Theories of Developmental Psychology

There are various speculations of formative brain science. Proposals speculations have endeavored to clarify changes in human practices because of specific conditions or circumstances. Despite the way that various investigations have concentrated on children’s improvement, there is an expanding enthusiasm for the conduct of elderly folks individuals too (Papalia, Olds Feldman, 2007, p.2). This paper will along these lines talk about the qualities and shortcomings of two hypotheses of formative psychology.Advertising We will compose a custom article test on Theories of Developmental Psychology explicitly for you for just $16.05 $11/page Learn More Attachment Theory John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth are viewed as the writers of connection hypothesis. John Bowlby concocted the essential standards of the hypothesis by depending on thoughts from robotics, ethology, formative brain research and data handling. Ainsworth’s imaginative system encouraged the exact testing of the hyp othesis of connection. Ainsworth likewise imagined the idea of the connection figure as a safe platform which a kid can use to investigate the general public (Bretherton, 1992, p.759). Connection is seen as a characteristic framework that changes itself to ensure proceeded with endurance of a kid. Youngsters have a characteristic inclination to look for physical, mental and enthusiastic help from people they are appended to (Bretherton, 1992, p.759). Bowlby built up his hypothesis subsequent to filling in as an intentional laborer in an organization for maladjusted kids. Bowlby was chiefly affected by his involvement in two kids at the establishment. The main kid was an amazingly affectionless and isolates adolescent who didn't have a steady mother figure. The subsequent one was an apprehensive eight years of age kid who tailed him all over the place (Bretherton, 1992, p.760). Bowlby’s hypothesis depended vigorously on Lorenz’s ethological hypothesis (particularly his exploration of engraving). Lorenz utilized youthful ducklings in his exploration to show that connection involved endurance. Bowlby recommended that connection practices are natural and that a youngster will undoubtedly feel uncertain and apprehensive when the connection figure is missing. He likewise stated that the dread of outsiders is an inborn social characteristic that a youngster is brought into the world with. This natural conduct empowers a kid to keep up closeness with his/her connection figure (Bowlby, 1980, p.2). The connection hypothesis causes us comprehend the significance of a connection figure in molding the child’s character. A youngster is probably going to encounter mental and enthusiastic scatters when the connection framework is broken (Bowlby, 1980, p.4). Pickover (2002) states that kids brought up in a shaky connection framework are generally unwelcoming to new make sure about connections designs (p.3).Advertising Looking for paper on brain research? W e should check whether we can support you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More also, they regularly become genuinely pulled back. Be that as it may, when youngsters are raised in a protected connection framework, they can associate with others and simultaneously keep up close relations with their connection figures (Pickover, 2002, p. 3). Restrictions of the Attachment hypothesis Bowlby’s connection hypothesis has pulled in reactions from some clinician. As indicated by Bowlby, the character of a kid is fundamentally affected by his/her connection figure (particularly the mother). For instance, Bowlby attests that a youngster will grow up to be an unreliable individual if his/her folks are crazy. Be that as it may, Harris gives an alternate perspective. He declares that guardians are by all account not the only individuals that change their children’s activities. He asserts that ecological factors and friend pressure impact the conduct of kids (Harris, 1998, p . 5). Bowlby expect that the mother relative, (for example, fathers and kin) can likewise impact the conduct of little youngsters. At long last, Bowlby’s connection hypothesis loans more belief on the distressing conditions (instead of the non-unpleasant conditions) that a kid experiences during impermanent division from his/her mom (Fraley Spieker, 2003, p. 8). Social Learning Theory The social learning hypothesis was created by Robert Sears trying to clarify factors that impact human practices (Grusec, 1992, p.776). The social learning hypothesis depends on â€Å"socialization forms that had an especially solid effect on examination and hypothesis in social formative psychology† (Grusec, 1992, p.777). At the end of the day, this hypothesis endeavors to comprehend the procedure in which kids get familiar with the practices, perspectives and qualities rehearsed by different individuals from the general public. The social learning hypothesis likewise centers around issu es, for example, the fulfillment of socially embraced sex-job practices, the control of threatening vibe and the battle with allure and blame. Singes states that guardians assume a significant job in helping their youngsters to disguise the socially acknowledged practices. He additionally expresses that the disguise procedure is enormously influenced by parents’ conduct (Grusec, 1992, p.777). The social learning hypothesis depends on three key perspectives. These are hostility, reliance and distinguishing proof. Sears’ appraisal of hostility depended intensely on Freud’s early ideas of animosity. Freud declared that hostility was a side-effect of dissatisfaction. As per Freud, â€Å"aggression is ascribed to a drive†¦linked to involvement in baffling events† (Grusec, 1992, p.777). Singes declared that hostility could be eased through a learning procedure. Reliance is another basic component tended to by the social learning hypothesis. As per Sears, t he nearness of reliance is ascribed to the way that youngsters forces various drives which are decreased by their moms. Burns contends that a youngster can mirror his/her mother’s properties through perception (during the newborn child mother matching minutes, for example, bosom feeding).Advertising We will compose a custom paper test on Theories of Developmental Psychology explicitly for you for just $16.05 $11/page Learn More He further expresses that the craving by the baby to be near his/her mom yields subordinate practices that are reinforced by nurturing consideration (Grusec, 1992, p.778). Sears’ hypothesis additionally loans trustworthiness to the job of recognizable proof in character advancement. At the point when little youngsters build up a reliance drive; they see activities of their moms as imperative components of their own standards of conduct (Grusec, 1992, p.778). Impediments of Social Learning Theory Sears’ social learning hypothesis has negle cted to stand the trial of time. The hypothesis makes major suspicions with respect to human activities. For example, the hypothesis disregards the basic natural rules that are basic to the social learning process. Clearly Sears experienced issues as he endeavored to depict the development of drives. He eventually disposed of the idea of drives and depended on the ideas of motivating force and fortification. Thus, his hypothesis lost its extraordinary characteristics (Grusec, 1992, p.779). To summarize it, the two speculations accentuate on the job of grown-up people and the socio-social condition in getting down to business children’s conduct. Fundamentally, Bowlby accepted that connection framework was an essential angle that encouraged a nearby security among kids and their moms. Essentially, Robert Sears’ social learning hypothesis endeavors to clarify factors that impact human practices. Regardless, the two speculations don't give satisfactory clarifications as fo r formative brain science. References Bowlby, J. (1980) Loss: Sadness Depression. Connection and Loss (vol. 3); (International psycho-logical library no.109). London: Hogarth Press. Bretherton, I. (1992). The Origins of Attachment Theory: John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. Formative Psychology, 28, 759-775. Fraley, R. C., Spieker, S. J. (2003) Are newborn child connection designs ceaselessly or completely conveyed? A taxometric investigation of bizarre circumstance conduct. Formative Psychology, 39, 387-404. Grusec, J.E. (1992) Social Learning Theory and Developmental Psychology: The Legacies of Robert Sears and Albert Bandura. Formative Psychology, 28, 776-786.Advertising Searching for exposition on brain science? We should check whether we can support you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Find out More Harris, J. R. (1998) The Nurture Assumption: Why kids turn out the manner in which they do. York: The Free Press. Mith, P.K., Cowie, H., Blades, M. (2008) Understanding Children’s Development. Fundamental brain science (4 Ed.). Oxford, England: Blackwell Inc. Papalia, D. E., Olds, S. W., Feldman R. D. (2007) Human turn of events. tenth ed. Boston: McGraw Hill. Pickover, S. (2002) Breaking the cycle: A clinical case of upsetting an unreliable connection framework. Diary of Mental Health Counseling, 24, 358-367. This exposition on Theories of Developmental Psychology was composed and presented by client Iliana H. to help you with your own examinations. You are allowed to utilize it for examination and reference purposes so as to compose your own paper; be that as it may, you should refer to it likewise. You can give your paper here.

