating style and advanced purchase measures. So, there are many suppliers for the supermarkets to choose and purchase products.And because of the small retailers’ purchasing power is much lower than the supermarkets. At last, most of the products will be sent to the large supermarkets. Threat of the substitute Fourthly, the threat of the substitute is not high. As the substitute of the supermarkets, the small single retailers are pretty convenient for consumers. People could buy fresh seafood, vegetable and fruit from the respective markets instead of the supermarkets. And there are many advantages about the retailers, for instance, many small retailers are built near the residential areas, the range of products is pretty full.However, since the operating cost is high, if the retailers want to obtain margin, they have to make the price higher than the supermarket. But as the industry leader, there is no doubt that the Tesco Group would not give up the share of small retailer market. So the Tesco Express and One Stop came out. The Tesco Express stores are neighborhood convenience stores whose average size are about 200  m2, stocking mainly food with an emphasis on higher-margin products and everyday essentials. They are established in busy city centre districts, small shopping precincts in residential areas, small towns and illages. And the size of One Stop is much smaller than the Express. At the end of its 2010-2011 financial years, the number of the Tesco Express and One Stop were 1285 and 599(Wikipedia). Because of the famous brand of the Tesco, most people prefer to buy the daily products in the Express or One Stop. According to Datamonitor (2010), there are 960 Express stores which sell approximately 7,000 products and 170 Metro stores which sell a range of food products in villages and city centres.As a consequence of the brand and more types of products of the supermarket, the threat of the substitute is rather low for the supermarket. Competitive rivalry among the existing firms The last one is the competitive rivalry among the existing firms. And the threat of competitive rivalry is considered very high in the UK supermarket industry. The four largest supermarkets Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury's and Morrisons account for 30. 5%, 16. 9%, 16. 3% and 12. 3% of the UK supermarket in the 12 weeks to 27 December 2009. (Wikipedia) And the market share of ASDA increases from to 16. % during the year 2010/ 09, meanwhile, Sainsbury’s share rises to 16. 3% and Morrison’s reaches 12. 3% from 11. 3%(Euromonitor, 2010). The competition of these firms is pretty strong in this industry in order to win the market share and the competition could make the market develop much faster. It is very significant for these firms to create many innovative measures to obtain more market share. Most products are homogeneity for consumers so that the seller sh ould pay more attention to the piece and quality of the products.Hence, based on the quality guarantee of the goods, firms try to occupy more market through the lower price and better services. By the analysis above, the threat of the competitive rivalry among the different firms is highly strong but other threats are not strong enough. So, the supermarkets in UK should figure out more effective measures to attract consumers in order to occupy the market. Value chain analysis The value chain was developed by Porter (1985) in order to analyze a firm to state the sources of competitive advantage. There are two activities including primary activities and support activities. The primary activities are those that concerned about physically creating the product or service and transferring it to the buyer, together with any necessary after sales service. The support activities are those activities that are necessary to ensure that the primary activities can be completed. The support activi ties can affect any one or more of the primary activities. † The primary includes inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales and service and the support activities includes firm infrastructure, human resource management, technology development and procurement.The first primary activity is the inbound logistics. It is considered that the inbound logistics includes receiving goods from suppliers, storing goods, transporting goods and taking goods to the shelves. Tesco uses the leading position as the key power to reduce the costs from the suppliers and keep the stable of consumers’ selection. Meanwhile, it also improves the efficiency and the distribution system. As well, the company provides more effective way to control and reduce the costs of damaged goods. As a result, it could avoid the extra costs be transferred to the consumers.It needs to think about its operation active. The firm could do many operations such as providing products and service and keeping the shelves full as the daily task. In order to gain more competitive advantages, it is necessary for the company to take a consideration about reducing the operating costs. Tesco makes full use of the intelligence technology (IT) system in order to make the company control the operative cost effectively. This firm has spent more than 76 million pounds on narrowing the operation time by the digital program by the 2010. And during the 2009, the profit of the Tesco was reached 550 million pounds.The measure of Tesco provides much convenience for staff to operate the service. Accompanied by the operation, they will have outbound logistics