Police Authority and Accountability in Australia

INTRODUCTION Police officers in Australia, as well as worldwide, have been consistently accused of abusing their authority over the years. Police officers are known to protect and serve and to be the law enforcers of the land, but due to the reality that some human beings are concerned about self-satisfaction and lawlessness, police authority can often times be misconceived as abusive and aggressive.

The powers of the police are consistently being scrutinized by the media, the community and even politicians, not to mention that police are, and not just in Australia but worldwide, held as one of the most accountable in society (Robertson, 1998). In order to essentially resolve these issues, the focus of the research should be related to police officers and specific issues such as use of force, police discretion, delegation of authority and the attempts that were made to control officers behaviours’ in Australia.

WHAT IS POLICE AUTHORITY? Firstly, authority can be defined as generally and basically, Persons having power or powers that other people will not naturally be allowed to have. Bringing this definition toward linking it to police authority, this is where the police officer has legal power of enforcing laws, and at all times should be given the respect, because they are the gate keepers of society, our “guardian angels” who will be watching over us twenty four seven.

For example, we are to respect our parents; they care for us and provide for us our basic needs, I believe that police officers are somewhat the same because they provide us the citizens with safety and when there is a problem we can run to them at many times. Although police authority maybe a good thing, there are also the pit falls with it, in that, there is the abuse of police authority.

Some officers due to “bad apples” meaning some officers are dirty cops, because of greed and selfishness, also some officers believe that they are above the law, because they enforce the law, but I believe in the “eye for an eye” theory: if you do the crime, you should do the time; no one is above the law. WHAT IS POLICE ACCOUNTABLILITY? Firstly accountability is It is a fundamental principle of a democratic society that the police should be held to account for their actions. Accountability includes both what the police do and how they perform.

What an officer does or how they do what they do is extremely critical in the world of policing. The entire concept of police accountability revolves around these two criteria, which according to how efficient they are executed, may make or break an officer’s policing career. Agency-level accountability involves the performance of law enforcement agencies with respect to controlling crime and disorder and providing services to the public (National Institute of Justice, 1999). Individual-level accountability involves the conduct of police officers with respect to lawful, respectful, and equal treatment of citizens. walker, 2007). I honestly believes that police accountability should be very vital within policing. Officers should be held accountable for their actions like any other individual. POLICE AUTHORITY IN AUSTRALIA In Australia the authority and powers of the police services are clearly defined and understood by officers, these powers are being tested by the courts and even the police themselves, the police know the limit of their authority and powers, but at sometimes politicians, legal professions and even the community are reluctant to greatly alter those powers.

Hence the reason why officers may have to use force, law enforcement officers are authorized to use force in specific circumstances, officers in Australia are trained as any other police officer worldwide, but the matter of the issue is how much force to use, this is referred to as police discretion. Authority and abuse needs to be differentiated, because they are not at all supposed to be equal to the same thing. Generally, the way in which the police may maintain social order successfully is mainly in alignment with the use of force exercised by the police officers.

Many people, citizens of Australia and even the world, here the term use of force being used consistently, whether it may be via the media or directly from a police officer, but what does the term really mean? Use of force is simply and basically the amount of force that is required of a police officer to ensure that an unwilling offender complies with the law enforcer (National Institue of Justice, 2012). Where it is unnecessary to use brute force, a police officer ought to refrain from so doing. An officer can use force in ifferent ways, either verbally or physically; also it may be less lethal or lethal (National Institue of Justice, 2012). Even as it remains that the police officer in Australia has the right to use force where necessary, how then do we determine when he should use which method of force, and how to deal with an offender on the whole? Police discretion is used often times when it comes to more of the minor offences, such as alcohol use and urination, but one major encounter in Australia in which police discretion ought to be used is in relation to people suffering from mental illness.

Police discretion though, can be influenced by either personal relationships, or race or status, which ought not to be so, but realistically is it. There was one scenario in which a police officer encountered a cafe proprietor who had a traffic violation. The officer in this scenario, decided not to give the driver a traffic offence notice due to the relationship that had developed from before.

Although many other officers agreed with the officer’s decision to exercise gratitude toward the violator, this is not a welcoming and promising prospect for the future of law enforcement on the whole. Police discretion can be altered and affected by many other factors surrounding an offender in society. An unwilling and unruly suspect has a higher risk of being arrested than one who cooperates with the officer. Also, the police records of an offender may also influence the decision of the police.

Even with relation to juvenile, police discretion can be altered but not by the juvenile themselves. The parents or Guardians of the juvenile may weigh in heavily on the decision and discretion of the police officer. In the case where the parent or guardian may be uninvolved or uncooperative, the officers may be led to take a different approach to the handling of this situation (Holmgren, 2012). POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY IN AUSTRALIA The face of the matter remains, and one which makes complete logical sense, is that whatever a police officer does, he/she need to account for it.

Police in Australia, however, have been given a sense of discretion and freedom to fulfil their roles in society without too much interventions of any judicial or supreme official (Lewis, 2012). Police are not to be seen as independent and totally able to do as they will by members of society, which is not at all the case. Police usually have to consult the judiciaries in the commission of enquiry pertaining to accountability for their actions or allegations, but what prompted this move by the Government?

Police in Australia in the past; have been accused for many different things, such as police corruption, inefficiency and brutality. These falls of the police officers are not overlooked by the judiciary, and even though police are the protectors of society, they are very liable to punishment and sanctions for their wrong if it is not properly accounted for (Lewis, 2012). Police accountability has over years become viewed as more of a problematic issue than that of an encouraging one.

