Analysis on TATA group Essay

Introduction Tata Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, India. It encompasses seven business sectors: communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy, consumer products and chemicals. Tata Group was founded in 1868 by Jamsetji Tata as a trading company. It has operations in more than 80 countries across six continents. Tata Group has over 100 operating companies with each of them operating independently. Out of them 32 are publicly listed. The major Tata companies are Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Tata Global Beverages, Tata Teleservices, Titan Industries, Tata Communications and Taj Hotels. The combined market capitalisation of all the 32 listed Tata companies was INR 8.2 Trillion ($ 138 billion) as of July 2014. Tata receives more than 58% of its revenue from outside India. Tata companies and details their business: Chemicals Tata Chemicals Rallis India Tata Pigments Limited General Chemical Industrial Products Brunner Mond Advinus Therapeutics Magadi Soda Company Consumer products Tata Salt I-shakti Casa Dà ©cor Tata Swach Tata Global Beverages Tata Tea Limited is the world’s second largest manufacturer of packaged tea and tea products. Tata Starbucks, is a 50:50 joint venture company, owned by Starbucks Corporation and Tata Global Beverages Eight O’Clock Coffee Tetley Tata Coffee Himalayan, Mount Everest Mineral Water’s natural mineral water brand Tata Ceramics Infiniti Retail (CromÄ ) Tata Industries Titan Industries Trent (Westside) Landmark Bookstores Tata Sky Voltas, consumer electronics company Tata International Ltd. Tanishq Fastrack, Largest & Trendiest Youth Fashion Brand in India Titan Eye+, World class Optical Stores from Titan Industries Tata Refractories Westland Engineering TAL Manufacturing Solutions Tata AutoComp Systems Limited (TACO) Hispano Carrocera Tata Motors, manufacturer of commercial vehicles (largest in India) and passenger cars Jaguar Land Rover (Manager of Tata’s British brands Jaguar cars and Land Rover) Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicle Tata Projects Tata Technologies Limited Tata Consulting Engineers Limited Tata Cummins Telco Construction Equipment TRF Voltas Global Engineering Centre Tata Advanced Materials Tata Advanced Systems Tata Motors European Technical Centre Tata Petrodyne Tata Precision Industries Telcon Construction Equipment Steel Tata Steel Tata Steel Europe Tata Steel KZN Tata Steel Processing and Distribution JAMIPOL NatSteel Holdings Tata BlueScope Steel Tata Metaliks Tata Sponge Iron Tayo Rolls Literature review What is SWOT analysis A SWOT analysis (alternatively SWOT matrix) is a structured planning method used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats involved in a project or in a business venture. A SWOT analysis can be carried out for a product, place, industry or person. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieve that objective. Strengths: characteristics of the business or project that give it an advantage over others. Weaknesses: characteristics that place the business or project at a disadvantage relative to others Opportunities: elements that the project could exploit to its advantage Threats: elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the business or project How SWOT affects strategic decisions The main advantages of conducting a SWOT analysis is that it has little or no cost – anyone who understands your business can perform a SWOT analysis. You can also use a SWOT analysis when you don’t have much time to address a complex situation. This means that you can take steps towards improving your business without the expense of an external consultant or business adviser.Another advantage of a SWOT analysis is that it concentrates on the most important factors affecting your business. Using a SWOT, you can: understand your business better address weaknesses deter threats capitalise on opportunities take advantage of your strengths develop business goals and strategies for achieving them. BCG matrix The growth–share matrix (aka the product portfolio, BCG-matrix, Boston matrix, Boston Consulting Group analysis, portfolio diagram) is a chart that was created by Bruce D. Henderson for the Boston Consulting Group in 1970 to help corporations to analyze their business units, that is, their product lines. This helps the company allocate resources and is used as an analytical tool in brand marketing, product management, strategic management, and portfolio analysis. Analysis of market performance by firms using its principles has recently called its usefulness into question. Cash cows is where a company has high market share in a slow-growing industry. These units typically generate cash in excess of the amount of cash needed to maintain the business. They are regarded as staid and boring, in a â€Å"mature† market, yet corporations value owning them due to their cash generating qualities. They are to be â€Å"milked† continuously with as little investment as possible, since such investment would be wasted in an industry with low growth. Dogs, more charitably called pets, are units with low market share in a mature, slow-growing industry. These units typically â€Å"break even†, generating barely enough cash to maintain the business’s market share. Though owning a break-even unit provides the social benefit of providing jobs and possible synergies that assist other business units, from an accounting point of view such a unit is worthless, not generating cash for the company. They depress a profitable company’s return on assets ratio, used by many investors to judge how well a company is being managed. Dogs, it is thought, should be sold off. Question marks (also known as problem children) are