Company called Bookshop Essay

1. Introduction 1. 1 Background The company that I have chosen to do my project on is a small book distribution company called Bookshop. Bookshop is a small company based in South London and was set up in early 2002. They have a small workforce of 4 people. Each person therefore has a large and important role to the company. Each worker is always hard pushed to meet deadlines for schools and social centres demanding books. Because that are a small company they cannot afford to have large computer staff to look after al their accounts. They are limited to the time that they can spend on different tasks. Each day they deal with a round i 1000 worth of orders, but this might vary to as much as i 4500 or as little as i 500. The director of the company has put in a large lump sum as a loan to start off the company, which she hopes will trunk into profits, which she will later recoup. 1. 2 Statement of the problem I have conducted an interview with the director of the company and we encountered the following problems.   Because the bookshop is new, there are many things that could go wrong and caused bankruptcy. There is the fact that the company has no real image and cannot conduct rely on customers. Therefore they need to profit maximise. They need all staff working to their full potential. They need no wastes of time with things that can be done automatically.   Also with the small amount of money available to them they had o make do with old computers, which ran old computer programs that are DOS based. The problem that ABC Books as a company has is that it is limited to the workforce that it ca spend on different tasks. Therefore time is a major part of what is wrong. If there were a way that was quicker than the current way to do it then the time taken by each person would be greatly reduced and there may be a chance that each person would have more time to do other jobs. For example two people handle all the accounts.   If there were an easier way then they might only need 1 person and therefore there would be an extra person left over to do other work. Because of a shortage of time that they spend on the accounts, orders don’t get delivered and because it is a small business, it needs all the orders it can get and any a late order and schools will look to other suppliers. This was picked up on by Pat Horsefield (director) when a meeting was held to discuss the problems with the system. Mrs. Horsefield feels that:   with the introduction of a computer accounts system,   a system that can process customer orders faster and more accurately,   a reduction in the amount of paper generated by the system and feels that a â€Å"centralised† system could improve communication between staff, then the whole company will run more smoothly and then they would make more money and she would start going in to profit. As the company is new they have not got enough capital to go out and but fleets of vans and cars, they have to rely on people own cars and transport of that of a delivery company which all costs money. Because of this they need to save money on expensive large especially designed programs by large specialist company’s that produce such programs. 2. Investigation 2. 1 The current system The current system that the company use is a spreadsheet package that was created 17 years ago and is therefore quite basic and not easy use for all the staff that are used to more modern forms of spreadsheets. At the moment as each school places an order, it has to go through a processing system that takes a long time to fill out. Input Processing Output Forename Surname Position School Address Home Phone Mobile Books ordered Total Price Paid Payment method This is the route that the current data takes. 2. 2 Constraints of the Current system The format of the current accounting system is in DOS and therefore has no GUI that is useable to a user for formats like EXCEL. The software and hardware are old and need to be replaced. That main one is that it is not like the new accounts systems such as EXCEL and SAGE Line 100. There are many problems encountered when external people wish to view the accounts i. e. Auditors.   Another problem is that when outside people wish to review the accounts, they are totally unfamiliar with the system and are not able to use it correctly. This is mainly because of the layout and the basic look of the interface. There is one major problem with the actual system and that is that it does not automatically perform calculations. Therefore all calculations need to be done using a calculator. This is time consuming. If there were a way that the users could just put in numbers and the computer could automatically calculate the totals and the answers the user would have more time to do other things.   Due to the lack of complexity of the system, errors are often made. 3. Requirements of the new system 3. 1 General objectives The general objectives that I hope to be able to achieve are:   To create an up-to-date system that can be easily used by the staff and new staff   To be based on a modern GUI that all users will understand. To make it self explanatory so that new users will be able to pick up the methods quickly.   It will need o be able to hold the company’s accounts   There will be no need for passwords to any of the data, as no strict personal data is held on the computer 3. 2 Specific objectives – quantitative Customer accounts should be found in less then 20 seconds   The user should be able to locate a page by using in the click of a button.   All users should be able to use the system to do accounts.   Customer Details should be able to be printed off at the click of a button. There should be buttons to do all reasonable jobs (print/open/add) All pages should have links back to all the other pages, with the click of a macro and should be clearly labelled. 4. The current systems 4. 1 Hardware The hardware that is available to the users is a small LAN of 4 computers and a server. All the computers have a barcode scanner for scanning in book barcode numbers and ISBN’s. The computers that I have available for me to use are a set of 5 networked PC’s at my house of which one has a barcode scanner. At college there is a large number of networked PC’s for pupils use.    Intel Pentium 4 Processor Processor Speed: 2. 0 GHz All 5 of the PCs that I have available to me at my house are all the same. (see above) 4. 2 Software The software that the user has available is Microsoft Windows 95 professional edition with Office 95 and all relevant software for the barcode scanners and for the tele-book ordering. What I have available to use is Microsoft XP professional with Office 2000 which has excel, which I’m using to create the new spreadsheet program 4. 3 User’s IT skills and knowledge I feel that the users ICT knowledge and skills are limited to what they can do. They are inexperienced in computer use and therefore they have not developed, because of this there will need to be a basic and informative and self-explanatory interface. I think that the interface will need to be bold and relevant to the tasks. The user manual will have basic information in using the system as well as a trouble shooting section. 1. Consideration of a possible solution There are many different packages that I could use to create an accounts program there is Sage Line100, which is widely used in large company businesses. There is also Microsoft own Excel, which is widely used, in smaller businesses. I am going to use excel to create the program because it is the most commonly available and is therefore the best choice to use. I think that it is also the easiest to use out of the two because many people use the program already and have a basic knowledge of the program already and how it works. It is also a lot clearer to see than the basic graphics of Line100. there is also the case that Excel is cheaper to buy than a copy of Sage Line100. at i 250, Line100 is rather too expensive for a small company. I feel that with the cheaper, only i 89. 99 Excel they will have a better deal on their hands.   

CCOT Essay Europe America Africa Essay

The Renaissance in Western Europe marked the end of the Middle Ages and the start of Europe’s rise as a global power. The various States in Western Europe became more centralized, and monarchs exercised more control over their subjects. Christopher Columbus’s voyage to America and his return truly began the new age of exploration for Europe. This New World discovery greatly altered the lives of Native Americans, forcing them to live with colonists and people they had never been in contact with. Meanwhile, Prince Henry’s expeditions opened up new opportunities for trade in Africa. Through the period of 1492-1750, many things changed but parts of life stayed the same such as the European domination and the presence of trade in Africa. New contacts among Western Europe, Africa, and the Americas, however, led to interaction that has evolved greatly over the span of time. The new contacts and increased trade directly cause the rise in power in the Middle-Class in Europe. Throughout the feudal period, the control of the power and wealth was in the hands of the Nobles. As trade with Africa and the Americas increased, however, a new merchant class rose. As the new class became wealthier, they began to agitate for political power, sparking large battle like the 1789 French Revolution. The social changes in the Americas were unprecedented. The diseases brought over that the Europeans were so used to like measles and smallpox decimated the Native Americans because they had no previous contact with those illnesses. One example of this is when disease infested blankets were gifted to the Aztecs by Hernan Cortez during his quest to conquer them. These tactics were then later used to take down the Incas. Native Americans were suppressed into being slaves and or servants to the Europeans. A similar trend occurred in North America. Unlike the Aztecs or Incas, North American natives were decentralized, and loosely organized by tribes. Columbus’s initial subjugation of the Haitians, forcing them to mine gold, set a precedent for future domination. Africa was greatly affected by the slave trade. Large, constant amounts of labor were needed on the Spanish and Portuguese sugarcane plantations, and Native American populations were often unable or unwilling to work as slaves. Especially after Bartolome de las Casas’s campaign against the enslavement of Native Americans, the Europeans were desperate another source of cheap labor. Because of this, the Atlantic slave trade began, beginning a long and cruel period of time where as many as 12 million slaves for transported from Africa to the Americas. This mass slave trade had both positive and negative effects on African society. Although slavery was cruel and abusive, the money some empires acquired from working with the Europeans enabled them to create stronger relations and improve overall. Despite the massive change taking place, there were various aspects of life that stayed the same. In Western Europe, the large gap between the rich and the poor was still present; even though a stronger and more powerful middle class had developed, the power was still in the hands of an elite tier of people. Literally every West Europe country was controlled by a monarchy, with barely any representation. In Britain for example, only 2% of the population could vote due to restrictions and laws. In the Americas, many tribes were still able to keep their traditional way of life. Usually, tribes unsettled by the British settlers in North America migrated westward, and since the French had yet to take control of the Louisiana Territory, they were free to continue with their traditional methods. Africa was still almost completely free. It wasn’t until the 1880’s that Africa started to become majorly colonized. Though they were less powerful than the Western Europeans, the African nations remained independent and were directly reliant on trade In conclusion; the interaction between Western Europe, Africa, and the Americas resulted in both change and continuity. A major trend that is irreversible was the newfound connection between regions. Columbus joined the New World with Europe, creating a strong relationship that still stands today. Therefore, interaction between 1492 and 1750 set a precedent for future actions.

