Marketing a & W

Executive Summary A&W Restaurants, Inc. is a chain of fast-food restaurants that specialize in root beer and root beer floats. It is the first fast food restaurant in Singapore and expansion was fast in the early nineties, but in 2003, A&W’s Singapore operations came to an end. Many Singaporeans grew up eating A&W, and that is one reason why many people are protesting for it to make a comeback in Singapore. Hence, our campaign will draw an emotional appeal, focusing on the theme, â€Å"Bringing back the good old memories†.Based on this central theme, this report covers the Public Relations, Sales Promotions, Personal Selling, Direct Marketing and Budget proposed for the nature of our campaign. A survey was conducted and given out to 80 random applicants to find out more about what they think of the organisation. Online research was also done to examine some of the risks or problems faced in the marketplace, its potential, competition, unique selling advantages and A&Wâ €™s current positioning. Lastly, we have come up with creative strategies to enhance the advertising campaign. Bringing back the good old times† focuses on the old days so we will mainly be using traditional media to stay consistent to our theme. As many youngsters these days use social media to connect, we will also be using a few online methods to stay connected to the new generation. Lastly, putting into consideration the aspects of our personal selling, sales promotion, direct marketing and advertising costs, the proposed costing for the total campaign will be approximately $137,707. IMC Objectives * AdvertisingTo bring back A&W to Singapore by creating brand awareness through focussing on our central theme, â€Å"Bringing back the good old days† and to create the likeability of amongst 80% of our target audience. * Public Relations To create interest and maintain positive image for A&W by drawing as much publicity as possible, and gain huge exposure to reach ou t to our target audience with 30% additional publicity. * Sales promotion Uses price, coupons to help drive and increase attendance by 30% and to also encourage brand switching.Increase consumption and A&W’s sales by at least 3% and to add at least 5% to overall market share by 2015. Agency Introduction Based in Singapore, APG Advertising Pte Ltd was established in 1996 providing a comprehensive range of services. We take the task of understanding the business and propose attractive promotions or campaigns, tailored to your specific industry and budget. We also help clients and our teams put more creativity into campaign planning and capable of handling a variety of advertising for business of different natures.Our teams of professionals, armed with expert knowledge of current trends in the market, embark on providing refreshing marketing ideas to kick start your businesses. We service to not only the local market, but also have our global networks, particularly to Asia, such as Malaysia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. APG Advertising Agency possesses skilled employees who have combined experience of over 25 years servicing to the local and international industry. We are a fully accredited service agency.We have run print ads, bus advertisements, MRT advertisements, radio/television commercials, point of sales ads, marketing brochures, brand building and have even created websites. Some of the big firms who have used our services include Bank of China, Maybank, Hyflux, Serta, etc. Accreditations from well-known Institutions * Association of Accredited Advertising Agents, Singapore (4As) * Institute of Advertising, Singapore (IAS) * Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) * MediaCorp Singapore Group (MCS) Various Campaigns (Pls refer to Appendix) * Aberdeen * Realstar * Singapore International (Motor Show) * Natas TravelBackground Research Client’s Background A&W Restaurants, Inc. was established in 1919 in Lodi, California, United States. It is a chain of fast-food restaurants that specialize in root beer and root beer floats. The name A&W came about from the surname of the initials Roy W. Allen and Frank Wright. Hence, started the company’s humble beginnings, as A&W. The first fast food restaurant in Singapore was not McDonald’s or KFC, it was A&W. The chain’s expansion was fast in the early nineties, but in the late nineties, the branch at Singapore Zoo closed down, leaving Singapore with seven outlets remaining in 2002.A year later, A&W’s Singapore operations came to an end after shutting down their last outlet at Hougang Heartland Mall. Being the first fast food restaurant in Singapore, A&W left a huge impact on many Singaporeans as they grew up eating A&W. Long before MacDonald, KFC and Burger King came into the picture, it was the most favourite among the teens. It was seen to be â€Å"cool† hanging out in A&W restaurant. Whether it was an easy takeaway (A&W drive through), i ndulging in fast food, or giving a good treat to pamper oneself, A&W was always there. Hence, many Singaporeans yearn for A&W to make a comeback.On Facebook, there are many pages created by fans, called â€Å"Like to bring back A&W in Singapore†, â€Å"Bring back A&W restaurant in Singapore† and many other pages that support A&W into coming back to Singapore. The pages have over 18,000 likes and every now and then, fans would post comments on the wall asking when they are making a comeback or why have they left. Whenever Singaporeans visit Malaysia or Batam, the first thing they think of is to visit the nearest A&W restaurant as well. This shows evidence that A&W has left a huge impression despite drowning due to intense competition.Demand is undoubtedly high and the memories A&W created for its customers is so strong that people are protesting for it to come back until today. Situation Analysis Problems/Risks faced in the Marketplace a) Problems * Viewed as â€Å"Unh ealthy Junk Food† Being a fast food restaurant chain, A&W is perceived as unhealthy and customers may see it as â€Å"just another fast food restaurant†. Because their menu contains fatty food such as Burger, Chicken, Hot Dogs, French Fries, Nuggets, Ice Cream, Milkshakes etc, it may turn customers off as they do not provide a variety of healthy alternative options.Being a family oriented restaurant, it is important that A&W first convince adults or parents to choose their dining experience to be at A&W because they are the ones that have the buying power to bring their children to the restaurant. Hence, if adults or parents are convinced that the food offered by A&W is generally unhealthy or simply seen as â€Å"junk food†, they will not consider bringing their family to dine there regularly, unless for rare treats. * Considered relatively small compared to competitors In 2003, A&W was acquired by YUM! Brands.Currently for A&W, there are over 1,200 restaurants i ncluding 350 international stores in 16 countries and territories. Comparing this figure to other YUM! ’s flagship stores, KFC has about 17,000 restaurants worldwide. McDonald’s has over 34,000 stores worldwide, while Subway has 35,000 locations around the world. With contrast to the other competitors, A&W is relatively small. b) Risks * Of being shut down due to fierce competitions In 1966, A&W launched their first business at Dunearn Road, near the former University of Singapore’s Bukit Timah Campus.The chain was expanding fast, but due to fierce competitions from other fast food competitors, it eventually closed down in 2003. Thus, it is a risk to bring back A&W to Singapore as it has been shut down previously due to intense competition. * Of having inability to handle high cost due to small size Given A&W’s size, there is a risk of the company not being able to handle the high cost as compared to competitors. Because they are relatively small in compa rison to other fast food chain outlets, food inventory, logistics, transportation and other cost may come in as an issue while for ompetitors it is not an issue as they already have many outlets spread in Singapore. Potential The first A&W store opened in Singapore in 1966. Back then, people were more conservative and health conscious which led to one of the reasons why A&W closed down in Singapore in the early 2000s. However, times have changed. Singaporeans these days are much affluent than they used to be. The younger generation is more career-oriented and this leads to more people eating out as they often work overtime. In the current fast-paced society, demand for more  convenient meals is also increasing.Although awareness of the importance of proper diet increased, fast-food, snacks and soft-drink  consumption is also still on the rise. Wendy’s was first in Singapore during the 1980s. Not long before their opening, Wendy’s faced the same issue as A&W due to intense competition and as a result, collapsed and shut down their outlet which was operating at Far East Plaza and Parkway Parade. However, in 2009, the US fast chain reopened in Singapore at Lau Pa Sat in the Central Business District. Since then, they have grown and just recently opened their 11th restaurant at Jurong East MRT Station.Therefore, despite failing in the earlier years, they manage to make a successful comeback and A&W should perhaps make a comeback too. Wendy’s comeback shows evidence that there is potential in the rise of fast food chain outlets. Competition AW operates in the product category of fast food sandwich chains, which is highly competitive and developed. Today,  the three giants in the local fast-food business are McDonald's,  Kentucky Fried Chicken and Burger King, with McDonald's leading the pack. A&W simply cannot compete with the thousands of stores their rivals have world-wide.Although AW does not have the number of units or financial res ources that some of its competitors have now, they do have good brand recognition since they bring about childhood memories to Singaporeans. (i) MacDonald The number of people who thronged  MacDonald’s first outlet opening was so large;  a world record was set for serving the world's highest volume of hamburgers in a single day. Today, McDonald has over 120 restaurants across the island serve 1. 