Parent governors Essay Example for Free

Parent governors Essay Parent governors are elected by parents / guardians of pupils that attend the school. If there is a vacancy parents are asked to nominate fellow parents, if more people are nominated than there is vacancies an election takes place. Staff governors Staff governors are in most schools and are appointed by support staff that work at the school. If they leave the school they cannot continue being staff governors. Teacher governors Teacher governors are elected by other teachers at the school. They must be permanent members of staff, again if they leave the school they cannot continue being a teacher governor. Community governors Community governors are people who live or work locally to the school and are chosen by the governing body. They are people who are committed to helping towards the success of the school. Foundation governors Foundation governors are chosen by foundation, voluntary aided or voluntary controlled schools. They represent the church or voluntary trust that set up the school. They have a responsibility to make sure the school is following the beliefs of the trust or charity. Sponsor governors Sponsor governors are people that have given financial assistance or services to the school. Head teacher The head teacher is a governor because of the post they hold. They do not have to accept the post but if that is the case the position stays open for them.

The Symbol Veil In Muslim Women Religion Essay

The Symbol Veil In Muslim Women Religion Essay This research paper aims to define the symbol veil in Muslim women. Aside from being a form of dress or hijab, it bears symbols of their oppression, social control, religious sanctions, invisibility and socio-political status, according to Watson. This has been an almost global concern for a sense of freedom. In Saudi Arabia and some parts of Asia alone as well as North Africa, countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Egypt and Northern Cameroon practice Islam as a monotheistic religion with Quran as their religious text and Muslims as followers. Wherein, its women have been the part of a continuous discussion. Topics include the issue of the veil and how groups have been separated into account of maintaining its practice or not. Some admits a total ignorance of their religion and culture, while there are Islamic feminists who have shown a passion to reclaiming the emancipatory message of the Quran on using veils as part of the earliest traditions in Muslim communities. Such a scenario has attracted angers and frustrations in retort to the deliberate racism afflicted on Muslims especially in US colonies. Moreover, when Muslim women use veils showing a pictogram of ignorance and oppression, it has given fear to the younger population. Following patriarchy means having power over womens lives and in this lieu, these Muslim women wants to free themselves from its bonds. They want others to see themselves as an active part of the community vying for the same equal rights that allows them to be its members, workers as well as reformists. If the static colonial image of a Muslim woman wearing a veil does not improve in the future, they can deny their own culture and faith in religion. Chapters What is a Veil? A veil is a piece of loose, opaque, non-distinctive clothing wrapped around the body in modest to be able to hide a wearers head, torso and ankles, but leaving the face, hands and feet exposed (Hoodfar, 1992.) In Muslim women, it is called (Woodlock, 2000) hijab, a simple headscarf. Why should they wear a veil? It is part of their identity. On the other hand, Arab men are required to wear the keffiyeh, a traditional square cotton cloth that is use as a headdress. Other names are (ya)shmagh, ghutrah, hattah or mashadah (Kaitlin, 2008.) Importantly, a veil is worn as a religious item in the Islam faith, because members show demonstrates honor to an object or space. In Quranic verse, it means that there is a definition of separation in the sacred from the mundane. In the entire practice of Islam dress codes, its women members compete to gain a whole and complete image on being a pure and dedicated mother, sister, sister-in-law or daughter of their faith (Billaud, 2009.) Before, all members were asks to wear a veil, but with the entry of westernization and colonization there was a separation of responsibilities to wear one (Hoodfar, 1992.) Among the Arab urban elite, men began to copy new ways to dressing from their traditional keffiyeh. Yet, there are also a small percentage of Muslim women following the same pattern (Hoodfar, 1992.) The veil also underwent varied changes to fashions through out history. Some reasons entitle wearing a veil to show respect on conventional values or there are others who uses this to beautify their faces with make-up. Nevertheless, there have been other negative connotations to the symbol of a veil to which it can show a fundamentalist Islam in equal terms on extremism or terrorism (Van Santen, 2010.) Today, it bears a political meaning. Yet, Muslim women still continue to defend this choice. Its Origins and Language The practice of wearing a veil in seclusion of women comes from a pre-Islamic and non-Arab Middle Eastern and Mediterranean society tradition. If we trace along the history line, the first instance to veiling dates back to the 13th century BC in an Assyrian legal text. During that time, only respectable women are permitted to wear veils, wherein prostitutes are not allowed wear a veil (Hoodfar, 1992.) It was a sign of status and a part of the elite ways in ancient Greeco, Roman, pre-Islamic Iranian and Byzantine empires. After then, Muslims was able to seclude a life from the conquered regions and followed traditions in wearing veils. Nowadays, both non-Muslims and Muslims recognize this way as an Islamic phenomenon. Even if in the Quran, there are no specific mentions of the veil. Examples of descriptions, but not directly mentioning the use of veil, are Surah al Nur verses 30 31. This requires women to cover their chests and jewelry, which also means to wrap their whole body in clothing. Adding to this is Surah al Ahzab verse 59, that asks the Prophet wives to enveloped tightly their bodies, because they are should not be recognized, disturbed and molested outside. Though modern critics have rationalized that others also follow this form of dress, it was not until Safavids period of influence that the symbol status of veils was seen in the Muslim ruling class and urban elite. In 19th century, it was promoted as a major Muslim symbol, which members have fought for in the name of Islam and not for protecting culture practices. Honor, Veiling and Etiquette in Afghanistan No Muslim woman can embody the face of Islam. Any insight to wearing a veil does not account for a completely understanding on the faith of Muslim women. The point of discussing its purposes and symbolism is to keep an open-mind and listen (Kaitlin, 2008.) The veiling practices widely differ from regions, ethnics or social groups. In Afganistan, a veil is corresponds to honor (Billaud, 2009.) In here, a woman shows a devotion to the honor system through doing a pardah5 that can comprise of wrapping her head and hiding from unrelated men. When she does this, there is also a proud bearance to the honor of her male relatives or namus. Hence, in this region, a veil is symbolizing of a male-female connection in terms of relationships and balance in natural inclinations or nafs. Furthermore, the multitude of veil chadari colors is also another thing to interpret. On top this variations, a veil is also a way in the isolation of unrelated men and women in Afghanistan. Examples of these persons are the ones not affiliated with the same korwal or the inhabitants sharing a home. The society puts a difference between its private and public members, wherein a dakhili (the private sphere or home) is secluded and the biruni (outside world) is permitted to recognition. Moreover, the practice of namus allows a certain power from men that allow them to control women, which confine their manners when seen outside. If you are there, you can here men saying: Zan namus e mas (The woman is our honour) (Billaud, 2009.) Similar to soldiers saying: Watan namus e mas (The nation is our honour.) During the time that a woman steps outside of her home, she wears a veil and go with a mahram or a male relative to be able to defend her honor as part of the Afghanistan etiquette. Veiled Performance and Politics In modern times, the Islamic feminists have shown great efforts to reclaiming the emancipatory message of their Quran. They also want to gain back the rights that were bestowed upon them in the earliest Muslim communities (Falah Nagel, 2005.) Islamic regions have shared their own stories for this matter. Here are some of them: Politics in Afghanistan the new Islamic Republic has allowed its clothing and veiling practices to be under political category, which are mandatory to women to reach out to the public. Now, there are similarities between the image of parliamentary women and female university students that are Muslims in Afghanistan and whom displays a modern yet Muslim persona. The latter renounce the womens issues just to protect the practice of wearing their veils. Hence, Afghanistan women are divided into 2 categories: the conservative or nationalist and liberal women (Billaud, 2009.) 