Suv Essays (Examples)

They are looking for frugality and compromise, all of which they can find in various ways through the SUVs that have been considered here.

Recommendation

Many issues have to be considered when buying a new SUV. Price is important, but it is not the only issue - especially for families such as the Jones'. ecause they live an upper middle class existence, they are able to buy any one of the SUVs that have been compared here. However, will they want to spend more for the Cadillac? Should they spend the least and get a smaller, more mid-sized SUV like the Highlander? Would the Yukon be a good compromise between the alternatives? Those are all questions that they will have to answer on their own, but a recommendation as to which hybrid SUV they should buy will still be made here. It will be based on the pros and cons…

Finally the vehicle price less customer incentives and rebates (cash and incentives) are used as the variables to complete the partial correlation.

Table 2 Partial Correlation Descriptive Statistics

Mean

Std. Deviation

TOTAL MIDSIZE SUV UNIT SALES

Total Down

Percent Financed

Total Down (%)

Trade in (%)

Type of Sale Cash (%)

Type of Sale Finance (%)

Type of Sale Purchase (%)

Type of Sale Lease (%)

Vehicle Price Less Customer Cash Rebate

Average U.S. Gas Price

Table 2, Partial Correlation Descriptive Statistics shows the results of the initial analysis. With the number of periods being 14, and controlling for gas price this analysis shows that the majority of mid-size SUV vehicles buyers were financing, taking advantage of aggressive incentives on the part of manufacturers. See Figure 1 for an analysis of cash and incentive spending by SUV model.

Notice that the median level of spending is approximately $3,000 per unit…

gasoline consumption vs. SUV's popularity

Demand for SUVs, hybrids and the price of gas

Virtually every time there is a new spike in gas prices, the death of the SUV is proclaimed. SUVs have long been demonized as gas-guzzling monstrosities, particularly those produced by American companies. However, the popularity of SUVs continues to climb, not just in the United States but around the world. hile it is true that fuel-efficient hybrids have gained in popularity in some countries such as Japan and some states of the union such as California, overall the trend remains in favor of purchasing larger vehicles, both domestically and globally. Demand for hybrids spiked with a sharp upturn in the price of gas in 2005, but this was quickly forgotten when prices abated. Reducing carbon emissions must be a long-term concern for the environmentalist movement's goals to be effective, but consumers tend to focus on the…

SUVS

You a marketing manager interviewing a job a large automotive company. You prepared interview a chance offered job, decide study company company's future marketing ideas. One company's ideas phase large, profitable SUV line automobiles focus smaller, fuel-efficient cars.

Marketing manager: Interview

Despite the current popularity in the media for demonizing gas-guzzling SUVs and the praise for cars such as the Prius and the Chevy Volt, consumer buying trends have yielded inconsistent results. When gas prices spike, consumers typically flock to more fuel-efficient cars. However, as gas prices have experienced moderate attrition, the desire for larger vehicles has increased once again. "etail prices for 5-year-old full-size SUVs are 23% higher than a year ago...That is more than double the average price increase of 11% for all 5-year-old vehicles. Prices for 3-year-old SUVs are up 6%, triple the 2% average increase for all vehicles that age" (Used full-size SUVs are in…

It will be recorded as the time the auto industry ducked its responsibility and missed a unique opportunity." (2002)

The AC Primetime report entitled: "Technology to Prevent SUV Rollovers" reports that is a new device that is purported to have the capacity to prevent SUV rollovers. This report states specifically that in a rollover "there are so many ways to die. Ejections, getting runover by the vehicle when it's rolling, hitting the pavement, inside the car people hitting each other, people being on the roof when the roof hits...'" (AC Primetime News, 2009) The new device is an electronic stability system which works through controlling circumstances when the vehicle is traveling too fast in a curve and implements according to O'Neill of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety at the time the rear of the vehicle begins to slide out. (AC News Primetime, 2009) These electronic stability systems are stated…

Posche Case Analysis

The intent of this case analysis is to evaluate the buye decision pocess the typical Posche custome undetakes when seaching fo a new high-pefomance spots ca. The Posche spots ca enthusiasts' decision pocess is significantly diffeent than that of the Cayenne and Panamea customes, and these diffeences will be discussed. The factos that contibuted to Posche selling significantly moe lowe-piced models in the 1970s and 1980s is also analyzed. An explanation of the positive and negative attitudes towads bands like Posche is povided, in addition to the ole the Posche band plays in the self-concept of buyes.

Analyzing the Decision Pocess of the Posche Custome

The coe custome base of Posche has a self-concept of being exceptional in evey aea of thei lives, fom thei ability to set and supass vey challenging objectives, to thei ability to ean above-aveage incomes and have exceptional lifestyles as a esult.…

Bias Critique

Thackery, John. "ybrid autos REV up: but will SUV-addicted buyers opt for an environmentally friendly car that saves on gas but commands a premium price?" Electronic Business: Automotive Electronics. Oct 2002 v28 i10 pp. 64(5)

Even before reading the article, "ybrid autos REV up" an informed consumer of the media should know that quite often automobile and electronics magazines are highly favorable of the industries they chronicle. The industry is essentially their 'bread and butter' of such magazines -- i.e. without cars, fancy car gadgets, and car aficiandos, there would be no audiences for such segmented magazines. The credentials of John Thackery, the article's author, are not immediately obvious, but the article's title "ybrid autos REV up: but will SUV-addicted buyers opt for an environmentally friendly car that saves on gas but commands a premium price?" suggests a highly positive slant is being given to the vehicles, for…

