Scottish Dance Essay Example

Scottish Dance Essay Scotland has a culture, and a deep-rooted tradition of music, song and dance. This can be asserted by discussing the Ceilidh, which is an evening full of dance, songs and no doubt drinking good whisky. In the Ceilidh, the Scottish country dance is performed, which can be enjoyed by people in any way what so ever, whether formal or informal. Country dances are extremely genial and enjoyable. Because of this very feature which makes them attractive to people belonging to all the parts of the world and perhaps the only reason why it is extremely easy for a person to find Scottish country dance groups in any part of the world. Scottish country dancing, which is also known as SCD and even called â€Å"reeling† is a kind of dance for social purposes. The dance is basically a modern form of the country dance that was previously very famous in the eighteenth century across England and Scotland. (Brinson 33) Scottish Country Dance is the customary communal dance of Scotland. The dances are poised of accurate footwork and arrangements that are set in a dissimilar series for each dance. The music varies from vigorous reels and jigs to the strathspey, which is a kind of music that is found nowhere in the world except Scotland. (Hood 94)All of the Scottish dances; the Scottish country dance in particular is done in well-organized formations that are generally known as â€Å"sets†.   These sets are usually made up of around three or four couples, even though certain dances require far more people which comes to around six or more couples. The couple formations are more often than usual mixed, even though men dance with men and women dance with women, though this depends on the gathering. The most common shape is the longwise shape, where the couples stand side by side in the formation of all the men on one side, facing all the women on the other side, with his man facing his partner. The man on the far left side and his partner are known as either the first o r the top couple and the formation is such that the first couple is nearest to the band or what ever source of music is being used. Longer lines are formed when the hall is big. (Flett and Flett 56) Other types of sets are also there, but those are very rare and include the triangular sets, square sets as well as the round-the-room dances.Scottish country dances are divided into various categorie such as reels, jigs, strathspeys and are categorised on the basis of the kind of music on which they are performed. The first two names of dances that are mentioned are generally called quick-time dances, because of the fact that they have tempos along with very fast movements and a very lively beat. The third dance that has been mentioned features a very slow tempo along with formal, stately feel. The   Scottish country dances, are pretty much unlike the usual English country dances which involve walking steps; Scottish country dances on the other hand include special attention to be pai d on the footwork which depends on the choreography of the dance.While performing a Scottish country dace, much attention as mentioned previously is paid to the foot work and the position of the feet while performing certain steps is taken into consideration. Steps that are performed extremely well at times impress everyone for their complexity, but in real it is the time, dedication and the fitness of the person that actually make it very easy to perform. As the country dance has become a kind of pastime for the Scottish people, the dance community and the people have stopped paying much attention to such matters and now anyone who can not perform well during the dance is not discriminated against as compared to those who have mastered the steps. It is such a pastime, that at times the soul purpose of dancing is to just have fun and only a minimum amount of people pay much attention to details and the perfection of the dance, while the others just wish to have fun.Another important factor which is considered after the footwork is the time and space location. This means that one has to ensure that he/she is standing at the right location at the right time. It is imperative to note that one should not be standing in the way of the other dancers and should be in place at the right time to perform steps that include other dancers as well. The term   phrasing, is used to define the performance of a figure which is perfectly timed with the music, where as the term â€Å"covering† refers to the movement of an umber of dancers in unison. It is said that, when country dancing was introduced in Scotland in the eighteenth century, it gained immense popularity in places such as Edinburgh, and then continued to move through various parts of Scotland even though other kinds of dances such as Waltz, One-step etc were gaining popularity in the nineteenth and twentieth century. The Scottish coutry dancing has been extremely influenced by other traditional Scottish da nces such as the Highland reels and because of this they still tend to have a very Scottish look to them.HistoryScottish country dancing gained immense popularity during the eighteenth century, when it was popular and performed mostly in the top-class areas of England, though back then it was not known as â€Å"Scottish† and was plain called â€Å"Country Dancing†. This form of dancing was introduced in Scotland by the most powerful members of the society along with the well-to-do people, who wished to keep on doing the things that they liked and the things that were introduced to them in well-to-do places. (McConachie, p. 24) This was the time when dance publishers, like PlayFord were in high demand and were publishing dance manuals which provided people with the information about the most popular dances as well as the introduction of new dances so as to put up with the ever increasing demand for country dancing. Back in those days, a number of publications were broug ht around, even if they were not original although most of them were famous for their own merits. By the nineteenth century, country dancing became extremely well-known and famous in Scotland and reached it though Lowlands, even though modern forms of dances were taking over as well such as the qudrilles and other couple dances such as the waltz in England.Back in the eighteenth century, nothing by the name of â€Å"Scottish† dancing exisred. Books which held information about Scottish dancing, but they only covered topics about dances that were could be choreographed to a Scottish tune and that was what was called a Scottish dancprevious Scottish social dances such as the Highland reel. Here it is necessary to note that country dances that had the rell-style formations had been very popular by the end of the eighteenth century. In the beginning of the twentieth century, Scottish country dance played a major role in the social entertainment, in the rural parts of Scotland in particular, though, considering the fact that the number of dances that were taught to students had gone down a considerable amount and only a few were taught. Here, it is necessary to note that country dance faced a lot of danger because of this condition. In the year 1923, a â€Å"society† which came to be known as the Scottish Country Dance Society (SCDS) came into being in Glasgow so as to serve the purpose of preserving country dances the way that they were danced in Scotland.The SCDS started to collect and print the dances that were previously shunned aside and the society also began reinterpreting the dances from older sources that were no longer being paid any attention to. While carrying out this task, the society made a mistake by standardizing the dances, which somehow differ from each other because of the place where it was collected in Scotland and this was done so in order to preseve it. This as mentioned was a mistake, but somehow it played an effective role in setting the grounds for universal compatibility between dancers belonging to different countries across the world. The steps taken by SCDS brought about much fame to it and it influenced the way dances were taught at school and because of the society it was made necessary to taught at least a minimum of Scottish country dance while they are at school. This scoeity, after achieving Royal patronage in the year 1947, came to be known as the Royal Scottish Country Dance Soceity or RSCDS.After the SCDS came into being, a number of people started coming up with dances of their own, which had hints of the previous dances in them with a blend of new steps. After so many years now, there are nearly eleven thousand dances, out of which ten thousand are modern dances. People can come up with their own dances in whatever way they want. Here it is necessary to note that even though the history of Scottish country dance goes back nearly three centuries, it is still a present concern. Contemporar y Scottish country dance has come around since the beginning of the 1700s and it has not at all been modernised, and some even say that with this invention of new dances and concepts, which appear all the time, the traditional dances somehow find their way into the new ones and, â€Å"the ongoing evolution has also given Scottish country dancing a lot of life and people feel much less guilt or hesitation about altering a dance for the purposes of demonstrations, and also borrowing ideas for their own dances.