Launching Strategy Essay Example for Free

Launching Strategy Essay Purpose: Alpen Bank is facing potential growth opportunities in terms of launching a credit card to the Romanian market. The overall goal is to increase annual profit by â‚ ¬5 million within two years of launch. Selection of the right target audience, while applying the appropriate launching strategy is the direction of our focus. Our goal is to extend the Alpen Bank premium service to customers via a new product market. Predictions of economic growth in Romania, proves that the market is growing increasingly ripe for credit cards. Therefore, the issue is not whether or not Alpine Bank should launch a credit card in Romania. The concern of Alpine Bank should be when to launch said services in Romania. Current models, statistics, and research are conclusive; the time to invest in Romania is now. Position Statement: The recommendation standing and supported by enclosed financial statements are as follows: Launching a credit card in the Romanian market would meet the stated purpose by targeting the affluent and most affluent audience (Exhibit 1). The marketing approach will consist of direct sales in conjunction with branch cross selling (Exhibit 2). Also the use of magazine and television advertising strategies will enhance our position. This approach will add support for the recommendation of taking advantage of a primarily non-penetrated market. Reason: The opportunity to invest in the Romanian credit card market yields potential revenue growth, along with increasing the life time value of each customer, new and existing. With Romania entering the European Union, Alpen Bank has been prompted to re-visit its previous credit card approach in the emerging economy. Additionally, there has been an increase in luxury products and purchases, displaying increased consumer purchasing power, a potential indicator of an increased interest in credit card. Furthermore, Romania is in a transition period, with cards gaining favorability over cash payments. Alpen Bank hopes to build upon prior methods explored in Romania by competing banks in penetrating the credit card market. Decision Options (Exhibit 6): 1.Launch a credit card in Romania. 2.Do not launch a credit card in Romania. Decision Option 1 a.Add a new market: Alpen Bank can continue its successful venture in Romania by adding a credit card to its portfolio. This will foster a continuing growth in an increasingly affluent Romanian upper class. As purchasing power is determined by income level and accumulated wealth, the affluent class is more able than the middle class to make purchases on credit. b.Increase revenue: Current models and predictions indicate a strong opportunity to significantly increase the yearly revenue by investing in the credit card market. Calculations display how the venture will increase the life time value of each customer, ensuring future growth. (Exhibit 1) Decision Option 2 a.Focus on existing markets: Venturing into the credit card market could draw resources away from core Alpen Banking services already in effect for the Romanian market. b.Assure no potential risk: All investments come with inherent risks. By investing substantially into an exploratory market, Alpen Bank is running the risk of not meeting the expected outcome. The potential monetary risk could run into the millions of dollars, along with an incalculable risk to reputation. How to measure Decision Option 1 a.Establish a customer base with the affluent and most affluent: By building upon the currently excising clientele, along with attracting untapped segments of the prosperous Romanian upper class. By comparing the actual number of clients utilizing the Alpen Bank credit card with the models and predictions made pre-credit card launch. (Exhibit 4) b.Increasing revenue from the credit card launch: Expected revenue from the credit card enterprise is projected to be â‚ ¬6,698,391 within two years (Exhibit 2). By updating current calculation models with on-going information as the enterprise proceeds allows for ongoing monitoring of predicted return on investment. The lifetime value of customers will also be assessed on a yearly basis, predicting the value of loyal, long term users of credit cards. How to measure Decision Option 2 a.Projecting further growth without credit card. Venturing into the Romanian credit card market taps resources away from current banking business. Investments could also be put to use in other areas, such as higher frequency of branches opening or improving services currently offered. b.Customer awareness of the bank’s premium brand: By investing in already offered business services. Alpine Bank is committed to improving our superior line of service currently offered to the Romanian clientele. Critique of Decision Options 1 Per limitations of senior management, the investment into the Romanian credit card market must prove itself profitable within two years, yielding at least five million euro. Investing in developing a profitable line of credit cards comes with several risk factors. Predictions of profit could be erroneous, leading to a less than expected return on investments. This in turn could lead to revocable and irrevocable damage to reputation, potentially resulting in a net loss of customer over short and long term. Projections of the positive effects of Romania’s’ recent acceptance into the European Union could also be incorrect. By investing time and energy into a new business venture, current banking services could suffer from subconscious neglect by employees involved in both enterprises. Critique of Decision Option 2 A decision not to invest in the Romanian credit card market will be a hinder of growth. Currently, competing banks are investing and have invested in the growing credit card market. By delaying a venture, Alpen Bank is permitting competitors to gain establishment and credit market branding. Alpen