The Stanford Prison Study and Obedience of the Masses Essay Example for Free

The Stanford Prison Study and Obedience of the Masses Essay The Stanford Prison Study conducted by Philip Zimbardo during the early 1970s showed the power of institutions to subject the masses to their own designs, despite the fact that institutions are generally represented by fewer people than the numbers constituting the masses.   Nevertheless, the study has been harshly criticized because it exposed its subjects to torture.   Seeing that scientific studies are essentially designed to benefit humanity at large, the fact that the prison guards inflicted torture upon the prisoners is despicable in the eyes of the scientific community.    The research should have been stopped at the first instance of torture.   However, conditions continued to worsen at the experimental prison created by Zimbardo (Macionis, 2005).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Even though the findings of the Stanford Prison Study are valuable in understanding human behavior, the study had been poorly designed because it did not exclude sadism as well as humiliation of the participants.   Nowadays, there are activists working against animal torture in scientific experiments.   But, the Stanford Prison Study included only humans in its design. The study is also criticized because its pool of participants was small.   What is more, Zimbardo had instructed the false prison guards to instill a sense of fear and powerlessness in the participants.   The prison guards were further instructed to work on stripping the participants off their individuality (â€Å"Stanford Prison,† 2007).   It is but obvious that an experimental design that does not control for sadism and dehumanization is unethical at best.   Besides, a scientific experiment that seeks to instill fear in the participants is comparable to terrorist acts in our times!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Despite its careless design, the Stanford Prison Study has provided humanity with a helpful message against torture, in addition to blind obedience to authority.   In a situation where obedience is demanded of the common people, and those demanding obedience are assumed to be powerful enough to inflict torture if their demands are not met; the common people normally have no choice but to obey.   In the process, the latter may lose their peace of mind, and some might even have to bear the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder for as long as they live.   All the same, the entire world bears witness to the truth of subjection and obedience.   At all places in the world, the Stanford Prison situation has occurred in one form or another.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While countless prisons around the world bear testimony to the fact that prisoners can be emotionally traumatized and jailers can be extremely cruel, a basic example of the situation could be witnessed in abusive homes, where family members must subject themselves to an abusive father or mother for the simple fact that the latter appears as powerful enough to inflict torture.   People are also known to subject themselves to cruel circumstances that are often created by bad governments and politics around the world. It is certain that most of the people of Israel and Palestine, for instance, do not wish to engage in war.   However, the factions that fight amongst themselves are powerful enough to inflict torture.   Hence, the common people feel traumatized and impotent enough to allow the painful situation to persist.   Despite the fact that the common people wish for peace, and are greater in number, the groups that invade their peace carry arms which give them a very powerful image.   This image is scary enough to make common people extremely obedient.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As a matter of fact, the Stanford Prison situation is not unique by any means.   People subject themselves to powerful images at all times. Even so, the power of the Stanford Prison Study is the realization that human beings do not have to believe in images of power and subject themselves to torture.   This realization can be strengthened by modern-day conception of quantum reality – that is, we are not certain that the powerful images are real.   Indeed, it is possible for people to help themselves out of torturous situations. References Macionis, John J. (2005). Sociology. (Tenth Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Prentice Hall. Stanford Prison Study. (2007). Wikipedia. Retrieved 18 July 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment.

Carl Gustav Jung Essay Example for Free

Carl Gustav Jung Essay Carl Gustav Jung, (26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961), was a Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist, and the founder of analytical psychology. His work and influence extends way beyond understanding personality, and he is considered to be one of the greatest thinkers to have theorised about life and how people relate to it. However, for the purpose of this assignment I will concentrate on Jung’s theory of Psychological Types. In this essay I aim to demonstrate an understanding of Jung’s personality types by describing and evaluating his theory and to show how they might useful in helping a therapist to determine therapeutic goals. Jung (1990, p.531) states that’ from earliest times, attempts have been made to classify individuals according to types, and so bring order to the chaos. The oldest attempts known to us were made by oriental astrologers who devised the so-called trigons of the four elements air, water, earth, and fire. The air trigon in the horoscope consists of the three aerial signs of the zodiac, Aquarius, Gemini, Libra; the fire trigon is made up of Aries, Leo, Sagittarius. According to this age old view, whoever is born in these trigons shares in their aerial or fiery nature and will have a corresponding temperament and fate.‘ In the same paragraph, Jung states that ‘the astrological type theory, to the astonishment of the enlightened, still remains intact today,’ which is true. Closely connected with the astrological type theory is the division into the four temperaments which corresponds to the four humors (Jung, 1990, p.531). A Greek physician, Claudius Galen (AD130 200), distinguished four basic temperaments: the sanguine, the phlegmatic, the choleric, and the melancholic. Galen’s theory goes back to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates’ (460 370BC), who described physical illness as being caused by the balance of bodily fluids, or humors as he labelled them’ (Maltby, et al, 2007, p.159). These bodily fluids are blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm. Galen expanded on Hippocrates’ theory and applied it to describe human personality, stating that when the humors were in balance, an equitable temperament was the result, however, if the humors were out of balance, then physical illness and mental disturbance occurred (Maltby et al, 2007, p.160). However, ‘by the time of the Middle Ages, scholars dismissed the idea that bodily fluids were directly implicated in personality traits. But the behavioural descriptions associated with the four humours lived on’ (McAdams, 2000, p.256). Galen’s four temperaments provided much inspiration and historical reference for Carl Jung’s theory of psychological types. According to Jung’s theory we are all different in fundamental ways and each psychological type has a different idea of what it means to achieve personal success. However, www.personalitypage.com states that, ‘so many people are hung up on somebody else’s idea of what it means to be successful, that they are unaware of what is truly important to them‘. I agree, because for many years, I wanted to be somebody else as that person’s life seemed so much better than mine, or so I thought at the time. Jung was one of the few psychologists in the twentieth century to maintain that development extends beyond childhood and adolescence through mid-life and into old age (Stevens, 2001, p.38). Jung insisted that ‘we never finish the process of self-examination and growth that charts our journey towards individuation.’ (Snowdon, 2010, p.86). In my case, I believe I am on that journey of accepting myself as I truly am, becoming my true ‘self‘. Stevens (2001, p.38) claims that ‘it could be brought to the highest fruition if one worked with and confronted the unconscious,’ and for me, it is and has been important to face the ‘monsters that lurk’ (Snowdon, 2010, p.86) in my unconscious, even when it has been uncomfortable to do so. According to Jung, like Freud, there are three levels of consciousness in the psyche (mind);- conscious, personal unconscious and collective unconscious. Snowdon (2010, p.56) states that ‘the individual psyche is always changing as it seeks growth and wholeness.’ Jung referred to the ego when describing the more conscious aspect of the personality, the part of the psyche that selects perceptions, thoughts, feelings and memories that may enter our conscious awareness. Stevens (2002, p. 62) states that ‘the ego is then centre of consciousness and is responsible for our continuing sense of identity.’ The personal unconscious comprises of ‘all the acquisitions of personal life, everything forgotten, repressed, subliminally perceived, thought, felt’ (Jung, 1990, p.485). This is an aspect of the unconscious that Freud also emphasized and these forgotten experiences are accessible to consciousness, and for both Freud and Jung, ‘the exploration of the unconscious is the key to personal insight’ (McAdams, 2000, p. 135). Conscious attitudes within the psyche should always be balanced by unconscious attitudes, and Snowdon (2010, p.56) claims that ‘if a conscious attitude grows too strong then the unconscious will always seek to restore equilibrium,’ by means of dreams, fantasies, slips of the tongue and so on. However, if the unconscious message is ignored, then ‘neurosis or even disease may result’ (Stevens, 2010, p.57). Where the personal unconscious is unique for each individual the collective unconscious is not an ‘individual acquisition but rather the functioning of the inherited brain structure, which in its broad outlines is the same in all human beings (Jung, 1954, p.117). Therefore, the collective unconscious represents the shared experiences, emotions and memories we have inherited from previous generations. Jung believed that we were born with a built-in human developmental programme, which is buried deep within the collective unconscious (Snowdon, 2010, p. 80). According to Jung, the personal unconscious contains various complexes, while the collective unconscious contains archetypes (see Fig 1) ‘Complexes are related groups of emotionally charged ideas, thoughts and images’ (Snowdon, 2010, p.61), and can exert a strong influence on the thoughts and behaviour of a person. Some complexes may be beneficial and others may be potentially harmful, and Jung (1990, p.529) states that ‘complexes do not necessarily indicate inferiority. It only means that something discordant, unassimilated, antagonistic exists, perhaps as an obstacle, but also as an incentive to greater effort, and so, perhaps to new possibilities of achievement.’ Therefore, a therapist may use this knowledge to bring to the forefront of the client’s consciousness, a situation which they may be finding difficult to overcome. Complexes can be related to a particular archetype, Stevens (2001, p.48) states that ‘complexes are personifications of archetypes; they are the means through which archetypes manifest themselves in the personal psyche.’ An archetype is a universal thought form or predisposition to respond to the world in certain ways (Jung, 1936), and Jung believed they appeared to us in dreams, myths, religions, art and symptoms. Engler (1991, p.86) claimed that ‘it is helpful for us to get in touch with them because they represent the latent potentially of the psyche.’ The widely recognised archetypes are the persona, the shadow, the anima and the animus, and the self. The persona archetype is the mask that a person wears to hide their true nature from society. The shadow is an unconscious part of the personality that contains weaknesses and other aspects of personality that a person cannot admit to having’ (Snowdon, 2010, p.68). The anima is the unconscious feminine aspect of a man’s personality, and the animus is the masculine aspect of a woman’s personality. The self is the central archetype and true midpoint of the personality (Engler, 1991, p.89). A criticism of Jung’s theory was his lack of empirical research, in which his theory has been attacked as being non-falsifiable and unscientific (Hergenhahn, 1994, p.93). Jung based his psychology on explorations of his own inner world, as well as his work with people ranging from ‘normal’ to those with neurotic problems and even those suffering from psychosis (Snowdon, 2010, p.XXVI). Eysenck (Engler, 2009, p.316) believed that from the point of view of science, Jung’s contribution to the study of personality types was primarily negative as he permitted mystical notions to override empirical data. However, Jung was unconcerned claiming that he ‘cannot experience himself as a scientific problem. Myth is more individual and expresses life more precisely that does science (Stevens, 2001, p.156).’ Jung’s description of personality states that in order to identify a psychological type, it is necessary to determine whether a person’s psychic energy (libido) is turned inwards towards the subject (introversion), or outwards towards the object (extroversion). Introverts are people who prefer their own inner world of thoughts and feelings, whilst extroverts prefer the external world towards external relationships and objects. According to Jung (1990, p.415) ‘the presence of two attitudes is extremely frequent,’ although one is generally dominant and conscious and the other is subordinate and unconscious. However, McAdams (2000, p.310) claims that ‘Eysenck, a British psychologist of German origin, rejected the idea that conscious extroversion is connected to unconscious introversion, and vice versa.’ Unlike Jung, Eysenck linked extroversion and introversion to differences in brain activity, however this theory is speculative and Eysenck acknowledged that his hypotheses ‘must stand and fall by empirical confirmation’ (Eysenck, 1965). Introvert and extrovert dimensions are now found in several theories, one of those being Hans Eysenck’s theory of personality. Although Eysenck expressed considerable disdain for Jung’s approach to psychological types, some of his ideas were rather similar, for example, ’both defined the concepts by making reference to the direction of a person’s approach to life’ (McAdams, 2000, p.309). However, in other ways Eysenck’s concepts were quite difference, for example, whilst Jung believed that a person can be classified as either extroverted or introverted, he believed that most people fall somewhere between the two attitudes, ‘combining qualities of both the extroverted and introverted poles’ (McAdams, p. 310). Like Jung, Eysenck examined historical approaches to personality as well as conducting various methods of research, to uncover the underlying structure of personality. Eysenck suggested that the basic dimensions of personality may be summarised in the diagram below (see Fig 2), which show the two main dimensions of extroversion-introversion and stable-unstable, with the traits associated with each personality type. The diagram also shows how the four temperaments are related to these types.

