Import Substitution Industries Essay

â€Å"There is a belief among some economists that a country should focus more on export sector explanation and diversification than promoting the import substitution Industries (ISI).† Critically comment on this taking Sri Lankan economy as an example. You are expected to refer relevant articles from recognized sources on the said areas and provide your own views and analysis with proper reasoning. Export means shipping the goods and services out of the port of a country. An import is a good brought into a jurisdiction, especially across a national border, from an external source. Import Substitution Industries (ISI) means an economic theory employed by developing or emerging market nations that wish to increase their self-sufficiency and decrease their dependency on developed countries. Implementation of the theory focuses on protection and incubation of domestic infant industries so they may emerge to compete with imported goods and make the local economy more self-sufficie nt. Normally importing is not bad. Importing raw materials and goods is one of the paths of increasing the profit margins. There are number of benefits in importing the goods, such as high quality, low prices, and benefits related to the international trade. But I think there are more disadvantages for country. Importing of goods could lead the erosion of the domestic markets and national economies specifically when there is trade deficit occurrence the import is higher than the export. And can also be increased due to import of goods such as conflict in the domestic values due to the acceptance of social values. The domestic industries can also be crippled due to the import of the countries where the wages are low and the domestic industries are unable to compete since they cannot lower down their prices of goods than the cost of goods. The exporting of goods is specifically difficult and disadvantageous for the small and medium size firms. The sale of services and goods into the foreign market is difficult for them rather serving the domestic market. A lack of knowledge of different languages, difference in culture, exchange regulations and trade regulations having the major impact on exporting the goods. But normally there are have more advantages than importing. One of the major advantages of export is the ownership advantage which is specific to the firms international experience, asset and ability of the exporter to  either develop the differentiated product or low cost product with in the values chain. A combination of investment risk and market potential is known as the location benefit of the particular market combination. In order to retain the core competencies within the organization and stitching it throughout the country without retaining the license, selling or outsourcing is the international advantage in export. Some of the organizations having lower level of ownership advantage may do not enter into the foreign markets. In case a company’s products and company’s ownership equipped with the international advantage and ownership advantage, the entry can be made through low risk model known as exporting under the eclectic paradigm. There is low investment requires in exporting of goods than the other modes of inter national trade and expansion such foreign direct investment. Somehow it is recognized that the lower level of risk result in ,lower level of rate of return than possibly the other modes of international trade. On the other hand the usual return on international trade in export sales might not have greater potential but also there will be no risk. In export of goods the managers are allowed to exercise the various operational control however it does not have the option over the control of marketing activities of the company. The end consumer of exported goods is far away from the exporter though the various intermediaries can manage the risk. Export performance is one of the strongest areas of Sri Lanka’s economy at the present time. It can be best described as a growth area. If you were to take exports as a whole, there has been an improvement of around 14% across the board, in terms of the foreign exchange that was realized by Sri Lankan exports. However, in some sectors, the growth has been very much more. For example, in the electronic sector, it is as high as 80%, with rubber performing at 45%, wooden products at 57%, and so on. And also emphasis that the government’s policy is not restricted to enhancing the quantum of foreign exchange that we earn from exports. Earning more foreign exchange is important as the country requires it, but we do not intend to stop there. This is a necessary condition but we do not see it as being sufficient. One of the main policy objectives is to ensure that all benefits percolate down to the grassroots level. In other words, there has to be an equitable distribution of wealth and income right throughout the country. So Sri Lanka is today referred to as a ‘middle income country’ with a per capita income  of US$ 1,370. However, one of our problems is that the distribution of income within the country is far from equitable. A good example of this is the fact that the per capita income in the district of Colombo is seven times what it is in districts such as Monaragela, Pollonnaruwa and Hambantota. Thus we need to address the inequities that are inherent in that situation. This is why the putting a particular emphasis on the concept of ‘export promotion villages’ that are being developed around the country. However in this year Imports in Sri Lanka increased to 1845.30 USD Million in July of 2014 from 1439.40 USD Million in June of 2014. Imports in Sri Lanka averaged 1035.70 USD Million from 2001 until 2014, reaching an all time high of 1986.40 USD Million in November of 2011 and a record low of 408 USD Million in February of 2002. (Reported by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka) Normally we export different type of goods like Apparel, tea, rubber coconut gems etc†¦ In those industries the tea industry is perhaps Sri Lanka’s most strategic economic sector and pure Ceylon tea our only internationally known brand. We are the world’s biggest tea exporter, manufacturing more than 300 million kilos of black tea annually, almost all of which is exported. Our orthodox teas usually sell at a premium over other orthodox teas from elsewhere. Therefore we can increase that industry and get more economical profit for our country. In importing we have to pay more money with huge taxes to other countries, and in that situation we waste our money more. But if we focus more on export sector explanation and diversification we can improve our productions, develop our manufactures, and finally we can export those productions for other countries, then we can earn more profit. Don’t want to pay unessential money for other countries if we’ll develo p our exporting industry. In that case we can increase jobs for our people also, and we can develop our economy. So, mainly Imports and exports may seem like general terms that have little bearing on everyday life, but they exert a profound influence on the consumer and the economy. In today’s interlinked global economy, consumers are used to seeing products and produce from every corner of the world in their local malls and stores. These overseas products or imports provide more choices to consumers and help them manage strained household budgets. But too many imports in relation to exports which are products shipped from a country to foreign destinations can distort a  nation’s balance of trade and devalue its currency. The value of a currency, in turn, is one of the biggest determinants of a nation’s economic performance. So finally studying about those cases I also think the country should focus more on export sector explanation and diversification than promoting the import substitution Industries (ISI).

