Marketing Concepts Marks and Spencers Essay Example

Marketing Concepts Marks and Spencers Essay Per Una believe they â€Å"deliver high quality style for the modern woman. † This objective drives the company resulting in a turnover of more than ? 423. 5 million in 2006/2007. Per Una was detrimental to the revival of Marks and Spencer and it accounted for one quarter of their total women’s wear sales last year. Born from George Davis in 2001, the label tries to replicate the Italian catwalk trends through â€Å"safe fashion† that is â€Å"trendy and stylish. With this in mind is Per Una achieving and retaining their initial vision in this competitive fashion market? Procedure The information has been gathered from various sources and in different manners and media, in order to gain a wide variety of viewpoints and objectives to provide an accurate overview. Marketing Positioning and Segmentation Positioning The fact that â€Å"Marks Spencer has a broad demographic appeal to both UK men and women, although it is primarily the â€Å"safe haven† for 4 5+. Of particular note is that MS reports that the over 45 age group accounts for 75% of turnover†,( Mintel, 2007) thus the report, along with the information derived from mintel and its’ own primary research, has identified the key challenge for Per Una is to appeal to more 30’s through alteration of the brands positioning. The sub-branding, and fast fashion segmentations implicated will contribute to this objective. Sub-branding The M S approach of segmenting the product offer insight that clear sub-brands can go some way towards enabling the retailer to cater across the trend spectrum without alienating anyone. † (Mintel report, 2007). Per Una have distinctively sub-branded various garments in order to target specific segments of the market. This positioning exposes them to a hugely increased percentage of the market, with petite ranges, evening wear ranges, extra leg length ranges etc. Fast fashions For many people incremental time (and energy), now has mor e value than incremental money. We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Concepts Marks and Spencers specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Concepts Marks and Spencers specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Concepts Marks and Spencers specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Thus in fashion, much of the independent sector still â€Å"expects to be placed six months in advance, yet fast fashion companies like Zara, Hennes Mauritz and Topshop are aiming to cut lead times from design studio to store display to as little as 15 days, a model now being emulated by capsule collections from Marks Spencer†, thus subsequently Per Una. This means that the label have segmented themselves in order to be in a position to compete with more â€Å" youth – orientated† brands, who deliver a â€Å"disposable fashion† concept so popular with the younger market of today. Product category extension As well focusing this branding technique upon the garments, Per Una has also created their own electrical range of products. Although this is an interesting move by a clothes brand, if the products can offer some sort of correlation in term of purchasing psychology, connection between the two types of products i. e time saving ethos, will greatly influence the purchasing decision. Appeal of â€Å"youth – orientated† brands simultaneously However, these brands that pose Per Una so much competition are also satisfying their older shoppers as well. From the information which the report has derived from these 45 + consumers, it has discovered that the mature shopper will look to the younger segmented and positioned brands in order for an opportunity to keep in touch with â€Å"hot trends† and â€Å"catwalk styles†. Yet, currently the older shopper does not regard Per Una in this light, as a pioneer of cheaper Italian fashion trends The report has managed to distinguish the segmentation of Per Una consumers based on the report’s primary and secondary research 1. Middle-class, loyal 2. Convenient opportunist 3. Product intentional 4. Comparison customers 1. This segment will have been shopping in MS for years, just as their parents will have, thus subsequently trust and have become devoted to the Per Una label because of its’ associations. It is an integrated part of their shopping habit. 2. This segment can be identified by the unpredictable patterns of their purchasing in the Per Una stores. They perhaps shop there because they are passing through after visiting the food hall of MS. 3. Product intentional consumers are shoppers who have a preconception of what they intent to purchase and their purchasing decision is difficult to be altered once a product is in mind. . Comparison customers are characterized by their tendency to shop around and analyze the competitors. These people are hard to please and are always looking for the most competitive prices. Marks Spencer target these segments by very carefully selected advertising. 4 P’s of the organization Product Does Per Una have a distinctive style over its competitors? Is it really maintaining the level of â€Å"catwalk† style they say they achieve? Trend Analysis A trend analysis has been undertaken comparing stock lines from the Per Una collection against the key trend featured in Vogue. Fashion Vogue trends autumn/winter 2007 ww. vogue. co. uk (1)-(6) Per Una: Per Una effectively follows this trend but seems to add a mature edge onto styles. The results is dresses with a neckline that is slightly too high or mid length tops. The use of velvet does not enhance but hinder the designs. Per Una: Per Una has produced a glamorous evening collection yet the designs seem to be encased in a struggle; modern and on trend versus middle age mid calf length. The dramatic floor length gown has not been produced and even though many of the dresses are in the right fabrics and colours only a small minority of the collection oozes catwalk glamour. Per Una: Per Una has failed to replicate this trend in the collection. Per Una: Much of the knitwear collection is made up from one button cardigans. The designs are either plain Per Una: Per Una has combined the metallic trend with the trench coat to produce a garment that satisfies both trends. Per Una has also produced other metallic items yet the majority seems to be a combination of long sleeves or two piece items. Per Una: Per Una produced the leather dress which has become a must have item this season. This dress was brought by Victoria Beckham creating a craze for the high street item that has rivaled many similar designer dresses. Findings: Per Una strives to be on trend yet in the team’s findings it is clear that they lack the edge for their designs to be considered on trend. Many of the designs have the hint of catwalk trends yet seem to cool down so that they appear as safer options for the consumer. The lengths of the skirts and dresses seem to be more fitting for the more mature woman and do not satisfy the younger market which Per Una is trying to target. Place Marks and Spencer are expanding their overall space by â€Å"15-20% with new or extended stores out of town, on retail parks and in city centres† over the next five years. â€Å"The objective is to be in the right place with the right space for tomorrow’s customers. † Per Una stores are branded by Italian city names and each brand gives a different combination of styling; Retail Store Analysis This year has seen Marks and Spencer modernise around 40% of their portfolio of stores with â€Å"radical changes† (Marks and Spencer 2007 Annual report pg22) paying attention to how the stores are laid out and how customers are guided through departments. Per Una is always located on the ground floor and is the first department encountered by customers. Per