we LOVE econs: July 2008

Hey everyone! This is the last day of posting on the blog! So post whatever you can! We felt that we should share our experience in the BBI 2008. So here is the plan that we had for our water purification startup company, Qatera.

1 CORPORATE INFORMATION

1.1 Corporate History
Qatera is a leading portable water purification company based in Singapore that utilises extremely portable filters for complete removal of colour and bad taste of water. With our advantage in research and development, Qatera works with top quality scientists and engineers to develop and continually improve our first product, the PuriBottle™.

Qatera is founded in 2008 by a group of innovative and enterprising graduates who with their enthusiasm and experience will combine their skills and expertise to drive our company to greater heights.

1.2 Vision
We strive to be a leading contributor in realizing one of the United Nation's millennium development goals to reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water by 2015.

1.3 Mission Statement
Qatera is a leading water purification company that seeks to gain global recognition in provision of water purification solutions that would alleviate the problem of inaccessibility to potable water worldwide.

With constant value innovation, we aim to create a leap in value for both ourselves and our customers.
By vigilantly creating blue oceans to open up uncontested market space, we aim to make the competition irrelevant to generate a substantial following of customers.
By offering a strategic price at a set cost for our products, we would ensure substantial yet highly achievable profits for our investors.

1.4 Board of directors

Chen Jin Yang (Mr)
Chief Executive Advisor
He is responsible for the overall strategic business management and business development of the company.
With prior knowledge in business strategies, he has the required knowledge, leadership skills and capabilities to lead the rest of the team.

Darren Sun Delai (Dr)
Chief Research and Development Officer
Dr. Sun holds a Ph.D. degree from The University of New South Wales, Australia. He has 15 years experience in the development of novel technologies for the environmental remediation, in particular industrial solid waste treatment and reuse with encapsulation/stabilization, recovery and separation technologies, and wastewater treatment with biological, chemical and physical technologies. He is a member of International Water Quality Association. He edited or co-edited a few conference proceedings, Journals, and authored or co-authored more than 100 scientific publications.
His research interest are:
Multifunctional TiO2 nanofiber/tube membrane
Membrane Technology for Water and Wastewater Treatment
Photocatalytic Oxidation Technology for Water Purification
Membrane Bioreactor
Industrial and Hazardous Waste Treatment and Management

Guo Zi Ming (Mr)
Chief Financial Officer
He is responsible for the company’s finance and projections, administrative functions of the organisation, accounting and taxation matters. He will ensure that all Board decisions are followed.

Steve, Wah (Mr)
Chief Marketing and Human Resource Officer
He is responsible for the sales and marketing of our product and services. He will also take charge of recruitment, staffing needs, retention and training.
He was previously a director of an IT multimedia company, SMS2All Pte Ltd, steering the marketing and business development department of the company and had effectively achieved a net margin growth of 300% in 2 years. He is also the co-founder and marketing director of the Hive Backpackers Hostel, a successful venture that achieved breakeven in 6 months of operation through strategic diversification.
He holds an Honours Degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and a minor in business administration from Nanyang Technological University.

Lieutenant Colonel (NS) Lim Kwang Keat (Mr)
Manager, Volunteer Department
Red Cross, Singapore
Chief Logistics Officer
Mainly involved in logistics matters, he was previously the Head of Medical Logistics in the SAF Medical Corps. He has supervised a team of people, ensuring that tasks are completed with quality standards, time and constraints and with budget requirements.
He is presently the manager of the Volunteer Department of the Red Cross, Singapore. He provides invaluable support and advice to many students from various uniform groups such as Red cross and St John Ambulance Brigade. He has also handled various humanitarian projects and has a vast network with many disaster relief organisations worldwide.

Lieutenant Colonel Dr. John Boscow (Dr.)
HQ SAF Medical Corps
Independent Director, Advisor
A professional, qualified doctor of the HQ SAF Medical Corps, he has attended and presented in various military medical conferences, both local and overseas. He is presently working as a safety officer in SAF Military Training Institute. He is a great asset to our research team.
He holds a degree in medicine from the National University of Singapore.