2 million customers every week. Around 9,000 employees keep the McDonald's restaurants running ship-shape.The popular chain is well-known for its Big Macs, Quarter Pounders, and Chicken McNuggets. Most of the outlets are free-standing units offering dine-in and drive-through service. Today one can  find a McDonald's restaurant  in almost every corner of the island and over 40 operating as 24hours stores. About 80% of the restaurants are run by franchisees or affiliates. (ii) Burger King BURGER KING commenced operations in Singapore since 1982 through the opening of its first r estaurant at Peninsula Plaza. Over the years, Burger King Singapore Pte. Ltd. perates more than 40 restaurants in Singapore where customers across the island city can enjoy the great and healthy flame-grilled taste of their products. Providing customers with a great dining experience in the areas of convenience, excellent service and friendly surroundings is and also for the wide and unique menu options is what Burger King achieved. In addition to its popular Whopper sandwich, the chain offers a selection of burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, and breakfast items, along with beverages, desserts, and sides. (iii) KFCKFC is the leader in the chicken segment in the Singapore Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry. There are over 15,000  KFC  outlets in 105 countries and territories around the world. Upon entering every KFC outlets, one will be captivated by the chicken’s aroma. At KFC, they offer high quality and great tasting food in a popular array of complete meals such as Daily Savers Meals, Snackers and Family Feast that enable the whole family to share a fun and satisfying experience with all the affordability and convenience of a fast food restaurant.The popular chain is well known for its fried chicken and its various incarnations – chicken burgers, drumlets, nuggets, ‘popcorn' chicken. The chicken comes in various flavours – original, spicy, crispy. Unique Selling Advantages * World’s No. 1 Root Beer A;W Root Beer is the world's number one selling root beer float and is still mixed fresh daily and sold at hundreds of A&W restaurants. Customers dine at A&W to enjoy their signature products like root beers floats, deep fried cheese curds  and waffles. Long Heritage When people talk about A&W in Singapore, they think of the past and memories because it is the first fast food restaurant in Singapore. Hence, the history behind A&W is a unique selling point as people will always remember A&W as they grew up eating it. Till now, they are still making memories and All American Food. Having a strong history over the brand A&W, is what other competitors can’t achieved. Current Positioning Over the years, A&W has position themselves as a childhood fast food brand.Some positioning strategy that A&W has adopted will be emotional, functional and promotional. The emotional positioning strongly taps into boomers’ memories of their youth at A&W, with the objective of creating smiles and reminisce. The functional positioning focuses on the simple indulgence of a great burger just like it was in 1956. The promotional positioning reflects great value for a premium product. A&W focus their efforts on baby boomers— a market virtually ignored by the other fast-food chains.This group, born between 1946 and 1964, grew up with A&W drive-ins. The brand truly represents their youth and the simple joys that came along with it. We want to bring back memories of these boomers having countless â€Å" firsts† at A&W growing up: their first trip to a fast-food restaurant, â€Å"graduating† to their first Teen Burger, going out on their first date, driving their first car— these were all very important and rich memories. It was clear that A&W is one of the few brands that have the right to align themselves with these milestones in boomers’ lives.We feel that the current positioning is strong and we believe it would work out for our objectives of our campaign. This insight became the basis for an important element of our campaign. IMC Strategies Overall Theme/Big Idea To bring back the fast food chain that Singaporeans grew up loving, focussing on our central theme, â€Å"Bringing back the good old days†. * Creative Direction The advertising appeal that we would use to attract the attention of consumers will be through emotional appeal because emotional appeal will be easier for us to relate our BIG IDEA and campaign to our target group.The way our big idea will be conveyed to consumers will be through slice of life execution as it is able to portray a real life situation that consumers may face daily. As our big idea is to bring back the good old times to consumer who patronize A&W on their re-opening, our advertising video will be about a man who had a hard time at work as his job pile stacks higher and higher but when he walk into A&W and drink their signature root beer float, flash back of the good times he had appeared in his brain making his frown and stressful face to turn into a wide smile, enjoying the moment.Public Relations * Publicity Vehicles Vehicle wraps is one of the most cost efficient advertising tools. Because we believe they have the ability to generate more advertising impressions than any other advertising medium available, we will be hiring three trucks to drive around high traffic areas such as Orchard Road to showcase that A&W is coming back to Singapore. We will feature our theme, â€Å"Bringing back the good old memories near you† to bring awareness to consumers that A&W is returning. Inside the truck, it will contain mini cans of A&W that we will be selling to the public.For every can purchased at $1, customers will get a free A&W balloon to show support for wanting to bring A&W back to Singapore. * Community Activities With the proceeds earned from the mini canned drinks, we will be donating 50% of the proceeds to poor families with low income. Since A&W is a family restaurant, we want to show the importance of family. Thus, A&W will donate proceeds of the earnings to people who deserve it to show our welfare and concern, and to show the community that A&W cares about the society. Sales PromotionThere are various sales promotional tools that A&W can make use of to introduce their come-back in Singapore and so to stimulate trial, repeat or larger purchases. To suit our â€Å"old school† theme campaign, we have decided to make use of 4 different sales promotional tools and they are namely coupons, contests/sweepstakes, price-off deal and frequency programs. Coupons will be distributed using social media website such as Facebook and twitter. A picture of the coupon will be posted on the official Facebook page of A&W and this coupon can be printed and will entitle them to 2 different benefits.On the day of the opening, consumers will be able to enjoy 10% off their total bill instantly upon flashing the coupon and after doing so, a bounce back coupons printed in black and white using old school design will also be given to these consumers in order to encourage repeat purchase. The reason of combining this 2 different method is because of our â€Å"old school† theme. Since our theme focuses on bringing back childhood memories of the consumers, it would be more appropriate if we can make use of traditional marketing method.However, we will be using a small part of social media as it has become increasingly popular among teenagers these day s that make it a much easier and cost-efficient way to reach out to our consumers. However, this promotion will only be valid for a month to introduce the comeback of A&W. Our price-off deals includes set meals which will be available at all times. Since our target audiences are families and our marketing idea is to bring back childhood memories, family set meals is definitely a must-have in our menu.A frequency program will also be combined together with a contest to encourage consumers to try out all the different product that is available on the menu. A frequency card will be issued on your first alacarte purchase and 10 different stamps would need to be collected in order to enjoy the benefit and so to participate in the contest. These 10 collectible stamps represent the different alacarte items; a stamp will be rewarded for each alacarte items being purchased. Collect all 10 different stamps and it will entitle customers to redeem a free â€Å"set meal of the week†.Upon redemption, personal data will need to be filled in at the back of the card to redeem their prizes. This can also be reference for our customer database. Personal Selling For our campaign, we will be having staffs going around the event areas to serve and answer any enquiries by our audience. For example, our staffs will explain to them the main objectives of this campaign and the main reason in bringing back A&W. These will actually nature relationships with customers by understanding their needs and demands. Not only that, we can solve their doubts and recommend ways to satisfy them.Also, our mascots will be going around interacting and bonding