No File Was Uploaded Essay - 2307 Words

A fiduciary relationship allows the parties to avoid obligations without liability. ANSWER: F PAGE: 638 A corporate officer is not an agent for the corporation. ANSWER: F PAGE: 638 An officer of a corporation cannot possess the power to bind the corporation. ANSWER: F PAGE: 638 An agent is authorized to act on behalf of a principal in doing business with third parties. ANSWER: T PAGE: 638 An employee may act in the capacity of an agent. ANSWER: T PAGE: 638 A fiduciary relationship involves trust and confidence. 63 ANSWER: T PAGE: 638 An independent contractor’s physical conduct is controlled, or subject to control, by his or her employer. ANSWER: F PAGE: 639 An agency†¦show more content†¦ANSWER: T PAGE: 639 TYPE: = NAT: AACSB Analytic AICPA Legal A8. Agency relationships exist only outside employment relationships. ANSWER: F PAGE: 639 TYPE: + NAT: AACSB Analytic AICPA Legal B8. An independent contractor always acts in the capacity of an agent. ANSWER: F PAGE: 639 TYPE: = NAT: AACSB Analytic AICPA Legal A9. An agency relationship can be formed without consideration. ANSWER: T PAGE: 642 TYPE: N NAT: AACSB Analytic AICPA Legal B9. A minor cannot be appointed as an agent. ANSWER: F PAGE: 642 TYPE: = NAT: AACSB Analytic AICPA Legal A10. A minor can be an agent. ANSWER: T PAGE: 642 TYPE: = NAT: AACSB Analytic AICPA Legal B10. An agency relationship cannot exist in the absence of a formal agreement. ANSWER: F PAGE: 642 TYPE: = 66 TEST BANK A—UNIT SEVEN: AGENCY AND EMPLOYMENT NAT: AACSB Analytic AICPA Legal A11. There does not need to be a written agreement between two parties to create an agency relationship. ANSWER: T PAGE: 642 TYPE: = NAT: AACSB Analytic AICPA Legal B11. An agency relationship may be created for any legal purpose. ANSWER: T PAGE: 642 TYPE: = NAT: AACSB Analytic AICPA Legal A12. A principal may deny the existence of an agency relationship whenever it suits his or her purpose. ANSWER: F PAGE: 642 TYPE: = NAT: AACSB Analytic AICPA Legal B12. A licensed professional can employ an unlicensedShow MoreRelatedDesign And Implementation : Fixing The Bugs From The Previous Iteration982 Words   |  4 Pageswith the results being that I had faltered on two main aspects. †¢ I had forgotten to close of a comment correctly in my database.inc.php file, this meaning that the code assumed the commented line was that of php code and attempted to implement it causing an error when linking to the database. †¢ I placed my IF statement to confirm role types into the wrong file and as such the code tried to confirm the role type before the user actually logged in. Once these aspects were worked upon the applicationRead MoreKnowledgeWorker has a local file storage integration as a fundamental function for its users. Users700 Words   |  3 PagesKnowledgeWorker has a local file storage integration as a fundamental function for its users. 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There are two methods to acquire a .stl file. The first is to model the object on a CAD program or, in the case of most medical applications, scan the original object (Lanzotii, Petzold). The process of scanning an object to be reproduced increases the amount of errorRead MoreWeb Based Project Management Tool1595 Words   |  7 Pagesdocuments, file sharing, time tracking, and a messaging system. Basecamp system is accessed and managed online, meaning, none of the software or data is actually stored on your computer. It is a great tool for collaboration as multiple users, fellow freelancers, an entire c ompany or even clients can access the system from any location through a web browser. Users will be able to share ideas and project information through to-do lists, milestones, messages, writeboards, online chat and file sharing.Read MoreShould Downloading Be Broken Up? 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Corporate Social Responsibility for OZ Minerals - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theCorporate Social Responsibility for OZ Minerals. Answer: Introduction The business corporations are nowadays largely emphasizing on improving their social, economic and environmental performance for achieving sustainable growth and development. The businesses in order to achieve sustainable growth are developing their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports that provide information regarding the benefits achieved by all the stakeholders through their measures taken for improving the social, economic and environmental performances. In this context, there has been development of GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) sustainability reporting guidelines to provide assistance to the business corporations worldwide for effective sustainable reporting (Schaltegger, Bennett, and Burritt, 2006). In this context, the present report aims to