Analyse a Brand Community of Your Choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyse a Brand Community of Your Choice - Essay Example Brand communities are termed as very complex and its members are often known to relate their personal identity with a brand community. Customer expectations and wants are largely characteristics of these brand communities (Wiegandt, 2009, p.15). The present study would try to analyse the aspect of brand communities and particularly the brand community of Apple. The choice of product assumes significance as it is one of the most renowned brands of the globe and has a high brand image and popularity. Brand Community Brand communities have several characteristic features with the most prominent being the aspect of awareness of a particular type. This includes the aspect of sharing a set of common faith and beliefs among the members of the group within the group i.e., homogenous within the group and heterogeneous outside the group (Ratneshwar & Mick, 2005, p.256).The discussions in brand communities normally involves discussion about the various aspects of only a particular brand. One of the online brand communities of Apple includes only aspects that are related to the brand. This includes advertisements and information about new products and company news. These do not contain any information about any brand other than Apple. The views and comments of the members are also essentially concentrated around the same aspect. This essentially is in tune with the aspect of homogeneity between the group members and heterogeneous with other groups. In this case the identity of the group members is masked by the identity of the brand and aspects relating to the brand assume greater importance (Schau & Muniz, 2002). Parsons & Maclaran (2009), state that one of the essential aspects and characteristic features of brand communities involve the instance of consumption based on collective traits. The example of the Apple brand and community is a very realistic example of this aspect. In the Apple community emphasis is only given on the common interests of the members of the bran d which in this case is the love and interest about Apple’s products and services as well as other relevant information that is related to the brand as a whole (Parsons & Maclaran, 2009, p.94). The aspect of ethical marketing is also closely linked with the brand communities. The importance of ethics in marketing activities has been rigorously researched in various academic and professional circles. The main goal of marketing activities is to increase the market share and marketers are known to use various means to do so. The era of competition has also increased the use of unethical aspects. Brand communities are an easy target for marketers considering their affinity towards a brand. However, ethical aspects need to be included so that the loyalty is maintained with the members of the community (Carrigan, Marinova & Szmigin, 2005, p.481-486). Apple’s marketing strategy is largely based on focussing upon the product and innovation associated with the products. The com pany does not try to go into sentimental issues and largely focuses on the product while promoting it in the market. These aspects go well with the communities of the brand that helps generate advantage for the organization. Brand communities

Methodology And Performance Standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Methodology And Performance Standards - Essay Example In this essay, Baldwin Hotel is assessed for service quality in the way and manner in which staff deal with guests by using two major performance standards namely resourcefulness and customer service. Resourcefulness is a quality of staff or workers that makes it possible for them to contribute to several aspects of decision making within their job even outside their official job specification. This means that for staff of Baldwin for example who are front desk attendants must be in a position to provide other services and resources to their superiors outside of their stated job specifications as front desk attendants. Generally resourcefulness improves service quality because it helps in eliminating gaps in tasks and services within the hotel. For example when one worker is absent, the presence of a resourceful employee would ensure that the vacancy is not felt and that it does not affect customer service because he will be there to take that task up. At the visit to the site, there were two major measurable and observable areas or components of resourcefulness that was seen. The first had to do with front desk attendants who were giving room services, and front desk attendants who were undertaking troubleshooting in inaccurate ledger postings and entries. The methodological tools that were devised to measure the resourcefulness of workers were observation and accuracy with ledger postings. This means that there was both a qualitative and quantitative methodology. Employees who were responsible for this performance standard were front desk attendants. Customer service is a performance standard that basically deals with the level of satisfaction that the services rendered to customers by staff is appreciated by customers (Covey, 2008). At the Baldwin Hotel, greater percentage of customers is guests to the hotel who come to book rooms to spend from one night to a whole vacation. Customer service rendered to

Perception in thought processes Essay Example for Free