with the customers. Customers can take pictures with our mascots or even talk to it. After our campaign, more customers would be informed and will patronize our stores. This will actually brings popularity and publicity for A&W. Direct Marketing & Online Communication Flyers will be distributed to the public around neighbourhood and town ar eas. This will help increase the awareness of consumers that are shopping or staying nearby, giving them a heads-up of what’s going on around them.To ensure that these Flyers will not be treated as junk mail, a free ice-cream coupon will be attached to it. However, consumers can only redeem the free ice cream upon purchasing a set meal. Though our main focus is to publicize re-launching of A&W using outdoor, however there is also a need to use new media to reach out to the younger group of consumers who have not heard of A&W before. We will plan to reach out to them through the means of social media platforms such as facebook and twitter.We will post pictures about during A&W store renovation and what are the varieties of food that A&W will be offering to keep them updated and excited to A&W’s countdown. We will also set up a local A&W website so that the younger generations can find out more about us through this means of platform. Media Strategy & Media Mix (a) Adver tising Campaign With the results that we have obtained through our surveys, we have decided to come out with an advertising campaign for A&W with the objective of letting A&W bring back childhood memories and happiness back to our target audience.Our campaign tag line will be â€Å"A&W, bringing back the good old times. † This advertising campaign is to promote brand recall to our target audience that A&W is back to serve them their favourite Signature Root Beer Float, Curly Fries and their other specialties. We have decided to use local advertising as our aim is to bring A&W back to Singapore. Since our campaign objective and big idea is to bring back old memories, we will be using traditional media such as outdoor posters of media class and media vehicle as well to advertise on A&W will be coming back to Singapore.Media class is a broad category of media such as broadcast, print, outdoor, interactive and etc. Out of all these, we will be choosing outdoor prints advertisemen ts as many people are expecting to see A&W advertisements at outdoor places. Media vehicles will be at bus stops, train stations and even on buses. Thus, for bus stops, we will be having a simple advert of A&W's logo and campaign theme with a digital countdown system at the bottom of the poster, stating how many more days to A;W's re-opening.For train stations, we have decided to have our advert to be paste at Toa Payoh station as it is a district located in the central region of Singapore with many housing estates and facilities around them. Hence, it would be great for us to put our advertisements there as it is not that expensive compared to placing it at orchard and Toa Payoh is more of a family oriented place. So, it would be a win-win situation for us as not only could we save money but we would be able to reach out to our target audience which is families as well.Lastly, for buses, we have decided to check a few buses to have A&W's advertisement on them while inside of the bu s will have mini advertisement posters hanging on the poles where anybody who takes it will be given a 20% off when purchasing from A;W when they re-open in Singapore. Another media class that we will be choosing is television channels. As for the media vehicles will be television channels such as Channel 8 and Channel 5. The reason why we have chose these 2 channels is because people are expecting to see our advertisements on TV and Channel 5 ; 8 audience are mostly families.Hence, it matches with our target audience. Continuity scheduling technique will be used to re-reach to our target audience so that we can arouse more attention from the public. The television advertisement that we will be coming out with will be more family oriented, focusing on our theme of bringing back the good old times. There will be approximately 4 parts of the scene which depicts how A;W will bring back the good old times to consumers from the new technology world. It will also show howA;W will release their stressful life after visiting A;W where flashback of good old memories made their day a better one. Every week one scene will be played and at the end of the 4 weeks, it will be also the day where A;W re-open in Singapore. Though there are downsides of selecting these media tools such as high production cost and short exposure time but we are confident that with the correct location for our posters to be placed up at and with interesting television advertisement, we will be able to gain the response that we are targeting to achieve. b) Marketing Mix Strategies Product: People remember A;W for their unique root beer float over the years till now. Today, it has franchise locations throughout much of the world, serving a typical fast food menu of hamburgers and French fries, as well as hot dogs. One would be able to enjoy the unique and quality food served in A;W outlets at the same time creating/recalling memories of the past times at A;W. Not only that, A;W packaging colors of brown, white, orange and yellow also left an impactful impressions to their customers.Place: The place of our campaign will be all around Singapore but putting more focus at Toa Payoh as we are planning to re-open the A;W outlet there. The reason why we choose Toa Payoh is due to the high traffic flow of families around that area. They have many facilities like Safra, Swimming Complex, library, movie theatre and neighbourhood schools which would attract many school kids and families who visit Toa Payoh for their variety of facilities over there. Hence the selection of the location where our main campaign location will be along with the big poster of A;W reopening paste on the train station of Toa Payoh.Price: The price of A;W standard food combos will be approximately from $5 to $8. Prices are stated based on analysis of other competitors price and cost of product. Besides standard food combos which includes main course and their signature root beer float, A;W will also sell ala car t items such as their curly fries, burgers and others. Regular curly fries will be set at $2 will large curly fries will be $3. For their regular signature root beer float will be $2. 95 while large signature root beer float will be $3. 5 and jumbo signature root beer float for two will be charged at $4. 95. Promotion: During the campaign period, customers who visit A;W with the mini advertisement that they took from the busses will be entitled to a 20% discount on standard food combos purchased or a total bill of $5 and above. This promotion will last one month from the day of reopening of A;W at Toa Payoh. The promotion is created to attract the crowd back to A;W and also attention of the public. Campaign Budget | Description| Quantity| Duration| Pay rate| Total| Public Relations| | 1. | Trucks| 3| 3 hrs| $150/day| $450| 2. | Drivers (3hrs/day)| 3| 3 hrs| $15/hr| $135| 3. | Workers| 6| 3 hrs| $6/hr| $108| 4. | Donations| | | | $150| | Sales Promotion| | 5. | Printing of Coupons| 5 0,000| | | $1000| 6. | Coupon Value(Digital Coupon)| 50,000| | | $25,000| 7. | Production of Frequency Card| 50,000| | | $3000| | Direct Marketing| | 8. | Production of Flyers| 100,000| | | $2500| 9. | Flyer Distributor| 5 | 10 hours| $6/hr| $300| 10. | Mascot| 1| 8 hours| $8/hr| $64| | Advertising| | 1. | Poster Space: Toa Payoh MRT Station | 1| 2. 5 weeks| | $15,000| 12. | Poster Space: All Toa Payoh Bus Stops| | 2. 5 weeks| | $10,000| 13. | Advertising: Comfort Delgro| | 2. 5 weeks| | $8,000| 14. | Print Productions for posters etc. | | | | $30,000| 15. | TV commercial (15seconds)AirTime on Channel 8| 3 slots/day| 2 weeks| $500/time slot $1500/day| $21,000| 16. | TV commercial (15seconds)AirTime on Channel 5| 3 slots/day| 2 weeks| $500/time slot $1500/day| $21,000| | Total| $137,707| Round-Up Budget| $150,000| Marketing a & W Executive Summary A&W Restaurants, Inc. is a chain of fast-food restaurants that specialize in root beer and root beer floats. It is the first fast food restaurant in Singapore and expansion was fast in the early nineties, but in 2003, A&W’s Singapore operations came to an end. Many Singaporeans grew up eating A&W, and that is one reason why many people are protesting for it to make a comeback in Singapore. Hence, our campaign will draw an emotional appeal, focusing on the theme, â€Å"Bringing back the good old memories†.Based on this central theme, this report covers the Public Relations, Sales Promotions, Personal Selling, Direct Marketing and Budget proposed for the nature of our campaign. A survey was conducted and given out to 80 random applicants to find out more about what they think of the organisation. Online research was also done to examine some of the risks or problems faced in the marketplace, its potential, competition, unique selling advantages and A&Wâ €™s current positioning. Lastly, we have come up with creative strategies to enhance the advertising campaign. Bringing back the good old times† focuses on the old days so we will mainly be using traditional media to stay consistent to our theme. As many youngsters these days use social media to connect, we will also be using a few online methods to stay connected to the new generation. Lastly, putting into consideration the aspects of our personal selling, sales promotion, direct marketing and advertising costs, the proposed costing for the