† (Clowes and Donald 82) In the current times, Scottish country dance is not limited to Scotland only, but has found its way in nearly all the parts of the world including Britain, Europe, Canada, United States of America, Australia, New Zealand etc. The dance is at times even found in countries like Russia, Russia, South Africa, Argentina, Hong Kong and so on and it can easily be said that Scottish country dance does not face any danger what so ever of being extinct now.P urposeThe people of Scotland, because of their inherent love of music and joviality, have always enjoyed and have also loved to dance. Country Dance was in all probability first danced in Scotland right in the beginning of the eighteenth century. Using individual characteristics from Scotlands conventional Highland music and dance, Scottish country dance developed into Scotlands own in the course of an evolutionary progression that covered nearly three hundred years. If truth be told, a person can go through the tapestry of Scottish history and tradition by means of her country dances and the music and proceedings that have enthused them.All forms of Scottish country dance are performed for purely social basis. (Flett and Flett 29) As it is said that while have social traditions, the Scottish country dance which has its roots going back to several centuries. Performers or the participants of the dance are arranged into groups of three, four or max five and that too in two lines with the men facing the women or in a square and both of these lines work with each other so as to perform a number of steps and formations. The formations are performed in such a way that eventually, the performers would return to their original places. A vast number of groups perform the dances for competition at times. Even though some of the most basic steps of Scottish country dancing are easy to pick up, but the technique is now sharpened to such a level that is has now turned into a very athletic, ballet type of dance even though a number of dancers do not perceive it as such.A vast number of Scottish country dances are what is called â€Å"progressive†, which means that every single couple is given the chance to perform as the top couple or the active couple with the most attention. This is done so in a way in which after the first repitition of the steps the couples move in a way by which they end up in a completely different place in their set. The number of repititions , in order to carry out the mentioned â€Å"progressive† step are adjusted to fit to the number of dancers in the group. The figures and setup of modern Scottish country dances, have although been taken from a history of nearly three hundred years, which makes it extremely difficult to generalize it because of the fact that a number of dance include ideas out the traditional thinking such as the change of the partner at every new turn of the dance, â€Å"the palindromic structure (the sequence of figures is similar seen from the end to the beginning as it is seen from the beginning to the end), fugues (the sequence of figures for each couple is intricately intertwined to resemble the structure of a musical fugue) and others† (McConachie   42). The constant traidition of dance styles being played with is extraordinary, even though the results at times are not what a person expects them to be.ClassificationThe Scottish country dancing can be classified as a social danc e, as has been mentioned previously. It is said that, â€Å"SCD is social dancing. Hence interaction with ones partner and the other dancers, such as smiling and giving hands, is an essential part of SCD, and for those who want to there are usually lots of opportunity for relaxed flirting†(Brinson 108). Scottish country dances are a combined effort of the entire team and attempts made so as to glorify ones self by using beautification and adornments are usually looked down upon by the people. They believe that extra people are perfectly well, but only when the time and the plaace are right and extras should stay aside when less experienced dancers are performing so as to avoid confusion on their part.   The dance are extremely social and provide people with a chance to dance with a variety of people through out the night. It is customary to keep on changing partners, and partners are changed on every new dance, which is an example of just how social these dances are. This h elps the people in making new friends, getting to know more people and that too in a very friendly environment. All the partners, even if they are strangers to each other must maintain eye contact and a smile. On average, a set consists of nearly six to ten people, which shows that a person dances with at least five different people in a single night. (Clowes and Donald 104)Miscellaneous InformationIn current times, the term Scottish country dance clinches the societal, characteristically progressive, dances of Scotland that have developed from many customs and are danced all the way through the world with much satisfaction by people of Scotland and even those who do not belong to Scotland. For their costumes, while dancing, women wear white dresses along with a tartan scarf that is pinned on to their left shoulder. Men dress in a white shirt along with a tie, kilt, sporan, buckle and long socks. The socks usually have a colored mark showing which is attached to the enclosed garter. The sporan is big and is ornamented with a purse lynching from the strap over the navel.   The kilt is usually made of tartan cloth, which is soft in front and comprehensively pleated at the back. The men have to pin their kilts on the right hand side. If a lady wishes to wear a kilt, she has to pin it on the left hand. This handedness is taken into consideration because of the reverse buttoning of shirts and coats by the women and the men belonging to the Western culture. (Hood 124)Special laced dancing pumps are worn by both men and women. The usage of these is a controversial topic of history. When one takes up history, we find that around the year 1914, men used to wear obvious leather dancing shoes, and the women used to put on slippers that had an ankle strap that too with a one inch. History shows that the light pumps that are worn today for dancing were started to be used in the nineteenth century and that too by exhibition Highland Dancers. Anyone and everyone who wishes to dance can join in and enjoy the festivities. The people who have past experience in dancing are the one who are expected o dance no matter what the occasion is, but the less-experienced dancers are also encouraged to attempt and no discrimination is made against those who cannot perform the steps perfectly. (Emmerson 48) Make up and other body-ornaments are not considered as very important and are never used by people as they only concentrate on the dresses. But, now-a-days it is necessary to note, that this concentration on the dresses while dancing is fading away. Most of the men and women, who dance today, usually just wear semi-formal dresses and can be seen dancing in a suit while the women wear a dress, which is pretty much unlike the kilts and plaid dresses.ConclusionIn the light of the above discussion we can hereby culminate that Scottish country dancing is a contemporary form of the previous country dancing that was well-liked in England and it came to Scotland in the eighteenth century. The dance is such that it is comprised of various groups of people (nearly six to ten), usually of opposite and this is what is referred to as a set. The set dances to different tunes and strains of reels, jigs and strathspey, which are played on the fiddle, accordion, flute, keyboard, drums, etc. They have certain costumes that are to be worn by the men and women while dancing. Much attention in the Scottish country dance is paid to the footwork. Some people are very critical and strict about perfect footwork, but some have started ignoring the footwork and people who do not have much experience of the dance are not discriminated against anymore. The dance is a social activity which enables the people to get to know more and more people. Everyone can dance and the less-experienced dancers are usually encouraged to perform so as to hone their skills. One does not remain with a single partner while dancing, as the people are encouraged to change their partners wit h every new step, which enhances the social feature of the dance. The Scottish Country Dance Society, known as SCDS came into being so as to preserve Scottish country dancing when it was near to being extinct as many modern forms of dances were taking over and most the Scottish dances were fading away.;

