Solar Energy Sector In India General Studies Essay

Solar Energy Sector In India General Studies Essay India with abundant sunlight, unutilized manufacturing potential, readily available labour and significant demand for power, is one of the most promising markets for solar energy. The country is currently the seventh largest producer solar photovoltaic (PV) cells and ninth largest producer of solar thermal energy. Most parts of the country receive 4-7 kWh of solar radiation per square meter per day. There are 250-300 clear, sunny days in a year. This puts countrys solar potential at around 600TW per year. Still, solar energy is not the most popular source of renewable energy in India. Wind at 9,522 MW, continues to dominate the renewable energy sector , accounting for over 70% of total renewable capacity of 13,451 MW as of Sept, 2008. This sectoral report tries to cover the niche sector of solar energy in India which is still in nascent stage with very few detailed reports available. The sectoral report covers the size and growth of this sector various government initiatives taken to ensure the growth momentum considering the fact that solar power is still quite costly as compared to conventional sources of power. Thereafter the various key success parameters in the form of various issues challenges which decides the growth in this sector are covered like managing high cost, policy hurdles, environmental concerns, low land availability, power evacuation hurdles, profitability problems, entry barriers for new manufacturing facilities etc. Next the key enablers to sustainable success of solar energy sector in the form of technological innovations is discussed based on various factors. Here the focus is on various upcoming technologies in the solar sector like crystalline silicon, thin film, solar thermal/ CSP etc . Sectoral Report also give a brief overview of the key initiatives in the solar sector taken by a company which made it a leading company in solar sector. Finally the growth projection for the solar sector as a whole is being highlighted. Size and Growth of Solar energy sector in India The government of India started focusing on the solar energy segment when Ministry of New and renewable Energy (MNRE) launched a countrywide solar PV programme as a part of its renewable energy programme. It aimed to provide remote village electrification through decentralized distributed generation(DDG) using solar technologies and promote such technologies for urban, industrial and commercial applications. India has since transformed into a low cost hub for manufacturing solar PV cells and modules, a large proportion of which is exported to other countries. For instance, according to a 2008 study on solar PV industry by Indian Semiconductor Association, India produced 335 MWp of PV products during the period 2002-07 of which 225 MWp was exported. The annual production of solar PV cells increased from 9.5 MW in March 2000 to 110 MW in March 2000. The production of solar PV modules grew from 11 MW to 135 MW over the same period. In 1982, the government launched the national solar thermal energy programme to promote solar technologies such as parabolic troughs, parabolic dishes and solar power towers for generating grid-interactive power. The programme involved increasing awareness about the use of solar thermal energy as well as encouraging the manufacture of solar thermal equipment. The government even subsidized solar thermal products like water heating systems and solar cookers. Since then, Indias solar thermal energy collector area (a solar thermal collector absorbs sunlight to convert it into heat energy) has increased significantly from 119,000 square metres to over 1.66 million square metres as of March 2007. However the number of solar thermal installations (comprising parabolic troughs, parabolic dishes and solar towers) per 1000 people is still very low at 0.52. The MNRE has targeted installing 5 million square metres of collector area by 2012. In terms of end-use, there was area of solar water heating systems and 0.62 million box-type solar cooker units as of Dec, 2007. Recent government initiatives In June 2008, the prime minister launched the National Action Plan for Climate change (NPACC), which categorically targets an increase in solar based generation in country. As part of the plan, the government has approved the creation of national solar mission on the lines of the Atomic Commission. The mission has a target of adding 1000 MW of concentrated solar power in the next 10 years. Also as part of governments plan for solar energy segment is the launch of a major research and development programme which would enable the creation of more affordable and convenient solar power systems, and promote innovations for storing solar power for sustained, long term use. International cooperation would be an important part of RD programme. The US government recently sent a delegation including fourteen US-based solar energy companies on its first trade mission on solar energy in India. Till date the union government has made various concessions for solar energy development in India. The MNRE in an effort to promote large sized grid-interactive solar power generation projects, recently introduced a generation based incentive (GBI) of Rs 15 per kWh for solar PV and Rs 13 per kWh for solar thermal projects. Solar PV power generation plants with minimum installed capacity of 1 MWp per plant are eligible for the incentive. However, the incentive is available only for maximum cumulative capacity of 10 MWp of grid-interactive solar PV power generation projects in a single state, with the overall project size being limited to 50 MWp. Further, no single entity can achieve GBI for projects of more than 5 MW. The industry has been demanding the removal of the total capacity and per plant limits but, so far , no steps have been taken by the government in this regard. The government has also sanctioned the Development of Solar Cities Programme for the Eleventh Plan Period. The programme will extend support to municipal corporations for preparing and implementing the plan to set up 60 solar cities at investment of Rs 5million, which will enable a minimum of 10 per cent reduction in total demand conventional energy by 2012. The Forum of Electricity Regulators, headed by the Chairperson of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, is working on the road map to achieving the NAPCCs target of sourcing 5% of total power generation from renewable sources. Key Success Parameter for Solar Sector Growth: Handling Issues Challenges Despite these efforts, the solar industry still faces a plethora of issues including high production costs, lack of land, inadequate financing options and rising environment concerns. Moreover, despite the government offering many incentives, the industry is demanding more in order to be commercially viable. Policy Hurdles According to project developers, further policy action is required on the solar energy front. There is still a cloud of confusion surrounding the policy framework. Developers have cited issues as lack of clarity regarding the clearances required to set up operations. Others complain that it takes excessive time to obtain the multiple clearances required. Many developers have also faced problems with state governments as the latter have not adhered to the power purchase agreements. There is also strong demand for removing the cap on MNREs GBI. High Costs Despite costs coming down over the years, power generation from solar PV is still four to five time more expensive than fossil fuel-based generation. The estimated cost of generation from solar PV and solar thermal sources in India is Rs 12-20 per KWh and Rs 10-15 per KWh respectively. On the other hand, power from conventional sources can cost as little as Rs 3-4 per KWh. According to industry estimates, the current tariffs for initial 10-year period are not sufficient to make solar projects viable. This combined with project financing at 12-14 per cent with a loan tenor of seven-eight years result in internal rate of return (IRRs) of 6-10 %. Attractive IRRs have been the single most important factor for growth for the solar PV industry in Europe, with developers receiving at least an incremental return of 4-6 per cent over the capital/ financing cost. Several factors have contributed to this trend. With respect to crystalline solar PV-based power production, one of the most significant cost components is the high cost of energy, which constitutes around 11% of the total production cost (for a vertical integrated plant). Energy costs borne by solar power developers in India are especially high as industrial consumers are typically charged higher energy tariff to cross subsidize domestic and agricultural consumers. Interest cost and depreciation are two other important cost components, comprising 15% of production cost. According to a presentation by Rajeewa Arya, Chief Executive Officer, Mosaer Baer Photo Voltaic , project financing for solar power developers is usually granted at an interest rate of 12-14% for a loan tenor of seven-eight years, making solar PV projects ‘unviable. Thin film based solar PV technology is a cheaper alternative to mono or polysilicon based solar PV technologies as it costs less to manufacture thin film modules. Thin film modules are created by coating entire sheets of glass or steel with thin layers of semiconducting materials, which obviates the need for large quantities of semiconductors, thus