A Dream Shattered or Still a Big Potential Essay Essay Example

A Dream Shattered or Still a Big Potential Essay Essay Example A Dream Shattered or Still a Big Potential Essay Essay A Dream Shattered or Still a Big Potential Essay Essay Essay Topic: Catching Fire A DREAM SHATTERED OR STILL A BIG POTENTIAL: A CASE STUDY OF TATA NANO Abstract Keeping the potency of Indian Automobile Industry in head. a few old ages back. around 2006 Ratan Tata conceived the thought of a bantam auto with even a bantam monetary value ticket for quickly turning in-between category section. Tata Nano was seen as a victory of place grown technology ; as doing a merchandise which encapsulates the dreams of 1000000s of Indians with all the elements of mix i. e. safety. technology. design. efficiency. manner at a monetary value ticket of one hundred thousand was in itself a challenge. The intense media examination about the few instances of Nano catching fire brought a singular dent in Nano gross revenues and shattered the customers’ assurance in auto. Since so Nano is fighting difficult to recover its strong image in the eyes of its clients as still the immense potency of in-between section is undiscovered. The treatment arises about the turnaround schemes of Nano maintaining in position its initial launch success. a few quality failures and deformed perceptual experiences in the heads of its clients. This treatment will further add to the design of schemes for future new merchandises which are good strategized for success with clear and defined imaginable about the costs. and market sections but fail due to a few little but important errors. Keywords: Merchandise Development. . USP ( alone merchandising preposition ) . Buzz selling. Communication Complacency. Strategic Repositioning. Resurrection. *This instance survey is developed during the Resurrection stage of Tata Nano in March 2012 for schoolroom treatment as a perfect illustration for analysing assorted facets in the launch of an advanced merchandise. . its market credence. Changing people perceptual experiences etc. National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1087 A Dream Shattered or Still A Large Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Introduction Merely a few months back. India overtook Brazil as the 6th largest rider vehicle maker in the universe ( Wikipedia Automobile industry ) . This proves the fact that the Indian Automobile Industry is traveling at a fast gait. India is a turning market for Hatchbacks. Sedans. SUVs MUVs. Crossing overs and MPVs. Among these little autos have emerged as a clear victor. In fact the state has become a taking Centre in bring forthing little autos. Keeping this potency of Indian Automobile Industry in head. a few old ages back. around 2006 Ratan Tata conceived the thought of a bantam auto with even a bantam monetary value ticket for quickly turning in-between category section. Tata Nano achieved instant success when it was introduced as world’s cheapest auto in the twelvemonth 2009. Tata Nano was seen as a victory of place grown technology ; as doing a merchandise which encapsulates the dreams of 1000000s of Indians with all the elements of mix i. e. safety. technology. design. efficiency. manner at a monetary value ticket of one hundred thousand was in itself a challenge. And Tata’s seemed to carry through all the promises to its clients by offering Nano. Majority of Indian population belong to middle category. when it comes to buying autos they look for the low-cost vehicles. Few surveies related to consumer purchasing behaviour show that if an single belonging to middle category wants to have a auto so he can easy blast out `1 lac to `1. 5 hundred thousand. Therefore. while purchasing a auto. monetary value ticket becomes a premier factor. Though pricing is the premier factor. public presentation. manner and lastingness besides affair. So. Nano basically being a dream undertaking for Tatas. satisfied really aptly all the criteria’s of a successful launch. that is. bantam monetary value ticket. public presentation. design. manner. trade name. welcoming clients. milage. infinite. insides. expressions. elegance and so on. But the sarcasm started when the safest acclaimed auto of Tata’s caught in fires while its manner back from salesroom to place. The intense media examination about the few instances of Nano catching fire brought a singular dent in Nano gross revenues and shattered the customers’ assurance in auto. Since so Nano is fighting difficult to recover its strong image in the eyes of its clients as still the immense potency of in-between section is undiscovered. National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1088 A Dream Shattered or Still A Large Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano The treatment arises about the turnaround schemes of Nano maintaining in position its initial launch success. a few quality failures and deformed perceptual experiences in the heads of its clients. This treatment will further add to the design of schemes for future new merchandises which are good strategized for success with clear and defined conceival about the costs. and market sections but fail due to a few little but important errors. This treatment can further go on for strategic repositioning and turnaround of merchandises accepted good in their initial phases of ‘PLC’ but matured really shortly due to certain important selling errors. Conceiving of the Idea The thought conceived about Nano was a dare dream of Tatas’ non because of its unbelievably low-cost monetary value but besides because of the promise it held for supplying safe personal mobility to a immense subdivision of the Indian two Wheeler siting population. It was an wholly new merchandise Beginning: Statisticss by Society of Indian Autommobile Manufacturers section with a whole different dimension of its demand to incorporate costs within a predetermined mark of `1 hundred thousand. The Nano monetary value was the lone certainty at the clip thought was conceived. And so get downing from a clean sheet of paper. the auto was designed and developed maintaining fabrication costs. stuff costs and production costs at lowest possible degree along with keeping its character. manner. endearing expressions and finished quality. National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1089 A Dream Shattered or Still A Large Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Problems in the Product Development Phase Ride for Tatas in the production of Nano had been anything but smooth. Tata built a Nano works in West Bengal but was forced out in Oct. . 2008 due to violent protest from husbandmans. This event resulted in the impermanent hold in the production along with doing a immense loss of substructure costs of a works about ready for auto production. Another works was built at Sanand in Gujrat where the production eventually started. These initial constrictions in the production someplace affected the enthusiasm about the undertaking and resulted in limited early handiness which caused pre-bookings and lottery bringings. This priced out many purchasers negatively snaping out the impulse from the market. Almost from the start the undertaking was plagued by jobs and were magnified by intense media engagement. Most Anticipated launch When India’s Tata Motors launched Nano in 2009. the construct of the world’s cheapest auto in one of the fast growing vehicles markets seems pre-destined for success. At its launch. auto purchasing kineticss seemed to be undergoing a elusive alteration. Tata traders were flooded with questions from prospective purchasers. Peoples chiefly in-between category were uneasily waiting for it. Bing the world’s cheapest auto. Tata Nano had an border over its rivals in footings of its pricing. which helped Tata to register nice gross revenues figures ab initio. While taking between Maruti Suzuki 800 and Tata Nano. people gave missive more weightage in footings of monetary value and design. Its biggest USP ( alone merchandising preposition ) was its attractive expressions at lowest monetary value. In March 2009. when Tata was launched it got beforehand engagements upto 2. 00. 000 autos but it went through lottery path to give the first 1. 00. 000 nanos to its lucky clients. Nano became the most desired thing for two Wheeler riders and Tata was so confident about its merchandise that it did’nt travel into any selling program for Nano. Its intense ballyhoo was itself making its bombilation marketing1. So. Tata got busy in bring forthing Nanos to carry through its intense demand but at the same clip being really self-satisfied about the market and clients perceptual experiences of the auto. 1. Buzz selling is word of oral cavity recommendations by its bing users National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1090 A Dream Shattered or Still A Large Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Sudden No-No for Nano Among all this ballyhoo when the new emerged in-between section of auto proprietors were basking their drive in their sparkling fashionable Nanos. first instance of Nano catching fire was reported in March. 