total campaign will be approximately $137,707. IMC Objectives * AdvertisingTo bring back A&W to Singapore by creating brand awareness through focussing on our central theme, â€Å"Bringing back the good old days† and to create the likeability of amongst 80% of our target audience. * Public Relations To create interest and maintain positive image for A&W by drawing as much publicity as possible, and gain huge exposure to reach ou t to our target audience with 30% additional publicity. * Sales promotion Uses price, coupons to help drive and increase attendance by 30% and to also encourage brand switching.Increase consumption and A&W’s sales by at least 3% and to add at least 5% to overall market share by 2015. Agency Introduction Based in Singapore, APG Advertising Pte Ltd was established in 1996 providing a comprehensive range of services. We take the task of understanding the business and propose attractive promotions or campaigns, tailored to your specific industry and budget. We also help clients and our teams put more creativity into campaign planning and capable of handling a variety of advertising for business of different natures.Our teams of professionals, armed with expert knowledge of current trends in the market, embark on providing refreshing marketing ideas to kick start your businesses. We service to not only the local market, but also have our global networks, particularly to Asia, such as Malaysia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. APG Advertising Agency possesses skilled employees who have combined experience of over 25 years servicing to the local and international industry. We are a fully accredited service agency.We have run print ads, bus advertisements, MRT advertisements, radio/television commercials, point of sales ads, marketing brochures, brand building and have even created websites. Some of the big firms who have used our services include Bank of China, Maybank, Hyflux, Serta, etc. Accreditations from well-known Institutions * Association of Accredited Advertising Agents, Singapore (4As) * Institute of Advertising, Singapore (IAS) * Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) * MediaCorp Singapore Group (MCS) Various Campaigns (Pls refer to Appendix) * Aberdeen * Realstar * Singapore International (Motor Show) * Natas TravelBackground Research Client’s Background A&W Restaurants, Inc. was established in 1919 in Lodi, California, United States. It is a chain of fast-food restaurants that specialize in root beer and root beer floats. The name A&W came about from the surname of the initials Roy W. Allen and Frank Wright. Hence, started the company’s humble beginnings, as A&W. The first fast food restaurant in Singapore was not McDonald’s or KFC, it was A&W. The chain’s expansion was fast in the early nineties, but in the late nineties, the branch at Singapore Zoo closed down, leaving Singapore with seven outlets remaining in 2002.A year later, A&W’s Singapore operations came to an end after shutting down their last outlet at Hougang Heartland Mall. Being the first fast food restaurant in Singapore, A&W left a huge impact on many Singaporeans as they grew up eating A&W. Long before MacDonald, KFC and Burger King came into the picture, it was the most favourite among the teens. It was seen to be â€Å"cool† hanging out in A&W restaurant. Whether it was an easy takeaway (A&W drive through), i ndulging in fast food, or giving a good treat to pamper oneself, A&W was always there. Hence, many Singaporeans yearn for A&W to make a comeback.On Facebook, there are many pages created by fans, called â€Å"Like to bring back A&W in Singapore†, â€Å"Bring back A&W restaurant in Singapore† and many other pages that support A&W into coming back to Singapore. The pages have over 18,000 likes and every now and then, fans would post comments on the wall asking when they are making a comeback or why have they left. Whenever Singaporeans visit Malaysia or Batam, the first thing they think of is to visit the nearest A&W restaurant as well. This shows evidence that A&W has left a huge impression despite drowning due to intense competition.Demand is undoubtedly high and the memories A&W created for its customers is so strong that people are protesting for it to come back until today. Situation Analysis Problems/Risks faced in the Marketplace a) Problems * Viewed as â€Å"Unh ealthy Junk Food† Being a fast food restaurant chain, A&W is perceived as unhealthy and customers may see it as â€Å"just another fast food restaurant†. Because their menu contains fatty food such as Burger, Chicken, Hot Dogs, French Fries, Nuggets, Ice Cream, Milkshakes etc, it may turn customers off as they do not provide a variety of healthy alternative options.Being a family oriented restaurant, it is important that A&W first convince adults or parents to choose their dining experience to be at A&W because they are the ones that have the buying power to bring their children to the restaurant. Hence, if adults or parents are convinced that the food offered by A&W is generally unhealthy or simply seen as â€Å"junk food†, they will not consider bringing their family to dine there regularly, unless for rare treats. * Considered relatively small compared to competitors In 2003, A&W was acquired by YUM! Brands.Currently for A&W, there are over 1,200 restaurants i ncluding 350 international stores in 16 countries and territories. Comparing this figure to other YUM! ’s flagship stores, KFC has about 17,000 restaurants worldwide. McDonald’s has over 34,000 stores worldwide, while Subway has 35,000 locations around the world. With contrast to the other competitors, A&W is relatively small. b) Risks * Of being shut down due to fierce competitions In 1966, A&W launched their first business at Dunearn Road, near the former University of Singapore’s Bukit Timah Campus.The chain was expanding fast, but due to fierce competitions from other fast food competitors, it eventually closed down in 2003. Thus, it is a risk to bring back A&W to Singapore as it has been shut down previously due to intense competition. * Of having inability to handle high cost due to small size Given A&W’s size, there is a risk of the company not being able to handle the high cost as compared to competitors. Because they are relatively small in compa rison to other fast food chain outlets, food inventory, logistics, transportation and other cost may come in as an issue while for ompetitors it is not an issue as they already have many outlets spread in Singapore. Potential The first A&W store opened in Singapore in 1966. Back then, people were more conservative and health conscious which led to one of the reasons why A&W closed down in Singapore in the early 2000s. However, times have changed. Singaporeans these days are much affluent than they used to be. The younger generation is more career-oriented and this leads to more people eating out as they often work overtime. In the current fast-paced society, demand for more  convenient meals is also increasing.Although awareness of the importance of proper diet increased, fast-food, snacks and soft-drink  consumption is also still on the rise. Wendy’s was first in Singapore during the 1980s. Not long before their opening, Wendy’s faced the same issue as A&W due to intense competition and as a result, collapsed and shut down their outlet which was operating at Far East Plaza and Parkway Parade. However, in 2009, the US fast chain reopened in Singapore at Lau Pa Sat in the Central Business District. Since then, they have grown and just recently opened their 11th restaurant at Jurong East MRT Station.Therefore, despite failing in the earlier years, they manage to make a successful comeback and A&W should perhaps make a comeback too. Wendy’s comeback shows evidence that there is potential in the rise of fast food chain outlets. Competition AW operates in the product category of fast food sandwich chains, which is highly competitive and developed. Today,  the three giants in the local fast-food business are McDonald's,  Kentucky Fried Chicken and Burger King, with McDonald's leading the pack. A&W simply cannot compete with the thousands of stores their rivals have world-wide.Although AW does not have the number of units or financial res ources that some of its competitors have now, they do have good brand recognition since they bring about childhood memories to Singaporeans. (i) MacDonald The number of people who thronged  MacDonald’s first outlet opening was so large;  a world record was set for serving the world's highest volume of hamburgers in a single day. Today, McDonald has over 120 restaurants across the island serve 1. 