Q1. State two reasons why there should be regulations, standards and policies that regulate food production and manufacturing. (2 points)

Q2. According to the FDA, as part of food labelling regulation, state two nutrients that should be labelled on the packaging of food labels in the USA. (2 points)

Q3. Sodium is a nutrient that has important functions in the human body, but could be harmful if it is consumed in high quantities.

1. State the RDA of Sodium for an adult male (age 19-30 years). (1 point)

1. What is one harmful effect of too much Sodium consumption in the diet? (1 point)

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is an effective diet designed to reduce and manage hypertension. Explain two features of the DASH diet i.e. what is reduced or omitted, and/orwhat is encouraged to be eaten or included in the DASH diet. (2 points

The purpose of this assignment is to familiarize the student with the different sources of funds that are commonly used in a  publicly traded companies in the Saudi Stock Market and to relate it to the agency theory.

Required:

* Choose any two stocks from the same sector in the Saudi traded stock market except banks or insurance co. and perform the following:

1.calculate the commonly known basic financial ratios analysis. ( all catagories).

2-Calculate the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) for each stock using recent data.

3. Compare your calculated WACC to the average of the chosen companies/sector.
4. Interpret your findings where you compare each stock with the sector within the context of Debt- to- Equity ratios and leverage benefits to shareholders.

1 . Write a program to accept number of seconds and display its corresponding hours, minutes and seconds. #include #include void main() { int sec,h,m,s; clrscr(); printf(“Enter seconds : “); scanf(“%d”,&sec); h = (sec/3600); m = (sec – (3600*h))/60; s = (sec – (3600*h)-(m*60)); printf(“%d:%d:%d”,h,m,s); getch(); }

2. Write a C program to find the maximum from given three numbers (Using Nested IF). #include #include void main() { int num1,num2,num3; clrscr(); printf(“Enter three numbers “); scanf(“%d%d%d”,&num1,&num2,&num3); if(num1>num2) { if(num1>num3) { printf(“\n Num1 is max : %d”,num1); } else { printf(“\n Num3 is max : %d”,num3); } } else { if(num2>num3) { printf(“\n Num2 is max : %d”,num2); } else { printf(“\n Num3 is max : %d” , num3); } } getch(); }

3. Write a C program to find that the accepted no is Negative, Positive or Zero. #include #include void main() { int num; clrscr(); printf(“Enter Number : “); scanf(“%d”,&num); if(num>=0) { if(num>0) { printf(“Number is Positive : %d”,num); } else { printf(“Number is Zero : %d”,num); } } else { printf(“Number is Negative : %d”,num); } getch(); }

4. Write a program to check given year is a Leap year or not. #include #include void main() { int year; clrscr(); printf(“\n Enter year : “); scanf(“%d”,&year); if(year%4==0) { printf(“\n Year is leap year %d”,year); } else { printf(“It Year is not leap year %d”,year); } getch(); }

5. Write a C program to find minimum from given 3 numbers (Using Conditional Operator). #include #include void main() { int ans,num1,num2,num3; clrscr(); printf(“Enter number 1,2,3 : “); scanf(“%d%d%d”,&num1,&num2,&num3); ans=((num1<num2)?((num1<num3)?num1:num3):((num2<num3)?num2:num3)); printf(“Minimum number is : %d”,ans); getch(); }

6. Write a C program to find the maximum from given three numbers (Without using Nested if, or Logical Operator, Or Conditional operators). #include #include void main() { int max,num1,num2,num3; clrscr(); printf(“Enter number 1 , 2 ,3 :”); scanf(“%d%d%d”,&num1,&num2,&num3); max=num1; (max<num2)&&(max=num2); (max<num3)&&(max=num3); printf(“The maximum number is : %d”,max); getch(); }

7. Take marks from the user and print grade accordingly( >=75 marks – Distinction, <75 and >=60 marks – First, <60 and >=50 – Second, <50 and >=35 – Pass, <35 – Fail) using if … else if….else statement and also by using logical operators) #include #include void main() { int mark; clrscr(); printf(“Enter Marks : “); scanf(“%d”,&mark); if(mark>=75) printf(“This is disinction”); else if(mark>=60) printf(“This is first class”); else if(mark>=50) printf(“This is second class”); else if(mark>=35) printf(“Your is Pass Maks”); else printf(“Your Fail”); getch(); }

