Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Essay about Jezebels from The Handmaids Tale - 1412 Words

Margaret Atwood – The Handmaids Tale – Jezebel’s In this essay, I will discuss how the section of â€Å"jezebel’s† (chapter 31-39) contributes to the development of the novel of â€Å"The Handmaid’s Tale† (Margaret Atwood). The term â€Å"jezebel† derives from the Bible, as Jezebel was a woman who conveyed wickedness upon the kingdom of king Ahab. Also, the term jezebel is often used to describe a dissenting woman. The section of â€Å"jezebels† is significant in the novel of the handmaids tale, as it provides different views as to the importance of women, they roles etc, compared to the rest of the novel. This is one point amidst many which I will discuss in this essay. One of the most important issues that the â€Å"jezebels† sequence offers†¦show more content†¦This enables women not to become rebellious of the system, as you can only become rebellious with the power of language. The handmaids in Gilead are also deprived of their identity, as they are the possessions of the commanders, and so are named after they commanders e.g. â€Å"Offred† and â€Å"Offglen†. However, the jezebel sequence approaches the roles of women in a different manner. The club of jezebels demonstrates that men in Gilead approve of casual sex. The men are able to choose whom to have sex with, and the women are capable of having sex with numerous men, all of which are condemned by the society in the preceding chapters. The main reason why Gilead came about was because of sexual freedom and because of pornography and prostitution. The Commander says in chapter 32 that in the previous society sex was â€Å"too easy† and this made sex lose its true meaning creating what the commander says an â€Å"inhibiting feeling† or in other words no real feeling. However, this is exactly what is happening with the club of jezebel’s in which sex is easy to have. Again in jezebels, Atwood shows that in Gilead women are possessions of men. This is highlighted when The Commander takes Offred to the club of Jezebels. The Commander is â€Å"showing off† Offred in front of the other men showing that Offred is of his ownership. In the jezebel sequence The Commander is presented differently from theShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Dystopia in Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale1098 Words   |  5 PagesThe Dystopia in Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale Offred is a Handmaid in what used to be the United States, now the theocratic Republic of Gilead. In order to create Gileads idea of a more perfect society, they have reverted to taking the Book of Genesis at its word. Women no longer have any privileges; they cannot work, have their own bank accounts, or own anything. The also are not allowed to read or even chose who they want to marry. Women are taught that they should be subservientRead MoreSummary Of The Handmaid s Tale 1162 Words   |  5 PagesEnglish Literature Block F 3 September 2015 The Handmaid’s Tale: Moira In the novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood examines a conservative society in which women’s rights are completely restricted and women are valued only for their ability to procreate. The world depicted in the novel is an exploration of a possible future, where the former United States is controlled by a warped theocracy called the Republic of Gilead. This dark dystopian tale is seen through the eyes of the narrator, â€Å"Offred†Read MoreThe Handmaid s Tale : Manipulation Of Power1516 Words   |  7 PagesPhotos Popular pages Community Contribute Watchlist Random page Recent changes Manipulation of Power in The Handmaid s Tale 116PAGES ON THIS WIKI View source Comments0 Anna Krainc Prof. Richards Gender in Literature 29 January 2013 Manipulation of Power in The Handmaid’s Tale The Handmaid’s Tale tells the story of a future dystopia where individuals use power from their position in society to manipulate others. The Commander, a high-up in Gilead’s hierarchy, initiates a forbidden, thoughRead MoreCharacter Analysis OfThe Handmaids Tale911 Words   |  4 Pages The Handmaid’s Tale written by Margaret Atwood is a dystopian society, and it takes place in the Republic of Gilead. Most women here have trouble getting pregnant due to unexplained causes. Although unknown, the most likely causes are pollution and radiation. In The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood creates Offred, The Commander Fred, and Nick through direct description, action, and reaction. Atwood assigns these indicative colors as â€Å"black, for the Commander, blue, for the Commander’s Wife, andRead MoreTotalitarian Society In The Handmaids Tale By Margaret Atwood934 Words   |  4 PagesIn the book The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood, the story’s s etting takes place in a totalitarian city, in which the government forces their will upon on the citizens and chooses what they will do in the future, especially for women. The decreasing birth rates causes the formation of this civilization, but the reader soon learn that the way the government tries to fix this problem is wrong, as it leads to more problems such as trust issues, and the inability to see others as equal. The charactersRead MoreCritical Analysis Of The Handmaids Tale1229 Words   |  5 Pagesdystopia The Handmaid’s Tale, a woman