Generic Strategy – Porter

THEME 8: GENERIC STRATEGIES 1. Introduction. 2. The Porter's approach: competitive strategies (cost advantage, differentiation advantage and specialization). 3. The Ansoff's approach: the Growth Matrix (market penetration, product development, market development, and diversification). 4. An integrating approach.  © Alfonso VARGAS SANCHEZ 1 Hope is not a strategy, specially when internationalizing the company is the intention 2 Strategic Analysis: Compulsory Questions What business is the organisation in? manufacturing/retail, etc. Who do they compete with, and how do they compete? Who are the organisation’s stakeholders?Key stakeholders & their influence. What are the external drivers for change? – PEST model, macro environment. – Five Forces model, micro/industry environment. How does the organisation gain value? – Resource audit, tangible & intangible. – Value Chain and Value System analysis. Assess the balance in the corporate portfolio, BCG ma trix. How should I compete? Porter’s generic strategies: low cost, differentiation, specialization. What are my strategic movements? Mergers/Acquisitions, etc. 3 Mission – Vision – Values PEST analysis Competitive Forces P. C. Industry Attractiveness S C. C. S. P. B (threats & opportunities)Value Chain: activities & linkages F. I. T. D. HH. RR. PR. Value System (linkages): other SBUs (synergies) & suppliers buyers’ value chains Strategy formulation, at three levels: C–B–F Company’s Competitive Position (Resourcebased View): cost advantage or uniqueness (strengths & weaknesses) I. L. OP. O. L. M&S A-S. S. STRATEGY ELEMENTS LEVELS BUSINESS SCOPE RESOURCES & CAPABILITIES COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES SYNERGIES CORPORATE (1) (1) (1) BUSINESS (2) (2) (2) FUNCTION (3) (3) 5 STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE PORTER’S APPROACH Exclusivity perceived by the customer Position of low costs COMPETITIVE SITUATIONBroad (the whole DIFFERENTIATION sector) Reduced ( only one segment) COSTS LEADERSHIP FOCUS or NARROW SEGMENTATION 6 THE LOW COST PHENOMENON Two basic ways: -Productivity. -Economies of scale & learning/experience. 7 8 9 COSTS LEADERSHIP RESOURCES AND APTITUDES -Sustained investment of capital and favourable access to financial markets. ORGANISATIONAL REQUIREMENTS -Strict control of costs. -Detailed and frequent control reports. RISKS OR LIMITATIONS -Technological change that cancels out the experience gained or investment made. -Competitors who learn easily and rapidly. -Stagnation of the product or of the marketing. Inflation of costs that annuls the previous price differential. -Clearly defined organisation -Special aptitudes for and responsibilities. process engineering. -Incentives based on meeting -Close supervision of quantitative objectives. work and operations. -Products designed for ease of manufacturing. -Low cost of distribution. 10 Reading: â€Å"Designers on quest to build $12 computer† 11 DIFFERENTIATION RESOUR CES AND APTITUDES ORGANISATIONAL REQUIREMENTS RISKS OR LIMITATIONS -Significant aptitudes -Coordination between the functions of R&D, product in marketing and in product engineering. development and marketing. Strong investment -Qualitative assessments in R&D. and incentives. -Prestige in quality -Capacity for and technology. understanding the market -Full cooperation of and how it changes. the distribution -Appropriate channels. organisational structure for -Long tradition in the stimulating and rewarding sector, or a unique creativity. combination of aptitudes obtained in other business activities. -Competitive levels of product prices, in accordance with a strategy of minimum global cost. -The customers no longer value the product's factors of differentiation. -As the industry matures, imitation reduces the perceived ifferentiation. 12 Mention some brands for which you are willing to pay a premium price 13 SPECIALISATION RESOURCES AND APTITUDES -Resources and aptitudes of special application and interest in the company's area of operation. -Dominance of the relevant technology and of the engineering of the product. -Marketing capacity. -Ability in the use of limited resources. -Other competitors are specialized in part of the market of the already specialized company. ORGANISATIONAL REQUIREMENTS -Flexible and efficient organisation structure. -Corporate culture relevant and specific to its areas of specialisation (products and markets).RISKS OR LIMITATIONS -The differences in costs compared with nonspecialized companies are so wide that the advantages of specialisation are eliminated. -Close coordination between -The market in which the functions. company is specialized reduces its differences -Rapid response to changes with respect to the global market. in the environment. 14 15 16 A niche strategy within a declining industry Reading: â€Å"Cassettes linger long after expected demise† 17 Segmentation variables Varieties of products. Types of purchas er. Distribution channels. Geographic areas. Example: olive oil market. 18Segmentation matrix (1) TYPE OF PURCHASER VARIETIES OF PRODUCTS (QUALITY) Olive Oil Virgin Olive Oil Extra Virgin Olive Oil Final customer (bottled product) Restaurants, etc. (bulk product) 19 Segmentation matrix (2) TYPE OF DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL VARIETIES OF PRODUCTS (QUALITY) Olive Oil Virgin Olive Oil Extra Virgin Olive Oil Generic Specific 20 Combining segmentation matrixes (1+2) TYPE OF DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL VARIETIES OF PRODUCTS (QUALITY) Virgin Olive Oil for final customers (bottled product) Extra Virgin Olive Oil for final customers (bottled prod. ) Generic Specific 21 Segmentation matrix (3)GEOGRAPHIC AREA VARIETIES OF PRODUCTS (QUALITY) Virgin Olive Oil for final customers using a generic distribution channel Extra Virgin Olive Oil for final customers using a specific distribution channel National Market (a) International Market (c) (b) (d) 22 The choice of a segment/s ATTRACTIVENESS: within the same i ndustry there are segments with different levels of attractiveness. INTERRELATIONSHIPS: choose the most beneficial combination of segments. SUSTAINABILITY: your business scope should lead to a strong (defensible) position. (1) Structural attractiveness (competitive forces). (2) Size and growth. 3) Position of the company. (4) Advantages in costs or in differentiation. (5) Costs of coordination, of commitment and of inflexibility. Against: (6) Competitors with broader objectives. (7) Imitation. (8) Substitution. 23 Example: olive oil market SEGMENTS / CRITERIA ATTRACTIVENESS INTERRELATIONS SUSTAINABILITY (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (a) (b) (c) (d) 24 Criticisms of Porter’s framework Hybrid strategies could be employed without â€Å"stuck in the middle†. Cost leadership alone does not sell products. Differentiation strategies can be used to increase sales volumes rather than to charge a premium price.Price can sometimes be used to differentiate. A â€Å"generic† strategy can not give a competitive advantage. Arguably, the resource based strategy has superseded this generic strategy framework. 25 â€Å"A company must produce at low cost, while also innovating; it must deploy the massed resources of a large corporation, while showing the entrepreneurial flair of a small start-up; it must achieve high levels of reliability and consistency, while also being flexible† (Grant, 2012). 26 OPTIONS FOR GROWTH ANSOFF’S APPROACH CURRENT PRODUCTS NEW PRODUCTS ANSOFF’S APPROACH CURRENT PRODUCTS NEW PRODUCTS CASE STUDY:CURRENT MARKETS Market Penetration Product Development CURRENT MARKETS Expansion†¦ †¦of Products NEW MARKETS Market Development Diversification NEW MARKETS †¦of Markets Diversification 27 The Growth Matrix Sub-strategies Existing Market Penetration: -Intensification. -Relaunching. -Imitation. -Reduction of costs/prices. -Disaggregation. Product Development: -New products (R&D, innovation). -New product lines. -New services. MARKETS New Market Development: -New territoriesINTERNATIONALIZATION. -New segments of purchasers. -New distribution channels. -New possibilities for utilization. Diversification: -Concentric (or related). By conglomerates (or unrelated). Existing PRODUCTS New 28 INTERNATIONALIZATION & GLOBALIZATION 29 INTERNATIONALIZATION & GLOBALIZATION Reading: â€Å"China’s budding food industry faces scrutiny† 30 International Strategy Opportunities and Outcomes Identify International Opportunities Explore Resources and Capabilities Use Core Competence Strategic Competitiveness Management Outcomes Problems and Risks International Strategies Increased Market Size Return on Investment Economies of Scale and Learning Location Advantage International Business-Level Strategy (*) Multidomestic Strategy Global Strategy Transnational StrategyModes of Entry Exporting Licensing Strategic Alliances Acquisition Establishment of New Subsidiary Higher Performance Returns Innovation (*) Low cost or Differentiation. Standardization vs Adaptation. Multidomestic vs Global. Management Problems and Risks Strength of Market Drivers Aircraft Computers Automobiles Soft Drinks Toothpaste Retail Banking Book Publishing Baked Goods Low Multidomestic High Global Strength of Cost Drivers Pharmaceuticals Aircraft Computers Automobiles Toothpaste Retail Banking Baked Goods Soft Drinks Low Multidomestic High Global Corporate-Level International StrategiesMulti-Domestic Strategy Strategy and operating decisions are decentralized to strategic business units (SBU) in each country. Products and services are tailored to local markets. Business units in each country are independent of each other. It assumes markets differ by country or regions. Focus on competition in each market. Prominent strategy among European firms due to broad variety of cultures and markets in Europe. Corporate-Level International Strategies Global Strategy Products are standardized across national markets. Decisions regarding business-level strategies are centralized in the home office.Strategic business units (SBU) are assumed to be interdependent. Emphasizes economies of scale. Often lacks responsiveness to local markets. Requires resource sharing and coordination across borders (which also makes it difficult to manage). Corporate-Level International Strategies Transnational Strategy Seeks to achieve both global efficiency and local responsiveness. Difficult to achieve because of simultaneous requirements for strong central control and coordination to achieve efficiency and local flexibility and decentralization to achieve local market responsiveness. Must pursue organizational learning to achieve competitive advantage.International Corporate Strategy When is each strategy appropriate? High Global Strategy Need for Global Integration Transnational MultiDomestic Low Low High Need for Local Market Responsiveness Effective Standardization Coca-Cola McDonalds Barbie: The †Å"All-American† Girl Goes Overseas Barbie is more than 40 years old. Sold in 130 countries. National adaptations: – Physical features. – Costumes. – Activity sets. Standardized physique: – Scaled to 6’2†, 110 lbs. – 38-18-28. Effective Adaptation McMutton Pie in Australia. Wendy’s shrimp sandwich in Japan. Campbell’s noncondensed soups in the UK. Coca-Cola’s 175 ml containers in Japan.Cadillac Seville 1997 Asian edition: Right-hand drive, shorter seats, closer pedals, 10† shorter & retractable mirrors. Limits to International Expansion (beyond political and economic risks) Management Problems Cost of coordination across diverse geographical business units. Institutional and cultural barriers. Understanding strategic intent of competitors. The overall complexity of competition. DIVERSIFICATION Why? Growth, Profitability and Risk Reduction: Don‘t put all your eggs in one basket !! 42 DIVERSIFICATION Three essential tests for judging diversification (Porter): -The attractiveness test: Is the target industry attractive?Use the 5forces model to assess its attractiveness. -The cost-of-entry test: Is the cost of the diversification worth it? Will the diversified firm create enough additional value to justify the cost? -The better-off test: Does the diversification move produce opportunities for synergies? Will the company be better off after the diversification than it was before? How and why? Potential advantages: 1. Economies of scope (cost savings from using a resource in multiple activities carried out in combination). 2. Internal market (for capital and staff). Reading: â€Å"Perils of diversification†. The era of diversification, 50s-80s. – Refocusing, 90s-onwards. 43 DIVERSIFICATION Because of its high risk, many companies attempting to diversify have led to failure. However, there are some good examples of successful diversification: -Virgin Group moved from m usic production to travel and mobile phones. -Walt Disney moved from producing animated movies to theme parks and vacation properties. -Canon diversified from a camera-making company into producing an entirely new range of office equipment. 44 DIVERSIFICATION Reading: â€Å"Toyota tunes up violinplaying robot† 45 Diversification & PerformanceThe findings of empirical research: How do diversified firms perform relative to specialised firms? -No consistent, systematic relationship has been emerged. -High levels of diversification are associated with deteriorating profitability. -Timing is key. Does related diversification outperform unrelated diversification? -Diversification into related industries should be more profitable than diversification into unrelated industries. -Peters and Waterman’s golden rule: â€Å"Stick to the Knitting†. Empirical studies have defined relatedness in terms of similarities: Operational relatedness.Strategic relatedness. 46 Related Di versification Businesses are distinct but their value chains possess strategic â€Å"fit† in operations, marketing, management, R&D. distribution, labor, etc. Therefore, they tend to exploit economies of scope. Tend to (historically) outperform unrelated diversifications. 47 Unrelated Diversification No common linkage or element of strategic fit among SBUs — i. e. , no meaningful value chain interrelationships. Dominant logic: spreads businesses risk over multiple industries, stabilizing corporate profitability (in theory).Strategic approach: any company that can be acquired on good financial terms & offers good prospects for profitability is a good business for diversification. Conglomerates (clusters of businesses under central, mainly financial, management control), such as GE. 48 Example: GE â€Å"Diversification helps to strengthen General Electric; when one business is going badly, the other goes well, which contributes to the stability and growth of the company †. These words of Ricardo Artigas, Vice President of the General Electric Company, clearly reflect the sense behind this trategic option, the result of which is a company configured into twelve divisions: 1. Aircraft Engines; 2. Appliances (domestic electrical appliances); 3. Capital Services (financing services for customers); 4. Lighting; 5. Medical Systems; 6. NBC (television channel); 7. Plastics; 8. Power Systems (electrical energy generation); 9. Electrical Distribution and Control (power cables, transformers, etc. ); 10. Information Services; 11. Motors & Industrial Systems; 12. Transportation Systems. 49 AN INTEGRATING APPROACH Leadership in costs Differentiation Maintenance Growth Restructuring Internal External ExpansionDiversification of Products of Markets Concentric Conglomerate Vertical Integration Horizontal Integration 50 AN INTEGRATING APPROACH GROWTH STRATEGIES Expansion Internal Diversification Expansion External Diversification of Products of Markets Concen tric Conglomerate of Products of Markets Concentric Conglomerate Strategic Advantage Costs Differentiation Readings from the textbook: Pascual & Lagasa -internal growth based on diversification-; Fontaneda & La Casera -external 51 growth based on the expansion of products and markets-. â€Å"Progress is when things get simpler, not more complicated† Bruno Munari, Italian artist. 52

