a quick look at The BRICS - link to the full sized original

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24795733@N00/6326200964/sizes/l/in/photostream/

a cursory assessment of online travel positioning [2 of 2]

Conclusions


The speed with which the Internet has refocused marketing concerns has been breathtaking in comparison to previous models and their relationship to marketing.

Among the notables not yet acknowledged is that Air India is a wholly owned airline in its own right. Consistent with that, the website look and feel seems no different than the website for Continental or Delta airlines.

4lowfare and india-travel.com/ may be indigenously Indian in their design (for they do not immediately remind of any US domestic site of similar caliber). This insight connects to this writers highest metric choices being a tie for the sites most familiar in feel and appearance.

One understands that such sites have many moving parts, a tremendous amount of information to organize, make available and make it extremely easy to navigate. This may seem harsh criticism and I have yet to find the site that accomplishes so much with seemingly so little, whilst still communicating elegance and sophistication (as is this writers estimation of that which is called for).

References

4lowfare. (2009, ). (e-commerce site) (e-commerce ). Retrieved from 4lowfare: http://www.4lowfare.com/

AirIndia . (2011). (e-commerce site) (e-commerce). Retrieved from AirIndia : http://home.airindia.in/SBCMS/WebPages/Home.aspx

Kotler , P., & Keller, K. L. (2009). A Framework for Marketing Management, Managing Marketing in a Global Economy (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall .

MakeMyTrip.com. (2011). (e-commerce site) (e-commerce). Retrieved from MakeMyTrip.com: http://www.makemytrip.com/

Services International. (2011). (e-commerce site) (e-commerce). Retrieved from india-travel.com/: http://www.india-travel.com/

Weitz, B. A., & Wensley, R. (2002). Handbook of Marketing. Thousand Oaks, CA 91320: Sage Publications Ltd.

a cursory assessment of online travel positioning [1 of 2]

Abstract


This document seeks to focus some basic marketing considerations with regards to online commerce, with the common thread of airline sites being used among this writer and his colleagues. This author has chosen to focus on four air travel sites associated with another country (India) as an added twist.



Kotler, Keller

Many of the acronyms associated with this industry (e-tailing air travel) came out of the Kotler, Keller text. Small- and medium-sized business’ (SMBs, which some are), marketing information systems (MIS) and Customer relationship management (CRM, which applies to many industries), Frequency programs (FPs, initiated in this industry by American Airlines), direct to the consumer (DTC, the very nature of what we are speaking of) and temporary price reductions (TPRs, and the occasional reality usually instigated by one airline).

From their characteristics of business markets, an illustrated table revealed one applicable item: direct purchasing. This characteristic is fundamental to the charm of e-tailing air travel purchases. Kotler, Keller also speak of a straight rebuy (bulk reorders), which has occasional application at the level of corporate accounts.

The Kotler, Keller text also spoke briefly as regards marketing across cultures. This certainly has application, highlighted by this author's choices of e-tailer's (though nonetheless). And the text also brought up the notion of buying alliances (which is clearly in evidence across most of this writer's site choices).





Weitz, Wensley

The text reveals a somewhat dated incite, that business to consumer (B2C) markets had been over exuberant. This writing took place shortly after the dotcom bubble, in 2006. Nevertheless, despite an undeniable e-commerce shake out the online airline ticket commodity is now very established.

One of the bullet points early on has to do with allowing seamless communication over any distance, local or global. The global consideration is clearly applicable here, and is indeed often seamless.

In the Service Quality Fulfillment and Site Design section brings up the idea of e-fulfillment. With airline tickets there seem choices, including printing them oneself.

Back in 1998/9 there was consideration given the page download aspect of the web experience, which today seems antiquarian. There is, nonetheless, a related issue of wait time insofar as drilling down to where the pertinent information is. If the site is not self-communicative, frustration ensues.

A 2000 reference highlights process, experience and results. This is the core of the online experience, and while worth acknowledging, is generic to most all.

An acknowledgment of the frictionless market characteristic of fierce price competition has implication for the airline industry online. Price wars are now immediate and in real time. There’s little to nothing anyone can get away with to this end.

The text offers extra parameters that went un-weighed in the table. The “internet impacts market strategy, channel management, pricing, marketing communications, customer service, decision support systems, database marketing, global marketing and B2B marketing.”

1998/9 research found marketers becoming agents of the buyer (as opposed to the seller). That clearly has been a shift as evidenced in the airline ticket purchasing process.

24/7 ubiquity, clearly the case with IST (India Standard Time) being 10 hours different from EST (Eastern Standard Time).

a Strategy for Argosy University (online) to establish in Indonesia [10 of 10]

Literature Review of References




Article retrieved from the Argosy University Library specifically on Asia-based marketing executives' opinions regarding their companies' marketing and advertising strategies in the region.

AINSWORTH, G., & VLAS, A. (2000). INSIGHTS ON ASIA (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=7&hid=119&sid=f86b3af5-93a1-4152-b347-b89b0f1dbf97%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bsh&AN=3015203



A great resource site for print, television and all other advertising media for most all countries in the world.

Ads of the World. (2011). Ads of the World: Turkey (reference/resource). Retrieved from Ads of the World / WebMediaBrands Inc.: http://adsoftheworld.com/taxonomy/country/turkey



Thee organization for marketing for marketing professionals in the United States.

American Marketing Association. (2005). the American Marketing Association’s (AMA) code of conduct . In the American Marketing Association’s (AMA) code of conduct . Retrieved from http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CBgQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marketingpower.com%2FCareers%2FDocuments%2FPCM%2520Application%2520Kit.pdf&ei=BMHnTOmZNsb_lgeM67i7Cw&usg=AFQjCNE3pngME_hdEkQOvKxtYa1GErAsUQ&sig2=nvERiaEYNIr1OxzKaGWEwg



Chris Anderson's groundbreaking insight on the abundance left in the margins by the big players so inextricably focused on making the most and fastest money. There is usually more left on the table in haste, plenty for entrepreneurs.

Anderson, C. (Speaker). (2006). The Long Tail. Why the future of business is selling more of less. [CD]. Hyperion Audiobooks: .



International negotiation resources by country.

Anonymous (2008). Negotiating International Business - Italy. Global Negotiation Resources. Retrieved from http://www.globalnegotiationresources.com/



David Arnold's most excellent book for Financial Times arguing how we will never be truly global, and to honor our wonderful differences.

Arnold, D. (2004). The Mirage of Global Markets: How Globalizing Companies Can Succeed as Markets Localize [for Education Management Corporation]. (1st ed.). [VitalSource Bookshelf]. Retrieved from ISBN 013047066X



A nice op Ed on the topic, by one of the major business schools in the region.

Australian School of Business UNSW . (2010, June 4, 2010). Marketing in Indonesia - challenges and opportunities ([under: News & Events]). Retrieved from Australian School of Business UNSW : http://www.asb.unsw.edu.au/newsevents/mediaroom/media/2010/april/Pages/marketingindonesia.aspx



Straightforward and thorough template information as regards the branding of an institution of higher learning.

Boston University. (n.d.). Boston University Brand Identity Standards. Retrieved February 14, 2011, from http://www.bu.edu/brand/



Insightful advice from a blog about the topic of this paper.

Branding Strategy Insider, the branding blog. (2007 (& 2010), ). Building A University Brand [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2007/11/rebranding-a-na.html; http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/university_branding/



Old enough now to give historic context, this BusinessWeek article nails down one aspect of one part of the challenge a multinational experienced with their larger entrée strategy for Indonesia.

BUSINESS WEEK ONLINE. (1998). OUT OF INDONESIA: WAL-MART SPLITS WITH LIPPO . Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/feb1998/nf80225b.htm



This writer does not have the $275 for the 130 page report, yet sought to keep the reference anyway.

Bharat Book Bureau. (2009). Foreign Companies in Indonesia. Retrieved December 01, 2010, from http://www.bharatbook.com/bookdetail.asp?bookid=18780&publisher=



This writer's interview with his niece (about textbooks. Ribka is currently a student at the University Sumatra Utara, Indonesia).

Bukit, R. (2010, November 26). Interview by F. Davis [conversation on Skype]. [personal], .



One those golden references everyone should have in their favorites.

CIA - World Factbook. (updated bi-weekly [retrieved Feb. 12, 2011]). China, India, Indonesia & the US [respectively]. Retrieved 02.12.11, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html



A great little article of tangential significance, ongoing global right from the smallest of starts.

Campbell , A. (2007, July 25, 2007 ). Go Global Without Waiting to Grow Up [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://smallbiztrends.com/2007/07/go-global-without-waiting-to-grow-up.html



This blog reviews and summarizes what is become one of the fundamental strategies for business.

Carter, P.. (2009, August 6). Corning’s Five-Stage Stage-Gate Process [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.drpatrickcarter.com/blog/?p=11



International business law reference of the highest order.

Cheeseman, H. R. (2009). Contemporary Business and Online Commerce Law (6 ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458: Pearson / Prentice Hall.



Citra Duta lingers as a reference, though admittedly not necessarily applicable. A decades established interior design firm, the principles are both Indonesian as well as from the West.

