Monday, September 30, 2019

Sensitive Periods in Summary and Implication for Montessori Teachers

SENSITIVE PERIODS IN SUMMARY AND IMPLICATION FOR MONTESSORI TEACHERS SENSITIVE PERIOD FOR MOVEMENT †¢Movement is tied to intelligence KEYWORDSADDITIONAL IDEAS SENSITIVE TO WHATMovement/Activity (sitting, crawling, cruising etc) WHEN DOES IT APPEAR PEAK DISAPPEARS It appears at pre-birth (0 month) 1-2 years At death and cessation of movement (paralysis) DEVELOPMENTAL AIM- To enable the child to explore his own environment – To perfect himself and his personality through work with his hands INNER WORK TAKING PLACE1. The horme drives his need to develop coordinated movement 2.The child’s attention is focused on learning to move and balance, and then unite this function (i. e. the child moves to learn) 3. Physical and movement of the mind i. e. the mind controls the physical 4. For the child walking is like a second birth. The child is no longer helpless but active. SIGNS WE SEE1. We notice each milestone in the child’s development of motor skills. 2. The child has an overwhelming need to manipulate and handle objects. BEHAVIOUR IF SENSITIVE PERIOD IS FULFILLED1. The child is joyful and content. 2. The child shows no tiredness from working. 3. The child is more satisfied in doing the work than the end result.BEHAVIOUR IF SENSITIVE PERIOD IS NOT FULFILLED1. The child will be unhappy, fretful, tearful and fearful because he would sometimes be ignored. 2. Death of the child’s spirit, if the child is constantly ignored. WHAT HELP DOES THE CHILD NEED FROM THE ADULTS AT HOME1. The child has to be given opportunities and space to move around and explore his environment. 2. They have to understand the child’s desperate need to move, to handle and manipulate objects. 3. The child needs to see adults who model, precise, careful movement so that he can see how it is done. WHAT HELP DOES THE CHILD NEED FROM THE ADULTS IN THE PRE-SCHOOL1.The child needs opportunities and encouragement to work with HIS hands by HIMSELF. 2. The child needs INTERESTING and PURPOSEFUL activities that will refine his movement. 3. The child needs time to work at his own PACE, to practice and repeat as long as he has to or wants to. 4. The child needs activities that would refine his gross & fine motor skills stimulation. 5. The child needs adults who model precise, careful and economical movement for the child to copy- so that the child does not dissipate energy WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHER TRAINING1. Education for the young child must be founded on movement. . Trainee teacher must understand the child must move and explore to live. 3. The trainee teacher must prepare an adequate environment and activities to encourage fine &gross motor movement. 4. You must plan routines for children, to involve not only seating and listening but also doing (participate, be active in the exercise) SENSITIVE PERIOD FOR ORDER For the child, order is a necessity for him to develop. He therefore needs to orientate himself. KEYWORDSADDITIONAL IDEAS S ENSITIVE TO WHAT1. Physically- controls his movement (i. e. sitting, crawling etc, perfect the skills 2.Emotionally – the child can only build trust if there is consistency 3. Intellectually- intelligence and logical thinking is dependent on outer order, the physical order balance out his internal order which helps his intelligence. WHEN DOES IT APPEAR PEAK DISAPPEARS It appears from the first few months of life It peaks at 2years It begins to disappear at 4years DEVELOPMENTAL AIM- To develop the child’s ability to think clearly and logically; and also to help with the ability to make well thought decisions. – It helps the child to make sense of the world, by seeing and understanding how things relate to each other. It helps the child to understand where he/she fits into what he experiences. – For the child outer order is equal to inner order. INNER WORK TAKING PLACEOrder needs to be absorbed from the order at home, in the classroom and the people around the child (i. e. order is like a cycle) SIGNS WE SEE1. The child’s determination to order & coordinate his movement 2. The child is content in an environment that is ordered and with people who are trustworthy. 3. The child will set things in order within the environment; he places objects where they belong. BEHAVIOUR IF SENSITIVE PERIOD IS FULFILLED1.There is joy and contentment in the child. 2. He shows joy in working. 3. The child works independently. 4. The child works in an orderly cycle of activities- he completes his work cycle all the time. 5. He begins to think logically and makes careful decisions. BEHAVIOUR IF SENSITIVE PERIOD IS NOT FULFILLED1. The child works chaotically 2. He does not complete his work cycle 3. The child exhibits some form of disruption to others while working. 4. The child is generally unhappy and cries a lot 5. The child may show disharmony â€Å"naughty† or aggressive behavior WHAT HELP DOES THE CHILD NEED FROM THE ADULTS AT HOME3.The child needs a precise environment for every room the child uses 2. Parents can avoid tantrums if they are aware of this sensitivity and respond appropriately 3. The child needs trustworthy and consistent adults 4. The parents need to provide the child with limited resources to develop logical thinking, WHAT HELP DOES THE CHILD NEED FROM THE ADULTS IN THE PRE-SCHOOL1. Trustworthy and consistent adults. 