Strategic Development Allied Irish’s Banks

The primary objective of the Allied Forces in Africa was to make the most of ready Allied forces in an operation equal with current capabilities to relieve pressure on the Russians. â€Å"Other objectives of the operation were to gain French Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia as a base for enlisting the French colonial empire in the war, to assist the British in destroying Axis forces threatening Egypt and Suez, to open the Mediterranean to Allied shipping, to shorten the route to the Far East, and to prepare the way for further operations against the European AxisThe objectives of Operation Torch were to secure French North Africa and then strike Eastwards and take Rommel's German Italian Panzer Army in the rear. 1 With 65,000 Allied troops and around 650 Warships under the overall command of Comander In Chief Eisenhower it was to strike in French Morocco and Algeria and later link up with Montgomery's Eighth Army. The North African Campaign of the Second World War was extremely importa nt because it was the only land based fight that the Allies could take to the Axis powers from September 1940 until the invasion of Sicily in July 1943.It was very important in strategic terms with the Mediterranean, and the British African Empire at stake. The North African Campaign drew Axis forces away from the Eastern Front and Fortress Europe (Axis defenses against Allied invasion of European mainland from Britain), but for the Allies it also served to delay the ‘Second Front' that Stalin so desperately wanted to see . II Russia’s Strategy Against Germany Late in 1943, Stalin met with Roosevelt and Churchill for the first time — The Teheran Conference.They agreed that the Western Allies would invade France in June 1944 and that when the invasion began the USSR would launch a new offensive from the east . On April 23, 1945, Soviet troops reached Berlin — with over one million men and more than 20,000 pieces of artillery. A few days later, Soviet troops advancing from the East met up with U. S. troops advancing from the west at the Elbe River . On April 23, 1945, Soviet troops reached Berlin — with over one million men and more than 20,000 pieces of artillery.A few days later, Soviet troops advancing from the East met up with U. S. troops advancing from the west at the Elbe River. On April 30, as the Soviets were battling through the streets of his city, Adolph Hitler killed himself. On May 2, 1945, Soviet troops completed the capture of Berlin and all remaining German troops surrendered within a few days. The war in Europe was over III The Storming of Normandy On June 6, 1944 the Western Allies landed in northern France, opening the long-awaited â€Å"Second Front† against Adolf Hitler's Germany.Though they had been fighting in mainland Italy for some nine months, the Normandy invasion was in a strategically more important region, setting the stage to drive the Germans from France and ultimately destroy the National Socialist regime . The invasion of Normandy in 1944 was the conclusion of three years of planning by Allied forces in Britain. Landing in the face of determined German resistance, units of the British Commonwealth and U. S.armies established a beachhead, defeated German counter-attacks, and eventually broke out into an aggressive campaign to liberate France. â€Å"Commanded by U. S. Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Normandy assault phase, code-named â€Å"Neptune† (the entire operation was â€Å"Overlord†), was launched when weather reports predicted satisfactory conditions on 6 June. Hundreds of amphibious ships and craft, supported by combatant warships, crossed the English Channel behind dozens of minesweepers.They arrived off the beaches before dawn. Three divisions of paratroopers (two American, one British) had already been dropped inland. Following a brief bombardment by ships' guns, Soldiers of six divisions (three American, two British and one Canadian ) stormed ashore in five main landing areas, named â€Å"Utah†, â€Å"Omaha†, â€Å"Gold†, â€Å"Juno† and â€Å"Sword†. After hard fighting, especially on â€Å"Omaha† Beach, by day's end a foothold was well established† .

Marketing Plan for Lords Ice Cream Parlour

TABLE OF CONTENTS *1. 0 EXECUTIVE* SUMMARY ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’, one of the prime ice cream products situated in St. Johns Wood with a good market share is one of the best in that area providing ice cream with fresh taste and modern packaging. It was established in 1998, ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’, at present uses straight-line technology for manufacturing more than twenty three types of premium ice cream in its factory in Swiss Cottage, producing nearly 530 liters of ice cream each day . Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’ has a two year marketing plan for current customers as well as its new consumers to attract and satisfy those target groups of consumer. The company wants to increase its market share by 7% and compete with the current and new entrants. For the next two years the company wants to increase its promotional activity. The management has a plan to utilise its one- fourth of its profit for promotional activity. The manag er is also planning to increase its branches in two to three different locations. *3. *0* COMPANY* PROFILE 4. 1 MISSION Mission is the organisation’s reason for existence. The mission describes the organisation’s shared values, beliefs and reason for being. ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’ without playing an exception, being committed to achieving the highest quality products and positioning itself as a good brand by gaining the consumer’s trust aligns effectively to its guided mission that echoes-â€Å"The world of great taste†. This includes a dedication to review the existing operations, the evaluations and the creation of the new products by not only manufacturing the highest quality products but also delivering the product by maintaining this high quality. To satisfy the ever-changing needs of the customers, ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’ is launching regularly new ice creams and introducing new flavours. Thus in a few words it can be said –‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ is based the relationship with customer. 4. 2 VISION The message from the managing director of ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ propagates as: â€Å"I dreamt of a business venture that would have distinct appeal to society for its unique qualities and eventually will become a role model for other business enterprises. This simple but extraordinary quality is â€Å"Be True to The Society. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ as being a very prospective SBU’s which is guided by this similar vision. As a result this key philosophy has earmarked ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ as the most trusted and one of the better companies in the country. † 9. OBJECTIVES Corporate Objectives: To give an insight to the ice cr eam industry, the company and the product line. To make an assessment of the interaction between ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’ and its immediate environment and analyse the impact of various trends upon its survival and long-term success. To conduct an investigation of the wide range of strategies pursued by ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ with a view to achieving its objectives. Marketing Objectives: To analyse the marketing strategies for ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ and assess its target consumers and competitors. To regain the 15% of the inactive member by December 2010. To provide an introduction of the strategic aspects of marketing with particular reference to the analysis of marketing mix. To increase the revenue by 12% by December 2010. To increase the market share by 7% by December 2010. To analyse the techniques of segmentation, targeting and positioning of products. To analyse the distribution channels and the role of intermediaries in the distribution network. To develop an appreciation of the need to evolve a promotional mix appropriate to the product. To explain and analyse the role of Marketing Research. To have a clear analysis of the various growth strategies for the market opportunity identification. Research was undertaken by gathering descriptive information from the managers, customers and employees in the form of personal interviews. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis has been emphasised. Both primary and secondary data were obtained through informal interviews with the company and questionnaires to customers. Moreover in cases where managers and customers were unwilling or unable to provide information, observational research played a vital role. It must be added that the report though, tried to give an overall view of ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’, it focused on London City as their area of study. Primarydata was first collected by taking in depth interviews of the Marketing Executive and Sales person to have a better insight to the marketing aspects of ice cream. Mostly personal interviews were undertaken since flexibility, quality of data that can be collected, speed of data collection and response rate is extremely high and information seems to be more reliable and effective. Only unbiased, relevant and valuable data of related issues were recorded to ensure a critical evaluation of the marketing techniques and strategies used by ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’. Problems were faced during the interview, as the managers were reluctant to disclose some of the confidential aspects of the organisation. All the data obtained were not always reliable and hence subject to error. Due to the time constraints I could not complete a comprehensive investigation and there were some areas that were left unexplored. In many occasions managers were hesitant to cooperate in providing honest answers. 8. 1 The Marketing Environment No business is large or powerful enough to create major change in the external environment. These factors are generally uncontrollable, thus market managers are basically adapters rather than agents of change. So it is vital for ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ to take these factors into consideration in every step of their decision -making process and day-to-day activities. THE MARKETING ENVIRONMENt {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} The Task Environment ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’s task environment consists of those micro groups in the environment such as suppliers, distributors, customers and competitors. These are interrelated groups that influence managers on a daily basis. SUPPLIERS: From 2010 January the management decided to open two new branches. And two other retail stores are interested to take the product from ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’. The main function of the distribution unit of ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ is to create a sequence of effective network so that an important strategic edge over competing channels are created and ensure a continuous flow of its products to the ultimate consumers – target market. The activation of the distribution channels proceeds from their factory and ends at the retail outlets of refrigerated vans. CUSTOMERS: Being the major source of survival and profit, customers form the most important component for an organisation like ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ considers customers as being their life-blood of survival and is taking the maximum innovative efforts that can be utilized for utmost customers’ satisfaction. Customers here can be segmented to family, kids, teenagers of high end, mid end and low end of the market. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ operating in such ever-changing world of tastes and preference pays heed to customers’ choices and their attitudes. They, very keenly take on customers’ advice, try and amend as well as add new dimension to their business in order to ensure survival in this highly competitive industry. COMPETITORS: One of the most important forces that always keep an organisation on guard is its competitors. Competitors are organisations that produce similar goods. In the context of ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’, Movenpick, Baskin Robbins, Thorntons and Marine Ices are their competitors. But surprisingly, the marketing management of ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ views these local brands as mere participants in the same industry rather than as competitors. The General Environment Economic, technological, socio-cultural, demographic, political and legal, and global forces form the macroeconomic environment that ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ operates in are as follows: ECONOMIC: Economic forces are of concern to businesses involves producing goods and services that people want and pay for, as because the economy is an indicator of the general health and well being of a nation. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ takes into account various economic factors, preferably the rates of inflation, the exchange rate and level of income. The prime reason for such is to have a control over its allocated budget for domestic and imported raw materials. But most importantly alertness of economic variables is necessary to determine ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’s pricing strategy so that all segments of the population can afford to buy their products. One of the most pervasive factors in the environment, the impact of technology is seen as the combination of skills and equipment’s that marketers use in their day-to-day operations. In ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’, use of technology can be seen in terms of the automated cone baking machines, chocolate making machines, injected deep freezers, milk processing machines and others. These innovate machines are able to produce ice creams at a faster rate while not undergoing any sacrifice in the level of quality, and thus their warehouse has capacities in five hundred liters. The socio-cultural environment is made of institutions and other forces that affect social values, perceptions, preferences and behaviour. In the context of a diverse people, ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ has customized its services according to the country's culture. While the producing ice cream, ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ puts strong emphasis in it. DEMOGRAPHIC: The demographic forces are of interest to marketing managers because it involves people and people make up the markets. Demography shows the populations inclinations towards certain social structure and the increase or decrease in certain age groups . For ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ demographic factors are of advantage if it shows an increase in the number children and teenage population (the most lucrative segment for the ice cream industry). POLITICAL AND LEGAL: The formation, maintenance and survival of any organization are dependent on the stability of a country’s political and legal system. A comprehensive analysis of the political and legal factors by ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ helps in ensuring stability in terms of its operations. The legal consideration lies in the awareness of various laws regarding import of raw materials and the like. 8. 