Free Essays on Exclusionary Rule

The Constitution of the United States was designed to protect citizens’ civil rights from infringement by the government and law enforcement agencies. The Constitution guarantees that the civil liberties of the people of this country shall be respected and upheld. That fact is often considered to be common knowledge and taken for granted by the vast majority of the population. However it was not always that way. American legislation is constantly growing and developing. New rules and practices are being developed and established. The exclusionary rule is considered to be the most vital to the protection of civil rights. The exclusionary rule is represented by the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution and it guarantees that illegally obtained evidence shall not be used against the accused. The history of the development of the exclusionary rule is one of the most fascinating examples of American legal evolution. The Fourth Amendment is believed to be one the cornerstones of the Constitution. It protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures, sets the framework for the warrant rule, and introduces the concept of probable cause into police procedures. The significance of the Fourth Amendment is difficult to overestimate. The warrant rule initiated a giant leap forward in the progress of democracy by abolishing the â€Å"general warrant† practice and restricting the invasion of privacy that citizens can be subjected to. The police can no longer engage into â€Å"fishing expeditions† against suspicious individuals and prosecute them based on the evidence obtained in direct violation of the Constitution. However, the exclusionary rule had a long history before it could adequately protect citizens. The rule met strong opposition from police officia ls and even some Supreme Court Justices before it became a valid legislation capable of providing adequate protection for citizens. Despite the overwhelming significance of the rights... Free Essays on Exclusionary Rule Free Essays on Exclusionary Rule The Constitution of the United States was designed to protect citizens’ civil rights from infringement by the government and law enforcement agencies. The Constitution guarantees that the civil liberties of the people of this country shall be respected and upheld. That fact is often considered to be common knowledge and taken for granted by the vast majority of the population. However it was not always that way. American legislation is constantly growing and developing. New rules and practices are being developed and established. The exclusionary rule is considered to be the most vital to the protection of civil rights. The exclusionary rule is represented by the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution and it guarantees that illegally obtained evidence shall not be used against the accused. The history of the development of the exclusionary rule is one of the most fascinating examples of American legal evolution. The Fourth Amendment is believed to be one the cornerstones of the Constitution. It protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures, sets the framework for the warrant rule, and introduces the concept of probable cause into police procedures. The significance of the Fourth Amendment is difficult to overestimate. The warrant rule initiated a giant leap forward in the progress of democracy by abolishing the â€Å"general warrant† practice and restricting the invasion of privacy that citizens can be subjected to. The police can no longer engage into â€Å"fishing expeditions† against suspicious individuals and prosecute them based on the evidence obtained in direct violation of the Constitution. However, the exclusionary rule had a long history before it could adequately protect citizens. The rule met strong opposition from police officia ls and even some Supreme Court Justices before it became a valid legislation capable of providing adequate protection for citizens. Despite the overwhelming significance of the rights...

Why Pyramids Dont Work Simple Examples

Why Pyramids Dont Work Simple Examples Pyramids Schemes Explained A pyramid scheme is a type of investment scheme in which investors earn profits from the recruiting of new members to the scheme; all pyramid schemes inevitably fail because they rely on geometric growth to sustain returns for the investors, and eventually reach a point at which they collapse. A pyramid scheme is similar to a Ponzi scheme in that it relies on ever-increasing numbers of later investors to provide returns for earlier investors, but differs in that returns for investors are directly tied to the number of new investors each can recruit. Multi-level marketing (MLM) programs, which are legal in most places, are actually a form of pyramid scheme. There are a number of variations in the form of pyramid schemes. The three most common are the simple pyramid scheme, the 8-Ball Model, and the 2-Up System; the latter two are the basic format, with some slight adjustments, of most MLM systems. Simple Pyramid Schemes The simplest form of a pyramid scheme is also sometimes called a â€Å"chain-letter† scheme. The starter of the pyramid will recruit some number of investors, each of whom will pay him a certain amount. The second group of investors each recruits the same number of investors, thus earning several times over their original investment, i.e. the amount they each paid to the first investor at the tip of the pyramid. In order to earn a profit, each investor in each successive level must recruit the same number of people. For example, Investor Number One at the top of the pyramid recruits six new members for $1 each, earning a profit of $6. These six recruits then recruit six new members each, earning $5 profit and adding 36 people to the pyramid. In order to earn their profit, the 36 members on the third level of the pyramid must recruit a total of 216 people, who subsequently must recruit 1,296 people, and so on. 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For example, Company X is set up so that each new member can collect a $100 payment for â€Å"starter kits† for new members (this kind of arrangement is made because of laws in most places requiring that members of an MLM program receive goods of â€Å"equivalent value† for any â€Å"membership fee† or initial investment they make). But, payment is not made until the third generation of recruits. Member 1 recruits two new members, who recruit four, who recruit eight new members. These eight pay a total of $800 to Member 1. When the eight members on the third level of the pyramid recruit their two new members each, the two originally recruited by Member 1 receive $800 each from the 16 new level-four members.  The bottom thre e levels in an 8-Ball Model will always lose 100% of their investment, no matter how many levels there are. The 2-Up System The 2-Up System is a variation that is used by MLM schemes because it encourages recruits to work harder to recruit new members. 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Differences between MLMs and Pyramid Schemes The only difference between an MLM and a regular pyramid scheme, and what makes MLMs legal while pyramid schemes are not is that the sale of products at least theoretically gives members the opportunity to earn income without recruiting new members. So in the example 2-Up System in the diagram above, the network would not necessarily have to expand beyond the four levels that are shown. Let’s suppose that the company represented by the diagram sells a product which has a cost to dealers of $9, and retails for $10. Let’s also suppose (to keep things simple) that the top level (the black oval) was recruited by the company directly, and that the top level recruit does not actually sell any products, preferring to simply profit from the sales of his â€Å"downstream†. If each member below the top level sells one product, the top level makes $7, the second level makes $3, the third level makes $1 each, and the fourth level makes no profit at all – exactly the same proportion of returns as if the framework were a naked pyramid scheme. The company (the recruiter of the top level in this example) is guaranteed a profit of just $2 from a total of 15 products sold. That should tell you something about the real cost (and likely the quality) of products offered through multi-level marketing schemes, as well as the futility of investing in one. Unless you are fortunate enough to be near the top of the pyramid – whether it’s a legitimate (if only just) MLM program or an actual pyramid scheme – the claims of high returns these schemes offer mean, â€Å"High returns for those who came before you.† Best to do your homework, and find safer ways to invest your money.

