1996 Mount Everest Disaster - Death on Top of the World

On May 10, 1996, a ferocious storm descended upon the Himalayas, creating perilous conditions on Mount Everest, and stranding 17 climbers high upon the tallest mountain in the world. By the following day, the storm had claimed the lives of eight climbers, making it—at the time—the greatest loss of life in a single day in the history of the mountain. While climbing Mount Everest is inherently risky, several factors (aside from the storm) contributed to the tragic outcome—crowded conditions, inexperienced climbers, numerous delays, and a series of bad decisions. Big Business on Mount Everest Following the first summit of Mount Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953, the feat of climbing the 29,028-foot peak had for decades been limited to only the most elite climbers. By 1996, however, climbing Mount Everest had evolved into a multi-million dollar industry. Several mountaineering companies had established themselves as the means by which even amateur climbers could summit Everest. Fees for a guided climb ranged from $30,000 to $65,000 per customer. The window of opportunity for climbing in the Himalayas is a narrow one. For just a few weeks—between late April and late May—the weather is typically milder than usual, allowing climbers to ascend. In the spring of 1996, multiple teams were gearing up for the climb. The vast majority of them approached from the Nepalese side of the mountain; only two expeditions ascended from the Tibetan side. Gradual Ascent There are many dangers involved in ascending Everest too rapidly. For that reason, expeditions take weeks to ascend, allowing climbers to gradually acclimatize to the changing atmosphere. Medical problems that could develop at high altitudes include severe altitude sickness, frostbite, and hypothermia. Other serious effects include hypoxia (low oxygen, leading to poor coordination and impaired judgment), HAPE (high-altitude pulmonary edema, or fluid in the lungs) and HACE (high-altitude cerebral edema, or swelling of the brain). The latter two can prove especially deadly. In late March 1996, groups assembled in Kathmandu, Nepal, and opted to take a transport helicopter to Lukla, a village located about 38 miles from Base Camp. Trekkers then made a 10-day hike to Base Camp (17,585 feet), where they would stay a few weeks adjusting to the altitude. Two of the largest guided groups that year were Adventure Consultants (led by New Zealander Rob Hall and fellow guides Mike Groom and Andy Harris) and Mountain Madness (led by American Scott Fischer, assisted by guides Anatoli Boukreev and Neal Beidleman). Halls group included seven climbing Sherpas and eight clients. Fischers group comprised eight climbing Sherpas and seven clients. (The Sherpa, natives of eastern Nepal, are accustomed to the high altitude; many make their living as support staff for climbing expeditions.) Another American group, helmed by filmmaker and renowned climber David Breashears, was on Everest to make an IMAX film. Several other groups came from around the globe, including Taiwan, South Africa, Sweden, Norway, and Montenegro. Two other groups (from India and Japan) climbed from the Tibetan side of the mountain. Up to the Death Zone Climbers began the acclimatization process in mid-April, taking increasingly longer sorties to higher elevations, then returning to Base Camp. Eventually, over a period of four weeks, the climbers made their way up the mountain—first, past the Khumbu Icefall to Camp 1 at 19,500 feet, then up the Western Cwm to Camp 2 at 21,300 feet. (Cwm, pronounced coom, is the Welsh word for valley.) Camp 3, at 24,000 feet, was adjacent to the Lhotse Face, a sheer wall of glacial ice. On May 9, the scheduled day for the ascent to Camp 4 (the highest camp, at 26,000 feet), the expeditions first victim met his fate. Chen Yu-Nan, a member of the Taiwanese team, committed a fatal error when he exited his tent in the morning without having strapped on his crampons (spikes attached to boots for climbing on ice). He slipped down the Lhotse Face into a crevasse. Sherpas were able to pull him up by rope, but he died of internal injuries later that day. The trek up the mountain continued. Climbing upward to Camp 4, all but only a handful of elite climbers required the use of oxygen to survive. The area from Camp 4 up to the summit is known as the Death Zone because of the dangerous effects of the extremely high altitude. Atmospheric oxygen levels are only one-third of those at sea level. Trek to the Summit Begins Climbers from various expeditions arrived at Camp 4 throughout the day. Later that afternoon, a serious storm blew in. Leaders of the groups feared that they would not be able to climb that night as planned. After hours of gale-force winds, the weather cleared at 7:30 p.m. The climb would go on as planned. Wearing headlamps and breathing bottled oxygen, 33 climbers—including Adventure Consultants and Mountain Madness team members, along with a small Taiwanese team—left at about midnight that night. Each client carried two spare bottles of oxygen, but would run out at about 5Â  p.m., and would, therefore, need to descend as quickly as possible once they had summitted. Speed was of the essence. But that speed would be hampered by several unfortunate