Fire is inherently associated with fear, although a major aspect of the action is the financial cost to the manufacturers and dealers and gaining attention. The aspect of political content may be more subjective. While it may be argued that the vehicles are legal, environmentalists may take a more ethical stance, arguing that was something is legal it is not necessarily mean that it is right. While legislation may force vehicle manufacturers to adopt more fuel-efficient standards for SUVs, it is possible for the manufacturers themselves to choose this path, adopting what the environmentalist may perceive ethical behavior. By creating a cost associated with continuing producing inefficient vehicles there may be a desire to create a fear that more attacks will occur, with the of these attacks possibly creating a motivation for the manufacturers to change, and for dealers to put pressure on manufacturers to change. In effect, environmentalists are…

With.573 correlation of Unibody directly influencing Body-on-Frame sales in the years sampled. Table 3 provides the results of the query made in SPSS Version 13.

Table 3: SPSS Correlation Coefficients

Kendall's tau_b

BodyOnFrame

Correlation Coefficient

Sig. (2-tailed)

UnibodyCrossover

Correlation Coefficient

Sig. (2-tailed)

Spearman's rho

BodyOnFrame

Correlation Coefficient

Sig. (2-tailed)

UnibodyCrossover

Correlation Coefficient

Sig. (2-tailed)

With the statistical analysis showing reasonably strong predictability, the next step is to evaluate the specific 14-month time series for greater insights into the variability and predictability of the data. What emerges from completing a Linear egression along with every exponential smoothing techniques for curve fitting is further evidence of linear (.702 regression) in addition to quadratic (.737 regression) shows that variations in Body-on-Frame demand are explained through these statistical techniques.

Table 4: Model Summary and Parameter Estimates

Dependent Variable: BodyOnFrame

Equation

Model Summary

Square

Linear

Logarithmic

Inverse

Quadratic

Cubic

Compound

Power

Growth

Exponential

Logistic

The…

The power of suppliers is weak to moderate, but the power of buyers is high. There are no switching costs and the products have only limited differentiation. The Hummer has more differentiation than most of its competitors, but this does not lessen the impact of their intense competitive environment. Compounding the issue are signs that the SUV market is beginning to enter into the decline stage of the product life cycle. Firms with sunk costs will attempt to recoup those costs by increasing the intensity of competition. As a result, there will be downward pressures on prices and increased competition from other vehicle segments as companies attempt to entice former SUV customers to alternate products.

C. Marketing Strategy

Target Market. In terms of demographics, the current target market for Hummers is the middle-aged white male. This customer will have a higher than average income and from that it can be…

An American who spent sometime in Germany recounted his experience [Will Higher Gasoline Prices Inspire Lifestyle Changes, 2001] of energy prices in that country, "When I lived in Germany, the price of gasoline went from the equivalent of $2.50 per gallon to $3.25 per gallon over night. The Bundesregierung had added another $0.75/gallon gas tax, in addition to the existing $2.00 per gallon gas tax. (That's right: $2.75 out of every $3.25 per gallon was Federal taxes.)," He remembered the effect on prices on his use of transport, "I used the public transport system, easily the best in the world."

This is the direction our country will have to go too. Do we allow this country to be totally dependent on imported oil? Should we keep gasoline prices low to prevent development of alternatives or take necessary steps now to create a change in the present Gas Guzzling life style?…

he brand Excels at delivering the benefits customers truly desire

he ability of Ford Motor Company to integrate the Range Rover brand into its broader branding strategies has forced the company to concentrate on the unique legacy of off-road reliability while looking to capitalize on the upscale image of the New Discovery, an upscale family SUV launched in 2002 by Ford after the acquisition. he benefits of safety and stability for the families purchasing the vehicle are well defined, as are the ruggedized frame for the off-road enthusiasts. he brands' management in Ford however is starting to embrace a more upscale image through movie placement (Ford Press Release 2002) in the move "Die Another Day" in addition to the use of event-based marketing to increase the appeal among higher-end SUV and luxury car owners (Land Rover. 2002).

he brand stays relevant

he brand overall has successfully stayed relevant through the…

run out of planet," is an interesting piece which explores the idea that the Sports Utility Vehicle or SUV is something more than what the name implies. David Goewey's in-depth outlook takes into account the history and possible prejudice that the manufacturers and major distributors of these SUV's may have against our exponentially diverse culture. Goeway's purpose in his essay is to present to his reader's attention the propaganda that vehicle manufactures are "forcing" onto society. Obviously, all vehicles have their purpose; the SUV has qualities that will meet any terrain requirements, whether off road or the highway. Goeway's position on American Vehicles is thus that they are too large and bulky, and this paper will discuss this idea further. (You need a thesis at the end of this paragraph, especially a few words telling the reader what you will be focusing on in the paper.)

Goeway first focuses on…

Marketing eport Summary & Approach

The author of this report has been asked to prepare a report central to some marketing concepts and questions. The first question asks the author to compare and contrast the promotional strategies that are used by two different companies for a similar product within the category that has been selected. The second question asks for there to be two recommendations via which the companies can use the marketing information to differentiate itself in the marketplace so as to gain an advantage over its competitors. There will be a rationale provided for those recommendations. The third question asks the author of this report to provide two uses for customer-oriented promotions that could assist a company in both the short- and long-term for the product group that has been selected. Fourth, there will be an analysis of the strategic manner in which a leading company in the…

Because of its hip European style, its environmentally-conscious image, its fuel economy, and its novelty, the Smart Car will appeal to a large segment of American consumers.

