Starbucks Humana and Ethics Essay Example For Students

Starbucks Humana and Ethics Essay This paper examines the ethical foundations of two companies operating in very different markets. Starbucks’ is a chain of coffeehouses specializing in gourmet coffee lines. Starbucks is based on sound ethical principals permeated through the central core of its business operations. The result of several probes leads to a conclusion that Starbucks does business in a profitable and morally sound manner. Humana Inc. is a large Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) with operations that place it third among the top players in the field. In contrast to Starbucks’, research demonstrates that Humana, and arguably all for-profit HMO’s, lacks a sound ethical foundation. The boundaries between generating a healthy return and providing quality medical care produce conflicts of interest, which for all involved lead to bad decisions and moral dilemas. The conclusions reached in this paper are the result of extensive investigation conducted through the Internet, personal interview, literature review, and legal findings. The consensus drawn from this analysis is that Starbucks is a shining example of corporate social responsibility and Humana is not. Starbucks is the United States number one specialty coffee retailer and a presence known around the world. It has over 2,600 coffee shops from Asia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Starbucks not only sells coffee but: pastries, food and drinks, mugs, and coffee making accessories. Starbucks sells their beans to restaurants, airlines, hotels, and by mail order. We will write a custom essay on Starbucks Humana and Ethics specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Starbucks mission statement is †¦Ã¢â‚¬ to establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles as we grow. The following six guiding principles will help us measure the appropriateness of our decisions:† ? Provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity. ? Embrace diversity as an essential component in the way we do business. ? Apply the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing, roasting, and fresh delivery of our coffee. Develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time. ? Contribute positively to our communities and our environment. ? Recognize that profitability is essential to our future success. This group believes that Starbucks is an ethical and exhibits moral responsibility by the actions they engage in to support their mission. Their many humanitarian efforts are outlined in this paper. Starbucks is active in several different humanitarian efforts. Whereas the humanitarian donations of an organization cannot be proven to create an ethical company, there does appear to be merit in these efforts. Starbucks donates its time, money, and effort to promote preserving the environment, literacy, human rights, and AIDS research. With this much humanitarian donations, Starbucks gains the appearance of an ethical and moral position in its industry. Starbucks Environmental Mission provides a framework for decision-making at Starbucks. Starbucks Environmental Mission statement states that we will fulfill this mission by a commitment to: (1) understanding of environmental issues and sharing information with our partners, (2) developing innovative and flexible solutions to bring about change, (3) striving to buy, sell and use environmentally friendly products, (4) recognizing that fiscal responsibility is essential to our environmental future, (5) instilling environmental responsibility as a corporate value and (6) measuring and monitoring our progress for each project. Starbucks composts its coffee grounds, recycles its burlap bags, and works with a consulting firm to research new recycling plans for its stores. Starbucks initiative to develop an environmentally friendly cup has not been successful. After a two-market test of the cup it has stopped trying to produce such a cup. The results of the test have not been disclosed. Starbucks is very active in the endeavor of literacy. Promoting literacy has been one of its main objectives. Starbucks has partnered with a number of celebrities to promote literacy. .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf , .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf .postImageUrl , .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf , .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf:hover , .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf:visited , .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf:active { border:0!important; } .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf:active , .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u3ca583388f0a4ecea61224b77faffbaf:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Who really wrote shakespeare's work EssayDuring the 1999 baseball season the â€Å"Read. Dream. Grow. Out of the Park – Into the Books† program partnered Starbucks with Mark McGwire. For each home run that McGwire hit Starbucks donated $5000. 00 to support children’s charities in the community where the game was played. Starbucks guaranteed a minimum of $250,000 for the season. Starbucks has also partnered with Doonsebury cartoonist, Gary Trudeau by selling Doonesbury products at its coffee shops. All proceeds go to local literacy programs. The first year of this partnership raised over $300,000. In addition to these more glamorous endeavors, Starbucks has also collected books, donated by its customers, for the All Books for Children book drive. The books will be distributed to local organization across America. Starbucks has partnered with CARE, an international relief organization, to promote human rights. In addition to operating coffee shops around the world Starbucks suppliers are located in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Some initiatives that it is involved in are education and literacy programs, rural community development and preservation of national parklands. Starbucks is the first US agricultural commodity company to adopt a corporate statement regarding human rights. The statement is called Starbucks Coffee Company’s Framework for a Code of Conduct. Starbucks was awarded the National Leadership Award by AIDS Action. AIDS Action is the national voice on AIDS, representing Americans affected with HIV/AIDS and 2,400 community-based organizations that serve them. Starbucks received this award for the efforts of thousands of Starbucks employees who have supported AIDS causes by fund raising and volunteerism and for marketing the Red Ribbon Sampler, a product designed to raise money for AIDS service providers. In 1997 three Starbucks employees were murdered in a Washington D. C. store. Starbucks responded by creating the Starbucks Memorial Fund. All proceeds from that store are now donated to D. C. charities that promote violence prevention and victim assistance. In June of 1999 $75,000 was given to eight organizations. Starbucks calls its employees partners. It offers stock option programs. It encourages its employees to be actively involved it the community by giving financial support and product donations to organizations where its employees donate their time. There have been a few unsatisfied customers with Starbucks, as is generally the case with any large consumer focused company. A few of the disgruntled customers established a web site, www. starbucked. com, to allow other customers to vent their frustrations. Humana is the third largest managed healthcare company in the United States. The relative size of the organization coupled with inherent conflicts of interest has led Humana, among other HMO’s, to become involved in decisions of questionable ethical substance. Humana espouses the vision, â€Å"To improve the health of our members, and provide value to our customers, partners and shareholders. † An underlying question is how well are they pursuing their vision? This group believes that Humana is an example of a company with ethical integrity problems. No discussion of one HMO could possibly be complete without looking at the industry as a whole. There is a fine line that HMO’s tread when determining what is in the patient’s best interest. Some would argue that bureaucracy in managed care programs, despite best intentions, leads to compromises in patient care. Conversely, the HMO’s would argue that stretching limited resources in a regulated manner produces the greatest good for greatest number of patients. One is left with many questions about which priorities are greatest, profit or patient care? In fact, a recent national class action suit filed on behalf of 32 million plan participants by the REPAIR legal team has challenged the five largest HMO’s with just this issue. In addition, REPAIR exposes and attacks several non-disclosed HMO practices of questionable morality: ? Gag orders, which are arrangements that HMO’s make with participating physicians that to penalize them for advising certain treatment alternatives. ? HMO determination of â€Å"medical necessity† in conflict with physician decision, driven by profit consideration. ? Limiting patient access to specialists. .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c , .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c .postImageUrl , .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c , .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c:hover , .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c:visited , .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c:active { border:0!important; } .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c:active , .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u12934ed2568927db92f2e9a047f1a91c:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Does It Matter If I Vote? EssayHMO’s by nature are prone to lawsuits as decisions over coverage frequently disagree with patient / physician decisions. However, this team believes that lawsuits against Humana undermine its devious backbone. Comparison has not led us to believe that Humana is any worse than the other major HMO players are, so perhaps we should group the entire lot of HMO’s as suspect in social responsibility. Forsyth v. Humana. Although still in appeal, Humana was found guilty under ERISA of racketeering charges that in essence allowed the company to receive kickbacks from hospitals in excess of patient costs. Price v. Humana. A RICO (Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) claim that Humana influenced decisions concerning â€Å"medical necessity,† by providing incentives to physicians to deny coverage. Chipps v. Humana. Humana accused of discontinuing coverage for family’s four-year old daughter, Caitlyn, whom was receiving extensive therapy treatment for cerebral palsy. Humana was found guilty on several counts for withholding information related to the case. Texas Attorney General. Sued Humana and five other HMO’s for allegedly â€Å"penalizing doctors who do not limit patients medical care and illegally compensating those who did. † As further indication of Humana’s lack of interest in patient’s needs, the company decided to divest non-profitable Medicare operations, due to â€Å"government reimbursement inadequacies for the Medicare+Choice HMO product. † While one would struggle to argue that any for profit entity would survive not covering its costs, dropping patients in lieu of profits may lack ethical standing. While denying coverage to patients, like Caitlyn, and engaging in price reduction schemes that are not only unethical, but quite possibly illegal, Humana finds no problem paying its Chairman of the Board $4. 5 million and its President and CEO, $3 Million. The charitable wing of the Humana organization was founded to â€Å"support charitable organizations and institutions that promote education, health and human services, community development and the arts. † While the group believes that these endeavors are indeed noble, Humana can not make up for a poor ethical foundation by throwing money at the problem.

