Epic Rivalry: The Inside Story of the Soviet and American Space Race Essay

Outer space, in a wider sense, can be considered both a beauty and a mystery. From the conception of the universe such as the â€Å"Big Bang Theory†, to the discovery of the different planets through powerful telescopes, nothing proves to be more ambitious than to have â€Å"manned† explorations on outer space. Indeed, when Sputnik was launched in outer space in 1957, it triggered the so-called â€Å"space race† between the America and the Soviet Union. The race began with Sputnik in 1957 and culminated by walking on the moon of Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong in 1969. The book, Epic Rivalry: The inside Story of the Soviet and American Space Race, narrates the space race of these two powerful nations during the Cold War. Written by Von Hardesty, a Smithsonian guardian or curator; and Gene Eisman, it showed how the compelling rivalry had played a significant role in space exploration both with Russian and with the American point of view. The book also showed scores of unpublished, exceptional, and powerful photographs and the apprehensive drama of the two nation’s progress with Soviet Union’s Nikita Khrushchev and America’s John F. Kennedy at center stage. The foreword, written by Sergei Khrushchev, was eventually the son of Soviet Union premier Nikita Khrushchev The title of the book was also significant: the main title, Epic Rivalry, focused on the premature heated antagonism between the United States and the Soviet Union. The duration of the conflict started in 1957 when Sputnik went to outer space up to the Apollo landing on the moon in 1969. The book covered a balance, straightforward, and a chronological assessment of that period including the events during the 1940’s and 1950’s that led to the birth of the Space Age. The central characters of the book were Wernher von Braun and Sergei Korolev, and supported by other astronauts, cosmonauts, engineers, and even politician of that time. The chapters were separated by two and four paged sidebars on topics that were technical such as atomic propulsion, and orbital mechanics. Several photographs were also included, black and white and also of colored nature, upon which some came from Russia and rarely been published. The subtitle of the book, â€Å"The inside Story of the Soviet and American Space Race†, revealed the â€Å"inside stories† behind the space race though some people who lived on that era may know the story behind it. These could be eminent since the book relied on secondary sources such as articles, books, and only a few based on the endnotes can be attributed to primary sources such as interviews, and historical documents. Except for the foreword, written by Sergei Khrushchev who once worked as an engineer in the era of the space program, that offered an inside account of the early Soviet Union’s space program. The narrative point of view of the author had a twofold approach: to restructure the corresponding universes of the Russian and the American space exploration programs, and then to recognize how these two separate nations interacted in a fateful and necessary means. The apparent race became the point of study in a contrasted approach. The author emphasized that both nations had used their corresponding military technology to structure their space programs. The Russian developed their space program in absolute secrecy and concealment, even the long term and specific goals, not to mention their leader in the space program were never divulged, while the Americans remained unfasten and depended on public support except for the military aspects of their space programs. Aside from these, the book also examined the key role of politics and the significant political figures in shaping the route of the space exploration program. The key person on the Soviet side was Premier Nikita Khrushchev who took an ardent interest in the space exploration programs seeing the potential of the propaganda â€Å"space first†. The United States was not as keen at the beginning on the space program with Dwight Eisenhower being hesitant on the expensiveness of the program. The U. S. took cautions on their space programs until John F. Kennedy presided over Eisenhower and made considerable turn-around on their space programs. He eventually pushed through the program when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first manned orbital journey, and with the context of the then Cold War. Thus, Kennedy committed to the U. S. to send the first humans on the moon. His advocacy was clearly supported by Lyndon Johnson and followed by Richard Nixon. Also included on the book were the talented engineers, scientists, and managers whose creative and ingenious works had helped significantly the development of their nation’s respective space programs. Notable were the two main characters of the book: Wernher von Braun who came to the U. S. at the end of World War II together with the group of experienced German rocket technicians. His team contributed much to the advancement of the rocket program of the United States. Afterwards, James Webb together with capable administrators oversaw the space program of NASA. On the other side, Sergei Korolev (also known as the inexplicable â€Å"Principal Designer†) headed the Soviet Union’s space program. Located at the remote area of Baikonur spaceport, he worked also with highly competent and motivated engineers and designers. Both nations eagerly pursued their space programs collectively with missile development and research. The space travelers were also central in the book such as Yuri Gagarin of Russia, Alexei and Titov Leonov of Germany; John Glenn, Alan Shepard, and Gus Grissom of the United States. All of them displayed exceptional skills and courage and therefore gained popularity. The Apollo 11 mission, wherein Glenn, Shepard, and Grissom were the astronauts, had brought almost a decade of space race between the Russia and the United States to a remarkable conclusion. From the standpoint of technological advancement, the book effectively described how the two powerful nations had engaged in a subsequent â€Å"race† towards the space explorations. The different relevant factors were clearly included such as the engineers, scientists, politicians, astronauts and cosmonauts. Though much of the book used secondary sources, there were some primary sources that can be seen on the endnotes and those people who lived on that era would actually now what transpired even not reading the book. There were also some errors such as the statement that the MIR remained in orbit from 1971 to 2001 (Hardesty and Eisman p. 249) or some minor slip-up such as referring to the map of Kennedy Space Flight Center (Hardesty and Eisman p. 159). But nonetheless, the book displayed the relevant story behind the space exploration between two power nations: both in the context of the American and of the Russian point of view. These undertaking started what seemed to be the present space age and will effectively give aspirations and relevant information to the youth of today. Works Cited Hardesty, Von and Eisman, Gene. Epic Rivalry: The Inside Story of the Soviet and American Space Race. Random House Publishing. September 2008.

Degree Appraisals Essay

General Electrics’ Durham, North Carolina assembly employees have a unique work environment in which they build the GE90 jet engine for Boeing. The 9 engine build teams consist of approximately 18 employees who own the entire process of assembling some 10,000 parts perfectly to create one complete engine assembly. The teams are self managed, doing everything from ordering parts and tools to scheduling vacation and overtime. The success of the teams comes from their founding method of agreement by consensus decisions making. In fact, the consensus decision making process has become a way of life to many of these employees, and management decisions are only needed about 12 decisions per year. Although employees don’t always have unanimous agreement, there is seldom any blame when things go wrong because of their strong trusting relationships. This type of consensus management has instilled a high level of trust relationships among the team members and their superiors. These self-managed teams operate in a culture of continuous feedback and rely on management to make them aware of problems and report solutions. Beyond the day-to-day decisions making, any major issues, such as safety and cost, are decided by a task force. The plant manager informs and educates the task force and employees about the problem and why it is important, and the task force decides how to address problems. The task force takes the responsibility to find solutions and decisions are reporting back to plant management on what the future solutions will be. These solutions and decisions made by the task force are communicate to the plant manager and then on to the higher-ups for their buy in. The Plant Manager Paula Sims, who has been on the job 4 years, has proposed to HR that she would like initiate a 360-degree review to supplement existing performance  measures. Ms. Sims’ proposal is met with some concerns from HR, it is assumed that HR has concerns that implementing a new system without a consensus decision will breakdown trust with the employees and limit the willing participation if the 360 review were to be implemented. Root Problem The root problem with Ms. Sims proposal is that the implementation goes directly against the culture of consensus agreement on making decisions for the teams and the plant. Since this would be considered a major change, it should be brought to a task force for review and solution, or at minimum be brought to the attention of all employees. In the past, Ms. Sims has experienced issues of missed trust with the assembly teams and this direct approach with HR for the implementation a new performance measure stands to have an equally negative effect. Alternative Ideas In order to address the root problem, HR would like to propose some alternative ideas to Ms. Sims proposals that could include awareness of GE corporate use general of 360 degree performance measures in other locations. Investigations on the benefits from other GE plants should be presented to employees to gain a better understanding and buy-in of the proposal. Knowing the culture of feedback that exist within the plant, Ms. Sims could call for a task force to investigate the benefits of 360 degree feedback and make a direction decision on the use of 360 degree appraisals. In consideration of alternative ideas, Ms. Sims should consider approaching the employees and HR by providing factual information about the value of peer reviews. For example, â€Å"research shows that appraisals by peers are useful predictors of training success and future performance† (Jackson, S.E., Schuler, R.S., & Werner, S., 2012). Additionally, since the GE employees are team-based units, it is also been shown that anonymous peer appraisals in teams increase interpersonal effectiveness, group cohesion, communication openness and group satisfaction (Jackson, et al, 2012). Furthermore, she could gain more leverage by stating the success of the peer reviews in other GE facilities, as real life inter-company example. The last alternative is simply do nothing and keep the current system as it is without a 360 degree review. Considering Ms. Sims determination to implement the new appraisal, she should consider a trial basis with a one the nine teams as a test bed  from training implementation and use of the 360 review. As multiple alternatives have been presented, a closer evaluation of each proposal is the necessary to derive the what is believed to the best alternative. 1. Awareness and Buy-in – this alternative looks at bringing awareness to the 360-degree appraisal as a supplemental appraisal by providi ng factual information on the benefits of the program at GE’s jet engine plant. Awareness makes buy-in easier when at the end of the day, you allow the teams to make a decision by consensus on the implementation of the new peer review. 2. Empowered team decision – this alternative simply turns the information and decision back to the team and task force. This alternative is the most cohesive alternative and aligns well with the culture of the company. 3. Trial basis – this alternative assume Ms. Sims pushes her idea forward and assumes she will be met with some resistance during the implementation phase. In this case focusing on a smaller beta test group proves to be easier to manage and create buy-in with when the results show positive improvements. 4. Status Quo – this alternative assumes that nothing is done, no implementation is agreed upon and the current performance measures stay in place without a 360-degree appraisal. Choose an Alternative & Implementation In an effort to maintain the strong trusting relationships that exist at the various levels of team members and management, it is recommended that the alternative proposal of â€Å"awareness and buy-in† be selected and acted upon. Implementation of this plan will begin with Ms. Sims collecting and presenting data from both internal GE resources and external resources to show the benefits of supplementing the current performance appraisals with a 360-degree peer review. Next Ms. Sims must work directly with HR to plan an appropriate training period and plan in conjunction with the roll out of information to the 9 assembly teams. This portion of the preparation should include the consideration of one group to be the test bed or beta group for evaluation purposes. Once the information is presented to all the employees, an internal task force should be commissioned to evaluate the information provided by Ms. Sims for the purpose my allowing the continuance of the consensus culture . There are a multitude of options this management team has in considering the addition of the new peer review. However,  allowing the teams and/or special task force to make the decision on their own and continue to feel the sense of ownership is paramount in the implementation phase of the proposal. Therefore it is recommended that after the beta group is selected and effectively trained, HR and Ms. Sims must monitor the effectiveness of the raters over an initially shorter period of time for the appraisals to take place. This step will be for the purpose of training and evaluation. Based the results from the six months data collection and feedback from the Beta group, Ms. Sims and HR will determine if further training is needed, if the employees are seeing value in the productivity and performance improvements as a result of using the 360 degree appraisals. If the results are positive the information will be shared with the task force and all employees for further implementation and training, beyond the beta group. Reference Jackson, S.E., Schuler, R.S., & Werner, S (2012). Managing Human Resources (11th edition)., Mason, OH: South-Western

