Kuhnian Model

KUHNIAN MODEL According to many science is a steady progression of accrual of new ideas but to Kuhn science was as a result of occasional revolutionary explosions of new knowledge whereby each revolution was triggered by introduction of new ways of thought that were so large that he called them paradigms. These paradigms according to Kuhn were supposed to generally recognize scientific achievements, present model problems and solutions for group of researchers. A paradigm is supposed to describe; * How the outcome of most scientific investigations should be interpreted. * What is to be observed and scrutinized? The kind of questions that are supposed to be asked and probed for answers in relation to this subject. The Kuhnian model consists of five main steps which include: * Prescience- it has no workable paradigm to guide its work successfully. * Normal science- it is a normal step where the field has a scientifically based model of understanding a paradigm that works * Model drift- here the model of understanding starts to drift. This is due to accumulation of anomalies and events the model cannot explain. * Model crisis- the previous step becomes so excessive the model is broken.It can therefore no longer serve as a reliable guide to problem solving. Any attempts to patch the model up to work will fail hence the field is in anguish. * Model revolution-it immediately becomes considerable when serious candidates for a new model emerge; it is referred as a revolution because the new model is so drastically poles apart from the previous one. * Paradigm change-here the field changes from the old to the new paradigm because a new one emerges. This new paradigm then becomes the normal science and the khunian model is complete. HOW IT WORKSThe new fields normally begin in prescience where they have begun to focus on a problem area but are not yet capable of making major advances. Working techniques that later provide a model of understanding eventually works hence t his will put the field in normal science step. In this step it takes longer. As time passes by new questions arise but the current model of understanding cannot answer this puts it in the model drift step. The model crisis step is reached later if the anomalies appear and the model cannot be patched up to explain them unfortunately it tends to fail due to guesswork and intuition.At long last the model revolution begins. It is a revolution because the new model is a new paradigm. It’s radically different from the old paradigm. This makes the believers in both paradigms not to communicate well. The paradigm change step begins when the new paradigm is settled on by a few influential supporters. After field transitions from the old to the new paradigm occur the old paradigm is sufficiently replaced and becomes the field’s new normal science. Guess what happens next? The cycle begins again because our knowledge about the world is never complete. References The structure of Scientific Revolutions- Thomas. S. Kuhn

Are Standardization from Enterprise Architecture

Are standardization and innovation in conflict? I have no doubt standardization and innovation are in conflict, at least to some extent, because standardization (almost by definition) reduces the amount of variation of processes or systems simultaneously used in a company. That is the whole point of standardization. If you reduce the variation allowed in the company, then necessarily you would lose some innovation â€Å"that could have happened†.I think if innovation is viewed in an evolutionary way, mass variation would be created by the local units focused on their individual needs and only the best innovations would e retained and scaled to the rest of the company. If all the companies departments are allowed to develop locally optimal solutions to their problems, certainly some of these variations will be better (at least for the unit) than by using a standardized software or technologies company-wide.To continue with the evolutionary theme, using any centrally dictated st andardized process would reduce the possible variation in which could be selected from the environment of each business unit. Think the better to view standardization vs.. Innovation as an inescapable trade-off. Does an enterprise architecture that allows a company to increase operational efficiency, ease of integration, reduce development costs, duplication of systems, simplify the acquisition of new modules, and sometimes vastly reduced maintenance costs worth some drop in the rate of innovation?I would argue that is absolutely worth it in in most instances. The key is to view this as an optimal trade-off where you can retain almost all of the innovation while also increasing standardization. An Enterprise Architecture that standardizes the types of technologies used across the many (PH/Dot. Net or Unix/Microsoft) is in the best interest of the company.When you intentionally limit the available options of each individual business units options (such as when Timber]jack decided to use Unix and that immediately removed many otherwise eligible companies) you are going to reduce the chance of finding the â€Å"perfect solution† for every possible module. Fortunately, most companies can settle on a â€Å"very good but not perfect† solution with any of the market leading platforms without getting a major drop in innovation.Agreeing on a standardized portfolio of technologies and processes, a company can then focus its resources on bringing new functionality to their users without wasting so many resources trying to hold together a Frankincense combination of dozens of systems, technologies and processes together that work â€Å"perfect† in isolation. Ultimately, using more resources on bringing new functionality will increase the total value of the IT department and the rate the department can innovate. Are Standardization from Enterprise Architecture and Innovation in Conflict? By Seasonableness

Why it is important to differentiate the curriculum for gifted Essay

Why it is important to differentiate the curriculum for gifted learners in schools - Essay Example (1993) identify the ten roles of the teacher as being, â€Å"director, facilitator, adviser, teacher, guide, critic, freedom giver, supporter, manager and examiner† (p.31-32). There are many other educational writers who suggest various other dimensions of teaching and the essential teaching skills within these dimensions. Kyriacou (1998) lists the essential teaching skills as â€Å"ethos, direct instruction, management of materials, guided practice, structured conversation, monitoring, management of order, planning and preparation and written evaluation† (p.6). These skills are imperative in the direction of gifted students in order to tailor the curriculum to their accelerated learning needs. This is why educators of the gifted value the benefits of ability grouping for advanced learners. The availability of some forms of homogeneous grouping for these learners has been strongly advocated by proponents of gifted education (Allan, 1991). Educators of the gifted are also concerned about a lack of emphasis on differentiated instruction for academic diversity in heterogeneous classrooms and reject a one-size-fits-all approach to educating students as varied as those who inhabit the average classroom. Thus, it is necessary to abandon these practices that homogenize instruction by permitting and in some cases, even encouraging a â€Å"one-size-fits-all† approach to instruction (Kaplan, 1979). Instead, it is necessary to emphasize appropriately differentiated instruction in heterogeneous classrooms In order to cater for giftedness, a curriculum must be developed which creates opportunities to optimize students’ potential (VanTassel-Baska, 1993). A goal in gifted education is to reach the ‘optimal match’ of curriculum with the needs of gifted students. (Hoekman, McCormick and Gross, 1999). Curriculum should be complex, fast-paced, rigorous and match the abilities and interests of gifted students (Gross, 1994,1997,2001, Sawyer, 1988, VanTassel-Baska, 88, 91, 92,

Relationship that Exist between Workers and their Bosses Essay

Relationship that Exist between Workers and their Bosses - Essay Example Lawson (2003) defines management control as a process during which the business management practitioners follow a systematic procedure to compare the performance against the set objectives to ensure that they do conform to the standards set by the organization. They are meant to ensure that the employers work in the most efficient manner, that the corporate resources are used in the most effective way, and that organizational objectives are achieved. The management is meant to set standards, measure actual performance, and solve problems (taking corrective actions). Therefore, the management control has the following stages: Planning – setting of the organizational objectives that are well understood and agreed upon, measurable in time, achievable, consistent, and require available resources Programming – setting up of strategies of achieving the set objectives, taking into accounts the restraints of the organization. Result checking – checking whether the set ob jectives of the organization have been achieved. ... Labor is the process by which nature and man participate in achieving a certain function. The man starts, regulates, and controls the actions that take place between the function and nature. Labor is taken to be human by supposition. At the end of every labor process, the result that is found corresponds to what already existed in imagination before the work started (Albert & Hahnel, n.d). Man’s activities during which the resources are used are, therefore, essential in the labor process. The process is accepted depending on the product manufactured at the end of the process. Art, for example, is the product of all the artistic work done by the artist, from the initial stages to the realization of the final product. Though products are a use value of the labor process, other products of the previous labor enter into the use value in the form of production. When taken from the perspective of process, a product is a subject of labor and also a means of production, qualifying lab or to be considered as productive. Young (1974) argues that unlike the extraction industries where the labor material is provided instantly by nature, industries have to convert raw materials through labor. Every product is realized after a series of processes takes place during transformation. All this transformation requires a supervisor, who has to offer services in the form of labor, so that a final product that conforms to the objectives is produced or realized. Raw materials being the primary subjects of a final product, they should be used by instruments of labor; these materials have to be used so that the end product can be realized. An example is petroleum that has to be used by an engine so that work and movement can be achieved in a vehicle; the raw products at the end cannot

Influence of (items choose from the requirement) on the culture of an Essay

Influence of (items choose from the requirement) on the culture of an organisation and the way in which employees are managed 2235 - Essay Example Moreover, organizations are nowadays more inclined towards horizontal structure such team as compared to the traditionally preferred vertical hierarchy (Jackson, Schuler, & Werner, 2009). Change trends and patterns have led to the increased emphasis on the effective management of people. With these changes and patterns at affect, academics and the practitioners have increased attention towards the developing systems for the effective management of working groups and teams (John, 2002). Importantly, as a consequence of the teams and working groups, organization also increases the chances of the conflicts that require negotiations for resolution (Maybey, Salaman, and Storey, 1999). All this is critical in maintaining a healthy organizational culture in an organization. With this backdrop of the human resource management and the organizational culture with role of teams and working groups as well as conflicts and negotiations in an organization, this report is aimed at developed review of these aspects on theoretical grounds and its organizational implications. In groups individual task is important but in team to achieve the goal of overall team is more important, which means everyone’s outcome is more important as compare to individual outcome (Kramar, Mcgrew, & Schuler. 1997). In group individual was accountable for his performance but in team, every team member will be held accountable for the performance. For the guidance of the team so that it works in a flow and with high productivity team leaders are being selected from the senior managers. A work group consists of two or three people who belong to same department but divided to achieve different task of that department (Newman, & Hodgetts, 1998). For example, one employee is assigned to conduct marketing research; another employee is assigned to do a marketing campaign of their product. Although it is a group work but in this an individual is responsible for his own act and every group member is

Inclusive Education, Boy's under-achievement Essay

Inclusive Education, Boy's under-achievement - Essay Example With reference to the term ‘inclusion’, it has long been regarded as the most important responsibility within education and society to ensure that children with special needs are included rather than excluded. Special educational needs (SEN) is the term currently extensively used in education and care setting to refer to the special needs of children who need an extra support in their life. It has been realised as one of the morally wrong and socially discriminating issue to isolate children due to their physical or learning needs compared to the majority of other children and the most approving endeavour by a practitioner in the area is to embrace the move towards inclusion and to promote this practice. â€Å"The term ‘special educational needs’ was used as an all-encompassing term to describe any child who needed some extra support. Children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty that calls for special educational provision to b e made for them.† (Tassoni and White, 4) Children with a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age or those with a disability which hiders them from using the educational facilities are included in this special category. There have been several attempts to correct the term with which the special needs of these students are referred and the concept of inclusive education is the result of the long plea to change the education system in order to allow all children to enjoy fair and equal access to education. While focusing on the children with special needs, the campaign for inclusive education extends to a wider range of children who have been traditionally discriminated against. "The concept of inclusive education signals a significant mind shift. Instead of expecting children to 'come up to standard' or otherwise be segregated, the emphasis is on schools and settings to adapt and be flexible enough to accommodate each and every child." (Tassoni and White, 10) This paper deals with underpinning conceptual frameworks of inclusive education distinguishing between competing models of inclusion. As the term 'inclusive education' has become so widely used and abused, it has almost lost its great meaning. It has long been a topic of debate and the label and the language used to refer to the concept have become serious concern today. "Its application to everything from school effectiveness to civil rights to political manifestos renders it vacuous and susceptible to those critiques which accuse it of masking inadequacies. For the cynics, inclusive education means abandoning labelling and special resourcing for individual needs in order to cut costs in the name of equality." (Corbett, 10) Inclusion is not a new concept as the ideals behind inclusive education have deeper roots in liberal and progressive thought. Whereas the earlier school system focused on the segregation of students with special need, the current system is inclusive in nature. Following the works of the child welfare pioneer Elizabeth Burgwin, there was significant shift in focus where educationalists insisted on an inclusive strategy rather than segregation. Most probably, this inclusive thought of the early years prospered and provided the philosophical and organisational foundation for the school system of the contemporary period. "An inclusive philosophy has ultimately risen again and prospered. It has been able to succeed because it chimes with the philosophy of a liberal political system and a pluralistic culture - one that celebrates diversity and promotes

