Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Essay Example for Free

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Essay Superstition, for the Ibo people provides explanations to unexplained phenomena. For example, their idea of the obanje explains a woman who has the misfortune of many children repeatedly dying as infants. The Oracle gives the Ibo people a way to feel connected with the gods. For the Ibo, the Oracle functions as a way to explain events, as well as a way to predict the future. The Ibo people go to the Oracle for advice. In some other cultures, people pray to their deity to be guided in the right direction or to understand why things happen the way that they do. When the Ibo people want to know what they must do, in an unclear situation (such as how to handle Ikemefuna), they consult the oracle. Most superstitions in the Ibo society are based on lack of knowledge about something. Superstition, in most societies, functions as an explanation for that which we cannot explain with science or logic. It also functions, sometimes, as a form of entertainment and as a way of promoting cultural unity. For example, the ritual involving ancestral spirits coming out to scare the women serves to promote togetherness in the community, to entertain, and to maintain religious and spiritual worship. Another superstition that the Ibo hold is that if you answer, yes? to a call from outside, it could be an evil spirit tricking you. It seems to be that this superstition serves a main purpose of making the people wary. Superstitions evolve from unanswered questions. In Ibo culture, things happened that the people did not understand. A woman would bear two children who looked alike. Perhaps the Ibo people were afraid of this occurrence and gradually began to believe that twins were evil. There is also the Ibo concept of the obanje, a wicked child who dies as an infant, only to reenter the mothers womb repeatedly, causing the parents pain and strife. Without modern medical technology, how would people explain a particular womans children always dying as infants? The Ibo people turned to superstition and folklore. It is not clear from where belief in the Oracle evolved. It seems, however, that this has been a tradition that has been passed on from many generations. A possible explanation would be that long ago one priest or  priestess was receiving many questions from villagers. Unsure of what to do, this priest may have gone into a dark cave to be alone and to try to find the answers from the gods. Perhaps the priest felt a special spiritual energy while inside of the cave, and determined that this must have been a place where he could communicate with the gods. Although the actual origin may be different, many superstitions evolve from this similar type of curiosity and searching for truth.

Maximising profits and meeting objectives Essay Example for Free

Maximising profits and meeting objectives Essay J D Wetherspoon owns pubs right across the UK. It is now the UKs fastest growing company. They serve good quality food at knockdown prices. They also clear your plates away quickly afterwards and ask if the food was to your satisfaction. Wetherspoons employs approximately 11,200 staff who work either part or full-time. The company believe that there is a direct link between the high performance of their staff and their approach to staff recruitment, training, development, and motivation. Each pub operates with skilled management, who are fully supported by bar and kitchen staff. Their mission statement is to have by far the best CBSM (cleanliness, beer, service, maintenance) standards in the pub world; to be the best company to work for; and, by doing these things to be the most profitable. McDonalds McDonalds have over 1000 restaurants across the United Kingdom. Three quarters of these are run by managers on behalf of the company and the other quarter being run as franchises. McDonalds is the worlds largest franchising company, with seven out ten outlets being a franchise, and being owned and run by independent entrepreneurs. McDonalds sell burgers and chicken with a variety of different desserts and hot and cold drinks, served by friendly and helpful team members. One of McDonalds stated aims is to provide a friendly service in a relaxed, safe, and consistent restaurant environment. J D Wetherspoon J D Wetherspoon uses Maslows hierarchy of needs as the bases of their motivation techniques. Maslows hierarchy of needs gives the managers clear and useful insights into how best they should motivate their staff. J D Wetherspoon aims to provide each individual employee with the skills and knowledge, which will help them to gradually climb the ladder of hierarchy permanently. Maslows pyramid can help Wetherspoons with this. They believe in creating a work force, which is committed and motivated. This workforce should be made up of people who can achieve personal fulfilment via the freedom that they get through their work. Realising that they will not be able to keep all their employees for all of their working life, J D Wetherspoon wants them to grow a sense of loyalty to the company They promote their staff through the different levels of employment status in the business, from bar/kitchen associates, to pub managers, to general managers to help motivate them. They pay each of the employees more than their competitors are paying their staff, so that the all associates (employees) feel motivated and will stay with the company for as long as possible. They believe that once their employees know that they are being paid more than the minimum wage for their work, they will become more motivated. The company bases its pay on reviews of performance of each of the staff; the better the performance the better the pay. The company also provides a bonus scheme for its workers. Each member of staff receives a bonus depending upon the performance of the pub in which they work. To get each member of staff to work to their full potential, the business runs many incentive schemes. One example of this is a monthly draw for examples of excellent customer care. The winner will receive an all expenses paid holiday for two in New York. Along with this, the business offers a share option scheme to each of its employees, enabling them to buy shares in the company at an assured price. The company do this in the belief that it will make the staff have a sense of belonging in company and will want to see the company succeed. McDonalds McDonalds method of motivation involves using rewards, goals, and promotion prospects for their members of staff. Although the company motivates their staff via reward methods, goals and promotion prospects, they use F.W. Taylors Scientific Management motivation theory. McDonalds splits their staff into teams, so that there is a team of people in each of the areas of the restaurant. There are also team members who walk round the restaurant and clear tables of empty food boxes and drinks cartons. Julie Room, a General Manager from a McDonalds restaurant says that McDonalds are continually hiring new members of staff, as their staff members are always leaving. McDonalds have high promotion prospects for their staff, with all the managers who work for the company once being crewmembers, and 80% of the top managers were once crewmembers. The president of McDonalds Ltd, also worked as a crewmember in a restaurant. This gives the current members of staff aspirations for the future. To help each member of staff, the company trains them in the restaurant that they will work in. Each staff member is trained in all 16 areas of the business including grill, buns, dressings, filets, and pies, drive-thru, front counter, and back room. This is all on the job training. This means that the staff can experience job rotation within their work. This leads to job motivation for the staff. Therefore, the team members are more likely to stay with the company for longer. This is very similar to the motivation theory of Douglas McGregor. J D Wetherspoon J D Wetherspoons management is of a democratic style. The management encourages the staff to take part in decision-making through the multi-channel communication system, which the company has in place. Wetherspoons believe that many of the projects that they adopt stem from the ideas put forward by their associates. This is because they are on the front-line of the company. They can see where things need to be improved and changed. These things tend to obvious to the people who are in contact with customers on a day-to-day basis but are not quite so obvious to the managers, higher up in the business who are very rarely seen by the customers. The changes and improvements that the associates would like to see are communicated to their line manager, who refers them to the pub/restaurant manager. Within a few weeks, the good ideas are put into practice to make to the pub/restaurant appear better to the public and possibly to attract more customers. Every fortnight, they hold a big meeting where over 100 employees attend. This includes people like the company chairperson, company directors, and pub managers and some associates from many pubs/restaurants. Here, all the employees can voice their opinions on the companys over all performance and the ways in which they think it can be improved. Everyone who attends, gets to vote whether a certain route for a promotion of an offer the company is participating in, gets the go ahead or not. Many of the people who work for Wetherspoons carry a high level of commitment and many are proud to work for Wetherspoons. The company strongly believes that one of the key factors, which differentiates the company from its rivals, is the high quality of customer service/care that is achieved, from employing a number of committed employees. McDonalds McDonalds management style is more autocratic. This is because the members of staff are told which part of the restaurant they will be working in and they are told what they have to do. However, some of the approaches that McDonalds use can be seen in McGregors Theory Y. This is people centred and the managers are more democratic. The managers give the teams responsibility for each of the sections, awarding them appropriately, as they meet and exceed targets. They also believe that their staff want to work and are not lazy. However, the members of staff at McDonalds can also come under McGregors Theory X. This is because the teams have to be controlled and monitored. They have to be told what to do and are often watched to make sure that they are performing correctly. They are often seen to slack and to be lazy. Thus, they need some motivation to inspire them to work. It is only the managers that get a say in what the company does. The employees, which are seen everyday, unlike the managers, do not get any input into company and the decisions it makes what so ever. Therefore, the team members feel undervalued. This can then result in the management team lacking in motivation to motivate their staff. J D Wetherspoon Wetherspoons business culture is one orientated around their associates at the lower levels. This is because these people see the areas that can improved. The managers rely on these people to report any problems and successes. Wetherspoons encourages their staff to challenge existing ideas and practices to continually improve the company. The changes that are raised are adjusted little by little rather than in one big change. Many of these changes are suggested by the employees, who base them upon their experience whilst at work. However, these sorts of things can only occur in an open culture. Nothing is disclosed within Wetherspoons approach and is based upon the understanding and the belief in some of the key ideas of human motivation. Their approach to the way things are done resembles Charles Handys Role Culture. This is because of the structure that the company takes; this is much like a pyramid with the chairperson at the top and the associates at the bottom, very rarely speaking to one another (see below). McDonalds McDonalds business culture is orientated around the tasks that the staff have to carry out. This is because without these people the company could not function efficiently. These people also see the day-to-day running of the business, the taking of the money, serving of the food etc. The approach that the company takes resembles Charles Handys Task Culture. This is because of the company structure. The Task Culture is represented by a matrix, which looks like a grid (see right). The company splits its employees into project teams. Within these teams, they have to solve problems, which may arise. In addition, everyone can cross