2010 while its trip from salesroom to customer’s house. Another incident quoted the auto went on fires shortly after the driver reported a flicker from the rear side of the auto. The confidence of Tata’s cheapest auto being safest proved ironical and the media which was giving intense examination to the undertaking did its occupation good during the bad times besides. The security failure of the auto wholly broke the trust of the clients in Nano. A drastic lessening in gross revenues was noticed in November 2010 ( from 9000 units to 509 units per month ) when company called its bing clients to put in the safety devices in the auto. So with in a twelvemonth the inspiration of Tatas started looking like a failure as its gross revenues went about half within a twelvemonth. Gross saless were far off the mark of 25000 autos a month and the Nano works with an one-year capacity of 250000 autos kept bring forthing merely 8000 units a month till March 2011. Table 1: Gross saless Excerpts ( From July 2009 to March 2012 ) Month and twelvemonth Nano units sold July 2009 2475 Dec 2009 4001 March 2010 4710 April 2010 3525 July 2010 9000 Nov 2010 509 Dec 2010 5784 Beginning: assorted web sites of Tata motors Month and twelvemonth Jan 2011 April 2011 July 2011 Dec 2011 Jan 2012 Feb 2012 Mar 2012 Nano units sold 6703 10012 3260 7466 7723 9217 10475 National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1091 A Dream Shattered or Still A Large Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Tata Nano Performance V Automobile Industry Production ( Passenger Vehicles ) Industrial Scanning and analysis showed that the rider vehicles production in the state was turning enormously ( Fig. 3 ) . but Nano gross revenues showed a assorted tendency till the mid of 2011 ( Fig 2 ) . The company took to replace the starting motor motors in the older theoretical accounts and launched a new theoretical account in 2012 but replacing of the parts could besides impact the farther gross revenues of new theoretical account as good said. ‘Indian clients do non forgive easily’ . So. there was a great challenge for Tata to retain its trade name image. Inappropriate Market Positioning: Cheaper V Affordable After the several months of dissatisfactory gross revenues of Nano. it became clear by the terminal of 2011that its cheapest ticket has really shunned its gross revenues. The position witting client didn’t want to acquire associated with its ‘cheap’ ticket and instead opted for somewhat pricier challengers. Cipher wanted to be caught with a ticket of ‘poor man’s auto. So instead being a functional measure above a bike it became known as a bargain-priced auto. Crucially auto has struggled to happen a nucleus market. The overpowering involvement in the auto brought all the assorted sections of the clients in the market. So. a typical scheme was losing to give a right placement and cleavage to the highly typical merchandise. Communication complacence Tatas relied to a great extent on the promotion instead than a decidedly designed communicating scheme. There was immense engagement from media. industry and public at big. Rather than leveraging this promotion Tata became self-satisfied about the communicating. It became the first auto to be launched at zero cost of advertisement with a immense success. The promotion generated was far greater than what could be generated through any conventional run. Tatas supplication was that job was non of the complacence. Because the Nano works had to travel from West Bengal to Gujarat. production timelines were hard to keep. With non adequate autos being made. the company felt it didn’t have to publicize or even put up efficient distribution channels. But the ballyhoo about the auto died down. and the narratives about the fires gained prominence. National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1093 A Dream Shattered or Still A Large Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano On the hindsight. apart from being delayed. the first ads were non the most appropriate. They showcased twosomes ensconced in Nanos. While those on two Wheelers stared at them balefully. It seemed to be merely for people who have to stretch themselves to purchase a auto ; instead it could hold been for homemaker or a child who had merely turned 18. But the advertisement focused at para degree. Tata seemed to sign the media narrative about it being a Garibrath instead than a cool auto. Another ad in the early 2011 besides projected the same image having a miss in a unquestionably countrified puting expecting the household Nano. Initial ads of Tata Nano: Khushion ki Chabi Such errors by Tatas really fuelled the perceptual experience of a hapless man’s auto. The auto is excessively much of an emotional purchase. It’s the 2nd biggest accomplishment after a house and the cheapest ticket proved black for Nano. Resurrection by Tatas Nano is the dream of Tatas and seeing the market flooded with so many little autos Tatas still see a immense potency in Nano and is looking to undo its errors in the yesteryear. As quoted by Ratan Tata on the Eve of Auto exhibition 2012. ‘Nano is non a floating-point operation. We have lost an early chance due to errors in placement and marketing the merchandise. ’ The new selling run by Tata is all set to alter the perceptual experience from a Garib rath to a cool auto as it allows immature to be so capricious with the cool auto that they can drive the several kilometres for a cup of perfect tea! Road to Lal Tippa National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1094 A Dream Shattered or Still A Large Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Tata is traveling to establish Tata Nano CNG by the terminal of 2012. The company has given the auto a new makeover by extra characteristics like new insides. a powerful gasolene engine. better fuel efficiency and attractive colourss like bubbly gold and papaya orange. Another enterprise is offering Tata Nano felicity warrant which more than doubles the car’s guarantee from 18 months to four old ages take a firm standing on its dependability. Offering fast path funding for purchasers with loan blessings in 48 hours and cut downing down payments to merely `15000 is another step. Tata is be aftering to come in new planetary market such as Thailand. Myanmar. Indonesia and Bangladesh with Nano. The 2012 version of Nano was unveiled by the Tata in the terminal of 2011 and now as the financial twelvemonth ended in March. the new attempts to advance the 2012 Nano in the Indian market have started paying off. After July 2011 till March 2012 Tata Nano has registered an addition in gros s revenues and crossed the 10000 grade at the terminal of the financial twelvemonth 2011-12 ( March 2012. 10475 units. Table1 ) . The lovely Nano is a large good auto in little bundle and its value is being recognized bit by bit by the clients. Hence. with the strong belief in head that the potency of Nano market remains every bit huge as it was originally predicted ; Tata is traveling with some strong stairss in the market as it is besides be aftering to establish a diesel discrepancy of Nano in near future which will turn out a value preposition for its clients. Long manner in front Nano has to travel a long manner in recognizing its dream of 20. 000 plus units per month that would acquire its works in the western province of Gujarat running full accelerator which is soon traveling at the degree of around 10000 units per month. Hailed as a collectors item of invention spawned from and targeted at the emerging upper in-between category ; Nano is working hard to undo its errors in the yesteryear. As little auto section is holding really strong potency. there is a inundation of little auto trade names in the Indian market. It has to confront strong competition from its close challengers such as Bajaj’s RE 60. Maruti Suzuki Cervo ( approx. ` 1. 5 hundred thousand ) . Maruti Alto and somewhat pricier options Hyundai Santro. freshly launched Hyundai Eon etc. Nano faces lifting competition from used auto section National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1095 A Dream Shattered or Still A Large Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano besides. Apart from the strong rivals. high rising prices and decelerate economic growing besides put another challenges for Tata Nano. Tata is making difficult to raise the merchandise section by intensive dependability technology. advertisement inventions for shifting and strong distribution and service installations to remember the trust of its clients. Let’s see how Nano makes its shapers proud amidst conflicting perceptual experiences of clients. the huge competition and lifting rising prices by keeping expected public presentation at its tiniest ticket! ! ! Questions 1. What do you believe were the grounds due to which Nano was such a welcome launch more than any other auto launch in the industry antecedently? 2. As Cheapest auto being its USP ( Unique selling Preposition ) . how it went against the gross revenues public presentation of Nano later. Give cardinal grounds. 3. â€Å"Intense Media attending about the merchandise went for and against it besides. † Elaborate. 4. How the changed perceptual experiences about the auto impacted its gross revenues? Besides give other cardinal grounds for such a huge fluctuation in its gross revenues public presentation. 5. Despite the assorted Resurrection attempts by Tata what possible do you see of Nano in quickly turning little auto section in coming old ages in the position of lifting competition in the section? Mentions: ‘Auto Expo 2012: Tata Nano is non a floating-point operation. merely an chance wasted: Ratan Tata’ . Economic Times. Jan 6. 2012. ‘No Takers: Is the Tata Nano Runing Out of Gas? ’ . India [ electronic mail protected ]/*. January 27. 2011 Buddiraja S. . ‘ Case Analysis in Marketing Management’ . Tata Mcgraw hills. New Delhi. Dhingra Mayank. ‘Marketing Case Study: Tata Nano - Document Transcript’ . ( Aug 2009 ) . Slideshare. India Today/ Business/Story New Delhi. Jan 6 2012. Kotlar Phillip. ‘Marketing Management: a South Asiatic Perspective’ 13th Edition. Pearson Education. New Delhi. Statisticss by Society of Indian Mobile Manufacturers. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. siamindia. com/scripts/market-share. aspx Economic Times. ’World’s cheapest car’ ticket backfires’ . . 24 Jan. 2012 Web Sources: World Wide Web. tatamotors. com/media/press-releases. php? id=732 World Wide Web. zigwheels. c om/tata-nano/ World Wide Web. lens implant. co. za/business/business-news/home-sales-of-world-s-cheapest-car-backfire-1. 1219524 Assorted web sites of Tata Motors National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1096