business operating in a high market growth, but having a low market share. They are a starting point for most businesses. Question marks have a potenti al to gain market share and become stars, and eventually cash cows when market growth slows. If question marks do not succeed in becoming  a market leader, then after perhaps years of cash consumption, they will degenerate into dogs when market growth declines. Question marks must be analyzed carefully in order to determine whether they are worth the investment required to grow market share. Stars are units with a high market share in a fast-growing industry. They are graduated question marks with a market or niche leading trajectory, for example: amongst market share front-runners in a high-growth sector, and/or having a monopolistic or increasingly dominant USP with burgeoning/fortuitous proposition drive(s) from: novelty (e.g. Last.FM upon CBS Interactive’s due diligence), fashion/promotion (e.g. newly prestigious celebrity branded fragrances), customer loyalty (e.g. greenfield or military/gang enforcement backed, and/or innovative, grey-market/illicit retail of addictive drugs, for instance the British East India Company’s, late-1700s opium-based Qianlong Emperor embargo-busting, Canton System), goodwill (e.g. monopsonies) and/or gearing (e.g. oligopolies, for instance Portland cement producers near boomtowns),[citation needed] etc. The hope is that stars become next cash cows. Porter five forces analysis Porter five forces analysis is a framework to analyze level of competition within an industry and business strategy development. It draws upon industrial organization (IO) economics to derive five forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. Attractiveness in this context refers to the overall industry profitability. An â€Å"unattractive† industry is one in which the combination of these five forces acts to drive down overall profitability. A very unattractive industry would be one approaching â€Å"pure competition†, in which available profits for all firms are driven to normal profit. This analysis is associated with its principal innovator Michael E. Porter of Harvard University (as of 2014). 1. Threat of new entrants 2. Threat of substitute products or services 3. Bargaining power of customers (buyers) 4. Bargaining power of suppliers 5. Intensity of competitive rivalry Organizational Structure An organizational structure defines how activities such as task allocation, coordination and supervision are directed towards the achievement of organizational aims. It can also be considered as the viewing glass or perspective through which individuals see their organization and its environment. Organizations are a variant of clustered entities. An organization can be structured in many different ways, depending on their objectives. The structure of an organization will determine the modes in which it operates and performs. Organizational structure allows the expressed allocation of responsibilities for different functions and processes to different entities such as the branch, department, workgroup and individual. Organizational structure affects organizational action in two big ways. First, it provides the foundation on which standard operating procedures and routines rest. Second, it determines which individuals get to participate in which decision-making processes, and thus to w hat extent their views shape the organization’s actions. Findings & Analysis: Strengths: The internationalization strategy so far has been to keep local managers in new acquisitions, and to only transplant a couple of senior managers from India into the new market. The benefit is that Tata has been able to exchange expertise. For example after the Daewoo acquisition the Indian company leaned work discipline and how to get the final product ‘right first time.’ The company has had a successful alliance with Italian mass producer Fiat since 2006. This has enhanced the product portfolio for Tata and Fiat in terms of production and knowledge exchange. For example, the Fiat Palio Style was launched by Tata in 2007, and the companies have an agreement to build a pick-up targeted at Central and South America. Weaknesses: The company’s passenger car products are based upon 3rd and 4th generation platforms, which put Tata Motors Limited at a disadvantage with competing car manufacturers. Despite buying the Jaguar and Land Rover brands (see opportunities below); Tata has not got a foothold in the luxury car segment in its domestic, Indian market. One weakness which is often not recognised is that in English the word ‘tat’ means rubbish. Would the brand sensitive British consumer ever buy into such a brand? Maybe not. Opportunities: In the summer of 2008 Tata Motor’s announced that it had successfully purchased the Land Rover and Jaguar brands from Ford Motors for  UK  £2.3 million. Two of the World’s luxury car brand have been added to its portfolio of brands. Tata Motors Limited acquired Daewoo Motor’s Commercial vehicle business in 2004 for around USD $16 million. Nano is the cheapest car in the World – retailing at little more than a motorbike. Whilst the World is getting ready for greener alternatives to gas-guzzlers, is the Nano the answer in terms of concept or brand? Threats: Other competing car manufacturers have been in the passenger car business for 40, 50 or more years. Therefore Tata Motors Limited has to catch up in terms of quality and lean production. Sustainability and environmentalism could mean extra costs for this low-cost producer. Rising prices in the global economy could pose a threat to Tata Motors Limited on a couple of fronts. The price of steel and aluminium is increasing putting pressure on the costs of production.