Tapal Tea Pvt. Limited: Report

COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Sahiwal Campus Tapal Tea (Pvt) Limited ADVISOR: MR. MUZHAR JAVED Lecturer Submitted By: MUHAMMAD AHSAN RAZA CIIT/FA08-MBA-012/SWL COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Sahiwal 520-B Jail Road, Sahiwal, and Tel: 040-9200100, Fax: 040-9200102 Acknowledgement ? ? ? ? ? Countless thanks to ALLAH Almighty for giving me such extraordinary abilities and making me privileged enough to take part in such activities and all respects and regards to Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) for giving me the faith paving me on the right path with the essence of faith in GOD. I would like to thank our Supervisor Mr. Muzhar Javed for his cooperation and help. He fully supported me throughout my work. I express my heartiest gratitude to him. His cooperation made this project a lot much easier. I would also like to express my heartiest gratitude to: Mr. Muhammad Naeem Khan, Regional Sales Manager, Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. Mr. Muhammad Kashif, Zonal Sales Manager, Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. Mr. Fakhar Ayub Raja, Territory Sales Officer, Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. Bundle of thanks to my parents, who were and are very supportive and cooperative at every time. Table of Contents Executive Summary3 TAPAL TEA4 History of Tapal Tea4 VISION5 Mission6 Business Operation9 Company Management9 Organizational Chart of Islamabad Region13 Corporate Information14 SWOT Analysis15 Marketing Strategy24 MARKETING MIX28 Competitive Strategy32 Business Process Analysis37 Learning as an Internee48 Duties49 Accomplishments51 New Knowledge Acquired54 Problem Encountered54 How Experience Impacts My Career54 CONCLUSION55 Glossary56 References57 Index58 Executive Summary From the dimmest of history when around 2727 B. C. few leaves of a wild shrub tea blew into the royal bowl of boiling water being sipped by the legendary Emperor Shah Nung, known as the Divine Husbander as well as a patron of arts. Tapal Tea here brought tea from the royal bowl to the common man's cups as the most sought after beverage the country over. Under the management of the founder's son, Faizullah A. Tapal, the company continued to grow and innovate. Currently it is being managed by the fo under's grandson, Aftab F. Tapal who has continued giving further strength to the foundations of quality laid by his family. After studying abroad, Aftab F. Tapal returned to introduce professional management and unique production ideas into the business. His progressive outlook resulted in the total automation of the tea plants in Karachi. Their motto â€Å"Never Compromise on Quality† remains the by word on the lips of all engaged in producing Tapal Tea that has resulted in customer's brand loyalty and their unflinching addiction. The testimony of their quality has made them the first tea company in Pakistan to earn the ISO-9001:2000 Quality Certificates. Pioneer of the Danedar category in Pakistan, Tapal's Danedar remains a firm favorite around the country with its grape-nutty appearance, rich golden color and a strong refreshing taste. In fact its popularity is such that several multinationals have launched their own versions, but Tapal remains the original and ultimate Danedar because of its unique color, aroma and taste. Color and a strong refreshing taste are its most significant attributes. Tapal is proud to have been a part of Pakistan's history since its inception. As a company they have grown and flourished together with the great nation. Founded by Adam Ali Tapal, the company first started marketing a number of quality blends to Pakistani consumer market through continuous innovation and research and development they gain 41% share of Pakistani market. They still are growing and hope to be a leader in a market in coming years. TAPAL TEA History of Tapal Tea The journey of Tapal's remarkable success is the combined efforts of three dynamic generations of the Tapal Family. In 1947, Tapal started out as a family concern under the personal supervision of its founder, Adam Ali Tapal. Against tough competition Adam Ali's unique blend, later named Family Mixture, became a hot favorite and eventually the largest selling brand in the unorganized tea market. From this auspicious beginning, Tapal moved from success to success introducing tea brands to suit every taste and pocket, sold from its retail outlet in Jodia Bazar, Karachi. The quality of Tapal tea soon became legendary and people from all parts of Karachi started lining up at the outlet to purchase tea. For their convenience, Tea distribution was initiated to retail outlets around the city. The company continued to grow under the management of the founder's son, Faizullah A. Tapal. Today the founder’s grandson, Aftab F. Tapal, manages Tapal Tea. After studying abroad, Aftab Tapal returned to Pakistan to introduce professional management and unique production ideas to the business. A well trained tea taster and tea connoisseur himself, Aftab Tapal introduced new tea concepts and developed a wide range of tea blends catering specifically to the tastes of people throughout Pakistan. His progressive outlook resulted in giving further strength to the foundation of quality laid by his family. Making a modest beginning over half a century back, today Tapal has become the largest, 100% Pakistani owned Tea Company in the country. It has modern tea blending and packaging factories, warehouses equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and a team of highly dynamic professionals headed by Aftab Tapal himself. VISION TAPAL’S VISION: TAPAL’s Environmental Vision is: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sustainable world, a world in which human populations can continue to exist indefinitely with a high standard of living and health †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To produce, market & distribute its product in a way that does not cause harm to people or damage to the Environment. We believe our activities should: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Respect the environment †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Generate economic benefits †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Create positive influence in the society †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Create opportunities for good quality of life Our Philosophy is: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To act locally, but think globally Our employees are: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Provided with the information & training necessary to enable them to perform their tasks in a hygienic manner. Mission â€Å"To satisfy our stakeholders and as a guiding principle to our business; be a benchmark for Quality, Creativity and Ethical values Achieve leadership in all categories of our core business and diversify in areas which compliment the core business. DISCOVERY OF TEA: In 2727 B. C Chinese Emperor Shen-Nung was boiling drinking water when a few leaves of a wild tea tree blew into the royal bowl. He discovered that the leaves imparted a delightful flavor to his water, and so it became his favored drink . It is probable that tea was first cultivated in China, though it is possible that people in Thailand and Burma have used it for as long as the Chinese have. The China tea plant was taken to Japan in about AD 800, where it was regarded as a medicine for several hundred years, until green tea was developed to become a popular beverage. Tea was introduced into England, as a gift from the British East India Company, in about AD 1660 and to rest to Europe soon thereafter. By the end of the 19th century, China still supplied the bulk of the world’s tea. In 1886 it exported 136 million kg, of which 77 million kg went to Britain, while India produced 40 million kg. But within a few years India moved ahead of China in world trade. Ceylon (Sri Lanka) emerged as a tea producer in 1867 and Java (now part of Indonesia) in 1878. Today, traditional tea growing countries of China India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Japan have been joined by many others in South America (Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador) and Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Rwanda, and Mozambique). Tea is generally considered the oldest prepared beverage. Whatever its color (black, green, yellow or white, depending on how it has been processed), tea can be produced from three main varieties: camellia seinensis, camellia seinensis assamic and camellia seinensis Cambodians. When the tea tree grows under natural conditions, it is evergreen and can reach 10 to 15 meters, but when it is cultivated in gardens (the name given to tea plantation worldwide), its height is artificially limited to one meter in order to facilitate the pickers. Tea trees are grown mainly in tropical and subtropical regions with humidity of 70% to 90%. Rainfalls must be abundant and regularly distributed throughout the year, with a yearly average of 1,500 to 2,500 millimeters. PRODUCTION: Leaves can be picked by hand or mechanically. Manual picking yields leaves of higher quality. Picking is generally done according to the maturity of the leaves (from the top to the bottom of the tree, as a rule) and three levels of quality can be distinguished: †¢ Imperial picking involves picking only the terminal bud (Pekoe) and the first leave.? †¢ Fine picking involves picking the terminal bud and the first two leaves. †¢ Classical picking, the main technique used today, includes the terminal bud plus three to four leaves. Because of the product's perishable nature, final processing must occur as soon as possible after the leaves are picked, and special care is required during transportation and storage. The average yield per hectare from 1990 to 2003 was around 1. 2 metric tons, with yields in leading producing countries being 1. 4 tons per hectare in Sri Lanka and 2 tons per hectare in Kenya. Black tea is the only kind of tea that is subject to international quality regulations. It is classified according to two main methods, orthodox and crushing/tearing/curling (CTC). Within both categories tealeaves are classified into sub-categories, with the best quality represented by the pekoe and the condition of the pekoe and the lowest by the dust of leaves. Business Operation Company Management Aftab Tapal CEO, Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. He introduced professional management and unique production ideas to the business. Being one of the few professional tea tasters in the country, and a tea connoisseur himself, his progressive outlook has given further strength to the foundation of quality laid by his family, and has bought the Tapal company to newer and higher levels of success. Evolving and innovating its way through its near 60 years history, Tapal is presently the largest, 100% Pakistani owned Tea Company in the country. Its has set new standards for modern tea blending and packaging factories, warehouses equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and a team of highly dynamic professionals headed by Aftab Tapal himself. He has established three production facilities in Pakistan, two in Karachi and one in Raiwind. In order to provide consistent quality, which is his commitment to his consumers, he brought in his organization the discipline of ISO 9001/2000. With such focused objectives and honesty in business dealings Mr. Aftab Tapal has been able to successfully compete against the multinational companies and has captured more than 35% market share of the organized market sector of Pakistan and is one of the top 100 tax paying companies of Pakistan and one of the top 5 FMCG companies of Pakistan. Haroon Rashid GM Marketing, Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. Mohammedi Miabhoy Chief Operating Officer, Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. Ayyaz Ali Khan GM Sales, Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. Mohsin M. Saify GM Tea & Blend, Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. Muhammad Shabbir GM Supply Chain, Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. Syed Zafar Ali GM Administration, Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. Own Ali GM Finance, Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. Anjum Pervaiz GM Projects, Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. Asghar Amin Head of Information Services, Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. Arshad Sohail Head of Production, Maintenance & Quality Juzer Yousuf Ali Employee Relations Manager Imran Ali Khan Manager HR, Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. Organizational Chart of Islamabad Region Corporate Information Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. Head Office Plot 40, Sector 15, Korangi Industrial Area, Karachi-74900, Pakistan. Phone: 92-21 – 5063891 (4 Lines) 5050228 (4 Lines) Fax: 92-21 – 5063890 Lahore Office 2ND Floor, Block-5, Awami Flats, 4-Usman Block, New Garden Town, Phone: 042-5868738-5831593 Fax: 042 5868738 City Office Tapal House Sayedna Tahir Saifuddin Road, Namakwada Pan Mandi, Karachi. Phone: 021-2737202-4 Islamabad Regional Office Plot No. 212,213 Industrial Area I/9-2, Islamabad Phone: 051-4431109-5831942 SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis can serve as an interpretative filter to reduce the information to a manageable quantity of key issues. The SWOT analysis classifies the internal aspects of the company as strengths or weaknesses and the external situational factors as opportunities or threats. Strengths can serve as a foundation for building a competitive advantage, and eaknesses may hinder it. By understanding these four aspects of its situation, a firm can better leverage its strengths, correct its weaknesses, capitalize on golden opportunities, and deter potentially devastating threats. The company's SWOT analysis of the tea market is as under: ? |Situation Analysis | |Internal Analysis | |External Analysis | |Strengths | |Weaknesses | |Opportunities | | | |Threats | |SWOT Analysis | STRENGTHS: The strength of the company would be the innovation and the high quality products. Because of these the company is able to survive in the market and still earning a good market share comparing to its competitors. Integrated Quality Management: Tapal has a great strength of integrated quality management because ISO 9001 standard is currently being revised to ISO 9001: 2008 Tapal has taken a strategic decision to capitalize this opportunity of revisiting QMS for the integration of other management system, like: ISO 9001:2008 (Quality Management System), ISO 14001 (Environment Management System), OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health & Safety System), ISO 20000 (Information Security System) and ISO 22000 (Food Safety System). This integrated system has been titled as â€Å"TIMS†- Tapal Integrated Management System. Localizing Tea Brands: Tapal tea Pvt Ltd is a fully Pakistani owned company and all the SKU’s(Stock Keeping Units) of Tapal tea are the local brands because all the p roduction, packaging, labeling is totally in Pakistan. Similarly its main brand Tapal Danedar owns the equity of understanding the diversity of the tea drinking culture of Pakistan. The Tapal Danedar is a local brand so four different areas were setup for its launching. These different areas were: a lounge, a dhabba, a cafe and a veranda to symbolize the diversity and show the localization of Tapal Danedar at the time of its launching. Strong Heritage: Tapal has always been abreast with changing trends and have adopted to the consumer and the retailer needs. Being the second largest tea brand in Pakistan, Tapal tea has always endeavored to cater to changing consumer needs. Due to strong heritage and local brands Tapal tea took a decision in 2008 to bring tapal Danedar in to hard pack with the same quality, weight and price this resolved a lot of stocking and display issues also helped retain the freshness of the tea for a longer time. The introduction of a hard pack is a tribute to the diversity of strong heritage of tea culture in the four corners of the Pakistan. The† four corners† mean the diversity of Pakistani people and the diversity in their heritage. Strong Supply Line: Tapal has a distribution network spread across Pakistan, from Karachi to Khyber with over 400 distributors. From their warehouses which are in KARACHI, HYDRABAD, SUKHUR, MULTAN, RAIWIND, the product move to the distributors as only in north, they have 207 distribution channels. And from these distributors the product moves to the next, which is retailer and then to the consumer. IBL (International Brands Ltd. ) distribution company, although charges high commission charges, offers efficient service in Karachi which it is made sure that product will be widely distributed, retailers will not experience shortage of products and the name IBL increases more value of the product. Similarly in Islamabad are the two istribution companies FRIENDS and ITTEHAD provide services for the distribution of Tapal tea which effectively and efficiently covers the all areas of Islamabad. This is also one of their strengths that they have a strong distribution channels. In the beginning the company sole aim was to capture the tea market of Karachi, as they were already in tea business here, only and then strate gically build there network to other cities of Pakistan. Low credit sales: Due to local brands Tapal tea get the 41% market share all over the Pakistan and continuously its shares is increasing. Tapal tea has highly profitable sales with minimum credits especially in Islamabad. In Islamabad in month of July the target of sales of Tapal tea was 12 tons (12000 kg, Rs. 4. 8 millions) but Tapal made a record sale of 15 tons (15000 kg, Rs. 6 millions) in that month with the only credit of Rs. 8 lac. Highly Innovative: Tapal tea is highly innovative because it not only makes the tea products but also introduce Tea as a soft drink with name of ICE TEA first time in Pakistan. 14th of June 2007 was a historic day at Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. Pakistan’s own and favorite hot tea beverage company took its first step towards expansion with the introduction of its new product â€Å"Tapal Ice Tea†. The first consignment of Tapal Ice Tea was ceremoniously dispatched from the company’s warehouse on Thursday the 14th of June 2007. We say â€Å"Tapal Ice Tea Chill Karo† because Tapal Ice Tea truly adds to the fun of your chilling out style. It offers a lot more than refreshment. Brand activation: The reason brand activation is emerging very fast in the field of marketing is its control and grip over its consumer base. This field relatively flexible in comparison to ATL where we can easily customize our marketing as needed. Be it the direct consumer contact float activation, Event Management, Public Relation or branding, it all fits in easily. One of the key factors of Tapal success is that it has full trust in its activation strategy and has always invested huge amount in this medium. Realizing the effectiveness of activation, Tapal has been exploring almost all the major plate forms of activation. Event Marketing: Event marketing is one of the most effective tools of brand activation Tapal has been coveting all the areas where event marketing can be done. Tapal tea has been sponsoring the Jashn-e-Baharan festival in Sahiwal for the last four years. Be it social programs are sponsorship events like Dawn lifestyles, Tapal has always been there to get its consumers to experience with its brands. WEAKNESSES: The authorities of Tapal mentioned no major weaknesses but its intense competition as our analysis is one of their weaknesses as to stay alive against a giant as Unilever and the other one new entrant as Tetley. Centralization Management: In Tapal it is experienced that there is centralization of decisions. Due to which efficiency and functionality is disturbed. Tapal will have to change its highly concentrated culture, in order to be more flexible. Distribution System: Tapal has got the services of IBL (International Brands Pvt. Ltd) in Karachi. While due to highly focus on locally segmented brands like Meezban, there is better supply system, which is not existed in rest of the country. Highly Dependent on TAPAL’s Equity: Capital is essence for any organization. More the finance will be, higher we will be confident on its bright future. As Tapal is private limited company, therefore it is relatively weak in corresponding to the emerging trends of the market. Relative Technological Backwardness: Above point can be described in this aspect that due to less equity it is backward in adopting new technologies. No Competitive Advantage: There are limited options to attract the customers towards this commodity, because there is not clear competitive advantage aver competitors. Tapal can produce Black tea, Green tea, and Ice tea etc, but further Tapal has to depend largely on mass advertisement. OPPORTUNITIES: One of the greatest opportunities is that Tapal has its huge market, which is increasing as the population is increasing. Tea has become a staple product in Pakistan, which cannot be denied at 20 to 60 year of age. Per capita consumption is almost 1kg according to a recent research in Pakistan. The consumption of tea increases with the growth in population. At the moment, the population of the country is growing at a rate of 2. 