Ing Direct (“Ing-D”) Case Study Marketing Fundamentals Essay Example

Ing Direct (â€Å"Ing Ing Direct (â€Å"Ing-D†) Case Study Marketing Fundamentals Paper Ing Direct (â€Å"Ing-D†) Case Study Marketing Fundamentals Paper ING DIRECT (â€Å"ING-D†) Case Study Course: Marketing Fundamentals Submission Date: 17th November 2009 Executive Summary ING-Direct (ING-D) is a marketing orientated bank that has launched into established markets in the last decade using differentiation as a way to build competitive advantage. This report splits into Section A, based on information provided by the ‘ING Direct USA – Rebel With A Cause’ Case Study by IMD International, and Section B which critically assesses the ING-D website. Section A The Nature of the ING-D’s Value Proposition Customer Value Proposition Creation By engineering processes and products from the customer inwards, ING-D aimed to construct a customer value proposition that offsets perceived sacrifices with higher levels of perceived benefits in areas which resonate strongly with customers. Value Proposition Summary The key perceived benefits offered to customers are simple, easy to use accounts with no fees or service charges, no minimum balances, great savings rates, the convenience of 24/7 internet banking and quality service from an award winning call centre. The perceived sacrifices are principally the physical evidence aspects of the ervice marketing mix that are associated with the traditional banks, including branches and ATMs. The other key perceived sacrifice is that ING-D does not offer a complete portfolio of accounts due to the lack of a Checking Account. Therefore customers potentially need to operate a number of accounts with different organisations. The value proposition is supported through integrated marketing com munications which utilise a range of tools and channels in addition to basic advertising, including sales promotion, events and online educational services. The use of less traditional communication methods underlines the strategy of using differentiation for competitive advantage. It sets ING-D apart from the mainstream banks in brand personality. Value Proposition Effectiveness ING-D created a viable customer value proposition as evidenced by high levels of customer advocacy and the growth in customer numbers and deposit levels. The Evolution of ING-D’s Strategy Since its Launch in the US Market Post-Launch Environment The post-launch period saw ING-D US entering a period of significant growth. At this time the bank was grappling with a range of challenges including pressure on margins, aggressive competitor activity, consumer confusion and increased internal reporting and control measures. The marketing strategies employed principally focussed on evolving two key parts of the marketing mix; product and place. Product Development Post-launch ING-D chose to implement a product development strategy as per the Ansoff Growth Matrix (Appendix 1). This can be seen in the period from 2000 to 2002 when a range of new products, such as Mortgages, Certificates of Deposit, etc, were launched into the existing ING-D US footprint. Channel Development ING-D traditionally operated a direct to consumer distribution channel. This had the benefits of maintaining control over the relationship with the customer ensuring that the brand values could be executed consistently. However, to address its balance sheet issues, in 2005 the direct distribution channel was supplemented with the introduction of intermediary agents in the form of wholesale mortgage brokers. Impact of Activity Growth was achieved quickly with effective diffusion through the market resulting in ING-D becoming the largest on line bank in the US. However, the rapid growth strategy resulted in a more systems and process based organisation and challenging the maintenance of its trademark entrepreneurial culture. ING-D Competitors and the Evolution of Their Strategies. Key Strategic Changes By Competitors Considering Porter’s Model of Competitive Industry Structure, we can see that with high barriers to entry, and limited opportunity for substitution, the main factor affecting ING-D has been in the form of competition from existing US banks, (Appendix 2). Previously these banks had core strategies of targeting specific markets. They focussed on their main product offerings such as Checking Accounts, and on branch network service provision. However, because ING-D’s success many of the established banks implemented new competitor target strategies in which they went head-to-head with ING-D and the other new entrants, internet banks, which had been attracted into the direct market. ING-D’s competitors fall into two key groups; Bricks Mortar The traditional banks such as Citibank HSBC have principally eroded ING-D’s unique selling propositions through the availability of high interest savings accounts. They had the advantage of building on existing relationships and offer the convenience of being a one-stop-shop for customers. As holders of the primary checking relationship this has been a credible market position which has resulted in savings balances switching from ING-D. Internet Internet competitors have operating models more like the â€Å"no frills† approach adopted by ING-D. The main competitive threat has been around interest rates but they also attacked ING-D’s brand values and personality, such as the use of less formal marketing messages and communication channels. Impact The result of these strategic changes has been a proliferation of ‘me too’ savings products from a range of providers which have created price competition, choice and consumer confusion. The actions of competitors have reduced the perceived benefits of ING-D and increased the value of the perceived sacrifices. The main impact is that ING-D lost its price leadership position for savings interest rates weakening the customer value proposition and leaving the bank open to threat. The impact can be seen in the 2006 figures, with average savings per million customers of $10. 8m in 2002-05, falling to $8. 2m in 2006, a drop of 24. 7%. Arguments For and Against ING-D’s Introduction of Checking Accounts and Recommendation ING-D has lost its competitive advantage of high rate savings accounts. To rectify this one option is to introduce a checking account. Benefits Establishing primary customer relationship associated with Checking accounts Removing an existing advantage for established competitors Protecting market share by meeting its customers’ complete banking needs Attracting new customers from an attractive, substantial (49% of bill payments in 2002) and profitable market sector Doing nothing leaves bank open to continued risk of market share erosion Removes reliance on maintaining the best rates as sole USP Risks Conflicting with the company’s core value proposition as a low-cost, simple, easy to use banking provider Increasing customer support and training requirements leading to higher operating costs Introducing a level of operational complexity and increasing operational risk Requiring a more process and systems based environment contrary to its entrepreneurial culture Recommendation We believe the benefits outweigh the risks and recommend ING-D launches a Checking Account. It is vital that it links the product offering back to the fundamental brand values that have made the bank successful with a specific focus on product and process design. ING-D needs to focus on making its Checking Account a differentiated product offering around areas such as; less complicated than its competitors’ accounts no requirements for minimum balances transparent communication and application of fees Limited market testing has already helped to refine the product and processes. This needs to be finalised to ensure that the ‘easy to use’ market position is achieved. As part of this, further research around the lack of a cheque book may be required as this could be viewed as a negative by customers and limit the potential market penetration. By referring back to ING-D’s core principles it is possible for it to create a market position on checking accounts that is consistent, credible, competitive and clear and aligned with its other products and core values. Section B Critical Assessment of the Current Positioning of ING-D Based on Their Website ngdirect. co. uk/ The ING-D website was reviewed on 31/10/09 and 15/11/09 and the overall positioning assessed within a framework of four principles of successful positioning. This is completed on the website as at 15/11/09 with references to any noteworthy changes from the 31/10/09 version, (Appendix 3) Clarity The use of the â€Å"Saving Feels Good† positioning statement fixes ING-D as a bank with savings as a key offering. The other products on offers are limited to Mortgages and Home Insurance leaving a very simple uncluttered view of what products ING-D is providing to customers. However, it could also be argued that simplicity has gone too far and that the stripped down approach limits the provision of a comprehensive offer. For example areas such as the main FAQ section fail to answer many common questions that customers may have regarding the bank or the broader economy. The site consistently evokes an emotional relationship through the words, â€Å"feels good†, which links into the behavioural market segmentation approach. Some of the images and marketing approaches are confusing in terms of customer segmentation targets. For example, there are photos of young children and parents on the general pages, whilst the ages of the customers in the video section start at 46 years, thereby conflicting with the messages about earlier life cycle stages. Consistency The use of brand assets such as contemporary â€Å"Dutch† orange and the lifeboat image ensure the site is instantly recognisable. The lifebelt image is consistently used to highlight rates. This links to safety as a motivation for saving, further building on the use of family images. The site remains consistent with the ING-D brand values by being easy to navigate, in a clear font and with easy to find information such as contact details and frequently asked questions. The lead item on the homepage is mortgages which changed since the 31/10/09 when savings led. This doesn’t sit as well with the usual ING-D market positioning as a savings provider. It may well be that ING-D has a strategy to keep the website fresh by changing the offer and emphasis on a regular basis. However, the change may have resulted from the significant drop in interest rates between the two dates as the company attempts to drive mortgage business. Other parts of the home page continue to focus on savings and therefore there is some consistency in reinforcing this position. Tick marks give an upbeat feel to the site rather than simply using bullet points and this fits with the less formal communication style. By delivering a differentiated offer to competitors through the provision of fewer products, a friendlier quality service and a fresh approach ING-D seeks to establish itself in the minds of consumers as a different type of bank with a clear brand personality. Competitiveness The site works to convince consumers that ING-D is a safe place for their money. It doesn’t confirm a position of competitiveness through its messages. The savings interest rate is clearly highlighted which allows for easy comparison but doesn’t specifically provide information on competitor offerings. This may be due to restrictions due to legislation. Over this fairly short time period the ING-D site has changed in emphasis from savings to mortgages which may be due to variances in the savings rate on offer, which have dropped by 2. 7% to just 0. % for new customers. ING-D is proud of its award winning customer service centres and the site highlights a range of awards across both general service and product specific categories. High levels of customer service and UK based call centres will be seen by some customers as a competitive advantage given the recent backlash against organisations that have outsourced this service to India and the Far East. Credibility Much of the credibility of ING-D’s positioning off-line comes from the high levels of customer satisfaction and advocacy. ING-D has chosen to directly translate this factor online with customer videos and uses cues such as customer numbers to build credibility and pre-empt cognitive dissonance. Given the economic back-drop the bank has missed the opportunity to build possible creditability by helping its customers to better understand the stability of the bank and the safety of their deposits. Further to this there are only 5 press releases provided for 2009, the most recent of which is over 4 months out of date, and none of these relate specifically to ING-D. The creditability of the ING-D offer could be greatly eroded by the large drop in the savings rate. In a period with no base rate changes it is difficult to see how the size of change could be justified, especially as competitor rates published on comparison websites remain in excess of 3. 0%. Appendix 1 Ansoff Growth Matrix [pic] (Jobber Mahy, 2009, based on p324) Appendix 2 The Porter Model of Competitive Industry Structure [pic] (Jobber Mahy, 2009, based on p319) Appendix 3 ingdirect. o. uk Home page as at 31/10/09 [pic] ingdirect. co. uk Home page as at 15/11/09 [pic] Bibliography ING Direct [Online]. Available from: ingdirect. co. uk/ [Accessed 31/10/2009 – 15/11/2009]. Jobber, D. and Fahy, J. (2009) Foundations of Marketing, 3rd ed. , McGraw Hill, London. Sequeira, S. , Ryans, A. , Deutscher T. , Ivey, R. , (2007) ING Direct USA – Rebel With A Cause. IMD International, Richard Ivey School of Business (The University of Western Ontario), IMD-3-1845.

