Mountain Man Brewing Company free essay sample

Prangel is facing: 1. ) Mountain Man’s current target market will not approve of this new beer, and 2. ) bringing in a light version of the Mountain Man Lager could ruin the brand image and ultimately destroy the company. Mountain Man’s biggest target market currently, and pretty much since it started in 1925, is males ages 45-54. Most of these males are blue-collar, hardworking males. It has been known as â€Å"West Virginia’s Beer† known for its authenticity, quality and its toughness. To the younger beer drinkers, the market the light beer appeals to, view Mountain Man beer as too strong and a â€Å"working man’s† beer. Not only do the younger beer drinkers have their negative thoughts about Mountain Man developed, but the blue-collar customers account for a huge percentage of sales. The brand loyalty rate for Mountain Man Lager is 53% which is higher than any of its competitors. The â€Å"light beer† appeals to the younger generation, especially the females, and Mountain Man Lager has always appealed to the older, rugged, blue-collar male. We will write a custom essay sample on Mountain Man Brewing Company or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The appearance of Mr. Prangel’s dilemma is very evident. Based on the evidence, Mountain Man should not introduce the light beer. The light beer industry is growing, that can’t be denied, however for Mountain Man, it is not in their best interest yet. Although the quantitative reasoning is included below, it would be in Mountain Man Brewing Company’s best interest to take the $750,000 and spend it elsewhere: create a new beer (non-light) that can appeal to more than the current target market without losing its brand image, spend more money for advertising to the younger beer-drinking market. Mountain Man Brewing Company needs to have a wider target market before introducing a completely new product that could potentially destroy the company if it were unsuccessful. THE PROS AND CONS OF INTRODUCING A LIGHT BEERThe most beneficial pro of introducing Mountain Man Light will be reaching the younger beer drinkers. It is shown that the younger beer drinkers enjoy the light beer better, and also in their twenties, usually haven’t committed to a brand yet. Mountain Man is very well-known by the younger beer drinkers, however, they tend to buy and consume in quantity; the Mountain Man Lager is not on their top preference, along with other lagers and full-flavor beers. Introducing this light beer could reach the younger beer drinkers and potentially lead to brand loyalty amongst them. A few cons could be losing brand loyalty amongst the older generation, losing sales of the Mountain Man Lager due to cannibalization, and a lower contribution margin. THE BRAND NAME OF A LIGHT BEERIf the light beer were introduced, the name Mountain Man Light is not the best option for the market Mountain Man is already in. A 53% loyalty rate is great for a company that produces one flavor of a brew. If the company that they have seen as for years as a rugged, authentic, â€Å"West Virginia’s Beer†, puts out a â€Å"light† version, its image could be lost immediately. In response to the introduction of a light beer by Mountain Man, it was the man in his fifties and early thirties that found it to be absurd. BREAK EVEN AND BREAK EVEN IN MARKET SHARE IN 2 YEARSBy keeping the same price for light as the lager, breakeven in dollar amount is almost $10,000,000 which then translates into 100,473 barrels. Within two years, Mountain Man Light will have to produce almost $10,000,000 in sales and sale 20% of what Mountain Man Lager has worked almost a century to sale. As for the market share, Mountain Man Light will need to gain a 26% of the market share in 2 years to break even. This seems very unrealistic since the leading brand light beer now consumers 32. 9% and the second leading brand holds 17. 8% of the market. Mountain Man Light will have to become the second leading brand in the market within only 2 years (assuming that the sales of â€Å"light beer† continue to grow annually by 4%). CANNIBALIZATION RATEBecause Mountain Man Lager produces so many units and produces such high sales already, the difference in cannibalization of 5% to 20% is pretty significant (almost 1,000,000). Two year contribution with a 5% cannibalization rate is $32,895,226. 2 compared to $31,988,859. 59 with a 20% cannibalization rate. This is a major loss in sales of the Mountain Man Lager. If cannibalization is inevitable, the lower percentage of cannibalization is the best option, it yields a higher contribution. Anything above 20% is unnecessary and definitely not worth introducing the Mountain Man Light. BUDGET FOR THE LAUNCHThe budget of $750,000 added onto the $900, 000 already annual cost of SGamp;A costs is not appropriate. Not only is it adding that money onto the annual SGamp;A costs, it adds $4. 