Comparison of Homelessness in the U.S and South Africa Essay

The term homelessness has a very wide scope and many different agencies and governments attempt to define it differently. The homeless committee of the city of Montreal adopted some definition of the homeless. Casavant (1999) further translates the definition as â€Å"a person with no fixed address, stable, safe and healthy housing for the next 60 days, an extremely low income, adversely discriminated against in access to services, with problems of mental health, alcohol and drug abuse or social disorganization, and not a member of any stable group,† (para 9). Comparison of homelessness in the U. S and South Africa Having established a fairly clear definition of the homeless, it is paramount therefore that the three types of homelessness be pointed out. First are the chronically homeless whose case is more severe than the rest and they face other problems like drug abuse or mental illness. The other groups are known as the cyclically homeless who have forfeited their homes due to some situation arising from for example a prison term or released unemployed detainees. The last category are referred to as the temporarily homeless, who lose their dwellings for a very short period of time due to circumstances such as floods, drought and clashes displacement (Casavant , 1999) . The United States of America does face the homelessness issue like any other nation. Statistics on the number of homeless people in the United States of America is never fixed and is ever fluctuating because of the cyclical, nomadic and temporary nature. From recent studies done, the numbers do range between 650,000 to 2. million people depending on factors that have been analyzed above (McCarty, 2005). The 2004 U. S conference of Mayors study gives the following information regarding the numbers and ethnicities involved. According to the survey that was carried out in all the cities, it was established that the number of homeless people in the United States gradually increased at a rate of 7% per annum in numbers. Of the entire population 41%, were men. 40% of the population was composed of families while only a meager 14% were women. The youth comprised of only 5% of the population. By ethnicities, the African American population took the big bulk of people with approximately 49% composition. 35% were whites, 13% Hispanics, 2% Native Americans and 1% Asian. According to the survey, also the veterans or old people accounted for 10% of the population (McCarty, 2005). South Africa on the other hand gives a different picture as compared with the United States. The biggest cause of homelessness in South Africa was the adverse effects that were brought along the apartheid era. The number of people that were living in shacks was put to be between 5 million and 7. 7 million (Nduru, 2010). South Africa is a multi racial nation with both the black community and the white community coexisting together. The black community comprising of ethnicities such as Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele and others comprise about 80% of the population while the whites and red heads comprise around 19% of the population according to the Africa community survey of 2007. It has been established that most of the population living in shanty towns is the black community. In fact, around 80% of South Africa’s population lives below the poverty line and a very huge gap do exist between the rich and the poor (Sherwood , 2003). Conclusion We have observed that the causes and the number of people being affected by homelessness do differ in great detail between the two countries. The United States though a very big country with a huge population accounts for lesser number of people without adequate shelter. Also, the United States’ distribution of homeless people across the ethnicities is a lot fairer than South Africa’s where the biggest of proportions lies among the black community.

Discuss Research Into the Nature of Relationships in Different Cultures Essay

Relationships Discuss research into the nature of relationships in different cultures. (9 marks + 16 marks) In Western Cultures, it has been found that relationships are voluntary, temporary and focus on the needs of the individual as due to the predominantly urban settings in which we live in, we are able to (on a daily basis) interact with a large number of people. Western cultures therefore appear to be characterised by a high degree of choice in personal relationships and a greater ‘pool’ of potential relationships. Non-western cultures however, have less choice about whom they interact with on a daily basis, meaning that interaction with strangers are rare and relationships are frequently tied to other factors, such as family or economic resources. In societies with reduced mobility, (predominantly non-western cultures) arranged marriages are common as love is expected to grow due to the fact that it is not seen as necessary for marriage. Arranged marriages seem to work well and make good sense as divorce rates are low and Epstein (2002) found that perhaps about half of them report that they have fallen in love with each other. Myers et al. , (2005) studied individuals in India living in arranged marriages and found no differences in marital satisfaction in comparison to individuals in non-arranged marriages in the US. This is also supported by Gupta and Singh (1982) who studied 100 degree-educated couples living in India, 50 of who had chosen their partners and 50 of who had their marriages arranged for them. The couples were asked to indicate how much they liked/loved their partners and it was found that love and liking was high in love marriages but decreased whereas love increased in arranged marriages and after 10 years exceeded love marriages. However, this study is difficult to generalise as it studies only a small sample and so cannot be generalised to the wider population. It therefore lacks validity. However, in some adapting cultures such as China, there has been a noticeable increase in ‘love matches’ as the Chinese are currently attempting to move away from traditional ‘arranged’ marriages. Instances in which parents dominate the process of partner choice in china have declined from 70% prior to 1949, to less than 10% in the 1990s. Xioahe and Whyte (1990) studied women in love marriages and found that they were more satisfied than those in arranged marriages. Western cultures are also seen as individualistic due to their focuses on individuals rather than groups, with individual happiness and pleasure seen as fundamentally important. On the other hand, non-western cultures are seen as collectivist cultures as people are encouraged to be interdependent rather than independent. Moghaddam et al. (1993) claim that the cultural attitudes of individualist cultures, are consistent with the formation of relationships that are based on freedom of choice, whereas collectivism leads to relationships that may have more to do with the concerns of family or group. Norms and rules act as guidelines for behaviour and influence how we act out any given relationship. One such norm that plays a key part in personal relationships is the norm of reciprocity. Ting-Toomey (1986) found that in individualist cultures, reciprocity in personal relationships tend to be voluntary. In collectivist cultures however, it is more obligatory. In such cultures, failure to return a favour is seen as a failure of one’s moral duty. In Japanese culture, for example, there are specific rules about gift-giving and reciprocating, whereas n such formal norms exist in Western cultures. Argyle et al. ’s cross-cultural comparison of relationship rules in different cultures did find support for some predictions but failed to support others. However, a problem with this research is that the list of rules was formulated in the UK and may have failed to include rules that are specific to a particular culture such as Japan. Research on cross-cultural differences in norms and rules is important to be able to conduct cross-cultural relationships successfully. Knowledge of the norms and rules underlying cross-cultural relationships is an important aspect of any attempt to understand and improve relations between different cultural groups within a host country. Finally, relationships are difficult to study scientifically. Laboratory experiments, through the manipulation of isolated variables, are seen as the most rigorous way of establishing cause and effect, and he best way of furthering our understanding of the processes involved in human relationships. However, as Hogg and Vaughan (2008) point out, people do bring their cultural ‘baggage’ into the laboratory. Although cultural background may be seen as a problematic extraneous variable to some researchers, it is clear that culture itself is an important variable that influences the relationship processes being studied.

Bruce Dawe Speech

The poem ‘Life Cycle’ traces the life of an Aussie Rules Football supporter from birth to death – hence the title ‘Life Cycle’. ‘Life Cycle’ essentially explains that you are born and raised in a house with a family who influence your every move and important lifestyle choices. Dawe demonstrates how something as simple as sport can be more important throughout a person’s entire life Poetry expresses an individual’s most intense emotions in the least amount of words.In the poems ‘Enter Without So Much As Knocking’ and ‘Life Cycle’ Bruce Dawe expresses what the true Australian perspective is in his straight forward way of telling people what living in Australia is like. Dawe highlights Australian society in the 1960’s in his poem ‘Enter Without So Much As Knocking’ through its episodic structure, simple colloquial language and a combination of the figurative techniques to address t he increased commercialism and apathy in the 1960’s. Dawe writes of a rapid trip through one man’s life from birth to death and seems to emphasise a life with little meaning. nd shared by everybody whose lives basically revolve around football. Another way Dawe shows the perspective that Australians love sport is his use of biblical allusion, showing that football supporters form their own religion or covenant as represented in the poem by stating â€Å"and the covenant is sealed†. Another method of proving how passionate Australians are about their love for sport is by ANZAC allusion. Comparing players to soldiers and warriors highlight the level of respect that they are shown to have for their beloved football club.Thus, the poem is a light-hearted look at the importance of football to the Victorians. than religion, so much to even say that it replaces it. He explains, through the constant use of colloquialism, that some Australian families have sport engraved into their daily routine and use it to bond with each other. â€Å"Oohh you bludger† is an accurate example of this because it is a kind of slang that is learned from the family as a child There is a laconic rather cynical tone that pervades this poem; life is gone before you know it.The Latin caption at the top translates to the grim reminder that we will all die – â€Å"remember, man that thou art dust, and unto dust shalt thou return. † This suggests that ‘we are all mortal and therefore, whatever striving we do, there are larger questions that the striving should be related to, and that striving just out of sheer, blind self interest is very destructive striving. ’ He presents life as standardised, commercialised and rather predictable and unappealing. This is an episodical poem that stereotypically deals with an average ‘him’. He’ as observed by Dawe is born in his mother’s arms and remains innocent, but tainted by s ociety. The title is a metaphor for people who barge through life without taking the time to think about whom they are and what they are doing. Whether it is members of a team, or fans cheering for a certain team, sports have always bonded people of different backgrounds together with a common goal. The way players participate in a sport and interact with team members helps to build the players self-identity. Australians and their love for sport is a perfect example of this.Bruce Dawe presents what he thinks the Australian perspective is in his poems. He implies that Australia lives through sport. That sport is a religion and is worshiped. That sport is in every true Aussies life from birth to death yet he also pushes the perspective that there is something wrong with 1960’s Australian society. Thank you. They are born into their love for a team or sport and follow it their entire life. Many different sporting events or themes are used to bring complete strangers together and in doing so, help improve the way people see each other or themselves.Sports are events that have been around in some form or another for many years. Throughout time, they have gradually evolved into their current state, and will surely continue to be around for years to come. This is because they always have, and always will be a positive influence on society and individuals. One positive factor of sports is the fact that they draw people together. The perspective that Australians love sport is very obvious and correct because it is shown in so many ways, like sport campaigns at chools, at working or any number of things. Bruce’s Dawe’s poem ‘Life-Cycle’ proves this. Dawe seems to be saying there is something very wrong with a society that insists that material things, and the pursuit of money to afford them, are important. The lengthy description of what isn’t in the grave is intended to make the realistic point that none of those things are ulti mately of any importance. Fledged member of the rat-race, obsessed with status, completely insincere, selfish and ruthless Ironically, Dawe’s comments are very realistic.After the man’s death, Dawe continues the attack on a society obsessed with appearances, even to the point where the reality of death is glossed over and prettified. The body of the poem seems to attack the sort of consumer society that twentieth century man is obsessed with. It deals with, and follows the life of one representative of this type of society, and shows how from birth he is conditioned to accept the materialistic standards of this society. When the boy has become a man he has lost the quality of wonder and become another fully

