Russias Culture and Demographics

Russias Culture and Demographics Russia Tyler A. McClellan Brother Brittan Russia has not always been what it is today. It began as many small settlements that came together to form an empire, many languages and minority languages are spoken, many religions practiced, and it is number nine in terms of world population. The religious customs of the Russian culture are not the same as American religious customs but very similar. Their meet and greet is very much the same but diverse all at the same time. A meet and greet is where you either meet someone that you have never met before or you meet an old friend. Early Russia was not exactly ‘Russia,’ but a collection of cities that gradually coalesced into an empire (ucsf.edu, 2015). Along with the many small settlements of migrating people were small kingdoms looking for more new uncharted and unclaimed land to expand their empires and territories. A settlement that was slightly larger than the rest probably by a different name was established; this larger settlement, now called Moscow, later became the capital of Russia. These small settlements and empires that came together to form one giant democracy that is called led to a more modern and civilized form of living; this was the start in which came to form the modern country that we now know as Russia today. When the country was first established they were a country with a dictatorship form of government that ruled over its people with brute force. But now the people are allowed to voice their opinion and get a say in everything making modern Russia a well established democra cy. Even though Russian is the official spoken language of Russia there are also many minority languages that are spoken as well as a total of three major languages. â€Å"About 100 others are used across the country† (rt.com, 2015). Russian is obviously the most widely known and spoken language in Russia; as it is the official language of Russia. It is estimated that 81% of the people that live in Russia speak Russian. The second major language spoken in Russia is Ukrainian and it is the secondary language as far as the total percentage of people that speak it at a total of 3%. And last but not least is the language Tartar. It is the third and smallest major language. But it is the most widely spoken minority language in Russia as far as minority languages at a total percent of 3.8% or more. Minority languages include but are not limited to: Chuvash, Bashkir, Belarusian, Moldavian, and other various languages 8.1%. Russias ethnic makeup is very vast and unique. The last census stated that there was more than 100 ethnicities within Russia. The Slavs (Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians), who account for about 85 percent of Russias population (countrystudies.us, 2015). Some of the ethnic percentages are almost the same when they are compared to the linguistic percentages and statistics. Native Russians make up the largest part of the countrys population at 81.5%, while Ukrainian is at 3%, and Tartar 3%. In addition to the ethnicities listed, the minority ethnicities include: Chuvash1.2%, Bashkir 0.9%, Belarusian 0.8%, Moldavian 0.7%, and other various ethnicities 8.1%. There are many religions that are practiced in Russia the main ones are Russian orthodox at 70%, Ukrainian at a total of 3%, and other various religions ranging anywhere from 16%-25% of the total population of Russia. The Russian religion and the religious customs are very different from the western way of doing things, as is the ir view on the rest of the world and other things such as their country and way of doing business with associates. The first time two Russian men meet for the very first time they start off with a vise grip like hand shake that is very, very firm and look each other in the eye. When two very close Russian male friends meet they pat each other on the back and they may possibly hug one another as well. When two Russian woman meet for the very first time they too shake hands bus it is not as aggressive and intense as when two Russian men meet for the first time; But when two Russian women meet and they are very close friends they kiss each other very lightly on the cheeks starting with the left then the right cheek and then the left again. Russians take a great amount of pride in their country and think it is great and everyone else in the world should view it and feel the same way that they feel about their country as well. One last thing that is interesting about the Russian culture is that all names are patronymic this means that the name is passed down from generation to generation. Russia comes in position number nine as far as world population at an approximate total number of 142,470,272 people that live in Russia. The top three largest cities located in the country in terms of population are as follows in descending order: Moscow is not just the capital city of Russia it is also the largest city with a total of 10,381,222 people, Saint Petersburg 5,028,000 there are inhabitants, and finally the third