Research Paper for Organizational Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Research Paper for Organizational Change - Essay Example In addition, there is high degree of favoritism in the company. In order to implement successful change, it is necessary to identify the problems and their underlying reasons. It is identified that the company runs 365 days a year, seven days a week, and 24 hours a day. In addition it is pointed out that there is a general lack of safety at the workplace. Moreover, nepotism and lack of supervision are clearly visible to all. It is very evident that there is the need for a total change in the organization’s culture if these problems are to be addressed. However, simple discussions of change will not help solve the problem as the old culture will reemerge in a short while. On the other hand, as Hebert (2009) points out, in order to successfully implement a plan for organizational cultural change, the human resources department of the company should secure leadership and ensure employee participation in the change process. Evidently, leadership buy-in and employee participation a re two sides of the same coin. Once the human resources department manages to get total control, it should ensure that all the affected parties are a part of the changing process and are committed to it. Participation in the change process ensures that employees understand their stake in a successful outcome. However, even though there is active employee participation, there is very high possibility of cognitive discord. So, it is for the human resource department to identify this element of disagreement throughout the change and provide guidance. The issues It is recognizable from the description that there is low morale among the employees from top to bottom. The first thing that is found lacking here is motivation. As is evident from studies (Clegg, Kornberger & Pitsis, 2005, p. 253), all people are motivated intrinsically and extrinsically. However, most people show preference of one form of motivation to another. In the case of this company, it is highly necessary to avoid the authoritarian management practices and the evident nepotism. So, it becomes highly necessary for the human resource management department to make its managers and supervisors aware about the need to ensure intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. In fact, studies have proved that more than two-thirds of employees want to get appreciated in their jobs. In addition, it is proved that when verbal praise and recognition are given both publicly and privately, they produce great efforts. Some other forms of intrinsic motivation are challenging work assignments and schedule flexibility. It is evident that when used appropriately, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation help improve employee morale. Another point of consideration is operational issue. To ensure product quality, the key is monitoring and measuring processes and making any necessary adjustments. Here, the concept of Panopticon as proposed by Bentham seems useful. According to him (as cited in Clegg, Kornberger, & Pitsis, 2008, p. 18), it is effective to ensure performance quality if there is a belief among the employees that they are being observed, but by an unseen being. In other words, if the principle of inspection and surveillance is properly instilled, it can ensure that the employees will feel responsible for what they do and say. The benefits of Panopticon are enormous. It can act as a system of records and rules, making each of the staff feel responsible

Group Presentation Essay Example for Free

Group Presentation Essay 1. Watch two of Pal’s commercials. What do they emphasize? After watching two of the commercials for Pal’s you see that they emphasize a lot on how fast their product is made and how popular their food products are too many people including old to young. Pal’s product line consists of a focused group of food, hamburgers, ham and chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, French fries, and breakfast biscuits and beverages, soft drinks, tea, coffee, milk shakes with a unique flavor profile designed to meet their customers taste requirements. Pal’s has developed the ability to effectively integrate manufacturing, service, and retail into its operational systems. They have also learned to apply world-class management principles and best-in-class processes that cause other companies emulate to our systems. 2. What type of waiting line model is found at Pal’s drive-thru restaurants? Pal’s drive-thru facilities have been designed to be efficient and effective. The equipment, facilities, and technologies that Pals uses to meet customer needs are components that serve our manufacturing, service and retail needs through ongoing use of our Benchmarking, Innovation and Product/Service/ Process Introduction processes. Their process layout is designed so that raw materials enter through a delivery door and are worked forward through the store with one process serving the next process in the processing/assembly/packaging line until a finished product is handed to an external customer. The major technologies involved are order taking, cooking, holding, filtering, order delivery, and packaging. They have developed proprietary state-of-the-art technology to achieve product and service quality and to provide efficient product flow. 3. What waiting time do you think is acceptable at a drive-thru restaurant? What order accuracy? I would think that anytime from 5-7 minutes would be acceptable wait time for a drive-thru restaurant. I did some research and it said that in 2011 Wendy’s is fastest once again with an average time of 145.5 seconds, while Taco Bell is second at 146.7 seconds and McDonald’s has the longest time at 184.2 seconds. Though the benchmark brands have not increased their speed over past years, all the operators who commented for  the study say they are working to improve the efficiency of their drive thus so that the speed can improve. Order accuracy should be almost always correct. By getting customer orders correct it will make them have a good experience with your company and they will be happy with your business, making them want to come back. 4. From the Baldrige award data, what is the average order speed at Pal’s and at its best competitor? What other things does Pal’s measure? In customer satisfaction, including food quality, service, and order accuracy, Pals is outperforming its primary competitor. For example, customer scores for quality in 2001 averaged 95.8 percent, as compared with 84.1 percent for its best competitor. Pals order handout speed has improved more than 30 percent since 1995, decreasing from 31 seconds to 20 seconds, almost four times faster than its top competitor. Errors in orders are rare, averaging less than one for every 2,000 transactions. The company aims to reduce its error rate to one in every 5,000 transactions. In addition, Pals has consistently received the highest health inspection scores in its market and in the entire state of Tennessee. Pals aims to provide the quickest, friendliest, most accurate service available. 