Vampire Academy Chapter 20

TWENTY MY MOUTH DROPPED OPEN. â€Å"Uh†¦wait†¦you mean sex?† My astonishment prevented me from thinking of a better response. Mason thought it was hysterical. Jesse looked like he wanted to die. â€Å"Of course I mean sex. She said she'd do it if we said that we'd†¦you know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I made a face. â€Å"You guys didn't both, uh, do it at the same time, did you?† â€Å"No,† said Jesse in disgust. Ralf kind of looked like he wouldn't have minded. â€Å"God,† I muttered, pushing hair out of my face. â€Å"I can't believe she hates us that much.† â€Å"Hey,† exclaimed Jesse, reading into my insinuation. â€Å"What's that supposed to mean? We're not that bad. And you and me – we were pretty close to – â€Å" â€Å"No. We weren't even close to that.† Mason laughed again, and something struck me. â€Å"If this†¦if this happened back then, though†¦she must have still been dating Aaron.† All three guys nodded. â€Å"Oh. Whoa.† Mia really hated us. She'd just moved beyond poor-girl-wronged-by-girl's-brother and well into sociopath territory. She'd slept with these two and cheated on a boyfriend whom she seemed to adore. Jesse and Ralf looked incredibly relieved when we walked away. Mason slung a lazy arm around my shoulders. â€Å"Well? What do you think? I rule, right? You can tell me. I won't mind.† I laughed. â€Å"How'd you finally find that out?† â€Å"I called in a lot of favors. Used some threats. The fact that Mia can't retaliate helped too.† I recalled Mia accosting me the other day. I didn't think she was entirely helpless yet but didn't say so. â€Å"They'll start telling people on Monday.† he continued. â€Å"They promised. Everyone'll know by lunch.† â€Å"Why not now?† I asked sulkily. â€Å"They slept with a girl. Hurts her more than them.† â€Å"Yeah. True. They didn't want to deal with it tonight. You could start telling people if you wanted to. We could make a banner.† With as many times as Mia had called me a slut and a whore? Not a bad idea. â€Å"You got any markers and paper?†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My words trailed off as I stared across the gym to where Lissa stood surrounded by admirers, Aaron's arm around her waist. She wore a sleek pink cotton sheath in a shade I never could have pulled off. Her blond hair had been pulled up in a bun that she'd used little crystal hairpins on. It almost looked like she wore a crown. Princess Vasilisa. The same feelings as earlier hummed through to me, anxiety and excitement. She just couldn't quite enjoy herself tonight. Watching her from the other side of the room, lurking in the darkness, was Christian. He practically blended into the shadows. â€Å"Stop it,† Mason chided me, seeing my stare. â€Å"Don't worry about her tonight.† â€Å"Hard not to.† â€Å"It makes you look all depressed. And you're too hot in that dress to look depressed. Come on, there's Eddie.† He dragged me away, but not before I cast one last glance at Lissa over my shoulder. Our eyes met briefly. Regret flashed through the bond. But I pushed her out of my head – figuratively speaking – and managed to put on a good face when we joined a group of other novices. We earned a lot of mileage by telling them about the Mia scandal and, petty or not, seeing my name cleared and getting revenge on her felt amazingly good. And as those in our group wandered off and mingled with others, I could see the news spreading and spreading. So much for waiting until Monday. Whatever. I didn't care. I was actually having a good time. I fell into my old role, happy to see I hadn't grown too dusty in making funny and flirty remarks. Yet, as time passed and Eddie's party grew closer, I started to feel Lissa's anxiety pick up in intensity. Frowning, I stopped talking and turned around, scanning the room for her. There. She was still with a group of people, still the sun in her little solar system. But Aaron was leaning very close to her, saying something in her ear. A smile I recognized as fake was plastered across her face, and the annoyance and anxiety from her increased further. Then it spiked. Mia had walked up to them. Whatever she'd come to say, she didn't waste any time in saying it. With the eyes of Lissa's admirers on her, little Mia in her red dress gestured wildly, mouth working animatedly. I couldn't hear the words from across the room, but the feelings grew darker and darker through the bond. â€Å"I've got to go,† I told Mason. I half walked, half ran over to Lissa's side, catching only the tail end of Mia's tirade. She was yelling at Lissa full force now and leaning into her face. From what I could tell, word must have reached her about Jesse and Ralf selling her out. † – you and your slutty friend! I'm going to tell everyone what a psycho you are and how they had to lock you in the clinic because you're so crazy. They're putting you on medication. That's why you and Rose left before anyone else could find out you cut – â€Å" Whoa, not good. Just like at our first meeting in the cafeteria, I grabbed her and jerked her away. â€Å"Hey,† I said. â€Å"Slutty friend here. Remember what I said about standing too close to her?† Mia snarled, baring her fangs. As I'd noted before, I couldn't feel too sorry for her anymore. She was dangerous. She had stooped low to get back at me. Now, somehow, she knew about Lissa and the cutting. Really knew, too; she wasn't just guessing. The information she had now sounded both like what the guardians on the scene had reported, as well as what I'd told them about Lissa's history. Maybe some confidential doctor's stuff too. Mia'd snagged the records somehow. Lissa realized it too, and the look on her face – scared and fragile, no more princess – made my decision for me. It didn't matter that Kirova had spoken the other day about giving me my freedom, that I'd been having a good time, and that I could have let my worries go and partied tonight. I was going to ruin everything, right here and right now. I'm really not good with impulse control. I punched Mia as hard as I could – harder, I think, than I'd even hit Jesse. I heard a crunch as my fist impacted her nose, and blood spurted out. Someone screamed. Mia shrieked and flew backwards into some squealing girls who didn't want to get blood on their dresses. I swooped in after her, getting in one more good punch before somebody peeled me off her. I didn't fight restraint as I had when they'd taken me from Mr. Nagy's classroom. I'd expected this as soon as I'd swung at her. Stopping all signs of resistance, I let two guardians lead me out of the dance while Ms. Kirova tried to bring some semblance of order. I didn't care what they did to me. Not anymore. Punish or expel. Whatever. I could handle – Ahead of us, through the ebbing and flowing waves of students passing through the double doors, I saw a figure in pink dart out. Lissa. My own out-of-control emotions had overridden hers, but there they were, flooding back into me. Devastation. Despair. Everyone knew her secret now. She'd face more than just idle speculation. Pieces would fall together. She couldn't handle that. Knowing I wasn't going anywhere, I frantically searched for some way to help her. A dark figure caught my eye. â€Å"Christian!