lowering energy inputs and, consequently, the cost of production. With thin film modules, there is also added opportunity of locally sourcing raw material. The current cost structure of thin film silicon-based modules varies from Rs 50 to Rs 64per watt peak (Wp) depending on the efficiency (6 to 8.5%) of the module compared to Rs 88.7per Wp for silicon crystalline modules. Entry Barrier against Competitors for Manufacturing Process Solar PV cell manufacturing is a technology-intensive process requiring sophisticated expertise and know how. The technological landscape is changing rapidly. Moreover, as it is challenging for new entrants to replicate the success of companies having a long standing in solar PV market, competition is reduced to an extent. Environmental Concerns Some of the raw materials used for producing solar PV cells, like cadmium , are hazardous. Other raw materials, like plastics are non-biodegradable. Although some of the wasted generated during the manufacturing process is recyclable (for example silicon), not all materials are recyclable . As a result disposal is challenge. Low Land availability Solar Power plants require large areas of land 35-40 acres for a 5 MWp installation. However suitable tracts of land are not always available and land acquisition is sometimes subjected to local resistance. Power Evacuation In the past, it has been often seen that a transmission line is required to be drawn from solar power plant site to the nearest substation, which is usually 4-5 Km away. The concerned power utilities generally insist the line be drawn by the promoter of solar project. Setting up a transmission line is not only unfamiliar work for solar project promoters or engineering, procurement and construction contractor , it also adds substantially to the capital costs incurred. For conventional power plants, the respective transmission or distribution companies set up the line and purchases power from premises of the generating station. This is because TD companies have the experience and legal support to tackle socio-political issues that arises while setting up transmission lines across land owned by multiple landowners. Profitability In addition to raw material and project financing costs, Indian solar PV manufacturing companies face the problem of achieving profitability, as most companies are partially integrated. This means that they either buy wafers and convert them into cells , or buy cells and convert them into modules. In the value chain, 60% of value addition lies in the polysilicon and wafer manufacturing segments. In India, however cell and module manufacturing is largely carried out domestically, leaving polysilicon and wafers to be imported. This leads to a substantial loss in margins, increases the cost of the solar panel, and thereby increases the cost of the energy generated from solar power. If it is assumed that both the partially integrated manufacturer and vertically integrated manufacturer can sell the module at around Rs 145( based on international pricing of a crystalline silicon module), this gives the vertically integrated manufacturer a margin gain of 42 percentage points over the partially integrated one. There are however , several technical limitations as a result of which partial integration is more feasible than vertical integration. These include unavailability of technology and raw material. A key reason for this is high capital requirement for setting up such manufacturing capacities. In light of this , capital subsidies could boost vertical integration and reduce cost of production. Solar Thermal Advantages of Solar Thermal Power Solar Thermal power exhibits a different set of dynamics from solar PV as energy storage is much easier in the former. Solar thermal power plants have systems for heat storage and , consequently , generate power even after sunset . Solar thermal technologies have the additional advantages of being able to generate electricity right after the construction of collector (in other technologies, there is usually a gap between plant construction and production of electricity , which increases the interest cost to investment made). Limitations of Solar Thermal Technology On the flip side, however the technology has two key limitations. First, while PV systems can be installed in proximity to customers , thereby decreasing transmission and distribution costs, concentrated solar thermal systems require optimal solar conditions and large open spaces, which are only available at a great distance from customers. The second reason, as is explained in a report by McKinsey Consulting, â€Å"The ability of concentrated solar thermal power to cut costs further may be limited because it relies on conventional devices such as pipes and reflectors whose costs will probably fall less significantly than those of materials used in semiconductor-based PVs†. Issues Challenges- Going Forward Overall, solar energy costs can be expected to decrease significantly in the future. Capital costs have already declined over the past two decades, bringing down the cost of solar PV and solar thermal. Costs are projected to continue reducing to eventually compete with fossil fuel prices. With economies of scale and development of new technologies, the industry is targeting to achieve a level of Rs6-8 per kWh in three to five years. Analysts have further advocated that developers undertake cost cutting measures such as sharing operational resources, and building the plant closer to consumers to save on transmission expenses etc. Moreover, a carbon tax on coal based generation could provide a significant boost to CSP technology. Breakthroughs in nanotechnology also promises a significant increase in solar cell efficiencies from current values of around 15% to over 50%, which could subsequently reduce the cost of the solar energy produced. Key Success Enabler for Sustainable Growth in Solar: Growth in Technological Innovations Crystalline silicon The development of crystalline silicon technology took shape in 1976 when the government launched a five year programme focusing on indigenous commercial production of solar cells and modules based on crystalline silicon. Advantages of Crystalline Silicon Crystalline silicon technologies have several advantages. They are tried and tested and relatively more widely available in the Indian market, thus familiarity among groups and producers. Consequently, most applications for solar PV use have been designed on the basis of silicon-based PV characteristics. The technology also has relatively high conversion efficiencies of 15 to 18% for the polycrystalline versions and 17-18% for the monocrystalline version. Hence, they are ideal for locations with space constraints as the size of the panels need not be very large. Issues with Crystalline Silicon On the flip side , however , crystalline solar PV technologies are heavily dependent on pure solar grade silicon which has limited supply. Though accessing high quality of sand for manufacturing silicon is not a constraint in India, production of refined metallurgical silicon is costly , complicated and energy intensive. Crystalline technologies are also expensive, costing $2.4 and $2.15 to produce a 1 Watt monocrystalline and polycrystalline cell respectively. Crystalline technologies consume 8-9 grams of silicon per watt. However, silicon is a scarce commodity in India and these costs end up constituting a large part (40-50%) of the module costs. Over the years though, silicon usage in crystalline technologies (in terms of grams per watt) is expected to reduce. Future outlook of Crystalline Silicon The future of crystalline silicon technologies will be driven by technological advances that will establish new benchmarks in solar PV cell efficiency using materials that can trap a higher proportion of incident spectrum and convert it into useful energy and reduce cost by developing less energy intensive techniques of production and benefiting from decreasing polysilicon prices , and reduces waste. In the future, though other emerging technologies are likely to gain prominence , industry experts expect that solar PV systems based on crystalline silicon will dominate the off-grid applications segment with small rooftop-based installations. Though crystalline technologies monopolize the solar PV market at present, they are expected to slowly be replaced by more cost-effective technologies such as those based on thin film. By 2011-12 , the market share of silicon crystalline is expected to decline to 65-70%. Thin Film Thin film-based solar PV technology is a low cost alternative to crystalline silicon. The market share of thin film technologies currently stands at around 8% but is expected to go up to 35%in the next few years in India. In contrast to silicon crystalline technologies, thin films are expected to be especially important for on-grid applications in India Advantages of using Thin Film The key advantage of thin-film technologies is that they are more cost effective than other crystalline-based solar PV technologies as they require fewer materials and energy. Issues with Thin Film However thin film-based technologies are still at research and evolution stage and have relatively lower conversion efficiency compared to silicon crystalline technologies. There are other future challenges. Although thin film technologies have revealed long-term stability, some degradation has been observed. This is yet to be properly understood and dealt with. Moreover, in the long term , the