Coca Cola Entering Chinas Market Marketing Essay

Coca Cola Entering Chinas Market Marketing Essay One way to analyze Chinas culture is to look at their Hofstede score. Hofstede is the name of a system that rates countries on a scale across five different work related values: power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, masculinity vs. femininity, uncertainty avoidance, and long vs. short term orientation. Knowing these scored before operating in a country is very important. The power distance index describes the distance between those who are less powerful in the company, like middle and lower-management, and those who are very powerful, like the bosses and officers. The higher scores mean that it is very disrespectful to go to your boss and offer up your opinion about something, and you are suppose to just take what your boss gives you. A low power distance index means that everyone is close to a similar level, and you are allowed to and actually encouraged to offer up your opinion to your bosses. China has a high power distance index, with a rating of 80, being that the worl d average is 55. The individualistic vs. collectivistic index rates how integrated members of a company are. Individualistic countries value getting the job done yourself, and celebrates individual accomplishments. Collectivistic countries value team effort, and do not seek for individual results, and sometimes it can be very embarrassing to be singled out. In china, they have an individualistic vs. collectivistic index rating of 20, compared to the world average of 43. Masculinity, opposed to femininity, defines roles that each gender takes in an organization. Masculine countries show high levels of competitiveness and assertiveness, while feminine counties show low levels of those just described and high levels of modesty and care. A high score in the masculinity index means that the country is masculine, while lose scores mean the country is feminine. China has a masculinity rating of 50, while the world average is 50, which means China is indifferent between being masculine or feminine. Uncertainty avoidance index defines how much risk the population in general takes. Countries with a high index will take lots of risks, while a country with a low index will take little to no risks. High index countries are very comfortable with venturing to the unknown, while low score countries prefer to stay put where they are. China has a score of 60 in uncertainty avoidance, while the world average is 64. The last index is the long-term orientation. This defines how far into the future the country looks at decisions it has to make now. Countries with a high long-term orientation look to maintain steady flow in the long-run, while short-term countries looks for results now without thinking about the future. China has a score of 118, while the world average is 45. The official language of China is Chinese, though many business people speak English as well. The government is Communist run, and most people are atheist, with many different types of atheist-religions being practiced. As of May 2010, the population of China was estimated to be around 1.3 billion, which is about 20% of the worlds population. A couple notes about the behavior that are important to know when dealing with a Chinese business person is to never have personal contact, never point while speaking, point with a open palm, not with the index finger, do not put your hand in your mouth, always be on time, and do not discuss business at meals. Decision making is slow in China, and rushing them is considered very disrespectful. The culture of China is drastically different from the culture of the U.S., the home country of Coca-Cola. The Hofstede ratings for the U.S. are 91 for individualism, 62 for masculinity, 29 for long-term orientation, 40 for power-distance, and 46 for uncertainty avoidance. This means that China is more long-term oriented, has a higher power distance, and avoids uncertainty more, while the United States is more individualistic and masculine. Now that we understand Chinese culture, we can analyze Coca-Cola and their international business structure there. Marketing Plan/Strategy: Target Market: Coke can be enjoyed by anyone. Coca-Cola does not explicitly target a specific market overall, but they do have advertising campaigns that do talk to a specific group. Coca-Cola has to know the differences between the types of markets in China in order to send the right message to its intended group. One segment Coca-Cola looks at is urban and rural communities. Even though there are more potential customers in rural areas, there are more potential customers in urban areas. The economic diversity of the two groups makes it possible to separate them. The disposable income per capita in urban areas is three times more than in rural areas. There is also a difference in the province you live in. The different geographical regions of China have a difference in sales for Coke. Of the four largest cities in China, there are only 4 percent of Chinas population there, but accounted for 15 percent of sales, while all the other smaller cities and provinces had 80 percent of the population and h ad 50 percent of the sales. Age is also a segment that Coca-Cola builds on. Coca-Cola was introduced in the 1970s, and people who were born after its introduction grew up drinking Coke in their meals. Coca-Cola realized this and made all those born from their introduction on, which means everyone about 