una is in effect a shop within a shop, the hangers, decor and ticketing is different from all Marks and Spencer product. The graphics used on the Per Una department are different in all aspects to the Marks and Spencer graphics. The models, locations and images are all chosen to reflect the Italian roots of the brand. At present the images for the decor were shot in Venice. The Per Una department always has three mannequins styled at the forefront of the department and follows the new boutique layout. The change in layout from original to boutique was undertaken to attract a younger customer through recognition of the boutique shopping trend. Price Per Una follows a relative pricing strategy keeping most products priced around the same margins. Therefore similar styles in the collection are priced around the same price points to keep maintain continuity throughout the brand. They want to attract middle class people so the prices are perfect for them. Per una is less catwalk-led, less expensive and more of a success. It is more influenced by street style than by fashion designer. One range, called Check Mate, consists of tweed, herringbone and wool suits in a largely black, grey and cream palette, with smart and sexy single- and double-breasted jackets from ? 49. 50 and knee-skirts with flared hems for ? 39. 50. The more adventurous dresser can pick from the English Eccentric range, where the tailoring teams orange and brown or pink and green. Other collection of Per Una which is funky, concentrates on denims and tee-shirts starts from ? 15. The collection also includes co-ordinates shoes and accessories, fragrance and tights, including fishnets and textured are not very expensive. This collection is affordable to all and specially the target market Per Una is trying to attract. Promotion Strategy Janet Innes from Per Una marketing executive department states that during this year Per Una has used an assembly of different promotion strategies. One of many this year is their collaborating with breast cancer in their nightwear collection. Per Una always have a monthly clearance sale so they can make room for new stock and trend. At the moment Per Una have a special offer online at 3 for 2. Special look books and press packs for national press and fashion journalists are also handed out. This Christmas attractive gift bags for the beauty collection are launched. (Innes, J,2007) Per Una advertising The report has identified a small promotional film shot in Venice, displayed behind cash desk to entertain shoppers. More prolific advertising for MS, which contains Per Una garments, does not credit the label for being a brand within a brand. Which subsequently contributes to the brand’s lost identity. The team believes the concept for the video originated from their Italian roots. This shows how an idea transpires into media. At present our findings conclude that Per Una has not produced a national advertising campaign. SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths Among the internal capabilities that aid Per Una’s ability to achieve long and short-term objectives are: †¢ Greater Brand Perception: The origins of the primary designs are derived from the Italian catwalks, thus Per Una have gained a perceived competitive edge regarding the level of fashion for the consumer. †¢ Per Una provides a great diversity of products, inclusive of an electrical range of accessories. Moreover Per Una does everything right from jumpers to evening gowns and cocktail dresses. Value for Money spent assured: Per Una strictly adheres to its high quality standards. George Davies himself supervises every aspect of production. †¢ Greater control over the supply process: Per Una controls every aspect of the supply chain including presentation and branding within the store. †¢ A new model now being emulated by capsule collect ions from M S aim to cut lead times from design studio to store display to as little as 15 days; in order to compete with the other trendy â€Å"fast fashion† companies like Zara, Hennes Mauritz and Top Shop. The strengths obtained from an overview of the companies current situational benefits, and key issues reflect back well on the mission statements. These are some major strength to rely on when implementing the marketing plan. Weakness †¢ Lost customer identity: Per Una was targeting an age group of 25-35 year old but sadly the majority of shoppers are 35-55 year olds. Hence there is a huge problem regarding size and styles because the size and style of 30 year old wouldn’t be the right choice for 60 year olds. †¢ Low Brand Awareness: Per Una is lacking behind in advertisements. There is a low awareness among people about Per Una. †¢ Damaged Reputation: Per Una is a part of a fashion famished brand MS. There is a general idea among the young shoppers that MS is not trendy and stylish. †¢ Undifferentiated Products: Per Una’s product do not have any uniqueness about them. Its products are just same as that of its competitors (Next, Wallis, Principles, John Lewis and Monsoon). The prices are also not competitive enough particularly in this age of â€Å"disposable fashion†. These weaknesses were identified with particularly within the competitive context. Opportunities It is recommended that Per Una exploit the following opportunities identified by the report; †¢ Higher demand for â€Å"fast fashion†. †¢ Growing interest in socially responsible products †¢ A developing market such as the internet Threats Per Una must recognise and overcome the threats which the report has identified. †¢ Intense competition †¢ Market fragmentation †¢ Price wars with competitors †¢ Lack competitors established reputation Strategies needs to be improved Market penetration = existing products to customers in existing markets. MS is by far the leading retailer for the over 45 year-olds, and Per Una already has the strongest appeal among the 45 – 55 year-old age group; thus they are increasing unit and monetary sales and also simultaneously reinforcing the brands ( Per Una and MS’s) strength in each market. Per Una also have to strengthen the consumer’s relationship with the brand by establishing more product ties. Product development = new products/product variants to customers in existing markets (this only works when you can develop a steady stream of product innovations appropriate for the needs of customers in those markets. Per Una have done this by creating an electrical accessory line, their petite range, and jewellery line as well as others. Marketing development = marketing existing products in NEW markets and segments. Such a strategy has been employed by Per Una – building on the popularity of the established name of Marks Spencer and George David, and building on th e popularity of their staple products, (jeans, underwear†¦. ) allowing the company to expand their customer base by segment; penetrating a younger market. Diversification = marketing new products in new markets or segments. The findings, which the report has derived from store analysis, indicate the retail environment can be improved in a number of ways in order to improve customer satisfaction. The majority of Per Una customers questioned sourced a number of weaknesses with the actual layout of garments; the range of clothes cannot be easily sited due to overcrowding. This is a fundamental flaw. Recommendations By having their initial target customer age of 25 to 35 years, yet having actual customers of 45 years and over, it has confused them as a brand, and as a result they no longer have a clear identity. Not only does this restrict the staff from moving forward on what can be done to improve the company, but it also means that particular customers, for example the younger target customer base, are reluctant to shop there as they assume Per Una is for the older women. There are several options that could be considered to re-establish their identity. 