Dental Caries In Children Health And Social Care Essay

Dental Caries In Children Health And Social Care Essay Our team has decided to investigate the epidemiology of dental caries in Scottish children, below the age of 16 inclusively from the 1970s to present. Scotland has the highest prevalence of tooth decay in Europe.1 This is evident from the numerous data sources ascertained. There are associated inequalities found in geographic and socio-economic subgroups which are at the forefront of dental caries prevalence in Scotland. The combination of bacteria with small food particles and saliva creates a sticky film on the tooth which is commonly known as plaque. 2 Over consumption of sugary food and drink, which is high in carbohydrate, provides the bacteria with the energy it needs, whilst producing acid simultaneously. 2 If this plaque is neglected, it will erode the tooth causing dental caries.2 In Scotland there is a sweetie culture,3 where sugary snacks are too readily available and so consumption levels are damaging childrens teeth. As a result the Scottish government are making efforts to assess the problem and subsequently trying to resolve it. Assessment of Caries And Prevelence Measurement The classification of dental caries is done by several sets of criteria, the primary one being the DMFT (decayed/missing/filled teeth) which divides the population into two groups and gathers the mean from each of decayed missing and filled teeth. Its measured from 0 to 32 in terms of affected teeth for people over the age of 12 and from 0 to 20 in children.4 The prevalence portrayed by this measurement has seen a marked decrease in caries in children from 2.16 in 2006 to 1.86 in 2008.5 Its been of paramount importance to the Scottish Government in assessing the levels of caries in children and giving them direction in terms of policy making and goal setting. This is evident from the Graph 15 portrayed in the appendix, which displays the decrease in caries, which in this instance displays decay that goes in to the dentine (d3mt) since the 1980s, with the mean age of children being 5.54 years old.3 This marked decrease has allowed the government to target specific areas of Scottish so ciety to enable an even further reduction in prevalence in caries and employment of even more defined classification models. Another method used for assessing dental caries in preschool children in Scotland is the DCRAM (Dundee Caries Risk Assessment Model). This statistical analysis tool provides an appropriate risk assessment model to determine incidence in a community setting. The DCRAM collects data from one year olds, and uses this data to predict caries incidence over a three year timeframe, to when they are at the age of four. Data is collected following a dental and microbiological examination and from information received via parental questionnaires.6 This type of model makes it easier to differentiate people into different sub-groups so as to investigate the differing incidence levels of oral ill-health within these sub-groups, for example urban and rural differences in dental caries of five year old children in Scotland.7 Here Scotland was split into six different geographies, namely the four big cities (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen) to the smaller rural areas. The findings of this st udy were that the children in rural areas had a better level of dental health than those living in urban areas (mean DMFT of 1.87 for all of Scotland, the four cities 2.16, other urban 1.81, accessible towns 1.88, remote towns 1.86, accessible rural 1.31, remote rural 1.34).5 Socioeconomic factors have been attributed to the cause of caries in Scotland, where deprivation is positively and significantly associated with having d3mft.8 In a three year follow up study undertaken it was obvious that a serious level of DMFT imbalances between the upper class (SEG1) of society and the lower class (SEG2) existed. As noted the percentage improvements found in SEG1 were up to three times larger than those in SEG2.9 This study undertaken in the 1980s led to the development of further classification tools to give greater transparency. The DepCat scale divided communities into socioeconomic groups from 1 (most affluent) to 7 (most deprived). In doing so it applied the DMFT to reveal high levels of inequality with findings in this study ranging from 62.4% (DepCat 1) to 19.8% (DepCat 7).10 Although this looks ominous there is evidence to portray a 13 point improvement between 2006 and 2008 in the most deprived areas (DepCat 7).5 Further evidence of a decreased DMFT can be seen on Graph 25 in the appendix. With this the employment of a newer scale The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation1 will ensure further study and reduction of caries in the deprived. Epidemiological principles, methods, tools and information are applied in every aspect of public health from policy setting at macro level to decision making at individual level,11 therefore making the collection and cohesion of information