Advances in Transportation SLP Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Advances in Transportation SLP - Research Paper Example Today life without systems like London’s tube or Japan’s Shinkansen is unthinkable in a society where commuting between the home and workplace depends to a large extent on this form of transport. The 19th. century was an era of great technological advances. Perhaps none of these has had as far reaching an effect on the lives of people, as has the steam engine that led to the invention of the railway. The British used this invention to maximum advantage in their colonies, to expand business opportunities, ferrying local goods like spices, tea, coffee, rubber and cotton to the shipyards from where they were marketed to every part of the western world. The railways were used to carry the finished goods from factories to far flung corners of the world and allowed even farmers to sell their products further away from the regions where they were grown. This new means of transportation that ferried people as well as goods at speeds unmatched at the time by any other means of t ransport; was a boon, giving people a chance to explore new opportunities, to live away from their work places and above all to travel to far away places, that allowed them a glimpse of a world they had never seen before. As Nobel peace prize winner Sir John Boyd Orr remarked â€Å" After the First World War the economic problem was no longer one of production. It was the problem of finding markets to get the output of industry and agriculture dispersed and consumed.† (Boyd Orr, 1949) Railroads provided the solution to this problem by transporting finished goods to markets across the world. Huge public structure investment ensured that distances shrank and railroads began to determine the location and shape or size of new cities and towns. Joe Biden put it in a nutshell when he remarked â€Å"public infrastructure investment raises private sector productivity †¦.they literally are the veins and arteries of commerce.† (Biden, 2011) Railways brought economic prosper ity to people in towns and cities supplying them with every necessity - food, clothes, building material, fuel and access to markets. The railroad system resulted in a production boom; as resources and raw materials from one part of a country or continent were transported to far away factories, and finished goods marketed to every nook and corner that was now accessible through this new system of transportation. In Russia the Trans-Siberian Railway, gave an economic boost by facilitating agricultural exports from Siberia, to Russia and Europe. In Japan, the government promoted railways to cut down dependence on imported fossil fuels. Railroads have therefore been the backbone of the Japanese urban transport system and train stations formed the nucleus around which cities bloomed. Japan was the first country to have high speed rail and Japan’s business, economy, life and culture has been greatly impacted by the bullet trains that run at amazing speeds. High speed rail has beco me an efficient and convenient means of transport in Western Europe, and although this means of transportation has become popular throughout the world due to its efficiency and economy, Japan, China and Europe have the largest networks of high speed rail. It has however not taken off yet in the US. President Barack Obama in an effort to increase job opportunities in an economy that is yet to pick up after the down slide of 2008 remarked, High Speed Rail â€Å"will help accelerate job growth in an economy tha

Innovation to Sustainability about Lexus Electric Car Essay

Innovation to Sustainability about Lexus Electric Car - Essay Example The paper tells that Lexus has its headquarters at Nagoya in Japan and operational centers in the US and Europe. Through its innovation management, Lexus was able to produce Lexus CT 200h series in 2011 which even surpassed Toyota Prius in terms of performance and luxury. Lexus CT 200h is a hybrid car which derives its energy from a gasoline engine and electric motors. The power of the battery is very powerful and transmits 27 kW (kilowatts) of power the motors (The three main strategic innovations are; Innovation based on problem-solving vs. continuous innovation, R & D department vs. firm-wide innovation and Radical vs. incremental innovation. Lexus has opted to use radical innovation over incremental innovation owing to the fact that it has shifted completely to hybrid cars. According to Thomas and Christian, incremental innovation is very good for competitiveness but in most cases, it is adopted by competitors who want to catch up with leading innovators. In addition, it also use s innovation through the R & D over firm-wide innovation. In the case of Lexus, their innovations are technology-based which forms their strength in designing the Lexus CT 200h series. Technical innovation is basically the utilization of different forms of technology to come up with a product which competitive and sustainable. Technical innovations are very popular in the auto industry because a consumer is always looking for a car that has an edge over other in terms of technology. Using technology, auto manufacturers are able to increase the comfort and efficiency of cars. Organization Lexus has adopted the mechanistic structure which is quite elaborate in order to handle the challenges of manufacturing their Lexus CT 200h. This form of organizational structure is also good for enabling the accommodation of many lines of production which lead to high production. For ample technical innovation, mechanical structuralisation is good for allowing research and development with regards to technology. However, recent research tries to paint the idea that a combination of mechanistic structure and organic structure is best sustainable innovations. Organisation in the context of innovation management is concerned with the leadership structure and how physical plant. The leadership structure or organizational structure is conceptualized in the manner in which labor is fragmented into different tasks and their subsequent coordination. The auto industry is highly devolved whereby there are different levels of production of car parts. This is important because luxurious cars have many technical parts which require specialized fabrication.

