Saturday, January 25, 2020

Analysis of Coursework Feedback

Analysis of Coursework Feedback In this feedback, Ill be analysing and examining ways I could improve my first assignment. I also didnt go into much detail about government bail-outs and how regulatory initiatives may help evade the risk of a moral hazard, involving around tax-payer bailouts. I should have talked about the liquidity provisions and BASEL III capital. Then go on to examine the BRRD and concept of bail-ins, along with more academic articles to help support and develop my arguments. Firstly, looking at me overall mark for my first assignment, I have mixed feelings as I am neither sad nor exceptionally thrilled with my grade, as I know that I could have improved my grade, if I applied my information and went into depth, along with my statements and given supporting evidence to back up my statements. In my feedback, numerous key words such as analysis and ..examining.. stood out to me the most, which further supports my statement that if I applied more knowledge to my understanding by demonstrating how my analyses of the TBTF and Moral Hazard, relates to that of the assignment question, and how it is relevant to Deutsche Bank. I could have also talked about the arguments for and against governments bail-outs by talking about how the bailout will help the global financial stability, by avoiding any financial disasters but instead bring enormously calm atmosphere in a rather hectic economic situation. This will help in protecting the veracity of the financial economy/system. If governments help bailout banks, it will help improve the investments opportunities, within the financial economy and as Warren Buffet perfectly expressed [1]Yeah, well, its everybodys problem. Unfortunately, the economy is a little like a bathtub. You cant have cold water in the front and hot water in the back. [2]We must do this if we all want to avoid an economic collapse, along with the effect it will have on the countries that depend upon their trade. It very important that money must be kept liquidated through the markets to ensure my trade and investments into the financial system. I must also analyse the against factors which i nclude how costly it will be and, credited properties cannot be recovered. It can cause a budget shortage and we can calculate the exact amount that will be helpful for the bailout, or when there will be even be enough money for this action plan to take place. In my first assignment, I didnt include the regulatory initiatives and how this will help with the bailouts and that of moral hazard. As Government bailouts increment moral peril by inducing a business atmosphere in which organisations feel they will be shielded from the outcomes of poor choices and unsafe conduct. Since they no longer dread these outcomes, at any rate not to the level they ought to, they regularly neglect to avoid potential risk to prepare for pointless hazards. This absence of judiciousness as often as possible has extensive repercussions, including shareholder misfortune, indebtedness and disintegration. If they are right and the administration ventures into safeguarding the organization out, the outcomes of this will help benefit the public. Unfortunately, as citizens bear the cost of bailouts, which is likewise to wreak destruction on government spending plans. This is demonstrated in the Great Recession as due to the government bailout during this time, resulte d to terrible conduct from the administrators who didnt treat the citizens well. This is moral risk. After this examining on Moral Hard and government bailouts, I should have gone on to talk about and examine the arguments of Moosas on the needs for why banks should be allowed to fail. [3]Such as finding it ironic that regulators are the ones in sole charge of implementing Basel II and argues that considering the subprime, Basel II may be suggesting inappropriate or inadequate financial supervision.[4] While capital adequacy requirements are designed to protect banks from insolvency. As the problem that the banks faced during the crisis illiquidity. [5]Basel III is a piece of the persistent impulsion to improve how Banks are managed. It expands on the Basel I and Basel II archives, and tries to enhance the saving money segments capacity to manage monetary anxiety, enhance chance administration, and fortify the banks straightforwardness. Basel III is to cultivate more noteworthy versatility at the individual bank level with a specific end goal to decrease the danger of framework wide shock factors. Basel III presented more tightly capital necessities in contrast with Basel I and Basel II. Banks administrative capital is partitioned into Tier 1 and Tier 2, while Tier 1 is subdivided into Common Equity Tier 1 and extra Tier 1 capital. Deutsche Bank offers have been pounded, while its adaptable ties have been in freefall. As Nobel Economist Professor Stiglitz said, [6]The UK has been hit hard because the banks took on enormously large liabilities in foreign currencies. Should the British taxpayers have to lower their standard of living for 20 years to pay off mistakes that benefited a small elite? There is an argument for letting the banks go bust. It may cause turmoil but it will be a cheaper way to deal with this in the end. The British Parliament never offered a blanket guarantee for all liabilities and derivative positions of these banks. The new banks will be more credible once they no longer have these liabilities on their back. I would have to agree with Professor Stiglitz statement, as it is fair to say that its about time that we set aside, and allow at least one bank become bankrupt. Especially Big Banks, as another round of safeguard outs is unsatisfactory. The general population accounts wont be able to stand the strain, the effect on the financial economy will be unfair, and the ethical risk would be excessively enormous. If we do see a few banks fall, we ought to be prepared and willing to watch them go down. In my next assignment, Ill be making sure to go into more depth in examining and analysing the question, as well as backing by my statements with supporting arguments and articles. Bibliography Evans-Pritchard A, Let banks fail, says Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz The Telegraph (2 February 2009) accessed 20 December 2016 Moffatt M, Should banks be allowed to fail? When does a private institution become too big to fail? (Education, 25 September 2015) accessed 20 December 2016 Investopedia.com, Basel III (2010) accessed 21 December 2016 Clark A, Banking crisis: Warren Buffett sees US bailout as a golden opportunity The Guardian (24 September 2008) accessed 21 December 2016 DePersio G, How do government bailouts increase moral hazard? (2015) accessed 26 December 2016 accessed 26 December 2016 BBC, Bail-out debate: For and against BBC Business (25 September 2008) accessed 21 December 2016 Moosa IA, Quantification of operational risk under Basel II: The good, bad and ugly: 2008 (Palgrave Macmillan 2008) [1] Andrew Clark, Banking crisis: Warren Buffett sees US bailout as a golden opportunity The Guardian (24 September 2008) accessed 21 December 2016 [2] BBC, Bail-out debate: For and against BBC Business (25 September 2008) accessed 21 December 2016 [3] Imad A. Moosa, Quantification of operational risk under Basel II: The good, bad and ugly: 2008 (Palgrave Macmillan 2008) [4] Imad A. Moosa, Quantification of operational risk under Basel II: The good, bad and ugly: 2008 (Palgrave Macmillan 2008) [5] Investopedia.com, Basel III (2010) accessed 21 December 2016 [6] Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Let banks fail, says Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz The Telegraph (2 February 2009) accessed 20 December 2016