2. The child needs a precise and prepared environment 3. The child needs adults who are knowledgeable and understanding (trained and spiritually prepared. . Provide the child with opportunities to make decision i. e. freedom of choice 5. Keep consistency in work and behavior WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHER TRAINING1. Without the outer order provided for, the child will suffer by not developing an inner order and would therefore not develop an orderly way of thinking even as an adult. SENSITIVE PERIOD FOR INTEREST IN SMALL OBJECTS For the child it is as if a special time has been set aside for exploring and appreciating the mysteries of creation and nature which would be overlooked by the busy adult.The child needs the time and the means to explore his work. KEYWORDSADDITIONAL IDEAS SENSITIVE TO WHAT1. He focuses his attention on details in every aspect of his life – his body, surroundings, work, and people around him. 2. He notices and he is extraordinarily interested in very small objects and fine details in tiny objects, pictures, precise movements, gestures, sounds and languages. WHEN DOES IT APPEAR PEAK DISAPPEARSIt appears at about 1year Peaks about 11/2 years Disappears from 4years DEVELOPMENTAL AIM1. To develop the child’s faculty of attention and concentration. 2.By controlling attention, the child can concentrate on sounds, precise movements, subtle social gestures and detail in objects to help gain a clear impression of size, shape and colour. INNER WORK TAKING PLACE1. Through the absorbent mind and the force of this sensitive period the child unconsciously adapts to her culture & society and promotes her own development. 2. The child will see with â€Å"new eyes† and get clearer impressions to help to order his mind aright. SIGNS WE SEE1. The child is joyful when in contemplating small insects and tiny objects. 2. The child is very observant of fine details and would sometimes point it out. . The child notices a chip/defect in materials and in effect would not use it. 4. If the child puts on a clothing whose button is lost and it is replaced, if the button does not match the child will become distressed. BEHAVIOUR IF SENSITIVE PERIOD IS FULFILLED1. The child would be joyful in contemplation – happily doing his work 2. The child is joyful and content. 3. The child develops concentration. 4. The child loves to explore indoor and outdoor world. BEHAVIOUR IF SENSITIVE PERIOD IS NOT FULFILLED1. The child will show some signs of frustration if he is not allowed time to examine and if he is watched. . H e may throw tantrums, if he is taken away from his examination of something. 3. He loses interest in exploring and been observant. 4. The child stops concentrating and focusing his attention. 5. He jumps erratically from one activity to the next. WHAT HELP DOES THE CHILD NEED FROM THE ADULTS AT HOME1. The adult must respect the child’s need to examine minutely. 2. The child needs to be given time to look and be attentive. 3. The child should be allowed time to stop and explore when working with an adult. 4. The child should be provided with objects and images with details. 5.The child should be protected from disturbance when he is concentrating. WHAT HELP DOES THE CHILD NEED FROM THE ADULTS IN THE PRE-SCHOOL1. The very small child who has this sensitive period fulfilled will continue to be acutely absorbent of fine details and thereby focuses his attention easily. 2. Activities that will give the child opportunities in classroom & outdoor environment should encourage this â €“ THE CHILD WHO CANNOT CONCENTRATE CANNOT LEARN. TO-DO: 1. Set an example and be a good role model for the child especially in our attitude, life values, speech, cultural behavior and consideration for others. . Give d child a clear understanding of what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviours (i. e. ground rules in class) 3. In the Montessori approach it is fundamental to aid the child’s development of concentration through purposeful and interesting work with an orderly sequence, protection from disturbances, time to explore, exposure to different sounds in words, materials to refine his senses, exposure to socially acceptable behaviours, we must respect the child’s need of sensitivity to fine details.WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHER TRAINING1. Parents and teachers must respect the child’s need for time to explore and contemplate and encourage the child’s observant nature. 2. Provide an environment and opportunities that encourage observatio n and exploration for the child. 