analyze the extent of two selected business entities complying with the sustainability reporting standards of GRI. The business entities selected for the purpose are OZ Minerals and Caltex and the report is prepared on the p erspective of an analyze working in a consulting firm seeking to develop expertise in corporate sustainability. Analysis of Sustainability Reporting of OZ Minerals and Caltex as per GRI Principles The GRI reporting framework is developed for providing a generally accepted framework to disclose the information relating to economic, environmental and social performance. The GRI principles contain both specific and general reporting principles regarding the sustainable performance of a firm that needs to be applied by wide range of stakeholders. The GRI guidelines consist of two parts that are, reporting principles and implementation manual (Fisher, 2009). The compliance of OZ Minerals with the GRI reporting principles can be analyzed as follows: OZ Minerals The OZ Minerals is an Australian mining company listed on ASX and mainly involved in operating copper-gold mine. The company as involved in mining operations has a major responsibility of taking all the measures for environment protection. In this context, the GRI 304 standards have addressed the importance of protecting biodiversity for promoting sustainable growth of an entity. As per the standard, a reporting entity should provide information about the measures adopted for protecting the genetic diversity and natural ecosystems (White, 2009). The sustainability report of OZ minerals indicates that it effectively complies with the GRI biodiversity standard as it has disclosed adequate information regarding the land and biodiversity conservation. The company has developed and implemented a biodiversity management plan for indentifying the potential impacts of its mining operations on flora and fauna. The emphasis of the plan is to protect the endangered species and develop the proce dures for prohibiting the unauthorized haunting or trapping of native species by its employees (OZ minerals: Annual Report and Sustainability Report, 2016). The GRI 306 principle has addressed the requirements for an entity to provide the information in relation to treatment of effluents and waste generated (Fisher, 2009). The OZ minerals also complies effectively with this standard as it has disclosed all the necessary information in relation to measures adopted for minimizing waste generation. The company has adopted adequate procedures or re-handing waste, promoting post-mining land use and effective disposal of solid and hazardous waste. It has designed the disposal facilities for managing the waste materials as per the licensing and statuary obligations. The waste rock produced is disposed in rock dumps within the mining areas and tailings are disposed off through the use of special engineered facilities. In addition to this, the GRI 306 standard directs the business entities to disclose adequate information in relation to occupational health and safety (Laasch and Conaway, 2014). The OZ Company is strongly committed to integrated highest standards related to promoting the health and wellbeing of the employees and local community. The company has implemented three policies in this regard, that are, health and safety policy, diversity and inclusion policy and ethics and human rights policy. Also, the company has adopted health and wellbeing performance standards and governance systems for monitoring the effectiveness of its occupational health policies. As per the GRI 413 standards, the company has also adopted adequate measures for promoting the development of local communities through its land rehabilitation and closure plan. The mine closure plan aims to achieve the designated land use after post-mining activities. The land disturbance and rehabilitation plans aims to achieve environmental stability in the area degraded through mining activities for promoting the development of local communities residing nearby the area (OZ minerals: Annual Report and Sustai nability Report, 2016). Thus, it can be said that OZ minerals effectively complies with the GRI 101 standard of including the stakeholders in carrying out all its business activities. As per the standard, the company has effectively identified its stakeholders and disclosed adequately the measures taken for creating value for all its stakeholders. The company has clearly explained its strategic mission of creating sustainable value for all its stakeholders underpinned by its there pillars of safety, capital discipline and strong values (OZ minerals: Annual Report and Sustainability Report, 2016). The company has aligned its sustainability context with the annual report in order to improve in its business operations through adequately disclosing the financial and non-financial