8. Take 2 numbers from the user and print the greater number (Number can be equal). #include #include void main() { int num1,num2; clrscr(); printf(“Enter Number 1 :”); scanf(“%d”,&num1); printf(“Enter Number 2 : “); scanf(“%d”,&num2); if(num1=num2) { if(num1>num2) { printf(“\n number 1 is Maximum : %d”,num1); } else { printf(“\n number1 and number 2 is Equal %d – %d”,num1,num2); } } else { printf(“\n number 2 is Maximum : %d”,num2); } getch();

} 9. Write a program to check whether the blood donor is eligible or not for donating blood. The conditions laid down are as under. Use if statement. a) Age should be above 18 yrs but not more than 55 yrs. #include #include void main() { int age; clrscr(); printf(“\nEnter age of blood donor\n”); scanf(“%d”,&age); if(age>18 && age<=55) printf(“\n The age of blood donor is %d and is eligible”,age); else printf(“The age of blood donor is %d and not eligible”,age); getch(); }

10. Write a program to calculate bill of a job work done as follows. Use if else statement. a) Rate of typing 3 Rs/page b) Printing of 1st copy 5Rs/pages & later every copy 3Rs/page. The user should enter the number of pages and print out copies he/she wants #include #include void main() { int pages,copies; long int bill; clrscr(); printf(“Enter number of pages and copies of print outs”); scanf(“%d%d”,&pages,&copies); bill=(pages*3)+((copies-1)*3*pages)+(pages*5); printf(“The bill amount is %ld”,bill); getch(); }

11. The ABC Insurance Company Ltd. Offers the following three categories of car insurance policy to car owners: • Category A, here the basic premium is calculated as 2% of the car’s value. • Category B, here the basic premium is calculated as 3% of the car’s value. • Category C, here the basic premium is calculated as 5% of the car’s value. #include #include void main() { char ch; long int carvalue,premium; clrscr(); printf(“\n Select car insurance policy thpe from a,b,c : “); scanf(“%c”,&ch); printf(“Enter car value : “); scanf(“%ld”,&carvalue); switch(ch) { case’a’: case’A’: premium=(carvalue*2)/100; printf(“premium is : %ld”,premium); break; case’b’: case’B’: premium=(carvalue*3)/100; printf(“premium is : %ld”,premium); break; case’c’: case’C’: premium=(carvalue*5)/100; printf(“premium is : %ld”,premium); break; default: printf(“Wrong choice of premium type”); } getch(); }

12. Write a program to implement calculator using switch case #include #include void main() { int num1,num2,ans; char ch; printf(“Enter your choice + for addition,- for subtraction,* for multiplication,/ for division”); scanf(“%c”,&ch); printf(“Enter Number1 and Number2”); scanf(“%d%d”,&num1,&num2); switch(ch) { case’+’: ans=num1+num2; printf(“Ans is %d”,ans); break; case’-‘: ans=num1-num2; printf(“Ans is %d”,ans); break; case’*’: ans=num1*num2; printf(“Ans is %d”,ans); break; case’/’: ans=num1/num2; printf(“Ans is %d”,ans); break; default: printf(“worng choice”); } getch(

1. Write the code for the following classes of employees

All attributes in all classes must be private; “decorator” or explicit constructor may be used in the definition of classes, but @property cannot be used ( -50% if those rules are not followed)

Emp (short for Employee)

The class Emp has 3 subclasses: 1. SalEmp (short for Salaried Employe), 2. HourlyEmp,

3. CommEmp (short for commission employee).

The class CommEmp has one subclass, BpCommEmp (short for base plus commission

Employee).

There is also a BusinessCar class

Class Emp

Attributes: empName, minSalary (short for minimum salary)

Methods: besides the usual methods (if needed), the class Emp has the

following 2 methods:

earnings(), which returns minSalary

displayInfo(), which displays name and minSalary

class SalEmp

Attribute: monthlySalary

Methods: besides the usual methods (if needed), the class EmpSal

has the following 2 methods:

earnings(), which returns the greater of minSalary and monthlySalary

displayInfo(), which displays name, monthlySalary,  earnings()

class HourlyEmp

Attribute: hours, rate

Methods: besides the usual methods (if needed), the class EmpSal

has the following 2 methods:

earnings(), which returns the greater of minSalary and hours*rate

displayInfo(), which displays name, hours, rate ,  earnings()

class CommEmp

Attribute: sales, rate

Methods: besides the usual methods (if needed , the class EmpSal

has the following 2 methods:

earnings(), which returns the greater of minSalary and sales*rate

displayInfo(), which displays name, sales, rate ,  earnings()

class BpCommEmp

Attribute: baseSalary, car (car is a  BusinessCar object )

Methods: besides the usual methods (if needed), the class EmpSal

has the following 2 methods:

earnings(), which returns sales*rate+ baseSalary

displayInfo(), which displays name, sales, rate ,  earnings(), car info

class BusinessCar

attributes: make,  model, year

methods: as needed

2. Instantiate (that is create) the following objects (in main()) and display the information for all objects, using the method dispayInfo() (car info to be provided via displayInfo())

Class Emp   (empName,minSalary)

Amy   1500

Brie  1500

SalEmp (empName,monthlySalary, minSalary)

Carol  2000   1200

Jean  2000  1200

HourlyEmp (empName,hours, rate, minSalary)

Gloria 200 15  1000

CommEmp  (empName,sales, rate, minSalary)

Doug  200000  0.10  1000

BpCommEmp (empName, sales, rate, baseSalary, car)

Grace 300000 0.2   1500  car: Toyota  Lexus 2015

Luke 200000 0.2   3000 car: Toyota  Camry 2015

Linda 300000 0.2   1500  car: Ford Taurus 1900   (extra credit if Linda has no car)

Please, do not clutter your code with getters and setters and any other methods that are not used.

The topic I chose to cover is Media and Emotion. This chapter begins with a definition of the term “emotion,” then looks at theoretical approaches and lines of inquiry that have looked at emotion as (a) a factor in message selection, (b) a result of message exposure, and (c) a mechanism through which other media impacts manifest (Nabi, 2019). The topic is essential to the target audience because most human experiences are centered on emotions. Moreover, the historical bias in favor of cognition in studying media effects and emotions has been the subject of relatively little research. On the topic of Media and Emotion, I will teach that there should be a fast focus on the part that emotions play in the choice, processing, and influence of media information. Through the topic, my goal will be; to provide an overview of how emotion has been incorporated into media impacts research and how future studies can profit from more methodical incorporation of components related to emotion.

My target audience will comprise mostly k-12 grade teachers. A teacher with the designation “K-12” teaches students in the Kindergarten through the twelfth grades. K-12 grade teachers are in charge of helping pupils study independently and impart knowledge and skills that will help them achieve their goals in the future. The unique attributes of the k-12 grade teachers as target audience include; Critical thinking, problem solution, flexibility, and the ability to initiate projects. The target audience comprises k-12 grade teachers who consume media through various sources (Oliver et al., 2019). Most of the teachers have access to the internet through mobile devices and laptops. Moreover, some of the target audience has access to social media websites and print media such as newspapers and television. To design media content for the k-12 grade teachers, I will consider various factors such as; their student’s age, gender, educational specialization and school curriculum.

In many realms of medicine, objective diagnoses can be made: A clavicula is broken. An infection is present. TSH levels meet the diagnostic criteria for hypothyroidism. Psychiatry, on the other hand, deals with psychological phenomena and behaviors. Can these, too, be “defined objectively and by scientific criteria (Gergen, 1985), or are they social constructions?” (Sadock et al., 2015).

Thanks to myriad advances during recent decades, we know that psychopathology is caused by many interacting factors. Theoretical and clinical contributions to the field have come from the neural sciences, genetics, psychology, and social-cultural sciences. How do these factors impact the expression, classification, diagnosis, and prevalence of psychopathology, and why might it be important for a nurse practitioner to take a multidimensional, integrative approach?

Explain the biological (genetic and neuroscientific); psychological (behavioral and cognitive processes, emotional, developmental); and social, cultural, and interpersonal factors that influence the development of psychopathology.

Response

explain the implications of why, as an advanced practice nurse, it is important to adopt a multidimensional, integrative model of psychopathology.

Define each of the following terms:

a. Multinational corporation

b. Exchange rate; fixed exchange rate system; floating exchange rate

c. Trade deficit; devaluation; revaluation

d. Exchange rate risk; convertible currency; pegged exchange rate

e. Interest rate parity; purchasing power parity

f. Spot rate; forward exchange rate; discount on foreign currency forward rate; premium on foreign currency forward rate

g. Repatriation of earnings; political risk

h. Eurodollar; Eurobond; international bond; foreign bond

i. The euro

Define each of the following terms:

a. Multinational corporation

b. Exchange rate; fixed exchange rate system; floating exchange rate

c. Trade deficit; devaluation; revaluation

d. Exchange rate risk; convertible currency; pegged exchange rate

e. Interest rate parity; purchasing power parity

f. Spot rate; forward exchange rate; discount on foreign currency forward rate; premium on foreign currency forward rate

g. Repatriation of earnings; political risk

h. Eurodollar; Eurobond; international bond; foreign bond

i. The euro

Chapter 7 – Terms (20 Points)

1. Monitoring
2. Controlling
3. Baseline
4. Earned Value
5. Project Control
6. Plan-Monitor-Control Cycle
7. Closed Loop
8. Real-Time Data
9. Frequency Counts
10. Scope Creep

Chapter 7 – Review Questions (10 Points)

1. Why can’t the PM use the organization’s current information system for project monitoring and reporting?

1. What does it mean to say that project monitoring and control are on the opposite sides of project selection and planning?
2. The monitoring system is the direct connection between project planning and control. Why is this true?
3. Why is it probably a good idea to avoid periodic reports, except in specific cases such as reports tied to the organization’s accounting system?
4. Aside from the obvious benefits for project control, what other benefits might result from a good project reporting system?
5. Using earned value analysis, explain how the total cost of a partially completed project can be estimated.

Chapter 7 – Discussion Questions (10 Points)

1. The chapter included an example of a firm where the PM dispensed with all the planning formality because no one ever looked at it anyway. What did the PM think the purpose of such planning was in this firm? What should the fi rm do in the future to correct this problem?
2. “In order to manage for overall project success, control must be exercised at the detailed work level for each aspect of project performance or no significant change will occur.” Does this mean that the PM should micromanage the project? If not, what does it mean?

Chapter 7 – Problems (10 Points)

1. A project in its 26th week has an actual cost of $270,000. It was scheduled to have spent $261,000. For the work performed to date, the budgeted value is $272,000. What are the cost and schedule variances for the project? What is the SPI and CPI?
2. A project has just completed the 87th item in its plan. It was scheduled to have spent $168,000 at this point in the plan, but has actually spent only $156,000. The foreman estimates that the value of the work actually finished is about $162,000. What is the spending and schedule variances for the project? What is the SPI and CPI?

Chapter 7 – Case Study: St. Dismas Assisted Living Facility Program Plan – 5 (10 Points)

Pepsi is an American-based multinational organization with global activities that manufacture, distribute, and sell soft drink products in different parts of the world. The company was established in 1965 through Frito-Lay Inc. and the Pepsi-Cola merger. The company has grown tremendously over the years to become one of the largest beverage companies in the world. Precisely, Pepsi ranks second after Coca-Cola in the food and beverage sector. By 2019, Pepsi had employed about 265,000 workers globally and raised revenues of about 67.161 U.S. million dollars. Currently, the company is working to ensure that it increases its market share by 5%, raises brand awareness by the same margin, and boosts sales revenue by 15% by the end of 2022, domestically and internationally.

Pepsi has a competitive advantage in the industry which comes from a strong network of supply chains that provides the company with adequate resources. A strong distribution network is another source of competitive advantage in the food and beverage sector, allowing it to distribute its products to different parts of the world. Technology also gives Pepsi a strong sense of competitive advantage because it supports research and development activities undertaken by the research and development team. Regardless of Pepsi’s strengths, the company also faces multifaceted challenges and weaknesses, as seen from the SWOT framework.

Additionally, the marketing environment is gradually evolving, and companies are forced to develop effective ways to ensure they remain relevant in the market. In this era, technological advancement has made consumers remain more informed, so using some old marketing strategies would not attract customers. This marketing plan proposes product placement and personalized marketing as ideal strategies for the company to expand its market base. The two systems would help PepsiCo maintain its competitive advantage in the market and help expand its local and international customer base.

Company Overview

Pepsi operates in the food and beverage industry. The company was formed in 1965 and had its headquarters in Harrison, New York. The company was formed after a merger between Frito-Lay Inc and Pepsi-Cola Company. The company controls most of its operations, including product manufacturing, distribution, and marketing (Pepsi. 2022). Over the years, the company has been involved in aggressive expansion involving diversification of food and beverage brands and acquiring competing companies such as Pioneer Foods for 1.7 billion dollars and Quaker Qats Company. The company made over 1 billion in sales from its 23 brands, distributing its products to more than 200 territories (Jin, 2022). The company is ranked second in the industry behind Nestle. The leading competitor has been Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola has dominated the United States sales, but Pepsi-Cola dominates North America Market.

The drink was developed by Caleb Bradham and was introduced to the market in 1898, with the first sales made in North Carolina. The company was formed in 1902 after increased sales of Pepsi, and the patent was signed in 1903. The company enjoyed much success in the industry until new policies on sugar limitations were introduced during World War 1. In 1923, the company was declared bankrupt, and the company and patent were later purchased by Craven Holding company (Dai, 2021). One of the significant milestones was noted in 1931 after the company trademark had been purchased by Craven Holding and Charles Guth, who reintroduced the soft drink. In 1961, the company created Diet Pepsi and acquired Mountain Dew. Currently, the company has been using celebrities in the marketing process. One of the major marketing approaches presently used is soccer-themed marketing.

PepsiCo, a significant global marketer of snacks, focuses on increasing market share through precise targeting and creative marketing. The company’s main markets for sales are North and South America, where it has long been a fierce rival. The corporation sells products, including Lipton teas, Doritos, Pepsi drinks, and diet Pepsi. Both draft food and Coca-Cola, offered across the U.S.U.S., Europe, and Asia, pose a severe threat to the corporation.

As a matter of concern, people have started wondering why PepsiCo is doing better than Coca-Cola in North America, as Mourdoukoutas (2018) finds that PepsiCo beating Coca-Cola surprises many individuals. According to Mourdoukoutas (2018), PepsiCo’s market share had grown by about 2.95% from 2016 to 2018 and 30.64% from 2013 to 2018. On the other hand, the claims of Coca-Cola had increased at a negative rate of -1.45% between 2016 and 2018 and a positive rate of 9.25% between 2013 and 2018. Essentially, this is despite Coca-Cola’s brand and ranking being stronger and higher than PepsiCo’s. As of 2018, Mourdoukoutas (2018) found that Coca-Cola occupied the sixth rank or position of having the most valuable brand while the brand PepsiCo took the 29th spot (see figure 1 in the appendix). Besides, Mourdoukoutas (2018), the market capitalization for Coca-Cola was higher than that of PepsiCo as of 2018, standing at 190.10 billion dollars and 159.46 billion dollars, respectively, as seen in figure 2 (See appendix).

The question now lies in how Pepsico manages to beat Coca-Cola in North America. In addressing this question, it is essential to acknowledge that PepsiCo is a larger organization than Coca-Cola. With the strategies and the bigger size of the company, it can be imperative that PepsiCo should be doing better, holding other factors constant. As noted by Mourdoukoutas (2018), PepsiCo had an almost double revenue figure relative to its competitor, Coca-Cola, valued at 64billion dollars. As can be seen in Figures 3 and 4 (see appendix), the difference in performance between the two companies is reflected in differences in operating margins and return on assets ratio.

PepsiCo’s diversification strategy is another way to enhance its competition over Coca-Cola in North America. Essentially, this is because of PepsiCo’s improved capabilities to go beyond providing carbonated drinks to providing snacks that can be consumed together with the beverages it offers. Such snacks, as noted by Mourdoukoutas (2018), have a competitive advantage over Coca-Cola because they have recently enabled PepsiCo to grow at an unprecedented rate. For instance, Mourdoukoutas (2018) noted that in the third quarter of 2018, the Frito-Lay line North America of PepsiCo’s snack division had managed to increase its operating profits by 5%. As a result of this profit growth, PepsiCo could offset its 16% reduction in operating profits in its beverage division in North America. This insinuates that having a stronger brand like Coca-Cola does not reflect a stronger equity performance.

Objectives/ Goals

Pepsi is the second-largest company in the food and beverage sector. The company provides a wide range of goods. Developing clearly defined business objectives play a crucial role in the performance and success of an organization. As stipulated in research done by Almasri et al. (2013), it has become increasingly important for business managers to think strategically about how to align their strategic business objectives with their information strategies to have a competitive advantage in the market. According to Almasri et al. (2013), this alignment ensures that the organization can achieve its set objectives and goals. Clearly defined goals and objectives also help an organization to be innovative and creative on how to go about implementing the goals and objectives.

Being among the biggest food and beverage corporations globally, its goal is to offer consumers nourishing breakfasts, nutritious and enjoyable afternoon drinks, snacks, and pleasures. Essentially, this is in line with the new vision the company adopted in 2019 of being the leader in offering convenient beverages and food globally (PepsiCo, Inc., 2019). These meals and beverages must be excellent, inexpensive, handy, and complimentary. PepsiCo Limited’s main goal is to produce as much profit as possible by expanding its national distribution network and introducing new products to satisfy shifting customer demand (Dai, 2021). PepsiCo Limited seeks to gain more market share and provide goods that ensure consumer happiness, which also satisfies the organizational objective. In line with these objectives, PepsiCo has adopted future growth strategies, including penetrating emerging markets in Africa and Asia, running more customer-centric adverts, and engaging more with customers.

Situational Analysis

The breadth of Pepsi’s range of brands, which spans the industry, is the company’s key competitive advantage. Each of the twenty-two brands owned by Pepsi produces over $1 billion in yearly retail sales. By participating in more than 200 nations worldwide, the company has taken advantage of having a significant global footprint (Dai, 2021). The company’s overwhelming presence in markets around the globe has increased customer consciousness and advertising strategy on a worldwide scale. However, over-reliance on carbonated beverages and packaged goods reduces the company’s ability to adapt in the event of market unrest. Most of the company’s carbonated soft beverages have high sugar concentrations, and snacks have much salt and artificial flavors (Helmold, 2022). That is a significant flaw, especially in the present markets for health-conscious consumers. One opportunity that Pepsi has is going online. Customers are increasingly shopping online through digital means. Pepsi has the chance to increase sales through different networks and use the advantages of online purchasing by growing its e-commerce.

Further situational analysis of the Pepsi Company reveals that its increased profits and value emanate from its distribution and strong production techniques. Much of this evidence arises from SWOT analysis, market analysis, industry analysis, and competitive analysis of the company. Essentially, this analysis can help reveal the strong position of Pepsi within the food and beverage industry.

Industry analysis of Pepsi Company

PepsiCo is in an excellent position in the food and beverage or soft drink sectors. According to Aithal (2017), conducting an industry analysis is crucial because it helps business managers understand what kind of opportunities and problems are in the industry and how they should overcome them. According to Arize et al. (2012), industry analysis helps establish the risks and returns that a business can encounter or experience. Summing up these findings, it is imperative to conclude that conducting an industry analysis of a company is beneficial in forecasting demand and supply and the subsequent economic returns of a particular endeavor. Organizations should develop competitive and sustainable advantages when the industry is highly competitive.

Case in point, PepsiCo has pursued competitive and sustainable strategies to remain relevant in the highly competitive soft drink industry. Diversifying its product portfolio is one of the strategies that has enabled PepsiCo to have a competitive advantage in the market. Besides, the wide portfolio of products has enabled the company to have a competitive and sustainable position in the market. Additionally, PepsiCo had toiled hard to improve how the general public perceives it. Some of the ways to enhance public perception is through tax compliance. Through the development of various competitive strategies, it is no doubt that Pepsi is on its way to becoming the number one brand in the soft drink industry.

The way the public perceives and rates an organization has significant implications for its failure and success. Nowadays, every matter is about going green to reduce the impacts of climate change. Governments, environmentalists, policymakers, and other interested agencies have raised an outcry for the need to protect our environment with measures such as adopting renewable energy sources and avoiding burning carbon fuels. As Bozdo (2020) indicated in his study, maintaining a good reputation in society is crucial because it influences people’s decisions. In other words, a bad reputation ruins a company’s success path, while a good reputation helps build an organization’s success path (Bozdo, 2020). On this matter, PepsiCo has undertaken severe measures to create a positive image in society by reducing environmental pollution by replacing plastic bottles with reusable plastic. Through such practice, the company has a strong environmental safety profile.

SWOT analysis

The company’s competitive advantages emanate from Pepsi’s internal strengths, as noted in the SWOT analysis. SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Through SWOT analysis, competitive analysis, marketing analysis, and industry analysis, it is easy to see where the company is headed and where it requires improvements. One of the strengths that give PepsiCo a competitive advantage in the market is its brand. According to Mourdoukoutas (2018), PepsiCo ranks among the most valuable brands globally on Forbes 500.

Another strength of the company emanates from the diversification program. Essentially, Pepsi offers snacks and beverages in the Frito-Lay North America division, making it a diversified and stronger organization. The high diversification comprising 22 brands like Fritos, Pepsi Max, Diet Pepsi, and Pepsi helps to increase the company’s revenue streams. Global presence is another source of competitive advantage for PepsiCo. The company enjoys an overwhelmingly global presence in more than 200 states. The company’s global presence in many countries has helped PepsiCo increase recognition and awareness of its brand amongst consumers in these countries. Additionally, dominance in the market is another strength that gives PepsiCo a competitive advantage over its competitors, such as Coca-Cola. Notably, as mentioned earlier, PepsiCo has been doing better than Coca-Cola in some parts of the world where it has operations, such as in the United States and North America.

Customer loyalty is another source of PepsiCo’s strength and a source of competitive advantage. The younger generation, mostly the target market for PepsiCo’s products, is very loyal. The youths love the great taste of soft drink products. As a result of the loyalty of the customers, PepsiCo has launched PepCoin as a way of rewarding loyal customers. Another strength of PepsiCo emanates from its strong sense of corporate social responsibility whereby the company collaborates with community-based, national, and international organizations to tackle challenges facing most societies today, precisely challenges relating to environmental protection. Moreover, the ability of PepsiCo to market through sports add to the pool of its strengths and source of competitive advantage. Essentially, this strategy enables the company to advertise its products directly to consumers spectating sporting events.

Weaknesses

Pepsi is like any other company in terms of experiencing weaknesses. Essentially, the company has to strategize how it can overcome such weaknesses. One of the weaknesses that PepsiCo experiences are its extreme reliance on single companies such as Wal-Mart to sell its products. The low prices offered by Walmart make PepsiCo sell its products at low profits. Another implication of this on PepsiCo is that in case of financial problems for Wal-Mart, PepsiCo would suffer immensely. Another weakness that PepsiCo faces is a negative perception of some of its products that seems unhealthy. In 2011, for instance, PepsiCo, among other companies that used coloring components to color its beverages, was carcinogenic (The Guardian, 2011). Such negative perceptions about the company’s products have considerable weaknesses in the organization regarding revenue and profit generation.

Opportunities

Opportunities represent areas that can be capitalized upon. In the business arena, opportunities represent arenas that organizations can take advantage of to increase profits and create an excellent image for the public. One of the opportunities that present for PepsiCo is the diversification of its products. Although the company has diversified its products to 22 different brands, it should continually diversify its product portfolio. Notably, most of its diversification falls under food and beverage. However, it can increasingly diversify to include products that fall outside food and beverages, such as sportswear. According to Olalere et al. (2021), diversification helps a firm expand its revenue streams and enhance its stability.

Threats

Threats comprise factors that make a company vulnerable in the market. One of PepsiCo’s main threats is intense rivalry from iconic global brands such as Unilever, Nestle, and Coca-Cola. Stiff competition is a threat to the company because it puts profitability and sustainability in the long term at risk. Notably, competition increases the company’s cost of protecting its share in the market through discounts, promotions, and adverts directed at attracting new customers and retaining loyal ones. Another threat facing the company is an economic crisis because PepsiCo can suffer huge losses. This is because its products are seemingly luxurious and can be among the first items consumers drop off on their to-do lists if an economic or financial crisis occurs. Another threat facing the company is increasingly health-conscious customers. Notably, this is a considerable threat given that most snacks are too salty and beverages too sugary for health-conscious consumers. If PepsiCo does not address this promptly, it can lose many customers to rival firms.

