The Role of the Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Role of the Government - Essay Example In 2010, the US government has made affordable care Act. In this plan, the government has made comprehensive reforms for health care which will be implemented for four years. Some of these reforms include 50% discount for the senior citizens on buying the medicine, the age of young adults is increased to 26 years, and they are eligible for their parent’s medical plan up to this age. Around 4 million businesses that are small in scale, tax credit is eligible for them so that they can provide medical benefits for their employees (Healthcare, 2012). The US government, healthcare providers, and the employers should work hard to make sure that the health care is accessible to every person. Incentive should be given to the providers so that health services are expanded (Pomerance, 2011). Pomerance, D. (2011). Access to Healthcare: The Right of the People. Retrieved January 4, 2012, from www.healthmgttech.com:

Customer Care & Front Office Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Customer Care & Front Office - Essay Example This essay describes different care policies, that provide guidelines against which any hotel employee may measure his or her performance in caring for customers. It insures continuity of quality between visits by the same customers and also across various other hotels owned by the same company and over time. The researcher states that word of mouth is the best advertisement any hotel can hope for, and it costs nothing. By having a set of policies to follow, the company helps employees to remember everything which will make customers feel welcome and valued. Without established policies for customer care, there is room for variance in the quality of that care. Different people, even with training, may not habitually treat the customer with the same quality of care. The researcher then describes different communication types and how these are identified and use to best effect and describes the different types of customers who are likely to pass through a hospitality outlet and their d iffering and specific requirements. The researcher of the essay summarizes the sequence and various stages of the customer cycle and the procedures which occur at each stage. This essay also explains the various financial procedures which occur at various stages of the customer cycle, that begins with first contact with the customer when inquiries are made. In the end, the researcher explains the legal requirements, which may possibly affect the interaction of the guest with staff and uses some examples to present them.

The Unspoken Laws Essay Example for Free

The Unspoken Laws Essay The conceptualization of sexual, religious, and gendered borders has served to write the human standard of living and the societal roles that we have incorporated into our culture to accept as the social norm. These unspoken laws are the architecture to our socio-cultural environment. These laws represent the cement that has carefully bonded the male-female heteronormative gender role, the pre-inclined human morality given by religion, and sexual identity to be something that is easily definable by the masses. Arturo Islas in The Rain God defines Mexican culture by creating characters that exemplify and embody the stereotypes and the figurative borders of sexuality, religion, and gender. Throughout The Rain God Arturo Islas tells the story of the Angel family- a family made up of strong characters such as Miguel Grande and Mama Chona. Both Miguel Grande and Mama Chona strongly embody the female-male gender role while personifying the cultural borders that Miguel Chico encounters as he develops into an adult. Miguel Grande illustrates machismo as he is described as the traditional patriarch of the Angel Family. Mama Chona takes on the matriarch role that holds the Angel Family together all the while as she is conflicted to accept the Indigenous and Chicano identities that make her whole. Maria- the nursemaid is a symbol for the religious freedom Miguel Chico grows up searching for. She herself strays off Roman Catholicism and becomes a Seventh Day Adventist. Maria’s influences of another form of thinking impacts Miguel Chico as he furthers into interpreting the reality encircling his childhood. Arturo Islas carefully constructs the matriarch role in Hispanic culture as Mama Chona. Her character is a clear example of the generational struggle faced by Mother Chonas alike of other Mexican Families living in the Southwest Texas/ Mexico border seeking out lead their kin out of the â€Å"bad† life. Miguel Chico reminiscing over a family picture in his desk area describes, â€Å"Mama Chona is wearing a black ankle-length dress with a white lace collar and he is in a short-sleeved light colored summer suit with short pantsthe camera has captured them in flight from one world to the next.† (Islas, 3-4). This quote expatiates the generational gap faced between the Angel family and Miguel Chico. Narratively, it also serves as foreshadowing for Miguel Chico straining off the â€Å"correct† path, that is not staying and submitting to the very literal and figurative geographical borders of religion, sex, and gender found in the Southwest. Miguel Chico does this by earning his acceptance to a prestigious University, moving to San Fransisco, and becoming the free thinking individual that he is by heart. With traditional catholic point of views and a ridged sense of what sexuality is Miguel Grande refuses to accept any other form of raising his child, other than the one he’s been conditioned to accept throughout his lifetime. â€Å"‘Apologize to your father for playing with dolls,’ Juanita said to Miguel Chico. He did not understand why he needed to say he was sorry. When his father was not there, his mother permitted him to play with them.† (Islas, 16) Miguel Chico is the queer child who questions religion and the male role that is placed on him by his social environment. Arturo Islas crafts these polar identities to express the very literal border of culture and sexuality that Miguel Chico encounters and battles with as he matures into an adult. Whilst growing up nursemaid Maria attempts to instill the morals and allegories of a religious context into Miguel Chico. Although, Miguel Chico receives the religious barrage from both ends of the spectrum- the mother and the nursemaid, Miguel Chico questions the validity of the information he waveringly accepts at the time. â€Å"Miguel Chico learned that when he asked Maria a difficult question she would remain silent, then choose a biblical passage that illustrated the terrible power of God the Fathers wrath.† (Islas, 17). Moreover, Maria explores another branch of Christianity by being a Seventh Day Adventist, her influences of denying another religion impacts Miguel Chico and in the end lends to his rejection of religion over all, as he sees the influence of another interpretation of â€Å"truth†. Furthermore, as Miguel Chico walks through the journey of adulthood he becomes more aware of the social and personal constraints the borders of religion, sex, and gender present to his growth as an individual though throughout this time he accepts that he is a determinable extension of them both, Maria- the nursemaid and Mother Chona the Angel Familys Matriarch. â€Å"the way a seed continues to be part of a plant after it has assumed its own form which does not at all resemble its origin, but which nevertheless, is determined by it. He had survived severe pruning and wondered if human beings, unlike plants can water themselves.† (Islas, 25-26). Throughout the passage Miguel Chico asserts his independence from all the borders introduced by his family, the border that his persona has been forced to fit in in consequence of a socially accepted mold. Later in The Rain God it is learned that Mama Chona becomes ill. At this time Miguel Chico visits and is confronted with questions concerning his sexuality and relationship status, more significantly by his cousins. It is strange to them that he is neither married, nor in a stable relationship with a woman. Despite the suspicion behind his sexuality he verifies the value he has for knowledge. He conjures up the idea that perhaps he had survived the plucking of his personal growth to tell the stories of people similar to Maria and Mother Chona. Conclusively, Miguel Chico ascertains that he in fact does have a long way to go throughout his journey of self-discovery, along the way he pieces together the identity that makes him whole. These pieces all influenced by the characters in his life, significantly, Mother Chona and Maria. He accepts the fact he alike Mother Chona prefers to disregard facts to assume motives, although unlike Maria, Miguel Chico longed to look at persons and their motives separately from an â€Å"earthly, rather than otherworldly, point of view† (Islas, 28). Miguel Chicos future is undetermined at this point and he is okay with that reality but he now is comfortable with the concept that he does not have to live in the haziness of the garden he has been rooted to be part of. Miguel Chico can stray off the pre-determined path given to him and still be his own after appreciating the soil that nurtured him into the free thinking individual that he is. Works Cited Islas, Arturo. The Rain God: A Desert Tale. Palo Alto: Alexandrian, 1984. Print.