† I yelled. He'd been staring at Lissa's retreating figure but glanced up at the sound of his name. One of my escorts shushed me and took my arm. â€Å"Be quiet.† I ignored her. â€Å"Go after her,† I called to Christian. â€Å"Hurry.† He just sat there, and I suppressed a groan. â€Å"Go, you idiot!† My guardians snapped at me to be quiet again, but something inside of Christian woke up. Springing up from his lounging position, he tore off in the direction Lissa had traveled. No one wanted to deal with me that night. There'd be hell to pay tomorrow – I heard talk of suspension or possibly even expulsion – but Kirova had her hands full with a bleeding Mia and a hysterical student body. The guardians escorted me to my room under the watchful eye of the dorm matron who informed me she'd check on me every hour to make sure I stayed in my room. A couple guardians would also hang out around the dorm's entrances. Apparently I was now a high-security risk. I'd probably just ruined Eddie's party; he'd never sneak a group up to his room now. Heedless of my dress, I flounced onto the floor of my room, crossing my legs underneath me. I reached out to Lissa. She was calmer now. The events from the dance still hurt her terribly, but Christian was soothing her somehow, although whether it was through simple words or physical mojo, I couldn't say. I didn't care. So long as she felt better and wouldn't do anything stupid. I returned to myself. Yes, things were going to get messy now. Mia and Jesse's respective accusations were going to set the school on fire. I probably would get thrown out and have to go live with a bunch of skanky dhampir women. At least Lissa might realize Aaron was boring and that she wanted to be with Christian. But even if that was the right thing, it still meant – Christian. Christian. Christian was hurt. I snapped back into Lissa's body, suddenly sucked in by the terror pounding through her. She was surrounded, surrounded by men and women who had come out of nowhere, bursting up into the attic of the chapel where she and Christian had gone to talk. Christian leapt up, fire flaring from his fingers. One of the invaders hit him on the head with something hard, making his body slump to the ground. I desperately hoped he was okay, but I couldn't waste any more energy worrying about him. All my fear was for Lissa now. I couldn't let the same thing happen to her. I couldn't let them hurt her. I needed to save her, to get her out of there. But I didn't know how. She was too far away, and I couldn't even escape her head at the moment, let alone run over there or get help. The attackers approached her, calling her Princess and telling her not to worry, and that they were guardians. And they did seem like guardians. Definitely dhampirs. Moving in precise, efficient ways. But I didn't recognize them as any of the guardians from school. Neither did Lissa. Guardians wouldn't have attacked Christian. And guardians certainly wouldn't be binding and gagging her – Something forced me out of her head, and I frowned, staring around my room. I needed to go back to her and find out what had happened. Usually the connection just faded or I closed it off, but this – this was like something had actually removed me and pulled me. Pulled me back here. But that made no sense. What could pull me back from†¦wait. My mind blanked. I couldn't remember what I'd just been thinking about. It was gone. Like static in my brain. Where had I been? With Lissa? What about Lissa? Standing up, I wrapped my arms around myself, confused, trying to figure out what was going on. Lissa. Something with Lissa. Dimitri, a voice inside my head suddenly said. Go to Dimitri. Yes. Dimitri. My body and spirit burned for him all of a sudden, and I wanted to be with him more than I ever had before. I couldn't stay away from him. He'd know what to do. And he'd told me before I should come to him if something was wrong with Lissa. Too bad I couldn't remember what that was. Still. I knew he'd take care of everything. Getting up to the staff wing of the dorm wasn't hard, since they wanted to keep me inside tonight. I didn't know where his room was, but it didn't matter. Something was pulling me to him, urging me closer. An instinct pushed me toward one of the doors, and I beat the living daylights out of it. After a few moments, he opened it, brown eyes widening when he saw me. â€Å"Rose?† â€Å"Let me in. It's Lissa.† He immediately stepped aside for me. I'd apparently caught him in bed, because the covers were peeled back on one side and only a small tableside lamp shone in the darkness. Plus, he wore only cotton pajama bottoms; his chest – which I'd never seen before, and wow, did it look great – was bare. The ends of his dark hair curled near his chin and appeared damp, like he'd taken a shower not so long ago. â€Å"What's wrong?† The sound of his voice thrilled me, and I couldn't answer. I couldn't stop staring at him. The force that had pulled me up here pulled me to him. I wanted him to touch me so badly, so badly I could barely stand it. He was so amazing. So unbelievably gorgeous. I knew somewhere something was wrong, but it didn't seem important. Not when I was with him. With almost a foot separating us, there was no way I could easily kiss his lips without his help. So instead, I aimed for his chest, wanting to taste that warm, smooth skin. â€Å"Rose!† he exclaimed, stepping back. â€Å"What are you doing?† â€Å"What do you think?† I moved toward him again, needing to touch him and kiss him and do so many other things. â€Å"Are you drunk?† he asked, holding his hand out in a warding gesture. â€Å"Don't I wish.† I tried to dodge around him, then paused, momentarily uncertain. â€Å"I thought you wanted to – don't you think I'm pretty?† In all the time we'd known each other, in all the time this attraction had built, he'd never told me I was pretty. He'd hinted at it, but that wasn't the same. And despite all the assurances I had from other guys that I was hotness incarnate, I needed to hear it from the one guy I actually wanted. â€Å"Rose, I don't know what's going on, but you need to go back to your room.