The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 22

Balanced Very Carefully, As If the Whole Thing Might Topple When the Heater Vents Begin to Blow Later This Fall From the basement, I hear my dad say, â€Å"It goes right here, on this table.† Three sets of footsteps are moving across the family-room floor, and soon I hear something heavy being set down. After fifteen minutes or so, the sounds of college football explode through the floor above – big bands playing, drums galore, fight songs being sung – and I realize my father has replaced the family-room television. I hear the deliverymen's footsteps exit, and then Dad increases the volume so I can hear every play call the commentators make, even though I am in the basement and the basement door is shut. I don't follow college football, so I don't really know the players or the teams being discussed. I do some curls and simply listen, secretly hoping Dad will come down into the basement, tell me about the new television, and ask me to watch the game with him. But he doesn't. Suddenly, maybe a half hour after the deliverymen leave, the volume is turned down, and I hear Mom ask, â€Å"What the hell is this?† â€Å"It's a high-definition television with surround sound,† my father replies. â€Å"No, that is a movie screen, and – â€Å" â€Å"Jeanie – â€Å" â€Å"Don't you ‘Jeanie' me.† â€Å"I work hard for our money, and I won't have you telling me how to spend it!† â€Å"Patrick, it's ridiculous. It doesn't even fit on the end table. How much did you pay for that?† â€Å"Never mind.† â€Å"You smashed the old television just so you could buy a bigger one, didn't you?† â€Å"Jesus Christ, Jeanie. Will you please stop bitching at me for once?† â€Å"We're on a budget. We agreed – â€Å" â€Å"Oh. Okay. We're on a budget.† â€Å"We agreed that – â€Å" â€Å"We have money to feed Pat. We have money to buy Pat a new wardrobe. We have money to buy Pat a home gym. We have money for Pat's medications. Well then, the way I see it, we have money for a new fucking television set too.† I hear my mother's footsteps exit the family room. Just before my father turns up the game again, I hear her stomp up the steps to her bedroom, where I know she will cry because my father has cursed at her again. And it's my fault their money is stretched. I feel awful. I do sit-ups on the Stomach Master 6000 until it is time to run with Tiffany. When I finally go upstairs, I see that Dad's television set is one of those new flat-screen models they advertised when we watched the Eagles play Houston, and it is literally almost the size of our dining-room table. It's huge; only the center third rests on the end table, making it look as if it is balanced very carefully, as if the whole thing might topple when the heater vents begin to blow later this fall. Even still, while I do feel bad about Mom, I have to admit that the picture quality is excellent and the speakers set up on stands behind the couch fill the house with sound, making it seem as though the college football game is being played in our family room – and I start to look forward to watching the Eagles on the new set, thinking the players will almost appear life-size. I stand behind the couch for a second, admiring my father's new television, hoping he will acknowledge my presence. I even say, â€Å"Dad, did you get a new television?† But he doesn't answer me. He is mad at my mom for questioning his purchase, so now he will sulk. He will not talk to anyone for the rest of the day, I know from experience, so I leave the house and find Tiffany jogging up and down the street. Tiffany and I run together, but we do not talk. When I return home, Tiffany keeps jogging without even saying goodbye, and as I jog up the driveway to the back door, Mother's car is gone.

Research proposal Essay

College students are among a significant population who experience extremely high levels of stress. According to the CDC one out of five college students have reported being stressed (CDC, 2012). The pressures of being a successful student and maintaining good grades along with juggling work, extracurricular activities, and a social life, are all factors that cause increased levels of stress and anxiety among college students. Research shows that people who undergo chronic stress have higher risks of developing major mental health implications such as higher levels of anxiety and depression to the extent where it can significantly damage their daily-life functioning (National Cancer Institute, 2012). The prevalence of mental illness among college-aged students is at an alarming rate considering the substantial amounts of stress students go through while in college. According to the American Psychiatric Association (2012), an AHA survey conducted among college students reveal findings that confirm 1/3 of students reported feeling depressed to the point where it impaired their ability to function (American psychiatric association, 2012). Along with major depressive symptoms, half of the whole population of students also reported having feelings of overwhelming anxiety. Furthermore, an additional study done in 2008 presented findings which showed that 53% of college students in a sample reported having high depressive symptoms as well as 52.8% of students undergoing high levels of anxiety (Downs & Ashton, 2011). Protective factors need to be considered when looking for efforts to improve the mental health and wellbeing of students among this population. One protective factor that has been linked with positive mental health is increased levels of physical activity (Buchan, Ollis, Thomas & Baker, 2012). Previous research and theory has shown that physical activity can increase the release of serotonin and norepinephrine which are neurotransmitters that have been connected with and can ultimately decrease risk of anxiety and mood disorders (American psychiatric association, 2012). Furthermore, according to the Journal of American College Health, Bray and Kwan found through their research that students who did not engage in vigorous physical  activity sufficiently scored lower on psychological well-being than students who engage in vigorous physical activity sufficiently (Bray, Kwan 2006). Thus, the purpose of this study is to determine whether or not there is an effect of engagement in physical activity on the stress levels and moods among undergraduate students at California State University, Fullerton. Based on this statement, it is hypothesized that increased amounts of physical activity will be associated with lower stress levels and an over better mental health among undergraduate students. The theory we will use to test with our hypothesis will be the transtheoretical model (TTM). Also known as the stages of change model, the main theme of this model suggests that a change in behavior is not understood as a single event, but as a process and that when a person attempts to make a behavior change, they will go through multiple stages (Rimer, Glanz, & NCI, 2005). The five stages of change include: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. The stages of change model is like a cycle, not a linear model, in which people may start the process of change at any given stage and then may take a step back to a previous stage (relapse) and have to start over. This theory informs our hypothesis that increased levels of physical activity will reduce levels of stress because previous research has proven that the transtheoretical model, which has been applied to numerous health behaviors such as diet, weight control and exercise, is successfully effective in increasing levels of physical activity (Jackson, Asimakopoulou, & Scammell, 2007). Since previous studies show a positive association between physical activity and overall better mental health, this theory can be used to support efforts (such as coming up with strategies for interventions) in order to increase the amount of physical activity college students engage in, with the aim of ultimately improving their mood and stress levels. We are testing this theory with our hypothesis by examining and analyzing the multiple aspects of a person’s beliefs about the behavior, their intentions and readiness to change their behavior, and actual engagement of behavior as it relates to their mood. Method Participants and Procedures Our sample will include eighty to one hundred students between the ages  of eighteen and twenty-four that are currently enrolled at Cal State Fullerton. We will be conducting a survey by having students at Cal State Fullerton from the classes Dr. Espinoza conducts as well as colleagues from other classes answer a survey questionnaire. Being that one out of five college students have reported feeling stressed (CDC, 2012) we will make a detailed survey that will help us determine the underlying factors and main stressors that increase the average college students stress level. Our survey will take approximately five to ten minutes to complete and will be anonymous. However, we will ask students to write their class status on the survey which will help us to determine if stress levels overall increase, decrease or remain the same the longer the participants have been enrolled in school. Measures In our survey we will be asking students to rate their current stress level on a scale of 1-10. Since one person could consider a stress level of an 8, for example, differently than another, we will include a key to the description of each rating to ensure accuracy. We will also be asking them what their key stressors are, how much they exercise, what type of exercise they participate in and at what level (vigorous, light, etc.). In addition, we will ask our participants their feelings about exercising; whether or not they think it is necessary or important to them to perform a fair amount of physical activity in order to maintain a healthy mind. We will use these questions to analyze the students’ attitudes/beliefs about physical activity and how they think it relates to their mood. With the detailed questions we are asking we will be able to make a correlation between stress levels and exercise. We anticipate to see those who exercise regularly have lower stress levels than those who do not exercise regularly. Conclusion Looking at several research studies done previously on this topic of interest indicates that stress can be related to physical activity and most certainly can affect a college student’s mental health. Our research will look more into the stress of college students and will be able to compare the year of the student in which they are enrolled in, to how much physical exercise they participate in, to how much stress they are feeling. Obtaining this research is necessary because it will be helpful for college students. It is  important for college students to be able to identify their stress properly and know how to cope with it so their mental health is not at risk of decreasing. Even though our research will be taking place at California State University, Fullerton, it will be beneficial for all college students. References American Psychiatric Association (2012). College Students | psychiatry.org. Retrieved from http://www.psychiatry.org/mental-health/people/college-students Bray, S. R., & Kwan, M. W. (2006). Physical activity is associated with better health and psychological well-Being during transition to university life. Journal Of American College Health, 55(2), 77-82. Buchan, D. S., Ollis, S., Thomas, N. E., & Baker, J. S. (2012). Physical activity behaviour: an overview of current and emergent theoretical practices. Journal of Obesity, 1-11. doi:10.1155/2012/546459 CDC. (2012, aug 12). College Health and Safety http://www.cdc.gov/family/college/Cdc. Downs, A., & Ashton, J. (2011). Vigorous physical activity, sports participation, and athletic identity: implications for mental and physical health in college students. Journal of Sport Behavior, 34(3), 228-249. Jackson, R., Asimakopoulou, K., & Scammell, A. (2007). Assessment of the transtheoretical model as used by dietitians in promoting physical activity in people with type 2 diabetes. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. doi:10.1111/j.1365-277X.2007.00746.x National Cancer Institute (2012). Psychological Stress and Cancer – National Cancer Institute. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/stress Rimer, B. K., Glanz, K., & National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (2005). Theory at a glance: A guide for health promotion practice (2nd ed.). Bethesda, MD: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute.

Iphone 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Iphone 5 - Essay Example The iPhone 5 sold faster than iPhone 4S and the sale was described as extraordinary by Apple (McFedries 7). While the iPhone 4S disappointed the brandloyals who form the customer base of the Apple products as the designers strayed away from the original design of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 5 had the same design as the iPhone 4 but with different specifications and features. The designers of the iPhone 5 refined the already existing features and improved on them and made them more faster and efficient. The iPhone 5 is slim, snazzy and has better lighting. The iPhone 5 has new painting, different from the other editions. The back of this new iPhone is aluminium which prevents the iPhone 5 from scratching. Compared to the iPhone 4S, it weighs lesser by 12g than the former making it easier to carry and to hold. To make it slim and lighter, the designers had to do away with some components such as the pin connector. The designers also had to change to nano-sim from micro sim to save up on some space. The iPhone 5 is almost 8mm slimmer than the iPhone 4S. This difference in thickness may seem small but is very visible. The iPhone 5 is also slightly longer than the iPhone 4S to accommodate more room for display. The launch of the iPhone 5, marked the first time the Apple Company increased the length of iPhone series smart phone. Initially, all the former series were 3.5 inches long. But the increase in length serves the purpose of playing home to more icons being displayed on the home screen; movies can now be watched through the home screen with fewer black bars. The increase in length fosters better browsing of the web, access to emails and increased space for texting. The display resolution has also been improved as compared to the iPhone 4S though not much, but the slight change is significant enough to render the iPhone 5’s resolution better than its predecessor. These are just but the few improvements and advantages of the iPhone 5 as

Seminar in criminology -Discussion 11 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Seminar in criminology -Discussion 11 - Essay Example For example, one of the oldest inmates, who is 53 years, Jack Hill says that prisons are likely to make an inmate breakdown psychologically (HD Documentary, 2014). Another 30 year old inmate by the name Armando Doctor, seems to have more psychological pains than the other inmates (HD Documentary, 2014). For example, he says that he was aggravated and angry and that is why he was cutting himself several times. In Sykes study, he revealed that the attacks directed on an inmate’s sense of individual worth were similar to issues of incarceration. Though Sykes (2014) study was carried out many decades ago when life in prison was so much more brutal and degrading to the inmates, the prisons in this century in the U.S are more improved. Nonetheless, the deprivation of liberty, heterosexual relations, goods and services, security and autonomy as studied by Sykes (2014) are still present as noted in the documentary. A clear illustration of such deprivations which are discussed by Sykes (2014) is evident in the documentary, where the prison staff indicates that they do the best to ensure that no inmate has sharp objects or weapons in their possession, as it could result to an attack on enemy inmates or the prison staff. Hence, it is clear that even though prisons were intended to protect the society from violent people, prisons themselves can also be a place of death for the inmates themsel ves. Sykes, G. (2014). Inmate subcultures. In J. Wooldredge & A. Thistlethwaite (Eds.), Forty Studies that Changed Criminal Justice: Explorations into the History of Criminal Justice Research. Boston, MA: Little, Brown &

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

JUDAISM - Essay Example When I was there during the services, it lasted somewhere between three to four hours. During their normal services, I saw that people wear the usual daily attire, but during Shabbat, people wear suits and ties. The women wear long dresses or long skirts and sleeves. I was told that the person who leads the service is called a â€Å"Rabbi.† He is the one who does the sermon on the â€Å"Parasha† (Torah reading) and also on some important events that happened during the week. It is noticeable that men and women are separated during services. I noticed this practice on both Orthodox and Modern Orthodox Judaism services. One of the very obvious things that I observed was that women do not glance at male worshippers during I did further research and observation, occasionally asking questions to worshippers. I was told that the vestments the Rabbis wear have ancient origins. I was cited a verse from the Torah by one of the worshippers to help me understand the historical association of the Rabbi’s garments. God had told Moses in Exodus 28:2-4 â€Å"You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. These are the garments which they shall make: a breast piece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a girdle. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve Me as priests. They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet stuff, and fine twined linen.† It can also be found in Exodus 39:1 â€Å"Of the blue and purple and scarlet stuff they made finely wrought garments, for ministering in the holy place; they made the holy garments for Aaron, as the Lord had commanded Moses.† Therefore, the concept of the vestment s goes all the way back to Aaron. I noticed that in synagogues, there is a tabernacle that holds the Torah scrolls. It is very similar to the Christian tabernacle, with the candle at the side. Further research told me that this practice goes all the way