The Importance Of The Physical Evidence Marketing Essay

The Importance Of The Physical Evidence Marketing Essay Services are radically different from products and need to be marketed very differently. So the classical 4 P structure of the Marketing Mix needs to be modified suitably to incorporate the 8 Ps for services marketing, which was previously known as 7 Ps only. Services can range from financial services provided by the banks to technology services provided by the IT Company or hospitality services provided by hotels and restaurants Services marketing are dominated by the 7 Ps of marketing namely  Product, Price,   Place, Promotion, People, Process  and  Physical evidence. All of these factors are necessary for optimum service delivery. While everyone knows about the 7 Ps of services marketing, the  8th P of Services Marketing  has emerged in research very recently. The 8th P is  Productivity and Quality. 8-P-Marketing-Mix Physical evidence Physical evidence is the ability and environment in which the service is delivered.  Both tangible goods that help to communicate and perform the service, and the intangible experience of the existing customers and the ability  of  the  business  to  relay  that  customer  satisfaction  to  potentialcustomers.Physical  evidence  is  the  element  of  the  service  mix  which  allows  thecustomer again to make judgments on the organization. Consumers will make perceptions based  on their  sight of the  service provision which will have an impact on the organizations perceptual plan of the service. For e.g. If one moves into a restaurant his expectations are of a clean, friendly environment, besides high quality food which is  the core  service of  the restaurant. On an aircraft if he travels he expects enough room to be able to laydown.Some  points  stating  the  importance  of  physical  evidence  in  service m arketing are- à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Physical evidence  is packaging for services, therefore creation of  service environment should not be left to chance. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Customer  judges  the  service  quality  through  the  process  of  deduction. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Physical evidences both- dominant and peripheral should be co-ordinated to achieve uniformity in its projected service image. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Peripheral  evidences  are  small  and  trivial  but  have  impact  oncustomer  perception  about  services  and  are  real  source  of  competitive differentiation. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢It makes the intangible service apparent. Physical Environment of Hotel: à ¢Ã…“†location   Ã‚  What kind of customers prefers a city centre?   What  kind  of  customers  prefers  a  hotel  at seaside? à ¢Ã…“†Signs and logos Many hotels belong to chains and their signs and logos are well known. Different chains help hotels to profitable business. Competition is very hard nowadays. Good reputation and recommendations help very much a hotel to get new customers and also make them to come again. à ¢Ã…“†Style, furniture, colors, lighting à ¢Ã…“†Clean air: some customers want luxury, and they are ready to pay for it. Other customers are satisfied with a little lower level. à ¢Ã…“†Reception What is good customer service at the reception? à ¢Ã…“†Office, information, customer service Is it easy to reserve a room? What is the easiest way to reserve a room today? Good customer service is very important in the competition  today. à ¢Ã…“†A hotel room What does a customer want from a good hotel room? The room itself and the bath room must be clean and the bed must be comfortable. Something extra  provided  that  a  customer  has  not  expected gives a good feeling. à ¢Ã…“†Restaurant- heart of the Hotel The restaurant and its kitchen create the heart of a hotel. At a big hotel there can be many different types of restaurants. Reception A hotel receptionists job is to make guests feel welcome, to check them in and out efficiently, and to deal professionally with enquiries, face to face and by phone, fax or email. When guests call at a hotel to make a booking, the receptionist is the first person they speak to and may also be the first person whom they meet at arrival. The receptionist in short represents the entire hotel in front  of the customer. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢The Hotel should provide a 24 hour reception service. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢At the Hotel  there should  an  array  of  experienced  and  qualified receptionist to handle the customers. They should work in a batch of three that is at any time there should be three receptionists in the front office for  the convenience of the customers.  They should change the shifts to ensure the best service possible. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢The  receptionists should  act  as  a  guide,  a  friend,  a counselor to the  customer. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢They should use laptops and telephones to manage the accounts and to handle the queries or to provide service to the customer.   Ãƒ ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢The front office plays the most important part in hospitality industry. Welcoming the customer with a smile, making them feel important is the valuable job of the receptionist. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Receptionists at Hotel should provide extra services such as calling the in house porter to carry the luggage, arranging for conveyance for  sightseeing or official visits, booking flight or rail tickets and arranging parties. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Receptionist should look after the customers personal taste such as his menu, movies and music and proper functioning of equipments in his room. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢The  receptionist should  also  allott  time  for  visits  to  the  spa  and  fixeappointments with doctors. This aspect of service  in a  Hotel  accounts  for  the  high  satisfaction  among  its customers. Rooms at Hotel Rooms should be spacious and attractively decorated. The rooms can be differentiated on two major criterias.   Space  Facilities  provided. The rooms can be categorized as follows: superior, deluxe, club, crescent, terrace, executive and presidential suite. However the superior, deluxe and club  rooms  must be  the same  in  area The visitors of  the presidential suite should be  provided with  superior  services  and  the  most  spacious  rooms. The services provided inside the rooms can be as follows: à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Mini bar à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Coffee and tea maker to provide the ease of making it according to their own preference. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Hairdryer à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Iron and an ironing board. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Television  facility  with domestic  channels  and  international channels.   Ãƒ ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢DVD  players  and  a  variety  of  video  tapes à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢High speed internet facility. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Telephone  with speaker  facility. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Refrigerator. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Smoke detector. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Newspapers and magazines. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Convenient and adequate plug points in the room. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Electronic safe and door locks for ensuring the safety of the visitor. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Bathrobes and slippers. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢User friendly bathroom fittings. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Jacuzzi. Restaurant Human aspect of a service sector industry sets it apart from the productionsector.  The  inherent  quality  of  a  product  and  also  its  physical  outlook attracts  the  customers  towards  it.But  when  it  comes  to  service  theapproach is totally different. Through its service, i.e. the quality of service provided, an industry in the service sector, tends to retain as well as create a customer. The service has to be made tangible in this fashion. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢The  entrance  made should wear a majestic look. The warm welcome by the man at the gate should make the guests comfortable and wanted. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢ The overall ambience should be mesmerizing. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢The furniture laid around: The chairs and table should have wooden finish. The tables should be arranged to cater to the customers needs i.e. buffet and sitting arrangement. The buffet should have table  with expensive copper,  steel and  glass cutlery. The  sitting arrangements should be  planned judiciously keeping in  mind the  customers comfort as well as taking care of the economic aspect of spaceutilization.  The  furniture  should be  elegant  and  highly  comfortable.  The chairs should have soft cushions. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢The  most  attractive  and  significant  part  should be  the  attitude  and professionalism of the waiters. They should be in a proper dress code. The ratio of waiters and table should be 2:1, because of which customers can always be at ease and taken care of. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢To satisfy a customer  in service sector especially in restaurants where the service delivered should provide the maximum satisfaction- which itself differs from one individual to another. Gym The physical environment at the gym should include the following: à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Stairs à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Front door: There  should be  a  guard  at  the  entrance  who  checked  the membership cards of each customer. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Smoothie  bar  Area- There  should be  a  bar  area  which should  include drinks such as: energy and fruit drinks besides providing normal water.   Ãƒ ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Membership Card- All the customers should be given membership cards for easy recognition and catching the defaulters. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Appearance of Employee- All the employees should have a dress code which should be similar to the other employees of the Hotel. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Walls- The walls of the gymnasium should be with posters suggesting health  and gymming  tips and motivational phrases. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Lockers- Locker  facility  for all  customers  to  keep their  belongings  safely. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Music à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Equipments-  The  gym should  have  all  equipments  related  to  cardio  and weight training. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Light- The hall should be well illuminated with focused lights. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Appearance of staff- The trainers and the supervisors should be wearing branded sportswear. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Towels- The towels should be very clean and  dirt free. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Hair Dryer- Hair drying facility for customers. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Cleanliness- It should be well maintained to keep the entire area spic and span. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Therapist- There should be a therapist to look after any unexpected injury. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Temperature- The room should be conducive for  comfortable exercising. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Merchandise-If  the  customers  intend  to  purchase  any  similar  health product, the same should be available. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Sauna and steam bath à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Jacuzzi Parking à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Hotel should provide valet parking for its  customers. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Valet parking is a service whereby a valet takes the car from the customer and parks it in the parking lot. The customer is hence spared of the hassles involved in car parking. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢In most five star  hotels the parking lot becomes jammed during peak hours. Car parking by the valet proves beneficial for both customers as well as the hotel officials. On one hand the customer does not need to worry about the parking place; on the other hand the valet has the car at  his own disposal. This means that he  can park the car  wherever he feels it convenient to do so. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢This leads to better service of the customers as they can enjoy the stay at the hotel without caring for maintenance of their vehicle. à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢Offering a valet to take care of the car adds luxury to the service à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢This can be further increased by the valet bringing the car up to the main entrance and holding the door opened to allow the customer to get in. Conclusion   Its not always words that impressà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.  Truly, physical evidence in hotels and restaurants speak louder than words. It is through these evidences that the  customer  attaches  himself.  A  hotel  is  an  abode  of  customer delight. During this Endeavour we learnt the importance of physical evidence in a service industry like the hotel industry. Physical evidence serves as an entire package for a service industry. It holds the power to tangible the intangibles. In the end we can conclude that the physical evidence of the services provided at Hotel should be highly impressive and efficient. It should make sure that the customer makes repeated visits. For a hotel industry viral marketing is the strongest advertising tool, hence all efforts should be made to make the customer satisfied. s

Black Death Essay -- History, Plague

The most immediate effect of the plague was that it led to higher wages for the poor. Prior to the Black Death, Europe was in a state of overpopulation, and famines were a frequent occurrence (Herlihy 39). After the arrival of the first outbreak of plague, however, Europe's population dropped somewhere between twenty-five and forty-five percent (Gottfried 77). Not only that, but, repeated occurrences of plague kept Europe's population lowered, and it did not regain its pre-plague levels until the mid-sixteenth century (Gottfried 134). That overwhelming loss of so many lives turned the situation around, and suddenly Europe was facing a labor shortage. That gave laborers an advantage over their employers. With the lack of workers able to fill positions, people were able to negotiate their employment, demanding more money. If their demands were not met, they were often able to find better opportunities elsewhere (Ziegler 233). This led Matteo Villani to complain in 1363 that, à ¢â‚¬Å"Serving girls and unskilled women with no experience in service and stable boys want at least 12 florins per year, and the most arrogant among them 18 or 24 florins per year, and also nurses and minor artisans working with their hands want three times or nearly the usual pay †¦ † (Herlihy 48-49). That shows, clearly, what was happening at the time. Not only did workers want more money, they expected it. What is more important, however, is that they actually received more pay. In fact, wages doubled overall in the period after the plague. Evidence has shown that during the period between the 1340's and 1390's, skilled construction worker's pay rose from 3d to 5d per day in Southern England, and those who were unskilled saw an increase from 1 ½d to 3d... ...cent (Gottfried 97). That led to a new trend in Europe, one where many landlords, unable to obtain a profit from their lands, leased their lands to the serfs for a cash rent, and many became absentee landlords (Gottfried 138). For instance, on one manor in the baliwick of Clare, most of the lands were being leased out by 1380 (Ziegler 239). In another example, in Witchurch England in 1383 the landlord, Richard Talbot, switched to leasing the lands after attempts to directly farm in failed (Platt 50). And those are just a couple of the many examples of that occurring. What that meant for the serfs who received leases was that they were no longer bound by the chains of serfdom. They could farm the lands as they saw fit, keep what they needed for their families, and sell what they didn't. In return for this they only needed to pay a cash rent to the landlord.