2 million customers every week. Around 9,000 employees keep the McDonald's restaurants running ship-shape.The popular chain is well-known for its Big Macs, Quarter Pounders, and Chicken McNuggets. Most of the outlets are free-standing units offering dine-in and drive-through service. Today one can  find a McDonald's restaurant  in almost every corner of the island and over 40 operating as 24hours stores. About 80% of the restaurants are run by franchisees or affiliates. (ii) Burger King BURGER KING commenced operations in Singapore since 1982 through the opening of its first r estaurant at Peninsula Plaza. Over the years, Burger King Singapore Pte. Ltd. perates more than 40 restaurants in Singapore where customers across the island city can enjoy the great and healthy flame-grilled taste of their products. Providing customers with a great dining experience in the areas of convenience, excellent service and friendly surroundings is and also for the wide and unique menu options is what Burger King achieved. In addition to its popular Whopper sandwich, the chain offers a selection of burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, and breakfast items, along with beverages, desserts, and sides. (iii) KFCKFC is the leader in the chicken segment in the Singapore Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry. There are over 15,000  KFC  outlets in 105 countries and territories around the world. Upon entering every KFC outlets, one will be captivated by the chicken’s aroma. At KFC, they offer high quality and great tasting food in a popular array of complete meals such as Daily Savers Meals, Snackers and Family Feast that enable the whole family to share a fun and satisfying experience with all the affordability and convenience of a fast food restaurant.The popular chain is well known for its fried chicken and its various incarnations – chicken burgers, drumlets, nuggets, ‘popcorn' chicken. The chicken comes in various flavours – original, spicy, crispy. Unique Selling Advantages * World’s No. 1 Root Beer A;W Root Beer is the world's number one selling root beer float and is still mixed fresh daily and sold at hundreds of A&W restaurants. Customers dine at A&W to enjoy their signature products like root beers floats, deep fried cheese curds  and waffles. Long Heritage When people talk about A&W in Singapore, they think of the past and memories because it is the first fast food restaurant in Singapore. Hence, the history behind A&W is a unique selling point as people will always remember A&W as they grew up eating it. Till now, they are still making memories and All American Food. Having a strong history over the brand A&W, is what other competitors can’t achieved. Current Positioning Over the years, A&W has position themselves as a childhood fast food brand.Some positioning strategy that A&W has adopted will be emotional, functional and promotional. The emotional positioning strongly taps into boomers’ memories of their youth at A&W, with the objective of creating smiles and reminisce. The functional positioning focuses on the simple indulgence of a great burger just like it was in 1956. The promotional positioning reflects great value for a premium product. A&W focus their efforts on baby boomers— a market virtually ignored by the other fast-food chains.This group, born between 1946 and 1964, grew up with A&W drive-ins. The brand truly represents their youth and the simple joys that came along with it. We want to bring back memories of these boomers having countless â€Å" firsts† at A&W growing up: their first trip to a fast-food restaurant, â€Å"graduating† to their first Teen Burger, going out on their first date, driving their first car— these were all very important and rich memories. It was clear that A&W is one of the few brands that have the right to align themselves with these milestones in boomers’ lives.We feel that the current positioning is strong and we believe it would work out for our objectives of our campaign. This insight became the basis for an important element of our campaign. IMC Strategies Overall Theme/Big Idea To bring back the fast food chain that Singaporeans grew up loving, focussing on our central theme, â€Å"Bringing back the good old days†. * Creative Direction The advertising appeal that we would use to attract the attention of consumers will be through emotional appeal because emotional appeal will be easier for us to relate our BIG IDEA and campaign to our target group.The way our big idea will be conveyed to consumers will be through slice of life execution as it is able to portray a real life situation that consumers may face daily. As our big idea is to bring back the good old times to consumer who patronize A&W on their re-opening, our advertising video will be about a man who had a hard time at work as his job pile stacks higher and higher but when he walk into A&W and drink their signature root beer float, flash back of the good times he had appeared in his brain making his frown and stressful face to turn into a wide smile, enjoying the moment.Public Relations * Publicity Vehicles Vehicle wraps is one of the most cost efficient advertising tools. Because we believe they have the ability to generate more advertising impressions than any other advertising medium available, we will be hiring three trucks to drive around high traffic areas such as Orchard Road to showcase that A&W is coming back to Singapore. We will feature our theme, â€Å"Bringing back the good old memories near you† to bring awareness to consumers that A&W is returning. Inside the truck, it will contain mini cans of A&W that we will be selling to the public.For every can purchased at $1, customers will get a free A&W balloon to show support for wanting to bring A&W back to Singapore. * Community Activities With the proceeds earned from the mini canned drinks, we will be donating 50% of the proceeds to poor families with low income. Since A&W is a family restaurant, we want to show the importance of family. Thus, A&W will donate proceeds of the earnings to people who deserve it to show our welfare and concern, and to show the community that A&W cares about the society. Sales PromotionThere are various sales promotional tools that A&W can make use of to introduce their come-back in Singapore and so to stimulate trial, repeat or larger purchases. To suit our â€Å"old school† theme campaign, we have decided to make use of 4 different sales promotional tools and they are namely coupons, contests/sweepstakes, price-off deal and frequency programs. Coupons will be distributed using social media website such as Facebook and twitter. A picture of the coupon will be posted on the official Facebook page of A&W and this coupon can be printed and will entitle them to 2 different benefits.On the day of the opening, consumers will be able to enjoy 10% off their total bill instantly upon flashing the coupon and after doing so, a bounce back coupons printed in black and white using old school design will also be given to these consumers in order to encourage repeat purchase. The reason of combining this 2 different method is because of our â€Å"old school† theme. Since our theme focuses on bringing back childhood memories of the consumers, it would be more appropriate if we can make use of traditional marketing method.However, we will be using a small part of social media as it has become increasingly popular among teenagers these day s that make it a much easier and cost-efficient way to reach out to our consumers. However, this promotion will only be valid for a month to introduce the comeback of A&W. Our price-off deals includes set meals which will be available at all times. Since our target audiences are families and our marketing idea is to bring back childhood memories, family set meals is definitely a must-have in our menu.A frequency program will also be combined together with a contest to encourage consumers to try out all the different product that is available on the menu. A frequency card will be issued on your first alacarte purchase and 10 different stamps would need to be collected in order to enjoy the benefit and so to participate in the contest. These 10 collectible stamps represent the different alacarte items; a stamp will be rewarded for each alacarte items being purchased. Collect all 10 different stamps and it will entitle customers to redeem a free â€Å"set meal of the week†.Upon redemption, personal data will need to be filled in at the back of the card to redeem their prizes. This can also be reference for our customer database. Personal Selling For our campaign, we will be having staffs going around the event areas to serve and answer any enquiries by our audience. For example, our staffs will explain to them the main objectives of this campaign and the main reason in bringing back A&W. These will actually nature relationships with customers by understanding their needs and demands. Not only that, we can solve their doubts and recommend ways to satisfy them.Also, our mascots will be going around interacting and bonding with the customers. Customers can take pictures with our mascots or even talk to it. After our campaign, more customers would be informed and will patronize our stores. This will actually brings popularity and publicity for A&W. Direct Marketing & Online Communication Flyers will be distributed to the public around neighbourhood and town ar eas. This will help increase the awareness of consumers that are shopping or staying nearby, giving them a heads-up of what’s going on around them.To ensure that these Flyers will not be treated as junk mail, a free ice-cream coupon will be attached to it. However, consumers can only redeem the free ice cream upon purchasing a set meal. Though our main focus is to publicize re-launching of A&W using outdoor, however there is also a need to use new media to reach out to the younger group of consumers who have not heard of A&W before. We will plan to reach out to them through the means of social media platforms such as facebook and twitter.We will post pictures about during A&W store renovation and what are the varieties of food that A&W will be offering to keep them updated and excited to A&W’s countdown. We will also set up a local A&W website so that the younger generations can find out more about us through this means of platform. Media Strategy & Media Mix (a) Adver tising Campaign With the results that we have obtained through our surveys, we have decided to come out with an advertising campaign for A&W with the objective of letting A&W bring back childhood memories and happiness back