named Offred feels she is losing control over everything in her life. Offred lives in the Republic of Gilead. A group of fundamentalists create the Republic of Gilead after they murder the President of the United States and members of Congress. The fundamentalists use the power to their advantage and restrict women’s freedom. As a result, each woman is assigned a specific duty to perform in society. Offred’s husband and child were taken away from her and she isRead MoreThe Handmaid s Tale : Are Men And Blame?850 Words   |  4 PagesThe Handmaid’s Tale: Are Men to Blame? Women have been domesticated by men since the beginning of time. This role was given to women changing substantially as the years have gone by. It is still true that today there is a battle for equality of the sexes, and this novel by Margaret Atwood displays the harsh reality we continue to face in this male dominant society. Interestingly enough, this was written and published in the 80s and is still relevant today. Some believe that it is perfectlyRead MoreHandmaid Character Analysis1475 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout most of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Moira is a character who refuses to be beaten down and conform to the new society that Gilead had created. She is one of only characters that is referred to by her real name, and this is because Moira never really becomes a Handmaid like the others. In lieu of the passivity that the other Handmaid’s come to have, she fights back against the new system. Her resistance can be seen not only in her attitude while she is a Handmaid, but in herRead MoreThe Handmaids Tale Essay1215 Words   |  5 Pagesdystopia The Handmaid’s Tale, a woman named Offred feels she is losing control over everything in her life. Offred lives in the Republic of Gilead. A group of fundamentalists create the Republic of Gilead after they murder the President of the United States and members of Congress. The fundamentalists use the power to their advantage and restrict women’s freedom. As a result, each woman is assigned a specific duty to perform in society. Offred’s husband and child are taken away from her and she isRead MoreThe Novel The Handmaid s Tale 1191 Words   |  5 Pageseffect of words, powerless and innocent as they are, depending on the one who combines them can have good and evil outcomes. In the hands of Margaret Atwood, she used her knowledge and different interpretation of words in her dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale in a very indirect and devi ous way making her novel a treasure hunt in search of these key words for the understanding of the novel. The novel takes place in Gilead, a very dark future of the United States, governed by a theocratic government

Monday, December 16, 2019

The Mcnaughten Rule Free Essays

The M’Naghten Rule: 1843 Aspects of the Criminal law in Canada are likely to be traced back several hundred years ago, where the legal system was established in England. Criminal law, derived from public law, includes the subject of criminal defenses, and in a narrower sense, the theory of not being criminally responsible on account of a mental disorder. The theory behind this defense can be traced back to England in the 1840’s. We will write a custom essay sample on The Mcnaughten Rule or any similar topic only for you Order Now This era showcased the influential case of Daniel M’Nagthen. Believed to be a paranoid schizophrenic, M’Naghten shot and killed Edward Drummond, Secretary to the British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel. M’Naghten was under the delusion that he was being persecuted by Peel who was at the time a strong advocate of the police enforcement system. The case states that Daniel M’Naghten, had shot the Secretary, Edward Drummond, thinking he was Peel and was put on trial for the murder of Edward Drummond. As this stood, M’Naghten pleaded not guilty on the statement that he was mentally ill and having delusions, which had influenced his action to murder Drummond. The court system of England pronounced M’Naghten as not guilty by reason of insanity. The case gave way to the now titled M’Naghten rule claiming that an individual cannot be found guilty on the grounds that he or she is unable to tell the difference between right and wrong (Siegle, McCormick 2010). The M’Naghten rule has set a foundation of defining criminal responsibility and allowed for the introduction of mental disorders and psychological conditions as being able to influence whether or not an individual can be held criminally accountable. There was great public outcry on this verdict which forced the House of Lords to amend the standards for the defense of insanity and resulted in the rule that states: â€Å" every man is to be presumed sane, and that to establish a defense on the grounds of insanity, it must be clearly proved that, at the time of the committing of the act, the party accused was laboring under such a defect of reason, from disease of mind, as not to know the nature and quality of the act he was doing; or if he did know it, that he did not know he was doing what was wrong (8 Eng. Rep. 718 (1843))†. Criticism for the M’Naghten rule arose because it tended to rely entirely on the defendant’s cognitive ability to â€Å"know† right from wrong. Subsequently, there are also questions about what to do with defendants who