Characteristics Of Hawking, Advantages And Disadvantages

Hello, welcome to this class. In this class we are going to be looking the topic: HAWKING: characteristics of hawking, advantage and disadvantages of Hawking

Table Of Content

1. Meaning of Hawking
2. Characteristics of Hawking
3. Advantages of Hawking
4. Disadvantages of hawking

Meaning of Hawking/Itinerant/Peddling

Hawking is a form of Itinerant trade in which the merchants move their goods from one place to another on their heads, bicycle or vehicles, etc. peddling involves the movement of goods from one house to another or from one place to another. It requires small capital to operate. They go from one area to another and settlement to settlement, selling various articles to the consumers. They include hawkers, and other door to door salesmen. They can be seen in motor parks and bus stops, Hawking on the streets.

Characteristics of Hawking

Here, we take a look at the various characteristics of Hawking in Commerce:

1. Variety of Goods: Veriety or different types of goods are sold to consumers in small quantities.
2. Personal contact: Goods which are carried on the head are moved from one place to another to enable sellers to get to the final consumers.
3. Small size: The Hawking is usually operated in small size. In other words, the scale or size of business is very small.
4. Small capital required: The capital required to set up a Hawking business is very small.
5. Low prices: The products involves in Hawking business are normally offered at low and negotiable prices.
6. Door to door service: Hawking involves the delivery of goods to final consumers at reduced prices.
7. No cost of advertisement: Hawking involves no cost of advertising, as product advertising are mostly by words of mouth, horn, bells, trumpet or local speakers to attract customers as the move around.
8. No payment of rent: Hawking do not involve the payment of rent as goods are moved from one place to another, this is another characteristics of Hawking.
9. Hawking is a one man business: Hawking because of its nature and mode of operation is fully a one-man business as warning the visual is involved.
10. Consumable goods and sold: Consumable goods such as food and wear are offered for sale.

Advantages of Hawking

Here we take a look at the advantages of Hawking in Commerce:

1. It requires small amount of capital: Small amount of capital can be used to set up the business.
2. Provision of door to door services: Hawking provides door to door services to the ultimate customers or consumers.
3. Provision of employment opportunity: Hawking provides opportunity for self-employment to many people, e.g, young school leavers.
4. Flexibility in operation: Hawking by its operation can easily change for one form of business to another if the formal business is not doing well.
5. Increase in sales and profits: Hawking by its operation can easily reach many people and this increases sales and profit.
6. Form of advertisement: Hawking is a form of advertisement as the hawkers render songs, use horns, trumpets, speakers to advertise their goods as they move from one place to another. Visit my other article on types and forms of advertisement [click here]
7. Low prices of products: Another advantages of Hawking in the low prices of products. The prices of the product sold by hawkers are generally very low.
8. Low cost of running the business: The running cost of the business is low since rent on shop, will not be paid and this makes the goods to be very cheap.

Disadvantages of Hawking

Here we take a look at the different Disadvantages of Hawking in Commerce:

1. Exposure to road accidents: Hawkers are exposed to the danger of road misharp, e.g, accidents, since their trading activities are along the roads.
2. Limitation in terms of quantity: There is limitation to the quantity that can be carried about for sale.
3. It disturbs free flow of traffic: Hawking activities are known to disturb free flow of traffic on our roads.
4. Consumers may be cheated: Consumers may be cheated as some hawkers usually sell fake or adulterated products or goods.
5. Exclusion of heavy goods: Heavy or bulky goods are normally excluded from Hawking business because they cannot carry heavy goods about.
6. Deprivation of education: Deprivation of education is another disadvantages of Hawking. Majority of those involved in Hawking business are deprived of education as they spent all their lives in Hawking business.
7. Environmental pollution: Hawking contribute to the refuse problem in the cities as wrapping papers and other wastes are thrown carelessly on the ground and gutters.
8. Bad influence: The young hawkers are exposed to Bad influence as they interact with social miscreants, e.g, area boys while the ladies get involved in early pregnancies.

Revision Questions

1. What is the meaning of hawking in commerce.
2. List out the characteristics of hawking
3. What are the Advantages of hawking?
4. What are the Disadvantages of hawking?