Heineken Is One Of The Worlds Pale Lager Marketing Essay

Heineken Is One Of The Worlds Pale Lager Marketing Essay Heineken is one of the worlds huge pale lager and is dedicated to grow and remain independent, made by Heineken International since 1873. The trade name that stands for the founders name Heineken is presented in almost all countries on the planet earth and is one of the worlds most valuable international premium beer brand. It is very popular in the United States, Europe and even Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Sudan. Their international brands are Heineken and Amstel, but the group brews and sells more than 170 international premium, regional, local and specialty beers and ciders, including Cruz campo, Birra Moretti, Fosters, Maes, Murphys, Newcastle Brown Ale, Ochota,  Tiger, Sagres, Star, Strong bow  and  Zywiec. It is available in a 4.3% alcohol by volume, in countries such as Ireland. Heineken has been able to remain one of the worlds leading consumer and corporate brands for more than 130 years. Famous brands include Amstel, Europes third-largest selling beer, Cruzcampo, Tiger, Zywiec, Birra Moretti, Ochota, Murphys and Star. They are more than 119 breweries in more than 65 countries brewing a Group beer volume of 139.2 million hectolitres. In this report we going to Discover more about company, strategy, as well as their operations in EUROPIAN region. 1.1 History The Heineken story began more than 140 years ago in 1864 when Gerard Adriaan Heineken acquired a small brewery in Amsterdam. Since then, four generations of the Heineken family have expanded the Heineken brand and the Company throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Values and principals Heineken morals and ethics are not a lavish: they are essential to every level of business. Heineken is committed in sustainable development, in optimiseing their financial results with nominal impact to business atmosphere. To do this, they abide with number of governing business principles and three other core values such as- respect, enjoyment and quality that reflect their passion for beer and respect for their employees, business partners, customers, shareholders and all others who are connected to company. 2.0 Marketing audit for Heineken The marketing audit is a fundamental part of the marketing planning process. It is conducted with implementation of the plan. The marketing audit considers both internal and external marketing planning, as well as review of the plan itself. PEST analysis is an audit of an organizations environmental influences with the purpose of using this information to guide strategic decision-making. The PEST technique involves assessing four sets of factors: Political/legal, Economic, Socio-cultural, and Technological. The assumption is that if the organization is able to audit its current environment and assess potential changes, it will be better placed than its competitors to respond to changes. PEST analysis is concerned with the environmental influences on a business.The acronym stands for the Political, Economic, Social and Technological issues that could affect the strategic development of a business. Identifying PEST influences is a useful way of summarising the external environment in which a business operates. However, it must be followed up by consideration of how a business should respond to these influences. The table below lists some possible factors that could indicate important environmental Influences for a business under the PEST headings: Political / Legal Economic Social Technological Environmental regulation and protection Economic growth (overall; by industry sector) Income distribution (change in distribution of disposable income; Government spending on research -Taxation (corporate; consumer) Monetary policy (interest rates) Demographics (age structure of the population; gender; family size and composition; changing nature of occupations) Government and industry focus on technological effort -International trade regulation Government spending (overall level; specific spending priorities) Labour / social mobility New discoveries and development -Consumer protection Policy towards unemployment (minimum wage, unemployment benefits, grants) Lifestyle changes (e.g. Home working, single households) Speed of technology transfer -Employment law Taxation (impact on consumer disposable income, incentives to invest in capital equipment, corporation tax rates) Attitudes to work and leisure -Rates of technological obsolescence -Government organisation / attitude Exchange rates (effects on demand by overseas customers; effect on cost of imported components) Education Energy use and costs -Competition regulation Inflation (effect on costs and selling prices) Fashions and fads Changes in material sciences Stage of the business cycle (effect on short-term business performance) Health welfare Impact of changes in Information technology Economic mood consumer confidence Living conditions (housing, amenities, pollution) Internet! 2.1.1 Political Efforts to reduce levels of alcohol consumption: Governments conduct promotion to change public consumption, e.g. anti-drink and drive behaviour. Associated with this is increased regulation on the nature and style of alcohol advertising. For example, it is prohibited in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Alcohol promotion has been banned on TV in France and, in the UK to reduce its influence on younger TV and radio audiences. 