Zero Dark Thirty and Torture

The Benefits of Torture Over the decades, people have viewed torture has horrifying. Inhumane, and excessive. In the movie, Zero Dark Thirty, directed by Kathy Biggest, it was mainly used for interrogations to obtain information from the detainees about certain people. In the film, there are many scenes that display the superficial layers of enhanced interrogation and gives the viewers an automatic response that torture is bad.While many viewers see that enhanced interrogation has many bad aspects, did they ever wonder about the good ones? How it helped to save many lives? How it helped to kill Osama bin Laden? Why it's needed to prevent further troubles? Did people ever consider the role of the torturer who suffers from conducting the acts? With much speculation, this topic has become an intriguing argument. Without changing the side of the viewer, what people must understand is that although our society perceives the thought of torture as being violent and unjustifiable, there are actually good parts to It.For example, If the affiliates of terrorists are being interrogated, aren't speaking, and have plans to bomb certain places but you don't now when, it seems necessary to use some form of action to make them feel vulnerable enough to speak because as an interrogator, one is being pressured to get the information as soon as possible to prevent any plots. Despite all the details regarding the bad aspects of enhanced interrogation, it should be reconsidered by society to ruminate the good points. Torture allows higher authorities to obtain information in a more efficient way.In the movie, Zero Dark Thirty, Dan was able to successfully attain bits and bits of information that would soon lead to Osama bin Laden. He used many methods such as hanging his extended arms to the ceiling while standing, playing loud music, depraving the subject of food and water, weatherboarding, humiliation, threatening, light effects. And putting the victim in a box. With the use of t hese methods, Dan did succeed in getting Intel from the detainee, which is why torture is useful and beneficial especially when it helps to save many lives.From the book, The Phenomenon of Torture, William Schulz mentions that â€Å"prolonged constraint or exertion, sustained deprivation of food or sleep, etc. Often becomes patterns to which a subject adjusts by becoming apathetic ND withdrawing into himself, in search of escape from the discomfort and tension† and as a result, when the interrogators use those techniques of deprivation, it could be used to lower the person's physiological resistance which will then lower the person's psychological capacity to the point where the subject withdraws.Just making the subject withdraw or talk Implies more than that, It's about power and Imposing one's will on another. One side Is absolutely powerful while the other coerced party Is totally powerless and undependable. One side can ask and answer, act and react,

Leadership and Power with Teenagers Essay

Communication between patients and health care providers has always been an important topic. Specifically communication between teenagers and health care professionals, a study conducted by Jacobson and others (2001), shows that there has not been much research that specifically show how teenagers relate to the health services. Using the communication aspects of that study, the description of group dynamics shown in the textbook and the assigned readings, we will try to show a more effective way to communicate with teenagers as a health care professional. Power in a Group With few exceptions, most teenagers feel the need to belong to a group. For a teenager group dynamics help to define his or her identity. If we can understand how group dynamics work, we can then use that information to develop a strategy to help us as health care professionals communicate effectively with teenagers. Adler (2010) defines power as â€Å"the ability to influence others† (p. 308). There are many ways to influence other people using the different types of power. We will review a few of them in order to get a better understanding of what level of power we can have in a group. We will not be discussing if the â€Å"power† or level of influence in the group is used for good or bad, only that it is present. Legitimate Power Legitimate power is defined as power received because of title or position. A parent, a teacher or, in our case, a nurse or paramedic, has this kind of power when first approaching a patient. This kind of power is usually acquired through an authority that is recognized by society. We accept this authority because they have a position above us in the chain of command. The end result is the person with the power has the major influence. As a nurse or a paramedic, the uniform, the tools we use and even the environment we are in, are common ways that people recognize our title, is also highlights power and influence that comes with our title. This allows us to approach a patient and get their attention so we can begin their assessment and treatment. Expert Power Expert power comes from what lies behind the title; perceived knowledge â€Å"what we believe that they know or can do†(Adler, 2010, pg. 385). Nurses and paramedics are excellent examples of expert power. We respect their authority not because we know his or her personal background, what university they graduated from or how much experience that they have, but because the person has a professional title that we know has to be earned. This earned title means that the professional has certain level of knowledge in health field and we are more likely to follow their instructions because of it. After we present ourselves as a nurse or paramedic, it is our job to confirm the first impression caused by our uniform and shows the patient that we know how to do our jobs. Once we are assessing the patient it is important to demonstrate our medical knowledge and the experience we have while performing procedures. We do this in order to make the patient feel more comfortable with us and give them more confidence in communicating with us about their current condition. Referent Power Referent power comes from the interactions with the members of a group. It is not bestowed upon a person like the legitimate power and it is not related to the power a person gets because of their knowledge in a particular subject like expert power. The referent power is earned because of the respect that person has earned from the group. There are many important factors that we need to be considering when earning this kind of power; earning trust and admiration of the group member’s and likability, all take part in gaining this kind of power. Leadership is the word that best describes referent power. When a person becomes a leader, they support and push the group toward a common goal that is the best for everyone. Leadership is a skill, not a quality; nurses or paramedics need to develop this skill to have a better have a way to communicate with our colleagues and patients, especially our teenaged ones. Losing referent power. When a leader fails to be an effective, the ineffective leaser will lose the referent power they had gained. In one study a teenager was asked how they felt while talking to a doctor, they described there interpretation of a doctor as â€Å"an authority figure who communicated briskly† (Jacobson, October 2001, p. 813). This statement show the failure in meeting a teenagers need to. The results of the study show that most teenagers don’t trust their trust and respect their health care professional. The results of the study show that most teenagers don’t trust there health care professionals and this can lead to them failing to disclose important medical information. Communicating with a Teenager Patient Legitimate, expert and referent power demonstrate a persons ability to gain power and influence within a group. Returning to our main topic, we know that teenagers have a group mentality. This means that one way to get and maintain their respect is to use referent power. By using the skills of a leader, we are much better to able to connect and to build relationship with out teenaged patients. When we first have contact with a patient we inherently have both legitimate and expert power with us; then begin to develop the referent power and earn the trust and respect of that patient. If we are successful the patient will cooperate with us and we will have a good and open communication. This works for almost every patient, but if the patient is a teenager, we also have one extra challenge, time. Teenagers usually make quick decisions; they don’t usually take the time to consider all ramifications or consequences of their choices. We have to make sure they know we are there to help them and that they are important to us as a person. To earn their trust, they have to feel like they are being treated as an adult, not like another bratty teen and this must be accomplished in a short period of time due to the teenager’s tendency towards quick decisions To summarize, we have described a few of the different types of power a person can have in a group, legitimate, expert and referent. Then we further explained how you go from legitimate and expert power to the referent in your dealing with teenaged patient and how using referent power and being a leader is always your best option. This is so not only can we work better with them but we can do a better job as a health care providers overall. References Adler, R. & Rodman, G. (2006). Understanding Human Communication. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press. Jacobson, L. Richardson, G. Parry-Langdon, N. Donovan, C. (October 2001). How do teenagers and primary healthcare providers view each other? An overview of key themes. The British Journal of General Practice, 51(471): 811–816. PMCID: PMC1314126 Sieh, A.& Bretin, L. (1997). The Nurse Communicates†¦ (pp. 85-102). Philadelphia, PA. WB Saunders Company.

The purpose of Building Standards Dissertation

The purpose of Building Standards - Dissertation Example In the UK, over one third of the carbon dioxide emissions come from buildings. The emission of carbon dioxide is very harmful to the environment and in order to protect the ozone layer we have to emphasise the importance of standards. Building Standards are fundamental to the health and safety of us all. In this regard the authorities are working hard to ensure that standards are achieved and continuously improved. Compliance and enforcement has become new issues as standards are being adapted to keep abreast with design, technology, materials and construction, as well as energy conservation issues. However, there has been increasing concerns with regards to the level of compliance, frequency, pace and increasing complexity of these changes. Construction standards have evolved overtime with frequent and more complex Building Regulations since the 1990’s. These changes relate to: Structure of buildings, Fire safety to both dwelling houses and other buildings, Site preparation a nd resistance to contaminants and moisture; Toxic substances; Resistance to the passage of sound; Ventilation; Hygiene; Drainage and waste disposal; Combustion appliances and fuel storage systems; Guidance and Supplementary Information on the UK Implementation of European Standards for Chimneys and Flues; Conservation of fuel and power to existing dwelling houses, other buildings, new dwelling houses and other new buildings; access to and use to buildings; Glazing – safety in relation to impact, opening and cleaning.

Performance Reviews Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Performance Reviews - Essay Example An organization needs to measure performance because it helps to determine if a function is productive and where to focus energies on (Hendry, Woodward, Bradley & Perkins, 2000). It is essential to understand where to use the quantifiable data effectively thereby justifying the need for additional resources. While many believe an annual appraisal or attention is enough, according to Cascio (1995) it demands daily attention (cited by Connell & Nolan, 2004). Once a year has not been considered sufficient to identify and discuss job strategies and weaknesses of individuals or teams. Performance appraisals have come under increased scrutiny in recent years. Ninety percent of the human resources executives are dissatisfied with the current performance appraisal system. Many argue that lack of objectivity in their completion, inappropriate timing of such a review and the lack of appropriate content have lead to their unpopularity among managers and subordinates alike. With diverse opinions available on this issue, this paper will explore the ineffectiveness of performance appraisal. The system of Performance Appraisals was introduced as it was expected to improve organizational efficiency and enhance productivity. Facilitating communication can even help reduce employee uncertainty. Feedback is essential for employees as failure to provide a feedback can have negative implications. Without a system of feedback employees keep guessing whether they are on the right track or whether they should chart another course of path. A properly structured and applied appraisal system can help reduce distractions and promote an increased level of trust within the organization (Schraeder, Becton & Portis, 2007). PA systems provide a forum for collaboration in setting goals for the employees. During the appraisal when individual goals and objectives

Business Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Business Economics - Essay Example The insurance company works this ways: â€Å"The insurance company collects premiums from policy holders, invests the money (usually in low risk investments), and then reimburses this money once the person passes away or the policy matures† (Investopedia ULC). â€Å"In the U.S., the  Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 legislated that banks, brokerages, insurance firms and other types of financial institutions can join together to offer their customers a more complete range of services† and this has lead to a lot of mergers and acquisition† (Investopedia ULC). The Life Insurance Business of Prudential operates under the umbrella organization Prudential Financial Inc which is listed under the New York Stock Exchange. Prudential Financial Inc started with the life insurance and asset management business with a clientele of approximately 50 million individuals (Prudential Financial Inc, 2009). Its insurance business covers life insurance, annuities, long-term care insurance and Auto, Home, RV, Watercraft and Personal Liability Insurance. Prudential life insurance creates value through offering wide range of insurance that fits each individual. The delivery of insurance is designed to fit the specific need of the person. Examples of these are the varieties of life insurance of Prudential Life such as for wealth preservation and long-term death benefit. The company has its office in New Jersey and other states all-over the country. There are several factors that can affect the demand. Normally, textbooks would mention prices, income, taste, number of buyers, prices of related goods (whether substitute or complement) and expectations (whether on future prices or future income) (Mankiw, 1998). In this paper, we are going to discuss at least four – prices, income, number of buyers and expected future prices. Price change is the

Literature Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Literature Review - Essay Example Literature related to group and teamwork will be reviewed in order to gain full insight of this particular topic and how it impacts on the behaviour of people working in an organization. This topic has been chosen since it is insightful in that it is concerned with illustrating how knowledge gained about groups affect the behaviour of people involved in order to make organizations work more effectively. The paper will also outline a personal reflection about what I have gained from studying this topic as well as areas that need further research to improve the body of knowledge that exists in this particular topic. Text analysis Why do people join groups? A group is defined as â€Å"two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives,† (Robbins, 1993, p. 285). On the other hand, a team is a group of people that has been formed to work together in common, coordinate their action towards the achievement of an outcome of the project for the benefit of the group (Schultz, 2005). There is no single reason why people join a group. The most popular reasons for joining a group are related to our needs for security, status, self esteem, affiliation, power and goal achievement (Robbins, 1993). People often believe that there is more strength in joining groups than standing alone (Robbins, 1993). When people work in a group, they have fewer doubts and they are more resistant to threats. For instance, new employees in an organization often vulnerable to a sense of isolation and this is the reason why the turn to the group for guidance and moral support from other seasoned employees. Other people join a group as a way of gaining status (Robbins, 1993). People tend to gain prestige for belonging to a particular group that is seen as important in an organization. It can also be observed that people belonging to a certain group also develop a sense of self esteem. The feeling of self worth is often developed by people who belong to a prestigious group that is envied by many people. The other reason why people join a group is that they need affiliation with other people (Robbins, 1993). Some people may be very reach but they cannot leave their jobs as a result of the need to interact with others. Groups often represent power and this is the reason why people often join them. What often cannot be achieved individually becomes possible if people work in groups. Essence of group or teamwork in an organization The goal of the team or group should be synergy, in other words, the sum of the individual efforts in the team is greater than the sum of the individual inputs (Schultz 2005). In an organization, people who often pull their efforts towards the attainment of the same goals are likely to succeed in their endeavour than people who work as individuals. It may be difficult for a person to achieve the same goal that can be achieved by a group of people. Basically, organizational goals can be a chieved if people work in groups. Some tasks require the efforts of many people in order for them to be achieved. The main objectives of the organization have to be shared by all the workers so that they share the same understanding towards the vision of the organization. In an organization that is characterised by teamwork, it can be seen that the employees are also motivated to pull

Strategic Management of Apple Inc. and Samsung Group Assignment

Strategic Management of Apple Inc. and Samsung Group - Assignment Example Strategic management, as used in most businesses simply refers to the process of identifying and describing the strategies that managers use in achieving better performance and competitive advantages for their business organizations (Jeyarathnam, 2008). A business can be described as having competitive advantages when its profitability at the end of the trading period is higher when compared to average profitability for other businesses in the same industry (Markides, 2008). Strategic management can be described as a set of acts and decisions that managers undertake that results in the firm’s effective performance (Jeyarathnam, 2008). The manager is expected to have a comprehensive analysis and knowledge of the competitive and general business environment in order to arrive at right decisions that enhance the success of the organization. In doing this, managers are supposed to conduct a SWOT analysis of their organizations consistently (David, 2005). From the SWOT analysis, they are able to effectively utilize their strengths for better performance and success, minimize their weaknesses, and exploit the opportunities identified in the business environment (Jeffs, 2008). Additionally, the SWOT analysis helps them to identify their threats, thus establishing better strategies and approaches they can use to remain competitive. From this process, it can be deduced that strategic management, as applied in business organizations, involves much planning about many predictable and unfeasible contingencies (Markides, 2008). The process applies to small, medium and large organizations because even small organizations often face competition just like other businesses (Jeyarathnam, 2008). This paper examines the concept of strategic management as it applies at Apple Inc., and Samsung, which are among the world’s largest renowned companies in the manufacture and sale of consumer electronics. Apple has been a successful company since it's in 1976.  

