The nature of relationship marketing in Greek SMEs Essays

The nature of relationship marketing in Greek SMEs Essays The nature of relationship marketing in Greek SMEs Essay The nature of relationship marketing in Greek SMEs Essay Essay Topic: Marketing Marketing is defined by the American Marketing Association as the process of planning and carrying out the design, pricing, promotion and the distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that will satisfy individual and organizational objectives.(Lancaster, 1998) A study by (Hogarth-Scott et al., 1996) examined how complex the marketing practiced in small business was and how it is used to strategically gain a competitive advantage over a competitor. Carson (1990) in a longitudinal study of small firms in Belfast area has made a strong contribution to the understanding of market practice of marketing in small firms and concludes that marketing is often seen as peripheral to small firms requirements. Research has found some small businesses use sophisticated marketing strategies and others use no marketing. Small business owners are seen as generalists and should not be expected to change to specialists in marketing. In their work Fitchew, Stokes and Blackburn (Jack, 1998) aimed to provide an understanding of what marketing means to small business owners and stated that small firms share a number of characteristics differentiating them from larger organizations. They continued by stating that empirical work suggests that these characteristics lead to a number of marketing problems. To illustrate their point they use the following factors as examples; limited customer base, limited activity, owner/managers marketing competency, lack of formalized planning and evolutionary marketing, and, innovation, niches and gaps. Jack and Bower (Jack, 1998) found that the firms they studied attributed their success to the product/service supplied, their willingness to adopt to and meet customers requirements, helping to build, maintain and retain customer loyalty and building a marketing strategy around their competitive advantage. It follows therefore that marketing is particularly relevant to the small business, the use and application may determine the winners from the losers. The relationship and affinity that many SME owners/managers have with their customer base has frequently been cited as an advantage of the SME sector. For instance Carson (1990) discussed the importance of customer relationships for the small business. Similarly Carson, Crombie, McGowan and Hill (1995) who implied that the best strategy a small business can adopt is to fully appreciate and exploit any existing customer base, prior to attempting an expansion of this base. Similarly, McAuley (Jack, 1998) discussed how important it is for the entrepreneur to be interested in the customer, developing a relationship and building on it over time, not just for the domestic market but also for the internationalization of the small business. This relationship between the firm and the customer is called relationship marketing Thus Shani and Chalasani (1992) define relationship marketing as an integrated effort to identify, maintain, and build up a network with individual consumers and to continuously strengthen the network for the mutual benefit of both sides, through interactive, individualized and value-added contacts over a long period of time Aims The aim of this project is to develop an explanatory theory that will associate certain factors to the effectiveness of relationship marketing in small business in Greece. It will seek to determine how relationship marketing can be practiced by small businesses. It will try to further understand the special features of relationship marketing implementation in small businesses. It will also try to highlight the importance of the entrepreneur in practicing relationship marketing. Research questions 1. If small business in Greece practice relationship marketing 2. How effectively do small business use relationship marketing in Greece? 3. How important is the entrepreneur in practicing relationship marketing? 4. Are there any other elements that need to be considered in relation to small business use of relationship marketing? Plan of Investigation Literature review Surveying 2000 SMEs in 1991 and 1995, the study sought to identify the particular factors which small firm owners-managers believe contribute most to their competitive advantage (Cambridge Small Business Research Centre, 1992; Kitson and wilkinson, 1996). In 1991, the main competitive advantage of small firms was found to be personal attention to client needs, although established reputation, the provision of specialized expertise and product quality were also believed to be important factors. In the marketing domain it is essential for managers and others to keep in close touch with customers to assess their needs and aspirations. It is also beneficial to maintain a long-term relationship with customers. Loyal customers who continue to purchase particular goods or services over time are very attractive to business. The costs of acquiring new customers is considerable and the latter are likely to be more fickle and responsive to marginal additional benefits provided by competitors. Long-term relationships generate a self-sustaining dynamic, which allows each party to weather the storms that arise between interdependent people. (Carson et al., 1995) In 1990s, the topic of relationship marketing has become one of great interest to both marketing scholars and marketing practitioners. In the increasingly mature and complex markets in which organizations are now operating, building relationships and sustaining then are frequently, ore important than customer acquisition. McKenna (1991) offers a more strategic view of relationship marketing by putting the customer