The Role of Product Feature Similarity and Brand Concept Consistency Dissertation

The Role of Product Feature Similarity and Brand Concept Consistency - Dissertation Example It is assumed that the consumers already understand the usefulness of the core brand and therefore are likely to associate new products with it. The familiarity of the consumers with the firm and the core brand enhances acceptance of the new product. The brand extension may also be used to market a modified product of the core brand. For example, Unilever produces various products. Initially, the company produced a washing liquid, which had brand equity. However, the firm realized that washing powder would be preferred by some consumers. The firm extended fairy from a liquid brand to include powder. The new washing powder gained popularity among consumers mainly because of the existing fairy brand that had brand equity. When firms identify investment opportunities in the market that have not been exploited, they can easily establish through extending their strong brands to ensure that all the needs of consumers are met by one firm (Chandon, 2004). Such strategy prevents other firms from the entry into the same market especially when the extended brand establishes. Companies such as Microsoft have used this strategy whereby they provide all that is needed in the market through brand extension thereby barring potential organizations from entry. There are opportunities for emergent companies to invest but they may not have a large market share for them to be profitable.

Descartes' and Kants Approaches to God Term Paper

Descartes' and Kants Approaches to God - Term Paper Example To begin with, one should state the claims which were made by Descartes since the ideas of Kant primarily reject them. Thus, the former developed the so called ontological argument for existence of God: Descartes based his proof on the concept that God is the most perfect creature and, since existence is a part of perfection, He ought to exist (Cahoone 45). One would make no mistake, pointing out that this approach is a rather short one and features fine logic at first sight. Indeed, Descartes takes one premise that both people who believe in God and those who do not believe in God would not reject, namely that He is the most perfect creature. In other words, he is able to appeal to the common ground of the people when they perceive the higher power without connection to any dogmatic principles. Indeed, it would not be an exaggeration to point out that the idea of God or any deities might have emerged as the opposition to the corrupted material world; so, the metaphysical world as we ll as its inhabitants is largely thought to be free of vices. That is why the ontological argument which was presented by Descartes makes sense to a certain extent.However, the criticism which was developed by Kant latter makes even more sense. Thus, for this German philosopher, the argument that was presented by Descartes possesses one important flaw which destroys the whole integrity of it: according to the logic of the claim, existence is inseparably connected to the object of idea. That is why the perfection or greatness of idea might be modified by the fact whether it exists or not

Lyme Disease and How the Immune System Responds Research Paper

Lyme Disease and How the Immune System Responds - Research Paper Example Early symptoms are then further divided into localized which usually include a characteristic circular rash, fever, malaise and flu like symptoms. The symptoms of early disseminated infection are mainly due to the spread of the bacteria in the blood stream in two to three days after the initial infection and include dizziness, migrating pain in the muscles, palpitations, neuroborreliosis and infections of the lymph nodes. The disease could also lead to many cardiac anomalies like atrioventricular block. The disease if not treated properly or left untreated could lead to its persistent chronic form. The major parts of the body that are usually affected by this late, chronic form of the disease are eyes, brain and heart. Extreme cases of the disease may also lead to paraplegias. Pathogenesis The pathogenic organism is present in the saliva of the ticks and transferred to the blood stream while the ticks are feeding on the human blood. The tick’s saliva protects the organism and allows it to invade the dermis while avoiding the initial protective system of the human body. After invasion, an inflammatory response develops against the organism which is usually is the cause of its characteristics initial lesions. Neutorphils however fail to invade the site of infection, enabling the bacteria to survive linger at the site of infection. ... RESPONSE OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM Innate Immunity Innate immune response is usually the body’s first and immediate response to any foreign antigen; in this case the bacteria (Borrelia). The cells usually involved in providing the innate immunity are called as the natural killer cells which include neutrophils, dendritic cells, monocytes and granulocytes. However in Lyme’s disease neutrophils usually fail to invade the site of infection which allows the organism to survive for a longer duration. In the absence of neutorphills, the dendritic cells acquire a primary role of killing the pathogen. The dendritic cells engulf the bacteria by the process of phagocytosis. After the bacterium is phagocytosed, it is either killed by lysosomal enzymes or by the production of toxic substances e.g. Nitric Oxide, that degrade bacterial cell membrane leading to its death (Dietrich and Hartung 2001). Dendritic cells having acquired this primary role of killing the cells perform many other f unctions too in the early manifestation of the infection. The dendritic cells cause the release of several mediators e.g. IL8, 12 and 1 as well as TNF alpha. All these mediators released by dendritic cells play an important role in the early defenses against the disease as well as development of the acquired immunity. Complement system Apart from the innate response that is directly involved in the killing of foreign pathogens, one important aspect of immunity against borrelia infection is the activation of the complement system. The complement system is a complex of 20 proteins which are activated by the antigen antibody complexes. Functions of the complement system involves: activation of specific immune mechanisms e.g. release of certain chemical mediators, direct