9% annually, and the consumption of tea at a rate of 6%. This means that presently there is a considerable opportunity for the growth of tea in Pakistan. The initial re-launch of Tapal Family Mixture is limited to Karachi only, however, other principle cities will be taken into account in the future. Especially in Punjab mixture blend can be introduced under the brand name of Family Mixture. Slowly, Family Mixture will penetrate the market in other cities and expand its future market share. Traditional Drinking Habits: Tea has been a main drink of common Pakistanis and fortunately its use is increasing in common Pakistanis very much. Facts and figures tell us that use of tea is increasing at double rate as compared to the increase in population such as the population of the country is growing at a rate of 2. 9% annually, and the consumption of tea at a rate of 6%. It is the biggest opportunity for Tapal to grab the most part of the market. Expansion in other Beverage Markets: There is very much monotony of brands in tea industry. More opportunities can be explored by using innovative ideas. In recent years, Tapal has launched â€Å"Ice Tea† brand, which is the step forward to prevail in other sort of beverage market. Awareness in this regard is very much of crucial importance. Research and Development: In order to make its tea brand unique is quit difficult for any organization. R department seems to be prominent among very less alternatives. This is vital to utilize these opportunities. Expansion in Other Areas of Country: Tapal is not existed in every part of the country. On the other side, tea market is spreading day by day. So Tapal has a big field to play. It can strengthen its standing in current markets as well as by exploring new markets. Growing Health Awareness: Usually, it is considered in our society that tea is not good for health. While many research reports have published in different journals and magazines that tea is very helpful for continuous working. So Tapal should take a step to spread this fact. It can start its campaign with the collaboration of other players of the tea industry. Exports: Pakistan has very rich taste in drinking tea. It is one of those countries in which tea is widely drunk. If Tapal can get good position in Pakistan then it can satiate other parts of the world as well. Tapal should fill this gap by going for exports. THREATS: One of the major threats that Tapal has its area of the market, which is not educated, and it is using the loose tea, which may not be good for their health as well. Tapal claims that it is not possible for them to create such a big awareness for them but the Government should play his role so that these people should have some awareness of the imported loose tea. A rigorous threat is the increasing number of branded and unbranded tea in the market with ample price difference. For that, established companies need to increase their advertising and promotional budget. There is a need to get a better shelf space and more retailer patronization for the company's brand. Strong Competition in Rural and Urban Market: Tapal is facing stiff competition in the presence of Lipton. It is very difficult to compete in this market, because tea has not very much variety in its taste. To hold on the existing share as well as going further by competing such environment is the major threat. Internationally Increasing  Tea Prices: Pakistan is not self sufficient in tea. It has to import tea from abroad. And running an industry of which base is on imported good is quit challenging. There is another aspect of this picture that Pakistan has put duty of 10 pc on tea imported from Kenya. Kenya tea is liked mostly due to its taste, while tea from Bangladesh and Srilanka is duty free, so maintaining taste might be going to cost very much. High Inflation within Country: Recession is all over the world. Pakistan is not out of the influence. Due to this down turn purchasing power of Pakistanis is going down side as well. In this scenario innovation and introducing new products might cost very high. Saturation of Hot Beverage Segment: Lipton, Tetley, Vital and supreme are the some of the main competitors of Tapal tea. They are providing very stiff competition in front of Tapal. Similarly Islamabad tea and Peshawari Chai are among the local brands which are competing Tapal in rural areas. Political Conditions: This is the threat which has been facing by all industries. Pakistan’s political scene is quit unpredictable. Change of government and change of policies come together. It is not the better situation to file and implement long run policies. So it is very important threat to be considered for the exports to the other countries. |Internal Factors |Strengths |Weaknesses | |Management |Experienced, broad base of interests and |Large size may lead to conflicting interests. | | |knowledge. | |Product Line |Differentiated, Variation in products. |So much product lines but still not able to | | | |knock out loose tea. | |Marketing |Diverse and local awareness. |May lose focus, may not be segmented enough. | |Personnel |Very experienced, high knowledge. |Possible conflicts due to so many people, | | | |possible trouble staying focused. |Finance |High sales revenue, high sale growth, large |High expenses, may have trouble balancing | | |capital base. |cash-flows of such a large operation | |Research & Development |Continuous efforts to researc h trends an |Sometimes they conduct research but the | | |reinforce creativity. |advantage is taken over by small competitors. | |External Factors |Opportunities |Threats | |Consumer/Social |Increase in the population. Illiterate people go for loose tea, which is | | | |substandard as well. | |Competitive |Distinctive name, product and packaging in |Intense competition can pay so they have to | | |with regards to its markets. |keep eyes open. | |Technological |Maintenance of proper website which subscribes|Competitors are global leaders so they have | | |and provides information regarding long |more technology as compared to Tapal. | |production line. | | |Economic |Consumer income is high for the Danedar class. |Very elastic demand, almost pure competition. | Marketing Strategy MARKETING OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the marketing plan are strategically centered on 3 criteria: †¢ To create a strong consumer awareness against unorganized tea product. †¢ To establish a wi de brand recognition through the capture of market shares in the multi segment. †¢ To become the top market leader in that particular segment within the strong research and development. TARGET MARKETING: The target market is that they are defining for our brand Tapal Danedar is the A class and B+ class. The target of this brand is the urban area of the country and along with the use in offices and business class as well. Tapal Danedar is basically the one to one competitor against Lipton yellow label. The class and geographical location we can say is almost same for both the brands. MARKETING SEGMENTATION: As a whole when we see the market of tea in Pakistan, although it is not clearly segmented but, Tapal did this thing very accurately that it segmented the market very accurately. Its 11 brands in the current clearly shows the potential of each brand in each segment define by the company. They clearly look at the nature and extent of diversity of buyers needs and wants in a market. This thing offers a great opportunity for Tapal to focus its business capabilities on the requirement of one or more groups of buyers. The main objective of this segmentation is to examine differences in needs and wants and to identify the segments within the product market of interest. MARKET SHARE PICTURE: Our main focus is on organized tea market where different companies like UNILEVER and TAPAL are holding the main market share. Some other companies also present in the market but having very low share of the market. †¢ Unilever Pakistan limited has 43% market share. †¢ Tapal Tea private limited has 41% market share. †¢ Vital tea limited has 6% market share. †¢ Tetley has 4% market share †¢ The remaining 6% belongs to other market share in the organized market. Unorganized market also captures a good market share in the total tea market of Pakistan. 70000 tons out of 150000 consumption is of unorganized tea. 1% of total population of Pakistan are living in rural areas. Due to illiteracy and lack of awareness they are consuming unorganized tea, which is mainly affecting the organized tea market. Due to this they are enjoying a very big market share of the total tea market. Organized segment mainly depend on the imported tea. Mainly big players are importing tea from different countries like Kenya, UK, and Bangladesh. Last some year’s imported figures for Pakistan is described in the chart below. Unorganized tea is mainly smuggled from different neighbor countries of Pakistan. That’s why it has a large proportion in total consumption of tea in Pakistan, which is 70000 tons of total 150000 tons. MARKET TRENDS: Trends are now changing. If we see the consumers of tea firstly they are using or you can say addicted of the generic tea, which is the black one, but now the trend is changing. Consumers now want something different in taste now, as the competition is getting higher. Consumer of tea wants some new flavors in tea because now their taste is changing as the time is changing so trend is changing in the market. And Tapal utilize this trend very accurately as their innovations show us everything. Tapal Meezban, Danedar, Safari, and specially round metal free tea bags and last but not the least Tapal ice tea shows that as the trend is changing in the market Tapal also using this trend in the form of new innovations. MICRO-ENVIRONMENT ANAYSIS: SUPPLIERS: All tea in Pakistan is imported. Pakistan mainly imports tea from Kenya and other African countries like Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania, while multinational companies in Pakistan also import tea from Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Bangladesh. Tapal’s suppliers are major the importers of Tea from these countries. MARKETING INTERMEDIARIES: Tapal has a countrywide sales & distribution network. The company has over 400 distributors operating nationwide. CUSTOMERS: Tapal considers complete Pakistani tea market to be its current and prospective customers. Therefore, it has brands that cater to almost all demographic, geographic and social-class wise segmented market of Pakistan. Its customers are all people living in both rural and urban areas of Pakistan who like having tea. Tapal has always targeted families as its potential consumers. With the view that the younger generation will be Tapal’s future customers, Tapal is actively supporting the fast developing music industry in Pakistan. It has sponsored the leading singers in Pakistan and actively participates in music concerts. UNIQUE SELLING PREPOSITION: The main reason behind Tapal’s success is that it has localized its taste. It manufactures its product according to the taste and requirements of the market it is catering. Another reason behind Tapal’s success in catching the hearts of the consumers is that, it has always been close to them. This has been possible because of its strong Brand Activation Activities. These activities have added a new dimension to their marketing activities making them more attractive, exciting and interactive as possible. These activities not only reinforce Tapal as a national company but also assist all its other brands in having their desired impact wherever required. These activities are customized according the brand requirements to achieve maximum results. Not only this, these activities also provide the consumer with a 360-degree product experience, which not only helps in educating the consumer but also engages them to the brand. These activities cover Outdoor Billboards, Event Marketing, Road Shows i. e. floats, mobile kitchens etc, Rural Development Programs, Weekly Bazaars, and Merchandizing of the products. MARKET GROWTH: Industry is now on the maturity stage. Large players has established their brands in the market and enjoyed huge profit margins. Now they are looking towards product differentiation and multi segmentation because consumers are now more taste conscious and looking for variety available to them in a tea market. MARKETING MIX PRODUCT The core †¢ Tea Beverage The actual product Packaging and labeling: see figure in front †¢ Branding: red color, aspect of refreshing, hard pack and soft pack both. †¢ Trade name: Tapal Danedar, a TAPAL product †¢ Brand personality Freshness, Healthy, Innovative, etc. †¢ Brand equity: Tapal Danedar provides a quality, consistent, innovative and accessible tea reputation. Tapal has a variety of brands each catering to different market seg ments. After TAPAL’s unique Family Mixture became Karachi’s largest selling brand, the company was encouraged to innovate further. As a result an entirely new category brand called Danedar was created and launched. Tapal Daneder became the country’s largest selling tea brand with a loyal following, which shows that Tapal has been successful in creating a strong Brand Image amongst its consumers. Tea is part of culture in this region and now Tapal has become an integral part of this tradition with an unparalleled grace of its own. PRICE: The pricing strategy that they are following for Tapal is cost oriented as the price that tapal is taking is comparatively low then its main competitor Yellow label tea. The price going for some products are: 200 grams Tapal Danedar Hard Pack 80rs. 400 grams Tapal Danedar Family Pack 155rs. Prices for Lipton Yellow Label Tea are: 200 grams Yellow Label 95rs. 500 grams Yellow Label 235rs. So its price we can say that varies according to cost and even in high quality, which they are claiming, their price is low as compared to Yellow Label Tea. Tapal people never wanted to compromise on quality so they adopted value based pricing. As Tapal specifically catering to different segments of the market so its prices are based on its effective value to customers relative to other products. Also the prices are different for different SKU’s CHANNELS OF DISTRIBUTION: Manufacturer ——? Distributor———? Retailer ——–? Consumer The channel of distributions according to this brand Tapal Danedar is simply as shown by the diagram as manufacturer to distributors who vary according to geographical dispersion and then to retailer to final consumer. Tapal has a great channel of distribution not only to this brand but also all other brands that vary geographically according to consumer needs. TAPAL has 5 main warehouses in Pakistan, which are located in the following cities. 1. KARACHI 2. HYDERABAD 3. SUKHUR 4. MULTAN 5. RAIWIND From these warehouses the product move to the distributors as only in north they have 207 distribution channels. And from these distributors the product moves to the next, which is retailer and then to the consumer. This is also one of their strengths that they have a strong distribution channels. In the beginning the company sole aim was to capture the tea market of Karachi, as they were already in tea business here, only and then strategically build there network to other cities of Pakistan. Now Tapal has a distribution network spread across Pakistan, from Karachi to Khyber with over 400 distributors. Extensive training programs are provided for the devoted sales personnel. The popularity of its fine brands is unabated, making it the No 1 national tea company in Pakistan. Tapal caters to its customers by providing Tapal Danedar and Family Mixtures to more than 140,000 outlets in Pakistan, which include superstores, department stores, general stores, medical stores, paan walas, grocery stores, merchants, etc. Grocery stores and merchants together provide 80% volume of the tea sales. PROMOTION: OBJECTIVES: To make the brand remind the consumer as much it could be: †¢ Tapal is using both BTL and ATL for the purpose of promotion. †¢ Through BTL Tapal is focusing on display racks, sign boards etc. ainly placed to different retailers for heavy promotion against their competitors. †¢ The specific term used by Tapal is the MODERN TRADE so that they have an eye contact of the product with the customer. In this they are using shelves to display their product in big stores like BEST PRICE, BUY BEST, HARLORD’S, and 7th EVENUE etc. †¢ Thro ugh ATL Tapal is focusing on broadcast and print media promotion by placing ads on T. V and placing newspapers ads as well. ELECTRONIC MEDIA: Initially, the company relied heavily upon print media but this trend is changing now because of the in customer’s life style. Right now, company is doing intensive advertising through networks. In their advertisement they hire the services of renowned celebrities. TAPAL AND MUSIC: With the view that the younger generation will be TAPAL’s future customers, TAPAL is actively supporting the fast developing music industry in Pakistan. It has sponsored the leading singers in Pakistan and actively participates in music concerts. SALES PROMOTION STRATEGIES: The Company is running different sales promotional schemes at different times of the year depending on the sales of the company. TAPAL’s brand is backed by planed strategy implementation and followed up with affective communication its advertising and promotion is touching all aspects of media and market opportunities. MARKETING RESEARCH: Tea blending and tasting is both an art and a science and Tapal prides itself on having mastered both the aspects. Tapal has adroitly judged the factory senses and keenness of the taste buds of their patrons, resulting in the creation of various well known brands. Aftab F. Tapal is a well trained and highly experienced tea taster of the country and is recognized as a qualified tea specialist worldwide. Tapal's tea managers have been trained at home and abroad in this very rigorous and specialized discipline, and have frequently traveled to leading tea producing countries searching for better teas. Tapal is a research oriented company. It subscribes to and conducts various researches in the area of retail audits, consumer behavior, media planning and product development. This research is used for continuous improvement in product quality, brand positioning and communication according to the changing requirements of the consumers. Consistency and quality are the two keystones of Tapal's production policy, and the Quality Control Department at Tapal ensures that flavor and freshness is never compromised. That's why all the brands, whether Danedar, Tapal Special or Tapal Family Mixture, always taste exactly as expected, retaining aroma and freshness till the last sip. RESEARCH ON THE HARD PACK; According to the marketing manager service he conducted a research at different big cities of the country so that to analyze consumer behavior by this research many classes were taken over in 12 different sessions. By this research first they showed the ad of Tapal and then ask about their thoughts and feelings related to the ad. The target market is housewives from different classes and on the basis of this research tapal concluded that they have to launch a hard pack of Tapal Danedar. As its target market was not comfortable to use the soft pack due to the status problem. Now after the launching, Tapal claims that it is difficult to fulfill the market needs of hard pack due to high demand. Competitive Strategy COMPETITIVE SITUATION: Unilever owns two of the most widely recognized product lines Lipton and Brooke Bond. The major competition facing Lever at present is from Tapal Danedar Tea, who is truly a market challenger. Lipton comprises of Yellow Label which is designed for upper middle, upper lower and upper middle class, which is a market leader in the industry, it comes in all the packages including hard packs, jars, and teabags. Lipton yellow label although the direct competitor of Brooke Bond Supreme comes in the family of Unilever so it is prone to its competing attacks. Lipton follows a massive promotion scheme to hold its share. Richbru is designed for middle and lower Upper classes and Pearl dust is designed for rural areas, mostly districts of Sindh where consumption of dust is extensive. They both are not stated as direct competitors of Supreme because they are targeting to different audience. Lipton has a market share of 43%. Brooke Bond comprises of Supreme and A1 karak Tea which is designed for lower classes, originally known as Kenya mixture and then A1 Kenya mixture. Brooke Bond has a market share of 9%. Tapal with the assortments like Danedar and Family mixture collectively has a market share of 41% overall and in Karachi it has 24%. Tapal is not only a direct competitor but can be stated as a only competitor because all the major market share holders belong to the family of Unilever except Tapal. Tapal also comes in various packages and consumes much of the shelf space in super markets and convenient stores. Tapal has the biggest advantage of its assortments as is served not only by mixture but also Danedar which is getting very popular day by day. Tapal has a good image in consumer’s mind and its price is also reasonably attractive. A sizable