Citra Duta Artistry. n.d.). http://www.cda.co.id/; http://www.expat.or.id/sponsors/cda.html



Supporting commentary from broadcast television.

CNN (Producer). (2011, Jan. 17, 2011 - 8:30am EST). American Morning (Live) [Television broadcast]. [guest interviewed: Dr. Perry]: .



Culturegrams! Need I say more? Was this the first work of its kind? These works continue to be excellent reference.

David M Kennedy Center for International Studies, the. (1997). Japan, Sweden. In G. P. Skabelund (Ed.), Culturegrams, vol. 2; Africa, Asia, Oceania. Brigham Young University: Brigham Young University.



Part of the contemporary wave of creative thinking management.

Davila, T., Epstein, M., & Shelton, R. (2006). Making Innovation Work: How to Manage It, Measure It, and Profit from It.. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.



This writer's self-referential writing, this being a new thought model.

Davis, F. (2009). Sketch of a Model; Leadership and Strategy. Unpublished manuscript, Argosy University, Tampa, FL.



This writer's self-referential writing, this being preliminary to a new thought model.

Davis, F. (2009). Solutions-Oriented Decision Models. Unpublished manuscript, Argosy University Business Department; Tampa, FL.



Part of the contemporary wave of creative global management.

Deresky, H. (2008). . In (Ed.), International Management; Managing across Borders and Cultures (6th ed, pp. 350-367). : Pearson / Prentice Hall.



This is a strong reference textbook for international business.

Dlabay, L. R., & Scott, J. C. (2006). International Business (3rd ed ed.). Mason, OH: Southwestern Cengage Learning.



This Scottish business school is among the very few online schools of any presumed caliber operating in Indonesia.

Edinburgh Business School; Heriot-Watt University. (2011). Welcome to EBS in Indonesia. Retrieved February 12, 2011, from http://www.ebsglobal.net/studying-globally/Indonesia



Simply a reference. The Indonesian school system has a nickname of Garden of Students.

Encyclopædia Britannica. (2011). Garden of Students. Retrieved February 12, 2011, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/225819/Garden-of-Students



Another one of those golden references. If it's multicultural business, it's best to check in here.

Executive Planet. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.executiveplanet.com/index.php?title=Main_Page



This is a sub page of the much larger website. As intercultural websites go, this truly is the gold standard. Living in Indonesia a site for ex-pats (http://www.expat.or.id/) is well maintained for decades now and deconstructs all things Indonesian for the Western professional in mind. It's beautiful, wonder filled and the treasure.

Expat Web Site Association Jakarta. (2011). International Schools in Jakarta. Retrieved February 12, 2011, from http://www.expat.or.id/orgs/schools.html



Instrumental web page offering both logos for Argosy University as they transitioned their brand across the first decade of the new millennium.

Free PDF ebook. (2010). Argosy University Logo PDF ebook. Retrieved February 14, 2011, from http://www.orthougm.com/argosy_university_logo.html



A milestone book, and I like Tom as a pundit also.

Friedman, T. (2005). The World Is Flat. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux .



A nice list of the most significant indigenous secondary schools.

FutureMELD, LLC. BrainTrack. (2011). Indonesia Universities And Colleges. Retrieved February 12, 2011, from http://www.braintrack.com/linknav.htm?pprevid=182&level=3



Once I discovered Malcolm I devoured everything he wrote all at once. I’m surprised I did not justify including Outliers in this reference list. If you are not familiar with him, go read him now. His biggest, overarching contribution has to do with perspective. Nice right brain stuff.

Gladwell, M. (2001). The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Boston, MA: Little Brown & Company.

Gladwell, M. (2005). Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking . Boston, MA : Little, Brown and Company.



A very strong collection of reference data.

Global Business Indonesia [Interactive data sets, links to resources, etc.]. (2010). Time Inc.. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/global_business/Indonesia



A mother lode of international negotiation resource. Unfortunately, it's not all free.

Global Marketing Strategies. (1997-2010). Global Negotiator [[muscular collection to internal pages with developed information] http://www.globalnegotiator.com/]. Retrieved from : Global Marketing Strategies.



Seth Godin continues to guerrilla market Seth Godin. From this perspective he would be easily dismissed. But the guy keeps putting fresh perspective on marketing considerations that are often overlooked in an entertaining way, so it turns out he's actually worth checking out.

Godin , S. (Speaker). (2004). Free Prize Inside / Purple Cow [audiobook]. Seattle, WA: Penguin Audio.



I know it says so in the reference, but let me say it again: this is a podcast (if your speakers are on you may have a surprise). As stated, it has to do with global pay.

Hay Group. (Producer). (2010). 2009 Global Management Pay Report [podcast; 9:37.]. Retrieved from http://www.haygroup.com/uae/Media/Details.aspx?ID=22275



This is a website promoting one book on international negotiation. I think I kept it because I may have come across something from within it that I had used elsewhere (something tells me that when I used from within this book I actually got from one of those other websites, that the value was its links).

Hernández Requejo, W., & Graham, J. L. (2008 - 2010). . In Global Negotiation: The New Rules (p. ). Retrieved from http://www.globalnegotiationbook.com/



Trying to teach leadership or innovation is tricky business. Aside from the book making sense, the writer was most impressed with how well they were able to articulate so many layers of thought.

Hesselbein, F., Goldsmith, M., & Somerville, I. (2005). Leading for innovation and organizing for results.. New York, NY: Jossey-Bass.



Another awesome reference textbook.

Hill, C. W. (2008). . In (Ed.), Global Business Today (5th ed, pp. 519-522). NY: McGraw Hill/Irwin.



How can you talk about international business without talking about Geert? Great site, another of the standards.

Hofstede, G. (2009). Geert Hofstede™ Cultural Dimensions. Retrieved from http://www.geert-hofstede.com/



Dry! But I love the idea of it, and any passage that I've been able to push myself through.

House, R., Hanges, P.J., Javidan, M., Dorfman, P.W., & Gupta, V. . (2004). Culture, Leadership, and Organizations-The GLOBE Study of 62 Societies. In Culture, Leadership, and Organizations-The GLOBE Study of 62 Societies. Thousand Oaks, CA 91320: Sage Publications.



Indonesia's Ministry of Trade.

Indag - Ministry of Industry and Trade - The Republic of Indonesia. (2000). Indag - Ministry of Industry and Trade - The Republic of Indonesia. Retrieved from Ministry of Industry and Trade: http://depperindag.tripod.com/eng_2000/organ/organ1/organ_t.htm



It is convenient that the next two sites are so close alphabetically, for they are among the two strongest search engines for business in Indonesia.

Indobizdb. (2010). indobizdb [search engine, country specific]. : http://indobizdb.com/.

Infomedia Nusantara a member of TELKOM Group. (2010). Yellow Pages Indonesia [search engine, country specific]. : http://www.yellowpages.co.id/en .



IKEA actually put its marketing strategy plan for Indonesia online, and this is it!

Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd . (2009). Strategic Marketing Plan 2009, IKEA Expansion toIndonesia ((pdf) Marketing Plan). Retrieved from (publicly published internal information): http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=3&sqi=2&ved=0CCQQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fherdianti.com%2FIKEA_in_Indonesia_files%2FHerdiantiW-IKEAExpansiontoIndonesia-StrategicMarketingPlan.pdf&rct=j&q=IKEA%20Indonesia&ei=8tnKTIXoMML68AbMutTtAQ&usg=AFQjCNES4FE00IJbyD5z4v79le_uf68QiQ&sig2=ssmgjPlP9LX5f5fbjFAcIg



Perhaps the best textbook Argosy has made me read. I love feeling validated, and I have always striven to think outside the box.

Kim, W. C., & Mauborgne, R. (2005). Blue Ocean Strategy: How to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing.



Another reference textbook.

Kotler, P. (Ed.). (2000-2001). Marketing Management (Custom Edition for University of Phoenix ed., Vol.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc..



This was a nice reference page when working on papers having to do with textbook publishing in Indonesia. It is a well written article, though I was able to take the work further, producing a more exhaustive database, nonetheless I appreciate the entrée given me.

Kratoska, P. H. (n.d.). Academic Publishing in Southeast Asia (Singapore University Press; hispaulk@nus.edu.sg). Retrieved from : www.iias.nl/nl/icas4/ICAS4_2005_08.pdf



A nice reference for international marketing. I can't seem to find out what Kumar's first name is to save my life.

Kumar, V. (1999). International marketing research. [VitalSource Bookshelf]. Retrieved from ISBN 0130453862



Along with executive planet, Kwintessential seems the other major multicultural business site. Of course, this is also one of those golden favorites.

Kwintessential Ltd. (2010). Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette - Japan; Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette - Sweden, etc. Retrieved September 25, 2010, from http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/



Links to a few of the other online schools in Indonesia.

Learn4Good Ltd. (2011). Business & Management Schools in Indonesia. Retrieved February 12, 2011, from http://www.learn4good.com/great_schools/business_schools_indonesia.htm



An academic article referred to previously referencing lower marketing costs, albeit lower results, in Asia.

Legendre, F., Sherman, M., & Taylor, C. (2001). Performing in Asia (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=5&hid=119&sid=f86b3af5-93a1-4152-b347-b89b0f1dbf97%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bsh&AN=26260536



My all time favorite reference book on negotiation. Well written, beautifully deconstructed.

