Henrik Ibsen- A Doll’s House

Henrik Ibsen was one of the most popular poet and dramatist in his time. He is considered as the father of modern realistic drama because he is responsible for the transition of the Romantic style going to modern realistic style of writing a play. The Norwegian playwright was born on Skien from Knud Ibsen and Marichen Altenburg, a relatively well-to-do merchant family. The family of Ibsen was one of oldest and distinguished family in their country. But the fortune of his family was taken away when he is going to its adulthood.Her mother turned to religion for support while his father financial situation was ruined because his father’s friend broke all connections with him and forced to bankruptcy in 1836 (Bellinger). Ibsen was motivated to go into playwriting by his mother. His mother was an enthusiastic painter and she loves theater. But because of situation of their family which was made them in to poverty, Ibsen at the age of 15 decided to go to Grimstad to be a pharmacist (Bellinger).In 1850, Ibsen goes to Christiania which is now called Oslo where he earned his journalistic writings in Heltberg. In this year also when his first written work was made and these were Catiline, a tragedy, which reflected the atmosphere of the revolutionary year of 1848, and The Burial Mound, written under the pseudonym of Brynjolf Bjarme. In 1858, returned to Christiania to apply his education in writing plays at Christiania’s National Theater and the same year when he married Suzannah Thoresen.All of the plays that were written by Ibsen were based on poverty and family problems. This was because on his past experience on his family. One of the plays that were written by Ibsen was the A Doll’s House. The said play, after being published received many criticisms about the traditional Victorian marriage. A Doll’s House-Critical Essay A Doll’s House was the first play that was written by Ibsen that has sensational effect on the audiences because it tackles on the norms of Victorian marriage.It is the most popular works that was written by Ibsen. The center of the story is about on Nora Helmer, who is the mother of the three children and the wife of Torvald Helemer who is a banker. The story is about on the marriage of the two characters that was ruined because the wife did not do her role as the mother and that she made an action that broke a law. The main points of Isben in his play were the family structure on his time and the way society thinks on the role of the father and the mother.The society in his time, after reading the play was patriarchal. It is very obvious because the play gives more importance on the male rather than equal opportunities. Ibsen designed the play in such a way that the audience can see the inequality of men and women as well the breakage of the norms in a marriage between husband and wife. The first secession of Nora in the society was when she committed a crime just to save the life of her wi fe.He was forced to forge the signature of his father so that he can borrow money that will be used for her husband’s treatment. The incidence showed that women can also make decision on their family and not the husband only. This is one of the norms in a Victorian marriage, were work, politics and decision are left from men while the household chores are women. The second secession of Nora in the society was when she decided to divorce her husband. In that time, divorce in never allowed by the society because it breaks the relationship of husband and wife.From the two secessions, it can be seen that the society dictates the relationship of a husband and wife and favors men. Nora secessions are very deliberate and thought out. She knows what society expects of her and continues to do what she feels is right despite them. Her secessions are used by Ibsen to show faults of society. Reference: Bellinger, Martha Fletcher. â€Å"A Short History of the Drama. † (1927). Novem ber 14, 2007 .