History of Brazil Essay Example for Free

History of Brazil Essay Brazil the only Portuguese speaking country of South America, was founded by Spanish and Portuguese in the same year of 1500, but was handed over to the Portugal in the agreement of Torsdesillas (Bamber Gascoigne,gtu). Since the time of its colonization from 1500 until the late 1930, export of principal products has been subjected. Joao VI the sole sovereign when returned to Portugal, his apparent to the throne was Pedro, who surged a sequence of progressive political differences, which ultimately led to the independence of Brazil by 1822, leading to an era of kingship by Dom Pedro. His son Pedro II continued his legacy and led a more efficient government more than his father till 1889, where he was deposed by military coup. After that there were two more military coups in 1930 and later in 1964, but since 1985, democracy slowly returned to the snagged state. But in the midst of all the political and military drama, somehow the country’s economy was on the move. The history of the country indicates of its troubled pasts, and its love affairs with military coups, but since the last three decades, the country’s political frame has been stable, leading to ample opportunity for company like ours. Brazil Demography and Economy Brazil today has a population of more than 183 million people, with a high literacy rate of more than 86% (BIGS, Brazil today). A very strong positive indication, of a healthy literate population, briefly a very lucrative consumer mass for our product. Brazil comes in one of the front leaders of a leading economy in the world. It is an elite member of trillion dollar GDP group of the world. It is one of the fastest growing economies of the world, and slowly but surely, this country has become members of varied monetary unions, like Mercosur, and G-20. Brazil’s GDP has grown at an alarming 5. 1 % in the financial year of 2007, and with a very strong GDP per capita income of $8800 and also the Brazilian currency BRL$ is very strong, as 1 USD is near about less than BRL$ 2. This 8th largest economy of the world would prove to provide substantial buyers of our product in due course of time. Brazil’s Lifestyle Brazilian culture is a very open culture, with very less of taboos, and from the early times has been into music, and dance. Being a highly diversified culture with a huge mix of ethnic groups, Brazil has a very rich heritage. Music is one of the lifelines of Brazilians, and it can be stated form the fact that, way before their independence, Brazil had its own set of music schools, set up in different part of the country . This 5th largest population of the world is very inclined to towards singing and dancing customs, and being a prosperous nation 98% of the large population has access to television, where their local movie industry which also being the 10th largest in the world is highly well-liked and watched. Brazil’s inclination towards sports is not hidden from the world, and especially their superior liking for football. The population in general is known to be very hard working, but very apposite to recreation in sports and music. Status of demands of subwoofer in cars Brazil has a very large automobile industry, and in the year 2005, Brazil manufactured more than 1.65 million cars only for its domestic market (Elisangela Cordeiro), also according to the Euro monitor consumer electronics reporting Brazil, the in-car electronics such as woofers and media players along with other electronics in the market are available at cheap installment schemes, which are luring the common man into packing his car with accessories, like car speakers and woofers. Brazil has got a very huge young population, which would be our main targets for our products, as woofers are a very mandatory thing for the young generation of Brazilians. Recommendation Our first strategy to enter Brazilian woofer market is to tie up with the local car manufacturers, and to fit in our woofers in the local brands at reasonable prices. Since Brazil has a huge automobile market, we can tap into its boom and accessories the cars with our woofers. Secondly, the basic nature of a Brazilian is very open, and everyone has very strong interest in the different genres of music, we can capitalize on this nature of theirs and we can have ads on the lines of their open nature along with, their music, being played by our subwoofer. The only competition from a brand as repute as ours is from the company â€Å"BOSE†, but it only has its sales distributors, retail and commercial in Sao Paulo, if we can pull up our regional centre in Sao Paulo as well as the capital Brasilia , then we would be miles ahead of BOSE in the Brazilian sphere, as we would be able to reach a lot of people with our products, also these two cities are the main hotspot places for tourists, mainly coming from other regions of Latin America, and we would start catering to the domestic as well as the other Latin American mass would enhance the company’s reputation in nationally as well as in other neighboring countries. We can have our shops in malls and in different youth oriented streets and places, apart from having our outlets at car showrooms. Another thing that is strongly recommended is to tap into local manufacturing structure as Brazil has a very high amount of labor population who work at remunerations which are much aff ordable to us than the labor unit in the US, also the transportation costs would exceed cost