Strategic Review of Kepak Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Review of Kepak - Essay Example To analyze the current strategies followed by the firm internal business analysis has been done by using TOWS Matrix which analysis the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the organization to produce accurate and strategic solutions and approaches for a better business outcome. Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Industry Analysis 4 PESTLE Analysis 4 Porter’s Five Forces 5 Success Factors Driving Beef Industry 6 Company Analysis 7 Competitive Stance 7 Differentiation 7 Positioning 7 Value Chain Analysis 7 Strategic resources 8 Critical strategy 9 Introduction Kepak is one of the three largest beef producers in Ireland. Noel Keating founded the company in mid 1960s and is headquartered at Meath, Ireland. The Business divisions are Kepak Convenience Foods (KCF), Kepak Meat Division (KMD), and Agra Trading. Started as a retail butcher’s business, it soon expanded as a wholesale supplier selling beef to the food service sector and other lar ger markets (Bell, Mcloughlin and Shelman, 2011). The company is facing some challenges as well as some significant opportunities due to the changing business and economic environment in Ireland. Industry Analysis A business environment consists of three major components (American Accounting Association, 2013). These are suppliers, competitors and customers. Kepak’s external business can be assessed by using pestle analysis and porters five forces model. PESTLE Analysis Economic The current gross domestic product (GDP) of Ireland is $191.5 billion and the purchasing power parity is $41,700 (CIA, 2013). The agri-food sector is considered as one of the major indigenous manufacturing sector in Ireland (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, n.d.). Around 85% of the food supplies are exported to a large number of countries. Ireland is considered as Europe’s largest net exporter of beef and is well known for producing highest quality beef (Ukfg, n.d.). Almost 1 lak h Irish farmers are involved in cattle rearing and out of these almost 70000 are categorized as specialist beef producers (Bell, Mcloughlin and Shelman, 2011). In the wake of the current economic crisis, the Irish government has identified food and agriculture business as the major sector which will significantly increase the country’s growth in exports and imports. Social 62% of the total population in Ireland lives in urban areas getting access to the most of the daily requirements. The average age of farmers kept on increasing. In 2007, 51% of the family farm holders were above 55 years old and only 7 percent were under 35 years of age (Bell, Mcloughlin and Shelman, 2011). This was because of a significant change in the occupational trends of people, who gradually shifted from agribusiness to other alternatives for a more stable and secure life. Beef consumption in the European market has fallen since 2007 (Bordbia, n.d.).Various reasons accounted for this. Because of the economic crisis the consumers started cutting back their beef purchases and changed to lesser expensive alternatives such as protein supplements and dairy products. Environmental High waste-water discharges, air emissions associated with energy consumption, solid waste and order and a moderate to high

About Going to School Essay Example for Free

About Going to School Essay As young Americans living in the 21st century, we have many options when it comes to what we want to do after we graduate high school. Many choose to go to college and earn a degree while others choose to go straight to work or join the military. While all are very good choices for the young men and women who choose each path, some might be more rewarding than others. Earning a degree is something I think all young adults should do regardless of which path they choose; it brings much more economic security, many more job opportunities, and, in most cases, a broader understanding of the world and how it works. One of the first major reasons for my believing this is the economic benefits of the college degree. As we all know, we have been in economic downturn for the past several years, and one study in 2008 found that this was due to a lack of college degrees, or partially at any rate. â€Å"One of the biggest developments in this years report is the strength of the relationship between higher education and the economy,† said Dewayne Matthews, Luminas vice president for policy and strategy. â€Å"People are beginning to understand that job growth is a structural issue, and that higher education is the key to economic growth. (UPI Top New, 2010) See more: My Writing Process Essay As you can tell, there is a correlation between what our economy does and the education that we, as Americans, receive after we leave high school and start to enter the real world. It is saying that the American economy cannot survive with employees that have limited knowledge and education. This is not to say that those who do not go to college do not contribute to society however there is an extremely important need for an educated populous to pull us out of this economic deficit. The opportunities for person to find a well paying job are exponentially increased upon receiving a degree from an accredited college or university. â€Å"America needs more workers with college degrees, certificates and industry certifications. † (Arabia 2000, 2010) This quote indicates another point I am trying to make: The employers in America simply cannot find the people they need to fill the jobs that require higher education and training. It used to be that you didn’t need a degree to get a job, sure it helped, but you didn’t have to have it. Well in today’s society it’s practically a requirement and the trend seems to only be growing. If this is the case, wouldn’t you want to arm yourself with as much education and prowess before meeting with employers who won’t consider your application if you do not have a degree attached to it? The answer is yes, you are more likely to get a job over someone if you have a degree and they do not. There is a correlation between jobs and degrees, and the article â€Å"Help Wanted: Projecting Jobs and Education Requirements through 2018† (Arabia 2000, 2010) indicates that this relation is growing closer and even estimates that 63% of all jobs will require some type of post-secondary degree by the year 2018. As you can see, there is substantial evidence leaning towards employers needing a degree, specifically the ones that will allow you to live in a comfortable middle-class lifestyle. Instead of exercising the appropriate mental muscles, were