Predicting the development of Anorexia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Anticipating the improvement of Anorexia - Essay Example The current investigation means to recognize the conceivable connection between's various grown-up connection styles to the defenselessness of creating dietary problems. The weakness of creating anorexia is higher among the shaky connected individuals than those protected appended. Connection connections stay significant for the duration of the life. While female pre-adult and youthful grown-up are no doubt influenced by anorexia the powerlessness may shift across connection styles. A gathering of 50 female patients matured 18-30, who satisfied DSM-III-R rules for regular anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa will be contemplated. They will experience a meeting to survey their connection styles by utilizing the relationship poll (RQ) made by Bartholomew and Horowitz. Pearson relationship investigations will be performed a short time later to ascertain the connection among the factors. The outcomes might be helpful in hazard appraisal. Dietary issues are one of the most widely recognized types of psychological wellness issue and are related with expanded hazard to life. The most widely recognized emotional wellness issues in clinical practice are wretchedness, dietary issues and tension issue. The death rate is high for dietary problems. Anorexia, when it is essentially a physical manifestation, can be brought about by a scope of issues, not really mental, which is the reason when it is a piece of a dietary issue, it is frequently called anorexia nervosa, so as to recognize it. The greater part of individuals with dietary problems are hetero ladies. An expected 10 percent of all instances of dietary problems are male. An exceptionally intriguing case with regards to point is the investigation of anorexia in Hong Kong by Lee (2001: 40-54). Typically anorexia nervosa is related with the dread of getting fat. This is a significant component of the differential finding in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV (DSM I V) for anorexia. The pervasiveness of dietary issues in young ladies in Hong Kong and other high-salary urban communities are on the ascent. Their previous investigation uncovered that the pervasiveness of disarranged eating in Hong Kong is identified with body disappointment, family brokenness, and despondency in the immature females. Chinese pre-adult females show Western example of body disappointment and cluttered eating perspectives. The psychosocial defenselessness factors are firmly connected with it, and in the coming time, the creators anticipated, there would be more weight control conduct and dietary problems (Lee and Lee, 1996). In their investigation in 2000, they remarked that cultural modernization is the reason for it (Lee and Lee, 2000). Another fascinating component is that they had no dread of getting fat, yet they rejected food so as to communicate their concerns or to stand up for themselves in the family (Lee, 2001). In this way self-assessment has a task to ca rry out in these scatters. Point The current examination targets distinguishing the conceivable connection between's various grown-up styles of connection to the danger of creating dietary issues. Destinations Hitherto, the helpful estimates accessible for dietary problems are deficient. Better mediations are conceivable if the instrument is depicted further. On the off chance that a relationship between's these dietary problems and connection style in the adulthood is built up, at that point

Equity of Trade Versus Free Trade Essay -- essays papers

Value of Trade Versus Free Trade The U.S. has an immense exchange unevenness with most exchanging countries. The awkwardness isn't in farming, albeit numerous food items - both crude and prepared - enter the U.S. at costs beneath those for similar U.S.- developed staples. To an enormous degree the unevenness is in made products. One explanation is that numerous countries have lower expenses of creation - in view of a lower expectation for everyday comforts, modest work, cheap crude materials, defensive government arrangement, and so on. Multinationals who have moved their plants to remote areas appreciate the best of the two universes - economical assembling costs and boundless access to the world's greatest purchaser advertise, the USA. Our free enterprise exchange position, when combined with numerous countries' defensive exchange positions and the innate difference of expectations for everyday comforts far and wide, is ending up being a formula for ever-expanding exchange shortages. Fueling the circumstance, GATT and NAFTA are demonstrating hard to execute when different countries ad lib fake exchange issues and stall at each chance. Bottomline, the U.S. is having issues with facilitated commerce. There is a choice to organized commerce. It's called EQUITY OF TRADE. It would work this way: Under value of exchange, if the country or other exchanging element question needs to send out some fabricated thing or food item into this nation, and if the thing being referred to is estimated lower than a practically identical thing made or developed in the U.S., at that point the exchanging substance is required to pay a levy (import obligation) at the Port of Entry that rises to the distinction between the landed-cost of the great and the normal expense of a tantamount American-made great. Model: A shirt made in Sri Lanka arrives on U.S. shores with an expense of $15, while a practically identical shirt made in the U.S. would cost $25. The remote element would then compensation a tax of $10 per shirt. In any case, rather than old fashioned Uncle Sam stashing the tax pay for the benefit of the national government (which it's not qualified for and which makes malevolence and never really encourage long-go, commonly gainful exchanging connections), store the gathered tax monies into an enthusiasm bearing exchanging account a U.S. bank in the sending out country's name (or organization or some other element). At that point give the remote exchanging element a year to recover the exchange credit and gathered enthusiasm by purcha... ... up the propensity (Roberts). Interestingly, these children realize that they are being impacted by cigarette publicizing. On the off chance that these children realize that this publicizing is controlling them, for what reason do they despite everything continue smoking? The advertisements are all over, particularly in high schooler arranged magazines, for example, Rolling Stone and Spin. The advertisements likewise fuel a portion of the reasons the youngsters gave for beginning. They speak to defiance, freedom, acknowledgment and satisfaction. These are for the most part the things a youngster, among youth and immaturity, needs and wants. This kind of publicizing, on peer pressure, is the puzzle behind the ascent in youthful smoking. How would we prevent the fate of America from smoking? Here are three things that the specialists suggest. Attempt to persuade your kids that smoking isn't cool. Converse with your children at a youthful age about the threats of smoking. Recognize relatives who smoke and request that they stop (Thomas). Kids are the most important item we are given throughout everyday life. We should attempt to instruct them while they're youthful to be free masterminds and to not be influenced by the tobacco organizations who are attempting to exploit their psyche and body.

Persuasive Essay Topics Without Research

Persuasive Essay Topics Without ResearchHaving a lot of good and compelling arguments and ideas in a persuasive essay is a good start, but the fact is that one needs to put some thought into their persuasive essay topics as well. Writing good topics is very important if you want to get the attention of your readers.If you are just starting out, then it is advisable that you go through some guides on persuading essays before you write your first persuasive essay topics without research. Researching the topic is not something that you do lightly. You have to have some basics down so that you can guide yourself.Firstly, it is a good idea to write about something that you know and that you are interested in. Try to make sure that the topic of your essay is not just based on luck, because you will want to be able to talk intelligently about it.Another good idea when writing persuasive essay topics without research is to use a vocabulary that you are familiar with. Knowing how to use a cer tain kind of vocabulary will allow you to sway your readers.While you are in school or college, have a student mentor or instructor to help you out by showing you topics for you to research. Don't feel like you need to memorize every topic, however, it will give you some confidence, which is very important in persuasion.Another great tip is to find some topics where you feel that you might be able to win an argument or two. Go through your head and try to picture the type of person that you would be speaking to. That will give you an idea as to what questions to ask, and what questions to avoid.Make sure that you have the whole crew on board before you begin writing an essay, so that you can make sure that the subject matter expert is in charge of everything. Before writing your essays, make sure that you know who is in charge of the overall presentation of the essays.As you can see, there are many ways to go about writing persuasive essay topics without research. All that you need to do is get the word out and grab the attention of your readers.

