The increasing use of computers in schools Essay

The increasing use of computers in schools - Essay Example Hence, schools have introduced the use of computers not only to improve students' academic performance but also to increase students' familiarity with new technologies as well as make learning fun and effective for students. The introduction of computers in schools aimed first to improve students' performance in their academic subjects. Educators believe that the computers facilitate ease and convenience especially when these are used by the young people to write papers or do research. Studies done by researchers at Boston College state that regular use of computers in order to do research and write paper can improve students' writing abilities. These students are said to perform better in schools than those who don't use the computers on the same undertakings (O' Dwyer et al, 2005). Researchers also found out that the students' constant use of the computer results to higher score in standardized writing tests as a consequence of their learning from producing drafts, editing to correct errors and writing the final copy. In addition, computers have made the access to information swifter as students do not have to browse through books in the library in order to search to gain access for hard to find data.

Global Strategic Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global Strategic Marketing - Essay Example This study will emphasize on identifying the global strategies applied by Subway through relevant theoretical explanations. The study will further focus on revealing the global strategies applied by the company when marketing its products in the foreign markets. Global Strategy of Subway The global presence of Subway has been significantly influenced by its expansion strategies. It can be stated in this regard that Subway has been recent facing a highly fluctuating environment deciphering changing customers’ demands as well as immature market dimensions. Contextually, Subway has adopted a new franchising model, which could be beneficial for effective development of stores and provide better services to customers and thus reward greater competitive advantages in the global market context. To mitigate the problems or restrictions in global expansion when penetrating into foreign markets, Subway adopted the strategy of supporting as well as encouraging franchisees in the internat ional markets which rewarded the company with enhanced competitive features. Additionally, Subway also focused on featuring information of the company through websites in German, French and Spanish along with English and various other languages which further enhanced the reachability of the organization to customers belonging from various cultural contexts (Griffin, 2007). It can be stated that with the application of franchising strategies, different activities performed by Subway, such as internal operations, management of stores, loyalty of customers proved to be beneficial for the organization in handling the process effectively. It also proved helpful in generating greater revenue by maintaining continuously increasing productivity and developing stronger alignment with the local community. This particular global strategy adopted by Subway targeted customers belonging to the age group of 23-40 years in the urban areas who were observed to absorb a greater effect of globalizatio n and thus reduced the chances of socio-cultural conflicts between the American (home country of Subway) and the local cultures. The organization further focused on recruiting local people in its franchisee stores which added to the convenience of the local customers in the foreign markets. When applying its global strategies, the company also ensured that the products served by Subway are of high quality as well as cheap for ordinary local customers (Dong, 2011). Theoretical Explanation of Global Expansion Strategy of Subway Global expansion strategy of Subway has been adopted in order to maintain its effective growth in foreign market context as well as gaining competitive advantages. Contextually, expansion of a food venture in foreign markets contemplates several revolving issues such as searching for quality supplies for the preparation of sandwiches with fresh, nutritional and organic ingredients (Ghemawat, 2004). Hence, it can be stated that Subway maintains â€Å"gold stand ard of quality† while entering into international markets. For maintaining its efficiency in the global market context, Subway also provides training to the owners of new franchises across the globe as well as adapting to dimensions of culture as well as language barriers. Similar to other restaurant chains, while entering in

Hamlets downfall stems from his inability to revenge Essay Example for Free

Hamlets downfall stems from his inability to revenge Essay Hamlets downfall stems from his inability to revenge. How is this fore grounded in the early parts of the play, breaking from the traditional conventions of an Elizabethan revenge tragedy? It can be said that Hamlets procrastination and inability to act result in his eventual demise. Shakespeare forewarns the audience of Hamlets flaws throughout the play, in his soliloquies and also through the exploration of the Elizabethan revenge tragedy. During the Elizabethan period, it was commonplace to write within the genre of the revenge tragedy. This particular genre was extremely popular with the public due to the themes it embodied. Namely restoring order through punishing vice and gaining personal retribution. Other features often included treason, incest and the appearance of a ghost. Hamlets belief in the occult and fear of damnation embodies the feelings of people at the time, The spirit I have seen may be a devil, and the devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape perhaps out of my weakness and my melancholy abuses me to damn me. Hamlet is unusual in that it is set in Denmark, a protestant country. When examining vice and human failings, Shakespeare and other writers often set their plays in catholic countries. The reason for this being that the examination of vice in Hamlet would not appear to be critical of the English court and also his ethical dilemmas would strike more of a chord with his audience. One such issue that is thought about by many people is suicide. Hamlets early mention of this prepares the reader for his eventual downfall. At the beginning of the play Hamlet expresses his wishes to die Oh that this too too solid flesh would thaw, and resolve itself into a dew. The use of solid simply expresses his wish to just melt and disappear into nothingness. Some texts however, replace solid with sullied, giving the quotation a slightly more interesting meaning, perhaps referring to the incest occurring between his mother and his uncle, a subject on which he must not make his opinions known. It also implies that he is also talking of the corruption in his own flesh. Some interpretations of the play suggest that Hamlet has a possible Oedipus complex (sexual obsession with his mother); this is further highlighted in his later comments about incestuous sheets, although this probably just refers to his mothers relationship with his uncle. Incest was a popular vice in the Jacobean genre, as it is regarded to be a mortal sin, specifically when involving a mother and her son. It is clear however that Hamlet does wish to kill himself, although he realises that God is against suicide as it is also a mortal sin, That the everlasting had not fixd his cannon gainst self slaughter. His religious beliefs also conflict with his need to revenge as the church also teaches that revenge is wrong under all circumstances. This conflicts with the Elizabethan revenge tragedy, which usually address the dynamics rather than the moral side of revenge. Hamlets role changes throughout the play; in the opening act, Hamlet plays the malcontent. He is still in mourning for the death of his father, almost a juxtaposition to the celebration around him due to his mothers wedding. The burden of revenge and the corruption around him leads to his supposed madness, brought on by his inability to cope with the pressure, he comments earlier in the play that he is no Hercules. It is