allowing ourselves to become a nation of nitwits, obsessed with the comings and goings of Lindsay Lohan and increasingly oblivious to crucially important societal issues that are all but screaming for attention. What should we be doing about the legions of jobless Americans, the deteriorating public schools, the debilitating wars, the scandalous economic inequality, the corporate hold on governmental affairs, the commercialization of the arts, the deficits? † (Guelph Mercury (ON, 2010) this seems rather harsh, but it speaks some truth. There seems to be a lot of Americans these days not contributing anything but TV ratings to society. It’s not a very pretty picture to paint of our country, but the author is saying that our world view is extremely limited and higher education helps broaden that. Going to college is a unique experience in its own, going off on your own, being independent and everything that comes with it. But what about the education you are receiving, when you receive a college education you receive the social responsibility as a global citizen to help us advance as a society. Through your college experiences you are obtaining the tools to go out and change the world, to be a responsible global citizen and to change the way things are going in this country. By not obtaining higher education you are sitting by and watching as the world zooms passed and doesn’t even glance your way. For those who choose to go to work or the military instead of college first, there are still options for you to earn a degree and become successful and earn a higher pay and better job. If you attended a career center and decided to go straight to work, you can and should pursue a degree in the field that you trained in, some jobs might even pay for you to go and getting more training in order to have you as a strong asset in the future. Other companies might even pay towards your student loans after graduating college. New Hampshire has a program called â€Å"Stay Work Play† (Work-Life Newsbrief Trend Report, 2009) that uses incentives for companies to keep jobs in the state by paying $8,000 towards your college loans and get you to work for them. As for the military, you have the option to go to college for free. The GI Bill of Rights (FDCH Congressional Testimony, 2010) was created at the end of World War II and contains a provision to help pay for servicemen and women to attend college. This give you the option to earn a degree and still serve your country, and get a high pay and maybe earn a higher status in the military by having a degree that helps you perform a job for them. There are thousands of opportunities awaiting you when you start your journey after earning a high school diploma, as you can see. Living in this current economy is not a fun experience and the more money you can make helps not only you but it helps the economy start to thrive again. You have the opportunity to prove the nay-sayers in the world wrong, and help change the world and become an effective global citizen. For those who don’t think they should earn a degree or think they can’t because they chose to go into the military or work, you can still do it! In this day and age we all need an edge in order to get anywhere and succeed, empower yourself to become the successful young man or woman you know you can be and get a degree.

Marketing Strategy of TVs Motors

Marketing Strategy of TVs Motors TVS Motor Company is Indias third largest manufacturer and company had made success in their last ten years. TVS achieved many awards for their quality of products, customer satisfaction and for their technology. This paper analyzing the organizations various strategies models as well as describes the financial statement analysis for last five year. Analyzed how the company reached the current position and described the recommendations for TVS Motor Company. Introduction: An organizational study is conducted to have a clear and proper understanding of the organizations basic structure, coordination and functioning at all levels. Every organization involves in identifying and coordinating the work that being performed and delegates authority and responsibilities. Organizations are always looked as a social entity directing towards designated goals that are designed as coordinated activity and structured deliberately linking to external environment. In a country like India which has seen an industrial revolution in last couple of decades, bringing large multinational corporate and industries to the country any organization would require strong organizational functioning to compete with other industries in the market paving way to success and preferences to the organization. My organization study involves research on various departments to understand their functions within and their purposes. I have also tried to bring out the achievements of the organiz ation so far and how it competes with its competitors. It was also important for me to study how they progress towards their mission and vision of the organization. Before doing a study on any organization it was important to have compassion on the concepts, principles and requisites of the organizations. Concepts of an organization: Every organization involves in a process of identifying and grouping the work that has to be done. It defines and delegates the authority and responsibility to every individual or sector. It establishes strong relationship with its employees to accomplish its objectives and performing work efficiently. Principles: Principles are tailored on theoretical basis on which the strategies of the organization is built or framed. There are several fundamental principles there are to be followed in developing an organization strong and efficiently. Some of them are Unity of objective Unity of command Specification Span of control Co-ordination Exception Flexibility Communication Simplicity Efficiency REQUSITIES: The objectives of the organization are to be candid and clear and the organizations understanding their capacity in achieving them. All activities within the organization are implemented efficiently and easily. Proper coordination on all activities that being executed. Communication system inside the organization should be direct and effective. Should be complete with all essential activities being put into action. There should be reasonable span of control at all levels Wherever required, provision is to be available for expansion Defined procedures are to be followed on all functions of the organization Organization should always aim at promoting morality of its employees Proper diversion on authority and responsibility is required Business strategy: TVS motors