Lee Valley Segmentation Essay Example for Free

Lee Valley Segmentation Essay Background Lee Valley——a family-owned business which has been providing customers of woodworking and gardening tools since 1978.Their reputation is based on three principles: 1. Customer satisfaction: Any product may be returned within 3 months and no cost to the customer (for shipments within North America, they will refund your return parcel post costs). 2. Integrity: Product descriptions are matched with the product——even if the product is roughly made, they will give you accurate descriptions. 3. Treat the customer like a friend. â€Å"About one third of their total sales volume is in products of their own design. The vast majority of these are Veritas ® brand products made by Veritas Tools Inc., their manufacturing arm. They have a research and development team of 11 people and 130 more in manufacturing. And, to reinforce the part about listening to customers, they have a number of customers earning royalties on products that they manufacture based on designs received from them† (Lee Valley). Objective Both woodworking and gardening must have a 2.5% increase in total sales in the next fiscal year. To achieve this goal, management has allocated a budget of $500,000—exclusive of the cost of printing and mailing the catalogues. This budget is intended to fund the prospecting activities of both product lines. Current Situation Analysis Since Lee Valley launched its e-Commerce site in 2000, internet sales have been an increasing percentage of total sales. When launched, the sitegenerated about 20% of total sales, with phone sales being 70% and sales from mail at 10%.By 2010, Internet sales have reached 70% of total sales, which phone sales at 25% and mail at 5%. [pic]Fig. 1. Percentage of total orders generated by e-commerce from Lee Valley Tools Ltd. [pic] Fig. 2. Percentage of total orders generated by e-commerce from Lee Valley Tools Ltd. According to the pie charts illustrate above, Internet sales have already dominated the total sales of Lee Valley since its e-Commerce site launched in 2000.About 70% of the total customers obtain their products online in 2010 which means that new market segmentation and promotion which focus on online shopping must be generated to accommodate the needs of existing customers as well as new customers. Customer Segmentation——who the firm will serve Geographic Variables In views of the database surveyed by Euromonitor International in 2012, Home and Garden reveals emerging markets and are growing in popularity, developed countries remain, by far, the highest spenders on gardening products. Higher levels of urbanization and incomes, combined with greater access to a wider range of goods and services in cities, are key factors underpinning demand. -All countries with per household expenditure higher than US$1,000 have more than three quarters of their population. -Economic growth and urbanization are the main forces behind the growth in home and garden in developing countries. Demographic Variables According to the Gardening Market Research, the most popular lawn and garden activities included lawn care (48% of households), growing indoor houseplants (31% of households), flower gardening (30% of households), and landscaping (27% of households). The customer profile indicated from Lee Valley shows that the average gardening buyer characteristics are as follows: -Age: average 47 -Gender: 65% female -Income: average household income $72,017 -Education: 60% have a college education -68% are married -82% are homeowners Psychographic Variables In general, gardening enthusiasts also have their distinguishing lifestyles and personality traits, such as: -Environmental friendly -Family-oriented -Seeking freedom and relaxation -Living a simple and peaceful life -Retired, enjoy DIY and private time -Focus on landscaping Behavioral Variables 1. User status Regular users are those who have their regular schedule for purchase in gardening, most of whom have their own projects. Potential users are people who are intending to access to the market but still with different reasons of hesitation or lacking of stimulation. Ex-users are those who used to purchase gardening tools in the past or 2. Intensity of use In the â€Å"Pareto’s Law†, 20% of the customers are heavy users but the remaining 80% are only light users. That indicates companies should emphasis on the most valuable group of customers who are come from the 20%.It dosen’t mean the rest parts are non-essential. Frenquency of order in terms of the climate where the customers live as well as the purpose of purchase. 3. Innovativeness Since 2000, there has been a double-digit growth in the e-commerce sector; statistics have shown that more than 80% of regular online shoppers have used Internet to purchase products or services, while 50% of the online population recorded to have shopped online more than once. According to statistics from Invesp Blog, shoppers by age group is as follows: 18-30 years (54%), 31-44 years (68%), 45-54 years (64%), 55-65 years (68%), 66 years and up (48%). Teens and the young generation find entertainment and social networks online, whereas older generations use the internet as a tool for research, shopping and banking. According to statistics researched in 2009, Generation X (internet users ages 33-44) continues to lead in online shopping. Fully 80% of Generation X internet users buy products online, compared to teenage online users between ages of 18-32, the next runner-up, which constitute 71% of online shopping total. However, there is a decline of internet shopping between the ages 64-72, accounting to 56%, and 47% of online users between the age 73 and older. Global E-commerce sales are growing by more than 19% a year and will be of almost $1.4 trillion by 2015. Lee Valley has a large numbers of customers (70%) ordering online, which illustrates that customers with these certain characteristics are the key part of gardening market. Most people between 35 and 55 years have their own house and garden, 68% of them are married and they are more willing to live a high quality of life with their families. They prefer to online shopping because it is more convenient and can save most of their time as well as money. As far as I am concerned, I suggest Lee Valley to build up collaborative relationships with multinational internet corporations like eBay to extend their market size. At the same time, cut the budget on printing the catalogues and put it to social media so as to attract more new customers. Meanwhile, loyalty program to exiting customers is also indispensable. For instance, gathering different suggestions from loyalty customers and meet their special demands will not only increase the order frequency but also improve the customer satisfaction. Works Cited Datagraphics, Home and Garden. â€Å"Urban Countries Spend the Most in Home and Garden.† Euromonitor International. N.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. Khalid. â€Å"How Big is E-commerce Industry.† invesp Blog. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. Lee Valley. â€Å"About Us.† Lee Valley Veritas. N.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. National Gardening Association. â€Å"Garden Market Research.† National Gardening Association. N.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. Pew Research Center. â€Å"Generations Online in 2009.† PewResearchCenter Publications. Pew Research Center, 2009. Web. 21 Sept. 2012.