can differentiate the wrongfulness they committed but can’t control the impulses to commit them. Combined, these factors either emotional or cognitive can make it difficult for defendants to be found not guilty by reason of insanity. Despite the criticisms, the M’Naghten Rule is still widely applied today in both the Canadian and United States legal system. Evolving a greater understanding of applying the â€Å"insanity defense† leads the way to other methods and theories for understanding and defining mental insanity. Looking into the Biological Trait Theory asks the question as to whether or not individuals can be â€Å"born criminal† (Garofalo, 178). It is known that mental disorders are almost, always genetically based, however diagnosing someone, as having a mental disorder, does not define them as a criminal. This is where behaviour and personality characteristics come into play, indicating a criminal nature. Many biological factors, such as body weight and height are incorporated into creating a stereotype of a criminal, a method called somatyping. It is important to take into account the lifestyle of the accused. Many factors such as the home structure, daily routine, nature and nurturing, education, friends, interest all play an impactful role in either noticing an onset of a mental disorder to noticing the beginning of criminal behavior. Some of these characteristics can come into play as well in the Psychological Trait Theory, focusing on the mental aspect of crime. From a psychodynamic perspective, there are two classifications to describe mental disorder, in individuals who struggle with mental anguish and loss of control of their personality. This can manifest in an individual who experiences neurosis or psychosis. Neurosis is described as being on the borderline between reality and the sense of losing control of your personality, and psychosis is the loss of total control leaving them detached from reality. Psychotic behavior is often marked by bizarre episodes of delusion or hallucinations. It can take on many forms, the most common being Schizophrenia. In a broad sense, the person is left with complete loss of thought control or appropriate emotional responses. They can become paranoid, delusional, hallucinate or withdraw completely from reality. As in the M’Naghten case of 1843, Daniel M’Naghten was thought to be a paranoid schizophrenic, which caused or provoked his violent reaction toward Edward Drummond. Due to the many theories and perspectives about the rooting and origins of mental disorders, it is no wonder why there is such a high correlation between crime and mental illness. Many characteristics of mental illness are also very similar to those categorized as being criminal in nature. The authors of â€Å"Clinical predictions of Self-Mutilation in hospitalized patients† stated that mentally ill individuals are more likely to withdraw or harm themselves than to act aggressively towards others (1994), which begins to ask the question if mentally ill individuals are more criminal than those who are not mentally ill. And, do you have to be mentally ill to commit a crime. This is why criminal cases involving mental illness are hard to defend or hard to prosecute. There does not seem to be a simple direct way to interpret the complete science of these theories. In conclusion, criminal behavior as it relates to understanding the relationship to mental illness is an evolving behavioral science. Nearly 170 years after the M’Naghten Rule was established the legal system in North America is still struggling to find the balance at defining mental insanity. There is significant research to establish that people can be born into crime based on their genetics or the environment and that psychotic behavior can lead to irrational thoughts and feelings that provoke people to do terrible things. The question still exists as to whether individuals from any of these perspectives actually understand if they had intent to commit a crime or understand completely that what they did was wrong. How to cite The Mcnaughten Rule, Papers

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Marketing Performance How Marketers Drive Profitable Growth

Question: Discuss about the case study of Marketing Performance for How Marketers Drive Profitable Growth. Answer: Introduction: Marketing is based on thinking about the business in terms of customer needs and their satisfaction. According to Twarowska and Kækol (2013), an effective marketing plan ensures the growth of the product portfolio. In this report, the researcher will present a marketing plan detailing approaches and the marketing mix to accomplish chosen organizational marketing objectives. This marketing pan will starts from the determination of the marketing strategies, evaluating available marketing opportunities, estimated risks and returns after addressing strength and opportunities within the organizations projected capabilities and resources. Woolworths - the company has been chosen for this assignment whose marketing plan is all set to introduce. The company is looking for to start the section of new Home Furnishing products. For the successful launch of these new avenues of their existing product portfolio, Woolworths needs to make marketing strategies, plan the tactics of the marketing to implement an effective marketing plan. Background of the Company: Woolworths