Drag Racing as dark play Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Drag Racing as dark play - Research Paper Example The movie shows a delivery driver, Kowalsky, who agrees to take a car to San Francisco from Colorado. Kowasky is shown as an aggressive man who has suffered a lot in life and lost all his loved ones. From flash backs in the movie, the audience is told that life has not been easy on him as he suffered injuries in the war with Vietnam and was also convicted of drug charges after he stopped his partner from committing rape. Tired with life, he hits the road at high speed to take out the frustration he had inside him for so many years. Though his intentions were not to hurt anyone on the road, Kowalsky is portrayed as a rebellious man who is willing to take any challenge as it comes. The police soon learn of a speedy driver on the road and the chase between Kowalsky and police begins. He soon becomes very popular and the media starts reporting him on radio and newspapers. The movie at length shows how he dodges the police and manages to avoid the traps they lay for him. After playing all the catch and mouse game, the man with no purpose in life (Kowalsky) intentionally hits his car against a truck and commits suicide (Berra). When I closely analyzed the movie I penetrated that Kowasky hit the road at high speed least realizing the consequences he would have to face. It was just like a usual task only this one had a little aggressive approach to it. Kowalsky did not intend to gain the attention of the cops when he started his journey and a series of events made him a victim to the police. He was a player who did not know the kind of mess he would get in. His actions were abrupt and though he later knew it could get him in trouble, he cared less for it as he started to relish the moment he was living in. It made him feel important and popular and he was much happier to be in a risky state like this than to play safe in isolation (Berra). Cape fear is a classic example of a movie that psychologically explores the elements of deep play. Directed by Martin Scorsese, the movie shows an attorney, Sam, defending his family from a man he once defended in court. Max Cady, a tattooed, heavy smoker and a drunkard was convicted of rape which he believed he did not commit and was not guilty of the crime. He blamed Sam for his recklessness in handling the case and claimed it was because of him that he had to suffer 14 years in prison. Once out of prison, Max starts to stalk Sam and his family. When Sam gets to know this he looks to take help from the police and gets Max charged for stalking him and his family. This infuriates Max even more and he gets more vengeful than ever. It leads Max to kill one of Sam’s associate with whom Sam had an affair. This leaves Sam with no other option but to vacate his home and live in a place far away from the psychotic killer. But Max however follows him and despite all the protection Sam could provide his family with, Max tries to assault them. It ends up in a mess when max is deceived by Sam’s daughter, who he mistook as an accomplice, and is stabbed by her. In the end Sam manages to get rid of Max by killing him in self defense to protect his family (Chibnall) I analyzed elements of deep play in Max’s character. This movie shows how Max starts with a small crime of stalking that leads to bigger crimes of killing people around him. He did not need to kill Sam’s associate but the vengeance against Sam had crossed all

Management science Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management science - Coursework Example It only picks one value from the highest state of nature. b. Using the minmax regret, we use the regret table whereby the highest values of the loss for the pounds supplied is taken. In this case, we have $120 for 20 pounds, $105 for 25 pounds, $60 for 40 pounds and $80 for 60 pounds. So picking the lowest value from the obtained maximum losses, we get $60 for 40 pounds. So by supplying 40 pounds Geoffrey will make minimum losses. When there is a single doctor working in the emergency room, and he takes 5minutes to attend to one patient, therefore it means that the doctor will serve 12 patients in an hour. Since the arrival rate of the patients is 14/hour, then a queue is expected. When another doctor is introduced and are working together, that means it is a single model. The appropriate operating characteristic for this single queue model is the average number of patients waiting to see a doctor and in this case it should not be more than 6 patients. The model has an arrival rate which is exponentially distributed and the patients follow the first come first served. The formula above is used to show the expected number of patients in the queue. The administrator wants at most six patients in the queue and the least number of doctors required to meet the requirement will be given by substituting Lq with 6 (Lq

The harmful effects of smoking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The harmful effects of smoking - Essay Example The shift is caused by a global tobacco industry marketing strategy that targets young people and adults in developing countries' (WHO (Holmes, J.), '10 Facts on the Tobacco Epidemic and Global Tobacco Control'. http://www.who.int). Although in the last years people are more informed on tobacco risks, smoking is still a very common habit. Policies for reducing tobacco smoke in public areas have been introduced in developed countries and advertisements are becoming more and more aggressive, but people keep on smoking. This happens, mainly, because of the nicotine and other cigarettes' additives, which are addictive. But, as a result of this collective effort, more and more people are trying to quit smoking or have already achieved it. Today, people are more aware of the risks of smoking and they are more sensible with their own health. Nowadays, people are aware of the harmful effects of smoking, but it was not always that way. The 'Counterblaste to Tobacco', written by King James I in 1604, is one of the first documents warning about the effects of tobacco. In this document we can find quotes like this one: for the Nose being the proper Organ and convoy of the sense of smelling to the braines, [] whether that Odour which we smell, be healthfull or hurtfull to the braine (King James I, 'Counterblaste to Tobacco'.1604 (reprinted version from 1905). http://www.laits.utexas.edu). So, as early as 1604, he realized that smoking tobacco was damaging to the nose and for the brain. Smoking became a very common habit at the end of the nineteenth century and especially during the World War I and II. In 1912, Doctor Isaac A. Adler was the first who established a link between cancer lung and smoking and then, in 1929, Doctor Fritz Linking published a statistical study supporting this theory. Later studies confirmed it, specia lly the 'British Doctor Studies' from 1954, which final conclusions were published in 2004. The main conclusion of the study was that 'a substantial progressive decrease in the mortality rates among non-smokers over the past half century (due to prevention and improved treatment of disease) has been wholly outweighed, among cigarette smokers, by a progressive increase in the smoker nu non-smoker death rate ratio due to earlier and more intensive use of cigarettes' (Doll, R., Peto, R. 'Mortality in relation to smoking: 50 years' observation on male British doctors'. 2004. NCBI, Pub Med. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed). What is inside cigarettes 'Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 different chemicals. At least 43 are known carcinogens' (Health Education Authority (UK), 'Harmful Chemicals in Cigarettes & Tobacco Smoke'. http://www.quit-smoking-stop.com). Some of these chemicals are: Benzene (petrol additive). Formaldehyde (embalming fluid). Ammonia (commonly used as a cleaner and in the fertilizers). Acetone (commonly used as nail polish remover). Tar (which condenses and sticks to the lungs). Nicotine (addictive drug). Carbon monoxide (a toxic gas produced when lightning and smoking cigarettes). Arsenic (commonly used in rat poison). Hydrogen Cyanide (gas chamber poison). All smoking products are harmful; not only cigarettes, but also cigars, menthol cigarettes, light cigarettes (although they are usually advertised as having less nicotine and

Psychological Contracts Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Psychological Contracts Paper - Essay Example Psychological contract is a term used to refer to the mutual relationship existing between organization and its employee in terms of reciprocal obligations and promises implied in the employment relationship. It is good to understand that these contracts fall under the category of promissory contracts. On the other hand, this mutual understanding is mainly subjective to person’s perceptual and cognitive limits. This contract comes into effect the moment when the physical i.e. employment offer contract is signed. It is worth noting that obligations under psychological contract unlike the physical contract are not signed rather they are implied. These obligations are merely promises and expectations. Thus, in general terms this contract refers to the mutual perceptions, beliefs and imprecise or informal responsibilities between an employee and an employer. Psychological contracts due to them being subject to emotional and social factors they are usually changeable in nature unli ke the physical employment contracts (Makin, Cooper & Cox1996 pp 3-6). Types of Psychological Contracts There are usually three types of psychological contracts. ... Finally, we have the the â€Å"hybrid† or balanced form of psychological contract which entails aspects of the two mentioned above contracts i.e. relational characteristics such as long-term mutual committments and also the transactional attributes such as the renegotiations and job roles and functions. Nature of Psychological Contracts These contracts are assumed dynamic, informal, voluntary and subjective in nature. They change in line with the changes occurring in relationship and expectations of both the employer and employee. There is usually no tangible agreement or contract; however, the following are deemed the obligations and components of this contract; The employees are anticipated to offer hard work, loyalty and commitment, or sacrifice while in employment. The organization is required to provide high pay, advancement, training and development, and job security Features of psychological Contracts a) It is a voluntary choice: A psychological contract is entered into voluntarily by the employee, afterwhich he will be motivated/obligated to fulfill his commitments to the employers organisation. b) There usually is a belief in mutual agreement: These psychological contract are based largely on the employee perceptions and understanding of the terms and conditions. Consequently, the employee offers his/her services relying on the pressumpton that the contract was mutually agreed upon in total disregard of the reality. c) Psychological contracts are Incomplete. These contracts evolve and change over the relation and period of employment unlike the physical contracts which are usually complete at the beggining of employment. d) Multiple