and smallest city out of the top three is Novosibirsk with a total of 1,419,007 people that live here. The ruble or rouble is the currency of the Russian Federation (themoneyconverter.com, 2015). One American United States dollar currency roughly equals just over Sixty one and one half Russian Rubles. To be exact 1 USD equals 61.54 Russian Rubbles. Russia is a very large country with an extensive history and a massive population. It began as many small settlements of people looking to expand their territories that came together to form present day Russia. These people influenced each other in various ways and that is why there are so many different languages spoken, religions practiced, and ethnic groups within Russia. All of these factors come together and intermingle to make the large country we now call Russia. Bibliography: ucsf.edu (2015) A Brief History of Russia Retrieved on February 25 from: http://missinglink.ucsf.edu/lm/russia_guide/historyofrussia.htm kwintessential.co.uk (2014) Russia Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette Retrieved on February 25 from: http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/russia-country-profile.html rt.com (2015) Basic facts about Russia: Language Retrieved on February 25 from: http://russiapedia.rt.com/basic-facts-about-russia/language/ geonames.org (2015) Russia Largest Cities Retrieved on February 25 from: http://www.geonames.org/RU/largest-cities-in-russia.html aneki.com (2014) Top 100 Most Populous Countries Retrieved on February 25 from: http://www.aneki.com/top_100_populous.html countrystudies.us (2015) Ethnic Composition Retrieved on February 25 from: http://countrystudies.us/russia/32.htm themoneyconverter.com (2015) Convert Russian Rouble to United States Dollar | RUB to USD Retrieved on February 25 from: http://themoneyconverter.com/RUB/USD.aspx

Colgate Max Fresh Essay

Gross world product up 2.5% in 2005, following two years of < 1% growth. Overall emerging market economies exploding; + 10% GDP growth in China and + 6% growth in Latin America. Political values in emerging markets may make it difficult for foreign competition to enter market without domestic partner and / or; foreign investment & market diversification less attractive (import / export tariffs). Situational Analysis Situational Analysis Industry Purpose of the Oral Personal Care industry is to prevent teeth and gum diseases and deliver cosmetic benefits. Scope of the industry includes toothpaste, floss, mouth rinses and toothbrushes. Industry Definition Competition Colgate has dominant market value share in China (32%) and Mexico (82%). China market fragmented with Colgate & P&G representing 53% of share. Situational Analysis Industry Product Development growth strategy with launches of premium tier brand extensions Crest Whitening Expressions (US) Crest With Scope (US), Colgate Icy Fresh (China), Crest Cool Expressions (MX). Brand Position: Competition Strategy (P&G) C+S = toothpaste + mouthwash + whitening CWE / CCE = flavor + toothpaste + whitening Entering Emerging Markets under its Crest brand without JV partners. Leveraging x-brand scale with Crest + Scope. Built its brand around therapeutic benefits, while cosmetic benefits market growing fastest in Emerging Markets. Innovating in cosmetic segment; a historic Colgate stronghold. Heavily invests in advertising behind new product launches. Situational Analysis Growth Market Strategies Porter Five Forces Analysis Global Oral Personal Care Colgate Palmolive Oral Care SWOT Analysis Situational Analysis Marketing Strategy Pricing: Positioned as a super-premium brand, price parity to Crest Cool Expressions (14.99 – 15.99 pesos). Marketing Budget: $2MM marketing budget aimed to drive trial through in-store merchandising, sampling, and public relations. Corporate Marketing Strategy Objectives Colgate Max Fresh (CMF) Mexico Marketing Plan Strategic Growth driven by high margin core business. Advertising focused on high margin products and high potential markets. Innovation driven: 40% of sales from products launched in past 5 years. Tactical Growth Strategy: Product Development; Super Premium segment Growth Targets: China 2% YR1, 2.8% YR2; MX 5% YR1, 6% YR2 value share. Will require trading up consumers. Value Proposition: CMF would drive new dimension of freshness Target Market: Geared towards 18-34 yr. old adults (female oriented); augment Colgate’s strong competitive position in Value & Mid-Tier. Situational Analysis Marketing Strategy Will US developed media plans translate? Can Colgate effectively trade-up consumers? What impact will cannibalization have on profitability? Is market large enough in Mexico for premium segments? Will benefits of CMF convey to Mexico consumers? BASES testing and Consumer Viability Index showed marginal promise.. CMF Marketing Concerns for Mexico Symptoms of Colgate Palmolive’s Primary Problem Emerging Market consumers are price sensitive Crest attacking cosmetic segment Consumers experiment through trial vs. large initial purchase Despite Growth in key areas Colgate-Palmolive operating profits