The Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Body Ritual Among the Nacirema - Essay Example In such cases, though certain traits of any ritual differ from class to class and communal segment to another segment, performing this ritual often are based on a common metanarrative. Factually, the symbolism as well as the roles of the participants is determined by individual interests and communal interests in the ritual. One such American (or Nacirema ritual, in Horace Miner’s term) ritual is the eating ritual. Indeed Miner’s hoax anthropological article â€Å"Body Ritual among the Nacirema† deals with the question whether the American obsession with the cleanliness of human is justifiable or irrational. While parodying the American body ritual from an ethnocentric perspective, Miner clarifies his side by quoting Malinowski â€Å"Looking from far and above, from our high places of safety in the developed civilization, it is easy to see all the crudity and irrelevance of magic† (Miner, ). Meanwhile Miner explores deep into the fact whether modern anthro pologists are aware of the dichotomy between scientific knowledge of a ritual practiced by a community and the ethnocentric bias of research. When he uses the term â€Å"configuration† or â€Å"style†, he essentially criticizes the modern trends of perceiving a culture from a Eurocentric perspective.... Indeed the sense of individuality is greatly contributed to by a member’s corporeal or bodily existence in the society, that is, to a great extent can be considered as â€Å"one body, one individual† (existentialism). This attitude to one’s self highly determines their habit of eating in groups. Also this sense of individuality has a great role in the segregation of the society into the smallest functional groups that are mostly similar to modern family. The â€Å"one body, one individual† motive also shapes their taste in food. Sense of Individuality and Body in Shaping the Rituals The underlying grand principle of individuality is to sustain the body, therefore, to sustain the individual through rituals and ceremonies. Each of the functional segments like modern family has commonly one or two shrines where the members participate in the rituals. Often members of a number of families gather together in domestic and commercial shrines to take part in the b elly-ritual or eating ritual. Generally the laymen of the Nacirema do not have any specific shrine, whereas there are commercial shrines for people. Symbolism of the Eating Ritual While performing the eating ritual, the Nacirema perform some other rituals i.e. hand-washing as a process of purifying the evil, offering-vases washing, etc. Generally the Naciremans take two types of liquids: holy liquids and normal liquid. They take the normal liquid as a part of their livings. But they occasionally take the holy liquids in order to get temporal relief from the adversaries of reality. Reportedly a number of the Naciremans are found to depend excessively on the holy liquids. One of the mentionable eating rituals of Nacirema is to have granular and solid meals. The Naciremans show a tendency to classify

Formal Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Formal Report - Essay Example Even the health industry has transformed itself and treating diseases that were considered fatal in the past. Robotic surgeries have also made their space on the surgery schedule boards in hospitals around the world. A procedure that could once only be imagined for a sci-fi adventure has now become a reality. This extensive inclusion of technology that would have raised eyebrows in the past is being accepted and adopted by doctors around the world as a competitive advantage in hospitals. It was only a matter of time that the increasing trend of medical advancement and equipment technology would lead us to the point where we risk our lives in the hands of a robot. The robot, being controlled by a surgeon, performs the procedure on the patient. The surgeon might be located a few blocks away or across a couple of oceans. The revolutionary step in the field of health sciences has attracted many; however, it is still not free from risks and reservations. Just like any other invention in i ts initiation phase, robotic surgeries need to take few more steps to ensure minimal risks and dangers for the patients. 1. Introduction The robotic technology, that started with making small machines perform interesting stunts or house chores, have been given a more creditable status in the medical field since they are being used to save human lives. The initiation of the idea of letting robotic arms and other components come in contact with the patient, rather than the surgeon, initiated in 1980s. The innovative concept attracted the technologists in the industry and thus gave way to surgeons being miles away from the physical location of the operation and relying on technology to maintain connection from the surgeon to the robot that operates on the patient. The state of the art surgical procedure is being commonly known as, ‘Da Vinci Surgery’; this name has been given by the manufacturers of this innovative robot technology, Intuitive Surgical Inc. The company, Intu itive Surgical Inc (2013) explained that the name is kept after the inventive artist for his passion for human anatomy and automation in the 1450s. Leonardo Da Vinci is known to design the first robot of its kind in 1495 which was discovered hundreds of years later in 1950s. Leddy, Lendvay and Satava (2010) gave valuable information about the initiation of the idea of such a risky mode of treatment where the surgeon cannot control the consequences of any atypical scenario; robotic surgeries were initially aimed to perform remote surgeries in the battlefield to ensure immediate treatment to soldiers. The robotic equipment was mounted on the top of the vehicles and surgeons were expected to perform the surgery with the aid of the robotic arm while sitting in their own comfortable space. These authors defined it as the surgical procedure that separates the surgeon from the patient by adding a robotic device in the middle of them. With the passage of time, the concept made its way in th e civilian territory and started being used for commercial treatment. The passive role of medical equipment and technological devices has been transformed into a major one in an operating room. A diverse range of procedures are now being performed with robots being the direct contact with the patients, namely gynecological and urological procedures and many mores. 2. Research Quality and Patient Safety Division: Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine. (2013) stated that robotic surgeries have started becoming

Theories of Genes and Cancer

Theories of Genes and Cancer The Wind in the Trees In the late 1950s, Peter Nowell and David Hungerford, two pathologists from Philadelphia had found an unusual chromosomal pattern in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cells. In CML cells, Novell found that one copy of chromosome 22 had its head lopped off. Novell called this abnormality the Philadelphia chromosome after the place of discovery. In 1973, a hematologist in Chicago named Janet Bowley followed this study, looking for the missing pieces of the Philadelphia chromosome. She found a pattern. The missing head of chromosome 22 had attached itself to the tip of chromosome 9. And a piece of chromosome 9 had attached itself to chromosome 22. This genetic event was called a translocation the transposition of two pieces of chromosomes. Bowley found this same translocation in the cells of every CML patient. Cancer was not disorganized chaos, but an organized chromosomal chaos resulting from specific, identical mutations. Chromosome translocation can create new genes called chimeras by fusing two genes formerly located on two different chromosomes. The CML translocation, Rowley postulated, had created such a chimera. *** In 1969, Alfred Knudson, a geneticist at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, wanted to capture a pattern of inheritance of cancer by studying retinoblastoma, an hereditary eye cancer. Retinoblstoma has two distinct variants, an inherited familial form and a sporadic form. Children who suffer from the familial form may have strong family histories of the disease, and they typically develop tumors in both eyes. Children with the sporadic form never have a history in the family and always have a tumor in only one eye. By studying cohorts of children with the two types of cancers, Knudson discovered the cohorts developed cancers at different speeds. Inherited retinoblastoma cancer develops at early ages, typically between 2 to 6 months old. Sporadic retinoblastoma cancer develops at older ages, typically between ages 2 to 4 years old. Humans inherit two copies of every gene, one from each parent. Knudson postulated that both copies of the Retinoblastoma (Rb) gene needed to be inactivated through mutation to develop retinoblastoma. Some children inherit one mutated version and one normal version of the Rb gene. The inherited mutation is the first hit. These children are thus predisposed to the cancer, and only a single additional genetic mutation is needed for them to develop the cancer. So they develop cancer at earlier ages. Sporadic retinoblastoma develops at later ages because two independent mutations have to accumulate in the cell. Knudson called this the two-hit hypothesis of cancer. For certain cancer-causing genes, two mutational hits are needed to produce cancer. At first glance, Knudsons two-hit theory seemed at odds with the src gene, which only required one activated copy to cause cancer. The answer is because the two genes perform two different functions. The src gene creates a hyperactive kinase that provokes perpetual cell division to cause cancer, while the Rb gene performs the opposite function. It is a cancer suppressor gene, or an anti-oncogene. It requires two mutation hits to inactivate such a gene. A Risky Prediction Risky prediction is a process scientists used to validate untested theories. For instance, the return of Halleys comet in 1758 validated Newtons law of gravity. The first