Marketing plan (simple example) Essay

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This marketing plan consists of the whole planning for launching our new product which is Safi For Men. Safi For Men concern of the men consumers who really care about their appearance or well known as metrosexual guys. In this marketing plan, we provide the information included the company description, strategic focus and plan, SWOT analysis, industry analysis, competitor analysis, consumer analysis, product-market focus, marketing program as well as marketing budget planning. In the end of this marketing plan, we provide a few pictures of our new products as the appendices. 2.0 COMPANY DESCRIPTION Safi was founded in 2011 started to lead the Halal brand which consists of a unique and comprehensive range of skincare, personal care and toiletry products developed exclusively to meet the needs of modern Muslim women and men. Made with the finest natural ingredients that conform to Syarak requirements and certified HALAL by a stringent independent body – JABATAN KEMAJUAN ISLAM MALAYSIA (JAKIM), SAFI is firmly steeped in Muslims traditions with products that are alcohol and gluten-free. Safi is manufactured in ISO and â€Å"Good Manufacturing Practice† (GMP) certified production facilities. Safi endeavours to provide the best quality products to meet the growing needs of our consumers. To ensure product quality, consistency and flexibility of supply, Safi are manufactured 100% in factories located in Malaysia. All Safi’s products conform to international standards, including Federal Drug Authority (FDA), European Economic Community (EEC)/COLIPA, the British Pharmacopoeia (BP), Cosmetics, Toiletries & Fragrance Association (CTFA). Safi had succeeded in marketing their products include skin care and personal care such as toothpaste and fragrance. The latest one is Safi Shayla which targeted to female consumer who are wearing scarves. 3.0 STRATEGIC FOCUS AND PLAN 3.1 – MISSION A leading brand of Wipro Unza (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. No. 1 Halal Brand in Malaysia Specific focus on the Malay/Muslim consumers 3.2 – GOALS Long Term To be the leading halal skin care product in Malaysia To be the best halal skin care product To further penetrate halal skin care product both in local and global term Short Term To strengthen and enhance brand identity as well as brand awareness to achieve brand loyalty among customers ï‚ · To utilize every possible medium of mass media in advertising activities to reach awide range of audience ï‚ · To exceed sales expectation and sustain a greater growth yearly 3.3 – CORE COMPETENCY AND SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE The strategy for Safi is appeal to a target group who are looking for Halal personalcare products, and give them the best their money can buy in terms of an overall brand experience. Safi also is the market leader in Halal personal care market who’s targeting of Malay/Muslim consumer. Therefore, it depends to Safi to set the benchmark of innovation and market expansion. 4.0 SITUATION ANALYSIS 4.1 – SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTH The first halal skin product in Malaysia 100% natural ingredients Affordable WEAKNESSES Small capital compared to the competitors Less consumer awareness and consumer adoption towards other products such as personal care (shampoo, deodorant and toothpaste) OPPORTUNITIES Emerging market in Halal cosmetics High growth market Beauty concern lifestyle THREATS A lot of competitors who offered almost the same function for each product The competitor’s price which is too high compare to Safi’s products which lead to perceived quality and product comparison 4.2 – INDUSTRY ANALYSIS: TRENDS IN SKIN CARE AND PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS IN MALE MARKET According to Barker (2013), the worldwide skin care market grew from $1577.8 million in 2007 to 2737.4 million in 2012. The market is being driven by consumers in the Asia-Pacific region, which accounted as much as $1623. 1 million in 2012. Overall the industry has more than double in size since 2007. This gives the opportunity to Safi in to enter the men’s market. Tyrimou (2014) report that the sun care collection has an average growth of 15% over past five years. This will give opportunities to Safi in producing products for sun care since the average growth is quite high for the past five years. According to Sarah (2009), the vitamins in camel’s milk is higher compare to goat milks. In contrast, goat’s milk contains higher calcium in its component. Therefore, Safi take this opportunity to enter the market by producing skin care for male consumers by offering the camel’s milk based skin care products. 