Perception in thought processes Essay This paper seeks to explore the role played by perception in thought processes in an individual’s life. It also focuses on intelligence and the relationship between intelligence and cognition. Perception which is the process of acquiring, interpreting, selecting, and organizing sensory information influence thinking styles, thinking skills as well as the types of thoughts in an individual’s mind. The world of an individual begins by what is visible, imagined or told in a story about various issues and things in his or her immediate surrounding. When these things are assimilated by an individual, a response is ignited in the mind in the form of thought processes. (Bohm, D. 1994, p. 130). I perceive the current modern world as a place of creativity and competition and an arena where everybody is always pushing his or her way even if it is to the disadvantage of others. For instance, the industrialized nations continue to release greenhouse gases despite the world wide outcry on global warming. Due to these, I am always thinking of discovering something new that can push me a head of the rest in both competition and creativity. Most importantly, what is always in my mind is how to accumulate enough money in this capitalistic world where everyone is keeps to themselves. The egocentricity I encounter in my interaction with people has made me to think of ways on how to keep whatever I have to myself and a way from the selfish world. The characteristics of what I perceive as well as personal characteristics like my attitude, personality, motives, interests, past experiences and expectations affect the thought processes. Several definitions for intelligence have been developed by various researchers and scientists but there seems to be no consensus on the universally acceptable definition. According to Sternberg, J. R, Jean E. P. (2005), the definitions revolve around specific abilities which are pooled together to form general abilities as the parameters around which intelligence can be defined. Consequently intelligence can be defined as the ability to learn about, learn from, understand, and interact with one’s environment. These specific abilities are the reason for cognition which is the process of recognizing, interpreting, making judgments as well as reasoning; these involves perceptions, learning, memory, and decision making. The capacity for knowledge and ability to acquire it is a specific component of intelligence that can lead a person into judging a situation or an object. The capacity to reason and higher thinking coupled with ability to carry out an evaluation gives judgment as a product of intelligence. The ability to adapt to a new environment or to changes in the current environment dictates how an animal or human being will act on the information from its environment. Interpretation which is encompassed in cognition is as a result of the ability to comprehend the issue at hand and contrast and compare relationships that we face. Cognition can therefore be said to result from original and productive thought. Conclusion. What an individual perceives define the thought processes he or she is undergoing. Perception of the surrounding environment is what triggers the development of thinking skills and styles needed in response. Cognition is a consequence of specific abilities which are found in intelligence and they mostly occur together.

The Logistics Performance Indicators And Importance Commerce Essay

The Logistics Performance Indicators And Importance Commerce Essay Logistics encompasses a complex set of activities which require a collection of metrics to adequately measure performance. Chow et al. (1994) were probably the first to attempt to define supply chain (logistics) performance and they presented some measures for measuring logistics performance. Since then, most of the literature on logistics performance appears to focus on models and frameworks (Clarke and Gourdin, 1991; Mentzer and Konrad, 1991; Rao and Grenoble, 1991; Hubbard, 1992) and on managing different aspects of logistics (Larson, 1994). Sink and his colleagues have defined seven dimensions in order to capture their conception of what performance means: they are effectiveness, efficiency, quality, productivity, quality of work life, innovation and profitability/budgetability [International Journal of Logistics Management]. Given the lack of any universally definition for performance in the organizational literature, it should not be surprising that extant literature offers many ideas about the dimension that ought to be incorporated into a conceptualization of logistics performance. One of the best examples is the framework presented by Rhea and Shrock, where physical distribution effectiveness is defined as the extent to which distribution programmes satisfy customers [International Journal of Logistics Management, 5, p. 3] While measuring logistics performance, a comprehensive strategy of measurement is necessary for the successful planning, realization and control of the different activities which comprise the business logistics function ( Andersson et al. (1989). As Thor (1994, pp. 13-28) correctly advocates, there should be a whole family of measures. This is a balanced collection of four to six performance measures, usually including productivity, quality and customer satisfaction, which together furnish an all-inclusive view of results but, individually, also provide a diagnostic value. Developing such an approach, Mentzer and Firman (1994) claim that the management and control of logistics performance entails four broad aspects: Information systems to collect and report performance measures Efficient performance measures Variance analysis Corrective action Productivity within the performance scenario can be seen as a measurement of resource utilization, including the time element. The productivity philosophy and its improvement has been a high priority, in the first instance, in manufacturing, then in marketing, and later in physical distribution and materials management. Thus, the time is now ripe to focus on the whole logistics process. It is the shape of the organizations physical manifestations which is largely influenced by the nature of the values, beliefs and underlying assumptions of logistics management (Ericsson (1990, pp. 42-49). Quantitative metrics of supply chain performance can be classified into two broad categories: Non-financial and financial. In fact, in the late 1880s financial measures were mainly focused such as return on investment (Christopher, 1992; Schermerhorn et al.,, 2000). However as the second progressed during 1980s, the world market changed and companies began to lose market share to overseas competitors who were able to provide higher-quality products with lower costs and more diversity. To re- capture the competitive edge, companies