2. Irans De-veiling Law this was promulgated during the taking place of a rapid social change from a mayhem on its national economy; results of negative impact on the public, social, and leisure activities of its urban women; going to weekly ablutions in an offending feeling of nakedness; and a social implication bestowed on young women students when not wearing a scarf in public wherein parents hindered entry to schools (Hoodfar, 1992.) 3. Struggles in Northern Cameroon this shows an account to an image seen on Muslim women that they are a homogeneous category. To which, in public schools, wearing of a headgear is asked to be taken off inside the premises as required by the laic prescriptions of Cameroons constitution. Though there is no buzz on this matter. In this lieu, men choose to enter schools were veiling is allowed, while women opt for education (van Santen, 2010.) Womens Rights Activists Situations The Revolutionary Association of the Women in Afghanistan In the manner, a lot of womens rights activists, while opposing the need in veiling of women under chadari, used the practice to enjoy freedom of movement while carrying out tasks. The chadari was a symbol of womens oppression, but now in cultural norms, they were able to be active citizens fighting for a change in the community. The said hadari was a guarantee of womens protection in Afghanistan, wherein they need the veil during travelling to remote areas where security was often tight. In this lieu, the Revolutionary Association of the Women in Afghanistan is a very good example of a group with an instrumental nature of the chadari in inline with the goals of being politically engaged women (Billaud, 2009.) For certain their records are part of history under the human and womens rights. The Taliban realizes this under the chadari. When working in rural areas, this was worn for security reasons, during times that people tended to be suspicious on persons from the outside world. This was a strategy used by Rahela6, who is a member of the Afghan Womens Network, when she taught mullahs on womens rights in rural areas. She said, At first, it was difficult for us, women, to approach mullahs. They were reluctant to talk to us. But they gradually got used to us. By wearing chadari, we eventually gained their respect. Egyptian Feminist Movement in the 1920s Disobedience of the patriarchy can be seen in the de veiling act started by the Egyptian feminist movement during the 1920s and to the same situation resistance happening for a call to compulsory veiling in Iran. In here, we can see that aside from being a part of culture and religion, the veil can also be a form and symbol of resistance, for example in the case of the anti Shah movement that took place in Iran. In the same context, there were a number of Islam feminists Muslim women in Canada who have used the veil and reference to Islam during their stay in the country, because they wanted to resist some of the cultural practices that their forefathers have believed, like arranged marriages or far away educations from home without secluding from their parents and communities. Though, in Egypt, a lot veiled Muslim women use it as an instrument of mediation significantly seen from Muslim minority cultures and those of host cultures. Strangely enough, Western colonies reactions to Muslim women, as seen through the eyes of an Orientalist and colonialist frame, sets barricades on the customs and traditions of Muslim women to be difficult and opposite to their usual way of lives (Hoodfar, 1992.) Conclusion In conclusion, the veil is not so significant, after all, but it is who wears it that lies in importance. When in public, a Muslim woman shows people who see her in the outside world a marginal status that is of respect and honor. Not for culture and religion causes or even fashion. The series of incidents mentioned this paper have made me apprehend why a lot of young Muslim women today are so angry and have decided to fight for their rights together with other believers of Islam. This research paper aims define the symbol veil in Muslim women. According Watson in 1994, OR NON-MUSLIM WRITERS, THE VEIL IS VARIOUSLY DESCRIBED AS A TANGIBLE SYMBOL OF WOMENS OPPRESSION, A CONSTRAINING AND CONSTRICTING FORM OF DRESS, AND A FORM OF SOCIAL CONTROL, RELIGIOUSLY SANCTIONING WOMENS INVISIBILITY AND SUBORDINATE SOCILA-POLITICAL STATUS. I did not want to diminish or question the religious beliefs of the Muslim women in Islamic communities, but rather to underline and put emphasis on the possibilities that can be resulting through the reiteration of these feminine ceremonials. Since, it would be like a forever burden or mistake if the veil is lessened in reputation and disrespected in symbolism, which are its instrumental functions to the women, especially the young students in schools. Though, talking about the topic of veil, it was enough to see in it a pure religious expression. Reverence and dissimulation for it were indeed political gestures in my side that place defense on it as the necessary social make-up for women to be seen and heard through the public scenario. Moreover, if the Western colonies will only have a deeper analysis of Muslim womens motives and actions in their practicing their beliefs, efforts by these women can be recognized as strategies and adaption in relationship with them, displaying diff erent roles in the foreign community that should be basing on to the different Western citizen they wished to address themselves.

The Role of Women in Society According to Friedrich Nietzsche, Albert Camus, and Leo Tolstoy :: Feminism Roles Society Camus Tolstoy Essays

The Role of Women in Society According to Friedrich Nietzsche, Albert Camus, and Leo Tolstoy I am beautiful and mysterious. I take joy in the simple pleasures of life. I have no desires higher than appearance and beauty. I am intelligent, but there is no need for me to show my intellect. In fact, showing my intellect would ruin me; it would diminish my sexual desires and defy my beauty. My intelligence would destroy my desirability. I am filled with fear. It is this fear that defines my womanhood; this fear helps me fulfill my womanly role. The darkest parts of my being are kept in check by my fear. If I were to conquer this fear, I would lose the dearest parts of myself. I would no longer chase away worries, lighten burdens, or find joy and grace in day-to-day living. I am passionate and wild. My passions are stirred by love and hate. When love or hatred is stirred up inside of me, I am moved to action. I become fierce and strong, even more barbarous than men. These passions ignite in me that which is sometimes beautiful and sometimes ugly. I can love like no other; I can t ake revenge like no other. I am seductive. My greatest art is the lie, and I use that art to deceive men. I have the power to make them love me. I hide my intellect, my ugliness, my quest for truth, all in order to deceive the opposite sex. My greatest enemies, however, can be found within my own gender. Watch how I interact with the other members of my fair sex. I ridicule them; I pick at their desires; I detect their faults and detest their beauty. I have a personal contempt for women. I am living proof that woman is most despised by herself. I am dissatisfied with my secondary role. I resent the fact that I am inferior to men. I have in me a fear of them, yet slowly society is trying to drain me of that fear. I long for self-reliance. As a result, I no longer desire the role that used to satisfy me. Not only am I intensely dissatisfied with my role, but I despise what it has done to me. Society has filled me with a dissatisfaction that I desperately want to do something about. In stead, I find myself falling into the stereotypes the world has created for me.