Liberal arts and counseling

Another important skill that is in application in counseling is writing. This can be described as the presentation of thoughts and ideas in textual medium which is quite different from illustration.Every aspect of academics employs this skill and therefore they is no way we can have counseling without writing. Writing is very important because during counseling sessions, notes should be taken because in the end, you will use those notes in deducing your verdict.Writing skills here are very important because the notes taken have to take a certain logical order. Notes well taken in previous sessions can be used in various ways like in researches especially when a particular problem is recurring and no permanent solution is forthcoming (Chen, Noosbond, & Bruce, 1998).Research done in counseling field is based on those notes that is taken or gotten from clients therefore the format of writing and how it is done is very important. This writing is not important to the counselor only but so metimes communication between the counselor and counselee may be through writing because of barriers in verbal communication.The goodness of this is that it tries to personify the problem and create two entities. This makes analyzing the problem easier because you can look at the problem alone and the counselee alone thereby studying the two entities separately and then combining your findings so that you can give a clinical and professional solution to the problem (Tomm, 1989).Writing option is a very effective method of counseling especially with the adolescents that are shy in expressing themselves and it exploits strength based approach not neglecting the cultural aspects of the society. This is essential in setting up individual paces because traditionally the adolescent is usually at a slower pace than the counselor.When the pace is set up, it builds up confidence on the part of the adolescent thereby speeding up the whole process and making drawing of conclusions easy. Howeve r, the writing method may not be applicable to all adolescents especially those that are poor in writing skills (Tomm, 1989).The above liberal arts skills are phenomenal in effective counseling. They rely on one another such that it is almost like a mandatory requirement to have them or at least consider them before advancement of career in counseling.Humanity study comes naturally despite it being included in most curricular in university studies. Oral expression is learnt especially when one is involved in literature studies where poetry is involved. The writing skill covers the other skills since after all is said and done; one has to put down something.Writing is important in keeping records and conducting the counseling itself because sometimes it is a means of communicating with the clients. Contribution of liberal arts to counseling is immense almost making the two disciplines one because of interdependence on one another.ReferenceChen, M., Noosbond, J. P., & Bruce, M. A. (19 98). Therapeutic document in group counseling:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An active change agent. Journal of Counseling and Development, 76, (2).404-411.Fristad, M. A., Gavazzi, S. M., & Soldano, K. W. (1999). Naming the enemy: Learning to   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   differentiate mood disorder mood disorder   symptoms† from the â€Å"self† that experiences   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   them. Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 10, (9). 81-88.Hall, A. S., & Jugovic, H. J. (1997). Adolescents' self-determination: Assuming competency,.   Ã‚   Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 19, (6): 256-267Tomm, K. (1989). Externalizing the problem and internalizing the personal agency. Journal of    Strategic and Systemic Therapies, 8, (10).54-59Zimmerman, T. S., & Shepherd, S. D. (1993). Externalizing the problem of bulimia:     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conversation, drawing, and letter writing in group therapy. Journal of Systemic   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã ‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Therapies, 12, (1). 22-31.

Apple Incorporated and the Power of Its Brands Essay

Apple Incorporated and the Power of Its Brands - Essay Example Its goal is to substantially address the needs of its customers, but not until when it discovered the advantage of creating a need for its product and service offerings. The modern marketing emphasises that marketers are good at creating needs for their offerings (Boone and Kurtz, 2006; Kotler et al., 1999). In fact, Apple is very good at creating needs for its product and service offerings, the very basic foundation of how it tries to achieve its competitive advantage. However, as it continues to grow, Apple Incorporated has become highly recognized with its brands, which brings it at the top of the competition. Porter’s theory of competitive advantage applies to Apple Incorporated and its brands. The power of its brands is very important component of differentiation strategy (Porter, 1998). People simply associate the Apple brand with standard quality, reliability, and many other intrinsic values. This is due to the fact that brands simply emphasise attributes and meanings ( Belch and Belch, 1998). In a highly capitalist world, brands have important value that could be maximised for profit making (Arvidson, 2006). Branding is a specific marketing strategy and as a way to enhance profitability, productivity and efficiency (Moor, 2007). Moor added that branding seeks to develop political message, corporate image, people, and behaviours. It is in these reasons Apple wanted to invest more in reconstructing, refining and enhancing its brands prior to becoming a cut above the other in its industry. As widely observed, the media have always been the integral parts of Apple’s success in achieving a powerful brand in the world. As a result, Apple has become an iconic brand because it came to a point of becoming a cultural icon with corresponding identity value (Holt, 2004). There are many strategies in doing this and they are integral parts of cultural branding principles. In this paper, the proponent tries to incorporate in the analysis how Apple Incorpo rated was able to successfully achieve or create the power of its brands using the media as integral parts of communication, a specific strategy in cultural branding principles (Holt, 2004). The discussion in particular includes media, brand development, and the concept of gratification of needs based on psychological perspective. Media and brand development Media are anything with spaces that have the capacity to allow marketing to take place in them (Moor, 2007). Space is very important for Moor as a specific site to develop relationships between brands and customers. She added that it is a communicative medium or opportunity for marketing to take place. Ads are specific forms of communications placed within a communicative medium (Cook, 2001). For many years, Apple Incorporated is using the media in order to promote its brands. Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad and iTunes are the most important brands that are established by Apple with the aid of the media. In 2006, Apple’s ad budge t is $338 million, $467 million in 2007, and $486 million in 2008 (Blakely, 2008; DeWitt, 2009). In 2009, Apple spent $501 million for Ad expense (DeWitt, 2009). There seems to be an increase in the budget allocated by Apple for its ads, but it is actually decreasing based on percentage of revenue; 5 percent in 2001 and 1.17 percent in 2009 (DeWitt, 2009). This means that the higher the revenue of Apple has become, the lesser it allocated budget for its promotional activities. This