likely that Hamlet uses the disguise of madness to speak the truth, as it excuses him from the consequences of what he says. An example of this is Hamlet talking to Polonius about his mistreatment of his daughter, You are a fishmonger [pimp], as Polonius uses his daughter to get to Hamlet. Hamlet does not wish to be used in this way by the ghost, who may be an evil spirit, and so damn his soul, the main reason perhaps for his procrastination. Shakespeare uses soliloquies to share Hamlets innermost thoughts with the audience, who sympathise with his various predicaments. These speeches establish Hamlets is more of a scholar than a man of action like his father; he realises this and admits that he is no Hercules. Without the encouragement of the ghost to revenge it is doubtful that Hamlet would have ever killed Claudius. He has sworn to suffer stoically, and hold his tongue. Even when he is sure that the ghost speaks truth, he will not kill the king while he prays for fear that Claudius will escape hell, a villain kills my father; and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven. In this sense Hamlet is very much an opposite of Laertes, who wishes to revenge his fathers death. Unlike Hamlet, he is not afraid of being damned for the act of revenge I dare damnation. Laertes is more of a traditional Jacobean revenger as he uses the stereotypical images and words of the hero to cut his throat I th church, and is an obvious opposite to Hamlet. It is ironic that Hamlet is incapable of acting on his filial obligation of his fathers most foul and unnatural murder when he would rid Denmark of corruption by doing so, but Laertes is prepared to revenge the murder of his corrupt father. It is debatable whether it is Hamlets procrastination that leads to his eventual death, as at the beginning of the play he threatens Horatio with his sword unhand me gentlemen, by heaven Ill make a ghost of him that lets me! It could be suggested that Hamlets eventual death is due to his disobedience of the ghosts orders, taint not thy mind, an almost impossible order as Hamlet is exposed to corruption firstly from his uncle, Claudius, the instigator of corruption, also through the accidental murder of Polonius, his doomed relationship with Ophelia and his immoral thoughts of his mother, Hamlet gradually becomes corrupted. Calderwood comments, Hamlets solution for the moment is to take refuge in the cleft between action and inaction. He does not act but instead plays mad, which cuts his behaviour off from the world of pragmatic affairs in which action and inaction have no meaning. Hamlet, after Claudius death would have become king, but through revenging he becomes part of the problem It is a massy wheel. to whose huge spokes ten thousand lesser things are mortisd.. When it falls, each petty consequence, attends the boistrous ruin. Hamlets death provides a fresh start for Denmark. He may not have perhaps made a balanced king, especially due to his outbursts of madness, thus he would be unbeneficial to the kingdom. This is expressed in the play when Rosencrantz says: The cease of majesty dies not alone, but like a gulf doth draw whats near it with it. It is perhaps due to this reason that Hamlet must die, in order to fully restore order in Denmark. The breaking of the traditional revenge tragedy makes Hamlet so much more appealing to its readers, as it is not confined to the question of how to revenge. It answers questions to which everyone is prone to debate (do we take arms against our problems or suffer stoically? ), hence its popularity. Shakespeare alerts us to Hamlets various failings through soliloquies with the audience in which we hear his innermost thoughts. Hamlets eventual death is due to a combination of emotional stress an inability to act, and his desire to always do the right thing, causing him to slip into a world where he doesnt have to act, but also to wastes valuable time. Hamlet is tainted by the corrupt, a reason in the end for why he must die.

Innovation Strategy for Tata Nano

Innovation Strategy for Tata Nano 1. INTRODUCTION: Seldom do we see cars that rewrite the history books even before they are seen running around on the roads. And hardly ever do we see cars that vow to put the nation on four wheels. The Tata Nano is one such car that has been in the news for quite a few years, for reasons good and evil. Nano is a car which has breathed into life due to one man. Give credit to Mr. Ratan Tata for his determination to build a low cost family car that has come true, finally. Took long it did, but the Nano came in a beautiful form. Touted as worlds cheapest car by a far cry, Nano has been the talk of the town around the globe. Head honchos of big organizations have been pouring in by numbers to have a look at this engineering master piece. Nano as a part of a new breed of 21st-century cars that embody a contrarian  philosophy of smaller, lighter, cheaper and portend a new era in inexpensive personal transportation and potentially, global gridlock. The Wall Street Journal confirms a global trend toward s mall cars, led by the Nano. The prefix Nano derives from the Greek root Nanos, meaning dwarf as with nanometer. Nano also means small in Gujarati, the native language of the Tata family, founders of the Tata Group. The project to create a 1 lakh rupees (3000SGD) car began in 2003, under the Chairman of Tata Motors, Ratan Tata. The strategy behind the project was the awareness of the number of Indian families who had two wheeled transport, but couldnt afford a four wheel car, and was based on the companys success in producing the low cost 4 wheeled Ace truck in May 2005. To discuss the innovation strategy for Tata Nano, we first discuss the constraints as per which the company had to operate. In pursuit of excellence and to keep up to the initial promise made to people that Tata will come out with a compact, quality car within a price tag of Rs. 1 lakhs(3000 SGD), Tata Motors came up with a design, marketing and operational strategy keeping in my mind the constraints of: Price Market Scalability Customer aspiration Resource efficiency 2. COMPANY PROFILE: Tata Motors Limited is Indias largest automobile company, with consolidated revenues of USD 14 billion in 2008-09. It is the leader in commercial vehicles in each segment, and among the top three in passenger vehicles with winning products in the compact, midsize car and utility vehicle segments. The company is the worlds fourth largest truck manufacturer, and the worlds second largest bus manufacturer. The companys 24,000 employees are guided by the vision to be best in the manner in which we operate best in the products we deliver and best in our value system and ethics. Established in 1945, Tata Motors presence indeed cuts across the length and breadth of India. Over 4 million Tata vehicles ply on Indian roads, since the first rolled out in 1954. The companys manufacturing base in India is spread across Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), Pune (Maharashtra), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), Pantnagar (Uttarakhand) and Dharwad (Karnataka). Following a strategic alliance with Fiat in 2005, it has set up an industrial joint venture with Fiat Group Automobiles at Ranjangaon (Maharashtra) to produce both Fiat and Tata cars and Fiat powertrains. The company is establishing a new plant at Sanand (Gujarat). The companys dealership, sales, services and spare parts network comprises over 3500 touch points. Tata Motors also distributes and markets Fiat branded cars in India. Tata Motors, the first company from Indias engineering sector to be listed in the New York Stock Exchange (September 2004), has also emerged as an international automobile company. Through subsidiaries and associate companies, Tata Motors has operations in the UK, South Korea, Thailand and Spain. Among them is Jaguar Land Rover, a business comprising the two iconic British brands that was acquired in 2008. In 2004, it acquired the Daewoo Commercial Vehicles Company, South Koreas second largest truck maker. The rechristened Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicles Company has launched several new products in the Korean market, while also exporting these products to several international markets. Today