first and shifting the role of marketing from manipulating the customer (telling and selling) to genuine customer involvement (communicating and sharing the knowledge). Berry (1993), in somewhat broader terms, also has strategic viewpoint on relationship marketing. He stresses that attracting new customers should be viewed only as an intermediate step in the marketing process. Developing closer relationship with these customers and turning them into loyal once are equally important aspects of marketing. Thus he defines relationship marketing as attracting, maintaining, and-in multi-service-organizations-enhancing customer relationships. A considerable amount of work has focused on the relevance and applicability of relationship marketing to all customers and suppliers as well as the limitations of relationship marketing. Blois(1996) examines the conditions under which a customer is willing to become involved in and then to continue a relationship. The customer must be convinced of the overall benefits of the relationship, so that the advantages outweigh the costs of obtaining similar supplies through discrete transactions. Some researchers have questioned whether relationship marketing practices benefit both customer and supplier. Worthington and Horne (1996) consider whether relationship marketing operates in a mutually beneficial way across customer-supplier with reference to the affinity card industry. Other researchers, such as Murphy (1996), have examined the financial services industry and found that both customers and suppliers benefit from relationship marketing. For the customer a long-tern relationship helps reduce perceived risk in purchasing financial services, whereas for the supplier it allows enhanced retention rates and therefore improved profitability. Other academic work by Palmer (1994) explores the role of relationship marketing in the marketing curriculum and the alternative perspectives of relationship marketing held by a sample of U.K managers (Palmer Mayer, 1996) Unfortunately there is a lack of research of relationship marketing in SMEs sector. In the vast majority of the academic literature we found out about the importance of relationship marketing in firms and especially in SME. But there is very limited research on how a firm can implement relationship marketing and relationship marketing techniques. In this study we will try to understand how relationship marketing is been practiced in the SMEs sector in Greece. Greece could be a very helpful example as personal relations are very important and quite different to U.K Also be aware that effective working relationships emerge: (1) when interacting parties communicate openly and regularly; (2) when a degree of trust develops between individuals and groups; (3) when the parties understand the viewpoint of their counterparts; (4) when non-coercive methods of influence are utilized; (5) when those who interact accept their adversaries have a legitimate right to express their point of view; and (6) when joint decision-making is neither unduly emotional nor hard-headed (Carson et al., 1995). Sample The sampling frame will consist of small manufacturing enterprises in the Attica district of Greece. As Athens, the capital of Greece, is located in Attica, this district contains a high concentration of small enterprises. An estimated population of 4000 SMEs in the district operating in a variety of different manufacturing sectors. ICAP (Greek Business Information Company) will be contacted to generate the sample required from their database. Through the use of stratified random sampling the population is divided into three strata of non-overlapping groups. These are based on the number of employees outlined in the EC February 1996 definition of small businesses. ICAP will carry out three separate searches, draw a random sample from each subset to form the total sample of businesses. Probability sampling will be used to answer the research questions by making inferences from the sample about a population. This sampling technique is used to obtain a representative sample. Overall research design A multi-method approach was felt to be the most suitable for this study as the in depth knowledge of social contexts acquired through qualitative research can be used to inform the design of survey questions for structured interviewing and self competition questionnaires.(Bryman, 2001). The use of qualitative methods would generate information on individual views and opinions and quantitative to facilitate theory testing. The issues of reliability and generability of qualitative research findings can be overcome through the use of quantitative research at the same time. Method-qualitative This was felt to be appropriate to the research strategy, as in depth understanding of a number of small businesses in Greece would be obtained. It would also enable the understanding of managers views and opinions of the implications of relationship marketing strategies. Interviews are the most appropriate method as they are insightful and able to focus on the relationship between marketing and small businesses. The disadvantage is the bias associated with poor questions, not objective interpretation of results and also time consuming. Interview Design The types of interviews to be used are in-depth, face to face as a natural conversation and personal contact can be achieved. They allow exploration, probing of interviewee and story-telling to generate theory. To achieve an equivalence of stimulus the same types of topics will be asked to all participants. The researcher will make sure that the interviewee understands any theoretical concepts used. The final questions will be formed after the literature review. Relevant information on the themes of the interview will be supplied to participants before interviews so they are able to gather appropriate information. This also helps to promote validity and reliability. (Saunders et al., 2000) Data processing and analysis Categorization of the themes and sub themes will be developed when reading the data to identify relationships and patterns. Categories are then named using existing theory and parameters will be implemented so no confusion of what is included. The categories will be analyzed to see how they fit together. Unitizing then takes place when the data is assigned to a category through the dissection of the transcripts. Hypotheses will be developed and tested to identify relationships between categories (Saunders et al., 2000). Method-Quantitative The most appropriate method is a survey. It will allow the collection of a large amount of data from a sizeable population in a highly economically way.