(Interpretive Essay on Women in the 19th Century)

(Interpretive on Women in the nineteenth Century) - Essay Example This is the period when work for a lady got unique. This is ascribed to the way that ladies during the nineteenth century accessed rights and even grasped working endlessly from home, as contradicted the earlier idea of ladies continually working at home. With respect to this, this paper will examine some transformative cases concerning ladies in the nineteenth century according to #87 Nickerson's Case, #89 Mercein versus People Ex Rel Barry, #96 Declaration of Seneca Falls show, #136 Bradwell versus ILL, #137 Minor versus Happersett. Women’s position in the family during the nineteenth century and tolerability During this period, ladies were intended to regard the dad as the leader of the family as observed from the #89 Mercein versus People Ex Rel Barry. As indicated by this case, Barry, the dad of the newborn child expected to be allowed more suppositions and benefits on the baby more than the mother of the kid. This is identified with earlier methods for taking care of iss ues of the family before nineteenth century. It is the appointed authority Mercein who changed this observation particularly to people like Barry and clarified that both the guardians expected to give care to the kid (Rife and Smith, 2002). Nickerson’s case is another proof of what ladies not being considered to assume significant jobs in the advancement of their youngsters; this is identified with biasness that was embroiled on the mother of the kid when taking care of issues on care. This is likewise the period that ladies were not permitted to offer any expressions in the general population, and the separation laws constantly preferred the man of the family, who was constantly viewed as the leader of the family. Ladies in many occurrences couldn't make any agreements, show up in claims as one of the observers for a situation, or even start laws suits. During this period, a large portion of the ladies who were currently ordered to be in the common laborers class progressive ly evaded marriage (Rife and Smith, 2002). Women’s rights in the nineteenth century in training Initially, ladies were implied not to declare self-autonomy as ascribed to the way that the majority of them were not permitted to go for legitimate instruction, in this way not permitted into calling. It is through #96 Declaration of Seneca Falls shows that women’s recognition on acting naturally autonomous came out unmistakably. The year 1865, ladies were allowed a chance to seek after their professions, for example, become specialists. This can be prove from the primary lady to turn into a specialist, Elizabeth Garrett in the year 1836-1917. This is the period that she additionally figured out how to turn into the main female civic chairman of her town. The greater part of the female legal advisors and dental specialists were created during this period (Rife and Smith, 2002). It is through this show ladies could now be real proprietors of certain properties, serve in the juries as key leaders and furthermore the issue of casting a ballot rights was exposed in during this period. Accordingly, ladies started to have just about an equivalent capacity to men in the general public. For instance, the case dependent on Seneca Falls show, was for the most part intended to address the significant issues on women’s right. This for the most part contacted social issues, financial, strict and political. This followed, in the year 1884 and the next years, a large portion of the ladies were permitted to go to classes at Oxford University and furthermore pay attention to their assessments just because. In spite of the fact that they were allowed the chance to take their exami

How People Find Time to Fitness in Their Daily Lifestyle - 1375 Words

How Healthy People Find Time to Include Fitness in Their Daily Lifestyle (Essay Sample) Content: Students Name: Professors Name: Course: Date: How Healthy People Find Time to Include Fitness in Their Daily Lifestyle Studies show that healthy people consider exercise to be a key factor towards their long term health and not an activity that is only performed in the short term to help reduce weight or keep the body in good shape. Although the long-term benefits of exercise are evident among healthy people, not every individual start his or her fitness journey with this attitude. Most people start their exercise programs with short-term objectives and only come to appreciate the outcomes later in life. It is this type of attitude that helps healthy people keep in shape even after their goals have been achieved. This paper looks at how healthy people find time to include fitness in their daily lifestyle. First, we must consider some of the factors that prevent people from actively engaging in physical exercise or why an individual may decide to stop going to the gym after a couple of days. Although time could be a factor, psychologists consider other factors beyond time such as lack of motivation, lack of enjoyment, negative associations, fear, and low self-esteem to have an effect on decisions made by individuals to engage in regular exercise (Ferriss 11). According to some sources, people who claim to have fixed schedules still find time for watching television, social networking, and other non-exciting household activities. It, therefore, means that time is not a barrier to physical activities. It is also true that a majority of people are in complete denial regarding their health and do not see the need of exercising. Those who want to exercise must create time, remain motivated with the outcome, avoid negative associations, and love what they are doing. Beyond these factors, we must consider time as a factor, and therefore the first strategy revolves around time management. Healthy people find time to include in their daily lifestyle because of they: make a good plan, spread tasks across the day, limit time spent on aimless activities, are active watchers, delegate house chores, are motivated by their lifestyle, are positive thinkers, socialize more, and accept leadership from a cheerful person. When it comes to planning, healthy people prefer making their exercise schedules after identifying the best time to do exercise. This plan is then entered into a computer calendar and flowed as a routine event. Once put on the calendar, the plan shows up regularly, and there is less chance of missing the events of the day. Event scheduling is significant because it allows these individuals to form a mental picture regarding how they will exercise. Exercise scheduling keeps healthy people motivated and gives them the opportunity to explore alternative programs that will help them live positive lifestyles. Apart from making an exercise plan, healthy people tend to subdivide their to-do list so that they have shorter activities that can be completed easily. Most people engaging in physical exercise keep the process a routine by following a three-step to-do list. In their plan, they identify three important factors that define their lives including family, work, and themselves, and make a list of three categories that would make the most prominent change in their lives (Ferriss 14). For families, they include activities like cooking and helping with house chores while for work, they include things like completing office task. After completing these activities, it is advisable that one finds time to engage in exercise and socialize with friends. The final step involves spending much time to complete the identified tasks and honoring those activities that a very specific. Those people who have taken conscious steps to engage in healthy exercise have struggled to reach where they are today. Even though the practice may appear easy and simple to execute on a daily basis, achieving healthy life could be difficult for every person and requires commitment. Apart from planning activities, one can only achieve healthy life by practicing healthy eating habits. Healthy people consider exercising an integral part of life, and even if their schedules are fixed with other commitments, they usually take few minutes to continue with the usual health activities. The simple act of healthy living has the capacity to change the lives of individuals, but only if the necessary procedures are followed (Nelson et al. 22). Healthy people believe that it is okay to start the entire process by engaging in little physical activities and later adjust depending on the final goals. In addition to the starting strategy, psychologists suggest that those taking part in physical exercise should limit the amount of time they spend on TV and the internet because these sources tend to be highly addictive and may consume ones precious time. Before deciding to watch or socialize with friends over the internet, it is important to set a time limit so that there is no interference with other activities. At times, we find ourselves watching TV programs that we do not like simply because we are bored or lack alternative sources of entertainment. If we can dedicate part of the time we spend watching low-value shows on physical exercise, our health would change for the better. Similarly, it would be important for one to maximize every little time spent on other activities like watching by becoming an active watcher (Nelson et al. 25). Balancing some of these activities may be hard. However, if a person keeps all the fitness equipment in an open place where they can be accessed, there will be a tendency to increase chances for physical exercise. The Majority of people who spend much of their time in the gym are always committed to a fitness routine. These individuals get the best outcome since they are committed to what they are doing, always stick to their plan, and ensure that the whole experience is fun. At an advance stage, there is a need to work with a personal trainer or a gym instructor in order to get the best outcome (Haskell, Henry, and Diane 18). However, beginners can start with something that is entertaining and works slowly to achieve the desired results. The life we are leading requires us to make specific choices. The best way to commit to this type of lifestyle is to find reasons why a ...