Twitter, the Micro blogging Website Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Twitter, the Micro blogging Website - Essay Example This essay provides reader detailed instruction on how to sign up and what to expect from Twitter. Many Twitter terms also mentioned and explained by author, such as account, follower, tweet, retweet and like. Social component also described very well, celebrities are likely to attract more followers than people who are less famous. It is thus, a useful tool for celebrities to connect with their fans and understand their tastes. Celebrities like Justin Bieber and Prianka Chopra are also mentioned, they constantly update their accounts and are able to stay in touch with fans by posting messages and pictures. Twitter has become so popular amongst people that it is one of the major media that is used by the high and the mighty in the world of media, news and entertainment. Even in third world countries where the density of internet users may not be as much as the ones in Europe and North America, Twitter is a very important phenomenon.This in itself points to the popularity of twitter all over the world. Twitter thus has a role to play in channelizing revolution and strikes in different parts of the world as well. Twitter and other such social networking sites have been criticized for the sense of virtual reality that they create and the inability that many people have to come out of it into what we term reality, author states. However, it can be used as a platform where diverse people can come together and share their opinions and aspects of their lives that they may not have been able to as a result of the compulsions of time and space.

Dyadic partner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dyadic partner - Essay Example When he is confused, he would also tug at his hair. He wears bright colored shirts like red, blue or green, when he is happy. But when he is excited about something and wants to share it with others, he sits upright and looks at other person’s eye. The body language of my partner is therefore vital means of communicating his mood. Whenever he comes in bright tee-shirt, I am much relaxed because I know that when he is happy, he works better with higher productive outcome! When I see him sitting upright on his chair, I know that he has some good news. But my worries are heightened when I see him tugging at his hair or find him looking away rather than talking to me. As I know that these behavior indicate his discomfort with the issue or his doubts which he is wary of sharing. At these times, I pick up the topic or issue that he is passionate about. When he gets involved and comfortable, I broach the subject of which he is wary about. This way, I am able to know his problem and resolve it so that he can focus on his

Short Story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Short Story - Essay Example Sarah ran ahead, and squeezed herself in because she wanted to sit by the window. Finally after much pushing and shoving everyone piled into the van and headed off for the beach. Without hesitation they all jumped into the warm, blue water and started splashing around. At first Sarah tried to see for how long she could hold her breath underwater, but soon gave up on that. She dug her toes deeper into the sand and just sat there watching her two younger brothers and cousins wrestling with each other. They repeatedly tried to dunk one another in, but quit when their mom scolded them. Soon, getting tired of the water, Sarah waded back to shore. The sand was extremely hot beneath her feet and she hurriedly skipped her way to her towel and plopped down. Her mom smiled at her warmly and gave her a piece of cucumber to chew on while lunch was getting ready. Sarah sprawled back on the ground, lazily munching away. Squinting against the sun, she peered up at the sky, trying to make shapes out of the few wisps of clouds that slowly made their way across. The call for lunch jogged Sarah out of her sky-gazing. The rest of the kids crowded around, dripping and laughing. Sarah spread out her pita bread and smeared loads of ketchup on it. After heaping little steak pieces on the bread, she rolled it up neatly. Now it was just the way she liked it. After everyone was well fed ( none of them could take in another bite, not even her brothers who were boasting about how much they could gobble down earlier on), they all made their way to the water again. It was much cooler now. The whole gang divided up into two groups and started playing volleyball. Sarah could hardly jump out of the water to reach for the ball, but it was fun nonetheless. No one bothered to keep score, they were all too busy laughing and pushing each other down. Sarah fell in so many times that her brain seemed to be swimming in salt water. Tired and all splashed out,