Maintaining an Individual’s Confidentiality and Disclosing Concerns Essay

Describe the potential tension between maintaining an individual’s confidentiality and disclosing concerns. Even though parents, children and practitioners have the right to confidentiality there are some occasions where maintaining confidentiality is not possible and must be broken. If there are concerns over a child’s wellbeing, this must be reported or if you are aware of a criminal offence, you are again obliged to report it to the correct authorities. If confidentiality is broken it must be done in the appropriate way and according to the policies of the setting. It can be a very difficult situation to be in, being made aware of abuse or risk to a child can make it difficult for the staff member, but by reporting any concerns in the correct manner you reduce to risk of further harm or danger to the child but also maintain as much dignity for the child and or family involved. Sometimes in the setting, situations arise where, for example, one child has hurt another and the other children may have seen the incident and made their parents aware and they may want information from you or other staff members; this is a difficult situation because you can’t help children discussing things but you need to remember that you still need to maintain confidentiality and not discuss the matter with anyone besides this child involved parent or carer. Another further area that may cause tension is social networks such as Facebook or Twitter, there are now many problems caused by social networking because information can be passed around extremely quickly and without proper control or authority. It is important that any staff members who use these sites do not use their sites to divulge information or responded to any comments made via these networking sites. If they see any problems they should report it to the settings manager so they can speak to the party or pe rsons involved to stop further problems arising.

History of Europe 1815-1914 Essay

Nationalism is a relatively recent phenomenon, considering the grand sweep of history. Although its roots can be found among the ancient Hebrews and Greeks, Niccolo Machiavelli’s book, The Prince, was the beginning of modern day nationalism, and was â€Å"important in the preparation of nationalism. † (Kohn, 1955, p. 9) Machiavelli believed that the state must be preserved and defended at any cost, and longed for Italian unification, which was to come centuries later. John Milton of 17th century Great Britain is considered to be the architect of modern day nationalism. Milton regarded nationalism as â€Å"the affirmation of individual freedom from authority, the self-assertion of personality in face of its own government or church,† and the freedom to â€Å"utter and to argue freely according to conscience. † (Kohn, 1955, p. 16-17) According to historian John Hall, at the core of liberalism is the quest to answer the question, â€Å"What is the nature of a good life? † (Hall, 1988, p. 9) Immanuel Kant, the German philosopher, was concerned with the categories of the human mind. His philosophy is often called critical philosophy. He believed human reasoning to be the ultimate authority on morality, and that a person should be free to reason. As hall puts it, Kant’s â€Å"defense of the basic liberal aim of considering individuals to be of moral worth remains high-powered and absolutely central to liberalism. † (Hall, 1988, p. 19) John Stuart Mill is considered to be â€Å"the most important single theorist of liberalism. † (Hall, 1988, p. 24) He believed in a person’s right to freedom, as did Kant, and defended individual liberty. Mill wrote in his work, On Liberty, â€Å"the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. † (Hall, 1988, p. 25) Mill was considered to be a radical in his time for he supported women’s equality, including the right to vote, education and birth control. Although Mill never became a socialist, he studied pre-Marxist socialist works. Karl Marx’s brand of socialism divided industrialized society into two classes: proletariat and bourgeoisie. The proletariats being the working class, and the bourgeoisie being the rich, ruling class. He criticized capitalism and considered it to be oppressive. He viewed freedom as the â€Å"extent of humankind’s domination over nature and the degree of rational, conscious control over social relations. † (Walicki, 1995, p. 12) Marx was the â€Å"prophet of communism† and he thought that his utopian view of society would â€Å"restore the unity of humankind, reconciling human individual existence with human species essence. † (Walicki, 1995, p. 12) Friedrich Engels was a contemporary of Marx, and co-wrote works with him, including the Communist Manifesto. Both Engels and Marx co-founded communism. He believed that the evils in industrialized society were due to private property, and only through a class struggle which led to a communist society could there be equality. The Problem of Bismarck Otto von Bismarck was appointed as Prime Minister of Prussia by Emperor William I in 1862. Not incredibly popular when appointed, people underestimated the power-hungry man. Prior to Bismarck’s appointment, William wanted to reform the Prussian military. The parliament agreed to reform but did not want to yield control of the budget to William for a long period of time. When Bismarck came on the scene he managed to collect additional taxes needed, and used them toward military reform without the consent or approval of the parliament. Unlike Bismarck, Louis-Napoleon of France, the great nephew of Napoleon I, started his political career with great support, but ended up being deposed. He was elected president of France in 1848 with a victory of 74. 2%. He was able to gain such a huge victory by being able to â€Å"appear as all things to all men. † (Price, 2003) However, resistance grew to his domination of government in 1851. He started a coup in December 1851 with little resistance in Paris, but more in rural areas, but he was able to crush that resistance. An election was held after the coup to decide whether or not people wanted him to have the authority necessary to create a constitution, and the result was an overwhelming yes, due to his â€Å"immense popularity. † (Price, 2003) Napoleon created the Second Empire, with himself the Emperor. In 1868 Bismarck pushed for Leopold, prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, to take the throne of Spain after the Spanish Revolution of 1868. Napoleon was alarmed at the prospect of Leopold taking the Spanish throne and threatened war. Leopold’s candidacy for the throne was withdrawn, but Napoleon wanted a letter of apology from Bismarck. Bismarck published the demands of Napoleon and Prussia’s rejection in the Ems Dispatch because he knew it would likely lead to war, and thought that a war with France would cause southern German states to help fight a Prussian war, leading to the unification of Germany. War did break out in 1870, and lasted until 1871. France was defeated by Prussia under Bismarck’s leadership. Politics & Economy During the 19th century Great Britain experienced a tremendous amount of economic growth, which began with the cotton industry. â€Å"Between 1815 and 1851 occurred the most rapid economic development of domestic resources in the whole of British economic history. † (Smellie, 1962, p. 140) By 1860 half of the world’s coal and manufactured goods were supplied by Britain. By 1870 British international trade was greater than the French, German and Italian combined. Several major political developments occurred in Britain during the 1830s. The Reform Bill, enacted in 1832, lessened the amount of land a man had to own to be eligible to vote. It increased eligible voters by more than 200,000. However, eligible voters still only amounted to 20%. As a reaction to the French Revolution, the Six Acts Law was passed by Parliament in 1819. It severely limited civil liberties, including freedom of the press and the right to public meeting. Other laws were passed which outlawed political rallies, and made it illegal to form labor organizations. The economic development of France was much slower than Britain’s. It took longer to industrialize because the French population did not increase as fast as the rest of Europe. The slow population growth was caused by peasants limiting their family size due to the small plots they farmed. A recession in the 1860s occurred because agriculture and industry could not keep up with global competition. From 1815 to 1870 France went through a series of regime changes. In 1815 Napoleon I was defeated and France was invaded by foreign troops. Restoration of the Bourbon monarchy was forced upon the French people, and Louis XVIII was installed as king. After Louis died in 1824 Charles X became king. Moderate royalists and liberals won seats in elections, and in 1829 Charles appointed Jules de Polignac as chief minister, which alienated both moderates and liberals. After the elections in 1830 Charles signed the July Ordinances into law which dismissed the newly elected Chamber of Deputies, causing another revolution where Charles was driven from the throne, and the July Monarchy installed, named after the month when Louis Philippe, of the house of Orleans, was installed. Louis-Philippe was also driven from the throne in 1848, and the Second Republic was created. An April 1848 election allowed all eligible males to vote. Workers in Paris, however, did not like the results of the election and revolted. The revolts were brutally put down in what came to be called the June Days of 1848. Louis Napoleon won the presidential elections of 1848, as previously mentioned, later declaring himself emperor. War & Unity During the 19th century unification occurred in both Germany and Italy. In Germany Bismarck managed to unite Germany through war with France in 1870, asking Germans not to fight â€Å"for Prussian expansion but for the sake of the fatherland. † (Bridge, 1980, p. 3) He succeeded in uniting Germany, but at a price Germans did not realize. â€Å"Bismarck’s sensational success in unifying the country blinded most of his countrymen to the political retardation he had imposed upon them. †(Feuchtwanger, 2001, p. 14) He managed to force an authoritarian system on all of Germany. In Italy the Risorgimento, the term for Italian resistance to Austrian rule and the growing desire for unification, began with Giuseppe Mazzini. Exiled to France in 1831, he created the organization called Giovane Italia (Young Italy) in order to help spread Italian nationalism. Giuseppe Garibaldi was inspired by Mazzini, and in 1860 he landed in Sicily in order to stir up a revolt against the Sicilian king. He managed to gather Sicilian peasants to fight, and they were able to defeat the king. He then set himself up as the dictator of Sicily, and headed to the southern mainland with his Sicilian peasants. He also gained the support of peasants there, and then headed north, where he defeated King Francis of Naples. He was met with resistance by the forces of Victor Emmanuel, king of Sardinia. He decided to hand over his conquests to Victor Emmanuel. Garibaldi was an exact opposite of Bismarck. He fought for unification of his country by gathering the support of the people, while Bismarck united his country by embroiling them in wars. Bismarck imposed authoritarianism on the German people. Garibaldi put his political ambitions aside for the good of his country. â€Å"He could have established himself as dictator of southern Italy but believed national unity to be more important than personal ambition. † (Farmer, 2006)

