Logistics management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Logistics management - Essay Example The rapid growth of technology has significantly changed the social, economic, and political aspects of life. The immense impact of technological advancements has made enterprises to embrace technologies in ways that enhance their competitive advantage. It has become apparent to enterprises that their survival in the knowledge-based economy greatly depends on how they improve their technological capability. In particular regard to logistics, firms have realized the essence of developing adequate methodologies so as to successfully adopt new technologies in this field, as well as integrating logistics into their corporate strategy for gaining more competitive advantage (Waters, 2007, p. 76). Since the conception of computerization, Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) have assumed supporting role for functions of the organizations. In recent years, logistics has changed with the growth and adoption in the use of ICT systems such as GIS, Warehouse Management System, Transpor t Management System, and GPS among others. The use of these ICT systems has considerably improved the way companies manage their supply chains. Major ICT systems have impacted on each of the logistics component (Sauvage, 2003, p. 237). It is against this background that this paper will seek to evaluate the key components of Logistics Management and discuss the major ICT systems in each component of logistics. In addition, the paper will provide a critical analysis of benefits and challenges in adopting and applying the technology in logistics. Components of Logistics Management It is important to point out that components of logistics management are aimed at achieving the following: satisfying customers’ needs; product selection; monitoring quality of services and goods; dealing with logistics information accordingly; inventory management; and forecasting and procurement (Grant, 2006, p. 24). Mainly, there are eight components of logistics management. i) Customer Order Proces sing This component is designed to facilitate customer satisfaction. It involves flow of the following actions: filling of the order form; making decisions on the specifications of particular product; making decision on the quality check list of the product; deciding on the delivery schedule and deciding on the delivery location of the goods. The flow of actions is highly customer-focused and aims at meeting all the requirements of the customer. This component takes into consideration several important factors. Firstly, it takes into account the cost of order processing and ensures that this type of cost is appropriate for both the customer and the logistic firm. The second factor that is considered is whether the logistic firm has the capacity to produce the required component (Langley, 2006, p. 42). The third factor that is considered under this component is the detailed list of specifications; the company should ensure that the component being processed for customer has met all t he specifications required by the customer. The component of customer order processing has adopted and used ICT systems to make its operations effective and efficient. The major ICT systems that has been adopted and used in this component are Electronic Data Interchange, Web Portal, and E-ERP. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is an ICT system that facilitates structured transmission of data by electronic means between organizations (Sauvage, 2003, p. 240). Logistics companies have used

Feasibility analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Feasibility analysis - Research Paper Example This will be in line with the company’s short term goals of achieving a presence in major states in the United States. The fitness centers will be noticeably labeled to make it easily recognizable (Goldsby, Kuratko and Bishop, p. 84). Then, the company will regularly market its products through the person selling, social media, company website and franchise marketing make the public aware of its presence. Besides body fitness services, the company has created different products that will emphasize on energy and water usage. The idea behind this product is to make the machines create their own energy source by ways of human interaction. This will be attained by attaching the alternator to the machines; therefore, as the individuals run on the machine, the spinning motion powers the alternator which finishes by powering a battery that fuels the machine’s energy source (Goldsby, Kuratko and Bishop, p. 87). As the company expands, they plan on bringing in industry leaders a nd experts into their company. The company will establish a cooperative relationship for high-end and meticulous products from the main manufacturing firms. To satisfy the customers, the company is able to ship products in various parts of the world. Additionally, there are no charges for handling products and the services will be filled once they are placed. The company strives to keep the clients satisfied. The company will strive to achieve profit maximization, revenue growth, customer satisfaction, long term growth, achieve sustainable brand awareness and reputation. Customer will be treated as the biggest asset in the business operations hence will always be at the center of the marketer and company’s thinking and planning process (Parnell, p. 316). The company will use economy approach, in which economies of scale are leveraged to bring the cheapest apparel to market and compete on cost alone as well as the mid-market approach where the brand allure and product quality are combined with economies of scale and labor efficiencies in order to keep prices in an affordable range for middle-class consumers. Moreover, EcoFitness will use the high-quality approach whereby product quality dominates and a brand premium is charged. Customers’ Prospect The company strives to keep the clients satisfied through provision of exceptional service and great purchasing experience, either online shopping or direct purchase in the department store. The fitness centers will be opened throughout the day and night to take care of all our customers at their appropriate time. Additionally, there will sales and offer discounts on special occasions and holidays (Tompkins, Russell and McDonald, p. 35). The company will entrench high level of quality, transparency in the market and a sustainable business that contributes to the welfare of the clients and the society. The company appreciates that the clients are the biggest assets of the company; therefore, will accord t he best quality products and services provision. Therefore, the company will try at all times to put the interests of their clients first. Service and Products Desirability The company’s services and products are new collections with new styles, which offer the latest trend in body fitness. Ecofitness offers a range of services and products that are not offered by other companies in the same field. EcoFitness offers a full service health and fitness club that leaves the clients yearning for more. The working team is

