Tqm of Jakel Silk House Company

Part A 1. 0 Introduction of the organization: Jakel Silk House Jakel Silk House was established with the belief that are the catalysts to bring fashion in Malaysia from a medium to higher level with the support of the distinguished partners and clients. The firms are working together with the fashion industry to user in a new era of fashion, from a company of Malaysians for Malaysians. The focus of Jakel Silk House is to put one of Bumiputra on the Malaysian stage of fashion fabrics. The company realizes that it is a daunting task. However, the company believes that in this endeavor comes opportunity. Mission or objective is very important to each business firm and the firm must have clear mission so that they can make good planning to achieve their objective. Jakel Silk House mission is to innovate, recreate and to rediscover the area of fashion fabrics. Other than that, Jakel Silk House has something for every woman, every home and every occasion. Choose from a spectrum of sub line creations ranging from high-end prices for limited edition pieces to the very affordable. Fabrics from Jakel Silk House display an elegance aura of grandeur with the most saleable fabrics in expression of chiffon, crepe, satin and jacquard silk. Some of this rich range of silk are immaculately finished in embroidery of embellished with fine beads, sequins, machine-sewn of meticulously hand sewn. In addition, to a contemporary collection of crepe, georgette, tissue and silk in various colors, patterns and designs, Jakel Silk House also has wide range of fabrics for curtains and upholstery complete with matching trimmings. Other than that, Jakel Silk House also provides a made-to-measure service where customers select the fabrics of their choice and Jakel Silk House will complete the task right up to installation. As a leading supplier of fabrics, Jakel Trading has been in the forefront bringing in the finest fabrics, silk and textiles products from all over the world including exclusive fabrics from Korea, France, Spain and Italy. The interesting thing about Jakel is their focus solely on high-end fabrics. Jakel are also extending their product line to cater to the mid-range market. Because of their expertise in this industry, they are able to bring in more affordable products. Some of the more renowned brand names found at Jakel's stores are Valentino, Pierre Cardin, Zegna, Armani, Lorenzo Riva, Ungaro and Solstiss. Part B 2. 0 Introduction to TQM (Total Quality Management) TQM is a set of management practices throughout the organization, functioning as to ensure the organization consistently meets or exceeds customer requirements. TQM places strong focus on process measurement and controls as means of continuous improvement. TQM is a description of the culture, attitude and organization of a company that aims to provide, and continue to provide, its customers with products and services that satisfy their needs and demand. The culture requires quality in all aspects of the company's operations, with things being done right first time, and defects and waste eradicated from operations. Important aspects of TQM include, customer-driven quality, top management leadership and commitment, continuous improvement, fast response, actions based on facts, employee participation etc. Customer-driven quality is all about customer satisfaction and it is seen as the company's highest priority. The company will only be successful if customers are satisfied. The TQM is sensitive to customer requirements and responds rapidly to them. In the TQM context, `being sensitive to customer requirements' goes beyond defect and error reduction, and merely meeting specifications or reducing customer complaints. The concept of requirements is expanded to take in not only product and service attributes that meet basic requirements, but also those that enhance and differentiate them for competitive advantage. Top management leadership need the TQM method to success and have the best commitment. It has to be introduced and led by top management. Attempts to implement TQM often fail because top management doesn't lead and get committed. Instead it delegates and pays lip service. Commitment and personal involvement is required from top management in creating and deploying clear quality values and goals consistent with the objectives of the company, and in creating and deploying well defined systems, methods and performance measures for achieving those goals. These systems and methods guide all quality activities and encourage participation by all employees. The development and use of performance indicators is linked, directly or indirectly, to customer requirements and satisfaction, and to management and employee remuneration. Base on our interview, Jakel Silk House had applied TQM on its marketing department as well and had achieve many sucess in the business. Table 1. Hierarchy of TQM principles by Deming No. TQM Principles 1Decision of management to attain the highest quality of work. 2Decision to satisfy requirements of the consumer Rendering of some functions and responsibility from the top level down 4Group influence on the individual in team work 5Regulation of system and processes inside the organization 6Definition of quality and the creation of the quality standards 7Quality measurement in chemistry laboratories 8Sustainable quality improvement in chemistry laboratories 9Comparison of experiences at other chemistry laboratories 10Perception of the whole process 11Improvement of employees qualifications and training 12Definition of problems in one's organization 13Solution of problems in one's organization 14Quality assurance in one's organization 5Active management in chemistry laboratories-actions for avoiding problems 16Ensuring quality of material suppliers 17Communication inside the organization 18Recognition and inducement of employees, i. e. a reward system Part C 3. 0 Why/where (division/department/location) and how the issue topic/ method/ practice is implemented/applied in the organization 3. 1 Marketing Department Jakel Silk House implementing the Total Quality Management especially in their Marketing Department. This is because that marketing department is the one who were concerned or deal with defining the needs of the effectiveness and customers the most. Therefore every aspect of marketing function needs to be completed with quality. Quality control at the production stages is as much the common concern of all divisions as it is the individual responsibility of the technology, production technology, purchasing, manufacturing, inspection, ditribution, customer service and the other divisions. The discussion here is focused on process analysis, process control, quality assurance, process improvement and quality control in purchasing, all of which are essential to mantaining and improving quality. Jakel Silk House apply TQM to create constancy of purpose toward improvement of the product and service so as to become competitive, stay in business and provide jobs. Jakel also adopt the new philosophy. Because Jakel Silk House are in a new economic age. It’s no longer need live with commonly accepted levels of delay, mistake, defective material and defective workmanship. In cease dependence on mass inspection; require, instead, statistical evidence that quality is built in. Jakel need improve the quality of incoming barriers. End the practice of awarding business on the basis of a price alone. Instead, depend on meaningful measures of quality, along with price. On the other hand to find the problems: constantly improve the system of production and service. There should be continual reduction of waste and continual improvement of quality in every activity so as to yield a continual rise in productivity and a decrease in costs. Institute modern methods of training and education for all. Modern methods of on-the-job training use control charts to determine whether a worker has been properly trained and is able to perform the job correctly. Jakel used the modern methods of supervision. The emphasis of production supervisors to help people to do a better job. The Improvement of quality will automatically improve productivity. The Jakel Silk House management must prepare to take immediate action on response from supervisors concerning problems such as inherited defects, lack of maintenance of sales, poor tools or fuzzy operational definitions. Fear is a barrier to improvement so drive out fear by encouraging effective two-way communication and other mechanisms that will enable everybody to be part of change, and to belong to it. Fear can often be found at all levels in an organization: fear of change, fear of the fact that it may be necessary to learn a better way of working and fear that their positions might be usurped frequently affect middle and higher management, whilst on the shop-floor, workers can also fear the effects of change on their jobs. There was a break down barriers between departments and staff areas. People in different areas such as research, design, sales, administration and production must work in teams to tackle problems that may be encountered with products or service. They should eliminate the use of slogans, posters and exhortations for the workforce, demanding zero defects and new levels of productivity without providing methods. Such exhortations only create adversarial relationships. Eliminate work standards that prescribe numerical quotas for the workforce and numerical goals for people in management, substitute aids and helpful leadership also can be applied. Remove the barriers that rob hourly workers, and people in management, of their right to pride of workmanship. This implies, abolition of the annual merit rating (appraisal of performance) and of management by objectives. Institute a vigorous program of education, and encourage self-improvement for everyone. What an organization needs is not just good people; it needs people that are improving with education. Top management's in Jakel Silk House compay must permanent commitment to ever-improving quality and productivity must be clearly defined and a management structure created that will continuously take action to follow the points. Part D 4. 0 Issues/problems faced by the organization in implementing the topic/method (TQM) 4. 1 Commitment Commitment shown at the canopy of the tree shows the importance of this management team in the quality process. Only a strong commitment towards the implementation of the standard can guarantee its successful completion and continuous improvement. Sometimes it is assumed that to appoint a quality consultant or to fill the quality representative position is the sole responsibility of the supreme authority. This assumption is totally wrong, only a strong and committed boss will drive its company on the way to TQM. The management representative is the head of an organization pursuing quality, and infects every member of that organization who is the least concerned with quality procedures. The management representative is himself responsible for the smooth running of the system. Management is like a brain and all members act as the parts of body, if even a single part does not work properly it will affect the procedure of the whole system. The personnel at the conversion stage are the real factors of success of the system. So the commitment to quality should be enrooted deeply in the quality system organization. Motivation in this regard will help a lot to achieve the ultimate target (quality motivation). Jakel Silk House company should have the high commitment to apply TQM on the business not only from the top management but also the workers. 4. 2 Strategies The next issues in pursuing the quality objective is to develop strategies. The most common procedure is to develop quality policies and quality plans. Well that’s exactly the right way to do the things, but remember only creating the quality policy and making quality plans is not enough. It will be effective only when this quality policy is communicated at every level of the organization. The quality policy should be stated in the most simple way so that every individual can understand it. In case of organizations having employees from different linguistic levels, its suggested to translate the quality policy into their languages, this will help to communicate the concept deep in the organization. Quality plans are also of core value in a quality system, but it has been observed that for some individuals the term is confusing. Most often it is thought that separate planning should be done in order to carry out the process. The fact is that this assumption is wrong. Planning can be categorized in many ways; there may be long-term planning, medium term planning, and short-term planning. Every level of planning should be considered separately in the quality system. The short term planning should always be in the view of long term planning, short-term plans may be daily plans or weekly plans or even monthly plans, but they do affect the long-term strategies of the organization. Jakel Silk House company must plan its strategies for the short term and long term to avoid the problem when implementing the TQM on the business. 