Hazardous waste management #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Mobile learning, technology leadership and technology competency Article

Mobile learning, technology leadership and technology competency - Article Example The article discovered that the principals’ skills that were aligned with NETS-A were fluency in using programs or hardware, knowledge of data and information recovery, interacting with stakeholders, and planning and overseeing resources (Garcia and Abrego). Garcia and Abrego compare their findings to those of the studies cited in the theoretical framework. The article’s conclusion does not deviate from the research question, which is highly commendable. The representation of findings in graphs also makes understanding the study easy. I learned that innovation leaders should be capable of planning and overseeing their respective innovations. I could use this information to expand the research for my dissertation and assist my discussion group while working on our project on mobile technology. Park’s research work did not involve any particular population. Instead, Park used former theories about mobile innovations used for educational purposes to test against and with electronic and ubiquitous learning. Park says the study’s purpose was to offer an improved insight of the features of mobile learning in terms of distance education by comparing three different learning innovations, and changing and accepting the TD (Transactional Distance) theory to suit his research. (Park, 2011). As a result, Park tries to fix former research works into four kinds of mobile education. The outcome of this analysis is the confirmation that mobile gadgets are compatible especially with continuous movement and shifts. The article also says mobile gadgets specially support mixed learning between high and low transactional distances. The lack of systematic methods and research design turn Park’s work into an investigative and argumentative research. The research presented theoretical frameworks adopted from previous researches with the aim of analyzing and comparing them (Park, 2011). All vocabulary in the article are well defined but the

Composition Of Consumer Co Operative Societies

Composition Of Consumer Co Operative Societies Consumers are unorganized and therefore exploited by traders in price, quality and weight. Consumer co-operatives protects the interests of consumers against artificial scarcity, over charging of prices, supply of sub standard goods and the unfair trade practices distorted by private traders. Definition: Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960, defines consumer co-operative society as a society, the object of which is: The procurement, production or processing and the distribution of goods to or, the performance of other services for its members as also other consumers, The distribution among its members and customers, of the profit occurring from such procurement, production, processing and distribution are in proportion as prescribed by rules or bye-laws of the society. A consumer co-operative society is basically formed for the promotion of the interests of the consumers. Composition of consumer co-operative societies: National Co-operative Consumers Federation (1) State Co-operative Consumers Federation (28) Departmental Stores (Apna Bazaar) Wholesale / Central Stores (681) Primary Consumer Co-operative Stores (26469) University College Consumers Stores Consumers Stores of Industrial Workers Consumers Stores for Rural Population Objectives of consumer co-operatives: To educate the consumers to keep their needs within the income limit. Stabilization of market rates. To supply the goods and services regularly at reasonable costs. To protect the consumers from black marketing, increase in market rates, scarcity, cheating and adulteration. To supply proper unadulterated goods and to use proper measurement (weighing scales). To inculcate the habit of savings and economy among the consumers. To control the profit-making tendency Need and importance of consumer co-operatives: Supply of things and services as per needs- The consumer co-operative societies are formed to satisfy the needs goods and services as demanded by the consumers. There are directly contracts with producers and manufacturers of things and required goods are purchased directly from them, thereby the consumers can be supplied with the goods as demanded. Eradication of malpractices of traders- It is found that there are many malpractices in trading like black marketing, artificial scarcity, cheating in measurements, hoarding, etc. proper measurements are not used whereby the consumer becomes ultimate victim of all these malpractices by the traders. There is no place for all these things in co-operative consumer societies and so the consumers are attracted towards them. Necessity of time: India has adopted financial planning and there is importance for public distribution of essentialities of life. The consumer co-operative societies help the government in distributing these essentialities to rural and urban areas of our country. These societies have become very important day by day. Since these societies have been entrusted the job distribution, the consumers are saved from financial exploitation and hardship. Establishment of proper trading system: The consumer co-operative societies supply good quality of things at reasonable cost by using right measurement and pure things. Hence from the viewpoint of customers these societies are very important. Eradication of traders chain: There is long chain in between the producers and consumers. The things are sold at higher cost to consumers because the middlemen add their own profit and expenses. The consumer co-operative societies directly purchase the goods from the producers and chain of middleman can be avoided. Apna Bazaar Apna Bazaar is probably the oldest and largest consumer co-operative multi-state society with a customer base of over 12 lakhs. The Rs 140-crore retail chain, that, for over 55 years remained largely middle-class, Apna Bazaar has 80 outlets in Mumbai, Thane and the neighbouring Konkan region. It has recently opened its first shop outside the state in Goa. It recorded a turnover of Rs 127 crore for the year 2003-04. Apna Bazar, the synonym for the basic needs, Brand name of Mumbai Kamgar Madhyavarti Grahak Sahakari Mandal Ltd Date of Incorporation 9th May 1948 Constitution Multi State Co-operative Society Sector Private Industry Retailing Registered Office 106-A, Govingi Keni Road, Naigaon, Dadar [East], Mumbai 400014 Role of Apna Bazaar: Apna bazaar plays a vital role by market intervention during the shortages of essential commodities. The distribution of these items is taken up by the Apna Bazaar at a loss to fulfill its social commitments. At times of need, Apna Bazaar has diverted its manpower and resources, even at the cost of its own commercial interest, for the public good. Objectives of Apna Bazaar: To undertake wholesale and retail distribution of consumer goods and essential commodities; and to establish department stores; To foster the growth products and new manufacturing units through market support and management advice To lower distribution costs and to introduce fair and better trading practices such as fixed prices etc; and Eradication of malpractices of traders black marketing, artificial scarcity, cheating in measurements, adulteration, etc. Necessity of time public distribution of essential commodities in rural and urban areas. Elimination of middlemen. Management and Organization: Apna Bazaar is headed