Starbucks HR Policies and Practices

Starbucks HR Policies and Practices Contents (Jump to) IntroductionBackground of the Study DefinitionsRationaleHRMOrganizational PerformanceHuman Capital Advantage Company Information [Starbucks] Literature ReviewHRM and Organizational PerformanceHRM Policies PracticesRecruitment Selection PolicyReward PolicyEmployees Development PolicyHuman Capital and Competitive Advantage Critical AnalysisCurrent and past HRM policies in StarbucksPast and current HRM challenges in Starbucks HRM Policies and StarbucksRecruitment selection Policy and StarbucksReward Policy and StarbucksEmployees Development Policy and Starbucks Personal Reflection LearningIssues Identified in Starbucks Policies Recommendations and ConclusionsRecommendationsConclusion References In this essay the impacts of Human Resource Management (HRM) policies are evaluated on organizational performance with a thorough study of Starbucks. It provides complete insides into the Human Resource (HR) three dimensional model and its implementation in Starbucks is evaluated. Introduction Background of the Study The workforce of an organization is considered as a source of competitive edge over the competitors for that organization (Barney, 1991) (Barney, 1991) (Pfeffer, 1998). So due to this the significance of the employees has risen greatly and the need of the organization to develop a better human resource system has become one of the major organizational concerns to ensure the optimum use of human capital to get their maximum productivity. This increasing importance of human capital has raised the interest of the researchers to understand the relationship between high performance and effective human resource management policies and so far many researchers have also confirmed that effective human resource policies have positive effects over the performance of the organization (Huselid, 1995). But still we can see a huge gap in studies that have been conducted to understand the impacts of that positive relationship between organizational performance and effective human resource management system for multinational companies. Most of the previous researches have been conducted to understand the implications of that relationship on Domestic industries of Europe (e.g., Guest and Hoque, 2008); USA and very few studies have been made in Asia. Rationale This essay is focused to understand the HRM policies adopted by big multinational retail service provider Starbucks and critically discusses what type of value they have created by successful implementation of these HRM policies in the form of more committed and motivated workforce. Definitions HRM HRM is an important function of organizations performed internally in order to hire the required workforce, manage them effectively and ensure that they are working in right direction in order to achieve overall organizational goals (Robert L. Mathis,ÂÂ  John H. Jackson, 2008). Organizational Performance When we compare the planned or expected output of the organization with the actual performance we can get the organizational performance level (Daniel M Wentland, 2009). Human Capital Advantage According to Boxal, 1996 the human capital advantage is collection of all specific HR activities that are considered as special features of that firm, although these practices are performed by using formal as well as informal both types of processes. Company Information [Starbucks] This essay discusses the effectiveness of HRM policies on the organizational performance of Starbucks. It is one of the some major organizations, dealing in retail sector that offers magnificent benefits to its both full time and part time employees. Starbucks is coffee Stores Company originated in 1917 in Seattle, USA and now it has become a large organization working at world level in 44 countries with 15000 stores. It is one of the leading organizations in retail business and is known for its special coffee brand and as roaster. The company has implemented five corporate strategies that are; offer best quality products, ensure maximum penetration in market, offering a highly social atmosphere, provide relaxing, develop the best working conditions and increase the profitability of the company by offering high margin products and reducing the costs (Jacqueline L, John L. Colley,ÂÂ   Doyle,ÂÂ  Robert D. Hardie, 2004). It has adopted the Laissez Faire management style and above the management at store level it has hour different levels of management in its organizational structure. The skills that give it advantage of its competitors are the ability to make drinks and the skills of employees. At Starbucks employees are considered as partners of the organization and provided with special trainings to develop better understanding of the product and teach them new methods of brewing and techniques of sales. Partners have powers to take decisions when needed and shift supervisors assign them duties. Evalua tions and Promotions are used to motivate them. The performance of the company is well observed through the balance sheet of last five years as the assets of the company have been doubled as they were in 2005. Owners equity is also raised (SBUX, Balance sheet) Literature Review HRM and Organizational Performance According to most of the HRM specialists the effective human resource management system is very much important to achieve high levels of organizational performance (Delery, 2009; MacDuffie, 1999). According to them the effective Human resource