2.1.2 Economical Implementation of the Single European Market (SEM) enabling freedom of movement of goods and services, people and capital across national borders brought opportunities and threats to the brewing industry. It has allowed firms to invest equity to acquire full-ownership of established breweries across Europe, rather than minority holdings. At a production level, it has encouraged the location of breweries and associated logistics distribution centres to be made on cost-efficient criteria rather than regional or national obligations, enabling an international, and even global, approach to beer production. At the same time, the European logistics industry has been liberalized in the lead up to 1992 with the removal of national licenses, quotas and control within the road-transport sector, although there remains a dominantly national flavor to its provision. As yet, the unification of taxation, especially excise duties across Europe which could ease administration, is only under discussion. The difficulties of implementing the proposals are considerable. However, with the current variations in excise duties encouraging a black market, especially between the UK and France, movement is afoot to reduce the extreme variations. The publicity associated with the substantial cross-Channel movement (or bootlegging) of alcohol and tobacco products between France and the UK, with adverse repercussions for UK suppliers and tax collection for the Exchequer, has concentrated minds on finding a solution to the taxation disparities. The brewing industry relies on economies of scale in both production and distribution to be successful. The removal of trade barriers, with the chance to capitalize on economies of scale, is helping companies, especially those operating within small domestic markets. Both Heineken in the Netherlands and Carlsberg in Denmark have been obliged to internationalize as their own domestic markets are too small to provide sufficient scope for economies of scale for desirable growth. Expansion through joint venture, acquisitions and mergers, together with licensing and strategic alliance, has enabled an extension of brand franchising and complementary brands. 2.1.3 Social Provision of environmentally friendly packaging: In Germany and Denmark drinks require returnable bottles for re-cycling and, since 1995, at least 65% of packaging has had to be re-usable. In Denmark cans are banned for in-country production, although, due to European Union (EU) competition rules, import exemptions allow high imports of canned beer, from Germany in particular. These regulations incur short-term increases in the costs of packaging and distribution as new technology is introduced to meet the requirements. 2.1.4 Technological Heineken use their technology to keep detailed documents of shipping, in their warehouses to make the beer more efficiently and for shipping purposes. 2.2 SEGMENTATION TARGETING POSITIONING proceeds to segment the market, select the appropriate market target, and develop the offers value positioning. The formula segmentation, targeting, positioning (STP) is the essence of strategic marketing. (Kotler, 1994, p. 93) . The process of market segmentation can also consist of the selection of those segments for which a firm might be particularly well suited to serve by having competitive advantages relative to competitors in the segment, reducing the cost of adaptation in order to gain a niche. This application of market segmentation serves the purpose of developing competitive scope, which can have a powerful effect on competitive advantage because it shapes the configuration of the value chain. (Porter, 1985, p. 53). Segmentation is the process of identifying sets of consumers. These sets must be homogeneous, distinct, attractive and reachable. It use demographic (i.e. age), geographic (i.e. ZIP codes), and psychographic (i.e. attitudes) information to describe and separate groups. Segmentation requires the marketer to look at pools of potential customers from multiple angles to consider their areas of focus. Heineken focuses on youth in different locations. Targeting a specific segment or segments requires the evaluation of multiple segments. Choices can be hard to make and sometimes seem arbitrary. To aid the marketer, metrics for the most important criteria should be associated with each potential segment. In the end, the segment(s) with the greatest potential should be selected. Europes largest brewer, Heineken NV, is to embark on an acquisition spree and attempt to make its flagship lager brand more appealing to young consumers as increased competition and sluggish sales continue to blight its more mature beer markets. Positioning Gunter and Furnham (1992) prescribe that after selecting target markets the trategist should develop positioning objectives to then develop them into a detailed marketing mix. However, Aaker (1996) recommends developing the positioning objective only after the brand identity and value proposition have been developed. In exploring the latter, it is useful to understand Aakers definition of positioning is the part of the brand identity and value proposition that is to be actively communicated to the target audience and that demonstrates an advantage over competing brands. Kotler (1994) refers to it as the unique selling proposition. Heineken is the worlds most valuable International premium beer brand Heineken hopes to consolidate its position within the high growth Romanian beer and mineral water market by acquiring Transylvania based brewer bere mures for an as yet undisclosed fee. As of 2009, Heineken owns over 119 breweries in more than 65 countries and