which originates from Trichur Vengaram Sundaram Iyengar motors is one among the leading motorcycle company in India .it is the third largest two-wheeler manufacturer company in India and among the top ten in the world. It holds annual revenue of more than $ 1 billion .Its a flagship company with TVS group USA with 4$ billion. It strives and thrives in manufacturing innovative and pioneer products. TVS emphasizes on launching new products with its new product introduction (NPI) team of approximately 300 engineers who stand at forefront in executing strategic visions for the organization for its new products. Though these products are developed domestically it collaborates with globally technical renowned partners. It aims to introduce six to ten products every year to address broad-based requirements of the market. Bike for Anyone: TVS Motors aims at introducing wide range products thats suits the needs of all two wheeler riders. It holds products from mopeds to racing motorcycles. The prices of these motorcycles are also affordable and reasonable to suit financial status of middle and upper middle class people in India. It was also the first motorcycle company in India to launch mopeds that were easily affordable to labor and wager groups of India. Penchant for Quality: TVS Motor has established four manufacturing plants located at Mysore, Hosur, Himachal Pradesh and one in Indonesia. The company is more consistent on its quality of its products so far. The vehicles were long lasting and reliable. Innovation at the Helm: Strength of the organization lies in its design and development of its new products, the company launched seven products on the same day in 1997, making it all the first automotive company to do so. They aim at developing superior customer satisfaction. TVS presents quality vehicles to meet ever changing need of its customer and market, the company already holds 15 million customers on road. History: The company was founded by Trichur Vengaram Sundarm Iyangar. He initially started on transport business holding large fleet of buses, trucks under the name of southern roadways limited. Later the company spread its wings on automobile sector, including insurance, finance, two wheelers manufacturing components, and tires. It is combined with 33 companies of its own to bring a turnover of nearly 3 billion USD. On 1978 the company started plant at Hosur to manufacture mopeds as a new division. Later the company collaborated with Suzuki on 1982 on a joint venture to obtain brand impression on its customers. Major Milestone Year by Year: 1978: TVS Motors was started as a new division of TVS. 1982: Incorporated as Indians motors. It collaborated with Suzuki motors. 1984: 59,400,000 shares were issued on which 7, 00,000 shares Sundaram Clayton ltd, Chennai. 70,000 Anusha investments 20, 00,000-Suzuki motors 2, 20,000 -Employees and business associates 29, 70,000- public 1985: incorporated Lakshmi Auto Company6 for Manufacturing transmissions and critical engine parts. 1986: company name was changed from Indo Suzuki motors to TVS Suzuki motors 1990: launched 34cc Miniped 1997: set up auto ancillary estate at Mysore and Hosur 1998: RS: 1,000 crore mark in 1997-1988 introduced first four stroke vehicle in the country 2003: Recorded share of 35% of share in motorcycle division, Recorded 31% growth on its sales. Company introduced racing bikes that were tested in Asian circuits. 2006: Appointed new president 2007: launched 7 motorcycles on the same day making a mark in history 2010: Launched Indias first auto clutch motorcycle in Chandigarh. TVS Michael porters competitive force model The strategy is developed by Michael porter which describes the external factors affecting the organization. The TVS analysis is as follows: Supplier Power: Although TVS has been a prominent supplier for economic class customers in two wheelers market, here we take the power of the suppliers for TVS to analyze. The Supplier market for TVS is highly fragmented and the possibility for backward integration is also high which has restrained the power of the suppliers. TVS engages with several local suppliers for their spares and parts for their automobiles manufacturing. The entry of many new small scale manufacturers has also contributed to the benefit of large automobile manufacturers like TVS to source their Spares and parts at a very optimal price. This clearly indicates the low supplier power. Buyer Power: Buyers power in two wheelers industry is more as the product diversity and brands available in the market are exceptionally high. Buyers today are demanding and specific on their needs for the money they pay. They are looking for the brand that offers better pricing and technology which has shadowed the customer loyalty for any brand today which is the most faced threat by TVS. Threat of Substitutes: Threat from substitutes is quite low when compared to other forces since market seems only to grow and mature every day. But when looked down the line we could anticipate a threat from the dramatically escalating petrol cost which might cause customers to switch to economic diesel cars. As well growing environmental concerns has also brought in bicycles and battery two wheelers that might pose a threat in future to TVS. Intensity of Rivalry: Two wheelers industry is most known for the competitive market and rivalry. Two wheeler brands like Bajaj, Honda and Yamaha have come up with various product line and technology targeting the customer segment of age group 20 to 30 years who are more fascinated to sporty two wheelers. But TVS has very less sporty models available for customers to choose that has restrained power of the brand over the most targeted customer segment by its competitors. Although TVS has a better power over the mid aged economic class customer segment, competitors now are increasing their focus on taking over it too. Barriers to New Entrants: New entrants face a moderate barrier in penetrating the market since it is consolidated by few and strong suppliers. As the market size of the two wheelers industry is big and requires a strong footprint with high capital investment, new entrants find it difficult to fit themselves among the market front-runners. Thus TVS is not susceptible to threats from the new entrants to the industry. TVS Motors market share The market share of all Two-wheeler is affected by various inflation, rise in petrol price and interest rate. Automobile industry had unexpected growth around 15% is due supported by various external factor like urban development, developed public transportation, financial purchases and Two-wheeler penetration into various region. Hero Honda dominated in the