not only directed their strategic focus from low-cost production to quality, flexibility and short lead time, as non-financial measures. (Bower Hout, 1988; Rushton Oxley, 1989; Stewart, 1995) Logistics performance measures can be categorized into two categories such as qualitative and quantitative measures. Qualitative measures include such as customer satisfaction and product quality etc., and quantitative measures include such as order-to-delivery lead time, supply chain response time, flexibility, resource utilization, delivery performance, etc. It has been suggested that the critical elements that form the basis of logistics management are time, distance and money. Some utilization, productivity and effectiveness metrics used in the logistics management are: Dimension Metric Example Utilization Actual input/norm input Area of warehouse occupied/ total area Productivity Actual output/actual input Ton-miles delivered/cost incurred No of orders processed/ no of hours of labor Effectiveness Actual output/norm output No of shipment on-time/no of shipment sent Utilization measures: They are used to track the use of input resources in process. In logistics, input could be characterized as financial, physical assets or inventory. Utilization metrics include the following: Spending measures Purchase price variance Distribution cost as percentage of sales Variance of transportation cost from budget Non financial resources measures Usage ratios Amortized costs Inventory measures Static metrics (capture level of inventory expressed in physical, financial or other terms) Flow metrics (capture speed of inventory as it flows through the system over a period of time) productivity measures Partial productivity measures (SFP-single factor productivity ratios ) Total factor productivity measurement Financial productivity measurement (ROI-return on investment )( (Frameworx, 2005) Effectiveness metrics Order fill rates( order filled /orders requested Line item fill rates( total line items not filled / shipped in time per period Damage rates (line items damaged per order) Order cycle time (elapsed time between receiving request and delivering order) Delivery or transit time (elapsed time between readying order for shipment and delivery order)( DfT, 2004) On-time ( orders shipped on time or orders received by customer on time ) Perfect deliveries (orders received by customers with no logistics service fullness) Importance of performance metrics: Implementing performance measures is a key to optimizing the supply chain. That reflects the entire process, rather than the individual components that make up the process. Managers can obtain a better picture of the process by focusing on the entire supply chain, rather than its individual parts. This is vital to emphasize the vital importance of the logistics process to the rest of the company and how logistics can affect the financial stability of the organization as a whole. (Rick J Blasgen, 2007) The effectiveness of supply chain of a company heavily affects its profitability and survival. Surprisingly few companies appear to have effective measures of each business process within the supply chain or information systems which readily produce the data necessary to drive improvement forward. Within the supply chain, logistics are considered to be the link between production/purchasing and marketing. Controlling logistics performance is a major concern for management. This is mainly because of the constantly changing environment and unforeseen events which may affect forecast performance levels. (Anonymous 1997) Three major reasons for measuring logistics performance: Reduce their operating costs Drive their revenue growth Enhance their shareholder value Example: By using the latest logistics performance indicators Dell has successfully become the dominant market player in the personal computer industry. It derives its growth because of mass customization, efficient supply chain management and reduced delivery time. In the era of global supply chains and mass customization, Dell has maintained close linkage of logistics. Dells performance measurement, manufacturing, logistics and shipping and strategies make it possible to customize computers for individual consumers at a low cost. It has successfully implemented low cost strategy through its efficient manufacturing operations, better supply chain management, reduced cycle time and direct sales model. orders are directly taken from its customers; either on phone or online. Thus, this reduces the cost of intermediaries that would otherwise add up to the total cost of PC for the customer. Dell also saves time on processing orders that other companies normally incur in their sales and distribution system by having latest performance measurement tools. Moreover, dell is able to get a clearer indication of market trends by directly dealing with customers. A two-to-three point cost advantage is also obtained by delaying assembly until a customers order is received (King, 2005). Three or four days finished inventory is kept on hand versus 30 to 45 days worth at some competitors. Parts inventory is replenished as often as every 90 minutes. an additional four or five points cost edge is brought by supply chain efficiencies derived from lean inventory management.(William Hoffman, 2005) Conclusion In todays severe competitive market place, product or service differentiation separates the winners from the losers. Mostly, the service differentiation is achieved by managing the logistics process efficiently and effectively. To achieve excellence in logistics, successful firms have to ensure that the firms business strategy is aligned with the key logistics processes and they are measured against predetermined performance objective The approach that a firm takes in establishing logistics measurements system does not matters a lot as the real value come when the information is acted upon to align the effectiveness and efficiency of the logistics process performance to value the customers. The role 3PL can have in your success is dependent on when you start measuring your logistics performance (james S. Keebler and David A. Durtsche 2007).

