Multinational Business of Big Bazaar, First Solar, and Tata Motors Case Study

Multinational Business of Big Bazaar, First Solar, and Tata Motors - Case Study Example The  Big Bazaar Company is planning to spread into the Middle East countries like Yemen as there is a huge opportunity in this market due to the nonpresence of any global retail chains there and availability of domestic supplier. The location of Yemen is at the southern end of Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East. The Arabian Sea, Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden have made boundaries its southern and western side of the country. Two neighbour countries also bordered i.e. Saudi Arabia in north and Oman in the east. The population of this country is very poor and a large percentage the population is rural people. But in the last decades, it has been large scale urbanization in the country and now near about half of the population lives in town. There is a good incentives scheme by the Yemen government in any large foreign investment project. The purpose of this is to attract potential foreign investors to the prospective sectors of the country by minimising the risk of initial investment . Government also provide free exchange of currency from strong currency to Yemen or vice versa. To start a project in Yemen no need of nationalisation and reservation are required. Foreign investment projects are exempted from paying profit tax up to 7 years which is expandable up to 16 years if it helps to strengthen the sector. There is lack of well-developed commercial business centres in Yemen even in coastal cities; therefore, the country has poorly developed retail market. Most of the shops are in the major cities and maximum of these are family owned. The producers or manufacturer of retail products and goods are only the seller. No professional retail outlets or chains are there who sells by getting supply from producers. This is why the retail market is not at all penetrated even in urban areas of the country. But there is a good demand of retail chains which can provide the finished retail goods across the country and as the per capita income has been increasing and the p urchasing power as well as buying behaviour has been developing since the last decades. Big Bazaar is a India based supermarket chain and it get the supply of retail products from institutional supplier as well as direct from the producers of good branded product and sell those after retail pricing those products according to its profit margin strategy. But in Yemen as there is no such kind of institutional supplier. So the company needs to tie up with the home-based producer of the retail product like garments, food products, and other daily needed products which have a good demand in the urban market. First Solar’s multinational business can be analysed by doing a PESTEL analysis of the international business environment and the potential market analysis. Political: It represents how the government represents the economy and a certain business i.e. the way of representing and the extent. Political factors of a country represented by certain areas like taxation policy, labou r law, trade restrictions, tariffs and govt. stability. So, market attractiveness towards foreign investors will be high if the entire areas of political environment are business-friendly. Economical: Economical factors are influenced and comprised by the economy of a country, and the World economy. These factors are interest rates, inflation, economic growth i.e. exchange rates and currency strength.  

What does Intel's presentation of their financial information tell you Essay - 1

What does Intel's presentation of their financial information tell you about how they use financial information in decision making - Essay Example The information technology industry in 2006 generated approximately $3 trillion, a figure that is expected to increase to $4 trillion by 2009 (Plunkett Research, 2008). Such a profitable market attracts many new firms into a very competitive industry with thousands of companies competing for market share. Countries such as India have created economic models for growth based on the exporting of information technology into markets such as the US, Europe and Canada. It is very in this industry for a company to generate revenues based on a projects which represents revenue generating contracts of IT services. The Ansoff matrix is a strategic marketing tool which could very useful for IT managers. The first payoff of the matrix position (1,1) is know as a market penetration strategy. The market penetration strategy is a strategic move to seek greater market share of an existing product a firm offers. In the 1990’s the IT firm which was the most successful at achieving market penetr ation in its main product offering was Microsoft Corporation which was able to achieve a market penetration of above 90% for a prolonged period of time. The market penetration strategy can be exploited by the IT manager in companies whose product offering is above the competition offering, the company has many competitive advantages over the rest of the players in the industry including good economic resources to pay for the high advertising expenses and other marketing initiatives required to successfully implement a market penetration strategy. The second position of the Ansoff Matrix (1,2) is called product development. This strategy is based on an IT manager developing a product in an existing market. Such a strategy can be extremely profitable. Microsoft Corporation is currently in the last stages of product development for a new product called IPTV which is broadcasting channels similar to those

Supply of Music after the Introduction of Internet Marketing Essay Example for Free