two-thirds of heavy commercial vehicle exports out of South Korea are from Tata Daewoo. In 2005, Tata Motors acquired a 21% stake in Hispano Carrocera, a reputed Spanish bus and coach manufacturer, and subsequently the remaining stake in 2009. Hispanos presence is being expanded in other markets. In 2006, Tata Motors formed a joint venture with the Brazil-based Marcopolo, a global leader in body-building for buses and coaches to manufacture fully-built buses and coaches for India and select international markets. In 2006, Tata Motors entered into joint venture with Thonburi Automotive Assembly Plant Company of Thailand to manufacture and market the companys pickup vehicles in Thailand. The new plant of Tata Motors (Thailand) has begun production of the Xenon pickup truck, with the Xenon having been launched in Thailand in 2008. Tata Motors is also expanding its international footprint, established through exports since 1961. The companys commercial and passenger vehicles are already being marketed in several countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia, South Asia and South America. It has franchisee/joint venture assembly operations in Kenya, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Russia, Senegal and South Africa. The foundation of the companys growth over the last 50 years is a deep understanding of economic stimuli and customer needs, and the ability to translate them into customer-desired offerings through leading edge RD. With over 3,000 engineers and scientists, the companys Engineering Research Centre, established in 1966, has enabled pioneering technologies and products. The company today has RD centers in Pune, Jamshedpur, Lucknow, Dharwad in India, and in South Korea, Spain, and the UK. It was Tata Motors, which developed the first indigenously developed Light Commercial Vehicle, Indias first Sports Utility Vehicle and, in 1998, the Tata Indica, Indias first fully indigenous passenger car. Within two years of launch, Tata Indica became Indias largest selling car in its segment. In 2005, Tata Motors created a new segment by launching the Tata Ace, Indias first indigenously developed mini-truck. In January 2008, Tata Motors unveiled its Peoples Car, the Tata Nano, which India and the world have been looking forward to. The Tata Nano has been subsequently launched, as planned, in India in March 2009. A development, which signifies a first for the global automobile industry, the Nano brings the comfort and safety of a car within the reach of thousands of families. The standard version has been priced at USD 2500 (excluding VAT and transportation cost). Designed with a family in mind, it has a roomy passenger compartment with generous leg space and head room. It can comfortably seat four persons. Its mono-volume design will set a new benchmark among small cars. Its safety performance exceeds regulatory requirements in India. Its tailpipe emission performance too exceeds regulatory requirements. In terms of overall pollutants, it has a lower pollution level than two-wheelers being manufactured in India today. The lean design strategy has helped minimize weight, which helps maximize performance per unit of energy consumed and delivers high fuel efficiency. The high fuel efficiency also ensures that the car has low carbon dioxide emissions, thereby providing the twin benefits of an affordable transportation solution with a low carbon footprint. In May 2009, Tata Motors introduced ushered in a new era in the Indian automobile industry, in keeping with its pioneering tradition, by unveiling its new range of world standard trucks called Prima. In their power, speed, carrying capacity, operating economy and trims, they will introduce new benchmarks in India and match the best in the world in performance at a lower life-cycle cost. Tata Motors is equally focused on environment-friendly technologies in emissions and alternative fuels. . It has developed electric and hybrid vehicles both for personal and public transportation. It has also been implementing several environment-friendly technologies in manufacturing processes, significantly enhancing resource conservation Through its subsidiaries, the company is engaged in engineering and automotive solutions, construction equipment manufacturing, automotive vehicle components manufacturing and supply chain activities, machine tools and factory automation solutions, high-precision tooling and plastic and electronic components for automotive and computer applications, and automotive retailing and service operations. Tata Motors is committed to improving the quality of life of communities by working on four thrust areas employability, education, health and environment. The activities touch the lives of more than a million citizens. The companys support on education and employability is focused on youth and women. They range from schools to technical education institutes to actual facilitation of income generation. In health, our intervention is in both preventive and curative health care. The goal of environment protection is achieved through tree plantation, conserving water and creating new water bodies and, last but not the least, by introducing appropriate technologies in our vehicles and operations for constantly enhancing environment care. With the foundation of its rich heritage, Tata Motors today is etching a refulgent future. 2.1 TATA GROUP AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES TATA groups portfolio includes wide range of businesses which are leading in their fields. Its total revenue in 2006-07 is $ 28.8 billion which is 3.2 % of Indias GDP. TATAs business empire extends to over 80 countries across 6 continents. Similar to Jack Welchs opinion that the business should either be first or second else it is better to sell the business, TATA groups companies excel it the fields wherever they started the business. TATA group has ninety eight companies that are basically operating in seven sectors. 3. ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATIONS SYSTEM Innovation in Tata Motors is not a recent phenomenon, but is a part of its legacy. The Companys culture of perpetual search for excellence is highly attributed to the Tatas ethos and incessant efforts of its employees in the past several decades to serve the customers by bringing continuous innovation in its products and processes. The three major areas to illustrate how Tata Motors has effected innovation in the past few years. Products Processes People 3.1. PRODUCTS: Tata Motors created several breakthrough products in the past which changed the market dynamics and helped in providing a new customer experience. 407 platform in 1980s Japanese LCV players had made inroads into the Indian automobile market inthe 1980s. Tata Motors came out with its innovative 407 platform which was designed to suit the Indian conditions. It quickly became the bestseller in LCVs and the platform still continues control 2/3rd of the market even in the third decade of its existence. Indica in the late 90s- This was the first indigenously designed passenger car in India and it was innovative in the sense that it provided more value for money in terms of internal space (comparable to the Ambassador which was the benchmark in the country for internal space), contemporary features (comparable to Maruti Zen) and all that at a very competitive price. ACE Ace was Indias first mini-truck launched in 2005. While heavy trucks ply on the Highways, research showed the need for a small sub one-ton truck for intercity and truck terminal-to-nearby locations connectivity. The vehicle offered 4 wheeler functionality at 3 Wheelers price. The unconventional design features used in the vehicle were: Innovative 2 cylinder Indica engine Semi-monocoque body to withstand abuse Rigid front axle and rear wheel drive for low cost Flat face vs. semi-forward face to enhance the loading space. NANO The target price itself became the source of innovation, as you all must have read that the big names in the industry just rubbished it as false claims and commented that it was impossible to make a â€Å"CAR† at that price. However, you all know that the promise was kept. This was made possible through series of innovative ideas which led to acquisition of 37 patents by Tata Motors. Engine was packaged on the rear side. 2 cylinder engine (conventionally there are 3-4 cylinder engines) Identical handles and mechanisms for left and right side doors Instrument cluster in the middle of the dashboard Unconventional seats Interior space was maximized by pushing wheels to the corners and power train below the rear seat. Product created was very contemporary and It has sufficient Space inside to accommodate 4 persons comfortably. Highly fuel efficient Exceeds the current Safety requirements Complies with the current emission requirements. WORLD TRUCK The new generation range of trucks which would match with the best in the world in performance at a lower life-cycle cost is being unveiled in just a few hours from now. It will create a new benchmark in India in terms of power, speed, carrying capacity, operating economy and trims and a new experience for the drivers in terms of drivability and comfort. 