employs approximately 54,004 people 3.0 Global Brand Development: Since stage of beer market development in each country is different strategy should be used. In embryonic markets (Africa, Eastern Europe) pushing strategy is suitable. In growing markets (Italy, Spain, Japan) both pushing and pulling strategies are agreeable. In mature markets (North and Central Europe, Australia,USA) pulling strategy is the best. Global positioning target can be achieved through creative marketing communication. Heineken should develop a number of high-profile, quality television campaigns with universal appeal, featuring high profile, contemporary celebrities. However, within the marketing mix, there will always be a requirement for locally driven campaigns and support. By connecting to local situations, consumer will develop a greater emotional tie to the company. The term marketing mix refers to the primary elements that must be attended to in order to properly market a product or service. Also known as The 4 Ps of Marketing, the marketing mix is a very useful, if a bit general, guideline for understanding the fundamentals of what makes a good marketing campaign. Product product refers to products or services. The product or service that offer the needs to meet a specific, existing market demand. Or, product should be able to create a market niche through building a strong brand. Heineken maintains it beer quality and special taste Price: The price that set for Heineken product or service plays a large role in its marketability. Though Heineken has many competitors Heineken maintains its quality and price. It changes it price according to the situation and location. Place: Heineken has huge marketing in Ireland and Netherlands. Compare to other brands Heineken is not available in all retails stores frequently. Promotion: Heineken has quickly recognised that consumers are increasing seeking value and positivity in the current recessionary environment. 3.1 Market entry Heineken has a pragmatic view taking a cautious approach to entering new markets. While it encourages organic growth, it has expanded by using a combination of direct export, licensing, joint venture, strategic alliance and acquisition. While it exports its premium Heineken brand from its plant in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, it is also involved in local regional production. A typical entry strategy has been to begin by exporting using intermediaries such as local distributors, and then to develop licensing production agreements through joint ventures with local brewers. Ultimately, the goal is to acquire full ownership and control of the local production wherever possible. The Netherlands Heineken has been the dominant market leader in its home base in the Netherlands having 53% of the market in 1991, well above its competitors Grolsch (15%) and the 15% taken by Interbrews subsidiary Verenigde Brouwerijen. Unfortunately, the Heineken brand market share, 45% in 1980, itself dropped to only 30% in 1991. In response Heineken introduced the Amstel and Buckler brands, the latter being the first non-alcoholic beer available on draft. Uk In the 1960s, when Heineken entered the UK, the beer-drinking public was not familiar with the strong beer being drunk in other European countries. Consequently, it made a licensing arrangement with Whitbread to brew a weaker version of standard Heineken brand (3.6% alcohol by volume (abv) ) that proved popular with lager drinkers. By 1990, about 10% of all lager drunk in the UK carried the Heineken brand. As beer drinkers became increasingly familiar with the continental brands, the Heineken Export Strength (5.0% abv) was introduced which Whitbread also brewed under licence. In 1993, the UK was the second largest market for beer in Europe, consuming 224 pints per head of population, although that level dropped to 218 pints per head in 2002 (Tighe, 2003). The pattern of consumption is different from the rest of Europe with more than 80% being drunk in pubs, many of which are linked, or tied, to breweries. Heinekens route was through access to Whitbreads distribution network through a licensing agreement. Interestingly, these ties were broken in the early 1990s when the Conservative government introduced legislation to increase competition. This obliged Bass to dispose of its 7,500 pubs most of which were expected to become independent small businesses. In practice, most were acquired by Pubmaster which currently owns 8,500 pubs, reflecting the continued concentration of ownership within the brewing distribution network. Ireland In 1993, Guinness and Heineken dominated in Ireland with a combined market share of about 85%. From the 1970s the Heineken brand was produced under licence until Heineken acquired its own production site in 1983. Murphys stout was a particular success story, becoming the number two brand of stout (behind Guinness) in both Ireland and the UK; by 1993 it was also being sold in the US and France. Italy Heineken entered the Italian market in 1960 when it acquired a minority stake in a small brewer. This was extended in 1974 when Heineken and Whitbread each bought a 42% holding in the company, renamed Birra Dreher. By 1980, Heineken was the sole owner of Dreher having acquired Whitbreads 42% share. Mergers with two former Henniger breweries strengthened Dreher so that, by 1993, it had a 25% share of the Italian market behind the market leader Peroni with about 40%. Despite the decline in the Italian beer market being more severe than in other European markets, Dreher maintained its margins