ANZ Anz Culture Study: Management Principles

Question 1) Explain the term ‘corporate (or organizational) culture’, and discuss its importance to the operational success, or failure, or organisations. Corporate culture, also known as organisational culture is ‘the system of shared values and beliefs that develops within an organisation and guides the behaviour of its members’ (Schermerhorn,et al, pg 45, 2004). Robbins, et al, pg 70, 2003, explain that culture is a perception, and people perceive culture to be what they see hear or experience within the organisation. This is one reason that corporate culture is so important, as it just becomes part of daily routine or ‘the way we do things here’ (Schermerhorn,et al, pg 45, 2004). Therefore if these common practices are good practices there is a strong chance the organisation will be more successful. The culture of an organisation is very important and can for a large part determine the success of organisations. As culture is a perception, it is concerned with how its members perceive the organisation and not whether they like it, (Robbins, et al, pg 70, 2003). If its members like the culture, the organisation is more likely to succeed. Organisations that have a good culture often perform at high levels, which also corresponds with staff morale. Robbins et al, pg 73, 2003 refer to a case study involving Virgin Blue, who have a different recruiting policy and job roles than other airlines in Australia. Virgin Blue want their staff to show their outgoing personality and interact with their customers during flights. Virgin Blue staff say morale is high and management gets on well with the workforce. The perception of Virgin Blue is that it is a little different to the other airlines in Australia, and that it is a fun outgoing organisation to be a part of, which is a perception Virgi n Blue appears to promote and are proud of. Question 2) Examine and summerize the cultural shifts that occurred on the ANZ over this period and the benefits they brought to various stakeholders. The ANZ like most banks in the late 1990’s had a poor public image. Banks were criticised for bank fees, branch closures and scandals, as a result morale for bank employees was also poor. ANZ conducted a staff survey, which confirmed morale was low and staff satisfaction was below 50%. The survey results were quite clear that staff did not feel valued in their workplace, and employees were asked to nominate words they felt best describes the ANZ bank. Words rating at the top of the list were cost reduction, profit and shareholder value. The ANZ initiated a program, ‘the breakout program’ which was designed to shift the culture, as the bank wanted to create a new public image or perception that distinguished them from other banks. Executives of the ANZ realized a shift if employees mind set was needed to regain the trust of their staff and assist with this intended culture change. This was done with various workshops and subsidising computers for its staff, which in particular was very well received by its staff. As well as increasing staff morale by subsidising computers, staff were given the opportunity to use skills they had acquired by assisting and educating customers with money matters. This was something staff were very passionate about, and by giving them the opportunity to complete such duties may have been a factor to increased morale. ANZ claim a complete transformation in organisational culture, believing their culture has changed for ever. Judging by further surveys conducted since the change in culture, staff morale is high, and this also coincides with customer satisfaction. Question 3) Evaluate the leadership style/s that would have been used by McFarlane and other senior executives in ANZ to implement this cultural shift in the ANZ and describe other leadership styles that may not have been beneficial in doing so. It is quite likely that more than one leadership style or a combination of styles was used by ANZ to initiate its change in organisational culture. One particular style that may have been used is the path-goal theory. ‘A leadership theory that says it is the leaders job to assist their followers in attaining their goals and to provide the direction or support needed to ensure that their goals are compatible with the overall objectives of the groups or organisation’ (Robbins, et al, pg 577, 2006). At the ANZ bank staff morale was low and its public image poor, and to change that McFarlane used the path-goal leadership style to attempt to increase morale, which would also lead to enhancing its public image. The path-goal theory discusses input from staff, this was done by taking information from the staff survey, and gaining an understanding of what is important to staff. Change was then implemented so staff could start working in an environment which they feel much more comfortable, more likely to succeed and have higher job and customer satisfaction. The staff were given direction (path) and could see the rewards or goals, the leader helps facilitate this transition. Mcfarlane changed his leadership style, to give staff more involvement by conducting staff surveys, then implementing change due to results of the survey, this is further evidence to using path-goal theory. As the path goal leadership style assumes that leaders are flexible and can change their behaviours (Robbins, et al, pg 587, 2006). This is contrast to another leadership style, Fielders contingency model, which suggests that leaders could not change their behavior. If using this theory it would been very difficult for ANZ to change its culture as the leader would be unwilling to change their own behaviour in order to facilitate the required changes to result in the change in culture. Question 4) Discuss the challenges faced by McFarlane and his executive team in introducing change across ANZ. For change to occur, someone must take responsibility for managing the change process, the person who does this, who is also usually a manager, is known as a change agent (Robbins and Coulter, pg 360, 2007). At ANZ their CEO McFarlane is the change agent, and he may have encountered significant resistance change. There are numerous reasons why people within organisations resist change. Kreitner & Kiniki pg 546 – 547, 2008 explain that individual and group behaviour following organizational change can take many forms, from extreme ranges of acceptance to active resistance. This resistance to change is an emotional /behavioural response to real or imagined threats to an established work routine. One particular reason discussed by Kreitner & Kiniki, 2008 is an individuals predisposition to change, which is highly personal and deeply ingrained. With so many employees at the ANZ there is a strong chance that there would have been quite a lot of people who just resist change for personal reasons. Another reason for resistance to change is due to a climate of mistrust (Kreitner & Kiniki pg 547, 2008). This may have been the biggest resistance to change within the ANZ. Prior to the change employee morale was low, employees perceptions of ANZ were that they did not care about their staff and were more concerned with profits, cost reduction etc. ANZ were aware of their employees feelings, the lack of trust and realized the importance of having employees trust. Therefore when ANZ were initiating change staff may have found it difficult to adjust and believe that the change was going to be a change for the good. Question 5) Discuss whether or not the executive management instigated changes to the culture of the ANZ are ethical. Ethical behaviour is described as ‘behaviour that conforms to generally accepted social norms’ (Davidson & Griffen, pg 106, 2003). The workplace info case study mentions that most banks in the late 1990’s had a poor public image due to bank fees, branch closures etc. Although it is common practice amongst banks to operate under the conditions, .it is not considered acceptable behavior by the wider community, namely its customers. The ANZ bank wanted to be different to the other banks, it wanted its culture to be a point of difference from the others. It could be said that the ANZ felt it had a responsibility to change peoples perceptions of itself and banks in general. Davidson & Griffen, pg 117, 2003 explain that ‘ethics relate to individuals. Organisations themselves do not have ethics, but organisations do relate to their environment in ways that often involve ethical dilemmas and decisions. Social responsibility is the set of obligations an organisation has to protect and enhance the society in which it functions’. The society for the ANZ bank is the banking community, general community (customers) and its staff. The ANZ bank felt it had responsibilities to their customers, by providing a higher level of customer service in order to enhance its public image, but it had a responsibility to its staff, as they are the people who are to implement the changes. The ANZ may have avoided an ethical issue when it decided that its staff could choose where it could spend time volunteering. ANZ originally controlled where staff would go to volunteer, but this was quickly changed, possibly as a result to ethical dilemmas that may have arose. While there may have been some resistance by staff to change, it did occur and its staff and customer satisfaction have increased, without any major ethical dilemmas arising. Question 6) Determine the organisational structure that would best facilitate the implementation of these new practices. Organisational structure is the formal arrangement of jobs within an organisation. When managers develop change or structure, they’re engaged in organisational design, which involves 6 key elements (Robbins and Coulter, pg 266, 2007). Therefore to develop an organisational structure the manager must consider the elements of organisational design. One of these elements that would have been used by ANZ would have been span of control, which would then also lead to either having a tall or flat organisation structure. Span of control is determining how many people will report to each supervisor or manager (Davidson & Griffen, pg 357, 2003). The decision about span of control determines the overall structure of the organistaion, which will be either a flat or tall organization (Davidson & Griffen, pg 358, 2003). The ANZ may have shifted from a tall organizational structure to a flat structure. Davidson & Griffen, pg 106, 2003 explain that many experts agree that business run more effectively with fewer layers of organisations, which depicts a flat organisational structure. Flat organisations often lead to increased staff morale, productivity as well as increased managerial responsibility (Davidson & Griffen, pg 358, 2003). ANZ structure may look like a tall organization due to the large number of employees, braches and therefore managers for each branch, however a change occurred which would have resulted in less layers, which increased communication from employees to management which assisted in the culture change at ANZ. Question 7) Explain the importance of informal groups in achieving the managerial objective of cultural change. Groups are defined as ‘two or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come together to achieve specific goals’ (Robbins and Coulter, pg 424, 2007). For example, an ANZ branch might have a customer service team, who get together regularly to discuss new ways to increase customer satisfaction. The members in this group are from same ‘team’, and perhaps if not for working within close proximity of each other would not socialise, they are organised formal groups. Contrast to this is informal groups, which Davidson and Griffen, pg 645, 2003, descibe as ‘A group created by its members for purposes that may or may not be relevant to the organisation’s goals’. Informal groups may form while standing around in the morning making coffee, some informal groups are formed by an interpersonal attraction (Davidson and Griffen, pg 646, 2003). Whatever the reason informal groups are formed, they will be important in assisting in the shift for cultural change. When informal groups are formed, they are likely to become cohesive groups, Davidson and Griffen, pg 653, 2003, explain cohesiveness as ‘the extent to which members are loyal and committed to a group; the degree of mutual attractiveness in the group’. Therefore if informal groups within an organisation are open to change it is more likely that the organisation will be able to achieve its objectives, and it this case that is assist with a cultural change. The ANZ bank appears to have undergone a successful cultural transformation, with a focus of staff morale, which increased customer satisfaction. This change has been so well received by staff it now embedded in its staff, and will become the norm for all future staff, regardless of their personality or who is managing them.

