Planning History Utopian Planners

Introduction Urban planning has evolved into different forms throughout the history of cities and city planning. Urban planning aims at improving a city to cater for the future social and economic needs of its inhabitants. It seeks to link the existing knowledge with the appropriate forms of action (Sager 1992, P. 67). Planning, therefore, has to be visionary with an appropriate idea about the future design of a city and the implementation of that design.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Planning History: Utopian Planners specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Modern urban planning entails two different approaches; visionary city planning that involves radical changes in the design of the city with substantial social and economic changes, and the institutionalized city planning, which proposes changes to the existing city structures and is affected by the prevailing economic and political forces within the city. Histori cally, urban city planning began in the nineteenth century with the sole purpose to regulate the new urban growth brought about by industrialization and improvement of transport and communication following the invention of the railway (Sitte 1965, P. 43). Military strategies to control territories and aesthetics of expression of cities significantly influenced visionary urban planning in the nineteenth century. Although visionary city planning made many achievements in city building, many of which are still monumental and beautiful today, it remained insensitive to the wider needs of the society and would have been disastrous if implemented on a large scale.  The poor living conditions of the urban poor, forced most middle class urban dwellers towards the end of the nineteenth century to begin agitating for reforms in city planning, which culminated into utopian planning (Cherry 1970, P. 87). Central to this movement was Ebenezer Howard, who conceptualized the ‘garden cityâ €™ to be the ideal alternative to the city planning of the nineteenth century. The garden city was an attempt to connect the vision for a new social order to the spatial expression of the city (Fisherman 1977, P. 23). Le Corbusier conceptualized the â€Å"Contemporary City for Three Million People† in 1922 and the â€Å"Radiant City† in 1935 both of which proposed a centralized city with high population and many facilities including skyscraper buildings and residential apartments (Cherry 1970, p. 89). Frank Lloyd Wright on the other hand, envisioned the Broadacre City plan in 1935, which was a decentralized city with low population and suburban residential homes (Mumford 1946, p. 42). Ebenezer Howard and the Garden City The garden city was a brilliant idea conceived by Ebenezer Howard in response to the environmental and social changes that were results of industrial revolution in Britain. Industrial revolution encouraged migration into urban areas and consequently led to poor and unhealthy living conditions in cities.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In a bid to curb overpopulation in cities and the associated deterioration of social facilities, Howard envisioned an organized planned dispersal, whereby people could set up industries in towns to provide the services and various occupations to the people of a particular culture within the town (Gossel Leuthauser 1991, p.94). He also envisioned that the population size in the towns be reduced to about 30,000 inhabitants so that the inhabitants could live and work within walking distance. In this way, the garden cities could provide social facilities near the residential places and avoid overpopulation in cities. The garden cities also comprised of a spacious layout to for occupation by residential suburban houses, parking space for the residents and enough space for schools and other social amenities.  The garden city envisioned the larger urban system as a network of interlinked communities. It proposed a close link between the town and the countryside with a clear definition of the country, which the design would reserve for agriculture. It also provided for easy access by the urban residents to the countryside (Hall Ward 1998, p.71). It also envisioned the creation of common developmental and social facilities that would lead to neighborhoods and estates within cities. To control the city development, Howard envisioned a unified land ownership, whereby the trust ownership controlled the agricultural zone. He also envisioned a cooperative municipal enterprise, which would regulate trade and industry in the cities without affecting the individual freedom with regard to trade and industry. The main major purpose of the garden cities was to promote dispersal of the people from major cities using the three magnets concept. The garden city provided a channel for an or ganized relocation of the city dwellers to other towns to relieve the pressure on social facilities and the impacts of overpopulation in the major cities in the nineteenth century (Hall Ward 1998, p.81). However, dispersal could have happened in any case because of majority of the urban dwellers avoiding the problems of overpopulation could have sought a better environment either in the suburbs or in smaller towns away from the cities (Fishman1977, p.153). Still, the garden city was an ideal alternative to reducing congestion in the cities. The cities of the nineteenth century experienced traffic congestion and provided little room for expansion. In contrast, the planned new towns provided an opportunity to avoid problems of overpopulation by providing the right infrastructure to match the expanding population growth in the major cities.  Despite Howard’s garden city concept providing an opportunity to reduce urban congestion by promoting decentralization of industries and facilities, its implementation could have been disastrous.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Planning History: Utopian Planners specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Howard, the social city concept entailed one garden city giving rise to another garden city after attaining a population threshold of 30,000 inhabitants (Howard 1902, p.14). However, this would have produced a cluster of interdependent towns that would be expensive to administer. Verma (1996) points out that despite the noble nature of the garden city concept, the many new regional centres would have been economically expensive to administer as opposed to a small number of large centres (p.43). Fundamental to the concept of the garden city was the neighbourhood idea, where the people would live within walking distance to their workplaces, shops, primary schools and public spaces. The idea behind this concept was the need to establish some kin d of balance between work and homes. However, Howard based this concept on the belief that the population growth would match industrial expansion to cut down the level of commuting back and forth the workplaces. The concept would not have worked; firstly, given that industrial growth leads to population increase due to attraction of immigrant workers into cities, establishment of smaller towns would not have encouraged outward labour mobility since many people worked in the industrialized cities (Cherry 1970, p.61). Secondly, the workers in the new towns would have been still dependent on the employers in the major cities and thus would continue working in the major cities. Under the garden city concept, people from all social classes were to move to the smaller towns including the employers. This would be possible through provision of various incentives to employers, thereby attracting them to invest in the small towns. Such incentives included already built factories on lease amon g others (Fishman 1977, p.154). However, given that, the cost of operating a new franchise is high few employers could have relocated their businesses to the smaller towns. In addition, relocation of large factories would have exerted unprecedented pressure on infrastructural facilities further affecting transport and communication. Howard envisioned that the establishment of the garden city would encourage people to move into the city and as a result, the population would steadily rise to maximum of 30,000 inhabitants, after which another city would arise (Fishman1977, p.321). In addition, Howard envisioned that the establishment of the garden city would result into a rise in land value, which would generate enough money to pay off the investors and finance schools, parks, museums and other public places. However, Howard failed to note that for the land value to rise, productivity in the garden city had also to be high (Sager 1992, p.73). Obviously, rise in land values alone would not achieve productivity of the garden city; it also required increase in productivity of the enterprises and factories established in the garden cities. In this regard, investors could only benefit if there was a rise in productivity of their enterprises rather than on rise in land value.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Surplus productivity in the garden city would encourage capital and labour flows into the garden city, which would create more congestion in the garden city than anywhere else would.  The physical realization of Howard’s garden city was in the construction of the city of Letchworth guided by architects, Raymond Urwin and Barry Parker. The design of the residential homes of this garden city was attractive but it took longer than Howard had anticipated for the city to attract people (Glasscock 1996, p.24). After 35 years of Letchworth’s establishment, it had only 15,000 inhabitants compared to the population of 30,000 anticipated. In addition, most workers could not afford houses in the garden city with some opting to commute from other towns while others opted for cheap informal settlements set up by speculators. The envisioned idea of the garden city did not match the Letchworth city in terms of architecture and social life. Frank Lloyd Wright’s and the Broada cre City Broadacre City was Frank Lloyd Wright’s concept for the ideal multi-cantered, low density, suburbs. The utopian planner introduced this scheme with an aim of decongesting cities in 1932 in his book, The Disappearing City. In terms of population density, Broadacre city, catered for a low population with a density of five people per acre. The scheme aimed at reducing congestion in cities to avoid development of informal settlement. In contrast to Ebenezer’s garden city, which involved turning the city into a suburban countryside, the Broadacre city converted the countryside into a city (Rybczynski 2005, p. 17). The spread of the Broadacre city would constitute an urban where each family had access to small farms and recreational sites with industrial and other urban facilities placed a few miles from the residential places. The Broadacre city plan embodied economic reforms based on Wright’s model of democracy, which he described as Usonia. The Usonia was against Marxist’s socialism ideology and Wright derived it from the ideas of the nineteenth century utopians like Edward Bellamy and Thorstein Veblen. The Wright’s plan allowed the families to own homes and relieved them from property owners. Wright assumed that the land use would be the responsibility of the owners (Rybczynski 2005, p.132). Under Wright’s plan, the land would be public and then redistributed to the private owners including families, who would use the land productively. Therefore, the Usonia concept opposed cooperation but encouraged individualism whereby it encouraged private ownership of land. The Broadacre city offered an opportunity to ordinary people to live in countryside lifestyle while enjoying the economic opportunities and recreations associated with urban centres.  Wright’s plan envisioned that the residential houses adopt any design the owners preferred with no two houses built the same so long as the structures, the constru ction method and the materials used in the construction were integral and natural. A central civil authority would have the responsibility of determining what is natural and integral to the place. The plan envisioned an â€Å"a sprawling, open, individualistic structure† where families would live in suburbs surrounding urban centres (Duany, Zyberk, Speck 1992, p. 54). Wright realized that in his plan physically separate the communities. The plan brought communities of interest together through communication and transportation and the process would replace the physical communities of a place. However, Mumford criticised the plan’s suggestion of establishing an individualistic structure by referring to it as being antisocial that would affect the decongestion of the cities. It is evident that Wright’s plan would have turned out to be disastrous if implemented. The suburbia would not match Broadacre City’s low densities, which Wright envisioned would become suburbs. Under the Broadacre plan, the buildings were concentrated in the city centre, where offices and industries were located. This would have contributed to congestion within the city, as more activities were concentrated there (Duany, Zyberk, Speck 1992, p.231). Wright’s Broadacre city intended to reduce congestion from the city centre; however, concentration and dispersal are a common occurrence in cities. In addition, Wright assumed that the rise in land value would promote economic development and improvement in the standards of living. However, land alone cannot contribute to economic prosperity particularly in cities (Rybczynski 2005, p. 42). Economic prosperity in cities allows more people to own land and homes hence his assumption that increase in land value would lead to dispersal could have turned out to be incorrect as more people could afford land leading to concentration. Wright never envisioned the suburban homes to be sites of wealth production in the fut ure. Nowadays, suburban homesteads can be used to generate income through crop farming and livestock rearing, which can support families living within city suburbs.  