Marketing and Food Essay

This literature review will focus on exploring marketing strategies employed when selling food. I will be looking at what influence these marketing strategies have on consumers decision making process and the effectiveness of these strategies. It is clear that consumers don’t all buy the same things and I am interested to find out what causes this difference in product selection. There are many things that can influence these decisions, from the placement of products or the aesthetics of the product. Food companies may also take location or population into account when choosing what product to sell and where to sell it. Demographical marketing strategies use population statistics as a way of finding out what products will sell best. Lars Perner[1] uses age demographic as an example. â€Å"a firm interested in entering the market for sports drinks in a given country, or worldwide, might investigate the number of people between the ages of fifteen and thirty-five, who would constitute a particularly significant market.† In some countries such as Germany, it has been noted that the birth rate is dropping significantly, in this sort of market, a company may steer away from creating a baby food product in favour of a product geared towards older people, this is due to the old age market being larger than the young age market. Perner also discusses ‘upward pull’ marketing. This takes advantage of social class in order to increase ones desire for a product. By Portraying a product as something the upper class society would consume, it can take advantage of the consumers desire to advance their social class. Companies such as Haagen-Daas, who display their product as a luxury ice-cream, and several wine brands make use of this strategy. The layout of a supermarket also has a dramatic effect on food sales. One example is the location of the entrance into supermarkets. One study[2] suggests that if the entrance to a supermarket is located on the right side, it encourages counter-clockwise movement throughout the supermarket. Whereas if the entrance is on the left, it encourages clockwise movement. The study claims â€Å"counter-clockwise shoppers spend $2 more per trip, than clockwise shoppers.† Products that have a large profit margin are usually located around the perimeter of the supermarket, as most shoppers favour travelling around the perimeter than traversing up and down the isles. Fresh fruit and vegetable sections are usually located at the start or end of the supermarket, and are presented as a cleaner and more welcoming area to the rest of the supermarket as most shoppers spend the most money in this section. Items placed at the ends of aisles serve as and introduction the items the customer will find in that aisle, the items in the centre of the aisle will receive less time with the customer, so items that will make more of a profit will be placed towards the end of aisles. Commonly purchased items such as milk or bread are generally located at the back of a supermarket, forcing the consumer to travel through many other products in order to get the item they need. It is then that advertising and aesthetic marketing come into play. Different tactics are employed in certain aisles in order to force customers into decisions. One example may be[3] the use of music and lights in junk food aisles. By using loud music and bright lights, the supermarket may cause the customer to be overwhelmed and make an impulse decision on what to buy, they may reach out for something that would comfort them, such as their favourite junk food. In a different situation, a supermarket may employ the use of dim lights and relaxing music, in order to convince the customer to take their time and spend more time in the supermarket, in turn having them buy more products. Some supermarkets tend to move items around from time to time in order to confuse their customers, having them search through all the aisles in order to find the product, picking up other products along the way. The location of the product is also important, most customers tend to only look at products at are at eye level. The most expensive items will also be found at eye level, with better deals being hidden away above or below. The packaging of a product can also influence the decisions of a consumer. †More expensive brands tend to have fancier labelling then generic brands. Therefore we assume the quality is better and are willing to pay higher prices, regardless of whether that is true[4]† Supermarkets also make use of the senses in order to draw customers in and attempt to force them into buying something they didn’t intend to. They will cater to sight by using colours to evoke certain feelings, light blues and pinks may be used around baby food or sweet sections in order to appeal to children. Reds may be used around alcoholic beverages in order to appeal to consumers emotions such as anger or love, both of which have ties with alcohol and the colour red. They may bake fresh cakes and cookies in the bakery section to draw customers into buying the products due to the appealing smell. These findings provide evidence of a definite link between the marketing strategies used by supermarkets and brands, and the effect they have on sales of products. A number of ways in which strategies are employed have been noted, such as demographical marketing, placement of products and product aesthetics. Bibliography Perner, L. (2008). Food Marketing. Food Marketing. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/food_marketing.html (2008) The science of supermarket psychology | tribalinsight. The science of supermarket psychology | tribalinsight. [ONLINE] Available at:http://tribalinsight.wordpress.com/2008/08/19/supermarket-psychology/ (2008) Supermarket tricks. 2008, Supermarket tricks. [ONLINE] Available at: http://today.ninemsn.com.au/moneyandconsumer/598695/supermarket-tricks ———————– [1]Perner, L. (2008). Food Marketing. Food Marketing. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/food_marketing.html [2](2008) The science of supermarket psychology | tribalinsight. The science of supermarket psychology | tribalinsight. [ONLINE] Available at:http://tribalinsight.wordpress.com/2008/08/19/supermarket-psychology/ [3](2008) Supermarket tricks. 2008, Supermarket tricks. [ONLINE] Available at: http://today.ninemsn.com.au/moneyandconsumer/598695/supermarket-tricks [4](2008) Supermarket tricks. 2008, Supermarket tricks. [ONLINE] Available at: http://today.ninemsn.com.au/moneyandconsumer/598695/supermarket-tricks