market by 55% (2011-2012) in last five quarters. Market Share with competitors April Feb. 2011 Source: TVS Motor Company Financial performance Details/Year 2011-12 2010-11 2009010 2008-09 2007-08 Sales other income* 7148 6324 4485 3741 3310 Profit before interest, depreciation, amortization and tax* 520 491 304 247 219 Profit before tax 316 248 76 31 35 Profit after tax 249 195 88 31 32 Net fixed assets 1078 995 983 1036 1043 Share capital 48 48 24 24 24 Reserves and surplus 1122 952 842 786 798 Net worth 1170 999 835 735 769 Total borrowings* 831 768 1003 906 666 Earnings per share #(Rs.) 5.24 4.10 1.86 0.66 0.67 Dividend per share (Rs.) 1.30 1.10 1.20 0.70 0.70 Book value per share# (Rs.) 24.38 20.81 17.40 15.32 16.02 EBITDA/turnover (%) 7.3 7.4 6.8 6.6 6.6 Profit before tax/turnover (%) 4.4 3.9 1.7 0.8 1.1 Return on capital employed (%) 19 16.4 8.0 5.6 2.8 Return on net worth (%) 23.0 21.3 11.2 4.1 4.1 Source: TVS Motor Company The company achieved the annual sales of two million as growth of 32% by selling 1.52 million units last year. The company made their growth in all three segment as Executive as 26%, Economy as 12% and Premium as 38% for the year of 2011. When compared with 2010, there is increased in sale of fixed asset in 2011. On 2011 fiscal year TVS Motors acquires assets increasing the liquidatory assets to 1.70 crores. Due to increase in RD expenses decrease in sales and investment in manufacturing sector increased the companys liabilities to 950.49 crores. Companys capital expenditure was 91.63 crores in year 2011. In the year 2011 current ratio stands at 0.17 while the debt ratio is at 0.98%. The cash ratio is 1.4 times than previous as the number proves that the companys stable but if the ratios are not improved over years the companys long time sustainability will be at jeopardy. Operational analysis SWOT Analysis Strengths: TVS is an International player with brand equity and plays important role in Indian two wheeler markets. RD department team gives them a leading edge in markets technology development covering various segments like moped, motor cycle and scooter. These differences make the products attractive for people of all ages. TVS has a wide spread of distribution network and numerous service centers covering all regions of its service areas which provide a unique service to its customers. TVS groups have 40,000 knowledgeable, experienced and skilled employees providing service to more than 15 million customers in India. Advertising with brand ambassadors and attracting people with more promotional activities. Products with low price, high fuel economy, eco friendly less emission and unique design with its competitors. Weaknesses: Despite exporting products to various countries worldwide, its not a globally recognizable brand yet. Lack of competitive premium bikes to attract the riders in the market. Most of the RD resources used in economy and executive products shading the premium segment. Opportunities: One of the fastest growing automobile providers in India. Export is limited and the international market is untouched which gives a versatile opportunity to explore and establish international market. More movement in higher-end model and more young generation are motivated towards motorcycle. Threats: Heavy competition from other competitors and from other international brand i.e. importing of cheap motorcycle from china. Gradual increase in fuel price, Decrease in car prices, policies and increase in taxes will affect margin for dealer as well as customer. Improving public transport will have an effect on the automobile sales. Spare parts are expensive which increases the maintenance cost. TOWS Matrix Analysis SWOT and TOWS are acronyms to each other, where as strength and weaknesses comes under internal environment. Opportunities and threats are comes under the external environment. But for practical study, TOWS describes internal environment and SWOT describes external environment. Strength: TVS is International player with brand equity and plays important role in Indian two wheeler markets. Excellent RD work of products and different products in various segments like moped, motor cycle and scooter. These differences make attraction to people from different age. TVS had wide spread distribution network and numerous service centers which make easy for people. TVS groups have more than 15 million customers and knowledgeable, experienced, skilled 40,000 employees. Advertising with brand ambassadors and attracting people with more promotional activities. Products with low price, fuel economy, less emission and excellent design when compared to other company. Weaknesses: Even though exporting to various countries, it is not globally recognizable brand. Fail to cover premium segment bikes and their segments are only for middle class customers. Opportunities: One of the fastest growing segments in India is automobile segment. Export is limited and untouched international market. More movement in higher-end model and more young generation are motivated towards motorcycle. SO TVS had unbeatable sales in moped and scooter. (S1O1) They had 3500 dealer for making sales and giving excellent service to customers. TVS maintains its brand image by designing products for all customers from low income to high income people. (S4O3) Employed more engineers in RD to bring their designing performance and development in all categories. TVS has ratio in debt equity is 0.1. WO Even though it is not globally recognized, TVS made an excellent land mark in India. (W1O2) TVS need more concentration in premium vehicles because sales of premium vehicles are growing in recent years. (W2O3) Market share is reducing when compared to last few years. Threats: Heavy competition from other competitors and from other international brand i.e. importing of cheap motorcycle from china. Gradual increase in fuel price, policies and increase in taxes will affect margin for dealer as well as customer. Improving public transport will have an effect on the automobile sales. Spare parts are costlier. ST Automobile is one of the growing sectors in the world, so it is golden opportunity to come forward in global market. (S1T1) TVS need more concentration in RD to improve the use of personal transportation. (S2T3) WT TVS has other competitors in two wheeler segment, which is the main drawback for them. Cost of spare parts and their products are high when compared to other company. (W2T4) TVS BCG Growth Share Matrix: The BCG Growth-Share Matrix is a planning model in which business is divided into four major based on market growth and market share. The growth share in this table positions the two major things of profitability. Star (Scooter) Question mark (New motorcycle and new scooter) Cash cow (Moped) Dog (Motorcycles) Star: Star denotes high market growth and high market share in the industry. This position defends when the organization invest large amount in this segment. There is decrease in the growth when compared to last year, so this is the reason scooter comes under star category. It will turn into cash cow when there is gradual increase in coming years. Cash cow: Cash cow denotes low market growth and high market share in the industry. In moped sector it is the major contribution to the market share because moped have more advantages like low cost when compared to other moped manufacturing company. Handling is very simple and this is more preferred by small traders. Teenagers are using this vehicle as an entry point for them. This dominates in the position of cash cow because increase in the growth of sales in every year. Question mark: Question mark denotes high market growth and low market share. In this category, there are two things to be considered as invest greatly in the products or to clear up this products. The company launches new TVS Flame which gets more drawbacks in the market and the company planned to launch the product with redesign. Company had greater growth in the scooter segment, so they launched electric scooter due to increase in the fuel price. But the product is failed due to some motor problems. So company need to invest in them for increase in market growth, this is the reason that these products comes under the question mark. Dog: Dog denotes low market growth as well as low market share in the industry. In this segment, the motorcycle is divided into three categories as economy segment which had increase in 2% when compared to last year. In executive segment, decrease in 1% when compared to last year. But in premium segment, there is no increment or decrement when compared to last year. Market share came down when compared to last year, so this is the main reason that motorcycle comes under the category of dog. Marketing, Financial and RD Strategies Marketing strategy: The company volume growth increased largely from the year of 2010-2011, but the company does not have similar growth in last year of 2011-2012. The company had huge demand in moped, scooter and only in premium motor cycle; so these are volume key drivers in TVS motor company. The company is planning to build key model brand, so company had planned to have sustain success in their products like Star, Victor and Apache. These products had made brand image to maintain its success and these success made the company to introduce the new products in the market. These are key volume drivers and their focus to sustain their growth of the company. TVS motors have decided to launch seven new vehicles at a time in the year of 2007, so this will make the company as a young multinational company. This makes work for continues three years to rollout all these seven products at a time. Within these seven vehicles, four of them are two-wheelers and three are passenger three-wheeler vehicles. These products are various technologies, design and new engine. TVS introduced CCVTi engine which reduce carbon-dioxide and reduce the monoxide by 70% which make green revolution and also introducing Fuel injection technology which consumes less fuel. TVS motors first introduce the electric scooter due to increase in fuel price in India. These are marketing strategies to cover imagination of people. TVS continuous improvement in quality of products resulted in winning various quality awards which brings more value for the customers. TVS offers 5-year warranty for Star vehicles, which gives customers more preference. These customer satisfaction and quality are the one of major role for marketing strategy. TVS dealers are using their own individual promotion plans to the final buyers. The company advertises to the customers to provide offers to buy products where dealers provide with sale promotion to the product now. The company offering more promotional plan such as exchange offer, finance conveniences to the customers, free services, follow-up customer for their services and complaints and other festival offers. These are various marketing strategy promotions to customers for buying the products and giving excellent service to their products to have sustained growth in market place. Financial strategy: TVS records the sale of 154,647 unit in August 2012 and 194,898 units in August 2011, whereas for Two-wheeler sales records 150,740 units in August 2012 and 190,184 units of sales in August 2011. In domestic sector, TVS records about 135,513 units in August 2012 against 163,705 units in August 2011. In motorcycle sector, TVS records 53,673 units in August 2012 against 77,726 units in August 2011. In scooter segment, records 38,193 units in August 2012 against 52,253 units in August 2011. From this analysis, there is gradual decrease in the sales of all sectors including moped, motorcycle and scooters. Company exports 17,934 units in August 2012 against 29,984 units in August 2011. In Three-wheelers, company sold 4,714 units in August 2011 but it decreased to 3,907 units in August 2012. From the total, the company fails to compete with the previous year of same month. Research and development (RD): The company has a strong research and development (RD) department, supported with state of the art aiding technologies. Their in-house world class testing facility gives them a unique environment for testing the engines noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) and life time warranty testing. To they are supported with modern computers for developing good design as well as for developing new innovation in the products. The team has been concentrating on eco-friendly products for a decade helping the fact of global climatic changes and increases of carbon dioxide release into the environment. They succeeded by out coming with a high fuel economy, reusable parts and low emissions hybrid products. Their automatic transmission technology for scooters is widely credited across the world due their very low emission and fuel economy. TVS RD department published 81 papers placing and they developed various products with this research and they are successfully running in the road. For national and international conferences, RD published around 81 technical papers. Joint venture and Value chain TVS has joint venture with Japaneses company Suzuki with whom it shares their technology, design and manufacture for two-wheeler under the banner TVS-Suzuki. TVS-Suzuki manufactured various products including Samurai, Shogun and Fiero. Due to the rising disputes