price of our product. It is more suitable to link up with government in Brazil for facilitating us with the required formalities, and also the required waivers being handed out to us, in return for the unit which would commence in Brazil, in turn handing out jobs to the local population. Once we establish our market in the region, we can market our product more to the masses by making changes in its core design and, we can create an innovative JBL series subwoofer, which can be in a shape of a football (sphere), which would woo youngsters and football lovers. Further details regarding this matter will be mailed to you from the Research Development wing. Conclusion Brazil has a very booming economy, and it is being rated with countries like India and China who are, the fastest growing economies of the world. This country has a very reasonable labor population which would cut down our costs by a huge margin, when we start manufacturing here. The regional centers which I have recommended would enhance our market in the country, and we if we can tap into the free nature and love of music of the Brazilians , then we would have not only a huge market in this country but also other Latin American countries who would follow Brazil’s in pursuit. Apart from Brazil’s distressed past of military coups, there is nothing else that negates Brazil as one of the prime future market for our company Work Cited Bamber Gascoigne, â€Å"History of Brazil†, Jan 14th 2008 http://www. historyworld. net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories. asp? historyid=aa88

Suicide Will Condemn One to Hell Essay -- essays research papers

Suicide Will Condemn One to Hell   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Suicide is the only simple act that gives man absolute control of his life. Everyone from an early age contemplates and fantasizes with the idea of being able to end their life. Throughout time, this act has become more accepted, and easier to accomplish. Many people today believe there are reasons to justifiably end one’s own life. Though, through Christianity, it is found that not only is suicide wrong, but is the only simple act that will condemn one to hell.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Suicide is not really suicide when it deals with children. From childhood, people are tempted with the idea of suicide. Children, from the media, their friends and family are introduced with this idea from an early age. Though, there are not many cases where children commit suicide, there are a few instants that leave survivors puzzled. The difficult part about child suicide is, how old do you have to be to realize what you are doing. If a child does not know what they are doing is wrong, by committing suicide, it is not suicide. When the child does not know what they are doing, then the suicide changes from murder to an accident.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another instance, in which suicide could be justified as not wrong, is when it deals with the mentally unstable. This is also like child suicide, because the insane are not capable of judging right from wrong. No one knows the degree of sanity one needs to be able to decipher their own actions, so this is also completely left up t...

Improvements in Sri Lankan Logistics Industry

Sir Land's mission is to continue the momentum to become an integral part of South Sais's drive to position itself as one of the most important global economic areas. Given the limited size of Sir Land's International Ranking has improved domestic market, targets set by the from 137 to 81 in the World Bank government on export growth cannot Logistics Performance Index 2012. Be met without Land's Logistics Sector's significant improvement in export performance.Both export product categories and Sir Lankan has made progress in this index thanks to the improvements it has destinations need to be diversified. Made A concerted effort to plug into Asian infrastructure, international shipments, supply logistics Haines will also particularly important. Ata time when the global economic centre of gravity is shifting from West to East, Sir Lankan needs to address a situation where 60% of its exports in areas quality such and customs competence, tracking, tracing and timeliness.The rating, whic h is being conducted once in every two years is based on 6000 individual country assessments by nearly are directed to the sluggish markets 1 ,OHO international freight forwarders, of Europe and North America and who rates the eight foreign countries less than 10% to the dynamic their company serves most frequent markets in China and India In this context Logistics Performance index (LIP) plays an important role to measure the ease of doing business as well as the logistic friendliness of the country..The Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Sir Lankan (CBS) is taking the lead in bringing about a significant improvement of Sir Land's ranking on this index. The target is to take Sir Lankan into the top 30. 