missteps. Leaders of the two main expeditions had supposedly ordered Sherpas to go ahead of the climbers and install lines of rope along the most difficult areas in the upper mountain in order to avoid a slowdown during the ascent. For some reason, this crucial task was never carried out. Summit Slowdowns The first bottleneck occurred at 28,000 feet, where setting up the ropes took nearly an hour. Adding to the delays, many climbers were very slow due to inexperience. By late morning, some climbers waiting in the queue began to worry about getting to the summit in time to descend safely before nightfall—and before their oxygen ran out. A second bottleneck occurred on the South Summit, at 28,710 feet. This delayed forward progress by another hour. Expedition leaders had set a 2Â  p.m. turn-around time—the point at which climbers must turn around even if they had not reached the summit. At 11:30 a.m., three men on Rob Halls team turned around and headed back down the mountain, realizing they might not make it in time. They were among the few who made the right decision that day. The first group of climbers made it up the famously difficult Hillary Step to reach the summit at about 1:00 p.m. After a brief celebration, it was time to turn around and complete the second half of their laborious trek. They still needed to get back down to the relative safety of Camp 4. As the minutes ticked by, oxygen supplies began to dwindle. Deadly Decisions Up at the top of the mountain, some climbers had been summiting well after 2:00 p.m. Mountain Madness leader Scott Fischer did not enforce the turn-around time, allowing his clients to stay on the summit past 3:00. Fischer himself was summiting just as his clients were coming down. Despite the late hour, he continued up. No one questioned him because he was the leader and an experienced Everest climber. Later, people would comment that Fischer had looked very ill. Fischers assistant guide, Anatoli Boukreev, had inexplicably summited early on, and then descended to Camp 4 by himself, instead of waiting to assist clients. Rob Hall also ignored the turn-around time, staying behind with client Doug Hansen, who was having trouble moving up the mountain. Hansen had tried to summit the previous year and failed, which is probably why Hall made such an effort to help him up despite the late hour. Hall and Hansen did not summit until 4:00 p.m., however, far too late to have stayed on the mountain. It was a serious lapse in judgment on Halls part—one which would cost both men their lives. By 3:30 p.m. ominous clouds had appeared and snow began to fall, covering up tracks that descending climbers needed as a guide to find their way down. By 6:00 p.m., the storm had become a blizzard with gale-force winds, while many climbers were still trying to make their way down the mountain. Caught in the Storm As the storm raged on, 17 people were caught on the mountain, a perilous position to be in after dark, but especially so during a storm with high winds, zero visibility, and a wind chill of 70 below zero. Climbers were also running out of oxygen. A group accompanied by guides Beidleman and Groom headed down the mountain, including climbers Yasuko Namba, Sandy Pittman, Charlotte Fox, Lene Gammelgaard, Martin Adams, and Klev Schoening. They encountered Rob Halls client Beck Weathers on their way down. Weathers was stranded at 27,000 feet after being stricken by temporary blindness, which had prevented him from summitting. He joined the group. After a very slow and difficult descent, the group came within 200 vertical feet of Camp 4, but the driving wind and snow made it impossible to see where they were going. They huddled together to wait out the storm. At midnight, the sky cleared briefly, allowing guides to catch sight of the camp. The group headed off toward camp, but four were too incapacitated to move—Weathers, Namba, Pittman, and Fox. The others made it back and sent help for the four stranded climbers. Mountain Madness guide Anatoli Boukreev was able to help Fox and Pittman back to camp, but could not manage the nearly comatose Weathers and Namba, especially in the middle of a storm. They were deemed beyond help and were therefore left behind. Death on the Mountain Still stranded high on the mountain were Rob Hall and Doug Hansen at the top of the Hillary Step near the summit. Hansen was unable to go on; Hall tried to bring him down. During their unsuccessful attempt to descend, Hall looked away for just a moment and when he looked back, Hansen was gone. (Hansen had likely fallen over the edge.) Hall maintained radio contact with Base Camp through the night and even spoke with his pregnant wife, who was patched through from New Zealand by satellite phone. Guide Andy Harris, who was caught in the storm at the South Summit, had a radio and was able to hear Halls transmissions. Harris is believed to have gone up to bring oxygen to Rob Hall. But Harris also disappeared; his body was never found. Expedition leader Scott Fischer and climber Makalu Gau (leader of the Taiwanese team that included the late Chen Yu-Nan) were found together at 1200 feet above Camp 4 on the morning of May 11. Fisher was unresponsive and barely breathing. Certain that Fischer was beyond hope, the Sherpas left him there. Boukreev, Fischers lead guide, climbed up