portion of the market is dominated by loose tea or unbranded tea. However, these brands are currently threatened by smuggled tea from Afghanistan which is available in the open market duty free. This has posed a lot of problems for genuine importers of tea who cannot compete with this tea because of its low price. This unbranded tea’s have the biggest market share of 40% because of its low price. COMPETITION LEVEL; Direct competition of Tapal tea is with Lipton yellow label tea. Indirect competition of Tapal is with coffee, loose tea and other flavored teas. Generic competition includes all the generic products, which can fulfill consumer’s generic needs. PROMOTION ACTIVITIES: Tapal has a competitive strategy to make the promotion activities in all over the country, in urban areas as well as in rural areas. This is a great competitive advantage over the competitor Lipton which makes the promotion activities only in the urban areas. Tapal plan the following promotion activities: Float Activity: Tapal Danedar conducted a float activity recently in the rural areas of Pakistan. A Tapal Danedar branded float moved in different towns and the float was stationed in high traffic areas which generated the most crowds. The idea of this activity was to generate brand awareness and increase visibility. So it is the great competitive advantage over the competitor for increasing brand awareness and increasing visibility. Demo Activity: It was carried out in the semi urban regions of Punjab and was aimed towards women, in forming them about the benefits of tapal Danedar. Tapal Danedar set up stalls with branded umbrellas and tables. Women passing by were invited to the stall where a female promoter spoke to them about the benefits of tapal Danedar and disadvantages of loose tea. All that time free tea samples were given to the people visiting the stall making the atmosphere cheerful festive. This is the competitive strategy of Tapal tea to promote and aware the customers about its products as well as its advantages. Shop kiosk Activity: A Tapal Danedar branded kiosk was placed at a no. of Kiryana and General stores where promoters would invite customers passing by and inform them about the various deals being offered by tapal Danedar due to this activity Tapal get the competitive advantage over the competitor this is the store competitor strategy by which customers get awareness about the tapal products and increase and due to this strategy tapal stare getting more market share against the competitors. Relationship with Multinational Company: For getting the competitive edge over the competitor especially in tea blending packing and technological innovation the management of tapal visited time to time different multinational tea companies, such as the management team of tapal recently visited the tea factory of â€Å"TYPHOO† based in Liverpool England. The team was treated to an extensive visit of the production facilities and spent the day with the â€Å"TYPHOO† management team where some extremely valuable ideas and best practices process were exchanged between the two companies. ATL AND BTL ACTIVITIES: Both ATL and BTL activities do play a key roll in advertising and promotion of all SKU’s of Tapal tea. Media releases played a great roll to give information about the newly launched Hard Pack, service or company out to a large amount of potential customers while BTL activities addressed specific as well as selected mass audience in a particular area which will sustain for long duration. Through ATL and BTL activities Tapal has a great competitive advantage over the competitor and through using this competitive strategy they make reasonable market share and continuously increasing in their share due to this strong competitive strategy. CONTINUOUS LEARNING ABOUT MARKETS: In order to survive in the market you must have continuous learning about the market. Tapal did it very efficiently as their innovation shows this. They have the ability and they utilize it beautifully. Their continuous learning makes them real competitors against an international recognize brands like supreme, Lipton etc. Tapal Chai Family Mixture is the pride of Tapal developed by the forefathers in 1947 and thus creating a new category of Mixture in the tea market. It is the blend that started the Tapal success story, and now other tea companies are following Tapal’s footsteps by entering the market with similar blends. Danedar Leaf Blend Pioneer of the Danedar category in Pakistan, Tapal’s Danedar remains a firm favorite around the country with its grape-nutty appearances, rich golden color and a strong refreshing taste. Tea is part of culture in this region and now Tapal has become an integral part of this tradition with an unparalleled grace of its own. PIONEERS of SOFT PACKAGING: Technology is also harnessed at Tapal to benefit the consumer. From the very beginning, Tapal realized the importance of importing innovative technologies such as the soft packing process. A fully automatic facility was established where soft packs were produced for the first time in Pakistan. At this facility tea is blended and packed in hygienic conditions, untouched by human hands whilst the soft packing technology keeps tea fresh and packaging costs economical. The success of these soft packs has been such that other tea companies have also followed Tapal's lead and launched some of their brands in soft packaging. And their other innovations are: †¢ The first to introduce soft packs in the country. †¢ The first tea company to introduce metal-free tea bags. The first to develop an entirely new blend and category-Tapal Family Mixture (the mixture of leaf & dust). †¢ The first to invent the highly successful brand Danedar Leaf Blend. The first to market Kenya teas in Pakistan. The first tea company to be awarded the ISO 9001/2000 Quality Certification As a step towards backward integration Tapal has begun tea plantation at Shinkiari in the northern region of Pakistan. This project aims at providing jobs, saving the country's valuable foreign exchange and is a significant step towards self-sufficiency. Tapal is also the 1st national tea company to export tea to the UAE, Canada and USA. This is again a pioneering step towards increasing value-added exports and is also a fast developing source of foreign exchange for the country. Business Process Analysis A COMMITMENT TO QUALITY; â€Å"NEVER COMPROMISE ON QUALITY† has been the motto at Tapal since the very beginning. This commitment to quality has resulted in a high level of customer satisfaction and unflinching brand loyalty. In December 1997, Tapal Tea became the first Pakistani Tea Company to earn the ISO-9001 certification, a symbol of the highest international quality standards. Again in December 2000, Tapal acquired the ISO9001: 2000 certification, making it one of the first few companies in the world to achieve this milestone. In addition to the standard requirements, the ISO9001: 2000 certification system includes requirements for environment improvement, concepts of TQM (continuous improvement) with major emphasis on consumer requirements and satisfaction. Quality Policy; The management and the employees of Tapal Tea (Private) Limited is committed to: †¢ Produce products that meet the customer’s requirements & expectations. †¢ Fulfill the requirements and effectiveness of the quality management system through continuous improvements. †¢ Constantly review & update the relevant quality objectives of products & processes in line with the Company’s Statement of Commitment. †¢ Participate individually & collectively as a team towards the improvements of processes, personnel, environment & ethical values. Brands; The reason behind Tapal’s success in catching the hearts of the consumers is that, it has always been close to them. This has been possible because of its strong Brand Activation Activities. These activities have added a new dimension to their marketing activities making them more attractive, exciting and interactive as possible. These activities not only reinforce Tapal as a national company but also assist all its other brands in having their desired impact wherever required. These activities are customized according the brand requirements to achieve maximum results. Not only this, these activities also provide the consumer with a 360-degree product experience, which not only helps in educating the consumer but also engages them to the brand. These activities cover Outdoor Billboards, Event Marketing, Road Shows (floats, mobile kitchens etc), Rural Development Programs, Weekly Bazaars, and Merchandizing of the products. Tapal Tea has total 11 brands which are as under: 1. DANEDAR 2. FAMILY MIXTURE 3. TEZDAM 4. GULBHAR 5. GREEN TEA 6. ICE TEA 7. INSTEA 8. TAPAL SPEACIAL 9. CHANAK DUST 10. MAIZBAN DUST 11. SAFARI TAPAL DANEDAR: Since 1947, Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. has been the leading tea company in Pakistan. Since then, this prestigious corporation has expanded extensively and has introduced many successful tea brands complementing the different tastes of tea drinkers nationwide. At present, Tapal Danedar is the flagship brand of the company, standing as a true national brand. The history of Tapal Danedar is a success story in its own. In 1987, Tapal Tea launched a new category of tea in the market, called ‘Danedar’. This was a ‘Dana’ blend from the high grown tea leaves of the highest tea gardens in the world. Each component of Danedar blend is carefully selected to provide a lovely looking leaf appearance that is neat, black, grainy and fairly even. Danedar blend is an excellent combination of lively taste and distinct flavor of world’s best high grown teas, which produces satisfying cup of tea for the consumers who like aromatic or flavor tea. The innovation was so successful that other multinational tea companies decided to enter the category and launch similar brands. Tapal Danedar has ever since maintained its top position in the category and is still the 3rd largest tea brand in Pakistan. As a result of Tapal’s corporate philosophy, being the benchmark in creativity, many valued additions have been made to the brand over the years. The first was the introduction of Tapal Danedar teabags and later the innovative string less â€Å"Round Tea Bags† were launched. The most important feature of this top quality Danedar brand is that the characteristics of a brewed cup remain intact even after a long time. Tapal Danedar has throughout been an extremely strong brand, creating loyal consumers across Pakistan. Simply, Danedar is a powerful brand and a great value product and there is no real substitute of it. Today, the Danedar family comprises of a multiple SKU’s (stock keeping units) including 3 trade mark soft pack variations, 3 enveloped pack sachets, a high utility jar, a pouch and the ground breaking convenient teabags. 100 g 200 g 400 g 1000 g JAR FAMILY MIXTURE: Family Mixture is a blend of high grown Kenyan primary leaf and dust grades, which are carefully selected for their rich color, distinct flavor and a bright golden lively appearance. It is a pioneering brand which started its journey in 1947. It’s a brand that brought about significant success, in fact, a breakthrough for the Company. Besides, it pioneered a unique mixture of leaf and dust tea in Pakistan. As a blend, it took no time to take off and found favor with taste buds from varying levels of market segments. The blend, perhaps, stays at the core of success. The strength of Tapal Family Mixture is not only due to Company’s inherent interest in the brand but owes a great deal to the farsighted vision of its creators, with a deep understanding of the habits of millions of country’s tea drinkers. Tapal Family Mixture has been around and kicking for several decades now. In spite of long years of facing competition, which became tougher by the year, Tapal Family Mixture still holds it’s own. Backed by growing intelligent marketing, TFM today continues to command a leadership position in Pakistan’s tea industry or market. 100 g 200 g ? Kg GREEN TEA: Keeping the changing tastes and expectations of our customers in mind Tapal introduced a range of Green Teas that is healthy and revitalizing in taste. Tapal Green Tea is blended to perfection using the finest tealeaves and specially selected flavors to give a refreshing experience of light taste and soothing aroma. â€Å"Green Tea† unlike black tea undergoes minimal oxidation during processing and is made from leaves that are not fermented before being dried. Originating from China, today green tea is consumed all over the world for its medicinal values and great taste. It carries many health benefits as the antioxidants present in it destroy free radicals that damage cells in the body and also controls the glucose level. Green tea lowers cholesterol and blood-insulin levels, which helps in burning of fat. Furthermore, it promotes good all-round health, as it has no side effects. Tapal Shades of Green is an aromatic combination of the finest and carefully selected tealeaves and the tantalizing freshness of natural Jasmine, Elaichi and Lemon. Jasmine Introduced in the year 2000, Tapal Jasmine Green Tea with its vibrant essence and a distinct soothing effect breathes new life in to your senses. Jasmine Green Tea is a winning combination of alluring fragrance and health. Infused with Jasmine flowers, Jasmine Green Tea opens a new window to your mind. 90 g Elaichi Launched in 2005, Tapal Elaichi Green Tea was well received by green tea lovers nationwide for its revitalizing taste. The uplifting flavor of Elaichi tenderly takes your body to a whole new level of vitality. 45 g Lemon After joining the Tapal Green Tea family in 2006, Tapal Lemon Green Tea with its rich taste regenerates your soul. It is your perfect soul mate to indulge in a rejuvenating experience of its succulent essence. 45 g TAPAL ICE TEA: The invention of ice tea is generally believed to have occurred in America in 1904, although some evidence has been presented that it may have been drunk in the South well before that. Like many great inventions, ice tea was created completely by accident. It was a sweltering day during the World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, and Englishman Richard Blechynden's tea concession was not doing well. He could not entice anyone to try his steaming beverage. The sweltering heat drove all visitors past his wares. Until he struck upon a solution. Borrowing ice from a nearby ice cream stand, he created a beverage that would endure for the next hundred years which is now also available in Pakistan. Ice Tea came to notice of the Tapal management when it was found that it was already being sold at many leading stores throughout the major cities. Independent industry research shows that healthy beverages were increasing claiming a bigger share of the Pakistani market and were growing at a tremendous pace. Tapal started to respond to consumer demand and research by introducing these current flavors. 14th of June was a historic day at Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. Pakistan’s own and favorite hot tea beverage company took its first step towards expansion with the introduction of its new product â€Å"Tapal Ice Tea†. The first consignment of Tapal Ice Tea was ceremoniously dispatched from the company’s warehouse on Thursday the 14th of June 2007. Present at this momentous occasion were amongst other people the CEO of the company, Mr. Aftab Tapal, the COO Mr. Muhammadi Miabhoy and the CMO Mr. Mahmood Nanji. The product along with support POS material was well received by the shop keepers of Karachi and displayed across the selected areas of the city. Tapal had been the leading brand here in Pakistan for many years, and this new product which is for now available at leading stores in Karachi and is sure to stir up some more excitement among the Chai freaked Pakistani’s which will make Tapal another step ahead of the leading brands in our country CHILL KARO PAKISTAN! The super market culture has changed consumer purchase habits and the youth today has ample choices in front of them, even when compared to 5 years ago. Increasingly they are becoming a huge market on their own. Tapal wants to increasingly cater to this market and it is doing so with the launch of Tapal Ice Tea. Tapal is known for its hot cup of quality blend of teas, but with Tapal ice tea, it has literally set a new precedent in our markets. Taken in an international context, Tapal Ice Tea is not a new product however it is a first of its kind in Pakistan. Who else but Tapal, the tea experts, could have served up so many ways to enjoy the convenience & benefits of tea? â€Å"Tapal has been making tea for over 60 years and now we’ve added a new area into our portfolio† said Aamir Habib, Brand Manager, and Tapal Ice Tea. â€Å"We know our product is about more than refreshment though. It’s about chilling out and sharing good times with family and friends. We believe that this product is one of the best ways to kick back and have fun this summer. † Tapal Ice Tea offers Pakistani youth an attitudinal choice that comes in the kind of flavors that they will like. Tapal ice tea is made for today's generation that loves to enjoy their life at its fullest and chill out. Instant refreshment is yours anytime with our beverage. Thirst-quenching and delicious, our Ice Tea is pure and satisfying. With this now you’ll be able to enjoy the great refreshing taste of Ice Tea from Tapal – the experts in tea. Made from real tea, Tapal Ice Tea combines the goodness of Tea Antioxidants with no preservatives, no artificial colors and only 16% sugar which is less than most regular soft drinks. TAPAL Lemon & Lime and Peach Ice Tea are a refreshing addition to the popular TAPAL product line of traditional teas. The ice tea contains vitamin C that gives it a refreshing tangy taste. Without doubt Tapal Ice Tea is the best drink that adds to the fun of activities that you're engaging in. Whether its music, shopping, party, workout and games, you can be sure of a chilling time. Tea drinkers will really enjoy the new products, and the flavored ice tea will certainly appeal to active adults who seek refreshment and healthy benefits in their beverage selection,† said Aamir Habib, Brand manager. â€Å"The tea used to make Tapal Ice Tea has antioxidant properties which are associated with good health. † The launch will be supported with a fully integrated marketing program that includes pri nt, radio and out-of-home advertising, point-of-purchase displays, Web/interactive communications especially the launch of Pakistan’s first branded portal www. hillkaro. com, public relations and consumer sampling programs. Tapal Ice Tea will be sold in supermarkets, convenience and other retail stores. What is Ice Tea? The simple pleasure that tea drinkers have enjoyed with Tapal for more than 60 years gets a chilled & flavorful update this month with the new Tapal Ice Tea Lemon & Lime and Peach flavor varieties hit the shelves this month. Tapal Ice Tea is a deliciously refreshing drink made with tea, blended with water and fruit flavors. Ice tea is a form of cold tea often served in a glass over ice. It may or may not be sweetened. The most common flavors worldwide include lemon, peach and lime. About Peach Flavor Ice Tea For the delicious taste of summer in a glass any time of the year, mix up some Tapal Ice Tea Peach. It’s the perfect blend of thirst quenching, refreshing beverage and the sweet taste of peaches. Made from real tea blends, Tapal Ice Tea Peach combines the goodness of Tea antioxidants with no preservatives, no artificial colors and only 16% sugar which is much less than most regular soft drinks. About Lemon & Lime Flavored Ice Tea Nothing beats a chilled, sweet, lemony glass of Tapal Ice Tea Lemon With just the right amount of ingredients; our mix is going to quench your thirst with a refreshing burst of Lemon and Lime. Made from real tea blends, Tapal Ice Tea Lemon combines the goodness of Tea antioxidants with no preservatives, no artificial colors and only 16% sugar which is much less than most regular soft drinks. Opt For The Healthy Drink – Ice Tea! We say Tapal Ice Tea Chill Karo because Tapal Ice Tea truly adds to the fun of your chilling out style. It offers a lot more than refreshment: Energizes you Its moderate caffeine content stimulates energy consumption, giving your body a gentle physical boost that helps you keep going on your workouts, sports or any sort of physical activity energetically. 2. 1 mg of caffeine per kg body weight that equals 147 mg for 70 kg person ingested prior to prolonged exercise delays fatigue. This amount is available in approximately 3 Tapal Ice Tea cans. Sharpens your wits A combination of caffeine and theanine in tea gives you a relaxed but fully alert state of mind and at the same time helps you to focus. Hydrates you Drinking 8 glasses of water a day is a minimum requirement for a healthy, active lifestyle. Maintaining a healthy body fluid balance can become a challenge during summers, especially when you move outdoors. Your need to intake fluids becomes even more recurrent. In such a hot weather, refreshing Tapal Ice Tea breaks are necessary time after time to replenish the fluid that you’ve lost all day to the hot weather in a delicious way and they’re a much better alternative than carbonated drinks. Doesn’t hurt your fitness Ta