availability and price of tellurium ( a key raw material in the production of thin films) are likely to become a bigger concern when the production capacity level reaches tens of gigawatts. Solar thermal/ CSP In addition to solar PV, solar thermal technology is also gaining traction in India. For on-grid applications, concentrated solar power (CSP) systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. This technology is commercially available with over 12 billion units of operation experience. The one drawback it faces is its use of an oil based heat transfer medium, which restricts operating temperature to up to 400 C , resulting in stream of moderate quality. This technology is again suited for grid connected plants but with high temperature process heat requirement. The highest capacity achieved until now for a single unit with this technology is 10 MWe. This technology is ideally suited for stand-alone, off-grid power systems or clustered to larger grid-connected dish parks. The highest single unit solar capacity achieved with this technology is 25 kWe. In some recent designs, a unit size of about 10 kWe has been claimed. However projected mass production goals and costs are yet to be achieved. Status of Solar Thermal in India The cumulative collector area of solar thermal thermal energy in India has grown steadily from 119,000 sq metres in 1989 to more than 2.6 million square metres in December,2008. Though this is substantial increment , the absolute number of solar thermal installations per 1000 people is very low at 0.52. In terms of end-use, there are 2.6 million square metres of collector area of solar water heating systems and 640,000 box-type solar cooker units as of January, 2009. Issues with spread of Solar Thermal The key disadvantage with all concentrated solar power systems is that the hours of power production coincide theoretically with hours of sunshine. However, with some adaptations , such as energy storage , it is possible to control the hours of power production. According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy , India has a gross potential of about 30 million square meters of collector area. In fact , in its draft policy , it has target of installing 5 million square metres of collector area till 2012. However, given the current status, a lot of distance is yet to be covered. However there are several key issues that needs to be addressed. Solar thermal power developers have to incur a high initial cost of equipment. Solar thermal equipment also requires a large quantity of space compared to conventional electric equipment. Currently , the number of equipment suppliers, spare part manufacturers and service providers for solar thermal equipment is limited. According to industry players , there is an urgent need for developing supply chain that can bring efficiencies to the system , from design to delivery. Concentrated Solar PV systems In order to tackle the above challenges, the industry is experimenting with concentrated solar PV-based systems, which use mirrors or lenses to focus light onto solar PV cells to produce electricity. This is in contrast to concentrated solar power using parabolic troughs or dishes that use heat from sun to produce steam, which turns an electric generator. Concentrated solar PV systems are so far at an experimental stage. Spanish firm Solfocus is working on a 3 MW concentrated solar PV power plant in southern part of the country. Future Growth Projections of Technological innovations in solar Substantial research is being undertaken to come out with more cost-efficient and conversion-efficient versions of solar power technologies. Researchers are targeting conversion efficiencies between 30% to 60% , while using similar low-cost materials and manufacturing techniques. In the solar PV field, new and emerging technologies are being designed to overcome the shortcomings of thin film such as poor electrical performance while maintaining low production costs. New solar cells made of nano materials are reportedly the next big advancement in the solar PV industry. Nano materials exhibit superior properties , such as high strength and flexibility , and trap more energy than conventional solar PV cells. Leading Companies in Solar Sector Applied Materials Inc.: Key success factors Future Growth projections Applied materials creates and commercializes nanomanufacturing technology that helps produce virtually every semiconductor chip and liquid crystal flat panel display in the world. Applied materials built on that expertise to enter PV cell manufacturing equipment industry and become the number one supplier in 2008 (Source: VLSI Research, Inc.) For crystalline silicon, they have the best-in-class tools with a focus on thinnest wafers , highest productivity and higher efficiency . The Precision Wafering System division offers MaxEdge â„ ¢ using the dual wire concept to enable cutting large loads with thin wire along with wire saw systems for cropping and squaring. The Baccini â„ ¢cell division offers the industry-leading solution in line metallization and test that can handle ultra-thin wafers. Further the companys Aton â„ ¢ offers the highest productivity and cost benefits for ARC deposition and passivation in cell manufacturing. For the thin film market, Applied has developed the SunFabâ„ ¢ Thin Film production line , the worlds first line capable of producing 5.7 square meter solar modules. As PV manufacturers seek to build highly automated , efficient plants, Applied Materials ability to commercialize innovative solar technologies and its unmatched global resources and service network bring the promise of a cleaner, brighter energy future. Future Growth Projections in Solar Energy Sector According to analysts and financial consultants, there may be temporary slowdown in the solar energy sector due to the current economic crisis. Funds have become restricted and companies are looking for safer investments. However the situation is going to turn around with increased government focus. According to industry estimates, the total annual demand for solar energy (including solar thermal systems) in India will rise from current 30-40 MW to 700 MW by 2012 due to falling costs of solar systems. The MNRE is targeting a solar energy capacity of 500 MW by the end of the eleventh plan period. However, this target is expected to be surpassed. By 2017, the MNRE expects Indias solar capacity addition is expected to rise from current 30-40 MW per annum to 70 MW by 2012, driven by decreases in the prices of solar PV. Around 50% of capacity addition is expected to come from solar PV based grid-interactive generation. Solar based generation for the grid is expected to be 25 MW, 50 MW, 75 MW and 100 MW in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. The increase will be partially drawn by generation based incentive, which has already led to companies such as Reliance Industries and Moser Baer expressing interest in setting up grid-interactive solar PV plants worth over 1000 MW. All in all , the Indian solar energy industry is looking at busy times ahead. List of References: http://mnes.nic.in/ http://www.powermin.nic.in/ http://www.projectsmonitor.com/ http://www.indiasolar.com/ren-india.htm Datamonitor- Online Library Resources http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_India http://www.solarpowerindia.com/ http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/ multiple news related to solar power sector http://www.cercind.gov.in/ http://www.crisil.com/research/ Based on Three years of work-experience in power sector related industry contacts Study of various textbooks literature regarding solar energy while I was doing Post Graduate diploma course in Thermal Power Plant engg from an institute under ministry of Power

the dead Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"The Dead†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some say that people never change. They may be right, but no one really knows. What people do know is that every living person has one thing in common, something that will never change. Everyone will die, there’s no way around it. Every â€Å"new† and â€Å"old† generation will succumb to the same ghastly fate. The differences in the â€Å"old† generation and â€Å"new† generation sometimes collide in life. The contrast between generations in James Joyce’s â€Å"The Dead† is similar to the contrast in the generations today. The â€Å"baby boomer† generation is the old fashioned generation preoccupied with hospitality and tradition, where as, â€Å"generation x† is the new generation, preoccupied with knowledge and intellect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The â€Å"old† generation that James Joyce writes about is a generation of â€Å"humanity, of hospitality, of kindly humour†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (pg 127). The qualities of this generation seem to be fading away. The older generation mentions that they no longer know of any singers that were as good as those of the present time. The old generation is to be remembered with â€Å"†¦pride and affection†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (pg 127). The memories of the old will never die and will always be cherished. The old generation is good at keeping in touch with their past. They are proud of their heritage, one of which they mention is their good old Irish hospitality. The qualities of the past are qualities of passion and humanity, differing greatly from the qualities of the new generat...