information to all its stakeholders as per sustainability context of GRI (Laasch and Conaway, 2014). Caltex On the other hand, Caltex, an Australian chain of petrol station does not integrate the use of GRI standards for developing its sustainability reports. The company though has disclosed the sustainable measures adopted by it for improving its social, economic and environmental performance. The company takes appropriate measures for protection of environment but has not disclosed the measures taken by it for promoting the development of biodiversity as per the GRI standards (White, 2009). The company though implements various measures such as adopting the use of Australian Packaging Covenant (APC) for designing more sustainable packaging to reduce the waste generation but the information provided is limited and is not per the GRI 306 standard. The company also has provided information in relation to promoting the occupational heath and well being of employees through implementing the risk management framework that monitors the occupational risks faced by the employees (Caltex Australia : Annual Report, 2016). However, the disclosure provided by the company in relation to occupational safety measures is not as per the GRI 403 standards. The company also supports the development of its local communities through providing them financial assistance and undertaking programs aimed at providing information relating to their various community activities to protect them from any of their hazardous business activities. Thus, it can be stated from overall analysis of disclosure provided by Caltex in relation to its sustainable performance that it does not effectively follow the GRI reporting principles (Caltex Australia: Annual Report, 2016). Also, the company has not aligned its annual report with the sustainability report that will help in developing an insight into the sustainable performance of the company properly (Laasch and Conaway, 2014). Conclusion Thus, it can be stated from the overall discussion held in the report that OZ minerals effectively complies with GRI reporting guidelines. However, the Caltex Company needs to develop its sustainability report separately with its annual report for providing detailed information regarding its sustainable performance as per the GRI standards. References Caltex Australia. 2016. Annual Report. Fisher, D. 2009. Corporate Sustainability Planning Assessment Guide: A Comprehensive Organizational Assessment. ASQ Quality Press. Laasch, O. and Conaway, R. 2014. Principles of Responsible Management: Global Sustainability, Responsibility, and Ethics. Cengage Learning. OZ minerals. 2016. Annual Report and Sustainability Report. Schaltegger, S., Bennett, M. and Burritt, R. 2006. Sustainability Accounting and Reporting. Springer Science Business Media. White, G.B. 2009. Sustainability Reporting: Managing for Wealth and Corporate Health. Business Expert Press.

The Power Of Speech And Silence In One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest Essa

The Power of Speech and Silence in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest The Power of Speech and Silence in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest There are many powers associated with both speech and silence. One can use either speech or silence to their advantage in a power struggle. Both can be very effective if used properly. In the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Nurse Ratched and McMurphy use the power of speech and Chief Bromden uses the power of silence. The power of speech can be used in a number of ways. McMurphy uses his power of speech to rally his fellow patients against the evil Nurse Ratched who is constantly taking their privileges away. He also uses it to get just about anything that he wants, by conning the other patients. Speech gains its power when the volume is raised, and when it is used to humiliate people. It can also be used to intimidate, to flirt and to threaten, all of which are key strategies to winning a power struggle. Speech is a vital utility in a power struggle if it is used properly. Silence can also be used in a power s truggle. Chief Bromden used silence very effectively to his advantage. Everyone thought that he was deaf and dumb, but he has been faking it the whole time that he has been in the mental hospital. With Chief Bromden silence was extremely powerful. He was able to hear everything that went on in the meetings where the doctors and nurses discussed the future of the patients. Silence can also be used to gain power if you stop talking to someone (give them the silent treatment), because you gain more power in the situation. In a power struggle, silence can be used if someone is talking to you and you just don't respond, it causes great annoyance and frustration, and this is a key to victory in a power struggle.