1 | Page China, India and Brazil – three of the so-called BRICE countries – remain the most dominant emerging markets for investors, exporters, producers of consumer goods, and logistics providers. For the second consecutive year, logistics and trade refashions ranked China, India, Brazil and Russia as the likely places to emerge as logistics hubs over the next five years.Sir Lankan Place Rank No 30th on † Agility Emerging Market Logistics Index 2013†³ The United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar are standouts among countries that are smaller markets with good economic prospects and easy market entry. Sir Lankan also was part of that group. The Alp's six components includes The efficiency of the clearance process(speed, simplicity, and predictability of formalities) by border control agencies, including customs. ; The quality of trade- and transport-related infrastructure (ports, railroads, roads, information technology).For â€Å"market compatibility' Sir Lankan scores higher than any Asian country except for China. Following a long, brutal civil war, the country has experienced strong economic growth and put security threats behind it. Even so, Sir Lankan has not yet been able to draw levels of foreign direct investment comparab le to those attracted by countries of similar size and potential. ; The ease of arranging competitively priced shipments. ; The competence and quality of logistics services (transport operators, brokers). ; The ability to track and trace consignments. The frequency with which shipments reach the consignee within the scheduled or expected delivery time. Source : Agility Emerging Market Logistics Out of six LIP index components we are Index 2013 going to consider the first two factors under the projects we are going to discuss. With the Sir Lankan government implementation and fast track programs on Information Technology ( series Lankan ) the connectivity and platforms were build across the public and private sectors to ease the processes and way of working . This has improved the efficiency of the Public sector greatly and also a way of making processes denaturized.Also the government has taken a leap step ahead to improve infrastructure relating to logistics not only in terms of Po rts & Airport , new Highways , rail road's as well as road matrices are coming up. 21 Page Two Key Projects we are going to consider are, 1 . Colombo Port Expansion Project 2. SAUCED – Automated System for Customs Data COLOMBO PORT EXPANSION PROJECT The Colombo Port Expansion Project provides for dredging and breakwater construction sufficient to accommodate three terminals, which will be constructed sequentially.The Project includes the establishment of a new marine operations enter, relocation of a submarine oil pipeline, provision of navigational aids, and construction of shore utilities. The Project will be developed on a public-private partnership basis. The harbor infrastructure works, I. E. , dredging, breakwater construction, and other works, will be implemented by the Sir Lankan Ports Authority (SLAP). The first two terminals will be operational in 2013 and 2015 respectively and constructed by operators chosen through open competitive bidding under build-operate-tran sfer (SOT) concession agreement.Colombo Port is the natural transshipment † This is a development that will definitely reduce freight rates, sake us more competitive, and attract more ships to call at Colombo. We are looking at this project to convert Colombo to the biggest transshipment hub in the region. † hub port for the South Asian region. – Primary B. Wisecrack However, in recent years Colombo Port lost Chairman , Sir Lankan Ports Authority market share of the regional transshipment market because the fundamentals of the market changed and Colombo Port did not adapt.Colombo Port cannot offer the additional operating capacity required to compete for the Indian subcontinent transshipment market or the depth required to berth the latest generation container ships. Colombo Port will have to develop additional container berths with the required depth to address these capacity and depth infrastructure 3 | Page The Making off Hub The last time Sir Lankan built a br eakwater to protect its fleet of ships, the teardrop- shaped island off the coast of India was called Ceylon, and was still under colonial rule.Today, this independent country of 21 million people is a regional rising star, and the government is capitalizing on the island's strategic location to promote it as an economic hub in South Asia. The new breakwater at Colombo Port is part of a $500 million port expansion supported in part y $300 million DAB loan – that is moving Sir Lankan toward this goal. Coulomb's breakwater has a depth Colombo Harbor 18 meters, compared to the previous 14 – 1880-1890 to 15 meters – a crucial difference in a world in which ever bigger cargo ships require ever deeper docking berths.Around 7 hectares of sea was reclaimed for the breakwater, which features 34,500 specially designed boulders – along Container handling capacity before the project 3. 3 million with an additional 5-meter-high wave wall – that can defend the p ort against Container handling capacity by 201 5 the most inclement weather. 8. 1 million The breakwater was completed in Container handling capacity by 2024 April 2012 and two 400-meter-long 12. 5 million terminals by July 2013. A third 400- meter terminal is also in the planning stages.These will make it possible for Colombo Port to 4 page accommodate the latest generation of mega-container ships, which carry 18,000 containers and more. According to officials the project will eventually increase the port's capacity to 12. 5 million containers per annum from a current 5 million. Direct to Market The main breakwater and access channel enable the development of the three container terminals. The first of these, the South Container Terminal, is being plopped under a public-private partnership.