One of the major ongoing disturbances in Australia’s society is the case where civil litigation is constantly overlooked as a form as accountability (Ransley, 2007)what exactly is civil litigation? Well, civil litigation is where someone is accused of doing wrong, but not necessarily a crime, and it is formally submitted to a court (Honeyman, 1999-2010) In fact and very evident to the world today, there have been many cases in Australia, in which persons have been involved in disputes with police officers for doing wrong yes, but not crimes.

The reality that the purpose of civil litigation is to settle and attain some form of compensation for being wrongfully accused or dealt with, makes civil litigation a very critical aspect that should more than likely be incorporated in the field of Police accountability mainly because it is a form of correction, just that it is from the civilian stand-point (Ransley, 2007).

If in fact, the intent of the more recent police reform is directed toward the strengthening and to some extent upgrading of the individual and organisational accountability, then that makes civil litigation a very fundamental, effective and also it should be, a mandatory component in the effective completion of this goal. Attempts to control the behaviour of police officers are not only affected by civil litigation, but also by the measures in which police officers are dealt with for misconduct.

Without the emphasis on the errors of police officers, the police force may adapt to the conditions which could lead to the abuse of their powers and authority. The lack of consistent correction of officers often times may lead to the diminishing of confidence in the community in the police service (Perez, 2008). Internationally, this have become the evident scenario in the present society, as the trust and corporation between Police officers and communities is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, and this have been ighly influenced by the lack of legitimate duty and procedures by police officials. Officers have confrontations of a sort among their own organisations because of the corrections that they may face having the issue to argue that to balance the leniency of misconduct and the harshness of crimes is difficult to manage (Perez, 2008). A common observation presently is that since authority is delegated rather than chosen gives police officials the opportunity to select the appropriate officers to do the reputation and compatibility with the relative scenarios at hand.

CONCLUSION Whether it may be the favourable opinion to some, or the contradicting bias to others, Policing authority and accountability is one of the fundamental aspects of efficient law enforcement. In the case where any of the two may fail or fall short in any aspect, there will always be a conflict in the relationship between Law enforcement and community, and also it may serve as the catalyst for the diminishing status of the police force.

From the use of force, to the correction of police officers by their own organisations, the main concept is to ensure that the standard and reputation of the Australian law enforcement department. There have been a lot of complaints geared towards or targeted at the police officers, but in fact as much as the reality is that they do make some really uncharacteristic errors, they do uphold the law relatively efficiently.

This is just another reinforcing point that the society at large tends to make judgements, especially toward individuals and systems within the law enforcement sector based on their benefit and fair treatment. Whether or not the case would have been that police officers in Australia abuse their powers or not, the comparison of the rate in which civil litigation is turned away and how vast the difference is between the corrections that the police officers correct citizens to how intense and consistent the punishment and corrections of officers themselves are, would have still caused some sort of rift within the system.

Nothing, it seems can truly be completely satisfying and totally effective, and especially in a world where crime and deviance, because of the continuous introduction of laws and stereotypes via media interventions and other sources, the balance between being lenient and modest in terms of acts of misconduct, and being harsh and enforcing in situations that are more serious, or crimes, is very difficult to assess. The fact remains that o matter where the police system is today, in Australia, and even worldwide, the law enforcement sector cannot afford to cease from continuously modifying and developing their efforts and adaptations to the criminal advancements in society. REFERENCES Holmgren, L. (2012, April 12). Factors that affect Police officers’ discretion. Retrieved April 5, 2012, from ehow: http://www. ehow. com/list_5960237_factors-affect-police-officers_-discretion. tml Honeyman, C. (1999-2010). Civil litigation. Colorado, united States of America. Lewis, C. (2012, may 5). Police, civilian and democratic accountability. , Australia. National Institue of Justice. (2012, January 20). police use of force. D. C. , Washington, United States of America. Perez, M. R. (2008, august). Police discipline and community policing: New models. Los angeles, USA. Ransley, J. A. (2007).

Civil Litigation against Police in Australia:Exploring its extent, Nature and implications for accountability. Australian and New Zeland Journal of Criminology(Australian Academic Press) , 143-160. Robertson, D. (1998). Public and Private policing: Issues and options for collaboration within Australia. sydney: n/a. walker, s. (2007, may N. D). police accountability: current issues and research needs. POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY , p. 4.

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IKEA in Australia

As a part of International Advertising ADV301 we were assigned to research an advertising campaign for a product or brand that is marketed locally as well as internationally. To write a report comparing and contrasting the actual advertisements/commercials and campaigns taking various factors into account.

The following report will examine the world’s largest furniture retailer Ikea. By studying Ikea’s global strategy as well as the national strategies and the different advertisement internationally and domestically one will get a deeper understanding of their marketing and advertising executions. The advertisements that will be reviewed in this report are two TV commercial, one from Australia and one from the UK. I chose Australia and UK just to show that even countries with similar cultural preferences can have very different approaches. Background

A Swedish man named Ingvar Kamprad in a small town called Älmhult, Sweden, founded Ikea in 1943. The company distributes its products through its retail outlets located in over 39 countries. As of October 2010, the chain has 313 stores, most of them in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia (Ikea, 2010).

Ikea’s vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people (Ikea, 2010). Their business idea supports this vision by offering a wide range of high quality, well designed and functional home furnishing products to low prices so that as many people will be able to afford them as possible. Ikea has made this possible by using inexpensive materials in a novel way and minimizing production, distribution and retail costs.

IKEA and Advertising

IKEA’s positioning statement is “Your partner in better living. We do our part, you do yours. Together we save money”, referring to the ready-to-assemble furniture.