Bank currently holds the potential necessary for a successful venture into the credit card market. By failing to employ said resources, Alpine Bank is neglecting talent and opportunity, which could lead to failure in expected profitability. Being accepted into European Union brings increasing prospect of higher return on investments in the credit card market. By choosing to stay out of the market, Alpine Bank is also forcing excising customers to other banks for credit card services. As experienced in other emerging markets in developing countries, credit card customers are less likely to switch from one credit card to another. Therefore, failing to introduce a line of credit cards now will make it increasingly difficult to attract customers when Alpen Bank eventually starts its credit card venture. Action plan: Goals: †¢Launch a credit card †¢Reach the affluent and most affluent †¢Launch marketing and adverting that appeals to our audience Action Steps: Short term †¢Marketing Plan: Release a Premium Marketing Plan that is focused, achievable, compelling, and simple. As evident by exhibit 1, the chosen target group is the affluent and most affluent segments of the Romanian population. By ensuring a proper understanding of the dynamic characterizing the targeted demographic, we are able to construct the appropriate marketing plan. This will instill the programs, tactics, incentives, and budgets necessary for a strong image and a consistent message reaching the targeted customers. †¢Marketing: Investing in direct sales and branch cross-selling holds the highest effective rate of potential customers reached. These two methods also have the lowest cost per customer. Combined they ensure the most effective tactic in recruiting customers to Alpen Bank’s credit card. (Exhibit 2) †¢Advertising: Magazine and television advertisements. Our advertising goal is to capture the attention of perspective applicants as well as converting prospects involved with other credit card venues. Establishing a clear message for the audience is essential in launching advertising Alpen Bank’s advertising campaign. â€Å"A premium clientele deserves a premium banking experience.† The launch of the campaign considers the sophisticated, vernacular culture of our Romanian clientele. The goal is to assure the same quality experience in our established bank while adding an innovative credit card product to allocate more options for our clientele. -Magazine advertisements could feature admired Romanian model Diana Dondoe, to highlight Alpen Bank’s image of being an upscale and exclusive provider of banking services. -Television advertisements could consist of 30 second runs of a Romanian couple being picked up by their driver and dropped off at the premier launch of the credit card. These are some alternatives in order to illustrate how the product could be marketed. †¢Launch of promotional events by the Alpen Bank’s public relations department. Evening events could be held at elegant local venues for charitable fundraising purposes. Long term †¢Continuing growth in the Romanian market, with special focus on the credit card market. †¢Attracting customers to Alpen Bank by focusing on its premium image and superior services. †¢Expansion in the credit card market, to have established a customer base of 200,000 customers five years following initial launch. †¢As the Romanian economy is growing, the percentage of population with a disposable income is increasing. Alpen Bank will focus on attracting new members of the affluent segment of the population. †¢Increase the lifetime value of each customer, by further expansion of the financial services offered. †¢Increase credit card utilization by informing clientele of benefits associated with credit card purchases, along with temporary potential incentives offered in order to change consumer habits. Risk and Countermeasures †¢The chosen target demographic of affluent and most affluent Romanians could prove itself too limited for effective penetration. However, as the Romanian economy is growing, the targeted demographic is also expected to expand in size. Therefore, even if the current market niche is too limited, it is expected to grow substantially over the next two to three years. †¢The expected profit of five million could not be achieved within the timeframe of two years. As limitations set by senior management calls for a substantial profit to be made within a relatively short amount of time, there is a risk of the time restraints not being met. Yet these restrictions add a clear vision, enabling a structured approach in order to meet the expected outcome within the set timeframe. Final recommendation and conclusion By venturing into the Romanian credit card market, Alpen Bank is capitalizing on a ripe product opportunity. Current predictions and models consistently indicate that by pursuing the recommended strategy, Alpen Bank will see profits grow by a minimum of â‚ ¬6.6 million over two years. Romania’s recent acceptance into the European Union, accompanied with an increase in purchasing power among the affluent fragment of the population will ensure a substantial return on investment. (Exhibit 4, 5)