40 years are younger are a target market for Coca-Cola to advertise Coke to. 4 Ps (Product, Price, Promotion, Place) The product is called Coca-Cola, but Coke is used for short instead of saying the whole thing. It is a carbonated beverage. It was originally a patent medicine sold in a pharmacy, but along the lines it made its way to sell in a variety of places to become the number one sold drink in the world. The ingredients of Coke are carbonated water, sugar, caffeine, phosphoric acid v. caramel, and natural flavorings. The pricing of Coke is relative to other competitors in the market. The biggest competitor for Coca-Cola is Pepsi, and Coca-Cola takes account of what Pepsi prices their soft drink. Coca-Cola has an advantage though because they have a product that everyone sees as being a consistent and dependable one, so Coke is allowed to be priced 15 to 20 cents more without losing any sales to Pepsi. Promotion of Coke is very specific to the area being targeted. Coke implements pattern advertising, which keeps the video the same for countries targeted, but changes the audio, color scheme, and character selection to be similar to the area being broadcasted. Coke also does not make advertisements claiming to be better than Pepsi. In supermarkets, Cokes place is right next to all the other drinks, with no one product getting more exposure than others. Coca-Cola has at least one sales centre in cities with more than one million people. The sales centre also warehouse Cokes, and plenty of delivery trucks are there to disperse the products. Business Environment Coca-Cola expands in countries through a variety of licensing agreements and joint ventures. Coca-Cola licenses the selling of Coke out to bottlers. Coca-Cola makes the soda syrup and sends it to bottlers who mix it with carbonated water and bottle it, sending it to retailers. Bottlers are allowed to sweeten it differently depending on local tastes. Coca-Cola goes into joint ventures with other companies to come out with different types of products. Coca-Cola has joint ventures with companies like Proctor Gamble, Danone, and Nestle. Human Resources: Coca-Cola Company is not one in the same as the Coca-Cola bottlers, which are the majority of the whole business model. Coca-Cola does not have many offices world-wide for manufacturing, but do have executive offices. Coca-Cola sends expatriates out to deal with international sales. Glenn G. Jordan S. is the president of the Pacific Group for Coca-Cola, while Douglas Jackson is the President of the China Business Unit. Coca-Cola does not hire internationally for their executives and officers. For the Pacific Group, there are 2,900 executives working with 30,000 bottler employees. Coca-Cola states that people development is the stable for long-term success. One way they develop people is by sending them to Coca-Cola University, which is a virtual global university that teaches its employees everything they need to know. Coca-Cola pays its Chinese employees based on a couple of factors. First they make sure that what they are paying their employees is competitive with other consumer goods companies. Coca-Cola also offers benefits such as housing and transportation allowances, supplementary life and accidental insurance, free annual physical check-ups, free lunches and beverages, and festival allowances. They offer medical programs for the whole family. Twice a year, rewards are handed to employees who contribute significantly to the Company and the communities in which they operate. There are two ways in which Coca-Cola recruits new employees. First, they cooperate with local universities and business schools to directly go and recruit graduating students. Second, they post openings on their website to screen through hundreds of thousands of applications, which is later followed by a interview process if the resume was chosen. Finance: Since Coca-Cola licenses out the bottling and selling of Coke, they do not have to invest intensively in foreign investments. Coca-Cola has such a strong brand name that it allows them to have the freedom to invest anywhere with just about absolute assurance Coke will sell and make a profit. Coca-Cola has the leeway to introduce new products, seeing as they make such an income from Coke that it covers any potential losses. Coca-Cola has made a net income of about $6 billion for the past 3 years, so money is not an issue when investing in new products. Conclusion: Overall, Coca-Cola has been and for a long time will be a very successful company in China and the rest of the world. One of the biggest reasons for this is Coca-Colas consistency. They have a brand name with Coke that is recognized globally, and that will not go away from a long time unless they somehow hurt themselves publicly. Coca-Cola has realized that China is still a fast growing country, and has recently announced that they will open three new bottling plants in China. The new investments are set to cost $2 billion, which tops the total amount invested in now which is $1.6 billion. Coca-Cola tried to buyout Hong Kong-listed China Huiyuan Juice Group LTD, but was blocked by the Chinese government, which claimed that Coca-Cola was trying to set up a monopoly. Regardless what Coca-Colas intentions may be, they are still a very smart company and have certainly staked their claim as being the best in the nonalcoholic beverage industry. As long as Coca-Cola stays consist with their flagship product Coke, the sky is the limit for the Company.