If human nature does alter Essay

What is human nature? According to an interesting article I have read, humanity can be interpreted in three ways: mechanistic, mysterian and materialist views of humanity. A mechanistic view sees human beings largely as objects through which nature acts. A mysterian view suggests that there are aspects of human existence not knowable to mere mortals. A materialist view sees humans as exceptional because humans, unlike any other beings, possess consciousness and agency. In Judaism, human nature is the ability to make our own choice and we will all be held responsible for our actions. From a scientific perspective, human nature is the behavior of human being physically, socially and mentally. There are many different interpretations of human nature and it will never have a specific definition. From my point of view, human nature is how human beings interpret themselves as. Therefore, human nature does alter when we begin to look at ourselves in a new way. In this essay, I have chosen one play from â€Å"The Three Theban Plays† by Sophocles; â€Å"Oedipus the King† and â€Å"Death and the Maiden† by Ariel Dorfman. Looking at the two tragedies, I am going to illustrate how the writers make us â€Å"look at ourselves in a new way†. Searching for the truth is a human nature; because everyone has curiosity. For example, babies feel curious when seeing new items and try to figure out what it is. However, searching for truth is not always beneficial. Sophocles certainly did prove his point through his play, â€Å"Oedipus the King†. Oedipus basically assassinated his father, Laius, acquire his crown and ironically his wife, Oedipus mother, Jocasta. However, Oedipus didn’t have any knowledge of this. To save the city from the plague, he was desperate to track down the murderer of Laius, not knowing that he was the murderer. Throughout the play, Sophocles employs the repetition of blindness to associate with the spiritual blindness of Oedipus to the truth. He was not only blinded to the truth, but also the consequences of discovering the truth. Moreover, the repetition of blindness foreshadows that Oedipus will blind himself at the end of the play when he recognize the truth and what he had done. He is sightless to the advice of people attempting to stop him going down the road of destruction. At the beginning of the play, I have already noticed the wide use of blindness in the dialogue: â€Å"Oedipus: I would be blind to misery not to pity my people kneeling at my feet† (Pg. 159 L14-15) â€Å"Oedipus: You’ve lost your power, stone-blind, stone-deaf – senses, eyes blind as stone! † (Pg. 181 L421-422) From the quotes mentioned, I could see that the word â€Å"blind† often appears in the dialogues of Oedipus. He told his people of Thebes he wouldn’t be â€Å"blind to misery† and promised to save Thebes. However, he is blind to the truth and his identity instead. He insulted Tiresias’ blindness for revealing the prophecy and the truth about Oedipus’ identity which he doubted vigorously. Oedipus’ abuse to Tiresias has a huge contradiction to his own blindness to the outcome of the discovery. Although Tiresias is physically blind, he wasn’t blind to the truth and the effect of revealing it; whereas Oedipus wasn’t blind, but he couldn’t notice the purpose of Tiresias’ actions and ignore his warnings. The repetition of blindness draws attention of the audience every time the characters say the word. This emphasizes the idea of humans are often blind to themselves, the others and also the truth behind things. When they seek to search for the truth, the outcome can be catastrophic: â€Å"Messenger: He rips off her brooches, the long gold pins holding her robes – †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ he digs them down the sockets of his eyes,† (Pg. 237 L1402-1405) â€Å"Messenger: And there we saw the woman hanging by the neck, †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ spinning, swinging back and forth. † (Pg.237 L1395-1397) In the exodus of the play, the ending is a disaster, Jocasta hanged herself and Oedipus blinded himself. Truth can be harmful sometimes, therefore it is better to stay the same and be ignorant. At least we could be better off and happier because truth sometimes doesn’t give us any satisfaction at all. This made us to have a whole new perception about the exploration of truth. After studying the play, I would be more objective about my actions and be humble to the others’ advice, to prevent anything destructive happening. But on the other hand, Oedipus is a man of great quality, he had the courage to seek for the truth even though people persuaded him not to because the truth was dangerous. If we are satisfy about the current state and choose to be â€Å"blind† to many truths on the world, there would be no improvement and development at all. There is certainly no an ultimate answer to the question whether or not we should seek for the truth. In â€Å"Death and the Maiden†, truth is also an important issue. The scene was set in Chile, which had just received democracy after years and years of dictatorship. Gerardo was appointed to be the Head of the Investigating Commission. The purpose of the commission establishes certain truths in a public way, to become part of official history. However, it only deals with the dead, not people suffered but still alive. Paulina, Gerardo’s wife, was one of them, she was put into torture and raped. Ariel Dorfman portrayed Paulina as a desperate person to find out the truth. Paulina is going to search for the truth by all means since she suffered so much pain and was haunted by the past. The only way to relieve her pain is to attain the truth. She had gained power by holding the gun and transformed into a totally different person. We can identify this by looking at the text: â€Å"Paulina: Besides you that if the police do show their noses her I’ll put a bullet through his man’s head. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ And then I’ll put the gun in my mouth and pull the trigger. † (Pg. 18) â€Å"Gerardo: My God, Paulina! †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ she has never spoken like this in her life. † According to the quotes above, the gun has given power to Paulina and she had dominance over the man. Paulina had turned into another person, even the way she speaks, that Gerardo didn’t recognize anymore. This indicates what truth can do; it can drive somebody mad and turns them into a different person. Paulina was so obsessed about the truth that she is willing to sacrifice anything: â€Å"If he’s innocent? Then he’s really screwed. † (Pg. 29) In order to know the truth, she is willing to give up her morals. Even though she wasn’t sure if Doctor Miranda was really one of the people who tortured her, she had already assumed he is guilty and enforced him to confess by threatening to kill him. Paulina didn’t even care if he is innocent or not, she just wanted a confession no matter what, because this is the only way she could reconcile her pain. Perhaps Miranda is guilty, the truth is so thrilling that even me as an audience wanted to know it so badly. In the end, nobody knows if justice has been achieved by Paulina’s outrageous actions. The play also exemplify the idea of too much truth may be dangerous. On the way of searching the truth, Paulina didn’t realize that she is destroying many things, their relationships, and Gerardo’s trust to her etc. Gerardo had already warned her not to continue her pursuit of truth: â€Å"Gerardo: People can die from an excessive dose of the truth, you know. † (Pg. 36) Gerardo could foresee the disastrous outcome of the whole event and tried to stop Paulina continue to look for the truth. It is because Gerardo sensed that too much truth won’t do good to all of them. The idea of too much truth is dangerous in â€Å"Death and the Maiden† links back to the idea of the catastrophic consequences of obtaining the truth from â€Å"Oedipus the King†. Paulina and Oedipus are very similar, they strife for the truth which they don’t know is destructive. Paulina destroyed the relationship between Gerardo and herself; whereas Oedipus devastated his kingdom, his family and most significantly, he blinded himself. Both tragedies raised our caution to the pursuit of truth, acknowledge us that truth is double-edged, it can favour but also destroy someone. Human can’t be too ignorant and also can’t know too much truth. â€Å"It is better to settle for half. † as Alfieri puts it in the play â€Å"A View from the Bridge†.

Human Traffic into the United States Research Proposal

Human Traffic into the United States - Research Proposal Example Background of the Study Human trafficking has been a lucrative trade with an estimated income of over $30 billion per year in the international trade despite the efforts of several human rights bodies and government to stop the trade and other human rights violations. The United States government has been on the frontline to fight human smuggling and trafficking as a crime against humanity and state due to violation of immigration laws. Treaties and conventions against human trafficking and modern slavery have proved fruitless to curb the vice regionally and in internationally, necessitating the need to study and evaluate alternative means of curbing this menace. Criminal justice studies suggest the need for an alternative approach to addressing the various perspectives of international laws on human rights (Kara, 2009) and this needs to be addressed and further studies conducted if the respect of human rights and freedom has to be fully exercised. Problem Statement Despite the effor ts of Non-Governmental Organizations and the United States government efforts to stop human trafficking and smuggling, the exercise has been on the rise and a study to investigate the core factors that necessitate the transfer and smuggling of individuals in to the United States will be paramount. The rise of these activities reflects continued violation of human rights and state’s immigration laws, prospects that have led to a rise in the number of illegal migrants in to the United States majority of whom indulge in criminal activities. Criminal Justice Question: Why has the number of human trafficking incidences been on the rise in United States and what can be done to curb the vice? Research Questions: What accounts for the increase in cases of human trafficking in to the United States? What factors from the victim’s point of view or what promises do the traffickers give the victims that necessitated easy transfer and harboring? What is the major motive of these hum an trafficking activities into the United States, are they socially or economically motivated? What factors have necessitated free and uncontrolled border entry and how do traffickers manage to conduct their businesses unnoticed? What measures has the government and other security arms taken to mitigate these activities within the United States’ territory? What alternative measures have been taken by Non-Governmental Organizations and other lobby groups in addressing the rise considering their initial strategies have somehow proved unfruitful? Hypothesis: There is a relationship between poverty and globalization which has led to weakening of political and social/cultural institutions promoting decay in social and economic norms and mores. Significance of the Study By understanding factors that have led to the increase of human trafficking, the government and immigration departments will take the necessary measures to curb the vice in subsequent years. Unearthing the motives o f trafficking and smuggling will help social and economic institutions to strengthen their policies that promote equal human treatment and those that will enhance human rights and freedom watch. By evaluating the borders activities and/or the relationship of border officers with the traffickers will assist the government and relevant ministries to revise immigration laws and policies to further curb unrestricted entry. As a

Implementing Software Development Project Management Best Practices Assignment

Implementing Software Development Project Management Best Practices - Assignment Example This may prompt activities such as performing an inventory. This will ensure that every software development tool conforms to the set standards. The process modeling is mainly used to enhance the flow of software development work. The process model has clear guidelines and procedural steps that a developer is required to follow so that they can produce a quality software product that not only meets the user requirements but also reaches the quality assurance standards. The process of inventory in the process modeling may used to help reduce the cost of development while at the same time enhancing the quality. In this process, the implementation of the assets requires the use of asset management program. This is always the first step and level of information that is necessary to implement the software management program (Tyugu et al, 2009 ). This will help measure some elements of software. Especially with the software usage seen to be metering, the following can be determined; whethe r the organization purchased many assets that the consumption rate. The use of process framework thus helps reduce such misuse of resources in the organization. This is also aimed at determining if more software has been purchased beyond the organization needs. This will additionally help minimize the cost of maintenance and also give room for the re-allocation of the unused software assets. This will ensure that that the organization avoids underutilization of the development resources. This makes it very easy for the organization to have better plans for future developments. This will also control the levels to which the unauthorized software is being used within the organization. To avoid these, the organization needs the process models that give clear development frameworks. The development framework will then establish the development parameters. These parameters are used to set the development objectives and the development