5. What influence do you think Pal’s name has on customer expectations of service? I believe that the name of a company has a lot of influence on how customers think about them. If you are known for your fast service and good food your name will be popular and be advertised a lot which will help your business grow. If you have a good name you want to keep it and make sure to keep customers satisfied and happy with your service. 6. What factors associated with order completion time are beyond Pal’s control? Pals is exhaustive in its pursuit of useful data, the basis for sound planning and decision-making. Owner/operators also maintain a communications log. They record what they have learned about sales, expenses, customers, staff, products, services, equipment, and suppliers, and they list ideas for improvement. Weekly logs are sent to senior Pals executives, who comb the entries for issues and opportunities to be addressed at formal monthly management reviews of organizational and  business results. Data are gathered systematically at all levelsprocess, shift, individual store, and entire business. The companys enterprise resource planning system, SysDine, is a key tool, generating store-level and company-wide data on sales, customer count, product mix, ideal food and material cost, and turnover rates. This information supports daily operational decisions. It also is used to update Pals Balanced Sc orecard of Core Performance Measures, which links directly to its key business drivers: quality, service, cleanliness, value, people, and speed. Managers regularly review the value of the data collected, and the company employs an outside statistician to evaluate the type of information tracked, how it is used, and how it is collected. 7. How does Pal’s â€Å"drive-thru only concept† affect speed of service? The quick-service restaurant business, the facilities and equipment must be capable, reliable, and sanitary. The drive-thru facility at Pal’s has been designed to be efficient and effective. The equipment, facilities, and technologies that Pal’s uses to meet customer needs are components that have been determined to serve the manufacturing, service, and retail needs by our staff through ongoing use of our benchmarking, innovation, and product/service/process introduction processes. Pal’s has created an environment that promotes continual improvement. Pal’s leadership supports this environment by being a role model for its systematic evaluation and improvement processes. Because of the management-led and organization-wide focus on continual improvement, major results are improving. 8. What are Pal’s core values? How does employee training differ at Pal’s? The companys Business Excellence Process is the key-integrating element, a management approach to ensuring that customer requirements are met in every transaction, today and in the future. Carried out under the leadership of Pals two top executives and its 17 store owner/operators, the Business Excellence Process spans all facets of the operationfrom strategic planning to on-line quality control. Every component process, including those for continual improvement and product introduction, is interactively linked, producing data that directly or indirectly inform the others. Developed with the aid of benchmarking studies, the companys training  processes support improvement in operational and business performance. Owner/operators and assistant managers have primary responsibility for staff training. They use a four-step model: show, do it, evaluate, and perform again. Employees must demonstrate 1 00 percent competence before they are certified to work at a specific workstation. Initial training for all employees includes intensive instruction on effective listening skills. In addition, in-store training on processes, health and safety, and organizational culture is required for new staff at all facilities via computer-based training, flash cards, and one-on-one coaching. Cross training is required of all store-level staff to ensure their complete understanding of all production and service procedures as well as quality standards. Recognizing that most of their front-line workers are first-time entrants into the labor force, Pals management believes it has responsibility to help its workers develop knowledge and skills that can be applied in future jobs. This approach, along with competitive wages and financial incentives, has made the restaurant chain a desirable place to work for high school and college students. Pals has leveraged its reputation by implementing a statistically controlled, talent-based hiring system that helps managers identify applicants with attributes associated with effective job performance and customer satisfaction. 9. How does Pal’s use technology? Pal’s Leadership Team members partner with three information technology firms to maintain awareness of currently available and emerging technologies and methods for making information and data more reliable, accurate, available, and usable. Input from these partners is considered during strategic planning where their data capabilities and requirements are aligned with their business objectives and action plans. At Pal’s, they ensure that hardware and software are reliable and user friendly by using established standards and specifications in the selection of each of the computers and point-of-sale terminals they use in all operations. Their standards and specifications include strict criteria to review reliability and user friendliness. They also test new systems in advance before installing them in all of their stores. During use, they measure and review mean time  between failures on their systems components, and we routinely assess whether they have sufficient redundant backup. To help assure the reliability of the software, they also have strict controls over who can make changes in the programs. Changes are tested and verified prior to being used on a production basis. They review the way their systems perform within operations with the people who actually use the equipment and programs. They also keep abreast of technology changes through their partners, trade shows, and publications. During strategic planning they use this input to analyze how their systems are meeting all current user requirements. They also assess what is needed to support our strategic objectives and action plans.