Supply of Music after the Introduction of Internet Marketing Essay Internet allows the labels to make the distribution directly to the customers bypassing the retailers. Internet eliminates the necessity of the retailers and by this way the recording companies are able to add the amounts payable to the retailers to their own revenues. Since the retailers were to be paid a considerable portion of the total revenue generated the recording companies always finds ways to eliminate the retailers and garner the additional revenues. 1. Another impact internet had on the music industry is the reduction in revenues as a result of piracies and illegal copying of the music products. Though the proportion of such illegal copying is very less in the past with the advancements in the technology with ‘compression protocols and high-speed internet connections’ have resulted in a large manifestation of this issue especially in the college campuses. The websites like Napster that provide free software and central website to download the required songs, have proliferated the problem of illegal copying. In the post-web period that is after the introduction of the internet marketing of the music products, the music industry has been subjected to the threat of a wide spread piracy which has the effect of affecting the sale of the original products. These piracies take the form of piracy of Compact Discs, private burning of the CDs and the peer-to-peer swapping of music files online through the internet. Out of these the biggest threat to the music industry is the peer-to-peer (P2P) supply networks facilitated by the internet. In the P2P networks the exchange of music takes place by the swapping of music files through the internet. Under P2P there is an utter disregard of the labels of the records and P2P bypasses any restrictions and allows the swapping of music files by the consumers without the payment of any money to the record company. P2P also enables the artists to supply the music without the knowledge and control of the record companies. The introduction of MP3 technology along with the possibility of file sharing has enabled the supply of music over the internet much easier and directly to the consumers on their personal computers. As a technical advancement the easy accessibility of music in the personal computers facilitated the proliferation of other portable audio devices that enable the MP3 files to be transferred to these portable devices after downloading from the personal computer. These portable devices could easily be carried around by the consumers. The portable audio devices have the distinct advantage of being small and easy to carry along. These devices enable the consumer to listen to the music while moving around, travelling or while doing exercises. The advent of these smaller audio devices has in effect enhanced the demand for music over the internet as it is possible to transfer the music to these devices from the personal computers where the music is already downloaded via internet. As shown in the figure below the role of internet has increased significantly during the recent periods in the supply of music. So long as the consumers download the music that carries a copyright, in a legitimate way after making payment to the online trading organizations the position of the record companies can be considered safe. In fact internet offers a wide scope to the music industry as the newly emerging digital technologies offers music to large groups of people and enables the audience to have access to their favorite artistes. The internet also offers the possibility of accessing old, new and unusual music at very competitive and affordable prices. (Gerard F. Lewis et al 2005) On the darker side of the internet, it offers scope for music piracies. There is nothing new about the piracy in the music industry. But according to Hammersley, (2002) the scale and ease with which the music piracy is attempted in the internet is really frightening. Source: Parikh (1999) With the advancement in the technology now it is possible to download any piece of music from the internet without paying the charges or cost to the online trading company. This amounts to the pirating of the music piece. Napster, the American company is the famous promoter of such technology for downloading the music from the internet without payment. Thus the new technologies have broken the control of the record company owning the rights for the content form preventing such unauthorized downloads. It made the record companies to realize that they have underestimated the threat to the industry from the piracy and have been very sluggish in reacting to protect their interests. The protection of their rights from illegal trespass would involve the registration and protection of their copyrights more strongly. (Gerard F. Lewis et al 2005) One of the basic business models of the music industry is to make music stars. A music star is made when the music created by the musicians fits into a well defined set of factors that can stimulate the demand of a majority of consumers universally. Here what comes into fore is the music consumers’ needs and preferences. There are certain variables that initialize the customers’ needs and preferences. Rosen (1983) observes musicians with lesser talent are easily substituted by those with more talents. It is also quite possible in the present day context of the availability modern communication technologies like internet and television to reach an audience of unlimited magnitude. Because of this trend there is always the possibility that the musicians with greater talent will always prevail over the musicians with comparatively lesser talent. Using the economic theory advocated by the renowned economist Marshall (1920) it can be pointed out that the technological advancement is the key factor in determining the music industry’s demand. But in addition the ‘talent’ can also be regarded as the deciding factor for the demand. But the only issue with talent is that it cannot be measured. The influence of social pressure also plays a key role in the determination of the need and preferences of the customer. The influence of peer group also changes the customers’ preferences as per the study conducted by Johnstone and Katz (1957) In this case attendance to concerts by music celebrities or listening to their works is considered as a necessity to form a basis of communicating with each other in any peer group. But social pressure is also another variable that cannot be measures as in the case of talent. Hence it may not be precisely possible to identify the extent of the impact of these variables on the customers’ preferences. The other variables that influence the online music consumers’ preferences are the individual tastes, knowledge about music, communication possibilities and the portion of the income that is apportioned by the consumer for music related expenses. Crain and Tollison (1997) identified that the amount of income reserved for music determines the quality and taste of the music as with lesser cost the consumer can listen to the music by non-stars than spending more to listen to music by celebrity stars. The last but not the least criteria is the ‘music time’ denoting the time that can be undividedly distributable for listening to music. This also determines the customers’ needs and preferences over the music online.