† When I moved toward him again, he reached out and gripped my wrists. With that touch, an electric current shot through both of us, and I saw him forget whatever he'd just been worrying about. Something seized him too, something that made him suddenly want me as much I wanted him. Releasing my wrists, he moved his hands up my arms, sliding slowly along my skin. Holding me in his dark, hungry gaze, he pulled me to him, pressing me right up to his body. One of his hands moved up the back of my neck, twining his fingers in my hair and tipping my face up to his. He brought his lips down, barely brushing them against mine. Swallowing, I asked again, â€Å"Do you think I'm pretty?† He regarded me with utter seriousness, like he always did. â€Å"I think you're beautiful.† â€Å"Beautiful?† â€Å"You are so beautiful, it hurts me sometimes.† His lips moved to mine, gentle at first, and then hard and hungry. His kiss consumed me. His hands on my arms slid down, down my hips, down to the edge of my dress. He gathered up the fabric in his hands and began pushing it up my legs. I melted into that touch, into his kiss and the way it burned against my mouth. His hands kept sliding up and up, until he'd pulled the dress over my head and tossed it on the floor. â€Å"You†¦you got rid of that dress fast,† I pointed out between heavy breaths. â€Å"I thought you liked it.† â€Å"I do like it,† he said. His breathing was as heavy as mine. â€Å"I love it.† And then he took me to the bed.

Micromax Mobile : How to Increase Market Share

Consumer buying behaviour report Micromax mobile phones By Mansi Choksey Roll no. 19 PGDM Marketing Product chosen: Micromax Mobile phones Issue to be addressed: How to increase Market share: Background on the company: Micromax Mobile needs no introduction today. Just two years back people were not aware of  the brand  at all but today it’s India’s third largest mobile selling company by volume after Nokia and Samsung (IDC Report). Brand’s success can be attributed to it’s ability to understand the need of the market ,aggressive marketing with a budget of Rs. 00 crore and smart  distribution channel  management. Its one of the leading Indian Telecom Companies with 23 domestic offices across the country and international offices in Hong Kong, USA, Dubai and now in Nepal. With a futuristic vision and an exhaustive R&D at its helm, Micromax has successfully generated innovative technologies that have revolutionised the telecom consumerspace. As pe r IDC report Micromax displaced LG to become third largest selling  mobile handset company  in india with a market share of 6%.Nokia is market leader with 62% share and Samsung is on second place with 8% market share. The company today sells more than a million handsets a month and is now a Rs. 1600 cr worth brand. The company has presence in more than 500 districts and 90,000  retail outlets. The company started its Mobile handset business in 2008 and the challenge was to establish an identity in a market dominated by big MNCs Like Nokia,Samsung,LG and Motorola. Today Micromax has become a brand which people relate and look up to for realizing their individual device preferences and other out-of-the-box solutions.Micromax, is now churning out 1 million phones a month. Micromax is on a mission to successfully overcome the technological barriers and constantly engender â€Å"life enhancing solutions†. The company's vision is to develop path-breaking technologies and effi cient processes that incubate newer markets, enliven customer aspirations and continue to make Micromax a trusted market leader amongst people. Micromax founders : Rajesh Agarwal: handles company finances Sumeet Arora: chief technology officer Vikas jain: handles alliances with other companiesRahul Sharma: risk taker with the big ideas 4 P’s of marketing for Micromax mobiles: 1. Product Micromax has been quite effective in the marking a difference with almost every product that it launched. The range that they have covered varies quite a large variety. Right from the handsets with 30 days battery backup, dual SIM, handsets switching networks (GSM -CDMA) using gravity sensors, aspirational QWERTY keypad handsets to operator branded 3G handsets to the most exciting OMH CDMA Handsets, etc. Every product of Micromax had the potential to grab the attention of media as ell as the consumers in a market which is already flooded with mobile phone handsets and a launch is there in ever y day or two. 2. Price Micromax specialized in entry-level and mid-segment handsets priced between Rs1,800 and Rs2,400 when it started selling the devices in 2008, confining itself to small towns and rural areas in the first 12-18 months. Encouraged by its success, the firm expanded to larger cities and now has a distribution network of 55,000 retailers, which it plans to scale up to 70,000 by the end of March as part of its strategy to raise sales to 1. million handsets a month. 3. Place Micromax is one of the leading Indian Telecom Companies with 23 domestic offices across the country and international offices in Hong Kong, USA, Dubai and now in Nepal. Micromax has invested Rs100 crore to set up a plant in Baddi in Himachal Pradesh as it feels outsourcing manufacturing completely leaves the door open for supply-side uncertainties. Production will be scaled up from an initial 50,000 per month. â€Å"If everything goes right, by the third phase in March 2011, the Baddi plant will b e making about 500,000 handsets,† Jain said.If the plant isn’t able to cope with the numbers, the fallback plan is to acquire a facility in South Korea, Taiwan or China, he added. 