Tata Nano

PREFACE This is a research proposal on a study on launch of new cheapest car in the world by TATA Company name â€Å"TATA NANO†. The objective of this research proposal is to find out an opportunity or a problem in the launch of the smallest /cheapest car targeting masses through secondary information / data. Also to gain knowledge about how TATA brought this new product i. e. , â€Å"NANO† up to the development stage and finally going to launch it on 23rd March, 2008 (already launched till now). During this project I researched on how TATA developed NANO costing Rupees1 lakh ($ 2500 U. S) and what will be its effects. A survey was also done for understanding consumer buying pattern and preferences (which is a part of secondary data). Thus, this study is based on new product development in marketing for TATA NANO. â€Å"Marketing Research is the systematic and objective identification, collection, analysis, dissemination, and use of information for the purpose of improving decision making related to identification and solution of problems and opportunity†. â€Å"Perception is the process, by which an individual selects, organizes and interprets information inputs to create a meaningful picture of the world around as†. I conducted to gain an understanding of what goes in to mind of the customer about â€Å"NANO†. I have learned lot during my research proposal on TATA NANO and I hope this will be helpful to find out the proposal information. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT2 PREFACE3 INTRODUCTION OF TATA MOTORS5 PROBLEM & RESEARCH OBJECTIVES6 SCOPE OF STUDY7 OBJECTIVE OF STUDY7 LIMITATIONS7 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH7 ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT OF THE PROBLEM8 MANAGEMENT DECISION AND MARKETING RESEARCH PROBLEM8 MANAGEMENT DECISION PROBLEM8 MARKETING RESEARCH PROBLEM9 HYPOTHESIS9 SECONDARY DATA9 TATA NANO – FEATURES10 TARGET MARKET10 SWOT ANALYSIS11 COMPETENCIES OF TATA NANO11 COMPETITION11 CAR OWNERSHIP PER 1000 PEOPLE12 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY12 TOTAL NUMBER OF VEHICLES (INDIA)12 GROWTH OF MOTOR VEHICLES (INDIA)13 % OF PEOPLE WHO ARE AWARE OF TATA NANO13 PREFERENCES OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUP REGARDING BUYING OF NANO13 TATA NANO – A PEOPLE’S CAR13 DOMESTIC MARKET SHARE13 BOMBAY STOCK EXCHANGE – TATA MOTORS14 AUTOMOBILE PRODUCTION14 AUTOMOBILE EXPORT14 IDENTIFICATION OF KEY ISSUES14 SUGGESTIONS14 ANALYSIS OF TATA NANO15 IMPACT OF TATA NANO ON LIFE OF COMMON MAN15 PORTER’S 5 FORCES MODEL OF NANO CAR15 BARRIERS TO ENTRY15 BUYERS16 SUPPLIERS16 SUBSTITUTES16 COMPETITVE RIVALRY16 CONCLUSION – FUTURE OF TATA NANO16 TABLES – CHARTS & FIGURES17 INTRODUCTION OF TATA NANO18 SECONDARY DATA18 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY20 ANNEXURE23 INTERNET WEBSITES23 TEXT BOOKS / MAGAZINES/ NEWSPAPERS24 INTRODUCTION OF TATA MOTORS â€Å"DREAM – DREAM AND DREAM, because dream gives vision, vision gives thoughts and finally thoughts lead to the action† Each letter of these motivational words said by India’s former President DR. A. P. J. ABDUL KALAM, goes exactly with MR. RATAN TATA, Chairman of TATA GROUP, who in the year 2003, dreamt of producing a safe, affordable car for the common man. Mr. RATAN TATA launched TATA NANO on 10th January, 2008, at the 9th Auto Expo 2008 in New Delhi. Established in 1945. First Vehicle rolled out in 1954. India’s largest business group. Diverse Business in 7 sectors. International income – 61 % of group revenue. Operations in over 80 countries. Products & Services – exported to 85 countries. Largest employer in private sector – over 3, 00,000 employees. World cheapest car with a price tag of $ U. S 2,500. First company from India’s engineering sector to be listed in NYSE (September, 2004). Developed India’s first fully indigenous passenger car. Operations in U. K, South Korea, Thailand & Spain. Over 4 millions TATA vehicles fly on Indian roads. Nation wide dealership – 3500. * (TABLES – CHARTS & FIGURES) PROBLEM & RESEARCH OBJECTIVES To study about how a new product – TATA NANO was developed based on marketing theory of â€Å"new product development†. To study about what made possible for TATA to develop and produce a car for just Rupees ONE LAKH ($ U. S 2,500). To study the objectives and target customers of TATA’S ONE LAKH CAR. To study on consumers buying behavior and preferences and views about TATA NANO by various methods of data collection. To find out the consumer perception on NANO car in INDIA. SCOPE OF STUDY This study would be useful for companies to know what people perceive and thinking about â€Å"Small Fight† that is NANO. This study would be useful to other students as a secondary data. This study would be useful to form strategies according to perception of people about NANO. OBJECTIVE OF STUDY To know the consumer perception on â€Å"NANO† car. To find out the acceptance level of people. To find out the awareness level about â€Å"NANO† car. To know about factors affecting purchase decision of â€Å"NANO†. To know how purchase decision of â€Å"NANO† varies from different income group. LIMITATIONS I will have to rely upon the information given by respondents, which may not be fully true. This study will be limited to only Indian Population. It is only for short period of time. Lack of professional approach since researcher is a student. Subjectivity is the main limitations of such studies. These sorts of projects take generally longer period than other ones. Situations may undergo a change. Hence, time gap may effects the successful implementations of research results. CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPONDENTS All have driving experience. Time Duration: 1 hour. All have a good knowledge of TATA NANO. Sample Size – 500. Sample group location. Data collection involves a field force and electronically. Age Group – 20 – 25; 26 – 35; 36 – 45; 45+ (both males & females) QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Taken 100 respondents, collected on the basis of secondary data. Respondents based on previous driving experience, driving license & knowledge about TATA NANO. Based on different cultures, regions & age-group between 20 – 25 years. This project of TATA NANO is based on based on basic research because it is not aimed at solving a particular pragmatic problem. Also generally cannot be immediately implemented by marketing executive. Verify the acceptability of a given theory, or to learn more about a certain concept. My research is based on Descriptive Research. Survey – most common method of descriptive research. Research technique gathering information from a sample of people using questionnaires (which will be utilized later for primary data). Different survey methods to contact respondents: telephone/mail; internet & in person. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT OF THE PROBLEM Past Information & Forecast Resources & Constraints Objective Buyer Behavior Legal Environment Economic Environment MANAGEMENT DECISION AND MARKETING RESEARCH PROBLEM MANAGEMENT DECISION PROBLEM Will the conversion of â€Å"TATA NANO† to a taxi affect brand image and consequently sales? Will initial demand may lead to stock out? Whether the prices of â€Å"TATA NANO† will be sustained over a period of time with the economic changes in raw material price rise? With the hike in sales of â€Å"TATA NANO†, whether the infrastructure of the country will be able to sustain the volume of traffic? Will the protest of farmers against â€Å"TATA NANO† plant in SINGUR will affect the sales? Will general perception of brand â€Å"TATA† in small car segment affect the sales? MARKETING RESEARCH PROBLEM As price of â€Å"TATA NANO† is very cheap in INDIA, possibility of car being used as taxi cannot be avoided. Time to convert raw material into TATA NANO. Determining the trends in steel, rubber and other raw material prices. The focus of INDIA in building infrastructure and spending trends. They (TATA) thought that they are cheated by the government. TATA Company is known for heavy commercial vehicle. This common perception can affect the sale of NANO. HYPOTHESIS Conversion of â€Å"TATA NANO† to a taxi do not affect the brand image and consequently sales. TATA NANO is safe for driving. Hike in price of TATA NANO will not affect the sale. People prefer to purchase TATA NANO instead of two wheeler. People can wait for TATA NANO for few months. SECONDARY DATA The success of any project or market survey depends upon heavily on the data collection and analysis. It is necessary that the data collected is a reliable data in order to achieve the research objective. Secondary Data are those data, which have been already collected or published for the purpose other than specific research need at hand. This data is simply used by the researcher for his purpose of collected data and it’s used for the same purpose. The secondary data sources here in this project are: websites, books. It is also often called desk research because, as the name implies, it can often be completed from the desk of the researcher using printed information, the Internet, the phone and so on. The information might be internal, i. e. , available within the researcher’s own organization, or external where the information comes from elsewhere. Internal sources includes: Organization’s sales records; Customer Database; Complaints and other comments received from customers; market research previously carried out from the organization; Inquiries received from prospective customers; Organization’s annual report & Brochures, newsletters & house magazines produced by the organization. External sources includes: libraries; company data; directories & almanacs; books of statistical data; Internet; academic research; media articles in the general & trade press; reports by data agencies; commercial sources; international sources; government databases; industry experts; industry data; market research reports & unpublished sources. TATA NANO – FEATURES LENGTH 3. 1 METERS WIDTH 1. 5 METERS WEIGHT 600 KGS HEIGHT 1. 6 METERS ENGINE ALL ALUMINIUM, REAR MOUNTED, REAR WHEEL DRIVE CAPACITY 623 CC POWER 33PS FUEL INJECTION MULTI POINT FUEL INJECTION (MPFI) FUEL TYPE PETROL, DIESEL VERIONS WILL BE LATER BODY TYPE SHEET METAL SEATING CAPACITY 04 (FOUR) MILEAGE 26 KMPL (HIGHWAYS); 20 – 22 KMPL (CITY DRIVE) TOP SPEED 75 K. M EMISSION NORMS EURO – 1V, BHARAT STAGE – III COMPLIANT SAFETY NORMS FRONTAL CRASH TESTED VERSIONS ONE STANDARD & TWO DELUXE COMPARISON 8% LESS IN LENGTH (BUMPER TO BUMPER) WITH RESPECT TO MARUTI 800. 21% MORE INNER SPACE WITH RESPECT TO MARUTI 800. TARGET MARKET The low – cost care is clearly intended for the masses. For the family of four that would otherwise ride on a scooter, precariously balancing a tiny tot on the front and a baby on the wife’s lap. For the first – time car buyer in INDIA – a huge market despite the increasing number of cars in the urban and semi – urban areas. It also attracts the small cars buyers like Maruti 800. TATA NANO uses plastics and adhesives rather than welding. Introducing the car with an artificially low price through government – subsidies and tax – breaks, or using vertical – integration or partially using inexpensive polymers or biodegradable plastics instead of a full metal – body. It has no AC, no power steering, no power windows, and no power bells and whistles Executive two wheeler people: People that are working rofessionals but cannot afford to buy a three lakh car which is average cost of small car in INDIA. Second hand car user: Those people that cannot afford to buy a new car. Now they will be able to buy a new car cheaper then they buy a used car for. Auto rickshaw market: Most of the auto rickshaws also cost same as the price of NANO. T his may help the NANO to replace them as well. Middle and lower income group people: These are the people that are growing and are becoming a little richer which is making them afford a car. SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTH Cheapest car in the World. 21% more space than Maruti 800. Brand Name (TATA). Cost Price Low. Fuel Efficient. Safe. Strong Market Position. Research and Development. WEAKNESSES Low power Not a status symbol. Delay in manufacturing. No regular size luggage room. It may create more traffic problems. Dependent on vendors. Overdependence on Indian Market. OPPORTUNITIES It can capture the large market in the society i. e. Middle Class. Large Market for Selling. Awareness in the market. First car in low range. Can hit in global market. THREATS Its nearer competitors BAJAJ AUTO & TARA are ready to introduce â€Å"cars† less than the price of NANO. Company Rival Not sure to hit in rural & semi-urban areas. COMPETENCIES OF TATA NANO Expectations. Modular Design. Pricing Strategy. Export Expectation. Pricing & Acceptance of TATA after launch. Enthusiastic Support. COMPETITION AUTOMOTIVE CAR CAR TATA NANO MARUTI 800 HINDUS AMBY ANDY NANO WEIGHT KG 600 800 2,000 600 SPEED 110 60 100 110 HP 33 37 100 30 VOLUME CC 630 800 1,800 200 FUEL L/HR 5. 5 3. 75 8. 0 1. 0 FUEL/HR/1000/CC 8. 73 4. 69 4. 44 5. 0 SPH 6. 0 9. 87 12. 5 30 HP/1000 CC 52. 40 9. 87 12. 5 30 CO2 E G/KM 116 145 186 21 KMPL 20 16 12. 5 11 T. KMPL 12 12. 8 25 66 MPG 47. 3 37. 8 29. 6 26. 0 FARE $/HR 11 6 10 11 FUEL $/HR 5. 5 3. 75 8 1. 0 NET $/HR 5. 5 2. 25 2. 0 1. 0 NET $/YR 19,800 13,500 7,200 36,000 COST $ 2500 5500 10,000 2,400 CAR OWNERSHIP PER 1000 PEOPLE COUNTRY PASSENGERS CARS/ 1000 POPULATION TOTAL VEHICLES/ 1000 POPULATION GNI / CAPITA (GROSS NATIONAL INCOME) INDIA 8 12 620 CHINA 10 15 1,500 SRI LANKA 13 42 1,010 THAILAND 35 276 2,490 KOREA 218 302 14,000 MALAYSIA 225 272 4,520 JAPAN 441 586 37,050 UNITED KINGDOM 451 510 33,630 UNITES STATES 465 808 41,440 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Methodology deals with the various methods of research. The purpose of the research methodology is to describe the research procedure used in the research. Research Methodology helps in carrying out the project report in by analyzing the various research findings collected through the data collection methods. TOTAL NUMBER OF VEHICLES (INDIA) TABLE 1 shows the progress report of number of vehicles from 1951 – 2008, shown on x-axis, where as number of vehicles shown on y-axis. Number of vehicles in car increased due to demand and supply of cars with potential scope in INDIA. GROWTH OF MOTOR VEHICLES (INDIA) TABLE 2 – Two Wheelers: Two wheel vehicles are the dominant mode of private road transport in INDIA. They account for more than three – quarters of the total registered vehicle population and have exhibited the highest average annual growth rate – 14. 5% between 1980 and 2007. Car, Jeeps and Taxis taken together have grown at an average annual growth rate of 9. 5% during this period, whereas the population of registered buses has increased at an average annual growth rate of 7. 5% over the same period. % OF PEOPLE WHO ARE AWARE OF TATA NANO TABLE 3 – The % of people who are aware of the TATA’S new product – NANO car is shown with the help of pie chart. Here, blue color indicates that people are aware of TATA NANO and red color indicates the % of people who are not aware of TATA NANO. While analyzing this chart, we can know that only 3% of the total sample population is not aware about TATA NANO. This shows the great effect of media, newspaper and launching of this product. PREFERENCES OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUP REGARDING BUYING OF NANO TABLE 4 – This chart shows the preference of different age group to buy TATA NANO when it is launched. On X-axis, number of respondents is given where as on Y-axis the age group is given. Blue bar indicates willingness to purchase TATA NANO. Red bar indicates that the respondent is not willing to purchase it and green indicates that the respondent is not sure. While analyzing this chart, we can see that the young generation is eager to buy the product. While due to some misunderstanding about TATA NANO, the older generation doesn’t desire to buy it or are not sure about it. TATA NANO – A PEOPLE’S CAR TABLE 5 – In this chart, number of respondents is given on the y-axis and some features are given on x-axis. By analyzing the chart, we can say that people consider the cost factor the most for TATA NANO followed by the innovation. Even looks has got quite positive reply. TATA NANO is a product that is developed perfectly at minimum cost without sacrificing the quality. DOMESTIC MARKET SHARE TABLE 6 – In this pie chart diagram, it shows that INDIA has a big potential in auto industry. 77% shows two – wheeler, 14% passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles & 4% three wheelers. TATA NANO decided to capture two-wheeler market. BOMBAY STOCK EXCHANGE – TATA MOTORS TABLE 7 – This chart represents how the stock market fluctuate with the ups & down’s of TATA NANO Company. The chart is from 2007-08 which shows how BSE increase with an increase in TATA NANO. AUTOMOBILE PRODUCTION TABLE 8 – This chart shows that how automobile production is increasing every year. According to this chart, it shows from 2001 to 2007, where every year automobile production is increasing in all sectors such as Passenger Cars; Multi-utility vehicles; Commercial Vehicles; Two Vehicles & Three Vehicles. AUTOMOBILE EXPORT TABLE 9 – This chart shows that how automobile exports is increasing every year. According to this chart, it shows from 2001 to 2007, where every year automobile export is increasing in all sectors such as Passenger Cars; Multi-utility vehicles; Commercial Vehicles; Two Vehicles & Three Vehicles. SEGMENTATION VARIABLE USED GEOGRAPHIC RURAL & URBAN DEMOGRAPHIC FAMILY SIZE & INCOME BEHAVIRAL BENEFIR & USER STATUS TARGET MARKET EXECUTIVE TWO WHEELER SEGMENT, SECOND HAND CAR USER, AUTO RICKSHAW MARKET, MIDDLE & LOWER INCOME GROUP PEOPLE POSITIONING TATA INTENDING TO PLACE IN THE MIND OF THE CONSUMERS AS A PEOPLE’S CAR STARTEGIC OPTIONS UNDIFFERENTIATED MARKETING IDENTIFICATION OF KEY ISSUES SUGGESTIONS TATA should increase the production of NANO so that customers don’t have to wait much for their car, as they feel urgency for NANO. As people believes that NANO is people’s car and will be affordable by common man which was a dream earlier for them. So the price should be kept stable in future with the increase in price of raw material. Otherwise it will be out of their reach and people believe in MR. RATAN TATA’S statement of – â€Å"PROMISE IS A PROMISE†. TATA should give exchange offer against a two or four wheeler so that those consumers can be easily converted to NANO users. Safety measures can be enhanced because people consider it as their prime concern while purchasing. An option for customization should be available. ANALYSIS OF TATA NANO This project on marketing research was a learning experience and brought me close to NANO and provided us depth knowledge through focus group and survey. Focus group ended up with innovative findings, which helped us in going further on the research. But time in between the focus group was leading to group discussion. IMPACT OF TATA NANO ON LIFE OF COMMON MAN In INDIA every one can afford a NANO, just as we buy any electronic appliances for a home uses. Decrease in price of second hand car. High traffic on roads due to sale of exceeds car on roads. Increase in loan on car installments. And finally TATA NANO is definitely better than Maruti 800. TATA has succeeded in value engineering of the product and its great success for TATA’S. It’s something on which INDIA can feel proud of. NANO has been developed effectively. PORTER’S 5 FORCES MODEL OF NANO CAR There is continuing interest in the study of the forces that impact on an organization, particularly those that can be harnessed to provide competitive advantage. The ideas and models which emerged during the period from 1979 to the mid – 1980s were based on the idea that competitive advantage came from the ability to earn a return on investment that was better than the average for the industry sector. As Porter’s 5 Forces analysis deals with factors outside an industry that influence the nature of competition within it, the forces inside the industry (microenvironment) that influence the way in which firms compete, and so the industry’s likely profitability is conducted in Porter’s five forces model. BARRIERS TO ENTRY Time and cost of entry. Knowledge and Technology. Product Differentiation and Cost Advantage. Government Policy and Expected Retaliation. Access to Distribution Channels. Economies of scale. Barriers. BUYERS Number of customers or Volume of Sales. Buying Volume. Differentiation. Price Elasticity. Incentives. Brand Identity or Brand Image. Switching Costs. SUPPLIERS Number of Suppliers. Size of Suppliers. Switching Costs. Unique service or product. Ability to Substitute. SUBSTITUTES Substitute Performance Cost of Switching Buyer willingness Price Brand COMPETITVE RIVALRY Number of Competitors. Exit Barriers. Niche; Product Quality. Differentiation. Switching Costs. Industry Concentration. Diversity of Competitors. Price Competition. CONCLUSION – FUTURE OF TATA NANO Emerging markets are a fertile ground for innovation. The challenge of reaching dispersed, low – income consumers in emerging markets often spurs significant innovation. As customers gain more power, they will demand more tailoring and value – added service to meet their needs. Companies that innovate on this dimension are likely to be richly rewarded. World is getting tougher day by day being unique is a competitive advantage. An expectation to TATA NANO has proved this. After 100 years to Henry Ford, TATA has proved him again not only he came out of the expectations but also came out with a platform for INDIAN Auto Sector. My opinion after the study of various aspects I found that – TATA NANO is definitely not for: a)Someone looking for better performance b)Someone who is looking to impress c)Someone who want to speed trial on Sunday d)Someone who is looking for long drives TATA NANO is definitely for: a)Someone who is looking to buy a car but cannot afford much price. b)A student who want to go to college, tuition instead of bike. c)Someone who depends on second hand car. )For a house wife who can buy a car with her own savings. e)Someone who depends on scooter. So NANO is not a basically a luxury cars but it can fulfilled the all capacity for middle class people. In this report, I would like to conclude that TATA NANO report was a challenging project for me. I have tried my level best to provide secondary data before the due date of my proj ect. I also believe that more information could be collected and if collected more, it can be useful for the next assignment. I believe that the information or data collected are relevant and correct and could be useful for someone else also.

