Facts and Figures About Plesiosaurus, the Long-Necked Marine Reptile

As you may already have surmised from its name, Plesiosaurus is the eponymous member of the family of marine reptiles known as plesiosaurs, which were characterized by their sleek bodies, wide flippers, and relatively small heads set at the end of long necks. These Mesozoic reptiles were once famously described as looking like a snake threaded through the shell of a turtle, although it was quickly established that they didnt have shells and were only distantly related to modern testudines. Plesiosaurs were closely related to, but distinct from, pliosaurs, contemporary marine reptiles possessing thicker torsos, shorter necks, and longer heads. The eponymous member of the pliosaur family was – you guessed it  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Pliosaurus. Like all marine reptiles, Plesiosaurus was not technically a dinosaur, having evolved from different antecedents in the reptile family tree. Theres a lot we still dont know about Plesiosaurus, which, like many name brand prehistoric reptiles, is much less well understood than the family to which it gave its name. (For a terrestrial parallel, think of the enigmatic Hadrosaurus and the well-known family of dinosaurs to which it belonged, the hadrosaurs, or duck-billed dinosaurs). Discovered very early in paleontological history by the pioneering English fossil hunter Mary Anning in 1823, Plesiosaurus created a sensation back in the early 19th century. Scientists at the time didnt quite know what to make of this 15-foot-long, 120-million-year-old beast. However, Plesiosaurus wasnt the first marine reptile to be discovered in England; that honor belongs to the distantly related Ichthyosaurus. The Lifestyle of Plesiosaurus Plesiosaurs in general, and Plesiosaurus in particular, werent the most accomplished swimmers, ​since they lacked the hydrodynamic builds of their bigger, meaner and more streamlined cousins, the pliosaurs. To date, its unknown whether Plesiosaurus and its ilk lumbered onto dry land to lay their eggs or gave birth to live young while still swimming (though the latter is the increasingly favored possibility). We do know, however, that plesiosaurs went extinct along with the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, and have not left any living descendants. (Why is this important? Well, many otherwise well-meaning people insist that the putative Loch Ness Monster is actually a plesiosaur that survived extinction!) The heyday of the plesiosaurs and pliosaurs was the middle-to-late Mesozoic Era, especially the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous period; by the end of the Mesozoic Era, these marine reptiles had been widely supplanted by even more vicious mosasaurs, which likewise succumbed to the K/T Extinction 65 million years ago. The big fish/bigger fish template applies throughout evolutionary history; an argument has been made that mosasaurs partly went extinct because of the increasing diversity and dominance of sharks, the best-equipped marine predators yet evolved by Mother Nature. Name: Plesiosaurus (Greek for almost lizard); pronounced PLEH-see-oh-SORE-us Habitat: Oceans worldwide Historical Period: Early-Middle Jurassic (135-120 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 15 feet long and 1,000 pounds Diet: Fish and mollusks Distinguishing Characteristics: Long neck; tapered body; blunt flippers; small head with sharp teeth

Border Security - 1320 Words

Running head: Has Technology Improved Border Security Operations 1 Border Security Technology HAS TECHNOLOGY IMPROVED BORDER SECURITY OPERATIONS 2 Border Security Technology Border security is paramount to the security of the United States of America. There are 7,000 miles of land border with Canada and Mexico as well as numerous lakes, rivers, and coastal waters. These areas are the entry and exit to our nation and an economic gateway for the world. In today’s world, extremist organizations such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) pose many†¦show more content†¦Throughout the past two decades the Border Patrol has developed an extensive Strategic Plan that has identified high risk traffic areas that are going to require more support both in technology but personnel. The evolution of the Border Patrol as a risk-based, intelligence-driven law enforcement organization is part of the transition following September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The continued transition is key to the success of not only the CBP but the Department of H omeland Security; while maintaining a positive relationship with Canada and Mexico to ensure international bond. The cooperation was nonexistent a few years ago with Mexico, but with the focus on the borders between these two nations a safe and successful operation will occur. Funding will be key to ensure that the goals between Federal, state, local, tribal, and international partners is met. The end result is obviously a secure border but technology and personnel are essential factors to meet the needs of the goals outlined in the Department of Homeland Security. An investment must be made in the organizational capabilities and personnel to ensure border-security operations continue to facilitate at a level which supersedes previous years. The tools available to CBP agents vary by location and have been detrimental to the success thus far in border security operations. 