The Local Tourism Industry In Botswana Tourism Essay

The Local Tourism Industry In Botswana Tourism Essay 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND TO RESEARCH Botswana is a relatively small country located in Southern Africa, sandwiched between South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. A landlocked country, however what it lacks in coastline, it more than makes up for in tourist attractions that have pulled in visitors from across the world. Known mostly for the Okavango Delta, the Kalahari Desert and its Bushmen, and the numerous wildlife sanctuaries and parks that are a host to numerous endangered species. With a population of approximately 1.8 million people, mostly Setswana speaking, it has enjoyed 40 years of independence and gained its reputation as one of the fastest developing nations since, transforming itself from one of the poorest in the world, to a middle economy country. These great achievements have propelled Botswana into recognition as one of the most politically and economically stable in Africa. For a long time, Botswanas economy has been heavily dependent on the mining industry, boasting over 75% of the countrys export earnings. Although the country is also rich in copper, nickel and gold, diamonds are the most profitable. They were first discovered in the late 1960s, and since, the industry has flourished and established itself as the worlds largest producer of gem-quality diamonds. This industry is in no doubt responsible for assisting in and facilitating the speedy development of the country. Other key sectors include the agricultural industry (exporting quality beef), textile and livestock industries, exporting quality beef. One of the most important objectives of government policy towards achieving its Vision 2016 is the diversification of the economy away from dependence on the mining sector. In recent years, the growing tourism industry has proven itself as a significant contributor to the countrys Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and economic growth. With the countrys competitive advantage of its vast natural resources and offerings, it is automatically put it in a position where it can prosper not just regionally, but internationally as well. This growth and prosperity can be attributed to initiatives taken by the government in order to boost and improve the industry. Various strategies and policies have been implemented to try and spur private investment. It has initiated campaigns for the development and improvement of the facilities in the National and wildlife parks in order to preserve the environment and its ecosystems. Foreign investment is encouraged, although only if those wishing to do so conduct joint ventures with the citizens, to promote their involvement in the development of the industry. They introduced a policy which allowed both foreign and local investors in tourism, among other selected sectors, to receive grants from the Government, clearly gave a boost to investment in tourism All these developments have led to an increase in international visitors which in turn has led to an increase in the need for accommodation, and therefore an increase in the building of hotels and lodges. Extracted from FDI AND TOURISM: THE DEVELOPMENT DIMENSION, EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA. A United Nations Case Study 2003 The hotels that have been established are both locally and internationally owned, however research reveals that ownership is dominated by international companies and individuals. The most popular of these hotels are; Sun International (a South African franchise), Cresta Hotels (another South African franchise belonging to the TA Group), The Grand Palm and Mondior Summit (a member of the South African Mondior Company). In an ideal environment, it would have been the other way around, with industrial control fully domestic instead of dependent on foreign aid. The drawbacks of having an unbalanced ownership scale (or one that is not heavily domestic) in the tourism industry, include loosing vital revenues collected to foreigners and the inability of complete revenue maximization by the government and the citizens. The presence of these multinational hotel chains is evidence that the initiatives taken by the government to boost the industry are effective. However, only to a limited extent because in order for the industry to survive, they have to allow foreign investors to participate but this is pushing the industry into the hands of these foreigners and away from those who can benefit from it the most; the citizens. With this proposal, I intend to find out if there is a relationship between the large internationally owned hotels and lodges and the significantly smaller locally owned ones. 1.2 RESEARCH PROBLEM The tourism industry in Botswana is still in its growth phase, with government programs dedicated to the upgrading and development of the areas that attract most tourists. The hotel industry is one that has seen considerable growth in relation to the governments policy. In order to help expand this industry, the government has favored foreign investment and made it easier for foreigners to invest on a long term basis with political and economic stability providing an ideal investment climate. As a result, the hospitality and accommodation sectors have seen numerous international hotels, lodges and hotel chains set up around the country. Although significant for a maturing industry, the abundance of internationally owned and operated establishments signals an inequality in the ownership when compared to the locally operated establishments. The industry is dominated by foreign proprietors and it seems they are overpowering local entrepreneurship. The irony of the situation is that in order for tourists to experience the genuine Setswana environment, they would have to place themselves in an atmosphere that would reflect the true Setswana lifestyle, and that is more than often found in a locally owned establishment. The success of these international hotels is testament to numerous situations, such as: the local hotels arent performing to meet the standards of the tourists Most of the internationally operated hotels around Botswana can be classified as 5star, and for the economically well-off visitor, luxury and comfort may play a larger role than experiencing the Setswana lifestyle in choosing where to stay. There is also a level of quality