Role of the Gods in the Odyssey

Religion has always been an important part of culture, in present times and even dating back to the times of the Trojan War and before. No matter what religion a person practices or believes in the role of the certain gods believed in has always been important. In three separate pieces we have read we have seen the importance of the gods, or God, play a key role in the development of the literature. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the gods are key in Odysseus’ return to Ithaca after twenty years. Whether it is helping Odysseus or delaying him, they play a major role in the development of the story.In Psalm 139, the scripture passage taken from the Bible, God is a very obvious factor. Even in the poem by William Owen â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est† God again plays a major role once we dive deeper than the words are saying. The role of the gods, or singular God in Catholicism, plays a key role, sometimes unspoken, part. In The Odyssey we see in the first book three m ajor gods that make an immediate impact on Odysseus’ journey home. Zeus, Athena, and Poseidon all are important in their own way in either helping Odysseus or trying to stop him.Zeus, king of the gods, is characterized as a mediator between Athena and Poseidon, the former helping Odysseus and the latter trying to stop him from reaching home. Athena does all she can to help out the mortal Odysseus, even appearing to him and his son Telemachus in disguise to point them in the right direction. Poseidon, however, hates Odysseus for blinding his son and tries his hardest on multiple occasions to kill Odysseus and his men. Zeus, for being king of the gods, does not have the most important religious role in this epic poem.He is mostly seen as a babysitter between Athena and Poseidon, allowing Athena to help Odysseus but at the same time punishing the people who help out Odysseus. At one point, after Poseidon voiced his anger, he turns a Phaeacian ship to stone right when it returns because they helped Odysseus return home. His only involvement with Odysseus seems to be when he is trying to please both Athena and Zeus. Athena is a very key character in this poem. She takes a liking to the human Odysseus because of the intelligence and cunning that he naturally has. She personally gets involve in the lives of Telemachus and Odysseus by coming hem in disguise and helping them throughout their separate journeys. The grey-eyed goddess, as she is referred to many times, is responsible for setting Telemachus on the path to find out more about his father, and gives him the courage to stand up to the suitors who have invaded his father’s house. The goddess is seen helping Odysseus in almost every book, most notably the last four where she gives him strength when fighting the suitors, helping Odysseus and Telemachus reach Laertes’ house peacefully, and even makes the suitor’s parents forget about their children’s deaths and restores peace to Ithaca.Athena makes the homecoming of Odysseus a happy one, helping him and his family time and time again so that they are reunited. Poseidon, god of the sea, holds a nasty grudge against Odysseus throughout the story. Odysseus, after the famous â€Å"Nobody† trick, foolishly tells the Cyclopes Polyphemus his name as he is sailing away after blinding him. Poseidon, who is Polyphemus’ father, is outraged that a mortal blinded his son, and take it upon himself to make sure Odysseus never gets back home. Poseidon causes storms to break Odysseus’ boats and kill his men, while wrecking havoc on Odysseus just about every chance he gets.He goes so far that he asks Zeus to sink the Phaeacians ship, a race of people who adore Poseidon. Poseidon holds a major grudge against Odysseus, however he cannot stop him from reaching home. In the Christian scripture passage Psalm 139; taken from the Bible, we see that God has many of the same characteristics on the gods in The Ody ssey. It is described in the scripture passage that God has a perfect knowledge of all of us, which draws the comparison to the gods of Ancient Greece. God knows everything there is to know about us and what we are doing; he is all seeing and all powerful.Much like the gods of Ancient Greece sitting high above everyone on Mount Olympus, they see everything that is happening below them. Another powerful comparison is the unseen god factor. God always sees us, as humans though we never see him, much like when Odysseus and Telemachus see Athena; she is always disguised, never showing her true form. Zeus never appears, he sends his messages in forms of eagles, as signs to be interrupted by humans, much like God uses miracles to show his presence and existence. We are presented with two separate pieces of literature that have very similar comparisons in religion.Wilfred Owen’s famous poem â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est† actually makes no mention of religion in it, but it is obv ious to see that whatever god you pray to has no part in wars and stopping the death and violence. It brings us to ask ourselves the question of why would any god let these atrocities happen? British citizens not fighting in World War 1 thought that these men were dying heroic deaths, but Owen gives us an insight into how badly these men suffered when they went off to war. The gruesome deaths, the never ending violence and having to watch a comrade die are just a few of the horrible things that are seen in this poem.It leads us to belive that war is not worth it, in any sense, and that a sensible god would not allow it. Odysseus, after ten years of fighting the Trojans and seeing many of his close friends die, then had to suffer for an additional ten years. The men in World War 1 signed up for their own premature deaths, and there was no religious power to stop these cruel actions. All three of these pieces give us significant insight on our Common Core questions. However, it ties i n most importantly to our understanding of what it means to be human.Most obvious in all three pieces we see the â€Å"human† aspects of our lives, the fact that we can die while gods or God cannot. We are not as powerful as gods or God, we cannot control our fate, and it is already written out for us by whomever we pray to in each respective religion. We must make the most of the time and life we are given because we do not have a long time on this planet. To be human means that we must be able to recognize our own abilities, our own strengthens and weaknesses, and know that there is a higher power controlling our fate.

Richard Nixon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Richard Nixon - Essay Example CRP began a massive fund-raising campaign aimed at collecting as much money as possible before the reporting contributions became mandatory under a new law, and the money could be used for any purpose. Besides this official objective, under Nixon's orders, members of the CRP began conducting electronic surveillance of government officials and members of the press, in an attempt to control the flow of information regarding Nixon's activities. In the period between 1969 and 1971, wiretaps were installed on telephones around Washington DC in the name of "national security," and the Oval Office was equipped with voice-activated tape recorders, a decision that would later come back to haunt Nixon. In 1971, the CRP began to ramp up its political intelligence-gathering activities in preparation for the upcoming presidential election. The group planned to infiltrate the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters, located on the sixth floor of the Watergate apartment and office complex in Washington DC. Leading the conspiracy were US Attorney General John Mitchell, deputy director of the CRP Jeb Magruder, and CRP counsel G. Gordon Liddy. Their goal was to photograph campaign materials and place bugging devices in the office of Democratic National Chairman Lawrence F. ... The Watergate break-in eventually exposed a whole array of campaign practices designed to disrupt or embarrass the political opposition, all of which commentators later summarized as 'dirty tricks.' Investigation and Prosecution When making an attempt to break into the Watergate building in order to fix up previously installed wiretapping equipment, all the burglars were caught red-handed by the police on information of the building guard. The number of these burglars was five including Bernard Barker, Virgilio Gonzlez, Eugenio Martnez, James W. McCord, Jr., and Frank Sturgis. After investigation the police found telephone number of E. Howard Hunt in McCord's notebook who was Chief of Security at the Committee to Re-elect the President (CRP). This was a strong proof that strengthens the idea that there was surely a connection between the burglars and someone close to the President. Investigation started to find a link between McCord and the CIA and finally it was discovered that the CRP bribed McCord. The White House denied any knowledge of the break in. Six days later, John Haldeman, the White House Chief of Staff, met with Nixon to tell him that the FBI had traced the money found in the burglars' possession to CREEP. In a tape-recorded conversation, Nixon asked Haldeman to get in touch with the CIA to have the FBI's investigation stopped. In spring 1973, three of the five indicted men in the Watergate break-in pled guilty, while the remaining two were found guilty after a trial. The Cuban men were each sentenced to forty years in prison, and Hunt was sentenced to thirty-five. McCord sent word to Judge Sirica that he was willing to cooperate in exchange for a reduced sentence. White House counsel John Dean also approached the Judge and offered his

The rise and influence of Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War 2 Essay

The rise and influence of Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War 2 - Essay Example Franklin Delano Roosevelt, America’s longest serving President, is one of the most important political figures of the twentieth century. He led the USA through twelve years of domestic and international disorder and war. It is a general perception among people that no American President is more concerned about how he is portrayed than Franklin Roosevelt. He shrouded himself in dozens of disguises, including Sphinx, Father, Doctor, and Captain of the Ship of State. One main theme was consistent. Franklin Roosevelt invariably represented himself and was portrayed by others, as hale, hearty, optimistic, and healthy, his most brilliant disguise. That image of vigor makes ironic the debate over the depiction of Roosevelt in his memorial statues in Washington, DC, and raises complex issues about the portrayal of the best known but most enigmatic president of the twentieth century.Historians have always ranked Roosevelt as one of the greatest presidents of the United States along with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Franklin Roosevelt and World War II Between 1929 and 1945 the United States experienced a global depression and another world war. During t his time of grave calamity almost everywhere, economic collapse called forth political instability and nationalist movements. In Europe and Asia the rise of Italian fascism, German Nazism, and Japanese militarism intensified economic competition over markets and scarce resources, resulting in conflict and war . In the countries of Latin America the Great Depression led to breakdowns and political difficulties, the consequences of which encouraged the United States to respond in distinctive ways by fashioning a Good Neighbor policy. The Great Depression, which set in after the historic Stock Market Crash of 1929, and World War II would bring substantial expansion of the practice and its concepts. President Franklin D Roosevelt, a consummate practitioner who had been tutored in public relations by Louis McHenry Howe since 1912, would lead the way. He was elected four times against the strong opposition of the majority of American newspapers by using his true strong leadership and taking his message to the people on the nation's front pages and on radios. The term "good neighbor", a kind of commonplace in diplomatic language, took on actual meaning during the presidencies of Herbert C. Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt. For Latin Americans the term signified the end of an era of direct intervention by the United States in Latin American affairs. For the Roosevelt administration the Good Neighbor policy also functioned significantly in other ways: It served as an international counterpart of the New Deal by attacking the economic effects of the Great Depression and later as a means of mobilizing resistance among the nations of the New World against the Axis powers during the Second World War. As the historian Robert Freeman Smith explains, taken together the various components formed "a massive, although ill-defined government effort" under U.S direction to create "an integrated hemisphere system" characterized by high levels of "political, economic and military co-operation". FDR's success in winning public support spurred the efforts of the conservative forces, particularly Big Business, to develop programs to counter his appeals. To bring the United States out of the Depression, President Roosevelt initiated a number of actions agencies - the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Works Project Administration - that required extensively publicity in order to gain cooperation and acceptance. Thus, the public information system in the federal government was greatly enlarged in FDR's administration. In a sense and to oversimplify - the Second World

