The Role of the Operating Manager in Information Systems Essay

The Role of the Operating Manager in Information Systems - Essay Example However, the system transformation process is not easy as an entire department that utilized the system is grounded to a halt, which means dealing with inconveniences of managing the functions manually (Khosrow-Pour, 2001). The main issue is in how to attain effective Information Technology Management within MSCC while sufficiently anticipating challenges and their solutions to guarantee business continuity and employees’ productivity. During the 1900, Midsouth focused on transportation systems and legislative decisions caused many communities to lack access to reliable transportation, halting the economic and business development. However, by 1930s, the charter included additional issues, thus transforming into an aggressive commercial advocacy firm by 1990s. These changes were accompanied by company growth in terms of human resources and profitability changed by 2000 to reflect a downfall in the annual budget by $250,000 and a membership of about 2,300. The main contributors included the internet bubble, loss of regional manufactures, and the economic downtime back then. Although, MSCC did not lose its position as a powerful business advocacy firm in 2000, the company’s management experienced the challenge of inability to fund annual operational business in line with the company’s aggressive growth. Lassiter, the Vice President in 2000 experienced a serious dilemma of staff and program retrenchment for an effective sales and marketing team, thus translating into less aggressively grown revenue in the firm. As an information Technology professional, Lassiter proactively sought for the solutions to the IS challenges that included misaligned marketing and sales support functions, restricted capacity of the current information system, and the arising concerns over security given that each staff member lacked access to data required for the operation of MSCC activities for sales and marketing. At MSCC, information technology is

American football and Initial Velocity Essay Example for Free

American football and Initial Velocity Essay 1. A stone is thrown horizontally at a speed of from the edge of a cliff in height. How far from the base of the cliff will the stone strike the ground? 2. A toy truck moves off the edge of a table that is high and lands from the base of the table. a. How much time passed between the moment the car left the table and the moment it hit the floor? b. What was the horizontal velocity of the car when it hit the ground? 3. A hawk in level flight above the ground drops the fish it caught. If the hawk’s horizontal speed is , how far ahead of the drop point will the fish land? 4. A pistol is fired horizontally toward a target away, but at the same height. The bullet’s velocity is . How long does it take the bullet to get to the target? How far below the target does the bullet hit? 5. A bird, traveling at , wants to hit a waiter below with his dropping (see image). In order to hit the waiter, the bird must release his dropping some distance before he is directly overhead. What is this distance? 6. Joe Nedney of the San Francisco 49ers kicked a field goal with an initial velocity of at an angle of . a. How long is the ball in the air? Hint: you may assume that the ball lands at same height as it starts at. b. What are the range and maximum height of the ball? 7. A racquetball thrown from the ground at an angle of and with a speed of lands exactly later on the top of a nearby building. Calculate the horizontal distance it traveled and the height of the building. 8. Donovan McNabb throws a football. He throws it with an initial velocity of at an angle of . How much time passes until the ball travels horizontally? What is the height of the ball after seconds? (Assume that, when thrown, the ball is above the ground. ) 9. Pablo Sandoval throws a baseball with a horizontal component of velocity of . After seconds, the ball is above the release point. Calculate the horizontal distance it has traveled by this time, its initial vertical component of velocity, and its initial angle of projection. Also, is the ball on the way up or the way down at this moment in time? 10. Barry Bonds hits a home run that lands in the stands at an altitude above its starting altitude. Assuming that the ball left the bat at an angle of from the horizontal, calculate how long the ball was in the air. 11. A golfer can drive a ball with an initial speed of . If the tee and the green are separated by , but are on the same level, at what angle should the ball be driven? (Hint: you should use at some point. ) 12. How long will it take a bullet fired from a cliff at an initial velocity of , at an angle below the horizontal, to reach the ground below? 13. A diver in Hawaii is jumping off a cliff high, but she notices that there is an outcropping of rocks out at the base. So, she must clear a horizontal distance of during the dive in order to survive. Assuming the diver jumps horizontally, what is his/her minimum push-off speed? 14. If Monte Ellis can jump high on Earth, how high can he jump on the moon assuming same initial velocity that he had on Earth (where gravity is that of Earth’s gravity)? 15. James Bond is trying to jump from a helicopter into a speeding Corvette to capture the bad guy. The car is going and the helicopter is flying completely horizontally at . The helicopter is above the car and behind the car. How long must James Bond wait to jump in order to safely make it into the car? 16. A field goal kicker lines up to kick a yard field goal. He kicks it with an initial velocity of at an angle of . The field goal posts are meters high. a. Does he make the field goal? b. What is the ball’s velocity and direction of motion just as it reaches the field goal post (i. e. , after it has traveled in the horizontal direction)? 17. In a football game a punter kicks the ball a horizontal distance of yards . On TV, they track the hang time, which reads seconds. From this information, calculate the angle and speed at which the ball was kicked. (Note for non-football watchers: the projectile starts and lands at the same height. It goes yards horizontally in a time of seconds) Answers to Selected Problems 1. 2. a. b. 3. 4. below target 5. . 6. a. . b. 7. 8. seconds, meters 9. ; on the way up 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. seconds 16. a. yes b. @ degrees from horizontal 17. @ degrees.

To the Marketing Manager :: Business and Management Studies

To the Marketing Manager Introduction The pet food market has experienced steady growth for years and despite a slight decline in pet ownership, pet food sales have increased. This is especially true for cat food sales, which reflects the fact that cats are outpacing dogs slowly but steady. As the trend is going towards pets being treated as a part of the family, they deserve food that is equal in the way to human dishes. These and other factors are the foundation of our report on entering the promising cat food market. Main The current cat food market is dominated by 2 multinational players, namely Mars (Masterfoods) with a share of 40% of the market and Nestlà ¨ (Friskies UK) with 41 %. (Mintel, 2002). As these firms have established their position on a solid basis, it is recommended to avoid direct competition with these brands. Therefore a strategy based on pure specialisation seems to be the best way to enter the market, therefore introducing a niche product. We would suggest entering with a highly-specialised, super-premium product for the cat food market, as cats are generally fussy eaters and their owners are willing to spend a great amount of money in order to satisfy their pet’s needs. (Keynote, 2003) Recent statistics have revealed that the trend is going towards focusing on health issues and functionality. The product should include a certain amount of vitamins and minerals, as well as special medical ingredients to strengthen the cat’s immune system. Furthermore the product should contain purely of organic ingredients. (PFMA) Concerning the product design, there’s recently the trend of ‘humanisation’ even when it comes to the recipe. Culinary choices should be made available to the consumer, such as pasta and rice dishes and consideration should be taken to suit different expectations of pet owners living in different countries, thus having a different attitude due to their culture. Additionally different age types should be targeted separately, as young kittens have different needs and desires than older cats. Kittens may need less food, resulting in smaller portions, whereas old cats need special nutrition to stay healthy and live longer. This should be a further element of our specialisation process. (Mars, 2003) Great emphasis has been placed on the convenience of the product package and design, for example single serve trays have proven to be widely accepted amongst pet owners, as they are easy to store and can provide the right amount for one meal. Re-sealable package, such as foil sachets, are also very popular, as they provide the owner with control and keeps the freshness of the food. In order to underline the natural and organic ingredients of the