Broadacre plan was not fully implemented as Wright had envisioned. Nowadays, the city suburbs do not match what Wright had envisioned in his Broadacre city plan (Hall, Ward 1998, p. 75). This indicates an appropriate judgment considering that the rationale behind Broadacre City was Wright’s program of social reform. In essence, the substance of Broadacre City was aesthetic and to curb the problems occasioned by overpopulation (Ritzdorf 1996, p. 212). Wright envisioned a system of governance in Broadacre city that promoted architecture and aesthetics with regard to particular culture rather than on physical city construction laws. Wright did not seek to protect nature but rather he proposed the establishment of homes in the countryside (Muschamp 2001, p. 67). This would have affected nature and wildlife. Wright defended his plan by suggesting that establishment of the city within the country side would not affect nature but would contribute to improved quality of the building and the city. However, establishment of human settlements in countryside forests would have adversely affected the wildlife. In addition, the Broadacre city plan cannot be a conventional architectural design for all cities because of its emphasis on aesthetics but rather a plan designed to redeem a particular city from the challenges of high population by promoting dispersal. Nevertheless, Wright’s plan would have found a role in the modern urban planning, which increased demand for aesthetics as its central aspect characterizes (Duany, Zyberk, Speck 1992, p. 27). Most people demand public action to prevent acquisition of public places as part of aesthetics. In this regard, people feel that aesthetics, as enshrined in Wright’s plan, are both a public and private affair and building homes away from the city center is a common phenomenon nowadays. LeCorbusier and the Radiant city LeCorbusier’s Radiant city concept arose out of a new concept of expanding the individual freedoms and establishing a capitalist economy. The plan involved clearance of the existing prehistoric cities followed by the rebuilding of a modern city using modern architectural designs (Le Corbusier 1967, p. 41). Under this plan, quality housing, les unites, would be available to everyone based on the size of each family. He envisioned a city with buildings five meters above the ground and therefore ensuring allocation of more land to nature. Within the les unites, would be pedestrian streets linking buildings together (Richards 2003, p.114). Le Corbusier suggests that the center of the radiant city would mainly composed of commercial buildings mainly skyscrapers (about 5%) while the surrounding area (95%) would be occupied by trees and parks. Residential buildings taking a zigzag shape would surround the city center. The residential buildings would house catering and accommodation services. In essence, Le Corbusier based his plan on the belief that modern age architecture should be suitable and expressive of modernism. In the Radiant city design, he employed architectural skills and picture designs to develop his idea of the city as opposed to a rational basis (Etlin 1994, p. 72). Le Corbusier, unlike Howard, did not belief in the natural economic order but believed that leadership within the society was important (Serenyi 1975, 82). In his plan of the radiant city, Le Corbusier envisioned a pyramid of hierarchies with the workers occupying the bottom position so that the order would prevail in the society (Fisherman 1977, p. 211). The leadership would occupy the top position in his plan of the radiant city for easy administrative control of the workers. Le Corbusier envisioned social lifestyle of the citizens of the radiant city. He saw that division of labor within the society wou ld promote unity and cooperation, which is necessary to promote economic growth (Fisherman 1977, p. 65). Unlike his first design of the Contemporary city of three million people, where he designed the residential buildings according to economic classes arranged around the business center of the city, he designed the Radiant city for all people with less regard to the economic classes (Le Corbusier1967, p. 87). The les unites accommodated every member of the society regardless of his/her economic status and promoted cooperation and equality (Fisherman1977, p. 41). Additionally, Le Corbusier integrated nature into the residential areas by allocating less land to residential housing and the rest to nature.  Despite Le Corbusier design of the Radiant city providing a way of promoting equality and individual freedoms, the plan raised many concerns. Kennedy (1998, p. 53) believed that Le Corbusier individual freedom that were promoted by the Radiant city design were not personal liberti es since Le Corbusier did not consult the citizens for whom he was planning for (Curtis1986, p. 112). His design of the facilities, services, and rules were more favorable to him rather than to the other citizens reducing the citizens into mere performers with no say in issues affecting their social life (Verma 1996, p. 72). Moreover, under the Radiant city plan, individuals had no say in the administration or governance issues affecting their lives and the plan expected them to act rationally all the time with antisocial behavior not conceived in his plan (Kennedy 1998, p.54). In this respect, the plan did not cater for social problems such as crime in the society. In addition, the plan did not address the needs of minority members of the society but rather considered that all citizens were equal. However, it was highly unlikely that all the people would behave rationally with no criminal or social problems taking place within the radiant city. In this regard, Le Corbusier assumpti on that humans would behave rationally with no crime or any social problems occurring was rather naà ¯ve than real (Kennedy 1998, p. 63). In the radiant city, Le Corbusier notion of authority was rather bureaucratic and patriarchal than administrative (Sennett 1980, p. 74). The plan, less grand unities, reserved for the administration the top part of the residential houses consisting of multi-storey buildings and skyscrapers, which represented a paternalistic authority (Kennedy, 1998). In addition, Hawkins (1997) while supporting the radiant city design concept as a way of providing housing for the masses in the wake of unprecedented population growth occasioned by industrial revolution argues that the design would have ultimately led to congestion in future (, p. 82). Conclusion The theories of Howard, Wright, and Le Corbusier were remarkable providing an alternative to the architectural designs of the nineteenth century urban planning. In addition, they offered solutions to the s ocial problems experienced in the nineteenth century cities and promoted quality of living for the citizens. However, the plans failed to address all the social aspects affecting the nineteenth century cities and consequently their implementation would have produced disastrous results. Despite the plans having a visionary view of connecting humans with nature, they failed to address issues related to human history and the future population growth needs. Reference List Cherry, G., 1970. Town Planning in the Social Context. London: Leonard Hill Curtis, W., 1986. Le Corbusier: Ideas and Forms. New York: Rizzoli International  Publications. Duany, A., Zyberk, E., Speck, J., 1992. Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the  Decline of the American Dream. New York: Routledge Etlin, R., 1994. Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier: The Romantic Legacy.  New York: Manchester University Press Fishman, R., 1977. Urban Utopias in the Twentieth Century. Cambridge, Mass: The MIT  Press.  Glasscock, R., 1996. Ebenezer Howard: 1850-1928 and the Garden  City. Advanced journal in Policy Studies: Sustainable Urban Design, 15(7). pp. 126-142. Gossel, P., Leuthauser, G., 1991. Architecture in the Twentieth Century,  Berlin: Benedikt Taschen Hall, P., Ward, C., 1998. Sociable Cities: The Legacy of Ebenezer Howard John. New  York: Wiley Sons. Howard, E., 1902. Garden Cities of To-morrow. London: Routledge. Kennedy, R., 1998. Le Corbusier and the Radiant City Contra: True Urbanity  and the Earth. Advanced journal in Policy Studies: Sustainable Urban Design, 15(7), pp. 221-223 Le Corbusier., 1967. The Radiant City. New York: The Orion Press  Mumford, L., 1946. Green-Belt Cities: The British Contribution. London: Faber and  Faber Muschamp, H., 2001. File Under Architecture. New York: MIT Press Richards, S., 2003. Le Corbusier and the Concept of Self New Haven  London: Yale University Press. Ritzdorf, M., 1996. Feminist Thoughts on the Theory and Practice of P lanning.  Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Rybczynski, W., 2005. City Life. New York. Blackwell publishers Sager, T., 1992. Why Plan? A Multi-Rationality Foundation for Planning. Scandinavian  Housing Planning Research, 9, pp. 129-147 Sennett, R., 1980. Authority. New York: W.W. Norton and Company.  Hall Publishers. Serenyi, P., 1975. Le Corbusier in Perspective. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall  Publishers. Sitte, C., 1965. City Planning According to its Artistic Principles. New York: Random  House Verma, N., 1996. Pragmatic Rationality and Planning Theory. Journal of Planning  Education and Research, 16 (1), pp. 5-14 This essay on Planning History: Utopian Planners was written and submitted by user Coen Sweet to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Audit Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Audit Report - Essay Example It therefore means all sectors as well as households have to play a role in order to achieve that goal. This environmental audit report is based on an environmental review of my household which is a flat. The review took place between the periods July 4 and July 17, 2011. Everything that is done in the household has an impact on the environment. Electricity is used for energy in the household. It provides lighting and heating and provides energy to operate appliances. Electricity contributes to the emission of greenhouse gas which has a negative impact on the environment. Waste from household activities also contributes to the emission of greenhouse gas in the environment. All of these activities result in climate change which affects all of us. Water is a scare resource and the way it is used in households has an impact on environmental pollution which is just one of the consequences of climate change which is due also to the irresponsible consumption of water (Household Water Audit ). Overview of household activities My household consists of three (3) persons, two of whom go out to work from Monday and Friday. I attend university and so I am hardly at home during the days. We are scarcely at home for a full day on Saturdays. However, we spend some time cleaning and washing before leaving home for various activities including shopping and entertainment. Saturdays and Sundays are the only days we prepare breakfast and dinner. The microwave is used to prepare meals each morning and each evening for a approximate 20 minutes each day from Monday to Friday. Our waste from Monday to Friday each week is very light since we are away from home for the better part of those days. However, on Saturdays and Sundays it is a bit heavier, especially on Sunday when we prepare for the rest of the week. Environmental impact of electricity use During any week we operate a number of appliances. They number approximately ten (10) and are used at least once per week. The table below shows the appliances in use, kilowatt hour (KWh) used along with the number of hours in used for each day during the period July 4 to July 17, 2011. Table 1 - Electricity used during the period July 4 to July 17, 2011 Electricity Usage Day Air Cond (KWh) Time (hr) Stove (KWh) Time (hr) M/Wave (KWh) Time (hr) Washing machine (KWh) Time (hr) Fridge Time (hr) TV (KWh) Time (hr) Laptop (KWh) Time (hr) Lights (KWh) Time (hr) Hair dryer (KWh) Time (hr) Iron (KWh) Time (hr) Total KWh Wattage 400 Â   800 Â   1400 Â   400 Â   725 8 120 Â   50 Â   18 Â   1500 Â   1500 Â   Â   Mon 2 5 0.4 0.5 0.462 0.33 0 Â   5.8 8 0.24 2 0.1 2 0.09 5 0 Â   0 Â   Â   Tues 2 5 0.8 1 0.462 0.33 0 Â   5.8 8 0.24 2 0.05 1 0.108 6 0 Â   0 Â   Â   Wed 1.6 4 0.8 1 0.462 0.33 0 Â   5.8 8 0.24 2 0.05 1 0.108 6 0.25 Â   0 Â   Â   Thur 2 5 0.8 1 0.462 0.33 0 Â   5.8 8 0.24 2 0.075 1.5 0.108 6 0 Â   0 Â   Â   Fri 2 5 0.8 1 0.462 0.33 0 Â   5.8 8 0.24 2 0.05 1 0.108 6 0 Â   0 Â   Â   Sat 2.8 7 1.2 1.5 0 Â   0.8 2 5.8 8 0.48 4 0.1 2 0.126 7 0 Â   2.25 1.5 Â   Sun 2.8 7 2.4 3 0 Â   0 Â   5.8 8 0.84 7 0.15 3 0.144 8 0.75 0.5 0 Â   Â   Mon 1.6 4 0.4 0.5 0.462 0.33 0 Â   5.8 8 0.24 2 0.05 1 0.09 5 0 Â   0 Â   Â   Tues 1.6 4 0.8 1 0.462

Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7

Response - Essay Example And it may not contain any worthy information of meaning. Moreover, many citizens complain about graffiti and ask the government to clean the streets, which takes pretty much money. But on the other hand, graffiti is a positive phenomenon. According to Kiai, it is â€Å"a legitimate and powerful form of social, economic and political protest†. The information from graffiti often appears to be more trustworthy than media news. The author points out the question, why we should ban this form of expression and at the same time put up with legitimate forms of protest, such as billboards, banners and slogans. In my opinion, graffiti as not vandalism. It may even require more talent than some works of modern art. Possible solution offered by Kiai is to invest money into painting lessons, rather than waste them on constant cleaning of the walls. This will improve the quality of graffiti. I believe it is a proper decision. The idea of this article is to show the role of rap music in contemporary Arab world. It is interesting to observe the transformation of rap. Being initially an American style, mainly perceived as brutal and cruel music, rap has evolved into something much bigger. According to Fernandes, it plays â€Å"a critical role in articulating citizen discontent over poverty, rising food prices, blackouts, unemployment, police repression and political corruption†. Rap performers tell about significant problems in their songs, accusing government and presidents openly. Rap music accumulates national consciousness and helps people to protest against illegitimate government and dictatorial regime. I have never thought about rap music in such a way before, but now I think, it is an effective way to bring about considerable changes. The subject of discussion in this article is also hip-hop music. It somehow corresponds to the previous article, describing the relationship between rap and government.

Criminal law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Criminal law - Essay Example For an act of complicity to be charged there must be at least one principal in the first degree. This is the party who actually performs the actus reus of the crime. An defendant charged with complicity can be classed as a principal in the second degree, which would be someone who is present during the commission of the crime and aids and abets the commission but does not perform the actus reus. An accessory before the fact would be someone who aids and abets the commission of the crime but is not present when it happens and does not perform the actus reus of the offence. An accessory after the fact is one who assists that perpetrator after the crime has been committed. This could be by hindering the apprehension of the perpetrator. Under modern law second degree principles and accessories before the fact are punished identically whereas accessories after the fact would receive a lesser punishment. The American approach to complicity is to punish the principals and the accomplices in equal measure. This is known as derivative liability whereby the accomplices liability is derivative of the conduct of the principal offender. The mens rea required for a charge of complicity is that the accomplice must intentionally aid or encourage a criminal act and have the same mental state necessary for the crime committed by the defendant. There are some exceptions where the accomplice can be charged with complicity where it is sufficient in law for the accomplice was acting with the knowledge that the defendant might commit a crime. With aiding and abetting a crime the accomplice must have intentionally aided the defendant’s criminal act by intentionally committing the acts that assisted or encouraged the defendant to commit the crime and the accessory intended that his acts would help the defendant to commit the offence1. Where the accomplice knows his conduct will assist or encourage the defendant to commit a crime but does not actually intend