Quality improvement in clinical practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Quality improvement in clinical practice - Essay Example Sufficient application of patient safety within various organisations contributes to overall quality of services offered within a specified establishment. Patient safety and healthcare quality, therefore, remain two components which affect each other directly. This paper seeks to analyse the element of patient safety within various healthcare organisations. The paper presents a discussion of the various factors influencing the occurrence of patient safety incidents within a hospital setting. Patient safety incidents become significantly affected by three major factors; human factors, medical complexity and system failures within healthcare organisations. Majority of issue leading to the occurrence of these instances could be regulated through adoption of efficient patient safety framework and policies, enhancing patient safety. The current framework includes guidelines provided by government organisations regarding processes of implementing sufficient patient safety policies. Numerou s organisations continue to follow the government provisions; however, modifications enhancing safety become necessary in increasing the efficiency of the safety systems. These modifications, however, must conform to the provisions of regulating government authorities, charged with overseeing implementation of patient safety. ... ons 13 References 14 Introduction Patient safety refers to the prevention of erroneous occurrences, related to healthcare provision, which could present adverse effects on patients. Comprehensive safety includes the capacity for employees to operate within stipulated regulations, seeking to minimise occurrence of medical mistakes (Hughes, 2008). Such medical errors could potentially harm patients through presenting a hazard to patients. The inclusion of these regulations within different healthcare establishments ensures that patients remain unexposed to dangers, while residing within these establishments. Patients commonly attribute patient safety to quality healthcare; hence seek healthcare from organisations where they feel safe. Safety of patients remains fundamental to establishing a good reputation for various healthcare organisations. Enhanced safety operation ensures minimal cases of injuries and deaths of patients while residing within hospitals. The inclusion of safety proc edures within the healthcare sector remains fundamental in improving the quality of services offered within healthcare organisations. Patient safety has been identified as an indistinguishable component of overall patient safety (CokerGroup, 2008). Through patient safety, the balance realised between the realised operational procedures and provided guidelines comprise patient safety. The quality of healthcare resides within the perception of individuals receiving the care. This perceived quality could become enhanced through ensuring patient safety while receiving medical services, within a medical organisation. Enhanced patient safety, therefore, signifies quality healthcare to the recipients of the services. While safety procedures can become clearly defined, quality cannot be defined,

Microeconomics - Entrepreneurship and Unemployment Essay

Microeconomics - Entrepreneurship and Unemployment - Essay Example Low entrepreneurship levels could also result from low levels of economic growth that are also symptomatic of high unemployment levels. Whereas unemployment has a significant influence on the rate entrepreneurial activity, Audretsch et al (2011: p32) also claim that entrepreneurship has an equally significant impact on unemployment because of the low rates of survival for entrepreneurial activity that limits the influence of entrepreneurship on unemployment. Therefore, there is ambiguity as to whether unemployment is related to increased entrepreneurship or whether unemployment and entrepreneurship are inversely related. As a result, it can be argued that unemployment causes an increase in entrepreneurship and self-employment uptake, while entrepreneurship may also cause unemployment (Faria, 2013: p289). The unravelling of the association between unemployment and entrepreneurship is essential because most policies are based on assumptions that fail to reflect such ambiguity, thus req uiring a robust economic analysis of the available policies. Sub-national governments like the Welsh Assembly Government have the capacity to design and implement policies that support self-employment and entrepreneurship, specifically in complementing the effects of national policies to reduce unemployment levels. While there are numerous policy programs that can be used in support of entrepreneurial activity to reduce unemployment in the South Wales Valleys, there are generally three forms of policies: entrepreneurial education and training; financial assistance; and consultancy, advice, and general assistance. Entrepreneurs in the South Wales Valleys who might want to set up a business may sometimes require advice on the best types of businesses to pursue, required formalities, management implications, and planning required. Indeed, according to Williams and Nadin (2012: p900), majority of people who want to be self-employed only vaguely conceive

A Story about Love Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Story about Love - Essay Example is the strangest as it shows how a loving wife would suffer through an abusive husband since she loves him to the extent that she would do anything for him. The characters note with this example that love occurs without any regard for sensibilities or the idea of right and wrong. This is certainly true since love is often considered a maddening predicament which has no room for rank or social standing and even practicalities become mere inconveniences when it comes to love (Chekhov, 1918). I feel that this is a very idealistic approach to love which may not really exist in the real world where practicalities often become more important than love itself. As per the story told by Chekhov (1918), love demands sacrifices and it demands that the lovers be prepared to give up on everything they want the most. As the story shows, when it comes to love, a person may have to suffer through the most gut wrenching moments without flinching and accept that what is good for the person they love must be good for themselves as well. Of course this may not be always true as it was in the case of Alehin, but the situation demanded that the beloved be given precedence over the lover. This precedence also stems from the viewpoint which the lover takes of the beloved when she is described by him with these words: â€Å"Her eyes, the elegant refined hand she gave me, her indoor dress, the way she did her hair, her voice, her step, always produced the same impression on me something new and extraordinary in my life, and very important (Chekhov, 1918, Pg. 1)†. For Chekhov, this becomes the essence of love since the supreme sacrifice a lover can make is to give up on the love which sustains him/her if giving up that love will make life easier for the beloved. Alehin does that for Anna and even though she is also in love with him, her love is perhaps not as great a love as Alehin has for her. While he is willing to give up what he feels for her just so that she can be happy, she is not

Sociological Analysis of Asia's premier serial killer Charles Gurmukh Essay

Sociological Analysis of Asia's premier serial killer Charles Gurmukh Sobhraj - Essay Example He was admitted to a boarding school in Paris but he managed to drop out at least twice to visit Vietnam. It is interesting reading that these trips were paid with help of fraud checks. Nevertheless, Sobhraj spent three years for burglary and eight months for car theft in prison in France in the 1960's. In the 1970's Sobhraj became dabbling in drug smuggling. He made a core group for himself and acted in pack as he was very flexible with his ways of crime. It at this point of his career that the notorious "Bikini Murders" took shape with Teresa Knowlton, a Seattle woman who had traveled to Bangkok on her way to Kathmandu. Multiple murders of the similar type surfaced and it was found out that the usual methods of Sobhraj was to drug first and then go for the kill and occasionally burning the bodies after the kill. Sobhraj is implicated in at least 10 murders in Thailand in 1975 alone. The total body count for this killer is actually 32. Sobhraj, once commented that his greatest strength was his great love for the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. This is an interesting clue to the psyche of this serial killer. As in Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy he also believed that women should be treated on whip.

Structuralism perspective in science and technology Essay

Structuralism perspective in science and technology - Essay Example However, it was the work of Ferdinand de Saussure that is generally considered to be a starting point of the 20th century structuralism (Structuralism, 2006). Amongst the well-known structuralists are; Ferdinand de Saussure, Roland Barthes, Michel Foucault, Jacques Lacan, and Lvi-Strauss. However, it is not possible to claim that some important social and/or psychological theoreticians and certain sciences are structuralist in character because what they do is to build models of psychological or social reality (Glazer, 1996). Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, existentialism like that practiced by Jean-Paul Sartre was the prevailing mood. Structuralism only became prominent in France after WWII predominantly in the 1960s. The early attractiveness of structuralism in France led it to spread throughout the world (Structuralism, 2006). By the early 1960s, structuralism, as a movement, was able to stand on its own and offered a unified approach to human life that will hug all disciplines (S tructuralism, 2006). Just like any other cultural movement, the influences and developments of structuralism are multifaceted (Structuralism, 2006). Structuralism is contentious and indefinable concept. Generally, structuralism can be understood in two levels: first, as a wide intellectual movement, one of the most noteworthy ways of theorising in the human sciences in the twentieth century; second, as a specific set of approaches to literature (and other arts and aspects of culture) thriving in France during the 1960s however with older roots and continuing repercussions. The basic principle of structuralism is that human activity and its results, even perception and thought itself, are constructed and not natural (Maley, n.d.). The theoretical approach offered by structuralism emphasises that elements of culture must be understood in terms of their relationship to the entire system (Rubel and Rosman, 1996). This notion, that the whole is bigger than the parts, got the attention of the Gestalt school o f psychology. Fundamentally, the elements of culture are not descriptive in and of themselves, but they form part of a significant system. Structuralism, as an analytical model, assumes the universality of human thought processes in the aim to understand the deep structure or underlying connotation that exist in cultural phenomena (Lett, 1987; Meyer, n.d.). However, the most complicated characteristic of structuralism is that these structures are not based on concrete or physical phenomena as they are in biological or other sciences but based on cultural realities such kinship organisation or stories. These cultural realities are mental as are the structures which explain them. These structures and their structuralist models exist only in human minds, and not in nature as e.g. a Marxist would claim (Glazer, 1996). Structuralism is a multifacet approach embraced by a variety of academic discipline such as psychology, linguistics, anthropology, and human culture as well. Structuralism in psychology In the 19th century, structuralism existed for the first time in academic psychology. Psychology, as a subject of discussion, also has a long history within the fields of philosophy and physiology. It only became a sovereign field of its own with the work of the German Wilhelm Wundt. . He was the first one in

Fiction novel by Jerry Spinelli Essay Example for Free

Fiction novel by Jerry Spinelli Essay Milkweed is a historical fiction novel by Jerry Spinelli. It is centered around Misha who grows up in Warsaw, Poland as the Holocaust is in full fledge. Misha struggles in his young life, as an orphaned Jew who steals and struggles to survive. Throughout the book Misha exemplifies persistence and perseverance in never giving up on life or the setbacks life can hand you that are outside of your control. This is a story of a man reflecting back on his difficult life he was dealt. Despite having no family, no belongings, and no true sense of identity, Misha is still able to love and care for others. He only steals and pick pockets others because it is necessary to his survival. Although he originally steals from Janina and her family, they take him in and treat Misha as their son. He loves and cares for them in return and continues to care for Janina, even after she is cruelly taken away from him after being shot by the Nazis. Even into his old life, Misha thinks fondly of Janina, remembering how he truly felt he was a part of her family and remembering her with kindness. He gives his granddaughter Janina for a middle name without hesitating when asked by his daughter. Although Misha begins the novel with no real sense of self or identity, by the end of the book and middle age for him, he finds his spot in the world, living peacefully and being sure of himself. After the War, Misha moves to America, where he begins giving speeches on street corners telling stories of all that he endured during the War. I think he may have told these stories both to make sense of what had happened to him and also to make others aware of exactly how awful the Nazi party was. He is able to make peace his past and leads a peaceful, happy life working at a grocery store and spending time with his daughter and granddaughter. Misha shows us all that despite what setbacks people have encountered and how unfair life may have been to them, with hard work, perseverance, and an optimistic outlook on life, you may not be able to control your destiny, but you are able to control how you react to it. Misha just so happens to take life as it comes and celebrate his victories. He chooses not to dwell on his orphaned life, poverty, the war, or the fact that his pregnant life left him and rejoice in the fact that he once had loved ones and now has a healthy daughter and granddaughter. After time, Misha accepted his past and quirky habits he acquired during the war and was able to reconcile with them.