4.3 – COMPETITORS IN THE INDUSTRY 4.3.1 Garnier Garnier is a mass market cosmetics brand of L’Orà ©al that produces hair care and skin care products. The company started as Laboratoires Garnier in 1904, and was acquired by L’Orà ©al in the 1970s. Current product lines include Fructis shampoos and conditioners, and Nutrisse hair colour. Garnier is sold in numerous countries worldwide, with specific product lines targeted for different skin types and cultures. In 2011, Garnier partnered with TerraCycle to promote up-cycling of product containers and the introduction of biodegradable products. Market Share: 26% Strength: Wide range of product brand Product Range: UltraLift Pro, Retinol, Pure Active, Vital Restore and others Price: RM6.00 – RM20.00 Unit of sales: Per bottles Positioning: Garnier offers a wide range of product for skin care customers Advertising Campaign: Television commercials and promotions 4.3.2 Clean & Clear Clean & Clear is a line of dermatology products owned by Johnson & Johnson. The brand was originally developed by Revlon as a line of sensitive skin personal care items in 1957. The â€Å"Clean & Clear† name was based on products that contained no fragrance or dyes, and left no residue after rinsing. In 1991, Revlon sold Clean & Clear to Johnson & Johnson. Their primary focus is on skincare for young women, but has extended their range to include products treating a wider range of conditions, recently launching a line of products â€Å"SOFT† focused on facial moisturizing. Clean & Clear is currently available in 46 countries. Market Share: 8% Strength: Wide range of product brand Product Range: Deep Action, Active Clear, Clear Fairness and others Price: RM6.00 – RM20.00 Unit of sales: Per bottles Positioning: Clean & Clear offers a wide range of product, especially for young adults Advertising Campaign: Television commercials and promotions 4.3.3 L’Oreal The L’Oreal Group is the world’s largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine,France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics. Concentrating on hair colour, skin care, sun protection, make-up, perfumes and hair care,the company is active in the dermatological, tissue engineering and pharmaceutical fields and is the top nanotechnology patent-holder in the United States. Market Share: 19% Strength: Wide range of product brand Product Range: L’Oreal Paris, L’Oreal Luxe and others Price: RM6.00 – RM20.00 Unit of sales: Per bottles Positioning: L’Oreal offers a wide range of product for female consumers Advertising Campaign: Television commercials and promotions 4.4 – CUSTOMER ANALYSIS According to Bryant (2013), more men are participating in a skin care regime. A new report on the male grooming sector from Mintel reveals that some 58% of men aged 18-24 and 63% of those 25-34 report that they use a facial moisturizing product. This is in stark contrast to the 32% of those aged 55-64 and 29% of men over 65 from other age demographics claiming to do the same thing. When it comes to personal care products, men are nothing if they’re not loyal. More than half of all men (52%) say they tend to stick to the same brands of toiletries and grooming products. In addition, 34% of men like to smell their personal care products before buying them and 20% favour 2-in-1 products to save time. Multi functionality and proof of high efficacy should be key, as these would tend to be the main characteristics that men expect from a product (Euromonitor, 2012). In another study shows that, in terms of product offerings, many companies are moving beyond basic skin care and shaving with products segmented by skin type, such as sensitive skin, anti-acne and anti aging (Kanlian, 2006). Euromonitor (2012) report that one common factor that defines category dynamics, however, is the fact that men, either urged by employment instability or greater media impetus or another, are finding the activity of looking after their appearance and adopting a beauty routine ever more appealing. This has coincided with the release of numerous new products at different price points, from male-targeted shampoos, to men’s specific eye treatments and even Blemish Balm creams and concealers, inspired from the female market. 5.0 PRODUCT-MARKET FOCUS 5.1 – Marketing and Product Objectives Our marketing objective is to successfully reach men consumer who is really concerned about their appearance or well known as metrosexual. Therefore, we applied marketing strategies as much as we can in order to achieve our objectives. Our strategies are as follows: Advertising through media such as television and radio. Advertising through website and social network such as create a page in Facebook and through Instagram. Hire Izzue Islam as the ambassador for our Safi For Men. Offer with low price at the beginning and later will increase the price as well as the demand is increasing. Bundle promotion such as buy Safi For Men, get a free Shick razor. On the other hand, our product objective is to close the gap exist between products offered to the market. By entering to male market in skin care segmentation, plus a new product development which is camel’s milk based products, we are hoping to increase our sales and larger market coverage as the Halal products offered. Safi For Men offered products that can handle such oily face, whitening, moisturizing as well as acne problem. 5.2 – Target Market Our target market is men consumer ages between 18 to 35 years old. As the best study shows that men who are concerned more about their appearance are those who are between this age. 5.3 – Customer Value Proposition Halal products for those who are concern of using halal products. 5.4 – Point of Difference Our new products, Safi For Men is a totally new product development, whereas we are using camel’s milk as the based for this product offered. Camel’s milk provides Vitamin A, B and E which is good for skin care. 6.0 MARKETING PROGRAM 6.1 – Product Strategy Product line Safi For Men offered camel’s milk based products in the form of solid soap, and facial wash 2-in-1 which is facial wash+toner. Unique Product Quality Camel’s milk provides Vitamin A, B, C, and E. Research shows that camel’s milk contains more vitamin A and E compared to cow’s milk. Vitamin A is an effective treatment towards the skin problem such as acne and psoriasis. Vitamin B provide warmth and circulates the skin and promote the immune function of the tissues which is something tired or overwhelmed skin finds difficult to maintain. Vitamin C can whiten the skin and protect from Ultra Violet rays. Meanwhile, Vitamin E provides hydrates skin, leaving it smooth and moisturized. 6.2 – Price Strategy For 40g products may costs around RM 15.00. The price might be higher than other facial wash in an existing market, but there is a significant difference in term of the effectiveness and the cost of manufacturing is a little bit higher due to import camels’ milk from foreign countries, such as Egypt. 6.3 – Promotion Strategy For ambassador, we are hiring local actor Izzue Islam. The reason is he owns the fair skin and we found that by using celebrities, it is much easier to  reach consumers. The significant advantage is whenever we are organizing events to reach the consumers; the involvement of them is relatively high. Other than that, we are using Cents-Off Coupons which customers can get for every RM 50.00 and above in a single receipt. This will attract them to make a purchase. 6.4 – Distribution Strategy SAFI distributed the products to the hypermarket and all convenient stores such as Giant, Tesco and Mydin. Other than that, consumers may also buy through online such as priceme.com. REFERENCES Barker, C. (2013). Euromonitor Analyst Identifies Key Male Skin Care Trends retrieved from http://www.cosmeticsdesign-asia.com Bryant, S. (2013). More Men Adopting Skin Care Habits retrieved from http://www.ad-ology.com Euromonitor International (2012). Men’s Changing Beauty Habits retrieved from http://blog.euromonitor.com Kanlian, S. (2006). Courting The Male Consumer retrieved from http://www.beautypackaging.com/ Sarah, M. (2009). Comparison of Camel, Cow, Goat and Buffalo Milk retrieved from http://www.sarahmelamed.com Tyrimou, N. (2014). Beauty Innovation Round-Up April 2014 retrieved from http://www.portal.euromonitor.com

John M. Keynes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

John M. Keynes - Research Paper Example To Keynes, the nineteenth-century classical economics was inherently inadequate not only in eliminating national unemployment for those qualified and able to work at the prevailing wage rates, but they were also inefficient in distributing the national cake, thus creating unnecessarily the poor and uncivilized middle class (Keynes, 1963). Accordingly, he [Keynes] modeled a theoretical alternative framework, allowing governmental intervention to eliminate the faults of an economic system as they arise (Harrod, 1951). Indeed as it is, Keynes ended up with a powerful model, whose application is currently underway in sorting wide ranging practical human distress under the existing economic systems, right from the United States, a world economic leader struggling with massive deficits in the aftermath of a deadly crisis, to smaller, poor nations in the developing world. In his General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money (basically the heart of Keynesian economics), Keynes directed hi s energies in challenging the classical orthodoxy with an explicit analysis of what determines and what is the essential nature of effective demand within any economic system. With the exception of foreign trade, effective demand, according to Keynes, consists of three expenditure streams: household consumptions, investments, and government overheads, all of which are determined autonomously (Davidson, 2007). A realist with a strong distaste for the Panglossian philosophy, Keynes argued that the level of aggregate demand may well outstrip or fall way below the national physical production capacity. As such, the philosophy of automatic adjustment to produce at a level tending to the full employment of all available productive resource was a flawed economic assumption that might not be realized after all, for ‘In the long-run we are all dead', a fundamental theoretical shocker to the traditional economic optimism regardless of the circumstances, however strenuous (Davidson, 2007 , p. 15). In his own words, Keynes notes that: The optimism of traditional economics, which looks at economists as Candides, who, even though left critical analysis for other duties [cultivation their gardens], still teach â€Å"all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds† provides us with a false hope. For sure, there would be a natural tendency towards the full employment in a Society which was functioning in the manner of the classical postulates. It may be that they [the classical theorists] provided a representation of how we would want our Economy to behave. Nonetheless, assuming the Economy operates so only means assuming national difficulties. (1936, pp. 33–4) Nothing could be further from the truth; whether in the traditional or modern times, governments are voted in to decisively tackle the existing social deficiencies. With arguments that went against the old Say’s law supply creating demand, Keynes maintained that a government has the poss ibilities of stimulating the economy by increasing the aggregate demand, thereby arousing the existing firms to respond by utilizing the available unemployed

Ethics memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics memo - Essay Example -mail, instant messaging and internet use to employees include increase in work efficiency since time on the internet can give them break to reset employee’s motivation to further work. Another reason is as an emergency form of communication to the employee’s family. But if these reasons were analyzed, one can consider the fact that these are just excuses to allot less time for work. As an administrative assistant, I have a continuous access to the internet but based on my personal experience it is more distracting to have an office access to personal internet application. Honestly e-mails and instant messaging can be sent through the use of an employee’s mobile gadgets such as phones, tablets and laptops. If these are allowed, then emergency cases are covered. The disadvantages of using the internet for personal use primarily include the lack of demarcation between work and personal issues. By allowing personal use of the internet, the employer sends a message that it allows all forms of non-work related activities such as playing games, online shopping and even sending work-related materials through personal channels. It also exposes the company to different forms of virtual and cyber attacks. The extreme repercussions of this cannot be advantageous to the company in any perspective. In the perspective of human resource management, there should be a consensus regarding issues that can affect the quality and efficiency of work of the employees. On the personal note, I can accept a scenario wherein it is restricted since I can do personal matter in my own time. But for the benefit and concern to my officemates and co-workers, the middle ground should be reached, although it would be an effort and great challenge to the company. If the internet access shall be allowed for personal reasons, it is my personal view that every process should be monitored by the employer. Thus, more efforts are needed since monitoring software needs to be installed. Based

Increase of wages and market performance in Chinese factories Essay

Increase of wages and market performance in Chinese factories - Essay Example The level of wages is usually considered as a criterion for evaluating the potential of a market to face local and global pressures. Indeed, in economies where economic instability is continuous, the decrease in wages is often used for controlling inflation. It is derived that increased wages denote the strength of an economy and its future prospects. Lipsey and Chrystal (2007) note that the increase of wages is feasible only in markets that are characterized by long relationships, meaning those markets where employees tend ‘to work for the same firm for many years’ (Lipsey and Chrystal 2007, p.576). In other words, the increase of wages reveals the market stability as it is reflected in the establishment of long-term employment contracts. The increase of wages has been often criticized as negatively affecting the performance of firms or industries involved. However, in practice, no such issue seems to exist. According to Trivedi (2002) the claim that the increase of wag es can lead to a series of problems for industrial relations and industrial performance should be rejected (p.640). It is explained that it is not the increase of wages that results to such phenomena but the decrease in performance (Trivedi 2002, p.640). It is also noted that the increase of wages can boost organizational performance since it can lead to the increase of employee satisfaction, i.e. to the increase also of employee performance which has a critical impact on organizational performance (Trivedi 2002, p.640).... In other words, the increase of wages reveals the market stability as it is reflected in the establishment of long-term employment contracts. The increase of wages has been often criticized as negatively affecting the performance of firms or industries involved. However, in practice no such issue seems to exist. According to Trivedi (2002) the claim that the increase of wages can lead to a series of problems for industrial relations and industrial performance should be rejected (p.640). It is explained that it is not the increase of wages that results to such phenomena but the decrease in performance (Trivedi 2002, p.640). It is also noted that the increase of wages can boost organizational performance since it can lead to the increase of employee satisfaction, i.e. to the increase also of employee performance which has a critical impact on organizational performance (Trivedi 2002, p.640). According to Taylor and Weerapana (2011) the decisions of countries in regard to the prices of the products imported can highly affect the potentials of the firms operating in the industry involved to keep the prices of their products at standard levels (Taylor and Weerapana 2011, p.58). Reference is made to the case of USA that ‘decided in 2002 to introduce trade restrictions related to the steel’ (Taylor and Weerapana 2011, p.58). This decision led to the increase of the price of steel as a material used in production. As a result, manufacturing firms producing goods based on steel had to increase the prices of their products, not being able ‘to produce the same number of products at the same price’ (Taylor and Weerapana 2011, p.58). The prices of goods based on steel had to be increased since the cost of the

Handel's Influence on Beethoven Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Handel's Influence on Beethoven - Essay Example In the same, he paid a visit to England and performed with success his opera Rinaldo. In 1727, he became a citizen of England and made London his permanent home. While in England he composed in Italian style and at the same time, he incorporated the English choral music. As the musical director for a number of organizations between 1719 and 1734, he became the leading director and composer of Italian operas in London (Solarhaven.org 1). His operas are based on the stories about historic heroic figures, fantasies, and light anti-heroic works and they include Tamerlano in 1724, Serse in 1738 and other operas. He is well known for his English oratorios composition than the Italian operas. The Messiah (1741) is the widely performed and most influential oratorio. He is well known for his tremendous contributions to the secular vocal music, instrumental music of different types (in particular concerto), and English church music (Solarhaven.org 1). Handel is well known as a great composer in the Baroque age (1600 – 1750); it is a period that was characterized by elaborate and long music that frequently needed many singers. He is also well-known for his English oratorios. An oratorio is an opera that lacks scenery and costumes. A number of his oratorios were and are still being performed as church music in countries that speak English around the world. He was also a master of Italian-type operas and wrote a number of scores for the instruments. Handel was an extensive artist; he combined Italian, English, French and German musical traditions to compose his works. In the years (1706 -1710) he spent in Italy, he was exposed to the best of oratorio, chamber cantata, opera and instrumental forms of sonata and concerto. By studying and playing with the greatest Italy musicians and composers, Handel transformed his raw talent into a polished style from a composer. Handel broke from the traditional music rules in order to make a dramatic impact (ArtsAlive.ca

The Reward strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Reward strategy - Essay Example The case study "The Reward strategy" discusses the development of a talented pool of personnel and the retention of those personnel is now becoming one of the primary focuses of the HR department in any sound business. Classic Travel need to put systems into place that attract, retain, and develop talent. The case study highlights that these systems also have the double-duty of keeping the job itself interesting and exciting for the staff. Programs such as those that rotate employees between different kinds of units within the organisation, that encourage directed learning as well as promoting interagency communication across the entire company are becoming an integral part to any business unit. Furthermore, the HR department must develop a system of recognition and reward for the staff in regards to their contributions to the agency. Furthermore, on a practical level Classic Travel, nor any company, can give out reward without some return on that investment. They would need to examine the overall cost of the reward system as compared to the overall benefits not only to the employee but to the company as well. Being a travel agency which provides exclusive city breaks and short holidays to all major European countries. The case study emphasizes that Classic Travel may be able to combine work and reward in one package. For instance a yearly training session could be held in Morocco, or some other vacation site where a three day training could also provide some much needed fun and even team building experiences. The company could pay travel training expenses and even base accommodations on a reward basis. Those staff with more customers or bigger increases in their overall business may get a private suite, and so on.

Yeats’s Versification in ‘Adam’s Curse’ and ‘the Wild Swans at Coole’ Essay Example for Free

Yeats’s Versification in ‘Adam’s Curse’ and ‘the Wild Swans at Coole’ Essay How do the characters of Therese, Laurent and Meursault change after they have committed their respective murders? The protagonists in both the novels â€Å"Therese Raquin† by Emile Zola, and â€Å"The Outsider† by Albert Camus, ultimately commit murder. This is the turning point in both cases, and the way in which their various characters change because of this will be analysed and compared. In Therese Raquin, after the murder of Camille, both Therese and Laurent react at first with shock, Therese flying into fits of hysterics and Laurent with a rationality that seems to be his coping mechanism at first. However, as time passes, it seems as though the characters begin to relax again, although Zola foreshadows upheaval to come: â€Å"it was changing them, for a hidden process had taken place within them†. The first indication of this is their loss of passion; â€Å"love had lost its appeal, their appetite had disappeared the touching of their skin made them feel slightly queasy†. Their decision to get married brings up tortuous nightmares in L, as he imagines the corpse of Camille in the place of Therese’s body. This is the very beginning of the agonising torment that the two characters suffer as a result of the memory, perhaps even the guilt, of their crime. â€Å"Therese too had been visited by the ghost of Camille during that feverish night†. These imaginings and hallucinations, at times becoming palpable visions that convince them of the dead man’s existence, eventually drive the two characters over the brink of insanity. â€Å"The lovers’ panic grew worse, and every day their nightmares made them more demented and distraught†, before they even got married. They looked upon their forthcoming wedding as an alleviation to save them from their terrible imaginings. However, we see just how misguided this expectation is on their wedding night; they feel they are â€Å"still separated by a gaping chasm they dreamed that they had been violently separated and flung in opposite directions†. This signals the drastic changes to come about in their lives, and is highlighted by the dynamic verb â€Å"flung† and the emphasis on violence. They begin to believe the dreadful memory of Camille separates them no t only in their minds, but physically, feeling that â€Å"his body is still here between us, turning our limbs to ice†, and this idea stays at the foremost of their suffering – that the ghost of Camille is haunting them and making its presence felt. Zola portrays their response to this as they are â€Å"experiencing profound disturbancesthey found themselves in the grip of a common terror seized by a feverish delusion: they could touch the body, see it stretched out there like a greenish, half-putrefiedmass of decomposing humanity† which constantly stays in their awareness for the rest of their miserable lives. The physical and psychological anguish for the two â€Å"lovers† was so great that Therese â€Å"would have flung herself into the fire, had she thought that the flames would purify her flesh and deliver her from her pain† and Laurent being driven to distraction as he sees â€Å"five Camilles in front of him, created by the power of his own hands† simply because the playing of the dead man on his conscience is enough to take root in everything he does, whether it is painting or touching his wife. However, it is not clear whether the two characters actually ever feel any sense of remorse for their crime. Their terror is undeniably because of the act they committed, but probably down to the actual experience, and their fear of being discovered, than a sense of regret or guilt – Laurent even goes as far as to say that they would â€Å"chuck him in again if we had to†. Despite Laurent and Therese’s dread of being discovered, the forced endurance of psychological battering eventually causes them to confess their crime to Madame Raquin, when â€Å"Laurent had a kind of fit during which he talked like a man hallucinating†. We can question the basis of their terror of being found out by others, and whether it is guilt in that they believe they have done wrong, or simply their fear of the guillotine. However, we learn that â€Å"they were frustrated with their crime itself, and despairing that it had ruined their lives for good†, showing their utterly selfish nature in that they are repenting not because of the actual murder of a man, but because of the toll it takes on their own lives. Zola demonstrates the effects of this internal turmoil, as â€Å"it was inevitable that it would come to hatred in the end. They had loved each other like animals, with the hot passions of the blood; then, in the nervous upheaval following their crime, love had turned to fear and they had felt a physical horror at the thought of their embraces.