An action plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

An action plan - Essay Example The APRANET which started its journey in 1969 and facilitated email has travelled a long way through the world wide web (www), the internet, internet radio, wireless internet, e-commerce and presently opened the doors for the internet TV. E-commerce has revolutionized the business processes and business transactions and the internet TV is another form of e-commerce and has opened doors of tremendous opportunity for different TV channels. This paper analyses the scope of e-commerce and the internet TV and the recent changes in the TV industry. It also discusses the action plans of TV channels NBC, Rogers, Bell Canada and Sony in order to exploit the opportunity offered by the internet TV. E - Commerce and Internet TV The Internet and the Web have enabled online business transaction which is called e-commerce and formally, it is the digital commercial transactions which is also known as E-business. E-commerce has changed the traditional processes of transactions which was considering c onsumers as passive targets and was driven by sales force. E-commerce is becoming popular due to its unique features which include its ubiquity, universal standards, global reach, richness of information richness, information density, interactivity, social technology and personalization/customization. With the growth and popularity of the internet in the world and its wider reach the internet TV is becoming very popular. Recent Changes in the TV industry Recently, there have been many technological developments in the TV industry which has changed the complete scenario of the TV industry. The recent trends require the TV industry to deliver the current form ‘TV’ via the Internet. The industry needs to not only produce huge quantity of the internet enabled TV sets but also to meet the challenges of delivering the current form of TV through the internet. The development in science and technology has enabled fast internet services and the possibility of delivering TV progr ams through the internet which can reach in any corner of the world through wireless network. The present delivery system requires the services of a network provider and a set top box but the internet TV would require only a modem to provide the services. The picture quality of the internet TV is multiple times better than the existing quality and it can be demanded by many consumers provided the basic problems are solved. The basic problems include lack of appropriate business models for the internet TV, limited bandwidth affect the quality and speed, lack of internet connections to many TV sets. The major problem experienced by consumers is the availability of millions of video programs make it difficult for them to navigate through and search for the desired program through the internet TV (Meyer & Peng, 2005). Action Plans The action plans of major TV service providers of the world like NBC, Rogers, Bell Canada and Sony need to address to the major challenges of finding an appro priate business model for generating revenue, improve the limited bandwidth quality, ensure the availability of the internet connections to TV sets and to device an appropriate system to make navigation through millions of programs easy. Their action plan should focus on positioning themselves for the transition from traditional to Internet TV that is

Should Regulations for Home Schools be Changed Essay

Should Regulations for Home Schools be Changed - Essay Example These tests have the purpose of not only ensuring that the guidelines laid out by the appropriate authorities are being met but also the secondary intent of being able to measure unique and dynamic changes in the student body at the regional and state levels. Due to the fact that no such analysis of homeschoolers is performed at the federal level and no benchmarks are set or analyzed, there is practically no knowledge of how this group effects the overall realization of educational development and achievement within the United States. Although many might argue that there is no need for government to interfere with this process due to the fact that it would be more regulation of otherwise private lives, one can also view the alternative argument relating to the fact that the government of the United States is not only responsible for educational development and achievement for its population but also for the development of a skilled and well balanced workforce to meet the key market n eeds that the 21st century provides (Kunzman, 2009). In this way, one can quickly realize that although certain topics such as reading, literature, and mathematics may be taught by a well skilled and educated parent or care-taker, the fact of the matter is that upper level biology, math, and/or lab sciences require resources and facilities that are not available to the average homeschooler. This creates a fundamental problem. Due to the fact that these lab sciences and upper level studies are not able to be taught by the average home school teacher, they risk being glossed over or not taught at all. This further complicates the educational process due to the fact that there are no preparatory life sciences that can... This essay approves that due to the fact that these lab sciences and upper level studies are not able to be taught by the average home school teacher, they risk being glossed over or not taught at all. This further complicates the educational process due to the fact that there are no preparatory life sciences that can adequately be taught within the home school environment. Naturally, if one takes the path that there should be a higher degree of federal regulation of home schooling, there is the problem of the fact that this level of regulation necessarily impedes many rights and privileges of the private citizen. Although the result may be a net positive, the fact of the matter is that the level of infringements on the personal rights and privileges to the private citizen would be multiple. Moreover, the final issue which this analysis will discuss is perhaps something that is the greatest overall concern with respect to the current economic climate that the nation is faced with. This report makes a conclusion that one can see that a powerful argument exists for the regulation of home schooling as a means to ensure that a high quality of educational attainment is made available to each and every child within the United States. However, due to the key concerns over civil rights and the cost of pursuing such a path, it is the opinion of this author that the situation is small enough at this point to warrant the reaction of a federal authority charged with overseeing and regulating the practice.