Factors affecting the salary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Factors affecting the salary - Essay Example Executives receive a variable compensation that is known as executive bonus that is based on attainment of organisational goals and objectives. Managers also get long-term incentives that are based on the firms’ goals and objectives. Executive perquisites and benefits are different than those that are offered to subordinates. This means that they receive higher levels of pension plans, fringe benefits, life insurance and health insurance. The website states that the pay rates for executive compensation in the US are higher as compared to the situation in other countries. The situation is similar in other nations including Asia and Europe. It is also clear that managers have the option to increase their levels of compensation. This has attracted numerous ethical concerns over the years. The book starts by stating that the issue of executive remuneration has attracted increasing attention over the years especially following the 2008/2009 banking crisis. This leads to the important question on the factors influencing executive remuneration. The recent discussion has shifted from how much the executives make in a month to how much they can make from their firms. The book notes that executive remuneration has spawn out of control in the recent past. In fact, it has become clear that the bonuses available to executive are approximately seventy percent of their basic salary. The High Pay Commission found verification that high pay for executives has negative impacts for society and the economy at large. The same commission found that while executives’ salaries increased dramatically over the years, the share prices have been observed to have declined significantly. Generally speaking, the main factors influencing executive remuneration include the decisions by remuneration committees, inherent values of executives, competitive forces in the market. There are two main theories that can further explain this

Final Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Final - Assignment Example For instance, the law of the society may just forbid people form lying, but in some cases, for example in a case where one has to lie so as to save his life or the life of other people, the general law of the society forbidding lying may not provide direction of action. For this reason, therefore, people have different moral systems that give them in resolving moral dilemmas. My ethical system is the consequentialist moral system. The consequentialist ethical system is a teleological theory of ethics meaning that the morality of an action is determined by the consequence or the result of an action, i.e. an action is regarded morally right if it yields a desirable effect or consequence; on the other hand, an action is regarded morally wrong if it results in an effect or consequence that is not desirable. This essay will examine the consequentialist ethical system and how the ethical system influences my opinions of morality and ethics. The paper also will give a review of two articles on two ethical issues associated with my future career. Also, the paper gives two examples of concrete ethical dilemmas that I am likely to face in my career and explains how I would resolve the moral dilemmas. The consequentialist theory of ethics is also called the Utilitarian theory of Ethics. As we have just said, the end result of an action is the determinant of the morality of an action in the utilitarian theory of ethics. What this means in essence is that the utilitarian moral theorists do not take into account the motive of the doer of an action or the means used to do an action in determining the morality of action. The utilitarian theory of ethics holds the view that that consequence or the result of an action can justify the means used to do an action (Pollock, 2012). For the utilitarian moral theorist, therefore, it is morally right to use a bad mean so as to acquire a good result. There are two types of utilitarian ethics, act utilitarian and rule utilitarian. According

Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words - 1

Project management - Essay Example it is not always the case that these projects are successful and achieve the desired objectives, but usually most of them do fail, either in terms of cost, quality, deliverables or time (Meredith & Mantel, 2012). Any project’s success is inherited in the timely ending of the project, attainment of the required objectives or deliverables are delivered, and within the project limitations or constraints. In order to execute the project successfully, it is imperative for the project team or managers to consider some crucial elements of the project, which may be the project cost, time, or resources (Oisen, 1971; Lock, 1994; Atkinson, 1999). Among these aspects, there are three central issues, such as the time, cost and quality, which are the key intentions of any project and hardly be achieved and make the project a successful one (Iqbal, Azam, & Qureshi, 2011). However, the secret of success can be understood by analyzing the executed projects, where the success factors or failure factors can be identified by a careful analysis. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the two real-life projects related to the adoption of Information Technology in the organization by identifying the success factors of these projects, and also to identify the risk factors with the help of risk map as well as provide suggestions for mitigating or managing the risks. ECourier is a well-known UK based organization, where it provides 24/7 and same day courier services to the customers throughout UK. It was started in 2003 and the main objective of the company was to deliver courier service with accurate delivery information or transparency in this information, along with the highest customer relationships through automation. It collects and delivers the packages from all the areas in London, as per customer’s instructions. In the beginning, it was involved in delivering the packages only in London, but now it has developed a huge customer base across the world, and have built many

Goddesses of the Middle East Essay Example for Free

Goddesses of the Middle East Essay The mythical legends surrounding the Goddesses of the Middle East date back to around 2500 B. C and form a part of some of the earliest recorded literature about ancient civilizations. These legends centre around the Divine Entities worshipped and revered in various sub regions in what was once known as the Ancient Near East but today is known as the Middle East. Though the religious beliefs in these regions were distinctive and each Civilization followed their own Gods and Goddesses most of these divine entities reacted to human conditions and were a product of the cultures that created them. As these cultures evolved over time, so did the Gods and Goddesses who protected and created them. Some of the prominent religions and civilizations who’s Divine Entities were revered and worshipped in the region known as the Ancient Near East includes: (Gordon 1965) †¢ Assyro-Babylonian religion followed in most of Mesopotamia include Sumer, Assyria, Akkad †¢ Ancient Egyptian religion followed in Ancient Egypt †¢ Canaanite religion followed in most of the Levant region including Canaan, Ugarit, Ebla, Mitanni †¢ Hittite, and Hurrian Religions originating in Anatolia and followed by the Hittite Empire including Assuwa, Arzawa †¢ Minoan religion followed by the Minoan civilization including Cyprus and Crete among others. The goddess in early classical mythology has traditionally played the role of a creator. She is believed to have existed before everything and has been credited with creating both heaven and earth as well as giving birth to both other gods and subsequently to human beings. In nearly all early civilizations the Goddess symbolized noble and basic concepts such as birth, death, honour, and justice. She was revered for her divine beauty and also for protecting her husband and children. While the male gods were relegated the duties of guarding the underworld, it was the goddesses who were given the responsibilities of providing comfort and standing guard over the dead until they were given a funeral and send to the underworld. Most of the civilizations depicted above sprung up around great rivers in the Middle east including, the Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, and Ganges. The presence of these rivers nourished a rich agricultural landscape and provided sustenance to agricultural gave civilizations which were predominantly matriarchal societies. (Sasson 1995) These civilizations were heavily influenced by both the blessings and ravages of nature. The rivers that they depended upon for sustenance would both give them abundant crops and wreck immense havoc and destruction in the form of devastating floods. People in these civilizations believed that there was a link between their lives and the pattern of birth –maturity death and re-birth that they observed in the plants and animals around them. The religious beliefs of most of these civilizations compelled them to worship or hold sacred what they thought provided them life and sustenance and also protected them from ravages and destruction the importance of goddesses in the myths and religious beliefs of these civilizations reflected this. The myths and legendary tales of powerful beautiful goddesses who had magical powers and controlled the various forces of nature helped t the people of these ancient civilizations understand the mysteries that pervaded their existence, birth, death, seasons, floods, harvests and drought all made so much more sense when they believed that there was a Supreme or Divine Deity who controlled it all and who they could appease through worship and prayer. In most of these matriarchal societies, this supreme deity was the Great Mother Goddess, who personified all the blessings and peculiarities of Mother Earth. Though there are countless Goddesses who were revered and worshiped in the ancient civilizations of the Middle East the most popular and common ones who were personified in the role of being creators, sustainers and the universal source of nourishment include(Christ 1998) Asherah –This is one of the names of the Sacred Goddess worshiped by the ancient Semitic Civilizations. Other names of this Great Goddess include Goddess of the Tree of Life, Goddess of the Grove. Wet-nurse of the gods. among many others This Goddess worshiped widely in Canaanite religion followed in most of the Levant region was symbolized by a multi branched tree and considered the very force of life that could be found in flocks of cattle and among groves of trees. This Goddess was often worshipped before childbirth and at planting time to grant sustenance. In popular mythology Asherah sometimes appears as curly-haired Goddess riding a sacred lion often holding lilies. Ishtar: Another very famous and popular Babylonian Goddess often known as Light of the World. Righteous judge, Forgiver of Sins and the Framer of all decrees are also few of her other roles and names that she was worshipped by. This Great Goddess is often depicted in breast-offering pose and is also known as the Mother of the fruitful breast. Inanna – was a very powerful Sumerian Goddess who was believed to provide earth with its source of life-water. Often called the Source of the Earths life blood it was believed by the ancient civilizations that this Goddess filled the wells, rivers and springs of the land with her own blood Isis- a very popular and powerful Goddess worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians Isis is perhaps the most famous of all Ancient Middle Eastern Goddesses. Some sources claim that her name means: She of throne, while other sources imply that her name means: She of flesh. Isis’s was revered for using her powers of magic and healing to help humanity Ashnan – She was the ancient Sumerian Goddess of Grain who controlled agricultural sustenance for the civilizations that worshipped her. Belit-Ilani – Worshipped by the ancient Babylonian this Goddess was often held in esteem as the Mistress of the gods. In popular depictions she is portrayed as a woman bearing baby on her left arm and blessing a child with her left. Anath Worshipped by Canaanites, Amorites, Syrians, Egyptians, Hebrews and the Phoenicians. This Goddess symbolized the strength of Life and was the Queen of Heaven and also the Mistress of all the Gods. Anatu – She was the Great Mesopotamian Goddess, often considered the Ruler of the Earth and Queen of the Sky. Chaabou – was held in high reverence by the Semitic religion and relegated as Earth Mother responsible for sustenance and nourishment. Achamoth – Worshipped by the Early Gnostic Christians. She was the Mother Goddess, who was responsible for giving birth and was the effective creator of the material universe, Deborah – was the Sacred Goddess worshiped frequently in the Mycenae and Anatolia regions often identified with the Tree of Life. Erua – was the Babylonian Goddess often revered as the Queen of Heaven. She was responsible for controlling the birth of all creatures big and small in her land. Gula – was another popular Babylonian Great Goddess who was also known as the Fate Goddess and the Great Doctor who was believed to cure any kind of sickness or ailment . Lahmu- a famous Goddess in Akkadian mythology, who is considered to be the mother of Anshar and Kishar, who are credited to have fathered the first Gods of that great ancient civilization. Persian mythology which also plays a part of ancient Middle Eastern Mythology also held the Goddess. Rudaba† in great esteem. This Goddess gave birth to Rostam, the greatest hero in Persian mythology. Derceto –was the Babylonian Sea Goddess also known as the Goddess of Justice. Kadi –was a Babylonian Goddess believed to have the body of a Serpent and the head and breasts of a Woman. Mari –was revered as the Mother Sea, who gave birth to the gods, Shebat was worshipped as the Mesopotamian Moon Goddess responsible for bringing night after day. Tirgata – was revered as Fish Goddess of Syria who controlled the sea and all life within it As these Civilization evolved so did the role of their gods and goddesses. By 2400 B. C religious and devotional practices began to change as aggressive tribes with strong beliefs in worshipping a supreme male god began to invade the matriarchal communities whose supreme diets were Goddesses . New myths developed in which these goddesses were made evil, slain or made inferior to the patriarchal god of the conquerors. The goal in creating these myths was to defame and to dethrone the goddess from her traditional role of Creator and sustainers and to give this role to a new generation of patriarchal warrior Gods who ruled the world through valour and heroic endeavour. As a direct consequence the role of the Goddess in the Patriarchal societies underwent a change from being a loving supreme deity to a vengeful, spiteful Entity who had to be either slain or made subordinate to the male gods in order to control her powers. Many Ancient Babylonian and Mesopotamian Goddesses who were once revered as the Source of Life and Sustenance was discredited slain or made subordinate to a new patriarchal male warrior God. (Christ 1998) One example of how ancient myths of Goddesses changed in patriarchal societies is the legend of the Mesopotamian divinity Tiamat. Revered by the ancient Sumero-Babylonian civilization as a Serpent Goddess of the Watery Abyss a Mother, from whose formless body the Universe was born. She was believed to nourish all life and rule the ocean. Tiamat, in her role as Mother Goddess and Mother Earth, reflected the matriarchal civilization that created her. (Christ 1998) In a patriarchal society the role of Tiamat and the legend surrounding her changes drastically. According to these new myths The Goddess once credited with the creation of the Universe is upset when her husband Appu is slain and decides to destroy what she has created. She gives birth to a race of evil monsters to help in her quest. Together the Goddess and her army of monsters wreck chaos and havoc on all around them. There is no one who can stop Tiamat until Marduk accepts the challenge. In violent battle, Marduk manages to wedge open the mouth of the serpent goddess and fill it with winds of a horrible storm. While the serpent goddess is distracted he slains her by cutting her womb. After killing the Goddess the patriarch warrior feels glorified. He then desecrates the womb that previous mythologies and civilizations revered as the Source of All Life. The myth ends by establishing that the supreme deity is now male and that he and his cohorts of warrior Gods will now be responsible for protecting the civilization. In a patriarchal society the role of the God is relegated from giving birth and nurturing traditionally seen as motherly tasks to being the protector traditionally seen as fatherly tasks The roles of the goddesses in these societies were reduced to subservient status In the new patriarchal civilization, the myths regarding the Goddesses were recreated and often retold till they achieved credibility and became part of a new folklore designed to promote the religion of the new civilization. In this fashion countless legendary myths depicting the creative, nurturing and forgiving nature of the female goddesses were desecrated and in their place grew new myths propounding their evil deeds. In many of these myths the goddess is first discredited and then engaged in battle with the patriarch God. At the end the Patriarch God achieves victory over the Goddess and she is either slain or looses her powers. Another myth which was refashioned along these lines was that of Hathor an Ancient Egyptian Goddess. Hathor, in Ancient Egyptian mythology was revered as the goddess responsible for evoking emotions such as joy, love, dance and song. (Christ 1998) She is fabled to have provided her own nurturing milk to the living and also carried the dead to the underworld. But somewhere in mythology the Hathor who is revered for her very instincts of Love and joy is also painted as a demon that wrecks death and destruction on Humanity. Acting on the directives of the sun god, Ra, who was under the impression that some of his subjects were planning to Kill him Hathor was sent on a mission to destroy the plotters Hathor who also manifested herself in the guise of a lioness known as Sekhmet, attacked all the plotters killing them instantly. Ra was forced to intervene to stop the bloodshed by tricking Sekhmet into believing that she had killed a lot of people so by pouring a massive amount of pomegranate coloured liquid over the battlefield . Sekhmet mistook the liquid for blood stopped the slaughter and transformed back into her goddess form of Hathor. It is ironic in the least to observe that in cultures where the feminine spirit has always been seen as nurturing, loving and creative the role of goddesses of mythology is associated with evil deeds. Perhaps these mythologies have been restructured to assimilate in Patriarchal Societies where the god is associated with social order and discipline. But regardless of their role in mythology many famous Goddesses of the Middle East continue to live in popular imaginations even though the religions and cults associated with them have now been banished. Though the Middle East is now home to new religions such as Christianity Judaism and Islam and the age of idol worship and plural Gods is over, these deities have become part of the common folklore. The Worship of these Goddesses may now be defunct but their legend lives on and continues to pervade subsequent cultural practices in these regions. Works Cited Gordon, Cyrus. The Ancient Near East, 3rd Edition, Revised. W. W. Norton and Company, Inc. , New York, 1965. Christ Carol: Rebirth of the Goddess: Finding Meaning in Feminist Spirituality Routledge; 1st edition 1998 James. E. O. The Ancient Gods: The History and Diffusion of Religion in the Ancient Near East and the Eastern Mediterranean, 1960. Sasson Jack: Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1995. Morton Smith, The Common Theology of the Ancient near East, Journal of Biblical Literature 1952.