Lieutenant Colonel (NS) Chang Meng Tat (Mr)
HQ SAF Medical Corps
Independent Director, Advisor
He has served as a senior career military officer with 27 years of leadership, management and trainer experience. Having worked as the formation safety officer in HQ SAF Medical Corps and Head of the army Safety Prevention Branch, he is well versed about the safety issues and standards regarding potable water. Moreover, as the Commander of the Commando Training centre and Wing Commander of the Officer Cadet School previously, he has been through various trainings in Brunei, US and Taiwan, and therefore he is well aware about the water needs of a soldier. His strong network and contacts with his US counterparts will make it easier for Qatera to introduce our product to the US army.
He holds a degree in Business Administration from Brock University, Canada.

2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

2.1 Constituents of Natural Water
Natural water contains dissolved or suspended as well as dissolved substances. The quality of water is dependent upon the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of these substances.

The constituents used to identify physical characteristic of water are:
Solids: suspended and dissolved solids are distinguished by passing the water sample through a glass fibre filter. Total suspended solids (TSS) are solids retained on top of the filter while that passing through is called total dissolved solids (TDS).
Turbidity: caused by colloidal impurities which interfere with the passage of light through the water as they tend to scatter and absorb light rays
Colour/taste/odour: colour is caused by dissolved or suspended colloidal particles primarily from decaying leaves and microscopic plants. Tastes and odours are caused by the presence of decomposed organic matter and volatile chemicals.

Micro-organisms are commonly present in surface water but are usually absent from groundwater because of the filtering action of the aquifer. The most common micro-organisms are bacteria, algae, protozoa and viruses.

§ Bacteria: extremely small size, ranging from 1 to 4 microns. Disease causing bacteria are termed pathogenic bacteria.
§ Algae: single celled plants which could reproduce rapidly in streams and lakes when conditions are right. They can cause bad taste and odour problems.
§ Protozoa: single cell microscopic animals that feed on solid organic particles, bacteria and algae.
§ Viruses: obligate parasites that infect the tissues of bacteria, plants and animals including humans.

Water is evaluated for quality in terms of physical, chemical and biological properties. Water quality requirements are established according to its intended use. Water quality standards are usually established by regulatory agencies (eg. WHO, PUB) to define the limiting levels for various constituents that can be tolerated consistent with the intended uses.

The objective of water treatment is to remove particles and harmful micro-organisms or chemicals so that it is safe for human consumption. Water that can be consumed in any desired amount without concern for adverse health effects is termed as potable water. Secondary standards for drinking water are usually for aesthetics reasons. Although not a health hazard itself, excessive colour and odour in water will affect its desirability. One example would be iron and manganese in water which leads to coloured and bitter-tasting water.

During an emergency event, clean water sources could be destroyed. What is required then is a temporary but instant measure of clean water production. It should also be potable, small in size and maintenance free while able to provide substantial amount of clean water for consumption.

2.2 Pain Points
2.2.1 Current ways of water purification
During a disaster and in camps, when no clean sources of water are immediately available, WHO requirement states that chlorine contained purification tablets has to be used for water purification to obtain potable water. One tablet can be used to purify 25 litres of water. During the purification process, suspended solids and bacteria can be removed.

However, there are many problems. Firstly, puritabs is unable to remove TDS, as well as organic materials. The chlorine contained within would also form chlorine complexes with the organic matter, some of which are potentially carcinogenic. The end product of purification also retains a horrible taste because of the chlorine, and remains heavily coloured due to presence of the DSS. A long duration of purification of around 3 to 5 hours is also required.

2.2.2 Problems in Water Purification
The tsunamis in 26th December 2004 had caused widespread devastation to coastal regions in the Asian region. More than 150,000 lives has perished, and many more were put in danger as millions of people were displaced without shelter, sanitation or clean water. Tons of bottled water was being flown into the affected areas to provide immediate relief to disaster victims. However, the heavy logistics and costs involved often made immediate help impossible.

With ongoing rapid industrialisation – especially in countries such as India, China and ASEAN over the past two decades – the demand for potable water has increased tremendously in terms of quantity and quality. The scarcity of such a precious resource has increased the need for water reclamation, for the preservation and recovery of potable water. Today, over 1.5 billion people live without drinking able water supply.

Drinking from already contaminated water supplies from damaged water treatment facilities or saltwater infiltrated clean water source can cause health problems. Water borne diseases caused by bacteria and viruses could double the death toll, especially amongst children.

What is required is a temporary measure of clean water production, a way of making drinkable water immediately for masses at low cost over a sustained period of time. The product should be incorporated filtration processes and coupled with activated carbon absorption and ion-exchange so as to produce clean water free from particulate and biological contaminants. It should also be potable, small in size and maintenance free while able to provide substantial amount of clean water for consumption.