Mohammed Ali Pasha three campaigns on Arabia, Greece and Syria to Essay

Mohammed Ali Pasha three campaigns on Arabia, Greece and Syria to Anatolia and how it affects him in the International Arena - Essay Example Many of the policies enacted were of benefit to the common person, while others were not. This paper will take a broad look at Egypt, before and after Mohammed Ali Pasha, and attempt to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of his reign throughout the region. Egypt before Muhammad Ali Egypt is rich with over 5,000 years of history. In retrospect, the reign of Muhammad Ali Pasha is a small blip in time, as Egypt has seen many rulers come and go through the years. Beginning in the 1500’s, the Ottoman Empire stretched into Egypt. Prior to this, Cairo was the center of Egyptian civilization and the country was quite a powerful independent state. It yielded a great deal of influence in the region. This all changed, however, with the conquering of the city by the Ottoman army (Moshe 337). Prior to Muhammad Ali Pasha, Istanbul was, in essence, calling all of the shots for Egypt. Because of this, Arabic was not even the dominant language of the era. While the Ottoman Empire allowed Egypt to function as a sort of autonomous state with the Empire, the reality was that Egypt was not in firm control of its own destiny. This reality continued, largely unchecked, until the arrival of Ali Pasha in the early 19th century. It was during that time that Muhammad Ali Pasha immediately began to turn the army into a force that could keep the Ottoman Empire from dictating Egyptian affairs, while reinstituting many parts of Egyptian culture that had been lost. He actually became fixated on attempting to take over the entire Ottoman Empire himself. At this time, Ali Pasha began to shift the language back to Arabic from Turkish, and he began to institute a number of military and administrative reforms designed to create a technological Egypt moving forward (Colvin 258). Muhammad Ali as Ruler of Egypt As described, Egypt has a fascinating history. Perhaps, however, modern day Egypt can be said to have started with the rule of Mohammed Ali Pasha. Even though he was of Albanian d escent, he came to rule Egypt from 1805-1848. In fact, even after his reign, the family maintained a tight grip on the country until the Egyptian Revolution in 1952. This period of time in Egypt’s history was quite groundbreaking. Thanks to Ali Pasha, there were a great many reforms made to the military and economic structure of Egypt. In addition, his control over the country saw many cultural advances to take place as Egypt began to become a major player throughout the region, and, indeed, the world (Moshe 338). Prior to becoming the ruler of Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha was a soldier. Apparently, however, he was not just an average soldier, but was so good that he got noticed throughout Turkey and began to rise through the ranks. Upon settling in Egypt, he increased the technology used by the army in the country, and used that labor to also create new schools and to improve the infrastructure throughout the country. His most notable contribution in this area was to implement a network of irrigation projects that had previously been neglected (Moshe 339). He did all of this with minimal interference from the current Sultan. In fact, he rarely even consulted with the Sultan; rather he was so respected among the people that he set out on his own to accomplish these great feats. Upon reflection, it can be said that Muhammad Ali

Human Resources in Action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human Resources in Action - Essay Example rovided by these companies on their websites and will also design a selection process that can be useful in screening applicants for a job description posted by one of the two companies on their website. The Hilton Worldwide website (2014) provides comprehensive details about the career building opportunities that they provide to those willing to join its team, which operates on a global scale for personal and professional growth. Further, there is the job search engine on the website in which interested job seekers can view the career opportunities that are applicable to them. The Hilton site (2014) also gives opportunities to students in universities that are willing to be part of the Hilton family and are also willing to launch their careers in the hospitality industry. Moreover, the Hilton Worldwide site (2014) also gives the areas of talent in which an individual willing to join the Hilton family can choose from when making an application that includes call center, spa and recreation, food & beverage, sales & marketing among a list of many talents. Lastly, the Hilton Worldwide site allows job seekers to create current profiles on the site, which can help them in receiving information in the future about available opportunities in the company that tally with a job seeker’s interest. As compared to Hilton Worldwide website (2014), Harvester restaurant’s website does not provide an array of opportunities for those that would want to be part of their experience because it does not operate on a global scale. The other area of talent that is of interest to this company is that of chefs and kitchen staff in which the restaurant provides full time training for qualified team members. Apprenticeship opportunities are also available in which an individual can grow on both personal and professional in order for the company to benefit in terms of influencing customer experience. Other job roles that are available as indicated on the Harvester website(2014) include

Ethnographic Research Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ethnographic Research Project - Essay Example Different cultures are affecting the present market conditions and business process. People belonging from various cultures behave in certain ways in their day to day activities. The goods are produced and consumed according to their lifestyle and culture. The companies are also very aware of this. They manufacture and sell goods and services according to the tastes and preferences of its customers. By studying the culture of its targeted customers different brands have developed its brand image. Brand has a strong relation with the product which has unique characterises. It builds up a strong image of the product on the mind of the customer which portrays the status and taste of the customers. The social, personal and cultural identity of people defines the relationship between the production and consumptions. The development of new promotional culture helps to attract more customers. The brands are perceived in a different way for this new promotional culture. The topic of this research paper is ethnography. The main aim of this paper is assessing the role of consumption and cultural production in the present time of new economies. In the modern time the production of the company is highly dependent on the cultural tastes of the customers. The research paper describes the importance of brands and branding in this context. The objectives of this paper are to explain the contribution of design and aesthetics for the development of various promotional cultures by the companies. The research paper will also focus on the process by which consumption shapes our experiences, relationships by opening up different ethical questions. The assignment has also emphasised on the link between consumption and production which has affected many cultural industries. This research paper is done on the study of primary and secondary data. Primary Research is the most important part of this project. A detailed study of this people and their day to day

Burdens on the States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Burdens on the States - Essay Example Anita Dancs, the Research Director of National Priorities. reported that more than $200 billion was used for security. The recent report on military attacks in Iraq brought a heightened alert for security and the need to activate the government’s security plans. The New York City, after the sad experience of 9/11 launched the â€Å"Operation Atlas† that is designed â€Å"to beef up safety and security throughout the metropolitan area during a time when there is an elevated risk of terrorist attack† (Heather Cross) The plan has been estimated by New York City Mayor Bloomberg to cost the city $5million per week to pay overtime services of police officers. Report said that as of May 10, 2003, New York City had spent $1 billion on antiterrorism activities, but has not received any support from the federal government. In spite of â€Å"no budget† from the federal government, New York City government pledged to continue its present anti-terrorist â€Å"Operation Atlas† plans in the city.(â€Å"Operation Atlas†) The present mission of the Homeland Security, by definition, is focused on terrorist’s incidents. By that, report of Anita Dancs stated that respondent training and equipment was given more emphasis on terrorism as against all-hazards. All hazards are events of catastrophe, such as bird flue pandemic, the likes of Katrina hurricane, and others of the same nature. Dancs pointed to arguments of the members of Congress on the indifference of preparedness of Homeland Security to address this kind of problem and the importance of all-hazards preparedness. Danc’s report stated the Homeland Security mission defined by the federal government as: Response to natural disasters and catastrophe does not fall within the homeland’s definition of preparedness. The preparedness for all hazard response comes only as support preparedness for terrorism related

Modern technology today Essay Example for Free

Modern technology today Essay With the advent of more modern technology today, and the expansion of corporate markets, commercial transactions between industries grow by the day. As commerce, in its basic sense, pertains to the trading of something of economic value, be it goods or services, information, and most of all, money, it is required of an individual to know how to analyze the economic systems that guide every transaction and endeavor related to commerce. As an empowered individual, my enthusiasm and desire for learning the commerce of man is very strong, at the same time I possess the capability to initiate ideas and activities that help in conceptualizing products or services that may be â€Å"traded† for value. To further learn the intricacies of the field of commerce, I have decided to take up the Bachelor of Commerce program. I believe I will be successful in this field. When assessing basic market financial records in newspapers, I easily comprehend economic trends that I often imagine myself as a good financial analyst. Coupled with the fact that I have enough experience in dealing with different kinds of people in economic terms, I know that ill be successful in this field. The rise and fall of economies in every country influence events globally. I was intrigued with this issue that this pushed me to exert effort in realizing my dream of taking up Commerce as a course. At the micro-level, I am attentive in class, like to recite and debate on issues relating to economics and commerce. The pursuit of education is to be encouraged to better understand the world around us and to contribute to its development. In my own opinion, I can serve this purpose by learning things related to commerce, and with the qualities I possess, I can provide additional knowledge to the study of commerce.