Examples of How Set Can Communicate the Dances Ideal Concept :: Dance Drama Still Life at the Penguin Cafe Essays

Examples of How Set Can Communicate the Dance's Ideal Concept When a dance piece is created, it is not just the choreography of the steps that needs to be considered. To make a successful piece, firstly a starting point needs to be found, this can be anything ranging from an emotion, an animal, or even someone's journey to work or school. When this has been decided upon, there are five main areas that need to be concentrated on. These are; costume, music, set, lighting and choreography. These different fields of the dance cannot be considered separate, nor is there a rank of importance; all five areas need to be created together. They compliment each other, and grow together to form the piece. In this essay I am going to focus on the importance of just one of these factors, the set. Using examples from professional dance works I am going to discuss how the set successfully communicates the dance's ideal concept. The first dance work I am going to use as an example, is from "Still Life at the Penguin Cafà ©" choreographed by David Bintley and designed by Hayden Griffin. I have chosen to discuss the set in the first scene of the performance, "The Great Auk". There are two sections to this scene, the first section being a representation of the Great Auk's habitat, the second being a busy cafà ©, run by penguins as waiters and sophisticated women as customers. The set for the first section is simple but effective. The stage has a black backdrop, covering the whole stage wall, and a smaller screen on wheels centre stage. This screen is roughly 7ft tall and a vertical rectangle. On it an icy landscape is painted. It shows ice and sea, using white and icy blue colours. It shows an image of the penguin's habitat. It lets the audience know a bit about the penguin's background and what it has to deal with in life. This is very effective as it communicates the meaning of the piece, showing that life for this creature is hard. This piece of se is also very useful within the piece, as the dancers use it as an added entrance. They hide behind the screen and appear at the sides, this give added interest to the piece, and it is also practical as it is on wheels, therefore easy to move on and off the stage. The rest of the stage is left empty for this section, providing space for the dance. For the second part of this scene, the icescape is moved off stage and the backdrop is lifted to reveal a cafà ©.

A Non-Human Existence :: Analysis, Winston

Winston defines being human as having feelings, following sensory pleasures, and staying true to those two types of emotions because, â€Å"only feelings matter†(146). He also asserts that before the Party when people had individual relationships and â€Å"members of a family stood by one another† they were human (26). Winston’s deadened senses as well as his social disconnection, and the lack of import in his daily life after he leaves the Ministry of Love indicate that he has not achieved his goal of staying human. Winston is very desensitized after he leaves the Ministry of Love, making him inhuman. In the Chestnut Tree Cafà © Winston â€Å"took up his glass and sniffed it†(262). This action shows that he has lost the ability to be sensitive to smell. When Winston picks flowers for Julia, he notices â€Å"their faint sickly scent†, but when he sniffs his gin he doesn’t register any scent, he just â€Å"sniffed†(104, 262). Also Winston describes his gin as becoming â€Å"more horrible with every mouthful†(262). Although Winston registers and considers the taste of the gin, he doesn’t take pleasure in the taste, and doesn’t drink something he could enjoy more. One part of being human is following sensory pleasures and Winston is clearly not basing his meals or actions on pleasure. Also, Winston’s extreme social disconnection proves that he is no longer human. Winston reflects, â€Å"no one cared what he did any longer†(262). Before his time in the Ministry of Love, people surrounded Winston all day long. He was forced to wake, stretch and go to work. He ate, worked, and talked to others. But now, â€Å"no whistle woke him, no telescreen admonished him† so his life is completely without even these connections. For example, In the Chestnut Tree Cafà ©, Winston sits alone at a table where no one else will ever sit. Winston wishes for social connection, but can’t find it, as he is no longer human. So instead, Winston reaches out for the closest thing he can when â€Å"as though for reassurance he looked up at the imperturbable face†(263). Some people may say that this action shows that Winston is still human because he is looking and longing for social connection. However, during work when Winston is faced with the chance to co nnect with other people, he and the others instead end up â€Å"looking at one another with extinct eyes†(263). Winston cannot connect to anyone else, through telescreens, work, or even just everyday life. A Non-Human Existence :: Analysis, Winston Winston defines being human as having feelings, following sensory pleasures, and staying true to those two types of emotions because, â€Å"only feelings matter†(146). He also asserts that before the Party when people had individual relationships and â€Å"members of a family stood by one another† they were human (26). Winston’s deadened senses as well as his social disconnection, and the lack of import in his daily life after he leaves the Ministry of Love indicate that he has not achieved his goal of staying human. Winston is very desensitized after he leaves the Ministry of Love, making him inhuman. In the Chestnut Tree Cafà © Winston â€Å"took up his glass and sniffed it†(262). This action shows that he has lost the ability to be sensitive to smell. When Winston picks flowers for Julia, he notices â€Å"their faint sickly scent†, but when he sniffs his gin he doesn’t register any scent, he just â€Å"sniffed†(104, 262). Also Winston describes his gin as becoming â€Å"more horrible with every mouthful†(262). Although Winston registers and considers the taste of the gin, he doesn’t take pleasure in the taste, and doesn’t drink something he could enjoy more. One part of being human is following sensory pleasures and Winston is clearly not basing his meals or actions on pleasure. Also, Winston’s extreme social disconnection proves that he is no longer human. Winston reflects, â€Å"no one cared what he did any longer†(262). Before his time in the Ministry of Love, people surrounded Winston all day long. He was forced to wake, stretch and go to work. He ate, worked, and talked to others. But now, â€Å"no whistle woke him, no telescreen admonished him† so his life is completely without even these connections. For example, In the Chestnut Tree Cafà ©, Winston sits alone at a table where no one else will ever sit. Winston wishes for social connection, but can’t find it, as he is no longer human. So instead, Winston reaches out for the closest thing he can when â€Å"as though for reassurance he looked up at the imperturbable face†(263). Some people may say that this action shows that Winston is still human because he is looking and longing for social connection. However, during work when Winston is faced with the chance to co nnect with other people, he and the others instead end up â€Å"looking at one another with extinct eyes†(263). Winston cannot connect to anyone else, through telescreens, work, or even just everyday life.