An Analysis of The Clod and the Pebble by Sir Francis Blake Essay Example for Free

An Analysis of The Clod and the Pebble by Sir Francis Blake Essay â€Å"The Clod and the Pebble† Sire Francis Blake compares selfish and unselfish love through interesting and thought provoking interpretations. These viewpoints are obvious through Blake’s indication of their states of innocence and experience. His first entity, which is a clod, says, â€Å"love seeketh not itself to please†(Blake 3). The second interpretation, which is given in the form of a pebble, reasons, â€Å" Love seeketh only Self to please†(Blake 11). The clod is depicted as a selfless, passionate emotion whereas the pebble is a vain, arrogant and selfish sentiment. We can assume that the author has a lot of experiences when it comes to love, possibly writing this poem in a period of romanticism, but cannot assume he is the speaker. The different perspectives of love in the poem lead the reader to believe that there are two speakers. The Clod may perhaps be of a feminine viewpoint, which is understandable after reading â€Å"Nor for itself have any care† and â€Å"Trodden with cattle’s feet†, where love is unselfish and sacrificial (Blake 2). The pebble gives off a sense of authority gained from experiences while it mocks the innocence of the clod. The abrupt use of â€Å"But† provides a change to the sweet and harmonious tones of the first stanza, while the phrase â€Å"a pebble of the brook† represents it is a hard and unmovable object, learned from its experiences. Specific words such as â€Å"care† used by the clod and â€Å"bind† used by the pebble are what make the feminine/masculine tones understandable. The beautiful and artful personifications of the content clod and pompous pebble create a clear understanding in contrasting the representation of the selfishness and selflessness of human nature in love.

Detection of Pesticides in Foods Using Chemiluminescence

Detection of Pesticides in Foods Using Chemiluminescence Sensitive And Selective Detection of Pesticides in Foods Using Chemiluminescence Zhou Yan Introduction Pesticides are widely used in agriculture to protect seeds and crops before and after harvesting. They have contributed significant economic benefits to society. At the same time, widespread use of pesticides has created serious problems regarding their effect on the environment and human health.[1]. Even low levels of contaminants can cause adverse effects on humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems. The application of pesticides has increased appreciably during the past few years, resulting in a potential risk for the human health.[2] .During recent decades, the number of publications on pesticide residue analysis has increased significantly, and important advances have been made in the development of methods for a wide variety of sample types[3]. N-methylcarbamates (NMCs) are commonly employed as pesticides, the structures show in figure 1. Their main characteristics of NMCs are low stability, high toxicity, and non-accumulation in organic tissues. Some of the NMCs, including carbaryl, carbofuran and methiocarb, are considered in the final list of compounds to be considered for periodic re-evaluations by the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR)[4]. Fig.1 Stucture of the selected N-methylcarbamates Analysis of pesticides in food, environmental, forensic and clinical samples is a difficult task because of the low concentration values and matrix complexity of the target compounds. Gas chromatography (GC) has been widely used for pesticide analysis in food, clinical and environmental samples due to its high selectivity and sensitivity [5]. However, some analytes are not suitable for GC separation because of their low volatility, thermal lability or high polarity. Phenylurea, carbamate, benzimididazole some pyrethroid,, organophosphorus, and quaternary ammonium derivatives are examples of such pesticides[6] . Chemiluminescence is defined as the emission of light as the result of a chemical reaction[7]. Chemiluminescence (CL) is one of the highest sensitive analytical techniques for the detection of pesticides, due to the high dilution of these substances in environmental samples and compounds in a great variety of matrices depending on their participation in a CL reaction as catalysts, precursors, oxidation, inhibitors and so on. Three Sensitive And Selective Methods Detecting Pesticides in Foods Using Chemiluminescence Determination of pesticides in water and vegetables by HPLC with post-column chemiluminescence using the luminol reaction .