Language Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Language Portfolio - Essay Example This research is scattered across a number of different areas of inquiry and is of varying depth and quantity, ranging from expert opinion and linguistic analyses that is not accessible to practitioners, to a very few descriptive studies of classroom practice. A review of practical situation is needed to determine what the difference between general and academic language is. This difference can be traced when to examine different samples of text written in different style. In order to meet my research objective I will analyze language in both general and professional academic contexts, showing both differences and similarities of the language. These ideas will be incorporated into my own use of language. The main purpose of my study is to analyze language across the 3 genres. These genres include: vocabulary, grammar, style and treatment of evidence. In the course of my research I will compile different kinds of texts. Then I will compare these texts from the point of vocabulary, gra mmar, style and treatment of evidence. Finally, I will relate findings to my own language and will show how it is possible to apply my findings to my own writing. Professional language/General language Vocabulary The main purpose of business report is to inform or analyze rather than to dazzle your reader with exceptional jargon or complexity of your sentences. It means that there is no space for any kind of creative, adjective-filled prose in your report. You task is to put everything that belongs to business report. You can use â€Å"you,† but you should avoid â€Å"I† as well as long sentences or contractions. When choosing vocabulary for your task you should not forget that all that needed is to provide people with objective, non-emotive, and factual language. Consequently, there is no space for loaded words. In Appendix B you will find a sample of business report. The title of this report is Your Strategic Style Distribution. The first thing I would like to pay yo ur attention to is the use of generalizations lie â€Å"most†, â€Å"all† and etc. Academic business report also has its own technical words. When to read through the text in Appendix B, you will find the following specialized words: â€Å"I Opt†, â€Å"The RI†, â€Å"Reactive Stimulators†, â€Å"Hypothetical analyzer†, â€Å"The logical processor† all these words add special meaning to the text. When reading through this text you can get the idea that you are reading through academic research report simply because of language use. Grammar Punctuation is a crucial factor in ensuring that what you can reach your reader. Grammar should be the main focus of your assignment. Proper grammar use can help to make things clear and straightforward. It is strongly advised to avoid too long sentences. Instead you have to break your text into smaller units. Returning to appendix B you will see that the text does not contain long sentences. Instea d, all sentences are relatively short and clear. In order to understand my point, simply read the passage below: â€Å"In the â€Å"I Opt† survey measures the amount and kind of information a person considers before responding to new ideas, issues, goal/or processes. By understanding our strategic style(s) we are better equipped to increase our personal productivity and interactions with co-workers, family and friends. The following sections describe some of the ways this knowledge might be used for your benefit. (Smith, F . ,1983) Style Having dealt with

Computer---group report,read the requirement i send you carefully Essay

Computer---group report,read the requirement i send you carefully - Essay Example This makes this framework a good tool for planning of business processes. This tool is also instrumental in identifying whether new business lines should be exploited or whether they are unprofitable. This tool can however be illuminating when it is used in understanding the balance of power which is in other situations. The analysis in the paper focuses in a Chinese E-Commerce industry using the Porters analysis. Porter believed that it was possible determining the attractiveness of the industry through looking at some of the external factors. The five external forces discussed includes; (Qi 2008) Competitive rivalry within the industry The bargaining power of the suppliers The bargaining power of the customers Possible threat of the new entrants in the market Possible threat of the substitute products The above forces are also some of the main players in the business market and the bargaining and interaction existing between five forces. The interaction is of great importance and c ritical when it comes to determining the competitive extent of a business in a given industry. The discussion below will focus on the implementation of a competitive analysis through the application of Porters Five Force Model. It will also analyze the intensity of competition in the B2B Chinese market. (Snier & Henk 1995) Competitive rivalry within an industry- medium Any competition rivalry that exists among firms in an industry is the level by which the firm responds to various competitive moves of other firms which are in the industry. Different new drafted reports and data indicate that with increased applications of the internet use, B2C and other models used in e-commerce have been booming in the recent past in terms of its growth. A myriad of businesses have embraced the use of technology in various businesses they do. Almost all the businesses have applied technology to research a number of its clients across the globe. Based on the current analysis and reports which is the third quarter of 2011, the monitoring data of B2C indicated that during its third quarter of the year 2011, the market transaction of B2C went high by 137%. The supply was also recorded at levels high which came from the increased demand for some of the services which are provided. From the data which was released by CNZZ, during the calendar year of 2010, the total number of B2C website went high to a speed of 10,100 in December to about 1.18 million. The difference indicated a growth rate of about 20.45%. The average growth rate of the firm exceeded the total growth speed in the e-commerce industry. The information obtained from CNZZ shows that there The other factor that has been stated to be responsible for the high intensity in the internal competion is the existence of large B2C websites. Some of these websites includes Amazon, Dangdang, Jingdong and QQ Mall among others. For instance in the year 2011, a number of existing B2C websites have tighten their campaigns in order to compete each other. For example QQ Mall’s first move was to launch a program called million marketing resources in the run. This program was a commitment to firms in ensuring that they provide a high quality, low cost and an efficient commerce platform. The users were only expected to pay a total amount of 20,000 Yuan deposit costs besides removing all the fees which are related to the technical costs. Another website Dangdad is committed to ensuring

Health Economics Comparison Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Health Economics Comparison Paper - Essay Example British health care is categorized into four sections that is: the Central Government, the National Health Service (NHS), Local Government and finally, Independent sector (Baggott, 1994). The chain of command flows from the Central Government through the Health Department to the NHS authorities. This flow continues down to the Local Government level where the Department of Health is seen to play a highly active role in the workings of the local authorities in terms of health matters, which includes provision of resources to the local authorities. The system is different In the U.S. Here, the system is more liberal, and the government’s role is more supervisory. WWII had deprived the country of funds thus a system that encouraged private companies to play the major role in this industry was evolved (Niles, 2010). There were, however some attempts made to protect the welfare of the vulnerable members of the society such as the elderly as well as orphans through the passing of the Social Security Act of 1935 as well as the formation of Medicaid and Medicare in 1965. Further improvements include the Children’s Health Insurance Program of 1997 which was further improved in 2010. On March 23, 2010, Obama signed the law of the Patient Protection an Affordable Care Act which was aimed at providing healthcare coverage to all Americans. However, the law received a lot of opposition from different quarters especially the opposing Republican Party, as shown in the current campaigns where his challenger Mitt Romney is against it. The Obama camp has gotten a further boost when the country’s Supreme Court upheld this policy whose opponents termed as too expensive for the country to maintain. This has meant that for now all Americans are covered though this may change should the Republicans come into power. Though this has not yet started being felt all over the country, it means that even minorities are going

Chinese Business Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chinese Business Culture - Essay Example Accordingly, business culture of a particular country can be defined as a specific way of business relations existing between the members of a company influenced by national cultural values and norms. National Influences Chinese business culture includes both conscious and unconscious national values, ideas, attitudes and symbols that shape employees behavior. The combination of Chinese language and religion creates a unique culture and traditions. At its deepest level, however, chinese business culture comprises a set of basic assumptions that operate automatically to enable groups of people to solve the problems of daily life without thinking about them. In this way, business culture is that which causes one group of people to act collectively in a way that is different from another group of people. Chinese business culture is influened by religious traditions including Taoism and Buddhism (Kenna, Lacy, 1994). Language Language plays a dominant role in every culture as the main tool of communication. Language can be divided into spoken or verbal language and non-verbal language, which includes communication through gestures, touching and other forms of body language that supplement spoken communication. The official language in China is Chinese, but it has verious variation and dialects. Mandarin is the official spoken standard of language, but the variety of dialects (Shanghaiese and Cantonese) creates a difficulty to communicate with firms in different parts of the country. In many cases, the official language of business negotiations is English, but it is highly recommended for businessmen to find an interpreter in order to understand subtle nuances of everything during meetings. For instance, "without special study of Cantonese someone from Beijing cannot understand residents of Guangdong or neighboring Hong Kong" (Business Culture throughout China, 2005). It is important to note that Chinese businessmen rely on subjective feelings in forming opinions and solving problems, and a message or speech should be very concise and laconic. Manners Collectivism is a remarkable feature of Chinese business culture which has a great influence on manners and personal relations. High individualism is a general aspect of culture in the United States and Europe; low individualism is characteristic of a Chinese culture pattern. It includes extreme respect for age and hierarchy. The delegation of power is very limited with most power holds by managing directors. The manners of Chinese businessmen are based on the Confucian concept of the Superior man. "Such rituals prescribe how the Superior man should behave when dealing with other people (as a means of exercising self-control by directing his emotions in the right direction (Williamson, 2003, p. 5). Face Expression or "Mian-zi" Some implications of 'face' for expatriate managers include the need for extreme caution and reflection in Chinese business communication. 'Face' can be put to good effect through displays of public recognition for exemplary accomplishments at work and more generally in the design of effective reward systems. Loss of self-control by a businessman through displays of anger and threats signal weakness and contributes to a loss of 'face' (Seligman, 1999). Gestures Because of differences in traditions, customs, religions and related cultural features of a society, extreme care should be taken in selecting gestures that can convey