Boston Beer Company Case Essay Example for Free

Boston Beer Company Case Essay Background Information_: The Boston Beer Company, which was founded in 1984, had a very diversified thriving product line which entailed about twenty different kinds of beers. Their product was available in over nineteen various countries and used a network of around four hundred distributors. Revenues grew from 21 million dollars to 210 million dollars from inception to 1997. _Problem and Opportunity Identification_: As a result of the companys product line and its variety, the company encountered issues sustaining and upholding of their products such as Lightship which has been withering in recent years and which doesnt have the volume like other products to sustain distribution. Since the light beer business that Lightship belonged to was one that was rapidly growing, the Boston Beer Company felt the need to investigate its products disappointment. The research to do so took place in different forms such as competition, market, and financial analyses, customer surveys, and finally deep emotional analysis using the ZMET technique. _Alternatives_: One option the research team is considering is introducing a new light beer into their product line. It is understandable that since the high-priced light beer industry is one of the biggest and rapidly growing field in the beer industry, the Boston Beer Company wants to occupy and take advantage of this field to further enhance its name and maintain its market share and its standing. However, there are issues in terms of positioning and marketing of this product. The product needs to be communicated as a light, rich, fun beer and targeted at a different audience that entails women. In addition to the fact that this option might cause conflict in terms of the brand image being a macho rough beer brewer, using it doesnt solve the problem for Lightship if Lightship is going to be kept in the market offerings. Another option the research team considered was repositioning Lightship and throwing in more effort and investment into the marketing of the product. It was obvious that, compared to one of their biggest competitors Heineken, the Boston Beer Company has had trouble and sort-of failed to build a unique brand identity for this product. The product was not successfully differentiated and positioned in the market in order for it to build market share and improve standings. This failure could make it difficult for the company to reposition itself and change consumer perceptions to gain their interests and so it might be a waste of time and efforts. Finally, the last option is the dreaded one of not competing in this realm of the industry. This is a very extreme option since this realm is a huge and growing segment of the market and they would be missing out on a lot if they decide to pull out it. The failure to fit into this field, however, might have proved that the Boston Beer Company is not competent enough and ready to compete in this segment. _Critical Issues_: There are two main critical issues that the company should consider when making the decision about their situation in the light beer industry. One critical issue concerns the brand image the company has an umbrella brand image of being a premium masculine macho craft beer brewer and shaking that could be seen to influence consumer perceptions. The second critical issue relates to the field study and the results it yielded do they answer our questions about how to position the light beer product or on whether we should even introduce/keep products in this segment of the market. _Conclusion and Recommendation_: After reviewing the results of the various research techniques, the recommended option would be to introduce a new high-end light beer into the market (while probably retiring Lightship). Making use of the ZMET research results, this new product should be positioned in a manner that represents an active, refreshing, and healthy lifestyle. Having a new product instead of improving Lightship is best in order to avoid the difficult efforts of having to change stubborn consumer perceptions. Also, in terms of the umbrella brand image of BBC being a macho tough image, having a separate offering targeted at other audiences will probably add to the image of having two instead of eroding the existing image.

How Will Bitcoin Impact Banks and Finance Structures?

How Will Bitcoin Impact Banks and Finance Structures? What is finance, and how does cryptocurrency fit in to our current understanding of it: At the start of the unit, one of the first concepts we were asked to consider was a point that is highly contended – a philosophical question which has never borne more significance than it does today, with the recent emergence and explosive growth of cryptocurrencies. We were asked to consider what finance was, and how it fit into society. Now it would be prudent to ask what finance is, and how cryptocurrencies fit in to our current understanding of it. Let me start to answer this with a brief description of ‘fiat’ currencies, or legal tenders, with no material value or value redeemable for commodities. Historically, the value of a nation’s currency was pegged against a commodity with well-established value, such as gold or silver. This was the case for the majority of currencies up until 1971, when Richard Nixon decoupled the US dollar from gold. Supply and demand determines the value of fiat currency. Governments can control how much is in circulation and control the value of money as well as inflation. One of the biggest downfalls of cryptocurrency according to its critics, is the inability of more tokens to enter circulation when demand is high. The total amount of Bitcoin, is limited by a digital production process analogous to precious metal mining, which can stop its value from being eroded by systematic over-production and debasement as has been the case with numerous fiat currencies historically.18 This inability to react to demand causes sharp volatility in the value of cryptocurrency, making them unreliable stores of value. This has been most evident with the steep spikes in Bitcoin value since the beginning of the year. Conversely, as fiat currencies are not linked to physical reserves, they risk becoming worthless due to  hyperinflation. If people lose faith in a nations paper currency, the money will no longer hold value. Fiat money serves as a good currency if it can handle the roles that an economy needs of its monetary unit: storing value, providing a numerical account and facilitating exchange. Because fiat money is not a scarce or fixed resource like gold, central banks have much greater control over its supply, which gives them the power to manage economic variables such as credit supply, liquidity, interest rates and money velocity. Cryptocurrencies on the other hand do not serve as a currency for one particular nation, and are not controlled by any government body either. Instead they employ what is known as blockchain technology, which is a form of digital ledger that is maintained by all the users of the network. An on-going record of all transactions is kept and added to, each time a new transaction occurs. Despite this however there is an inherently high level of anonymity, given that bitcoin, tezos etc. addresses are not linked directly to any person or entity. This also gives way to several problems for governments which are unable to control inflation or the amount of cryptocurrency in circulation, declaration of earnings and tax, prohibition of trading illegal goods and money laundering. There are several safe-guards in place to ensure against ‘double-spending’ and other fraudulent activities however which are built in to the blockchain technology. Further, as a result of this peer-to-peer network in which cryptocurrencies operate, there is no single point of failure, making it very difficult for the system to collapse.17 What potential effects will the use of cryptocurrency and decentralising of currency have, particularly on banks? The total value of all cryptocurrency in circulation is now  ~$200 billion USD3. Even though this is almost double the value it was in July, it is still trumped by the value of paper USD issued by the U.S. Federal Reserve, which alone amounts to about $1.4 trillion. We are therefore nowhere near the point yet where cryptocurrencies pose a credible threat of supplanting central-bank-issued money. Nonetheless it is worth thinking through some of the implications if something like Bitcoin (which has about a 45% market share of all cryptocurrencies) were to wholly or even partially supplant central bank fiat currency. The agreed protocols that govern Bitcoin, Tezos and other cryptocurrencies, are effectively their monetary policy. In exchange for mining blocks of bitcoins and consuming computing power to verify the legitimacy of transactions, Bitcoin â€Å"miners† get paid in Bitcoin. These rewards increase the supply of Bitcoin, though the increase in Bitcoin money supply is inhibited by the increasing difficulty of verifying transactions. Increasing computational power is required to verify each transaction and mine new blocks to create new Bitcoins, meaning that the total supply of coins is gradually approaching the limit of ~ 21 million coins (currently there are ~16.5 million in circulation). Fiat money has its own protocols that stabilise inflation using interest rates and bond-buying, and the money supply that results from this is generally ignored. With cryptocurrencies however, money supply does not respond to shifts in money demand and with a relatively fixed supply, large fluctuations in value and prices result (in the preceding 11 months the price of bitcoin has soared almost 8 fold5). This some argue, is specifically the reason Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies will not take over2 and makes Bitcoin impractical as a money. Cryptocurrencies however have proven to be a useful alternative to traditional reserve currencies in places with poor monetary policy and weak banks. In Kenya for example, 1 in 3 people own a bitcoin wallet1, while in India, where recently there has been a significant shortage in cash supply, greater numbers of people have converted to the use of bitcoin.4 If a particular country were to adopt Bitcoin to replace its currency, the effects of doing so would likely be felt by others in a knock-on effect. A larger credit cycle in one country would mean larger booms and busts for its trading partners. Foreigners outside the country that adopted the cryptocurrency, may also opt to deposit directly within that country and desert their own country’s banks in doing so – this could affect the flow of capital into and out of a their home country, further amplifying the credit cycle. The latest difficulties with Bitcoin make the prospect of a crypto currency takeover seem fanciful at the moment, but if solutions to these problems were found or a new currency were devised with better protocols, central banks would have to resolve these dilemmas one way or another. Financial history – what can we learn from historical bubbles and is it reasonable to foresee the current growth as sustainable?: An  economic  or  asset bubble,  is trade in an  asset  at a price or price range that strongly exceeds the assets  intrinsic value.  It could also be described as a situation in which asset prices appear to be based on implausible or inconsistent views about the future19. The general consensus among industry professionals, is that the current cryptocurrency market is in an unsustainable phase of bubble growth6,7. There were 30 ICOs each launching new cryptocurrencies in July, then more than 50 in August. Part of this mania is based on speculation. But its also clear that there has been departure from a fundamental assumption of what a cryptocurrency originally was – a scarce digital commodity where the value derived from its scarcity. To be frank, if more than one hundred new sources of this digital commodity have been launched since June, then the concept of scarcity, and therefore the supposed inherent value, begins to erode. In fact, many of these newer cryptocurrencies will need to fail in order to maintain the value and viability of the most widely used currencies, bitcoin and ether. These look to remain viable over the intermediate and perhaps long-term, though not necessarily at the current prices. History has shown us that the majority of cryptocurrencies fail dismally at some point soon after their conception16. Only a select handful have shown consistent growth over the last few years. Bitcoin itself has crashed significantly several times. Even so, though the core blockchain technology left behind others, will provide value as a hidden infrastructure underlying future applications. Though bitcoin has seen astronomical growth over the last year one of the major problems in its use is the extreme volatility in its value. On April 8th 2013 for example, Bitcoin was valued at $215 USD, eight days later this figure dropped to $63 USD then seven months after this its price soared to $1,200 USD. This volatility was in hindsight partly a consequence of strong speculative demand from buyers for a new and unknown technology.   There are however, more fundamental problems that cause the value of Bitcoin to fluctuate. The algorithm that controls supply prevents the amount of Bitcoin from expanding to meet increases in demand. This inelasticity in supply leads to price variations and also encourages speculation and excessive volatility, all of which render it unreliable as a store of value.7 The cryptocurrency market is new and being filled with new currencies almost daily. As competition develops however and with little history, few can value them correctly, forecast which currencies will succeed, and whether they are all part of a larger bubble that will eventually burst. History has shown however that new financial instruments are the authors of financial bubbles – be they options for tulip bulbs in the 1630s, fiat money in the Mississippi bubble of the 1700s, stock in the South Sea bubble, leverage in 1929 or collateralised debt instruments in the credit crunch of 2007, the problem was the world was behind the knowledge curve of the instrument and the power of greed drove the market wild and finally into collapse.8 It would therefore not be unusual to see a similar crash with cryptocurrencies in the near future. Cryptocurrency regulation How is it possible to regulate an online currency based globally?: In short, it isn’t. The whole premise of cryptocurrencies is that they are decentralized and ungoverned by any one government, but rather managed by a peer-to-peer network of users worldwide. The focus has thus shifted to the soundness and legality of investing in them through means such as ICOs and derivatives markets. In the largely unregulated world off cryptocurrencies, one issue remains at the forefront of the attention of regulators such as the SEC (in the U.S.) and ASIC (in Australia), and that is in the nature of ICOs, whether they are seeking genuine donations for the development of software, or whether they are in fact shares in a company or other investment, which contributors hope to redeem at a future date for financial benefit – an illegal and unregulated speculative investment. Initial coin offerings have raised $3.6 billion USD so far this year15 with several currency developers generating vast amount of capital in a matter of hours with little more than a website and a promise of a revolutionary new product. This unchecked source of crowd-funding has been banned by several governments, as other countries’ regulatory bodies such as the SEC and ASIC, have developed their own policies regarding these offerings. On September 4th, China banned investment in ICOs citing breaches of securities laws and â€Å"disruption to economic and financial order†13, and moved to shut down cryptocurrency exchanges also.13 In July, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission required companies to register ICOs in the same fashion as IPOs14. Following this ruling on September 29th, the SEC charged two companies with fraud and selling unregistered securities after running successful ICOs that collected more than $300,000 USD14. Substantial efforts have been made to legitimise cryptocurrency offerings by law firms such as Cooley in New York and others with vested interests in making ICOs work. Cooley attests that it has developed a â€Å"simple agreement for future tokens† (SAFT) framework that will allow token sales to be compliant with US securities laws. This is important given that several major ICOs had excluded US individuals from participating given the then-standing issues with the SEC. If by applying the SAFT framework the SEC is satisfied, then US investors would have access to more ICOs providing a major source of capital to them. The basic premise of the Simple Agreement of Future Tokens (SAFT) is that the cryptotoken fail the Howey test, a measure of whether a financial instrument is in fact a security. In order for tokens to fail the test and not be considered securities, they must be delivered to investors only after a functioning product or service is in place. â€Å"The network and the token must be genuinely useful such that they are actually used on a functional network,† according to Cooley’s framework. To date ICOs have delivered tokens to investors before the launch of the underlying currency, meaning that the only real function tokens could have use for would be in trading in secondary markets, blatantly classifying them as securities.   In the case of Tezos, investors bought into the project hoping that the Tezos platform would be built successfully, and that by owning the tokens, also yet to be created, they would become stakeholders able to shape the final platform. One particular case highlights the blatant regulatory arbitrage which is plain for all to see, and which the founders of Tezos attempted to disguise by consistently referring to their ICO contributions as â€Å"non-refundable donations†, in order to make ambiguous the nature of the security they were offering. Tim Draper, one of the main venture capital backers, when asked by Reuters how much he had donated replied â€Å"You mean how much I bought? A lot.† In Australia, ASIC released a decisive factsheet on ICOs and their position, stipulating that ICOs must be conducted in a manner that â€Å"promotes investor trust and confidence, and complies with the relevant laws†11. ASIC has also warned that the Corporations Act may apply to an ICO depending on the rights that attach to the coin from the ICO itself, rights to underlying coins or rights on tokens used in the ICO. Likewise, ASIC has also made it clear that if an ICO is conducted to fund a company, then the rights attached to the coins issued by the ICO may fall within the definition of a share. Where it appears that an issuer of an ICO is actually making an offer of a share, the issuer will need to prepare a prospectus as for any other IPO11, which will allows investors the safeguard to withdraw their investment before the shares are issued should there be misleading or deceptive information in the prospectus.    Lastly it is worth noting that some ICOs have been described by their initiators as a form of crowd funding. In Australia, ASIC has made a clear distinction between crowd funding using an ICO and crowd-sourced funding (CSF) that has been regulated by the Corporations Act since 29th September 201711. Under the new laws, CSF will be a financial service where start-ups and small businesses raise funds, generally from a large number of investors that invest small amounts of capital. There will be specific rules for conducting CSF with fewer regulatory requirements than ICOs, while maintaining investor protection measures. This is particularly of importance in the case of Tezos, where the developers sought â€Å"donations† to fund the development of their network, a deliberate misrepresentation which would now be both illegal and arguably unethical in Australia. REFERENCES: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ameer-rosic-/7-incredible-benefits-of-_1_b_13160110.htmlhttps://ftalphaville.ft.com/2017/06/07/2189849/guest-post-the-consequences-of-allowing-a-cryptocurrency-takeover-or-trying-to-head-one-off/https://coinmarketcap.com/all/views/all/https://news.bitcoin.com/bitcoin-demand-rise-cash-run-dry-india/https://au.investing.com/currencies/btc-aud-historical-datahttps://www.coindesk.com/comes-cryptocurrency-bubble/http://www.cityam.com/1408388669/why-bitcoin-won-t-be-money-future-cryptocurrencies-might-behttps://www.forbes.com/sites/investor/2017/05/31/cryptocurrency-is-a-bubble/#4501c7dc33b1https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-27/cryptocurrency-derivatives-you-bet-this-trader-has-295-returnhttps://ftalphaville.ft.com/2017/10/19/2195028/trouble-in-ico-paradise/http://asic.gov.au/regulatory-resources/digital-transformation/initial-coin-offerings/https://qz.com/1091812/the-secs-ico-crackdown-may-be-avoided-by-the-saft-legal-framework/https://techcrunc h.com/2017/09/04/chinas-central-bank-has-banned-icos/https://coinidol.com/icos-to-be-regulated-as-ipos-in-the-us/https://www.coinschedule.com/stats.phphttps://bitcoinexchangeguide.com/deadcoins/https://bitcoin.org/en/how-it-workshttps://3decuj2tc6bl1oljdt3zfwbb-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/Currency-Debasement.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_bubble