The brand image is the result of over 50 years work by Ikea’s co-workers at all levels all over the world. The actions done, things being said, the products offered, the low prices, presentation of product range and the information provided to customers all contributes to the overall image. Ikea has a long tradition of marketing communication and has upon till recently mainly focused on print media, which has shown to be successful. However in the last five years additionally media have been used to an extended degree including TV, radio and Internet (Wise, J., 2000)

During the years Ikea has had a number of controversial TV commercial, some have even been banned form certain countries throughout the world. However Ikea believes that their controversy is what makes them stand out and separate them from their primary competitors. The marketing department means that if you like it or not it engages people, it provokes conversation and debate, which successfully results in raising awareness of the brand and increasing sales (Wise, J., 2000). Ikea uses advertising to support many different areas of the business including brand awareness, store themes, catalogue drops and store openings.

Every year Ikea publish a free catalogue distributed both in stores and by mail. The catalogue is published in over 36 countries and translated into 27 languages worldwide. The catalogue consumes 70% of the company’s annual marketing budget and is considered to be the main marketing tool of the retail giant. 110 million catalogues were circulated last year – three times higher than that of the Bible, with 13 million of these being available in the UK (Ikea, 2010)

Advertising strategy

IKEA’s target audience is the same in each country they are situated in and is roughly described as “everyone” but mainly focusing on young families and couples starting out. “You have more ideas and ambitions than you have a thick wallet during that period of your life, we think Ikea fits in mostly there” says Christer Granstrand, head of Ikea’s international marketing department (Wise, J., 2000). However the target audiences differ from country to country in terms of how they perceive or interpret symbols or stimuli, respond to humor or emotional appeals, as well as in levels of literacy and languages spoken.

Most of Ikea’s ads are known to have a sense of simplicity, practicality, rebelliousness and the unexpected. Ikea has managed to maintain a kind of overall brand personality across the markets, even if the company is split by country into franchises operating with almost complete autonomy, including setting its own advertising budget and developing its own marketing initiatives (Wise, J., 2000). This means that the decision process is centralized but the advertising approach is regional (Mueller, B. 2006). Campaigns are based around the unique marketing conditions and cultural sensibilities of each country. Ikea realized that to strengthen its presence in the global market it was necessary to localize. They have over the year worked with different advertising agencies to bring out some of the most creative and unconventional television spots across the globe.

Ikea uses a standardized strategy with modified executions. Within a homogeneous environment advertising standardization is recommendable. If, on the contrary, environmental variables across markets are heterogeneous, customized advertising should be favored (Oboulo, 2010). Some studies argue that a standardized advertising strategy is the most desirable option when consumer needs are universal, while others argue that adaptation of the advertising strategy across boundaries is more appropriate due to differing consumer buying motives and cultures. Languages barriers, media limitation and culture diversity are three major factors that need to be taken in to consideration when developing a strategy.

Language is one of the major barriers to effective communication through advertising. The problem involves different languages of different countries, different languages or dialects within one country. Communication is impeded by the great diversity of cultural heritage and education which exists within countries and which causes varying interpretations of even single sentences and simple concept (Payne, N., 2009) Even the simplest and most taken for granted aspects of advertising need to be carefully researched. Colors, numbers, symbols and images do not all translate well across cultures.

Ikea sells home furnishing products, but not just products but also a way of life, they sell a lifestyle. The lifestyle we have and the way we live differs enormously between cultures and that insight is something Ikea has taken into account not only by tailoring the product range depending on the market but also adapting the advertising execution accordingly. For example, European spots, particularly those in the UK, are more in your face than those in North America, which tend to be more comedic. However Ikea has in general over the last years moved towards idea advertising and away from product and price spots that define many of the chain’s competitors (Wise, J., 2000).

A reason for Ikea’s international marketing success is that executives from Sweden are located wherever Ikea has a head office such as across Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East, which helps to carry forward the company’s corporate culture (Wise, J., 2000). The international marketing department develops common strategies during meetings with local marketing managers where they look at common values, ideas and how they would fit with the traditional vision of Ikea.

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Australia And China Relations

As the saying goes “No man can live alone”, so is a nation. In this era of globalization, no nation can meet the demands of the new world order without the help of other nation. The International Community is composed of various nations, sharing ideas and lending hand to establish progress for a better future. […]

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What Were Some Entertainment in the 1960s?

During the 60s the color television hi-fi record players, better cars, and more sophisticate washing machines become common place in the home. CBS was the dominant show, then airing 13 of the 15 most popular shows. Movie stars in the 1960s: Ed Sullivan, Lucille Ball, Jackie Gleason, Red Skelton, Andy Griffith, Dick Van Dike, and […]

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ALDI & Australia

The retail industry in Australia is considered as one of pillars of its economy. The industry has improved immensely as the players in the market have increased and the variety of commodities has expanded immensely. At present, the industry is populated by companies that range from multinationals to small and medium scale. Among the players, ALDI Australia is considered as a major player in the industry. The firm has expanded from a single foreign branch to a major retail chain. It operates in the main markets of Australia and in other regions across the country.

ALDI was taken from the original name of the company which was Albrecht Discount. Before expanding to Australia, ALDI established its presence in Germany Gradually, the company operations stretched to other locations across the world. ALDI is regarded as one of the biggest supermarket chain worldwide. In Australia, ALDI has approximately 160 retail chains. This number is expected to grow as ALDI continues to be aggressive in the industry. Despite strong competition, ALDI Australia has managed to establish its own identity and has already controlled a significant portion of the market.