that can be expected when dealing with an internationally established and world renowned hotel that may cause visitors to automatically opt for it instead of trying out a local hotel. This is not to suggest that the local hotels are not up to par, but the unfortunately the reputation of an international hotel, far exceeds that of a local one. the tourists are not aware of their services As more and more of the world business is turning electronic, i.e over the internet, more and more tourists rely on the internet to inform them on where to stay, and the use of the travel agent as an intermediary between the hotel and the tourist is slowly becoming obsolete. It has taken a little bit longer for some businesses to realize the importance of the internet as a marketing tool, and its ability to help them reach out to potential customers. Many hotels have not yet come to this realization and it is this way that they missing out on opportunities by failing to expose themselves to a wider audience. Advertising plays an important role in determining the success or failure of a company and if it fails to run an effective marketing scheme then it will receive limited responses. Either of these situations results in loss of revenue for the local hospitality and accommodation sector and all those involved. These consequences have a long term domino effect, where one situation triggers the other, or one situation is the direct or indirect consequence of another. Such as: Managerial positions are dominated by foreigners The only posts reserved for locals are those with lower salaries General failure of the industry to contribute to the development of the local community and the eradication of poverty. 1.2.1 PROBLEM STATEMENT The local tourism market in Botswana is saturated by large foreign owned hotels and this is pushing the locally owned ones into the background. 1.2.2 RESEARCH QUESTION The purpose of this research proposal is to answer the question: What is the impact of the international hotel giants on the local accommodation and hospitality market? My intention is conduct a qualitative study by interviewing local entrepreneurs to get an in-depth and personal opinion on the role that these hotel giants play in the industry. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to assess the impact that international hotel franchises have on the local hospitality and accommodation market in Botswana. This study can be broken down into categories that when concluded, should give a clear understanding of the above mentioned issue. To recognize the relationship between the abundance of the internationally operated hotels and lodges and the scarcity of locally owned ones. To determine the impact that these international giants on the local hotels. To examine the repercussions that the international hotel chains have on the local tourism industry. To develop research in this area in order to recognize how the current situation can be overcome. 1.4 JUSTIFICATION OF RESEARCH The reason I have chosen this particular topic is because the tourism industry in Botswana is rapidly becoming a vital contributor to the countrys GDP, as the need for economic diversification away from the mining industry becomes more urgent. As a vital part of the economy, it is important that the public be aware of all aspects that contribute to its growth. By creating public awareness on how the local market is influenced by these foreign giants, it is my hope that they will take initiatives to be more supportive and more participative in the industry. Another reason for pursuing this topic is because research previously conducted has been limited and non specific, . . . à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ . RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The primary purpose of this research is to find out if and how the local entrepreneurs business has been affected by the international hotel chains. What I want find out is the experience, opinion and feelings of these entrepreneurs towards these hotels. The best way to collect this data would be through conducting an interview, specifically a structured interview. I chose this method because: It allows for me to investigate the thoughts, views, assumption, feelings, attitudes and perceptions of the interviewee which cannot be provided by any other method of data collection. It allows me to ask more complex questions and also the ability to validate the data as I collect it, which improves the overall quality of the data. Due to geographic constraints, my interviews are going to have to be conducted over the phone. The advantages of telephone interview include: More freedom for the interviewee because they are not under pressure from a face-to-face scenario, therefore the interviewee feels more comfortable. This also means that their responses will be more honest and open. SAMPLE SIZE I intend to interview a total of ten local businesses located all around the country, in order to determine whether it is a national or just localized phenomenon. I want to find out the opinion of the businessman and woman in all tourist attractions around Botswana to establish whether their view is universal. PROJECT OUTLINE Chapter 1 Introduction This starts with a brief description of Botswanas economic history and the contribution that the tourism industry is making towards it. The Research Problem describes how the introduction of International hotels signifies the growth of the industry but that may be at the expense of the local entrepreneurs. Therefore it is my responsibility with this project to find out exactly how these hotels have affected local businesses and to achieve this, I will conduct interview with ten of these businessmen and women. Chapter 2 Literature Review The exploration and analysis of secondary data procured over the internet. I will study journals related to or contributing to the topic, in order to find out the significance of my research. Chapter 3 Research Framework This is an in-depth analysis of the method of data collection, sample sizes and distribution in order to inform the reader on every step of primary data collection process. 