(Saunders et al., 2000) It is used to describe population characteristics and to test practices on small business relationship marketing. Other quantitative methods are incompatible with the nature of research and are not selected. The data collection tools consists of questionnaire, structured observation and structured interviews. In using a questionnaire the data is in a standardized form and comparison can be made easily and quickly. Structured interviews and observations were not selected as it was felt that in depth interviews would generate richer information on the topic. Sample The questionnaires will be sent by post to the remaining business from the sample. Questionnaire Design In designing the questionnaire, time will be spent planing, collecting and analyzing the data required, as you are unable to use prompts to explore further and have only one chance to collect the data. Self-completion questionnaires will be used, as they are inexpensive. As the questionnaire is completed independently the answers will not be contaminated or affected by other peoples opinions. The owners of small businesses are unlikely to have assistants so it is felt that they will fill it in themselves. A disadvantage of a postal survey it is low response rates and incomplete data. This can be solved by attaching a covering letter to the questionnaire explaining the purpose of the study will maximize response rates and the importance of completing it along with a pre paid envelope. The questionnaire is designed with an attractive layout, clear instructions and a minimum number of questions. A reminder will be posted one week after the questionnaire to the sample. Data processing and analysis The closed questions will be coded at the design stage. Open questions will be grouped into categories and coded once the questionnaires have been received. A unique identification number will be assigned to each questionnaire to help when checking for errors after inserting data. The computer programme SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) will be used to process and analyze the data. The data is manually keyed and stored in the SPSS worksheet. The advantage is that data can be input quickly with few errors. In using the commands available statistical tests can be carried out easily and quickly. (Tukey, 1997). emphasizes the use of diagrams to explore and understand your data. (Saunders et al., 2000). The results can then be presented in the form of tables and graphs appropriate to the research questions. Ethical issues As an external researcher the main weakness is how to gain access to small business, as it could be difficult to negotiate and time consuming. To overcome this the selected businesses will be contacted by telephone and informed of the study and its purpose allowing them to agree to take part in the questionnaire and interviews. Managers will be informed of the value and credibility of the research. The goodwill of the organizations in allowing access will be relied on. A consent form will be constricted and signed by all those participating. All information will be anonymous, as the study does not need to name participants. Appropriate data protection principles will be put in place to maintain confidentiality and privacy. Due to the anonymous nature of questionnaire unique identification numbers will not be used.

Linguistic examples of hypercorrection Annotated Bibliography

Linguistic examples of hypercorrection - Annotated Bibliography Example This essay discusses that another website is Interesting Thing of the Day. This website provides different articles covering different subjects. The principal writers who write for the site are Joe Kissell and Morgen Jahnke besides the guest columnists. The publication of the articles is by the alt concept. This site has been working for the benefits of the public since April 2003.This site is also much related to the topic under discussion. On this site, there is an article by Joe Kissell, which defines hypercorrection as a mistake that occurs when one becomes conscious of avoiding a mistake. In order to define hypercorrection in detail, the writer divides the article under different titles. A clear example of hypercorrection is given under the title linguistic overcompensation. If one uses the word whom instead who, hypercorrection occurs. For instance, when somebody says I have to meet my friend who is going abroad instead of I have to meet my friend who is going abroad.I like Wis egeek because it is much related to my topic. Further, the site is easy to use. WiseGeek is an effective site in demonstrating the concept of hypercorrection because it defines what hypercorrection is and it also tells how and why hypercorrection occurs and gives distinctive examples of hypercorrection.I like the second website because the definition is vivid and the given examples of hypercorrection are quite influencing and comprehensive besides giving the reasons and types of hypercorrection. It is also easy to use.