boundaries within the business. This means that they can work in other departments as well as the one they are employed in e.g. some one working on the front counter, could work in the kitchens. This culture also uses individual talents in each area i.e. people on the front counter need to use people skills, need to have good communication skills and confidence, whereas on the other hand, the people who cook the burgers need to be good at time keeping, cooking the burgers, and keeping up with the demands. J D Wetherspoon The company is committed to providing the highest standards of training and development to all employees. They aim to encourage, motivate, and support all the employees to achieve the companys mission statement and to fulfil the personal ambitions. There are different programmes, which the company use to train and develop. Generally, when people start working for the business they start as bar/kitchen associates. They start with the training for this job, as they progress in the business, they receive development training. This is for team leaders, shift managers, kitchen managers and pub managers. Each of the positions have their own set of training programmes. For example, for someone to train as a shift manager, they have to go through twelve types of training; induction, food hygiene, health and safety, kitchen training, customer management, personnel policies and procedures, people skills, interview skills, and stock management. They also have to do a National Licensees Certificate. Whereas to train as a bar/kitchen associate, they have to do food hygiene, health and safety, and kitchen training. J D Wetherspoons develop their staff. They do this because the staff that already work for the company know the way the business works. Also, training staff that already work for Wetherspoons, to higher positions in the company can mean that the costs of recruiting and training new staff will be reduced. It also helps to ensure staff loyalty and can reduce many future uncertainties in the company. This can then, in addition ensure that the company will not run out of skilled people; i.e. a bar/kitchen associate who has been promoted to a shift manager can always help out in the kitchen because they would have had the correct training to be able to work in the kitchens. Therefore, they have the skills and the company has not lost them. Training existing staff can help gain a competitive advantage. This means the company can gain more customers and more customer loyalty. In theory, and in many cases, in reality, this can help to motivate the managers, which in turn will help them to train their staff better, and can motivate them too. The companys training and development programme is a combination of on and off the job training courses. The companys training centres round career development. McDonalds McDonalds hire their staff on a three weeks probationary period. The company have the right to end employment of at any time during these three weeks. It is only after these three weeks, and if their performance has been acceptable, that the member of staff becomes part of the team. It is said that the company takes six months to train a full-timer and 11 months to train a part-timer. This is because of the sixteen areas in which everyone has to be trained on. These include the grill, buns, dressings, filets, and pies, drive-thru, front counter, and back room. They also have a buddy system. This is where a new employee to the company is paired with someone else who has been with the company for a while and have experience. This person will be one of the training squad and will look after the new team member for their probationary period. Eventually the trainer will decide whether or not the new team member is capable of carrying out the work in the area. When this has been decided the staff member would have received a gold star (this system existed in 1999, it no longer exists). The company thought that the teams found this system of rewarding good work, motivational. McDonalds, like J D Wetherspoons like to develop their staff. In the article by Susan Curtis, it says that there is a set hierarchy of jobs for crew members to work their way up: (1) Crew member (2) Five star crew member (3) Training squad member (4) Hourly-paid floor manager (5) Salaried floor manager (second assistant manager) (6) First assistant manager (7) Store manager (8) General manager (only in larger stores). They develop their staff for the same reasons that J D Wetherspoons do. They do it to save money and to give staff more opportunities within the business. J D Wetherspoon J D Wetherspoons encourage their staff to work in teams. This is because team working means that there is a more efficient and effective production team. It is also believed that working as a team, can satisfy the social needs of people. Many managers delegate power among the people who work underneath them. This is in the belief that delegation meets the employees ego and self-actualisation needs from the motivation theory of Maslow. In addition, working as part of a team means that people can job rotate, to give them a bit of variety. This means that they can be more motivated towards their job, knowing that there is a possibility of job rotation within their teams, even if it is cooking a different part of a meal. Wetherspoons encourages this because they want their staff to achieve as much as possible in their work. They also want their members of staff to have a sense of belongingness to the company. Wetherspoons recognise that the feeling of belongingness is an employee need and therefore they set out to meet it. McDonalds McDonalds also encourage their staff to work in teams. This is because they, like J D Wetherspoons, have a more efficient and effective work force this way. McDonalds staff are encouraged to work as teams so that all the work is covered and completed, whether it is morning at breakfast, mid-day at lunchtime or in the evening at tea time. This also helps to satisfy the staff at McDonalds and helps to maximise the involvement of the staff. The teams are usually functional. Also within the teams, the staff can swap jobs with someone else and change department that they work in. Team working means that the staff can become multi-skilled. This makes it easier to do someone elses job. They can also meet shared objectives, i.e. serve each customer within a minute. J D Wetherspoon J D Wetherspoons is a pub/restaurant. They sell both drinks and food. This means that they need enough stock to supply their customers. The company have to ensure that each of their pubs has enough beer barrels in their cellar and enough wines and spirits to last them at least a week. The company will have at least a delivery of beer every few days or so as the beer will go off very quickly once the barrel has been opened. The company always has just enough stock to cater for all their customers, whether they be eating or drinking. They bring many different types of beers to their customers throughout the year via beer festivals. Wetherspoons work along side Cask Marque (a quality standard for real beer) and CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale). This means that the company brings in new beers and rotates them throughout the year to offer their customers some variety. They also offer many spirits and wines as well. All these alcoholic beverages are kept in stock with strict quality standards, upheld inside the pub. This is to make sure that the customers can enjoy their drinks. This applies to the beers especially. The company offer fifty plus different meals per day, they therefore need to make sure that they have enough ingredients for these meals. They need to make sure that the stock they have does not go out of date to quickly either. They have many meals on their menu, which contain meat (beef, pork, chicken, and lamb) and fish. To keep this from going off they need to put the meats and fish in a chiller. They have to order enough of each ingredient for each of the meals on their menu, as if they are to sell many of the same meal. They do this for both the beverages and food so that they never run out of stock. If they were to run out of stock then there is a possibility of losing customers and future customers. The method of stock control that they use, in my opinion is Just in Case. This is because they can never be sure how much of each meal option they need to make and they never know how much of a particular beer or spirit they are going to sell, so they need enough stock just in case some one buys a meal or a drink. McDonalds McDonalds, on the other hand, operates in a different way. They stock up on all their burgers, salads, deserts, and fries although they use J.I.T. The restaurants are always very busy during the day. Therefore the company gets through many burgers, and fries each day. They have to rely upon their suppliers to deliver in time for rush hours i.e. lunch time as they know they will need more stock. They estimate their level of sales for each item on the menu using previous figures, doing this they can predict how much they need to order. To use J.I.T. McDonalds need to know exactly what they need. They need pretty good knowledge of their customers requirements. They also need to have excellent relationships with their suppliers, and need to have accurate understandings of production requirements. J D Wetherspoon J D Wetherspoon have to assure quality in both food and the drink. They ensure this by buying the highest quality ingredients for their meals from their suppliers. To guarantee this, they make sure that they build strong relationships with the suppliers. They also have a food guru, who works closely with the food team. Once a month he reviews the companys menu and the ingredients which they use, and he gives his personal seal of approval if he believes they are at the highest standard that people would expect from J D Wetherspoons. To ensure that the beer they sell is to the highest standards, they employ beer tasters. These people test the beers on four areas; appearance, aroma, taste and aftertaste. These are usually marked out of 10, so each beer can get a maximum of 40 marks. All of the beers which the company supply must meet their tasting standards, before any orders can be placed. Whilst in stock, there are strict quality standards in place which are maintained within the free house, to ensure that customers enjoy the beer at its best. This process also applies to the wines and spirits. As with the beers, the wines and spirits have to meet the companys high standards. The wines and spirits are also tested for appearance, aroma, taste and aftertaste and again if they dont meet Wetherspoons standards then they are not sold in any of the pubs/restaurants. They also train their staff to a high standard of work to ensure the quality of customer service. They do this by training their staff in customer management and in people skills. McDonalds Serving more than 2.5 million customers each day makes quality a consistent goal. They work with leading suppliers across the UK from potato farmers in Lincolnshire and Norfolk to dairies in the South and Midlands to bring customers the tasty products that customers expect from McDonalds. McDonalds attempt to certify quality from crop to counter. Therefore they require the highest standards and specifications, not just for product ingredients; every detail of production, transport, delivery, preparation and service is carefully monitored. A focus on quality pervades every aspect of the business. Their standards top the food industry, and they continue to work with government and health officials to investigate improvements to their foods. Both companies have their different approaches to maximising profits and to meet its objectives. The way in which each company goes about it is effective to them. Both companies are, although in the same area of trade, are completely different. They operate in different ways, have different kinds of people working for them and generally have different clientele. The people who work for McDonalds are generally those who can work in the conditions that are found in a McDonalds restaurant. They tend to be able to deal with pressure a little easier then those working at Wetherspoons and vice versa. These people have a different kind of objective to aim towards, that is appropriate to the different companies. Again the approach each company uses helps to achieve these very well and can sometimes help them to exceed them. The companies approaches, however, both lead to them maximising their profits. This is because of the efficiency and effectiveness of the staff in both companies.

