Uk Chocolate Market Analysis Marketing Plan Marketing Essay

Uk Chocolate Market Analysis Marketing Plan Marketing Essay UK chocolate market is considered the 2nd largest market amongst the EU after Germany, with an average consumption between 4kg to 10kg per head. Not only UK is among greatest chocolate consumers in EU but also holds highest share on sales of confectionery market since 2003. Average annual growth rates in last few years in chocolate market show an increasing trend in volume sales reaching  £4.83bn, and expected to reach up to 684,000 tons till end of 2010, growing at rate of 2.4%. The changing consumer purchase patterns towards how products are produced in terms of their impact on environment and health are considered factors on which future market growth of chocolate will be depending on. For this reason the confectionery and chocolate market has started struggling due to the lobby created by healthy eating, health conscious community. The organic chocolate market is thus becoming the recent trend for consumers because of the increasing awareness of the economic and environmental concerns surrounding cocoa production. These changes are well monitored by market players whose response towards these changes is evident from entering of organic companies into chocolate market and big conventional manufacturers investments in the processing of organic chocolates. Yet, although organic chocolate markets expected to grow at exceptional growth rates, the sector is still niche market when compared to the conventional and possess very little share in the total chocolate market. Moreover, with the squeeze on disposable incomes, an increased focus on price, the buy one get one free offers have been replaced with special price, multibuy and round-pound type deals. Continuous innovations in rival sectors such as biscuits and cakes etc are offering tough challenges for chocolate market. The outlook for the market still remains positive, but chocolate brands need strong effort in terms of providing customers with high value and healthy products. The major players of Chocolate in UK market fighting neck to neck in the battle of market share are Cadbury Kraft, combined market share of around 40%, after Cadburys takeover by Kraft. Mars, market share of 15% and turnover of more than 9.6 billion pounds Nestle Kitkat, market share of 20.4% Green Blacks, market share of around 5 % in conventional and more than 90% share in organic chocolate market For the information regarding the current trends in UK chocolate market , it is evident that the focus of communities are now towards healthy eating for which they now are conscious as of what ingredients are their products made up of. Thus if a company desires to enter chocolate market in such demanding trends where customers have full range of variety to choose from the safest path to choose will be organic chocolate market. This would be safer in that sense that as trends of people are shifting from only fun and enjoyment food towards healthy safe food, soon it is expected that the conventional market leaders will also be converting existing brands to organic and natural ingredients used products. Market Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning For this section statistic data about consumer attitude towards chocolate in UK by age, sex, social grade etc is required. This data is available in Keynote market research report to which there is no access from here. However , I have tried my best to broadly describe the target segment but still as per requirement of the instructor, detailed data figures are required. The organic chocolate market is considered amongst those popular opportunities which have been derived by changing consumer trends and liking towards healthier and environmentally safer food items, specifically the focus on use of healthier and environmentally safer ingredients. Consumers driving growth According to a market research demand for organic food items including organic chocolate is spread across the social spectrum, including workers, pensioners, students and people on benefits, and accounts for almost 33% of their total spending. For the purpose of our organic chocolate segment a significant portion of worker and student class will be our main target market segment. Descriptive Data For Organic chocolate market segment, as a new entrant our target market would include working class and students. The total population of UK is divided into following age group segments: For our organic chocolate segment, we would target population ranging from year 10 to 44. This would account for almost 48% of the total population of UK , obviously the whole 48% will not be part of our target market as organic chocolate is a niche of conventional chocolate market, our working and student class will be covered in these age group description. So as an estimate organic chocolate demand can be expected from 40% of the 48% target