It is imperative to study the current situation within ALDI Australia. The outside environment of the company is another important aspect to investigate. The succeeding discussion will focus on the capacity of ALDI to dominate the market. This requires evaluation of the capacity of ALDI and the external aspects that can affect its performance. The strategies used by ALDI have been working so far. But there are still rooms for improvements that needed to be manifested. II. The External Environment Porter (1979) introduced the concept of five forces that seeks to analyse the competition in an industry.

This serves as an effective tool used in creating a picture of the retail industry. Based on the model, there are four forces that have to be assessed to determine the condition of the fifth force (McGahan, 2004). These interact with other to determine the overall condition of the market. The five forces model is critical especially to retail firms. The level of competition in the industry is high. Hence it is imperative for ALDI Australia to appraise the situation of the industry. The threat of new entrants shows the possible repercussions of the openness of the industry which is high in the industry.

The current condition of the industry coupled by the continuous increase in demand justifies the viability of the industry as an investment hub for new entrants. New entrants, however, have to consider the barriers that can affect their success. Australia is a major market and houses consumers with high buying power. This means that the opportunity for retailers to operate is high. In addition, demand for consumer products has remained high. The emergence and threat of substitutes shows the low tendency, but suddenly emerging alternative retail firms.

The conventional form of retail includes the shops and stores located in strategic areas. With the advent of technology, several forms of retailing have flourished. Online retailing has become a threat because most consumers have patronised the online retailing scheme instead of the traditional shopping. The bargaining power of the consumers determines the capacity of the consumers to purchase the goods and price sensitivity. It has to be noted that most products in ALDI are demand inelastic and the income per capita in Australia is one of the highest in the world.

This means that price changes will have gradual effect to the buying decision of the consumers. Moreover, the buying capacity of Australian households can satisfy their needs and have spare for luxuries. Buyer preference is also another major consideration. Consumers in Australia are dynamic and susceptible to changes. It is important to weigh company goals with consumer requirements. The bargaining power of the suppliers which is high provides the capabilities of the supplier to meet the demand of the industry. Basically, the agricultural industry of Australia is of quality as evidenced by the fresh food sold in retail stores.

In addition, raw material is cheaper making retail products highly affordable for consumers. Australia is also highly accessible some Asian countries. The possibility of importing products is given and savings gained from such strategy are high. ALDI has all the resources to satisfy the demands of the consumers and sustain changes. These factors sum up the rivalry among competitors, which intensify in the industry. The retail industry is highly competitive and can potentially allow investors to succeed. It is evident that ALDI will continually face threats both industry based and substitutes.

ALDI Australia is in an environment where it can take advantage of the opportunities. Intense competition leads to quality retailed food and eventually benefits for the customers. III. Internal Aspects Deming (1986) mentioned the need to attain quality results in all the process of production. The technical process pertains to the emphasis of quality in the different stages of operations. The rationale behind this strategy is that the continuous inclusion of quality in the process will result to highly competitive and superior products.

The social process is provided by Juran (1974) in the assumptions of TQM. The social process includes the provision of suitable tools to boost the tendency of workers to prioritise quality. ALDI Australia has to evaluate its capacity within to achieve sustainable success. One significant observation that can be made is that the company has wide range of quality food sources. This is in references to the responsible food sourcing that the company adopts. At present, ALDI boosts up to 700 different grocery products. The supplies of the company are considered as one of its valuable resources.

Because of its outstanding food production materials, the quality of the finished products has improved. Boosting the food with the finest inputs allow the company to effectively satisfy the needs of the consumers. The quality sources also make the company more cost-effective. Another important resource of the company is its identity. This is established through the brand name of ALDI. The brand has the gained the distinction of being the most trusted retailer in Australia. Over the years, the brand name has been embraced in different areas of the world.

The credibility of the company is one of its intangible resources that deserved to be recognised. It is known as one of best stores in finding cheap commodities. ALDI Australia greatly depends on its employees for positive results. Indeed, the performance of the workers will influence the success of the firm. ALDI Australia boasts a workforce loaded with competency and talent. The hiring system of the company ensures that the best are selected at the end of the process. The company provides comprehensive training programs to continuously equip the employees with the skills needed in the industry.

At present ALDI have over 2,000 employees across Australia. This manpower is one of the most valuable components of the retail store. It addresses the needs of the consumers and provides top-notch service. The stores are regarded as one of the finest. The stores of ALDI Australia are uniquely designed suit the shopping preference of its customers. All ALDI stores have similar sizes and designs. Unlike conventional retail shops, the stores of the company provide an aesthetic environment for buyers. The company emphasises of proper location which makes the stores effective.

The success of the stores is credited on the ability of the firm to match substance and form. It is important to instil in the minds of the consumers that more than quality food, buying at ALDI Australia stores is a wonderful experience. The franchises that the company has established worldwide has helped the company is establishing global market presence. The supermarkets represent ALDI overseas and such resource has provided huge dividends. Several investors in other countries have noticed the increased attention given to the food products of ALDI. This will translate to better opportunities for the supermarket in the future.

IV. Company Strategies Strategies of firms are considered to lean towards the strategic scope focusing on the demand, and the strategic strength concentrating on the supply. Porter (1980) further simplified the method by reducing the strategy to three dimensions that include: cost leadership, differentiation, and segmentation. These aspects will be used to analyse the strategy of ALDI Australia in its objective to remain at the forefront of the competition. ALDI values the cheapness of its products. Low-cost goods available at ALDI stores entice most of its consumers and prospects.