although its market share fell. The Heineken brand retained its position, while its Buckler brand benefited from the increasing growth of the non-alcoholic segment. As in other countries, Heineken, in this case through Dreher, increased its control of the distribution network by purchasing a number of drinks wholesalers. In 1991, Heineken began importing its other Heineken brands into Italy to prov ide more effectively for the premium beer segment. Greece In 1965, Heineken entered a joint venture agreement for Athenian Brewery to produce the Amstel brand. By 2002, it had 98.8% ownership and a dominant 70% or so of the Greek market. This enabled it to strengthen its own Heineken and Amstel brands, and to import its associated Dreher and Coors beers. Heineken still dominates the Greek market. France In 1982, Heineken acquired Albra, which had an 8% market share and owned two breweries in France. In 1984, Albra was merged with Brasseries et Glacieres International to form the Sogebra group which in 1993 had 25% of the beer market, challenging the market leader, BSN Kronenbourg (50%). With the successful re-organisation of the Sogebra group, Heinekens fortunes continued to improve. However, the poor economic climate of the early 1990s, together with the increased competition for limited shelf space among retailers, has been challenging. Spain In 1984, as Spain was preparing to join the EU, Heineken purchased 37% of the local El Aguila brewer and increased its holding to a 51% controlling interest by 1993. El Aguila suffered from outdated production techniques and poor branding which necessitated investment in production and some re-structuring with resulting labour redundancies and short-term losses. The Aguila Pilsner brand was positioned for the standard market segment and a new Adlerbrau brand was introduced targeted towards the premium segment; Adlerbrau was then itself replaced by Aguila Master. Spain was a challenging market where many small family breweries operated within a federal infrastructure so hindering the implementation of economies of scale. Nevertheless, the Spanish market was attractive, with beer consumption the third highest in the EU, and increasing from 51 litres per capita in 1978 to 71 litres in 1989. Not surprisingly, by 1991 other companies were intent on acquiring a slice of the market through similar joint venture arrangements. They included Guinness/Carlsberg (Cruzcampo), the French group BSN (Mahou) and San Miguel Philippines (San Miguel). 4.0 Heineken SWOT Analysis Heineken SWOT Analysis company profile is the essential source for top-level company data and information. Heineken SWOT Analysis examines the companys key business structure and operations, history and products, and provides summary analysis of its key revenue lines and strategy. 4.1 Strengths The taste of Heineken beer is unique. The yeast that is used to make Heineken beer till today is developed in 1886.so the taste uniqueness of it has been there for a hundred years Heineken is the worlds second largest beer manufacturer.They produce 5.6 billionl liters of beer each year. second only to anheuser busch who produce 10 billion ltrs . This gives economics of scale and a platform for futher expansion of their market capitalization. In some markets like U.S.A and Hong Kong the Heineken brand is perceived as a premium brand and has successfully established a brand image. Heineken has owned subsidiaries in Netherland, France and Ireland whereas they held majority stake in 15 other breweries all over the world.Which gives Heineken a global presence. 4.2 Weaknesses Insome countries the brand image of Heineken was too narrow such that the brand was seen appropriate for special occasions only, While in other countries like Latin America the brand is viewed just another imported European beer .In Netherlands It was viewed as a mainstream brand. The company has limited its reach to the European and the Western countries and there still lies a scope for scaling up in countries like India where the beer is just imported and thus making it impossible to penetrate deep down No production base in some area and TV commercials are just aired in larger markets Lack of integrated marketing campaign Lack of worldwide advertising campaign 4.3 Threats Increase in drunk driving laws Competitors increasing market share Mergers and acquisitions of other breweries Other Breweries are becoming much larger than Heinekens Brewery 5.0 Recommendation to achieve the global brand Introduce a number of innovations across liquid, packaging and format that will serve to further endorse international leadership credentials because innovation is the lifeblood of brand domain. Heineken has a strong brand tradition. In order to flourish its  brand reputation  across the world, convince the consumers that the brand is some way superior. Develop a relationship with customers, build  affinity  between brand and customers bysponsoring international rugby tournaments, and world soccer tournament such as -( the Champions Leagues, the UEFA Champions League,  worlds premier club) where target audience of men from all over the world gather in one place. Building the brand  recognition  for long-term  to differentiate the brand Heineken and be sure to add value to the product in order to get the brand loyalty. (For example, Heineken can maintain its good quality or create benefits for society and culture, and provide an emotion to its consumers. 