[8]. Chemiluminescence (CL) has been revealed as an excellent tool for the detection of pesticides.[9] .The best known example is the luminol (5-aminophthalylhydrazide), The Proposed mechanism of the luminol CL reaction shows in Fig 2, when (5-aminophthalylhydrazide) is oxidated in alkaline medium , it produces the excited 3-aminophthalate anion, which emits light when it is relaxed to the ground state using several oxidants such hexacyanoferrate (III), permanganat and hydrogen peroxide and so on [10]. The reaction presents a powerful application as detection system in flow injection analysis (FIA) or in liquid chromatography (HPLC), where luminol-type compounds can be used as a derivatization reagents allowing the analytes to be detected at very low levels. Fig. 2 Proposed mechanism for the luminol CL reaction. A scheme of the HPLC–UV–CL system is shown in Fig. 3. The reversed phase separation was carried out in a C18 column. A peristaltic pump was used to deliver luminol and potassium permanganate . After separation and UV/vis detection at wavelength of 220 nm, with the stream of potassium permanganate and luminol solutions. A mixing reactor (d1) linked both â€Å"T† connectors. Another mixing reactor (d2 ), was used to link the outlet of the inlet of the detection cell and the second connector. The resulting stream was passed to the detection cell and the CL emission from oxidation of luminol was recorded as the background blank signal (baseline). The quantification of carbamates was based on the increase in the CL intensity , calculated as A=[I/IIS], where A is the analytical signal, I is the net CL signal due to the presence of the NMCs in the luminol–KMnO4 system, IIS is the CL signal. due to the internal standard. Ethiofencarb was choosed to be the IS ,due to it is well differentiated from the rest of analytes in the selected chromatographic conditions and also it is a NMC which produced an enhancement of the CL emission from the luminol oxidation by potassium permanganate in alkaline medium. Fig, 3 Scheme of the HPLC-UV-CL manifold, d1, d2: mixing reactors Recovery experiments were carried out in vegetables to check the applicability of the proposed methodology ,to make sure if it can use in the detection of NMCs in the real sample. No NMCs were detected when a sample blank was analyzed using the proposed method. Three replicates were prepared at each concentration level, and each one was injected by duplicate. obtaining recoveries in the range of 107.7–88.6%. Chromatograms of cucumber sample are presented in Fig. 4. Fig.4 Chromatogram of a cucumber sample applying the proposed HPLC–CL method: (A) Blank sample; (B) sample spiked with 50ug kg−1carbofuran and methiocarb and 5ug kg−1 carbaryl. Peaks: 1, carbofuran; 2, carbaryl; 3, methiocarb; IS, internal standard. A sensitive and selective HPLC–CL method was used for the determination of NMCs in vegetables. Compared with other sensitive methodologies which use CL or fluorescence detection, this method is very simple because no derivatization process is needed. the great enhancement produced by these compounds on the CL emission of luminol using permanganate as oxidant makes the resolution of three carbamates (carbofuran, carbaryl, and methiocarb) in less than 14 min possible. Chemiluminescence Switching on Peroxidase Like Fe3O4 Nanoparticles for Selective Determination of Various Pesticides.