risky prediction involved Varmus and Bishops hypothesis on oncogenes. In the late 1970s, Varmus and Bishop had shown that the precursors of oncogenes, also called proto-oncogenes, already existed in all normal cells. They hypothesized that mutations in such proto-oncogenes caused cancer. To prove that they were right, we needed to the mutated versions of such proto-oncogenes inside the cancer cells. How does one find such a gene? The MIT cancer biologist Robert Weinberg had an idea. If he transfers a fragment of the DNA containing the activated oncogene from the cancer cell into normal cells, then the activated oncogene should induce the normal cells to divide and proliferate, producing a foci out of the normal cells in the petri dish. By repeating this process and dividing the DNA fragments into smaller and smaller fragments, he should be able to isolate the culprit. In the summer of 1979, a graduate student in Weinbergs lab named Chiaho Shih went through the experiment using mouse cancer cells. He verified that the method worked for mouse cancer cells. They then moved on to human cancer cells. Three years later in 1982, Weinberg isolated a gene called ras from human cancer cells. The mutated ras gene encoded a hyperactive protein permanently locked on. It was the long-sought native human oncogene, captured out of a cancer cell. Meanwhile, two other scientists, Mariano Barbacid, and Michael Wigler had also independently discovered the ras gene in 1982. The second risky prediction the hypothesis that retinoblastoma was caused by the mutation of two copies of Rb genes. Thad Dryja, an ophthalmologist and geneticist, suspected that the mutation responsible was likely a deletion of the gene. To prove the hypothesis, Dryja wanted to prove that the two copies of the Rb gene were deleted from the cancer cells. Week after week, Dryja extracted the chromosomes from his big collections of tumors and ran his probe set against the chromosomes. Eventually, he saw a blank space in his probes. A piece of DNA was missing in probe H3-8 of the tumor cells. Dryja took his probe to Steve Friend who had a collection of normal cells in Weinbergs lab. Friend applied the H3-8 probe to normal cells and isolated the gene on that location. Both copies of the Rb genes were indeed deleted from the cancer cells. The third risky prediction involved the hypothesis that activated oncogenes cause cancer. We already knew that (1) activated oncogenes were present in cancer cells, and (2) they could be isolated from the cancer cells. To prove causation, we have to prove that activated oncogenes can create cancer in an animal. In 1984, using transgenic mouse technology, Philip Leders team at Harvard created transgenic mice with an activated c-myc gene expressed in the breast cells. The mice developed small tumors in their breast late in life after pregnancy. To test the roles of environmental stimuli and other oncogenes, Leder created a second OncoMouse with ras and myc expressed in breast cells. The mice developed tiny distinct tumors in their breasts in months, pregnancy not required. Scientists had created real, living tumors in an animal. The Hallmarks of Cancer Philip Leders experiment showed that scientists had created real tumors by manipulating two genes, ras and myc, in an animal. But activating two potent proto-oncogenes did not create the full syndrome of cancer in every cell of the mouse. It raised further questions about the genesis of cancer. In 1988, using human specimens, a physician named Bert Vogelstein set out to describe the number of genetic changes required to start cancer. Vogelstein studied how normal cells progress to cancer cells in colon cancer. He found a consistent pattern in his colon cancer samples. The genetic progression of cancer was a multi-step process. The transitions in the stages of cancer mirrored the transitions in genetic changes. Cancer cells did not activate or inactivate at random. Instead, the shift from a pre-malignant state to an invasive cancer correlated with the activation and inactivation of genes in a strict and stereotypical sequence. Cancer cells are caused by mutations of genes in their DNA. Besides uncontrolled growth, cancer cells also can resist death signals, grow their own blood vessels, and metastasize throughout the body. In January 2000, Robert Weinberg and Douglas Hanahan wrote the seminal paper, The Hallmarks of Cancer that gave the six essential changes in cell physiology that collectively cause cancer: Self-sufficiency in growth signals gas pedal stuck on Insensitivity to growth-inhibitory signals- brakes dont work Evading of programmed cell death (apoptosis) wont die Limitless replicative potential uncontrolled growth Sustained angiogenesis having its own blood supply Tissue invasion and metastasis

Migraines: A Complex Disorder Essay -- Headaches Medical Neurology Pap

Migraines: A Complex Disorder If I can only make it to my bed, I'll be fine. My head hurts terribly. I would do anything to stop the pain. I've taken three extra strength Tylenols and the pain hasn't diminished at all. My head is spinning. Ever so often, the world around me turns dim and then bright. I close my eyes. I need to lie down, but I am driving. I feel nauseous. The pain that started on one side of my head is spreading as it pulsates. I squeeze my head and rub my temples, but the pain remains. I wish for a lobotomy. I wish somebody could stop the pain. I'm home. I run to my room. I tie a rag tightly around my head. It doesn't help. I press my head against a wall. I feel like vomiting again. I know relief is coming soon. I pass out. I am a Migraineur, and have been ever since I can remember. Migraine headaches are a type of vascular headache that affects 28 million Americans, 75 percent of whom are women 1) "http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/pubs/migraineupdate.htm">National Institute of Health, a good source of general information on migraine headaches. Annually, migraines cost the American taxpayers $13 billion in missed work and reduced productivity 1) "http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/pubs/migraineupdate.htm">National Institute of Health, a good source of general information on migraine headaches. Migraines are not a disorder unique to overworked Americans. In fact, the World Health Organization identified migraine among the world's top 20 leading causes of disability name="2">2) "http://www.w-h-a.org/wha/info.asp">World Health Alliance, a source of current articles about migraine headaches. According to the World Health Organization, aside from the physiological exp... ...lth Alliance, a source of current articles about migraine headaches 3) "http://archneur.ama-assn.org/issues/v57n8/ffull/nhn8476.html">Archives of Neurology, provides a historical perspective on topics related to neurology (3) 4) "http://www.achnet.org/understanding/">American Council for Headache Education, provides information on all types of headaches 5) "http://www.wfubmc.edu/neurology/migweb2/introduc.htm#INTRODUCTION">Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, lecture notes of a professor at the medical school 6) "http://www.migraines.org/myth/">MAGNUM, a good site for individuals who suffer from migraine headaches 7) "http://www.intelihealth.com/">Intelihealth, a site sponsored by Harvard Medical School 8) "http://www.neurologychannel.com/migraine/">Neurology Channel, provides a comprehensive look at migraine headaches

Marketing a & W

Executive Summary A&W Restaurants, Inc. is a chain of fast-food restaurants that specialize in root beer and root beer floats. It is the first fast food restaurant in Singapore and expansion was fast in the early nineties, but in 2003, A&W’s Singapore operations came to an end. Many Singaporeans grew up eating A&W, and that is one reason why many people are protesting for it to make a comeback in Singapore. Hence, our campaign will draw an emotional appeal, focusing on the theme, â€Å"Bringing back the good old memories†.Based on this central theme, this report covers the Public Relations, Sales Promotions, Personal Selling, Direct Marketing and Budget proposed for the nature of our campaign. A survey was conducted and given out to 80 random applicants to find out more about what they think of the organisation. Online research was also done to examine some of the risks or problems faced in the marketplace, its potential, competition, unique selling advantages and A&Wâ €™s current positioning. Lastly, we have come up with creative strategies to enhance the advertising campaign. Bringing back the good old times† focuses on the old days so we will mainly be using traditional media to stay consistent to our theme. As many youngsters these days use social media to connect, we will also be using a few online methods to stay connected to the new generation. Lastly, putting into consideration the aspects of our personal selling, sales promotion, direct marketing and advertising costs, the proposed costing for the total campaign will be approximately $137,707. IMC Objectives * AdvertisingTo bring back A&W to Singapore by creating brand awareness through focussing on our central theme, â€Å"Bringing back the good old days† and to create the likeability of amongst 80% of our target audience. * Public Relations To create interest and maintain positive image for A&W by drawing as much publicity as possible, and gain huge exposure to reach ou t to our target audience with 30% additional publicity. * Sales promotion Uses price, coupons to help drive and increase attendance by 30% and to also encourage brand switching.Increase consumption and A&W’s sales by at least 3% and to add at least 5% to overall market share by 2015. Agency Introduction Based in Singapore, APG Advertising Pte Ltd was established in 1996 providing a comprehensive range of services. We take the task of understanding the business and propose attractive promotions or campaigns, tailored to your specific industry and budget. We also help clients and our teams put more creativity into campaign planning and capable of handling a variety of advertising for business of different natures.Our teams of professionals, armed with expert