Business and Economic Environment in Lagos | Analysis

Business and Economic Environment in Lagos | Analysis 1.0  INTRODUCTION Business is seen to operate within an environment. This environment could either present a threat or an opportunity to the organizations that operate in it. This essay aims to describe the business environment in the city where the researcher lives. The first section will give an overview of what business environment is all about. Furthermore, Lagos state will be used as a case study to examine the business environment where the researcher lives. Then, different forces or conditions that encourage or inhibit business activities in Lagos state will be discussed 2.0  AN OVERVIEW OF BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT According to Nyandat (2013) Business environment can be defined as forces or surroundings that affect business operations. These forces may include customers, competitors, suppliers, distributors, industry trends, substitutes, regulations, government activities, and economy, social, political and cultural factors. Ogunro (2014) explained business environment as the combination of all environmental conditions and influences that are capable of affecting or influencing business activities. Furthermore, Obiwuru et al (2011) also defined environment of business as the aggregation of the pattern of all the external and internal conditions and influences that affects the existence, growth and development of the business. For the purpose of this essay, Lagos state in Nigeria will be used as a case study to analyze the business environment in the city where the researcher resides. Lagos state is the former capital of Africa’s largest country, Nigeria; it is the most populated city in sub-Saharan region with more than 15 million people. Lagos is called center of excellence because of its reputation of housing the very best of Nigeria’s skilled workforce. It is also home to the country’s top industries and businesses with over 65% of imported goods passing through its ports and 80% of manufacturing being handled within or around its vicinity. With such massive economic facts, Lagos is the life-wire of the Nigerian economy. This is best explained by the fact that no macro-economic activity can ever succeed with Lagos being alienated. There are forces or conditions that encourage or inhibit business activity in Lagos and these include: 2.1  Human Capital: The population of Lagos is a very good advantage for business entrepreneurs because both skilled and unskilled workforce is available and very cheap. Lagos state has a population of more than 15 million people of which 75% of them are youths and eager to work in order to earn a living. The city has the best of skilled workforce from diverse regions including foreign experts. This has helped the business activity because you can get any expert you want at a very affordable price. 2. 2 Inadequate Power Supply: Inadequate power supply is one of the major challenges that affect the business activity in Lagos. Every company has a standby power generator which is being used when there is power failure .Firms expenditure on diesel and petrol (as the case may be) is unbearable and this is affecting the productivity. This development is impacting negatively on the business investment due to increased expenditure on diesel and petrol by enterprises. This also comes with the consequences of declining productivity and competitiveness. Many companies have been closed down due to inadequate power supply while some companies where forced to relocate to the nearby country. Nigeria has lost very huge amount of money due to inadequate power. â€Å"In 1990, the World Bank estimated the economic loss to the country from power inefficiency, at about N1 billion† (Adenikinju, 2005, p.3). Using telecom industry in Nigeria as an example; which is an Oligopolistic market where we have very few telecom industries; their major challenge is power which they use to power all the base stations across the country. Most of them spend an outrageous amount of money to power these base stations because they cannot afford to have network failure due to power outage. â€Å"Telecom Operators Spend N10 Billion Annually to Power BTS† (Nurudeen, 2014, p.1) 2.3  Security Situation Insecurity is another major concern that affects businesses in Lagos, there is very high rate of insecurity in the city and this made some foreign investors to decline from investing in the country. The security agencies are trying to ensure a secure and peaceful society but the government still needs to do more in order to give the foreign investors courage to come in and invest. Using Oil and Gas sector as an example, where we have Oligopolistic market structure and the price is being controlled and regulated by the government, there is a lot of oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the downstream sector which affects the economy. â€Å"The latest estimates by the Finance Minister, Dr Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala put the oil theft at about 400,000 barrels per day; the environment of the affected communities also suffers serious degradation as a consequence of this problem†. (Ibru, 2014, p.2) 2.4 Poor Infrastructures Lack of good infrastructure in the city is another major challenge; many companies have their industries located at the industrial layout which is quite far from the metropolis. Commuters find it very difficult to access some remote places to buy products due to bad roads. (Gilbert, 2009) Access to raw materials for the company use is a major challenge; also distribution of goods and services to the metropolis is also a big problem due to bad roads. There is a lot of traffic congestion in the metropolis and valuable hours are being lost due to traffic which is caused by bad roads. There is no good health care sector for the poor masses, many people could not have access to medical care because of widespread poverty in the country and this is causing very big negative impact to the country due to high mortality rate. 3.0 Conclusion: The economic environment in Lagos state has been facing a lot of challenges but despite all that, they were able to create jobs, wealth for individuals, as well as revenue for the government through employment and taxation. 4.0 References: Adenikinju, F. (2005) Analysis of the cost of infrastructure failures in a developing economy: the case of the electricity sector in Nigeria. Volume 148 of AERC research paper, African Economic Research Consortium. Gilbert, C. (2009). Nigerias Bad Roads Are Getting Worse. Available: http://www.voanews.com/content/nigerias-bad-roads-are-getting-worse-74805987/415952.html. [Accessed 4th June 2014] Ibru, G. (2013) Press conference on the economy by the Lagos chamber of commerce and industry. 2nd Quarter [Online] Available from: [Accessed 27th May 2014]. Neyandat, C. (2013) how do you analyze the business environment? Gakus, 21st Oct. Available from: http://www.gaksu.com/allpdf/140_notes.pdf [Accessed 4th June 2014] Nurudeen, A. (2014) Interview with the C.E.O of Airtel Nigeria, Daily Trust, [Online] 10th February.p.1. Available from: http://allafrica.com/stories/201402100424.html?viewall=1 [Accessed 28th May 2014] Obiwuru T. Oluwalaiye, B. Okwu, T. (2011) External and Internal Environments of Businesses in Nigeria: An Appraisal in International Bulletin of Business Administration (12) OGUNRO, O. (2014).International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences. 4th ed. Rufus Giwa Polythecnic, Owo, Ondo state, Nigeria: HR Mars. Question 2 1.0 INRODUCTION: Macroeconomics can be defined as study of economics that is more concerned with government structures, behavior and decision making which affects the country as a whole. It deals more with the country’s economy which includes; gross domestic product (GDP), unemployment rate, price indices, exchange rate, Inflation. When a country is experiencing macroeconomic stability, it means that the country’s economy is very stable; the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is very good, unemployment is reduced to the minimal rate and low inflation. The aim of this essay is to examine the effectiveness of various approaches that may be used to reduce macroeconomic instability; while exploring different policies which a country’s government could use to achieve macroeconomic goals 2.0 AN OVERVIEW OF MACROECONOMICS: Macroeconomics is concerned with government economic performance, it focuses on the economic trend of a nation. Macroeconomics deals with factors that that affect the country’s economy. Macroeconomic instability is major concern to any government and all possible measure must be taken to ensure that economic stability is maintained. Any country that suffers macroeconomic instability will possibly have a high rate of inflation, unemployment, low GDP or total recession. Different kinds of measure are taking by different countries to ensure that they maintained a stable economy. Below are some highlighted measures/policies which can be used to ensure that macroeconomic instability is reduced. 2.1 Privatization Privatization can be defined as a process by which some inefficient and ineffective sector is being transferred to be managed by more efficient private sector for the benefit of economic growth. This will allow the government to perform its primary functions, that is administration of law and order thereby leaving the actual running of business enterprise to private sectors. Nwoye (2012) defined privatization as the transfer of ownership and control of enterprise from state to the private sector. The main reason why government privatize the public sector is because of economic stability and this could be explained below: To enhance efficiency in the public sector: there are so many inefficiency in public sector due to nonchalant attitude of the workers. Most of the public servants believe that government are for the people, so they can do whatever they want without being fired and this affect the governments economy, there are so many ghost workers being paid by the government which affects the expenditure. But when handed over to private sector, they become more efficient and generate more revenue for the government because the private sector cannot afford to lose money like the government, they will cut down the cost overhead to the barest minimum to be able to generate revenue which will help in the economic growth of the country. To decontrol the economic system by reducing unnecessary administrative controls of the government : deregulating the economic system helps the government to focus more on the administration of the nation by implementing law and order and good policies that will help in the economic growth. The government handing over the business management to the private sector will reduce their cost overhead and also increase efficiency in the administration of the nation. To decrease the volume of unproductive instruments in the public sector: as mentioned earlier, there are a lot of unproductive people and instrument in the public sector, nepotism and godfathers has contributed to inefficiency in the public sector where round peg is been put in a square hole. But when these sectors are being privatized, all these unproductive people and instrument will be removed and replaced with more productive instrument which will increase the employment and delivering of the goods and services thereby generating sufficient revenue for the government. To fortify the role of the private sector in the economy which will warranty employment and higher capacity utilization: Fortification of the role of the private sector in the economy is very important as this will help in decreasing the level of unemployment in the country and which helps in economic stability. Reduction of political interference in the public sector: politicial interference in the public sector increases the rate of corruption which affects the economy, but without the interference of the politicians when privatized, the sectors will be more productive with less corrupt practices. 2.2 Public Private Partnership (PPP) Omoh (2012) confirmed that government across the globe have come to terms with the fact that public sector cannot provide the needed infrastructure and have come to the conclusion that private sector participation in the provision of infrastructure in inevitable. Public private partnership is where the government and private sector goes into partnership to bring economic growth through building and construction of infrastructures, managing them for a shot term or long term and finally hand them over to the government after a stipulated period as agreed. This partnership helps to increase the gross domestic product and it can be done is so many ways; it could take the form of Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT), Build-Operate-Own (BOO), Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT), Design-Build-Operate-Transfer (DBOT), Design-Build-Finance and Operate (DBFO). Other less common ones are; Build-Rent/Lease-Transfer (BRT or BLT) Build-Transfer and Operate (BTO). Omoh (2012) The Scope for the public private partnership ranges from Power generation plant and transmission, roads and bridges, ports, airports, railways, inland container depots and logistics hubs, gas and petroleum, water supply, housing, educational facilities (e.g. Schools, Universities) and healthcare facilities. This helps the government to spend less money on these areas while the partners will finance and manage these sectors for some time to recover their invested money. 2.3 Fiscal Policy Heakal (2013) defines fiscal policy as the means by which a government adjust its spending activity and tax rates in order to monitor and influence a nation’s economy. Heakal (2003) also confirms that fiscal policy is based on the renowned British economist, John Mynard Keynes, who is known as Keynesian economics; his theory shows that government can influence macroeconomic stability / productivity level by increasing or decreasing tax levels and public spending. This influence will in turn curb inflation, increase employment and maintain a healthy value of money. Gbosi (2008) says that fiscal policy entails the government’s management of the economy through the controlling of its income and spending power in order to achieve certain desired macroeconomics objectives in which economic growth and stability is among them. Jhingan (2006) also acknowledges the power of fiscal policy as an instrument of macroeconomic stabilization. Iyeli Ijomah (2013) also established that if fiscal policy is used with circumspection and synchronized with other measures, it will possibly smoothen out business cycle which leads to economic growth and stability. Based on the above explanations, it could be said that Fiscal policy is a way or method the government is using to control economic goals in order to maintain stability in the nation’s economy. Fiscal policy can come as increase in taxation or government expenditure in order to influence aggregate demand (AD) and level of economic activity. AD can be defined as the total level of planned expenditure in an economy (AD= C+ I + G + X – M) where C= Consumer spending, I= Investment, G=Government Spending, X= export, M= Imports) The government might implement the fiscal policy in order to stimulate economic growth in a period of a recession, the government can also use fiscal policy to keep inflation low. Mainly, fiscal policy aims to stabilize economic growth in order to avoid boom and bust economic cycle. 2.4 Taxation Anyanwu (1997) defined taxation as the compulsory transfer or payment from private individuals, institutions or groups to the government. Nzotta (2007) stated the four key issues that must be understood for taxation to play its function in the society; first, a tax is a compulsory contribution made by citizens to the government and this contributions is for general common use. Secondly, a tax imposes a general obligation on the taxpayer. Thirdly, there is a presumption that the contribution to the public revenue made by taxpayer may not be equivalent to the benefits received. Finally, a tax is not imposed on a citizen by government because it has rendered specific services to him or his family Anyanwu (1993) also pointed out that there are three basic objectives of taxation; these are to raise revenue for the government, to regulate economic activities and to control income and employment. Nzotta (2007) also confirmed that taxes generally have allocation, distribution and stabilization functions. The allocation function of taxes talks about determination of the pattern of production, the goods that should be produced, who produces them, the distribution function of taxes relates to the manner in which the effective demand over economic goods is divided among the individuals in the society while the stabilization function of taxes deals with attaining high level of employment, a reasonable level of price stability and appropriate rate of economic growth, with allowances for effects on trade. Conclusion: The above listed methods/ policies has been used by so many countries to maintain economic stability and Nigeria as a country has introduced these policies which is now helping the government to stabilize the economy. References Anyanwu, J.C., 1993. Monetary Economics: Theory, Policy and Institutions. Hybrid Publishers, Onitsha Anyanwu, J.C., 1997. Nigerian Public Finance. Joanne Educational Publishers, Onitsha Gbosi, A.N (2008) Contemporary Macroeconomic problems and stabilization policies, Portharcourt, Automatic Ventures. Heakal. R. (2013) Investopedia. What is fiscal policy? [Online] Available rom: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/04/051904.asp [accessed 2nd June 2014]. Iyeli I.I Ijomah M.A (2013) A Re-examination of fiscal policy applicability in Nigeria’s economic growth process: An econometric policy evaluation from empirical evidence. Vol 3. (4 July 2013) P.180 – 188 Jhingan, M.L (2006) Macroeconomic Theory. New Delhi. Vrinda Publishers. Nwoye .I. 2013, Privatization of Public Enterprises in Nigeria: The views and counterviews. [Online] Available from: http://www.globalizacija.com/doc_en/e0062pri.htm [Accessed 3rd June 2014] Nzotta, S.M., 2007. Tax evasion problems in Nigeria: A critique. Niger. Account. 40(2): 40-43 Omoh G. (2012) Public Private Partnership: The new way to infrastructural provision, Vanguard, [Online] 17th December. P.7. Available from: www.vanguardngr.com/2012/12/public-private-partnershi-the-new-way-to-infrastructural-provision [Accessed 30th May 2014]