3. We must keep an orderly and precise environment so that the child can focus his attention 4. You must note that concentration is the key to learning; therefore a precise and orderly environment is a condition for concentration to develop.SENSITIVE PERIOD FOR SOCIAL ASPECT OF LIFE – GRACE& COURTESY The child attempts to learn the manners and culture of his/her environment and serve others as well as himself or herself. It is therefore good to involve the child in your daily life as much as possible. KEYWORDSADDITIONAL IDEAS SENSITIVE TO WHATThe child is intensely interested in the customs, habits and culture of his/her own community WHEN DOES IT APPEAR PEAK DISAPPEARSIt appears between ages 2yrs – 2 1/2 years (mothers always recognize the child’s need for wider social experiences). It is at this age the child usually starts or attends daycare center.It peaks at about 4years. It disappears at about 5 ? years DEVELOPMENTAL AIM1. To entirely adapt to his/her own culture and circumstances 2. To be integrated and identifiable in his/her own society INNER WORK TAKING PLACE1. All the work of the unconscious absorbent mind which takes in all impressions equally, know differentiation between positive or negative social values and customs to form the child’s personality and traits for life typical of his/her culture. 2. The child is acutely observant of his/her social group especially his/her family unit – he/she takes in their verbal & non- verbal behaviour and fixes them for life, good & bad. . Remember that the child is also sensitive to fine details at the same time, this sensitive period is like an extra spot light on the details of his/her family and social experiences SIGNS WE SEE1. The child stands and watches a lot – observes all aspects of social life such as greetings, courtesy, respect, how people treat one another, how they dress, eat etc. Their habits and beliefs, people’s way of talking and gesturing, people’s attitude and outlooks on life. 2. The child tries to imitate what he or she sees and hears. BEHAVIOUR IF SENSITIVE PERIOD IS FULFILLED1.The child exudes confidence and positive self-esteem. 2. Begins to join in the community life of the pre-school- first watches, stands at the edge and later accepts invitation to join in. 3. The child is joyful and content. 4. Learning and working is easy. 5. The child is interested in and repeats activities of grace and courtesy. BEHAVIOUR IF SENSITIVE PERIOD IS NOT FULFILLEDIf the child has had poor models of social attitudes, values and behaviours he/she would emulate them and they will become fixed for life as in; 1. Poor table manners. 2. The child exhibits discourteous behaviour (very rude and unruly). . The child id tolerant of some people’s behaviour and intolerant of others (mood swings). 4. The child is disrespectful of others space, possession and values. 5. The child exhibits aggressiv e and disturbing behaviour. 6. Because of his behaviour he is shunned by other children he is either distressed by the shunning or he is full of bravado (I don’t care attitude) 7. The child is not integrated and identifiable in his/her society. WHAT HELP DOES THE CHILD NEED FROM THE ADULTS AT HOMEParents needs to; 1. Understand how the child’s mind works and absorbs everything. . Parents need to set an example and be good role model for the child especially in attitude, life values, speech, cultural behaviour and consideration for others. 3. Give the child a clear understanding of what is good and what is evil, what is acceptable and not acceptable behaviour to them. WHAT HELP DOES THE CHILD NEED FROM THE ADULTS IN THE PRE-SCHOOL1. The Montessori Pre-school needs to create a sense of community within the pre-school. 2. We need to allow the time to observe before joining in and contributing to the pre-school community. 3.The development of community life in the Montesso ri pre-school involves each member taking responsibility for himself or herself and the environment. The child has to learn how to put away activities for the next person to be able to use it and clean up after he had made a mess. These are ground rules for acceptable behaviours and younger ones will follow suit. 4. The development of community life is dependent on mixed abilities and ages and the opportunity for the child to teach one another the lesson, he/she has learnt. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHER TRAINING1.If the child is exposed to disrespectful attitudes towards himself/ herself and his/her needs, he/she will grow up to be a disrespectful member of the society. 2. Care givers have the responsibility of informing parents and their communities about the work of the child absorbent mind and the need for positive role models in the child’s life. SENSITIVE PERIOD FOR REFINEMENT OF SENSES KEYWORDSADDITIONAL IDEAS SENSITIVE TO WHAT1. The need to see, touch, taste, s mell, hear and manipulate everything around him. 2. The child is in active pursuit of sensorial stimuli, he is now trying to move, in order to learn.WHEN DOES IT APPEAR PEAK DISAPPEARSIt appears at pre-birth. The child touches, feels and hears while still in the womb. It peaks between 2years- 5 1/2 years DEVELOPMENTAL AIM1. He is learning – the only way a child learns is through his senses and personal experiences (hands on). 2. The child tries to gain information about his environment. 3. To order the impression gathered so far. 4. The child tries to pair and classify – this is the function of sensorial curriculum. 5. Helps the child to look for fine distinctions i. e. grading or categorizing 6. Consolidation of knowledge. Sensorial Curriculum is designed to help the child to sort out, clarify and classify all of the impression he gathers from his environment. INNER WORK TAKING PLACEAll the inner work is achieved by the absorbent mind and the child’s developmen t of coordinated movement so that he can work with his hands. SIGNS WE SEE1. The child is first to touch and manipulate everything in his reach. 