Influence of Religion on African Culture

Africa is a continent of diversity. In this diversity there are hundreds of tribes and communities each practicing its own culture and religion. It would be very difficult to define Africa’s traditional religion as it would be difficult to define its culture.More so, it is extremely difficult to establish the dividing line between African Culture and African Religion. However, as much as there were many African Traditional Religions, their similarities were more dominant than their differences. We take up these similarities and encompass them as one African Traditional Religion. In this report, we explore the important aspects of Africa’s Traditional Religions and cultures that cut across the entire continent.This essay is based on various researches done by prominent scholars, historical background of Africa, news and books relevant to African studies. This report attempts to define religion, culture, and explores the major religions, African Traditional Religion (ATR) , Christianity and Islam and their influence and impact on African culture. Africa is one of the World’s six continents. It is the second largest and second most populous continent after Asia. Other continents include; Asia, America-North, America-South, Australia, Europe.Geologically, Present-day Africa, occupying one-fifth of Earth's land surface, is the central remnant of the ancient southern supercontinent called Gondwanaland, a landmass once made up of South America, Australia, Antarctica, India, and Africa. This massive supercontinent broke apart between 195 million and 135 million years ago, cleaved by the same geological forces that continue to transform Earth's crust today. At about 30. 2 million km? (11. 7 million sq  mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20. % of the total land area. With 1. 0 billion people (as of 2009) in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14. 72% of the world's human population. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The continent has 54 sovereign states, including Madagascar, various island groups, and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, a member state of the African Union whose statehood is disputed by Morocco.Afri was the name of several Semitic peoples who dwelt in North Africa near Carthage (in modern Tunisia). Their name is usually connected with Phoenician afar, â€Å"dust†, but a 1981 hypothesis has asserted that it stems from a Berber word ifri or Ifran meaning â€Å"cave†, in reference to cave dwellers. Africa or Ifri or Afer is name of Banu Ifran from Algeria and Tripolitania (Berber Tribe of Yafran). Pre-colonial Africa possessed perhaps as many as 10,000 different states and polities characterised by many different sorts of political organisation and rule.These included small family groups of hunter-gatherers such as the San people of southern Africa; larger, more structured groups such as the family clan groupings of the Bantu-speaking people of central and southern Africa, heavily structured clan groups in the Horn of Africa, the large Sahelian kingdoms, and autonomous city-states and kingdoms such as those of the Akan, Yoruba and Igbo people (also misspelled as Ibo) in West Africa, and the Swahili coastal trading towns of East Africa.Religion originates from the Latin world religare (re: back, and ligare: to bind), and this brings up the world â€Å"being bound. † faith is usually the core element of religion. Faith encompasses â€Å"Value-center,† â€Å"trust,† â€Å"loyalty,† and â€Å"meaning†. It is difficult to define religion.A good definition of religion is one that expounds on the following key traits; Belief in something sacred (for example, gods or other supernatural beings), A distinction between sa cred and profane objects, Ritual acts focused on sacred objects, A moral code believed to have a sacred or supernatural basis, characteristically religious feelings (awe, sense of mystery, sense of guilt, adoration), which tend to be aroused in the presence of sacred objects and during the practice of ritual, prayer and other forms of communication with the supernatural, world view, or a general picture of the world as a whole and the place of the individual therein. This picture contains some specification of an over-all purpose or point of the world and an indication of how the individual fits into it, a more or less total organization of one’s life based on the world view, A social group bound together by the above. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning â€Å"to cultivate†) is a term that has various meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of â€Å"culture† in Culture: A Cri tical Review of Concepts and Definitions.However, the word â€Å"culture† is most commonly used in three basic senses: Excellence of taste in the fine arts and humanities, also known as culture, An integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning and the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group. Culture has six core elements; politics, economics, ethics, aesthetics, kinship and religion. And out of these, religion â€Å"is by far the richest part of the African heritage. † It shapes their cultures, their social life, their politics, and their economics and is at the same time shaped by this same way of life. Some of the major religions that influenced African culture; African traditional religion, Christianity and Islam African Traditional ReligionIt is a unique religion whose sources include: sacred places and religio us objects such as rocks, hills, mountains, trees, caves and other holy places; rituals, ceremonies and festivals of the people; art and symbols; music and dance; proverbs, riddles, and wise sayings; and names of people and places. Beliefs cover topics such as God, spirits, birth, death, the hereafter, magic, and witchcraft. Religion, in the African indigenous context, permeates all departments of life. Africa’s traditional religion is based on the Ubuntu philosophy, which is a Zulu word for human-ness, and was developed over many centuries in traditional African culture. This culture was pre-literate, pre-scientific and pre-industrial. The concept of Ubuntu was originally expressed in the songs and stories, the customs and the institutions of the people. Another distinctive quality of the Ubuntu philosophy is the African emphasis on consensus.Indeed, the African traditional culture has, seemingly, an almost infinite capacity for the pursuit of consensus and reconciliation. D emocracy in the African way does not simply boil down to majority rule since it operates in the form of discussions geared towards a consensus. Christianity The Christian religion was founded in what is today Israel and Palestine 2000 years ago at the beginning of the Common Era. Christianity is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, a Jewish teacher and prophet. Early Christians (followers of Christ) believed that Jesus was divine in that he was the son of God. Islam Islam is a religion that was founded by Prophet Mohammed.It geographic origin can be traced to the modern-day Saudi Arabia. Influences of Religion on African Culture Religion being one of the core components of culture has a great influence on culture. Every religion practiced in Africa today has had a profound effect on the African culture, be it the African Traditional Religion, Christianity or Islam. Christianity Influence on African Culture arrived in Africa in two groups. One important group was centered in Egypt and had influence throughout North Africa. This group was known as the Gnostics. One of the other major factions of the early Christianity was centered in Rome. This faction was very much influenced by the teachings of the Apostle Paul.This faction became prominent in the fourth century C. E. when the Roman Empire officially became Christian. Recognizing the importance of a sacred text in solidifying their control over Christianity, the Roman faction brought together a collection of writings by early Christians and proclaimed these writings were inspired by God and that they were the true testament of the life and teachings of Jesus. This collection is known as the New Testament and is a central part of the Christian Bible. However, in creating the New Testament the Roman faction rejected as heresy all other writings about Jesus' life and teachings, including many books written by North African Gnostic ChristiansIn spite of the repression of the Gnostic Christians by Roman Christians, Christianity continued to flourish throughout North Africa until the arrival of Islam in the seventh century C. E. The Christians in this area were known as Coptic Christians, named after the main language of the area. By the time of the arrival of Islam, the Coptic Orthodox Church had lost most of the Gnostic influence, although the Coptic faith, like the Gnostics placed a great deal of emphasis on contemplation and monasticism. In structure, it was similar to the Church of Rome in that it practiced the same sacraments, and the church structure was made up of priests and bishops.Like the Roman Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church is headed by a Patriarch (similar to the Pope in the Roman Church) who lives in Alexandria. Even after Egypt had been taken over by Arab Moslems, the Coptic Christians continued to form a small but important segment of Egyptian society. Indeed, Coptic Christians today comprise approximately fifteen per cent of the Egyptian population. Christiani ty was introduced in Nubia by Christian monks and traders in the fifth and sixth centuries C. E. By the seventh century, the rulers of Nubia and most Nubians had converted to Christianity. In practice and structure, the Nubian church was similar to the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt.In June, 18, 1452, Pope Nicholas V issued the papal bull ‘Dum Diversas', granting King Alfonso V of Portugal the right to â€Å"attack, conquer, and subjugate Saracens, Pagans and other enemies of Christ wherever they may be found. † It gave title over all lands and possessions seized and permitted the Portuguese to take the inhabitants and consign them to perpetual slavery. Dum Diversas legitimised the colonial slave trade that begun around this time with the expeditions by Henry the Navigator to find a sea route to India, which were financed with African slaves. This approval of slavery was reaffirmed and extended in his Romanus Pontifex of 1455. The transatlantic trade in Africans was fo unded on Christianity.Religion was key in motivating Prince Henry of Portugal, later called Henry, â€Å"the Navigator† (1394-1460), to put in motion Europe's aggressive and ruthless expeditions to Africa. Henry was not only the governor of Algrave Province, who managed a large economic infrastructure based on the unbridled grasp of enormous wealth from trans-Saharan commerce, but he was also the administrator of the Order of Christ, the Portuguese successor to the Knights Templar, a famous Western military order founded in the aftermath of the First Crusade at Clermont on November 27, 1095. As one of the best fighting units, the Soldiers of Christ prompted a series of striking maritime exploits, ensuring the safety of Europeans who made pilgrimages to Jerusalem.It is important to note that during this historical period, the feudal states of European countries were just beginning to unite and major religious wars were being fought between Christians and Muslims, especially th e Moors in Morocco. Henry trained men to sail from Portugal, down the west coast of Africa in search of the limits to the Muslim world, in order to halt the Islamization of West Africa and to accelerate the spread of Christianity. In order to further God's intentions for humankind, Ogbu Kalu contends that within the context of religious logic, papal bulls offered rights of patronage to Henry, authorizing him to appoint clerical orders for evangelization and to fend off competing European interests.According to Peter Russell, Henry the Navigator considered conversion and enslavement as interchangeable terms, experiencing no cognitive dissonance in using Christianity as a civilizing agent for making converts into slaves. In â€Å"Christianity: Missionaries in Africa,† Modupe Labode sums it up this way: The case of the Portuguese exemplifies the close relationship between Crown and Church. In the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494), the pope recognized Portuguese claims to Africa. The Crown was also responsible for attempting to convert the indigenous people to Christianity. Much of the missionary effort over the next two and half centuries was conducted under Portuguese authority. The vast majority of the missionaries at this time were Roman Catholic priests, many of them belonged to religious orders such as the Jesuits, Capuchins, and Franciscans.Influence of Islam on African Culture led to the spread of Islam, from its heartland in the Middle East and North Africa to India and Southeast Asia, revealed the power of the religion and its commercial and sometimes military attributes. The spread of Islam across much of the northern third of Africa produced profound effects on both those who converted and those who resisted the new faith. Islamization also served to link Muslim Africa even more closely to the outside world through trade, religion, and politics. Trade and long-distance commerce, in fact, was carried out in many parts of the continent and linked regio ns beyond the orbit of Muslim penetration.Until about 1450, however, Islam provided the major external contact between sub-Saharan Africa and the world. State building took place in many areas of the continent under a variety of conditions. West Africa, for example, experienced both the cultural influence of Islam and its own internal dynamic of state building and civilization developments that produced, in some places, great artistic accomplishments. The existence of stateless societies and their transformation into states are a constant of African history even beyond 1500. As we have seen with Egypt, North Africa was also linked across the Sahara to the rest of Africa in many ways.With the rise of Islam, those ties became even closer. Between A. D. 640 and 700 the followers of Muhammad swept across North Africa from Suez to the Pillars of Hercules on Morocco's Atlantic shore. By A. D. 670 Muslims ruled Tunisia, or Ifriqiya, what the Romans had called Africa. (The Arabs originally used this word as the name for eastern North Africa and Maghrib for lands to the West. ) By 711, Arab and Berber armies had crossed into Spain. In opposition to the states dominated by the Arabic rulers, the peoples of the desert, the Berbers, formed states of their own at places such as Fez in Morocco and at Sijilimasa, the old city of the trans-Saharan caravan trade.By the 11th century, under pressure from new Muslim invaders from the East, a great puritanical reformist movement, whose followers were called the Almoravids, grew among the desert Berbers of the western Sahara. Launched on the course of a jihad, a holy war waged to purify, spread, or protect the faith, the Almoravids moved southward against the African kingdoms of the savanna and westward into Spain. Islam offered a number of attractions within Africa. Its fundamental teaching that all Muslims are equal within the community of believers made the acceptance of conquerors and new rulers easier. The Islamic tradition of uniting the powers of the state and religion in the person of the ruler or caliph appealed to some African kings as a way of reinforcing their authority.The concept that all members of the ummah, or community of believers, were equal put the newly converted Berbers and later Africans on an equal footing with the Arabs, at least in law. Despite these egalitarian and somewhat utopian ideas within Islam, practice differed considerably at local levels. Social stratification remained important in Islamicized societies and ethnic distinctions also divided the believers. The Muslim concept of a ruler who united civil and religious authority reinforced traditional ideas of kingship. It is also important to note that in Africa, as elsewhere in the world, the formation of states heightened social differences and made these societies more hierarchical.Africans had been enslaved by others before, and Nubian (African) slaves had been known in the classical world, but with the Muslim conquests o f North Africa and commercial penetration to the south, slavery became a more widely diffused phenomenon, and a slave trade in Africans developed on a new scale. In theory, slavery was viewed by Muslims as a stage in the process of conversion – a way of preparing pagans to become Muslims – but in reality conversion did not guarantee freedom. Slaves in the Islamic world were used in a variety of occupations, such as domestic servants and laborers, but they were also used as soldiers and administrators who, having no local ties and affiliations, were considered to be dependent and thus trustworthy by their masters. Slaves were also used as eunuchs and concubines; thus the emphasis on women and children.The trade caravans from the Sahel across the Sahara often transported slaves as well as gold. Other slave-trade routes developed from the African interior to the east African coast. The tendency for the children of slave mothers to eventually be freed and integrated into M uslim society, while positive in one sense, also meant a constant demand for more slaves. Islam provided the residents of these towns a universal set of ethics and beliefs that made their maritime contacts easier; but in East Africa, as in the savanna kingdoms of West Africa, Islamization was slow to penetrate among the general population, and when it did, the result was often a compromise between indigenous ways and the new faith.By the thirteenth century, a string of urbanized trading ports sharing the common Bantu-based and Arabic-influenced Swahili language and other cultural traits – although governed by separate Muslim ruling families – had developed along the coast. Towns such as Mogadishu, Mombasa, Malindi, Kilwa, Pate, and Zanzibar eventually contained mosques, tombs, and palaces of cut stone and coral. Ivory, gold, iron, slaves, and exotic animals were exported from these ports in exchange for silks from Persia and porcelain from China for the ruling Muslim f amilies. African culture remained strong throughout the area. Swahili language was essentially a Bantu language into which a large number of Arabic words were incorporated, though many of them were not incorporated until the 16th century.The language was written in an Arabic script sometime prior to the 13th century; the ruling families could also converse in Arabic. Islam itself penetrated very little into the interior among the hunters, pastoralists, and farmers. Even the areas of the coast near the trading towns remained relatively unaffected. In the towns, the stone and coral buildings of the Muslim elite were surrounded by mud and thatch houses of the non-Muslim common people, so that Islamization was to some extent class-based. Still, a culture developed that fused Islamic and traditional elements. Family lineage, for example, was traced both through the maternal line, which controlled property (the traditioral African practice), and through the paternal line, as was the Musli m custom.The enduring legacy of the influence of religion on African culture led to majority of Africans profess either Christian or Islamic faith. Considering that there lie a thin veneer between culture and religion, it is imperative that these two religions have fundamentally altered the African culture, if there exist any. These religions spread into Africa aboard various vehicles, including; slavery, colonialism, trade, education, among others. These religions emphasized a ruler-ship founded on a hierarchy focused on one centre of power, the imperial dictatorship. This was contrary to African culture that was less hierarchical and more collegiate, that emphasized on dialogue and consensus. It is this imperialist hierarchical structure that still causes chaos in Africa today.To a large extend most Africans remain colonized, whether politically, economically, religiously, culturally, spiritually or otherwise. A society that is still colonized is not a free society, it is a societ y wallowing deeply in the swampy marshes of slavery. Africa, the mother of humanity, as it stands now is one whose veil of religion and garment of culture has been torn. It is a mother whose dignity has been raped, and its young children defiled by the older siblings who came back from their adventures abroad. One most fundamental question would be: Is colonialism and slavery a just price that Africans have to pay eternally for the reward of education and trade? Whichever way the answer comes to be, Africa needs restoration.Restoration is only possible if Africans can wake up to spiritual reality and eschew the bondage of foreign religion consumed by it from its renegade sons and daughters. The turning point can only be achieved if Africans realize that religion and spirituality are distinct – that spirituality possessed by a religious person can never be fresh and neither can religion exist in a pure spirituality. Africa must free itself from this intoxicating addiction to f oreign religion, and for that matter, any religion for it to be truly free. CONCLUSION. In conclusion, a keen oversee at history slowly shows us more cleary the influence of religion on African culture.The change due to the influence may not have taken place there and then but took time spreading its roots and slowly merging with the native culture and in some other instances completely eroding it. Just like how Christianity was introduced to Africa, the natives did not completely embrace it just like that, they took their precious time and in present day Africa, it is still being practiced and no one can pin point the exact time when Christianity was completely taken in by the natives of the past. These different religions which were introduced to African culture or way of life made other cultures to take a complete turnaround from their practices and events.