An Unforgettable Teaching Experience :: Personal Narrative Essays

It was an extremely sweltering hot afternoon. I started my class with the three kids from a fairly big family. The kitchen was too noisy for me to conduct my class actually but I had adapted to this teaching atmosphere and as usual I started to teach their youngest sister Emily and later his two elder brothers John and Jack in turn. I was quite comfort with her demurely manner. John is a retarded child since he was born. He is still learning the very simple calculation of a year one's child and had difficulty in learning ABC. His brother is even worse off than him. Besides the mathematics that puzzling him forever, he has a very unusual habit that is he would sharpen his pencils up to two dozens before my class ended and he always lost his stationary or belongings after each school's day. He even past motion or urine in front of his classmates. I was once get annoyed when I accidentally stepped on his faeces. I personally considered myself a thoughtful and diligent teacher. I tried my best to open the generation-gap between us. I wish and try to keep on loving them . But today is a very unusual day . I blamed the hot weather that aroused his suspicion and despised his ability in the calculation given to him. He hanged my explanation and continued to ignore my teaching even though I hauled them over the coals. For nearly and hour , no sum nor words were written. Visibly the papers and his mind was blank too. In my mind, I am paid to conduct this class and I have to finish my designated assignments with them to be said as a diligent teacher. Without hesitation, I canned John's brother and he who seemed to be caring of his younger brother Jack started to mutter in a low voice complaining that I shouldn't beat his brother. On hearing his grumble, his mother who has mentally-illness too approached him and started to tease his son saying that he doesn't has the ability to do such an easy sum at the age of 17.