[11] Due to the classical CL systems have very low efficiency which can not transform the chemical energy into light efficiently, so the enhancement of their CL efficiency to give intense emission intensity is one of the most important factors in quantitative analysis. From now on , a number of approaches have been explored for the enhancement of the efficiency. Such as developing intrinsically selective CL switching at the surface of Fe3O4 nanoparticles ,which make a great contribution to the sensitive detection and simultaneous determination of various pesticides. Fe3O4 nanoparticles with high peroxidase-like catalytic activity can catalyze the decomposition of dissolved oxygen to generate superoxide anions at their surface. The surface superoxide anions have high chances to be scavenged in the presence of ethanol. However, the scavenging effect can be effectively inhibited through the specific binding of target molecules on Fe3O4 nanoparticles. As shown in figure 5, water has no effect on the CL change but ethanol can lead to a significant CL quenching of the luminol−Fe3O4 system. EP is one of the widely used organophosphorus pesticides . there is no CL response of the EP aqueous solution in the luminol−Fe3O4 system by using pesticide ethoprophos (EP) as the target analyte. If we add EP ethanol solution ,which resulting a significant CL enhancement . we can abserved clearly. Fig 5 Pesticide Ethoprophos (EP) and the Mediums Produce the CL Response on Luminol (LUM)-Based CL Systems As shown in Figure 6A, With increasing the concentration of EP solution to the luminol−Fe3O4−ethanol system, the CL will significantly and continuously enhanced. Such high enhancing response has proved that EP molecules can inhibit the scavenging of superoxide anions efficiently. But not all organophosphorus have this function. As shown in Figure 6B, only EP and PF organophosphorus esters (containing P=O bond) with a phosphorus−sulfur bond (P−S bond) are able to light up the CL systerm in luminol−Fe3O4−ethanol solution. Fig 6 CL switching-on chemosensor for sensitively and selectivel (A) CL enhancement of the luminol−Fe3O4 ethanol system with increasing the concentration of EP . (B) The CL response selectivity to arious pesticides (0.1 mM): ethoprophos (EP), profenofos (PF), dylox (DL), and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). In order to make sense of the mechanism of CL switching, we choose the FeCl2 as source materials to study the interaction between EP molecules and Fe2+ ions. For the purpose of having better understanding of the coordinative groups, we do the theoretical energy calculations, as shown in Fig 7. Due to the important principle of energy minimum, the conformation was optimized as the coordination of sulfur atom instead of the oxygen atom. This result is reasonable because sulfur is more polarizable than oxygen and naturaly has a stronger coordinative bond formation. These calculations and discussions imply that EP molecules will have the strongest coordinative with Fe2+ ions, among the four different pesticides. Therefore, it is reasonable to suppose that the CL enhancement is attributed to the coordination of EP molecules on surface Fe2+ ions that inhibits the scavenging of superoxide anions. Fig 7 Optimized Conformations of the Complexes of (EP)2 -FeCl2 Based on the Theoretical Calculation of the Binding Energies (ΔE) for Different Coordination Formats The mechanism of CL switching is illustrated in Figure 8. Firstly decomposition of dissolved oxygen by the intrinsic peroxidase-like catalytic activity of Fe3O4 nanoparticles, we can get the superoxide anions, and due to the high surface-to-volume ratio of the nanoparticles, the resultant superoxide anions will absorb at the surface of the Fe3O4 nanoparticles (1).Then, ethanol reacts with superoxide anions through the radical scavenging process (2) there is no light emission after the addition of luminol (3) EP molecules are first added into the Fe3O4 colloidal solution before adding ethanol, (4). This molecular structure can effectively inhibit the scavenging of superoxide anions from ethanol (5) even if in the presence of ethanol, the addition of luminol still produces a strong light emission (6). The two CL response formats are combined to form a CL â€Å"switching-on† chemosensor (7). Fig 8 Mechanism of CL switching at the surface of Fe3O4 