1.7 DELIMITATIONS OF SCOPE The scope of this research is limited to local entrepreneurs in the accommodation and hospitality industry in Botswana, although only those involved in the operation of hotels, lodges or guest houses. The aim of this research is to solicit their opinion on the effect that the international hotel giants have on their businesses with the assumption is that they have all been affected either in a good or bad way by the success of these international hotels. This research will provide an analytical view of how these local businesses are doing in comparison to the hotels, and this information will be useful to these entrepreneurs in trying to improve the current situation. CHAPTER SUMMARY This chapter is an introductory chapter that starts off by describing the economic history of Botswana and the influence that the tourism industry has had. The main issue revolves around how this industry has seen the establishment of international hotels and what role these hotels play on the local hospitality and accommodation market. The research questions outline what type of information Im trying to solicit and the choice of data collection most suitable for that is through conducting interviews. http://www.bidpa.bw/docs/archive/Economic%20Diversification/TheTourismSector.pdf http://botswana.usembassy.gov/resources/commercial-section/tourism-and-investment.html

Cause and Effect Essay - The Causes of America’s Social Problems

Cause and Effect Essay - The Causes of America’s Social Problems The causes of social problems exist on many levels. When we ask why social problems such as poverty, unemployment, crime, and war exist, each time we determine a cause, we can ask "why" again, as children often do until they are hushed. Poverty exists because some folks can't find jobs or the jobs pay poorly. But then why is the wage level so low? Because of the tax and land-tenure systems. Why do we have those systems? Because special interests pay to legislate it. Why do special interests get away with it? The voting structure lets them. Why does that structure exist? The voters don't demand to change it. Why not? When we dig down through all the layers to the roots of the causes, we find three fundamental causes of social problems: ignorance, apathy, and greed. The ultimate remedy for social problems therefore must confront all three root causes. It does little good to just run down the street shouting "share the rent!" or "stop war!". Uttering a slogan does no good unless it arouses sympathy. As an example of the interplay between ignorance, apathy, and greed, consider the problem of pollution. Suppose the most efficient preventative is a pollution charge based on the damage caused by each pollutant. However, the government regulates pollution instead, a policy failure that needlessly reduces employment and economic growth. One possible cause is ignorance. But suppose the best policy is known. The owners of the polluting industries seek to influence legislation to prevent the best policy. Because of their campaign contributions and other favors, the government adopts the poorer policy. The cause in this case is greed, both by the influence seeker... ...es for social problems, including the economics, politics, and ethics of the problems and solutions. Then when they educate others, they must at the same time invoke their antipathy to the problem and arouse their sympathy with the remedy. When the masses are roused with sympathy and armed with knowledge of the remedy, the few greedy opponents will either be swayed themselves to join the righteous battle, or be overwhelmed by the greater force of the righteous revolution. To remedy social ills, replace ignorance, apathy and greed with knowledge, sympathy, and charity. Works Cited George, Henry, 1879, Progress and Poverty. New York: Schalkenbach Foundation, 1971 Henry George Foundation web site, www.henrygeorge.org Accessed on 8-26-04. Holy Bible. Authorized King James Version. Ed. C.I. Scofield. New Scofield Reference Edition. New York: Oxford UP, 1999.

History of the Remote Control: The Downfall of Western Civilization :: essays research papers fc

The History of the Remote Control: The Downfall of Western Civilization History of Technology Research Paper The typical American family has on average four remote controls in their household. Look around the room and count how many you have in your house. I count five in just this room alone, not including the wireless mouse and keyboard I am using right now to type this paper. Everyone has seen remote controls for televisions, VCRs, and stereos. However, can you imagine a remote control that can also control lights, the temperature, drapes, and even the front door lock! Remote controls have come along way since their first uses mainly for military purposes during WWI and WWII. There have been many different types of remote controls invented, some, which have helped society develop, and others that have led to our demise. Throughout this paper, you will learn about how the many different uses of remote controls have helped accomplish tasks once inconceivable by a human alone, but also have led western civilization into a â€Å"lazy† society. In addition, you will learn about the man who invented the first wireless remote control and other types of remotes used in modern day technology.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first remote controls used to operate machines by the German and United States military during WWI and WWII. During WWI, the German navy used radio-controlled motorboats to ram enemy ships. By WWII, the use of remote controls was beginning to be more of a worldwide concept, controlling bombs and other remote control weapons. The military has a lot of uses for remote controls but beginning in the late 1940’s, scientists in the United States began experiments to discover uses of the remote control for uses other then on the battlefield. One of them scientist, the famous, Robert Adler, holds patents for 180 electronic devices, but is best known for his contribution in the development of the remote control. The first television remote control, established in 1950 by the Zenith Electronics Corporation, which was then known as the Zenith Radio Corporation. The name given to the remote, â€Å"Lazy Bones,† is all the irony I need to have you understand the title of this paper. â€Å"Lazy Bones† used a cable that ran from the TV set to the person watching TV’s hand. A motor in the TV set controlled the tuner through the remote control. Of course, people liked the idea of not having to get up to change the channel, but there were many complaints concerning the cable that ran across the floor that everyone always tripped over.