5 Ways to Establish Your Writing Practice - Freewrite Store

5 Ways to Establish Your Writing Practice - Freewrite Store Today’s guest post is by editor and author Susan DeFreitas (@manzanitafire), whose debut novel, Hot Season, won the 2017 Gold IPPY Award for Best Fiction of the Mountain-West. Â   Â   Â   If you struggle to establish a writing practice, don’t despair. While writing will never be a completely painless process, there are ways to make it easier on yourself (not to mention more fun). First, though, some real talk: Most people who want to write never do. Or, at least, they never make writing enough of a habit to finish any of the big projects they have in mind, be it a novel, a memoir, or a chapbook of poems. Say you have a great idea but you don’t know where to start. Or you get started with your project but then lose the thread, or get distracted, and never wind up finishing it. In either case, the following tips can help you get started, get back on track if you’ve stalled out- and, ultimately, get to the finish line with your project. 1) Brainstorming Terrified of the blank white page? You’re not alone. There’s something about beginnings that’s deeply intimidating- especially when it’s the beginning of something big. The thing is, the beginnings are all about brainstorming and daydreaming- and as it turns out, staring at a blinking cursor on a blank white page is really not the best way to do either of these things. Neuroscience suggests that this sort of big-picture creative thinking- about what you envision for your project, its concerns, its scope, even the voice you hear for it- is best accomplished while walking, or in the back of your mind as you’re going about other tasks, or as you’re falling asleep at night. In this way, you’ll be partnering with your subconscious mind, opening the door to associative connections that simply won’t arise if you try to push. What are the questions driving your project? What do you know about it, and what don’t you know? In the earliest stages of your writing process, as far as I’m concerned, you shouldn’t be writing at all- you should be thinking about your project in a way that clues you into what it is you really want to do, and how you really want to do it. 2) Visioning Once you’ve answered these sorts of questions, it’s time to set aside a few hours to envision where you’re going. Take yourself out for coffee on a Sunday morning, or set aside those precious hours after the kids go to bed. This is your time to flesh out and solidify your ideas. What will the plot of your novel be? What topics will your essays cover? What are the concerns of your poetry, the forms that inspire you, the specific themes you’d like to write toward? This is the time to take all those big-picture ideas you’ve had floating around in your head and solidify them into a real plan. Be as specific as you can- this plan will be the roadmap for your project. 3) Set aside a regular time Only have a half hour a day to write? Or even fifteen minutes? No problem. When you have a detailed plan for your project, it’s not hard to make use of small chunks of time to execute it. You may do nothing more than write a few sentences, or a paragraph, or a few lines of poetry. But if you write each day- preferably at the same time, but not necessarily- you will progress in your project. If you can find more time to devote to your writing practice on a daily basis, great- but remember, it can be hard to continue a practice that’s based on finding big chunks of time. If you can learn to write in smaller increments, you’ll wind up writing more often (which tends to be the key to finishing). And if you lose the thread, remember, you have a blueprint you can return to (and amend, if necessary). It’s not necessary to keep the big picture of your project in your head at all times- all that’s necessary is that you keep inching forward, whether it’s a little or a lot at a time. 4) Find your people One of the best ways to ensure that you stick to your writing practice over the long term is to find a group of people who will keep you accountable for creating new work. This group might be a traditional writers’ critique group, or it might be a generative group like Sit Down, Shut Up, and Write. If you live in a place where writers are scarce, even a Patreon campaign that makes you accountable to your sponsors for new work every month will do the trick. Of course, it’s possible to establish a writing practice in isolation- but over the long haul, it’s hugely helpful to know that there is someone on the other end, waiting to read what you’ve written. 5) Make it fun Finally, if you find your writing process losing steam, stop and ask yourself why. Is it because you’ve become too critical of your own work? Because you haven’t gotten the validation and direction that comes through feedback? Or because you’re pursuing the wrong project, one that your heart isn’t really in? In the end, you may find it something more like the fact that your writing desk is uncomfortable, or that you don’t like working where it’s too noisy (or too quiet). Maybe you need to draft in longhand, or outdoors, or next to a window. Maybe you need to write with a cup of coffee in hand, or after you’ve had a glass of wine, or after you’ve read a poem by your all-time favorite poet. Whatever it is, you owe it to yourself to find out, and experiment until you find the tools, setting, and context that sends a clear signal to your mind: writing is fun, and this is a great time to make it happen. Now it’s your turn. What do you struggle with in your writing practice? And what has proven most helpful to you in staying on track? Â   An author, editor, and educator, Susan DeFreitas’s creative work has appeared in (or is forthcoming from) The Writer’s Chronicle, The Utne Reader, Story, Southwestern American Literature, and Weber- The Contemporary West, along with more than twenty other journals and anthologies. She is the author of the novel Hot Season (Harvard Square Editions), which won the 2017 Gold IPPY Award for Best Fiction of the Mountain West. She holds an MFA from Pacific University and lives in Portland, Oregon, where she serves as an editor with Indigo Editing Publications.

E-commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

E-commerce - Essay Example This technology has become the inseparable part of organizational integration, marketing, HRM, and customer retention. Hence, the firms with non-viable features are most likely to fail in the current business environment. Hundreds and millions of customers today rely on internet, either to purchase something or to collect information about various products and services they require. This fast growing trend is fondly referred to ‘e-commerce’ which forces entrepreneurs to modify their business in accordance with the market changes. In order to be competitive, organizations need to have instant and accurate access to information about their own resources and assets. Since the potential of the internet, as an integral tool of a company’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and decision making has been proven, companies heavily depend on the web based technology. This report will examine the main features of e-commerce, changing business models, features of digital mark ets and digital goods, various internet business models, principal payment systems in e-commerce, and new developments in the area etc. If a company runs its business functions electronically, the method can be called e-commerce. However, the type of e-commerce that a firm adopts depends on its organizational structure, size, business area, target segments, and many other factors. In common, e-commerce is effective between business and business, between business and consumers, between business and employees, between consumer and consumer etc. Regardless of the category of e-commerce, there is clear indication of more consumers and businesses entering the stream of electronic commerce. For instance, in the United States alone 2 percent of all retail sales revenue is generated from e-commerce; and coming days would witness tremendous upside growth in this area (Lauden & Lauden, J. P. 2007, p. 303). The term B2B refers to the sales and transactions between business groups which

Islam in India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Islam in India - Essay Example The essay "Islam in India" talks about the Islamic religion that was started in India long before the death of Muhammad the Prophet. History shows that the Turkish people, including Muhammad Bakhtiyar, were the first conquerors that came over to Bengal and took over the Hindu kingdom.History tells about another invasion said to have started as early as 712. The invaders were led by the leader Muhammad Bin Qasim, who fought and won the war on Sikh land. This occurred a short while after the start of the Islamic religion in other parts of Arabic land. The religion was spread by the Arabs as they moved and fought kingdoms that tried to resist them, including Iran, Afghanistan, and India. The author shows that Arabs came to the land of India through the northwest region, which happened after talks with Buddhist leaders who wanted to help to fight Buddhist non-believers. This was an opportunity for the Islamic religion to enter and take over Buddhism kingdoms. Mohammed Qasim, who was aske d for help to fight Buddhism non-believers fought and won the war of Rewar in the year 712. The rule of Mohammed Qasim was followed by Turkish rule led by Mahmud Ghazni in the ninth century after the death of Mohammed Qasim. Mahmud Ghazni’s reason for invading India was to spread Islamic religion and the richness of Indian temples. Ghazni fought non-Muslim religions and destroying their temples. For example, Thorpe et al shows that Mahmud with his soldiers destroyed Hindu temples in the year 1026.