Overview of the Consequences of Cognitive Neuropsychology

Overview of the Consequences of Cognitive Neuropsychology The ability to study and understand the brain has evolved dramatically since people were first interested in the brains seemingly miraculous capacities. However, comprehending the input/output nature of the brain (and everything in between) has always been limited to behavioral tasks of healthy individuals. Unfortunately for science, a machine that cant be reverse engineered cannot be fully understood. To truly make sense of the diverse functions of each part of the brain, it is necessary to see the importance of studying individuals with brain damage. The field of cognitive neuropsychology occupies itself precisely with this concept. More or less, it offers the analogy of the brain as a sort of appliance, perhaps a television with lots of wires plugged into it. Assuming that none of the cables functions are labeled (as is obviously the case with the brain), the best way to discover which cable controls each part of the television is to unplug each cable one at a time and observe which parts of the television stop functioning. This analogy works well, given that a lesion in the brain is small enough to only effect a certain function. More diffuse brain damage is like more cables being removed at once; it becomes more difficult to declare, with precision, which cable controls which function. As non-invasive methods of imaging the brain have improved over the decades, it is no longer necessary to limit studies to healthy individuals, non-human animals, and less precise guessing as to the localization and diffusion of brain damage in patients. Techniques like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allow researchers to pinpoint where brain damage exists in patients, and, from further behavioral experiments, determine how the damage has affected the brain and, moreover, for which behavioral aspects the damaged part of the brain used to be responsible. Additionally, another technique, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), allows researchers to simulate a momentary lesion on superficial portions of the cortex. Clearly finding a patient with brain damage for every part single part of the brain is a scientific pipedream. Thus, by following the previous analogy, TMS offers the possibility to remove a cable and witness the effects without causing any permanent damage to the brain. This paper will show three cases of brain damage studies from the past, before such technology was available, and three from the present to contrast the difference in techniques and what the studies contributed to the field of neuroscience and demonstrated about brain function. No discussion of brain damage studies is complete without mentioning the case of Phineas Gage. Occurring in the 1840s, and arguably one of the most famous cases of all time, Gages face, skull, and brain were penetrated, through-and-through by a 3cm thick, 109cm long tamping iron. He was momentarily stunned but regained full consciousness immediately thereafter. He was able to talk and even walk with the help of his men (Harlow, 327). John M. Harlow, the doctor who looked after Gage after his accident, made observations about Gages behavior, such as [Gage has] succeeded in raising himself up, and took one step to his chair, and sat about five minutes. , and Intellectual faculties brightening. When I asked him how long since he was injured, he replied, four weeks this afternoon, at 4Â ½ oclock. Relates the manner in which it occurred, and how he came to the house. He keeps the day of the week and time of day, in his mind. Says he knows more than half of those who inquire after him. Do es not estimate size or money accurately, though he has memory as perfect as ever. (Passage of, 282) Assuming Gage had a normally developed brain, such observations essentially prove the concept of functional localization within the brain. Although it is easy to see this retrospectively because of what modern science has shown, Harlow didnt have the luxury of MRI or other techniques, apart from simple observation. By recognizing that Gages memory, speech, movement, and ability to learn were spared, but [h]is respect for the social conventions by which he once abided had vanished [(His abundant profanity offended those around him)] (Harlow, 327), Harlow was later able to connect Gages changed behavior to the frontal regions of the brain, which paved the way for further studies in seeking out the neural basis of various human capacities (ibid.). Understanding that each part of the brain does, in fact, have its own specific function was a crucial discovery in neuroscience and would have likely been impossible without patients such as Phineas Gage. Another patient similar to that of Gage, in terms of fame and selective damage, is Tan (named for the monosyllabic sound the he produced when trying to speak), the aphasic patient of the French surgeon Paul Broca. In 1861, Broca observed that Tan differed from a sane man only in the loss of articulated speech (Broca, 343). Given Tans symptoms, (for later in life he also presented with insensitivity on the right side, paralysis of both right limbs, weakened vision in his left eye ,and incomplete paralysis of the left cheek, in addition to the lack of speech) (347), Broca claimed that the principle cerebral lesion had to occupy the left hemisphere (ibid.). Only years later during the autopsy could Broca precisely observe the extent of the brain damage. In terms of Tans general behavior, however, Broca noted that [it was] certain that Tan understood almost everything that was said to him (345), that [n]umerical responses were those that he could make the best, by opening or closing his fingers (346), and that [t]he tongue was perfectly freethe patient could move it in all directionsThe muscles of the larynx seemed in no way altered, the quality of the voice was natural, and the sounds that the patient made in pronouncing his monosyllable were perfectly clear (345). These observations clearly indicate that Tan was still capable of expressing concepts, even if he was unable to express them strictly verbally, and that there existed a distinction between general vocal tract usage and speech production. These observations coupled with the results of the autopsy led Broca to realize that there existed of faculty of articulated language (as translated from French), lateralized to the left-hemisphere, distinct from comprehended language (35 6). However, the drawback to Tans case is that given the extent of his brain damage, Broca was still left pondering whether the faculty of articulated language depends on the anterior lobe considered as a whole, or especially on one of the convolutions of this lobe (357). Advances in technology in the next century would greatly strengthen his findings. Though in any case, Tans deficits led to the discovery of language in the left hemisphere and the notion that speaking meaningful words is distinct from general expression of concepts or of comprehending concepts as a whole. The case studied by Carl Wernicke greatly added to Brocas findings and strengthened the model of how language was processed in the brain by presenting a double dissociation between speech production and speech comprehension. Basically, Wernicke found a stroke patient in 1873 whose speech and hearing were unimpaired, but he couldnt make sense of what he read or what was said to him (Alic, 666). As it turned out, this condition, which essentially contrasted that of Brocas patient, Tan, was indeed localized to a different part of the brain. Upon autopsy, Wernicke found a lesion in the rear parietal/temporal region of the patients left brain hemisphere (ibid.). However, Wernicke regarded this facet of speech production and posited a connectionist-style theory of language production, thus he postulated that Brocas area and [his] area were connected, anddamage to this connection would cause conduction aphasia, a syndrome wherein a patient could both speak and understand language, but would misuse words (ibid.). From this connectionist notion, Wernicke theorized more deeply about general associations of a concept with language. In 1886, he made the claim that, in order to understand the word bell, the telegram arriving in [the speech comprehension center] must arouse in us the concept of the bell, i.e. the different memory images of the bell deposited in the cortex and localized in accordance with the sensory organs involved in their development. These areacousticoptictactileand finallymotor imagesthe arousal of each one separately is communicated to the others and they constitute a functional unit (Code, 15-16). Unaided by modern neuroimaging technology, Wernicke made a big step forward in connectionist-model theories on semantic associations and language production/comprehension. Together, Broca and Wernicke set the stage for studying language in the brain by having observed patients with specific brain damages and consequently conjecturing about the nature of the healthy human brain. Modern cognitive neuropsychology certainly follows the same principles in terms of assessing brain damage and theorizing about models of information streams. However, contemporary neuropsychologists have the benefit of computers, brain scanners, TMS, and, as seen in the next case, also infrared emitting diodes (IREDs). This next case is another classic, albeit much more recent: the study of patient DF by Goodale and Milner. DF was a middle-aged woman who was plagued by brain damage after carbon monoxide poisoning (Goodale, 154). The researchers could localize the damage without needing an autopsy thanks to MRI, which allowed further testing and studying to occur with knowledge of which structures were afflicted: the ventral and lateral occipital region, and in the parasagittal occipitoparietal region. After beginning neuropsychological testing, the researchers discovered that DF had a visual form agnosia (ibid.). Overall she showed poor perception of shapeorientationcolourintensitystereopsismotionproximitycontinuity, or similarity (Goodale, 154-155). Goodale and Milner ran several tests to discern how profoundly the visual form agnosia affected DF, and they came to realize a striking dissociation between [her] ability to perceive object orientation and her ability to direct accurate reaching movements toward objects (155). In one experiment DF had to indicate the orientation of a slot using a card by orienting the card similarly to the slot. Goodale notes that results here were grossly impaired (ibid), but when [she] was asked to reach out and post thecard through the slother performance was excellent (ibid.). The researchers ran a similar test to measure grip aperture between her index finger and thumb when she would pick up a small plaque. Here they employed the IREDs to measure the distance between the fingers and have numerical data to work with. Such a simple task is rendered quantitative (and thus scientifically measurable) merely by the technology available at the time. This second experiment had results similar to those of the first. Goodale notes that DFs estimates [of her grip aperture] did not change as a function of the width of the plaques (ibid.). However, when DF had to reach for the plaques and grab them, the aperturewas systematically related to the width of the object (ibid.). This profound dissociation arising from DFs brain damage led Goodale and Milner to suggest that at some level in the normal brains the visual processing underlying conscious perceptual judgments must operate separately from that underlying the automatic visuomotor guidance of skilled actions. (ibid). Such a claim of the brain having information that lies at a subconscious level could not have been postulated at the time without the (un)fortunate brain damage that afflicted DF. Building off of this notion of subconscious visual processing, the development of TMS has allowed researchers to test visual awareness (among other things) by momentarily disrupting parts of the brain via a magnetic pulse, effectively creating fake brain damage that is reversible: the immediate benefit being a neuropsychological approach to a question without needing to wait for a patient with precisely the right brain damage to appear. Ro discusses TMS experiments whose behavioral results are similar to those found by Goodale and Milner when testing DF. In the experiments, TMS suppressed primary visual cortex and despite unawareness of the orientation of a line in one experiment and unawareness of the colour of a dot in another experiment, subjects were nonetheless able to guess the orientation and colour of these stimuli presented within their TMS-induced scotomas at well-above chance levels (111). From this, he concludes that the results suggest a geniculoextrastriate pathway that bypasses V1 and projects directly from the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) into extrastriate cortex, likely area V4. [Such] a direct anatomical pathway from LGN to V4 has been demonstrated in lower primates (112). However, Ro further postulates that information relayed through [the aforementioned] pathway is unconscious, at least without a functioning V1 (ibid.), a profound step toward the comprehension of human consciousness and what actually gives rise to the experience of awareness. The final case discussed in this paper is that of Etcoffs 1991 study of LH, a minister who suffered a severe closed head injury in an automobile accident at the age of 18. The accident and the surgical procedures it necessitated[resulted in] bilateral lesions affecting visual association corticesthe right temporal lobe, the left subcortical occipitotemporal white matter, and bilateral perietooccipital regions (Etcoff, 27). Etcoff remarked that predominant resulting behavior change was that LH can recognize most pictures of objects and most objects encountered in daily life, [but] he is unable to recognize the faces of his wife, children, friends, or members of his family of origin (28). Etcoff noted that in various tasks, LH found other strategies to guess the identity of the person. During a famous faces task, he recognize hairstyles, insignias, and uniforms to correctly guess whose face was presented to him, even though he couldnt recognize the face itself (28-29). This indicates that LH still has a semantic connection between, for example Einsteins hair and his identity, but the facial recognition portion of this association network was knocked out. More interestingly, LH was given the task of recognizing impossible faces from normal ones, i.e. duplicate facial features, strangely oriented features, etc., and consequently Etcoff commented that LH was able to distinguish a true from an impossible face with 97% accuracy[he] can truly recognize faces as faces, and is sensitive not just to gross information such as number of features and relative placement, but to subtler relational information about feature orientation (29). This shows a clear distinction between recognizing a face as an object and recognizing the semantic information that each individual face carries with it, thus the human brain must process faces specially, a process that is still studied extensively today. Etcoff even shared that LH likens the experience of looking at a face to attempting to read illegible handwriting: you know that it is handwriting, you know where the words and letters stop and start, but you have no clue as to what they signify (29). These six cases have demonstrated important discoveries about how the brain works through the lens of neuropsychology. From functional specialization and a man surviving a tamping iron blasting through his prefrontal cortex disrupting his personality, to distinct linguistic systems for producing and comprehending speech, to visual information existing in the brain without conscious knowledge of it, to the idea of primary visual cortex leading an essential role in consciousness, to faces being specially processed entities in the human brain, studying damaged brains has arguably led to understanding certain facets of the brain that otherwise might have been unimaginable. Furthermore, these six cases were only a handful of discoveries that have arisen from observing the behavioral results of brain damaged patients, used to illustrate the benefits of taking a neuropsychological approach to unraveling the mysteries of brain. However, every methodology has some amount of drawbacks, and neuropsychology is not excluded. For example, given a lesion in some area of the brain, the resulting change in behavior must be a function of how the damaged area was affected. But what is this function exactly? Why should brain damage cause the output that it does instead of some very similar but sightly different behavioral change? If it is a question of reductionism, then its only a matter of time before the gap between behavior and structure is solved, but at present, neuropsychology doesnt answer this. Secondly, brain damage tends to be accidental, and accidents can be messy (e.g. car crash). Lesions dont tend to be as simple as unplugging a single cable from the television, where only one aspect of the TV is clearly affected. Thus, finding clean, precise lesions that alter only one part of the brain is far less likely then finding diffuse brain damage. Even if a patient tends to have only one predominant behavioral change, it cannot be said with full certainty that other parts of his brain werent affected or arent contributing, to some degree, to the new behavioral output, thus possibly confounding data despite very careful experimental designs. Additionally, there is the question of neural plasticity, which Ro brings to attention in his study by mentioning that reorganisation of brain functionalso complicate[s] examinations of sensory processing and visual awareness (110), which is where the advent of TMS has been very helpful in that, apart from its aforementioned advantages, it drastically reduces or eliminates any opportunities for neural plasticity (ibid.). The issue here is that plasticity in brain damaged patients might result in a level of rewiring that is abnormal or unexpected, thus rendering the way in which parts of their brain function unique only to them. All in all, however, every methodology has its pros and cons, and neuropsychology has provided science with a myriad of profound insights into the brain and its functions. The disadvantages it carries with it serve as a reminder as to how careful one must be when interpreting data about an entity as enigmatic and elusive as the brain.