and low profit margins TVS decided to break their collaboration with Suzuki. In 2011, companies came to an agreement, as per the company was renamed as TVS Motors and Suzuki promised not to enter Indian market for minimum period of 30 months. This decision by TVS motors allowed them to operate independently and proves to be effective as their profit increased noticeably. TVS Motors invested heavily in RD to launch new products with new technology and succeeded making TVS a highly recognized brand. After three years Suzuki entered Indian market and became one of the top five Two-wheeler Company in India. The value chain for the Two-wheeler company has many value chain partners including manufacturing, dealers (outlets include sales and service), financial agents, support services, advertising, contracts, transportation and more. The value chain for TVS Motors will act like one team and they aim for success. The company has appraisal agencies, call centre, collection agencies and dealer management system to get daily updates from dealers and maintain a global communication across their value chain partners. TVS has plans to implement Information Technology across the value chains, to reduce the delays and lags in communication between the value chain dealers. This IT adoption to the company will significantly increase the customer satisfaction, timely service and a well structured management. Business performance: The overall Two-wheeler sales is decreased to 5% due to absences of executive segment motorcycle, whereas scooter and moped segment increased by 10% in their sales growth. The company achieved all time high sales in export of 2.70 lakh in 2011-2012. Three-wheeler sales also increased slightly from 0.39 lakh to 0.40 lakh in 2011-2012. Spare parts also increased to 29% sales. TVS Wego had a huge growth of 60% in the scooter segment. These vehicles are distributed around 3500 dealer in India; they are authorized for both sales and services. TVS is continuously seeking for opening new dealerships to increase the growth of sales. The export sales are grown 51% where as domestic sales decline by 35% in the Three-wheeler market. There is large number of competitors in exporting, so company takes advantages of providing quality products as well as providing new market line for domestic market. For reducing the material cost and input material cost, company is using value engineering and global sourcing projects. TVS is using total quality management (TQM) as a cornerstone from 1987. So that company created manually called TVS Way and won award for national and state level competition. Recommendations and Implementations References TVS Motor Company. From : http://www.tvsmotor.in/tvsbrief.asp TVS Motor Company. From : http://www.tvsmotor.in/tvs-rd.asp TVS Motor Company. From : http://www.tvsmotor.in/global.asp TVS Motor Company. From : http://www.tvsmotor.in/investor.asp TVS Motor Company. Annual Report. From : http://www.tvsmotor.in/pdf/19th-Annual-Report-2010-2011.pdf TVS Motor Company. From : http://www.tvsmotor.in/investor-news-home.asp Indian Infoline. TVS Motor Company Ltd. From: http://www.indiainfoline.com/Markets/Company/Background/Company-Profile/TVS-Motor-Company-Ltd/532343 Business Line. TVS Motor seeks early end to licence pact with Suzuki. From : http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2001/12/29/stories/022907za.htm The Financial Express. TVS reaps Business Benefits through SAP. From: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/tvs-reaps-business-benefits-through-sap/60168/2 Live Mint. TVS Motor changes financing strategy. From : http://www.livemint.com/Money/uW1yXkCG0HsTBLIjI5rHKL/TVS-Motor-changes-financing-strategy.html Money Control. TVS Motor Company. From : http://www.moneycontrol.com/company-facts/tvsmotorcompany/history/TVS#TVS Indian Two-Wheeler Industry. From : http://www.icra.in/Files/ticker/Indian%202W%20Industry,%20Update,%20Feb%202012.pdf (Retrieved on Feb 2012)

Relationships Between Mothers and Daughters in Tans The Joy Luck Club

Relationships Between Mothers and Daughters in Tan's The Joy Luck Club â€Å"Now the woman was old.   And she had a daughter who grew up speaking only English and swallowing more Coca-Cola than sorrow.   For a long time now the woman had wanted to give her daughter the single swan feather and tell her, â€Å"This feather may look worthless, but it comes from afar and carries with it all my good intentions.†Ã‚   And she waited, year after year, for the day she could tell her daughter this in perfect American English (Tan 3).† The American culture focuses more on the individual.   Typical Americans always want to be independent.   Traditionally, they never appreciate anything that they have, are selfish, and ignorant to other cultures.   On the other hand, the Chinese culture has many strong beliefs concerning the family.   Chinese women value their parents, especially their mothers.   It is expected that their daughters also do the same.   â€Å"Women from Asia value family.   Family is all important.   Husband, children, parents, relatives come first.   Husband and children never take second place to her career (China Bride).†Ã‚   The Joy Luck Club emphasizes family values by explaining how each mother, Suyuan Woo, An-Mei Hsu, Lindo Jong, and Ying-ying St. Clair, came to America so that their daughters could have better lives and everything that they didn’t have.   Because the daughters in The Joy Luck Club were born in America, they wanted to be more Americanized than t o recognize their true Chinese culture.   In particular, Waverly Jong was less successful than her mother, Lindo, in finding her true identity.   Lindo honors family and self.   Waverly has a hard time finding her true identity.   She builds a wall between her and her mother and tries to be he... ... when she â€Å"let’s her mother in†.   Waverly lets her mother in when they are at the salon.   Lindo tells her daughter about her childhood and how she ended up in America.   She tells Waverly that she named her after the street they lived on so that when she grew up and left, that she would take a piece of her with her.   Waverly finally understands her mother.   â€Å"Her mother has been waiting for Waverly to let her in, to accept her Chinese heritage so that she can accept Waverly’s Chinese-American future (49).† Works Cited Carey, Gary.   Cliff notes on Amy Tan’s   The Joy Luck Club. Lincoln, Nebraska. Cliff Notes. 1994. The China Bride. 23 March 2000. http://www.chinabride.com/gen/whyasia.html Chinese –American Women in The United States. Liu, Spring. 1997. http://www.ics.uci.edu/~tdo/ea/chineseWomen.html Tan, Amy.   The Joy Luck Club. New York. Ivy Books.1989.