Buddhism and Buddhist teachings

Buddhist teachings don't just affect attitudes towards other people and other things, but also to other very important subjects – the environment and animals. In today's world there are few that truly respect the environment and keep it clean. Buddhists believe that the up keeping of the environment is very important and they work hard to maintain it. Their aim is to reduce all forms of pollution (even visual and noise). Although Siddhartha wanted to reduce worldly attachment – he also wanted to keep the world clean and this is what Buddhists do amongst their other practices. Ahimsa is respect for life, the belief that all animals have a soul – they call living things ‘Sentients'. When the Dali Lama won the â€Å"Nobel Prize For Peace†, he said: â€Å"As long as there are sentient beings about in this world, I will be there to help them† This quote started up ‘Engaged Buddhism' – which is taking things one-step further and doing something about important issues as well as meditating about them. For example: if a Buddhist notices a problem with the amount of waste generated by a certain area, then they may write to the local authorities to suggest a recycling scheme; which they would then help promote. Buddhists also practise collective Karma, which is when several Buddhists get together and do something beneficial – like recycling. This improves the Karmas of everyone involved and it is improving the world for the future. Because of samsara (the cycle of life) Buddhists may also keep the environment clean because they won't want to be born into a dirty world. Right thoughts, living, effort and action are the four things from the eight-fold path that Buddhists use when helping the environment and animals. Right action is not polluting or littering. Right thought is thinking about the environment before doing anything that may harm it. Right living is not getting a job which promotes pollution, or similar (like a car sales man). Right effort is putting your back into it and really trying to improve things. The majority of Buddhists are vegetarian. This is because they respect the life of other sentients and don't believe in killing them for food. They also firmly believe that animals have rights too – and shouldn't be tested on for various products. They think that if they go about killing animals, they might kill their friends or relatives in other lives. This all works towards respecting the rights of animals and not harming them. All in all, Buddhists care very much for the world they live in and the sentients that they live with and they try to help keep the world a clean place to live in – like all should do.

History of China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

History of China - Essay Example Mao used an approach similar to that of Qin dynasty that is ruling with spreading fear and hatred against himself due to his policies and style. After his victory over Chiang Kai-shek in 1949 that was a communist leader, and the creating of the People's Republic of China, Mao's position was seen as very strong in China. Although Chinese people had endured a lot during this time, but it seemed not too hard for Mao to persuade them of his visionary force and practical need for the Great Leap Forward of the late 1950s and he was successful in doing so. Despite the deaths of millions he caused, Mao was both a creative thinker and a practical person. He learned as a youth not only how Shang Yang a previous Qin Dynasty leader brought cruel laws to the Chinese people. Mao also knew that the Qin rulers had been both hated and feared and that there dynasty was soon ended due to their actions, despite its strength of force and efficient use of terror. Finally Mao died in 1976 but left a mark o n the history of China. Mao had difficulty during his time to establish a successful domestic economic and social policy for China. In 1958, Mao placed a Great Leap Forward, which was mainly a trial to break with the Russian model of Communism and to fill the Chinese people with renewed radical energy. Approximately 20-30 million people died in the food crisis as the program badly failed, between the years 1958-61. Thus, Mao withdrew temporarily from public view. As the result of the failure, help from Soviet Union also ended which was another shock for China. The major cause of the failing of every strategy implied by Chairman Mao whether its socialism, capitalism, dictatorship or democracy was his way of ruling over the people. A solid proof is his continuous changing of the five-year plan. Chairman Mao is held in high regard in China and is often portrayed as a great revolutionary leader and a military and political genius. He led China through difficult times such as of the War of Resistance and the Ci vil War and changed China from a weak country into a major power through his social and economic reforms. However a number of the reforms put into action by Mao have been condemned and held responsible by critics from inside and across the borders of the territory of China to result in stern harm to the culture, economy, society, and foreign relations of the country on the whole. Mao launched the First Five Year Plan in 1953-58. It aimed to end Chinese reliance upon agriculture in order to become a world power. With assistance from USSR, new plants were set-up and agricultural production declined heavily and low enough from the point where the industrialization prospered enough that the country needed no further support from the USSR. The success of the First Five Year Plan gave confidence to Mao to instigate the Second Five Year Plan, the Great Leap Forward, in 1958, which turned out to be a major failure because of his tyranny. The opposition against him was so large and strong that he had to take some action, which he did in the form of massive killings. Another reason for the failing of all kinds of reforms implemented by Chairman Mao was the motive behind them. According to many writers this is proved that every five-year plan and every social or economic policy Chairman Mao implemented was to reduce the power of his opponents or was to eliminate them. During the Great Leap Fo