Bose Ride - Free Essay Example

Introduction of Group Project Bose Corporation Founded in 1964 by Dr. Amar Bose, Bose Corporation is a company pioneering in perfecting the quality of sound heard through speakers. Through the years, Bose has become an industry leader by developing innovative products such as the Bookshelf Speaker, Wave Music System, and Bose Suspension System. In 2008, Dr. Amar Bose was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for â€Å"significantly influenced influencing the quality of how we live. † Bose’s product line ranges from products for pilots, electroforce test instruments, homebuilding/remodeling solutions. Its main products are in professional sound solutions. Bose is a private company headquartered in Framingham, MA, and is continuously discovering breakthrough products to improve the consumers’ quality of life all over the world. Industry, Offerings, Target Market The Bose Ride System is a one of a kind product. However, mMost people would probably try to compare it to Air Ride, a suspension system that offers a smoother ride for truckers. The NAICS code that would fit particular to the Bose Ride System is 336630: Motor Vehicle Seating and Interior Trim Manufacturing. Because the Bose Ride System is a seat, it is quite obvious that the NAICS code would be motor vehicle seating. The Automobile Seating Industry segment for Air Ride seats comprises of about 8 key companies: Bostrom Seating, Comfort Ride USA, Knoedler Manufacturers, National Seating, Recaro, Sears Seating, Seats, Inc. , and Wise Seating. Total industry revenue in 2009 totaled $15. 039 billion. Bose Corporation is generally known for its impeccable speaker systems and surround sound units, however, it is currently trying to penetrate different markets and the auto market is one of them. Their Automotive Systems Division is constantly innovating and researching to improve upon their current suspension system for vehicles. Because consumer comfort and quality of life is are what Bose tries to improve, they have minimized this suspension unit to introduce the Bose Ride System. It is a seat suspension unit designed to reduce the soreness and fatigue experienced by long-haul drivers. The Bose Ride System will be available beginning March, 2010. Currently it will be available only through a special sales team. Due to the newness of the product, Bose will only allow the Ride System to be sold as an after-market product. The seat is designed to help lessen the feel of bumps and vibrations in the road and to relieve fatigue that comes on when after driving for long periods of time. For the long term, this product will help those who have occupations in driving thus to have lessening back pain and boy wear than when using the common Air Ride system. Bose has specifically targeted the trucking fleet market where they can sell the seat to trucking companies such as freighters and FedEx, etc, and thus the end user would be the consumer. In th e future, the seat may be available for small cars, consumers, and maybe even the airline industry; however, for now, Bose is limiting the availability to truck fleets. Mission and Long-Term Goals Bose Corporation’s mission is Committed to encouraging innovation, creating value for customers, and having passion for what we do. Over the years, the accolades that Bose has attained, such as Inventor of the Year (1987) and Product of the Year (1998), further exemplify the company’s mission. Bose is privately held with a goal of reinvesting profits into the corporation for RD, so there is not necessarily a corporate goal. Based on this, it is safe to assume that the company’s long term goals are in line with researching and developing products that will facilitate the lifestyles of consumers. The Bose Ride System will help meet Bose’s mission of creating value for customers through the lessening of back pain and fatigue of the end user. Through interviews with professional drivers, Bose found that many over-the-road drivers accept feeling sore and tired as part of the job. Many drivers who participated in a trial of the Bose Ride system reported that they felt more comfortable, less sore and less fatigued—all factors that can improve job performance and quality of life. In addition, the value this will add to businesses is even greater. Because drivers will be feeling less fatigue, and thus be in better shape (less back pain, etc), drivers will be more efficient and willwould be willing to drive for longer periods. In addition, employee turnover may not be as high due to the fact that the Bose Ride System can improve a drivers’ quality of life. Bose is continuously researching ways to improve and better the lives of consumers, and the Bose Ride System is a great way for the company to contribute to its Mission. Industry Analysis Product Life Cycle The motor vehicle seating manufacturing industry launched simultane ously with the automobile industry of the early 20th century. The industries expanded together over the following 100 years, but the seating industry began to become specialized towards the end of the century delivering customized solutions for particular needs. Traditional seats used in long haul truck driving began to lose favor within the industry in the 1970s when doctors found that seasoned truck operators were exposed to whole-body vibrations leading to back and organ damage over time. At the same time, suspension and compression technology enabled seat manufacturers to attempt to counteract some of the vibrations by adding technology found in an automobile’s suspension tire system to the base of the seat. In doing so, some of the associated risk was mitigated, but the passive suspension system only responded to some of the whole-body vibrations and did not have sufficient useful life. The entire industry is quite mature in the United States, but in growth mode in emerging markets such as India and China, where citizens are beginning to buy their first automobiles and companies require trucks to meet the supply chain needs of their growing organizations. The active suspension seat industry is in the early adopters phase with only a few manufacturers introducing products and transportation companies contemplating the costs and benefits of implementing them in their fleets. The Bose Ride system is due to be launched in March of 2010. Currently reaching the end of its development period, the introduction phase is now looming over it. After its launch in March 2010 a lot of growth and an idea as to its potential will be seen. The introductory phase is a time of huge growth, a potential for a lot of technical change in product design and most likely a time for limited or negative profitability. It is also a time when others in the market begin to gauge the product and future competitors start out on making their own versions. As a result of th is, by the time the product reaches its growth stage, there will be a lot more competitors on the stage. A lot more aggressive marketing will be seen in this ‘growth’ stage and also a potential for branching from the scene of heavy duty truck fleets to other systems, like off-road vehicles, construction equipment, airplanes, boats, etc. Also, at this stage, Bose will probably tap into their immense strength with regards to sound technology and incorporate speakers and other sound systems in their seats. More and more competitors will also probably show up on the scene with comparable products. Profitability at this stage though, is projected to be high. As the product gets into the more mature phase, improvised, probable lighter versions of the seat that are adaptable to individual consumers also will probably make the rounds. Also, newer versions will take much shorter periods of time to be introduced and prove to be more profitable. Bose has already invested yea rs of research, all of which will payback as they implement newer versions. Profitability at this stage will also be at a high. Also, currently the product is only due for a US launch. As the product establishes itself locally, international markets will provide huge potential. Concentration on features and quality improvement become the prime focus after the initial launch. Maintaining effective distribution channels and good communication channels and customer care support also will become top priorities. Overall, because the product is in the introductory phase, Bose will have to put in a lot of effort to market and distribute the product. In addition, because the Ride System is unique to the seating industry, it is expected to be very profitable for the company. Competitor Analysis As stated earlier, the car seating industry is in the maturity stage. Many companies have already penetrated the market and have become leaders in innovative seating designs that not only help t he driver ergonomically, but also are stylish accessories for the vehicle. The Bose Ride System’s major competitors include Recaro Group, Bostrom Seating, Sears Seating, and Seats Inc. Recaro Group The Keiper Recaro Group is a German based company that specializes in mobile seating. They have three companies under their umbrella: Keiper, Recaro, and Recaro Aircraft Seating. Each company specializes in seating that will enhance the end user’s comfort. Their product line ranges from economy and business class seating for aircrafts, all the way to ergonomic seats for the end consumer. Keiper Recaro Group’s sales figures for 2008 top â‚ ¬1. 