and net income are down. +6.5% unit volume growth +7% sales dollar growth +0.1% growth in gross profit margin -2% Operational Profit -7% Net Income To drive growth Colgate-Palmolive is looking to focus on higher margin core businesses. Core Elements of the Strategic Problem In the US toothpaste market CP is seeing a 3.1% increase in volume of sales attributable to the Super Premium Toothpaste Category. Global Strategic Opportunity exists in the Premium Toothpaste market. Represents $75 M sales dollar increase and total market cap of $409.5 M dollars Only the Premium Toothpaste Category is growing at a substantial rate. In 2004 CP captured ~60% of that Sales Dollar Increase in the US largely dues to the introduction of Colgate Max Fresh. In order to continue to grow CP must find a way to develop their Premium Toothpaste product CMF in emerging countries. Colgate Palmolive’s Primary Problem Would the costs of adopting CMF in each new country provide sufficient incremental sales and profits to justify the added complexity of localized marketing and rollout plans associated with those new markets. Colgate-Palmolive must continue to globalize its Premium Toothpaste Strategy. Any solution must balance they cost of localization with the expected sales and profit increase for each new market. Also it is in Colgate-Palmolive’s best interest to develop reusable guidelines as it approaches other new markets similar to China and Mexico. Colgate Palmolive’s Secondary Problems Type 1: Establish a tactical marketing plan for the CMF rollout in an emerging market where Colgate-Palmolive has little previously established presence(China) Type 2: Establish a tactical marketing plan for the CMF rollout in an established market that has high competitor activity(Mexico). In order to establish an effective global strategy two types of secondary problems must be solved in the Colgate Max Fresh Case Study: Any solution must balance they cost of localization with the expected sales and profit increase for each new market. Secondary Problem Detail Need to introduce a product to push Colgate-Palmolive profitability Colgate has worldwide share, the only way to expand is to drive high margin business. China(new markets) have strongly entrenched local brands. Colgate Max fresh will need to compete with its own joint venture brand Darlie(High End). Due to new product introduction at the Super Premium Toothpaste Market competitor Crest has 3% growth year to year, Colgate Equity Brands have been stagnant for 3 years. CP is not only loosing out on possible profits but also slowly loosing market share to its #1 competitor. Market is unfamiliar with CMF â€Å"breath strips† US Marketing Video will be ineffective due to the US Star involved. Is it worth creating new celebrity backed marketing content? Will the Go Big or Go Home strategy work in China and other similar markets? How can Colgate-Palmolive best enter the Chinese Market with CMF. China Secondary Problem Detail Colgate-Palmolive knows P&G will be introducing Crest Cool Expressions(CWE) in Mexico in the near future. CO must develop the best marketing plan to stunt P&G Crest Cool Expressions while protecting their overwhelming market share. 82% Value share for Colgate-Palmolive CP needs to create a marketing plan to introduce CMF with limited budget and maximize regional utility. Due to CP’s large inherent market share, the goal of the Mexican campaign will be to maximize the product funnel. There is a large opportunity present to upsell customers from the Big Red Brand toothpaste to the new CMF toothpaste. Mexico See Exhibit 17 – Will waiting to introduce CMF until after the CWE product introduction change the company estimates of profitability? Can the Mexico Snowsurfer commercial be better standardized for global marketing plans? Going forward how will CP utilize this marketing plan for future markets? Colgate-Palmolive Company Alternatives Locally make the clear bottle Works for China, not Mexico China Allows for ease of expansion of the Colgate Max Fresh brand in clear bottle to other regional locales Also, provides future capabilities for use in other new products Problems: This does add 20% variable cost to COGS Initiates a 6 month delay on production $1.5 M sunk cost before production Alternatives Colgate-Palmolive Company Alternatives Regional Market Alternatives Mexico China Colgate-Palmolive Company Alternatives Provide more trial availability with the smaller packages to sway more to give CMF a try CMF has the breath strips or â€Å"cooling crystals† within the toothpaste, therefore bundle the breath strips package with CMF to build awareness. Stop utilizing celebrities to promote CMF Provide regional flavors Keeps product as a premium product Cost of $200,000 per flavor Has shown promising outcomes in other regions In China, Crest utilized a tea flavor and Colgate a salt flavor In Russia, after releasing a local flavor, the toothpaste market share rose from 11.8% in 2002 to 24.9% in 2005. Colgate-Palmolive Company Alternatives Allows for greater differentiation between the CWE toothpaste In