USEFUL: Useful needs are features that can be attributed as extra features that though not entirely necessary, could be important from the customer’s point of view. To some customers the way the coffee is presented is only a useful need. Some customers will also like to be able to recycle the packaging after consuming the product.
DRAFT PRODUCT SPECIFICATION
B)
CRITERIA FOR THE CHOICE OF RAW MATERIALS
The criteria to be used for determining what raw materials to use are
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Production ease: The ease at which the flavours are produced would affect the general availability of the product for sale. Easily manufactured products tend to be more generally available for consumers.
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Cost of production: A low cost of production is very important because the high the cost of production, the higher the sale price of the product. If the sale price is lower than the cost price then the company would be running at a loss for each product.
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Environmental impact: Any industrial process has its environmental impact. Keeping this impact down to a minimum is very important.
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Cost of raw materials: A raw material is something that is acted on or used by humans or industry to create a product. Along with cost of production the cost of raw materials influences the final price of every product. The cost of raw materials includes the cost of every ingredient used the production process.
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Availability of raw materials: Easily available raw materials are favoured by production companies. Raw materials that are easily available are generally cheaper than ones that are not easily available.
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Taste: At the end of the day the taste of the coffee is the most important thing to the customer.
DESICION MATRIX TABLE
The decision matrix is based on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most favourable for a criteria and 1 being the least favourable.
However for the cost of production and the cost of raw materials, 1 is the most expensive and 10 is the least expensive.
The higher the weighing factor, the higher the criteria importance.
Score= Weighing factor X rating
From the decision matrix table above Strawberry flavour, Spicy flavour and Lemon flavour have the highest score and are therefore the recommended flavours for production. The recommended flavours are the cheapest, most easily available raw materials and the easiest to produce. The environmental impact of using these flavours is also minimum since the fruits would be obtained by growing the plants.
C) RISK ASSESSMENT
Risk assessment was carried out based on the factors below:
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Customer Acceptability: The probability that consumers would accept a new product is 0.5 (i.e. a 50/50 chance). The consequence of customers not accepting a new product could be severe. This could cause the company to cease production of the product. Thus probability here is 0.5, while consequence is 10. (Risk level=5)
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Environmental Impact: Since the strawberries are grown naturally, the environmental risk is minimal. Plants do more good to the environment than harm by decreasing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and increasing the amount of oxygen. Therefore decreasing the risk of global warming. Thus probability here is 0.7, while the consequence is 8 (Risk Level=5.6).
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Reliability: Being able to obtain the raw materials from reliable sources is very important in the production process. Not being able to obtain raw materials reliably could seriously hinder the production process. Thus probability here is 0.6, while consequence is 7 (Risk Level= 4.2).
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Engineering Ease: Accidents in any process plat still accounts for some of the injuries and fatalities that occur in the work place. However, health and safety bodies, advanced technologies and so on have all contributed in drastically minimizing the probability of these types of accidents from occurring, but human error can never be completely eliminated. Thus probability here is 0.4, while consequence is 7 (Risk Level= 2.8).
Probability Scale (0-1):
0 being the least favourable
1 being the most favourable
Consequence and Risk Level Scales (0-10):
0 being the most favourable
10 being the least favourable
D) PATENT AND OWNERSHIP
For every product or invention someone makes that has not been made before, it is advisable for that person to seek ways to prevent other people from either duplicating his invention or copying it in any form. A good way to safeguard a new product is to seek for a patent from the government by applying for it.
A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state (national government) to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for a public disclosure of an invention. The procedure for granting patents, the requirements places on patentee, and the extent of the exclusive rights vary widely between countries according to national laws and international agreements. Typically, however, a patent application must include one or more claims defining the invention, which must be new, non-obvious, and useful or industrially applicable. A patent is not a right to use or practice the invention. Rather, a patent provides the right to exclude others from making, using, selling, offering for sale, or importing the patented invention for the term of the patent (usually 20 years from the filling date).
A patent is requested by filling a written application at the relevant patent office. The person or the company filling the application is referred to as “the applicant”. The applicant may be the inventor or its assignee. The application contains a description of how to make and use the invention that must provide sufficient detail for a person skilled in the art (i.e., the relevant area of technology) to make and use the invention. Drawings illustrating the invention may also be provided. The application also includes one or more claims. The claims define what a patent covers or the “scope of protection”.
In addition to a patent, a trademark could also be obtained to further strengthen the security of a new product. A trademark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organisation, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or services from those of other entities.
A trademark is designated by the following symbols:
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(for an unregistered trademark, that is, a mark used to promote or brand goods)
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(for an unregistered service mark, that is, a mark used to promote or brand services)
(For a registered trademark).
A trademark is a type of intellectual property, and typically a name, word, phrase, logo, symbol, design, image, or a combination of these elements. The owner of a registered trademark may commence legal proceedings for trademark infringement to prevent unauthorized use of the trademark.
REFERENCES