highly important. The result of this work by the Scottish government and health officials has given us tangible trends to decipher the level of dental caries in the country. Graphs 312 and 412 in the appendix clearly portray the level and improvement in dental caries in Scotland. It is given expectation and focus to the government in their implementation of preventive measures for the future. Evidence-based Population-based Prevention Strategies Pit and fissure configuration on tooth can harbour bacteria and lead to dental caries. Prevention of dental caries would be most efficient when the interaction between the host, causative agent and favouring environmental factors is inhibited. Fissure sealant is a primary prevention approach as it diminishes the risk of getting dental caries by enhancing resistance against the bacteria. A systematic health review published by NHS Health Scotland outlines fissure sealants as one of the early childhood caries prevention measures. Three studies were carried out on children under five years old to prove sealants are effective against occlusal dental caries depending on the retention rate, type of sealant and method of application.13 Rather than treating sequel of dental caries, preventive sealants are considered cost-effective compared to expensive restorative procedures. However, an article by Department of Paediatric Dentistry, University of Glasgow, Scotland addressed the efficiency of sealants depends on several factors. Caries are more susceptible in molar tooth, at highest risk during post-eruption period and whether resin-based or glass ionomer fissure sealants were to be chosen is influenced by moisture control.14 If sealants are used for all cases and risk assessment is neglected, this will reduce the cost-effectiveness. On the contrary, fissure sealants are effective against dental caries only if retained. Sealants require vigilant management that they must be replaced over time. Glasgow Dental Hospital and School reported out of 7000 sealants applied by private practitioners in Scotland, 23% of failed sealants end up carious after 4 years. This study concludes that maintenance of originally sealed fissures is vital for success sealants in long run.15 The study concluded that dental caries are bacterial, regardless of age and the process of wearing sealants would be of the same in any age group. The use of fluorides, on the other hand, in either topical (mouth rinsing solutions, tablets, toothpastes) or systemic (fluoridated water, milk or salt) forms, has shown to have a positive effect on the prevention and reduction of dental caries experience among children and adolescents, globally.16 Although fluoridation of water is considered one of the ten main achievements of public health interventions,17 its real advantages to public health remain controversial.18 Scotland rejected artificial water fluoridation amidst public complaints of its harmful side effects, namely fluorosis or mottled teeth.19 Over the past 50 years in the UK, fluoridated toothpastes have played a crucial role in the declining trends of dental caries in children (in terms of reduced DMFT scores and overall oral health.) 20,21 There is also consensus about 1000ppm Fluoride concentration per toothpaste as optimal for ensuring protection from dental caries, and has proved to be 25% more beneficial in preventing tooth decay.22 Systematic review carried out by the University of Dundee reinforces the superior preventive effect of fluoride toothpastes compared to placebos (addition PF, 24.9%.)23 Researchers and public health authorities have unanimously placed fluoride toothpaste as the method of choice for preventing caries, as it is convenient and culturally approved, widespread, and it is commonly linked to the decline in caries prevalence in many countries.20 One of the chief concerns associated with consumption of fluorides is the incidence of fluorosis. Systematic reviews of studies carried out across the UK indicate a positive correlation between the concentrations of fluoride and dental fluorosis.24 Moreover, there are two major concerns associated solely with topical fluoride use- a) noncompliance with tooth brushing regimens and b) chronic overconsumption of toothpaste among children leading to increased risk of fluorosis.20 While some studies claim that fluoridated water is associated with higher incidence of diseases like bone fractures, senile dementia or cancer; no conclusive evidence has been reported.24 Other concerns of fluoridation like its effects on immunity, reproductive health and GI effects have also not shown to be clinically significant.25 A third prevention strategy called Childsmile was fully running since 2011. It is a children orientated, oral health promotion programme driven by the NHS. The aim is to improve the overall oral health of all children across Scotland and reduce inequalities in dental public health and access to related services.26 Childsmile has three components, the Core, which is applied to all Scottish children, provides fluoridated toothpaste and toothbrushes till five years of age and advocates supervised tooth brushing. 