2. * Current* Situation Analysis Core Competencies: Among its normal premium and novelty cup, stick and family pack items, chocobar is the most popular among consumers contributing 29% to the total sales, while vanilla, mega, cornelli and macho, each with sales of about 5%, and have also made their distinct places in the minds of the consumers. The company is giving its effort and concentration for some new and modified flavour of ice-cream. The company wants to increase its market share by 7% for which it is introducing some new marketing strategy and it will be implemented from the next year. Market information: ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ is in their 10th year of business. Being an ice-cream parlour in the St. Johns Wood High Street area, its main activity is to attract customer by its variety of ice-cream flavour. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ possesses good information about the market and having a good idea about the consumer trends and the likeability of the consumers. And this information helps them to understand how well they can communicate with their consumers and how better they can be served. Geographic The geographic target for the ice-cream parlour is St. Johns Wood area. Five square kilometre people are targeted. Total targeted population is approximately 13,500 64. 9% are economically active and 35. 1% are economically inactive. A fulltime employee’s individual average income is ? 29,305. 48. 8% are educated and 52. 2% has got no qualification. Behaviour factors Recognize the need to have a good dessert like ice-cream. People likes ice-cream more than any other dessert. Ice cream is the symbol of lifestyle. Market needs: ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ is providing their customers delicious ice-cream and a place for enjoyment. It seeks to offer the following benefits that are important for their customers: Customer’s preference is to get healthy ingredients in their specific flavour. Customers also prefer a better service and attention from the staff. Market Trends: ?Last two years’ consumers has less money in their pocket, so that they are spending less money on dessert and ice-cream. Fitness is very important for the people, that is why people are avoiding ice-cream A big percentage of people are going to pubs and bars rather than coming to the ice-cream parlour. *09. * BCG MATRIX Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix is a framework for highlighting and analyzing product development policy and associated cash flows implications in a firm. The BCG approach is based on the philosophy that a product’s market growth rate and its relative market share are important considerations in determining its marketing strategies. The marketing strategies of ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’ is based on the BCG matrix which includes an integration of the firms products into a single overall matrix and an evaluation to determine appropriate strategies for all the different strategic business units (SBUs) of the company itself and the overall portfolio strategies. ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’ identifies the BCG matrix as a powerful tool To analyze the current situation of the company which is based on the present and projected market growth rate and proposed market share growth. To determine and classify each product expected future cash contributions and future cash requirements. To examine the competitive position of a product or a product line and the opportunities for improving products contribution to profitability In figure below, which is based on work by the Boston Consulting Group, consist of four quadrants in the grid, which represents distinct categories of SBUs or major products of ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’. The categories differ with respect not only to market growth share and industry growth rate but also on cash generation and needs for appropriate strategies. draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:rect} {draw:rect} {draw:rect} {draw:rect} {draw:rect} {draw:frame} {draw:rect} {draw:rect} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Cash Cow: Cash cow has high market share but low growth rate. Since its inception as a business in 1998, the Construction Company has had a remarkable track record and has grown to be a better co nstruction houses in the country. Long run survival through effective strategies of defending its market share by reinforcing customer loyalty has insured the generation of more cash than can be reinvested profitably in its own operations. As a result cash from the construction company flows out to support other SBUs that needs more resources. Star: Star has high market growth rate and high market share. The Marketing Manager of ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’ identified Construction and Ice-cream as their star businesses. A number of prospective factors can be reckoned to as being responsible for both SBUs performance. Both Construction business and Ice-cream occupy a dominant position in the market. Star businesses usually grow very fast and have high prospects for growth. For example, Ice-cream grew by 3. 1% in the last year (2008), compared to their 5%in (2007). Question Mark: Question Mark has high growth rate, low market share. The identification of the marketing division of ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’ as its problem child, has characterized this business to have high prospects for growth but which has not yet achieved strong foothold in an expanding but highly competitive market. This inability to generate cash has resulted in poor profit margins and hence its need to be augmented by heavy investment from outside sources. Dog: According to ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’, no SBU (currently operating) falls under the grid of low market share and low growth rate, that is, the dog. On a concluding note, the long run health of any company depends on having some products that generates cash (and provide acceptable reported profits) and others that use cash to support growth, with no exception to ‘Lord’s Ice-cream Parlour’. Among the indicators of the overall health are the size and vulnerability of the cash cows, the prospects for the stars, the number of problem child, and dogs if many. 10. SWOT Analysis SWOT is the planning exercise used by ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’, which provides a framework for identifying internal strengths and weakness and the external opportunities and threats it faces. WEAKNESS: The major weaknesses of ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ comprises of: Incurrence of high-level expenses in the Research and Development (R) sector. High operating and maintenance expenses resulting from the large size of the business. Excessive reliance on foreign suppliers. Entering new related businesses – This is also visible through its new items as Ammo milkshake. Widening the product range. Seeking faster market growth. Exploiting new market segments. Changes in demographic factors. Change in consumer taste: This might result if there is an increased awareness among the health conscious people, which may cause a decline in the purchase of ice cream. Increase in foreign competition. Rise in new or substitute products. Changes in Political factors. 10. THE *Target *AUDIENCE (*Marketing*) The kind of market ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ operates in is characterized by the volatility of its general environment, the dynamism of its competitors and most of all the varying and the inconsistency of needs and buying preferences of the consumers market, which are important consideration guiding their day to day operations. Keeping this in mind, ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ has developed sound marketing programs, which starts with identifying the differences that exists within a market, deciding which segments will be selected and developing specific marketing mixes so as to influence intended customers, and overall perception of the brand, ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ . Market Segmentation ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ has designed various marketing mixes according to the different products needs and preferences with regard to the consumer market and has clustered people with similar needs into selected segments. Domestic Market Segmentation For a consumer-oriented company like ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’, whose main operations rallies around the domestic market, a lion’s share of its resources is devoted towards serving the domestic consumer segments. After thorough analysis, behaviour and demographic segments have been identified as their prime areas of focus. Demographic Segmentation From the viewpoint of an ice cream manufacturing company, demographic segmentation holds importance in terms of its close relation to customer product needs and purchasing behaviour and the ready measurability of variables such as consumers’ age and life cycle and their income. Age: This is the most important component of demographic segmentation. Over the years, ice creams were considered to as being more of a recreational product, but standing on this new century, the effect of globalization has placed ice cream as more of a regularity in our lives. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ has divided its markets in segments according to different age groups such as kids, teenagers, and the family range. Different ages of people are influenced by different flavours of ice cream, different presentations of packaging and different product attributes. Kids incline more towards ice creams, which contains animated and colourful packaging, taste of sweet strawberry, fresh mango, pure vanilla, ripples, hazzle nut coating and crispy flakes. Teenagers prefer low calorie ice cream, more daring and wider range of tastes. Families are influenced more by ice creams that fulfil the general appeal and taste of all the members of the family. Income: Income is the key determinant of consumers buying behaviour. It is the most popular demographic variable for market segmentation. For a larger part of the population to buy the product, it is very important to segment the market in different income groups. This is given utmost importance in London where there is wide variation in the average levels of income. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ has divided the market into three income groups – low-income group, mid-income group and high-income groups. Market Targeting After market segmentation, ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ goes for designing, implementing and maintaining marketing mixes intended to meet the needs of the target groups, resulting in mutually satisfying exchanges. Domestic Market Targeting The two general strategies ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ uses for selecting target markets are differentiated and undifferentiated marketing. DIFFERENTIATED: UNDIFFERENTIATED: Undifferentiated target strategies approach the segment as one big market with no individual segments and thus require a single marketing mix. Chocobar and the newly introduced Kulfi are the prime examples related to successful targeting of the mass market. Chocobar priced at ? 3. 4/-, mini chocobar priced at ? 2. and Kulfi priced at ? 1. 6 with sober colour packages enables ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ to go for mass marketing. Market Positioning Positioning refers to developing a specific marketing mix to influence potential customers overall perception of a brand, product line or organization. The marketing manager of ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ assumes a realistic view of how customers think about their offerings in the market. At the same time, the ma nger also knows how he wants target customers to think about its marketing mix. According to him positioning issues are especially important when a competitor in a market appearsto be very similar, with the ice cream industry being a prime example. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ follows several positioning strategies. Products Attributes Macho – Exquisite Chocobar – Energetic Shell & Core – Metange Lolly – Eager Clown – Animating Mega – Energetic Coffee – Refreshing Ripple – Praiseworthy Pralin – Puissance Cornelli – Dual Usage Occasion: Usually consumers perceive ice cream as an integral part of summer. Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ aims at positioning ice creams to as being a winter item along with its regular summer item image. ‘Lords Ice-cream Parlour’ is trying to position its ice cream as a item for all seasons in other parts of the country like that is perceived in London, through different promotional activities. *11. THE* Marketing Mix There are many possible wa ys to satisfy the needs of target customers. A product can have many different features and quality levels. Service levels can be adjusted. The package can be of various sizes, colors or materials. The brand name and warranty can be changed. Various advertising media – television, newspapers, magazines, radio, and billboard can be used to attract the potential customers. A company’s own sales force or other sales specialist can be used. Different prices can be charged. Price discounts may be given and so on. With so many possible variables, is there any way to help organize all these decisions and simplify the selection marketing mix? The answer is – The customer is surrounded by the four P’s. There are additional three P’s newly invented by the marketer. An important point to note is the customer should be the target of all marketing efforts but it is not the part of the marketing mix. Hence, ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ follows this concept and places its customers in the centre. Product: for ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ the Product decisions revolve around developing the right product for the target market and this includes not only the physical unit but also features, brand name, company image, value and many other factors. Apart from maintaining a superior quality through its imported ingredients and bringing regular production consultants from Belgium, Denmark and Holland, the units’ separate R department regularly can analyzes new products through its market research to answer questions as: At what price consumers would like to buy the product. Flavours and essence to be used. Consumers’ feedback. Analyze other markets. ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’s Product line includes distinctive ingredients, as some are vanilla flavour with chocolate hazelnut or milk coating, some may have crispy flakes, others include cashew nut. On the other hand, to provide a taste of refreshment there are flavours including coffee, strawberry, mango, with almonds and ripples. Each of these delicacies has positioned itself as a unique brand in consumer’s mind. These eclectic tastes have been able to exceed consumer’s expectations resulting to delightful consumers and thus to the creation of a powerful company image. Apart from that ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ also can operates through some trolleys for extending its reach to various consumers at different locations as schools, alleys, streets, parks e. . c. Consumers – Availability of scratch cards through purchase of certain flavoured ice creams enables consumers to obtain different types of gifts such as iPod, mp3 player can be achieved by them. Also last year (2008) every purchase of Macho had a Kit Kat free. *PEOPLE*: The management of the ice-cream parlour is very particular about the selection of the people. They are hiring only the mot ivated, energetic and passionate people. The parlour has on job training and skill development continuous activity by which employee can be skilled. But from next year every after three months they are going to arrange a training and motivation program for the improvement of their business. *12. MARKETING* Growth Strategies ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’, like any other company, in order to maintain a stable growth rate, focuses on reviewing the existing operations, the evaluations and the creation of the new products by not only manufacturing the highest quality products but also delivering the product by maintaining this high quality. In seeking growth, ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ considers both its market and its products. It then decides whether to continue what it is doing – only do it better – or establish new venture. The product/market growth matrix depicts this option for ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’. The matrix is divided into four possible combinations of old and new products with old and new markets. {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:frame} MARKET PENENTRATION: Here, ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ tries to sell more of its present products to its present markets by the help of supporting tactics, which might include spending on price, promotion and packaging. For example, ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ regularly alters its ice cream packaging, and provides occasion oriented price cut. MARKET DEVELOPMENT: ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’s market development strategy is evident by its entry to an entirely new area – Marble Arch. In future, ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ plans to expand in other parts of London and are undergoing business consultancy of possible expansions in Netherlands. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: Nothing is more important to a company’s long-term survival and growth then the successful introduction of new products. By flipping through ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’sbook of achievements, it is evident that one of prime reasons for success has been due to constant introduction of new products. The exquisite Macho, energetic Mega, which hit the markets around two years back, were and are a real feast for ice cream lovers. The very recently introduced Kulfi has once again placed ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ to as being a people’s brand providing a world of great taste, and which deciphers ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’s drive to maintain satisfaction of all segments of the market. Lords ice-cream parlour’ has, for the time being confined itself only to the ice cream business. Any diversification related businesses would be future-wise. The Marketing Budget {draw:frame} Recommendations In spite of ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’s remarkable success certain loopholes in the marketing aspects has been detected. After my research I came up with some possib le steps and solutions that we would like to state below. Competitors are an important component of the task environment. ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ should pay heed to its potential competitors rather than treating them as mere counterparts. Lords ice-cream parlour’ should involve in backward vertical integration to lower the costs of value creation and lessen its reliance on foreign suppliers. For instance, incidence such as credit crunch may hinder the flow of supplies in the production process when there is excessive dependence on foreign inputs. To enhance the maturity level, ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ should undertake the task of sponsoring more social events such as concerts, cricket, football and other such tournaments to retain its popularity in the younger market segments. Emphasize should be given on TV commercials, to capture a greater share of the market. A proper customer help line should be developed to mitigate the further needs of the customer. Conclusion From an extensive marketing analysis of the ideas and marketing concepts at work in the operation of ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’, it is possible to obtain an insight to the essential marketing practices adopted by the company. Adherence to proper marketing strategies in terms of company objectives, paying heed to target consumers and potential and existing competitors, close relationship and liaison with distributors and suppliers ensure substantial market capitalization as indicated by ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’s market share of 63% in the ice cream industry. Evidently by virtue of its unique product attributes, high quality, exquisite and mouth- watering varieties of ice creams, attractive and distinct packaging, ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ has been able to ensure marketing excellence and enhance its competitiveness. Today’s fiercely competitive environment compels ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ to pursue the right set of pricing strategies, policies for effective segmentation and targeting, market oriented structures of distribution and retailing, which lies at the heart of the company’s success. Its new sales and distribution flow enables the company to achieve its desired goals. In its quest to create satisfying customer relationship and optimizing the performance of the entire system, ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’ has resorted to a system of timely distribution. With the combination of effective promotional campaign and advertisement in various media, it is able to retain valuable customers and inform them about multiple brands they are offering at present. Appendix This questionnaire is conducted only for educational purposes (For Customers Only) Name: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Profession†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. What is your age group? How long you are coming to this ice-cream parlous? Why have you chosen this place? Do you think ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’done a better job for their customers? What do you think about the product image of ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’? If you are satisfied then which factor- Do you think that ‘Lords ice-cream parlour’is one of the top ice-cream parlous? Manufacturing and Warehousing Capacity: Manufacturing Capacity: 530 liters per day. Warehousing Capacity: Warehouse No: 3 Nos Warehouse: Store Capacity Factory: 1,000 liters Technology and its usage of modern equipment: Machine Supplier: Mark – Italy Tetra pack (Hoyal), Denmark Sabore, Denmark Hass, Austria Machine Model: Free mark 1100, Italy FM 3000, FM 6000, Italy SL 600, Denmark Cone Baking: Hass, Austria Chocolate Making: Macentyre, UK.

Static Electricity

Everything is made up of tiny particles called atoms. The atoms are made up of even smaller parts called protons, electrons and neutrons. Protons have a positive charge (+), electrons have a negative charge (-) and neutrons have no charge at all, they are neutral. Atoms normally have the same amount of electrons and protons, making them neutral and having no charge. When rubbing things together, electrons can move from one atom to another, resulting in some atoms having extra electrons and a negative charge.The other atoms now have more protons than electrons and a positive charge. When the charges are separated, it is static electricity. â€Å"Electricity is present in all matter in the form of electrons and protons. Any device that develops and maintains a voltage can be considered a voltage source. To accomplish this, the voltage source must remove electrons from one point and transfer electrons to a second point. † (Petruzella, 2001. ) One type of electricity is static ele ctricity. The term static means standing still which makes static electricity an electric charge that is at rest.Static electricity is defined as â€Å"an accumulation of electric charge on an insulated body. † (Free Dictionary) In other words, it is a charge that is created when two objects that are not good electrical conductors are rubbed together, and electrons from one of the object rub off onto the other object. Some of the results of static electricity may be sparks, shocks, or even materials clinging together. The simplest way to form static electricity is by friction. Friction is simply the rubbing of one object against another.By rubbing two different materials together, â€Å"electrons may be forced out of their valence shells in one material and picked up in the shell of the other material. The material that gives up electrons more freely becomes positively charged and the one that gains electrons becomes negatively charged. † (Petruzella, 2001. ) When the electrons are relocated from one material to another, it is called triboelectric charging. Static electricity is formed much better in areas with low humidity and dry air. With humid air, tiny water molecules can collect on the surface of different materials and prevent the buildup of an electrical charge.Although small amounts of water, such as those developed from humidity, can affect a charge, â€Å"extreme turbulence among water drops†, such as in a thunderstorm cloud, can cause static electricity to build up on the water droplets themselves. Benjamin Franklin showed that static electricity is created in a thunderstorm cloud by flying a kite during a storm. He noticed the static electricity by seeing the hairs on the kite stand on end and created an electric spark with a metal key. There are other ways to produce a static charge other than friction or contact.An object can also be charged by induction. Induction is used to produce a charge of opposite polarity. Inductance is defined in the text as an â€Å"electrical property which opposes change in current. † (Petruzella, 2001. ) An inductor is â€Å"a device that generates a counter emf that tends to oppose any change in current through the use of ac current flowing through a coil wire. † (Petruzella, 2001. ) Charging by induction makes use of the electrostatic field surrounding a charged body in order to charge an object without touching it.If a negatively charged rod is brought close to the sphere on the inductor, the negative charges in the sphere move as far away from the rod as possible. By touching the sphere, it is grounded and allows the electrons to completely leave the sphere. Once you remove your finger, the electrons no longer have a way of returning to the sphere and the rod is then positively charged. Static electrical charge can be produced by a high-voltage direct current source. Many air purifiers use both positively and negatively charged plates to remove tiny dirt particles from the air.This system uses an electrostatic precipitator and oppositely charged grids. The dirty air moves through the precipitator which gives the dirt particles a positive charge. All of those particles are then attracted to the negatively charged grid and then the air passes through a carbon filter to remove any odors. Static electricity is also used with photography to work a photocopier. An â€Å"electrostatically charged drum† attracts toner particles to the image in the original document. The metal drum inside the machine is charged at the eginning of each copy. The system inside the photocopier then puts an image of the document onto the drum. The electric charge goes away wherever light shines on the drum and so only the dark parts of the image are still charged on the metal surface. The particles of black toner are oppositely charged and then applied to the drum. The charged parts, which contain the image, are attracted to the toner and transferred to t he paper and finally attached to the paper with heat. Static electricity can cause materials to attract or repel each other.If you use a hair dryer on your hair and then comb through it or just comb it on a very dry day, the plastic comb will collect negative charges from the hair and leave the hair with an excess amount of positive charges. Since like charges repel, the hair strands will push away from each other causing your hair to stand up or â€Å"flyaway. † Static electricity can also cause a spark to jump from one material to another, like when you touch someone and â€Å"shock† them. As you walk across something like a carpet, electrons cling to you.When you have extra electrons, you then have a negative charge and are attracted to positive charges so once you touch someone else, assuming they have a positive charge, you will feel a tiny shock which is a quick movement of electrons. If there are enough positive electrical charges on one object or material and e nough negative charges on another, the attraction may be so great that the electrons will jump to the other object with out the two touching. After a few electrons make the jump, the air begins to heat up and causes more and more electrons to move and the air to get even hotter.This all happens so fast and causes the air to get so hot that it glows for a split second and is known as a spark. The same process occurs with lightning only on a much larger scale. Removing or preventing a static charge can be very simple such as opening a window or using an air humidifier to â€Å"increase the moisture content of the air and make the atmosphere more conductive. † (Wikipedia) Items that are very sensitive to static discharge can be treated with an antistatic agent. Wikipedia defines an antistatic agent as something that â€Å"adds a conducting urface layer which ensures that any excess charge is evenly distributed. † An example of an antistatic agent is fabric softener or dry er sheets which are used in your laundry to prevent and remove static cling. â€Å"Semiconductor devices† which are used in electronics are very sensitive to static charge. These devices are protected using antistatic bags and those who work with these devices ground themselves by wearing conductive antistatic straps to protect their bodies. To test for a charge on an object, you must see how that object affects another object with a known charge.If the two objects repel, that means their charges are alike and if they attract, the charges are opposite. To see if an object is neutral, test it with another neutral object. Neutral objects do not attract with each other, only with another positive or negative object. â€Å"An aluminum-leaf electroscope is a device for detecting the presence of an electric charge and also for determining whether the charge is positive or negative. † (Petruzella, 2001. ) This device is made up of a flask with an insulating stopper. A metal r od goes through the center of the stopper and a metal knob is fastened to the outside end of the rod.Two very thin pieces of aluminum are attached to the other end of the rod inside the flask. â€Å"Normally the positive and negative charges within the electroscope balance each other, leaving it neutral. When a negatively charged body touches the knob of the electroscope, electrons flow from the charged body into the knob and down to the aluminum leaves. Each leaf then becomes negatively charged. Since like charges repel and both leaves are negative, they will diverge, indicating that the object contained a static charge. † (Petruzella, 2001. )In conclusion, static electricity is all around us. It may clean our air or be the cause of a terrible hair day but has both positive and negative effects on many daily routines.Work Cited Page Petruzella, Frank. Essentials of Electronics. Second Ed. Columbus, OH: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2001. 39-43. Print. Kurtus, Ron. â€Å"Basics of St atic Electricity. † School for Champions. N. p. , 23 Jan 2009. Web. 17 Oct 2010. . â€Å"Definition of Static Electricity. † The Free Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Web. 20 Oct 2010. . â€Å"Static Electricity. † Wikipedia. N. p. , 16 Oct 2010. Web. 17 Oct 2010. .