to our target audience.Our campaign tag line will be â€Å"A&W, bringing back the good old times. † This advertising campaign is to promote brand recall to our target audience that A&W is back to serve them their favourite Signature Root Beer Float, Curly Fries and their other specialties. We have decided to use local advertising as our aim is to bring A&W back to Singapore. Since our campaign objective and big idea is to bring back old memories, we will be using traditional media such as outdoor posters of media class and media vehicle as well to advertise on A&W will be coming back to Singapore.Media class is a broad category of media such as broadcast, print, outdoor, interactive and etc. Out of all these, we will be choosing outdoor prints advertisemen ts as many people are expecting to see A&W advertisements at outdoor places. Media vehicles will be at bus stops, train stations and even on buses. Thus, for bus stops, we will be having a simple advert of A&W's logo and campaign theme with a digital countdown system at the bottom of the poster, stating how many more days to A;W's re-opening.For train stations, we have decided to have our advert to be paste at Toa Payoh station as it is a district located in the central region of Singapore with many housing estates and facilities around them. Hence, it would be great for us to put our advertisements there as it is not that expensive compared to placing it at orchard and Toa Payoh is more of a family oriented place. So, it would be a win-win situation for us as not only could we save money but we would be able to reach out to our target audience which is families as well.Lastly, for buses, we have decided to check a few buses to have A&W's advertisement on them while inside of the bu s will have mini advertisement posters hanging on the poles where anybody who takes it will be given a 20% off when purchasing from A;W when they re-open in Singapore. Another media class that we will be choosing is television channels. As for the media vehicles will be television channels such as Channel 8 and Channel 5. The reason why we have chose these 2 channels is because people are expecting to see our advertisements on TV and Channel 5 ; 8 audience are mostly families.Hence, it matches with our target audience. Continuity scheduling technique will be used to re-reach to our target audience so that we can arouse more attention from the public. The television advertisement that we will be coming out with will be more family oriented, focusing on our theme of bringing back the good old times. There will be approximately 4 parts of the scene which depicts how A;W will bring back the good old times to consumers from the new technology world. It will also show howA;W will release their stressful life after visiting A;W where flashback of good old memories made their day a better one. Every week one scene will be played and at the end of the 4 weeks, it will be also the day where A;W re-open in Singapore. Though there are downsides of selecting these media tools such as high production cost and short exposure time but we are confident that with the correct location for our posters to be placed up at and with interesting television advertisement, we will be able to gain the response that we are targeting to achieve. b) Marketing Mix Strategies Product: People remember A;W for their unique root beer float over the years till now. Today, it has franchise locations throughout much of the world, serving a typical fast food menu of hamburgers and French fries, as well as hot dogs. One would be able to enjoy the unique and quality food served in A;W outlets at the same time creating/recalling memories of the past times at A;W. Not only that, A;W packaging colors of brown, white, orange and yellow also left an impactful impressions to their customers.Place: The place of our campaign will be all around Singapore but putting more focus at Toa Payoh as we are planning to re-open the A;W outlet there. The reason why we choose Toa Payoh is due to the high traffic flow of families around that area. They have many facilities like Safra, Swimming Complex, library, movie theatre and neighbourhood schools which would attract many school kids and families who visit Toa Payoh for their variety of facilities over there. Hence the selection of the location where our main campaign location will be along with the big poster of A;W reopening paste on the train station of Toa Payoh.Price: The price of A;W standard food combos will be approximately from $5 to $8. Prices are stated based on analysis of other competitors price and cost of product. Besides standard food combos which includes main course and their signature root beer float, A;W will also sell ala car t items such as their curly fries, burgers and others. Regular curly fries will be set at $2 will large curly fries will be $3. For their regular signature root beer float will be $2. 95 while large signature root beer float will be $3. 5 and jumbo signature root beer float for two will be charged at $4. 95. Promotion: During the campaign period, customers who visit A;W with the mini advertisement that they took from the busses will be entitled to a 20% discount on standard food combos purchased or a total bill of $5 and above. This promotion will last one month from the day of reopening of A;W at Toa Payoh. The promotion is created to attract the crowd back to A;W and also attention of the public. Campaign Budget | Description| Quantity| Duration| Pay rate| Total| Public Relations| | 1. | Trucks| 3| 3 hrs| $150/day| $450| 2. | Drivers (3hrs/day)| 3| 3 hrs| $15/hr| $135| 3. | Workers| 6| 3 hrs| $6/hr| $108| 4. | Donations| | | | $150| | Sales Promotion| | 5. | Printing of Coupons| 5 0,000| | | $1000| 6. | Coupon Value(Digital Coupon)| 50,000| | | $25,000| 7. | Production of Frequency Card| 50,000| | | $3000| | Direct Marketing| | 8. | Production of Flyers| 100,000| | | $2500| 9. | Flyer Distributor| 5 | 10 hours| $6/hr| $300| 10. | Mascot| 1| 8 hours| $8/hr| $64| | Advertising| | 1. | Poster Space: Toa Payoh MRT Station | 1| 2. 5 weeks| | $15,000| 12. | Poster Space: All Toa Payoh Bus Stops| | 2. 5 weeks| | $10,000| 13. | Advertising: Comfort Delgro| | 2. 5 weeks| | $8,000| 14. | Print Productions for posters etc. | | | | $30,000| 15. | TV commercial (15seconds)AirTime on Channel 8| 3 slots/day| 2 weeks| $500/time slot $1500/day| $21,000| 16. | TV commercial (15seconds)AirTime on Channel 5| 3 slots/day| 2 weeks| $500/time slot $1500/day| $21,000| | Total| $137,707| Round-Up Budget| $150,000|

My Parents Were Right

Narrative Writing : My Parents were right â€Å"Honey ,don’t do this ! Honey , don’t do that ! † Everyday,In my life I have to suffered with all that word . Its so annoying . I am a naughty son . I love hang out with my friends than spending time at home . Sometimes my parents not allowed me just because I must study and score a great result. But, I never listen of what they said . I do feel like they are disturbing my life . Everything I do was wrong from their eyes . Nothing is good . When they scold me ,they say that they are advicing me . However, I can’t accept their ways although they say the rights . Mom, next week is my birthday . Can you make some delicious cake for me with a grand birthday party for me? â€Å", ask me . She just nodded and smile . â€Å"But dear, you must promise me to get a great result in your study ,okay ? † She asked me back with a simple question but hard for me to answer . I just nodd half-heartedness . Then, I got my father at the living room . He was relaxing while read a few of newspapers . â€Å"Dad , can I borrow your motorcycle? I want to go to my friend’s house for invinting them to my party . † â€Å" It’s alright but remember don’t be so late . Your final exam is around the corner . â€Å"Alright,Dad . Don’t worry â€Å",said me while rushing to get the key . My mind is only thinking about the enjoyness of the party will be.. On my birthday party ,I was so enjoyed with my friends . I have got many presents and birthday wishes from them . I think I am the happiest person at that time. I can see everyone are enjoying themselves so as my parents . My mouth incessantly say ‘thank you’. Well it is a blessing nurture from my parents, I admit it . â€Å"Andy , look at this . This is present from us .. ,†said Dad . A huge box of present ,I really don’t know what is inside . I look at my mom and dad ,smiling . â€Å"Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Dad . † After we gathering prayer Maghrib, Dad starting the conversation . I have smell something fishy . â€Å"Andy, If you are thinking that we are shackling you ,it is not like so. We love you so much . Tomorrow, I will send you to another person that I believe more . Talaqqi and take a lot of experiences from him . Knowledge if not sought, you are nothing . Remember what I said . † â€Å"But ,Dad .. I’ve got many friends here ,I really like to stay here better than there . Are you want to separate me from my own life ? † I sobbed . Separate from my own life same like turn off my life . â€Å"Andy ,soon life will be getting more harder than now. Sometimes we must sacrifice now and we will get easier life soon .Believe me . †He calms me although I still not agreeing with him . Mom gently nodded with her gently smile . After five years, I am working as an engineer of chemical at well-known companies and in addition work as professional motivator. Today, I am good in all sort of thing . I have learned beside happiness and difficulty accompanied by blessing . Now , I understand what my parents wants me to being . I knew my parents were right .