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The city sits right next to Juarez, Mexico with a population of over 2 million. As stated in the Debate.org article, â€Å"Border Fence†, El Paso, San Diego, and McAllen are the epicenter for cartel violence, hub for drug trafficking, and illegal immigration. There is a border fence that stretches over 30 miles in and around the El Paso area, with a border patrol agent stationed every 300 yards o ver the same spanRead MoreBorder and Coastal Security2925 Words   |  12 PagesUNITED STATES AND CANADA AND MEXICO BORDER Border Patrol focus has been detection, apprehension and/or deterrence of terrorists and terrorist weapons (Securing America’s Borders). 2011). The duties and responsibilities of the Border Patrol is one of the most important jobs and it is to detect and prevent the entry of illegal immigrants, terrorists, and smugglers into the United States. 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The protection of the borders of the U.S.A; land, sea and air is vital for the homeland security as well as economic prosperity. BorderRead MoreSecurity On The Southern Border1246 Words   |  5 Pages Security on the Southern Border Jaden Truxal ENGL 1101 Ms. Floyd 8 November 2016 Outline: Security on the Southern Border I. Increased security along the southern border is vitally needed to protect America from foreign threats. A. Purpose: To persuade the audience that increasing the security on the United States’ southern border is essential for this nation. B. The U.S. needs and must have more border security, but not the kind that President- elect, Donald Trump, is thinkingRead MoreU.s. Immigration And Border Security1007 Words   |  5 PagesKiana Thiesfeld Professor June Trudel Political Science 102 9 July 2015 U.S. Immigration; Border Security This research will address U.S. immigration, specifically border security. 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Japanese Society Yakuza Free Essays

string(25) " after they were banned\." It is said quite often that Japan is one of the safest countries in the world, what I comparing to Germany or other countries can confirm from my own experiences. With only 19. 177 per 1,000 people got Japan #34 in a world crime ranking, while Dominica rates #1, United Kingdom #6, USA # 8 and Germany #11. We will write a custom essay sample on Japanese Society Yakuza or any similar topic only for you Order Now (United Nations, 2000) Nevertheless japanese families, in our case homestay families, are all the time in my view exageratedly concerned about safety, wherefore you could think, that this is just useless talk. But the Yakuza , the japanese Mafia is famous all over the world with Kobe and Osaka having the highest crime rate in Japan. Especially in movies, the Yakuza are shown as the japanese equivalent to the italian Mafia, but in personal interviews with my former hostmother and other japanese colleagues Yakuza were often played down and even portrayed as nice and helpful. In the city i live – Kobe – is the headquarterof the Yamaguchi – gang (), the largest Yakuza group with over 20000 members. They acutally control a large part of Japan and other countries. (Blathwayt, 2008, p. 41) Sometimes i see them when i go shopping or to the Kobe’s Mosque, because the headquarter of a gumi is around this area and I as well as other japanese people got used to them. It is quite easy to recognize them, because they stick out as buffed, tattooed (sometimes you can see that it is protrude from the shirt), wearing sunglasses (even at night) and having expensive cars. But of course like every other Mafia, they control popular, semi-legal or illegal businesses like prostitution, drugs, protection racket and gambling. However there seems to be a big influence by the Yakuza on Japanese society. In this report, i will examine, what kind of influence the Yakuza have on the Japanese society. In doing so i will take a look at parts of the sex industry, daily and business life, as well as in other areas like random smaller criminals as for example japanese biker gangs called Bosozoku and even normal teenagers next door. First of all i will start with the history of the Yakuza, why and how they developed and try to find here possible parallels of a influences on the modern society. Furthermore in the third part of the report, i will write about my personal experiences and experiences of friends and acquaintances, because such statement often say more than just â€Å"dry facts†. I will close my essay with a conclusion and try to give a forecast about whether the Yakuza will continue to exist the way it does today or whether it will change, as every society developes dynamically and continuesly. a. Origin of the Yakuza The word â€Å"Yakuza† means eight (â€Å"ya†), nine (â€Å"ku†) and three (â€Å"za†) and allegorizes a combination of numbers, that is considered to be the worst hand at a Japanese card game called â€Å"Oicho-Kabu† and though is worthless. (Parkanian, 2010,p. 15) The origin of the Yakuza is not clearly to allocate. Some people say that they are descendents of crazy outlandish samurai called kabuki-mono in