Trinidad and Tobago: Carnivals

Trinidad and Tobago: Carnivals Carnival, The Pulse of Trinidad Tobago Draft Trinidad Tobago is a twin-island republic, located on the southern fringe of the Caribbean Sea, approximately six miles off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. The economy of this tiny republic (with an area of 1,979 square miles and a population of approximately 1.3 million) is acknowledged as the most prosperous and sophisticated, in the island states of the Caribbean region. It is largely based on oil and natural gas, which it mainly exports to North America.[1] The islands offer contrasting experiences, Trinidad hosts the commercial, financial and industrial activity of the nation; while Tobago is the Tourism destination of foreign visitors, with its sandy beaches, coral reefs, sport fishing, and all-inclusive hotels. The social experience is also a significant attraction. The widely diverse cultural components of the island nation, makes for interesting customs, foods, and activities. The resulting easy-going, laughter-filled nature of the average Trinidadian and Tobagonian, makes for a great host, and memorable experiences. This unique potpourri of peoples with their contrasting cultures, blended gradually into the personae known as a â€Å"Trini†, is annually rejuvenated in that cauldron of harmony, known as Trinidad Carnival. Trinidad Carnival developed as part of the Roman Catholic observance of Lent, which mandates the abstinence from meat and pleasure (carni flesh and vale to say good bye to). Its pre-Lenten activity culminates in two days of explosive masquerading, leading up to Ash Wednesday, but the actual festivities start with the parties, competitions and shows that begin right after the Christmas season is over. Of, course the creative activity that results in the vistas of sight and sound on Carnival Days usually start shortly after the end of the previous Carnival. Brilliant costumes by the thousands are created and assembled at Mas Camps throughout the island, as early as September. Hundreds of pannists religiously practice their musical arrangements at the various panyards, in preparation for the musical competitions. Songs specially created for the festival are performed nightly at the Calypso Tents and blared with monotonous regularity from the many radio-stations, who promote their favorites for the various Calypso, Soca and Chutney competitions. At the fetes (day time or night time), tourists will look on in amazement at the throngs of people effortlessly jumping in time with the beat of the runaway harmony of calypso or soca music played by the steelband, brass band, or the ubiquitous fete DJ. These parties are so infectious, that it impossible to be a spectator for long, and one by one, the non-participants fall prey to the music and energy, and shuffle or sway as best they can to the beat. These parties also present an opportunity to experience the aromas and tastes of many local dishes, generally, flavorful and spicy: corn soup, pelau, roti, doubles truly, finger-licking, delicious! The weekend before Ash Wednesday, hosts the finals of most of the major competitions of the Festival. On Saturday night, the Panorama competition final is the big event with remaining 16 bands competing for the highly coveted title of â€Å"Panorama Champion† and significant prize-money, in two categories large band and medium band. This event is the ultimate challenge, the moment for which all the participating pannists have so diligently practiced over the past several months. Emotions are so charged at the venue The Big Yard at The Queens Park Savannah from players and spectators alike, that the electrical energy could probably light up the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. The musical harmony can be heard from afar, sweet and euphoric to the connoisseur. In the wee hours of Sunday morning, the judges scores produce emotional highs for the winners and their supporters, lows for the disappointed, and fuel for lively debate until the next Panorama. On Sunday night, all look forward to experiencing the breathtaking spectacle of sound and color of the grand finale of all Competitions â€Å"Dimanche Gras†, so named because all the major finals took place at this event (until the Panorama Final was relegated to Saturday because of the significant logistics involved). The crowning of; the Calypso Monarch, the National King and Queen of the Bands can be enjoyed live, at the Queens Park Savannah, for an entry fee amounting to the cost of a ticket to a Broadway Show, or in the home, for free on National Television. Before the break of dawn on Monday morning precisely at four a.m. the Street Parades are officially launched with the Jouvert celebrations. This phase signifies the opening of festivities and is characterized by the portrayal of characters and ‘mas forms intrinsic to the development of Trinidad Carnival. One popular portrayal is the commentary on social and political events, through the satirical use of placards, costume and pantomime once the essence of the early Carnival art form. Several Bands parade in costume, but the theme and content are subdued and remind of the somber costuming of Halloween. Much like the grey of dawn, before the beauty of tropical sunshine. Monday evening breaks the exhausted sleep of revelers, who are part of the Big Parade, for the prelude to the big day, Carnival Tuesday. All registered bands parade in the streets in all the towns of the twin island nation, but the major spectacle occurs on the streets of the capital, Port of Spain. Costumes are elaborately made with beads, plumes, brocades, sequins, lots of color and style. To participate in the parade (‘play mas), apart from purchasing a costume from the â€Å"Mas Camp† which can now be done from overseas via the Internet you must be physically fit; for the process of jumping and dancing on the asphalt, in 97 ° F + temperatures, is no picnic! As a result, from the month of December, gyms and parks are invaded by intended masqueraders, sweating and jiggling, in the hope of miraculously looking like Brad Pitt, Barry Bonds or Halle Berry in their precious little costumes. On these Parade days, the crowds on the streets would rival those of New O rleans Mardi Gras. There are specific parade routes for the bands to use in order to access the three main judging venues in the capital city. The most popular venue with spectators and masqueraders alike, the Queens Park Savannah, is the place to be when the color and glitter of the sea of swaying costumes are caught in the splendor of the setting sun! The magic of Carnival is not just in the audio-visual spectacle, but for the islanders, it is a time when the soul of the Trinidadian regenerates itself, while achieving the goal of the religious of observance of Lent. The nation experiences lower crime rates, while social and class differences are set aside. It is as though the soul of the Trinidadian recognizes that the time has come for the annual leveling of the human playing field, which is necessary for peoples of a diverse ethnic heritage, to coexist in harmony and to foster the cross-fertilization of cultures, critical to the identity of a unique Trinidadian. At this time, the superficial world of commerce is placed on the back burner. Carnival is a time to enjoy the art, music, friendships, and simply to relax. So significant an event is Carnival to the Trinidadian, that those, who found it difficult to return to the motherland every year to be part of the renewal, have began to introduce the process to their adopted countries and cities: New York, Boston, Miami, Toronto and Notting Hill (England). However, as any Trini will own, it is not the same. Carnival in Trinidad Tobago, once truly experienced cannot be forgotten, and the attraction to return is difficult to resist. Source Out of an annual US import of 631 million cu ft of LNG, 439 million cu ft originated in Trinidad Tobago Energy Information Administration; US Natural Gas Imports by Country (Annual)