Food Group is known for one of the biggest retail grocery companies in Australia. Today, the company is looking for to extend their market opportunities for sustaining the position among consumers of Australia. By the introduction of new home furnishing products through the lower price strategies, Woolworths is all set to plan to provide an improved hassle-free shopping experience. Woolworths has been generated revenue 42.13 billion AUD in 2015, however, the company is concerned about the fact that the European Supermarket chain is on the up and up (Woolworths Online 2016). The saturated market shares of Woolworth indicate that there is a huge need of the extension of the product portfolio for the competitive edge of the company. According to Roy Morgans Supermarket Currency report, Woolworths maintain the largest slice of the pie in terms of the market share, holding 39 percent of the total market share. However, the company has already sensed a stiff competition from the German-based Company Aldi, and other Australian companies like IGA, Coles and many others. This is the right time to improvise the companys ranges of product delivery to achieve the maximum customer satisfaction of the target consumers. Determination of the marketing strategies: Available marketing opportunities: Woolworths is already a renowned retail supermarket organization in Australia. Therefore the product promotion costs may not be high; however, the company needs to aware of the new product offerings to their existing as well as the target consumers. By exploring the home furnishing section within their portfolio, the company needs to assess the available marketing opportunities. Cost: This may be considered positive that cost of the Home Furnishing sections will be low because less effort would be given for new product launch, because the company is already one of the favorite supermarket brands across the Australia. Demand: Recently, people of Australia have shown a lot of interest and demand for unique and stylish home furnishing products, matching with their lifestyle. It is indeed encouraging that rising discretionary incomes of Australian people has improved the average lifestyle and thus the demand of the home furnishing has been increased. Market researchers estimates the annualized growth of 2.3 percent in the home furnishing retail business over the next five years, has increased the market opportunities of Woolworths. Competitors: Entering into the retail home furnishing business, there is a huge opportunity to flourish their new ranges of offering because of the least number of competitors. Most of the retail supermarkets are not selling the home furnishing products at their stores such as Coles, IGA, Aldi and many others. However, Myer is the largest departmental store of Australia and has been synonymous with style and fashion for over 100 years. Generating net sales of over $3.1 billion in FY2013 and having the footprint of 67 stores in the prime retail locations across Australia, this company would be the biggest competitors of Woolworths (Woolworths Online 2016). Apart from Myer, there are many online home furnishing companies which are very popular among customers such as Living Styles, Grays Online, Mydeal.com.au and many others who provides goods at the competitive low prices. In this way, this can be said that there are huge opportunities for Woolworths to expand their product portfolio introducing new ranges of product into their online and offline stores across the nation. Risks: At the initial stage, the operational costs will definitely be high but less amount of risk are associated with these new ranges of product delivery at their stores because the brand is already established in the market. Therefore, there is lesser efforts would be given for product promotion. However, the company needs to improve and expand their warehouse management system. Risks from competitive pressure are comparatively low in Australian market for the range of home furnishing. However, concentrating ranges of home furnishing products starting from the furnishing items for bathroom, bedroom, dining, to kitchen, other home decors need to take time to offer, but the limited product selling would be good option and less risky for the company. Returns: High return can be expected because of the leading position of the company in the retail market. Furthermore, a large section of consumers are willing to invest on their home furnishing products which increases the market expectations among the manufacturers as well. The industry has sustained strong growth over the past five years, primarily encouraged by upbeat sentiments of consumers and growth in real household disposable income. The ongoing trends of product selling through the internet forecast growth of 7.9 percent in 2016-17 bringing revenue up to $169.1 million. Moreover, the trend towards city living has also supported demand for home furnishing products such as curtains, shades, blinds, floor coverings, furniture and decorative accessories as well. Thus a huge return is expected by Woolworths along with shareholders of the company. Strengths and opportunities Strengths: There are several strengths can be identified after analyzing the projected capabilities and resources of Woolworths: Firstly, the company has financial capabilities to lunch the new ranges of products in their