nanoparticles: The CL â€Å"turn-on† chemosensor was used to sensitively detect nonredox molecules specificitly. and has a a lot of application in lab experiment, because of it has the ability to detect molecules of interest in complexed and real samples after a simple magnetic separation.. The very simple and versatile strategy should open a new window of the development of CL chemosensors. And also make a great development in the application of magnetic nanoparticles (à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ °) Analytical performances of validated chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassays to detect N-methylcarbamate pesticidesà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 12à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) with chemiluminescent detection for the determination of carbaryl carbofuran and methiocarb were developed recently and the analytical parameters of these assays were compared with those of ELISAs with colorimetric detection. By using the chemiluminescent reagents for the detection of lower concentrations of horseradish peroxidase which can decrease the optimal antibody and conjugate concentrations and to reach better analytical parameters. Both in terms of accuracy and precision, results obtained by ELISAs correlated well. with those obtained by a liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry (LC/ESI/MS/MS) analysis, and also used as reference method to validate the immunoassays results. In order to fit into the linear part of the calibration curve and subsequently analysed by ELISA, each primary test sample was subjected to three independent dilutions .The dilution factors applied for the Nmethylcarbamate analysis are shown in Fig 9. Fig 9. Concentrations of immunoreagents and baby food sample dilutions applied in the ELISAs The reported results show that the chemiluminescent detection make a great improvement for the analytical performances of carbamates ELISAs. What’s more, the chemiluminescent ones with lower detection limits, can analyse various kinds of non-fatty samples simply and easily, just diluting them. This fact could avoid the extraction procedures and time consuming pre-treatment . Since the problems related with possible matrix effects can be easily overcome by using highly diluted samples. The time required to prepare the samples can be greatly reduced and their number increased significantly in each analytical session, as well as the reagents cost per assay is reduced. Conclusion : This review mainly introduce three Sensitive and Selective Methods Detecting Pesticides in Foods Using Chemiluminescence, each has advantages and disadvantages.(as shown in the following table). We can choose the appropriate method according to different situations. References: [1] Varsamis, D. C; Touloupakis, E.; Morlacchi, P.; Ghanotakis, D. C.; Giardi, M. T.;  Cullen, D. C. Talanta 2008, 77, 42–47. [2] Martà ­nez, E. J.; Barrales, P.; Cà ³rdova, M. L.; Medina, A. Anal Chimica Acta 2011, 684, 30–39. [3] Hua, L.; Mei, G.; Ping, H.; Yong, Z.; Long, L.; Hua, J.; Yong , M. Anal. Chem. 2012, 84, 255−261. [4] Alinorm 01/24A Appendix IX. Priority list of compounds scheduled for evaluation or reevaluation by JMPR. 2001 Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR). [5] Xian , G.; Tao, C.; Guang, Y. Chromatography A. 2005, 1100, 160–167. [6] Lesueur, C.; Knittl, P.; Gartner, M.; Mentler, A.; Fuerhacker, M.; Food Control. 2008, 19 906–914. [7] Gracia, A. M.; CampaËÅ" na, J. J.; Chinchilla, J. F.; Pà ©rez, A.; Casado. Trends. Anal. Chem. 2005, 24, 927. [8] Fernando, J.; Pà ©rez, H.; Marà ­a, A.; Campa, N. Anal Chimica Acta.2008, 630,194–200 [9] Lopez, J. L.; Catala-Icardo, M. Anal. lett .2011,44,146-175. [10]Laura, G..G.; Ana, M.; GarcÄ ±Ã‚ ´a, C.; Jorge, J. ;Soto, C.;, Jose, F.; Huertas, F.; Gonza, L. C. Anal Chem,2005 ,24, 11, [11] Guan, G. J.; Yang, L.; Mei, Q. S.; Zhang, K.; Zhang, Z. P.; Han, M. Y. Anal. Chem. 2012, 84, 9492−9497. [12] Barbora, M.; Tomas, K.; Pavel, R.; Mar ´Ãƒâ€žÃ‚ ±a, J. M.; Antonio, A.; Angel, M.; Elida, F.; Fabiana, F.; Stefano, G.. Anal .Chimica. Acta .2005,528,243–248.