Proposals for marketing the Smart Car in the United States:

The Smart Car will appeal mostly to consumers in urban and semi-suburban areas. Therefore, marketing should be targeted at that segment of the population.

I have no recommendations for product adaptations to the two-seater Smart Car. However, I strongly recommend that Daimler-Chrysler introduce the SUV model of the Smart Car because of the American obsession with the SUV. The SUV Smart Car will appeal to Americans who don't want the stigma of driving an SUV but who at the same time need the extra space.

The Smart Car will appeal to all ages and genders but will be best marketed toward well-educated consumers, college students, and persons of a liberal political philosophy.

The…

Collapse of the Big Three

America was once the leader and pioneer in the auto industry, a title that the country had for decades and a title that was so dear to America's heart that it was unfathomable to think that title might ever be lost. It's commonly misconstrued that America invented the automobile, when in reality that honor goes to German Karl Benz in 1885 (ozema, 2010). "Americans did, however, industrialize the love of the automobile. America loves big, fast cars, and for many decades American car companies shared the biggest slice of the auto industry pie" (ozema, 2010). America made having a car and the business of making cars firmly entrenched in American culture. This was a fact which kept the economy stimulated and which provided a consistent level of financial stability for the nation and the civilians within it. However the decade of the eighties marked the…

2007 Economic Crisis on American Car market

Effect of the 2008 global economic crisis on automotive industries

Crisis in the United States

Crisis in Canada

Crisis in ussia

Crisis in European markets

Crisis in Asian markets

Effects by other related crisis events

In this paper, we will review the effects of 2008 global automotive crisis. Our main focus will be on the American car manufacturers and the negative impact they suffered due to the crisis. We will also have a look at how this crisis had affected car manufacturers in other major markets around the world notably Europe, Canada and the prominent Asian markets such as China and India. Finally, we will look at some of the other factors which were important to this event namely the energy crisis since the cost of fuel is directly related to the car industry.

Introduction

The automobile industry is a very important part…

Mazda

Is the Mazda Lorax ad good?

The Mazda CX- 5 SUV was advertised in 2012 with a tie-in to the Lorax movie. The advertisement promotes the SUV using Lorax themes. The Lorax is a Dr. Seuss book that is based around the concept of corporate greed creating environmental degradation, and the book has a strong environmentalist message. The ad seeks to improve the environmental perception of Mazda, loosely promoting the company's Skyactiv technology. This technology is not really explained other than it seeks to improve fuel efficiency without sacrificing performance. The CX -- 5/Lorax ad is not good, because it represents the concept of greenwashing. The cartoon Lorax character and its themes are used to present this vehicle as environmentally friendly, which is deceptive.

Greenwashing refers to the use of marketing techniques into to mislead customers into thinking that certain products or their production processes are environmentally friendly. Typically,…

Incident Response to the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings
Although named for its venue, the Boston Marathon is sponsored by a number of different cities in the greater Boston area and is held annually on Patriot’s Day which is the third Monday in April (About the Boston Marathon, 2018). First run as an all-male event in 1897, the Boston Marathon has since become an international event that draws both male and female contestants from around the world with a global audience. On April 15, 2013, two Kyrgyz-American brothers detonated two homemade bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, causing hundreds of casualties – many of them severe and involving the loss of limbs – a well as three fatalities. The purpose of this case study is to provide an analysis of the effectiveness of the incident response to these bombings, including the role of first responders and the law…

' Anthony, an actual resident of the street, sneers at white perceptions of how blacks talk in the media: "You think whites go around callin' each other honky all day?" hile Anthony's theft of the SUV is clearly shown to be destructive, socially as well as morally, the film also shows how black inner city views of law and order have evolved in such a negative and polarized fashion: the presence of the black officer Detective Graham aters is undercut by the racism and racial profiling of other members of the force.

Racism is circular in nature, and this is revealed in Anthony's lapses in logic: "That waitress sized us up in two seconds. e're black and black people don't tip. So she wasn't gonna waste her time. Now somebody like that? Nothing you can do to change their mind. You expect me to pay for that kind of service?"…

The former might be, 'What specific...' [while] Less structure might be exemplified by: "Please respond to the following in your own words: I....'" (Dereshiwsky, 1999) in addition:

adding some open-ended items such as these to a more traditionally scaled quantifiable survey, such as one with Likert-scaled attitudinal items, and/or "check/off" questions on demographic background variables, is a good way to make the survey "multimethod" in nature. This is because you'd be using that "single" data collection vehicle (survey instrument) to collect your data (responses) in more than one form: quantitative and qualitative! You could ask the same general questions in both forms and then compare the two alternative forms of responses to see if they 'converged,' or agreed, regarding the phenomenon that you are trying to measure via the survey (e.g., attitudes towards school climate). If they do, you can have greater assurance that "there's something real being captured/measured" regarding…

Further more, the costs associated with transporting the incomplete vehicles are significantly lower than needing to transform the vehicles in limited batches on trailers. Besides this, it will also take less time in the entire planning structure and the vehicles can reach the final consumers much faster. A strong recommendation resides thus in a 3-country production scheme, where the company can benefit both from lower costs in some of the countries and from increased proximity to the targeted market.

Given the uncertainty of the business venture, it is recommended that the company starts off with a limited number of vehicles, a first test batch and, following the potential results obtained, can then continue the expansion and follow up even with different brands and types of vehicles.