The Last Samurai Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The idea of honor is different to many people. The dictionary defines honor as, That which rightfully attracts esteem, respect, or consideration; self-respect; dignity; courage; fidelity; especially, excellence of character; high moral worth; virtue; nobleness; specifically, in men, integrity; uprightness; trustworthiness; in women, purity; chastity. [1913 Webster]. However in the film The Last Samurai, the idea of honor seems to differ between the different people in each culture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Americans equate honor with how many battles have been won. Not necessarily how the battles are won. We are introduced to the idea of American culture changing the Japanese way by first being shown the Japanese buying advanced weaponry from the Americans. Nathan Algren, played by Tom Cruise was revered with utmost respect for his victories in the civil war and against the Indians. However through out those battles many innocent people were killed. These facts however did not stop the American government from awarding him many medals of Honor, and thus leading to his recruitment by the Japanese emperor to train his armies. No medals however could stop the nightmares that Algren would have every night as he replayed the dishonorable things he had done in past battles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Japanese people were attempting to begin adapting to a western style of life. The government tried to take the samurai way of life out...

Adaptive Memory Essay

The aim of this particular study was to research adaptive memory and attempt how best to explain how this â€Å"adaptive memory† works. In this experiment 252 first year students were the participants. According to which tutorial group they were in, the participants were given a scenario, with the scenarios being: * Ancestral Hunter * Modern Hunter * Future Hunter Both the Ancestral and Future hunter scenarios contained 80 participants while 92 were placed in the Modern Hunter group. Participants were asked to read a scenario according to which group they were placed in (i. e. Modern scenario for Modern Hunter group etc) following this they were asked to read and rate a list of thirty-five words based on their relevance to their scenario. This list of words was shown on a screen for five seconds each. Following this exercise, participants were then asked to complete a number task in which they were given a list of twelve numbers, each being a seven digit number, where each number was shown on the screen for one second. See more: Sleep Deprivation Problem Solution Speech Essay After this, participants were given ten minutes to attempt to recall as many words as possible from the original thirty-five words they had rated. The results showed encoding was most effective for the future hunter scenario. Introduction. A proposition made by evolutionary psychologists is that our cognitive processes have been shaped and tuned by way of adaptation. One situation is that of survival. The ultimate goal is for humans to survive and reproduce, because of this humans have adapted and evolved to heighten their senses in a situation where their survival is threatened. Items can be processed more deeply and remembered for longer when the context of the word given, seems to be a scenario in which the mind believes it needs to actively fight for its own survival. One of the most interesting findings into this theory is the results of Nairne, Thompson and Panderiada’s (2007) experiment. The findings of their experiment revealed life of an encoding task that results in higher levels of free recall than those found with past tested methods. The theory of levels of processing framework states that retention of the given word varies in relation to the depth of which the word in question is processed (Craik & Tulving, 1975). The series of experiments performed by Craik and Tulving found that the participants would process a word better when matching to a related question. This experiment attempts to find how adaptive memory can be best explained. Three different scenarios were used to encode a list of words. It is hypothesised that the scenario in which survival is the ultimate goal, is where the words will be more salient and hence acquire a higher retention of the words listed. Method. Participants were 252 first year undergraduate students undertaking psychology at the University of New South Wales. The experiment was completed during tutorials as a group experiment. The experiments took place according to the tutorial group, and were not performed at the same time. Design. The independent variables in this experiment were the scenarios given to the participants and the list of words and numbers presented to participants after they had completed the scenario. Materials and Design. Stimuli used were 35 concrete nouns selected at random from a list of words which were generated by submitting a range of 400-700 for frequency, concreteness, imageability and meaningfulness criteria in MRC Psycholinguistic Database and twelve seven digit numbers. Procedure. Depending on which tutorial group the student was in, participants were asked to read a survival scenario. In total there were three different scenarios given; Ancestral Hunter, Modern Hunter and Future Hunter. After the participant read through the given scenario they were asked to rate a list of 35 words for relevance. Each word was shown on a screen for a total of five seconds. Following this memory task, the students were then shown 12 seven-digit numbers on the screen, each number being shown for ten seconds. After being presented all twelve, they were given ten seconds to list as many numbers as they could remember. Following this task they were given ten minutes to attempt to recall as many words as possible from the list of thirty-five words given to them to rate after each scenario.