Gender Roles in Japanese Culture Essay -- Traditional Values, Societal

Gender roles are stereotypical labels placed on males and females within a specific culture. In addition, gender stereotypes for males and females are products of cultural aspects rather than their physical differences (Kincaid, 2013). As time inevitably progresses through history, a coherent pattern can be identified in regards to changes in gender stereotypes. These changes in gender roles are directly correlated with the alterations in societal advancement. The changes in societal and cultural development over the course of history can be thoroughly recognized in specifically Japanese culture. Although gender roles in Japanese culture deviates from western norms, perpetual emphasis is placed in adopting desirable characteristics for men and women in media and society (Kincaid, 2013). Contrarily, professional studies, conducted by Yoko Sugihara and Emiko Katsurada, indicate that gender role differences in contemporary society are diminishing as time progresses (Yoko and Katsurada, 2002). In the primordial times of the Heian period, Japan procured and practiced matrilineal systems within their isolated society for over 2,000 years. During the Heian period, situated in 12th century A.D., women were given the privileged of inheriting, managing, and retaining property of their own (Kumar, 2011). It was not until Japanese culture adopted the Confucian ideas of China that the society began to integrate a patriarchal system. Confucian ideals had a prominently drastic impact and influence in Japanese society. The Confucian ethical system stressed the utopian idea of a society in which a hierarchal structure is maintained. The hierarchal structure’s foundation is based upon the subservient and submissive idea of subordinates’ obedi... ...ime in 1997 (Yoko and Katsurada, 2002). Works Cited 1. Sugihara, Yoko, and Emiko Katsurada. "Gender Role Development in Japanese Culture: Diminishing Gender Role Differences in a Contemporary Society." Sex Roles 47.9/10 (2002): 443-452. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. 2. Kincaid, Chris. "A Look at Gender Expectations in Japanese Society." JapanPowered. JapanPowered, 7 July 2013. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. 3. Kumar, V. "Japanese Views on Gender Roles." Vkumar.ExpertsColumn.Com. ExpertsColumn, 26 June 2011. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. 4. Kephart, Jesse. "Gender Roles in Japanese Society." Japan: A Unique Country. Weebly, 2 June 2013. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. 5. Kanagy, Ruthy. "Gender Roles in Japan." Moon Travel Guides. Avalon Travel, 4 Aug. 2013. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. 6. News, S. "Japan's Gender Roles." Teacher Bien. FourHalf Inc, 12 July 2012. Web. 17 Dec. 2013 Gender Roles in Japanese Culture Essay -- Traditional Values, Societal Gender roles are stereotypical labels placed on males and females within a specific culture. In addition, gender stereotypes for males and females are products of cultural aspects rather than their physical differences (Kincaid, 2013). As time inevitably progresses through history, a coherent pattern can be identified in regards to changes in gender stereotypes. These changes in gender roles are directly correlated with the alterations in societal advancement. The changes in societal and cultural development over the course of history can be thoroughly recognized in specifically Japanese culture. Although gender roles in Japanese culture deviates from western norms, perpetual emphasis is placed in adopting desirable characteristics for men and women in media and society (Kincaid, 2013). Contrarily, professional studies, conducted by Yoko Sugihara and Emiko Katsurada, indicate that gender role differences in contemporary society are diminishing as time progresses (Yoko and Katsurada, 2002). In the primordial times of the Heian period, Japan procured and practiced matrilineal systems within their isolated society for over 2,000 years. During the Heian period, situated in 12th century A.D., women were given the privileged of inheriting, managing, and retaining property of their own (Kumar, 2011). It was not until Japanese culture adopted the Confucian ideas of China that the society began to integrate a patriarchal system. Confucian ideals had a prominently drastic impact and influence in Japanese society. The Confucian ethical system stressed the utopian idea of a society in which a hierarchal structure is maintained. The hierarchal structure’s foundation is based upon the subservient and submissive idea of subordinates’ obedi... ...ime in 1997 (Yoko and Katsurada, 2002). Works Cited 1. Sugihara, Yoko, and Emiko Katsurada. "Gender Role Development in Japanese Culture: Diminishing Gender Role Differences in a Contemporary Society." Sex Roles 47.9/10 (2002): 443-452. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. 2. Kincaid, Chris. "A Look at Gender Expectations in Japanese Society." JapanPowered. JapanPowered, 7 July 2013. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. 3. Kumar, V. "Japanese Views on Gender Roles." Vkumar.ExpertsColumn.Com. ExpertsColumn, 26 June 2011. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. 4. Kephart, Jesse. "Gender Roles in Japanese Society." Japan: A Unique Country. Weebly, 2 June 2013. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. 5. Kanagy, Ruthy. "Gender Roles in Japan." Moon Travel Guides. Avalon Travel, 4 Aug. 2013. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. 6. News, S. "Japan's Gender Roles." Teacher Bien. FourHalf Inc, 12 July 2012. Web. 17 Dec. 2013

Business Plan for Salon & Spa

Introduction People seek beauty. They are constantly looking to give themselves a whole new look or improve what they have. They drop by the nearest hair and beauty salon to be pampered by stylists and beauticians to style their tresses, shape their eyebrows, and color their nails – all for a few (or more) bucks. An hour in a hair and salon shop every month and one emerges confident and ready to take on the world. Beauty salon and spa business has grown rapidly over the past decade. Latest extrapolations from U. S. census data place the salon and spa service industry at over $35 billion annually.And that figure doesn't include the retail sale of professional beauty products which is at least another $7 billion annually. While traditional barbershops, hair salons and nail salons have experienced moderate growth, high end beauty salons and day spas have seen significant spikes of revenue in recent years. In the recent years, this business has seen redundant profits in Bangladesh . In this moment introduction of â€Å"Trendster† a full-service beauty salon to the Bangladeshi market is an exciting new development for us.Our Mission: â€Å"Trendster† is dedicated to consistently providing high customer satisfaction by rendering excellent service, quality products, and furnishing an enjoyable atmosphere at an acceptable price/value relationship. We will also maintain a friendly, fair, and creative work environment, which respects diversity, ideas, and hard work. Owners and source of finance â€Å"Trendster† is a partnership business owned by several owners. Ms. Farzin Ahmed, co-owner with Kabir ahmed, her husband, has worked in a prestigious, upscale salon in Gulshan, Dhaka for the past two years.Ms. Farzin has created a large client following through hard work and dedication. She and her talented team of beauticians, has what it takes to make this venture an extremely successful one. We expect our growing reputation to lead to new clients and beauticians to support our anticipated growth. To achieve our objectives, Trendster is seeking additional loan financing. This loan will be paid from the cash flow from the business, and will be collateralized by the assets of the company, and backed by the character, experience, and personal guarantees of the owners.Address: The salon will be located at House 25, Road 5, Block A, Bashundhara Residential Area, Dhaka. The salon will utilize 1,540 square feet. The location is strategically situated on one of the high profile area, with easy access from all parts of town. Justification As we have said before, the