Works of Dickens Essay Example for Free

Works of Dickens Essay Compare the roles of institutions in A Kestrel for a Knave and the works of Dickens  Dickens and Hines use writing techniques to portray their institutions as impoverished and brutal places. Dickens is especially good at this. He can bring places to life with similes and metaphors. Dickens and Hines have added a fiery, tyrannical character in the shape of Mr Gradgrind, who every one fears and Mr Gryce. Both of whom are headmasters.  At the beginning of Hard Times Dickens disguises his characters by not giving them names, he does this to draw the reader into the novel. The Speaker and the schoolmaster, and the third grown person present  Both of the novels, although written 100 years apart show very little change in the schooling the children received. The authors show their institutions as plain and bare. Dickens even goes, as far as to say that the school room in Hard Times is a vault, not letting anyone in or out. monotonous vault of a schoolroom  Dickens likes to use repetition of words. Especially Facts and emphasis. He does this to show the squareness of Mr Gradgrind. Dickens does this to illustrate how he wants every thing to be regimented and perfect. Gradgrind had the premonition that all the children he schooled were only good for factory fodder. Hines has the same thought but did not put it so blatantly in his writing; this is because he does not want to sound so right wing. The two books are set in industrial towns. Hines does not name his town but it is in Northern England. Dickens named his town Coketown, because this is a major part of the smelting of iron, extremely important in the Victorian age and the industrial revolution, because without it none of the steps forward would have been made to modernise products and industries.  Both authors show that the children in their books have no prospects. They leave school only knowing enough to get them into a factory or coal mine.  Hines has injected a positive influence into A Kestrel for a Knave in the shape of Mr Farthing, Billys Teacher. Mr Farthing is a kind and gentle man a far cry from the harsh environment in which Billy lives. There is a profound lack of anything worth living for in Hard Times. This is because all of the children in the school in Hard Times are just going to end there lifes in a pit or factory, again this is because society in those days looked upon the working class as workers so this is were they where destined to be.  Hines and Dickens use the same writing techniques to gain full effect on the reader. For example they both use similes and metaphor. Institutions of the time consisted of workhouses, factories and schools. The workhouses, horrible places to live and work. Often run by money hungry fat cats, purely for the profit. They did not care how the children should be treated. These places were often very regimented, dull and laborious (as in the table scene in Oliver Twist, where Oliver Twist and colleges sat at two long tables eating the same food at the same pace.) There was also a lack of equality. In the factories people were paid next to nothing for very hard, dangerous work. It was not uncommon for a worker to lose a finger or even a whole hand because the machinery was not safety guarded. The schools were run like business. Sometimes the head teachers had deals with factories to send there school leavers to their factories or down their mines. Dickens describes Coketown with metaphors of animals this is I think to show that the inhabitants of Coketown were only animals, this also adds to the primitive nature of the town. Coke town is primitive because everybody fights for the best jobs and positions in the town. Also the way that Dickens describes the buildings as animals makes this scene primitive. Mr Gradgrind believes heavily in Utilitarianism. This concept originally the brainchild of Jeremy Bentham is made a mockery of by Dickens in Hard Times, with his ironic quotes and lines.  Dickens and Hines both use institutions in their novels to illustrate the poverty of the industrial town. The reader is able to sympathise with the characters in these novels through the ways that the two authors write.