Negotiation Post 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Negotiation Post 2 - Essay Example Recently my parents had an argument over whether or not to buy a new car. My dad wanted to buy a new car since he had worked for such a long time making good money but had never driven his dream car- a Mercedes. My mum on the other hand thought that the money could be used to buy a new house instead of buying something as frivolous as a car. I asked my mum why she felt a new car was frivolous and why my dad wanted to buy one. She said that the money should be spent on something that can last and also be appreciated by everyone in the family instead of one person only. But she did not know why my dad felt so strongly that he should buy himself a new car. I then remebered Diamond discussing the idea that at times it pays off to concede in order to benefit in the future. I explained this to my mum as meaning- you would rather loose the battle than the war. Allowing my dad to buy the car would be loosing the battle but not the war. I asked her to go ask him and to listen intently and als o share her opinions. They had the dicussion and after that she understood where he was coming from. He felt that a man of his stature in society should be able to drive a good car after all his years of hard work. A skilled negotiator is one who can keep their eye on the â€Å"ultimate prize† and can thus afford to make certain compromises along the way but all in the aim of achieving the â€Å"ultimate prize†. Human nature dictates that once one person makes a sacrifice for another the other person then naturally feels obligated to reciprocate. I therefore asked my mum what her â€Å"ultimate prize† is and she said it was buying a new house because such investments were safe and they could be enjoyed by the family as a whole. I then told her not to lose sight of that objective because she would achieve it sooner rather than later. Fast foward seven years later, my parents who work together were rewarded handsomely for their efforts by a certain company and whe n I asked what they would do with the money, my mum simply said she had not decided yet. My dad looked at her sharply and asked if he did not have a say into how the money would be used and my mum simply said since she sacrificed last time then he had to sacrifice this time. Negotiation Post 2 Negotiation is often perceived to be a shouting match and about he who budges the least is deemed the winner. This is a misconception. On several occassions you find companies negotiating with their employees on their salaries and the company refuses to budge simply because it will be percieved as weak but the difference in increasing the employee’s salary would not have any effect on the company’s financial status. Stuart Diamond in his book Getting More states that negotiations are more about emotions than logic. It is therefore of paramount importance that the parties be on good terms. I recently worked in a law firm and a husband wanted to divorce his wife because they could not sort their differences out. From his demanour and speech you could immediately feel the anger and hatred between the two. I had to sit down with her lawyer as well and determine how the property would be shared out. Our client the husband was very wealthy before the marriage but he only truly cared about a certain piece of property that he had inherited from his father. He was willing to lose everything else but not that one. Acquiring this property was

The Vietnam War and America's Involvement Research Paper

The Vietnam War and America's Involvement - Research Paper Example The Vietminh engaged in guerilla warfare against the Japanese, aided by the supply of arms from the Soviet Union and the United States. On the defeat of Japan in 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam’s unilateral independence and announced the formation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Minh sought American support. In spite of substantial Vietminh collaboration during World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt failed to respond to Minh’s appeal (Simkin). American involvement and defeat in the Vietnam War was the result of America’s Cold War ideology, support for Ngo Dinh Diem, and anti-war public sentiment. After World War II, fearing communist China’s influence over Vietnam, America rejected Minh’s appeal for support in his bid for independence. As France sought to re-establish dominion over Vietnam, Minh again appealed in vain for help. America desired French support in Western Europe. President  Eisenhower  explained the link between Vietnam's st atus and that of the rest of Southeast Asia through the â€Å"Domino Theory†: â€Å"If one country fell to communism, the rest of them would follow† (â€Å"Milestones (1953-1960)†). America gave France massive aid, while Minh was supported by the Soviet Union and communist China. Vietnam, thus, became a theatre of the Cold War. In July 1954, Vietnam overthrew France’s colonial rule with the decisive victory at Dien Bien Phu. At the subsequent Geneva Peace Accords of 1954, the United States was influenced by â€Å"the strains of the international Cold War† (Brigham), having suffered heavy losses in the fight against communism in Korea. Vietnam was pressurized by China and the Soviet Union to accept the temporary partition of the country at the seventeenth parallel, with the understanding that reunification would follow the general election scheduled for 1956. Fearing that the elections would result in the consolidation of power by the communist Ho C hi Minh, America, under President Eisenhower, mounted a covert anti-communist campaign in the South (Simkin). This anti-communist stand led to active American involvement in the quagmire of Vietnam. The United States established a puppet regime in South Vietnam led by Ngo Dinh Diem, who was unpopular, corrupt, and autocratic. Diem brazenly opposed reunification and unleashed state terror on all opposition. In spite of widespread Vietnamese opposition, the United States continued to prop up Diem’s regime with military, economic and political aid, as a bulwark against the Communist North. Diem’s American advisers set about training the South Vietnamese army (ARVN) and connived in the rigged election of 1955 to keep Diem in power. Diem then rejected North Vietnam’s call for general elections in 1956 and indulged in an orgy of arrests of political dissidents including communists, socialists, journalists, religious leaders, and even children. Growing opposition to Di em led to the formation of the the  National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam  (NLF), or the Viet Cong, in 1960. It was supported by Ho Chi Minh. John F. Kennedy continued to support Diem, quoting the importance of the â€Å"Domino Theory,† and supplied South Vietnam with money and military advisers. The American sponsored â€Å"Strategic Hamlet Program† of isolating the peasants from the NLF in villages with stockades increasing dissent. American military advisors and soldiers increasingly became involved in the fighting. Diem, a Catholic, went on to unleash force against the Buddhist

Political economy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Political economy - Term Paper Example Not only do these nations face internal challenges but they also have to contend with massive amounts of debt that they owe to developed countries. This issue will be the focus of the rest of the essay, which will elaborate on the merits and demerits attached to the policy of totally writing-off the debt owed by the most impoverished of Third World nations. Firstly, there is a strong case to be made for total debt relief from a post-colonial reparation perspective. Most countries that presently fall under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) category are former colonies for European imperialism. The HIPC group is predominantly comprised of countries from Africa and Asia. A primary reason for their prevailing impoverished economy was the exploitation suffered by them during the colonial period. Similarly, the prevailing political chaos in most of these countries is partly due to the abrupt transition of power from the imperialists to the local elite – a transition that did not make provisions for the establishment of democratic institutions and processes. The HIPC Initiative conceived and proposed by the World Bank and its agencies is one of the methods through which Third World Debt could be reduced. In other words, the initiative is intended to â€Å"release resources for poverty reduction, increase incentives for reform s, and remove a deterrent for both domestic and foreign investors† (Cappelen, et. al, 2007, p.69)). According to the World Bank, as of June 2006 "nominal debt service relief of more than US$59 billion has been approved for 29 countries through the HIPC Initiative, reducing their Net Present Value of external debt by approximately two-thirds. Of these countries, 19 have reached the completion point and have been granted unconditional debt service relief of over US$37 billion." (Cappelen, et. al, 2007,

A description of the UK economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A description of the UK economy - Essay Example The UK economy is currently doing well and might be begrudged by many emerging economies. It has high employment levels, minimal inflation rates and a good annual growth of 0.2%. however, if the government continues increasing its expenditure, the UK might soon find itself in another self-imposed crisis. The UK government should realize that the real risk from increased government expenditure is the burden of interest that has to be paid on the money borrowed to finance government activities. Though the government has the role of stimulating economic growth, it must use methods and/or policies that will not conflict with some of its goals and/or objectives. Apparently, tax reduction might work in further improving the performance of the UK economy but such reductions must not be at the expense of government revenues. Vast as it is, the UK government requires lumpsome amounts of money to provide for its population and finance its numerous activities hence taxes must still be considere d as an important source of the government’s existence.

Multi-user database Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Multi-user database - Essay Example In addition, the concurrency control is significant for the reason that the concurrent execution of multi-user database transactions those are performed in a collective database arrangement can provide basis for some of the reliability and integrity issues. In this regard, for the proper establishment of the concurrency control the method of the locking is used that involves the assurance regarding private utilization of a data item to a database operation. Normally, let if database transaction A1 holds a lock on a database data item, after that another operation A2 does not have right to use that data item (WordPress, 2010), (Wikia, 201) and (Hoffer, Prescott, & McFadden, 2007). In case of the transaction management we need to ensure that multi-user database transactions or operations are clear, means that every transaction should have preserved database integrity all through multiple users’s operations trying to access the databases. In addition, transactions have to be as w ell divided into subordinate-transactions; since every subordinate-transaction can affect the single database system.

Research Paper based on company of your choice except Walmart

Based on company of your choice except Walmart - Research Paper Example Next section of the study will discuss the major milestones for the company. Time Period Milestones 1905 Nestle took over Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company. 1920-1944 Nestle shut down operation in many plants and invested capital in launching Nescafe. 1945-1974 In this era, Nestle took the strategic decision to diversify its product portfolio. They took over Alimentana in order to launch Maggi. Nestle invested money for becoming one of the largest shareholder in L'Oreal. 1975-1979 Nestle took initiative to enter in pharmaceutical industry with the help of buyouts and strategic acquisition decisions. The company acquired Alcon Laboratories in order to enter American pharmaceutical industry. 1980-1994 Nestle used the acquisition strategy in order to increase height, breadth and depth of its food product portfolio. The Vevey based organization acquired food giant Carnation in order increase depth of the product line. Nestle enhanced the strength of the Nescafe brand by launching Nespre sso which was a form of espresso coffee. 1996-2005 Nestle diversified its business into nutritional and health division. The Swiss company entered into of health, nutrition and wellness business segment with the help of series of merger and acquisition activities. 2006-2009 Nestle took few major steps like acquiring nutritional division of Novartis, establishing shared value forum in different countries, trimming down the value chain for bottled water segment in order to increase sustainability and profitability of business. 2010-2012 Nestle launched Cocoa Plan for supplying disease defiant plantlets to their value chain partners. (Source: Nestle, â€Å"History†) SWOT Analysis & Impact of External Environment Strengths Strong Brand equity is the major strength for Nestle. The company has established strong brand presence with the help of its diversified product portfolio. The Swiss giant offers more than 4000 brands to customers which talks about the product diversification c apacity of the company. The company is the market leader in more than twenty five product categories like confectionery, pet care, coffee, bottled water, frozen meal, nutritional division and dairy products. Nestle has achieved leadership position in non-alcoholic beverage market with the help of products like Milo (energy drink), Nestle Pure Life (bottled water), Nescafe (coffee) etc. Nestle Pure Life is the highest selling bottle water brand in the world. Top brands of the company are growing at a rate of 10-20% annually which proves the strong brand equity of Nestle (Market Line, â€Å"Nestle S.A†). Research and development capability is the major strength for Nestle. The company has established more than thirty two research and development centers across five continents in order to incorporate high degree of diversification in product offering. The Vevey based company operates business with the help of three hundred application groups in order to develop products in accor dance with the local market preference. Weaknesses Major weakness of Nestle is its inability to generate revenue from all the markets it caters to in equal proportion. For example, 58% of Nestle’s revenue comes from its operation in developed countries like USA, UK and other European countries (Market Line, â€Å"Nestle S.A†). The company is facing problem in maintaining its revenue growth in European

