International marketing environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International marketing environment - Essay Example Thus, governments play a highly influential role in promoting, restricting and regulating import and export of the goods. In a way, government interventions cause a tremendous impact on the firms marketing the goods internationally (Vorton, 2010). Further, government’s role is crucial in formulating trade policies, negotiating trade agreements with other countries and preparing an environment that helps promote multilateral trade among the countries. For example, the Office of the US Trade Representative, a body under the US government, is fully responsible to develop trade related policies with the other countries. The office works as the presidents spokesperson, chief trade advisor, and finally as a negotiator with trade organizations of the other countries. It is pertinent to note here that the US has entered into free trade agreements with a total of 19 countries. The North American Free Trade Agreements (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada is considered one of the largest of all the free trade agreements to promote bilateral trade among the member countries (NAFTA, 2012). Economic factor is quite important and critical as environmental uncontrollable while going for international marketing operations. Markets differ worldwide significantly in their growth prospects, size and the current GDPs. Some of them are developed, while many are in the developing stages and therefore, they differ widely in terms of opportunities. Many of the countries or regions do not have adequate infrastructure to undertake a fast paced economic growth. Natural resources, minerals, water, energy, skilled manpower are the key ingredients that are needed for the growth and industrial activities. Thus, marketers need to consider individual regions and economies carefully before launching any marketing operations (The Economic Environment, 2012). International marketing is influenced by the

Examine the view that dividends are irrelevant to rational investors Assignment

Examine the view that dividends are irrelevant to rational investors when considering the value of shares from a theoretical and empirical perspective - Assignment Example Primarily, when firms make enormous profits, the managers can either decide to use it for expansion by investing in new projects or pay it to the shareholders in the form of dividends. The dividend policy usually guides this process. Dividend policy is the set of guidelines or principles that companies adopt to decide the amount of the profits that shareholders are to receive (Miller and Modigliani, 1961). Even though, the business uses these sets of principles to determine the value of the dividend the decision on whether to pay the dividends or not lies in the board’s decision. In fact, when the board of directors declares the dividends to be paid it becomes a debt to the corporation and cannot be recanted or rescinded quickly. Dividends can either be paid on temporary or permanent basis or sometimes it can be paid once or twice a year. Deangelo (1995) argues that, investors are usually interested not only in the stability of this payment but also the level of dividend payment. From this perspective, therefore, the managers should be aware of the impacts of unexpected changes in the dividend payment to the potential investors. Both the existing investors and potential investors are affected by the changes since such uncertainties could alienate them from investing with the organization. According to Bhattacharya (1979), unstable dividend payment aspect may negatively influence the perception of the investor based on the long term company’s performance in the financial markets. Even though, most economists believe that it is the value and stability of payment of dividends that the investors should rely on while making decisions; research ascertains that this is irrelevant and should warrants sidelining. Many from other schools of thought including Miller and Modigliani believe that what the company pays in the form of a dividend is totally

Marketing Communication College Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Communication College - Case Study Example As a member of the skin care and hygiene product market, Dermacare experiences rigid competition from other industry leaders including Proctor and Gamble, Johnson and Johnson, and Revlon. What has been our P/Cost ratio Are we enjoying market growth Why or why not L'OREAL, the world's largest cosmetics company, is jointly owned by Gasparal (France) (51 per cent) and Nestle (Switzerland) (49 per cent). It markets Ambre Solaire through its Laboratories Garnier division. L'OREAL has interests in most sectors of the global cosmetics and toiletries markets. In addition to its Garnier Division, L'OREAL operates through three divisions in the UK: Salon, Perfume and Beauty (e.g. Cacharel, Armani, and Helena Rubinstein) and Active Cosmetics (e.g. Vichy). Ambre Solaire had previously been associated with oil formulations (as opposed to creams and gels) for deep tanning and self-tanning products. L'OREAL is very active in research and development and is perceived by customers as inventive and at the forefront of technology. Boots is one of Britain's major high street retailers and has interests in both the retailing and manufacturing of sun care products. In 2008, Boots was by far the largest retailer of sun care and other toiletry products. Its Soltan brand accounted for about 40 per cent value share in its 1,100 outlets. Soltan benefited from Boots' skin care and pharmacy heritage, and was especially strong in the after-sun sector, with roughly a one-quarter share by value. The strength of Boots was highlighted in March 2006 when it introduced a star-rating system that indicated how much protection a product provided against UVA rays in proportion to the amount of UVB protection offered. While its introduction created some uncertainty in the industry, virtually all manufacturers accepted the new system. Avon Cosmetics Ltd A subsidiary of Avon Products, Inc., Avon Cosmetics is the oldest beauty company in the USA and one of the world's four largest cosmetics companies. It entered the UK market in 1957. Avon sells its cosmetics, toiletries and fragrances to individual consumers. The bulk of its business comes from its sales representatives ('Avon Ladies') selling to women in their homes and workplaces. Avon employs some 100,000 representatives in the UK alone. In the 1980s it increased its market share in line with the growth of home shopping; however, its sales in the early first decade of the new millennium have been sluggish owing to its inability to match retailers' product-ranges and prices. Nevertheless, Avon accounts for around 11 per cent of all sun care sales. Nivea A well-established global brand developed by the German manufacturer Beiersdorf in the early nineteenth century. The company had developed a number of line extensions across its range of skincare products that competed directly with Dermacare in a number of sub-categories. While its traditional market strength was in continental Europe the company's products enjoyed a high degree of loyalty and recognition in the UK market. Ciba Consumer Products Ciba Consumer Products is a subsidiary of the Swiss chemicals giant Ciba-Geigy. Ciba's core consumer business was in over-the-counter (OTC) health care. In the UK toiletry sector, its main product was Piz Buin, the number five sun care brand. Warner-Lambert Warner -Lambert's Hawaiian Tropic

Ase study of topshop-finding its success factors Essay

Ase study of topshop-finding its success factors - Essay Example The past decade, however, has witnessed the transformation of `topflop’ into an authentic Top-Shop; a shop which is not only â€Å"one of the world’s hottest retailers† (Esfahani, 2006, para. 1) but one which is popularly and consistently regarded as the â€Å"bastion of cool† (Esfahani, 2006, para. 8) by teens and adults. Indeed, in a market where success is an ephemeral goal, Topshop is the epitome of success and, through its electronic storefront, seems posed for greater success. With the aforementioned in mind, the identification of Topshop’s success factors, alongside a determination of whether or not these CSFs have been carried over to its online storefront, will prove integral to the better understanding of the determinants of e-retail success. Over the past decade, Topshop’s success has been predicated on supplier quality, flexible responsiveness to market trends and consumer demands/tastes, employee satisfaction and, ultimately, consumer satisfaction. Analysis of Topshop’s success and, more importantly, its maintenance of that success, indicates that one of the leading CSFs is supplier quality. As Esfahani (2006) maintains, Topshop is extremely selective as regards the clothing lines it will carry in its store, especially its flagship one, and insists that all goods adhere to quality standards while, at the same time, remain affordable. A second, probably as important CSF, is the evident satisfaction displayed by its employees. As both Burney (2004) and Wilson (2005) notes, in immediate comparison to other fashion retailers and High Street shops where attendees and assistance are quite evidently performing a chore when assisting customers and, while unfailingly polite are quite obviously acting and behaving in accordance with management’s instructions, Topshop employees are genuinely interested, helpful and friendly to customers. They appear committed to their