The Electricity Company Of Ghana Action Plan Finance Essay

The Electricity Company Of Ghana Action Plan Finance Essay Electricity generation, transmission and distribution in Ghana mainly involve three institutions that work in an interrelated manner. Volta River Authority (VRA) generates the electric power through hydro and thermal plants and, until recently, also had responsibility for the high voltage transmission system. The Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCO), created as part of reforms in the power sector, now has responsibility for the high voltage transmission so as to have that separated from generation entities. It is the least known of the institutions. The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) distributes the energy produced to most consumers through low voltage transmission lines. It is the institution that is in direct contact with most of the public. Figure 1 below shows the main processes of the power distribution in Ghana. The ECG is a limited liability company owned solely by the Government of Ghana and has the responsibility of supplying and distributing electrical power in the southern part of Ghana. It was established in November 1997 as Joint Stock Company based on the companies code in accordance with the 1993 Corporate Act (Act 461) of Ghana. The company has its headquarters in Accra, a total workforce of 5,281 with a customer base of 1.7 million (ECG annual report 2008). Vision The ECGs vision is to be among the leading electricity distribution companies in Africa in terms of quality, safety and reliability. Mission Statement The mission statement of the company is to provide quality electricity services to support economic growth and development in Ghana. The primary objective of the company is to supply electrical energy to people in its areas of operation. In discharging its various duties, the company has executed a number of national electrification programmes on behalf of the government. The ECG is a monopoly in the electricity distribution sub sector of Ghana. The tariffs that clients pay for the supply of electricity services are regulated by the state owned company called Public Utility Regulatory Commission. The ECG charges commercial rates to its clients which are subsidized by government. Organizational structure The company is run by the Board of Directors, Principal Officers and Advisors. The companys Board of Directors are appointed by the Government of Ghana. The Principal Officers and Advisors control and run the eight directorates of the Company. These directorates are Engineering, Operations, Customer Services, Materials Transport, Finance, Audit, Legal Services and Human Resources. Figure 2 below depicts the organizational structure of the ECG. Fig.2: The Organizational Chart of ECG Board of Directors ManagingDirector rector Divisional Managers (3) Divisional Managers (6) Director Legal Services Director Customer services Divisional Managers (3) Employees Employees Director Human Resource Director Customer services Director Material and Transport Director Material and Transport Director Audit Director Finance Director Engineering Director Operations Divisional Managers (6) Divisional Managers (3) Divisional Managers (2) Divisional Managers (2) Divisional Managers (3) Divisional Managers (3) Divisional Managers (5) Divisional Managers (3) Lower managemt Employees LOwer Managemt Employees Lower Managemt employees Employees Lower Managemt Employees Lower managemt Employees Lower managemt Employees Lower Managemt Employees Lower Managmt Employees Board of Directors The Board of Directors as at 29th June, 2009 was composed of the following persons: Ing.Sqn. Ldr. Clend Sowu (Rtd.): The chairman of the Board. He is a Consultant Engineer and a Retired Military Officer. Mr. Cephas Gakpo: The Managing Director of the company Mr. Bernard Allotey Jacobs: A Media Practitioner Barimah Kwame Nkyii XII: Omanhene Assin Aimanim Traditional Area, Tax Ecpert. Dr. Kwaku Osafo: Economist/Engineer Mr. Samuel M. Codjoe: Lawyer Mr. Anthony Gyampo: Educationist Mr. Kwabena Adjei: Businessman, Communication Professional Hon. Dr. Nii Oakley Quaye-Kumah: Member of Parliament for Krowor Constituency, Veterinary Surgeon Mr. Jake Kofi Anre: A Lawyer and Secretary to the Board Directorates of ECG The Engineering Directorate is responsible for the planning and designing of the distribution network. The directorate is also responsible for the procurement and implementation of investment projects. The Operations Directorate is responsible for delivering quality reliable and safe supply of electricity to customers, maintain the network regularly in order to reduce the number of interruptions and outages, respond quickly to faults and use modern technology to operate the distribution system; Materials Transport Directorate has responsibilities of managing all activities regarding materials received for projects and other ECG operations. In addition, the department has to manage all operations regarding Transport (Vehicles). Customer Services Directorate has responsibilities of gathering all information about Power Purchases, Power Sales, Average End-User-Tariff (EUT), System Losses, Revenue Collection, debtors position at the end of each year and customer population. Audit Directorate is responsible of operational, commercial and financial activities of ECG. With Technical Audits, physical inspections and reconciliation of materials usage are carried out. The directorate is also responsible of Audit investigations on fraud and corruption. Lastly, it support Management about operational activities and give directives to address them. Legal Services provides legal services to the ECG. The Director is the Secretary to the Board of Directors and maintains a Board Secretariat to provide secretarial services to the Board of Directors. He is involved in the prosecution of people involved in the illegal activities against the ECG to reduce system losses. Finance Directorate has responsibilities of analyzing and reviewing financial data, reporting financial performance, preparing budgets and monitoring expenditures and costs for the ECG as a whole. Human Resources Management Directorate has responsibilities in the following areas: Staffing (Employment and Recruitment, Personnel records, Compensation); Training and Development and Industrial Relations (Health and Safety). The ECG is a Strategic Enterprise in the sense that it is the only electricity distribution company that supplies electricity to the whole of Ghana. Secondly it offers employment to over 5,000 Ghanaians, making it the largest employer in Ghana. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS The analysis of the performance of ECG as described below is based on available information up to year 2008. The Impact of Global and National Forces on ECGs Operations The worldwide economic recession (Credit Crunch) affected both the economy of Ghana and ECGs operations. The year saw rapid hikes in crude oil and metal prices which resulted in the high cost of power generation from thermal sources and sharp increases in the cost of materials and equipment required for capital investment projects. The Ghana Cedi also depreciated against the major world trading currencies especially the US Dollar, the Euro, and the British Pound. Since most of the inputs for ECGs capital investment projects were imported, prices consequently increased relative to energy sales which were generally denominated in the Ghana Cedi. The cost of investment projects therefore increased from 12% to about 20%. The U.S dollar for instance appreciated in value against the Ghana Cedi from a rate of $1: GHÂ ¢0.92 in July 2007 to $1: GHÂ ¢1.49 in June 2009Â  [1]Â   The inflation rate in Ghana also contributed to the high cost of operations and subsequently affected the companys profitability. The inflation rate has increased over the period from an average of 10.73% in 2007, 16.46% in 2008 to 19.86% in 2009. This resulted in increases in labor cost and other local raw material inputs. Details of the inflation rate is attached as appendix 1 Financial, Operations and Human Resources Performance Profit and Loss The ECG has made an operating profit of GHÂ ¢25,089,202 in 2008. Prior to this year, the company had been making losses. In 2006 and 2007 for example, the net operating losses were (GHÂ ¢3,429,300) and (GHÂ ¢8,657,716) respectively. Current Assets The stocks level at year 2008 was GHÂ ¢135,851,792. This was an increase of 99.8% over year 2007 figure. The Accounts Receivables also increased by 50.5% to GHÂ ¢258,033,418 in 2008. The table below depicts the status of the Current Assets of the company over the three year period from 2006 to 2008. Current Assets 2008 GHÂ ¢ %age change 2007 GHÂ ¢ %age change 2006 GHÂ ¢ Stocks 135,851,792 99.8 67,999,841 39.3 48,800,300 Debtors 258,033,418 50.5 171,411,587 16.2 147,503,100 Prepayment 8,323,294 184.6 2,924,574 48.4 5,665,800 Short Term Investment 16,358,519 108.5 7,845,126 12.0 7,002,600 Cash and Cash Balances 49,473,765 42.6 34,690,929 16.4 29,796,100 468,040,788 64.3 284,872,057 19.3 238,767,900 The increases in the stocks and debtors depict a weak inventory management and credit policy of the company. Debtor/Sales Ratio The Debtor/Sales ratio which is an expression of customer debt in days of billing was 130 days in 2008. It deteriorated from 138 days in 2006 to 162 days in 2007 representing a decrease of 17.4%. Although there was an improvement from 162 days in 2007 to 130 in 2008, the figure is still too high. Loans and Suppliers Credit The ECG through the Government of Ghana has secured the following loans and credit from the World Bank and other suppliers for investments in its distribution network. This has increased the companys debt situation tremendously. DSUP $15m financed by IDA, ECG (2003-2007) GEDAPÂ   $94.5m financed by IDA and partners, AfDB, ECG, (2008-2012) GEDAP Extension $70m for Ashanti Region, financed by IDA (2010-2014) French credit Euro 65m for Tema and Kumas. Financing from the french govt. (2008-2012) Norwegian credit Euro 60m for Greater Accra and Eastern regions. Financing from the Norwegian govt. (2008-2012) El Sewedy credit 16.5m from El Sewedy TD (2010-2011) As at December 2008, an amount of GHÂ ¢171.92 million was outstanding in suppliers credit. Systems Losses System loss is a power loss in its course from the source to end users. In 2007 the systems loss was 24.03%. This increased to 25.58% in 2008 as result of poor transmitting system and also theft through illegal connections. The ECGs performance in this area is declining and this is adding onto the cost of operations of the company. The table below shows the trend of the systems losses over a three year period from 2006 to 2008. System losses units (GWh) Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 Total Purchases 5045.4 5252.8 5145.6 5799.4 Total sales 3762.0 3978.4 3909.1 4315.8 System losses in % 24.26 24.03 25.58 Human Resources Capacity ECGs staff strength at the end of the year 2008 was 5,281. This was an increase of 6.07% over year 2007 figure of 4,929. Staff turnover over the year period is showed in the table below. Employee turnover Year 2006 2007 2008 Employee turnover 3.02% 3.27% 3.53% The percentage of employee turnover increased from 3.27% in 2007 to 3.53% in 2008. The reasons assigned for this increase upon our investigation are lack of motivation and incentives to the employees. Evaluation of ECG This section of the Plan tries to come out with a range of expected fair market values for ECG incase the government find it necessary to privatize it. The main purpose of this evaluation is to give all stakeholders especially government and management of the company a fair market range of values within which the ECG can be sold. ECG, as already mentioned above is a public monopolist and as such not listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE). As a result of this, the market Comparison Method of evaluation can not be used. The only feasible formulas to use would be the Asset Appraisal Method and the Discounted Cash Flow Method. Asset Appraisal Method This method involves revising all the asset and liabilities of the company including Goodwill. Using the 2008 audited financial report of the company, we can easily get the values of the asset and liabilities of the company at Net Book Values (NBV) and not the Revised Values. Since we are not in a position to revalue the companys assets and liabilities we are solely relying on the NBV of these assets and liabilities. The NBV of assets and liabilities for the 2008 financial year were given as follow: 2008 GHÂ ¢ Current Assets 468,040,788 Fixed Assets Plant, Property and Equipment 1,171,197,452 Goodwill 2,021,653,890 Total Asset 5,008,661,390 Less Current Liabilities (259,567,145) Value ECG 3,401,324,985 Calculating the value of Good Goodwill is calculated based on the Supper Profit Method. This involves determining a value for the expected future profit of the company. Here, some past profit of the collected based on the 2008 report and an average is taken. We then make adjustments to reflect future profits. Thus, expected future expenses and income are adjusted. Years Net profit/Loss GHÂ ¢ 1999 17365,259 2000 (7,583,807) 2001 152,973,046 2002 (451,974) 2003 (483,609) 2004 (269,686) 2005 (305,425) 2006 (475,200) 2007 (48,836,581) 2008 11,598,017 Total 123,530,040 Average profit for the 10 years = Expected Future Operating Expenses Looking at the operating expenses of the company over the years, the average expenses over the years is around GHÂ ¢6,574,530. Since expenses are expected to increase over the