management system is mostly designed to ensure high organizational performance by getting optimum overall output of the company rather than having more focus on individual performance. As Reeves and Dare (2007) describes that we can get high performance from an employee by increasing his motivation and abilities by using any method. In the field of HRM and organizational performance a significant contribution is from Huczynski and Buchanan, 2009. According to them when HRM activities are designed in an organization according to its strategy it increases the productivity level of the organization, reduces its turnover and also enables it to perform well in financial sector (Huczynski Buchanan, 2009). Their findings proved that when organization succeeded to satisfy its workforce and make them committed it can make its performance in corporate sector much better. The productivity is also very much dependant on the job design (Huczynski Buchanan, 2009). HRM Policies Practices According to Huselid and Becker (1995) have critically examined the human resource management system and find out the three major dimensions of it. Recruitment Selection Policy Many studies have proved that an effective recruitment and selection process in organization is very much crucial for its success and to achieve high performance goal of the company. The system should be rigorous and should be designed to meet the overall organizational goals according to Reeves ad Dare (2007). The researchers have found that there is a positive relationship between effective recruitment and selection process of the company and overall organizational performance. When organization selects employees who best match its requirements and have enough abilities to contribute to the overall success of the company they can reduce their cost of employee development, they dont need to invest in employee training programs that costs a lot to the organizations. Reward Policy According to many researchers the compensation based on performance is a very successful tool to get high performance level (e.g. Arthur, 1998; Delery and Doty, 2009; Huselid, 1995; MacDuffie, 1999). Doty and Delery (2009) even declare the reward system based on performance as only method of achieving high performance level. Along these many other studies have discussed the positive relationship of performance based reward system with the overall performance of the organization Like in control theory by Snell, 1999, cost theory by Wright and Jones, 1992, and agency theory by Eisenhardt, 1988 and all these studies have found a positive relationship between the overall performance of the organization and the reward system based on performance. According to expectancy theory by Vroom 1964 the high performance level of an individual can be expected if organization meet his expected needs. But most important thing is that the reward system based on performance is dependent on other functi ons of human resource management. The individual output should not be the only basis of rewards provided by the company; organization should also consider the contributions of that person in the overall organizational performance. Employees Development Policy The performance of an organization is very much dependant on the employees development policy of the organization. Organizations use a number of practices in order to develop their human capital. First of all the investments made by the organization, to provide non-technical and technical trainings to its workforce, determines the success of organization to increase the knowledge level of its employees. According to many researchers like Huselid and Delaney (1995), McGrath and Koch (1996), Huselid (1995) the organizational performance can be increased greatly by providing proper training to the workforce. They all have developed a positive relationship between overall organizational performance and the employee development policies of the organization. Organizational are now more concerned to develop their employees in order to achieve high performance they invest in their trainings and also try to make it possible to have long-term mutually beneficial relationship with them (Doty an d Delery 2009). In order to enable their employees to plan their careers properly they design proper career development programs for them. The companies that have promotion system from within the organization they have usually more committed and motivated employees as they want to work hard in order to get promotion (Snell and Lepak, 1999) and when company adopts internal promotion system it shows the commitment of the organization towards its workforce. Human Capital and Competitive Advantage With the increasing globalization trends the importance of skilled human resource have raised greatly, now human resource is considered that if an organization invests its efforts to Develop its human resource as an advantage in result that human capital will contribute to establish overall competitive advantage of the organization (Boxal, 1999). Critical Analysis Current and past HRM policies in Starbucks The committed and motivated employees have great significance in the overall organizational success and Starbucks realize that very early. So Starbucks gave great importance to recruitment process in order to select right people for jobs and develop them and retain them in order to get sustainable high performance of the organization. And effective HRM policies adopted by the company also shows its commitment towards its