population. Socio-demographic Description The segment aimed as target segment will be people living in North West of England. This is so as we are initially introducing our product in test market covering NW of England only. Target customers will be in age group of year 10 to approximately 44. Children below 10 are essentially not part of our target segment because it requires awareness to choose healthy food items for which reason children above year 10 are selected. The age limit selected till 44 is for the reason that above this age group most people are suffering from heart and diabetic deceases thus for them at a later stage diet or low sugar items shall be introduced. Target segment will be constituting of students and working class. Psychographic/behavioral Description Our chosen segment is people with health conscious attitudes and preference towards safe and healthy food. This segment has awareness about environmental issues also and thus do not have wild fun loving lifestyle but a graceful lifestyle with healthy and enjoyable eating patterns. Positioning The current segmentation in UK chocolate market described in view of a perceptual map is shown below: Thus we will be positioning our product in high quality depicting its healthy making nut that much high price. It will be positioned similar to milk tray shown above in figure but bit higher in quality. Product Specification and Branding Strategy There are already few very popular organic chocolate brands in UK including Green and Blacks which holds a very significant share in organic chocolate market. Thus the introduction of our organic chocolate brand needs some cutting edge or competitive advantage over others. We will introduce this difference with providing our organic chocolate lovers a variety of combinations and natural healthy flavors in our chocolate products. First of all, our brand choco naturals will be classified in three ranges targeting three set of places with different usage style. Organic chocolate bars After dinner mints items Organic chocolate gift boxes The basic composition and ingredients of all three variety of our brand will be almost same, i.e. Dark Chocolate dark bitter chocolate made from 70% organic cocoa solids, brown cane sugar, vanilla and soya lecithin Semisweet Chocolate- organic sugar, organic chocolate, organic cocoa butter, organic flavors, milk fat and soya lecithin White Chocolate- no cocoa solids, but organic cocoa butter, sugar, vanilla and milk On this basic organic composition of our brand the cutting edge would be its natural and healthy flavoring and combo mixing of white and dark chocolates. The conventional choco bars available in market have introduced all kind of variety including nuts, wafers, biscuits etc, but as our brand is providing its customers with chocolate that is good for health also we will enhance their flavor and appetite by mixing fruit chunks in our brands and good cholesterol nuts i.e. almonds and walnuts. Moreover providing combo mixing of dark and white chocolate will deliver chocolate lovers taste of two in one and with added advantage of health benefits of dark chocolate. Our products will be offered in following sizes and weights Organic chocolate bars Initially as we are introducing our brand in test market we will only supply bars in 2 sizes i.e. 50g bar and 100g bar After dinner mint items These will be offered in round balls 100 g each to popular hotels and restaurants to serve their customers as after dinner items and will be provided with fruit chunks and combo variety explained above Organic chocolate gift items For our test market this will also be provided in two sizes i.e. 1 lb and 1  ½ lb box packing As the specialty of this brand of chocolate lies in it being healthier, close to nature and for those who have high concern for health and environment , we will have high focus of packaging choco naturals_ chocolates in an environmentally friendly rappers which are biodegradable packaging and have zero waste components. Our three line of products will be properly labeled describing components and all details regarding calories, fats etc. As the brand has high insistence on being organic, the design of packaging of chocolates will show the making of chocolate from most natural and organic ingredients through its color and style creating a warm connection with those who love being close to nature, adding value for them. Developing Brand Personality As an introductory brand it is one of the most important responsibilities of us to define our brand and portraying its strengths which meet all standards set by the market. These include the consistency in taste and quality delivered etc. When developing brand identity consistent delivery of the value must match promises made to target customers. The logo, mark, theme line, and look and feel as part of choco naturals identity will create a recognition in the minds of our target customers and will make them