Examining Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Techniques

Examining Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Techniques Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) is a generic term for techniques used for increasing the amount of crude oil that can be extracted from an oil well. Using EOR, 30-60 % of the reservoir original oil can be extracted compared with 20-40% using primary and secondary recovery techniques. Enhanced oil recovery is also called improved oil recovery or tertiary recovery. This improved extraction is achieved by gas injection, chemical injection and thermal recovery (which includes cyclic stream, stream flooding, and fire flooding). Gas injection is the most commonly used EOR technique; here gas such as carbon dioxide (CO2), natural gas, or nitrogen is injected into the reservoir whereupon it expands and thereby pushes additional oil to a production wellbore, and moreover dissolves in the oil to lower its viscosity and improve the flow rate of the oil. Oil displacement by carbon dioxide injection relies on the phase behaviour of carbon dioxide and crude oil mixture that are strongly dependent on reservoir temperature, pressure and crude oil composition. These mechanisms range from oil swelling and viscosity reduction for injection of immiscible fluids (at low pressure) to completely miscible displacement in high pressure applications. In these applications, more than half and up to two-third of the injected carbon dioxide returns with the produced oil and is usually re-injected into the reservoir to minimize operating cost. The remainder is trapped in the oil reservoir by various means. Other techniques include thermal recovery (which uses heat to improve flow rate) and, more rarely, chemical injection, where polymers are injected to increase the effectiveness of water floods or the use of detergent-like surfactants such as to help lower the capillary pressure that often prevents oil droplets from moving through a reservoir. Surfactant enhanced water floods are used for oil recovery where surfactants are injected with polymer. Microbial Enhanced oil Recovery (MEOR) is particularly suited for application in carbonate reservoir, after secondary oil recovery, there are still large amount of oil left in the reservoir. Some bacteria are able to increase the oil production when injected into the oil reservoir. To stimulate such anaerobic microbial increased oil recovery, nutrients is injected together with the injection water. Oil recovery requires two to three stages which are briefly described below Stage 1: Primary Recovery 12 15 % of the oil in the well is recovered without the need to introduce other substances into the well. Stage 2: Secondary Recovery The oil well is flooded with water or other substances to obtain an additional 15-20% more oil from the well. Stage 3: Tertiary Recovery This stage may be accomplished through several methods which includes MEOR to additionally recover up to 11% more oil from the well. Layout for different recovery techniques are shown in figure 1. Primary and secondary recovery techniques are usually called conventional recovery. Primary recovery is done by natural flow which is usually enhanced by reservoir natural pressure, and artificial lift such as pumps and gas lift, etc. Secondary recovery is done by water folding and pressure maintenance by gas reinjection. Tertiary recovery techniques cover broad area which includes thermal recovery such as in-situ combustion and steam flooding, solvent recovery is done by methods such as polymer flooding and surfactant enhanced water flood. Chemical enhanced recovery methods include gas injection or hydrocarbon miscible injection and nitrogen and flue gas flooding. Microbial enhanced oil recovery which is the main focus of this project will be explained better in the next chapter, but it is basically injection of microbes such as bacteria into oil reservoir to help recover oil. All these methods of oil recovery will be e xplained briefly. PRIMARY RECOVERY If the underground pressure in the oil reservoir is sufficient, then this pressure will force the oil out to the surface of the earth. Gaseous fuel, natural gas or water is usually present, which also supply needed underground pressure. In this situation, it is sufficient to place a complex arrangement of valves (Christmas tree) on the well head to connect the well to a pipeline network for storage and processing. Normally oil is recovered by natural means and artificial lift like pumps and gas lift. SECONDARY RECOVERY Over a lifetime of an oil well, the pressure will fall and at some point there will be insufficient underground pressure to force the oil to the surface of the earth. If economical, as often is, more oil in the well is extracted using secondary recovery methods. Secondary oil recovery uses various techniques to aid in recovering oil from depleted or low pressure reservoir. Sometimes, pumps such as beam pumps and electric submersible pumps (ESPs) are used to pump the oil to the surface of the earth. Other secondary recovery techniques increases the reservoirs pressure by water injection, natural gas reinjection and gas lift, which inject air, carbon dioxide or some other gases into the reservoir. Together, primary and secondary recovery generally allows 25-35 % of the reservoir oil to be recovered. Water injection The productivity of existing oil wells can be significantly increased by the use of water injection. Statistics has shown that a reservoir produces just 37% oil in the first recovery. By using water injection, a reservoir can produce more than 50% of its oil. One of the most important issues during oil production is to keep the matrix/formation as clean as possible to maintain maximum oil production. Water is injected for two reasons: first is for pressure support of the reservoir. Second is to sweep or displace the oil from the reservoir, and push it outward. Gas lift Gas lift is one of a number of processes used to artificially lift oil from a well, where there is insufficient reservoir pressure. The process involves injecting gas through the tube-casing annulus. Injected gases aerate the fluid and reduce its density so the formation pressure is then able to lift the oil column and forces the fluid out of the wellbore. Gas may be injected continuously or intermittently, depending on the producing characteristics of the well and the arrangement of the gas-lift equipment. Although the gas is recovered from the oil at a latter separation stage, the process requires energy to drive a compressor in order to raise the pressure of the gas to a level where it can be reinjected. TERTIARY RECOVERY Tertiary recovery reduces the oil viscosity to increase oil production. Thermally enhanced oil recovery methods (TEOR) are tertiary recovery techniques that heat the oil and make it easier to flow or extract. Steam injection is the most common form of TEOR, and is often done with a cogeneration plant. In this type of cogeneration plant, a gas turbine is used to generate electricity and the waste heat is used to produce steam, which is then injected into the reservoir. In-situ burning is another form of TEOR, but instead of steam, some of the oil is burnt to heat the surrounding oil. Occasionally, detergents are also used to decrease oil viscosity as a tertiary oil recovery method, another method to reduce viscosity is carbon dioxide flooding. Tertiary recovery begins when secondary oil recovery isnt enough to continue adequate production, but only when the oil can still be extracted profitably. (Hitzman 1983) Gas injection or Hydrocarbon Miscible injection Gas injection is the most commonly used EOR technique, here, gas such as carbon dioxide is injected into the reservoir whereupon it expands and thereby pushes additional oil to a production wellbore, and moreover dissolves in the oil to lower its viscosity and improves the flow rate of the oil. Oil displacement by carbon dioxide injection relies on the phase behaviour of carbon dioxide and crude oil mixture that are strongly dependent on reservoir temperature, pressure and crude oil composition. These mechanisms range from oil swelling and viscosity reduction for injection of immiscible fluid (at low pressure) to completely miscible displacement in high pressure applications. In these applications, more than half and up to two-third of the injected carbon dioxide returns with the produced oil and is usually reinjected into the reservoir by various means. Nitrogen and gas flooding Nitrogen and flue gas about 87 % nitrogen and 12 % carbon dioxide is used in place of hydrocarbon gases because of economical reasons. Nitrogen competes with carbon dioxide because it is economical and its compressibility is much lower. For a given quantity at standard condition nitrogen will occupy much more space at reservoir pressure than carbon dioxide and methane at the same condition. Nitrogen has a poor solubility and lower viscosity in oil and requires much higher pressure to create miscibility. THERMAL RECOVERY In-situ combustion Fire flooding is world cheapest means of thermal recovery, however, significant amount of amount of fuel must be burned, both above the ground to compress the air, and below ground in the combustion process. Actually the worst part of the crude oil is burnt, the lighter end are carried forward in advance of the burning zone to upgrade the crude oil. Stream flooding In the steam drive, steam Is continually introduced in the injection well to reduce the viscosity of the oil and provide a driving force to move oil towards the production well. Steam driving may work by driving water and oil to form an oil bank in front