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The Role of United Nations in 21st Century Essay Example for Free

The Role of United Nations in 21st Century Essay The United Nations is an international organization of independent countries. These countries have joined together to work for world peace and against poverty and injustice. The UN was established as a result of a conference in San Francisco in June 1945 by 51 countries committed to preserving peace through international cooperation and collective security. Today, nearly every state in the world belongs to the UN 191 countries in all. UN headquarters are located in New York City. The UN is not a world government, and it does not make laws. It does, however, provide the means to help resolve international conflicts and formulate policies on matters affecting us all. At the UN, all the Member States large and small, rich and poor, with differing political views and social systems have a voice and vote in this process. | | The UN has  four main purposes, as stated in its Charter: 1. To keep peach throughout the world;? 2. To develop friendly relations among nations;? . To help improve living conditions of poor people and encourage respect for each others rights and freedoms;4. To be a centre for helping nations achieve these goals. | ? The UN is central to global efforts to solve problems which challenge humanity. Cooperating in this effort are more than 30 affiliated organizations known together as the UN system. Day in and day out, the UN and its family of organizations work to promote respect for human rights, protect the environment, fight disease, promote development and reduce poverty. UN agencies also define the standards for safe and efficient transport by air and sea, help improve telecommunications and enhance consumer protection, work to ensure respect for intellectual property rights and coordinate allocation of radio frequencies. The United Nations leads the international campaigns against illicit drug trafficking and terrorism. Throughout the world, the UN and its agencies assist refugees and set up programmes to clear landmines, help improve the quality of drinking water, expand food production, make loans to developing countries and help stabilize financial markets. The UN is central to global efforts to solve problems which challenge humanity. Cooperating in this effort are more than 30 affiliated organizations known together as the UN system. Day in and day out, the UN and its family of organizations work to promote respect for human rights, protect the environment, fight disease, promote development and reduce poverty. UN agencies also define the standards for safe and efficient transport by air and sea, help improve telecommunications and enhance consumer protection, work to ensure respect for intellectual property rights and coordinate allocation of radio frequencies. The United Nations leads the international campaigns against illicit drug trafficking and terrorism. Throughout the world, the UN and its agencies assist refugees and set up programmes to clear landmines, help improve the quality of drinking water, expand food production, make loans to developing countries and help stabilize financial markets. | Historical Development of UN When it established, its members was 51. Nowadays member of united nations are 192. This number includes People’s Republic of China and Vatican which is not a member of this organizations anymore. Turkey is a founder member of United Nations. Central of United Nation is in New York. All of meeting with member countries are making in this space. Before this organization , there was different organizations. Such as league of nations which is established on term between two word war. The main differences between the League of Nations and the United Nations were the stronger executive powers assumed by the Security Council and the requirement that member states should make available armed forces to serve as peace-keepers or to repel an aggressor. President of USA (F. D. Roosevelt) propound to this concept (United Nations). This declaration was followed by a conference of Foreign Ministers in Moscow, in October, 1943 where discussions took place concerning a replacement for the discredited League of Nations. United Nations was firstly used in decisions of declaration by UN which include combined and maintaining of war against axis powers on 1 January 1942. China , Soviet Union , Britain and US ‘s delegates determined UN principal agreement by congregating in Dumbarton Oaks In Augusts and Octobers on 1944. Every year on 24 October is celebrated as United Nations day by member countries . UN principal agreement determined aim of this organization; To protect international peace and security by peaceful solvation of problems and using active expedience. To provide development of rights of people without being any differences between nation , sex, language, religion in solutions of problems about international. Language of UN: United Nations legal languages are Arabic, Turkish , French , English , Spanish and Russian. Un? ted Nations basic discipline are : All members are hegemon and equal. 2- All members are responsible of process of UN role in international relations. 3- Any member of this organization wouldn’t use any power. 4- All members have to support UN’s applications. 5- UN never touch any countries’ home affairs except for protecting international peace. Organs of UN: United Nation has six basic organ and subsidiary organ. Basic organs are general assembly, security council, economic and social council Trusteeship Council (not active) , general secretary and international court of justice. General assembly is a basic discussing organ of UN. Each member country has a vote. This assembly makes meeting on September or December regularly, but sometimes when there is a extraordinary they can be collected. Security Council has a basic responsible about international peace and security. -The Economic and Social Council assists the General Assembly in promoting international economic and social cooperation and development. -The United Nations Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General, assisted by a staff of international civil servants worldwide . It provides studies, information, and facilities needed by United Nations bodies for their meetings. It also carries out tasks as directed by the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the UN Economic and Social Council, and other UN bodies. -The International Court of Justice, located in The Hague, Netherlands, is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. The Security Council had five permanent members, United States, the Soviet Union, China and Britain. Six other countries served two-year periods on the Council (this was increased to ten in 1965). Controversially, permanent members were given the power to veto decisions made by the Security Council. The other nations vigorously opposed the idea of the veto but it became clear that without such a favoured position the five major nations would not join the United Nations. The United States Senate ratified the United Nations treaty by a vote of 89 to 2 on 28th July, 1945. The Role of United Nation: United Nation is an opportunity for all world to solve global problems since sixty years. This is also opportunity to conquer anarchic system which created by dominant state . As the most representative inter-governmental organization of the world today, the United Nations role in world affairs is irreplaceable by any other international or regional organizations. The United Nations has made enormous positive contributions in maintaining international peace and security, promoting cooperation among states and international development. Today, people of the world still face the two major issues of peace and development. Only by international cooperation can mankind meet the challenges of the global and regional issues. The United Nations can play a pivotal and positive role in this regard. Strengthening the role of the United Nations in the new century and promoting the establishment of a just and reasonable international political and economic order goes along with the trend of history and is in the interest of all nations. In order to strengthen the role of the United Nations, efforts should be made to uphold the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The authority of the Security Council in maintaining international peace and security must be preserved and role of the United Nations in development area should be strengthened. To strengthen the role of the United Nations, it is essential to ensure to all Member States of the United Nations the right to equal participation in international affairs and the rights and interests of the developing countries should be safeguarded. The UN has had so many positive impacts on the world that naming a few would be almost silly but here goes:? Established a peace treaty in Yugoslavia. If the UN didnt exist the genocide would have continued. Has a security council that is made up of almost every type of political standing in which all have to agree if war is allowed to happen and is just. Established neutral zones in many middle eastern conflicts to make both sides take a breather and try to talk. Allows for open communication between all the nations in the world. Sends food aid to many poor locations. Before all the haters jump in, they need to realize that it is not perfect but it is at least an attempt at fixing the problems of the world. Almost all things bad that have happened from the UN have been because a country didn’t listen. The role of UN in 21st Century: As the United Nations (UN) enters the 21st Century, it is faced with challenges that were not seen by its creators. The end of the Cold War, globalization, intra-state conflict, and a desire to achieve universal human rights continues to separate the world between those who have and those who need assistance. In order for the UN to obtain any semblance of global governance to meet these new challenges, it will have to move beyond its traditional logic and employment of international peacekeeping forces. Sending a sovereign nation‘s uniformed military to keep fighting parties separated will not promote long term peace, economic development, nor aid the cause of individual liberty. While there has been much success gained through the medical, educational, and financial institutions under the UN umbrella, it has not developed the means to protect those investments. The focus of this research effort is to move away from conventional use of military personnel in UN peacekeeping operations and analyze the need for their replacement and enhancement with a permanent UN Police Force. There are two broad obstacles concerning the implementation of a UN Police Force. The first is nothing short of the nature of politics itself. Secondly, and many may consider a product of the former, is the means by which to gain the resources required to field a force capable of meeting the world‘s needs. In both areas, the UN will have to present a case that will be supported by the people and government of its member nations. The Beginnings of Collective Security : The United Nations is not the first organization that has attempted to achieve collective or regional security. History is full of alliances that have been set up at many different levels to protect property, sovereignty, and people. Although there are significant examples of such entities throughout history, the scope of this work can only make a brief mention of the League of Nations and some of the instances and background that has led up to our current situation in the UN. Under the UN, Cold War settings and the different forms of peacekeeping will be addressed. Although there have always been calls for some form of utopian ideal among the fringes of society, the aftermath of World War I allowed for a more open discussion of a better future for the world. The leadership of President Woodrow Wilson helped form the League of Nations following the Treaty of Versailles. This Wilsonian vision of a —supranational organizationâ€Å" failed to gain acceptance in the United States and in its mission. This first attempt at collective security lacked the necessary diplomatic support to secure its objectives and forced nations back to the alliance system in preparation for World War II. The United Nations Early Years While the loss of a generation of European men was catastrophic in World War I, the destruction of property was isolated to the war front. The Second World War saw not only the death of soldiers, but also the death of millions of civilians and entire cities destroy across the world. It comes as no surprise then that there was another outcry for a world body to manage conflict before it spirals out of control. With the close of this second Great War, the birth of the United Nations gained more authority and support than its predecessor. The UN did not immediately find itself at the helm of an efficient collective security system. Instead, it was a pawn in the return to balance of power politics in the bi-polar world between the United States and Soviet Union for the next half century. The end of World War II saw both the birth of the UN and atomic weapons. Between the spread of communism and the efforts of a containment policy, the East-West struggle left the UN with little role other than a forum for heated debate and inaction from the Security Council. According to the UN, there have been 54 peacekeeping operations from 1948 to October of 2000. Fifteen of these operations are current, but only 16 were initiated before 1989. The fall of the Soviet Union and the removal of a bi-polar system that provided supported and control for regional tension left us with what President George Bush referred to as the —new world orderâ€Å". It didn‘t take long for others to coin the phrase New World disorderâ€Å". Peacekeeping Types There are a number of different definitions of peacekeeping. The first is —traditional peacekeepingâ€Å" that was a product of the Cold War. United Nations missions between 1945 and 1988 were designed to keep direct confrontation limited between the US and Soviets. Traditional peacekeeping puts a military force between former