Conclusions

Globalization implies a constant competition on the market and a continuous fight, both for resources and for markets and consumers. This is why…

General Motors was founded in 1908 and has been the largest manufacturer, designer, building and marketer of cars and trucks throughout the world since 1921. It sells vehicles in more than 200 countries worldwide and maintains assembly, manufacturing, distribution or warehousing operations in 53 of these countries. In 2000, it sold 8.6 million cars and trucks - constituting 15.1% of the entire world vehicle market (the world's biggest share) at $4.5 billion net sales and $184.6 billion in revenues. (General Motors). It envisions itself as the enduring world leader in transportation products and related services, whose goal is "to maintain this position through enlightened customer enthusiasm and continuous improvement, driven by the integrity, team work and innovation" of its employees. (General Motors)

The organization operates in four regions. The first, which has the largest market at 27%, is the GM North America. This region designs, manufactures and markets vehicles for…

The USA Patriot Act: This was a law that was passed after September 11th. It is giving the police and intelligence officials the power to go after terrorists organizations easier. As it lifted various Constitutional protections when investigating these offenses.

Counter Terrorism: These are the activities that: federal, state and local officials are taking to prevent future terrorist attacks.

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD): These are weapons designed to inflict large amounts of casualties. These include: chemical, radiological, biological and nuclear.

These different terms are important, because they will help to avoid confusion and will focus the reader on understanding the overall scope of the problem.

Limitations of the Study

The limitations of the study are that the information we are presenting, could be pointing out a number of different problems. Yet, beneath the surface they are failing to identify possible changes that could have already been implemented by federal…

Up here in this parking lot cell coverage was never very good. I wonder if she knows about the improvement (no one who knows this neighborhood would have even attempted to make a call up until September of this year) or just happened to be making a call and it went through.

A senior citizens community bus pulls in and parks right in front of the store, in a place reserved for handicapped drivers. No one gets out for a minute or two. I get out of my car and walk closer so I can see who will get out. I leave my clipboard in my car and go to the newspaper racks as though I'm deciding which one to buy. A white-haired man who is thin and wears a Hawaiian shirt drives the bus. He looks back at the two passengers as if to say, "We're here." The first…

"Management believes that the accounting estimates employed are appropriate and the resulting balances are reasonable; however, due to the inherent uncertainties in making estimates actual results could differ from the original estimates, requiring adjustments to these balances in future periods."

ased on the data retrieved and the projections made, the accounting division will proceed to the development of the consolidated statements for all of GM subsidies and the overall group. There are 24 consolidated statements, as follows: Discounted Operations; Asset Impairment; Investment in Nonconsolidated Affiliates; Marketable Securities; Variable Interest Entities; Finance Receivables and Securitization; Inventories; Equipment on Operating Leases; Income Taxes; Property - Net; Goodwill and Intangible Assets; Other Assets; Accrued Expenses, Other Liabilities and Deferred Income Taxes; Long-Term Debt and Loans Payable; Pensions and Other Postretirement enefits; Commitments and Contingent Matters, Stockholders' Equity; Earnings per Share Attributable to Common Stocks; Derivative Financial Instruments and Risk Management; Fair Value of…

Finally they put it on the lift and run it in drive to see where the sound is coming from. It seems to be coming from the drive shaft. Turns out that the drive shaft had a manufacturing defect and was slightly bent. It was this bending that caused all the other problems but no one ever figured it out and it was a completely isolated incident. It was also out of warranty and even out of the Lemon Law jurisdiction. My cousin wound up trading the car in for a new one and the dealer gave him a good price on the trade in to make up for the problems.

eferences

Annual eport. (2005). New york's new car lemon law arbitration program. Office of the Attorney General of the State of New York. etrieved on 4/8/08 at http://www.oag.state.ny.us/consumer/cars/usedcar_lemonreport05.pdf

Bigda, Carolyn & Chatzky, Jean. (2004) Make Lemonade From Your Lemon.…

Discuss the various reasons marketers have been shifting their marketing dollars to sales promotion from media advertising. Discuss the pros and cons of this reallocation of marketers' advertising and promotion budgets.

Marketers are shifting their marketing budgets to support sales promotion from media advertising in an effort to get greater impact on brand recognition at the upper ends of their sales funnels, and more effectively influence lead generation in the lower areas of their sales funnels. Sales promotion is seen increasingly as having a more immediate impact on lead generation, lead fulfillment and the entire pipeline of sales activity. Media advertising on the other hand is not as easily tracked directly to sales activity and often is seen as "air cover" to drive up awareness of a given brand. Where media advertising is strategic and long-term in scope, in fact it has to be long-term to have an appreciable impact…

Gas-electric hybrids have taken their knocks for being costly and relatively inefficient at highway speeds, but they remain very much on the agenda, not just at hybrid pioneer..." (2007) McCormick further relates that the hybrid choice for many is Toyota's 'Prius' particularly for those who drive mostly in the city. atter technology has been improved "to the point where the concept of a plug-in hybrid -- one that can be charged from the grid and/or use an onboard electrical power source (a gasoline or diesel engine or even a fuel cell) -- becomes a practical reality. GM's Chevrolet Volt concept, which debuted at the Detroit auto show, is the leading example of this effort. Much further down the road but still the focus of extensive engineering effort by most of the world's top automakers is the hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle. To speed up the move to hydrogen, some automakers,…

The very fact that the magazine openly admires men like Ray Liotta, who show depth beyond the typical alpha male and women like Christina Aguilera, who has chosen to use her sexuality rather than being used by her sexuality, demonstrates that the magazine does not even seriously believe that anyone should become the ideal male. On the contrary, the magazines use of stereotype-heavy advertising and writing suggests that the editors believe that men and women should try to incorporate some of the elements of these traditional stereotypes, while retaining their own individualized personalities. Such a position only becomes problematic when a consumer is not sophisticated enough to recognize that there is a distinction between writing about a stereotype and supporting all aspects of that stereotype. For example, violence against women has long been considered acceptable in sexual stereotyping. Maxim does not have articles, advertisements, or photos that glorify violence against…

If Boca Raton, Fla. buys 32 Explorers, we need to let the entire municipal market know about it.

