New business proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

New business proposal - Essay Example This paper also contains the market analysis of the product, describing the industry, size of the market, and the description of the product. It is very difficult for the company to achieve success in penetrating the American market without ban elaborate and effective marketing strategy. This paper contains the marketing strategy that the organization should use, and the estimated financial flow that the project intends to attract. The company intends to start making some profits during its third year of operations. The product of the company under review is ASOS.com. This is a British online company that is responsible for selling beauty and fashion products. The target markets of the company are young adults. Furthermore, the company manages to sale over 850 clothing brands, and it also has its own brand of accessories and clothing materials. As of the year 2013, the company was able to make a sale of 753.8 million pounds. The products that the company manages to sale are menswear, womenswear, beauty products, jewellery, accessories, footwear. On each and every week, the ware house of the company normally comes up with new products, aimed at replacing the already sold out products. The major disadvantage is that these products removed from the warehouse are not unique (Sachdev, 2004). This is a major disadvantage to the company, and it ought to invest heavily in research and development for purposes of developing unique products aimed at catering for the needs of its target market. ASOS.com has various websites that target markets in USA, UK, Australia, Germany, China, Italy, Spain, Russia, etc. These are not the only countries that the company operates in, and this is because it normally ships its products to over 237 countries of the world. It has two distribution centres in the United Kingdom, which is responsible for undertaking this job. The company has approximately 21 million unique customers per month, and 7 million active or permanent