Media Impacts on Children’s Rights Essay Example for Free

Media Impacts on Children’s Rights Essay Child abuse gives most people a vision of the faults and blunders of the society. Child mistreatment is one of the most common crimes committed in the present. As for the Philippines, one can find vital statistics to certain crimes at the Bantay Bata 163 website (http://www.abs-cbn.com/bantaybata163). According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), 6,494 cases of child abuse were reported for the year of 2006 alone. Indeed, the government and certain non-government organizations must deal with these incidents of child abuse particularly the mass media. This paper examines the role of the media in relation to child abuse and child protection and argues that the media have been essential to the task of placing the problem of child abuse in the minds of the public and on the political agenda. THE MASS MEDIA According to YourDictionary.com, Mass Media is those means of communication that reach and influence large numbers of people, especially newspapers, popular magazines, radio, and television. Mass Media are those media that are created to be consumed by immense number of population worldwide and also a direct contemporary instrument of mass communication. Nonetheless, Mass Media is considered as the fourth estate of the society as well. It is the fourth branch of the government. It is the voice and weapon of the people and the society as whole. Mass media has various purposes, first is for entertainment, traditionally through performances of acting, music, and sports, along with light reading but since the late 20th century it can also be through video and computer games. Next is for public service announcement which is intended to modify public attitudes by raising awareness about specific issues like health and safety. And lastly is for advocacy. This can be for  both business and social concerns. This can include advertising, marketing, propaganda, public relations and political communication. MEDIA AND HUMAN RIGHTS As stated by the Secretary- General of the United Nations in 1998, Human Rights are ‘what reason requires and what conscience commands’ (Mizuta, 2000). It is commonly recognized that human rights are firm foundations of human existence and co-existence. It is for these human rights that the United Nations is engaged in securing the basic conditions of life, in ensuring peace, development, a safe environment, food, shelter, education, participation, equal opportunities and protection against intolerance in any form. The Preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights expicitly states that: ‘every individual and every organ of the society, keeping this Declaration constatly inmind, shall strive by teaching education to promote respect for these rights and freedom’ (Hamelink, 2000). With this, we can say that all (including different institutions) are responsible in promoting human rights. Mass media present the opportunity to communicate to large numbers of people and to target particular groups of people. As observed by Gamble and Gamble (1999), mass communication is significantly different from other forms of communication. They note that mass communication has the capacity to reach simultaneously many thousands of people who are not related to the sender. It depends on technical devices or machines to quickly distribute messages to diverse audiences often unknown to each other. Thus, media in relation to human rights shows a exceptional characteristic in promoting it. CHILD ABUSE In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child. The physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect of children have a long recorded history. In the mid to late 1800s, it was reported that children were often sexually assaulted, that children reported honestly about their abuse, and that the perpetrators of abuse were often the childrens fathers and brothers (Olafsen, Corwin and Summit 1993). Every year, millions of children across the world are becoming innocent helpless targets of atrocities. They are the sufferers of ill-treatment, exploitation, and brutality. They are part of human trafficking to induce into prostitution rackets. In terror prone regions, they are kidnapped from their homes and schools and their innocent childhood is forced into the army to witness the brunt of cruelty. They are enforced into debt repression or other kinds of slavery. In Metro Manila, according to Australian study, urbanization and migration continuously increase, children are often forced by circumstances to help their families earn a living. Most street children are of poor parents who have migrated from rural areas to find better job opportunities in the city, but lack of education renders them ill-equipped to earn or survive in the city. Street children have a bleak present and an uncertain future. Life in the street is a constant struggle to overcome the various negative elements that threaten to overtake and destroy the hope for survival. The street child works under the heat of the sun or in the dark of the night from 6 to 16 hours, seven days a week, often in a combination of â€Å"occupations† each considered their only means to survive. In the cities, neglected and abandoned children find themselves in the streets fending for themselves and vulnerable to the various evils of the urban jungle such as drug addiction, crimes and commercial sexual exploitation. Children who are neglected or abandoned are easy prey not only to accidents but to commercial sexual exploitation, drugs, crime and unwanted pregnancies. Incidents of child abuse is still on the rise especially  child sexual abuse. Also on the rise are reports of physical abuse and maltreatment of children. According to the statistics, there are approximately 40,000 to 50,000 street children of all categories in Metro Manila. Studies conducted reveal that the number of street children range from 2 to 3% of the child and adult population. The national project on street children estimated the number of street children at over 220,000 in 65 major cities as of 1993. There are now about 350 government and non government agencies that are responding to street childre n and their families. The government has given special focus on helping street children with programs focused on health and nutrition, educational assistance, parenting sessions, livelihood and skills training, residential care, foster care and adoption. However for as long as there would be squatter colonies sprouting in urban areas and for as long as there are not enough jobs, street children will continue to dominate in the streets. In a 1993 survey of households, some 16% of households surveyed have children below 12 years old who are left unattended with no supervising adult in the house. This translates to one in six households where children are without adult supervision. The consequences of child abuse are overwhelmingly disturbing. It denies a child its basic right-education. While violence and abuse pose a threat to their life, it also offers more devastating adverse effects on their mental and physical health. Often it leads to homelessness, resulting in increased number of cases of vagrancy giving birth to a feeling of depression. To worsen the scenario, these victims are more likely to abuse their own children in future, thanks to the deep impact on their mind and the cycle will continue forever. Though the agony and the plight of these children remain suppressed in silence, the brunt of their exploitation is very real. Although, the whole world is morally fuming at the abuse children endure. Yet, protection laws against child abuse commonly meet with confrontation at all strata of society. Like the protection of human rights, child protection can also be effectively promoted through media. MEDIA ON CHILD PROTECTION The media have been essential to the growth of society’s awareness of child abuse and neglect, not so much from specific community education campaigns as through ongoing news and features reporting on specific cases, research and intervention initiatives (Gough 1996). Media representations are the primary source of information on social problems for many people (Hutson and Liddiard 1994). Specifically, it is apparent that the media’s conceptualization of children and young people, and media reporting on both physical discipline of children and child abuse, is significant in reflecting and defining society’s perceptions of children and young people (Franklin and Horwath 1996), and what is and what is not acceptable behavior towards children. In addition to news stories, feature articles, and investigative journalism, sporadic mass media education and prevention campaigns are launched. These campaigns usually endeavor to broaden community knowledge of child abuse and neglect, to influence peoples attitudes towards children and young people, and to change behaviors that contribute to, or precipitate, the problem of child abuse and neglect in our communities (Goddard and Saunders, 2002). The constructive use of mass media can assist in teaching children and young people socially desirable ways of dealing with conflict, knowledge of their rights to integrity and protection from harm, healthy eating habits and lifestyles, and ways to assert themselves and their rights in a positive, acceptable manner. In an Inquiry into the Effects of Television and Multimedia on Children and Families in Victoria, Australia, evaluations of educational television programs, designed either for pre-schoolers or for older children, have suggested their effectiveness in heightening a range of social behaviors’ (Friedrich and Stein 1973), diminishing the effects of stereotyping (Johnston and Ettema 1982), increasing preparedness for adolescence (Singer and Singer 1994), and stimulating the discussion of solutions to general social issues (Johnston et. al 1993). The Convention of the rights of the child provides for the right of children to access information and material to those that aimed the promotion of his or her rights. (Hamelink, 1999).Therefore, mass media as a  primary source of these information should provide the children proper knowledge of his or her rights. Also, mass media education and prevention campaigns may be designed to target children and young people, providing them with useful information and alerting them to avenues for further information, help and support. Campaigns can also use regular television programs for children. Research suggests that, at least in the short term, television viewing of such programs may increase childrens and young peoples knowledge and positively change attitudes and behaviors. Unfortunately, longitudinal studies exploring sustained effects are rare and thus inconclusive. It further notes that television is one of the most popular forms of mass communication and entertainment in has been under-utilized as an educative tool, and suggests that perhaps narrow vision has meant that the deliberate use of television simultaneously to entertain and educate has not been fully recognized. Despite this, Postman (1994) has argued that television is rapidly becoming the first curriculum, with educational institutions such as schools following behind. Further, campaigns may be designed to give children and young people an opportunity to express their views on issues that affect them, specifically targeting adult audiences that habitually ignore the views and experiences of children and young people. The UK Childrens Express is one example, as is Youth Forum in Melbournes Herald Sun newspaper. .Research on the physical punishment of children suggests, for example, that adults may be interested to hear childrens views on the issue of physical discipline, and children interviewed in the research were keen for adults to hear their views. To date, however, the media rarely, if ever, consults children and takes their views into account before reporting on the physical punishment for children (Goddard and Saunders, 2000) MASS MEDIA CAMPAIGNS †¢ EVERY CHILD IS IMPORTANT (Australia, May 2000) This primary prevention campaign used a comforting approach and incorporated a significant mass media component (Tucci et. al2001). As outlined in More action less talk! Community responses to child abuse prevention (Tucci, et. al 2001), the campaign sought to: elicit a commitment from adults to adults to develop safe and non-abusive relationships with children; persuade adults to stop behaving in ways which are harmful to children; educate adults about the important needs of children; and better inform adults about the causes and consequences of child abuse. The campaign encouraged all adults to: think and view children as a source of hope; understand the developmental variables of children; respect the meaning children give to their experiences; engage positively with the principles of childrens rights; and appreciate more fully the capacities and contribution of children to the cultural and emotional life of families and communities. The campaign also addressed: the commonly held belief that children are a cost to society; the perceived suspicion that any application of the notion of childrens rights will mean an erosion of parents rights; and the publics lack of understanding about the extent and nature of child abuse in Australia. The campaign continued until the end of 2001. A song, written by Van Morrison and performed by Rod Stewart, Have I Told You Lately That I Love You, was the focus of a television advertising campaign that aimed to stimulate peoples thoughts about the importance and value of children and how this is communicated to them. Television commercials were backed up by press and radio advertisements. In addition to advertising, the campaign sought media attention by involving Tracy Bartram, FOX FM radio personality, as an ambassador for the campaign. Media attention was drawn to the campaigns launch. A free information kit for parents was made available, parents seminar sessions, featuring Michael Grose, were conducted, and a website made readily available to the public. The campaign did not receive state or federal funding but relied heavily on in-kind support from individuals and Victorian businesses. Quantum Market Research monitored the effectiveness of the campaign. In  May 2000 and October 2000 telephone interviews were conducted with a representative sample of 301 adults. Public dissemination of research outcomes formed part of the campaign strategy. Tucci et al. (2001) report that the initial research findings, five months into the campaign, revealed that: Child abuse is as serious social problem that is poorly understood by the Victorian public while fifty one per cent of respondents believed the community recognized child abuse as a serious social problem and another twenty one per cent believed they accurately understood the extent and nature of child abuse in Australia, this is clearly not the case. Fifty nine per cent were unable even to guess the number of reports of child abuse