Competition in the Chinese Automobile Industry Essay

There are many scientific inventions in our world. Some of these inventions are even in the houses that we live in. There are inventions such as computer games, the microwave oven, and even the Moto vehicle. These inventions make our lives much easier but it destroys the world as well. Everything and everyone gets harmed some way by these inventions. Let’s start off with this. The computer is entertaining but yet dangerous to our eyes. Children of our world love being on the computer. But they shouldn’t love it too much, because if you stare and are too close to the computer for far too long, your eyes begin to hurt and you become shot sighted. This is so because your brain decides that you don’t need to be able to see things far away and only see thing that are close to you. The computer is one of the best inventions because it helps you with a lot of things. Number one is work. It allows us to save all our important document and keeps them in a private file. The microwave oven. This is a machine that heats thing. It’s great in homes for when you want to heat foods. About 1/3 of the world has one. I’ll say this; microwave oven heats your foods but also destroys your health. As the microwave heats up, it sends of radiation inside and out. Your foods become polluted with radiation and if you’re too close to it you as well. Who likes eating cold food? I mean we all like food nice and hot, so we should have a microwave oven in our houses. I personally can’t go without a microwave. It one of my favorite scientific inventions. One of the most used scientific inventions would be the motor vehicle. Now this is brilliant! The motor vehicle or should I say, cars are very common to our modern day lives. EVERYBODY has one. Well if you have a license of course. Now cars are a complex piece of machinery. It’s like you’re basically holding a fully loaded gun. Almost every day there is an accident that occurs. We may not see it, but it happens. People get greatly injured or even die from car accidents. On the positive side, cars do have its advantages. People use cars to transport themselves around. It takes you from one place to another. Instead of having to walk, you drive. Another thing about cars, it pollutes the air badly. This is so because cars give off a great deal of smoke sometimes. This affects the greenhouse gases and even worse, the ozone layer. If the air is completely contaminated people with die. People that believe these machines are not good for our lives are somewhat correct but wrong. I believe that it has made our lives really easy and less complex. I think it has done wonders to the world and we should all appreciate the advantage we get from this.

Marketing Objectives Essay

Executive Summary Ceylon Tea came into being nearly a century and half back when the then existing coffee plantations, struck by a deadly disease – which virtually proved the death knell of coffee in Ceylon as it was then called, were converted to tea plantations. Nearly all the coffee plantations were very soon converted to tea plantations. As Ceylon Tea made its mark in the world and was being widely traded in the markets, measures were instituted to facilitate and monitor the process of manufacture and sale of tea to be shipped to foreign countries. On 30th July 1883 the first public sale of tea took place. The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce brought under its purview the conduct of these auctions. In 1894 the Ceylon Tea Traders Association was established. Today almost all tea produced in Sri Lanka is sold in auctions conducted by these two organizations. Introduction This assignment is mainly about a FMCG product which the organisation depends only on Tea. I have sectioned this assignment in to different sections, to make the reader easy and understandable. I have also given a brief idea about marketing orientation, key steps to follow to be marketing oriented and also difficulties of implementing marketing orientation. Then I have spoke about the marketing environment with micro and macro environment and also how these environments impact to the organisation. At last I worked with marketing mix and how the marketing mix elements are blended together in an organisation. I hope this assignment will be something different and interesting task for you. Thank you. Methodology Mainly concentrated on preliminary data questionnaire and the study also contains secondary data from www.zaidtea.com Got reference from articles and books are revealed by tables and diagrams. Also discussed and got ideas from people who are in the high position in the tea industry. Body of Assignment Task 1 1. Zaid Tea Company 1.1 About Zaid Tea The Company incorporated in 2008 was formed in the year 1998 by a person with multifaceted experience gained in the tea industry and inherited from his forefathers of two previous generations. Naushad Jamaluddin the Managing Director/CEO of ZAID TEA CO. (PVT) LTD and a scion of an icon in the tea industry was nurtured in it from an early age during the tenure of his school days whilst assisting his father and grandfather in their tea business and plantations. He was trained in the delicate art of tea tasting by some of the best experts in the industry. He has blossomed to be an expert, having an exquisite flair in tasting and blending teas to meet the most exacting requirements of his buyers. Zaid Tea with its well experienced, diligently trained resource personal and cutting edge knowhow is eminently suited to seamlessly source and deliver the most exacting tea blends to its diverse worldwide clientele. Selecting for them the choicest of teas produced in factories located in the tea plantations of the central highlands of Sri Lanka and sold at the Colombo Tea Auctions, each having their distinct and subtly varying aroma, flavor and liquor Zaid Tea Co (Pvt.) Ltd is incorporated as a limited liability company under the Companies Act of Sri Lanka. It is registered as an exporter of Ceylon Tea with the Sri Lanka Tea Board – the regulatory body of the Government of Sri Lanka entrusted with the task of ensuring the maintenance of the quality and image of Ceylon Tea exported from the country The Co. is