Apple Incorporated and the Power of Its Brands Essay

Apple Incorporated and the Power of Its Brands - Essay Example Its goal is to substantially address the needs of its customers, but not until when it discovered the advantage of creating a need for its product and service offerings. The modern marketing emphasises that marketers are good at creating needs for their offerings (Boone and Kurtz, 2006; Kotler et al., 1999). In fact, Apple is very good at creating needs for its product and service offerings, the very basic foundation of how it tries to achieve its competitive advantage. However, as it continues to grow, Apple Incorporated has become highly recognized with its brands, which brings it at the top of the competition. Porter’s theory of competitive advantage applies to Apple Incorporated and its brands. The power of its brands is very important component of differentiation strategy (Porter, 1998). People simply associate the Apple brand with standard quality, reliability, and many other intrinsic values. This is due to the fact that brands simply emphasise attributes and meanings ( Belch and Belch, 1998). In a highly capitalist world, brands have important value that could be maximised for profit making (Arvidson, 2006). Branding is a specific marketing strategy and as a way to enhance profitability, productivity and efficiency (Moor, 2007). Moor added that branding seeks to develop political message, corporate image, people, and behaviours. It is in these reasons Apple wanted to invest more in reconstructing, refining and enhancing its brands prior to becoming a cut above the other in its industry. As widely observed, the media have always been the integral parts of Apple’s success in achieving a powerful brand in the world. As a result, Apple has become an iconic brand because it came to a point of becoming a cultural icon with corresponding identity value (Holt, 2004). There are many strategies in doing this and they are integral parts of cultural branding principles. In this paper, the proponent tries to incorporate in the analysis how Apple Incorpo rated was able to successfully achieve or create the power of its brands using the media as integral parts of communication, a specific strategy in cultural branding principles (Holt, 2004). The discussion in particular includes media, brand development, and the concept of gratification of needs based on psychological perspective. Media and brand development Media are anything with spaces that have the capacity to allow marketing to take place in them (Moor, 2007). Space is very important for Moor as a specific site to develop relationships between brands and customers. She added that it is a communicative medium or opportunity for marketing to take place. Ads are specific forms of communications placed within a communicative medium (Cook, 2001). For many years, Apple Incorporated is using the media in order to promote its brands. Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad and iTunes are the most important brands that are established by Apple with the aid of the media. In 2006, Apple’s ad budge t is $338 million, $467 million in 2007, and $486 million in 2008 (Blakely, 2008; DeWitt, 2009). In 2009, Apple spent $501 million for Ad expense (DeWitt, 2009). There seems to be an increase in the budget allocated by Apple for its ads, but it is actually decreasing based on percentage of revenue; 5 percent in 2001 and 1.17 percent in 2009 (DeWitt, 2009). This means that the higher the revenue of Apple has become, the lesser it allocated budget for its promotional activities. This