owner has created a large client following through hard work and dedication. So, the rising demand from the owner's clients, as well as the ambitions of the owner to one day start her own salon, and the procurement of highly professional and qualified beauticians to support the salon, has made this business one of great potential.Moreover, the salon business in Bangladesh is raising potential. The keys to success in our business are: * Location: Providing an easily accessible location for customers. * Environment: Providing an environment conducive to giving relaxing and professional service. * Convenience: Offering clients a wide range of services in one setting, and extended business hours. * Reputation: Reputation of the owner and other â€Å"beauticians† as providing superior personal service. Target Market: A target market is a specific, well-defined segment of consumers that a company plans to target with its products, services and marketing activities.Target marketing orients all of the various components of the marketing function toward a single group, maximizing the appeal of brands to specific markets. The term â€Å"target audience† is a bit narrower; it refers specifically to the group of consumers targeted by advertisements. Now we are going to describe the segments of our salon’s target market: Category of segmentat ion: 1. Geographic segmentation 2. Demographic segmentation 3. Psychographic segmentation 4. Behavioral segmentation Geographic segmentation:City : Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh . Gulshan , Banani, Baridhara , Uttara , Dhanmondi are most popular area in Bangladesh and most of the rich people are living in these areas. That is why, people of these areas are our target customers of Dhaka city. Other than Dhaka, we want to open some branches of our salon in other divisions where the market is promising, such as, Rajshahi, Chittagong and Sylhet. Because, a huge number of people of these cities are wealthy enough to bear the cost of spa services. Moreover, people of these areas are educated and style conscious.So, they deserve a spa shop where they can meet their demand. If we launch our Salon in those areas then it will carry a good profit that’s really the main cause. Another city, which will become another large market after Dhaka, is Cox’s bazar. No doubt, the long est sea-beach has a very large amount of foreigners who come to enjoy the holidays, must seek the heavenly pleasure of spa service. It will be our best chance to start our business there considering both local and foreign visitors comfort to enjoy the sea-sight with full satisfaction.And no doubt, a huge amount of profit will come from this target market for future. 2. Density: Certainly we are targeting the urban areas. No doubt, the poor and uneducated villagers will not agree for getting those benefits of spa and they also cannot bear the cost too. That is the main cause to target the urban area as a target market. Demographic segmentation: 1. Income: We want to give better service to the customer than the others. We will provide services to the people of different kinds of income.But the main condition will be the customer himself/herself must have that capacity to pay for the service. So, we have planned to make target customers those who are well-off to pay such as, middle and top level employees, business persons, university faculties etc. we are also offering reasonable price for the students whose income ranges 6000-12000 with discounts. 2. Education: Students of different universities who are fashion conscious are our target customers. We are offering discounts for the students. Now, it is not possible to target the students of whole Bangladesh, or outside the Dhaka city.In this respect, we are focusing on those who are near to our shop, such as, students of NSU, IUB, AIUB etc. it is sure that targeting this segment, we are going to get a huge number of customers who are students. 3. Age and education: Though our target market is different employees of good amount of income, business persons and students, but we cannot ignore others beside these customers who too take the services either only haircutting or spa service with barber services. The details of these customers, their potentials, occupations are stated below with target customers.Age| Occup ation| Details | Market potential| 5 to 12 (children)| Kindergarten students or primary students | Do not have so much knowledge on hair-stylingBirth rate in Bangladesh is increasing| Weak| 13 – 18 Teenagers| Secondary school students| Begin to follow the current trendStrict rules in secondary schoolSmall consumption power | Medium| 18 -25(young adults)| University students| Normally no rules restricting their hair style Have income sources because can be a home tutor or doing so work through internet like as free launching etc. Strong| 25 to 40 (mature adults )| Doctor , engineer, teacher, banker , marketing officer, business man ,| Do not communicate with customers Income sources | Medium | 40 -60(Middle aged adults )| Doctor, engineer, teacher, banker, marketing officer, business man. | Problems of having less hair Willing to pay more on hair treatment| Quite strong | Above 60(old aged adults)| N/A| Normally do not have so much hair| Weak| Psychographic segmentation: 1. Li festyle: From achievers and striver obviously it is possible to make good profit because they are really so careful about their lifestyle.But from the survivors the market potential is so weak that we were forced to target the achievers. 2. Social class: The upper class people is always careful about their life. So, it’s obvious that they will agree to spend much money if they get quality services. So from this segment our main target will be upper class people. The middle class people also careful about their hair and other elements of fashion, but not as the upper does. Behavioral segmentation: 1.Occasion: In Bangladesh Eid, Pahela Baishakh, puja, Valentine’s day are the occasions people celebrate with great joy. In this time we can give some special offers or discounts for the customer for building a good relationship with the customers. We will give same facility like as another salon like as ours but will give service lower rate than them for marriage ceremony occ asions. 2. Benefit: We will provide good quality products to give the service of the customer to attract them to this salon. If we do this then we will get some regular customers who will be profitable for us. User Status: We will provide discount for the regular and first time user that will help us to attract them to this salon which is essential to make good relation with the customers and to attract the customers for our salon. Positioning strategy: Positioning strategy is the process by which marketers try to create an image or identity in the minds of their target market for its product, brand, or organization. Core Idea Concept simply describes the product or service. Its purpose is merely to determine whether the idea has any interest to the end buyer.Positioning Concept attempts to sell the benefits of the product or service to a potential buyer. The positioning concepts focus on the rational or emotional benefits that buyer will receive or feel by using the product/service . A successful positioning concept must be developed and qualified before a â€Å"positioning statement† can be created. The positioning concept is shared with the target audience for feedback and optimization. Brand positioning process Effective Brand Positioning is contingent upon identifying and communicating a brand's uniqueness, differentiation and verifiable value.It is important to note that â€Å"me too† brand positioning contradicts the notion of differentiation and should be avoided at all costs. This type of copycat brand positioning only works if the business offers its solutions at a significant discount over the other competitor(s). Generally, the brand positioning process involves: 1. Identifying the business's direct competition (could include players that offer your product/service amongst a larger portfolio of solutions) 2. Understanding how each competitor is positioning their business today (e. g. laiming to be the fastest, cheapest, largest, the #1 