Creating Shared Value

Summary of ‘Creating shared value’ by M. Porter and M. Kramer The problem nowadays is that most businesses don’t have the right purpose ‘in mind’. They have a narrow-minded view in making profit and thus optimizing short-time financial performance. This old capitalistic view leads to a vicious circle. More specifically, the corporation doesn’t keep its environment and the broader community in mind while making profit and so they are perceived as (partly) responsible for society’ failures. This is where political leaders undermine competitiveness by setting the appropriate policies.The old, narrow view of capitalism leads to growing competition and shorter term performance pressures from shareholders. Shorting investor time horizons leads to outsourcing and offshoring which weakens the connection between the firm and its community. The solution lies in redefining the purpose of the corporation as creating shared value. This means enhancin g the competitiveness of the corporation while simultaneously advancing the economic and social conditions in its communities. The market should be redefined by societal needs, rather than convential economic needs.To create shared value, there are three main ways: reconceiving the products and market, redefining productivity in the value chain and enabling local cluster development. These ways are mutually reinforcing while creating shared value. By reconceiving products and markets, corporations can meet the demand for products and services that satisfy societal needs. In this way, there’s more space for innovation. Also, in developing countries and nontraditional communities in advanced economies equal or greater opporunities arise.Opportunities increase when capitalism starts working in these poor countries. These opportunities change constantly because of developping economies and evolving technologies. Another source of creating shared value lies in transforming the val ue chain. For instance by reexaminating energy use and logistics, huge costs can be saved for the company and at the same time for society. Another example is the advantage of buying from capable local suppliers. This avoids costs by avoiding inefficiencies and lowering input costs.This also means sharing technology and improve supplier quality and productivity by better procurement. Employee productivity can be improved by offering health care coverage, because poor health costs firms more than health benefits. Companies need to embrace locational thinking because of the rising costs of energy and carbon emissions. Enabling local clusters plays a crucial role to boost productivity. As mentioned, logistics through local suppliers avoid lots of internal costs.In monopolized markets, people often get exploited, prices are not fair and thus productivity will suffer through a lack of incentives for the workers. This indicates that the formation of open and transparent markets are necess ary to create shared value. We can conclude that business can earn the respect of society again by respecting the new, more sophisticated form of capitalism. This new view focuses on profits that create societal benefits rather than diminish them, which creates shared value.

Identofy the Main Types of State and Independant Schools Essays

Identofy the Main Types of State and Independant Schools Essays Identofy the Main Types of State and Independant Schools Essay Identofy the Main Types of State and Independant Schools Essay 1 Identify the main types of state and independent schools. * Primary * Grammar * Comprehensive * Religious * Voluntary aided * Voluntary controlled * Specialist * SEN * Academies 1. 2 Describe the characteristics of the different types of schools in relation to educational stage(s) and school governance. Primary, Secondary and Grammar schools are all governed by the Local Education Authority (LEA). These schools determine their own admissions policy. Local groups such as childcare classes and adult education may develop the use of the school facilities. Foundation schools (such as religious schools) are not run by the LEA but by their own governing body. This governing body determines its own admissions policy in consultation with the LEA. The governing body or a charitable foundation will own the schools, the land and buildings. As these schools are not governed by the LEA they have to buy in any support services. The decision on becoming a trust school will be made by the governing body and consultation with parents. There are two types of voluntary schools, voluntary aided and voluntary controlled. Voluntary aided schools are mainly faith or religious schools although pupils of any religion can attend. Much like a foundation school they are run by their own governing body, although the buildings and land are normally owned by a charity or organisation. These schools are funded partly by the LEA which will provide support services. Voluntary controlled schools are very similar to voluntary aided schools, although they are funded and run by the local authority. The local authority will employ the staff and provide support services. A charity, which is often a religious organisation, will usually own the land and buildings. Specialist schools are generally secondary schools that have applied for specialist status to develop one or two subject specialisms. They will receive additional funding from the government for this. Special schools can also apply for specialist school status to be given for a special educational needs (SEN) specialism under one of the four areas of the SEN Code of Practice. (Burnham etal, 2010, page 73) Academies are set up by sponsors from businesses and are independently managed schools which jointly fund the buildings and land. They are not maintained by the LEA but have close links with it. Private Independent Schools are funded by fees paid by parents and also income from investments, gifts and charitable endowments which sets them apart from the local authority. This means that just over half of independent schools have charitable status, meaning they can claim tax exemption. The Head Teacher and governors decide on the admissions policy and they do not have to follow the National Curriculum. These schools are obliged to register with the Department for Education (DfE) so that they can be monitored on a regular basis by the Independent Schools Incorporate (ISI) 2. 