The cost leadership strategy values efficiency. ALDI has been providing several programs to improve its efficiency. Specific strategies involve the establishment of distribution centres. Transportation expenses were reduced because of accessible distribution points. The logistic system has been improved to reduce non-performing components of the distribution process. The differentiation strategy of the company is assigned to the research and development team. ALDI have been working with suppliers. This is the initial process that will eventually lead to better products and innovative solutions.

Workforce efficiency is a major issue that the company includes in its strategies. Incentives are also provided to workers based on the quantity and quality of work. The performance of the firm is highly dependent on the manner in which customer service and operational activities are manifested by the employees. The contribution provided by the personnel along with the top-notch products sum up the offering of ALDI Australia to its customers. Porter (1985) identified primary activities and support activities in the process of value-adding. ALDI Australia has been dedicated in maximising value and minimising cost.

The company has provided top-notch inbound logistics with its equipments and machines transferring the raw materials without damaging the freshness. The handling of the food from the farmlands to the processing site is meticulously managed. Moreover, the manner in which the food are packed and processed follows quality procedures. In the processing part, ALDI Australia has devoted all necessary resources to maintain the high value of food taken from the finest farms in Australia. ALDI retails stores are designed to ensure the high quality of its products.

After the products have been placed in distributions centres, the sales and marketing team will work (Bonn, 2007). Aside from the television and print advertisements, the company has relied on the Internet to introduce ALDI Australia in the market. In addition, the stores of ALDI Australia are highly accessible ensuring that shoppers will experience no problems while purchasing food. The customer service initiative of the company is highly recognised since service is extended after the purchases are completed. The company has been using storage devices that emphasise on the freshness of the products.

Products that have long shelf lives are safely stored in areas free from causing damage. The transportation arteries from the company to the distribution sites are improved and results to fast travel. Cost is reduced through efficient storage devises and the consumption for energy is decreased using better delivery systems. The company strictly follows a low price philosophy. In most convenient stores, products are usually priced with high mark-ups. The strategy of ALDI is to sell in high quantity at lower prices. ALDI has created an efficient checkout system (Bonn, 2007).

This is implemented to prevent customers from spending time queuing when making payments. Aside from the checkouts, ALDI Australia has a systematised product display. Customer can easily identify the location of the goods needed without hassles. Although company savings are important for ALDI, the retail store understands that customers also need to be provided with ample savings in all forms. ALDI Australia sells a wide variety of products. Some stores are limited, but ALDI caters to the needs of its customers. As stated earlier, ALDI sells at least 700 kinds of products in its stores.

These products range from highly perishable to preserved products (Bonn, 2007). Aside from food, ALDI also sells other merchandises used for general purposes. The firm has been using a stringent quality control process. ALDI personnel ensure that damaged products are segregated from the intact goods. The inventory system of ALDI also assures that the fresh stocks are provided to the consumers. Expansion is one of the goals of the company. ALDI targets its store count to be in the 200 level by 2008. This means that ALDI Australia will be established in other areas where demand is high.

At present the store count of ALDI Australia is at 165 shops. Although the target still huge, it is highly realisable considering the capacity of the company. ALDI Australia remains committed to serve its customers and make the stores closer to households. V. Strategy Analysis In the retail industry, the success of strategies can be measured through operational decisions and marketing decisions (Bonn, 2007). Both are strengths of the ALDI Australia and remain as the fundamental driver of success. Because of its selling philosophy, the most logical method of market segmentation is by income.

The social structure of households in Australia is part of the middle to upper levels. Aside from this group, ALDI Australia can control the lower bracket in the society. These groups are the consumers with the lowest income. The cheap products offered by ALDI Australia fits their budget. In theory, positioning refers to the perceptions developed in the minds of the target market. It entails the creation of image of the brand and the entire organisation (Trout and Rivkin, 1996). Positioning is purely procedural and relies on the completion of stages before making further improvements.

Consumer preference is the most important aspect in this process. In addition, ALDI has to target the specific needs before making its position. It is evident that ALDI has established a niche in the industry. From this position, ALDI can become a strong player in the market. Combining the different aspects associated to marketing is vital to the company. The development of marketing mix entails strategies that are design to ensure consistency in the quality of performance (Culliton, 1948). Price and product quality are the two main components of the mix. Low price is insufficient to attract the consumers.

Combining such aspect with high product quality creates better chances of succeeding. Strategic management is one of the staple initiatives being implemented by ALDI. Mintzberg (1989) observed that strategy is linked to plans and the behaviour patterns within organisations. The technical process of realising strategic management is divided into two areas. The first phase regard planning as course for intended strategy and the patterned actions are the realised strategies. The process of strategic planning has allowed ALDI to meticulously evaluate their positions in different markets.

In addition, strategies of ALDI have remained generic. But ALDI has realised the need to make the strategies flexible to satisfy various needs of consumers. Lewin (1983) stated that corporate social responsibility highlights the duty of the organisations to their stakeholders. Instead on focusing on corporate activities, firms have decided to undertake endeavours with perceived social relevance. This has been one of the weak spots that ALDI needs to improve. Although financial gains from the process are low, ALDI can further improve its reputation. In the retail industry, perception is an important influence to buyers.

Firms that tend to provide aid to community activities are being supported by consumers through purchases. Benchmarking is another aspect that has to be developed by ALDI Australia. McNair and Leibfried (1992) contends that benchmarking is designed to leave the past behind and embrace the future. The benchmarking process has many defining aspects. It has to be purposeful, externally focused, measurement based, information intensive, objective, and action generating. All practices performed according to the needs of the firm. VI. Recommendations ALDI Australia is successful because of the pay less strategies and sound management fundamentals.