of steamed zone. Ideally this steam bank remains n front, increasing in size until it is produced by the well offsetting the injector. However, in many cases the steam flows over the oil and transfer heat by conduction. Oil at the interface will then be less viscous and dragged along with the steam to the producing well. Recoverability is increased because the steam lowers the oil viscosity and improves the oil mobility. The more mobile oil displace the steam zone expands vertically, and the steam oil interface is maintained. Chemical injection Other techniques which uses heat to improve flow rates (and more rarely) is chemical injection, where polymers are injected to increase the effectiveness of water floods, or the use of detergent like surfactants to help lower the capillary pressure that often prevents oil droplets from moving through a reservoir. Alkaline flooding is an effective chemical EOR method. SOLVENT RECOVERY Polymer flooding Both synthetic polymer such as polyacrylamides and natural polymers are used for improvement of sweep efficiency. Additional polymer makes the water more viscous so that oil is produced faster. Obviously, this is not a good idea n a low permeability reservoir or one with high clay content that absorb the polymer. However, polymer-augmented water floods can be profitable Surfactant-Enhanced Water flood Three types of chemical floods exist. The first is an alkaline-augmented polymer flood. Another is an alkaline-surfactant polymer flood. The third is a micellar or low interface tension flood (Donaldson, 1989). AIM AND OBJECTIVES The aim of this project is to study the adaptability of anaerobic bacteria (Clostridium Thyrobutyricum 633) to different salinities and check the effect of the microbial strain on permeability of the Danish Nord Sea Chalk. To achieve this aim, the following objectives have been set: Check adaptability of microbial strain to high salinities Microbial gas production and dynamics of metabolism Carry out plate count experiment Observation of fermentation process and microbial analysis To determine and measure the volume of carbon dioxide gas produced by these microbes when exposed to different salinities To determine the amount of acid produced during fermentation process Statistical analysis of results to derive model Improvement of experimental procedure The project work is based on studying of the microbial enhanced oil recovery method and the possibilities of using this in the Danish sector of the Nord Sea. The project task applies experimental procedure and the specific to investigate if these microbes can survive under reservoir conditions and produce products important in oil recovery. CHAPTER TWO:Â  LITERATURE REVIEW MICROBIAL ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY (MEOR) MEOR is used in the third phase of oil recovery from a well, it is a tertiary oil recovery technique. MEOR is the use of micro-organisms to retrieve additional oil from an existing well, thereby enhancing the petroleum production of an oil reservoir. In this technique, selected natural micro-organisms are introduced into oil well to produce harmless by-products like carbon dioxide. These process help to mobilize the oil and facilitate oil flow by reducing the viscosity of the oil and making the rock permeable, thereby allowing more amount of oil to be recovered from a well. Amongst the available tertiary oil recovery techniques, MEOR is arguably the best for many reasons. One key factor in the selection of microbial enhanced oil recovery is the economical potential, by which desirable chemicals and gases are produced to enhance oil recovery. MEOR processes are also energy efficient and environmental friendly as compared to other recovery techniques. History of microbes used MEOR is a technology that has a history based on over 60 years of research and field studies. The earlier works by ZoBell CE and Updegraff D (USA), Kuznetsov SI and Shturn DL (USSR), shows the international scope of the work. This work was expanded in the 1950s mainly by investigators Coty VF, Yarborough H and Hitzman DO in the major oil companies in the United States. In MEOR, the process that facilitates oil production is complex and may involve multiple biochemical processes. Microbial biomass or biopolymers may plug high permeability zones and lead to a redirection of water flood, produce surfactants which lead to increased mobilization of residual oil, increase gas pressure by the production of carbon dioxide or reduce the oil viscosity due to digestion of large molecules. Application of MEOR technologies MEOR technologies have the common basis of introducing or stimulating viable micro organisms in an oil well reservoir for the purpose of enhancing oil recovery. However, this broad generic definition of MEOR is not a single methodology but is a broader technology which can be designed for different and selective applications. It is convenient to divide the MEOR technology into the following application groups: Single well stimulation MEOR water floods Paraffins removal Viscosity modification Water diversion Heavy oil modification The classification of MEOR technology by the proposed oil releasing mechanism shows the range of microbial effects which can be identified or expected to occur to which the MEOR system can be directed. MEOR Oil Releasing Mechanism Gas generation: The production of gases will aid the displacement of oil in the pore spaces. Acid production: Organic and inorganic acid production by microbes will dissolve carbonate deposits, iron sulphide and dissolution and sulphate materials. Surfactant production: Biosurfactants produced by the organisms result in the reduction of interfacial surface tension of the oil/water bond. Other MEOR oil releasing mechanisms includes: Physical oil displacement Biopolymer production Hydrocarbon modification Viscosity modification Selective plugging of high permeability zones within a reservoir is necessary to achieve oil recovery. This is best achieved in MEOR process where cells stimulated to grow deeply in a formation where production of biomass and products will have the greatest impact. If growth occurs primarily at the well bore, then face plugging will result, and no additional oil will be recovered, leaving the reservoir unproductive. The Science of MEOR The micro organisms used in MEOR can be applied to a single oil well or to an entire oil reservoir. They need certain conditions to survive, so nutrients are often introduced into the well certain intervals. MEOR also requires that water be present. Micro organisms grow between the oil and the wells rock surface to enhance oil recovery by the following methods: Reduction of oil viscosity: Oil is a thick fluid that is quite viscous, meaning that it does not flow easily. Micro organisms help break down the molecular structure of crude oil, making it less viscous and easier to recover from the well. Production of carbon dioxide gas: As a by-product of metabolism, micro organisms produce carbon dioxide gas. Over time, these gases accumulate and displace the oil in the well, driving it up and out of the ground. Production of biomass: When micro organisms metabolize the nutrient they need for survival, they produce organic biomass as a by-product. This biomass accumulates between the oil and the rock surface, physically displacing the oil and making it easier to recover from the well. Selective plugging: Some micro organisms secrete slimy substances called exopolysaccharides to protect themselves from drying out or falling prey to other organisms. The substance helps bacteria plug the pores found in the rocks within the well so that oil may move past rock surfaces more easily. Blocking rock pores to facilitate the movement of oil is known as selective plugging. Production of bio surfactants: Micro organisms produce slippery substances called surfactants as they breakdown il. Because they are naturally produced by biological micro organisms, they are referred to as bio surfactants. Bio surfactants act like slippery detergents, helping the oil move more freely away from rock and crevices so that it may travel more easily out of the well. If we make a comparison between MEOR and other enhanced oil recovery, then we can see that MEOR is much adoptable, it offers multiple recovery mechanisms, low capital and operating cost, while in other enhanced oil recovery techniques, only a specified technology is applicable also has a high capital and operating cost. TYPES OF MICROBES AND THEIR SELECTION MEOR has gained much attention in recent times, but it is worth noting that not all microbes can survive in such conditions as found in an oil well, therefore the microbes which are able to withstand these conditions are discussed below: Microbes used in MEOR There are many types of bacteria used in MEOR, they include aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and are divided on the basis of their need for oxygen. In this project work, the bacteria used were anaerobic from CHP-biogas plant at Ribe in Denmark. Selection of Bacteria The selection of specific bacteria is considered in this method. There are a lot of bacteria available, but the normal conditions for majority of bacteria is 5 % Sodium chloride, optimum temperature of 37 degree Celsius, pH less than seven. Factors affecting growth of bacteria There are many factors which affects the growth of bacteria. Some of which are explained in the below: Salinity: The term salinity refers to the amount of dissolved salt that are present in water. Sodium chloride is the predominant ions in sea water, the concentration of magnesium, calcium and sulphate ions are also substantial. High salinity and toxic