4. 3 Teamwork The most significant part of the quality system is the teamwork. The single individual cannot achieve the goal in its real sense. Quality teams and quality circles are two basic techniques used most often in quality management. Quality circle is synonymous to management by objectives (MBO) in management’s terminology. For example quality circles were first of all evolved in Japan as a productivity improvement technique, but now this term is used in a much more elaborate scope. People are grouped from the same organizational area and a leader is appointed in order to monitor the objectives, these teams are self motivated and thoroughly trained to achieve the specific objective. In this way participation of every member is assured by assigning specific tasks. For example, one thing that might be important in teamwork is the rotation of the job, in order to ensure the smooth running of the process even in the absence of any member in the company. This is also the dilemma of many organizations that responsibilities are not rotated among coworkers, which might be the major cause of slow progress of organizations. So, all member in Jakel Silk House must trust each other so that they can create good teamwork and doing well in their business. . 4 Customer-driven quality TQM has a customer-first orientation. The customer, not internal activities and constraints, comes first. Customer satisfaction is seen as the company's highest priority. The Jakel Silk House company believes it will only be successful if customers are satisfied. The TQM company is sensitive to customer requirements and responds rapidly to them. In the TQM context, `being sensitive to customer requ irements' goes beyond defect and error reduction, and merely meeting specifications or reducing customer complaints. The concept of requirements is expanded to take in not only product and service attributes that meet basic requirements, but also those that enhance and differentiate them for competitive advantage. Each part of the Jakel Silk House company is involved in Total Quality, operating as a customer to some functions and as a supplier to others. The Marketing Department is a supplier to downstream functions such as Manufacturing and Field Service, and has to treat these internal customers with the same sensitivity and responsiveness as it would external customers. . 5 TQM leadership from top management TQM is a way of life for Jakel Silk House company. It has to be introduced and led by top management. Attempts to implement TQM often fail because top management doesn't lead and get committed instead it delegates and pays lip service. Commitment and personal involvement is required from top management in creating and deploying clear quality values and goals consistent with the objectives of the company, and in creating and deploying well defined systems, methods and performance measures for achieving those goals. These systems and methods guide all quality activities and encourage participation by all employees. The development and use of performance indicators is linked, directly or indirectly, to customer requirements and satisfaction, and to management and employee remuneration. 4. 6 Continuous improvement Continuous improvement of all operations and activities is at the heart of TQM. Once it is recognized that customer satisfaction can only be obtained by providing a high-quality product, continuous improvement of the quality of the product is seen as the only way to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction. As well as recognizing the link between product quality and customer satisfaction, TQM also recognizes that product quality is the result of process quality. As a result, there is a focus on continuous improvement of the Jakel Silk House company's processes. This will lead to an improvement in process quality. In turn this will lead to an improvement in product quality, and to an increase in customer satisfaction. Improvement cycles are encouraged for all the company's activities such as product development, use of EDM/PDM, and the way customer relationships are managed. This implies that all Jakel Silk House activities include measurement and monitoring of cycle time and reponsiveness as a basis for. Seeking responsiveness as a basis for seeking opportunities for improvement. Elimination of waste is a major component of the continuous improvement approach in this company. There is also a strong emphasis on prevention rather than detection, and an emphasis on quality at the design stage. The customer driven approach helps to prevent errors and achieve defect-free production. When problems do occur within the product development process, they are generally discovered and resolved before they can get to the next internal customer. 4. 7 Fast response To achieve customer satisfaction, the Jakel Silk House company has to respond rapidly to customer needs. This implies short product and service introduction cycles. These can be achieved with customer-driven and process-oriented product development because the resulting simplicity and efficiency greatly reduce the time involved. Simplicity is gained through concurrent product and process development. Efficiencies are realized from the elimination of non value adding effort such as redesign. The result is a dramatic improvement in the elapsed time from product concept to first shipment. 4. 8 Actions based on facts The statistical analysis of marketing and manufacturing facts is an important part of TQM. Facts and analysis provide the basis for planning, review and performance tracking, improvement of operations, and comparison of performance with competitors. The TQM approach is based on the use of objective data, and provides a rational rather than an emotional basis for decision making. The statistical approach to process management in both marketing and manufacturing recognizes that most problems are system-related, and are not caused by particular employees. In practice, data is collected by Jakel company and put in the hands of the people who are in the best position to analyze it and then take the appropriate action to reduce costs and prevent non-conformance. Usually these people are not managers but workers in the process. If the right information is not available, then the analysis, whether it be of shop floor data, or marketing test results, can't take place, errors can't be identified, and so errors can't be corrected. 4. 9 Employee participation A successful TQM environment requires a committed and well trained work force that participates fully in quality improvement activities. Such participation is reinforced by reward and recognition systems which emphasize the achievement of quality objectives. On going education and training of all employees supports the drive for quality. Employees in Jakel Silk House Company are encouraged to take more responsibility, communicate more effectively, act creatively, and innovate. As people behave the way they are measured and remunerated, TQM links remuneration to customer satisfaction metrics. 4. 10 A TQM culture It's not easy to introduce TQM. An open, cooperative culture has to be created by Jakel Silk House management. Employees have to be made to feel that they are responsible for customer satisfaction. They are not going to feel this if they are excluded from the development of visions, strategies, and plans. It's important they participate in these activities. They are unlikely to behave in a responsible way if they see management behaving irresponsibly saying one thing and doing the opposite. 4. 11 Product development in a TQM environment Product development in a TQM environment is very different to product development in a non TQM environment. Without a TQM approach, product development is usually carried on in a conflictual atmosphere where each department acts independently. Short term results drive behavior so scrap, changes, work-arounds, waste, and rework are normal practice. Management in Jakel Silk House should focuses on supervising individuals, and fire fighting is necessary and rewarded. Product development in a TQM environment is customer driven and focused on quality. Teams are process oriented, and interact with their internal customers to deliver the required results. Jakel Silk House management's also must focus on controlling the overall process, and rewarding teamwork. Part E 5. 0 Conclusion Focusing on quality, combined with increasing costs of materials, equipment, labor and advertising are driving the implementation of TQM as a competitive strategy in all types of organizations. These forces for change also provide an opportunity for an expanded role of marketing department management in making TQM succeed. Quality can no longer be viewed as the responsibility for one department. It is a companywide activity that permeates all departments, at all levels. The key element of any quality and productivity improvement program is the employee. Consequently, employee commitment to a TQM program is essential. Because of its fundamental employee orientation, Jakel Silk House should seek the responsibility for implementing TQM programs rather than risk losing their influence over the key element of TQM that the employee. Organizations with a solid reputation for providing high customer satisfaction have a common viewpoint: consistently taking care of the smaller duties is just as important as the larger concerns. Just as they attempt to instill an overall quality philosophy across the company, Jakel can emphasize consistent quality in its own operations. The day-to-day delivery can be just as important as developing strategic programs that may have higher visibility and supposedly greater long term consequences. As a manufacturing company Jakel Silk House is best able to take charge of these important functions as they relate to a TQM strategy. The full potential of the entire work force must be realized by encouraging commitment, participation, teamwork, and learning. Jakel Silk House is best suited to accomplishing this by modeling these qualities. Leading by example, the marketing department in Jakel Silk House Company could then sustain the long term TQM process company wide. A byproduct of setting a TQM example can be the improved standing of the marketing department in the eyes of other, traditionally more influential departments. But, the primary end result can be total quality management as a successful competitive strategy for organizational survival. 6. 0 Reference 1. David L. Goetsch, Stanly Davis: Quality Management: Introduction to Total Quality Management for production, Processing, and Services, Prentice Hall Inc, New Jersey, 2000. . Robert W. Ingram,Thomas L. Albright, John W. Hill: Managerial Accounting, Information for Decision 3rd edition, South Western, Canada, 2003. 3. Gopal K. Kanji: Total quality management, Proceedngs of the first World Congress, First edition 1995, Printed in Great Britain by Hartnolls Ltd,Bodmin,Cornwall. 4. Garrison, Noreen, Brewer, Managerial accounting, Twelfth Edition, Printed in Sin gapore. 5. http://www. johnstark. com/fwtqm. html. 6. Interview with Jakel Silk House Company. 7. 0 Appendices 2 Jakel Silk House (Alamesra branch)

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This will enable me to interview the candidates appropriately without discrimination and be able to help select the best possible candidate . If I did not have good interview skills I would be unable to interview the retail sales assistants and then the best possible candidate may not be selected. Now I am a supervisor I will need to have coaching and motivational skills . This will enable me manage and motivating a team of sales assistants. This will include ensuring sales floor standards are met and managing prime time. As well as managing and motivating a team of sales assistants . This will include dealing with performance issues and carrying out appraisals . If I do not have coaching and motivational skills the employees would get demotivated and give out poor customer service which would mean unhappy customers.