Friday, January 17, 2020

Marketing Strategy Vitasoy Soybean Drink Essay

Background Soybean milk was first introduced in Hong Kong by Dr. K.S. Lo under the brand name â€Å"Vitasoy† in 1940, with an intention to provide consumers with an affordable nutritious and high-protein soymilk drink. Since then, Vitasoy became a well-known household name and is now the flagship product of Vitasoy International Holdings Limited (VIHL), contributing 48% of the company total revenue by categories in fiscal year 2013/2014. With the priority to promote quality of life through a wide range of great-tasting and nutritional products, the company expanded beyond the soy beverage with a wide variety of food & beverages, under the derivative brand name â€Å"Vita†. Vitasoy Soybean Milk (Regular) – Marketing Mix Product Vitasoy soybean milk is the preferred brand among local consumers, but it is fast losing its attractiveness. Consumers are becoming more sophisticated and health conscious where many are switching out to â€Å"Fresh/ Organic† soymilk which are fiercely competed by many rivals. The launched of Low Sugar variant may have helped to slow down its eroding share, but the product has passed the maturity stage. Instead of rationalizing the existing product line (multiple pack formats, photo below), the company continue to stretch the product line with different pack formats (of recent, the PET packaging). This initiative may potentially lead to cannibalization and causing diseconomies of scales in production. Price Targeting the masses with price positioned below most of the â€Å"organic† and â€Å"non-organic† soymilk products across most channels. With exception to chain convenient stores, its pricing is much higher than most of the â€Å"organic† soymilk products. This conflicting price positioning in chain convenient stores may lead to consumers switching out to â€Å"organic† soymilk, which is cheaper, fresher & healthier. As observed (photo below) in 7-Eleven, pack of Vitasoy soybean milk 250ml cost HK$6.90 while pack of Pak Fook 236ml â€Å"fresh organic† cost HK$5.80, both at non-promotion price. Promotion Actively engage in promoting its product through several advertising platforms (eg. TV commercial, social media, magazine/ newspapers, billboards & event sponsorships) and conducted many consumer communication campaigns. Noteworthy is their in-store execution particularly in chain supermarket which dominates majority of the shelf-space with prominent product displays and conducted tactical bundle sales regularly. The recent campaign â€Å"Anytime, Anywhere† is seen as a desperate attempt to disassociate itself as â€Å"breakfast-only† beverage. The campaign was supported with the launch of PET packaging which is a better proposition for an â€Å"all-occasion† beverage. But again, pricing may not be appealing to the target consumers particularly in chain convenient stores which is much costly comparing to other channels. Place The product is widely available through their extensive geographical coverage built over the years, reaching out to over 10,000 customers (eg. chain supermarkets & convenience stores, restaurants, bakeries, offices and independent grocery stores) serviced by 300 sales force and 100 delivery trucks. Also leveraging on the company subsidiary – Vitaland, specializing in operation and management of school tuck shops and canteen business, has made the product more accessible particularly among younger consumers. These are the key factors that have helped to strengthen the company leadership in Hong Kong. Recommendation In view of the competitive environment and evaluation of the product marketing mix, the recommended growth strategies would be Marketing Penetration & Product Development. Both strategies are least risky and are capable to generate further business growth for Vitasoy in this mature market (Hong Kong) Market Penetration Vitasoy soybean milk needs to drive off competition and sustain their share in the non-organic soymilk segment via enlarge distribution reach, conduct tactical/ aggressive sales