Strategies to Control Exposure to Harmful Substances

Strategies to Control Exposure to Harmful Substances Control of exposure to substances harmful to health by the UK government was first implemented during the late 19th century (Piney 2001). Today, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) assessments are used to address the risk associated with chemicals and how they may be used safely. This report considers three cleaning products which are used on a daily basis in the office environment in which I work: Freshline Bleach, Lifeguard 3 Way Toilet Cleaner and Mr Muscle Professional Kitchen Cleaner. COSHH assessments for these products are included in Appendix I. 1. Chemicals used in office cleaning products and the processes involving these products The three cleaning products assessed in this report contain a number of different chemicals. The components of each of these products are listed in Table 1, together with their toxicity, targets organs/organ systems and the recommended occupational exposure limits for these chemicals. The main targets organs for the chemicals in these products are the eyes and skin but the respiratory and digestive systems may also be affected if these products are inhaled or ingested. Freshline Bleach is used for general cleaning and disinfecting purposes. In the office, it is used dilute for cleaning floors (e.g. corridors and toilet floors). A working solution is typically prepared in a mop bucket using tap water for dilution and the floors mopped. At the end of the procedure, the dilute solution is emptied down the drain and both mop bucket and mop rinsed in clean tap water. This bleach is also used neat for cleaning toilets and drains into which it is poured straight from the 5 litre container. Lifeguard 3 Way Toilet Cleaner is a cleaner, disinfectant and deodorizer that is used in the office to remove limescale and uric acid deposits on toilet bowls and urinals. The product is typically poured neat into the toilet bowl/urinal from the 1 litre container. Mr Muscle Professional Kitchen Cleaner is a cleaning spray used to clean all kitchen work surfaces, utensils and other equipment. This is sprayed neat onto surfaces and then wiped off using a disposable cloth. 2. Potential hazards for workers during handling of chemicals The COSHH assessment included in Appendix I identifies the risk associated with the chemicals in each of the three cleaning products. There is the potential for all workers (both cleaning staff and office workers) to be exposed to these chemicals in the workplace. Cleaning staff are at the greatest risk of exposure at they will be handling the concentrated products. There is a risk of splashback from the bleach and toilet cleaner when pouring this into the toilet. There is also the potential for individuals to come into contact with undiluted chemicals during disposal of empty containers. Workers using bleach may inhale vapour if this is used in a poorly-ventilated area. If cleaning cloths are used for multipurposes with a variety of different cleaning products without being properly rinsed between uses, there is also the potential for reactions to take place between chemicals in the different products which could be hazardous for workers. For example, if bleach comes into contact with acid, toxic gas may be liberated which could then be inhaled. There is also the potential for chemical reactions to take place if different cleaning products are used together, e.g. when cleaning toilets. 3. Monitoring workplace exposure and minimising the risk of exposure The COSHH assessment identified Freshline Bleach and Lifeguard 3 Way Toilet Cleaner as medium hazards and Mr Muscle Professional Kitchen Cleaner as low hazard. For both the bleach and toilet cleaner in particular, it is essential that correct safety precautions are taken during the handling, use and disposal of these products. Monitoring workplace exposure to the chemicals in these products is difficult and levels of exposure cannot be measured qualitatively. Regular inspections of the office kitchen and toilets will detect spillages that have not been cleaned up thoroughly which could mean workers are exposed to higher than normal levels of concentrated products. Keeping a record of the quantities of each product used (e.g. by asking staff to complete a log when they take a new container) would provide an indicator of the amounts being used within the office as a whole on a monthly/annual basis which may provide some indicator of occupational exposure levels. There is a designated health and safety officer within the office but regular inspections are not conducted and no formal training sessions are held to ensure that new staff joining the company are familiarised with correct office safety procedures. A number of measures can be taken to minimise the risk of exposure. The COSHH assessments for all chemicals should be kept in a place where they can be found easily and all workers should familiarise themselves with these assessments and be aware of first aid measures and correct procedures for cleaning up spillages and disposal of solid waste. Training sessions for staff should be arranged if necessary. All workers using cleaning products must wear suitable personal protective equipment as detailed in the COSHH assessment (e.g. eye protection when working with concentrated toilet cleaner and eye protection, PVC/rubber gloves and protective overalls when working with concentrated bleach). Regular inspections would monitor whether correct working procedures are being followed and written reports from each inspection would provide a record over time. In case of spillage of concentrated bleach or toilet cleaner on clothing, bags should be available to contain the soiled article(s) of clothing to send for cleaning and these should be clearly labelled with the hazard. PVC or rubber gloves should be replaced regularly and should be rinsed well with water if they have come into contact with concentrated solutions of bleach or toilet cleaner ensuring that no door handles or other surfaces are touched and contaminated with concentrated product. All spillages should be cleaned up thoroughly to minimise the risk of workers exposure to concentrated product and both spilt product and any solid waste associated with the spillage disposed of safely. The risk of splashing is reduced by using spray containers (as in the case of Mr Muscle Professional Kitchen Cleaner), rather than the larger bottles or containers which hold the bleach and toilet cleaner, and less of the product is likely to be used with these types of containers. If concentrated bleach or toilet cleaner is spilt on toilet seats, it is important that