Types Of Organizational Structures Commerce Essay

Types Of Organizational Structures Commerce Essay An organization is a unique framework of authority within which a person or persons act, or are designated to act, towards some purpose. Information Technology-Metadata Registries Registry Meta Model and Basic Attributes, World Bank, February 2003. So as to achieve its purpose every organization should possess an organizational structure. Organizational structure is the skeleton system based on which an organization functions. The organizational structure acts as a medium to bring together all its members and helps them to understand recruitment, leadership, decision making and work towards the organizational goals. In this document we would discuss the effect of organizational structure on motivation in an organization. Organizational Structure Human bodies are outlined by a skeleton system which determines the physical parameters; similarly an organization needs a structure which outlines the functioning of the organization. Organizational structure deals with the framework which defines the relation between people and positions in the organization. Jennifer and Gareth have defined organization structure as the formal system of task and reporting relationships that controls, coordinates and motivates employees so that they cooperate and work together to achieve an organizations goals. Several tasks are to be implemented in an organization, for these organizational tasks to be successful, they should be coordinated. Organizational structure supports division of work, categorizing the tasks and supervision in an organization. An effective organizational structure aids the efficient running of an organization. The factors that govern the formulation of an organizational structure are benefits of channelizing the tasks, hurdle s due to communication and obstacles due to formatting the authority levels. Organizational structure helps the managers in a firm to describe, distribute and get job done. Organizational structure also helps in determining the goals, estimating the deadlines and setting the performance standards, regulate the operations with reporting systems. Types of Organizational Structures Based on the arrangement of activities the organizational structures can be defined into three types: Functional Structure Functional structure is the oldest and most common form of organizational structure. An organization when divided into several sub-units based on the specialized functions, this structure would be called as functional structure. In a functional structure grouping is done based on the specific functions like operations, production, finance and marketing. The advantages of an organization possessing a functional structure are specialization, accountability and clarity. Every sub-unit emphasizes on its own work, a member of the sub-unit is delegated with authority and responsibility. The sub-unit pretty clear on the goals and people know their roles. http://www.businessmate.org/userupload/Functional_Organizational_Structure.jpg The functional structure of the organization has few disadvantages like, distance between top level management and the sub-units in an organization, coordination between different sub-units is not so easy, the organization becomes very resistive to change and communication problems would arise. Divisional Structure The divisional structures are found in large scale industries which develop and deal with more than one product and operate in several markets across the globe. The organization is divided into several sub units based on the products, markets and consumer needs in different geographical regions. The sub-units are independent and work under a divisional manager, the divisional manager reports to the head office and delegated with powers of decision making on production, marketing functions. This allows the managers to make decisions on the respective divisions in time. This model facilitates the sub-units to concentrate on the consumer needs, encourages competition among the divisions and improved regulation as every sub-unit acts as individual profit center. This also has few disadvantages, like replication of functions (a sub-unit may require different sales teams). The competition among the sub-units may lead to negative consequences and it would difficult to control and coordinate each sub-unit. http://images.flatworldknowledge.com/cadden/cadden-fig12_007.jpg Adaptive Structure Adoptive structures are the organizational structures framed to handle the exclusive situations. There are two types of structures in this they are: i) Project Organization The positive side of this structure is that the structural framework of the parent organization doesnt get interrupted and the project aims to accomplish its task within the time frame and to reach the expected standards. There is a scope for better managing and control over the tasks, as the managers are delegated with authority and responsibility for results. ii) Matrix Organization Matrix structure is a framework which allots resources from different functional sub-units to work on more than one project. There may be two diverse projects implemented in organizations simultaneously. A project manager is assigned to every project and he is responsible for assigning all the required resources to accomplish the tasks and meet the goals specified. http://sameh.files.wordpress.com/2006/05/Organization%20Structure3.jpg Innovation and how organizational design effects innovation Innovation is the act or process of innovating; something newly introduced, new method, custom, device, etc. change in the way of doing things; renew, alter. (Websters New World Dictionary, Second College Edition 1982). Successful innovation requires an optimal overall formal business structure (Burgelman Maidique, 1988). As businesses grow there is a tendency to add layers, becoming more mechanistic and institutionalizing bureaucracy (Kanter, 1983). High performing firms motivate and enable innovative behavior by creating permeable business boundaries helping break down the barriers separating functions, product groups and businesses (Ashkenas, 1998; Maira Thomas, 1998). The list of factors influencing the motivation in an organization is technology, Complexity, Centralization and Formality. Complexity can be described as the dissimilarities between the tasks and the sub-units. Complexity depicts the extent of diversity in the organization. The more is the number of tasks and number of jobs the more complex an organizational structure would be. It would be difficult to manage a complex organization. Horizontal differentiation, vertical differentiation and spatial differentiation are the three types of arrangements based on the complexity of the endeavors. By formalization we mean clear role definition, written guidelines regarding duties and responsibilities of board members, and written procedures. Indeed, formalization helps rationalize behavior in organizations and is manifested in the rules governing behavior, including role relations of individuals occupying positions in the organizations structure (Scott, 1998). Formalization is possible by specialization, delegation of authority and wide span of control. Centralization is one the 14 principles put forwarded by Henry Fayol, according to Henry Fayol, reducing the role of low level employees in the process of decision making is called centralization. The hurdle dealing with centralization is that one has to come up with the right degree of centralization in each unique case. The effect of different organizational structures on innovation in an organization is as follows. Functional units are habituated to orthodox ways of working and are resistant to change, this would not allow employees to think out of the box. The coordination between different sub-units is time taking process; hence the gap between idea generation and idea implementation would be long. The gap between top level management and the functional units doesnt allow employees to share vision of organization with all the employees. Functional structures have a system for closed communication, which do not encourage opinions, suggestions and feedback. In this structure sub-units are not aware of the performance of the other sub-units of the organization. All these factors put together makes innovation in functional organizations a tough task. Innovation in organizations following divisional structure is better than functional organizational structures. Divisional organization structures are always clearly focusing on consumer needs, production requirements and geographical areas of business. Divisional structure leads to positive competition between its sub-units, which encourage innovation in the organization. Divisional structures have a better control over its sub-units than the functional structures. This helps the management to explain the vision of organizations to its employees and encourage innovation. Adaptive Structures are a result of combination of functional and divisional structures. This organizational structure is an amalgam of functional expertise and team work. This encourages positive communication, constructive feedback and effective idea generation. These structured organizations share the vision and mission of the organization with all its employees. These organizations give the management a higher degree of control over its employees and their tasks. This gives a better chance for the management to reward the employees with incentives who come up with innovative ideas and support those ideas and see that those are implemented for the good of the company. Conclusion Adaptive structures are the ones which encourage innovation most out of all the different organizational structures. Any organization with coordination among all the sub-units, shares vision, encouraging idea generation, gives quality feedback, suggestions and supports the implementation of ideas financially and morally will always be innovative in its working.

Venezuela- The Age of Exploration :: essays research papers

Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Venezuela 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Located on the continent of South America 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  25,017,387 (estimated as of July 2004) 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Size- 912,050 sq km (land/water) 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  96% Roman Catholic, 2% Protestant, 2% Other Religions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Venezuelans were tracked back to about 13,000 BC. The settlers of that time came from three different directions. Present day Guyana, present day Brazil, and present day Antilles were the three directions. At the time there are about 500,000 indigenous peoples living in Venezuela. There was much diversity in the different tribes that settled there during this time. Religion has always been dominated by the Catholic faith. Some Venezuelans of the time had been farmers, hunters, and fishermen. The name â€Å"Venezuela† was given and the literal translation is â€Å"Little Venice.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Venezuela was rich with grasslands and had six navigable rivers. There were many streams that also ran through the country. Mountainous areas also were abundant in the Venezuelan countryside. Venezuela has a very tropical climate. It is also rich in mineral resources. The country’s most important resource is petroleum. They are also known for their abundance of diamonds and gold which are found in the mountains.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Christopher Columbus first sighted the coast of Venezuela in 1498. In 1499 Spanish explorer Alonso de Ojeda followed that same coast to Lake Maracaibo. He was the one who named the region Venezuela because it reminded him of the buildings in Venice. The Spanish had started to settle in Venezuela in 1520. In 1528, Charles V of Spain gave the part of Venezuela that lied between Cape Vela and Maracapana to the Weslers, Bavarian bankers to whom he owed money to. The Weslers were to fill and develop the region as part of the arrangement with Charles V. They were also to set up establishments to live. Instead, their representatives enslaved the Native Americans of the area and so demoralized the European settlers that in 1546 the Spanish government revoked the grant and reassumed control. The first important settlement in Venezuela was that of Caracas which later the capital of this country became. It was settled in 1567.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The economy and its activities in the colonial period centered on agriculture, mainly tobacco and cacao. Some livestock were also traded amongst the people. Venezuela became the center of piracy and illegal smuggling, things both of which the English and the Dutch were the most notorious participants in. Venezuela at the time of colonization operated under a number of administrative jurisdictions.