Eagle Boys Pizza Report Essay Example for Free

Eagle Boys Pizza Report Essay Founded by a young baker in his mum’s garage in 1987, Eagle Boys now operates more than 335 stores throughout all states of Australia. It is one hundred per cent Australian owned and operated and delivers pizzas to hungry families across Australia from metropolitan inner city areas to small remote towns. With over 8,000 team members nationally, Eagle Boys makes just under 18 million pizzas a year and generates an annual turnover of more than $200 million. Focused on delivering real taste, real size and real value to pizza lovers across Australia, Eagle Boys is customer-focused and continually examines ways to improve its customer satisfaction and service. Eagle Boys ensures pizza lovers across Australia receive tasty meals and exceptional service every time by training its franchises to commit 110% to customers’ satisfaction. Explanation of its legal structure Eagle Boys pizza is a Proprietary company, meaning that it is private. The shareholders of Eagle Boys Pizza Pty Ltd, have limited liability protection, which means that the most money they can lose is the amount they paid for their shares. Eagle Boys began as a family business, as it was founded by Tom Potter and his mum in 1989. It is an incorporated business, meaning that the business is a separate legal entity from the owners. This allowed the business to be sold and still be operated, in 2007 to Todd Clayton who is now the CEO and managing director of Eagle Boys Pizza. The fact that it is a separate legal entity, allows the company to sue, be sued, buy or sell property and also have perpetual succession. Identification of the current stage of the business life cycle the business is currently in and give reasons for your views Eagle Boys pizza is currently at the maturity stage of the business cycle. Its goal is to maintain profits at pre-existing levels. Recently, in February 2011, Eagle Boys responded to the growing sophistication of Australians’ pizza palate by unveiling its new Gourmet Pizza Range featuring ingredients such as, Roasted Potato, Salmon Steaks and Tandoori Chicken. Eagle Boys is also the only Australian pizza maker to offer Ready 2 Go! â„ ¢, which allows customers to get their hands on some of their favourite pizzas without phoning beforehand or waiting between 5. 30pm and 8pm daily. Since Eagle Boys was purchased by private equity firm NBC Capital and the current executive team in 2007, Network store numbers have grown by 63% which is the highest period of growth in the company’s 24-year history. Eagle Boys saw sales grow 15. 4% during the 12 months up to June 2010, bringing total sales growth during the past three years to 43. 2%. The company expects the strong double digit growth to continue with the opening of additional stores and the launch of new products. Identification of one business law and one regulatory body in relation to this business – explain how this business complies An example of a business law of the Eagle Boys pizza is a privacy law. Eagle Boys is subject to Privacy Legislation, including the National Privacy Principles (NPPs) under the Privacy Act 1988, The Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act (1988) and contractual requirements relating to Privacy pursuant to a number of State and Territory Government Licence Agreements. Eagle Boys Pizza complies with this law by collecting information by either specifying or letting the reason be apparent at the time the information is collected. It is not Eagle Boys’ general practice to collect sensitive information and they will only collect sensitive information with the persons consent. A regulatory body that Eagle Boys Pizza complies with is the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Eagle Boys applied for notification of conduct whereby it would grant franchises on condition that franchisees acquire goods and services from specified suppliers. That notification was lodged on 13 August 2009 and allowed to stand on 21 September 2009. Eagle Boys complies by ensuring product safety and liability and does not provide any false or misleading advertising. Identification of two significant challenges for management in the business life cycle – one challenge management has faced prior to 2011 and one they will face in the future (ensure you state which stage of the life cycle the business experienced /will experience this challenge). A significant challenge that Eagle Boys pizza management has faced prior to 2011 is responding to the growing amount of different pizza businesses, in competition with Eagle Boys, and the need to introduce new ranges and varieties of products to satisfy the needs of consumers. They had been challenged to introduce new products such as gourmet pizzas, desserts, and sides such as pastas, chicken wings, garlic bread etc. This challenge was experienced during the growth stage of the business cycle. A significant challenge that Eagle Boys pizza management will face in the future is decline, in the Recession stage of the business life cycle. As the business would have been running for a while now, it will have become a high-risk business. Products may become obsolete, leaving the business with unsold stock. Another factor influencing decline is well qualified employees beginning to leave and seek better job opportunities. Due to the ongoing introduction of new businesses in the same field, Eagle Boys will be affected by consumers no longer buying the businesses products, resulting in a large dent in the cash flow. Consequently, profits will also decline. Identification of the business environmental influences, both internal and external, that have impacted upon this business Internal environmental influences that have impacted Eagle Boys Pizza include product influences such as the range of menus that it provides as well as services provided. E. g. Delivery services. Location influences also have a large effect on the business. The location of franchises is vital as a prime location means the business will attract higher numbers of customers as it is convenient and visible. The proximity to customers, suppliers and support services is also essential in determining the location of the business. Another internal influence is resources. Employees, being the main asset to the business are an extremely important resource. Other important resources include cooking and servicing equipment and machinery as well as raw materials that allow the business to create and sell their products. Management influences control the workers and help to provide a more organised structure and easy way of communication and co-operation. External environmental influences that have impacted Eagle Boys Pizza include Legal influences such as increasing legal obligations and business requirements. Political and institutional influences include taxation, employee superannuation, approval of new development and alteration applications. These influences have a strong impact on how and where the business is run. Another external influence is financial influences. Financial influences create changes in the financial market which can cause risk for the business. Geographical influences heavily impact the opportunities for the business. Demographic factors such as population, age, and income control the popularity of the business. Explanation and critical analyses of how management has responded to the above range of challenges and influences The first Eagle Boys Pizza opened in Albury, New South Wales. Eagle Boys advertised their products as semi-gourmet pizzas that quite unique to the larger chains, yet cheaper due to the high production output. This successful idea caught on, and the first store in Albury was quickly creating a generous profit. Within less than a year, Eagle Boys opened up two more stores in the neighbouring cities of Wagga Wagga and Dubbo. As the company sustained its growth, it put a lot of energy into researching ways to meet consumer demands in different regions. With stores opening up in rural, suburban and urban areas throughout Australia, the company became very popular due to operating in areas that other large fast food businesses would often ignore. One particularly successful store model was the development of a drive-thru pizza store in 1999, a concept which was unheard of at the time. Australia’s first drive-thru pizza store demonstrated to be immensely popular, as it was easy and convenient. Expanding on this quick pizza delivery system, the company launched the Eagle Boys Pizza Express Store shortly after, which was designed to provide quick service pizza out of a small location in highly populated foot traffic areas. This express system proved to be very popular, and new locations started to spring up at airports, shopping malls and pedestrian malls around the country. Many locations were now generating up to forty precent of their sales. As the company started to experience increased competition, it had to do something to differentiate its express pizza service from other companies offering similar products. Eagle Boys eventually developed a popular offshoot menu for Eagle Express stores: â€Å"Ready, Fresh Go! † in 2008. This idea meant that while it is an express delivery system, the pizzas are made fresh and held in specially-designed slow-cook ovens that ensure their freshness. The company’s dedication to research and response to consumer trends and the development of new, quality products quality concluded in the largest reformation of the Eagle Boys menu in its history. Launched in early 2010, the new menu featured a variety of new items. Apart from new pizzas, new items such as a chocolate fudge mousse dessert, pasta dishes, additional side dishes and drinks were introduced. Customers have responded with a resounding satisfaction, and throughout 2010 Eagle Boys enjoyed one of its biggest increases in sales in company history. Eagle Boys continues to develop new and accessible ways to respond to challenges and internal and external influences. Creating innovative and unique products is what has propelled the company to success, and it continues to be a mainstay of Eagle Boys’ activities today.