knowledge of current trends in the market, embark on providing refreshing marketing ideas to kick start your businesses. We service to not only the local market, but also have our global networks, particularly to Asia, such as Malaysia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. APG Advertising Agency possesses skilled employees who have combined experience of over 25 years servicing to the local and international industry. We are a fully accredited service agency.We have run print ads, bus advertisements, MRT advertisements, radio/television commercials, point of sales ads, marketing brochures, brand building and have even created websites. Some of the big firms who have used our services include Bank of China, Maybank, Hyflux, Serta, etc. Accreditations from well-known Institutions * Association of Accredited Advertising Agents, Singapore (4As) * Institute of Advertising, Singapore (IAS) * Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) * MediaCorp Singapore Group (MCS) Various Campaigns (Pls refer to Appendix) * Aberdeen * Realstar * Singapore International (Motor Show) * Natas TravelBackground Research Client’s Background A&W Restaurants, Inc. was established in 1919 in Lodi, California, United States. It is a chain of fast-food restaurants that specialize in root beer and root beer floats. The name A&W came about from the surname of the initials Roy W. Allen and Frank Wright. Hence, started the company’s humble beginnings, as A&W. The first fast food restaurant in Singapore was not McDonald’s or KFC, it was A&W. The chain’s expansion was fast in the early nineties, but in the late nineties, the branch at Singapore Zoo closed down, leaving Singapore with seven outlets remaining in 2002.A year later, A&W’s Singapore operations came to an end after shutting down their last outlet at Hougang Heartland Mall. Being the first fast food restaurant in Singapore, A&W left a huge impact on many Singaporeans as they grew up eating A&W. Long before MacDonald, KFC and Burger King came into the picture, it was the most favourite among the teens. It was seen to be â€Å"cool† hanging out in A&W restaurant. Whether it was an easy takeaway (A&W drive through), i ndulging in fast food, or giving a good treat to pamper oneself, A&W was always there. Hence, many Singaporeans yearn for A&W to make a comeback.On Facebook, there are many pages created by fans, called â€Å"Like to bring back A&W in Singapore†, â€Å"Bring back A&W restaurant in Singapore† and many other pages that support A&W into coming back to Singapore. The pages have over 18,000 likes and every now and then, fans would post comments on the wall asking when they are making a comeback or why have they left. Whenever Singaporeans visit Malaysia or Batam, the first thing they think of is to visit the nearest A&W restaurant as well. This shows evidence that A&W has left a huge impression despite drowning due to intense competition.Demand is undoubtedly high and the memories A&W created for its customers is so strong that people are protesting for it to come back until today. Situation Analysis Problems/Risks faced in the Marketplace a) Problems * Viewed as â€Å"Unh ealthy Junk Food† Being a fast food restaurant chain, A&W is perceived as unhealthy and customers may see it as â€Å"just another fast food restaurant†. Because their menu contains fatty food such as Burger, Chicken, Hot Dogs, French Fries, Nuggets, Ice Cream, Milkshakes etc, it may turn customers off as they do not provide a variety of healthy alternative options.Being a family oriented restaurant, it is important that A&W first convince adults or parents to choose their dining experience to be at A&W because they are the ones that have the buying power to bring their children to the restaurant. Hence, if adults or parents are convinced that the food offered by A&W is generally unhealthy or simply seen as â€Å"junk food†, they will not consider bringing their family to dine there regularly, unless for rare treats. * Considered relatively small compared to competitors In 2003, A&W was acquired by YUM! Brands.Currently for A&W, there are over 1,200 restaurants i ncluding 350 international stores in 16 countries and territories. Comparing this figure to other YUM! ’s flagship stores, KFC has about 17,000 restaurants worldwide. McDonald’s has over 34,000 stores worldwide, while Subway has 35,000 locations around the world. With contrast to the other competitors, A&W is relatively small. b) Risks * Of being shut down due to fierce competitions In 1966, A&W launched their first business at Dunearn Road, near the former University of Singapore’s Bukit Timah Campus.The chain was expanding fast, but due to fierce competitions from other fast food competitors, it eventually closed down in 2003. Thus, it is a risk to bring back A&W to Singapore as it has been shut down previously due to intense competition. * Of having inability to handle high cost due to small size Given A&W’s size, there is a risk of the company not being able to handle the high cost as compared to competitors. Because they are relatively small in compa rison to other fast food chain outlets, food inventory, logistics, transportation and other cost may come in as an issue while for ompetitors it is not an issue as they already have many outlets spread in Singapore. Potential The first A&W store opened in Singapore in 1966. Back then, people were more conservative and health conscious which led to one of the reasons why A&W closed down in Singapore in the early 2000s. However, times have changed. Singaporeans these days are much affluent than they used to be. The younger generation is more career-oriented and this leads to more people eating out as they often work overtime. In the current fast-paced society, demand for more  convenient meals is also increasing.Although awareness of the importance of proper diet increased, fast-food, snacks and soft-drink  consumption is also still on the rise. Wendy’s was first in Singapore during the 1980s. Not long before their opening, Wendy’s faced the same issue as A&W due to intense competition and as a result, collapsed and shut down their outlet which was operating at Far East Plaza and Parkway Parade. However, in 2009, the US fast chain reopened in Singapore at Lau Pa Sat in the Central Business District. Since then, they have grown and just recently opened their 11th restaurant at Jurong East MRT Station.Therefore, despite failing in the earlier years, they manage to make a successful comeback and A&W should perhaps make a comeback too. Wendy’s comeback shows evidence that there is potential in the rise of fast food chain outlets. Competition AW operates in the product category of fast food sandwich chains, which is highly competitive and developed. Today,  the three giants in the local fast-food business are McDonald's,  Kentucky Fried Chicken and Burger King, with McDonald's leading the pack. A&W simply cannot compete with the thousands of stores their rivals have world-wide.Although AW does not have the number of units or financial res ources that some of its competitors have now, they do have good brand recognition since they bring about childhood memories to Singaporeans. (i) MacDonald The number of people who thronged  MacDonald’s first outlet opening was so large;  a world record was set for serving the world's highest volume of hamburgers in a single day. Today, McDonald has over 120 restaurants across the island serve 1. 2 million customers every week. Around 9,000 employees keep the McDonald's restaurants running ship-shape.The popular chain is well-known for its Big Macs, Quarter Pounders, and Chicken McNuggets. Most of the outlets are free-standing units offering dine-in and drive-through service. Today one can  find a McDonald's restaurant  in almost every corner of the island and over 40 operating as 24hours stores. About 80% of the restaurants are run by franchisees or affiliates. (ii) Burger King BURGER KING commenced operations in Singapore since 1982 through the opening of its first r estaurant at Peninsula Plaza. Over the years, Burger King Singapore Pte. Ltd. perates more than 40 restaurants in Singapore where customers across the island city can enjoy the great and healthy flame-grilled taste of their products. Providing customers with a great dining experience in the areas of convenience, excellent service and friendly surroundings is and also for the wide and unique menu options is what Burger King achieved. In addition to its popular Whopper sandwich, the chain offers a selection of burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, and breakfast items, along with beverages, desserts, and sides. (iii) KFCKFC is the leader in the chicken segment in the Singapore Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry. There are over 15,000  KFC  outlets in 105 countries and territories around the world. Upon entering every KFC outlets, one will be captivated by the chicken’s aroma. At KFC, they offer high quality and great tasting food in a popular array of complete meals such as Daily Savers Meals, Snackers and Family Feast that enable the whole family to share a fun and satisfying experience with all the affordability and convenience of a fast food restaurant.The popular chain is well known for its fried chicken and its various incarnations – chicken burgers, drumlets, nuggets, ‘popcorn' chicken. The chicken comes in various flavours – original, spicy, crispy. Unique Selling Advantages * World’s No. 1 Root Beer A;W Root Beer is the world's number one selling root beer float and is still mixed fresh daily and sold at hundreds of A&W restaurants. Customers dine at A&W to enjoy their signature products like root beers floats, deep fried cheese curds  and waffles. Long Heritage When people talk about A&W in Singapore, they think of the past and memories because it is the first fast food restaurant in Singapore. Hence, the history behind A&W is a unique selling point as people will always remember A&W as they grew up eating it. Till now, they are still making memories and All American Food. Having a strong history over the brand A&W, is what other competitors can’t achieved. Current Positioning Over the