Comparison of German and French Soldiers Experiences :: World War I History

Comparison of German and French Soldiers' Experiences The First World War was a horrible experience for all sides involved. No one was immune to the effects of this global conflict and each country was affected in various ways. However, one area of relative comparison can be noted in the experiences of the French and German soldiers. In gaining a better understanding of the French experience, Wilfred Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est was particularly useful. Regarding the German soldier's experience, various selections from Erice Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front proved to be a valuable source of insight. A analysis of the above mentioned sources, one can note various similarities between the German and French armies during World War I in the areas of trench warfare, ill-fated troops, and military technology. Trench warfare was totally unbiased. The trench did not discriminate between cultures. This "new warfare" was unlike anything the world had seen before, millions of people died during a war that was supposed to be over in time for the holidays. Each side entrenched themselves in makeshift bunkers that attempted to provide protection from the incoming shells and brave soldiers. After receiving an order to overtake the enemies bunker, soldiers trounced their way through the land between the opposing armies that was referred to as "no man's land." The direness of the war was exemplified in a quotation taken from Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, "Attacks alternate with counter-attacks and slowly the dead pile up in the field of craters between the trenches. We are able to bring in most of the wounded that do not lie too far off. But many have long to wait and we listen to them dying." (382) After years of this trench warfare, corpses of both German and French soldiers began to pile up and soldiers and civilians began to realize the futility of trench warfare. However, it was many years before any major thrusts were made along the Western front. As soldiers past away, recruits were ushered to the front to replenish the dead and crippled. These recruits were typically not well prepared for the rigors of war and were very often mowed down due to their stupidity. Both the French and Germans were guilty of sending ill-prepared youths to the front under the guise that "It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country." (380) Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est is a prime example of this "false optimism" created by the military machine in France to recruit eager new troops to die a hero's death on the front lines.

Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie as a Tragedy Essay -- Papers T

Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie as a Tragedy The Glass Menagerie has, of course, been labelled as many different types of play, for one, a tragedy. At first glance it is clear that audiences today may, indeed, class it as such. However, if, looking at the traditional definition of the classification 'tragedy', one can more easily assess whether or not the Glass Menagerie fits under this title. To do this I will be using the views of Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, who first defined the word 'tragedy' and in his views, a tragedy contained certain, distinctive characteristics. His work was written in between 384 and 222 BC, and his views were taken on by some of the more traditional playwrights, such as William Shakespeare. As I develop through this essay, it will be clear to see how Shakespeare's tragedies indeed fit into Aristotle's definitions. To begin with, in order for a play to be a tragedy, it must involve 'an action that is serious' Aristotle argues. I believe that, in relation to the Glass Menagerie, it is certainly one that William's has used, as the whole situation that the Wingfields find themselves in does appear to be very serious indeed. The world is looming upon World War II, and America has hit the Great Depression. The whole of the United States is stricken by poverty. Therefore, it is not only the Wingfield family, but indeed all families, who are in this serious situation. To add a little more detailed analysis into the actual characters, I would suggest that they each have their own very serious, almost disturbing problems. To begin, Tom has an unnatural desire to escape, and leave his famil... ...e play. The whole of Amanda's existence is to find a gentleman caller, through Tom, for her daughter. This is the main point of the play, involving every character, and which, when not accomplished, tears the family apart. Therefore, I would argue that time, place and action of the play are actually fairly united, even though it does not appear this way at first. After examining Aristotle's views I would define the play as tragedy. Although the Glass Menagerie does not consist entirely of his views, the main points are clearly there, as I have discussed, and consequentially agree with the critic's argument. Works Cited: Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. In Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, 4th ed. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995. 1519-1568. Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie as a Tragedy Essay -- Papers T Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie as a Tragedy The Glass Menagerie has, of course, been labelled as many different types of play, for one, a tragedy. At first glance it is clear that audiences today may, indeed, class it as such. However, if, looking at the traditional definition of the classification 'tragedy', one can more easily assess whether or not the Glass Menagerie fits under this title. To do this I will be using the views of Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, who first defined the word 'tragedy' and in his views, a tragedy contained certain, distinctive characteristics. His work was written in between 384 and 222 BC, and his views were taken on by some of the more traditional playwrights, such as William Shakespeare. As I develop through this essay, it will be clear to see how Shakespeare's tragedies indeed fit into Aristotle's definitions. To begin with, in order for a play to be a tragedy, it must involve 'an action that is serious' Aristotle argues. I believe that, in relation to the Glass Menagerie, it is certainly one that William's has used, as the whole situation that the Wingfields find themselves in does appear to be very serious indeed. The world is looming upon World War II, and America has hit the Great Depression. The whole of the United States is stricken by poverty. Therefore, it is not only the Wingfield family, but indeed all families, who are in this serious situation. To add a little more detailed analysis into the actual characters, I would suggest that they each have their own very serious, almost disturbing problems. To begin, Tom has an unnatural desire to escape, and leave his famil... ...e play. The whole of Amanda's existence is to find a gentleman caller, through Tom, for her daughter. This is the main point of the play, involving every character, and which, when not accomplished, tears the family apart. Therefore, I would argue that time, place and action of the play are actually fairly united, even though it does not appear this way at first. After examining Aristotle's views I would define the play as tragedy. Although the Glass Menagerie does not consist entirely of his views, the main points are clearly there, as I have discussed, and consequentially agree with the critic's argument. Works Cited: Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. In Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, 4th ed. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995. 1519-1568.