Critique of Klemperers Auction Design Essay Example for Free

Critique of Klemperers Auction Design Essay What Really Matters in Auction Design, Paul Klemperer, Journal of Economic Perspective Volume 16, Number 1 Winter 2002, pp. 169-189 I really like this article because I agree with most of what it says. Auctions, in recent times, have become very popular and I dont need to interview anyone about this, I just need to examine myself to find out. Over the past few years, to be brutally honest, I have been absolutely addicted to eBay. com, an online shopping site made famous by the way in operates. Not only are all transactions made online, which is very convenient, but the way things are sold is what makes the shopping experience at eBay so unique, and fun. As the article mentions, auctions (like eBay) can be potentially good for both buyers and sellers. An auction can involve many buyers, for instance the auction of a house, whereas in the olden days, a negotiation over a house was usually between two people (bilateral negotiation) today there can be many sellers all competing for the same prize. This is good for the seller because now there is much more competition for the prize, therefore the seller will think hes getting the highest price for the same item. I think this is true because as human psychology goes, humans (generally speaking), tend to handle things better if they come in small increments, using the purchase of a house as an example, one would be somewhat overwhelmed at seeing a price tag of $1,000,000 for a house. However, instead of selling a house straight off a price-tag, if the auction method was taken, bidding might start at say $200,000, which sounds incredibly cheap. After that, the auction could rise in very small increments, say $3,000, which wouldnt be very over-whelming for the human mind to take in. And with this method, it is much easier to convince the human mind to believe that the house is worth $1,000,000, or more! However, as the article mentions, one should not be over-excited at the prospect of auctioning everything. Like most things, auctions can have their pit-falls. A major pitfall is bidder collusion. This is where buyers, or bidders, group together to cooperate with one another. This is a serious problem because this is regarded as anti-competitive behaviour which is a serious crime against the law. Sometimes, the ending winning price will be lower than what the seller had paid for it in the first place, making it an unprofitable auction. This could happen when for example, there are 10 Nike shoes for sale, and 10 bidders interested in Nike shoes. Collusion takes place when the 10 sly bidders come together and cooperate with each other so that each will go home with a pair of shoes at the lowest possible price, often the starting price of the auction, which often is very low. This is detrimental to the profits the seller was hoping to make because essentially, there is not enough competition, and it is very hard to prove in court that the bidders were colluding. I think this rarely on eBay, it hasnt happened to my knowledge, this could be because eBay has the power to monitor conversations between online members and any anti-competitive behaviour is detected and the members guilty will get into trouble, possibly kicked out and disallowed from using eBay again. A possible solution to this, as the article mentions is the tactic of hiding certain bits of information from the bidders. The use of the sealed-bid auction can be used so that bidders dont know what the current price/bid is and therefore they wont know what price they can and should collude at, because anyone can secretly enter a bid slightly higher than the collusion agreed price and walk away for more goods than everybody else. This is bad for that one person who deviated from the collusion and won everything if the other members find out it was him. However, another way to protect this competitive buyer is to make the winner anonymous. So now this seems like the perfect auction design, sealed bid auction, anonymous winner, but this design still has its pitfalls. Imagine you were the winner of the Nike shoes by sealed bid auction and you are anonymous, you paid $200 for them. However, later you find out that the runner-up bidder (the person with the second highest bid) only bided $50. It turns out that you bid and paid $150 more than you had to, this would be very humiliating and embarrassing for you. This can be a major problem I would imagine, however eBay has sort of managed to sort a similar problem out, you put the maximum your are willing to bid, if you win, you only have to pay $1 more than the runner up, that way you are the one willing to pay the most, yet you pay the least possible given the other competitors, this way, everyone stays happy. I think this is a really smart way to do it because not only can you almost assure yourself of winning, given youve got lots of money, but it means that youll pay as little as possible for the goods. The only other problem possible with this method is that the runner-up may become jealous of you and may bid up the price, these are called phoney bids, just so that youll have to pay more money, however, this is not often a problem because it is very risky for the runner-up to do this because he may over-take you in the bidding and end up having to pay the high-price. Which I would say serves him right for being so jealous and childish. If the runner-up wants the good so bad and is so jealous, let him have it but make him pay a high price. This brings me to the next thing which this article clearly points out, beware the Winners Curse. It is extremely easy to over-bid in any auctions because of the fact that bidders tend to think in terms of small increments and not big numbers (as pointed out above), therefore it is very easy for bidders to bid too much, win the good, and end up paying more than the goods actual value. In some instances, bidders are paying more for Nike shoes at auctions, when they could buy the same pair of shoes at a retail shop like say, Rebel Sports. This is called the winners curse, this can be avoided by getting as much information about the product/good as possible before bidding on the shoes. This I know has happened to me on numerous occasions on eBay. com. au, mainly because I wanted the product and I also felt proud about the fact that I beat everybody else at the auction, little did I know how much my confidence would plummet when I found out that I paid too much for the same pair of shoes! But, as Klemperer points out, hiding information about the product is not always at the sellers best interest. This point should be quite self-explanatory because, why would bidders bid aggressively if they dont know much about the item they are bidding on? This was also a lesson learnt the hard way for me, these days if Im bidding on something, I want to read that the item Im bidding is real/authentic and not a fake and that way if the item they give me is a fake, I can get a refund. If the seller wishes to encourage aggressive bidding, he/she has to provide useful and honest information for the bidders otherwise aggressive bidding is nothing but a dream. Another problem that can be faced by auctioneers is as Klemperer labels it Entry Deterrence and Predation, this is not a problem on eBay because all bidders bid at their own pace. However, in the case of an auction for say a house where bidders stand in a crowd with one another, really aggressive bidders tend to scare everyone away. On eBay where you can make small incremental bids as low as 20i at a time at anytime (provided the auction has not ended), with house auctions really aggressive bidders can bid huge increments which tends to scare off everybody else and so that person dominates the auction and has an advantage. This predatory action can be avoided by allowing the auction price to only rise by little increments at one time, this is sometimes seen where the auctioneers job is to offer the crowd a winning price from which the bidders only need to raise their hand to signal that they accept the price offered, this in turn removes a lot of the predatory actions of a few. There are many other interesting points made by Klemperer, he really is a scientist when it comes to auction analysis and I really admire the work he has done. So for you future bidders, watch out the winners curse and find out plenty of information about the thing you are bidding on, and dont get over-excited, this is very dangerous. Other than that, I look forward to reading more of Klemperers articles.