ENGLISH LEGAL SYSTEM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

ENGLISH LEGAL SYSTEM - Essay Example The Supreme Court exists over the Court of Appeal; the decisions of the Court of Appeal can be challenged and appealed in the Supreme Court. Criminal Division The decisions of the Crown Court can be challenged in the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal. Civil Division The cases relating to the family justice and the civil law from the High Court, the County Courts in certain cases and the Tribunals; all can be appealed in the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal. High Court They, the Queen’s Bench Division, the Chancery Division, and the Family Division, are included in the legal structure of the High Court. Verdicts of the High Court may be appealed to the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal. Queen’s Bench Division: Technology and Construction Court (TCC) This Division hears the cases of disputes in the technology and construction involving questions and issues which are technically complex. In such cases, a specialist TCC judge is desirable to hear the proceed ings of the cases. Queen’s Bench Division: Mercantile Court The national and international business disputes involving complexity and claims of lesser value are heard in the Division; the cases must be other than those heard by the Commercial Court. Queen’s Bench Division: Commercial Court The Commercial Court of the Queen’s Bench Division hears the cases of disputes of the national and international business level relating to the commodities, banking, arbitration dispute and international trade. Queen’s Bench Division: Admiralty Court The shipping and maritime disputes are heard in the Admiralty Court of the Queen’s Bench Division. Disputes concerning collisions, carriage of cargo, salvage, limitation, and mortgage are heard in the Division. The Admiralty Court by exercising its legal power can issue an order arresting cargoes and vessels. Queen’s Bench Division: Administrative Court Administrative Court is entrusted with a considerable jur isdiction. It hears statutory appeals and application, applications under the Drug Trafficking Act 1984 and the Criminal justice Act 1988, and judicial reviews as well. In addition, the Division is entrusted to observe the legality factor of decisions and actions of the tribunals and inferior courts, Ministers of the Crown, local authorities and other public bodies. The Chancery Division: Companies Court Companies related disputed are heard by the Companies Court of the Chancery Division. The cases of commercial fraud, management of company, director’s disqualification, business disputes and insolvency, are brought into the Companies Court. The Chancery Division: Divisional Court Cases concerning bankruptcy, tax partnership, trusts, equity, contentious probate and land, are heard by the Divisional Court of the Chancery Division. The Chancery Division: Patents Court The Patents Court of the Chancery Division hears the cases of copyright, trademark and patent, intellectual prop erty and passing off. Family Division: Divisional Court Family disputes are mostly brought into the Divisional Court of the Family Division. The disputes concerning parentage, domestic violence, family homes, children custody, adoption, annulment, separation, medical treatment and divorce declarations, are heard by the Division. County Courts The County Courts hear cases concerning claims for debts repayment, contract breach involving goods or property, family issues, housing issues and enforcement of the previous decisions of the County Court.

Msc IT Project Proposal - Title to be decided Thesis

Msc IT Project Proposal - Title to be decided - Thesis Example Current paper focuses on the methods used by a firm that operates in a specific industry, this of the martial arts, in order to improve its communication with its customers and therefore increase its performance. The firm under examination is a Judo club which is not well established in the market; it has entered the market rather recently – one year ago – and it seeks to increase its performance by improving its communication with its customers. It can be assumed therefore that the resources available for the achievement of the above targets will be limited. The chances for the achievement of the relevant plan will be explored and analyzed using a series of appropriately customized research methods. As already noticed above, the firm’s resources that are available for the realization of the relevant project – development of a communication website – are limited. The short presence of the firm in the market could be regarded as the main reason for the lack of necessary resources; however, there are firms that are developed quite quickly even if they operate for a short period within a particular market – this is the case of firms that use all resources available – referring not to the internal resources but also to the external ones, e.g. the funding options available in a specific market. It seems that the specific firm didn’t manage to ‘gain’ the support of the market until now (probably because no appropriate research was made to this direction). For this reason, it is necessary that all available resources of the firm will be employed in the particular effort trying to ensure the increase of its competitiveness within th e particular industry. Currently, the systems available for the completion of the specific project – communication website – are rather limited. The firm’s operation is based on a simple IT network consisting from 3 desktops that communicate through an

5 questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

5 questions - Essay Example quilibrium† model for groups development in which a group’s progress is marked by two phases of stability—Phase I and Phase II—emphasized by abrupt changes at the project center point that occurs halfway to the deadline. There are number of factors that can positively or negatively affect cohesiveness; a few of these are number of employees, duration of time for task achievement and duration of time the group spent together, organization, external pressures, location and reputation of the group, closeness of supervision, and internal competitive behavior. For example large groups (with size more than 25 to 30 employees) may reduce the development of cohesiveness. The longer the duration for group development, the larger the cohesiveness. Outside pressures (of close supervision) could speed up development of cohesion. The higher the reputation, the more potential cohesiveness will evolve. Expressing the purpose in terms of specific goal increases the productivity over and above any performance benefits achieved through individual goal setting. A behavioral norm for high productivity and performance set over organizational norms qualifies high performing work groups. For example business revenues can be influenced by many factors such as market position, advertisement and price. Through advertisement a businessman express his purpose of increasing revenues and mostly advertisement increases the productivity (Daft & Marcic, 2010). Group would be most useful for this decision. Advantages of decision of a group include (1) More information and knowledge through the sharing of group member resources, (2) Number of increased commitment and acceptance to the decision, (3) Better apprehension of the decision. The time for a group to make a decision might how ever be longer. Given the uncertain and unstructured nature of this conclusion, a group would be more efficient. Advantages in a group decision-making situation are complete information and knowledge is

