The Case Analysis for Clean Edge Razo free essay sample

We will discuss from two aspects, one is the U. S. razor market and another is from the product itself. The paper through a series of economic analysis, including the background the razor market, razor market segments, consumer behavior, competition between producers, the feature of Clean Edge Razor and so forth, to got a positioning recommendation, brand name and budget recommendation to help product manager of company, Randall, find the right answer. The body paper will round some special questions to analyze what is the right way for put the Clean Edge Razor in the market. Some economic research and individual opinion will comprise the whole analysis. Eventually, we will got a conclusion and do some special recommendations. Question 1: a. What changes are occurring in the nondisposable razor category? There are two major changes are occurring in the nondisposable razor category. Firstly, the nondisposable razors experienced more growth, approximately 5% form 2007 to 2010, and most of the growth due to the innovations and new product introductions. We will write a custom essay sample on The Case Analysis for Clean Edge Razo or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The customer is more want to trying new products than before. Secondly, industry experts divided the nondisposable razor market into three segments based on price and quality, super-Premium, moderate, and value. The first change of nondisposable razor category was in the segment of super-Premium. According the case paper, the volume and dollar of Super-Premium in 2009 nondisposable razors and refill cartridge retail sales were 25%, and 34% respectively. And in the last decade, there was experienced significant growth in the super-premium segment. Many innovations appeared in the super-premium segment to make this part a huge growth. . Assess Paramount’s competitive position. What are the strategic life cycle challenges for Paramount’s current products as well as for Clean Edge? The challenge of strategic life cycle is the replacement cycle had been shortened. According the case paper, consumers purchased razors and replacement cycle more frequently in 2009 than previous years. It is mean that customer want to try the different pro ducts, and their demand is change to more flexible. Moreover, advertising and sponsored articles that introduced some razor let customer change their demand more easily. That is a huge challenges for Paramount’s current products as well as for Clean Edge that they must continuous provide different kinds of products and let customer to use their products in a relative long life cycle. It is also mean the Paramount’s must use lots of money, technology, and work to design much kinds and much quality products. Question 2. How is the nondisposable razor market segmented? Examine consumer behavior for nondisposable razors. The nondisposable razor market was divided three segments based on price and quality: super-premium, moderate, value. According the case paper, the volume and dollar of Super-Premium, moderate, value in 2009 nondisposable razors and refill cartridge retail sales were 25%, 34%; 43%, 44%; 32%, 22% respectively. The super-premium segment has significant growth in recent 10 years due to the innovation and new products. The moderate still has a main position in amount of both volume and dollar. There are also three segments of nondisposable razor of consumer behavior: 39% Involved Razor Users (Social/Emotional Shavers), 28% Involved Razor Users (Aesthetic Shavers), 33% Uninvolved Razor Users (Maintenance Shavers). The kinds of Social/emotional shavers are the customer who will consider the different products of razor. They like shaking everyday, because to do this can make them more confidence. Aesthetic Shavers are the customers to consider which razor are the more effectively remove hair. And the last one Uninvolved razor uses, maintenance shavers, they think the entire razor are the same, and they have no interest to consider which razor is more better. Question 3. a. What are the arguments for launching Clean Edge as (a) a niche product and (b) a mainstream brand? The supporters that supporting the Clean Edge as a mainstream brand think that nowadays, the customer need a more sophisticated and expect more advanced technology products. The Pro does not provide this but Clean Edge can. More and more people want to get an advanced product and abandon normal one. And Pro is in the mature phase of the product lifecycle and it has no excess extra space to develop. They think now it is best time to lunch the Clean Edge in dominant position in the razor market. On the other hand, the objector think it should be make Clean Edge as a niche product. Rosenberg said that he couldn’t believe they are even considering a mainstream positioning strategy. He thinks Clean Edge will siphon off consumers from Pro. Moreover, making Clean Edge as a mainstream brand will dilute the brand power for their bread-and-butter product, Pro. The company will just be cannibalizing itself. The niche strategy makes more sense. According the pro and con, I conclude that the main arguments are how to rational allocate the share for different type products, which one will become the main products of company, and how combine the different product