1. Firstly, they could simply change their target customer age to 45 years and over. However, this is likely to alienate their existing and potential younger customers. Furthermore, by doing this it is quite unlikely they would attract any new customers just by changing their target age. 2. Secondly, they could change the style of their clothing so that it would appeal more to a younger customer aged 25 – 35 years old rather than 45 and upwards. Though, this opposite approach to the first suggestion would then alienate the huge percentage of older female customers. Therefore this is unlikely to be a successful change to the company. 3. Finally, Per Una could try and change the shape and fit of some of their clothes to appeal to younger women. In addition to this, include advertising over both young and older women modeling Per Una together, so that both type of customer base can be satisfied. By choosing this third option, it could draw in further sales and profit from their initial target customer who Per Una were not satisfying previously, without alienating the customers they already have. Having done this, Per Una would have a clear impression of who their target customers are, and how to meet their different needs. Appendix Marketing Audit: Pestle Analysis This table represents the macro factors that pose threats to Per Una and Marks and Spencer. Political |Textile restriction law | |Environmental |Fair Trade | | |Organic products | | |Recyclable/bio degradable products and packaging | | |Global warming | |Social |Size zero debate | | |Demographic changes | | |Consumer shopping habits | |Technological |Internet | | |Improved transport links | |Legal |New employment laws: | | |(1) Rise in minimum wage | | |(2) Change to holiday entitlements | | |(3) Change to maternity and adoption leave | |Economical |Interest rate rises | | |Consumer debt | | |Strength of the UK pound | Spicc Analysis Below is an analysis of the macro factors that are closer to Per Una as a brand and that affect their business. |Suppliers |Per Una suppliers have been kept secret due to contractual agreements | |Publics |Financial publics: the financial situation of MS | | |Media publics: all media published that contains any reference to Per Una| | |as brand or MS as a company | | |Government publics: development of product safety, truth in advertising | | |etc. | |General public: This opinion affects the consumers buying habits within | | |the brand | | |Internal publics: George Davis | |Intermediaries |Marks and Spencer- stocks range and host store for brand | |Consumers |Consumer needs: quality, value, on trend clothing in desired size | |Competition |Next Directory- home shopping | | |Primark- disposable fashion | Micro Environment The below is an analysis of Per Una’s micro-environment. |Men |Approximately 75,000 staff at Marks and Spencer within 520 UK stores. | | |Unable to clarify number of staff working for Per Una only as they are employed by | | |Marks and Spencer within one company. | | |Productivity, (â€Å"the number of individual items sold per full-time member of staff in| | |clothing and home†) increased by 12. 2% during the year. † | |Money |423. million sales for Per Una in 2006/07 | | |Last year sales rose by 9. 7% to ? 7. 98bn | |Machines |Sourcing offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai covering China and the Far East. | |Material |‘Look behind the label’ campaign – showed how Marks Spencer were guarantee all | | |products were being produced responsibly | | |Plan A â€Å"5 year ? 00m ‘eco plan’ launched in January 2007†, 100 commitments made | | |across 5 areas, including; | | |â€Å"Becoming carbon neutral† | | |â€Å"Sending no wa ste to landfill† | | |â€Å"Cutting our packaging by a quarter† | | |â€Å"Only using fish and wood from sustainable sources† | | |Working â€Å"closely with local communities through our ‘Marks Start work experience | | |program† | |Management |George Davies founded Per Una in September 2001, but sold the brand to MS in 2006 | | |for ? 125m. Though still a designer for the company. | | |Stuart Rose is the Chief executive of Marks Spencer. | |Marketing |(See Marketing Mix) | (Marks and Spencer’s annual report 2007)

Free Essays on Buddhism And Christianity

Gem Buddhism and Christianity Both Buddhism and Christianity are considered to be a religion which is an organized set of beliefs that encodes a person’s or a group’s understanding and attitudes toward of the essence or nature of reality. Although Buddhism and Christianity are religions, there are two differences between them which are their ceremonies and festivals. Firstly, in Buddhism, The precept of Buddhism is to do good things and you will get good things back to your life, but if you do bad things, those sins will return to you. Buddhists believe that if we make merit by offering something like food and flowers to the monks or set the animals’ life free, all good lucks will return to us, the Buddhists. However, in Christianity, people usually confess their sin by talking to the priest in church in order to redeem from sin which is called â€Å"confession sin†. Secondly, The Songkran tradition is recognized as a valuable tradition for the Thai community, society and religion. This festival is also called "Water Festival" as people believe that water will wash away bad luck. At the same time, Thanksgiving Day is a day set aside each year for giving thanks to God for blessings received during the year. On this day, people give thanks with feasting and prayer. Thanksgiving is usually a family day, celebrated with big dinners and joyous reunions. The very mention of Thanksgiving often calls up memories of kitchens and pantries crowded with good things to eat. Thanksgiving is also a time for serious religious thinking, church services, and prayer. In conclusion, although Buddhism and Christianity are both called â€Å"religion†, there are differences in ceremonies and festivals.... Free Essays on Buddhism And Christianity Free Essays on Buddhism And Christianity Gem Buddhism and Christianity Both Buddhism and Christianity are considered to be a religion which is an organized set of beliefs that encodes a person’s or a group’s understanding and attitudes toward of the essence or nature of reality. Although Buddhism and Christianity are religions, there are two differences between them which are their ceremonies and festivals. Firstly, in Buddhism, The precept of Buddhism is to do good things and you will get good things back to your life, but if you do bad things, those sins will return to you. Buddhists believe that if we make merit by offering something like food and flowers to the monks or set the animals’ life free, all good lucks will return to us, the Buddhists. However, in Christianity, people usually confess their sin by talking to the priest in church in order to redeem from sin which is called â€Å"confession sin†. Secondly, The Songkran tradition is recognized as a valuable tradition for the Thai community, society and religion. This festival is also called "Water Festival" as people believe that water will wash away bad luck. At the same time, Thanksgiving Day is a day set aside each year for giving thanks to God for blessings received during the year. On this day, people give thanks with feasting and prayer. Thanksgiving is usually a family day, celebrated with big dinners and joyous reunions. The very mention of Thanksgiving often calls up memories of kitchens and pantries crowded with good things to eat. Thanksgiving is also a time for serious religious thinking, church services, and prayer. In conclusion, although Buddhism and Christianity are both called â€Å"religion†, there are differences in ceremonies and festivals....