this is cleaned up thoroughly to minimise the risk of skin contact. In all cases where concentrated bleach has been used in sinks, this should be rinsed thoroughly with copious amounts of water to reduce the risk of workers’ exposure and also to ensure safe disposal of the product. Previously, cleaning staff used to clean the office in the early evening when many staff were still working. This meant that neat bleach or toilet cleaner would be poured into toilet bowls or urinals and workers may then wish to use them, which significantly increased the likelihood of exposure to concentrated products. We have now req uested that cleaning staff work later in the evening two nights per week when staff have already left and it is only on these occasions that the toilets are cleaned. Cloths used for cleaning the kitchen should be rinsed thoroughly at the end of each use and not left where workers or even food could come into contact with concentrated products. Empty containers should be rinsed out well with water before disposal and the top of the container should be replaced to minimise the risk of individuals (i.e. office workers or waste disposal workers) coming into contact with undiluted chemicals. Products should be used in a well-ventilated area, particularly in the case of bleach. The office kitchen is poorly ventilated and has no windows that can be opened but the windows in the toilets can be opened before using products in these areas. Correct storage of products will minimise the risk of workers’ exposure to chemicals. These products should ideally be stored in a locked storage area for which only suitable trained staff have access, and all products stored in original, closed containers, kept upright, in a cool place away from direct sunlight. 4. Plan of action for improvement An audit showed that many staff were not aware of the risks from chemicals in cleaning products used in this office and that correct procedures for their safe use, disposal and storage were not being followed. Following this, a number of new measures have been, or will be, implemented. Training sessions have been arranged for all existing office staff to ensure they are familiar with COSHH assessments and safety procedures and these will be repeated when new staff join the company. Ensuring cleaning staff are correctly trained poses a greater challenge as these staff are recruited from an external agency who are responsible for their own training and quality control; however, the health and safety officer has worked with this agency to ensure that staff are familiar with safety procedures. No sand or other inert absorbable material was available in the office in case of large spillages. This has now been obtained and all staff are familiar with where this is stored. A small, lockable cupboard was previously used for storing cleaning products but this was sometimes left unlocked. Furthermore, containers of kitchen cleaner were left in the cupboard under the sink in the kitchen close to where clean crockery is stored, and toilet cleaner was also frequently left in toilet cubicles. The COSHH assessment identified that Lifeguard 3 Way Toilet Cleaner should be kept away from chlorine-releasing agents and sodium hypochlorite; therefore bleach and toilet cleaner should not be stored together in the same cupboard as there is a risk that they may come into contact (e.g. in case of spillage). A second, lockable cupboard suitable for the storage of these chemicals will be purchased with one month and the two products stored separately. Staff will be trained to ensure that no products are left lying around in the kitchen or toilet areas and are returned to the storage area after each use, which should always be kept locked. The disposable cloths used for cleaning the kitchen were previously being rinsed with water after use, left to dry and re-used. In order to minimise the risk of exposure of office staff to the cleaning product, these cloths will now be disposed of after a single use. Protective overalls worn by cleaning staff will be washed on a weekly basis and PVC/rubber gloves changed regularly. Regular inspections are now carried out by the office health and safety officer on a monthly basis to ensure correct procedures are being followed. Conclusions Everyday cleaning products used in the office can pose a potential hazard to workers. It is therefore important that COSHH assessments are performed to assess the risk posed by the chemicals contained within these products. All workers should be aware of the correct procedures for the safe handling, use and disposal of these chemicals and should take the necessary precautions to minimise their risk of exposure (e.g. through use of personal protective equipment where appropriate). Reference list Health and Safety Executive 2007. List of approved workplace exposure limits. Retrieved 26th September 2008 from: http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/table1.pdf Piney, M. 2001, ‘OELs and the effective control of exposure to substances hazardous to health in the UK (version 3)’. Retrieved 26th September 2008 from: http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/oel.pdf The Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory 2008, Chemical and other safety information. Oxford University. Retrieved 26th September 2008 from: http://msds.chem.ox.ac.uk Bibliography Health and Safety Executive 2008. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health – COSHH. Retrieved 26th September 2008 from: http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/ Health and Safety Executive 2008. COSHH: A brief guide to the regulations. Retrieved 26th September 2008 from: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg136.pdf Table 1. Chemicals used in office cleaning products: toxicity, target organs and recommended exposure limits (Health and Safety Executive 2007). Assessment Reference: Date:26th July 2008 Review Date: 25th July 2009 1) Assessor Details [Client: please complete Section 1] 2) Process Description [Client: I’ve included all three products in one assessment – you may prefer to put each on a separate COSHH assessment pro forma] [Client: the codes for both risk phrases and safety phrases are standard for COSHH assessments and were taken from The Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Oxford University website, accessed from: http://msds.chem.ox.ac.uk/] 3) Specific Considerations 4) Hazard Category I have familiarised myself with the risks created and safe working practices during the use and handling of chemicals. I shall adhere to COSHH regulations and safe laboratory practices as explained to me during the COSHH assessment. Signature: Date:

Western Views of Women in Islam Essay example -- Essays Papers

Before venturing into the ideals and movements of Islamic feminism, it is important to recognize some of the biased views Westerners often take when it comes to women in Islam. Because of the portrayal of women in the Arab world through pop-culture and the media, some Westerners may believe that Islam creates a society in need of modernity. The concepts of religious government are also foreign to the Western world. Feminists often focus on the practice of veiling women in Islamic tradition as a law made to minimize the importance of women as citizens. It is important for us to recognize where our biased views exist, and what sorts of root assumptions we make about women in Islam. The truth is, Islamic culture is highly misunderstood, and the customs within Islam are often misinterpreted by Westerners. Often we point to the Arab world as an example of poor treatment of women, without evaluating our own laws and practices. In an article in the Start Tribune published in 1989, Dr. Fatma Reda, a scholar from Egypt who came to the U.S. with her husband the year before, experienced some of the Western stumbling blocks for women and longed for her Islamic country. She decided to buy a parcel of land for herself, but in the U.S., she needed a co-signature of her husband. She had been used to more equality in Egypt between men and women. â€Å"Under Islamic law, women can own property independently of their husbands†¦ in Islamic teaching, women are entirely equal to men†¦ many times Muslim women make choices that look on the surface like we don’t have as much freedom, but it is just different† (p. 1). Many Islamic cultures do in fact see women as secondary citizens, but Islamic women are becoming much... ... It is time they realized they have much common ground† by Arzu Merali, the author points out what feminists have assumed of Muslim women. â€Å"The Islamic Human Rights Commission receives case after case of employers and educators using this image of the downtrodden Muslim woman to excuse discrimination. Muslim women are denied many opportunities on the assumption that they will- if not on a whim then by force- get married, or have many children. Or they face the horrendous dilemma of having to choose between employment and their Islamic garb.† We are not prepared to enter a discussion on Muslim women if we do not understand that our stereotypical images are not accurate. The purpose of this project is to bring light to the facts of Islam, of women, and of the Qur'an. After obtaining these facts, only then can we interact for the common goal of feminism.

Research on alcoholic beverages Essay

In this research document I am going to discuss a couple of things concerning the packaging and marketing of alcoholic beverages, then I am going to discuss the target audience of the alcohol industry. there are many rules concerning the packaging and marketing of alcohol in South-Africa, this is due to the fact that we have a lot of car accidents and acts of violence connected to the consumption as evident in the Gauteng liquor policy. According to euromonitor.com the biggest trend at this stage in South Africa is Sustainability not only among manufactures but also among consumers more and more people are becoming more environmentally aware, and this leads to innovation of packaging solutions for the future. Another notable thing that is mentioned on euromonitor. com is that there is more detailed segmentation of international and locally produced products are being applied , stimulating our economic growth in the local alcohol industry. According to ttb. gov the only requirements for the packaging of alcohol in south africa is that it should include the name of the product where it was made and special instructions and warnings and as far as the rest of my research shows it is also a requirement to state on the product that it is not for sale to persons under the age of 18 accept for that there seems to be little constraints concerning the packaging of alcohol. Packaging of products that we produce in south africa sometimes has to relate to international standards due to the fact that we want to export our products but when it comes to advertising alcoholic drinks in south africa there is a couple of things I have to mention. According to the Gauteng liquor policy advertising alcohol increases the amount of alcohol consumed this is a hot debate at this current moment as there are people contesting against the current laws (Gauteng liquor policy, (2011) [pdf]. This shows that the rules regarding advertisement of alcoholic beverages will increase with time, keeping that in mind can be useful in the future regarding the marketing plans that companies that produce alcoholic beverages set up for the future. According to an article – the cost of harmful alcohol abuse in South-Africa; harmful alcohol use is very high in south africa and its stated that it is one of the main risk factors for poor health in South-Africa (http://www. ara. co. za) The target audience for alcoholic beverages is all people that are older than 18 due to law restrictions, the majority of adult do consume alcohol and thus the target audience is quite big the income level of the consumers of alcohol is very diverse but when it comes to specialized products like craft beer for instance the market is much more directed at the upper class, where there is cheaper alternatives for lower income classes. The target audience of alcohol is dependent on the personality of the brand due to the fact that consumers relate to brands and make their choices according to how they would like to portray themselves amongst other individuals. According to Craig Berman the people that drink the most are young men and he also states that men tend to drink more than woman, this is why so manny of the existing companies directly target younger men. (C. Berman 2012 chron . com) Sports fans are also a great target for the alcohol industry due to the fact that men and woman enjoy drinking whilst being entertained by sporting events. The alcohol industry is known for advertising by sponsoring sporting events sport teams and so forth, and in some cases the fans of sponsored teams are just as big fans of the alcohol brand that sponsors their team. So in conclusion the Target audience for alcohol is quite a wide group of individuals but mostly consists out of younger men aged between 18 and 49 and sports fans are also a big hit , the regulations in south africa concerning he packaging is not too strict but one still has to comply to some rules concerning warnings and so forth, the market is very specific and very segmented into various target audiences and lastly the biggest trend in South-Africa’s alcohol industry is focusing on sustainability . Reference list Craig Berman http://smallbusiness. chron. com/largest-target-markets-alcohol-advertising-66914. html http://www. ttb. gov/itd/southafrica. shtml http://www. euromonitor. com/alcoholic-drinks-packaging-in-south-africa/report http://www. ara. co. za/industry-tips/code-of-conduct http://www. ara. co. za/uploads/ban-on-alcohol-advertising/economic-impact-of-an-adban_econometrix_ara_chapter3. pdf.