Fly Dubai Essay

Introduction: Dubai is considered one of the most important trading hubs in the Middle East region. Its rapid growth in its major infrastructure elements had attracted many multinational companies across the world to open their regional offices in the city. This had its positive effects on Dubai economical growth as it became a golden gate for regional Middle East businessmen to trade with other international companies. As a result of this, the need for a low cost airline that provides its services for business men within the region had increased. The city experience with the airline industry is not new as it is the home city of Fly Emirates, which is considered one of the best airlines in the region. This industry had its great effect on Dubai economical growth in the past 20 years and will have its strong impact in shaping the emirate future. In March 2008, the second low cost airline was lunched under the name of Flydubai and started its operations in Dubai International Airport Terminal 2 in June 2009. (For more information on Flydubai and its operations, please refer to Appendix 1). We have defined our relevant market for Flydubai as a low cost carrier (LCC) within the product form level. Being positioned as a low cost national airline carrier, it’s facing a high competition from other national airlines which force the relevant market to be within the product form. (For more information on the relevant market please refer to appendix 2). This paper will focus on presenting an environmental scan of the airline industry within the Middle East region during the time frame of 3 years (2009-2012). In order to do so, we will identify the significant trends and their consequent implications on Flydubai relevant market. This report will include an in depth review of the macro, micro analysis and its implications of Flydubai relevant market in the next three years. Body: In identifying the major key trends in the macro environment of Flydubai, we have addressed several issues that include the political, social and economical trends. Flydubai was established by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Prime Minister and Vice-President, and Ruler of Dubai orders in march 2008 and started its operation in its first flight to Lebanon on June 1st 2009.Being fully owned by Dubai government and enjoy the full facilities offered in terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport, the company is having a competitive advantage compared to its rivals in the market as it enjoy the full government support and airport services. Furthermore, the current government trend in the labor force is towards emiratization and protecting labors rights. Being a part of the Fly Emirates Group, the organization will face no problem in emiratization as it will follow Fly Emirates emiratization strategy. The major challenge that Flydubai will face is being able to offer high paid jobs and reduce its operational costs as it is considered a low cost airline company. Living in the current financial crises era, Flydubai was established in one of the most difficult time the country economy had faced in the last 25 years. â€Å"Falling oil prices, cooling real estate and construction markets, together with a slowdown in the tourism sector, especially in Dubai, means the UAE is expected to post low or possibly negative GDP growth in 2009†, according to analysts (Arabian Business, 2009). This information may be considered negative to many airline companies but it may be positive to a low cost airline like Flydubai as people are now focusing more in reducing their expenses as the incomes are reduced. This means their tendency of consumers focusing more on prices is increasing. Furthermore, consumer behavior is changing towards low cost airlines especially in the Middle East region as consumers are persuaded by low prices and a better service offered by low cost airlines. According to a study done by Arabian Business website, it was found that 83 percent of the respondents would switch their preferred airline carrier, for a cheaper price, while 17.6 percent believed they would consider alternatives and trade off between the discount and lost air miles. It can thus be inferred that pricing plays a significant role in consumer behaviour and the decision making process especially in the current economic downturn era (Glass, 2008). According to Dubai department of Tourism and commerce marketing â€Å"3.85 million tourists had visited the emirate in the first half of 2009, a five percent increase on the same period of 2008†. This figure strongly shows the current tourism industry market and how attractive it became even though of the current economical downturn. Other figures expect that the number of tourists will fall compared to 2008 figures but most figures have stated that there will be a positive growth in 2010. This figure shows that Flydubai will see a future growth rates in the coming 3 years as terrorism sector restore its high figures after overcoming the current downturn. As observed by Andrew Cowen, CEO of SAMA Airlines, the market is shifting from the traditional major airlines business travel towards low cost carriers for trips within the GCC. Business travelers are changing their perception of low cost carriers, supported by the current economic downturn and the increase number of foreign businesses within GCC countries entering the UAE. This shows a trend of an increasing demand for low cost carriers in the next three years (High time for low cost carriers, 2008). (For in depth information on the analysis of the macro environment of the airline industry please refer to Appendix 3) In identifying the major key trends in the micro environment the following aspects that includes, Customers, Employees, media, shareholders, competitors and suppliers. Customers who are price conscious are concerned with low cost airlines. Flydubai has focused on pricing strategy and flexibility because these two factors play a big role in determining the customer’s decision process on which airlines they choose to travel with. Moreover, the number of tourist from around the world including the region will grow more than 40% in the next 3 years in Dubai (www.realtyna.com). This shows that there will be increased number of customers who will use Flydubai airlines within the next three years due its successful use of pricing strategy and flexibility. The Employees of Flydubai have good experiences and they were carefully selected from twelve different nationalities. According to Kenneth Gile, chief operating officer of Flydubai said: â€Å"We are extremely pleased with the talent of the pilots we have on board. On average, they each have more than 4,000 hours serving as captain in similar aircraft and a total experience of more than 8,000 flying hours – this is impressive by any standard† (Sambidge, 2009). Flydubai is fully owned by the government of Dubai and its considered as a part of its mother company the Emirates Group. The main strategy that Flydubai is willing to use for their marketing strategy is through word of mouth (buzz). This is because Flydubai is a low cost airline; they tend to set low budgets for their advertisements to keep their prices low. The direct competitors of Flydubai are Air Arabia and Al Jazeerah airlines because these two airlines are also low cost airlines in the same country as Flydubai. However, the major competitor of Flydubai is Air Arabia because, first of all, they are the first to claim about low cost airlines in the Middle East region. Moreover, they hold the highest market share in the relevant market as identified before. Our market share comparing to those two carries are low because Flydubai just recently launched to the market. But, within the next three years we expect rapid growth in the market share because Dubai is a destination for tourists. The major indirect competitor is Fly Emirates which stands as the leader in airline industry in the relevant market and it will keep its performance in the next three years. The second indirect competitor is Etihad Airlines which is growing fast because of the unlimited support from Abu Dhabi government. In addition, those airline carriers make low price offers for the same destination that we have flight lines to. The supplier of Flydubai is Boeing. Flydubai announced an order of 50 next generation 737 aircraft from Boeing. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum said: â€Å"The Boeing Next-Generation 737 is ideally suited to our mission to bring some two billion regional inhabitants affordable, efficient and flexible travel options to and from Dubai.