A Marketing Research Project on Pepsi

A Marketing Research Project on Pepsi Pepsi Cola was first made in the 1893 by pharmacist Caleb Bradham in New Bern, North Carolina. Initially Pepsi was introduced as Brads Drink by Bradham in 1898 and was made at Brahams pharmacy where the drink was also sold. Later, Bradham changed its named to Pepsi Cola, due to the enzyme pepsin and kola nuts used in the recipe. In 1903 Pepsi-Cola was officially registered with the U.S. Patent Office. Today Pepsi Cola is manufactured by PepsiCo. PepsiCo is a world leader in convenient snacks, foods and beverages. Currently PepsiCo is the number 2 manufacturer in soft drinks behind Coca Cola, number one in snacks and number one in juices. PepsiCo has revenues of $40 billion a year with beverages contributing to less than 50% of that revenue. Market Segmentation Early in its history, Pepsi understood market segmentation and the importance of having consumers to advertise to that arent locked into a specific product yet. Pepsi realized in the 1940s that African Americans were an untapped  niche market. At the time Pepsi was able to gain market share by targeting and advertising towards African Americans which they have continued to do. Today Pepsi markets its product to younger people. The idea behind marketing towards younger people is to lock them into their product throughout their life. Pepsi realizes that their beverages will continued to be bought by customers as they get older so they are trying to build a strong customer base by marketing to 14-30 year old males and females. Pepsi markets to all social backgrounds of all educational and occupational backgrounds. Pepsi customers are loyal to their products as they can easily switch to an alternative beverage and these customers are both aware and interested in the products Pepsi has to offer. Market Size/Characteristics The market size of the soft drink industry has been changing. It decreased in early 2000s, and is now increasing into the 2010s. The market has shown an increase in both sports and energy drinks. Currently, the total market value of soft drinks in the United States is $60 billion. As of 2009, Pepsi-Cola had sales of $18 billion trailing only behind Coca Cola in the United States. Soft drink consumption has a market share of 46.8% within the non-alcoholic drink industry in the United States where the total market value of soft drinks over $307.2 billion globally. Market Share Data from Beverage Digests 2008 report on  Carbonated Soft Drinks has shown that PepsiCos U.S. market share is 31 percent while rival Coca-Cola Companys is nearly 45 percent percent. Overall, Coca-Cola outsells Pepsi in almost all areas of the world, few exceptions. Below is a graphical representation of United States soft drink market share from 2008. pepsico.com Brand Product Attributes From the Pepsi Cola website they explain how with all of the different Pepsi products available that there is something for everyone. Pepsis brands are very popular not only in the United States, but all over the world and are enjoyed by everyone. The product Pepsi offers from its colas are sweet, delicious, less carbonated than its rival Coca Colas. Pepsis Mountain Dew product is even less carbonated than its Colas and is of very sweet tasting, marketed towards the younger populations. The Gatorade products Pepsi manufacturers are global leaders in sports drinks and provide a delicious tasting beverage with a lot of electrolytes for athletes losing fluids in a hard workout or a competition. The teas and waters manufactured by Pepsi are refreshing and a tasty alternative to the carbonated beverages. Product Mix The product mix of Pepsi is one which is very wide and very deep. The width of Pepsi products come from all of the different types of products Pepsi sells which include carbonated soft drinks, waters, energy drinks, teas, juices, ready to drink coffees, and sports drinks. The depth of Pepsi Cola comes from the numerous Pepsi brands in each type of product. Pepsi has big brands in each product category. Some of the large brands in each category include: Carbonated Soft Drinks Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist Waters Aquafina, Sobe Energy Drinks Amp, No Fear Teas Lipton Brisk, Iced Tea Juice Drinks Dole, Ocean Spray Dairy-Based Drinks Sobe Ready to Drink Coffees Starbucks Sports Drinks Gatorade, G2 Pepsi-Cola is leading selling beverage for Pepsi in North America and the world. Mountain Dew contributes greatly to Pepsis sales and has a large presence in the North American soft drink market. Below is a graphical representation of the Pepsi-Cola North American Product Mix. pepsico.com Product Strategy The strategy of Pepsi can be taken right from a quote off of the Pepsi website which reads: Pepsi is constantly on the lookout for ways to ensure their consumers get the products they want, when they want them and where they want them. From this quote one can easily recognize that it is important to Pepsi to produce good tasting products that are distributed all over and easy to purchase. Pepsi and its products can be seen everywhere and this is important to them as they have so many different products. Pepsi has products that are alternatives for each other and this allows them to have such a great presence in the soft drink market and have large percentages in the market share. Product Life Cycle Product life cycle is the stages a product goes