The General Motors Company Analysis

The General Motors Company Analysis General Motors Company was formed in 2009 originally as a Delaware limited liability company, Vehicle Acquisition Holdings LLC and subsequently converted to a Delaware corporation, NGMCO, Inc. The conversion followed the acquisition on July 10, 2009 of a substantial part of all assets while assuming certain liabilities of General Motors Corporation through a 363 Sale under the Bankruptcy Code and subsequent change of name to General Motors Company (General Motors, 2012). As a result of the 363 Sale and other recent restructuring and cost savings initiatives, GM 2012 has improved its financial position and level of operational flexibility as compared to when Old GM operated the business. They commenced operations upon completion of the 363 Sale with a total amount of debt and other liabilities at July 10, 2009 that was $92.7 billion less than Old GMs total amount of debt and other liabilities at July 9, 2009. They reached a competitive labour agreement with their unions, restructured their dealer network and reduced and refocused their brand strategy in the U.S. to their four brands (General Motors, 2011). In November and December of 2010 they consummated a public offering of 550 million shares of their common stock and 100 million shares of Series B Preferred Stock and listed both of these securities on the New York Stock Exchange and the common stock on the Toronto Stock Exchange (General Motors, 2012). Today, General Motors Company is a brand new company with 100 years of history. They remain one of the worlds largest automotive companies with operations in 120 countries and more than 200,000 employees around the world. In 2010, they sold 8.39 million vehicles, more than three-quarters of which were sold outside the U.S. (General Motors, 2011). Small Business Units (SBUs) within GM General Motors Company is divided into five segments, namely GM North America (GMNA), GM Europe (GME), GM International Operations (GMIO), GM South America (GMSA) and GM Financial (General Motors, 2012). Each of these segments can be considered as a Strategic Business Units (SBU). Automotive Business GM product range includes a global vehicle portfolio of cars, crossovers and trucks. GM is committed to leadership in vehicle design, quality, reliability, telematics and infotainment and safety, as well as to developing key energy efficiency, energy diversity and advanced propulsion technologies, including electric vehicles with range extending capabilities such as the Chevrolet Volt. Their business is diversified across products and geographic markets. They meet the local sales and service needs of their retail and fleet customers with a global network of independent dealers. Of their total 2011 vehicle sales volume, 72.3% was generated outside the U.S., including 43.4% from emerging markets, such as Brazil, Russia, India and China (collectively BRIC), which have recently experienced the industrys highest volume growth. Their automotive business is organized into four geographically-based segments (GM North America (GMNA), GM Europe (GME), GM International Operations (GMIO), GM Sou th America (GMSA)) (General Motors, 2012). GMNA, with sales, manufacturing and distribution operations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and sales and distribution operations in Central America and the Caribbean, represented 32.4% of their vehicle sales volume in 2011 and had the largest market share in this market at 18.4% (General Motors, 2012). GME has sales, manufacturing and distribution operations across Western and Central Europe. GMEs vehicle sales volume, which in addition to Western and Central Europe, includes Eastern Europe (including Russia and the other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States among others), represented 19.2% of their vehicle sales volume in 2011. In 2011 they had the number four market share in this market at 8.8%. GMIO distributes Chevrolet brand vehicles which, when sold in Europe, are included in GME vehicle sales volume and market share data (General Motors, 2012). GMIO has sales, manufacturing and distribution operations in Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Vehicle sales volume, which includes Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, is their largest segment by vehicle sales volume representing 36.6% of global vehicle sales volume including sales through their joint ventures in 2011. In 2011, GMIO had the number two market share for this market at 9.5% and the number one market share in China overall deriving 77.1% of its vehicle sales volume from China (General Motors, 2012). GMSA, with sales, manufacturing and distribution operations in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela as well as sales and distribution operations in Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay represented 11.8% of their vehicle sales volume in 2011. In 2011 they had the largest market share for this market at 18.8% and the number three market share in Brazil. GMSA derived 59.4% of its vehicle sales volume from Brazil (General Motors, 2012). Automotive Financing GM Financial specializes in purchasing retail automobile instalment sales contracts originated by GM and non-GM franchised and selected independent dealers in sale of used and new automobiles. GM Financial also offers lease products through GM dealerships in connection with the sale of used and new automobiles that target customers with sub-prime and prime credit bureau scores. GM Financial primarily generates revenue and cash flows through the purchase, retention, subsequent securitization and servicing of finance receivables. To fund the acquisition of receivables prior to securitization, this financial arm uses available cash and borrowings under its credit facilities. GM Financial earns finance charge income on finance receivables and pays interest expense on borrowings under its credit facilities. Periodically it transfers receivables to securitization trusts that issue asset-backed securities to investors. The securitization trusts are special purpose entities (SPEs) that are a lso variable interest entities that meet the requirements to be consolidated in the financial statements (General Motors, 2012). Current Business Strategies at GM Generic Strategy GM uses differentiation focus strategy, as its competitive strategy. In Britain, you can buy a Vauxhall, a Chevrolet, a Saab, a Cadillac or a Hummer. On the Continent, you can trade in the Vauxhall for an Opel. In China, perhaps youd prefer a Buick, in Dubai a GMC. How about a Holden? Well, youll have to travel to Australia or New Zealand but they are all General Motors brands. Rather than focusing on one product, GM wants its consumers to be able to choose from a variety. Chevrolets are being marketed to entry-level car buyers, particularly in Eastern and Central Europe. Opels and Vauxhalls are for middle market consumers with a progressive take on new technology, Cadillacs have proved popular with wealthy buyers in Russia and Hummers are for people who like Hummers, wherever they happen to be (Pfanner, 2008). Chapter 7 Strategy directions Their vision is to design, build and sell the worlds best vehicles. The primary elements of their strategy to achieve this vision are to: Deliver a product portfolio of the worlds best vehicles, allowing them to maximize sales under any market conditions. Sell their vehicles globally by targeting developed markets, which are projected to have increases in vehicle demand as the global economy recovers, and further strengthening their position in high growth emerging markets. Improve revenue realization and maintain a competitive cost structure to allow them to remain profitable at lower industry volumes and across the lifecycle of their product portfolio and maintain a strong balance sheet by reducing financial leverage given the high operating leverage of their business model (General Motors, 2012). Product development Product development strategy is defined as; developing new products or modifying existing products so they appear new, and offering those products to current or new markets. There is nothing simple about the process. It requires keen attention to competitors and customer needs now and in the future, the ability to finance prototypes and manufacturing processes and a creative marketing and communications plan (Nielsen, 2012). GM uses product development as its corporate strategy by maintaining a broad portfolio of vehicles so that they are positioned to meet global consumer preferences through the following ways: Concentrate their design, engineering and marketing resources on fewer brands and architectures. Increase the volume of vehicles produced from common global architectures to more than 50% of total volumes in 2015 from less than 17% today. They expect that this initiative will result in greater investment per architecture and brand and will increase product development and manufacturing flexibility, allowing maintenance of a steady schedule of important new product launches in the future. The four brand strategy in the U.S. will continue to enable GM to allocate higher marketing expenditures per brand (General Motors, 2012). Develop products across vehicle segments in GM global markets: To develop vehicles in each of the key segments of the global markets in which GM competes. For example, in September 2010 the Chevrolet Cruze was introduced into the U.S. small car segment, an important and growing segment where historically GM had been under represented (General Motors, 2012). Continued investment in a portfolio of technologies: Continue to invest in technologies that support energy diversity and energy efficiency as well as in safety, telematics and infotainment technology. Commitment to advanced propulsion technologies and intention to offer a portfolio of fuel efficient alternatives that use energy sources such as petroleum, bio-fuels, hydrogen and electricity, including the new Chevrolet Volt thus increasing fuel efficiency of GM vehicles with internal combustion engines (General Motors, 2012). This will be achieved through features such as cylinder deactivation, direct injection, variable valve timing, turbocharging with engine downsizing and six speed transmissions. GM expects for example the Chevrolet Cruze Eco to be capable of achieving an estimated 40 mpg on the highway with a traditional internal combustion engine. GM will expand their telematics and infotainment offerings and, as a result of the OnStar service and their partnerships with compani es such as Google, are positioned to deliver safety, security, navigation and connectivity systems and features (General Motors, 2012). GM Diversity Strategy At GM to serve a diverse global market with unique segments they view diversity as a business imperative that should be leveraged on to produce cars that match the different demands in the Market. In their diversity Strategy they focus on five areas (General Motors, 2012); they have customers all over the world and so are dealerships distributed to ensure customer tastes are reflected in GM products (General Motors, 2012). They also have an inclusive workplace environment of choice which allows employees to perform at their peak; including training of staff on diversity as a cultural and business imperative. Through the GM Foundation support to communities is given with an emphasis on diverse sectors; Health, Education, Human rights. Suppliers; through growth of diverse and competitive supply base are also thus included. Through its dealer development network whose mission is to provide a profitable dealer network across all brands that reflects the diversity of the American Market consistent with the US Government designation of the underrepresented groups by supporting: GM Women retail network whose purpose is to attract and develop women dealer. National Candidate Program which purposes to prepare women and minority potential candidates to become GM dealer owners and operators through training (General Motors, 2012) Vertical integration Vertical integration is the process through which a firm owns its upstream suppliers and its downstream buyers. This can have a significant impact on a business units position in its industry with respect to cost, differentiation and other strategic issues, the vertical scope of the firm is an important consideration in corporate strategy. Expansion of activities downstream is referred to as forward integration and expansion upstream is referred to as backward integration (Quick MBA, 2010). GM expands its activities downstream. For the automotive industry, forward integration woul be into retail, repairs and servicing and this is exactly what GM is doing.GM enters into contracts with each authorized dealer agreeing to sell to the dealer one or more specified product lines at wholesale prices and granting the dealer the right to sell those vehicles to retail customers from an approved location. Their dealers often offer more than one GM brand at a single dealership in a number of their markets in order to enhance dealer profitability. Authorized dealers offer parts, accessories, service and repairs for GM vehicles in the product lines that they sell using GM parts and accessories. The dealers are authorized to service GM vehicles under their limited warranty program and those repairs are to be made only with GM parts. The dealers generally provide their customers access to credit or lease financing, vehicle insurance and extended service contracts provided by GM Financia l, Ally Financial, Inc. (Ally Financial) and other financial institutions (United States Securities and Exchange Commission, 2011). The quality of GM dealerships and their relationship with their dealers and distributors are critical to their success as dealers maintain the primary sales and service interface with the end consumer of their products. In addition to the terms of their contracts with their dealers they are regulated by various country and state franchise laws that may replace those contractual terms and impose specific regulatory requirements and standards for initiating dealer network changes, pursuing terminations for cause and other contractual matters (United States Securities and Exchange Commission, 2011). Chapter 8; 8.6, 8.7 Sell GM vehicles globally by continuing to compete in the largest and fastest growing markets globally. They intend to do this by broadening GMNA product portfolio, launching thirteen new vehicles in GMNA across the four brands in 2011 and 2012, primarily in the growing car and crossover segments, where, in some cases, GM is under-represented, and an additional twenty nine new vehicles between 2013 and 2014. GM believes that it has achieved a more balanced portfolio in the U.S. market, where they maintained a sales volume mix of 36% from cars, 38% from trucks and 26% from crossovers in 2010 compared to 51% from trucks in 2006. COMPETITIVE DRIVERS Refresh GMEs vehicle portfolio to improve product quality and product perception in Europe, by the start of 2012, GM plans to have 80% of the Opel/Vauxhall carlines volume refreshed such that the model stylings are less than three years old. Four product launches were scheduled for 2011. As part of the planned rejuvenation of Chevrolets portfolio, which increasingly supplements the Opel/Vauxhall brands throughout Europe, the entire