Lewicki, R. J., Barry, B., & Saunders, D. M. (2010). Negotiation (6th ed. ed.). NY: McGraw-Hill / Irwin.



This reference has to do with an utterance by Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State, referencing the relatively peaceful transition to democracy in Indonesia.

MSNBC (Producer). (2011, February 3). the Rachel Maddow Show [Television broadcast]. NY:



Academic article acknowledging the shift to the new Asian marketing capital of Shanghai.

Madden, N. (2002). Shanghai rises as Asia’s newest marketing capital (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/resultsadvanced?vid=6&hid=119&sid=f86b3af5-93a1-4152-b347-b89b0f1dbf97%40sessionmgr110&bquery=(Multinational+Corporations+AND+Host+Country+Receptivity%3a+Perceptions+from+Three+Asian+Countries)&bdata=JmRiPWJzaCZ0eXBlPTEmc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZl



Management strategy reference textbook.

Marcus, A. A. (2005). Management strategy: Achieving sustained competitive advantage ( ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.



The gold standard website for any and everything legal (including globally).

Martindale.com. (2010). http://www.martindale.com/?WT.srch=1



Management strategy reference textbook.

Mintzberg, H., & Lampel, J. (2005). Strategy Safari: A guided tour through the wilds of strategic management.. New York: The Free Press.



Not the most user-friendly, but a muscular international search engine nonetheless.

NationMaster.com. (2005). http://search.nationmaster.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?query=Indonesia+publishing



Zip leaf is another Indonesian search engine (I usually have to go back and forth between all of them).

Netcode, Inc. . (2010). ZipLeaf [search engine, country specific]. : http://id.zipleaf.com/.



The Ministry of Trade in New Zealand giving pointers for doing business in Indonesia!

New Zealand, Trade & Enterprise (Government of) . (2010). Doing business in Indonesia. Retrieved from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise: http://www.nzte.govt.nz/explore-export-markets/south-and-southeast-asia/doing-business-in-indonesia/Pages/Doing-business-in-Indonesia.aspx



The Advertising Association for all of Indonesia.

PPPI (the Indonesian Advertising Agency Assoc.). (n.d.). (home page). Retrieved November 17, 2010, from http://www.pppi.or.id/



What people get paid in Indonesia!

PayScale, Inc. [Indonesia Index]. (2010). http://www.payscale.com/index/ID



I wish I could be Mike Peng when I grow up. Have you seen his 28 page CV online? This is the best global textbook for reference that I have ever had to teach from.

Peng, M. W. (2009). . In Global Business ( pp. 442-444). Mason, OH: Southwestern Cengage Learning.



Can really have a conversation about business without mentioning Michael Porter, can we? Decent strategy article.

Porter, M. E. (1996). . In What is Strategy (November-December, pp. 61-78). : Harvard Business Review.



Loved the book when I read it, keeping the reference since that is how this writer often operates anyway, but looking back it seems the whole book was spun out of a sentence or two worth of information.
It's like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”
- E. L. Doctorow

Quinn, R. E. (2004). Building the Bridge as you Walk on it (1st ed.). 989 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94103-1741: Jossey-Bass; a Wiley imprint.



This writer declined to spend the $34 but appreciated the contribution the abstract may with regards to global ethics and conduct.

Rallapalli, K. C. (1999). A Paradigm for Development and Promulgation of a GlobalCode of Marketing Ethics. Retrieved from Journal of Business Ethics: http://www.springerlink.com/content/w783265523872h20/fulltext.pdf



A succinct little essay on primary education in Indonesia.

Red Apple Education Ltd. (2011). Indonesia: understanding our nearest neighbours . Retrieved February 12, 2011, from http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-1_u-149_t-453_c-1610/education/nsw/hsie/indonesia-understanding-our-nearest-neighbours/culture



Okay, if the writer cannot be Michael Peng, Jeffrey Sachs will do. As an early member of the Hunger Project (1980s), this work struck me to the core. As a business student I was consoled by the options.

Sachs, J. (2005). The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. E Rutherford, New Jersey: Penguin Group USA.



Blog post on a tangential aspect of marketing in Indonesia.

Sauvin , S. (2010, October 1, 2010). Print advertising up 20% in Indonesia. snfblog.com. Retrieved from http://www.sfnblog.com/advertising/2010/10/indonesian_newspapers_continue_reliance.php



An older academic article from the Columbia Journal of World Business on marketing in Asia. Should be relegated to history by now, but a lot of what should be obvious by now gets overlooked. Solid reference.

Schmitt, , & Bernd, H. (1995). Language and Visual Imagery: Issues of Corporate Identity in East Asia (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/resultsadvanced?vid=3&hid=119&sid=f86b3af5-93a1-4152-b347-b89b0f1dbf97%40sessionmgr110&bquery=(Language+AND+Visual+Imagery%3a+Issues+of+Corporate+Identity+%22in%22+East+Asia)&bdata=JmRiPWJzaCZ0eXBlPTEmc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZl



This writer senses Peter Senge as a cross between Michael Porter and Malcolm Gladwell … your base business icon blended with some wise Zen hippie.

Senge, P. (2008). The Power of Presence. Publisher: Sounds True Inc., U.S., US Edition: Sounds True Inc.

Senge, P. M., Smith, B., Kruschwitz, N., Laur, J., & Schley, S. (2008). The Nessesary Revolution, How Individuals And Organizations Are Working Together to Create a Sustainable World. Retrieved from



Useful regional reference.

Singapore Economic Development Board. (2009). . Retrieved from http://www.edb.gov.sg/edb/sg/en_uk/index.html



Great inside look at what, how and why the Argosy University brand shifted.

Speak , K. D., & Hanson , G. (2008, April 1). Brand Inside Meets Brand Outside (pdf article). Retrieved from : http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=6&sqi=2&ved=0CD8QFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.brandtoolbox.com%2Farticles%2FKarl_Gil_Links.pdf&ei=hjxZTe7OPIOEtgfmvrykDQ&usg=AFQjCNFvCGlaC1eBFHBhbxJ0NkeD4ya-Tg&sig2=wcBEnSUhDFVeagGbHHYyIQ



Awesome reference for outsourcing (in this case to Indonesia, but most other countries are also present).

Sourcingline. (2009). http://www.sourcingline.com/outsourcing-location/indonesia/.



See also Business Week. This article (along with the BusinessWeek article, and others) was part of a study of the evolution of Wal-Mart coming into Indonesia, and Wal-Marts are raised bumps along the way.

Staff (2010, Thu, Nov 04, 2010). Wal-Mart eyes bid for Indonesia Matahari units . Reuters. Retrieved from http://www.asiaone.com/Business/News/Story/A1Story20101104-245751.html



Another Golden book. What Tapscott and Williams are calling Wikinomics has always been around (look what just happened in Egypt), but now we can leverage the Internet (in whole or in part).

Tapscott, D., & Williams, A. D. (2006). Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything. New York, NY: Penguin Group.



The author interviews his wife from time to time, for academic purposes, as she is an Indonesian national.

Tarigan, K. U. (2010, November 24). Interview by F. Davis [conversation]. [personal], , .



For economic context.

The World Bank Group. (2010). World Bank - Indonesia. Retrieved from World Bank - Indonesia: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/EASTASIAPACIFICEXT/INDONESIAEXTN/0,,menuPK:224605~pagePK:141159~piPK:141110~theSitePK:226309,00.html



For economic context.

US Dept. of Commerce. (2010). Doing Business in Indonesia. Retrieved December 01, 2010, from http://www.buyusa.gov/indonesia/en/doingbusinessinindonesia.html



For Indo US matters, from yet another perspective.

United States - Indonesia Society, the. (2010). [various]. Retrieved from the United States - Indonesia Society: http://www.usindo.org/



Dry, but a most excellent reference textbook.

Usunier, J., & Lee, J. A. (2005). Marketing Across Cultures (4th ed.). Essex, England: Pearson Education Limited.



Useful insight to riff off of, lending sound perspective to this larger document.

Whisman, R. (2007). Internal Branding: A University’s Most Valuable Intangible Asset (academic paper). Retrieved from [pdf file]: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CDQQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.brandchannel.com%2Fimages%2Fpapers%2F460_Internal_Branding_final.pdf&ei=AR5ZTeqrJZOEtgfmpaiJDQ&usg=AFQjCNGO5C1sUqd-ksY2Oa7ZMufT_QPGZA&sig2=LBHUdcm36_BUpCGDr0B7wA



Used as a reference for what it did not give.

WorldWideLearn. (2011). All Online Programmes. Retrieved February 12, 2011, from http://www.worldwidelearn.com/outside-us/country/indonesia.php

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Technology


As it is

Computers in the classroom already become quaint and passé when my second grade daughter has a smart board in every classroom, with plans to compete with other schools live (via Skype) and already interacting with material directly (if the reader is unfamiliar with smart boards you are encouraged to read further at http://smarttech.com/).