also registered with the Sri Lanka Export Development Board as an exporter of Ceylon Tea. This is another regulatory body of the Government of Sri Lanka promoting exports in general from the country 1.2 Products and Main Brands Zaid Tea Company has their own brand – the â€Å"Maskeliya Kahata† range of black teas comes in aluminum pouches and tea bags with their distinct aroma, flavor and liquor. The teas come from plants grown in the cool crispy air of the mountain ranges of the Hatton – Maskeliya tea plantations famed for its teas with its distinctly fine aroma and flavor Further they have their own brand of blended teas and green teas Black Tea a) Maskeliya Kahata in aluminum pouches b) Maskeliya Kahata in tea bags a) Kingswood Tea in loose packaging b) Kingswood Tea in tea bags – flavored and unflavored Green Tea a) Kingswood Green Tea in loose packaging * Kingswood Green Tea in tea bags – flavored and unflavored 1.3 Services a) BLACK TEA Bulk Teas – They source and deliver unblended or specified blends worldwide packed in paper sacks, plywood chests and corrugated cartons with inner lining of either aluminium foil or suitable polythene to retain the freshness and aroma Branded Teas – They also source as per customer specifications and blend, package in printed cartons or other packaging as per their own brands and deliver worldwide Flavored Teas – Here too we can supply either in bulk or as per customers branded or un branded packaging – cinnamon, vanilla, ginger etc b) GREEN TEA Zaid Tea are in a position to supply you Green Tea plucked and processed from the finest tea gardens located in of the high mountainous terrain found in the central highlands of Sri Lanka where the air is fresh, pure, cool and crispy. It is manufactured to the highest international standards. Like black tea we can supply in bulk or customized brand, packaging and flavoring – unflavored, jasmine, mint etc Task 02 1. What Is Marketing Orientation A business which begins work on, or philosophy that focuses on identifying and meeting customer’s needs and wants satisfyingly. -Himaz Ahamed 2. Key steps that Zaid Tea should implement in order to be marketing oriented 2.1 Customer Focused An organizational orientation toward satisfying the needs of potential and actual customers. Customer focus is considered to be one of the keys to business success. Achieving customer focus involves ensuring that the whole organization, and not just frontline service staff, puts its customers first. All activities, from the planning of a new product to its production, marketing, and after-sales care, should be built around the customer. Every department and every employee should share the same customer-focused vision. This can be aided by practicing good customer relationship management and maintaining a customer relations program. In order to achieve this, the organization must: a) Define its market, effectively segment and target the right customer and listen to customers. b) An extensive programme of employee education and communication may be necessary to introduce customer focus in order to create the environment that encourages to think customers. c) Implement an effective marketing information system that will track customer needs on a continuous basis. 2.2 Competitor Focused In terms of competitors, in marketing and strategic management is an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and potential competitors. This analysis provides both an offensive and defensive strategic context to identify opportunities and threats. Profiling coalesces all of the relevant sources of competitor analysis into one framework in the support of efficient and effective strategy formulation, implementation, monitoring and adjustment. Competitor focused concept is more preferable in markets which are growing very fast. Tea also one of the fastest growing market in Sri Lanka. So Zaid Tea also can invest in gathering more data about competitors which will enable them to develop innovations at lower costs. 2.3 Strategic Vision Develop a long-term, market-oriented strategic vision by viewing marketing as more than a series of promotional tools and techniques. Strong leadership from the top with high level executives building a customer philosophy into their business plans and define the future in terms of creating long-term value for stakeholders. Figure-01 Market vs Operations oriented structure 3. Difficulties in Implementing Marketing Orientation Concept to Zaid Tea Even though Zaid Tea might feels that the marketing orientation is the only correct path to be successful, in practice there are likely to be barriers in developing such an orientation. They are as follows: 3.1 Lack of Effective Customer Service The job of the customer-service staff involves more than just answering questions and providing solutions to problems that arise. For market orientation to prove successful, it must also include customer-service representatives who take the time to get to know each customer’s needs and preferences. Zaid Tea Company also can gather records of the feedback it receives and analyze them for use in developing market-orientation plans. Without such customer-service efforts, company loses key opportunities to obtain information. 3.2 Lack of Marketing Knowledge Lack of marketing knowledge, skill and experience are among the challenges of developing market-orientation plans. Many company employees understand basic marketing concepts, but lack the in-depth knowledge needed to develop marketing-orientation strategies that work. Some companies deal with this by seeking additional education for key employees or by hiring experienced, skilled marketers. Skilled marketers can help develop solid plans and give direction to key employees and departments. For example, an experienced marketer might help customer service, sales and technical-support departments learn how to incorporate a company’s overall market orientation plan. 3.3 Conflict between marketing and other functions The power struggle between different departments within an organization can hinder the process. Task 03 1. Marketing Environment Framework A company’s marketing environment consists of the actors and forces outside marketing that affect marketing management’s