Kathleen Norris Dakota :: Kathleen Norris Dakota

Kathleen Norris' Dakota Kathleen Norris uses small town society to illustrate a much larger phenomenon that occurs in America: The obstruction of truth in the name of progress and patriotism. Norris makes an example of a small Dakota town, the old families ingrained in local society who act as somewhat of a censorship committee, silently fixing the past's blunders and bad dreams so not to discourage themselves or the younger generation: A good story is one that isn't demanding, that proceeds from A to B, and above all doesn't remind us of the bad times, the cardboard patches we used to wear in our shoes, the failed farms, the way people you love just up and die. It tells us instead that hard work and perseverance can overcome all obstacles; it tells lie after lie, and the happy ending is the happiest lie of all. (85) Norris mentions the "progress model" and "linear narrative" used in the telling of history. People in Dakota don't want to hear about the countless generations before them who also failed at farming, the once thriving town that are now abandoned completely. They don't want to hear about anybody who failed, or anything bad that happened at all unless things turned out OK in the end. People have a need to hear fixed history to give them a false sense of hope. Even though many of them know it's false, they're willing to accept the fable as truth before facing a painful past. The larger repercussions of this form of history, is that it misses out on the larger purpose of history. The most important part of history to be told truthfully is the bad part. Imagine our history glazing over Hitler as a crazy guy who acted alone, and forced everybody in Germany to go along with his plan. We need to hear the story that regular people were pulled into his mentality, that random Joe's were converted into Jew-hating murderers. Unfortunately, American history does have a habit of covering up its history for the sake of offering its younger generations a progress model. In a book titled Lies My Teacher Told Me, James Loewen shows how the progress model mode of history telling has covered up many important events in American history to the point that children in public education are graduating high school with extremely warped views of history.

Leadership Reflection

Personal Leadership Reflection My whole life I’ve been fascinated with great leaders and had been fortunate to be in close proximity with some of the people leaders of my country at a very young age. You see, my family’s business is politics or public service as it is often referred to in the United States. My grandfather was among the very few that had the opportunity to get a college education in the U. K. in the 1940s before we gained independence in 1961. They were trained as leaders to run the country when the British left.As a kid growing up I watched many of the leaders in my country including my mother and father, uncle and aunts, interact, nurture, motivate and empower their people. All these people have had an important role in shaping my life and helped me develop my own unique leadership style. Leadership is define as â€Å"the process by which individual exerts influence over other people and inspires, motivates and directs their activities to help achieve group or organizational goals. (Contemporary Management P317) When I think of great leaders that I try to emulate, I always think of people like Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and Colin Powell to name a few. These three are not only transformational leaders but they transcends race, culture and boundaries in their leadership roles. I would characterize my leadership style as that of transformational leader, because I nurture, inspire, motivate and empower my people not only to get the best out of them but to also put them in positions to achieve self-actualization according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.I have had some leadership role working with a diverse group in terms of age, race and gender, and they appreciate my down to earth and very approachable style with everyone I deal with. I engage in transformational leadership by being attune with our industry and leading my people with a bold vision that inspires and challenge them to be creative and bold while nurturing t heir talents. I would not be the kind of leader I am today without the help of aforementioned individuals.Whenever I see someone in a leadership position, I try to learn from him or her. Whether the example is positive or negative, there are lessons I can learn and apply (or not apply) to my own leadership style. I will build upon this foundation by listening and staying attune with the rank and file even as the organization grows. I am currently working on improving my communication of expectations for my working relationships.I will ask specific questions to best understand the working environment within the organization. Leaders set the example. I will be honest with myself and with others. I will seek feedback and utilize this information for personal improvement. Leaders are also dedicated and hardworking and I will continue to work hard because my people deserves it. These are all influenced in some way by my ethnicity, national culture and maybe my gender as well.I am remembe red by people I worked with previously as someone who is knowledgeable and who cares, someone who always did his best. I will not accept the status quo when the status quo can be improved. I will continuously push myself to learn and observe so that I can remain a highly effective leader who supports others and myself in all that I do. My leadership style will continue to evolve and show up in who I am and how I am in both personal and professional relationships.