Essay on Biography of Barak Obama

Research Front Arnab B Chowdhury – Founder and Knowledge Architect, Ninad Consultancy Services www. ninad. in, [email  protected] in When Technology Meets Health Care in Knowledge Society†¦ Aurosiksha: online learning platform for blindness prevention workers â€Å"Intelligence and capability are not enough. There must also be the joy of doing something beautiful. Being of service to God and humanity means going well beyond the sophistication of the best technology, to the humble demonstration of courtesy and compassion to each patient. † – Dr. G Venkataswamy (Founder Chairman – Aravind Eye Care System) Abstract: This case study (www. urosiksha. org) is about two great movements one in Technology (the FOSS) and the other in Health Care – the Aravind Eye Care Systems (AECS) and LAICO that trains blindness prevention workers. At the con? uence of the two is an eLearning platform called Aurosiksha, which is based on Moodle. Aurosiksha seeks to r each out to the global user, share its rich knowledge base, and in the process create a community of lifelong learners. Keywords: FOSS, ICT, LMS, MOODLE, mLearning, Mobile Moodle, AECS, Aravind, Aravind Eye Care System, Vision 2020, WHO, LAICO, Aurosiksha, eLearning Platform, knowledge society, ocial health care. Introduction As we all know, the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) movement began as a renegade call to what was felt to be increasing restrictions on collaborative development, distribution, and ownership of software[2]. Free software focuses on the philosophical freedoms (a matter of liberty rather than price) it gives to users, whereas open-source software focuses on the perceived strengths of its peer-topeer development model. Openness, coownership, and transparent collaboration continue to drive the FOSS movement. Development, modi? cation, ownership, and redistribution of software could now e cohesively managed by communities of like-minded developers. This also le d to an evolutionary model of copyright and licensing (GPL) ensuring community ownership. The FOSS movement has evolved from the stages of philosophy and licensing into a complex and pragmatic ecosystem for software production and distribution bene? ting humanity globally. FOSS has introduced technological self-reliance, efficient use and sharing of resources, and C SI Communications | June 2012 | 12 collaborative innovation  and development. One of the most signi? cant areas where the FOSS movement has made strides is in the ?eld of education.During the past decade, education has been rapidly reorganized to leverage information and communication technology (ICT) within the classic teaching-learning-assessing cycle. At the foundation of FOSS is a desire for an equitable and open model of access to knowledge. If one of the aims of FOSS technologies is dissemination of educational content, then Aurosiksha is a case in point. The Case Aurosiksha is an online learning management syste m (LMS). An initiative launched recently (25th July, 2011) in its beta version by Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology (LAICO), established in 1992 with the support of he Lions Club International, SightFirst Program, and Seva Sight Program. LAICO is Asia's ? rst international training facility for the broad range of blindness prevention workers from India and other parts of the world. It contributes in improving the quality of eye care services through teaching, training, capacity building, advocacy, research, and management consultancy. It offers university-affiliated long-term courses in Eye Care Management, with eye care management programs for directors of eye hospitals, program managers, as well as several skill development courses in the areas of instrument maintenance, community utreach and social marketing, counseling in India, Africa, and South East Asia. LAICO accomplishes this objective within the broader environment of Aravind Eye Hospitals and Aravind Medi cal Research Foundation – all aspects of AECS. Headquartered at Madurai, India, AECS is the world’s largest eye care service provider, which performs 300,000 surgeries per year. Aravind Eye Care was founded and directed by the legendary Padmashree Dr. G Venkataswamy known as Dr. V. Fig. 1: Inspiration and Inspirer www. csi-india. org Fig. 2: LAICO's global reach Designated by the World Health Organization as a Collaborating Centre forPrevention of Blindness, Aravind is studied as a model in prestigious business schools around the world, including Harvard, Stanford, Michigan, IMD-Lausanne, and the Indian Institutes of Management. Currently, LAICO works with over 270 hospitals across the developing world replicating Aravind model of high-quality, low-cost eye care service delivery. Followup studies have shown that several of the programs exposed to the Aravind model have doubled (and in some cases even tripled) surgical productivity and as a result are now ? nancially se lf-sustaining. †¢ †¢ 270+ hospitals (and still growing) that are partnering with Aravind?How do we create courses that cover the broad needs of our trainees that include paraprofessionals, ophthalmologists, eye care program managers, administrators, and others? How do we continue to empower our all-women team of paraprofessionals who form the backbone (about 60%) of Aravind’s workforce? Since †¢ †¢ most of them come from humble, rural background and are trained as assistants and nurses, can this eLearning platform give them the opportunity for continuous training? How can eLearning work consciously toward the empowerment of women and gender equality – an important objective within the Millennium Development Goals?How do we collate, aggregate content to create an interactive Knowledge society The Challenge The real challenge for knowledge society then is in creating equal opportunity in offering the ability to access, to create, to develop, and to ut ilize the right information at the right time in a cost-effective manner. This applies to the public (consumer) as well as the service provider professionals. In this case study, we focus on a decisive initiative with the objective of providing quality training and management skills via the virtual medium for eye care, which is an important area of social health care. †¢ How do we train more than 10,000 lindness prevention workers worldwide, year after year, across Education FOSS ICT Aurosiksha AECS LAICO Education & Management Fig. 3: The case for Aurosiksha C SI Communications | June 2012 | 13 ophthalmic technology evolving so quickly, everyone recognizes the importance of keeping our eye care management skills and knowledge up-todate for the bene? t of our patients. The eLearning solution will allow especially the paramedics to access continuous educational opportunities over the Internet and provide a valuable forum for our members/experts to exchange views and tap into the expertise of their colleagues and fellow olleagues around the world. † Aurosiksha has leveraged ICT in an inclusive way. It is meant Fig. 4: Aurosiksha home page and introduction to provide a one-point Internet access to eye training mechanism that does care training for professionals worldwide justice to the enormous data and with the premise that ‘up to 80% of experiences that Aravind has the world's blindness is avoidable†¦ ’ collected over decades and share it where ‘avoidable blindness is de? ned as with the world so that other blindness blindness which could be either treated prevention professionals and social or prevented by entrepreneurs may feel inspired to nown, cost-effective create Aravinds elsewhere? means’ (VISION 2020 †¢ How do we create a viable way Action Plan 2006to share this ocean of aggregated 2010  © World Health experiences into meaningful content Organization). harvested since 1976? The Solution †¢ How do we instill the Aravind model into our courseware? Especially since Aurosiksha – the the Aravind model needs to be ‘lived’ need of the times and ‘experienced’ as a broad set of LAICO came up values of service, compassion, and with Aurosiksha to self-reliance at its core, along with enhance the reach and management principles that identify quality of education uality care and efficiency that drawn from the rich Aravind stands for? knowledge base that These were perhaps the broad AECS has harvested questions that LAICO asked itself after it since 1976. In this age trained and consulted 60 hospitals in 29 of knowledge society, [1] countries and 213 hospitals in India . its four essential On the eve of the launch of characteristics Aurosiksha, Mr. R D Thulasiraj, Executive digitization, Director (LAICO) said, â€Å"I think this immediacy, is a very important development and virtualization, and underscores the AECS’s commitment globalization – drive to continually enhance the range of nowledge sharing. services we offer to eye care service. With C SI Communications | June 2012 | 14 Aurosiksha was developed and implemented by the LAICO team with the help of instructional designers who joined the AECS as volunteers for the sole purpose of developing its own online educational program. Promoting lifelong learning The goal is to allow all users to take highly engaging and interactive units in order to learn about the theories, techniques, and practical aspects of both clinical and nonclinical management. The idea is to provide an online space where AECS staff can learn, share, and develop their nowledge of providing