THe Afterlife in Ancient Egypt essays

THe Afterlife in Ancient Egypt essays THE AFTERLIFE IN ANCIENT EGYPTS RELIGION AND LITERATURE Ancient Egypt is often identified by its enormous pyramids, in particular the Great Pyramid at Giza, which was built during the middle of the third millennium, BC. Pyramids are massive monuments built over or around a crypt or tomb. The Egyptian pyramids served as royal tombs. Not only do these colossal constructions depict the Egyptians advanced architectural abilities, but they also give us an insight into their belief system. Ancient Egypts beliefs were based on their view of life as a process which began on earth, but continued in the afterlife, or continued existence after death. Egyptians believed that proper burial ensured the deceased entrance into the afterlife. Their belief was that in order for the soul to pass into the next life, the body must remain intact; therefore, to preserve it, they developed the procedures of mummification or embalming, the art of preserving bodies after death, generally by the use of chemical substances. The preservation was essential to resurrecting or moving on to the afterlife. The preserved body would then be placed in the pyramid which was considered a vessel that transported the deceased into the afterlife. Ancient Egypts religious beliefs were the dominating influence in the development of their culture. Egyptian religion gave reason for their belief in an afterlife, and their literature demonstrated how important that belief was to Ancient Egyptians. The religious beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians were based on a combination of the belief in spiritual beings, existence of many gods or divine beings, and the depiction of these gods in either human or animal form. Egyptians religious beliefs about the afterlife are depicted in their hymns to their gods and in an extensive collection of mortuary texts which demonstrate their religious beliefs. Some examp...

Supreme court ( political science) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Supreme court ( political science) - Essay Example The founders, knowing that a sovereign judiciary system was vital to the success of a democratic nation, ensured that federal judges would be appointed for life terms. They can be removed from the bench only if impeached and convicted by Congress of ‘Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.’ The current configuration of eight justices and one chief justice was formed in 1869. Congress assigned drafting rules of federal procedure to the Supreme Court in 1934. Republican Presidents appointed seven of the nine current Supreme Court judges (Gill, 2005). The Supreme Court begins each term on the first Monday of October which lasts until late June. The Term is divided between alternating periods of sittings and recesses which alternate at approximately two-week intervals. Sittings are when the Justices hear cases and deliver opinions and during the intervening recesses, they consider matters brought before the Court and write legal opinions. During court proceedings, each side is allowed 30 minutes argument and as many as 24 cases may be heard during one sitting. There is no jury and no witnesses are presented because most of the cases entail the assessment of a lower court decision. The Court is provided the record of each case and papers which include the arguments of each party. During the recess phase, the Justices study the cases and write their opinions. The Justices must also assess more than 130 petitions every week to ascertain which cases are to be granted a court hearing. Public sessions are held from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Monday through Wednesday when the Court is in session (sitting). The Justices meet to discuss and vote on petitions for review and to discuss cases on Fridays during preceding argument weeks. Prior to hearing oral argument when the Court is in session, other business of the Court is performed. This includes, on Monday mornings, the

Probation Client Needs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Probation Client Needs - Assignment Example This program’s aims are to reduce the drug use and drug dependency of female inmates on parole and probation. It is a holistic program that also includes skills training as well as family and other types of counseling as well as recreational and social activities (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (b), 2013). Another similar program is also in use in California for the men and this one also aims at reducing the recidivism rates among the male inhabitants that have been paroled from Californian correctional facilities (Study evaluates substance abuse in probation, parole admissions (a), 2011). This has also had a positive influence in reducing the rates of return to custody of male inmates especially those on probation and released early on parole (Hinkle, 2008). Another program is the Dallas County Judicial Treatment Center implemented in Dallas Texas, a residential substance abuse program specifically aimed at those on probation. It aims to reduce the prison overcrowding in the Texas correctional system. It not only includes modern therapeutic substance abuse treatments utilizing the 12-step method but also includes life-skills training, drug education as well as counseling (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Substance Abuse Treatment for Adults in the Criminal Justice System, 2005). These programs have all in addition to reducing the costs of running prisons and alleviating the overcrowding problem in these facilities, also resulted in better results for the offenders, corrections system and the communities in which they are located. 