Agility and ability of ITC Ltd to adapt to its external environment

Agility and ability of ITC Ltd to adapt to its external environment In this particular analyses of ITC Limited we are going to look upon the the agility and ability of its growth and how it has been sustainable over a longer period of time. ITC limited, is a multi-business portfolio headquartered in Kolkata, India by Yogesh Chander Deveshwar. It is a 100 year old company. It focuses on all round value creation to build a strong corporate governance policies and systems. It expanded its business in the following years: Presently ITC Limited is purely an independent Company In August 24, 1910 it was incorporated by Imperial Tobacco Company of India Limited and shared ancestry with Imperial Tobacco. In 1970 it was changed to India Tobacco Company Limited from Imperial Tobacco Company of India Limited. Later in 1974 it was changed to I.T.C Limited. In 1985, it introduced Surya Tobacco Company in Nepal which was renamed Surya Nepal Private Limited in August 2002. In 1972, ITC entered into Hotels business. ITC premier chain of luxury hotels is known as ITC Welcome group. In 1975, it introduced its hotel business in Chennai named Hotel Sheraton. It has entered into hotel business to have privilege to host the guests across the world .It was first one to introduce brand sustenance in the Hotel Industry. Its restaurants such as Dakshin, DumPukht and Bukhara are known world wide for its auspicious Indian cuisines from the various sectors of the country.One reason why ITC entered into hotels because it was a British company and in Indian society trend of Tobacco was looked down upon at that time. With enhancement of tourist infrastructure in Hotel business it earns high foreign currency which helped company to govern a good brand image and added a valuable amount to Indian Economy. It great infrastructure of Tourism and large scale of direct and indirect employment has added a great value to the nation. It 1979, it introduced its paperboards business named ITC Bhadrachalam Paperboards Limited which was on November, 2002 merged with Tribeni Tissues Limited (which was introduced in 1990 and was the major tissue paper supplier). It was the first supplier in packaging, therefore it has high value added position in market. In 1990 it entered with its Agri-business for the export of agri-commodities. Today it is one of the largest exporters industry .Throughout its agricultural areas in India it has developed a network in business model centers of Internet connected Kiosks, known as e-Choupal. In 2000, it Introduced Lifestyle Retailing business under brand name Wills with great International quality of relaxed sports wear for both men and women. In 2002, it expanded its range including Wills Classic Formal Wear and specific segment of mens wear brand, John Players. In 2003, with wills Club-life evening wear. In 2004, government put estoppel on Tobacco advertising which compelled ITC not to associate Wills by the brand name of Cigarettes anymore, to save it from being charged for it advertising. In 2000, it also came with its owned subsidiary business of Information Technology named, ITC Infotech India Limited. It has availability of high man power quality. In August, 2001, ITC entered into Food Industry with packaged and branded food business of ready-to-cook eatables with the brand name Kol with a premium price range. In the beginning it followed the strategy that it will trade at the places where there are less number of competition to built its brand image. Along with the food industry, it has also launched a new brand named, Kitchens of India. In that period there was a great demand for processed food because of increase in disposable income and urbanization resulted in growth opportunities. One of the reason why ITC entered into Food Industry because in 2001-02 the excise duty on budget on processed fruit and vegetables has been brought down from 16% to zero level .Later in june,2002 , to generate more revenues it launched products like staples, snacks and confectionery. In 2002, it introduced its Stationery, Gifting and Greeting products business and launched notebooks under brand name Paperkraft in the same year and futher under brand name Classmate in 2003. Further in between 2007 and 2009 Classmate came up with Childrens books, Geometry Boxes, Slam Books, Pencils and Pens. In 2008 under Paperkraft it also launched eco-friendly business papers which was the Indias 1st eco-friendly premium. In 2009 Paperkraft launched some more products targeting office segment like White Board Markers, Text liners and permanent Ink Markers. With its price strategy and good quality it has established a brand image in the mind of students. Entry to FMCG industry FMCG sector is the fastest growing segment of ITC Limited. It is well established distribution networks in the market. Proctor Gamble, Nestle and Unilever are the best example of ITC largest trading companies. It generates tough competition between the organized and unorganized segments. It targeted to the large market with the lower pricing strategy .It is a single-step buying process with shorter sales cycle. Hence, with quick shelf turnover it generates more profit with less financial investment. In the past decades it has generated a strong growth due to: Employment opportunity to the people at every sector. Urbanization, Altered Lifestyle, Liberalization and increase in disposable incomes. Current plan ITC Limited is popular for its Tobacco brands like India Kings, Insignia, Silk cut, Gold Flake, Capstan, Scissors, Berkeley, Classic, Flake, Navy cut, Flake and Bristol. Today approximately 5 million foreign arrivals visit India compared to 35 million in China. In rural areas it is planning to increase its penetration and farmer services. This year there will be 12% inflation in the food sector of ITC Limited and the cost of raw material will rise by 15-20%, which will adversely affect the FMCG industry. Consumers will purchase comparatively less, then they usually purchase. This will directly hit the growth of the company. LONG TERM SUSTAINABILITY ITC has evolved to a multi-business corporate enterprise from a single product company. Through its innovative strategies it synergizes long term shareholder value growth, which is also enhancing the capital of the society. For example E-Choupal through its sustainable agricultural practices has raised the income of rural areas and enhanced the farm productivity. The company believes in integrating larger societal goals in their business sectors, which will ensure societal benefits are more impacted and scalable. Moreover in future it will build stronger foundations for the sustainability of the company. Due to its sustainable business practices which will likely to lend additional source of competitiveness to ITC in society. Also it invested in training of human resources , intensive skilled development and inculcating a spirit of responsible citizenship among the people. This all will support the company to built a corporation for tomorrow. Strength The ITC companies is one of the Indias biggest private sector companies which is rapidly gaining market share into Cigarettes Leaf Tobacco, Hotels, Paperboards Specialty Papers, Information Technology, Packaging, Packaged Foods Confectionery ,Agri-business , Personal Care, Education Stationery, Safety Matches, Lifestyle Retailing and other FMCG ( Fast Moving Consumer Goods ) products like Mint-O fresh, Sunfeast , Kitchen of India , Bingo! and Aashirvaad .In Indian economy it is the fourth largest sector. It is directly serving nearly to 85000 markets and two million retail outlets. It has a tremendous control over the entrepreneurial energies of management which facilitate change in management, prevent misuse of power. Its turnover is about $6 billion and over $22 billion market capitalization and employs over 26,000 people at more than 60 locations across India. For its growth it is developing a world class portfolio. It provides low cost operations and trading over large domest ic market. Not only that ITC limited in its each business sector it nurture top management team and ensure to be internationally competitive. The Master-chef of ITC is often asked to develop new food concept which help to come over the weakness of the company. It has attracted more customers. Moreover, it is also developing internationally competitive agricultural business by empowering the independent small farmer. Weakness ITC, despite of having a brand name in market, it adversely affecting the health of poor class and responsible for the premature death of the people. This is because 47% turnover is generated from Cigarettes Industry. Moreover 80% profit is also received from Cigarettes Industry. To raise its fund in FMCG sectors the company still depended on the revenues come from Imperial Tobacco Industry. Opportunity ITC Limited has spread everywhere, according to the need of the consumers. It is moving into new and emerging sectors like IT (Information Technology) .With its excellent market strategy it has a strong hold in its each market segment. Its research on the taste of the consumers in East, West and North India and then uses the network to create raw materials for the consumers. For example: The result on research of Atta (which is a popular wheat flour), which is now known for various brand name like Aashirvaad in Eastern market, Aashirwaad MP Chakki in Western market and Aashirwaad Select in the Northern market. ITC personal care products, per capita consumption is the lowest in the world which is offering an opportunity for ITCs Shampoos, Soaps and Fragrances under its brand Wills. ITC is aggressively pursuing opportunities in providing IT solutions like business process outsourcing and e-enabled services in its owned subsidiary company named, ITC InfoTech India Limited. In 2003, when it introduced biscuits with Sunfeast