provider, etc. ) 3. Documenting the provider's own positioning as it exists today (may not exist if startup business) 4. Comparing the company's positioning to its competitors' to identify viable areas for differentiation 5. Developing a distinctive, differentiating and value-based positioning concept 6. Creating a positioning statement with key messages and customer value propositions to be used for communications development across the variety of target audience touch points (advertising, media, PR, website, etc. )Product positioning process Generally, the product positioning process involves: 1. Defining the market in which the product or brand will compete (who the relevant buyers are) 2. Identifying the attributes (also called dimensions) that define the product ‘space' 3. Collecting information from a sample of customers about their perceptions of each product on the relevant attributes 4. Determine each product's share of mind 5. Determine each product's current locati on in the product space 6. Determine the target market's preferred combination of attributes (referred to as an ideal vector) 7.Examine the fit between: * The position of your product * The position of the ideal vector Product Positioning for salon Product positioning refers to all â€Å"products and services,† not just the physical products that we use (and sell) in our spa. Product decisions include: * Brand * Quality * Styling * Safety * Packaging * Guarantees * Support Price Positioning for salon: Pricing spa products and services is a key element of the marketing mix. Pricing decisions influence all your other marketing decisions. Pricing decisions include: * Skim pricing (to maximize profits) Penetration pricing (quantity maximization) * Suggested retail price * Discounting * Bundling * Seasonal pricing We have considered the following: To maximize profits, should we price our services and to â€Å"skim the cream† off the top of the market, to those who are less â€Å"price sensitive†? Will our target customers support that strategy? Will we and our employees be better served if we keep prices low, to reach a broader market? Will we sell at (or below) suggested retail price? Will we offer discounts by bundling products and services? Do we run seasonal promotions?When clients buy spa packages, do we offer discounts on products and/or future services. Selecting an overall positioning strategy : Consumers typically chose products and service that give them the greatest value. Marketers want to position their brands on the key benefits that they offer relative to competing brands. The full positioning of brand is called the brands value proposition the full mix of benefits upon which the brand is positioned. More for more: â€Å"More for more† positioning involves providing the most upscale product or service and charging a higher price to cover the highest cost.Black cut hair salon, so much included instrument. Each claims superi or quality, durability, performance, or style and change a price to much. Not only is the marketing offers high in quality. It also offers prestige to the customer. It symbolizes status and a loftier lifestyle. Often the price difference exceeds the actual incrementing quality. In general , companies should be on the lookout for opportunities to introduce a much-more-for-much-more brand in any underdeveloped product or service category yet more-for-more brands can be vulnerable.More for the same: Hair salon can attack a competitors more for more positioning by in traducing a brand offering comparable quality but at a lower price. Black cut hair salon its Lexus line with a â€Å"more for the same† value proposition. The same for less: offering â€Å"the same for less† can be powerful value proposition everyone likes a good deal. For example ,fair and care salon offers equivalent service at a lower price for performance . Discount stores such as spa service. Less for muc h less: A market almost always exist for products that offer less therefore cost loss.Few people need , want , or can afford â€Å"the very best† in everything they buy. In many cases , consumers will gladly settle for less than optimal performance or give up some of the bells and whistles in exchange for low price . â€Å"less-for-much-less† positioning involves meting consumers lower performance or quality requirements at a much lower price. For example fair care hair salon general stores offer more affordable goods at very low price. More for less: of course, the winning value proposition would be the offer â€Å"More for less†. Many salon claim to do this.For example, fair and care salon claims to have better products and lower prices for a given level of performance. In the short run , some companies can actually achieve such lofty positions. Yet in the long run, companies will find it very difficult to sustain such best –of-both positioning. Offerin g more usually costs more , making it difficult to deliver on the â€Å"for less† promise. Fair and care salon that try to deliver both may lose out to more – focused competitors. The important thing is that each company must develop its own positioning strategy, one that makes it special to its target consumers.Offering only â€Å"the same for the same† provides no competitive advantages . leaving the firm in the middle of the pack . salon offerings one of the three losing value propositions_ â€Å"the same for more,† â€Å"less for more†, â€Å"less for the same†_ will inevitably fail. Here, customers soon realize that they’ve been underserved , tell others and abandon the brand. Positioning statement: Company and brand positioning should be summed up in a positioning statement. The statement should follow this form: To target segment and need our brand is concept that point of difference.The positioning first states the product mem bership in a category (spa or salon business) and then shows its point of difference from other members in category has more salon. Placing a brand in a specific category suggests similarities that it might share with other products in category but the case for the brand in a surprisingly different category. Differentiation Strategies of Salon Differentiation Strategies This strategy involves selecting one or more criteria used by buyers in a market – and then positioning the business uniquely to meet those criteria.This strategy is usually associated with charging a premium price for the product – often to reflect the higher production costs and extra value-added features provided for the consumer. Differentiation is about charging a premium price that more than covers the additional production costs, and about giving customers clear reasons to prefer the product over other, less differentiated products. Top of Form * Complementary Services: This will encourage additi onal customer purchases. For example, If you offer facials, offer a free make up consult with every facial.Customers who like to pamper themselves will appreciate the additional offers and your salon will make more money. * Products: Sell products that relate to the services you offer. For example if you offer braiding, you can sell hair maintenance product such as braid spray, hair food e. t. c. You could also create your own product; you could have different beauty services put together as a package deal. * Atmosphere: Create an atmosphere in your beauty salon that allows you to charge a premium price for your services. For example, make your beauty salon feel like a spa with, soothing music and soft lighting.When customers feel rejuvenated and look great after they leave your salon, they will pay more and return more frequently. * Target group: Differentiate your beauty salon from your competitors. For example, if your primary competitor focuses on high-end appointment-based clie nts, you should focus on basic services and walk-in clients. On the other hand, you could offer services that are not available at your competitor's salon. If your competitor only offers hair services, you should offer nail services, facials and makeup services. Strategy – Differentiation FocusIn the differentiation focus strategy, a business aims to differentiate within just one or a small number of target market segments. The special customer needs of the segment mean that there are