6.0 Strategies Macro analysis Heineken has been able to remain one of the worlds leading consumer and corporate brands for more than 130 years. It confronts directly the challenges in many of our markets to deliver organic profit growth, but also focuses on building the long-term future of our brands and business. 6.1.1 Current strategies Key focus is on driving the growth of our brands and improving our financial performance on ensuring that acquisitions, partnerships and distribution strategies create value. The focus is also on enabling our employees to use their potential and building a true performance based culture. Heineken aims for sustainable growth as a broad market leader and  we aim for segment leadership. In both cases, the Heineken brand plays an important part. We establish broad leadership usually by acquiring strong brands, which are combined into a new, larger company. Offering training to the employees, improving the organization, and introducing new technology then reinforces the positions of the local beers. This results in economies of scale that create a distribution network for both the local beers and Heineken beer. If a market is already in the hands of other brewers, we devote all our energy to developing a premium segment with Heineken beer, and if feasible, specialty beers. The goal of Heineken is to grow the business in a sustainable and consistent manner, while constantly improving profitability. The  four priorities for action include:   To accelerate sustainable top-line growth. To accelerate efficiency and cost reduction. To speed up implementation: we commit to faster decision making and execution.   To focus on those markets where we believe we can win. 6.1.2 Failures in strategies Heineken: Declining sales volumes now should explore new Strategies. An expected drop in revenues for Heineken has been more than cancelled out through cost-cutting measures and a shrewd pricing strategy. While beer volumes have suffered during the recession, this can be seen as the continuation of a more established trend. Plant closures have helped Heineken to reduce costs, but future profits will need to be driven by alternative methods. Heineken has revised its profit forecast for 2009 and now expects low double-digit growth for the year overall. The third largest brewer in the world reported a 4.7% decline in volume sales, but strong cost-cutting measures and a sound pricing strategy have allowed the company to further grow its profits. Beer v olumes have been badly hit by the recession, but this is largely a continuation of a longer and more established trend in established markets. The category has lost significant custom to the wine and spirits segments in recent years, as beer has garnered a particularly unhealthy reputation. Consumers beer preferences were once widely predicted to enjoy Resistance to the recession, but this has not proved to be the case and many consumers have switched to cheaper brands, with notable gains seen in the private-label beer market. Heineken has been able to drive profits through an array of cost-cutting measures. A number of plants were closed after Heinekens purchase of Scottish Newcastle. This acquisition gave the company the largest share of the European beer market, which allowed the undertaking of consolidation through the plant closures. Heineken has also increased prices, which has helped to offset some of the volume declines. Price rises in the beer category have become commonplace, but the company has ensured that its prices remain competitive without compromising the integrity of the brand. The expected results from Heineken demonstrate the possibilities that still exist during a recession. Cost-cutting measures have improved profits and will leave the company in a stronger position during a recovery. However, reducing costs can only fuel profit growth for a finite length of time, and the company must ensure that it continues to grow its business in developing markets while consolidating in the established markets of Europe and the US. 6.1.3 Implementations: The basic strategies of Heineken is to capture the local market. By merging with local firms Heineken has started capturing local market. Merger and acquisitions seems very good at for the present situation but according to servey (Dg internal market and services , 2005). 7.0 Recommendations: Heineken is one of the strongest products in the market and is dedicated to grow and remain independent, made by Heineken International since 1873. From the above repost accomplished that from macro analysis, there are positive conditions in Europe to increase profitability of Heineken. There are number of other steps in marketing plans can improve sale of Heineken. The Heineken brand can be developed through the distinctive characteristics of the marketing communication mix: multiple form of marketing communications are needed to communicated the value benefits of a product or market offering to larger and larger numbers of actual and potential consumers The value benefits of a product or marketing offering is communicated to the target market through three modes: marketing communication mix, mass marketing forms of communication , personal marketing forms of communication Creating strong associations and responses in the consumers mind: creating awareness of the brand, establishing the brand image brand judgments and feeling , and creating strong consumer-brand connect By designing a marketing communication strategy that delivers a consistent message that aims at informing, persuading, and reminding consumers- directly or indirectly about the products and brand for sale in the market segment It should focus on the markets that are in the embryonic stage and also on the developing markets and one of the being India, Heineken still has not penetrated India and the beer that is available in through imports. Company does not have fixed group that looks into marketing communication mix They should go like When in Rome, do as the Romans do that signifies that the communication mix should be different from country to country, and it should be significantly referring to the personalization of the masses representing the target population of a particular. It should keep learning from what happened to other brands that entered into foreign markets and did not do well and they should learn from their failures