Short answer Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Short answer - Assignment Example very important to study cultural variations in the prevalent pressures of globalization and how the changing dynamics of the world are impacting culture. I have a Chinese friend, whose mother scolds him frequently and he listens quietly, that lies in contrast with the way I am and I feel it is the cultural difference between the two of us that makes him revere elders comparatively more. Generalized reciprocity refers to giving something such as a gift to someone without expecting a gift in return. Balanced reciprocity on the other hand refers to giving someone a gift while having the expectation of a return gift which may not necessarily be of the same value. While the first two forms of reciprocity have relationship building as a goal, negative reciprocity is largely motivated by self-interest. It refers to exchange of things with the expectation of gaining personally by the exchange (Uhl-Bien & Maslyn, 2003). Since anthropology deals with studying human interactions, studying reciprocity becomes an imperative. When I was a child I used to give my friends gifts on their birthdays with the expectation of getting return gifts on my birthday, which can be an example of balanced reciprocity. Over the years the family structures have evolved from extended to nuclear families, particularly in the Asian countries. In an extended family system property and income is joint in a family comprising of brothers, sisters, parents who may choose to live together under a roof or separately. In the nuclear family structure a man lives alone with his wife and children with no shared income and property with the rest of his family (Bahadur & Dhawan, 2008). Since the study of anthropology entails studying the changing social and cultural landscape, thus studying the family structures is but a part of anthropology. My Chinese friend told me that in China there exists an extended family system where all members of a family live together which seems so different than how families in

Review#6 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Review#6 - Assignment Example According to this article, in 2050, there will be a point where we have to look at other areas that have thus far remained untouched and determining whether or not that portion of the natural environment that animals and birds live in will be destroyed simply so we have somewhere to grow consumable goods (Cassman). When looking at the article in â€Å"Time Magazine,† the author suggests that this topic of food versus biofuels is hot among environmentalists. Some know that we need the food to survive but using these consumable goods as a source of energy is also environmentally efficient to store up fossil fuels that are non-renewable resources. This article surprisingly suggested that corn as a biofuel is not really as efficient as people believe and that the corn could feed more people than it helps out as a source of energy. An interesting perspective in this article suggests that there could be a plant that is grown that is non-consumable by humans but could be used in place as a biofuel instead. There would then be a balance as suggested by the research that found that switchgrass was a better source of fuel than corn ethanol (Walsh). Looking at both perspectives and understanding what is already known, this is a problem that was addressed in both of these articles, five years ago. The problem has continued and there is still no answer. But who will fund the research to find an alternative? I think that the growing population will continue to the point where we are without enough resources but I do not believe it will occur in my lifetime. However, it is an issue that will be faced in the future and should be thought about

How to become a lady to be admired and envied Essay

How to become a lady to be admired and envied - Essay Example None of the statements above includes level of college degree, level of career, financial wealth or marital status. This does not mean that they are not important. Certainly, they are to the same degree they are essential to an individual. Those accomplishments are as an outcome of goal setting and realization for those precise successes (Lowrey, 1). Being a woman is all about self-improvement and self-help. One should make a plan. Making a decision of the goal that one wants to accomplish in life and within a definite period is vital. Women should do something to be remembered when they are no more. For instance, you may want your children to recall the fact that that you were the cleanest or for the flower you grew. Again voicing your dream is an important goal regardless of where you are. Learn to tell the world who you want to be and what you want in life. When you tell others, it means committing. Ladies should always be aware of whom they are and what they want to become takes much approach. Look inside and find the things that you are proud of and this can be seen as self-aid or self-development. Before looking for her weakness, a woman needs to know what she does best. In addition, strength awareness builds character and confidence (Lowrey 3). In today’s society, it is very important to have a role model to whom one can look upon for guidance. The role model should be a positive influencer, one that we can trust, relate to our situations and share information that can help us reach our goals and help us to solve a problem. This role model lays an important part in our lives and they assist us in making sound decisions. They help us more in mental and growth development. Woman/a female in public eyes catch the attention of very many people. They watch the way in which a woman conducts herself, the way she speak and how she treats others. Women should live by the saying that ‘to whom much is given, much is expected'. They should understand the importance of representing themselves and the family in responsible and responsible manner. Skylar Diggins’, one of the basketball players is one of the role models among women and she tries to help young girls by volunteering. She hosts number of free clinics, coac hes many girls and speaks to them. She believes that this could help young girls realize their potential and set a higher bar for themselves (Diggings, 1). Most people in life have a role model who guides them. Reasons for these role models vary from one reason to another but the ideal they represent and the admiration they inspire is what makes them attractive. A role model should have the ability to give spiritual and moral values to an individual and stimulate a person to reach beyond one self. Today, the role models exposed to women are fashion related, interpersonal relationships, dating, marital as well as professional on careers. From Catholics’ point of view, blessed Virgin Mary remains the role model for all women at all times since they see her as an example of transcend and inclusive time and culture. Mary is seen as the perfect human being; in her, women of all walks of life can see what it means to be a woman in relationship with Christ. Women can learn fulfi llment of existence of feminine by not aspiring to become a copy of masculine since such thoughts always distort the mission and vision of a female (Sommers, 1). Successful Women and What They Do There are women who have really worked hard and they are

How to solve the problem of long waiting lines in public schools Assignment

How to solve the problem of long waiting lines in public schools - Assignment Example Such an implementation would reduce the waiting duration for young children before they get keep in touch with their parents considering that children might not withstand long duration in queues. In order to reduce congestion that is characterized by long parking lines that attribute to congestions within school compounds, a policy should be implemented that restrain parents from packing within school compounds to the back yard of the institution. Besides, students should be dismissed based on grading criteria as it would improve chances of the parental accessibility to their children in good time. Similarly, it is advisable for students who are using the school bus to board according to their grades. As such, only students whose grades have been read should be allowed to board. If the above implementations are followed then there is maximum possibility that the problem of long waiting lines in public schools shall be solved (Deneen & Catanese,

Micro case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Micro - Case Study Example Monopolies are given the rights to be the only firms in operation as a result of various barriers to entry into the industry. The major barriers are permits or licenses, ownership of key resources, copyrights and patents, high start up cost and being offered subsidies. Monopolies may also come across barriers in going out of the market, whereby they are restricted from exit from the market if they are responsible for producing an important product. (Musgrave et al, 41). If a government concludes that products manufactured or provided by such firms are indispensable for the benefit of citizens then such monopoly could be halted from exiting because it improves the living standards of people. Monopolies are also characterized by being in charge of technological knowhow used in production or information, which is not available to potential competitors. In addition to this, monopolistic enterprises might have some information or technology, which is not known to others. The technology or information may or may not be solely owned and it could even be a secret formula, which could be a unique way of producing the distinctive product, which will leave other firms in no position to produce the same The key source of a monopoly are the hurdles to entry, which originate from sources such as ownership of key resources and patents, whereby the government may give individual firms the exclusive rights to produce some products. Therefore, production costs will make the only producer more proficient compared to a large group of producers, which will be forced to go out of the market (Musgrave et al, 21). The government can regulate a monopoly so as to prevent heightened prices in a market, and this is achieved by setting the average price of products. The main drawback is that at times the regulated prices are below average the total costs incurred, which means that prices are lower than the producer’s average total costs, and in such cases, a firm

Review Questions Essay Example for Free

Review Questions Essay Answer the following questions (you may use MS Project Help): 1) What are the three base calendars included in MS Project and what are the default values of each? Standard Default base calendar, Monday to Friday, 8 to 5, lunch noon to 1. This is the default base calendar used for the project, for tasks and for resources. Night Shift Usually for graveyard shift, 11 PM to 8 AM, five days a week, lunch 3 AM to 4AM. 24 Hours – Work never stops here. Typically used for projects in a manufacturing situation, midnight until midnight 7 days a week. 2) What is the difference between a base calendar and a resource calendar? Resource Calendars apply to only specific resources. 3) Why schedule one project meeting after completion of the last task, Test System? We should as a final meeting to discuss how the project went as a whole. 4) Give an example of when you would assign a 24-hour calendar to a resource. 24-Hour calendars would be used in situations where a consultant is being used to complete a fixed-cost task 5) If you were doing a senior project, what would be the base calendar you would use for students working on the project and what adjustments would you make to it? The base calendar I would use would probably be the 24-hour calendar because there would not be a set time each task will be worked on. Turn in this sheet with your MS Project file to the Weekly iLab Dropbox.