8 billion. Already a global company, Keiper plans to further expand the company to Dubai and Shanghai in the next few years, in order to have a greater reach. The Keiper Recaro Group has diversified seating options through multiple industries: regular automotive, commercial vehicles, aircrafts, and public seating. Since Bos e has only targeted the commercial vehicles, this analysis will focus on just the commercial vehicle offerings of Recaro North America. Recaro North America’s main product line includes 4 groups: Motorsports, Tuning, Ergonomics, and Child Safety. Each sub-category has attuned its products to comfort and well-being of the end user. The Ergonomics seats are the ones that are mostly targeted towards commercial vehicles such as busses and trucks. These seats focus on reducing the stress of the road, and help to seat the driver in an ergonomically correct position, therefore reducing any strain felt on legs and back due to long periods of seating. Recaro Group has a long list of customers which include BMW, Ford, Chevy, McLaren, Toyota, Mercedes, etc. Their reach for customers is global, and this will be a big threat to Bose. Their Marketing Strategy and website are great tools for customers who are interested in this company’s products. Recaro is a recognized brand i n many industries such as Motor Racing, Car Seating, etc. With such great brand awareness, it is easy for Recaro to reach customers, and to establish itself as a good company. Recaro’s main product is mobile seating and they are able to focus all of their efforts into one main product. Due to the seating industry’s maturity, Recaro will have to form alliances with other companies to enhance their product offerings. Bostrom Seating Bostrom Seating is a leading supplier of air suspension and static seating systems for the heavy-truck, agricultural, construction, bus, and specialty vehicle market. In 2005, Bostrom Seating became a subsidiary of Accuride Corporation who is one of the largest and most diversified manufacturers and suppliers of commercial vehicle components in North America. Bostrom Seating is focused on Quality Assurance and has achieved ISO 9001:2000, ISO/TS 16949:2002 and ISO 14001 certification. They have also fine tuned their manufacturing processes through years of experience to create an efficient process. Bostrom Seating is 100% focused on developing and manufacturing truck seating as they sell no other products. Bose will be hard pressed to be able to compete with Bostrom Seating; at least in the beginning. Bostrom Seating offers about 25 different products to a diverse target market which includes all medium-heavy duty trucks, busses, agricultural and construction vehicles as well as specialty vehicles, while Bose only offers one product to one market. Bostrom Seating has hundreds of distributors all over North America, not to mention the other hundreds of distributors they have in Canada. However, Bostrom Seating also is not an industry leader and has low brand name recognition. Sears Seating Sears Seating Inc. was established in Davenport, Iowa in 1855; they are a leader in the design and manufacture of suspension and non-suspension seating systems. Their target markets include the agricultural, construction, and m aterial handling equipment, and over the road truck markets. Sears Seating is currently the major seat supplier to John Deere Co. , CNH, Caterpillar, Hyster, Yale, Freightliner, Bobcat, and many others around the world. Sears Seating holds over 60 patents, and utilizes the latest technologies in design and testing to ensure every seat meets or exceeds customer expectations. Sears Seating is ISO 9001 QMI-SAI Global certified. Sears Seating has a variety of product offerings including their top selling lines of Atlas Truck Seats, and Elite 80 Series. Some of the features of these products include ergonomically contoured seat pans and cushions to provide full body support and semi-active and active-suspension technologies that reduce and eliminate vibrations. These products are distributed worldwide with hundreds of suppliers in the continental United Stated and overseas. Sears Seating appeals to their target markets by offering comfort, durability and value as well as an extens ive 10 year warranty on all seats that they manufacture. They have maintained a strong relationship with their major buyers over the past decades and this has been their main means of marketing new product offerings. Seats Inc. Seats Inc. is a world class leader in seating products. Product diversification, innovative design and manufacturing combined with advanced technology generate the world class seating of Seats Incorporated. They are a member of Nordic Group of companies and are located in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. Seats Inc. has distributors throughout North America, and offers an extensive product line of highway seating, off highway seating, turf seating, school bus seating, mariner seating, office chair seating and locomotive seating. Seats Inc. is quality certified to ISO 9001:2000. This certification gives customers an added sense of reliability of the products. Due to this certification, customers understand that they have a quality focus, and that customer service an d customer satisfaction are their main priorities. Seats Inc has In-House design engineering which constantly works on new designs and modifications. They also have custom/contract seat and suspension system design department that works on development services, compliance testing and certifications for S. A. E and F. M. V. S. S. Seats Inc. markets their products to by focusing on trade shows. This is an advantage to the company as potential customers are able to physically see product offering prior to purchase. SWOT Analysis Strengths |Weaknesses | |Recaro Group |Recaro Group | |Global customer base |Broad customer focus | |Brand recognition |Limited improvement to existing products without extensive research | |All efforts focused on seating industry |Bostrom Seating | |Bostrom Seating |Not an industry leader | |Diverse product mix |Low brand name recognition | |100’s of distributors in both North America and Canada |Poor distribution channels | |Sears Seating |Sears Seatin g | |Over 150 years of experience in the seating industry |Broad customer focus | |Strong brand recognition |Seats Inc. | |Worldwide distribution channels |Relatively new to automobile seat market | |Seats Inc. | |Diverse product mix | | |Design and engineering innovations | | |Opportunities |Threats | |Expand into international markets |Mobile seating is a mature industry, market led by strong competitors | |Bose has potential to offer better technology enhanced seating |Bose Ride System is only designed for Class 8 over-the-road trucks | |Freight transportation industry has opportunity for growth and |Only offering one product line | |longevity |Bose has limited distribution channels | |Strong brand name in other industries |No major customer base | | |Limited customer service offerings (limited warranty) | | |Low brand name recognition | Customer Analysis Market Segmentation The Bose Ride System is an aftermarket product, meaning trucks will not be sold with the system already in stalled. Due to this, the main potential customer base for Bose will be large fleet distributors. According to the survey data from Truck Manufactures Association https://www. truckmfgs. org/SalesData. asp, Class-8 truck has the highest sales in the market followed by Class-7 and finally by class 6. The sales of new trucks have been declining in the past few years due to number of reasons such as poor economy and depreciation of US dollar. What this means to Bose is that they have to target used truck owners, fleet company in the market and concentrate less on brand new truck manufacturers. However, this could be a future potential when the new truck sale picks up. In order to find the potential customers for Bose ride system, the company has to focus on large fleet owners in retail sectors such as Sears, Target, Costco and Sysco. Sear/Kmart has over 1300 store within US and they have their own fleet division to distribute their products across the country. Costco has over 55 0 locations in America and they are the largest whole sale seller in the country. Their revenue is over 7 billion a year and all their products are carried in fleet/trucking system. Due to this reason, Bose could approach such fleet companies to sell their products. Bose ride system marketing team could also focus on commercial fleet carriers such as Landstar Inc- https://www. landstar. om/. They provide the largest transportation services to North America and targeting such fleet company will help boost sales and increase customer base. As the lifeblood of the U. S. economy, the trucking industry employs millions of professional drivers to deliver approximately 95% of the nations goods. Wal-Mart is the world’s largest retailer, and has one of the largest private trucking fleets in the world with over 6,800 units in its fleet. These vehicles are the backbone of Wal-Mart’s distribution network; they crisscross the country collectively traveling 900 million miles a year to deliver goods to the retailer’s nearly 4,000 stores. Wal-Mart is currently undergoing a green initiative and is looking to transition a majority of the fleet to hybrid trucks. This initiative could be an excellent opportunity for Bose to market the Bose Ride System to Wal-Mart and have them installed into their new hybrid fleet. Market segments include: (a)Private trucking fleets (b)Contracted distributors (c)Owner- operators Bose ride system marketing team has three market segments to focus on. These market segments have great potential in trucking industry. Bose can find these markets to be a potential for huge sales in the early stages of the product. Segmentation