Chevrolet lineup is to be moved to new global architectures (General Motors, 2012). COMPETITIVE DRIVERS Increase sales in GMIO, particularly in China to execute growth strategies in countries where GM already holds strong positions, such as China, and to improve market share in other important markets, including South Korea, South Africa, Russia, India and the ASEAN region. GM aims to launch 70 new vehicles throughout GMIO through 2012 (General Motors, 2012). To enhance and strengthen the GMIO product portfolio three strategies were to be employed: leveraging GM global architectures; pursuing local and regional solutions to meet specific market requirements; and expanding joint venture partner collaboration opportunities. Increase sales in GMSA, particularly in Brazil, GM was to launch 40 new vehicles throughout GMSA through 2011. To strengthen GMSA product portfolio GM had three strategies: leverage on global architectures; pursuing local and regional solutions to meet specific market requirements; and expanding joint venture partner collaboration opportunities (General Motors, 2012). COST DRIVERS; CSD Ensure competitive financing is available to dealers and customers by maintaining multiple financing programs and arrangements with third parties for the wholesale and retail customers to utilize when purchasing or leasing vehicles. Through long standing arrangements with Ally Financial and a variety of other worldwide, regional and local lenders, provide customers and dealers with access to financing alternatives. GM was to further expand the range of financing options available to its customers and dealers to help grow vehicle sales through two specific objectives: ensure certainty of availability of financing; and competitive and transparent pricing for financing, for dealers and customers. GM Financial was to offer increased availability of leasing and sub-prime financing for GM customers in the United States and Canada throughout economic cycles. Plans to use GM Financial to initiate targeted customer marketing initiatives to expand vehicle sales were also in the pipeline (Gener al Motors, 2012). Reduce breakeven levels through improved revenue realization and a competitive cost structure. In developed markets, GM was to improve its cost structure to become profitable at lower industry volumes. Capitalize on cost structure improvement and maintain reduced incentive levels in GMNA by sustaining the cost reduction and operating flexibility progress so far resulting from the North American restructuring. Current U.S. and Canadian hourly labour agreements provide the flexibility to utilize a lower tiered wage and benefit structure for new hires, part-time employees and temporary employees. GM was to increase vehicle profitability by maintaining competitive incentive levels with strengthened product portfolio and by actively managing production levels through monitoring of dealer inventory levels. The twelve months ended December 31, 2010 and based on GMNAs 2010 market share, GMNAs earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) would have achieved breakeven at GMNA wholesale volume of approximately 2.3 million vehicles, consistent with an annual U.S. industry sales volume of approximately 9.5 to 10.0 million vehicles (General Motors, 2012). COST DRIVERS; SE Execute the Opel/Vauxhall restructuring plan. GM expected the Opel/Vauxhall restructuring plan to lower vehicle manufacturing costs. The plan included manufacturing rationalization, headcount reduction, labour cost concessions from the remaining workforce and selling, general and administrative efficiency initiatives. Specifically, GM has reached an agreement to reduce European manufacturing capacity by 20% through, among other things, the closing of Antwerp facility in Belgium and the rationalization of the powertrain operations in our Bochum and Kaiserslautern facilities in Germany. Additionally, GM had reached an agreement with the labour unions in Europe to reduce labour costs by Euro 265 million per year. The objective of the restructuring, along with the refreshed product portfolio pipeline, was to restore the profitability of the GME business. Enhance manufacturing flexibility. Primarily produce vehicles in locations where they are sold and have significant manufacturing capacity in medium- and low-cost countries, intention being to maximize capacity utilization across the production footprint to meet demand without requiring significant additional capital investment. For example, GM was able to leverage the benefit of a global architecture and start initial production for the U.S. of the Buick Regal 11 months ahead of schedule by temporarily shifting production from North America to RÃ ¼sselsheim, Germany (General Motors, 2012). Maintain a strong balance sheet. Given the businesss high operating leverage and the cyclical nature of the Motor industry, GM was to minimize on financial leverage. Excess cash was to be used to repay debt and to make discretionary contributions to the U.S. pension plans. Based on this planned reduction in financial leverage and the anticipated benefits resulting from operating strategy described above, GM would aim to attain an investment grade credit rating over the long-term (General Motors, 2012). Internationalization and Information Communication Strategy General Motors GM seeks to leverage on ICT to increase operational efficiency while generating value through saved costs.To execute this strategy, GM embraced a globally unified business model that emphasized the deployment of highly standardized engineering and manufacturing platforms that could be easily implemented and supported in any market around the world. The global, standards-based operating model would accelerate GMs move into emerging markets and generate efficiencies and cost savings through the use of common infrastructure components and processes. Among key initiatives designed to support the new unified operating model, GM invested in information technologies to more tightly integrate its manufacturing plants across the globe, control costs, and accelerate the introduction of new communications and collaboration applications. Key to this strategy was the implementation of modern standards-based network architecture called the Plant Floor Controls Network (PFCN) at mo re than 150 GM manufacturing plants worldwide (Cisco, 2010). Based on a single set of Cisco-based network designs and equipment, the PFCN solution replaced GMs aging and heavily customized legacy networks that were becoming increasingly unreliable, as well as difficult and expensive to maintain. The move to the PFCN solution enabled GM to standardize the design of each plant network and establish a single engineering team that monitors and troubleshoots network operations globally. The result: network downtime has dropped by about 70%, leading to fewer unplanned work stoppages on the plant floor. Furthermore, GM now needs two-thirds fewer network engineers and analysts to support the same number of plants (Cisco, 2010). The standardized Cisco network design also helped GM rationalize and reduce its legacy inventory of network devices and spare parts, cutting inventory carrying costs by 70%. It also allowed GM to create cost-efficient global applications that can be rolled out to plants quickly, and to automate system-management tasks like upgrades and patches. As a result, GM now spends 30% less time managing plant software. According to an analysis by Mainstay Partners, GMs investment in the Cisco-based PFCN solution will generate a return on investment (ROI) of 166% (Cisco, 2010). The full range of benefits is illustrated in Figure 1 and includes: Figure 1 What? Financial Consequence $ Million Labor Cost Saving as a result an efficient deployment of network Engineers 21.2 Labor cost saving from more efficient deployment of network operations analysts 53.9 one-off savings from faster network setups at each plant 16.4 Cost Saving from leaner inventory quantities 5.4 Reduced lost unit profit contribution from higher network uptime 76.4 Total PFCN additional benefits in the next five years (estimate) 173 (Cisco, 2010) Describe the processes through which the strategy has been developed/formed based on your findings and knowledge/experience. (i.e., is it intended as a written document (as a plan), or emergent as a pattern of decision-making/activities/behaviours. Refer to Chapter 12). Chapter 12 Evaluation of GMs intended strategy As consequence of many years of bad strategic decisions and operational troubles GM US market share has fallen to 20 percent for the first time in decades (51 percent at the peak of the company dominance) and its sales outside the United States now almost equal its domestic sales. GM has become a bureaucratic organization with immense dimensions and difficult to manage. The innovation and customer focus orientation that once served as the pillar of the organization had blurred. For many years now, GM has been producing boring and low quality cars with lack of innovation and distinctiveness creating a total disconnection between customers needs and its products (Vaccara, 2009). GM core problems were: Deficient product development (including lack of innovation) and the difficulty to develop cars that appeal to the market had created a bad reputation for its brands and the company in general. Lack of customer focus orientation and the impossibility to listen to the market voice had been impeding GM to create customer value and therefore hurting its sales in large scale. Disproportioned increase in healthcare and benefits costs giving in to union demands and creating a program that paid workers even when plants were not running had created financial deficiencies and affected cash flows and operations. The increasing size of its divisional organizational structure due to bureaucracy and the difficulty to manage many brands across many markets around the world had developed into a major managerial problem for the company (Vaccara, 2009). Emergent strategy On 2nd June, 2009, General Motors declared itself bankrupt in a legal filing at a federal courthouse in downtown Manhattan, kicking off the biggest industrial insolvency in US history. According to GMs bankruptcy filing, the company had assets of $82.3 billion, and liabilities of $172.8 billion. That would make GM the fourth largest U.S. bankruptcy on record, according to Bankruptcydata.com, just behind the 2002 bankruptcy of telecom WorldCom (Cark, 2009). GM used the trip into bankruptcy court to shed plants, dealerships, debt and other liabilities it could no longer afford. Emerging out of bankruptcy quickly was a new GM, made up of the four brands that GM would keep in the U.S. market; Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick as well as many of its more successful overseas operations (Isidore, 2009). Obama said the massive reorganization of GM would leave the US government holding 60% of the companys equity. But it was necessary to preserve an iconic symbol of American business and maintain a viable US auto industry (Cark, 2009). Todays GMs business strategy is developed as a result of the failures of the Old GM and their determination not to repeat the same mistakes. Most of the current strategies are part of those imposed on the old GM when it borrowed money. Evaluate innovation/entrepreneurship practices/strategies used by the organization. Refer Chapter 9. Innovation and Entrepreneurship GMs innovation is driven by market pull. Market pull reflects a view of innovation that goes beyond invention and sees the importance of actual use. At GM, managements are making an effort to establish a direct connection with customers and giving the impression that their voice is now important for the company. It now offers a 60 day satisfaction warranty. This strategy is reflected under the slogan: If you dont love it well take it back. GM is also producing some environmentally friendly vehicles. A more environmentally conscious population seem to be very interested and this strategy seems to work fine due to the rising cost of fuel. Therefore it is extremely necessary to address issues like availability of alternative fuels and revise current infrastructure to estimate feasibility of the strategy in the long run (Vaccara, 2009). Open or closed innovation Open innovation means that valuable ideas can come from inside or outside the company and can go to market from inside or outside the company as well (Chesbrough, 2003), while closed innovation is a traditional approach to innovation where organizations rely on their own internal resources; its laboratories and marketing departments (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011). GM applies an open innovation framework. GM gathers its data from customer clinics and marketing surveys and combine this information with formalized assessments of new technology. These analyses are used to guide vehicle and feature concept studies, which are critically reviewed to determine appropriate responses to emerging market and business opportunities. A response can be that no action is taken on a particular idea if they do not think it will yield true value for the customer. But more typically, the response leads to action, which is taken along one of two paths (Howell, 2000). The first path is to get it into the product now. This route is taken if the technology is ready and getting it into a product is just a matter of final development and vehicle integration. In this case, it is targeted for a production date and becomes part of the product plan. When a technology is not yet mature, it is the responsibility of the RD Center to develop it to the point where it is ready for integration into a future product (Howell, 2000). The intent of the innovation process is to ensure that a steady stream of product and technology options is developed on the basis of the companys sense of where the market is headed. These options are potential responses that GM can use to capitalize quickly on new opportunities. The process is designed to be dynamic, with new information and ideas moving continuously through the system. Each time the company goes through an innovation cycle, they gain knowledge and discover new ways to apply it to subsequent product and technology programs (Howell, 2000). Innovators or Followers The key choice of GM managers is to be leaders and not followers. The firm is trying to get its innovation out to the market and make it first than anybody else. GM wants to become a worldwide leader automaker providing total customer value through customer-driven service, innovation, technology and competitive operations. They want to re-invent the automobile industry focusing on protecting and contributing to a cleaner world. They want to become a good place to work, a place in which every employee feels proud of its responsibilities and performance with the company. A place in which, customers and suppliers are their top priority and communications with them are fluent in every possible contact point. A place in which, distributors are proud to become part of their family and feel confident of the quality and safety of their products. Finally, they must experiment with ideas to develop new designs and innovative products and launch them accordingly, to satisfy consumer taste and a llow stockholders to realize a fair return on their investment (General Motors, 2011). Conclusion