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Topical References - Assignment Example The purpose of this research is to understand the various types of disorders that are covered within the context of Child and Adolescents Psychiatry while the research is based to answer this question which type of interventions may be utilized to enhance productivity of children and adolescents suffering from mental health issues and also how these disorders impact the productivity. References Angold, A. and Costello, E. J. (2000). The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment (CAPA). Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 39 (1): 39–48. Abstract: To describe the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment (CAPA). The base interview covers the age range from 9 to 17 years. The interview glossary that provides detailed operational definitions of symptoms and severity ratings is described, and psychometric data and further developments of the interview are presented. Across 5,962 parent-child interviews, the core sections of the CAPA (psychiatric sym ptoms, functional impairment, demographics, family structure and functioning) took on average 59 minutes for children and 66 minutes for parents. Test-retest reliability for diagnoses ranged from ? = 0.55 for conduct disorder (CD) to ? = 1.0 for substance abuse/dependence. Validity as judged by 10 different criteria was good. Developments of the CAPA include a shorter â€Å"gateway† version using core symptoms as screen items, a Spanish version, and versions for twin studies, use with young adults (YAPA), and preschool-age children (PAPA). There is a place in both research and clinical settings for a rigorously operationalized interview (such as the CAPA) that focuses on ensuring that respondents understand what is being asked and on clearly defining levels of symptom severity and functional impairment. [Abstract from author] Classi, P. M., Le, T. K., Ward, S., and Johnston, J. (2011). Patient characteristics, comorbidities, and medication use

Organizational Behavior Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Organizational Behavior - Annotated Bibliography Example Go-To-People are analytical, aggressive, intuitive, humble, patient, confident, deliberate and decisive. In addition they know how well the organization work, know how to use power when it is needed and think outside the box. 3. Go-To-People can be found anywhere in any department of the company and might be very learned or new graduates as well as someone with just formal education. The organization can find them through interviews by asking tricky questions and see how the employees respond. The organization can also find them by looking for talents within the organization. Or creating challenging projects which will help bring out the characteristics of Go-To-People person. 4. Go-To-People should be nurtured by keeping them challenged, recognizing their efforts and rewarding them thus building their career. Usually they work hard but their efforts go unnoticed and this demoralizes them, hence it is necessary for the organization to recognize the value they bring and reward them appropriately. 1. This article describes the ABC model that can be used by managers to obtain desired behavior and performance from employees by providing a positive feedback. The ideas in this article are the A which is ‘action’, B which is ‘because’, C which is ‘could we?’ and finally the conclusion which determines the outcome of the feedback. 2. â€Å"A† focuses on a specific issue and how the feedback conversation should be carried out. This requires data collection first to determine the issue of concern and the managers should be able to raise the topic without provocation or judgment of the employee being addressed. The use of data and facts is important in this step to ensure that both parties have the same information. A proper â€Å"A† statement will lead to a positive feedback. 3. â€Å"B† looks at why the issue in step A is brought up and the need to address it as well as its impact. This involves accountability and the

Intro to businees Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Intro to businees - Essay Example The taxes collected by government from businesses are used to finance public projects and social programs. Businesses also contribute to the well being of a society through their social corporate responsibility programs. Corporate social responsibility (CRS) is about how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on the members of a society (Baker, 2004). The philanthropic initiatives of businesses are important for the economy because they directly help the social class that is in greater need in our country which is the poor people of the nation. Businesses are also important to the economy because they manufacture and create products that people need and desire. For instance the activities of businesses create the food supply people consume on a daily basis. The activity of businesses also impacts the world trade of products between different countries across the world. Profit and non profit organizations play some similar and other different rol es in the economy. Both types of organizations help provide the economy with jobs for the people. The non-profit sector is composed of the private non-profit organizations and the government. Profit organizations are the main contributors of tax revenue for the government. The goal of these businesses is to maximize shareholders wealth, while the goal of non-profit organizations is to provide free services to help social causes in a community. Non-profit organizations such as the Red Cross assist society whenever there is a disaster and there are constantly collecting blood from donors to help sick people. Often profit organizations donate money to non-profit organizations because these organizations are more adept at using money more effectively to help poor people. For example a $45 donation to the non-profit organization Feed The Children enables the entity to purchase $225 of food and other essential items. A major difference between profit and non-profit organizations is that b usinesses operate in order to maximize their profit, while non-profit organizations operate on a zero sum budget which means that any money they collect during a year is supposed to be totally spent to reach zero by the end of the fiscal year. The largest non-profit organization is the government. In the United States as of 2010 there were 21.29 million governmental employees (Numberof, 2012). This implies that the government is the largest non-profit organization in the United States. The money the government collects from taxes and other revenue sources is used to finance different programs including the military, education, and many other social programs. The monetary policy in the United States of America is set by the Federal Reserve. The two main aspects of monetary policy are the money supply and credit. The interest rates in the banking industry are dependent on the prime rate the Federal Reserve sets. The chairman of the Federal Reserve is Ben S. Bernanke. The fiscal policy in the United States is controlled by the Federal government. Fiscal policy deals with how the government spends its money. One of the biggest obstacles the Federal government faces is the accumulated deficit. This deficit has been growing a lot since the War on Terror that started in 2001. A product that I am familiar with is a new invention created by the company WildRavenModels. This firm created the world’

Materiality in Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Materiality in Auditing - Essay Example As per IASB, the term ‘materiality’ refers to the information that are is important if their its exclusion or inaccurate presentation could shape the economic decision of the users of the financial statement of a business. The Materiality rests upon the magnitude of the evaluated element or error in some scenario of the auditor’s omission or inaccurate presentation. The Materiality depicts the significance of an exclusion or of an incorrect presentation of an accountancy data or information which will impact the decision of a user of such accountancy information. As per ISA (UK&I) 320 , materiality in planning and carrying over out an audit means that the auditor employs the notion of materiality in planning and carrying over out the audit to identify material misstatements. Moreover, at the final  end of the auditing, the auditor will decide whether the unrectified misstatements recognised are either in aggregate or individually material to the financial statements or not. Thus, in deciding the materiality, auditor has to exercise his judgment. An omission or misstatement can be evaluated to be material or immaterial by virtue of their its nature or size or a mixture of both (FRC 2013:7). The auditor is anticipated to design and carry out an audit that offers a reasonable promise that materials’ misstatements will be exposed. Both materiality and audit risk are interconnected in that audit risk is explained in terms of materiality. If there is a material misstatement present in the financial statement even after the audit has been executed , in such case auditor will be held responsile for not highlighting the materiality (Rittenberg, Johnstone & Gramming 2011:135). The notion of materiality offers flexibility to financial reporting, and this can result in abuse. Corporations may record â€Å"small† errors

The criminal mind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The criminal mind - Essay Example Three features distinguish crime science from criminology: it embraces the physical, computer and engineering sciences as well as the social; it focuses on crime rather than criminals, and it is single-minded about cutting crime, rather than studying it for its own sake. Crime science was conceived by the British broadcaster Nick Ross in the late 1990s in order to recruit scientific methods to crime prevention, with encouragement from the then Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir John Stevens and Professor Ken Pease. Situations have not been entirely ignored in criminology. Birkbeck3 and LaFree (1993) and Sampson and Lauritsen (1994) have reviewed various situational approaches to crime, deviance, and violence, including the work of symbolic integrationists, opportunity and routine activity theorists, and those who advocate the study of criminal events. Most empirical research on situations, however, has involved the event as the unit of analysis, with no link to individual histories or individual patterns of behavior. To study the behavior situation relations advocated by Mischel and Shoda (1995)4, we would need to study the same individuals across multiple situations or contexts. To proceed with such an approach, we must define situations. From the various situational perspectives on crime there has not as yet emerged a consensus as to how situations should be conceptualized. Let us turn back to the summer camp study (Shoda et al., 1994) for a possible model. In that study the researchers observed behavior occurring within different levels, which they referred to as ecological settings, nominal situations, and interpersonal situations. Table 1 provides examples of these different levels. The ecological settings represented are camp, school, and home. Within each ecological setting are nominal situations, which they describe as â€Å"dictated by the structure of the particular ecology (the setting)† (Shoda et al., 1994: 675). Thus, at

Pro Abortion Essay Example for Free

Pro Abortion Essay INTRODUCTION Termination of fetus before death of the child can be defined as Pro-abortion. In the case of Roe Vs Wade, the Supreme Court had given its decision allowing the abortions in the first six months of pregnancy of period. Pro-abortion is a right of the women. The abortion is legalized from January 22, 1973 in all fifty states of Unites States. The Rose Vs Wade is foundation for pro-abortion in United States. The women rights groups and pro-abortion supporters welcomed the decision. But some of the opponents started the pro-life movement demanding abortion restrictions. Before 1973 abortion is not subject to United States constitution law. It was the matter for the individual states. So abortion was illegal if it is made after four months of pregnancy. Due to the efforts of American Medical Association anti-abortion laws have been come into force around 1900. Â  With the familiar case of Roe Vs Wade where a woman challenged the Texas laws, the U.S.Supreme Court made the following conclusions: 1. The abortion law not belongs to state issue and it is subject to Constitution of United States i.e. federal constitutional law. 2. The procurement of abortion was a constitutional right. Previous to the Roe Vs Wade, majority states in the United States of America prohibited the abortion with an exception when the life of women in threat. But the Supreme Court allowed in the case of Roe Vs Wade that woman has constitutional right for the pro abortion of first six of pregnancy. The pro-abortion would be safer and involve less complication. It is noticed that at about 89% abortions performed in the United States during 1995. All such abortions under taken in the early stage only i.e. with in the first 12-13 weeks after the last menstrual period. Since early days, the abortion was illegal and it is recommended only when life of mother is in danger. Later on the legislation developed as woman has constitutional right for the abortion of first six months of pregnancy. Accordingly the Supreme Court also given judgment stating that States could restrict the abortions of last 3 months of pregnancy. Here the last 3 months period is crucial stage, where the life fetus will be developed. REASONS The reasons for pro abortion for