Mangement of Budjet of San Antonio TX Case Study

Mangement of Budjet of San Antonio TX - Case Study Example Later on, many more industries have joined the city, strengthening its economic base. San Antonio has emerged as one of the most recession resistant cities in the US. The city is working towards strengthening its economy even more (Emily, 86). The main strategies being applied to achieve this are incentives to businesses and entrepreneurs to attract more investment into the city, expand the retail business, create new job opportunities and stimulate high economic development. This, the city does by incorporating these objectives in its budget. The economic management department is the body charged with the responsibility of overseeing the implementation of such objectives (Jones, 380). The Economic Management Department has made it easy for existing and even potential businesses to access fully fledged business services. This act as an incentive, to ensure that the entrepreneurs and the business feel appreciated and welcome in the city and their role in the economy of the city is being recognized. The department provides the businesses with professionals who assist them with issues to do with licensing, permits and other regulatory issues (Jones, 159). To the prospective entrepreneurs, the professional staffs provide initial business consultancy and counseling services. These services provided to the entrepreneurs include counseling services on the potential and available sources of capital, how to prepare and develop a business plan, forms of business organizations, information on government procurement as well as marketing strategies most applicable to the businesses they aspire to establish (Emily, 65). The incentives provided to business in this city are aimed at encouraging more business to establish here, motivate new companies to create employment opportunities and by extension, spur the economic prosperity of the city to greater heights. The

Globalisation is not a new process. Discuss Essay

Globalisation is not a new process. Discuss - Essay Example The process of globalisation depends on trade and financial flows that have the potential to bind different economies of the world. Additionally, the advancements in information technology and mass media also contributed equally in reducing the barriers persisting amid different nations (Warrier & Wunderlich, n.d.). According to the report of UNESCO (2010), globalisation is not a new procedure, as it existed since the commencement of the Second World War that not only restricted economic development but also affected the people living in then respective societies. Globalisation has become one of the critical issues in the 21st century because of the increased level of technological advancements. From an economic perspective, globalisation has the potential to bring change in the world by ways of promoting free trade, maximising the flow of capital between nations and augmenting the extent of investments. The improved relations between several countries thus facilitated economic growt h, as new markets have been developed and increased their scope of maintaining long-term sustainability due to the procedure of globalisation (Mrak, 2000; Warrier & Wunderlich, n.d.). In relation to the above context, the essay intends to discuss critically globalisation to be not a new process in this contemporary era. The process of globalisation can be related to making wide interactions amid various individuals and nations. The process not only affects international trade but also makes extensive impact on the investment level and other related elements that have the potential to develop an economy. The process of globalisation is not new because people are engaged in trade and other allied activities since past centuries. The buying and selling of goods is such a process, which has already existed from past several years. For instance, the existence of the Silk Road that connected Europe, China and other Asian nations indicates the

Microeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Microeconomics - Essay Example This relationship is repetitive making the circular flow continuous. The product market refers to where all the goods produced by the firm are sold to households while factor market is where all factors of production like labour, capital and land among others are traded (McEachern 5). Households sell resources or factors of production in the factor market and use the money obtained to purchase products sold by the firm in the product market. My family as a household provides labour to the firm. The family is then rewarded for the labour it sells to the firm through wages and salaries. After payment, the family uses the payment from the firm to purchase goods manufactured by the firm, hence the firm gets proceeds from sales of products. This money obtained from the family through product purchase is again used to purchase raw materials for producing goods and also used to pay workers (my family). This relationship is continuous resulting into an endless circular flow pattern of

Cross Cultural Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cross Cultural Relations - Essay Example Since the beginning of the humankind history, there were many groups of people or individuals that moved to foreign countries for multiple purposes – for work, getting education, teaching someone, to entertain or just to change the place of residence. Diaries of the most famous travelers, such as Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo are full of descriptions devoted to what the scientists now call â€Å"culture contact†. (Hoerder) With rapid scientific and technological progress, advanced means of communication and transport, more and more people travel abroad, and the range of purposes they tend to achieve, enlarged as well. Many people now travel to share organizational and business experience, study abroad to come back home, many people travel just to see and study cultural background of other countries, some of them come to other countries with peace missions. Unfortunately, political and economical conditions in many countries of the world make many people move abroad as immigrants or refugees. But, regardless of the travel purposes, the notions of cultural contact and cultural shock are relevant for all categories of travelers. (Hoerder) Before examining this phenomenon it’s necessary to give a strict definition of it. At first, it’s necessary to mention that there are some titles to define this phenomenon: â€Å"cross cultural relations†, â€Å"between society culture-contact†, â€Å"cross-cultural interaction† etc. Here is the definition of this phenomenon provided by Bochner: â€Å"between society culture-contact refers to individuals who travel beyond their countries of origin for a particular purpose and for a specified period of time, and the relationships they establish with members of the host society†. (1986, p.23) There are also some necessary terms used to describe these relations, for instance â€Å"sojourner†. This term is used to refer to â€Å"culture travellers, indicating that they are temporary visitors intending to return home after

Factors that effect college learning Research Paper

Factors that effect college learning - Research Paper Example This paper attempts to explore all these factors with the help of credible research and then relate the ideas unfolded by research to the process of learning initiated by joining colleges. It should be understood how the negative practice of seeing students as customers only and not knowledge seekers by many college administrators is responsible for decline in college learning and how very demanding parents or students who have their interests based on vocational training alone also interfere with the true spirit of learning process. Understanding the role played by different factors is important as even â€Å"high-achieving students seem less able to grapple with issues that require them to think across disciplines or reflect on difficult questions about what matters and why† (Wilson). The colleges should guarantee such education that students could enlighten the world later on with their charismatic leadership and high moral behavior. â€Å"Students and others pay us lots of money, and we should try treat them respectfully, efficiently, and in a way that satisfies them† (Levine). This practice of seeing students only as customers who could be manipulated and used for the benefit of the administrators by asking them to make big commitments in terms of money on part of the colleges and the practice of viewing colleges solely as vocational training providers on part of students and parents should be abandoned as both these features collectively form a very negative influencer of good learning. Students turn to business schools so that they could be treated there as future business leaders and those schools â€Å"should not, in the words of one of my colleagues, plop students down as pre-M.B.A. goo and then orchestrate an experience from which good customer f eedback is sought† (Snyder, cited in THE EDITORS). It is a deplorable reality and a matter of great concern that the type of undergraduate

Style and Stylistics Essay Example for Free

Style and Stylistics Essay What is a thesis? Your thesis is not your dissertation. Neither is it a one liner about what you are doing. Your thesis is a position or proposition that a person (as a candidate for scholastic honors) advances and offers to maintain by argument. [Websters 7th New Collegiate Dictionary]. I looked at how people play chess is not a thesis; people adapt memories of old games to play new games is. Similarly, I wrote a program to play chess is not a thesis; playing chess requires a database of actual games is. A thesis has to claim something. There are many kinds of theses, especially in computer science, but most of them can be lumped into one of the following classes: 1. process X is a feasible way to do task Y 2. process X is a better way to do task Y than any previously known method 3. task Y requires process X 4. people use process X to do task Y 5. process X is a terrible way to do Y 6. people dont use process X Feel free to substitute process X with memory organization X or what ever else might make one theory different from another. Make sure you clearly specify the class of tasks Y to which your thesis applies.Besides being a proposition, a thesis has to have another property: it must say something new. Understanding natural language requires context is not a thesis (except maybe in a linguistics department); process X is a feasible mechanism for adding context sensitivity to natural language understanders is, as is context is not required for visual understanding. What is a defense? A defense presents evidence for a thesis. What kind of evidence is apprpropriate depends on what kind of thesis is being defended. Thesis: process X is a feasible way to do task Y  One defense for this kind of claim is an analysis of the complexity, or completeness, or whatever, of the theoretical algorithm. In computer science, the more common defense is based on empirical results from running an experiment. A good defense here means more than one example, and answers to questions such as the following. What are the capabilities and limits of  your experiment? How often do the things that your experiment does come up in the real world? Whats involved in extending it? If its easy to extend, why havent you? If your example is a piece of a larger system, how realistic are your assumptions about input and output? Thesis: process X is a better way to do task Y than any previously known method The same kind of defense applies here as in the previous case, but now serious comparisons with previous systems are required. Can your result do the same examples the previous results did, or can you make them do yours? Can you prove they couldnt do your examples? If you claim to be more efficient, what are you measuring? Thesis: task Y requires process X This is usually defended by a logical argument. It is usually very tough to do, even if the argument doesnt have to be formalized. Thesis: people use process X to do task Y Many students make the mistake of picking this kind of thesis to defend. It requires serious experimental evidence to defend, unless your real thesis is of the previous form, i.e., only process X is possible. Selected excerpts from protocols and surveys of your officemates are not psychological evidence, no matter how much they might have inspired your work. Thesis: process X is a terrible way to do Y, or people dont use process X This is a reasonable thesis if process X is a serious contender. The defense would be an analysis of the limits of process X, i.e., things it cant do, or things it does wrong, along with evidence that those things matter. I have lots of theses in my dissertation. Which one should I pick for my defense? Defending a real thesis is hard. If you think you have a lot of theses, you probably just have a bunch of undefended claims. One good thesis, or two so-so theses, with adequate description and defense, is more than enough to fill up a dissertation. I have the opposite problem. I dont think I have any thesis by these standards. Highly unlikely. If youre bright, educated, and have worked hard on a topic for more than a year, you must have learned something no one else knew before. The first mistake that students make is to think that a thesis has to be grander than the theory of relativity. A thesis should be new and interesting, but it doesnt have to change the foundations of all we believe and hold dear.Dont try to come up with a thesis first, and then investigate it. Start by exploring some task domain.  Take some initial ideas and push them hard for a year or so. Now, stop and think about what youve done and what youve learned. Among your accomplishments and experience, there will be several good candidate theses. Pick one. Test it out on your advisor and other faculty members. Test it out on other students. Is it a claim that you can describe clearly and briefly? Is it a claim that anyone cares about? Is it a claim that people dont find perfectly obvious, or if they do find it obvious, can you convince them that it could easily be false.Once youve refined your claim into a good thesis, now you can determine what kind of defense is appropriate for it and what more you need to do. This is where the hard part comes, psychologically, because to create a defense for your thesis, youre going to have to attack it harder than anyone else. What happens if the thesis fails? Negate it and defend that! In a year or so of focused research, you should be ready for a real thesis defense. See how easy it is, once you know how? Almost all of us—even if we don’t do it consciously—look early in an essay for a one- or two-sentence condensation of the argument or analysis that is to follow. We refer to that condensation as a thesis statement. Even if your assignment doesn’t ask a specific question, your thesis statement still needs to answer a question about the issue you’d like to explore. In this situation, your job is to figure out what question you’d like to write about. A good thesis statement will usually include the following four attributes: * take on a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree * deal with a subject that can be adequately treated given the nature of the assignment * express one main idea  * assert your conclusions about a subject Overview of Thesis Styles * A thesis is a written document chronicling research conducted by the student in a particular area. Besides documentation of results and interpretation of experimental research, the document contains an extensive review of the literature pertaining to the subject area. * In general, the thesis begins with an overall statement of introduction and purpose for the study, including overall objectives. This section is followed by the literature review. This literature review stands alone, and is presented in  addition to the literature cited when discussing the results of the research. The results of the research are then documented, including information on the methods, results and discussion of results. The last part of the thesis is usually a general discussion designed to draw broad conclusions, synthesize information, and suggest areas for future study. In most cases, a thesis contains more detailed information than would normally be submitted for publication. * In general, the master’s thesis should demonstrate that the student has mastery of the field in which she/he presents her/himself, and is fully conversant with the relevant literature. An essential feature of Ph.D. study is the candidates demonstration of competence to complete a research project and present the research findings. The Ph.D. thesis must constitute a distinct contribution to knowledge in her/his major field of study and the material must be of sufficient merit to be, in the judgement of the examiners, acceptable for publication. * There are two main thesis styles: 1. The Traditional Style Thesis in which the major components the methods, results of the research and discussion are presented in discrete sections following the overall introduction and literature review. As indicated above, a general discussion should normally follow the discussion of the research results. * 2. The Paper Style Thesis is similar to the traditional style thesis in a broad sense, except that the research results are packaged as discrete units or chapters, either as published manuscripts, or in a form suitable for publication in scientific journals. In the paper style thesis, each section or chapter has its own abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion in addition to the overall abstract, general introduction and literature review. If the chapters have been published or are more or less ready for publication, the paper style thesis may not contain as much detail as the traditional style thesis. * The choice of thesis style depends to an extent on the kind of study that was done, whether discrete chapters are warranted or the material is best described as a single entity. The style is chosen in consultation with, and approved by, the student’s advisory committee before writing commences. The following sections describe the main elements of each style of thesis.