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Electoral College - Essay Example Pelayo was elected by his Visigothic nobles before becoming king of Asturias and Pepin the Sort was also elected by his Frankish nobles so as to become the first Carolingian king (Wedgewood 29-36). In the Holy Roman Empire, the King of the Romans was selected by the college of prince electors from the late Middle Ages until 1792 when the last election took place (Wedgewood 29-36). The Church in the West left electoral power exclusively to the College of Canons of the Cathedral Church. In the case of the Pope, selection is left to the exclusive authority of the College of Cardinals since 1059. Currently, the United States of America is the best illustration of a society that uses the Electoral College System to indirectly elect the president and the vice president (Sabato 20-35). Framers of the Unites States’ Constitution devised the Electoral College as procedure to indirectly elect the president by the people. The Constitutional Convention came up with so various methods of selecting the president which included selection of the president by the Congress; selection of the president by the State Legislature; selection of the president through direct popular vote (Kolodny 45-65). These procedures were rejected for various reasons such as threats of power bargaining and corruption (Longley and Pierce 12-17). Finally, the convention settled for the indirect method of election of the president through the Electoral College and this procedure was stipulated in Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution of the United States (Kolodny 45-65). The article on the Electoral College has undergone several amendments in 1880, 1804 (12th Amendment) and in 1876. The last amendment to the Electoral College was made through the 23rd Amendment which gave the District of Columbia the right to vote for three electors just as the residents of other states