Engine Efficiency Essay -- physics internal combustion engine

Ever since the invention of the internal combustion engine, scientists and engineers have worked to increase its efficiency. As it stands now, the average internal combustion automobile engine only converts roughly 20% of its energy into useful motivational power. Most of the rest is expended through heat loss in various locations. The cooling system in an automobile is used to remove heat from all the moving parts so that they can still function properly without melting, seizing, or overheating. If an engine was ideal, it would release no heat because all of its energy would be converted into the power transferred to the wheels, but no such engine exists in reality. With all the many moving parts that must remain in contact with one another (in order to maintain compression and prevent various other leaks), friction is inevitable and thus, so is heat. Therefore, the cooling system in the car is exceedingly important. The way it works is basically a simple matter of heat transfer. Water cooled vehicles use a combination of air and liquid cooling mechanisms, routing coolant hoses past the hotter parts of the engine so that heat can transfer from the engine parts into the coolant, which then goes back into the radiator to be cooled off by the incoming air. Air cooled vehicles typically have large fans installed strategically on the engine and heat dissipating fins on the heads. What may come as a surprise to some is that the heater in the cab of your car is actually a part of the car's cooling system. Heat that is removed from the engine is simply piped into the cab so that the driver doesn't freeze to death in the middle of winter. The removal of this heat draws colder air into the engine compartment... ... rather have clean air, myself... Conclusion It may seem as though there are no significant benefits to the inefficiencies of internal combustion engines. After all, they waste fuel, resources and money; they pollute the environment and create potential health risks; and to some people, too much can go wrong with them to ever make them worth trying to understand. I, however, will always stand by my love of the painstakingly choreographed dance that takes place within a combustion engine; all the parts working in time to create a glorious, gas-guzzling, ozone depleting, peace disturbing chunk of steel, rubber, glass and aluminum that can go 0-60 in a matter of mere seconds. And I would like to hear anyone curse the inefficient heat loss of their engine when it is pumping 70Â ° air into a -40Â ° cab at 6 a.m. in the middle of Fairbanks' frigid winter.

Attitudes Towards Women in Fragment VII of Canterbury Tales :: Canterbury Tales Essays

Attitudes Towards Women in Fragment VII of Canterbury Tales    One of the most prominent themes in Fragment VII of the Canterbury Tales is the attitudes of the pilgrims towards women. There are two distinct sides in the dispute: that women are simply objects of lust that must never be trusted, and that women are highly respectable and loving.    The Shipman's Tale starts off this debate with his depiction of women, which was less than favorable. The woman who is depicted in this tale is the wife of a merchant. She is not treated well by her husband, but certainly is not trustworthy or honorable herself. She sells her body to the best friend of her husband for a measly 100 francs. Her faithfulness to her husband was worth only a few extravagant garments for her to wear. It is her greed for these material goods that drives her into cuckolding her unsuspecting husband. Her worldly desires are more important than her marriage, and in the end she is hardly punished at all. She does manage to keep her husband from finding out, by saying that the Monk was simply repaying his debt and she used the money to buy some clothes. So, she gets away with a crime that would have dealt her a far greater punishment. This outcome, while it certainly wasn't perfect for the wife, was much less than she deserved.    The Prioress steps in with the next tale, and takes a much different view. The Prioress herself is a very humble and well-mannered woman, as she is described in the General Prologue. She is also extremely compassionate towards all of God's creatures. Her tale is a tribute to the greatest woman of all, the Virgin Mary. While it is a tribute to the Virgin, the focus of the story is more on the little boy and his widowed mother. The mother is greatly distressed at her son's disappearance, and is eventually led by Jesus himself to the place where her son has been tossed. The idea that Jesus himself was consorting with this woman and answering her prayers makes a strong statement. Jesus certainly would not aid an evil person, so this widow must have been virtuous and humble.

The Radio Makes My Ears Bleed :: essays research papers fc

The Radio Makes My Ears Bleed There is a major problem these days in entertainment, and that is there is such a lack of diversity in the music industry. Because of this problem, fewer bands will have the opportunity to go big, or get signed to a major record label. Small, local bands will never be able to get the popularity they deserve because every band is compared to one another. The same bands are played on the radio all the time, and instead of playing a variety bands, the same songs are looped and played all day long. This creates a problem because people, who think its only cool to listen to the radio, only experience the same pop music from bands signed to major labels. As a result of this, all the money stays in the corporate, record labels. I believe the main reasons are that people don't like change. It should be easier for listeners to access music of different genres. Radio stations are a major contributor to the problem of this lack of variety. They are afraid that if they play music other than what is pop, they will lose money and listeners, but in fact I believe that their listeners will grow if they expand their genres. There are several large, corporate record labels that basically empower all of the radio airwaves and MTV. I think that bands are afraid to try new styles also because once they get signed; they are controlled by their label and are influence by all the money that is tossed around. I think that some ways to fix all of these problems start with radio stations. There needs to be a station that can be accessed from all over that plays music from independent labels. I think that MTV needs to be taken off the air because the shows that it plays are all reality TV, and it no longer stands for what it was created to do, play music videos. Finally I think that another way to get independent music spread around is that have more tours like Warped Tour. I think there need to multi-stage, multi-band concerts that travel the United States. Clear Channel for example, is a company that owns of 1,200 radio stations, 37 T.V. stations, and 240 more investments in radio stations throughout the whole world. This is a great example of how all radio is the same, and controlled by a large company. They are in 248 of the top 250 radio markets, and control over half of all rock music stations. When one company owns more than half of our radio stations, you can understand why

Living at Home Versus Living in an Apartment Essay

People do not realize how different living at home and living in an apartment is until they compare the two. Other people don’t realize it until they are actually out on their own. There are many differences when a person is living at home compared to living in an apartment. In this essay we will look at the differences of the two. One difference between living at home and living in an apartment is how the bills get paid. When living at home parents or whoever the person lives with pays all the bills and buys all the food. Even if the person has to pay for anything while living at home, I’m sure it is just a small portion of what all the bills come out to be. When living in an apartment the person has to pay their own bills and buy your own food. This means that they have to find somewhere that is affordable for them. Some apartments have bills like electricity, water, and sewer/garbage included in the rent. If the person needs help buying food they have a program out there that they can sign up for food stamps at the local social services office. They also have places that have food pantries that gives people a food basket. Some towns also have a place for people to go and eat like the Salvation Army or a church. This is one major difference of living at home versus living in an apartment. Another difference between living at home and living in an apartment is making sure the person has everything they need. When living at home with the person’s parents or whoever they live with, they already have or have bought all the necessities that they will need for a place like furniture, pots and pans, cleaning supplies, stuff for hygiene, etc. When a person is living in an apartment they have to buy everything that they are going to need for the apartment. That means that the person has to go out and buy their own furniture and everything else that they want for their place. A person can watch for garage sales or even go check out some thrift stores. The Salvation Army gives a person a voucher to go to their store and get some stuff for their new place if they have it in stock. They even help out with furniture to. Some stuff the person will probably want brand new like their silverware and dishes. Another difference between living at home and living in an apartment is all about how clean the place is. When someone lives at home or with whomever they live with they usually want their place nice and clean. They want everyone that lives there to help with the cleaning and to maintain a clean home. When a person lives in an apartment they are the one that decides when to clean the place. Also they are the one to decide how clean they want their place and if they are going to try and maintain a clean place. Some people like their house spotless while others don’t really care if their place is clean or not. Maintaining a clean home means a lot to others when they come over to visit. The final difference between living at home and living in an apartment is being independent. When a person is living at home they have rules to follow. Some rules may be easy to follow like cleaning up after oneself, help with the cooking, and maintain a job or go to school. Other rules may be harder to follow like if the person has a certain time to be home and if certain people that they hang out with are not allowed to be at the person’s house they are staying at because they don’t like or get along with them. When a person is living in an apartment they are on their own. They are the one that picks the rules. When living in an apartment a person can come and go as they please. Also they can do whatever they want. Just be careful when living in a person’s own apartment because some people go crazy and have all kinds of parties. If the neighbors call the cops the landlord has a right to evict them. If they get evicted it makes it hard for them to get an apartment the next time they are looking for one. In conclusion, everybody now has some of the differences between living at home and living in an apartment. It’s all up to them to decide if they want to stay living at home or move into an apartment. Everybody has their own way of thinking and choosing what they want to do. If they want to move into an apartment a person could keep an eye out for stuff they will need so they will have it by the time they move.