3 OUR PRODUCT – PURIPEN™

PuriPen™ – the efficient and portable way of water purification
PuriPen™, the primary product of Qatera, provides an efficient and powerful way to produce crystal clear, tasteless drinking water from a contaminated source. One just need to insert the pen into a water source, suck from the drinking spout and clean water would reach his mouth immediately.

Puripen™ – the integrated approach of physical and chemical purification
With 5 steps involved, PuriPen™ eliminates all worries of consumers over health, cleanliness and taste. Very easy operations eliminate the need of people with technical skills.

4 BUSINESS MODEL
Our business model is based on the following principles:

Focus on core competency in Research and Development
Focus on key foothold markets, which are the developed areas in China which provide water that does not meet WHO requirements
Outsource processes to other providers to leverage on their core competencies (distribution)
Prudent practises to lower the costs of production
Position ourselves on the most lucrative segment of the value chain.

PuriPen™ Lite, being a cheaper alternative compared to PuriPen™ plus, would be catered to disaster relief purposes, army camps and households who want good quality water at low price.

PuriPen™ Plus, being a more expensive, but more effective water purification device, would be catered to more affluent households, tourists and campers, who have very high expectations of the water they drink.

Our online sales portal would cater to overseas clients and consumers, and purchases done through the internet would be delivered to them via shipping.

4.1 Partnerships

4.1.1 Partnership with Carrefour
The management plan would be engaging in talks with Carrefour, China to market our product in its retail market.

Advantages to Qatera

One of the leading retailers in China
Carrefour, China declared sales of over €2.06 billion in 2005. It is the largest foreign retailer in China. It has a market size of over 5% in 15 of the largest cities across China.

Established distribution network
Carrefour was one of the first foreign companies to enter the Chinese retail industry. At present, it has 80 hypermarkets and 250 hard discount stores

Competitive strength
Carrefour leveraged on its vast experiences in international markets to implement the best-suited policies and practices into the Chinese market.
In China, where vast economic, social, and cultural differences existed among different provinces, Carrefour was able to cater to the needs of different customers successfully.

Change in taste and preferences
Urban consumers are shifting their preferences from the wet markets and state-owned stores, to foreign retailers like Carrefour which provided convenience along with a wide range of products in hygienic surroundings.

4.1.2 Partnership with Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
In the world of poverty, war, displacement and disaster, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies serves those in need without regard to race, class, religion and political belief. The International Federation directs and coordinates international assistance to some of the world’s most vulnerable people. Worldwide, the organisation provide local communities and victims of disasters with 20 million litres of water benefiting more than one million people in 30 programs. More than 50 million Swiss francs are spent on water and sanitation each year. The organisation had always been facing issues of distributing water supplies. Women and children often bear the task of water collection from long distances.

4.1.3 Partnership with Atwater-Carey
Atwater-Carey specialises in designing and manufacturing first aid boxes designed for each outdoor activity, ranging from backpacking and camping to mountain climbing and canoeing. It has maintained a good reputation for providing premium first aid kits and set the standards in wilderness medicine. Many large outdoor retailers carry Atwater-Carey products which include:

Academy
Adventure 16 Outdoor and travel Outfitters
Hudson Trail Outfitters
Mills Fleet Farm
WalMart

5 MARKET RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS

5.1 Preamble
The United Nations hopes to reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to drinking water by 2015 as part of its millennium development goals. According to the World’s Health Organization, more than 1 billion people in low and middle-income countries lack access to safe water for drinking, personal hygiene and domestic use.

5.2 Problems Faced by Disaster Relief Agencies
During a natural disaster, when there are no immediate potable water sources around, a chaotic situation is created, in which time is of the essence when considering about the availability of water that is suitable for human consumption.

In such times, it is very difficult and expensive to transport drinking water to these target areas. Also, the efficiency of transporting large amounts of water that is enough to suit the needs of disaster victims is greatly compromised.

Earthquake refugees queuing up for limited water supplyAlthough chlorine tablets are required for water treatment in such situations according to the WHO, the chlorination of water takes a very long time (3-5 hours). During an earthquake disaster in Luzon, Philippines, efforts to provide through chlorine tablets to alleviate shortage of drinking water was largely unsuccessful because of the delays involved in purification.

Even after treatment, the water remains very turbid and unpleasant colours remain, and it retains a very disgusting taste, partly due to organic matter present that cannot be removed, and partly due to the presence of chlorine in the water long after treatment. As such, they are not desirable in terms of hygiene, although no immediate health hazards are posed.