Religious Education Coursework Assignment Essay Example for Free

Religious Education Coursework Assignment Essay COURSEWORK QUESTION: a) (i) What is Hajj? (ii) Describe and explain why a Muslim would take part in Hajj and what this involves [40] b) (i) Explain the meaning and significance of the events of Hajj for a Muslim. (ii) What difficulties might there be for a Muslim performing Hajj? (iii) How might participating in Hajj affect the life of a believer? [35] c) â€Å"A true pilgrimage is really a journey within.† Do you agree with this statement? Give reasons to support your answer and show that you have thought about different points of view. You must refer to Islam in your answer. [25] A (i)Hajj is the pilgrimage to Makkah, a Muslim-only city. Tourists aren’t welcome to Makkah; Hajj is for Muslims to get closer to God and isn’t meant to be a tourist attraction. It is the duty of every healthy and financially stable Muslim to complete Hajj once in their lifetime. It is a deeply spiritual journey for the millions of Muslims who complete Hajj every Muslim year, between 8 and 13 Dhul-Hijjah – the final month. Some Muslims may prefer to visit Makkah on a pilgrimage at another time in the year, but this is not considered as important as Hajj, and is called Umrah. Because so many Muslims want to experience Hajj for the first time, those who have done it before often do Umrah instead. Hajj is the fifth of the five pillars of Islam; the basis of the religion. It is meant for the sane and mature Muslim mind, and it is usually considered an honour to die during one’s Hajj, as it is widely believed burial in the city of Makkah will bring Muslims clo ser to their God, and is a good indication of their dedication to Islam. A (ii)Hajj is widely considered essential in order to be a devout Muslim. It is one of the five pillars of Islam which are the biggest and main requirements of the religion. It is considered that Hajj is something of a ticket to heaven in the afterlife. The pilgrimage is to show ones self to Allah, and let him be the judge of character. With a good Hajj comes a peaceful afterlife and paradise. It is not just a physical practice, for true meaning a pilgrim must enter a whole new mindset and way of living, at least for the days of Hajj. This was of living is called Ihram, and is the first obligatory rite of Hajj. All men must wear two white unhemmed sheets so that all look alike, and wealth, age and status in general is not even considered. Whilst in Ihram, Muslims should not argue, swear, kill (even insects!) or participate in a sexual relationship even accompanied by husband or wife. Ihram creates an equilibrium and purity for Hajj. It unites every pilgrim and crates a pure mental canvas solely ready to think about nothing but God. The physical part of Hajj is all about recreating significant and very old events in Islam. First the pilgrims all run or walk quickly around the Ka’bah seven times, if close enough they will touch or kiss it. They then pray close to the Ka’bah, near Maqam Ibrahim. Next the Muslims rush between Marwah and Safa, two hills; seven times. The hills are linked now by a corridor for convenience and safety. After doing this, the pilgrims must make their way to the plain of Arafat, around 20km from Makkah. The pilgrims stand under the sun from midday until sunset praying to Allah, and asking for forgiveness. After this the pilgrims go to Muzdalifah to pray, collect stones and camp overnight. In the morning the pilgrims go to Mina to throw seven stones at three walls. After stoning the walls pilgrims make a sacrifice, often through companies nowadays. The sacrificed animal is the either frozen for future use or given to the poor Muslim community to eat. Men then shave their heads, and women cut off a lock of hair, usually a small amount; a few centimetres or a quarter. Muslims are then allowed to exit Ihram, changing into their normal clothes. They camp at Mina for three nights, and then return to Makkah to walk around the Kabah once again. They then drink water from the ZamZam well and their Hajj is complete. They are then a male Hajji, or a female Hajjah. B (i)Carrying out the actions of Hajj is not meaningful without a proper understanding for the ideas behind each procedure. It is all about representing the past and having empathy for Muhammad (PBUH), Ibrahim his son Ismah’il and others. The Kabah is a cube-shaped building supposedly first constructed for God by the first man Adam. It was washed away in Noah’s time, but Ibrahim and his son Ismahil rebuilt it. It is covered in a black cloth called kiswah with verses of the Qu’ran stitched into it. The Kabah is rebuilt on the same foundations by the same method when it needs to be, and the cover is re-made every year, after it is cut up and given to some lucky pilgrims as a memento of their journey. The Ka’bah is the very first house of God and many prophets have visited it. It is for this reason that pilgrims feel such closeness and representation to God when they visit it during Hajj. Tawaf is the circling of the Ka’bah seven times. To begin, the pilgrims can kiss the Black Stone al-hajar-al-aswad or just raise their hands towards it (on the east corner of the courtyard) and recite a prayer. After this the Pilgrims rush around the Ka’bah seven times to represent the fact that their lives revolve around God. It is the first thing that the pilgrims do when they arrive in Makkah. Tawaf is the second rite of Hajj, after Ihram, mentioned earlier. The second event is called the sa’i, where pilgrims rush between the hills Marwah and Safa, to show perseverance and patience. This is what Ibrahim’s wife Hajar did as she desperately searched for aid as her and her thirsty son came close to death in the desert. This part of Hajj can be very tiring and difficult under the blazing sun, despite there being a modern corridor built especially for sa’i. Hajar’s patience was rewarded by God with a spring of water that appeared at her son Ismahil’s feet, which was named the ZamZam well; today it is in the courtyard of the great Mosque in Makkah. Sa’i is not a compulsory part of Hajj but is usually included in the pilgrimage, and has a deep meaning. The pilgrims travel to Mina, a city of tents near the plain of Arafat. In Ihram, the Muslims are united and equal; they sleep side by side often grouped only by language if anything. All of the pilgrims sleep in tents in their Ihram clothes, poor and rich sleep aside each other as the devout, proud and fellow Muslims of Hajj. The following day the pilgrims travel to Mount Arafat for the most important part of Hajj, where they stand before Allah and ask forgiveness for all of their sins. This is the third obligatory rite of Haj j. Mount Arafat is also known as the ‘Mount of Mercy’ and is supposed to be where God forgave Adam and Eve for their sins and reunited them, after previously separating them for wrongdoing. Here the Muslims stand before God, the wuquf. The pilgrims stand from midday to sunset praying, weeping and meditating, all under the searing Saudi sun. The afternoon of wuquf is purely concentrated on Allah, and some pilgrims have to rush to make the stand, as without it their Hajj is invalid. Everyone is expected to stand alone and analyse every wrong doing individually, and pray to Allah for forgiveness for their sins. In this rite, repent is essential, and if pilgrims are truly sorry for their sins, it is said they will be completely purified and forgiven by Allah, and can start again, as pure as the day they were born. It is an unforgettable experience and is savoured by every pilgrim. After wuquf, pilgrims travel to camp in Muzdalifah in time for prayers in the evening. Here they usually collect 49 pebbles for the ramy al-jamarat (stoning of the devil) the following day. In 2004 Saudi authorities got rid of the pillars and replaced them with long walls, to make the stoning the devil process easier and therefore safer. Hund reds of people have died in the large crowds all trying to get a good shot at the pillars. On the first day of the process, after a night in Muzdalifah, the first wall is stoned 7 times. The following days each of the three walls has to be stoned 7 times for two consecutive days. This means 49 pebbles are required, but if the pilgrims miss any shots they may need at least 21 extra pebbles to stone all three walls 7 times the following day. This seems like a strange ritual when no background is supporting it, but there is good meaning. Ibrahim was told by God one day he had to sacrifice his son Ismah’il. Ibrahim made his way to the place of sacrifice, abiding Allah’s instruction, after consulting his son who told him to do what he had to. On the way the devil appeared before him first to try and tempt him not to sacrifice his son, and the angel Gabriel, the messenger of God told him to â€Å"pelt him†. Ibrahim threw 7 pebbles at the devil and it disappeared. It soon reappeared along the way, this time representing the temptation of Hajar to stop her husband sacrificing her son to God, and Gabriel told Ibrahim to â€Å"pelt him† again. He did what he was told and threw 7 stones at the devil who once again disappeared. The devil appeared a third time along the road, to tempt Ismahil to avoid being sacrificed. Gabriel’s order to â€Å"pelt him† was followed by Ibrahim, and the devil then disappeared for the final time. Ibrahim’s loyalty and resistance to the devil was rewarded by God when Ibrahim was told to stop as he prepared to kill his son. He was told by God to sacrifice a ram instead, and Ibrahim’s resistance to temptation paid off. Ramy al-jamarat shows the pilgrim’ s dedication to God’s wishes, and rejection to the temptations of the devil. Most Muslims make a sacrifice after stoning the devil, to recreate Ibrahim’s experience as closely as possible. Because there are so many pilgrims who want to make a sacrifice, there are special companies, who make it on their behalf and feed the poor. What cannot be used immediately to feed the poor Muslim community is frozen and used later. After making a sacrifice, male pilgrims have their heads shaven by a person who is not in Ihram and women have usually around an inch cut off. Pilgrims usually change into their normal clothes and do a single Tawaf; this is the fourth obligatory rite of Hajj. After doing this single Tawaf the Muslims are now officially Hajjis or Hajjahs as a female. They can then return home but most choose to stay and visit other places such as Medina, where the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was buried. B (ii)There are many factors to prevent Muslims going to Hajj. It is said Allah excuses these factors. It is intention or niyyah that counts with the pilgrimage, and when there is something to prevent Muslims from attending it, they will be excused by Allah. The most common circumstance is poverty. There are around 1.4 billion Muslims in the world, and many live in poverty. Lots of Muslims will save up most of their life to do Hajj, and by the time they have enough money to go, they are of old age and aren’t physically able. In this case the Muslim can pay another existing Hajji to attend on their behalf, or donate their savings for Hajj to charity. If they do this they will be blessed as fully as if they had completed Hajj themselves. For those who can’t afford Hajj, they can donate their available savings for Hajj to charity. They will receive the full Hajj benefits also. If a Muslim passes away on their way to carry out Hajj, they will receive the full blessing also, they have died making a commitment to their religion, this shows devotion and niyyah if anything does! Of course there are difficulties that could occur during Hajj. Because around two million pilgrims undergo Hajj every year, and are all dressed in near identical garments, it is very likely that groups will be separated for the period of Hajj. This may seem like a panicking time but Muslims in Ihram will be very sympathetic and helpful with each other in such circumstances, and probably take on new members into their travel groups. The overwhelming feeling of closeness to God on Hajj is enough to eliminate any feelings of worry for the meantime anyhow, so separation doesn’t cause much of a fright. Those unfortunate enough to die during Hajj are proud. It is a blessing to be buried in or near Makkah, close to God. Passing away making commitments to Islam is an honour, and a will is usually written before leaving for Hajj anyway. For those who fear the physical strain of Hajj, or are encouraged not to repeat the journey if they have already, Umrah is the lesser pilgrimage which can be carried out all year round. It involves the seven rotations of the Ka’bah (Tawaf), the Sa’i (Between Marwah and Safa) and a halq or taqsir; which is to cut the hair. Taqsir is shortening hair; halqis the complete head shave. B (iii)Hajj creates equilibrium, and a sympathetic atmosphere among the pilgrims who share the highs and lows of the journey. For most, the journey strengthens and confirms their commitment to Islam. After Hajj, a Muslim is more likely to be more courteous to people in general, and more at ease with life. Once a good Hajj is completed, the afterlife should be more peaceful and happy. Some Muslims like the experience of the pilgrimage so much they move to a Muslim country if they do not live in one already, as they like the convenience and feeling of togetherness and empathy. Hajj strengthens the belief of many Muslims, and if they weren’t a very good Muslim before Hajj, they might feel the need to be more committed to their faith, and practice Islam more regularly. Although for most the pilgrimage of Hajj is a blessing experience, some may have felt let down and disengaged during the journey. For those who could not get into a good Ihram, or feel true belief in God on the mount of mercy; their belief in Islam and Allah may have been hindered. C To me, this statement means that although all of the processes of a pilgrimage are physical, the true idea is the thoughts within the pilgrim’s mind and the intention, empathy and symbolism of what they are doing in the pilgrimage. The vast majority of Hajjis find the sacred journey to Makkah nourishing and feel they have found forgiveness from Allah. As they travel around the different rites of Hajj they cherish the experience and remember the meaning of each process, going back as far as the time of Adam and Eve. They enter a new realm as they stand before God on the Mount of Mercy, are unable to hold in their tears and are swept with emotion. On the other hand, Hajj is purely a physical process for some pilgrims. It isn’t supposed to be, but some can’t get into the frame of mind which is intended during the pilgrimage. The journey is supposed to be emotional, deeply thoughtful and soul cleansing. To some Muslims, their belief may be slightly hampered by the fact they struggle to get into a real Ihram. They will get their money’s worth on the trip and see people from all different cultures following the same rituals, but not feel truly engaged in the experience. Some people might argue that if you go on Hajj, and carry out the same processes as the prophets did, that is adequate in displaying your devotion to Allah and Islam. Some may say the fact that so much is physically required of them in Hajj, that alone shows they are a devout Muslim. Personally, I fully agree with the statement, because I would say that Hajj is a journey to Makkah to carry out the rites, and a true Hajj is a deep and thoughtful journey not only to Makkah, but to the bottom of a pilgrim’s heart. Although carrying out Hajj is a blessing experience cherished by Muslims, it is not truly meaningful unless they feel a certain dedication and spiritual enrichment on their journey.