As it is, technology is inextricably washing over our classes. New York, Chicago and Virginia, at this writing, have various school districts shifting the textbook spending to I Pads (CNN, 2011). When asked about cost and how quickly technology becomes obsolete the speaker, Dr. Perry, countered that the average text cost per year per student in NY is $500 and that texts go into new editions (in this rapidly evolving digital age) as fast as every 16 weeks, making the I Pad both less expensive and more efficient. He went on to express the opportunity to access instructor talent through the device from elsewhere, and other advantages.



VOIP

The foundation was instant messaging, which quickly discovered that adding a microphone and using the existing speakers could allow a $300 / ten-minute call during “prime time” (to the other side of the planet) to cost nothing. Yahoo, AOL and others made and/or continue to make this available. Its confirmed value adds. Cost effectiveness and popularity have found the technology migrated into intranet sites, social networks, e-mail and other platforms. Today, VOIP (voice over internet protocol) is muscular. Many will gladly take your money to offer you such a free service if you go through them: Vonage, Magic Jack, Cisco, Go to Meeting, etc. Granted, there may be more or less functionality with a few of the latter examples, given their commercial targeted application (whiteboards, shared documentation and the like). Microsoft will sell you the software itself with Communicator®.

Skype, however, offers free video conferencing, and appears to be the singular standard for news reporting from difficult locations, which alone should say something of its accountability (though it does offer to charge for extras).



Going Virtual

There is a renaissance of 3D at this time. The writer humbly submits that this is transitional technology and part of a larger synergy (that includes video cell phone feeds and the like) on its way to holography. Holography has been making great strides. Within the near future the capacity to be online with others in a cyber-space that emulates an authentic ground class experience, replete with non-verbal communication, spontaneity and the like is very real.

Some of what will likely have to fold into this technology to get it there is other technology now surfacing. The advent of Microsoft’s “gesture technology” as a further iteration of the Wii is such a case in point.

Fold into those further aspects of the SIMSs, the now accepted practice of creating Avatars, the increased comfort level with being social in cyberspace (Multiply, My Space, Facebook & Twitter). One imagines we may actually be ready, if not on the verge.



Other Implications

Another moving part in the larger conversation of higher education, for which the time may have come, is going beyond what now constitutes a terminal degree. The transition toward establishing this new technologic paradigm (of real-time real-interactive cyberspace) may be the perfect opportunity to integrate such a possibility. As more and more acquire the degrees available, we approach a threshold, which makes the degrees less distinguished. One might say a baccalaureate degree in 2010 might not have been any more meaningful than a high school diploma in 1975. Although a separate meditation, to be sure, some suggestions might include demonstrated difference making and a wait time of a decade between a PhD (or other doctoral degree) and whatever this designation becomes known as.

As machine translation and other voice related technologies continue to become more muscular, how much easier these online universities will become to access from anywhere on the planet. It may be that classmates from Ecuador, Egypt and Estonia might never know each other’s languages, yet in the classroom setting, each having the freedom to interact comfortably and fluidly in one’s own language. One fall out aspect, which begs addressing, is the intercultural expression differences (which may be part of an admissions filtering at a minimum).

Among the implications is where we cycle back to the Ivies. As corporate entities would they not have a stake in being among the last standing as these universities start buying each other up? This movement seems inevitable. Who among these institutions will buy out whom, under what driving forces and to what ends?

Among such ends, there is the matter of standards. Who will rank such offerings? Already schools have fashioned online classes for which one has to wonder; gym classes where the student simply signs in with the promise that they did, in fact, exercise, culinary classes where somehow the practice of a sauté is included (by trust it is presumed), etc.

Among the greatest advantage those hallowed eight have are their standards. They must position themselves as guardians of those standards or risk being obsolescence.

As rigor to recommit to high standards develops, redundancies can be considered for the maintenance of said standards. If real checks are in place, students and faculty might enjoy as much consideration as Deans and Vice Presidents.

Conclusion

Therefore, we see the future, and it is practically here. What could get it here now … a business alliance of R&D money with the likes of a Sony, EA Sports, Disney, Apple and/or Microsoft? The higher education industry has never proven itself an income generator more than in the last quarter century. The implications for tie-in peripherals carry over technologies and the like should be proving themselves irresistible about now (one wonders why this movement is not already part of larger PR; except, of course, because everyone is otherwise occupied).

As an educator, this writer fully expects that before 2020 the online classroom is not the instructor and a collection of students interacting whenever they see fit in their pajamas with a PC, keyboard and monitor, but a scheduled class in a real time realistic virtual space with limitless resources at our fingertips. Such a virtual experience has real voice, real gestures and interactions and archived for future reference. Whatever gear we might wear or have would allow us to sit among whatever arrangement there may be (lecture hall, classroom classic, commons lawn or lunar surface for all it matters), stand, walk around, raise our hands, etc. This should certainly also include the ability to walk up to a virtual board and illustrate a point or collaborate on a work.

“Virtuality” is virtually here. The questions include how will it unfold, how soon and can we ensure an American advantage.

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Addendum (to: a Strategy for Argosy University (online) to establish in Indonesia)



Ivy’s Online (?)

Abstract

The paper explores a synergy of readymades , leading to the conjecture how the online paradigm may evolve, with implications for the Ivy League, among others.



Introduction

This could just as easily be entitled: Let’s Build Us a College. With Mark Zuckerberg (born 1984), a seeming overnight multi-billionaire with Facebook, over what essentially began as a cyber yearbook of students; one might imagine niches of entrepreneurs chomping at the bit to eclipse Facebook; and ironically why not with the remake entirely of the school itself?

Let us begin with, if only symbolically, a benchmark of excellence. The Ivy’s (Princeton, U Penn, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Yale & Columbia) may have been distinguished of themselves before a sports conference appellation accentuated a separation above and beyond other schools, indeed they are all still excellent schools, yet it is arguable that they comprise the absolute best eight schools in every way. UCLA, New College, MIT and many more, are debatably as good or better, especially when weighing comparative departments. Such a thought yields two noticing: the cache is formidable, if only from a marketing perspective and that there is no franchise on the absolute best.

Much has changed in higher education since the mid 1950’s, when a sports conference conferred the holy yoke of Ivy League. One can safely characterize US education generally by a consistent and graphic decline. The more recent twin advents of the for profit franchise phenomenon and the online paradigm each bring with them unique pros and cons.





For Profit

Pros

Plug and play business models, franchises, become very attractive to many. No one wants to reinvent if unnecessary. This will be the comment here on what is established wisdom.



Cons

Oversight is often loose, even sparse (despite well meaning). Those in positions of authority regularly begin to accrete their own little kingdoms. Where there are no unions, for example, faculty become highly disposable (dismissed on a regular basis for reasons having nothing to do with performance; to cover the chair so as not to deal with an unfounded student complaint, a bruised President’s ego, etc.). There is no institution that does follow through as to why talented faculty drop away; the value is simply lost.

Much else can fall through the cracks when at some distance from the mother ship. Textbooks not arriving until after the course has begun, schedules being changed last minute (to the enormous disruption of the student’s family that just rearranged an accommodating schedule that will now have to yet rearrange again). These are just a few of the seeming innumerable issues. The reasons for such nonsense coincides with the little kingdoms concept, subtleties get away from decision makers and then they scramble last minute plugging holes, often at the expense of student and/or faculty.

No one wants to micromanage, yet macro management is certainly not without its own failings (for better or worse, this becomes another argument for online centralization).





Online

Pros

More and more we are seeing the satellite of schools offering their complete catalog online, while coming up short from campus to campus on ground classes. One of the issues the creation of this addresses is the consistency from one campus to another; i.e., if you take a basic course in the Adobe Creative Suite in Baltimore it may or may not include Dreamweaver, though if transferring to the same school elsewhere, having had the course, it might be presumed such material was covered. Online, regardless where you are, that is all an understandable presumption (though this remains a presumption, it certainly cuts down the odds).

Certain functionality can become absolute in given aspects. To the previous consideration, quizzes can be set up by the corporate center to be revealed, be taken, graded and disappear automatically across a period, alleviating some of the instructors effort (and furthering consistency).

Going further is moot here; the paradigm is good business (which is the other main reason). It collapses costs, controls, overhead, etc.



Cons

Perhaps the best place to start is exactly where we will explore further; at this time online seems hardly ready for prime time.

One of the most valuable things students pay for (though most do not make a direct connection) is the value of networking. There is a huge difference between physically interacting, going to lunch with and watching spontaneous interactions with your contemporaries, and simply exchanging posts. This writer experienced an online class where there was a proactive attempt made to simply capture basic data (such as e-mail, phone number, city, etc. – with networking straightforwardly expressed) and was ignored by some. This alone is an extraordinary loss.

As just referred to, the wealth of non-verbal communication is lost. Even when web conferencing occurs, the capacity to manipulate remains.

The writer also recalls teaching an online class, where the institution did not require attendance at the time of class, those students received attendance as long as they retrieved the class in archives. Without exception, no one ever showed up for class … eleven weeks unfolded with recordings being made to the monitor (the writer gracefully excused himself from that employ shortly thereafter). Of itself, the ability to record all and store in archive has its uses; though arguably this is not one of them.