Fuel for Thought Essay example -- Essays Papers

Fuel for Thought Should our government regulate the fuel economies of our automobiles or should this be left up to the market? The Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) standards that were implemented in the 1970s contributed to great improvements in vehicle fuel economies. While we have environmental and political reasons to want cars with better fuel efficiency, there are also costs involved. The declining fuel economies of the last fifteen years seem to reveal that many Americans are not willing to bear these costs. Still, the vehicles that we drive today may be a misrepresentation of our true values. We may value environmental quality and/or independence from foreign oil, but sometimes our individual actions misrepresent our personal or societal goals. Since people's actions can be disconnected from theirvalues and society's goals, we cannot rely solely on the market; the governmentshould take action to increase the fuel efficiency of our vehicles. The energy crisis of the 1970s led congress to pass a law requiring automakers to improve the number of miles per gallon (mpg) that U.S. automobiles used. These CAFE standards led to vast improvement in fuel efficiency ("Another Cup...", 6). In 1973 the average fuel economy of light-duty vehicles, which includes cars, SUVs, vans and pickup trucks that weigh less than 8,500 pounds, was 14mpg. By 1987 average fuel economies had reached 22.1mpg. CAFE standards were frozen in the late 1980s. Since then,fuel efficiency has declined slightly. The average fuel economy in2003 model-year cars is 20.8 mpg. This decline is mostly due to theincreased popularity of SUVs. "The SUV market share increased by morethan a factor of ten, from less tha... ...are held by people in opposition to fuel economy standards. Some people are concerned about safety implications, increased vehicle costs and/or problems within the auto industry. 7. Samaras, Zissis. "Emissions Reduction via Improvements in Engines and Fuels: The Tehran Case." Journal of Urban Technology 6 (April 1999): 63-87. In this document, Zissis Sararas looks at a two-year project done in Tehran, Iran that aimed to reduce vehicle emissions by making engine and fuel improvements. Sararas provides data on emissions in Tehran and compares that to emissions in developed countries. Sararas describes methods from around the world that are used reduce emissions and/or increase fuel economy. He discusses emissions standards, particularly in Europe, diesel engines, fuel improvements, fuel economy regulations in the U.S. and alternative technologies. Fuel for Thought Essay example -- Essays Papers Fuel for Thought Should our government regulate the fuel economies of our automobiles or should this be left up to the market? The Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) standards that were implemented in the 1970s contributed to great improvements in vehicle fuel economies. While we have environmental and political reasons to want cars with better fuel efficiency, there are also costs involved. The declining fuel economies of the last fifteen years seem to reveal that many Americans are not willing to bear these costs. Still, the vehicles that we drive today may be a misrepresentation of our true values. We may value environmental quality and/or independence from foreign oil, but sometimes our individual actions misrepresent our personal or societal goals. Since people's actions can be disconnected from theirvalues and society's goals, we cannot rely solely on the market; the governmentshould take action to increase the fuel efficiency of our vehicles. The energy crisis of the 1970s led congress to pass a law requiring automakers to improve the number of miles per gallon (mpg) that U.S. automobiles used. These CAFE standards led to vast improvement in fuel efficiency ("Another Cup...", 6). In 1973 the average fuel economy of light-duty vehicles, which includes cars, SUVs, vans and pickup trucks that weigh less than 8,500 pounds, was 14mpg. By 1987 average fuel economies had reached 22.1mpg. CAFE standards were frozen in the late 1980s. Since then,fuel efficiency has declined slightly. The average fuel economy in2003 model-year cars is 20.8 mpg. This decline is mostly due to theincreased popularity of SUVs. "The SUV market share increased by morethan a factor of ten, from less tha... ...are held by people in opposition to fuel economy standards. Some people are concerned about safety implications, increased vehicle costs and/or problems within the auto industry. 7. Samaras, Zissis. "Emissions Reduction via Improvements in Engines and Fuels: The Tehran Case." Journal of Urban Technology 6 (April 1999): 63-87. In this document, Zissis Sararas looks at a two-year project done in Tehran, Iran that aimed to reduce vehicle emissions by making engine and fuel improvements. Sararas provides data on emissions in Tehran and compares that to emissions in developed countries. Sararas describes methods from around the world that are used reduce emissions and/or increase fuel economy. He discusses emissions standards, particularly in Europe, diesel engines, fuel improvements, fuel economy regulations in the U.S. and alternative technologies.

An Interpretation of My Sweet Old Etcetera by E.E. Cummings :: Cummings My Sweet Old Etcetera Essays

An Interpretation of My Sweet Old Etcetera by E.E. Cummings' "my sweet old etcetera" is part of E.E. Cummings' "is 5" collection of poetry, which was published in 1926. This poem and most of Cummings' other poetry was known for its typographic innovation. One will definitely notice that there are only two capitalized letters in the whole piece and not one period. The only punctuation mark present is the comma, creating pauses in the speech. Basically the whole poem is a big run-on sentence. "my sweet old etcetera" was written, as well as most of Cummings' other poetry, to have visual effectiveness and content as well as literary effectiveness and content. After all Cummings was a painter and an artist. He wanted people see the poetry, not just read it. In order to understand what the poem is all about, one might rewrite it and break it up into readable, complete sentences. One must also place appropriate syntax and punctuation where it needs to be. Of course, one has to remove all of the "etcetera"s in order to make a sentence that makes sense. I believe that this is a story in which E.E. Cummings is telling. It is about an experience he is having while at war and how it is effecting his family during this time. The language is not flowing because the typography, the lack of syntax and punctuation makes it confusing. The word "etcetera" was thrown in here and there, but why? This made it very difficult to understand to get the whole picture, because the word's various positions caused an interruption. The word "etcetera" means "a number of unspecified additional persons or things." or "unspecified additional items". I believe Cummings wanted to say more within the poem but thought he could get his poem across by inserting "etcetera" in various places. He also might have been trying to make a statement by telling the world, "you don't have to get a point across by using a lot of detail sometime, you don't even have to use complete sentences..or even sentences at all for that matter." my sweet old etcetera

Sense of Belonging Explored Through Literature Essay -- Literary Analy

The concept of belonging is deeply fused to humans’ interrelationships, with acceptance from others being the key to a sense of belonging. Numerous texts reflect the fact that engaging in relationships with others, including varying groups and cultures, is integral to a feeling of belonging. However other texts present ideas that suggest identity is the most integral aspect of belonging, or that in fact an introspective alienation from others is necessary to belong. This essay will discuss the importance of acceptance to belonging and also how other aspects hold equal value with reference to various texts, namely the poems ‘This is My Letter to the World’ and ‘I had been Hungry all the Years’ by Emily Dickinson, the artwork ‘The Two Fridas’ by Frida Kahlo, and the film ‘As it is in Heaven’ directed by Kay Pollak. Emily Dickinson’s poem ‘This is my Letter to the World’, presents an exploration of the poet’s alienation from society and her simultaneous desire to connect with it, hence displaying her need to belong through connections to others. Dickinson’s use of the pronouns, ‘this’ and ‘that’ in the first two lines of the poem immediately establishes Dickinson as an external entity isolated from society. This is further depicted in the contrast created between Dickinson’s ‘sweet countrymen’ and ‘me’ where the two phrases’ physical isolation on separate lines exemplifies their disconnectedness and hence demonstrates Dickinson’s alienation from the camaraderie connoted by ‘countrymen’. Further, in the line â€Å"the simple news that nature told† nature is personified to represent a Pantheistic God. As the ‘simple news’ is symbolic of Dickinson’s work , this places the poet as a vessel for nature and hence relegates Dickinson to a hig... ...na’s lessons to Daniel, demonstrate reciprocal relationships which again represent the integral importance of inter-connections. Hence overall the film contrasts the idea of belonging through religion which stifles emotion and identity, to human relationships which are shown as a life-giving force providing belonging through acceptance and understanding. (318) Overall, all these texts display different aspects of belonging. While ‘The Two Fridas’ and ‘As it is in Heaven’ affirm that acceptance from others and within communities is essential to belonging, Dickinson’s poetry overall suggests that identity is a more important aspect of belonging, and that in fact alienation from others can develop an inner belonging. Hence it can be seen that belonging is established through varying different mediums, and that acceptance is not solely its most important aspect.