human resource. From its start Starbucks has given great importance to its frontline staff and baristas because they give it competitive advantage by providing the customers the experience of the Starbucks. They always remained the center of the companys attentions. From first day while hiring someone for company, the qualities that are given great importance are dependability, adaptability and ability of the candidate to work as an effective member of a team. Still, as current HR policy to develop the right people the Starbucks is making huge investments in the development and training processes of the workforce. They are taught the techniques and skills that they will be required to perform their tasks while working at Starbucks and increase their efficiency as well. With these huge investments in human resource the Starbucks can expect to have strong employee satisfaction level (HRM, Starbucks). Past and current HRM challenges in Starbucks The biggest challenge that Starbucks cope with in first decade of 21st century is to maintain the goodwill of the organization while having a high expansion rate and to develop the qualified workforce to support its expansion policy. The analysts were in doubt that with this fast expansion policy whether it would be able to meet the goals to be a positive employer. In early years of 21st century the company claimed that its huge costs on human development have been showing great in the financial position of the organization. In fiscal year 2004 the spending on human resource development was more than its spending on advertising expenses that were $68.3 million. In mid of 2004 in order to meet these heavy costs the company needed to increase the price of its beverages with 11cents these were already premium prices for the Starbucks products. But other hand company was not in position to cut down the incentives that it provides to workforce because that action can lead a major decrease in their morale. Starbucks still keeps its high expansion policy as every day it is adding 5 new stores in its portfolio with 200 new employees. So the challenges for Starbucks are not changed as they were at the start of 21st century (SBUX, Daily Finance). HRM Policies and Starbucks Recruitment selection Policy and Starbucks Starbucks is one of the world biggest organizations and having each day addition of five new stores in its large profile and in order to maintain this magnificent growth Starbucks has to hire 200 new employees every day. The process of recruitment in Starbucks includes many tools like interview of the candidates in which they also attend the sessions of coffee tasting and the terms and conditions are being developed and they are emphasized to provide with notes that are handwritten rather than response letters also the use to phone calls if appreciated. By using all these tools Starbucks get to know the response time of candidates. Starbucks also asks its recruiters to regularly send gift cards of Starbucks to its job applicants whether they are selected or not for job they must be treated as customers for the company. The process of recruitment in Starbucks is specifically designed for the job that is needed to be filled. The mission of the Starbucks is to expect the diversity and p rovide the employees the opportunity to develop themselves. After passing the interview Starbucks first train its employees before final selection (Starbucks, ICMR India). Reward Policy and Starbucks Starbucks always give more importance to its people than products, in a store staff it has 16 partners and one manager and one assistant manager on them. The incentives that Starbucks provide to its workforce are free health care that also includes vision and dental care facilities. It offers Stock options as well in the form of extra benefits and along this the employees who work average 20 hours a week for the company and continue it for three months company provides them shift drinks free and free pound of tea or coffee in every week. The rise in salaries of employees is based on performance evaluations that are conducted semi annually and these raises can be from 0% to 5%. Company does not offer any monetary bonuses but provide many non monetary awards like it offers about 30% discounts to the employees on all goods that they buy (Starbucks, ICMR India). The contribution of partners in overall organizational performance is recognized by several different kinds of programs. Just l ike company has implemented a program of Green Apron, that is an evidence of Starbucks commitment towards environmental issues and its brand behavior. Green Apron book is provided to every partner that contains the values of the company and desired behaviors and peer recognition cards. Team contributions are also recognized to evaluate their performance. Employees Development Policy and Starbucks In employee development policy Starbucks has designed training programs and learning sessions for new as well as existing employees. The employees are provided refresher courses in order to align their skills with industry customer demands. In training programs that Starbucks offers to its employees include; customer dealing techniques, coffee making workshops, customer care programs. Personal Reflection: I will make the comparison of Starbucks with an IRAN based coffee provider named Tunnel Restaurant Coffee Shop. This is a big chain of Coffee shops and restaurants with 15000 employees in IRAN. The chain network of the company is spread in whole IRAN with 