Foreign sales

The key to foreign sales is understanding that the Explorer will be a luxury item in much of the rest of the world. Ford Explorers may be driven by middle-class families and soccer moms in the United States, but the $30,000 price tag is going to make the Explorer an upper-class item in countries with a lower standard of living than the United States.

Naturally, to overseas upper-class drivers, the vehicles they drive are status symbols, and we must focus on the prestige element of owning an Explorer. We should look for luxury lifestyle magazines - foreign versions of the Robb Report, for example - and purchase adverting that focuses on the luxury features and prestige factor of owning the Explorer. Ads with American celebrities, who often are even more…

Multi-National Report on Ford Motor Company:

Ford Motor Company is a worldwide company that operates in both the Automotive and Financial Services sectors with its major operations being to build up, devise, produce and service cars and trucks. hile Ford's automotive sector basically sells vehicles under various brand names such as Ford, Volvo, Mercury and Lincoln, the financial services sector provide several automotive financing products both through and to automotive dealers. Ford's automotive sector is responsible for marketing trucks, cars and vehicle parts through the retail dealers, distributors and dealers in North America. Additionally, this sector offers a series of after-sale vehicle products and services in several segments like car accessories, maintenance, repairs and extended service. On the contrary, the financial services sector provides retail financing, wholesale financing and financing to profit-making customers.

Ford's financial services sector also provides other financing services incorporating loans to dealers for operational capital, developments…

business will use to survive is different kinds of marketing strategies. This is because having a continuous amount of customers will translate into higher profit margins and sales. However, over the last several years the changes in technology have meant that there is shift in the kinds of tools that are utilized in achieving these objectives. In order to adjust with these challenges, various firms have begun implementing different approaches in conjunction with one another. To fully understand what is taking place requires looking at: five different advertisements, the concept / theories that are utilized and analyzing each advertisement. Together, these different elements will provide the greatest insights as to how these marketing strategies are continually evolving.

The Advertisements and Concepts

During the course of conducting any kind of advertising campaign there are different tactics that are used to reach out to customers. In the first entry, the advertiser is…

In January 2004, the J.D. Power and Associates, named Honda as the highest non-luxury brand of car. This same study looked at buyer's perceptions of problems such as engineering problems, quality of workmanship and worker errors in production. Buyers were happy with Honda, and it ranked fourth behind Lexus, Cadillac and Jaguar. The Honda also ranked first in Van and entry level SUV, and in the top three in compact, sports car, and midsize SUV (Honda anks, 2004). This study clearly shows that reliability and quality workmanship are important to the public when they are looking for an automobile to purchase.

Clearly, there are differences in the markets that each automobile company targets for sales and this makes the individual qualities of the vehicle important to the consumer. By 1990, the public could choose from 572 models of vehicles. Advertising and the public's perception of the automobiles are important. The…

Other annoying commercials include several of those for SUVs, which are sometimes shown driving over speed bumps to suggest that no other car could ever navigate through a city than an SUV. Similarly, some SUV commercials show the driver truly off-road, but most consumers use their SUVs in the suburbs and never drive off-road. Therefore, bad ads are generally unrealistic or annoying to the senses.

Good ads, on the other hand, can be hilarious and even enjoyable to watch. A recent UPS ad depicts some office workers who can't figure out how to send an international package. The acting is good and the commercial uses no annoying music or cliches. The Axe body spray commercials are slightly annoying but still have comedic value because they depict a pile of attractive women assaulting the man who uses the product. Some of the Budweiser commercials that air during sporting events use great…

Global Business

Q1.Identifying global business opportunities

While the lowering of trade barriers through formal agreements such as NAFTA have been vitally important in expanding the possibilities of consumers to access a diverse range of products, technology has been an equally important factor in doing so. Through the ubiquity of the Internet, consumers can buy products from all around the world. They can view them and select them without ever having accessed a brick-and-mortar shop. Technology is not simply a way of making products more efficiently (although it does accomplish that objective). It is also an effective marketing ploy. Consumers can read about products and how they are consumed, and they often want to imitate those lifestyles.

For example, SUVs and Apple products are extremely popular amongst China's burgeoning middle class. "Sport utility vehicle sales surged to 2 million units in 2012, a 25.5% increase over the 1.59 million sales volume…

Inventory Management

The author of this report is to speak on two major topics in this brief paper. The first topic is inventory management in the context of getting the right amount of a product where it needs to be and when it needs to be there. Further, there will be discussion of the ABC system as it relates to a firm that the author of this report is familiar with. There will also be a discussion of lean synchronization and its overall goal of perfect quality with no waste at all. There are two forms of waste in particular that will be discussed and those are waste from irregular flow and waste from inflexible response. While perfect quality with no waste is not really feasible, it should always be the goal for a firm that is serious about quality and proper inventory management.