The Medieval Gothic Cathedral Essay -- European History Architecture E

The Medieval Gothic Cathedral The medieval Gothic cathedral was in many ways a civic building as well as a religious one. This particularly was the case with the famous cathedral Notre-Dame de Chartres (Our Lady of Chartres) in the town of the same name, 80km south-east of Paris, built in the 13th century. Chartres cathedral was planned not only as a place of worship, but also developed as the centre of the town's economy and way of life, as the place that housed the relic of the cloak of the Virgin Mary. The local citizens assisted the building of the cathedral by providing the labour, giving food to the workers and donating money to pay for its construction. The architecture of the cathedral dominated the town in the way that modern skyscrapers are the centre civic buildings today. Many of the decorations in the cathedral such as the thousands of sculptures and beautiful stained glass windows were donated by guilds and tradespeople of the town. People visited Chartres for the fairs held on the feasts of the Vir gin, a major place for trade. Townspeople also used the majestic cathedral and its grounds for business. Medieval cathedrals such as Chartres show the strength and majesty of the Catholic church. The original Romanesque cathedral in Chartres that was built in the eleventh century burned down in a fire in 1134. The cathedral was then rebuilt in the gothic style, but then another fire destroyed all except the towers and the west front in 1194. (See Hallam & Everard 2001) The new Gothic cathedral was regarded as one of the first examples of High Gothic architecture. There was a genuine desire, of course, to build places of worship and prayer and to build a cathedral as a way to pay homage to God. However, the catholic... ...ey, A. 1922, Medieval France A Companion to French Studies, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK Von Simpson, O. 1988, The Gothic Cathedral: Origins of Gothic Architecture and the Medieval concept of Order, Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey USA Wison, C. 1990, The Gothic Cathedral: The Architecture of the Great Church 1130-1530, Thames and Hudson, Singapore http://art.ranken.edu/borchardt/archistI/Course%20stuff/Medieval/medieval.htm, accessed 13/04/04 Classical Architectural History Lesson, subheading "The New Cathedrals" Halsall, P. 1988, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1210chartres.html, accessed 13/04/04 Halsall, P. 1988 http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1224chartres.html, accessed 13/04/04 Ingersoll, R. 1995, Rice University Cities and History http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~arch343/lecture9.html, accessed 13/04/04