Raw Foods Diet :: essays research papers

What’s up with the Raw Deal? The Atkins diet? South-Beach Diet? Jenny Craig? Weight Watchers? But a Raw-food only diet? What the†¦?! Consuming only raw foods? Not cooking anything? Isn’t that unhealthy? Not according to advocates of this diet. The raw foods diet is among some of the latest fad and celebrity-hyped diets out there today, you can even find some restaurants that only serve raw foods. The name of the raw food diet says it all: You only consume raw, unprocessed foods. Diet devotees claim the diet improves nutrition and health, offers spiritual enlightenment and improves digestion among other things. But can a diet consisting only of raw foods truly live up to its promises and can it be healthy?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Followers consume a diet regimen made up of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables, sprouted seeds, nuts, legumes, dried fruits, milk from coconut, fresh fruit and vegetable juices and other organic or natural foods which have not been processed. Sounds healthy. It stems from the thinking that raw and living foods contain the essential enzymes needed for proper digestion, as well as containing higher nutrient values. Raw food dieters believe the enzymes in raw foods are the life force and that every food has its own essential enzymes. These enzymes help the body digest the foods completely, without relying on the body’s own enzymes. This means that cooked foods, foods cooked higher than 116  °F, are â€Å" dead† because all of these enzymes and nutrients are destroyed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  But is their scientific data to back this up? No, not really. It has been widely known and accepted that cooking our food is healthier and safer. Cooking foods kills any harmful bacteria, it lets us eat a wide variety of foods especially those who cannot tolerate raw uncooked vegetables, which can leave individuals with nutrient deficiencies. And well, yes cooking does kill the foods enzymes, our body has its own enzymes for proper digestion and health and doesn’t need other enzymes.

Skills and Learning Statement

OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY Skills and Learning Statement for Topic 8: An analysis and evaluation of the business and financial performance of an organization over a three years period Being a Research and Analysis Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of: BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting Oxford Brookes University By: Name: Tao De ACCA Registration Number: 2171332 Submission Date: 24th May 2012 Words Count: 1881 Table of Contents Lessons Learned From Meetings With Project Mentor3Extent to Which Research Questions Have Been Answered5 Demonstration of Interpersonal and Communication Skills During Project Work7 Benefits Of Undertaking The RAP In Accountancy Studies and/or Current Employment Role8 Copy of Presentation Slides9 Lessons Learned From Meetings With Project Mentor During the project, I meet with my project mentor, Sonny Chan, for three times. In the three meetings with him, he gave me general guidance over my project progress, pointed out problems that I h ad made and took enquiries from me. First MeetingIn the first meeting, I came up with an idea of writing topic 8, and my mentor supported my idea. He gave me suggestions that potential problems that I may come up with, e. g. ratio explanation; and suggest me to review F7 (Financial Reporting) first to quickly pick up knowledge that I might forgotten, e. g. ratio analysis. After deciding the topic, I gave my mentor a list of companies that I want to analyze. The companies I selected are mainly operating in real estate industry, e. g. Frasers Centrepoint Trust, CapitaLand Commercial Trust and Suntec Real Estate Trust.Mr. Chan suggested that I need to choose a company that can make comparison, which means they have to have same year ending, similar operating area and both in form of trust. Only in this way, the ratios that have been calculated are meaningful and can be compared between two companies. From the first meeting, I learnt that a good targeted company and a good comparable co mpany selection is critical for a report. And also after the first meeting, I went through all the financial ratios, which helped me refresh my memory of what I have learnt during the F7 study.Second Meeting In the second meeting, I had finished main parts (financial analysis and business analysis) in my RAP project. After reviewed those analysis, my mentor pointed out that my explanation of ratios are not sufficient, and he shows me with examples as what is a sufficient explanation of ratio. He also suggests that I should have a segmental analysis regarding to Suntec REIT’ revenue. Besides these, he thought I needed to improve my references, which can make the analysis more convincing and have academic