4. Promotion Having gained traction, Micromax is also working on a strategy to create awareness in the metros, which includes tying up with MTV for co-branded phones. Micromax has also tied up with a Bollywood celebrity â€Å"AKSHAY KUMAR† as brand ambassador. Micromax has also tied up some pretty big brands like Yamaha for enhancing their audio experiences and the X360 comes with an MTV branding and exclusive content.It is utilizing the integrated market communication tools like sponsoring events (cricket match and film awards), advertising through hoardings, TV, radio etc very effectively. With a 360 degree advertising and marketing strategy sketched out, the company has an optimistic outlook for the telecom consumer space. Currently present in more than 40,000 stores across the count ry, the company plans to have an aggressive market incursion to reach out to its customers through 70,000 operational stores in the coming year The following tools of IMC are being used by Micromax:Events and experiences For marketing of its products the company is riding on two enduring Indian obsessions–sports and films–to build its brand. Following up on its association with the popular Twenty20 cricket Indian Premier League (IPL), Micromax, a brand that is less than three years old, has become the title sponsor of almost all tournaments and series of which India is a part, including the recently concluded Asia Cup, the forthcoming India-Sri Lanka Test series and the India-New Zealand-Sri Lanka tri-series in August.The objective behind the cricket â€Å"roadblock†, as such behavior is termed in advertising, is to drive brand awareness and recall. The company believes that while cricket may boost a brand instantly, viewers may still not remember the brand afte r the match or the tournament. Even if consumers remember a series, they may not remember the advertisers. That's when they thought of a roadblock and decided to sponsor all cricketing properties post IPL. Bollywood is also a major platform for the brand, which is targeting consumers between 18 and 27 years.Bollywood's most bankable star Akshay Kumar was signed on as the brand ambassador six months ago. More recently, his wife Twinkle Khanna was engaged to promote Micromax's bling phone that comes with Swarovski crystals and a vanity mirror. To push its association with films, the firm also sponsored the IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) Awards held in Sri Lanka, where Micromax recently launched its phones. The brand is now ready to enter Bangladesh and West Asia. Advertising Broadcast media micromax use television to broadcast their advertisements. Apart from using cricket, films, celebrity micromax also advertise through news papers.They also utilize hoarding and bill board s to advertise their products. Prime site recently kicked off a month-long campaign for Micromax mobile phones in Delhi, executed mostly through hoardings. Going further, this promotion will be extended to the other regions of northern India as well. All the Medias used by micromax are very carefully selected as to reach its target audience and through each medium the innovative aspect of the product is portrayed. The three advertising objectives of micromax mobile are * To create awareness * To increase recall of their brand * To create brand equity.Company’s current marketing strategy: 1. Tapping the Indian consumers by knowing what they need specifically: a. Indian context: When Nokia or Samsung roll out a new model they do so from its global portfolio rather than launching something specifically for India. Micromax realized the fact that there are certain unmet needs still there in the market which is not being addressed by big brands. Micromax’s strategy ,since th eir inception has been to identify the unmet latent needs of people and come up with a product which no one else has and thus fits well with the consumer need. b. Rural context:Micromax initially targeted rural market and once it established its presence went on to lure urban youth. Micromax’s first innovation – a handset with 30 days of standby battery life — crucial in a country like India where power failures are common. Also in rural areas its not easy to charge one’s mobile phones because not only are there power failures but also they don’t have money to pay for electricity every month and hence such a phone was introduced. Also One of the major aspects that contribute towards the substantial monthly growth of Micromax is its 80% sales in the rural areas.After building a strong presence in the rural market, where the prominence of both subscribers and operators is rapidly increasing, Micromax is now progressively moving towards establishing i ts foothold in the competitive urban towns as well. 2. Value for money & Cost effective: The company didn’t bank on price competition only rather it catered to the needs of people unaddressed by MNC brands. Big brand like Nokia, Samsung had not introduced Dual sim phones earlier. But with the onset of such phones launched by Micromax, Nokia , Samsung etc. ave tough competition and their phones are just a case of â€Å"me-too† products. Also Micromax has made sure that all their mobile phones are value for money and serve the purpose and the need of the customer. 3. R&D and Innovation : Versatile Product Portfolio: It was the first to introduce: a) Handsets with 30 days battery backup b) Handsets with Dual SIM / Dual Standby c) Handsets Switching Networks (GSM – CDMA) using gravity sensors d) Aspirational Qwerty Keypad Handsets e) Operator Branded 3G Handsets f) OMH CDMA Handsets, etc. . First mover advantage: They have introduced phones specially targeti ng the Indian people which were never even thought of remotely by the top players in the mobile phone industry like Nokia & Samsung. So they clearly have a first mover advantage. 5. Outsourcing the manufacturing: Instead of manufacturing itself, Micromax sourced its handsets from 12 factories in China, South Korea and Taiwan. It was model-based sourcing: Micromax would come up with an idea and give it to the factory best placed to deliver it.This is different from, say, Nokia, which would be compelled to stay in-house or go to a vendor-partner, even if another vendor had better capabilities to execute a particular model. 6. Smart distribution channel management: Micromax also looked at distribution in a new way, standing by its cash-only model. While rivals offered a 60-day credit line, Micromax refused to give credit. â€Å"If the distributor does not buy your handsets, there is no pressure on him to sell them,† explains Mr Agarwal. At the same time, Micromax offered to supply distributors regularly to keep inventories down.So, distributors didn’t have to shell out large amounts upfront or have a lot of money locked in. â€Å"If we give a distributor 1,000 handsets and ask him to sell them over a month, he will worry about his daily sales,† says Mr Agarwal. â€Å"But if we supply less, demand will be close to equal or more than supply. †Micromax has 34 super-distributors across India. Unlike a Nokia or a Samsung, it doesn’t interact with the 500-plus sub-distributors. Neither does it intervene in how the super-distributors sell or place the products. â€Å"We offer our super-distributors a 15% margin, which is higher than the ndustry average of 6-10%,† claims Mr Jain. 7. Unmet needs of consumer 30-DAY BATTERY PHONES April 2008: Rs 2,249; Now: Rs 1,999 The X1i, Micromax’s first phone, had a battery that could give 