belligerents to monitor a cease-fire while diplomatic negotiations are conducted. While this type of operation may still be required on occasion between nations, it can be accomplished with a third country military force as needed. Other definitions of the peacekeeping mission since the late 1980s require some refinement due to the nature of the operations. There are three other definitions of —peacekeepingâ€Å" as they apply to conflicts within a nation or among small, undeveloped countries. These operations are labeled multidimensional peace operations, humanitarian intervention, and peace enforcement. Multidimensional peace operations are similar to traditional peacekeeping, but have an implementation schedule and timeline. A multidimensional operation also involves separating the factions and working towards a peace accord that addresses the underlying cause of an internal conflict. Humanitarian intervention sometimes lacks the consent of the warring parties and is frequently thought to violate a nation‘s sovereignty when there is a desire to maintain an isolationist approach. However, to stop further loss of life or a threat to international peace and security may require such an intervention. The last type of operation to be addressed is that of peace enforcement. In this case, coercive force is used by the intervening parties to suppress conflict in a specific area as a result of genocide or lack of governance. As stated earlier, traditional peacekeeping operations between nation states is not in severe need of change and therefore not the focus of this research effort. It is necessary for the full means available to a modern military to stand between nations on the verge of war. This paper will address the specific requirement of a UN Police Force to conduct the multidimensional peace operations required for the plethora of failed states that have emerged in the post Cold War World. The next chapter will address why the UN should form an international police force and the logic necessary of it‘s member states to support it. The Need for Change The impact of globalization, moving beyond just the idea of universal protection of human rights, and the changing environment of world conflict make the logic of a UN Police Force more relevant now than ever before. The Cold War was an era of strict definitions with regard to international law. In order to protect the East-West alliances, intervention was viewed as illegal and no doubt a threat to the respective power broker. Self-determination, that supported one of the super-powers, and sovereignty of the nation was placed higher on the UN agenda than any abuse of individuals within the state. While it would be easy to say the fall of the Soviet Union has caused this new phenomenon of failed states, there is a deeper cleavage that has been opened up. States fail when they can no longer govern themselves as a result of any number of reasons. Most of the factors that cause a state to fail can be attributed to competition over resources without regard to the rule of law. Resource competition may be over wealth, education, ethnic community, or simply an opportunity to seek a better life. Throughout history the current trouble spots of the world were held together by colonial rule or under the protection of the East-West regimes. Two other reasons that can be attributed to the lack of involvement by the UN and industrialized nations prior to 1989 include the level of information getting into and out of less developed countries before the information revolution. The ability of CNN to flash the first signs of civil disobedience, international crime, and any number of human rights violations to the watching world have forced local, regional, and multilateral agencies to answer to their public. Moreover, the people who once lacked information of the world did not realize just how poor their plight was. The effects of the World Wide Web and globalization have changed forever the way nations and people interact. There is a desire by a vast amount of the world‘s population to experience the freedoms, economic prosperity, and success they see occurring in developed nations. However, the inability of their own infrastructure or political administration is preventing them from instituting laws and an enforcement agency that could lead to a more productive nation. Globalization The spread of technology that has resulted in increased information flow has also fostered the spread of global business. Multi-national corporations are now the rule rather than the exception when it comes to 21st Century business. The reality of a global business community that advances the lives of the population needs the same safe and secure environment to operate that people do. Globalization requires special attention because it is the basis and means for the UN to develop and employ an international police for that protects property rights and individual rights. There has been much discussion over the last decade concerning how to manage the effects of globalization. The rich wish to maintain and improve their current status while the poor seek to find the means to develop. Political focus has usually been to protect the rich nations through laws that affect immigration and import/export barriers. Poor nations are left further behind due to their inability to provide the safe environment and properly suited work force to invite foreign capital as a result of government shortcomings. While many view the spread of industry and markets as a purely business interest, a successful world economy that involves everyone must be supported politically through the establishment of law enforcement. It is the law of the rich nation that prevents market forces from allowing people, prices, and goods to meet their theoretical economic potential. Not all the people and governments of the world view globalization as a desired objective. The use of technology and business to integrate and expand markets can result in a clash of civilizations through diluted customs, ethnic integration, and labor force migration. Traditional sources of revenue such as agriculture and local industry can be moved resulting in dependence on foreign means. In order to achieve an effective world market, while at the same time promoting literacy and awareness through a global information revolution, there needs to be a sense of fairness and security felt throughout the world. The advancement of some countries cannot be at the expense of the majority without inciting resentment and conflict. The UN must use globalization to promote protection of business markets while at the same time using that force to provide the means for ensuring people can live safely and seek better lives through increased access to education, religion, liberty, and means of prosperity. Even though democracy has spread since the fall of communism, it has not brought significant advances to less developed nations. Countries that have seen economic prosperity as a result of globalization have confined that success to a special interest group and not the nation‘s people as a whole. Democracy is not enough to warrant success, —an effective state requires good laws as well as law enforcement that is timely, even-handed, and accessible to the poor. â€Å" United Nations Declaration of Human Rights One of the critical arguments against any type of universal human rights policy and enforcement is that they are the product of the West and cultural exceptionalists choose not to abide by international norms when it is not in accordance with their political agenda. However, as a byproduct of globalization, the world has become a smaller place and nations should no longer be able to hide behind the veil of sovereignty when breaking international laws. —The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the several ensuing legal treaties setting out civil, political, cultural, and economic rights as well as the rights of children, women, ethnic groups, and religions, were meant to create a global safety net of rights applicable to all persons, everywhere†¦they brook no cultural exceptionalism. The UN now has the obligation to find a means to enforce and promote these rules until they have become commonly accepted by all citizens. Leaving member nations, specifically those on the UN Security Council, to decide when, where, and how human rights and globalization laws are to be enforced will only further delay the advancement of Third World Nations and promote continued armed conflict. The people of the world deserve the opportunity to work t owards their own prosperity. It is incumbent upon governments to ensure an environment free to exercise individual rights and provide a certain degree of protection in life and property. Although there are occasions when direct welfare is required, the issue of direct compensation is a complex one and not in the scope of this research project. Seeking the advancement of a better alternative to the traditional use of national military forces is however. The UN must use the cornerstone of economic advancement to also promote the ideals of individual benefit. An achievable goal is the reduction of armed conflict when nations and their population feel they are reaping the benefits of their labor and exercising individual freedoms. However, the world is controlled by the wealthy nations and the reality is they must be convinced a change to the status quo is required. The Catch-22 the UN faces is finding the trained personnel, finances, and time investment to help developing nations succeed while not promoting themselves as the world protector of global governance. A new UN Police Force is the means by which the developed countries of the world can provide the framework for Third World independence without collective, regional, or unilateral involvement of military forces. Values and Practicalities As the twenty-first century draws nearer we are witnessing an era where foreign policy and international relations are increasingly values-driven. The United States and other major countries form the vanguard of what amounts to a universal crusade to spread doctrines and practice of their version of good governance and democracy, in tandem with wider acceptance of liberal market economic policy as the pathway to modernisation. But a profound paradox emerges here. As the world grows more democratic, so the UN becomes less democratic or at least mired in ays of governance reflecting its formative period, which fail to mirror todays world and relative global influence. Realists argue that there is no correlation between a more democratic world and a more democratic multilateral system; that no intrinsic linkages exist. That is an argument that rests upon the distribution of power and those that want to maintain their built-in advantage. The signs are that the fundamental logic of such an argument will be put to the test sooner rather than later in the century ahead. Critical reflection drives us to the conclusion that despite urgency and obvious need, the UN is probably not going to be reformed in a meaningful way. Differences among member states stemming from power-political rivalries and ideological antagonisms have been fundamental obstacles to UN reform. These differences continue today. Even as the debate between East and West lapsed into obsolescence, the debate between North and South continues, with emphasis on conflicting claims on fundamental values and perspectives. The UN remains a stake and a prize in this escalating debate. Every proposal for change in the organisation is assessed in the light of advantages bestowed upon one or the other side, and everyrecommendation for reform offered by one is predictably resisted by the other. Such a situation has tended to cause political gridlock everywhere. Conclusions The world no longer lacks the economic and technological means to do more than pay ideological lip service to advancing the individual rights and pursuit of prosperity to the global population. The UN must convince the wielders of hegemonic power that they may face the same problems encountered by the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires if they do not seek alternative solutions to managing world crises. Past and present attempts to quell conflict between less developed nations or manage the consequences of a failed state have not had much success. Results are the continued deployment of combat forces between belligerents in foreign lands. The biggest concern for a UN military force is still one of intervention in a crisis instead of the daily presence required to enforce the law and defuse potential hot spots before they occur. The UN‘s member states are also reluctant to use military forces because there is little support for forcible entry. By having a UN monitored Police Force already present, this obstacle would be eliminated. While the use of deadly force is taught to police forces, it is engrained in the minds of the soldier. The likelihood of excess force and inability to interact with the target population are significant drawbacks to the use of a military force to conduct peacekeeping operations. Other obstacles for a military include lack of continuous presence and the need to return home for national emergencies. Even if there is a long-term military presence, the soldiers are on a rotation schedule that inhibits the contact required to promote trust. A properly trained UN Police Force could mitigate many of these problems. While the idea of a UN Police Force does meet the needs for the establishment of law and order, there are other areas that will require much research and debate. Even after the acceptance of this concept by the world‘s leaders, there will continue to be the same issues that plague every effort proposed by the United Nations. In addition to those seeking the exceptions from universal implementation, the reality of financing, training, organizational structure, appropriate force size, and demographics will need to be addressed. Each of these areas will require their own research and debate. However, this level of detail will only be necessary if the need for a UN Police Force is seen as the best way to protect individuals and economic investment thereby allowing growth and development in our ever-changing world.