coming years, a 10% adjustment is made to reflect future changes. This 10% was chosen based on the increasing trend of operating expenses from 1999 to 2008. This brings the total future expected operating expenses to (GHÂ ¢6574530 +GHÂ ¢657453) GHÂ ¢7,231,983. Expected Future Income Again, looking at the operating income over the years, the average income for the 10 years is GHÂ ¢54,145,602. Since the expected income are expected to increase as a result of the stabilization of the Ghanaian Cedi against major foreign currencies, stable world price of crude oil, materials, and of course the discovery of crude oil in Ghana. Taking all these factors into consideration, a 15% adjustment is made to reflect these changes. Therefore the future operating income is (GHÂ ¢54,145,602 + 8,121,840) GHÂ ¢62,267,442 GHÂ ¢ The number of years of purchase which depends on the bargaining powers of both the government who is the owner of ECG and the would-be private investor on the reputation of the company. ECG, as earlier discussed, serves both the Ghanaian Economy and other two countries in West Africa (Togo Benin). It also has the potential to expend to other countries as a result of the discovery of crude oil in Ghana. With all the above reputations and potentials, we have decided to fix the number of years of purchase at 30 years. The Goodwill for the company would be Limitation of this method The value of the fixed assets used in the valuation might have some composition of non-productive assets and therefore would affect the fair market value of the company. Discounted Cash Flow Method This method takes into consideration the time value of money. Thus, discounted cash streams of future cash flow. Here, the first thing we do is to forecast the future cash flow by making adjustments to 2008 cash flow of the company. From the cash flow statement (2008), the net cash flow was GHÂ ¢15,819,658. Since cash inflows are expected to increase over the next few years due to expansion and reduction in operating expenses, an upward adjustment of 15% is made to the net cash flow for the next five (5) years. Thus, from 2008 up to 2013. Expected net cash flow from 2013 upwards can not be forecasted due to uncertainty. Discount Rate The company is at the moment using a discount rate of 10%. Due to the possibility of inflation and exchange rate fluctuations, have decided to fix the discount rate between 12% 15%. According to the discounted cash flow method: FMV = Present value of cash flow up to the terminal year + Present value of terminal value. Year Expected Net Cash Flow GHÂ ¢ 2009 18192607 2010 20921498 2011 24059722 2012 27668681 2013 31818983 Using the NPV formula which is given as: NPV =, we can now calculate NPV at both rates of discount (12% and 15%). NPV @ 12% = But Terminal = NPV = NPV (12%) = GHÂ ¢2,200,234,081 NPV @ 15% = But terminal value = NPV = GHÂ ¢1,708,064,531 Interpretations Since the Asset Appraisal Method gave us the highest value of GHÂ ¢3,401,324,985 it would be considered. We are therefore concentrating on the Discounted Cash Flow Method range of values to determine the value of the company. This therefore means that the value of ECG, must be in the range of GHÂ ¢1,708,064,531 and GHÂ ¢2,200,234,081. SWOT ANALYSIS The investigations conducted on the ECG revealed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats as summarized in the table below. STRENGTH Competent Work Force High level of technical expertise Government Support A monopolist (large customer base) Facilities (i.e. warehouse) Availability of donor funds Installation of prepayment meters Customer Call Center Vast Distribution network system Low cost of production as compared to countries in the sub region Availability of electrical fault detection technology WEAKNESSES High turnover of professional and technical staff Uncompetitive conditions of services Lack of rule enforcement Poor Communication Lack of team work Not clear defined job descriptions Talents in the company not used to the best advantage No effective Research and Development (RD) Weak Inventory Management High network distribution losses Mismanagement of resources OPPORTUNITIES Potential to expand (nationwide and other countries) Potential of quality power delivery Political and Economic stability Staff training and development West Africa Gas Pipeline Oil discovery on the coast of Ghana THREATS Government Interferences Government determination of Tariffs Fluctuations in the exchange rates Effects of inflation Natural Disasters (i.e. rain storms) Increasing World prices of metals, materials and equipment WEAKNESSES OF THE THREE MAIN DEPARTMENTS THAT NEEDS TO BE RESTRUCTURING BASED ON OUR ANALYSIS MATERIALS AND TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT Weak Inventory Management Unstructured Procurement Unit Increases in the world prices of metals, materials and equipment Mismanagement of Company resources Effects of inflation on local procurement Fluctuation in the exchange rate OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT No effective research and development High network distribution losses Unreliable and low quality of power supply Inadequate training and development of operations staff Inadequate staff HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT High turnover of staff Talents in the Company not being used to the best advantage Poor Communication Lack of team work Uncompetitive conditions of service Lack of rule enforcement No well defined job description Excess labor force STRATEGIC ALTERNATIVES AND RECOMMENDED STRATEGIES Based on the SWOT analysis, the following strategic alternatives are recommended to bring about turnaround for the Material and Transport Directorates; Human Resource Directorate and the Operations Directorate. MATERIAL AND TRANSPORT DIRECTORATE Assets Reduction Strategies: Divesting Specific Assets Assets that are in surplus with respect to the future requirements of the company should be sold off. Unproductive and obsolete assets such as transformers, power cables, electric conductors and meters should be sold. Reducing Inventory Material costs should be reduced through improved buying practices, better utilization of materials and efficient inventory management. Inventory of the company such as transformers, meters, cables, conductors and wooden poles should be managed based on Vital Few Trivial Many Principle. This will help the company to avoid holding too much inventory, which is cost to the company and also prevent the company from holding too little inventory which can make the company loose customers. Not only that but also, the reorder level should be fixed between the maximum order level and the minimum order level to prevent the inventory from reaching the danger level. Reducing Debtors (Accounts Receivables) There should be a credit policy to help in the effective administration of the debtors. Customers credit worthiness should be well determined. Debts should be collected within 30 days. There should also be a debt recovery plan. Reducing Cost The Company should adopt Total Cost Management (TCM) control strategy as a way of reducing cost. There should be intelligent optimization and not just cost cutting in the areas of direct costs; overheads; procurement costs; production costs; selling and distribution costs; inventory costs; personnel costs. There should be speedy execution of contract bids and procurement processes to avoid additional costs being incurred as a result of lapse of deadlines. The introduction of e-Procurement should also be used to facilitate the procurement process. The company should also enter into forward contracts to reduce costs. Debt Restructuring Arrangements should be made for third party (government) to service the debt on behalf of the enterprise. There should be selective sale of assets and the revenue that would be realized from the sale of these assets should be used to offset the debt owed to suppliers. Legal Restructuring Specific legal steps should be taken to privatize the company. HUMAN RESORCE MANAGEMENT DIRECTORATE Organisational Restructuring There should be a merger of the engineering and operations directorates to ensure harmonization of action plans towards the achievement of corporate objectives. Information technology should also be used to make the hierarchical organizational structure flat. A strategic planning unit should be created and headed by a corporate strategist to lead the process of strategically positioning the company towards the achievement of the companys goal. There should be appropriate job descriptions, specifications and schedules matching with the qualifications, experiences and skills of employees so to get the best performance out of them. Furthermore, training and development should be a routine exercise for the company. Rules and regulations should be explicit, easily accessible and discipline enforced to ensure compliance with set standards. Labour Redundancy Management should develop a Redundancy Implementation Plan considering the economic climate and political mood of the country, since the implementation of the redundancy plan could be a complex and time consuming process. Staff Performance Appraisals methods such as the Balanced Scorecards should be used to identify and declare non performing staff redundant. Compensation packages should be prepared for such redundant staff, and contingency plans made for unforeseen circumstances in the event of strikes. OPERATIONS DIRECTORATE Physical Restructuring It is recommended that this Directorate should be merged with the Engineering Directorate to bring about efficiency and effectiveness. The size of budget for Research and Development should be increased. Investments in distribution networks should be increased to improve quality and reduce losses of electric power. There is also the need to improve upon the monitoring of customers consumptions to be able to detect theft of electric power. The technical staff strength should also be augmented and given the appropriate technical know-how so to be able to cope with the growing demands of the proposed merger of the Operations and Engineering Directorates. Safety equipment should be made available for the staff to use in protecting themselves in order to reduce the rate of accidents. Proposed Timeline for implementation of Turnaround strategiess TURNAROUND STRATEGIES 2010 2011 2012 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Discussions with Management Assets Reduction Reducing Cost Debt Restructuring Legal Restructuring Organisational Restructuring Labour Redundancy Physical Restructuring Conclusion ECG plays a vital role in the socio- economic development of Ghana and there is no doubt that any Turnaround would yield enormous benefits to the Ghanaian economy. Hence, for the above recommended strategies to bring about any meaningful Turnaround, it calls for commitment and support of management of ECG and the government of Ghana. Not only that but also, for efficient and effective implementation of the strategies, there is the need for expert knowledge and advice. It is therefore hoped that the necessary support will be given for the desired results to be realized in ECG. Privatization Option The public sector in Ghana has suffered setbacks which are largely attributed to ineffective and in efficient management. When we consider the case of Ghana Electricity Company, noticing the trend of losses of the company over time and the failure to meet the objectives or purpose of its formation, in view ,it is suggested that it would be better for the ECG to involve expatriates into their operations, this can be done by private sale of there shares to the foreign multinationals who have got the technical and financial knowhow and experience in the distribution of energy to buy into the private share of the organization ,Government should endeavor to have multinational partnership in the operation of the privatization by giving them of shares in the enterprises. There is need for good follow up on privatized enterprises. This would make the organization to be more effective and efficient in their operation. The federal Government should encourage this multinational to participation in the distribution of power in Ghana. This would be done by establishing a power sector reforms which will allow the involvement of foreign multinationals expatriates in the distribution of power. These reforms would include the provision the necessary Infrastructures which would enable the reduction in establishment costs, rationalization of power tariff, mobilization of private capital for power generation and transmission and lower capital-power generation ratio. In order to achieve these goals, distribution companies. A State Electricity Regulatory Commission would also be also set up to monitor the operation of the company. The desire to involve the private sector in the management and provision of infrastructure and services which will prompt multinational company to buy private share of the organization. . Private placement occurs when a company makes an offering of securities not to the public, but directly to an individual or a small group of investors. Such offerings do not need to be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and are exempt from the usual reporting requirements. Private placements are generally considered a cost-effective way for small businesses to raise capital without going public through an initial public offering (IPO) The ECG should sale 49 of its shares to a multinational partner would be able to participate in the core business of energy distribution in Ghana. Also the Government should provide