years, A&W has position themselves as a childhood fast food brand.Some positioning strategy that A&W has adopted will be emotional, functional and promotional. The emotional positioning strongly taps into boomers’ memories of their youth at A&W, with the objective of creating smiles and reminisce. The functional positioning focuses on the simple indulgence of a great burger just like it was in 1956. The promotional positioning reflects great value for a premium product. A&W focus their efforts on baby boomers— a market virtually ignored by the other fast-food chains.This group, born between 1946 and 1964, grew up with A&W drive-ins. The brand truly represents their youth and the simple joys that came along with it. We want to bring back memories of these boomers having countless â€Å" firsts† at A&W growing up: their first trip to a fast-food restaurant, â€Å"graduating† to their first Teen Burger, going out on their first date, driving their first car— these were all very important and rich memories. It was clear that A&W is one of the few brands that have the right to align themselves with these milestones in boomers’ lives.We feel that the current positioning is strong and we believe it would work out for our objectives of our campaign. This insight became the basis for an important element of our campaign. IMC Strategies Overall Theme/Big Idea To bring back the fast food chain that Singaporeans grew up loving, focussing on our central theme, â€Å"Bringing back the good old days†. * Creative Direction The advertising appeal that we would use to attract the attention of consumers will be through emotional appeal because emotional appeal will be easier for us to relate our BIG IDEA and campaign to our target group.The way our big idea will be conveyed to consumers will be through slice of life execution as it is able to portray a real life situation that consumers may face daily. As our big idea is to bring back the good old times to consumer who patronize A&W on their re-opening, our advertising video will be about a man who had a hard time at work as his job pile stacks higher and higher but when he walk into A&W and drink their signature root beer float, flash back of the good times he had appeared in his brain making his frown and stressful face to turn into a wide smile, enjoying the moment.Public Relations * Publicity Vehicles Vehicle wraps is one of the most cost efficient advertising tools. Because we believe they have the ability to generate more advertising impressions than any other advertising medium available, we will be hiring three trucks to drive around high traffic areas such as Orchard Road to showcase that A&W is coming back to Singapore. We will feature our theme, â€Å"Bringing back the good old memories near you† to bring awareness to consumers that A&W is returning. Inside the truck, it will contain mini cans of A&W that we will be selling to the public.For every can purchased at $1, customers will get a free A&W balloon to show support for wanting to bring A&W back to Singapore. * Community Activities With the proceeds earned from the mini canned drinks, we will be donating 50% of the proceeds to poor families with low income. Since A&W is a family restaurant, we want to show the importance of family. Thus, A&W will donate proceeds of the earnings to people who deserve it to show our welfare and concern, and to show the community that A&W cares about the society. Sales PromotionThere are various sales promotional tools that A&W can make use of to introduce their come-back in Singapore and so to stimulate trial, repeat or larger purchases. To suit our â€Å"old school† theme campaign, we have decided to make use of 4 different sales promotional tools and they are namely coupons, contests/sweepstakes, price-off deal and frequency programs. Coupons will be distributed using social media website such as Facebook and twitter. A picture of the coupon will be posted on the official Facebook page of A&W and this coupon can be printed and will entitle them to 2 different benefits.On the day of the opening, consumers will be able to enjoy 10% off their total bill instantly upon flashing the coupon and after doing so, a bounce back coupons printed in black and white using old school design will also be given to these consumers in order to encourage repeat purchase. The reason of combining this 2 different method is because of our â€Å"old school† theme. Since our theme focuses on bringing back childhood memories of the consumers, it would be more appropriate if we can make use of traditional marketing method.However, we will be using a small part of social media as it has become increasingly popular among teenagers these day s that make it a much easier and cost-efficient way to reach out to our consumers. However, this promotion will only be valid for a month to introduce the comeback of A&W. Our price-off deals includes set meals which will be available at all times. Since our target audiences are families and our marketing idea is to bring back childhood memories, family set meals is definitely a must-have in our menu.A frequency program will also be combined together with a contest to encourage consumers to try out all the different product that is available on the menu. A frequency card will be issued on your first alacarte purchase and 10 different stamps would need to be collected in order to enjoy the benefit and so to participate in the contest. These 10 collectible stamps represent the different alacarte items; a stamp will be rewarded for each alacarte items being purchased. Collect all 10 different stamps and it will entitle customers to redeem a free â€Å"set meal of the week†.Upon redemption, personal data will need to be filled in at the back of the card to redeem their prizes. This can also be reference for our customer database. Personal Selling For our campaign, we will be having staffs going around the event areas to serve and answer any enquiries by our audience. For example, our staffs will explain to them the main objectives of this campaign and the main reason in bringing back A&W. These will actually nature relationships with customers by understanding their needs and demands. Not only that, we can solve their doubts and recommend ways to satisfy them.Also, our mascots will be going around interacting and bonding with the customers. Customers can take pictures with our mascots or even talk to it. After our campaign, more customers would be informed and will patronize our stores. This will actually brings popularity and publicity for A&W. Direct Marketing & Online Communication Flyers will be distributed to the public around neighbourhood and town ar eas. This will help increase the awareness of consumers that are shopping or staying nearby, giving them a heads-up of what’s going on around them.To ensure that these Flyers will not be treated as junk mail, a free ice-cream coupon will be attached to it. However, consumers can only redeem the free ice cream upon purchasing a set meal. Though our main focus is to publicize re-launching of A&W using outdoor, however there is also a need to use new media to reach out to the younger group of consumers who have not heard of A&W before. We will plan to reach out to them through the means of social media platforms such as facebook and twitter.We will post pictures about during A&W store renovation and what are the varieties of food that A&W will be offering to keep them updated and excited to A&W’s countdown. We will also set up a local A&W website so that the younger generations can find out more about us through this means of platform. Media Strategy & Media Mix (a) Adver tising Campaign With the results that we have obtained through our surveys, we have decided to come out with an advertising campaign for A&W with the objective of letting A&W bring back childhood memories and happiness back to our target audience.Our campaign tag line will be â€Å"A&W, bringing back the good old times. † This advertising campaign is to promote brand recall to our target audience that A&W is back to serve them their favourite Signature Root Beer Float, Curly Fries and their other specialties. We have decided to use local advertising as our aim is to bring A&W back to Singapore. Since our campaign objective and big idea is to bring back old memories, we will be using traditional media such as outdoor posters of media class and media vehicle as well to advertise on A&W will be coming back to Singapore.Media class is a broad category of media such as broadcast, print, outdoor, interactive and etc. Out of all these, we will be choosing outdoor prints advertisemen ts as many people are expecting to see A&W advertisements at outdoor places. Media vehicles will be at bus stops, train stations and even on buses. Thus, for bus stops, we will be having a simple advert of A&W's logo and campaign theme with a digital countdown system at the bottom of the poster, stating how many more days to A;W's re-opening.For train stations, we have decided to have our advert to be paste at Toa Payoh station as it is a district located in the central region of Singapore with many housing estates and facilities around them. Hence, it would be great for us to put our advertisements there as it is not that expensive compared to placing it at orchard and Toa Payoh is more of a family oriented place. So, it would be a win-win situation for us as not only could we save money but we would be able to reach out to our target audience which is families as well.Lastly, for buses, we have decided to check a few buses to have A&W's advertisement on them while inside of the bu s will have mini advertisement posters hanging on the poles where anybody who takes it will be given a 20% off when purchasing from A;W when they re-open in Singapore. Another media class that we will be choosing is television channels. As for the media vehicles will be television channels such as Channel 8 and Channel 5. The reason why we have chose these 2 channels is because people are expecting to see our advertisements on TV and Channel 5 ; 8 audience are mostly families.Hence, it matches with our target audience. Continuity scheduling technique will be used to