Social Concerns in the poems of Kamala Das Essay -- essays research pa

" He ( the poet) is responsible for humanity, even for the animals, he must see to it that his invention can be smelt, felt, heard." ( Arthur Rimbaud) From the queen of erotica to a poetic pilgrim, the critical nexus on Kamala Das?s poetry has oscillated between opposite poles. These varied critical stances reflect that the genius of the poet refuses to be strait-jacketed into a uniform notion. In this paper, I will attempt to reveal the social issues that imbue the oeuvre of her poetry. Kamala Das in her much discussed autobiography, My Story , pointed out: ? A poet?s raw material is not stone or clay, it is her personality.?1 In direct contradiction to Eliot?s theory of poetic creation, Mrs. Das asserts that her poetry is subjective and through it she voices forth her strains and stresses. This, however, does not imply a selfish preoccupation with the self but a melioristic vision that is shocked and disgusted at the plight of fellow mortals. Her sensitive soul is deeply affected by the maladies that lie deeply ingrained in the social matrix. In the poem Afterwards -- no intertextuality with Hardy?s poem -- written when the poet was in her teens, she questions the notions of scientific progress that has ushered the nuclear holocaust: ? Son of my womb, Ugly ... ... Works cited 1. Kamala Das-- My Story, DC Books, Kottayam, Aug. 2004. 2. Kamala Das-- Summer in Calcutta, DC Books, Kottayam, Nov.2004. 3. Kamala Das-- The Descendants, Writers? Workshop, Calcutta, 1991. 4. Kamala Das-- The Descendants, Writers? Workshop, Calcutta, 1991. 5. Kamala Das-- Collected Poems, Vol. I, Navkerala Printers, Trivandrum, 1984. 6. Al Harmony Vol.6, July-Sept,2005. 7. Anthony Perera-- ?Love India, love Sri Lanka?, Sunday Observer, April 29, 1984. 8. Kamala Das-- The Old Playhouse and Other Poems, Orient Longman, 1973. 9. Kamala Das-- Only the Soul Knows How to Sing, DC Books, Kottayam, 1999. 10.Kamala Das-- Only the Soul Knows How to Sing, DC Books, Kottayam, 1999. 11. Presented to the author by the poet as a manuscript.