Tui The Worlds Leading Travel Group Tourism Essay

Tui The Worlds Leading Travel Group Tourism Essay TUI is one of the leading tourism industry across the Europe started since 1997. TUI is the worlds leading travel group which operates in approximately 180 countries worldwide and provide more than 30 million consumers in over 27 base markets. The employees in the TUI travel group are approximately 65,000 and operate a pan-European airline consisting of 146 aircraft.   The company mainly serves the leisure travel customer and is organised and managed through four business sectors which are Mainstream, Specialist Emerging Markets, Activity and Accommodation Destinations.   In the financial year ended 30 September 2009 TUI Travel had revenues of  £13.9bn and an underlying profit before tax of  £366m. They are providing their services of travel and entertainment to millions of customers in different regions and as well as in different well reputed hotels worldwide. It owns travel agencies, hotels, airlines, cruise ships, retail stores, and container ships. TUI is offering their services in different and easy way through range of high street outlets and online services and as well as different travel agencies for the convenience of their customers. Therefore TUI has become one of the European well known and reputed tourism industries. Environmental analysis: TUI environmental analysis can be possible by using different analytical tools such as PESTEL, SWOT and Porters five forces. TUI environmental changes can be analysed in both external and internal to investigate how TUI achieved and maintained their leadership in the European tourism industry. However ANSOFF matrix can be useful for the TUI future implication. Furthermore, to talk about the limitations of the analytical tools is part of the report as well. P.E.S.T.E.L analysis: TUI external environmental analysis is done by the PEST one of the analytical tools. The PEST is used to analyse Political, Environmental, Social and technological factors of the TUI industry. Political Analysis: It includes range of political issues in which terrorist attacks are the major issues which enables government to put restriction on in some regions and also some insurance denied to cover their insurance if travel to these regions. These attacks also results in tight security and immigrations laws which also highly affect the tourism industry. In addition political instability not only affect the tourism industry of particular country but also many other countries nearby. Economical Analysis: It analyzes different and wide range of economical issues such as exchange rate, globalisation, oil prices and recession which highly affect the tourism industries. According to Galleggo et al 2007 that exchange rate plays a key role in international business and this highly impact on tourism industries for instance the difference between Pound sterling and Euro exchange rates can affect the tourism from UK into different other European Union countries. The globalisation gives many chances and very useful for international business and particularly for tourism industries to enhance them through many travel agencies and hotels worldwide. (Munoz 2005). As discussed by Wahab and Cooper 2001 that companies have low barrier for entry to market and take over other companies so then the threat to tourism from globalisation is the tough competition and maintain the quality of the services which they provide to the customers. Porter 1980 stated that when the barrier to entry is low the competition will tough for the company in new market. Aviation and oil prices also impact on the tourism industries. The recent economic disaster is one of the causes of falling down the tourism industry but on the other hand it is a chance for other well stabled companies in market to attract customers. Although, the last economic crises report could be expected and take into account that tourism contributes 10.6% of world GDP (refer case study). Social analysis: This factor totally belongs to the life style and behaviour of the customers towards buying a product. Therefore tourism agencies offer a modified holiday packages and online booking services for the convenience of the customers. In additions, consumers are very responsive to environment and are more attracted to those companies who are offering better environmental policies. Another social factor is the brand awareness among the customers and majority of the customer trust in the companys brand name hence brand loyalty can be the result of past services provided by the company to consumers. Technological analysis: Technology and tourism are two of the most dynamic motivators of the emerging global economy. It quite clear from the Office for National statistics 2009 that majority of even household people relying on the internet and have got the access to it. That is the reason that online sales are growing day by day. As described by Porter 2001 that internet has a low barrier of entry and online sales make it easier for customers and companies to cut down their costs by reducing staff and other intermediaries but on other hand it has a threat for the companies because newcomer can easily come into the competition. Another major threat for the tourism industry is televisions which enable people to watch different tourist places live and avoid them from travelling. Environmental analysis: An increased emission of carbon CO2 is a big threat and aviations and tourism industries are one of the major contributors of these emissions. The UK government is using new methods to reduce the emission to help the environment. It is a corporate social responsibility of the tourism and aviations industries to maintain their environmental responsibilities. However UK government is arguing for greener holiday locations around because these emissions can cause of many health problems for which tourism industries should be concerned. Legal: Companies should be responsible of the legal issues and rules and regulations of other countries if they are going to join them because international trade laws play a vital role in the todays business world. However, government suggested aviation safety and regulations which cover up different legal issues such as environmental, health, aviations permits and customers issues. Local Resources: Tourism industry also affects the local resources like food, water minerals and energy which can be already in shortage. Water resources: Tourism industry overuses the water resources which could cause water shortage and degradation of water supplies. Pollution: The pollution which can take place because of tourism industry are air emission, noise, solid waste and littering. Porters five forces analysis: Porters five forces industry analysis helps to measure and manage the long-term survival. Michael Porter (1979) provided a framework that shapes the industry as being prejudiced by five forces. The aims of Porters Five Forces framework are To understand the drivers of competitive behavior in the sector and To evaluate the long-run profit potential of the sector To highlight strategies to alter industry structure (Lynch 2000) Potential entrants: According to Porter (1987) there is a low threat of entrant to newcomers into market. However, companies already having high shares of the market make high barrier of entrant for the newcomers because more than 70 % of the market shares are taken by the existing leaders in the market. But still the chance for the newcomers is the brand recognition which can help them as a barrier of entrant into the market. Substitutes: The substitutes for the tourism industry are the television program and some sort of games which can affect the business of tourism industries but on the other hand the low differentiation of products reduces the risk of substitutes because there is still lack of entertainment as compared with travelling physically. Competitive rivalry: Due to the tough competition in the tourism industry the companies with the fixed cost are beneficial in the current circumstances because there is a clear difference in market shares between different companies for example the TUI with 21% and Thomas Cook with 13 % of shares in the market in present which alternatively reduces competition in the tourism industry. Bargaining power of suppliers: Companies with low shares have low power against suppliers. But where the companies have more than 50 % of the market shares have high power of negotiation with suppliers which will be power balance in a reasonable bargaining power for the suppliers. Bargaining power of buyers: The low differentiation of products and less number of substitutes in the market also reduce the bargaining power of buyer it is because of the changes in online cost sales and the use of internet. Leadership maintenance in the European tourism industry: Porter (2006) argued that an Organisation can only sustain their leadership if they set up some differences and keep its business attractive is the way to maintain their leadership. TUI is one of the tourism industry leading companies with the current 21 % shares of the market and offers their services almost 180 regions internationally. The internal analysis is carried out through SWOT analysis. It is used for review the general position of the business. Strength and Weakness are the internal factors, Opportunities and Threats are external factors. The strength of TUI helped them to maintain their leadership in the tourism industry. The value chain of TUI helped them to offer cheap prices to the consumer as compared to their competitors. The direct distribution channel plays a major role to boost up the revenue and helped them to cut down expenses of TUI travel group. TUI friendly shareholders and proper management and effective customer service helped them to retain their customers and attract new customers from the market. TUI travel group believed in their differentiated product and brand name attained the competitive advantage for the organisations. TUI always considered their shareholders and employees as the assets of the organisation. According to Grant 1991 resources and capabilities are fundamentals of strategy direction and profitability. They maintained their capacity management resources to response to the changes happening in the business environment accordingly which helped them to achieve the competitive advantage over the competitors and boosted up the economical level. This high economical scale helped them to beat the rivals in the market. The acquisitions of companies, product differentiation and cost leadership strategies helped to gain a competitive edge. In the market TUI is the one to implement these strategies all together and gained the competitive edge from their rivals in the market. Future implications of TUI: The usage of analytical tools such as PESTEL, Porters five force, SWOT analysis, Ansoff matrix the macro and micro environmental analysis has been discussed in the previous sections of the report for the TUI travel organization. TUI implemented Ansoff matrix to lead the organisation on the progressive path although TUI is one of the leading tourism industry world wide and already counted in the top leader of the European market. As explained in the previous parts of the report depending on the key finding the future implications of TUI are as published in the Mintel report (2009) that the air flight was increased by short journeys just before the economic crises which benefited the low cost airlines but not for long because the recession has changed the whole scenario. Recessions has turned the consumers to low cost and cheaper alternative such as busses and rails even though these alternatives were more time consuming but because of the recession consumers preferred to have differen t experience of travelling however, these preference of consumers could be a chance for TUI to enhance their differentiation of products in the form of land transportations for short journeys rather than air flight to cope with the circumstances. Internet gives an opportunity of low barrier entrant to the newcomers. Hence, potential entry barrier requires a high investment to enter into the tourism industry. In this situations TUI need to focus on the online services to attract the low spending consumers. International trade can be highly affected by the fuel price instability and particularly the tourism industry therefore TUI need to deal with the oil companies to overcome this issue for specific period of time but have to take into account that this could be threat until the oil companies stabilize the fuel price fluctuation. In addition TUI needs to focus on the environmental such as the carbon emission factors which could highly impact upon the tourism industry. However, it is clear from previous part of the report that consumers prefer the companies who are aware to the environmental changes therefore TUI need to focus on the environmental changes to overcome this issue. In the planning for the future implication, TUI should focus on enhancement of their market in the Asia but need to maintain their European market as they already one of the leading tourism industry across European market. Limitations of the analytical tools used: The analytical tools I have used in my report to carry out analysis of TUI and its limitations are discussed below: PESTEL analytical tool is used to analysis both macro and micro environmental changes of the industry and recognize the main issues which can affect the strategy and analyse the threats to the tourism industry, on the other hand there are few limitations of tools used to identify the weakness of tourism industry and shape them for a solution as a result. The aims of the Porters five forces are to measure and manage the long-term survival and to understand the key drivers of competitive behavior in the sector and to evaluate the long run profit potential of the sector to highlight strategies to alter industry structure (Lynch 2000). Hence the limitations are that it does not think about the other products and also ignore most important aspects such as human resource, culture and management skills. The use of Ansoff matrix is to analyze the corporate strategic growth of the organization and assesses the best position for the organizations but on contrary it only focus on the market shares and growth and does not consider the other significant factors. The last analytical tool used in my report is the SWOT analysis which reviews the general position of the business. Strength and Weakness are the internal factors, Opportunities and Threats are external factors. It tells about the factor to be focused and helps in the better decision making circumstances. Although, it tells about the strengths of the organisations but no effective suggestions about how to use and be benefited the organisations from them. Conclusion: The report examines both macro and micro environment of TUI tourism industry by the help of some useful analytical tools to find out the key factors and as well as explore that how TUI gained the competitive advantage and maintained their leadership in the European tourism industry by identifying their strength and as well as illustrate the future direction to TUI for its growth and success. However, the recession effect the TUI in both ways when we go for disposable income, it is very true that it had affected all the industry, but the other way round although the group profit of TUI for the financial year ending 2005 has decreased compare to 2004 but in comparison of over all tourism industry TUI did well as of its competitive prices and direct selling channel i.e. internet selling which obviously reduce the operating cost by less staff working. As disposable income have badly effected the TUI but still they need to reshape their marketing structure to attract the new customers. The management of TUI need to take decision to move the company as a profit making with customers satisfaction. Refrences: Annual Report. (2008).  TUI Annual Report.   http://www.dft.gov.uk/. eTourism: information technology for strategic tourism management by Dimitrios Buhalis Pearson Education, 2003 Business Economics 376 pages Gallego et al. (2007). On the impact of exchange rate regimes on tourism.As ociacià ³n Espaà ±ola de Economà ­a y Finanzas Internacionales  , 1-16 Grant, R. (1991). The Resource-Based Theory of Competitive Advantage: Implications for Strategy Formation.  California Management Review, 114-135 http://www.gdrc.org/uem/eco-tour/envi/one.html Johnson et al. (2005).  Exploring Corporate Strategy  (7th Ed.). Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Mintel Reports. (2009, July). Retrieved November 7, 2009, from MINTEL OXYGEN: http://academic.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen_academic//display/id=39545 Munoz, J. (2005). Executive Insights on Globalization.  International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management , 17  (4), 365-371 Porter, M. (1985). Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. Free Press , 33-61 Porter, M. E. (1980). How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy. The McKinsey Quarterly , 34-50. Porter, M. E. (2001). Strategy and the Internet. Harvard Business Review , 63-79. Porter, M. (1987). From Competitive Advantage to Corporate Strategy. Harvard Business Review , 43-59 http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nscl.asp?ID http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget TUI case study http://www.tui-group.com/en/company http://www.tuitravelplc.com/tui/pages/aboutus/corporateprofile Wahab, S., Cooper, C. (2001). Tourism in the Age of Globalisation. London: Routledge