Domestic & International Market

Types of resources and capabilities underlie BMW Approach to Innovations. Founded In 1916, Bayberries Motormen Worker GAG, well known as BMW, Is a German automobile company, mall headquarter In Munich, Germany. Well, BMW also known as one of the leading manufacturing of luxury cars. Nowadays when we are walling form Apple Inc. To launch their new generation innovative cell phone, the same image BMW has in today's world market regarding their new innovative features luxury cars. BMW has gained the status of innovative luxury cars by utilizing its best resources and provide best qualities to its customer.There are many automobile companies UT there but only few firms in this industry are earned a title of innovations, and BMW comes first in that list. The main reason behind BMW success is their own Research and development center around the world, BMW group spend billions of dollar behind this R to provide best quality and innovative product to its customers. BMW comes In top 25 compan ies of best brand value in the world, today Its brand value exceeded to 25 Billion dollar because of Its R and Innovative Ideas of luxury cars.There are more than 8500 employees are working at Research and Development center of BMW around the globe. When I look over to the BMW group site, I found many facts about BMW regarding their innovative strategies. When I review their website I found out that currently BMW R teams are working for 2020 product of BMW. The assembly line of BMW is also ranked 1st in the auto industry by their innovative process of manufacturing luxury cars. BMW are more focused on their efficient innovation process by its innovative culture.The structure of company's culture are more emphasis on differentiate and innovative ideas, and there is no doubt that BMW is holding one of the best talented pools of employees and cosmologies to approach the innovation. As per my opinion BMW will maintain Its title of Innovation because of their advance technologies such as using own optimizing engine, lower emission advance technologies, habitation, electrification and newly developed connected drive technologies. Bum's Sustainable Production.Bum's sustainable production has focused on many important factors as it mentioned below. Advanced technology by reducing emission of CO to 50%. BMW is leader in using renewable energy for production and value. Electro mobility. Always ready for future challenge by advanced technology. Continuous improvement in employee motivation for innovation. Less consumption on natural resources in production. Mobility patterns. Raising workforce awareness by providing essential training to the employees. Product Safety.Sustainable construction and process. More focusing on Opportunities Strong Brand Value. As per the current BMW strategic action regarding the future production as well as with advanced innovative technology, BMW is the only firm I found who can survived even after we will out of the fuel energy, BMW had alr eady started working on hydroelectric advanced vehicle production, environment friendly and safety icicles, advanced production process which helps BMW to maintain its title of innovative firm.How do the resources, capabilities, and activities of BMW contribute to its differentiation strategy and unique position in the industry it has achieved? By using advanced technology and innovative ideas for production and best quality product, BMW had earned the best brand value in auto industry. BMW is also recognize as leader of innovation in auto industry, I still remember that when I bought Phone AS which had feature of Sir, but I also found out that BMW had developed this feature long back in 2006 in their BMW 7 series Models.None of the firm in auto industry had achieved in advanced technology yet and BMW group is the only company who looks to the future and gears its actions towards the long term. Well, BMW is not only one who is spending large amount on R&D, there are many other autom obile industry does same, but the uniqueness of BMW is the process and strategy they are using, the different culture of innovation spread in BMW, the status of innovation and advanced technology, the status brand and many other factor are consider to be the uniqueness of BMW.BMW had keep this innovative title form last two decades cause of their uniqueness and differentiate strategy where other automobile companies find hard to adopt it, the main reason behind this uniqueness is the firm's organization culture of innovation where all employees are allowed to think different and something new that world had never seen.

Advances in Transportation SLP Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Advances in Transportation SLP - Research Paper Example Today life without systems like London’s tube or Japan’s Shinkansen is unthinkable in a society where commuting between the home and workplace depends to a large extent on this form of transport. The 19th. century was an era of great technological advances. Perhaps none of these has had as far reaching an effect on the lives of people, as has the steam engine that led to the invention of the railway. The British used this invention to maximum advantage in their colonies, to expand business opportunities, ferrying local goods like spices, tea, coffee, rubber and cotton to the shipyards from where they were marketed to every part of the western world. The railways were used to carry the finished goods from factories to far flung corners of the world and allowed even farmers to sell their products further away from the regions where they were grown. This new means of transportation that ferried people as well as goods at speeds unmatched at the time by any other means of t ransport; was a boon, giving people a chance to explore new opportunities, to live away from their work places and above all to travel to far away places, that allowed them a glimpse of a world they had never seen before. As Nobel peace prize winner Sir John Boyd Orr remarked â€Å" After the First World War the economic problem was no longer one of production. It was the problem of finding markets to get the output of industry and agriculture dispersed and consumed.† (Boyd Orr, 1949) Railroads provided the solution to this problem by transporting finished goods to markets across the world. Huge public structure investment ensured that distances shrank and railroads began to determine the location and shape or size of new cities and towns. Joe Biden put it in a nutshell when he remarked â€Å"public infrastructure investment raises private sector productivity †¦.they literally are the veins and arteries of commerce.† (Biden, 2011) Railways brought economic prosper ity to people in towns and cities supplying them with every necessity - food, clothes, building material, fuel and access to markets. The railroad system resulted in a production boom; as resources and raw materials from one part of a country or continent were transported to far away factories, and finished goods marketed to every nook and corner that was now accessible through this new system of transportation. In Russia the Trans-Siberian Railway, gave an economic boost by facilitating agricultural exports from Siberia, to Russia and Europe. In Japan, the government promoted railways to cut down dependence on imported fossil fuels. Railroads have therefore been the backbone of the Japanese urban transport system and train stations formed the nucleus around which cities bloomed. Japan was the first country to have high speed rail and Japan’s business, economy, life and culture has been greatly impacted by the bullet trains that run at amazing speeds. High speed rail has beco me an efficient and convenient means of transport in Western Europe, and although this means of transportation has become popular throughout the world due to its efficiency and economy, Japan, China and Europe have the largest networks of high speed rail. It has however not taken off yet in the US. President Barack Obama in an effort to increase job opportunities in an economy that is yet to pick up after the down slide of 2008 remarked, High Speed Rail â€Å"will help accelerate job growth in an economy tha

Merger and Acquisition in China Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7000 words

Merger and Acquisition in China - Coursework Example Therefore it will be very important to understand how this trend impacts the Chinese economy, as the country is effectively competing with other countries for FDI and this should affect the over all position of China in the international trade arena. The open door policy initiated by Deng Xiaoping in China in1992 with the intention to push forward China's economic progress brought in considerable wealth in the form of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) (Galbraith, 2000). This policy enabled institutional change (North 1990), which in turn created opportunities for investment into the Chinese economy. What was different about this policy was that it was a gradual change and not a sudden change as experienced in other developing countries, which led to bankruptcies and high costs (Campbell and Lindberg 1991). This policy also placed emphasis on foreign capital policy, the foreign exchange system, and it also offered promising conditions for foreign investors (Galbraith, 2000). This policy has since reaped dividends given that the main mode for FDI into the Chinese economy has been through foreign funded and joint venture companies. This has also reflected in figures which show that between 1990 and 1996, China managed to attract app roximately $230 billion of foreign capital, with 20% of that amount coming from developing nations (Galbraith, 2000). However, the open door policy did more than just attract FDI to China; it also introduced the market for corporate control, which is where firms are sold and bought, or are taken over (Groenewegen 2004). This market for corporate control previously did not exist, due to the high number of enterprises owned by the state, which also meant that no FDI was coming into the economy. By opening up the economy, most of these government enterprises have now been left open for mergers and acquisitions, due to market forces operating in the economy. For instance, this open door policy led to initiatives from the Chinese government to reduce non-profitable enterprises (Groenewegen 2004), and between 1995 and 2002 the number of state owned enterprises decreased by 46% and profit increased by 163.6% (SASAC 2004). First of all these figures demonstrate that during that time period there was a record number of mergers and acquisitions, and that these were probably due to the need to establish profitable organizations for the Chinese government. These figures also show that mergers and acquisitions have the ability to generate revenue through profits, which demonstrate that the new organizations are more efficient than they were in their previous state. This clearly suggests that the Chinese government experienced a lot of the advantages of mergers and acquisitions from the introduction of the market for corporate control; however one also has to consider the effect of this open door policy on small private companies. The move from a centrally planned economy to a market economy has also encouraged FDI as the government has had to make changes to tax systems, in order to make them more favourable to investors. Foreign investors are considered to introduce new technology, new methods, structures, process and management styles to the economy which result in increased productivity

Precis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Precis - Essay Example Physician-assisted suicide should be legalized in order to assist the adults who have terminal illness. This response is sympathetic to patient who is suffering and dying. They deliver themselves when they accept PAS on their own without coercion. When all the systems are in proper working condition, the choice of PAS will come after all other ways of treatment are exhausted and not any one method is able to treat the suffering the patient has. If the patient is in the right mind, he or she is allowed to call for assistance to end their life. This can be interpreted to mean that, a physician is allowed to give medicine prescription that will speed up death. This is only done with the consent of the patient. (1) There are fears that minority and the vulnerable may be forced to sign for the premature death. Safeguards should be put in place to prevent some medical personnel may abuse the legal laws to coerce the handicapped, minority the elderly and all other vulnerable populations sign to their premature deaths being anxious because you know the future carry the pain and death for you can only be put to rest through the PAS . After you die suffering will come to an end and the rising medical bill will be put to a halt. Individual should be allowed to make this decision without being forced by anyone be it the government, religion, or relatives. Out of what they are going through, they will decide on their own. Ethical, any person with terminal illness should be given the right to end his or her life. They should be able to do that with dignity. Quality of life is an important factor to consider in this argument. The religious supporters put forward this argument that life is sacred and belongs to God and it is always better to live than being dead. On the other hand the ethical argument says that life should continue only if the person

Speech presentation or Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Speech or Presentation Example The purpose of this speech is to enable audience to exactly know about the importance of customers, they hold for any business. After the speech, audience will know basics of why maintaining good relations with customers is important, how customer relationship management can be implemented in brief and how it can benefit an organization. Customers, being the wage payers of employees, are very important for each and every employee of an organization. Especially, people in marketing and sales department should be well aware of their importance. Customers should be treated well, not only when they are making their purchases but also after the time since the post purchase care shown by businesses towards their customers is an important tool to attract customers for being loyal with the organization and repeat their purchase. Existing or Old customers hold key importance for businesses. Studies have proved that the most effective area of revenue generation for businesses is to attract existing customers. But even then most businesses think that once a customer has made the purchase, he or she is bonded with the organization which ultimately results in to the loss of customer base and number of clients or customers for an organization starts shrinking. Customers are very sensitive to organization's behavior with them. There can be many reasons a customer may feel bad about an organization and wishes not to repeat his or her purchase with the organization. They might think that the organization is no more fair or justified with its offering, or organization is unconcerned with the issues and problems they had from their previous purchase, or a competitor of their previous seller has offered a better product or service. Customers, if find an organization trustworthy, are very eager to repeat their purchase with this organization since it reduces their time for decision making their purchase. They had an experience with the organization's product or service and they are confident and satisfied with the organization's offering; these things provide them an ease of mind in their purchase decisions which ultimately transform into repeat purchases. It is always feasible for an organization to work for attracting its existing customers since: "Repeat customers spend 33% more than new customers. Referrals among repeat customers are 107% greater than non-customers. It costs six times more to sell something to a prospect than to sell that same thing to a customer (Laura Lake, 2007)". Before implementing customer relationship management in an organization, management should know, "what is the actual problem with the existing handling of customers that initiated the need for customer relationship management" (Management-crm, 2007) "Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a process companies use to understand their customer