Omo Kibish (Ethiopia) - Oldest Known Early Modern Human

Omo Kibish is the name of an archaeological site in Ethiopia, where was found the earliest examples of our own hominin species, about 195,000 years old. Omo is one of several sites found within the ancient rock formation called Kibish, itself along the Lower Omo River at the base of the Nkalabong Range in southern Ethiopia. Two hundred thousand years ago, the habitat of the lower Omo River basin was similar to what it is today, although moister and less arid away from the river. Vegetation was dense and a regular supply of water created a mix of grassland and woodland vegetation. Omo I Skeleton Omo Kibish I, or simply Omo I, is the partial skeleton found from Kamoya’s Hominid Site (KHS), named after the Kenyan archaeologist who discovered Omo I, Kamoya Kimeu. The human fossils recovered in the 1960s and in the early 21st century include a skull, several pieces from the upper limbs and shoulder bones, several bones of the right hand, the lower end of the right leg, a piece of the left pelvis, fragments of both lower legs and the right foot, and some rib and vertebrae fragments. The body mass for the hominin has been estimated at approximately 70 kilograms (150 pounds), and although it is not certain, most evidence indicates Omo was female. The hominin stood somewhere between 162-182 centimeters (64-72 inches) tall--the leg bones are not sufficiently intact enough to give a closer estimate. The bones suggest Omo was a young adult at the time of her death. Omo is currently classified as anatomically modern human. Artifacts with Omo I Stone and bone artifacts were found in association with Omo I. They included a variety of vertebrate fossils, dominated by birds and bovids. Nearly 300 pieces of flaked stone were found in the vicinity, predominantly fine-grained crypto-crystalline silicate rocks, such as jasper, chalcedony, and chert. The most common artifacts are debris (44%) and flakes and flake fragments (43%). A total of 24 cores was found; half the cores are Levallois cores. Primary stone tool making methods used at KHS produced Levallois flakes, blades, core-trimming elements, and pseudo-Levallois points. There are 20 retouched artifacts, including an ovate handaxe, two basalt hammerstones, sidescrapers, and backed knives. Over the area a total of 27 artifact refits have been found, suggesting a potential slope wash or north-trending sediment slump before the sites burial or some purposeful stone knapping/tool discard behaviors. Excavation History Excavations in the Kibish formation were first conducted by the International Palaeontological Research Expedition to the Omo Valley in the 1960s led by Richard Leakey. They found several ancient anatomically modern human remains, one of them the Omo Kibish skeleton. In the early 21st century, a new international team of researchers returned to Omo and found additional bone fragments, including a femur fragment which conjoined with a piece collected in 1967. This team also conducted Argon isotope dating and modern geological studies that identified the age of the Omo I fossils as 195,000 /- 5,000 years old. The Lower Valley of the Omo was inscribed to the World Heritage List in 1980. Dating Omo The earliest dates on the Omo I skeleton were quite controversial--they were uranium-series age estimates on Etheria freshwater mollusk shells that provided a date of 130,000 years ago, which in the 1960s was deemed too early for Homo sapiens. Serious questions arose in the latter half of the 20th century about the reliability of any dates on mollusks; but in the early 21st century Argon dates on the strata in which Omo lay returned ages between 172,000 and 195,000, with the most likely date nearer 195,000 years ago. A possibility then arose that Omo I had been an intrusive burial into an older layer. Omo I was finally direct-dated by laser ablation elemental Uranium, Thorium, and Uranium-series isotope analysis (Aubert et al. 2012), and that date confirms its age as 195,000/- 5000. In addition, a correlation of the makeup of the KHS volcanic  tuff to the Kulkuletti Tuff in the Ethiopian Rift Valley indicates the skeleton is likely aged 183,000 or older: even that is 20,000 years older than the next oldest AMH representative in the Herto formation also in Ethiopia (154,000-160,000). Sources This definition is part of the About.com Guide to the Middle Paleolithic. Assefa Z, Yirga S, and Reed KE. 2008. The large-mammal fauna from the Kibish Formation. Journal of Human Evolution 55(3):501-512.Aubert M, Pike AWG, Stringer C, Bartsiokas A, Kinsley L, Eggins S, Day M, and Grà ¼n R. 2012. Confirmation of a late middle Pleistocene age for the Omo Kibish 1 cranium by direct uranium-series dating. Journal of Human Evolution 63(5):704-710.Brown FH, McDougall I, and Fleagle JG. 2012. Correlation of the KHS Tuff of the Kibish Formation to volcanic ash layers at other sites, and the age of early Homo sapiens (Omo I and Omo II). Journal of Human Evolution 63(4):577-585.de la Torre I. 2004. Omo Revisited: Evaluating the Technological Skills of Pliocene Hominids. Current Anthropology 45(4):439-466.McDougall I, Brown FH, and Fleagle JG. 2005. Stratigraphic placement and age of modern humans from Kibish, Ethiopia. Nature 433:733-736.McDougall I, Brown FH, and Fleagle JG. 2008. Sapropels and the age of hominins Omo I and II, Kibish, Ethiopia. Journal of Human E volution 55(3):409-420.Pearson OM, Royer DF, Grine FE, and Fleagle JG. 2008. A description of the Omo I postcranial skeleton, including newly discovered fossils. Journal of Human Evolution 55(3):421-437.Rightmire GP. 2008. Homo in the Middle Pleistocene: Hypodigms, variation, and species recognition. Evolutionary Anthropology 17(1):8-21.Shea JJ. 2008. The Middle Stone Age archaeology of the Lower Omo Valley Kibish Formation: excavations, lithic assemblages, and inferred patterns of early Homo sapiens behavior. Journal of Human Evolution 55(3):448-485.Sisk ML, and Shea JJ. 2008. Intrasite spatial variation of the Omo Kibish Middle Stone Age assemblages: Artifact refitting and distribution patterns. Journal of Human Evolution 55(3):486-500.