Microeconomics of green jobs Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Microeconomics of green jobs - Research Paper Example Moreover, it should be help in conserving the environment and promoting the health and well-being of everyone. In order to impact on the economic activity, green job policy should be carefully thought. No political or unnecessary rhetoric should be used to hinder the implementation of viable green job policies. Hence, as the article illustrates, a job should be considered as green in case it can contribute to job creation and economic activity by either substituting labor for capital or substituting capital for labor (Furchtgott-Roth, 2012). By doing this, it will be much easier to introduce an activity which benefits the country. For instance, the use of hybrid vehicle system can be of many benefits because it can help in creating more jobs to the drivers and fleet monitors. Therefore, for a green job to be in a position of improving economic efficiency, the policy makers should be quite thoughtful in their decisions. Meaning, they should ensure that more work is produced through focusing on how the policy can be able to breakdown all the barriers to energy efficiency that can be relied upon to stimulate economic prosperity by making a good use of money which would otherwise be wasted. Based on the above discussion, I would like to begin by concurring that green job is a wise initiative. It has lots of benefits to the society. In this regard, I recommend that the policy makers should not bring politics into the formulation of such policies. Instead, they should come up with policies that encourage the use of new technologies and can help in conserving the environment. Such policies should greatly impact on job creation; cater for the health and well-being of all the citizens and create room for future growth (Furchtgott-Roth, 2012). In addition, I would like to recommend that the policy makers should give priority to long-term projects which can benefit the society for a long time. This implies that the green job project chosen should

Language and vocabulary Essay Example for Free

Language and vocabulary Essay Language can be defined as a means of communication through spoken sounds, written symbols, or hand and body gestures. Subject to this simple definition language is neither human nor animal exclusive, meaning that all living creatures use some form of language to communicate. Humans have created the most advanced system of language. Human language has advanced to include listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and visual representation. These components are known as the six language arts and while they are individual components they are as well interdependent. What you learn about one affects what and how you learn about the others. Listening is the foundation for speaking, reading and writing. Listening is how we interpret sounds that we hear and what those sounds mean. In the beginning listening is merely receptive. Our brain receives sounds and begins to catalog those sounds. Listening is both an auditory and a visual skill and begins at birth. Children of normal hearing begin by creating mimicking sounds those sounds then become words. Visual listening is often most specifically noted in young children with a hearing impairment and is referred to as sign language. Sign language is not just for the hearing impaired. Parents/caregivers use hand gestures to increase the meaning of a word or to add value or impact to a word. An example of this is seen when a mother shakes her head or finger at a child as she says â€Å"no†. In the classroom children will generally begin a regular routine of listening. Students learn by example and repetition. Teachers explain what is needed, demonstrate the desired task or skill, and repeat. Students will gain good listening skills as they learn their class routine, listen to stories and instruction. Students gain an understanding of the task, and interpret what they have heard. As an understanding has been obtained they evaluate for an appropriate response. Speaking or the act of making a meaningful word comes later than does listening. Speaking is commonly referred to as an expressive skill and must be learned. A child begins to form words somewhere between ten and eighteen months of age. The first word of a child is often momma or dada. The child repeats the sounds or utterances heard from the adults around him. Speech does not actually occur until the spoken word is deliberate and meant to communicate. By the time a child reaches  kindergarten he has likely gained a 2000 – 3000 word vocabulary. While this number may seem excessive Dr. Mary E. Dahlgren states that a beginning kindergartener should have a 6000 word vocabulary for optimum grade and class performance (Dahlgren, 2008). In the classroom a student’s vocabulary size was an effective predictor of reading comprehension. Children with a restricted or limited vocabulary also had declining comprehension scores in the third grade. The elementary teacher can promote speaking by allowing the student the opportunity to speak and by listening to the student completely. Discussing a recently read book, or open discussions are ways in which a teacher can aid a student’s speech development. Reading is the interpretation of written symbols and involves the visual perception of those symbols. Reading connects the meaning of symbols with the words that has been spoken or heard. Kindergarten students build reading skills as they progress from letter recognition to early phonics. They begin to learn the beginning and ending sounds of common or high frequency words. As their vocabulary increases students begin to use words in context. In the classroom reading should be encouraged, should be intentional, and should be fun. Students who learn to read well achieve more and enjoy the learning process more fully. Active readers make for active listeners and intentional speakers and this is when comprehension of the text is experienced. During early reading development children learn by lessons designed around phonemic awareness. Usually this can be seen as student interaction