received annually. Only four per cent of respondents accurately estimated the size of the problem. Twenty-nine per cent of respondents underestimated the problem by at least 90,000 reports. The idea that adults can hurt children is disturbing and likely underpins the belief by fifty one per cent of respondents that the community treats this issue seriously, but when asked to account for the extent to which children are being abused by adults, community awareness is sadly lacking. Eighty per cent of respondents strongly supported the need for a campaign against child abuse. Australians Against Child Abuse thus feels confident that the Every Child is Important campaign will significantly influence public attitudes and responses to children and to child abuse. Ongoing research into the impact of the campaign will in itself be valuable in contributing to the debate about the educative and cost effectiveness of mass media campaigns aimed at preventing child abuse and neglect. †¢ NSPCC Full Stop Campaign Primary Prevention (United Kingdom, May 1999) It has the ambitious aim of ending cruelty to children within 20 years. Costing three million pounds, it proposes to change attitudes and behaviour towards children, to make it everybodys business to protect children, and to launch new services and approaches (Boztas, 1999). The campaign is supported by Prince Andrew, popular personalities such as the Spice Girls, the English football star Alan Shearer, and companies such as British Telecom and Microsoft. As Rudaizky (quoted in Hall 1999) explains, a pictorial theme of the campaign is people covering their eyes: The theme of the eyes being covered is about people not facing up to the reality of what is happening. Our intention was not to shock but to move people into doing something about it. Child abuse is not nice to talk about. It is an upsetting subject but unless we talk about it, we will not end it. This objective highlights the suppression/awareness phenomenon mentioned above, and draws attention again to the need for ongoing rather than intermittent prevention campaigns. FAMILIES – University of Queensland Sanders et al. (2000) evaluated Families a 12-part prevention-focused television series designed to provide empirically validated parenting information in an interesting and entertaining format. The series presented a parenting model, suggesting strategies parents could use with their children. It aimed to reassure parents that it is normal for parenting to be challenging, and it hoped to increase parents confidence that positive changes in childrens behavior were achievable. The series also aimed to increase awareness in the community of the importance of positive family relationships to the positive development of young people (Sanders et al. 2000). This media-based television series was considered to be successful, specifically in relation to its impact on increasing the parenting confidence of mothers. However, Sanders et al. (2000) concluded that the impact of the series could have been increased: by the strategic provision of service support systems, such as telephone information contact lines or parenting resource centers, which could be advertised as part of a coordinated media strategy planned to coincide with the airing of the television program. These services could provide information and back-up resources, such as parenting tip sheets, to parents seeking further advice after viewing the program. Staff at these centers could also identify and  refer families who may need more intensive help. †¢ BEYOND BELIEF (United Kingdom, 1992) A documentary claimed to show new evidence of satanic/ritual abuse in Britain. Following the program, helplines were overloaded with calls from people who had experienced sexual or ritual abuse. Counsellors noted that: The program appeared to have given callers permission to speak of their experiences and their gratitude that someone, somewhere took what they said seriously. (Scott 1993) Henderson, a fellow at Glasgow Universitys mass media unit, as quoted by Hellen (1998) commented that: A lot of people who have suffered child abuse quite simply lack the vocabulary, because of shame or fear, to come to terms with what has happened. Provided a drama does not place blame on the child, it can be very helpful. †¢ BBC Screenplay It has been suggested that sometimes drama reaches the parts the documentary cannot (Campbell 1989). Writing about Testimony of a Child, a BBC screenplay that presents the other side of the Cleveland child sexual abuse saga the story of an abused child going home to [the] abuser, Campbell argues that sexual assault presents television with terrible problems. Television is about seeing. But it censors what we need to see if we are to understand because it bows to propriety and thus contains what is knowable (Campbell 1989).Despite this, Campbell (1989) notes the power of fictitious drama based on fact to: invite you to think: what would you do if faced with that childs face, his fantasies full of terror and death, his starvation, his stubborn silences, his sore bum. †¢ COLD HANDS- (New South Wales, 1993) Armstrong (1993) argued that the play portrays a week in the life of a 12 year-old girl sexually assaulted by her father and got pregnant. The  plays focus allows the audience to gain an insight into the childs fear and trauma, the fathers feeble rationalization and defense, and the mothers fear of confronting the truth. Armstrong noted that the New South Wales Child Protection Council showed professional interest in the play and that plays have been used as part of child abuse awareness campaigns. The plays director, Ritchie (as quoted by Armstrong 1993) remarked that: The play is powerful, dramatic, presenting practical and emotional reality. It is confronting, but it emphasizes the fact that there is no excuse. †¢ QUESTIONS 2: Killing Tomorrow New Zealand A documentary, screened in New Zealand in 2001, graphically depicts the lives and abuse of three children. During the documentary, a Detective Inspector informs the audience that the drama is based on the lives of real people, and the audience is told how life turned out for the children and their abusers. Only those with ice in their veins could fail to be moved and there lies the problem. In each case, one adult or more had failed to take responsibility for the safety of a defenseless child (Herrick 2001). Reporting in The New Zealand Herald, Herrick asks what can programs like this possibly expect to achieve. Twenty years ago, polite society didnt even acknowledge abuse existed, let alone talk about it. So shows like this, which provoke thought and discussion, must be a sign of progress, even if the statistics say otherwise. Killing tomorrow was punishing if compelling viewing. Supported by New Zealands child protection authority, Child Youth and Family Services (CYFS), consider documentaries like Killing Tomorrow to be a powerful way of educating people about the issues and what can be done to protect children. We want to create an environment where child abuse is less able to exist and were pleased Screentime-Communicado has decided to help raise these serious issues (Brown, CYFS chief executive quoted in The  New Zealand Herald 28/11/01). After the program was screened there was a panel discussion of the issues presented in the documentary and CYFS booklets that provide tips on parenting were made available to the public. Child protection received 211 phone calls during the documentary and on the night it was screened. Fifty-three child abuse investigations resulted, five of which cases were considered very urgent [and were] assigned immediately to social workers for investigation (Ward, CYFS spokesperson, quoted in The New Zealand Herald 30/11/01). Also quoted in the New Zealand Herald 30/11/01 was Simcock, the National Social Services spokesperson: The documentary showed community groups were doing their best on the issue but government measures were sadly lacking the most helpful thing the government could do was to change the law that allowed parents to hit children. While the documentary appears to have raised awareness of child abuse and prompted some people to act on their suspicions of abuse and neglect, Henare, a Child Abuse Prevention Services spokesperson, noted that the objective of the documentary would not be reached without enough money for community providers (quoted in The New Zealand Herald 30/11/01). These are only some examples of media campaigns. There were still lots more evidences the media protecting children around the globe from abuse. Though media shows a remarkable effort in the child protection system, people can not stay away from the fact that there are still several problems these media campaigns face. MEDIA PROBLEMS IN CHILD PROTECTION CAMPAIGN Journalists willing to advocate for children and young people face the challenge of counterbalancing negative images or demonisation‘(Franklin and Horwath 1996) of children and, particularly, of adolescents, in print, television and film. Starkly contrasting with once popular views of  childhood as a time of innocence, less than positive images of children and young people in the media may place obstacles in the path of attempts to prevent their abuse and neglect. In 1968, 11-yearold Mary Bell murdered two boys, aged three and four in the UK. Twenty-five years later, in 1993, two ten-year-old boys murdered two-year-old Jamie Bulger in the UK, and in Australia in 1998, a ten-year-old boy was charged with drowning a six-year-old playmate. In such cases, a child being able to open his or her mind in abusive acts might be the perpetrator of maltreatment to his or her fellow. Psychologically, the Social Information Processing Theory of Aggression, comes here. According to Strasburger (1995), the central tenet of social information processing theory is that children create their own rationales to explain the behavior of others during social during social encounters. In turn, these self- generated interpretation influence children’s responses in their ongoing social interaction. Given that mental state operate in a feedback loop, it is possible that all social experiences, including those involving violent media, could influence social information processing. CONCLUSION Society sometimes fails to recognize that children are the most vulnerable group in our community, and are thus in need of the greatest protection. The social and economic costs to societies that have not prioritized childrens needs, especially the prevention of child abuse and neglect, are well documented. This paper focused on news stories, feature articles and investigative journalism. In this, we have concentrated on mass media education and prevention campaigns, television series, documentaries, and live theatre productions. It demonstrate the medias potential power to positively influence child welfare policies, community responses to children and young people, and societal acknowledgement of, and reaction to, child abuse and neglect. It challenges those who are involved in child welfare and child protection to make greater efforts to understand media influences and to use  the media constructively. Sustained community education and prevention campaigns, using mass media communication, are integral to the prevention of child abuse and neglect. These campaigns continually confront communities with the reality of child abuse. They challenge people, institutions, and governments to listen to children and to respond to the needs of all children and families, and particularly the special needs of children who have been abused or neglected. Further, sustained mass media exposure of child abuse and neglect may publicly censure and shame perpetrators, many of whom are relatives and adults well known to the victimized child. According to Tucci (2002), the agenda for our community and the government which represents us should be clear. The prevention of child abuse should be a priority. However, to be effective, mass media campaigns will need to be part of a broader prevention program that includes the provision of supports and services for all children and families. There are limitations to what the media can achieve. REFERENCES: Armstrong, M. (1993), The cold realities of child sex abuse, Sydney Morning Herald, 11 November Boztas, S. (1999), Prince Andrew launches crusade against child cruelty. The Daily Telegraph, 23/3/99. Franklin, B. and Horwath, J. (1996). The media abuse of children: Jakes progress from demonic icon to restored childhood. Child Abuse Review. Friedrich, L. and Stein, A. (1973). Aggressive and prosocial television programs and the natural behaviour of preschool children. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development Gamble, T. and Gamble, M. (1999). Communication works. McGraw Hill Publications. Goddard, C. and Saunders, B.J. (2000), The role of the media, in Project Axis Child Sexual Abuse in Queensland: Selected Research Papers. Goddard, Chris. , Saunders, Bernadette. (2002). The role of mass media in facilitating community education and child abuse prevention strategies. Child Abuse Prevention Issues Number 16. Gough, D. (1996), Defining the problem Child Abuse Neglect, Vol. 20. Hall, C. (1999), NSPCC shock tactics to tackle child abuse, The Daily Telegraph. Hamelink, Cees. (2000). Media and Human Rights. Media and Human Rights in Asia: an AMIC Compilation. Singapore: AMIC. Hellen, N. (1998), Bennett pens TV child sex drama, Sunday Times, 5 October. Herrick, L. (2001), Truth of abuse too powerful to ignore, The New Zealand Herald, 21 December Hutson, S. and Liddiard, M. (1994). Youth homelessness: The construction of a social issue. Macmillan Publication Johnston, J. and Ettema, J. (1982). Positive images: Breaking stereotypes with childrens television. Sage Publications. Johnston, J. Bauman, J. Milne, L. and Urdan, T. (1993). Taking the measure of talking with TJ: An evaluation of the first implementation of talking with J Series 1, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan Publishers. Mizuta, Kayoko. (2000). Human Rights and Media. Media and Human Rights in Asia: an AMIC Compilation. Singapore: AMIC. Olafsen, R., Corwin, D. and Summit, R. (1993). Modern history of child sexual abuse awareness: Cycles of discovery and suppression. Child Abuse and Neglect. Postman, N. (1994). The disappearance of childhood. Vintage Books. Sanders, M.R., Montgomery, D.T. and Brechman-Toussaint, M.L. (2000), The mass-media and the prevention of child behavior problems: The evaluation of a television series to promote positive outcomes for parents and their children, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Singer, D. and Singer, A. (1981). Television, imagination and aggression: A study of preschoolers Sage Publications. Strasburger, Victor. (1995). Adolescents and the Media: Medical and Psychological Impact. Sage Publications. Tucci, J. Goddard, C. and Mitchell, J. (2001). More Action Less Talk! Community responses to child abuse prevention, Australians Against Child Abuse. Ringwood.