ability to build and maintain successful relationships with target customers. (Philip Kotler – 12th Edition) Figure-02 the marketing environment 2. Micro Environment 2.1 Definition Factors or elements in an organization’s immediate area of operations that affect its performance and decision-making freedom. These factors include competitors, customers, distribution channels, suppliers, and the general public. Micro Environment| Description| Factors that impact to Zaid Tea| Suppliers| A party that supplies goods or services. A supplier may be distinguished from a contractor or subcontractor, who commonly adds specialized input to deliverables. | A supplier’s behavior will directly impact the business it supplies. If a supplier provides a poor service Zaid Tea this could increase timescales or product quality. An increase in raw material prices will affect an organization’s Marketing Mix strategy and may even force price increases. Close supplier relationships are an effective way to remain competitive and secure quality products. | Intermediaries| Firm or person (such as a broker or consultant) who acts as a mediator on a link between parties to a business deal, investment decision, negotiation, etc. Intermediaries usually specialize in specific areas, and serve as a conduit for market and other types of information. Also called a middleman. | Zaid Tea must partner effectively with marketing intermediaries to optimize the performance of the total system.| Competition| The marketing concept states that to be successful, an organization must provide greater customer value and satisfaction than its competitors.| Competitor analysis and monitoring is crucial if an organisation is to maintain or improve its position within the market. If a business is unaware of its competitor’s activities they will find it very difficult to â€Å"beat† their competitors. The market can move very quickly. As a business it is important to examine competitors’ responses to these changes so that you can maximise the impact of your response.| Customers| A person, company, or other entity which buys goods and services produced by another person, company, or other entity.| Zaid Tea Company’s marketing plan should aim to attract and retain customers through products that meets their â€Å"wants and needs† and excellent customer service.| Publics| A public is any group that has an actual or potential impact on an organization’s ability to achieve its objectives. | According to Zaid Tea there are number of publics that will impact. They are:Financial Public, Local Public, Med ia Public, Government Public, General PublicZaid Tea should keep a good relationship with these publics in order to run successful business. | 3. Macro Environment 3.1 Definition The major external and uncontrollable factors that influence an organization’s decision making, and affect its performance and strategies. These factors include the economic factors; demographics; legal, political, and social conditions; technological changes; and natural forces. Macro environment is also known as uncontrollable environment. Figure-03 Macro environment forces The main forces in the macro environment are commonly denoted by the mnemonic PESTEEL forces. a) Political Environment b) Economical Environment c) Social and cultural Environment d) Technological Environment e) Ecological Environment f) Ethical Environment g) Legal Environment 3.2 Political Environment The first element of a PESTEEl analysis is a study of political factors. Political factors influence Zaid Tea Company in many ways. Political factors can create advantages and opportunities for Zaid Tea. Conversely they can place obligations and duties on company. Political factors include the following types of instrument: – Legislation such as the minimum wage or anti discrimination laws. – Voluntary codes and practices – Market regulations – Trade agreements, tariffs or restrictions – Tax levies and tax breaks – Type of government regime Non conformance with legislative obligations can lead to sanctions such as fines, adverse publicity and imprisonment. Ineffective voluntary codes and practices will often lead to governments introducing legislation to regulate the activities covered by the codes and practices. 3.3 Economical Environment The second element of a PESTEEl analysis involves a study of economic factors. Zaid Tea Company also affected by national and global economic factors. National and global interest rate and fiscal policy will be set around economic conditions. The climate of the economy dictates how consumers, suppliers and other organisational stakeholders such as suppliers and creditors behave within society. An economy undergoing recession will have high unemployment, low spending power and low stakeholder confidence. Conversely a â€Å"booming† or growing economy will have low unemployment, high spending power and high stakeholder confidence. A successful organisation will respond to economic conditions and stakeholder behaviour. Furthermore Zaid Tea will need to review the impact economic conditions are having on their competitors and respond accordingly. Task 04 1. Traditional Marketing Mix 1.1 What Is Marketing Mix Marketing mix is the set of controllable tactical marketing tool that firm blends to produce the response it wants in the target market. The marketing mix consists of everything the firm can do to influence the demand for its product. Thus in performing their key tasks marketing managers have at their disposal marketing programs to create customer satisfaction and ultimately profit for the organisation. These tools are often referred as the â€Å"4P s† on how to use these ingredients require marketing research and information. Marketing mix variables are as follow: Figure-04 Traditional Marketing Mix 2. How The Marketing Mix Elements Are Blended Together In Zaid Tea Company Sri Lanka is one of the oldest tea producing countries in the world – commercial Production was started in 1867 by the British planter James Taylor in Loolecondera Estate in Kandy. The tea produced in this country, popularly known as â€Å"Ceylon Tea†, ranks among the best available teas in international trade. In 2007, Sri Lanka was the third-largest tea-producing country globally, with