with rhyming games, sing-a-longs, and listening games. As these games become familiar the teacher will integrate visual aids such as letter cards, word flash cards, independent reading time, and writing assignments. All of these early reading techniques aid in the development of early reading skills. Writing like speaking is expressive. This is where the students begin to place their own thoughts into print. This is the most magical of all six language arts experiences. Writing incorporates prior knowledge of reading, speaking and listening. Children begin to exhibit early writing as they experiment with crayons, chalk, and markers. They make scribbles and later form letter-like forms as toddlers. As the child is building his early listening and reading skill they are as well building the early writing skills through pre-phonemic spelling and copying techniques. Some children utilize invented spelling and finally conventional spelling techniques. Writing as it evolves  over time allows for communication on a broad level through time and space that may not have been possible otherwise. In the classroom writing is a means to relay a lesson, message, or concept. Students should be encouraged to write or draw in the best way they know how to. Students should be comfortable making mistakes as this leads to new discoveries and personal satisfaction. Viewing is an important component of literacy and language development. Viewing is extremely broad and is not limited to children’s books. In fact viewing should be stated as any visual content including TV, print ads, multi-media, and even computer software. Students must learn how to comprehend and integrate visual knowledge in the same way that they must learn to comprehend written, spoken, heard and read information (Roe Ross, 2013). As students begin to build on their foundation skills in reading and writing, they are also beginning to use critical thinking skills. This is where children begin to understand that people view things differently. It is important that students learn how to gain important and relevant content from what they see. Students learn to comprehend the message, evaluate the message, and determine the validity of the message. This is an on-going process that follows from infancy through adulthood. Students in the classroom should be taught how to use specific comprehension strategies and to critically analyze the content in everything that they view. Visually Representing is a way of communicating through visual images. It was common practice for the art teacher to have us cut up a magazine and to create a collage of our favorite things. We never thought of this as visual representation, it was just art class. In fact while not always part of the language arts standards it has been used and in practice for many years. In the classroom we make dioramas, models, graphs and maps all of which are visual representations of an idea or concept. Visual representation requires a unique set of strategies such as organization, data collection, and audience identification in order to convey a message. It appears to be impossible at this point to separate the six components of language arts thus far; as one builds on the other, knowledge or insight is gained, it is clear we must have each in order to process the other. Works Cited Dahlgren, D. M. (2008). Oral Language and vocabulary development Kindergarten First Grade. Nashville: Reading First National Conference. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/programs/readingfirst/2008conferences/language.pdf Roe, B., Ross, E. (2013). The Language Arts. Education.com.

If There Were a Draft :: essays research papers

If There Were a Draft   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is complicated not to intelligently discuss the future of our military involvement with Iraq without the notion of a draft to arise. Although our presidential candidates and other government officials shun the issue of a draft and avidly display their negativity towards the idea, it is a feasible inquiry to ponder. What if there is indeed a draft? I, being a 16 year old student, know that if there ever is such a military draft, my particular age range would be in target for a good thirteen or fourteen years. I have contemplated the hypothetical scenario of myself, many years from now, being a mere 19-year old boy, opening a letter that summons me to take part in duty for my country; what would I do?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I can imagine myself opening that letter, and the feel of my young heart sinking into my chest. I am not made for war. I am not even made for football. I am not political and I certainly am not pro-war. I would see this call to arms as a call for the worst. Our country has finally had to fall upon scooping those who did not enlist out of there homes and into the arms of the great American machine of violence and destruction. Ultimately, I believe, there would be nothing for me to do. I would go. What are my other options? I would never leave or hide away. Whether it was legal or not, I would not run from a draft. Although I would never enlist, if my country asked me to go overseas, I believe that I would. I would go because there is a great deal of respect earned in becoming part of the military. In the long run, it would be much more beneficial to take part in it rather to run from it. To run, I feel, would be cowardly. Although I would be terrified, I would still go.

Analysis of the Hungarian Mobile Market Essay

