The Toyota Prius Essay Example for Free

The Toyota Prius Essay The microenvironment consists of actors close to the company that affect its ability to serve its customers- the company, suppliers, marketing, intermediaries, customer markets, competitors, and publics. During the introduction and sale of the Toyota Prius, four major sectors of the microenvironment attributed to its success: The company, suppliers, marketing intermediaries, and publics. Toyota’s customer driven marketing strategy is largely responsible for its success in the hybrid car market. Forward thinking and focus on the societal and marketing concepts allowed for the company to deliver superior customer value to its customers. Management’s focus on the world’s dependence on gasoline and perceived customer value proved to be useful tools in understanding the more environmentally conscious and non-affluent mindsets of consumers. Sleek Asian- inspired design, a roomy interior, and expensive interior options and features usually only found in luxury vehicles, provided customers with the superior value of luxury at a desirable price. Toyota’s value delivery network is also crucial to daily operations. The timely delivery of cars to manufactures helped to avoid bottlenecks and supply shortages which are often seen with products gaining rapid market share. Delays, labor strikes, and loss of suppliers can seriously disrupt the supply chain, cost sales in the short run and damage customer satisfaction in the long run. Working closely with its suppliers, Toyota is able to strengthen relationships to insure it receives the lowest costs; thus, providing more customer value for its customers. Marketing intermediaries such as media publics, government publics, and the general public play a pivotal role in Toyota’s Prius sales. Due to the economic and environmental forces facing the world today, media publics depict the company as doing a good service for the world, gaining governmental support and enticing the general public to purchase the Prius with the sense that they are doing their part to reduce the world’s dependence on fossil fuels and preserving the environment. In 2007 Toyota sold 181,000 Priuses in the US alone, a 70 percent increase over 2006 sales with little promotional effort. This implies that media, government and the general public played a large role in creating customer awareness, and Toyota’s dedication to its customer driven marketing strategy and value supply chain provided its customers with the best value. Which technical and economic forces affect the marketing of the Toyota Prius? The economic environment consists of factors that affect the consumer’s purchasing power and spending patterns. Marketers must pay close attention to major trends and consumer patterns in domestic and global markets. One economic force facing the entire world is our dependence on gasoline and the price that it costs. For Toyota, the release of the Prius was designed to gain market share by doing exactly that: saving the consumer money on gasoline purchases. While the national average per car in 2001 was 25 miles per US gallon (9.4 l/100 km) in the United States, the Prius boasted as staggering 42 miles per gallon. With the current strain on North American consumers, high unemployment, companies downsizing due to technological advances, recessions, and price inflation, it is not hard to see why consumers would favor a car that saves you money at the pump. Not to mention, the price of gasoline was a record $4.12 in 2008 and during that time the financial meltdown had left many consumers out of work and looking for ways to make ends meet. Gasoline is a finite commodity, and it is prone to drastic swings dependent on the global macroeconomic picture and supply chain distributions. Toyota understands that customers don’t like to be held sway to these forces and it will continue to imply this strategy in its marking to insure future sales. Technical advances also played a very important role in Toyota’s success. The Prius’ combination of power sources, a rechargeable battery, and low gas consumption made it instantly appealing to consumers. Without the technological advances in hybrid systems and lithium batteries, the Prius would be much less effective and would not have gained market share so quickly. Advancements in LED screens, GPS, touch screen displays and other high tech gadgets made them more affordable, giving the Prius the interior of a luxury car at an appealing price. Though as technology advances and once luxury items become more common place and affordable, new advancements in technology might pose a threat to the company in the future. Toyota must reinvest in research and development in hybrid technology to maintain its current market share. A value network is defined as the network made up of the company, suppliers, distributors, and ultimately customers who â€Å"partner† with each other to improve the performance of the entire system. A value network for a company as big as Toyota plays a critical role in delivering customer satisfaction. The Toyota Prius value delivery network begins with the company