by a management team comprising a chairman, vice chairman and Hon secretaries. The team largely provides direction to the organization and is not involved in the day-to-day affairs. The day-to-day affairs are managed by an executive team, which consists of a general manager, additional general manager and office bearers of the organization. Outlet Apna Bazaar has a customer base of over 12 lakhs. Apna Bazaar has 80 outlets in Mumbai, Thane and the neighbouring Konkan region. It has recently opened its first shop outside the state in Goa.The break up of the stores is: Items Sold By Apna Bazaar Apna Bazaar has the following three main categories of items: Agro products Branded products Rural products Apna Bazaar sells an immense variety of items through its various departments/retail outlets. These are described below: Furniture: All type of wooden furniture, steel furniture library furniture, hospital furniture, revolving chairs, computer furniture, mattresses, pillows, sofa cushion. Household: Steel utensils, aluminum utensils, non stock, gas stoves, locks, mixer-grinder, juice-cum-mixer grinder, hot-cases, room heater, room convector, geysers, all type of fans, electrical goods, washing machine, air-conditioners, water cooler, voltage stabilizer, generator set, crockery, flasks, plastic items, electrical bulb/tubes and tube fittings, table lamp, emergency light, cell, torch, electric wire, desert cooler, exhaust fans. Footwear: Shoes, sandals, ladies purse, belt, umbrella, school, bag, suit cases, brief cases, file box, file bag, luggage bag. Textile: Woolen suiting, tericot suiting and shirting, blanket, blazer, bed-sheets, pillow cover, dress material, all types of sarees, markein cloth, long cloth, voil, mulmul khadi etc. Handloom: Towels, dusters, curtain cloth, bed-covers, carpets, quilt, durries, jute matting, blankets, pillow covers, door-mats, PVC flooring. Ready Made Garments: Pants, shirts, undergarments, socks, sweaters, leather jackets, ladies suits, petticoats, children garments, rain coats, over-coats, mosquito mat, curtain tapes, machine oil, raxine. Stationery: All types of duplicating, typing, photocopies paper, printing paper, all types of rules registers in different sizes peon books, dak pads, pens, pencils, pen stands, eraser, markers, sign pens, gum-bottles scales, colours, art material, sealing wax, white fluid, sutle, stencil and carbon paper, all type of computer stationery, butter paper, crepe paper, glaze paper, graph paper, file covers, log books, all type of printed forms (Govt. offices), PVC sheet for binding purposes, transparency sheets, ledgers, cash books calculators, computer floppy, fax roll, typewriting ribbon, ammonia paper rolls. Watches: Watches of reputed companies like Titan. Grocery Toiletries: Pulses, spices, atta, rice, oils, tea leaves, and various other edible items, insecticides, disinfectants, phenyle, detergents, soaps, cosmetics, tissue rolls and napkins etc. Medical Surgical Equipment: All types of medicines, medical surgical equipment etc. Members Benefits: Dividend on shares at 12% to individuals, society and government. Purchase rebate on share amount 10% each year. Attractive rate of interest up to 9% on fixed deposit by the members. Facilities Offered By Apna Bazaar to Consumers: Apna Bazaar provides the following facilities to consumers: Quality products at reasonable prices. Variety of items under one roof. 24 hours drugs outlets. Self-service counters Items of high quality tested by its quality- testing laboratory. Display boards and price lists at various counters to enable the customer to make his/her choice. Home delivery, but this facility is only available for purchase from branches. Discount sales periodically on various items Location: The location for the store is selected taking in consideration the residential population in the area, the standard of living of the people, the amount of business the other shops are doing and also future development that are likely to take place in that area in future. Area covered: Apna Bazaar has 80 outlets in Mumbai, Thane and the neighbouring Konkan region. It has recently opened its first shop outside the state in Goa. However the density of Apna Bazaar is high in Naigoan and Chembur Space required: The minimum requirement of area for setting up Apna Bazaar is1000 sq.feet. The biggest store is at Vashi, which is spread across 27000 sq.feet. Target segments: The store was started keeping in mind the lower middle class section of the society. But gradually it has moved up the consumer ladder with the inclusion of the middle class as its target consumer. Now slowly it is drawing the upper class towards it. It now caters to almost all the segments of the society depending on the location. In order to attract the upper class to combat growing competition in the retail industry it is making changes in its product-mix. Change in product Mix: The above table indicates decline in the sales of Rice, Wheat, Pulses etc which shows the change in the food culture/consumption pattern of the consumer. It indicates that the consumers inclination towards ready-to-eat food is increasing. Taking this into consideration Apna Bazaar had made has made appropriate changes in its Product Mix. Slowly the Percentage of food grains, pulses has declined and that of FMCG products has increased. In a couple of years the percentage of poultry products in the product mix would increase whereas that of food grains pluses etc. would decline. This would further change the product -mix of Apna Bazaar. Store Layout: Layout of shop Apna Bazaar does not have any specific layout of shop. But in most of outlet the 1st division you would come out is Vegetable, Fruit, Medical product, food grains, and FMCG product. The only think that is kept under consideration that Heavy Product like 5kg. Sugar, 10kg. Wheat, 5 ltr. Oil is near cash counter for convenience of customer. In case of display they see to it that display at entrance is very colorful attractive. Hence they display cosmetics FMCG product. Besides product, which is new to the market, are also displayed to grab attention of consumer Product Display: The brands are displayed in a very attractive manner .The decision to place a Brand on a particular shall depends upon the Market share enjoyed by the company /Brand. Usually there are 5 Shelves. Out of which 2nd, 3rd 4th shelves are most important ones on which the brand with high market share or high brand equity are placed. These products are always in demand by the customers. Footfalls: In big stores, like the departmental store at Andheri, there are 2000 to 3000 footfalls in a day (on weekdays) on weekends there are around 3000 to 3500 footfalls. In small outlets there are around 100 footfalls on regular days .On weekends there are 200 to 250 footfalls. The footfalls are more especially on Sunday. The footfalls are more in evening between 6.30pm. 8.30pm .Whereas the footfalls are comparatively low during the afternoon slot of 1.30-3.30 pm. Keeping this in mind stores are closed down during this time. In this time the staff are rearrange the merchandise in the store. Sources of Income: Retailing is their core activity and a major part of their income come from the various retail outlets. They supply commodities like Dal, Pulses, Food grains, Cereals to Govt. Institutions, Hospitals for their Canteens. A 30 Days credit is given to them. They also earn income from the company racks that they display in their outlets. These racks contain the products of the particular company and the in turn pays Apna Bazaar for displaying these