The Rights Of Women In Afghanistan Sociology Essay

The Rights Of Women In Afghanistan Sociology Essay Majority of Afghanistans nationalities profess Islam as their religion. Originally Islam religion regards men more superior than women in every aspect of life. Due to civilization across the world, Islam reformed and some of its doctrines were changes in favor of women. Equality among human beings was included in Islam, regarding men and women equal in various ways. Since then Islam women acquired different rights that allow them to choose marriage partners, inherit, vote and work among other rights. In Afghanistan, women have experienced continued denial of such rights despite acceptance according to Islam doctrines (Mittra and Kunar 267). Fathers, husbands, brothers and government decrees are some of the factors that hinder women from enjoying their human rights in Afghanistan. Most of these restrictions were rampant during rule of Taliban who forced Afghan women to abandon their decent jobs such as teaching and remain indoors or when outside they ought to be in a mans escort. Since 2001, a new era began with end of Taliban reign; an improvement was recorded in regard to cultural and political position of women in Afghan. Human rights accepted under Islam law, so far are practiced in various parts of Afghan though in rural and remote areas many population regard women unequal (Zama and Sifton 25). For instance, cases of forced marriages, death threats due education matters and denial of chance to participate or enjoy public life are recordable according to research. Inequality and repressiveness of women in Afghanistan can be further be illustrated by statistics that show 75% of women are forced into marriages, 87% of women are illiterate, 33% of women experience sexual violence or physical assault, in every 30 minutes death occurs in relation to child birt h and only 30% of girls access education in Afghanistan. Literature review Introduction Afghanistan remains one of many Islamic regions where women are denied their rights and freedom. Despite acceptance by Islam Laws and governmental regulations and policies to uphold Afghan womans rights throughout in Afghanistan, many Islamic men have continued to oppress women. Most of womens rights have been upheld following intense campaigns by human rights activities from Afghan and other parts of the world (Thomsen 227). Also government efforts have helped in promoting equality by criminalizing oppression of women despite their originality and religion. Most of these changes are focused on matters that concern education, marriage and public life. In literature review section of this research, rights of Afghans woman in regard to freedom of live, dressing, education, marriage and expression will be discussed. Recommendations and conclusion will follow this discussion as part of this research work. Communication freedom Currently, Afghanistan is undergoing reconstruction after many years of war and reign of Taliban. During 1995-2001, Afghan remained under dictatorial leadership by Taliban who encouraged oppression of women and girls through out Afghan. Talibans brutality was to extent of denying women a chance to communicate with other women apart from family members. In most cases, women remained locked in their houses with small dark windows hence disallowing public intermingling. According to research, an Afghan woman could only walk to public with a company of a male counterpart who was supposed to be of the family (Osmańczyk and Mango 2708). These men act as a barrier to communication and information flow among women and men in public. Information could only be acquired from husbands, brothers and fathers who also were women oppressors according to Talibans regulations. Harsh circumstances under which afghan women lived in were not conducive for effective communication. Women associa tions that encourage information sharing in regard to social affairs are not allowed in most parts of Afghanistan. Information flow from one Woman to another is difficult in such situations hence hindering effective communication. As much as right of expression is among rights upheld by Afghan government, many women are denied such rights by men close in their lives. Womans opinion is regarded inferior and a chance to speak out is not availed to many women willing to do so. Rising of voices is made difficult due to widespread of discrimination against female gender in other major areas that contribute towards information flow. Lack of education for girl-child is a major hindrance to free flow of information. Many Afghan women can only converse in their vernacular languages due to illiteracy (Mittra and Kunar 143). Lack of access to education continues to pin many women down in decision making even those concerning their own plight. Lack of ideas coupled with fear is a key factor that makes Afghan women lag behind in raising their voices beyond their homestead. Freedom of communication by women is also prevented their lack of voting freedom. Many women are hindered fro acquiring voting cards to prevent them from taking part in political decisions. Instances of murder of electoral commissioners who tried to register women for voting processes show how far brutalism and discrimination against women has extended in Afghanistan (Thomsen 270). Such situations block womens effort to communicate their views in regard to type of governance they want. Similarly, women candidates can not be enrolled easily for similar positions to those held by men due to repression in association to voting rights. Women representatives in other parts of the world represent other women opinions therefore ensuring plight of female gender is communicated to authorities. In Afghan such chances are not provided hence continued lack of communication freedom. Additionally, lack of media freedom is another obstacle that contributes to communication problems in Afghanistan. Widespread violence coupled with political wrangles in Afghanistan prevents media efforts in steering women in fighting for their rights by speaking out loud. For instance, many journalists have