17 hours of talk time and go 30 days on a single charge. DUAL-SIM PHONES July 2008: Rs 1,999-12 ,999 For those who want two numbers but one handset PHONE-CUM-REMOTE May 2010: Rs 2,999 A mobile that can switch TV channels and even change the AC Temperature PHONE-CUM-STEREO Feb 2010: Rs 4,999 With 3D surround sound, fed by Yamaha and Wolfson BLING Feb 2010: Rs 5,500 A big hit with women, comes with Swarovski embellishmentsIN THE WORKS A mosquito-repellent phone. A phone that can be used as a computer mouse Micromax focuses on being different 8. Production related moves: Micromax is investing Rs 100 crore to set up a manufacturing plant in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, to ensure its outsourcing model does not cause supply-side uncertainties. Production is being scaled up from 50,000 units per month to 500,000 units a month by March 2011. How to increase the market share with respect to the consumer buying behaviour: Steps of consumer buying behaviour: 1) Need awareness:The beginning point of most purchasing is your potential buyer recognition of a need in their life. This need can be established by encountering a problem or prompted by a company's marketing. Already Micromax is into a lot of marketing through promotions, Ads, sponsorships of events, etc. But few suggestions on that front to make sure that their potential consumer hears them rightly is – * Now they are at the 3rd position in the mobile handset industry and they have achieved a good market share in a very short span of time, so their advertisements should focus on brand building. They don`t develop very creative advertisements, sometimes their advertisements are mere noises like the advertisement featuring Akshay kumar. They must add creativity to their advertisements. (Micromax Bling Ad featuring Twinkle Khanna is an exception to this point). * Break the resistance of no need by aligning their marketing with the current needs and wants of your market. * It’s a general norm that whatever is expensive is good to use, of high quality, has more life and is definitely something which wil l increase one’s status.So it would be a good strategy to increase the prices which will work for the image of Micromax because there is a risk of the brand being perceived not as an aspirational brand but a ordinary price warrior if it does not focus on the quality of the communication. * The needs of not even two consumers are the same. Therefore, they buy only those products and services, which satisfy their wants and desires.To survive in the market, a firm has to be constantly innovating and understand the latest consumer needs and tastes it will be extremely useful in exploiting marketing opportunities and in meeting the challenges that the Indian market offers. This reality can be turned into an opportunity by introducing â€Å"Customization of mobile phones†. a) People can goto Micromax mobile stores, and fill a form listing their options of the type of phone they want, color of the phone, screen size of the phone, features like audio player, radio, one  œtouch applications, etc. ;amp; all other specifications of the phone. ) Once that form is filled the Micromax staff can show a picture of the newly designed phone to the consumer on a computer and if necessary can make any changes and then finally place the order for such a phone. c) Payment terms and conditions can be advance payment – half the price of the phone at the time of placing and half at the time of delivery. This makes the consumer feel that the mobile phone company is not only generally consumer centric but it believes in the fact that every person is different and unique in his/ her own way and would have different needs and wants.Also this gives a chance to the consumers to become innovative and its definite that a consumer will definitely want to buy such a phone again from Micromax. 2) Information search: Its important to make sure consumers know about all the new variants and products that the company introduces. With the rise of the Internet, it has never been easier for buyers to research their purchase. It needs to make sure that all information is readily available on the website.They can break the resistance of lack of education by adding an educational seminar to their marketing mix to provide maximum information about their company, phones, promotions, variants, prices, etc. to not just the tech-savvy urban population but also the rural people. Their goal at this point in the buying process is to get their product or service in front of the consumer. They need to make them aware of their solution. 3) Check options: Once the consumer understands his or her situation and has gathered research on possible solutions, the mobile handset buying process enters an evaluation period.The consumer now starts to take a close look at specifics, such as the company providing the solution, the brand name of the product, and the features and benefits of each solution. Branding  and product differentiation are extremely important tools of per suasion during the evaluation stage. This is where the strategies listed above would help Micromax gain an edge over its competitors and increase the market share when a potential consumer would sit and evaluate his options while buying a cell phone. 4) Purchase: After a comprehensive review of solutions and specific products and services, the consumer makes a purchase decision.At this point in the buying process, supporting information needs to be provided to reinforce the decision to buy. Help the buyer by telling them what and why the company/ staff in the store would recommend a certain handset as they are the experts in that. Also Depending on urban / rural population, the company can provide different payment options or billing terms. 5) Evaluation of the purchase: The buyer will look for reinforcement from media, friends, and other sources confirming they made the right decision. Cognitive dissonance or â€Å"buyer's remorse† happens when the buyer begins to feel the p urchase wasn't right for them.To make sure such dissonance doesn’t occur they should offer warranties, there must be after purchase follow-up calls to make sure that the consumer is happy with the handset he/she has purchased, excellent after sales service by opening as many service centers as possible in all parts of India. It is crucial to building strong relationships with customers and encouraging repeat purchases that you not only provide a positive purchase experience and after sale support, but that you strengthen the buyer’s perception that they made the right purchase decision.