Analysis

When it comes to inventory…

MAKETING POCEDUES FO VOLVO'S S60 MODEL

Market Analysis for the Volvo S60

Market Analysis for the Volvo S60

Company profile

Volvo, a Swedish-based car production company, stands out as the leading manufacturer of premium cars. The company produces luxury cars with the vision to provide to the world the most luxurious desired automobile. The company's mission entails providing the world's most exciting and safest cars for the modern families. By extension company seeks to increase shareholders values.

Strengths

Good heritage

Firm trust in their brands

Accredited environmentally friendly production process and use

High regard for safety

Quality Customizations

Good relations with the customer that achieves development of products related to customer preferences

Weaknesses

The company following a change of guard seems to have confusion with identifying itself in the market

The products under the company logo appear costly compared other products in the market

Limited market shares and penetration

Strict…

Still, the future stated goal of GM is to develop an electric or hybrid version in all of its existing brands lines -- Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC.

Outcome of changes

GM's most notable success has been overseas, where it is currently ahead of all of its competitors in the rapidly expanding Chinese market. "While GM is outpacing Ford in overseas competition, GM cannot solely depend on China for growth. While the emerging market contributed to GM's global recovery last year with 2.3 million in sales, it may not experience the same momentum this year [2011] because the Chinese government has ended incentives on small cars and rural purchases" (Benedicto 2011). Still, evidence of GM's health is seen in the fact that it recently announced that it will issue profit-sharing checks this month for hourly workers, the largest in a decade (Vlasic & Bunkley 2011:1). Talks with the UAW will…

Taguchi also expanded the focus of quality cost analysis and shifted his emphasis to improving production methods and service. As well as quality control in production, quality control was necessary in product planning and design, process design, and production services after purchase. Taguchi's quality loss function was designed to measure the success or failure of quality control in an absolute fashion, over the entire lifecycle of the item (Taguchi, 2010, Business Dictionary).

Question 2: What factors contribute to a manager's decision to recall a manufactured product? Support your answers with specific examples. How can managers within a service organization improve sales and control costs when utilizing the Taguchi quality control method? Give examples.

First and foremost, the question of product safety must be on the minds of managers when making the decision to recall a manufactured product: a product that has a defect in its design (such as an SUV…

Furthermore, culture clashes between Mitsubishi and Peugeot Citroen personnel combined with the fact that Peugeot already sells an unpopular, rebranded version of Mitsubishi's Outlander SUV does not bode well. Entering into a merger to sell SUVs in the developing world seems like focusing on what is becoming a vehicle design of the past, rather than the future, as well as an organizational strategy of the past (merging with another troubled company). Creating a new, leaner style for a fleet of fuel-efficient, small, affordable vehicles for the expanding Chinese market would likely draw investors and inspire confidence, despite Peugeot Citroen's junk-rated debts of $3 billion (Asian alliances, 2009, The Economist). Shedding brands, resisting the impulse to add another company under its fold, and instead creating a disciplined and coherent script for its dealers around the world, and a single, quality-controlled process to govern its factories seems a better way to deal…

e can use police or parent volunteers ensure children have appropriate supervision on the way. After school, parents ferrying students to the same extracurriculars should carpool: no large SUV should only have one or two children within their confines! This will not only reduce the community's carbon footprint, it will save gas money and create new opportunities for residents to talk with one another as friends, something which people rarely do in their busy lives.

Reducing our collective consumption of products that contribute to the use of oil and have a large carbon footprint is also essential: the community can have a "buy a hybrid" campaign, and educate prospective car buyers about the benefit of fuel-efficient vehicles and reducing overall driving times. The elementary school can incorporate environmentalism into its lesson plans -- students can track how many miles their parents drive, and suggest ways to consolidate trips and reduce…

What had begun as a defensive strategy has quickly transformed to one that is offensive and aimed at gaining new customers. The recent series of Apple commercials on television in the U.S. make this point clear as Windows PC users switch to Apple since they would have to upgrade to Windows 7 anyway. It is humorous and an example of how Apple is now making its nonconformist position now the center of its strategy to go against Microsoft Windows 7.

The last strategy of allowing rivals to misinterpret your success is critically important as a defensive strategy, especially for those companies competing in markets dominated by market leaders. Consider how AMD carefully worked through their low-end microprocessor product line as Intel continued to consider what the role of that processor price point would be on the industry. Suzuki America and their launch of the cross-over Sport Utility Vehicle, the Grand…

Chrysler, unlike Ford with its Focus, had no popular, fuel-efficient cars. In fact, even after the first government bailout, "Chrysler's big reveal at the International Auto Show was a new Jeep Grand Cherokee. Not what the government wants the company to be spending time and bailout money on" (Gap, 2009, Key Splash Creative). As GM was planning a new line of cars, and formulating a prospective electric car, the Volt. Chrysler remained out of touch.