been killed including and others such as Kambakhsh imprisoned for exercising their expression rights (Afkhami 179). Such situations leave women threatened and in fear of going against their male counterparts hence remain silent and oppressed. A country without freedom of expression by non-Taliban has efforts by women to communicate their views to governing bodies. Such strictness by rulers and men in the society has hindered efforts for free communication among women and men. This situation is changing as women with the support of their men, actively create awareness in regard to human equality across Afghanistan. Formation of RAWA in 1977 was an effort to eradicate violence against women and air their voices to the world. RAWA is an organization established by women and its goal is to promote Afghan women rights (Silkenat and Shulman 64). The organization major objective is to create awareness throughout Afghanistan concerning plight of girl-child and women. It also aims at reaching as many women as possible by communicating benefits of treating women with equality. Organization airs womens voices through conferences, public campaigns, internet and demonstrations. RAWA efforts have been realized over the years though right of expression by Afghan women is yet to be gained fully. Freedom of women and girls lives Since the seizure of power by the Taliban in Afghanistan, over 9 million women and girls have been denied basic human rights. This government has imposed laws against women citing religious purity while in the real sense it is persecution against women. For instance, Afghan women are not allowed to either go to school or work away from home a move which has led to closure of several schools owing to shortage of teaching staff as prior to the invasion of the Taliban about 70% of the teaching fraternity comprised of women (Afkhami 201). Devastating effects have been advanced towards widowed women who were the only source of livelihood for their families. In case women and girls want to leave their homes, then they must be escorted by a male relative. A whole body covering known as burqa must be worn. Instances of killings and beatings of the women have been witnessed due to failure of the women to be fully covered or escorted. Specific aspects of life on which Afghan women are oppresse d and to be discussed under this heading include education, marriage and dressing Education A large percentage of women in Afghanistan are illiterate due to banning of schooling for all women and successive wars in the nation had completely paralyzed the Education system. During the reign of the Taliban, community schools were opened and ran by women where girls were taught literacy skills, numeracy skills and such like subjects as Biology, English, cooking, and knitting (Zama and Sifton 27). Unfortunately instances of torture and killings of women teachers by the Taliban were witnessed. After the overthrow of the Taliban administration, substantial aid was advanced to the Karzai administration in order to restore the girl-child education. Lack of funding poses major setbacks to girl-child education with many girls opting to drop out as the facilities are not conducive. For instance, the learning facilities under unprotected structures like tents. Lack of women teachers means that majority of the girls do not attend school as their parents fail to place the care of the girls under men teachers. Since most of the girls schools were destroyed during the Taliban administration, girls and boys learn in the same facilities: a move which has caused massive criticism especially from high ranking government officials (Thomsen 184). This largely translates to discrimination and lack of freedom. Several Afghanistan women have consistently risked their lives by running clandestine schools for the women population. From 2001, Education facilities have recorded increased numbers of female students though persistent attacks by the Taliban as well as other forces present in the area continue to demean the progress achieved in the female Education sector. Cases girls dropping from schools before completing primary level education have been witnessed due to early marriages and family obligations Dressing The Afghanistan women have continually suffered turmoil especially in the type of dressing they are supposed to constantly wear. A specialty made traditional garment known as the Burqa which covers the whole body with a small grind for seeing and breathing must be worn by the women. The Burqa is extremely uncomfortable especially during hot weather (Silkenat and Shulman 58). The excessive covering may instigate illnesses such as asthma due to the discomfort of the dress as dust sticks thus enhancing dampness during breathing. The visibility of the wearer is largely limited as the size of the mesh opening does not provide adequate perceptibility. Afghanistan women claim that when they are wearing the burqa, total invisibility is exuded. It is impossible to know the kind of emotion displayed by a woman during normal conversation. Marriage In this patriarchal society, decisions are largely made by men fraternity. Women do not have the freedom to choose their marriage partners. Arranged marriages are largely advanced in this country based on economic and political reasons. Instances of girls being engaged before they are born are widespread (Zama and Sifton 54). The authority of who should marry a girl lies with the father who can opt to wed his daughter to a person who may be very old but rich. In areas badly hit by poverty, girls are sold off or exchanged for meals. Women are treated as properties as once the marriage contract is signed the girl cannot marry another man. In case she dies a suitable replacement must be offered. Violent cases have resulted when multiple betrothing is done so as to collect dowry from several men. Dowry payment is regarded as compensation for the care and upbringing of the bride. A married Afghanistan woman is controlled by the mother-in-law who makes such critical decisions on her behalf as whether to attend hospital or not and the activities to undertake (Thomsen 130). Women do not receive custody of children in case of a divorce. Though obtaining a divorce is largely difficult for women who are in abusive marriages, the divorced Afghanistan women are regarded as outcasts especially due to the Islamic beliefs and traditions. Recommendations Afghan women should fight for a chance to speak out and join others international women who are fighting against women oppression. By communicating their views to their spouses, brothers and the public will be a major start step towards their social life improvement. Freedom of expression is known as an effective tool for resistance against practices that oppress women. Lack of such freedom, means Afghan women may continue to tolerate discrimination by men under religious grounds which are used for personal political benefit. Social oppression can be overcome through speaking out in any context cultural, political or religious. Granting of women rights in education, employment , leadership and other roles in public life come as a primarily result of women expression against discrimination. Opening of communication channels in Afghanistan is a basic step in eliminating injustices that surround lives of many women and girls. Of importance is the right to vote, that has been used by many countries in defining future of women in those countries. I recommend Afghan women to retain and utilize their rights to vote intelligently as it is part of decision making. Through voting women elect leaders in support of their rights therefore acquiring access to equal opportunities similar to those awarded to men. Continued efforts by women by speaking out, eventually leads to liberation of girls and women from oppressive societal rules. Again, society starts to appreciate need to uphold plight of women and girls hence creating a balanced society that pays attention to both genders. International community should offer greater support to women organizations working with minority women at the grass roots. Awareness creations through educational programs are essential effort towards liberation of Afghan women from social, cultural, religious and political injustices in Afghanistan. International support through funding and enlightenment of few educated afghan women should be upheld as away of developing strong women leaders in Afghanistan. Conclusion In conclusion, Afghanistan is a region known for oppression of women and girls in various aspects of life. Existence of connection between Islam and governance of Afghans facilitates dehumanization among Afghan women. Most life rights and expression freedom are denied to female gender despite acceptance by Islam doctrines. Afghan constitutional rights are not upheld due lack of commitment by authorities concerned and political instabilities hence impacting on women by denying them their legal and human rights. International intervention has calmed Afghanistan human situation but majority of Afghan women and girls remain discriminated and repressed. Work-cited Afkhami, Mahnaz. Faith and freedom: womens human rights in the Muslim world. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1995. Mittra, Sangh and Kunar, Bachchan. Encyclopaedia of Women in South Asia: Afghanistan. New Delhi, India: Gyan Publishing House, 2004 Osmańczyk, Edmund and Mango, Anthony. Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements: T to Z. London, UK: Taylor Francis Press, 2003 Silkenat, James and Shulman, Mark. The imperial presidency and the consequences of 9/11: lawyers react to the global war on terrorism. Westport, U.S.A: Greenwood Publishing Group. 2007 Thomsen, Natasha. Womens rights. New York. U.S.A: Facts On File publisher, 2007 Zama, Coursen-Neff and Sifton, John. We want to live as humans: repression of women and girls in western Afghanistan. Washington, D.C: Human Rights Watch, 2002

Essay --

This paper with address the major themes, which run throughout The Holy Bible. There are too many themes throughout the Bible to list so this author will address only three major themes that are see in God’s Holy Word. The first theme is Jesus; the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega. Colossians 1:17 from the New Living Translation says it best: He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is His body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So He is first in everything. For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through Him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. The second theme that is seen in the Bible is love. The Bible says in 1 John 4:8 that God is Love; But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. We see this in the greatest commandment. The last theme, which is clearly seen in nearly every book of the Bible, is the theme of salvation and/or redemption. God the Father is not only seen saving those who call on His name from certain death in the Old Testament, but also in the New Testament. In theology redemption and salvation are one in the same. â€Å"Theology is the deliverance from the power and penalty of sin; redemption† (Dictionarry.com, 2013). Jesus The first theme is Jesus. We see the prophecies of Jesus’ first and second coming in the Old Testament and then we see in the New Testament the life and teachings of the Son of God. â€Å"Then he said, ‘When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled’† (Luke ... ...st through the reading of God’s Word start to understand out to look through the lens of God for our lives and others. This shows us we are in need of a relationship and not a religion. The Bible teaches us and shows us we need not to get cleaned up to come to Jesus, but come to Jesus and the Cross to get cleaned up. His arms are always wide open. C.S. Lewis once said, â€Å"The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us† (Patheos.com, 2013). â€Å"‘This is basically what C.S. Lewis was saying. God made us good only through the atoning work of Calvary. We became righteous because of His love that was most vividly displayed on the cross as John wrote, ‘In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins’† (1 John 4:10) (Patheos.com, 2013).