Wal Mart: An Example Of Operating Efficiency

Wal Mart: An Example Of Operating Efficiency Marketing experts ascribe Walmarts remarkable success to its strategy of local dominance. It is also argued, amongst other competing explanations, that Walmarts superior returns are due to its size and its purchasing power (Greenwald Kahn, 2005). The company is also regarded to be an example of operating efficiency, even as detractors allege that its operational success stems from an exploitation of its labour force (Greenwald Kahn, 2005). 1. Application of Porters Generic Strategy Model to Walmarts Growth Story Porters Generic Strategy Model, first advanced in 1985, states that a firms relative intra-industry position is driven by its choice of strategy for achievement of competitive advantage in terms of (a) cost leadership versus differentiation, and (b) competitive scope. Competitive scope differentiates between firms that target broad industry segments and those that concentrate on narrow segments. Generic strategies are valuable since they exemplify strategic positions at the broadest and simplest levels. Table 1 below represents the different alternatives available to firms for choice generic strategy (Stanford, 2010). Table 1: (Stanford, 2010). Porters Generic Strategies (source: Porter, 1985, p.12) Whilst all important participants in the retail sector offered the same range of extensive merchandise offerings, unexciting clean stores and welcoming sales personnel, Walmart differentiated itself with its ground-breaking approach to stores layouts and formats and its exceptionally efficient distribution system. The companys revolutionary distribution system facilitated the development and implementation of its Everyday Low Price (EDLP) stratagem and helped in raising its market share in the US from 9 % in 1987 to 31% in 2000 (Akella, Manvika Roberts, 2003). Walmarts ELDP process has remained its core company value since the launch of its first store in 1962 and has been the key driving force behind Walmarts sustained growth (MarketWatch, 2010). With value-for- money being an important determinant of consumer behaviour worldwide, the companys continued focus on prices and quality through the optimisation of its supply chain and strict control over administrative and workforce costs have been instrumental in its growth. The companys rigid attitude towards its workforce has, however, hurt its penetration in foreign markets like Germany. More attention to its labour policies could have possibly helped the company in strengthening its service without sacrificing costs and improved its efficiencies as well as its image. 2. Alternative Strategies Globally, and even within the US warehouse stores format, Walmarts operating strengths are commonplace where other retailers enjoy similar operating advantages of advertising, distribution and store supervision. Sam Waltons brilliance lay in recognising these realities, first by establishing control over a core region, followed by assailing weaker rivals on the territorial fringes, wherein his core advantages could be layered with comparative ease (Greenwald Kahn, 2005). Walmarts operating advantages have had limited impact in its overseas markets (Greenwald Kahn, 2005). Walmarts overseas returns, on invested capital or on sales, are less than half its domestic margins. Despite Wal-Marts more efficient and competitive operations, such advantages are diluted in overseas markets, even where they are controlled by domestic companies with less advanced technologies and operations (Greenwald Kahn, 2005). Alternative successful strategies could have involved a greater focus on domestic urban markets in the earlier years. The overseas market expansion should have been done only after better appreciation of the cultures of overseas target markets. It is acknowledged that Walmarts market supremacy lies in its distinctive logistics capabilities, which render the company its competitive advantage. Its cross-docking inventory coordination system ensures that merchandise movement between two loading docks occurs in less than two days (Fahy, 1996). Walmart has gained from this, not only in terms of reduced cost of sales, (by 2-3%), but also in curtailing inventories (Fahy, 1996), interest outlays, and working capital cycles. The system helps in value generation and augments competitive advantage (Fahy, 1996). It is extremely complex to replicate such advanced communication and synchronisation amongst the suppliers, distribution centres, sales outlets and depots. It is this ability to erect high barriers to replication that confers Walmart with its competitive advantage (Fahy, 1996). 3. Use of Generic Strategy Model for analysis of competitor activity and charting of future growth Market experts state that Walmarts success does not come about just because of its lower prices (Cowgill, 2005). Comparisons of various product category prices reveal that 80 to 85% of Wal-Marts merchandise is more expensively priced than at its competitors (Cowgill, 2005)With many of its competitors selling at lower prices, the companys extraordinary success is felt to be due to its expertise in manipulating perceptions regarding its cost leadership (Cowgill, 2005). It is this lack of understanding of Wal-Marts strategies and its organisational efficiency that has prevented competition from overtaking it (Cowgill, 2005). The majority of successful retailers focus on raising market share and turnover to improve financial results. Their focus now and in the past has been on increasing asset utilisation/turnover (Willard, 2006). Walmarts Inventory Reload and Remix schemes emphasise its different focus. Deload refers to the broad-based endeavour to shrink inventory levels (the biggest asset on most retailer balance sheets) at both stores and distribution centres (Willard, 2006). Project Remix centres on the velocity of individual SKU (semi-knocked-down unit) sales (Willard, 2006). The end goal at Walmarts is to boost inventory holding power and simultaneously move the goods from the backroom onto the rack swiftly and efficiently (Willard, 2006). Walmart has however not paid enough attention to the serious repercussions of its overzealous cost leadership. It has relentlessly pursued cost-cutting at the cost of its workforce. It has ruthlessly eliminated its neighbourhood competition and has extracted unbearable price reductions from its suppliers and service providers. Its biggest worry now is a larger stakeholder and public opinion. With local activists halting planned new stores, former employee groups initiating class-action discrimination legal suits, the media condemning the companys miserly benefits and voters in Europe calling for legislation for the protection of small retailers, adverse public opinion has turned cost leadership into the single largest threat to the future profitability and growth of Walmart. Company executives have conceded that its recent stock price weakness is linked to its deteriorating image (Carr, 2006). Wal-Marts strategy for damage control in this respect is criticality for its future growth. 4. Use of Porters Five Forces and SWOT analysis to understand Wal-Marts current position and recommendations for future strategy The Porters Five Forces Model (1980) for analysis of competitiveness encompasses the five forces of New Entrants, Substitutes, Supplier or Buyer Power and Existing Competitors (Lever, 2008). Walmart manages its intensely competitive environment well. It deploys its clout and negotiates the lowest possible prices, stretching suppliers beyond their limits (Bysani, 2003). The negotiating power of buyers and suppliers is low since Wal-Mart has established dominance in its domestic marketplace and its overseas market share is also growing (Bysani, 2003). The prospects for new entries are limited because of considerable setup costs and regulatory restrictions. The threat from substitute retail formats appears to be low (Bysani, 2003). Internecine competitive rivalry among industry participants is, however, high (Bysani, 2003). Whilst Porters 5 forces technique is simple, its weakness is its external focus (Lever, 2008). It is based purely on microeconomics (Recklies, 2001). The last few years have seen the emergence and growing dominance of deregulation, globalisation and digitalization, developments that are outside the realm of the Five Forces Model (Recklies, 2001). It is thus inadvisable to develop an analytical strategy based solely on Porters model (Recklies, 2001). SWOT, an analysis of internal and external environment, is a popular strategic tool that encompasses 4 key organisational dimensions, namely strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (Lever, 2008). Walmart is the largest global retailer. This bestows the company with worldwide intra-industry status and recognition (Bysani, 2003). Its logistics capabilities, distribution centres and supplier relationships are key strengths that add value to its entire system (Bysani, 2003). Apart from Walmarts domestic urban marketplace opportunities, the growing middle class in emerging markets like India and China offers Wal-Mart a remarkable expansionary opportunity. E-commerce provides the organisation with another growth opportunity (Bysani, 2003). Walmart demonstrates less adaptability to overseas markets and cultures. Weaknesses also exist in its anti-trade and exploitative labour policies (Bysani, 2003). Threats to the company encompass anti-globalisation factions, resistance from customers in new markets, recent wars and outbursts, increased competition in mature European markets, zoning regulations and rising trade blocks (Bysani, 2003). Strengths and weaknesses identify and are identified by opportunities and threats (Valentin, 2005). Strengths help in thwarting impending threats and in recognising visible opportunities, whereas weaknesses leave a business defenceless or work against the generation of value to its stakeholders (Valentin, 2005). The SWOT framework, however, does not accept tradeoffs (Valentin, 2005). SWOT guidelines are limited further because they not only mix accomplishments with strengths but also lack norms for prioritising SWOTs (Valentin, 2005). Wal-Marts future strategy has to fundamentally sustain competitive advantages in addressing its trade practices in adopting best-in-class supply chain, customer relationships and environmental management. The company should also focus on non-exploitative and fair practices towards all its stakeholders, especially its workforce. Section B: Dominos Pizza in India Pavan Bhatia took over as the CEO of Dominos Pizza India Ltd. in November 1999 and led the company till May 2001.The operations of the company under his leadership is a better-known case study of fast food retail chains in developing economies. Dominos outlets, during this aggressive phase, were opened swiftly across the country and multiplied by four times to 100 from March 2000 to January 2001. Such expansion of outlets at Dominos had not until then been witnessed in any of the 63 countries in which it operated. The companys growth rate increased from an average 4 stores per year in its initial 4 years of operations to over 100 outlets across 30 cities during these 10 months (Icmrindia, 2001). Bhatias expansion initiative, whilst accepted by Dominos officials, did not find favour with the Board and led to the companys reorganisation. Jubilant Food Works Limited (JFL) now operates the Dominos pizza chain within the Indian domestic market. Its master franchise agreement with Dominos is valid till 2024. JFL is Indias first quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain to be publicly listed (Chelluri, 2010). Bhatias main objective for Dominos India Bhatia was extremely ambitious for Dominos India and his main objective was to make it the largest fast-food chain in the country (Icmrindia, 2001). In early 2001 Dominos India announced plans to invest Rs. 500 million during 2001and add a hundred outlets each year (Icmrindia, 2001). Bhatia tied up with Jet Airways in India in 2000 in order to introduce their ultimate deep dish and sweetie pie food products on all Jet flights (Icmrindia, 2001). He announced that For Dominos, the sky is the limit. We like to deliver hot, fresh pizzas everywhere, anytime. This tie-up with Jet Airways takes our commitment to customers on the move even a step further. Dominos also signed an agreement with Indian Oil Corporation (IOL) to offer food products from IOLs 7,500 outlets across India (Icmrindia, 2001). The situation became complicated, post the March 2001 board meeting, wherein Dominos top management decided that Pavan Bhatias performance had not been satisfactory during his tenure of 18 months (Icmrindia, 2001). The board opined that Bhatias expansion strategy was reckless and not properly thought out. Not many analysts, however, agreed with the boards decision and believed that the board was disregarding the probable long-term advantages of his strategy (Icmrindia, 2001). Whilst Dominos officials felt that there was nothing wrong with the pace of opening outlets, Hari Bhartia, a rival Board Member, felt the expensive organisational infrastructure, including the distribution centres set up in 1999, needed to be better utilised (Icmrindia, 2001). Dominos, contrary to other fast-food chains, which operated either on the franchise or self-owned outlets models, or both, operated through company-owned premises. This entailed huge investments in back-end infrastructure and analysts felt that the companys business model could not support such overheads and yet implement the proposed marketing plan (Icmrindia, 2001). 