three :: essays research papers

The Macquire Pocket Dictionary states that the word â€Å"revolution† is â€Å"a complete or marked change in something†, this is exactly what happened during the Chinese Communist Party’s rise to power and ousting of the Guomindang. The CCP overthrew the GMD and took over control. One of the main reasons the CCP won was because they had the Peasants on their side. During the GMD rule, the Chinese peasants were poor and slow at their work. When the CCP formed, they offered to help the peasants with their crops and farm, this gained the trust of the peasants and they joined the CCP. The communists said that in their rule, everyone would be equal and that everyone was on the same level of society. The CCP managed to get the peasants to fight with them in their army to overthrow the Guomindang. The loyalty the leader of the CCP had to the people is shown in this quote, â€Å"The people, and the people alone, are the motive force in the making of world history.† There were many quotes just like this one and they gained the peasants trust even more. The CCP, were a small minority that favored the peasants of China. They wanted to give the Chinese peasants more power and more rights, instead of being overlooked the peasants actually mattered to the CCP, as shown in this quote, â€Å"people, and the people alone, are the motive force in the making of world history.† This is why the Red Army that eventually rose to crush the GMD was mainly made up of peasants. The CCP did not believe that one person should own all the wealth or own all the land; they believed that everyone should have the same opportunity. This was a total contrast to the GMD and its policies, and this is why the CCP appealed so widely to the common worker, they promised immediate changes. The GMD favored the rich population of China, this only made up around 5% of the total two billion.