will get maximize profit for company. b. Which would you recommend? What are the strategic implications of your recommendation? We recommend that make Clean Edge as a mainstream brand. We think that the most important thing of company is profit. Selling products can get profit. So how much selling products decide how to profit company can get. And what does decide how much products can be sold, the share of market. So, if you have very great products, let it to dominate marker. For example, Apple Company is the fastest push the newest products, and makes it become the mainstream product to dominate market share. But Nokia just makes their advanced products as a niche product that fail to dominate market. So, Now the Apple is more success than Nokia. Question 4. Based on your positioning strategy, what brand name and marketing budget allocations would you advise? According our positioning strategy that makes Clean Edge as a mainstream brand, we advise the brand name would be â€Å"Clean Edge by Paramount†. The reason to make the Clean Edge name is that it can make the brand stand out and differentiate other product form Paramount. As its great quality and all new style to dominate market share. The company must improve the maximize budget allocations for Clean Edge to dominate market share. Conclusion

Definition and Examples of Visual Euphemisms

Definition and Examples of Visual Euphemisms Visual euphemism is the use of a pleasing or inoffensive image to represent an object, concept, or experience thats considered unpleasant, distasteful, or distressingly explicit. In  Forbidden Words: Taboo and the Censoring of Language (2006),  Keith Allan and Kate Burridge point out that visual euphemisms are commonplace; for example,  low-calorie salad dressing (usually  oil-free) is presented in shapely, slender-waisted bottles. The shape, the cleverly altered spelling and reversed coloring on some of the packaging sends out the message non-fattening loud and clear. Examples and Observations Good  visual euphemisms are  to be found in advertisements concerned with false teeth- something that no one wants to see. An advertisement for one fixative simply shows two beautiful slim blue cylinders fitting together perfectly, as a voice  Ã‚  praises the efficiency and salubriousness of the product.(Toni-Lee Capossela,  Language Matters. Harcourt Brace,  1995) Visual Euphemisms in Everyday Life: Romance in the Toilet Bowl CleanerSociety has many instances of visual euphemisms. Bald men wear toupees. Both sexes wear contact lenses. Fig leaves hide the genitals of statues. Pubic hair was airbrushed out of soft-porn photographs until the 1960s. The Society for Indecency to Naked Animals designed boxer shorts, knickers, and petticoats to cover the sex organs of animals during the 1960s (cf. Fryer 1963:19). Frilled pantalettes modestly hid the limbs (legs could not properly be mentioned, especially in America, see Read 1934:265) of the table and the pianoforte during the V ictorian era. . . .Attractive packaging itself is a kind of euphemism: emphasis on appearance instead of the product contrasts strikingly with the old-time grocer who displayed items in bulk. Lighting effects that redden meat, the waxing of fruit, and the attractive packaging are cosmetic; and like verbal euphemism, they create a positive illusion. Still photography, film, and television are superb media for deceptive euphemisms. . . . These media present a world of perfected forms in which there is romance in the toilet bowl cleaner, poetry in the sanitary napkin, temptation in the tampon, and beauty in a glass of dentures.(Keith Allan and Kate Burridge, Euphemism and Dysphemism: Language Used as a Shield and Weapon. Oxford University Press, 1991) SharksAs trash-happy and ridiculous as it sounds, the movie [Spring Break Shark Attack] isnt just another load of tired old beach bunk. For one thing, the scary parts really are scary, enough so that little kids should be sent to their roomswhere, presumably, they can watch the less menacing aquatic antics of SpongeBob SquarePants. . . .When a partly eaten shark victim washes up onshore, for example, he really looks like a partly eaten shark victim, not the scrubbed-up visual euphemism of TV times gone by. Is this progress? Wellkinda?(Tom Shales, Cue the Shark Music and Prepare to Be Scared. The Washington Post, March 19, 2005) Sexual EncountersVictorian novels and pictures frequently feature a woman enthroned on a gentlemans knee as a visual euphemism for sexual encounter. Although William Holman Hunts famous picture The Awakening Conscience (1854) indicated that the fallen woman regained her moral conviction by showing her in the act of rising from her lovers knee, many pictures a nd stories celebrated the happy wife, held by her husband on his knee as both sweetheart and child.(Judith Farr, The Passion of Emily Dickinson. Harvard University Press, 1992) Deception and SecrecyThere is no doubt that some euphemism adds dimensions of deception and secrecy. And in the case of the visual euphemism the illusion is very effective. Its always much harder to prove misrepresentation when a claim is expressed non-verbally; in other words, not in propositional language with actual nouns and verbs. The visual euphemism can be a lot more sneaky.(Kate Burridge, Weeds in the Garden of Words: Further Observations on the Tangled History of the English Language. Cambridge University Press, 2005)