in the market, they were following Britannia, but with their excellent strategy they got hold on the market. Though they manufacture those products which were there in the market, but with such flavours which were never heard in past. Threat ITC has also faced many problems in its Tobacco business such as: Government has banned advertising of its products, Increased excise duty rates of cigarettes, Smoking in public places was also banned. This has increased the sales and position of foreign brands in Indian market. Also, it has compelled ITC to introduce with new business plans. When there is a cut- throat competition in the market, and the situation where they find possibility of profit could be made then: Either they reduce the cost of its products, or sometimes it also produces low quality products at low price, in order to make maximum profit out of it. Or they produce new products and services in the market, to maintain the same relation with their consumers. Due to ban on Cigarettes in India by government has adversely affected the manufacturing and sales of company. This has given opportunity to foreign brands to strengthen its roots in India. Pearl group from Israel, which is an international company is likely to open hotels in India. This will leads to tough competition in the Indian market, which will adversely affect the growth of ITC Hotels. In future this will adversely affect the tourism of ITC Hotels. Moreover, Domestic players are increasing their operations with state of the art of the infrastructure which will adversely affect the reputation of the ITC Limited. Therefore, it has to bring new technologies to remain in the market competition. Political Factors affecting ITC Limited ITC through its Experience, Goodwill and Brand Image created a good networking in market which helped it to bargain with government to modify their regulations. Ban on ITC limited cigarettes, FDI in Cigarettes and no smoking at public places has reduced the purchasing of Cigarettes which affected the manufacturing and sales of ITC Cigarettes business. In September 2004, Government of India put a ban on tobacco advertising. This has increased the sales of foreign brands as they were free to advertise their brands in India. It has compelled ITC not to associate Wills by the brand name of Cigarettes anymore, to save it from being charged for it advertising. Smoking in public places cause harm to the environment as well as the smokers and the people around. It influences teenagers to start smoking at an early age. Therefore in October, 2008, Government decided to put a ban on smoking at public places. It has affected the manufacturing and sales of ITC. In February, 2010 Indian government has taken step to ban foreign direct investment in Tobacco, which shattered the plans of BAT (British American Tobaccos), Japan Tobacco and Altria Group. This has closed the doors for Japans Tobacco Industry to make investments in Indian markets. ITC did not react on the matter because it owes 3/4th of the market share and ban on Tobacco ultimately benefited to its Sales. Economical Factor affecting ITC Limited ITC focus on the purchasing power of the consumer and the market condition created by the Competitor in terms of price, therefore it has maintained a great pricing strategy with an economical pricing range of products. This has created a tough competition in the market. The major competitors of ITC in the FMCG sector are Procter Gamble (PG) and HUL. To remain connected with lower and regular income earning people it sells products in small size packaged with the lower price like Minto fresh, Sunfeast Biscuits. ( What more required ) Sales of Cigarette (in Crores) Years Sales 96-97 102.2 97-98 104.2 98-99 102.2 99-00 98.43 00-01 97.8 01-02 87.8 This shows that there was continuous reduction in the sales of Cigarettes, because of the following reasons: Rise in excise duties. Increasing anti-tobacco campaigns Ban on Advertising. Moreover, ITC had a tough competition with many international brands in the overseas markets. To give them a tough competition it generated high quality, value-priced cigarettes. Socio Economical Factor affecting ITC Limited ITC is an earning source for 5 million people. Due to its goodwill in Cigarettes its brand signifies quality in the minds of the consumers. Because of single minded focus on value creation for its customers, it has built a leadership position through significant investment in quality, product design, manufacturing technology, new innovations, marketing and distribution. In this way it has made availability for long-term market standing. Such a strategic focus on customers has paid handsome dividends in return to ITC. Indian food market is Monopolistic Competitive market where there is large number of sellers in the market. Each firm sells Differentiated products which are close substitutes to one another. Major competitors of ITC Food Industry are Haldirams, Gits , Ethnic Kitchens , MTR and Priyafoods. When ITC introduced Bingo! there was only one player to give a tough competition, i.e. Frito Lay. This strategy has helped ITC to establish its business at a faster pace. Moreover, ITC Bingo is more diversified in flavors then Frito lay in Chips, Biscuits and other Ready to Eat Eatables. This has benefited ITC to be more demanding then its competitor and attract more customers at the same time. Technological Factor affecting ITC Limited IT is diversified into many field . It has made a boom in the market with its Technology (specify properly) of Boost production in the market. Recently, in July 2010 it has launched Classmate Mechanical Pencils also known as Classmate Da Vinci in the field of business of Education and Stationery. To bring advancement in the agri-based Industry, ITC has introduced E-Choupal which directly link rural farmers through Internet which ha brought advancement in agricultural and aquaculture products like Wheat, Soybeans, Prawns and Coffee. With the introduction of Computers and Internet access in the country in the areas of agriculture farmers can now easily negotiate with the sales of their production with ITC Limited. This enables them to carry good farming practices and keep themselves update of the change in mandi prices. The Value Chain This value chain ensures business growth through its efficient value chain. It has restructured the current business process which enhanced the efficient manufacturing or supply chain operations and its customer service availability. Also, with its electric procurement system ITC had enjoyed the cost advantages over its competitors. ITC has realized that to remain in the market competition of food industry, it has to keep innovating new products .Hence, it always keep on bringing new flavors in Biscuits, Wafers and other Ready to Eat and Kitchen of India products. Environmental Factor affecting ITC Limited ITC Limited has made a policy that under its control; they will not employ any person below the age of 18 years in any of its industrial operation. The company as a responsible corporate citizen has decided not to play with the future of children and committed to the protection and welfare of the children below 18 years of age. Due to this ITC has made a reputation in the market. It has earned respect from the general public. Moreover, it will generate more educated labour in the company which will help to produce better output. India is a competitive player in FMCG products due to diverse agro-climatic conditions , it has a strong availability of raw material, which gives advantage to industries in the production process. Legal Factor affecting ITC Limited ITC Legal Aspects for International Trade are the services provided by the institutions and legal experts from the several countries. These are managed through Geneva offices of ITC. Its main objective is to access international trade law with better understanding and resolve disputes. In April, 2003 anti-tobacco law was emerged to review control on tobacco in India affected to the sales of the company. Because of the smoke and tobacco law, the company production was affected. To combat this problem, the company started putting more emphasis on the packaging. It emphasized on the statutory warning and directed all the sellers not to sell the product below 18 years. Future Plan FMCG Sector is expected to grow by 60% in 2010. According to the 2008 estimation there was a rise in the income of the rural areas which has boosted the purchasing power of the people at countryside. In 2010-2011 under Sales Tax Act stock transfers are exempted from levy of tax, due to which stock transfer would be subject to tax under GST system at full rate. It will affect the sales turnover for a minimum of 2.5 times of stock transfers any FMCG sector. In all the ITC products due to the per capita consumption, it is likely to change the mind-set of the consumers. Hence, in the coming years there are possibilities consumers will purchase branded products which will automatically increase the growth of ITC. Following are some future strategies: They will hardly make any investments in cigarettes, because in future there are less possibility of its growth, due to bans on it by Government of India. Also they will use other business sector to provide high visibility of ITC. They will make new ventures in agri-business to expand its business, because likely in future there are possibilities that they could earn more profit in agri-business compared to other sectors. The reason is by their E-Choupal technology they are spreading their roots in rural areas. In FMCG sector, they will introduce low fat chips which will attract more customers towards its brand. CONCLUSION Since, ITC Limited was established in 1910, it has adapted the external environment and has proved to be the most profitable company in the India. Still today after its completion of 100 years it has very good brand image in the market.