of market is done according to buyer’s potential of purchase. We will see in detail as to who are these buyers. Customer Attractiveness 1=Low 5=High |Enterprise Fleet |Corporate Fleet |Owner Operators | |Size |   |   |350,000 | |Growth (5 years) |(4) Increases in Supply Chain |(2) Low |(3) Flat | | |leverage throughout nation due to | | | | |focus on finding efficiencies. | | |Price Sensitivity |(4) Understand the significance of |(2) Highly sensitive to price and |(4) Understand the significance of | | |reducing vibrations throughout the |often not interested in long term |reducing vibrations throughout the | | |drivers body during trips. Willing |benefits of product. |drivers body during trips. Willing | | |to spend. | |to spend. | |Capability Fit |(4) Fleet managers have large |(3) Significant range in vehicles |(3) Significant range in vehicles | | |quantities of common vehicles. |throughout segment. Though peaks in|throughout segment. Though peaks in| | | |common fit. common fit. | |Channel Marketing Reach |(3) Strong corporate reporting |(4) Limited corporate reporting |(3) Individual owners read | | |structure. Bose can arrange time |structure. Bose can arrange time |periodicals and study industry | | |with management. |with management. Management would |forums close ly. | | | |like this level of attention | | | | |though very busy. | |Willingness to try new brand |(4) Interested in the bottom-line |(3) Interested in the bottom-line |(2) Very focused on tried and true | | |and understands the level of |and understands the level of | | | |innovation |innovation | | |Overall Attractiveness |19 |14 |15 | Sales Goals and Demand Estimations For the Bose Ride System, which is in its early stages of the product life cycle, it is expected that it will take some time for sales to pick up. Because the Automobile Seating market is already saturated with providers of seats such as Bostrom, Recaro, etc. , it will be hard for Bose to penetrate the market. In addition, the growth rate since 2008 for the market has declined by almost 15%; however it looks like the truck freight sector has grown by nearly 4% in 2008. Due to the maturity of the car seat manufacturing industry, it looks like the growth rates are trending down. The Ride System will first target the enterprise fleet segment as that seemingly will offer the most sales in the beginning. In addition, by taking lead from industry sales trends, we can successfully depict similar sales trends for the Ride System for the next few years. Three scenarios can possibly happen, and they are depicted below. Per the NAICS code 33636, the Bose Ride System falls under Automobile Seating Interior Manufacturing. Per Ibis World’s industry analysis, it looks like the seat manufacturing takes up about 50% of the industry totals. When applying that to the sales figures from 2009, it looks like revenue can be estimated to be about $7,000 million. That includes sales from the top seat manufacturers as well as the little companies. Sales trending for Bose’s top competitors are listed as below (in thousands): Sales Trending for the past 4 years (in Thousands) | | | | | | | | | | | |2005 |2006 |2007 |2008 | | |Competitors |Sales |Sales |Sales |Sales | | |Recaro |234 |265 |270 |270 | | |Bostrom |70 |78 |52 |47 | | |Total |304 |343 |322 |317 | | |Growth rate | |12. 90% |-6. 09% |-1. 55% | Through the Time Series Method, if Bose applies this trending to its 2010 – 2014 sales projections, the figures may look like this: |2010 |2011 |2012 |2013 |2014 | |Sales in Units |200 |226 |212 |209 |206 | |Sales in Dollars |200,000 |225,798 |212,048 |208,758 |205,520 | Market Entry, Branding Positioning Strategy Though the Bose Ride System is a new product from a new category player, the overarching Bose brand is widely known and accepted across North America. Considered a household name, Bose is most recognized for its high-quality speaker system. According to JD Power and Associates, Bose is the strongest brand power not only in the US, but worldwide. In addition, 88 percent of men and women between 18 and 65 recognize the brand and attribute it to quality, excellence and trust. While this is overwhelmingly associated with audio products, the root essence of the se three attributes can be leveraged to capture a new audience in the transportation industry. Many auto manufacturers are already familiar with the Bose Ride System and already talking with Bose about incorporating them into their vehicles. With the brand’s essence and values demonstrated, the new product can be positioned properly in the transportation industry. Next, Bose already has connections in the auto manufacturing industry, so it may not be too hard for Bose to enter the enterprise fleet market. Bose will have to ensure that its product is viewed as being beneficial for the end user, and not just an accessory. Therefore, Bose must position the Bose Ride System as a unique approach to eliminating long-term stress on drivers’ bodies as they transport goods across the US. The goal of Perceptual Positioning is to create enough interest or buzz in a product that it will demand the attention of consumers. It is also a communications campaign that it designed to instill in the prospects mind a vivid picture of product and its brand. In our case, the Bose Ride System. Due to the fact that Bose already has great brand recognition with consumers, this shouldn’t be too difficult. A successful communications campaign guides potential customers through a series of attitudes and effects: Awareness leads to comprehension, comprehension leads to favorable attitude, a favorable attitude leads to interest, interest leads to intention, and intention leads to purchase. Positioning Statement: For Long-Haul Truckers, the Bose Ride System is the smoothest ride around because it uses state of the art technology that senses, analyzes, and counteracts forces from the road. Product positioning process for Bose Ride System: Perceptual Positioning Map: [pic] The truck seating market is currently a hostile environment with many leading industry competitors. The combined market share of the leading competitors indicates how much of the market may be left over for a new entrant. Market hostility may increase with the entrance of the Bose Ride System and Bose must be prepared for this. Majority of the main competitors are highly dependent on the sales of their truck seating and will likely put up a fight upon the introduction of a new product into the market place. This strategy could include aggressive pricing incentive, deals, or patent challenges. Bose will be using the Bowling Alley Strategy when entering the market. This approach uses a low-key calculated entry into a narrowly defined market. Once successful entry into one segment is completed the firm can move on to other segments in hopes that the momentum will carry over. In Boses case they have chosen Class 8 trucks in the commercial truck fleet as their target segment to enter first. This method is appropriate for Bose so that it can quietly enter the market and establish itself in the truck seat industry without alarming competitors. Once Bose is a trusted brand name , they can expand into other markets such as individual owner-operators and OEM manufacturers. Next, in terms of a market entry strategy for the Bose Ride System, it falls somewhere between being a pioneer and follower. The product would be considered a pioneer for taking air ride seating one step further with state of the art technology. This provides Bose with the distinct advantages that are associated with pioneering such as (a) to determine the industry standard or rule of the game in the market when it comes to such air ride seating (b) select the best positioning, suppliers and distributors for such a system c) capitalize on the economies of scales and learning curve effects that result in cost advantages over followers, and (d) build the reputation of innovativeness and brand loyalty among the customers. Bose does face a challenge though, in that there are already other forms of air ride seating options available in the market and when taken in terms of truck seating in gene ral, it would be considered a follower that has developed over existing products. In such a case it has the advantage of capitalizing over mistakes of previous seating manufacturers in terms of technology, product positioning, channel selection, promotion and pricing. Also, it is bound to face competition from existing products that already have a hold on the market. Because of its unique position Bose has to address a few key issues to ensure longevity, these include high product quality, heavy scale advertising and superior customer service. Product and Service Strategy Research suggests that out of the four strategic factors marketing synergy, technical synergy, product advantage and international orientation; product advantage is the most important. This tells us that customers first and foremost want to know what the core benefit is of any product, or in our case, the Bose Ride System. The core benefit or â€Å"product advantage† that the Bose Ride System offers is th at it improves ride quality for long-haul truckers. Potential consumers will need to make a decision whether they believe Bose will follow through on this claimed benefit. To by or not to buy, that is the question. The BoseRideâ„ ¢ system’s marketing strategy in addition varies by customer segment. As indicated in the customer matrix, the enterprise fleet management segmentation is initially the primary focus. In this situation, the product strategy revolves around the benefit of reducing whole-body vibrations of the