International Challenges for Ubers Expansion

International Challenges for Ubers Expansion Uber’s future depends on international growth, but currently they are experiencing international challenges within their non-U.S. markets. I will introduce their brief history, explain their current challenges, international expansion plans, their strategy plans, and a few insights on how they can achieve greater success in international markets. Predominantly, Uber has brutally underestimated the challenges of operating in countries that embody totally different economic, political, and cultural environments. Their definitive goal is to become one of the only international ride-hailing company, however they didn’t realize all the major setbacks they would come across internationally. Quick Uber History Uber headquarters is â€Å"located in San Francisco, California and operates in 632 other cities worldwide† (Uber Technologies Inc., 2017). In conjunction, â€Å"Uber has expanded to more than 80 countries since its June 2010 initial launch in San Francisco, California† (Hyder, 2014).   Uber was â€Å"founded March of 2009 by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp† (Uber Technologies Inc., 2017).   Uber Technologies, Inc. â€Å"provides e-commerce services for car hire and the company offers a website which develops applications that allow users to request a car for hire from any mobile device text message while serving customers worldwide† (Bloomberg, 2017). Moreover, the company was originally an idea that Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp originated, while encountering some trouble attaining a cab. Their idea was to simply invent something that with the tap of a button you could get a cab/ride and not have to struggle like they did. Stated on the Uber website, â€Å"What started as an app to request premium black cars in a few metropolitan areas is now changing the logistical fabric of cities around the world. Whether it’s a ride, a sandwich, or a package, we use technology to give people what they want, when they want it† (Uber Technologies Inc., 2017). Uber not only provides rides to their customers, but they also provide men and women a way to earn money by letting them use their own vehicle to give their clienteles rides. Also, noted on the Uber website, â€Å"for the women and men who drive with Uber, our app represents a flexible new way to earn money. For cities, we help strengthen local economies, improve access to transportation as reliable as running water, everyone benefits† (Uber Technologies Inc., 2017). Current Challenges Uber was the first major ride-hailing company with mobile on-demand transportation. As competition started to intensify, Uber strategized on how to remain number one in this market area. They realized in recognition of the risk posed by these followers into the market, they needed to rapidly and aggressively grow both domestically and internationally. However, along the way â€Å"Uber’s expansion was met with both excitement and major blocks resulting from lawsuits, technological limitations, and government regulation† (Hyder, 2014). Ubers expensive push into china ended abruptly in 2016, when its domestic rival Didi Chuxing announced it had acquired Uber China and more recently Uber merged with Yandex, marking its exit from another major international market, Russia. Governments, drivers, and passengers launched a seemingly endless stream of lawsuits and taxi firms organized protests in Europe and South America as they recognized their business were under threat. Ubers legal and ethical conduct was put under further scrutiny when their drivers argued that they were being exploited as part of the sharing economy. Additionally, I will list some initial challenges Uber faced within these following countries. As mentioned in Recode article written by Johana Bhuiyan, â€Å"in Russia, it was a fierce opponent willing to play the subsidy game that drove the company out, while it was regulatory issues that has stymied it in Europe† (Bhuiyan, 2017). Also, in Denmark, where â€Å"Uber announced it was leaving in March, it was new regulations that required it to act more like a taxi company, requiring that drivers install things like meters in their cars. The company said it plans to revive its operation in Denmark when laws change† (Bhuiyan, 2017). Following in Spain, â€Å"the company had been previously banned in cities across the country, Uber has continued to face protests from taxi drivers in these cities† (Bhuiyan, 2017). France currently had legal disagreements with Uber regarding they should be treated as a taxi service hence controlled like one too which then charged Uber for being an illegal taxi service (Bhuiyan, 2017). In many more places like, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand they have all charged Uber penalties for operating on their land illegally. In regard to India and China, â€Å"they are similar markets in terms of both size and the cost of undercutting prices to maintain or grow demand. Expansion within the region on its own would require significant capital† (Bhuiyan, 2017). These are just a few of the many different challenges Uber has been faced with since branching out internationally. International Expansion and Strategy Plans Astonishingly, in less than eight years Uber has accomplished expansion in more than 450+ markets all over the world and is continuously growing. As stated in an article, â€Å"expanding internationally has involved a series of changes to the mobile application and business model in order to localize it to the market and culture. Uber has had to make changes to accommodate different languages, currencies, and distance measures (e.g. miles vs. kilometers)† (Hyder, 2014). As cited by Hyder she mentioned, â€Å"Travis Kalanick wrote about Uber’s international expansion in a blog posting: as we started expanding, it became clear that individual cities were the unique factor in our launches. Each city is unique in its transportation pain points, its density, its transportation alternatives, regulation, even its transportation culture† (2014). Moreover, Uber first tried implementing what worked in the U.S. and applied some of those techniques to respective countries however, they were one of