The English in My Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The English in My Life - Essay Example In my question to the teacher, I was inquiring on how conjunction should be used in a sentence. When my classmates heard my sentence, they laughed at me and mocked me for my "terrible" English. My teacher as well had a very hard time understanding what I meant. It stressed me so much that everyone in my class laughed at and mocked me for my language. I thereafter had a very hard time communicating with anyone in my class and the entire school. It was one of the worst encounters in my first school in the United States. The mocking by my classmates and schoolmates continued which caused me to hate school. After a semester at this school where I endured ill-treatment by my fellow students, I developed a bad attitude towards English school and almost never wanted to wake up in the morning. My father being a disciplinarian always woke me up with an authoritative voice after my mother could not manage to. In fear of my authoritative father, I would wake up and hastily rush to school. I was afraid to say that I was not happy at the school because I was terrified by my parent’s faces on receipt of such news. At the end of that fateful semester, all my grades dropped drastically. I scored an F in English as well as in Mathematics, which was my best subject. My parent was very disappointed in me that they went to see my class teacher about my dropped grades. With time, they got to understand my problem in school and they transferred me to a different school in the next semester. They also encouraged me and my interest in school grew. I was more determined to improve my spoken English. I developed so much interest in writing, reading and speaking English. At the initial stages, my language was bad, but not as my parent was.  Ã‚  

Islamic History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Islamic History - Essay Example The history of foundation of Islam is clothed with the veils of legend and obscured by multiple conflicting accounts that make its true outline all but impossible to discern with any clarity. But it is incontrovertible that Northern-Arabia prior to Muhammad was a predominantly tribal environment, structured by exigencies of camel herding, trading, feuding, and raiding. The ‘civilized’ area of Arabia was not in the heartland where Islam was born, but rather had long been located in the coastal south and along the gulf. Inland, the only possible location for development of any sort of state was in the impoverished and remote region dominated by Mecca and the Quraysh clan, where ancient pilgrimage centers protected markets in perfume, leather, and other trade goods. But no such development occurred until the advent of Muhammad, who was born around 570, received his first revelations at the age of forty, undertook his momentous journey to Medina (the hijra) in 622 (year one in the Muslim calendar) and died in 632, having led his people in the conquest of the whole Arab peninsula, and having initiated their great and ultimately successful war against the surrounding Sasanid and Byzantine empires.The religion of Islam is from the Muslim point of view, â€Å"the religion of Abraham and Ishmael† the forefathers of the Muslims. According to Ibn al-Kalbi, who conveys also the belief of his predecessors, Ishmael settled in Mecca where he became the father of many children who supplanted the Amalekites of Mecca; to him is ascribed the origin of the Arabs. Arabs. The Qur'an states that Abraham and Ishmael "raised the foundation of the House" and established a "proper worship". The rites of the pilgrimage, the circumambulation, the visitation of the lesser pilgrimage, the vigil of Arafat, the sacrifice of the she-camels and the acclamation of the name of the deity "came down from the time of Abraham and Ishmael", according to Ibn al-kalbi, and they constitute a part of the religion.(Tamara) Islam had come upon the world scene in the seventh century in connection with the explosion of Arabic-speaking, horse mounted warriors out of the Arabian desert under the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad and his successors. The period of hemispheric history from 1000 to 1500 A.D., what we will call the Islamic Middle Period, witnessed a steady and remarkable expansion of Islam, not only as religious faith but as a coherent, universalist model of civilized life. The spread of Islam into new areas of the hemisphere during the Middle Period was given impetus by two major forces. One of these was the advance of Turkish-speaking of Muslim herding people from central Asia into the Middle East, a movement that began on a large scale with the conquests of the Seljuk Turks in the eleventh century. The second force was the gradual but persistent movement of Muslim merchants into the lands rimming the Indian ocean, that is, East Africa, India, Southeast Asia and China, as well as into Central Asia and West Africa south of the Sahara. A close look at the patterns of travel and migration in the post-Abbasid centuries reveals a quiet but persistent dispersion of legal scholars, theologians, Sufi divines, belle- lettrists, scribes and architects outward from the older centers of Islam to these new frontiers of Muslim military and commercial activity. (Spencer) The Islamic world in Ibn Battuta's time was divided politically into numerous kingdoms and principalities. Muslims on the move regarded the jurisdictions of states as a necessary imposition and gave them as little attention as possible. Their primary allegiance was to the Dar al-Islam as a whole. The terrible Mongol conquests of Persia and Syria that occurred between 1219 and 1258 appeared to Muslims to threaten the very existence of

Calculating Cargo Load

Calculating Cargo Load MV STC Bulk Carrier is a geared handy max bulk carrier with five holds and a DWT of 49500T (summer). SHIPS GENERAL PARTICULARS NAME: STC BULK CARRIER TYPE: BULK CARRIER DWT SUMMER:49500 T DISPALCEMENT SUMMER:57923TONNES DISPLACEMENT WINTER:56423TONNES NUMBER OF HOLDS:5 (ALL CAN CARRY HEAVY ORE ) CRANES:430 TONNES HEAVY WEATHER HOLD:NO 3 BALLAST PUMP CAPACITY:2x2000T/Hr CONSUMPTION: FO-32TONNES PER DAY DO-2TONNES PER DAY IN PORT FW-4TONNES PER DAY IN PORT AND AT SEA SEA SPEED:14 KNOTS The ship has received the voyage orders as follows: Discharge bulk sugar SF 1.224 m3/tonnes at Jubail using 3 vacuum discharge at a rate of 250t/hr per vacuum discharge Load maximum cargo of sulphur SF 0.87 m3/tonnes with 4 shore feeders at Sharjah.Maximum draft at Sharjha berth is 15 metres Vessel will receive the required bunkers for the voyage at Sharjah after cargo operation. DISTANCE FOR THE VOYAGES Distance Dar Es Salam to Jubail is 3744 Nm Distance Jubail to Sharjah is 373 Nm Distance Sharjah to Summer Load Line is 3210 Nm Distance Sharjah to Melbourne is 6490 Nm The vessel is presently in tropical zone and will be entering the summer zoneÂÂ   on its way to Melbourne , so cargo should ne loadedÂÂ   keeping in mind that the vessel should be at here summer marks an arrival at summer load line i.e zone allowance should be added to get the correct value of cargo to be loaded . This assignment covers a detail calculation on how to get the total amount