Indian Textile Industry

Indian Textile IndustryStructure, Problems and Solutions Subject: Term Paper of Organization Management Under Guidance of Dr. Vinayshil Gautam Written By Jaimeen Rana Entry# 2012SMF6890 1 INDEX a) Introduction 3 b) History 3 c) Structure of Indian Textile Industry 3 d) Communication and Effectiveness 4 e) Problems faced by Textile Industry in India 5 f) Steps taken by government till now 7 g) Strategies for growth 8 h) Conclusion 9 i) References 10 2 a) Introduction Indian Textile and Apparel Industry is second largest manufacturer in the world with an estimated export value of US$ 34 billion and domestic consumption of US$ 57 billion.It stands at number two position in generating huge employment for both educated and uneducated labor in India. Over 350 lakh people are employed in this industry in India. 14% of total industrial production is done by this sector. 4% of India’s GDP is obtained by this sector. It contributes 17% to the India’s total export earnings. Top co mpanies in Textile industry in India: Bombay Dyeing Fabindia JCT Limited Welspun India ltd Lakshmi Mills Mysore Silk Factory Arvind Mills Raymonds Reliance Textiles Grasim Industries ) History India’s textile industry evolved and developed at a very early stage and its manufacturing technology was one of the best ones. India’s manually operated textile machines were among the best in the world, and served as a model for production of the first textile machines in newly industrialized countries like England. Marco Polo’s records show that Indian textiles used to be exported to many Asian countries. Textiles have also comprised a significant portion of the Portuguese trade with India.These included embroidered bedspreads, wall hangings and quits of embroidered wild silk on a cotton or jute ground. A big success of Indian textile industry led to the foundation of the London East India Company in 1600, followed by Dutch and French companies. By 1670, there was serio us demand for their governments to ban the import of these cottons from India. The legacy of the Indian textile industry stemmed from its wealth in natural resources cotton, jute and silk. The technology used was superior and the skills of the weavers gave the finished product a most beautiful and ethnic look. ) Structure of Indian Textile Industry The structure of this industry is very complex with the modern, automated and highly mechanized mill sector on one side and hand spinning and hand weaving (handloom sector) on the other side. The small scale power loom sector, which is decentralized, lies in between of the two. 3 Indian Textile Industry is divided into major 3 segments: 1) Cotton Textiles 2) Synthetic Textiles 3) Others (wool, jute, silk etc) Till today cotton textiles are on top with 73% share in total Indian textiles.Coexistence of old technologies of hand working (spinning, weaving, and knitting) with the advanced automatic spindles and loom makes the structure of cott on textile industry very complex. Indian textile industry consists of small scale, non integrated spinning, weaving, knitting, fabric finishing and clothing enterprises, which is not the case in other countries. This unique structure is because of government policies that have promoted labor intensive small scale operations and discriminated against big scale organizations. d) Communication and effectiveness:The study regarding this was conducted within city of Coimbatore, which is considered â€Å"Manchester of South India†. Six textile organizations (3 small and 3 large) were selected within the city. The objective of the study was to examine the difference between small and large organizations in terms of structure, communication and effectiveness. The difference based on structure, communication and effectiveness between large and small organizations show that the two organizations differ significantly with respect to all dimensions except participation in decision making .Large organizations are more centralized, formalized and employees experience highly routine tasks. With regard to communication pattern, small organizations have more open communication while in large organizations communication is more accurate. With regard to effectiveness, large organizations are more effective with regard to all dimensions except job involvement and job performance which are better in small organizations. The effect of structure and communication variables on organizational commitment, job satisfaction, organizational performance and adaptability are more pronounced in large organizations while moderate in small ones.Participation in decision making process has a strong positive effect on job satisfaction, commitment, organization performance and moderate positive effect on job performance. Task routineness and formalization have low positive effect on job involvement and performance in large firms. In small organizations, centralization has a moderate negativ e effect on job satisfaction. Centralization has a low negative, task routineness has a low positive and formalization has a moderate negative effect on group processes.The effect of communication openness is pronounced on job satisfaction and performance. The negative effect of communication accuracy is high on job involvement and group processes and moderate on organizational performance. 4 e) Problems faced by Textile Industry in India (1) Shortage of raw materials: Raw material determines 35 per cent of the total production cost. The country is short of cotton, particularly long- staple cotton which is imported from Pakistan, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Egypt, Tanzania, U. S. A. and Peru.It is pity that despite largest area under cotton (26 per cent of the world acreage) the country accounts for only 9 percent of the world output of cotton. Fluctuating prices and uncertainties in the availability of raw material cause low production. (2) Obsolete machinery: In India most of the cotton textile mills are working with old and obsolete machinery. According to one estimate in India over 60 per cent of the spindles are more than 25 years old. The automatic looms account for only 18 per cent of the total number of looms in the country against the world average of 62 per cent and 100 per cent in the United States.Obsolete machinery leads to low output and poor quality of goods as a result of which Indian textile goods are not able to face competition in the international market. (3) Power shortage-Textile mills are facing acute shortage of power. Supplies of coal are difficult to obtain and frequent cuts in electricity and load shedding affect the industry badly. This leads to loss of man hours, low production and loss in the mills. (4) Low productivity of labour: Low productivity is another major problem of cotton textile industry. On an verage an Indian factory worker only handles 380 spindles and 2 looms as compared to 1,500-2,000 spindles and 30 looms in Japan. If t he productivity of an American worker is taken as 100, the corresponding figure for U. K. is 51 and for India only 13. Also industrial relations are not very good in the country. Strikes, layoffs, retrenchments are the common features of many cotton mills in the country. (5) Competition in foreign market: The Indian cotton textile goods are facing stiff competition in foreign markets from Taiwan, South Korea and Japan whose goods are cheaper and better in quality.It is really paradoxical that in a country where wages are low and cotton is internally available, production costs should be so high. While certain traditional buyers of Indian textile goods like Myanmar, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Aden etc. are facing severe balance of trade problem some European countries like France, Germany, U. K. and Austria etc. have imposed quota limitations over the Indian textile imports. Acute world recession has badly affected the export prospects. (6) Competition from the decentralized sec tor: An important factor for the rowing sickness of the mill sector is the growth of the decentralized sector. Being a small-scale sector, the Government allowed excise concessions and other privileges. These accompanied with low wages have led to low cost of production in the decentralized sector. 5 As a result of which the share of mill sector is decreasing, while the share of decentralized sector is increasing. So much so that the share of mill sector in the production of cotton fabrics has gone down from 7. 9 per cent in 1994-95 (cf. power looms 69% and handlooms 21. 6%) to 4. 4per cent in 1999-2000 (cf. ower looms 76. 3% and handlooms 19. 3%). (7) Government controls and heavy excise duties: the cotton textile industry has greatly suffered due to wrong and faulty policies of the Government. In the past the Government has sought control of price, distribution of yarn, pattern of production, etc. At one time the price of the cloth was fixed by the Government below the cost of pro duction. Similarly under the yarn distribution scheme of 1972, the Government made it obligatory on all mills to supply 50 per cent of the production of yarn to the decentralized sector at reduced rates.The high import duty on imported cotton, upward revision of the price of the indigenous cotton and heavy excise duty on cotton cloths are other detrimental factors. Another problem of the mill sector is related to the production of controlled cloths wherein mills are incurring huge loss. (8) Sick mills-In India about 130 cotton mills are sick and incurring constant losses. The Government has set up the National Textile Corporation (NTC) to run these sick mills. Although the government has invested huge money to rehabilitate and modernize these mills, but these mills are yet to become profitable.The NTC is facing dual problems of the obsolete machine, y and excess labour in these mills. According to a working group of the Planning Commission the industry needs Rs. 180. 55 crores for r ehabilitation and Rs. 630 crores for the modernization of sick mills. The cotton textile industry of the country is thus facing both short-term and longterm problems. Former includes problems of high prices, shortage of raw materials, liquidity problems due to poor sales and accumulation of huge stocks due to poor demand in the market.The long term problems of the industry include the slow pace of modernization, outdated technology resulting into low productivity, high cost of production, low profitability and increasing sickness of mills. Other small problems are inadequate training facilities in textile sector, fragmented garment industry, structural weaknesses in weaving and processing, rigid labor laws, infrastructural bottlenecks in terms of power, utility, road transport etc 6 f) Steps taken by government till nowThe Government has undertaken a series of progressive measures like introduction of Technology Mission on Cotton (TMC), Technology Up gradation (sp) fund Scheme (TUFS ), Scheme for Integrated Textile Park (SITP), reduction in customs duty on import of state-of-the-art machinery, Debt Restructuring Scheme, setting up of Apparel Training and Design Centers (ATDCs), 100% Foreign Direct Investment in the textile sector under automatic route, setting up of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) etc, for upgrading and strengthening the textile sector in India.From time to time, in consultation with all stakeholders, Government modifies these schemes so as to achieve better results through improved delivery of programs/schemes. These progressive measures have helped the textile sector to achieve improved growth in production; enhanced productivity and a larger share of textile export market in the world. (1) Technology Upgrading Fund Scheme To facilitate technological upgrading in the sector, the Government launched TUFS with effect from 1 April 1999 for five years initially, and which is extended up to 2011/12.The scheme provides for reimburse ment of 5 per cent interest paid on term loans for technological upgrading of textile machinery. In this way, the Government has assisted the Indian textile companies by ensuring that they are not over-burdened by the high interest rate prevailing in the country. (2) Integrated textile parks scheme In order to a world-class infrastructure for textile units as well as facilitate the need for them to meet international social and environmental standards, this scheme envisages the creation of textile parks in the public-private partnership mode.Currently, 30 parks are in various stages of implementation, and 50 more are planned for the next five years. (3) Fiscal rationalization In the 2006 budget, the excise duty on all manmade fibers and yarns was reduced from 16 per cent to 8 per cent. The 2007 budget carried it forward by reducing the customs duty on polyester fibers and yarns from 10 per cent to 7. 5 per cent. The customs duty on polyester raw materials such as DMT, PTA and MEG we re also reduced from 10 per cent to 7. 5 per cent. These measures are expected to make manmade fibers and yarn cheaper and thus increase the competitiveness of fabric and apparel manufacturers. 4) Technology Mission on Cotton In February 2000, the Government launched the Technology Mission on Cotton with the objective of addressing the issues of raising productivity, improving quality and reduction of contamination in cotton. Indeed, cotton 7 production in the past three years has increased substantially and contamination has been reduced, as assessed by independent agencies. (5) Other steps taken to increase competitiveness Earlier, only small-scale manufacturers were allowed to make woven RMG, knitted and hosiery products.While the initial aim was to boost employment opportunities and promote entrepreneurship at the smaller enterprise levels, in practice it rendered the small manufacturers uncompetitive globally. By 2003/04, the sector had been totally freed. In addition, FDI up t o 100 per cent through the automatic route has now been allowed. So that textile industry will have higher amount of foreign investment. And new technology machinery can be used in India by foreign players which can cause local players also to use the new technology. g) Strategies for growth 1) Improving labour laws: One of the main requirements for growth in the apparel subsector is the relaxation/amendment of the labour laws, to ensure an equal chance of success for the country’s exporters and manufacturers in the present global environment. Outdated labour laws have induced inflexibility in the clothing industry, leading both to fragmented operations in order to circumvent these laws and to lost export orders due to industry’s hesitation over expanding when there is an upsurge. Most of the countries competing with India have labour laws that are more flexible.For example, the Chinese apparel industry has highly flexible labour laws that allow for lay-offs during the non-peak season, hiring of contract labour, and a flexible hiring and firing system in SEZ-based units. The Mexican apparel industry allows layoffs during the slack business season. The industry in India is proposing the provision of flexibility to textile exporting units in hiring labour, subject to ensuring 100 days employment to cater to variations in demand. An increase in daily working hours from 9 hours a day to 12 hours a day, and in weekly working hours from 48 hours a week to 60 hours a week, is also being proposed. 2) Decreasing transaction costs: Various studies have established that the transaction costs faced by the Indian industry are very high, which adversely affects its competitiveness. A study undertaken by the EXIM Bank of India clearly showed that although transaction costs in India had declined because of declining procedural complexities, they were still substantially higher if compared with competitors. Transaction costs vary from sector to sector, and are ve ry high in the textiles and garment subsector, ranging from 3 per cent to 10 per cent of export revenue in 2002. These costs, inter alia, are shown in table 2. 3) Improving the general infrastructural conditions: This improvement includes roads, transportation etc. , so that the costs of reaching the nearest port as well as turnaround time at the port are globally comparable, to ensure that Indian exporters are not placed at a disadvantage vis-a-vis global competitors. 8 h) Conclusion Indian textile industry is a huge source of employment for both skilled and unskilled labor of India so it is very important industry as per economic perspective. This industry faces many problems some of which have been overcome thanks to government policies. But, still some problems are yet to be solved.Different strategies have to be implemented for that purpose. Large sections of the textile value-chain still need to be fully modernized, while the export sector has yet to take full advantage of its existing production strength. There are many areas around the world and many product lines where India is very weakly represented. Thus, while the private sector will need to continue its heavy investment in this industry during the next several years, building on the recent positive trends, India also needs to integrate more fully into the global textile and apparel value chain in order to reap the full benefits from its strengths.Only a coordinated effort by all – the Government, industry and individual units – can enable India to achieve its apparently high and stretched targets of the 12th FiveYear Plan. 9 i) References 1) Sharma Milan, â€Å"Textile Industry of India and Pakistan†, A. P. H. Publishing Corporation, New Delhi, 2006 2) Research paper: Organizational structure, communication and effectiveness in Textile industry (January, 2000) Authors: T Chandramohan Reddy and S Gayathri Journal: Indian Journal of Industrial Relations http://www. jstor. org/s table/27767666 ) Article: Indian Textile Industry by Dr. P Chellasamy and N Sumathi http://www. fibre2fashion. com/industry-article/market-research-industry-reports/indian-textileindustry/indian-textile-industry1. asp 4) Article: Indian textile and clothing sector poised for a leap by J. N. Singh http://www. unescap. org/tid/publication/tipub2500_pt1chap6. pdf 5) Article: Indian Textile and apparel sector : An analysis of aspects related to domestic supply and Demand by Badri Narayan G http://www. unescap. org/tid/publication/tipub2500_pt1chap5. pdf 10