employees. This customer is accountable to their employee and their shareholders. Consumers make decisions based on brand name, features, design, quality and after sale service. First up is brand name. Bose has an excellent brand image and reputation, but much of that reputation stems from the audio side of Bose, not truck seating. Consumers will need to develop the vision of Bose as a brand that can be trusted. Moving on to features, The Bose Ride Syste m features state of the art design and technology that improves ride quality by intelligently responding to changing conditions. It continuously senses, analyzes and counteracts forces from the road instead of just damping them. Bose speakers are considered to be among the best quality speakers on the market. Bose needs consumers to link these two sides together and put their faith in Bose to create high quality truck seating, just like they create high quality speakers. The Bose ride system weighs approximately 180 lbs and will be shipped as one single package from its plant in MA. Bose ride system is designed in such a way that a Bose certified trained mechanic can fit it in approximately two hours. Currently the Bose ride system is sold only as an aftermarket product and hence it has to be installed separately by a trained mechanic. It is designed specifically for Class 8 over-the-road trucks. Bose does not recommend installation in other vehicles. It also comes with a 1 year manufacturing warranty. Bose takes pride in providing high quality products to its customers; that will not change when they begin selling truck seating. Bose currently offers a 30-day performance guarantee on all of their products. If for any reason you are unhappy with a Bose product, simply return it within the 30 days for a full refund, no questions asked. Consumers love knowing that they can â€Å"test† products out for a few weeks before they decide to keep it. If Bose offers that same performance guarantee with truck seating, consumers will feel 100% confident in purchasing the Bose Ride System and putting their trust in the Bose name brand. These features of warranty and installation are especially important to enterprise customers as they are interested in large production quantities to gain economies of scale for purchasing and maintain low transaction costs with fewer suppliers. For the future looking towards expansion Bose needs to focus its strategy on offerin g more viable options for installation and warranty so that the consumer feels like he is being offered more choice. This is largely in contrast to the owner operator customer segment. OO’s are just as cognizant of their health, however research shows they are more brand conscience and less focused on installation. A 2009 LandLine magazine survey indicates 56. 4% of OO’s perform their own maintenance, and when it comes to purchasing oil and tires more than 70% of drivers prefer trusted names. Knowing this, the messaging hierarchy changes to lead with the brand and how its technology background enables this breakthrough performance in the industry. Messaging Hierarchy Grid: | |Enterprise Fleet |Corporate Fleet |Owner Operators | |Lead Message |Reduced Health Risks. Studies show the |Reduced Health Risks. Studies show the |Reduced Health Risks. Studies show the | | |exposure to whole-body vibrations causes|exposure to whole-body vibrations causes|exposure to whole- body vibrations causes| | |health problems. This product mitigates |health problems. This product mitigates |health problems. This product mitigates | | |this risk, thus reducing health |this risk, thus reducing health |this risk, thus enabling them to be | | |premiums. |premiums. |healthier. | |Message 2 |Reduced Health Risks. Studies show the |Brand. technology background enables |Brand. technology background enables | | |exposure to hole-body vibrations causes|this breakthrough performance in the |this breakthrough performance in the | | |health problems. This product mitigates |industry |industry | | |this risk, thus enabling employees to be| | | | |happier. | | | |Message 3 |Economies of Scale. Bose understands the|Installation. With a varying fleet of |Robust Warranty. OOs operate their own | | |importance of purshasing hundreds of |vehicles it is important to Corporate |business and want the security of | | |units at a time and can support large |Fleet managers that this p roduct fit |knowing their investment is protected. | | |accounts from a supply chain |their entire line. | | | |perspective. | | | |Message 4 |Brand. technology background enables |Robust Warranty. OOs operate their own |   | | |this breakthrough performance in the |business and want the security of | | | |industry |knowing their investment is protected. | | Channel Strategy Channel objectives define the relationship between the manufacturers and customers. Bose has already determined the channel of distribution for the Bose Ride System. Bose handles all the tasks necessary to make a sale and deliver the product to the customer. These tasks include making contact with potential buyers, negotiating, marketing, servicing the products, transportation and storage. This should come as no surprise but Bose has chosen to use a direct channel of distribution. Starting in March, the Bose Ride System is being sold and distributed directly by Bose, via a specialized sales team out of F ramingham, Massachusetts. As stated before, Bose is currently only selling seats to fleet owners who are purchasing in bulk. Down the road, Bose will begin selling directly to individual owner-operators as well as aftermarket distributors. One of the main reasons Bose has chosen to sell direct is due to the complexity of the product. Bose needed an expert sales team to demonstrate products, provide detailed pre-sale information and lastly provide after-sales service. Direct marketing means selling products by dealing directly with consumers rather than through intermediaries. The main advantage of selling direct is that there is no need to share profits with the intermediaries, since they have been excluded from the process. However, direct selling does have its constraints and limitations. Bose may be giving up more cost efficient distribution logistics that intermediaries have available because they have chosen to sell and distribute directly from a centralized sales team in Ma ssachusetts. Intermediaries may also have sophisticated Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) at their disposal that Bose simply does not have. Finally, the biggest constraint that selling direct has on Bose is the time and money constraint. Direct distribution is not easy work, especially for companies that do not specialize in it. This is why it will take a lot more time and effort for Bose to effectively sell the Bose Ride System directly. Bose has to use a highly specialized sales team to handle the complex selling situations, which does not come cheap. The Bose sales team requires a high degree of market knowledge and selling skills to effectively sell the Bose Ride System. As stated previously, Bose has chosen to sell the Bose Ride System directly. So Bose will be performing all the necessary tasks involved from assembly to delivery. These tasks include but are not limited to marketing, manufacturing, distributing, and after-sales service. An alternative method t hat Bose could use to distribute the new Bose Ride System is the indirect distribution method. In using this method, Bose would need to hire intermediaries that are responsible for the distribution of goods on the behalf of the Bose. These intermediaries serve as channel partners that ultimately play a vital role in Bose’s strategy and success. However, indirect channels are generally used when the markets are fragmented and widely dispersed and when the products aren’t considered complex; which does not apply to Bose’s situation. Despite Bose using a direct distribution approach, Supply Chain Management is very important. That is why Bose has developed an approach to quality management that is driving the integration of manufacturing and selling across its supply chain. Bose has great business relationships that help make the entire process a little easier. SCM isn’t quite as complex when using direct distribution because you don’t have to deal with any suppliers or intermediaries. However, you do still have to deal with customer relationships, customer service, and order fulfillment. I believe Bose should focus on quality management in order to gain a competitive advantage in the market. Bose has never sold a product like the Bose Ride System before and because of this, customers are going to be weary of purchasing it. If Bose begins selling the Bose Ride System and customers aren’t satisfied with the quality, or keep having to have the product fixed, Bose will lose any respect it had in the automotive seating market. This is why I believe Bose must focus on quality management and make certain that the products that the customers receive are to the highest quality possible. Supply Chain Diagram: [pic] Pricing Strategy Strategic and Tactical Pricing Objectives Although the car seat manufacturing market is saturated with a few companies at the top, Bose’s initial pricing strategy will not be to meet the pr icing of competition; however, this may be something to look into when competitors begin to mimic Bose’s technology and begin losing market share. Because the Bose Ride system is a new product that defines a new approach to an old idea, it is important that Bose focus on the following objectives: to achieve a target return on investment, and to achieve a significant market-share. Firstly, Bose’s