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Asian Carp Essay Arron Kruse 11/28/13 Choosing a spot in the Illinois River to fish or motorboat has become a very difficult task of late. Choose incorrectly and one’s boat might all of a sudden be overtaken by hundreds of fish, several dozen pounds in weight and jumping several feet out of the water. These fish are silver carp, one of several types of Asian Carp now present in many Midwest waterways. Having already overtaken and disrupted the ecosystem and economies of many Midwest waterways, the recent evidence that Asian Carp have infiltrated the Great Lakes watershed poses even more serious implications if a method of stopping them is not found. The bottom feeding common-carp was introduced to the United States in the 1800’s by immigrants who were aghast at the lack of a fish that was so prized in Asia and Europe in America. They are now well-established, but being smaller bottom-feeders they don’t pose as much of a threat as Asian Carp. Asian Carp were imported to the United States in the Early 1970’s to enhance fishing and control algae in sewage treatment areas. They were originally supposed to be held in contained areas, but very soon they escaped the breeding ponds during floods. Since then they have spread outward in a variety of ways. The silver carps ability to jump has sped its rapid expansion because it was able to jump over barriers other fish couldn’t. Adult Asian Carp have no natural predators in the US and are prolific breeders, laying hundreds of thousands of eggs at a time allowing them to spread with almost no interruption. They have also made it through lock systems as boats pas sed through. Before the dangers of Asian Carp were fully understood fishermen would sometimes use baby Asian Carp as bait which fur... ...n just a few were to traverse the lakes. It is clear that Asian Carp have found a new home in the United States. They have been able to spread easily and without almost any barriers throughout the Mississippi watershed, they are swimming on the precipice of the Great Lakes watershed. As of now they appear to be being kept out, but only by the slimmest of barriers. If they were to break through there would be very little chance at stopping them from the damage they would inflict on the wildlife and people who need the lakes for their livelihood. It is no longer just a cause for scientists and environmentalists to take up, this is a cause that threatens everybody in the Mississippi and Great Lakes Watershed. If we don’t act now we may be too late, in fact we may already be too late. Ask not what your watershed can do for you, ask what you can do for your watershed.

Is man Good or Evil? Essay

Man is innately good, but has the ability to be evil. I believe that a majority of people do what they believe to be right. Whether they are correct or not is another matter. In order to be truly evil, I believe that one has to purposely, consciously, try to hurt others. Be it physically or mentally, a conscious effort to injure others is for no obvious benifit to the human race is evil. I also think that good and evil are on totally different planes than right and wrong. They do not go hand in hand. I believe this because good and evil in my mind are concrete, they do not change. Right and wrong, however, are more of an individual thing, which can not be confined to guidelines. As I said before, I believe that people try to do good most of the time. As in every rule, however, there is an exception. There are certain circumstances in life which can change the way a person acts. There is a definite duality within me. I am usually a good person. I open doors, push in chairs, listen to people, and help little kids. But, occasionally I catch myself thinking about how I could make someone feel bad. I automatically feel my face turn red, and that would be the end of the thought. But I think once in a while everyone thinks something like, ‘He would really be embarrassed if I told everyone about that time at camp. Plus I could get him back,’ or something like, ‘She doesn’t deserve that. What if they found out what she did last year.’ This is not exactly evil thoughts, but it can quite possibly lead to evil actions. Prejudice is another form of evil that produces alienation and war. I have certain prejudices that I carry and I am not very proud of them, though often my instinct about a person is right. My major prejudice is against people who cannot grasp new concepts at a relatively quick rate, or those who cannot understand quickly. Somebody put it best by saying, ‘Oh, you mean the stupid people.’ I truly do hate calling them that, because often what they don’t succeed at academically, they make it up through artistic talents, athletic, or mechanical talents. But the people I have no respect for are those w ho I know can think for themselves, and understand things, but choose not to. I sometimes have trouble understanding if a person just absolutely cannot get it. I have a couple of friends who are that way, and they just cannot figure out trig. or chemistry. I just get frustrated and want to yell, ‘Why don’t you get this? Why can’t you understand that the thirty-sixty triangle always has a 1-2- 3 ratio!?’ But I can’t because one, I would seem like a total jerk, which I probably would be, and two, they are my friends. Then there are those people who dress and act, and are in fact, ‘druggies’. This prejudice kind of ties in with the first one because if the person is intelligent, than I have absolutely no problem with them dressing etc. like they do. But if they are one of the people who think that the cranium is a type of juice, then I seriously get so stressed out that I want to grab them by their lapels and shake them to jump start the brain I know they have. How does this effect my life? I know that it puts a great amount of extra stress on me that I could definitely live with out. But it also really makes me fell bad that I feel this way. I think that I am pretty open minded when it comes to the types of prejudice that are usually discussed, such as racism and sexism. I also am not homophobic and usually do not discriminate on the basis of age. In fact, I am very much biased against the people that are such. However, I believe that my prejudices are not something which contribute to hate crimes, the deaths of minorities or the dreams of a young girl. I feel that my biases are very much benign. A Shaker saying is something which if all men lived by, the world would be a ahppy place. Mary Whitcher said,’Be slow to anger, slow to blame, and slow to plead thy cause. but swift to speak of any gain that gives thy friend applause.