A note on Porter’s Five Forces Model Essay

a) Rivalry between established competitors What are the major factors determining the nature and intensity of competition between established firms? Concentration In general, the fewer the number of firms in an industry, the easier is coordination of pricing behaviour, and the smaller the chance that one firm will initiate aggressive price competition An industry dominated by a single firm displays little competition and the dominant firm can exercise considerable discretion over the prices it charges. Diversity of competitors The ability of the firms in an industry to avoid competition depends not only upon the number of firms but also on their similarities in terms of objectives, costs, strategies. Example: Oil suppliers in OPEC: they were aligned in the 70’s and prices rose up. They were disaligned in the 80’s and prices decreased Product differentiation The more similar the offerings of rival firms, the more willing are customers to move from one supplier to the other. Where products are indistinguishable, the product is a commodity and the sole basis for competition is price Example of commodities: Raw materials : crude oil, gold bullions; Some finished products: DRAM chips, US Treasury bills Excess capacity and exit barriers The propensity of firms in an industry to resort to aggressive price competition depends upon the balance between capacity and output. The presence of unused capacity encourages firms to compete for additional business in order to spread fixed costs over a greater sales volume. Excess capacity may be the result of declining market demand or cyclical market demand or overinvestment. The period during which excess capacity overhangs an industry depends on the ease with which firms and resources can leave the industry. Costs and other impediments to leaving an industry are â€Å"barriers to exit†. Barriers to exit may be substantial where resources are durable and specialized, or where employees are entitled to job protection Example: Closure of mines in the 80s in Western countries were difficult as miners were heavily unionized Cost condition: economies of scale and the ratio of fixed to variable costs The more important the economies of scale are, the greater are the incentives for expanding sales at the expense of competitors. The higher the ratio of fixed to variable costs, the greater the willingness of firms to reduce prices in order to utilize spare capacity Example: This is typically the case in petrochemicals, tires, steel. b) Threat of entry If an industry is earning a return on invested capital in excess of the cost of capital, that industry will act as a magnet to firms outside the industry. An industry where no barriers to entry or exit exist is contestable. However in most industries, new entrants cannot enter on equal terms to those of established firms. The size of the advantage of established over entrant firms measures the height of barriers to entry, which determines the extent to which an industry can in the long term enjoy profits The principal barriers to entry are: Capital requirements Example: Exxon in the 80s spent almost $1 Billion in a vain attempt to catch up with existing players and become a player in the office computer systems market Economies of scale In some industries, particularly those which are capital intensive or research intensive, efficiency requires producing at a very large scale. New entrants are faced with the choice of entering either on a small scale and accepting high unit costs, or a large scale and running the risk of drastic under utilization of capacity while they build up sales volume Example: Commercial jet engines for commercial airliners: Big economies of scale, thus only 3 players [General Electric/Snecma; Pratt and Whitney; Rolls Royce] Absolute cost advantages Such advantages are usually associated with â€Å"first mover advantages†: by being early into the industry the established firms may have been able to acquire low cost sources of raw materials and by being longer they benefit from economies of learning. Example: in petroleum: ownership of oil fields prevents any second mover Product differentiation In an industry where products are differentiated, established firms possess an advantage over new entrants by virtue of brand recognition and customer loyalty. New entrants must spend heavily on advertising and promotion to gain similar levels of brand awareness, or accept a small market share which can be gradually expanded Example: Auditing, advertising, investment banking: established reputations and relationships are entry barriers Access to channels of distribution This barrier to entry is due to the distributors’s preference for established firms’ products: Limited capacity within distribution(eg shelf space), risk aversion, and fixed costs associated with carrying an additional product result in distributors’ reluctance to carry a new manufacturer’ product Exemple : Ice cream storage in small outlets Governmental and legal barriers Several barriers: Granting of a license by a public authority Examples: Taxi-cab services, broadcasting In knowledge intensive industries: patents, copyrights and trade secrets Procurement regulation: the costs of becoming listed as an â€Å"approved supplier† are a barrier Environmental and safety standards: the costs of compliance weigh more heavily on newcomers Retaliation The effectiveness of all these barriers to entry in excluding potential entrants depends upon the entrants’ expectations as to possible retaliation by established firms. Example of retaliation: Aggressive price-cutting, increased advertising, or legal maneuvers c) Competition from substitutes When there are few substitutes for a product, customers willing to pay a potentially high price In micro economic terms, demand is inelastic to price Examples: Gasoline; Cigarettes If there are close substitutes for a product, then there is a limit to the price customers are willing to pay and any increase in price will cause some customers to switch towards substitutes In micro economic terms, demand is elastic with respect to price. Example: frozen foods versus canned food and fresh produce The extent to which the threat of substitutes is high depends upon two factors: The propensity/willingness of buyers to substitutes Example: Efforts by city planners to relieve traffic congestion either by charging the motorist or by subsidizing public transport have been ineffective in the US in encouraging motorists to forsake their cars for buses The price performance characteristics of substitutes (ie the relative performance of alternative products in relation to their price) If two products meet the same customer needs and one performs better than the other across all criteria, the price of the superior products determines the maximum price for the inferior product  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ example: batteries of identical size and voltage: the one with the shorter life expectancy will only sell if it undercuts the price of the longer-life battery Where products are meeting more complex needs and no product dominates all performance dimensions, a niche position in the market may be sustainable despite premium pricing Example: Harley Davidson : inferior speed, acceleration, technical sophistication than Japanese motorcycles, but priced higher Difficulty in perceiving performance differences can also inhibit substitution on the basis of price Example: The subjective nature of flagrance makes comparison difficult for the consumer. Direct copies (same ingredients!) of popular perfumes at less than half the price have not gained substantial market share d) Bargaining power of buyers Firms operate in two markets: the market for inputs (raw materials, components, finance, labor services) and for outputs (products and services sold to customers – be distributors, consumers or other manufacturers). In both markets the relative profitability of the two parties to a transaction depends upon relative economic power. Two factors are important in determining the strength of buying power Buyers’price sensitivity Some key points on buyers’price sensitivity: 1) It depends on the importance of the item as a proportion of their total cost Example: For food processing companies, metal cans are one of the largest single items in their purchase of materials. These companies are highly sensitive to the prices of metal cans 2) The less differentiated are the products of the supplying industry, the more willing is the buyer to switch suppliers based on the basis of price Example: Supermarket chains can switch suppliers of packaged white breads 3) The greater the competition between buyers, the lower their profit margins, the greater their eagerness to achieve price reductions from their sellers Example: Automobile manufacturers place high pressures on their component suppliers 4) The greater the importance of the sold product to the quality of the buyer’s product or service, the less sensitive are buyers to the prices they are charged Example: PC vendors had to accept Microsoft’s Software prices Relative bargaining power Bargaining power rests ultimately upon refusal to deal with the other party. The balance of power between the two parties to a transaction depends on the credibility and effectiveness with which each makes this threat. Key determinants of the relative bargaining power: – the relative costs which each party sustains as a result of the transaction not being consummated – the expertise of each party in leveraging its position through gamesmanship 3 factors are likely to be important in determining the bargaining power of buyers relative to that of sellers: 1) Size and concentration of buyers relative to suppliers The smaller the number of suppliers, the less easy is it for a supplier to find alternative customers if one is lost. The bigger the purchases of the customer, the greater is the damage from losing the customer. The larger the size of the buyer relative to the supplier, the better able is the buyer to withstand any financial losses arising from failure to reach  agreement. Example: Buying consortiums are created to pool orders 2) Buyer’s information The first essential for the exercise of bargaining power by buyers is that they are able to compare the prices and qualities of different suppliers’ products or services. Examples: Lawyers, doctors, traders in the bazaars of Istanbul do not display the prices they charge Note that knowledge of price is of little value if the characteristics of a product or service are not easily ascertained before purchase Example: It is difficult to assess beforehand the value of investment advices, management consulting (or baldness treatment!)