Project at Jamkash Vehicleades

A PROJECT REPORT ON â€Å"ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE STUDY & BUSINESS PROCESS† AT â€Å"JAMKASH VEHICLEADES Pvt. Ltd. † (KASHMIR) (Authorized Dealership of MARUTI SUZUKI) BY TANWEER AHMAD UNDER THE GUIDENCE OF PROF. SANDEEP LONDHE SUBMITTED TO â€Å"UNIVERSITY OF PUNE† In the partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the degree of Master of Business Administration (MBA) Through ASM’s Institute of Business Management and Research (I. B. M. R) Chinchwad, Pune 411019 Jamkash Vehicleades (Kashmir) Pvt. Ltd. (Authorised Dealers of MSIL)Hyderpora, By-pass Crossing, Srinagar, Kashmir- 190014 Ph. : 0194-2432680, 2435576 Fax: 0194-2435575 No. :Date: ___/___/______ TO WHOMSOEVER IT MAY CONCERN This is to certify that Mr. Tanweer Ahmad, student of Master of Business Administration (M. B. A) at Institute of Business Management and Research (I. B. M. R) Pune, Maharashtra, has completed his Summer Internship Project at our company from 10th of May 2012 to 19th of June 2012 i. e. 50 working days. During this period, he worked in various departments of the company.He studied the Organizational Climate & Business Process of Jamkash Vehicleades and also gave some recommendations for the improvement. He has an excellent command over the work and was found to be a dedicated, sincere and hardworking trainee during his training period with the company. We wish him all success in his future endeavours. Jamkash Vehicleades (Kashmir) Pvt. Ltd. [Mr. Irfan Ahmad Narworoo] CEO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT All Thanks to Almighty Allah who gave me intellect to study & prepare this Project Report.I express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Irfan Ahmad Narwaroo, Chief Executive Officer of Jamkash Vehicleades (Kashmir) Pvt. Ltd. for giving me the opportunity to do this study and undergo the process of learning. I thank him for all the trust and faith he posed in me and I only hope that I have been able to live up to his expectations. I would like to express my sincere gratitu de to Prof. Sandeep Londhe, my faculty guide who supported and guided me at each step to study and prepare this report. I would also like to thank Mr.Owais Ahmad Rather, my company guide, who guided and supported me in framing the questionnaire and interpretation of data& provided me with a clearer perspective of the Organizational Climate and Business Process of Jamkash Vehicleades by showing me practically and letting me interact with each and every department’s employees. My sincere thanks to Mr. Irfan Ahmad Parray (Sr. Marketing Manager) & Mr. Mushtaq Ahmad Wani (Institutional Sales Manager) who also co-operated & helped me in this project. Mr. Farhan Ahmad Najjar, Mr. Sajjad Ahmad _Deputy Managers in Corporate Sales & Mr.Aijaz Ahmad _Team Leader, also deserve unlimited thanks in whose presence I learnt a lot about marketing & selling the cars to the corporates during my field visits. I have no words to express my thanks to my sisters Nusrat Ahad and Nazima Ahad, who had been the source of inspiration, in decision making and in solving the complexities, which helped me to escalate and explore the ideas. My head bows with regards in front of my beloved Mother Miss. Rafiqa Banoo, whose blessings, financial and moral support helped me to complete this study.Last but not least I am thankful to all those who directly or indirectly supported me during this project. Tanweer Ahmad EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Project Title : Organizational Climate Study & Business Process Industry : MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LIMITED Company : Jamkash Vehicleades (Kashmir) Private Limited. Chief Executive Officer : Mr. Irfan Ahmad Narwaroo Company Guide : Mr. Owais Ahmad Rather Faculty Guide : Prof. Sandeep Londhe Students Name : Tanweer AhmadObjectives: Under the guidance of my Company Guide: Mr. Owais Ahmad Rather following sub-projects were executed for the project. 1. Preparing a questionnaire tailored to the meet the needs of the organization and conducting the questionnaire on all staf f of Jamkash Vehicleades. 2. To understand the working environment of Jamkash Vehicleades 3. To understand the team/group dynamics of Jamkash Vehicleades: team formation, functions, coordination, and culture etc. 4. To study the existing HR manual / practices and suggest or recommend changes.Scope of the Study: The scope of the study was limited to the Head office at Hyderpora Byepass Srinagar and regional offices at Ganderbal and Kupwara. Methodology: The tools used were Questionnaire on Organization Climate Study and Business Process at Jamkash Vehicleades, semi-structured and un-structured interviews, discussion with the team members and leaders and regular observation of the work of the organization Sources of Data: Primary: Primary sources of data included interactions with CEO, Regional managers, employees, field staff and telephonic interviews with ex-employees. Secondary:Secondary sources of data were the annual reports and other publications of the organization. Insights of the organization: The organization has good collaborations with major stakeholders and has built good reputation in the sector. †¢ The organization has well defined HR policies, Norms and Rules. †¢ The organization has good systems of Finance, Reporting, Audit, Appraisal etc. †¢ The organization is expanding its operations in different corners of the valley & India. †¢ Certain activities are centralized at head office while other are being done at branches. †¢ Focus on capacity building of the staff.Their recruitment and training has special focus. Participation in decision making is encouraged. †¢ The CEO of the company is running the organization with full enthusiasm and energy. Conclusions and Recommendations: Conclusion: The data provided a description of a relatively young, well-educated and trained work force which received moderate levels of financial remuneration. The general picture emerging out of these findings indicate that overall a favour able climate exists in the organization. The organization has a pool of professionals which are working for a larger cause and meeting their professional satisfaction.However due to the rising prices there is a need to revise the financial policy relating to paradigm and accommodation on a regular basis. The organization shows great deal of transparency in decision making and shares information across levels. The management believes in having a participative approach to decision making. There is enough autonomy to perform one’s job. Also the organization offers enough scope for personal and professional growth. The leadership of the origination is approachable and is sensitive to the needs of the employees.At the same time there are roles and responsibilities to be performed and each one is held accountable for work. There is a great emphasis on capacity building and skill enhancement of the employees. As the organization is in its expansion phase, it promises its employees e nhanced roles and responsibilities. The organization needs to plan its manpower requirement in the teams so as to optimize the productivity. In case of employees having multiple reporting, job description should be decided jointly by the team leaders and made known to the employee.The organizational climate can become conducive to develop potential and competencies of the employees and provide opportunities for fulfilment. There is a need for an enhanced role of regional managers who should feel responsible for building a positive, motivating work culture which would ensure optimum utilization of the capabilities of the team members leading to self and organizational effectiveness. Recommendations: In the backdrop, certain areas were identified for improvement in the Organization and the findings were presented for the consideration of Jamkash Vehicleades for adoption.Following recommendations were made: 1. The policies of the employees regarding salary & benefit packages like T. A, D. A, Insurance and others, need to be revised and raised considering the rise in inflation rate and cost of living. 2. Work related stress was also found to be 34% in level 3 & level 4 employees. Thus there is a need to strengthen these levels in terms of recruitment, induction and job related support. 3. There should be a constant evaluation and review of various organizational events. There is a need of a monitoring system which could ensure timely completion of processes. . Higher level employees gave slightly more favourable ratings than lower level employees, thus there is a need to investigate and improve these levels. 5. As the HR department has recently been established the awareness level of HR policies among the employees is very low and even the HR Manual has been given to limited no. of persons, thus it is recommended to conduct programmes for every department separately to make them aware about the HR policies and what functions HR department performs. 6. Recruitment of sales force should be done very fairly and honestly.It needs to be improved through HR planning. Only the deserved candidates should be selected rather than on reference basis. 7. Highly qualified persons should be recruited especially M. B. A. ’s, M. Com’s, B. Com’s, and Graduates rather than 10th & 10+2, because they don’t have much exposure of the real corporate world. Also they don’t have much fluency in speaking English. 8. Grievance Addressal Cell to be started. 9. Defined Travel Policy to be implemented. 10. New joinees’ approval to be done at early basis rather than delaying for months. 11. Salary along with benefit packages as T. A, D.A and other incentives to be clubbed together & should be credited to bank account by 1st week of every month rather than delaying for long time. 12. KRA system should be conducted in a much better way to motivate the employees and reduce the Employee Turnover Ratio (ETR). 13. The compensation of em ployees needs to be raised according to profile, workload, efficiency, and work experience. 14. Rules should be made in consensus with employees’ welfare. 15. Focus on minimising the time for documentation process like RC Book, Insurance Policy, Bills and Promotional Gift vouchers and Offers etc. S. NO. CONTENTS| PAGE NO. | 1. | Introduction To The Topic| 9-11| 2. | Company Profile| 12-24| 3. | Industry Profile| 22-30| 4. | Scope Of Work| 31-32| 5. | Objective Of The Project| 33-34| 6. | Research Methodology| 35-40| 7. | Data Analysis & Interpretation| 41| 8. | Part-I (Business Process) | 42-53| 9. | Part-II (Organization Climate Study)| 54-77| 10. | Observations and Findings| 78-80| 11. | Limitations of study| 81-82| 12. | Suggestions and Recommendations| 83-85| 13. | Conclusions| 86-87| 14. | Bibliography| 88-89| 15. | Annexure| 90| TABLE/GRAPH NO. | CONTENTS| PAGE NO. | Table 1| Awards & Accolades| 16|Table 2| Annual Sales Of Jamkash For The Last Five Years| 20| Table 3| A nnual Purchase And Sales In True Value| 20| Table 4| Exchange Penetration Rate At Jamkash In TRUE VALUE| 20| CHAPTER -1 INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC The topic for my SIP has two two separate parts as _ â€Å"Organizational Climate Study† & â€Å"Business Process† of Jamkash Vehicleades (Kashmir) Pvt Ltd. These are introduced briefly as under: Organizational Climate Study Organisational Climate studies the employees' perceptions and perspectives of an organization. The surveys address attitudes and concerns that help the organization work with employees to instil positive changes.Organisational climate surveys increase productivity. Climate surveys give employees a voice to assist in making desired transitions as smooth as possible. It also serves as a basis for quality improvements. By identifying areas of inefficiency and acting on performance barriers identified by employees of all levels, an organization gains a fresh and different perspective. Survey analysis identifi es areas of employee satisfaction and dissatisfaction to facilitate management in the creation of greater workplace harmony and, therefore, increased productivity.Conclusions are drawn from the data, and recommendations are made to the management team. Additionally, climate surveys can set benchmarks for future surveys, which will allow more in-depth and time series analysis. Business Process Jamkash Vehicleades generates its revenue through different ways by which it has set an example of an emerging and successful business organization in the whole valley and has covered the maximum market share. With its effective implementation of innovative ideas ; promotional tools it succeeded in the establishment of new E-outlets in various districts of the valley.Nature of business: Dealership, Service Provider Processes: * Sale of New Cars (MARUTI SUZUKI Cars Only) * Buying and Selling of Pre-Owned Cars in TRUE VALUE (of any Company) * Services and Repairs Reason for selecting the topic: T here was a need to re-look the operational strategy and the internal systems to optimise the utilisation of resources particularly the human resources. It would help the organisation to harness the emerging opportunities and meet the upcoming challenges. For this purpose this study on Organisational Climate was undertaken.I selected this topic in order to learn the Marketing ; Selling process in the real corporate and gain some experience out of it so that I can get the best placement opportunities from the leading companies after seeing my experience in marketing ; sales. Apart from the sales I wanted to take a deep look into the Business Process of Jamkash Vehicleades so that it could help me in getting the better idea and insight of the business environment, how automobile companies generate their revenue. CHAPTER-2 COMPANY PROFILE JAMKASH VEHICLEADES (KASHMIR) PVT. LTD GENERAL INTRODUCTION:Jamkash Vehicleades is a unique and pioneering organisation working for near about a decad e in the valley with the maximum market share in its’ basket of achievements. It emerged to sell and serve the society with the quality products in Automobile sector initially in JAMMU ; KASHMIR. Jamkash Vehicleades is getting a number of opportunities and experiencing certain challenges in recent times. The opportunities include heavy demand for its services from other states and growing interest on the part of many locations to have E-outlets in those locations as well.To meet these demands and harness opportunities Jamkash Vehicleades moved to national and has opened new E-outlets at different locations recently. The challenges include; sustain and retain the higher position in the competitive market and create maximum employment opportunities for the local people. Another challenge is to compete with the competitors’ new product designs, quality services and promotional tools. BRIEF HISTORY * Jamkash Vehicleades, Kashmir is an authorized dealership of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. * It Commenced business on 8th Aug 2003.Since then it has been providing best services to its customers. * In order to further reach to the rural customers of the Valley, it was the first dealership in J ; K to open E-outlets at Baramullah and Kupwara. * The Vehicleades Group is spread across 4 states (J;K, Punjab, Himachal and New Delhi) and 17 locations. * It sells more than 16,000 cars and services more than 125,000 cars annually. * Vehicleades is among the Top 5 Maruti dealers in the country. * Largest