Treating Metabolic Syndrome using a Mediterranean Diet and High Intensity Interval Exercise - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1633 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/02/15 Category Health Essay Level High school Tags: Diet Essay Did you like this example? With the constant demands of everyday life, people are finding it more difficult to obtain a healthy body weight (Richard et al. 2012). There seems to be a viscous cycle of being overweight, not having enough time to stick to an extensive exercise schedule, and not eating correctly which feeds back into being overweight. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Treating Metabolic Syndrome using a Mediterranean Diet and High Intensity Interval Exercise" essay for you Create order This lifestyle may lead to dysfunction and ultimately health problems like metabolic syndrome. Some people may even have genetic predisposures to metabolic syndrome in their DNA (Chrysohoou et al. 2004). Metabolic syndrome is a condition that is categorized by high rates of adiposity, heart problems, and high blood pressure (Dunn et al. 2014). In addition, those suffering from metabolic syndrome also experience pro-inflammatory levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) leading to an insulin resistance in the body (Pitsavos et al. 2007). IL-6 is an inflammatory marker that is characterized by chronic low-grade systemic inflammation which is linked to metabolic syndrome (Cullen et al. 2016). It is made primarily by lymphocytes and causes antibodies to take action. However, IL-6 is elevated during exercise and even during an illness, so it often believed that exercise can be dangerous because inflammation occurs. During an illness, the body is trying to fight off the bacteria; therefore, the immune cells create pro-inflammatory levels. Similarly, the body becomes inflamed during exercise; however, the more exercise that occurs, the more the body will get used to the inflammation which results in anti-inflammatory levels. This is beneficial because anti-inflammatory levels combat the occurrence of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Individuals with metabolic syndrome may find a regular exercise schedule, also termed â€Å"Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training†, to be unappealing, impossible, and ultimately not effective (Van Biljon et al. 2018). However, the research behind High Intensity Interval Exercise (HIIE) suggests this is a far more effective plan of action (Lahoz et al. 2018). HIIE involves high levels of activity performed in alternating short bursts and rest periods. One recent study concluded that over half of the eleven participants saw a reduction in capillary glycaemia, a heart health issue, after performing HIIE (Viana et al. 2018). Using this method, individuals with metabolic syndrome experienced weight loss, reduced blood pressure, and anti-inflammatory IL-6 levels (Cullen et al. 2016). Therefore, HIIE can help reduce metabolic syndrome from the exercise side of life, but what about the unhealthy eating side of the issue? There are many different diet trends and most are ineffective or yield only temporary results (Ajith et al. 2018). If someone is looking for reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome, the best diet to choose is the Mediterranean diet (Vitale et al. 2018). The Mediterranean diet is recommended in those with metabolic syndrome and even type 2 diabetes due to its high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-3, and fiber (Estruch et al. 2016). There was a recent study conducted in Spain in which over 7,000 individuals who were at risk for cardiovascular disease adopted either a Mediterranean diet or a simple reduced-fat diet. The researchers concluded that those who adhered to the Mediterranean diet showed a much lower risk of heart disease than those who ate reduced-fat only (Spence et al. 2018). In summation, studies illustrated the roles IL-6 have on metabolic syndrome, as well as those that demonstrate how metabolic syndrome can be counteracted by Mediterranean dieting and HIIE, respectively. The purpose of this current study is to determine whether or not HIIE and a Mediterranean diet would decrease the risk of Metabolic Syndrome. It was hypothesized that IL-6 levels would be reduced following this alternative intervention for metabolic health. Approval for this study was granted by the University of New South Wales Research Ethics Committee and the University of La Verne released approval for the data to be used. Data was gathered from a study performed in New South Whales, Australia in 2014 by a team of researchers that categorized the effects of HIIE and Mediterranean dieting on numerous metabolic syndrome markers including IL-6 levels (Dunn et al. 2014). Thirty-four women between the ages of 18 and 25 volunteered to participate in the study. The participants were divided into two groups; a control group of 17 women who did not change their dietary or exercise habits, and an experimental group of 17 who adhered to a Mediterranean diet and HIIE for the duration of the study. Twenty-four hours prior to testing, all participants were instructed to refrain from consuming caffeine and performing any vigorous activity. They were also asked to fast 12 hours prior. The women kept a food diary for 3 days/week pre- and post- intervention to track their meals and Mediterranean eating. The dietary intake was analyzed using dietary analysis software (Foodworks, Australia). A Mediterranean diet score was used