Drug Addiction and Time Essay

I believe that I am an addict, I made a lot of bad decisions in my life. But the worst was my decision to start using drugs. From the day that I started using to now I have loved it. And at times I would do just about anything to get it, I have done just about everything except sell my body. I stole from the people I love to get what I needed. Using drugs went from only on the weekends, to a couple times a week, to everyday. The worst part is, is I didn’t see that it was consuming so much of my life. There came a point where just smoking weed wasn’t enough anymore, and that’s when i should have walked away. I was 16 when I did heroin the first time. But it wasn’t until a year later when I started shooting up. My best friend and I did everything together and this was no different. We were hooked, she more than I, our lives revolved around getting high. I remember the days we couldn’t get it, she would shake and cry because her body ached for it so bad. I hated seeing her sick, all I could do nothing to help her. It was the worst thing that I have ever seen. When I could I would get her what she needed. We spent our summer days inside. Most of the time we were so high that we couldn’t move, but to us that was the best part of the day. At that moment we could finally just close our eyes and breathe. Looking back now the worst part for me is that I helped my best friend kill herself. I provided her with the drug that was sucking her dry. At that point in time I thought I was helping her. We have always depended on each other but this time we depended on something else. We both are not using heroin anymore, and have come out on the other side of that addiction. We both know that if it were placed in front of us we could not say no. Addiction has taken a lot from me. I have lost the trust of my Parents and my freedom I ounce had. My best friend and I can not hangout outside of school, were just not good for each other to be around. But most of all I lost respect for myself.

Free Essays on Social Stratification

Everywhere you go you attempt to classify all that you see. Every stimulus goes into some specific group or ranking. This is a necessary aspect of life in order to make sense of the world in which we live. However, one must begin to wonder if some of this classifying has negative aspects. People placed in a certain group might have more privileges and advantages than others. Social Stratification has become important in identifying why certain people get certain things. According to our textbook social stratification is viewed as, â€Å"the ranking or grading of individuals and groups into hierarchical layers.†(Hughes, 171) This in turn â€Å"†¦represents structured inequality in the allocation of rewards, privileges, and resources.† (Hughes 171) This brings up some interesting questions. Is there any way that equality is possible? Will there always be poverty in our society? With the help of our textbook, as well as outside sources I plan on studying the current trends of stratification. Along with this I hope to show that while not impossible, total equality is quite unrealistic. It’s a subject that I’m sure has been on a lot of peoples mind since the beginning of civilization as we know it. Most societies have been and continue to organize their institutions so that that the benefits and burdens are systematically distributed unequally among different categories of people. Some might say that poverty is necessary however unfortunate. Without poor individuals a lot of necessary yet â€Å"dirty† jobs would never get done. Also some might point out that there are limited resources and that it should be a fight to see who gets what and how much. Others may feel differently and believe that equality should be a human right and every individual should have an opportunity at the resources. Yet in order to change the system from unequal to equal the people at the top of the hierarchal pyramid would have to give up some of... Free Essays on Social Stratification Free Essays on Social Stratification Everywhere you go you attempt to classify all that you see. Every stimulus goes into some specific group or ranking. This is a necessary aspect of life in order to make sense of the world in which we live. However, one must begin to wonder if some of this classifying has negative aspects. People placed in a certain group might have more privileges and advantages than others. Social Stratification has become important in identifying why certain people get certain things. According to our textbook social stratification is viewed as, â€Å"the ranking or grading of individuals and groups into hierarchical layers.†(Hughes, 171) This in turn â€Å"†¦represents structured inequality in the allocation of rewards, privileges, and resources.† (Hughes 171) This brings up some interesting questions. Is there any way that equality is possible? Will there always be poverty in our society? With the help of our textbook, as well as outside sources I plan on studying the current trends of stratification. Along with this I hope to show that while not impossible, total equality is quite unrealistic. It’s a subject that I’m sure has been on a lot of peoples mind since the beginning of civilization as we know it. Most societies have been and continue to organize their institutions so that that the benefits and burdens are systematically distributed unequally among different categories of people. Some might say that poverty is necessary however unfortunate. Without poor individuals a lot of necessary yet â€Å"dirty† jobs would never get done. Also some might point out that there are limited resources and that it should be a fight to see who gets what and how much. Others may feel differently and believe that equality should be a human right and every individual should have an opportunity at the resources. Yet in order to change the system from unequal to equal the people at the top of the hierarchal pyramid would have to give up some of...