Introduction The mobile market is still one of the most rapidly expanding business sectors in Hungary. Openness to new technologies and society’s need for swift communication, have elevated current statistics to show that the number of mobile telephones in Hungary exceed that of landlines. And it appears that the balance continues to shift more in favor of mobiles. This is characterized by the occurances of the previous years. At the end of 1999 the proportion of landline to mobile use was two to one, by the end of 2000 the number of landlines was only 25% higher than that of mobiles. Recently, over the course of the past few years dramatic changes have taken place. The country’s leading mobile provider, Westel Mobile Rt., reached 2 million subscribers by June 12, 2001; at the same time Pannon GSM reported 1.5 million subscribers, while the number of Vodafone subscribers was around 260,000.According to a recent report of the Telecommunications Supervisory Office, the number of opera tional mobile telephones in October 2003 amounted to 7,614,256. Given the tendencies of previous years, this number is expected to increase. Therefore, we can observe that mobile penetration has increased by nearly 100% over the course of the last few years. Growth shows no sign of slowing with the market. This makes it one of the highest growing markets in eastern Europe. But how will the Hungarian mobile-market develop further? Can the sharp increase of recent years be maintained, and when can we expect signs of market saturation? The Main Market Players Westel Mobile On 16 June 2000 Westel’s analogue and digital divisions, Westel Radiotelefon and Westel 900 GSM, officially became known as Westel Mobile; the company required a name change to reflect the fact that it was scheduled to introduce a GSM-1800 service. Westel was granted a GSM-1800 licence in mid-1999 when the government awarded Hungary’s third digital concession to Vodafone. In the interest of promoting fair competition, Vodafone was afforded a year-long period of exclusivity before Westel was allowed to launch its own GSM-1800 offering. Westel began sales of dual-band handsets in January 2000 in preparation for its November launch. Westel’s GSM subscriber base almost doubled during the course of 2000, from 842,000 to 1.6 million, growth which the company has attributed to the popularity of its pre-paid service Domino. The sale of Domino packages accounted for 76% of total revenues in 2000 and by the end of the year pre-paid users outnumbered post-paid customers, ac counting for 52% of the total subscriber base; this had risen to 57% three months later. By the end of March 2001 Westel had signed up a total of 1.8 million subscribers and in mid-June 2001 it registered its two millionth customer, by which time 60% of its customers were pre-paid. Westel launched its WAP service in early February 2000 and by the end of the year claimed that 100,000 customers were using WAP-enabled handsets. According to the company, there will be a boom in its WAP services once access times have been cut by GPRS. In spring 2001 Westel launched GPRS to a couple of hundred users and has scheduled full commercial launch for 1 August. It is aware that the technology could be slow to take off, however, and has already indicated that initial growth could be affected by the lack of handsets. A major development for Westel customers in 2000 was the introduction of the GreenZone tariff package, which allows customers living in rural areas to make lower cost calls. The GreenZone covers around 80% of Hungarian territory. In addition Westel has roaming agreements in place in 87 countries with 196 networks. It has also highlighted the popularity of SMS services; 200 million were sent during 2000 and in the first half of 2001 Westel customers sent more than 30 million per month. Westel Mobile retained its dominance over the market having almost doubled its subscriber base during the course of 2000, from 842,000 to 1.6 million, giving it a market share of 53.1%. By March 2001 the number of subscribers had reached 3.39 million, equivalent to a penetration rate of 33.7%. estel Mobile is owned by Matav (51%) and Deutsche Telekom (49%). Pannon GSM Although growth was steady during 2000, Pannon gained little ground on Westel; at the end of March 2001 it claimed a market share of 40.4%, up slightly on the 39.3% it recorded a year earlier. At the same date its subscribers numbered 1.37 million, 38% of whom were signed up to its pre-paid package Pannon Praktikum, which was launched in November 1997. By May 2001 Pannon announced that its customer base had reached 1.5 million. It has offered WAP services since early March 2000 and claims to have signed up several thousand users in the first four months. Majority shareholder KPN announced in June 2001 that it was seeking to offload its stake in Pannon as well as its minority stakes in the Ukraine and Indonesia. Interest in the stakes has been high and at the time of writing KPN confirmed that talks with potential buyers were well under way. Analysts have suggested that Vodafone may show interest in acquiring Pannon to strengthen its position in the country; it is not believed that Vo dafone will be deterred by the fact that Pannon is likely to be sold in conjunction with VoIP operator Pantel. Pannon is owned by KPN (44.66%), Telenor (25.78%), Sonera (23%) and TDC (6.56%). Vodafone Hungary When the VRAM consortium launched Hungary’s third digital mobile network under the Vodafone name in November 1999 it stated that its aim was to achieve a market share of 10% by the end of 2000. It failed to reach this target, signing up 200,000 customers, equivalent to just under 6.5%. Nonetheless, growth has been rapid. By March 2001 Vodafone had signed up 223,000 subscribers, up 374% from the 47,000 it claimed a year earlier. At the beginning of 2001 Vodafone announced that it would invest USD60 million in Hungary to build 400 base stations nationwide in addition to the 800 it has already installed. Vodafone has invested hundreds of millions of dollars since the inception of its Hungarian project to fund infrastructure, marketing and technological advances. The VRAM consortium consists of Vodafone (50.1%), RWE Telliance (19.9%), Antenna Hungary (20%) and Magyar Posta (10%). Market Share Development in Hungary Total Subscriber Development in Hungary Market Analysis This market is characterized by severe price discrimination implemented by all the participating firms. All three members of the market have pre paid and post paid packages available to their customers. It is observable that more users choose the pre paid packages in general. This can be derived from the price discrimination of the competing firms on the market. The following diagram also illustrates this tendency. Since the slope of the two lines