to provide information on a scale from 0 (least adherent) to 9 (most adherent). Their scores were based off median values calculated from mean scores. As for exercise training, supervised women were given a 5-minute warm-up and cool down and sprinted on a stationary bike for 8 seconds followed by a 12 second rest period known as LifeSprints. They repeated this for 20 minutes, 3 times a week, for 12 weeks at 80%-85% of each women’s peak heart rate. Baseline and post-test readings were taken for a variety of factors including body composition and blood pressure. The IL-6 levels of each participant were quantified using enzyme-linked assay kits (ELISA), which was determined by dual wavelength absorbance measurement. (Dunn et al. 2014). Finally, all data underwent statistical analysis using the IBM Statistical Package for the Social Science for Windows software (SPSS, version 25). An independent t-test was completed to assess any significant differences between the two groups pre- and post-testing. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not HIIE and a Mediter ranean Diet would lower the risk of metabolic syndrome through a reduction in IL-6 levels. The hypothesis was that HIIE and a Mediterranean diet would in fact lower IL-6 levels, thus lowering the risk of metabolic syndrome. Thirty-four women volunteered to participate in this study. Demographics about the women are shown in Table 1. The experimental group of 17 women were given a diet to follow and a HIIE program to complete for 12 weeks, while the control group was asked to not change any of their diet or exercise habits. Both groups were tested pre- and post-intervention to determine the differences. An Independent T-test on SPSS was performed between the control and experimental group to assess their pre- and post-intervention IL-6 measurements for significance. For the experimental group, IL-6 levels decreased significantly by 32% [difference/pre IL-6=% change (Table 2)]. A two-tailed independent sample t-test showed there was a significant difference in pre- and post-tests between treatment and control group [t(34) = 2.61, p = 0.014], such that the treatment group showed greater improvement than the control group. Overall, the data collected from this experiment supports the notion that HIIE paired with a Mediterranean diet has a positive effect on IL-6 levels in the body. Between the control and experimental group, pre- and post-study, IL-6 measurements were statistically compared. For the experimental group, IL-6 levels decreased significantly by approximately 32%. However, the control group’s IL-6 levels only decreased by about 3% due to the fact that they were instructed to not change their diet and exercise habits. Collectively, the experimental group showed greater improvement than the control group for this study, supporting the hypothesis that HIIE paired with a Mediterranean diet has a positive effect on metabolic syndrome, specifical ly IL-6 levels in the body. Previous studies on HIIE have proven results for weight loss. Using this method, individuals with metabolic syndrome experienced weight loss, reduced blood pressure, and anti-inflammatory IL-6 levels (Cullen et al. 2016). In addition to HIIE, dietary improvements can also aid in the pursuit to reduce metabolic syndrome. Overall, the best dietary intervention is the Mediterranean diet (Vitale et al. 2018). The Mediterranean diet is recommended in those with metabolic syndrome and even type 2 diabetes due to its high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-3, and fiber (Estruch et al. 2016). The limitations of this study include geographic and demographic specificities. The sample population for the study included only university women between 18 and 25 years of age living in New South Wales. Metabolic syndrome can be found in other countries such as the United States; however, this study cannot be fully related to America because the lifestyles may va ry to some degree that cannot be predicted with this data alone. Similarly, men can also experience metabolic syndrome as well as women, but that group is not included in this study either. To gain the full scope of knowledge regarding metabolic syndrome, similar research would have to be conducted at least in all developed countries. Various age groups would need to be observed and all genders would need to participate as well. Such a study would take many researchers years and much funding to gather the data alone. Therefore, while that is the best theoretical path to take, it is not ideal. Instead, the research might be expanded upon one or two more groups to get a better grasp of how well the treatment works. Perhaps additional information could be gathered on men of the same age or women of more varied ages.Extreme IL-6 levels in the body indicate an individual who may be suffering from metabolic syndrome (Cullen et al. 2016). During exercise, these levels are known to be reduced. The most efficient exercise method to reduce such levels was found to be HIIE training. Risks of metabolic syndrome can also be reduced through diet. The Mediterranean diet has showed to yield great results for this. When the two methods were utilized together in this study, it was found to be extremely beneficial. IL-6 levels decreased significantly by approximately 32% when compared to the control group. Overall, this study shows that both HIIE and Mediterranean diet should be used simultaneously in order for individuals to get the best results of lowered IL-6 and decreased risk of developing metabolic syndrome.