724 stores. If we compare the three HR dimensional model of this restaurant with Starbucks; The reward system in Tunnel restaurant is not based on performance of the workers they have fixed reward system and annual bonuses that are aligned with religious festivals. While Starbucks ha performance based reward system discussed above. They lack the business knowledge due to the nonexistence of capital based business. Employee development also not that much efficient as they still based on traditional views and take human resource as business costs. Employee selection process is much better and we can say too much extant same like Starbucks they have policy to hire the people from the area where they operate their store (ChefMoz Dining Guide, Tunnel Restaurant Coffee Shop, 2009). Learning: The application of three HR dimensional model for performance of Starbucks has helped me a lot to develop understanding about how to identify the organizational needs and designing systems according to those specific areas where need occurs and to cover the deficiencies. These three dimensions are very much crucial for the organizations as they help to develop the business to create most precious asset that is human capital. Issues Identified in Starbucks policies: Most of the workforce of Starbucks is below the 20 years of age and the incentives that Starbucks is providing are more focused on health facilities that include medical, vision and dental care facilities and also Stock options for employees. The numbers of monetary awards that are being offered to employees are very few include semi-annual raises and wage rates based on per hour working. Although the focus of the Starbucks is more on providing the third place atmosphere but still the turnover rate of employees is very high and one of the big reasons behind it is the exchange of managers in store whenever upper management wants so it has very bad impacts on the partners. One more issue that company is facing in this area is that although the focus of the company is equal on direct labors and high margin products but the performance of some stores is not satisfactory in this segment. Recommendations and Conclusions Recommendations Although Starbucks is one of those few multinationals that have strong commitment towards their people but after this study we can make many recommendations to the company to do in near future in order to increase their performance; While designing the incentive package for the employees company should also consider the age factor of them and offer benefits according to their needs. The number of monetary awards should also be increased with non monetary benefits as it is argued that monetary benefits motivate faster and have long term effects on employees. The exchange of managing level staff should not be frequent. The audit should be done carefully and the stores that are not performing well they should be closed as they cause extra costs to the company. Conclusion Starbucks is one of the big organizations of the globe it has a large employee base and the way through which it is managing its employees is very appreciable although the need for more work in some areas is always remain even in perfect systems. References Barney, Jay B, 2004, sustained competitive advantage and resources of Firm. Management journal, pp 99-120. Boxall, P. (1998), Achieving competitive advantage through human resource strategy: towards a theory of industry dynamics, Human Resource Management Review, pp. 265-288. ChefMoz Dining Guide, 2009, Tunnel Restaurant Coffee Shop Delaney and Huselid, 1995, HRM impact on organizational performance perceptions. Journal of Management, PP 949-969. Delery, Harold Doty, 2009, Models of theorizing in strategic human resource management, Academy of Management Journal, pp 802-835. Dyer, Lee Todd Reeves. 2007. Human resource strategies and firm performance, The International Journal of HRM, pp 656-670. Daniel M Wentland, 2009, Organizational Performance in a Nutshell, pp 3-7. Eisenhardt, Kathleen 1988, Agency and institutional-theory explanations: The case of retail sales compensation. Academy of Management Journal, pp 488-511. Guest and Kim Hoque, 2008, in new non-union workplaces the Employment relations. HRM Journal, pp 1-14. Huczynski, A.A., Buchanan, D.A. (2009), Organizational Behavior. 6th edn. Pearson Education. Jones, G. Patrick. Wright, 1992, an economic approach to conceptualizing the utility of human resource management practices, pp 271-300. Jacqueline L. Doyle,ÂÂ  John L. Colley,ÂÂ  Robert D. Hardie, 2004, Corporate Strategy, Corporate Strategy, pp 1-25. MacDuffie, John P, 1999, manufacturing performance and Human resource bundles: Industrial Relations Labor Review, pp 197-221. Robert L. Mathis,ÂÂ  John H. Jackson, 2008, Human resource management, strategic HR management and planning, pp 33-64. Pfeffer, Jeffrey. 2007. The human equation: Building profits by putting people first. Boston: Harvard Business Press. Snell, Lepak and D.P, 1999, the human resource architecture, academy of management, pp 31-48. Vroom, Victor. 1964. Work and motivation. New York: Wiley. Starbucks Growth Challenge and HRM Policies available at: http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Human%20Resource%20and%20Organization%20Behavior/Starbucks%20Human%20Resource%20Management-Growth%20Challenge-Case%20Studies.htm#The_Human_Resources_Challenge Starbucks, Wikipedia.org http://www.starbucks.com/