Poverty in the United States - 893 Words

It certainly seems peculiar how so much disparity exists among the haves and have-nots in the country that leads the free world. The high level of poverty in the United States coupled with the disparaging rates of income are at times hard to comprehend. How can a country of such great wealth and power also be a country of vast poverty? Poverty will always be evident in the United States to some extent. However, minimizing poverty and income inequality will be conducive to the well being of the United States. Numerous organizations are assisting those in need. Then why does the United States have so many people poverty stricken? Some blame the impoverished themselves while others blame the wealthy, the economic system, and other†¦show more content†¦What children learn at a young age greatly affects who they become later in life. Hence, an emphasis needs placing on educating young children. Programs that promote staying in high school and furthering education also need emphasizing. Students through all levels of schooling need teaching that the more educated they become, the greater quality of life they will be able to achieve. By dropping out of high school or by not pursuing further education, these individuals are capping their potential. However, the programs and organizations developed need to be more oriented on the individual. Instead of making decisions based on large groups of people, which lacks individualistic detail, the impoverished need to be looked at as individuals so that they can receive the best help for their specific problems. While one person could benefit from furthering their education, another person might be more apt to work at a trade. Therefore, the organizations that the government has in place need to work more closely with those in poverty, allowing those to succeed in furthering their studies or learning a trade. Impoverished individuals need more encouragement, support, and resources to try to reach their potential and break their cycle of poverty. The government needs to focus on each individual, rather than the impoverished in mass, to give him or her the best opportunity to get out ofShow MoreRelatedThe Poverty Of The United States1727 Words   |  7 PagesPoverty defined by the A merican Heritage Dictionary is â€Å"lack of the means of providing material needs or comforts† (Hirokazu Yoshikawa, 2012). Poverty in the United States is an issue that is often times overlooked because the focus of poverty is on developing and struggling countries. People often think America does not experience poverty because it is such a thriving country. The problem with this is that America is indeed struggling with poverty: â€Å"there are currently 488 counties in America whereRead MoreThe Poverty Of The United States1548 Words   |  7 Pagescitizens in poverty has risen. 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The majority of homeless people are either veterans or immigrants, who findRead MorePoverty in the United States755 Words   |  4 PagesPoverty in the United States is getting in inferior quality every day and nothing is being done about it. Many people who want to help the poor, but no one knows exactly how to help them. A primary reason for people not taking action is because of lack of information that is provided abo ut issues on poverty. Poverty is defined as the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. According to the U.S. Census Bureau data released Tuesday September 13thRead MorePoverty Of The United States Essay1369 Words   |  6 PagesPoverty within the United States is defined as â€Å"having an income below a federally determined poverty threshold. † Poverty thresholds were developed by the United States government in the 60s. 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Many who live in poverty within the United States live in areas that were once thriving from the country’s economic growthRead MoreThe Poverty Of The United States Essay1385 Words   |  6 Pages The Character of Poverty in America Poverty has always been a key factor in United States History. Ever sense Americas birth there have been groups affected by poverty, but the forms of the poverty that affected these groups have changed as well as the nature of poverty itself in the USA. The abolition of slavery, the forced assimilation of native Americans, and mass immigration changed character of poverty within the united states change due to an evolution from agriculture to industry and a changeRead MoreThe Poverty Of The United States1746 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is poverty? A question most Americans will not have to think twice before answering. Poverty is, of course, simply a lack of money. The views of a specific person will defer when politics or morals are introduced, however, the idea stays the same. Those in poverty are there because they have less money than what has been decided to be livable. Poverty has changed significantly over the last two hundred years in the United States, and yet, the measuremen t has hardly changed since it was createdRead MorePoverty in the United States1061 Words   |  5 PagesThe Background of Poverty in America In the United States, there are about more than forty-six million people living in impoverished conditions today. Poverty is a major conflict issue in this country amongst people who are part of the lower class because American families always had a hard time making ends meet, even before the Great Recession began. Living in poverty puts them at a disadvantage because they have to choose between necessitates like health care, child care, and food in order toRead MorePoverty Of The United States1475 Words   |  6 Pages â€Æ' Poverty in the United States is defined as a social problem. As outlined in the text, a social problem is â€Å"a condition that undermines the well-being of some or all members of a society and is usually a matter of public controversy†. It is easy to see that there is a large economic divide in the United States, but with only a small percentage of people in the highest income stratification and the vast majority struggling to get by, the majority of United States citizens agree that there is too