Fff Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fff - Essay Example This tool will: I. Evaluate production achieved and the expectations, II. Enhance communication that will allow exchange of ideas between the employee and the supervisor on matters concerning job performance, III. Assist in highlighting areas that employees will require training and development needs as well as plan for growth in their career, IV. Assist in identifying skills to enhance promotion, V. Act as pillars for organization and employee goals and VI. Offer legal protection against false lawsuits against termination. Through performance evaluation, several benefits will be accrued. These include: I. The work done will be easily controlled and II. The employees will always feel motivated and as a result, production will increase, To achieve these benefits, performance reviews must be conducted annually and rely on individual job-related issues. A guideline must be provided that is used in the review of individual based performance and a review of the past performance. Team base d performance must be annually reviewed. The review must rely on the performance of the team in relation to the functions of the employees. The program is to enhance of quality of products. Question 1.4B: Based on your team’s experience, what data from the exploration phase would be of greatest help in developing the field? Subsurface information is used in the search for reservoirs and petroleum and gas traps through a process known as prospecting. This process is carried out on paper or with the assistance of computers. This involves the use of art and science. The success of a prospector lies in the use of a three dimensional space. This helps in developing a model that reveals lateral and vertical dimensions of the reservoir targeted. There are several sources from which a geologist can gather information from. These include: I. Study of the rocks on the surface of the earth, II. Information gathered from holes drilled in the prospect area after a careful study, and III. Through seismic reflection. The data collected are recorded, interpreted by geologists who develop cross sectional drawings of rocks that contain oil and gas. The cross sectional drawings reveal the changes in depth of the reservoirs. Structure maps developed by geologists assist in showing the folds or faults in the layers of the earth. Reservoir composition data collected assists in developing the size of the facility, and the design process. Question 1.4C: Based on your team’s experience, or â€Å"brainstorming† session, what unforeseen problem would most hinder developing the field? The best location of the surface of the well is determined by the geologist. The land is leased and a permit of drilling the well obtained. For a permit to be granted by the Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Oil and Gas Management, proper environmental planning is necessary. The exact position of the well may be shifted to protect key natural resources like streams, wetl ands and endangered species. Other producing wells may also be a barrier in locating position of the wells. When the wells are closely dug, production from the existing wells may decrease. Erosion and sedimentation are likely to occur because of heavy earthworks during construction of access road and well site (Flaherty and Flaherty, p.11). Question 1.4D: Well performance evaluation and enhancement are the primary charges of the production engineer. With the