1 Describe roles and responsibilities. School Governors School Governors are made up of a variety of different people who will link somehow to the school and also the local community. They are generally in a team of 10 to 12 people and they have the responsibility of running the school. In addition to the Head Teacher there should be at least one staff governor and at least one parent governor. There can also be a support staff governor. There will also be a local authority (LA) governor who will be appointed by the LA, and a local community governor who generally works or lives in the community served by the school. Governors work closely with the Senior Management Team and the Head Teacher. Governors are based on various committees which are responsible for various areas of school management for example, personal issues or the school site. They will meet in the committees and then report back to the full governing body. Their main duties are: to set aims and objectives for the school. * to adopt new policies for achieving the aims and objectives. * to set targets for achieving the aims and objectives. (Burnham etal, 2010, page 74). Senior Management Team The schools SMT (sometimes known as Senior Leadership Team) works closely with the Head Teacher. In a primary school the team will usually consist of more experienced staff who have management positions (i. e. Deputy Hea d, SENCO and Foundation Stage Leader. In a secondary school it may also include a year group leader or subject area leaders. During their meetings which are held on a regular basis they discuss any arising issues and make decisions concerning implementation of the school improvement plan and the running of the school. It is also their duty to discuss how best to share this information with teachers and support staff. SENCO Having a Special Educations Needs Co-ordinator in a school is a legal requirement along with a Head Teacher and a Deputy Head. Another statutory role in a primary school is a Foundation Stage Manager. The SENCO is responsible for monitoring and managing the provision for pupils with pecial educational needs. Their duties will include liaising with other professionals and parents with regard to pupils with special educational needs, providing support and advice, ensuring that all relevant background information about individual children with special educational needs is collected, updated and recorded, ensuring Individual Education Plans are in place. An Individual Education Plan has targ ets and planned strategies that are implemented for pupils with special educational needs. Teachers Every teacher has the responsibility for the preparation and planning of the curriculum for their class. This will usually be for all subjects under the National Curriculum in a primary school. They will also usually have another area of responsibility in the school such as being a member of the senior Management Team. In every school each subject will need to be represented so there is a person responsible for it. In smaller schools that have fewer teachers, staff may be responsible for two or three subjects each. They will need to know of any developments to the curriculum in their area and in staff meetings feed back this information. The local authority will arrange subject leader forums which they will be expected to attend. They will also need to be available to offer support and advice to other teachers in their subject and also teach pupils in accordance to their educational needs, together with communicating and consulting with parents. Teaching Assistant A teaching assistant will be strongly guided by the teacher. They will be expected to plan and prepare work alongside the teacher, assess pupils work, support learning activities as directed by the teacher, report any queries or problems to the teacher, and to give feedback to the teacher after planned activities. Other Support Staff There are a number of other support staff roles that ensure the effective running of a school such as midday supervisors who ensure the smooth running of eating areas and playgrounds, care takers who ensure the school and its grounds are clean and safe, office staff who deal with the administrative ide of things within a school, late arrivals etc. 2. 2Describe the roles of external professionals who may work with a school. Schools have a wide range of external professionals who work on a regular basis such as: Educational Psychologist These are allocated through the local Special Educational Needs department and will provide assessments and observations to pupils who have additional needs. Speech and Language Ther apist Most Speech and Language Therapists (SLT) are based an at alternative location outside the school but will come into school to work with children, teachers and parents. They will work with pupils on speech, language and communication problems. Specialist Teacher Specialist teachers may attend schools for a variety of different needs such as behaviour support, social and communication needs for example autism, and English as an additional language needs. They will offer advise and support to pupils. Education Welfare Officer The Education Welfare Officer (EWO) is usually based within the local authority. They visit schools and work with the Head Teacher monitoring pupil attendance and providing support around absenteeism if there are any issues. They are also involved in working with parents to help and support excluded pupils on their return to school. School Improvement Partner School Improvement Partners (SIP) work alongside the local education authority and support Head Teachers at looking at ways of developing the school through both the school self-evaluation (a document that looks at and evaluates the school’s progress) and pupil attainment and progress. Academic factors are focused on as well as looking at extended school provision (out of school activities such as after school, breakfast clubs) and parent liaison. Physiotherapists/Occupational therapist Although these healthcare professionals do not work in schools they may be asked to attend for meetings and discussions relating to pupils who they see outside school. Teachers may also visit schools other than the ones they work in for meetings such as ‘cluster groups’. These are useful meetings and are to encourage teachers who have similar roles to meet and discuss their ideas and practices. 3. 1Define the meanings of Aims and Values. Aims Most schools will have their particular aims/visions within their prospectus and in other school literature. It will state what the school sets out to achieve and is usually set by the Head Teacher, with input from staff, parents and the community. Values The values of a school can be described as it’s moral code or ethos in which pupils as well as staff are expected to adhere to. Although each schools values may differ slightly they will generally include things such as respects for self and others, respects for property etc. Bibliography Louise Burnham, Brenda Baker, 2010, Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools, Level 2 Certificate, Harlow, Essex, Heinemann. www. direct. gov14. 10. 12