Ecological consequences of natural or anthropogenic activities Essay

Ecological consequences of natural or anthropogenic activities - Essay Example Transpiration has become a major part in individuals’ daily life. Several individuals consider different transport options in order to enhance their goals of life. Fast and effective transport options ensure business communications, personal travelling and several other aspects. In addition to this, several automobile manufacturers consider the factor of technological advancement during the manufacturing of automobile vehicles. Most importantly, this transportation has several critical and inadequate ecological consequences in this present era of globalization. Therefore, transpiration can be considered as one of the major anthropogenic activities. Huge amount of energy requires running a vehicle. Electricity and fossil fuels are the major energy sources that are required to run vehicles. It is true that high consumption of fossil fuels and petroleum can help a vehicle to run smoothly. This high consumption level of fossil fuels and petroleum resources are affecting the ecological and environmental balance quite critically. High carbon emission level is the major consequence of high consumption of natural oil and gas resources. High carbon emission level increases the volume of nitrous oxides and particulates in the air. It automatically increases the temperature of atmosphere that causes air pollution. Green house gas emission is the major reason behind this increase of global atmospheric temperature. This is becoming a serious ethical challenge for global environment and ecology. Several serious diseases, such as cancer, respiratory problems, heart problems and other diseases are the major consequences of this global warming and air pollution. People are facing difficulty to take fresh oxygen and water due to growing level of air pollution and global warming (Oshitani, 2006). Moreover, several species are abolishing from ecology due to this issue. Each and every animal has a major role to play in maintaining

Imformation based decision making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Imformation based decision making - Essay Example The importance of decision-making cannot be underestimated. Indeed, the success or failure of any business primarily depends on the quality of decisions made by the management. Most of the successful global cooperation’s are a reflection of good decision-making strategy. A lot of investment both in time and resources is directed towards the decision making process. However, it is important to note that making sound decisions primarily depends on the amount and quality of information at hand. This makes it important to consider information as one of the core requirements in sound decision making both at an individual and corporate level. This paper therefore discusses the different aspects of information-based decision-making. It seeks to discuss this topic within the realms of what has been covered in the course of management. However, extra knowledge on decision-making has also been mined from other sources. Information It is very futile to make any decision without profound background information regarding all the possible outcomes. This makes information the core requirement in making decision. There are different aspects of information that are worth discussing since they affect either directly or indirectly on the decision making process. There is a major difference between data and information. Data refers to facts or figures in their basic or raw form. For instance, 11, 32, 98, 58, 91, and 74 refers to data. Values such as ? 58.00, ?1200, ?223.50, and?558 refer to financial data. In both instances, the data does not make any meaning under any context (Black, 2009). However, the data can be processed to give it meaning. It is also important to note that processed data or information can fail to make meaning outside a given context. Information refers to data that has been organized such that it makes meaning within the context of consideration. Information can be either formal or informal. For information to be useful in decision-making, it has to be communicable to the relevant stakeholders, it must be presented in a language that users can understand without misinterpreting, it must be in a form that can be utilized, and finally it must be relevant to the subject of consideration. Information to be used in decision-making can be classified in two major categories. It can be either formal or informal. Formal information is usually presented in a familiar format, has a degree of relevance and accuracy, and uniquely structured. However, the information may be inflexible and may sometimes disregard sociological perspectives. On the other hand, informal information is quite flexible and more detailed though it may be inaccurate. Information and Law It is very imperative for any person using information-based decision making to understand that certain types of information have legal implications. This is more profound in business organizations. The law regulates many processes of handling information and as such, caution should b e exercised to ensure the entire legal infrastructure is respected. For instance, the Data Protection Act of 1998 was enacted to ensure that information is handled with caution to protect its integrity, privacy, and users. The data protection laws ensure that data handlers do not manipulate the data for personal or malicious reasons but instead use the data for the best interest of the subjects. While making business decisions, all legal parameters should be followed and information handled within the realms of the law. It is unethical to use data or information to make business decisions that are not permitted by the law. For example, a business may use information unlawfully to gain unfair advantage over other competitors. Although the decisions made from such information may seem exemplary, legal