A View From the Bridge - Arthur Miller Essay example -- English Litera

A View from the bridge by Arthur Miller Examine the ideas of manliness, hostility and aggression in 'a view from the bridge'. How are these ideas connected? In this essay I will examine the ideas of manliness, hostility and aggression are connected to each other in 'a view from the bridge'. The play is set in a slum near the Brooklyn Bridge. In the story the main character is Eddie carbone and we see many sides to this character throughout the play. Eddie carbone is a middle aged man going through a mid life crisis. Many things are causing this mid life crisis, but the main thing and the most obvious one is the relationship between Catherine and Radolpho. Catherine is the niece of his wife, Beatrice. Catherine's parents died when Catherine was very young and ever since then Beatrice and Eddie have raised her like their own daughter. Eddie has grown to love as his own daughter but due to this he has also developed a possessiveness that he does not quite understand. Eddies mid-life crisis starts to be noticed when the cousins of Beatrice illegally immigrate into the country by boat and stay with them temporarily. From the moment they first arrive in the play we immediately notice that something is bound to happen from the way Eddie talks to them. This is where the drama officially begins. Eddie has a certain type of belief that you have to be a particular way or do particular things in order to be a real man, he believes that certain types of characteristics and qualities are needed to be manly. He has lived by these qualities and characteristics and believes they are right. This is possibly due to the way he was raised. The views that Eddie thinks are need for masculinity are that you should go ou... ...cond language and struggles sometimes, " ...the machine, the machine is necessary. " His sentences are lively and witty and entertaining. Marco seems to be able to speak English better than his brother. His sentences are usually serious and quite intense, " Too loud. The guests in that hotel are all Englishmen. They don't like too loud. " This book is all about manliness, hostility and aggression. Manliness is the main thing because backs in the time that this play was set in men were the most dominant gender by far. They were in charge of everything; they were the ones that had a say in everything. Manliness led to hostility because the role of dominance can be threatened, as it was in Eddie's case, which leads to aggression. Eddie tried to eliminate the threat be trying to kill him but it backfired on him and in the end he was the one who died.

Why i want to be an engineer

Why I want to be an engineer? What are the characteristics of succesfull engineer? Through my high school life, I have watching my father was working as a contractor for his part time job other than his permanent job. I am so fascinated by his job and get intrigued by all civil engineering channels on television. As I am on my expedition to define myself, I also acknowledge the value of life and aspire to value everything that dwells within It. My drive as civil engineers triggers when my closest cousins succeded her career as civil engineer and working at JKR.I have become more confidents to select this path as my career. There are many reasons for why I want to participate in becoming an engineer. My greatest anxiety for people Is their need for safety and comfort. Growing up In a safe neighborhood, I understand the importance of safety. Other than that, it's a job that pays a practically high income due to the level of skills and expertise required, and the ongoing responsibilitie s to ensure safe, accurate, and enduring engineering outcomes.On the other hand, Clvll engineers can work in a diversity of work environments, including in the public sector, as contractors, consultants, or even as part of a firm hat undertakes work outsourced from municipalities and government. That Is why im still contented with my choices in this field as I still can decide which path do I want to take part with. Throughout my Internship when I studied at polytechnic, I have been working in a consultant firm. I have felt that it suits me better than working as contractor.But, I never get Involved yet working in a construction firm. On my Journey to become a succesfull engineer, there are many features that need to be fullfil. I think to become a successful engineer; you need to acquire the alue of teamwork, cooperation, ceativity and management skills. Then, having a big picture as mentality, creatMty, the ability to function as a member of a team, the ability to work without sup ervision and to handle high levels of responsibility.The important thing is to acquire the needed certificates to Justify our career and get qualify to be a Professional Engineer. Other than that, we need to be result oriented, have good leadership qualities, good communication skills and commitment towards work. My role model in this field is my former boss when I was working during my internship. He has become my iconic engineer that really inspires me because he was striking his way since young to have his own his consultant firm.Astonishingly, he has his own consultant firm that he built with his own to serves people. Other a very respected person, he never slighted his employee's opinions. I am also fantasizing of having my own consultant's firm. I am totally obligated to becoming a successful engineer and will work boundlessly in order to achieve my goals. Im keenly to finish my degree and developed as a qualified civil engineers and getting my dreams become reality.