the 17th-century, who were very conspicuous because of their outlandish clothes and hair styles. They also spoke a luxuriant slang and carried long swords in their belts. Those servants of the shogun, became leaderless ronin (wave men) and eventually rather thieves and gangsters during the Tokugawa era, an long period of peace in Japan. (Hill,2003,P. 37-40) Others claim their origin to be the gambling syndicates called â€Å"Bakuto† in the Edo period. They were people of humble birth, too, like farmers, craftmen or merchants, who lost their jobs and then had no other choice than entering the gambling syndicates. As mentioned before there was an extended time of peace during the Tokugawa Period in which almost all policemen were former samurai. Therefore there was a high tension between both parties, for example the Yakuza were called â€Å"wannabe samurai† without glorifying the way of the warrior (â€Å"Bushido†) and treated very condescending. Thus a kind of â€Å"Robin-Hood-Image† came up and that was the first steps into a solid influence on Japanese Society. During the Meiji Period their importance increased when a national hero called Jichiro, the boss of a gambling organization, got high merits because of his alignment to the emperor during the conflicts of the Meiji Restoration. After the end of the occupation period and the appreciativeness of Japan as sovereign state in 1952, a rebuild of the Japanese economy and national structures began, so the Yakuza reacted with a buildup of their own economic activities tool, focusing especially in gambling and the construction industry. The consequence was gang fights between the different Yakuza gangs. The state answered with a persecution, which led into a higher concentration of power on the three main Yakuza gangs : Inagawa-kai, Sumiyoshi-kai and Yamaguchi-gumi. In the 70’s and 80’s, when Japan got into a recession because of the famous â€Å"bubble economy†, the Yakuza took advantage of the situation to get access into the financial sector. Protection money extortion of stock corporations followed. In addition to that, there was a change of generations in the big syndicates during in the 80’s, thus again bloody gang fights were the consequences, but the situations changed as well. Blathwayt,2008,p. 36-41) For example younger Yakuza tended to break the old rules and standards by using fire arms and being more violent; Being one reason, why Yakuza organizations were banned by the government. In 90’s the Yakuza were still legal and their headquarters could be easily find. It was even possible to recognize the group those headquarters offices belo nged to and their position in the structure of the group. Yakuza bosses were at news conferences and on TV, they had their own newspapers and even visited the police for congratulations at New Year. Gunther, 1999) It was easy to recognize an influence of the Yakuza on Japanese society, especially in the financial or construction sector in earlier times. But how is the situation today, about 10 years after they were banned. You read "Japanese Society Yakuza" in category "Papers" How are they structured today, if as mentioned before a kind of development, respectively change, were coming up? And what are Japanese people thinking about them? b. Their role in today’s Japanese society First of all Yakuza look different from the average Japanese guy. One sign are the tattoos, which is a taboo in Japanese Society. For me it was not really possible to wear a tank top during the summer without catching everybody’s attention. Referring to Bruno(2007) the â€Å"Yakuza members also favor tattoos, but theirs are elaborate body murals that often cover the entire torso, front and back, as well the arms to below the elbow and the legs to mid-calf. Dragons, flowers, mountainous landscapes, turbulent seascapes, gang insignias and abstract designs are typical images used for yakuza body art. The application of these extensive tattoos is painful and can take hundreds of hours, but the process is considered a test of a man’s mettle. Another sign is the famous â€Å"yubizume†, the amputation of the last joint of the little finger, if a yakuza severely disappoints his boss. The next mistake would lead into an amputation of the second joint of the little finger and later moving on to the next finger. Beyond all, a yakuza knows what to do if his boss gives him a knife. (Kaplan and Dubro,20 03,p. 14) As a Yakuza there is also no space in Japanese Society, but the mafia is quite more accepted as in other countries like for example United States. Yakuza have an increasingly influence on politics and politicians by supporting them financially or with â€Å"services† like extort people to vote for them. For the Yakuza corporate extortion is a very profitable business and the shareholders’ meeting men called â€Å"Sokaiya† are highly involved. Bruno(2007) describes it as follows:† Sokaiya will buy a small number of shares in a company so that they can attend shareholders’ meetings. In preparation for the meeting, the sokaiya gather damaging information about the company and its officers; secret mistresses, tax evasion, unsafe factory conditions, and pollution are all fodder for the sokaiya. They will then contact the company’s management and threaten to disclose whatever embarrassing