2. These programs have all got as a major strength the fact they have taken a more holistic view of the problems of offenders with substance abuse histories. They also look at other... This essay discusses the parole and probation clients who go into substance abuse programs have shown improvement in more ways than those who do not go through those programs or those who only undergo custodial sentences. The major improvement has been in the area of personal rehabilitation. Criminal behavior brought on by substance abuse can only be reduced if the root cause of the behavior, the substance abuse, is dealt with as only punishing the offender results in him or her returning to the substance abuse on completion of the sentence. Furthermore, if the other usually connected causes of the behavior and substance abuse, such as lack of a job, lack of job skills, lack of housing and a community where drugs are easily available are not tackled at the same time, the offender actually ends up building tolerance and making the substance abuse problem even more serious. All over the US programs that are addressing these root cause of drug-related criminal behavior are producing bet ter results in the rehabilitation of inmates. In conclusion, a program that looks at the needs of the offenders in a more holistic and realistic way stands a better chance of success. Studies have also shown that offender rehabilitation programs that not only include the right kind of treatment for those with substance abuse issues, coupled with the most appropriate community based programs are the most successful when it comes to enabling the criminal justice system impart both punishment and rehabilitation to those convicted of crimes.

Business Studies - Marketing Mix Essay Example for Free

Business Studies Marketing Mix Essay All businesses offer some form of service as part of the product that they supply to customers. This is true of businesses supplying manufactured goods, as well as those that only supply services. By meeting (or exceeding) customers expectations, businesses can improve their image and establish a reputation for supplying products with high -quality characteristics. The features of quality service include: * Making sure the customer is safe This is crucial for a high profile business like IKEA otherwise the media will be straight on to them issuing bad press against them, potentially giving IKEA a bad name, furthermore the customer may wish to take legal action if he/she feels mistreated by IKEA. Again causing problems for IKEA. * Delivering good customer service Decisive for IKEA to maintain the good name they have, customers in this day and age will not accept poor service, otherwise its likely they will look elsewhere. * Improving the quality of the product Its important IKEA continue improving the quality of there products otherwise customers will begin to lose interest in the company due to its lack of creation and continued progress; customers want to see new/improved products on each visit they make to IKEA. * Making sure the customer is not kept waiting If IKEA let customers wait for there service, its likely they will simply leave the store and go else where, so its important there staff are motivated and wanting to give IKEA a good name. * Demonstrating good after sales care Once the sale is done its easy to take the money and thats it, but with IKEA if a problem arises they will want to help the customer in any way possible. Its vital for them to retain customers and not lose them to a competitor, and clearly IKEA are doing a good job at this as there profits continue to increase meaning the customers are happy with how they are treated both before and after sales. To see how business offer service in practice, lets look at some real examples. IKEA sells their products ready to be fitted, meaning the products they sell have to match customers precise requirements and also come with good instructions to help them build it at home. Otherwise people will see it as a hassle, meaning they re less likely to purchase from IKEA again. IKEA has bought it self a good name due to fact they offer good after sale services so if needed to contact a member of staff its possible, they give you a good instructional manual, if thats not enough you can phone them, email them or even talk 1 to 1 with a member of staff on their website via their web chat facility. It is this combination of products together with a range of services that is important in shaping and determining Ikeas reputation, the distinct characteristics of its products and the companys competitiveness. IKEAs website is also a key part in generating sales for there products, its important they describe the product clearly, and give the customer as much information about the product as possible, its less likely that someone will make a visit to IKEA for a product they arent given much information about on their website. The above picture is the basic layout for all IKEA products on there website, it has a clear picture of the product, price, special features, measurements, whether it requires assembly, care instructions, material made out of. It also gives the customer the option to see whether they have that product in stock at your local IKEA store, which from personal