Inherent Risk Essay

i) expanded into a national manufacturer of high technology sustainable energy products brings with it a range of uncertainties, including compliance requirements and logistical problems increased potential for misstatement due to the judgements required requiring more judgement such as research and development (valuation), intangible assets (valuation), inventory (valuation) and property plant and equipment (valuation). ii) assets include â€Å"intellectual property rights† potential for misstatement when valuing advanced technology and intangible assets because of their nature Intellectual property rights (valuation). iii) Nature of the client’s business – a high technology industry highly susceptible to change in technology makes valuation of inventory and property plant and equipment more difficult misstatements Inventory (valuation); intangible assets (e.g. intellectual property rights) (valuation); property plant and equipment (valuation). iv) new management team, no experience in the high technology industries difficult to exercise appropriate judgement misstatement Sales (occurrence); accounts receivable/ provision for doubtful debts (valuation);inventory (valuation); intellectual property rights (valuation). v) Management remuneration is based on bonuses paid on reported profit engage in earnings management. For example, sales may be recognised earlier than they should, or provisions, such as for doubtful debts, may be underestimated Sales (occurrence/cut off); accounts receivable/ provision for doubtful debts (valuation); research and development (valuation) vi) New information system Risk of losing data in changeover. Also, staff will not be familiar with the new system, therefore susceptible to more errors Any significant account when changing over to the new system. Completeness due to loss of data; occurrence due to double inputting; accuracy due to human error. ANSWER Internal control weakness | Internal control improvements | Other departments can raise requisitions for goods and services without proper authorisation. | Pre-numbered requisitions orders should be raised and signed by authorised personnel. Requisitioning authority should be related to authority and function. A signed requisition order is necessary before raising purchase orders. | Purchase orders are unnumbered and unaccounted for. | Pre-numbered purchase orders should be signed by an authorised purchasing department staff member and a copy forward to the requisitioner, goods receiving and accounts departments. Pre-numbered purchase orders should ensure completeness. | Purchasing dept obtains goods and services as soon as the requisition is received. | Orders should be placed with approved suppliers on the best terms and quality. | Blank purchase orders are accessible to all purchasing staff and open to theft and misappropriation. | Blank purchase orders should be kept in a secure place to avoid misuse and should be accounted for; that is, checked for sequential continuity. |

5 Job Networking Tips for Introverts

5 Job Networking Tips for Introverts Networking is hard for everyone. It’s even harder when you’re shy. But shyness and introversion, while very reasonable explanations for why you might be frightened in social situations, aren’t going to cut it as excuses. Here are five things you can do to make yourself more comfortable getting out there, opening up a bit, and knowing what to say during those awkward pauses in conversations with people you don’t know.1. Fake fearlessnessStride on up to someone, introduce yourself, and then put the ball back in their court. People love talking about themselves. A simple â€Å"What do you do?† can take the conversational heat off you entirely, at least until you get your bearings.2. Read upThe more well-versed you are in current events and business news, and even what’s hot on the bestseller shelves, the easier you’ll be able to stay fluent while conversing. You’ll always have something interesting to contribute, and you’ll give people a wide range things to say to keep the ball rolling.3. Ask for a secondThere’s only so much you can accomplish while mingling in a crowded room. If this is a good contact for you, or you’ve hit it off particularly well, consider asking your interlocutor to chat over coffee somewhere more relaxed instead.4. Follow upWithin 24 hours, dig that card out of your purse and follow up. An email or a handwritten note (even better) can really distinguish you, and ensure that you’ve made- and maintained- a connection. (Victory!)5. Know when to fold ‘emSometimes two people just don’t have the kind of conversational chemistry required to hit it off. If you can tell it’s crashing and burning, excuse yourself. A simple â€Å"If you’ll excuse me,† or â€Å"Well, I won’t keep you† will often do the trick.Remember, you’re shy, you’re not a leper. Take care of yourself in social situations, get your connecti ons made, then go home and relax knowing you’ve done your work.Building Your Network: 5 Tips For Shy Networkers

Easy To Make Glitter Slime

Easy To Make Glitter Slime Why make ordinary slime, when you can make sparkly glitter slime!  Try this easy recipe to make the slime in any color of the rainbow. Glitter Slime Materials glitter glueboraxwater The recipe works with either clear or white school glue, but white glue makes opaque slime. For clear or translucent colored slime that glitters, choose a clear or translucent glue. If you cant find glitter glue, add glitter as an ingredient. Borax is sold as a detergent booster with laundry supplies, or you can purchase it online. Let's Make Glitter Slime! Slime is a polymer that forms when you mix two solutions: glue and dissolved borax. The first step is to make these solutions. Dissolve 1 teaspoon borax in 1/2 cup warm water. Its okay if the borax doesnt completely dissolve. You only need the liquid part, not any solid that stays at the bottom of the cup.In a separate container, mix 1/2 cup glue (4-oz bottle of glue) and 1 cup of water. If you dont like the color of the slime, you can add a few drops of food coloring to the mixture.When you are ready to make glitter slime, dump the two mixtures into a bowl. Use your hands to mix the slime (thats part of the fun). If you have any leftover liquid after the slime polymerizes, you can discard it. When you are finished playing with the glitter slime, you can store it in a sealed plastic bag. The borax is a natural disinfectant, but the slime will keep fresh even longer if you refrigerate it. Clean-up is easy using warm water. Other Ways To Make Glitter Slime If you dont have the materials for this glitter slime recipe, you can add glitter to any  other slime recipes, or you can add glitter to slime from the store.

Argumentative Thesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Argumentative Thesis - Essay Example In my thesis, I shall analyze the definitive reasons as to why in ACL surgeries, surgeons should opt for an autograft from the patient’s own body tissues over an allograft where the tissue is obtained from a cadaver. Anterior crucial ligament reconstruction surgery is among the most common orthopedic surgeries that are performed. Like all other surgeries, it does have its own drawbacks. In The X Factor: Why Female Athletes Have a Higher Rate of ACL Injury Than Their Male Counterparts, Washington (2012) says that â€Å"six to 18 months of rehab, a missed competitive season and all the pain and suffering that go along with that† which are some of the things that the patient needs to cope up with post-surgery. Tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament is a fairly common case especially among sports people. The surge in injuries called for good surgical options to rescue people from the trauma and help them lead a normal life later on. ACL surgery and its efficacy have led to an increase in the numbers of patients’ opting for it. Orthopedic surgeons have a choice between using an allograft or an autograft for the reconstruction surgery. Presently, most surgeons opt for an autograft, ta king tissue from the patient’s own patellar tendon over an allograft taken from a cadaver donor. However, since an autograft have had some drawbacks too in spite of its success, some surgeons also opt for an allograft. For example, using an allograft prevents graft site morbidity in the patient but allografts too have their own drawbacks. Now, I shall discuss why an autograft is a better choice than an allograft. One of primary reasons of opting for an autograft over an allograft is the fear of probable disease transmission. According to The Mail on Sunday (2011) â€Å"The only potential complication is being infected by a virus from donor tissue† (p.25) the chances of which

WE 3 CRJ 545 rESPONSE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

WE 3 CRJ 545 rESPONSE - Essay Example Listing of the bodies involved in the crime scene investigations could also be imperative (Gardner, 2011). Owing to the complexity and disparity in various crimes, it is critical for the CSI teams and other forensic practitioners to have a well-constructed approach to the reconstruction of a Crime Scene, in order to ascertain the mode in which the exact crime occurred (Gardner, 2011). The writer portrays vast awareness of the processes that occur in the crime scene reconstruction. The systematic approach of crime scene reconstruction from the assessment to analysis of collected evidence seems appealing (Gardner, 2011). However, the writer ought to include the protocol observed in the reconstruction of various crime scenes. The ethics observed in crime scene reconstruction is also significant (Gardner, 2011). As indicated, crime scene documentation is critical in the reconstruction of the scene, or for the utilization as evidence in the courtrooms. The writer has a clear record of the significance of crime scene documentation, thereby highlighting the relevant information to be documented, while leaving insignificant information (Gardner, 2011). The tools and modes of documentation are also appealing. However, the writer is not exhaustive on the technological modes of the scene’s data collection and documentation. Besides, it will also be crucial to highlight the protocols and ethics involved in crime scene documentation (Gardner,