Toyota itself. Strong management, design, and marketing must all coalesce to ensure that the Prius is designed and marketed properly. Internal research, development and innovation are crucial in maintaining market share and increasing share of the customer in such a competitive industry. Day to day operations must run smoothly at Toyota in order for it to focus on new product ideas and promotional efforts. However, many companies must look beyond their own value chain and focus on external factors facing the company. Once Toyota is ready to proceed with the construction of the Prius, it must work closely with supp liers. Relationship management is crucial in receiving external parts such as LCD screens, dashboard displays, sound systems, and other features of the luxurious interior of the Prius at lost cost. This is crucial in maintaining an attractive cost to consumers. Timely delivery of these parts is also of extreme importance as faulty products could cause costly recalls and delays of product deliveries could set Toyota’s production behind schedule, delaying distribution, and ultimately damaging the reputation of the company and hurting sales. The companies that Toyota chooses to affiliate itself with, is also of extreme importance. New technological advances in RD design could help give Toyota an advantage over its competition and faulty equipment could cause costly recalls. Toyota must continually strive to improve its product and actively manage its business portfolio to achieve its goals and increase its long term share of the marketplace. With a total of 2.8 million Priuses having been sold worldwide as of October 2012, Toyota knows that distribution is a huge part of its success. Customers flock to showrooms and car dealership to get their hands on Priuses. Toyota knows that its customers must be able to purchase their products easily and that waiting lists and other delays could hurt the relationship with its customers. With strong competition from other electric car manufactures such as the Chevy Volt and the Tesla Roadster, proper manufacturing, timely and cost effective deliveries of products to Toyota, and global distribution of its products is the key to generating customer satisfaction and ultimately increasing market share. What is the market orientation of the Prius? The Prius shares characteristics of three of the five major market orientations: the product concept, the marketing concept, and the societal concept. Toyota shows that it is deeply dedicated to improving product quality, performance, and innovation. In the competitive world of the electric car, innovation is extremely important. Toyota has displayed this with the improved gas conservation and better battery power of the newer models of the Prius. The company also knows the needs and wants of its customers more so than its competitors. This dedication to the marketing orientation is a big reason why the Prius is one of the best selling cars in the world. The marketing orientation that stands out for the Prius is its dedication the societal concept. Toyota knows that gasoline is a finite commodity and that the days of the gas guzzling SUV’s are coming to an end. Toyota’s dedication to long term societal and environmental effects is one of the key points of the marketing strategy for the Prius. Its saves the consumer money, but it is also better for the environment. Forward thinking, such as environmentally stable, eco-friendly green cars is clearly the wave of the future for the automobile industry. Toyota’s dedication to the societal orientation will insure that the company stays focused on the long term effects of its products and will be better prepared for future challenges. A company’s â€Å"value proposition† is the set of benefits of values it promises to deliver to customers to satisfy their needs. Toyota’s Prius has differentiated itself by offering a solution to consumers who are uncomfortable with the current price of gasoline. By focusing on cleaner, greener energy, the Toyota Prius has captured market share from many of its competitors in the automotive industry, and left many companies wondering how they can reduce their carbon footprint and improve their image. The value to owning a Prius doesn’t stop at the pump. The Prius is stylish, roomy, and packed with luxury options in the interior creating a strong sense of satisfaction for customers. Toyota is selling a vehicle, but it is also selling an experience. It ultimately lies in the satisfaction customers get from driving the product and the feeling that is created knowing that you are doing your part to save the environment. Why buy a Prius? It’s simple. In a world as congested and polluted as the world we live in today, why not do your part to save our environment and reduce global warming? The answer to many consumers questions is: the Prius. Works Cited Kotler,Armstrong,Cunningham,Thrifts: Principles of Marketing 8th Canadian Edition, Pearson Canada, 2010. Print. Fuel economy, January 29th,2013 Patrick Dehaan, Jason Toews, Feburary 2013 http://gasbuddy.com/gb_retail_price_chart.aspx Toyota Prius sales, February 7th, 2013