experience is very useful and practical. IKEA do give a lot of information which reassures the customer that this is the product they want, giving them a buzz and actually wanting to get down to IKEA as soon as possible to purchase the product. B) Price is the amount charged by a business for its products. The factors determining the price of a product can be summarised as the three Cs: Cost, Competition and Customer value. * The cost of producing the product: If a business is to make a profit, then it clearly needs to charge a price that covers the cost of making and selling the product. * The price charged by competitors: A business might want to charge a price at or below that of its competitors. However, if the product is sufficiently unique and superior, then the business might feel it is acceptable to charge a price above that of its competitors. IKEA excels here, in the sense that it offers prices cheaper then its competitors, putting them ahead of the game. * The price customers are willing to pay: This is determined by the value of the product to the target market. If consumers in the target market believe that they can gain significant benefits from the product, then they will be willing to pay a high price. However, if the product provides few benefits, consumers will only be prepared to pay a low price, for example, the price someone is willing to pay for a house will depend on its location, the number of rooms and other factors such as the size of the garden. A business will consider all these factors before deciding on a price for each of its products. In certain situations, it may be appropriate to set a relatively high price. For example, Ikea may set a premium price on a high quality piece of furniture that is widely recognised as being superior to other similar products made by competitors. In other situations a business may opt to set relatively low prices. For example, a new company operating in a very competitive market may set low prices relative to its competitors in an attempt to win business and build a customer base. IKEA are renowned for their cheap prices and high quality products. This has helped them build a huge reputation, and ultimately there cheap prices are a unique selling point, when people think, where can I get good, yet cheap furniture from? Instantly in most cases they think IKEA. IKEA is renowned for being value for money. c) Promotion is a series of marketing activated designed to make consumers aware of products. The ultimate aim, of course, is to persuade them to buy those products. Promotion is an important part of the marketing mix, and business can use a variety of different types of promotion. One of the methods is advertising, advertising is a means by which businesses pay for communication with actual and potential customers through newspapers, television, radio, the internet and other media. It can be expensive, but advertising is often highly successful in influencing consumers purchasing decisions. Advertising can be informative, by setting out to increase consumer awareness of a product. This type of advertising is based on facts rather then images. On the other hand, persuasive advertising attempts to convince consumers to purchase a certain product. Persuasive advertising aims to persuade that the advertised product is better than the competition. Sales promotion is any activity that provides a financial incentive to purchase a product. For instance Ikea may hand out free samples of food in their newly built restaurant or perhaps have demonstrations of how to put together some of their products to show customers thats its easy, and can be done by anyone. IKEA advertising in the UK is intended to raise awareness of the IKEA brand and drive traffic to the stores. Some people love IKEAs unique style of retail advertising, some hate it, but everyone who sees there advertising has a strong opinion and subsequently it provokes conversation and debate. Despite having some of the most controversial television advertising campaigns in the UK this includes criticising the taste of the British public, invisible furniture, an exaggerated homosexual man advertising for IKEA. IKEA have raised awareness of there brand, let people know they are different to other home furnishing companies and most importantly increased sales. The advertising department includes all aspects of advertising and brand communication from television advertising and sponsorship to magazine and radio promotions. Advertising is used to support many different areas of the business including brand awareness, store themes, catalogue drops and store openings. The term merchandising covers a range of tactics used by businesses at the point of sale (the location at which the products are actually purchased) to achieve higher sales figures. For example, a business might offer retailers special display stands or point-of-sale adverts to encourage them to place the businesss products in a more favourable and prominent position withen stores. Merchandising can be important when: * Consumers make decisions at the point of sale. This includes a lot of information about the product, making it bright, clear and attractive. * Competitors make extensive use of merchandising. * A variety of rival products are on display in stores. * Rival products have only minor differences. Businesses seek good publicity, and public relations (PR) is designed to improve businesses standings in the eyes of consumers and other interested groups,. Larger organisations