Abraham Lincoln, Adelicia Acklen and Harriet Tubman Essay -- articles

The time of the American Revolution was the birth of America. During this period of time the Revolutionary war was fought and America gained its independence from Britain. The Declaration of Independence was signed July 4, 1976 giving the 13 colonies freedom to govern themselves and shortly thereafter in 1781, the Articles of Confederation were ratified. These articles empowered the federal government to conduct foreign affairs, make treaties, and declare war, which had been essential in the struggle for independence. In 1787, The Constitution of the United States further strengthened our laws. During the next 100 years Americans continued to build communities and wealth based on the principles and laws contained within these documents. During colonial America and the period leading to the Civil War slavery was the foundation of the socioeconomic system. This topic created an ongoing debate between the north, south and free states. The Declaration of Independence declares, â₠¬Å"That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (Foner, 2013, A-18).† Abraham Lincoln President of the United States of America, Adelicia Acklen plantation owner, and Harriet Tubman, abolitionist define what these unalienable rights meant to them in the 19th century, the period that created an opportunity for change and a rebirth for America. Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809 in Hodgenville, Kentucky to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. He had two siblings, sister Sarah who was older than him and younger brother Thomas, who died during infancy. The family was eventually forced to move out of Kentucky to seek other opp... ..., 692-696. OBAMA, B. (2013). Proclamation 8943--establishment of the Harriet Tubman underground railroad national monument. Daily Compilation Of Presidential Documents, 1. Ranney, J. A. (2010). In praise of whig lawyering: a commentary on Abraham Lincoln as lawyer and politician. Marquette Law Review, 93(4), 1325-1331. Rowland, T. Rowland, E. (2013). Maryland memorializes: Harriet Tubman.history. The reference center. 26(3), ISSN: 1046-2899, Scott, K. & Collins, S. (2010). Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln on black equity in the civil war: a historical-rhetorical perspective. Black History Bulletin, 73(2), 8-15. The Belmont Mansion. (2014). Retrieved from thebelmontmansion.com The Examiner. (2011). Woman play dramatic, if unheralded roles in the civil war. Retrieved from www.examiner.com/.../adelicia-acklen-belmont-mansion-and-women-

Wake Me Up When My Gold Lord Returns Essay -- Literary Analysis, The W

Most people turn their misery into depression, while a few creative minds transform their feelings into writings, many times as poetry or songs. Additionally, most pieces of literature express theme in one way or another to make the piece hold a deeper message for the audience to grasp. Themes prove universal by withstanding time and exemplifying similar meanings throughout the years. Varying elements in the literature help develop a theme and produce it to become a meaningful notion. Regardless of the different seasons used to portray the message of both the poem and the song, â€Å"The Wanderer,† a poem written by an anonymous writer in the Anglo-Saxon era, and â€Å"Wake Me Up When September Ends,† a song written by Green Day in the twenty-first century, compare the common theme that lingering in the past causes isolation and despair through the literary elements of symbolism of seasons that reveals the desolate mood and the narrator’s reluctance to chang e, imagery to further accentuate the similar theme between the two pieces, and flashback to contrast the narrator’s present depressed emotions to his past happiness. Despite the fact that the narrators use different seasons to portray the theme, both â€Å"The Wanderer† and â€Å"Wake Me Up When September Ends† develop upon season’s symbolism which depicts the desolate mood and the narrators’ reluctance to change due to their inability to let go of their past and present despair. In â€Å"The Wanderer† the narrator â€Å"woefully toil[s] on wintry seas† (l. 3) by himself because of â€Å"grievous disasters, and death of kin† (l. 7). The author uses winter to symbolize a time of little opportunity and death for the narrator because winter already examples a bleak time period with little life, and since th... ...e in his memories now. In both pieces, the flashbacks contrast the emotions of the present-day gloomy narrator to the happier emotions of the narrator before the change while the narrators’ lingering in the past causes their own seclusion and misery. In conclusion, through the elements of symbolism, imagery, and flashback â€Å"The Wanderer† and â€Å"Wake Me Up When September Ends† produce the common theme that lingering in the past creates isolation and misery. Though written in a different time period, â€Å"The Wanderer† proves relevant to today’s time through its notable comparison with a song from thousands of years later. Themes withstand time and apply to many different types of people in different ways depending on a person’s understanding of the message implied. Through literary elements, writers depict a message that the audience interprets with their own wisdom.