Australian nation Speech Essay Example for Free

Australian nation Speech Essay Ladies and gentlemen I am very pleased to be here today at the launch of Australias celebration of the 1993 International Year of the Worlds Indigenous People. It will be a year of great significance for Australia. It comes at a time when we have committed ourselves to succeeding in the test which so far we have always failed. Because, in truth, we cannot confidently say that we have succeeded as we would like to have succeeded if we have not managed to extend opportunity and care, dignity and hope to the indigenous people of Australia the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people. This is a fundamental test of our social goals and our national will: our ability to say to ourselves and the rest of the world that Australia is a first rate social democracy, that we are what we should be truly the land of the fair go and the better chance. There is no more basic test of how seriously we mean these things. It is a test of our self-knowledge. Of how well we know the land we live in. How well we know our history. How well we recognise the fact that, complex as our contemporary identity is, it cannot be separated from Aboriginal Australia. How well we know what Aboriginal Australians know about Australia. Redfern is a good place to contemplate these things. Just a mile or two from the place where the first European settlers landed, in too many ways it tells us that their failure to bring much more than devastation and demoralisation to Aboriginal Australia continues to be our failure. More I think than most Australians recognise, the plight of Aboriginal Australians affects us all. In Redfern it might be tempting to think that the reality Aboriginal Australians face is somehow contained here, and that the rest of us are  insulated from it. But of course, while all the dilemmas may exist here, they are far from contained. We know the same dilemmas and more are faced all over Australia. That is perhaps the point of this Year of the Worlds Indigenous People: to bring the dispossessed out of the shadows, to recognise that they are part of us, and that we cannot give indigenous Australians up without giving up many of our own most deeply held values, much of our own identity and our own humanity. Nowhere in the world, I would venture, is the message more stark than it is in Australia. We simply cannot sweep injustice aside. Even if our own conscience allowed us to, I am sure, that in due course, the world and the people of our region would not. There should be no mistake about this our success in resolving these issues will have a significant bearing on our standing in the world. However intractable the problems seem, we cannot resign ourselves to failure any more than we can hide behind the contemporary version of Social Darwinism which says that to reach back for the poor and dispossessed is to risk being dragged down. That seems to me not only morally indefensible, but bad history. We non-Aboriginal Australians should perhaps remind ourselves that Australia once reached out for us. Didnt Australia provide opportunity and care for the dispossessed Irish? The poor of Britain? The refugees from war and famine and persecution in the countries of Europe and Asia? Isnt it reasonable to say that if we can build a prosperous and remarkably harmonious multicultural society in Australia, surely we can find just solutions to the problems which beset the first Australians the people to whom the most injustice has been done. And, as I say, the starting point might be to recognise that the problem starts with us non-Aboriginal Australians. It begins, I think, with that act of recognition. Recognition that it was we who did the dispossessing. We took the traditional lands and smashed the traditional way of life. We brought the diseases. The alcohol. We committed the murders. We took the children from their mothers. We practised discrimination and exclusion. It was our ignorance and our prejudice. And our failure to imagine these things being done to us. With some noble exceptions, we failed to make the most basic human response and enter into their hearts and minds. We failed to ask how would I feel if this were done to me? As a consequence, we failed to see that what we were doing degraded all of us. If we needed a reminder of this, we received it this year. The Report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody showed with devastating clarity that the past lives on in inequality, racism and injustice. In the prejudice and ignorance of non-Aboriginal Australians, and in the demoralisation and desperation, the fractured identity, of so many Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. For all this, I do not believe that the Report should fill us with guilt. Down the years, there has been no shortage of guilt, but it has not produced the responses we need. Guilt is not a very constructive emotion. I think what we need to do is open our hearts a bit. All of us. Perhaps when we recognise what we have in common we will see the things which must be done the practical things. There is something of this in the creation of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. The Councils mission is to forge a new partnership built on justice and equity and an appreciation of the heritage of Australias indigenous people. In the abstract those terms are meaningless. We have to give meaning to justice and equity and, as I have said several times this year, we will only give them meaning when we commit ourselves to achieving concrete results. If we improve the living conditions in one town, they will improve in another. And another. If we raise the standard of health by twenty per cent one year, it will be raised more the next. If we open one door others will follow. When we see improvement, when we see more dignity, more confidence, more happiness we will know we are going to win. We need these practical building blocks of change. The Mabo Judgement should be seen as one of these. By doing away with the bizarre conceit that this continent had no owners prior to the settlement of Europeans, Mabo establishes a fundamental truth and lays the basis for justice. It will be much easier to work from that basis than has ever been the case in the past. For that reason alone we should ignore the isolated outbreaks of hysteria and hostility of the past few months. Mabo is an historic decision we can make it an historic turning point, the basis of a new relationship between indigenous and non-Aboriginal Australians. The message should be that there is nothing to fear or to lose in the recognition of historical truth, or the extension of social justice, or the deepening of Australian social democracy to include indigenous Australians. There is everything to gain. Even the unhappy past speaks for this. Where Aboriginal Australians have been included in the life of Australia they have made remarkable contributions. Economic contributions, particularly in the pastoral and agricultural industry. They are there in the frontier and exploration history of Australia. They are there in the wars. In sport to an extraordinary degree. In literature and art and music. In all these things they have shaped our knowledge of this continent and of  ourselves. They have shaped our identity. They are there in the Australian legend. We should never forget they have helped build this nation. And if we have a sense of justice, as well as common sense, we will forge a new partnership. As I said, it might help us if we non-Aboriginal Australians imagined ourselves dispossessed of land we had lived on for fifty thousand years and then imagined ourselves told that it had never been ours. Imagine if ours was the oldest culture in the world and we were told that it was worthless. Imagine if we had resisted this settlement, suffered and died in the defence of our land, and then were told in history books that we had given up without a fight. Imagine if non-Aboriginal Australians had served their country in peace and war and were then ignored in history books. Imagine if our feats on sporting fields had inspired admiration and patriotism and yet did nothing to diminish prejudice. Imagine if our spiritual life was denied and ridiculed. Imagine if we had suffered the injustice and then were blamed for it. It seems to me that if we can imagine the injustice we can imagine its opposite. And we can have justice. I say that for two reasons: I say it because I believe that the great things about Australian social democracy reflect a fundamental belief in justice. And I say it because in so many other areas we have proved our capacity over the years to go on extending the realms of participation, opportunity and care. Just as Australians living in the relatively narrow and insular Australia of the 1960s imagined a culturally diverse, worldly and open Australia, and in a generation turned the idea into reality, so we can turn the goals of reconciliation into reality. There are very good signs that the process has begun. The creation of the Reconciliation Council is evidence itself. The establishment of the ATSIC the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission is also evidence. The Council is the product of imagination and good will. ATSIC emerges from the vision of indigenous self-determination and selfmanagement. The vision has already become the reality of almost 800 elected Aboriginal Regional Councillors and Commissioners determining priorities and developing their own programs. All over Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are taking charge of their own lives. And assistance with the problems which chronically beset them is at last being made available in ways developed by the communities themselves. If these things offer hope, so does the fact that this generation of Australians is better informed about Aboriginal culture and achievement, and about the injustice that has been done, than any generation before. We are beginning to more generally appreciate the depth and the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. From their music and art and dance we are beginning to recognise how much richer our national life and identity will be for the participation of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders. We are beginning to learn what the indigenous people have known for many thousands of years how to live with our physical environment. Ever so gradually we are learning how to see Australia through Aboriginal eyes, beginning to recognise the wisdom contained in their epic story. I think we are beginning to see how much we owe the indigenous Australians and how much we have lost by living so apart. I said we non-indigenous Australians should try to imagine the Aboriginal view. It cant be too hard. Someone imagined this event today, and it is now a marvellous reality and a great reason for hope. There is one thing today we cannot imagine. We cannot imagine that the descendants of people whose genius and resilience maintained a culture here through fifty thousand years or more, through  cataclysmic changes to the climate and environment, and who then survived two centuries of disposession and abuse, will be denied their place in the modern Australian nation. We cannot imagine that. We cannot imagine that we will fail. And with the spirit that is here today I am confident that we wont. I am confident that we will succeed in this decade. Thank you