2. Application of STEP and Porters 5 Forces to Dominos Adopted Strategy The STEP model is a variation of the popular PEST analytical business measurement tool (Businessballs.com, 2010).The PEST model is useful for understanding environmental factors, more specifically the Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors, which are important for the activities of specific business firms (Businessballs.com, 2010). The Indian food and food-processing industry are burdened with scores of legislations. Dominos India realised that too many resources, effort and time was being diverted to unproductive and burdensome work, whether it related to acquiring scores of permits for every store in every city or whether it concerned issues like licensing, city laws, realty brokers, infrastructure, title, lease agreements, water, power, signage, markets and dealing with contending restaurants (Icmrindia, 2001). India also had a significantly low per capita income (of less than 30 USD per month in the early 2000s. Bhatia, despite such environmental indicators, launched Dominos outlets in numerous cities and small towns between March 2000 and January 2001. Pizza consumption in many of such places was extremely low. Analysts also felt that many Pizza consumers felt Dominos prices to be high and unaffordable (Icmrindia, 2001). The uncertain viability of certain outlets led to their closure, not just in small cities but also in prosperous Delhi and Ludhiana. Michael Porters 5 Forces theory argues that the competitiveness of an industry depends upon five dimensions, namely (a) existing competitive rivalry between suppliers (b) threat of new market entrants (c) bargaining power of buyers (d) power of suppliers and (e) threat of alternate products (counting technology change) (Businessballs, 2009). Dominos future in India is fraught with competition, despite having the first-mover advantage over competitors like Pizza Hut (Chelluri, 2010). The negotiating power of buyers and suppliers is not very high as Dominos has established some control over the marketplace. The threat of new entrants is high and is expected to arise from local quick service restaurants. Dominos competitors, apart from stand-alone pizza outlets and domestic and global pizza chains include casual dining and other food service establishments. The threat from substitute goods is high as new cuisines continue to be introduced across Indian markets. Customers can choose to consume food and food add-ons at highly competitive price points from diverse local and non-local food establishments. The array of offerings varies from simplistic takeaway fare to the major dine-in alternatives of wider range and better quality. Competitive rivalry in the food sector is intense and numerous food establishments open and close every year. The use of STEP and Five Forces analytical tools corroborates that the expansion strategy adopted by Pavan Bhatia was hasty and inappropriate to prevalent circumstances. Expansion strategy has to be customised to the needs of particular markets and should take account of the different concerns that emerge from STEP and Five Forces analysis. 3. Application of Force Field Analysis to facilitate Stakeholder Analysis Force Field Analysis, propounded by Kurt Lewin in 1951, is extensively utilised for decision-making, especially in organisational planning and executing change management programmes (ODI, 2009). It is a potent method for obtaining a comprehensive synopsis of the various forces impacting a potential policy issue, and for evaluating their source and strength (ODI, 2009). Force Field Analysis naturally follows the Problem Tree Analysis, which is used for identification of policy changes. The stakeholder Analysis is a constructive continuation of Force Field Analysis and involves the recognition of particular stakeholders, who are in favour of or against change, along with their influence and interests (ODI, 2009). Stakeholder analysis aims to categorise the stakeholders (external or internal) that are impacted by the outcomes of specific performance improvement project (Alvord, 2010). Such an analysis helps in the determination of all perspectives and allows them to be represented in the performance project design process. No particular perspective is permitted to dominate a process in such circumstances (Alvord, 2010). Stakeholders depict individuals or enterprises that stand to benefit or lose from the achievement or failures of performance improvement effort. Their interests, in terms of needs and expectations in such matters, can be professional, monetary, cultural, personal, or can even arise from a horde of other motivations (Alvord, 2010). Stakeholders characteristically have positive or negative perspectives regarding a particular project, and frequently disagree amongst themselves, making it difficult to resolve diverse viewpoints (Alvord, 2010). Influence signifies a stakeholders comparative power and control over and in a project. Influence is described as the degree to which a stakeholder can influence project operations and hence shape project outcomes (Alvord, 2010). Management need to strategise and implement satisfactory decisions for the benefit of all or most stakeholders. They must otherwise make efforts to ensure that influential and genuine stakeholders are not too dissatisfied (Alvord, 2010). The most vital stakeholders, as inferred from a Stakeholder Analysis are the shareholders, franchisees, technology partners, and customers, the first three due to their ownership, project funding, franchising and technological capabilities, and the last for their purchasing power and income generating capability. The primary facilitator in the entire project performance is the workforce, (including the management), which is administered and self-managed by the senior management of the company. The management is accountable to the Board of Directors and it is the relative influence of constituents of the Board that decides the formulation and implementation of the organisational strategies and policies. The Board is ultimately accountable to the shareholders. The suppliers and service providers are next in relevance due to their lesser influence on the operations. Section C: IBM 1. Application of Porters Generic Strategy Model to explain IBMs Competitive Advantage before the 1980s Porters Generic Strategy Model avers that the position of an enterprise relative to its industry is led by its selection of a strategy for attaining competitive advantage, with relation to choosing between cost leadership and differentiation, and its competitive scope. Generic strategies represent strategic positions at the simplest and broadest levels (Stanford, 2010). Competitive advantage comes about when a companys product or service generates more value (symbolic, as well as in its features) for the customer than a contending product or service. To illustrate, IBMs introduction of the Selectric typewriter offered both kinds of value for users and buyers (Heide, 1992). There are two approaches, (which are not mutually exclusive), of deploying IT to gain competitive advantage, firstly, as an important product or service seller or service provider in the market to external customers, and secondly, as an organisational support system, which is transparent to the customer, for a product or service (Heide, 1992) IBM dominated the computer markets during the 1960s and the 1970s. Its superior service, during this period, was the source of its competitive advantage. The adage No data processing manager was ever fired for ordering IBM implied the unmatched commitment to service. Improved broad-based computer reliability in contemporary times, along with the technology led shift towards workstations and personal computers, has however made competition in the industry more difficult, counteracting IBMs distinct competency as a basis of sustainable advantage (Werther Kerr, 1995). It is difficult to sustain a specific competitive advantage in IT-based products and services in the contemporary era as competitors replicate successful moves swiftly (Heide, 1992). The product life cycle in several high-tech sectors like semiconductors and personal computers is normally as low as three to five years (Heide, 1992). Companies in such industries launch upgraded or radically novel products with short development cycles, much before the competition or the subsequent generation of products eats into their profits (Heide, 1992). Companies deploying such differentiation strategies (Porter, 1980) gain competitive advantage through the unique design, quality, creativity, customer support, and inherent research of their products or services (Heide, 1992). Other companies, intra-industry, often follow with lower-cost substitutes (Porter, 1980) (Heide, 1992). 2. Application of Porters Generic Strategy and Ansoff Models to Illustrate the Regaining by IBM of its Differentiated Position Michael Porters Generic Strategies model postulates that companies have three fundamental strategic alternatives for garnering competitive advantage, namely (a) Cost Leadership (b) Differentiation and (c) Focus (Stanford, 2010). The Ansoff matrix, on the other hand, helps organisations in deciding their growth strategies. It provides strategic alternatives on the products or services an organisation should offer and on the marketplaces that are crucial its growth and success (Verbera, 2009). The Ansoff matrix provides four feasible product/market permutations, namely market penetration, market development, product development and diversification (Ansoff 1957, 1989) (Verbera, 2009). Diversification is a popular strategic option for companies in the current competitive business environment. IBM owes much of its gains in recent years to its policy of carefully thought out and consistent diversification (Verbera, 2009). The company previously pursued a vertical integration stratagem, involving its entry into new industries to reinforce its core business, model. It benefited from backwards vertical integration with the disk-drive sector and forward vertical integration with the computer software and consulting services industries (Hill et al, 2007). IBMs vertical integration policy was previously an important source of competitive advantage (Verbera, 2009). IBMs subsequent policy of diversification, entailing the acquisition of over 400 businesses, was felt to be high risk by market observers. Its significant success is now however attributed to the companys business foresight and effective control mechanisms. The use of the Ansoff Matrix helps in analysing IBMs strategic choices for regaining its position of differentiation from other market participants and leads to the conclusion that organisations need to modify their strategic alternatives in accordance with the changing competitive scenario (Verbera, 2009). The emergence of the desktop computer in the 1980s changed the fundamentals of IBMs markets. The company during this period tried to reposition itself quite a few times. It sometimes appeared that different groups favoured different strategies and by 1992, the company was contemplating a break-up strategy. Louis Gerstner, CEO of IBM from 1993 to 2002 is credited with bringing about strategic changes that changed organisational fortunes and reinstated the companys erstwhile important position in the computer industry (Kelly, 2004). Gerstner did not veer IBM on a new course. He was, in fact, instrumental in taking it back to its roots. IBM had for decades stayed with its strategy of offering one-stop shopping to large companies for their information services, (IS); a strategy termed as singleness. It strayed from the strategy during the 1980s, alienated its clients, and under Gerstners leadership reverted back to it. The company went back to being a full-service provider for its clients and administering their technological integration. This singleness strategy has been formulated for the current IS environment (Mills, 1996). Gerstner kept the company together, refocused on the IT services sector, and embraced the Internet. His efforts resulted in one of the most extraordinary revivals in business history. 3. Application of the Boston Consulting Group Matrix to Analyse and Justify IBMs Products and Service positions The BCG Matrix provides a useful method for portfolio planning, through the evaluation of the health of different players within a portfolio of businesses or product lines (Mixner, 2006). Developed by Bruce Henderson at the Boston Consulting Group during the early 1970s, Â  the BCG growth-share matrix evaluates businesses or products as high or low performers, based on their comparative market growth rate with regard to the market share of the next best competitor (Docstoc, 2010). Different businesses or products, in the BCH Matrix, are categorised as Cash Cows, Stars, Question Marks, or Dogs on the basis of their performance (Docstoc, 2010). The BCG concept calls upon organisations to appreciate that Stars represent the best place for an investment of limited funds, because of their potential to achieve high market share within a high market growth segment, for the production of optimal profits (Mixner, 2006). There are difficulties with this analysis. The various problems with such an approach include the high expected expenditure associated with the growth of market share, difficulties of increasing profitability in challenging marketplaces and the possibly incorrect supposition of confirmed market growth (Mixner, 2006). IBM, based on the BCG Matrix portfolio analysis, appears to have a number of star businesses in the Systems and Technology Group. These have lead positions in their market segments and continue to maintain the high overall business growth rate in spite of emerging competitors. The Consulting and IT ITES services segments can be considered as Cash Cows, because of their strong market share and their potential to sustained profits and cash flows. The hardware segment within computer technology has seen commoditization over the last several years due to plummeting prices (Korzeniowski, 2003). This would require it to be placed, either in the Question Mark or Dogs category, because of inadequate profitability and steep competition. These businesses can be divested at appropriate valuations. 