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Young peoples attitudes experience of following a healthy diet - Literature review Example This paper however focuses only on young people’s attitudes and views on having a healthy diet as early life attitudes would most likely be carried over to adult stage if no intervention or correction is made at an early stage. A healthy or balanced diet includes that the amount of food taken by the body which should be enough to cover all the nutrition and vitamins the body needs (WHO, 2004). Having of course healthy diet can become a part of health lifestyle that could lead to longer life since the same could prevent the risks of having diet related diseases such as: obesity, anorexia, cancer, diabetes and many more. As such, knowing the opinions of young people on healthy diet has direct relationship on what influences their attitudes towards the subject of healthy diet and even their life style. Knowledge on their attitudes and predisposition would then lead to knowing the proper intervention that should be made. Bellisle (2004) claimed that many of the young people are not following dietary guideline for a healthy food and life style. The main consumer of fast food are young or about seventy percent of 16 to 21 years of age eat fast food at least once a month (Stokes and Lomax, 2008). What then are reasons of the young people for preferring unhealthy diet as could be best exemplified by fast food? Young people would rather prefer to eat fast food more than old people due the need to save time and money as most of young people are students (Bell isle, 2004). Students at present times need to adjust with different demands including their school requirement. Another reason for preference unhealthy diet is lack of awareness of its ill effects (Bellisle, 2004. This therefore implies lack of knowledge on the importance of having healthy diet on human health. Ignorance as cause is curable by education. If education has taught young people how to do some skill or do some productive work, then their knowing the importance of balance diet to