British Petroleum Analysis Essay

Introduction William Knox D’Arcy founded BP plc, formerly known as British Petroleum, in 1909, they are a global company specializing in oil and gas, headquartered in London, England. BP has continued to grow since its inception, and now employs over 80 thousand people in 70 countries worldwide (Company History,N.D.para1). According to CNN money BP is ranked number six among other global 500 companies (Fortune Global 500.BP.n.d.). Its key strengths are in oil and gas exploration and production; the refining, marketing and supply of petroleum products; and the manufacturing and marketing of chemicals. It supports all its businesses with high quality research and technology (Company History, N.D.para3). External Environment Economic Trends Knowledge is power and the more aware you are of trends within the economy, the more successful you will ultimately be. BP is just one of many companies in the oil and gas industry making an impact on environmental trends. A common goal amongst competitors within this industry is to locate oil and bring it to consumers, due to some of the economical trends this goal is also shifting. The economy is more favorable to lower gas prices, lower carbon emissions, and fuel efficiency. Companies within this industry have to balance the needs of development and the needs of the economy while trying to protect the environment. BP has two main areas of operation, one being the exploration and production of oil and the other being refining and marketing (BP,PLC(BP), N.D.para1) Currently BP like many others in the industry are focusing on ways to lower carbon emissions, and finding new resources of low-carbon energy. One of the ways BP is helping bring these goals and trends into fruition is the utilization of shale oil. Shale oil resources are being discovered all throughout the United States. Shale oil has helped lower gas prices (Oil and Gas,2013.,para3). BP recently purchased Chesapeake Energy Corp’s position in the Woodford Shale-gas play in Oklahoma for 1.75 billion; with this purchase they can expand into shale gas and are hoping to add 200 million cubic feet into production (Major Oil, Meet Shale. 2008,para2) According to BP they are taking various steps in finding ways to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions. One of the ways BP is reducing carbon dioxide emissions is through solar energy, since solar power is carbon free. BP is one of the worlds leading companies within the solar industry, offering various products for consumer’s homes and businesses. BP recently started working with Home Depot to offer solar lighting. BP is also focusing on natural gas, which is making up about 40% of BP’s Portfolio and they are continuing to expand to areas that have a high dependency on carbon, such as the United States, Mexico, and parts of Korea. Wind farms are also sparking debate as BP is looking to expand into this area as well to offer carbon free electricity (What Is BP Doing. N.D.para 23-27). Another economic trend that affects BP as well as the gas and oil industry as a whole is interests rates, exchange rates, and the rate of inflation. There are many factors to consider when looking at the relationship between these rates and gas prices. For example, if these rates were to be raised it would affect the consumers and the manufacturing costs, which would lower the amount of time and money people spend driving, creating less demand for oil, causing the prices to drop. The same would work if the rates lowered, establishing an influx for consumers, which would result in more traveling and higher demand for gas, causing the price to rise (Parry,P.,2013.Para4). Political/ Legal There are several factors in the oil and gas markets that are affected by politics and legalities. One of the main factors is political unrest in the Middle East. The ongoing efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan have driven the gasoline prices to all-time highs. More recently the civil war attacks in Syria are causing problems with development of Iraq’s gas and oil supplies. The Syrian forces have focused these attacks on the energy sector in an  attempt to take away their wealth since oil is main revenue. Due to this focus the attacks have been primarily on oil export pipelines, power generation and transmissions. Luckily, most of the attacks are not occurring in the southern parts of Iraq where the largest supplies of oils are found (Iraq: Syria War Spillover Hinders Oilfields, Pipelines.2014.para3-4). Oil spills into the oceans are a major factor on the politics side of the oil and gas industries. One of the major spills by BP’s Deepwater Horizon drill in 2010, not only took its toll on the company and the industry, but tourism, wildlife, and beaches were all heavily affected in the Gulf areas. Due to the Deepwater Horizon disaster BP is on a five-year probationary period, and there are new safety measures being implemented across the industry, there are new training procedure, risk management processes and equipment (BP gets record fine for Deepwater Horion, 2012.para2). Demographics Demographics refer to a company’s consumers as well as employees. The oil and gas industry consumer base can be related to just about everyone, with the retail aspect of the gas station including gum, drinks, snacks, etc. Gasoline in general is targeted to people that are of age to purchase gasoline generally public over the age of 16, which is the legal driving age. According to the BP website they offer careers in various fields such as business infrastructure, commercial, engineering, operations, sales and support, and technology just to name a few. BP has employees in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and North and South America (Career Areas.N.D). Employee talent within the oil and gas industry can impose a problem industry wide. Since training employees in these fields can be very costly, it is expensive to train new employees, and industry leaders generally offer top level pay and incentive packages to retain their employees. (Vogt,C. ND.Talent Retention in the Oil & Gas Industry.para1) Technological Trends Technology is the center focus of all companies within the gas and oil industries. Technology affects everything from safety operations, locating resources, and converting products to lower-carbon products. The main focus of technology within BP is safety, and has been since the Deepwater Horizon drill spilled 4.9million barrels of oil into the water of the Gulf of Mexico killing 11 men (BP gets record fine for Deepwater Horizon,2012. Para2). Due to Global warming BP along with their competitors are searching for ways to minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon Capture is a popular method amongst the companies in this industry. Carbon Capture focuses on capturing waste carbon dioxide from sources such as fossil fuel power plants that have an excess of waste. Once the carbon waste has been captured it is transported to storage sites to be released where it cannot re-enter and damage the atmosphere (Sadler, T., 2013.para7). The Keystone Pipeline is another way technology can help the United States achieve energy and independence. The Keystone Pipeline will run from Alberta, Canada down through the Midwest United States ending in Texas. The Keystone Pipeline project has the goal to prove all oil produces in the US access to oil refineries, which in the long run would cut out the Middle East as our biggest supplier (Kalen, S.2012.para2.). Socio/Cultural There are several social and cultural impacts on the oil and gas industry. The main factor is the rising domestic energy prices. Gasoline prices are high resulting in the consumer paying more for gas, in turn reducing the amount of money available for other consumption, meaning people are driving less (McKillop,A.2012.para1). Another factor is government assistance with fuel bills. There are numerous resources to provide help with electric and heating bills, these programs are provided on the federal and state levels for most of the United States. These programs help suppliers such as BP to receive payment for the services, instead of uncollected bills. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) receives funding from the Federal Department of  Health and Human Services (DHHS). There are several sources available such as weatherization assistance program and the home energy assistance program (HEAP). Although most of these programs receive funding from the state and federal government, there are not enough sources for everyone who needs them. Global BP is an international company specializing in the oil and gas industry. BP no longer just deals with oil and gas as shown by their main business activities which include the exploration and production, refining and marketing and the distribution of energy as well as BP alternative energy. BP is ranked in the top tier of the their competitors such as Exxon, Anadarko, Chevron, Conoco Philips and Shell. Within this industry BP owns several labels as well including, Castrol, Arco, Aral, AM/PM and Wild Bean Cafà © (Our Brands.N.D.para1). BP is the third largest publically traded oil company ranking behind two of its major competitors: Exxon and Shell. BP is the largest gas producer in the United States with fifteen processing plants; they are also considered a top refiner (BP at a glance.2013.para1). Porters Five Forces Barriers to Entry The Barrier to Entry level for the oil and gas industry is high. The oil and gas industry is very difficult to enter just because of the start up costs alone. Some of these start up cost would be the drills, trucks, gas station locations, employees and the technology used to locate the resources in the ground or the oceans. Entering into the industry as a specialist such as offering drilling services to the major companies is more common and feasible. The major barrier to entry into this industry is funding, the majority of companies within this industry have been around for a very long time, such as BP, which was established in 1909. Brand loyalty is a huge factor in high barrier entry, since most of these large companies have a loyal customer base. BP is a very well established company and has been building their large customer base for decades. As defined by Hill and Jones brand loyalty is a consumer preference for products by a certain company (Hill, C., Jones, G. 2012pg58.para2) Suppliers Bargaining Power The bargaining power of suppliers is the ability suppliers have to raise input prices or to raise the cost of the industry. In BP and the oil and gas industry the suppliers bargaining power is high, because there are realistically no substitutes of the product (Hill, C., 2012pg65.para2). There are a variety of oil and gas companies globally, however a few companies dominate the industry: BP, Shell, Exxon, etc. Buyers Bargaining Power According to Hill and Jones the bargaining power of byers is their ability to negotiate lower prices charged by companies within an industry. They also can raise costs by demanding better services and higher quality products (Hill. C. Jones., G. 2012.page63-64). Right now in the oil and gas industry the balance of power is resting in the hands of the buyer because of economic crisis and oversupply of product. Since oil is considered a commodity and generally all companies within the industry use the same methods for drilling, the buyer is able to seek the lower prices and more rewarding contracts. Substitute Product Threats Substitute product threats include the products provided by companies or industries as a whole that can meet the needs of customers. The oil and gas industry does not just mean fuel to run our vehicles, which would mean substitutes would include fuels such as gas, coal solar and wind power, nuclear energy and hydroelectricity. Although there are many areas concerning oil and gas, the threat of substitute products are low, there really are no other sources to compare. Competition The companies in the oil and gas industry operate in a consolidated industry, where the industry is dominated by a small number of companies. BP’s biggest competitors are Exxon, Anadarko, Chevron, and Phillips anytime any of these companies make a move within the industry it warrants a response movement from its competitors. The competitions of the oil and gas industry have high exit barriers, because the demand for the product is static due to the face that all refineries can do the same thing†¦. produce and refine products. Firms Strategies Business Strategy According to Hill and Jones the business level strategy â€Å"encompasses the businesses overall competitive theme, the way it positions itself in the marketplace to gain a competitive advantage and the different positions strategies that can be used in different industry settings, for example; cost leadership, differentiation, focusing on a particular niche or segment of the industry or some combination of these† (Hill, C., Jones, G., 2012 pg.10). According to BP they compete in both business to business and business to consumer markets with a customer base in over 70 countries. BP uses differentiation in several ways but the major use of this method was the use of technology to transform oil rigs to digital platforms. BP strives to ensure the best quality and safety standards, and also modified their safety standards after the Deepwater Horizon drill disaster in 2010. BP is considered a leader in the marketplace. They are ranked as the 6th largest company by market capitalization. (Facts and Figures.n.d.) has competitive prices with other companies in the industry, the prices as a whole usually are pretty even across the board and usually only fluctuate by a few cents. Corporate Level Strategy Corporate level strategy deals with what areas companies should be dealing with in order to maximize profitability (Hill,C 2012. Page10 para3). According to BP they try to create a platform for growth and increased value over long periods of time while continuing to grow and explore new venues. They will continue their research to develop top-level safety and risk management standards, and continue to develop technology to locate and access hydrocarbons and ways to properly extract them. BP will continue to make its presence in the industry known by exploring alternative energy, spending about one billion per year for this research. The current CEO of BP, Tony Hayward, stated at BP’s annual strategy presentation that he â€Å"would be surprised if we saw opportunities at the corporate level†¦it is not something I am terribly focused on† (Crooks, E.2010 