information they have at the shareholders’ meeting unless they are â€Å"compensated. † If management does not give in to their demands, the sokaiya go to the shareholders’ meeting and raise hell, shouting down anyone who dares to speak, making a boisterous display of their presence, and shouting out their damaging revelations. In Japan, where people fear embarrassment and shame much more than physical threats, executives usually give the sokaiya whatever they want. But Japan is also a society where directness is considered rude, and even the criminals make their threats known in a circuitous, outwardly polite manner. Threats come in many disguises. Some sokaiya pose as business magazine publishers who encourage their targets to take out ads or buy subscriptions in exchange for favorable reporting about the company. Since these sokaiya will follow through on their threats and print a magazine or newsletter filled with condemning articles, company executives usually pay up rather than face the bad press. Another sokaiya scam is to set up booster clubs that solicit donations for non-existent causes. They also throw gala events to which the invited businessmen are expected to bring cash gifts for their hosts. Such events have been known to net more than $100,000 in a single night. The sokaiya have also organized beauty pageants for the purpose of shaking down corporate â€Å"sponsors,† and sokaiya golf tournaments come with pricey entrance fees for their corporate players. These corporate racketeers have also been known to sell blocks of tickets to theater events at grossly inflated prices. Anything to extort money out of legitimate companies in the most polite and indirect way possible. The intention is therefore to control them after the vote and to avoid a minding in their business by the state. They are often right wing nationalistic and even the cars with big loudspeakers of right parties are often driven by Yakuza members. With prohibition of the Yakuza, the conspicuous behavior alleviated. Former offices are now placements for loans or jobs and although the Yakuza a re officially called â€Å"Boryokudan† (violent groups), violence is usually the last resort regardless of whether legal businesses like loan lending or placement services or illegal businesses like drugs, prostitution or gambling. Takahashi,2009,p. 40-43) Certainly the yakuza’s standards decreased when recruiting new members. While about 60 % of all Yakuza descend by â€Å"Burakumin†, offspring of the â€Å"impure† people of the feudal age of Japan, most new members currently come from the bosozuku (speed tribes), known for their love of motorbikes. (Takashi,2009,P. 43) Yakuza, who treasure their ancestral ties to the old samurai reject the term and consider it an insult. So the Yakuza remain the â€Å"shadow of Japanese society†, while their image are getting worse. When I asked surrounding people only two of them had contact with them and described them as very olite but arrogant as well. Their friends are Yakuza and studied Law in an university, but then started a career at a Yakuza organization after graduation. They said that Yakuza are very friendly especially to foreigners, except you are getting involved into their business. Two Mongolian guys, who I met, told me that one of them kicked a Yakuza mem ber during a quarrel in an izakaya. When the police and other Yakuza member arrived later, they said to the Mongolians that if they wouldn’t pay 50000 yen, they would find and kill them. And that in front of the police men, who didn’t want to get involved in this business. This kind of controversy mixture of gratefulness (when the Yakuza helped Japanese people after the big earthquake in 1995 earlier than the Japanese government) and fear, tolerance but no acceptance is a very interesting situation in Japan. But situations are changing. While in other Mafias, in which a member is a member for life and this short-term career can have severe repercussions, former Yakuza are becoming now salary men. There are even companies who offer jobs and rehabilitation programs for former Yakuza, who want to change their life. (Bruno,2007) Conclusion As we could see, there is an influence as well as transition of the Yakuza to Japanese Society. Complaints of Japanese citizens about Yakuza activities increased considerably, although there are still feared, the acceptance is getting lower and lower. Some people are fighting back by banishing yakuza social clubs from their neighborhoods or forbidding Yakuza to enter local â€Å"Onzens† (public hot springs or spas) or gyms. In addition to that, yakuza organizations are haveing serious problems to recruit new members, because a Japanese boy from a well-protected good family doesn’t tend to start working at an underground organization. The author Bruno (2007) described the situation with much apropos: â€Å" Today they could be more active—and more careful—than ever, broadening their bases, infiltrating new territories and working new scams. Like the fabled ninjas of ancient Japan, they can be everywhere and nowhere, but they’re always lethal. † References: Blathwayt, W.,2008, Yakuza bared – The changing face of Japanese organised crime. Bruno, 2007, The Yakuza, [online] Available at: http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/gang/yakuza/1.html [Accessed 21 January 2011] Gà ¼nther, H., 1999, Yakuza â€Å"die Japanische Mafia?†, [online] Available at: http://www.japonet.de/j-impressionen/yakuza.html [Accessed 21 January 2011] Hill, P., 2003, The Japanese Mafia: Yakuza, Law, and the State Kaplan, D. and Dubro, A., 2003, Yakuza Japan’s Criminal Underworld Parkanian, J. 2010, Game Boy: Glossary of Japanese Gambling Games Takahashi, K. 2009, Capital punishment – Japan’s yakuza vie for control of Tokyo. United Nations, 2000, Seventh United Nations Survey of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems [online] Available at: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_tot_cri_percap-crime-total-crimes-per-capita [Accessed 21 January 2011] How to cite Japanese Society Yakuza, Papers