have their own PR staff. Ikea engage in a variety of PR activity including: * Making donations to charities IKEA support unicef to help young children in less fortunate countries around the world. * Sponsoring sporting and cultural activates, and IKEA support the local community by donating products to schools which dont sell in stores, this is very popular in the community, and keeps the public happy, which creates good press for IKEA. * Allowing the public to visit the business Makes the customer feel more welcome, and at home with IKEA if they feel involved by learning more about the company. Public relations can be a very expensive form of promotion, and it can be difficult for businesses to assess the effect of public relations on sales. Catalogues are a huge part of advertisement for IKEA, its relatively cheap when compared to TV adverts, and its fairly easy to get to the customer, IKEA print 131 million copies of there catalogue making it the most widely distributed commercial publication in the world. Having picked up a couple of the latest IKEA catalogues and handbooks, its clear that IKEA thrive on simplicity. The IKEA text is the same font on all brochures, with the traditional blue and yellow logo on the bottom hand side of the page this creates continuity which means people recognise it straight away when they see it again, the traditional yellow and blue logo is based on the colours of there home country Sweden. The background images are warm, cosy, family pictures, one containing a large sofa with numerous pillows, the other an aqua blue kitchen. This gets the message across to the reader that there is a large range of products available, furthermore on the front cover they get the message about there prices, Pay less, enjoy more and your 100 page guide to making an affordable, inspired choice. This encourages the public to go through the IKEA catalogue. Furthermore the catalogue brings the IKEA store into your home, its the best way to prepare for a visit to IKEA. d)Place is another term for distribution. It covers the range of activities necessary to ensure that goods and services are available to customers. Deciding on the right place involves a range of decisions. A business needs to consider the most cost-effective way of getting its products and service to the customers. It needs to look at the implications for its profit margins of each means of distribution. The growth in use of the internet has encouraged even small businesses to use websites to sell their products to what can be a global market. This can be highly cost effective means of reaching a wide target audience, but is not suitable for all business and all products. Businesses seek to design marketing mixes that are complementary and work together to benefit the business and to maximise sales. For example, Ikea promotes itself to its target audience on the basis that it offers the lowest possible prices. Place is important to Ikea, and the company locates stores in areas where it costs less to set up, eg on the outskirts of major cities. Which targets both high income earners and low. IKEAs transport methods are highly effective, large volumes in combination with flat packages are important in helping IKEA to transport products economically from the supplier via the stores to the customers. Flat packs mean that IKEA do not have to pay for transporting or storing unnecessary air and that not only means lower warehousing and distribution costs, but also less impact on the environment. At present 20 % of all IKEA goods are transported by rail. 6) It makes sense for Ikea to target a wide range of customers. This is referred to as mass marketing. But theres the other side of it where in some situations they will target small sections of the market. Taken to the limit, this might involve catering for a small select group of customers a target market that has very specific needs. I.E childrens section. In mass marketing, Ikea would aim their products at most of the available market and normally try to sell a range of similar products to all customers. Mass marketing is possible if the products are popular and purchased by many different types of people. For example Ikeas furniture products are well suited to being sold in mass markets. Businesses must be able to produce on a large scale if they are to sell successfully in a mass market. A company may have to invest heavily in resources such as buildings, machinery and vehicles. Usually, firms also have to be very price competitive to flourish in mass markets. By contrast, niche marketing involves companies identifying and meeting the needs of relatively small areas of the market. The aim is to cater for the needs of customers that have not been met sufficiently by other business, and niche marketing is one way in which small businesses can operate profitably in markets that are dominated by large firms. An example would be Ikea and their play pen for younger children. Market research helps businesses to identify whether they should adopt a mass or niche marketing strategy. In general, this would depend on: * Whether the needs of customers within all parts of the market are being met. * The extent to which a business can provide specialist products capable of meeting the needs of select groups of customers. This gives IKEA good idea whether there is a need for a unique product on the market, or a product aimed at a special selection of customers, doing this research could potentially uncover new opportunities for them. * The degree to which competitors are currently meeting the needs of all customers within the market. 