The company needs to sustain its strengths and slowly eliminate the weaknesses. A foreign venture appears to be logical because the domestic market is starting to become overpopulated. The firm has to boost is project refresh and continue the dedication to provide the best infrastructures and workforce. Combining these components with effective management and good strategies will ensure the robust growth being enjoyed by ALDI Australia. Expenses for advertisements cover most of the budget allocated for marketing. ALDI Australia has to provide inputs on matters that will improve the advertisements.

The firm also needs to provide funds for the airing of the advertisements on televisions and even radios. Advertisements done using newspapers and other prints need to reflect the essence of Marks and Spencer food products. The advertisements in the websites need to be easily viewed and accessed (Drummond and Ensor, 2001). These initiatives have to be combined with traditional processes. It is also important for ALDI Australia to maintain balance between price and quality. There are criticisms made by competitors that ALDI’s initiative to sell goods in low prices is driven by the sub-par quality of goods.

Ensuring that prices remain competitive is a must for ALDI. But the company has to continuously address the need to keep product quality high. Through this strategy, ALDI will go on and improve its performance. References ALDI Australia. (2007). Company Philosophy. Date extracted: 9 November 2007, from: <www. aldiaustralia. com. au> ALDI International. (2007). Date extracted: 9 November 2007, from: < http://www. aldi. com/> Bonn, I. (2007). “ALDI in Australia”, in Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach. Hill, by Hil, C. W. and Jones, G. Spring, IA: Houghton Mifflin College.

Coriolis Research. (2000). ALDI in Australia: Whaty will be the Impact? Auckland: Coriolis Research Limited. Culliton, J. (1948). The Management of Marketing Cost. Boston: Harvard University – Graduate School of Business Administration. Deming, W. Edwards. (1986). Out of Crisis. Cambridge: MIT Centre for Advanced Engineering. Drummond, G and Ensor, J. (2001). Strategic Marketing Planning and Control. London: Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd. Juran, Joseph. (1974). The Quality Control Handbook 3rd Edition. New York: McGraw Hill. Lewin, T. (1983). The New York Times.

“Business Ethic’s New Appeal. ” McGahan, A. (2004). How Industries Evolve – Principles of Achieving and Sustaining Superior Performance. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. McNair and Leibfried. (1992). Benchmarking: A Tool for Continuous Improvement. Oliver Wright Publications. Mintzberg, Henry. (1989). Mintzberg on Management. London: Free Press. Porter, M. (1980). Competitive Advantage: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors. New York: Free Press. Porter, M. (1985). Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. New York: Free Press.

Writing Quality

Grammar mistakes

F (58%)

Synonyms

A (93%)

Redundant words

F (55%)

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Travel agency or company

The act of traveling to different places for leisure or recreational purposes is leisure travel and tourism is a travel for leisure or recreational purposes. Globalization has increased the tourism industry a big boost. Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries that contribute greatly to the economy of a country in this era of globalization. Majority of the working class spend their leisure time for travel. Many services describe a leisure travel experience that include guided tours, farm stay tours, tours for the activity of the kids, entertainment programmes at resorts or hotels, and weekend accommodation/holiday packages.

A travel agency or company sells the travel services, particularly the package travel. There are commonly three types of three different types of agencies that include multiples, maniples and independent agencies. The multiples comprise of national chains of international conglomerates. A package travel comprises of a pre-arranged travel for 24 hours, which is a combination of accommodation, transport and a tourist service such as entertainment that forms a significant part of the package. Normally there exists an exclusive price for this package travel.

The package is generally provided for a discount and the travel company should provide the information regarding the requirements of the visa and passport, health requirements. The Brisbane is the state capital of Queensland, Australia, with tourism as an important industry for the economy of the state attracting 4. 9 million of domestic and 0. 9 million international visitors annually. Brisbane neighbors the tourism capital of Australia, the gold coast, with golden beaches and exciting nightlife.

The present paper discusses on designing the leisure travel product, a package tour to the Brisbane the capital of the state of Queensland, Australia. It also analyses the existing market opportunities for the product when compared with the products of the similar nature. Variables of the marketing mix in a package tour: Product: The product in the tourism industry is the customer value, and for the elements of the marketing mix to be effective, it is important to concentrate on the unique characteristics of the product for tourism, the demand and the range of the determinants for the demand.

In a tourism industry, for a strategic planning of the product there are two possible approaches that include, Market approach and the destination approach. It is important to select the right package of products to make the market more attractive. Securing a unique position and a good reputation in the market is very important for the strategic place of the product in the market. A package of benefits and offerings that can meet the expectations of the visitors, investors will increase the business.

Promotion: Communication in an effective way plays an important role that increases the effectiveness of the market. Awareness of the product: it is important to make the customer aware of the product to get the attention of the customer. Interest: generating interest on the product plays an important role. Desire: Creating a desire that is related to the needs relative to the competitors is important. Action: stimulating the target market to purchase the product plays an important role.

Giving the information and building awareness of the product, creating a positive attitude towards the product, and creating a good climate for purchase by clearing the doubts about the product are some of the attributes that has to be considered for promoting a product. The product offering in the form of stimulus input that provokes for a holiday tour, taking the full advantage of product promotion through the communication channels such as guides, brochures etc, will motivate the customers to purchase the product.

Price: The price factor in the tourism industry is perceived in terms of value for money. This is largely influenced by the prior expectation of the customer as to how expensive or cheap the trip would be. The price and the perception the price in the market needs to be handles carefully in the marketing mix. Description of the travel product, the package tour A package tour is a service that comprises of transport and accommodation organized by a tour operator and sold by a travel agent.