Dealing With the Check 21 Banking Law

Dealing With the 'Check 21' Banking Law A sweeping new federal banking law known as â€Å"Check 21† will go into effect beginning October 28, speeding up check processing and putting consumers at risk for more bounced checks and fees, warns Consumers Union. The consumer group is advising consumers to keep a careful eye on their bank statements in the coming months and issued a set of tips to avoid some of the law’s potentially negative impacts. â€Å"Check 21 will be a boon for the banks who will save billions of dollars once it’s fully implemented,† said Gail Hillebrand, Senior Attorney with Consumers Union’s West Coast Office in a CU press release. â€Å"Consumers could end up losing out if they’re not careful and if banks use the new law as an excuse to bounce more checks and collect more fees.† Starting October 28, 2004, consumers will discover that their bank account statements will come with fewer – or perhaps none – of their canceled paper checks, as banks begin to process checks electronically. Consumers will enjoy less â€Å"float,† meaning that the checks they write will clear much faster. Under the new law, checks could clear as early as the same day, but banks won’t be under any obligation to make funds from checks that consumers deposit into their accounts available any sooner. That could mean more bounced checks and more overdraft fees paid by consumers. Banks maintain that the law will be implemented gradually, but consumers will begin to experience its effects in the coming months as more and more banks and merchants take advantage of electronic processing and other provisions of the law. So even if a consumer’s bank doesn’t implement Check 21 right away, another bank or merchant that processes the consumer’s check might choose to do so. That means the original check may never be returned to the consumer’s bank so the consumer won’t receive the canceled paper check in their bank statement. And any check the consumer writes might clear as early as the same day. Consumers Union is advising consumers to review their bank statements carefully to get a better sense of how Check 21 is affecting them and offers the following tips to avoid its potential pitfalls: Expect the checks you write to clear faster, but not your deposited checks: Dont write a check unless the funds are already in your account.The checks you write will clear faster, but banks arent required to speed up the time when they make funds available from checks that you deposit.Most banks will credit checks you deposit into your account in one day if the check is local. Deposits that are made through ATMs can take an extra day to be credited to your account.And out-of-town checks you deposit can take additional days to be credited to your account.The best way to ensure that your paycheck will be deposited quickly is to arrange for direct deposit through your workplace. Social Security check recipients can also arrange for direct deposit. (Note: starting in 2013, Social Security stopped issuing paper benefit checks.)Ask for a â€Å"recredit† right in writing if your bank makes a check processing error: If a check you write is paid twice, or paid for the wrong amount, or something else goes wrong with your checking account, you may have the right to â€Å"recredit† under Check 21. This â€Å"recredit† right means that you are entitled to have the funds returned to your account within 10 business days unless the bank proves that there was no error. If something goes wrong with your checking account, make a written request that your bank recredit the funds to your account. Your bank can avoid the 10-day recredit deadline if you did not receive a substitute check.Ask for a substitute check if there is a problem with your account involving a check: Check 21 restricts recredit to consumers who were provided with a substitute check. If there is a problem with your account involving a check, always ask for a substitute check, which is a special kind of copy of your paper check. If you now get your original checks back, you could ask for an account that returns substitute checks every month. If your bank charges too much for an account that returns substitute checks every month, look for another bank.Find out how your bank plans to treat you under Check 21: Not all banks plan to implement Check 21 in the same manner. Find out if your bank will give you a substitute check if you ask for one and if it plans to charge customers an extra fee for a substitute check. And find out if your bank places a hold on your deposits so you can take steps to avoid bouncing checks and paying overdraft fees once the checks you write start to clear more quickly under Check 21. A fact sheet on the Check 21 law is available at:  federalreserve.gov/paymentsystems/regcc-faq-check21.htm

Why are Chinese factories turning to Bangladesh Essay