problems. It is concentrating on delivering the goods to the customer. Currently, Tesco adds the home delivery service. However, there are many methods need to be improved such as parking facilities, handcarts, staff and systems to get competitive advantage. If it could be implemented more effectively than other firms, it would mak e their consumers save more time. And the staff could make the facilities available and convenient for consumers to get quickly.Tesco has the leadership and effective outland logistics. The company has invented many measures to satisfy consumers’ demands like the small Express and one-step stores and fast door-to-door delivery service. It is very important to considering the marketing and sales. The next one is the marketing and sales. As the leading company, Tesco has its strategy to attach to consumers. The Tesco Clubcard is invented to attract more people to go shopping to Tesco instead of other competitors. Consumers who keep the cards can get much discounts and integration. Actually, advertisement is necessary as well.Tesco could attract more consumers by the advertisement via the television, radio and local newspaper. And they could get much information about the products and discounts. After selling, service becomes the most significant active. As the principle of fast and easy, when the consumers enter into the supermarket, the warm shopping environment may make them relaxed. Various sectors are responsible for their respective responsibilities; staffs provide the best personal service to consumers so that consumers can go shopping easily and comfortably. All of these reflect the intimate service for consumers. Here are the support activities.The procurement is the procedure of obtaining the various contributions to the primary activities. The key point of the firm infrastructure is planning, finance and controlling the system to improve the firm’s strategic ability. The company should focus on improving the establishment of the infrastructure so that consumers could go shopping more convenient. The human resource management includes recruitment management and staff development. The aim of the Tesco is to add differert types of schemes and develop the recruitment plan, then train more excellent staff to provide the best service for consum ers.The development of technology is a significant competitive advantage for a company. The advanced technological level could add higher brand value. Tesco is the first supermarket that invented the self-checkout in UK. And it provides great convenience to consumers. Conclusion: In this essay, I analyse the UK supermarket industry by using Five Forces (Michael Porter 1979) firstly. Through the analysis, it is clearly that the threat of new entrants, the power of buyers, the power of suppliers, the threat of substitute products are pretty low for UK supermarket industry.The firms in UK do not pay much attention to those threats above. The power of competitive rivalry among the existing companies is very strong. The competition among the existing supermarkets is rather drastic. All companies need to figure out effective strategies in order to prevent their consumers changing their brand selections. And secondly, I analyse the value chain (Michael Porter 1985) of Tesco. As the largest retailer in UK, Tesco has an excellent industrial chain for supply and demand. The primary activities could ensure the firm can gain more margins by perfect supply chain management, operation, sales and service. Read also: Reed Supermarkets: a New Wave of CompetitorsThe support activities like great human resource management, advanced IT system provide support to ensure the primary activities could be operated. With the excellent primary activities and support activities, Tesco obtains more than 30 percent market share in UK. Reference Porter, M E (1980) Competitive Strategy: techniques for analyzing industries and competitors (Free Press) Johnson, G and Scholes, K (2007) Exploring Corporate Strategy (Prentice Hall) Besanko, D Dranove, D Shanley, M and Scharfer, S (2007), Eonomics of Strategy (Wiley) Porter M E (1985) Competitive Advantage (Free Press) Tesco available at ttp://www. slideshare. net/j4g2r/tesco-presentation Growing the UK core available at http://ar2011. tescoplc. com/business-review/growing-the-uk-core. html â€Å"Tesco share turnaround (plus an update on grocery price inflation† available at TNS Global http://www. tnsglobal. com/news/news56F59E8A99C8428989E9BE66187D57 92. aspx Euromonitor (2010), ‘Industry Profile – Food retailing’, Euromonitor International, 2010 Tesco available at http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Tesco Tesco (2010), ‘Annual Report and Review 2010’, Tesco. Available at http://ar2010. tescoplc. com/en/downloads. aspx