Changing Business Environment of Tata Motors

Changing Business Environment of Tata Motors Executive Summary: Business Environment is the key factor which determines the success and failure of a business. If an organisation has a prior knowledge about its business environment and take strategic decisions from the signs from the environment around the business then the organisation is bound to become a success. The key factor in the business environment is divided into two broad categories namely Micro and Macro Environments. The factors which are can be controlled are the factors of micro environment namely the organisations raw material provider, distributors, sellers, transportation channels, retailers to name a few. But the macro environmental factor are factors which the organisation doesnt have any control over it but the company is bound to follow are adhere to it in order to be successful like the rules and regulations of government, taxations, environmental factors, laws, etc. with the help of these macro and micro environmental factors the company can position itself in such a way t hat it is sync with the business environment and as well as satisfying the customers and reaching the organisations goals. This research deals about Tata Motor Company which is the largest car manufacturing company in India. With the help of sufficient business models and supporting literatures the resultant research outcome gives an insight about the organisations position in the local as well as the international markets and its progress in the past five years. Introduction: Tata Motors was established under the Tata Group of companies in 1945. They became Indias largest automobile manufacturing company, after which they were the first Indian automobile company to enter the stock exchange in New York. In 1954, they began manufacturing commercial vehicles in collaboration with Daimler Benz of Germany. This collaboration led them to become the largest commercial vehicle manufacturing company in India. They are now among the top five worlds largest medium and heavy truck, bus manufacturers. They started the passenger vehicles manufacturing unit in 1991, and now they rank second in Indias passenger vehicle market. In this composition, we will implement the business models and methods in the above mentioned company. Relevant literature reviews are given and the facts are gathered using secondary data collection method. Recommendations are discussed at the end on the basis of the outcome retrieved from the implementation done in the significant business models. Organization Background: The Tata Motors group is a passenger and commercial vehicle manufacturer based in India. The group was established as part of the Tata Group in 1945. They have been well known for their commercial vehicles and in the past decade they entered into the passenger vehicle segments. Currently, Tata Motors has an ample line of passenger vehicles and a large line of commercial vehicles such as pickups, trucks, tractors, trailers, tippers, and buses. Both product lines of the Tata Motors group have seen success, but much of this has been built upon the more deeply established commercial vehicle product line. Tata Motors commercial line has been established for several years in many market segments such as Europe, Africa, The Middle East, Australia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. They expanded their business and market share around the world through a series of acquisitions. They acquired Daewoo commercial vehicle Company in South Korea in 2004. This acquisition gave Tata Motors a significant presence in the Korean market. They also had collaborations with companies such as Thonburi Automotive in 2006, which allowed them to manufacture and market pickup trucks in Thailand. The commercial vehicle area of the business has certainly been how Tata Motors have built their reputation, with commercial vehicles accounting for 80-85% of company profits. They are beginning to employ a similar technique as they now expand into the passenger car business. Tata Motors have been making global headlines in the auto industry recently. The hottest news is their acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford. Tata paid 2.3 billion dollars to Ford for the two brands that cost Ford 5.3 billion dollars. This is a major step for the company because it triggers them into the luxury car business which they are not popular for at this situation. As they acquire many businesses they will be managing the luxury car automobile business with their previous management. This is yet another large acquisition for the Tata Motors group and could create great success for the company in the near future. Tata Motors have increased its earnings over the years through their various acquisitions and joint ventures with truck manufacturers in Southeast Asia. Gross profit in the year 2006 was 1,160.9 million and increased to 1,510.1 million in the year 2007. After a large drop in revenues from 2004 to 2005 when the company first went public on the NYSE, it has been increasing revenues greatly annually, from 4,422.0 million in 2005 to 7,354.0 in 2007. Their net Revenue in 2008-09 was 256.79 billion, and net profit was 100.26 billion, due to market disruption. SWOT Analysis: Strengths: Tata motors have a wife variety of products due to its collaborations and joint ventures with other vehicle manufacturing companies and due to the fact that it has acquired many international companies which enabled it to access new technologies and inject them into its existing commercial and passenger vehicles manufacturing line. Tata motors have strong Human resources. It helps its employees to gain knowledge by providing additional support to by providing workshops and trainings. Weaknesses: The organisation has a little amount of weakness because it has a wide variety of products with a wide range from cheap cars as low as $2000 to premium cars which can cost up to $ 80000. so everyone gets what the desire. Opportunities: With its wide variety of products it has a huge opportunity to reach into almost all the sectors of automobile industry. Tata motors have multiple classes of vehicles such as passenger cars, commercial vehicles, busses, defences and support vehicles. Threats: With the huge variety of vehicles and different sectors to venture into Tata motors have created serious rivalry from different car manufacturers such as Hyundai motors, Maruthi-Suzuki, Ford, Chevrolet, Skoda Motors and so on. The higer the pressure from the rivals creates even more opportunities to discover new innovative ideas and technologies to implement in their manufacturing of vehicles. The initial stage of any strategic planning is the SWOT analysis. The structure of the SWOT analysis is simple but, after analysing an organisation using this tool a perfect solution for a strategic plan can be obtained from the data collected. SWOT represents Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats. The strength and weakness are internal factors whereas; opportunities and threats are external factors. There are some simple rules to obtain good results from SWOT analysis. The organisation must be realistic about the strengths and weaknesses. It should show the difference between where the organization is and where is it heading to, SWOT must be applied in relation to the competitor. It is better to avoid complexity and over analysis since, SWOT is subjective. (Marketing teacher) PESTEL analysis: PESTEL analysis helps to position any organisation with its business environment. It enables to assess the organiations improvement and success with the factors that are uncontrolable by the oragnisation thses factors are also known as micro environmental factors for example factors such as competitiors, econpomy, sellers, buyers, distributors and general consumers. Pestel analysis gives an clear insight about the organisation and its values and position. This research implement the PESTEL analysis for the TATA motor company. Political Factors: In the past few years TATA motors ventured in to new grounds by merging and aquiring new companies in differrent parts of the world. In 2004 it aquired Daewoo Commercial vehicles company in Korea which helped Tata motors to gain some international ground. With the expansion the Tata motors had to follow certain rules and regultaions which casued them to hire employees and staff from the local area and since they had a strict law of labour union they had little or no job redundancy. Since tata motors had its presence in the whole of Asia, Africa, Australia, The Middle East and the United Kingdom it had various rules and regulations to follow and since it was a very difficult taask to cope up with and the changes to adhere to it had most of its operations and manamgement planning within India where it has its most of the dealerships and subsidiaries. Therefore Tata motors had a very hard ground to cover and its overseas acquisition of Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford motors enabled it t o concentrate on luxury cars and not its traditional economy class cars. On the acquisition of these luxury car companies it had a similar problem as the acquisiton of Daewoo motors in Korea. Since UK has a very powerful Labour union, Tata motors made amove not to fire any of its employees from the previous ownership but it made all of its top level managers and staff shifted from other parts of the organisation who were well aware of the companies work culture and ethics. Economical Factors: Tata motors is the biggest automobile and commercial vehicle manufacturing company in India. With over 70% of market share in India and it had a 0.81% of market share globally. when Tata Motors acquired Land Rover and Jaguar in 2008 it had solidified revenue a massive $16 billion. In 2008 when Tata motors acquired Land Rover and Jaguar the premium car companies it planned to raise funds through its shares, but due to the mangements decision it was left in last moment, but in 2010 Tata Motors are pallning to raise around $700 Million in its shares sales. This decision is is made in order to raise funds for its new manufacturing plants and to enhance its research and development but there are no official reports of when it will be implemented. These shares are sold to the minority share holders in order to safe guard the organisation since the decision was taken it had one tenth of the voting rights of the ordinary shares with a 5% increase in the dividend. Tata motors is the first car manufacturing company to produce the cheapest road car in the world the Nano, which is priced at approximately $2000. which has made a great difference in India where the booking of these cars are filled up even before the cars are commercially manufactured. Tata motors is a dual listed company it is listed in Bombay Stock Exchange as well as New York Stock Exchange under the sign TTM. Tata commercial vehicle manufacturing company has been in the top five commercial vehicle manufactures in the world and it also one of the top eight companies in India with a annual turn over of $7 billion. Tata motors since the beginning of its venture with partner ship with daimler-Benz in 1954 have came up with new concepts in car manufaturing but it has always focused upon the mid and small sized cars, this is due to fact that most of its customer base is India where the traffic is highly congested and fuel consumptions are very high with the price of fuel relatively higher. So people tend to hav e a soft corner over the small sized cars. So Tata Motors introduced Tata Indica a small sized car in 1998, which fits 5 people with a very little boot space, It became an instant star among the people and large number of orders were made and even today it is preferred by many people because of itssize and a very low fuel consumption and high mileage in the city as well as in the high ways. Tata has its presence in the global economy. It has partner ship with different companies in different parts of the world it has a wide variety of products to manufacture. Tata motors has joint ventures between Fiat car manufacturing company and in recent times Tata motors has intiated to bring in new models of its Joint ventured company Fiat Motors. Other than manufacturing of commercial and passenger vehicles Tata has its section of defence solution it is an internal wing of Tata motors but specialised in manufacturing of heavy armoured and transportation and support vehicles for the army. It h as great potential in India as well as different parts of the globe. Social Factors: The Tata motors have more than half a century of experience in manufacturing of locomotives and vehicles either passenger or commercial. Tata motors have heritage of helping the community by opening a trust which helps the community by providing education for the poor people and helping charity and community works. Tata motors are the signatory of United Nations organisation. Every time it builds a new manufacturing plant it recruits staff and labourers who are local to the area this enables the local people to acquaint to the company and it creates huge job opportunities as well. Tata motors induce more than 2% of its annual turnover to research and development of new and innovative equipments to keep the balance between the ecology and machines and reducing the pollution of the vehicles it manufactures. Technological Factors: Tata motors have invested more money into its technological aspects this is due to the fact that the pollution cause by vehicles increase the carbon monoxide content in the atmosphere which in turn gives way to green house effect where the gases stay in the environment and heat up the planets atmosphere which cause global warming. So all the vehicles that tata manufactures are tested n tired in order that they have little contribution to the global warming. Apart from environmental factors the passenger car segment has its own technological advancements such as the v2 engines that the company manufactures are know to be one of the best in its class in terms of power, low consumption of fuel and high mileage, and after acquiring the Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford motors in 2008 Tata motors have discovered that the engines in these vehicles are proved to add more stress to the performance of the vehicles so currently they are researching into finding solutions for fine tuning these en gines which in turn makes it to perform well. In the European markets Tata motors have initiated a new method of scrapping the old cars, here they inform there customers to bring in their old vehicles to recycle it for free and they use there own centres and subsidiaries to dismantle the old vehicles which makes most of the parts to be serviced and fitted into other vehicles. These are some of the key technological factors of Tata Motors. Ecological Factors: Tata motors have a good standard of manufacturing vehicles adhering to the euro and Indian standards of emission and it also invested into creating greener cars by researching in alternate fuel methods and low consumption of fuel which creates a balance between the eco systems. All the vehicles come with low emission a filter which convert and reduces the carbon monoxide content emitted by the vehicles. Legal Factors: Since it has its companys presence in many countries it has a lot of law, rules and regulations to follow. Tata in recent years have been adhere to the governments laws and taxations that the Indian government has awarded Tata Motors as the best car manufacturer. There have been serious frictions in the state of Bihar where it planned to build its new car Nanos manufacturing plant but the state government insisted the Tata motors to shift its base to some other state, which Tata motors did by moving its plan to the state of Gujarat. These are some of the legal issues faced by Tata Motors. Conclusion: Tata motor company has been a fore runner in car manufacturing in India. With the market share of 70% it has a potential to capture more and since the company had serious issues with its rivals it has proved to be winning the tests. Apart from its financial part the Tata motors have given back to the community by manufacturing cars which are far cheaper than any other car manufacturing company could produce. It has also helped the community by providing funds for less able people and created more job opportunities and supported many community development programs and public organisation. With such high profile the organisation serves the community well and honouring this the United Nations Organisation has acquainted with the company in order to maintain the ecological system of the planet by manufacturing low emission vehicles. In recent years Tata motors has been venturing in to new international grounds by acquiring and jointly venturing with similar manufacturing companies. Recommendations: This research recommends that tata motors must implement innovative and technological advancements in manufacturing its vehicles which produce lesser emission and in order to sustain itself in the future the Tata motors must initiate more of its concentration in developing the community by providing awarness about the eco system. Apart from these factors there are limited amount of modification required of the company. In conclusion, Tata motors have proved itself to be a innovative leader with high degree of corporate social responsibility. With its strategic planning and management skills Tata motors will become the leader in automobile manufacturing company in India as well as globally.