the companies that learned the hard way, realizing that what may have worked in the U.S. wouldn’t work elsewhere. Stated in an article written by Suhas Manangi, â€Å"the young tech company has committed a classic globalization mistake: it naively assumed that its business model and market approach, which ultimately solidified its market-leading position in the U.S., could translate just as seamlessly to other countries. It severely underestimated the challenges of operating in countries that embody totally different economic, political, and cultural environments† (2017). What Uber predominantly saw was the common transportation problem within many countries that required a solution. As specified in an article, â€Å"localization is a key ingredient of Uber’s Asia Pacific (APAC) marketing strategy as it battles to stay ahead of regional competition. However, localization goes beyond services which might include cash payments for some emerging markets where credit cards are not feasible, or in China, where Uber has partnered with Alibaba’s Ali-pay system – the preferred payment method of Chinese consumers† (Manangi, 2017). Correspondingly, this article mentions â€Å"Uber calls its globalization strategy â€Å"launch playbook,† a list of business strategies and operating guidelines that have been complied by an internal team of about forty employees. At the same time, Uber is smart to have flexibility in different markets that local Uber leaders can adapt and not have the same features everywhere† (Manangi, 2017). Examples of this include, UberCHOPPER in Shanghai, UberBOATS in Istanbul, and UberAUTO in New Delhi, India. Recommendations for Greater Success Internationally Following the six quick rules of thumb for doing business across cultures is a strategy Uber should incorporate. They need to be prepared, be considerate of time, establish trust, understand the importance of language, respect the culture, and understand components of the culture they are in.   As stated by Ball and Geringer, â€Å"knowing your customer is just as important in the world as it is in your hometown. Each culture has its logic, and within that logic are real, sensible reasons for the way they do things† (2013). Uber needs a â€Å"businessperson who can figure out the basic pattern of the culture which in turn will be increasingly effective interacting with foreign clients† (Ball & Geringer, 2013). Furthermore, for greater success internationally, Uber should be more careful in looking at its practice and policies therefore, considering if they are appropriate to incorporate in each specific country. China, India, and Europe differ in many ways from their home country, Uber will have greater success if they ask for permission to operate in specific countries instead of just intruding and then consequently finding out they were doing business illegally. Doing so will then convey respect to those countries regulations and organizations. As mentioned previously, aggressive entry tactics should be eliminated and instead Uber should initially invest time building solid relationships with the various unions within the country. Another tactic Uber should integrate is preparation and planning. Uber generally did not produce a plan before going international they just learned and adapted as they went resulting in cost inefficiency. Which, reverts back to the six quick rules of thumb, rule number one, being prepared is key. In order to help Uber with better preparation with planning, they should follow the global strategic planning process as referenced by Ball and Geringer, â€Å"global strategic planning provides a formal structure in which managers (1) analyze the company’s external environment, (2) analyze the company’s internal environment, (3) define the company’s business and mission, (4) set corporate objectives, (5) quantify goals, (6) formulate strategies, and (7) make tactical plans† (2013). Lastly, instead of withdrawing from the countries that already have a big advantage over Uber, because of their already existing taxi companies within the local country, they should instead try partnering with its local rivals. Simply because trying to do everything on their own is a strategically challenging, hence the reason why they have backed out of multiple countries. Conclusion To conclude, Uber has had to overcome many challenging obstacles along the way of becoming an international business. Failing to plan, failure to fit local market objectives, and learning from their mistakes are all topics resulting from expanding internationally. Uber needs to respectively appreciate and keep in mind while operating in different countries, their different economic, political, and cultural environments. Also, â€Å"providing customization to local markets is an expensive task requiring significant financial backing and of the mind share from the senior executives, hence the need for a carefully thought out strategy for global expansion is required† (Manangi, 2017). Their goal is to maintain number one within international ride-hailing companies, but with all the competition and challenges in today’s world there is potential in them losing this sustainability if a new direction in strategic planning is not met. References Ball, D. A. (2013).  International Business: The Challenge of Global Competition  (13th ed.).New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Bhuiyan, J. (2017, July 14). It’s a Hard World After all in Uber’s Path to Global Domination. Retrieved February 13, 2018, from https://www.recode.net/2017/7/14/15964808/uber-global-domination-yandex-didi Bloomberg L.P. (2017). Uber Technologies Inc: Company Profile Bloomberg. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/profiles/companies/0084207D:US-uber-technologies-inc Hyder, Y. (2014, February 7). Case: Uber. Retrieved February 13, 2018, from http://soumyasen.com/IDSC6050/Case15/Group15_index.html Manangi, S. (2017, August 1). Uber’s Global Expansion Strategy – â€Å"Think Local to Expand Global† – Will it Work for Startups? Retrieved February 13, 2018, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ubers-global-expansion-strategy-think-local-expand-work-manangi Uber Technologies Inc. (2017). The Uber Story. Retrieved from https://www.uber.com/our-story/