Speed Writing With Fast Notes and Shorthand

Speed Writing With Fast Notes and Shorthand Have you ever gazed at a test question and wondered where on earth it came from? Youre just certain the teacher never, ever covered the information, because it just wasnt in your notes. Then, alas, you discover that some of your classmates did record the information in their notes, and furthermore, they got the question right. This is a common frustration. We miss things when we take class notes. Very few people can write fast enough or concentrate long enough to record everything the teacher says. College lectures can stretch much longer than the lectures you receive in high school  and they can also be very detailed. For this reason, many college students address the potential problem of missing critical information by developing a personalized form of shorthand. This sounds much more complicated than it really is. You dont have to learn a squiggly-line language. You simply come up with a set of symbols or abbreviations for common words that you find in lectures. History of Shorthand Developing shortcuts in your writing is not a new idea, of course. Students have been using this method for as long as theyve been taking class notes. In fact, the origins of shorthand date back to Ancient Greece during the 4th century B.C. However, even prior to that, scribes in ancient Egypt developed two different systems – the  Hieratic  and later  the Demotic  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ which allowed them to write more quickly than they could using complex hieroglyphics. Gregg Shorthand Gregg is essentially a simpler and more efficient way to write than longhand English. Consider that the Roman alphabet we use is much more complicated necessary to distinguish one letter from another. To write a lower-case â€Å"p†, for example, requires a long, downward stroke with a clockwise loop at the top. Then, you have to pick up your pen to move on to the next letter.  Gregg’s â€Å"letters† are comprised of much simpler shapes.  Consonants are made up of either shallow curves or straight lines; vowels are loops or small hooks.  An additional advantage of Gregg is that it’s phonetic. The word â€Å"day† is written as d and a. Since letters are less complicated and joined simply, there are fewer of them to write which will increase your speed! Tips for Using Shorthand The trick is to develop a good system and to do it well. To do that, you have to practice. Try these tips: Develop a list of  the most commonly used words and make shortcuts for them.At the beginning of a term, look through the textbooks for each course. Find the common terms that youll see over and over and develop shortcuts for them.For example, words that might appear frequently in a literature class are character (ch), allegory (alg), allusion (allu), figure of speech (fos), and so on.Practice your course-specific shorthand at the beginning of the term while your text is still new and youre curious and excited about the information. Find a few interesting passages and practice writing them in shorthand.If possible, find a study partner  to read the passages to you. This will simulate the real experience of taking notes during a lecture.Time yourself for each passage you practice. Pretty soon youll start to build up speed. Sample Writing Shortcuts Sample Shortcuts @ at, about, around no. number, amount + bigger, greater, increasing ? who, what, where, why, where ! surprise, alarm, shock bf before bc because rts results resp response X across, between