26 The Practice component allows new parents to register easily with local dental practices and is educated on oral health, such as tooth brushing methods and diet. Risk assessments are used to identify children at high risk, who are then provided with varnish and fissure sealants. 26 The third component, Nursery and School, provides twice per annum fluoride varnish applications to those living in the most deprived local quintile of Scotland under the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SMID). 26 In 1996, the Greater Glasgow Health Board introduced a community-based oral health promotion for five year olds in the most socially deprived areas in Glasgow, comparable to Childsmile, which involved establishing Oral Health Action Teams (OHATs). 27 OHATs main goals are very similar to Childsmiles, including supervised tooth brushing, providing information to parents and supporting local dentists to further promote oral health. A follow-up study was done and the D3MFT values has shown to decrease from 5.5 to 3.6 and from 6.0 to 3.6 respective to DepCat 1 and 2 communities and the mean D3MFT values of 5 year olds was reduced in all DepCat 7 communities from 4.9 to 4.1. This change was of sufficient magnitude to impact upon area-wide statistics for Glasgow. 28 This suggests that oral health education interventions do give a positive impact on the population if it is implemented rigorously. Even though dental treatments are now relatively more advanced and effective, it is difficult for the whole population to benefit from these treatments, due to cost and access, as a prevention strategy for further tooth decay. Hence, it would be wiser to put into place public health strategies to get the knowledge to the general public and to promote the idea from young that prevention is better than treatment for oral health. But even with these health promotion programmes, there is evidence that shows how it is not a sustainable way to stop poor oral health because they do not tackle the main underlying cause. This leads to an ethical dilemma; creating a bigger inequality gap of access to oral healthcare, with those being in higher SES groups actually benefitting more than those who are in much more need of these service in the most deprived population. Discussion / Conclusion xxxxx Search Strategy For our project we began with a general search of dental caries on PubMed. There were numerous articles published from around the world so we narrowed it down to UK and Ireland and South America, as there were plenty of relevant articles for these regions. It was later decided that the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, PubMed and Cochrane library provided a number of articles for Scotland and Brazil. Using certain parameters like age (0-16 years old) it was decided that our project would be focussed on the dental caries of children in Scotland and articles produced between 1973 and present day. Keywords used to refine the search included children, fluoridation, fissure sealants and government studies amongst others. We used the advanced search option on PubMed with a combination of keywords such as Government Interventions AND Dental caries Scotland to review steps taken by the Scottish Government in recognising dental caries in children and also treating the problem. For the epidemiology section of the project we found articles using keywords epidemiology, dental caries, Scottish children. We found 107 relevant articles that were eventually narrowed to give us the most pertinent approaches taken in Scotland to diagnose dental caries, such as DCRAM (Dundee Caries Risk Assessment Model) and the NDIP (National Dental Inspection Plan). Searches based on individual interventional approaches were then carried out, yielding 17 results for DCRAM on PubMed and 16000 results for NDIP on Google Scholar. The studies were reviewed and chosen only if they met the criteria we wished to discuss throughout project, such as, age (0-16 years old), social background and residence i.e. Rural v Urban setting. We also did not include articles and studies published before 1973.We also used articles produced by the NHS and took these as official and accurate. For review of prevention strategies, we decided to use fissure sealants, fluoridation and the public health strategy of Childsmile as our main areas of discussion in terms of intervention. After comprehensive research using our chosen electronic databases- MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar, we narrowed the expansive intervention of Fluoridation to the use of Fluoridated Toothpastes as we realized that artificial fluoridation was rejected by the Scottish government and that toothpastes were hence the most ubiquitous form of fluroide intake in Scottish children. A search on pubmed with keywords Fluoridated Toothpastes initially yielded 125 results, which were then narrowed using additional limits of Full Free Text and English