4. Strategic Recommendations for IBM with the Application of Porters Generic Strategy and BCG Matrix models The use of Porters Generic Strategy and BCG matrix models and a study of IBMs current and envisioned product lines reveals that IBM has a few enormously exciting models that should sustain and thrust its future growth. The company should focus on cloud computing, BPTS (Business-Performance-Transformation services) and grid computing. Inorganic investments in related enterprises, emerging or otherwise, will facilitate sustained star performance and maintain its eminent position in the overall IT ITES space. IBM CEO Sam Palmisano states that BPTS, involving a combination of IT and business-process outsourcing (BPO) with intelligent software and consulting services, has a potential $500 billion market. Consultants from IBM Business Consulting Group assist customers in deploying BPTS services for streamlining and re-engineering self-styled SGA (selling, general and administrative) processes like finance, accounting, and HR management ( McDougall, 2005). IBM has also recently announced its suite of cloud computing solutions, IBM Smart Business cloud services portfolio and IBM CloudBurst systems, which essentially comprise of pre-integrated software, hardware and services offerings that offer customers novel delivery models for IT ITES capabilities (MacSweeney, 2009). The IBM Mass Lab is generating software to manage some of the worlds most complicated process and infrastructure projects in areas like railroads, food traceability, water management and healthcare modernisation. Much of software demand is being generated by the requirement to modernise and automate nearly every system, for example, energy management, et al through smart grids (Ebizq, 2010). The IBM Mass Lab is generating software to cater to the new era of enterprise mobile computing for more efficient convergence and integration to support an exponentially increasingly mobile workforce (Ebizq, 2010). Grid computing has regained favour and is helping IBM in retaining its position of a chief industry vendor (Korzeniowski, 2003). Both the Porters and BCG models necessitate the recommendation that IBM focus and deploy all its assets (physical, information and intangible) in achieving differentiation for each of its product and service segments to remain in the star quadrant of the BCG Matrix. The company should however seriously think of exiting its slow-moving hardware business. Bharti Airtel Ltd: An Analysis Bharti Airtel Ltd: An Analysis This assignment has mainly been done to provide a discussion as to the application of Strategic Business Management and planning within current global business environment. For this study I have used a case study on Bharti Airtel Ltd that is an Indian mobile telephone company. Accordingly, this assignment basically covers followings objectives. Understanding the role of strategic business planning in Bharti Airtel Ltd Understanding of the strategies Bharti Airtel Ltd use to achieve competitive advantage Understanding of the impact of internal and external factors on Bharti Airtel Ltd Understanding of the environmental factors that have an effect on strategic business management and planning About Bharti Airtel Ltd Bharti Airtel Ltd is a one of the leading global telecommunication companies that operates in 19 countries across Africa and Asia having 200 million customers. It is a one of the six best performing technology companies in world that has been ranked by business week. Bharti Airtel Ltd mainly offers following services to its customers: Mobile voice and data services Fixed telephone line High speed broadband services IPTV, DTH Turnkey telecom solutions for enterprises National international long distance services to carriers (Source: About Bharti Airtel Ltd, available from: http://www.airtel.in/wps/wcm/connect/about+bharti+airtel/Bharti+Airtel/About+bharti+airtel/?WCM_Page.ResetAll=TRUECACHE=NONECONTENTCACHE=NONECONNECTORCACHE=NONESRV=Page (Accessed on 10th March 2012) 1.1 Identify and critically evaluate Bharti Airtels goals, objectives and values It is said that global business environment is changing structurally and, in all probability (Kourdi 2003). Hence, any type of business organization should have strong, transference goals, objectives and values in order to succeed the business. They enable the managers of the organization to formulate and manage appropriate strategies within the business. Accordingly, in this section I will identify and evaluate goals, objectives and core values of Bharti Airtel Ltd. Goals and Objectives of Airtel Undertaking of transformational projects which has a positive impact on the society while contributing to build the nation Diversification into new businesses in sectors such as financial services, agriculture and retail business with world class partners To lay the foundation for creating a conglomerate of future Core Values of Airtel Being Flexible for the adaptation of the environment changes and evolving customers needs Openness and transparency Give power to People to do their best Creating Positive Impact on the society by creating a meaningful difference Making it happen through the innovation of new ideas with entrepreneurial spirit If we look at the above goals and objectives of Airtel, we can identify that they have been achieving them to a certain extent. If we consider the objective of diversification into new business, Airtel has been accessing to such business sectors. For example, now they have been engaging financial services in India through telephony services. Acquisitions of Airtel throughout the world convince us that Airtel has created a foundation for conglomerate of future. Above mentioned core values of Airtel which are the beliefs of owners have been the keys to its success. 1.2 Suggest ways in which Bharti Airtel can replicate its success in India in foreign markets It is a big challenge for any business to have or replicate its success in globe due to higher completion. For this purpose, business organizations must formulate and implement business strategies that suits global market conditions. Bharti Airtel has been succeeding mainly due to its values and management. In this section, I am going to suggest ways to Bharti Airtel that may assist in replicating its success in India and foreign market. Further acquisitions and mergers with other telephony service companies in India and foreign markets: Since Airtel has a healthy financial strength, it can focus on the acquisition of telephony service companies such as Reliance Comm. This will increase the customer base of Airtel. Access and expansion of Airtels business operations in to other countries such as United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar Widening 4G network coverage within the areas in which Airtel operates: Airtel can widen its 4G network coverage through rural areas in India. Doing they can increase its market while supporting the nation building process in India. Introducing and promoting new innovative services that match with telephony service industry such new advance technologies such as ATM recharge Launching low price promotions to attract mass customers as much as possible Differentiation of the brand through emotional perspectives 1.3 Using your knowledge of different strategy development models analyse Bharti Airtels development of its strategy and identify the model(s) applicable to them. Bharati Airtel Ltd has been market leader in India since its business models and strategies attracted many industry experts admiration. So they have been innovative in formulating and implementing business strategies through strategy development models. Now let us analyse development of strategy in Bharti Airtel by using strategy development models applicable to them. 1.3.1 Porters Five Forces Model Threat of New Entrants Due to increase demand for telephony services in worldwide, there are possibilities for new investors to start their business in this field. Accordingly, Bharti Airtel may encounter threats from entrants in to its market in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Africa. The number of players in telecommunication industry in India has increased and it has caused Bharti Airtel to change its strategic approaches that they followed. Furthermore the inclusion of technologies such as 3G has into the industry has brought many entries in to the telecommunication industry. Hence, we can see an increasing threat from the new entrance into the telecommunication market. Bargaining Power of Suppliers We can see uniqueness in telecommunication equipment suppliers in the global market. There is not a perfect market for telecom related equipments and materials such as fibre optic cables, broadband switching equipment and software etc in the globe. Thus it can be seen that there is a bargaining power over Bharti Airtel. Whereas we can see an increasing trend towards the arrival suppliers in relations to the telecommunication related equipment. This have reduced Bargaining Power of Suppliers that may be encountered Bharti Airtel. Bargaining Power of Buyers In the telecom industry, the biggest is held by the customers. If customers are not satisfied, they may shift to other telephony service companies. Customers can be retained if quality services are provided for affordable prices. Accordingly, Bharti Airtel has been following cost leadership strategy to cope up Bargaining Power of its customers. Availability of Substitutes Presently, internet services have been the domain of mobile services. Hence internet sector and telephone services have come under one sector. With the arrival of broadband, WiFi internet services and new technological mobile devices, people have been able to have the role of telephone such as phone calls and SMS done through internet calls and chat services such as SKYPE, Yahoo messenger. These threats from such substitute products have becoming a significant issue for Bharti Airtel. Nevertheless Bharti Airtel has been developing and implementing many strategies to cope up such threats by expanding its internet services and introducing new products like IPTV, DTH services for its sustainable growth. Competitive Rivalry In Asia and Africa there is a high competition among telephony service providers. For examples, in India Bharti Airtels main competitors are Vodafone Essar and Reliance Comm. In the same manner it has many competitors in Sri Lanka such as Etisalat, Dialog, Mobitel and Hutch. Therefore we can see that there is a huge competition in the telephony services industry in Asia and Africa. So Bharti Airtel is implementing strategies such as cost leadership, differentiation in order to get competitive advantages. 2.1 Analyse the acquisition of Zain Africa by Bharti Airtel. If you were their consultant, would you have advised them to go ahead with the deal? In this chapter, I am going to analyse the acquisition of Zain Africa made by Bharti Airtel through the PESTEL and SWOT analysis. Afterwards I will evaluate the benefits that Bharti Airtel can have from the acquisition and potential problems that Bharti Airtel may have on its operation. 2.1.1 SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis is a useful tool for decision making process and understanding all kind of situation which can arise in a business organization (Pearce, Robinson Mital, 2008). Accordingly, the word SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of an organization. Now let us analyse Bharti Airtel acquisition of Zain Africa by using SWOT analysis. Table 1 provides the SWOT analysis as to the acquisition of Zain Africa. Strengths New market power over 17 African countries and 5 middle east countries Addition of 42 million subscribers to Airtels subscriber base Acquisition of more skilled employees Increase reputation of Bharti Airtel brand Entrance in to the league of worlds top five mobile network operators Weaknesses Financial difficulties may arise because money amounting to $7.87 Billion have been invested on the acquisition Amount spent on the acquisition seems to be expensive Most of the African countries like Uganda, Ghana and Madagascar have a very lower ARPU compared to others African countries Morale and commitment of existing employees may reduce due to new employees Difficulties may arise when Bharti Airtel coping up with organizational cultural changes in Africa Opportunities Bharti Airtel can dominate many telephony service market with its economies of scale Opportunity to build new kind of telephone services over subscribers in Africa. Opportunity for expanding of Airtels telecommunications operations further Africa the opportunity for restructuring of Bharti Airtels business operations Threats Falling of Airtels stock price by 9.22% during announcement of the acquisition Possible counter attack from other telephony services companies in Africa Management of Bharti Airtel may be excessively focused on the acquisition rather than focuses on the operations Table 1: SWOT Analysis for Bharti Airtel acquisition of Zain Africa 2.1.2 Benefits of the acquisition of Zain Africa With the the acquisition of Zain Africa, Bharti Airtel have been able to enter top five mobile network operators in the world. Bharti Airtel and Zain Africa fit well together because both companies have valuable skills and experience to deliver quality telephony services to the customers. As a result, there is an opportunity for Bharti Airtel to be the market leader in Africa. Global reputation of Bharti Airtel increases due to this acquisition. Increase in global customers of Bharti Airtel by an amount of 42 million This acquisition has led Bharti Airtel to boost its achievements in telecommunication sector in world wide. Finally this acquisition of Zain Africa as a growth strategy enables Bharti Airtel to expand its business operations to a greater extent. 