Batik Garment

The Objectives.. ? To be a World Class Provider of BATIK Garment Industry Our Mission.. ? Our vision is to focus on offering range of quality  batik  products to our customers, and introduce  Malaysian  Batik  to the people all over the world. We would like to penatered US market and introduce variety product that can produce with Batik. It is the opportunity for batik business to improve it profitability and competitiveness. The Opportunities.. ? Rising demand for handicraft products in developed countries such as USA, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy etc. ? Developing fashion industry requires handicrafts products. Development of sectors like Retail, Real Estate that offers great requirements of handicrafts products. ? Development of domestic and international tourism sector. ? Ability to produce high quality product with good design ? e-Commerce and Internet are emerged as promissory distribution channels to market and sell the craft products. 1. INTRODUCTION The Malaysian government has supported its craftspeople significantly since 1974 with the establishment of  Kraftangan, a government organization under the auspices of the ministry of culture that is designed to promote Malaysian handicrafts and culture.This outstanding program serves as a role model for the arts and textile industries of other countries. The common goal is simply to make Malaysia a Batik capital. According to Matrade, textiles are ranked 9th  and accounting for 2. 3 per cent share of Malaysia’s exports of total manufactured goods. In 2011, exports of textiles and apparel & clothings totaled RM10. 81 billion from RM9. 32 billion for the same period last year, an increase of 15. 9 per cent. Of this, exports of textiles was valued at RM6. 72 billion and accounted for 62. per cent share, while apparels and clothing accounted for 37. 8 per cent share, valued at RM4. 08 billion. Higher exports were due to increasing exports of yarns and apparels. The USA, Japan, T urkey, Indonesia and China were Malaysia’s top 5 export destinations for Malaysia’s textiles and apparel & clothing. USA remained the leading export market contributing to 18. 6 per cent share of the total exports of the industry. Export was valued at RM2. 01 billion, an increase of 13. 6 per cent. 1. 1 The Unique Batik MalaysiaDeveloping batik as handcrafted textile – hand printed and hand drawn, has made us all acutely aware of the importance of three essential elements in producing a new product. They are, namely, Design, Colour and Technique. We need to pay attention to all of the three above elements giving emphasis to Design which requires the most and urgent attention. Secondly, Malaysians love bright colours and batik in bright colours has become a manifestation of that expression. However, we need to think of the market and the consumers we are targeting.Therefore, we need to study how they perceive colours and their receptivity to our  selection of c olours. And thirdly, the need to take  an aggressive approach in R&D and to engage in experimenting  new technologies that can expedite and enhance batik production process as well as to solve problems related to attaining quality production. Learning from the experiences of other countries such as Japan and Korea, and adapting their practices to meet our needs would indeed be a real asset. Another aspect of R&D, relates to acquiring  knowledge about the characteristics of fabrics in order to appraise their appropriateness for making batik.What makes Batik  Malaysia unique is that we have been able to develop it through innovation by observing and learning from the tradition of batik–making of other countries, and successfully creating our own indigenous batik–style. 1. 2 Trends in Fashion The world of fashion has created an immense consciousness with the designers and batik – makers who recognise the need to constantly innovate and produce new designs, introduce   new range of colours as well as to experiment with new production techniques to meet with the fast changing consumer taste and fashion trends.As a result, batik crafted from a variety of materials such as silk, cotton and linen of varying texture   have emerged in the market place. 1. 3 Batik as an Art form Malaysian artists have made an inroad with their innovative adaptation of the batik technique on canvas. Henceforth, a new genre of batik as an art form was born. Batik paintings depicting images of Malaysian flora, fauna, forest, food and fiesta themes are providing a glimpse into the rich diversity of natural and cultural heritage of Malaysia through Batik Art. 1. 4 The Design ChallengeA good design should create a pleasant virtual experience: the customer should perceive the product as aesthetically pleasing. In this respect, batik designers should develop batik design to  respond to the particular needs of the consumers thereby promoting  the concept of sp ecial design for specific usage, such as  batik  for school wear, batik for uniform, batik for daily wear, batik for formal day and evening attire and batik for special occasions. Each  particular design with special motif, pattern, colour and fabric  created would therefore give batik that exclusive ook and this  would impact on batik not only as  a versatile textile for clothing but also in popularizing it to a wider market. Malaysia’s natural environment offers limitless source of inspiration from which new ideas, patterns, motifs and colours could be derived. At the same time, the uniqueness of each community in Malaysia, the people and their living traditions and cultural heritage are  yet another  source  for design input. 