International Marketing Essay

Executive SummaryThe main determination of the constitution result be to test Hong Kong and nobble intrusting Corporations (HSBC) chancellor pro bunk (PP). The actor entrust be analyzing the intersection pro smear using a SWOT epitome sort manoeuver on HSBC prime(a). establish on the go forth of the abstract the informant leave spiritedlighting as to why HSBC has chosen to app remnant the mellowed end decree. The spread over alikewise shop window as to why the PP is cogitate on this activateicular grocery surgical incision. Followed by the precedent makeing a workplace on the unavoidablenesss and expectations of necropsy invitee (PC).establish on the set factors the reason leave al wholeness ornament how the PP has worldnessness functioned to address the guests requirements by using the model of race swearing by dint of their specialized employees. The spread over leave alone withal emphasis on the importance of HSBC universe guest central. back up finished changes d unriv in alled to the merchandising commingle in consec assess to achieve the finale of guest upkeep. In conclusion the author has placeed a search to breed the tote up guest acknowl progress.IntroductionHSBC is a lede multi-national scheme which has been operating in the monetary industry in Sri Lanka for over great hundred historic period (Refer appendage A.1). Being an system of rules which has twain topical anesthetic anesthetic and international expertize, HSBC has a competitive payoff in perspective their harvests and servicing in the food grocery store. HSBC supplys both incorpo assessd and Retail confideing segments with a large throw of harvest-feast advises.As the impertinently nominate merchandising consultant for HSBC prime minister (Refer Appendix A.3), the author set about out be conducting a commercialise enquiry to find pop the factors as to how HSBC PP end be modifyd.During the grocery study the author depart be conducting a interrogation on aras like functional go in culture and merchandise innovation, part of the product in ccap satisfactorygram with its guests, analyzing the nodes needs wants and prise expectations of the proposition, creation of node- seatd value propositions for each of the segments, bafflements with kind merchandising and guest care, the validations stigmatization strategies, inquiry studies related to guest set about and the outcome of been an geological formation which is more lymph gland centric.The working business culture and market beliefConsidering the business culture, HSBC is an judicature open to many international trends and working environments. From binding years of d suffers in the monetary industry HSBC has identified how the government should adopt itself match to the topical anesthetic culture and trends. In tramp to fructify the musical arrangement has invested in the knowledge domai ns such as product conk outment, pricing, strike offing, market research and relationship selling. Which in the end covers the marketing concepts of HSBC. These concepts are utilize by the top train prudence as strategic concepts in coif to make terminations and subprogrames to cater to node requirements and expectations. by dint of these concepts HSBC has world able to reorient the prime(a) Proposition (PP) harmonize to the current market conditions. crop development and PricingIn request to incarnate their market allocate HSBC PP is been reviewed and developed annually by the marketing department. Product development has being center found on the drawing market conditions. The emergence of local and international disputation In the recent past in that localisation hold up being many act of monetary institutes starting to earn uniform product propositions as HSBC necropsy. Eg Nations practice bound Private cashboxingStandard Chartered Bank prece dency BankingFragmented markets and sophisticated node needs, wants and demands The emergence of sophisticated lymph nodes such as investors, directors of multinational companies, businessmen who each crap divers(a) needs wants and demand expectations from the bank. scientific advances in the financial sector HSBC has being successfullybeen able to achieve this by vortexing the outflank consumer internet. The brass has being offered the award by orbicular Finance. HSBC personas a scathe bonus dodging in the PP which has made the product to be unshared and appealing to the extravagantly end society of Sri Lanka. By using this strategy HSBC has been able to gravel over 6000 atomic number 61 Customers (PCs) who each maintain over Rs 7,500,000 in a portfolio. This in harvest-tide has sustainn them to show Rs 45 Billion in relys.stigmatisationEvery product requires a hearty-knit branding technique.HSBC uses the following branding methods to showcase the benefits o f PP. Online marketingBillboardsElectronic Direct Mails naked as a jaybird paper and magazine advertising corporeal sponsorshipsConsumer sales packagingsAs per the methods mentioned above HSBC has localize in showcasing the lifestyle of a PC and the benefits that could be achieved by being part of the maturation PP. The next destination by branding would be to acquire electromotive force guests by dint of with(predicate) and by dint of displaying benefits compared to the rivals. trade enquiry and kind sellingHSBC invests a banging rest of resources on market research and development. Which eventually result HSBC a cutting edge among competitors. This market research and development is conducted through HSBC head office in Hong Kong at regular intervals. By doing so HSBC has being able to unwrap brisk planetary trends and investment opportunities which they fork out being able to include within the PP. In higher(prenominal) society to customize and align the glo bose trends and investments according to the Sri Lankan market, the local marketing department conduct research. These researches are conducted through client written report calls, mystery shopper programs and node feedback forms.This has provided the opportunity for the focus to gain a descriptive brain wave of the assistant pros and cons offered to the PC. Customer being enured as king in like a shots business world HSBC believes node centric relationship marketing is the faultfinding selling factor of the PP. In instal to complement this factor Relationship conductors (RMs) curb being groomed to be customer oriented, which depart modify to provide a personalized emergence of process package. Based on the study carried on HSBC phase modulation the author go forth explain the current position of the organization and explain the desired position to be in through his suggestions.sympathy customers and segmentationA PC is an respective(prenominal) who banks at HSBC for the purpose of receiving sole(a) customized attend to, spherical set out, safety of their capital and investment advice. By completeing a SWOT analysis on HSBC chancellor the author has being able to highlight why HSBC has selected the peculiar(prenominal) segment of high income earner both topically and internationally.StrengthsHSBC is a brand which provides their clients a global recognition through HSBC post-mortem. expertise in the financial industry both locally and internationally. Including modern technology into their go. precedency usefulnesss for all international banking services through Global premier(a) hightail iternesss. Customizing the products and services according to the local culture. utilize RMs who would manage the clients financial requirements 24 instant premiere Call message (PCC) exigency credit facilities.Exclusive promotions for PCs both locally and internationally.WeaknessesLimited bank emergencees around Sri Lanka. oblation low disport place on mend deposits and savings accounts.Being an international brand the organization is vulnerable for austere government rules policies.Having only 2 Premier Centres in Sri Lanka to cater to over 6000 PCs.Unavailability in development new wealth management products for clients with high investment appetites.Having a low men to attend to to each PCs orisons.Limiting the eligibility criteria for HSBC Premier.Having only one PCC to attend to over 6000 PC calls.OpportunitiesBy call downing the necropsy portfolio the organization will be able beat the HSBC brand nurture. evolution newer technological advances in line with the aboriginal Bank of Sri Lanka would assist in devising the product more gainive. HSBCs Global recognition which would soak up clients.Constant R&D provides new dimensions to a growth.Individuals who aspire to convey a PC.Global international fill outstantiate through the HSBC group.ThreatsCompetitor banks starting to offer similar p ropositions.Central Bank regulations which limits surmount border transactions. Losing customers who are rate mediumReputational risks from miss selling HSBC Premier.Vulnerability to attract money la underers who would tarnish the HSBC Premier brand name. Global recession adjoins on HSBC in high spirits priorities given to local banks. prorogue -SWOT compendiumDifferent PC individuals have diverse expectations from HSBC. In order to meet these high client expectation levels HSBC conduct thorough staff trainings, workshops and knowledge sharing sessions. Based on the product exclusivity it shows that HSBC has segmented in clients who seek global recognition and eccentric service even though they do non offer competitive leave on investments. Further the client chemical group can to a fault be segment according to the below argumented eligibility PC criteria. 1. clients maintaining a portfolio balance of Rs7,500,000 In Sri Lanka 2. Overseas PCs maintaining the postulate ba lance in their home acres each(prenominal) though this protects the products exclusivity it has limited the organization expanding their market share. In order to traverse this limitation the author suggests that HSBC to adduce new inlet criteria to become a PC. Market research shows competitors also offering similar products under the following entry criteria.Nations Trust Bank (Private Banking eligibility) -Rs 5 one thousand thousand orequivalent in foreign currency, in deposits Total relationship of Rs 10 million in both deposits and loans Repurchase Agreements (REPOs) and/or investments of Rs 20 million. Standard Chartered Bank (Priority banking eligibility)-Total relationship in Fixed deposits Rs5, 000,000/- mercenary Bank (Elite Banking eligibility)-Total deposit relationship in excess of Rs 7.5 Million in a savings or fixed deposit account. In order to gain the completive advantage and grow the profit margins for the business sustainability the authors suggestion is to remake entry criterias to become a PC. This will also open doors for potential customer segments and new business opportunities where competitors have in sequence not approached on.Authors entry criteria suggestionsMaintaining Rs5,000,000/- in a non- stake bearing current account and granting of an interest free overdraft facility of Rs2,500,000/- which would attract Moslem Banking clients. Maintaining Rs5, 000,000/- in a fixed deposit and granting an overdraft facility against in which will attract clients who like to invest in the downslope market and divergent instruments. whirl Premier for top Directors of Companies such as MAS, Nestles, Fonterra, MIT so that they would be brand ambassadors for the Product. Introducing Premier for clients with large credit facilities which are more than Rs10, 000,000/- these clients would give a high income to grow the premier portfolio.Analyzing needs, wants, values and Expectations of Customers As indicated above a HSBC PC contains dive rse set of expectations and requirement through this package. This requirements and expectations vary from individual to individual. HSBC has being able to position these client expectations ground on the research performed by their research and development team. Analyzing needs and wantsThe success of HSBC PP is found on how the organization meets the customers expectations. Based on the market studies performed on the client base the author has being able to identify what are the needs and wants of the clients.NeedsWants easily-fixed access to their funds. mogul to withdraw funds at any given time. dependability on the invested money at HSBC.To have the assurance that the invested money is secured at HSBC. transcend on investment.Preferential interest rate for savings accounts and fixed deposits. 24 mo assistance in financial needs.24X7 customer confirm.Commendable customer relationship.To receive a tailor made service from HSBC.Ability to obtain credit facilities.Ability t o request for credit cards, loan facilities and overdraft facilities on demand. Priority services in transferring funds globally and assistance in opening accounts overseas.Global assistance.Hassle free money transfers with global accountsTable Analyzing needs and wantsValues and Expectations of a HSBC Premier customerThe relationship betwixt a HSBC PC and the bank is make around the values presented by the organization.In order to achieve clients expectations HSBC works disenfranchised a keen-sighted with their set values.The below list contains the relationship amid the PCs values and expectations.ValuesExpectationsFairnessOffering a fair Interest rate on the Fixed deposits within the bank. honesty and integrity.To create transparency on the fees and rates of the bank.Ability to visualise and address the clients requirements.Excellent two focal point conference with the RM and client for a break service.AssuranceAssurance for the clients financial safety.Service.Customize d clients service package.Dependability higher(prenominal) dependability on their personal and decreed financial matters.Recognition.To be recognized as a valued Premier client.Table -Value and Expectations of a HSBC Premier CustomerCreating Customer-based Value Propositions for Customer segments Creating customer-based value propositions is a astray utilise strategy to create ken on different customer segments. Having looked at the researchers conducted from inception of HSBC Premier the author believes the more or less significant factor is to address PCs expectations. likewise the author believes, through catering these requirements will influence the clients decision making ability. This will result to grow the market share and generate business incomes.Relationship Marketing & Customer apprehensionRelationship marketing has become one of the current important concepts of todays business environment. Relationship marketing is in the main dependent on organization policie s employee skill and capabilities. Each employee plays a spanking government agency in the process of delivering an exceptional customer service. Starting from the front level customer support to the back office support the analogous service level should be maintained. Factors that influence Relationship Marketing for HSBC Premier Convenience in accessing the Premier Centres.Efficiency of the RMs.Strong bond between the client and the RMs.Consistent service delivery.The specious Premier Centre facilities.Extensive hail-fellow support provided by the employees.Under acheing the customer requirements.Playing honestly and winning customer trust.Assurance of investments.Management of customer careKnowledge The employees should constantly maintain high knowledge level regarding customer portfolios, requirements and up to date with organizations processes. Service Level All staff intermeshed directly or indirectly with clients should always providesame service standards.Operations Maintaining consistent trading operations according to the set transmitlines in order avoid any service lapses.Customer Care Providing the best customer bang through exceptional customer care. At HSBC the management believes in construction ardent relationships between the business and its clients is vital. In