Social Inequalities

To find out as to what extent social class not only shapes attitudes, values and beliefs, but also has a significant impact on life chances, I will begin by defining social stratification, social class and life chances. Sociological theories will also be used to help understand society. Education and employment impact on society will also be discussed using journal articles obtained as a guide. To understand social stratification, it is important to make a distinction between social inequality, which refers to the existence of socially created inequalities whereas social stratification is a particular form of inequality. It refers to the presence of distinct social groups which are ranked one above the other in terms of factors such as prestige and wealth. Using the functionalist theory, we can understand stratification better as this theory views society as a system that is set of interconnected parts which together form a whole. Talcott Parsons (1902- 79). Davis and moore (1945), claimed that all societies have some form of social stratification. George Peter Murdock (1949) maintained that the family exists in every known human society. All these people seem to suggest that individual families and social stratification meet needs that are common to all societies. I agree with the functionalism theory as it is small groups such as families that make up society as a whole. Each family trying to survive and do better than others in the process bettering the society. For a society to survive, functional prerequisites of society are required as Marion J. Levy (1952) argued that a society would cease to exist if its members were absorbed into another society or involved in a war of all against all. Marion J. Levy ’ s argument can be challenged. With the shortage of housing, families getting absorbed into another society would be replaced by families searching for accommodation. On the other hand, ethnomethodologists follow Alfred Schutz (1932) in believing there is no real social order as other sociological perspectives assume. Social life appears orderly to members of society only because members actively engage in making scence of social life. According to Zimmerman and Wieder (1971), society go about the task of seeing, describing and explaining order in the world in which they live. Social class – Savage et al. described social class as social collectivises rooted in particular types of exploitative relationships. These collectivises are groups of people who share levels of income, lifestyles, cultures and political orientations. An example of this could be a group of footballers, would share the same level of income, with similar lifestyles will act or be seen or perceived differently to golf players who are equally rich but may have a different lifestyle to footballers. This can be linked to Marxist theory. Karl Marx (1818- 83) regarded people as both the producers and the products of society. People are regarded as producers as they make society and themselves by their own actions. People are regarded as products of society in that they are shaped by the social relationships and systems of thought they create. To support Karl Marx ’ s comment on people being a product of society, a real life example could be given where a student joins university for the first time. University can be regarded as a society with different individuals, all trying to achieve the same thing. It is up to the new student to choose the group he joins and this will affect the student ’ s life at university if in a bad group or good group thereby making the student a product of that society. Life chances- Gerth and mills, (1954) stated that a person ’ s position in a stratification system may have important effects on many areas of life. It may enhance or reduce life chances that is their chances of obtaining those things that are desirable and avoiding those things defined as undesirable in their society. (Max Weber). To help determine whether in fact social class not only shapes attitudes, values and beliefs, it is important to categorize social class. Social class refers to the persistent social inequalities. Two distinct types of social inequality have been identified by researchers working with two different sociological theories. One theory is derived from the work of Karl Marx the other from the writings by Max Weber, which are somewhat critical of Marx ’ s work. Marxian approach suggests that social class was defined by ownership of the means of production bourgeoisie who exploit the workers who do not own the means of production (proletariat). Source: the Canadian encyclopedia. Marxian approach can be challenged as it does not refer to occupation or levels of income. Marxian approach regarded everyone that did not own land as proletariat. This would mean that senior managerial administrative and manual working class would be regarded as being in the same class (proletetariat). There is a vast difference between the income and benefits of senior managers compared to manual workers therefore it wouldn ’ t be right to put the two in the same class. Ethnic and gender factors are mportant in differentiating people and in relating them to the general division of labour and inequalities of opportunity and conditions which are associated with it. Another way of categorizing class is by referring to upper class, consisting of property owners (bourgeoisie), middle class consisting of senior managers, middle managers and supervisory and service worker class and finally the working class or lower class consisting of manual work ers. A variety of studies have shown that non-manual workers enjoy advantages over manual workers in terms of their life chances. The office for national statistics (ONS), has compiled a range of statistical evidence on inequalities between classes in England and Wales. (Focus on social inequalities 2004). In 2002, 77% of year 11 children with parents in higher professional occupations obtained five or more GCSE ’ S at grade C or above, compared to 32% of those with parents in routine occupations. In my opinion, the above statistics suggest that parents can also act as role models to their children. An example is that if a parent is CEO of an organization, he/she will encourage their children to do well at school and reach the same level or above the parent position. Just for being CEO, this parent has set a target level for his/her children which is quit hard to archive but with the parent ’ s income, the child can go to private school and increase life chances. On the other hand, it would be hard for a parent in manual labour to encourage their child to reach CEO position. This child may see this as an impossible task and will settle for the same factory job or aspire to be the factory supervior. This child ’ s parent income could not be enough to better life chance. Social class does really shape attitudes, values and beliefs and this can be supported by the common American saying â€Å" The American dream † . The American dream can be explained as a belief and the freedom that allows all citizens and residents to achieve their life chances in the USA. Today, in America it generally refers to the idea that one ’ s prosperity depends upon one ’ s own abilities and hard work. ( wikipedia encyclopedia). This is a message passed on to all people in America but in my opinion, people from the lower class are likely to believe in the American dream as some form of comfort or assurance that things could get better in future. The journal article below is by Andrew Billen. The Times. London uk. Aug 20, 2007. Pg 19(Full article can be found on Appendix 1) Page 2 In last night ’ s season opener, the fascistically titled the will to win[Robert Winston] fretted at age 7 their fates may already be sealed. Certainly, by the programme ’ s end it looked if the Jesuits knew what they were talking about. As little William sprinted ahead of the pack to the finishing line of his private school ’ s egg and spoon race, his ambitious mother was convinced he was already the person he would become. â€Å" I ’ m definitely going to win, † he had confidently predicted half an hour earlier. â€Å" And I ’ m going to come second, † chipped in his friend, the sort of friend William would need. Down at the other end of Britain, where life chances are more ragged, was [James], whose ambition in life had hardened up: he wanted to be a robber. His answer to a dumbed-down IQ test question, â€Å" what do you do if you find a wallet on the floor? † was â€Å" take it home † . Despite this, James ’ s IQ was found to be just a touch below average. If only he had been clever enough to choose different parents. His father had scampered when he was an infant, leaving his mother Carol, struggling. This article points out that a child born in an upper class family will have better life chances as they will be able to attend very good schools or private schools thereby bettering their chances of succeeding. Page 2 Aspects of life such as income play an important part in achieving life chances as pointed out by the article below taken from Allister Heath. Sunday Business London (UK) Jun 26. 2005 pg 1. The writer noted that the UK is plagued with low social mobility; and that this is partly due to the strong and increasing relationship between family income and educational attainment. The proportion of children from the poorest fifth of families born during the early 1980s obtaining a degree has increased from 6% to 9%, while the graduation rate for the richest fifth has risen from 20% to 47%. Full article can be found on Appendix 2) Social class still exists at present as most of what we do on a daily basis is determined by how we perceive or wish to perceive ourselves. Eg, the cars we choose to buy, friends we choose etc. Jonathan Moore, UK BBC Publication, 18/12/2007 I fully agree that social class does in fact have a significant impact on life chances. The functionalist theory did des cribe society as a system that is set of interconnected parts which together form a whole. This brings out the fact that society is divided into different classes and that inequalities do exist. William, in the journal article was positive he would win because of his up brining from his parents not to accept second best. His parents, through their jobs have set a target for William which will affect his life chances. REFERENCES Martin Holborn and Mike Haralambos, sociology themes and perspectives, seventh edition, 2007. Tony J. Watson, sociology ,work and industry, third edition, 1995. Mike Noon and Paul Blyton, the realities of work, second edition, 2002. Keith Grint, the sociology of work, third edition, 2005. The times. London(uk): Aug 20, 2007 pg 19. Sunday Business. London(uk): Jun 26,2005 pg 1.