of cargo to load when vessel will be entering from one zone to other and different loadicator conditions . ANSWER: Gather information relating to the cargo from the IMSBC, company procedure, flag state requirements. Check if the cargo is in group A, B, C Sulphur is in Group B and Group C. The IMSBC states that the group B cargo of sulphur cannot be carried in bulk so we will be carrying group C sulphur cargo. GENERAL PROCEDURES FOR PREPARATION OF HOLDS Tool box meeting to be carried out (MCA, 2016) Risk assessment to be carried out (MCA, 2016) Communication to be checked between the hold ,bridge and cargo control room (MCA, 2016) The cargo hold to be properly ventilated , gasses to be checked and a permit of work to be issued (MCA, 2016) (IMO, 2016) Dunnages to be removed if any. Bilges to be cleaned and dry (PI, 2002) Strum boxes, bilge covers, sounding pipes and thermometer pipes should be cleaned and not be defected Bilge suction of each hold to be tried out and bilges in good order (IMO, 2016) Bilges to be covered with burlap. The ventilation should be tried out Any damage in the cargo hold to be repaired (MCA, 2016) Hatch covers and entrance to the holds to be tried out for water tightness (PI, 2002) Hatch track ways to be cleaned (PI, 2002) All lighting arrangement in holds to be checked and any damaged or not workingÂÂ   ones to be replaced (MCA, 2016) Fire detection extinguishing system should be checked (STC, 2017) A thorough hold inspection to be carried out (PI, 2002) Crew should wear helmets, gloves, boiler suits, dust masks and gum boots at all time during cleaning process ,safety harness to be used when working aloft in the holds (MCA, 2016) DB tanks to be pressed to check if any leaks in the holds. Discharging of hold washing water should be carried out in accordance with MARPOL Annex V regulation 4.1.3 6.1.2 (IMO, 2011) Test entries to be logged down (STC, 2017) Any special requirements by the terminal, owners or flag state for hold preparation should be carried out. ADDITIONAL PREPARATION FOR SULPHUR CARGO Fresh water washing of holds to be carried out. (PI, 2002) (IMO, 2016) Fire line to be rinsed using fresh water from fresh water tanks using a GS pump. Once the line is flushed make sure that the anchor wash and all fire hydrants are shut (PI, 2002) Holds and bilges to be completely dry before loading (IMO, 2016) Electric equipments in holds nearby spaces should be intrinsically safe or if not then they should be isolated (IMO, 2016) Ventilators Spark arrestors to be inspected repaired if required (IMO, 2016) Bilge pumping arrangement shall be inspected for satisfactory operation lime washing should be done on tank top and lower sections of cargo spaces (IMO, 2016) Upper part of the hold shall have a sound coating of paint, if any paint has been pilled off then that area shall be painted (IMO, 2016) Any loos corrosion shall be removed (IMO, 2016) Machinery and equipments to be covered to protect it from small sulphur dust particles (IMO, 2016) ANSWER HAZARDS OF RAW SUGAR AND SULPHUR RAW SUGAR Sugar dissolve when comes in contact with water, this may result in formation of air pockets in the body of the cargo as the ship moves (IMO, 2016) (PI, SEPT 2006) It has a tendency of self heating/spontaneous combustion. It should be loaded well clear of places having source of ignition or heat Sugar has the tendency to absorb order (BMTSURVEYS, NOVEMBER 2013) Raw sugar gets contaminated (BMTSURVEYS, NOVEMBER 2013) Shrinkage or shortage of cargo due to loss of water vapour (BMTSURVEYS, NOVEMBER 2013) InsectÂÂ   may be formed in sugar which can lead to diseases (BMTSURVEYS, NOVEMBER 2013) Sugar ifÂÂ   melted may form sticky syrup like form (PI, SEPT 2006) Raw sugar has a distinct molasses smell that will spoil other cargoes (Thomas, n.d.) Raw sugar has a higher moisture than refined (Thomas, n.d.) SULPHUR Flammable and may have dust explosion during loading and unloading If catches fire emits harmful gases It reacts with sea water and produces corrosive acids and suffocating gases Sometime of granule sulphur behaves like grain which may result in shifting of cargo Dry sulphur does not react with bare steel, but wet sulphur (sulphur containing free water) is potentially highly corrosive (PI, 2002) When sulphur is loaded, any retained free water filters to the bottom of the holds during the voyage From there it is pumped out via the bilges (PI, 2002) Person may get a burning sensation in eyesÂÂ   when loading sulphur PRECAUTIONS WHEN LOADING AND DISCHARGING RAW SUGAR IN BULK Should be loaded away from the source of heat. NO SMOKING near the area of loading sugar (PI, SEPT 2006) The ships hold should be cleaned well before loading and should be free from any odour Proper PPE to be worn by crew at all the time Dust clouds should not be formed during loading Temperature and moisture contains of sugar to be monitored during loading and carriage and if required ventilation should be carried out to avoid caking Fermentation may result in formation of CO2 gas. Holds must be ventilated before entry and atmosphere to be checked (BMTSURVEYS, NOVEMBER 2013) Loading operation should not be carried out in case of rain Care must be taken to make sure that hot sugar is not loaded into a bulk carrier intended to sail through cold waters to its discharging port, as change in temperature establish within a cargo can result in moisture transfer, and this in turn can cause caking of the cargo (Thomas, n.d.) PRECAUTIONS WHEN LOADING AND DISCHARGING SULPHUR IN BULK Smoking and hot work shall not be permitted in cargo spaces and nearby area All spaces and storerooms adjacent to the cargo area should be properly ventilated and proper precautions should be taken when entering in cargo hold and atmosphere should be monitored A fine spray ofÂÂ   fresh water is used to keep the dust down The loader should be positioned properly to avoid formation of dust clouds Loading operation should not be carried out in case of heavy rain Proper trimming of cargo to be done Surface ventilation must be carried out as required duringÂÂ   the voyage Face mask and eye protection should be worn at all times Lime washing of the tank top to be carried out cargo holds and bilges do be completely dry to prevent corrosion The upper part of the hold should be painted and pilled of paint should be repainted to avoid corrosion (IMO, 2016) Protect the machinery and equipments from small dust particles of sulphur (IMO, 2016) If sulphur catches fire, it should be smothered with more sulphur or with a very fine spray of fresh water not salt water (Thomas, n.d.) There is danger of dust explosion with powdered sulphur during loading and whilst cleaning the holds of sulphur (Thomas, n.d.) The shipper is required to provided the information regarding the cargo to be loaded as per SOLAS 1974 Chapter VI Reg 2 and the IMSBC Code section 4.2. Shipper may deliver this declaration by fax or other electronic device. In any electronic device where the signature of the declaring party cannot be transmitted full name of the declarant in capital letters must be provided on the form (STC, 2017) Cargo information shall be confirmed in written and by suitable shipping document before loading (IMO, 2016) Document should contain following