is determined by the cost per minute it is obviously the lower envelope that represents the line according to which buyers should base their preference-based decisions. A customer who does not uses his or her mobile a lot will choose one of the pre paid packages. Controversially someone who is willing to talk much on his or her mobile will choose the post paid package, which implies to pay more for getting the started and costs less to use. In the intersection point of the two lines is the point where the customer is indifferent between the two. The market had witnessed unprecedented growth during 2000. At the end of the year it was home to 3.1 million users, this constitutes a 92.5% increase on the previous year end of 1999. This also beat the government’s forecast of a target of 2.5 million by a considerable margin. Also noteworthy is that mobile penetration reached an impressive 30.7% in December 2000, up from just 15.9% twelve months earlier. The market is growing indeed. according to analysts, 2002’s tendencies were easy to predict. The fast growth continued in the mobile market. However, it seems harder to foresee the development of the market later on. The only fact evident is that in the long run, there will be more mobile terminals in the country than the number of people living in it. Hungary’s new telecommunications act, which is currently being debated in Parliament, is also expected to further boost competition in the mobile phone market. With three competing mobile phone operators the Hunga rian market is probably the toughest in the entire region. Mobile Penetration Development in Hungary The second year of liberalized telecommunications in Hungary was marked by a decline in the number of fixed-line subscribers, but a persistently growing mobile market. In the first quarter of 2003, the number of mobile subscriptions (including active SIM cards and analogue subscription) rose to over 7 million for the first time, says a telecommunication market quarterly report compiled by the National Communications Authority (HIF). A comparison of 2003’s summer figures with those from the summer of 2002, shows an increase in mobile phone subscriptions of 22%. The numbers illustrate a major trend in the telecommunications sector of, let’s not forget, a country of only 10 million inhabitants. Westel leads the sector with a 47.5% market share, while Pannon GSM ranks second at 36.94%, followed by Vodafone, the smallest player, but one that is quickly growing with a 15.56% share of the market, according to HIF. Prices appear to increasingly level off, and the competition is speeding up. Therefore the mobile companies react faster to each other’s steps. Several years ago it took mobile operators almost half a year to counter each other’s marketing actions, but today it is a matter of days. This type of price war competition was started by Vodafone, Hungary’s third mobile phone provider, which entered the market in 1999. Vodafone’s Vitamax pre-paid cards became an instantaneous hit. Initially Vodafone’s prices were some 15-20% lower than anything offered on the market, but in the time since Westel and Pannon have lowered their prices as well. Pannon’s new campaign: â€Å"De-Juice† was a response to Vodafone’s younger image, and offers prepaid options along side Pannons already existing Praktikum service. Since March this year, Westel has introduced three new pre-paid Domino packages that offer competitive and unified tariffs on calls mad e to fixed-line or other mobile networks. There is also a considerable amount of price competition in the post-paid sector. Similarly to the post-paid packages, there is a very large array of package allocation possibilities. Of these assortments Westel’s cheapest offer for subscribers is its ‘Tà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rsalgà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ M’ package, under which users can call within the network for 36.75 Hungarian Forints per minute in peak hours. Under Pannon’s ‘Horizont’ package, subscribers can choose between three different categories (Bà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½nusz, Plusz, Extra) that offer economical prices for calls made at different times of the day. In the meantime, Vodafone has come forward with its Rock ‘n’ Roll ‘Csà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cs Plusz’ subscription package, which offers a tariff of 6 Forints per minute for the first 10 minutes of a call made to any network. So competition is fierce among mobile operators for post-paid subscribers and pre-paid card users. Although companies believe they will win customers by advertising the lowest prices, we have ascertained that many pre-paid packages hide additional charges for calls made after prime time hours. Many analysts say that even after Hungary’s new telecom law takes effect, price competition will continue since there are still significant reserves in pre-paid card rates. Although mobile operators are extremely careful about detailing their strategies, we believe that telephone equipment prices, along with regular subscribers, will remain the main campaign elements in the future. One aspect of the new telecom law states that from May 1, 2004, customers may keep their mobile numbers even if they switch providers. It seems that this will greatly rearrange the market. It can be expected that pre-paid phone customers will probably have to pay much more for the mobile handsets (as opposed to being relatively cheap, as is the case right now), as it would not be in any company’s interest to give expensive, modern phones cheaply to customers who could change providers at any moment. Meanwhile, the value of regular subscribers is expected to grow and those customers who sign a long-term contract will probably be the most important ones. Pannon GSM, for instance, seems to put more focus on the post-paid customer segment instead of the SIM card market. The current price competition, mostly focused on pre-paid card users, is seen spreading to subscribers who would be able to make cheaper calls as well. Vodafone is also pursuing a similar strategy. Telecom Policy Director Pà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½l Marchart says: â€Å"I expect that the new regulation will stimulate market competition even in those markets that show monopolistic signs today.