Marketing Management in Australia

Questions: The final stage of the marketing audit is for you to evaluate how well the marketing mix of the organisation is performing for your chosen organisation. NB: as before, if you have a large range of product offerings, it is a good idea to focus on just one. Incorporating theoretical concepts into your discussion from chapters 7-14 and with the use of other theoretical sources and secondary research, please discuss the following: 1. Outline and describe the 8 marketing mix concepts theoretically and apply the components to one of your products offerings. As part of your application be sure to explain and evaluate all of the 8ps of marketing (product, prices, promotion, distribution, partnerships, people, processes and physical evidence). 2. Given your evaluation of your overall marketing strategies, the competition and broader contemporary issues facing marketers today, provide recommendations for your organisation. Your recommendations should focus on each of the 8ps and illustrate how contemporary issues may impact on your organisation and its marketing strategy. Answers: Introduction In Australia, Ford has more than 80 years of automotive manufacturing history in Australia. Their journey started when they the Ford vehicle was manufactured in the year of 1925. Among all other cars, Ford Falcon was continuously manufactured in Australia since its introduction in 1960 and became one of the leading cars of Australia (Ford.com.au2016). However, the scenario changed when Ford Territory won the Wheel Magazines car of the year of Australia and became the most popular SUV in the country. At that time, Ford was the leading car manufacturing organization in the country. However, according to Cavanaghand Freeman (2012), in the year of 2015, Ford lost its ground in the Australian vehicle industry as Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3, Toyota HiLux became the top three models of the country with 42,073, 38,644 and 35,161 selling sales records (Gmehlichand Jones2013). Only Ford vehicle that could make its presence in the top ten was Ford Ranger. However, as mentioned by Jrvinenet al. (201 2), Ford was considered as the biggest losers in the Australian vehicle industry after their sales went down to 11.6 percent in the year of 2016. However, the authority of the Ford is planning to gain their lost position with the help of Ranger as slowly, but steadily it is helping the organization to win back its popularity among the Australian consumers. This study will mainly focus on Ford Ranger and the marketing mix related to it. In spite of being the most modern Ford vehicle in Australia, the marketing mix strategies of the company still include some challenges and issues that is preventing the organization from defeating its rivals which are Isuzu, Lexus, Honda and Audi as per sales report and Toyota, Mazda, Holden and Hyundai as per overall popularity report (Gmehlichand Jones2013). 8ps of Marketing Mix of Ford Ranger Ford Ranger is the Ford's one of the most famous vehicles that fall under the light trucks category that helped the organization to gain a pre-tax profit of $US10.8billion from its global operations (Bopageand Sharma2014). However, in 2015, Ford Australia posted a loss of $191 million after sales plunged to a 48 years low (Crosbyet al. 2012). However, chief executive of Ford said that they are expecting to improve their sales based on Ford Ranger and its marketing mix strategies. Price Ford being one of the largest automakers in the world, has developed pricing strategy in a way that has played an important port in their objective of acquiring a superior position in the global vehicle industry. In order to make their organization hugely profitable company, Ford management decided to develop their pricing strategy based on the rival companys products that are in competition with Ford in the market. In Australia, under the Ford's competition pricing policy, it has taken sponsorship contracts without changing the selling prices of Ford Ranger (Ford.com.au2016). Average price of a Ford Ranger is $50,000; however, the cost entirely depends on the different models of the car as Ford Ranger XLS PX MkII has a price of $50,290, Ford Ranger XLT PX MkII has a price of $54,000, and Ford Ranger XL Hi-Rider PX has a price of $36,000 (Abetz2014). However, the issue that is faced by Ford Ranger is the comparatively low price offered by Toyota Corolla that gained the top position in Australian car market in the year of 2015. The highest