2. The child has an overwhelming interest in colour, shapes, size and the feel of objects. BEHAVIOUR IF SENSITIVE PERIOD IS FULFILLED1. Joyful learning. 2. The child works actively and explores through his senses. . The child does not get tired by work. 4. The child is eager for more experiences. 5. The child has an increased awareness of the outside world 6. The child has love and care for the world and people BEHAVIOUR IF SENSITIVE PERIOD IS NOT FULFILLED1. The child cannot develop because he does not have the full function of all of his senses. 2. The child will become apathetic (not happy, angry towards everyone) 3. The child shows certain behaviours such as been noisy, displaced/disturbed. 4. The child will not sit still to listen nor will he want to listen.WHAT HELP DOES THE CHILD NEED FROM THE ADULTS AT HOME1. The adult attitude shou ld change allow the child to touch, explore and experience as much as possible. 2. The adult should respect the child’s need to repeat activities. 3. The adult must understand that manipulation is vital to his development. 4. The household must be rearranged willingly to suit these needs. WHAT HELP DOES THE CHILD NEED FROM THE ADULTS IN THE PRE-SCHOOL1. The adult must provide sensorial keys to each sense through the sensorial curriculum. 2. Isolation of stimulus (i. e. only one sense is attended to with an activity. . We work from concrete to abstract, because the child works with the real thing before he begins to abstract. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHER TRAINING1. The refinement of sensorial impression lays a firm foundation for future learning, so the children should be provided with an adequate environment with sensorial activities and experiences. 2. The teacher should note that education in the school must be sensorial based if not the children cannot develop int elligence and would not love life and learning Note: Sensorial is the KEYS to the child’s universe.Chinese Proverb: I see I forget, I hear I remember, I do I understand. Whatever a child does becomes part of the child because the child has participated and his/her hands have touched the materials or activity. It therefore becomes a part of him/her. SENSITIVE PERIOD FOR LANGUAGE KEYWORDSADDITIONAL IDEAS SENSITIVE TO WHAT1. The human voice 2. The rhythm and flow of the sounds of words without necessarily understanding what they mean. WHEN DOES IT APPEAR PEAK DISAPPEARS It appears from birth It peaks at about 2years and explosion into speechIt disappears at about 5 years DEVELOPMENTAL AIM1. To adapt the child to his/her own culture and circumstances 2. To fulfill his/her tendencies and need to be socially integrated 3. To be able to express his/her own personality and spirit 4. To be able to think and develop his/her reasoning intelligence INNER WORK TAKING PLACEInner working pr ecedes every outer signs SIGNS WE SEE1. Each milestone in the child’s development of language such as babbling, cooing etc. 2. The child’s love for song, stories and poems. 3. Listen to sounds and tries to copy them. 4.Learn new words easily (Note: PLEASE USE CORRECT LANGUAGE WITH THE CHILDREN AND NOT BABY TALK) as it is an obsolete language. 5. The child practices â€Å"writing† long before he/she starts/has the skills to write. 6. Tries to â€Å"read† long before he/she knows the sounds and sand paper letter. BEHAVIOUR IF SENSITIVE PERIOD IS FULFILLED1. The child expresses joy and contentment. 2. Love to talk and talks all time. 3. Contributes in group activities. BEHAVIOUR IF SENSITIVE PERIOD IS NOT FULFILLED1. The child is withdrawn and unhappy. 2. Does not join in activities. 3. Cannot settle to work and concentrate. . The child cries a lot and he is fretful because he cannot express his needs and he is often misunderstood. 5. The child can get very frustrated and may result to aggressive behaviour such as biting, kicking, crying etc. WHAT HELP DOES THE CHILD NEED FROM THE ADULTS AT HOME1. A rich exposure to language, he needs to see adults enjoying talking, singing, writing & reading. 2. He needs to see exaggerated movement of the mouth so he can see how sounds are made. 3. The child needs to hear correct pronunciations; so that he hears the individual sounds of words he is trying to make. 4. The hild needs to hear variety of word from a broad vocabulary that is the only way he can increase his vocabulary. 5. The child needs to hear correct, precise language from whoever is speaks whatever language to the child. 6. The child needs to hear correct sentence construction. 7. The child needs to be listened to with full attention. WHAT HELP DOES THE CHILD NEED FROM THE ADULTS IN THE PRE-SCHOOL1. Provide an atmosphere and have the attitude that encourages the child to talk, be an amiable approachable teacher. 2. Find time to chat wi th individual children and show them that you care and you are interested in them. . Find time to listen to individual children. 4. Find time to listen patiently to the child whose language is slow. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHER TRAININGAll the elements of language including grammar should be learnt while the child is in his/her sensitive period for language and as he/she learns it so effortlessly and easily; but if he/she learns it later then it would be hard and full of errors – he/she would have to be taught, it would develop spontaneously if not given the right opportunities and encouragement at the right time.To Do’s To be knowledgeable about the development of language and to know which; 1. To know which activities to prepare, to promote a firm foundation in spoken language. 2. Activities to prepare the child’s hand for writing (i. e. indirect preparation for writing). 3. Activities that would prepare the child to read (indirect preparation for rea ding). Note: if the teacher does not do these, the child’s learning will be hard, schooling a negative experience.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

A Microeconomic Analysis of Indian Retail Industry

MODERN RETAIL MICRO ECONOMICS PROJECT REPORT ABSTRACT The growing number of modern retail outlets in India on the one hand and frequent sale seasons and talks of underperformance on the other point to a mixed bag and make us wonder whether the sector is on the right growth trajectory. In this report, rather than providing with just the facts, we have tried to understand the modern retail sector from an economist’s point of view and visualize its future-whether it is in its expansion or contraction phase.Motivated by the rising per-capita incomes and increased spending on consumer goods, modern retail stores are coming up with new strategies and plans to unlock the Pandora box of the untapped and unorganized retail sector. In the course of the report, we try to find out – how the retail sector works, major regulations that affect its functioning and the challenges that await the sector and summarize with our analysis and recommendations. Note: We have used where weâ€⠄¢ve analyzed the situation from a micro-economic point of view. INTRODUCTIONThe retail sector in India can broadly be classified as organized and unorganized where the share of unorganized sector is more than 93% of the total and includes the kirana stores, mom and pop stores and the ilk. The organized or modern retail sector on the other hand captures a mere 7% of the total market share. Modern retail is defined as a form of retailing whereby consumers can buy goods from a similar purchase environment across more than one physical location and operates under three levels: Specialist stores catering to some particular category of product such as footwear, pharma & beauty, food and grocery etc. classified under level I. Departmental stores that cater to a few categories of retail put under level II, and malls where we find an agglomeration of many departmental stores, hypermarkets etc – classified under level III retail. The figure 1 below shows the various players at differe nt levels of retail. Retail stores can also be classified under ‘lifestyle’, ‘value’ and ‘luxury’ formats based upon the consumer income segment they target.Figure : Players operating at different levels Figure: Organized Retail Although, the sector boasts of covering almost all the verticals, a look at the markets under different verticals shows that Organized Retail Penetration is extremely low – 2. 4 percent – for the food and grocery, which in contrast makes up for the biggest part of the total retail market. The apparels, foot wear and home decor are the major contributors under organized retail and have been prospering at a rapid pace.The figures below depict the market share and Organized Retail Penetration in different verticals. Figure: Market Share of Different Verticals in Organized Retail Source: CRISIL Figure: Organized retail penetration (%) in different verticals Source: CRISIL Retail almost accounts for around 15% of India’s GDP and thus plays an important role in determining the Indian economic indicators. Organized retail became the apple of everyone’s eye when Vishal Mega Mart profited from its operations in different parts of India.Soon, other players started with their own retail chains such as V-Mart, Big Bazaar, Subhiksha, Pantaloons et al and the market turned into a very competitive market, probably lowering the economic profits of the retailers, and consequently the situation now is that Vishal, Subhiksha and others stand nowhere compared to the biggies such as Reliance, Big Bazaar and others. The major reasons for this are the marketing mix of these brands and benefits from economies of scale. However, because a number of factors go into determining business profitability, it would not be correct to give all credit to the above mentioned factors.Let’s now look at the major player in organized retail in India. MAJOR PLAYERS The organized retail sector of India h as many domestic corporate houses competing with their ventures such as Tata’s Chroma, Reliance Trends, Reliance Fresh, Futures Pantaloons, RPG & so on. Other than these, fascinated by the Indian demographics and potential market, international players have entered through joint ventures with national players and are planning to compete for the share through such strategies.Major