the woman may be various such as pregnancy without marriage, having already children, possibility of getting disabled children etc. whatever the reason, it is a legalized right to the woman to have abortion according to her choice and others should not influence on this issue. Sometimes mother’s health would be in danger due to the pregnancy. PRO-ABORTION VS PRO-CHOICE Pro-abortion is linked with pro-choice. Abortion itself indicates it is selection of choice; hence it can be termed as pro-choice. Though anti-abortion still it exists pro-choice. Pro-choice means the women would be in a position to allow or not to allow the child. So pro-choice can be termed as pro-abortion. Pro-abortion or pro-choice both linked with the women rights as it affects her own body. In the early days, the abortion became a crime for many reasons. Until 1800, there were no legislations and women themselves trained and gave training to other women for abortions. There will be no guarantee for the women to get the abortions though Roe Vs Wade gave the clear decision and legalizing the abortion within six months of the pregnancy. Illiterate women may not be able to access the necessary medical assistance. Even women who had access to legal abortion, yet they may face severe infections. Hence pro-abortion is unwanted by women though they desire. STATUS OF UNBORN CHILD DURING PRO-ABORTION Unborn child is not part of the body of mother. The unborn child lives in mother. The pro-abortion is killing of the human being with legal support for the reasons whether valid or invalid. But the unborn child is human. One way it is correct to save the mother’s life, and then it can be accepted. But for other reasons the pro-abortion is not correct. The unborn child is in the mother’s body but it is not part of the mother’s body. Hence the unborn child has separate independent status. The unborn child has right to life and this right should not be infringed by any right except the mother’s life in danger. Since unborn child is not part of the body, it has right to come outside. In case raped women also, the unborn child should not be killed. Killing of child is nothing. It is a punishment to the child for the sins of parent. Instead if birth is given to the child, it can be given for adoption since millions of couples waiting for adoption of babies. Such couples are bothered about the health of babies and nothing else. Hence pro-abortion should not be allowed or legalized for raped victims. Due to the following reasons the pro-abortion is not allowed in the rape cases. 1. It will be capital punishment to the unborn child who is innocent. 2. Allowing such abortion for other’s crime (i.e. father) 3. The right of life of the unborn child is infringed. 4. Rape is one wrong and giving punishment to the child is another wrong. PRO-LIFE SUPPORTERS VS PRO-LIFE ADVOCATES Though the Supreme Court given its decision that pro-abortion is legal, yet the American people believe that pro-abortion is wrong. The pro-abortion supporters argue that the baby is in the mother is not the child and it is not a human. The human can only be identified when they come outside. So it is not killing. They further argue that abortion should be legal at any stage that unborn child is not a human being and did not deserve any legal protection. In the United States the persons have limited rights only. Suppose if any person takes drugs beyond the limit are not acceptable though the drugs disturb her/his own body. Similarly prostitution also. In both the cases, it is their own body, yet they cannot go beyond the limit. Hence in the pregnant women also it is wrong to argue that women only should have complete control on her body with regard to abortion. The inside bay is not part of the women but it is separate identity. So keeping the pro-abortion will be invalid. It is true that women have the right to take own decision about her pregnancy and abortion and at the same time the women did not have any right to kill the child. The Pro-choice supporters argue with respect to the woman’s reproductive rights, which includes right to choose of abortion. Whereas the Pro-life advocates opposes and argue the abortion should not be accepted unless the mother’s life in threat. The pro-abortion groups express that abortion should be legal because the unborn baby is not really human being and hence no legal protection. When there is no legal protection, the unborn person cannot occupy the mother’s body without prior consent. CONCLUSION The era of legalized abortions in the country passed thirty-five years since the issue of Roe Vs Wade decision by Supreme Court. The media created false impression that everybody supported the abortion and finally abortion become a big industry in the United States. The pro-life supporters are encouraging the abortion whereas the Pro-life advocates are advocating with religious matters. The tradition and cultural make the women that their right over child should not be infringed. They thought that it is their own reproductive right about the abortion. Due to the abortion laws, many people in the U.S. are not able to adopt the children, as so many children being killed through abortions. The unexpected pregnancy leads to abortion, which gives the capital punishment to the unborn children. Â  Whether Fetus (unborn baby) has a right to be in the womb of woman? It can be yes as long as woman’s life is not in threat. But it is not right; it is permission to the Fetus to stay in the womb. The abortion is not violation of right. When the woman has a right to choose to have sexual relation with any other person, it is also right of woman to choose what and what cannot remain inside her body. Hence it is purely women’s decision. But fetus is human being as it has complete set of human DNA, however fetus did not have physiological independence. REFERENCE: 1. http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/pro-abortion.htm 2. http://www.abortionisprolife.com/statistics.htm 3. http://riawibisono.wordpress.com/2007/03/25/abortion-pro-life-or-pro-choice/ 4. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/6221/debate.html 5. http://www.friesian.com/abortion.htm 6. http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2008/01/18/abortion/ 7. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761595572/Roe_v_Wade.html 8. http://www.capitalism.org/faq/abortion.htm 9. http://mindprod.com/politics/abortion.html 10. Author Jay Johansen, http://www.pregnantpause.org/abort/choice-abort.htm 11. Elizabeth Ross, Pro-Choice Editor http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art49318.asp

Armed forces Essay Example for Free

Armed forces Essay This section provides information on the soldiers, sailors and airman who gained, maintained and then lost an empire. It must be remembered that the vast majority of the empires military manpower was recruited from outside the mother country. It is interesting to note that some of the fiercest resistors to the British went on to become the staunchest allies and defenders of her empire; Highlanders, Sikhs and Gurkhas are perhaps the best examples of this phenomena. The military history of the empire is rich in colour and variety but is also inevitably linked to the darker and more sinister side of the empire through conquest, pacification and destruction. The tentacles of the military spread throughout the empire and beyond, the armed forces were not only the conquerors and defenders of the empire but also provided the garrisons that policed the vast expanses of territory and enabled communication over the vast distances involved. The military was very much the most important institution of the empire. Land forces Infantry The years around 1783 were tumultuous ones for the army and things were about to become even more difficult in the near future. The Army was coming to the end of its actions in the 13 colonies. Political and military defeat hung heavily over Britain at the time. The army had borne the brunt of the unsuccessful campaign and so were associated with the failure. Life was to become even more dangerous and precarious for the British army as it become embroiled in the highly difficult task of containing the expansion of Revolutionary and then Napoleonic France. The army would therefore be forced to expand to an unusually large size and would be strained to its limits. The prominent role played by the British army in ultimately defeating Napoleon would restore its pride and prestige both at home and overseas. In the period following victory in 1815, the British army was regarded as the fire brigade of the Empire being sent to wherever there were disturbances or problems. It would become involved in countless small wars in far flung corners of the globe, most of which would be successful endeavours. However, the army would be sorely tested by the events of the Crimean war and the Indian mutiny. The problems encountered in these actions provided the rationale for the Cardwell army reforms which were implemented progressively from the late 1860s to the early 1880s. The numbering system used by the British army in order to determine precedence was first used in 1751. The year 1782 is interesting because it is the first time that many of these regiments were associated with a specific local area. Theoretically, this was to be where their depot was to be based and their recruiting to take place. However, constant strategical and manpower needs meant that these regiments could be posted anywhere and were keen to take recruits from wherever they could find them. In this period of history, the numbers were the more important of the designations and would be used on a day to day basis. However, the territorial titles would later form the basis of the next major overhaul of the regimental system almost exactly 100 years later: the Cardwell Army reforms. Foot guards Number Title 1st The First Regiment of Foot Guards 2nd The Second (Cold stream) Regiment of Foot Guards 3rd His Majesties Third Regiment of Foot Guards Cavalry First troop of life guards Badge Nicknames The Bangers Lumpers The Cheesemongers The Fly-slicers The Piccadilly Butchers The Roast and Boiled The Ticky Tins The Tin Bellies The Patent Safeties Motto Honi soit qui mal y pense Evil be to him who evil thinks Regimental Marches Millanollo (Quick) Val Hamm The Life Guards Slow March (Slow) Regimental Anniversary Waterloo Day 18th June Colonels 1660 1788 Soldiers 1660 1788 Successor Units 1st Life Guards (1660 1788) The Life Guards (1922 ) Suggested Reading History of the Household Cavalry by Sir George Arthur (Constable: 1909, 1926: 3 vols) The Story of the First Life Guards (Harrap: 1922) Historical Record of the Life Guards (London: Clowes: 1836) Regimental Museum Household Cavalry Museum Combermere Barracks Windsor More go to http://www.btinternet.com/~britishempire/empire/forces/armyunits/britishcavalry/1sttroopofhorseguards.html Artillery Horse artillery Battery Sergeant-Major The other picture of the Battery Sergeant-major is a coloured engraving from a photo. He has gold braiding. The back end of a 12-pounder is accurately shown. Officer 1890 The Officer is in full dress on his charger. Sergeants with 12 Pounder The Sergeants are in various forms of dress. The one in the forground is in full dress or parade dress, the others are in different combinations of working dress. Mounted SergeantThe gold cord braiding on his jacket indicates that he is a Sergeant. F Battery in Second Afghan War Science and technology Transport Railways The nineteenth century saw many technological changes, but none of them were to have as wide repurcussions as the invention of the train. The power of steam had been known for some time but applying this power to moving heavy goods and people over long distances was one application that would have profound consequences and serve the British and their Empire for well over a hundred years. It was George Stephenson who realised the full power and potential of the steam engine when he designed a machine that could take advantage of narrow copper tubes which could be heated to create the all important steam power. The Rocket was the first such steam engine to take advantage of this new technology as it operated between Liverpool and Manchester from 1830. However, technical change was to become rapid and the train was to change its appearance and technical specifications again and again. Inevitably, it was the mother country that first saw her landscape transformed by this new invention. Navvies from Ireland, Scotland and the North of England scarred the landscape with viaducts, bridges and tunnels in the pursuit of the smooth gradients that trains required to travel at their most efficient level. They were paid a pittance for excruciating and dangerous work. In many ways, these navvies represented one of the largest migrations of Imperial settlers as they moved over from Ireland or as they followed the train tracks around the country and ended up settling in the last place they found work. In 1847 there were a quarter of a million navvies digging and blasting their way over the British landscape, their travels are one of the lesser documented migrations of history. However, the job they did is still plain to see in the British landscape some 150 years later and will be for many more years to come. The amount of track laid in Britain increased from only 500 miles in 1838 to over 8,000 by 1855. This expansion of track also brought down the cost of travel so that all but the poorest could afford to travel by train. In the stagecoach days, a ticket from London to Manchester and back would have cost à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3 10s but by 1851 the train fare for this same journey was only 5s (a seventh of the stagecoach fare) for a far quicker and more comfortable journey. Of course, the expansion of