Teaching Methods Mathematics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Teaching Methods Mathematics - Essay Example In this principle of one to one correspondence it is a necessary for a full understanding of numbers and emphasized by counting with the child's actions like counting her fingers or counting her crayons. They also learn this principle when they count while playing like jumping and swinging. They can participate in this activity while counting out loud. A rule can make like counting 1 to 20, then another person's turn. At an early age they are now able to detect that counting was wrong if counting of numbers is reversed in order or skipping two numbers it is a violation to stable order principle. They may said that there's a counting mistake. If counting violated the cardinality principle with the use of the same medium - a toy, states that the number was one more or less than had been counted, They usually said that the answer is wrong. Therefore, toddlers are learning the counting principles, even though they may continue to make counting mistakes when counting larger numbers. Larger number like counting 1 to 15 have a difficult time to understanding. The teacher can help them and learn about numbers providing a concrete demonstration of number.

Directive analysis of what to do in the evnt of a disatser that is Essay

Directive analysis of what to do in the evnt of a disatser that is possibly due to global warming, such as a hurricane - Essay Example Preparing for a hurricane before it arrives involves making an emergency plan and getting together the important supplies. The first step is to see what your insurance covers and see if any adjustments are needed in the policy. Many valuables, like cars, are damaged so it is best to make sure that all costly belongings are insured. Also, have an evacuation plan and map out the closest escape routes that will take you and your family away from the danger zone. Have emergency family or friend contact numbers and decide beforehand where to go in case of an evacuation. This also involves organizing a list of the absolute necessary items to take along to avoid confusion and panic when a storm does hit. It is also important to locate the safest room or area of the house, preferably on the lower level, if the need arises to stay inside rather than evacuating. After a plan has been set up, it is now important to get the supplies and disaster kit ready. Make a list of the items needed such as a first aid kit, non-perishable food items, water, blankets, medication, hand crank powered radio, batteries and flashlights (Henthorn 2011). It is essential to secure all the important documents in water proof bags or containers. Make sure to have a sufficient amount of cash at home and do not wait till the last minute to fill up your vehicle with gas. Also get together plywood or shutters and the required tools to board up windows and doors if hurricane warnings are close. If your budget allows, have a back up generator in case of power outages and electricity failure. Be knowledgeable about any weather changes and continue to listen to the news about updates. This will help you and your family make any necessary adjustments to the plan and gathered supplies. Knowing what to do during a hurricane is just as important as planning for it. If staying inside, seek protection in the safest area of the house and keep yourself and your family away from windows and glass doors. Make sure to turn off all heavy duty appliances, like refrigerators and microwaves, to minimize damage. Do not go out to check on the hurricane even if it seems calm, because there can still be flying debris and rapidly increasing winds (Henthorn 2011). Through out the storm continue to communicate with your family in order to engage in a normal activity and help with any feelings of fear and panic. Also, keep on listening to the radio to be informed of any changes taking place. If the need arises to evacuate, try to turn off all utilities and appliances, gather only the necessary items and follow the proper evacuation routes. Remember that during a hurricane it is important to stay calm and ensure the safety of your loved ones. It is equally critical to be precautious after a hurricane because injuries can still be sustained even if the storm has passed. Do not leave the house in order to check on the damage done until a clear sign is given by the authorities. Avoid coming into contact with puddles, loose wires and smashed trees (Henthorn 2011). Try to use your phones for emergency purposes only, reporting broken gas or water pipes, and unstable power lines. If power had to be restored, carefully go about the house checking on food and other items, staying clear of electrical appliances and wires. In the