DNA Fingerprinting for Identification of Plant Species

DNA Fingerprinting for Identification of Plant Species ABSTRACT Conservation of plant resources prevents the loss of valuable plant species in the past centuries. Many species like that of wild Panax ginseng, Panax quinquefolius , Japonica are endangered and requires restoration. Its adverse impact on environmental and socioeconomic values has triggered the studies on plant diversity. It is seen that appropriate identification and characterization of plant materials is essential for the conservation of plant resources and to ensure their sustainable use. Molecular tools developed in the past few years provide easy, less laborious means for assigning known and unknown plant taxa. These techniques answer many new evolutionary and taxonomic questions, which were not previously possible with only phenotypic methods. Various techniques such as DNA bar coding, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), microsatellites, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) have recently been used for plant diversity studi es. Sequencing based molecular techniques provide better resolution at intra-genus. Whereas data from markers such as random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and microsatellites provide the means to classify individual medicine. In addition DNA methods are reliable approaches towards authentication of Chinese medicinal materials. For future reference, it is necessary to compile library of Chinese medicines which include genetic information, especially for endangered species and those with high market value and or with possible poisonous adulterants which can affect quality of medicine. INTRODUCTION For the sustainable development and for improvement and maintenance of agricultural and forestry production there is a use for conservation of plant genetic resources. The objective of plant genetic resources conservation is to preserve as broad a sample of the extant genetic diversity of target species as is scientifically and economically feasible, including currently recognized genes, traits and genotypes [1]. Genetic diversity finds its natural resources in wild species for which it is important to find out the amount of genetic variability by the way of morphological, biochemical and molecular markers, besides some interesting physiological turns. Characterization of diversity is based on morphological traits. However, it is seen that morphological variability is often restricted, characters may not be obvious at all stages of the plant development. Identification plays a very important role in diversity studies. Accurate classification of individuals is essential for evaluation of species diversity. The identification of taxonomic units and endangered species, whose genetic constitution is distinct from their more abundant relatives, is important in the development of appropriate conservation strategies Nowadays, a variety of different genetic markers has been proposed to assess genetic variability. Molecular tools provide valuable data on diversity through their ability to detect variation at the DNA level CONSERVATION OF PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES: Effective conservation of plant genetic resources requires a complementary approach which makes use of both ex situ and in situ conservation methods to maximize the genetic diversity available for use. ex situ conservation: The objective of ex situ conservation is to maintain the accessions without change in their genetic constitution [1]. The methods that are designed are such that can be used to minimize the possibility of mutation, random genetic drift, selection or contamination. It is seen that storing of seeds at low temperatures and humidities can bring long term ex situ conservation. But there are many clonally propagated species, such as banana and potato, cannot be conserved in this way, and many species, particularly tropical forest tree species, produce seeds that are recalcitrant and cannot be stored. These species can only be maintained ex situ in field gene banks as growing collections of plants, or in vitro using tissue culture or cryopreservation [2]. In situ conservation: In situ conservation is considered to be the method of choice for conserving forest species and wild crop relatives and there is increasing interest in the use of in situ conservation for crops themselves (on-farm conservation) [3]. In situ conservation allows evolution to continue, increases the amount of diversity that can be conserved, and strengthens links between conservation workers and the communities who have traditionally maintained and used the resources. All genetic resources conservation activities require characterization of the diversity present in both the gene pools and the gene banks. Molecular genetics has an important role to play in many aspects of conservation such as characterizing plant genetic diversity for purposes of improved acquisition, maintenance and use. A number of different techniques are available for identifying genetic differences between organisms. The choice of technique for any one specific use will depend upon the material being studied and the nature of the questions being addressed. Protein polymorphisms were the first markers used for genetic studies. However, the number of polymorphic loci that can be assayed, and the level of polymorphisms observed at the loci are often low, which greatly limits their application in genetic diversity studies. With the development of new technologies, DNA polymorphisms have become the markers of choice for molecularâ‚ ¬Ã‚ based surveys of genetic variation. DNA ma rkers are useful in both basic (e.g. phylogenetic analysis and search for useful genes) and applied research (e.g. marker assisted selection, paternity testing and food traceability). A number of markers are now available to detect polymorphisms in nuclear DNA [4]. Properties desirable for ideal DNA markers include highly polymorphic nature, co dominant, frequent occurrence in the genome, selective neutral behavior, easy access, easy and fast assay and high reproducibility [5]. NEED FOR GENETIC RESOLUION: It is a duty of Gene bank managers and conservationists concerned with both in situ and ex situ management to conserve as much as possible the extinct genetic diversity of the species with which they work. The effectiveness with which they do this depends to a large extent on the genetic information available on the germplasm with which they work. Molecular markers provide genetic information of direct value in key areas of conservation both ex situ and in situ. For ex situ conservation the key issues are: Acquisition: Data on the diversity of existing collections can be used to plan collection and exchange strategies. In particular, calculations of genetic distances based on molecular data can be used to identify particular divergent subpopulations that might harbour valuable genetic variation that is under-represented in current holdings Maintenance: Genetic data are essential to identify duplicate accessions in order to ensure best use of available resources. Genetic markers are also needed to monitor changes in genetic structure as accessions are generated. Molecular markers provide markers suitable for both of these. Characterization: The genetic diversity within collections must be assessed in the context of the total available genetic diversity for each species. Existing passport data document the geographic location where each accession was acquired. However, passport records are often missing or incorrect. Molecular markers may extend and complement characterization based on morphological or biochemical descriptions, providing more accurate and detailed information than classical phenotypic data. Distribution to users: Users of collections benefit from genetic information that allows them to identify valuable traits and types quickly. On a more fundamental level, molecular marker information may lead to the further identification of useful genes contained in collections. Molecular data on diversity may provide essential information to develop core collections [6] that accurately represent the entire collection. Molecular markers may therefore be used in four types of measurements needed for effective ex situ conservation, all of which are useful in resolving the numerous operational, logistical, and biological questions that face gene banks managers [7]. These are: identity: the determination of whether an accession or individual is catalogued correctly, is true to type, maintained properly, and whether genetic change or erosion has occurred in an accession or population over time; Similarity: the degree of similarity among individuals in an accession or between accessions within a collection. Structure: the partitioning of variation among individuals, accessions, populations, and species. Genetic structure is influenced by in situ demographic factors such as population size, reproductive biology and migration. Detection: the presence of particular allele or nucleotide sequence in a taxon, gene bank accession, in situ population, individual, chromosome or cloned DNA segment. Those concerned with in situ conservation need to ensure that appropriate populations are identified and managed in such a way that they survive and continue to evolve. Their responsibilities can include: Location: the identification of populations which should be conserved based on the genetic diversity present as well as on the value of the resource and the threats to it. Crucial to this is knowledge of the extent and distribution of genetic diversity in species populations which should optimally include molecular data. Management: the development of management plans to monitor the changes in target populations over time and ensure their continued survival. The populations maintained in situ constitute part of ecosystems and both intra- and interspecific diversity must be maintained over time at appropriate levels. Accessibility: in situ conservation is most commonly of interest in forest genetic resources conservation and that of wild crop relatives but it is also of increasing interest for on-farm conservation of traditional cultivars. Genetic resources conserved in this way remain accessible to the communities who depend on them. Managers need to ensure they are also accessible to other users and that sufficient genetic information is available to assist such users. Within the context of in situ conservation, therefore, identity, similarity, structure and detection are also important and can be usefully investigated using molecular techniques BASIC GENETIC TOOLS DNA sequencing: DNA sequencing is the determination of the precise sequence of nucleotides in a sample of DNA. The nucleotides bases are A (adenine), G (guanine), C (cytosine) and T (thymine) The conventional and next generation sequencing techniques are thus been explained in detail. Conventional Sequencing Technique- Now days it is seen that dye-terminator sequencing technique is the standard method in automated sequencing analysis [8]. And for majority of sequencing the dye-terminator sequencing method, along with automated high-throughput DNA sequence analyzers, is used. Dye-terminator sequencing  utilizes labelling of the chain terminator dents, which permits sequencing in a single reaction, rather than four reactions as in the labelled-primer method. In dye-terminator sequencing, each of the four di de-oxynucleotide chain terminators is labelled with fluorescent dyes, each of which emit light at different wavelengths. Owing to its greater expediency and speed, dye-terminator sequencing is now the mainstay in automated sequencing. The main advantages of this technique are its robustness, automation and high accuracy Its limitations include dye effects due to differences in the incorporation of the dye-labelled chain terminators into the DNA fragment, resulting in unequal peak heights and shapes in the electronic DNA sequence trace  chromatogram  after  capillary electrophoresis  . This problem has been addressed with the use of modified DNA polymerase enzyme systems and dyes that minimize incorporation variability, as well as methods for e liminating dye blobs. DNA barcoding of plants has now gained the interest of scientists with the aim to identify an unknown plant in terms of a known classification. DNA barcoding is a technique for characterizing species of organisms using a short DNA sequence from a standard. DNA barcode sequences are thus shorter than the entire genome and can be obtained quickly [9]. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) was used for species-level assignment of plants and individual barcodes were obtained with matK (99%), followed by trnH-psbA (95%) and then rbcL (75%) [10]. Recently, a group of plant DNA barcode researchers proposed two chloroplast genes, rbcL and matK, taken together, as appropriate for bar-coding of plants [11]. Chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) is the basis of Molecular phylogenies in plants but the problems due to gene flow of cpDNA among closely related taxa, as well as the lack of phylogenetic resolution, triggered the development of new approaches based on nuclear DNA [13]. The most common alternative corresponds to the sequencing of the ITS (internal transcribed spacer) of 18S-25S nuclear ribosomal DNA [14, 15]. The failure of both cpDNA and ITS techniques to sequence, the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) approach has the potential to solve such difficulties, particularly among closely related species, or at the intra-specific level [16-18]. Therefore, integration of recently developed bar-coding with the following techniques such as RAPD, AFLP, microsatellite and SNP seems to provide better resolution. Next Generation Sequencing Techniques Next generation platforms do not rely on Sanger chemistry [19] as did the first generation machines used for the last 30 years. The first of this kind of 2nd generation of sequencing technique appeared in 2005 that was based on pyrosequencing [20, 21] Commercial 2nd generation sequencing methods can be distinguished by the role of PCR in library preparation. There are four main platforms; all being amplification-based: (i) Roche 454 GS FLX, (ii) Illumina Genome Analyzer IIx, (iii) ABI SOLiD 3 Plus System and (iv) Polonator G.007 [22] The single-molecule sequencing method (also known as 3rd generation or next-next generation) is independent of PCR [25,30]. This mode of sequencing protocol was recently developed by Helicos Genetic Analysis System using the technology developed by Braslavsky et al. [23]. Other 3rd generation sequencing systems are being developed by Life Technologies and Pacific Biosciences SMRT technology and may appear within one to two years. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) The invention of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) is a milestone in the development of molecular techniques. PCR results in the selective amplification of a chosen region of a DNA molecule. Random amplification of DNA with short primer by PCR is a useful technique in phylogenetics. The important point is the banding pattern seen, when the products of PCR with random primers are electrophoresed in a reflection of the overall structure of the DNA molecule used as the template. If the starting material is total cell DNA then the banding pattern represents the organization of the cells genome. Differences between the genomes of two organisms can be measured with RAPD. Two closely related organisms would be expected to yield more similar banding patterns than two organisms that are distant in evolutionary terms [24]. Moreover, this technique requires only small piece of animal tissue or blood, as the extracted DNA can be amplified million times using PCR. Basic protocol: EXTRACTION OF HIGHLY PURE DNA ADDITION OF SINGLE ARBITARY PRIMER POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (PCR) SEPARATION OF FRAGMENTS BY GEL ELECTROPHORESIS VISUALIZATION OF RAPD-PCR FRAGMENTS AFTER EtBr STAINING UNDER UV DETERMINATION OF FRAGMENT SIZE This technique has mainly gained attraction as there is no requirement for DNA probes or sequence information for primer designing. There are also no blotting or hybridizing steps. This technique only requires the purchase of a thermo cycling machine and agarose gel apparatus and relevant chemicals, which are available as commercial kits and also it is a quick and simple technique. It is important to note that RAPD technique requires maintaining strictly consistent reaction conditions in order to achieve reproducible profiles [25]. The RAPD markers have been used for detecting genomic variations within and between varieties of sweet potato. A total of 160 primers were tested and eight showed consistent amplified band patterns among the plants with variations within and between varieties [26] of sweet potato. Restriction fragment length polymorphism All organisms are genotypically different because they have had numerous differences in their genomic DNA. This difference results in a restriction fragment length polymorphism. Here the chromosomal DNA is first cleaved by restriction enzymes creating fragments and then these fragments are separated by agarose gel electrophoresis. After it southern hybridization analysis is carried out using probe that spans the region of interest. The probe hybridizes to the relevant region, lighting up the appropriate restriction fragments on the resulting autoradiograph. If an RFLP is present then it will be clearly visible on the autoradiograph. Thus RFLP is used as a major tool to identify the genetic diversity within and between species [27]. Basic Protocol CHROMOSOMAL DNA Cleave with Restriction enzymes DNA FRAGMENTS SEPARATE FRAGMENTS BY AGAROSE GEL ELECTROPHORESIS DENATURE DNA AND TRANSFER TO NITROCELLULOSE Radiolabelled DNAprobe INCUBATE WITH PROBE EXPOSE X-RAY FILM TO PAPER Amplified fragment length polymorphism AFLP analysis is able to detect high levels of polymorphism and has high repeatability and speed of analysis. AFLP technique as being based on the detection of restriction fragments by PCR amplification and argued that Ê ¹the reliability of the RFLP technique is combined with the power of the PCR techniqueÊ ¹. Firstly extraction of highly purified DNA then restriction endonuclease digestion of DNA followed by ligation of adapters. After this amplification of these fragments is done by two primers, and then gel electrophoresis and analysis of fragments by automated sequencing machines. The advantage of this technique is that it is applicable to all species and unlike RAPD; this technique is highly reproducible as it combines restriction digestion and PCR. However, AFLP requires more DNA (300-1000 ng per reaction) and is more technically demanding than RAPD [4].AFLP markers in surveys of plant diversity are discussed in a review published by Mba and Tohme [28]. Recently, Jatropha curcas [29] and Rhodiola rosea [30] have been characterized by AFLP in germplasm collection. The wild populations of Agave angustifolia in the desert was studied by Teyer et al. [31] using AFLP to measure the genetic variability within and between natural populations. AFLP markers have been extensively used for phylogenetic analysis and determining the genetic diversity for conservation of endangered plant species [32-36]. ISOLATION OF GENOMIC DNA Basic protocol: DIGESTION WITH ONE OR MORE RESTRICTION ENZYMES LIGATION OF RESTRICTION HALF-SITE SPECIFIC ADAPTORS TO ALL RESTRICTION FRAGMENTS AMPLIFICATION OF THESE FRAGMENTS WITH TWO PCR PRIMERS THAT HAVE CORRESPONDING ADAPTORS AND RESTRICTION SPECIFIC SEQUENCES ELECTROPHORETIC SEPARATION OF AMPLICONS ON A GEL MATRIX MICROSATELLITES Microsatellites, are alternatively known as simple sequence repeats (SSRs), short tandem repeats (STRs) or simple sequence length polymorphisms (SSLPs). These are tandem repeats of sequence units generally less than 5 bp in length [37].One common example of a microsatellite is a (CA)n repeat, where n is variable between alleles. These markers often present high levels of interâ‚ ¬Ã‚  and intraâ‚ ¬Ã‚ specific polymorphism, particularly when tandem repeats number ten or greater. CA nucleotide repeats are very frequent in human and other genomes, and present every few thousand base pairs. Interâ‚ ¬Ã‚ SSRs are a variant of the RAPD technique, although the higher annealing temperatures probably mean that they are more rigorous than RAPDs. The microsatellite protocol is simple, once primers for SSRs have been designed. The first stage is a PCR, depending upon the method of detection one of the primers is fluorescently or radioactively labeled. The PCR products are separated on high resolution polyacrylamide gels, and the products detected with a fluorescence detector (e.g. automated sequencer) or an Xâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ray film. The investigator can determine the size of the PCR product and thus how many times the short nucleotide was repeated for each allele. Microsatellites developed for particular species can often be applied to closely related species, but the percentage of loci that successfully amplify may decrease with increasing genetic distance [38]. Microsatellite technique has recently been used to establish conservation strategy of endangered plants like Calystegia soldanella [39], Tricyrtis ishiiana [40] and Galium catalinense subspecies acrispum [41]. ISOLATION OF GENOMIC DNA Basic protocol: SEQUENCING DESIGNING OF PRIMERS FOR REGIONS FLANKING MICROSATELLITES ELECTROPHORETIC SEPRATION OF AMPLICONS ONA GEL MATRIX ISOLATION OF GENOMIC DNA Conclusion Molecular characterization can play a role in uncovering the history, and estimating the diversity, distinctiveness and population structure. Awareness of the level of genetic diversity and the proper management of genetic resources are important issues in modern scenario. New markers deriving from DNA technologies are valuable tools to study genetic variability for conservation purposes. In the near future, the advent of genomics will give an impressive tool for genetic resources evaluation.