re-reach to our target audience so that we can arouse more attention from the public. The television advertisement that we will be coming out with will be more family oriented, focusing on our theme of bringing back the good old times. There will be approximately 4 parts of the scene which depicts how A;W will bring back the good old times to consumers from the new technology world. It will also show howA;W will release their stressful life after visiting A;W where flashback of good old memories made their day a better one. Every week one scene will be played and at the end of the 4 weeks, it will be also the day where A;W re-open in Singapore. Though there are downsides of selecting these media tools such as high production cost and short exposure time but we are confident that with the correct location for our posters to be placed up at and with interesting television advertisement, we will be able to gain the response that we are targeting to achieve. b) Marketing Mix Strategies Product: People remember A;W for their unique root beer float over the years till now. Today, it has franchise locations throughout much of the world, serving a typical fast food menu of hamburgers and French fries, as well as hot dogs. One would be able to enjoy the unique and quality food served in A;W outlets at the same time creating/recalling memories of the past times at A;W. Not only that, A;W packaging colors of brown, white, orange and yellow also left an impactful impressions to their customers.Place: The place of our campaign will be all around Singapore but putting more focus at Toa Payoh as we are planning to re-open the A;W outlet there. The reason why we choose Toa Payoh is due to the high traffic flow of families around that area. They have many facilities like Safra, Swimming Complex, library, movie theatre and neighbourhood schools which would attract many school kids and families who visit Toa Payoh for their variety of facilities over there. Hence the selection of the location where our main campaign location will be along with the big poster of A;W reopening paste on the train station of Toa Payoh.Price: The price of A;W standard food combos will be approximately from $5 to $8. Prices are stated based on analysis of other competitors price and cost of product. Besides standard food combos which includes main course and their signature root beer float, A;W will also sell ala car t items such as their curly fries, burgers and others. Regular curly fries will be set at $2 will large curly fries will be $3. For their regular signature root beer float will be $2. 95 while large signature root beer float will be $3. 5 and jumbo signature root beer float for two will be charged at $4. 95. Promotion: During the campaign period, customers who visit A;W with the mini advertisement that they took from the busses will be entitled to a 20% discount on standard food combos purchased or a total bill of $5 and above. This promotion will last one month from the day of reopening of A;W at Toa Payoh. The promotion is created to attract the crowd back to A;W and also attention of the public. Campaign Budget | Description| Quantity| Duration| Pay rate| Total| Public Relations| | 1. | Trucks| 3| 3 hrs| $150/day| $450| 2. | Drivers (3hrs/day)| 3| 3 hrs| $15/hr| $135| 3. | Workers| 6| 3 hrs| $6/hr| $108| 4. | Donations| | | | $150| | Sales Promotion| | 5. | Printing of Coupons| 5 0,000| | | $1000| 6. | Coupon Value(Digital Coupon)| 50,000| | | $25,000| 7. | Production of Frequency Card| 50,000| | | $3000| | Direct Marketing| | 8. | Production of Flyers| 100,000| | | $2500| 9. | Flyer Distributor| 5 | 10 hours| $6/hr| $300| 10. | Mascot| 1| 8 hours| $8/hr| $64| | Advertising| | 1. | Poster Space: Toa Payoh MRT Station | 1| 2. 5 weeks| | $15,000| 12. | Poster Space: All Toa Payoh Bus Stops| | 2. 5 weeks| | $10,000| 13. | Advertising: Comfort Delgro| | 2. 5 weeks| | $8,000| 14. | Print Productions for posters etc. | | | | $30,000| 15. | TV commercial (15seconds)AirTime on Channel 8| 3 slots/day| 2 weeks| $500/time slot $1500/day| $21,000| 16. | TV commercial (15seconds)AirTime on Channel 5| 3 slots/day| 2 weeks| $500/time slot $1500/day| $21,000| | Total| $137,707| Round-Up Budget| $150,000| Marketing a & W Executive Summary A&W Restaurants, Inc. is a chain of fast-food restaurants that specialize in root beer and root beer floats. It is the first fast food restaurant in Singapore and expansion was fast in the early nineties, but in 2003, A&W’s Singapore operations came to an end. Many Singaporeans grew up eating A&W, and that is one reason why many people are protesting for it to make a comeback in Singapore. Hence, our campaign will draw an emotional appeal, focusing on the theme, â€Å"Bringing back the good old memories†.Based on this central theme, this report covers the Public Relations, Sales Promotions, Personal Selling, Direct Marketing and Budget proposed for the nature of our campaign. A survey was conducted and given out to 80 random applicants to find out more about what they think of the organisation. Online research was also done to examine some of the risks or problems faced in the marketplace, its potential, competition, unique selling advantages and A&Wâ €™s current positioning. Lastly, we have come up with creative strategies to enhance the advertising campaign. Bringing back the good old times† focuses on the old days so we will mainly be using traditional media to stay consistent to our theme. As many youngsters these days use social media to connect, we will also be using a few online methods to stay connected to the new generation. Lastly, putting into consideration the aspects of our personal selling, sales promotion, direct marketing and advertising costs, the proposed costing for the total campaign will be approximately $137,707. IMC Objectives * AdvertisingTo bring back A&W to Singapore by creating brand awareness through focussing on our central theme, â€Å"Bringing back the good old days† and to create the likeability of amongst 80% of our target audience. * Public Relations To create interest and maintain positive image for A&W by drawing as much publicity as possible, and gain huge exposure to reach ou t to our target audience with 30% additional publicity. * Sales promotion Uses price, coupons to help drive and increase attendance by 30% and to also encourage brand switching.Increase consumption and A&W’s sales by at least 3% and to add at least 5% to overall market share by 2015. Agency Introduction Based in Singapore, APG Advertising Pte Ltd was established in 1996 providing a comprehensive range of services. We take the task of understanding the business and propose attractive promotions or campaigns, tailored to your specific industry and budget. We also help clients and our teams put more creativity into campaign planning and capable of handling a variety of advertising for business of different natures.Our teams of professionals, armed with expert knowledge of current trends in the market, embark on providing refreshing marketing ideas to kick start your businesses. We service to not only the local market, but also have our global networks, particularly to Asia, such as Malaysia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. APG Advertising Agency possesses skilled employees who have combined experience of over 25 years servicing to the local and international industry. We are a fully accredited service agency.We have run print ads, bus advertisements, MRT advertisements, radio/television commercials, point of sales ads, marketing brochures, brand building and have even created websites. Some of the big firms who have used our services include Bank of China, Maybank, Hyflux, Serta, etc. Accreditations from well-known Institutions * Association of Accredited Advertising Agents, Singapore (4As) * Institute of Advertising, Singapore (IAS) * Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) * MediaCorp Singapore Group (MCS) Various Campaigns (Pls refer to Appendix) * Aberdeen * Realstar * Singapore International (Motor Show) * Natas TravelBackground Research Client’s Background A&W Restaurants, Inc. was established in 1919 in Lodi, California, United States. It is a chain of fast-food restaurants that specialize in root beer and root beer floats. The name A&W came about from the surname of the initials Roy W. Allen and Frank Wright. Hence, started the company’s humble beginnings, as A&W. The first fast food restaurant in Singapore was not McDonald’s or KFC, it was A&W. The chain’s expansion was fast in the early nineties, but in the late nineties, the branch at Singapore Zoo closed down, leaving Singapore with seven outlets remaining in 2002.A year later, A&W’s Singapore operations came to an end after shutting down their last outlet at Hougang Heartland Mall. Being the first fast food restaurant in Singapore, A&W left a huge impact on many Singaporeans as they grew up eating A&W. Long before MacDonald, KFC and Burger King came into the picture, it was the most favourite among the teens. It was seen to be â€Å"cool† hanging out in A&W restaurant. Whether it was an easy takeaway (A&W drive through), i ndulging in fast food, or giving a good treat to pamper oneself, A&W was always there. Hence, many Singaporeans yearn for A&W to make a comeback.On Facebook, there are many pages created by fans, called â€Å"Like to bring back A&W in Singapore†, â€Å"Bring back A&W restaurant in Singapore† and many other pages that support A&W into coming back to Singapore. The pages have over 18,000 likes and every now and then, fans would post comments on the wall asking when they are making a comeback or why have they left. Whenever Singaporeans visit Malaysia or Batam, the first thing they think of is to visit the nearest A&W restaurant as well. This shows evidence that A&W has left a huge impression despite drowning due to intense competition.Demand is undoubtedly high and the memories A&W created for its customers is so strong that people are protesting for it to come back until today. Situation Analysis Problems/Risks faced in the Marketplace a) Problems * Viewed as â€Å"Unh ealthy Junk Food† Being a fast food restaurant chain, A&W is perceived as unhealthy