price of a Toyota Corolla is $31,000 (Toyota Corolla ZR ZRE172R) and the lowest price is $19,000 (Toyota Corolla Ascent ZRE182R)(Ford.com.au2016). Another rival of Ford that is Mazda also offers cars at a price, which is lower than any model of Ford Ranger. Therefore, it can be said that the pricing strategy of Ford is currently not helping the organization to better its market position. On the other hand, Ford Ranger on which the organization is depending had already faced controversies in Australia when after promising that the car will be available at a price of $50,000, the organization released the car at a driving price of $57,000 (Weiss2014). Therefore, it is important that Ford must make changes in their pricing strategy; however, they will have to keep the quality same. Product All the Ford products are localized and are developed with a concept to match the local conditions that depend on durability and less maintenance cost. In Australia, fuel prices are at record highs, which have increased the total amount that is, spend by the customers in the transportation system. Total expenditure rose 3.3 percent and it is expected that it will rise to 59 percent (Dyrud2016). That is the reason that consumers are Australia now prefers to select smaller vehicles rather than SUVs and light trucks. However, an interesting exception is noticed in the automotive industry of Australia which states that in spite of this increasing cost, the sales of luxury SUVs and light trucks were up by 62 percent (Weiss2014). Therefore, it can be said that the decision of Ford management to launch Ford Ranger in the country was a perfect decision as they are trying to gain their position in the Australian market. However, as a product, Ford has received several complaints against their Ford Ranger model. One of the major problems of Ford Ranger is its variable pressure on oil pump in the 3.2-turbo diesel engines (Zaheeruddin2015). Those engines are unable to re-prime themselves and distribute oil pressure if they are left to drain for more than 10 minutes during the time of oil change. This causes engine failure and the engineers of Ford still do not know how to solve this problem. On the other hand, the car also has problems of uneven braking, indigent traction and transmission problems (Wuet al. 2015). Place As an industry, Australian automotive industry is quite productive for can manufacturing organizations after internationals manufacturers opened their plants in the country since the 20th century (Emmons2015). However, recently some external factors are creating an impact on the competitiveness of the Automotive Manufacturing Industry of Australia. Some of those factors are mentioned below, A significant strength of Australian currency has led to a reduction of in the cost of imported vehicles. This has contributed to weakening in the relative cost of competitiveness of a locally developed vehicle of approximately $5000 versus an imported vehicle (CarAdvice.com.au2016). On the other hand, local manufacturers are also sustaining increased cost for purchases of their raw materials such as steel, aluminum and petrochemical based products because of the resources boom. Another major factor that is creating a negative impact on the automotive industry of Australia is the increase in oil prices over the past 18 months (Dowling2016). This has affected the consumer confidence and as a result, they are shifting away from larger size vehicle products of Australia, which might affect the sales of Ford Ranger. Australian vehicle industry is one of the most competitive markets in the world with more than 50 well-known brands that are offering over 350 models (Weiss2014). This is the reason that each brand can only claim a lower average volume regarding sales. The critical part for Ford is this situation will stay in the Australian vehicle industry, as new models and brands including some models from China are ready to enter the market. On the other hand, brands such as Tesla that manufacture environment-friendly electric cars is also planning to enter the Australian market, which would possess the biggest threat for Ford Ranger. Promotion In order to gain a competitive advantage over its rivals, Ford has implemented an aggressive marketing strategy with the objective to build a long-lasting relationship with its previous and loyal customers as well as new potential customers (Ford.com.au2016). Fords primary promotional strategy related to Ford Ranger entirely depends on the activity of the management, which is sponsoring various sporting events to highlight the brand (Weiss2014). This marketing strategy of Ford is however not new as they were seen to sponsor UEFA Champions League and soared its brand name and image high in the eyes of fans. In Australia, the organization is sponsoring the local league to exhibit their model Ranger in the country. This strategy of Ford has helped them to an extent as slowly but steadily the organization is improving their sales in the country. In spite of focusing on sponsorship strategies, Ford has never overlooked the advantages of visual media such as internet and television. The organization has successfully promoted their vehicle Ford Ranger on various social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Agents