†(For more information on the micro environment analysis, please refer to Appendix 4). Implications: Primary demand: Low cost airlines are focusing on customers who are price conscious. The number of customers using the LCC airlines is increasing and it will continue growing in the next three years (www.gulf-daily-news.com). This is because, first of all, the percentage of tourists will increase by 40% within the next three years which shows that the market share of LCC will increase as well. Secondly, because of the economic condition, many people tend to save money and spend it on low cost airlines to travel more to the desired destinations. Users of Low cost airlines contain all different ages and nationalities. Moreover, cost is one of the main factors that affect customer’s ability to buy. The costs of these carriers are low and will continue to remain low in the next three years. This will increase customer’s ability and willingness to buy. Selective demand We can define the consumer decision making process as an extensive problem solving level, where they are introduced to a complete new brand with low brand knowledge. So, Flydubai should infusive more on their brand identity through the media and other communication types in order to enrich consumer’s knowledge. Once Flydubai had increased the level of consumer knowledge, we expect huge increase in market share in the next three years because the decision making process is going to shift from extensive problem solving to routine which is low information search about the company. Therefore, we expect major change within the next three year upon the factors we mentioned above. Segmentation: As for segmentation we expect to see a rise in the population of the UAE in the following 3 years. According to the electronic portal of Gulf News the population of UAE is approaching six million as of now and it is expected to escalate even further by the end of this year. An increase in construction in the coming years requires more labor to be imported from foreign countries, thus increasing the number of potential customers (low income and middle-class lifestyles) who might want to use our services. Moreover, economic boom can also be a factor for businessmen to travel to and from Dubai more frequently. In addition, the number of students travelling to the UAE for education is expected to increase in the near future; this implies that they will most probably select Flydubai as their primary mode of transport to travel to and from the UAE, since the economic condition shows very little signs of improvement in the near future. More tourists are expected to arrive in the UAE within the near future out of which a section of them are extremely price sensitive travelers. Another scenario would be that the current economic downturn continues to effect economies world-wide within the coming three years increasing the number of price-sensitive customers in the eight markets we operate in. To keep up with the projected demand, Flydubai is planning to increase its fleet size from 5 (currently) to 54 aircrafts in the coming years. An increase in fleet size would allow Flydubai not only to accommodate a large number of clients but also expand its reach in terms of destinations. Conversely, the announcement of the new GCC rail network which is the new transportation class in our relevant market is expected to have a slight negative effect on Flydubai’s operations in terms of loosing clients that fall in our target segmentation. The GCC rail network and Flydubai have one common destination which is Qatar. Once the GCC rail network begins its operations there is a high possibility of losing out on our current and potential clients. (For more information on segmentation please refer to appendix 5). Competitor analysis Our major competitive in our relative market is Air Arabia and then Al Jazeera Airlines. Air Arabia is holding major market share because they are the first to claim about launching first low cost airlines in Middle East region. However, Flydubai can compete with those two direct competitors when we focus on our competitive advantage which is price leadership. Also, location is another important factor due the number of travelers that are using Dubai Airport comparing to Sharjah Airport. In addition, being part of the Emirates Group will add more value to Flydubai brand equity which will make it easier to make customers shift toward our company within the next three years. (For more information on competitor analysis, please refer to Appendix 6) Conclusion: In conclusion after analyzing the environmental micro and macro trend for Flydubai, we observed that there are two major changes in our relevant market. First, the increase of the tourism level in Dubai as we expect the current economic downturn era to change its direction towards positive figures in the next three years. Also, the companies’ holders and businessmen attitude towards low cost airlines is changing by using it as these airlines are providing business men services aboard such a business class and wireless internet connection. The number of competitors within the low cost airline industry is going to increase in the coming years as new airlines such as Bahrain Airlines starts its operation this year. Secondly, full service airlines are expanding their market towards low cost airline by introducing low price tickets that attract price sensitive consumers. We expect that within the next ten years a new class level will enter the market in the GCC region which is trains transportation. Also, a new form level will emerge in the relevant market which is a combination between full services and low cost carriers. Finally, within the next three years we expect those changes in the relevant market to be reshaped affecting the primary and selective demand. Bibliography (2009, October 18). Flydubai airline. Retrieved from http://www.dubaifaqs.com/Flydubai.php McKechnie, D, Grant, J, & Katsioloudes, M. (2008). Positions and positioning: strategy simply stated. Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 9(5), Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?Filename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/3300090502.html doi: 1751-5637 (2009). Environmental scanning. Wikipedia. Retrieved (2009, October 17) from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_scanning (2009). Flydubai. Wikipedia. Retrieved (2009, October 17) from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flydubai(n.d.). flydubai, who we are. Retrieved from http://www.Flydubai.com/whoweare/fleet.aspx (2009, June 8). Two more tough years for the airlines. Retrieved from http://www.eturbonews.com/9675/two-more-tough-years-airlines Nagraj, A. (2009, September 16). Gloomy skies for the airline industry. Retrieved from http://www.kippreport.com/2009/09/gloomy-skies-for-the-airline-industry/ Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, Initials. (2009, October 15). Middle East LCC wrap: Air Arabia, Jazeera, Flydubai, nasair, sama and Bahrain Air. Retrieved from http://www.centreforaviation.com/news/2009/10/15/middle-east-lcc-wrap-air-arabia-jazeera-Flydubai-nasair-sama-and-bahrain-air/page1 Riaz, D, & Kapadia, S. (2007). Air Arabia, Priced so that you can fly [5-14]. (Adobe Digital Edition Version), Retrieved from http://ae.zawya.com/researchreports/efg/20070701_efg_110604.pdf Schewe, , Charles, D, & Hiam, A. (n.d.). market segmentation. Retrieved from http://www.quickmba.com/marketing/market-segmentation/ (2009, 10 07). UAE population reaches six million. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j24H1v8s1BWuNXEwptqRIiB_-OOA (2009, 10 07). Expat numbers rise rapidly as UAE population touches 6m. Retrieved from http://uaeinteract.com/docs/Expat_numbers_rise_rapidly_as_UAE_population_touches_6m/37883.htm (2009, April 7). FlyDubai opens for business with flights to Beirut and Amman. Retrieved from http://www.ameinfo.com/191649.html (2009, October 8). Number of tourists in Dubai set to grow by 40 per cent . Retrieved from http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:EPQhPUeolAEJ:www.realtyna.com/dubai_real_estate/dubai-rss-news/number-of-tourists-in-dubai-set-to-grow-by-40-per-cent.html+http://www.realtyna.com/dubai_real_estate/dubai-rss-news/number-of-tourists-in-dubai-set-to-grow-by-40-per-cent.html&cd=1&hl=ar&ct=clnk&gl=ae Sambidge, Initials. (2009, March 18). flydubai appoints pilots, cabin crew. Retrieved from http://www.arabianbusiness.com/549994-Flydubai-appoints-pilots-cabin-crew Sambidge, A. (2009, August 11). Dubai tourists up 5% in H1 – official. Retrieved from http://www.arabianbusiness.com/564508-dubai-tourists-up-5-in-h1—official (2009, 10 07). UAE population. Retrieved from http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09/10/07/10355378.html Redpath, H. (2009, June 16). Dubai’s First Low Cost Airline Takes Off. Retrieved from http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/Flydubai/38830/ Redpath, H. (2009, June 16). Dubai’s First Low Cost Airline Takes Off. Retrieved from http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20090616081711

International Marketing Essay

Executive Summary The main purpose of the report will be to analyze Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation’s (HSBC) Premier proposition (PP). The author will be analyzing the product proposition using a SWOT analysis frame work on HSBC Premier. Based on the result of the analysis the author will highlight as to why HSBC has chosen to cater the high end society. The report also showcase as to why the PP is focused on this particular market segment. Followed by the author conducting a study on the requirements and expectations of Premier Customer (PC). Based on the identified factors the author will illustrate how the PP has being designed to address the client’s requirements by using the concept of relationship banking through their specialized employees. The report will also emphasis on the importance of HSBC being customer centric. Supported through changes done to the marketing mix in order to achieve the goal of customer care. In conclusion the author has conducted a research to track the total customer experience. Introduction HSBC is a leading multi-national organization which has been operating in the financial industry in Sri Lanka for over 120 years (Refer Appendix A.1). Being an organization which has both local and international expertize, HSBC has a competitive advantage in positioning their products and services in the market. HSBC caters both corporate and Retail Banking segments with a wide range of product propositions. As the newly appointed marketing consultant for HSBC Premier (Refer Appendix A.3), the author will be conducting a market research to find out the factors as to how HSBC PP can be improved. During the market study the author will be conducting a research on areas like working business culture and marketing concept, segmentation of the product in line with its customers, analyzing the customer’s needs wants and  value expectations of the proposition, creation of customer-based value propositions for each of the segments, developments through relationship marketing and customer care, the organizations branding strategies, research studies related to customer experience and the outcome of been an organization which is more customer centric. The working business culture and marketing concept Considering the business culture, HSBC is an organization exposed to many international trends and working environments. From retaining years of experiences in the financial industry HSBC has identified how the organization should adopt itself according to the local culture and trends. In order to localize the organization has invested in the areas such as product development, pricing, branding, market research and relationship marketing. Which eventually covers the marketing concepts of HSBC. These concepts are used by the top level management as strategic concepts in order to make decisions and processes to cater to customer requirements and expectations. Through these concepts HSBC has being able to align the Premier Proposition (PP) according to the current market conditions. Product development and Pricing In order to sustain their market share HSBC PP is been reviewed and developed annually by the marketing department. Product development has being focused based on the following market conditions. The emergence of local and international competition: In the recent past there have being many number of financial institutes starting to introduce similar product propositions as HSBC Premier. Eg :Nations Trust Bank : Private Banking Standard Chartered Bank: Priority Banking Fragmented markets and sophisticated customer needs, wants and demands: The emergence of sophisticated customers such as investors, directors of multinational companies, businessmen who each have diverse needs wants and demand expectations from the bank. Technological advances in the financial sector: HSBC has being successfully  been able to achieve this by offering the best consumer internet. The organization has being offered the award by Global Finance. HSBC uses a price premium strategy in the PP which has made the product to be exclusive and appealing to the high end society of Sri Lanka. By using this strategy HSBC has been able to acquire over 6000 Premier Customers (PCs) who each maintain over Rs 7,500,000 in a portfolio. This in return has given them to generate Rs 45 Billion in deposits. Branding Every product requires a strong branding technique. HSBC uses the following branding methods to showcase the benefits of PP. Online marketing Billboards Electronic Direct Mails New paper and magazine advertising Corporate sponsorships Consumer sales promotions As per the methods mentioned above HSBC has focus in showcasing the lifestyle of a PC and the benefits that could be achieved by being part of the growing PP. The next goal by branding would be to acquire potential customers through displaying benefits compared to the competitors. Market Research and Relationship Marketing HSBC invests a large proportion of resources on market research and development. Which eventually result HSBC a cutting edge among competitors. This market research and development is conducted through HSBC head office in Hong Kong at regular intervals. By doing so HSBC has being able to identify new global trends and investment opportunities which they have being able to include within the PP. In order to customize and align the global trends and investments according to the Sri Lankan market, the local marketing department conduct research. These researches are conducted through client survey calls, mystery shopper programs and customer feedback forms. This has provided the opportunity for the management to gain a descriptive insight of the service pros and cons offered to the PC. Customer being treated as king in today’s business world HSBC believes customer centric relationship marketing is the critical selling factor of the PP. In  order to complement this factor Relationship Managers (RMs) have being groomed to be customer oriented, which will enable to provide a personalized service package. Based on the study carried on HSBC Premier the author will explain the current position of the organization and explain the desired position to be in through his suggestions. Understanding customers and segmentation A PC is an individual who banks at HSBC for the purpose of receiving exclusive customized service, global recognition, safety of their funds and investment advice. By performing a SWOT analysis on HSBC Premier the author has being able to highlight why HSBC has selected the particular segment of high income earner both locally and internationally. Strengths HSBC is a brand which provides their clients a global recognition through HSBC Premier. Expertise in the financial industry both locally and internationally. Including modern technology into their services. Priority services for all international banking services through Global Premier Centre’s. Customizing the products and services according to the local culture. Dedicated RMs who would manage the clients financial requirements 24 hour Premier Call Centre (PCC) Emergency credit facilities. Exclusive promotions for PCs both locally and internationally. Weaknesses Limited bank branches around Sri Lanka. Offering low interest rates on fixed deposits and savings accounts. Being an International brand the organization is vulnerable for strict government rules policies. Having only 2 Premier Centre’s in Sri Lanka to cater to over 6000 PCs. Unavailability in developing new wealth management products for clients with high investment appetites. Having a low workforce to attend to each PC’s requests. Limiting the eligibility criteria for HSBC Premier. Having only one PCC to attend to over 6000 PC calls. Opportunities By growing the premier portfolio the organization will be able grow the HSBC brand Value. Developing newer technological advances in line with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka would assist in making the product more attractive. HSBCs Global recognition which would attract clients. Constant R&D provides new dimensions to a growth. Individuals who aspire to become a PC. Global international support through the HSBC group. Threats Competitor banks starting to offer similar propositions. Central Bank regulations which limits cross border transactions. Losing customers who are rate sensitive Reputational risks from miss selling HSBC Premier. Vulnerability to attract money launderers who would tarnish the HSBC Premier brand name. Global recession impacts on HSBC High priorities given to local banks. Table -SWOT Analysis Different PC individuals have diverse expectations from HSBC. In order to meet these high client expectation levels HSBC conduct thorough staff trainings, workshops and knowledge sharing sessions. Based on the product exclusivity it shows that HSBC has segmented in clients who seek global recognition and quality service even though they do not offer competitive return on investments. Further the client base can also be segment according to the below listed eligibility PC criteria. 1. Clients maintaining a portfolio balance of Rs7,500,000 In Sri Lanka 2. Overseas PCs maintaining the required balance in their home country All though this protects the products exclusivity it has limited the organization expanding their market share. In order to overcome this limitation the author suggests that HSBC to introduce new entry criteria to become a PC. Market research shows competitors also offering similar products under the following entry criteria. Nations Trust Bank (Private Banking eligibility) -Rs 5 million or  equivalent in foreign currency, in deposits Total relationship of Rs 10 million in both deposits and loans Repurchase Agreements (REPO’s) and/or investments of Rs 20 million. Standard Chartered Bank (Priority banking eligibility)-Total relationship in Fixed deposits Rs5, 000,000/- Commercial Bank (Elite Banking eligibility)-Total deposit relationship in excess of Rs 7.5 Million in a savings or fixed deposit account. In order to gain the completive advantage and grow the profit margins for the business sustainability the author’s suggestion is to remake entry criteria’s to become a PC. This will also open doors for potential customer segments and new business opportunities where competitors have still not approached on. Authors entry criteria suggestions: Maintaining Rs5,000,000/- in a non-interest bearing current account and granting of an interest free overdraft facility of Rs2,500,000/- which would attract Islamic Banking clients. Maintaining Rs5, 000,000/- in a fixed deposit and granting an overdraft facility against in which will attract clients who like to invest in the Stock market and other instruments. Offering Premier for top Directors of Companies such as MAS, Nestles, Fonterra, MIT so that they would be brand ambassadors for the Product. Introducing Premier for clients with large credit facilities which are more than Rs10, 000,000/- these clients would give a high income to grow the premier portfolio. Analyzing needs, wants, values and Expectations of Customers As indicated above a HSBC PC contains diverse set of expectations and requirement through this package. This requirements and expectations vary from individual to individual. HSBC has being able to identify these client expectations based on the research performed by their research and development team. Analyzing needs and wants The success of HSBC PP is based on how the organization meets the customers’ expectations. Based on the market studies performed on the client base the author has being able to identify what are the needs and wants of the clients. Needs Wants Easy access to their funds. Ability to withdraw funds at any given time. Reliability on the invested money at HSBC. To have the assurance that the invested money is secured at HSBC. Return on investment. Preferential interest rate for savings accounts and fixed deposits. 24 hour assistance in financial needs. 24X7 customer support. Commendable customer relationship. To receive a tailor made service from HSBC. Ability to obtain credit facilities. Ability to request for credit cards, loan facilities and overdraft facilities on demand. Priority services in transferring funds globally and assistance in opening accounts overseas. Global assistance. Hassle free money transfers with global accounts Table – Analyzing needs and wants Values and Expectations of a HSBC Premier customer The relationship between a HSBC PC and the bank is built around the values presented by the organization. In order to achieve clients expectations HSBC works hard along with their set values. The below list contains the relationship between the PC’s values and expectations. Values Expectations Fairness Offering a fair Interest rate on the Fixed deposits within the bank. Honesty and integrity. To create transparency on the fees and rates of the bank. Ability to understand and address the client’s requirements. Excellent two way communication with the RM and client for a better service. Assurance Assurance for the client’s financial safety. Service. Customized clients service package. Dependability High dependability on their personal and official financial matters. Recognition. To be recognized as a valued Premier client. Table -Value and Expectations of a HSBC Premier Customer Creating Customer-based Value Propositions for Customer segments Creating customer-based value propositions is a widely used strategy to create awareness on different customer segments. Having looked at the researchers conducted from inception of HSBC Premier the author believes the most significant factor is to address PCs expectations. Also the author believes, through catering these requirements will influence the client’s decision making ability. This will result to grow the market share and generate business incomes. Relationship Marketing & Customer Care Relationship marketing has become one of the current important concepts of today’s business environment. Relationship marketing is mainly dependent on organization policies employee skill and capabilities. Each employee plays a vital role in the process of delivering an exceptional customer service. Starting from the front level customer support to the back office support the same service level should be maintained. Factors that influence Relationship Marketing for HSBC Premier: Convenience in accessing the Premier Centre’s. Efficiency of the RMs. Strong bond between the client and the RMs. Consistent service delivery. The luxurious Premier Centre facilities. Extensive Friendly support provided by the employees. Understanding the customer requirements. Playing honestly and winning customer trust. Assurance of investments. Management of customer care Knowledge : The employees should always maintain high knowledge level regarding customer portfolios, requirements and up to date with organizations processes. Service Level : All staff engaged directly or indirectly with clients should always provide same service standards. Operations : Maintaining consistent operations according to the set guidelines in order avoid any service lapses. Customer Care : Providing the best customer experience through exceptional customer care. At HSBC the management believes in building strong relationships between the business and its clients is vital. In order to full fill the above influences HSBC has built the PP around customer relationship marketing and exceptional customer care. A PC of HSBC is entitled to a RM who caters to their every financial requirement. The RMs are often closely engaged with their clients, this allows them to win the trust and understand the client. It enables the RMs to provide a better service to their clients. A satisfied customer will always improve their portfolios and recommend the product and service to others. However during the research conducted it is evident the concept of relationship banking is blossomed from the point a client becomes a PC. Although the author strongly believes regardless weather the customer is Premier or not the bank should provide customer relationship banking. HSBC should extend their focus towards all segments and expand their exceptional customer relationship. Through conducting the above mentioned new concept the organization will be able to identify the potential clients and grow them to become aspiring qualitative PCs. Reinforcing the organization’s Identity through changes to the Marketing Mix Variables What is a Marketing Mix? A marketing mix is traditionally referred to as the 4P’s, which consists of Product, Price, Place and Promotion. With market evolution 4Ps has grown itself towards adding 3 more concepts like People, Process, and Physical Environment. The combination of these elements will contribute towards providing successful of the products and services. Figure -7 P’s Concept The Product It can be a tangible good or an intangible service. The successfulness of a  product or service is based on how it is developed and how it will cater the customer needs. HSBC has developed HSBC Premier to cater to the high end niche market. The product offers exclusivity, recognition and a wide range of benefits to its clients. Although the PP appeals to the specific pricing category it restricts HSBC in acquiring new clients. The author belief is to create a sub category under HSBC Premier to grab the clients who cannot meet the HSBC Premier requirement and not allowing them to move towards other competitors. Price The price is the amount a customer is willing to pay for the product or service. It will also determine the organizations profit or loss as a product or service is only worth for the price that the chosen segment of customers is willing to pay. The price should be competitive when compared with competitors. In the end customers would choose the service which offers the best value for their money. HSBC uses a price premium strategy for the eligibility of becoming a PC. The product offers exclusivity for clients who seek global recognition and quality service. The eligibility in becoming a PC has being set at Rs7, 500,000.00. This will restrict majority of new clients in enrolling for HSBC Premier. The reason being for the author to state that HSBC uses a price premium strategy is because HSBC historically has not offered high return on interest rates on their fixed deposits or investments, but compensates it with a superior service which retains the client from moving to competitors. However in order to grow the Premier portfolio held at HSBC the author suggests that HSBC increases the interest rates paid on the fixed deposits in order to retain the existing client base and also be able to attract the rate conscious clients from competitors. Place Place is the physical location where a product or service will be offered or distributed to the customer. It should be easily accessible by the customers. HSBC Premier is offered to the clients through the HSBC Premier Centre’s, HSBC PCC’s, the HSBC retail branch network and also through HSBC Internet Banking. Since HSBC has only 2 Premier Centre’s and 15 retail branches it has limited the accessibility to the public. The authors suggestion is introduce new retail branches in new locations where HSBC will  be able acquire new PCs and grow their market share. Promotion Promotion is the method used by marketers to communicate information on products or services. It includes elements such as advertising, sales campaigns and awareness programs. HSBC uses the following modes to do their promotions. Branding Advertising Special Offers Electronic direct mailers Brochures Most of the promotional methods used at HSBC are prepared based on the market studies performed by research teams. However at times the in accuracy of the market study and poor promotional communication methods would fail to meet the customer needs. Based on the authors experience he advises that HSBC use a two way communication method when setting up their promotions. This will enable to get the clients feedback on the promotion as well as to answer any of the queries that the client has regarding the promotion. People People play a vital role in the service industry. They create a positive or negative impression toward the client which will eventually impact the organization. It is always important that the staffs are well groomed and motivated when they deliver their service to client. HSBC Premier is built around addressing the client’s requirements through relationship banking. Therefore it is important that HSBC recruits the right people with right skills and attitude to carry out their processes. The level of support and service granted by the RMs will determine whether the clients will retain at HSBC or weather the will move to other financial institutes. Process The processes set within the organization contribute to the end result of customer satisfaction. A PC is not interested on how the set systems work at HSBC, but what they are interested is only to get their job done. It is important that HSBC evolves their system up to date with high efficiency and  productivity. This will lead toward satisfied customers. This is the ultimate goal of HSBC Premier. Physical Evidence The physical evidence is what a Premier client would experience from the moment they step in to a Premier Centre. During the stay at the Premier centre the customers would experience luxurious facilities. These comforts and benefits will capture potential customers through branding and through word mouth. The combination of each of the above elements will contribute to the success of the HSBC PP. Research Requirements for the organization to track the total customer experience What is Marketing Research? It is a systematic module which is used to collect data for analysis and reporting purpose on a specific marketing situation faced in an organization. Companies use these research results in various situations. This helps the organization to measure the customer experience. The research results will enable the marketers to improve their products or services. Commonly organizations have their own in house R&D team and however some companies tend to conduct this market research