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Envy of Cassio, jealousy of Othello’s possession of Desdemona, jealous fear that both Othello and Cassio may have cuckolded him and the incessant desire for money and power is what fuels Iago’s motivations and leads to Iago’s destructive actions. Iago like Othello is motivated by the same envy and jealousy that arouses murderous hatred. Iago’s desire for power leads Iago to manipulate and destroy other’s reputation to gain his own. Iago is highly skilled with words and uses language to gain his power. One such situation is when Iago convinces Cassio to drink to get him drunk which leads to Cassio losing his position as lieutenant which is then given to Iago. Iago uses people’s weaknesses and strengths to control his victims. This creates a sense of authority over them as he can easily manipulate them to do what he wants and to get what he wants. The women in Othello are characterised to have little to no power or authority against the males. This shows a sexiest view of authority. Though Desdemona is the senators daughter and starts off as a strong and independent woman defying her father, near the end she is seen as weak and unfaithful and also as a push over as she easily forgives Othello for everything he has done therefore showing that Desdemona has little power in her relationship with Othello. Emilia is portrayed as a cynical and worldly woman. Emilia is deeply attached to her mistress, Desdemona, though she tries to grab her husband, Iago’s attention and affections by stealing Desdemona’s handkerchief and giving it to Iago. In the end though Emilia goes up against Iago she is killed for it. Bianca, is a represented as a prostitute who doesn’t have any power or authority and is abused by Cassio as he doesn’t respect her and uses her as a sex toy. The handkerchief plays a very important role in Othello. It symbolises different things to the different characters. For Desdemona the handkerchief is a symbol of Othello’s love and for Othello it symbolises marital fidelity as it was his mother’s and used it to keep his father faithful to her. By losing the handkerchief and lying about it, Othello sees it as a sign of infidelity and thinks that Desdemona is cheating on him. For Iago, he sees it as an opportunity to use the handkerchief to beguile Othello into believing that Desdemona is unfaithful to him and cheating on him with Cassio who Iago uses as a part of his plan to confirm Othello’s uncertainties of Desdemona’s infidelity which drives Othello insane with jealousy. The handkerchief is a symbol of fidelity and trust which Iago manipulates to gain power over Othello. Dramatic irony is shown throughout the play. Iago is the main source of dramatic irony for his cunning ways. Iago is depicted as having two faces, one that is for show which is as a loyal soldier and trusting friend while the other as an evil and sinful man which only the audience knows until the end of the play. Iago’s loyalty as a soldier and as a friend is contrasted sharply to his true intention which is to destroy the lives Othello, Cassio and, Roderigo as a bonus, to gain power and money. Such irony includes Othello’s trust in Iago, as Othello listens to Iago and does what he says, giving Iago power over him, though the audience knows his true intensions which is to destroy his life and everyone he loves. Cassio is also a victim to manipulation. Iago uses persuasive language to get Cassio drunk which leads Cassio into getting into fight with Roderigo, who Iago also has power over, to get Cassio stripped of his status as lieutenant which goes to Iago. Though Cassio thinks of Iago as a friend who wants to celebrate with him, he is just another civilian towards his plan to gain power. The use of repetition is mainly used by Iago which is used to emphasis and brainwash his victims. â€Å"Put money in thy purse†, is repeatedly said to hypnotise Roderigo into believing that Iago will help him get Desdemona for the price of all his money, but of course this is dramatic irony as the audience knows he is being used by Iago, creating a strong authority over Roderigo. Iago has Roderigo so mesmerised that he convinces him to kill Cassio, as Iago has made him believe that Cassio was also after Desdemona’s affections and was competition that had to be eliminated. â€Å"Villainy†, is repeatedly said by Emilia to emphasis the murder of an innocent lady and to create guilt inside of Othello’s conscience. Shakespeare conjures an Elizabeth racial stereotype which creates a racial authority. Elizabethans were very sensitive to the use of the pronouns such as ‘you’ and ‘thee’, which sent clear social signals. Even though Othello is of high authority, he is not treated with the same respect as the white people because of his racial colour. People such as Iago use ‘thou’ and ‘thee’ towards Othello and ‘you’ and ‘your’ towards Brabantio. This shows that Iago acknowledges Othello as a superior but has no respect for him as he calls him by ‘thee’ which implies contempt. The use of pronouns such as ‘you’ is more formal and distant, suggesting respect for a superior. â€Å"An old black ram is tupping your white ewe†, is a racist comment used to describe Othello. Because of the white dominated race in Cyprus, black people such as Othello do not get the same respect as one should get. In conclusion, Shakespeare has expressed many views of authority in Othello. The use of techniques and structure has helped develop the theme of authority. One of Shakespeare’s messages of authority in the play is that jealousy can be destructive and powerful and can lead people to do unmentionable deeds. It can lead us into compulsion and obsession and destroy the person that we are. How to cite Jealousy and Othello, Papers