the railways didnt just rest on the invention of the steam train. Iron was needed for the rails and its mass production helped to reduce the costs to the railway industry. In addition, iron girders and glass were used to construct magnificent looking railway stations. Even older industries, like stonemasonry were given a new lease of life as vast quantities of stone and rock were needed for sleepers, bridges and stations. The railway age was an enormous boost to the economy of Britain, and would provide the country with one of the most efficient infrastructures for the remainder of the century. It wouldnt take colonial administrators long to see the benefits that such an infrastructure could bring to the colonies they were in charge of. Particularly, as some of these colonies could be immense in size and with little existing infrastructure. Horses and ships had provided the most efficient means of transport to date, but ships obviously couldnt reach the interior and horses could not match the speed and power of this latest invention. The old established colonies like India, leapt at the railway opportunities and built a railway structure that would even rival the mother countrys in scope and scale. They were often financed by British industrialists keen to move the primary and secondary products of India to the ports ready to be exported to Britain and her factories. Cotton, spices and teas would all provide the economic model for railway building that would later be copied in other colonies by other crops and industries; rubber in Malaysia, coffee in South America, grains in Canada and livestock in Australia and New Zealand. In some colonies, railways were used more as the initial spur to encourage colonisation of an area. In Africa, railways were built to provide an infrastructure that would lure white colonists into an area in order to farm the area and turn it into a profitable colony. South Africa, Rhodesia and Kenya all wanted to increase their white population and increase the economic activity of their lands and all spent copious amounts of money and effort into building railways in what were very often inhospitable areas to European settlers. They all had varying degrees of success, but were built nonetheless. Indeed, one of the burning issues of late nineteenth century was Cecil Rhodes burning ambition to build a Cape to Cairo railway line that passed through British territory all the way. And this dream, although not realised by a train network, certainly influenced a great deal of Central African colonisation during the period. Another spur to the railway building in the nineteenth century was the British army. They too, quickly identified the advantages in being able to move troops and supplies around in a quick and efficient manner. The army would often try to influence local colonial administrators and get them to build railway lines to places which had little business or economic rationale. Alternatively, the army would build its own railway lines in areas they felt were necessary. In the case of Kitcheners Sudan campaign in the late 1890s, the army travelled down the Nile slowly but surely, not just out of tactical considerations, but because they were building a railway line as they travelled. In fact, this railway line is still in use as Sudans major railway line over a hundred years after it was built by the British army. Likewise in the Boer war, the British army came to depend on the strategic advantages of the railway network, but would also be exposed to the vulnerability of this network as the Boers transformed themselves into a guerilla army and destroyed bridges and lines at will. Despite this costly lesson, the British army maintained its respect and use of trains for many more years to come. Railways transformed the Empire in many ways, it increased business activity and allowed businesses to flourish in areas that previously would have been impossible to make a living in. It allowed officials to move rapidly over the areas that they governed. It allowed troops to be dispatched over great distances in short periods of time, indeed this speed of response removed much of the burden of having to station so many troops in a colony in the first place. Populations could benefit from access to cheaper goods as the factories of Europe could unleash their products to the far flung corners of the empire: tinned goods, newspapers, boot polish and toys could all be moved at a fraction of the cost from previous days. The people themselves could move around the empire whether for business or for pleasure; families could be reunited more regularly, farmers could travel longer distances to get their products to market, businessmen could entertain clients from further afield. Even within relatively short distances and in crowded areas people wanted to enjoy the benefits of the train system. Therefore, in London, one of the more interesting railway innovations was devised in the 1860s; the underground system, or the tube. Using Victorian ingenuity and technical engineering expertise an elaborate underground system of trains was built that would be envied and copied by Metropolises the world over. And again, it reinvigorated the economic life of the City of London and allowed for yet another relocation of businesses and housing for the masses of that city. The advantages of the railways were apparent to virtually everyone. These were the days when progress was seen as a universal good and the railways were a prime example of this beneficent progress. Ships England was a small island nation off the coast of the very powerful and dynamic continent of Europe proper. There were three options open to the English ruling classes. First of all, she could immerse herself into European politics and economics. However, the competition on this front was particularly fierce; French, Italians, Austrians and a myriad of other powerful nations would ensure that England would only be one player in a field of many. Besides, wars and religion made dabbling in this arena a very expensive one. Second, she could turn in on herself and try to stay aloof from the goings on of the world. This strategy suited the Japanese in their dealings with their continental rivals. However the English were already keen traders and had acquired tastes and business practices that made this option an unpalatble one. Her third choice was to turn to the opportunities offered by the rest of the world. And it is because she chose this path that first England, and then Britain, tu rned herself into the preeminent maritime nation of Europe and indeed the world. Englands rise as a maritime nation started with the reign of King Henry VIII. His ambitions were guided more to Europe, but he did manage to lay down financial and military foundations that would be taken advantage of by his successors. The Mary Rose is testimony to the size and power that the King sought to develop. He wanted a navy to project his power and influence onto the European political scene. Unfortunately, his plans and schemes were not fully realized during his reign. However, his treasury was full, the ports were protected by new castles and coastal defences and he had started a naval tradition that would bequeath valuable skills and experience to later generations of sea goers. By the time Queen Elizabeth came to the throne, the most powerful maritime nations were Spain and Portugal. These nations had encouraged explorers to find new, exciting and highly profitable trade routes. However, there were deep religious and philosophical divisions between these Catholic nations and the Protestant English. Queen Elizabeth had no love for these religious and economic rivals and basically sanctioned piracy on the high seas as a means of prosecuting war against the Catholic monarchies. Chief amongst her officially sanctioned privateers were Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins. These, and other sailors, wreaked havoc with Spanish and Portugese trade routes to the East Indies and particularly to the New World. The Caribbean became particularly notorious for rampant piracy. This rivalry turned into something of a naval arms race as the Spanish and English tried to outdo each other in terms of offensive power or in terms of speed to escape potential privateers. Military and commercial ships of both nations would benefit from new technologies, techniques and skills. The naval rivalry between these two nations would reach a head in 1588 with the Spanish Armada. This Spanish attempt to stamp out her English rivals was a gamble that did not pay off. Bad weather and English seamanship saw that the Armada failed in its bid to land an army on English soil. More importantly, the destruction of much of the Armada left the English mariners in a very powerful position and particularly in the Caribbean and in the New World. In the East Indies with its spice trade, the English still had to deal with the Portugese and the Dutch as serious competitors. But with the removal of the Spanish, the English were free to develop an unprecedentedly successful economic venture. There were two main commercial activities that allowed the English to maximise there maritime advantage: Sugar and Slavery. In fact, these were two complemantary activities that would work very closely together. Slaves were needed to tend and harvest the sugar crops of the New World. The same ships that transported these slaves could then be loaded up with sugar and brought back to Europe. With the advent of industrialisation in Britain, the third leg of this trip could also be made profitable. Cheap manufactured goods were taken from Liverpool and Bristol to West Africa and exchanged their for slaves, the slaves were exchanged for sugar in the Caribbean, and the sugar would finally be sold in Europe at a huge profit. The profits involved meant that few people overly concerned by any humanitarian or ethical issues. Indeed, the economic success of this trade would mean that even more time, money and skills were ploughed into the British commercial and Royal Navies. The more and better the British ships became the more she took the worlds trade and the faster she developed into the worlds preeminent naval power. By the mid to end of the eighteenth century, the British could claim to have the largest and most successful naval forces in the world: Both militarily and commercially. By this time, naval traditions, experience and expertise had been fully augmented by advances in science and the latest industrial products and techniques. British ships were familiar sites to ports and coastal regions the world over. However, two events would test this faith and confidence in the maritime forces of the nation. Soon, the British would realise that although they were a match for any nation on even terms, a combination of forces might lead to her undoing. The first test of this theory was the American War of Independence. French and Spanish involvement in supplying and maintaining the insurrection. Combine this with Royal Naval ships and sailors fighting on the side of the colonists and the British could see that they were not as invincible as they would have liked to have believed. However, the real test of the strength and importance of the Naval forces of Britain was to come with the rise of Napoleon on the European continent. A brilliant tactician and strategist, Napoleon swept most of Europe before him. As he took effective control over these powers he also took control of their navies. The British tried their best to thwart these plans with some success in Holland and especially Denmark. However, the Spanish and French fleets combined again to form a most formidable force. Unlike the days of the American War of Independence, it was clear that the only way the British could dispense with the threat of Napoleon was to confront and defeat this Navy in an open battle. The stakes for the island nation had not been higher since the days of Drake and the Spanish Armada. Fortunately for the British, a new hero rose to the hour. Admiral Nelson successfully defeated the combined fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar. He paid for this victory with his life, but he laid down a sense of security for the island nation that would remain intact for another century. Although disappointments and setbacks did occur, most notab ly in the War of 1812-14, essentially the Royal Navy returned to being the preeminent maritime nation. Indeed, the only serious threat to the Royal and Merchant Navies were the sailors, captains and admirals themselves. Complacency and a lack of serious rivals meant that the British maritime forces lay essentially unchanged for most of the nineteenth century. Half a century after the death of Nelson and the Royal Navy had barely changed at all; even the ships were the same. The only serious innovation that made serious inroads into these traditions was the advent of steam. Even then, the Admiralty were reluctant converts to this latest technology and pined for the days of sail. It would be left to commercial forces and entrepreneurs to explore and develop this means of power. The most important name associated with these developments is that of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. This man built the first steamship to cross the Atlantic: the Great Western. The first ocean screw steamer: the Great Britain. And what for 40 years would be the largest ship ever built: the Great Eastern. And although these ships were not the greatest of commercial triumphs the combination of ingenuity, expertise and industrial technology would mean that Britain would remain at the forefront of maritime power for some time to come. Steam power would open up other avenues for exploration that had previously been difficult if not impossible for mariners to pursue. The ability to power a vessel upstream