Thomas Hobbes Leviathan and the Fundamental Principle of a Society Ess

At the core of Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan rests one fundamental value of a society, from which Hobbes derives all other laws: the duty to self-preservation. At the same time, many of Hobbes’ claims rest on his assumption that there is very little difference between men in their physical and mental abilities. By these two ideas, Hobbes asserts that it is to the advantage of every individual’s duty to self- preservation to seek peace with all other men (Hobbes Ch. 13, p. 2). But, in reading this text we must ask ourselves: Does Hobbes consider what would happen if a person were both confident and skilled enough that he or she could subvert the confederate power of all other men? What difficulties might such a person present to the ethical solidarity of the Hobbesian state? To answer these questions, I will first deliver a short story that brings the ethical trustworthiness of the Hobbesian state into question. With this story I will then illuminate the flaws of the Hobbesian state, which can be traced back to its fundamental principle of self-preservation. Finally, I will present a different fundamental principle for the laws of a state, equal and fair love, enumerating its advantages. To begin, imagine the following story. In a time very similar to the current one but not our own, the state exists exactly as Hobbes had presented in The Leviathan. The Sovereign rules absolutely; every citizen holds the right of self-preservation as the fundamental value of their society; and Hobbes is remembered as a national hero. However, the nation currently suffers from a great recession, and many live in terrible poverty. Trusting all their rights to the state, the citizens cling to a hope for a better future. But among these citizens, no one is more passionate or more devout for the state than Aminta1. As a criminal investigator for the state police, Aminta has received plentiful training and experience which distinguishes her as an above-average individual in terms of general intelligence. However, Aminta possesses one great idiosyncrasy that sharply distinguishes her from the rest of her people. She 1 From the Greek word for â€Å"protector† or â€Å"defender† (English-Greek Dictionary) holds no fear or belief in God and believes there is only this life and its punishments. Aminta deems belief in the divine as the folklore... ...obbesian state. For one, there is nothing inherent to the preservation of one’s own freedom that would enable a man to have regard for another man’s well-being. Just like the duty to self-preservation, this principle may permit the American citizen to disregard the needs of his fellow man, so long as his freedoms have not been infringed. Thus, we begin to see the incredible influence Hobbes’ work has had in much of today’s political theory. If a state were to decide to alter its fundamental principle, it appears it would take years of pulling up bricks to lay the groundwork for a new fundamental principle. Equal and fair love may be more advantageous, but it would take incredible amounts of energy to implement in a state today. Works Cited Hobbes, Thomas. The English Works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury; Now First Collected and Edited by Sir William Molesworth, Bart. Vol. 3. London: Bohn, 1839-45. Electronic. Locke, John. The Works of John Locke in Nine Volumes. 12th ed. Vol. 4. London: Rivington, 1824. Electronic. â€Å"Defender,† â€Å"Protect.† English-Greek Dictionary. 2nd ed. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., 1959. Print.

The Religious Dimension of Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe Essay

The Religious Dimension of Robinson Crusoe  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Robinson Crusoe’s discovery of the work ethic on the small island goes hand in hand with a spiritual awakening.   Robinson Crusoe is not a very profound religious thinker, although religion is part of his education and transformation.   He claims he reads the Bible, and he is prepared to quote it from time to time.   But he doesn’t puzzle over it or even get involved in the narrative or character attractions of the stories.   The Bible for him appears to be something like a Dale Carnegie handbook of maxims to keep the work on schedule and to stifle any possible complaints or longings for a different situation.   Still, the religious dimension is central to Robinson Crusoe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Robinson Crusoe’s interpretation of his life links the financial success directly and repeatedly with his growth in religious awareness.   This is not an intellectual conversion but, simply put, an awareness that he has, in some ways, received God’s grace and is under His care.   The growing profitability of his efforts is proof of such a spiritual reward.   This awareness fills him with a sense of guilt for his former life and a great desire to be relieved of that guilt.   The desire to be relieved from that feeling of guilt, in fact, is much stronger than Robinson Crusoe’s desire to be delivered from the island. Now I looked back upon my past life with such horror, and my sins appeared so dreadful, that my soul sought nothing of God but deliverance from the load of guilt that bore down all my comfort.   As for my solitary life; it was nothing; I did not so much as pray to be delivered from it or think of it; it was all of no considerations in comparison to this; and I added this part here to ... ... The inhabitants of the New World were there to be ignored, like Friday’s father, used as servants, like Friday, or killed, like the cannibals.   The important part of the Puritan encounter with the New World was what Robinson Crusoe shows us, the spiritual testing of the solitary Protestant spirit, a life-long ordeal in which he achieved success (or the closest thing to a manifestation of success) by stamping his will on the new land, staking out territory as his property through backbreaking toil, without any concessions to anyone or anything, least of all to the land or to its original inhabitants.   That was the Puritan’s calling; that was the reason God has placed us on this earth: to put to our personal uses the material and people available, to ignore what does not fit in with such projects, and to remove quickly and ruthlessly anything that stands in our way.