Chrysler was the first company of the 'big three' Detroit automakers to go into bankruptcy. It was forced to respond to direct pressures from the Obama administration to do so, despite protests that Americans would never buy cars from such a financially-tainted company. Chrysler's current CEO, obert Nardelli said that he had been pulling the flagging company back together, and that "the privately held Chrysler was flush with cash and leaner than at any time…

I do that every day. ut I've never done that with a car. I buy what I need to look successful. esides, how would I ever calculate a payback when I have no idea what gasoline will cost in the future?" A few said with apparent certainty, "one year" or "two years." However, when we inquired where the number came from, they simply asserted that they spent lots of money on gasoline and would quickly earn their money back through savings. A smaller group proposed longer terms -- eight to ten years -- noting that they keep their cars for a long time. Several households explained that their lack of attention to gas costs was due to the fact that they felt they couldn't do anything about it; they had to drive as much as they did to lead the lives they had constructed for themselves." (Kurani, Turrentine, and Heffner,…

In addition the critical role of the government financing GMAC is reflected in this article as well. Without that assistance American Suzuki would have no financing to offer dealers. Another insightful decision is to partner with dealers and work with them to alleviate the finance and pricing pressures by not pushing the 2009 models in them. Compare this strategy to others in the auto industry who seeks to make their dealers carry the brunt of the inventory costs, GM included, and this strategy will pay off in the long run for the Japanese auto manufacturer. In addition, Ford continually pressures its dealers to take on new models even if they have inventory positions. This decision by American Suzuki will solidify the loyalty of their channel partners.

ecommendations

After the initial success of the Grand Vitara in 2004 and continuing through 2008 as the recession began to significantly slow auto purchases,…

All are selling new debts to pay loans, pay off existing debt, or refinance bonds.

Interest expenses do not add to a company's value, unlike expenditures upon research and technology, or new ventures. Furthermore, the act of selling debt reduces transparency about the company's real financial status. A lack of transparency was one of the precipitating causes of the credit crisis of 2008. Companies that have refinanced by selling new debts will have less funds to reinvest in the future, calling into question their long-term financial solvency and creativity. This is especially troubling given the companies involved in such practices, such as lockbuster and Ford, must recreate their business models and products, which are rapidly growing antiquated. lockbuster must cope with a rapidly changing environment where more media entertainment is available for free online, and Ford's SUV-heavy emphasis must confront a world where fuel efficiency is of ever-greater concern.

ibliography…

The U.S. trade deficit and downward pressure on wages in many industries is more a factor of the Chinese manufacturing sector being more aggressive in lean manufacturing and efficiency practices (Taj, 2008) than any other factor. To demonize China is to miss the point of what it means to be in a market-driven global economy. Only after nearly going bankrupt and needing huge federal assistance programs are American automakers finally building small cars. Like a drug they were addicted to, American auto manufacturers could forever build larger cars and trucks, even originating Sport utility Vehicles (SUVs) as a category, and never pay attention to fuel economy or cost of ownership. With GM nearly bankrupt it looks as if their SUV addiction is finally being broken. But it took a full-scale intervention, the magnitude the U.S. has not seen since the Great Depression, to wake these companies up and make them…

But the limited growth policies that have remained popular with the Council (and a majority of the citizens, it would seem) have also kept the price of real estate high. Davis maintains the necessary amount of low-income housing, but many of the occupants are entry level workers at the town's biggest employer -- the University. These people tend to have college degrees and are -- you guessed it -- predominantly white with a large proportion of Asians as well. There simply is not enough space to fill the demand in Davis, and this has caused quite a premium in the cost of owning or even renting real estate in the city.

There is another gesture of economic favoritism that speaks even more tellingly about the unconscious racialization of Davis. The housing development that has occurred in the past twenty years saw the creation of two enormous semi-gated communities with generally…

imdb.com).

hat Mrs. Pell says to agent Anderson is both poignant and ironic: "Hatred isn't something you're born with. At school, they said segregation what's said in the Bible...Genesis 9, Verse 27. At 7 years of age, you get told it enough times, you believe it. You believe the hatred. You live it...you breathe it. You marry it" (Pell, (www.imdb.com).This movie was not a documentary albeit it did follow the plot of a real life civil rights tragedy. But the lines in the film reflect the reality of life in segregated, Jim Crow-dominated Southern towns during that time in our history.

In "Dances ith olves" the protagonist, John Dunbar, who has been banished to a wilderness post because he tried to commit suicide, has a newfound appreciation for Native Americans. In his life and his army career he has been given the propaganda that all native peoples are criminals and…

arren advises families to cut back, and essentially budget themselves as if they only had one income. Pay the regular, family expenses from one salary, rather than from both salaries as 'insurance' for the rainy day that will inevitable come. Families must need to engage in regular 'financial fire drills' -- doing a preliminary audit of expenses, to make sure they can still remain solvent with their heads above water, provided they face some unexpected circumstance or simply a downturn in the economy, as is occurring today because of the increased price of gas and looming recession. According to arren's companion book All Your orth, families must clearly distinguish in their budgets from 'Must Haves,' such as rent, mortgage, gas, food, and car payments, with 'ants,' or extraneous expenses. If 'Must Haves' exceed 65% of the family budget, the family is courting disaster, given that one financial setback could mean…

The team must develop a change vision that is different from the past (such as Toyota's decision to market hybrid technology, for example). The leadership must be able to make change happen in a concrete and logical fashion (budgeting, planning, and so forth) but also communicate with a visionary statement so that employees buy into the change, and are empowered to become active participants in the new organizational mission.