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Miscellaneous marketing strategy


The marketing strategy for our primary demographic, being adult learners, has strategic corporate alliances as the communication conduit. There is an intention to reach our secondary demographic within the framework of net cafés, and possibly libraries. In striving to be as low key and elegant as possible this author would recommend nothing more than making logo imprinted USB drives available at cost with two pre-loads. Of the preloads, one would be the entire catalog (including a webliography of all associated websites) and the other a series of printable posters, the images of which would be masterpieces of calling forth a consideration of higher education specifically for that generation. In this way, any posters put up already have buy in, for they were printed and put up by a peer. As for the catalog, being digital, its design would have to emphasize ease-of-use and search ability, with a user-friendly posture of language.

Areas for further research gets a cursory acknowledgment here, for this too will assuredly grow. Databases of all kinds need to be established; for purposes of networking, resourcing, for future research to stand upon, and so on. Specifically, if in keeping with the business model that is Argosy University of Tampa, then exacting research must occur on the state of the art of Business, Education and Psychiatry. What licensing is there, what are the differences and similarities, etc.

As mentioned previously, relationships need to be forged. So far we have cited corporate alliances, relationships with municipal governments, federal agencies in both countries, and probably much more.



Conclusion

Why – tier three – the surrounding synergy - & How

With the conscious effort to forward this opportunity, the opportunity to also plan for the “next generation” of online education (see addendum) may fold into this. Beginning researchers may see/seek with the likes of Disney, Sony, etc. in corporate partnership.

Scholarship the first class entirely may seem a radical idea on the financial front, and the writer does not understand why. If the entire dynamic is holey digital, this could leverage out as a prototype, a dry run … a form of finalizing market research. Of course the admin and faculty payrolls need attending, yet admin is presumably already in place. Therefore, we are just speaking of a month and a half of faculty pay, which is possible to budget. Now think of the buzz that would create!

Another opportunity for potential faculty is to canvas Indonesians in US schools now, offer a nice package (a work visa; aka H-1B) and bring them in to a nearby campus for online training.

A final thought on language, which will continue to unfold, is the possibility of classes in both languages.

The idea is more than possible. It is recommended and inevitable. Whether Argosy wants to consider overseas expansion remains unknown. The idea of Indonesia has this writer’s considered recommendation, and understands that Argosy (or any school taking up these thoughts) may have strategic investments elsewhere; so be it. May fate find this writing in the hands of people who can make use of it.

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It is useful to revisit here the question of the original location. Might there not be a Blue Ocean opportunity in Africa? Indeed, that is certain (to a degree), while one also has to weigh the general instability of the continent as a whole, the spectrum of literacy rates and where education falls across a spectrum of other needs. A better argument for Brazil or Russia, two of the BRIC countries, seems reasonable. Then, for India and China, which share the region of Asia, the same argument becomes lopsided. To recap an earlier acknowledgment, adding Indonesia in the US gives us the top four populations on the planet. While China will undoubtedly drive the larger region in the near term, he remains a communist country (with all the attendant concerns and challenges). Because China will be such a driver, significant competition has already established market presence. The other two players in the region of consequential power both represent democracies. However, as has already been stated, Indonesia's literacy rate is in the same orbit as China and US (in the 90s), while India remains in the 60s.


Therefore, from both a university as well as US perspective, entrée into Indonesia represents a great new market opportunity (specific and regionally). A relative first to market position specifically, while establishing a strong foothold regionally. Also as mentioned elsewhere, given the opportunity to support the largest Muslim population of the planet, and strengthening our ties to one of growing democracies that we tend to overlook, could prove to be a boon to our State Department. It seems only appropriate, with this in mind, to bring any business plan to the attention of our Department of State; perhaps there is some tweaking or other support (financial) they may care to address.



Argosy, Indonesia, and other marketing strategies summary

Considerations of Economics

The author is not presuming setting any financial targets except to say that it would have to be competitively in line with universities on the ground. Therefore, setting tuition has the possibility of seeming as price discrimination. However, the goods are not identical. It would be an American University experience with an American university degree, but to an extensively different market with different faculty honoring different cultural standards (would we bother with APA - what their standards are to this end currently eludes the author). The market is different, with different consumers. This would be considered third-degree price discrimination; and, presumably allowable and justified. Maintaining the brand is a matter of maintaining our superstructure; our curriculum, our syllabi, our textbooks. So the acknowledgment of a different market, faculty and cultural standards are not a massage of our brand is much as a recognition of her different context (but the content remains the same).

An important part of the entry strategy primarily targets business alliances. Subsidized tuition and outsourced training would alleviate significant pressure.

There was also the thought to include in the marketing package a move in the other direction that all universities seem to drift into (by accepting and transferring as few credits as possible), going out of our way to accept as many credits as possible. There would naturally have to be a thorough understanding of exactly what accreditation we were dealing with. I do not imagine we could get away with it here in the US, but it seems like an attractive idea worth pursuing. There is a preference to have a student transfer in and polish off a degree in a semester or two, versus risking turning them away because they would have to redo two thirds of their previous academic experience.

Conversations of scholarships and grants may also be worth pursuing.

We would seek out domestic (US) Indonesian speaking faculty, or make an effort to inculcate faculty from Indonesia ... in the beginning, likely both. With this in mind, inculcating faculty accustomed to Indonesian pay could have a later emphasis.

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Analyzed product branding for market segments


Among the most graphic outlines for university branding was found produced at the University of Boston (Boston University, n.d.). This list outlines succinctly virtually every consideration to which one would need to pay attention.

So many of these considerations do find themselves neglected or overlooked, and we will not be exhaustive here. Still, the point is to have in place at least a structure such as this to establish future SOPs. This author created the original Facebook page and LinkedIn page for the Argosy University Tampa campus (as an outspoken critic however, corporate versions soon followed).

It should also be noted that in 2007 Argosy University went through a rebranding, debuting a new look in 2008. Speak and Hanson, who shepherded the makeover, sought to lend voice to an internal as well as external audience (motivating employees and engaging the target market)(Free PDF ebook, 2010, Speak & Hanson , 2008).

The new look supports a series of characteristics that had been lacking before. There are now elements of more complexity, elegance, simplicity and a dynamic tension between the classic and the modern. Fortunately, for the purposes of "taking the show on the road" (to Indonesia), the overall look, even including the color choices, is a perfect match with our intention. Many Indonesian universities make use of such elements and organic colors in their crests.

Having a personal familiarity with how the new Argosy University branding occurs, consistent against the Boston University checklist, this writer is satisfied that no significant alterations would be necessary. Exceptions would naturally include fresh positioning vis-à-vis Indonesian social media, and other such details.



Analyzed advertising and promotion for market segments

As an entrée strategy, methodical caution would be the byword. Addressed in the larger paper are issues such as language, here we need to acknowledge the need for combined translation. Adjectives associated with an entrée branding would include such considerations as conservative and covert. There is no need for a “mass” advertising campaign. Given the focus on corporate alliances, other considerations are more appropriate, such as a tagline consistent with the branding that is in place. Without presuming to offer such a tagline, the suggestion is that it reflects a leading with the institution's strengths (Branding Strategy Insider, the branding blog, 2007 (& 2010)).

The smart and judicious use of product placement may also be worth considering. The current president of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is a graduate of Webster University, an American University (Minneapolis/St. Paul). Has Argosy produced any one of Indonesian notoriety? Is there an Indonesian broadcast inextricably associated with intelligence where the presence of Argosy is able to be shown or mentioned periodically and peripherally?

With a nod to the youth contingency, our secondary segmentation, a reassessment of chachkies may be in order. Not so much the hoodie and t-shirts of most university bookstores, but the more sophisticated branded day planner, carrying cases, the logo embroidered long-sleeved button-down collared dress shirt and conservative business blouse, and perhaps even a branded net book.

Years after establishing the institution, when the University is ready to celebrate a larger student body from the secondary segmentation, the recommendation is that methodical caution continue. That said, the creation of poster artwork married to sponsorship packages for net cafés and e-ads for cell phones would be the flavor of avenues to explore (these will later be, primarily, packaged on a USB).



The US perspective

At least three insights of this proposal lend themselves to the internal marketing. The first that comes to mind are the wealth of excellent transnational research opportunities for all our core study areas, psychology, education and business. The enhanced in ability to leverage disparate cultures of student bodies (and with the ease of technologies such as Skype, networking student social groups through Facebook and Linkedln, etc.) represents a wealth of untapped research (including abilities to track and document). Naturally, leveraging trans-cultural student pools would represent a distinguishing value add, not only abroad, but also here in the US as well.

There is a great opportunity for paradigm development, i.e., what templates we can produce and what areas become case-by-case. This will set the foundation for the next generation, as institutions of higher learning strong enough to create an intention of existence into the future seek something upon which to stand. Is anyone reading this document looks around the globe, acknowledging the business that is higher education, coupled with what has been becoming of it, we have to acknowledge such first, and almost furtive steps have already begun. Keiser University has a campus in Moldova and China. IADT has a campus in Canada. Webster University has campuses in the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, two in Thailand, three in China. Schiller has locations in the UK, Spain, France and Germany. Of course, this just a few for-profit schools have already made a movement in this direction; and these are all ground campuses. Of itself, this presents another research opportunity, but likely one that would have execution by the principles of Argosy (VPs, Presidents and Directors at the corporate headquarters networking with colleagues at other campuses).