promotions (eg. Discount or bundle sales) and  increase share of shelf-space. They need to reinforce barriers to entry in their key strategic channels (ie. chain supermarkets and chain convenient stores), as those are the key market entry channels and key breeding ground for competition. It is also crucial to rationalize their existing product line (multiple pack formats) to achieve economies of scale or prevent production complexity but most critically is to avoid cannibalization. In addition, to ensure the success of the product in PET packaging, it has to be nurtured with more effective marketing efforts with a pricing strategy that will appeal to the masses, specifically in chain convenient stores due to its geographical spread and 24/7. Product Development Vitasoy soybean milk has passed its maturity stage, as consumers continue to be inclined towards beverages with higher nutritional benefits (eg. Organic, high calcium, low sugar & low fat). Nonetheless, the company must continue to protect its leadership in this category as it contributes 48% of the company total revenue. This can be done by leveraging on its reputation as â€Å"Soy Expert† and making the competition irrelevant. The company must aggressively take the lead in developing new innovative product with clear product differential verses its rivals, through product line extension of their strategic growth brands (ie. Calci-Plus & Sansui). The new product line has to be innovative nutritious product with relevance to the health trends, this will eventually help to enhance consumer loyalty, gain more shares and potentially attract more switch-in from non-users. References 1) Soyinfo center, website www.soyinfocenter.com/HSS/ks_lo_and_vitasoy.php 2) Vitasoy International Holdings, website www.vitasoy.com , www.vitasoy.com/pdf/pressRelease/EN 3) Vitaland Services Limited, website www.vitaland.com.hk 4) Facebook – VitaVitasoy 5) Blog – childhoodsnacks.blogspot.hk 6) EuroMonitor International, website www.euromonitor.com/soft-drinks-in-hong-kong-china/report 7) Blue Ocean Strategy, W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne, 2006 Harvard Business School Publishing Corp

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Hofstede Cultures and Organizations - Software of the...

HOFSTEDE: Cultures And Organizations - Software of the Mind Culture as mental programming In Western languages culture commonly means civilization or refinement of the mind and in particular the results of such refinement, like education, art, and literature. This is culture in the narrow sense; culture one Culture as mental software, however, corresponds to a much broader use of the word which is common among social anthropologists: this is ‘culture two’. In social anthropology, culture is a catchword for all those patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting referred to in the previous paragraphs. Not only those activities supposed to refine the mind are included in culture two, but also the ordinary and menial things in life:†¦show more content†¦National culture differences â€Å"invention† of nations is recent ... nation is not the same as society formation of countries in Africa ... But forces push towards integration, - dominant language, common mass media, national army, ... Danger in thinking of â€Å"typically German† or â€Å"French† - just a matter of expediency DIMENSIONS OF NATIONAL CULTURES Social anthropology In the first half of the twentieth century, social anthropology has developed the conviction that all societies, modern or traditional, face the same basic problems; only the answers differ. For some researchers the following issues qualify as common basic problems worldwide, with consequences for the functioning of societies, of groups within those societies, and of individuals within those groups: 1. Relation to authority 2. Conception of self, in particular: a. the relationship between individual and society, and b. the individuals concept of masculinity and femininity 3. 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