Language. Similar limits were applied to searches of Fissure Sealants and ChildSmile, yielding 33 and 4 results, respectively. For reviews evaluating the efficacy of these interventions, we depended mostly upon PubMed and Cochrane Library. A seach with the advanced limits of English Language, Free Full Text Available and type of article-Systematic Review yielded only 1 result on Pubmed for Fissure Sealants, 3 for ChildSmile and 15 for fluoridated tootpastes. We feel our results provide an accurate review of dental caries in children in Scotland between the ages of (0-16). References Scotland.gov.uk Scottish Health Boards Dental Epidemiological Programme National Dental Inspection Programme 2011 [updated Wednesday 21 September 2011: cited October 17, 2012]. Available from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Health/TrendDentalHealth What did dr beisma say about long url? National Health service. Causes of Tooth Decay. Available from http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Dental-decay/Pages/Causes.aspx (Reviewed 07/07/2012)(Accessed 01/11/2012) http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/994927/Sweetie-culture-culprit-tooth-decay/ Department of Health Hong Kong. Measuring tooth decay and gum disease. Available from http://www.dh.gov.hk/english/pub_rec/pub_rec_lpoi/files/ohse2.pdf (accessed 20/10/2012). Merret MC, Goold S, Mcall DR, CM Jones, LMD Macphearson, ZJ Nugent GVA Topping. National Dental inspection of Scotland. Report of the 2008 survey of P1 children in Scotland. Edinburgh: Scottish Dental Epidemiological Co-ordination Committee ; 2008. McRitchie HM, Development of the Dundee Caries Risk Assessment Model (DCRAM)Risk model development using a novel application of CHAID analysis. Community Dent Oral Epidemiology 2012; 40(1):37-45 Levin KA, Davies CA, Douglas GV, Pitts Nb. Urban-rural differences in dental caries of 5-year old children in Scotland. Social Science Medicine 2012; 71(11):2020-2027. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19307245 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2379088 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10226726 Bailey L, Vardulaki K Langham J Introduction to epidemiology.P10 4th ed. England: McGraw HIill; 2009. Macpherson LMD, Ball GE, Conway DI, Edwards M, Goold S, McMahon A, OKeefe E, Pitts NB Watson S. Report of the 2011 Detailed National Dental Inspection Programme of Primary 7 Children and the Basic Inspection of Primary 1 and Primary 7 Children. Scotland: Scottish Dental Epidemiology Coordinating Committee; 2011 Poobalan A, Prevention of early childhood caries: A systematic review. 2008; 122. Welbury R, EAPD guidelines for the use of pit and fissure sealants. Eur J Paediatr Dent 2004; 5(3):179-84. Chestnutt IG, Schafer F, Jacobson AP, Stephen KW: The prevalence and effectiveness of fissure sealants in Scottish adolescents. Br Dent J. 177:125-29, 1994. Peterson PF, Lennon MA: Effective Use of Fluorides for the Prevention of Dental Caries in the 21st Century: The WHO Approach. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2004; 32: 319-21. OÃÅ'  Blackwell Munksgaard, 2004. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1999a; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1999 Richards,D :Water Fluoridation: Controversy or Not? Editorial, Evidence-Based Dentistry (2002) 3, 31; doi:10.1038/sj.ebd.6400120. Available from www.nature.com Craig, J: Presidential Address. Br Dent J. 2005 May 28;198(10):597-9 (pubmed) Marinho VCC, Higgins JPT, Logan S, Sheiham A: Fluoride toothpastes for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents (Review) The Cochrane Collaboration, The Cochrane Library, 2009. Curnow MM, Pine CM,: A randomised controlled trial of the efficacy of supervised toothbrushing in high-caries-risk children Caries Res. 2002 Jul-Aug;36(4):294-300. Scottish Children Brush Away Tooth Decay. British Dental Journal 199, 698 (2006) Published online: 10 December 2005 | doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.4813051. Available from www.nature.com date accessed? Topping G, Assaf A.: Strong evidence that daily use of fluoride toothpaste prevents caries. Evid Based Dent. 2005;6(2):32. Dental Health Services Research Unit, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK. McDonagh S: Systematic Review of water fluoridation BMJ. 2000 Oct 7;321(7265):855-9 (PUBMED/www.bmj.com) MRC working group report. National Health Services Scotland. About Childsmile NHS Health Scotland. [homepage on the Internet]. 2010 [cited 2012 Oct 24]. Available from: National Health Service Scotland, Childsmile Web site: http://www.child-smile.org.uk/professionals/about-childsmile.aspx Blair YI Evaluation of NHS Greater Glasgow oral health action teams: A report from the monitoring and evaluation subgroup of the OHAT steering group, November 2005. Glasgow: NHSGGC; 2005. Blair Y, Macpherson L, Mccall D, Mcmahon a. Dental health of 5-year-olds following community-based oral health promotion in Glasgow, UK. Int. J of Paediatric Dentistry 2006; 16:388-398.