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With that in mind, a quick acknowledgment of the Times Higher Education QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings is certainly something to target. Of the top 600 schools worldwide, Argosy is currently not even listed (although, in fairness, there is not one for-profit school from anywhere in the world that is listed).


There is something called The World Online Education Accrediting Commission, though it is not recognized by the United States Department of education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (and is accused of aligning itself with "paper mills"). There is the International Accreditation Organization (IAO), an international agency seeking the establishment of standards of education for working adults. A member of IEAC, the International Education Accreditation Commission (http://www.iao.org/) may be on track to offer global legitimacy. However, the Independent Global Education Council (IGEC), a subsidiary of the World Accreditation Commission (WAC) (www.worldaccredited.com/global-education-council.html; www.worldaccredited.com/) has web pages that, at this writing, do not load.

There is the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (in association with the International Accreditation Forum – IAF; http://www.ilac.org/Accday.html). The ILAC seems under-representing. The Council for Global Education (www.globaleducation.org/) seems more of a conversation, with round tables listed and a member section under construction.

Therefore, we find ourselves at the International Accreditation and Related Education Links (http://www.worldwidelearn.com/accreditation/international-accreditation-associations.htm). This is the coordinating body of established global institutions of heft. Such institutions include the UNESCO Education Directories, Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education, World Bank Education and World Links.

There is an International Conference on National Qualifications Frameworks (27-28 April, 2011) in the wake of a conversation which just took place this week (Feb. 17, 2011) "the Implementation of National Qualifications Frameworks (NQF)” (http://www.unescobkk.org/education/news/article/thai-education-ministry-and-unesco-bangkok-to-host-international-conference-on-national-qualificatio). It seems these organizations (UNESCO, etc.) currently hold the most credible opportunities for high standards and respectability concerning accreditation.





Outlined strategic planning considerations for a selected market segmentation

Generated under the heading of “Outlined strategic planning considerations for the selected market segmentation” was a veritable wealth. However, by no means was this exhaustive. What was sought were specifically focused considerations that would have an immediate impact and a guiding flavor as to what would likely work best. Many other creative opportunities could fold into this trajectory. Yet another such example would be developing Argosy University Online, as an online educational game would certainly fit into the marketing mix.

Creating a business consortium in concert with the municipal government, the students and faculty, also has long-term merit. This latter would, on a rotational basis every several months, adopt an entrepreneurial venture. The business students would deconstruct what developed so far, seeking to discover that which may present itself as the greatest obstacle, and research (with faculty mentoring) what the best options are. Each cycle invite a local business leader as guest speaker, sharing the same topic. At this culminating event (every three or four months perhaps), the various teams of student response would be given written feedback by the adopted entrepreneur, the local business leader and the faculty in attendance.







Adult Learners

Let us first consider our specifically selected market segmentation. For the long-term, it is our recommendation to create strategic alliances wherever possible with some of the more significant corporations, seeking to produce a ready body of professional experienced learners, already in the workforce. This would be our targeted core, for the mature adult student represents the caliber of professionalism and self-reliance that not only lends cachet to the institution itself, yet also affords an easier transition for the institution to establish itself.

Corporate alliances dovetail quite nicely with the presumed geographic core of our demographic as well. While there may be no ground classes, we would be seeking a more technologically perceptive, urban demographic.

Such alliances, if negotiated properly, can afford the institution, as well as the students, a subsidy. Consequently, while there would certainly be corporate databases created, moreover they would be prioritized with an eye toward natural affiliations.



Youth

A secondary market segmentation cannot be overlooked, the classic, young academic seamlessly entering a baccalaureate degree. There is no need to be exclusionary, and we would certainly want to be friendly to such a potential client base. Simply, the suggestion is that this would not be our primary market segment. Nonetheless, both in the spirit of cooperation as well as an interest in not leaving money on the table, our secondary market segmentation, while not overtly pursued, can certainly be heavily acknowledged (and consequently made to feel welcome).

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Why – tier two – the Argosy angle


The overarching marketing strategy for Argosy University's penetration into the Indonesian market is one of opening up a surgical conversation. Surgical because we have already established a specific targeted demographic, with good academic and marketing rationale behind it (primarily adult learners from corporate strategic alliances and the naturally transitioning youth to university, in that order). A conversation, because at this writing higher education in Indonesia is at a crossroads.

The fact that online education in Indonesia (and many other countries) does not have the same measure of respect as a brick and mortar University, as elsewhere noted. On the downside, this necessitates the need to make distinctions, define terms and otherwise communicate the viability of online education when done right. On the upside, this leaves little to no competition, depending on how this is measured.

The other significant aspect for the crossroads higher education conversation for Indonesia is the cleaning up of corruption. Indonesia has had a decade’s long struggle focused on the improvement of its government and its government agencies. Indonesia's last few decades have continued to strengthen democracy and diminish corruption. University World News reported in 2010 a massive project on the part of Indonesia's national board for higher education to address this issue exactly (http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20100114191152158). Indonesia's higher education continues to stand on good work as it reaches for ever better expression (as evidenced by the BAN PT’s 7,319 institutions acknowledged).



The Conversation Context

Setting the stage to offer the potential higher education consumer the unique choice of American education online, tailored to appreciate and respect the Indonesian culture, will benefit greatly when credentialed properly. This is accomplishable relatively quickly and easily in the short run as well as with relative equal ease long term. The icon of an American higher education is no small thing (http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings). The overwhelming majority of the top schools, by far, are American universities. Let us now turn to the conversation of accreditation itself.

In United States, recognition and accreditation is the domain of the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

In Indonesia, the BAN-PT is an external “QA” (quality assessment) institution in Indonesia; it is the National Accreditation Board for Higher Education, and a unit of the Ministry of Education. In Indonesia, there are four levels of diploma before one reaches the baccalaureate level. There are also four levels of accreditation (A through D, D representing not accredited).

Of the 7,319 institutions acknowledged, only 15 afford a doctoral degree at an accreditation level “A” school. This represents a demand, regardless of Argosy University offering an "American" university experience.

With 60% of the population on Java Island, geography alone represents a strategic opportunity as well.

As for the rest of the world, there is currently a tangle of both good and bad concerning accreditation. We will look at these in a moment, and now let us simply acknowledge that there is a short-term and long-term vision. In the short-term, Argosy already embraces one of the highest accreditations the United States offers; and can therefore address BAN-PT requirements, as they are. For the long term however, it would be useful for Argosy to position itself as a quintessentially global University of the highest caliber.

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Introduction / What


The consideration of this paper is a review of the possibility of proactively going into the Indonesian market by Argosy University, a for-profit American University, and part of an umbrella of secondary schools that are already established on the ground and online.



Why – tier one – on the ground and Opportunities / Threats

When taking on a project of this scope is likely that among the smarter things to do would be to ask as many pertinent questions as possible. In this section our questions of why focus on the country of Indonesia, its people, whatever online education it may have and the larger consideration of its culture.

A sub consideration pauses to note the larger context of Indonesia as compared with India and China.



Quick sketch on why Indonesia

There are varieties of reasons for the choice of Indonesia. During the Egyptian crisis of early 2011, Madeline Albright, when asked about a model for a presumed result, referred to Indonesia (what had been a dictatorship upon its independence that indeed transitioned successfully, relatively bloodlessly, to real democracy; albeit slowly and with challenges) (MSNBC, 2011). Of the most populous four countries on the planet (China, India, the US and Indonesia), three are democracies, and given the relativity of India's established democracy, it is arguable that the long-term interests of the US would be better served supporting the culture of Indonesia (for its demonstrable greater need).

Other reasons include the expanding middle class, to ensure political stability, larger youth base and a lack of University wealth that India and China have.

Other countries on the planet do not have any schools; other countries have schools that are not as competent. The geopolitical positioning for the choice of Indonesia not only extends EDMCs (Education Management Corporation, the umbrella collective of Argosy U, South U, Brown Mackey and the Art Institutes) reach, and if a second layer of development occurs beyond this document, it may be found that federal dollars could underwrite the project.



Analysis of the customer and consumer needs

There is a ripe choice of fairly any demographic one might hope for. With over 17,000 islands stretching wider than the US, there are a lot of regional and subcultures from which to choose. However, we are not speaking of a brick-and-mortar location, so the marketing target becomes pan-Indonesian, which effectively translates to appealing to those most prone to university education. Therefore, marketing would occur in any city of any consequence (of which there are many), and seek to reach those who strive to improve their lives (the transitioning youth from high school, as well as professional adult learners looking to go back to school).

That we would be seeking to reach those who want to improve their lives, as opposed to simply targeting youth, because in Indonesia your education is assured through " junior secondary school" (what we call middle school, or junior high school in the US). The government has and runs “senior secondary schools” (high schools), but they are significantly fewer (not necessarily accessible or available to everyone), and of those that do exist, not all are run by the government; that is to say, not all of them are free. Therefore, if someone is graduating from a senior secondary school, that student (and family) has already demonstrated an effort in the direction of furthering the individual's education.

This is especially true if the individual has graduated from at least one, and perhaps two of the three kinds of senior secondary schools. Technical schools prepare mechanics and factory workers. However, business secondary schools seek to create base employees for the office environment, and academic secondary schools have the primary focus of preparing students for a university experience, specifically (Red Apple Education Ltd, 2011).