Essay on Act III of the Crucible Essay

In the play â€Å"The Crucible† Arthur Miller creates a successful dramatic climax at the end of Act III. Integral to this success is Miller’s continued engagement with the audience. The principal reason why the climax is so dramatic and suspenseful is because the audience is involved with what is happening on stage. Throughout â€Å"The Crucible† Miller has achieved a powerful relationship with the audience both on an emotional and intellectual level. The audience in Act III continue to have an understanding of the personalities of the characters and an insight into their behaviour and how they react in different circumstances. In Act III the audience maintains a deep emotional relationship with the characters. They persist to despise certain characters such as Abigail who is exemplified as remorseful, untruthful and vengeful. In contrast the audience develops a more empathic relationship with some characters such as Elizabeth Proctor and Mary Warren. The context of Act III within the play lies just after the incarceration of several villagers on the alleged charges of witchcraft including the wives of three esteemed men within the village John Proctor, Francis Nurse and Giles Corey. The driving plot line of Act III is these three men’s attempt to redeem their wives a particular focus is on Proctor’s struggle. Part of Miller’s dramatic success is attributed to the way he is able to manipulate the historic and social context. The historical setting of the play is a theocratic Puritan settlement in 1692 in the Massachusetts. The theocracy is a significant part of the play as it leads to mounting frustration for the audience and it is the basis to the plot; Miller also uses the theocracy in Salem to convey an important message about Miller’s own social setting in 1950s America. When Miller was writing the play he was living in a society where McCarthyism was prevalent. The playwright in â€Å"The Crucible† particularly in Act III is conveying how McCarthyism is using communism as a false pretence to ‘hunt down’ McCarthy’s enemies in the same way that Salem is using the guise of witchcraft to rid themselves of threats or adversaries. Perhaps Miller is illustrating to the contemporary audience that the hysteria and difficulties of theocracy are strikingly similar to McCarthyism. An important part of the success towards the end of Act III are Miller’s stage directions they give a vivid instruction to the actors of how to portray to the audience the emotions felt by the characters. Miller begins the scene on a remarkably dramatic moment; Proctor becomes enraged when Abigail attempts to call Heaven. Proctor cries â€Å"How dare you call Heaven! Whore! Whore!† in this historical context the word â€Å"whore† has significantly powerful connotations with what the society would see as â€Å"evil† and â€Å"sin†. The characters on stage react to this in an expected way; Danforth appears to be confused and horrified and is shouting at Proctor â€Å"Man! Man, what do you-â€Å"we can see how severe the potential charge of â€Å"whore† could be. When Proctor attempts to justify this charge he is shown on stage as trembling and petrified he shouts â€Å"I have known her, sir, I have known her† this echo of biblical terminology shows the absolute control theocracy has upon Salem and how language from the Bible has managed to integrate into everyday language. The audience can see the impact and power of this scene by the emotion and bewildered reactions of others. Following this scene of commotion Miller creates a relatively calm scene, Proctor’s anxiety turns into confidence as he is sure his wife is able to verify his claims ,†my wife cannot lie†. Abigail, although not revealing much with speech, she is portrayed in contrast as enraged to the audience. Upon Elizabeth Proctor’s entry, there is a situation of suspense and importance, the audience can tell this because Elizabeth sees Proctor with his back turned which conveys to the audience it is a suspenseful moment and she is ordered by the Deputy-Governor to â€Å"Look at me only†. The audience can see the initial impact this has upon her as she appears weak and confused. The scene escalates in tension and a tremendous amount of pressure is being put upon her. Elizabeth is clearly fearful of the situation and the substantial implications of her testimony as she uses vague descriptions such as â€Å"dissatisfied† and she repeatedly states her husband is a â€Å"good and righteous man†. Elizabeth is intimidated by Danforth, at several times during her interrogation Goody Proctor attempts to look at her husband and he shouts at her â€Å"woman, look at me!† The use of this phrase shows a derogatory attitude towards women that was prevalent during this period of history. During Elizabeth’s questioning Danforth uses violence against her he holds her face and she is portrayed to the audience as full of agony and the clear impacts of the stress being put upon her. When Elizabeth is eventually shouted at â€Å"Is your husband a lecher?† she replies â€Å"no† and she is removed from the courtroom. This enrages the audience how Elizabeth’s answer which has essentially been forced out of her after being interrogated and not for a second been reconsidered. Empathy is also felt for Elizabeth because of the difficulty of the situation that has been forced upon her. The passion felt between the Proctors is evident here Elizabeth has lied putting her life at risk in order to save her husband’s name, Proctor then shouts, â€Å"she only thought to save my name† in desperation to save his wife. This devotion towards each other contrasts with the beginning of Act II where there was a sense of awkwardness between the couple. Following Good Wife Proctor’s ejection from the court-room, The Reverend Hale makes a passionate speech declaring his objection to the situation, â€Å"I may shut my conscience to this no more- private vengeance is working through this testimony†. Miller perhaps uses Hale in this situation to represent the audience’s opinion on stage, Hale is finally able to see clearly what is going on, and the audience is relieved that the lies of Abigail may be exposed. Furthermore there is a prospect of hope as Hale could possibly lead the demise of Abigail; he cries â€Å"This girl has always struck me as false†. Once Abigail is under pressure and she is at risk of being undermined she is able to control the situation by creating an ‘imaginary’ scene. Abigail lets out a loud chilling cry, which would have tremendous impact on the audience and stunned both the other characters and perhaps the audience also into silence. Abigail and the rest of the girls pretend that Mary Warren has shape shifted into a â€Å"yellow bird† which would have bewildered an audience. The girls are described as â€Å"transfixed† and â€Å"hypnotized† (upon the bird) showing how convincing their performance must have been. During Abigail’s â€Å"genuine conservation† with the bird she says â€Å"But God made my face Mary†¦envy is a deadly sin† Miller’s use of the word â€Å"sin† perhaps implies that Abigail is appealing to Danforth by making her language correspond to the Bible also by using the term â€Å"sin† Abigail makes Mary appear more sinister to the rest of the characters on stage and make her appear to be associated to the ‘devil’. The girls’ mimicking of Mary has a remarkable impact upon the atmosphere and pace of the scene, all the shouting between Mary and the girls adds to the drama and builds up excitement in the scene . The audience becomes horrified at the situation, with Abigail’s power and dominance she is able to shift the accusations from her to an innocent which must disgust the audience. Compassion is felt towards Mary because of the horrendous situation she is put in. It seems Miller’s original impression of the girls as ruthless appears to be fulfilled during these scenes.