para#12) Technology Strategy Technology is at the center of everything BP does, it is used in safety precautions discovery, recovery, efficiency and low carbon future development. According to BP they employ over 500-safety and risk specialist working with managers in the field to help improve decision-making regarding standards (BP and Technology.N.D.para1). BP uses a technology called seismic imaging, which is at the forefront of technology in the industry. Through the use of seismic imaging, sound waves are used to determine where oil reserves are in the ground. This procedure gives BP a major head start in discovering oil and gas and pinpointing where to drill. With a focus on a lower carbon future BP’s main area of growth focusing on wind and biofuels because they have the most potential. Firms Competences Tangible Resources BP’s human resource management gives its employees opportunities to see many ways to excel within the company. Throughout their career human resource management personnel will benefit from a broad base of support and training. Personal support is also available through team leaders, mentors, and fellow employees. Among these employees BP also has teams of engineers developing new and safer means of creating energy. BP has employees that deal with safety measures within the company along with the environment. BP’s employees will also act as an essential partner to the business. The employees will also work on real world projects helping the company reach goals in improving organization and human capital resources. BP’s physical resources were used during the massive oil spill in 2010. The physical resources that were used during this time were mainly manpower. The man-power used were numerous employees, volunteers, and other organizations. Since the oil spill happened in the middle of the ocean, the toxins within the oil spread throughout the Gulf, along with making its way to the US. Over 30,000 people responded to this major oil spill working to collect oil, clean up beaches, take care of animals and plant life effected, and performed other various duties. Another physical resource that BP uses is the natural resource of oil and gases. BP is currently in the production The  Chirag Oil Project. This project has started operations, increasing production from a giant oil field in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea. Its major physical resource would have to be its massive oilrigs and pipelines. These rigs and pipelines help extract and transport the oil and gases that have been found and gathered. According to the NASDAQ Annual Income Statement, BP has gone up 29% since 2009 to 2012 in its Current Liquidity Ratio, and the Cash Liquidity Ratio has gone up about 12% from 2009 to 2012. The reason BP’s liquidi ty ratio has risen the past years is due to the current liabilities. The company’s income has lowered after the massive oil spill. The company has lost large amounts of income due to the spill by having to provide cleaning crews, settlements to the people affected by the spill, and the loss of business from consumers. The loss of consumers came due to the negative view of the company after the oil spill in the Gulf. Since, the Gulf oil spill, the company now stresses the importance of development without polluting the environment. Finding alternative forms of energy like solar and hydrogen is part of that vision. This development also brings in more funds to the research and development. The liability caps and the role they may have played in encouraging moral hazard. Just as bank deposits are guaranteed by government deposit insurance, and large banks themselves are probably to big to fail, liability for property damage from oil spills off US waters is limited to $75 million (plus cleanup costs), based on a 1990 law passed after the Exxon Valdiz spill. This presumably mitigates drillers’ incentives to manage environmental risk. Indeed, oil companies enjoy a very cozy relationship with their ostensible guardians; as the NY Times noted, â€Å" decades of law and custom have joined governmen t and the oil industry in the pursuit of petroleum and profit.† The federal agency that oversees drilling, the Minerals Management Service, rakes $13 billion a year in fees in what amounts to a public-private partnership. The business benefits of applying a consistent approach to knowledge management have been significant. BP business managers attributed hundreds of millions of dollars of added value as a direct result of using this approach. A practical example of this has been in the cost reduction in the construction of European retail sites. At the beginning of 1998 a challenge is set of reducing the build costs of retail sites in Europe by 10%. The Alliance (a joint venture between BP and  Bovis) is responsible for the management of these activities in Europe. The Alliance was engaged in the benefits of knowledge management and invited the BP KM Team to help them achieve this outcome. Step change in costs was delivered in 1998 (savings of $74 million) due to the harvesting and sharing of knowledge between the project engineers in Europe. This gave BP Downstream Retail competitive advantage in the Mature European Marketplace. Project engineers in Venezuela, China, Poland, and Japan are now also leveraging this knowledge on a global scale. Similar examples of increased performance have come from BP’s KM application in speeding up business restructuring, developing new oil & gas fields, improving plant productivity and accelerating new retail market entry. Intangible Resources BP has a negative reputation among consumers and other people throughout the world. Due to the massive oil spill and the company almost going bankrupt, its CEO and board of directors have tried to bring a more positive look to the company, by searching for new forms of clean energy. The company has always been known for its big production of oil for numerous countries worldwide. Since the oil spill the company has been implementing a higher and more intense safety standard. Although, BP has a negative reputation, it has a well-known name in the oil and energy business. Some may think that BP is too large to fail due its name and some government backing and funding. BP has been in the oil industry since 1909, starting out drilling in Persia. Along with BP having the largest pipeline in the world has brought solar power to remote villages in the Philippines due the hard work of its employees. BP has used technology throughout its business to keep up with the changing times and the demand for fuel and energy. It has scientist finding new forms of low-carbon energy while reducing BP’s own contributions to carbon in the atmosphere. Under this new banner BP took bigger and bigger steps towards addressing climate change. It installed solar panels at its service stations, brought solar power to remote villages in the Philippines, helped bring hydrogen-fuelled buses to London and introduced new, cleaner types of motor fuel. It created a unit, BP Alternative Energy, devoted to making from all the various types of low-carbon energy viable, large-scale and profitable business. These low-carbon energy sources are solar, wind, natural gas, and biofuels. Along with these new low-carbon  energy sources being made, BP has also unveiled a new way of extracting oil, producing more oil and extending the life span of its oilrigs. The new technology would be beneficial for oilfields worldwide. The company is using new technology everyday as they find new and safer ways to create energy extract, and store oil. The company has used innovations to help with its image in the public eye. They have begun turning used oil and gathered oil from the massive spill to asphalt to be used on roads. Proof-of-concept testing confirmed that the product could meet technical requirements. BP worked with transportation and environmental officials from several states to conduct tests on using the material for highway paving projects. Along with the reuse of oil to asphalt, there has been a movement in the restoration of the Gulf Coast with hard and soft containment booms as well as segregated plastics also were gathered in staging areas along affected area and then sent to waste-to-energy facilities or recycled into new plastic products. One program developed during the Deepwater Horizon incident resulted in routing skimmed fluid s to oil reclamation facilities. The fluids were then sent through a recovery process, which was able to reclaim and convert some of them into marketable petroleum products. Value-Added Chain BP’s inbound logistics activities are comprised of a series of many pipelines, oil tankers, and other forms of transportation that move the extracted crude oil to refining plants worldwide. The company’s massive global operations make efficient and effective logistics that help keep the costs of transporting crude oil low. This efficient global network of transporting crude supply makes more cost advantage for BP in the long run. Light transport is BP’s way of outbound logistics as it utilizes its global networking to perform this logistic. The large supply and distribution logistics network allows BP to perform its light transport and distribution of refined oil with great efficiencies, which help in lowering costs for BP. By lowering the costs of transport of refined oil BP would be able to conduct more research and upgrading the low-carbon energy research. Also this would give the company bigger budget to expand its new technology for creating a safer drilling process. BP’s main operation is refining crude oil brought in from throughout the world. The refining activities of this  company are distributed strategically around the world, with close proximity to its demand markets. With its refineries strategically placed BP has the ability to reach maximum efficient balances between its inbound and its outbound logistics. BP positions its refineries to have proximity to their oil and gas fields while also being to those energy markets. The company markets its oil and gas through its vast global retail network, which is made up of mainly its BP Service Stations. BP has excelled in sales due to its advertising campaign by using the latest social media and television commercials. Another form of advertising many people have seen from BP is though the news stations, by doing positive actions BP is making a better name for itself, which markets BP’s commitment to sustainability and cleanliness in the biotic area in spite of its past failures. The company has rebranded itself as to appear more-green friendly in today’s energy market. It has went as far changing its name from British Petroleum to BP, by which inferring but not stating it stands for â€Å"Beyond Petroleum†. This campaign includes a new look that asserts the company’ commitment to sustainability. The advertised commitment to sustainability and green energy has created a competitive advantage for BP. Competitive Advantage Factors If it is these resources and capabilities, in all their various forms, that create the potential for competitive advantage, the question about how they can actually create it remains. The initial answer is that they must be developed, coordinated and then deployed in such a way that the company can provide goods or services more economically than others or be able to satisfy customers’ needs and wants better than rivals, the ideal being a combination of the two. Whether such competitive advantage yields good profit streams, however depends on a second set of judgments and decisions. The actual products/services to be provided are: the nature and size of the customer market chosen, and the competitive nature of that marketplace. The ability to repeatedly get this right is another set of capabilities. If this is done correctly, the ensuing competitive advantage and its profit stream may not be sustainable. Competitors, anxious to share in the profitable opportunity, the company has uncovered will seek to follow suit. BP has two basic ways of doing this, either directly imitating the product/service or by providing a good/better alternative. In the product/market arena there  are myriad ways of achieving this. Products may be reverse-engineered to discover their component parts and how they were made. Service delivery can be sampled repeatedly until the key elements are identified, and then replicated. Marketing expenditure can be matched, alternative distribution channels found. Even in-company resources and capabilities can be readily emulated or copied. Good competitor analysis can rapidly identify anything from newly installed IT systems to specialist machine tools that have provided a competitive edge. It can uncover new sales or marketing techniques, component sourcing arrangements, specialized service training, supplier partnerships, outsourcing deals and even which alliances or joint ventures are providing new knowledge. All provide keys to imitation or substitution. Widespread recognition of this has led many companies to despair of achieving sustainable competitive advantage. For example, during the 1980s, many financial institutions spent billions on IT systems that would give them a market edge, only to watch rivals buy better, newer, faster equipment that negated any brief advantage they had. In the 1990s, retailers launched credit and loyalty cards to build marketing databases, only to watch rivals do the same. Each apparent advantage quickly turns into just another entry ticket to play in the game. SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis of BP will show their strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats. BP is one of the largest vertically integrated oil and gas companies in the world (Research and Markets, 2010A). They are investing millions in research and development. Times and demand are changing, more and more consumers are going green, and to stay in competition with other companies they need to come up with something different. In 2010, BP is the company behind the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Because of this crisis the company needed to do something to gain the peoples trust. In the past BP has made serious communication mistakes with its stakeholders. BP’s crisis communication was a weak link in its crisis management strategy (Valvi & Fragkos, 2013). Strengths The strength of the company comes from demand, marketing, brand, and research and development. The company’s operations primarily include the exploration and production of gas and crude oil, as well as the marketing  and trading of natural gas, power, and natural gas