9 more per barrel in variable costs. Yet, the price of the light will still be the same as the lager. It will produce a 60% awareness level for Mountain Man Light, however, reduces the contribution margin by 16%; the price remains the same and cost of goods sold increases. Adding an expense like $750,000, a company should expect it to be better for the company. A 16% decrease in the contribution margin is not good for a company like Mountain Man that has its one specialty product in which it is known for. THE LAUNCHAlthough it is not recommended to introduce this Mountain Man Light because of the previous stated concerns, Mountain Man should not stop there and let the company fail. Mountain Man can take their $750,000 and introduce another beer just not a â€Å"light beer†. Keep the authentic, rugged brand image by introducing a different type of brew that will continue to appeal to the target market. Mountain Man should try to increase its target market with its original idea before it tries to introduce a new brand. If this is not ideal, the $750,000 can be spent on gaining, and retaining, a younger, beer drinking crowd. There is always a way to appeal to a younger crowd, Mountain Man needs to find the window of opportunity and take those consumers. With the high awareness of Mountain Man Lager by the younger beer drinker, however, Mountain Man could change their marketing strategy and discover a way to appeal to the younger market. | Contribution of Lager and Light Breakeven in Dollars and Units (Barrels) Market Share Cannibalization of 5% Cannibalization of 20% Mountain Man Brewing Company free essay sample Marketing Mountain Man Brewing Company Bringing the Brand to Light 1. Overview Mountain Man Brewing Company (MMBC, or the Client) is a family-run business in West Virginia that has experienced much growth since launching its flagship premium beer Mountain Man Lager (MMB) in 1925. Over the decades, brand loyalty, quality and brand awareness have been the cornerstones of the Client’s success – the importance of the MMBC brand among consumers has allowed the company to build its small but consistent market share in the East Central region (ECR), particularly in its home state, the only region it distributes in (7. % of the market with more than 50 million USD in revenue). 2. Challenges amp; Opportunities * Challenges MMBC currently faces a potentially identity-changing challenge: The traditional premium beer market has been declining at a compound annual rate of 4%, and MMB experienced a 2% decrease in revenue last year, the first drop in its entire history; accordingly, M MBC’s target aim is to recover from the 2% decrease in revenue that occurred in the prior year. We will write a custom essay sample on Mountain Man Brewing Company or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page * Opportunities The light beer market – popular with younger drinkers – has also been growing at a CAGR of 4%. Although MMBC has been historically weak in the 35-years-and-under segment, there is opportunity to generate more sales by releasing a new Mountain Man Light Beer (MML) line to target this younger market. However, there is the risk of negatively impacting their current distribution of MMB through shelf-space cannibalization and higher costs; as well as the risk of alienating their core segment of older, blue-collar drinkers. . Analysis MMBC faces potentially losing more revenue at the current forecasted compound annual decrease rate of 2% – the projected decrease for MMB standalone in year-to-year net revenue from actual 520,000 barrels sold in 2005 (USD 50. 4 m) to 470,039 barrels (approximately USD 45. 6 m) by 2010 totals nearly 10% (see Exhibit 1). According to the key age demographics among beer drinkers, MMB’s customer segmentation is currently as follows: 6 4% for 45 years and up, and only 17% for 35 years and under. Yet the ECR breakdown for consumption by beer type is the opposite: 50. 4% for light and only 19. 7% for premium. Due to the overwhelming potential in the light beer market, we have prepared projections on growth in revenues and expenses for MMBC should they decide to move forward with brewing Mountain Man Light (see Exhibit 2A, 2B). * Making Mountain Man Lighter (and More Profitable) Considerations have been made regarding MMB remaining as a stand-alone product (again, see Exhibit 1). However, per the Client’s instructions, this report will focus on projected performance examining MMBC’s entry into the light beer market at their expected MMB reduction rate of 20%. According to our analysis, MML would still result in a significant increase in revenue within two years: With the new product mix, net income margin increases from an insignificant 0. 88% in MML’s first year to a robust 3. 7% by its second year (2007), even with considerations on the additional expenses that would go into launching a new product – manufacturing, advertising, general operating (see Exhibit 2A). Additionally, the projected MMB+MML sales volume after only two years would nearly match MMBC’s current volume level – 500,895 barrels to 520,000 – and would eventually overtake the 2005 figure in 2008; while standalone figures show a continuous decrease from the 2005 benchmark and eventually fall behind MML sales by 2011 (Exhibit 3). * Issues to Con sider The forecast for MMB +MML sales are promising. However, JAFREM must note significant issues to consider with the presented data: 1) Due to limited sales volume for the first six years, impact on COGS has not been taken into consideration; should the current production capacity levels be exceeded, additional inputs regarding CAPEX (for example, for new plants) will be necessary. 2) With the forecasted MML growth rate, the Client’s market share in the ERC amounts to 1. 5% after five years; MMB has not achieved this level after more than 50 years in the business and so considerations on the MMB reduction rate have also been provided (Exhibit 2B). 4. Recommendations Light beer is an attractive proposition for MMBC, especially with the decrease in the premium beer segment. Accordingly, ignoring the dynamic growth in the light segment is simply too much of an opportunity to let pass. In order to reduce the risks that come with launching MML (alienating core customers, promoting a failed product), we recommends the following measures: * To avoid losing brand equity at the consumer level for MMB, pilot the MML launch outside West Virginia, as this is MMBC’s strongest and most loyal market; should the testing prove successful, then consideration can be made on moving into West Virginia. Should the MML growth forecast not be realized after two years, return focus to MMB distribution at a national level; while advertising and sales at the grass roots level has been good for MMBC, there has been no attempt to reach a larger marketing through the traditional channel of television media. * Despite the expected decrease in the premium beer market, M MB still has potential to capture more market share by expanding its advertising activities and consumer base outside the ERC.

Reflective experience essay on a group relations conference The WritePass Journal

Reflective experience essay on a group relations conference Introduction Reflective experience essay on a group relations conference Introduction  ReferencesRelated Introduction Group work conference is a form of co-operative learning, targeted on personal variations, knowledge enhancement, generic skill development (communicative, collaborative and critical thinking) and approaches. During my professional career, I have carried out a group exercise on exploring the complexities in caring for the emotional and psychological well-being of children, young people and families within the multi-disciplinary and multi-agency context. My job role as a student in social work has involved making contacts with clients (children), advising clients and families on available resources, setting up appointments, supervising contacts at the home and child care centres, assessing client needs and creating the plan together, carrying out risk assessment, attending training and court sessions, safeguarding the well-being of children and supporting them for independent living. This work has allowed me to make the effective use of time for production, alongside offering control as well as responsibilities. The advantages of group work assisted me in overcoming my limitations of faster work, efficiency, understanding, communication skills, work accuracy and exposure. Throughout my practice, I have carried out different roles, particularly within the social service system. The meetings have included different professionals, predominantly from within the social care provider sectors and working with children such as psychotherapists, teachers, doctors, social workers and mental health nurses alongside a variety of social service departmental managers. This essay makes an effort in reflecting upon one of my personal experiences in a group work conference, where I planned, organised, facilitated and was actively involved in a group work. Within the first section, the essay discusses and explores experiences of working and talking with and the responsibility for the emotional and psychological well-being of children, young people and their families. My role in influencing and being influenced with the contribution of other group members will be discussed together with the group dynamics and inter-disciplinary teamwork. A wider view on the experience of the conference as a whole is made to explore issues of conflict and leadership together with theories and discussions of personal tendencies and self-behaviour within the process of group work on a shared task. A well-defined conclusion will be offered around the closure of the group together with the impact of conference on practice needs. Knowing that each of our group members possessed varied timetables and sessions, I have established a â€Å"common meeting point† for discussing the topic to be delivered in the conference. Among the three group meetings that I have organised in the library, I indicated my points on the subject, with special attention on the emotional and psychological well-being of child care. An in-depth discussion on the written facts, and selection of appropriate articles were explored in the subsequent second and third meetings. Easy and flexible ways to finish the completed work were discussed and a periodic ‘check on progress’ and the practice of developed work was explored in the final meeting. The advice and support gained from my colleagues helped me in collecting the best material needed for the conference. They provided me with confidence and an underlying ability, which cannot be possible to attain in real time. The effective accountability and adherence assisted me i n tackling the issues of competitiveness and non-satisfaction. My knowledge, subject exposure, skills, abilities and working tendencies improved and it minimised the complexities witnessed through variations in interest, emotional consequences and the political environment. My experience of group work conference influenced me to a considerable extent in improving my skills needed for presentations and group dynamics. Whilst working to deliver the group conference, I became inspired through the thoughts and ideas of others. In an eventual manner, this supported me in providing new thoughts and innovative ideas. This group conference work, aided in my consideration of issues through different sources, besides building my practical knowledge. As a consequence, I personally feel this group work conference has contributed as a method of attaining and developing skills with respect to my own connectivity and development. The whole of my group work conference was enjoyable, a method of lea rning and my best experience developed through the development of my assigned work with other group members. Through an examination of the different ways in managing ourselves, we de-escalated the complex situations in a highly successful and cost effective manner. The analytical skills, which I have learnt during my professional practice, aided me in enhancing my conceptual thinking and more significantly creativity and teamwork skills. Developing the presentation for this conference helped me in analysing the significance of schedules and time-effectiveness without any considerable compromise on quality. Throughout the group work, I have learnt how to tactically  negotiate  the most productive  conditions for myself, work closely with my friends, take charge,  introduce  useful concepts and develop effective  presentation. Besides, the co-operation amongst the group members enabled me to increase my learning experience with a successful achievement of desired outcomes. At each stage of the work, I became familiarised with the chosen subject,  content  and other conflicting issues. Though conflicts arose in our work, we had realised the minimal importance of such constraints, and moved ahead in a smoother and more effective man ner. Presence of small groups (like that which was present for this conference) allowed the  quieter members to gain involvement with  considerable importance  given to his or her ideas and opinions. Group work allowed me to understand the functioning ways pertaining to team settings. The open nature of group work assisted me in valuing and sharing  previous  experiences with others, discovering my true potential, technology restructuring and waste management (Burns and Sinfield, 2008). Apart from these formal skills, my previous experiences with group work have also offered me with valuable insights. The knowledge gained from most of my group discussion sessions has allowed me to work in a team setting with different roles. My role in this group work conference influenced my team members in planning, prioritising and managing time. The open nature of classes, values of my own personal experiences, and delegation of less critical responsibilities alongside the trading and sharing of notes with fellow colleagues enabled me to exhibit how much we all have to learn from one another. My contribution to the topic of emotional and psychological well-being deciphered me with some of the phraseology and undermined my limitations. Inter-disciplinary working practice is the discipline involving the working of individuals from two or more professions functioning as a team with a common purpose, commitment, mutual respect and goals. This practice enabled us in attaining effective team work, an ability to improve the working environment, enhance mutual respect and share knowledge between different fields. However, the numerous practice based issues linked to unrealistic expectations, lack of knowledge, perceived threat, professional jealousies, and impaired autonomy can result in a variety of serious consequences (Miller and Freeman, 2001). Effective leadership skills gained through the practice sessions helped me in minimising the incidence and prevalence of team conflicts. Writing down notes, trying to be silent and careful listening on the ideas provided by others, helped me in gaining enough information to deal with the issues. The knowledge gained through the group work and professional experience helped me i n liaising with other health care professionals, attending court sessions, multi-disciplinary meetings, one to one key work sessions and advocating of beliefs. Throughout the conference, I strictly confined myself to the guidelines indicated in the social worker’s care plan and this assisted me in supervising contacts of children and home care centres. Regardless of  numerous  constraints witnessed in carrying out the group work, I highly  value  the skills and lessons learnt and would  suggest  the experience to anyone, who desires to  expand  their abilities, especially within the field of child care (Bolton, 2010). Effective planning of activities and objectives, which need to be performed at each stage, enabled me to complete the work before the deadline. I ascertained the strengths and abilities of my team members, their roles and demands for the team environment (Bolton, 2010) in a step by step manner. This soothing and relaxing experience allowed me to reach the expectations of my higher officials with a  decision  to consider negative as well as positive consequences (Burns and Sinfield, 2008). I thought about alternate ways of handling the group work which enabled me to retain the understanding of the importance of communication, compassion, fundamental social work practice skills and group work abiliti es of interacting with children, when they are anxious and scared. Eventually, I became more aware of my communication skills and their effectiveness, together with the ways in which I could improve. I perceive that, my contribution to the  group  in suggesting ideas and examples may be needed in improving myself in a conceptual and critical  manner. I became more aware of my communication skills and their effectiveness, together with exploring a variety of ways for personal development. This reflection process enabled me to look within myself, gave an immense improvement of my own social work skills and patient observations as well as my delivery of care and support. In my own perspective, it can be considered as an effective exercise, which helped in understanding the ways of how to treat patients who need such care and support. For me, implementing these kinds of group work projects can  enable  students to increase their  learning  experience and  participation. I think making a successful presentation  necessitates  an enhanced  awareness  on technologies, subject as well as skills (Bolton, 2010). I perceive myself to be a stronger person developing c onfidence. I ensure that I confront my fears and anxious feelings against certain individuals, in the defence of team members and treated individuals. An open body language, eye contact, voice tone and other abilities, as aforementioned with this paper are of much importance (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2002). Developing such qualities has enabled me as a social care professional to enhance the feelings of care, identification, empathy and support. I feel that, genuineness when supported with an open and relaxed method of accepting client requests can enable us to work according to the best interests of patients (Cooley, 2000). Although, listening, clarification and empathy, improving the emotional and psychological well-being of patients are key counselling skills needed in delivering care, I feel that the presence of good communication skills are an invaluable asset as it minimizes the degrees of hopelessness and psychological distress (Fallowfield and Jenkins, 2009). I think i t is a highly rewarding and reflecting incident, which enabled me to identify my self-weaknesses and turning them in to strengths. Now, I perceive myself to be a stronger person developing confidence. I ensure that I am able to confront my own fears and anxious feelings against certain individuals, in the defence of a patient (Heming and Colmer, 2003). Different frameworks related to social work practice assisted me to create outlines on the issues, which are required due consideration for future use and reference. The use of this previous experience assisted me in exploring the situation, in a much deeper way. An effort to enhance my personal and professional development skills needs to be made in the future. Use of different illustrations concerned to the experience, helped me in realising the fact that, learning and knowledge development is something which I should be pro-active in. Reflective experience assisted in structuring my thoughts and feelings in an appropriate manner with level of knowledge concerning to evidence based practice and medicine (Alexander et al., 1999). I  believe  this is a crucial segment to allow the  group  in offering a well-structured analysis with a chance of gaining experience (Burns and Sinfield, 2008). Group work, an excellent illustration for any enhancing any  form  of  career,  may continuously help me in developing my future. From my point of view, group work enables one to utilise time effectively for student production, alongside offerin g control  as well as responsibility for learning  practice  (Carson, 2004). Furthermore, I have recognised reflection as a key tool of practice, necessary for gaining skills and abilities. The strategies and approaches developed by different scientists (such as Parkes, William, and Colmer) appeared to be highly useful in assessing the psychological impact of family member loss, even though each person reacts to the situation differently. I feel that, implementing the projects accomplished through group or  team  work at the university will  assist  everyone, in the future with an  allowance  of developing practical, conceptual and cognitive  knowledge  towards unseen horizons. It permitted me in promoting my trust and my listening and learning skills from the highly qualified staff and the review of literature. On the whole, this reflective and personal experience assisted me in enhancing my knowledge and understanding on leadership, conflict and other related issues (Alexander et al., 1999).   