substances are responsible for limiting the growth of microbes. Halophiles are salt loving microbes which use sodium chloride and also have complex nutrient requirements. Moderate halophiles can grow anaerobically at temperature greater than 50o C. The salinity in the northern part of Danish oil field is about 40g/l or more. Since salinity too high, formation water is diluted with sea water during injection in the well. In order to perform experimental and laboratory analysis, a sample of produce water is taken so as to know how much salinity can be controlled; therefore microbial gas production has been tested up to 140g/l. Temperature: Extreme high temperature affects the growth of bacteria, although they need average temperature for growth. Thermopiles are bacteria which are heat loving; these bacteria have an optimum growth temperature of 45 o C 80 o C. Their membranes are unusually stable at this extremely high temperature. Thus many important biotechnological processes utilise thermophilic enzymes because of their ability to withstand intense heat. So before injecting these bacteria into the reservoir, the temperature of the reservoir should be considered, therefore, selection of the right thermophilic bacteria for high temperature is very important. Effect of pH: pH is the measure of acidity or alkalinity of a solution. Simply pH is the measure of concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution. It is a measure of the activity of dissolved hydrogen ion. In pure water at 25 o C, the concentration of hydrogen ion equals the concentration of hydroxide ions; this is known as neutral and corresponds to a pH level of 7.0. Solutions in which the concentration of hydrogen ions exceeds that of hydroxyl ion has a pH level lower than 7.0 and are known ad bases. The pH reading of a solution is usually obtained by comparing unknown solution to those of known pH, and there are several ways to do so. More favourable pH condition for micro organisms is about 7 and very few of them can grow below2 and above 10. Micro organisms capable of living at very low pH are called acidphilies and those which live at high pH are called alkaliphiles. Pressure: Extreme pressure affects the growth and metabolism of micro organisms. A pressure lower than 100-200 atm has no effect on microbial metabolism, however, pressure of the range of 500-600 atm have limiting effect on growth of bacteria. The ocean floor possesses high pressure. For most MEOR processes barophilic organisms will not be necessary, instead, barotolerant microbes can grow at high pressures, but do not require these high pressures for optimal growth. The ability to grow pressure depends on the energy sources available, inorganic salts present, pH and temperature. Adaptation of microbial cultures to higher pressure therefore is possible. Toxic elements: Chemicals which have toxic effects on micro organisms are found in some reservoirs. These chemicals include co-surfactant, surfactant, biocides, ethylenediaminetetraacetate, and toluene, many of which are used in various chemical EOR operations. Sodium and Potassium may be exchanged without impairing the growth of micro organisms. Magnesium has higher toxicity than sodium and potassium, but the most toxic formation water are those with high Calcium Chloride (CaCl2), so adaptability should be considered before injecting micro organisms in such toxic environment. The choice of Clostridium Tyrobutiricum Thousands of bacteria have been investigated for MEOR purpose, but the fermentation bacteria remain the most popular especially Clostridia specie because they produce large volume of gas which include CO2, H2 and CH4. These gases produced, decrease the oil viscosity and increase the pressure in the oil reservoir. Fermentation Fermentation is the process that produces alcoholic beverages or acidic dairy products. In general, fermentation involves the breaking down of complex organic substances into simpler ones. Waste products formed in this way include gases, ethyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, organic acids, acetone and others. Molasses fermentation generates energy rich metabolic product, which may react in the final decomposition line of sulphate reduction under anaerobic formation condition. With sulphate ion in the formation water, sulphur reduction predominates. Hydrogen sulphide produced is actually not desirable. The organic acids are formed through fermentation of the molasses by the bacteria in the reservoir do cause a rock dissolving process. Dorben field (Germany), 1982, Dr. Wagner Another reason for using fermentation bacteria is Dr. Wagner field trail. If we make comparison between Danish north oil field formation and Zechstein evaporates rocks which are similar to the Danish North Sea formation. Dolomite is also similar to Danish north field chalk. Formation temperature is quite similar and of course has a high salinity. Clostridia tyrobutiricum was selected for Dr. Wagners experiment. The characteristics of Dr. Wagners experiment field are as follows: Dolomite of Zechstein formations Depth of 1240m Formation temperature 53 oC High salinity formation water, even the fissures and fractures are partially filled with salt. The result of Dr. Wagners MEOR well experiments: Water cut decreased from 80 to 60 % Average annual oil production: Before microbial treatment 50 tons per month 3 months after injection 150 tons per month 1 year after injection 300 tons per month Since all these conditions are similar to Danish North Sea formation and other factors are also same, so we can use fermentation bacteria for MEOR experiment. Adaptation of bacteria to high salinities Majority of the bacteria cannot withstand high salinity, from the time of ancient civilization; it is known that adding 50 g/l of salt in food preserves it from spoiling. This means that fermentation bacteria which normally populate organic substances has a challenge of adaptation in high salinity. The spore forming bacteria like clostridium form spores in extreme conditions. These conditions allow bacteria to survive but they will not be active and would not be productive. Under extremely high salinities, bacteria undergo osmotic stress which is expressed in osmotic pressure. Osmotic pressure affects the water activity and production of CO2 gas during the fermentation process. Osmosis Osmosis is the passage of water from region of high concentration through a semi-permeable membrane to a region of lower water concentration. Semi permeable membrane are very thin layers of material (cell membrane are semi-permeable) which allow some substances to pass through them and prevent other substances from passing through. Cell membranes will allow small molecules like oxygen, water, CO2, ammonia, glucose, amino acid, etc. to pass through; meanwhile, cell membranes do not allow passage of larger molecules like sucrose, starch, protein, etc. Osmotic pressure Osmotic pressure is hydrostatic pressure produced by a difference in concentration between solutions on the two sides of a surface such as a semi permeable membrane. It was also observed that the bacteria change its morphology. For the case of clostridia it will mean that from rod-shape it turns to cocci-form which is simply the reflection of shrinkage. Potential osmotic pressure Potential osmotic pressure is the maximum osmotic pressure that could develop in a solution if it were separated from distilled water by a selectively permeable membrane. It is the number of solute particle in a unit volume of the solution that directly determines its potential osmotic pressure. Osmotic properties of cells The wall of bacteria and growing plant cells are not completely rigid, and the turgor pressure has been proposed to provide the mechanical force for the expansion of the cell walls during cell growth. The uptake or biosynthesis of osmotically active solutes causes an increase in the cells, thus providing the necessary tugor pressure for expansion of the cell walls. Although the suggestion that turgor pressure is the driving force for cell wall expansion would imply that the mechanisms that regulate the osmotic balance of organisms are central to the very process of cell growth. Lipid membranes allow rapid diffusion of water molecules into or out of cells while presenting an effective barrier to most other biological molecules. Membranes that exhibit selective permeability for different substances are called semi permeable, and the osmotic properties of cells derive from this property of the membranes. Thermophyllic and Halophyllic bacteria There are bacteria which need high salinities and high temperatures for their growth. In order to investigate and record the conditions of microbes at high salinities and high temperature it is better to know about the bacteria which can withstand on these conditions. Important information has been given about these type of bacteria is discussed below. A thermopile is an extremophile organism which survives at relatively high temperatures. Thermophilic (heat-loving) organisms are organism with an optimum growth temperature of 50o C or more, a maximum of up to 70

PG Pakistan