Intensification Of Globalization And Advancements In Economies - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2532 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Economics Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? The intensification of globalization and the advancements in the world of science have not only given birth to new technologies but have also amplified the consumers need for speed. Today, consumers seek fast, less spacious and easily portable devices. This need along with the growing innovation in technology has resulted in the union of the mobile, internet and the PC. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Intensification Of Globalization And Advancements In Economies" essay for you Create order The world market of consumer electronics follows the free market culture which represents tough competition and consumer sovereignty. In the light of the heavy competition faced by mobile phone manufacturers, the strategic plan of such an organization must revolve around innovation, product differentiation and user-friendly technology. Strategic planning is a practice which allows members of an organization to envisage its future and build up the required measures and operations to accomplish that which is desired. (Pfeiffer et al.1986) .Strategic planning is also a practice of defining the standards, rationale, image, operation, goals and purpose of an organization. (Rothwell, 1989) Through the development process, a authority or agency identifies the product it wants to attain through its agenda and the precise way by which it plans to attain these results. In this process an organization not only identifies with its long term goals but also tries and determines the best and mos t efficient approach that could fulfill its aspirations. Strategic planning helps us in answering key questions such as; where do we stand at the moment? How did we come to this point? Where would we like to be? How will we get there? Are we on the right track? And in answering these questions we come to discuss the key elements of strategic planning. SWOT Analysis When discussing where we stand, we are accessing the current situation of our organization. This involves an audit which analysis internal and external factors that affect the performance of any organization. This analysis is known as the SWOT analysis which identifies the possible strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats present for the organization (the former two being internal where as the latter being external). When talking about strengths, a mobile phone manufacturer and retailer has many in terms of marketing, service system, reliability, quality, finance, location and an overall good brand image. As an organization operating in a market which is at the verge of reaching the point of saturation, the provision of good quality customer care is vital. An impressive marketing plan which helps create a brand image, reliability and brand loyalty are a few strengths which our organization enjoys. In the weaknesses one cannot help but include the financial difficulties our organization faces in keeping up to date with the latest machinery and training of the workforce. Great opportunities lie in the department of research and development which will lead to diversification in the product portfolio. The global industry of our product can be placed on the growth element of the business cycle. This will allow us to operate in more than the few countries we currently operate in and dig out new uses from the mobile phone. One of the major threats surrounding our organization is due to the current world recession, which has led to the fall in the general standard of living for many and the rise in production costs. Another threat is that caused by the changes in demographic trends and rapid changes in tastes and fashion which results in products and technologies becoming obsolete. The SWOT analysis helps provide a clear cut picture of where the organization stands and where it could be. It is brief however one can not overlook the fact that if it is being ma de by an employee of the organization it might be subject to bias. Situational Analysis While analyzing the current situation of the organization, the managers and strategic planners are in reality listing down and determining the strategies and objectives for the organizations future. The organization is affected, not only by internal factors but when making any sort of decision it also takes into account the external factors. Situational analysis involves the study of external factors such as the markets, competition, technology, supplier markets, labor markets, they economy etc. Studying the environment on an internal as well as an external level gives the organization a great opening to identify with the threats and the opportunities surrounding it. Where we stand today is a result of our planning and dedication in