retail portfolio section. Being one of the biggest retailers, Woolworths has effectively managed 21.7 percent growth in their sales figure generating $15 billion in the last quarter of 2015 (Woolworths Online 2016). Launching new section of business, therefore, would not be a matter of concern for Woolworths due to financial resources. Secondly, a strong brand name and efficient operations in the market of Australia is another proposed strength of the company. With capturing large section of the market, the company has the competitive advantages. With quality brand and trusted retailing is the biggest strength of the company. Thirdly, the company has a huge human resource capital that is currently associated with the company. Therefore, scarce human capital would not be happened in the long term of their new business. Fourthly, a widely regarded strong, down-to-earth and family oriented company with sound ethical value and a hardworking, responsible culture increases their operational capabilities in the future. Opportunities: Firstly, improving city living and average income has been increasing day by day in Australia. It increases the demand of home dcor or furnishing products in the retail market. Secondly, there is a huge opportunity to extend this new furnishing business in order to having less number of competitors in the market. Thirdly, there is a trend of selling retail products through the online exposure in Australia. Thus, selling home furnishing products by the Woolworths online service is a great opportunity for the company to market their new offerings among woollies. Strategies to increase resources or expertise with Justification: The growing intensity of retail competition due to the emergence of new competitors, formats and technologies as well as the shifts in customer needs has been forcing retailers to devote more attention to long-term strategic planning (Burt, Johansson and Dawson 2016). To introduce new business in their product offerings, Woolworths needs to exploit different strategies to increase their existing resources. There are many marketing strategies are there to increase the growth of the business of Woolworths by expanding resources. Sell more to existing customers- This only be possible if Woolworths work harder to build relationships and absorb more sales staff Attract new customers by initializing more investment in promotion and advertising Channel of existing sales expansion- By the development of the online sales channel, Woolworths can expand their resources. Strategy of new product introduction: Introducing new product to attract new target audiences at the market place is very common strategy. Introducing new technology or use better equipments to increase capacity of the company is another strategy for resource expansion Joint forces/ Strategic alliance: A merger or acquisition combines the best of two companies is another option for expanding the customer base, increasing intellectual capital and delivers operational efficiencies. In this marketing plan, Woolworths has been chosen to offer new products to increase their market shares in the retail industry of Australia. This selection is quite justifiable because the company has already gained the market reputation by selling retail food products into the market since many years. In this context, entering into the new product line is a refreshing option for consumers who can buy food items with the necessary home furnishing items as well. The product promotional costs will also be less because product will be lunched at the stores of Woolworths as well. This strategy is also aligned with the organizations strategic direction of the company. Woolworths Food Group has outlined their three-year strategy to win the trust of its consumers and provides new options to increase consumer spend in order to sell home furnishing products along with food items. This strategic direction also indicates to sell the new ranges of products at the lower price and improves the shopping experience of consumers (Jeanpert et al. 2016). By introducing home furnishing products, therefore, the company does not only increase their market share but also achieve the shareholders confidence by getting more returns in the long run. Development of marketing performance review strategy Marketing performance of the company needs to be assessed for analyzing the growth of the business. There are various methods used to evaluate marketing key performance indicators or metrics (Meredith 2016). After installing the new products into the market by Woolworths, the company needs to assess their marketing performance incorporating significant metric which are as follows: Metrics 1: Brand Lift Brand lift is the metric that generally applied to advertising, but this can just as easily apply to content marketing campaigns as well. The market researcher normally records or identifies a positive shift in terms of consumer perception and awareness (Vargas-Hernndez and Jimenez 2016). This metrics will typically assess the performance of Woolworths in the perspectives of awareness (of the brand, offerings or product), attitudes (consumer opinion related to value, appeal, and quality), recall (remembering ability), favorability (proposed recommendations), and intent (likelihood to purchase). Therefore, Woolworths will records or monitors some of the qualitative records