Economic Factors Affecting Automobile Sector Essay

1. Excess Capacity. According to CSM Worldwide, an automotive research firm, in 2004 the estimated automotive industry global production capacity for light vehicles (about 74 million units) significantly exceeded global production of cars and trucks (about 60 million units). In North America and Europe, the two regions where the majority of revenue and profits are earned in the industry, excess capacity was an estimated 17% and 13%, respectively. CSM Worldwide projects that excess capacity conditions could continue for several more years. 2. Pricing Pressure. Excess capacity, coupled with a proliferation of new products being introduced in key segments by the industry, will keep pressure on manufacturers’ ability to increase prices on their products. In addition, the incremental new capacity in the United States by foreign manufacturers (so-called â€Å"transplants†) in recent years has contributed, and is likely to continue to contribute, to the severe pricing pressure in that market. In the United States, the reduction of real 3. Financing Options Auto industry observers cite car loans as the biggest driving factor for the expansion of the Compact Car segment. At present, almost 85 per cent of all new car sales are backed by auto finance, compared to 65 per cent five years ago. Interest rates on car loans have come down drastically in the past four or five years, which helps prospective buyers take the plunge. The growth of the CC-segment in the past few years can be mainly credited to factors such as rise in income levels leading to increased affordability and simultaneous reduction in interest rates leading to lower EMIs. The drop in interest rates usually helps very few people to probably shift from the base model to a deluxe model. A larger shift happens if people are willing to take long-term loans, like five years instead of the earlier three-year loans.2. 4. Advertising and Marketing Due to the advertising techniques adopted by all the manufacturers in the CC-Segment the sales have risen drastically. It is all due to because the companies now a day are using even aggressive selling techniques for which they are even coping with the Film celebrities and Cricket stars, like Maruti has contracted Irfan Pathan as the brand ambassador of Zen and for Santro Hyundai has contracted for Shah Rukh Khan. And the companies are even trying to approach to the customer as to there demand for a vehicle at special interest loans, etc. They are using data according to the customersreturn and earning capacity for attracting the customers for there vehicles. 5. Income of Consumer / Buyer The income of the consumer or buyer of the car is a very important factor of demand. In recent time we have seen that due to increase in the Income of the general public, there has been a shift from the Lower CC-segment cars to the Upper CC-segmentcars.2Due to the recent increase in the number of multinationals in India, the income level of the employees have risen drastically and has made CC-segment cars an entry level car for a lot of people. The average age of a CC-segment car owner has also dropped from 35 years to 31 years in India. 6. Increase In Affordability The demand for passenger cars is driven mainly by greater affordability, which in turn increases the aspiration level of the customers. Today with high amount of disposable income in the hand of Indian youth, who forms major portion of the population, PV market has larger addressable market. 7. Demographic Drivers Cars being inspirational products, purchase decisions are influenced by the overall economic environment. Increase in per capita income increases the consumption tendency of the customer. Growth in per capita income and rising aspirations and changing lifestyle is leading to increased preference for cars over two-wheelers, which is also having a positive rub off on car demand. 8. Exports The share of exports from domestic production is currently at 12-13%, which is much lower than current export hubs. Currently, India’s share of global passenger cars export volume stands at less than 1%. But India is fast emerging as a manufacturing hub for leading global car makers, and several manufacturers have already firmed up plans for setting up manufacturing bases in India, which will also be used for exports. 9. Presence Across Segments Manufacturers with presence across various product segments can ensure higher volume and better capacity utilization by using the common manufacturing capacity.Typically a customer upgrades from one segment to higher segment and the presenceacross various segments ensures that the company retains its existing customers. 10. Efficient Operations Competition in PV segment is very intense and this requires the existing player’s to initiate steps to reduce their cost of production. Effective and successful operation methods like platform commonality, reduction in vendor base and work force rationalization can help a company immensely. 11. Wide Dealer Network and Availability of Finance A wide dealer network helps the company serve customers over wide geographical area. For e.g. Maruti has used its available wide service  network as point of difference over competitors. The companies are tying up with the financial institutions having rural presence to provide additional financing options to customers in such areas. 12. Access to Latest Technologies Indian PV segment is highly competitive with as many as 14 players operating in it and more than 80 models on the offering. But still any new model launch meets with increase in sales volume for the company. Moreover in a time when a substantial portion of Indian customer is looking to upgrade in higher segment, companies with latest technologies and latest models will catch more attentions. 