opportunities to provide products that are clearly different from competitors who may be targeting a broader group of customers. The important issue for any business adopting this strategy is to ensure that customers really do have different needs and wants – in other words that there is a valid basis for differentiation – and that existing competitor products are not meeting those needs and wants.Strategy – Cost Focus Here a business seeks a lower-cost advantage in just on or a small number of market segments. The product will be basic – perhaps a similar product to the higher-priced and featured market leader, but acceptable to sufficient consumers. Such products are often called â€Å"me-tool’s product differentiation (also known simply as â€Å"differentiation†) is the process of distinguishing a product or offering from others, to make it more attractive to a particular target market. This involves differentiating it from competitors' products as well as a firm's own product offerings.Rationale Differentiation can be a source of competitive advantage. Although research in a niche market may result in changing a product in order to improve differentiation, the changes themselves are not differentiation. Marketing or product differentiation is the process of describing the differences between products or services, or the resulting list of differences. This is done in order to demonstrate the unique aspects of a firm's product a nd create a sense of value. Marketing textbooks are firm on the point that any differentiation must be valued by buyers .The term unique selling proposition refers to advertising to communicate a product's differentiation. * Ignorance of buyers regarding the essential characteristics and qualities of goods they are purchasing * Sales promotion activities of sellers and, in particular, advertising * Differences in availability (e. g. timing and location). Marketing mix: Marketing mix is the set of controllable tactical marketing tool- product, price, place and promotion- that the firm blends to produce the response it wants in the target market. The marketing mix is everything we can do to influence the demand for our service.The four groups of variables known as â€Å"the 4 Ps†: product, price, place, promotion. The marketing mix of our salon is stated below: Product: Product is actually the services we will provide to the target customers in our salon. There are different ty pes of services in our salon starting from hair cutting of male and female, hair coloring service, skin care treatment, different types of massages to sooth the people from different types of pressures and other different kinds of salon and spa services. All these services are to be given with great care keeping the customers satisfaction in the mind.In the following, the list of services is given: Salon and Spa Services:Hair Salon Business Services:? Haircuts, styling and trims. ? Hair coloring and highlights ? Hair and scalp treatments. ? Hair shampoo and conditioning. ? Hair relaxers and perms. ? Hair curling, reconstructing and waving Nail Salon Business Services:? Manicures. ? Pedicures. ? Nail polish. ? Nail repair and sculpting. ? Hand conditioning. Day Spa and Beauty Business Services:? Body scrubs. ? Body wrapping and herbal wraps. ? Massage and aromatherapy. ? Hot stone therapy. ? Acupuncture and Reflexology. ? Derma abrasion. ? Anti-aging. Facials. ? Makeup and makeovers. ? Skin cleansing and care. ? Body waxing.? Polishing, buffing and bronzing. ? Tanning. ? Piercing. | Salon and Spa Products:Hair Salon Products:? Shampoos. ? Conditioners. ? Extra hair treatment. ? Pre-styling products. ? Hair styling products. ? Hair finishes. ? Brushes and hair tools. Skin Care, Nail and Beauty Products:? Face skin care products. ? Body skin care products. ? Makeup. ? Makeup tools. ? Nail polish products. ? Nail finish products. ? Nail tools. ? Perfumes. ? Bed and bath products. | The list tells that how our shop is and how its work quality will be.Price: Now, we will discuss about the second variable of marketing mix of our shop. In every business farm, one of the major activities is to set price of the services. The price must be fair and within the budget of the people. Also, it is also important to set price in such a way that, a farm can attend its profit. So, we have tried our best to set a fair price which meets the customer vale and our profits. The price list of our services is given below: Service providing Price (BDT) Hair Salon Business Services:Haircuts, styling and trims. 200 Hair coloring and highlights 350 Hair and scalp treatments. 500 Hair shampoo and conditioning 350 Hair relaxers and perms 400 Hair curling, reconstructing and waving 400 Shaving (foam) 100 Shaving (gel) 150Day Spa and Beauty Business Services: Body scrubs 1000/hr Body wrapping and herbal wraps 1000/hr Massage and aromatherapy 000/hr Hot stone therapy 1000/hr Facials (Men) 600 Facials (woman) 1000 Makeup and makeovers 2000-3000 Skin cleansing and care 800 Body waxing 500 Polishing, buffing and bronzing 800 Nail Salon Business Services: Manicures 500 Pedicures 500 Nail polish 200 Nail repair and sculpting 200 Hand conditioning 300Place: Place include the farm’s activity that makes the service available to the target customers. Place must be a suitable site or location where people can easily get access without any hazards. Since, we are new i n the salon market service and also in introduction stage, so it is actually not possible for us to open more than one branch in the city. Certainly our target market is the people of Dhaka and our shop will also be in Dhaka, but it seemed a great hectic job for us to find out a suitable place to open the salon. We thought, since Persona has its branch in Gulshan, Banani and Uttara, it will not be profitable for us to open a new salon and spa business in those busy and royal areas.But there is a place where Persona still did not open their branch. The place is Bashundhara Residential Area. So, this was the best chance for us to open and grab a whole market of Bashundhara where different University students, business persons, employees of different big corporate giants live. Promotional strategy 1. Stealth marketing: Viral marketing is used to build brand awareness. Viral marketing is done through Facebook, twitter and other different blogs. 2. Referral program: Referral program is a very powerful word of mouth advertising and more believable than any other form of endorsement. It is done mainly by endorsements or reference. Reference can come from friends and clients.The most powerful recommendation is the recommendation of clients who will tell to his/her friends about the service we will provide him/her. For this reason, we have to identify those people who can influence our target market and get them endorse our service. 3. Telephone marketing: Everything should be about increasing perceived value of the service in the eyes of the clients. Now the question arise how telephone marketing helps us? Every single contact clients has with the business forms a perception, either good or bad. In telephone marketing, we have to call our clients and let them know about our new promotions. Not only that, we have to ask them questions that what he/she thinks about our service according.Another part of telephone marketing is, if the clients ask us about any problems and solutions, then we will solve the problems by providing them guidelines. 4. Keep in touch: It will be very important for our business to give emphasis the existing clients and customers. For this, we have to maintain a good relationship by remaining in touch with them. We can be in touch with them by sending promotional materials, greeting cards, birthday wishes and by e-mails. E-mail marketing is highly effective to build and maintain relationship with existing customers and also to build loyalty and trust. 