American Theme-Individualism :: essays research papers

American Theme-Individualism Literary works reflect the main ideas of the American mind. An American theme that is seen in various works of literature is individuality. Individuality is expressed in three different literary works from Frost, Chopin, and Paine. These works of literature aid us in developing an open mind about what the American people should expect in society. Following others doesn’t guide us in any way because it does not allow for us to express our innermost feelings. Throughout these three works, individualism is expressed in various ways. Although all three works do illustrate the idea of individualism, Paine seems to approach it in a different way. Robert Frost’s poem, "The Road Not Taken", is an insightful idealistic attempt to illustrate the paradox of free will. In the first line, Frost uses the metaphor "Two roads diverged" (1), to establish not only the hard decision the traveler must make in the poem, but life itself. The decisions we make in life, like the traveler in this poem, are not to be taken carelessly. Many have a desire to be adventurous, yet fear possibilities of failing if we are different from others. In this poem, the road that he decides to take â€Å"wanted wear.† This road is not a well-traveled path and no one has taken it before. The central idea of Frost’s poem is individualism. Frost shows that being his own person makes life so much less difficult because he is able to act the way he would like to without worrying about everyone else. Frost shows us that we should all express our feelings and be our own person, even if no one else will follow. He took the path that no one else did â€Å"and that has made all the difference.† Similarly, in Kate Chopin’s short story "The Story of an Hour," the central theme of individuality is also expressed. When Mrs. Mallard received the news of her husband’ s death, she was in a deep state of grief. After she realized that she would now have freedom, she began to rejoice. Even though she loved her husband and will weep for him again, one thought comes to her over and over again: â€Å"free, free, free!†(546). Mrs. Mallard realizes at that instant that her life from now on is her own to live as she chooses; no more will she have to give in to the needs and wishes of her husband.

College Students with Disabilities Essay -- ADD ADHD Writing Attention

College Students with Disabilities As societal pressures for higher education increase, more emphasis has been placed on the importance of a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. This has led to the increased enrollment of students with learning disabilities over the past decade. According to a recent survey from the National Clearinghouse on Postsecondary Education for Individuals with Disabilities, one in eleven full-time first-year students entering college in 1998 self-reported a disability. This translates to approximately 154,520 college students, or about 9% of the total number of first-year freshmen, who reported a wide range of disabilities, ranging from attention deficit disorder to writing disabilities (Horn). Attention deficit disorder, with or without hyperactivity, is frequently misunderstood, but it affects college students' academic and social success, as well as their emotional development. Attention deficit disorders are the second most common disability among college students, and it is classified as a psychiatric disorder, rather than a learning disability, in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, DSM-IV. Characterized by attention difficulties, specifically short attention spans, as well as impulsivity, distractibility, and restlessness, attention deficit disorders can adversely affect the performance capabilities of college students. Individuals report "drifting" during classroom lectures or social conversations, as well as difficulties focusing in noisy environments. The Connection Between Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit Disorders The onset of attention deficit disorder usually occur b... ...A Comprehensive Guide to Attention Deficit Disorder in Adults: Research,Diagnosis, and Treatment.New York: Brunner and Mazel Press, 1995. Sills, Caryl K. "Success for learning disabled writers across the curriculum." College Teaching 43 (Spring 95): 66-72. Smith, Carl B. "Helping Children Overcome Reading Difficulties." ERIC Digest, 1992. ED 344190. Stage, Frances K. et al. "Creating Learning Centered Classrooms: What Does Learning Theory Have to Say?" ERIC Digest, 1998. ED422777. Stein, Marcy and Robert C. Dixon. "Effective writing instruction for diverse learners." School Psychology Review 23 (1994): 392-406. Vogel, S. A. and M. Moran. "Written language disorders in learning disabled college students - a preliminary report." In Coming of Age: The Best of ACLD - 1982. Eds. W. Cruickshank and J. Lerner. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1982.

cloning :: essays papers

cloning Abstract As bioethics Leon R. Kass points out in his essay The Wisdom of Repugnance, those who defend human cloning regard themselves mainly as friends of freedom: the freedom of individuals to reproduce, the freedom of scientists and inventors to discover and devise and to foster ‘progress’ in genetic knowledge and technique." Kass goes on to stress that in fact, a "right to reproduce" has always been a peculiar and problematic notion. Rights generally belong to individuals, but this is a right which (before cloning) no one can exercise alone. Does the right then inhere only in couples? Only in married couples? Is it a (woman’s) right to carry or deliver or a right (of one or more parents) to nurture and rear? Is it a right to have your own biological child? Is it a right only to attempt reproduction, or a right also to succeed? Is it a right to acquire the baby of one’s choice? Critical analysis Kass debate on human cloning has brought to the surface a glaring deficiency of bioethics. It has few if any good methods for dealing with new and novel technologies. By that I mean those technologies where there seem to be no relevant historical precedents and where the potential benefits and harms are speculative only, not yet available for empirical testing. How might we best try to assess such technologies, and what counts as a good or bad argument for ethics and for public policy? Nor is it reasonable to insist on "empirical evidence" of benefit or harm when the scientific outcomes are still in the future and wholly speculative in nature. Such evidence could become available only when human cloning was a reality; and then it could take years or decades after that to determine whether it had been a wise move to allow the research to go forward in the first place. The key issue here is not genetic determinism or genetic identity but the preservation of individuality — by no means the same as genetic identity. Even so-called "identical" twins are not wholly identical genetically; that is well known. More to the point here is the issue of parents trying to use children for parental ends, procreating them with traits chosen by the parents for the purr-poses of the parents, not the welfare of the children. We happily accept twins when they are born, but no parents I have heard of go out of their way to procreate twins, or turn to assisted reproduction specialists to procreate twins. cloning :: essays papers cloning Abstract As bioethics Leon R. Kass points out in his essay The Wisdom of Repugnance, those who defend human cloning regard themselves mainly as friends of freedom: the freedom of individuals to reproduce, the freedom of scientists and inventors to discover and devise and to foster ‘progress’ in genetic knowledge and technique." Kass goes on to stress that in fact, a "right to reproduce" has always been a peculiar and problematic notion. Rights generally belong to individuals, but this is a right which (before cloning) no one can exercise alone. Does the right then inhere only in couples? Only in married couples? Is it a (woman’s) right to carry or deliver or a right (of one or more parents) to nurture and rear? Is it a right to have your own biological child? Is it a right only to attempt reproduction, or a right also to succeed? Is it a right to acquire the baby of one’s choice? Critical analysis Kass debate on human cloning has brought to the surface a glaring deficiency of bioethics. It has few if any good methods for dealing with new and novel technologies. By that I mean those technologies where there seem to be no relevant historical precedents and where the potential benefits and harms are speculative only, not yet available for empirical testing. How might we best try to assess such technologies, and what counts as a good or bad argument for ethics and for public policy? Nor is it reasonable to insist on "empirical evidence" of benefit or harm when the scientific outcomes are still in the future and wholly speculative in nature. Such evidence could become available only when human cloning was a reality; and then it could take years or decades after that to determine whether it had been a wise move to allow the research to go forward in the first place. The key issue here is not genetic determinism or genetic identity but the preservation of individuality — by no means the same as genetic identity. Even so-called "identical" twins are not wholly identical genetically; that is well known. More to the point here is the issue of parents trying to use children for parental ends, procreating them with traits chosen by the parents for the purr-poses of the parents, not the welfare of the children. We happily accept twins when they are born, but no parents I have heard of go out of their way to procreate twins, or turn to assisted reproduction specialists to procreate twins.