racks. E.g. Maggie, Colgate, Pepsodent, Vicks, Nescafe etc. They provide space to companies e.g. MEPL (Electronic goods) in order to display and sell their goods by charging rent for space provided. They have 37 Franchise outlets, which act as a source of income for Apna Bazaar as Apna Bazaar supplies 70% of goods. Provide place to banks for opening ATM center by charging rent since almost all the outlets are owned by Apna bazaar. MetLife India signed an agreement with Apna Bazaar Co-operative for selling life insurance policies. Based on the agreement, Apna Bazaar Co-operative shall become corporate agents for MetLife India and offer MetLife India products to its huge customer base. Henceforth Apna Bazaar will enable its customers to build financial freedom through MetLife India products based on need analysis. Apna Bazaar will receive a commission of 35% on Premium amount. Exports: Apna Bazaar is a 55 year old co-operative organization with US $ 37 million annual turnover through 07 departmental stores, 06 super markets 65 retail outlets. Apna bazaar used to export commodities like fish and grapes to Europe. In spite of good earnings on exports they have discontinued the exports from this year .Thus the reasons for the discontinuation were due to: The goods were seasonal in nature. In case of grapes the Jalgoan region in which grapes where cultivated was hit by drought, thereby by affecting the production of grapes. Besides the grapes were sprayed with certain chemicals which were banned in the European countries, thereby further affecting the exports. Besides exports is not Apna Bazaars core activity therefore the decision to discontinue exports was taken. SWOT Analysis: Strengths: Goodwill- Apna Bazaar has built its image over the years as a value for money store, which supplies good quality goods at economical price. Number of Outlets- Apna Bazaar has 80 outlets spread all over Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane and the neighbouring Konkan region, Lanza (Bombay-Goa road), among other places in Maharashtra. All these areas are easily accessible as public transportation is available. Hence providing easy accessibility to the customers. Team work- Although there is no training imparted to the employees at the outlets, there is co-ordination and understanding between them due to which the work goes on smoothly creating a win-win situation for both, the management and the employees. Modernization- Apna Bazaar makes use of modern technology to maintain correct supplier bills and giving accurate bills to customers giving details of each purchase and most importantly showing him the savings he has made while purchasing from Apna Bazaar. They also possess total details of their sales and the percentage of sales in each category so they know where the sales are high and where they are lagging behind. Genuine Products- The products of Apna Bazaar are genuine as they purchase it directly from the companies. Lots of imitations of consumables such as honey, oil, etc. are available in many stores. People get cheated, as it is not easy to identify them. CRM- Apna Bazaar organizes a customer meet for their regular customers called MELAVDA at their anniversary to build stronger relations with their customers. On this day, the customers are offered purchase discounts which show that they have taken corrective steps towards customer satisfaction. Weaknesses Capital- Raising capital for expansion and improvement is also a constraint. Apna Bazaar is bounded by the laws of consumer co-operatives due to which they cannot raise funds from open market. There is also limit prescribed by the consumer co-operatives for number of shares issued by Apna Bazaar. This is a major drawback for Apna Bazaar. Ageing society- Apna Bazar started after World War 2 when there was need of essential commodities at lower prices. But, after liberalization many super markets and hypermarkets have opened up due to which there is explosion of choices. Moreover, people today have the money to go for convenience shopping, and hence, the purpose for opening the co-operative is defeated. Obstacles in recruitment: Apna Bazar does not have the budget to recruit skilled staff. The employees are not well educated and hence, they are not aware of the management practices. A qualified employee demands higher salary, which cannot be given by Apna Bazaar due to their constraints. Hence they cannot appoint a MBA a managerial job. No online retailing: Apna Bazar does not have information about its products online. They should have their own website as it is very important in todays world. They could even learn about customer grievances by the feedback. Price fluctuation: Price Fluctuation is a major threat to Apna Bazar. If the product is bought at a higher price is has to be sold at that price only so as not to incur losses. For example, the price of oil fluctuates a lot. So if the price for oil is Rs. 820 for a can when it is purchased, it will be sold at Rs 820 per can even if the price falls to Rs. 800 per can. In this case the oil available from other shops will be cheaper. Opportunities Brand building: Apna Bazaar can take efforts to build its brand image. For this purpose, a marketing firm can he hired. This will attract more and more people to its outlets. Also, they have upgraded their outlets. This can be the base for attracting more customers as they will soon have all air conditioned stores. Expansion: Apna Bazaar can expand its outlets to other states. At present, they have discovered interests from Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. The initiation is on the anvil. Development in suburbs: People are now moving in the suburbs; infrastructure is developing due to which there is huge potential to attract more customers. Retailing boom: Retailing today is not only about selling at the shop, but also about surveying the market, offering choice and experience to consumers, competitive prices and retaining consumers as well. The establishment of supermarkets and convenience stores has been a great effort to communicate the advantages of organized retailing to customers. Threats: Malls- There are a large number of malls that offer discounts the discounts offered by them are as good as those offered by Apna Bazaar because the malls purchase in bulk and can hence afford to give heavy discounts to the customers. The customer has an explosion of choices and will prefer shopping at these big malls because of the ambience. They get the complete shopping experience at malls. Hence, malls are a major threat for Apna Bazaar. Competition from other stores in terms of- Customer Centric Approach: Most other stores take feedback from the customers in form of grievances, opinions and suggestions. They can find out customer needs and ways to satisfy them. Image: Image of a private retailer is more modern and advanced compared to that of Apna Bazaar. The display is also more attractive in other super markets and hypermarkets compared to Apna Bazaar. Future Plans: Apna Bazaar plans to open outlets in the new housing colonies coming up in the interior suburbs like Kandivli and Thane. Increasing the distribution reach is a strategy to counter competition the co-operative plans to increase its outlets from 80 at present to about 100 by next year. This would comprise department stores, super markets, franchisee outlets and medical stores, both in Maharashtra as well as rest of the country. Apart from that, it has money transfer facility under an arrangement with Western Union money transfer. On the tie-up with HPCL for having Apna Bazaar outlets at the petrol