Dove report free essay sample

An Introduction to Dove In 1957, Unilever introduced Dove into the market as a single product: a beauty soap bar. And it was not just ordinary soap, but touted as having more moisturizing qualities than the top brands at that time and therefore suitable for dry sensitive skin. And in the 1980s, the brand launched a new product line, which constitutes of liquid body wash, shampoo and conditioner, deodorant/anti-perspirants and body lotion—just to name a few. Today Dove is no stranger to the average Singaporean consumer. Its products are sold virtually in all supermarkets, personal care shops and mom-to-pop shops in Singapore, among many other places. Often sharing the shelves with other popular personal care brands such as Lux and Dettol, Dove is more geared towards the female market and the brand is easily recognized with its trademark logo, a soft silhouette of a golden dove. When it comes to advertising, the brand is famous for its thought-provoking campaigns and short films that focus on the self-esteem of women. A simple visit to Unilever Singapore’s website will tell you that Dove is â€Å"the world’s number 1 cleansing brand with double digit growth†, â€Å"outsells all other skin care bars combined† and â€Å"over 1 billion showers taken with Dove products in US each year. † Which makes one wonder: How many such showers are taken in Singapore yearly? The Target Customer Statistics in Singapore All information here is updated as of 2012, unless otherwise stated. Population Age Structure Below 20 years 885,200 20-64 years old 2,554,400 65 years Over 378,600 Sex Ratio There are 970 males in every 1000 females. Males 1,880,000 Females 1,938,200 Ethnic Groups Chinese 74. 1% Malay 13. 4% Indian 9. 2% Others 3. 3% Religions (aged 15 years older) Households Housing Most Singaporeans live in public housing apartments provided by HDB (House Development Board). These HDB flats are located in housing estates, which have their own set of amenities and facilities. 90. 1% of Singaporeans own a home. Number of Resident Households 1, 152, 000 Average Household Size 3. 53 persons Resident Households by Type of Dwelling A three-room flat has two bedrooms in about 70 m2 (750 sqft). A four-room flat has three bedrooms and space of about 90 m2 (970 sqft) of space. A five-room is about 110 m2 (1,200 sq ft). Some have an extra room that is used as a study, and others have a dining area. An executive apartment has three bedrooms and separate dining and living rooms, with 150 m2 (1,600 sq ft) of space. Total living in HDB flats 81. 6% 1- 2-Room 4. 7% 3-Room 18. 6% 4-Room 32. 6% 5-Room Executive Flats 25. 5% Condominiums Other Apartments 12. 1% Landed Properties 6. 0% Education Highest qualification attained of resident non-student population, by age group and sex Employment (as of March 2013) Total Employed 3,386,500 Total Unemployed 1,900 Monthly Income Median Household Income Per Person $2127 Median Resident Household Income $7,566 Culture, attitudes and beliefs Singapore is a very diverse and young country. It has many languages, religions, and cultures for a country its size. Due to the many languages and cultures in the country, there is no single set of culturally acceptable behaviours. Each Singaporeans set of behaviour and attitudes is influenced by, among many other things, his or her home language and his religion. Singaporeans who speak English as their native language tend to lean toward Western culture. Singapore, as a country, in general is conservative socially, but some liberalization has occurred. Racial and religious harmony is regarded by the government as a crucial part of Singapores success and played a part in building a Singaporean identity. Buying behavior Singaporeans love to shop, which might explain the large number of shopping places here in this small country. When it comes to buying behavior, Singaporeans are known to own several distinctive traits, which includes being particular for price (loves to bargain) and kiasu-ism. Kiasu-ism is a Hokkien word, literally translated as â€Å"fear of losing†. There is a mild sense of paranoia involved, of fear of not getting the desired item, and placing the self first before others. Such behavior is characterized by barging into places like lifts or escalators, and the willingness to queue in advance, or for long periods of time for said item. Lifestyle and hobbies Dining, along with shopping, is also another popular hobby in Singapore. Food is one of the points of interests in tourism. Due to the many ethnicities here, there is a wide diversity of food which symbolizes a melting pot of cultures. In Singapore, eating is a culture itself. Popular sports in Singapore include soccer, basketball, cricket, swimming, sailing, table tennis and badminton. Dove’s Target Market Dove’s market is targeted more towards female teenagers and adult women, which falls within this range as highlighted below. The heavy half will be towards female shoppers, aged 15 to 44. Estimated no. of people aged 15-44: 834, 400 In an 2007 article by Brand Republic, â€Å"UKs leading online destination for people working in the advertising, marketing, media and communications industries†, Dove was â€Å"departing from phase ones focus on adult women,† and â€Å"phase two hones in on teenagers†, in a follow-up to its ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’, which was launching in Singapore at that time. [1] In 2007 students from Temasek Polytechnic, one of the five polytechnics in Singapore, did a study called ‘Insights on Brands: Perception and Purchase Behaviour of Singaporean Youths’. They did a survey on youths aged 15 to 27 years old. The study revealed that the buying patterns of our youths tend to lean towards cognitive traits, rather than emotive. It states that â€Å"while youths like to try new and different things, as well as tend to follow latest trend and technology, they are more rational in their purchase behaviour than generally perceived. † The study also showed that 81. 