remember choco naturals. As choco naturals_ chocolates are made from fully organic ingredients with an added combination of natural fruit chunks that enhance the product benefits, the logo will depict such closeness to nature, health and taste. Similarly the mark and theme line will deliver same identity of the product. Creating brand identity begins with having a clear idea of target customers. When a customer decides which brand they prefer to buy they have many considerations in mind including its price , quality, benefits but the final thing which eventually wins is the brands identity created in the mind of the customer. This if carefully developed, as in our case that choco naturals chocolates reflects the attributes and preferences of its target customers will make choco naturals chocolate win over other conventional brands. choco naturals chocolates will be developed as a sophisticated brand which is aimed as providing taste with health. Pricing Strategy and Price Strategy to opt: Of the many pricing strategies, for choco naturals chocolates, four strategies are of value. These are Competition based pricing Market oriented pricing Premium pricing Psychological pricing We will chose a combination of market oriented and psychological pricing. Premium pricing could also be opted but as our target market also includes students and worker class, it might create a luxury brand image which might effect the closeness we want our brand to develop with target customers. Similarly competition based pricing method would have also been a very safe strategy but for having an added value, we choose market oriented pricing which is based on analysis and research of target customers and on those prices if the effect of psychological pricing is also added it is expected to create more value for our products. Pricing objectives: Purpose of choosing this combination of pricing strategy is to provide such a price to the customers which is not too high to loose connection from target customers and not too low that can portray the brand as a low standard brand. The objective is to set such a price that can portray our target customers the essence of the organic image our brand portrays i.e. natural. In terms of sales, this strategy for pricing is expected to create a healthy market share in organic chocolate market at a good pace and constant increase in level of sales and profit. The positioning of this brand will also support this pricing strategy. Recommended Price: Organic Chocolate Bar 100g  £2.95 50g  £ 1.95 After dinner mints Pack of 4 round balls 100g each for  £6.95 Organic chocolate Gift boxes ( combo mix of dark white and multi flavored fruit chunks) 1 lb  £19.95 1  ½ lb  £ 29.95 Retail Distribution Strategy As we are introducing 3 categories in organic chocolate brand, the distribution will to 3 different type of outlets. These are: Organic Chocolate bars Large super stores and coffee and tea cafes After dinner mints Three to five star Hotels Organic Chocolate gift boxes Large super stores As initially we are introducing our brand in test market, choco naturals chocolate will be available in stores, cafes and hotels in north west of England mainly. The super stores which will sale our products include Sainburys super market Ltd, having 5 outlets in NEW Tesco, having 9 outlets in NWE Woo Sand super market, having 1 outlet in NWE ASDA Stores Ltd, having 6 stores in NWE WM Morrison supermarkets, having 6 stores in NWE The selective Hotels in which we would initially supply our after dinner mints will be some three to five star hotels with good reputations so that association of our brand with such names can deliver positive impression of our brand to the segment of our target market visiting those hotels. These include: Holiday Inn Hard Days Night Hotel Beech Mount Hotel Feathers Hotel Trout Beck Inn Hotel Park House Hotel We will be opting selective distribution strategy to make our products available to our target market. The product will not be massively available as we initially want to access response from test market and moreover the sophistication of our product might get distracted if it gets available in each and every store. Thus at start selective supermarkets, hotels and cafes will offer our products to customers so that the brand may create its image with the help of the image of the places these are available at. Our products will not be available at web based distribution sources as it initially requires to develop a status in local market and then be available at global level. Integrated Marketing Communications Strategy The integrated marketing strategy we have planned for our product is hitting the market segment in North West in selective ways. We are not going for the guerilla marketing tactics because its high quality product and market is not very wide. We have to introduce the product and usually the products in the early stages of their Product life cycle need careful