liquids (Research and Markets, 2010B). BP is ranked at the world’s 3rd largest energy company and is positioned as a multinational oil company headquartered in London (Essay UK, 2013A): Since 2012 BP will have invested $500 million into marketing in the US in an attempt to revamp its brand (Bhasin, 1012, para 1) As I sit here watching the 2014 winter Olympics, I have seen several commercials about BP partnering with the United States, part of its marketing campaign. BP is the number one leading vertically integrated company, involved in upstream, midstream and downstream oil businesses (Bp, plc swot analysis, 2013, pg.5). BP upstream technology programs, involves investing in incremental improvements and new technology that can transform the industry. The new technology will strengthen in exploration, deepwater, giant fields, and gas value chains (â€Å"Our major technology,† N.D, para1). Many people today are concerning themselves with the environment. BP is developing alternative energy, including solar. BP has invested in solar, wind, and biofuel power, trying to provide power without harming the environment (Hitchcock, 2012). Because of upstream technology flagships, BP has been able to maximize resources, increase recovery rates; real-time data technologies are enabling safety, reliability and efficiency across operations (â€Å"Our major technology, N.D., para2). The company began construction of a new high-performance computing (H PC) center in Houston (Bp,plc swot analysis, 2013, pg.4). BP was awarded a contract to unlock high pressure oil and gas resources in deep water, and planned on investing $100 million over 10 years to set up the International Center for Advanced Materials (ICAM) to fund research into fundamental understanding and use of advanced materials, from self-healing coatings to membranes, across the energy industry The advantages that BP has with being a vertically integrated businesses allows them completive advantage from other companies in the global oil market, It provides control over the entire value chain, enabling the company to produce products which are used at different stages in the value chain (Bp,plc swot analysis, 2013,  pg.5). Weakness Between the years 1965 and 2010 BP has spent millions from the many problems endured: ranging from oil rigs capsizing, hazardous substance dumping, refinery explosion, corrosion in pipelines resulting in insulating agent leakage propane price manipulation, North sea helicopter accident, and finally Deepwater Horizon well explosion (Andrews, 2010). From these problems many died, while others were injured. The Deepwater Horizon well explosion was the worst. Congress accused the company â€Å"of withholding data from the ocean floor and blocking efforts by independent scientists to com up with estimates of crude flowing into the Gulf each day†. The US government has named BP as the â€Å"responsible party† for this incident (Andrews, 2010, pg. 20). In November 2012, BP reached an agreement with the US government to pay $4 billion to resolve all federal criminal claims arising out of the Gulf of Mexico incident, leaving BP with a bad reputation, burdened cash flow, which could impede its ability to invest in new opportunities, and deliver long-term growth (Bp,plc swot analysis, 2013, pg.6). The company has experienced a decline in profits. FY2012 recorded operating profit was $19,733 million, a decrease of 50.4% compared to FY2011. The net profit was $11,582 million, a decrease of 54% compared to FY2011. The decrease in the operating and net profits of the company affected the overall profitability of the company (Bp,plc swot analysis, 2013, pg.7). You would think this was the straw that broke the camels back. Not only did it affect the company but it also compacted several states. How would BP ever recover? They will be paying for many years to come. Opportunities BP has been disposing many of its assets to concentrate more on its strengths. So far they have sold $38bn worth of assets since the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, and plan to sell of approximately $10bn more of assets by the end of next year (BBC News, 2014 para 17 & 19). BP has several external opportunities, including by acquisition in the North Sea area, BP’s  future profit by acting in the suitable boundaries area in the Russia region, implement plan to achieve alternative energy methods insist of Hydrogen, natural gas, wind and solar investment (Nhid, 2011, pg. 9A). Not to mention numerous investments. Threats Many of BP’s threats are external, mainly from the Deepwater Horizon reputation, other threats are: environmental activist, legal and political issues, which will increase the cost of operations for the company investment (Nhid, 2011, pg. 9B), and ethics. The oil, gas, and petrochemicals industry is highly competitive. High competition puts pressure on accessing new opportunities, license costs, and product prices, affects oil products marketing, and requires continuous management focus on reducing unit costs and improving efficiency, while ensuring safety and operational risk is not compromised. The implementation of group strategy requires continued technological advances and innovation including advances in exploration, production, refining, and petrochemicals manufacturing technology (Bp,plc swot analysis, 2013, pg.9). Conclusion In conclusion, BP start up company was British Petroleum, providing gas and oil. The company is evolving with research and development in other avenues. BP has had its ups and downs in the company, the latest being Deepwater Horizon oil spill. From this catastrophe they needed to take a step back and look at things in a new light Through all of this they are ranked number six among other global companies specializing in oil and gas, the third largest publically traded oil company, the world’s third largest energy company, and the number one leading vertically integrated company, who employs over 80 thousand people. Since the cost of training top-level employees is expensive, BP offers an attractive incentive package to keep them with the company. As gas prices soar, and transportation changing the company needs to also change with the demand. BP is in the process of finding new resources of low- carbon energy to lower carbon emission. BP is one of the worlds leading companies within the solar industry, working with Home Depot offering solar lighting. Within the industry BP owns several labels. BP doesn’t have an official mission statement, but provides several different statements called: â€Å"what we do†, â€Å"What we stand for† & â€Å"What we value† (â€Å"Mission statement of,† 2013 para 1) â€Å"What we do: †¨We find, develop and produce essential sources of energy. We turn these sources into products that people need everywhere. The world needs energy and this need is growing. This energy will be in many forms. It is, and will always be, vital for people and progress everywhere. We expect to be held to high standards in what we do. We strive to be a safety leader in our industry, a world-class operator, a good corporate citizen and a great employer. We are BP. What we stand for: †¨Above everything, that starts with safety and excellence in our operations. This is fundamental to our success. Our approach is built on respect, being consistent and having the courage to do the right thing. We believe success comes from the energy of our people. We have a determination to learn and to do things better. We depend upon developing and deploying the best technology, and building long-lasting relationships. We are committed to making a real difference in providing the energy the world needs today, and in the changing world of tomorrow. We work as one team. We are BP. What we value: Safety Respect Excellence Courage One Team† (â€Å"Mission statement of,† 2013 para 2-4) With the amount of money the Deepwater Horizon disaster costs the company, BP had to figure out how they were going to survive. Through SWOT analysis, and research and development they are coming up with ways to help the future grow the company. Recommended Strategic Action People in the U.S. who weren’t aware of BP, before 2010, their brand became well known after the Deepwater oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It left BP with a bad reputation. BP needs to continue to re-build their image. Although there are many environmental challenges, BP is adapting to the  needs of a more sustainable society, wanting to be an energy company, rather than an oil company, they need to continue to keep the consumer in mind. BP R & D team continues to come up with new ideas and ways to improve the environment by providing solar, and wind energy, hydrogen, and natural gas. They have sold many assets, continue to sell more, and invest in various projects, they may want to look donating to private organizations to help communities. In their mission, BP claims they value safety; they need to use scenarios before starting a project with safety top priority. Reference: Andrews, P. (2010). Bp where did it all go wrong?. Andrews UK: AUK New Authors. BBC News. (2014, February 4). Bp boss warns of uncertainties due to scottish vote . Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business Bhasin, K. (1012, February 3). Silverpop official site. Retrieved from businessinsider.com BP.n.d.Retrieved January 26,2014. www.money.cnn.com/magazines/gortune/global500/2013/snapshots/6327.html BP at a Glance.2012. Facts and Figures. Retrieved from January 29,2014. www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/about-bp/bp-at-a-glance.html BP and Technology.(n.d.).BP and Technology. Retrieved from January 29,2014. www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/about-bp/bp-and-technology.html BP gets record fine for Deepwater Horizon (2012). Loss Prevention Bulletin, (228).3 BPPLC(BP).n.d.Retrieved by January26,2014 www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyProfile?symbol=BP Bp,plc swot analysis. (2013). London EC1R 3DA United Kingdom: Marketline. DOI: www.marketlineinfo.com Careers.n.d.Careers. Retrieved by February9,2014. www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/careers.html-Careers/BPGlobal Career Areas.n.d.Careers.Retrieved from February9,2014. www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/careers-areas.html CNN Money(2013). Retrived from www.money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2013/snapshots/6327.html Company History.n.d.Company History. Retrieved by February9,2014. www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?CategoryId=6120002&contentId=6000555 Competitive advantage factors- http://prezi.com/vbkiw9bb5kpw/bp-case-analysis/ communication strategies:a case of british petroleum. Industrial and Commercial Training, 45(7), 383-391. Retrieved from ww.emeraldinsight.com/pricelist/us/usprice Crooks,E.(2010,March) Bp’s strategy presentation: growth, cost cuts, biofuels, M&A and more. Retrieved from blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/03/02/bps-strategy-presentation-growth-cost-cuts-biofuels-ma-and-more/#axzz2sb5ot8Uy Darbonne,N.(2008).Major Oil, Meet Shale.Oil and Gas Investor,2008(8),11. Essay UK. (2013). British petroleum (bp) swot analysis. Retrieved from www.essay.uk.com Financial ratio-http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/bp/financials?query=ratios Frank,D., Neault, N., Skalicky, A., Cook, J., Wilson, J., Levenson, S.,& Berkowitz, C., (2006). Heat or Eat the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and nutritional and health risks among children less than 3 years of age. Pediatrics, 118(5),e1293-302. Hill,C., Jones, G. (2012) Essentials of Strategic Management.3Ed. 58-66 Hitchcock, P. (2012). Everything’s gone green: The environment of bp’s narrative. Imaginations Journal, 3(2), 104-114. Retrieved from www.csj.ualberta.ca/imaginations Human resources-http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/careers.html Innovation- http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/gulf-of-mexico-restoration.html Iraq:Syria War Spillover Hinders Oilfields,Pipelines.2013. Retrieved by January30,2014. www.voanews.com/content/iraq-ofifical-sassyria-war-spillover-hinders-oilfields-pipelines/1839415.html Kalen,S. (2012). Thirst for Oil and the Keystone XL Pipeline. Creighton Law Review, 46(1),1-25 logistics inbound-http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/about-bp/company-information/our-business-model.html Management philosophies-http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/about-bp/company-information/our-business-model.html Marketing and sales- http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/careers.html McKillop,A. (2012). Oil Prices and Economic Growth: Are Oil Shocks a Thing of the Past?. Energy and Environment, 23(8),1353-1356. Mission statement of bp. (2013). Retrieved from wwwstrategicmanagementinsight.com Nhid, M. P. (2011, 2 28). Bp market analysis and strategic marketing recommendations. Retrieved from www.academia.edu Oil and Gas.2013.QFinance.retrieved by January 27,2014. www.qfinance.com/sector-profiles/oil-and-gas operations- http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/about-bp/company-information/our-business-model.html Organizational resources-http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/about-bp/company-information/our-business-model.html Our Brands.(n.d).Different Personalities, One Purpose. Retrieved from January26,2014. www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/about-bp/our-brands.html Our major technology programs. (N.D). Retrieved from BP.com Outbound logistics-http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/about-bp/company-information/our-business-model.html; http://prezi.com/vbkiw9bb5kpw/bp-case-analysis/ Physical resources-http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-bp-oil-spill Reputation-http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/about-bp.html; Research and Markets. (2010). P plc swot analysisi. Retrieved from researchandmarkets.com Sadler,T.(2013). Carbon Capture and a commercial Market for CO. International Advances in Economic Research, 19(2),189-200.doi10.1007/s11294-013-9401-8 Technology-http://www.bp.comglobal/corporate/about-bp/bp-and-technology.html; http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-19497064 What is BP Doing.n.d.Retrived by January28,2014. www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9011364&contentId=7025801 Vogt, Crystal. Talent Retention in the Oil&Gas Industry Retrieved from smallbusiness.chron.com/talent-retention-oil-gas-industry-14645.html-TalentRetentionintheOil&GasIndustry/chron.com