Your Title Goes Here

The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after editorial cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on September 30, 2005. Danish Muslim organizations staged protests in response. As the controversy has grown, some or all of the cartoons have been reprinted in newspapers in more than fifty other countries, leading to violent protests involving hundreds of deaths, particularly in Muslim countries. I feel this is a suitable story to explore and analyze media bias and prejudiced reporting, as this is a highly controversial issue between a Muslim population sensitive over what they perceive as a global assault by the Western world on their religion and faith, and both liberals and right wingers alike who feel that freedom of speech is sacred and unassailable. As such, I have included news coverage from 3 distinct sources – Al-Jazeera, commonly regarded as the media champion of the Arab world; BBC, one of the oldest and respected media institutions in the world; and finally, a random daily newspaper from the United States, to compare the news coverage regarding this controversial issue, and to identify any media bias, negative reporting or partisan reporting. Al- Jazeera The link to the story can be found in the â€Å"Works Cited† section of this paper. We would expect from a preliminary basis that Al-Jazeera would typically play up the offensive nature of the cartoons, highlight the perceived insensitivities and double standards of the Western media vis-à  -vis the cartoons and the Holocaust, as well as champion the rights of the Muslim world. Surprisingly, this is not the case. The news article quoted seemed to be factual rather than opinionated in nature, quoting a variety of sources and viewpoints from both sides of the fence, from the Danish media and politicians to Hamas and other Islamic militant groups. No underlying or latent propaganda was detected; indeed, negative quotes were enclosed in double quotes, and attributed to its source. The language used was non-inflammatory, focused on facts and events, and there was no strong hint of an opinion piece. The closest the Al-Jazeera piece came to being biased was when it was reporting on the nature of the cartoons (drawings) at the heart of the controversy. The descriptions used were accurate, non-misleading, and mildly strong. However, there was no mention of the Western world point of view, or of the fact that the combined cartoons at the heart of the controversy which were spread by Danish imams contained 3 additional (highly offensive) drawings not published by the Jyllands-Posten. I conclude that the Al-Jazeera piece, when factual in nature and non-inflammatory, seems more interested in presenting the reaction of the Muslim world as well as the threats made by them, when ignoring the Western point of view. There seemed to be an unusual emphasis on the negative incidents such as attacks and boycotts that has occurred as a result of the backlash against the cartoons. BBC The report by the BBC is by far the most accurate and objective. It presents inconsistencies on the actions and words on both parties (the Danish media and the Danish imams who incited the controversy), reporting in detail how an editor of the Jyllands-Posten rejected cartoons of Jesus Christ with the reason that they would offend. Impressively, the particular section also included (in brackets) a update in which a reader pointed out that the paper did publish a cartoon of the biblical Joseph in 2000, and thus queries why the paper should be criticized over the rejection of the Jesus Christ cartoons, finally ending with the editor’s (of the BBC report) explanation of why the inconsistency was still valid. A detailed account of how the initial cartoons failed to spark any major outrage, until a group of Danish imams made concentrated efforts to spark a controversy by adding 3 cartoons which were highly offensive and insulting (more so that the original cartoons) and were not published by the Jyllands-Posten to a portfolio and touring various Middle Eastern Arab leaders with them follows. The report finally ends with a reflection of the viewpoints and the reaction of both sides. I was very impressed with the objectivity of the reports, and the lengths to which the writer went to portray the inconsistencies of both parties. Washington Post The report by the Washington Post is reminiscent of that by Al-Jazeera; non-inflammatory, factual in nature, no underlying propaganda or strong language, and drawing from a wide variety of sources. However, whereas Al-Jazeera’s report focused solely on the reaction of the Muslim world, Washington Post report carried a fair balance of the reactions of both the Western world and the Muslim world. There was a balance in the strength of the opinions and announcements from both side, and hence I find the Washington Post more balanced and objective, although the BBC outshines the Washington Post in this aspect. Works Cited Reynolds, Paul. Cartoons: Divisions and inconsistencies.   BBC. Monday 13th February 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4708216.stm Fury Grows Over Denmark Cartoons. Al-Jazeera.net. Tuesday 31st January 2006. Sullivan, Kevin. Muslims' Fury Rages Unabated Over Cartoons. The Washington Post. Saturday 11th February, 2006. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/10/AR2006021001822.html ;

Building Management System Bms Server Software Computer Science Essay

Building Management System Bms Server Software Computer Science Essay As we known BMS are created to controlled central computer method which has 3 basis functions, which is controlling, monitoring and also optimizing. However, there is a BMS server software to facilitate the works of facilities management which to functioning within the building and also to fulfill the building operation and maintenance. General Requirement The BMS server system is composed of 3 sets of reducant computers, which communicate with several kinds of input or output devices, subordinate computer system and higher order computer systems. The sections described the software required to achieve the desired functionality of the BMS. The software design is based upon real time data acquisitions and control capability. Data including point values, parameters, messages, instructions, databases access statements, master clock synchronization and other forms of computers data exchange may originates from or be destined for other sub-system and computers and database which may form pat of TAMS. It is responsibility of the BMS Sub-System Contractor to develop, test, document and debug software interface routines and supporting hardware to accomplish the interface requirement of BMS to TAMS and any other system or sub-system with which the BMS is required to communicate. The BMS Sub-System Contractor will provide software for the BMS Sub-System, which is proven in actual field installation of a similar size and scope. The BMS Sub-System Contractor will provide complete information and responses with tenders including reference sites, name, and telephone number of reference site contracts. Software Licensing KLIAB respects the propriety nature of certain software. Commercially available software purchased from a third party such as Microsoft Windows, UNIX, OS/2 and similar software packages are provided. Licenses are bound with the operation and maintenance manuals for BMS system. BMS manufacturer’s proprietary software is provided fully licensed. All BMS manufacturer’s proprietary software will have complete sources codes, programs listings and supporting information deposited in an escrow account at the BMS Sub-System Contractor’s expense. BMS Server Software Operating System The BMS server computers will utilize a multi-user, multi tasking operating system designed for client server operations. The operating system will support all the required software functions and application described in the BMS specifications. Standard services supported by Operating System on serves will include the following: Multi- tasking Multi- user support POSIX 1003, 1 compliance TCP/IP, SLIP Network Support Network File System (NFS) C language complier The BMS Sub-System Contractor will provide to the SMC one complete set of operating system user manuals and programmer’s references manuals bound as part of each BMS Operation and Maintenance Manual. BMS Software Executive The BMS Sub-System Contractor shall provide a complete BMS software executive module which provides at minimum: Workstation communication sport Printer quering and tasking I/O Channel support for up to 99 communication channel Disk optimization routines On-line database backup and restoration Memory management functions Software watchdog functions Networking functions Housekeeping functions Diagnostic routines Server Redundancy Software The BMS Sub-System Contractor will provide six complete server computers arranged as three sets of redundant ‘hot standby’ server system. Each server computer are equipped with all hardware and software with complete capability to support the designated BMS tasks.