Developing Successful Business Teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Developing Successful Business Teams - Essay Example Therefore, the organisations in the present business world often emphasise and promote adequate cooperation among the team members to efficiently attain their desired goals and objectives as per the planning. Moreover, the firms also seek to promote credibility of the workforce and emphasise on adequate and effective communication processes among the members in order to obtain greater control and productivity of the organisation (Mickan & Rodger, 2000). Emphasising upon the emerging competition and striving performance of the marketers, the major objective of this report is to demonstrate and understand the primary features of a successful business team. Thus, the discussion of this report will be focused on highlighting and analysing the major traits along with explaining the major phases to improve the performance of a success business team. Additionally, the paper will also focus on assessing the monitoring processes which can enable the organisation to attain greater efficiency of a successful team. 2. The Features of Successful Business Team Defining the major characteristics of a successful business team always constitutes a broad consensus which represents a large number of attributes to enhance the level of efficiency within the workforce or staff members. A successful business team comprises a large number of attributes which accumulatively facilitates the organisation to proactively perform its each operation with clarity and efficiency. Understanding the ultimate goals of the team and the organisation on the whole is one of the fundamental characteristics of an effective and successful team. In this regard, the team members should be highly aware to prioritise the ultimate aim of the team which can generate adequate capability to achieve the stipulated goals as planned for the benefits of the organisation.... Additionally, the paper will also focus on assessing the monitoring processes which can enable the organisation to attain greater efficiency of a successful team. 2. The Features of Successful Business Team Defining the major characteristics of a successful business team always constitutes a broad consensus which represents a large number of attributes to enhance the level of efficiency within the workforce or staff members. A successful business team comprises a large number of attributes which accumulatively facilitates the organisation to proactively perform its each operation with clarity and efficiency. 2.1 Characteristics of a Successful Business Team a. Understanding the Team Goals Understanding the ultimate goals of the team and the organisation on the whole is one of the fundamental characteristics of an effective and successful team. In this regard, the team members should be highly aware to prioritise the ultimate aim of the team which can generate adequate capability to a chieve the stipulated goals as planned for the benefits of the organisation. b. Commitment Commitment towards complying with a common philosophy through sharing value to each member of the team can also efficiently attain the ultimate desires of the organisation. Moreover, it can also empower the members to increase their productivity substantially. c. Recognising Roles and Responsibilities It is also important for the members of a successful team to clearly identify their respective roles and responsibilities within the organisation. This particular factor tends to enhance the overall capability of the organisation in terms of accomplishing each task within the specified time in an adequate

Huckleberry Finn Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Huckleberry Finn - Essay Example Being the protagonist, he has shown an incredibly unbelievable wit and courage for his age, giving away his treasure to the lawyer only to protect it from his squandering father. He was quite creative to have made up a solution for his problems regarding his father and other problems he faced along the way. His courage would be much admired, braving the difficulties of living on his own and trying to survive a cruel world. As the hero of the story, Huck was not just presented with difficulties he had to overcome by his father or other people around him but by the works of nature as well like death and fear, making him have the feelings of the audience toward him. In addition to this role, Huck is also the focal character who stirs up the curiosity in the reader to the next event of his life, holding their attention to the end of the story. His being the focal character also raises excitement in the audience as well as his emotions but not necessarily to empathize with the character. As the protagonist, the character of Huck was the most essential in the story because the narration is molded around his character and the events in his life.

Writing Response to Freire Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing Response to Freire Article - Essay Example Freire was capable of weaving together, and draw upon a number of components of taking into consideration practice and liberation. He used the term banking education to critique and describe the conventional system of education. This term depicts students as containers which are empty, and tutors must fill with information and knowledge. This process promotes lack of knowledge ownership and critical thinking in students, which in turn causes oppression. Additionally, he describes this education as one which the teacher is the subject and students as passive objects (Freire 13). This makes education a course of depositing information to passive students. This paper will look at the banking concept of education. The article brings into focus a number of essential points. First, Freire highlights the notion of dialogue. His emphasis on dialogue has adversely affected those concerned with informal and popular education. According to him, dialogue should not be based on one individual act ing on another, but rather individuals cooperating with one another (Freire 43). He argues that much of education involves the educator depositing knowledge to the on e he or she is educating. Second, there is the issue of praxis. Praxis entails an informed action. Dialogue should not only be about increasing understanding but also to contribute to changing the world. Dialogue should also entail respect.

Critical Appraisal of Contemporary Urban Housing Problems Essay

Critical Appraisal of Contemporary Urban Housing Problems - Essay Example This trend has been exhibited through a data of 464 tenants of the market for council housing (Nevin et al. 2001: p. 59). As per the social and economic features of tenants for the council housing, it seems that the customer-base is getting economically weaker as only 16% tenants are working full time, 37.4% are in search of employment and 86.4% are getting help from the state. In comparison to private rented sector where 64% tenants are working, only 31% of council’s ates the weaker economic graph of the tenants of city council houses. Tenants give top priority to such tenancies which are of their preferred size, are situated in the right localities, family and friends are easily reachable and environment is healthy (ibid: p. 60). Trends are similar in geographical diverse areas such as Knowsley, Wigan and Stockport. As per the 1999 housing investment data, the social rented housing in Knowlsey was high with a population of 154,562 (38%), out of which local authority possessed 19,187 units (31%) and housing association owned 4,344 (7.1%). In Wigan the difference between the local authority and the housing association in the social housing segment was 24%. It was quite vast with local authority houses 21% and housing association houses just 2%. In Stockport the percentage of social housing was 16 while council share was 11% (ibid: p. 63). Comparatively, council housing is easily available than housing association. In Knowsley, most of the housing stock of housing association is outside the borough, in Liverpool. In Stockport and Wigan, housing association accommodations are found to be in good numbers but even then insufficient (ibid: p. 73). In comparison to council houses, private rented houses are in good numbers, are easily traceable and offer better locality alternatives than council houses. Private properties are widely advertised through the local print media. The only hindrance in renting of private property