support.The second meeting is very meaningful indeed. It helps me improved my research report and taught me to think â€Å"deep†. For example, further explanation of ratios according to case helps my financial analysis much more meaningful. And it also helps me to know how to apply what I learnt in F7 study. Third Meeting The third meeting is relatively smooth; and my mentor’s main focus is on the format and presentation of my RAP projects. He pointed out certain wrong format of my references and inappropriate presentations, e. g. paper size, font size and line spacing.When the analysis report is about to finish, I was asked to prepare a presentation to my mentor and other students. After the presentation my mentor thought that I should improve my tone of speech to make it more convincing and encouraged me by saying that the RAP project is well prepared and he is very satisfied with my work. The third meeting with my mentor helps me to finalize my research report by adjusting things like font size and reference list. It let me know how to produce a standard and formal report, which will definitely be useful in future.And from presentation session, I learnt how to give an effective presentation to present my works. Extent to Which Research Q uestions Have Been Answered The objective that I set is to analyze the operation of Suntec REIT from financial and business perspective and try to help potential investors form a decision over the company. I believe after the research has been finished I have met the objective that I set and answered all the research questions. Though the research process is tedious, I managed myself to meet the objective answer the questions that I have set.Financial Analysis Firstly, I collect relevant information, e. g. 3 consecutive years of Annual Report of Suntec REIT and CCT REIT. Then transfer the Statement of Financial Position and Statement of Comprehensive Income in the Annual Report into excel format. After the transfer, I used excel to compute basic ratios, e. g. net profit margin, current ratio and gearing; and form another tab to put these ratios in organized form (table). For explanation purposes, charts and tables were made based on those ratios and absolute numbers, e. . profit and revenue; and again being put into separate tab in the excel, ready to be used in the writing process. After the primary data being transformed into easily explainable table and charts, the financial analysis process begins. The financial analysis proceeds in the order of segmental analysis, profitability, liquidity, leverage and investment ratios. Under each heading, the relevant ratios are compared between two companies, underlying meaning of the ratio are explained and the reason for adverse/favorable are explained.For certain ratios, the potential impact is also discussed. Business Analysis At the start of this part, the business model to be used was quickly decided. At that time, I thought PESTEL analysis and SWOT analysis would be appropriate for the analysis, as PESTEL analysis gives an external picture of the business environment and SWOT analysis can provide general view of the business operation. However, during the business analysis, I found SWOT and PESTEL have certain p arts are overlapping, and this gives me a serious lesson of careful picking business analysis model.And to mitigate the problem, I try to more specifically differentiate the overlapping parts, e. g. PESTEL more focus on specific external factors while Opportunities and Threats are more general view of the environment that he company facing. Same as financial analysis, business analysis begins with information collection. During this period, I visited websites that relate to the real estate industry, e. g. Singapore REITs (http://sreit. reitdata. com), went to school library and review previous text books.During I reading the information, I took down the relevant information may useful as preparation for the business analysis. The writing process of the business analysis is mainly relying on the information being gathered. The information is written under the relevant headings of the models. Besides with this, the potential impacts are discussed. The two analysis can help potential i nvestors to have a general view of Suntec REIT’s operation both from the internal financial analysis and analysis based from business analysis model.And this can help them to make their decisions over the company. Therefore I confidently believe that I met the objective that I met. Demonstration of Interpersonal and Communication Skills During Project Work I believe that interpersonal and communication skills have been showed throughout the course of my RAP. Oral skills were required when I met up with my mentor and when making my presentation to my mentor and other students. And my writing communication skill is demonstrated through my writing of my research report.Effective communication is significantly important in have a productive interaction between my mentor and me. Every meeting with my mentor must be effective. As such, I will spend time to form my questions on the issues that I wanted to ask and diligently write down whatever suggestions that Mr. chan gave me durin g our meetings. As far as I can, I will play an active role in the oral discussion about the issues that I prepared before the meeting. Open-ended questions were asked when I needed more elaboration on certain issues.And I will also ask close-ended questions when I need a confirmation on specific issues. Besides face-to-face meeting, I discussed with my mentor through