Law for Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Law for Business - Assignment Example nless he is, in fact, specially authorized by the other partners; but this section does not affect any personal liability which may arise against any other partner who has so conducted himself as to give reasonable ground to the party dealing with the partner first mentioned for believing him to be so authorized1.There are rights that the third party has and enable the party to enforce agreements against the firm. The enforcement of a term by the third party is when the terms of the contract provides that the party is subjected to subsection and the term that is given by the firm significances to discuss a benefit that the party will obtain. Any claim that can be made by the third parties may not be well defended by the partnership since not all the partners were involved. The subjection that the third party is able to get may not apply when if on a proper coming to an agreement appears that the parties that were involved did not have the intention to have the term being enforceable by the law 2. In the enforcements that are made, the third party must be well identified by the partners in the contract with fine details including name and as a member of a given class or as answering a given description3. There is no need of the person to be in existence when the agreement of the purchases is entered into. The laws of third party involvement in a contract need the subject to be subjected to and also do it according to other relevant terms of the contract. In contracts that Steve involved in, there was no consideration of other terms of partnership that they were in. in exercising rights of enforcement by a third party, there is availability to the third party remedy that would be available to him if there was breach in the contract that was entered to if the third party was already part of the contract. The other rules that apply to the third party are with rules that relate to damages, specific performance and injunctions. There are terms of contracts that restrict

Artificial reefs on the gulf coast and why funding should remain for Essay

Artificial reefs on the gulf coast and why funding should remain for them - Essay Example The fact that they are artificial means that they are manmade. It follows that man has to effect necessary measures including funding in order to protect this type of unique environment. Once the funding is provided it is expected that the relevant authorities will ensure that is properly used for the good of the artificial reefs in general. The emergence of artificial reefs can be compared to oases in deserts. Artificial reefs can also be described as safe underwater havens made up of hard surfaces on which invertebrates attach themselves. These invertebrates include corals, bryozoans, barnacles, hydroids and clams. A simple theory has always been that invertebrates will start living around the reef once it has been established. A marine food will therefore develop in that ecosystem. Naturally, other forms of marine life will also be attracted in the area (Bortone, Brandarini and Otake, 251). A typical scenario is that bigger fish will head for the reef in order to feed on the smaller ones that arrived earlier thus the common saying that larger fish are usually right behind the smaller ones. Some areas such as Florida used to establish artificial reefs by sinking any object for instance refrigerators, fridges, washing machines among others. This was a haphazard approach of building the reefs since they would soon be de stroyed by hurricanes or tropical storm. Today, establishment of an artificial reef requires careful planning and choice of materials. Bortone et al (260) asserts that the main objectives are to enhance the original habitat at the bottom of the sea and increase the population of local fish. Generally looking at the Gulf coast, the area with the most number of permitted artificial reefs is the state of Florida. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is thus the one responsible for establishing guidelines for the deployment of artificial reefs. There are close to 2,700 artificial reefs along Florida’s

Costing of Zara Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Costing of Zara - Article Example Essentially, the main purpose of business is to generate profits. When the company is in a position to generate more revenue from its operations, that is if it is operating to capacity, it is able to expand its operations. Growth of business in this particular case entails that the company can employ more people which in turn helps to generate more revenue. This is very important in as far as sustainability in the company’s long term operations are concerned. It can also be noted that for Zara to operate below capacity, it is a strong disadvantage to its financial performance. Such companies invest large sums of money to set up manufacturing plants and they must operate above capacity to recover the money that has been invested in the first place. When the company has recovered the money that has been invested, it is in a position to generate surplus revenue commonly known as profit. Any viable company should be in a position to generate profits from its operations. This can help the company to operate viably in the long run. The other disadvantage of operating below capacity is that the company may face problems in terms of meeting the maintenance costs of the equipment used in the manufacturing of fashionable clothes. A company that is operating below capacity is not able to meet all its operational costs as a result of the fact that it would be generating limited revenue. This means that the company may be forced to borrow from other financial institutions in order to sustain its operations in the event that the equipment has broken down. The company should be in a position to buy spares and meet other operational costs in the event that it has encountered some problems in its operations. This can only be possible if it is operating above capacity. To a certain extent, the only advantage that can be derived by Zara for operating below capacity is that it is in a