tactics for marketing and advertising because profit margins are lower therefore selective media should be used instead of using the short gun approach. The main objective behind our campaign is to introduce our product and its benefits along with creating brand identity. We will focus our attention in the initial phase of the campaign to create awareness about our product in the native market (North West of England). In this phase we will tell our customers about the value we will deliver. In the second phase of our campaign we will emphasize on promotion and advertisement of our brand. First phase would help us to identify again the interested segment so in the second phase we will scrutinize and promote to our potential valuable customers. For promoting our brand we are not using all the tools of integrated marketing communication strategy which are advertising, sales promotions, direct marketing, website and public relations). We are going to use only advertising, direct marketing and we will create our website as well. For advertising we will select the print and electronic media for print media we will only advertise in best selling food journals and news-letters of Northwest. For electronic media we make a 45sec. advertisement. We will use celebrity endorsement in our advertisement. The celebrity we will use would be environmentalist and heads of NGOs promoting nature friendly products. We will air our ads on food based local channels for the middle aged women and men and music and music based and entertainment channels for youngsters slots would be prime time. We would go for cooperative advertisement. We will not go for sales promotions because its a high quality product and sales promotions would give a negative impact. For direct selling we will hire a team which would convince the customers. Our customers for after dinner mints would be owners of famous cafes and restaurants. In initial days we will use mall intercepts in large super stores and departmental stores offering organic products. Public relations is mostly done for service sector so it wont make any significant impact here but in later stages when there would be larger sales volume then we will introduce PR for our premium customers. In later stages we will also conduct seminars for creating awareness of organic food but in initial phase profit margins are too low. We would create a website for promotion but not for sale because customers are very conscious in trying a new product and for a product like chocolate it wont work at all. In maturation phase when customer response would be good we may go for online dealing. So in our IMC our focus in print media would be on chocolate bars, in electronic media it would be more on gift items. And in direct selling we would promote after dinner mints and gift items but the whole campaign would promote the brand.

Church Teamwork Essay

Teamwork is work performed by a team towards a common goal. It involves working confidently within a group, contributing your own ideas effectively, and taking a share of the responsibility. Church teamwork: A group of Christian working together as one towards achieving a common goal. It also involves believing in one another’s idea. The Bible gives references to the benefits of sharing responsibilities with others. Biblical teamwork and the sharing of responsibilities can be seen as far back as the creation of Adam and Eve when God said, â€Å"It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him. † (Gen. 2:18) This scripture applies to much more than Adam’s need for a helper or a teammate. From the beginning God intended that man would live, play, and work with help. The Old Testament and the New Testament both support teamwork. The notion of someone being isolated in God’s creative order is not the plan of the Creator. Biblical examples of teamwork Four Friend TeamMark 2 Team sharing in the first churchAct 4 Team leaders in the early Church: Overseer & DeaconsI Tim 3 A boy, five loaves, two fishes and the disciple teamJohn 6 How team function †¢Selection of team leaders (Exodus 18: 15-27). Who is willing to be trained? †¢Placing people in the right place: Begin with a core group †¢Before nominations of leaders are made, there must be vision Habk 2:2 Benefits of team work †¢Team development will facilitate numerical growth. †¢Greater synergy (the use of all gifts) will be experienced †¢More innovation will take place I NEED YOU TO SURVIVE I need you, you need me We’re all a part of God’s body Stand with me, agree with me We’re all a part of God’s body Repeat verse 1 It is His will that every need be supplied You are important to me I need you to survive Repeat verse 2 (Repeat verse 1&2) I pray for you, you pray for me I love you, I need you to survive I won’t harm you with words from my mouth I love you I need you to survive Repeat verse 3 (3x) It is His will that every need be supplied You are important to me I need you to survive Repeat verse 4