and customers may see it as â€Å"just another fast food restaurant†. Because their menu contains fatty food such as Burger, Chicken, Hot Dogs, French Fries, Nuggets, Ice Cream, Milkshakes etc, it may turn customers off as they do not provide a variety of healthy alternative options.Being a family oriented restaurant, it is important that A&W first convince adults or parents to choose their dining experience to be at A&W because they are the ones that have the buying power to bring their children to the restaurant. Hence, if adults or parents are convinced that the food offered by A&W is generally unhealthy or simply seen as â€Å"junk food†, they will not consider bringing their family to dine there regularly, unless for rare treats. * Considered relatively small compared to competitors In 2003, A&W was acquired by YUM! Brands.Currently for A&W, there are over 1,200 restaurants i ncluding 350 international stores in 16 countries and territories. Comparing this figure to other YUM! ’s flagship stores, KFC has about 17,000 restaurants worldwide. McDonald’s has over 34,000 stores worldwide, while Subway has 35,000 locations around the world. With contrast to the other competitors, A&W is relatively small. b) Risks * Of being shut down due to fierce competitions In 1966, A&W launched their first business at Dunearn Road, near the former University of Singapore’s Bukit Timah Campus.The chain was expanding fast, but due to fierce competitions from other fast food competitors, it eventually closed down in 2003. Thus, it is a risk to bring back A&W to Singapore as it has been shut down previously due to intense competition. * Of having inability to handle high cost due to small size Given A&W’s size, there is a risk of the company not being able to handle the high cost as compared to competitors. Because they are relatively small in compa rison to other fast food chain outlets, food inventory, logistics, transportation and other cost may come in as an issue while for ompetitors it is not an issue as they already have many outlets spread in Singapore. Potential The first A&W store opened in Singapore in 1966. Back then, people were more conservative and health conscious which led to one of the reasons why A&W closed down in Singapore in the early 2000s. However, times have changed. Singaporeans these days are much affluent than they used to be. The younger generation is more career-oriented and this leads to more people eating out as they often work overtime. In the current fast-paced society, demand for more  convenient meals is also increasing.Although awareness of the importance of proper diet increased, fast-food, snacks and soft-drink  consumption is also still on the rise. Wendy’s was first in Singapore during the 1980s. Not long before their opening, Wendy’s faced the same issue as A&W due to intense competition and as a result, collapsed and shut down their outlet which was operating at Far East Plaza and Parkway Parade. However, in 2009, the US fast chain reopened in Singapore at Lau Pa Sat in the Central Business District. Since then, they have grown and just recently opened their 11th restaurant at Jurong East MRT Station.Therefore, despite failing in the earlier years, they manage to make a successful comeback and A&W should perhaps make a comeback too. Wendy’s comeback shows evidence that there is potential in the rise of fast food chain outlets. Competition AW operates in the product category of fast food sandwich chains, which is highly competitive and developed. Today,  the three giants in the local fast-food business are McDonald's,  Kentucky Fried Chicken and Burger King, with McDonald's leading the pack. A&W simply cannot compete with the thousands of stores their rivals have world-wide.Although AW does not have the number of units or financial res ources that some of its competitors have now, they do have good brand recognition since they bring about childhood memories to Singaporeans. (i) MacDonald The number of people who thronged  MacDonald’s first outlet opening was so large;  a world record was set for serving the world's highest volume of hamburgers in a single day. Today, McDonald has over 120 restaurants across the island serve 1. 2 million customers every week. Around 9,000 employees keep the McDonald's restaurants running ship-shape.The popular chain is well-known for its Big Macs, Quarter Pounders, and Chicken McNuggets. Most of the outlets are free-standing units offering dine-in and drive-through service. Today one can  find a McDonald's restaurant  in almost every corner of the island and over 40 operating as 24hours stores. About 80% of the restaurants are run by franchisees or affiliates. (ii) Burger King BURGER KING commenced operations in Singapore since 1982 through the opening of its first r estaurant at Peninsula Plaza. Over the years, Burger King Singapore Pte. Ltd. perates more than 40 restaurants in Singapore where customers across the island city can enjoy the great and healthy flame-grilled taste of their products. Providing customers with a great dining experience in the areas of convenience, excellent service and friendly surroundings is and also for the wide and unique menu options is what Burger King achieved. In addition to its popular Whopper sandwich, the chain offers a selection of burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, and breakfast items, along with beverages, desserts, and sides. (iii) KFCKFC is the leader in the chicken segment in the Singapore Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry. There are over 15,000  KFC  outlets in 105 countries and territories around the world. Upon entering every KFC outlets, one will be captivated by the chicken’s aroma. At KFC, they offer high quality and great tasting food in a popular array of complete meals such as Daily Savers Meals, Snackers and Family Feast that enable the whole family to share a fun and satisfying experience with all the affordability and convenience of a fast food restaurant.The popular chain is well known for its fried chicken and its various incarnations – chicken burgers, drumlets, nuggets, ‘popcorn' chicken. The chicken comes in various flavours – original, spicy, crispy. Unique Selling Advantages * World’s No. 1 Root Beer A;W Root Beer is the world's number one selling root beer float and is still mixed fresh daily and sold at hundreds of A&W restaurants. Customers dine at A&W to enjoy their signature products like root beers floats, deep fried cheese curds  and waffles. Long Heritage When people talk about A&W in Singapore, they think of the past and memories because it is the first fast food restaurant in Singapore. Hence, the history behind A&W is a unique selling point as people will always remember A&W as they grew up eating it. Till now, they are still making memories and All American Food. Having a strong history over the brand A&W, is what other competitors can’t achieved. Current Positioning Over the years, A&W has position themselves as a childhood fast food brand.Some positioning strategy that A&W has adopted will be emotional, functional and promotional. The emotional positioning strongly taps into boomers’ memories of their youth at A&W, with the objective of creating smiles and reminisce. The functional positioning focuses on the simple indulgence of a great burger just like it was in 1956. The promotional positioning reflects great value for a premium product. A&W focus their efforts on baby boomers— a market virtually ignored by the other fast-food chains.This group, born between 1946 and 1964, grew up with A&W drive-ins. The brand truly represents their youth and the simple joys that came along with it. We want to bring back memories of these boomers having countless â€Å" firsts† at A&W growing up: their first trip to a fast-food restaurant, â€Å"graduating† to their first Teen Burger, going out on their first date, driving their first car— these were all very important and rich memories. It was clear that A&W is one of the few brands that have the right to align themselves with these milestones in boomers’ lives.We feel that the current positioning is strong and we believe it would work out for our objectives of our campaign. This insight became the basis for an important element of our campaign. IMC Strategies Overall Theme/Big Idea To bring back the fast food chain that Singaporeans grew up loving, focussing on our central theme, â€Å"Bringing back the good old days†. * Creative Direction The advertising appeal that we would use to attract the attention of consumers will be through emotional appeal because emotional appeal will be easier for us to relate our BIG IDEA and campaign to our target group.The way our big idea will be conveyed to consumers will be through slice of life execution as it is able to portray a real life situation that consumers may face daily. As our big idea is to bring back the good old times to consumer who patronize A&W on their re-opening, our advertising video will be about a man who had a hard time at work as his job pile stacks higher and higher but when he walk into A&W and drink their signature root beer float, flash back of the good times he had appeared in his brain making his frown and stressful face to turn into a wide smile, enjoying the moment.Public Relations * Publicity Vehicles Vehicle wraps is one of the most cost efficient advertising tools. Because we believe they have the ability to generate more advertising impressions than any other advertising medium available, we will be hiring three trucks to drive around high traffic areas such as Orchard Road to showcase that A&W is coming back to Singapore. We will feature our theme, â€Å"Bringing back the good old memories near you† to bring awareness to consumers that A&W is returning. Inside the truck, it will contain mini cans of A&W that we will be selling to the public.For every can purchased at $1, customers will get a free A&W balloon to show support for wanting to bring A&W back to Singapore. * Community Activities With the proceeds earned from the mini canned drinks, we will be donating 50% of the proceeds to poor families with low income. Since A&W is a family restaurant, we want to show the importance