PG Pakistan Introduction to the Project:- I would like to introduce our product, I choose the product Pampers by Procter and Gamble. I analyzed the marketing environment of the company and its competitors around, on the whole the main focus will be on the marketing mix of the product which will include Product, Price, Place and Promotion analysis, Including the brief summary at the end of the project with some conclusions and recommendations. Brief History of the Company:- PG Pakistan is a subsidiary of the Procter and Gamble Corporation the leading consumer goods company with a mission to improve the lives of consumers wherever it operates. PG is an international Company reaching out to almost the entire world population with more than 250 brands in 130 countries. Many of these world brands (Ariel, Tide, Pert Plus, Pantene pro-V, Head Shoulders, Pampers and Always) have become famous household names and are found in almost every home. Headquartered in Cincinnati-Ohio in the USA, PG has local operations across the globe in more than 80 different countries, including numerous manufacturing sites and 18 RD-technical centers. PG is an internationally owned company with publicly traded shares, currently owned by over one million shareholders from around the globe. PG employs over 100,000 people from all over the world, spread evenly between 1-USA, 2-Europe/Middle East and Africa and 3-Latin America/Asia. PG hires and respects individuals regardless of rac e, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, citizenship or disability, and actively promotes diversity within its organization as well as in its business operations. Procter Gamble started its operations in Pakistan in 1991 with the goal of becoming the finest global local consumer goods company operating in Pakistan. With commitment came growth, and in 1994 we acquired a soap-manufacturing facility, a sprawling 7-acre land at Hub, Balochistan. Over the past nine years, the plant achieved state-of-art manufacturing technologies and quality assurance processes. With a recent strategic investment of 5 million dollars, the bar soap production capacity jumped three-fold. As a company Procter Gamble have always believed in the potential Pakistan has as a country and a nation to develop and excel. No wonder PG Pakistan, within the last 12 years, has reinvested over $100 million in Pakistan and has contributed close to seven billion rupees to the Pakistani governments revenues over the last 5 years in the form of sales tax, customs and excise duties. That is also why 99% of the jobs that PG Pakistan creates in Pakistan are held by Pakistanis. All this makes PG a more locally involved company than many companies actually headquartered in Pakistan P G quotes We proudly celebrate being a part of the Pakistani way of life. (Official Website Statement) Something about our Product:- Our product is Pampers and the brief history of Pampers is as follows:-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Victor Mills was an American chemical engineer who, while working for the Procter Gamble Co., revolutionized child care with the invention of the disposable diaper; he began work on that product in the 1950s, using his grandchildren as test subjects (b. 1897d. Nov. 1, 1997). (Britannica Encyclopedia) Evolution of Pampers:-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Evolution of Pampers has been carried out through its invention in 1950 to present year 2006. Today, Pampers offers a variety of customized sub-brands to address a childs growing (and going) needs. Globally Pampers is the undisputed leader with over 50 percent of the market share. Addressing an international stronghold, the home page of Pampers on web shouts out a welcome to over 20 different nations, offering versions of the site in many languages. In line with its aim to build a go-to site, Pampers.com contains a wealth of parenting know-how. The majority of said know-how is assembled courtesy of a section called the Pampers Parenting Institute (Vivian Manning, Web Article) Introduction of Pampers in Pakistan:-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In August 2000, Procter Gamble launched Pampers in Pakistan. Local consumers benefit from this globally renowned product that is approved by standards of the Human Safety Reassurance Program and also endorsed by the International Society of Pediatricians. Imported from Saudi Arabia, Pampers is packed locally and aims to provide a better parenting experience to Pakistani mothers. (Official Web Statement) Marketing Mix Analysis:- The set of all controllable tactical marketing tools, product, price, place, and promotions .that a firm blends to produce the response it wants in the target market. (Kotler, 11 Ed) Marketing mix includes:- Product Price Place Promotion We will analyze all the four categories of Marketing Mix:- First of all we would like to tell about some of the competitors of the Pampers. As Pampers is manufactured by PG in Saudi Arabia and packed in Pakistan, They hold a significant place in the market with some local Competitors Competitors:- Strong competitors:-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is no such string Competitors of Pampers in Pakistan however some new companies recently entered the scene in last few years. Weak Competitors:- In some what weak Competitors following competitors are there:- Baby Master (Comfort plus): Baby master Comfort plus Diapers are made by Z J hygienic products private limited. LG Household Health Care:- LG recently launched its baby diapers in the brand name of Maman Premium Some Foreign Brands:- Foreign brands of Huggies, Luvs Pampers Its self are competitors to Pampers sold in Pakistan, but they are afforded by few people in the country. PRODUCT:- Name:- Pampers Parts of Product (Pampers) Core part or Benefits The core parts or benefits of pampers is it provide baby care, form the very tender age of 2 months to 4 years, Pampers is the brand which introduced the world to the concept of the disposable diaper. Actual parts   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Actual parts of Pampers are different sizes of packages which come under the age Category of the child like it ranges from 2 months to 4 years. In Small, Medium, Large sizes Augmentation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Augmented part we can say that Pamper.com international website deals with delicate sensibilities of new parents, this area offers free expert advice through alliances with organizations and Pamper is also the innovator of Pampers Baby care Mobile Clinic, which is a door to door activity that educates Mothers about the key benefits of Pampers and on Baby care tips. Packaging Pampers packaging is done in Pakistan, and the company has introduced many packs for different segments of the markets depending upon the babys age group and weight. Small Pack with 9 baby diapers age ranging from 2 months to 8 months. Medium Pack includes 8 baby diapers age ranging from 10 to 28 months. Large Pack includes 7 baby diapers age ranging from 29 to 40 months Value Packs (Large Packs including 16-20 Diapers in all sizes.) Product Segmentation:- The Company is targeting the common house hold of the country with the firm belief that the company provides the baby care products to its very best. The awareness program is being created by making many health issues seminars and mobile baby care services which guides the mothers to take better care of their new born. Market is very much open for all the competitors, the competitors are competing in the better product survival environment. PLACE:- Distribution (Intermediaries) Channel:- Company uses these levels of Distribution of Pampers:- Distributor:- There is one large distributor in the city (Lahore) .The distribution of the P G products in Lahore city is done by IBL Private limited. Small Distributors:- The Pampers is distributed to the retailers by some small distributors which are defined and are divided on the base of geographical area of the city. Availability:-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pampers are very widely distributed through the group of both the main supplier in the city and small distributors, it is widely available at most retail shops in suburb, towns and pharmacies. Justification:-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The availability of the Pampers in the market is due to the knowledge of the people towards baby care, and pampers really innovates the culture of baby hygiene and care products, this is the main reason of its wide availability in the market. People are more conscious towards the baby health issues and pamper is one of the core product in that regard. PRICE:- Internal Factors Internal factors affecting pricing of Pampers are: Goal and Objectives Companys goals and objectives are to maintain the market share of Pampers and to survive in the market. So company shifts its prices to increase sales and maintain its market position. Cost Aspects Actual Cost:- Cost of production i.e. Cost includes its raw cost of importing from Saudi Arabia and its Packing in Pakistan. Costs involve in transportation of Pampers and its promotional Advertisements. Organizational Consideration The decisions regarding the price of Pampers is undertaken by the mutual consent of PG (Brand Director), Pampers Marketing Managers, Pampers Brand managers and Companies activation manager. The up and down in the price of the Pampers is due to there Competitors price strategy. External Factors Market and Demand Pampers has a stiff competition now a days due to two competitors competing along with Pampers ,In Winter season the demand for the baby diapers Increases so the company follows the promotional price strategy. Competitors Pricing Strategy Competitors price strategy also affects the price and promotional strategy of the Company, but Pampers holds quite good share in the market so Competitors may have the effect on the pricing strategy but t normal extent. Prices Adjustments Techniques Discount Techniques Pampers follows different discounts techniques for the distributors, retailers and consumers. The details are as follows. Distributors PG offer 6% discount to their distributors on