The Stupidest Angel Chapter 7

Chapter 7 MORNING IS BROKEN It was Wednesday morning, three days before Christmas, when Lena Marquez awoke to find a strange man in her bed. The phone was ringing and the guy next to her made a moaning sound. He was partially covered by the sheets, but Lena was pretty sure that he was naked. â€Å"Hello,† she said into the phone. She lifted the sheet to look. Yep, he was naked. â€Å"Lena, there's supposed to be a storm on Christmas Eve and we were going to have Mavis barbecue for Lonesome Christmas but she can't if it's raining and I yelled at Theo last night and went out and walked around in the dark for two hours and I think he thinks I'm crazy and you should probably know that Dale didn't come home last night and his new – uh, the other, uh – the woman he lives with called Theo in a panic and he – ; â€Å"Molly?† â€Å"Yeah, hi, how you doing?† Lena looked at the clock on the nightstand, then back at the naked man. â€Å"Molly, it's six-thirty.† â€Å"Thanks. It's sixty-seven degrees here. I can see the thermometer outside.† â€Å"What's wrong?† â€Å"I just told you: storm coming. Theo doubts sanity. Dale missing.† Tucker Case rolled over, and despite being half asleep, he appeared to be ready for action. â€Å"Well would you look at that,† Lena thought to herself, then she realized she'd said it into the phone. â€Å"What?† said Molly. Tuck opened his eyes and smiled at her, then followed her gaze south. He pulled the sheet out of her hand and covered himself. â€Å"That's not for you. I just have to pee.† â€Å"Sorry,† Lena said, pulling the sheet quickly over her head. It had been a long time since she'd had to worry about it, but she suddenly remembered a magazine article about not letting a man see you first thing in the morning unless he'd known you for at least three weeks. â€Å"Who was that?† Molly said. Lena made an eye tunnel in the sheet and looked out at Tucker Case, who was getting out of bed, totally unself-conscious, totally naked, his unit leading him into the bathroom, waving before him like a divining rod. She realized right then that she could always find new reasons to resent the male of the species – unself-consciousness was going on the list. â€Å"No one,† Lena said into the phone. â€Å"Lena, you did not sleep with your ex again? Tell me you are not in bed with Dale.† â€Å"I'm not in bed with Dale.† Then the whole night came rolling back on her and she thought she might throw up. Tucker Case had made her forget for a while. Okay, maybe she could count that as a positive toward men, but the anxiety was back. She'd killed Dale. She was going to jail. But she needed to pretend she didn't know anything. â€Å"What did you say about Dale, Molly?† â€Å"So who are you in bed with?† â€Å"Dammit, Molly, what happened to Dale?† She hoped she sounded convincing. â€Å"I don't know. His new girlfriend called and said he didn't come home after the Caribou Christmas party. I just thought you should know, you know, in case it turns out that something bad happened.† â€Å"I'm sure he's okay. He probably just met some tramp at the Head of the Slug and sold her on his workingman charm.† â€Å"Yuck,† Molly said. â€Å"Oh, sorry. Look, Lena, they said on the news this morning that a big storm is coming in off the Pacific. We're going to have El Ni;o this year. We have to figure out something for the food for Lonesome Christmas – not to mention what to do if a lot of people show up. The chapel is awfully small.† Lena was still trying to figure out what to do about Dale. She wanted to tell Molly. If anybody would understand, it would be Molly. Lena had been around a couple of times when Molly had gone through her â€Å"breaks.† She understood things getting out of control. â€Å"Look, Molly, I need – ; â€Å"And I yelled at Theo last night, Lena. Really bad. He hasn't taken off like that in a long time. I may have fucked Christmas up.† â€Å"Don't be silly, Mol, you couldn't do that. Theo understands.† Meaning, He knows you're crazy and loves you anyway. Just then, Tucker Case came back into the room, retrieved his pants from the floor, and started pulling them on. â€Å"I've got to go feed the bat,† Tuck said. He pulled a banana partially out of his front pocket. Lena threw the sheets off her head and tried to think of something to say. Tuck grinned, pulling the banana all the way out. â€Å"Oh, you thought I was just glad to see you?† â€Å"Uh – I – shit.† Tuck stepped over and kissed her eyebrow. â€Å"I am glad to see you,† he said. â€Å"But I have to feed the bat, too. I'll be right back.† He walked out of the room, barefoot and shirtless. Okay, he probably would be back. â€Å"Lena, who was that? Tell me?† Lena realized that she was still holding the phone. â€Å"Look, Molly, I'll have to call you back, okay? We'll figure something out for Friday night.† â€Å"But, I have to make amends –  » â€Å"I'll call you.† Lena hung up and crawled out of bed. If she was quick she could wash her face and get some mascara on before Tucker got back. She started zooming around the room, naked, until she felt someone watching her. There was a big bay window that looked out on a forest, and since her bedroom was on the second floor, it was like waking up in a tree house, but no one could possibly look in. She spun around and there, hanging from the gutter, was a giant fruit bat. And he was looking at her – no, not just looking at her, he was checking her out. She pulled the sheet off the bed and covered herself. â€Å"Go eat your banana,† she shouted at the bat. Roberto licked his chops. There had been a time, during his bong-rat years, when Theophilus Crowe would have stated, with little reservation, that he did not like surprises, that he preferred routine over variety, predictability over uncertainty, the known over the unknown. Then, a few years ago, while working on Pine Cove's last murder case, Theo had gotten to know and fallen in love with Molly Michon, the ex-scream queen of the B-movie silver screen, and everything changed. He had broken one of the cardinal rules – Never go to bed with anyone crazier than yourself – and he'd been loving life ever since. They had their little agreement, if he stayed off his drug (pot) she'd stay on hers (antipsychotics), and consequently she'd have his unmuddled attention and he'd only get the most pleasant aspects of the Warrior Babe persona that Molly sometimes slipped into. He'd learned to delight in her company and the occasional weirdness that she brought into his life. But last night had been too much for him. He'd come through the door wanting, nay, needing to share his bizarre story about the blond man, with the only person who actually might believe him and not berate him for being a stoner, and she had chosen that precise moment to lapse into hostile batshit mode. So, he'd fallen off the wagon, and by the time he returned to their cabin that night, he had smoked enough pot to put a Rastafarian choir in a coma. That's not what the pot patch he'd been growing had been for. Not at all. Not like the old days, when he maintained a small victory garden for personal use. No, the little forest of seven-foot sticky bud platforms that graced the edge of their lot on the ranch was purely a commercial endeavor, albeit for the right reason. For love. Over the years, even as the prospect of ever returning to the movies became more remote, Molly had continued to work out with her giant broadsword. Stripped to her underwear, or dressed in a sports bra and sweatpants, every day in the clearing in front of the cabin she'd declare â€Å"en garde† to an imaginary partner and proceed to spin, leap, thrust, parry, hack, and slash herself breathless. Beyond the fact that the ritual kept her incredibly fit, it made her happy, which, in turn, pleased Theo to no end. He'd even encouraged her to get involved in Japanese kendo, and to little surprise, she was excellent at it, consistently winning matches against opponents nearly twice her size. And indirectly, all this had led to Theo's growing pot commercially for the first time in his life. He'd tried other means, but banks seemed more than a little reluctant to lend him nearly a half year's salary in order to purchase a samurai sword. Well, not samurai precisely, but a Japanese sword – an ancient Japanese sword, made by the master swordmaker Hisakuni of Yamashiro in the late thirteenth century. Sixty thousand folded layers of high carbon steel, perfectly balanced, and razor sharp even eight hundred years later. It was a tashi, a curved cavalry sword, longer and heavier than the traditional katanas used later by samurais in ground combat. Molly would appreciate the weight during her workouts, as its heft was closer to that of the theatrical broadsword she'd brought with her as a legacy of her failed movie career. She would also appreciate that it was real, and Theo hoped that she'd see that it was his way of saying that he loved all the parts of her, even the War rior Babe (he just liked rubbing up against some parts more than others). The tashi was now wrapped in velvet and hiding at the back of the top shelf of Theo's closet, where he used to keep his bong collection. The money? Well, an old friend of Theo's from the stoner days, a Big Sur grower now turned wholesaler, had been happy to advance Theo the money against his crop. It was supposed to have been a purely commercial venture: get in, get out, and nobody gets hurt. But now Theo was showing up stoned for work for the first time in years, and following a bad night, he could just sense that this wasn't going to be a good day. Then the call came in from Dale Pearson's girlfriend/wife/whatever, and the descent into hell day started. Theo drowned his eyes in Visine and stopped at Brine's Bait, Tackle, and Fine Wines for a large coffee before he headed over to Lena Marquez's house in search of her ex-husband. While it was clear from the incident at the Thrifty-Mart on Monday, and a dozen earlier incidents, that their dislike for each other bordered on hatred, it hadn't stopped them from hooking up from time to time for some familiar post-divorce sex. Theo wouldn't have even known about it, except Molly was good friends with Lena and women talked about that sort of thing. Lena lived in a nice two-story Craftsman-style house on a half acre of pine forest that butted up to one of Pine Cove's many ranches. It was more house than she would have been able to afford working as a property manager, but then, she had put up with Dale Pearson for five years of marriage, and for five years since, so it was the least she deserved, Theo thought. He liked the sound of his hiking boots on the porch as he walked to the front door, and he thought that he and Molly should build a porch on their little cabin. He thought they could maybe get a wind chime, and a swing, have a little heater so they could sit outside on cold evenings. Then he realized, as he felt that vibration of footsteps coming to the door, that he was totally and completely baked. That they would know he was baked. That no amount of Visine or coffee was going to cover the fact that he was baked. Twenty years of functioning stoned was not going to serve him now – he'd lost his edge, he was no lo nger in the game, the eye of the tiger was bloodshot. â€Å"Hi, Theo,† Lena said, opening the door. She wore a man's oversize sweatshirt and red socks. Her long black hair, which normally flowed down her back like liquid satin, was all knotted up at the back of her head, and there was a big tangle sticking out by one ear. Sex hair. Theo shuffled on the porch like a kid getting ready to ask the girl next door for a first date. â€Å"I'm sorry to bother you so early, but I wondered if you've seen Dale. Since Monday, I mean.† She seemed to fade away from the door, like she was ready to faint. Theo was sure it was because she knew he was high. â€Å"No, Theo. Why?† â€Å"Well, uh, Betsy called, and said that Dale didn't come home last night.† Betsy was Dale's new wife/girlfriend/whatever. She was a waitress down at H.P.'s Cafe and over the years had become notorious for having affairs with a lot of married guys. â€Å"I was just, uh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Why wouldn't she interrupt him? He didn't want to say that he knew that she and Dale got together for spite sex occasionally. He wasn't supposed to know.†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ so, uh, I was just wondering.† â€Å"Hi, who's this?† said a blond guy who had appeared shirtless behind Lena in the doorway. â€Å"Oh, thank God,† Theo said, taking a deep breath. â€Å"I'm Theo Crowe, I'm the town constable.† He looked at Lena for an introduction. â€Å"This is Tucker – uh, Tuck.† She had no idea what this guy's last name was. â€Å"Tucker Case,† said Tucker Case, stepping around Lena and offering his hand to shake. â€Å"I should have introduced myself to you sooner, I guess, since we're in the same business.† â€Å"What business is that?† Theo never thought of himself as being a businessman, but he guessed that he was now. â€Å"I'm flying helicopter for the DEA,† said Tucker Case. â€Å"You know, infrared, finding growers and stuff.† Clear! His heart has stopped! Code blue! Five hundred milligrams of epinephrine, direct shot to the pericardium, stat! He's flatlining, people. Clear! â€Å"Nice to meet you,† Theo said, hoping his heart failure wasn't showing. â€Å"Well, sorry to bother you. I'll just be on my way.† He let go of Tuck's hand and started walking away, thinking: Don't walk stoned, don't walk stoned – for the love of God, how did I do this all of those years? â€Å"Uh, Constable,† Tuck said. â€Å"Why was it that you stopped by? Ouch!† Theo turned. Lena had just punched the pilot in the arm, evidently pretty hard – he was massaging it. â€Å"Uh, nothing. Just a fellow didn't go home last night, and I thought Lena might have an idea where he went.† Theo was trying to back away from the house, but then stopped, remembering that he might trip on the porch steps. How would he explain that to the DEA? â€Å"Last night? That's not even a missing person for, what, twenty-four, forty-eight hours? Ouch! Dammit, that's not necessary.† Tucker Case rubbed his shoulder where Lena had punched him again. Theo thought that she might have violence issues with men. Lena looked at Theo and grinned, as if she was embarrassed about the punch. â€Å"Theo, Molly called me this morning and told me about Dale. I told her I hadn't seen him. Didn't she tell you?† â€Å"Sure. Sure, she told me. I just, you know, I thought you might have some ideas. I mean, your friend is right, Dale's not really missing, officially, for another twelve hours or so, but, you know, it's a small town, and I, you know, have a job and stuff.† â€Å"Thanks, Theo,† Lena said, waving to him even though he was only a few feet away and wasn't moving away from the house. The pilot was waving, too, smiling. Theo didn't like being around new lovers who had just gotten laid, especially when things weren't going that well in his own love life. They seemed smug, even if they weren't trying to be. He spotted something dark swinging from the ceiling of the porch, right where the wind chime would have been on his and Molly's porch, if he hadn't just sacrificed their security by relapsing into dope-fiendism. It couldn't be what it looked like. â€Å"So, that's a, uh, that looks like –  » â€Å"A bat,† said Lena. Holy fuck, Theo thought, that thing is huge. â€Å"A bat,† he said. â€Å"Sure. Of course.† â€Å"Fruit bat,† Tucker Case clarified. â€Å"From Micronesia.† â€Å"Oh, right,† Theo said. Micronesia was not a real place. The blond guy was fucking with him. â€Å"Well, I'll see you guys.† â€Å"See you at Lonesome Christmas on Friday,† Lena said. â€Å"Say hi to Molly.† † ‘Kay,† Theo said, climbing into the Volvo. He closed the car door. They went inside. He let his head hit the steering wheel. They know, he thought. â€Å"He knows,† Lena said, her back against the front door. â€Å"He doesn't know.† â€Å"He's smarter than he looks. He knows.† â€Å"He doesn't know. And he didn't look dumb, he looked kind of stoned.† â€Å"No, he wasn't stoned, that was suspicion.† â€Å"Don't you think if he was suspicious he might have asked where you were last night?† â€Å"Well, he could see that, with you walking out there with your shirt off, and me looking so, you know – so – ; â€Å"Satisfied?† â€Å"No, I was going to say ‘disheveled. † She punched his arm. â€Å"Jeez, get over yourself.† â€Å"Ouch. That is completely out of line.† â€Å"I'm in trouble here,† Lena said. â€Å"You can at least be supportive.† â€Å"Supportive? I helped you hide the body. In some countries that implies commitment.† She wound up to punch him, then caught herself, but left her fist there in the air, just in case. â€Å"You really don't think he was suspicious?† â€Å"He didn't even ask why you have a giant fruit bat hanging out on your porch. He's oblivious. Just going through the motions.† â€Å"Why do I have a giant fruit bat hanging from the porch?† â€Å"Comes with the package.† He grinned and walked away. Now she felt stupid, standing there, her fist in the air. She felt unenlightened, dense, silly, unevolved, all the things she thought only other people were. She followed him into the bedroom, where he was putting on his shirt. â€Å"I'm sorry I hit you.† He rubbed his bruised shoulder. â€Å"You have tendencies. Should I hide your shovel?† â€Å"That's a horrible thing to say.† She almost punched him, but instead, trying to be more evolved, and less threatening, she put her arms around him. â€Å"It was an accident.† â€Å"Release me. I have to go spot bad guys with my helicopter,† he said, patting her on the bottom. â€Å"You're taking the bat with you, right?† â€Å"You don't want to hang out with him?† â€Å"No offense, but he's a little creepy.† â€Å"You have no idea,† said Tuck.