2. US MARKET 2. 1CULTURE OF THE PEOPLE the  culture of the United States  is primarily a  Western culture, but is also influenced by  Native American,  Asian,  Polynesian,  African, and  Latin American  cultures.Ame rican culture started its formation over 10,000 years ago with the migration of  Paleo-Indians  from  Asia  into the region that is today the  continental United States. It has its own unique social and cultural characteristics such as  dialect,  music,  arts,  etc. The United States of America is an ethnically and racially  diverse  country as a result of large-scale immigration from many different countries throughout its history. Due to the extent of American culture, there are many integrated but unique social  subcultures  within the United States.The cultural affiliations an individual in the United States may have commonly depend on  social class,  political orientation  and a multitude of demographic characteristics such as religious background, occupation and ethnic group membership. 2. 2 POLITIC & ECONOMIC Political US REGULATORY COMPLIANCE Companies that are involved in the production and distribution of medical devices that are intended fo r marketing in the U. S. are required to register their facility with the FDA on form FDA 2891. There is no fee for registering your facility.As of 11 February 2002, foreign companies must also provide the FDA with the contact information for their U. S. Agent and this information can be provided on this form as well. This form must be completed by the official correspondent designated on the form and submitted 30 days prior to exporting to the U. S. All registration information must be verified annually and updated if changes have occurred. If the company is registering for the first time, the registration form FDA 2891 must be submitted to the FDA along with the Device Listing form FDA 2892.This form is used to identify to the FDA the devices that the company has in commercial distribution by generic category. There is also no fee for submitting this form. U. S. Fiscal Policy Turning first to U. S. fiscal policy, the slow pace so far of economic recovery and weak job creation†”despite the wide margin of excess capacity—argues for maintaining supportive monetary and fiscal policies in the very near term. Indeed, expansionary fiscal policy already played a critical role in averting a deeper U. S. recession.According to IMF analysis, fiscal measures contributed about 2 percentage points to GDP growth in 2009, and another one percentage point last year. At the same time, federal debt held by the public has risen from about 36 percent of GDP in 2007 to about 62 percent of GDP in 2010, while prospective debt dynamics have worsened significantly. In the absence of corrective measures, and taking into account underlying fiscal pressures that predated the crisis, debt could reach about 95 percent of GDP by the end of this decade—a level last reached immediately following World War II.Without policy adjustments, subsequently the debt simply would keep rising. From this perspective, the need for urgent action to secure medium-term fiscal sustainabil ity appears to be self-evident. Political Ideologies in the United States Ideologies in US politics vary greatly. However, for the majority of American citizens, most political ideologies are derived from classical liberalism. Ideas such as individual liberty and limited government, for example, are popular with most Americans.Unlike many other countries, there are only two major political parties in America and their core beliefs are very similar due to the moderation that the two party system in US politics encourages. The Democratic Party, who tend to represent liberal ideals, lean slightly to the political left and the Republican, who generally favour conservative ideals, lean slightly to the political right. The two dominant ideologies that exist in American politics today are conservatism and liberalism. Economic in US The United States’ economic freedom scores of 76. 3 drops it to 10th place in the 2012 Index.Its score is 1. 5 points lower than last year, reflecting de teriorating scores for government spending, freedom from corruption, and investment freedom. The U. S. is ranked 2nd out of three countries in the North America region, and its overall score remains well above the world and regional averages. The U. S. economy faces enormous challenges. Although the foundations of economic freedom remain strong, recent government interventions have eroded limits on government, and public spending by all levels of government now exceeds one-third of total domestic output.The regulatory burden on business continues to increase rapidly, and heightened uncertainty further increases regulations’ negative impact. Restoring the U. S. economy to the status of a â€Å"free† economy will require significant policy changes to reduce the size of government, overhaul the tax system, and transform costly entitlement programs. By boosting growth in the private sector, such freedom-enhancing policies are the best hope for bringing down high unemployme nt rates and reducing public debt to manageable levels. The trade weighted average tariff rate is 1. percent, with non-tariff barriers such as â€Å"buy American† procurement rules adding to the cost of trade. Investment freedom is hampered by ongoing protectionist restrictions. The impact of the recently passed financial reform bills has yet to be measured, as detailed regulations are gradually emerging. The indicators to gauge the economic performance in US Population: 310. 