to Fischer shortly thereafter but found he had already died. Gau, although severely frostbitten, was able to walk—with much assistance—and was guided down by Sherpas. Would-be rescuers had attempted to reach Hall on May 11 but were turned back by severe weather. Twelve days later, Rob Halls body would be found at the South Summit by Breashears and the IMAX team. Survivor Beck Weathers Beck Weathers, left for dead, somehow survived the night. (His companion, Namba, did not.) After being unconscious for hours, Weathers miraculously awoke late on the afternoon of May 11 and staggered back to the camp. His shocked fellow climbers warmed him up and gave him fluids, but he had suffered severe frostbite on his hands, feet, and face, and appeared to be near death. (In fact, his wife had been notified earlier that he had died during the night.) The next morning, Weathers companions almost left him for dead again when they departed camp, thinking he had died during the night. He awoke just in time and called out for help. Weathers was assisted by the IMAX group down to Camp 2, where he and Gau were flown out in a very daring and dangerous helicopter rescue at 19,860 feet. Shockingly, both men survived, but frostbite took its toll. Gau lost his fingers, nose, and both feet; Weathers lost his nose, all of the fingers on his left hand and his right arm below the elbow. Everest Death Toll The leaders of the two main expeditions—Rob Hall and Scott Fischer—both died on the mountain. Halls guide Andy Harris and two of their clients, Doug Hansen and Yasuko Namba, also perished. On the Tibetan side of the mountain, three Indian climbers—Tsewang Smanla, Tsewang Paljor, and Dorje Morup—had died during the storm, bringing the total of deaths that day to eight, the record number of deaths in one day. Unfortunately, since then, that record has been broken. An avalanche on April 18, 2014, took the lives of 16 Sherpas. A year later, an earthquake in Nepal on April 25, 2015, caused an avalanche that killed 22 people at Base Camp. To date, more than 250 people have lost their lives on Mount Everest. Most of the bodies remain on the mountain. Several books and films have come out of the Everest disaster, including bestseller Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer (a journalist and a member of Halls expedition) and two documentaries made by David Breashears. A feature film, Everest, was also released in 2015.

5 Places to Write a Perfect Text

Inspiration is an important thing in just about everything we do, but especially in writing – anybody who has ever experienced a writer’s block would agree. However, waiting for inspiration isn’t always viable, sometimes it has to be nudged a little bit – and finding a correct place to write is one of the best things to do it. So, what are the places that are widely accepted as the most nourishing for your creativity? 1.  Your Room The most boring solution is often the most effective one. Your own room is an ideal place for writing because it is fully under your control (barring unfortunate situations when you have to share you living space with someone noisy, chaotic and otherwise disruptive towards your creative ventures). You may arrange it any way you want, you may place things on your worktable exactly in the way you like it, you may block the sounds of outside world completely. It all depends on the person, however. Some people are physically incapable of writing and even thinking about writing when there are voices, sounds and activity around. For those the serenity of their own homes will be ideal place to write. For those who thrive on all this – not so much. 2.  Park or Botanical Garden Sometimes a change of scenery can give your inspiration that much needed jolt you’ve been looking for. Going to a park allows you to choose places at will, depending on your preferences – it may be a quiet spot off the beaten path where you can get deep into your writing without being distracted while getting a bit of fresh air, or a lively place full of people, hustle and bustle. 3.  Cafà © A cafà © provides for an excellent writing space for those who find the presence of other people invigorating. Soft music, a buzz of voices, a cup of coffee at the ready, a possibility to take a look at those around you and probably find an interesting face or situation – all this may help to awaken the inspiration that got too sleepy. 4.  Library If you want some peace and quiet but your own room doesn’t associate with work very much and leads to too many distractions, a library is your natural choice. There won’t be any sudden loud noises, the very atmosphere promotes diligent work, any necessary literature and other sources of information are easily available – what else do you need? 5.  Beach Another place that seems to have been created for those willing to experience less orthodox writing arrangements. Sound of waves will soothe your nerves, sunlight will help you relax, and you have to choose your surroundings – it may be a quiet uncrowded beach, or a busy spot, anything you like. When all is said and done, you can write almost anywhere – people have been finding exotic places to write their masterpieces for centuries, and today we have technology that makes it all that much easier and more convenient that it would be a shame not to use it.