Strategy used in dialog broadband

Strategy used in dialog broadband Strategy used in dialog broadband Executive Summary Dialog Telekom group is the leading telecommunication service provider in Sri Lanka. Their main goal is to be the best and the largest mobile telecommunication provider in Sri Lanka. Dialog Telekom was established in 1995. This company is one of the largest listed companies in Colombo stock exchange and its a subsidiary of Axiata Group Berhad. To be the leading telecommunication provider in Sri Lanka its not easy. They provide their customers with a wide range of services like Dialog TV, Dialog CDMA, Dialog Broadband and Dialog Mobile connection. Specially involve in a competitive industry. As for they various types of services provided by, Dialog Telecom, they operate as a separate division for Dialog Broadband which is our area of our research project. Dialog Broadband goal is to provide their customers with the best product in the market at a low cost, but not the least cost at a high service rate. Currently they have proudly achieved this by making sure that they provided their customers with the best service. At this rate it means more customers is equal to more company profit. Dialog Broadband expands their services into a wider range. Broadband internet, WiMax technology, WIFI technology and the Unlimited mobile broadband. They targeted the 500,000(approximately) 3g users in the country, dividing the market into two sections, Student and the General mass. Accordingly fixing separate price ranges to the appropriate segment, and a wide range of connection packages to them, and launched the Unlimited mobile broadband connection to them. In this report i will be discussing how to promote the Unlimited mobile broadband connection in the competitive market with the use of strategic management. Introduction Purpose of Report The purpose of this report is to fulfill the requirements to complete the BIS3324 module. Topic and company chosen for the research The company I have selected for the research project was Dialog Broadband, and the topic I have chosen is The use of strategic management for promoting Dialog Mobile Broadband connectivity in the competitive market. Introduction to Dialog Broadband. Dialog Broadband is a Strategic business process unit of the Dialog Telecom Group, providing fixed telephony solutions, data networks, and broadband internet and coverage solutions. Dialog Broadband major products such as Broadband internet, WiMax technology, WiFi technology and the Unlimited mobile broadband. Ø Broadband internet Dialog Broadband draws on its far reaching infrastructure to bring the Internet direct to a users home or office. Ø Wimax technology This world-class technology enables scalable, carrier-class solutions to support thousands of users with a single base station, while providing differentiated service levels. WiMax is fast becoming the standard for the provision of broadband solutions worldwide. Ø WiFi technology Wi-Fi allows your business to deploy a network quickly, at lower cost, and with greater flexibility than a wired system. Productivity increases since workers can stay connected longer, and are able to collaborate with their co-workers as and where needed Ø Unlimited Mobile Broadband Dialog Mobile Broadband is Internet on your mobile its fast, and affordable. HSPA stands for High Speed Packet Access. This technology literally brings high-speed access to users on the go. To access the world of streaming video, music, downloads, news and communication, simply get on the HSPA network. All you need is an HSPA modem and a data connection. Ø Description of Unlimited Mobile Broadband Dialog Mobile Broadband is Internet on your mobile its fast, and affordable. HSPA stands for High Speed Packet Access. This technology literally brings high-speed access to users on the go. To access the world of streaming video, music, downloads, news and communication, simply get on the HSPA network. All you need is an HSPA modem and a data connection. Dialog offers Unlimited Mobile Broadband for a monthly rental of just Rs. 2,990/-. Sign up for 6 months and be eligible to purchase an E220 HSPA modem for Rs 5490/-. Monthly fee entitles customer to broadband usage of unlimited duration and unlimited data volume (download/upload) however subject to a Fair Usage Policy (FUP) whereby download/upload speeds would be reduced relative to their maximum levels following monthly usage exceeding 5GB. The FUP is designed to ensure that the service received by the vast majority of our customers is not negatively impacted because of extremely heavy usage by a very small minority of customers. Technology HSPA stands for High Speed Packet Access. This technology literally brings high-speed access to users on the go. To access the world of streaming video, music, downloads, news and communication, simply get on the HSPA network. All you need is an HSPA modem and a data connection. Evolution 2g (sms) >> GPRS >> Edge >> 3g >> HSPA The evolution defines the connection level provided to the user, this depends on the number of users connected to a particular tower in a given area. The more the users connect to the tower, it shrinks the connection speed, but it does mean the customer will not get any connectivity, but the user will get a connection of a GPRS speed. 3G the Third Generation of wireless communication technology that allows you to enjoy a more seamless and magical General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) enabled networks offer always-on, higher capacity, Internet-based content Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) is an extension to GPRS, EDGE allows faster data speeds enabling faster Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is a world wide standard in the mobile telecommunication industry that lets you access Mobile Messaging is evolving beyond SMS text messaging with the introduction of MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) Short Message Service available on digital GSM networks allowing text messages of up to 160 characters User policy and Product Service The customer will experience 7.2Mbps download and 2Mbps Upload speed up to usage of 5GB. Once usage passes ahead of 5GB, the quality of service will be downgraded to download a speed of 384kbps and upload a speed of 64kbps and will continue for the next 1GB usage. Beyond 6GB the quality of service will be downgraded to download a speed of 64kbps and upload a speed of 16kbps. Online Research I have found the details from Dialog official website. Sales report Product description What are the strategies they are using? Strategy information Rogers Diffusion , Ansoffs Matrix Price comparison between Dialog and Mobitel. Strategies used in Dialog Broadband to promote the product Strategy Rogers Diffusion Curve Rogers Diffusion is defined as the communication process by which a new idea or new product is accepted by the market, while the rate of diffusion is defined as the speed that the new idea spreads from one consumer to the next. Adoption, which is similar to diffusion, also deals with the psychological decision making processes of the individual, rather than those of an aggregate market. Rogers showed that a diffusion process in a social system follows an S-Curve in which the adoption of a technology begins with slow change, is followed by rapid change and ends in slow change as the product matures or new technologies emerge. He also held that people adopt new technological innovations at different times and at different rates. He then used the varying rates of adoption to distinguish different phases in the diffusion process allowing practitioners to assess such things as the life of a new product or service and the application of the correct set of marketing activities at the appropriate time. This process tracked through the diffusion curve is a decision-making process where an individual passes from the initial knowledge of an innovation to forming an attitude toward the innovation, to a decision to accept or reject it, then it implements the use of the new idea, and finally to confirmation of this decision. The increasing number of adopters follows the above mentioned S-shaped curve. The number of newly converted adopters plotted as a frequency histogram against time follows a bell-shaped Gaussian curve where the number of new adopters rises until halfway the S-curve after which their numbers decrease, To make the model actionable, Rogers introduced innovativeness the degree to which an individual is relatively earlier in adopting new ideas than other members in a social system. Rogers Distinguished Adopters 1. INNOVATORS Innovator first 2.5% of adopters are brave and educated. They have several sources of information and show greater tendency to take risks. They will be thankful for technology for its own sake and are motivated by the idea of being a change agent in their reference group, they are willing to accept initial problems that may accompany new products or services and are willing to make shift solutions to such problems. 2. EARLY ADOPTERS The next 13.5% of adopters are Early Adopters. They are the social leaders, popular and educated. They are the visionaries in their market and are looking to accept and use new technology to achieve an innovative breakthrough that will achieve competitive advantage in their industries. They are attracted by high-risk, high-reward projects and are not that expensive because they imagine great gains in competitive advantage from adopting a new technology. They usually demand personalized solutions and quick-response, highly qualified sales and support. 3. EARLY MAJORITY After Early adopter the next is 34% of adopters are formed by the Early Majority. They are deliberate and have many informal social contacts. Slightly looking for revolutionary changes to gain productivity enhancements in their firms and they are motivated by evolutionary changes. They have three principles in adopting of new technology they are: When it is time to move, lets move all together: This means when adoption increases so rapidly in the diffusion process and causes a landslide in demand. When we pick a vendor it will lead us to the new model, let us all pick the same one: This means which firm will become the market leader. Once the transition starts, the earlier we get it over with, the better: This shows why the transition stage occurs rapidly. 4. LATE MAJORITY Then 34% of adopters are the Late Majority. They are doubtful, traditional and low socio-economic status. They are aware of price and require completely preassembled, bulletproof solutions. They are encouraged to buy technology just to stay even with the competition and often rely on a single, trusted adviser to help them make sense of technology. 5. LAGGARDS Finally the 16% of the adopters consist of Laggards. Laggards are technology doubters who want only to maintain the status. They tend not to consider that technology can enhance productivity and are likely to block new technology purchases. Rogers model has found wide appeal and application such as marketing and management science. The most important aspect about this model is the Bass Diffusion Model where new innovations are created by the interaction of current and potential users is described mathematically. Rogers diffusion Curve with the Dialog Product (HSPA) Talking about Rogers Diffusion curve with the dialog product, at the early stage before the product release, Dialog selected the Colombo Metropolitan area as their main target for the product launch, with the help of their Informations systems they were able to identify Five hundred thousand Dialog 3g users in this area. This identified target consists of two major segments The General Mass and the University Students. Referring to figure 1.0 shows the state of this process. This selected set of two is guaranteed to take the risk of using the new technology, which defines the Innovators curve in the diagram. Theses adopters are a portion of 2.5%. They are ready to face all the limitations that may accompany new products or services and to make shift solutions to such limitations. The next move along the curve will be towards the Early Adopters stage, which defines the product moving is moving towards the society. The society at this stage will be willing to adopt the new technology; this is the current position in which Dialog Broadband is standing now. It is in a much more competitive position than their competitors. This stage the company is offering their customers attractive rewards and very sensitive prices to gain competitive advantage. They look at the solutions to overcome the problems so that they wont face any difficulties in the future. They will even have better marketing strategy such as improved customer services, pricing and high turnover. As for time to come Dialog Broadband will encounter the stage Early Majority , when they move their sales to the outskirts of Colombo, people will have a evolutionary change with the enhancements in productivity and Technology. Figure 2.0 shows the state when the product is spread through society, the early adopters selects the technology first, followed by the majority, until a technology or innovation is common amongst the people. Dialog Broadband will have to keep improving the product to remain in the S-Curve. If not they will shift to the Late Majority stage, where the people with less social status who are price concerned, they buy the product only when its cheap. And finally going into the LAGGARDS stage, which be when people will be using the HSPA just to maintain their status quo. Strategy Ansoffs Matrix The Ansoff Product-Market Growth Matrix is a marketing tool which helps the business to make a decision and to work on their product and market stratigy. This will help the marketers to improve and will help the organizations to know what sort of actions should be taken to their business in the present or future markets. There are four types of strategies in this matrix. They are: * Market penetration (existing markets, existing products): This takes place when a company enters a market with current products. To achieve this there are so many ways such as by gaining competitors customers, attracting the customers who are not using your product or service, informing the current customers to use more of your product or service and you can advertise or do promotions about your product or services. When a company is growing understanding the market is the low risk which is involved in that. There are four objectives market presentation should be looked in to. They are, Secure area and expansion market Increase usage by existing customers Maintain and increase the share of the current market Restructure of growing up competitors and send them out. * Product development (existing markets, new products): This means when a organization introduces its new product into present market. For example, KFC is always within the fast-food industry, but very often it markets new products such as Twister, Double down chicken sandwich. When a firm introduces new products into the market, it can gain new customers for these products. Therefore new product development can be a key business development strategy for a company to stay competitive in the market. * Market development (new markets, existing products): A recognized product in the market can be changed or targeted to a different type of customers, as a strategy to earn more income for the organization. A very good example is, in the beginning Lucozade marketed for sick children and then rebranded to target the people who are involved in sports as energy drink. * Diversification (new markets, new products): Diversification is an organization which introduces new product in a new market. For example, Virgin Group which is in UK introduced Virgin Cola, Virgin Megastores, Virgin Airlines, and Virgin Telecommunications, to leverage the Virgin brand. This company entered new market which was not in the market previously. This strategy is a risk for the company because it is entering the market which doesnt have any experience. The matrix show, when the risk increases more the strategy goes up from the known quantity in the present product or service and market. Therefore higher risk will be involved in product development and new market other than present and future product and market. In his original work, Ansoff didnt use the matrix form, Igor Ansoff said that the diversification (future product and future market) strategy was apart from the other three. While the latter are usually followed with the same technical, financial, and merchandising resources which are used for the original product line, diversification usually requires new skills, new techniques, and new facilities. As a result it almost invariably leads to physical and organizational changes in the structure of the business which represent a distinct break with past business experience. For this reason, most marketing activity revolves around penetration; and the Ansoff Matrix, despite its fame, is usually of limited value although it does always offer a useful reminder of the options which are open. Ansoffs Matrix with the Dialog product When talking about the product Dialog broadband released 2 months ago, the HSPA device, it is the second product to enter into the market of wireless internet connection. First to launch was their main competitor Mobitel with a similar type of product. Dialog broadband waited eight months after their competitor launched the product to release their product. For a company like dialog that has a very high market for its current products, focused on their new product the HSPA, to cater to the current market, they came up with the HSPA as new product into the market which was created by their competitor by improving the product itself in terms of technology with much more connectivity and broadband facilities to their customers. Whenever new products are released it tends to it can gain new customers for these products. This stage they entered into the market was the stage of Market development in the Ansoffs Matrix, they are competing with their rivals giving more facilities to their target sector of customer. Setting more reasonable price according to the catered segment. In order to compete with their competitors Dialog broadband must provide better pricing schemes, promotion offers, and target a specific group of customers. If a company needs to stay competitive in the competitive market it should use product development as their business development strategy. How Competition is done Companys Environment is supported to market the Mobile HSPA Dialog Telekom has grown to become Sri Lankas flagship telecommunications company. Operating in an oligopolistic market (mobile telecommunications in Sri Lanka), the company operates Dialog GSM, the countrys largest mobile phone network. Dialog was the first to introduce the concept of GSM in to Sri Lanka and has thereafter reinforced itself with technologies such as GPRS and 3G. Dialog has also managed to invest sufficiently into its network in order to grid a majority of the populated areas in Sri Lanka. Due to this significant investment in its base stations, Dialog Telekom provides the widest cellular coverage in the country. The company boasts 6 switching centers and 625 base stations covering 85% of all habited areas in the island. The Companys subscribed base account for (approximately) 60% of the countrys mobile sector and 40% of total telecommunication subscribers. When you consider the environment, the Dialog has competition like any other company. Main competitor is Mobitel. Mobitel is providing the HSPA Broadband Connection but the price and the customer base of mobitel they cannot compete with dialog Dialog takes a new step into the market, every time with a strategy that is very tactful. For the past 12 years Dialog has been leading the Sri Lankan Mobile Telecommunication market. Their main strategies are focused on, Captured Customer share Market Competition Increasing Market Share Locking Competition 1. Captured Customer Share Dialog GSM for the past decade has been valuing the customers as the King. Dialog also well known for showing Customer Satisfaction has been banking on it. Dialog Sathkaraya a new banner under which Dialog markets on Customers Relationship. This is in keeping with their Vision that To lead in the provision of technology enabled connectivity touching multiple human sensors and faculties, through committed adherence to customer driven, responsive and flexible business processes, and through the delivery of quality service and leading edge technology unparalleled by any other, spurred by an empowered set of dedicated individuals who are driven by an irrepressible desire to work as one towards a common goal in the truest sense of team spirit. (Dialog Telekom) 2. Market Competition Having 7million mobile users in the country, Dialog Telecom is maintaining a customer base of 4million users, and 500,000 3g uses in the country, with 50,000 in the Colombo Metropolitan. Their competitor contains 2million users and a small amount of 3g users, at this rate Dialog is having a heavy customer base which gives them an advantage when selling the product to them. 3. Increasing Market Share It is expected that the Dialog will be in a position to sustain their market share which is about 60% of the countries mobile sector market. The Dialog has already brought in a substantial reduction in their rates and services with a view to attract more customers as their competitor launched it 8months before them. This strategy would definitely show tangible results towards expanding their market share. 4. Locking Competition The Dialog has been the leader in providing mobile telecommunication services in Sri Lanka, having a market share of 60%. So, the balance 40% is being shared by three operators namely, Mobitel, Tigo and Hutch. These three operators are not in a position to compete with Dialog for the simple reason that the Dialog has advanced very much technologically with a higher turnover and producing the services at a very low cost. So, competing with Dialog is not an easy task for these three competitors. But when Airtel comes into the market with attractive packages it is expected that Airtel might penetrate into the market and capture the market occupied by the three operators to a greater extend. But the Dialog will remain still competitive and will be able to sustain their position. Apita computer naha Concept Few days after launching the product the company realized that they needed to cater its products furthermore; its then when they came up with this idea of Apita computer naha, which caters the market of people who dont have computers. This concept contains a coupled offer of DELL laptop with the HPS device, this make a lot of sense when catering to that set of people. This was given out at the most reasonable price of Rs 83,000/-, on a monthly installment basis of Rs 6977/- with Windows Vista or Rs 6477/- with Ubuntu. Dialog broadband main target in this marketing campaign was the university students and the users in the outer range of Colombo. Price wars Dialog Telekom is the leading telecommunication service provider amoung other telecommunication service providers in Sri Lanka. Their main goal is to provide the service to the cheapest rate not the very cheapest but up to some extend with a quality of service. When considering the 3G wireless internet the main compititor for dialog telicom is mobitel. They are providing the same service as Dialog. But when considering the prices of both service providers dialog gives away the service for the lowest rate. Eg: Dilaog provide E220 HSPA modem only for Rs 5490/-. But mobitel provides the same devise for Rs 19500/-. So thers big price gap between both dialog and mobitel. For my concern customers will attarct towards dialog because of their cheapest rates and the best quality of the service. However dialog has become the market leader in the telecommunication industry because customers are really happy with their service. They treat their customers really well. They believe that the company will get profits only if they able satisfy their loyal exsisting customers as well as thire new customers. Below u can see the price rangers of both dialog and mobitel packages and devises. Dialog offers Unlimited Mobile Internet for a monthly rental of just Rs. 2,990/-. Sign up for 6 months and be eligible to purchase an E220 HSPA modem for Rs 5490/-.But this is for General usage. They have introduced a promotion for university students. That is for the monthly rental of Rs. 1500/- sign up for 6 months and be eligible to purchase an E220 HSPA modem for Rs 5400/-. For my concern its a very valuable deal. Monthly fee entitles customer to internet usage of unlimited duration and unlimited data volume (download/upload) however subject to a Fair Usage Policy (FUP) whereby download/upload speeds would be reduced relative to their maximum levels following monthly usage exceeding 5GB. The FUP is designed to ensure that the customers receive the best service because minimum customers usage is high. Mobitel has introduced wide range of packages as well a devises for wireless internet facility for users. Mobitel has introduced wide range of packages for wireless internet facility for users. SWOT Analysis SWOT is a strategic method which the organizations use to know what are the Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats involved in the business. Strength and Weakness are organizations internal issues. Opportunity and Threats are organization external issues. SWOT Analysis of Dialog Strength First GSM service provider in Sri Lanka Wide product range Skilled and dedicated Management team Island wide network coverage Strong customer base and public relations Cooperate business knowledge is high Reasonable price rage Weakness Front office employee turnover is high Comparing with competitors price should be improved Confusion and less motivation amongst the employees Less towers to get proper coverage Opportunity Reduce the price of the fixed lines Using advanced technology Introducing more value added services (VAS) Introducing new packages and other services. Having more towers to get better signal or coverage Threats Competition amongst other GSM service providers in Sri Lanka. Terrorism in Sri Lanka Changes in social, political, economic inside the country Changes in technology Changes in customers needs Research Methodologies A research was done with the Head of Corporate of Dialog Broadband Mr. Ravi Sivasithamparam, to get an overall idea on the product, the Strategies used by the company to market the product and the key to gain competitive advantage. v Research methods Questioners Interviews Online research Identified strategies after the interview v Strategies Rogers Diffusion Curve Ansoffs model Research Methods Questioners I contacted Mr. Ravi Sivasithamparam the Head of Corporate Service of Dialog Broadband on an informal conversation via telephone to grasp an idea on the related topic. He was very humble in explaining the Strategy used by the company, and how the product is marketed, the market segmentation, the marketing strategy, and services provided by them to the existing customers. Questioners Ø What is Dialog 3G High Speed Internet? Dialog 3G High Speed Internet is a high speed data connectivity service which will enable you to download and upload large files at very high speeds no matter where you are provided that you are within the 3G coverage. 3G High Speed Internet is powered by HSPA-one of the latest evolutions in wireless data transfer technology Ø What is HSPA? HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) combines the features of HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) and HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access) enabling you to access data at speeds up to 7.2 Mbps Downlink and up to 1.98 Mbps Uplink, on devices supporting HSPA. Ø When talking about the competitive advantage what is the main advantage over your competitor? When talking about competition our main plus point is the price that we have set to our customers, we have located them into two sections, the General mass and the University students. We provide them with a different range of packages according to their budget, which our competitor has not come up with until now. Ø How has IS helped your organization with launching the product? This has also played a key part when we were to launch the product, with the help of IS we were able to track the 500,000 3g users in the country. And 50,000 regular 3g users from the Colombo Metropolitan. This was the key reason we first target our product launch to the Colombo Metropolitan. IS has also helped us in setting the price for our users, according to their sector Ø What are the startegies used in Dialog? Mainly the Rogers difussion Curve and the ansoff model.This is a new product to a current market. Ø What is Rogers Diffusion Curve? Everett Rogers defines diffusion as the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system. Rogers definition contains four elements that are present in the diffusion of innovation process. The four main elements are: Innovation An idea, practices, or objects that is perceived as knew by an individual or other unit of adoption. Communication channels The means by which messages get from one individual to another. Time The three time factors are: (A) Innovation-decision process (B) Relative time with which an innovation is adopted by an individual or group. (C) Innovations rate of adoption. Social system A set of interrelated units that are engaged in joint problem solving to accomplish a common goal. Ø Mobitel also providing the same service, What