Marketing Emotiv

Emotiv Case BACKGROUND: By October 2007, Emotiv Systems Inc. had developed a mind reading device called EPOC, which had the ability to process brain signals in order to measure 30 different mental states. Founded in 2003 (with $1 million in startup money from four partners and $17 million in additional financing mainly from Technology Venture Partners and Epicure Capital Partners), the company's research and development team incorporated existing electroencephalography technologies to introduce a relatively inexpensive and effective cognitive and emotional recognition system.Management at Emotiv believed that video gaming applications represented a solid opportunity for the EPOC technology. EPOC would allow gaming users to move onscreen objects or support secondary features using their thought patterns. With the product ready to launch, the company had to decide how to market EPOC. Emotiv wanted to launch the product in 12 to 14 months, in time for the 2008 holiday season.Although it s new product was generating much interest across the gaming industry, it had yet to secure a partnership for the sale and marketing of EPOC with one of the three major video gaming consoles (Sony PlayStation3, Microsoft Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii). The Nintendo Wii seemed like a perfect fit. The Wii was established to provide interactive movement games for casual users. Thought games seemed like the next natural step for Nintendo. In addition, Wii had a leading 42. 1% share of the gaming market in the United States. Partnering with the leader would certainly give Emotiv more exposure.However, the Wii was not compatible with the EPOC system because it lacked the computational power the run the advanced EPOC system. It would also have made sense for Sony to jump on board with Emotiv, as it was attempting to turn around plummeting sales. However, poor interorganizational conflict within Sony slowed talks between the two companies. Sony's European division did offer Emotiv a contract f or a dumped down version of EPOC, but that was never really a viable option for Emotiv (it would have hurt Emotiv's image and consumer perceptions of EOPC).Microsoft was highly interested, but did not want to be a first mover on the new technology. It wanted to wait for the EPOC to prove its popularity and worth. To further add to Emotiv's problems, there were no games incorporating EPOC yet. It would be very expensive for Emotiv to produce games internally, and the Electronic Arts (the leading gaming manufacturer) had a wait-and-see approach similar to that of Microsoft. It was now time for Emotiv to make decisions on its marketing strategy. Should it wait until it locked in a major gaming partner to launch EPOC?Or should it launch in the PC gaming market? Emotiv also faced many questions related to the price, distribution, and promotion of EPOC. Their choice and the success of the marketing plan would affect the future profitability of the company. RECOMMENDATION: My recommendatio n would be for Emotiv to initially enter to PC gaming market. Even though it was less lucrative than the console gaming market (only a fifth of the size) and continuing to lose market share, the PC market was easier to enter because games featuring EPOC would be relatively simple to produce.By merely releasing compatibility codes, independent users could easily build EPOC applications into new or existing games, representing a stark difference from the cumbersome game development process in the console market. The wide availability of titles would help promote adoption of the new technology and add to customers' perceived value of the product. Even if the company was able to immediately find a console partner, sales may be low due to a scarcity of games for EPOC. I believe Emotiv should price EPOC at the highest price point advised by retailers, which was $399. Emotiv should create an exclusive product and brand.From its price to its distribution to its positioning statement, the co mpany should portray that EPOC gives users a high customer value. On the distribution front, EPOC should be sold on its own website and at specialty electronics retailers such as Brookstone, which is known for offering the latest and most innovative high-tech gizmos. I think a positing statement that would indicate high value and resonate with consumers is â€Å"Imagine the Unimaginable. † (See Exhibit 1 for the ad containing this positioning statement). The statement conveys that EPOC offers a unique experience.This is important because a distinct user experience is the key point of difference that separates EPOC from other products. Brand value is often created through usage and the customer's overall experience. Thus, I would suggest Emotiv produce one game showcasing the best that EPOC has to offer. The game could be bungled in the sale of the EPOC, giving users an initial application and tutorial for the device. The company had a $2. 