0 million GDP (PPP): $14. 7 trillion,2. 8% growth 0. 9% 5-year compound annual growth,$47,284 per capita Unemployment: 9. 6% Inflation (CPI): 1. 6% FDI Inflow: $228. 2 billion (Based on data compiled as of September 2011) . 3 TARGET MARKET 3. PRODUCT STRATEGIES Malaysian Batik is fresh, fashion-forward, and edgy. And this modern-day style of Batik is now penetrating European and American markets. With its couture quality, Malaysian Batik is equally at home on any New York or Paris runway. This is a world -class textile and art form that is â€Å"here and now. † Malaysian batiks are not limited to cotton either. Today various type of silk including jacquard, satin, crepe de chine are used to produce batik blok and batik tulis. Voile, rayon lawn and shirting have also been used at one time or another.Most type of cloth can be used to produce batik except polyester. Today’s batiks are highly fashionable, baring little resemblance to the stereotyped sarong. Batik tulis are much more fluid and cater to both local and international markets. Batik has many moods. It can be mod, sweet, formal or just plain fun. And it is not just limited to apparel. Exclusive designs and quality as well as good workmanship are our products greatest assets to create strong brand image. We offered clothing collection such as: 3. 1 Batik T-shirts & Men’s Outfit.We decided to base our outfits on the guppy because they are so colourful. The aim of the competition is to take batik into intern ational markets and since the guppy is found everywhere, we thought everyone could relate to the designs. The men’s outfit had a black long shantung coat with similar design motifs on the front and back, with a matching shirt that stayed with the theme without going over the top. [pic] 3. 2 Sleeves Batik dress for Ladies For the ladies dress we decided to use bright pops of color accent the unique, geometric print along this Antik Batik dress, rendered in cool silk twill.A scoop neckline flatters the shoulders, while a single seam subtly defines the waist. Long sleeves. It look exclusive and elegent suit for American women. [pic] 3. 3 Pareos. Pareos are commonly done in batik tulis as the free flowing canting lines enhance the casual nature of this beach cloth. We decided to base our cotton pareo with flowers, abstracts organic and geometrical elements including the familiar awan larat or Malay arabesque. We also decide to use a hand-drawn crepe de chine pareo from the Tropic al Marine Life collection. [pic] 3. 4Batik scarves and shawlWe decided to base our collection of â€Å"Tropical Marine Life† was designed primary as casual wear. It is hand-drawn crepe de chine scarves are gaily decorated with reef fish. For the shawl we used flower such as orchids and hand-painted on chiffon and it meant as an elegant shawl. [pic] 3. 5Cushion covers We have a great selection of Cushion Covers to choose from. Our cushion covers are made of 100% cotton and have a zip closure unless otherwise stated. The vibrant colors and design will lift your spirit and sooth your soul. [pic] 3. 6bedspeards and comfortersThis lavish, reversible Malaysian batik  comforter  set features rich shades of grass green, teal, cobalt blue and off white. This  comforter  set offers a soothing modern Batik  motif for any bedroom in your home. [pic] 3. 7 Girl Dresses We decided to use 100 % cotton in girl dresses, with playful pairs of tumbling starling birds and big floating b lossoms, this is sure to be one of your favorite Batik-inspired play dresses. Just to add to the fun, it's got a little bit of a bubble shape. [pic] 3. 8 Batik Silk Tie Every piece is a handmade masterpiece and unique in the world.We use high quality of silk to make it exclusive. [pic] 3. 9 Lamp shades We offer a large selection of lamps shades. We carry hand painted batik with exclusive design. Change the feeling of any room instantly by simply covering your existing  Lamp Shades  with our unique batik design. [pic] 3. 10 Batik Swimwear This fresh new print batik meets a tried and true style to answer all your swimwear distress calls. Brown and ocean blue batik pours a delicate pattern across a tankini top that is tough enough to meet any swimwear challenge. [pic] 3. 11 Souvenirs’Batik Gifts that we sell are made by a master craftsman. This batik, truly a work of art is uniquely designed and printed by hand. Malaysian batiks are revered around the world as being the most beautiful. i. Batik Coaster Set Send sincere wishes with our Adorable Batik Coasters with 6pcs and dried flowers decorations a classic touch to remember. Suitable for any occasions – corporate events, annual dinner, wedding souvenir, the list is endless. Presented in clear box. [pic] ii. Batik Soft Toys A cute animal creatures such as rabbit, turtle, dog and etc for children to paly with. pic] iii. Traditional  Batik Sandals. Comford and unique design, bring a simple feel. [pic] iv. Letter holder Batik his batik cloth letter holder is 16 x 8 inches around. It is perfect to put by your front door and hold mail, papers, and other odds and ends. This beautiful batik cloth was handmade. [pic] 4. PROMOTIONAL PROGRAMME The trend of