players along with their brands are shown below. * Landmark (books and music) * Croma(multi-brand electronics) * World of Titan (watches) * Tanishq (jewellery) * Titan Eye+ (eye wear) * Westside (lifestyle retail store) * Star Bazaar (hypermarket chain) * Fashion Yatra(family fashion store) * Central (shopping mall) * Big Bazaar (hypermarket) * Pantaloons (fashion outlet) * Blue Sky (sunglasses) * Brand Factory (multi-brand readymade garments) * KB's Fair Price (essential products) * Navaras(jewellery) Planet Store (multi-brand sports and lifestyle speciality retail) * aLL(fashion garments) * Ethnici ty (Indian ethnic wear) * Home Town (home needs), * eZone(electronics), * Furniture Bazaar (home furniture), * Electronics Bazaar(under Big Bazaar, electronics stores) * Home Bazaar (satellite version of Home Town) * Collection I (lifestyle furniture) * Gen M ; One Mobile (mobile phones) * M-Port (electronics) * Shoe Factory (footwear) * Depot (books and music) * Reliance Fresh (neighbourhood store) * Reliance Mart (supermarket) * Reliance Super (mini-mart) Reliance Digital (consumer durables and information technology) * Reliance Trends (apparel and accessories) * Reliance Wellness (health, wellness and beauty) * iStore(Apple products) * Reliance Footprint (footwear) * Reliance Jewels (jewellery) * Reliance TimeOut(books, music and entertainment) * Reliance AutoZone (automotive products and services) * Reliance Living (home ware, furniture, modular kitchens and furnishings) * Music World (music and home video store) * Books ; Beyond (book store) * Spencers (multi-format retail stor e) K RAHEJA Shoppers Stop (clothing, accessories, fragrances, cosmetics, footwear and home furnishing store) * Crossword (book store) * Inorbit Mall (fashion, lifestyle, food and entertainment) and Hyper City (hypermarket) As we can see that all major groups in India have opened up their retail stores catering to different sections of the society providing for different needs of the customers. This has resulted in a sort of monopolistic competition in organized retail market in metro and Tier 1cities owing to the large number of variants being offered to the customers.However, in Tier 2 and 3 cities there are fewer of such modern retail stores and the market situation can be compared to oligopoly, but however because of local players and unorganized retail the effects of oligopoly generally don’t show up. The presence of competitors thus affects not only the player, but the industry and the nation as whole. Let’s discuss in brief the effects of competition. COMPETITION AND RIVALRY Competition is one of the means to achieve economic efficiency.It restrains prices and encourages companies to innovate ; provide better quality of products. In the retail sector competition is driven by many factors, including variety, products, price, quality, service, location, reputation, credit and availability of retail space etc. It can broadly be classified under: 1. Competition because of Internal Factors The large number of groups in multibrand retail such as TATA, Raheja et al and also single brand established foreign players such as Adidas, Nike etc pose a threat to speedy expansion of Indian Retail. . Competition because of External Factors The organized retail industry in India is facing immense competition from the unorganized sector. Traditionally, retailing has been established in India for centuries. It is a low cost structure, mostly owner operated, has negligible real estate and labor costs and little or no taxes to pay. The unorganized retail sector constitutes over 93% of India’s total retail sector and thus, poses a serious hurdle for organized retailers.Because of the largely unorganized nature of Indian retail, inefficiencies have crept in and large number of intermediaries exists, reducing the functional and productive efficiency of the retail industry. The government in power has thus been keen to promote FDI in retail in India. Hundred percent FDI in single brand retail invited global companies for competition in the Indian retail sector. With this the companies are working with a strategy so as to be able to cater to the needs of the consumers and grow volumes by ensuring footfalls, while being able to reduce costs, withstand downturns, and face competition.Here we also see a common practise to prevent other companies from affecting the economic status quo of a country, by imposing barriers and caps on FDI, for example what has been done in multibrand retail. As of now, FDI in multibrand retail cannot exceed the specified cap which has kept global retailers such as Walmart, Carrefour et al from entering the Indian market, although they still do exist in whole sale cash and carry segment.The market structure of the modern retail is that of monopolistic competition in metros ; tier I cities which usually have hundreds of shopping alternatives including multi-brand retail outlets, single brand outlets in the shopping malls and nation-wide chains. Whereas in the tier II ; tier III cities the market structure is oligopoly in nature as they have fewer stores and somewhere only a single super centre or shopping mall. Also if we look at prices of different products in various retail outlets, we