a 9% share of global production, producing 30.6 million kilograms of tea. The total extent of land under tea cultivation has been estimated at approximately 187,309 hectares. Sri Lanka produces tea throughout the year, and the growing areas are mainly concentrated in the central highlands and southern inland areas of the island. They are broadly grouped under these headings according to their elevations, with high growns ranging from 1200 m upwards, medium growns covering between 600 m to 1200 m. and low growns from sea level up to 600 m. High grown teas from Sri Lanka are renowned for their taste and aroma. The two types of seasonal tea produced in these areas, Dimbula and Nuwara Eliya, are much sought-after by blenders in teaimporting countries. Uva teas from the Eastern Highlands contain unique seasonal characteristics and are widely used in many quality blends, particularly in Germany and Japan. The medium grown teas provide a thick colour variety which is popular in Australia, Europe, Japan and North America. The teas produced in low grown areas are mainly popular in Western Asia, Middle Eastern countries and CIS countries. Most factories in these areas produce what is known as a leafy grade of tea, the tea leaves of which are highly twisted and can grade into long particles. 2.1 Product Tea is produced from the Camellia Sinensis plant. The tea plant, which is evergreen, isn’t a shrub as popularly believed but a tree that is grown like a shrub to facilitate the process of tea plucking and production. It is native to Southeast Asia and is grown in a wide range of climatic conditions across the world. Tea is mainly produced in India (the world’s largest producer), Sri Lanka (till recently the world’s largest exporter), China, Kenya, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. The differing climatic conditions in the world’s various tea growing areas influence the quality and taste of the various teas. Zaid Tea Company has their own brand – the â€Å"Maskeliya Kahata† range of black teas comes in aluminium pouches and tea bags with their distinct aroma, flavor and liquor. The teas come from plants grown in the cool crispy air of the mountain ranges of the Hatton – Maskeliya tea plantations famed for its teas with its distinctly fine aroma and flavor Further they have their own brand of blended teas and green teas Black Tea c) Maskeliya Kahata in aluminium pouches d) Maskeliya Kahata in tea bags c) Kingswood Tea in loose packaging d) Kingswood Tea in tea bags – flavored and unflavored Green Tea b) Kingswood Green Tea in loose packaging * Kingswood Green Tea in tea bags – flavored and unflavored 2.2 Price Table 02- Price List Effective from 1st January 2013 of Maskeliya Kahata ZAID TEA CO (PVT) LTD| Price List Effective from 1st January 2013| Product| MRP| WSP| QDP| Maskeliya Kahata 20g| 20.00 | 18.00 | 17.10 | Maskeliya Kahata 50g| 42.00 | 36.96 | 35.11 | Maskeliya Kahata 100g| 84.00 | 73.92 | 70.22 | Maskeliya Kahata 250g| 195.00 | 171.60 | 163.02 | Maskeliya Kahata 500g| 385.00 | 338.80 | 321.86 | Maskeliya Kahata 1Kg| 755.00 | 615.00 | 584.25 | Maskeliya Kahata 2Kg| 1,495.00 | 1,215.00 | 1,154.25 | Maskeliya Kahata100 Tea Bags| 250.00 | 220.00 | 209.00 | | | | | | | | | | MRP – Maximum (Marked) Retail Price| | WSP – Wholesale Price – Price to Retail Trader| | QDP – Quantity Discounted Price| | The above table shows the effective price list of Maskeliya Kahata from 1st January 2013. 2.3 Place The role of this element basically describing availability, which is â€Å"right place† and the â€Å"right time†. Zaid’s Maskeliya Kahata is also available in every retailer shops. A channel of place is a set of interdependent organisation, which helps to make a product available in market for use of consumer. Zaid Tea also uses this concept of channels in order to provide Maskeliya Kahata available in the market. The below diagram denotes how Zaid Tea uses the distribution channels. Figure-05 Distribution channels of Zaid Tea * Note- There is also another Distribution channel method: PRODUCER AGENT WHOLESALER RETAILER CONSUMER Conclusion In a fast growing market day by day everything is fluctuating faster than we expect. Products and services are also same. The purpose of the project is to exhibit organisation to be marketing oriented and to aware about the marketing environment with micro and macro environment , how these environments impact to the organisation. Recommendations Plantation companies a) Explore the possibilities of upgrading plantation jobs, by providing upward movement, to attract more workers to work in the estate. b) There should not be any effort from the plantation companies to dilute the existing labour laws which protect the workers in the tea industry, on the grounds of declining returns. c) The big companies could also tie up with the ILO and other civil society organisations to help small growers achieve minimum labour and environmental standards. Adherence to such standards will give an additional product value to the tea being sold at the retail level. In return, the companies could provide incentives in terms of better prices to the small growers. These practices could work to the advantage of both. The government a) Provide technical and marketing assistance to the small and marginalized Farmers b) Provide credit schemes and debt management services to the plantations c) Strengthen the relationships between small tea growers and private processing factories. Develop a strategic intervention in order to help each actor aware of their rights and responsibilities within the value chain. International tea buyers a) Take responsibility for conditions in their entire tea value chains, particularly where they have more influence. b) Provide support to the small tea growers through technical and marketing assistance c) Pay a higher price for tea produced in a sustainable process d) Do not lobby to dilute the social protections available to tea estate workers e) Conduct multi-stakeholder monitoring and verification of the social and environmental standards on the tea estates from which tea is procured Annexure References * PCM Text Book * Kotler P. â€Å"Marketing Management† 9th Edition, Prentice hall of India, 1997, pp 128-150 * www.zaidtea.com