Fishing :: essays research papers

For those who are curious about fishing, but never seem to have any luck, here are a few simple guidelines to follow which will have you reeling them in in no time. Catching fish can be really easy to do if one has the correct equipment, location, weather, and presentation. First, when fishing, equipment is very important. It would not be prudent to bring knife to a gunfight, and fishing is just the same. When catching 500 lb. swordfish in saltwater it is important to not bring an ultra-light fly rod. The first step to having the correct equipment is identifying the species to be targeted. Let’s say the target is black bass. Then it id important to have a bait-casting reel with 15 to 20 lb. test line, and a heavy action rod with plenty of length for good hook set. Now I’m not saying it is impossible to catch a bass on lighter tackle, and there is probably fun to be had doing it as well. It is just that this is the most efficient way. Lures and or bait are also extremely important pieces of equipment when fishing. Some examples of lures for black bass would be spinners, jigs, plastic worms, top-water lures, and buzz baits. Bait for black bass fishing would be live minnows, crawfish, or worms, and some dead baits work too such as cut pieces of shad. Once all the equipment has been taken care of, the location is the next concern. Fishing in a puddle in the driveway will not be very productive. The location will depend on what kind of fish one wants to catch. Once a species has been determined, a location should be easy to find. Again let’s say the target is black bass. Several types of bass can be caught in fresh water creeks, lakes, rivers, and ponds up to certain latitudes. Any of these fresh water sources should hold bass if it has been stocked, if it has a tributary, or if it has been established for a number of years. It is important to make sure that the location you are fishing has the type of fish you are fishing for. Weather plays a key role in whether or not fish will be caught. Wind affects the distance and direction that the lure or bait can be cast. It is very difficult to cast with any accuracy in a high wind.