How Did The Colonists Relationship With England Affect The...

2. How did the colonists’ relationship with England affect the development of the colonies into an independent nation? In the early years of the United States of America, colonists were trying to gain independence from the surrounding nations and had a difficult time accomplishing it. Drew Gill Kelli Nelson Early U.S. History 22 Wednesday 2014 3. What were the central debates in the formation of the new American government after the revolution? The formation of the new American government was not exactly an easy task for the colonists to accomplish. Deciding what the United States was going to look like and how it was going to perform were two of the biggest conflicts throughout the eighteenth century and early nineteenth century. There were many contradicting ideas by the political parties. The Constitution was the central point of the debates between the colonists. In May of 1787, Alexander Hamilton creates the Philadelphia Convention. One person from each of the 13 states, with the exception of Rhode Island, gets sent to the convention. The colonists were scared that the laws in the Constitution would be made only by the rich and wealthy people, leaving the poorer colonists to suffer. Some of the leaders with the most influential power in the Constitution included George Washington, Ben Franklin, James Madison, and Alex ander Hamilton. America’s most famous person, George Washington willingly steps down as leader of theShow MoreRelatedSettling The Northern Colonies : Big Picture Themes1676 Words   |  7 PagesChapter #3: Settling the Northern Colonies - Big Picture Themes 1. Plymouth, MA was founded with the initial goal of allowing Pilgrims, and later Puritans, to worship independent of the Church of England. Their society, ironically, was very intolerant itself and any dissenters were pushed out of the colony. 2. Other New England colonies sprouted up, due to (a) religious dissent from Plymouth and Massachusetts as with Rhode Island, (b) the constant search for more farmland as in Connecticut, andRead MoreHow Did Interactions Between Europeans And Native Americans Shape The Way Each Group Viewed Their World?2015 Words   |  9 PagesHow did interactions between Europeans and Native Americans shape the way each group viewed their world? How did they see each other? How did each group expect to be treated? What influenced things in this manner? What events (if any) changed their views? The only reason the Europeans and Native Americans met when they did was Spain was looking for a more direct route to India. The King and Queen of Spain funded Christopher Columbus’s journey to the new world. When arriving to what we know as theRead MoreEssay on Slavery and War2748 Words   |  11 Pagesfind. Another reason that drew the Europeans to the New World was due to population. Europe was getting overly populated and the lack of available land caused crowdedness. People were determined to get away from Europe and arrive to the American colonies to establish a new place to live. Due to overcrowding, majority of people in Europe were contracting unknown contagious diseases. Many people also wanted to get out of Europe to avoid being infected. Religion has also become a fundamental factorRead MoreThe European Union ( Eu )1691 Words   |  7 Pagesthe European Economic Community in 1957 that contained six original members, not including Great Britain. The primary objective of the EU is to increase trade and movement of goods, services, and people, and to ensure economic growth between these nations. It also enacts legislation relating to justice and international affairs. On June 23rd, 2016 the Brexit referendum was held. The decision to leave won with a small victory of 52% with almost 72% of eligible electorates vote (Wheeler, Hunt). The UnitedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Hawkeye By Robert E. Lee2347 Words   |  10 Pagesâ€Å"What a cruel thing War is†¦ to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors. This quote is from General Robert E. Lee. He explains how terrible war actually is. And how we humans lose our emotions like love and compassion. While at the same time filling this new void with hate and anger. But this was not the case for Hawkeye, the protagonist of my story. While he is more of an unemotional outdoorsman at the beginning of the story. He quickly turns into a romantic hero as he getsRead MoreInstitution as the Fundamental Cause of Long Tern Growth39832 Words   |  160 PagesNBER Working Paper No. 10481 May 2004 JEL No. N11, N13, N15, N16, N17, O10, P10, P17 ABSTRACT This paper develops the empirical and theoretical case that differences in economic institutions are the fundamental cause of differences in economic development. We first document the empirical importance of institutions by focusing on two quasi-natural experiments in history, the division of Korea into two parts with very different economic institutions and the colonization of much of the world by EuropeanRead MoreWomen as Commodity8915 Words   |  36 Pagesof those bundles of things paraded, bidded for, sold, and traded off despite the fact that women are