Business scenario
Product- comb
History
The comb as an accessory is being used ab initio in all parts of the world, each having developed their own particular style and use of materials. The earliest combs were of bone, ivory and wood. Silver, brass and tin were also used. As time went on tortoise shell and become increasingly more common materials used in combs. These were common materials for in the early to nineteenth century. An advantage of both tortoise shell and horn was that they could be made soft and moldable by heating. As they cooled, they would harden and retain their new shape.
In 1869, two brothers, Isaiah and Hyatt were experimenting to find a replacement for ivory. They developed a material they called celluloid. Nitro-cellulose and camphor were the primary ingredients or this manmade plastics.
scenario
Short term – five years
Not much is going to be changed in comb business in five years. If we see a comb, the material of comb has not been changed for a long time, so it can be safely predicted that it would not change in five years. A new style of comb might be introduced because of fashion.
Long term – fifty years
Time is changing so fast that nothing can be predicted about the future. But one has to think about it. No matter it actually happens or not, it’s better to keep an eye on the future. It is for sure that people would not stop using comb even after fifty years.
There are many factors which can affect this product. e.g.
Political:
It is a clearly known fact that plastic is harmful for the environment. A comb is made of plastic. Now, there is no any strict rule to impose a ban on this material. But it can not be rules out that it may happen. If government imposes a ban on plastic, the history may repeat itself and the wood comb may comb in use once again. Now, as tree is most essential for our environment. So, it is also possible that all species of tree could be declared as endangered and there would be ban even on plucking a leaf. In such case, may be a new material could be introduced to make a comb.
Technological:
The twentieth century was century for science. Science and technology has been developed so much in that century that now even DNA is being engineered. People are inventing new species. So it is not impossible that a new material could be invented out of existing one which would be environment as well as user friendly. And it is equally possible that comb would be digital. It could be as small as a pin. When user needs it would turn into an appropriate size of comb. The bristles would come out according to the length of user’s hair. Protein and other useful thing would come out as liquid through the pore of bristles, if the comb would ‘feel’ user’s scalp required so. All these are only imagination today, but it can cot be denied that imagination can be turn into reality in future.
Presently, we don’t see any advertisement on television about a comb. But it may possible that there would be a lot of advertisement in media due to competition. It is for sure that the market of comb is not going to be diminished in fifty years, it would grow year by year. The comb is going to stay in the world even after fifty years from now.
Prabal Das.