Change in Strategies of Large Indian Organizations; Environment,workplace,customer and worker

Change in Strategies of Large Indian Organizations; Environment,workplace,customer and worker Free Online Research Papers The changes in the four areas (i.e., environment, workplace, customer, and worker) have altered the work so dramatically that old ‘dinosaur-like’ organizations are no longer able to respond to these changes, to handle these new challenges. Today, there are an increasing number of organizational people who are becoming increasingly aware that the strategies, knowledge, structures, and leadership of yesteryear are no longer effective in solving today’s problems. The more important thing today, is not only solving immediate problems related to knowledge, structures, or people, but a long-term insight of doing things for the mere survival of the organizations. It is the question of adaptation and evolution in the living organization, which determines the life span and effectiveness of the organizations in the human society. The organization, which is able to capture all of these forces and systematically synergize them, will be the one able to make quantum leaps up the evolutionary ladder to the next stage of organizational life – the Learning Organization. Definition of Learning Organization A Learning organization is an organization that continuously adapts itself to changes. It sees changes as opportunity as it can envisage future trends and equip itself to face them. To manage changes this organization learns as a whole (Senge, 1990). A Learning organization has to have five skills. Those are Systems Thinking, Personal Mastery, Team Learning, Mental Models, and Shared Vision. Definition of Mental Models The present study has attempted to explore the Mental Models of the Indian executives, particularly in large organizations. Mental Models can be defined as image or perspective of an event, situation, activity, or concept. It is a deeply ingrained assumption that influences how one understands the world and how one takes action. Mental models of what can or cannot be done in different situations vary tremendously from person to person, and are often deeply entrenched and difficult to change. Senge stresses that the discipline of working with Mental models starts with the individual and organization turning the mirror inward, of learning how to unearth internal pictures or images of the world and then to bring them to surface and hold them rigorously to scrutiny (Senge, 1990). Objective of the Study The objective of the study is to explore the Mental Models of Indian executives in changing environment. Concept and Operationalization It is assumed that the Mental Models of Indian executives depends on Control, Power Conflict, Bureaucratic Structure and Events Thought in Isolation. o Control: Control is considered as one of the items of Mental Models as a Learning Organization requires a least control system (Arvedson 1993). o Power Conflict: it is seen that power, as the key motivator for the successful executives, plays a major role in the mindset of the executives (Burke, 2002). o Bureaucratic Structure: the presence of this item often hinders the growth of a Learning Organization. So it is taken as a component to see the degree of its presence in the executive Mental Models (Askensas, Ulrich, Jick, Kerr, 2002). o Events Thought in Isolation: a Learning Organization demands its executives to have the understanding of connectivity within the systems. So it is seen as the fourth item of Mental Models to see whether they have this understanding or not (Rolls, 1995). Subjects and selection techniques The population for the study: The population for the study has been taken as the top 500 companies in India. (Source: Dalal Street Investment Journal, June, 2005). A sample of 10% is drawn by using the Random Number Tables from such population. Thus the sample constitutes 50 organizations from the above list. Final data received from 10 organizations. Result of the Study The items were examined through a questionnaire and the items in the questionnaire with their significance level is given in the following table Table 1: t-value of the items Item no t-value * Item content 1 29.682 Working as a team is not always important. (Power Conflict) 2 18.336 Too much autonomy for implementing change leads to chaos and internal power conflict. (Power Conflict) 3 22.388 The nature of top management in case of application of employees’ knowledge while doing a non-routine/complex job. (Bureaucratic Structure) 4 2.968 People are not definite about their future in the organization. (Bureaucratic Structure) 5 12.719 People do not adequately understand why there is change and exactly what is changing. (Events Thought in Isolation) 6 12.389 There is a need for change of roles on a regular basis at all levels. (Control) 7 18.0952 Giving too much importance to the human factor is not possible and necessary. (Control) 8 27.073 You really think that the interests of certain groups usually affect the process of change. (Power Conflict) *Significance level at 60 degrees of freedom at 0.01 is ?2.660 Table 2: Mental Models in Organizations Mental Models and its items Mean S D 1 2.00 0.96 2 2.00 0.96 3 2.50 0.74 4 2.69 1.20 5 2.96 1.02 6 2.53 1.15 7 1.53 0.69 8 2.69 0.53 *p < 0.01; low score indicates favorable response. Maximum possible low score is 8 and maximum possible high score is 32. Table 3: Mental Models’ percentage frequency Distribution Total score Frequency Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 13.00 8 2.0 2.0 15.00 8 2.0 4.0 16.00 64 16.0 20.0 17.00 56 14.0 34.0 18.00 48 12.0 46.0 19.00 48 12.0 58.0 20.00 40 10.0 68.0 21.00 16 4.0 72.0 22.00 32 8.0 80.0 24.00 40 10.0 90.0 25.00 24 6.0 96.0 26.00 16 4.0 100.0 400 100.0 Following are the pie charts of item-wise executive responses Item 1: Working as a team is not always important. (Power Conflict) Item 2: Too much autonomy for implementing change leads to chaos and internal power conflict. (Power Conflict) Item 3: The nature of top management in case of application of employees’ knowledge while doing a non-routine/complex job (Bureaucratic Structure) Item 4: People are not definite about their future in the organization. (Bureaucratic Structure) Item 5: People do not adequately understand why there is change and exactly what is changing. (Events Thought in Isolation) Item 6: There is a need for change of roles on a regular basis at all levels. (Control) Item 7: Giving too much importance to the human factor is not possible and necessary. (Control) Item 8: You really think that the interests of certain groups usually affect the process of change. (Power Conflict) Figure 1: Graphical Representation of Percentage Frequency Distribution of scores regarding Mental Models in Sample Organizations A percentage frequency distribution chart is given to show the pattern of responses of the executives in two broad categories of organization, service and manufacturing. Findings Power Conflict Item 1 and item 2 reveal executives’ mental models regarding power conflict. Though item 1 shows team work is preferred, item 2 shows executives have a block in power sharing. Item 8 shows only 30% of the executives believe that interest of certain groups are not affected during a process of change, clearly revealing a conflict of power. Bureaucratic Structure Item 3 shows almost 77% of the sample executives believe in moderately to strictly high bureaucratic structure. Item 4 reveals only 20% believes in having a shared platform for every level of employees. Events Thought in Isolation Almost 65% of the sample executives believe that people should not interfere in a change process if it is not related with his/her job. Only 12% believes that everyone should know why there is a change irrespective of any criterion. 10% follows some definite mechanism to inform everybody about change. Control Item 6 show that executives feel an urge to share their roles irrespective of levels of the employees. Item 7 reveals that executives believe in human factor rather than strict control. The overall study shows that executives are having a mindset of loosening control but relies on bureaucratic structure, and power conflict is very much there. Events thought in isolation shows that executives are far behind holistic thinking. 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Free Essays on The Missil Crisis In Cuba