such as repeat visits of the customers at the stores or frequent visits at Woolworths online sites and many others. Metrics 2: Return on Investment Return on investment: By the introduction of the home furnishing business at their ranges of portfolio, Woolworths needs to review the return of investment which is one way of considering revenue in relation to invested capital. The method of evaluating performance of and responses to, the ranges of material of Woolworths from simple calculations measuring return on investment, to comparing with the number of visits to a website or at the stores would be the ultimate measurement metrics of the marketing metrics of the company (McDonald 2013). Metrics 3: Consumer visiting rate: Consumer visiting rate or exit rate is another significant marketing performance metrics for the retail business like Woolworths. These metrics can give the company a sense of whether target consumers are happy with the service or product offerings which is effectively records the visiting consumers among their stores in Australia or contents viewing metrics into one page of the companys site (Burt, Johansson and Dawson 2016). If the visiting rate of consumer has a high exit rate, then it would indicate that Woolworths needs to improve or offer better home furnishing products at the online as well as off-line selling. In this way, Woolworths will develop a marketing performance review strategy for the company, considering marketing metrics to review of organizational performance. Planning of marketing tactics: The launch of a new retail product or ranges of products may seem like its occurring at a single point of time, but the product launch is a far reaching effects. A poor launch may decrease the sales rate or make confused or upset consumers and negative ROI. On the contrary, a perfect product launch could mean more sales, a better bottom line or happy consumers. The following are the important marketing tactics to implement each marketing strategy in terms of various perspectives: Scheduling: It refers an overall process of arranging, controlling and optimizing work and workloads in a specified time. The production managers of Woolworths have decided to launch the new ranges of home furnishing products next within 3 months. This launch schedule is quite rational because the company requires some time to improve the warehouse management system for storage of home furnishing items along with the retail food products (Hawkes 2013). Furthermore, Woolworths needs to aware the entire sales team professional across all stores of the company in Australia so that they can prioritize tasks accordingly. For instance, the on-shelf availability of the home furnishing products such as curtains, floor tiles, designer furniture and other home dcor items and many others so that the company could satisfy each customers demand. In this context, the weekly schedule will be check with the various teams involved so that the company manages expectations; however, it is important to keep the lines of communication open among all parties within the chosen organization. On the other hand, scheduling strategy for advertising is another important consideration shall be planned for. There are three types of scheduling patterns: Continuity: Promoting throughout the year evenly Flighting: Advertise only during some months of the year Pulsing: This is a mix of both flighting and continuity, where the company have base amount of activity and increase activities of media during some period. In this case, the company is planning to implement flighting options for selling home furnishing products both at their stores and through online. Costing: In this marketing plan, the management of Woolworths needs to fix the cost for promotional and distribution effectively. The planning for upfront capital needs to be utilized effectively. Here the company will plan for competitive pricing strategy because consumers may find many choices and are generally willing to shop around to achieve the best price (Thompson et al. 2013). In this case, the pricing strategy shall incorporate outstanding customer service to stand above the competitions. Accountabilities: Assigned duties will be segregated as per the job responsibilities. Woolworths is planning to employ a senior interior designer for guiding the affordable outsourcing the ideas of stylish living for the major city people of Australia (Hollensen 2015). Historically, professional interior design or home dcor business was an expensive affair. However, hiring designer just became affordable who needs to take care to make the entire process standardized and transparent. Furthermore, a lot people shall be incorporated in the new section of their business for deliver better customer services. In this case, the sales and distribution departments must deliver their accountabilities for competitive performances. Persons responsibilities: Sales professionals: Responsibilities shall be taken are as follows: To monitor high customer care standards To identify the current requirements of customers Indentifies the opportunities of the business by determining projection and evaluating their position in the industry, reaching and analyzing the sales options Relationship maintenance with clients by providing support, information, and guidance, reaching and recommending profit and improvement of service