Organizational Needs Essay

The success of any business or any organization basically depends on proper planning and proper utilization of its resources. It is true that success dose not comes overnight, a need for assessing; exploring is required to be done. After planning, there comes the step of communication. The quality of communication determines the extent of the success of a business. In order to make communication effective career development programs are introduced to the employee by the organization. The basic aim of this kind of career development program is to make an individual employee give in his best to the company thus, maximizing profits. Although these programs were not really liked by some of the organizations. And were regarded as cost oriented, but with times as the result was good, people recognized its importance. â€Å"A needs assessment is a systematic exploration of the way things are and the way they should be†. As Gutteridge says that career development is not only the development of an individual but also the development of the management as a whole. It is equally essential, to know what learning will be accomplished, what changes in an individual’s performance are expected, what are the expected economic costs what will be the result, and after how much time will the target be achieved. Main Aim of Organizations As we know that the main aim of any origination or any business done is to get maximum profits. It is the same way in order to achieve the target. A lot of hard work has to be done, like conduction of career development programs. Knowdell (1982 – 1984) traced the origin of career developmental programs. This would of course enhance their abilities of the employees as we know that â€Å"a career development system with in a business is an organized formalized, planned effort to achieve a balance between the individuals. † With the help of these career program employees and managers know about their potentials and weaknesses, they come to know how to manage their own careers and this way feel more confident and responsible about themselves. A career developmental program should be based on: Check Actual Performance The very first step should be to check and analyze the present abilities of the employees and of course the current satiation of the organization in which it is running. After the analyses of the current situation have been made we could them go on to focus on our desired goal. By the help of the information gained on the abilities and on the capabilities of the employees we could by the help of counselors could guide an individual employee, on what particular part. He basically has got to focus. This practice may take time but with time slowly and gradually every individual employee would to his organization. It is very crucial that one must distinguish the actual needs from the perceived needs. It is true that with proper training, guidance and of course not to forget full cooperation of the employee, the target of maximums profits would be achieved. An individual should work harder on his weak points and should strive to develop his stronger ones. Set Priorities After analyzing an individual or the employee’s strengths and weaknesses we could know what kind of training is needed by an individual. What time, money should be allocated on him. One thing which should be kept in mind is the organizational needs goals and realities. The employee who is under training should set priorities that is, on which area he should work first, as per the need of his organization. If all these matter would be taken into consideration then without any doubt he would develop himself his abilities, his sense of responsibility, knowledge, skill and would accomplish his goals. Identify Problem Areas In this step we would identify those areas in which working have got to be done. After the problem is identified specific solution has to be applied. This will of course require detailed investigation and analysis. Identify Appropriate Solutions In this last step after solution have been applied to the specific problems, still as it is there is more room for improvement. It is important to move people into new direct to explore more and to improve. There are specific research centers like â€Å"the society’s career development program provides awards intended to meet the specific needs of investigators at different states in their research careers†. Thus, a lot of encouragement is given to all those people under training, so as to encourage them get good results. Essential Components The oxford English dictionary says One’s careers are one’s course or progress through life. This basically means that as an individual keeps on progressing and making himself better, through gaining more knowledge and information he keeps on improving with time and practice to improve there are self development tools. Self Assessment Know body know you as well as you know yourself. So as it is that the person under training should assess himself that what kind of training he should take or what kind of training would help to make his career develop and prosper. He should take care of his weak points and should develop his strengths. It is very curtail that counseling should be done by an expert advisor to the trainee. This way the trainee would be sure as to which way he has to go. There are also internal labor marketing and many more components. Pro and Cons There are advantages as well as certain disadvantages of getting into career programming. The good points are that after a certain period of time with a lot of hard work and labor the organization would gain good profits. There are certain disadvantages as well like it is very. Time consuming; it involves a lot of time, labor and money which would otherwise be spent elsewhere in the company. Conclusion There is a well enough connection between the organizational development and career development. As we know that a lot of individuals make is going to go under training gains knowledge develop his skill and abilities. Eventually he would perform well in that organization and because of him the company would make a lot of profits there he would certainly be rewarded. Thus his way he would also develop his career and this would certainly be a good start in his life. Reference http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=11618

Free Advertisements Analysis Esay

Free Advertisements Analysis Esay Advertisements Analysis The industry of advertising is intriguing and challenging To some extent it is a true art of appealing to the most sensitive emotional spheres and pulling hidden triggers in consumers heads and souls to outweigh the scales in favor of a particular product or brand. Although it might seem to be a rather simple task comparing to biochemistry or accounting, it implies tough work on developing an accurately calculated and elaborately circumspect combination of numerous elements together creating that astonishing effect on consumers when they prefer one brand to another or purchase a totally new product. Advertising specialists struggle to develop perfect adverts as nowadays there are so many products offered and so many adverts it has become a real challenge to captivate consumers. Deep knowledge of psychology is now a key to success while applying various non-verbal tools and signs in advertising. Thus, there are more elements included into a simple, at a glance, print advertisement: besides the image itself consumers are influenced by the prevailing colors, choice of language and newly created words, signs with double meanings, location of the elements, etc. Successful combination of all the elements leads to increased sales and, hence, profit. In more detail, advertising serves to increase immediate turnover, raise product or brand awareness, introduce a new product or brand into the market, show or emphasize distinctive features of a product to the target audience (TDI India 2010). Advertising of airlines has been a stand-alone sphere for a long time as earlier it was used by limited target audience (mainly business people, the rich and the military). Nowadays advertising specialists have to consider and emphasize the points of significant importance taking into account a tremendously large and extremely diverse group of flying nowadays travelers flight schedule convenience and comfort during the flight while the price comes third. Moreover, luxury proposals are becoming more popular with the globalization processes as many exotic destinations become accessible. Both adverts by Emirates and British Airways offer this particular niche proposal exotic destination along with high comfort level. However, the approaches they choose differ. Emirates advert conveys an image of comfort showing in detail a part of a rest room with a woman obviously just after shower or a SPA procedure. The interior reminds of a luxury hotel or a salon with expensive sanitary porcelain, marble, soft towels and fresh flowers. Hard to notice it is a plane rest room as only the built-in disposal box proves it. The colors are soft and calm which is harmonically combined with the serene and relaxed look of the lady. It is worth mentioning, that she is rather young, between 25-35, looking beautiful and fresh without any sexual context. She is looking at her reflection in the mirror and smiling. There is a large picture of Dubai landscape in front of her. The image is rather foggy and presumably is intended to emphasize not the destination, but the company name. Emirates bright red logo in the low right corner is well balanced by a bright fuchsia orchid in the low left corner also reminding of exoticism. The advert is supported with the headline in white in agreement with the overall image of calmness and peacefulness. The slogan for the campaign is intriguing: the words memorable moments catch the eye immediately, while at 40,000 feet give a certain quiz for a viewer. Thus, the viewer understands that the offer is for luxury flights. The copy gives more details while repeating memorable moments trying to point out this competitive advantage and mentioning other services such as SPA showers, exclusive lounges, etc. It also repeats the company name and provides useful information on flight frequency, the plane type A380, etc. The company offers inspiration and tranquility from their exclusive services as a consequence of becoming their customer. The directive is given in a form of soft and unobtrusive advice to find inspiration, refresh and experience the offer. In general, this advert gives an impression of a luxury though peaceful promise. It hints at high price without mentioning i t, pointing at more valuable things comfort, tranquility, inspiration. British Airways exploits a different approach: the image is unexpectedly striking with its controversy and pithiness It shows a jaguar sleeping on a tree. The image is cut out on white so that there is nothing seen but the animal. Therefore, the color range is limited by the tree bark and fur shades from yellow to dark brown which allows highlighting the jaguar. The choice of the animal gives the idea of exoticism while the fact that it is sleeping hints at rest. The headline in capital letters located below the head of the animal is dark blue color to underline its message of relaxation. The copy contains a rather strong directive to escape to Sri Lanka as it is a long way from everyday. This phrase has a double meaning as the viewer is offered to go really far from routine and have some additional time during the flight to restore stamina. At the same time, this relaxing overslept substitutes a more common for airlines word overseas usually associated with long and tiring flight hours. By this long hours of flight are actually turned into its advantage. The details of the offer are given with exact pricing which supports a business-oriented approach. There is another text box below indicating the competitive advantage of British Airways more destinations to Indian Ocean islands than other companies. Overall, the advert is targeted at middle-aged business people with rather high income as the proposal is quite expensive. It appeals to peopl e who wish to escape from everyday routine and value their time and rest. Business orientation is emphasized by pithiness of the advert and restraint colors. Comparing the two adverts it may be concluded that both target at a high-income group and offer exoticism However, they have different approaches: while Emirates highlight comfort of their services on board, British Airways show a chance to relax for exact price. The services mentioned by Emirates suppose mainly female audience and males in search of exclusive care. At the same time British Airways rely mostly on striking exoticism. However, both adverts exploit bright though different images to catalyze consumers imagination of what to expect from these luxury proposals.

Costa Rica essays

Costa Rica essays Costa Rica is exactly what it means, rich coast. The beaches on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts are full of beautiful plants, animals and people. That is what I consider to be rich. The beaches are not rich like others might think. Costa Rica lacked gold and silver that mesmerized the 16th century Spanish conquerors. For this very reason Spain virtually ignored Costa Rica during colonial times. Costa Rica also lacked a large amount of Amerindian population, that is why most of the people today are of purely Spanish decent. (Encyclopedia Americana p.50) Costa Rica is snuggled in between Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. Costa Rica is very rich in plant and animal life. Costa Rica is almost covered by forests. There are more than 130 families of trees that embrace some 1,300 species. The wildlife includes many exotic animals such as jaguars, pumas, deer, ocelot, sloths, and a variety of monkeys. At least 725 species of birds including parrots and toucans and 130 species of snakes and frogs have also been observed. (Encyclopedia Americana p.51-52) On the beaches you could find a variety of crabs, iguanas, basilisks, and sea turtles swimming in the ocean. (Egelkraut p.54-55) When sea turtles come to Ostional, Costa Rica to lay their eggs it is called la arribaba- the arrival. By 2 a.m. the Pacific beach looked like a cobblestone street where the cobblestones had come to life. (Rudloe p.97) Poaching eggs from a placid leatherback, a Costa Rican villager is one of legions who illegally take turtle eggs in Latin America. Eggs can go at two dollars a dozen and are hot in bars. (Rudloe p .104) The labor force amounted to 1,087,000 in 1992 which is about 34.1% of the total population. About half the total work force is concentrated in San Jose and Alajuela provinces. (Worldmark vol. 3 p.125) About 23% of the labor force is in the service or the governmen ...

Testimony vs. Testimonial

Testimony vs. Testimonial Testimony vs. Testimonial Testimony vs. Testimonial By Mark Nichol What’s the difference between testimony and testimonial? The former word refers to formal presentation of facts, while the latter, while denoting the same meaning, has a more qualitative connotation in which opinion (and perhaps deception) is expressed as well. Testimony means â€Å"the statement of a witness† and is used generally used only in a legal sense; originally, it also referred to evidence, but that sense is obsolete. Testimonial, as an adjective, means â€Å"of or pertaining to testimony,† but as a noun it means â€Å"a statement of one’s character or qualifications.† This sense has been extended to refer to a common type of advertising in which a person testifies to the efficacy or quality of a product, as well as to a gift symbolizing appreciation. And just as testimony may be faulty or may involve perjury, testimonials are not necessarily reliable or deserved. Testify, meanwhile, is a verb meaning â€Å"to bear witness.† A related word is testament, from the Latin word testamentum, meaning â€Å"a will† or â€Å"publication of a will†; it derives ultimately from testis, meaning â€Å"witness.† Other words with the syllable -test include the verbs attest (â€Å"affirm† or â€Å"prove†), contest (â€Å"dispute† or â€Å"oppose,† originally in the sense of witnessing against someone, but now also meaning â€Å"compete†), detest (with the original sense of â€Å"denounce† but now generally meaning â€Å"abhor, dislike intensely†), and protest (originally, â€Å"declare or state formally or solemnly† but now meaning â€Å"complain† or â€Å"speak out against†); noun forms of contest and protest and nouns extending from attest and detest (attestation and detestation); and adjectival forms such as detestable. The syllable -test in these words is related to Indo-European root word for â€Å"three†; the connection is that a third person, ostensibly neutral, is the ideal witness for providing testimony. Also, curiously enough, the word test, as a synonym for exam or trial, probably has no connection to the Latin syllable; it comes from the unrelated Latin word testum, meaning â€Å"earthen pot,† the earliest type of vessel used for assaying precious minerals. (This term is related to texere, meaning â€Å"to weave,† from which we get the word textile.) Testicle (plural testicles, medical terms testis and testes), meanwhile, is associated with the sense of witnessing, perhaps in that the male reproductive organ bears witness to virility; one scholar, however, does make a connection between testis, the Latin origin of testicle, and testum, the Latin word for a pot. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Addressing A Letter to Two PeopleThe Difference Between "will" and "shall"10 Writing Exercises to Tighten Your Writing