5.3 Situation of Potable Water in China
Currently, more than 300 million rural residents lack access to clean drinking water. According to a monthly report on water quality released by China National Environmental Monitoring Center in June, drinking water quality in 16 out of 113 key cities assessed was below national standards. Of drinking water sources, 20.1 percent of the total surveyed, fell short of quality requirements, while 32.3 percent was unsuitable for drinking.

Critical drinking water sources, such as rivers, lakes, and underground aquifers, have been increasingly threatened by industrial pollution. In 2005, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) received reports of 76 pollution incidents nationwide, many of which took their tolls on water bodies that provide both rural and urban drinking water. The most serious accident, the contamination of northeast China’s Songhua River was caused by an explosion at a petrochemical plant upstream and cut off the drinking water supply of 3.8 million people for four days.

There were also other potential threats. Of 7,555 chemical and petrochemical projects surveyed, 1,354 were located on the banks and shores of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs; 2,489 were adjacent to cities or areas with high population concentrations; 535 were on major tributaries of key rivers; and 280 were on the upper reaches of drinking water source protection regions. According to estimates, more than 13,000 petrochemical factories out of the national total of 21,000 were built along the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, two of China’s major water arteries. Most such factories lack strict environmental protection measures, and the consequences of future spills or other accidents would be devastating.

5.4 Industry and Market Analysis

5.4.1 Changes in Macro Environment

Politically-Legal Environment
China is a Republic Communist State having a one-party system. China (People’s Republic of China) is ruled by Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the only political party in the country, which is socialist in structure and ideology. The legislature is unicameral. It consists of National People’s Congress (NPC) whose members are elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people’s Congress to serve the five year terms. There are 22 provinces, 4 municipalities directly under the central government control and five autonomous regions. China considers Taiwan its 23rd province. The political rights of people in China are very much limited. The judiciary is government controlled.

Social Environment
The Chinese government has undergone dramatic transformation as a result of commercialization, modernisation and increasing exposure to the outside world, set against the backdrop of globalization and liberalization. The commercialization process, with the appearance of economic elitism, has transformed social differentiation, in which political power is no longer the unique criterion to measure social status.

China’s robust macroeconomic growth has improved standard of living for its population, together with better social infrastructure for education and health care. The market for high quality, patient-oriented healthcare services is therefore very promising. Currently, there are many successful foreign and joint venture healthcare service providers already in China. Their experiences point to growing opportunities for foreign companies looking to invest in this segment of the market.

5.4.2 Drivers
There has been an increasing demand for portable, efficient and effective water purification devices like the PuriPen™. The following market drivers have been identified:

Unpredictability of natural catastrophes
The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami showed the incapability of providing clean and drinkable water fast enough to satisfy the needs of survivors. With the unpredictability of disasters such as these, there is a high demand for water purification devices that can fit into a pocket.

Globalization and booming of tourism
The 21st century has seen a surge in the number of tourists in countries around the world. Hence there is a need for a portable water purification device that helps them to adapt to the tastes and bacteria composition of water anywhere, so as to have an uncompromised holiday experience.

Increasing affluence of the Chinese society
This has led to greater expectations on standard of living among the general population. With huge increases in GDP per capita, the common Chinese would not mind spending a bit more money to improve their overall state of health by drinking water of higher quality, something that boiling cannot completely solve.

5.5 Porter’s Five Forces

Supplier Power: Low
1. Small Initial Volume of Production
2. Raw materials needed are unique and exclusive to a few suppliers
3. Cost of changing supplier is low

Barriers to entry: High
1. Highly sophisticated and integrated product
2. Patented technology
3. Unlikely for industry shakeout due to product differentiation

Buying Power: Low
1. High demand for clean drinking water among the growing middle and upper class in China
2. No direct substitutes for an instant portable water purification device

Threats of Substitutes: Medium
1. Several alternative methods available
2. However, customers are looking for an efficient, convenient and instant method of purification

Degree of rivalry: Medium
1. High level of product differentiation
2. Rapid market growth

5.6 Customers
5.6.1 Disaster Relief Agencies
With the unpredictability and yet destructibility of natural disasters, many aid organizations have turned their attention on disaster relief, along with established ones such as the International Red Cross, and they dedicate their best to alleviate the suffering of disaster victims

5.6.2 Army
Currently, the militaries of almost all countries in the world use chlorine tablets, or Puritabs, as the primary method of water purification during outdoor training and army camps.