Scarlet letter chapter 5 Essay example -- essays research papers

Chapter Five: Hester at Her Needle Summary Hester is released from prison and finds a cottage in the woods, near the outskirts of the city, to set up her new life. Hawthorne comments on the fact that she does not avail herself of the opportunity to escape to a new life without shame in some other city. He remarks that often people are irresistibly drawn to live near the place where a great has occurred. He further comments that even if that is not the reason, Hester may have been inclined to remain in Boston because her secret lover still lived there. Hester's skill at needlework, earlier shown in the fine way that she displayed the scarlet letter, allows her to maintain a fairly stable lifestyle. However, her reputation as an outcast and loner causes a certain aura to be cast around her. Thus, Hawthorne points out that young children often crept up to her house to spy on her while she worked. He also comments that in spite of her excellent needlework, she was never called upon to make a bridal gown due to her reputation. Hester spends her time working on the projects which bring in her income, and devotes the remainder of her work to creating garments for the poor. She lives simply with the sole exception being that she creates amazing dresses of fine fabrics for Pearl. Hester's social life is virtually eliminated as a result of her shameful history. She is treated so poorly that often preachers will stop in the street and start to deliver a lecture as she walks by. Hester also begins to hate children, who unconsciously realize there is something different about her and thus start to follow her with "shrill cries" through the city streets. One of the things which Hester starts to notice is that every once in a while she receives a sympathetic glance, and feels like she has a companion in her sin. Hawthorne puts it, "it gave her a sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts." This is interesting because many of the people Hawthorne accuses of hypocrisy as regards the scarlet letter are, "a venerable minister or magistrate," people who are viewed as models of "piety and justice." Analysis The fact that Hester stays in Boston is likely due to the fact that she is too ashamed to go anywhere else. With the humiliation of receiving the scarlet letter, her tenacity and will-power are destroyed, causing her ... ...nister for support, and makes the other men aware that Dimmesdale knows Hester better than they thought. Dimmesdale steps forward with his hand over his heart, again hiding the scarlet letter which he feels upon his breast. This also ties back to Chillingworth's comment that he will recognize Pearl's true father by "reading" his heart. Dimmesdale then correctly compares Pearl to the scarlet letter upon her mother's bosom, and manages to keep the mother and daughter together. Pearl's response is unique at this juncture, in that she takes the minister's hand and places her cheek against it. This simple gesture is full of meaning, because it implies that Pearl recognizes Dimmesdale as being connected to her. Dimmesdale responds by kissing her on the forehead, in a sense claiming her as his own child. The scene in which Mistress Higgins invites Hester into the woods to meet the Black Man is important. It largely acts to foreshadow events, but also serves to make a statement about the woods. The forest is the wilderness around Boston, and thus is an amoral backdrop. Thus, when Hester meets with Dimmesdale later in the story, the meeting will also take place in the forest.

Arthur Goldens Memoirs of a Geisha Essay -- Arthur Golden Memoirs of

Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha Memoirs of a Geisha is a wonderful novel and very informative on geisha life. The book is written by Arthur Golden. Golden earned a degree from Harvard College in art history and his M.A. at Columbia University in Japanese history and he also studied Mandarin Chinese. He worked at Beijing University in Tokyo. Golden studies, credentials, and experience all make him an experience all make him an expert on geisha and Japanese culture. The novel takes place in 1929 in a poor fishing village. The main character is Sayuri, who is nine years old. Her mother dies and she is left to live with her father and older sister. Sayuri’s father can not afford to take care of his daughters. He decides to sell his daughters. The girls are examined and Sayuri’s ol...

Actus Reus Essay -- Law

Actus Reus Introduction The Criminal Law of England and Wales "means the portion of the law of England and Wales, which deals with the components and consequences of criminal acts. The English criminal law is in large part not regulated by law, but in the tradition of common law judge-made law. The offense consists in the English law of Actus Reus and mens rea together. Actus Reus is the Latin term meaning the act of guilt (the outer or objective of a criminal offense). This is an essential element in the determination of a crime. Thus, when no reasonable doubt exists as a result of the demonstration of proof, the act of guilt, shown together with the intention of the individual to commit a crime (mens rea), creates criminal liability of the accused in criminal jurisdictions that follow the system of common law (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, USA, UK, Ireland). Discussion and Analysis Actus Reus literally means conduct of a person. The phrase is used to refer to the element of an offense that involves prohibited conduct. The Actus Reus is one of two elements that make up criminal offenses. The second element is called mens rea or mental state. No crime may legally exist without an Actus Reus, while some regulatory crimes, called strict liability offenses, may exist without a mens rea. Examples of the Actus Reus element of a capital offense would be causing death, causing death while committing another crime, causing the death of a police officer, and causing death by using a bomb. In each of the examples, the mental state of the defendant is not relevant to Actus Reus. The mental state is relevant for the second element, i.e., the mens rea. General Perception The Actus Reus requirement is met if a defendant purpose... ...air, Medico legal Aspects of Automatism, qtd in McClain v. State, 678 N.E.2d 104, 106 (Ind. 1997), pp 56-78 David Ormerod (eds.): Smith and Hogan Criminal Law,12th Edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2008, ISBN 978-0199202584, pp 34 David Ormerod, (2009), Smith and Hogan Criminal Law: Cases and Materials, 10th Edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2009, ISBN 978-0199218691, pp 45-78 Felson, Marcus (1994), Crime and Everyday Life, Pine Forge, ISBN 0-8039-9029-4, Hirschi, Travis (1969). Causes of Delinquency, Transaction Publishers, ISBN 0-7658-0900-1 Morse, S. J. Diminished rationality, diminished responsibility, Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law vol. 1 (2003), pp. 289–308 Siegel, Larry J. (2003). Criminology, 8th edition, Thomson-Wadsworth., pp. 139 Symposium, Act and crime, University of Pennsylvania Law Review vol. 142, (1994), pp. 1443–1890