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Innovative Stanislavsky's System - Case Study Example Alekseyev Circle was the name of their family’s acting troupe. Kostya was an outstanding actor in this troupe. Later on, the actor’s wanderings resulted in the establishment of the Moscow Amateur Music-Dramatic Circle. He united with famous Russian actors and questioned his own acting abilities. His main concern was focused on considerations of director actor’s mutual understanding of their common ideas. He was focused on imagination’s development. He claimed that it was necessary to appeal to personal emotions and then project them on a character. At this point, the initial stage of his system was established. Kostya got married to Maria Perevoshchikova in 1889 and they went together throughout their life as partners and workmates (Merlin, 2003). On every stage of his life, Stanislavsky worked hard at the embodiment of his system into life. For example, he followed a piece of advice of his favorite actor of 19th century Mikhail Shchepkin. The latter claimed that in order to be an outstanding actor, it is necessary to take examples from the actor’s personal life. Having followed this instruction, Stanislavsky when he played Othello, turned his attention to an Arab, his friend from Paris. External imitation was good, but this character was hollow inside. At this point, Stanislavsky was very much concerned about the following question: â€Å"When does an actor become the character? And how does the actor observe life and then turn those observations into creative will, or inspiration?† (Merlin, 2003). Nevertheless, instead of truthful psychological portrait, a skillful sculpture emerged. It may seem weird, why Stanislavsky paid so much attention to psychological portrait?

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Topic - Research Proposal Example I am proud to understand that my grandfather was part of Second World War which a historical event changed the face of my home country. Having a multiple ancestry root is admirable fact, but my grandparent’s engagement in World War II changed my persona to a great extend† (Thesis)â€Å"Developing one’s self consists mainly in trend to self-development†3 Second World War is an historical event which has a great importance in political and social terms. This is a war which had all the superpowers of the world participating in it and winning this war was a crucial for all. This Second World War has enhanced the innovative dynamics of America and has built in them a sense of citizenship and patriotism. This war shows the dedication, sincerity and devotion of veteran Americans had for their country. â€Å"The Americans supplied us with 450,000 lorries.Of course, in the final stages of the war this significantly increased our armed forces mobility, decreased our losses and brought us, perhaps, greater success than if we had not such help†7 The Second World War is immensely connected to my family as my maternal and paternal side is linked to this historical event. Firstly, my Granddad was a war veteran which showed the patriotism he had for his country. â€Å"Over time in the United States, this necessary war has been transformed into a good war, the best war the country ever had† 1.Apart from this, on my maternal side, her Irish ancestors took part as British military men in Second World War. Moreover, as we moved to Connecticut after World War II, our life took a positive course â€Å"At the outbreak of the Second World War southern Ireland declared itself neutral while the six counties of Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom became involved†5. Understanding one’s family heritage is of great value as it allows one to grow emotionally and personally as an individual. â€Å"The family is usually considered

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Marketing Plan for ServiKali - Start up business - Thesis Example This unique service shall target people who are settled abroad from Columbia and want to send money back home for various purposes. The stratus is that section of people who have their relative and friends settled abroad and stay in distant locations of Columbia. These people also do not have access to the internet or banking services. The paper carries out secondary research analysis for the purpose of this survey. The product and the company are relatively new (Weiner, 2000). Other companies in the business of international money transfer only provide for transfer and delivery of money. ServiKali aims to deliver services instead of money and put the business into a service perspective and give a new niche to its people. The paper makes use of journals, web and books for the purpose of carrying out this research activity. The total size of the market is difficult to estimate but it shall encompass anybody who is in need of foreign remittance and some service associated with this money received. The total population of Columbia is 47.1 million people and the users of this service are spread out but mostly the older generation and those who are distantly located (Tradingeconomics. 2014). It is estimated that about 70% of the country’s population lives on 7% of the land area of Columbia (Tradingeconomics. 2014). The service provided by ServiKali is meant for the 30% distant and rurally located people (Tradingeconomics. 2014). The demand for money transfers is still untapped and stores a huge potential because the market for international money transfers has been restricted with banks alone. New media for international monetary transactions is expected to have a higher demand. The company has an established brand name and consumer acceptance in US. It has to invest largely in marketing efforts to create its brand recognition in Columbia. Also,