would mean that many of the worlds rivers could be opened up to European explorers and traders. This would allow for new parts of the world to be explored and new commerical and political relationships to be established. Africa would see this technology employed along its many rivers. Indeed, steamships would even be taken overland to operate on the great lakes of the African interior. One side effect of the introduction of steampower was that coaling stations would become a strategic necessity to the Royal and Merchant Navies. All of a sudden, the Royal Navy became concerned at the placement of Naval bases particularly with regards to how far a ship could steam before it needed refuelling. This new strategic thinking would be augmented and amended by the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. The world was becoming a smaller place at a rapid rate and maritime necessities would be prime in consideration for much of the Imperial expansion of the day. Cash crops would be the new cash cows that provided the financial impetus for maritime ventures at the Imperial level. Tea, cotton, rubber, even opium would all take their turn in providing the imperatives and returns in investing in Britains maritime fleets. Combine these financial considerations with regular British trade patterns with Europe, Latin America and the United states and the fact that populations were willing and able to move about the planet in unprecedented numbers and the importance of ships and maritime policy to the British Empire is easy to comprehend. The next challenge to British supremacy of the waves was to be by the Germans. By the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries European and imperial rivalries combined to form ominous and powerful blocks of nations. On one side lay the French and Russians, on the other the Germans, Italians and Austrians. Britain tried to remain aloof for as long as possible, but when the Germans declared that they wanted a Navy that was the equal of the Royal Navy, the gauntlet had been laid and the British joined with the French and Russians. A naval arms race between the British and Germans was proving costly to both countries, it didnt help matters when one of Britains own innovations nearly bankrupted the nation. The development of the Battleship Dreadnought in 1906 kept the British at the front of Naval technology but at the cost of making their entire existing fleet obsolescent. The Germans would easily be able to catch up to the British with this new technology and, if it hadnt been for competing claims on the German military budget, might have succeeded in doing so. As it was, during The Great War, the British were just able to keep ahead of the Germans and successfully bottled them up in their Baltic ports for most of the war. However, another military development would provide fresh worries and portents enough for the British. The submarine did not effect the war as much as their German commanders had hoped, but their potential for disrupting existing Naval balances of power were clear to all. These concerns would be played out at a much more lethal level during the next war. Meanwhile, the interwar period saw cutbacks to both the Royal and Merchant Navies. With little appetite left for armed forces, British politicians cut back defence expenditure on all of the services. The Royal Navy was no exception. These cutbacks came just as new maritime rivals could be seen on the horizon. During The Great War, the Americans had turned their massive industrial might to outfitting her armed forces in a very short period of time. At the same time, the Japanese had been left unchallenged to develop in the Pacific Ocean. When the war ended they quickly sought to establish some kind of parity with the Royal Navy; the result was the Washington conference. This conference established the so called 5:5:3 ratios for capital ships. America and Britain were to be equal in size and number of ships whilst the Japan maintained 60% of these numbers. The effect of the conference was that Britain, for the first time since Drake, admitted that she would only be the equal of another power. No longer would she aim to be the preeminent naval power. In reality, she had also given the Japanese a local superiority in the Pacific region. A superiority the Japanese would use to dismember much of the British Asian Empire. The Second World War was to put Britain in as much, if not more, peril than in the first. Her naval commanders rightly identified submarine warfare as being the biggest threat the island nation. The Royal and Merchant Navies took horrendous losses as these commanders developed ways of dealing with this silent menace. Convoys and ASDIC did most to redress this balance. But it was a long, hard fight and one that left Britain militarily and economically exhausted by the end of the war. Britain would never reclaim its former maritime glory. The United States and Soviet Navies would eclipse the Royal Navy in size, technology and power. Aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and the rise of Air Power in general would mean that the strategic balance had been tipped forever. Withdrawal from Empire speeded up this process even more, bases in the Far East, South East Asia, the Middle East and even the Mediterranean seemed like expensive anachronisms that no longer served any purpose. At a commercial level, the rise of air transport killed off much of the passenger business of the shipping lines. Also, new trade patterns were established as Imperial trade was replaced by much shorter European destinations. The fall from grace of the British naval heritage is only so precipitate when you realise how long and how deep that tradition has been the lifeblood of the nation. Generations of citizens grew up with the unquestioning belief that Britannia Ruled the Waves. Now that she is a middle ranking European nation, it is not hard to see why so many people lament the passing of an era and why it inspires so many more to be fascinated and interested in this area of British history. Communications The telegraph system was one of the technological wonders of the nineteenth century. It transformed communications in a profound way and helped to give the British Army a technological superiority over most of her competitors. Its invention was a product of the enthusiasm and skill of industrial revolutionary Britain. William Fothergill Cooke and Charles Wheatstone, a scientist and an entrepreneur, teamed up to forge a devastatingly effective alliance that combined the savvy of both individuals to produce the needle telegraph. Wheatstone came up with the technological aspect whilst the Cooke had the foresight to approach the railway companies in order to run their lines along side the railway tracks. On 25 July 1837 the first experimental line with the new telegraph was started. The Great Western Railway Company connected the stations Euston Square and Camden Town over a distance of 2.4 kilometres. It was an outstanding success that not only amazed Victorians but displayed obvious applications for its use. When it was used to broadcast such news as the birth of Queen Victorias second son, or to catch a murderer who had attempted an escape by train, its acceptance and usefulness was plain for all to see. In fact, the only problem with this initial invention was that it the code to transmit messages was rather cumbersome and in fact only twenty letters were used of the alphabet. Credit for the simplification of the both the hardware and code was to cross the Atlantic to a certain Samuel Morse. Samuel Morse had a mission in life. A devout Christian, his world had turned upside down when he missed the funeral of his wife due to a message being delivered late. He never wanted anyone to go through the pain that he had endured and so set about perfecting an easy to use message system. His revolution centred around the idea of sending pulses of electricity of two fixed lengths dots and dashes. The subsequent morse code was so much easier to for all to master. He too saw the logic in following the railroad lines and telegraph poles continued their close relationships to the railway lines that were gradually spreading out over the continents of the world. Of course, there were larger scale boundaries that also needed crossing. Crossing the Atlantic Ocean with a submarine telegraph line was one of the holy grails of Victorian technological advances. So much so that Sirus Field, a very rich American businessman, personally financed the hiring of two warships, one American and one British (USS Buchanan and HMS Victoria), to simply start in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and pull the wire to the opposing sides of the Atlantic. After a couple of attempts, they did indeed manage to succeed in their endeavour. The President of the United States and Queen Victoria managed to exchange pleasantries across all those thousands of miles. Unfortunately, the line only worked for just over two weeks. The Victorian scientists had not anticipated the high voltages that were required to send messages across those thousands of miles. The cable simply burnt out. It would be seven years before the line was reconnected. The problem being that the new, low voltage, well insulated wires were just too thick for any ship to be able to carry. Until, that was, the SS Great Eastern was launched. This was a behemoth of a ship that dwarfed all other ships by its size and speed. In 1866 she easily connected the two continents together. Submarine telegraph lines were now spreading across the world as the British government realised the full potential for governing and communicating with its far flung empire. By 1890, of the inhabited British territories, only Fiji, British Honduras, Tobago, the Falkland Islands, Turks Islands and New Guinea had no cable at all. The importance that Britain personally invested in this world wide infrastructure is borne out by the statistic that by 1914, 75% of all the worlds submarine lines were held by the British. Indeed, within hours of the outbreak of the First World War, the first action taken by any of the British and Imperial Forces around the world was actually taken in Melbourne in Australia. A German merchant ship was fired on by coastal batteries as she attempted to leave port. The fact that this took place on the exact opposite side of the world illustrates how much smaller the empire had become with the advent of telegraphy. Before the advent of this technology, the British government had had to entrust a great deal of local powers to its representatives across the world. When it took three months for a message to travel from a colony back to the capital, waiting for a reply was a luxury that frequently could not be tolerated. The man on the spot was a very powerful figure indeed. With the advent of the telegraph, London could have virtually instantaneous contact with the capitals of her colonies and dominions and conduct business from afar. Cables Being Laid in Canada The value of Britains world wide telegraphic system actually contributed to Britains strategic worries. The cables were kept in British colonies or under British controlled seas as much as possible, but this was not always avoidable. Whenever this occurred the British worried about interceptions of messages or of cutting the link altogether. For example, the link to Australia passed over Dutch Java, the South American cable ran through Portugese Madeira, but probably the biggest headache of all to Britains strategic thinkers was the cable that ran from London to Calcutta. In fact, there were three such cables. One ran from Lowestoft to Germany, through Russia, Persia and in to India. Apart from the strategic nightmares of this essential line of communication was the fact that the Germans and Russians were in a position to keep the costs of using this cable artificially high. The second cable was not much better. It ran across Europe to Constantinople, across Turkey to the Persian Gulf and then by cable to Karachi. Little reliance could be placed on the Ottoman empire. The third cable ran from London to Gibraltar to Malta, Egypt to Aden and then on to Bombay. This looked secure enough, but still relied on using Spanish relay stations to boost the signals. Besides, it was generally more economic to send the messages up over France from Malta. To add to the strategic difficulties the vagaries of the currents and weather caused yet further headaches. Storms, winds, silt, even fishermen could all accidentally disrupt the sending of messages. Combined with the distances involved, it is little wonder the tariffs could be so high. 4 shillings per word to India, and 6s. 9d. to Australia. And yet, the British were convinced that the value of the system was worth the price. All over the world, Englishmen were employed laying or maintaining cables or operating booster stations along the line. The cable manager often became a key member of society for the further flung outposts of imperial society. In Australia, Alice Springs actually came to life as the central station for the overland 2000 mile Telegraph line stretching from Adelaide to the North. These 36,000 telegraph poles were built years before any road or railway line crossed the continent. And it could be dangerous too. In 1874, two cable men were speared to death by Aborig ines. The laying and maintaining of this enormous network must rank as one of the most important achievements of the British Empire. Its scope and utility is hard to imagine in a world where instantaneous communications are taken for granted. Before the invention of the Telegraph the speed of communication had changed little since the time of the Romans. Within thirty years of the first twitchings of Cooks and Wheatstones needle telegraph, the world had been made substantially smaller.