Strategic Performance Management Of British Petroleum Management Essay

Strategic Performance Management Of British Petroleum Management Essay This study explores the oil giant, British Petroleum also known as BP within the global oil sector and also it recent activities. Some key external factors have been investigated which includes PESTEL, SWOT, Competition Analysis, Five forces model (Michael Porters). This study has formulated SMART objectives after putting the above factors into consideration and this has led to the creation of Strategic Plan, Measurement and Implementation of the formulated SMART objectives. 1.2 Company background The company British petroleum also known as BP was incorporated in 1909 then as Anglo Persian Oil Company with headquarters in London, operating in both upstream (oil exploration) and downstream (oil refining, sales and marketing) of the world oil sector, BP is one of the largest oil company in the world. The company, BP has more than 21,400 service stations worldwide and its shares is quoted on New York, London, Toronto, Paris, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Zurich stock exchanges. The history of BP will not be complete without making mention of the activities of Williams Knox DArcy, in the year 1901 he was granted concession by Grand vizier (Shah) in todays Iran and as a result of inadequate fund he entered into an agreement with the British government which involved investing the sum of  £2 million that led to the transfer of major shares to the government at the later end. In the 1990s British Petroleum acquired Amoco, Arco and Burmah-Castrol. BP has several retail brands which include Arco in US, BP connect, BP travel centres, BP Express etc. BP is ranked as one of the top three oil giants in the world with staff strength of more than 97,600. Recently, the brand BP has been undergoing serious scrutiny and criticism as a result of it past and recent activities which include Texas refinery explosion in 2005, dumping of toxic waste in some African countries, Prudhoe Bay oil spillage and the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spillage. This study will focus on the brand BP and how to manage brand name damaging crisis. 2 External Analysis 2.1 PESTEL factors Table 1: PEST 2.1 Political/Legal UK government endorsement/ support for BP UK government support during the gulf of Mexico oil spillage crisis BP activities in the Gulf of Mexico has been banned but the UK government has given the company go-ahead to continue on with the search for oil and gas in the deep waters off the coast of Britain. 2.2 Economic The global recession has resulted into reduction in Profit of BP from the previous year. Replacement cost of profit for year 2009 was $14 billion with a return on average capital employed of 11% Gained new resource access in Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia and Offshore US. 30% increase in lubricants income generated from core market, and market extension to India, China, Russia and Brazil. Strong presence in China with upgraded Zhuhai 2 plant. Reported production increased by 4% and unit and production costs reduced by 12% Refining availability for the year was 93% up around 5% in 2008 Investment of $20 billion in business expansion In Trinidad and Tobago BP recorded launch-to-production time of 18 month with Saronette Project Discovery of Tiber in the gulf of Mexico 2.3 Socio-Cultural Encouraging health and fitness Creation of work environment where diversity and inclusion are valued. Strengthening employee engagement Creation of modernized farming initiative in Argentina Increased employee moral The number of employees fell from 92,000 in 2008 to 80,300 in 2009 as a result of the transfer of BP US convenience retail site to a franchise model. 2.4 Technological Improved operating management system (OMS) All refineries and petrochemical plants are operating on OMS Investment in key technology like wind, bio-fuels, solar, hydrogen power and carbon capture and storage Improved form of transportation of products. 3. SWOT Analysis Table 2: SWOT Analysis 4.1 Strengths Strong brand name with the slogan beyond petroleum. Strong market position in both downstream and upstream of the global oil sector. BP (Castrol) Sponsor of the FIFA 2010 world cup. In 2009 BP and Pan American Energy in Argentina offered 63 young people scholarships with emphasis on engineering. In 2009 the company had a 12.0% market share of the world lubricant oil which put them at 2nd largest market share after ExxonMobil. Ranked among the top three oil in the world Stock quoted on London stock exchange Third quarter 2010 profit of $1.8 billion Operates through retail brands and subsidiaries (Amoco; ARCO; BP Express, BP Connect; BP Travel Centre; ampm; Burmah Castrol etc) BP signed a technical service contract with the Iraqi government in November 2009 to develop the Rumaila oilfield 4.2 Weaknesses Money being lost to clean up of gulf of Mexico Unstable oil price due to the recent recession BP Texas refinery explosion in 2005 Toxic spillage of methanol in Prudhoe Bay in 2006 Total closure of Alaska wells 2010 third quarter loss Oil spillage in the gulf of Mexico A law suit been instituted by the American government Second quarter loss of $ 17 billion Call to shelve the use of all BP product in US during the gulf of Mexico crisis The recent removal of Tony Harward as the CEO of the company and being replaced by a US citizen 4.3 Opportunities Government of UK endorsements Discovery of significant deep gas in Egypts West Nile Delta Award exploration block in Indonesia Investment in Egypt and Libya Increase brand awareness Increase market share Completely new product launch ultimate 1.5 Change customers by continuous product development and awareness Completely rebranding of company image as a result of the recent spillage in US Expansion into African countries Continuous research and development strategy e.g. $8 billion investment in research of alternative source of energy to oil including solar, wind, natural gas and hydrogen etc. Flexible pricing to enhance healthy competition with sector rivals 4.4 Threats Threat of substitution due to high prices Drop in BP share price as a result of Gulf of Mexico oil spillage Suspension of production in Rhum gas field Sales of upstream interests in Pakistan to United Energy Group Limited Agreement to sell interests in Pan American Energy to Bridals Corpoaration Pipelines corrosions Global economic recession Refineries and rig explosions Possibility of tax increment in countries wherein BP operate Economical/political change in countries in which BP operates. Legal action against company by US government Oil price being determine by market forces Exchange rates could affect companies profitability Remodification of oil products to reduce pollution New technology to substitute the usage of oil High focus on green fuel Government policy in countries where BP operates regarding their oil sector e.g. penalty for oil spillage Termination of lease agreement between Bp and foreign governments Competition from Mobil, Chevron and Shell. 3. External Analysis- Competitor Audit As British Petroleum (BP) is situated in many different global markets the following competitor audit will focus on BPs main competitors in the global oil industry. Competitors: 3.1.1 ExxonMobil ExxonMobil is the foremost publicly traded petroleum and petro-chemical venture in the globe, it operations encompasses almost all countries of the world, it has different brand names such as Exxon, Mobil and Esso, it is an organisation that is built on a concept of global business which allow it to compete favourable, efficiently and effectively in the world of energy industry. Both Exxon and Mobil have been in existence for more than a century, but ExxonMobil came into being as a result of merger between Exxon and Mobil on 30 November 1999 to form Exxon Mobil Corporation. It headquarters is located in Irving, Texas, United State with market capitalisation of $323.717 million, revenue of $301.5 billion and assets value of $233.323 billion as at 2009. The CEO of the company is Rex W. Tillerson with staff strength of 90,800, the company is quoted on New York Stock Exchange; it has thirty seven refineries and operate in most countries of the world. 3.1.1 Royal Dutch Shell Shell is an energy giant and one of the worlds largest independent oil company with staff strength of around 101,000 and it headquarters is located in The Hague, the Netherlands. The parent company is Royal Dutch Shell Plc and it is incorporated in England and Wales with Peter Voser as the CEO. The company account for 2% of world oil and 3% of gas, it has 44,000 service stations globally and thirty five refineries. Shell operates in both upstream and downstream sector of the world oil industry. As December 2009, its revenue stood at $278.2billion and capital investment of $31.7 billion with market capitalisation of $186.618 million and assets worth of $292.181 billion, the company is quoted on London stock exchange. 3.2.1 Chevron Chevron is one of the leading energy companies in the world. It activities encompasses crude and natural gas and the company operates in both upstream and downstream sector of the oil industry which includes manufacturing, marketing and transportation, exploration and production, sales and manufacturing of chemicals, power generation and geothermal energy. The organisation Chevron came into being after the merger between Standard Oil Company and of California and Gulf oil Corporation in 1984. Chevron headquarters is located in San Ramon, California, United State with market capitalisation of $154.462 million, revenue of $167.402 billion and assets value of $164.621 billion as at 2009. The CEO of the company is David J ORelly with staff strength of 60,000, the company is quoted on New York Stock Exchange; it has sixteen refineries and operate in thirty three countries and it brand includes Texaco and Caltex. 3.2.3 ConocoPhilips ConocoPhillips is a key global, integrated energy corporation, with universal scale and scope all over the oil and natural gas value chain. The company came into been as a result of merger between Conoco and Philips Petroleum Company which was completed on 30 August 2002. It headquarters is located at Houston, Texas, United State with market capitalisation of $75.772 million, revenue of $152.843 billion and assets value of $155 billion as at 2009. The CEO of the company is James Mulva with staff strength of 30,000, the company is quoted on New York Stock Exchange; it has twelve refineries in US, four in Europe and one in Asia and also operate in thirty countries of the world. ConocoPhilips is the third largest integrated energy company in United State of America. 6. Porters Generic Strategies Diagram 1: British Petroleum and Porters Generic Strategies Focus Middle of the road Middle of the road BP in future BP Presently Cost leadership Differentiation Porter (1980) states that there are four types of generic strategies that are required by an organisation to be competitively successful, and these are Focus, Cost Leadership, Middle of the Road and Differentiation. Before now, BP was using the Cost leadership strategy but at present, the company is using the generic strategy of Middle of the road as a result of the last Gulf of Mexico oil spillage. British petroleum Brand and the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.(Rebuilding the broken bond) This oil disaster is the biggest crisis in the history of the oil industry in United States. We can only agree on the cause of the accident based on the testimonies of the parties involved. The chief mechanic on the Deepwater Horizon rig testified at a hearing held by the US coastguard, he said he was present at the meeting between BP manager and the crew from Transocean. That Transoceans chief driller was not comfortable with the request for the removal of the drilling mud from the well that day because he did not think the well is fully prepared for shut-down but based on the request and persuasion of the BP manager (as a result of the cost incurred in renting the Deepwater exploration rig which cost $500,000 a day to rent) insisted that they should start removing the mud before plugging the well, which later led to the explosion of the rig and the death of eleven crew members. This crisis has really affected the BP brand, because brands are not created by advertising, they are created primary by what organisation does. A Model of Strategic Communication (Grunig Hunt, 1984) A model of strategic communication is composed of two components which are aimed to describe the evolution of stakeholders and publics. The contribution of this model is to overall strategic communication and management by diagnosing the environment to make the overall organization aware of stakeholders and publics as they evolve. The Stakeholder Stage The terms of stakeholder and public are often used synonymously. There is a subtle difference, however, that helps to understand planning of strategic communication. People are stakeholders because they are in a category affected by decisions of an organization or if their decisions affect the organization (Grunig Hunt, 1984). There are internal and external stakeholders including employees, director of boards of BP Company, society, customers, media, universities, research centres, U.S. and U.K. governments, activist groups, etc Internal Stakeholders External Stakeholders Employees of BP Media Director of Boards British petroleum Public/Society CEO Advocate groups US and UK governments Customers of BP Competitors Investors Research centres Universities Shareholders Stakeholder mapping of BP Company in case of the oil spillage. Demirel. K, (2010) After the identification of the various stakeholders, the next stage should be the determination of level of relationship i.e. the linkages. Stakeholders State regulators Govt. Regulators Board of directors Employees unions Suppliers Enabling linkages Input Normative linkages Functional linkages Competitors Association Political groups Professional society BP Customers Retailers Distributors Output Diffused linkages NGO Residents Advocacy group Media Linkage model of BP Company, Demirel. K, (2010) Referring to: Grunig, J. / Hunt, T. (1984): Managing public Relations. Rinhehart and Winston: Holt, P.141. Part A has to do with the enabling linkages that is, stakeholders who have total control and authority over BP company operations especially the government of U.S. Part B. functional linkages: the input and the output, the input deals with provision of the service and output has to do with the product consumption. Part c is the normative linkages that is, groups and association that has common interest. And lastly, Part D is the diffused linkages these groups do not usually have anything to do with BP, they are only active during crisis situation. BP Public Relations In the first days of oil spill, BP Company downplayed oil spill and CEO Tony Hayward stated relatively tiny for the disaster of oil spill. After two months, BP Company has changed head of public affairs. After that, they started to provide consistent and responsible messages for oil spill through various media channels. As a part of PR strategy, BP Company got sponsored links on Google in order to provide first ranked results of key words related to oil spill direct to special part of BP Companys website. Even though it can be considered as implementation of spin doctrine, sponsored links were successful, because most people are not able to distinguish sponsored and actual links. Demirel. K, (2010) Crisis response and rebuilding stakeholders confidence It involves seven specific steps to obtain public forgiveness Voluntarily admit that mistake has been made. Explain why the mistakes occurred (no matter how stupid). Show/say/demonstrate contrition and sincere concern. Agree to take the step necessary to fix the problem. Ask for help from the victims/accept counsel from the community Promise (or publicly commit to) never to let it happen again. Find a way to pay (do penance)/alleviate/remediate Penitential model by Gottschalk. J (1993) We can conclude based on the penitential model that BP company responded to the crisis by voluntarily admitted that mistake has been made, and this can be seen by the stepping down of Tony Hayward as the CEO of the company, we all know the cause of the disaster based on the chief mechanic on the Deepwater Horizon rig testimony and the company has really shown concern and the U.S. government has requested compensation for the cleanup of the gulf of Mexico which the company has agreed to pay . BP vowed on to pay all necessary and appropriate clean-up costs from the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as the Obama administration called on the energy giant to clarify how it plans to do so.   Other models that can be use to earn stakeholders confidence and trust Key levers to building customer trust, Dr Aaron Sum Wei Wern and David Levi (2009). Building enduring customer trust 1. Integrity Bridge gap between promise and reality 2. Competence 3. Transparency Know whats right for me Be honest with me Building enduring trust 1 Return to the fundamental trust levers Focus on meeting fundamental expectations before addressing higher-order 2 De-risk and simplify Minimise uncertainty in the customers decision-making process 3 Build and solidify enabling capabilities Prioritise capability-building through the lens of the trust levers uing Conclusion: As stated by Edward Artzt Brand loyalty is very much like an onion. It has layers and a core. The core is the user who will stick with you until the end. Shaun and Wheeler, (2002 p.25). BP was able to get out of the mess as a result of the following Quick/prompt response Acceptance of blame Total responsibility Accepted solutions provided Took realistic approach Involvement of top management team