the past. With the hopes and positive aura produced by our achievements, there is also the fear of being victimized by the paralysis by analyzing. Paralysis by analysis is that the failure of managers to carry out important decisions due to fixation wit h meetings, producing reports, and collecting figures for analysis. Paralysis of effective decision making in organizations can occur when there is level disagreement, disparity between different hierarchical levels, or vague objectives. (qfinance.com) This can also result from the difficulty created by the situation at hand or the inability to take risks due to over thinking and excessive planning rather than acting. However regular stress checks, training programs and conferences help keep our organizations work force intact. Conferences regarding latest technological trends and consumer preferences will also help freshen and broaden the view of our workforce enabling them to innovate and stylize technology. Vision and Mission When discussing the question of where our organization wants to be, we come face to face with one of our most major objectives, which is to become the leading providers of mobile solutions. Under this element of the process of strategic planning we develop certain objectives for the organization. These are basically aims and goals that the organization wishes and strives to achieve. For us these goals can revolve around technology (better touch screens, availability of office software in our mobile software, easier and user friendly graphical interface), better skilled workforce, better trained managers, efficient distribution of resources, better marketing strategies (more captivation ad campaign) and so on and so forth. (business dictionary.com) In this element an organization also develops a vision and a mission. A mission statement is a sentence describing a companys function, markets and competitive advantages; a short written statement of your business goals and philosophi es. (entrepreneurship.com). A mission statement basically states what the organization stands for, what is the purpose of its existence, who are the targeted customers, the entire product range and also the location (geographical) on which the organization operates. A vision statement on the other hand is an inspiring portrayal of what an organization would like to attain or complete in the mid or long run. It is proposed to serve as an apparent point for choosing present and future routes of action. (qfinance.com) However when planning out the goals, missions and visions one has to make sure that they are realistic, time bound, measurable and specific. If they are vague and far from reality, that is they are financially or in terms of managing skills, impossible to achieve then the result is wastage of resources. Strategy and Tactics Next the organization must set its strategy which is the medium it will adopt in the long run for the fulfillment of the objectives that the company has set out for itself. These are often carefully thought of and well integrated. A successful strategy is one that allows the organization to achieve all of its aspired goals without going over budget. Moreover a strategy is successful if the results it produces are of quality and are beneficial in the long run. Many organizations in the hope of better results, follows a particular tactic of breaking down its objectives into smaller targets for different divisions of the work force. However there are those (managers and supervisors) who implement and keep a check on the overall application of the strategies. (tutor2u.net) Effective communication forms part of the foundation which leads to the achievement of the objectives. Thankfully our organization has a very impressive communication system. Keeping regular meetings and conferenc es can boast up the morale of the workforce as these forums remind them of the particular role that they are playing (clarification of job objectives) and how it helps in the generation of the greater picture, which is the overall running of the entire organization. This part of the planning process basically answers short term questions like; what is to be done? What is the method being used? Who is responsible? When is it to be completed? These are usually short run tasks like collection of statistics or creation of a database and are usually headed by the head of that particular department. The hierarchal system followed by the organization also has a great impact on the overall performance of the company. The most ideal form of hierarchy (that our organization must also follow) is the line workers managed by the lime manager who is headed by the head of the department. In this the gap between the upper and the lower class workers is not that wide. Hence the morale of the work ers is high and the work environment is friendly resulting in a more efficient and eager work force. Monitor and control The last part of the procedure calls for monitoring and controlling which revolves around the act of keeping a check if the company is heading on the right track. It is to make sure that the strategies are working, the budget is carefully managed, the work force is efficient, the resources are being utilized productively and the managers have no lost track of the companys objectives. Obtaining feedback is a great way to inquire about the former issues and since our organization has a very impressive communication system collecting feedback will not be an issue. Feedback not only helps us inquire about what we want but