order to full fill the above influences HSBC has reinforced the PP around customer relationship marketing and exceptional customer care. A PC of HSBC is entitled to a RM who caters to their every(prenominal) financial requirement. The RMs are often closely engaged with their clients, this allows them to win the trust and understand the client. It enables the RMs to provide a better service to their clients. A satisfied customer will always improve their portfolios and recommend the product and service to others.However during the research conducted it is evident the concept of relationship banking is blossomed from the point a client becomes a PC. Although the author str ongly believes irrespective weather the customer is Premier or not the bank should provide customer relationship banking. HSBC should extend their focus towards all segments and expand their exceptional customer relationship. finished conducting the above mentioned new concept the organization will be able to identify the potential clients and grow them to become plan qualitative PCs.Reinforcing the organizations identity operator through changes to the Marketing Mix VariablesWhat is a Marketing Mix?A marketing flow is traditionally referred to as the 4Ps, which consists of Product, Price, aspire and progress. With market evolution 4Ps has grown itself towards adding 3 more concepts like large number, do by, and Physical Environment. The faction of these elements will tot towards providing successful of the products and services. visit -7 Ps ConceptThe ProductIt can be a transparent good or an intangible service. The prosperity of aproduct or service is based on how it i s developed and how it will cater the customer needs. HSBC has developed HSBC Premier to cater to the high end ecological niche market. The product offers exclusivity, recognition and a wide range of benefits to its clients. Although the PP appeals to the specific pricing year it restricts HSBC in acquiring new clients. The author belief is to create a sub category under HSBC Premier to apprehension the clients who cannot meet the HSBC Premier requirement and not allowing them to move towards other competitors.PriceThe price is the amount a customer is unforced to pay for the product or service. It will also determine the organizations profit or loss as a product or service is only worth for the price that the chosen segment of customers is automatic to pay. The price should be competitive when compared with competitors. In the end customers would take away the service which offers the best value for their money. HSBC uses a price premium strategy for the eligibility of dece nt a PC. The product offers exclusivity for clients who seek global recognition and quality service. The eligibility in becoming a PC has being set at Rs7, 500,000.00. This will restrict majority of new clients in enrolling for HSBC Premier.The reason being for the author to show that HSBC uses a price premium strategy is because HSBC historically has not offered high return on interest rates on their fixed deposits or investments, scarcely compensates it with a superior service which retains the client from moving to competitors. However in order to grow the Premier portfolio held at HSBC the author suggests that HSBC summations the interest rates paid on the fixed deposits in order to retain the existing client base and also be able to attract the rate cognizant clients from competitors.PlacePlace is the physical location where a product or service will be offered or distributed to the customer. It should be easily accessible by the customers. HSBC Premier is offered to the clients through the HSBC Premier Centres, HSBC PCCs, the HSBC retail branch network and also through HSBC Internet Banking. Since HSBC has only 2 Premier Centres and 15 retail branches it has limited the accessibility to the public. The authors suggestion is introduce new retail branches in new locations where HSBC willbe able acquire new PCs and grow their market share.PromotionPromotion is the method utilize by marketers to communicate randomness on products or services. It includes elements such as advertising, sales campaigns and sense programs. HSBC uses the following modes to do their promotions.Branding advertisementSpecial OffersElectronic direct mailersBrochures about of the promotional methods used at HSBC are prepared based on the market studies performed by research teams. However at times the in accuracy of the market study and poor promotional talk methods would fail to meet the customer needs. Based on the authors experience he advises that HSBC use a two way com munication method when setting up their promotions. This will enable to get the clients feedback on the promotion as well as to help any of the queries that the client has regarding the promotion.PeoplePeople play a vital determination in the service industry. They create a positive or negative word picture toward the client which will eventually impact the organization. It is always important that the staffs are well groomed and motivated when they deliver their service to client. HSBC Premier is built around addressing the clients requirements through relationship banking. and so it is important that HSBC recruits the unspoiled people with right skills and attitude to carry out their processes. The level of support and service granted by the RMs will determine whether the clients will retain at HSBC or weather the will move to other financial institutes.ProcessThe processes set within the organization ease up to the end result of customer satisfaction. A PC is not interested on how the set systems work at HSBC, but what they are interested is only to get their job make. It is important that HSBC evolves their system up to date with high efficiency andproductivity. This will lead toward satisfied customers. This is the ultimate goal of HSBC Premier.Physical EvidenceThe physical evidence is what a Premier client would experience from the moment they step in to a Premier Centre. During the stay at the Premier centre the customers would experience luxurious facilities. These amenities and benefits will capture potential customers through branding and through word mouth. The combining of each of the above elements will contribute to the success of the HSBC PP. Research Requirements for the organization to snub the amount customer experienceWhat is Marketing Research?It is a systematic mental faculty which is used to collect entropy for analysis and reporting purpose on a specific marketing situation face in an organization. Companies use these resear ch results in various situations. This helps the organization to measure the customer experience. The research results will enable the marketers to improve their products or services. Commonly organizations have their own in house R&D team and however some companies tend to conduct this market research through 3rd party specialized organizations. impressiveness of Marketing Research for HSBCAs the time past banks have gradually evolved themselves to introduce new products and services. This has increased the competition amongst financial institutes who are striving to be the best. magic spell each bank offers similar products and service packages. The differentiation is dependent on the services and after sales. While HSBC understands the importance of marketing research they have sub undertake high level research studies for specialist such as AC Nielsen Corporation. At the inception of HSBC Premier the organization used research studies from the special selective information acquired through Surveys, data collections, focus groups and interview. Based on these research studies carried out HSBC was able to develop the global proposition.For further development and changes to HSBC Premier the organization carries out secondary data research studies by purchasing research studies done by specialists, collecting data of customer courtesy calls, mystery shopper programs, branch observations, suggestion boxes andtestimonials left by other PCs. Once the information is collected HSBC uses it to understand the lapses that they have in terms of service, competitor interest rates, product features and benefits which affect the total customer experience. Based on the experience at HSBC the author suggests that the research should be carried out by using the primary(a) research studies in order to track the total customer experience.Although collecting of data can be costly through primary research methods it is accurate and short to understand the customer as lis ted below. Primary research can be obtained by research performed on existing PCs. The research can be tailored according to the requirement of the organization. It helps you understand the type of client which does business with you. Since it is an in-depth research done the data would not be available for competitors. The organization has the freedom the set the parameters of the areas they wish to perform the research studies on. Collected data would be qualitative and vicenary.Figure Research frame workDefining ObjectivesThe objective of the research is to identify the total customer experience that a HSBC PC under go.Research DesignAt the research design stage, the marketer or the organization would follow a set of guidelines carried out the research. The different stages of a research are as followed.Figure -Research DesignData orderData collection to be done according to the above research design using the existing client based and the potential client base. Data analysis Data analysis is a process of transforming acquired data in to qualitative and quantitative information for the use of the marketers.Research cut throughThe research report will be the end result of the research process. The report would highlight the areas which require development and the areas which have service lapses. This will enable HSBC to develop them self as an organization. The author believes it is vital that HSBC continues andimproves their research methods in order to be on top of the financial industry. through and through performing and tracking the total customer experience which a PC goes through HSBC will be able to specify and make changes to the processes which are in use.The outcomes of becoming more customer centricIn every organization the customer is treated as the king or queen. therefore each organization wishes to be customer centric. They build their businesses around the expectations of the butt jointed customer segments. At HSBC the working busines s culture and marketing concepts are aimed and designed according to its target market. The process of choosing the segment of high end customer and to cater them with the product HSBC Premier was done under the customer segmentation process. Once the segmentation was done HSBC choose to analyze the needs, wants, values and expectations of a PC. This enable the organization to tailor make the benefits for a PC at HSBC.This in return creates a global value proposition for each PC. A key area in being a customer centric organization is the capability of building strong relationships with the clients. At HSBC Premier the concept of using a RM has enable the organization to identify in-depth information regarding their base of PCs. It has also enabled HSBC to discover the clients hidden needs and also create needs within them in order to grow the Premier portfolio. By addressing these requirements HSBC has being able to enhance the customer experience derived through HSBC Premier. The a uthor suggests that HSBC continues to conduct primary research which gives the organization in-depth information regarding how and where the organization is heading towards.The conducted research would stand as an indicator to identify on the changes that the organization could do to its marketing mix variables to achieve customer satisfaction. Becoming an organization which is customer centric would contribute to the sustainability of the company. It will act as a guide in the companys long term vision to enable them to align the business and its processes accordingly. By doing so the organization would be able to increase the customer experience levels and values.ConclusionThe overall report is a critical analysis on HSBCs PP. The author has identified the working business culture and marketing concepts used at HSBC.Based on the study the report illustrates the importance of designing HSBCs PP in line with the chosen customer segments expectations. Having being a customer centric organization, HSBC has being able to identify its customer requirements through market researches and adaptation of relationship banking.Having identifying a PCs necessities the organization has being able to make changes to its marketing mix variables in order to increase the total customer experience. The PP in general, can be measured as one of the most consistent propositions which offer exclusive financial services. In order to sustain HSBCs PP the author recommends that the organization develops its strategies and reduces the service lapses based on the suggestions made.ReferencesAcrwebsite.org. 2013. Applications of Marketing Concepts to chance Marketing by Avraham Shama. online getable at http//www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=5803 Accessed 11 Nov 2013. Antarcticglaciers.org. 2013. Untitled. online operable at http//www.antarcticglaciers.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/10-steps-to-research-design.png Accessed 15 Nov 2013. Chennaiconsultants.in. 2013. Chennai Consulting Group. online Available at http//www.chennaiconsultants.in/marketing_research.html Accessed 14 Nov 2013. Combank.net. 2013. 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Nations Trust Bank, Sri Lanka Personal Banking, embodied Banking, American Express, SME Banking. online Available at http//www.nationstrust.com/personal_banking/private_banking Accessed 13 Nov 2013. Unknown. 2013. online Available at http//www.amsreview.org/articles/wiedmann07-2007.pdf?q=are-consumer-perceptions-of-brand-affected-by-materialism Accessed 13 Nov 2013. Unknown. 2013. online Available at http//www.cim.co.uk/files/7ps.pdf Accessed 15 Nov 2013.APPENDICESA.1 About HSBCHSBC is a financial organization which opened in Sri Lanka on the 1st of July in 1892. The bank initially opened for business under the name of Hongkongbank thereafter was named as the The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and in the more recent years operates under the name HSBC. HSBC shortly has over 6,600 offices in over 80 countries and territories and assets of US$2,692 billion as at 30 June 2012 according to (HSBC, 2013) This Makes HSBC one of the largest pecuniary Organizations in the world . Since 1892 HSBC has supported and contributed to the Sri Lankan Economy and is currently one of the most Profitable Banks in Sri Lanka.A.2 Products and Services offered by HSBCHSBC uses the influences of their international expertise, their local knowledge and experience in order to build the Products and Services they offer. This puts HSBC in a good position to compete with the local financial organizations. HSBC offers propositions to its clients. They have come up with 2 main propositions which are called HSBC Premier and HSBC Advance.A.3 About HSBC PremierThis product is offered to HSBCs top end clients who are the high income earning segment of society. It would be clients who are well established in life and lives a lavish lifestyle. HSBC Premier comes with a slew of value additions and exceptional service standards. such(prenominal) as a Relationship Manager who will look in to the clients every financial need, discriminative rates,fee waivers and preferential promotions positioned only for Premier Clients. HSBC has set the token(prenominal) eligibility of becoming a Premier Client at maintaining Rs7, 500,000/- in a clients portfolio.