sale of handicrafts products in the handicraft Expos and Exhibitions organised by the Matrade in the recent years reveals that the demand for batik products are increasing day by day. hrus areas for intensive development will create employment opportu nity in the state. The following actions/steps are taken for intensive development in introduce Batik to the world: i. Participation in specialised rade fairs / with fashion show We will participate in International fashion shows are a great platform in showcasing its  beauty, the versatility of batik as a fabric, the story and cultural appreciation behind batik and the position of batik as one of modern society's celebrated fashion statements. ii.Internet We will set up our website BUYBATIK and introduce online selling where customer can buy our product currently; online-Shopping is playing an important role in developing batik careers for designers and artists. As well as setting trends in Batik fashion, BUYBATIK makes it easy for batik lovers to purchase quality batik products. Batik lovers can shop for a vast range of Batik products in a safe environment where carefully-selected designer goods can be purchased at attractive prices. iii. Magazines & NewpapersNewpapers and magaz ines becomes a very important medium to deliver messages about batik into the market, this will increase awareness of consumer about batik product. We can choose a top magazine such as Better Home and Garden to promote home apparent such as Lamp shades, bedspreads and comforters and etc. For ladies we can choose magazines such as Women’s Day or Ladies’ Home Journal to promote ladies product such as swimwear, pareos and etc. iv. Radio & Television Radio is potentially a good opportunity. We target potential buyer listen to local news, talk show, this is because consumer efficiently using this medium in their daily living.Beside that we also can take opportunity to be main sponsorship, such as Oscar Academy Award and sponsor a few Hollywood stars walking in the red carpet such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. This will give awareness to audience about batik fashion. 5. THREATS BARRIERS Trade barriers are measures that governments or public authorities introduce  that p revent or restrict overseas trade and investment. These measures  need not necessarily take the form of legislation or a specific decision. They may also take the form of current practice.As a result of these measures, domestic companies receive a competitive advantage relative to their foreign counterparts. It is accepted that in many cases, products are liable to customs duties when imported into a market and that  imported products ought to be accompanied by the correct documentation. In some cases, however, customs duties may be unreasonably high or customs clearance may take an unreasonably long time. Batik Garment trade barriers may take the form of, for example: †¢ Customs duties †¢ Customs procedures †¢ Technical regulations, standards, etc. for example for the purpose of consumer protection, health protection, protection of the environment, etc †¢ Veterinary and phytosanitary measures – barriers based on health and safety regulations †¢ R estrictions on access to primary products –  for example in the form of export batik that drive up prices artificially or special export prices that are higher than the price of the same primary products for use in national processing industries †¢ Insufficient protection of intellectual property rights –  both with respect to the scope of protection and with respect to the possibilities of legal protection.This includes, for instance, protection of patents, copyrights, trademarks and geographical indications of origin †¢ Barriers to trade in services –  for example in the form of discriminatory conditions †¢ Restrictions on access to investment –  for example through national participation requirements or restrictions on access to repatriation of profits †¢ Unfair application of state aid and other forms of subsidies Due to globalization, trade restrictions have become increasingly significant.At the same time, traditional tra de obstacles such as tariffs and import restrictions have been reduced, as a result of international trade liberalization. In the period following the Second World War, average tariffs for industrial goods have been reduced from approx. 40 percent to less than 5 percent. As a consequence, other trade restrictions have become of relatively greater significance.These other trade restrictions are often based on regulations and principles relating to qualitative matters, for example: product quality requirements and product packaging requirements ostensibly for  the purpose of consumer protection; education and qualification requirements  for providers of services; or rules relating to patent and trademark protection.This has contributed to making it more difficult for companies to gain an overview of rules and changes to rules,  making the handling of trade barriers  more complicated,  as barriers touch on matters that are subject to internal national legislation or regulatio n in the export markets. Competition 6. REFERENCES www. matrade. gov. my Conclusion From all the discussion our Batik product is suitable to expand the market to U. S. Political factor show that Batik Malaysia is not include on the export control rule and regulation which state on U. S. it because the batik Malaysia’s raw material is based on