Week 8 Question 1 Venture Capital Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 8 Question 1 Venture Capital - Assignment Example The company was making plans of launching new products and required a significant amount of money and venture capital was the best option for the company (Metrick & Yasuda, 2010). The venture capitalists that funded the operations of the company were mainly from the field of healthcare. Castlight Health Inc. stands to gain from the venture capital because it is yet to go public and at that time it would have expanded its operations which translate to higher profits. †¢Assess the challenges for businesses using the resources of a venture capitalist, given that significant returns on the investment are likely to be impacted by the firm. Indicate how a business can manage these expectations. Provide support for your rationale. The main disadvantage of venture capital is that it requires a very short time in generating cash. This puts a lot of financial pressure on the company and this may interfere with its daily operations. There is also the element of loss of control because the venture capitalist has made significant financial contributions in the operations of the company (Haislip, 2010). They venture capitalist may insist on appointing a representative on the management of the company. However, the business can manage the challenges by drafting an agreement to a number of restrictions as part of the deal. This includes the amount of cash to be paid and the number of people to be involved in the management team (Gladstone & Gladstone,

Maggie and Dee & sisters Essay Example for Free

Maggie and Dee sisters Essay Everyday Use is about these two colliding characters: Maggie and Dee are sisters. In the story, Maggie seems to be the powerless and passive character. She had scars from being burnt and this experience brought her to directed inward. She valued the things that are less superficial and more meaningful. She has stayed with her mother and there she learned making quilts. Dee is more the outgoing type. She cares a lot about her style. She’s into physical appearance and boys are one of her interest. Thesis Statement: The central conflict this part of the story is the triumph over legacy – who will be recognized as the successor? This very powerful story revolves around the quilt. As Dee tries to win the quilt, she also seeks her long-lost heritage after a long time of absence. (Walker 278). (66) â€Å"’Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts! † She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Dee always tries to prove herself in the way of her power to persuade and aggression (Walker 278): (68) â€Å"But they’re priceless,† she was saying now furiously for she had a temper. Maggie would put them on the bed and in five years they’d be in rags. Less than that! †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ But Maggie is a strong person with inner strength and she knows that the legacy has been passed on to her (Walker 279). (74) ‘â€Å"She can have them Mama, â€Å"she said like somebody used to never winning anything reserved for her. â€Å"I can ‘member Grandma Dee without the quilts. † Maggie said. ’† The mother knew that her daughter Maggie has been the one who deserves the heritage. Although Maggie seems weak and she will talk in peace (Walker 279). (75) ‘â€Å"She stood there with her scared hands hidden in the folds of her skirt. She looked at her sister with something like fear. But she wasn’t mad at her. This was Maggie’s portion. This was the way she knew God to work. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Towards the end of the story, Dee knows that her mother fought for Maggie and has won the battle. She denies herself from humility that she lost (Walker 279). (81) ‘â€Å"You ought to try to make something of yourself, too, Maggie. It’s really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still live, you’ll never know it. † Dee will always hide the loss. She will not be someone who will stand up for defeat and that is in a way being a coward (Walker 279). (82)â€Å"She put on her glasses and hid everything above the tip of her nose and her chin. † Conclusion: Everyday Use explores the long years a mother’s will to raise her children, see them grow and realize their identity. Maggie spent her every day with her mother and her mother experienced her presence for the longest years. Meanwhile Dee has spent her life away from her family. The one who has learned the craft of quilting which signifies her unconditional love for her family is Maggie and finally her mother realizes that and in all sense she deserves that honor of their heritage. Citation: Walker, Alice. â€Å"Everyday Use. † In Love and Trouble: Stories of Black Women. Harvest Books (1974): 272-279.