Stakeholders of the software industry Research Paper

Stakeholders of the software industry - Research Paper Example Conspicuously, information on the quality of software products is the most sought by consumers. It is imperative that developers of software products disseminate this information not only in a timely manner but also ensure that the information publicized is accurate and detailed (Myers, 1999). To obtain this information about a product’s quality, design, requirements, and implementation, it is important that developers of software products carry out different tests at the various phases of their production line. Such testing processes not only give information on the quality of a product but also enable an independent and unprejudiced view of a product not only by its developers but also by its users (Myers, 1999). In addition, the developer of software product may have the opportunity to appreciate and understand the risks of the design, development, and execution software (Myers, 1999). Contrary to common belief among laymen, software testing extends beyond tests done to asc ertain whether a product can be executed or applied and testing to identify or discover bugs; it encompasses all the processes by which software is validated and verified. In addition, software testing seeks to establish whether a product has adhered to the design and development requirements and can be effectively executed with similar features. What is more, software testing seeks to establish whether the needs of all stakeholders have been achieved in a product (Willison, 2004). One fundamental facet of software testing is that it can be done at any stage of the development and implementation of software, depending on the type of testing advised or adopted. This paper explores the notion that software testing is used to show that software functions properly. More precisely, the paper discusses the use of software testing to prevent and/or eliminate faults associated with requirements, design, analysis, and implementation. Software Testing for Prevention of Faults Recent times hav e realized an increase in the popularity of software testing in the software development industry. Software testing in the software industry entails not only the activities in the development cycle of software but also beyond. The importance of software testing is best highlighted by the fact that quite many users have experiences of software not working as expected. Evidently, faulty software has quite huge impacts on organisations. Among the consequences of software that do not work include financial losses, time losses, damage to business reputation, injury or death for safety-critical systems (Willison, 2004). The first way by which faulty software may result in financial loss is due to non-compliance to legal requirements. Regrettably, the testing phase of software development is never accorded the seriousness it deserves from software developers and managers. This situation exists despite the fact that testing is the only way to ascertain whether an application is likely to fu nction properly after it is deployed to the market. Due to its importance in ensuring a product is correct, there are several recommended approaches to and reasons for software testing (Willison, 2004). Although it gets a little attention, software testing remains a rather integral and important phase of any project on software development. That is, it is only via software testing that a developer may ascertain whether a software project or product is poised to succeed in the market or is doomed (Willison, 2004). It is important that software developers must have an approach that focuses on functional testing, characterized by the verification of whether software

Discussion question week 11 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion question week 11 - Assignment Example Meeting this competency can be a challenge though not impossible. The use of knowledge of legal and ethical issues that is relevant to higher education and nursing education. It came in handy a basis for making decisions when implementing policies and procedures related to students faculty and the educational environment. The feedback from colleagues, peers, patients and administrative evaluation came in handy as far as improving role effectiveness is concerned. Open-mindedness is the key to improving individual and personal performance, and the educator role is no exception. Facing the audience with an open came in handy during my practicum. Though the fact that I had to face criticism from my audience that came as a shock. I expected reception and obedience from them. For an educator to accomplish their aims, one needs to gain their trust, and this takes a while. Practicum didn’t give me enough time. Therefore given another chance as an educator, I will maintain contact with my audience for a longer time and even follow up on their response to the knowledge they acquire. Giving attention to whether the information is relevant and

Research Proposal on Banking Essay Example for Free

Research Proposal on Banking Essay Introduction Over thirty-five years have passed since academics began speculating on the impact that information technology (IT) would have on organizational structure. The debate is still on-going, and both researchers and managers continue to explore the relationship between IT and organizational structure. As organizations need to process more information under these uncertain conditions, IT is one possible way for organizations to increase their information processing capability. We are conducting a research in HBL bank that, how bank increase the number of account holders using Internet banking among its Current Account holders. IT has a dramatic effect on both peoples personal and professional lives. IT is also changing the nature of organizations by providing opportunities to make fundamental changes in the way they do business. The technology is changing rapidly, with computing speeds and the numbers of transistor equivalents available in a given area of a microprocessor chip both doubling in very short time. Organizations are acquiring more and more technology systems to assist in everything from manufacturing to the management of information to the provision and improvement of customer service. Harnessing and coordinating this computing power is the challenge. New tools and innovative perspectives with which to examine, interpret, and comprehend these rapidly evolving environments are always needed and sought. Background / Literature View: IT is transforming the way that business is conducted. Computers prepare invoices, issue checks, keep track of the movement of stock, and store personnel and payroll records. Word processing and personal computers are changing the patterns of office work, and the spread of information technology is affecting the efficiency and competitiveness of business, the structure of the work force, and the overall growth of economic output. Many people believe that the primary driving force behind this information revolution is progress in microelectronic technology, particularly in the development of integrated circuits or chips. Thus, the reason that computing power that used to fill a room and cost $1 million now stands on a desk and costs $500 or that pocket calculators that used to cost $1000 now cost $10 is that society happens to have benefited from a series of spectacularly successful inventions in the field of electronics. But fewer people understand why the introduction of information technology occurred when it did or took the path that it did, why data processing came before word processing or why computers transformed the office environment before they transformed the factory environment. Because this technology oriented view of the causes of the information revolution offers little guidance to the direction that technological developments have taken thus far, it offers little insight into the direction that they will take in the future. Electronic banking is one of the first things that come to mind when one thinks about the future of banking. It is generally assumed that electronic banking is new and that it will replace or supplement many channels of delivery of retail banking services. The term electronic banking as used here refers to any banking activity accessed by electronic means. It includes Online Banking, Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), Automated Call Centers, Digital Cash, Internet Banking, Screen Telephones, E-Utility Bills and so on. These channels of delivery can be used for presenting and paying bills, buying and selling securities, transferring funds, and providing other financial products and services. Electronic banking can be used for retail banking and business-to-business (B2B) transactions, as well as for facilitating large-amount transfers. Equally important, electronic banking is a worldwide phenomenon. As the term is used here, it involves transactions. Web sites that are transactional are considered electronic banking. Electronic banking and the Internet in general are forcing a shift in the way banks and other businesses organize and the way they think of themselves. A shift is taking place from vertical integration to virtual integration. Banks and other financial intermediaries must realize that they are in the financial information industry. The Internet makes it possible to bring both customers and suppliers together to share critical business information. E-banking helps banks relay and show to their clients how good their services are, how many services we are providing and that the services they offer are of better standards. Through E-banking the company can show the clients that they are better than competitors and can give them satisfaction guaranteed. Statement of the problem The internet and the different things it can do to uplift business procedures, products and services is a current necessity for business. One of internets products is Electronic banking. Electronic banking is a faster way for clients to transact with the banks personnel. Clients can still transact with banks while on the comfort and safety of their homes and Offices. The main purpose of this proposed research is to determine, how we will increase Internet Banking Users among their present Account holders. Theoretical Framework: Increase Internet Banking Users Quality Products (websites) A Bank Manager observed that, if he provides the better Quality Products (Websites) and Low Bank Charges on Internet-Banking to his Account holders. This will increase the number of Customer of Internet Banking. But it will not affect on those Account holders with less qualification and do not use internet. Qualification of account holder and use of internet Low Bank Charges on Internet Banking Research Objectives: This Research intends to find out, If Bank updates its website and gives quality products, easy use and as well as reduce its transaction charges on Internet banking will increase the number of users using Internet Banking among its Account holders. However, according to the literature review, the qualification of account holder is plays an important part in this relationship. Our objective is if we increase quality products and reduce its transaction charges on Internet banking will increase the Internet Banking users. Research Question: * If we increase quality products and reduce its transaction charges on Internet banking will increase the Internet Banking users or not? * Qualification of customer and use of internet is effect on internet banking users or not? Research Design/Methodology: Type of research This research will use the descriptive type of research. Descriptive method of research is to gather information about the present existing condition and solving the problem. The descriptive approach is quick and more practical financially. Moreover, this method will allow for a flexible approach, thus, when important new issues and questions arise during the duration of the study, a further investigation may be allowed. The study opted to use this kind of research considering the goal of the study to obtain first hand data so as to formulate rational and sound conclusions and recommendations for the study. Research Strategy For this research data will be gathered through collating published studies from different books, articles from different related journals and studies, and other literary instruments. Afterwards make a content analysis of the collected documentary and verbal material. The study will then summarize all the necessary information. The study will then make a conclusion based on the said information and provide insightful recommendations on how to solve the said problem. Sample and Sampling Technique The respondents of the research came from the different branches of bank mentioned from Karachi. Due to time constraint and also, for the convenience of the researcher, only hundred (100) respondents were considered for the study. The convenience sampling technique was imposed in the study to pick up the hundred respondents, mainly because the availability of the respondents from the different branches was considered. This part of the study is important because the most important data needed to fulfill the objectives and aims of this study will only be supplied by the respondents from the Branches of HBL bank Karachi. Primary and secondary data collection The primary source of data will come from a survey using questionnaire and interviews that will be conducted by the researcher. The primary data frequently gives the detailed definitions of terms and statistical units used in the survey. These are usually broken down into finer classifications. The secondary source of data will come from research through the internet; books, journals, related studies and other sources of information. Acquiring secondary data are more convenient to use because they are already condensed and organized. Moreover, analysis and interpretation are done more easily. Validation of the instrument For validation purposes, the researcher pre-tested a sample of the set survey questionnaires. This was done by conducting an initial survey to at least five respondents from the different banks from Karachi. After the respondents answered, the researchers then asked them to cite the parts of the questionnaire that needs improvement. The researcher even asked for suggestions and corrections from the respondents to ensure that the survey-questionnaire is effective. Automatically, these five respondents were not included as respondents for the study. Data analysis Data gathered will be analyzed through frequency distributions. These will give way to reviewing the data categories and the number of referrals in each category. The data acquired will be analyzed according to the different categories and importance. The information that will be gathered and analyzed will be important to achieve the objectives desired by the study.