5 million offer from Demiurge Studios to develop a PC game to give the user a demonstration of the capabilities of mind-controlled interactivity.The game would feature a martial arts master lifting rocks or walking on water using the user's thoughts. Once the company had its EPOC headset and game ready to launch, it should begin to distribute these items to various influential opinion leaders. Distribution to employees at tech magazines and tech television stations would be ideal. Favorable reviews by sources such as PC Magazine as well as G4 TV and Tech TV would quickly spread word about EPOC. Advertising could also be done using these same mediums. The niche hard-core gamers segment routinely follows these media outlets.Therefore, it would make sense to concentrate on these sources. EPOC also had favorable reviews at industry tradeshows. To gain more exposure, I would advise Emotiv to continue to appear at various tradeshows across the nation, and maybe even host their own conference. The high-profile 2008 Game Devel oper's Conference was five months away. Emotiv should use the event to demonstrate their breakthrough product and create enthusiasm by announcing a launch date. The holiday season would be strategic time to launch, as discretionary consumer spending increases during that time.Management's plan was to release EPOC for the 2008 holiday season, and I would encourage Emotiv to stick with that idea. As the company generates attention and increases awareness for EPOC, it will likely gain a partnership with a major console as they had been seeking. At that time, Emotiv could move from the niche hard-gamers segment to a mass marketing strategy that would also target casual gamers that play for entertainment and fun. The inroads created by their initial strategy can help the company achieve this goal. BASIS FOR RECOMMENDATION: The PC gaming market provides a solid first step or the company. There are significantly fewer barriers to entry in this market. Customers in the PC gaming market tend to be hard-core gamers that spend thousands of dollars upgrading their computers. As such, hard-core gamers would likely be the early adopters of EPOC anyway. In fact, the prospect of a brain computer interface was already creating buzz and generating excitement in online hard-core gamer blogs. I feel that the hard-core gamer segment is a strong target segment, and natural first step for EPOC. Gaming for hard-core users is a lifestyle.They use video games and peripherals for the experience and seek as much reality as possible. EPOC fits this group's needs perfectly, and provides substantial customer value. Thus, a high price tag would be warranted. The price skimming would give Emotiv more flexibility as it eventually moves into the mass market. From a cost benefit standpoint, the move is an optimal strategy. The PC market generates higher margins because the company does not have to pay royalties to console partners. The fee in the console market is usually between 3% and 4% of sa les.Selling the EPOC in Brookstone is a good strategy to target customer looking for the next cool gadget (Brookstone would attract this type of customer), but the company would also be able to negotiate much better terms than the 35% margins that Best Buy demands. Emotiv should be able to exploit hard-core gamers due to the concentrated nature of that market. Adverting costs would be kept minimal, as ads in tech magazines and on television stations command much lower rates than would primetime placements to target the mass market.At a price of $399, the company would need to sell 213,399 units by the end of 2009 in order the breakeven (See Exhibit 2 for a full breakeven analysis). This seems like an attainable sales level for the company. With time, I believe EPOC will become popular enough to move to the mass market. Following the successful launch of EPOC, Microsoft, Sony, and Electronic Arts would be more willing to work with Emotiv. The pace at which the industry adopts EPOC de pends on many factors. An opportunity for the company to accelerate the conversion from niche to mass markets would be a partnership with an influential company like Apple.Their products are widely recognized as being highly innovative. An iPad app that supported the EPOC system could drive sales, making EPOC mainstream quicker. (See Exhibit 3 for a full SWOT analysis for Emotiv). Once the EPOC technology is adopted by the major consoles, I believe its growth can be similar to that of Guitar Hero. Like Guitar Hero, EPOC is an add-on device that creates an interactive experience for the user. The video game industry is rapidly changing, and casual fans are increasingly demanding the kind of games that EPOC can provide.An optimistic sales forecast once the EPOC reaches the mass market could be estimated with an analogy to Guitar Hero (See Exhibit 4 for an optimistic EPOC sales forecast by analogy to Guitar Hero