HP Case Study †Strategy Essay

Hewlett-Packard’s personal computer (PC) division operates in a hyper-competitive, highly-commoditized industry subject to dynamic shifts. The PC industry is driven by technological advancements requiring continuing commitment to research and development to capture the ever-changing PC market. For most of the past five years, Hewlett-Packard led the PC industry in terms of market share. However, Hewlett-Packard’s market share is currently declining and recent industry reports indicate that a Chinese low cost PC manufacturer, Lenovo, is now the market share leader. Over four primary sections, we performed an analysis of Hewlett-Packard’s strategy in the PC industry. First, we performed an external industry examination to obtain information on the current conditions of the market, including industry trends, buyer and supplier marketplace power, and emerging market concerns, such as the threat of PC substitutes. Second, we conducted an internal analysis to determine Hewlett-Packard’s top resources, assets and liabilities, and potential capabilities from its value chain. Third, we documented Hewlett-Packard’s current strategic position within the PC industry. Fourth, we examined and scrutinize Hewlett-Packard’s current industry strategy of returning to its core competencies while consolidating aspects of its PC manufacturing and sales. From the information in these sections, we conclude that if Hewlett-Packard is to sustain (or regain) its place as the market leader in the PC industry, it must leverage its brand recognition, economies of scale advantages, and product integration features to capture market value while producing technologically competitive products. Introduction This analysis is focused on the personal computer (PC) segment of Hewlett-Packard (HP). For clarification, HP’s PCs segment includes desktop, laptop, and notebook / netbook computers. Hardware devices falling outside of the PC category are mobile personal computing devices, such as tablets and cellular phones. HP’s PC sales for fiscal year 2012 were $41. 5 billion, which represents 26. 5% of HP’s $120 billion total revenue from all products and services. HP’s PC sales captured a 16% share of the total PC market (Trefis, 2012). From an analytical standpoint, HP has made many significant moves over the past three to four years, including numerous changes in company leadership and distinct shifts in business strategy. As a result, the ultimate effectiveness and success of HP’s strategies discussed has yet to be seen. Therefore, some of the conclusions we draw regarding HP’s forward strategy will be measured by whether HP’s strategic decisions align with its competitive advantages and obligations to stakeholders. External Analysis The global PC industry is led by a small number of large scale manufacturers who are homogenizing products and looking to capitalize on low cost labor resources. Industry demand is driven by technological developments, disposable consumer spending, and corporate spending cycles (First Research, 2012). Although global demand for PCs has increased, profit margins are decreasing, creating an industry focused on price rivalry and little differentiation (MarketLine, 2012). In addition, PC substitutes are a major threat to the PC industry (Indigo, 2012). The traditional PC industry, with its focus on desktops and laptops, is in the mature or declining stage of its life cycle. Our external analysis examines the significant factors influencing the current PC environment, including potential market threats and opportunities during the next five years, and how HP is performing relative to its industry competitors. Exhibit One illustrates the forces currently affecting the PC industry. Threat of New Entrants Overall, the threat of new entrants is low because any new entrants face numerous competitive obstacles in order to obtain industry relevance. The PC industry has significant fixed entry costs and the challenges to compete with the economies of scale of major companies would be exceedingly difficult for potential entrants to overcome. Brand recognition creates another distinct entry barrier because PC consumers have high brand awareness (MarketLine, 2012). With that mentioned, Microsoft and Intel are powerful industry suppliers so the threat for forward integration is reasonable. In addition, the oversaturation of basic PC component suppliers in Southeast Asia poses an additional concern for potential entrants to the industry. New firms could originate in Southeast Asia by leveraging the low cost labor force and avoiding expensive supply chain expenditures. Buyer Power Differentiation: The industry trend is to move manufacturing abroad in order to capture low cost labor efficiencies. There also has been a trend to homogenize products across the industry (Krabeepetcharat, 2012). In order to drive manufacturing costs down, most basic components used in the PC industry are standardized and lack significant differentiation (MarketLine, 2012). The exception differentiators are memory size, processor speed, and product form features (Bradley, 2012). Overall the industry has moved toward commoditization, which strengthens buyer power. Network Effect / Brand Recognition: Regardless of particular PC brand, consumer brand awareness is high in this focal industry. Apple has carved out a unique and loyal customer following largely because its users have higher switching costs than other PC users due to Apple’s specific computer operating system. If Apple consumers were to change to a non-Apple computer, they would be required to learn a new operating system. Apart from Apple computers, the majority of the other PCs run on Microsoft Windows-based operating systems. Consumers of PCs operating on Windows have lower switching costs overall, allowing more independence in switching brands. Despite this, brand awareness is still high among consumers of Windows-based PCs, thus contributing to an overall moderate buyer power rating. Supplier Power Microsoft and Intel are two powerful suppliers to the PC industry. Intel is the leading manufacturer of the processors inside all PCs. Intel’s brand name carries significant brand recognition to end-level consumers providing Intel with a powerful industry position. Similarly, Microsoft’s widely-used Windows operating system provides Microsoft a powerful industry position as well. As mentioned earlier, the manufacture of most basic component PC parts is being outsourced to Southeast Asia to capitalize on low cost labor. Since Southeast Asia is replete with component suppliers competing with one another, major PC manufacturers face low switching costs when deciding on basic component suppliers. Therefore, supplier power in the PC industry is divided between powerful suppliers, such as Microsoft and Intel, and basic component suppliers with relatively little power. However, any examination of supplier power must acknowledge a growing socio-cultural concern regarding working conditions in low-cost labor regions that may factor into business decisions. Substitutes The PC industry has been significantly impacted by the threat of substitutes in recent years. Emerging mobile technologies, such as smart phones and tablets, now account for 61% of total PC market volume (MarketLine, 2012). While smart phones and tablets are strong substitutes for consumer PC purchasers, up to this point mobile devices have not had the same impact on business-end users, who generally chose the robust functionality of traditional PCs over less powerful smart phones and tablets. It is important for PC manufacturers to leverage these capabilities to diminish the functionality gap between PCs and PC substitutes. Degree of Rivalry Market Value Forecast: Future PC sales are projected to generate slimmer profit margins than the current 3. 