of family. Thus, A&W will donate proceeds of the earnings to people who deserve it to show our welfare and concern, and to show the community that A&W cares about the society. Sales PromotionThere are various sales promotional tools that A&W can make use of to introduce their come-back in Singapore and so to stimulate trial, repeat or larger purchases. To suit our â€Å"old school† theme campaign, we have decided to make use of 4 different sales promotional tools and they are namely coupons, contests/sweepstakes, price-off deal and frequency programs. Coupons will be distributed using social media website such as Facebook and twitter. A picture of the coupon will be posted on the official Facebook page of A&W and this coupon can be printed and will entitle them to 2 different benefits.On the day of the opening, consumers will be able to enjoy 10% off their total bill instantly upon flashing the coupon and after doing so, a bounce back coupons printed in black and white using old school design will also be given to these consumers in order to encourage repeat purchase. The reason of combining this 2 different method is because of our â€Å"old school† theme. Since our theme focuses on bringing back childhood memories of the consumers, it would be more appropriate if we can make use of traditional marketing method.However, we will be using a small part of social media as it has become increasingly popular among teenagers these day s that make it a much easier and cost-efficient way to reach out to our consumers. However, this promotion will only be valid for a month to introduce the comeback of A&W. Our price-off deals includes set meals which will be available at all times. Since our target audiences are families and our marketing idea is to bring back childhood memories, family set meals is definitely a must-have in our menu.A frequency program will also be combined together with a contest to encourage consumers to try out all the different product that is available on the menu. A frequency card will be issued on your first alacarte purchase and 10 different stamps would need to be collected in order to enjoy the benefit and so to participate in the contest. These 10 collectible stamps represent the different alacarte items; a stamp will be rewarded for each alacarte items being purchased. Collect all 10 different stamps and it will entitle customers to redeem a free â€Å"set meal of the week†.Upon redemption, personal data will need to be filled in at the back of the card to redeem their prizes. This can also be reference for our customer database. Personal Selling For our campaign, we will be having staffs going around the event areas to serve and answer any enquiries by our audience. For example, our staffs will explain to them the main objectives of this campaign and the main reason in bringing back A&W. These will actually nature relationships with customers by understanding their needs and demands. Not only that, we can solve their doubts and recommend ways to satisfy them.Also, our mascots will be going around interacting and bonding with the customers. Customers can take pictures with our mascots or even talk to it. After our campaign, more customers would be informed and will patronize our stores. This will actually brings popularity and publicity for A&W. Direct Marketing & Online Communication Flyers will be distributed to the public around neighbourhood and town ar eas. This will help increase the awareness of consumers that are shopping or staying nearby, giving them a heads-up of what’s going on around them.To ensure that these Flyers will not be treated as junk mail, a free ice-cream coupon will be attached to it. However, consumers can only redeem the free ice cream upon purchasing a set meal. Though our main focus is to publicize re-launching of A&W using outdoor, however there is also a need to use new media to reach out to the younger group of consumers who have not heard of A&W before. We will plan to reach out to them through the means of social media platforms such as facebook and twitter.We will post pictures about during A&W store renovation and what are the varieties of food that A&W will be offering to keep them updated and excited to A&W’s countdown. We will also set up a local A&W website so that the younger generations can find out more about us through this means of platform. Media Strategy & Media Mix (a) Adver tising Campaign With the results that we have obtained through our surveys, we have decided to come out with an advertising campaign for A&W with the objective of letting A&W bring back childhood memories and happiness back to our target audience.Our campaign tag line will be â€Å"A&W, bringing back the good old times. † This advertising campaign is to promote brand recall to our target audience that A&W is back to serve them their favourite Signature Root Beer Float, Curly Fries and their other specialties. We have decided to use local advertising as our aim is to bring A&W back to Singapore. Since our campaign objective and big idea is to bring back old memories, we will be using traditional media such as outdoor posters of media class and media vehicle as well to advertise on A&W will be coming back to Singapore.Media class is a broad category of media such as broadcast, print, outdoor, interactive and etc. Out of all these, we will be choosing outdoor prints advertisemen ts as many people are expecting to see A&W advertisements at outdoor places. Media vehicles will be at bus stops, train stations and even on buses. Thus, for bus stops, we will be having a simple advert of A&W's logo and campaign theme with a digital countdown system at the bottom of the poster, stating how many more days to A;W's re-opening.For train stations, we have decided to have our advert to be paste at Toa Payoh station as it is a district located in the central region of Singapore with many housing estates and facilities around them. Hence, it would be great for us to put our advertisements there as it is not that expensive compared to placing it at orchard and Toa Payoh is more of a family oriented place. So, it would be a win-win situation for us as not only could we save money but we would be able to reach out to our target audience which is families as well.Lastly, for buses, we have decided to check a few buses to have A&W's advertisement on them while inside of the bu s will have mini advertisement posters hanging on the poles where anybody who takes it will be given a 20% off when purchasing from A;W when they re-open in Singapore. Another media class that we will be choosing is television channels. As for the media vehicles will be television channels such as Channel 8 and Channel 5. The reason why we have chose these 2 channels is because people are expecting to see our advertisements on TV and Channel 5 ; 8 audience are mostly families.Hence, it matches with our target audience. Continuity scheduling technique will be used to re-reach to our target audience so that we can arouse more attention from the public. The television advertisement that we will be coming out with will be more family oriented, focusing on our theme of bringing back the good old times. There will be approximately 4 parts of the scene which depicts how A;W will bring back the good old times to consumers from the new technology world. It will also show howA;W will release their stressful life after visiting A;W where flashback of good old memories made their day a better one. Every week one scene will be played and at the end of the 4 weeks, it will be also the day where A;W re-open in Singapore. Though there are downsides of selecting these media tools such as high production cost and short exposure time but we are confident that with the correct location for our posters to be placed up at and with interesting television advertisement, we will be able to gain the response that we are targeting to achieve. b) Marketing Mix Strategies Product: People remember A;W for their unique root beer float over the years till now. Today, it has franchise locations throughout much of the world, serving a typical fast food menu of hamburgers and French fries, as well as hot dogs. One would be able to enjoy the unique and quality food served in A;W outlets at the same time creating/recalling memories of the past times at A;W. Not only that, A;W packaging colors of brown, white, orange and yellow also left an impactful impressions to their customers.Place: The place of our campaign will be all around Singapore but putting more focus at Toa Payoh as we are planning to re-open the A;W outlet there. The reason why we choose Toa Payoh is due to the high traffic flow of families around that area. They have many facilities like Safra, Swimming Complex, library, movie theatre and neighbourhood schools which would attract many school kids and families who visit Toa Payoh for their variety of facilities over there. Hence the selection of the location where our main campaign location will be along with the big poster of A;W reopening paste on the train station of Toa Payoh.Price: The price of A;W standard food combos will be approximately from $5 to $8. Prices are stated based on analysis of other competitors price and cost of product. Besides standard food combos which includes main course and their signature root beer float, A;W will also sell ala car t items such as their curly fries, burgers and others. Regular curly fries will be set at $2 will large curly fries will be $3. For their regular signature root beer float will be $2. 95 while large signature root beer float will be $3. 5 and jumbo signature root beer float for two will be charged at $4. 95. Promotion: During the campaign period, customers who visit A;W with the mini advertisement that they took from the busses will be entitled to a 20% discount on standard food combos purchased or a total bill of $5 and above. This promotion will last one month from the day of reopening of A;W at Toa Payoh. The promotion is created to attract the crowd back to A;W and also attention of the public. Campaign Budget | Description| Quantity| Duration| Pay rate| Total| Public Relations| | 1. | Trucks| 3| 3 hrs| $150/day| $450| 2. | Drivers (3hrs/day)| 3| 3 hrs| $15/hr| $135| 3. | Workers| 6| 3 hrs| $6/hr| $108| 4. | Donations| | | | $150| | Sales Promotion| | 5. | Printing of Coupons| 5 0,000| | | $1000| 6. | Coupon Value(Digital Coupon)| 50,000| | | $25,000| 7. | Production of Frequency Card| 50,000| | | $3000| | Direct Marketing| | 8. | Production of Flyers| 100,000| | | $2500| 9. | Flyer Distributor| 5 | 10 hours| $6/hr| $300| 10. | Mascot| 1| 8 hours| $8/hr| $64| | Advertising| | 1. | Poster Space: Toa Payoh MRT Station | 1| 2. 5 weeks| | $15,000| 12. | Poster Space: All Toa Payoh Bus Stops| | 2. 5 weeks| | $10,000| 13. | Advertising: Comfort Delgro| | 2. 5 weeks| | $8,000| 14. | Print Productions for posters etc. | | | | $30,000| 15. | TV commercial (15seconds)AirTime on Channel 8| 3 slots/day| 2 weeks| $500/time slot $1500/day| $21,000| 16. | TV commercial (15seconds)AirTime on Channel 5| 3 slots/day| 2 weeks| $500/time slot $1500/day| $21,000| | Total| $137,707| Round-Up Budget| $150,000|