pumps, so far three HPCL pumps have Apna Bazaar outlets and the results are still being analyzed. Apna Bazaar Co-operative has embarked on a restructuring exercise and has appointed Darashaw and Company as strategic consultants. The restructuring involves exiting certain business while adding more services, to be provided under its umbrella. The restructuring plan involves exiting out of businesses like export of fish and grapes, milk processing, manufacturing bakery products like biscuits and also pickles papads and spices. Online booking for provisions through the Net and a centralized system to control inventory are also on the anvil. To begin with the co-operative plans to have a dedicated call center for customers to phone in their requirements, which would then be delivered from the nearest Apna Bazaar outlet. An online presence, on the lines of Sangam Direct-the online initiative of HLL-is under consideration. To ensure minimum inventory and maximum rotation, the co-operative is planning to centralize its supply chain management. It is talking to FMCG majors like Tata, Nestle, HLL and PG to ensure rotation without building up much inventory. While the super markets would be serviced directly by the companies, the requirements of franchisee outlets would be met by Apna Bazaar to ensure better co-ordination. Apna Bazaar operates the Akshay Labh Yojana scheme wherein the customers can deposit Rs. 10,000 at any point of time in the year and get items worth Rs. 100 per month free. They also have term deposit schemes. Apna Bazaar has also entered into an eCRM tie-up with Venture Infotek, the e-infrastructure solutions provider, whereby Venture Infotek provides the integrated end-to-end solutions, with the shared infrastructure and payment-as-you-use payment mechanism, without investment in infrastructure. The first thing on Apna Bazaars plans is to work on all 365 days like other big players. Upgrading the skills of their manpower and create vehicle parking facility are also in their agenda. They plan to have a tie-up with Citibank on co-branding. Regarding credit card, they are on the verge of signing a MoU with SBI. As visual merchandising, a new way for presenting the products will be introduced. The National Consumers Co-Operative Federation has approached Apna Bazaar and enquired about the possibility of running department stores under the brand name Apna Bazaar in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. Apna Bazaar is planning to open another outlet in Goa as they have got a good response from the supermarket. Recommendations: Government interference has had a major effect on the democratic setup of Apna Bazaar. Therefore, lesser dependence on government should be opted for. Government should help stores like Apna Bazaar with credit at cheaper interest rates. Apna Bazaar should improve their capital assets by enrolling more members and also introduce more product varieties. In the coming years, the economy will be dominated by the retailing sector. Times are changing, organizations are changing. Changing according to times is inevitable. Apna Bazaar has to change its traditional viewpoints. It should adopt new techniques and accept change wholeheartedly. Bringing qualitative changes in their skill and especially mindset will help it to survive competition. Apna Bazaar can open one outlet offering all the products it sells in the 80 outlets so that people get all products offered by Apna Bazaar under one roof. Other activities: Healthy child competition for member children. Ayurvedic camp conducted by apna bazaar every year in November. Consumer bulletins are printed and distributed to consumers, which gives them information about various products stored by them.

Marketing Mix Essay

Introduction Marketing Mix is a major concept in modern marketing and involves practically everything that a marketing company can use to influence consumer perception favorably towards its product or services so that consumer and organizational objectives are attained, i.e. Marketing mix is a model of crafting and implementing marketing strategy. In this assignment, I will discuss the major marketing mix variables as classified by Prof. E. Jerome McCarthy which are: i. Product ii. Price iii. Place (Distribution) iv. Promotion. Throughout the assignment I will prefer to use my reference to Sony Corporation. I will refer to this company how it has diversify its market products, the price range, places for distribution and the promotional strategies they have used to promote their products. SONY Corporation In Brief Sony Corporation is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world’s largest media conglomerate with revenue of US$88.7 billion (as of 2008) based in Minato, Tokyo. Sony is one of the leading manufacturers of electronics, video, communications, video game consoles and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Its name is derived from Sonus, the Greek goddess of sound. Sony Corporation is the electronics business unit and the parent company of the Sony Group, which is engaged in business through its five operating segments—electronics, games, entertainment (motion pictures and music), financial services and other. These make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world. Sony’s principal business operations include Sony Corporation (Sony Electronics in the U.S.), Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Sony Ericsson and Sony Financial Holdings. As a semiconductor maker, Sony is among the Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders. The company’s slogan is Sony. Like no other. SONY Products The first market mix element is Product. A product is anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a need or want. Product decision normally base on brand name, Functionality, Styling, Quality, Safety, Packaging, Repairs and Support, Warranty, accessories and Services. These product attributes can be manipulated depending on what the target market wants. Also, customers always look for new and improved things, which is why marketers should improve existing products, develop new ones, and discontinue old ones that are no longer needed or wanted by the customer. Sony has a variety of products ranging from electronic devices, games and entertainment. So, briefly Sony products can be categorized in the following major product categories: i. Television and Projectors: Bravia LCD TV, CRT TV, Home theatre projector, Business Projector, Public Display Panel. ii. Home video: Blue-ray disc player, DVD player, DVD portable player. iii. Home Audio: Hi-Fi Systems, Home audio accessories. E.g. Digital media port. iv. Home Theatre system: DVD Home Theatre System, Home Theatre Component System, Home Theatre System Accessories. v. Digital Photography: Digital SLR, Cybershot Digital Camera, Digital Photo Printer, Digital Photo Frame vi. Hand cam video camera: Handycam high definition video Camera, Handycam Standard Definition Video Camera, Handycam Accessoriesiv, Digital Photo Printer, Digital Photo Frame. vii. Computer Peripherals: VAIO laptops and computers, VAIO accessories, Business Projectorsiv, Memory Stick. viii. Portable Audio: Walkman mp3 series, CD Walkman series, CD/Radio/Cassette player, Radio, Voice recorder, Audio Accessories ix. Game: Playstation 3, Playstation 2, PSP (Playstation Portable) x. In-Car entertainment: Xplod CD receiver, Xplod in car visual, Xplod Cassette receiver, Xplod Amplifier, Xplod Speaker/Subwoofer xi. Mobile phones : Phones, Phone Accessories. xii. Storage and Recording media: Memory Stick, USB storage media, Data storage media, Video