Pampers. Retailers Pampers offer Rs. 8 to 10 to the retailers on each Pack offering them the pack for 90 to 92 Rs. Consumers Consumer Price for the Normal Pack in all sizes is Rs 100 and Value Pack is Rs 169 Price Comparison of Pampers with other brands Brands Quantity (No Of Diapers) R.P S.T Consumer Price (Rs) Pampers Normal Pack 7-9 86.9012.10100 Small Size 9 86.9012.10100 Medium Size 8 86.9012.10100 Large Size 7 86.9012.10100 Value Pack(All sizes) 14-18 144.2324.77169 Baby Master Normal Pack 7-9 82 10.1394 Small Size 9 82 10.1394 Medium Size 8 82 10.13 94 Large Size 7 82 10.13 94 LG Maman Diapers Normal Pack 7-9 82 10.1394 Small Size 9 82 10.1394 Medium Size 8 82 10.13 94 Large Size 7 82 10.13 94 Promotion Promotion Mix Advertising:- P G uses extensive promotional tools to promote it product Pampers. The Advertising phenomenon which is used for pampers promotional campaign is Educational Promotion, which means that the advertisements on the media is purposely educative which define the mother child relation ship with the use of Pampers .Most of the adds used in the media educate mothers of how to be better in baby care and to benefit the use of pampers for the toddlers. Objectives of Advertising:- Pampers advertises on television all year round delivering the central message of a nights sleep being essential for a childs growth and development , and the only way to ensure a good nights sleep is to keep the baby dry. Pamper is also the innovator of Pampers Baby care Mobile Clinic, which is a door to door activity that educates Mothers about the key benefits of Pampers and on Baby care tips. Public Relations:- Pampers forms a healthy relationship environment between mothers pampers and child, by building a complete figure of baby care phenomenon. Like recently A product upgrade on Pampers, was announced at a press conference in Karachi .The event also celebrated Pampers successful collaboration with the Pakistan Pediatric Association in delivering child welfare education to the Pakistani mothers. (Press Release Source) Sales Promotion:- Pampers has always offered sales promotions for its customers by introducing the Value Packs from time to time, also offers discounts on its Value packs to strengthen its Sales Promotions. Selection of Media:- Pampers have used all types of media sources available in the country like Television, Radio, Bill boards, poster adds. Marketing Mix Analysis:- Recommendations and Conclusions:- The product mix for Pampers is broad and it contains a deep line. The special feature of Pampers is the new diaper core design including a new dual acquisition system which helps to improve the condition of babys skin through a better dryness performance. The Pampers core takes in urine from the diaper surface after loading. Fast acquisition minimizes babys contact time with the skin. A homogeneous blend of cellulose and a very absorbent material result in efficient distribution of the GM. The storage technology locks the urine away so that it cannot return to the babys skin. Leg elastics, barrier leg cuffs and the waist shield are added to provide greater leakage prevention. The fastening strips allow the diaper to be refastened over and over again. Balsam lotion on the top-sheet provides comfort and moisturizing to babys skin, each time he moves. Furthermore, labeling is also important to Pampers. Every label clearly shows the Pamper logo on its package. Labeling is also used as a way to educate consumers. For example, Pampers had a public campaign educating parents of the importance of placing their baby on their back to sleep to help prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (Back to sleep). The Back to Sleep message was printed on the back of all packages on diapers in order to educate and inform consumers of this serious matter. Pricing:- Pampers is a premium product that has a substitutes available in Pakistan; such as Baby Care, LG Maman Diapers, private and generic brands, Cloth Diapers. Pricing is done so that Pampers is economically affordable by all households. In addition, they use psychological pricing; all of their products prices end with a nine . This makes the consumer feel they are receiving a good value for their money. Pricing is also elastic; consumers may buy a different product if the price of that product is better. This is one reason why Pampers uses competition-based pricing when determining what the price for their products will be. Pampers major competitor is prices for the diapers are basically the same. This helps to maintain their portion of the market share. However, Pampers diaper wipe line costs a little more than Baby Care, LG Maman Diapers which gives Pampers the advantage of focusing on the quality of their diaper wipe line. Distribution for Pampers is intensive, allowing them to reach their target markets; thus staying competitive with their competitors. Pampers can be found in most grocery, convenience, drugstores, and retail stores.. Since Pampers products are convenience products distributing their products in many stores helps Pampers to remain competitive, maintain their market share, and gain a portion of the market as well . As market share of Pampers in Pakistan is 75 % (official website source) The promotional mix of Pampers contains a variety of elements through non personal selling. These elements include advertising, product placement, sales promotions, and public relations. All these methods of promotion are consistent with Pampers message. Advertising is done in magazines that pertain mostly to parenting, TV commercials, and billboards. Recently Pampers decided to cut back on their TV commercial air time and concentrate more of their advertising using product placement (Flint, 2005) Sales promotions are done on a continuous basis with Pampers. These types of promotions most normally include coupons, displays, rewards, and samples. Furthermore, they utilize direct marketing to some extent by brochures, and pamphlets that educate parents about their childs development stage while promoting and informing consumers about their products. PG in Pakistan, produces bar soaps and repacks bulk shampoos into sachets and bulk Pampers into smaller Pampers packs Pampers uses public relations throughout its entire global market. They make donations to many causes and are associated with many prominent organizations in Pakistan. Like They Step up to provide services to Earth Quake Hit areas last year in Pakistan. They have an global website for parents and healthcare professionals that help educate them on many aspects of babies and toddlers. Pampers has been successful in developing a well integrated communications strategy. Their message is consistent and they have coordinated their promotions to ensure that the consumers are well informed about their products. By educating parents about the developmental stages from newborn to toddler, Pampers has been able to successfully promote it products at the same time. Indicated Action/Recommended Changes:- Even though Pampers has a well built strategy in place, there is always room for improvement. Two areas where improvements could be implemented are in extending their product line and developing new promotional strategies. Their product line could be extended to include bath products such as baby soap and shampoo for the baby. This would be good in educating parents the importance of teaching cleanliness to their babies. Some what high prices of Pampers could not extensively attract the low income people in Pakistan, We recommend that Pampers could introduce the Value pack of 5 Diapers for 50 Rs, to attract the most part of population, The cost may be very large initially, but we think that this change will work wonder in long run for the Pampers ever bright future in Pakistan, People with low income use to buy open pamper pack , like one or two piece at a time, and retailers benefit this opportunity by charging high prices it could be made publicly beneficial by introducing small packs containing 2 -3 diapers. Lastly, Pampers could promote their product a little more vigorously. For example, to gain new customers and keep loyal customer they could place a coupon for diapers on their package or inside the package of diapers. This could help increase sales since fewer customers would want to switch to another brand that has a better price. Even though they do have the rewards program for purchasing Pampers, not all customers get to reap these benefits due to lack of internet or just not being aware of the program. Coupons would give all the fair chance of being rewarded by saving money when they purchase their products

Humanity in Ridley Scotts Blade Runner Essay -- Film Movies