Literacy Case Study

Literature serves as a repository of human experience. The possibility of such is evident in the personal and political character evident in the creation of a literary work. Such a character is present in the process of creating a literary work. The literary work may be depicted as an artist’s compilation of thoughts and ideas formulated into a coherent whole. The process of formulating such is spearheaded by the artist’s acquisition of language through the socialization process. Socialization occurs at the formal and informal level. The formal level is generally characterized by the acquisition of the syntactical and semantical rules of a language. Such a process occurs during a child’s education. The acquisition of language, as well as the development of the interest for a particular language may occur during the early part of a child’s socialization process with the family. The family serves as the main element for a child’s acquisition of interest for particular styles or one may even state for particular literary genres. Hence, a child who has been introduced at an early age to fairly tales may have a taste for the fantastic and the supernatural. At the same time, a child introduced to personal narratives may develop an interest for personal narrations. In lieu of this, what follows is the result of literacy case study conducted with a peer/classmate. The study opts to present an analysis of a peer’s literacy level though the analysis of his/her reading and writing skills. Such an analysis involves the assessment of the individual’s personal views to the reading and writing process and the relation of these views to the individual’s assessment of his literacy level. Method The methodology employed for this case study involves a one on one interview with a particular peer/classmate. The methodology used enables the interviewer to assess the literacy level of the interviewee in terms of conversational language. Such an assessment enables the interviewer to consider the interviewee’s communication skills, which mirrors the interviewee’s self-perceived competency of his literacy level. Evaluation This case study was conducted with a classmate [Ali]. Several questions were posed which considered Ali’s socialization experience in terms of language acquisition. The study shows that an individual’s literacy level increasingly develops throughout the life span because of the continuous stimulation of various stimuli that necessitates the individual’s continuous use of his reading and writing skills. In Ali’s case, this is evident, as he perceives literature as the focal point, which enabled him to develop an interest for the other subjects during his junior year. In relation to this, his later years of development [specifically that which is situated within the University] mirrors his literacy development. Ali’s development has shifted towards a highly personal consideration of the role of these aforementioned skills in the development of his own voice and hence his own identity. Summary and Recommendations Based upon the interview, I perceive Ali’s utilization of the personal value that literature serves for the individual. Personal here ought to be understood as private. Literature for Ali thereby serves as an ensemble of various accounts that serve to reject the discursive unity that constructs subjectivity as simultaneously individualized and totalized since literature as Ali perceives it or utilizes it in his life takes the form or style of several generic discourses. The acts correlated with literature [reading and writing] thereby stand for Ali as acts that enable the discovery of the self through the daily recording of events that allows the creation of his singular account of the transactions and movements of his life. As I reckon, Ali’s interest lies in the creation of self-narratives in the form of daily records of his daily transactions. Such an act may be seen as an exercise of selfhood wherein Ali portrays his perception of his intimate self while recognizing that it is his mere perception of his self. Ali thereby allows the subversion of the act of turning â€Å"real lives into writing† as he allows the existence of conflicts and confusions in the formation of his identity [as depicted in his writings]. Ali himself notes that literature enables him to perceive the mistakes the he continuously commits in the act of delving within and understanding a literary work. Literature, in this sense, presents Ali with the form in which he may be able to continuously exercise the act of self-formation and hence self-creation. The possibility of such is evident if one considers that Ali takes the act of understanding a literary work as an internal act, which necessitates the reader’s complete understanding of the content of literary work. Such an understanding, although enabled and nurtured within a group through the introduction of various diverse views is only possible when one isolates one’s self in order to reassess one’s thoughts in connection to the simultaneous views presented within a group. To understand a literary work thereby serves as a process of reconsidering the self in order to attain a form of consensus within one’s self that enables the self’s creation and hence specification of its view. Literature, for Ali, thereby serves as a medium for self discovery and self creation wherein the acts of both reading and writing serve as the facilitators for the initial creation and finally in the end Ali’s own medium for the specification and exposition of his self as represented through his own creative work.      