Unilever Organized Its Supply Chain Management

Unilever Organized Its Supply Chain Management Abstract According to the analysis of some cases of how Unilever organized its supply chain management, we found that Unilever organized their factories, regional supply chains, business groups and corporate center with strategic focus and in an operational environment. Plan-source-make-deliver is the way Unilever managed their supply chain. Simultaneously, we found that Unilevers supply chain management focus on the multi-local aspects of the business at a national or regional level and the multinational aspects. Introduction In todays globalised world, every company has to face strong competition. Each company has to consider many factors if they want to be successful in the market. One of important elements in this is the supply chain management, this involves the moment of materials as they flow from their source to the end customer. Unilever is a global firm and they have numerous products, as result the ways they manage the flow of their product from beginning to the consumers is vital. The question was asked: How do Unilever organize their supply chain management. Methodology The study was conducted by a group of four team members in Middlesex University on the pre-sessional program in August 2010, namely: Lam Trinh, Long Ta, Pan Zhen Zhao and Chi Doan. The instrument used in this study was secondary research. In which, individuals of the team used various resources, especially online academic directories to locate the necessary articles related to the topic supply chain management and take a specific British Group, Unilever and its organising system, as an example. After the research team had read the academic textbooks, the relevant information was analyzed and noted in order to assess the main ideas. The process took two weeks. The first week involved choosing a suitable topic and company. The choices were based on individuals possibility and interest in the field of business and management. The second week included researching resources from the schools learning resources and other reliable sources. A total of five sources were found, of which two were theory-based online journal articles and were obtained through academic directories, and three were from media articles and company-official website. There are some limitations with the study. One of them is that it is difficult for second language learners to understand complex articles and sophisticated arguments. Furthermore, it is a difficult task to identify and collect the best helpful and suitable information for the report amongst numerous of sources. Literature review Organizing supply chain management (OSCM) is one of the most important things which companies need to do to not lag behind economically in the fast-moving business world. That is why this report researches in-depth five articles: Unilevers supply chain efficiency, Unilevers supply chain vision, supply chain case study, how Unilever aligned its supply chain management, and Unilevers spotlight. According to Supply Chain Management Review (Monahan, Sean; Nardone, Robert, Nov2007, Vol. 11), it has been claimed that Unilever has to upgrade facets of its supply chain operations to stay ahead in the fast-moving consumer packaged goods industry. Furthermore, Srivni (http://www.zimbio.com/ Jun-19-07) asserted that while Unilever keeping its global branding, its strategy is to have local supply chain for local demand to minimize complexity. It seems a lucid strategy for OSCM in order to make profit and consolidate brand effectively. Findings In this section, author using SWOT analysis to analyze the internal and external environment of Unilever. Figure 1 Strengths Weaknesses Clearly supply chain management vision highly complex supply chain and production line Using information technology Local supply chain for local demand Strong network of sales and distribution Many products have low profit Opportunities Threats Increasing in environment friendly product Globalization There are many competitors Strengths Unilever is a global company so their supply chain management seems to be very well organized. The first strength is Unilever make a clear vision for their supply chain management. IEE (www.iee.org, 2004) states five strategies on Unilever supply chain management: Clearly defined global strategy and an effective and robust strategy into action processes. Focus on cost reduction, to be achieved through regular monitoring of a standard set of globally shared KPIs along with consistent data acquisition. Consistent global approach to, delivery of manufacturing excellence. Convergent organization. Clearly defined skill definitions of all supply chain roles. Established process to enable a rapid and cost effective implementation of innovation. Furthermore, Unilever implement information technology (IT) in their supply chain with the purpose to manage the flow of product better. Because Unilever have many factories in the world, they use different type of supply chain for each country so they can meet the demand of local customers. Strong network of sale and distribution is the one more strength of Unilever. Weaknesses Unilever have a huge number of product brands (over 1600 brands) but 400 brands make up over 90% of Unilevers total sales (http://www.zimbio.com, Jun-19-07)good . As a consequence, the ineffective brands make them money but not very profitable and become one of their weakness point. Opportunities Customers focus more on the products which are friendly with environment, it is an opportunity for Unilever to follow the trend and get more customers from competitors with the strategy in greening their supply chain such as cutting emissions. The second opportunity for Unilever is globalization develop. Their supply chain will find easier to approach customers because the world without barrier. Threats Unilever set up factories, branches in more than 100 countries and they have numerous competitors from other global companies like PG and Nestle and also competitors from local. Global enterprises with strong brands and experience in management while local companies understand the demand of consumers and they have support from local government lead to a threat for Unilever. Discussion and analysis IT solution According to Srivni (http://www.zimbio.com, Jun-19-07), the first solution for Unilever to organize supply chain management is the use of information technology. Firstly, Unilever use enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to manage activities in supply chain. ERP with huge databases can access the status of supply chain such as distribution and sales. As a result they can control the flow of products well and make sure it is not interrupted. By using IT in supply chain management, company also reduce the costs and improve efficiency in the chain and bring the company closer to their consumers. Moreover, IT helps Unilever track their products better from distribution centers to stores, they will have right strategy to reduce the length of product runs and make other refinements to react more quickly to changes in demand (http://www.zimbio.com, Jun-19-07). Finally, Unilever apply integrated supply management information system (ISIS) which help the collected information is analyzed quickly and easily by supply managers in national as well as global companies. With this system, its managers may discuss and make a decision with suppliers clearly and effectively. Therefore, both of them make benefits from this way (Sean Monahan and Robert Nardone, 2007). Path to Growth Based on the weakness point in SWOT analysis, Unilever make a plan name: Path to growth focus on reducing non production items (NPI). Before discussing the results of this plan, this report is going to analyze the reason why they have to cut NPI. In 2000, there were over 1600 brands belong to Unilever. However, the company recognized that the high profit brands were around four hundred and many other brands take a huge amount of money to organize their supply chain. Unilever decided to stop producing over five hundred and sell seven hundred brands and get over 16 billion euro. With this amount of money, they can invest more in supply chain management system. The goal of this plan is simplify the business and reducing complexity (http://www.zimbio.com, Jun-19-07). This plan brings to Unilever many advantages but there are some disadvantages when Unilever apply Path to growth. In 2004, their net profit lost by over 300 million dollars, and the company still focus significantly on local market lead to fragment in global market. Conclusion The purpose of this report is answering the question: How does Unilever organize their supply chain management? The finding is based on the SWOT analysis which shows the internal (strengths and weaknesses) and the external (opportunities and threats) environmental in supply chain of Unilever. Unilever apply IT to manage their supply chain to reduce the cost and improve the effect. They also use plan path to growth to sell and stop production over one thousand ineffective brands. These strategies help Unilever to organize their supply chain better and more effectively. Recommendations Unilever is a strong company in global market. They have many strengths point but they have some weaknesses point. After the process of findings and analysis the information of Unilever, the company should focus more on their supply chain of high profit products to maximize revenue and ensure their supply to customers is on time.