information. The BCSN (IMO, 2016) The group of cargo (IMO, 2016) IMO class of the cargo (IMO, 2016) The UN number if applicable (IMO, 2016) The total quantity of cargo to load (IMO, 2016) The stowage factor (IMO, 2016) If trimming required and the procedures for trimming (IMO, 2016) Angle of repose (IMO, 2016) If the cargo has a likelihood of shifting (IMO, 2016) Moisture content certificate (IMO, 2016) Transportable moisture limit value (IMO, 2016) If the cargo may form a wet base (IMO, 2016) Toxic or flammable gases emittedÂÂ   by the cargo (IMO, 2016) Flammability ,toxicity, corrosiveness of the cargo (IMO, 2016) Self heating properties of the cargo if any (IMO, 2016) Gases emitted if in contact with water if applicable (IMO, 2016) If the cargo has any radioactive properties (IMO, 2016) And other information required by the national authorities (IMO, 2016) Whether the cargo is harmful to the marine environment (IMO, 2016) Shipper details (STC, 2017) Transport document number (STC, 2017) Means of transport (STC, 2017) Place of loading (STC, 2017) Port of discharging (STC, 2017) Additional certificate like weathering certificate ,exemption certificate if applicable (STC, 2017) Human health criteria data (STC, 2017) To obtain the information require by the section 4 of IMSBC code the shipper need to get the cargo properly sampled and tested (IMO, 2016) When water is found cargo holds loaded with bulk cargo there are a many reasons and each should be taken into account (PI, 2017) (Thomas, n.d.) The water may be given out by the cargo or there is a leak in hatch covers. It may have entered through any access hatch or an open sounding pipe. Water may have sipped in through a crack in the deck or the hatch coming or through a damaged ventilator (PI, 2017) (Thomas, n.d.) Ship staffs should have an accurate idea of the capacity of the hold bilge wells i.e. the greatest value are the sounding of the bilge when full and the approximate tonnage of water contained by the bilge when full (PI, 2017) (Thomas, n.d.) Aboard a ship which is well maintained the possible cause for an increased hold bilge sounding is that water has drained from the cargo into the bilge. When water is drain from the cargo there are two key requirements. The water must be pumped out of the bilge and not allowed to flood the hold, and the tonnage of water removed must be logged. It is advisable to keep a record of the tonnage of water discharged from the hold bilges, as recommended by the UN Draught Survey Code24 and in some trades it is a charter party requirement (PI, 2017) (Thomas, n.d.) When soundings are found to be rising for no reason a problem must be suspected and the hold must be investigated for a leak. The accessibility to the hold will depend upon the quantity of cargo, speed of flooding, shifting cargo and dangerous gases. If the hold can be safely entered, taking all precaution for enclosed space entry it may be possible to find an explanation for the flooding. If the hold cannot be entered, a careful exterior inspection of the compartment in search for any fitting which is improperly closed or damaged. If the sounding is found to increase whenever the vessel ships water on deck, a leak at deck level should be suspected. If the flooding continues at the same rate, or an increasing rate, at all times it suggests that the damage is below water level (PI, 2017) (Thomas, n.d.) FOLLOWING ACTIONS TO BE CARRIED OUT Firstly find out the amount of water in the hold and the root cause of water ingress Carry out a risk assessment of the situation Check the sounding of the bilges ballast tanks ,fuel oil tanks, void spaces etc No cargo operation to be carried out in hold No1 until total assessment of situation carried out Stability of the ship to be checked If entry in hold is to be done then ventilate the holds and work permit to be issued Inform the terminal about the damage Calculate the total amount of cargo damaged Make a log book entry of all the events Make sure all man holds nut bolts full tight and gasket in good condition Check comings, booby hatch entrance and deck plaiting for leakage Make sure all the bilge valves are properly shut Do not allow anyone to take pictures of the hold without permission If cargo damage is found, contact PI correspondents and ask them to arrangement of a survey. Following information to be given to correspondents:- name of the vessel, date of the incident ,place of the incident , cargo particulars, quantity of damaged cargo, amount of the damage, location of cargo, bill of lading no, loading port, loaded quantity ,cause of the damage, contact details of the agent ETA/ETD of the vessel (PICLUBJAPAN, n.d.) Try to control further damage by taking all possible measures for lessening of damage unless such would involve a risk to the vessels safety (PICLUBJAPAN, n.d.) Take photos of the damaged cargo and the suspected causes (PICLUBJAPAN, n.d.) Log book entries like, sea conditions, weather and wind force (PICLUBJAPAN, n.d.) Sea protest should be filed at next calling port, if the damage was caused by bad weather (PICLUBJAPAN, n.d.) Make sure all time delays have been logged FOLLOWING PERSONS TO BE INFORMED Owners Charters and sub charters Manager Local agents Vessels insurance club e.g. PI DPA Technical superintendent of the ship Terminal Class of the vessel OTHER REFRENCES (Swedishclub, 2013) (PI, 2017) (WEST OF ENGLAND , n.d.)Q10 PROCEDURE FOR MAINTAINING THE CARGO LIFTING PLAN Regular maintenance should be carried out in order to keep the equipment in good order (MCA, 2006) (MCA, 2016) Inspection of the equipments should be carried out by a competent person. It should be carried out as required by the Regulations but in any event at least once annually (MCA, 2006) (MCA, 2016) Check for defects like cracks, corrosion and wear and tear that could affect SWL (MCA, 2006) (MCA, 2016) If in doubt about the equipment has , exceeding the Safe Working Load (SWL), or subjected to treatment likely to cause damage, it should be removed of service till a competent person carries out an examination (MCA, 2016) (MCA, 2006) Regular greasing of equipments to be carried out (MCA, 2006) The condition of all ropes and chains should be checked regularly and damaged once to be replaced .Shackles, links and rings should be renewed if damaged (MCA, 2006) Examine the structure for any damages (MCA, 2016) There should not be any trapped water inside the Gantries (MCA, 2016) Limit switch, stop botton, controls and brakes to be checked on regular basis (MCA, 2016) Makers specific parts to be used if any parts are to be replaced. Once any maintenance is done the equipment should be examined by a competent person before using it (MCA, 2016) Cranes: The annual inspections and periodical thorough examination shall be carried out. Inspection and maintenance should be carried out as per the Planned Maintenance schedule (PIUK, n.d.) The following things shall be inspected for signs of deformation, corrosion, cracks, etc Crane Jibs Winch and the foundation of the winch. Goose neck, blocks, shackles, hooks, spider bands etc Marking on the gear should be checked and clearly visible locking arrangements of all shackles and blocks to be inspected lubrication of all the parts should be carried out as