Why are Chinese factories turning to Bangladesh - Essay Example This scenario has been a major instigator for business organisations in China to look forward to better and more convenient option especially for manufacturing purposes in a foreign destination. China, in recent years, has been regarded as one of the fastest developing economies in the world. One of the key reasons behind the continued and sustained growth of the Chinese economy has been industrial growth (World Bank Office, Beijing, â€Å"China Quarterly Update†). However, in recent years the Chinese economy has witnessed a noticeable slowdown. The volatile world economic environment as well as rigid domestic polices have the combined factors that have contributed towards this scenario (World Bank Office, Beijing, â€Å"China Quarterly Update†). Thus, in order to mitigate this problem the Chinese factories or manufacturers have started to look beyond their own shores to import products. Consequently, Bangladesh has become a favourable option for them because it provide s efficient workers and comparatively lower wage rates. This strategy by Chinese manufacturers has been mainly prompted by the prevailing condition in their own market to manufacture products (Cawinfo, â€Å"Chinese Factories Turn to Bangladesh as Labour Costs Rise’). Thesis Statement The report intends to discuss the key reasons behind the Chinese factories turning to Bangladesh as a destination for especially importing products. The major driving forces of globalisation have also been considered in the report to comprehend the scenario. Globalisation as a Driving Force for Chinese Factories to Turning to Bangladesh The drivers of globalisation have been an imperative factor behind the Chinese manufacturers desiring to outsource their business in a foreign destination such as Bangladesh which majorly includes, open markets, International Trade Relation Policies, progress in transport and information technology, privatisation and liberalisation (A Global Ethic Now, â€Å"Dr iving Forces Behind Globalisation†). These key drivers that have encouraged the Chinese factories to turn to Bangladesh as a possible location for outsourcing are opening up of different national markets to all sorts of companies and removal of trade restrictions. However, in recent times, the one of the biggest problems which has been faced by Chinese manufacturers is the labour crisis. In China, a continued war in relation to labour rights has been a critical issue which has affected the industrial sector in recent times. The war has been engaged with a huge number of people who come under certain different categories of business world. The workers, trade unions, corporate, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and political parties in China are deeply engaged in this serious issue. It has resulted in an impact on worker privileges, wages, working environment in China. This battle is badly affecting the Chinese economic conditions. It has become a tough task for manufacturin g organisations to abstain from the intermediary cooperation among worker organisations and their allies to procreate a sustainable relation in between the justice related to economy and social activities. It is quite apparent that a host of challenges for worker and social movements are being created in the economy of China. The manufacturing industry which relies significantly upon the workers is facing major strife to deal with

External Environmental Scan Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

External Environmental Scan Paper - Essay Example The analysis of the external environment has made Apple has spread its operations to different parts of the world like Korea, Cork, China, Ireland and Czech Republic (Hassan, 2013).   The most important external environmental factor in the remote, industry, and external operating environments of Apple include political, economic, social, and technology. By operating in different parts of the world, political factors normally affect the operation of Apple. A country with stable governance systems like UK and the US provides the company with a favorable environment for the operation because such countries hold an enviable and strong position in global politics. However, there are risks posed by terrorist elements that hinder their operation. The current political challenges that affect the company are, therefore, the sagging popularity of some countries like the UK and the increasing terrorist threats (Newlands & Hooper, 2009). Economically, the company has been greatly affected by the economic downturn experienced throughout the world. This has affected the financial systems of many countries as it has resulted into fluctuation in exchange rate particularly when dealing with their foreign trade. The global crisis has also led to slow economic growth that has reduced the profit margins for the company particularly in weak economies (Hassan, 2013).   These factors have massively contributed to the companys success in terms of increased sales volume. Increased education levels and increased the number of people, institutions and companies that buy through the internet has resulted in the tremendous increase in growth of the company. Another factor that has greatly impacted the company is a technology. Due to fast technological changes and heavy competition, the company has increased its expense on research and development so as to be ahead of their competitors by improving their design and performance continually (Hassan,

Wetland Mitigation: A Failing Attempt at Saving the Wetlands Essay