13. Factors of Production There are some factors of production which influence the supply of a car like Cost of Raw Material Labour Cost Machinery Input Cost These factors influence the supply of a car largely. If the cost of the raw material (Steel, Spare Parts, Rubber) increases there will be an increase in the cost of production leading to decrease in profit margins. Costs like labour costs, machinery and input costs also influence the supply with the increase or decrease in these costs.7. 14. Government Policies and Taxes If there is a change in the government policies regarding the increase in the road tax charged or the tax which is to be paid per unit sold, the supply of a car will fluctuate with the nature of the change. Recently the government has reduced the custom duty on inputs and raw material from 20% to 15% which has increased the supply Factors affecting capital market in India:- The capital market is affected by a range of factors. Some of the factors which influence capital market are as follows:- A) Performance of domestic companies:- The performance of the companies’ or rather corporate earnings is one of the factors which has direct impact or effect on capital market in a country. Weak corporate earnings indicate that the demand for goods and services in the economy is less due to slow growth in per capita income of people. Because of slow growth in demand there is slow growth in employment which means slow growth in demand in the near future. Thus weak corporate earnings indicate average or not so good prospects for the economy as a whole in the near term. In such a scenario the investors (both domestic as well as foreign ) would be wary to invest in the capital market and thus there is bear market like situation. The opposite case of it would be robust corporate earnings and its positive impact on the capital market. B) Environmental Factors:- Environmental Factor in India’s context primarily means- Monsoon . In India around 60 % of agricultural production is dependent on monsoon. Thus there is heavy dependence on monsoon. The major chunk of agricultural production comes from the states of Punjab , Haryana & Uttar Pradesh. Thus deficient or delayed monsoon in this part of the country would directly affect the agricultural output in the country. Apart from monsoon other natural calamities like Floods, tsunami, drought, earthquake, etc. also have an impact on the capital market of a country. The Indian Met Department (IMD) on 24th June stated that India would receive only 93 % rainfall of Long Period average (LPA). This piece of news directly had an impact on Indian capital market with BSE Sensex falling by 0.5 % on the 25th June. The major losers were automakers and consumer goods firms since the below normal monsoon forecast triggered concerns that demand in the crucial rural heartland would take a hit. This is because a deficient monsoon could seriously squeeze rural incomes, reduce the demand for everything from motorbikes to soaps and worsen a slowing economy. C) Macro Economic Numbers:- The macroeconomic numbers also influence the capital market. It includes Index of Industrial Production (IIP) which is released every month, annual Inflation number indicated by Wholesale Price Index (WPI) which is released every week, Export – Import numbers which are declared every month, Core Industries growth rate. This macro –economic indicators indicate the state of the economy and the direction in which the economy is headed and therefore impacts the capital market in India. D) Global Cues:- In this world of globalization various economies are interdependent and interconnected. An event in one part of the world is bound to affect other parts of the world, however the magnitude and intensity of impact would vary. Thus capital market in India is also affected by developments in other parts of the world i.e. U.S. , Europe, Japan , etc. Global cues includes corporate earnings of MNC’s, consumer confidence index in developed countries, jobless claims in developed countries, global growth outlook given by various agencies like IMF, economic growth of major economies, price of crude –oil, credit rating of various economies given by Moody’s, S & P, etc. An obvious example at this point in time would be that of subprime crisis & recession. Recession started in U.S. and some parts of the Europe in early 2008 .Since then it has impacted all the countries of the world- developed, developing, less- developed and even emerging economies. E) Political stability and government policies:- For any economy to achieve and sustain growth it has to have political stability and pro- growth government policies. This is because when there is political stability there is stability and consistency in government’s attitude which is communicated through various government policies. The vice- versa is the case when there is no political stability .So capital market also reacts to the nature of government, attitude of government, and various policies of the government. F) Growth prospectus of an economy:- When the national income of the country increases and per capita income of people increases it is said that the economy is growing. Higher income also means higher expenditure and higher savings. This augurs well for the economy as higher expenditure means higher demand and higher savings means higher investment. Thus when an economy is growing at a good pace capital market of the country attracts more money from investors, both from within and outside the country and vice -versa. So we can say that growth prospects of an economy do have an impact on capital markets. G) Investor Sentiment and risk appetite:- Another factor which influences capital market is investor sentiment