9% of Singaporean youths spent $500 and below per month. Drawn to hi-tech and latest trends 86. 5% said they will try new and different things 76. 5% said they tend to follow latest trend and technology Quality conscious 85. 9% Study options before purchase 86. 2% Brand is not the most important consideration only 53. 4% agree that brand is most important [2] Factors that influence a youth’s buying behavior are more towards social and psychological. They are easily influenced by their peers, and tend to buy brands that can reflect their personality. For example, a teenager who frequently hangs out with a group that frequently shops at Topshop and Zara will soon follow suit. And a male teenager who is involved in a rock band will prefer to buy related accessories or make-up e. g eyeliner. And how about the buying patterns of adult women in Singapore? Women obviously have different shopping traits than men, preferring to wander around in shops, compared to men who are more straight-forward in their purchases. A shopping experience is also more important to a woman. Asian women now are more educated, have high-paying jobs and bigger purchasing power, all at a younger age. In an article called â€Å"Marketing to the modern Asian woman: Trends to watch† by Vic Corsi, the Executive Manager of Landor in Singapore, it states that Asian consumers are â€Å"increasingly cynical about traditional advertising and research their purchases thoroughly. † An Asian woman’s shopping behavior is also different from her Western counterparts. Shopping is seen as a social activity where it is not necessary to make a purchase. Asian women also spend more time shopping online, and more open to using new digital innovations, compared to Western women. â€Å"And on top of everything else,† says Corsi, â€Å"Asian women are putting more effort into their beauty routine thanWestern women. † [3] He notes that although Asian women are among the most educated in the world, beauty still holds high importance and on par with success, such as having a good job and education. And since women run the household, they do not only buy beauty or fashion products, but also more towards consumer electronics, banking items and travel. Product Strategy Countries that manufacture Dove products Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, Turkey and United States. Today, Dove’s products have reached sales of up to â‚ ¬2. 5 billion a year in 80 countries. [5] Dove’s Product Mix in Singapore Dove sells a range for men too, called Dove Men+Care, but is only available in the US. Their product line is similar to their female counterpart, except for the addition of shaving products. Travel Kits Part of Dove’s packaging also includes mini-sized products for those travelling, called Dove Travel Minis. Their kit consists of deodorant (35ml), body wash (55ml), moisturizing cream (30ml), and a set of shampoo and conditioner (50ml), all inside a handy, luggage-friendly wash bag. Body Wash: Dove Vs Lux For this report, I will be focussing on two products from brands Dove and Lux for analysis and comparison. Lux is a strong competitor of Dove when it comes to their body washes, with their products being sold in more than 100 countries. Below is a body wash comparison between Dove Beauty Nourishing Body Wash and Lux Velvet Touch Shower Cream. Brand Core Benefits Actual Benefits Augmented Benefits Dove Wash body ? Contains ? moisturizing milk with Nitrium (a new moisturizing technology) ? has a characteristic pleasant scent that lingers ? Packaging comes in a droplet shaped bottle ? Dermatologist recommended Social networking sites e. g Facebook and Twitter are used to connect with customers. Lux Wash body ? Enriched with exclusive Silk Protein Extract, a moisturizing ingredient ? forms a light creamy layer on skin, leaving it feeling soft, smooth and moisturised ? Dermatologist recommended ? Packaging comes in a slender bottle with slim contours. Has contests on their website Pricing Strategy Dove’s prices are slightly more expensive than their competitors, but maintain the market price. Below is a list of the prices for each Dove product in every category. I will be comparing the prices in two supermarkets—NTUC Fairprice and Cold Storage. Dove Bestsellers Price List in NTUC Fairprice VS Cold Storage DOVE BODY WASH BEAUTY NOURISHING 1L DOVE ANTI PERSPIRANT DEODORANT ROLL ON WHITENING-ORIGINAL 40 ML DOVE BAR SOAP WHITE BEAUTY BAR (3PCS) 100G DOVE DAMAGE THERAPY SHAMPOO INTENSE REPAIR 700ML Fairprice $10. 95 $3. 40 $3. 35 $11. 70 Cold Storage $10. 95 $4. 15 $3. 60 $11. 70 Here is a list of prices for Dove versus other competitors in the body wash category. DOVE BODY WASH BEAUTY NOURISHING 1L DETTOL SHOWER GEL – ORIGINAL 950ML LUX SHOWER CREAM – VELVET TOUCH 700ML SHOKUBUTSU ANTI-BACTERIA BODY FOAM – BRIGHT 950ML Fairprice $10. 