Education Timeline

History of American Education Timeline Antiria Jenkins HIS324: History of American Education Instructor: Timothy Kilgore November 12, 2012 http://prezi. com/vcesi_y4xome/history-of-american-education-timeline/ Education in the United States has faced great changes toward development in the past hundreds of years. At the beginning, during the Colonial Era, the principles of education were mainly based on those already used by European nations at the time.However, the country began to adopt its own approaches toward teachings given different social, political and religious practices (Rippa 9). 1635The first Latin Grammar School (Boston Latin School): Founded on April 23, 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts, it is known as the first public school and oldest existing school in the United States. The Latin grammar curriculum was designed for boys 8 to 15, based on European Schools in a Puritan area. Schools were to prepare boys for college and the service of God.Protestantism believed that edu cation was needed so that individuals could interpret the bible. 1751American Academy founded by Ben Franklin: The demand of skilled workers in the middle of the eighteenth century led Benjamin Franklin to start a new kind of secondary school, thus, the American Academy was established in Philadelphia. American high schools eventually replaced Latin grammar schools. Curriculum was geared to prepare students for employment. Academies eventually replaced the Latin Grammar Schools and some admitted Women. 783Introduction of Noah Webster’s Speller: Noah Webster published the A grammatical Institute of the English language, also known as, â€Å"the blue-back speller. † This was the most widely circulated of the early American textbooks and like Webster’s American Dictionary it strived to establish a national identity as well as the United States’ linguistic and cultural independence of England. As the first popular American textbook, the introduction of Noah W ebster’s speller stands as a significant event in the history of American education. 817(April 15, 1817) Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons: The Connecticut Asylum at Hartford for the Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons opens. It is the first permanent school for the deaf in the U. S. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc are the school's co-founders. In 1864, Thomas Gallaudet's son, Edward Miner Gallaudet, helps to start Gallaudet University, the first college specifically for deaf students. 824First State-Supported School Established: Originally named the Boston English Classical School and established in 1821, the school was renamed the English High School in 1824 and also, during that year, became the first-state supported common school. The adoption of the English High as a state-supported common school is a significant event in the history of American education as it was, essentially, the first public school. 1855Abolitio n of Segregation of Schools in Massachusetts: Following the case of Roberts v.Boston, the state of Massachusetts abolished segregation in their schools. The victory would be the first in a long battle lasting nearly an entire century. This was the first law to oppose segregated schools in the United States and is, therefore, a significant event in the history of American education. 1856The First Kindergarten: In the United States Margarethe Schurz founded the first kindergarten in Watertown, Wisconsin, in 1856. Her German-language kindergarten impressed Elizabeth Peabody, who opened the first American English-language kindergarten in Boston in 1860.The kindergarten was much more influential in the United States and in the northern part of Europe which encouraged the National Education Association to begin a kindergarten department in 1874, and later, teachers founded the International Kindergarten Union in 1892. 1896The Laboratory School of the University of Chicago (First Progressi ve Laboratory):John Dewey, the father of the progressive education, established the first laboratory school for testing the progressive educational method. This would lead to a popular trend in education adopted by schools during the first half of the twentieth century.Progressive education emphasizes cultivation of problem solving and critical thinking skills through hands-on learning activities. 1905 Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of Congress, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center. The Foundation encouraged the adoption of a standard system for equating â€Å"seat time† (the amount of time spent in a class) to high school credits which is still in use today. This system is known as the â€Å"Carnegie Unit. 1939 The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (first called the Wechsler- Bellevue Intelligence Scale): This scale was dev eloped by David Wechsler and is intended to measure human intelligence reflected in both verbal and performance abilities. It introduces the concept of the â€Å"deviation IQ,† which calculates IQ scores based on how far subjects' scores differ (or deviate) from the average (mean) score of others who are the same age, rather than calculating them with the ratio (MA/CA multiplied by 100) system. Wechsler intelligence tests, particularly the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, are still widely used in U.S. schools to help identify students needing special education. 1944 The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (GI Bill of Rights): Bill signed into law on June 22, 1944 by President Franklin Roosevelt during World War II. The GI Bill affords military veterans government funding to pursue or continue educational goals following their service. The GI Bill not only compensates veterans for their service, but has also been responsible for the growth of American colleges and u niversities. 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka: On May 17, 1954, The U. S. Supreme court ruled in Brown v.Board of Education that separate schools did not provide equal education to students and therefore banned the segregation of schools nationwide with a ruling of (9–0) decision stated that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal and declared unconstitutional. 1958 Defense Education Act of 1958: The Defense Education Act of 1958 was signed into law on September 2, 1958 by the United States government during the cold war in reaction to the successful launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik. The Soviets’ scientific success motivated the U. S. government to fund the U.S. Office of Education’s establishment of scientifically and mathematically centered curriculum. The act contained ten titles designed to improve the nation's schools. 1964 Civil Rights Act of 1964: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 signed on July 2, 1964 by President Lyndon B. Joh nson banned discrimination in all federally funded programs and outlawed major forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic, national and religious minorities, and women. This law helped to further the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education as many schools had continued segregation.The Civil Rights Act of 1964 financially, â€Å"cut-off,† institutions, such as public schools, which promoted discrimination of any and all types and gave leverage to the movement. 1965 The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA): The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was passed on April 9, 1965 s a part of the â€Å"War on Poverty. † It emphasizes equal access to education and establishes high standards and accountability as well as provides federal funds to help low-income students, which results in the initiation of educational programs such as Title I and bilingual education. 965 The Higher Education Act: The Higher Education Act was signed on November 8, 1965 to stre ngthen the educational resources of colleges and universities and to provide financial assistance for students in postsecondary and higher education. It increased federal money given to universities, created scholarships, gave low-interest loans for students, and established a National Teachers Corps. 1965 Project Head Start: The Head Start program started in the summer of 1965 as an eight week summer program for children from low-income communities going into public school in the fall (Styfco and Zigler, 2003).The program provided preschool classes, medical care, dental care, and mental health services (Kagan, 2002). 1975Education for All Handicapped Children Act now known as The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): requires public schools to make available to all eligible children with disabilities a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment appropriate to their individual needs and requires public school systems to develop appropriate I ndividualized Education Programs (IEP's) for each child which will reflect the individualized needs of each student. 002 The No Child Left Behind Act: On January 8, 2002, NCLB was signed into law. NCLB supports standards-based education reform based on the premise that setting high standards and establishing measurable goals can improve individual outcomes in education. The Act requires states to develop assessments in basic skills. States must give these assessments to all students at select grade levels in order to receive federal school funding. All students are required to meet the standards establish by NCLB at the accountability of educators. 2004 H. R. 350, The Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (IDEA 2004): reauthorizes and modifies IDEA. Changes, which take effect on July 1, 2005, include modifications in the IEP process and procedural safeguards, increased authority for school personnel in special education placement decisions, and alignment of IDEA with the No Child Left Behind Act. The 2004 reauthorization also requires school districts to use the Response to Intervention (RTI) approach as a means for the early identification of students at risk for specific learning disabilities.RTI provides a three-tiered model for screening, monitoring, and providing increasing degrees of intervention using â€Å"research-based instruction† with the overall goal of reducing the need for special education services (Re-authorization, 2004). The history of education has been influenced multiple times over the past years. In some shape, form, or fashion, the many changes have affected many lives, especially those with disabilities.Going from segregation to desegregation, women involvement in education and fighting for equal education of those individuals with disabilities has not only marked historical events but has brought togetherness among all races and genders. Without these historical events in shaping education, the world would be at a stand still. References Dewey, John. 1938 (1963). Experience and Education. New York: Collier Books Kagan, J. (2002). Empowerment and education: Civil rights, expert-advocates, and parent politics in Head Start, 1964-1980.Teachers College Record, 104(3), 516-562. Re-authorization of the IDEA 2004. Retrieved November 5, 2012 from http://www. nj. gov/education/specialed/idea/reauth/ Rippa, Alexander. Education in a Free Society. Eighth Edition. New York: Longman, 1997. 3-107. Print. Styfco, S. , & Zigler, E. (2003). Early Childhood Programs for a New Century. Reynolds, A. , & Wang, M. (Eds. ) The federal commitment to preschool education: Lessons from and for Head Start (pp. 3-33). Washington, D. C. : Child Welfare League of America, Inc.