making huge contributions for the development of their countries in different aspects today, still women are being tricked as commodity. In Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing, not only focused on the love story of Claudio and Hero; the volatile relationship of Beatrice and Benedik but it also goes much deeper in exploring the tensions between the sexes in a society where female chastity isRead MoreWomen as Commodity8899 Words   |  36 Pagesof those bundles of things paraded, bidded for, sold, and traded off despite the fact that women are making huge contributions for the development of their countries in different aspects today, still women are being tricked as commodity. In Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing, not only focused on the love story of Claudio and Hero; the volatile relationship of Beatrice and Benedik but it also goes much deeper in exploring the tensions between the sexes in a society where female chastity isRead MoreThe Philippine Architecture: Spanish Colonial Period18287 Words   |  74 PagesSpanish Colonial Period Chapter Review Arch 117 Abegail Imee R. Enriquez 2012-68836 Spanish Colonial Period How does Spanish Colonial architecture reflect Filipino identity? Discuss the various building types and their relationship to pre-colonial architecture in your arguments. Spanish colonial architecture reflects Filipino identity mostly through the Religious Architecture. As what the world knows, Philippines is the only Catholic country in Southeast Asia; thus, most of our structures allRead MoreInfluence of Immigration on the American Culture and Language14362 Words   |  58 Pages†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Chapter I In Search of America †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1.1. America: Its Image and Reality†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1.2. The Reasons of Immigration to the USA†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3. . The Importance of Religious Beliefs: â€Å"One Nation under God † †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Chapter II The Nation of Immigrants†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2.1. American beliefs and values†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2.2. The Process of Americanization in American History†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..... 2.3. Different Views on Americanization †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Chapter

Marketing Planning for Strategic Management Insight

Question: Discuss about the Marketing Planning for Strategic Management Insight. Answer: Introduction Marketing is an important activity in the recent century. Marketing contains a set of activities through which the product or services can be easily communicated with the customers. Technology has placed marketing at a new horizon. IRESS is Australian based technology company that develops various software systems and services for the sector of financial markets and wealth management. The enterprise is headquartered in Melbourne in Australia. IRESS has a strong financial position which helps the organization to launch new products (Iress.com 2016). In recent few years, people have become health conscious, and this change in attitude has helped IRESS to launch its new product. In order to launch the chosen product successfully in the market, this report has made a thorough analysis of PESTEL , SWOT and Marketing mix of the product. Situation Analysis IRESS is a leader in the field of IT sector (Iress.com 2016). The organization has a vast market in Australia as well as across the globe. The organization has been able to achieve such heights by virtue of its Research and development department with experienced employees. The organization mainly competes in the field of software and hardware industry. The main competitors of the organization are eServGlobal and technology one. Environmental scanning helps the organization to find out different external factors. Figure 1: PESTEL analysis of IRESS (Source: Created by the author) Political factor: According to Gupta and Mishra (2016), political condition of Australia is stable, and the government always supports innovations. New trade laws introduced by the Australian government exempts taxes from new inventions. However, the value added taxes introduced by the government reduces the profit margin of IRESS. Economic factor: Australia is the third largest mixed economy in the Universe (Dufty-Jones and Connell 2016). Australia is a developed country and has a GDP growth of 1.62 trillion Australian dollars (Dufty-Jones and Connell 2016). The developed also increases the purchasing power of the individuals in Australia.Rising economy of the world supports the activity of the organization. This influences IRESS to go beyond borders. Social factor: IRESS also assists building the social life of people. According to Hasan (2013), health conscious lifestyle of the individuals in Australia is also supporting the function of the organization. The popularity of health-oriented device excites the employees of the organization. Residents around the organization have also started