5. The power of free: The customers who regularly take the service of salon and spa, mainly they get some gifts from the salon. But as we are new in the market, we are giving gifts to the customers from now.Those who would have already arrived to us for taking our service more than three times, we will actually offering them different kinds of gifts. The gifts are cosmetics, skin care products, hair care products, salon voucher, product samples etc. this system is called Ã¢â‚¬Ë œGifts with purchase (GWP). ’ 6. Perform SWOT analysis: SWOT analysis too plays a great role in promotion. SWOT analysis helps to know which are our strengths, our weakness, and what is our opportunities and threats and considering these four variables, to check and analyze our strengths, weakness, threats and opportunities. By researching these four, we can promote our business easily with practical logics.Our strengths are, we are placing our business in such a place where there is no salon and spa which can provide the services as we are providing. Not only that, we are charging comparatively cheaper than other salon and spa shops in Dhaka city with qualified manpower. By doing our SWOT analysis, we got some weakness in our business which is not surprising because, we are new in the market and weakness will be there. These weakness are since we are new, we don’t have that much manpower, but the good news is that the existing manpower are as good as other reputed sal ons and spas. Another weakness is we cannot charge more than other salons and spas in our every service since we are still in introducing stage and people are lacking about our brand.Our management is not consists of experts like persona or women world, the employees are still learning, so it is sure that we have to wait for a long time to take our salon in the top. We have got huge opportunity to take ourselves in a class of reputed salon and spa shop. Salon and spa shop market is not that much widespread in our country, only in Dhaka there are some spa shops and in Chittagong too, there are may be 2 or 3 salon and spa shops, but those are very costly, actually located in five star hotels. In other cities, there are no salon and spa shops. So we can extend our business throughout Bangladesh and can create an opportunity for those people who cannot afford the huge cost of salon and spas and we can increase our brand image.There are some threats for us in this market. We are not thin king that we will be dissolved in this market, but there is a threat of not reaching in our vision. Because other salon and spa like Persona, Women’s World are so popular, strong and wide that, we may remain under them, ie, the competition is intense though the competitors are small in number. Another thing is that since our services are cheaper than others, so we may face losses in first few years which may create problems for us to attain a good return on investments (ROI). However, we are confident that despite weakness and threats, we will be the best salon and spa service institution in Bangladesh. Advertising mediaMedia is the most important medium of conveying the messages to the people. people come to know about a product or service at first through media. So media plays a big role in a product or service development. We considered some major steps in selecting advertising media. These major steps are: 1. Deciding on reach, frequencies and impact. 2. Choosing among ma jor media types. 3. Selecting specific media vehicle and 1. Deciding on reach, frequencies and impact: To select the media, the advertiser must decide on the reach and frequency needed to achieve advertising objectives. We are not unaware of this fact. So we also decided on reach, frequency and impact.Reach is the measure of percentage of people in the target market who are exposed to the advertisement campaign during a given period of time. Frequency is a measure of how many times the average person of the target market is exposed to the message. The media impact states whether our advertisements are of that quality which can attract person or convince a person to come in our salon. 2. Choosing among major media types: We had to see advantages and limitations each and every media types when we had to select the medium. We have chosen those mediums that effectively and efficiently present the advertising message to target customers within our budget. Thus we considered the mediums i mpact, effectiveness and cost. The mediums are: 1.Newspaper: Advantages are flexibility, timeliness, can cover the local market very well and high believability. The limitations are, short life, where people can surely forget about the promotions. 2. The internet: High selectivity, low cost, immediacy, interactive capabilities are advantages. Limitations include relatively low impact than the television. 3. Direct mails: High audience selectivity, flexibility, no advertisement competition etc. limitations include relatively high cost exposure, â€Å"junk mail† image. 4. Magazines: High geographic and demographic selectivity, long life and good pass-along readership. 5. Billboards: Flexibility, high repeat exposure, low cost, low message competition, good positional selectivity.Limitations are little audience selectivity. Selecting specific media vehicles: Since it is important to select the best medium, it is also necessary which brand or vehicle in that medium will gain the attention of the people. The media vehicle makes the product or service believable to the customers; certainly that vehicle does which has huge popularity, good reputations. As newspaper is the medium, we have planned to put our advertisements in the most popular newspaper which is sold in the highest numbers and which is also holds the position of no. 1 in presenting reliable newspaper and magazines. The Daily Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. People will surely response.In the internet, we are mainly targeting to put our advertisements in Facebook. Since Facebook is very popular social networking site and also more used than Twitter and other social blogs, so people will come to know about our service easily. Competitors Analysis: In salon and spa marketing, though the competitors are few in number, but the competition is still high. This is because of the brand image of the competitors. People trust them and easily convinced by their offers. People don not hesitate to take their se rvices despite knowing that they will charge high. Competitors like Persona, Women’s World, Studio Menz did not create their brand image in one day.They did it with hard labor and patience, providing high quality service by qualified men power. They charge high too for the services they provides. A short price list is given below: Service| Competitors (BDT)| Trendster (BDT)| Haircut | 300-600| 100-200| Hair color and treatment| 500-1000| 200-500| Makeovers | 3000-6000| 2000-3000| Facials | 800-1500| 600-1000| Nail treatments| 300- 700| 300-500| Aroma therapy| 1000-1500| 800-1000| Other spa services| 1000-10000| 800-2500| So these are the competitors price list differs from us. Though it looks that, we are better than us in respect of pricing, but there are some things which make them better than us.In the following, the points are given: 1. Our competitors like Persona, studio menz have more qualified manpower than us. 2. Their target market is stronger than us. 3. They have more than 3 branches in the Dhaka city, even some of them has outside of Dhaka. 4. Their ROI is surely better, and they earn good amount of profits. 5. They placed their shops in the suitable places where people can comfortably access. 6. The most important factor is that, they have a very strong brand image, for eg: Persona. If we have to sustain in the market and create a brand image of our own, then we must do whatever our competitors are doing and try to do better than them.Our competitors are strong and popular among the people, but we are also determined to be like them and within few years, we will be at the same shoulder height. Conclusion: So, after seeing all the relevant factors, we can say that, Trendster will be one of the leading salon and spa business holder in Bangladesh. Our strategy, considering the fact that we are in introducing stage, is right and practical. Though in the initial stage it is not possible to gain profit, even it is not possible to flourish the bu siness like Persona as it is now in. Everything needs time to get set, so as our business. We need time to get set ourselves in the market. As time will gradually pass, we will be near to our goal if we remain on the right track.