8% industry average (Krabeepetcharat, 2012). As major manufacturers leverage manufacturing efficiencies abroad, product costs are lowering, creating a degree of rivalry and a focus on end-level costs. Manufacturers are essentially looking to cut costs and offer cheaper products to gain market share (First Research, 2012). Since products within the industry lack differentiation, price competition becomes the default battleground, resulting in ever-shrinking profit margins (Porter, 2007). This is very apparent in the PC industry market forecast (exhibit two), which projects a 10% decrease between 2011 and 2016 (MarketLine, 2012). Apple’s position in this analysis is noteworthy. Apple is the only pure hardware/software integrator, which has allowed Apple to create an incredibly strong position that is unique to the PC industry. Apple’s five-year rolling profit margin average is approximately 23%, significantly higher than the PC industry (exhibit two) at large (YCharts, 2012). Large Scale Manufacturers: Computer manufacturing is labor intensive. Major industry participants have moved manufacturing abroad to take advantage of low cost labor and geographic proximity to electronic component manufacturers (ECMs) in Southeast Asia. This close proximity to ECMs contributes to low switching costs for PC manufacturers (Krabeepetcharat, 2012). Shifting production of PC manufacturing to low cost labor regions and having access to numerous component suppliers creates economies of scale advantages for these large PC manufacturers. HP’s Performance Relative to PC Manufacturing Competitors Since 2007, Hewlett-Packard held the market share leader position (MarketLine, 2012). However, in the fourth quarter 2012, Lenovo, Chinese PC manufacturing firm (formerly IBM’s PC division), overtook the market share leader position (Gaudin, 2012). HP’s brand still carries superior brand integrity in the PC industry. The integration of multiple HP products, such as laptops seamlessly linking to HP printers, help differentiate an HP consumer’s experience. Additionally, HP’s ancillary products and services are still a strong differentiator (Bradley, 2012), and HP was able to capture a 5. 6% profit margin in 2011 (Hughes, 2011), a margin higher than the industry average of 3. 8% (MarketLine, 2012). Exhibit two captures HP’s competitive advantage over top rivals in regards to profit margins. In the United States, HP remains the largest domestic PC manufacturer (MarketLine, 2012). With the high degree of rivalry in the industry, the maturing/declining PC industry is shifting manufacturing to low cost regions abroad. Since the United States is the second-largest PC consuming country in the world, HP must continue to delicately balance its outsourcing activities (Krabeepetcharat, 2012). Once considered a technological leader in the PC industry, HP now struggles with competition from PC substitutes such as tablets and phones. Looking forward, it is critical that HP retains market share and re-establishes profitable growth in the PC industry by being first-to-market with new technologies or higher performing capabilities (First Research, 2012). Internal Analysis As a whole, the PC industry is currently in the mature or declining stage of its life cycle. During the six-year period spanning 2005 to 2011, HP’s unfavorable strategic decisions caused a refocusing and restructuring of its PC division. Listed below are HP’s top resources from its VRIST and top capabilities from its value chain. Comparing these resources and capabilities against HP’s past and current weaknesses allows an analysis of whether HP is propitiously positioned to regain its former status as the world’s leading PC manufacturer. HP’s PC Resources and Capabilities R&D / Intellectual Property Trusted Brand / Profit Margin Interoperability Market Share HP’s PC Weaknesses Acquisitions Substitutions Market Share Trends PC Revenue Trend Value Chain In the Technology section of HP’s Value Chain, HP is returning to one of its long standing core competencies by increasing investments in its Research & Development department (R&D). According to exhibit three, prior to 2004, HP’s R&D budget was more than $3. 7 billion. But after Mark Hurd became CEO in 2005, the R&D budget was reduced to as little as $2. 8 billion in 2009 (Y-charts, 2012). As shown in the lag metrics for new products over the past two years, this significant decrease in R&D correlates directly to the middling success of HP’s recent product launches. HP’s initial launch into the smart phone and tablet market offers tangible evidence of mediocre product development as both the Palm webOS and touchpad were subsequently discontinued. In 2010, HP started to increase its R&D budget again and the reporting for calendar year 2012 shows the R&D budget is over $3. 4 billion through November. This increased financing and refocus into technology development is a promising indicator, but any resulting intellectual property will take time to build back up. VRIST Analysis HP continues to be a trusted PC brand name (FTSE, 2012). Next to its intellectual property, HP’s brand name is its most valuable extraordinary resource. HP manages to earn higher profit margins than the rest of the leading hardware PC manufacturers based in part on this brand awareness (MarketLine, 2012). HP’s trusted brand image is a competitive advantage that it must sustain. Through brand recognition and interoperability with other products across its platform, HP is able to charge consumers a slightly higher premium over other leading PC manufacturers. Interoperability HP expects the interoperability of its Ultrabooks, ElitePad, and smart phones with other HP products and solutions, such as ePrint Cloud Services, to be its distinguishing competitive advantage (video link). HP’s next generation Ultrabooks boast stylish form features, low power consumption, world-class security features, and preserve mainstream price points. HP and its partners anticipate that these features will differentiate its PCs from its competitors (Bradley, 2012) and could one day be an extraordinary resource much like it is for the Apple brand. Since the PC market is facing continued encroachment from tablets and other PC substitutes, HP is marketing its enterprise tablet (ElitePad 900) in early 2013. Additionally, HP’s managers feel its enterprise tablet has the opportunity to differentiate with other products HP offers by providing interplay between the physical and digital worlds (Bradley, 2012). Overall, the size, scale, and connection that HP products have will enable customers to create, store, consume, and share information safer than before (Bradley, 2012). Market Share Since 2007, HP was the leading global PC manufacturer (MarketLine, 2007). But in the fourth quarter of 2012, Lenovo, a Chinese PC manufacturing firm overtook HP and now leads all manufacturers in global PC sales (Gaudin, 2012). Furthermore, China is now the largest global PC consumer market (Dauod, 12). HP faces substantial difficulty regaining its prior spot as market leader because Lenovo’s is a Chinese company with greater access to the China’s PC market; the largest and quickest growing PC market in the world. HP currently manufactures 16% of all PCs shipped worldwide, however that market share has declined since 2010 (MarketLine, 2012). Once a technological leader, HP is now an industry laggard and must develop new marketable technology to maintain its market share position in this hyper-competitive market. Acquisitions HP recently made some costly acquisitions with the goal of reaching product segments with higher profit margins (Krabeepetcharat 2012). Autonomy, a British software firm which specializes in â€Å"unstructured data† or human information, was purchased for nearly $11 billion dollars. HP is now accusing Autonomy of overvaluing its financial records and has taken an $8. 8 billion write-off against its balance sheet for this acquisition (Rushe, 2012). HP also purchased Palm in 2010 for $1. 