There was a reference made earlier in this document to China, India and the US, with emphasis on the muscularity of democracy. Here is a different perspective. Let us consider the comparative literacy. By total population, Indonesia as a literacy rate of 90.4%. It is easy to see that the government has in fact been working diligently for quite some time now on elevating the educational quality in its country. Arguably, the greatest competition for the US being the Chinese, their literacy rate clocks in at 91.6%. For comparative purposes, India stands at 61% while the United States has a 99% literacy rate. Marketing an online education opportunity in Indonesia or China, based on these numbers alone, would seem an easier lift. These countries are demonstrating a commitment to educating the people in a way that is working (CIA - World Factbook, updated bi-weekly [retrieved Feb. 12, 2011]).



Analysis of the competitive environment

This paper goes some distance in establishing the education priority in the Indonesian culture. Despite this healthy foundation, and even with a relatively tech savvy generation of age, as is true throughout most of the world, online education has yet to either gain traction or respect. Perhaps a measure of gratitude is in order for Indonesia, as the former traction is more the case than the latter respect. Please note that online education is an American contrivance, and as the topic is something as important as education, online education may seem more analogous to MTV music or an iPad (and therefore not as easily embraced). Consequently, online education, as compared to the United States, is virtually nonexistent in Indonesia. One website touting all online programs for Indonesia came forth with this fallacy: “Your search did not match any schools. Try broadening your search”. (WorldWideLearn [], 2011)

Now that is not to say that there is no expression of higher online education in place. A few schools of some consequence have begun to make inroads, but very few. Typically, one finds online schools for message, engineering, pharmacy, scuba etc. (clearly a mixed bag).

The opportunity is there, and golden, and is simply a matter of marketing more than anything else. (Expat Web Site Association Jakarta, 2011)(Edinburgh Business School; Heriot-Watt University, 2011)(FutureMELD, LLC. BrainTrack [], 2011)(Learn4Good Ltd, 2011)(Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011)



Analysis of the overall environment, including economical, political, technological, social, & cultural

Being an archipelago in the twenty tens, Indonesia has a very powerful cell phone tower and satellite capability. While the rest of the infrastructure can be argued, some strong, some nonexistent, the government rightly saw the inextricable need to make sure that communication was in place.

Since gaining its independence in March of 1945, the country has seen a slow and sometimes painful, yet nonetheless steady progress toward a more authentic democracy. Its citizenry has slowly but steadily seen "all boats lifted" in kind. Economic prosperity has come more than gone. Socio-cultural phenomenon has steadily shown smarter and more liberal expressions.

The author would be remiss not to mention that this is the largest population of Muslims on the planet. Despite incidences of terrorism, for the most part the country enjoys integration with its religious minorities (Muslim 86.1%, Protestant 5.7%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 3.4% - CIA - World Factbook, updated bi-weekly [retrieved Feb. 12, 2011]). Given the long-standing healthy relationship with the United States, though often taken for granted, a major gesture on our part (such as a big education support) would only further strengthen our larger geopolitical position.

Analysis of the customer and consumer needs referenced “marketing would occur in any city of any consequence (of which there are many)”. Admittedly, this is under-defined, and in the initial years, a concentrated effort be centered to the following islands of Java, Sumatra and Bali. This "tightened" correction has to do with population densities and the concentration of marketing dollars.

Another customer and consumer need overlooked is that much of the online experience in Indonesia continues to take place in Internet cafés. As University faculty here in the United States, even this writer occasionally comes across students who do not have a computer in their own home. To address this challenge an admissions effort needs to interview and determine exactly what computing power is in the home. If, in fact, the appropriate computational power is compromised, or altogether lacking, a (branded, reduced/close to or at cost) net book would become part of the cost of initial tuition.

In the “Analysis of the competitive environment” section, delineated is the relative absence of credible online education. However, the absence of an American University offering online education is completely absent, and this needs emphasizing for purposes of first to market and potential Blue Ocean strategies.

Under the heading of “Analysis of the overall environment, including economical, political, technological, social, and cultural” is acknowledged that working in concert with the US State Department may prove to be beneficial, particularly financially. However, this would be by no means the only US agency worth pursuing (US Department of Trade, US Chamber of Commerce, etc.). At least as true is the value of exploring analogous agencies on the Indonesian side of the equation. There are also institutions which straddle the fence; the US Indonesian society, and so on.

WalMart Ethik und soziale Verantwortung (WalMart Ethics and Social Responsibility, in German) [3of3]

Then when all else failed, this genius management decided to throw money at the problem through a series of takeovers.



Concluding thought

The reader may wish to know that this document concludes concurrent with the German conversation. This marks the approximate halfway point in the article, with the section on the United Kingdom starting up next, followed by a section on France.

It is not through any sloth that we find ourselves here, with seeming only half the article addressed. The reader can be assured that the article was read in full, indeed was annotated (with approximately as many annotations yet unacknowledged).

Dear reader, you are being spared; for the rest of the acknowledgements constitute annotations that are simply of a different flavor, not of the different nature.

Please allow this concluding thought (my italics):

“Safeway, which was struggling when Wal-Mart entered the UK market, has had a resurgence under a new chief executive. Ironically, Carlos Criado-Perez was a Wal-Mart executive, and he has brought a Waltonian style of leadership to Safeway, encouraging local managers to be innovative in their local markets.”

To which the following irony is offered: It should be noted that Wal-Mart (and its sibling stores) under Sam Walton, operated very differently. The basis of the Walton branding was “made in America” (and all things American). Upon his demise, the kids took Wal-Mart in a profit exploding direction, throwing the “old way” overboard, rushing production to China, etc. For Criado-Perez to encourage managers creativity within the context of their local markets is directly equivalent to Sam Walton getting creative in America with American goods. Criado-Perez learned well, and was beating Wal-Mart at its own game!


References

Fernie, J., & Arnold, S. J. (2002). Wal-Mart in Europe: Prospects for Germany, the UK and France. Retrieved from ProQuest; from the International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management30.2/3 (2002): 92-102.: http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/210900544

Hall, A., Bawden, T., & Butler, S. (2006, July 29). Wal-Mart pulls out of Germany at cost of 1 billion. the Times (of London; although I apologize if you knew that, there is only one the Times). Retrieved from http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/retailing/article694345.ece

Wal-Mart. (2009). 2009 Annual Report ((federally mandated annual disclosure document)). Retrieved from Wal-Mart.com: http://walmartstores.com/Search/?q=annual+report

WalMart Ethik und soziale Verantwortung (WalMart Ethics and Social Responsibility, in German) [2of3]

Shortly after these considerations rolled out, there was a passage wrestling with the idea of ethnocentric versus geocentric. With this writer confesses being confounded by such a drumbeat for the either or, that everything seems to have to be painted in black and white terms. Why cannot this be nuanced and be both considerations of ethnocentric and geocentric? Is there not something to be learned of each?


Now about a quarter of the way into the article we find ourselves in the arena of culture itself. Wal-Mart had the opportunity to do a better job of deconstructing the culture, doing a match as to how they do business and how the Germans or French do business. I do not know that they did not do this, but it appears they did not (or not thorough enough). Alternatively, it could be that even after the research, they did not do a proper job of synchronizing what they learned with what was wanted and needed.

With the pre-successes of Carrefour and Ahold, how much of that “technology” (knowledge management, et.al.) did they steal, emulate or otherwise seek to learn? That remains undocumented.

Then the truth comes out: “Wal-Mart's strategy to date has been to acquire companies with the potential to be moulded to the "Wal-Mart way"”. What school of management told the highly paid executives that you take items that are overseas that are working (so you have a foothold, some entrée), and then you start to mold them to your way of doing business? Did that miss the point of acquiring (yes)? Part of the value of making such an acquisition is the ability to leverage the cultural subtleties as they are. If anybody needed re-molding it was Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart is nothing if not consistent for shortly after the previous passage, this one appears, “introduce the Wal-Mart concepts and philosophy, and prove ourselves.” Instead of re-inventing WalMart consistent with the new context, which would afford the customer a part of a foundational conversation, instead we see a separate moving part seeking partnership.

Finding ourselves out nearly halfway into the article, we begin to see some excuses. As for Germany, they cite high labor costs. However, how much of this is consistent with how Germans actually ARE, not just something to put on the shoulders of labor costs.

There is also the mention of a demanding regulatory environment. In sum – they do not play games, and are somewhat the antithesis of what goes on in the US. There is no coupon culture in Germany, no “buy one get one” opportunities. If a German marketer can give a price break, the Germans simply expect them to do so. Pricing in Berlin and Stuttgart (or anywhere else) cannot vary more than 5%.

As they pointed to customer service as a way to make a difference , what did they do to drive a customer service imperative that would rival the best they are able to muster in the States (not that I would call that a benchmark of excellence). It is this writer's understanding that the greeters in Germany had to be removed, as Germans saw this as a form of being accosted.

Again, this points to the difference of reforming what has worked specifically for a market, versus laying down what had worked where you are from on top of, and making tweaks.