References Alexander, M., Fawcett, N., Runciman, P. 1994, Nursing Professionals-Hospital and Home-The Adult, London: Churchill Livingstone Publishers, pp. 123-190. Assenmacher, K. 2011, Reflective Writing: A Reflection upon a Team Work Experience, London: Auflage Publishers, pp. 12-30. Bolton, G. (2010) Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development, London: Palgrave Macmillan Publishers, pp. 43-78. Burns, T., Sinfield, S. 2008, Essential Study Skills: The Complete Guide to Success at University, London: McGraw Hill Publishers, pp. 34-90. Carson, C. 2004, Growth and Development through group work, 3rd Edition, London: Palgrave Macmillan Publishers, pp. 12-78. Miller, C., Freeman, K. 2001, Interprofessional Practice in Health and Social Care: Challenging contexts, London: Hoffmann Publishers, pp. 23-89.

Business Structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Structure - Essay Example The structure depends on the business objectives and its strategy. Business structure has many facets including operational, organizational, marketing, financial and legal structures. The choice of structure depends hugely on organizational, marketing, operational and financial strategy and structure. In this case, the paper discusses the appropriate business structure of the three close university friends who have recently qualified as dentists and want to start a dental clinic (Denoncourt, 2012). The three university graduates will have to decide the best business structure for their clinic depending on several factors like risks and liabilities, cost of formalities and administration, control and management, legal limitations, financing, taxation, termination or closure of the business, and business expansion. General partnership is an association of two or more people who have decided to start up a business for the mutual benefit of the owners. The partners contribute property, m oney or services equally towards the business for their common benefit. The partners share profits equally got from the business. All the partners are allowed to participate in management, but give no liability protection to any of the partners. Therefore, coming up with a business structure is one of the significant steps a business makes in order to be in a position to run effectively. It is required of the partners to evaluate the options available and choose the best form of structure that best meets their needs. Although this process is time consuming and also costly, it is the best investment any partnership can make (Glover & Wasserman, 2003). The three partners will have to form their business without having to fill any legal document and this makes their business structure easy to form. It is, therefore, similar to a sole proprietorship in the sense that it is easy to form and any business partners can form it without any intention to do so. The business can either start as a sole proprietorship or later change into a partnership by adding other partners. The liability at which a partner in a general partnership is exposed to is also similar to the personal liability that a sole proprietor suffers, but there is an included element of risk. All the partners are responsible for all their actions and debts of the partnership and this means that each of the partners may lose interest in the partnership as well as everything they posses. This is referred to as personal liability (Glover & Wasserman, 2003). The three partners will be personally responsible for all actions as well as debts of partnership meaning that each of the three partners may loose not only their interest in partnership, but also everything they own. This means that if the partnership fails, or the business is sued, the creditors can go after the assets of the general partnership as well as the private assets of the three partners. Here, the partners will be responsible for their own ac tions and their partner’s action since the action of a particular partner can be imputable to the other partner through a joint liability. In general, the actions and mistakes of a particular partner becomes a responsibility of the other two partners. For example, Rose, John and Jane want to start a dental clinic where they have to share the profits equally. One day, John is involved in an accident while on duty and the accident injures Luis his patient. Luis