† This acute hatred for one another takes shape as night after night, Therese and Laurent fight viciously, Laurent often striking Therese as she desperately provoked him; until their whole lives are swallowed up in this bitter feuding, a colossal irony considering their earlier passion and love, and their plotting of murder to allow themselves to live a life of luxury and sensual pleasures. Their animalistic traits are what governs them – and leads them into such a state that â€Å"they lived in a hell bitterly and cruelly†¦ trying to push each other over the brink of the precipice which they felt yawning at their feet, and into which they were in fact both already plunging†. The horror that Therese feels is perfectly depicted when she believes herself to be pregnant, and the thought fills her with such despair and dread that she â€Å"offers her stomach to [Laurent’s] blow. She allowed herself to be kicked almost to death in that way, and the next day she had a miscarriage†. Laurent, on the other hand, possesses none of Therese’s apparent rationality – he is driven to distraction, to the point that â€Å"he was literally afraid of Francois [the cat]and flung it with all his strength against the black wall†. Therese and Laurent experience these various stages of fear, hate, indifference, remorse (feigned so well that she ends up believing it) on the part of Therese, and depression. Laurent is described as having â€Å"all the lifegone out of his flesh†. The madness that they succumb to leads them to murder each other – yet, at the point of their ensuing deaths, the two discover that they need the unconsciousness of death; as it is the one place where their torment cannot follow them; â€Å"as they thought back over the past, they felt so weary and disgusted with themselves that they were filled with an immense need for rest, for oblivion. They exchanged a final glanceof gratitude, beforethe glass of poison†. There are some significant similarities with this process that Therese and Laurent undergo and that of Meurseault as he comes to terms with his murder of the Arab. In the early part of the book, the reader sees a Meursault devoid of a spoken consciousness and one who feels total adversity towards society and vice versa. Camus has juxtaposed his character against the norms of society to bring out his stark differences through the usage of Meursaults uncanny ability to register cold, hard facts. Meursault refuses to spend the time and effort required in connecting these facts. This narrative effect can be seen from the opening passage, Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday; I dont know. Here, we see Meursaults shocking indifference to his mothers death and his event stating quality. He merely recounts the dubious facts of his mothers death as plainly as the telegram had stated it. Throughout the whole process of his attending the funeral is treated with the same jarring coldness. Events and conversation are retold in a photo-journalistic like frankness, chronologically precise from the moment he catches the bus to time when he crawls into bed. Meursault is also one who has virtually no emotion, detached from basic human experiences of love and affection. This can be seen when his fiancà ©e, Marie, provokes an answer, She asked me again if I loved her. I replied, much before, that her question meant nothing or next to nothing- but I supposed I didnt. Curious, she then asks whether he would have given the same answer to another girl who had asked you to marry her, to which he replies in total honesty, Naturally. His inability to feel love is coupled with his almost animalistic mating-like quality where it is a question of when, not whom. His indifference, lack of emotion, and his way of reporting his impressions factually shows little involvement in society, as if he were an outsider, a spectator, who must judge objectively and it is from this that his estrangement from society be felt. Meursault; a middle class bachelor with a painfully simple life, is viewed as indifferent in the eyes of society. He does not care and is not ashamed of it. But his indifference is not one of callousness but stems instead from the â€Å"benign indifference of the universe† in relations to his own existence. The murder which signifies the end of Part One, unwittingly commits Meursault to the laws of society. He suddenly finds himself a victim of societal norms, the very thing he shunned. Here Meursault is obliged to accustom himself to society for his impending fate depends on it. He finds society absurd and it is through this experience that the reader comes to sympathize with Meursaults point of view and evaluates the absurdity of society. While being held, the prison guard discusses with him: â€Å"‘you’re being deprived of your liberty.’ I saw his point. Thats true, I said. Otherwise it wouldnt be a punishment.