sales). Once EPOC becomes mainstream, sales could quickly increase to more than one million units annually. Although advertising expenses, distribution costs, and royalties paid to console and video game manufacturers would increase, the company would realize a cost savings for manufacturing. After one million units, the incremental cost per unit drops from $110 to $60.ASSUMPTIONS AND UNCERTAINTIES: In the breakeven analysis, I assumed that Brookstone would receive a 20% margin on the sale of EPOC, significantly lower than the 35% margin that Best Buy demands. I am assuming that hard-core gamers will pay an elevated price for a product that provides mainly secondary features, as hard-core gamers usually play fast-paced shooting games that have less of a need for EPOC in the main features of the game. There is also a huge assumption that EPOC will be successful enough to encourage a console maker to adopt the technology.Finally, comparing EPOC to Guitar Hero would be the best case scenario for Emotiv. Casual gamers are harder to reach than hard-core gamers . They could be highly price sensitive (EPOC will be priced at $399 compared to Guitar Hero's $99 price) and expensive to attract (because they are more fragmented and ad space on primetime television would be more costly). EPOC will also have to compete with demand for newer versions of Guitar Hero, which could cut into its sales. ACTION STEPS: Emotiv should immediately contact Demiurge Studios, so it can have the tutorial game ready as soon as possible.Emotiv should showcase EPOC at the 2008 Game Developer's Conference in March 2008. At this point, it should distribute the headset and game to influential opinion leaders across the gaming industry. Hopefully this will create buzz for the release of EPOC. The release should be slighly ahead of the holiday shopping season, in early November 2008. As sales build, the company should continue to target a partnership with a console maker and game producer. By the beginning of 2010, they should have won a contract and be positioned to mas s market EPOC.At this point, their marketing strategy would change. The increased demand facilitated by the console market will give the company higher revenues and profits, giving it more financial flexibility to advertise on primetime television and distribute its products in Best Buy stores. In time, perhaps the company could use its talented research and development team to build even more advanced devices for the gaming market, or even expand the distribution of EPOC for other uses, including applications in the medical, military, market research, and business sectors. See Exhibit 5 for a complete time line for Emotiv). Exhibit 1. Print advertisement for EPOC using its positioning statement. Imagine the Unimaginable Emotiv's EPOC Exhibit 2. Breakeven analysis for years one (2008) and two (2009). Fixed Costs| | | Startup investment | | $1,000,000 | Additional financing used *** | | +$9,500,000 | Cost to produce video martial arts games| | +$2,500,000 | Expected operating expense s for 2008 | | +$11,086,000 | Expected operating expenses for 2009| | +$20,557,000 | Expected total fixed costs| | $44,643,000 | | | Contribution| | | Price | | $399 | Retailers Margins (Price * 20%)| | -$79. 80 | Emotiv's Revenues| | $319. 20 | Cost of Goods Sold| | | (Manufacturing Cost is $110 per unit for the first million units produced)| -$110 | Total contribution per unit | | $209. 20 | | | | | | | Breakeven (fixed costs/contribution)| | 213,399| | | | | | | ***| | | Additional financing raised | $17,000,000 | | Capital still on hand| $7,500,000 | | Additional financing used | $9,500,000 | | Exhibit 3. SWOT analysis for Emotiv.Strengths * Superior quality * Emotiv's EPOC was the best mind- reading device on the market * Technological leader * Its research and development team was highly experienced and innovative, giving the company the ability to continue to improve EPOC and perhaps develop another product in order to move into another gaming category or market segment| Weak nesses * EPOC could be inconsistent * The human mind works differently on different days and times, which can confuse the algorithm behind EPOC * The EPOC is not compatible with the Nintendo Wii, hurting its growth chances since Wii has a leading market share in the console market * No games are currently available for EPOC, which could slow adoption rates by decreasing the value customers receive from the product | Opportunities * Efficiently target hard-core gamers since they are a concentrated group that would likely have an high interest in EPOC and act as early adopters of the technology * Eventually target the mass market once gaming console companies realize the value of the EPOC, allowing the company to experience robust sales similar to those of Guitar Hero * Could increase penetration rate sooner if an innovative leader such as Apple accepts ts technology | Threats * Although EPOC was the most advanced mind-reading device on the market, Emotiv still faced the threat of com petition from other firms * NeuroSky and OCZ Technology were both developing mind-reading devices (although inferior to EPOC) that could be marketing for video gaming applications, which could cut into its market share * Consumers may have unjustifiably high expectations from EPOC (someone once asked if it could move objects in real space), which could lead to customer disappointment and bad reviews| Exhibit 4. Sales Forecast for 2011 once EPOC is mass marketed to all video game players. Under an optimistic scenario, sales of EPOC will mirror sales of Guitar Hero. Exhibit 5. Time line for Emotiv. OCTOBER 2007: Sign a $2. 