2.1.3 Potential problems of the acquisition of Zain Africa Amount spent on Bharti Airtels acquisition of Zain Africa seems to be little bit expensive There may be complexities when such expanded business operations are going to be managed by Bharti Airtel Bharti Airtel may encounter some financial problems when a significant investment is again required to operate the business. Existing employees moral may decrease with new acquisition of Zain Africas employees. There may be some complexities when cultural changes which occur as result of this acquisition are going to be managed. According to the above evaluation of Bharti Airtels acquisition of Zain Africa, we can recommend this deal since it brings many advantages to Bharti Airtel Ltd for the current period as well as future periods. 2.2 Analysis of Bharti Airtels strategy for remaining competitive and increasing market share and subscriber base Due to the higher population in India, presently there is an emerging of more competitors such as local competitors as well as international competitors such as Vodafone and DoCoMo into Indian telephony service market. This has been a min threat for Bharti Airtel to cope up. Accordingly, Bharti Airtel should formulate and manage strategies so as to have competitive advantages over it competitors while increasing its market share. In this section, I will analyse strategy that Bharti Airtel is following to have competitive advantages. According to the case study Bharti Airtel Ltd, we can notice that they are following cost leadership strategy as its competitive strategy to remain competitive in the market. Due to the competition in telecommunication industry in India, Average Revenue per User (ARPU) in India which is one of lower ARPU in the world was declined. Bharti Airtel has Rs. 438 ARPU in 2005 and that was declined to around Rs 350 in middle of 2008. Part of this reduction can be attributed to low price life time recharge promotion sheme that Bharti Airtel introduced in 2007. Finally ARPU of Bharti Airtel has declined to Rs 230 by the end of 2009. Figure 1: Average Revenue per User (ARPU) of Bharti Airtel in its Indian Market According to the above figure 1, we can see that ARPU of Bharti Airtel is gradually decreasing due to its main cost leadership strategy. Although its ARPU is decreasing, Bharti Airtel has been able to remain competitive in the business because its application of cost leadership strategy has been increasing its market share as well subscriber base. 2.3 Critically assess the risks faced by Bharti Airtel in Africa and how they can overcome the risks There is probability to have a lower ARPU form African customers since Zains ARPU is less than 1$ and lower revenue in 2009 compared to 2008. This is mainly due to the fact that many African countries consumers have very little purchasing power. Thus, Bharati Airtel should decrease its prices and increase number of subscribers in African countries as to its sustainability growth. Since Zains African market had been struggling, there is a possibility not to deliver values to its shareholders. Zain was market leader only in ten of the fifteen African countries it may difficult for Airtel to dominate such markets. Thus, it has to adopt cost leadership and focus strategis for the growth of the business by which core values can be created. Bharati Airtels debt to equity ratio may increase to 1:1 due to long term borrowings from banks. This will lead solvency problems in future. Thus, it should try to raise fund through retained earnings, ordinary shares while making net profits in future. Cost of base stations in Africa is high since its cost is 3 times compared with Europe. This indicates that Bharati Airtel have to incure relatively high capital expenditure. With a higher capital investment and lower ARPU, it may generate lower Return on Investment for Bharati Airtel Ltd. Cultural, language and regulatory differences in the 15 African countries is a big challenge for Bharati Airtel. If they do not adopt such differences quickly, it may lead to an interruption for it operations in African market. Accordingly, Bharati Airtel should be dealing with 15 countries, 15 governments and 15 regulatory regimes effectively and efficiently to overcome possible operational interruptions. There are high fluctuations in local currencies of African countries. This may bring foreign currency risk for Bharati Airtel. Thus, Bharati Airtel should arrange hedging contracts with parties so as to reduce such risks. 3.1 Critically analyse Bharti Airtels, mission, vision and Strategic intent Before Strategic intent of Bharti Airtel is analysed, I will analyse vision and mission of Bharti Airtel because vision and mission of Bharti Airtel express its Strategic intent in broad terms and in specific terms. Vision Statement of Bharti Airtel Ltd To be globally admired for telecom services that delight customers Accordingly we can see that Bharti Airtels vision reflect what it does and the future status of the organization that it expect to be. This presents the detailed picture of Bharti Airtel while providing the major reason to do its business. This provides the company to go head successfully as it provides long term direction to employees. Mission Statement of Bharti Airtel Ltd We will meet global standards for telecom services that delight customers through customer service focus, empowered employees, innovative services and cost efficiency Accordingly we can see that mission statement of Bharti Airtel consists of following 3 essential components: Key market : Global telecom market Contribution: Telecom services Distinction : customer service focus, innovative services and cost efficiency Strategic intent of Bharti Airtel Bharti Airtels dtrategic intent express that it tries to give a telecom service that admired globally to its customer in a manner that they will be delightful. This indicates Bharti Airtel is prepared flexibility when several situations occur in global business environment. Accordingly this provides a direction, discovery and destiny for Bharti Airtels operations. 3.2 In the process of developing their strategy, do you think that Bharti Airtel used incremental change or transformational change? Analyse your answers There should be a transformational change in the internal environment of Bharati Airtel when they develop strategies. That is organization structure and culture of Bharti Airtel may have to be changed due to its new strategies being developed. Strategies are mainly prepared to cope up both internal and external environmental changes. Thus, when strategies are developed, they have to developed and implemented so as to adopt for such changes. As a result, Bharti Airtel should used transformational changes within its business operations. For example, acquisition strategy of Bharti Airtel led them to change its organizational structure and culture as they expanded its operation into Africa. Hence, they cannot do its operations in Africa with its previous organizational structures and cultures when they do business in Africa. Accordingly Bharti Airtel must adopt and use transformational changes such as adoption to African culture and regulations etc so as to develop and implement strategies in order achieve a sustainable growth. Analyse the potential impact of global issues in telecommunication industry and its effect of Bharti Airtel Political Unsuitability in countries Many of African countries have unstable government which directly affect the operations of Airtel in African countries. When government changes policies, laws and regulations of such countries may be changed. Hence, it may affect the smooth operation of Bharti Airtel. So they have to change its strategies so as to adopt such governmental changes. Issues in global economic conditions Global financial crisis, brewing for a while, demonstrate its effects in 2007 and 2008. As a result, stock market s around the world fell down and large financial institutions collapsed. Source: Global Financial Crisis-Global Issues, Available from: http://www.globalissues.org/article/768/global-financial-crisis (Accessed on 10th March 2012) Accordingly, there is possibility of global economy to unstable. If such thing happend, it would have seriously affect the operations of Airtel. There was high rate of corruption in African countries With the high rate of corruptions of people in Africa, Bharti Airtel will have an issue with regard to recovery of post paid bills from such people. Issues in bringing technologies to African countries The cost for establishment of base station in some African countries is 3 times compared with Europe. The cost of a base station in African countries is about $180,000 to $200,000. In Europe country the base station would cost about $50,000 to $60,000. Therefore, Airtel will have to invest more money on base stations. Threat of Internet for traditional role of telephone services such as phone calls and SMS In the world today, we can see that the internet has become the future of connectivity. With the arrival of free services such as Skype, Yahoo Messanger etc, there is a threat for telephony service companies. There is trend that people are becoming used to such free services. Accordingly demand for phone call services and Short Message Services in Airtel may decrease. Identify and critically analyse the impact of different stakeholders in Bharti Airtel Stakeholders are the outside entities and people that have an interest in an business organization (Verzuh 2003). Stakeholders of Bharti Airtel can be identified as follows. Customers Business and Individual customers like to experience the quality and prices of services provided by Bharti Airtel. If quality of its service is low, customers may shift to other service providers. Competitors Competitors such as Vodafone Essar, Reliance Comm, MTN and Vodacom are interested to know strategies of Airtel so as to give a counter attack toward airtel. Share holders of Bharti Airtel Shareholders of Bharti Airtel interested in the financial performance of the company. If the company is not performing well, shareholder may change the director board or dispose their shares. Government bodies Government bodies in each geographical area such as India, Sri Lanka and African countries have major impact on Bharti Airtel since they may change laws and regulations regarding telecommunication industry. Suppliers Supplies of telecommunication related equipments and Material know the financial positions and operations of Airtel so as to convince that they can continue the relation with Bharti Airtel. Employees of Bharti Airtel Employees are interested to their job safety and rewards. Employees may resign from the company if they were not treated well. Propose and argue ways in which Bharti Airtel can respond to the environmental factors affecting its Africa operations Political environment Many of African countries have unstability in their political positions. Airtel can cope up with these governmental changes by developing strategies that suits with such changes and keeping connections with such governments. Poor economic conditions in African countries Bharti Airtel can do its operations in African countries with such economic conditions by introducing low price scheme and increasing subscriber base. This will allow the company to give a higher competition towards other telephony service providers. Higher currency fluctuations in many African countries I suggest Airtel to have hedging contracts with banks so as to reduce such foreign currency risks. But this may take away the opportunities of having foreign currency gains. Low level of urbanization in African countries populations To cope up this environmental factor, Bharti Airtel should install additional towers and radios in such areas. This require substantial amount of capital to be invested. Conclusion The acquisition of Zain Africa has led Bharti Airtel Ltd to expand its operations globally and it can be considered as a prominent growth strategy of Airtel. Objectives of Airtel such as undertaking transformational projects and diversification into new businesses such as financial services have been achieved to some extent. Development of strategies of Airtel have enabled them to achive such objectives while having core values such as quick adaptation for the environment changes and customers needs, openness and transparency etc. The main competitive strategy that Bharti Airtel uses is low cost leadership. The acquisition of Zain Africa have brought benifits to Airtel such as New market power over 17 African countries while having 42 million subscribers to its subscriber base. But operations in such countries has been challenge for Airtel due to political instability, poor economic conditions and higher cost on base station. Therefore, Bharti Airtel must develop and apply appropriat e strategies in African countries in order to have sustainability growth.