History And Culture Of Klutch Cultural Studies Essay

History And Culture Of Klutch Cultural Studies Essay History of Kutch Kutch has a very rich and vibrant history. People have migrated in and out of Kutch from countries like Afghanistan, Sindh, Britain and Africa for centuries and the various stone implements found by explorations in and around the place verify that it was inhabited from prehistoric times. In fact, traces of the astonishing Indus Valley civilization (3000 to 1500B.C.) have been discovered at Dholavira- Kutch. It was referred to by Alexander the great as `Abhir`, which means the shape of tortoise. It had always remained a place of a lesser population, especially in the 9th century. Kutch has also experienced frequent earthquake since medieval times. The earliest earthquake recorded in Kutch dates back to 16th June 1819. Since then, over 90 earthquakes of varying intensity have struck the region, but none as severe as the most recent one in 2001. Kutch in Ancient Period (3000 B.C to 920 AD) Rann was not an arm of the sea during the early days when Alexander the great visited these places in 325BC. The eastern branches of the Indus River emptied the most important channel into the Rann and Kutch was a kind of extension of Sindh on the other side of the larger freshwater lake, which could be easily crossed. The Mauryan Empire broke of the Gujarat, Kutch and Sindh provinces and passed under the rules of Greeks from Bactria in 140-120 BC. Bactrian rule over Gujarat, Kathiawad and Kutch was ended by Sakas in the 1st Century and ruled upto the 3rd century. After that Samudragupta attacked the Sakas and ended their rule. Kutch in Modern Period (1500 AD to 2001) Much of Kutch history in the 13th, 14th and 15th century has witnessed a lot of violence through massacres, plunder and arson. In 1510, Rao Khengarji I a successor of Odha, (second son of Rato Raydhan) assumed power with the full approval of the Sultan of Ahmeddabad. He thus became the founder of the dynasty that was to rule Kutch till its merger with the Indian Union in 1948. Khengarji I`s capital was Rahper. This was later shifted to Bhuj in 1549. After the Partition of India in 1947, the province of Sindh, including the port of Karachi, ended up in Pakistan. The Indian Government constructed a modern port at Kandla in Kutch to serve as a port for western India in lieu of Karachi. There was a dispute over the Kutch region with Pakistan and battle broke out just months before the outbreak of the Second Kashmir War. Architecture The architecture that is followed in the construction of the houses in the Kutch region, and Gujarat as a whole, is called Bhonga and is commonly found in the rural areas. It is a tent like structure which has been in use in Gujarat and the Kutch region for over 200 years now. It consists of a single cylindrical shaped room and has a conical roof supported by cylindrical walls. The durability, sturdiness and the reason that this type of architecture is well suited to the desert condition makes it a very common sight across this region. Also, failure of the Bhongas in the last earthquake caused very few injuries to its occupants in spite of their collapse. These Bhongas are similar to the normal mud houses and is usually inhabited by the poor people. Places of Importance Bhuj is the headquarters of the Kutch district and apart from its strategic and administrative importance, it is also a beautiful place famous for its amazing landscape. Mandvi is a port situated along the coast, which is a tourist destination famous for its handicraft, tie-dye, silverwork and interesting architecture like Vijay Vilas Palace. It also showcases a few houses which have a blend of Indian and European styles of architecture and a lighthouse. The Mandvi Beach is also a place of importance with Water Sports and other forms of tourism developing along its coast. White Rann, named so due to the huge salt content in the desert making it look like ice, is a very common tourist attraction and the picturesque beauty of the place has made it an integral part of many movies as well. The Rann Utsav, a cultural event, happens here in the greater Rann of Kutch every year in December. It is organised by the Gujarat tourism department annually and is an opportunity for visitors to attend folk dance and music concepts, watch artisans at work, visit handicraft villages, see the historical monuments in the state, and go trekking as well. The Little Rann of Kutch and its environs, the Wild Ass Sanctuary is the last home of the Indian Wild Ass. Other species that could be seen during wildlife viewing drives in the sanctuary are the Nilgai or blue bull antelope, Blackbuck or Indian Antelope, Chinkara or Indian Gazelle, the endangered Indian Wolf, Desert and Indian Foxes, Jackal, and smaller species characteristic of the desert habitat. At the edge of the Little Rann of Kutch are lakes and marshes that attract waterfowl in numbers beyond comprehension. Huge flocks of flamingos, pelicans, cranes, storks, geese and ducks can be seen in winter. The Little Rann is also one of the few places in India where the Lesser Flamingo is breeding successfully. The place Banni (meaning bani hui, or ready made) gets its name from its geological past, the land was formed from the sediments deposited by several rivers that flowed through the region over several thousand years. People say that prior to the earthquake of 1816, the river Indus flowed right through Banni and the local farmers reaped rich harvests. After the earthquake, the rivers changed course and the place now is almost featureless, arid grassland fed only by the seasonal monsoons with very few farms seen. Due to the high salt content of the soil the vegetation is sparse and plants we came across most were salt tolerant shrubs like Mesvak , Lana, Ooeyen, Lai and Sedge. Places of Worship Hazipir, Karodpir, Mata Nu Madh, Narayan Sarovar, Koteshwar, Godhra, Vaishnav Devi, Gundala, Ghadsisha, etc. are places which are of interest to one and many. Each of them have a story to communicate and they each hold historic and religious importance in their own respective ways. Economy and Industries: Indias fastest growing state in the last decade has been the state of Gujarat. The Kutch region of Gujarat provides investors with both resources and the benefits of investment. The most important feature of the Kutch region comes geographically with two major ports Mundra and Kandla located in the region. These ports are closest to the Gulf and Europe and major trade occurs through both these ports. Kutch is home to a lot of small truck drivers. There are also NRI industrialists and businessmen who contribute to the economy of the region. The Kutch region is also blessed with abundance of natural resources like lignite, bauxite and gypsum. Most of these minerals are used for electricity generation by the Gujarat Electricity Board. The industry scenario in the region can be best described as making rapid strides. Companies of TATA Power, Adani and Sanghi Industries Ltd are housed in the region. Ancilliaries and support systems are also developing in the region at a fast pace. Due to all these the demand for non agricultural land has gone up at an astounding pace thereby accompanied with sky rocketing land prices. An acre of land available for Rs. 500 just 7-8 years ago is now sold at Rs.5 Crores. Although these stories are unheard of in the land of Kutch since its inception, they are becoming the reality of today. Due to such explosion, poor peasants lifestyles have gone a dramatic change and they are consuming brands like lottery winners. There are so many cases in which many people have opted for retirement from their farms and have sold it off to these corporate for a fat price tag and are now enjoying the fruits of their ancestors hardwork. Traditional industries such as salt, manufacture of shawls, handicr afts and silver items still exist in the region. The People of Kutch Kutch due to its geographic location is inhabitated with people from various regions. People have migrated from neighbouring regions of Marwar, Afghanistan, Sindh (now Pakistan).There are several nomadic, semi-Nomadic and artisan groups living in Kutch. The major communities include Jadejas, Lohana, Nishars, Darbars, Khatris, Rabaris and Ahirs. The majority of the population of Kutch follows Jainism as religion the Vanki Tirth temple situated in Mundra district considered to be one of the most elegant temples for Jains attracts over thousands of pilgrims every year but Hindus and Muslims are also in sizeable number in this region. Especially the Banni region is home to a number of nomadic Sindhi-Speaking Muslim group such as Dhanetah Jaths, Hingoras and Samma. There are also Sikhs residing in this part of the state the gurudwara for whom located at Lakhpat in Kutch was the house that Guru Nanak stayed in during his journey to Mecca. A person from the region of Kutch is known as Kutchi. Most of the Kutchis are strongly connected to their roots. They have strong social and cultural values imbibed in them. They say a Kutchi is born with entrepreneurial skills and business acumen. This goes to show, as a large number of Kutchis are businessman in small or big way (Adani, Euro Group, Nilkamal, Everest Group, Prince Plastic, Amarsons, Premsons, Benzer and Anchor etc). They also give a lot back to the region where they hail from. They build schools, hospitals, dharma shalas (dormitories), temples, bhojnalaya (free meals for all). They also provide ample job opportunities for all the youth hailing from that place. They train them and also trust them with utmost responsibilities. This is without any merit or skill based and is purely on the basis of a CSR role that they play for the communities that they are born in. They are these big names which are the stones on which a whole village is developed. Kutchis follow a patriarchal system and the male child still holds an important position in the house, they believed if its a male child he will be part of family business and if its a female she will be married off soon. There is some difference as to how a girl child is brought up and a male child. Kutchis till early 2000 did not lay special emphasis on education. Now the mindset is changing with people moving to cities. They want their children to be educated; kids today have aspirations to become doctor, engineer, and cricketer. Education now is an important consideration even for girls and there are girl schools that have been constructed. But even in the 21st century a girl child is engaged in as early as the 8th standard and is taught how to run a house at a tender age. Although now things are changing and girls are getting equal importance in a lot of families. A Kutchi believes in maintaining relationship throughout his life. Relationship is as important to him as money is. Also customs and traditions are extremely important to him. There are set practices which he follows for every occasion, the places of worship are extremely important and many in numbers. People of Kutch are very welcoming to people from other communities. Due to a large population of Hindus, Muslims and Jains etc, all the festivals are celebrated with a lot of exuberance. Most people are very warm hearted and treat everyone equally. For their own community Kutchis have also created sanatoriums for people to come and stay as hotels cannot be built everywhere. This reflects in the warm hospitality which they offer to any stranger who walks into their house and is offered a cup of tea and bidi. They feel honored and privileged if they are offered a bidi in anyones house. These are 2 conversations starters and also customs around which the whole community revolves around. Entertainment, socializing, conversations, rituals, etc. are all an offshoot of the warmth that they infect people with. Post the earthquake there has been a lot of developmental work done in the region of Kutch. There have been several industries set up, power plants have been constructed. Job opportunities have been created for the people and due to this there has been increase in the purchasing power of people. Now they have more disposable income in their hands and they have also become brand conscious. Social Status Kutch is home to people from all strata of the society, there are large business houses which come from Kutch and there are also people who live on daily wages. The social status of people varies from SEC A to SEC E2. There are people who