emails, text messages, Skype and MSN between meetings. In order to avoid misinterpretations, I tried to make sure that every message was well thought and organized before transmission. Writing research report requires me to have good written communication skills. This includes proper grammar and appropriate vocabulary. Except for that, I must be able to do good summaries.During the meetings and other methods of communication with my mentor, I have realized that conveying my message in a specific manner is crucial. I must not be too ‘wordy’ and always should present my points in an organized manner and try to progress into details. In the presentation of my research report, I found encouraging audience participation is an important aspect in the presentation. I have used my body language to emphasize important points. Besides that, I have also made regular eye contacts with the audience so that they can remain interested in my speech.Except for that, I also need to be sure that I am perfectly competent to take any questions during the Q&A after the presentation. And in order to do so, I predicted any areas that the audience may question about and prepare my answer for it, so that I won’t be brain go bland and come up with meaningless answers. Benefits Of Undertaking The RAP In Accountancy Studies and/or Current Employment Role The RAP is a completely new adventure for me and gives me significant challenge to finish such a big project, which takes almost 4 months. And I believe I benefit a lot during the project.In the project I reviewed the knowledge that I have learnt, e. g. F 7, F9 and P3; and applied them in the chosen companies, i. e. Suntec REIT and CCT REIT. This experience helps me to have further understanding of the knowledge I have learnt, e. g. actual meaning of those ratios instead of their computation and the application of PESTEL instead of theoretical concepts. Besides that, I also find certain areas that I need to enhance on. In the business analysis, I used an overlapping business model being introduced to analyze the chosen company.This shows my weak understanding over that area. Immediately after the project, I read up relevant material in P3 so that to enhance my better understanding over the subject and to apply it more proficiently in the future. After the project, I also find more about myself. I find my advantages, e. g. organizing random and complex information. These advantages can help me recognize which area I am good at and take advantage of in the future. And at the same time I also find some short comes that I need to avoid o r improve in the future e. g. ack of time control and weak at prioritizing tasks. And these can help me to know what need to be pre-considered to avoid same issue happen again. Besides these, the journey of completing the project can somehow help me to promote my career in the future. †¢ In the research report, it taught me how to form an official report with convincing tone and objective facts. And this experience may let me to form formal report in the future work place. †¢ From the presentation part, I learnt how to give a great presentation to fellow mates and pass information effectively.In the future, I can know how to give a much greater presentation based on the OBU project experience. †¢ The application of those ratios into real cases builds my confidence in using them to analyze financial performance of companies in practice. All these experiences can help me to better prepare for my future career and increase my opportunity to â€Å"shine† in the wor k place. In conclusion, I have to testify here that RAP provides me an experience that will definitely contribute to my further ACCA study and future employment.

Understanding Cultural Stereotypes Essay - 996 Words

Stereotypes in short, are often about seeking patterns. It cannot be helped but to use them as not only a function in society, but also as a way to understand it as humans today are known to identify well with patterns. This question will be explored using the following areas of knowledge; human sciences and history. As well as using the above areas of knowledge to explore this question, ways of knowing, in particular, emotion, perception, language and reason, will be used in conjunction. Taking the story of Gandhi as a prime example, it is important on two levels; most importantly however, the way in which it exposes not only the negative cultural stereotype of the â€Å"stupid foreigner†, but how at the same time it undermines and†¦show more content†¦Despite the use of emotion being useful in daily life, there is a down side to emotion – the fact that there occasionally appears to be no built in â€Å"deception detection†. This means that acting on our emotions can often cause you to be wrong in ones emotive judgements. Another method in which we understand stereotypes is through the use of reason. Cultural stereotypes in society are ways in which we form generalisations. These generalisations are not formed through inductive interpretations that can be drawn from deducing data that can be collected via scientific methods, nor through deductive interpretations that can be drawn from mathematical logic. These generalisations are driven by the emotions we use to rationalize our attitudes and actions. These rationalised, or reasoned, interpretations are helpful in multiple ways. Firstly, in situations where it is required to handle interactions with people, these rationalised interpretations are used to clarify the decision making processes. 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