3.2. PROCESS: Sustainability of innovation in products needed to be complemented with innovative changes in the organizational processes too. Some examples are: Adoption of the Tata Business Excellence Model (TBEM) It is based on Malcolm Baldridge Award for business excellence and Balance Score Card. This has created a culture of exploring various innovative ways to achieve excellence in all the organizational processes. Use of IT systems: It has been a benchmark and highly leveraged in the organization throughout the VALUE CHAIN. Supply Side Free-Markets for e-Sourcing, Supplier Relationship Management (SRM). Product Development Process. Institutionalized Stage Gate process in the organization is a benchmark in itself and ensures development of right product for the market and also an effective and efficient program management. Transition from in-house product development to a collaborative product development, utilizing the capabilities of suppliers, design houses, subsidiaries and associate companies specializing in different verticals. Internalization philosophyofTata Motors made some major global acquisitions like TDCV, JLR, Hispano, etc. Unlike many other Japanese / US players, they followed an innovative approach to be seen as a local company in the country of operation, i.e, as a South Korean player in South Korea and as a Spanish Player in Spain. This has helped them to appreciate the need and importance of all the stakeholders and they achieved this in four stages. This involves â€Å"Initiating†, by understanding the language and basic facts of the country, â€Å"Familiarization† with their c ulture, â€Å"Harmonization† and finally â€Å"Synergizing† by sharing the best practices and work ethics. 3.3. PEOPLE: The changing business environment and increasing complexity of business posed a huge challenge in achievement of business plans. Tata Group, of which Tata Motors is a part of, is well known for identifying and nurturing leaders. Tata Motors in the past has adopted several innovative means to leverage its human resource capabilities for achieving extremely challenging goals. Identifying leaders through assessment centers This process has been effectively utilized by Tata Motors to identify young managers with very high potential. This process was started some 20 years back and has progressively created a pool of very strong and effective leaders who have proven their capabilities in some very challenging assignments given to them. This process has now been replicated by many other organizations too. Putting them into challenging assignments and giving them International exposure Key projects like ACE and NANO are examples of some challenging projects which constituted of young leaders and engineers. Breaking the functional silos by shifting from a hierarchical organization to a more CFT approach All these experiences have helped us to redefine the way we have looked at innovation. And while innovation is normally understood as introduction of new and radical ideas in the area of products and services, our experience says there are several other areas that also require innovation in tandem, so as to effect an innovation in a company. Three of them I have already mentioned, that is, product, process and people. Four other areas of innovation Source of inspiration/ Purposefrom which the concept emanated, which stresses upon the fact that agility and understanding the unstated/ unfulfilled need of customers is the most important source of innovation. Tata Nano: In this case the idea struck in the mind of our Chairman when he saw a family of four (a man, his wife and two kids) riding on a scooter on a rainy day. He felt that there was an unfulfilled need of safe, affordable and an all weather alternative. Price: The price of Nano got fixed at Rs 1 lakh (2500USD). The achievement of price target was definite to create a major disruption in the car market as it fell midway between the price of a scooter and the cheapest car available which was priced at Rs 2(5000USD) lakh. Product design was choked for options because of the price target. Hence the setting the price as target triggered a series of innovation which involved: Target Cost approach which involved breaking down the cost targets to sub-system and then to component level. Suppliers were challenged with the stringent cost target given to them, but they accepted the same and the result is in front of you. Promotion: Innovation lies in reaching the right customers always and communicating in a simple and effective manner. Tata Motors in case of Nano developed a portal, which got as high 30 million hits even before the launch of the car. After the launch there were another 30 million hits in less than a month. This helped the customers in becoming more aware of the product features. They received around 2 lakh(.2 million) applications, which is a good response by all standards. Place/Reach: Conscious of the fact that demand for such cars would be substantial from the remotest corner of the country, the sale of form for booking were facilitated through several banks. New insurance schemes were co-designed with the insurance companies, and now we are in the process of enhancing the sales and service network for better reach and service to the customers. To summarize the experience, path breaking ideas, conceived and implemented in one or more of the 7 Ps, leads to INNOVATION. Purpose Product Price Place Promotion People Process 4. INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: Before the introduction of a product into the market, it goes through several stages of development. The stages of the product development includes the following idea Generation Idea Screening Concept Testing and Development Market Strategy Business Analysis Total Sales Estimation Estimation Costs and Profits Product Development Test Marketing As far as Nano is concerned, it falls new to the world products in the context that it has made a history for the cheapest car ever made without compromising on quality. i.e. best way value analysis. Category Players 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 A Maruti 800 28 24 21 14 10 7 B Alto,WagnorR,Santro,Indica 33 41 47 57 64 75 C Esteem, Swift, Indigo, Ikon, Ascent 12 15 18 22 26 33 D Mercedes-C, Skoda Superb 1 2 3 4 P/L Mercedes-E, BMw 1 1 1 1 1 1 74 81 88 96 104 120 Average Monthly Category Sales 4.1. idea generation The main idea behind TATA NANO was perceived by the chairman of TATA group himself who saw a family of four going on a scooter in rain he wanted to develop a transport which was affordable, safe and could face all types of weathers. This turned out to be the most ambitious project of Tata motors till date when Mr Ratan Tata told this to one of his managing directors Mr. Ravi Kant he was also interested about the idea. Mr. Ravi Kant had learned from his experience that â€Å"People want to move from two-wheelers to four-wheelers but they cannot afford it†. More and more can, but Indian car buyers today represent a tiny slice of a potentially giant market India has just seven cars per 1,000 people. Indias auto industry has grown an average of 12% for the past decade, but just 1.3 million passenger vehicles were sold in India in the fiscal year ending March 2006. That means a billion Indians buy about the same number of cars in a year as 300 million Americans buy in a month. If f our wheels cost as little as two wheels, that could change fast. About 7 million scooters and motorcycles were sold in India last year, typically for prices between 30,000 rupees and 70,000 rupees, about $675 to $1,600. Tata is targeting a price of 100,000 rupees one lakh, in Indian 19 terms of measurement or about $2,500 at current exchange rates, for its small car. That sounds impossibly cheap in the West but remains three times higher than Indias annual per capita income. The average pay for factory workers at Tata Motors is just $5,500 a year. 4.2. IDEA SCREENING The next step was screening of ideas. There were many ideas like to make a scooter with two extra wheels at the back for better stability, A three wheeled car like a closed auto- rickshaw but the market requirement was a car, the car should be such that it doesnt convey a message that its just an extension of a scooter it should be a proper car and likewise should also give the feel of a actual car. Trying to build a car cheap enough for motorcycle buyers seems to make sense now but seemed unachievable several years ago when Mr. Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Motors had first mentioned his dream of building a one-lakh car in 2003 at that time the whole world thought that this gamble will never work out but ironically the whole world is now talking of small cars as $5,000 or $7,000 after TATA NANO was launched in 2009. 4.3. CONCEPT TESTING AND DEVELOPMENT After surveying customers the end result was that people wanted a four wheeler which was cheap, dependable and strong enough to carry a load of 1 ton additionally four wheelers also increased the social status of the person who owns it .Four wheels not only practical appeal but also had a emotional appeal. Thus the new product was now to be developed but the following considerations would have to kept in mind when developing it- The car should be built on a different platform than conventional ones. It must be meeting all the safety and regulatory requirements. It has to be built on a scale which shall be more than double the earlier launches of similar products and the ramp up must be smooth. The car has to be designed so that it can be exported to other countries as the domestic demand may not materialize as per projections. There were three main requirement of the new vehicle: it should be low cost, adhere to the regulatory requirements, and achieve performance targets such as fuel efficiency and acceleration capacity. Nearly 500 engineers were involved in the development of the vehicle and everyday they had meeting so that the decision taking and the problem solving process could be accelerated. Each engineer represented a different part of the car: engine and transmission, body, vehicle integration, safety and regulation, and industrial design. The body of the vehicle had to go under a number of iterations because the Mr.Ratan Tata wanted that a person whose height is over six feet can also fit into the car without any discomfort and finally the length of the car had to be increased by 100mm but eventually. The hard work of designing the car paid off and the designers were successful in their attempt to design an actual car which did not look shabby and inexpensive but looked sleek and sophisticated. 4.4. BUSINESS ANALYSIS: COST: Since the car had to be built within a cost of Rs. 1 Lac, no conventional design would work as the costs shall be higher and so the entire car has to be redesigned. The design has to question the need of each and every component from the point of view of its necessity of existence and also the minimum requirements of its functionality. Value Engineering concepts have to be deployed to finalize the minimum requirements. DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY: Its a technology which brings radical change by introducing new ways of doing things. Technology that is Significantly cheaper than existing Technology. Much higher performing? Has greater functionality and Is more convenient to Use. Brings to market a totally different Value proposition than the one available and can change the Paradigm about a product. The Guiding factor was that the cost has to be minimized for each component yet maintaining its basic functionality. The Alternatives are: Reduce Consumption of Material being used. Alternate Suppliers to get same material at fewer prices. Use alternate materials. Eliminate use of Material. Eliminate a process Or a Combination of the above. COST REDUCTION PARADIGM: Value Engineering Alternatives: The target was very clearly defined that, within the given cost structure all the components have to be allocated and the same had to be achieved using the available alternatives. The Guiding factor was that the tax structure on materials and manufacturing must support the final cost. Decisions were Establish factory in a tax free zone. Get the tax advantages on infrastructure development. Get the suppliers to establish base near the factory. Get special concessions from State Govt. In short select a manufacturing location where all the advantages could be achieved. 4.5. TOTAL SALES ESTIMATION: The total sales had been estimated based on the following decisions It was estimated that the demand for the peoples car shall be at least twice the demand for Maruti 800, the lowest end car. Initial projections were at about 500,000 cars per year. The basic reason was the conviction that the target price shall redefine the 4 wheeler segment. The price decision of Rs 1 lakh is definitely going to make a lot many people transit to 4-wheeler fold and that shall explode the demand. Only 10% customers of 9 Million two wheeler market transit to 4-wheelers it shall amount to 50% of the passenger car market share. It was decided to set up plants with 5 lakhs cars per annum capacity and ramp the same up in stages, in line with increase in market demand. 4.6. MARKETING: Product: Tata has a very wide range of products it has passenger cars, utility vehicles, Trucks, Commercial passenger Carriers and Defense Vehicles. Nano received media attention due to its targeted low price. The Tata Nano is a rear-engine, four passenger ,city car built by Tata Motors, It was first presented at the 9th annual Auto Expo on 10 January 2008, at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, India. Aimed primarily at the Indian market. Price: The prices of Tata motors are generally affordable acceptable by the general public at large. Tata always have something for the lower class people with Nano being their trump card. Giving discount every month and special promotion for certain type of vehicle also one of the strong strategy use by Tata Motors. Discount can be made from Companys profit or from dealers profit at certain range. Pricing strategies: Penetration pricing Low pricing policy with minimum profit margin. Though the one lakh price tag is not fixed by TATA group, it was the word of mouth of people which fixed that range. This expectation of people creates a big challenge for the company. Place: Tata Motors has an extensive dealer network covering Indian and International markets. Wherever you are, there is a Tata Motors Sales and Service dealership close to you. The channel of distribution, physical location, and dealership method of distribution and sales is generally adopted. The distribution of vehicle must be in a very systematic way, from the plant to dealership and to end user. This is not only in India itself but also to the world-wide dealership. Promotion: Tata motors promote their products via Advertising and after sales services. Enough use of one of the most important element of promotion mix, publicity reduces the necessity of other promotional devices for Nano. Publicity as â€Å"One lakh car† by mouth to mouth. Auto expo 2008,New Delhi Geneva Publicity through print electronic media For other type of promotional activities, cost factor that is 1 lakh price tag is to be keep in mind, nano watches, nano T-shirts available in retail clothing stores. Advertising: TV other mass media will be less effective, thus too much money will not be invested in this regard. Mainly word of mouth advertising will get more emphasis. Internet will be a major media for advertising.

Sleepless and Irritable Essay -- Teenagers, Adolesence, Sleeping Habits

Many studies have been done on how many hours of sleep teens need and how lack of sleep can affect their lives. Sleep has an impact on teens and their concentration, their mood and the way they function doing things in day to day living. Studies show that teens should sleep 8 to 10 hours a night however; many are not getting the recommended amount of sleep to help them (The Science Of Sleep." 60 Minutes. Narr. Lesley Stahl. Prod. Shari Finkelstein. CBS. 16 Mar 2008). A lot of teenagers stay up late without realizing the consequences and how it can affect their lives. One of the biggest consequences of teens lack of sleep is when it comes to driving, being tired make teens less alert and is a main reason for teen accidents. (National Sleep Foundation. Detection and Prevention: Drowsy driving. Retrieved July 31, 2009). The 8 to 10 hours that are needed for proper function is very hard for teens to get because they have many tasks to keep up with from school, sports, part time jobs, friends to family life. Other activities that keep them occupied are texting, playing online games and internet addiction with sites such as Facebook. These things cause teenagers to stay up very late or they are kept awake the whole night trying to catch up with all the demands they couldn’t fit into their regular day. All this combined creates sleeping disorders in teens and causes health problems. Almost everyone knows in order to be healthy and fit sufficient sleep is required. Parents need to take care to watch over their teens and help them create a good sleep pattern it is proven that teens that have a good relationship with their parents have better sleeping habits. Parents think teens know how much sleep they need and will just go to sleep w... ...tant especially for a tee Works Cited "Insomnia - Sleep Disorders - Sleep Center." Stanford Hospital & Clinics - Stanford Medicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. NIH Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. "Sleep deprivation." Better Health Channel. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. "Sleep Hygiene  « Princeton University Health Services." Princeton University - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. The Science Of Sleep." 60 Minutes. Narr. Lesley Stahl. Prod. Shari Finkelstein. CBS. 16 Mar 2008. CBSNews. CBS Interactive. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. National Sleep Foundation. Detection and Prevention: Drowsy driving. Retrieved July 31, 2009. â€Å"Teens Who Feel Supported At Home And School Sleep Better† By Patti Neighmond. December 05, 2013 â€Å"TEEN SLEEP PROBLEMS LEAD TO DEPRESSION & DRUG ABUSE† By Byron J. Richards, CCN October 28, 2008 NewsWithViews.com

Indus Valley Civilization.

Indus Valley Civilization. The earliest traces of civilization in the Indian subcontinent are to be found in places along, or close, to the Indus river. Excavations first conducted in 1921-22, in the ancient cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro, both now in Pakistan, pointed to a highly complex civilization that first developed some 4,500-5,000 years ago, and subsequent archaeological and historical research has now furnished us with a more detailed picture of the Indus Valley Civilization and its inhabitants.The Indus Valley people were most likely Dravidians, who may have been pushed down into south India when the Aryans, with their more advanced military technology, commenced their migrations to India around 2,000 BCE. Though the Indus Valley script remains undeciphered down to the present day, the numerous seals discovered during the excavations, as well as statuary and pottery, not to mention the ruins of numerous Indus Valley cities, have enabled scholars to construct a reasonably plausible account of the Indus Valley Civilization.Some kind of centralized state, and certainly fairly extensive town planning, is suggested by the layout of the great cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro. The same kind of burnt brick appears to have been used in the construction of buildings in cities that were as much as several hundred miles apart. The weights and measures show a very considerable regularity. The Indus Valley people domesticated animals, and harvested various crops, such as cotton, sesame, peas, barley, and cotton. They may also have been a sea-faring people, and it is rather interesting that Indus Valley seals have been dug up in such places as Sumer.In most respects, the Indus Valley Civilization appears to have been urban, defying both the predominant idea of India as an eternally and essentially agricultural civilization, as well as the notion that the change from ‘rural’ to ‘urban’ represents something of a logical progression. The I ndus Valley people had a merchant class that, evidence suggests, engaged in extensive trading. Neither Harappa nor Mohenjodaro show any evidence of fire altars, and consequently one can reasonably conjecture that the various rituals around the fire which are so critical in Hinduism were introduced later by the Aryans.The Indus Valley people do not appear to have been in possession of the horse: there is no osteological evidence of horse remains in the Indian sub-continent before 2,000 BCE, when the Aryans first came to India, and on Harappan seals and terracotta figures, horses do not appear. Other than the archaeological ruins of Harappa and Mohenjodaro, these seals provide the most detailed clues about the character of the Indus Valley people. Bulls and elephants do appear on these seals, but the horned bull, most scholars are agreed, should not be taken to be congruent with Nandi, or Shiva’s bull.The horned bull appears in numerous Central Asian figures as well; it is also important to note that Shiva is not one of the gods invoked in the Rig Veda. The revered cow of the Hindus also does not appear on the seals. The women portrayed on the seals are shown with elaborate coiffures, sporting heavy jewelry, suggesting that the Indus Valley people were an urbane people with cultivated tastes and a refined aesthetic sensibility. A few thousand seals have been discovered in Indus Valley cities, showing some 400 pictographs: too few in number for the language to have been ideographic, and too many for the language to have been phonetic.The Indus Valley civilization raises a great many, largely unresolved, questions. Why did this civilization, considering its sophistication, not spread beyond the Indus Valley? In general, the area where the Indus valley cities developed is arid, and one can surmise that urban development took place along a river that flew through a virtual desert. The Indus Valley people did not develop agriculture on any large scale, and con sequently did not have to clear away a heavy growth of forest. Nor did they have the technology for that, since they were confined to using bronze or stone implements.They did not practice canal irrigation and did not have the heavy plough. Most significantly, under what circumstances did the Indus Valley cities undergo a decline? The first attacks on outlying villages by Aryans appear to have taken place around 2,000 BCE near Baluchistan, and of the major cities, at least Harappa was quite likely over-run by the Aryans. In the Rig Veda there is mention of a Vedic war god, Indra, destroying some forts and citadels, which could have included Harappa and some other Indus Valley cities.The conventional historical narrative speaks of a cataclysmic blow that struck the Indus Valley Civilization around 1,600 BCE, but that would not explain why settlements at a distance of several hundred miles from each other were all eradicated. The most compelling historical narrative still suggests tha t the demise and eventual disappearance of the Indus Valley Civilization, which owed something to internal decline, nonetheless was facilitated by the arrival in India of the Aryans.