Case Study Toyota

Toyota case study Task 1 a) Brief overview of the critical importance of strategic operations management to a world class company. AND b) Critical review of Toyota’s strategic operations management activities from manufacturing, product/service and administration perspectives. a) Strategic operations management is of great importance to any organisation.The very existence of organisations in the modern competitive world depends on mass customization, Lean production, agile manufacturing, customer-centric provision (Strategic Operations Management, Second edition, Steve Brown, Richard Lamming, John Bessant and Peter Jones), and so on – depend on the ability of the organization to actually do these things. Here strategic decisions play a crucial role. In my opinion Strategic operations management is a holistic approach, covering the whole organisation, touching different aspects of business.Further strategic operations management can be vitally important in achieving busi ness goals, and gaining competitive advantage. At this point, I find it is worth to define the terminology – ‘Strategic Operations management’. According to Slack and Lewis, operations strategy holds the following definition: â€Å"Operations strategy is the total pattern of decisions which shape the long-term capabilities of any type of operations and their contribution to the overall strategy, through the reconciliation of market requirements with operations resources†( Slack et al 2007, p69).Generally strategic operations management activities are critical to the customer satisfaction & innovation. There are four types of advantages for strategic operations management in a given business (Slack et al 2007, p22); 1. Strategic operations management can reduce the cost of producing products and services, and increase the efficiency. When we analyse the case of Toyota Corporation, it is evident that cost is one of the critical competitive factors for the co rporation, thereby strategic operations management at Toyota will definitely, help the company to reduce the cost and gain efficiency. . Strategic operations management can increase the revenue by increasing the customer satisfaction through good quality and service. As we analyse the Toyota Corporation, we can find the emphasis on customer focus and quality, this would increase the customer satisfaction and increase the revenue for the company. 3. Strategic operations management reduces the amount of investment required by increasing the capacity of the operation, and innovative resource deployment.Automobile industry in general is characterised by neck – to – neck competition, here any reduction in investment reflects in the cost, and eventually in the price to the customer. So, it is definitely going to be important for Toyota Corporation. 4. Strategic operations management provides the basis for future innovation, by building a solid base of operations skills and k nowledge within the business. This is also a vital point for Toyota, strategic operations management would help the company to develop long term capabilities, which would play a key role in the future direction of the company.While exploring the relevance of Strategic Operations Management, it is equally important to have a look at the four perspectives (Slack et al 2007 p, 69) as follows: Operations strategy might be a top-down or a bottom-up process when considering the business and corporate strategies. Similarly, an operations strategy might be developed in response to market requirements (i. e. market-led) or be based on the capabilities of its operations resources. Fig. 1. task 01 . SOURCE: The four perspectives on operations strategy, OPERATIONS STRATEGY, SLACK AND LEWIS, PEARSON EDUCATION LTD.When analyzing the four perspectives, it would become clear that the ‘Top – down perspective’ would help us to understand the relevance of Strategic Operations manag ement. Top-down Perpective The top-down perspective is the one from where the operations strategy coming from. It is supporting the corporate strategy, business strategy and the functional strategies of an organisation. Now let us take the case of Toyota as a synonym to the proposed world class organisation, so that we will be able to analyse the importance of strategic operations management.While analysing the ‘Top – down Perspective’, we would come across with three levels of strategic decisions in an organisation; At corporate level At business level At functional level Let us get closer to the Toyota Corporation, as we analyse the strategic decisions at corporate level , we find it is related to positioning the Toyota Corporation in the global, economic, political and social environment ( Slack et al 2007, p63). It would help Toyota to make decisions on; ? The types of business that the organisation wants to be in ? The markets that the organisation would lik e to operate ?Allocation of cash between different businesses/SBUs Secondly, the strategic decisions at Business Level would help the individual business units to formulate mission and objectives. It would help the organisation to formulate the business strategy relevant to individual business units operating under the corporate umbrella. Here, business strategy helps the business towards its particular customer, potential markets and competitors. For example when we analyse the Toyota Corporation, we find the following information; The Company operates through three business segments.The Automobile segment is engaged in the design, manufacture and sale of car products, including sedans, minivans, 2BOX cars, sport-utility vehicles and trucks, as well as the related parts and accessories. The Finance segment is involved in the provision of financial services related to the sale of the Company's products, as well as the leasing of vehicles and equipment. The other segment is involved in the design, manufacture and sale of housings, as well as the information and communication business. As of March 31, 2012, the Company had 507 subsidiaries and 212 associated companies (The New York times August 2, 2012).So the strategic operations management holds key for the individual business units in Toyota to adhere to the corporate strategy, and develop missions and objectives concerning the individual business units. Finally, the strategic decisions at Functional level would help different departments or functions at an organisation to organize themselves to support the business strategy. For example, in the case of Toyota Corporation, the operations department, marketing department, product/service development department and others would be directed to adhere to the business objectives.For example, in the case of Toyota Corporation, the emphasis would be given to the management of different departments in the business. Getting closer, we can take the example of Lexus seg ment of Toyota, where functional level strategic decisions would help different departments in Lexus unit to organize themselves to achieve the business objectives. When we analyse the importance of strategic operations management at Toyota, we can simplify the findings as follows; When considering the ‘Top – down perspective’: Toyota management directs or formulates the strategy as what business to do, it is the considered to be at corporate level.The company decides where it wants to be in 10 to 15 years at this stage. For example Toyota at corporate level emphasized the following principles; Toyota Global Vision â€Å"Rewarded with a smile by exceeding your expectations† Toyota will lead the way to the future of mobility, enriching lives around the world with the safest and most responsible ways of moving people. Through our commitment to quality, constant innovation and respect for the planet, we aim to exceed expectations and be rewarded with a smile. We will meet challenging goals by engaging the talent and passion of people, who believe there is always a better way. http://www. toyotaglobal. com/sustainability/csr_initiatives/csr_concepts/policy. html accessed 19th September). Here we find the examples for the corporate level decisions as follows; The emphasis is on the quality The emphasis on innovation The emphasis on building capabilities (HR) Again, at business level we find the following facts at Toyota; the appropriate question at business level is â€Å"How should we compete in the chosen industry or business? † Here Toyota formulates the mission statements for the company, and locates the strategic objectives.Here Toyota emphasizes the performance objectives such as Quality, dependability, flexibility, cost. At the very functional level in Toyota, the emphasis goes to alignment of the particular function to the business objectives, for example the production at Toyota Corporation; Here, the focus of Toyota goes to quality, reduction of waste (JIT), continuous improvement. Further, Hayes and Wheelwright’s four stages of operations contribution would help us to understand how the strategic operations management contributes. According toHayes and Wheelwright there are four stages of operations contribution( Slack et al 2007, p37) as mentioned below; 1. Internal neutrality – at this stage the strategic operation holds the company back from competing effectively, and focus given to avoiding mistakes. 2. External neutrality – at this stage the strategic operation emphasizes on implementing the best practices in the market. 3. Internally supportive – this stage is characterised by building operations resources, and by gaining company’s competitive or strategic goals.From Toyotas’ case, we can find that the company’s operation is striving to build long term capabilities. 4. Externally supportive – the focus on this stage goes to providing fou ndation for the long term competitive success. From the case given, it is becoming evident that the company is keen to build long term competitiveness. (Fig. 2. Task 1. The four-stage model of operations contribution by Hayes and Wheelwright) As a conclusion, we find that Strategic Operations management is quite important to any organisation as in the case of Toyota.It helps an organisation to device competitive strategies, acquire new markets, and respond to customer requirements, development of long – term plan for the organisation, process management and so on. Does it pay to an organisation? Well, it does for example, when, in the late 1990s, Toyota announced their strategic intention to expand capacity and produce more automobiles – in what was already an oversaturated industry – they did so knowing that they had exceptional operations capabilities that would outperform other competitors.By the beginning of 2004, Toyota had indeed fulfilled their promise an d had become the number two car producer in the USA ( Strategic Operations Management, Second edition, Steve Brown, Richard Lamming, John Bessant and Peter Jones, 2005) b) Critical review of Toyota’s strategic operations management activities from manufacturing, product/service and administration perspectives. Stakeholder analysis could be used to illustrate the strategic operations management activities at Toyota. By analysing the stakeholders, we will certainly have an idea about the expectations of different stakeholders. Stakeholders are the people and groups who may be influenced by, or may influence, the operation’s activities† (Slack et al p. 39). We can utilize the ‘Five performance objectives’ from Slack ( Slack et al 2007, p39) to broaden the scope of stakeholder analysis. According to Slack there are five performance objectives for any type of operations as below; Quality Speed Dependability Flexibility Cost ( Slack at el p39). Five perfor mance objectives to Toyota Quality Expectations from stakeholders Quality of product/service, safe vehicles.Type of stakeholder Customer Shareholders Society How Toyota can address? All parts are made to specification All assembly is to specification The product is reliable The productive is attractive and blemish – free Speed Reduced throughput time and waiting time. Customer Shareholders Dependability On time delivery Customer Partners; dealers Flexibility Availability of different models to choose from Customer Suppliers Toyota Cost Lower price and superior performance Customer Toyota ( Slack et al 2007, page 40) Time between dealers requesting a vehicle and receiving the same is kept to minimum.On time deliver of spares to the service centers. ( Slack et al 2007, p40) On – time delivery of vehicles to dealers On – time delivery of spares to service centers. The introduction of new models Mix flexibility Volume flexibility – ability to adjust the numbe r of vehicles manufactured Delivery flexibility ( Slack et al 2007) Reduction of cost in purchasing Reduction in staffing cost Reduction of costs in technology and facilities When analysing the stakeholders of Toyota Corporation, we can find the following; Internal stakeholders: investors/shareholders, employees/managers.External stakeholders: customers, governments, society/community, suppliers/business partners, environmentalists. (http://www. toyota-global. com/sustainability/stakeholders/ accessed 23rd September 2012) 1. Customers According to Toyota the policy statement towards the customers goes like this 1. â€Å"Provide safety and reliable vehicles that inspire enthusiasm at affordable prices. 2. †Listen sincerely to customer voices and continue to reinvent ourselves through sufficient information disclosure and dialogue. † (http://www. toyotaglobal. com/sustainability/stakeholders/ accessed 23rd September 2012)What customer expects? Quality How Toyota addresses ? Matching of the expectation Safety and reliability Toyota emphasizes quality in manufacturing/production, in design, in service and values increasing transparency. For example the focus on doing things right at the first time, explains as how quality matters to Toyota. The company strives to provide the customer with quality products and services. Furthermore, the TQM principle of Toyota allows total quality management through development, procurement, production, to after sale service.Again, the continuous improvement principle also giving insights towards the quality concept. ( http://www. toyotaglobal. com/sustainability/stakeholders/customers/quali ty. html accessed September 25th 2012) By using technologies to avoid the occurrence of accidents, by developing technologies to reduce the amount of damage by collisions, dependable safety management concepts, by providing driving information, by passenger protection, damage mitigation, rescue, accident warnings. (http://www. toyot aglobal. com/sustainability/stakeholders/customers/safet y. html accessed 25th September 2012)Yes At this point, I would disagree to an extent! The engine fault on Lexus model compelled the company to recall the model. (http://www. telegraph. co. uk/mo toring/news/7865157/Toyotaplans-recall-of-Lexus-modelsover-engine-fault. html 25th September 2012) Further the customer reaction to the same could be found in the link below. http://www. consumeraffairs. co m/automotive/toyota_engine. ht ml Opportunity to feedback and receiving of the information. Low price Toyota emphasizes listening to the customer, and giving timely and prompt feedback. ( http://www. toyotaglobal. om/sustainability/stakeholders/customers/quali ty. html accessed September 25th 2012) Reduction of cost throughout the operations process JIT, Inventory control, avoidance of waste every time are few measures that the company adopted towards this idea. On time delivery Various models to choose from 2. Employees Policies t owards the employees depicted in the following sentence. â€Å"Create working environments for various employees to work proudly and with loyalty and confidence in fulfilling their potential, which realize their self-growth† (http://www. toyotaglobal. om/sustainability/stakeholders/employees/ accessed 25th September 2012). Yes Yes Dependabilit y Flexibility What employees expect? Safety & health How Toyota addresses? Matching of the expectation Pride Confidence Creating safe and healthy working environment ( http://www. toyotaglobal. com/sustainability/stakeholders/employees/ accessed 25th September 2012 ) Creating an environment full of vigor and enthusiasm. (http://www. toyotaglobal. com/sustainability/stakeholders/employees/ accessed 25th September 2012 ) Providing stable working environment, and fair working conditions. http://www. toyotaglobal. com/sustainability/stakeholders/employees/ accessed 25th September 2012 ) Yes Yes Not really! The recent lay off in Australia co uld contradict this statement. ( http://www. abc. net. au/new s/2012-04-17/toyotas- Equality in all aspects Opportunit y Creating harmonious, dynamic working conditions at Toyota. (http://www. toyotaglobal. com/sustainability/stakeholders/employees/ accessed 25th September 2012 ) Development of HR (http://www. toyotaglobal. com/sustainability/stakeholders/employees/ accessed 25th September 2012 ) ayoffs-necessarymontgomery/3956820 accessed 25 September 2012) Yes Yes 3. Business partners Toyota’s policy towards the business partners, that includes the suppliers goes as follows; â€Å"Contribute for economic development of local communities with open stance to new suppliers and dealers and through sustainable growth based on mutually beneficial business relationships with dealers/distributors and suppliers† (http://www. toyotaglobal. com/sustainability/stakeholders/partners/ accessed September 25th 2012) . What business partners expect? Equal opportunity How Toyota addre sses?Toyota keen to give equal opportunities for the suppliers around the world, supplier CSR guidelines and openness. Openness policy What matters to Toyota? Quality, low price. Contribution to local economic vitality through localization: good corporate citizenship. Fairness in receiving information Long term procurement fair competition based on Quality, equal opportunity, an open-door policy low price Stable relationship mutual benefit based on Mutual benefits mutual trust Trust Unified cooperation with Trust partners. http://www. toyota-global. com/sustainability/stakeholders/partners/#policy accessed 25th September 2012 4.Global society and local communities The Toyota policy in this regard is mentioned below; â€Å"Reduce environmental burdens through lifecycle by developing various eco-friendly vehicles and technologies and making them prevail†. Be aware of responsibilities of developing and producing vehicles and contribute for realization of new mobility society fre e from traffic accidents and congestion. As a good corporate citizen, respect the culture and customs of every nation and contribute to social development. http://www. toyota-global. com/sustainability/stakeholders/society/environment. html accessed 25th September 2012) .What Society/ community expects? Eco – friendly vehicles CO2 reduction How Toyota addresses? Development of eco-friendly models. Conserve energy and reduce the amount of CO2 in production/manufacturing, distribution and sales. Emphasis on re-cycling based utilization of resources. Boost monozukuri with nature What matters to Toyota? Preservation of the nature Protection and safety of the nature Conservation of resources Environmentally friendly manufacturing Safer mobility Preservation of resources. Provide eco-mobiles Production of safe and Safety people and environmental friendly preservation of the vehicles nature.Comfortable and carbon Providing eco-friendly designs, free mobility innovative designs for c omfort. Innovation in life style Innovation in style by http://www. toyota-global. com/sustainability/stakeholders/society/mobility. html accessed 25th September 2012 ) Social welfare Social welfare programs Jobs Creation and opportunity for employment. Infrastructure Infrastructure development activities. Traffic safety Education and training http://www. toyota-global. com/sustainability/stakeholders/society/contribution. html accessed 25th September 2012 http://www. toyota-global. com/sustainability/stakeholders/society/environment. tml accessed 25th September 2012. 