also helps locate if there is any hindrance in any other part of the organization. Feedback can be collected in the form of group discussions or one to one talks or even by simply keeping a comment box. Another very vital factor that falls here is that of consumer feedback. Conducting a market analysis will allow us to ensure that the consumers have achieved what they desired and expected from the product. Well also learn of the features that they would want a mobile phone to have and also the problems they face in operating them. Consumer feedback will allow us to go over the matter externally. When both internal and external feedbacks have been collected, the results of these will be compared to the initial goal that was set. Now the organization can measure its performance and locate the errors and mismanagement which will then be subject to correction. Other ways of measuring the performance of your organization is through the financial conditions and also through employee satisfaction levels. In this part of the procedure the managers usually come across with a number of errors, big and small. When needed by modifying the plan, strategies and tactics and by taking corrective action we will ensure that the organization stays determined on its course in order to fulfill its objectives and goals. The results from this years plan will be fed in the next and will allow gaining a competitive edge. This will allow a great flow of information and experience. It will cut costs too, increase efficiency and enable us to fix errors as soon as they are detected instead of waiting for the end of the business year. Other types of analysis that can form part of your strategic plan are the PEST analysis which is the Political, Economical, Sociological and Technological analysis, STEER analysis which is the Socio-cultural, Technological, Economical, Ecological and Regulatory factors, EPISTEL which is the Environment, Political, Informatics, Social, Technological, Economic and Legal analysis. Over the years there has been much advancement in technology. The pace at which science has progressed in the last ten years is remarkable and never before had it been so fast and innovative in its inventions and discoveries. Today technologies such as MMS, GPRS, WAP, GSM, high resolution cameras are common in almost all the mobile phones being introduced. This technological breakthrough has impacted most of the strategies and management tactics of most of the companies especially those operating in the field of consumer electronics. Technology changes the way we do business. Technology has intensified everything that surrounds the business from the attractiveness of the market to the power of the buyers, strength of the new entrants, fear of better substitutes, power of the suppliers and the magnitude of competition. This technological revolution has also magnified the need for skilled labor. Therefore training and conducting workshops has become an essential part of every organizations plan. Every organization tries to sieve out the best of the best and then dedicates itself to train the work force for promising results. Another very important concept that in importance surpasses all the others is that of cost cutting. The consumers want the latest bit of technology at a reasonable price. The world recession has drowned the standard of living for many around the globe and therefore to keep up to date with the increased competition in every field of life, the need for affordable technology has magnified. The best that our organization can keep on the right track and at a good pace is by producing user friendly, comprehensive, affordable and stylish mobile phones. Also the branding and marketing should be planned out according to the targeted markets (in our case this is the segment of the business running professionals). Another very important tactic is that of diversifying into the market. Our organization can branch out into the production of personal computers and laptops to strengthen its roots in this business. The only way that the former statements and suggestions can be brought out into practice is through effective management. Effective and planned out management of the resources at hand can lead any organizations to the highest peaks of success. A good manager guides and supervises for the sake of success not for the boasting of authority and control, he or she refrains from intervention except at times when deviation is clearly evident, he or she never loses their focus from the strategic goals of the company, they allow a free flow of feedback and make their subordinates feel comfortable in the work place, they dont monitor on a macro level rather on a micro one so they know exactly what is going on, also they focus and work hard to avoid being victimized by the paralysis through analysis. Today the entire industry of consumer electronics is in a tight struggle to win over the competition. Everyday new mobile phone companies are emerging and therefore we require a great amount of resistance to survive the tough times. No matter how well established and successful a company is, without a good strategic plan, efficient management, skilled workforce, up to date technology, flexible operation styles, financial strength, imagination and creativit y and a good market understanding, it can come crashing down on its knees. Therefore to make a mark a company should have the good sense to avoid its threats, overcome its weaknesses, make good use of its strengths and grab its opportunities.