Kotter and Rathgerber point out that it is not enough to simply focus on the long-term, even though they are quite goal-oriented in their focus. As the penguins advance slowly, into accepting that they must become migratory rather than stationary, small and reinforcing victories must be celebrated, or people will lose heart (even if a company is not yet 'in the black,' showing a better-than-anticipated profit should be celebrated). These small victories must be used to propel individuals forward, to create…

While domestic demand has decreased in recent months in response to the price increases, demand in international markets, particularly in China and India, has continued to grow. The nature of demand in those markets means that demand there continues to be inelastic. With expanding economies that are increasing the wealth of the populace en mass, those countries are essentially creating millions of middle class consumers with middle class needs where they didn't exist before. There is no elasticity to the creation of new consumers, as few would reject the opportunity to join the middle class simply because gas prices are on the rise. Twenty years ago, global demand reflected almost entirely demand in the West, which was inelastic. Now that demand in the West is becoming elastic, some clearly feel that this should be the case for global demand as well. But demand in emerging markets is still inelastic, which…

" few moments later, a social service volunteer hastened down the sidewalk. When he saw the young man, he paused for a moment and shook his head.

I'm really trying to rid this city of people like you," he said, shaking his head. "Sleeping in the streets shouldn't be an option. I wish there was something I could do, but I'm late to help society."

Finally, as a wealthy businessman driving down the road near the young man caught a glimpse of what he thought was a hand lying on the sidewalk. The businessman, a local Republican candidate and member of a fundamentalist Christian church, quickly pulled his large, Lexus SUV to the side of the road, and hopped out, kneeling on the ground next to the young man wearing his tailored Armani suit. He noticed the young man's bruises and tattered sign. Quickly, he took off his own jacket…

In addition, large quantities of natural gas are required to produce fertilizers which are needed for growing corn. It is estimated that an average of 135 pounds of nitrogen (a potent-greenhouse-gas) per acre is used in growing corn in most U.S. farms. Besides, research by the U.S. Department for Agriculture (USDA) shows that tilled soil releases carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere in proportion to the volume of soil loosened (Kenny).

Most of all, it is erroneous to assume that ethanol is likely to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil. It has been estimated that the current ethanol production in the United States that has triggered such massive increase in grain and food prices around the world barely satisfies less than 3% of U.S. gasoline needs; and if the entire U.S. grain harvest were converted into ethanol, it would satisfy scarcely 18% of the country's automotive fuel need (Brown.). Furthermore,…

Lack of electronics vertical integration to the extend that GD has. GD has divisions that four on combat systems, aerospace, information systems and technology, and marine. GD is known for its expertise in systems and software development in weaponry systems management.

General Dynamics Land System (GDLS) is a formidable competitor and is based on the acquisition in 1982 of Chrysler Corporations defense operations. In addition, GDLS has been consistently acquiring electronics companies with expertise in weaponry systems integration and management to further the strength of GDLS' integration to core GD business units.

Opportunities

Acquire electronics companies with expertise in weapons systems integration and management to further make GMD as vertically integrated as GD.

Create a more aggressive lobbying team in Washington D.C. And open up a regional headquarters there to concentrate on government business, thereby increasing the influence GMD has on DoD contracts.

Develop a series of prototype vehicles that…

Initially, the Home Depot strove to turn its flagging profits and image around through product innovation, although it has never been as rigorous in its self-examination as Toyota. Still, after expanding to the point that industry analysts worried that it had overextended itself, and after the more female-friendly Lowes stores with their superior store layout threatened its dominance, the Home Depot "sanded down its rougher product edges a little to make itself much more appealing to a broader consumer demographic," including women (Casey, 2004, p.1). However, the Home Depot's success over competitors like Lowes has not been nearly as complete as Toyota's dominance over Detroit and while Toyota enjoys status as the most successful and respected car company in America, the Home Depot's ability to survive at the top is far more uncertain. Initially, the Home Depot focused more on product reform, rather than changing its company structure. To keep…

Price elasticity of demand

Traditionally, large ticket items do not have a great deal of elasticity in terms of price, because they are viewed as necessary goods, although they are not as elastic as a supermarket item one can 'stock up' on in bulk when it goes on sale. Car demand can be somewhat elastic in the sense that people can elect not to buy a new car, purchase a used car, or lease a model until prices decline -- there are market substitutes that can be cheaper, if the car market prices goods too high, as Ford was pricing its vehicles too high, and producing too many high-cost vehicles. Also, the price of compatible goods like gas can impact the choice of vehicle consumers chose to purchase. The Toyota Prius' popularity grew with the price of gas.

A g.

Competitors

Ford's North American operations lost $1.6 billion in 2006,…

S.-based manufacturers. What specifically occurred with GM however was the willingness to pay for healthcare for all UAW members now either retired or let go due to lack of product sales driving production (Vlasic, 1). GM is also very similar to other manufacturers in that their reliance on unions for key skilled workers, compounded by intense political pressure not to pursue skilled talent in other nations, forced GM into a no-win situation with the unions. They could not pursue outsourcing due to intense political pressure and the corporate tax implications of a massive layoff, and re-tooling for high levels of automation in plants would be even more expensive than agreeing to the unions' demand. As a result of these and less strategic, yet just as critical factors, GM faces a question of financial viability for the first time in its history.

Another, broader and more strategic trend which has been…

The cultural values can be handled through the implementation of the of new methodologies for the execution of the task, the values as per the company's approval should be reinforced, no single action is expected to deliver necessary reforms to modify aspects and considerations that are highly ingrained and extremely valued, therefore it is important that the company adopt comprehensive and coordinated methodologies, for the management of the cultural changes. The multinational companies should understand that the quality of the product, and its services contributes significantly towards the success of the organization, and this has to be achieved only if the quality of the product does not only comply by the international standards, but should fulfill the aspirations of the local population, whereas the aspirations of the local population is based on cultural hegemony, therefore the cultural values should be respected during the entire course. Such organizations should introduce diverse…