and their risk appetite. Even if the investors have the money to invest but if they are not confident about the returns from their investment , they may stay away from investment for some time. At the same time if the investors have low risk appetite , which they were having in global and Indian capital market some four to five months back due to global financial meltdown and recessionary situation in U.S. & some parts of Europe , they may stay away from investment and wait for the right time to come. Risk involved in this sector. †¢ Labour unrest and industrial action. †¢ Unexpected delays and cost overrun due to. †¢ Overlapping government jurisdiction. †¢ Corruptions and bureaucratic inefficiency. †¢ Slow down in government decision due to political instability. †¢ Raw material price. †¢ Restructuring of Automobile company †¢ Financial – Allocation and cash flow †¢ Supply Chain †¢ Operational Efficiency †¢ Raw Material prices †¢ Fuel Efficien †¢ segment Competitiveness †¢ Fuel Prices †¢ Demands †¢ Emerging markets

Tom Clancys genius Essays - Ryanverse, Tom Clancy, Debt Of Honor

Tom Clancy's genius Essays - Ryanverse, Tom Clancy, Debt Of Honor Tom Clancy's genius English Tom Clancy's genius The Cold War and post Cold War eras have brought with them many interesting aspects. New technologies initially meant for mass destruction filter down into the civilian world, making current lives easier. One example of this is the anti-lock braking systems of todays cars. Originally designed to slow fighter-planes on landing without skidding, these systems make it safer for parents to take their children on vacation. One less noted advancement the eras brought is a considerable amount of exciting and forewarning fiction. While most authors chose to warn of nuclear and post nuclear holocaust, one significant author chose a different approach. Tom Clancy chose to write of conventional warfare and sometimes unconventional enemies. Between his novel Red Storm Rising and Debt of Honor, Tom Clancy makes evident the changing face of Americas enemies and threats, while staying true to issues that keep people interested in his books. Published in 1986, Red Storm Rising is Tom Clancys second novel dealing with the former Soviet Union as a potential enemy. This was a time when Americas finest tank and infantry units went on exercises in Germany fully armed with the expectation that the Russians could attack them at any time. This was also a time when the Soviets did the same exercises with the same amount of live ammunition. Therefore there was reason enough to worry about potential conflicts. Deep within the ocean waters, submarines played similar cat and mouse games with other submarines and surface ships. However some of these submarines were more dangerous then a whole army because they were fully loaded with nuclear missles. These facts were well know to the American public and made Red Storm Rising all the more real when it combined land and ocean warfare in a way that captivated millions of readers. The book begins as the Soviet Unions ability to provide their own oil is cut off by a terrorist attack. Right away it is noted that two very frightening events have just happened. Terrorism, for one, is a major scare tactic that can and does strike fear into millions. This was demonstrated by two suspected attacks in the U.S. recently (Bombing of Flight 800 and the Olympic Park bombing). Secondly, the threat of losing petroleum resources is enough to drive governments to drastic measures. This fact is evident in the worlds participation in the 1991 Gulf War. The leaders of the Soviet Union decided that the only way to prevent the total collapse of their economy and country was to seize the oil rich Middle East. They also realized that the countries that make up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in particular the United States would not stand for this hostile action. Consequently the Soviets determine that it will be necessary to neutralize NATO conventionally; that is to say without nuclear weapons. Of course, throughout the Cold War the many themes of the U.S.S.R. attacking the U.S are presented by various authors. All of these had the same result: nuclear holocaust. One exception is that Red Storm Rising is the first to present it (theme of U.S.S.R. attacking the U.S.) in a non-nuclear scenario. This is very intriguing to examine the possibilities which include all the new technological weapons in the American and Soviet arsenals. Red Storm Rising captivates audiences with its techno-wizardry of smart bombs and satellite guided cruise missles. It was like an arcade game. Big, slow-moving blips denoted the aircraft. Smaller, quicker blips were the Mach-2 missiles (Clancy 178). This was seen by a radar operator who was under attack during Red Storm Rising. However it is not the high tech gadgets that appeal to audiences of Red Storm Rising. There is a personable feel as the reader becomes better acquainted with the characters and sympathizes for them and the decisions they make. This is not the story of machines run by artificial intelligence, these are real people, friends, and neighbors of the reader. Bob Toland was a middle-level analyst at the National Security Agency. Hed left the Navy after six years whey the adventure of uniformed service had palled, but he remained an active reservist. His work at NSA dovetailed nicely with his naval reserve service. A communications expert with a degree in electronics, his current job eas monitoring Sovien signals gathered by the NSAs numerous listening posts and ferret satellites. Along the way hed also gotten a masters in the Russian language (Clancy 55). The description of Bob Toland could apply to anyone in the Washington D.C. area or any neighborhood across the