Atlas company overview and market analysis

Atlas company overview and market analysis Atlas Sri Lankas favorite stationery brand is the brainchild of Ceylon Pencil. Co. (Pvt.) Ltd. Established in 1959 it has grown from strength to strength and has successfully gained the majority market share in school, corporate and home stationery products. Today the company is the No. 1 manufacturer of ballpoint pens and exercise books. Atlas stands not only for quality but also for innovation. They have manufactured all their products using cutting edge technology, adding sophistry and efficiency to the stationery products. Atlas products are guaranteed to give an enhanced experience; and high value for money. HISTORY The Company started out by producing its maiden product the varsity Pencil, today it manufactures over 300 stationery products and is proud to be the only stationery brand available all over Sri-Lanka. Atlas has even tapped into international markets by forming strategic partnerships with Atlas pencil company UK. During the 80s and the 90s Atlas brought about fruitful change by establishing Atlas Plastics (Pvt.) Ltd. and Care Products (Pvt.) Ltd. ( the former dedicated to the production of adhesive tapes and strapping tapes, the latter for personal care and cleaning items.) Vision, Mission Values Every organization has a main objective or goal, which can also be termed as its end product. All these are merged into a corporate vision and mission. That of Atlas is given below: ATLAS VISION STATEMENT Our vision is to be the most preferred brand for office and school products in south Asia. The vision is simple but strong. It shows that before declaring world domination Atlas would need to take small steps and first try to conquer the South Asian market. The vision of Atlas isnt farfetched, one day in the near future Atlas would be able to fulfill its vision, if it grows in its steady pace. CORPORATE VALUES We at Atlas firmly believe in upholding high moral values and in being an ethical corporate citizen. In doing, so we continuously inculcate high values in our workforce and strive constantly to give them sufficient independence to use their imagination and creativity. The above given values of Atlas clearly states, that it cares not only about giving high quality goods to its customers. But it also focuses on protecting and helping its staff grow and become better employees. The main objective of the Company is to provide quality goods at a reasonable price to its customers while successfully facing competition. To achieve this the company uses technologically advanced means of production and also uses high quality raw-materials, because of all of these steps the company was awarded with ISO 9001:2000 certification for its stationery items manufacture under the Atlas trade name and numerous other social awards like the community leader award. Product Portfolio Along with its subsidiaries Atlas has a wide range of 300 products including stationery items, plastic (tape) and Care products. These products are icons of quality and are used by many students and corporate bodies around Sri Lanka. The product portfolio/line of Atlas company is stated below: Figure: 1 Product portfolio of Atlas (Authors work, based on information receives from SO) Marketing Philosophy Marketing philosophy or marketing concept used by the company should be clearly identified. With the growing importance of society organizations were enforced to act as good corporate citizens. Therefore businesses were made to realize the importance of being socially responsible. That is why Atlas has chosen the Societal Marketing Philosophy, under this philosophy marketing decisions have to be made balancing 3 criteria- à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consumer needs and wants à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Societies interests à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Profit maximization through customer satisfaction for Company welfare Figure: 2 (lecture notes) As a result of choosing this marketing philosophy Atlas has achieved many awards such as: Ceylon Pencil Company (Pvt) Ltd. was awarded with ISO 9001:2000 certifications for its stationery items manufacture under the Atlas trade name. This proves that Atlas caters to consumer needs by providing quality products. The Community Leader Award from the Chartered Institute of Sri Lanka was awarded to Ceylon Pencil Company (Pvt.) Ltd., for Corporate Social Responsibility activities for the contribution made to education sector. Ceylon Pencil Company (Pvt.) Ltd. received a Merit award for 5S standard by competing with Jastica Society. Market Summary The Ceylon pencil company (pvt) Ltd is the leading stationary manufacturer in Sri Lanka with a wider range of products with the brand of Atlas. The stationary market in Sri Lanka is an Oligopoly Market with few manufacturers offering very similar products. The competitors of Atlas are Richard Veny, Weerodara, Reynolds, Cross, Parker and Pilot. Atlas stationeries mainly focus the customers that school students, and office workers. Customers in stationary market mostly prefer the products that convenient, attractive, affordable, creative and innovative. Introducing this product can lead to trend because Atlas Wiz Maker will attract younger customers due to, Conveniences Attractiveness Innovativeness It is also being noted that younger customers have an attitude of wanting products which includes above criterias. SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT analysis for Atlas Wiz maker. Strengths Brand loyalty of customers Atlas is a well known brand which has been operating in the Sri Lankan market for more than 50 years. Therefore even though its a new product customers will purchase it because of the confidence they have about the brand. Quality Atlas products are known to be of good quality. This will attract customers to purchase this product. Larger market share Atlas is the market leader in the stationary sector therefore it could be a challenge for their competitors to grab that market share from them. Convenience, attractiveness and innovativeness. Atlas wizmaker is a convenient, attractive product using innovative technology, because of the fact that it has a pen , pencil , highlighter and eraser all in one its a convenient product. Also the fact that it comes in a variety of colors makes it attractive to both school children and university students alike. Weaknesses Limited Product assortment The Atlas stationery company is lacking variation in products. The products that Atlas has brought out at present are similar to their competitors, it doesnt draw you away from buying the products which are offered by other competitors Opportunities Because of the busy life style of people they look for convenience. There for coming up with this product will bring opportunities to Atlas since this products main advantage is convenience. Improve Technology Atlas company has recently formed a partnership with Atlas stationeries UK, this partnership allows them to use new technology to produce the best quality products. Export possibilities The recent partnership that Atlas has formed with Atlas stationeries UK, has allowed it to tap into the foreign markets like that in South Asia, UK, US etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ because of its ability to provide high quality products at reasonable prices. Threats Substitutes Other competitors might come up with a similar product. Also companies like bic and cross have invented stationeries with pen, pencil and stylus. Importers The Sri-Lankan market is slowly being flooded by imported stationeries, who are slowly capturing the Sri- Lankan market share. Competition for the Atlas Wiz maker Competition could be known as a contest between two companies, individuals, countries etc in order to perform better than its competitors by providing a product or service which will lead to more market share and long term profits. Substitute products There are many substitutes for this product in the market as well as many brands. By the time of the new arrival of the Wiz maker many other established brands such as Weerodara, Richards and Reynolds will come up with a counter product. And also there is a higher possibility of strong competitors being active in the market. When looking at the stationary market there are a few competitors to Atlas who are; Radiant Pilot Rotomac Weerodara Parker Among them the direct competitors of Atlas would be; Rotomac Pilot Parker Barriers to entry into stationary market There are many barriers to entry in this market. These barriers are not common to all companies because of structure, financial strengths etc. Because of high initial investment needed to produce stationary items many companies will avoid coming into the market. Technology of the firms will have to be high tech and updated at all times. For this to proceed much cost will be incurred. Thus many companies will not be able to afford this Many of these stationary items require standards to be met (e.g.-ISO 9001, ISO 14001).For these standards to be checked a payment in different steps must be done. Advertising to promote a product such as the Wiz maker can only be done with a budget which Atlas or a large rival company possess. Different customers have different preferences. Some might find Atlas unique and easy to use but some might prefer other brands. Thus customer loyalty and preference will be a hard factor to fight against for new companies. Market structure of the stationary market By analyzing the stationary market in Sri Lanka it is clear to us that it is of Oligopoly nature. That is where there are only a few large firms in the market. Thus it is dominated by a few interdependent firms. The Wiz maker will thus be competing with only a few items which will be able to substitute its features. MARKETING OBJECTIVES Objectives are building blocks of an organizations marketing plan. It states what a company wishes to achieve in the near future. What objectives a company would have will be determined after carrying out a comprehensive Environment analysis such as SWOT. INFLUENCES ON OBJECTIVES The environment affects the organizations objectives. There are internal and external factors influencing an organizations objectives. Internal Influences Corporate culture- This refers to the values of the company as a whole. The company values of Atlas is to be an ethical corporate citizen and tries to inculcate high values in their workforce by giving them sufficient independence. Staff Aspirations- It differs from department to department and team to team. Atlas wishes to give its staff sufficient independence so that they can grow as an individual and increase satisfaction in the labor force. All this ensures that the workers contribute to the maximum to produce high quality goods. Resource constraint- In the beginning Atlas used to import its raw material, but now in order to help the local market the raw materials used by Atlas comes from Sri-Lanka itself. Atlas has also formed a partnership with Atlas stationery UK which helps them get a hold of modern technology which helps Atlas produce quality products at minimum cost. External Influences Customer/ Market- Atlas stationeries focuses on serving to three main categories in the market- school children, graduates or university students and office worker. Atlas is the only stationery company in Sri-Lanka which has an island wide market. Economies- Atlas has been recognized as a company which provides high quality products at really affordable prices. Thus it has a wide scope in the market. Competitors- Being the only stationery company which is sold island wide Atlas has only a handful a competitors like weerodar, pilot, bicà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ which dont seem to be a threat to Atlass market reach. CORPORATE OBJECTIVE The corporate objectives of a company includes, trying to achieve maximum profitability and market share. Atlas plans on achieving maximum profitability by providing maximum satisfaction to its consumers by using innovative technology to manufacturer high quality good at minimum cost. Atlas can increase its market share by catering to the nees of its consumers by providing quality products at reasonable prices. SMART MARKETING OBJECTIVES A smart marketing objective should be: Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time bound Based on the above factors its safe to assume that Atlas plans to achieve the power of branding i.e. Atlas strives to provide high quality goods. So it wants to build a good brand name with its consumer. Segmentation This is dividing a market into distinct groups of buyers with different needs, characteristics, or behavior who might require separate products, services or marketing mixes. In order for market segmentation to be useful they should be measurable, accessible, substantial, differentiable and actionable. Bases in consumer segmentation for Atlas Wiz maker. Geographic segmentation This shows how you divide the market into different geographical segments. Such as countries, cities etc. Atlas focuses on urban areas. Demographic segmentation This includes dividing the market into different demographic segments such as age group, gender etc. Atlas focuses mostly on the younger generation. Psychographic segmentation This is dividing the market into different groups based on social class, life style etc. Atlas mainly focuses on the middle class Behavioral segmentation This is when u divide the market into groups based on attitudes of the consumer , use of the product