Curbing Examination Malpractices in Nigerian Educational Assessment Essay

The paper examines the role or intervention of guidance and counseling in curbing examination malpractice in Nigerian educational assessment among all the stake holders in education industry. Counseling can be of much interventional assistance in bringing re-orientation of students, teachers, the school and the society. Also provides social, orientational and psychological counseling as an antidote for examination malpractice in Nigeria. Therefore, this paper dwells on concept of guidance and counseling, what examination malpractice is all about, and exposes the causes and an overview of background of examination malpractice in Nigeria is discussed. Similarly, the social effects of examination malpractice is discussed as it affects the political, moral, socio-economic of the nation and conclude with suggestion and solutions through counseling intervention so as to protect the validity and sanctity of examination in Nigeria All over the world examination is considered very important in educational system. By means of it, learners are formally measured and placements are made based on the results accrued from it. In Nigeria, education has been adopted as an instrument for meaningful national development. Therefore, government, communities, private organizations, and individuals have established educational institutions with a view to training the citizens for the development of the nation’s physical and human resources. In these institutions, teaching and guidance services are supposed to take place so that appropriate skills and knowledge can be acquired by the learners. Furthermore, machinery through which the extent of knowledge and skill acquisition is determined at each stage of learning has been set up. This is in form of examination which would be organized in order to evaluate, assess, place and test knowledge and skills. The outcome of the examination is used as a basis for decision making on the examinee’s ability. In view of the exceeding importance attached to examination at national and international levels, examinations are seen as an activity that should be executed well. Learners in Nigeria see examination as activities that should be successfully carried out if future is assured. Thus, there are many instances where there are tendencies to pass examination at all costs. These trends and phenomena really called for concerns from all Quarters including the professional guidance counselors. Educational Guidance as seenbyEncarta(2009),a process of helping students to achieve the self-understanding and self-direction necessary to make informed choices and move toward personal goals. Guidance focuses on the complete development of individual students through a series of services designed to maximize school learning, stimulate career development, and respond to the personal and social concerns that inhibit individual growth. Although guidance activities are usually associated with educational professionals known as counselors, educational guidance is actually a cooperative enterprise involving the participation of teachers, administrators, other educational specialists, and parents. Similarly, Egbule (2002) puts the concept of Guidance and Counseling as a helping service in the understanding of the factors or events that led to the conceptual evolution of it as a subject matter, a professional discipline and indeed a helping service. Meanwhile, he submitted further that it is these factors that are responsible for its popularization as helping service and subsequent use in resolving various educational, vocational and socio-personal problems of individual in the society. Some of the factors according to Egbule, (2002) include: * Traditional practices relating to advising * Civilization in modern society and problems associated with it * Development in the field of psychology and philosophy * Educational development * Socio-political developments * Different behavior problems of individuals that require counseling, among others. Ipaye, (1983) in Abdu, (2007) define guidance and counseling as a helping service that provides the atmosphere as well as the setting within a professional counselor can help a person (client) or a group of person in terms of resolving educational, vocational and personal-social problems. It is also the process of assisting the individuals acquire, get acquainted with and becoming aware of the opportunities in the personal, social, educational and vocational world. This is with a view to experiencing and exploring various interventional communication roles. No doubt, counseling has a long interventional role to play by virtue of its significant relevance in curbing examination malpractices in Nigerian educational society as the comprehensive services would bring about positive attitudinal change in individuals thus creating an opportunity to operate in an atmosphere free from corruption and tension. Administration of examination has generally been associated with the problem of cheating, otherwise known as examination malpractice. Examination malpractice has been defined in various ways. Imogie (2001) in Umar A and et al (2009) maintain that it involves wrong doing before, during or after an examination by candidates and sometimes invigilators, supervisors, typists, printer, or group whose actions give a candidate or group of candidates an undue advantage in an examination. It is also seen as an improper and dishonest act associated with examination with a view to obtaining unmerited advantage, while WAEC itself consider examination as any irregular behavior exhibited by candidates or anybody charge with the responsibility of conducting examination in or outside the examination hall, before, during or after examination. (WAEC, 2003) It could be deduced that examination malpractice is all round irregularities associated with the conduct of examination. Since human beings have always been conscious of human ability and efficiency in the area of appointments or promotions, examinations of different form or standard have been with mankind in the course of human evolution. Examination has along history in the world as reported by Pratt (1980) in Umar G, Mburza A, Bulama K, (2009) that examination malpractices was first noticed over 3000 years ago in the famous Chinese Civil Service and regulations which include death penalty for both the guilty students and examiners. Olowu, (2006) in Nnachi, (2009) added that from China, formal examination spread to different parts of the world. By the middle of the 19th century, competitive examinations were introduced in Britain and India for the selection of government officials. Corrupt practices in examination in Nigeria dated back to the pre-independence. According to various sources, the first publicly reported case of examination malpractices was in 1914, when the question papers of the Senior Cambridge Local Examination were reportedly seen by the candidates before the date of the examination. Since then, there have been incessant cases of irregularities reported on annual basis, the outstanding years were 1963, 1967, 1970, 1973, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1991, 1994 to 2003 (WAEC, 2004) the major features of the examination malpractices reported were: impersonation, smuggling in foreign materials, slot in, stealing, converting, collusion in examination hall, mass cheating, mass organized cheating, unlawful assistance from teachers and outsiders and insult on supervisors. This ugly phenomenon is inimical to academic and social development and it needs to be addressed drastically. The incidence of examination malpractices over the years has become so alarming in both public and private institutions despite various sanctions employed. Examination malpractices have in recent years remained one of the disturbing phenomenons in educational institutions in Nigeria. The trend which takes different dimensions and forms has become alarming especially in higher institution of learning. It is not limited to internal examination prepared by schools, colleges, polytechnics, and universities, but it has gone up to external examinations such as WAEC, NECO, UTME, NTI, NABTEB, and professional examinations. The situation became embarrassing to the nation that the Federal Military Government had to promulgate Decree20 to deal with it. Part of the provision of the Decree reads: Any person who fraudulently or with intent to cheat or secure any unfair advantage to himself or any person or in abuse of his office, produces, sells or buy, or otherwise deals with any question paper intended for the examination of persons at any examination or commit any of the offence specified in section 3 (27) (c) of this Decree, shall be guilty of an offence and on conviction be sentence to 21 years imprisonment. However, Examination Malpractices Act 33 of 1999 reversed the above Decree but stipulates punishment ranging from a fine of N50, 000 to N100, 000 and imprisonment for a term of 3-4 years with or without option of fine. It is regretful to note that this is a toothless bulldog as none of these penalties has been fully implemented, if at all they are implemented.