Introduction Virtually unknown guardians of the cities surrounding them; hidden homes for many species of fish, plants, and animals; as well as a unique recreational area to locals and a helpful attraction for tourism—the wetlands have an immeasurable and unrecognized value to our society. Wetland mitigation began a popular movement in the late 80s with a no net loss goal; however, the agencies in charge are far from close to this goal.—Sadly, the wetlands are disappearing at an overwhelming rate; according to Esty, the US is losing about 60,000 acres of wetland annually (Esty). Although efforts behind wetland mitigation are meant to be positive, the enforcement of wetland mitigation is failing to show positive results. With so many wetlands disappearing there has to be a flaw in the mitigation system. Considering mitigation is supposed to prevent development on wetlands, why is it still happening regularly? One main reason is how easy the mitigation process has become for developers. When an individual wishes to disrupt the ecosystem of a wetland area, it begins a chain of events referred to as wetland mitigation. This process begins after a site is chosen for development that is considered protected by section 404 of the United States Clean Water Act. Before construction can begin, a qualified group, referred to as a permittee, is assigned the duty of determining a way to avoid filling or dredging the wetland area. If there is no other solution then the permittee begins discussions of compensatory mitigation. The developer may choose to build a new wetland area, maintain an existing wetland, or restore a former wetland to lessen the effects his project has on the environment. . Generally developers will choose a third party ... ...tial And Temporal Patterns In Compensatory Wetland Mitigation." Environmental Management 40.3 (2007): 349-364. GreenFILE. Web. 8 May 2012. "Economic Benefits of Wetlands." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 12 Jan. 2009. Web. 09 May 2012 Esty, Amos. "Banking On Mitigation." American Scientist 95.2 (2007): 122-123. Academic Search Elite. Web. 6 May 2012 Hampton, Steve. Personal Interview. 1 May 2012 Mittal, Anu K. "Wetlands Protection: Corps Of Engineers Does Not Have An Effective Oversight Approach To Ensure That Compensatory Mitigation Is Occurring: GAO-05-89." GAO Reports (2005): 1.MasterFILE Premier. Web. 6 May 2012. Pittman, Craig. "Banking On A LOSS." Planning 73.11 (2007): 4. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 9 May 2012 THE ASSOCIATED, PRESS. "Builders Can 'Bank' Efforts To Restore Wetlands." New York Times Apr. 2008: 17.Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 9 May 2012.

The Definition of White Collar Crime

In this paper the exciting criminal phenomenon known as white-collar crime will be discussed. Corporate Crime and Computer Crime will be discussed in detail. Crime preventative agencies such as the NCPC (National Crime Prevention Council) will also be researched. The late Professor Edwin Sutherland coined the term white-collar crime about 1941. Sutherland defined white-collar crime as â€Å"a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation† (Siegel 337) White-collar crime includes, by way of example, such acts as promulgating false or misleading advertising, illegal exploitation of employees, mislabeling of goods, violation of weights and measures statutes, conspiring to fix prices, evading corporate taxes, computer crimes, and so on. White-collar crime is most distinctively defined in terms of attitudes toward those who commit it. These crimes are punishable by law, however it is generally regarded by the courts and by sections of the general public as much less reprehensible than crimes usually punished by the courts. The other types of crime are blue-collar offenses, which are predominately crimes of the under-privileged. White-collar crimes are punished far less harshly than blue-collar crimes, which shows societies attitudes towards the two sections of society. White-collar crime is attractive to criminals because it brings material rewards with little or no loss of status. (Taft & England 201) For some, white-collar crime is not viewed as a â€Å"crime† at all, because of its non-violent nature. Violent crime has an immediate and observable impact on its victim which raises the ire of the public, whereas white-collar crime frequently goes undetected or is viewed as a bending of the rules. Yet white-collar crime can create the greater havoc. The victim of an assault will recover; however, the impact of a fraud can last a lifetime. This is especially true when the elderly are victimized, as they have little or no hope of re-establishing themselves in financial terms. Contrary to the popular belief, white-collar criminals are thieves and the methods used to conceal their offenses are both artful and ingenious. Concealment of the crime is always an objective of the offender, and it becomes an element of the crime itself. Because it is an artful form of deceit, which is skillfully disguised, the investigation itself is often long and laborious as far as proving criminal intent is concerned. The offence itself may be disguised in a maze of legitimate transactions, which are quite proper if viewed in isolation; however, the cumulative effect is the commission of a criminal offence. From the standpoint of the criminal, the ideal white- collar crime is one that will never be recognized or detected as a criminal act. Corporate