Papa jack essays

Papa jack essays The Historical Significance of Jack Johnson One of the most prominent black athletes of the first half of the twentieth century was Jack Johnson. Jack Johnson, the first black heavy weight champion, held the heavyweight title for several years before loosing it to Jess Willard in Cuba in 1915. Johnson had a profound effect on race relations and he challenged racial barriers and taboos. His flamboyant personality and his incessant appetite for confrontation and white women ultimately led to his demise. He was fearless and had little respect for the conventions of the day. Through the rise of boxing, being a free black, and race relations are what made Jack Johnson significant in history. Jack Johnsons rise to boxing fame was during the late 19th and early 20th century and at that time boxing was one of the most popular sports in the world due to the increased leisure time of the Americans because of the Industrial Revolution. It was enthusiastically followed by people of all races and social classes and the heavy weight championship was considered by many to be the ultimate athletic prize. It was during this time, while just a teenager, that Jack Johnson began his boxing career in his hometown of Galveston, Texas. Before the turn of the century, he had moved on to broader venues, fighting professionally in the heavy weight class, and in 1903 Johnson had won the Negro heavy weight championship in California. The Negro heavy weight championship was a contrivance by California sportswriters, reflecting the fact that African-American boxers were not permitted to compete against white fighters in championship matches. As a symbol of power and prowess, the social ramifica tions of boxing titles ran incredibly deep. It was well-accepted at the turn of the century that blacks and whites were physically very different. Blacks were deemed cowardly, had weaker stomachs, smaller heads, smaller brains, and less physical endur...