7) Market research is the systematic collection and analysis of data to enable a business to take better quality marketing decisions. In simple terms, market research allows businesses to find out what customers want. There are a number of reasons why businesses invest in market research. To determine whether IKEA should focus on mass marketing or niche marketing, they can use market research. Most products are only likely to be mainly purchased by particular groups of customers: the market of young working-class males, for example, is very different to that of middle aged wealthy couples. Market research can assist a firm in identifying which parts of the market are most likely to buy its products. It is vital for a business to know who its customers are. This allows the business to: * Design products to best meet the needs of these customers This makes it more efficient at what it does as it specifically meets the needs of IKEAs customers, meaning its something which grabs there attention, or they can relate to and want to purchase. * Target advertising, promotions and special offers at these groups People like a bargain, once they see a discount on a product they are looking for they are likely to purchase it from IKEA. * Conduct further in-depth research with specific groups of customers to uncover their needs as fully as possible. 5) Businesses need to know whats happening in the market. To be able to plan its product and marketing effectively, a business like Ikea needs to address three important questions. What is the size of the market? A way of measuring the size of the market is to consider the volume of sales made by all businesses selling furniture. What is the structure of the market? This means discovering the number and size of businesses that make up a market. Are there, for example a few large firms, or many small firms? Or a mixture of large and small firms? If a business is in competition with large firms, it may decide to avoid competing on price terms as larger firms may be able to produce their products more cheaply. Is the market growing or shrinking? Market research can reveal what is happening to sales in market over a period of time. A business may feel more confident about entering a market which is growing, as it should be easier to win sales when some customers are not yet loyal to particular brands or manufactures. The market for DIY furniture has kept growing recently mainly due to Ikeas success. If IKEA are planning on releasing a new product, its likely they will do research into other products in a similar field to see whether the market for them specific products are increasing or decreasing. This will give them a good idea whether it is worth a full-scale launch of the product they have in mind. 9) Total Quality Control is the most necessary inspection control of all in cases where, despite statistical quality control techniques or quality improvements implemented, sales decrease.The major problem which leads to a decrease in sales was that the specifications did not include the most important factor, What the customer required. To maintain their quality and standards is vital to IKEA, the quality and reliability and workmanship of their products is crucial to there brand. Both to keep their customers and to be legally correct. * Marketing had to carry out their work properly and define the customers specifications. * Management had to confirm all operators are equal to the work imposed on them and holidays, celebrations and disputes did not affect any of the quality levels. * Inspections and tests were carried out, and all components and materials, bought in or otherwise, conformed to the specifications, and the measuring equipment was accurate, this is the responsibility of the QA/QC department. * Any complaints received from the customers were timorously and satisfactorily dealt with. This will help keep IKEA a favourites with the customers. To conclude, the above forms the basis from which the philosophy of Quality Assurance has evolved, and the achievement of quality or the fitness-for-purpose is Quality Awareness throughout the company. IKEA hire highly trained quality control workmen, to check that the products in the warehouse are looked after sensiblely and that they are delivered to the customer effeciantly. Quality control is to check that there product meets customer demands and possibly look for ways to improve it. Its important for a business like IKEA to have regulary quality control checks to make sure that the products they sell are always up to standards, making sure the high IKEA standards dont drop without them being aware. To make sure of this IKEA have a test lab in Almhult which tests both textiles and furniture, around 50,000 tests are carried out in accordance with current standards each year. For several years in succession the IKEA Test Lab has been accredited for it quality system and test methods in accordance with the international standards. All these tests have been developed to correspond to many years of regular use in a domestic enviroment in the areas for which the product is intended. IKEA not only test products during development, but also selects random samples from among the products on sale in the stores. As IKEA say It is our customers that we want to come back not our products This makes sure that IKEAs customers get there full value for money and a long lasting product.