Suggest a Performance Management Systems for a small government Essay

Suggest a Performance Management Systems for a small government department. Explain how can the Balanced Scorecard complement the Performance Management System - Essay Example The performance management system outlined in this paper come from the personal experience of CEOs of big and small companies, business analysts, consultants and major players in the business world as well as management experts in non profit organisations. While these individuals may differ on how the performance management system should be constructed, they are all united on the point that such systems and the performance review process itself is an essential part of employee growth which in turn leads to the growth and development of the organisation. In fact, Jack Welch served as the CEO of General Electric for more than two decades and links performance management to the overall mission of the company. He says that â€Å"Every decision or initiative was linked to the mission. We publicly rewarded people who drove the mission and let go of people who couldn’t deal with it for whatever reason (Welch, 2005, Pg. 16).† This idea connects directly with the idea of the balanced scorecard given by Kaplan and Norton (1992) primarily due to the fact that it connects employee performance management with the idea of promoting the objectives and mission of the organisations rather than any other factor. GE’s own mission, when Welch was running the company, was to be the most competitive company in the world which fits with the approach of rewarding and doing the utmost to keep the best talent within the organisation and letting go of those who do not perform to a certain level. Such tactics could only be employed when an effective performance management system is place and GE’s system for performance reviews has been lauded by critics as well as copied by the competition simply because it is one of the best. In the modern concept of governance, government departments certainly note the importance of human resource management. However, the process of applying the concepts of human resource management which are created in a

Dr. Adler’s New Vision for New York Medical College Essay Example for Free

Dr. Adler’s New Vision for New York Medical College Essay Quality education plays an important role in the development of an individual, as well as in any field of profession. In relation to this, quality education entails that it could adapt to the changes that happen through time. This kind of adage is most applicable in the field of profession that involves the welfare of other people especially when in comes to their health. Being the case, medical schools should also do the necessary steps in order to enhance the quality of education that they render to their students. In line with this, the new vision of Dr. Karl Adler tends to address such changes, which makes it a sound proposal to improve the performance and contribution of New York Medical College to the students and the society. Dr. Adler’s new vision involves affiliating the New York Medical College with Catholic universities in the New York metropolitan region (Klein, n. d. ). Personally, I believe that this proposal could indeed become very beneficial for the college, as well as for the university that they will be affiliated with. Pursuing this plan can help in addressing the problems that the college is currently experiencing. First, during the recent years, the college has been experiencing a deficit because of the unstable financial condition of the hospitals that it is connected with. As a result, the college is having difficulties in managing their finances. An affiliation with a university that has more students and greater sources of budget could aid this problem. Second, working interdependently with a university will also give way for greater grants that will help primary care doctors in their training (Singer, 1997). Lastly, New York Medical College is among the last colleges that have not been declared as a university. Establishing partnership with a university will give the students of the college an exposure with other fields like law, sociology, business, and other things available in a university. In the same manner, the college will also gain a chance to study medical intensive areas of study. The new vision of Dr. Karl Adler is indeed a sound proposal that will greatly contribute in addressing the problems of the college as well as making it a better educational institution. He exemplified a proactive and effective leader thinks of ways in order to adapt with changes. The concept of quality education could be fully realized in his plan because as Dr. Adler said â€Å"by working closely together we’ll make New York Medical College stronger† (Klein, n. d. ). References Klein, M. (n. d. ). New President sets course for medical college. The Journal News. Singer, P. (1997). Grant Helps to Ready Primary Care Doctors. Retrieved February 11, 2009, from http://query. nytimes. com/gst/fullpage. html? res= 9B03E6DB103EF935A15753C1A961958260partner=rssnytemc=rss.

Commensality Defines As Fellowship At Table Sociology Essay

Commensality Defines As Fellowship At Table Sociology Essay Commensality is eating with other people, and commensal eating patterns reflect the social relationships of individuals (1). According to Mennell et al., (1992), the relationship between food, eating, and society will be discussed in a range of ways that include commensality. Until recently, sociologists expressed relatively little interest in what we eat, how we prepare and consume food, how we feel about it and why. Paradoxically, when the relationship between food, eating and society is discussed, this is often in functionalist terms of commensality, that is, the social significance of living and eating together that is thought to lie at the heart of our sociality. Yet, from time to time, changes take place in the way our structures and interactions are perceived and prioritised. In addition, when children opened their lunch boxes, they displayed some of the opportunities and constraints of familial food choices. In effect, home was made visible. The data also illustrated that womens position in the domestic division of labour was intimately linked to the distribution of food, including that consumed at school. In interviews, parents explained that their influence over what went into the box was mediated by several factors which, together, were described in terms of eating compromises or bargains. The combination of (predominantly) mothers ideas about what was nutritionally balanced with their positioning of a snack meal as a stop-gap to the main meal event in the evening, was mediated not only by childrens food preferences but also by what was affordable and practically stored in a lunch box. Most people get married or spend time living with a partner at some stage in their lives. But what effect does this change have, if any, on their eating habits? The transition from bachelor or spinster to young couple represents a major lifecourse change and this paper looks at the role that eating together plays in the lives of a group of young Scottish couples recently married or cohabiting with their partner. The key question here is what role do meals play in all of this and how are eating activities arranged in these households. In an attempt to move the debate on meals beyond the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“traditional family unità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  it considers what eating à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“properlyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  meant for these couples. The paper looks at the importance of the evening meal as a site for sociability in married and cohabiting couples and examines the process of social interaction, focusing on temporal and spatial aspects of eating together as a couple. It reports on what men an d women said in individual interviews and recorded in personal food diaries, contrasting this with their behaviour when they were living separately from their partners (1) A study explained usual meal partners in commensal units and frequency of eating with others in commensal circles among 663 adults responding to a mailed questionnaire in one community. Meal partner data revealed that most respondents ate alone at breakfast, alone or with co-workers at lunch, and with family members at dinner. Commensal frequency data revealed some eating at the homes of other family members, little eating at friends homes, and almost no eating at neighbors homes. Few demographic variations existed in commensal eating, except that unmarried individuals more often ate breakfast and dinner alone and more often ate with friends. These finding suggest that contemporary work-oriented society may lead people to eat alone during the day but share evening meals with family, and that people maintain commensal relationships primarily with family members rather than friends or neighbors. Peoples social worlds appear to be focused on the nuclear family, and family members are al so the people they usually eat with (2). According to findings from a qualitative study of views and understandings of dietary practices in middle class families. Thirty five parents/main food providers of boys and girls aged 13/14 years, living in Eastern Scotland, were interviewed about their and their teenagers everyday lives, food, health and family practices. One of our aims was to understand more about the social and cultural conditions which might be promoting more positive dietary health and physical well-being amongst middle class families. Most parents accounts appeared rooted in a taken-for-grantedness that family members enjoyed good health, lived in relatively secure and unthreatening environments regarding health and resources, and were able to lead active lives, which they valued. Although controlling teenagers eating practices was presented as an ongoing challenge, active supervision and surveillance of their diets was described, as was guiding tastes in the right direction. Parents described attempts to ach ieve family eating practices such as commensality, cooking from scratch, and encouraging a varied and nutritional adult diet and cosmopolitan tastes, though work and activities could compromise these. These middle class families might be characterized as having future oriented hierarchies of luxury and choice, in which controlling and moulding teenagers food practices and tastes was assigned a high priority (3). As well as, Murcott (1988) has pointed out, public and fictional allegiance to the importance of shared meals persists, along with anxiety about their supposed decline. Together, anxiety about what, how, and with whom we eat has surfaced in relation to the health and physical well-being of adults and children and in cultural concerns about the disintegration of family life and values(4). The above mentioned studies illustrate that commensality in school can and does show a variety of formations. This applies also to understandings about parental choice and influence. At Fieldgate School, family influences were revealed more directly because children brought to school visible aspects of their home life, albeit contained in a school lunch box. Such influences were reinforced and thwarted by a variety of other factors, including peer group influence, but overall, parental choice was considered paramount. It should be the responsibility of both home and school, both really. I mean we need food to grow so that should be an educational thing and also put into practice at home via the parents. Food needs to be taught properly. As well as, the experience of becoming the provider of their own food changes the students food behaviors and representations. Diet quality, patterns of commensality and social representations of food provide input for developing healthy diet care and health promotion (5). According to ALLEN et al., (1970) the strongest relations occurred among the nutrition factors and family commensality was the most influential. The degree of family commensality was related not only to increase in food likes and dietary adequacy but also to health and academic performance. Food likes and diet adequacy were both correlated with academic skills, work rating, expectation of success and college preparation. Conclusion: Sharing meals together, both in terms of common understandings about their construction and the social rules which govern behaviour, is thought to be the very essence of sociality. The individualisation of our eating habits, it is claimed, means that both meals, and by implication, critical aspects of our sociality are disappearing (Burnett, 1989). In response, education has been advocated as a mechanism to halt a trend which is thought to threaten our health, our family life, and our sense of social cohesion. Set at the interface between home and school, the above mentioned papers have explored commensality at home and school, and has considered the overlap between the two, using data which prioritise the views of parents and, to a lesser extent children, rather than the perspectives of educationalists, nutritionists, or teachers. Advocates of nutritional improvement in childrens diets have stressed the importance of a school meals service. The discussion of eating provision in scho ol highlights the complex issues underpinning this assertion, not only in terms of nutritional impact but also in relation to the sociality of eating and the cross-cutting effects of institutional practice, socioeconomic advantage and disadvantage (discussed also by Dobson et al., 1994), and cultural preference. As we discussed in the above sections, the strongest relations occurred among the nutrition factors and family commensality was the most influential. The degree of family commensality was related not only to increase in food likes and dietary adequacy but also to health and academic performance. Food likes and diet adequacy were both correlated with academic skills, work rating, expectation of success and college preparation. 1. Marshall DW, Anderson AS. Proper meals in transition: young married couples on the nature of eating together. Appetite2002 Dec;39(3):193-206. 2. Sobal J, Nelson MK. Commensal eating patterns: a community study. Appetite2003 Oct;41(2):181-90. 3. Backett-Milburn KC, Wills WJ, Roberts ML, Lawton J. Food, eating and taste: parents perspectives on the making of the middle class teenager. Soc Sci Med Oct;71(7):1316-23. 4. Murcott A. Sociological and social anthropological approaches to food and eating. World Rev Nutr Diet1988;55:1-40. 5. Alves HJ, Boog MC. [Food behavior in student residence halls: a setting for health promotion]. Rev Saude Publica2007 Apr;41(2):197-204.