Dealer in Northern India. * It started  operations in 1987, with an employee strength of 15, which now stands at 2000 plus. The success is attributed to the loyal patronage of esteemed customers, supported by an excellent, dedicated team. Commitment towards Customer Care, time has been appreciated by MSIL, in the form of numerous awards. We say: ‘Think Maruti, Think Vehicleades' DEALERSHIPS Main Showroom * Jamkash Vehicleades, Hyderpora Byepass Srinagar, 2003 E -OUTLETS * Jamkash Vehicleades(Kmr), Baramullah (Opened on 1st Nov 2006, Average sale of 100 Vehicles, Showing tremendous growth YOY, inspite of being location susceptible to Militancy and frequent shutdowns) * Jamkash Vehicleades(Kmr), Kupwara Opened on 1st Aug 2009, Average sale of 30 Vehicles, Covering very difficult and terrorism infested areas. ) UP COMING OUTLETS * Jamkash Vehicleades(Kmr), Ganderbal * Jamkash Vehicleades(Kmr), Magam * Jamkash Vehicleades(Kmr), Bandipora CEO/MD of Jamkash Vehicleades (KMR) Pvt. Ltd. MR. IRFAN AHMAD NARWAROO * He was born in 1964, of an engineer father, and a Doctor mother. * He has done his engineering from National Institute of Technology (NIT), earlier REC. * Area of specialization was Civil engineering. Professionally, he started out as an embedded engineer, but his move into automobile industry has an interesting story behind it. It was soon after he finished his final exams in the year 1988, he along with his friends was selected for the Team Gypsy which was a rally programme of Maruti Udyog in collaboration with J;K Tourism. * At that time, there was no idea about the rallies; it was just that how to drive a car. In that rally, he achieved 3rd national rank and when he came back, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, the then Chief Minister appreciated the team and even took them along to Delhi. He made us to participate in couple of more rallies and in the same year, we again bagged 3rd National rank. † * That was the turning point of his life, when he achieved the same rank twice and at that time, he decided that he should carve his future in the automobile sector. He was given an authorization letter by Maruti Udyog to start an automobile centre. Jamkash Vehicleades, Hyderpora, Byepass, Srinagar Table 1 AWARDS ; ACCOLADES All India Dealers Conference Held At Pattaya, Thailand 2012BEST SERVICE AWARD BEST E-OUTLET IN THE COUNTRYAll India Dealers Conference Held At Macau In 2010 | | BEST CUSTOMER RETENTION| HIGHEST GROWTH ON HIGH BASE| | BEST SHOWROOM E – OUTLET (RUNNER UP)| | BEST SALES SATISFACTION FOR CITY| | BEST MARKETING INITIATIVES| All India Dealer Conference Held At Bangkok In 2009 | Fy-2008-2009 | | BEST PERFORMANCE IN SPECIAL SCHEMES BY A DEALER| | BEST EMPLOYEE RETENTION(RUNNER-UP)| | HIGHEST NO. OF M 800 SOLD| | HIGHEST GROWTH IN ALL MODEL DESPATCH| | HIGHEST GROWTH IN CLUB 500 DEALERS| All India Dealer Conference Held At Istanbul Turkey In 2008 | Fy-2007-2008 | | EXCELLENCE IN SALES(10000+ CLUB)| | EXCELLENCE IN SPARES PARTS HIGHEST MGA OFFTAKE PER VEHICLE(;8000 VEHICLES)| | EXCELLENCE IN SALES HIGHEST NO OF M800 SOLD| EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE-INNOVATIVE SERVICE   MARKETING| | EXCELLENCE IN MARKETING-MOST CONSISTENT ADVERTISING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR| All India Dealer Conference Held At Athens Greece In 2007 | Fy-2006-2007 | | BEST PERFORMANCE SPECIAL SCHEMES (RUNNER-UP)| | BEST MI PERORMANCE N2| | BEST PERFORMANCE IN RURAL MARKETING| COMPETITORS OF JAMKASH 1. Peaks Auto Pvt Ltd: MARUTI SUZUKI 7. Fairdeal Motors: TATA, Fiat 2. HIGHLAND : MARUTI SUZUKI8. K. C Motors: Chevrolet 3. K. C HYUNDAI: Hyundai 4. Ford : Ford 6. Ansari Toyota : Toyota DEPARTMENTS AT JAMKASH VEHICLEADESThere are ten departments in the organization: Admin HR SalesMarketing Service True Value Accessories Customer Care Insurance Maruti Driving School (MDS) BRIEF PERFORMANCE * Harnessed the huge potential of Kashmir market and started with an average sale of 250 vehicles and servicing load of 950. * Now selling on an average 400 vehicles and servicing load of 3800 vehicles. * Tie-ups with seven leading Insurance Companies. 1. National Insurance 2. New India Insurance 3. Bajaj Alliance 4. Royal Sundaram 5. Iffco Tokyo General Insurance . ICICI Lombard 7. Chola Mandalam * Excellent performance inspite of Kashmir problem, Terrorism and virtually a brokers Heaven. TRUE VALUE: Monthly Purchase: 30 – 40 vehicles (on average) Sale : 40 – 50 vehicles (on average) INSURANCE: INSURANCE: Month ly 2000 – 2500 cars are insured on average. PREMIUM: Rs. 1. 25 crore as total premium is paid to Insurance companies. CLAIMS: 700 claims/ month are entertained which costs Rs. 70 lacs. Cashless Facility: Under which only depreciation amount has to be paid by the customer at the time of claim. TABLE 2ANNUAL SALES OF JAMKASH FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS YEAR| RETAILS of cars (in numbers) | April 2007 – March 2008| 3516 cars| 2008 – 2009| 3431 | 2009 – 2010| 3331| 2010 – 2011| 3979| 2011 – 2012| 3781| April – May 2012| 635| TABLE 3 ANNUAL PURCHASE AND SALES IN TRUE VALUE YEAR| PURCHASES| SALES| April 2007 – March 2008| 226| 220| 2008 – 2009| 191| 186| 2009 – 2010| 257| 242| 2010 – 2011| 303| 296| 2011 – 2012| 394| 374| April – May 2012| -| -| TABLE 4 Exchange Penetration Rate* at Jamkash in TRUE VALUE YEAR| %age| April 2007 – March 2008| 6. 02%| 2008 – 2009| 5. 99%| 009 – 2010| 10 . 92%| 2010 – 2011| 7. 04%| 2011 – 2012| 12. 25%| * Exchange Penetration: Customers sell their old cars to TRUE VALUE and buy new cars. CUSTOMER RETENTION Meaning: Customer Retention  is the activity that a selling organization undertakes in order to reduce customer defections. Successful customer retention starts with the first contact an organisation has with a customer and continues throughout the entire lifetime of a relationship. For that Jamkash Vehicleades organises different events, programs and customer meetings to build a lifelong relationship. e. g. Drawing Competition between Children of existing customers * Customers Meeting Day * Gift Ceremony * Teachers Day * Environment Day etc. How customers are retained in Jamkash Vehicleades Pvt. Ltd. * 72 Hr. ’s Post Sales Follow up * Internal Feedback Card * 15 Days Post Sales Follow up * 20 Days Home Visit * Organize Different types of Events day to day * Organize Customer Meets every month with different themes * If any complaint, resolution within 2-3 days with a proper format. * Average resolution time (ART) ;;; as less as possible * CC/1000 analysed on the monthly basisEVENTS ; PROGRAMS FOR CUSTOMER RETENTION AT JAMKASH VEHICLEADES Customers Meeting Customers Meeting Teachers Day Teachers Day Gift Ceremony Gift Ceremony Drawing Competition Drawing Competition CHAPTER-3 INDUSTRY PROFILE OVERVIEW OF AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY Car manufacturing in India first began in late 1940s. Earlier a couple of cars made by foreign technology were manufactured in India. But now, cars made my Indian car manufacturers dominate the business. | |The future of car manufacturing in India is bright. Sensing this, foreign car manufacturers like Ford, Toyota, Hyundai, Suzuki, Honda and Skoda are spreading their base in the country. Domestic car manufacturers have also contributed to the growth of the automobile industry in India. REASONS OF GROWTH Economic liberalization, increase in per capita income, variou s tax relief policies, easy accessibility of finance, launch of new models and exciting discount offers made by dealers all together have resulted in to a stupendous growth of Indian Automobile industry. MARKET SHAREAutomobile industry of India can be broadly classified under passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, three wheelers and two wheelers, with two wheelers having a maximum market share of more than 75%. Automobile companies of India, Korea, Europe and Japan have a significant hold on the Indian market share. Tata Motors produces maximum numbers of mid and large size commercial vehicles, holding more that 60% of the market share. Motorcycles top the charts of two wheelers with Hero Honda being the key player. Bajaj by far is the number one manufacturer of three wheelers in India.Passenger vehicle section is majorly ruled by the car manufacturers capturing over 82% of the total market share. Maruti since long has been the biggest car manufacturer and holds more that 50% of t he entire market. Global recession has impacted the Indian automobile industry also and can be seen clearly in the sales figures of the last financial year. Even then this industry has high hopes in 2009-2010; as banks have reduced loan interest rates and the major chunk of automobile customers belong to the middle income group who are becoming economically stronger with every passing day.POPULAR CAR MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA * Maruti Suzuki Ltd. : This is the first automobile company in the world to have an ISO 9000:2000 certificate. It has a joint venture with Suzuki Motor Corporation. The popular models of this group are Maruti 800, Alto, Swift, Wagon-R and Zen. * General Motors India: This global leader entered the Indian market as a joint venture with the C. K. now it is a fully owned subsidiary of the Birla Group. This group has also introduced cars like Chevrolet Optra and Chevrolet Tavera (MUV) in India. * Ford India Ltd. : It was originally an American company.It entered the I ndian market in the year 1988 and launched Ford Escort. The Ford Ikon launched in 2001 was a successful car in India. Other brands of Ford like Ford Fusion, Ford Fiesta, Ford Mondeo and Ford Endeavour also gained popularity in India. * Tata Motors Limited: It is India's largest automobile company, the largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, the second largest passenger car manufacturer in India and the fifth largest medium and heavy commercial vehicle manufacturer in the world. The popular brands of the company are Tata Indica, Tata Indigo, Tata Sumo and Tata Safari.Tata Nano: Recently Tata Motors launched India’s cheapest car Tata Nano in one lakh rupees. * Toyota Kirloskar Motor Ltd: With a joint venture with Toyota Motor Corporation Japan, the Kirloskar Group of India holds 89% equity of the company. The most popular brands of this group in India are Camry, Corolla, Prado and Innova * Fiat India Private Ltd: The Fiat India that belongs to the Fiat Auto Spa group of Italy gives world-class cars to the country. This group has entered the motor vehicle sector more than one hundred years ago and has earned fame not only in India, but also abroad.Besides ‘Uno', which is Europe's favorite car for the last two decades, the brands like Palio, Petra and Adventure have also become famous. * Hindustan Motors: This flagship company of the C. K. Birla Group was established by Mr. B. M. Birla. Some of the most popular brands of this car manufacturer are Ambassador, Contessa and Mitsubishi Lancer. Other remarkable brands of this company are Trekker, Porter and Pushpak. * Hyundai Motor India Ltd: Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is not only the second largest car manufacturer in India, but is also the fastest growing among the car manufacturers in India.The popularity of Santro, Getz, Accent, Elantra, Sonata Embera and Tuscon is proof of its success. The company is an ISO 14001. Maruti Suzuki India Limited is a publicly listed automaker in India. It is a le ading four-wheeler automobile manufacturer in South Asia. Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan holds a majority stake in the company. It was the first company in India to mass-produce and sell more than a million cars. It is largely credited for having brought in an automobile revolution to India. It is the market leader in India and on 17 September 2007, Maruti Udyog was renamed Maruti Suzuki India Limited.PROFILE Maruti Suzuki plant in Gurgaon Maruti Suzuki is one of India's leading automobile manufacturers and the market leader in the car segment, both in terms of volume of vehicles sold and revenue earned. Until recently, 18. 28% of the company was owned by the Indian government, and 54. 2% by Suzuki of Japan. The Indian government held an initial public offering of 25% of the company in June 2003. As of May 10, 2007, Govt. of India sold its complete share to Indian financial institutions. With this, Govt. of India no longer has stake in Maruti Udyog.Maruti Udyog Limited (MUL) was established in February 1981, though the actual production commenced in 1983 with the Maruti 800, based on the Suzuki Alto kei car which at the time was the only modern car available in India, its' only competitors- the Hindustan Ambassador and Premier Padmini were both around 25 years out of date at that point. Through 2004, Maruti has produced over 5 Million vehicles. Maruti’s are sold in India and various several other countries, depending upon export orders. Cars similar to Maruti’s (but not manufactured by Maruti Udyog) are sold by Suzuki and manufactured in Pakistan and other South Asian countries.The company annually exports more than 50,000 cars and has an extremely large domestic market in India selling over 730,000 cars annually. Maruti 800, till 2004, was the India's largest selling compact car ever since it was launched in 1983. More than a million units of this car have been sold worldwide so far. Currently, Maruti Alto and Alto K10 tops the sales charts a nd Maruti Swift is the largest selling in A2 segment. Due to the large number of Maruti 800s sold in the Indian market, the term â€Å"Maruti† is commonly used to refer to this compact car model.Till recently the term â€Å"Maruti†, in popular Indian culture, was associated to the Maruti 800 model. Maruti Suzuki India Limited, a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan, has been the leader of the Indian car market for over two decades. It’s manufacturing facilities are located at two facilities Gurgaon and Manesar south of New Delhi. Maruti’s Gurgaon facility has an installed capacity of 350,000 units per annum. The Manesar facilities, launched in February 2007 comprise a vehicle assembly plant with a capacity of 100,000 units per year and a Diesel Engine plant with an annual capacity of 100,000 engines and transmissions.Manesar and Gurgaon facilities have a combined capability to produce over 700,000 units annually. More than half the cars sold in India are Maruti cars. The company is a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan, which owns 54. 