Family Systems Intervention

Family Systems Interventions Intervention skills: Facilitating family change Change skills 1. Break maladaptive interaction patterns 2. Clarity problematic consequences 3. Alter affective blocks 4. Initiate cognitive restructuring 5. Implement new adaptive patterns 6. Mobilize external resources as required Break Maladaptive Patterns †¢ Intervene to control maladaptive patterns by restructuring family interaction verbally or physically †¢When appropriate, facilitate the adaptive expression of anger of one family member in order to block the recurrent problematic behavior of anotherClarify problematic consequences †¢Confront family members on the problematic consequences of their own behaviors †¢Provide verbal or nonverbal support before and after direct confrontation whenever possible Alter Affective Blocks †¢Convey the importance of expressing and clarifying affective experience in order to better comprehend the maintenance of overt behavior patterns. †¢Remove inappropriate affective blocks by encouraging open discussion of the emotional turmoil of family members; validate their experience, clarify the content, and provide support Initiate Cognitive Restructuring Call into question collective beliefs, values, or goals that appear to be problematic and initiate open discussion and reevaluation of relevant issues. †¢To prevent new affect from blocking further progress, encourage the expression and discharge of emotion (especially through laughing or crying) while modifying a previous cognitive set. †¢Provide appropriate new information or a reformulation as required to develop more adaptive comprehension †¢Encourage family members to consider new ideas further and to continue to discuss specific issues at home in order to reach a reality-based consensus.Implement New Adaptive Patterns †¢Using behavioral principles, apply social reinforcements to strengthen appropriate behaviors at any ti me during the sessions an d encourage family members to do the same. †¢Elicit family member’s willingness to be receptive to suggestions and invite specific behavioral suggestion from other family members (or offer some). †¢Coach the family in implementing changes that are compatible with appropriate development tasks for the whole family as well as individual family members. Introduce adaptive changes in behavior during the interview by redirecting interaction patterns and altering spatial and seating arrangements to rearrange subsystems. Mobilize External Resources as Required †¢Openly admit to lack of progress as explore possible inhibiting factors both inside and outside the family. Effective Assessment and Intervention First, workers must develop an attitude that values the potential of families to change.Assessment and mobilization of family strengths should focus on the positives related to many areas, including †¢Family relationships: caring for members, gender roles that a re respected and valued, parental-child relationships based on the best of the child, physical and emotional self-care, the presence of positive family events and successes, supportive couple relationships, family history of previous successes in conflict management, a strong family identity †¢Individual family member skills: cognitive and intellectual abilities, a positive attitude, competent parenting, positive role-modeling, ability to build and access supportive social environments †¢Personal qualities: motivation, goal directedness, self-esteem and competence, an ability to laugh at oneself, inner strengths and resources, strong relational, abilities, nondefensiveness, willingness to work on issues despite challenges †¢Availability of community resources: friends and caring other outside the family, supportive relatives, health care, education, recreation, spiritual community, social services, the skills to navigate in these community resources †¢Seeing and learning: the ability to recognize difficult life experiences and to learn from these experiences Key Strategies in working with strengths †¢ The strength’s perspective capitalizes on the power and will of the family to self-correct with the help of appropriate environmental supports. †¢Words have the power to build up or tear done discourage or encourage. Pathology-based words darken the vista by imposing problems while strength-based words impose solutions and hope. Use a dictionary of helping, a dictionary that includes the use of such words as empowerment, skills, hope, support, ability, and knowledge Assessment and intervention will be more effective if the family social worker keeps the following considerations in mind: †¢Be keenly attuned to culture and adhere to culturally sensitive practices †¢Focus on family needs †¢Respect client autonomy †¢Avoid fostering unnecessary dependency †¢Reassess and re-interpret client resistance as avo idance of pain †¢Keep healthy professional boundaries while remaining emotionally available Culturally Sensitive Practice †¢ We advocate for cultural competence for all workers-competence that avoids the application of stereotypical checklists to families from minority cultures. Suggesting that a single program model or intervention can meet the needs of all cultural families risks stereotyping an reducing each culture to a single entity. †¢Not all members of a cultural group are connected in the same way to their cultural heritage placater †¢Some groups will have blended traditional and nontraditional practices in their daily living. †¢Acculturation can be seen as a mosaic, blending traditional native ways with dominant cultural ways. Five program structures that can be incorporated into family social worker in order to work appropriately with families from different cultures. 1. Workers must have a sincere interest in learning and accepting different cultu res. 2. Workers can learn to challenge their ethnocentric beliefs as a n integral part of family social work. 3.Family social workers can be open to collaboration with traditional cultural healers and leaders and support family choices about traditional sources of help that parallel, supplement, or replace interventions that are more common. 4. Family social workers should be familiar with and be prepared ti use existing client support systems, following the appropriate cultural protocols. 