Examination of Characters in Katherine Anne Porters Short Story He Ess

Examination of Characters in Katherine Anne Porter's Short Story He Katherine Anne Porter's moving and stylistically cohesive short story "He" contains much worth discussing. The story's characters are quite memorable and provide for interesting character studies; in addition, the plot and themes of the story are also noteworthy. The most elaborately detailed character is Mrs. Whipple. She is the dominating member of the Whipple family; despite her belief in "men's work" as opposed to women's, she seems to have a great deal of say in family decisions. Mrs. Whipple is extremely concerned with status and appearances -- indeed, overly so. This preoccupation of hers is prominent throughout the story, from beginning to end. She is concerned, first of all, with making sure that no one else is aware of her family's poverty. She mentions, when things are going particularly bad for the Whipple, that "[The neighbors]'ll be calling us poor white trash next," and we know that would be tantamount to death for Mrs. Whipple. She is so concerned with keeping up appearances, in fact, that she goes against the advice of her husband and butchers a sucking pig when her brother, his "plump wife" and two "roaring hungry" boys come to visit. Although this will hurt them in the long run, Mrs. Whipple simply cannot bear to adm it the inadequacy of her family's income. Mrs. Whipple knows her family, especially her the long run, Mrs. Whipple simply cannot bear to admit the inadequacy of her family's income. Mrs. Whipple knows her family, especially her "simple-minded" son, is not like others, but she tries desperately to make them appear normal. Thus her other preoccupation lies in protecting her "simple-minded" son. We learn that Mrs. ... ...s moving and darkly humorous look at family dynamics. It certainly makes a clear statement against concern for appearances at all costs. It also explores the idea of "motherly love" and how good intentions can go bad. In the end, however, this story is just appearances at all costs. It also explores the idea of "motherly love" and how good intentions can go bad. In the end, however, this story is just depressing. We feel very sorry for -- and a little true sympathy for -- Mrs. Whipple and her family. Nevertheless, we cannot agree that it was "a mortal pity He was ever born," for we know that "she had loved Him as much as she possibly could"; in light of all her other concerns and preoccupations, however, it just wasn't enough. Work Cited Porter, Katherine Anne. "He." The Literature of the American South. Ed. William L. Andrews. New York: Norton. 1998.

Gender Issues Essay

According to Elisabeth Horst, Erik Erikson’s theories pertaining to identity and intimacy disconcerns sexual differences. The primary consensus of several writers concludes that Erikson believes that women rely on marriage to develop their identity. This was written at a time when differences in sexes were treated as afterthoughts. He based his theories on the masculine version of experience. Yet Erikson did not portray women as inferior. There seems to be a conflict in underemphasizing women’s roles and overemphasizing women’s roles and overemphasizing their role in the social system. Very little was written about women in this time. One author (Marcia, 1980) implicated that intimacy becomes more of a feminine task and identity demonstrates a masculine task. Orlosfsky (1977) defines the masculine traits such as independence, autonomy, and assertiveness even more important to forming identity than the more feminine characteristics of warmth, tenderness, and understanding. Some writers disagree with Erikson’s theory of human development because they considered him to be a sexist. His writings involved the masculine aspect more than the feminine side in his studies. Horst, E. A. (1995). Reexamining Gender Issues in Erikson’s Stages of Identity and Intimacy. Journal of Counseling & Development, 73 (3), 271-278. Marcia, J. (1980). Identity in Adolescence. In J. Adelson (Ed. ), Handbook of Adolescent Psychology. New York. Wiley. Individuation and Attachments Many feminist critize Erik Erikson’s theory because of neglect or misprotrayal of female experience. He seems to presume that identity precedes intimacy. This seems to add limitations to his universal theory of human development. Even though he includes trust, autonomy, initiative, industry, identity, intimacy, generativity, and integrity into his theories. Erikson demonstrates the stages of life as: (I) Infancy showing trust vs mistrust ages 0-16 months (II)Early Childhood 17-36 months (III) Play Age (IV)School Age 6-12 (V) Adolescent (VI) Young Adult (VII) Adulthood (VIII) Mature Age It appears as if Erikson did not elaborate on attachment during infancy and childhood, thus the need to apply the notions of Jean Piaget.