2 per cent of Maruti. The rest is owned by the public and financial institutions. It is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange in India. During 2007-08, Maruti Suzuki sold 764,842 cars, of which 53,024 were exported. In all, over six million Maruti cars are on Indian roads since the first car was rolled out on December 14, 1983.Vision The leader in the India Automobile Industry, Creating Customer Delight and Shareholder’s Wealth; A pride of India† We must be an internationally competitive company in terms of our products and services. We must retain our leadership in India and should also aspire to be among the global players. Mission To provide a wide range of modern, high quality fuel efficient vehicles in order to meet the need of different customers, both in domestic and export markets. To provide maximum value for money to their customers through continuous improvement of products and services.Maruti has a network of 391 sales outlets across 230 cities all over India. The service network covers 1,113 towns and cities, bolstered by 2,142 authorized service outlets. The company's change in strategy and emphasis on developing effective marketing communications was their highlights. Mr. Shinzo Nakanishi MD ; CEO Mr. D. S. Brar Director Mr. R. C. Bhargava Chairman Mr. Mavinder Singh Banga Director Mr. Tsuneo Ohashi Director Mr. Keiichi Asai Director Mr. Shinzo Nakanishi MD ; CEO Mr. D. S. Brar Director Mr. R. C. Bhargava Chairman Mr. Mavinder Singh Banga Director Mr.Tsuneo Ohashi Director Mr. Keiichi Asai Director MANAGING BODY PRODUCTS Maruti Suzuki offers 16 models of cars: 1. Maruti 800 2. Omni 3. Alto 4. Wagon R 5. A Star 6. Versa 7. Ritz 8. Gypsy 9. Zen Estilo 10. Ertiga 11. Swift 12. Swift Dzire 13. Eeco 14. SX4 15. Grand Vitara 16. Kizashi Swift, Swift Dzire, A star and SX4 are manufactured in Manesar, Grand Vitara imported from Japan as a completely built unit (CBU), remaining all models are manufactured in Maruti Suzuki's Gurgaon Plant. Suzuki Motor Corporation, the parent company, is a global leader in mini and compact cars for three decades.Suzuki’s technical superiority lies in its ability to pack power and performance into a compact, lightweight engine that is clean and fuel efficient. Maruti is clearly an â€Å"employer of choice† for automotive engineers and young managers from across the country. Nearly 75,000 people are employed directly by Maruti and its partners. FACILITIES Indian Four Wheeler Industry The Four-Wheeler Industry in India has not quite matched up to the performance of its counterparts in other parts of the world. The primary reason for this has been the all-pervasive regulatory atmosphere prevailing till the opening up of the industry in the mid-1990s.The various layers of legislative Acts sheltered the industry from external competition for a long tim e. Moreover, the industry was considered low-priority as cars were thought of as unaffordable luxury†. Post Liberalization, the car market in India have been in a burgeoning stage with all types of cars flooding the market in order to meet the demands of Indian customers who are increasingly exposed to state of the world automobiles and want the best when it comes to purchasing a car. It is expected that by 2030, the Indian car market will be the 3rd largest car market across the globe.The main encouraging factors for the success story of the car market in India are the increase in the opportunity for new investments, the rise in the GDP rate, the growing per capita income, massive population, and high ownership capacity. The liberalization policies followed by the Indian government had been inviting foreign players to participate in the car market in India. The recent trend within the new generation to get work in the software based sector has led to the rise in the income le vel and change in the lifestyle significantly, which has further led to the increase in the demand for luxurious cars among them.The car Market in India is crowded with all varieties of car models like the small cars, mid-size cars, luxury cars, super luxury cars, and sports utility vehicles. Initially the most popular car model dominating the Car Market in India was the Ambassador, which however today gave way to numerous new models like Hyundai, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Bentley and many others. Moreover, there are many other models of cars in the pipeline, to be launched in the car market in India. Some of the leading brands dominating the car market in India at present are Hindustan Motors, Reva Electric Car Co. Fiat India Private Ltd. , Daimler Chrysler India Private Ltd, Ford India Ltd. , Honda Siel Cars India Ltd. , General Motors India, Hyundai Motors India Ltd. , Skoda Auto India Private Ltd. , and Toyota Kirloskar Motor Ltd. Since the demand for foreign cars are increasin g with time, big brands like Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Rolls-Royce have long since made a foray into the Indian car market. Facts about Indian Car Market: Although the Indian automobile industry has come a long way since the deregulation in 1993, India does not rank well among its global eers in many respects, viz. , the contribution of the sector to industrial output, number of cars per person, employment by the sector as a percentage of industrial employment, number of months' income required to purchase a car, and penetration of cars. Figure:- Passenger vehicle stock per 100 people India is far behind from other countries with just 6. 9 cars per 100 persons, while Unites States has 76. 9 cars on per 100 persons. Among developing countries, Russia also stands ahead than India and China with 16. 3 cars per 100 persons.Two things that stunted growth of the Indian automobile industry in the past have been low demand and lack of vision on the part of the or iginal equipment manufacturers (OEMs). However, the demand has picked up after the liberalization of the regulatory environment, and global OEMs who enjoy scale economies both in terms of manufacturing and research and development (R;D) entered the Indian market. This has resulted in a significant shift in the way business is conducted by suppliers, assemblers and marketers. CHAPTER-4 SCOPE OF WORK SCOPE OF WORK: The scope of the study was limited to the Head office: at Hyderpora Byepass Srinagar, ; Not for * Regional offices: at Baramullah, Kupwara and * Recently started E-outlets: at Ganderbal, Bandipora, and Magam. This study will definitely help me in gaining the experience and getting the exposure of the Real Corporate World and lastly it will help me in achieving some mastery over the marketing. CHAPTER-5 OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT WORK OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT: 1. 1 PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: * To get familiar with ‘How the Corporate works’ * To study about the Organizati on climate. * To study the overall Business Process of Jamkash Vehicleades. To analyse the organisation’s current position in the competitive market. 1. 2 SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: * To gain the experience and get the exposure of the Real Corporate World. * To make the study a success for the organisation in bringing some positive change. * To forward the complaints of customers to Service Manager and CRM. * To know the expectations and suggestions of the customers towards improvements in the car and after sale service. * To know the satisfaction level of employees as well as customers of Jamkash Vehicleades. CHAPTER-6 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 6. 1 WHAT IS RESEARCH?Research is creative work undertaken systematically to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of humanity, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications. It is used to establish or confirm facts, reaffirm the results of previous work, solve new or existing problems, sup port  theorems, or develop new  theories. A research project may also be an expansion on past work in the field. To test the validity of instruments, procedures, or experiments, research may replicate elements of prior projects, or the project as a whole.The primary purposes of   basic research are documentation,  discovery,  interpretation, or the  research and development  of methods and systems for the advancement of human  knowledge. Approaches to research depend on  epistemologies, which vary considerably both within and between humanities and sciences. There are several forms of research: scientific, humanities, artistic, economic, social, business, etc. 6. 2 MEANING: Research in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge. Research can also be defined as a scientific search for pertinent information on a specific topic.In fact, research is an art of scientific investigation. Some people consider research a movement from known to the unknown. It is actua lly a voyage of discovery. 6. 3 DEFINITION: A broad definition of research is given by Martin Shuttle Worth – â€Å"In the broadest sense of the word, the definition of research includes any gathering of data, information and facts for the advancement of knowledge. † Another definition of research is given by Creswell who states – â€Å"Research is a process of steps used to collect and analyse information to increase our understanding of a topic or issue†.It consists of three steps: Pose a question, collect data to answer the question, and present an answer to the question. The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines research in more detail as â€Å"a studious inquiry or examination; especially   : investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws†. 6. 4 WHAT IS RESEARCH METHODOLOG Y? Methodology  is generally a guideline system for solving a problem, with specific components such as phases, tasks, methods, techniques and tools.It can be defined also as follows: 1. â€Å"the  analysis  of the principles of methods, rules, and postulates employed by a discipline† 2. â€Å"the systematic study of methods that are, can be, or have been applied within a discipline† 3. â€Å"the study or description of methods†. A methodology can be considered to include multiple methods, each as applied to various facets of the whole scope of the methodology. The research can be divided between two parts; they are qualitative research and quantitative research. 6. 5 RESEARCH PROCESS:Research is often conducted using the hourglass model structure of research. The hourglass model starts with a broad spectrum for research, focusing in on the required information through the method of the project (like the neck of the hourglass), then expands the research in the form of discussion and results. The major steps in conducting research are: * IDENTIFICATION OF RESEARCH PROBLEM * LITERATURE REVIEW * SPECIFYING THE PURPOSE OF RESEARCH * DETERMINE SPECIFIC RESEARCH QUESTIONS OR HYPOTHESES * DATA COLLECTION * ANALYSING AND INTERPRETING THE DATA * REPORTING AND EVALUATING RESEARCHThe steps generally represent the overall process; however they should be viewed as an ever-changing process rather than a fixed set of steps. Most researches begin with a general statement of the problem, or rather, the purpose for engaging in the study. The literature review identifies flaws or holes in previous research which provides justification for the study. Often, a literature review is conducted in a given subject area before a research question is identified. A gap in the current literature, as identified by a researcher, then engenders a research question. The research question may be parallel to the hypothesis.The hypothesis is the supposition to be tested . The researcher(s) collects data to test the hypothesis. The researcher(s) then analyses and interprets the data via a variety of statistical methods, engaging in what is known as  Empirical research. The results of the data analysis in confirming or failing to reject the  Null hypothesis  are then reported and evaluated. At the end the researcher may discuss avenues for further research. Methodology Under the methodology, the first challenge was to choose a framework and accordingly choose the other criteria like data sources and tools to collect the data. ) Framework Used for Organisational Understanding There are several frameworks, which can be applied to study organisation climate. Some of these are * Litwin ; Stringer, (1968)- organisational attribute approach * Schneider and Barlett (1968,1970)-individual attribute approach Litwin ; Stringer, (1968) has given a macro perspective of analysing the organisation. According to them, â€Å"Climate can be defined as the perc eived attributes of an organisation and its sub-systems as reflected in the way an organisation deals with its members, groups and issues†.The emphasis is on perceived attributes and the working of sub-systems. This frame work emphasises on motivational linkages and seems to be quite relevant for studying organisational climate. Litwin ; Stringer, (1968) Model: A brief†¦ The framework considers six motives relevant for organisational climate. 1. Achievement – this motive is characterised by concern for excellence competition against standards set by others or by oneself, the setting of challenging goals for oneself, awareness of the obstacles that might be encountered in attempting to achieve these goals, and persistence in trying alternative paths to one’s goals. . Influence – this motive is characterised by a concern for making an impact on the others, a desire to make people do what one thinks is right and an urge to change situations and develop p eople. 3. Control – this is characterised by a concern for orderliness, a desire to be and stay informed, an urge to monitor events and to make corrective action when needed, and a need to display personal power. 4. Extension – this is characterised by a concern for others, interest in super ordinate goals, and an urge to be relevant and useful to large groups, including society as a whole. . Dependency – This motive is characterised by a desire for the assistance of the others in developing oneself, a need to check with significant others (those who are more knowledgeable or have a higher status, experts, close associates and so on), a tendency to submit ideas or proposals for the approval, and an urge to maintain a relationship based on the other person’s approval. 