objective is to reach 100% profits, and the reason its goal is so high is because of the value of the Ride System. The core benefits of the Ride System include reduced stress on the body thus creating more efficiency from the driver, and increased comfort for the driver by reducing vibrations felt on the road. The health improvements offered by the Ride System should be reason enough for many of the fleet transporters to install and switch; however, it will take some time for many of the customers to realize the benefits of the Ride System. In order to recoup the costs of manufacturing products, it is important for Bose to recognize all costs may be incurred. The cost dynamics in any firm change over time. Some of costs change due to the company’s overall strategic objectives, i. e. saving money, changing suppliers, etc; other changes, however, are not subject to the overall goals and objectives of management, and it is key to be prepared for such changes. A firm with insight into cost dynamics may be able to position itself to gain cost advantage by anticipating changes such as industry growth, differential technological change, inflation, and market adjustment. Because the seating industry is very old and saturated, Bose can bring a â€Å"breath of fresh air,† and introduce a new product. The most important cost that Bose will have to be prepared for is Market Adjustment where competitors adopt to similar activities as Bose, and thus driving up costs to incur such activities. For example, if Bose uses a specific vendor for seat ma terials, other companies may follow suit to remain competitive. The supplier, then, has the upper hand and may increase its price in order to increase its profitability. It is necessary for Bose to anticipate its competitors to try to mimic its technology upon introduction. Given the early stage of the lifecycle, the initial pricing strategy assumes a low level of units sold and a unit profit two times the variable costs required to manufacture and install. Effectively this is a 100% product profit margin and is in line with new product pricing requirements of the corporation. The purple shaded area in Exhibit 1 illustrates this notion. Given the exclusive breakthrough technology incorporated in the product, it is difficult to anticipate when competitors will catch up or when demand grows exponentially. In either event, the product will find itself in the green shaded area where the feature/benefit story no longer resonates and customers purchase based on price alone. In this cas e, product profit is lower requiring only a smaller margin over product costs. The demand of the product depends greatly on outside factors. Healthcare costs continue to stir contention in board rooms with companies like Caterpillar taking million dollar charges in preparation for healthcare costs. Bose is uniquely positioned to offer heavy trucking companies an ability to reduce the risks of back problems with this product, so it is reasonable to conclude that demand could spike due to political factors. Price Relationship to Life Cycle [pic] Pricing Methods Strategy With the introduction of the new Bose Ride System, Bose has chosen to use a skimming pricing strategy. The Bose Ride System uses state of the art technology and there are currently no other products like it on the market. There are similar products that use similar technology, but Bose is the only manufacturer of truck seating that uses sensors and control algorithms to counteract road disturbances before they reac h the driver. These technological advantages give Bose grounds to demand a higher price at the offset. As time passes and competition begins to duplicate the product and competition in the market increases, Bose can and will lower the price accordingly. Due to the use of this patented technology, Bose will initially set the price at a high level in attempt to capture early profits as well as quickly recover some of the high costs of development. In addition, Bose’s CEO, Bob Maresca, stated that although this technology is a breakthrough, the pricing for the seat will be â€Å"well under $10,000. † The skimming pricing strategy will also support the marketing goals of Bose. Bose is marketing the Bose Ride System by saying it’s a â€Å"breakthrough† and boasts â€Å"unmatched performance. † These lofty marketing slogans come with a price. It would look bad in the eyes of the consumer if Bose makes these statements about how the Bose Ride System will change the trucking seating industry forever and then places a low price tag on it. The automotive truck seating market isn’t exactly commonplace and is somewhat of a luxury goods product, and luxury goods almost always comes with a high â€Å"luxury† price tag. The high price tag on the Bose Ride System is a sign of high quality, and as everyone knows with Bose, they sell very high quality products. Pricing Strategy Market Penetration Bose will need to consider the competitions response to the introduction of the Bose Ride System when deciding its pricing strategy. It can be assumed that the major competitors will want to preserve their market share. Bose will need to examine the cost structure and strategy of each major competitor while also remaining aware of potential producers in the seating industry. By benchmarking competitors, Bose will be able to determine how well competitors will be able to respond to the new product by offering their own price red uctions in the future. However, as Bose has chosen to use a skimming strategy, they will have to consider that some competitors may not offer price reductions. Instead they may offer other incentives to customers such as better warranties, or installation options. Bose must be aware that these types of benefits could take away from potential market share regardless of the price point they choose. Alternately, competitors can react by adjusting their own products to remain competitive and retain their market share. E-Commerce The Bose Ride System is not a product that will be sold via the internet, although other products offered by Bose, i. e. headphones, sound systems, etc are currently available through the website. Bose is selling the Ride System only through contacting sales people in Framingham. However, the Bose website is used primarily as a source of information and goings-on in the company. In the future, Bose may feel that online support for fleet managers who have p urchased the chair, may be a good route. The use of the internet for customer service may prove to be a powerful value-added incentive to customers. Works Cited: Bose Corporation. https://www. bose. com/controller? url=/bose_ride_system/index. jsp=AUTO0003 Ibisworld Industry Reports. www. ibisworld. com/industry/default. aspx? indid=835 Skydel, Seth. â€Å"Driver Retention: SEATS. † Fleet Equipment. August 2008. https://www. just-auto. com/article. aspx? id=89314 https://knowledge. wharton. upenn. du/papers/195. pdf Segars, Albert H. , Warren J. Harkness, and William J. Kettinger. Process Management and Supply-Chain Integration at the Bose Corporation. Interfaces 31. 3 (2001): 102-114. Business Source Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Mar. 2010. Hutt, Michael D. , and Thomas W. Speth. Business Marketing Managment B2B. 10e ed. Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. Pages (282-289)(331-341) https://www. 12manage. com/description_cost_dynamics. html https://www. investopedia. com/terms/p/pricesk imming. asp https://trucktrend. automotive. com/130923/163-news100202-bose-class-8-truck-seat -system-actively-counters-shocks-vibrations/index. html As first process of identifying competing products, we identify Bostrom seats and Seats Inc as the major competitor. They have been in the market for years and they offer over 25 different seating options. The Bose ride system is the only seating product currently available by Bose, making it difficult for customers to even consider Bose. Attributes of Bose Ride System – customers are well aware of the fact that Bose is an innovative company and their products has better quality than others in the market. Bose Ride System is designed to protect and safe guard the human health by absorbing the vibrations from the vehicle. For some buyers this is important and differentiates them from other competitors. Information about the potential customers such as Walmart, Sears, Costco and other commercial enterprise has been collecte d. They tend to consider better health of their employees who drive the truck for them and also consider the return of investment with the pricing. Bose Ride System has to address these issues and their pricing should be competitive. The current position of Bose Ride System in the market is very strong. This is mainly due their existing brand name in the industry. Bose has a good brand name in the premium market solely because of their innovative ideas. All the existing loyal customer of Bose will consider Bose Ride System. The preference of the market for such product mainly depends upon cost of the product. Not all consumers are keen towards innovative products mainly because of the cost it comes with. Bose Ride System has to compete with the cost of the product as that of competitors in the market. They may even have to educate the customers for the importance of health and improve awareness. Bose Ride System marketing team has to study customer attributes to such products. Th ey need to improve the awareness about the health among customers and explain the effect of road vibrations on human body. The team should work on pursuing a strategy to increase the importance of this attribute to the customers.