The mayor confrontation between the United States and Soviet Union did not happened in Europe. It started in the Caribbean. It took place during the call of the â€Å"Missile Crisis† in Cuba in October 1962. The Cuban missile crisis was the closest the world ever came to nuclear war. The United States’ armed forces were at their highest state of quickness ever. Soviet Union commanders in Cuba were prepared to use battlefield and nuclear weapons to defend the island in case it was invaded. Thanks to two brave men, President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who were brave enough to prevent the war. The center of the conflict started when the Soviet Union established a base of military operations and the heart of oxidant. This step generated the conflicts between super potential. One side was the United States and the other side was the Soviet Union and China. The crisis almost became World War 3 and the 1st nuclear War. This would have produced a catastrophe that would of affected the people who lived in Cuba. Therefore the first objective was to disappear any eventual atomic bombing. In 1961 Fidel Castro proclaimed officially a social character of his government. With this he made a radical tour of the original program of the Cuban revolution. At the same time, he tried to establish a social soviet. This way they provided to Cuba enormous economic requirements, military sources, and an all kinds of military weapons including nuclear missiles. They initiated the construction in Cuba of the ramps to throw missiles that are capable to land in the southern part of the United States in minutes. The main object of the Soviet Union was to modified and balance the atomic weapons displayed in the war, till then inconvenient for the Russ. The crisis began on October 15,1962 for the United States, when they examinant photographs reveled Soviet missiles under construction in Cuba. The next day they informed president... Free Essays on The Missil Crisis In Cuba Free Essays on The Missil Crisis In Cuba The mayor confrontation between the United States and Soviet Union did not happened in Europe. It started in the Caribbean. It took place during the call of the â€Å"Missile Crisis† in Cuba in October 1962. The Cuban missile crisis was the closest the world ever came to nuclear war. The United States’ armed forces were at their highest state of quickness ever. Soviet Union commanders in Cuba were prepared to use battlefield and nuclear weapons to defend the island in case it was invaded. Thanks to two brave men, President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who were brave enough to prevent the war. The center of the conflict started when the Soviet Union established a base of military operations and the heart of oxidant. This step generated the conflicts between super potential. One side was the United States and the other side was the Soviet Union and China. The crisis almost became World War 3 and the 1st nuclear War. This would have produced a catastrophe that would of affected the people who lived in Cuba. Therefore the first objective was to disappear any eventual atomic bombing. In 1961 Fidel Castro proclaimed officially a social character of his government. With this he made a radical tour of the original program of the Cuban revolution. At the same time, he tried to establish a social soviet. This way they provided to Cuba enormous economic requirements, military sources, and an all kinds of military weapons including nuclear missiles. They initiated the construction in Cuba of the ramps to throw missiles that are capable to land in the southern part of the United States in minutes. The main object of the Soviet Union was to modified and balance the atomic weapons displayed in the war, till then inconvenient for the Russ. The crisis began on October 15,1962 for the United States, when they examinant photographs reveled Soviet missiles under construction in Cuba. The next day they informed president...

Diabetes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Diabetes - Essay Example Glucose is the main source of fuel for the body. The pancreas, an exocrine gland automatically produces the right amount of insulin to move glucose from blood into the cells. In diabetes, the blood glucose level increases beyond the optimum level which results in a cascade of pathologies in the body. The blood glucose level is normally controlled by the hormone Insulin secreted from the Pancreas. Diabetes has been broadly classified into two categories: Diabetes Type I & II. In Type I diabetes, the body is unable to synthesize enough Insulin hormone and in Type II diabetes, which is more common in occurrence than the former, the body either does not produce enough Insulin or is unable to properly utilize the available Insulin There is a third type known as gestational diabetes which occurs during pregnancy in women. Pancreas is a large elongated exocrine gland located behind the stomach and secretes pancreatic juice as well as insulin. Pancreatic juice plays an important role in the digestion of food while the insulin controls the glucose levels of the body. The discovery of insulin was a dramatic event in the history of medicine (Kahn C.R.& Sechter Yoram). In 1869, Paul Langerhans, a German medical student discovered that the pancreas contains two distinct groups of cells. The acinar cells secrete the digestive enzymes while cells clustered in islets had a secondary function. A hint to the functioning of these islets, which were later labeled as ‘Islets of Langerhans’ became somewhat clear when Oskar Minkowski and Joseph von Mering (1889) showed that dogs in whom pancreas was removed suffered from a syndrome similar to diabetes mellitus in man (Kahn C.R.& Sechter Yoram). Banting and Best, two Canadians were successful in extracting insulin from the pancreas in 1922 and treating a patient successfully. The ß cells of pancreatic islets synthesize insulin from a precursor molecule called proinsulin which is

Social and cultural diversity in united arab emirates Research Paper

Social and cultural diversity in united arab emirates - Research Paper Example These factors affect relations that people have and what they do in various important situations and one of the most notable influences that they have is the influence on the media. Some of the factors that affect communication in UAE include; religion, sex and dress code for different people in the environment. These factors are not a reserve for anyone but they affect all people, whether they are locals or foreigners who stay in the UAE (King, 2008). Religion is one of the factors that affect the way people of the UAE differ or identify themselves from other places of the world, who do not come from the country. For example, in Dubai, there are numerous mosques where people convene for prayers and they are uniquely identifiable from different points. This has influenced the culture of the people who stay in that place at any time of the year regardless of the different backgrounds they could have in terms of religion in that they have to respond to different calls for prayer in cer tain ways. For example, the religious culture of the people of the UAE does not allow any person to eat in public daylight in the month of Ramadhan regardless of the differences in the religious beliefs (Terterov & Shoult, 2006). On the other hand, people in the UAE have particular dress codes, which is unique in different contexts and all the people ought to conform to requirements in such contexts. For example, while people can be on swimwear while they are around the beach, in conservative areas in Dubai, they should wear modestly in conformity to the requirements of the culture. People should not wear shorts and T-shirts when they enter the mosques for any activity, although they are not restricted to wear them when they are in town (Terterov & Shoult, 2006). Differences in sexes are identifiable when it comes to the people in the UAE because they should show different behavior in their various activities in the course of life. In UAE, women should cover their heads when they go to the mosque but men can go without covering their heads and do any activities in there. The roles vary in terms sexes in UAE with men acceptably allowed to conduct services in the mosque but women should not (Terterov & Shoult, 2006). In the UAE, there factors of that serve as the identity for the people and that are important aspects of media because they have a great influence in the lives of people. This is because what the culture allows publication is what the media of communication should transmit to the people according to cultural sanctions of the UAE. The issues, which are not favorable to the dominant Muslim culture in UAE, are not likely to go on air because it has a strict disciplinary action for the people who deviate. This means that the media in UAE is under the obligation to fulfill the cultural expectations as set out in the traditions of the place in which they are working. Media in UAE has to formulate policies in their services delivery that represent the cult ure of people in the country so that they will not deviate from the right purposes (Ward, 2013). Media is influenced by differences in the people who stay in the area because they have limitations in terms of the different things that they can display in the videos or papers. In the representation of videos and other forms of information, the coverage of things that pose social conflicts is regulated majorly by the popularity of the