Irregular Plural Nouns Definitions and Examples

In English grammar, an irregular plural is a  noun that does not form its plural simply by adding the suffix -s or -es to the base. Although most count nouns in English have regular plurals, some nouns (such as sheep) dont have separate plural forms while others (such as woman and half) form the plural by changing an internal vowel (women) or consonant (halves). Examples and Observations All around us on each side of the river were sheep, cattle, horses, wagons, men, women and children—more cattle and sheep than I ever saw before in my life: drove after drove, thousands, yes, tens of thousands.(Rebecca Ketcham, quoted by Lillian Schlissel in Womens Diaries of the Westward Journey. Schocken Books, 1992)Farmers trekked into town with their children and wives streaming around them. (Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Random House, 1969)There was a discipline and purpose about the wolves, almost like divisions of an army preparing for battle. (John Connolly, The Book of Lost Things. Atria, 2006)It is incredibly easy to update tests, quizzes, syllabi, handouts, and parent letters with simple cut and paste strategies. (Mary C. Clement,First. Scarecrow, 2005) Time in the High School ClassroomStudents hear several series of familiar patterns in various combinations and recognize the tonality (major or minor) of each series. (Eric Bluestine, The Ways Childr en Learn Music. GIA, 2000)Parentheses come in pairs. (Bill Walsh, Yes, I Could Care Less: How to Be a Language Snob Without Being a Jerk. St. Martins Press, 2013)[O]ne can see engravings, paintings, and carvings in the soft surface of the rock. Most of the figures represented are deer and bison, primary food sources for the caves inhabitants. (Trudy Ring et al., International Dictionary of Historic Places: Southern Europe. Fitzroy Dearborn, 1995)I have hired a programmer to set up a customized version of Access, specifically to cross-index my patients, including the usual demographic data, diagnoses, medications, referrals, and procedures. (Phil R. Manning and Lois DeBakey,  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Medicine: Preserving the Passion in the 21st Century, 2nd ed. Springer, 2004)If the plural of loaf is loaves, whats the plural of oaf? she says. Why isnt it oaves? George realizes that a good deal of what she says is directed not to him or to any other listener but simply to herself. (Margaret Atwood, Wilderness Tips. Doubleday, 1991) Nouns With Two Plural Forms Irregular plural nouns are generally nouns that follow older patterns of English or are nouns that have been borrowed from Latin or Greek and thus take the Latin or Greek plural formation. In the case of words that have been borrowed from Latin or Greek, there is a tendency for them to adopt over time the regular English plural -s inflection. Therefore, we see words such as syllabus that actually have two plural forms, the original syllabi and the English syllabuses. (Andrea DeCapua, Grammar for Teachers. Springer, 2008) Irregular Nouns With New Meanings When a word with an irregular plural is given a new meaning, it often takes a regular plural. So, although leaves is the usual plural of leaf, the Toronto hockey team is called the Maple Leafs, a tea in Taiwan is called Leafs and a Swedish band is called Fallen Leafs. The normal regular plural for mouse must be mice, yet computer mice gives a strange image of little creatures dashing about the mouse-pad rather than the new regular plural, computer mouses; nevertheless, Dell computers use mice on their website. . . . Interestingly, the same regularization effect applies to the pronunciation of irregular spellings: salmon is said without an l but salmonella clearly has one. (Vivian Cook, All in a Word. Melville House, 2010) Top 10 Mistakes Using Nouns With Irregular Plurals The following list shows the ten nouns with irregular plural forms that cause the most difficulty for advanced learners of English. The words on the left show the singular form of the noun and the words on the right show the correct plural form: 1. life - lives 2. child - children 3. belief - beliefs 4. country - countries 5. company - companies 6. hero - heroes 7. wife - wives 8. city - cities 9. sheep - sheep 10. activity - activities Note that in [most dictionaries] an entry for a noun with an irregular plural form will show the plural form at the start of the entry. (Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary, 3rd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2008) The Lighter Side of Irregular Plurals This is a man who thinks the plural of goose is sheep.(Lois Griffin speaking about Peter Griffin in Running Mates. Family Guy, 2000)My boy, said the school inspector, whats the plural of mouse?Mice, said Jimmie.Right, said the inspector. And now, what is the plural of baby?Twins! said Jimmie.(Personal Efficiency, Vol. 13, 1923)