etc. Atlas mainly caters to the needs of younger students. Targeting The process which evaluates the segments attractiveness and selecting segments to offer their products is called targeting. In this step companies have to decide what is the most suitable segment to achieve their objectives. Its based on the result of ranking the segments. The target market which a set of buyers with common needs and characteristics that company decides to serve is selected by evaluating the followings. Market Attractiveness Competitive Factors Company objectives and resources Evaluating the segments Segments of Evaluation School Students University Students Office Workers Professionals Market Attractiveness Size of the group Growth rate High Average High Relatively Low Average Low Very Low Very Low Competitive Factors Level of competition Competitors High percentage of competition Reynolds, Richard Veny Average percentage of competition Renold Richard Veny Parker Average percentage of competition Renold Bic Cross Pilot High percentage of competition Parker Pilot Bic Cross Company Objectives and resources Contribution to market share High contribution Relatively high contribution Average contribution Low contribution Rank 1 2 3 4 Source : Authors Work Positioning Atlas Wizmaker is the new product. It stands not only for quality but also for innovation. Wiz maker product is a different positioning product .That means it competes for a smaller and less competitive market to locate a brand. wizmaker product check Positioning strategy focuses on, this products differentiation strategy. This new product is unique and will be profitable (for the market).And it also has other distinctive criterias that will differentiate it from the many other products. Points of differentiation Must be important and valued by your customers (for example, being marketed as an economical product in a give you an enhanced experience; and high value for money) Positioning your product needs to be focused on delivering A valued and distinctive product to a specific market and delivering in a way that customers accept (thats the hearts and minds part of the equation).This Atlas Wiz pen Good product positioning will make it easy for intended customers to define why they want to buy the product (they will see the unique benefits). Market leader (first in) This Wiz pen being challenged by market followers, focus the marketing message to reinforce this pen is the first (the real thing, rather than the imitation). Wiz pen positioning to Conduct market segmentation. Define the target market. Identify the product attributes. Determine the products share of heart and mind. Being first in the market usually is a significant benefit in mindshare. Place your product in the right space (e.g. economy market; low volume; Quality etc.) Positioning Map Display the consumer perceptions of their brand versus the competing product on important buying dimensions. This Atlas wiz product we can show like this Price Pilot Atlas wiz Parker H L H Quality L POSITIONING STATEMENT The positioning statement of Atlas Company is Be creative and that of Atlas Wizmaker is Atlas wizmaker- Its All You Need. The reason that it says so is because it has all, the pen, pencil, highlighter and eraser together in one product. Marketing mix Product The product which is being marketed is the Atlas wiz maker which is a stationary item which includes 4 main items important to any student, worker or employer. Several factors must be considered when this product is being marketed. Product levels Source: Core product The core product is a stationary item that includes a pen, pencil, eraser, and a highlighter together. Basic product This includes value for money, affordability and convenience. Expected product The buyer expects a product which is; Affordable Has value for money Convenient Augmented product A product with many features together. Potential product Individual product decisions Source: The Product This is an item which includes different items in one body. Thus it will be more portable and affordable. This is a revolutionary idea which has not been developed in the Sri Lankan market. Due to that special quality the demand will be much higher leading to greater profits. The body of the item has a simple cylinder shape which includes a detachable pencil head in one end. The other end of the cylinder consists of a ball point pen head which can be extended or withdrawn at will. The cylinder shape of the item is infused with an eraser which is mounted to the top of the device. It also has a highlighter included in it which comes in 3 colors which are pink, blue and purple to match the color of the pen. Branding This product is being manufactured by Atlas stationary limited (Pvt) therefore the brand of this produce will be Atlas. The company being a very well reputed brand in the Sri Lankan stationary market, people will be drawn to use the product because of low psychological fear created by strong brand image. Packing Packaging of this product is done with a plastic molding done on top of a cardboard structure (the structure is mainly a simple cylindrical shape). To be eye catching the product is packed in 3 different color schemes which are Blue, white and Pink. (This feature makes it stand out from the rest of the products packaging). Labeling This product will have the name of the product which is Wiz maker written on the body of the product. Availability Atlas has made sure its product is readily available. This product can be found in any book shop or any communication outlet. This includes major supermarket chains as well. Forecasted Product life cycle for Atlas wiz maker Source: Authors work Price The amount of money or the monetary value which is charged for a product can be defined as price. (Kotler 2006, p: 307) Special characteristics of price Most flexible element in marketing mix Only element of marketing mix which generate revenue. Pricing a new product is the most challengeable decision which managers have to take. Because customers buying decisions mostly depend on the price of the product . Therefore taking a successful pricing decision is very important to the company. Factors, influence to price Internal factors Company and marketing objectives With regard to Atlas company maximization long run profit, market share leadership and enhance the positive image of company and its products are main company and marketing objectives. Marketing mix strategy When deciding the price of Wiz Maker it must be matched with its design, distribution and promotion. Cost The cost of the product Wiz Maker will be directly affected to its pricing decision. Costs are mainly divided as fixed cost and variable cost. wiz makers fixed cost includes expenditures such as plant, equipment and executive salaries etc. Variable cost includes labor, material and other direct expenditures. External factors The nature of the market Atles Company has oligopoly market with few manufactures/distributers. The nature of demand There is no direct competitor to wiz maker in existing market. Therefore the demand will be inelastic to a certain extent. Competitors cost, prices and offers Company must consider the cost and prices of the stationeries in local market before setting the price. Customer expectations Customer expects convenience product in affordable fair price. Customer should be satisfied with the price and the value on return. Other external environmental factors Company must consider external environmental factors such as government policies, changes in tax policies and existing economic conditions before setting the price. Pricing Process Source: Authors work Selecting the pricing objectives The first step of pricing process is selecting an overall pricing goal for the company. Mainly the pricing objectives of Atlas company can be summarized as follows. Maximization long-run profit Maintain market share Enhance positive image of company and its products Be regarded as fair by customers. Determining demand Demand is a relationship between two variables which price and quantity. The quantity which customers are willing to buy is depend on the price if other factors are equal. Further demand and price have negative relationship. The result is if price is increased the demand will be decreased. Also Wiz makers demand will mainly depend on price. There are different methods to estimate demand of wiz maker. Conducting product experiments By asking customers that how many units they would buy at different proposed prices Estimating cost Mainly the cost of a product can be divided into two categories as fixed cost and variable cost. With regard to Atlas wiz maker fixed cost includes cost of purchasing needed machineries, equipments and other indirect expenditures such as executive salaries. Direct labor cost and materials such as plastic, ink and rubber will be included in variable cost. Total cost per unit Pen Special Pencil Highlighter Eraser Total cost Source : Authors work Analyzing competitors cost ,price and offers Atles market is a oligopoly market with few manufacturers. Further Atlas wiz maker is a innovative product. There is no same product to this malty task pen in stationery market. But customer will compare the prices of pens, pencils, erasers and highlighters in stationary market before buying wiz maker. Selecting the pricing strategy Considering all the above findings and overall pricing objectives market penetration strategy is the most suitable strategy to Atlas Wiz maker. But because this is a innovative product companys main objectives are maximum long run profit, maintain market share and provide the products in fair prices. This policy stimulates growth of the market for the new product and allows a large market share to be more quickly obtained. ( Hisrich Peters,1991 p:346) Selecting the final price The final step of pricing process is set the final price. After considering all the above facts Atlas Wis maker can be priced as follows. Pen Rs. 10.00 Special Pencil Rs. 20.00 Highlighter Rs. 40.00 Eraser Rs.5.00 Final price of Wiz maker Rs. 75.00 Place Place is the physical space of or virtual location where the product will be made available at the market place for target consumer. (lecture note) Distribution use to get the offering into the hands of the customer. These include: On-premise Sales involves the sale of your offering using a field sales organization that visits the prospects facilities to make the sale. Direct Sales involves the sale of your offering using a direct, in-house sales organization that does all selling through the Internet, telephone or mail order contact. Wholesale Sales involves the sale of your offering using intermediaries or middle-men to distribute your product or service to the retailers. Self-service Retail Sales involves the sale of your offering using self service retail methods of distribution. Full-service Retail Sales involves the sale of your offering through a full service retail distribution channel. Of course, making a decision about pricing, promotion and distribution is heavily influenced by some key factors in the industry and marketplace. These factors should be analyzed initially to create the strategy and then regularly monitored for changes. If any of them change substantially the strategy should be reevaluated Consumer Market Chanel (1Level) Distribution channel Is set of interdepended organization involved in the process of making a product available for customer The Nature of Distribution Channels Most businesses use third parties or intermediaries to bring their products to market. They try to forge a distribution channel which can be defined as All the organizations through which a product must pass between its point of production and consumption Why does a business give the job of selling its products to intermediaries? After all, using intermediaries means giving up some control over how products are sold and who they are sold to. The answer lies in efficiency of distribution costs. Intermediaries are specialists in selling. They have the contacts, experience and scale of operation which means that greater sales can be achieved than if the producing business tried run a sales operation itself. Functions of a Distribution Channel The main function of a distribution channel is to provide a link between production and consumption. Organizations that form any particular distribution channel perform many key functions: Information Gathering and distributing market research and intelligence important for marketing planning Promotion Developing and spreading communications about offers Contact Finding and communicating with prospective buyers Matching Adjusting the offer to fit a buyers needs, including grading, assembling and packaging Negotiation Reaching agreement on price and other terms of the offer Physical distribution Transporting and storing goods Financing Acquiring and using funds to cover the costs of the distribution channel Risk taking Assuming some commercial risks by operating the channel (e.g. holding stock) All of the above functions need to be undertaken in any market. The question is who performs them and how many levels there need to be in the distribution channel in order to make it cost effective. Numbers of Distribution Channel Levels Each layer of marketing intermediaries that performs some work in bringing the product to its final buyer is a channel level. The figure below shows some examples of channel levels for consumer marketing channels: Sale points Book shops, Food Cities (Cagiels, Arpico, Keells) http://tutor2u.net/business/marketing/distribution_introduction.asp