the best eye care services in all aspects ranging from fundamental concepts to advanced skills using assessed, accredited, and selfre? ective activities and resources. The program The program includes: †¢ Courses & stand-alone sessions: These have been developed by internal and external subject matter experts (SMEs) with the assistance of instructional designers and technicians by using standard training curriculum. They are also assisted by JCPHO, ICO, and other professionals from leading noneye care institutes, such as the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM). Quality Fig. 5: Course on cataract ww. csi-india. org Camstasia studio Moodle environment MOODLE usability Pedagogy Technology: MOODLE Information transfer †¢ Add resources (docs, web links) †¢ Forum †¢ Wiki †¢ Glossary †¢ Lessons †¢ Assignments Communication and interaction Assessment of learning †¢ Tests †¢ Discussion forum Co-creation of content †¢ Quiz (self-test) †¢ Lessons †¢ Assignments †¢ Discussion forum †¢ Wiki †¢ Database Articulate quizmaker Fig. 6: The Moodle-based Aurosiksha environment check is performed by including sessions in Aravind’s acclaimed training program. The material is interactive with voice narration, with short quizzes in between ideos to assess the learning. †¢ Assessment with immediate feedback: Assessment is featured in different ways like an organized discussion forum, Q forum, blogs (students are allowed to create), and exercises/quiz. After quiz/exercises, immediate feedback will be given to the student on each submit. For example, if a student chooses a wrong answer, the feedback will spell out why the answer is incorrect and give the correct answer to ensure learning is happening with each and every activity. †¢ Course completion tracking: The tracking feature controls the student/ teacher to provide a better learning/ teaching experience.The tool gives accurate course completion and grading report. This includes customized reports for the bene? ciaries on the impact side. Selecting the tool – a con? uence of spirit and values LAICO’s systems division began with an open mind and explored various Content Management Systems (CMS) and related technologies (Course Manageme nt Systems) both proprietary and FOSS, such as WizIQ, Joomla! , ConferenceXP (an open-source videoconferencing platform from Microsoft Research), and MOODLE (abbreviation for Modular ObjectOriented Dynamic Learning Environment). Echoing Aravind’s values – quality, compassion, self-reliance – Aurosiksha’s bjectives resonated with Moodle. At its core, Moodle is an educational software grounded in a philosophy of collaborative learning, often referred to as social constructionist pedagogy. Additionally, Aurosiksha’s pedagogical approach matched with that of Moodle. The organization and design of Moodle’s interface supports learners and learning tasks, rather than technology and tools. Moodle presented the ideal vehicle for Aurosiksha. LAICO adapted its knowledge resources to the Moodle mould; customization was minimal. It was a happy con? uence of technology and LAICO vision; both shared the same spirit and values.Moodle is based on a social co nstructionist approach, which helps us understand how learning happens in a group and how learning is a product of innumerable human choices. Moodle was built with elements and tools that embody pedagogical understanding. A Moodlebased course can consist of lessons, including reading materials, activities (such as quizzes and projects), and social events that encourage participation between students. In Aurosiksha, one ? nds the Camstasia Studio software to be integrated in Moodle for quality and streaming-like videos for the audiovisual elements in its courses. Similarly, Articulate Quizmaker andles the self-test modules at the end of the lessons. An open (institutional) learning environment Cloud environment Educational institutional environment WEB PAGES Student ID database se Student information system WEB 2. 0 apps Assessment tools Proprietary and licensed content Collaboration tools Student generated content Personal publishing tools Open content Fig. 7: Open learning environm ent C SI Communications | June 2012 | 15 Fig. 8: Beta users statistics As Aurosiksha grows in terms of content repository, user base, and feedback from users, it will trigger a proportionate scaling in features, tools, and technologies ithin and outside Moodle. The following pointers can be considered for Aurosiksha’s future: †¢ Interoperability: Aurosiksha may want to communicate and share its data with that of other medical research institutions. It also needs to be SCORM-compliant (Sharable Content Object Reference Model). †¢ Deeper reach with low-cost handheld devices and low Internet bandwidth leading to low footprint m-learning: With greater penetration of ICT and hand-held devices ranging from tablets (such as Akash) to mobile phones (voice and short messaging services), a strippeddown version of Aurosiksha can be An open learning environment:Moodle and Aurosiksha Apart from being part of FOSS family and therefore free, Moodle is an Open Source Course Managem ent System (CMS). It is also known as an LMS or a virtual learning environment (VLE) and is very popular among educators around the world as a tool for creating online dynamic web sites for their students. Aurosiksha as the learning arm of LAICO-AECS is an experiment in a similar space, moving from Constructionism to Constructivism – an environment in which human beings don’t just act (Construct) but also make sense of their actions as a group (Constructivist). This happens as humans make sense of reality, learn and reate new knowledge continuously while learning. Effective learning happens while learners are in an actively constructing knowledge mode rather than in a passive reading, viewing, and memorizing mode. The kind of knowledge generated impacts attitudes of learners, which in turn re? ects in their actions (practice). Aurosiksha is a Community of Learners in the making, offering insight and reaching out with a sense of service. Future Direction Aurosiksha, in its beta stage, is currently being tested by over 500 beta testers worldwide that range from paraprofessionals, managers, eye care professionals to faculty members.C SI Communications | June 2012 | 16 Fig. 9: Course creation www. csi-india. org †¢ Mentor-guided courseware †¢ Turnitin (functionality to let the student submit assignments) Acknowledgment Fig. 10: E- and M-learning: logical system architecture †¢ a source of knowledge to especially paraprofessionals on the ? eld. Extensive reach with browserbased handheld devices leading to m-learning: With proliferation of 3G and upcoming 4G, Aurosiksha can be experienced on devices, such as iPhone, iPad, and Android-based phones quite extensively with Mobile Moodle (a set of mobile apps and server components from Moodle). †¢ †¢Right now, Google Analytics and Google Maps are being applied to study the online learning behavior of the beta users. This initiative could be further explored with other statistics gen erated dynamically. Relevant pedagogical applications that can be included (already available in Moodle) are as follows: †¢ Grade report †¢ Timer-based courseware Fig. 11: Google maps: geographical spread of beta users We wish to thank Mr. R D Thulsiraj (Director – Operations, AECS; Executive Director – LAICO) and Dr. R D Ravindran (Chairman and Director – Quality, AECS) for all the insightful and frank conversations we had with them. We thank Prof.R K Shyamasundar (Faculty of Technology & Computer Science – Tata Institute of Fundamental Research) and Mr. M D Agrawal (President – Computer Society of India) for their encouragement. We acknowledge the spirit of FOSS and the World Wide Web (WWW) to continue to grow as active members of the knowledge society they foster. Finally we wish to acknowledge the spirit and values of Dr. G Venkataswamy (Dr. V) that pulsate through everything that Aravind is and does. We bow with deep reverence to the spiritual teachers of Dr. V: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. References [1] P. Mehta, and S Shenoy, In? nite vision: how Aravind became the orld’s greatest business case for compassion, 1st ed. , Berrett—Kohler Publishers Inc. San Francisco [2] Satish Babu, â€Å"The FOSS Movement and its impact on Education†, CSI Communications, vol. 35, Issue 6, September 2011, pp. 19-20 [3] http://moodle. org/about [4] http://aravind. org/ [5] http://laico. org/ [6] http://aurosiksha. org/ [7] h ttp://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Free_ and_open_source_software [8] h t t p : //w w w. i f o s s f. o r g /i f o s s f _ library_0 [9] h ttp://www. vision2020india. org / orbiscourse/homepage. htm [10] h ttp://www. vision2020. org/main. cfm? Type=NI=4460 [11] h ttp://www. ats-pyjamas. net / wp-content /uploads/2010/05/ M o o d l e To o l G u i d e fo r Te a c h e rs _ May2010_JS. pdf n Selected among the top 4 papers expressing ‘Collaboration for inclusive growth' at   SEARCC 2011    seminar (South East Asia Regional Computer Confederation, Mumbai, December 2011) [With inputs from Prarthana Kalaskar – Design Principal (Ninad), Remi Boutinet – Outreach Consultant (Ninad), Shwetav Agarwal – Solution Architect (Sri Aurobindo Institute of Culture), LAICO team (Deepa Krishnan – Senior Manager – Operations; Vinoth Palanichamy – Online Manager – Education)] C SI Communications | June 2012 | 17

Marketing Plan Star Inc.