Satirical Elements In A Modest Proposal English Literature Essay

Satirical Elements In A Modest Proposal English Literature Essay In A Modest Proposal, satire is one of the main elements Jonathan Swift uses to explain how Protestants abused Irish Catholics in the 1700s. A satire is a literary work that blasts or nudges fun at corruption or any additional error or imperfection. Satire may make the reader express amusement at, or experience hatred for, the individual or object satirized. The major function of a satire to prompt readers to cure the problem under debate. The major weapon of a satirist is verbal irony, a figure of speech in which language is used to disrespect an individual or object by conveying an implication that is the contrary of what the words say. In A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift uses elements of satire to assess Protestant cruelty of Irish Catholics. Satire in literature, also known as Juvenalian satire, is used by those whose aim is mockery. It is more simply known than defined. From very old times satirists have shared a familiar goal: to render foolishness in all its disguises and to result in reform through such contact. It was a custom in English Literature through the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries that writers and poets would frequently use the practice of satire either for political purposes or purely to emphasize the   peculiarities of the society. In this regard many chief English literary writers used satire in their work, but while a number of them used it to fashion an amusing situation, others would give it an extremely unsympathetic tone, which resulted in some grave problems with those who were targeted in their work. There are three main types of satire; Juvenalian, Horatian, and Menippean. Horatian satire is named after the Roman satirist Horatian. It seeks to disapprove of rather than assault vice or folly. Some methods of satire include irony, wittiness, or embellishment. In general, Horatian satire is gentler, better humored and sympathetic, somewhat open-minded of human folly. It tends to mock human foolishness in general or by type rather than assail particular persons. Therefore it tends to create a cynical smile. Juvenalian is named after the Roman satirist Juvenal. It is more bitter than Horatian satire. It often flames and shows disapproval for people, and seeks to tackle some malevolence in society through disdain and ridicule. While amusement and mockery are still weapons of Horatian satire, the Juvenalian satirist isnt frightened to use diatribe to construct a point. A Modest Proposal is an example of a Juvenalian satire. Menippean satire, on the other hand, is the oldest form of satire. It was named after Menippus. It is a multifaceted, disorganized, and often shapeless form of satire. It tends to condemn the subject matter. It is a satire that criticizes everything in a disjointed manner. Discussion is vital to this kind of satire. It views human foolishness and iniquity as a communal illness. A Modest Proposal is everything that a satirical text should be. It includes cynicism and mockery as Jonathan Swift takes and shows us how the deprived are treated wretchedly. The seemingly inoffensive beginning leads the audience to presume that Swift will establish suggestions that lessen the suffering of unfortunate children in 18th century Ireland, a moment in time of overcrowding and land strain (suite101.) He seems genuine and thinks it is a misfortune how everywhere they stroll in the streets of Dublin they see unfortunate citizens pleading others for hand outs. Swift tells the audience how the children of poor families are trouble and how instead of requiring fare and garments the rest of their lives, they will supply to the feeding and clothing of numerous amounts of people. Any intelligent person would think he intends to place them in factories or farms to labor and not be on the streets beseeching for food. He then tells however that a young fit child at a year old is a m ost delicious, nourishing and wholesome food (Swift.) Swift then continues on as if he said something wholly rational and sound. According to his suggestion, twenty thousand children may be set aside for proliferation which is more than they consent to for sheep, cattle, and swine. This is when the spoof starts to open up and that is at what time he drops the bomb on the audience. The compensation of his proposal is apparent. All his proposals are humorous, some even repulsive. The poorer tenants will have something prized of their own, which they may sell, to help pay the landlords fee. Not only will they vend their children to the landlords but if they do not pay out their lease, the landlords can seize their babies. The kids are being used as an article of trade and not even considered a human being. This suggestion is ironical in itself because Swifts proposal to sell and eat excess children is not modest at all nor is it a rational solution to Irelands problems. Swift states ki ds nowadays either grow up to be thieves or to fight for the Pretender (Swift), and blames the population as a full. A dark, bitter piece of  literature, Juvenalian satire uses shadowy humor among other satirical techniques to present unkind criticisms of bribery or ineptitude. Jonathan Swift, who is well-known for his satirical writing, uses all aspects of Juvenalian satire in his  essay  A Modest Proposal to assault the means Ireland in general was run during his time. The central figure of speech in A Modest Proposal is verbal irony, in which an author or narrator says the contrary of what he means. Swifts masterly utilization of this device makes his key argument-that the Irish are worthy of healthier treatment from the English-commanding and awfully entertaining. The satirical intent of  A Modest  Proposal  was misunderstood by lots of Swifts associates, and he was unsympathetically criticized for writing an essay with such extremely bad taste. He came close to losing his support because of this essay. The misinterpretation of the intention of the satirical attack came about for the most part because of the difference between the satirical objective of the cannibalistic proposal and the sincere tone of the narrative voice. In A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift uses elements of satire to assess Protestant cruelty of Irish Catholics. The major weapon of a satirist is verbal irony, a figure of speech in which language is used to disrespect an individual or object by conveying an implication that is the contrary of what the words say. A satire is a literary work that blasts or nudges fun at corruption or any additional error or imperfection. The major function of a satire to prompt readers to cure the problem under debate. Satire may make the reader express amusement at, or experience hatred for, the individual or object satirized.