Marketing Plan Lush Cosmetics Essays

Marketing Plan Lush Cosmetics Essays Marketing Plan Lush Cosmetics Paper Marketing Plan Lush Cosmetics Paper This marketing plan will introduce the steps which will help to take Lush cosmetics forward in the year July 2010 to June 2011. The plan will analyse Lush cosmetics current situation (internal and external threats, suppliers and customers attitude and Lush’s main competitors). The plan will then introduce a year’s tactical decisions which will take Lush cosmetics forward. 2. 2. Lush cosmetics history Lush cosmetics produces handmade cosmetics using organic fruits and vegetables, essential oils and safe-synthetic ingredients in all their products. They are against the use of animal fat in their products; In addition to that they are also against animal testing and perform tests solely with volunteers (people). In 1994 the founders Mark and Mo Constantine opened their first Lush store in Poole in the UK where the companys headquarters is today. Today Lush has now more than 600 stores in 43 countries and has targeted 1000 stores in the future. Lush cosmetics produces and sells a variety of handmade products, including face masks, soaps, bath bombs, bubble bars, hand and body lotions and hair treatments. 2. 3. Purpose of the Marketing Plan This marketing plan is to help Lush cosmetics to increase sales, revenue, profit and increase customer awareness in the coming year. This will be done by improving on the sales and marketing tactics on the existing products. 1. 4. Lush Cosmetics Mission Statement Lush cosmetics produce handmade cosmetics using organic fruits and vegetable, essential oil and natural ingredients. Lush cosmetic is strongly against animal testing and uses volunteers for their products testing and do not trade with companies that test on animals. Lush do not package its products and if they have to then only in recyclable packages. Lush do not spend money on adverts or pay famous people to advertise their products. The only adverting Lush does is mailing the Lush Times (their own news papers) to customers and give out to shoppers, all the people in the lush Times are employees and customers. Also Lush has cut off intermediates and trade direct with its suppliers to offer them the best price and have also form partnership with some suppliers to supports the environment. Lush supports campaigns such as environmental issues, conservation of the natural world, animal welfare and human rights and spend about 2% of its profit on supporting charities. 1. 5. Lush Cosmetics Market Lush is trading in the cosmetics market and offers its customers organic and handmade quality products with no added scientific chemicals and none of the ingredients is tested on animals. Lush products are popularly known for its strong smell, freshness and its unique shapes and forms like cheese, cake or jelly. Lush cosmetics believe in equal opportunity for all and therefore employ anyone regardless of the cultural background, Lush trades only with suppliers who do not test products on animals and trade with main suppliers to cut off any intermediary. Lush cosmetics do not have a specific customer base they sell to anyone but most of their customers tend to be young age females. Lush cosmetics is an ethical company, the company’s philosophy is to protect the environment therefore all their products are not packaged if any the recyclable package is use. Lush also campaign against air pollution and therefore aim to air-freight less than 5% of its raw materials. It has also advised its entire staff not to take any UK mainland domestic flight when on business trips. Lush saves energy by using solar panels to heat water, doing Carbon Trust energy survey to reduce energy consumption and replacing its old machines with more energy efficient ones. 1. Situational Analysis 2. 1. Current Products Analysis Lush cosmetics current products are bathing soaps and shampoos, shower gels, jellies and scrubs, facial and body skincare, haircare, fragrances and spa. 2. 2. Product Description All Lush products are handmade using natural ingredients such as cocoa, Shea butter, and natural preservatives. 2. 3. Current Pricing Lush cosmetics is using a price skimming strategy to price their products. This strategy means the products prices are set high compared to their competitors. This strategy allows them to recover their sunk cost quickly before competitors bring similar products on the market. . 4. Current products prices The bath emotibombs, bath ballistics, bath malts, soaps and shower jelly products are in the price range from ? 1. 90 to ? 5. 00 per/100g. The shower gels, shower smoothies prices are between ? 5. 50 to ? 15. 00 per/250g. The skin and hair care products are sold in the price range of ? 5. 00 to ? 15. 00 per/100g. The solid fragrance price is between ? 4. 95 to ? 6. 25 per/10g. The karma and vanillary atomiser are sold between ? 21. 95 to ? 25. 95 per/30g and the other karma and vanillary products are sold between ? 2. 95 to ? 1. 25 per/100g. 2. 6. Current distribution Lush products are sold only in Lush shops and can also be ordered online (Lush website). 2. 7. Current promotion Lush cosmetics products are advertised only in Lush magazine (The Lush Times), online (Lush website) and display in show case in Lush shops. 2. Current Target Market Analysis 3. 1. Target Market approach Lush cosmetics uses a form of viral marketing or viral advertising to reach its target customers. This is made by people who have experienced their products and then spread it by word of month. They have also joined social networks such as facebook and messages are spread very quickly on such networks. Lush also have customer forum where people join to share their experience with products with one another. Lush have shops across cities and high streets, therefore the strong smell attracts many shoppers into the shop. Lush also produce a Lush Times which is mailed to registered members and also available to pick in shop for free. This strategy is to keep regular customers up to date of the new products and also give window shoppers something to remind them of Lush. Lush cosmetics have targeted a niche market producing high quality cosmetics with natural ingredients for all target groups who wants to spend a bit more for their well being. Lush cosmetics have also targeted the gift market where it have very high sales in occasions such as Valentine’s Day and Christmas where everyone want something extraordinary for their love ones. Lush have the strategic advantage over it competitors of being different compared to its competitors (being handmade, having unique shapes, batch produce, strong smell, natural and ethical). (see Porters Generic strategies). 3. 2. Porter’s Generic Strategies StrategicTarget| Strategic Advantage| | | Uniqueness perceived by customers| Low cost position| | Industry wide| DIFFERENTIATIONLushBody shop| OVERALL COST LEADERSHIP L ’real, Max factor, | | Segment only| FOCUSNo. 7, Fashion fair, Bobbi brown,| 3. 3. Demographic profile Although Lush cosmetics products are not the cheapest on the market, the customers base range from all age group, different social backgrounds, gender and all income classes. This is because of the quality, uniqueness and natural ingredients that attribute to their products. 3. 4. Target Customers Lush products are used in everyday life, Lush targets all and sundry. Lush also targets those who shop on special occasions such as Christmas or Valentine’s Day because of the unique shape, design and smell of the products. Lush products are rated as premium and quality products in the cosmetics market (see product position map). 3. 8. Product Position map Premium Price Body Shop LushNo. 7 QualityStandard L’Oreal Boots amp; ASDA St. Ives (99p Shop) Own Brand Low Price 3. 9. Customer Attitude Many customers associate Lush products with teenagers and middle age women and many with the perception of being too expensive. Most customers attitude towards Lush change after they use the product. Customers who are familiar with Lush products regard the products as value for money because Lush uses natural ingredient. A number of their customers also buy from them because they support their campaigns such as against animal testing, Fair Trade and charity supports. Loyal Lush customers purchase through the usual channels that is online or at the shop. They also receive a regular update on new products (Lush Times). Other customers purchases on occasions such as Christmas and Valentine’s Day as gifts for family and friends. There are also customers who walk in due to the locations of the shops (on high streets) or the strong smell of the products drives them in. Lush does not have a big customer base compared to most of its competitors such us L’Oreal, but Lush’s regular customers have associated with Lush not the brand but quality and value for money. (see table below) 3. 10. 1. Customer satisfaction Satisfaction with various beauty retail brands, December 2009 Base: All internet users aged 18+ who have ever visited the brand 3. 10. Purchasing process Lush cosmetic has a criterion a supplier has to have before they will trade with the supplier. Anyone who wants to trade with Lush must not test its products on animals. Lush travel direct to its suppliers to see the conditions the suppliers are living under. It has also form partnerships with most of its raw material suppliers in countries such as Africa and Asia to support those farmers and pay them fair prices for their products, through this they can control them and stop the environment from destroying. Lush cosmetic trade with the suppliers direct, Lush does not use any intermediary when purchasing raw material, this is to ensure suppliers get a fair price for their products and also support these suppliers. Lush is very selective about its supply network, they do not trade with distributors who test products on animals. 3. 11. Market size and Forecast Due to the recession there has been a decline in consumer confidence in the cosmetics market which has led to a fall of about 7% in sales in the first quarter of 2009. That said, there is some anticipation that the sector will recover in the near future (see table below). 3. 8. 1 Size and Forecast Beauty Retailing UK January 2010 Sector Size and Forecast| | UK: Health and beauty retailers’ sales, 2008-14| | 2008| 2009 (e)| 2010 (f)| 2011 (f)| 2012 (f)| 2013 (f)| 2014 (f)| |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | | Health amp; beauty specialists (? bn)| 4. 14| 3. 85| 3. 95| 4. 07| 4. 2| 4. 33| 4. 45| |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | | All retailers (? bn)| 254. 7| 260| 264. 5| 270. 2| 276. 5| 283. 2| 289. 9| |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | | Health amp; beauty as % of all retail sales| 1 . 63| 1. 48| 1. 49| 1. 51| 1. 52| 1. 53| 1. 54| | (excl. sales tax, at current prices)|   |   |   |   |   |   |   | | NB: excludes Boots the Chemists and NHS receipts through all pharmacies| | Source: National Statistics/Mintel|   | . 12. Beauty retailers` prospects There are some observations made in relation to the forecast period in the whole beauty retailing. * Supermarkets such as Boots and Superdrug have established a stronger presence in cosmetics market and they will continue to challenge on price. * It could prove difficult to coax some consumers out of their habit of never paying full price on their products. Some cosmetics retailers such as Lush will therefore have to work even harder to convince shoppers that ‘they are worth it’, if they are to break out of this discounting cycle. However, niche operators like Lush could start to benefit from trading later in the forecast period as consumer confidence picks up. * The over 65s tend to be more conservative and more sceptical consumers of beauty products. In some ways they have been one of the few ‘minority’ groups that have escaped the protection of political correctness. They have been overlooked for too long and it will be age-relevant rather than anti-ageing products that present the biggest opportunity for wooing these consumers. * There is also expectation to see more niche internet pure players gaining attraction over the next five years. This includes those specialising in male grooming, because the anonymity factor and online experience both appeal strongly to men in this market. 3. Current Competitors Analyses 4. 1. Competition in the cosmetics market is very strong. Competitors such as Boots who bring similar products as Lush on the market for lower price makes it more competitive. Lush’s’ main competitor Body Shop is also seen in the same price category therefore the threat is not that high. (see Lush competitors in the table below) 4. 1. 1. Lush Competitor Beauty Retailing UK January 2010 Retail Competitor Analysis| UK: Leading beauty specialists, 2008/09| Retailer | Operations| No. of outlets| Sales (? m excl. sales tax)| Notes| Profiles| Alliance Boots| Pharmacy/health amp; beauty| 2,591| 6,343|   | P| AS Watson Europe (Hutchison Whampoa/Hong Kong)| Drugstores/ perfumeries| 1,316| 1,400|   | P| Superdrug| Drugstores/in-store pharmacies| 915| 1,075|   |   | Savers Health amp; Beauty| Drugstores| 234| 161|   |   | The Perfume Shop| Perfumeries| 167| 164| (a)|   | |   |   |   |   |   | The Body Shop| Beauty| 338| 173| (e)| P|   |   |   |   |   | Bodycare Health amp; Beauty| Drugstores| 60| 57|   |   | The Fragrance Shop| Perfumeries| 103| 45| (d)|   | Space NK| Beauty| 63| 44|   | P| Lush| Beauty| 87| 42|   | P| Effective Cosmetics| Beauty| 10| 35| (b)|   | Molton Brown| Beauty| 43| 33|   | P| Crabtree amp; Evelyn| Beauty| 43| 26| (c)|   | L’Occitane (France)| Beauty| 40| 19| ( g)|   | Penhaligons| Perfumeries| 14| 8| (h)|   | (a) Store numbers includes Ireland. (b) Previously known as Virgin Cosmetics. Sales estimated. (c) Store numbers estimated. (d) 2007/08 data. (g) 2007/08 data. Includes concessions. h) Standalone stores as at December 2009. P = Profile included in this report| Source: Company Accounts and Annual Reports/Mintel| 4. 2. Competitive advantage Lush cosmetics has the advantage of being handmade and fresh, all the ingredients are natural with no added chemicals and all the products are tested on human not on animal. Lush products are classified as quality, vegan and environmental friendly. 