EXERCISE MODULE 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

EXERCISE MODULE 8 - Essay Example The company may need to finish the project according to a predefined deadline, it may be done to improve project cash flow, it may be a way of avoiding liquidation damages, it may be a way of recovering early days, it may also be a way of avoiding oncoming danger, for example adverse weather conditions that might affect the project’s progress, and it may also be a way of releasing key resources for an oncoming project (Kohli, 2007). It is also important to recognize that as projects continue, there are several indirect costs incurred that can be eliminated by shortening the duration time. These costs include; cost of equipment, interest on investment, machinery, facilities, personnel, labour, and the cost of time lost when some employees do not come regularly to work (Roy, 2005). Project duration can be reduced depending on the type of work being carried out, and the availability of resources. Projects involving installation or development of new software for a company’ s systems for example, may require a specific skill. This can only be obtained from specific persons. Reducing project duration considering this case will require additional labour time for the specialist. He or she will then be required to work overtime. This however, needs additional resources, for the specialist has to be paid for extra time worked. Project duration time can be reduced by: application of multiple-shifts work, offering incentive payments to increase the productivity, using additional resources when necessary, working extended hours, working on holidays and weekends, and using alternative methods and sequences among others (Roy, 2005). Reducing the time taken to complete a project involves reducing the activities’ duration, or adjusting overlaps between activities. This however, has an effect on the original plan in terms of the cost. Whenever activity duration is reduced, the cost increases. This is because, with reduced time for the activity, it means that additional resources were used to ensure a lot of work is done within a short period. Take an example of construction of a building. For a normal duration, there are seven workers employed to do specific duties. It is expected that their work will be completed in a month. Since the project duration has been reduced to two weeks, the company will have to employ additional workers with the same skills to speed up the work. The workers will have to be paid, therefore, additional resources. The tools and equipment used will also have to be added. A similar understanding can be obtained from overtime work. This requires additional wages, as well as costs used to correct quality problems (Kohli, 2007; Roy, 2005). This shows that there is a relationship between the direct cost, and time of completing an activity. The cheaper the resources, the longer the time they take to complete an activity. If the duration is shortened, there is an increase in direct costs. Direct costs are such as; th e cost of equipment, labour, and materials. This should however, not lead to an assumption that there is an automatic inverse relationship between the project duration and the quantity of resources deployed. This is because, not all activities are similar. There are those that can be done in a short time by deployment of more resources, and there are those that deployment of more resources does not reduce the time needed. For example, it should not be

Spiritual Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Spiritual Assessment - Essay Example From this report it is clearc that a man's whole being is mostly moulded by spirituality and religion. These signs of well being can be seen by the clothes and accessories that a person wears, ones spiritual practices and rituals, participation in religious community and beliefs and philosophy in life. Some religious practices can even be seen on how a person grow and style their hair. Spirituality speaks of ones personal growth and awareness. It is a recognition of something outside of one’s self that cannot be defined. It is a personal quest for seeking the meaning of life.This study highlights that religion on the other hand, is a dogma and the existence of a higher power. It is the belief of sacredness, moral codes and values being supported and practised by an organization. Even though spirituality and religion are different, it can or can’t be interrelated. Religion can be practised with spirituality. Spirituality can be practised without being so religious. Spiri tuality and religion can be addressed in different ways. In the nurses and doctors point of view, the idea of the role of spirituality in a patient’s life will help them understand the patient’s response to an illness. In an article by Cancer.gov a spiritual assessment may help the doctor understand if a patient will use religious or spiritual beliefs to cope with the cancer diagnosis and treatment.  In a world where many different religions exist, it is important that a nurse should know the patients spiritual beliefs before conducting spiritual assessment to the patient.... There are many different kinds of medical treatment beliefs applicable to different kinds of religion. Mary Ellen Zator Estes (2002) had differentiated the medical treatments applicable for different religions. In Judaism, medicines and physician were held in high esteem. Patients also seek care for oneself through prayers and proper visitation. For an Islam patient, medical care is encouraged; however, female bodies should remain covered during treatment. Roman Catholic patients are encouraged to seek medical care and once confined in the hospital, visitation, anointing of the sick and prayer is practised. Same with Roman Catholic, Protestant patients also seek medical attention and anointing of the sick as well as prayers are being practised. Jehovah's Witness patients seek medical care when they are ill, however, during operations or when blood is needed, ingestion of blood nor any other blood products are prohibited. Upon knowing these beliefs, spirituality and nursing processes can now be applied. It is important that spiritual assessment be applied in nursing and giving care for a patient. SPIRITUAL ASSESSMENT George Fitchette (no date) described spiritual assessment as the process of discerning the spiritual needs and resources of the person with whom nurses are working with. Unlike diagnostic models in some medical fields, the assessment model in spiritual care should not simply focus on problems, but also includes the resources that people brings to help them cope with those problems. In short, it is gathering of information with regards to the patient's spiritual status. Spiritual assessment is important for it gives a comprehensive assessment of a patient's spiritual needs. With

Online shopping Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Online shopping - Research Paper Example The largest online retail companies include eBay, Amazon.com and Alibaba (BLUSCHKE 2011, pg8). The growing business and consumer demands a lot of creativity and this cannot be achieved through physical only. This is evident with the increasing number of retailers now offering online stores interface to consumers. With the enhancements in online shopping, there is an emergence of new market footprint coverage opportunities for stores that can appropriately cater to offshore market demands and service requirements (WINDWALKER 2002, pg19). Online shopping is an all-round benefiting process that does not only benefit buyers but also the sellers. Setting up a physical store comprises huge setup costs and recurring operational costs. Products that remain unsold can only occupy premium space, as opposed to resources required to manage them. Additionally, virtual stores ensure product movement based on orders. Physical shopping limits customers through factors such as distance, shopping time and time. These limitations do not exist when it comes to online (KÜHN 2010, pg77). Those who undertake online shopping argues that searching a product online is very easy and relatively less time consuming. Moreover, most of the time products are sold at a cheaper price online. Online customers must have access to the internet and a valid payment method so as to undertake a complete online purchase. Basically, high education levels and personal income is directly related to more favorable perceptions of online shopping (KÜHN 2 010, pg19). Online shoppers generally use a credit card or a PayPal account in order to make payments. Nevertheless, some methods such as debit cards, postal money order, wire transfer, cheque, cash on delivery and many others are also preferred. Financial part of online transaction may be processed in real time or may be done later as part of the fulfillment process (KÜHN 2010, pg31). Technological developments bring

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

Dreams - Essay Example Due to their authoritative influence for example in my case, parents may force their children to take up career courses that are not within their interests (Gysbers 2008 p 32). This essay will show that this may lead to poor job performance and conflicts in the work place. It also suggests the best approach that parents should take while discussing their children’s career choice which is to be supportive as well as less authoritative. This essay is a critical evaluation of the parent’s influence, using myself as an example, on the career dreams that their children may have as well as the consequences of such influence. Every parent would be proud to have successful children, in their careers as well as life in general. Similarly, there is no child who would be proud to be a failure in the society. It therefore becomes necessary for the two parties to join efforts to ensure that only the best comes from the children’s life. While in the process, it becomes possible to experience conflicts in ideologies which may either result to a wrong career choice or disappointment in life (Gysbers 2008 p 25). In many cases, parents misuse the opportunity to guide their children into choosing the right careers whereby they tend to force them into what they themselves see as the best for their children. By doing so, they forget that every individual has unique characteristics which determine their interests as well as their hobbies. It would therefore be wrong for anyone be it the parent or friend to try and force his interests in another person. However, I believe that it is always necessary to offer vari ous options to the child using an open minded approach whereby both parties would be willing to listen to the other person’s point of view. My career dream has always been to become a Chef but on the other hand my parents do not support this but instead, they want me to become a nurse. These are two very different careers and it may be

Impact of Heroic Medicine on Contemporary Medicin Research Paper

Impact of Heroic Medicine on Contemporary Medicin - Research Paper Example These developments in the physical sciences cover numerous areas including education, government, culture, society, law, religion, medicine, and economics. These developments also allowed for much discovery and experimentation to be carried out in these fields, allowing for the refinement in the practice as well as related innovations. This course has evaluated the development of the physical sciences and life sciences in the United States and their application from the colonial era up to the present. This course also evaluated the historical role of science in the US and the link between science and other institutions. This study will focus on heroic medicine and its role in general society and in the current application of the practice. Body Heroic medicine covers therapies which are aggressive medical interventions or remedies which were used mostly during the mid-19th century1. This type of medicine mostly includes risky and unproven options of treatment which the more scientific methods of healing have replaced. Benjamin Rush who was one of the first who helped ratify the US Declaration of Independence is one of the advocates and ‘fathers’ of medicine in America and of heroic medicine. His training in medical practice was at the Edinburgh University2. The age of heroic medicine covers from 1780 to 1850 where many educated medical practitioners actively engaged in this practice. During their practice of this type of medicine, they included practices such as bloodletting, intestinal purging, vomiting, profuse sweating, and blistering3. Doctors during these times mostly managed illnesses such as syphilis using mercury-laden salves4. Although these methods of treatment were very much supported by the intention to treat, these interventions were very much harmful to the patients. Heroic medicine became the norm of treatment during the mid-19th century. This practice actually became the accepted practice at that time, that even the educated and trai ned doctors were applying it5. The actual doctors who did not apply it were the ones who were actually known as alternative practitioners. Calomel and mercurous chloride was the most commonly used mineral for the purging practices. Illnesses at that point were viewed to be imbalances in the system which were attributed to an under or over stimulation of the body6. As such, purging was needed in order to rid the body of the illness. Bleeding was considered one of the initial remedies for illnesses as it can easily eliminate any poison in the system, allowing for the balance to be renewed in the system. Signs indicated that the practice indeed worked, or that some interventions were working. Most of the people during this time felt that they were being treated even if some of the treatments led them near death7. The doctor also made it appear that he was in control of the situation. This type of treatment is considered heroic for various reasons. The term comes from the significant im pact of the treatments and the large dose often needed to carry out the treatment. There is often a huge amount of calomel administered to lead to major and immediate effects, like severe vomiting8. As such, the intervention in this case is dramatic and is very bold. Although, these methods may not have been healing, they were certainly dramatic. During the 19th century, America was going through numerous civil and industrial changes in their lives. However, medicine was hardly within the same steady and progressive pace of growth and development9. The qualities of these practitioners were not the same as those who practiced during the 18th century. As was mentioned above, one of the major health practitioners during this time was Benjamin Rush who supported very much the philosophy of natural law10. Based on