or sales personnel are used to persuade buyers at Ford dealership and other venues of Australia. In some cases, Ford also uses direct selling strategies to communicate with the corporate clients who lease vehicles from the firm. Distribution strategy A large network of Original Equipment (OE) supplies that includes more than 1000 suppliers across Australia supports Ford Australia. The organization is assumed to invest more than $545 million to purchase components, materials, and services from its local suppliers (Ford.com.au2016). A table is mentioned below to exhibit some key local component suppliers for Ford Ranger, Primary Suppliers for Ford Australia EGR Plastics External decoration of the vehicle Futuris Internal decoration of the vehicle Robert Bosch Braking system and chassis Walker Emission controller and exhaust Continental Panel of instruments Sumitomo Aust Electrical equipment and components Dana Chassis Table 1: Distributors of Ford in Australia (Sources: Dyrud2016) According to Dyrud (2016), the distribution of vehicles, replacement parts and technical and service equipment of Ford is done by a network of more than 200 independently owned dealerships that are located in 286 locations around Australia. More than 7,000 people are employed in those dealerships (Jainand Roy2016). The organization has also implemented web-based video communication methods to interact with employees regarding employee training sessions. Physical Evidence of Ford Australia The scientists once said that after the event of Armageddon, the only thing that will survive in the world would be cockroaches. However, according to Jainand Roy (2016), the chances are high that some of Ford Rangers would survive too. Especially in Australia, people are swapping their big sedans and wagons for SUVs and big 4x4 Utes (Deliaand Newstead2015). Dual can Utes are capable of serving as a workhorse during the week and a family freighter on the weekend. In this scenario, Toyota's Hilux has topped the sales charts several number of times; however, Ford's Ranger is slowly but steadily gained its position in the market. The interior design of the Ranger got four and a half star from the users because of its standard equipment, infotainment, and cargo volume. The vehicle includes cloth seat trim, radar cruise control, limiters regarding speed, parental lock system by MyKey, leather steering wheel and gear knob with a double reconfigurable 4.2-inch instrument cluster that makes the vehicle quite attractive for the customers (Zaheeruddin2015). In infotainment system, the vehicle includes 8.0-inch sync two touch screen that also has voice control, AM/FM/DAB radio, audio with six speakers, Aus and USB input and satellite navigation (Ford.com.au2016). Ford Ranger also got good ratings because of its on road performances because of its superior engine and transmission. The vehicle includes a 1467kW/470 Nm 3.2 liter five-cylinder turbo diesel. Six-speed automatic dual range 4x4 equipment handle its communication (Ford.com.au2016). Its suspension has double wishbone front with leaf spring rear. The steering system is assisted electrically with a turning circle of 12.7m (Dowling2016). Besides these facilities, Ranger has the biggest engine it its class. This engine also has more than four cylinders that make it one of the unique engines in its class. It provides 148kW at 3000 rpm and 480 Nm between 1750 and 2500 rpm (Emmons2015). However, it is already mentioned that some of the customers revealed some issues in its transmission and braking capabilities. It is said that the car is unable to stay under control while running on wet roads which are a risk for the customers. Partnership Recently, one of the leading internet radio services organization which is Pandora Internet Radio has developed a collaboration with Ford Australia. This step is described as a key milestone, which will help the vehicle organization to expand its business across the local automotive market of Australia. Right after the partnership, the system provided by Pandora is available in the models of Ford such as Fiesta, Focus, Ranger and Transit (Jrvinenet al. 2012). The Director of Business Development Rick Gleave said that by adding Pandora is Ford Ranger; the customers will be able to continue enjoying the services of Pandora no matter where they are traveling. Pandora is an application that will allow the drivers to use a voice-activated technology to connect with their favorite smartphone applicants while driving (Roosand O'Connor2015). The Pandora system will allow the drivers to reply entirely on voice, as the system will lock the phone automatically. Before this, Mazda had a partnership with Ford, who acquired a stake of 7% in the year of 1979. Until 1996, the organization claimed almost 34% of Mazda (Cavanaghand Freeman2012). Currently, Ford has 2.1% of Mazda's stock and severing most production as well as development ties (Wuet al. 2015). The reason behind this partnership is different for the two companies. For Mazda, they can access advanced technologies from Toyota and Ford has deep pockets, it will also help Mazda to fund its products. On the other hand, Ford has signed this partnership to access the team of Mazda engineers who are exceptionally talented and gave an underpowered car such Mazda 