Deathography Reflective Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2735 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Medicine Essay Type Essay any type Level High school Did you like this example? Deathography Reflective Essay In life nothing is more inevitable than death, it simply cannot be avoided. Despite advances in medical sciences and increased longevity in the Western world, human life remains fragile as death can occur at any age in a myriad of circumstances. Grief follows the death of a loved one, is often cited as being a ‘universal’ response to loss (Davidson, 1988) and can be defined as ‘intense sorrow’ (Oxford English Dictionary, 2013). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Deathography Reflective Essay" essay for you Create order Each bereaved person will experience and respond to grief in a unique way, underpinned by social, cultural and religious factors, further influenced by the individual’s personality and coping mechanisms. Grief reactions are widely acknowledged to vary in length and severity and to have physical, emotional, cognitive, behavioural and spiritual components (Rosenblatt, 1993: Archer, 1999: Parkes, 2001). On the 18th September 1989 I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl weighing 8lbs and 11 ounces. As a parent I had such high hopes and expectations for the future but on 23rd February 2002, aged 12 years, her life was drastically cut short following a tragic accident. She was excited as she set off for her first ever sleep over at her best friend’s house, I was anxious as this was the first time she had been away from home without me. On that cold, damp Saturday afternoon they had decided to go out for a bike ride (my daughter had borrowed an old bike belon ging to her friend’s brother).Whilst out riding the chain came off, as she fell to the ground the bike landed on top of her abdomen causing her liver to rupture. My daughter died within minutes from a massive internal haemorrhage, in severe pain and all alone at the road side as her friend had gone to get help. Oblivious to what had happened; I received a telephone call from her friend’s mother stating that Gemma had been in an accident and to meet her at the Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Assuming that she had experienced relatively minor injuries (I was told not to worry), I was ill prepared for the scene that unfolded before me as I entered the Multiple Injuries Unit in Accident and Emergency. Gemma lay motionless on a trolley, her body covered with a white sheet. The room was full of nurses and doctors who had attempted to resuscitate her, all of whom appeared shaken and emotional but no one was able to provide an explanation or answer my questions a s there were no signs of injury or trauma to her body. It was only after the post mortem that the cause of her death was identified. I left the hospital that evening with a carrier bag containing her personal possessions and a leaflet explaining ‘what to do when a child dies in hospital’, barely able to comprehend what had just happened or the magnitude of my loss. The loss of a child is the most devastating loss of all. It defies the natural order of events as parents do not expect to mourn their children, causing heartbreak and trauma like no other. Parental grief is different from other losses in both intensity and length. Sudden death robs the bereaved of preparatory grief, is more common in young people and often occurs in clinical environments. There is a well-established theory base relating to issues of loss. Early theories include Freud’s (1917) grief work perspective and Bowlby’s (1969) early attachment model. Freud’s work led t o grief being conceptualised as both a pathological condition requiring psychological intervention and a linear process. The individual must ‘work through’ it in order to detach the memories and thoughts associated with the deceased love one. Both Bowlby (1980) and Parkes and Brown (1972) suggest that grief follows a predictable pattern. A well-known five stage grief model developed by KÃ ¼bler-Ross (1969) depicts grief as passing through phases of shock and denial, anger, depression, bargaining and eventual resolution and acceptance. Terms such as ‘normal’ and ‘complicated’ grief (Engel, 1961) were developed as a way of distinguishing grief that had not resolved within a given time frame. Recent years have seen the development of a number of new theories and approaches to loss and grief. Stroebe and Schut (1999) explain grief reactions in terms of two concurrent processes or ‘orientations’ (also known as the dual process model). Loss orientation is described as a traditional grief reaction, characterised by despair, sadness and anger, whilst restoration orientation is characterised by attempting to rebuild one’s life and move on. Klass et al (1996) emphasises the importance not of letting go but of holding on even after the loss has occurred to maintain continuing bonds. Worden (1991) described four overlapping stages and tasks which the bereaved work through in order to relocate the deceased by redefining the relationship in the new context of the loss to invest in the future. People who are suddenly bereaved often require more support and counselling than those who have the time to prepare for the death of a loved one. Without such support, unresolved grief reactions may occur along with a life time risk for psychiatric diagnosis (Keyes et al, 2014).Unexpected death is associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), panic disorder and depression regardless of when the death occurred in the life of the bereaved person. The incidence of generalised anxiety disorder, social phobia, mania and alcohol abuse is greater if the death occurred after the age of 40 in the bereaved person’s life. Thus, whilst extreme sadness and despair are normal reactions to loss which usually dissipate over time, some grief reactions are so severe they give rise to psychiatric disorders requiring medical intervention (Worden, 2003). On that fateful day in 2002, my whole life’s purpose changed and everything that I had lived for now ceased to be. Neimeyer (2000) maintained that major losses challenge a person’s sense of identity. In the immediate days and months that followed I strongly identified with the initial stages outlined by KÃ ¼bler Ross of shock and denial. As a mental health professional I was familiar with the model and knew the predicted pattern that my grief would likely follow. I would ask myself over and over again, how could my o nly child be dead? How can someone die falling off a bicycle? Catapulted into the depths of despair, no longer a mother, all my hopes and plans for the future had become futile and irrelevant. A major task of grief requires refocusing one’s life story to rebuild and maintain a semblance of continuity between what has gone before and what lies ahead (Neimeyer, 2006). The foundations of my belief system had been called into question; why Lord did you have to take my daughter who had so much to live for when there is so much human suffering in the world. I was consumed with anger whilst having to support my husband, parents and other family members alongside coping with returning to work. My colleagues would avoid me in the corridor, not knowing how to approach me or what to say. Barely able to function, I felt lost, alone, hopeless and worthless. Overwhelmed by guilt, I felt that I should be blamed for failing to protect my daughter as I had not fulfilled my duty as a mother. The months turned to years, my frustration grew as I waited for the time that I would achieve resolution and acceptance. I lost motivation and became anxious, living in fear that I would lose another family member in such sudden and dreadful circumstances. I experienced flashbacks and actively avoided seeing friends and family as their children reached major milestones such as learning to drive or graduation. Loss orientation and concurring loss restoration would have been incomprehensible for me at this time. Instead, I chose to keep her memory alive by raising money for the Birmingham Children’s Hospital, publishing a diary of a bereaved mother, sponsoring an award in her name at the school she had previously attended, making frequent visits to her grave and commissioning a large portrait of her to hang in the lounge (continuing bonds). Five years on, I was still unable to contemplate resolution and the trajectory of my grief wasn’t following a stag ed or linear process but zig zagged erratically back and forth between stages. This was unsettling and uncomfortable and went against everything that I had been taught as a mental health professional. Not only had the prescriptive linear and staged models been unhelpful (Sheehy, 2013) but had led professionals to conclude that I experienced a complicated grief reaction as resolution didn’t come within a given time frame. I gave up engaging with health care professions as I felt the template they were adhering to didn’t fit my unique situation. I still felt the physical pain of losing her as I acknowledged that my loss had pervaded every area of my life and completely changed my personality. Finally, I knew that it was up to me to find meaning in my life in order to have a future. That meaning came six years later when I became the mother of a baby boy in 2008. The experience of losing Gemma was devastating and remains immensely painful but I now accept that th e pain is an intrinsic part of me. I have simply learnt to live with it. The loss and trauma I have experienced has defined the person I am today, however, it must be stated that it has also positively influenced my attitudes and beliefs about life in many ways. Over the thirteen years, I have gained inner strength and I now appreciate just how precious life is. I take nothing for granted, knowing only too well how quickly a life can be taken away. I don’t plan for next year or too far into the future but I prefer to live in the moment and try to find something positive in each day. I am more tolerant and forgiving of others, whilst making a conscious effort to regularly remind relatives and friends how important they are to me and how much they are loved. If something is wrong in my life, I now have the courage to change it. I am not afraid of my own mortality, my faith has now been fully restored and I believe that one day I will be with her again when it is my turn to cross to the other side. Furthermore, the way in which I interact with bereaved people as a mental health professional has changed, shaped by my own experiences and the need to understand each individual in the context of their reality. The hardest thing to do was to forgive myself and to realise that I am not to blame for her death. I have survived life’s cruellest blow and although life will never be the same, I am now able to experience happiness again. Gemma will always have a presence in my life as she is spoken about lovingly and frequently as a household name, her portrait remains over the fire place as a reminder of her wonderful contribution to my life. In conclusion, whilst models and theories offer helpful frameworks and insights into the grieving process an individual’s unique response cannot be overstated. Many factors influence how an individual grieves, the dominance of linear or staged processes are too prescriptive. In supporting the berea ved, the task of the health care professional is not to favour or propose one model over another but to challenge assumptions and listen to the bereaved in order to facilitate an accurate reconstruction of the individual’s inner self and outer world. Thus, adopting broad concepts facilitates a more holistic understanding of the needs of the individual. Failure to do so will result in a continued theory/practice gap and those bereaved individuals who do not come through may remain prone to a range of long lasting psychiatric disorders. Further research is required into bereavement related contextual factors and the development of effective interventions in helping the bereaved to cope and such an approach is relevant in a wide variety of situations. References Archer, J. (1999) The Nature of Grief: The Evolution and Psychology of Reactions to Loss. New York: Routledge. Bowlby, J. (1969) Attachment and Loss. London: Hogarth. Bowlby, J. (1980) Attachment and Loss. Volume 3: Loss, Sadness and Depression. London: Hogarth. Davidson, P. (1988) Grief a Literary Guide to Psychological Realities. New Zealand Family Physician 15(4): 138-46 Engel, G. (1961) Is Grief a Disease? A Challenge for Medical Research. Psychosomatic Medicine 23(1): 18-22 Freud, S. (1917) Mourning and Melancholia. Edited and translated in Strachey.J. Standard Edition of the Complete Works of Sigmund Freud. London: Hogarth Press. Keyes, K.M, et al. (2014) The Burden of Loss: Unexpected Death of a Loved One and Psychiatric Disorders Across the Life Course. American Journal of Psychiatry 171:864-71 Klass, D., Silverman, P.R. and Nickman, S.L. (eds.) (1996) Continuing Bonds: A New Understanding of Grief .London: Taylor and Francis. KÃ ¼bler – Ro ss, E. (1969) On Death and Dying. New York: Macmillan. Neimeyer, R.A. (2000) Searching for the Meaning of Meaning: Grief Therapy and the Process of Reconstruction. Death Studies 24(6):541-48 Neimeyer, R.A. (2006) Widowhood as a Quest for Meaning. A Narrative Perspective on Resilience. In Carr, D., Nesse, R.M., and Wortman, C.B., (eds.), Spousal Bereavement in Later Life (pp 227-252).New York: Springer. Oxford English Dictionary. (2013) Oxford University Press: Oxford. Parkes, C.M. and Brown, R.J. (1972) Health after Bereavement. A Controlled Study of Young Boston Widows and Widowers. Psychosomatic Medicine 34(5): 449-61 Parkes, C.M. (2001) Bereavement Dissected: A Re-examination of the Basic Components Influencing the Reaction to Loss. Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences 38(3-4): 150-6 Rosenblatt, P. C. (1993) Cross -Cultural Variation in the Experience, Expression and Understanding of Grief, in Irish et al (1993). Sheehy, L (2013) Understanding Factors that Influence the Grieving Process. End of Life Journal.3 (1) Stroebe, M. and Schut, H (1999) The Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement: Rationale and Description. Death Studies, 23 (3) Worden, W.J. (1991) Grief Counselling and Grief Therapy: A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner.2nd edn. London: Routledge. Worden, W. J. (2003) Grief Counselling and Grief Therapy: A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner.3rd edn. New York: Routledge. Bibliography Archer, J. (1999) The Nature of Grief: The Evolution and Psychology of Reactions to Loss. New York: Routledge. Balk, D.E.(2004) Recovering Following Bereavement: An Examination of the Concept. Death Studies 28 (4): 361-74 Bowlby, J. (1969) Attachment and Loss. London: Hogarth. Bowlby, J. (1980) Attachment and Loss. Volume 3: Loss, Sadness and Depression. London: Hogarth. Corr, C.(1993) Coping with Dying: Lessons that we should learn from the work of Elizabeth KÃ ¼bler – Ross . Death Studies 17 (1): 69-83 Davidson, P. (1988) Grief a Literary Guide to Psychological Realities. New Zealand Family Physician 15(4): 138-46 Engel, G. (1961) Is Grief a Disease? A Challenge for Medical Research. Psychosomatic Medicine 23(1): 18-22 Freud, S. (1917) Mourning and Melancholia. Edited and translated in Strachey.J. Standard Edition of the Complete Works of Sigmund Freud. London: Hogarth Press. Keyes, K.M, et al. (2014) The Burden of Loss: Unexpected Death of a Love d One and Psychiatric Disorders Across the Life Course. American Journal of Psychiatry 171:864-71 Klass, D., Silverman, P.R. and Nickman, S.L. (eds.) (1996) Continuing Bonds: A New Understanding of Grief .London: Taylor and Francis. KÃ ¼bler – Ross, E. (1969) On Death and Dying. New York: Macmillan. Neimeyer, R.A. (2000) Searching for the Meaning of Meaning: Grief Therapy and the Process of Reconstruction. Death Studies 24(6):541-48 Neimeyer, R.A. (2006) Widowhood as a Quest for Meaning. A Narrative Perspective on Resilience. In Carr, D., Nesse, R.M., and Wortman, C.B., (eds.), Spousal Bereavement in Later Life (pp 227-252).New York: Springer. Oxford English Dictionary. (2013) Oxford University Press: Oxford. Parkes, C.M. and Brown, R.J. (1972) Health after Bereavement. A Controlled Study of Young Boston Widows and Widowers. Psychosomatic Medicine 34(5): 449-61 Parkes, C.M. (2001) Bereavement Dissected: A Re-examination of the Basic Components Influenc ing the Reaction to Loss. Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences 38(3-4): 150-6 Rosenblatt, P. C. (1993) Cross -Cultural Variation in the Experience, Expression and Understanding of Grief, in Irish et al (1993). Sheehy, L (2013) Understanding Factors that Influence the Grieving Process. End of Life Journal.3 (1) Stroebe, M. and Schut, H (1999) The Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement: Rationale and Description. Death Studies, 23 (3) Worden, W.J. (1991) Grief Counselling and Grief Therapy: A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner.2nd edn. London: Routledge. Worden, W. J. (2003) Grief Counselling and Grief Therapy: A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner.3rd edn. New York: Routledge.