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

Dreams - Essay Example Due to their authoritative influence for example in my case, parents may force their children to take up career courses that are not within their interests (Gysbers 2008 p 32). This essay will show that this may lead to poor job performance and conflicts in the work place. It also suggests the best approach that parents should take while discussing their children’s career choice which is to be supportive as well as less authoritative. This essay is a critical evaluation of the parent’s influence, using myself as an example, on the career dreams that their children may have as well as the consequences of such influence. Every parent would be proud to have successful children, in their careers as well as life in general. Similarly, there is no child who would be proud to be a failure in the society. It therefore becomes necessary for the two parties to join efforts to ensure that only the best comes from the children’s life. While in the process, it becomes possible to experience conflicts in ideologies which may either result to a wrong career choice or disappointment in life (Gysbers 2008 p 25). In many cases, parents misuse the opportunity to guide their children into choosing the right careers whereby they tend to force them into what they themselves see as the best for their children. By doing so, they forget that every individual has unique characteristics which determine their interests as well as their hobbies. It would therefore be wrong for anyone be it the parent or friend to try and force his interests in another person. However, I believe that it is always necessary to offer vari ous options to the child using an open minded approach whereby both parties would be willing to listen to the other person’s point of view. My career dream has always been to become a Chef but on the other hand my parents do not support this but instead, they want me to become a nurse. These are two very different careers and it may be

Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Design - Essay Example There are three main designs of the bottle, that is, bottles made of bamboo, stone and sea shell. Choice of the three designs anchors on the company’s philosophy to offer products that are sensitive to benign nature of the environment (Gabriel, 2014). All the three bottles are refillable, thus minimizing incidences of disposure. Bamboo, stone and Sea Shell designs take resonance with Oriental, Spa and Sea respectively (Lidwell, & Manacsa, 2009). Each design demarcates for the target client that which he or she is able to anticipate from resultant effect of the product to their body’s thus guiding choice of selection. For example, Bamboo extract contributes to Vitamin E in the human skin. Vitamin E contains antioxidants that nourishes the skin of an individual (Lidwell, Holden, Butler, & Elam, 2010). As such, products within the bottle made of bamboo design resonates with positive contributory effect of bamboo extracts to enlighten the human skin. Creation of the bamboo entails chopping of the bamboo reeds in physical size that is in tandem with other sizes of products which the company offer (Chin, 2005). Size of the bamboo tube also has the capacity to bear rightful quantities of moisturizer as Natugo establishes. Outer cover of the bamboo bottle is green. Essence of the green color is for educative purposes (Brandau, 2012). Green is a representative color for nature. Therefore, the green color depicts that the product is purely natural and contains elements of extracts that emanate from Bamboo therefore healthy and benevolent in refreshing skin of the users (Hughes, 2006). Creation of the stone bottles entails selection of fine stones. The stones resemble the ones used within a Spa (Lee, 2005). Designer of the stone arranges bigger stone to constitute base of the bottle. Pile of the stones emerge in a descending order in times of the physical size. The designer then drill a