5. The intervention skills used by family social workers can adapted to specific cultures 6. Family social workers can seek specific cultural knowledge, which includes awareness of communication patterns, worldviews, belief systems, and values 7. Knowing how to gain entrance into a cultural community is important if a worker were to access culturally appropriate resources for a family.Reassess Clients’ Resistance Resistance may be a message from the client that the family social worker is o verstepping the boundaries of the relationship. Resistance can also signal that the issues being discussed are sensitive to the client. Set Realistic Expectations A sixth guideline for family social workers is to foster families’ feelings of competence, rather than inadequacy. Hepworth and Larsen (1993) list the following ecological interventions that family social workers can perform for families: †¢Supplementing resources in the home environment †¢Developing and enhancing support systems †¢Moving and enhancing support systems †¢Moving clients to a new environment Increasing the responsiveness of organizations to people’s needs †¢Enhancing interactions between organizations and institutions †¢Improving institutional environments †¢Developing new resources The way a problem is defined often depends on †¢How the family initially defines the problem †¢The theoretical perspective the family social worker uses †¢The mandate of the agency and how the agency views problems. For example, some agencies embrace solution-focused counseling and define problems to fit theory †¢How the problem is defined jointly between the family and worker in a way that both feel offers the most opportunities to create positive change. Unique ways of viewing a problem 1.A traditional analytic view is that symptomatic person in the problem. 2. The social systems assumption is that the family is the problem – problems evolving from relationship patterns within the family 3. The attempted solution is the problem. This is an interesting view that could be simplified by saying, â€Å"if what you are doing does not work, stop doing it and try something different! † Circular Patters †¢ The term patterns mean that the same behavior happens repeatedly and becomes predictable. †¢When a family is mired in problems, it may be because their repetitive patterns have produced gridlock without providing an adequ ate response to the issue at hand.In this way, the solution becomes the problem. Because the patterns are habits, family members feel secure in the stability they provide. The habitual patterns might be hurtful to individuals and harmful to the family system, but because family members are unaware of or unskilled in other ways of responding, they are unable to change, and the family is described as being stuck. †¢A pattern is a circular sequence of communication that occurs three times. †¢Alternatively, the worker may set the stage to encourage family members to play out their usual family patterns. ? 1. Clarify with the family these patterns, pointing out the relationship between affect, or feelings, and behavior.For example, father scolds child, child feels hurt, child pouts, father feels frustrated, father scolds, and around and around the pattern goes. It is helpful for a family to see how they go around in theses maladaptive circles. 2. When this is done, help clarify any family rules or myths that perpetuate these patterns, for example, a myth that the only way a child will listen to a parent is when the parent yells at the child. 3. When clarifying a circular pattern with a family, it is necessary to explore underlying feelings and any additional behaviors. 4. Point out evidence of emotional distress and get members to label specific feelings. When feelings are out in the open.Particularly fears and hurts, they can be directly faced 5. Encourage the family to provide each member with reassurance and support 6. Help the family develop understanding of each other by bringing their circular patterns out in the open and including underlying feelings. 7. After the dysfunctional patterns have been identified, the worker should then get the family to think of helpful adaptive patterns to deal with problem situations. 8. Help the family negotiate simultaneous change 9. Reinforce family member’s constructive suggestions 10. Coach family members in trying out new adaptive behaviors and assign realistic tasks explicitly as homework.Lineal Circular, strategic and reflexive question †¢Lineal questions ask for basic information and assume a cause-and –effect sequence. †¢Circular questions, on the other hand, are based on circular causality and the connections among family members. Circular questions help the family social worker to learn about ongoing patterns of family interaction and the effects that family members’ behaviors have on one another. †¢Circular questions are intended to create change, whereas lineal questions are intended to draw out information. †¢Strategic questions are directed at change, on the basis of the family social worker’s assessment of the situation.The underlying intent of strategic questions is to correct behavior. †¢Reflexive questions ask clients to become self-observers. Detriangulation Detriangulation involves developing strategies through which the family worker disrupts one triangle and opens up the family members to new, more functional alliances or triangles. Four possible methods of detriangulation are available for the family social worker. 1. One way of detriangulatiojn is to point the triangle out to the three people. 2. Another method of detriangulation is ensuring that family members interact as dyads. 3. Another method is through reversal, or getting one person in the triangle to do the opposite of the pattern. 4.Detriangulation also can occur by shifting alliances that is who does what with whom. If the mother is always the one trying to get a child to comply with a command, change can be accomplished by having the father gain the child’s compliance. Working with Involuntary clients Clients usually look for on of two outcomes from family social work. Some just want to eliminate the pain created by the problem, and in the process want to be nurtured. These clients may be satisfied once the initial stress has b een alleviated, and they may avoid making difficult or lasting changes. Other clients want to change their lives in concrete ways. They are willing to work hard to achieve needed changes in their lives.These are the most rewarding clients for family social workers. Many involuntary clients are precontemplators. In other words, they do not believe they have a problem. Others may acknowledge they have a problem but are not prepared to work on it. Families need to know that participating in family social work is their choice. The family social worker should emphasize that freedom from unwanted agency intervention will occur when the conditions of the court order or contracted work are met. Work with involuntary clients begins by finding out what it is like for them to be ordered into family work. This question is one way of showing empathy and starting where the client is.When clients are court ordered, they should be informed that some conditions of the work are not negotiable and the y need to understand the specific conditions for termination. When clients do not want work, the family social worker can print out that the family has a right not to participate but that nonparticipation involves some consequences. Motivation is the flip side of resistance. Direct confrontation about responsibility for problems during the assessment phase is likely to produce defensiveness rather that lead to change. Instead, using empathy and rolling with resistance might be most productive. The single most important skill for working with family resistance is being able to identify when it may be counterproductive to push an issue with the family.