different business and maintained their livelihood. Technological factor: Technology is an important tool in the recent century. IRESS has a well developed RD department along with experienced researchers to invent innovative products. The technology used by the IRESS organization is mainly based on Java and Linux operating system (Jurevicius 2013). Environmental factor: The activities of the company are also having an effect on the surroundings and environment. The raw materials used by the company affect the environment. IRESS is trying to find out raw materials which are less harmful for the environment (Resnick et al. 2016). Moreover, the people of Australia are environmentally friendly and want to use products which can be easily recycled. IRESS is also laying stress on removing harmful substances before they are disposed off to the environment. Legal factor: Legal legislation is an important criterion to make the workplace safe and protected. According to Rosohata (2012), the Australian government has also amended rules to prevent employee harassment. Special care is also taken by the government to protect women employees from sexual harassment. Along with these gender biases and age, discrimination is also prevented to keep a safe working condition. IRESS follows all the rules and regulation. SWOT Analysis Strength IRESS has a well developed Research and development department. More than 1000 experienced employees.Strong financial position to innovate new products Strong sales network team to increase sales volume Weakness Business of the organization is limited to the sector of information technology Absence of far-sighted vision Unable to diversify the product Cost structure is unclear Infringement Policy Opportunity Health conscious attitude of people supports the development of product Advanced technology is supporting the activity of the organization. Expansion of business in countries like China and India will increase sales volume Strong financial condition through merger and acquisition Threat Competitive, market Presence of giant leaders like eServGlobal, CSG and Technology one Increasing labor cost increases the cost of the product. Different rules introduced by the government Rapid increase of Chinese competitors Table 1: SWOT Analysis of IRESS (Source: Yksel 2012) Marketing objective The following are the various marketing objectives that need to be followed by the organization in order to achieve its successive launch. To be the top organization in the field of health care and technology within 2025. To produce the latest device to control the health of people. To increase the sale of the latest advance health product within 2020. To expand their market in all across the globe To protect the life of people in an effective way. Marketing strategies Website Marketing: The organization uses website marketing strategies to reach the customers quickly. People in the recent century are tech friendly and use the internet to get different information. IRESS gives details of the product in their website. Individuals can also buy the product both through online marketing as well as through stores (Silva, Cavalcanti and Gomes 2015). Social media like Facebook is also used by the organization to promote its products. Market-penetration pricing strategy: The organization follows market penetration pricing strategy. The price of the product is kept lower than that of market price. This will help the organization to increase their sales volume. Direct marketing: Direct contact is made with the consumers with the help of Tele-calling, mail order and TV shopping (Sun et al. 2014). Even the marketers communicate with individuals in malls, pharmacy and railway stations. Therefore, a direct contact is made with the customers. Marketing mix The marketing mix is used by IRESS to communicate with customers. The 4Ps of the Marketing mix are product, price, place and promotion. Figure 2: Marketing mix of IRESS (Source: Created by the author) Product: The product introduced by IRESS will regulates the health of the individual and is supported through technology. The name of the product is IRESS health 2016. The product looks like a wrist watch and has an embedded computer (Iress.com 2016). The product keeps a constant watch on the health of an individual through their pulse rate. The product has a whistle system which reminds the daily activity of the individual. It also checks the heartbeat of people and gives suggestions to human beings. Price: Price is an important tool which determines the success or failure of any product. Market penetration strategy is followed by the organization. The price of the product varies from 50AUD to 200 AUD depending on size and function (Waterschoot and Bulte 2012). So everybody can have easy access to buy the product. The high rate of discount also attracts customers attention. Place: The main motto of the organization is to spread the product in all parts of Australia. Distribution channels like retailers and intermediaries are used by the organization to distribute the product. Technology has been used by the customers to get in direct contact with clients (Sun et al. 2014). The