Conservative Government Welfare State: 1951-1964

Conservative Government Welfare State: 1951-1964 Why did the Conservative government of 1951 to 1964 expand the Welfare State? Introduction The underlying consensus at the beginning of the 1950’s, thanks to a growing sense of affluence, was that poverty was gradually being eliminated and levels of pre-war deprivation were something of the past that was reflected in a move towards fuller employment and the reallocation of resources directed towards the welfare state (see, for example, Rowntree and Lavers, 1951). There were, however doubts raised as to the reality of this optimism (Silver and Silver 1991: p. 148). Although post-war 1945 welfare provisions brought in by the Labour party may have led to the amelioration of poverty this, at the same time, had the affect of masking the fact that poverty was still a significant social problem (Titmus 1962; Macdonald 1963). Sections of the UK population thus still appeared to suffer from poverty (Harvey 1960). Interestingly, during the post–war Labour administration, the Conservative opposition voiced agreement with the inauguration of the welfare state because the Second World War had shown the benefits to be derived from collective effort. Such effort was subsequently reassigned to the organisation and planning of state bodies that helped promote opportunities throughout society (Silver and Silver 1991 p. 156). In this regard, when the Conservatives regained power in 1951, they were already predisposed to take a positive stance towards Attlee’s welfare reforms not least because the Labour government had been quite moderate in its general outlook (Morgan 2000, p. 8). Moreover, immediately after the end of the Second World War the Conservatives had expected to be returned to power but the Labour party had instead been elected. This was thought to be because the Conservatives were regarded as the party of war whereas Labour appeared to be better placed to deal with post-war social reconstruction. The Conservative Period in Office and Attitudes to Welfare On coming to power in 1951, the Conservatives under Churchill (who retired in 1955) were expected to â€Å"roll back the welfare state† but, as a result of the post-war political consensus, were not inclined to reverse the welfare reforms of the previous Labour government. In fact, the Tories were keen to demonstrate that they were capable of administering the welfare state as well, if not better, than the Labour party (Lehmberg and Heyck 2002). This was despite those in the Conservative party, such as Thornycroft, who were against such a policy (Bridgen and Lowe 1998). Furthermore, the Tories continued to hold to the â€Å"one nation† ideal of Disraeli and Baldwin. Having said this, the Conservatives tended to allow state control to be ceded somewhat to the demands of a market economy causing a rupture to open up between the needs of welfare and economic imperatives. In this respect, they also denationalised the steel industry and road haulage system. And some changes to Labour policy were enacted with more of a bias towards private finance in certain sectors of welfare but all the Tory leaders of the period were keen to uphold social peace and, in this regard, the trade unions were treated with respect (More 2006, p. 164). Churchill, in particular, with memories of the trade union riots in 1910 and the General Strike in 1926, wished to rule over a harmonious land (Morgan 2000, p. 9). Eden (prime minister from 1955-1957) had also been a â€Å"one nation† politician who had previously stood down from Chamberlains administration. Douglas-Home as the last Conservative prime minister (1963-1964) of this administration also believed in non-confrontational politics. The Conservative party’s attitude to welfare from 1951 to 1964 has been referred to as a wet-dry cycle by Willetts (1992). The dry period is deemed to have occurred between 1951 and 1957 that involved containing the welfare state. In fact, housing expenditure actually increased from 1951 to 1954 yet welfare benefits hardly kept up with the inflation rate and means tested national assistance declined in value in comparison to earnings (Atkinson, 1969 p. 20). Moreover, spending on health care also came under restraint (Webster, 1996 p. 6). This may have been connected to problems with the UK’s balance of trade in 1952. 1954, however, saw the end of austerity and rationing that was to lead the way to the â€Å"feel good† factor. Fortunately, international economic events began to weigh in Britain’s favour in relation to the terms of trade that meant more could be spent on welfare projects without damaging the value of sterling (Porter, 1999). Churchill had te nded to leave domestic affairs to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, R. A. Butler, who was keen to continue with the welfare policies of his Labour predecessor, Gaitskell, leading to what has been termed â€Å"Butskellism.† Churchill’s successor, Anthony Eden, took a similar line in renouncing laissez-faire economics as the arbiter of social affairs (Lehmberg and Heyck 2002 p. 252). However, after 1957 and during the â€Å"wet period†, Harold Macmillan’s (prime minister from 1957 to 1963) â€Å"middle way† saw the welfare system again undergoing expansion.[1] This was reflected in the increasing prosperity of the country and the move towards full employment. It was during this period that the existing Chancellor of the Exchequer, Peter Thorneycroft, resigned in response to Macmillan’s unwillingness to reduce public expenditure. Importantly, Macmillan, had already helped frame the Tory’s policy on social reform during the 1930’s, which was influenced by the high unemployment rate of this period, and was therefore disposed to continue with Butskellism and a managed economy. In this respect, Macmillan has been referred to as the quintessential moderate (Morg an 2000, p. 9). In fact, Macmillan seemed to have been successful in wooing many working class voters to the Conservative cause that was exemplified in the statement â€Å"you have never had it so good.