4. External forces Analyses 5. 1. Environmental factors * Political: Political issues that can affect Lush cosmetics can be â€Å"political unstableness† in countries where Lush gets its raw materials from. Political unstableness such as civil war can lead to stop or delay in delivering raw material. * Environmental: Lush spends about 2% of its profit in charities which campaign on environmental issues. Many people shop at Lush because they care about the environment. Lush have to continue with its believes to keep these customers. * Social: Many elderly people have the perception of Lush being for young age and middle age women and also lot of men have the perception that it is only women who visits Lush shops. Lush has to try and change this perception of people. Technological: Everything is made by hand, Lush do not depend too much on technology. When the business changes into mass production in the future it needs some technology to speed up production. * Economical: The recession has also affected Lush economically because consumers do not have much money at their disposal, therefore consumers turn to cheaper substitute product. * Legal: Since Lush’s main suppliers are outsi de the country, there are some foreign regulations that Lush has to oblige to when buying raw material from abroad. Also Lush has to oblige to rules and regulations when bringing raw materials into UK. 5. Summary SWOT Positive| Negative| Internal| External| StrengthsHigh street shopsNatural ingredientsUnique selling pointNot many direct competitorsValue for moneyNatural ingredients| WeaknessLack of advertisingHigh cost in raw materialsSelective in suppliers| OpportunitiesInnovation to engage customersSupporting known charity eventsGrowing own raw materials| ThreatsIncrease in competitorsPremium price, New entriesEconomical down turnImitations of Lush products| 6. Marketing strategy and Objectives 7. 1. Marketing strategy The marketing strategy that Lush cosmetic uses is the uniqueness of its products, the natural ingredients and the testing procedures. This has given Lush a sustainable competitive advantage in the market. 7. 2. Financial objectives The financial objective for Lush cosmetics is to increase in revenue and sales, to reduce production cost and to increase the number of shops globally. 7. 3. Marketing objective The marketing objective is to increase the customer awareness, increase the market share, to develop new products, to enter into new market segments and protect the environment. . 4. Identifying Lush marketing strategy Ansoff Markets| Products| | Existing| Market PenetrationThrough: Viral marketing, Lush Times, Lush Forum, Lush website, social networks| Product DevelopmentThrough: New products (perfumes, Spa), Product extension (new product design, new smells) | | New| Market DevelopmentDeveloping new segments (Perfumes, Spas), Overseas markets| DiversificationRe lated diversification (Spa)| 7. Determine Marketing Objectives For the next year the marketing objective for Lush cosmetics will be the same but we will aim to improve it. Also the aim will be introducing new segments such as air fresheners self made soaps and making selected segments available in selected shops. 8. Marketing strategy The marketing strategy that will be used to take Lush cosmetic forward next year is: * Market Penetration: This will be done by improving the way Lush advertises to gain more customers from its competitors. * Market Development: This will be done by advertising the perfume and spa segments more effective. Also making the perfume segment available in selected departmental store such as House of Fraser, John Lewis or Selfridges) and increasing the national and international store outlets. * Product Development: This will be done by innovating new products such as Air Fresheners and Self made soaps (customers can select the flavours and ingredients they want and the soap will be done for them). * Diversification: This will be done by taking the spa segment also out of the shops by opening spas where only Lush products will be used. 9. Tactical Marketing Programs This section of the marketing plan is going to give clear details how the plan will be carried out. This section will give detailed and tactical decisions that will be carried out in areas like product, price, place and promotions that will help Lush cosmetics to achieve its goals for next year. 11. 1. Target Market The target market will remain the same (see current target market analyses). 11. 2. Product Lush cosmetic currently produce bath, shower, skincare, and hair care products. It also produces perfumes and has a Lush spa which exists only in Lush shops. Lush products have no packaging and if any, then only recyclable packaging. Lush products do not have any labels because of the package free nature of the products. The tactic that will be taken will be to introducing new products such as self made soaps and air fresheners to attract more customers and also improving on existing products. * Customised soaps: This will attracts more customers because they can select their own fragrances. * Air fresheners: Lush is known for its strong smell, bringing products such as air freshener will sell very well because the business already has that image. Lush Spa: Lush spa outlet at the moment is only in Lush shops, the plan is to take Lush Spa out of the shop. They are investing in a new spa facility which is expensive, the alternative plan is to form partnership or rent a space in selected existing spa where only Lush products will be used or sold. This will increase sales and the brand will become more popular. This will also have effect on t he overall sales of Lush. 11. 3. Promotion Currently, Lush only forms of advertisement are through the Lush Times, Lush forums, social websites and viral marketing (regular customers telling other people about their experience). Since Lush does not spend money on mass media advertising, the plan will be to improve the existing methods and make it more effective. * Lush Times: Currently, Lush Times is only for pick up in shops and mail to registered members. The plan is to handout the Lush Times outside the shops by having someone stand outside the shops at least for an hour a day to give them out to passer bys, and also collect their personal information for mailing special offers. * Lush Forum: The Lush forum is at the bottom of the Lush website where is very difficult to find. The plan is to improve the forum by making it interesting by writing regular visitors comments in the Lush Times and reposition of the forum on the wide by bringing it on the top bar. * Social Networks: Lush has joined many social networks such as face book. The plan is to join more social networks and instead of the people searching to invite Lush, Lush will search for people to join them. Also the social network sites will be improved by making it similar as the website with new products and regular updates. * Viral Marketing: â€Å"The 5 for 5 Plan†. This plan is to give a product up to ? 5. 0 pounds to customers who introduce 5 new customers within a period of 3 months and spend in average up to ? 50. 00 pounds. * Charity Event: The plan is to sponsor more charity events where Lush can display banners to create more awareness. 11. 4. Place The distribution channels that Lush uses at the moment are only direct sales. Lush products are sold only in Lush shops and online on t he Lush website. The plan is to improve the direct sales mechanism and also go into indirect sales using strategic advantage (segment only / focus strategy). This will increase the competitive advantage of Lush. 1. 4. 1 Direct sales * Franchising: During the year the plan will be to go into franchising, this is mainly giving other investors the right to sell Lush products. In this case the investor owns the shop, but Lush controls the way the product should be sold and marketed and determines the standard of the business. Lush will receive an initial fee from the investor and an on – going management fee. * Internet: Although there is an online shop, the plan will focus more on online advertising by registering with more social networks and sending regular business up-date to members. Also the customised soaps will be available online where customers can select the different smells (such as vanilla, lemon, cherry) and shapes they want online and this will be sent to them. This will raise more awareness and therefore increase sales. * Shop: The hand out of the Lush Times outside the shop which will be introduced this year will create more awareness and through that sales will increase. * Geographic: This year’s plan will be to open more shop outlets in towns and countries where there are no Lush shops. Selective Retailers: The idea is to rent a space in departmental stores like House of Fraser and Debenhams and display the Lush products with Lush own employee and check out. This same method will also apply to the Lush Spa where a space in selective spa or fitness clubs will be rented to sell Lush products with Lush employee and check out independently from the spa or fitness club. 11. 4. 2. Indirect sales * Selective Retailers: This year’s plan is to select products that have packages and can easily be bar coded (because is the first time only try ith perfumes) available in selected departmental shops such as Selfridges and House of Fraser and perfumeries like Douglas. * Spa: Lush products will be sold to selective spas that will buy from Lush for discounted price and sell it as the original Lush shop price. 11. 5. Price The price of the products will remain the same across country i. e. in the UK all Lush product prices will be the same no matter where it sold either in Lush shop or departmental store. There will be no changes in price because Lush wants to maintain the image of being premium and quality and ethical. All the indirect sellers will receive a commission on the number of products they sell. 11. 5. 1. Online prices The online price will be the same as the shop prices, there will be only additional postage cost added to the products which will depend on total weight package. 11. 5. 2. Indirect sales prices All the indirect sellers will receive a commission or a discount on number of products they sell or buy. The commission or discount will be 30% of Lush profit made on the product. The high commission will attract more indirect sellers and as the indirect increases the percentage can change next year. (see new price list below) 1. 5. 3. New price list Products| Seize (g)| Direct sales price from (? )| Online price from (? )| Indirect sales Retailers (? )| Indirect sales Spas/Fitness clubs (? )| Bath soaps/ shampoos| 100| 1. 90–5. 00| 1. 90-5. 00 +postage| | 1. 90–5. 00 -30%| Shower gels| 250| 5. 50–15. 00| 5. 50–15. 00 + postage| | 5. 50–15. 00 -30%| Solid fragrances| 10| 4. 95–6. 25| 4. 95–6. 25 + postage| | 4. 95–6. 25-30%| Perfumes| 30| 21. 95-25. 95| 21. 95-25. 95 + postage| 21. 95- 25. 95 -40% | 21. 95- 25. 95 -30%| Self made soap| 100| 1. 90-5. 00| 1. 90-5. 00 + postage| | 1. 90-5. 00 -30% | Spa Full body massage| 2hrs| 125. 0| | | | 12. Cost The financial implications will be the money needed to acquire new shop outlets and to open spa studios. There will be also money needed to pay the departmental stores and a percentage of Lush’s profit will go to the indirect sellers. 13. Advantage The advantage of this marketing plan is Lush is going to generate extra revenue through franchising. Also there will be no additional cost, all shops and online employees will remain the same and carry out duties such as collecting personal details and handing out Lush Times, e-mailing information and updating social networks websites. 4. Implementation The implementation of the plan will be monitored by a timeline which will start from July 2010 to June 2011. The timeline will show when each decision made or duty will begin. This timeline will support the plan and guide the implementation throughout the project so that the goal can be achieve by June 2011. (see timeline) 15. Control The marketing plan will be assessed every 3 month s till the end of June 2011 to make sure the marketing plan is effective and providing the promised result as stated in the plan. The control will be done by comparing previous year’s figures (customer base, sales figures, and customer feedback) to the current figures. * Customer base: This will compare the number of current strategic customers to the number of customers at the end of June if the number of customers have increased or not. This will prove if the promotion strategy was effective or not. * Sales / Revenue: At the end of June the sales and revenue figures will be compared with the previous year figures. This will show the effectiveness of this marketing plan, i. e. f customers trust the product they will still buy it, regardless of their economical status. * Customer feedback: At the end of June the business will collect customer feedback from its strategic customers to find out if they like the changes and the new direction of the business. 16. Evaluation My evaluation of this marketing plan will tackle all possible gaps which appear to be in areas such as promotion, place and product. The plan will improve Lush’s advertisement, will increase Lush’s sales outlets and have indirect sellers who will be paid on commission basis. It will also introduce customised products which will attract more customers. This plan is not going to accrue much cost to Lush, the money that Lush will invest in the additional outlets will assets to the business. This plan will be very effective because it will directly or indirectly improve on Lush’s cosmetics existing marketing strategy which needs some attention, this one year marketing plan will definitely take Lush cosmetics forward. References Live hearing from Lush marketing director Lush. co. uk Lush Times Keynote. com Mintel. com Module handouts

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 34

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Canada should End its Constitutional Ties to the Monarchy Essay

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