5.6.3 Campers
Campers who choose to travel light are not able to bring along extremely heavy supplies of drinkable water with them. Thus, crystal clear water without unpleasant taste is a luxury to them, especially when they camp in less developed areas.

5.6.4 Tourists
Studies have shown that over 35 million people travel from "industrialised" countries to "developing" countries each year. This includes tourists, adventurers, students, business people, voluntary workers, military personnel etc. It has been estimated that between 20-50% of these people suffer an attack of "travelers" diarrhea - based on a two week stay. On average, travelers "lose" 3-4 days of their stay due to diarrhea. 10% of cases last longer than a week, and about 2% last longer than a month. The average cost for medication and missed activities has been estimated at almost $120 per patient.

People who travel to foreign countries may find the water in those countries very unsuitable for them, due to the difference in bacterial composition of water. Thus, they may find it very hard to adapt to the abrupt change in taste, and might also get many irritations and illnesses such as diarrhea, thus affecting their holiday mood.

5.6.5 Households in China
Drinking water quality in 16 out of 113 key cities assessed was below national standards. Of drinking water sources, 20.1 percent of the total surveyed, fell short of quality requirements, while 32.3 percent was unsuitable for drinking. These numbers are very likely to increase, with the increase in number of petrochemical plants built near the main water arteries of China.

6 MARKETING STRATEGY

6.1 Marketing Objectives

6.1.1 Promotional Objectives

To create brand awareness in our disaster relief agencies and army target markets within the first two years of operations
To create brand awareness in our tourists, campers and household target markets within the first three years of operations

We will seek to establish partnerships with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Atwater Carey. Our objective is to be recognized and be established as one of the most effective, convenient and high-technology product in providing portable water.

6.1.2 Market Research Objectives
Studies on expectations and needs concerning drinkable water of Chinese consumers and modern armies completed by 2008
Studies of water situation in China completed by 2010

6.1.3 Research and Development Objectives
Through research and development we would reach out to a larger target market by improving consumer satisfaction in our product.

Research factors

Improve general effectiveness of physical filters
Improve on ease of use and maintenance
Increasing aesthetic appeal
Lowering overall costs through improvement on manufacturing methods
Improve on effectiveness of pathogen filtration and removal
Lab tests on effectiveness of PuriPen on different sources of water
Reduce overall size and weight of PuriPen

6.2 Market Strategies
We have split our marketing strategy into 2 phases, Phase I and II.

6.2.1 Entry Market Strategy
Qatera is at a start up stage of bringing our product to the market. We will be building our company internally and externally in preparation for a strong build-up growth. As PuriPen™ is at the introductory stage, marketing plans will be geared up to build brand awareness and product acceptance for our different consumers. For Phase I, we will be introducing our product to the Chinese Market and armies all over the world. China has been experiencing rapid industrialization and economic growth in recent years and the middle and upper class has been booming. Furthermore, China has identified water supply as its key area for improvement and has been investing heavily in water purification projects. China’s market for water and wastewater treatment increased from US $18.7billion a year earlier, to US $22.7 billion in 2005. It is projected to reach US $32.2 billion in 2010.

6.2.2 Research and Development
With a new water purification device in the industry, we aim to get approval from WHO as soon as possible for our product to be used in water purification in times of disaster, along with Puritabs. To do this, we would continue to conduct research and development and prepare publications that show that PuriPen™ is able to surpass Puritabs and other tablets in total water purification. We are currently collaborating with Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, with Associate Professor Darren Sun Delai at the helm of research operations. In exchange, high rebates are promised upon commercialization.

6.2.3 Manufacturing
We will set up a manufacturing plant in Guangzhou, China. We would be capitalizing on their pool of talent, low labour costs, good infrastructure, reduce our distribution costs and it would also be cheaper to acquire raw materials. We would be outsourcing and assembling of the production of our disinfection component to an electroplating company in China as they have the required heavy metal infrastructure for electrode manufacturing. This would help to save costs. The production and assembling of the rest of the pen would be taken by our company. Inventory management system will be implemented to ensure timely supply and order purchases between Qatera and the manufacturers.

6.2.4 Sustainable Marketing Strategy
Once our product, reputation and brand have been established, we will then move on to implement Phase II. We would expand our target market to include households, tourists, army personnel, camping enthusiasts, disaster victims.
We will continue to actively engage in value innovation when the value curve of other companies become similar to us, turning the original blue ocean to a red ocean.