belong to the working class and house wife as a concept is predominant in Kutch. Kutchis have been following a joint family structure since a very long time but off late due to migration and other factors slowly the families have started moving into nuclear structure. Even if the families have moved into smaller units, kutchis are still a very closely knit unit, they look after each other and ensure that every member of the family at least gets his daily bread. Most of the employment opportunity is first passed on to family members then people from kutchi community and then to the outside world. Culture Kutchis pride themselves on their rich culture and heritage and reflect the same through their dressing, language and even food habits. Costume The people of kutch have unique set of costumes as against the conventional wear. They normally wear embroidered work .Mirror work is also an important part of their outfit. In different parts of Kutch you will see different set of designs on the outfit as the workmanship of each region differs. A particular community in Kutch can be recognised on the basis of the costumes they wear for example, a rabari woman will always be seen in a black open blouse or odhnis which cover her face, the Jat women always wear red or black Chunnis. Chaniya Choli is another important costume for the women of Kutch. In Rural areas women wear abhla(mirror work) chaniya choli. They wear kanjari which is a long blouse embroidered with mirror work and choli. The men in Kutch wear a white outfit, they wear a white dhoti (lungi) and a khami and a white jacket .Another traditional costume of the men in Kutch is the Kaidiyu which is again white in color. The bottoms of these people are tight at the feet so that no insects enter them while they are working on in their fields. Bandhani print of Kutch is really famous in Indian and abroad and is in huge demand across market. The bride and her family is supposed to wear a special kind of Bandhani called as Gharchoda. This is still prevalent in the cities where a lot of expat kutchis get married. Widows can be recognised by a typical Red saree which she wears without any ornaments as accompaniments. Music Kutch has a rich heritage of traditional folk music. Musical instruments are also related to origins of people in Kutch, their taboos, their style of worship etc. It allows us to understand social and religious traditions. Some of the musical instruments of Kutch include Bhorrindo: A folk instrument which is a simple vacant dirt ball or like an egg twisted with three to four holes Dak or Dhaku: Dak is similar to Damru and is made up of hour glass frame with vellum heads. The Cords are pressed hard and released in quick succession to give the effect Dholak: One of the most important instruments in the folk music of Kutch. which is played at all major occasions be it a small event or the navratri functions Jodia pawa: A pair of double flutes is also known as Alghoza. It is mainly played by the shepherds in the desert. It is used in folk dances. One of the renowned artist of the same is Musa Gulam Jat from Kutch Morchang: A simple device made out of brass .It has an outer frame fortuning the instrument and in the shape of a harp. Color Kutch is a place which is filled with a lot of vibrancy even if its known as land of desert. Be it the costume the people they wear or the color of their house they make use of bright colors such as blue, pink yellow and red. Rannoutsav, the combination of White Desert and vibrancy of Gujarat, is also a celebration of colors amidst the land of white sand. Language Predominant language is kutchi influenced by sindhi and gujarati owing to its geographical location. The script of Kutchi language has become extinct and so Gujarati script is occasionally used. Gujarati as a script and language has also become more popular because of people moving out and the schools being gujarati medium. Rituals festivity The Kutch Festival colorfully attired dancers, music concerts, Sindhi Bhajan performances, Langa Desert Music and shops selling embroideries and jewelry are the hallmarks of the Kutch Desert Festival Makar Sankranti  and Kite Flying Festival  (14 January) Uttarayan Significance Suns direct rays reach the  Tropic of Capricorn  to mark the end of winter season. It is celebrated by flying kites the threads are glass strengthened and the purpose of the fighter kites is to cut the other kites thread and be the winner. At night, kites with  Chinese lanterns  are flown and held aloft. Food Undhiya, sugar cane juice and local sweets to celebrate the day. The Rann Utsav The Rann Utsav is the annual cultural extravaganza of the region held in the months of December and January. The Rann Utsav seeks to bring out to the world the uniqueness and rich diversity of the region. Though focus has always been on traditional art and culture, this year it has evolved with the addition of dances and pageants. Most notably, visitors are made to feel a part of the programs and are invited to perform. The Rann Utsav though is mainly for the urban population and the rural crowd tend to shy away from the festival. Tourism has grown by leaps and bounds, more so with the roping in of Amitabh Bachchan as the brand ambassador of Gujarat. Handicrafts Artistry Bandhani traditional handiwork of tie and dye. Bandhanis are very closely associated with deep rooted social customs. It is treated as a symbol of married life and is worn by Hindus and Muslims during their marriage. It is also worn during major festivals like navratri and diwali by women across caste and age. Decorative arts of pottery, embroidery, printed and woven textiles, wall paintings, jewellery and leatherwork Lodai (the potters are here are muslim and slip decoration executed by women is highly regarded) and Khavda ( clay bunga round hut made from mud and wood with a conical roof) important regions of districts known for clay crafts which are more than normal pot making Diverse embroideries   aari  embroidery carried out for the royalty and wealthy families. Traditionally women in rural areas do the embroidery for their dowries. Important resource centers for embroidery in the region are Shrujan, Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS), Kalaraksha and Women Artisans Marketing Agency (WAMA). Ajarakh printing a very complex hand printing technique using wooden blocks and  natural dyes. The printing is done by a lengthy process which can take up to a couple of months for the most complicates pieces. Ajarakh is being practised today in Dhamadka and Ajarakhpur villages in Kutch. Mud work Artistic wall pieces made with mud and mirror work are used to decorate homes. Leather artisans products like leather shoes, sandals, mirrors, small pouches, etc. The very high skilled artisans decorate the articles by doing embroidery or cutting various shaped windows in the leather. These artisans can be found in the villages like Sumarasar, Nirona, Zura, Bhirandiyara, Hodko,  Khavda, etc. in and around the Banni region. Handloom weaving shawls, yardage, jackets, etc. woven out of wool, cotton and acrylic yarn. Bandhani is carried out on the shawls in some cases. The biggest center for this is Bhujodi village near Bhuj. Food and Drink Jains,  Buldhmins  and some other caste perform strict vegetarianism making Kutch a predominantly vegetarian district. As for Jains they also refrain from eating  kandmool  food grown below the ground such as  potatoes, garlic,  onion,  suran, etc.  Beef is an ultimate taboo since Hindus consider the cow holy even though they might practice various levels of vegetarianism. The usually Kutchi Cuisine consists of Roti or Rotlas, Curd, Butter milk, Dal, Curry, Vegetables, Papad, Kachumbar. Dry rotlis or Theplas and Khakras and Sev (of Gram Flour) are made and stored as food during travelling etc.. Staple food Rotlas made of Bajri (millet)  which the local relish with Butter milk or Chhas, Butter and Jaggery or Gud.Khichhdi made of rice and dal (pulses). Beverages Tea  is the most popular drink in this region and is enjoyed irrespective of sex, caste, religion or social status.  Most people drink it with milk and sugar and like it sweet but strong. . Tea without milk is offered when people are visiting host to mourn death of relatives and is hence never served to guests on normal occasions. Delicacies Khaman dokla, Gathia, Undhia, Muthia, Raita, Dahi wada, Kachori, Bhajia, Bhaji made of brinjal, bitter gourd and ladys finger,etc. Snacks Dabeli, Puri Shak, Pav Bhaji, Bhakarwadi, Papdi, Kadak, etc. Desserts Adadiya, Gulab Pak, Son Papdi, Mohan thal, Pedas, Halwa, Gulab Jamun, Jalebi, etc. Seeds of Dhaniya or Dhana dal, Betal Leaf or Pan with Supari is served after food as mouth freshner. Consumer Insights Consumption Pattern in Kutch has seen a steady change in the past two decades with increase in media proliferation. More brands are targeting Kutch as a potential market owing to their considerable disposable income. Kutchis are becoming more and more aware of the brands available across segments. Companies such as HUL , PG, Pepsi, Parle, Brittania, LG, Samsung, Maruti are expanding their distribution channel to reach out to these consumers. Brand Awareness: It was important to study and understand the brand awareness level in the villages of the Kutch region. The most pertinent sector of consumption is the FMCG category. Hardly anyone in the villages of Kutch possesses an automobile, as a result of their economic status, but SUVs were common among the urban population of Kutch. It was fascinating and somewhat surprising to learn that young girls in the villages of Kutch know about brands such as Nissan Micra, although that was attributed to Ranbir Kapoor. The power of celebrity endorsements was there for all to see. In the household, the most common brands which were spotted were Bournvita, Nycil, Ponds and Salora among others. Most of them used the local brands when it came to cooking ingredients like milk, ghee, oil etc. According to the retailers, FMCGs in small packs sell better than large packs and Clinic Plus is a fast seller. Confectionaries like Cadburys Perk, Hide and Seek are some of the brands the kids consume. Apart from this though, there are also cases of selling of counterfeit and local brands which have similar packaging as that of the original brand. A few instances were noticed in the case of packaged drinking water, analgesics and FMCG products. Impact of advertising on consumer behavior: Upon interaction with the natives of the Kutch region, it was found that celebrity advertising had the maximum impact among the younger population. Also, after the 2001 earthquake in Bhuj, there was a marked change in the buying pattern due to higher disposable income. Consumer durables are a huge market in Kutch and television and refrigerator are some of the products which have started finding their way into every household. People have also started becoming brand conscious. Electronics stores such as LG have opened outlets in recent times. Media Consumption: Television is one of the major media vehicles. People of this region are mainly hooked on to the soap opera, Gulaal , which showcases the culture of the Kutch region. There are also different perspectives to this soap where one fraction believes that the Kutch region has not been depicted properly, while the other are happy with the serials depiction of the culture and practices of the region. There is also a slow trend in moving from traditional CRT TVs to LCD screens. Newspapers are also an important medium in the region. In the villages, mainly the regional newspapers like Divya Bhaskar and Sanj Samachar are circulated, while in the urban areas English dailies such as DNA and Times of India are widely read. The radio is used as a mass medium too. People are tuned into their favorite radio channels and communication is mainly through news, music or commercials. Impact of Social structure: The society is predominantly male dominated. The villages follow a structure where the village headman or sarpanch is the one who takes the decisions aided by his council. The villages in the Kutch region provide equal opportunities to women. As in case with most of the rural population of India, women are married off at a very young age, having barely finished school. How this structure impacts the buying behavior is seen from the fact that although the chief wage earner is the male (in most cases), the woman of the house buys the products for daily use.