2 billion with the hope of capitalizing on the emerging tablet market. But consumer sales of HP’s new tablet, the TouchPad, failed to support the product line, and the TouchPad was discontinued less than a year after product launch (Panzarino, 2012). Beyond these noted questionable acquisitions, HP made numerous other eyebrow-raising acquisitions under past CEOs that were not in line with HP’s core competencies. Internal Analysis Conclusion In August 2011, HP’s last CEO announced that HP planned to divest of its PC division (Krabeepetcharat, 2012). However, HP’s current CEO, Meg Whitman, has stated a renewed commitment to the PC segment. Part of HP’s internal strategy is to rebuild the balance sheet through the newly formed Printer and Personal Services (PPS) division in order to accommodate acquisition-related charges (Thacker, 2012). This is part of the CEO’s five-year plan to rebuild HP (Whitman, 2012). While multi-billion dollar write-offs are staggering hurdles for any company to survive, if HP can return to its core competencies and re-brand itself as the company of innovation (as it was once known), then HP can remain a dominant participant in the PC industry. Current HP Strategic Position Our strategy diamond analysis, shown in Exhibit five, determines that HP plans on implementing the following five strategies in the PC industry: (1) Focus on R&D (vehicles) (2) Pursue emerging markets (staging) (3) Reduce SKU’s offered (arenas) (4) Integrated products & services (differentiators) (5) Economies of scale & Consolidation (Economic Logic) Vehicles HP’s primary strategy vehicle is a commitment to R&D in order to re-establish HP as a technologically focused hardware company (Times, 2012). Exhibit 2 illustrates HP’s changing strategy regarding R&D investment. Starting in 2005, HP’s investments in R&D steadily decreased. After reaching its lowest figure in 2010, the R&D budget was increased. In 2011, HP invested $3. 25 billion on R&D, a significant improvement from 2009, when HP invested just $2. 77 billion in R&D (Yarrow, 2012). Interestingly, the bottom chart on Exhibit 2 shows that Apple spent less on R&D than HP but delivered technologically superior products. This exemplifies how R&D spending does not always equate cleanly with results. R&D is critical to generating a pipeline of intellectual property. Intellectual property is critical to HP’s growth because it is one of HP’s extraordinary resources. Strong R&D investments are often a good leading indicator of well-received future products. On the other hand, the lag metrics arising from HP’s previous R&D slashing indicate numerous problems. Of most concern is the failed WebOS that affected both HP’s initial smart phone and tablet touch pad releases (Davis, 2011). After the poor reception of HP’s WebOS, it became open-source software available to the general public to freely use and modify. HP is currently working on developing its own WebOS but is opening the system to the free market to encourage outside development of mobile applications. Staging Pursuing emerging markets such as China will enable HP to produce and distribute PCs more cost effectively. In fact, China is the future hub of both HP’s manufacturing and distribution plan (Bradley, China, 2012). HP’s executive team is aware of China’s increasingly vital role in consumer PC sales. China currently accounts for 20% of the market and is expected to double the United States’ PC consumption by 2016 (Bradley, Shanghi summit, 2012). HP is acting early by building PC manufacturing facilities in China, both to act as a distribution hub for other Asian suppliers and to distribute PCs directly to the Chinese market. Since HP began this strategy two years ago, HP seems to have been correctly following leading indicators and should see a beneficial pay-off over the coming years as China’s market surpasses the United States’ PC market. Arenas HP intends to reduce the number of its PC and printer stock-keeping units (SKUs) by 25% and 30% respectively by 2015 (Bradley, Newsroom, 2012). The maintenance cost of servicing over 2,100 types of laser printers is neither sustainable nor conducive to continued growth and profitability. Instead of divesting the PC division, as considered in 2011, HP now intends to re-invent its existing product line by focusing on quality innovation over quantity of product offerings. Geographically, HP will also be building a Chinese-based manufacturing facility which will help them operate more cost effectively in that emerging market. Differentiators HP expects to differentiate itself from other PC manufacturers by integrating products with services solutions, a process HP has already begun. In March 2012, HP combined its Personal Systems Group (PSG) with its Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) to form a new segment named Printing & Personal Systems (PPS) (Bradley, 2012). According to a HP director, merging the two groups into PPS â€Å"was a key strategy to provide consumers and business customers with better products and solutions that are seamlessly integrated with each other. † For example, upon purchasing a HP laptop, a consumer can expect his or her new laptop to wirelessly find and automatically connect with any of the consumer’s HP printers or other products. In addition, by integrating internal supply chain processes between the old PSG and IPG, and having a single HP sales person selling both PCs and printers, HP can keep the prices of its products and services competitive. It is business strategies such as these that show HP is still forward-thinking and seeking innovative or cost effective technologies. Refer to Exhibit 3 to view one of HP’s marketing videos (HP marketing, 2012). Another example of how the newly-formed PPS group integrates products can be seen in their â€Å"Exstream† product, which has been put to use by Humana and saved millions Humana millions by integrating static and dynamic content for easier communication with clients (HP marketing, Humana, 2012). Economic Logic Economies of Scale: As HP seeks to differentiate its PPS group to drive product innovation, there will be significant cost-saving effects due to increased economies of scale. Essentially, HP will save money by manufacturing more products directly in emerging markets like China. With China’s consumer PC market expected to double that of the United States, HP is ideally situated to take advantageous benefit of China’s emerging market through manufacturing plants and distribution channels located within China. Consolidation: By consolidating its PC and Printing groups, HP strengthened its position in many ways, including lowering costs in the supply chain. In addition to consolidating its supply chain functions, HP is also streamlining its sales teams and reducing its functional support organizations (Bradley, 2012). HP’s current PC strategy of consolidation is a direct byproduct of both a planned decrease in SKUs and the PC manufacturing and consumer sales reaching the ending stage of their lifecycles. If HP can successfully set new standards for PC and printing synergies through consolidation, then HP can create a viable path to maintaining its history of premium pricing via product features. HP Strategic Implementation Based on our analysis, the facets of HP’s strategy diamond are internally consistent. HP’s analyzed strategies are both interconnected and overlapping. For example, being focused on China provides HP with a strong arena given China’s anticipated growth in the consumer PC market. But a presence in China also validates HP’s economic logic by producing lowered costs. Overall, HP’s PC strategy is sound because HP is returning to its core competencies, such as hardware innovation. On a larger scale, HP’s renewed focus on R&D coupled with the creation of the PSG division supports HP’s current desire to grow organically rather than through mergers and acquisitions. One weakness that continues to hamper HP is operating with over $20 billion in debt derived almost entirely from acquisition costs related to fruitless assets. Looking back, HP could have benefited from smarter business plans, including a balanced scorecard, prior to some of these acquisitions. With such information, HP would have had a more realistic chance to make each acquisition profitable, or perhaps it would have had enough qualitative metrics to realize that the acquisition may not integrate with its core processes. Since change in the PC industry is highly iterative, HP must continually adjust the implementation of its forward strategy. Fortunately, HP appears to be taking the necessary steps to address its past failures and to capitalize on future opportunities. Since HP still has industry-wide brand name recognition, its return to market dominance is entirely feasible. But as technology progresses and markets shift, HP’s ability to maintain sustainable growth will depend largely on whether HP’s new PC business strategy can capture value while simultaneously producing competitive, cutting edge products.