Not getting the hint that Germans do not play games, Wal-Mart “was fined $308,000 in September of 2000, for selling goods below cost (Retail Week, 2000).

They impose standards on the German operations (again, this is exactly what does not work). They attempted to remake the European supply chain in their own understanding and image (instead of applying Wal-Mart wisdom to what already was working), only to find that “Deliveries failed to arrive on time and out-of-stock rates jumped.”

WalMart Ethik und soziale Verantwortung (WalMart Ethics and Social Responsibility, in German) [1of3]

Abstract


This document offers a blow-by-blow narrative as this writer riffs off a nine-year-old article as regards the prospects of Wal-Mart entering Europe (Fernie & Arnold, 2002). APA formatting will remain in place.



Introduction

There is a saying that hindsight is 2020. This document seeks to leverage that.

Spoiler alerts: the base of this document is a 2002 article, presumably written earlier in the same year that the deutsche mark was retired for the euro … and four years later Wal-Mart walked away from Germany altogether (Hall, Bawden, & Butler, 2006).



Wal-Mart goes to Europe

In the Fernie and Arnold’s abstract, it seems that the Wal-Mart strategy to enter Europe by targeting Germany the UK and France seems founded primarily on highest level of sales with an undercurrent of strategic geographic positioning, with an eye toward further expansion. In and of itself there is nothing wrong with this approach (though it seems somewhat simplistic, and one hopes that there really was more to it than that; though there is no indication). The article shows its age early; in the introduction, Wal-Mart had yet to become the globe's biggest corporation (though soon it would be). The introduction also references the projection that, 8 years hence (no last year, at this writing), Wal-Mart's revenues would approach 700 billion. Unless this is being read wrong (and it seems light to the writer as well), on page 30 of the 2009 annual report (in the consolidated statement of income), net revenue appears to be at just over 405 million (Wal-Mart, 2009).

The authors then go on to acknowledge that for Wal-Mart to meet its forecasted growth it needs to make its mark outside of the US, and then quickly refers to Europe as a key target. Doing the math on this quickly, there are seven continents and Wal-Mart is already in North America. That leaves six, and Antarctica does not look promising. Africa does not look much better at this turn in history. That leaves South America, Australia, Asia and Europe. Given Wal-Mart's historical expansion to Canada and Mexico first, it makes sense that Europe would garner such as spotlight.

Then the article turns to a commentary on how Wal-Mart may find itself succeeding, speaking of efficient supply chain logistics (aka collaborative planning forecasting and replenishment / CPFR). By now, one can almost smell the fail. If this is the rationale that management is putting forward it seems that the management itself may need to be reassessed. There is nothing new here, nothing nuanced, Wal-Mart is the Michelangelo of supply chain management. It is sensed that the success had been so sweet that one dare not question anything.

The article goes on to elicit the feel-good attributes. “Wal-Mart's small town roots influence its behaviour despite its large size. It attempts to be an integral part of the community fabric”. Humbly submitted, attempts might more honestly be substituted with the word postures. In addition, there is more. “A store greeter welcomes shoppers and employee "associates"”. …and tags returns, and checks for receipts, and dries carts when raining, and corrals & organizes carts at the front of the store. The “greeting” part is emphasized, but that is a small part – though it IS the part trumpeted. The cherry on the sundae of this paragraph however, is, “A unique organisational culture is embodied in the morning cheer”. Such mass regular pep talks are a staple of call centers, particularly under 75 employee questionable ethics call centers. This technique borrows heavily from the traditions of propaganda.

11 Marketing P s & taking Argosy Online in Indonesia [3of3]

Product


Extensively well documented is another classic marketing “P”, the product itself, a service. Introductory marketing strategies for this service have been the primary focus of these previous writings.



Proliferation

The writer again thanks his colleague, Mr. Garzaniti, for yet another “P” of marketing that has thus far eluded him (Garzaniti, 2/23/2011 8:01:39 PM). There seem two approaches to proliferation as a marketing ”P”, one would likely have to do with word-of-mouth (however this is addressed elsewhere) and the other would have to do with access (whether multiple brick and mortar storefronts, or, in our case, the internet; also addressed elsewhere). In either case, proliferation seems among the weakest of the extended marketing “P’s” as redundant. Consequently, this passage is effectively complete as it is.



Promotion

Our final marketing “P” (in alpha order) is another of the original four marketing “P’s”.

Forms of advertising pursued: endorsements, user trials, posters and strategic alliances as having introductory marketing value. Dismissed were direct mailings, gifts, online pop-ups, competitions, e-mail blasts and the like for their anti-contribution to the cachet of the brand we are seeking to establish. Six to nine months in, a secondary campaign can be seen going forward with discrete print and banner ads associated with publications and sites consistent with both our brand and our demographic.

Conclusion

Erring on the side of caution, the writer has put the Argosy University online version Indonesia through the rinse cycle (as it were) of every possible marketing “P” collected thus far. Given the universal truth that everything, which is truly authentic, stands up to questioning, it appears that the Indonesian online version would dry out on the line just fine.



References

Chowdry, D., Prof. (2007, September 17). 4 marketing P’s; Marketing Mix 7 p’s - Everything You Need To Know [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://4marketingps.blogspot.com/2009/09/marketing-mix-7-ps-what-are-7-ps-of.html

Comm, J. (2009). Twitter Power 2.0: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time. Hoboken, NJ 07030: John Wiley & Sons.

Executive Planet. (2010). Retrieved August 20, 2010, from http://www.executiveplanet.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

Garzaniti , J. (2/23/2011 8:01:39 PM). RE: M7 A1 . Retrieved from http://myeclassonline.com/re/DotNextLaunch.asp?courseid=4784110&userid=6665306&sessionid=4db03ef5c5&tabid=+VGS/AICMKwO/q8E2O3liV8lxG2XGP8rLzQd9EZNlQjkqElUcsN/Il5YT+CUoiHtoV/tgJVTar42lR+/ZnV8MCovjB5klLNWVOOQ/ujgTMqk4pzqbAgE5bUq1LaemxAq/w3a/kLlhPgaUWJHNhwjew==&macid=vMC664cUyuhamomeBXeRiYCRjzNw6a5pvm/pws8+VtOqEPHxBLKWN623hZgr5IgrIpfvYPw7TlXQZM5ZkocFydrHbXhjcEr2IwvEGnDZrnOTnQ33IEQ8naeyoMffNg2N43AuowdOQRso8wYhjGx/Qlmsi1ZbNJ3po+lhDHUmwwi6XyQgcVDtqLGXGU2uTkeuXwqfHPmiemkS3cqBZ/rwdNak7qofKPBDDCj8Bc2b54doM3DxqyXHoVEig+a7x7ro1pEwxjRIPkTkbjpQra6rgDizJPeEktNo3zTACn+x97HsYTy4TQsc3plYP+s6xrmF

Learn Marketing.net. (2011). Service Marketing Mix/Extended Marketing Mix (reference). Retrieved from Learn Marketing.net: http://www.learnmarketing.net/servicemarketingmix.htm

Neron , D. (2/21/2011 4:39:21 PM ). RE: DavisF_M7_A1; P is for Marketing. Retrieved from http://myeclassonline.com/re/DotNextLaunch.asp?courseid=4784110&userid=6665306&sessionid=4db03ef5c5&tabid=+VGS/AICMKwO/q8E2O3liV8lxG2XGP8rLzQd9EZNlQjkqElUcsN/Il5YT+CUoiHtoV/tgJVTar42lR+/ZnV8MCovjB5klLNWVOOQ/ujgTMqk4pzqbAgE5bUq1LaemxAq/w3a/kLlhPgaUWJHNhwjew==&macid=vMC664cUyuhamomeBXeRiYCRjzNw6a5pvm/pws8+VtOqEPHxBLKWN623hZgr5IgrIpfvYPw7TlXQZM5ZkocFydrHbXhjcEr2IwvEGnDZrnOTnQ33IEQ8naeyoMffNg2N43AuowdOQRso8wYhjGx/Qlmsi1ZbNJ3po+lhDHUmwwi6XyQgcVDtqLGXGU2uTkeuXwqfHPmiemkS3cqBZ/rwdNak7qofKPBDDCj8Bc2b54doM3DxqyXHoVEig+a7x7ro1pEwxjRIPkTkbjpQra6rgDizJPeEktNo3zTACn+x97HsYTy4TQsc3plYP+s6xrmF

Speak , K. D., & Hanson , G. (2008, April 1). Brand Inside Meets Brand Outside (pdf article). Retrieved from : http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=6&sqi=2&ved=0CD8QFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.brandtoolbox.com%2Farticles%2FKarl_Gil_Links.pdf&ei=hjxZTe7OPIOEtgfmvrykDQ&usg=AFQjCNFvCGlaC1eBFHBhbxJ0NkeD4ya-Tg&sig2=wcBEnSUhDFVeagGbHHYyIQ

Tracy, B. (2004, May 17). The 7 Ps of Marketing; Take charge of your marketing efforts and beat the competition with this simple formula. . Entrepreneur. Retrieved from http://www.entrepreneur.com/marketing/article70824.html

netMBA. (). The Marketing Mix (the 4 P’s of Marketing) (reference). Retrieved from netMBA.com: http://www.netmba.com/marketing/mix/