6 an excellent dynamics and surprising elegance. Process The process of Ford's customer care services mostly depends on its customersaskford.com. Therefore, they are planning to make the website more visible and user-friendly (Ford.com.au2016). Currently, the website offers a form to the visitors that the organization is planning to change. The authority of Ford is going to implement a click-to-call feature that will allow the visitors to click a button on the website, type in their phone number and receive a call from an agent within 30 seconds (Dowling2016). Through this method, the organization is also planning to educate the customers so that they can find information on the website on their own every time they visit it. The primary reason behind this is to reduce the number of incoming calls from the customers, which will reduce their call center costs. Recommendation Currently, Ford is offering quite high prices for its models in Australia. However, the price of Ranger is high as the vehicle is equipped with high quality accessories including an engine of four cylinders. The car has also equipped with Pandora, which allows the drivers to listen to anything they like by using voice-activated procedures. In spite of having these features, if the customers think that the car is over price then it is because of the faulty advertisement strategy of the company. Ford must advertise its vehicle in a way so that customers can understand that the organization gives value to their money and is selling something better than other vehicles, which is leading them to charge a high price. Some Chinese vehicles such as Cherry are planning to enter the Australian market with superior quality and low prices. On the other hand, Tesla is also planning to enter the Australian market with their fully electric vehicles. Therefore, it is recommended that Ford will have to either reduced the prices of their vehicles or will have to start manufacturing electric vehicles. However, it will not be easy for Ford to reduce the prices of its vehicles, especially for Ford Ranger it is nearly impossible to the cut the prices. The vehicle organization can only reduce the prices if they can reduce the number of distributors. Currently, Ford collects different parts from different organizations which are a cost effective process. If the organization can share hands with one organization that will provide more than one parts for the cars of Ford, it is expected that they will gain more discount from the organization which will help them to reduce the drive away price of their vehicles. According to the engineers at Ford, Ranger is one of the unique cars in its class and is manufactured to provide great driving performances. However, some of the customers are severely unsatisfied with the services of the vehicles as it contents transmission problems including braking issues and engine breakdown problems. In a competitive market of Australia, if Ford does not take proper steps to enhance their vehicle, the chances are high that they will lose more market share in 2016. The authority of Ford successfully implemented most of the advertising strategies in Australia in order to gain customer attention. However, they have neglected one of the most productive advertisement strategies which are celebrity endorsement. In recent years, celebrity endorsement has become very popular strategy as people have adopted a characteristic of following the lifestyles of the celebrities without even reviewing the capability of the products. Therefore, it is highly recommended that Ford can use famous movie launches and celebrity endorsement strategies to improve the brand image among the customers. The organization has implemented a customer service strategy which will help the customers to learn and to operate customer service website without seeking help from the support agents. This strategy is stated as a productive strategy as the company will be able to reduce their costs related to call center if the number of calls is kept to a minimum. However, none of the customers will be happy to operate a site on their own when they are here to discuss a problem they are facing in their vehicles. Therefore, the chances are medium that customers will be offended for this strategy. It is recommended that organization must help the customers by appointing an agent for them every time they ask for help. Conclusion Ford Australia was known as one of the most iconic and vintage vehicle organization in the country. However, it has lost its market position as companies like Toyota and Mazda has attracted more customers through their low pricing strategy. After describing the 8Ps of marketing of Ford, it is found that the management of Ford has successfully implemented most of the strategies in the market of Australia. Only the pricing strategy, distributor strategy and product quality strategies are causing problems for the vehicle organization. Therefore, the authority must focus on these factors immediately if they want to win back their lost market position the high time. References Abetz, P., 2014. Australian manufacturing: How Australia can rebuild its car industry.News Weekly, (2929), p.7. Acharya, V.V., Schaefer, S. and Zhang, Y., 2015. 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