Tesco Changing Business Environment

Tesco Changing Business Environment Briefly describe and evaluate the changing business environment at Tesco over the last five years using appropriate theories, models and relevant examples. Introduction Tesco was been founded by Jack Cohen, on his first day he managed to gain a profit of  £1 and sales of  £4. Tesco is ranked third in world for largest grocery retailer, with its operations in more than 14 countries. The name â€Å"Tesco† had appeared first in 1924, and its first shop was opened in London. In 1947 the company was been listed on London Stock Exchange and in 1948 it opened the first self-service shops for business. First Tesco supermarket was opened in 1956 in Essex. In 1947 Tesco started selling Gasoline. Its annual Turnover in 1979 was around 1 billion pounds. It started its first senior department in 1975 and in 1997 Its first Large stores (extra). Companies main purpose is to create value for customers in order to earn them lifetime loyalty. This strategy made them successful and is now the topmost Supermarket in UK. Tesco apart from being one of the largest retailers for food have also embraced the non food products and expanding on household goods, toil etries, electrical items, clothing etc. One of the most important strategies of Tesco is focus on non food items. Business environment: Business environment includes of many factors that affect an organisations operation are customers, competitors, stakeholders, suppliers, industry trends, regulations, other government regulation, social, economic factors and technological developments. â€Å"Business Environment is the total of all things external to business firms and industries which affect their organisation and operations.† (Bayard O Wheeler, 1968) The business depends on many factors, but it has to act and react accordingly inside as well as outside of factory. Changes that occur within a company is called as internal factors and changes outside the company are called as external factors. This effect the objectives and strategies of the company. PESTEL Analysis of Tesco:- PESTLE Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors: analysis measures the market potential and situation, particularly indicating growth or decline Tesco is the giant of all supermarkets due to its UK dominance. Analysis of the marker has shown three main reasons for this. A PESTLE analysis is therefore useful in keeping TESCO up to date with their environmental surroundings, for example, realising in advance that we were heading for a recession would have helped them to plan ahead. Tesco are scattered everywhere both locally and internationally They sell to almost every segment of the society They sell both food and non food items Political: Politically, the recession is one of the main spectrums that are currently affecting all the countries which may lead to higher numbers of unemployment. As one of the largest and fastest growing retailers more jobs will be available with TESCO therefore helping to reduce the levels of unemployment. Economic: One of TESCO’s competitive advantages at present relates to their overwhelming physical presence, there are issues about TESCO driving out the competition from other retailers. There are policies as well as laws and regulations governing monopolies and competition which would be identified though an analysis. This is potentially one of the main issues that TESCO’s are faced with. Protecting consumers and ensuring that entrepreneurs have the opportunity to compete in the market economy are important within consumer law. Due to the current state of the economy, many small businesses are failing and many unable to enter the market. Analysis has helped to assess where location wise there is a demand for expansion. The situation is in no way being assisted by the ever expanding TESCO’s chains of store. Under EU law, there is presumption that an organisation with a large market share is dominant. The concerns with this are that quality of products and service s will slip and there is a risk of paying higher prices. TESCO to date has not been assessed as posing a risk of exploitation but should bear this in mind. This is the reason why regular or continuous scans making use of the PESTLE analysis will lead to continuous assessments which can ensure that TESCO’s dominance is not in any way exploitative. Planning permission is an issue that TESCO seriously need to be aware of due to their continued expansion. Planning permission is heavily regulated in the UK. A thorough analysis would help us to identify the relevant laws on planning permission and whether any resistance to planning was on lawful grounds or merely local people’s dissent. It therefore initially assesses the potential success of a store in a new area. Social: Sociological aspect of the PESTLE analysis involves lifestyle trends, demographics consumer attitudes and opinions, consumer buying patterns major events and influences buying access and trends in the case of Tesco considerations such as the increase in immigration of Eastern Europeans or increase in young professionals. Naturally there is therefore a demand for new goods for example; the career minded professional who is a single person. This has seen a rise in the meals for one or quick microwaveable meals to make cooking quick and easy for those always on the go. Technological : Technological factors which have perhaps had the most impact on TESCO has been the growth in the use of the internet .Internet has given new shape to new day shopping They have capitalised on the use of online shopping forum Tesco direct and provide a delivery service through their website at www.tesco.com.this has aided the company to cater to a larger segment of people at their convenience. TESCO’s are also instrumental as a retailer in supporting carbon reductions and have created a  £100 million Sustainable Technology Fund for this purpose. They also encourage their customers to make low carbon choices. Yet if TESCO’s did not take their corporate responsibilities seriously in relation to environmental issues it could have face consequences for TESCO’s reputation. By doing a PESTLE analysis we can analyse the development and the success of TESCO’s in addition to the day to day management of each store in line with strategic decisions. Without knowing what external factors affect the organisation, it is difficult to manage the business in an efficient manner. Tescos Business Operations Understanding thorough various business models, all companies need several business strategies to run their business in a smooth manner. They follow various methods to do so. One of the major is to analysis the strengths weakness of the company along with the opportunities it has and which may arise in future and the threats which they may face. SWOT Analysis Strength, weakness, Threat and Opportunities Strengths 1. Tesco is one of the largest and renowned grocery retailers. The brand name is one of the biggest strengths they possesses. They have diversified into different countries with about 1 million workforces from different backgrounds and different age groups. During the decline of global retail overall sales the company has still shown a growth of 13% within the UK markets and 26% internationally .They have won several retail awards for keeping up their standards and providing best retails services keeping in mind their corporate responsibilities . They are continuously expanding with propositions of opening several stores on an international level. 2. Of the major supermarkets in the UK, only Tesco, The Co-operative, Iceland and Sainsburys offer loyalty card schemes to customers. Customers can collect two Club card points for every  £1 (or one point for â‚ ¬1 in Ireland and Slovakia) they spend in a Tesco store, or Tesco.com, and 1 point per  £1 in petrol station (not in Slovakia). Customers can also collect points by paying with a Tesco Credit Card, or by using Tesco Mobile, Tesco Homophone, Tesco Broadband, selected Tesco Personal Finance products or through Club card partners, E.ON and Avis. Each point equates to 1p in store when redeemed or 4p when used with club card deals (offers for holidays, day trips, etc). Club card points (UK IE) can also be converted to Air miles. Club card points are also converted into coupons which can be redeemed for extra points or cash totals. 3. They use its own-brand products, including the upmarket Finest, mid-range Tesco brand and low-price Value encompassing several product categories such as food, beverage, home, clothing, Tesco Mobile and financial services. Weaknesses 1. Due to the current economic conditions TESCOs may suffer from the rising cost of living and lower incomes available to the public resulting in less demand for the non essential and mid to high priced items. 2. Due to the ongoing recession TESCOs Finance profit levels were impacted through bad debt, credit card arrears and household insurance claims. This could continue if the market doesn’t see change soon. 3. TESCOs has retained its position as a price leader in UK markets for which they had to reduce profit margins in order to retain the key price points on commercial items. 4. Grocer outlets are not set up to operate as specialist retailers in specific areas of product which can be capitalised on by smaller retailers and things can be sold locally. Threats 1. Due to the ongoing recession UK and American markets have been affected by economic concerns. Loss of employment and Lower income available will impact and strategic focus may need to change to lower priced basic products with less focus on higher priced brands and luxury products suggesting a change in pricing structure. 2. Due to modern development and constant changes in technology there are a lot of changes to consumer buying behaviours. Requiring further analysis as technology develops consumer buying patterns change which will result in product areas requiring evaluation constantly to keep up with the demands. 3. Rising raw material costs from both food and non food will impact profit margins overall. 4. Sourcing changes to Far East locations with regards exporting restrictions on some non food product areas will reduce margin rates on products with already low margins. 5. Tesco has always feared the threat of takeover from the market leader Wal-Mart who has both means and motive to pursue such action. Wal-Mart has been a leader especially in the US market for few years now. With its alliance with ASDA in the UK they are one of the nearest competitors. Opportunities 1. After researching the growth figures and sales of Tesco the statics suggest that TESCO is the third largest global grocer which indicates a level of buying power to ensure mainstream economies of scale. 2. The acquisition of Homever provides the opportunity to develop the brand through Asia, specifically South Korea and further grow International markets for the group. 3. Tesco Direct has been one of the recent and great achievements which has been seen as one of the important tools in increasing the sales margins. The online and catalogue shopping will grow the use of technology, providing the launch pad for larger non food based products with moderate to high margin returns and less focus on sales and margin per foot return to space. The development of such platforms not only help in saving retail space but reach a larger number of people. 4. TESCO mobile have grown  ¼ million customers in 2008 and moved into profitable status suggesting further growth and development within this technological area can be developed. Tesco’s Market Share (Figures based on year 2008-2009) in comparison with the closest competitors ASDA, Morrison, Sainsbury) Fig 1 TESCO’s growth chart over the last five years (2005-2009) showing constant growth in turnover and profit. Bowman strategy Its another suitable way to analyze a companys competitive position in comparison to the offerings of competitors. Bowman considers competitive advantage in relation to cost advantage or differentiation advantage. There are six core strategic options Low price / low added value: this option is based on segmentation. Tesco has products that will be suitable for different geographical areas, population or age Low Price: this option signifies the importance of being the cost leader. The company has to the risk of price war and low margins Hybrid the Company need to take care of the cycle of reinvestment by keeping a low cost base and low price Differentiation: Differentiation can be created either with a price premium the perceived added value should be sufficient enough to bear the price premium or without where the perceived value by user yielding market share benefits Focused differentiation: the company tries to focus on perceived added value to a particular segment which will assure a premium price. Increased price standard: keeping higher margins in case competitor do not want value risking loosing the market share Increased price /low values .this option will only work if the company holds a monopoly and has no competitors Low value standard price: in this option one would lose the market share as the value provided is low at a standard price of the market Tescos Steering Wheel (1997)- Key performance indicators :The rationale for the strategy is to broaden the scope of the business to enable it to deliver strong sustainable long-term growth by following the customer into large expanding markets at home – such as financial services, non-food and telecoms – and new markets abroad, initially in Central Europe and Asia, and more recently in the United States. The strategies and objectives of the company: Tesco has a well-established and consistent strategy for growth, which has allowed us to strengthen our core UK business and drive expansion into new markets. †¢ To be a successful international retailer: Tesco is focusing on not only a full expansion within the UK but also throughout the world. Currently they have several projects including reopening of retail outlets in countries like China, India, Brazil. †¢ To grow the core UK business: Tesco wants to provide excellent customer service and value to all customers thought the UK †¢ To be as strong in non-food as in food. The expansion of hypermarket style supermarkets and the emphasis of sale of non products have increased over the last few years .non food represents a significant profit opportunity I have tried to look at the overall company’s policies and strategies of Tesco to be as strong in non food item like it does in food. †¢ To develop retailing services such as Tesco Personal Finance, Telecoms and Tesco.com †¢ To put community at the heart of what we do: Tesco emphasis on providing value services and to earn life time loyalty. They take initiative in developing the community and making an effort to shape the environment for betterment. The policies they follow include using fair trade policies, creating shared value, social accounting etc. They have close affiliations with charitable organizations like cancer research, race for life etc The growth of any product sale depends on different aspects. I have visited nearly all Tesco formats and had a view of what Tesco is offering and how the services are provided for the same Earning Customer Loyalty- What is in place and how have they improved over the five year – loyalty card , membership Tesco’s Club card program boasts 10 million active households and captures 85% of weekly sales. It is also a symbol of Tesco’s commitment to their customers as individuals: multidimensional customer segmentation and tailored communications as of last June, four million unique quarterly mailings prove to Tesco’s customers that they can count on their â€Å"local grocer† to know them. Mailings are tailored to the needs, interests, and potential interests of Club Card members. Customers are segmented into cost conscious, mid-market, and up-market segments, which are in turn segmented into healthy, gourmet, convenient, family living, and so on. These sub segments are then segmented further and communications are tailored to each. Impressively, Club Card coupon redemption is in the 20%-40% range and cost per redemption decreased since the inception of the Club Card Program. By targeting in such a relevant way and treating customers according to their individual behaviors, needs, and desires, Tesco came to understand that a higher-value coupon is not needed when you’ve reached the right person in the right way with a tailored message. In the five year period following the implementation of the Club Card program, sales have increased by 52% and still grow at a rate higher than the industry average. Store openings and expansions have increased Tesco’s floor space by 150%. In the online space, tesco.com boasts 500,000 transactions weekly, totaling nearly two billion pounds in sales each year. The profitability, plus the size of the tesco.com business and the number of transactions it completes, makes tesco.com a truly unique online grocery store. (http://www.loyalty.vg/pages/CRM/case_study_14_Tesco.htm) Conclusion and recommendation: After a thorough research of Tesco as a company, its strategies and the turnover and sales figures it can be assessed that the company has been on a constant growth graph. The company is facing few challenges due to recession and constant technological developments however with their strategies they are turning them into opportunities. The company not only is focusing at a diversified and international market but is also doing it in way which will not only benefit it customers and meet the corporate responsibility. They currently also are one of the leaders in the UK market with 30% share and 3rd internationally. Tesco also y launched a new range of cheaper discount goods to stop shoppers deserting, which hit Tescos top-line sales as shoppers traded down to the new items. Shoppers now buy an average of two items each from the discount range. The launch of the Tesco Club card to encourage shopper loyalty is also been a great advantage. The company should focus on dealing with recessi on and devising new ways to keep up with the market share than slashing the prices down to meet competition. Bibliography References: http://www.tescoplc.com/plc/about_us/strategy/ http://www.businessballs.com/portersfiveforcesofcompetition.htm http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Tesco/249648 http://www.modelanswer.co.uk/business/help/pestle/tescos.php http://www.businessteacher.org.uk/business-resources/swot-analysis-database/tesco-swot-analysis/ http://www.tescoplc.com/plc/about_us/strategy/community/ http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Tesco/249648 http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jun/16/tesco-sales-losing-market-share Other Essays on Tesco Other essays available on the Tesco organisations are: Tesco Business analysis Tesco is one of the leading supermarkets Tesco Strategy analysis Tesco SWOT analysis Tesco Fresh Veg Supply Chain Management

Influenza and War :: Journalism Media Studies Health Medical Essays

Influenza and War This week, influenza and the war continue to affect Manchester, causing mayhem as well as celebration within the county. Manchester residents, from toddlers to elders, bravely face the influenza epidemic onslaught and stand triumphant with minimal fatality. Unfortunately, the influenza epidemic did impact Manchester's social, economic and military life but without detrimental results.... Influenza, the Illness After careful observation by medical specialists around the country, it is established that the present form of influenza is no different from any other form of influenza in English history. Influenza in the epidemic form has visited England previously in 1709, 1732 as well as in 1890.1 The cause of the influenza epidemic was discovered in the 1890 epidemic as the micro-organism named Bacillus influenzae and the culprit was first identified and cultivated during that epidemic. Although this organism is found in severe attacks of influenza, its presence may not be located in all cases of influenza, according to The Manchester Guardian Medical Correspondent.2 On Monday, July 1, some officials and citizens also suggest that the illness is caused by "abnormal atmospheric and climatic or meteorological conditions."3 However, with a few days of observation and with the benefit of hindsight, the theory is discarded. Influenza failed to abate even after this week's consistent good weather.4 Medical officials agree that one of the characteristic features of the influenza is its air-born infectivity. "One case to-day may mean a hundred to-morrow and thousands within a week," according to the chief medical officer of the Local Government Board. To protect oneself against the infectious illness that can spread without direct contact with the sick, it is recommended that people situate themselves in well-ventilated rooms. However, once you have contracted the disease, you are to quarantine yourself in an isolated home.5 Other symptoms of influenza include extreme exhaustion, aching limbs, headaches and sometimes, inflammation of nasal mucous membranes.6 The most common preventatives and curatives sold at the chemist's are quinine, cinnamon, and eucalyptus, with quinine being a favorite prescription by doctors.7 However, other medicines are also used against the influenza epidemic. The author of "Influenza: Its Cause and Treatment" is noted for stating that Formamint Tablets are the best source of infection prevention. Therefore, "every influenza patient should suck four or five of these tablets a day until convalescent."8 Thompson's Pure Phenol has also put out an advertisement claiming that its product can act as a cure and preventative of influenza.