† Meursault finds this all completely baffling to the point that he has to talk with the warden to find out that prison deprives one of freedom which totally defeats the initial purpose of putting him in jail. While society tries to enforce its ideals on its Meursault, he acts in honest aloofness. In a conversation with the magistrate, In the same weary tone he asked me a last question: Did I regret what I had done? After thinking a bit, I said that what I felt was less regret than a kind of vexation. But he didnt seem to understand. The magistrate wanted to hear that Meursault felt guilty and sorry for what he had done. Instead, Meursault feels annoyance rather than regret, to the frustration of the magistrate. Faced with these challenges, Meursault attempts to make sense of what is happening around him and through it, tries to understand society. In his cell, he makes a conscious effort to learn about his new surroundings, I made a point of visualizing every piece of furniture, and each article upon it, and then every detail, so to speak: a tiny dent or incrustation, or a chipped edge, and the exact grain and colour of the woodwork. This symbolizes his willingness to acquaint himself with an entrapment which is alien to him: society and its workings. However, even on close inspection, he fails to make sense of it and this drives him father away from society. This is evident from an episode he had with his lawyer: â€Å"I wasnt to have any say and my fate was to be decided out of hand. It was quite an effort at times for me to refrain from cutting them all short, and saying: ‘But damn it all, whos on trial in this court, Id like to know? Its a serious matter for a man, being accused of murder. And Ive something really important to tell you.’† Meursault clearly feels frustration from this estrangement which fuels even more reason for his dislike of society and its morals. Through this, he gathers experiential evidence that society is indeed absurd and it does one no good to be a part of it, hence forging an even greater alienation from it. In the concluding chapters, Meursault accepts his fate which enables him to squarely face his death and come to terms with his position in this world. While undergoing this metamorphosis, Meursault discovers his independent consciousness. In prison, he relates, †¦I heard something that I hadnt heard for months. It was the sound of a voice; my own voice, there was no mistaking it†¦ the voice that for many a day of late had been buzzing in my ears. This voice he speaks of is his consciousness, spoken freely, unrestricted, and wholly accessible to his thoughts. This sudden enlightenment allows Meursault the grace of accepting his death. He rationalizes for the first time: â€Å"†¦Its common knowledge that life isnt worth living anyhow†¦ it makes little difference whether one dies†¦ the world would go on as before.† Although he does not wish his death, he embraces it as an end. It did not matter how or when he achieved this end for to him, all ends ended the same- in death. In the final moments before his death, the absurdity of society no longer bothers Meursault for now he deals with the greater elements of truth and reality. Meursault makes peace with himself, but not without a sudden purging of restrained convictions. He gets tangled in an argument with the prison chaplain who in the last moments of his doom, tries to convert him. In his rage, he reveals his ultimate assurance: that he â€Å"was sure of myself, sure about everything†¦ Id been right, I was still right, I was always right. Id pass my life in a certain way, and I might have passed it in a different way, if Id felt like it.† Meursault develops such a rational consciousness that it becomes his moral code of belief, his belief of truth. This sudden outburst gradually forces the felt but unspoken philosophy of his existence to emerge into the open, and to finally express itself in words. It was necessary too for it gave him a new sense of direction: â€Å"I, too, felt ready to start life over again. It was as if that great gush of anger had washed me clean, emptied me of hope, and, I laid my heart open to the benign indifference of the universe†¦ Id been happy, and I was happy still.† Meursault at last finds peace within himself. Alienated from society and life itself, he finds honour in death, taking nothing from this world with him, because it gave him nothing. Thus, Meursaults journey towards discovery (and, ironically, death) can be seen as a celebration of the human consciousness, grounded in the human spirit and its ability to overcome the absurd, to triumph when failure seems so imminent. Meursault finally realizes his estrangement from society and disregards what society thinks about him – as long as he is happy with who he is and what he had done. This is on a whole separate level to the feelings of Therese and Laurent: while all three find death a means of escape, and wish it on themselves, they view it as a comfort, to end their tired, self-destructive lives, whereas Meursault seems to find happiness and fulfilment in the idea that he is reaching his destination.