Clocky

What are the key marketing challenges facing Gauri Nanda and how would you prioritize them? 1) Timing Clocky got a lot of media attention approximately a year early from commercialization. The hype it is having might have a negative and positive affect towards when actually Gauri introduce the product to the market. The questions raised was â€Å"Would consumers interested in buying Clocky now be frustrated once they learned that the product was not yet commercially available, or would they be content to wait until Clocky reached the market? † 2) Target marketGauri have to decide whether to focus on â€Å"Fun† or â€Å"Need† target segment. This is a critical step in the development as it will be difficult to change perception of a product once it gains a certain reputation. 3) Production partnership Gauri have to make a decision whether to partner with a large-scale retailer (Wal-Mart) or to pursue co-branding opportunities with a product development outfit ( iR obot). Both ways offer it’s up and down sides. With a large scale retailer, Gauri face the risk of the product becoming a fad, like Tickle-Me-Elmo.On the other hand, pursuing co-brading opportunities, she might have less control over the product invention. 4) Pricing Gauri have to decide the price for the product. This also will determine the product strategy adopted. Selling to Wal Mart allows Gauri to cash in early but sacrificing the long term potential of the product. Whereas selling to a upper class store allows Gauri to build brand image but it may take longer time to generate enough profit to recoup back the investment. Gauri needs to tackle the challenges from 1 to 4.I feel that the early media attention issue need to be taken care of first and make sure it does not negatively affected the commercialization of the product. Secondly, Gauri needs to determine the target segment which will lead to production partnership decision and ultimately pricing. How would you segm ent the market for Clocky and on which target market segment(s) should Nanda focus. Explain the value proposition for each? In the article it is mentioned that Clocky’s customer can be put into two camps: â€Å"Need† and â€Å"Fun† market. ) â€Å"Need† market The main customer would be people who found getting out of bed is a serious challenge and disrupted their life in significant ways, such as frequently making them late for work. I feel like Clocky will be a success in this market as it will be seen a solution for those people. In addition to that, the market is currently untapped and Gauri will enjoy first moving advantage. The downside is that the market is not as big as the other segment. Although the probability of success is high, the financial gain might not be significant. ) â€Å"Fun† market The customer would be people who currently use an alarm clock. I can see that Clocky will be marketed not a solution but as alternative to traditi on alarm clock that has more advance feature. This way there is a risk that the product will be seen as a fad product just like Furby. However, the market is huge and financial gain is significant if the product is a success. Personally I feel the best strategy is for Gauri to focus on short term financial gain and focus on the â€Å"fun† market.There is a big chance that the product might have a short life, like furby but Gauri would be able to gain a significant financial gain in a short period of time. The need market is not very attractive to me because of the size of the market. Based on what you believe to be the most feasible/most valuable positioning, what are the key components of a marketing launch plan including:   product design/features, pricing, retail channels and distribution plan, manufacturing location, and marketing communications. My goal with this product would be to generate as much profit as possible in the shortest amount of time.I do not think build ing a brand and spend years on this product is worth the effort from financial perspective. With this in mind, the strategy that I would adopt is a short term strategy that will maximize short term profit. The segment I would be targeting is the â€Å"Fun† market. I would market Clocky as an advanced alarm clock that is innovative and â€Å"fun† to have. The feature would be kept at the minimal (moving alarm clock) and the design would be as describe in the case â€Å"lighthearted features, such as his furry exterior and playful nature, depicting him almost as a robotic household pet. I would form a partnership with Target and use them as the main distribution channel. The pricing would be set a low point around $30 (considering that traditional alarm clock sold around $15). With Target’s mark up around 144%, the retail price would be $40. The manufacturing location will be in China as it offers the lowest cost of manufacturing. Assuming the cost of goods is $1 5, this will offer 100% margin. The media communication used would be TV and magazine advertisement. The advertisement is catered toward general audience that buy alarm