crime is the type of crime that is engaged in by individuals and groups of individuals who become involved in criminal conspiracies designed to improve the market share or profitability of their corporations. ( Siegel 338) Corporations are legal entities, which can be and are subjected to criminal processes. There is today little restriction on the range of crimes for which corporations may be held responsible, though a corporation cannot be imprisoned. The most controversial issue in regard to the study of corporate crime revolves around the question of whether corporate crime is â€Å"really crime. † Corporate officials, politicians, and many criminologists object to the criminological study of corporate criminality on the strictest sense of the word. The conventional and strictly legal definition of crime is that it is an act, which violates the criminal law and is thereby punishable by a criminal court. From this perspective a criminal is one who has been convicted in a criminal court. Given these widely accepted notions of crime and criminals, it is argued that what is called corporate crime is not really crime and should not be considered as such by either the public or criminologists. (Hochstedler 22) It does appear that now in recent times society has had a growing concern about white-collar and corporate crime. Studies have indicated that the public now judges white-collar criminality to be more serious than it had been in the past, people now have lost confidence in the people running major companies, and most American corporate executives are believed to be dishonest. The public's concern with corporate crime has grown recently, but has been evident for several years. I will use one of the most memorable corporate crime cases in history; The Ford Pinto Case to prove my statement. (Cullen/Maakestad/Cavender 43) The product liability lawsuit and appeal titled Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Company is a case in point and ought to be read by everyone. Grimshaw is an example of the type of thing that can happen when an industry insolates itself from competition. The Pinto affair has very important lessons for us all. Its story can teach us much about the power of huge corporations and what corporations can do when they face no real competition. It carries an important lesson about how the minds of those who run the world's colossal corporations work. In November of 1971 the Grays purchased a new 1972 Pinto hatchback manufactured by Ford in October of 1971. The Grays had trouble with the car from the outset. During the first few months of ownership, they had to return the car to the dealer for repairs a number of times. Their car problems included excessive gas and oil consumption, down shifting of the automatic transmission, lack of power, and occasional stalling. It was later learned that the stalling and excessive fuel consumption were caused by a heavy carburetor float. On May 28, Mrs. Gray, accompanied by 13-year-old Richard Grimshaw, set out in the Pinto from Anaheim for Barstow to meet Mr. Gray. The Pinto was then six months old and had been driven approximately 3,000 miles. Mrs. Gray stopped in San Bernardino for gasoline, got back onto the freeway (Interstate 15) and proceeded toward her destination at 60 – 65 miles per hour. As she approached the Route 30 off-ramp where traffic was congested, she moved from the outer fast lane to the middle lane of the freeway. Shortly after this lane change, the Pinto suddenly stalled and coasted to a halt in the middle lane. It was later established that the carburetor float had become so saturated with gasoline that it suddenly sank, opening the float chamber and causing the engine to flood and stall. A car traveling immediately behind the Pinto was able to swerve and pass it but the driver of a 1962 Ford Galaxie was unable to avoid colliding with the Pinto. The Galaxie had been traveling from 50 to 55 miles per hour but before the impact had been braked to a speed of 28 to 37 miles per hour. At the moment of impact, the Pinto caught fire and its interior was engulfed in flames. According to the plaintiff's expert, the impact of the Galaxie had driven the Pinto's gas tank forward and caused it to be punctured by the flange or one of the bolts on the differential housing so that fuel sprayed from the punctured tank and entered the passenger compartment through gaps resulting from the separation of the rear wheel well sections from the floor pan. By the time the Pinto came to rest after the collision, both occupants had sustained serious burns. When they emerged from the vehicle, their clothing was almost completely burned off. Mrs. Gray died a few days later of congestive heart failure as a result of the burns. Grimshaw managed to survive but only through heroic medical measures. He has undergone numerous and extensive surgeries and skin grafts and was expected to have to undergo additional surgeries over the next 10 years. He lost portions of several fingers on his left hand and portions of his left ear, hile his face required many skin grafts from various portions of his body. This graphic account of these events is needed to grasp the full impact of this tragic situation which could have been avoided by Ford for very minimal cost. Each Pinto could have been repaired for $4-$8 a piece. Management