service centers of IRESS are also used as outlets to sell the product. Promotion: Promotion is necessary for any organization. IRESS promotes its products with effective advertisement, public relation activities, and direct selling. Hospitals, cricket matches are used by the organization to promote its product (White et al. 2015). Even renowned faces like cricketers and politicians are also used to promote products. Budget The budget of IRESS is created completely on the basis of the assumption of the author. The organization has a strong financial base, and the budget is for the financial year 2016-17. Primary Category Secondary Category Quantity Estimated Cost Research Web Research 1 AUD 4000 Research Independent Research 1 AUD 10000 Research Other research 4 AUD 5000 Research Promotional 5 AUD 90000 Communications Radio 1 AUD 10000 Communications Web 2 AUD 25000 Communications Internet 3 AUD 12000 Networking Membership 54 AUD 15000 Networking Affiliation 21 AUD 12500 Networking Subscription 10 AUD 6000 Event Meal 2 AUD 7000 Event Tax 1 AUD 8500 Event Other services 1 AUD 9000 Total AUD=216000 Table 2: Budget of IRESS (Source: Created by the author) Implementation and control To acquire competitive market IRESS need to implement plan accordingly. Proper implementation of the marketing mix. A Proper understanding of SWOT and PESTEL to overcome problems. IRESS also needs to follow a 12-month action plan as presented below : Actions Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10 Month 11 Month 12 Set up phase Premise Staffing Equipment Development phase Curriculum Material for business Test phase Support team Alternative processes Marketing phase Campaign Advertisement Positioning Pricing Table 3: Action plan for IRESS (Source: Created by the author) Recommendation To use technology at its best To have a competitive pricing strategy RD department should be further developed Conclusion In conclusion, this report presents a thorough understanding of the situational plan to be followed by the manager for the launch of a new product in Health care segment. The plan presents the macro as well as the micro aspects of environmental scanning and the SWOT analysis. The plan also presents the various marketing strategies that need to be incorporated in order to make the launch a success. Additionally, it also outlines the marketing objectives that need to be followed. Furthermore a budgetary analysis regarding the expected cost and expenses of the launch has also been depicted. It is understood that the organization has a strong financial and RD department to further upgrade the product. Pricing strategy of the organization has also helped the organization to remain a step ahead of its competitors.Lastly, the report also suggests certain recommendations which may be beneficial for the successful launch of the product. References Dufty-Jones, R. and Connell, J. 2016,Rural Change in Australia: Population, Economy, Environment,New edn, Ashgate Publishing Ltd, GB. Gupta, G., and Mishra, R. P. 2016. A SWOT analysis of reliability centered maintenance framework.Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering,22(2), 130-145. doi:10.1108/JQME-01-2015-0002 Hasan, M. R. 2013.Apple Inc.-An Analysis: PESTEL analysis, Porters 5 Forces analysis, SWOT analysis, Comprehensive analysis of financial ratios, and Comprehensive analysis of share performance of Apple Inc. GRIN Verlag. Iress.com 2016.IRESS Global - Home. [online] Available at: https://www.iress.com/global [Accessed 21 May 2016]. Jurevicius, O. 2013. PEST PESTEL Analysis,".Strategic Management Insight,13, 2013 Manic, S. 2016, "Economics Imperialism: SWOT Analysis",Asian Economic and Financial Review,vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 151. Resnick, S.M., Cheng, R., Simpson, M. and Loureno, F. 2016, "Marketing in SMEs: a 4Ps self-branding model",International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior Research,vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 155-174. Rosohata, A.S. 2012, "Theoretical bases analysis of scientific prediction on marketing principles",Marketing Menedment Innovacj,vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 99-111. Silva, C. F. M., Cavalcanti, F. R. P., and Gomes, . 2015. SWOT analysis for TV white spaces.Transactions on Emerging Telecommunications Technologies,26(6), 957-974. doi:10.1002/ett.2770 Sun, Y., Guo, P., Ma, Z., Li, T. and Dang, S. 2014, "UK-based external business environment analysis of outdoor adventure clothing using the PESTEL tool and its future outlook", IEEE, , pp. 306. Van Waterschoot, W., and Van den Bulte, C. 2012. The 4P classification of the marketing mix revisited.The Journal of Marketing, 83-93. White, T. H., de Melo Barros, Y., Develey, P. F., Llerandi-Romn, I. C., Monsegur-Rivera, O. A., and Trujillo-Pinto, A. M. (2015). Improving reintroduction planning and implementation through quantitative SWOT analysis.Journal for Nature Conservation,28, 149-159. doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2015.10.002 Yksel, I. 2012. Developing a multi-criteria decision making model for PESTEL analysis.International Journal of Business and Management,7(24), 52.