The package tour of the modern times has evolved from the package tours of 1960’s when there was a package tour that comprises of flights, accommodation and transfers. These package tours mostly existed in the United Kingdom where most of the people got an affordable travel to various destinations including the foreign travel. With a decreasing demand for the package tour, the sector is now largely operated by a few large tour operators. With the advent of dynamic tour package, the consumers have the freedom to choose their own packages consisting of accommodation, flights and transfers.

Analysis of the product: Australian cultural environment is unique in that it is a combination of the aboriginal, Europe and American cultures. The excellent cities, snowfields, deserts, rain forests, and the golden beaches of Australia provide a wealth of travel experiences. Australia is a tourist attraction for its events, arts from aboriginal culture, antiques, cuisine and most of all the flexible government policies to obtain visas for the foreign tourists.

Contributing a large share to the economy, tourism in Australia represents about 5. 9% of the GDP. With a large number of domestic and international tourists visiting every year, there is a lot of scope for the dynamic package tours in the country. Activities and benefits of a package tour: The activity of a package tour is to plan a journey to a different place without many hazels at a reasonable cost. The benefits of the tour include the avoiding the hassles of searching for accommodation in a new place and all accommodation and transportation are pre arranged.

With packaging to tourism the tourism operators get the benefits such as increase in the sales, increasing marketability of the product and increase of the share in the market beyond the own resources. Target markets: Many tourists buy the package tours as they feel it is the secure, economical and a convenient way for a leisure travel. The travel agents can use this opportunity to enhance their product value by offering some compliments along with their services. The best packages give appealing experiences for a good value to the target market.

The best package chooses specific products based on the best fit in the target market. Price: Price of the package is decided upon the per customer basis and is calculated based on variable costs, fixed costs and the overhead or the marketing costs. All these costs together with the profit will form the basic package of the price. Location/schedules: Many travelers and the budget minded in particular, prefer the travel that is safe convenient and secure. These package travels are useful for those who travel for an unfamiliar location that is exotic that can be covered in a short period.

Many of the partially escorted tours take care of transportation and lodging in which meals are excluded. Personnel for the package tour: The warm and friendly personnel and their welcoming and receiving nature will give the tourists a relaxation. The relaxing environment provided by the personnel at every stage of the travel gives a feeling that the tourists feel excited and relaxed. Physical facilities for a package tour: The organizations, which offers services for package tours has to change the strategy in such a way that the package offered constantly meets the demands of the customer.

By considering the aspirations of the tourists, it is possible to manage the resources effectively. Process management policies: The process management policies include package types that supports user-defined product types, dynamic packages that allows choice of items adjusted according to the budget, flexibility in accommodating the packages in different seasons, a complete rule based pricing mechanism, managing multiple currencies, pooled inventory management and powerful traveler reward programme. Competitive advantage or unique selling point:

For selling a package, it is beneficial to develop the package that has appealing inventory of experiences, and support services. Developing a package concept that includes setting a theme, market position, and giving a full description of the specific services are appealing to the target market that give a competitive advantage. Travel products offered by one company Package tour-1 The package includes four days and three nights, and the price includes morning city sights, rivers and return private car transfers to airport, hotel and the choice of selecting star hotels including one lunch.

Package tour-2 The package tour includes four days and three nights. The pricing includes escorted touring with knowledgeable guides. One night each at pinnacles, beach, museums, that includes six meals (3 breakfasts and 3 dinners). Package tour-3 The package includes five days and four nights, the price includes accommodation for two nights at rain forest retreat, excursions, guided walks, morning and afternoon teas, accommodation for two nights at a resort, four breakfasts and one lunch and private car transfer to hotel and airport.

Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of each package tour Package tour-1 Strengths: The strengths include city viewing in the morning, offering choice to choose a star hotel for accommodation and transport by private cars to airport and hotel. Weaknesses: The weaknesses include providing only one lunch during the period of stay. Package tour-2 Strengths: That include visit for the museums, viewing wild flowers, dolphins, beaches, and pinnacles and offering six meals. Weaknesses: Not offering transport by a private car to the hotels and airport.

Package tour-3 Strengths: The strengths include providing accommodation for two nights at rain forest retreat, with excursions and guided walks, all transfers, and private car transfer to hotel and airports. Weaknesses: The weaknesses include providing only four breakfasts and one lunch as the travelers has to visit the rain forest retreat. Proposed travel product The travel product comprises of a trip to Brisbane a cosmopolitan city that provides relaxation. The stay includes 3 days and two nights.

The price includes two nights at Brisbane, transports by a private car to hotel and airport visit to a sanctuary, and high lights of the city in the afternoon, and a tour to the zoo. The price also includes three lunch and two breakfasts and one dinner and the choice of choosing one out of the three good star hotels for accommodation. The price will be reasonable at 520 US dollars. Presentation of the product A trip to Brisbane A trip to discover a young cosmopolitan city Brisbane will relax you from the hassles of routine life.

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Australian Media Content is dependent on Commercial Success

In Australia, people obtain the information they want through media, from ink on paper to telephones and television to the Internet (Bagdikian 2000, p. 21). Media in Australia is broadly accessible and supplies to an extensive range of audiences. Ninety-nine percent of Australian households have a television, and all households have at least one radio. Yet there are arguments regarding media content.

The competitions between different kinds of mass media have a bearing on media content. Newspapers in order to keep their place in the world of news reporting, started dealing with more news in larger detail than did television and radio news. Newspaper articles presented historical context for recent events and thorough analysis from two or more perspectives. Also, the arrival of Internet stiffened the competition and somehow lowered standards of reporting. Bigger competitive strain makes it harder for the media to preserve customary prohibition especially on the subject of politics ( Engelman 1996, pp.10-20).