Monster Mergers :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Monster Mergers About three decades ago, school boards in the state of Pennsylvania decided that bigger was better. These short-sighted members looked at school districts merging throughout the country and deduced they should join the parade. How could they be so naive not to see the damage and havoc that would be left in the wake of these giant jointures. Wyoming Valley West, Nanticoke Area, Hanover Area, Coughlin, and even the parochial Bishop Hoban, are responsible for killing a magnificent community spirit as well as extinguishing all chances of fervent rivalries. The consolidation of small town schools has deprived once proud individuals of a sense of community, tradition and memories. School boards have to be more sensitive to the needs of their constituents. A change in the board members or the school board system itself is necessary. Careful planning, unlike the school boards' decisions, is essential in changing an archaic system. A Task Force of School Governance commissioned by the Twentieth Century Firms, concluded, "The hallmark of American education for over 150 years has been the local school board, and nothing would be gained by shifting to a totally new system," (25). A revamping of decision making is needed to prevent the disasters of the 60's and 70's. Kirst states, "Rethinking and revamping the role of the school board are necessary in this altered policy context," (38). The school board points an accusing finger at the state government. Dwight W. Allen supports the stand by contending that the state makes the major decisions such as how many days of school in a year and who could attend regardless of how the towns feel about the issue (44). Our loca l school boards should care how we feel. They should be our champions. Instead, they buckle to state and federal educational fads. School boards actions affect not just the students, but each and every member of the community. "Since 80 percent of the taxpayers in some suburban areas and more than 50 percent of the taxpayers in most communities do not have children in school, it is essential to keep the community informed and involved in the schools" (Becthol 327). This type of communication should have been in place before school boards smashed small schools into an academic collage. School activities such as theatrical dramas, uplifting musicals, and nail bitting sporting events, once a staple for the community, are now absent.

William Faulkners A Rose For Emily Essay -- essays research papers

Rather than stating the true meaning of his works, William Faulkner generally uses symbolism to portray the depth of his tales. Throughout the story â€Å"A Rose For Emily,† time is a continuous theme that is portrayed through symbols. The past, present, and future are represented by different people, places, and things. One of which such symbols, the main character herself, represents the essence of the past through her father, her house, and her lover.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Historically, the Grierson name was one of the most respected names in Jefferson. Throughout his lifetime, Mr. Grierson played various roles in the community to further the reputation of his name and to earn his family a great deal of honor.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He also, however, had and air of superiority about him. His attitude toward women, as evident in the treatment of his daughter, reflects his old-fashioned ways and his inability, or his lack of desire, to move on into the future. Throughout Miss Emily’s childhood, her father believed that â€Å"none of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily.† Mr. Grierson did not allow his grown daughter, even at the age of thirty, to make her own decisions. Moreover, he did not feel it was her place to act on her own behalf. Miss Emily willingly accepted her role in the household. The name and the attitudes that Mr. Grierson passed on to his daughter Emily symbolically opposed the change that was going on around them.   Ã‚  Ã‚   ...

Outsiders in Brave New World Essay

Outsiders are a very common theme in the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Many characters show traits of an outsider. John is one character who fits the bill. He is the ultimate outsider. Other outsiders in the book are Bernard and Linda. All of these characters have traits that make it difficult for them to â€Å"fit in† to the society of the New World. They don’t fit in a conforming society. These three characters are perfect examples of outsiders in Brave New World. Bernard is an outsider who doesn’t want to be an outsider. He wants more than anything to fit in, and when he does, he takes advantage of it. He is physically smaller than the other Alphas. Other Alphas think that a â€Å"gamma put alcohol in his blood surrogate† when he was a baby, which is why Bernard never fully developed physically (Huxley, 46). He also â€Å"spends most of his time by himself – alone† (Huxley, 45). The other Alphas don’t really want to be around him. Bernard has one friend, Helmholtz Watson, who is also an outsider. Everyone in the beginning of the book views Bernard as an outsider. When Lenina tells her friend Fanny about being interested in Bernard, she â€Å"look[s] startled† and strongly disapproves of the idea because of Bernard’s â€Å"reputation† (Huxley, 44). People don’t accept his differences because they are brainwashed to think that everyone who is different doesn’t belong in their â€Å"perfect† society. Bernard later starts to fit in to society because of his newfound popularity after bringing John back from the Reservation. He begins to conform because deep down all he wants to do is fit in. He throws a party and is all of the sudden the most popular kid around. He really enjoys his newfound popularity. His sudden change in attitude shows how shallow he is. He disapproves of the society in the New World because they didn’t accept him in the beginning. When they accept him, he likes the society which shows how hypocritical he is. John’s mother, Linda, is another classic example of an outcast in Brave New World. First of all, she had a child, which is unheard of in their society. People in the New World are shocked when they learn of the child. The word â€Å"mother† alone â€Å"made Lenina look uncomfortable† (Huxley, 118). The idea of a family disgusts the citizens of the New World and she is definitely viewed as an outsider for having one. Another reason Linda isn’t accepted is the fact that she aged. When Lenina first sees Linda, she is disgusted at â€Å"all the lines on her face† and she cringes at the sight of â€Å"the wrinkles† and her â€Å"sagging cheeks, with those purple blotches† (Huxley, 119). The citizens are not used to old people. Lenina does not know that this was the natural aging process. Linda is also viewed as an outsider on the Indian Reservation. She is used to the New World, and when she first arrives in the Indian Reservation, she is viewed as different. She is used to sleeping with many men, so when she â€Å"had people in the ordinary way, the others [thought she was] wicked† (Huxley, 121). The women who lived on the reservation hate her deeply. She becomes an outsider on the Reservation. Linda is a fitting example of an outsider in the book because she aged, she has a kid, and she lived on the Indian Reservation with the same morals as the people from the New World. Lastly, the ultimate example of an outsider is John. He is an outsider in both the Indian Reservation and the New World. He is a â€Å"stranger in the reservation,† because he was born of a woman from the New World and his skin was much more pale than the others (Huxley, 118). He is an outsider in the New World as well because he is a â€Å"Savage† from the Indian Reservation. He does not live by the same moral code as the other citizens of the New World. He wants to leave the New World. He goes to the controller at one point and asks if he â€Å"mightn’t go to the islands with† Helmholtz and Bernard (Huxley, 242). He does not fit into the New World and he does not agree with the morals they lived by. He is searching for truth, which is a foreign idea to the citizens of the New World. He ends up spending his time alone, because he does not like the people of the New World. His wish to be alone is the reason why he wants to go to the islands. He wants to be anywhere else, â€Å"So long as [he] can be alone† (Huxley, 243). He does not conform to the society because he had grown up naturally, without being brainwashed by the government. In conclusion, John is the textbook example of an outsider in the book because no matter where he is, he never fits in. These three characters are great examples of outsiders in Brave New World. Outsiders are a very common theme in the book, and John, Linda, and Bernard are all characters who display traits of people who are different. Because they do not conform to the societies they live in, they become outcasts. Without these traits, this novel would not have much of a story.