knew of these defects but still decided to produce and release the Pinto to the public. The idea for the Pinto, as has been noted, was conceived by Mr. Iacocco [sic], the Executive Vice President of Ford. The feasibility study was conducted under the supervision of Mr. Robert Alexander, Vice President of Car Engineering. Ford's Product Planning Committee, whose members included Mr. Iacocca, Mr. Robert Alexander, and Mr. Harold MacDonald, Ford's Group Vice President of Car Engineering, approved the Pinto's concept and made the decision to go forward with the project. Harley Copp, a former Ford engineer and executive in charge of the crash testing program, testified that the highest level of Ford's management made the decision to go forward with the production of the Pinto, knowing that the gas tank was vulnerable to uncture at low rear impact speeds creating a significant risk of death or injury from fire and knowing that fixes were feasible at nominal cost. He testified that management's decision was based on the cost savings, which would inure from omitting the fixes. This was the corporation's outright trade of human life for profit. The jury in this case brought in a verdict for the plaintiffs in excess of $128 million of which $125 million were punitive damages. There is another very important point to be made by this case. Ford knew that the Pinto was going to kill or burn people because of its design, but, because of the â€Å"cost savings which would inure from omitting the fixes,† Ford decided to let it go. Consider carefully exactly what Ford Motor Company was doing here. One could argue that Ford was conducting cost-benefit analysis. To the Ford executives, the benefits were clear, calculable, and immediately available. Ford would save a few dollars on each Pinto manufactured. The costs would accrue in the future and would not be paid by Ford. Unfortunately, the costs were the lives and permanent injuries of nameless and faceless future consumers. The Pinto would appear to be a prime example of laying off costs. The suffering, the destroyed lives and families apparently were of minor consideration in the calculations when Ford performed the cost-benefit analysis. Corporate crime has also been linked to political leaders in this country. Corporate crime is a crime of power and profit for the offenders. Large and powerful corporations who have the support of prominent political leaders can be difficult to prosecute in corporate crime cases. At the Progress & Freedom Foundation conference held at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D. C. , Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-Georgia) was asked why he spent so much time addressing the issue of street crime and violence, while ignoring the issue of corporate crime and violence. Gingrich answered, â€Å"If I went around the country and said, ‘Vote for us and there will be no more white-collar fraud,' the average voter will say, ‘I don't think he gets it. ‘† But corporate crime is more than just white-collar fraud. And one reason that Gingrich doesn't address the issue of corporate crime might be because one of the corporations that has brought him to power is Southwire Co. of Carrollton, Georgia. Southwire has close ties to Gingrich, it dominates the political economy of Carroll County, where Gingrich's political career was launched, and it is a corporation with a criminal record. Individuals affiliated with Southwire Co. , including its chief executive officer, Roy Richards, and its president, James Richards, have donated more than $18,000 to Gingrich's campaigns for Congress during the past ten years. According to the Los Angeles Times, James Richards has also donated 80,200 to GOPAC, the political action committee spearhearded by Gingrich. Computer technology has introduced new factors concerning the types of perpetrators, the forms of assets threatened, and embezzlement methods. ( Radzinowicz 357) Computer crimes generally fall into five categories: 1) theft of services 2) use of computer data for personal gain 3) unauthorized use of computers employed for various types of financial processing 4) property theft by computer 5) placing viruses to destroy data. The terms â€Å"computer misuse† and â€Å"computer abuse† are also used frequently, but they have significantly different implications. Criminal law recognizes the concepts of unlawful or fraudulent intent and of claim of right; thus, any criminal laws that relate to computer crime would need to distinguish between accidental misuse of a computer system, negligent misuse of a computer system and intended, unauthorized access to or misuse of a computer system, amounting to computer abuse. Annoying behavior must be distinguished from criminal behavior in law. History has shown that a broad range of persons commits computer crime: students, amateurs, terrorists and members of organized crime groups. What distinguishes them is the nature of the crime committed. The individual who accesses a computer system without further criminal intent is much different from the employee of a financial institution who skims funds from customer accounts. The typical skill level of the computer criminal is a topic of controversy. Some claim that skill level is not an indicator of a computer criminal, while others claim that potential computer criminals are