clock. Clocky What are the key marketing challenges facing Gauri Nanda and how would you prioritize them? 1) Timing Clocky got a lot of media attention approximately a year early from commercialization. The hype it is having might have a negative and positive affect towards when actually Gauri introduce the product to the market. The questions raised was â€Å"Would consumers interested in buying Clocky now be frustrated once they learned that the product was not yet commercially available, or would they be content to wait until Clocky reached the market? † 2) Target marketGauri have to decide whether to focus on â€Å"Fun† or â€Å"Need† target segment. This is a critical step in the development as it will be difficult to change perception of a product once it gains a certain reputation. 3) Production partnership Gauri have to make a decision whether to partner with a large-scale retailer (Wal-Mart) or to pursue co-branding opportunities with a product development outfit ( iR obot). Both ways offer it’s up and down sides. With a large scale retailer, Gauri face the risk of the product becoming a fad, like Tickle-Me-Elmo.On the other hand, pursuing co-brading opportunities, she might have less control over the product invention. 4) Pricing Gauri have to decide the price for the product. This also will determine the product strategy adopted. Selling to Wal Mart allows Gauri to cash in early but sacrificing the long term potential of the product. Whereas selling to a upper class store allows Gauri to build brand image but it may take longer time to generate enough profit to recoup back the investment. Gauri needs to tackle the challenges from 1 to 4.I feel that the early media attention issue need to be taken care of first and make sure it does not negatively affected the commercialization of the product. Secondly, Gauri needs to determine the target segment which will lead to production partnership decision and ultimately pricing. How would you segm ent the market for Clocky and on which target market segment(s) should Nanda focus. Explain the value proposition for each? In the article it is mentioned that Clocky’s customer can be put into two camps: â€Å"Need† and â€Å"Fun† market. ) â€Å"Need† market The main customer would be people who found getting out of bed is a serious challenge and disrupted their life in significant ways, such as frequently making them late for work. I feel like Clocky will be a success in this market as it will be seen a solution for those people. In addition to that, the market is currently untapped and Gauri will enjoy first moving advantage. The downside is that the market is not as big as the other segment. Although the probability of success is high, the financial gain might not be significant. ) â€Å"Fun† market The customer would be people who currently use an alarm clock. I can see that Clocky will be marketed not a solution but as alternative to traditi on alarm clock that has more advance feature. This way there is a risk that the product will be seen as a fad product just like Furby. However, the market is huge and financial gain is significant if the product is a success. Personally I feel the best strategy is for Gauri to focus on short term financial gain and focus on the â€Å"fun† market.There is a big chance that the product might have a short life, like furby but Gauri would be able to gain a significant financial gain in a short period of time. The need market is not very attractive to me because of the size of the market. Based on what you believe to be the most feasible/most valuable positioning, what are the key components of a marketing launch plan including:   product design/features, pricing, retail channels and distribution plan, manufacturing location, and marketing communications. My goal with this product would be to generate as much profit as possible in the shortest amount of time.I do not think build ing a brand and spend years on this product is worth the effort from financial perspective. With this in mind, the strategy that I would adopt is a short term strategy that will maximize short term profit. The segment I would be targeting is the â€Å"Fun† market. I would market Clocky as an advanced alarm clock that is innovative and â€Å"fun† to have. The feature would be kept at the minimal (moving alarm clock) and the design would be as describe in the case â€Å"lighthearted features, such as his furry exterior and playful nature, depicting him almost as a robotic household pet. I would form a partnership with Target and use them as the main distribution channel. The pricing would be set a low point around $30 (considering that traditional alarm clock sold around $15). With Target’s mark up around 144%, the retail price would be $40. The manufacturing location will be in China as it offers the lowest cost of manufacturing. Assuming the cost of goods is $1 5, this will offer 100% margin. The media communication used would be TV and magazine advertisement. The advertisement is catered toward general audience that buy alarm clock.