6. Affiliation – this is characterised by a concern for the establishing and maintaining close personal relationships, and emphasis on friendship, and a tendency to express one’ s emotions.Schneider and Barlett (1968, 1970)-individual attribute approach Schneider and Barlett view organisational climate as perceptual as well as an individual attribute. Climate in this approach is viewed as summary or global perception held by individuals about their organisational environment. Some of them are encompassed by the work environment scale developed by Moos in 1994. It includes various broad dimensions like Involvement, Co-worker, Cohesion, Supervisor Support, Autonomy, Task Orientation, Work Pressure, Clarity, Managerial Control, Innovation, Physical Comfort and others.The summary perceptions of all the individuals taken together reflect an interaction between personal and organisational characteristics, in which the individual by forms climate perceptions. This paper basically tries to understand the organisation on the basis of individual attribute approach. b) Data sources and tools used 1. Primary Sources: Primary sources of data included interactions with C EO, regional managers, employees, field staff and telephonic interviews with ex-employees. Tool used: * Structured Questionnaire * Interaction with the EmployeesConducting Organisational Climate study required the preparation of a detailed questionnaire which could capture all possible areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction of employees. For this I circulated questionnaires to all Jamkash Vehicleade’s employees and mentioned the objectives of my study. I highlighted some points which could help employees in knowing about the importance of organisational Climate study. This was to create awareness among the employees about the study being conducted and how important their participation is, to make the study a success for the organisation in bringing some positive change.The questionnaire included 24+12 questions on separate topics (Annexure 1- Part One ; Part Two). There were questions on a 5 point scale, where 1 was the least satisfaction level and 5 was the most satisfact ion level. There were also some open ended questions and objectives (Yes/No) questions. The questionnaire was tailor made to meet the needs of the organisation. Questions on HR issues formed major part of the survey. I personally met with all Jamkash Vehicleades employees requested them to fill it on the spot. Receptivity to participating in the survey varied tremendously.Since the process was confidential most of the employees still did not want to mention their names/ positions. However some of them freely gave their responses. To understand the organisation climate from a macro perspective I mostly interacted with the senior staff and CEO of the organisation. In order to understand the group dynamics I attended the various training programs organised at various clusters where I met many officials and beneficiaries and tried to get a holistic understanding of the organization in which few dynamic personalities were: Mr. Owais Ahmad Rather (Human Resource Manager)Mr. Mushtaq Ahmad Wani (Institutional sales Manager) Mr. Peer Firdous Ahmad (DGM Marketing ; Sales) Mr. Irfan Ahmad Parray (Sr. Marketing Manager) Mr. Sajjad Ahmad (Deputy General Manager, Marketing) and many distinguished personalities. In the process, personally I also met with all employees of the organisation and interacted with them. 2. Secondary sources: The major sources of secondary data were the documents and records of the organization, the annual reports and the literature review. CHAPTER-7 DATA ANALYSIS ; INTERPRETATION Part-I Business Process OfJamkash Vehicleades FOR SALES 1. Were the following things available at Jamkash Showroom? Tick Yes/ No. Particulars| Yes| No| Product Information:| 20| -| Price List:| 20| -| Broachers/ Catalogues:| 17| 3| Display Car:| 16| 4| Friendly Environment:| 14| 6| Proper Seating Arrangement:| 20| -| Interpretation: Overall maximum number of customers agree with the statement that all the things were available at Jamkash Showroom. It can be understood from the analysis that Jamkash is progressing and winning the hearts of the customers through new innovations and attractive tools. . Was the test drive of your car readily available at Jamkash? Options| Results| Yes| 12| No| 8| Total| 20| Interpretation: Out of the total sample size 60% said that the test drive of their vehicle was available at Jamkash Vehicleades. However, the remaining 40% had not taken a test drive. The reason being; they had purchased their vehicles during the time of protests and strikes in Kashmir Valley. So it was not possible to give a test drive of the vehicles freely. 3. Was the car delivered to you at the promised date and time? Options| Results| Yes| 17|No| 3| Total| 20 | Interpretation: Majority of the customers are happy for car delivery on time 85% of the customers agree with the statement. However only 15% don’t agree with this. The reason might be strikes and protests at the time of delivery of the vehicle. 4. How would you rate the overall Jamk ash’s Sales Executives ; Insurance Executives about product knowledge, behaviour, and approach till the delivery of your new car? Particulars| Results| | Excellent| 6| | Good| 11| | Average| 3| | Bad| -| | Very Bad| -| | Total| 20| | Interpretation:Overall maximum customers rated the Jamkash Staff and executives as good. Some rated them as excellent while some rated as average. 55% rated as Good, 30% rated as excellent, and 15% rated them as average. It can be imagined and realised that no customer rated the Jamkash executives as bad or very bad; it clearly states that the employees of Jamkash Vehicleades are very much experienced and knowledgeable without giving any chance of complaint to customer(s). 5. Do you think that the time taken for service / repair was sufficient / reasonable? Options| Results| Yes| 17| No| 3|Total| 20| Interpretation: Jamkash Vehicleades is considered as No. 1. Service provider in the whole valley. It is the only dealership in the whole valley that has its’ service centres in other districts also. So the organization has covered the maximum market of the valley. From the survey it was found that 80% of the customers were satisfied with the service of Jamkash Vehicleades. Exception is of only few customers which will not be considered. FOR SERVICE 6. At the time of the delivery of serviced car, was the Service Advisor present? Options| Results| Yes| 15| No| 5|Total| 20| Interpretation: After purchasing a vehicle, at the time of delivery, presence of service advisor is very important. He makes the customer aware about Do’s ; Don’ts and gives him all the necessary information about the service timings and generally trains him for minor repairs of the vehicle himself in case of emergency. 75% said that the Service Advisor was present at time of delivery. Only 25% do not agree with this. 7. Did you receive any phone call from Jamkash before and after servicing of your vehicle? Options| Results| Yes| 20| No| -| Total| 20| Interpretation:Jamkash Vehicleades is very much effective in follow-ups of the customers. It is one of the tools for Customer Retention. For that Jamkash customer care calls the customer before and after the service to make them aware about the servicing dates and other issues. From the data collected after survey it was seen that the customer follow-up process is 100% done fairly ; effectively at Jamkash. 8. Are you satisfied after servicing your car at Jamkash Vehicleades’ workshop? Options| Results| Yes| 16| No| 4| Total| 20| Interpretation: 80% of the customers are satisfied with the services of Jamkash Vehicleades.The reason behind that is: Jamkash is having qualified and experienced workforce in the concerned departments; Workshop, Body Shop as well as front office where claims are entertained. 9. How would you rate the overall Jamkash’s Workforce ; Service Supervisor/Advisor about product knowledge, behaviour, and approach till the delivery of your s erviced car? Particulars| Results| | Excellent| 7| | Good| 11| | Average| 2| | Bad| -| | Very Bad| -| | Total| 20| | Interpretation: Maximum customers of Jamkash rated the workforce and Service Advisor as good.Some rated them as excellent while some rated as average. 55% rated as Good, 35% rated as excellent, and 10% rated them as average. It clearly states that the workforce of Jamkash Vehicleades is very much experienced and educated in their field without giving any chance of complaint to customer(s). ? 10. Have you planned to repurchase a car from Jamkash Vehicleades in future again? Options| Results| Yes| 10| No| 10| Total| 20| Interpretation: As such every customer of Jamkash is satisfied with its Quality sale and Service. But the 50% of them have not decided to repurchase the new car from Jamkash only.The reason might be the best deigns and offers given by the competitors can deviate the attention of the customers from MARUTI products. 11. Any Complaints/ Suggestions: i Time taken for servicing the vehicle should be reduced. ii Approval of car loan should be done very quickly. iii Documentation Process should be done very fast. iv Some discounts and offers should be given also on services. v As such there is no problems with the servicing but the time taken is much so number of workers and mechanics should be increased to distribute the workload and get the customer’s car serviced quickly. i Complaints or grievances of the customers should be addressed and resolved immediately to save the precious time of the customers. Part-II Organizational Climate Study HR POLICY: Q. 1. The recruitment process at Jamkash Vehicleades is fair? Options| Results| Yes| 26| No| 4| Total| 30| Interpretation: The recruitment process at Jamkash Vehicleades is very fair as 87 % of the employees of the organization agree with the statement. Whereas from the 13% of the employees who were against the statement I asked the reason, they replied that the recruitment process t akes place on the personal reference basis in Jamkash.However from the survey it is clear that the major number of the employees is in favour of the statement and thus the recruitment process at Jamkash Vehicleades will be considered as fair. Q. 2. Have you been given the HR Manual, its hardcopy/ softcopy? Options| Results| HR Manual Given| 13| HR Manual Not Given| 17| Total| 30| Options| Results| HR Manual Read| 9| HR Manual Not Read| 21| Total| 30| Interpretation: From the survey it was seen that only 43% of the employees have been given the HR Manual whereas the major number of employees i. e. 7%, have not received the same. Among the receivers only 9 persons (30%) have read it and the rest 70% are not aware of it. Although the majority of the employees are not aware about the HR manual and the Rules therein but still I found the good Co-ordination and Co-operation among the employees and all the processes were going on very smoothly. It is because all the employees belong to rel igious families. Q. 3. Are you satisfied with your current working conditions in Jamkash Vehicleades? Options| Results| Yes| 19| No| 11| Total| 30| Interpretation:Jamkash Vehicleades has set its own example of its Quality Sale ; Service and has covered the maximum market share in the whole valley. It could be imagined that the employees of Jamkash are hardworking and dedicated. Survey has brought in front, the responses of the employees of Jamkash regarding their satisfaction level in the organization. 63% of the employees are satisfied with the current working environment of Jamkash Vehicleades. Whereas 37% of the employees reasoned their dissatisfaction that they are not satisfied with the salary and other benefits. Q. 4.I am aware about the insurance, income tax and provident fund policies of the organization: Options| Results| Yes| 22| No| 8| Total| 30| Interpretation: Maximum number of employees at Jamkash Vehicleades are very well aware about their insurance, income tax and pr ovident fund policies. As per the survey conducted it was found that 73% employees are aware about it and only 27% are not. The reason of the latter might be that they are new to the organization recruited recently and have not got enough information so immediately. Column1| Column2| 1. Strongly disagree| 6| 2. Disagree| 3| 3. Neither agree nor disagree| 4| . Agree| 13| 5. Strongly agree| 4| Total| 30| ENVIRONMENT: Q. 5. My work area offers me clean, comfortable, supportive and well organised working environment: Interpretation: 44% of the employees agree with the statement that their working environment is clean, comfortable and well organized. If we combine the above data we get that 57% are in favour of the statement and only 30% are against. Only 13% neither agree nor disagree with the statement that means they find their places clean and comfortable sometimes and sometimes not. Q. 6. My work environment is unclean and stressful: Ranking| Results| 1.Strongly disagree| 6| 2. Disa gree| 5| 3. Neither agree nor disagree| 9| 4. Agree| 5| 5. Strongly agree| 5| Total| 30| 66% disagree 66% disagree Interpretation: From the data it is clear that 66% of the staff disagree with the statement as they find their work place and surrounding environment clean, comfortable and unstressful. Jamkash Vehicleades has recruited the sweepers for every department who frequently clean the work area with the latest technological sweeping equipments. Also every employee takes it as his responsibility to keep his work area and whole department clean ; good-looking. Q. 7.Innovations/new ways of doing things are appreciated and liked by team leaders: Ranking| Results| 1. Strongly disagree| 2| 2. Disagree| 9| 3. Neither agree nor disagree| 4| 4. Agree| 10| 5. Strongly agree| 5| Total| 30| Interpretation: Innovation and New Ideas are the keys for the success and growth of any organization. Jamkash Vehicleades also consider employee’s suggestions and ideas as an asset for the benef it of the organization. After survey it was found that 50% of the employees agree that their proposals of new ways of doing things and innovative ideas are appreciated by the team leaders and senior management.Whereas only 37% of the employees disagree with the statement. 13% of the employees are neutral in their response. MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS: Ranking| Results| 1. Strongly disagree| 3| 2. Disagree| 8| 3. Neither agree nor disagree| 2| 4. Agree| 12| 5. Strongly agree| 5| Total| 30| Q. 8. I can communicate easily ; effectively with senior management and forward my grievances/ complaints regarding my work: Interpretation: Communication means sending and receiving the information to and fro. The better the communication process the better would be the results thereafter.As if Jamkash Vehicleades has a very good communication system through which every employee can communicate with his colleagues and the senior management easily and forward his grievances / complaints. After the sur vey I also found that the maximum number of employees at Jamkash say that they can approach and communicate with the seniors easily in case of any difficulty. 57% agree with the statement, 37% disagree and only 6% are neutral. Q. 9. I am treated with respect by the management and acknowledge me for my contribution when organisations goals and objectives are achieved: Ranking| Results| 1. Strongly disagree| 4| 2. Disagree| 3| . Neither agree nor disagree| 5| 4. Agree| 11| 5. Strongly agree| 7| Total| 30| Interpretation: Respect is the key factor for job satisfaction in the organization. â€Å"Respect Others You Will Be Respected† is a true proverb, but in addition I want to say, â€Å"Respect Others and Get Things Done Easily†. If the seniors in the company give respect to their juniors/ subordinates they will in turn give more respect and better results afterwards and also will get satisfied with their job as their social need got fulfilled. Here at Jamkash Vehicleades also I found that each and every employee is being respected and honoured by the seniors.Not only this CEO Mr. Irfan Ahmad and General Manager Col. Ayoub Khan personally interact with the employees frequently and treat them with respect and honour. 60% of the employees of Jamkash Vehicleades agree that they are respected by seniors. Q. 10. Management keeps all the necessary resources ready for me at every time: Ranking| Results| 1. Strongly disagree| 4| 2. Disagree| 7| 3. Neither agree nor disagree| 5| 4. Agree| 11| 5. Strongly agree| 3| Total| 30| Interpretation: Management in Jamkash Vehicleades is very good and has satisfied the majority of employees’ population so far.The above data shows it clearly that 57% of the staff agree with the statement. Whereas, 36% of staff disagree and only 17% are neutral. COMPETENCY: Q. 11. I find my job Challenging: Ranking| Results| 1. Strongly disagree| 5| 2. Disagree| 3| 3. Neither agree nor disagree| 2| 4. Agree| 11| 5. Strongly agree| 6| Total| 30| Interpretation: Everybody wants to get a job that best suits him, in a well reputed company so as to satisfy his social and esteem needs. With such a vision and mission, Jamkash Vehicleades provides job opportunities for the local people.Majority of the people after selection found their job, work environment and the climate in the organization challenging ; on top level than other companies in the valley. 66% of the employees found their job as challenging; only 27% disagree with the statement. Q. 12. I have attended Staff Development Programmes