through from its introduction, to growth, its maturity, and then its decline. The Pepsi Company, although it has a lot of mature product in its colas and other soft drinks, it still has some growth. A lot of the growth of Pepsi is due to the newly popular energy drinks which it produces and the sports drinks. The new products Pepsi is producing each year give me reason to believe it is not quite at maturity, but is at the top of the grown stage in its product life cycle. This diagram helps illustrate where Pepsi currently is in its life cycle. Product Development and Innovation The Pepsi Company website writes, The Pepsi Company continues to innovate, creating new products, new flavors and new packages in varying shapes and sizes to meet the growing demand for convenience and healthier choices. The way Pepsi develops products and innovates is by offering new different tasting beverages. Pepsi has come out with numerous different soft drinks, and has added many other products to their product mix. Other types of beverages including energy drinks, juices, and sports drinks are ways in which Pepsi has been innovative and the different flavors it comes out with ever years shows the development of Pepsi. Pepsis latest innovation is adding three new products which are considered to be a throwback to the 1960s and 1970s. Pepsi Natural, Pepsi Throwback, and Mountain Dew Throwback will all be sold with these older logos and are all sweetened with natural sugar. These recipes date back to the 1960s and 197s and will be able to be purchased this month. Pricing The United States carbonated soft drink market is a mature market where the industry sales growth is largely driven by population growth and advertising. Product innovation is also taking place in the industry and is an important aspect of pricing in the market. Since there is a mature nature of the market both Pepsi and Coca Cola have resorted to price discrimination strategies to maximize the value of consumer demand. Price discrimination means that there will be different prices for the product in the different regions it is being sold. Pepsi, Coke or other soft drinks have similar prices and the price will vary slightly from place to place and depending on which packaging it is sold in. Distribution On February 26, 2010 the Pepsi Beverages Company  (PBC) was formed when PepsiCo bought both of its largest distributors in the world. The Pepsi Beverages Company is made up of the Pepsi Bottling Group which worlds largest  bottler of Pepsi-Cola beverages. The Pepsi Bottling Groups sales of Pepsi-Cola beverages accounted for more than one-half of the Pepsi-Cola beverages sold in North America. Pepsi Beverages Company is also made up of the former PepsiAmericas Company which was worlds second-largest  bottler of Pepsi-Cola beverages and had19 bottling plants in the United States and had a presence in 16 other countries. PepsiCo and Pepsi-Cola now has much control over its bottling companies and the distribution of Pepsi Cola products. Pepsi products are distributed to stores all over, from small grocery marts to larger bulk warehouse stores, and through fountain drinks. Packaging In the United States Pepsi products are sold in plastic bottles and cans as well as dispensed through a fountain. The cans are packaged in 6 packs, 12 packs and cases of 24, 36 and 360. Pepsi also has bottles come in 1, 1.5, 2, and 3 liters. Energy drinks first  sold in eight-ounce cans in the United States, but now are sold in similarly sized cans to the other soft drinks. The Pepsi packaging has been simple, containing a blue color, differing itself from the Coca Cola red. Pepsis packaging has not changed much until its new look in 2009 which it changed its logo and packaging in an attempt to distinguish itself and promote itself from the other colas as a cultural leader. Advertising Strategy Recently, cutting back on television Shifting to social media Website, Twitter, Facebook 2010: First time in 23 years without Superbowl Ad Younger generation Pop stars Movie stars Promotion Pepsi Challenge: Pepsi vs. Coke Pepsi Stuff: merchandise purchased with Pepsi Points Pepsi Refresh Project Pepsi brand is dedicating $20 million dollars a year Donations to local organizations Causes proposed by the public in health, arts and culture, the environment and education Media partners for the project include: AOL, Face book, Hulu and MTV Competitive Products Coca-Cola  and  Pepsi  are the two most popular and widely recognized beverage brands in the world Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola Classic are the predominant carbonated cola beverages Coca-Cola is the original Pepsi tastes sweeter than Coca-Cola Coca-Cola has more carbonation than Pepsi depending on what region you are in Said that depending on where each one was made the amount of carbonation in them will be different, proving that neither Coca-Cola nor Pepsi have more carbonation than one another Both drinks are no longer seen as a beverage but mainly as a brand Both companies commit to sponsoring festivals and charitable projects in third world countries Marketing Approach Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi market as part of a life-style Pepsi tries to reach out to the younger generation by appealing to pop culture Pepsis Website: flashy pages containing social media links Coca-Colas website: less flashy and uses a classical appeal, promoting history of beverage