95 $10. 50 $6. 95 $9. 20 Cold Storage $10. 95 $10. 90 $6. 90 $9. 50 Promotion Strategy Media Advertising Dove participates and invests in a lot of media advertising. Dove’s advertising tends to focus on women’s self-esteem. Their short films and commercials are award-winning and have reached millions of viewers. When it comes to advertising, Dove is synonymous with its campaign which is not new to controversy. Launched in September 2004, The Dove ® Campaign for Real Beauty used ordinary women to portray a realistic sense of beauty, which is made up of several phases. Dove alsodoes internet advertising, and has a Facebook page to reach out to its Singaporean customers,where it promotes discussion between fans such as the one below. Although the campaign and short films did not seem to actually promote their products, it was their way of reaching towards new customers by identifying with them. Dove’s short films have won several awards and praise, including two Cannes Lions Grand Prix awards forEvolution, and their latest short film Real Beauty Sketches has garnered more than 55 million views on Youtube. In Singapore, besides TV commercials, their advertisements can also be seen on bus stands and public transport. In 2012, ClearChannel, a media agency, placed Dove posters at bus stands to advertise Dove’s latest hair care series- Dove Hair Fall Rescue Treatment. These posters had a QR code on them, and scanning the codes would result in a chance to win a â€Å"FREE intensive hair tonic starter kit†. Besides ClearChannel, Dove also uses TV, online, print and in-store advertising for the new products. Sales Promotion Dove seldom does large-scale sales on its items, and only does small promotions in supermarkets, for example, for a short period of time. Their products are sometimes packed in a bundle or piggy-backed with others. Point of sales materials include wobblers and display stands. Activities In 2006, Dove established the Dove ® Self-Esteem Fund, in order to educate women on the perception of beauty. According to Unilever US’s website, it hopes to â€Å"act as an agent of change to inspire and educate girls and womenabout a wider definition of beauty. † [5] And in 2007, in conjunction with its campaign in Singapore, Dove had collaborated with local secondary schools and Sngapore General Hospital to organize a series of workshops on eating disorders. Alongside with the campaign, Dove also commissioned a study about the perception of beauty, called â€Å"The Real Truth About Beauty: A Global Report†. The report reveals that most women did not identify themselves as beautiful. Distribution Dove’s products are sold in a majority of shops in Singapore that offer personal care products. These include supermarkets, hypermarkets, drugstores, provision shops and personal care shops. They are also available online in some supermarkets that offer such services. They do not have a specialized outlet or store that sells Dove-only products. Major supermarkets in Singapore include NTUC Fairprice Co Ltd, Sheng Siong, Cold Storage Supermarket, with Fairprice being the leading retailer. Customers that frequent their places of distribution include all ages. List of places selling Dove products Supermarkets/Hypermarkets 1. NTUC Fairprice supermarket 2. Cold Storage supermarket 3. Giant hypermarket 4. Sheng Siong supermarket Personal Care Stores/ Pharmacies 5. Guardian 6. Watsons 7. Venus 8. Pink beauty 9. Beaute Spring Others 10. Provision Shops 11. Value Store 12. Mustafa Centre 13. G-Stores Online Supermarkets 14. NTUC Fairprice 15. Cold Storage Parallel Import In Singapore, some of Dove’s products are sold in certain shops are noticeably lower-priced compared to in supermarkets, thanks to parallel importing of these goods. For example a supermarket may sell Dove’s Moisturizing Body Wash at S$10. 95, but a store that does parallel importing may sell it at S$6. 50 instead. Parallel import is not entirely illegal in Singapore, with rules for different categories. Based on an internet article called â€Å"Parallel import permitted on patented products†, it states that the reason behind Singapore’s policies to allow parallel importing products is â€Å"based on the principle that such products are genuine† and that â€Å"the public should benefit from competition and the lower prices resulting from the availability of parallel imports. † [6] Dove products are mostly parallel-imported from countries like Thailand and Vietnam. Stores that do parallel-imported Dove products in Singapore include Venus, Pink Beauty, Beaute Spring and Value Stores. References Articles 1. â€Å"Dove to Target Teenagers†, BrandRepublic, 26 Jan 2007 (http://www. brandrepublic. com/news/633851/) 2. â€Å"Insights on Brands: Perception and Purchase Behaviour of Singaporean Youths†, Temasek Polytechnic, Temasek Business School, Diploma in Marketing, 10 Dec 2007 3. Vic Corsi, Executive Director Singapore, Landor, â€Å"Marketing to the modern Asian woman: Trends to watch† 4. † Unilever reveals Dove Hair Secret through Clear Channel Singapore†, ClearChannel, 16 July 2012 (http://www. clearchannel. com. sg/resource-centre/press-centre/press-centre-20112012/unilever-reveals-dove-hair-secret-through-clear-channel-singapore http://www. dove. us/) 5. â€Å"The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty†, Unilever US 6. â€Å"Parallel import permitted on patented products†, Miranda, 20 Dec 2008 (http://www. mirandah. com/categories/item/82-parallel-imports-permitted-on-patented-products-in-singapore. html)