find that there is not much difference between the prices, except during periods or seasons of sale.This shows that because of the very competitive nature of modern retail, which now also includes online retail, the players are almost operating at zero economic profit, and thus don’t have much scope to offer different prices for similar products. Moreover almost all use similar technologies and processing techniques to provide the final product and thus the prices cannot be increased significantly, for fear of loss of market share. For example, Pantaloons and Westside have almost the similar brands in offering for the customer, leaving little scope for differentiation or price discrimination.Price discrimination can however happen when we compare lifestyle or luxury and value format stores, value stores charging lesser price for the same product sold at a higher price in lifestyle stores. To gain advantage in such a competitive environment major retailers have started to distinguish themselves by providing products under ‘private labels’. In India, fresh produce purchases are made more often from cart vendors who buy their stock from wholesalers. Retailers have tried to bridge the gap with direct farm procurement  eliminating middlemen and introducing  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ private labels'.They are coming up with new ideas to grab a major share of the market which is prospering (see figure below) because of the following factors: The average income of the middle class population has been increasing at a rate of around 12%, which will result in increased expenditure Increasing proportion of working women in the country Increasing population of employed youth Increasing desire for better standards of living and trends in consumer expenditure Increase in the use of plastic money Emerging markets in Tier II and Tier III citiesFigure: Sales (in million Rs. ) plotted against the financial year Source: Company official website These factors may cause a shift in the demand curve, but more number of retailers will be willing to enter and eventually the price would not be impacted much. There would, infact a gradual shift from unorganized to the organized retail. All these and a huge untapped market potential that’s locked in the unorganized retail has mo tivated modern retailers to invest heavily in marketing and advertising, to grab customer attention and retain them.ADVERTISING Promoting the modern retail brand is very important – especially in metro and Tier I cities. The retailer must strive hard to communicate the USP of the brand and help the end-users know to which brand a particular product belongs influencing the buying behavior of the customer. Not only in India, retail industry all over the world spends large amount of funds on advertising. The figure below shows comparison of expenditure by the retail sector with others on online advertising in the United StatesFigure 5: US Online Ad Spending The growth of online video ads among the brand marketers and Social networking are primary contributors to the growing market share of the retail sector. Advertising in modern retail is broadly done under the following three categories: Traditional Advertising Traditional advertising means advertising using traditional media such as TV, newspaper, radio, circulars, hoardings etc. For eg. we frequently see advertisements from major retail players such as Big Bazaar, Chroma etc in newspapers.Digital Advertising This form uses advertising using digital media. Video advertising, Mobile advertising etc are some of its examples. Alternative Offers Under this we may have guerilla marketing where the marketer may use graffiti, fliers, deal of the day type offers, groupon etc to promote or advertise the product. Website Communication or on-site communication evaluates how well retailers currently collect the kind of information that helps them localize their own communications with consumers.For this category, we evaluate two criteria: whether the retailer offers localized information about their own stores on their eCommerce site, and whether they solicit customer information – email address and mobile number, prominently on their site. The expansion of the retail sector and the creation of meta-mediarie s has provided with increasing job opportunities. JOB CREATION With a CAGR of around 14. 5% in the last five years and the bright prospects of expansion , the the no of jobs in this sector are expected to grow at a fast pace.The existing players will have to face competition from the new players and this would also lead to opening up of new stores and thereby increasing the job opportunities in the country. Shift in consumers preference from traditional stores and shops to departmental stores and hypermarkets is definitely going to put pressure on retailers to provide for adequate staff and services, thereby increasing the number of people employed and thus creating job opportunities. The rural market is home to the 46% of the rich and prosperous people of the country. Besides, these people stay in 17% of the villages of the country.The infrastructure costs in setting up retail outlets in these places are going to be lower compared to the cities. This