List of the 29 Governorates in Egypt

Egypt, officially called the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a republic located in northern Africa. It shares borders with Gaza Strip, Israel, Libya, and Sudan and its boundaries also include the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt has coastlines on the Mediterranean and the Red Sea and it has a total area of 386,662 square miles (1,001,450 sq km). Egypt has a population of 80,471,869 (July 2010 estimate) and its capital and largest city is Cairo. In terms of local administration, Egypt is divided into 29 governorates that are administered by a local governor. Some of Egypts governorates are very densely populated, like Cairo, while others have small populations and large areas like New Valley or South Sinai. The 29 Governorates The following is a list of Egypts twenty-nine governorates arranged in terms of their area. For reference, capital cities have also been included.1) New ValleyArea: 145,369 square miles (376,505 sq km)Capital: Kharga2) MatruhArea: 81,897 square miles (212,112 sq km)Capital: Marsa Matruh3) Red SeaArea: 78,643 square miles (203,685 sq km)Capital: Hurghada4) GizaArea: 32,878 square miles (85,153 sq km)Capital: Giza5) South SinaiArea: 12,795 square miles (33,140 sq km)Capital: el-Tor6) North SinaiArea: 10,646 square miles (27,574 sq km)Capital: Arish7) SuezArea: 6,888 square miles (17,840 sq km)Capital: Suez8) BeheiraArea: 3,520 square miles (9,118 sq km)Capital: Damanhur9) HelwanArea: 2,895 square miles (7,500 sq km)Capital: Helwan10) SharqiaArea: 1,614 square miles (4,180 sq km)Capital: Zagazig11) DakahliaArea: 1,340 square miles (3,471 sq km)Capital: Mansura12) Kafr el-SheikhArea: 1,327 square miles (3,437 sq km)Capital: Kafr el-Sheikh13) AlexandriaArea: 1,034 square miles (2,679 sq k m)Capital: Alexandria14) MonufiaArea: 982 square miles (2,544 sq km)Capital: Shibin el-Kom15) MinyaArea: 873 square miles (2,262 sq km)Capital: Minya16) GharbiaArea: 750 square miles (1,942 sq km)Capital: Tanta17) FaiyumArea: 705 square miles (1,827 sq km)Capital: Faiym18) QenaArea: 693 square miles (1,796 sq km)Capital: Qena19) AsyutArea: 599 square miles (1,553 sq km)Capital: Asyut20) SohagArea: 597 square miles (1,547 sq km)Capital: Sohag21) IsmailiaArea: 557 square miles (1,442 sq km)Capital: Ismailia22) Beni SuefArea: 510 square miles (1,322 sq km)Capital: Beni Suef23) QalyubiaArea: 386 square miles (1,001 sq km)Capital: Banha24) AswanArea: 262 square miles (679 sq km)Capital: Aswan25) DamiettaArea: 227 square miles (589 sq km)Capital: Damietta26) CairoArea: 175 square miles (453 sq km)Capital: Cairo27) Port SaidArea: 28 square miles (72 sq km)Capital: Port Said28) LuxorArea: 21 square miles (55 sq km)Capital: Luxor29) 6th of OctoberArea: UnknownCapital: 6th of October City