Last April of 2005, there is an alarming decline in the sales of newspapers. Newspapers in several of Australia’s largest cities are losing readers. Reports said that this decline can be attributed to time pressures, the economy and the Internet. Peter Wylie, News’ nationwide managing director, said another causal factor has been a modification in the timing of the newspaper’s promotions to the April-to-June circulation period rather than January-to-March. What is more, when people hear shocking news, they would preferably browse the Internet sooner than wait for next day’s circulation of papers (Khan 2006).

Another limiting factor regarding media content is the government regulation. Examples are law of obscenity or pornography and law of libel. Media contents must observe such to avoid penalties and further conflicts (Demsetz ; Lehn 1985, pp. 1155-1177). The Australian film and television industry is small by world standards and confined by a raft of local media content rules.  Certain 55% of commercial television primetime viewing should be Australian made. At upwards of $250,000 an hour for quality drama is a big investment. Moreover, the Australian government opted to keep the foreign-ownership limits in its 1992 Broadcasting Act. Per se, Australia maintains to prohibit foreign control of a broadcasting license and regulate foreign ownership of broadcasting firms to 20%.

Ratings also play a big role on media content. The ratings system used in commercial broadcasting came up from the longing of sponsors to discern how many people they were getting with their advertising. The volume of a given program’s audience is then projected derived from the results. These forecasts, or ratings, influence the price of advertisements during the show and, in due course, whether the show is gainful enough to stay or continue on the air (Engelman 1996, pp.15-18).

Furthermore, to shoot up sales, Australian media resort to pay TV. Approximately 23% of Australian households had Pay TV by the end of 2003.

In Australia, many people fear that media will turn into a hyper-commercialized system. Some argue that several aspects of media culture now fair game for commercial exploitations which might lead to full-scale commercialization. The major commercial media organizations in Australia have put interests in some commercial entities. This can have an influence on the information audiences get. The last study of media ownership in Australia (1999) showed that of 12 daily papers, 10 were owned by only two organizations, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation and John Fairfax Holdings. The West Australian and the Canberra Times are the only autonomously owned dailies. Publishing & Broadcasting Limited has diverse interests including the Nine Network (television), The Bulletin & Women’s Weekly (magazines), Crown Casino & Ticketek. This could lead to the cross promotion of vested interests. News Corporation has interests in the film, magazine, publishing, sports & television industries. This can affect on the way information is communicated in that News Corporation can also promote their other products & services. Southern Cross Broadcasting owns numerous entities, including Channel 9 Adelaide as well as several radio stations. This could influence the advertisements in television programs and radio broadcasts. For instance, radio talk shows may talk about Southern Cross programs much more often than those produced by other companies. Also, advertisements aired during Southern Cross television shows will involve radio stations, sponsors and affiliates. Another outcome of major companies owning more than one form of media in Australia with a broad audience is that the companies may put partiality and censorship in their numerous media forms, thus controlling what information is presented to their Australian audiences. For instance, one company may give out the same information to their television network and newspaper, neglecting some information that may be significant to the Australian public.

Nowadays, media relies significantly on advertising for revenue. Without advertising, several of these forms of mass communication might not exist to the extent that they do today (Khan 2006). Yet, several critics advise that since advertising plays a key role, it might exercise unnecessary effect on the news media, thus limiting the free flow of information. In this regard, journalistic professionalism may not safeguard the news from biases of owners and advertisers. Consequently, there is about 50% increase in the number of commercials on network TV in Australia in the past decade; the progress of commercially-saturated kids’ programming as debatably the fastest-growing and most gainful branch of the TV industry in the 1990s. The backside of this commercialism is the weakening of public service of the concept that there is any objective to our media except to generate money for shareholders (McChesney 2000, pp.60-65).

Advertising also influence media programming in other ways. For instance, companies that sponsor TV programs favor fairly wholesome programming to prevent upsetting a mass audience. This partiality affects TV networks to highlight this type of programming. The consequence is that society may be deprived of the benefits of being able to watch stimulating entertainment/news programs on controversial issues. Since advertisers are interested in drawing the 18 to 34 year olds who account for most consumers spending, television shows are frequently designed with this audience in mind. If the ratings prove that a program is not drawing large audiences, advertisers frequently pull out support, which triggers a program to be canceled. Accordingly, shows that are more likely to fascinate and to be of value to older audiences are not created (McChesney 2000, pp.60-65).

To combat such issues, Australian government created the Australian Content Quotas for Advertising in 1999. The aim of this is to guarantee that social and cultural intentions of broadcasting legislation, comprising of supporting a sense of Australian identity, integrity and cultural diversity, relate to commercial television advertising.

Any form of media is continuing to serve its purpose albeit many arguments behind its contents. Each improvement in any form has created apprehensions yet each has encouraged democracy by making people better informed or up-to-date and eventually making it simpler for them to communicate their opinions.

Works Cited

Bagdikian, B 2000, The Media Monopoly, Sixth Edition, Beacon Press, Boston, MA, p.21-22.

Engelman, R 1996. Public Radio and Television in America: A Political History, Sage, p10-30.

Demsetz, H ; Lehn, K 1985, “The Structure of Corporate Ownership: Causes and

Consequences,” The Journal of Political Economy, 93, 6: 1155-1177.

Khan, F. S 2006, Conglomeration of Media Ownership Inhibits Media Content.  Retrieved May 19, 2006, from http://mediatrademonitor.org/node/272/
McChesney, R.W 2000, The global media giants, Critical studies in media commercialism, Oxford University Press, New York, pp.59-70.

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