5 million contract with Demiurge Studios to develop a PC game to be sold with EPOC that demonstrates the capabilities of mind-controlled interactivity. MARCH 2008: Appear at the 2008 Game Developer's Conference. Showcase EPOC and announce that it will be released in November 2008.APRIL 2008: Begin creating buzz for EPOC's launch by sending headsets and the accompany ing PC game to influential opinion leaders at Tech TV and PC magazine. OCTOBER 2008: Create more consumer awareness through advertisements. Target hard-core video game players by running ads on Tech TV and in PC magazine. NOVEMBER 2008: Launch EPOC in time for the start of the 2008 holiday season. Commence its distribution agreement with Brookstone. MARCH 2009: Wait for sales figure for the fourth quarter. Then resume talks with Sony, Microsoft, and Electronic Arts for a partnership to market EPOC. Show them sales statistics for EPOC, which could help demonstrate the success and popularity of the product. JANUARY 2010: Hopefully sign a contract with one of the major console makers.OCTOBER 2010: Prepare to release EPOC for a gaming console. Start advertising on primetime television to capture the mass market. NOVEMBER 2010: Release EPOC for a gaming console in time for the start of the 2010 holiday season. Expand distribution to include Best Buy. MARCH 2011: Conduct research on EPOC upgrades. NOVEMBER 2012: Introduce a new and improved EPOC 2 model. If consumers are satisfied with the first model, repeat sales volume will be high. MARCH 2013: Begin research to expand its product line beyond video games, perhaps for medical, military, market research, or business applications. NOVEMBER 2015: Launch a new product in a new sector. Similar essay: Reed Supermarkets: a New Wave of Competitors

Essay on BBC Financial Analysis - 2222 Words

University of Bedfordshire Individual Report Financial Analysis (AAF001-6) Assignment 1-B Prof. Mohammed El Daly Prepared by Moin Ul Haq Jan Msc. International business and Management November 13 2010 CONTENTS Introduction Background Analysing Financial and Profitability Ratios Current Ratio Liquidity Ratio Solvency Ratio Assets turnover Ratio Profit Margin Debtor Days Creditor Days Gearing Ratio Stock Turnover Ratio Return on Capital Employed Return on Shareholders’ Funds Conclusion and Recommendation Appendix†¦show more content†¦Analysis of the Financial and the Profitability Ratios 1. Current Ratio helps us measure the ability of a company to pay off its short term debts using its most liquid assets. 1.5 is the benchmark. If it’s less than 1 that means the company is not able to meet its current liabilities using its liquid assets. In th GBP 31/03/2010 31/03/2009 31/03/2008 31/03/2007 Current assets 278,200 326,100 348,200 217,000 Current Liabilities (386,800) (310,300) (271,100) (252,900) Current Ratio 0.90 1.05 1.03 0.86 Interpretation and Explanation In case of BBC, we can observe a positive trend. There has been a significant increase in the ratio. However in 2007, the company’s current liabilities were higher than the current assets.But over the next two consecutive years 2008 and 2009, the company’s assets were enough to pay off the short term debts, and this is a positive sign. Talking about the current year 2010, the current ratio is below the benchmark, but the cash reserves are more. we can see a constant change in the values of current assets in a positive trend for last three years, however, not for the year 2010. Again there has been increase in current liabilities substantially. This can be one of the reasons for a funding cut of  £340m this year by BBC as George Osborne confirms the news on Oct 20th 2010.Show MoreRelatedA Report On The s Change Model, Balance Scorecard And Effective Leadership1341 Words   |  6 PagesExecutive Summary This report will address strategy implementations for BBC3. The BBC have suggested to close BBC3. However from our SWOT (appendix 1) and Porters 5 forces analysis (appendix 2) it was concluded that they should not do this. Instead the BBC should keep BBC3 and close BBC4. This report looks at how the change can be implemented using Lewin’s Change Model, Balance Scorecard and effective leadership. 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