5. Shareholders The polices towards the shareholders are explained as follows; â€Å"Ensure sustainable growth by fostering the virtuous circle, Always better cars† Enriching lives of communities, Stable base of business. â€Å"Global Vision for Those We Serve† ( http://www. toyota-global. com/sustainability/stakeholders/ accessed 25th September 2012) What shareholders How Toyota addresses? What matters t o Toyota? expects? ROI Sustainable profitability Sustainable profitability. and cost reduction. Done through regional strategy, business strategy and product strategy.Respect for the agreements Honor the law Foster visionary management style Dividends and shares Dividends based on investment plans, business results, cash revenues http://www. toyota-global. com/sustainability/stakeholders/shareholders/ accessed 25th September 2012 6. Governments Toyota’s policy towards local, national and international governing bodies expressed in the following statement; â€Å" We comply with local, national and international laws and regulations as well as the spirit thereof and we conduct our business operations with honesty and integrity† ( http://www. oyotaglobal. com/sustainability/csr_initiatives/csr_concepts/policy. html accessed 25th September 2012). What Governments expect? How Toyota addresses? Compliance to law Comply laws at local, national and global levels. CSR policies http://www. toyota-global. com/sustainability/csr_initiatives/csr_concepts/policy. html accessed 25th September 2012 7. Environmentalists – Toyota explains this in in sustainable mobility (http://www. toyota. com/about/environment/ accessed 25th September 2012) What environmentalists expect?Clean mobility Preservation of natural resources How Toyota addresses? Eco-friendly designs Reduced use of resources, and promotion of eco-friendly designs and fuel efficient vehicles and technologies. http://www. toyota. com/about/environment/ accessed 25th September 2012 Globalization also plays an important role in strategic operations management activities (Slack et al 2007). Globalization is characterised by the extension of operations supply chain to cover the whole world (Slack et al p680).It is becoming clear that the world is becoming a small place to do business, here enormous opportunities lie, so do the threats or challenges (slack et al 2007). For example the advent of interne t technologies paved the way for new business models. Here, the availability of a website making you an international player. Let us take the case of Toyota, where e-procurement would revolutionalises the entire process and contributes to cost reduction, and quality control. The most important point to note is that, the real competition between supply chains and, the business networks, and it is not between various companies.Let us evaluate as how globalization poises the challenges and opportunities to Toyota in a brief; ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Global markets; Global competition and global focus Competitors, partners & customers from around the world Global sourcing- Global presence Global value chains – increasing complexity & competition Global access to knowledge & new technologies High level of customer awareness & expectations Accelerating pace of technological change Rapid pace of product commoditization Innovation & mastery of global value chains are preconditions for busin ess successAs the world is the market for Toyota, the following points becoming important in manufacturing, product/service and administration; Product/service perspective 1. Global design – because of the global market focus, Toyota has to emphasize the design patterns matching the appetite and attitude of global customers. Here strategic operations management has to give importance to transferability of product/service. (Slack et al 2007 p 681). 2. Flexibility – due to this factor the necessity for wide range of options becomes important.Here, the R& D department has to work closely with the emerging design preferences to match the expectations. 3. As Toyota (corporate level) defines the operations strategy, operations managers must pay attention to the five performance objectives found at the business level of strategy, in order to efficiently deliver the company’s products, or services to the market and maximize the profitability. 4. Harmonious relationship with partners such as suppliers, dealer’s e. t. c becomes important. 5. Toyota’s hybrid car initiative can be considered at this juncture. In manufacturing perspective 1.Globalization requires international quality standards from Toyota; it forces the strategic operations management of Toyota to emphasize the quality factor in every product. We can find the TQM, TPM e. t. c as a result of this focus (http://www. toyotaglobal. com/company/vision_philosophy/guiding_principles. html accessed 25th September 2012 ) 2. Cost reduction – this is another challenge to the Toyota Corporation; globalization is facilitating hundreds of automobile manufactures to compete in the international arena, here lower price, and higher quality pays off.Better supplier/partner relationships, total reduction of waste, inventory control are a few commendable practices put forth by the company. 3. Continuous improvement is another feature of Toyota’s operations management. 4. Flexi bility and dependability is another focus in the manufacturing arena. 5. Layouts of facilities need to be taken into consideration, because it is related to the culture of particular region. 6. Process technology development is another factor for the strategic operations management to consider. Here availability of skills, serviceability and maintenance options e. t. to be taken into consideration ( Slack et al 2007 p681) 7. Capacity planning and control is another area to explore. Here Toyota explore JIT technique. 8. Inventory planning and control is the other area affected by the globalization. Toyota innovated inventory reduction techniques to cope with the challenge. 3. Administrative perspectives 1. Respect towards different cultures and beliefs holds the key here. Toyota’s respect policy is focused towards this aspect. 2. Job design is an area coming under the theme. Here cost of labour, skill availability, cultural impacts etc. to be taken into consideration. 3.Anothe r vulnerable area is business itself, here proper business recovery plans to be in place. 4. Better supplier management is another important factor, which will contribute to quality, and cost reduction. 5. Environmentally sensitive operation is another challenge to tackle. 6. Knowledge management is another area to focus. As the world becomes a global village to do business, the problems would escalate with the new competitors, new products, low pricing, better quality. At this stage, Toyota has to emphasis on continuous improvement principle to avoid the mishaps – the recalling of the product and associated amage to the brand, loss of revenue etc. Task 02 Critical assessment of Toyota’s global capability and evidence of competitive advantage in their product and services. The organizational capability of a firm can be found evenly throughout the entire organization, and it is the same case when it comes to Toyota Corporation. A firm’s organizational capability as a source of its profitability may be disproportionately found in its manufacturing functions such as factories, technical centers, and purchasing organizations. We may call it manufacturing capability (i. e. , organizational capability in manufacturing).Toyota’s half-century stream of profitable years is often attributed, to its manufacturing capability, including that of the Toyota Production System (Monden, 1983, 1993; Womack et al. , 1990; Fujimoto, 1998, 1999). Toyota’s global capability lies in the development of long term capabilities, effective utilization of resources, sincerity towards the waste reduction, Toyota production system, JIT, continuous improvement, customer focus, enhanced supplier networks, emphasis on quality, customization, Toyota’s inbound logistics management controls the inventory control and so on( www. toyota. om a brief over view, accessed 24th, 25th September 2012). In the case of Toyota developing key human resource, and foster ing the development of key capabilities could be figured out. As we analyse the Toyota corporation, it is becoming clear that the organisation is keen to develop right resources for the company (https://www. toyota- global. com/sustainability/report/sr/pdf/sustainability_report11_se. pdf accessed 25th September 2012). At Toyota the corporate level strategy directs the organisation to long term objectives. For example the emphases for quality, innovation, reduction waste, continuous improvement e. . c originate from this point. But, often corporate level strategies are characterised by inflexibility and bureaucracy, because it is derived from the corporate level. At business level Toyota Corporation emphasizes the individual business objectives such as quality, cost, flexibility and dependability. Here the individual business units of Toyota (for example Lexus), should align the strategies according to the corporate objectives. Finally, the functional level strategies are concerned a bout adopting the steps necessary for achieving the business objectives. At this level, the articular function for example manufacturing; has to follow the objectives set forth by the business. It is time for us to evaluate the competitive advantages, based on the five performance objectives; (Slack et al 2007, p 39) 1. Quality 2. Speed 3. Dependability 4. Flexibility 5. Cost Performance objectives Quality – conformance to customer expectations ( slack et al 2007, p40) Competitive factor High quality How it creates competitive advantage for Toyota Toyota emphasizes the quality throughout the operation. A good example to support this statement is the Lexus series vehicles.It starts from the design, procurement, production, delivery and service. It reduces the cost by reducing the re-works, lessens the confusion (Slack et al 2007). It increases the dependability, and efficiency ( slack et al 2007) Speed – the elapsed time between, a customer requesting products/services and the delivery of the same kept to minimum ( Slack et al 2007, p42) Dependability – it means the customers receive goods and services exactly when they are needed. ( Slack et al, 2007, p 44) Fast delivery Reliable delivery Flexibility – ability to change operations in Wide range of some way. roducts Production flexibility – ability to produce new models. Mix flexibility – ability to produce wide range of products and services Volume flexibility – the operation’s ability to change its level of output Delivery flexibility – the operation’s ability change the timing of the delivery of its products and services. ( Slack et al 2007, p 46) Cost – it is about competing on price. Low price ( slack et al 2007) Still, the effort should be given for consistent conformance ( Slack at el 2007), recent years problems in Lexus, Reiz, High Lander ( Global business review 2012) spells doubts in the quality focus of Toyota.Toyotaâ€℠¢s JIT principles, inventory control and inbound logistics management emphasizes this aspect. It facilitates speedy decision making. It reduces inventories. It reduces the risks ( slack 2007) Toyotas JIT systems and planning and control systems would help the company to achieve the same. It increases the efficiency in the operation, saves the time, money and gives stability to the company. ( Slack et al 2007) At Toyota the flexibility holds the key with other performance objectives. Here the R & D division pays attention to designing the different models suited for different markets and consumers.Again, the production process is capable of adjusting the volume. Finally the ability of Toyota in terms of rescheduling the manufacturing priorities. It would help the organisation to become agile, maintains dependability, and saves time. ( Slack et al 2007, p 47) At Toyota is one of the performance objectives. Automobile industry is characterised by the stiff price wars, and here cost red uction would help the company to achieve low price. Toyota is one of the pioneers in competing in price with various models. It improves efficiency.But, here one point to consider the imitability of capabilities – other companies such as KIA poises stiff competition to Toyota with flexibility and price. Finally, as we focus on analysing the performance objectives of Toyota, we find the following; Quality Cost Speed Flexibility This is illustrated by way of a polar diagram here; It is critically important, that the companies examine the market to determine the needs and minimum requirements of customers; we can also refer to as order winning and qualifying factors.As discussed by Slacks, Chambers and Johnston (2007) â€Å"order qualifiers are those aspects of competitiveness where the operation’s performance has to be above a particular level to be considered by the customer. † Slacks, Chambers and Johnston (2007) also describe order winners as â€Å"the competi tive factors that directly and significantly contribute to winning business. † It is useful to consider the points put forward by Terry Hill, professor at the London Business School, (1985), such as order winning factors and satisfying factors, less important factors. For Toyota Corporation the order winning factors include; ? Quality ? Design ?Dependability Satisfying factors ? Cost ? Range ( flexibility) Fig 4. Task 2 Terry Hill Order wining factors, qualifying factors, less important factors. Here we can easily come to a conclusion that for different customers, these factors would vary. For example the take case of Lexus vehicles from Toyota, here the order winning factors would certainly be the style, design, high quality, performance, and qualifying factors will be price or any other. The case would be other way around when we consider the Innova model. Task 03 Critical review of Toyota’s use of operations strategy to increase their overall effectiveness and compet itiveness.While analysing the activities from manufacturing, product/ service perspective, it is important to bear in mind the Top – down perspective of operations strategy. According to Slack et al 2007) The Top – down perspective consists of three levels of strategy; Corporate level Business level Functional level It is further related to matters such as; What type of business the organisations to be in? Cash flow management Management of SBUs (strategic business units) At Toyota the corporate level strategy directs the organisation to long term objectives. For example the emphases for quality, innovation, reduction waste, continuous improvement e. . c originate from this point. But, often corporate level strategies are characterised by inflexibility and bureaucracy, because it is derived from the corporate level. At business level Toyota Corporation emphasizes the individual business objectives such as quality, cost, flexibility and dependability. Here the individua l business units of Toyota (for example Lexus), should align the strategies according to the corporate objectives. Finally, the functional level strategies are concerned about adopting the steps necessary for achieving the business objectives.At this level, the particular function for example manufacturing; has to follow the objectives set forth by the business, in the case of Toyota; Quality Innovation Cost Flexibility Dependability You will find the TQM, Kanban, JIT techniques used by Toyota as a result of this emphasis. Again, when it comes to the product/service segment; Innovation (flexibility) Quality Customer focus Finally, at administrative perspective; Sustainable Location decisions Long term Capacity management efforts Continuous Resource development focus Long term Supplier relations e. t. c can easily identified.The bottom – up perspective, of strategic operations provides flexibility to Toyota Corporation. Here, day –to-day experience from the bottom line is taken into consideration while formulating the strategy. When we analyse the Toyota Corporation, it is easy to understand the customer focus is a result of this perspective. Task 3 – 30 Marks Critical review of Toyota’s use of operations strategy to increase their overall effectiveness and Competitiveness. It will definitely be useful to regard the Top down perspective ( Slack et al 2007), while analysing the operations strategy at Toyota.At Toyota, the corporate level strategy directs the organisation to long term objectives. For example the emphases for quality, innovation, reduction waste, continuous improvement e. t. c originate from this point. But, often corporate level strategies are characterised by inflexibility and bureaucracy, because it is derived from the corporate level. At business level Toyota Corporation emphasizes the individual business objectives such as quality, cost, flexibility and dependability. Here the individual business units of Toyota (f or example Lexus), should align the strategies according to the corporate objectives.Finally, the functional level strategies are concerned about adopting the steps necessary for achieving the business objectives. At this level, the particular function for example manufacturing; has to follow the objectives set forth by the business, in the case of Toyota; Quality Innovation Cost Flexibility Dependability You will find the TQM, Kanban, JIT techniques used by Toyota as a result of this emphasis. Again, when it comes to the product/service segment; Innovation (flexibility) Quality Customer focus Finally, at administrative perspective; Sustainable Location decisions Long term Capacity management effortsContinuous Resource development focus Long term Supplier relations e. t. c can easily identified. It is equally important to manage the second – tier and first –tier suppliers as Toyota expands globally. Here, main advantage comes from the closer relationship with the suppl iers ( Slack et al 2007). As the next step, we will have to analyse the Product life cycle influence on the performance objectives of Toyota ( Slack et al 2007), and this would help us to understand the competitiveness and effectiveness of Toyota’s operations strategy at various stage in the cycle. fig. 05, task 3 Source adapted from slack et al 2007, p72. Students, kindly draw one PLC based on my explanation below, and you can focus on page 72 for an idea) First of all we will have to understand the product/service ranges of Toyota here; Toyota automobiles, Engineering, FA, Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), communication, financial activities, semiconductors and biotechnology, Marine and aerospace ( http://www. toyotaglobal. com/company/profile/non_automotive_business/new_business_enterprises/the_origin_and_ development_of_New_business_enterprises. tml accessed 28th September 2012) In a product/service life cycle model, we will come across with 4 different stages here; In troduction stage, growth stage, maturity stage, decline stage (slack et al 2007 p 72). 