† In reality however, the new regulations are being carefully scrutinized and opinions vary. It is questionable whether they will fulfill the function of creating real market competition. Prices would radically drop if real market competition existed in the market. This question was first raised by Hungary’s Competition Authority (GVH). The office made headlines recently with its inquiry into the telecommunications services sector, which resulted in imposed fines for Westel and Pannon. The sector inquiry enabled GVH to achieve a more accurate view of the mobile phone sector. The office found several problems on the mobile market, mainly with the pricing of calls generated from mobile phones to fixed-line networks. GVH accused mobile operators of utilizing restrictive practices in-order to increase mobile use in Hungary. The inquiry alleged that there is a mobile phone cartel in Hungary. But of course in the end it accused mobile service providers of little and did not prove that there were coordinated actions taken on by the mobile firms. GVH could not even prove that call fees to other networks were too high, but only stated that some contracts among mobile providers could distort competition. Westel was fined HUF 210 million and Pannon GSM HUF 150 million by GVH. The fine is not substantial, however, and accounts for a mere fraction of mobile operators’ turnover. Westel and Pannon said they will appeal the GVH decision in Hungarian courts. Vodafone did not have to pay any fines. The mobile companies agreed that fees for calls to other mobile service providers would cost less than calling fixed-line operators. In Summary then, we believe it is safe to say that continued competition and occasional price-wars will continue to surface among the three mobile conglomerates in Hungary. We have just recently perused in the latest issue of the Budapest Times that the new telecoms legislation has just been officially approved in Parliament. The new telecom act will come into force January 1, 2004 for fixed-lines and May 1, 2004 for mobile networks, just in time for the EU entry. We are yet to see what real effects this law will have on market competition, and if predatory and limit pricing attempts will be detected and penalized by the GVH. Also of note for future developments is Hungary’s ensuing EU absorption. Although it is expected that new fixed-line operators will enter the Hungarian market after EU integration, in the mobile market, the situation is quite different. Given the considerable number of active mobile phone users in the Hungarian population, it seems inconceivable that a potential new entrant firm could operate efficiently next to the incumbents. They would need a lot of resources and a good financial background, since return on the investment would probably take a good number of years. The fact that the number of mobile providers is not bound to increase in the future is one issue that all three firms seem to agree on. However, we believe that eventual new entrants will or should make their way on the market, since this would further promote competition which is an obvious goal of the Hungarian Competition Office (GVH). What we, consumers can do is to hope that at some point in time prices and minimum average costs will tend to meet, setting an end to the presence of dead weight loss. This way welfare as well as consumer surplus will be maximized on the Hungarian mobile market. Bibliography Sources Consulted and Referenced: Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) official website; www.gvh.hu Hungarian National Communications Authority (HIF) official website; www.hif.hu Pannon GSM Mobile Service Provider Corporation official website; www.pannongsm.hu The Budapest Times Newspaper. Issue: Nov 28. – Dec 4. 2004; www.budapesttimes.hu Vodafone Mobile Service Provider Corporation official website; www.vodafone.hu Westel Mobile Service Provider Corporation official website; www.westel.hu

From Servitude to Freedom in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre...

From Servitude to Freedom in Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontes novel, Jane Eyre, skillfully reveals that Jane, the protagonist, has the qualities of endurance, valor, and vitality, yet she is refused self-contentment by the confined society in which she lives. Not only is this work a love story, but it is the tale of a young orphaned girl and her struggle for love and independence. Through the various environments Bronte provides, Jane oscillates between education and containment and also between freedom and servitude. Beginning at Gateshead, Jane has her first experience of containment in dealing with the Reeds. John Reed blatantly smothers Janes space by treating her like a slave, and Mrs. Reed enslaves her in every way. Mrs.†¦show more content†¦Mr. Brocklehurst preaches to Jane about sin and the Bible but Jane refuses to say what he wants to hear. Her first taste of rebellion continues in her encounter with Mrs. Reed. Jane says, I am glad you are no relation of mine. I will never call you aunt again as long as I live. I will never come to see you when I am grown up; and if anyone asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with miserable cruelty(Bronte 30). Jane has the courage to stand up once and for all to her aunt. She has an unexplainable feeling inside, the strangest sense of freedom, of triumph...it seemed as if an invisible bond had burst,(Bronte 30), and this feeling is the cause of Janes breaks fro m containment later on in the novel. Jane uses the last break away from her restraints at Gateshead and moves on to Lowood Academy. Lowood is an institution that greets her with indigent conditions although she has escaped the wrath of her aunt. The routine of her life at Lowood in itself is a containing device in Janes struggle with her lessons, hemming muslin for Mrs. Smith, and observing Miss Scatcherds humiliation of Janes friend Helen Burns. 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