through 3rd party specialized organizations. Importance of Marketing Research for HSBC As the time past banks have gradually evolved themselves to introduce new products and services. This has increased the competition amongst financial institutes who are striving to be the best. While each bank offers similar products and service packages. The differentiation is dependent on the services and after sales. While HSBC understands the importance of marketing research they have sub contracted high level research studies for specialist such as AC Nielsen Corporation. At the inception of HSBC Premier the organization used research studies from the Primary data acquired through Surveys, data collections, focus groups and interview. Based on these research studies carried out HSBC was able to develop the global proposition. For further development and changes to HSBC Premier the organization carries out secondary data research studies by purchasing research studies done by specialists, collecting data of customer courtesy calls, mystery shopper programs, branch observations, suggestion boxes and  testimonials left by other PCs. Once the information is collected HSBC uses it to understand the lapses that they have in terms of service, competitor interest rates, product features and benefits which affect the total customer experience. Based on the experience at HSBC the author suggests that the research should be carried out by using the Primary research studies in order to track the total customer experience. Although collecting of data can be costly through primary research methods it is accurate and easy to understand the customer as listed below. Primary research can be obtained by research performed on existing PCs. The research can be tailored according to the requirement of the organization. It helps you understand the type of client which does business with you. Since it is an in-depth research done the data would not be available for competitors. The organization has the freedom the set the parameters of the areas they wish to perform the research studies on. Collected data would be qualitative and quantitative. Figure – Research frame work Defining Objectives: The objective of the research is to identify the total customer experience that a HSBC PC under go. Research Design: At the research design stage, the marketer or the organization would follow a set of guidelines carried out the research. The different stages of a research are as followed. Figure -Research Design Data Collection: Data collection to be done according to the above research design using the existing client based and the potential client base. Data Analysis: Data analysis is a process of transforming acquired data in to qualitative and quantitative information for the use of the marketers. Research Report: The research report will be the end result of the research process. The report would highlight the areas which require development and the areas which have service lapses. This will enable HSBC to develop them self as an organization. The author believes it is vital that HSBC continues and  improves their research methods in order to be on top of the financial industry. Through performing and tracking the total customer experience which a PC goes through HSBC will be able to adjust and make changes to the processes which are in use. The outcomes of becoming more customer centric In every organization the customer is treated as the king or queen. Therefore each organization wishes to be customer centric. They build their businesses around the expectations of the targeted customer segments. At HSBC the working business culture and marketing concepts are aimed and designed according to its target market. The process of choosing the segment of high end customer and to cater them with the product HSBC Premier was done under the customer segmentation process. Once the segmentation was done HSBC choose to analyze the needs, wants, values and expectations of a PC. This enable the organization to tailor make the benefits for a PC at HSBC. This in return creates a global value proposition for each PC. A key area in being a customer centric organization is the capability of building strong relationships with the clients. At HSBC Premier the concept of using a RM has enable the organization to identify in-depth information regarding their base of PCs. It has also enabled HSBC to discover the clients hidden needs and also create needs within them in order to grow the Premier portfolio. By addressing these requirements HSBC has being able to enhance the customer experience derived through HSBC Premier. The author suggests that HSBC continues to conduct primary research which gives the organization in-depth information regarding how and where the organization is heading towards. The conducted research would stand as an indicator to identify on the changes that the organization could do to its marketing mix variables to achieve customer satisfaction. Becoming an organization which is customer centric would contribute to the sustainability of the company. It will act as a guide in the company’s long term vision to enable them to align the business and its processes accordingly. By doing so the organization would be able to increase the customer experience levels and values. Conclusion The overall report is a critical analysis on HSBC’s PP. The author has identified the working business culture and marketing concepts used at HSBC.  Based on the study the report illustrates the importance of designing HSBC’s PP in line with the chosen customer segments expectations. Having being a customer centric organization, HSBC has being able to identify its customer requirements through market researches and adaptation of relationship banking. Having identifying a PC’s necessities the organization has being able to make changes to its marketing mix variables in order to increase the total customer experience. The PP in general, can be measured as one of the most consistent propositions which offer exclusive financial services. In order to sustain HSBC’s PP the author recommends that the organization develops its strategies and reduces the service lapses based on the suggestions made. References Acrwebsite.org. 2013. Applications of Marketing Concepts to Candidate Marketing by Avraham Shama. [online] Available at: http://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=5803 [Accessed: 11 Nov 2013]. Antarcticglaciers.org. 2013. Untitled. [online] Available at: http://www.antarcticglaciers.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/10-steps-to-research-design.png [Accessed: 15 Nov 2013]. Chennaiconsultants.in. 2013. Chennai Consulting Group. [online] Available at: http://www.chennaiconsultants.in/marketing_research.html [Accessed: 14 Nov 2013]. Combank.net. 2013. Savings Sri Lanka | Internet Banking | Commercial Bank Sri Lanka. [online] Available at: http://www.combank.net/newweb/info?id=196&menu_type=mainmenu&selected=About%20Us&subitem=Social%20Responsibility&oid=230 [Accessed: 17 Nov 2013]. Google Books. 2013. Product Development Performance. [online] Available at: http://books.google.lk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=7cCAASTW6IQC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=product+development+concept&ots=vuYX2 TiVnH&sig=ARVFe8GFf7- [Accessed: 11 Nov 2013]. Jstor.org. 2013. JSTOR: An Error Occurred Setting Your User Cookie. [online] Available at: http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1248740?uid=3738456&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21102819894071 [Accessed: 10 Nov 2013]. Kotler, P. 2005. Principles of marketing. Lbr.lk. 2013. Lanka Business Report. [online] Available at: http://www.lbr.lk/fullstory.php?nid=201101052013018515 [Accessed: 12 Nov 2013]. Nationstrust.com. 2013. Nations Trust Bank, Sri Lanka – Personal Banking, Corporate Banking, American Express, SME Banking. [online] Available at: http://www.nationstrust.com/personal_banking/private_banking [Accessed: 13 Nov 2013]. Unknown. 2013. [online] Available at: http://www.amsreview.org/articles/wiedmann07-2007.pdf?q=are-consumer-perceptions-of-brand-affected-by-materialism [Accessed: 13 Nov 2013]. Unknown. 2013. [online] Available at: http://www.cim.co.uk/files/7ps.pdf [Accessed: 15 Nov 2013]. APPENDICES A.1 About HSBC HSBC is a financial organization which opened in Sri Lanka on the 1st of July in 1892. The bank initially opened for business under the name of â€Å"Hongkongbank† thereafter was named as the â€Å"The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation† and in the more recent years operates under the name â€Å"HSBC†. HSBC currently has over 6,600 offices in over 80 countries and territories and assets of US$2,692 billion as at 30 June 2012 according to (HSBC, 2013) This Makes HSBC one of the largest Financial Organizations in the world. Since 1892 HSBC has supported and contributed to the Sri Lankan Economy and is currently one of the most Profitable Banks in Sri Lanka. A.2 Products and Services offered by HSBC HSBC uses the influences of their international expertise, their local knowledge and experience in order to build the Products and Services they offer. This puts HSBC in a good position to compete with the local financial organizations. HSBC offers propositions to its clients. They have come up with 2 main propositions which are called â€Å"HSBC Premier† and â€Å"HSBC Advance†. A.3 About HSBC Premier This product is offered to HSBCs top end clients who are the high income earning segment of society. It would be clients who are well established in life and lives a lavish lifestyle. HSBC Premier comes with a bundle of value additions and exceptional service standards. Such as a Relationship Manager who will look in to the clients every financial need, preferential rates,  fee waivers and preferential promotions positioned only for Premier Clients. HSBC has set the minimum eligibility of becoming a Premier Client at maintaining Rs7, 500,000/- in a client’s portfolio.