per the lubrication plan in plan maintenance system All wires shall be inspected for any damages Hydraulic systems to be inspected for proper functioning Blocks: Annual inspection of blocks to be carried out. Responsible Ships officer should carry out periodic inspection of the blocks on a periodical basis. Carry out the inspection and maintenance as per the PMS (PIUK, n.d.) Following checks to be carried out Check for free movement of sheave heads and swivel Check grooves on sheave for wear and tear Check if any distortion or damage on side plate. Check for any play in the axel pin Check that the thread of the pin is in good order . Check split pin and Grease nipples and markings should not be painted . Lubrication to be carried out as per the lubrication chart Slings:(PIUK, n.d.) Slings should be annually inspected Responsible Officer should inspect it before use Periodic inspection should be carried out a per PMS During these inspections the following shall be checked:- Check if any broken strands, kinks and corrosion. Check rings, thimbles, for damages, deformity and corrosion. Slings should not be used if any signs of damage Lubrication as per the manufacturers Check the tags on sling and compare it with the certificate. A sling without a tag should not Wires: Wire ropes should be inspected regularly and replaced if stands broken, kinked, worn, or corroded. They should be lubricated and renewed as per the PMS Reference (MCA, 2016) (MCA, 2006) (STC, 2017) (PIUK, n.d.)

Jane Eyre Essay: Following the Moral Compass in Jane Eyre

Following the Moral Compass in Jane Eyre Jane Eyre is the perfect novel about maturing: a child who is treated cruelly holds herself together and learns to steer her life forward with a driving conscience that keeps her life within personally felt moral bounds. I found Jane as a child to be quite adult-like: she battles it out conversationally with Mrs. Reed on an adult level right from the beginning of the book. The hardship in her childhood makes her extreme need for moral correctness believable. For instance, knowing her righteous stubborness as a child, we can believe that she would later leave Rochester altogether rather than living a life of love and luxury simply by overlooking a legal technicality concerning his previous marriage to a mad woman. Her childhood and her adult life are harmonious which gives the reader the sense of a complete and believable character. Actually, well into this book I was afraid it was going to be another one of those English countryside, woman-gets-married novels. I was reminded of a friend's comment a few years back to "avoid the Brontes like the plague." But of course there is a little more than courting going on here. For example, if you compare Jane with one of Jane Austen's young women coming into society, you have a bit more adventure, roughness, and connection to nature. I don't think a Jane Austen character would wander around the forest, sleeping without cover in the wilds of the night to prove a moral point. Jane Eyre can get dirt under her fingernails--that's the difference. You also get more emotion in Jane Eyre, you feel with her, deep hate (for Mrs. Reed), religious conviction (with ... ...somewhat cryptic language. He simply had his mind elsewhere, which is probably why he ended up in India. In fact, I am glad the book ended with the focus on the character of St. John instead of with Jane or Rochester, as it hints to us that the importance of the book is not about finding the right person, falling in love, and living happily ever after. The theme of this book is about following your conscience. In this regard, Jane and St. John both did the same thing in this story: They both had strong, driving consciences; they both were tempted but pursued their course; and they both found a satisfying life in the end. This book is not about developing a relationship with a romantic partner, but about developing a relationship and learning to follow and live in tune with your own moral conscience.

Price Discovery in Illiquid Market

| A synopsis on| Price Discovery in Illiquid markets: Do Financial Asset Prices Rise Faster Than They Fall? | | Submitted by:Dinesh MaharjanMBAe-Trimester VIG-one| 4/13/2013| Richard C.. Green, Dan Li and Norman schurhoff. Price discovery in illiquid market: Do financial asset prices rises faster than they fall. The journal of Finance. VOL LXV, No. 5, OCTOBER 2010| Submitted To: Kiran Thapa Portfolio Management and Security Analysis (Course instructor) Ace Institute of Management I. IntroductionIn OTC bond markets many investors face high costs of trade, and these costs appear to be related to the lack of price transparency. This journal studies the consequences this has for efficient price discovery. In the municipal bond market, unlike the markets for most consumer goods, dealers trade with retail customers as both buyers and sellers and as in consumer markets, in municipal bond market prices appear to â€Å"rise faster than they fall. This asymmetric price adjustment, referred to as â€Å"rockets and feather†, is generally understood by economists to be inconsistent with perfect completion between sellers.Sellers appear to exploit local market power due to the search cost of information that customers face and opportunistically delay the recognition of price movements in dealing with customers The report reflects the asymmetric price adjustment in a major OTC financial market using a comprehensive sample of all trades in municipal bonds over a 5- year period. The report focuses on how the dealers take advantage through manipulation of bond price. On average dealers are â€Å"buying wholesale† and â€Å"selling retail†, the asymmetric movement in prices benefits dealers.II. Objectives of Study * The main purpose of this paper is to study the price discovery in municipal bond. * To analyze How and why the price of the municipal bond rise faster than they fall (rockets and feathers) i. e. asymmetric price adjustment * Study the cross-secti on behavior of bond price with regard to macroeconomic news, treasury yield and how dealers exploit the opportunity of price asymmetry. * To study behavior of intermediaries with respect to price movement, bid-ask spread III. Literature ReviewGreen, Hollifield, and Schurhoff (2007b) show that that newly issued bonds exhibit some peculiar behaviors and high levels of price dispersion. As shown in Green, Hollifield, and Schurhoff (2007a), dealer purchase from and sales to customers are roughly in same value. There are a large number of bounds outstanding, but most individual bonds trade infrequently; intraday price variation can be large compared to movements in fundamentals (Green, Hollifield, and Schurhoff). Hence this paper employs only panel data methods and focus on transactions data aggregated at a daily frequency.Studies on the treasury market generally find that price react almost instantaneously to surprises in scheduled macroeconomic announcements, that the announcements tri gger abnormally high volume, and that there is little autocorrelation in returns after the first minute (Ederington and Lee ( 1993, 1995), Fleming and Remolona (1999), and Balduzzi, Elton, and Green (2001), Piazzesi (2005) studies the price reaction to the FOMC