Marketing Plan Star Inc. Executive Summary This paper provides the marketing plan for the Star Inc. that outlines the entry strategy into the growing market for its deluxe travel bags and accessories. The Star Inc. intends to introduce a new brand of luxury products namely travel bags and accessories.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Plan: Star Inc. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a company that offers luxury products such as smart watches, bracelets, clothing, and footwear, the company intends to add the travel bags and accessories following an extensive market research. The survey reveals an increased demand for the superior luxury products that have also shown improved satisfaction amongst the consumers. To fill this market gap, the company intends to implement a careful entry strategy through market description, situation, SWOT, and competitor analysis before introducing the new products. Market Description The luxury indust ry is characterised by aspects such as historic heritage of artistic tradition, exclusiveness, brand image, and style (Kapferer 2012). The Star Inc. is identified through its deluxe lifestyle products that are uniquely designed to ensure consumer satisfaction. For a new brand to enter the luxury product market, a thorough research on the consumer’s demographic and psychographic characteristics is necessary. There is a need to identify the targeted market segment and develop apt product distribution channels for efficient customer satisfaction. The industry is deemed competitive, especially with the increasing rise of middle class populations in emerging economies such as Brazil and China (Veg-Sala Roux 2014). As many people join the middle class status, the demand for luxury products to manifest their status quo increases.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Th is trend has seen new entrants into the luxury industry in a bid to seize the growing markets. The Star Inc. prospects to enter the market with robust and specially calculated strategies in a bid to capture the market in a unique and sustainable way. Some of the products that are offered in the luxury industry include wristwatches, bags, outfit, shoes, jewels, and accessories among others (Park 2014). Situation Analysis Current Market Situation Having identified an increasing international demand for premium and classic bags by the upper class and upper middle-class income earners, the enterprise is top-gear to venture into the luxury market niche. An intensive market survey has provided credible information on the spending behaviour and trending culture of the international travellers. It has been identified that only few manufacturers are operating in this segment. Demographic survey also indicates that the number of consumers entering the upper class is increasing due to the prev ailing healthy global economy, which is anticipated to persist in the next five year. In the wake of the millennium development goals projection and vision 2050, many national economies have laid down strategic plans with a view of achieving increasing their revenues (Tsai Eisingerich 2010). As the global economy grows bigger and healthier, the probability of increased disposable income scaling upwards remains optimistically high. The enterprise targets this anticipated growth. Luxury bags and accessories have not been offered sufficiently on a global scale.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Plan: Star Inc. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The company also targets countries with emerging economies in Asian such as China, whose economy has been described as rapidly growing. The portion of the population joining the upper class will be rising in the near future. Therefore, they will require high-end luxury pr oducts to match their new class and manifest their status quo (Kuksov Xie 2012). With only few companies in the luxury industry, the Star Inc. will focus on entering the luxury product market, as it stands promising. Target Market The analysis of the current target markets focuses on assessing the demographic, geographic, psychographic, and product usage characteristics of the prospective market niche for Star Inc.’s deluxe products. In addition, the analysis aims at carefully evaluating the current customer needs and anticipated changes in the target markets. The market analysis is highly significant since it will help the firm to establish the customer expectations and needs; hence, it will guide the firm to align the production specifications with the market needs with a goal of meeting the customers’ needs satisfactorily. The Star Inc. will also focus on the growing upper middle class and the upper class of emerging economies as they continue to seek high-end sump tuous products. The products mostly target international travellers from the emerging economies as well as rich people, especially from Western and Eastern Europe. The Star Inc. will concentrate on positioning itself within the luxury market of specialty retailing. The global luxury market has doubled in the past two decade to almost $320 billion annually in retail value (Kuksov Xie 2012).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Furthermore, industry analysts envisage that the market growth will remain consistent at an average rate of 9-11% per year, especially in the United States, Japan, and China. Substantial evidence reveals that luxury is no longer reserved for the spoiled rich, rather the middle class that is ready to pay a premium for the thrill owing to the splendid aspect of the lavish products that brings a special meaning to them. For instance, luxury houses such as Cartier and Chanel have ventured into this market by extending their product lines to cater for the aspirations of the middle class. The Star Inc. intends to offer its products at multiple price points to allow the brand to reach a wider demographic region as compared to other luxury retailers. The company’s strategy is deemed to result in accessible luxury offering that will be its guiding principle. The Star Inc. will adopt a multi-channel international distribution model to influence its marketing channels that will encompas s direct mail catalogues, e-commerce sites, retail, factory, department, and on-line stores in the target market regions. The management believes that through these different channels the company will effectively appeal to manifold segments that are often unnoticed by the competitors as they fear and avoid brand dilution. Competitor Analysis The luxury industry is characterised by intense competition. It has grown rigorously over the last decade with noted entry of new players and tough competition from established companies (Wang Shaver 2014).). The Star Inc. will primarily compete with the European luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Chanel, which have been the leading deluxe companies for a couple of years. However, the Star Inc.’s unique business model of accessible luxury anticipates to reach a larger demographic as compared to the competitors’ higher priced products. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) report (2014), the total worldwid e luxury goods market is anticipated to compound 5% to 7% per annum reaching sales of $413 billion in 2016 (Bendle Vandenbosch 2014). Approximately, half of this expenditure is estimated to encompass travel necessities such as bags and accessories, smart watches, and modern telephone gadgets. Particularly, travel bags and accessories are estimated to be $64 billion sales. This figure represents 23.5% of sales of the luxury industry. The company will face stiff competitors from premium luxury makers such as Hermes, Gucci, Burberry, and Louis Vuitton and mid-sized enterprises namely Kate Spade and Tory Birch (Bendle Vandenbosch 2014). However, it aims at becoming the dominant player in the retail segment since it focuses on capturing the emerging markets in China and India. Looking at the Europe’s touristic potential as an international destination, especially in countries such as France and Italy that receive big spending visitors mainly from the Asian regions, the Star is h ighly optimistic to enter the luxury market without many obstacles. The company is also planning to explore the online market to provide timely and accessible services to its clientele. In the wake of globalisation, the Star Inc. acknowledges the importance of integrating business activities with internet services to ensure availability of product information to the consumers globally. As a result, the Star Inc. is set to launch an e-commerce site in the emerging markets. Marketing Goal and Objectives for the Star Inc. The Star Inc. has developed various guiding goals and stringent objectives. The primary goals of the company is to offer premium quality travel bags and accessories on a global scale and provide consumers with relevant and innovative products of excellent quality that are manufactured with specialty to build an inexplicable product-customer emotional attachment. Products will be sold at reasonable prices despite their luxurious nature with a view of reaching a wider m arket including the growing middle class youth, especially in emerging economies. Secondly, the company aims at driving the growth of the market share by scaling up the retail distribution channels to gain access to the local clientele. This strategy will leverage the tapping of global opportunities. In addition, the company will create an unshakable brand that will remain premier, distinctive, and easily recognisable. To achieve this objective, the Star Inc. seeks to deliver a consistent message to the consumer through diverse communication avenues including e-commerce websites, online, mainstream media advertisement, and active protection of the developed brand name from counterfeit products (Romaniuk 2012). The company also aims at understanding the changing needs of customers. Therefore, being consumer-centric right from product design, production, and distribution to after-sales services will create sustainable consumer loyalty. As a result, the company intends to conduct regul ar and extensive market surveys to guide innovation and obtain dependable consumer feedback. SWOT Analysis for the Star Inc. In economics, SWOT analysis is a basic strategic planning method that is used to assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that influence businesses with a view of making feasible decisions (Ayub et al. 2013). It entails outlining the specific objectives of the business and identifying both internal and external factors that favour and/or hamper the achievement of those objectives. Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Strengths The company aims at utilising a multi-layered pricing strategy despite the fact that its products fall in the luxury class (McCann Vroom 2010). This strategy is contrary to the conventional pricing methods that are used for luxury products, as it will avail them to people of all financial capabilities. The Star Inc. will achieve this plan by pricing products depending on the financial ability of custome rs in different international markets (Ayub et al. 2013). The strategy will result in the seizure of a diversified market where aspiring customers from both the rich and middle classes will have gain access to premium products. Competitors have not used this pricing strategy; hence, it will enhance the company’s anticipated exceptional brand image and customer loyalty. Establishing dependable customer loyalty and a non-replicable brand image will enhance the company’s success even in harsh global economic crises (KrzyÃ… ¼anowska Tkaczyk 2013). The targeted middle and upper class consumers have a tendency to stick to their travel plans and vacations despite the global economic turmoil. Various studies indicated that the luxury industry continued to record substantial returns on investment in the 2009 financial crisis. Moreover, the company looks forward to providing strictly high premium products to create a reputable consumer impression. It will insist on quality and value with a view of winning many loyal customers. Besides, the star Inc. has accumulated enough liquid cash that it can use to finance its operations. As a result, the company has a significant advantage of its position in the luxury market that is characterised by rigorous social, technological, and economic changes (KrzyÃ… ¼anowska Tkaczyk 2013). The availability of adequate financial resources is paramount to the success of the firm since there will be no need to seek external funding for its operations. Furthermore, the company will have a distinctive and state-of-the-art product. Lastly, customer listening will be improved through market surveys and online customer support forums among others. This situation will immensely contribute to product development and distribution with respect to the customers’ dynamic needs. The product assortment will also be kept spanking new and appropriate. Weaknesses Weaknesses are perceived as areas within an organisation that call for improvement. They can include skills, marketing strategies, and product differentiation among others. There will also be a need to conduct a careful and in-depth research on the cost base and productivity levels of the organisation. Therefore, the management must be ready to face any unpleasant truths about the business amidst reality. The star Inc. concentrates on retail distribution. Retail business forms 99% of the Star business enterprise. It is an area of weakness since the company exclusively relies on end user consumers for its success. In case of a major production crisis, the overall business can collapse. Opportunities Economic analysts have provided crucial information on emerging markets that the organisation targets to enter. The company focuses on selling its products in the Chinese and Indian markets that are rapidly growing. The presence of a few players offering luxury travel bags and accessories is an excellent opportunity for the company to build its reputation an d create a sizeable competition gap. For instance, the company intends to seize numerous upcoming markets such as China and Brazil. In particular, the Chinese market has been deemed an ideal market for deluxe products due to the rising living standards and emergence of middle class members (Eggers 2012). Threats The contemporary business world faces high-level s of uncertainty that is characterised by erratic economic recessions and globalisation trends. Other factors that lead to volatility of the future include technological changes and consumer behaviours. This point is based on vulnerability of luxury products to recession as seen in the famous economic crisis of 2008. Many companies went through turmoil during the global economic downturn (Bekaert et al. 2014). During this period of economic hardships, consumers focus spending on necessities only because recession poses high degree of uncertainty. Even after the 2008 economic crisis, many firms in the luxury industry continued to struggle years on due to slow recovery. Given this scenario, it is undoubtedly that the success of the anticipated brand is attainable under healthy economies. This assumption is a high risk since the future of the global markets depends on a number of factors that are pioneered by dynamic technology. Notably, two types of substitute products that can pose threat to the Star Inc. include alternative brands and counterfeits (Miller Mills 2012). Brand image and product quality are they key driving forces for sales in the luxury and accessories industry. For this reason, investors in this industry spend a fortune on marketing campaign efforts such as advertising as well as sustaining premium quality products. Therefore, the Star Inc. will work in conjunction with competitors to combat counterfeit businesses through prosecution of culprit companies. The presence of counterfeit goods, especially from target markets such as China, poses a significant challenge to the company. Counterf eit products threaten the image of any company’s brand. Since some customers fail to differentiate between fake and original products, the company ends up losing its reputation of genuine products. Contingent Risk Factors International Market Penetration The long-term growth potential of the Star Inc. centres on successful entry into the international market and robust management strategies. The management requires significant resources and capital to venture into the European market among other emerging economies (Bekaert et al. 2014). Given that entrenched competitors presently dominate these regions, the enterprise must adopt strategic and high-end marketing approaches to surpass the prevailing competition. Although prospects seem strong today, if the international plans take long to materialise or the anticipated demand drops, the initial performance can fall excessively below the management’s expectations. The major concern for the Star Inc. is penetration and sus tainability of the Chinese market amidst the high rate of counterfeit practices in the country. In addition, the entry and stabilisation of short-term growth can be substantially slow than the company’s projections. As a result, the new-fangled products are likely to be disappointing in the short run. As a result, return on capital investment is conceivably going to be below the break-even point. However, the Star Inc. is exploring diverse economies around the world to cover stores that are likely to pick slower than projected. Along these lines, the company will sustain itself without having to pump in new capital to keep the stores operational. Lower Pricing Dissuasion The company will price its products lower as compared to those of the higher-end peers in line with the company’s accessible luxury motto. As a result, customers are likely to develop a tendency of being highly sensitive to the economy. Although the management views its pricing mechanism as a competiti ve advantage in uncertain macroeconomic climates, it may dissuade customers from buying the products (Tsai, Huang, Tsai 2013). For instance, given that the price elasticity of demand for Veblen goods is deemed high, consumers tend to perceive extravagant prices with exceptional value. Therefore, lower pricing can fail to attract customers, as they choose to associate the low price with low value. Stringent Competition The Star Inc. focuses to enter a highly competitive luxury industry. Although its aims to create an unparalleled brand loyalty, it winning consumer’s trust in the short term is nearly unmanageable. In addition, the market survey reveals that new entrants are attacking the incumbent niche day by day. Nonetheless, the management has done a tremendous job in reinventing itself over the decades. It will have to continue doing so to maintain standing leadership in the industry. We think the burden of proof lies with the bears. References Ayub, A, Razzaq, A, Aslam, M Iftekhar, H 2013, ‘A Conceptual Framework on Evaluating SWOT Analysis as the Mediator in Strategic Marketing Planning through Marketing Intelligence’, European Journal of Business and Social Sciences, vol. 2 no. 1, pp. 91-98. Bekaert, G, Ehrmann, M, Fratzscher, M Mehl, A 2014, ‘The global crisis and equity market contagion’, The Journal of Finance, vol. 69 no. 6, pp. 2597-2649. Bendle, N Vandenbosch, M 2014, ‘Competitor orientation and the evolution of business markets’, Marketing Science, vol. 33 no. 6, pp. 781. Eggers, J 2012, ‘All experience is not created equal: learning, adapting, and focusing in product portfolio management’, Strategic Management Journal, vol. 33 no. 3, pp. 315-335. Kapferer, J 2012, ‘Abundant rarity: The key to luxury growth’, Business Horizons, vol. 55 no. 5, pp. 453-462. KrzyÃ… ¼anowska, M Tkaczyk, J 2013, ‘Identifying competitors: challenges for start-up firms’, Internationa l Journal of Management Cases, vol. 15 no. 4, pp. 234-246. Kuksov, D Xie, Y 2012 ‘Competition in a Status Goods Market’, Journal of Marketing Research, vol. 49 no. 5, pp. 609-623. McCann, B Vroom, G 2010, ‘Pricing response to entry and agglomeration effects’, Strategic Management Journal, vol. 31 no. 3, pp. 284-305. Miller, K Mills, M 2012, ‘Contributing clarity by examining brand luxury in the fashion market: Fashion Marketing and Consumption of Luxury Brands’, Journal of Business Research, vol. 65 no. 10, pp. 1471-1479. Park, J 2014, ‘What women want: Creation of a luxury brand’, Business Horizons, vol. 57 no. 2, pp. 247-257. Romaniuk, J 2012, ‘Five Steps to Smarter Targeting’, Journal of Advertising Research, vol. 52 no. 3, pp. 288-290. Tsai, H Eisingerich, A 2010, ‘Internationalisation Strategies of Emerging Markets Firms’, California Management Review, vol. 53 no. 1, pp. 114-135. Tsai, K, Huang, C Tsai, M 2013, ‘Reviews of market drivers of new product performance’, International Journal of Market Research, vol. 55 no. 5, pp. 719-738. Veg-Sala, N Roux, E 2014, ‘A semiotic analysis of the extendibility of luxury brands’, Journal of Product Brand Management, vol. 23 no. 2, pp.103-113. Wang, R Shaver, J 2014, ‘Competition†driven repositioning’, Strategic Management Journal, vol. 35 no. 11, pp. 1585-1604.