1. Introduction stage At introduction stage a company offers something new in design or performance, and here the competitors will be few in the market. Here it is important to develop flexibility to adapt to the changes in the market ( Slack et al 2007).When it comes to Toyota Automobiles, the company has designed some great models; Lexus, Pirus, Innova , corolla, Land cruiser, Fortuner, and in bus category models such as coaster, Hiace, and in truck category vehicles such as Dyna (http://www. toyotaglobal. com/showroom/vehicle_gallery/ accessed 28th September 2012). At the introduction stage the customer for Toyota would always be innovators, who are keen to try to new design, models and features. Here competitors would be less, but in the case of Toyota they are compelled to compete with giants such as Mercedes, GM, and lately with Honda, KIA,Nissan etc.At introduction stage the order winning f actors will definitely be design, and the qualifying factors will be quality, range or flexibility. Here Toyota focuses on flexibility, quality and design. It will be useful to make an analysis with the latest Hybrid vehicles from Toyota. At the introduction stage this model was innovative and met with few competitors. Here, it is important to consider the other products such as Toyota finance service, biotechnology, communication, technology segment, engineering etc. and they all go through the same process. . Growth stage The second stage is characterised by the increasing volume of sales, increasing number of competitors (Slack et al 2007). The key focus at this stage will always be keeping up with the demand expectations and ensuring the quality ( slack et al 2007). When it comes to Toyota products and services, this stage is going to be faced with competitors, and here Toyota should emphasis the quality and demand. Toyota customers at this stage would be the ones who likes to c opy the new style and quality, and the competitors will start to increase.At this stage the order winning factors will be dependability ( ability to deliver according to the demand), and the satisfying factors will be the price, and flexibility). A good example to see how Toyota adopted this practice is to look at the range of Sedan models of Lexus; IS,ES, GS, LS (http://www. lexus. com/models/allVehicles/ accessed 28th September 2012) , where Toyota is trying to offer the range options for the customers to control the market. Here the main performance objectives for Toyota will be speed, dependability of product/service and the quality of vehicles.Let us take the case of Pirus model as the model came into the market, we have seen the competitors chipping into the market such as GM, Mercedes etc. But, the quality and the ability to support the demand was the key for Toyota. Again, Toyota was clever enough to offer range of vehicles attracting different market segments. 3. Maturity s tage Leveling of the demand is a noticeable factor at this stage. Here you would find that some of the competitors would withdraw from the competition due to the stiff competition.And here only the bigger players would remain in the market. And the focus for companies will be in reduction of cost and reducing the price and allowing the profits. So, the operations will have to face with cost, production, supply issues ( Slack et al 2007). In the case of Toyota you can see the products such as Sedan entered into this stage. Here the company customers will be primarily mass market, and competitors almost established in the market. It is obvious that the order winning factors will be low price and dependability of supply.Various models in Sedan range is an attempt to make flexibility happen in the market. Flexibility (or availability of different models), and quality will be qualifying factors. Here Toyota focuses on cost reduction, and dependability, expansion of market to increase the profitability. 4. Decline stage Decline stage has got few characteristics as follows; ? ? ? ? Sales decline Withdrawal of more competitors Price competition Cost focus ( Slack et al 2007) Here, customers will be late adapters (people who follow new style quite late).For Toyota, the number of competitors will be less at this stage. Here, price war start to happen and the low price will be the order winning factors, and qualifying factors will be dependability of supply. Of course at this stage, Toyota would focus on cost objective. An analysis on Toyota’s products/services in Product/Service Life cycle Let us start with the case of Automobiles from Toyota in the first case. Here, we find that Lexus models are at maturity stage, and that’s the reason for Toyota’s efforts to bring range of vehicles in Lexus series.You can find Sedan, SUVs, Hybrid ranges in the section (http://www. lexus. com/models/allVehicles/ accessed 28th September 2012). It was the same case w ith Corolla and we have seen that as it reached the maturity stage, Toyota R & D was successful in developing Atlis, Camry models to follow. Further Toyota was mindful about the main competitors such as; GM Ford Honda Let us take the case of Bus models from Toyota; we can find it clear that the company emphasizes on range as the product enters into the maturity stage.As for Toyota Camry it is in the growth stage, by making volume, and market share. It is also important to have a look at the Toyota Qualis model which had gone to the decline stage, and it was replaced by the Innova, but the competitor Chevrolet came up with Tavera. Again the notable thing is the introduction of Hybrid vehicles from Toyota, this move is in its introduction stage, and we also find the competitors slowly entering into the same arena, however Toyota emphasizes quality and design to exceed the expectations.Now let us have a reflection on various other products and services that Toyota got to offer; For exa mple the latest move of Toyota to enter into finance and technology segment is a move from Toyota to develop capabilities, and range in product/service area. For example the financial segment of Toyota is in the introduction stage and so do the biotechnology and communication businesses. Here Toyota must emphasis the quality and dependability features to lead the market.As we get closer we can find that the Toyota engineering segment is entered into the growth segment, where the focus is paid to quality, R to survive the competition. It is also important to look at the competition in the automobile industry. Many models from Toyota facing stiff competition from players such as Chevrolet, KIA, Hyundai who compete in price and quality. While analysing the product life cycle of Toyota we would come across with the areas that they have to concern about.For example the Quality objective of Toyota got into real trouble with the engine problems identified in Sedan models, which eventually led to the recalling of thousands of cars. Here, Toyota must focus more about avoiding such big mistakes, it is not just the matter of re-work, but it affects the market leadership. Again the other area to think about is the competitiveness of Toyota in terms of innovation, Toyota was a leader in innovation from the beginning, however the recent growth of ompetitors making Toyota a follower at times, instead of a leader. Here Toyota R & D section should pay attention to. Again, another factor that Toyota can think about the market oriented product development, for example the growing markets in China, India and Brazil requires particular attention, here low price, quality, flexibility matters. So, Toyota has to think about adjusting supplier networks or think about vertical integration strategies ( getting control over the supply chain by taking the control of suppliers).For example countries like China, India has got great potential, but both of them having indigenous cars in the market, here Toyota should think about alliances or partnerships to enter the market. And it would help the company to focus on low price. It is also important and possible to look at from the efficient frontier view ( Slack et al 2007), Frontier approach would help Toyota to position the main performance objectives in such a way to achieve the effectiveness in operation. When we take the case of Toyota, the variety factor is a concern for the organisation.Here due to the high variety the cost becomes higher, and the only way to tackle these problems is to concentrate on limiting variety, by innovation of sustainable products, increasing product life in the life cycle period of a product, positioning of product at various stages in the life cycle etc. when it comes to Toyota what matters the most is consider the quality, cost and variety features in such a way to increase the efficiency of production. ( fig 06, task 3, adapted from Slack et al 2007 p 78) It is also possible to draw attention to the competitive factors by way of looking at the competitors actions.This would give us an idea about the competencies of Toyota, and would help us to understand the key areas for improvement. Strategic Advantages of Toyota 1. Kanban System ( www. toyota. com )- Toyota’s strategic factor that differentiate them from other automobile manufacturers, is their production process. The JIT method has proven to be effective and efficient at saving costs for Toyota, therefore can charge less for their products. So, it would give them a competitive advantage over other auto manufacturers. Only when the parts are needed, do the suppliers provide the parts due to an integrated supply chain system.Lean manufacturing also cuts down on storage costs and increases inventory turnover and speeds -up production. Toyota is about effectively using resources to maximize their production and maximize elimination of unwanted costs. 2. Organizing Suppliers It is an understanding from To yota, that to have an efficient manufacturing system, there needs to be strong relationships with suppliers. Suppliers are integral part of the Kanban System, so it is vital to have close relationships with them to keep them up to date on new changes. They have a strong integration verses most automotive company’s vertical integration.Horizontal integration merges competitors to gain a competitive advantage with large organizations. Toyota found that horizontal merge proves to be cost effective, risk reducing, and increase benefits (Hill, Charles W. L. ). Understanding the importance of good relationships with suppliers, Toyota sought out to assist with management, help engineering expertise, and even offered to finance potential investments (Hill,Charles W. L. ). Toyota strives for the best and only goes after the best suppliers of Japan and now the United States (Vaghefi, M. Reza). Strengths: Cultural Advantages 3.Loyalty It is important to appreciate the cultural advantage s. One of the cultural advantages is respect for hierarchy authority. Japan is much more devoted to groups then to individuals. Toyota reflects this in their employee’s devotion to the company and the constant desire to improve it. One of their fundamental beliefs is that every employee deserves respect (The Toyota vision). The decision making process is much quicker and implemented quicker due to this respect for hierarchy authority. This is one of Toyota’s strongest competitive advantages; they believe in empowering every employee to be innovative (Vaghefi, M.Reza). 4. Continuous Improvement Coming from a culture that highly values pride in products, Toyota continues to work for improving the quality of the product, the manufacturing system, or relationships between suppliers. Toyota was built on the belief of continuous learning therefore this inspires continuous improvement. Specifically, Toyota makes their employee teams figure out what the problem. The employees are more educated on the product now and can be more attentive to look for similar defects (Hill, Charles W. L. ). Another way Toyota is improving their internal structure was through organization.By organizing workforce into teams that perform similar tasks and grouping those teams into areas with similar tasks teams, Toyota’s manufacturing system can be more efficient. 5. Absolute Cost Advantages Because of their just in time system, Toyota has been able to significantly reduce costs and therefore have increase their profits more. Customer Switching costs Cars are liquidity assets and switching from one company to another can be easy. All customers have the opportunity to but whatever brand they desire, but once stuck with that vehicle, they are not as easy to dispose of the Rivalry among Establish Companies.During the present times, competition between major automobile companies is intense. Between the large automobile companies in the States, competition continues to incr ease especially in tough economic times. Toyota has succeeded in narrowing the sales gap betweenFord and GM. Now Toyota holds 18. 4% of the market share of passenger cars while Ford holdsto 15. 4% and GM is 19. 3% ( Auto market review 2010) 6. Industry Competitive Structure Toyota competes in a consolidated industry in that there are few but powerful companies competing with them.Consolidated companies are interwoven in their market because what one company does can have direct impact on a competitor. For Toyota, bringing in the just-in-time method has transformed how Ford and GM assemble their products. Weaknesses of Toyota 1. JIT SYSTEM OF TOYOTA Though the Kanban or the JIT system has proven to be a competitive advantage for Toyota, it can be a weakness as well. The JIT system is so interdependent, that a single problem with one supplier affects the whole system. The one supplier that does not provide the quality supplies to Toyota will halt the rest of production till the issue has been resolved.Between unions, strikes, and product quality malfunction, Toyota is relying on every supplier to be on time with the best quality of products. Too much dependency can trickle down to parts of the manufacturing lines if the suppliers do not provide. Economics of Scale 2. Exit Barriers Automobile industries create high exit barriers since so much investment is needed to get an automobile organization started and maintained 3. Slower expansion to the growing markets As you analyse the expansion structure of Toyota, we would come across the fact that, Toyota is slow to expand to the market. This is one of the areas that require attention. . Increasing recall of vehicles Though Toyota Production System is hailed for the quality, the recent reports of ( 2010), recalling of cars proved to be damaging to the company. Task 4 – 10 Marks Relevant conclusions and recommendations. I would like to approach the conclusions/ recommendations by way of a SWOT analysis. Fig. 0 7 SWOT Analysis based on the Toyota performance Or You can use this Strengths of Toyota ? Toyota has a strong global presence, operating in more than 170 countries worldwide. Toyota has an excellent market penetration in key markets (US, China, and EMEA) and is now the world’s largest car manufacturer. Build your Toyota is a great innovation in the minds of customers, which helps them to customize the model of their choice (http://www. shopatgst. com/gstbuildyourtoyota/default. aspx? zip_code=70000 =null accessed 28th September 2012) ? Toyota is the world’s leading car manufacturer in terms of output and sales and is part of the â€Å"Toyota Group†, one of the world’s largest conglomerates. This puts Toyota in a vanguard position in terms of financial and investment opportunities as well as growth strategies (Toyota, 2009). Toyota is well known for its quality, reliability, durability, innovativeness, and value for money as well as its environmentally saf e technologies. The company’s milestone is the Toyota Prius, the world’s bestselling hybrid car. The Prius is the first mass-produced hybrid car in the world and sold over two million units worldwide in 2010. ? The company operates on principles of continuous Improvement and respect for all (Liker, 2004). ? Toyota has a very strong presence in North America and Europe. It’s presence in Europe is strengthened by the formation of the Toyota Team Europe.In the US, the company enjoys about 16 per cent market share—it is second to GM in terms of volume. ? Toyota has developed strong marketing and distribution strategies focused on meeting the demands of diverse segments. This is supported by high quality customer service and close engagement with customers. ? The company is an industry leader in manufacturing and production. Toyota minimizes costs and maximizes profit through efficient production approaches such as the lean manufacturing (Total Quality Managem ent) and Just in Time. The company is also a first mover in automobile research and development (Krause et al. 2007). Toyota’s Weakness ? The company has suffered negative publicity due to a significantly high number of recalls (Hitokoto, 2010, May 13). From the fourth quarter of 2009 to the 1st quarter of 2010, the company recalled more than 8 million vehicles globally; this even led to temporary halting of production. ? Toyota has also been highly criticized for its heavy reliance on imports for inputs by Japanese car makers. ? The company suffered badly during the 2008 financial crisis and was forced to declare losses—the first annual loss in seven decades.In May, 2009, TMC reported a net loss of $4. 2 billion (Hitokoto, 2010). ? Another weakness is that the company heavily depends on Japan and the United States as its primary markets. The company’s profits dropped by 20. 6% in Japan over the fiscal year of 2009, sending a red signal since the Japanese market comprise of 67. 3% of their total revenue. Opportunities for Toyota ? With rising oil prices, the company can take advantage of its continuous Innovation, particularly the manufacturing of green cars such as the Prius model to increase sales. Investment in advanced technologies and R activity will enhance the widening of product portfolio that meets the diverse needs of consumers seeking alternative sources of fuels away from fuel guzzlers. ? Innovation will help the company to produce cars which have greater performance and less damage on the environment. ? The company’s joint ventures in Europe, specifically, its partnerships with French automakers (Peugeot and Citroen) offer a number of key opportunities for Toyota to expand its production and supply in France. Toyota has the opportunity to develop new cars which fit the social and institutional requirements and needs. Fuel efficient, high quality and environmentally friendly vehicles can be attractive to consumers. The H ybrid technology was revamped in 2005 (Sanna, 2005). ? The company can continue with its global expansion—in particular in China and India, Russia. In these emerging markets, population and demand is accelerating due to rising qualities of life. Governments of India and China reduced automobile taxes so as to promote sales and curb declining sales. Toyota can diversify its engineering efforts into niches like power equipment, and other electrical and non-electrical machinery. Threats for Toyota ? Toyota is increasingly experiencing market and brand saturation and increased competition, cutthroat promotional campaigns from competitors. ? Unfavorable economic conditions such as shifts in the exchange rates have left Toyota struggling with low profits and increasing costs of raw materials. ? Predictions of economic downturn e. g. ecession, will negatively affect car purchases (especially the purchase of new cars). Household budgets are likely to tighten—leading to a decli ne in new car sales and potential validation of dealerships. ? Demographics are changing, for example, family sizes are decreasing—this undermines the demand for large family cars. ? Consumers are also changing Car usage; families are decreasing the usage of cars to take children to school, business are decreasing usage of car transport (by adopting information technologies such