Indian Automobile Industry Analysis Essay Example for Free

Indian Automobile Industry Analysis Essay Today the automobile sector in India contributes 5% to the nation’s GDP, making it a prominent player in the economy. It will contribute around 19% of the Tax collection for financial year 2009-10. Following have been the features of Auto industry in the past financial year. The following tables and charts consist of the performance of Auto industry in past few years. Industry Aggregate (Rs in million)| | AMJ 10 (E)| Net Sales| 363904. 38| Change (%)| 39%| EBITDA| 64665. 22| Change (%)| 94%| Depreciation| 7303. 60| Interest| 3348. 58| Other Income| 7118. 93| PBT| 61131. 97|. Tax| 16645. 21| Effective tax rate| 27%| Reported PAT| 44486. 77| Change % (Reported PAT)| 92%| Market Cap (Rs in bn)| 1647. 17| Source: BSE India; Cygnus Research| Note: The aggregate consists of the following companies- Bajaj Auto, Ashok Leyland, Tata Motors, TVS Motors, Force Motors, Hero Honda, Escorts Ltd. , Eicher Motors, Maruti Udyog Limited, Punjab Tractors Limited, Mahindra Mahindra, and Hindustan motors Source: QPAC Indian Automobile industry Apr-Jun 2010 INDIAN AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY AND TRENDS Overview The auto industry in India is the ninth largest in the world. After Japan, South Korea and Thailand, in 2009, India emerged as the fourth largest exporter of automobiles. Several Indian automobile manufacturers have spread their operations globally. Indian auto industry, which is currently growing at the pace of around 18 % per annum, has become a hot destination for global auto players like Volvo, General Motors and Ford. The Indian automobile industry is going through a phase of rapid change and high growth. With new projects coming up on a regular basis, the industry is undergoing technological change. The major players are expanding their plants and focusing on mass customization, mass production. Yearly-Analysis Year on year as the Indian population grows the requirement for the transportation will also grow, so it is clear that the industry demand is directly proportional to the population. Presently in India there are 100 people per vehicle while the figure in china is 82. Indian automotive industry is strong and productive sector for the economy growth. It gives nearly 5% of the employment to the country’s population. Continue improving quality results in exports of automobile and ancillary industry is boosting out the demand in oversees business. The Indian auto-players are expanding their presence in oversees market. In the last 5 years the foreign investment in this sector nearly doubled. Production Trend: The Indian automotive industry face a tough time during FY08 and its production were almost stagnated. From the early FY09, the industry started showing marginal growth in terms of production and reached to 14. 04m units till FY10. Due to the huge insist in the domestic market company’s sale nearly 88% of their total production in the country and rest 12% vehicles they export. Domestic and Exports sales trend: In terms of domestic sales the industry is showing positive approach from the last 3-years. During FY10 the industry domestic sales reached to 12. 29m units. The Indian exports are increasing gradually form the past 5-years and reached to 1. 80m units in FY10. Earlier the industry depended on the foreign auto parts, but due to the increase of the global players in the country and establishing the plants ended painless move to the Indian auto-players. INDUSTRY PERFORMANCE (YEARLY) Indian Automobile Industry Performance (Apr-Mar)| | Production| Domestic Sales| Exports| | 2009| 2010| %| 2009| 2010| %| 2009| 2010| %| Passenger vehicles (PVs)|. Passenger Cars| 1516967| 1926484| 27| 1220475| 1526787| 25| 331535| 441710| 33| UVs| 219498| 272848| 24| 225621| 272733| 21| 3034| 2823| -7| MPVs| 102128| 151908| 49| 106607| 150256| 41| 1160| 1613| 39| Total PV| 1838593| 2351240| 28| 1552703| 1949776| 26| 335729| 446146| 33| Commercial vehicles (CVs)| MHCVs| | | | | | | Passenger Carriers| 40995| 46026| 12| 34892| 43081| 24| 7456| 6069| -19| Goods Carriers| 151288| 204145| 35| 148603| 201977| 36| 9363| 14354| 53| Total MHCVs| 192283| 250171| 30| 183495| 245058| 34| 16819| 20423| 21| LCVs| | | | | | |. Passenger Carriers| 28635| 34751| 21| 26952| 34421| 28| 5426| 2708| -50| Goods Carriers| 195952| 281686| 44| 173747| 251916| 45| 20380| 21876| 7| Total LCVs| 224587| 316437| 41| 200699| 286337| 43| 25806| 24584| -5| Total CVs| 416870| 566608| 36| 384194| 531395| 38| 42625| 45007| 6| 3-wheelers| Goods Carriers| 417434| 530203| 27| 268463| 349662| 30| 146914| 172505| 17| Total 3-Wheelers| 79586| 88890| 12| 81264| 90706| 12| 1152| 777| -33| Grand total| 497020| 619093| 25| 349727| 440368| 26| 148066| 173282| 17| 2-Wheelers|. Scooter| 1161276| 1494409| 29| 1148007| 1462507| 27| 25816| 30125| 17| Motorcycles| 6798118| 8444852| 24| 5831953| 7341139| 26| 971018| 1103104| 14| Mopeds| 436219| 571070| 31| 431214| 564584| 31| 7300| 6905| -5| Electric Two Wheel| 24179| 2558| -89| 26445| 3001| -89| 40| 50| -| Total 2-Wheelers| 8419792| 10512889| 25| 7437619| 9371231| 26| 1004174| 1140184| 14| Grand Total| 11172275| 14049830| 26| 9724243| 12292770| 26| 1530594| 1804619| 18| source: SIAM; Cygnus Research| Demand-supply mismatch: The new capacity addition till 2012, may anticipate a demand and supply mismatch in the short term. Demand is only expected to grow by 10-12% every year. In 2009-10 the domestic auto industry was utilizing 80-85% of its capacity, but this may drop to 65% by 2012. India may be in a similar position in 2012 as the global auto industry is in right now. The global capacity utilization in 2009-10 was around 65%, down from 80% in 2008-09. In the near future it is expected that the mismatch is going to see between Demand and Supply. Capacity addition: Accoding to Fitch Ratings, by 2012, the existing players in the market are expected to add 0. 9m units to the 2. 6m units’ capacity of the passenger vehicle segment and 0.6m units to the 0. 75m units’ capacity of the commercial vehicle segment. Meanwhile, global automakers who currently only assemble in India, are expected to set up production units, in order to be more competitive with local players. Quarterly-Analysis Production Trend During AMJ10, the segmental market size of 2-wheeler stood at 77%, followed by Passenger vehicles at 16% and then followed by 3-wheelers at 4%. In this quarter the total industry production increased by 33. 27 to 4. 09m units from 3. 06m units in the previous year same period. The commercial vehicle segment production has increased by 57. 11% to 0.16m units and recorded top among the segments. Sales and Exports Trend From the past two years the sale of the vehicles are increasing during this quarter due to the domestic demand made by the festive season and the exports are declining. In terms of sales commercial vehicles sales had increased by 55% during AMJ10 and stood in top against AMJ09. Passenger vehicle sales increased by 33% next to Commercial Vehicles and stood at 0. 55m units followed by 2 and 3-wheelers. The total Indian automobile exports during AMJ10 increased by 59. 30% to 0. 58m units against 0. 36m units. The 3-wheeler segment stood in top in- terms of exports by 150. 33% increase followed by C. V and P. V. SEGMENTAL ANALYSIS OF THE INDUSTRY (QUARTERLY) Automobile Sales Performance in AMJ (in terms of Volume)| I PASSENGER VEHICLES| | AMJ09| AMJ10| % change| A. Passenger Cars| 324,985| 433,641| 33%| B. UVs| 60,969| 76,432| 25%| C. MPVs| 31,965| 44,493| 39%| TOTAL (A+B+C)| 417,919| 554,566| 33%| II. COMMERCIAL VEHICLES (CVs)| MHCVs| | | | A. Passenger Carriers| 7,482| 11,574| 55%| B. Goods Carriers| 31,408| 59,642| 90%| TOTAL (A+B)| 38,890| 71,216| 83%| LCVs| | | | A. Passenger Carriers| 9,601| 11,566| 20%| B. Goods Carriers| 48,376| 67,095| 39%| TOTAL (A+B)| 57,977| 78,661| 36%|. TOTAL COMMERCIAL VEHICLES (CVs)| 96,867| 149,877| 55%| III. THREE WHEELERS| A. passenger carrier| 72,339| 84,298| 17%| B. goods carrier| 18,963| 20,855| 10%| TOTAL (A+B)| 91,302| 105,153| 15%| IV TWO WHEELERS| A. scooters| 317,400| 470,323| 48%| B. motor cycles| 1,689,716| 2,097,415| 24%| C. mopeds| 128,738| 157,588| 22%| TOTAL (A+B+C+D)| 2,135,854| 2,725,326| 28%| Total volume (units)| 2,741,942| 3,534,922| 29%| Source: SIAM; Cygnus Research| SEGMENTAL PERFORMANCE Two-wheelers Note: Demand is expected on the base of country population bases and the base year is taken as 2000 for projections. The Indian 2-wheeler industry has reported a 26% (Y-o-Y) growth in FY10 with sales at 9. 37m units as against 7. 43m units sold in FY09. On the exports front, the 2-wheeler industry with 1. 14m shipments in FY10 posted a growth of 14% (Y-o-Y). Hero Honda Motors Ltd. (HHML), the worlds largest two wheeler manufacturer continued to dominate the total 2-wheeler industry with a market share of 48. 10%. In the motorcycle segment, the domestic sales grew 26% (Y-o-Y) to 7. 34m units while the exports grew 14% (Y-o-Y) to 1. 10m shipments in FY10. Hero Honda dominated the motorcycle space with a market share of 44% followed by Bajaj Auto (21%) and TVS Motors (15%). Market Penetration The two-wheeler industry is growing at a good phase in the country and expected a presence of 92 per every 1000 people at the end of 2010. The segment expects huge demand in the next 5 years. The industry is expected to sell nearly 26. 56m units till 2015. The segment is expected to face a tough time in 2011, due to the heavy compilation by the low cast cars and the alternative electronic vehicles. From 2012 the segment is expected to grow at the CAGR of 19% till 2015. Segment Boosters. New launches, coupled with low base and festive (marriage) season, helped the 2- wheeler industry post an impressive volumes growth for the month of May 2010. While the low base helped Bajaj Auto Ltd. (BAL) posts a growth of 62% (Y-o-Y) in total sales over the same month of the last fiscal. Three Wheelers The 3-wheeler industry posted an impressive growth of 26% (Y-o-Y) to 0. 44m units in FY10 as against 0. 34m units sold in the last fiscal. On the exports front, the 3-wheeler industry reported 17% (Y-o-Y) growth with 0. 17m units shipments in FY10. The passenger carrier segment reported higher growth in the domestic market at 0. 34m units 30% (Y-o-Y), while the goods carrier segment posted a 12% (Y-o-Y) growth for FY10. On the exports front, the passenger carrier segment posted a 17% (Y-o-Y) growth with 0. 17m unit shipments, while the goods segment posted a 33% (Y-o-Y) decline with exports of 777 units in FY10. Market share and players performance: Piaggio Vehicles continued to dominate the 3-wheeler industry with a market share of 41% followed by Bajaj Auto (35%) and Mahindra Mahindra (11%). In this 3-wheeler segment 81% sub-segment is captured by Passenger carriers, which is primarily for the rural people moving long distances. The remaining 19% is covered by cargo or goods carriers; there are the versatile vehicles suitable for both intra and inter-city transport. Segment Boosters In suburban and rural areas 3-wheelers are primarily used as substitutes for buses. They thrive because of very poor public transport and on shorter trip distances. Some of the opportunities of this segment are; the inability of state government to provide the required number of buses, lack of political will to privatize public transport and free up fares. Increasing number of 3-wheelers on these routeswill bring download availability form 10-12% to 6-8%, people for 80% of the trips. PRINCIPLE APPLICATION OF 3-WHEELERS| Segments| Primary uses| Fuel used| Forecasted 3-yearsCAGR| In-city| Home-Office,Home-shopping,Schoolchildren, Home-Railways or Air port. | Petrol/LPG/CNG| 10%| Rural| Stage coach| Diesel| 11%| Cargo| Wholesaler to retailerRetailer to end user distribution| Diesel/CNG| -6%| Growth drivers and Indian in the world automobile industry (2010) Growth Drivers of Indian Auto Market| India in world production| ? Rising industrial and agricultural output? Rising per capita income? Favourable demographic distribution with rising working population and middle class? Urbanisation? Increasing disposable incomes in rural agri-sector? Availability of a variety of vehicle models meeting diverse needs and preferences? Greater affordability of vehicles? Easy finance schemes? Favourable government policies? Robust production| ? Well-developed, globally competitive auto ancillaryindustry? Established automobile testing and RD centers? Among one of the lowest cost producers of steel in the world? Worldssecondlargestmanufactureroftwo wheeler? Fifthlargestmanufacturerofcommercial vehicles? Largest manufacturers of tractors in the world? Fourth largest passenger car market in Asia? India is the second largest two-wheeler market in the world.? 11th largest passenger car market in the world? Expectedtobetheseventhlargestauto industry by 2016| Inter- firm Comparison: Two – Wheelers Operational Performance The sales figure of Hero Honda is estimated to increase by 33. 73% in revenue terms from Rs3824. 40m in AMJ09 to Rs51116. 77m in AMJ10. Hero Honda scooter segment, pleasure sales have been growing at an average of 16000 units per month, it also crossed its land mark of 4. 5m unit sales for FY10. Bajaj Auto is estimated to show a sharp increase in sales figure by 33% from Rs 233384. 70m in AMJ09 to Rs31230. 88m in AMJ10, this has been led by its two game changing brands, Pulsar and Discover, with clocked robust volumes. TVS Motors is estimated to show an increase of 34% in sales from Rs9886. 97m in AMJ09 to Rs13254. 32m in AMJ10. Its scooter and motorcycle segment sales grew by 24% and 15% respectively; exports were increased by 22% to 20067 units during May. The newly launched TVS Jive and the TVS Wego have supported better volume growth for the month of March. Two-Wheeler Rs (m)| | AMJ 09 (A)| AMJ 10 (E)| Growth| Bajaj Auto| 23384. 70| 31230. 88| 33. 55| Hero Honda| 38224. 40| 51116. 77| 33. 73| TVS| 9886. 97| 13254. 32| 34. 06| Source: BSE India; Cygnus Research| Financial Performance The overall sale of all the companies is expected to rise. In case of TVS Motors OPM will improve mainly due to reduction in other expenses and raw material cost. The operational performance of Hero Honda has also improved and is directly reflected in its OPM and NPM growth which has increased by 837bps and 486bps respectively. Bajaj Autos OPM and NPM have been increased by 94bps and 170 bps points respectively. Overall in terms Hero Honda stood in top position in terms of operational and financial performance. | Bajaj Auto| Hero Honda| TVS| | AMJ 09 (A)| AMJ 10 (E)| AMJ 09 (A)| AMJ 10 (E)| AMJ 09 (A)| AMJ 10 (E)| Net sales| 23384. 70| 31230. 88| 38224. 40| 51116. 77| 9886. 97| 13254. 32| NPM (%)| 12. 55| 14. 25| 13. 08| 17. 95| 1. 84| 2. 85| OPM (%)| 18. 45| 19. 38| 17. 01| 25. 38| 6. 33| 6. 01| Source: BSE India; Cygnus Research| Cost Structure Analysis Cost Structure (as % of Net sales) AMJ09 Vs AMJ10| Company| Hero Honda| Bajaj Auto| TVS Motors| Industry| Year| 09| 10| 09| 10| 09| 10| 09| 10| (Increase)/Decrease in Stock| 0. 33| -2. 33| 2. 04| 1. 34| 3. 15| 4. 49| -0. 74| 0. 68| Consumption of raw materials| 67. 42| 62. 86| 60. 60| 64. 04| 67. 61| 60. 50| 65. 91| 62. 41| Purchase in stock in trade| 0. 00| 0. 00| 3. 51| 3. 67| 1. 62| 1. 88| 4. 44| 5. 55| Staff cost| 3. 62| 2. 76| 4. 83| 2. 98| 5. 29| 4. 87| 5. 34| 3. 86| Other expenditure| 11. 62| 11. 32| 10. 57| 8. 59| 15. 99| 22. 26| 12. 33| 9. 73| Depreciation| 1. 19| 0. 86| 1. 41| 0. 12| 2. 57| 1. 89| 2. 63| 2. 01| Interest Financial Charges| -0. 14| -0. 10| 0. 26| 0. 00| 1. 73| 0. 91| 1. 25| 0. 92| Tax| 3. 99| 7. 69| 5. 22| 6. 11| 0. 19| 0. 76| 2. 62| 4. 57| Source: BSE India; Cygnus Research|. Raw material cost forms the major chunk of cost for two-wheeler companies followed by other expenditure, staff cost. In terms of raw material, staff cost and other expenses the performance of Bajaj is better compared to its peers. Overall, Bajaj auto is efficient from operational point of view. It has declined its overall cost structure by 159 bps to 86. 84% from 88. 44% as the percentage of sales during AMJ09. Porter Five Forces model Here is the analysis of Auto Industry with help of the porter’s five forced model. This is common for auto industry in India. Supply | Some amount of excess capacity.while India would be capable of producing 5. 4 m cars a year by 2014, domestic demand is likely to edge up to between 3. 5 and 4. 8 m units. | Demand | Largely cyclical in nature and dependent upon economic growth and per capita income. Seasonality is also a vital factor. | Barriers to entry | High capital costs, technology, distribution network, and availability of auto components. | Bargaining power of suppliers | Low, due to stiff competition. | Bargaining power of customers | Very high, due to availability of options. | Competition | High. Expected to increase even further. | Now if we make the five-force model for two wheelers: