Theories of how advertising works

Antarctic Icefish Characteristics and Facts

Antarctic Icefish Characteristics and Facts True to their name, the Antarctic Icefish lives in the icy cold waters of the Arctic - and has icy-looking blood to match. Their cold habitat has given them some interesting features.   Most animals, like people, have red blood. The red of our blood is caused by hemoglobin, which carries oxygen throughout our body. Icefishes dont have hemoglobin, thus they have a whitish, nearly transparent blood. Their gills are also white. Despite this lack of hemoglobin, icefish can still get enough oxygen, although scientists arent sure quite how - it could be because they live in already oxygen-rich waters and might be able to absorb oxygen through their skin, or because they have large hearts and plasma which may help transport oxygen more easily. The first icefish was discovered in 1927 by zoologist Ditlef Rustad, who pulled up a strange, pale fish during an expedition to Antarctic waters. The fish he pulled up was eventually named the blackfin icefish (Chaenocephalus aceratus).   Description There are many species (33, according to WoRMS) of icefish in the Family Channichthyidae. These fish all have heads that look a little like a crocodile - so they are sometimes called crocodile icefishes. They have grayish, black or brown bodies, wide pectoral fins, and two dorsal fins that are supported by long, flexible spines. They can grow to a maximum length of about 30 inches.   Another fairly unique trait for icefish is that they dont have scales. This can aid in their ability to absorb oxygen through the ocean water.   Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataSubphylum: VertebrataSuperclass: GnathostomataSuperclass: PiscesClass: ActinopterygiiOrder: PerciformesFamily: Channichthyidae Habitat, Distribution, and Feeding Icefish inhabit Antarctic and subantarctic waters in the Southern Ocean off Antarctica and southern South America. Even though they can live in waters that are only 28 degrees, these fish have antifreeze proteins that circulate through their bodies to keep them from freezing.   Icefish dont have swim bladders, so they spend much of their lives on the ocean bottom, although they also have a lighter skeleton than some other fish, which allows them to swim up into the water column at night to capture prey. They may be found in schools. Icefish eat plankton, small fish, and krill.   Conservation and Human Uses The lighter skeleton of icefish has a low mineral density. Humans with a low mineral density in their bone have a condition called osteopenia, which may be a precursor to osteoporosis. Scientists study icefish to learn more about osteoporosis in humans. Icefish blood also provides insights into other conditions, such as anemia, and how bones develop. The ability of icefish to live in freezing water without freezing can also help scientists learn about the formation of ice crystals and storage of frozen foods and even organs used for transplant.   Mackerel icefish are harvested, and the harvest is considered sustainable. A threat to icefish, however, is climate change - warming ocean temperatures could reduce the habitat that is suitable for this extreme cold water fish.

IKEA General international markets activity Essay

IKEA General international markets activity - Essay Example Hence, purpose of this essay is to understand marketing environment of Indonesian furniture industry and assume what can be plausible marketing strategy of IKEA to achieve competitive advantage over existing player in Indonesian furniture market. Understanding strategic dimension of international marketing mix of IKEA will help the study to predict viability of any marketing strategy of the company from international perspective. The study will also try to understand existing international marketing and strategic activities of the company in order to validate the proposed international marketing mix for IKEA in Indonesia. There are two major limitations are associate with this essay, 1- the researcher has used statistical data prior to recession in order to decrease the scope of outlier intervention in the growth projection and 2- the researcher has only relied on secondary data in order to prepare this report. Business Background of IKEA IKEA is renowned Dutch furniture retailer wit h Swedish origin and the company has established its presence over 30 countries across the globe. The company is headquartered at Delft, Netherlands and it was established by Ingvar Kamprad in the year 1943 (IKEA PS, 2012). The furniture retail giant has established its strong presence across 35 countries with the help of more than 300 retail outlets. According to report published by Euromonitor International (2009), IKEA is the biggest furnishing retailer in the world and earns annual revenue more than â‚ ¬20 billion from its worldwide operation. IKEA offers customized home furnishing solution, readymade furniture, and functional home furnishing products to customers. Scandinavian design and low price are the unique selling proposition (USP) of the Swedish furniture manufacturer (IKEA PS, 2012). Target customer of the company includes middle income families, couples, young people and students (IKEA, 2013a). According to report published by Euromonitor International (2009), IKEA targets those customers who are ready to participate actively in the sales cycle process, for example, self transporting the furniture parts, self-assembling different parts of the furniture etc. These customers are ready to engage in the service delivery matrix of IKEA in order to get quality furniture in affordable price. Business Operation of IKEA- International Context IKEA used centralized business model in order to maintain its international operations. International operation of the company is channelized and monitored by headquarter of the company whereas product development activities are monitored from Almhult, Sweden. According to IKEA (2011) has reported that, more than 600 million people across the world visit IKEA stores throughout the year whereas there are more than 700 million online visitors of the company website. IKEA maintain an international supplier base of more than 1000 in order to maintain its value chain operation. These suppliers belong to 55 different co untries and help