6.4 Marketing Mix

6.4.1 Product
In order to position Qatera as the most effective and convenient product, it is crucial to differentiate itself from existing competitors. We are backed by a team of committed members.
As a result of our investment to research and development, our product has the ability to purify clean drinking water without any unpleasant taste and colour rapidly. We emphasise on effectiveness, hygiene and convenience. Moreover, it is so small that we can slip it into our pockets but yet it has the ability to purify relatively large amounts of water. Our product utilizes both physical and chemical filtration unlike chlorine or iodine tablets to obtain optimum efficiency.
Beside, it is affordable, has a high degree of safety, easy to use, minimal side effects, and has been designed specially with careful consideration of our customer’s needs. We will offer a 3 year warranty for our PuriPen™ Plus.

6.4.2 Pricing strategy
We will be mainly adopting two pricing schemes. In phase I, to penetrate the market and compete with our competitors to gain a larger market share, we would be selling our product to consumers at an artificially lowered price of $13. At the same time, we would sell our product to disaster relief organizations at our cost price of $10 and we would provide staff to educate the disaster relief workers on how our product works for free. This is as part of our company’s corporate social responsibility to help the unfortunate and benefit the community. By doing so, it will help to boost our product’s reputation and image.
Our product is comparatively better than other available portable drinking water treatment methods in terms of taste, effectiveness in removing pathogens and convenient. (No waiting time). Chlorine tablets need about 3 to 5 hours. Therefore, in phase II, once our product is established, we will then raise the price to maximize total revenue. Price discrimination would also be implemented, ie 1) Charging a different price for the same product 2) Set a uniform price per unit for a specified quantity of the product and a lower price per unit for subsequent unit.

6.4.3 Promotions

a) Advertising
Tie-up with distributors dealing in camping equipment to co-supply product to various camping equipment stores for product display
E-commerce: Product sold directly to consumers worldwide through company website, and through other frequently visited websites selling camping equipment. Email support will be available for those interested to know more about the product.

b) Sales Promotion
Distribute product samples to army / distributors at artificially low prices when product is just in the market to increase demand for the product in the short-term
Create an online interactive promotion game: Consumers play an interactive game associated with the promoted product.

c) Public Relations
§ Gain approval from WHO
§ Give free batches of products to disaster victims to gain reputation and maintain good public relations
§ Favourable presentation of the product in the media
d) Sponsorship
Cause-marketing: cooperating with a non-profit organisation for mutual benefit to both parties eg. supporting a global campaign like WaterAid or End Water Poverty campaign in which our company can tap on funds from the programs, while benefitting the non-profit organisation at the same time

e) Branding
Brand is not just a name. Nor is it a symbol or logo. Qatera aims to be the number one leader in the portable water purification industry. In order to achieve this image and deliver high functional and emotional benefits to our customers, we will drive our company resources to build our competencies in core area: Research and Development.

6.4.4 Place
In our first phase, with the network and assistance from our boards of directors, we would be distributing our product through disaster relief agencies. In our second phase, we would be leveraging on existing distribution channels of Atwater-Carey, Carrefour, China, the US and Singapore Armed Forces, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The sales of our PuriPen™ will be dependant on our distributors, therefore intensive training and education will be provided for them to hit our sales target. Apart from leveraging on the distribution channel, we will also establish direct sales through our online website.

7 Risk Analysis
The risks identified are as follows:
Ø Entry Market risks
This will be solved by strategic partnership with established market players in their own fields. We also have an experienced board of advisors and directors to guide us. The problem of lack of funding will be solved by taking up loans/investment from SPRING and EDB, and with the help of friends, families and angels and other private investors.
Ø Technological risks
This is identified as a low risk to us. Both of our products are already in the late stages of development. Our research team had been extremely dedicated and we are positive that we would achieve our goals, aims and objectives. Apart from that, our HR department is on a constant lookout to attract budding talents.
Ø Patent Approval risks
Our patent appeal is most likely to be approved as our product is innovative, original, novel and highly applicable to the water purification industry.
Ø Manufacturing and distribution risk
These risks would be overcome through our partnership with various organisations, leveraging on their experience, expertise, network and knowledge.

Phew. After one month of hard work, screwed results... We will be going again next year :P

Team Qatera :D
Collin
Jinyang
Ziming

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Econs made fun!!!

Best Business Idea 2008 - Team Qatera

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