Sales managers: Responsibilities shall be taken are as follows: Prepare monthly report by collecting, evaluating and totaling information Maintain standards of quality service by establishing and enforcing standards of Woolworths Contribute in team management by providing efforts by accomplishing related results as required Warehouse Coordinator: Distribute home furnishing goods from warehouse to all stores across the nation Maintain effective communication with the manufacturers of new product goods Sharing effective networks communication across store managers of Woolworths Product distribution after clearing taxations with ethical considerations such as maintaining confidentiality, strong corporate governance and so on. Marketing Plan: A strategically sound marketing plan is required for making the new proposal of home furnishing a successful one. Incorporating all marketing tactics and strategies to increase resources, Woolworths will identify the strategic action steps to turn such strategies into a reality in the marketing plan (Meredith 2016). The following are the proposed tactics of strategic marketing mix for the new plan of Woolworths: Table 1: Strategic Marketing Mix (Source: Created by author) Product: Woolworths group is all set to introduce their new product line Home Furnishing products. The company will sell diverse segments of home furnishing products such as Bed Linen, Living Room, Cushions and Cushion covers, Curtains, Bath Linen, Towels, Items of flooring, Table covers, Kitchen linen aprons and Furnishing Combos and so on. This broad product lines would intend for diverse uses and having different characteristics. The wide ranges of product will surely fulfill the demands of stylish home furnishing lifestyle of Australian consumers. In the strategic product mix, the sales professionals of Woolworths have been targeted these wide ranges of products for city living people across the nation (Festa. et al. 2016). At the introductory stage, Woolworths will give the interior guidance or advices to their customers to make their choices easier. This service will be included as the companys after sales service. Here the changing product tends must be take care by the store managers and sales executives so that on-shelf availability are maintained at all stores of Woolworths. Place: Woolworths will sell their products at the stores situated in major cities of Australia. A sectional department has been designed within all stores of Woolworths, where all items of home furnishing will be displayed. The company has been selected the target market of all city locations across Australia where people are keen to invest lifestyle products. In this section of the marketing mix, the company will consider an effective channel management for distributing their new home furnishing products from warehouse to stores maintaining the Just-in-time approach for the seamless operations. Diagram 2: Place Mix (Source: Created by author) Price: A competitive pricing strategy will be followed in order to sale new products. Though the company may face major competitions from the largest departmental store, Myer, the company will sell their home furnishing products at the least prices during the introductory phase. There is a plan to offer buy to get 1 free for curtains, best lines products ranges for generating more customer responses. This strategy would be apt for selling ranges of home furnishing products at the end of period. On the other hand, the company will give special discount for selected items but of course for within a particular duration. This strategy will be beneficial if the company would offer special discounts at the seasonal basis. However, the company will deliver their goods at the reasonable prices considering the brand status of Woolworths among their consumers. Promotion: New product must be promoted to generate awareness among the target customers (Vemanna and Rao 2016). In this context, the company has planned to promote their products through social media sites such as Google+, Facebook and many others. This direct marketing approach is suitable due to less operational costs are associated with the company. Another unique promotional strategy - Point of Sale and end cap marketing will be used during the introductory phase of the marketing. This method is all about selling products and promoting items in store)s (Bauer et al. 2016). This is suitable promotional option for convenience and impulse. The concerned items of home furnishing products will be placed near the checkout in Woolworths stores and may often purchased by consumer on impulse as they wait to check out. Moreover the company is planned a back-end plan for making this lunch a successful one. Skilled sales people make survey calls to their customers to gather information that can be lat er be used for marketing by asking questions relating to the way the customers feel about the services and products purchased (Korhonen 2016). This strategy is quite apt because the purpose of promoting products serves dual objectives- firstly the company understands the consumers demand and their thinking process and secondly, the company will also striving to provide the best ranges of products at the stores of Woolworths. Justification of marketing plan: This marketing plan contains a rationale with the smart objectives of the company for launching these