Economic of Employment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Economic of Employment - Essay Example Investment banking services include commodity trading, equity trading which are the shares of companies and finally futures and option trading. These are just some of the services they offer in the market and their main difference with the commercial banks is that they do not accept deposits by the clients as savings and also those they don't offer loans. The roles played by the investment banks in the market clearly indicates the type of activities in the bank, employment into an investment bank is usually very competitive and this is because the rewards and high plus other benefits, the firms also offer various personal development programs which enable workers to personally advance in the future. This paper discusses the various daily activities that are present in an investment bank, training programs in the investment bank, and requirements for one to be recruited into the industry, compensation and reward system and finally the problems faced by the investment banks. An investment ban can be defined as a form of bank acts as an intermediary between investors and capital companies and firms, their main purpose is to provide capital requirements of companies and firms in the market, for this reason they will trade in stocks and bonds, they will also undertake structuring and evaluations on mergers and acquisitions, below are the major functions of investment banks: Function: a. Advisory services: An investment bank will offer advice to clients regarding the various investments and business planning, advice will also be offered on strategic planning and financial restructuring in order to achieve a fair proposed transaction, this service is important in the market because most investors and business are not aware of risks involved and also potential profits in the market. These services are offered by those employed and for this reason we can conclude that an individual may be chosen to undertake advisory services in the organization, this services requires good communication skills and also a wide knowledge of the market regarding the various risks and profitability of these options. b. Trading and sales of stocks and option: An investment bank will sell and trade in stocks and new offering in the market, this service is offered to clients who wish to hold securities by buying or selling these securities to them, this process involves the calculation of risk involved in holding stocks sold to them by clients and communicating this information to the clients regarding what they will offer for the stocks. This process requires the hedge of risks of holding such options and also information on the prevailing prices in the market. This service therefore requires that an individual interested in joining the investment bank as an employee must be good in mathematics and also must have the ability to undertake accurate predictions regarding prices in the market in order to avoid losses that may be occurred due to improper decision making, for this reason therefore the recruitment process is very competitive and only the academically qualified applicants are considered. c. Capital

How to create competitive advantage for Chinese companies Dissertation

How to create competitive advantage for Chinese companies - Dissertation Example The Chinese firms have been internationalizing because of the motives both at the firm level and the national level. At the national level, the government’s intent to become the economic superpower and to utilize the foreign exchange reserves drove the Chinese firms to seek overseas opportunities. At the firm level, the Chinese firms were motivated to internationalize in order to acquire resources from the western countries in the form of knowledge, products, technology and strategic position to secure raw materials. However, they ventured into foreign markets without preparing themselves for the challenges that lie ahead. The first and foremost challenge is the Country-of-origin (COO) perception which lends a negative brand image in the minds of the consumers. Other challenges faced by Chinese firms include system inefficiency, technical challenges and capital constraints. Because of the cultural heritage there is excessive government intervention and bureaucracy. The Chinese managers have limited understanding of the local tastes, habits and preferences. They lack in service efficiency and they are conservative in spending on advertising and promotional activities. An evaluation of the theories and the strategy adopted by Haier can help the Chinese companies achieve competitive advantage. Findings reveal that the Chinese companies have to recognize that competitive advantage should be initially built on a smaller scale as small companies are better positioned to understand and satisfy customer needs. They can overcome the negative impact of COO by building a global brand through imagery, logos, slogans and other branding elements. Developing own brand is essential for emerging MNCs as they can face extinction against global companies if they enter the foreign market as the OEM. Targeting the lowest price position can ruin the brand image. Focusing on CSR activities to enhance the brand image can bring them at par with global brands. Incremental and sequential growth should be the strategy to enter foreign markets. Once established in the target market, the Chinese firms can then enter through mergers and acquisitions. The Chinese companies shou ld not focus on ownership as a pre-condition. Entering through alliances and joint ventures, help in controlling costs and enhancing learning opportunities. Overall, the study concludes that Haier pursued a different strategy for internationalization which other Chinese firms can emulate. Effective leadership, combined with global strategy of incremental growth, branding and innovation with investments in technology and developing core competencies can help the Chinese firms overcome the negative impact of the COO and compete against the global companies. The study concluded by suggesting other areas of research on the subject. Table of Contents Chapter I Introduction 1.1 Background 1 1.2 History of competition 3 1.3 Competitive advantage 3 1.4 The Chinese economy and the MNCs 4 1.5 Rationale for the study 5 1.6 Research aims and

Turism and Hospitality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Turism and Hospitality - Essay Example Information and Communication Technology (ICT) techniques are seen to be an answer to such a dynamic business environment. Five themes driving the future of international hospitality industry include information technology, assets and capital management, capacity control, safety and security, and management skills (Olsen in Olson and Connolly, 1999). With the example of airline reservation systems in the 60s to the Central Reservation Systems to the current Global Distribution Systems providing holistic tourism products such as information, reservations and linkages with stakeholders, ICTs have become indispensable. Further with the society changing into 'information knowledge society', business organizations are turning to newer information technologies for survival and competitiveness (Gratzer et. al, 2003). Go (in Buhalis, 1998) identifies some of attributes of ICTs acting as drivers of tourism globalisation. These include, 'cost drivers' in terms of increased efficiency, low distribution cost, low communication cost, low labour cost, minimisation of waste factor and facilitator of flexible pricing; 'market drivers' satisfying sophisticated demand, offering flexibility in operation, supporting specialization and differentiation, providing last minute deals and accurate information, supports relationship marketing strategies for frequent flyers / guests, there is quick reaction to demand fluctuation, multiple / integrated products can be offered and results in better yield management, corporate research and marketing research; 'Government and regulatory drivers' such as support from Government, deregulation and liberalisation and 'competitive drivers' as strategic tool, managing network of enterprises, value-added skill building, flexibility, knowledge acquisition and a barrier to entry . ICTs: Implications for Tourism Industry Poon (in Gratzer et. al, 2003) has described the implications for tourism industry caused by information and communication technologies (ICT). These include, change of rules in the industry; change in role of each player involved in the process of value-creation; facilitation of 'new, flexible, and high quality travel and tourism services that are cost-competitive with mass, standardized, and rigidly packaged options' and transformation of tourism from 'mass, standardized, and rigidly package nature into a more flexible, individual-oriented industry.' Marcussen (in Gratzer et. al, 2003) cites the example of European online travel market to be worth 14 billion Euros by 2006. Buhalis (1998) suggest a multi-dimensional strategic framework for use of information technology and illustrates the strategic implications of information technology for the tourism industry. Strategic Framework for Information Technology in Tourism (Source: Buhalis, 1998, pp. 417) Buhalis (in Buhalis, 1998) illustrates role of information technology in facilitating both intra- and inter-organisational communications and functions. Within a tourism organisation, information technology facilitates management functions such as 'strategic planning, competition analysis, financial planning and control, marketing research, marketing strategy and implementation, pricing