Humanity in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner The issue of humanity is one of the central themes in "Blade Runner." Countless arguments have taken place over whether or not Deckard is a replicant. The replicants are supposed to be "better humans than humans." Director Ridley Scott has many ways to communicate this theme, but one of the most prevalent is eyes. Human eyes are featured both in the beginning of the film and near the end. After a brief introductory text crawl which explains the world in which the movie takes place, "Blade Runner" cuts to a dark, futuristic Los Angeles. There are some flying cars, but mostly we see dark, smog-filled skies and smokestacks belching fire. As the camera moves across this landscape, blue eyes are superimposed on the screen. These eyes first establish traditional humanity as a force in the film. The eyes belong to Holden, a blade runner. Blade runners are police officers who hunt down and kill, or "retire", replicants. Holden is administering the Voight-Kampff test, which determines whether its subject is a traditional human or a replicant, to "Leon." Leon is a replicant, and when Holden asks him a question that he can't answer, Leon shoots him. Eyes are often thought of as the windows to the soul. It is this nebulous concept of the soul which is often used as the line in the sand dividing humanity from everything else. The Voight-Kampff test is designed to measure emotional responses. If the subject doesn't have any, it's a replicant. Leon was going to fail the test and be killed, so he killed Holden. Isn't that a display of the particular emotion known as rage? Well, maybe it's a rational decision or an instinctual survival reaction. However, a later scene lends weight to the... ...l are in love and want to run off together. As they are leaving his apartment, Deckard sees an origami unicorn on the floor. One can interpret this as Gaff showing Deckard that his memories are implants. Regardless of whether one accepts the unicorn interpretation given here, the question of what it means to be human is a core theme in "Blade Runner." After-the-fact directorial revelations aside, by leaving an element of ambiguity in Deckard's identity, Scott mirrors ambiguity in the question. He doesn't have a definite answer, he's not pushing some agenda. Even now, with little help from technology, we face a species-wide identity crisis. The whole issue of the legality of abortions stems from a disagreement over what constitutes a human. This is an important question that we're going to have to do a better job of answering, and Scott makes an excellent start. Humanity in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner Essay -- Film Movies Humanity in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner The issue of humanity is one of the central themes in "Blade Runner." Countless arguments have taken place over whether or not Deckard is a replicant. The replicants are supposed to be "better humans than humans." Director Ridley Scott has many ways to communicate this theme, but one of the most prevalent is eyes. Human eyes are featured both in the beginning of the film and near the end. After a brief introductory text crawl which explains the world in which the movie takes place, "Blade Runner" cuts to a dark, futuristic Los Angeles. There are some flying cars, but mostly we see dark, smog-filled skies and smokestacks belching fire. As the camera moves across this landscape, blue eyes are superimposed on the screen. These eyes first establish traditional humanity as a force in the film. The eyes belong to Holden, a blade runner. Blade runners are police officers who hunt down and kill, or "retire", replicants. Holden is administering the Voight-Kampff test, which determines whether its subject is a traditional human or a replicant, to "Leon." Leon is a replicant, and when Holden asks him a question that he can't answer, Leon shoots him. Eyes are often thought of as the windows to the soul. It is this nebulous concept of the soul which is often used as the line in the sand dividing humanity from everything else. The Voight-Kampff test is designed to measure emotional responses. If the subject doesn't have any, it's a replicant. Leon was going to fail the test and be killed, so he killed Holden. Isn't that a display of the particular emotion known as rage? Well, maybe it's a rational decision or an instinctual survival reaction. However, a later scene lends weight to the... ...l are in love and want to run off together. As they are leaving his apartment, Deckard sees an origami unicorn on the floor. One can interpret this as Gaff showing Deckard that his memories are implants. Regardless of whether one accepts the unicorn interpretation given here, the question of what it means to be human is a core theme in "Blade Runner." After-the-fact directorial revelations aside, by leaving an element of ambiguity in Deckard's identity, Scott mirrors ambiguity in the question. He doesn't have a definite answer, he's not pushing some agenda. Even now, with little help from technology, we face a species-wide identity crisis. The whole issue of the legality of abortions stems from a disagreement over what constitutes a human. This is an important question that we're going to have to do a better job of answering, and Scott makes an excellent start.

The Santa Monica Bay Restoration :: Environment Environmental Pollution Essays

The Santa Monica Bay Restoration Pollution is a worldwide catastrophe that contaminates or destroys every living and non-living thing in its path. The earth is designed to constantly balance itself allowing plant and animal life the ability to thrive. Unfortunately when bombarded with chemicals, heavy metals and unnatural human waste, the earth exceeds its critical load and irreversible damage occurs. There are literally thousands of areas that have been negatively effected by the numerous types of pollution. To date there are over four thousand lakes alone where wildlife and human use ceases to exist. Pollution reeks such havoc on communities because it "knows no boundaries." Even if one country implements tough emission laws, a neighboring country's pollution may continue destroying its resources. To exemplify the ever increasing degree of pollution, I will be focusing on the Santa Monica Restoration Project. This project is an ongoing effort to maintain a clean and healthy environment in and surrounding the Santa Monica Bay so that plant and animal life are able to thrive. Unfortunately this project is continuously challenged by numerous pollutants. Pollution is a simplified way of classifying a multitude of harmful acts and elements. The Santa Monica Bay experiences pollution created by auto and homeowners, oil spills and leaks, gasoline and paint contamination from boats, wastewater from two local sewage treatment plants, litter and construction sediment. The goal of the restoration project is double fold. Number one, to clean up the bay in order to bring back plant and animal life that has either died or fled to other habitats, and two to make the individuals and companies who cause the contamination aware of the harmful acts they are engaging in daily. In many clean-up projects, officials initially point fingers at factories and large corporations assuming large facilities must be the cause of such horrendous pollutants. Unfortunately, what officials have discovered is that although industries do produce large amounts of waste, human activity produces even more. "Residential and open land uses together comprise ninety percent of the total Santa Monica Bay watershed area, and contribute eighty-two percent of the total runoff and the largest pollutant loads to the Bay." Auto and homeowners commit numerous actions that hurt the environment unknowingly. Simple acts such as overwatering one's lawn creates a runoff which cause pesticides and fertilizers to flow into storm drains that empty into the bay. Litter, pet waste and improperly disposed car care products cause the same problem.

Latino Punk Music :: Politics Political Spanish Rock Essays

Latino Punk Music Abrasive rock music has rarely been considered a potent political force in the United States. Punk is no exception to this rule. As a subculture, punk has received much more atention for its hairstyles and caustic sounds than its politics. As Daniel Rosenblat points out, punk rock â€Å"Confound[s] our conventional (western) notions of politics by [its] emphasis on maters which we consign to different domains entirely† (1). What he means i s that because punk does not express its political discourse in traditional venues or traditional terms, it is discounted as apolitical or politicaly impotent. To wit, Hebdige argues that subcultures can do litle more than provide a ‘signal of Refusal,’ and should be considered â€Å"just the darker side of sets of regulations† (3). Latino punks have countered these claims since the 1970s, with lyrical assertions that their political speech is an essential precursor to political change. In this paper I explore the wa ys in which contemporary Latino punk self -defines as political, in contrast to early punk bands who refused to be affiliated with politics. By explicitly aligning with political causes, Latino punk establishes a tension between punk’s historical tendencies towards ‘forgetfulness’ and ‘self -fulfilment,’ and new political agendas that push awareness and change. I conclude by asserting that the punk movement is preoccupied with individual fulfilment at the expense of political activism, a tendenc y that ultimately undermines its political import. Jose Palafox, of Wiretap Magazine, portrays Latino punk as a departure from the larger subcultural category of punk, which he dismisses as â€Å"fast, in -your-face music played by weird -looking white youth.† M any Latino punks assert that as members of a marginalized group within the United States, politics are a necessary element of their musical expressions. Incensed lyrics demand change on behalf of Latin Americans denied political voice. Los Crudos was one such purveyor of this politicaly inclined ‘in - your-face music’ and as a particularly popular and active group within the hardcore -punk community, Los Crudos is in many ways representative of Latino punk in the 1990s. The band began its musical efforts i n Pilsen, the Chicago barrio where lead singer Martin Sorrondeguy spent his childhood. The band’s messages focus on the problems effecting Latin Americans both in the United States and abroad. Sorrondeguy explains: â€Å"We wanted to communicate with other ki ds and with people in our neighborhood about things that were effecting us† (qtd.