Storage media, Audio media, Storage media, Professional media. xiii. Battery and Charger SONY Promotion Brief Introduction: Promotion is a key element of marketing program and is concerned with  effectively and efficiently communicating the decisions of marketing strategy, to favorably influence target customers’ perceptions to facilitate exchange between the marketer and the customer that may satisfy the objective of both customer and the company. A company’s promotional efforts are the only controllable means to create awareness among publics about itself, the products and services it offers , their features and influence their attitudes favorably. Advertising: SONY has advertised its products through many different ways and media. Through TV we have seen different advertisements of its products such as Bravia televisions or Sony wega TV. Sony also advertise its products by targeting those favorable television programs, like sports, series and also it has its own channel called Sony TV channel. Sony uses some events like Miss India2008 to promote its products. Also, Sony has advertised its games like Playstation 3, Playstation 2 and PSP using sports like football in England premiere league. Through newspapers like Times of India, Sony has advertised a wide range of products it offers to its customers. And also through Posters a message has been sent to a lot of people to be aware of the products which Sony offers. Sony also uses direct – response advertising. This is type of advertising that encourages the consumer to respond either by providing feedback to the advertiser or placing the order with the advertiser either by telephone, mail or the internet. Such advertising is done through direct mail or catalogues. Sony incorporates co-operative advertising in its advertising process. Sony corporation provides the dealers (e.g. Sony World) with the materials and guidelines to develop ads for print, television or radio commercials. This ensures that message is in line with, what the manufacture wants to communicate. The company and the dealers usually share the media costs and hence, the name ‘co-operative advertising’. Sales Promotion: Sales promotion is a marketing discipline that utilizes a variety of incentives techniques to structure sales – related programs targeted to customers, trade, and/or sales levels that generate a specific, measurable action or response for a product or service. Sales promotions for example includes free samples, discount, rebates, coupons, contents and sweepstakes, premiums, scratch cards, exchange offers, early bird prizes, etc. Sony has promoted its products through different sales promotional  strategies. For example after the release of the Sony BRAVIA television sets, Sony promoted them by earl bird prizes by saying that all BRAVIA full HD LCDTVs purchased during July 2008 and registered within two weeks of purchase qualify for a Bonus Playstation 3 as long as the customer claims is one of the first35,000 received and validated by Sony. Also Sony has promoted its Sony Ericsson P1i phones by including a scratch cards which gives the customer the offer to download 10 free software application for that mobile phone. Sony Ericsson has also promoted its Sony Ericsson K550i Mid-Range Cyber-shot Phone that if you buy it you get a free Bluetooth headset with one year manufacturer’s warranty Public Relations and Publicity: Public relations is a broad set of communication activities employed to create and maintain favorable relationship with employees, shareholders, suppliers, media, educators, potential investors, financial institutions, government agencies and officials and society in general. Through its website, Sony corporation has its provided contacts for those customers who will be in need of any information from the company. In this way Sony can create a mutual relationship with its customers and ensure that it serves the wishes and demands of its customers. SONY Place (Distribution) Decisions with respect to distribution channel focus on making the product available in adequate quantities at places where customers are normally expected to shop for them to satisfy their needs. Depending on the nature of the product, marketing management decides to put into place an exclusive, selective or intensive network of distribution, while selecting the appropriate dealers or wholesalers. Sony being the company which positions itself as a seller of durable and high-end products, it is practicing selective distribution of its products from the selective dealers i.e. SONY World. Apart from this there are grey-markets in India and other countries where a practice of intensive market coverage is practiced, and the products in these kind of markets normally do not posses all the features and benefits which Sony offers e.g. warranty and guarantee. Sony distributes its products in various channels. It uses Zero-level channel, one level channel  and two-level channel. In India, Sony has used the method of one-level distribution channel. This means that, customer buy their Sony product from the retailers recognized by Sony, and these retailers buy the products directly from the company itself. SONY Price Pricing decisions are almost always made in consultation with marketing management. Price is the only marketing mix variable that can be altered quickly. Price variables such as dealer price, retail price, discounts, allowances, credit terms etc. influence the development of marketing strategy, as price is a major factor that influences the assessment of value obtained by customers. Customers directly relate price to quality, particularly in case of products that are ego intensive of technology based. Sony being a company which emphasize product quality, it tends to sell its products with price range from moderately-high to high-prices, depending on the use and the targeted customers. For example, Lets consider Sony series of VAIO laptops. Sony has tried to categorize the laptops according to style, user, purpose, mobility and performance, and each a corresponding price. The laptops sold by Sony in India include a series of Sony VAIO, this are VAIO SR, VAIO FW, VAIO tokage, VAIO CR, VAIO NR, VAIO TZ and VAIO SZ. VAIO SR, boast on the excellence in mobility and perfection in performance. This laptop was designed for businessmen and its price is around Rs. 75,000/ VAIO FW, boast of theatrical experience and world class performance. This model was designed mainly for home user or casual user of laptops who aims on media playback. The price of it is around Rs. 80,000 and Rs.1,25,000. VAIO CR, boast on style and texture. Depending on the configuration, the prices are from Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 65,000. VAIO NR, boast of natural, chic design. It was designed to meet customers ambiance and lifestyle. For this reason the Sony corporation has decided the price of the laptop to be Rs. 40,000 and Rs. 50,000 depending on the configuration. VAIO TZ, boast of elite lifestyle, and high class performance. This laptop was designed purposely for business as it is light weight, high processing speed, and flash memory storage and longer backup power. For all this facts Sony has priced it to be between Rs. 1,15,000 and Rs. 1,40,000.VAIO SZ, boast of premier mobility and executive excellence. This laptop was  developed by Sony to target executives and business people who are mobile. The laptop is fitted with hybrid hard disk drive and motion eye camera and Bluetooth compatible headset with applications for increasing mobility and video conferencing. It’s price is about Rs. 1,24,000