bright, eager, highly motivated subjects willing to accept a technological challenge, characteristics that are also highly desirable in an employee in the data-processing field. According to a number of studies, however, employees represent the largest threat, and indeed computer crime has often been referred to as an insider crime. One study estimated that 90 per cent of economic computer crimes were committed by mployees of the victimized companies. A recent survey in North America and Europe indicated that 73 per cent of the risk to computer security was attributable to internal sources and only 23 per cent to external criminal activity. The American Bar Association conducted a survey in 1987: of 300 corporations and government agencies, 72 claimed to have been the victim of computer-related crime in the 12-month period prior to the survey, sustaining losses estimated to range from $ 145 million to $ 730 million. In 1991, a survey of security incidents involving computer-related crime was conducted at 3,000 Virtual Address Extension (VAX) sites in Canada, Europe and the United States of America. Seventy-two per cent of the respondents said that a security incident had occurred within the previous 12-month period; 43 per cent indicated that the security incident they had sustained had been a criminal offence. A further 8 per cent were uncertain whether they had sustained a security incident. Similar surveys conducted around the world report significant and widespread abuse and loss. Computer criminals have gained notoriety in the media and appear to have gained more social acceptability than traditional criminals. The suggestion that the computer criminal is a less harmful individual, however, ignores the obvious. The current threat is real. The future threat will be directly determined by the advances made in computer technology. Although it is difficult to quantify the scope of the computer crime problem, public reports have estimated that computer crime costs us between five hundred million and ten billion dollars per year. The Computer Security Institute has surveyed 428 information security specialists in Fortune 500 companies; 42% of the respondents indicated that there was an unauthorized use of their computer systems in the last year. Only a small portion of computer crimes come to the attention of the law enforcement authorities. While it is possible to give an accurate description of the various types of computer offences committed, it has proved difficult to give an accurate, reliable overview of the extent of losses and the actual number of criminal offences. At its Colloquium on Computer Crimes and Other Crimes against Information Technology, held at Wurzburg, Germany, from 5 to 8 October 1992, AIDP released a report on computer crime based on reports of its member countries that estimated that only 5 per cent of computer crime was reported to law enforcement authorities. Law enforcement officials indicate from their experience that recorded computer crime statistics do not represent the actual number of offences; the term â€Å"dark figure†, used by criminologists to refer to unreported crime, has been applied to undiscovered computer crimes. The invisibility of computer crimes is based on several factors. First, sophisticated technology, that is, the immense, compact storage capacity of the computer and the speed with which computers function, ensures that computer crime is very difficult to detect. In contrast to most traditional areas of crime, unknowing victims are often informed after the fact by law enforcement officials that they have sustained a computer crime. Secondly, investigating officials often do not have sufficient training to deal with problems in the complex environment of data processing. Thirdly, many victims do not have a contingency plan for responding to incidents of computer crime, and they may even fail to acknowledge that a security problem exists. The dynamic nature of computer technology, compounded by specific considerations and complications in applying traditional laws to this new technology, dictate that the law enforcement, legal and judicial communities must develop new skills to be able to respond adequately to the challenge presented by computer crime. The growing sophistication of telecommunications systems and the high level of expertise of many system operators complicate significantly the task of regulatory and legal intervention by law enforcement agencies. If the law enforcement community is expected to deal with the problem of computer crime, adequate training sessions must be implemented. To address computer crime, most police departments are allocating a greater proportion of resources to their economic or fraud investigation divisions, since many types of computer crime occur in the course of business transactions or affect financial assets. Accordingly, it is important for investigators to know about business transactions and about the use of computer in business. The ideal situation is to have investigators with not only solid criminal investigation backgrounds but also supplementary technical knowledge. This is similar to the traditional approach, where many police forces ensure that their fraud investigators, although not necessarily accountants, possess a thorough understanding of financial and business record keeping.