Web Design :: ÃŒnternet Computers Essays

Web Design All of us at one time or another have surfed the Web. Whether for a school project, to shop for a holiday gift or special item, check a sports score, or just for fun our hands and mice have clicked a hyperlink, scrolled a page, instant messaged a friend or used a shopping cart. The web has become such an integral part of everyday lives. It has become the largest center of information. It is no longer possible to escape the web. The web is an extremely and primarily visual realm. We interact with what we see on our computer screens. Without its visual components there would be no Internet, as we know it. This, along with the Internet’s high level of interactivity, makes web design and the layout of a web page of extreme importance. There is technique to publishing an effective web page. Since the Internet crash of 2000 that brought along the failure of many amateur and professional sites alike it has become extremely important that the content of a web page is worth the time and money put into to it. Along with this the evolution of high-speed Internet access which has made speed and efficiency a key. Not even a just-for-fun web site will be of any use if it is bogged down by poor design and therefore it cannot compete with a surfers fleeting patience. When designing a web page there are skills and steps that need to be taken to ensure that your web page(s) is practical, efficient, and just plain gets the job done. Skills that are needed include:  · Marketing: Defines the purpose and audience  · Information architecture: Designs the organization, navigation, labeling, and searching systems.  · Graphic Design: Finds the graphic â€Å"identity† of the site.  · Editorial: Proofreading, editing, content, etc.  · Technical: Programming, Web administration, production, etc.  · Management: Keeps all of the above in line, on time, and in budget.

Events Which Take Place Essay

After reading ‘The Crucible’, I feel that in a society like the one described in the play, things along those lines would have been inevitable, when one takes into account the way things worked there. For example, it was a theocracy, which means they are governed by the Church, which in turn goes by the ruling of the Holy Bible, and not any laws passed by regular means. Another major contributor to all this tension is the fact that out of the eight children, Ruth is the only one who survived. Mrs Putnam is convinced that they have all been killed by supernatural means, and is always paranoid and suspicious of anything out of the ordinary. This means when the cries of witch start spreading, she is convinced she has at last found the cause of death of her seven infants, and is determined to see those she sees as responsible hanged. She seems so desperate to pin the blame on someone who cannot be proven either way that it seemed that she was almost looking for any scapegoat to take the blame for those unfortunate events. She even goes as far as to send her only remaining child Ruth to Tituba in an attempt to get her to conjure spirits so she could contact the souls of her dead children. This ties her into things, but she never really emerges in the play as a candidate for any kind of punishment. This has most probably come as a result of her husband being a powerful landowner, making any allegations against him or his family like playing with fire. With this being a theocratic society, where the Church and State are one, and the laws given down by God are interpreted very strictly and literally by the people here, which means that breaking the law here would also be going against God’s will, so the consequences of any offence are dire. In Salem, everything can be classed as black or white, with God, or in league with the devil; with no shades of grey in between. This is shown by Danforth’s speech: â€Å"You must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there is no road in between. † This kind of attitude makes everyone very afraid of being seen as not closely bonded with God, as it would imply that they had dealings with the Devil. As Puritans, these strict Christians believe the worst thing that they can do is to defy ‘God Almighty’, so when John Proctor ends his affair with Abigail, she uses these accusations, as they demand the full attention of the court, right away. She is very clever in what she says, as shown by her outburst at the end of Act One, after Tituba confesses to witchcraft in the woods. She screams: â€Å"I want to open myself! †¦ I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him, I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. † And in Salem, although consorting with the Devil and â€Å"witchcraft’s a hanging error’, confessing it would redeem her, and freeing her from any kind of guilt. She uses this very well to protect her own reputation, and is quick to start naming names to ease the burden from her shoulders onto others. These actions show the length of Abigail’s selfishness, and its success in Salem sets and example for the other girls who are quick to latch on and do the same, thus suggesting Abigail may be the cause of events which take place in the Crucible. When Abigail and a few other girls are spotted dancing in the woods, and someone was seen to be naked and running around, they are immediately under suspicion, and were under great pressure to come out with a plausible explanation. This meant that instantaneously, they were all forced into a defensive position against the public and the courts. After Parris learns that the Putnams asked Tituba to contact the spirits of their dead children to learn the identities of their murderers, spotlights instantly turned onto the girls, under the accusations of witchcraft. This scares many of the girls like Mary Warren who know that ‘Witchery’s a hanging error’ and once she says that, panic ensues amongst the girls themselves. Abigail seems at first to be trying to help things out, but shows she had a short temper, by shouting ‘I’ll beat you Betty’ when Betty refuses to waken even when knowing it’s Abigail. It is then revealed that she is jealous of Goody Proctor, and drank blood on that occasion to kill her through supernatural means, but then threatens to kill anyone who dared to reveal this. This threat has come directly out of her fear of the punishment she will no doubt receive in such a theocratic society, making her the cause of this particular dramatic event, but only as a result of the type of society Salem is in the play, and therefore she is actually a symptom. Another good example of this is when at the climax of the play, Proctor finally weighs it out, and discards his concern for his reputation in seeking justice, by confessing to his affair: â€Å"I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. † But he is still careful to mention the power of God beforehand, which goes to show the extent of religion’s influence in the town, by starting with â€Å"A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything, I know it now,† before going onto saying that the court must see, that â€Å"it is a whore’s vengeance† upon him. We also see in the play that her actions are far from ordinary in many cases and would have taken more than the average person to pull off. For example, even when Mary Warren confesses that ‘She never saw familiar spirits, apparitions, nor any manifest of the Devil’ she stands strong in denying that she had feigned anything. We see that she had been the cause of many catastrophic events had taken place, as well as being the symptom in what seemed inevitable in such a backstabbing and hypocritical society, and she has come across as a catalyst. Just as a catalyst, she speeds up the changes in the pressurised crucible that is Salem. Being the catalyst in this situation, she had a lot of control over the direction of the witch-hunt, and she mainly directed the accusations for her own personal gain. However, she starts to lose control when Mary Warren goes over to John Proctor’s side, and things go very wrong when John Proctor is accused, since the whole point of the witch-hunt for Abigail was so that she could finally be with him. It seems that even after she stops accusing people, the witch-hunt has gained great momentum, and people are accusing others of witchcraft whenever their loss may be at all beneficial to another, or at times for their own benefit. These latter accusations, needed no provocation from Abigail, but took course all by themselves, suggesting that Abigail was not at the centre of any of those events. So to conclude, my opinion is that Abigail is not entirely the symptom nor the cause of events in Salem, but acted as more of a catalyst, speeding up and making what was inevitable considering the society which Salem was, into reality, in a rather dramatic way. If I were however, to seem things as black and white as the people of Salem did, I would consider Abigail to be more of a symptom than a cause, mainly because after carefully studying the theocratic society where people were getting overly jealous of each other, something along these lines almost seemed to be destined. Also, the frightening power of the majority is able to suppress the minority who feel rather sceptical and are not convinced by the evidence may themselves be accused of being ‘against the court’ and receive punishment. This would mean standing up for their beliefs which in this case would have been correct would mean they would have lost their lives. So considering the circumstances of the rather extreme philosophical and religious guidance which plays such a huge role in the settlers of Salem, and the fact that Abigail was able to put a leash on things to direct it in a direction which benefited her does not make her a symptom either, just a catalyst in an equation with all the ingredients for such a terrible tragedy.