Public Enterprises Essay

What are the Objectives of Public Enterprises? SOUMYA SINGH In India, public enterprises have been assigned the task of realising the objectives laid down in the Directive Principles of State Policy. Public sector as a whole seeks: (a) to gain control of the commanding heights of the economy, (b) to promote critical development in terms of social gain or strategic value rather than on consideration of profit, and (c) to provide commercial surplus with which to finance further economic development. The main objectives of public enterprises in India are as follows: 1. Economic development: Public enterprises were set up to accelerate the rate of economic growth in a planned manner. These enterprises have created a sound industrial base for rapid industrialisation of the country. They are expected to provide infrastructure facilities for promoting balanced and diversified economic structure of development. 2. Self-reliance: Another aim of public enterprises is to promote self-reliance in strategic sectors of the national economy. For this purpose, public enterprises have been set up in transportation, communication, energy, petro-chemicals, and other key and basic industries. . Development of backward Areas: Several public enterprises were established in backward areas to reduce regional imbalances in development. Balanced development of different parts of the country is necessary for social as well as strategic reasons. 4. Employment generation: Unemployment has become a serious problem in India. Public enterprises seek to offer gainful employment to millions. In order to protect jobs, several sick units in the private sector have been nationalised. 5. Economic surplus: Public enterprises seek to generate and mobilise surplus for reinvestment. These enterprises earn money and mobilise public savings for industrial development. 6. Egalitarian society: An important objective of public enterprises is to prevent concentration of economic power and growth of private monopolies. Public sector helps the Government to enforce social control on trade and industry for ensuring equitable distribution of goods and services. Public enterprises protect and promote small scale industries. 7. Consumer welfare: Public enterprises seek to protect consumers from exploitation and profiteering by ensuring supply of essential commodities at cheaper prices. They aim at stabilising prices. 8. Public utilities: Private sector is guided by profit motive. Therefore, it is reluctant to invest money in public utility services like water supply, gas, electricity, public transport. Therefore, the Government has to assume responsibility for providing such services. 9. Defence: Government has to set up public enterprises for production of defence equipment. Supply of such equipment cannot be entrusted for private sector due to the need for utmost secrecy. 10. Labour welfare: Public enterprises serve as model employers. They ensure welfare and social security of employees. Many public enterprises have developed townships, schools, college and hospitals for their workers. Role and Rationale of Public Enterprises The public sector has been playing a vital role in the economic development of the country. In fact the public sector has come to occupy such an important place in our economy that on its effective performance depends largely the achievement of the country’s economic and social goals. Public sector is considered a powerful engine of economic development and an important instrument of self-reliance. The main contributions of public enterprises to the country’s economy may be described as follows: 1. Filling of gaps: At the time of independence, there existed serious gaps in the industrial structure of the country, particularly in the field of heavy industries. Basic and key industries require huge capital investment, involve considerable risk and suffer from long gestation periods. Private sector concerns do not come forward to establish such industries. Public sector has helped to fill up these gaps. The basic infrastructure required for rapid industrialisation has been built up, through the production of strategic capital goods. The public sector has considerably widened the industrial base of the country and speeded up the pace of industrialisation. 2. Employment: Public sector has created millions of jobs to tackle the unemployment problem in the country. Public sector accounts for about two-third of the total employment in the organised industrial sector in India. By taking over many sick units, the public sector has protected the employment of millions. Public sector has also contributed a lot towards the improvement of working and living conditions of workers by serving as a model employer. 3. Balanced regional development: Private industries tend to concentrate in certain regions while other regions remain backward. Public sector undertakings have located their plants in backward and untraded parts of the country. These areas lacked basic industrial and civic facilities like electricity, water supply, township and manpower. Public enterprises have developed these facilities thereby bringing about complete transformation in the social-economic life of the people in these regions. Steel plants of Bhilai, Rourkela and Durgapur; fertilizer factory at Sindri, machine tool plants in Rajasthan, precision instruments plants in Kerala and Rajasthan, etc. are a few examples of the development of backward regions by the public sector. 4. Optimum utilisation of resources: Public enterprises make better utilisation of scarce resources of the country. They are big in size and able to enjoy the benefits of large scale operations. They help to eliminate wasteful completion and ensure full use of installed capacity. Op timum utilisation of resources results in better and cheaper production. 5. Mobilisation of surplus: The profits earned by public enterprises are reinvested for expansion and diversification. Moreover, public sector concerns like banks and financial nstitutions mobilise scattered public savings thereby helping the process of capital formation in the country. Public enterprises earn considerable foreign exchange through exports. 6. Self reliance: Public enterprises have reduced considerably the need for imports by producing new and better products within the country. These enterprises are also earning considerable amount of foreign exchange through exports. 7. Socialistic pattern of society: Public sector is an instrument for realising social objectives. Public enterprises help to check concentration of wealth and private monopolies. These enterprises can serve as powerful means of economic and social change. 8. Public welfare: Public enterprises help in the establishment of a welfare state in the country. These enterprises supply essential commodities at cheaper rates. A proper balance between demand and supply is created to protect consumers against exploitation by profit hungry businessmen. Public enterprises also protect and promote the interests of workers. Criticism of Public Enterprises [Arguments against Public Enterprises] Public enterprises are opposed on account of weaknesses in their organisation and working. These enterprises generally suffer from the following problems: 1. Delay in completion: Often a very long time is taken in the establishment and completion of public enterprises. Delay in completion leads to increase in the cost of establishment and benefits extracted from them are delayed. 2. Faulty evaluation: Public enterprises are in some cases set upon political considerations. There is no proper evaluation of demand and supply and expected costs and benefits. There are no clear cut objectives and guidelines. In the absence of proper project planning there is under- utilisation of capacity and wastage of national resources. . Heavy overhead costs: Public enterprises often spend huge amounts on providing housing and other amenities to employees. Though such investment is useful for employees but it takes away a large part of capital and the project suffers from financial difficulties. 4. Poor returns: Majority of the public enterprises in India are incurring loss. In some of them the profits earned do not yield a reasonable return on huge investment. Lack of effective financial controls, wasteful expenditure and dogmatic pricing policy result in losses 5. Inefficient management: Due to excessive centralisation of authority and lack of motivation public enterprises are managed inefficiently. High level posts are often occupied by persons lacking necessary expertise but enjoying political support. 6. Political interference: There is frequent interference from politicians and civil servants in the working of public enterprises. Such interference leaves little scope for initiative and freedom of action. Public enterprises enjoy little autonomy and flexibility of operations. 7. Labour problems: In the absence of proper manpower planning public enterprises suffer from over-staffing. Jobs are created to fulfil employment goals of the Government. Guarantee of job in these enterprises encourages trade unions to be militant in pursuing their aims. Growth of Public Enterprises in India At the time of independence, public sector in India was confined mainly to railways, communications, defence production and public utility services. Since then the growth of public enterprises has been very rapid. Now public sector consists of public utilities (e. g. , railways, post and telegraph, etc), manufacturing concerns (e. g. , BHEL, SAIL, etc. ), trading organisations (e. g. STC, MMTC, etc. ), service organisations (e. g. , NIDC, RITES, etc. ). SAIL, a Maharatna Company of Govt. of India, is the world’s leading and India’s largest steel producer with an annual turnover of around Rs. 50,348 crore (FY11-12). It operates and owns 5 integrated steel plants at Rourkela, Bhilai, Durgapur, Bokaro and Burnpur and 3 special steel plants at Salem, Durgapur and Bhadravati. As part of its global ambition the Company is implementing a massive expansion plan involving project work of building/adding new facilites with emphasis on state of the art green technology. List of Maharatna, Navratna and Miniratna CPSEs As per available information (as on February, 2013) Maharatna CPSEs Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited Coal India Limited GAIL (India) Limited Indian Oil Corporation Limited NTPC Limited Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Limited Steel Authority of India Limited Navratna CPSEs Bharat Electronics Limited Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited National Aluminium Company Limited NMDC Limited Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited Oil India Limited Power Finance Corporation Limited Power Grid Corporation of India Limited Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited Rural Electrification Corporation Limited Shipping Corporation of India Limited Miniratna Category – I CPSEs Airports Authority of India Antrix Corporation Limited Balmer Lawrie & Co. Limited Bharat Dynamics Limited BEML Limited Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited Bridge & Roof Company (India) Limited Central Warehousing Corporation Central Coalfields Limited Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited Cochin Shipyard Limited Container Corporation of India Limited Dredging Corporation of India Limited Engineers India Limited Ennore Port Limited Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited Goa Shipyard Limited Hindustan Copper Limited HLL Lifecare Limited Hindustan Newsprint Limited Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited Housing & Urban Development Corporation Limited India Tourism Development Corporation Limited Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Limited IRCON International Limited KIOCL Limited Mazagaon Dock Limited Mahanadi Coalfields Limited Manganese Ore (India) Limited Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemical Limited Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited MMTC Limited MSTC Limited National Fertilizers Limited National Seeds Corporation Limited NHPC Limited Northern Coalfields Limited Numaligarh Refinery Limited ONGC Videsh Limited Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited Projects & Development India Limited Railtel Corporation of India Limited Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Limited RITES Limited SJVN Limited Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited South Eastern Coalfields Limited State Trading Corporation of India Limited Telecommunications Consultants India Limited THDC India Limited Western Coalfields Limited WAPCOS Limited Miniratna Category-II CPSEs Bharat Pumps & Compressors Limited Broadcast Engineering Consultants (I) Limited Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Limited Ed. CIL (India) Limited Engineering Projects (India) Limited FCI Aravali Gypsum & Minerals India Limited Ferro Scrap Nigam Limited HMT (International) Limited HSCC (India) Limited India Trade Promotion Organisation Indian Medicines & Pharmaceuticals Corporation Limited M E C O N Limited National Film Development Corporation Limited National Small Industries Corporation Limited P E C Limited Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Limited