Provisions And Contingencies Essay

Under IFRSs IAS 37, a provision is recognized for a legal or constructive obligation arising from a past event, if there is a probable (more likely than not) outflow of resources and the amount can be estimated reliably (IAS 37.14). In contrast, according to FASB ASC 450-20-25-2, a contingency (provision) is recognized if it is probable (likely) that a liability has been incurred and the amount is reasonably estimated. Scenario 1 (1) Under IFRSs: According to IAS 37.22, the contamination of the land gives rise to a legal obligation for Energy because it is virtually certain the legislation that requires cleanup will be enacted. Also, it is probable that an outflow of resources will be required. Thus, a provision is recognized for the best estimate of the costs of the cleanup. (2) Under US GAAP: In the context of environmental remediation liabilities, it is probable that a liability has been incurred if an assessment related to a environment law has been asserted on or before the financial statements are issued and it is probable that the outcome will be unfavorable (FASB ASC 410-30-25-4). It is virtually certain that the draft law that requires cleanup will be enacted shortly after the year-end. Thus, a liability/contingency is recognized for the reasonably estimate the cleanup costs. Scenario 2 (1) Under IFRSs: The land contamination gives rise to a constructive obligation because the conduct of the entity has created a valid expectation in other parties that the entity will clean up the contamination (IAS 37.17). Also, it is probable that payments are required. Thus, a provision is recognized for the best estimate of the cleanup costs. (2) Under US GAAP: An environmental remediation liability should be recognized if an entity is a potentially responsible party to clean up the contamination and the entity has a record to determine that it is associated with the site (ASC 410-30-25-15). Thus, a liability/contingency is recognized for the best estimate of the cleanup costs. Scenario 3 (1) Under IFRSs: Under IAS 37.81, a restructuring provision does not include retraining or relocating staff costs because these expenditures relate to the future conduct of the business and are not liabilities for restructuring at the end of the reporting period. No retraining staff cost has taken place

Leadership Qualities Essay

Charisma and personality are two important traits of successful leaders. Many brilliant men and women have risen to positions of power based on technical skill and knowledge base; yet, these same people typically do not fully succeed in leadership positions unless charisma and strong personality traits shine. Without charisma and likable personalities, leaders cannot survive, inspire for long durations, and become superior leaders. The job of a successful leader is to â€Å". . . ommunicate where the business is going, why, and what the benefits will be if we accomplish what we set up to achieve (Bossidy 2007). † The best leaders communicate through charisma and strong, likable personalities. Without the ability to communicate effectively and inspire, leaders are left with good visions; no followers to get the job done; and no successes on which to build successful business. While successful leadership is certainly possible without charisma, â€Å". . . sing reasoning instead takes a lot more of what global companies don’t have anymore: time (Welch 2006). † Leadership without charisma is like traveling in a â€Å"slower, more challenging lane (Welch 2006). † In today’s business world, leaders are not afforded the luxury of time to lead companies to successes. Competition is so fierce in many industries that companies cannot afford to not have charismatic leaders that can affect immediate change. A leader must realize that having skills to execute a task is not the only requirement for successful leadership. A leader’s calling starts with evoking values; using these values to forge a vision; then finally inspiring collaborative action throughout the organization (Shenkman 2005). Charisma allows leaders to follow this path in a timely fashion and to superior successes. In all, without charisma and personality, leadership is possible, but very difficult over time. In today’s business environment, charisma is an essential quality for superior leadership in order keep up with market demands and maintain business successes.