A Look at Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks

A Look at Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks Free Online Research Papers Two historical figures that I think are very important are Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. These historical figures have many things in common, but they also have their differences. One main thing they had in common was that they were both brave enough to take some actions to change the way of living for the better. Their main goal was to stop the horrible segregation that was occuring in the mid 1900s. Their brave actions were successful and they had a huge impact on the U.S. They had different ways of taking their actions but either way they were a big help to the many other African Americans that experienced segregation of public facilities at that time. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. Rosa Parks, whos birth name is Rosa Louise McCauley, was born on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama. They were both raised a little different. King had the advantage of being raised by both his mother and father, while Parks parents seperated when she was young. They also recieved very different educations. King recieved a solid education and even attended College. Parks didnt have the chance to even finish High School. She had to drop out as a Junior in High School because since her mother and her were living with her grandparents, Parks had to leave school to attend to her sick grandmother. After that she never returned and instead got a job at a shirt factory in Montgomery. She soon married a barber named Raymond Parks who was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). With his support, Parks finished her high school degree in 1933 and became one of the leaders of the NAACP. Both historical figures had the goal of ending segregation but they had different motivations. Rosa Parks motivation was that she was tired of having to give up her seat to white passengers in public buses. At that time the city code required that all public transportation be segregated and that bus drivers had the power of a police officer to carry out the provisions of the code. African Americans had to sit at the back of the bus while whites sat in the front. If the bus got too crowded, African Americans had to give up their seat for any standing white people. Rosa Parks wanted to put a stop to this and on December 1, 1955, she did. On that day she had a long day of work at the Montgomery Fair department store. She boarded the Cleveland Avenue bus for home. The bus had became crowded so the bus driver ordered her to get up and give her seat to a white person. Rosa parks refused to so she was arrested and found guilty at trial. After learning about her arrest, other members of the NAACP began to organize a boycott of Montgomerys city buses. All African Americans stood off the buses and instead found other ways of transportation. This boycott was a success and it crippled the transit companys finances. The city of Montgomery now had no choice but to lift the law requiring segregation on public buses. These legal actions with the help of the African American community made the 382-day Montgomery Bus Boycott one of the largest and most successful movements against racial segregation in history. Martin Luther King Jrs motivation was his summer experience in the North before he started college. He was shocked by how peacefully the races mixed in the North. This experience deepened his growing hatred of racial segregation. After marrying Coretta Scott in 1953, King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. When the Montgomery Bus Boycott started, after Rosa Parks arrest, King was elected the leader. He was well-trained and since he was new in town, he didnt have any enemies and was well respected. Although his home was desroyed and his familys safety was threatened, he continued to lead the boycott and one year and a few weeks later, the citys buses were desegregated. He didnt stop there, he then organized the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). King lectured in all parts of the country and discussed race-related issues with civil-rights. His most famous was the I Have A Dream speech. In late October he was arrested with 33 young people protesting segregation at the lunch counter in an Atlanta department store. King was released only with the help of a Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. As King had hoped, all these actions together had a strong effect on national opinion and resulted in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This act authorized the federal government to enforce desegregation of public accommodations and outlawing discrimination in publicly owned facilities and in employment. Aside from these differences, these two historical figures have many similarities. They were both raised during the time of racial segregation. They experienced so much hatred from these racist white people. This encouraged both of them to stand up and demand their rights as citizens. They were both important members of the NAACP and they actually worked together too. They did all they needed to do to get their freedom. Their actions placed both of them in jail but once they were out they continued to work even harder for their freedom. They were both big parts in the ending of segregation. Even after their death , they were both known as very respected and loved individuals. 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Research proposal on prospective memory Coursework

Research proposal on prospective memory - Coursework Example Since by definition, prospective memory basically pertains to remembering to do something at a particular moment (or time period) in the future, one must recall a remembrance of the intention (the prospective component) yet to be performed, as well as the contents of such intention (Mc Daniel and Einstein, 2007). There could be several untapped avenues where growth to resolving issues with prospective memory may be perceived originating. This is due to the fact/natural consequence that there is no need to execute the intended action right away with respect to time and thought of prospecting to be reminded of the intention, otherwise immediate execution would seem trivial being not in coincidence with the prospect, a projection letting further recollection to happen whether event-based or time-based (Mc Daniel and Einstein, 2007). Remembering to meet a colleague, attend an important conference at a particular time, or placing a book under a pillow to remind a person to do review on constantly feeling the book’s hardness while napping all begin with intention and would take some time prior to the moment of operation. Cue identification is crucial in the process of evaluating whether a prospective memory task has been adequately brought about. With this ground, attentional monitoring must be realized by checking for signals from the environment that would call intention to mind so that one may prepare to act accordingly. If, on the other hand, a firm resolve is made prior, one may retain focus unconsciously and have spontaneous retrieval work to draw on intention instead (Mc Daniel and Einstein, 2007). The approach to research may be initiated using concepts of cognitive resources and of accessibility in order to either evaluate the influence of a person and situation or influences prior to the moment of remembering the behavior, respectively, so that such primary study may constitute proper categorical placement of individuals with prospective

Disability and literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Disability and literature - Essay Example There is one common denominator as far as social order workings are concerned and this centers on gender and its role in the society. In this respect, there is much debate going on concerning the relationship between gender and disability. The concept of feminism features prominently in this debate and scholars have advanced different theories to support their claims. Critical analysis of â€Å"Good Country People† by Flannery OConnor indicates a clear point of intersection between disability and gender. Deriving important theoretical concepts echoed by Rosemarie Garland-Thomson in Integrating Disability, Transforming Feminist Theory gives a picture of what the society think about disability and gender with much focus on the womenfolk. In Flannery O’Connor’s case, there are two main characters in Joy who is also referred to as Hulga and the young man who sells bible. There is also Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman who plays a significant role through behavior to exp lain the interesting disability and gender relationship. The society sees women as lesser beings on various premises and this sort of prejudice assigns women some level of disability. Feminists argue that women have long been considered sex tools by men but undergo depreciation in terms of beauty and physical structure with time. This form of natural process is considered some sort of a weakness woman who is treated as a disability. This explains why the elderly women, who have most probably attained menopause phase of the reproductive life, are considered to be of less value. This is an aspect of physical disability being analogous to deficiency in terms of performing some activities. In ordinary society, men can be physically incapacitated but still pursue their dreams and end up marrying as a complete individual. However, the case of a disable woman is viewed with pity and is