Human Resource Challenges and Practices in IT Industry

Proceedings of the 5th National Conference; INDIACom-2011 Computing For Nation Development, March 10 – 11, 2011 Bharati Vidyapeeth? s Institute of Computer Applications and Management, New Delhi Human Resource Challenges & Practices in IT Industry Rakesh S. Patil1, Varsha Patil2 and Pratibha Waje 3 1 Head and 3Lecturer 1,3 Sir Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology, Chincholi (Sinner) Nashik-422 101 (MS) 2 SNG Institute of Management & Technology, Rajgurunagar, Pune (MS) 1 [email  protected] com and [email  protected] om ABSTRACT The need of organizations for people and people for organizations will be more difficult to satisfy in the today’s competitive business environment. Organization’s competitive advantage could be generated from human resources (HR) and organization performance is influenced by a set of effective HRM practices. Software is a wealth and job creating industry, which has in just a few years, grown to US $ 1 trillion, employing millions of p rofessionals worldwide. The Indian software industry has burgeoned, showing a nearly 50% compounded annual growth rate over the recent years.Being a knowledge-based industry, a high intellectual capital lends competitive advantage to a firm. With a global explosion in market-opportunities in the IT sector, the shortage of manpower both in numbers and skills is a prime challenge for HR professionals. The related issues are varied indeed: recruitment of world-class workforce and their retention, compensation and career planning, technological obsolescence and employee turnover. This paper explains the HR challenges and practices in software Industries. KEYWORDS HRM, IT,HR Strategy, Services 1. INTRODUCTION The economy has transitioned to what some call „The Age of Information? an economy in which gross domestic product is increasingly dominated by services. Services permeate every aspect of our lives. We use transportation services; restaurant services; hotels; electricity and t elephones; postal, courier and maintenance services; services of hairdressers; services of public relations and advertising firms; lawyers; physicians; dentists; stockbrokers and insurance agents; movie theatres; and swimming pools . When we do buy goods, such as new car or a washing machine, we often still rely on services to keep them running and repair them when they break down.Services allow us to budget our time as well as our money. â€Å"The twentieth century was the age of machine; the twenty-first century will be the age of people† Buzzwords like globalization, empowerment, cross functional teams, downsizing, learning organizations and knowledge workers are changing the way of life of managers and the way they manage people. 2. STRATEGIES & POLICIES OF SOFTWARE INDUSTRIES: 1. Motivation & Retention of Employees Retention and motivation of personnel are major HR concerns today.People a Gartner group company specializing in management of human capital in IT organizatio ns has observed that the average tenure for an IT professional is less than three years. Further, the use of new technologies, the support of learning and training, and a challenging environment ranked higher than competitive pay structures as effective retention practices. Our own recent survey of 1028 software professionals from 14 Indian software companies, showed that while the professional gave importance to personal and cultural job-fit, HR managers believed that the key to retention was salary and career satisfaction.Money was a prime motivator for ‘starters', but for those into their third or fourth jobs, their value-addition to the organization was more important. Monetarily, offering ‘the best salaries in industry' is the minimum every company is doing, apart from performancebased bonuses, long-service awards, and stock options. Many organizations frequently conduct employee satisfaction and organization climate surveys, and are setting up Manpower Allocation C ells (MAC) to assign ‘the right project to the right person'.In fact, some are even helping employees with their personal and domestic responsibilities to satisfy & motivate their workforce! 2. Best Talent Attraction In a tight job market, many organizations often experience precipitous and simultaneous demands for the same kinds of professionals. In their quest for manpower, they are cajoling talent around the world. In such a seller's market, software companies are striving to understand which organizational, job, and reward factors contribute to attracting the best talent one having the right blend of technical and person-bound skills.This would mean a knowledge of ‘the tools of the trade' combined with conceptualization and communication skills, capacity for analytical and logical thinking, leadership and team building, creativity and innovation. The Indian software industry suffers from a shortage of experienced people such as systems analysts and project managers, and attracting them is a key HR challenge. 3. Compensation and Reward Increasing demands of technology coupled with a short supply of professionals (with the requisite expertise) has increased the costs of delivering the technology.This makes incentive compensation a significant feature, with the result that software Copy Right  © INDIACom-2011 ISSN 0973-7529 ISBN 978-93-80544-00-7 Proceedings of the 5th National Conference; INDIACom-2011 companies have moved from conventional pay-for-time methods to a combination of pay-for-knowledge and pay-forperformance plans. With the determinants of pay being profit, performance and value-addition, emphasis is now on profit sharing (employee stock option plans) or performance-based pay, keeping in view the long-term organizational objectives rather than short-term production-based bonuses.Skills, competencies, and commitment supercede loyalty, hard work and length of service. This pressurizes HR teams to devise optimized compensation package s, although compensation is not the motivator in this industry. 4. Increasing loyalty and commitment As with any other professional, what really matters to software professionals is selecting ‘the best place to work with', which is what every company is striving to be. The global nature of this industry, and the ‘project-environment' has added new cultural dimensions to these firms.In a value-driven culture, values are determined and shared throughout the organization. Typically, areas in which values are expressed are: performance, competence, competitiveness, innovation, teamwork, quality, customer service, and care and consideration for people. Flat structure, open and informal culture, authority based on expertise and ability rather than position, and flexi-timings are some of the norms software firms follow. The idea is to make the work place a ‘fun place' with the hope of increasing loyalty and commitment. 5.The Demand Supply Gap Shortage of IT professionals is global in nature and not peculiar to the Indian software industry alone. W. Strigel, founder of Software Productivity Centre Inc. (1999) has projected the shortage of software professionals to be one million by 2006. In fact, a survey reports that 75 per cent of US companies planned to reengineer their applications using newer technologies, but found that 72 per cent of their existing staff lacked the skills needed in these technologies, and 14 per cent were not even retrainable. Graph No. 1.Annual demand for IT Professionals For India, it is predicted that in the year 2004 itself, the IT sector will need 1,95,000 professionals. This trend will continue, and in the year 2010 almost 3,70,000 IT professionals will be required (Strategic Review Reports, NASSCOM 19962001). Consequently, recruitment managers are exploring new sources of IT manpower from non-IT professional sectors, as well fresh, trainable science graduates. 6. Integrating HR strategy with Business Strategy The strate gic HR role focuses on aligning HR practices with business strategy.The HR professional is expected to be a strategic partner contributing to the success of business plans, which to a great extent depend on HR policies pertaining to recruitment, retention, motivation, and reward. The other major areas of concern for HR personnel in this context are, management of change, matching resources to future business requirements, organizational effectiveness, and employee development. 7. Encouraging Quality and Customer focus Today? s corporate culture needs to actively support quality and customer orientation.With globalization and rapid technological change, quality is of utmost importance for the Indian companies, which earn most of their revenues through exports. Hence, the HR professional as a strategic partner needs to encourage a culture of superior quality to ensure customer satisfaction, the only real measure of quality of a product or service. To be competitive today, an organizat ion needs to be customer responsive. Responsiveness includes innovation, quick decision-making, leading an industry in price or value, and effectively linking with suppliers and vendors to build a value chain for customers.Employee attitudes correlate highly with customer attitude. The shift to a customer focus redirects attention from the firm to the value chain in which it is embedded. HR practices within a firm should consequently be extended to suppliers and customers outside the firm. 8. Value Addition training for up-gradation of Skills Rapid and unpredictable technological changes, and the increased emphasis on quality of services are compelling software businesses to recruit adaptable and competent employees.Software professionals themselves expect their employers provide them with all the training they may need in order to perform not only in their current projects, but also in related ones that they may subsequently hold within the organization. As observed by Watts Humphr ey, Fellow of the Carnegie Mellon University, â€Å"as software professionals gain competence, they do not necessarily gain motivation. This is because a creative engineer or scientist who has learned how to accomplish something has little interest in doing it again.Once they have satisfied their curiosity, they may abruptly lose interest and seek an immediate change†. And when the rate of technological change is high may be higher than the time required to acquire competence in one area professionals could undergo psychological turbulence owing to the need to work in a new technology throughout their career. They want to gain new knowledge, which will be utilized by their organization. On the basis of the new learning they want to work in higher segments of software value chain. Therefore, constant up-Copy Right  © INDIACom-2011 ISSN 0973-7529 ISBN 978-93-80544-00-7 Human Resource Challenges & Practices in IT Industry gradation of employee skills poses yet another challeng e for HR personnel. 3. CHALLENGES FOR IT INDUSTRY: The main challenges to the IT Industry are i. Recruitment planning ii. Performance management iii. Training and development iv. Compensation management v. HRM as whole 1. Recruitment Planning: Recruitment planning is most important component in new people management with special reference to IT industry.We have to deal with human assets so it becomes important and have good quality of people in the organization. We have to take the recruitment planning in very serious manner to ensure that we can get best talent in the organization. 2. Performance management: Now the challenges how to manage the performance of your employees. You have to get right person in a organization to manage your business. The challenge should be to create a performance culture where you can provide opportunities for enhance performance, where optimum performance becomes a way life. 3.Training and development: This is another challenging area in IT industry. We have to chalk out a suitable strategy for training & development so that employees are well equipped to handle the challenges in advance. 4. Compensation management: The IT industry is one of the high paying industries. This is very competitive industry, we have to attract best talent, offer best possible compensation package to the employees. Now IT companies are having ESOP with the compensation package. But the really challenge should be how we are able to incorporate all the subsystems in HR.Ultimately this would help the organization for achieving exceptional performance. People have to be groomed to get in with the performance culture. We have to create an environment that stimulates the creation of knowledge, its sustenance will be the challenge for IT companies in the future. HR department cannot function with traditional systems. Now the role will shift to HR facilitator, to facilitate change process. HR facilitator will have to involve the whole organization in this pro cess and act as a guide, coach, counselor and facilitator.Any organization in the IT industry will have to face these challenges like Infosys, Satyam, Pentafour, DSQ Software, Micro soft India, Intel India. These IT companies are leaders in their own stride. They have excellent recruitment policies, huge data bank, and placement agencies. They are also having rigorous tests to ensure that they can get high profile talent that will fit in their culture. They have best performance system that evaluates the organization as whole. They have been able to tackle the quantum of performance with fairly efficient manner.The prime tasks for these IT companies are to build corporate culture. They are diverting all the efforts to build performance driven culture. The major issue for these companies to get right man for right job. We have to find person with the required skills, experiences, mindsets, and also he must be suitable for these organizations. 5. Attrition and Retention: IT companies are having high degree of attrition. The challenges for these companies are to keep this attrition rate as low as possible. Various companies adopt different techniques to retain their employees like high pay packets, ESOP, other benefits.So we have to keep this attrition rate as low as possible to retain super achievers. CONCLUSION With the advent of a work situation where more and more companies are having to concede that their valued employees are leaving them, a new concept of career and human resource management is bound to emerge. The focus of this new paradigm should not only be to attract, motivate and retain key ‘knowledge workers', but also on how to reinvent careers when the loyalty of the employees is to their ‘brain ware' rather than to the organization.With lifetime employment in one company not on the agenda of most employees, jobs will become short term. Today's hightech employees desire a continuous up-gradation of skills, and want work to be exciting an d entertaining a trend that requires designing work systems that fulfill such expectations. As employees gain greater expertise and control over their careers, they would reinvest their gain back into their work. HR practitioners must also play a proactive role in software industry. As business partners, they need to be aware of business strategies, and the opportunities and threats facing the organization.As strategists, HR professionals require to achieve integration and fit to an organization's business strategy. As interventionists, they need to adopt an allembracing approach to understanding organizational issues, and their effect on people. Finally, as innovators, they should introduce new processes and procedures, which they believe will increase organizational effectiveness REFERENCES [1]. Noe, R. A. , Hollenbeck, J. R. , Gerhart, B. and Patrick, P. M. (2007) â€Å"Human Resource Management: Gaining aCompetitive Advantage†, Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi. 2]. Prasad, K. (2005) â€Å"Strategic Human Resource Management: Text and Cases†, Macmillan India Ltd. , New Delhi. [3]. Kandula,Srinivas R. (2003) â€Å"Human Resource Management in practice with 300 models : Techniques and Tools†, Sage, Delhi [4]. Rao T. V. , Rao Raju, and Yadav Tara. (2001). â€Å"A Study of HRD concepts, structure of HRD Copy Right  © INDIACom-2011 ISSN 0973-7529 ISBN 978-93-80544-00-7 Proceedings of the 5th National Conference; INDIACom-2011 [5]. [6]. [7]. [8]. [9]. [10]. [11]. [12]. [13]. [14]. [15]. epartments, and HRD practices in India†, Vikalpa, ol 261, No. 1, Jan. -Mar Page 49-62. Siekel Tom. (2002). â€Å"After CRM, it’s ERM: Employee Relationship Management Indian Management†, Vol. 41, Issue 9, July p. 38 Storey J. (ed. ) (1989). â€Å"New Perspectives in Human Resource Management†, Routledge, London, p. 114. Truss Catherine. (2001). â€Å"Shifting the paradigm in Human Resource Management: From the resource based view to c omplex adaptive system†. Published in a Research Paper on Human Resource Management by Kingston Business School, Kingston University Thite, M. 2004) â€Å"Managing People in the New Economy: Targeted HR Practices that Persuade People to Unlock their Knowledge Power†, Response Books, New Delhi. Truss, C. (2001) â€Å"Complexities and Controversies in Linking HRM with Organizational Outcomes† Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 38, No. 8. Walker, J. W. and Stopper, W. G. (2000) â€Å"Developing Human Resource Leaders† Human Resource Planning, Vol. 23, No. 1, p. 38-44. Webb, J. (2004) â€Å"Putting Management Back into Performance: A Handbook for Managers and Supervisors†, Allen & Unwin, Australia.Joynt, P. and Morton, B. (2005) â€Å"The Global HR Manager: Creating the Seamless Organization†, Jaico Publishing House, Mumbai. Jyothi, P. and Venkatesh, D. N. (2006) â€Å"Human Resource Management†, Oxford University Press, New Delhi. Kandol a, R. and Fullerton, J. (1994) â€Å"Managing the Mosaic: Diversity in Action†, IPD, London. Kandula, S. R. (2004), â€Å"Human Resource Management in Practice: With 300 Models, Techniques and Tools†, Prentice Hall of India Private Limited, New Delhi. Copy Right  © INDIACom-2011 ISSN 0973-7529 ISBN 978-93-80544-00-7