meeting statements and finds that the price response to surprises in these announcements is more sluggish, perhaps because of the qualitative nature of the announcements and their unexpected timing.Harris and Piwowar (2006) and Green, Hollifield and Schurhoff (2007a), investigate the cross-section determinants of dealer trading profits, but whether markups differ when prices are rising versus falling. If prices rise faster than they fall, as in markets for retail goods, then the markup should increase during market rallies by more than if it falls when prices are decreasing. Search costs have been used to explain price dispersion in OTC markets and hidden costs in financial services.Carlin (2009) describes how opacity in fina ncial markets can be interpreted as intermediaries imposing gratuitous search costs on consumers, and how this sustains monopoly profits in equilibrium. Green (2007) uses search costs to explain price dispersion and shows that even when intermediaries must compete for issuers’ business, the resulting monopoly rents can be sustained. IV. Data and Methodology The study of price discovery in the municipal bond market is conducted using data provided by Municipal securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB), a self-regulatory industry group.These data include all trades made by registered broker-dealers in municipal securities from May 1, 2000 to October 19, 2006. There are 1,615 trading days during the period. Trades are reported in 1,559,894 bonds. This paper applies a number of rule-based filters to clean the transactions data, eliminate bonds with missing observations, correct obvious clerical errors, and supply missing data items where possible and excludes a small number of trades on holidays and weekends. Most studies of the rockets and feathers phenomenon are based on data that are of high frequency on the time- series dimension.The municipal market, in contrast, involves a huge cross section but trading in individual bonds is relatively infrequent. Therefore this paper propose statistical models that aggregate all transaction in a bond at the daily level, and construct proxies for effective bid-ask spreads, half spreads, and yield spreads over comparable Treasuries. The study is based on empirical analysis which employed following set of explanatory variables and controls * Bond issue and issuer characteristics: Issue size, coupon, maturity in years, modified duration, indicator for callable, tax exempt and insured bonds. Indicator variables for the U. S. state of issuance and calendar year fixed effects. * Order flow variables: short-term rate, term premium, and default spread. * Controls for the average par size traded on a given day, or for the par size a nd the daily changes in the size of the trades used to measure bid, ask, and midpoint price/yield. To evaluate the impact that news events have on volume the regression analysis is conducted, whether the day saw the good bad or neutral news. Also conducted a cross-section regression of the daily change in the yield (price) against the surprise variable (news).To measure the underlying price movements, Lehman Brother’s Long Term Municipal Price Index is used to proxy for the market price level. Regression on markup on round- trip transaction against the change in the index over the period between the initial purchase and final sale is conducted. V. Analysis: a. Asymmetric price adjustment The asymmetric price adjustment is associated with opportunistic timing by the broker-dealers who intermediate trades in the market. The analysis shows that on the ask side of the market, where dealers are selling, prices rise faster than they fall.On the bid side, where dealers are buying, p rices fall faster than they rise. The profits on retail trades rise in rallies faster than they decrease when prices fall. This evidence suggests that dealers opportunistically delay recognition of movements in fundamentals. b.. The effect of macroeconomic news events on Price (yield) and volume: The regressions show that, while Treasury rates respond quickly to macroeconomic movements, municipal rates do not. Yield spreads also respond dramatically and persistently because the prce adjustment for municipals is so slow. It is found that the municipal yields (price) respond sluggishly to news.Also there is no effect in transactions volume in bond due to news impact. c. Implicit Half- Spreads and Asymmetric Price Adjustments To analysis how effective half- spreads respond to change in the midpoint, proxy for the bond’s value. When the midpoint of the bond rises, the average sales price less the midpoint (ask-side effective spread) is unaffected, but it rises when values fall. T hus, on the ask side, price rise faster than they fall. Similarly, the bid-side effective half-spread rises when prices rise, but is unaffected when price fall. Thus, the prices that dealers pat fall faster than they rise.In short, when underlying values move to dealers’ advantage, dealers quickly adjust prices up or down to maintain a constant profit margin. In contrast, when price movements decrease the cost of bond that dealers are selling, or increase the cost of a bond they are buying , dealers’ transactions prices are sticky. d. Asymmetric Yield spread Dynamics: Next analysis is the movement over time of yield spreads between municipals and Treasuries using a partial adjustment model. When the spread of the Treasury yield over the municipal midpoint yield is high, the municipal’s yield tends to rise and thus the price tends to fall.The reverse occurs when the yield spread is unusually narrow. The analysis shows that yield spreads widen faster than they shr ink. Alternatively stated, municipal price rise faster than they fall. e. Search costs and Asymmetric price dispersion: The analysis shows that within-day dispersion in the prices at which dealers sell to customers is higher when prices are falling than when they are rising. It is also found exact opposite for prices at which dealers buy from customers. Taken together, these findings suggest that dealers are exploiting search frictions on both sides of market.V. Conclusion Investor, financial intermediaries and regulators should concern regarding the consequences of limited transparency in financial markets. It is clear from the analysis that opacity in the municipal bond market affects the dynamic behavior of prices. Price discovery is slow, and price rise faster than they fall. Intermediaries appear to opportunistically time their responses to new information about fundamentals in the prices at which they trade with investors. The dealer markups on inventory positions increase fas ter when prices rise than they decrease when price fall.Implicit bid-ask spreads adjust slowly when they are relatively wide and adjust quickly when they are relatively narrow. Implicit half-spreads respond more quickly to price movements when this benefits dealers. Yield spreads relative to treasuries also adjust with asymmetric speed when they suggest that municipal prices should rise versus fall. In conclusion, these findings suggests that intermediaries benefit from the lack of price transparency and decentralization, and thus from the search costs imposed on investors, in the OTC market.