Essay About Experience That Is Most Dear to Me

Experience That Is Most Dear to Me About 15 years ago, when I was going to the second grade, there was a day which influenced my future greatly. Of course, at that moment I didn’t realize it, but it was so strong that I remember that feeling I experienced that day up till now and I am sure that I will never forget it. On that day my grandmother invited her friend to us to drink some coffee. She came with her daughter who was a couple of years elder than me. After some conversations, which I don’t remember now, there was that moment. Mary, the daughter of my granny’s friend, found my English textbook and started reading some exercises from it. So far, I didn’t hear the English language much, as our teacher was often ill and my parents spoke only Spanish. Moreover, I didn’t like my English classes and this language seemed too boring for me to learn. Nevertheless, all of a sudden, it changed when Mary started to read. I was so impressed with the beauty of the language that I held my breath just not to interrupt this magical reading process. I looked at her with my big eyes and didn’t move. I just wanted her to continue on and on. That was the moment when I decided to learn this language and read as great as Mary did. From then on I remember that I read that textbook every day and I completed all the assignments by myself in about half a year – and that being only 7 years old! I am still fascinated by my insistence. A lot happened since that time, but even now, 15 years later, that feeling of fascination didn’t ever leave me. Now I know the language very well, but still always try to reveal something interesting and previously unknown for me. And what is even more exciting – I always succeed in it. I will never forget that day and that feeling and I am sure that this memory will always keep me concentrated and will urge me to develop and evolve every day of my life.