S.T.P. Analysis

Pepsi has a multi-segment approach as a positioning strategy and, as a result, simultaneously markets to multiple consumer segments with various product offerings. For instance, Pepsi-Cola is promoted as a drink with a wonderful flavor and a soothing effect. Pepsi-Cola is not marketed to consumers worried about the consequences of drinking carbonated drinks because it has high sugar content. Instead, Pepsi is marketing its Diet Pepsi to this customer demographic sensitive to the health effects of drinking carbonated drinks.

Pepsi’s Marketing Strategy

Pepsi has deployed numerous strategic marketing plans to enhance its competitive advantage. The company is creative in targeting customers and marketing its products. One effective strategy is celebrity endorsement, which involves using public figures to endorse a brand. According to Kumar and Patra (2017), celebrity advertising has become the norm in modern marketing plans. Kumar and Patra (2017) argue that this marketing strategy enhances brand equity in terms of increased sales and customer attraction.

Similarly, PepsiCo has been using celebrity advertisements to increase brand awareness and boost sales of various products. Some celebrity endorsements used by PepsiCo include Lionel Messi, Kun Sergio Aguero, David Beckham, Beyonce, Robbie Williams, and Michael Jackson, among others. Essentially, celebrity advertising is not a new concept since many global organizations have been using this approach for many years. Global companies set aside millions to endorse celebrities to market their products. Consumers who associate with the celebrity are likely influenced or persuaded to buy the product. Notably, this is in line with a study by Chopra and Avhad (2020) identifying that millennials are looking for celebrity influencers in advertisements because they trust them and feel more connected with them. Due to the proliferation of the internet, most youths are using social media platforms such as TikTok to have fun. Given this fact, PepsiCo should capitalize on celebrity advertising by engaging with TikTok users. Instagram is another platform where PepsiCo can promote its products by endorsing key influencers such as Ronaldo, Erling Haaland, and Lionel Messi. However, it has opportunities to expand the marketing plan to include ideal strategies to spur its market leadership. Such marketing strategies include product placement and personalized marketing.

Product placement involves featuring branded goods and services in productions that target a mass audience (Chandra et al., 2022). The advertisement should not bother the audience so much, but they will still see the advert. Pepsi can utilize this strategy by featuring its products in various channels that attract a mass audience. One significant opportunity is using the channels that show live soccer matches. The company can feature its products on the screens of the media houses that show major soccer leagues in North America and beyond. For instance, the company’s products should appear as inset images on the screens during the FIFA 2022 World Cup. Such a strategy can offer it an opportunity to secure a large customer base.

Implementation Plan

The initial stage of the implementation plan is to dedicate a portion of Pepsi’s budget to be set aside for advertising as the first step to ensure that the company will obtain a competitive edge through the endorsement of celebrities. This comprises negotiating a deal with public figures so that they will promote the Pepsi brand in exchange for financial compensation. With this contract that has been established and this budget that has been committed towards celebrity endorsement, a large market will be activated, and the brand will achieve the number of desired sales and revenue it aims for per the marketing strategy.

Evaluation and control Metrics

In order to ensure that the Pepsi brand is fulfilling its purpose and that the customers are satisfied and feel included, it is essential to have a mechanism set that facilitates information exchange (Matta, 2022). Therefore in this way, Pepsi will be able to understand what needs to be done and implemented. The evaluation process for Pepsi entails conducting a marketing program performance analysis; this will be informed of evaluating the return on investment, monitoring the market progress and market share, and using questionnaires to gauge customers’ preferences. The following strategy is to conduct social engagement on the media platforms to find out what the target customers prefer and their views on Pepsi. The following control metric is to evaluate the customer relationship. The most crucial aspect of Pepsi’s cooperation is its customers; therefore, in establishing great trust in the brand, it is essential to prioritize customer needs and suggestions. In this manner, Pepsi will establish customer loyalty to the brand and ensure that its customers feel appreciated; therefore, they will remain loyal to the brand. (Mall, 202). Hence Pepsi can manage its partnership by creating a department for customer relationships to evaluate and control the base.