History of Life Through Time Essay

1. The website shows the basic phylogeny of the three main lineages of life forms. They are â€Å"Archaea,† â€Å"Eubacteria,† and â€Å"Eukaryotes. † It also shows â€Å"Viruses† outside of the tree, with a question mark indicating that its place in the tree is undetermined, if it belongs in the tree at all. 2. This site attempts to show the two alternative phylogenies of the major lineages of life forms. The â€Å"archaea tree† distinguishes two variations of archaea, and shows that archaea are more closely related to eukaryotes than to eubacteria. In the â€Å"eocyte tree,† archaea are not specified at all, but eukaryotes are shown as most closely related to crenarchaeota-eocytes, which was a derivation of archaea in the previous tree. 3. Viruses are not listed in these two phylogenies because they are not proven to be actual life forms. Where archaea, eubacteria and eukaryotes are classified as â€Å"life forms† due to their ability to transfer genes, viruses have not been determined to be living. They are therefore not included on these two phylogenetic trees. At the other website, , a detailed phylogeny of the Eukaryotes is provided. From this it is evident that Fungi are more closely related to Animalia than to Plantae. 5. Both sites show that the major life classifications are â€Å"Bacteria,† â€Å"Eukaryotes,† and â€Å"Archaea. † The â€Å"Tree of Life† site shows the alternatives to how closely the lineages are related, giving two examples of how the three domains may be nested within each other instead of being derived equally. The University of California site breaks down the systematics of each domain separately and more specifically, leaving the three domains as separate entities entirely. Works Cited History of Life Through Time. 2009. University of California Museum of Paleontology. 3 June 2009 . Tree of Life Web Project. 1997. Life on Earth. Version 01 January 1997 (temporary). 3 June 2009 in The Tree of Life Web Project, .

The Emergence of the Project of Development Essay

The Emergence of the Project of Development - Essay Example Scientific aspects of modernization emerged during the cold war, and applied in the decolonization period to change the world economy. Escobar (25) points out that technology emerged during the colonial period and during the world war. In the time of World War II, countries such as Germany engaged in reinvention of technology to support their armies during the time of war. The colonial government introduced technology in agriculture and this led to the change in agricultural style during the period of decolonization.In the advent of technology, colonized countries modeled their agricultural style, which formed a critical part of the project of global development. With improved productivity in agriculture, many continents including Africa and Asia developed and improved their economic independence. Briefly, the decolonization and post war period formed a critical step towards project development. However, a more interesting twist of events culminating to project development was the sp ecialization brought about by modernization. Technological advancement led to specialization in many facets of production. For instance, food processing industries focused on processing and hence able to develop at a higher rate. Likewise, all other facets were able to develop faster. In many countries, the post-colonial period became a period of political development and consequential socio-economic changes. Indeed, during the decolonization period, countries such as South Africa became conscious of identity politics.

Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 17

Business Plan - Essay Example The SmartHand pointing and teaching device is a touch screen instructor that accurately figures commands that include clicking, double clicking, moving the mouse, as well as left and right clicking. It is designed with the aim of enhancing the teaching quality of the instructor. It helps in getting the job done and minimizes the waste of time in lectures since it allows the lecturers to write on the projection screen remotely. The lecturers are also able to change windows as they move away from the computer. It is a great appeal to those who are interested in an incorporate and advanced technology in the educational use. It is made in a way that the computer has a customized action by hand gestures such as the screen, capture; minimize windows and the rotating objects in design software. With this, it is customized for those lecturers who yearn for convenience and portability. The SmartHand is available for sale at most of the electronics retailers such as the Bestbuy, and the softwa re download is available at the company website. About 57% of all the Universities professors, targeted at Architecture, Engineering, Design schools are expected to present content using their computer screens, which help in the illustrations. These include drawings and plans of different structures. There are about 1,267,700 post-secondary school teachers, 5,726,160 individuals employed, by the large, entrepreneurial firms and 211,500,000 individual gamers. 70% of the professors have computers that they use to teach, 27% of them possess projectors while 5% have alternative pointing devices that make their work easier. Very few of them have portable devices that they can use remotely to illustrate from any position in the classroom. Thus, the main target market of the SmartHand pointing device are the lecturers in universities and the tutors who are faced with the challenge of having to move around the classroom in