Mexico, drop the price from 15.99 pesos to 14.99 pesos to protect a greater share of CP market share. In Mexico and other markets CP is highly entrenched in, utilize clear bottle In Mexico, Keep the price at 15.99 pesos Implementation Strategic Vs. Tactical Plans The strategic plan moving forward for emerging markets will be to use an easily customizable commercial and adapt it to multiple countries Colgate is the dominant toothpaste brand world wide, so our primary goal will be to prevent Crest from gaining market share and also to upsell our existing customers to the super premium segment We agree with the decision to use a celebrity commercial in China due to the size of the market share the Crest is cultivating Each region and culture has a different set of values and preferences Each region will have a unique tactical plan to maximize effectiveness Jay Chou Colgate Max Fresh Commercial Implementation in China Dispensing the toothpaste in clear bottles to build brand awareness Colgate-Palmolive has invested a large amount of capitol in the Max Fresh marketing campaign Maximize the return on investment by: Transition to less expensive packaging once consumers are familiar with product Include breath strip samples with Max Fresh tooth paste in selected markets Snowsurfer Commercial (English Dub) Implementation in Mexico Our strategies in Mexico will be very similar to our plan in other emerging markets Focus will be on preserving our market share instead of new growth Use clear bottle and breath strip samples in select markets to increase brand awareness Colgate accounts for 82% of total market share compared to 10.2% of Crest’s total market share Crest + Scope only accounts for 3%of total market share Set price at 14.99 pesos per 100 ml We will re-evaluate our Colgate Total (19.36 pesos per 100 ml) marketing campaign to focus on the affluent 40+ age group to minimize cannibalization Implementation in Brazil Characteristics of the Brazilian Market 71% of Brazilians agree that â€Å"music is an important part of my life† 33% have participated in trips to the beach in the last 30 days 76% agree that â€Å"it is important to be attractive to the opposite sex† 65% agree that â€Å"it is important to keep young looking† 32% express the desire for plastic surgery in order to improve their appearance Statistics from Geoff Wicken, KMR Group Tactical Strategy Brazil Vollyball is the 2nd most popular sport in Brazil To become a sponsor on the FIVB circuit, we must apply by July 31, 2006 Update packaging to include â€Å"Made in Brazil† The busy season in Rio De Janeiro December to March, so we recommend kicking off a medial marketing campaign in October 2006 This will give Colgate-Palmolive a chance to evaluate the success of the BreathStrip samples in China and Mexico If we do not see the return on investment we will not include the promotional packaging in Brazil Brazilians place a high emphasis on being attractive to the opposite sex, which means there could a tremendous opportunity to market Colgate Max Fresh as a product that will whiten teeth and make you more â€Å"kissable† Adapt the SnowSurfer commercial to the Brazilian market Sponsor a national beach vollyball tournament Conclusion Colgate-Palmolive is actively seeking ways to increase their operating profit and net income Introducing new high margin products to emerging markets will be critical to their success Marketing Colgate Max Fresh as efficiently and effectively as possible will be necessary in helping us achieve our financial goals UNILEVER

Graduate Admissions Interviews with Current Grad Students

Graduate school interviews are challenging and make even the most qualified applicants nervous. Interviews are most common in graduate programs offering doctoral and professional degrees. Dont fret if a few weeks pass after the application deadline and you have heard nothing from the graduate program. Not all graduate programs interview applicant finalists. If you are invited for an interview, however, remember its dual purposes. Interviews offer graduate programs the opportunity to meet you, consider you as a person apart from your application, and evaluate your fit to the program. Many applicants focus so much on pleasing the admissions committee that they forget that interviews serve a second purpose - to determine if the graduate program is right for you. Keep your own interests in mind as you visit the campus and participate in the interview. Evaluate the graduate program to determine if it will meet your training needs. Prepare for a Range of Interviewers As you prepare for your interview consider the various people you will meet and plan accordingly. For each, consider what they are looking for. We have discussed common questions to expect from professors and admissions committees as well as appropriate questions to ask them. Many applicants, however, do not realize that graduate students  usually have a role in admissions decisions. Certainly, they do not make the decisions themselves but they provide input and faculty usually trust and value their input. Graduate students might interview applicants one-on-one or in groups. They will ask about your research interests, with which faculty youd most like to work, and your ultimate career goals. Prepare Questions for Current Graduate Students Its easy to forget your dual purposes in interviewing, but keep in mind your goal of learning whether the graduate program is a good match to you. Current graduate students are a very important source of information. Ask questions to learn about the following: About Coursework: What is the coursework like? Do all entering graduate students take the same classes? Are enough classes offered? About Professors: Who are the most active professors?  