ranges of products. As mentioned above, the company is looking for to achieve SMART objectives that are as follows: Specific Lunching home furnishing products with the existing product lines Measurable Profitability will be ascertained by recording sales Achievable The company will get highest returns after the completion of 3 years strategy Realistic The company will get 15 percent hike in their sales in the growth phase of this product lifecycle Time scaled This marketing plan will be scaled for the period of 3 months Table 1: SMART objectives of Woolworths (Source: Created by author) As the above mentioned marketing plan proposed, this can be said that the plan contains proper justification in terms of objectives and information that supports the choice of strategies and tactics. As far as the strategy is concerned, the new product line has been introduced. It would be easier for the company to increase their market share because the company is already holding the maximum market share in the retail business and Woolworths is also a known face to the people of Australia. Furthermore, the company is financially stable. It would be affordable for the company if the new home furnishing segments may take time at the initial stage of their life cycle. Therefore, the anticipated profit will be achieved within 3 years is quite justifiable. On the other hand, flighting strategies for the promotion of the home furnishing products of Woolworths is also rationale because there is no need to promote products for the duration of the entire year. The reason is that the company has the brand reputation amongst consumers. Furthermore, the company has the enough workforces, financial strength, and the effective operational strategies that will make the entire marketing plan a successful one. Adjustment of the marketing plan in response to feedback from key stakeholders: Woolworths group is currently holding the leading position and large shareholders are associated with the companys growth in the retail industry of Australia. The company is listed in the ASX and this marketing plan must deliver huge returns to their associated stakeholders. The company will improvise their product delivery maintaining the cordial relationship of consumers, shareholders, employees of the company (Burt, Johansson and Dawson 2016). With the launching of the new product line, the company will collect the feedbacks from their existing customers about the new offerings of the company. Collecting this response from the stakeholders, the company will improve their ranges of products delivery. For instance, the out of shelf availability is a major concern for consumers. Therefore, a seamless product delivery system must be maintained for getting the best favorable responses from the customers. On the other hand, there is a huge requirement of delivering high quality services from the sales professionals. Therefore, the company should be introduced an extra incentive schemes for encouraging their existing consumers. In this way, Woolworths will make a successful marketing plan for the lunch of new product line in their existing product portfolio. References: Bauer, T., Spillecke, D., Freundt, T. and Gordon, J., 2016.Marketing Performance: How marketers drive profitable growth. John Wiley Sons. Burt, S., Johansson, U. and Dawson, J., 2016. International retailing as embedded business models.Journal of Economic Geography,16(3), pp.715-747. Festa, G., Cuomo, M.T., Metallo, G. and Festa, A., 2016. The (r) evolution of wine marketing mix: From the 4Ps to the 4Es.Journal of Business Research,69(5), pp.1550-1555. Hawkes, K., 2013. First principles in developing a Marketing plan.Food New Zealand,13(6), p.19. Hollensen, S., 2015.Marketing management: A relationship approach. Pearson Education. Jeanpert, S., Jeanpert, S., Pach, G. and Pach, G., 2016. Successful multi-channel strategy: mixing marketing and logistical issues.Journal of Business Strategy,37(2), pp.12-19. Korhonen, K., 2016. Measuring marketing productivity: A comparative study between fuzzy-set and regression analysis. McDonald, M.H., 2013. Ten barriers to marketing planning.Journal of Product Brand Management. Meredith, L., 2016. Multiple marketing plans: an analytical template.Journal of Business Industrial Marketing,31(4). Meredith, L., 2016. Multiple marketing plans: an analytical template.Journal of Business Industrial Marketing,31(4). Thompson, A., Peteraf, M., Gamble, J., Strickland III, A.J. and Jain, A.K., 2013.Crafting Executing Strategy 19/e: The Quest for Competitive Advantage: Concepts and Cases. McGraw-Hill Education. Twarowska, K. and Kækol, M., 2013. International Business Strategy-reasons and forms of expansion into foreign markets.Poland: Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, p.55. Vargas-Hernndez, J.G. and Jimenez, R.A., 2016. Personal Marketing Plan and Its Influence on Employability.RESPONSIBLE MARKETING FOR SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS, p.63. Vemanna, N. and Rao, V.N., 2016. Consumer Behaviour Towards Organized RetailingA Study of Product and Price in the Marketing Mix.International Journal of Scientific Research,4(10). Westwood, J., 2013.How to write a marketing plan. Kogan Page Publishers. Woolworths Online. (2016).Woolworths Supermarket - Buy Groceries Online. [online] Available at: https://www.woolworths.com.au [Accessed 2 Jul. 2016].