† Macmillan’s policies therefore led to an increased acceptance of the need for a managed economy, full employment and the necessity of welfare. The Tories were split by two opposing forces; one where national economic efficiency was to be enhanced as opposed to improvement in opportunities and living standards of those at the lower margins of society. This necessitated reduced taxation and incentives to promote individual enterprise and increased investment in housing and education to ensure an appropriate workforce. The question arose, however, as to what extent should the market or central government dictate the course of events. National efficiency was, at the time, regarded as crucial in order to prevent any further reduction in the UK’s economic prowess. Yet raised public expenditure was deemed necessary to improve social assistance to those on lower incomes that would serve to narrow the continuing disparities in wealth. In response to the latter, the amount spent on welfare gradually increased during the Conservative term in office from 14% to approximately 16% of national income. The Hospital Plan of 1962 also saw a move towards greater investment in the NHS and in 1959 insurance contributions became linked to earnings to provide the basis for a state pension. Most of these initiatives, however, were predicated on the idea of the â€Å"opportunity† state where the government provided the conditions allowing individuals to have greater opportunities and equality to succeed in society (More 2006, p. 165). In this way, Macmillan thus sought to balance the needs of the economy with a more just welfare system. Conclusion The main reasons why the 1951-1964 Conservative government chose to continue with and, to some extent, improve the welfare state had to do with: The previous experiences of key Tory politicians with the divisiveness relating to social issues of the pre-war years. The coming to power of the Labour party after the end of the Second World War suggesting that the electorate was ready for a new start and wanted to rectify the social failings of the first half of the 20th century. The Tories had seen the benefits of this policy and therefore wanted to continue with the system to realise a â€Å"one nation† objective. The growing prosperity of the country together with almost full employment, especially during the latter part of the 1950’s, meant that welfare was more affordable. A realisation that poverty continued to be a problem in particular areas and social situations. The recognition that social policies, especially in areas of health, education and social security, could benefit the economy. The fact that Macmillan had been re-elected with an increased majority in 1959 was evidence that such a policy had been successful and should be extended. The need for a â€Å"middle way† to be struck between the needs of the economy and the demands relating to welfare and poverty. A positive welfare policy created the conditions for an â€Å"opportunity† state making the economy more dynamic and flexible. Although Conservative policies had led to improvements in economic prosperity during their period in office, this was accompanied by as â€Å"stop-go† economy that had led to the UK falling behind foreign competitors leading to the impression that forward looking ideas were in short supply. The coming to power in 1963 of the titled Douglas-Home only served to reinforce this impression and the Labour party were returned to power in 1964 with Harold Wilson as prime minister. References Atkinson, A. B. 1969. Poverty in Britain and the Reform of Social Security. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Bridgen, P. and Lowe, R. 1998. Welfare policy under the Conservatives 1951-1964. Kew, UK. Public Record Office. Macdonald, D. 1963, Our Invisible Poor. The New Yorker Magazine. January 19. More, C. 2006. Britain in the 20th Century. Harlow: Pearson Education. Morgan, K.2000. British Political Culture Since 1945 – Consensus, Protest and Change. pp. 4-22 In, The Great, the New and the British: Essays on Postwar Britain. A. Ribberink. and H. Righart. (eds.) Instituut voor Geschiedenis: Utrecht. Harvey, 1960. Casualities of the Welfare State. Fabian Tract (London) No. 32. Lehmberg, S. E. and Heyck, T. W. 2002. A History of the Peoples of the British Isles. London: Routledge. Porter, D. 1999. Juggling with Welfare and Greatness: Britain under the Tories, 1951-64. History Review. p. 28 Rowntree, B.S. and Lavers, G.R. 1951. Poverty and the welfare state: a third social survey of York dealing only with economic questions. London: Longmans. Silver, H. and Silver, P. 1991. An educational war on poverty: American and British policy-making 1960-1980. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Titmus, R. M. 1962, Income, Distribution and Social Change. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Webster, C 1996. The Health Serivices since the war. Vol. 2. London: HMSO. Willetts, D. 1992. Modern Conservatism. London: Penguin. 1 Footnotes [1] Macmillan’s book â€Å"The Middle Way† published in 1938 based on his experiences of mass unemployment in the north east of England set out his political outlook that combined some market oriented principles with public control that helped secure a sustainable economy for the benefit of a greater swathe of the population.