Who works with students? Do one or two professors take on a great many students? Are any professors only on the books? That is, do any professors travel so extensively or teach classes so infrequently that they are unavailable to students? Take care in asking this. Living Conditions: Where do students live? Are there adequate housing opportunities? Is housing affordable? What is the community like? Do students need cars? Is there parking? Research: Ask grad students about their research interests (theyll likely enjoy talking about their work). How much independence are they afforded? Do they work primarily on faculty research or are they encouraged and supported in developing their own lines of research? Do they present their work at conferences? Do they receive funding to travel and present at conferences? Do they publish with faculty? How do students acquire mentors? Are mentors assigned? Dissertation: What is the typical dissertation like? What are the steps to completing a dissertation? Is it simply a proposal and defense or are there other opportunities to check in with the dissertation committee? How do students choose committee members? How long do most students take to complete the dissertation? Is there funding for dissertations? Funding: How do they fund their studies? Do most students get funding? Are there opportunities for assistantships, research or teaching? Do students work as adjunct instructors at the college or at nearby colleges? Do any students work outside of school? Is outside work permitted? Is there an official or unofficial ban on graduate students working off-campus? Climate: Do students spend time together after class? Is there a sense of competitiveness? Remember Your Place Remember that graduate students might not be able to answer all of these questions. Tailor your questions to the situation and the openness of the students with whom you are interviewing. Above all, it is critical to remember that your graduate student interviewers are not your friends. They will relay most or all of the conversation to the admissions committee. Avoid negativity. Dont curse or use vulgar language. Sometimes applicants may be invited to a social event, such as a party or gathering at a bar. Consider this an opportunity to learn about relationships among graduate students. Remember, however, that they are not your friends. Dont drink. If you must, one. Youre being studied and evaluated even if theyre friendly. Not to make you paranoid but the reality is that you are not yet peers. There is a power differential that you need to recognize and respect.

Methods Of Design And Context - 997 Words

Methods Design and Context A quantitative survey consisting of eight main sections and demographic information was given to international students at a Western United States land grant university. The survey’s eight sections assessed students’ level of agreement in the eight following categories: personal life, cultural concerns, academics, university programs, health care, safety, and the International Students and Scholars Office (ISS). The questions were evaluated on a standard 5-point Likert type scale. In addition, open-ended responses were elicited for country of origin and religious beliefs to ensure possibly answers were not omitted by the research team. Questions were divided into the eight categories to make the survey process easier for respondents while also preserving internal validity of the questionnaire. The survey was sent via email through the ISS office to the entire international student population of 862 students. 63 students responded to the survey, giving a response ra te of 6.54%. This was significantly lower than the researcher’s target of 25%, but the response rate was typical for this student population (Porter Whitcomb, 2007). Participants Demographic and group comparison information was collected in order to account for differences in geographic location, religious beliefs, gender, age, and time at the university. International students are often grouped together as one statistical category, but the differences present are numerous andShow MoreRelatedExperimental And Quasi Experimental Research Design1582 Words   |  7 Pages Research Configuration: Research design can be categorized into two sections including experimental and quasi-experimental research design ((Soy, 2015). 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