will encourage the emergence of regional players and would again lead to creation of jobs in many regions. However, some more prospering regions or cities which have shown good growth rates will have an edge over others, even in the same state. Whatever is the case, the supply has to be met with the demand, especially when there is no dearth of labor in India and job creation is highly likely, an event when it comes to the retail sector expansion and penetration.FDI in multi-brand retail is going to be a deciding factor in creation of jobs as well. Once permitted, this will lead to aggressive competition. The entry of new players would balance the supply chain and farmers will be benefitted. If this happens, more people will be attracted towards farming, also contract farming would lead to creation of rural jobs. Moreover, entry of foreign investors is likely to shift the production possibility frontier outwards(see figure below), because they are more likely to invest in storage, supply chain and other capital g oods.Retail sector is expected to expand by leaps and bounds in the near future and this would create a lot of jobs. The advancement of technology though can also reduce the manpower required in the long run and the jobs created over a period of time may get killed. The entry of multi brand retailers may also adversely impact the local kirana walas, because they will be able to recover there fixed cost easily and gain from economies of scale. Further, because all food and grocery require very similar capital investment, they also stand to gain from economies of scope.Figure: Expansion of Production Possibility frontier (not by reducing consumption but with introduction of new technology) RECENT TRENDS Growth of Modern Retail India moved from being 10th largest economy in 1990 to 4th largest in 2010 according to Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). The growing economy has driven the growth in per capita income of Indian consumers. Indian retail sector (organized and unorganized) has grown by 14. 5% from 2006-07 to 2011-12 and is valued at $396 billion out of which 5-6% is the share of organized retail.Organized retail has had growth more than double of total retail. With the overall rise the penetration of organized retail sector has increased and is expected to grow its share to 10% by the year 2016. Changing shopping behavior Shopping behavior has changed over time, with growing urbanization there has been rise in affluence and growing attraction towards branded goods. The parameters over which modern retail has been faring better than traditional retail are product assortment and range, quality, everything under single roof model. FDI in retail FDI in Single Brand:In 2006, FDI in single brand retail was permitted to the extent of 51% which has recently been increased to 100% in Jan, 2012. There is also a mandate of sourcing of goods from local SMEs and local dealers. FDI in multi-brand sector: International retailers are allowed 100% ownership in cash ; carry whol esale trade stores. But similar initiative in multi-brand retail stores, i. e. allowing 51% FDI has been met by widespread rejection and has been put on hold. Online Retailing Online retailing is gaining popularity in India with growing penetration of internet.It is expected that online retail will triple in size by 2014-15. It will be dominated by branded, low ticket size, easily transportable, lifestyle products and books. Flipkart and Yebhi. com have already established themselves as major players in this segment in the Indian market. Challenges posed by recent developments Indian government intended to bring 51% FDI in multi-retail sector but due to its widespread opposition, it has not been approved yet. This has put entry of world’s leading retail chain in Indian market. A lot has been said about possible loss of potential job and infrastructure development due to this.Besides that the suggested provision of sourcing from local SMEs is also proving to be a deterrent. IN DIA AND THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET The graph below shows India’s status wiz a wiz status of organized retail in other countries. It can be observed that India still has a long way to go if it wants to increase the share of organized retail in the retail market. Figure: Organized retail as a percentage of total retail in different countries Source: CRISIL In the second half of the 20th century, many countries opened up there markets for Organized Retail and some also opened for multi-brand retail.There were some countries who felt a positive impact of the same, China is one such example; while there were others such as Uk which were adversely affected. India should also proceed with implementing FDI in multi-brand retail in phases, looking for any drawbacks, before it opens up fully. REFERENCES CRISIL Research, http://crisil. com/research/list-of-industries. html# Dun and BradStreet, http://www. dnb. co. in/IndianRetailIndustry/overview. asp Indian retail News, http://www. india retailnews. com/ Tata group official website, http://www. tata. com/company/profile. aspx? ectid=oH90Rc8X7Dg= Croma retail, http://www. cromaretail. com/ FDI in Retail, http://cci. gov. in/images/media/ResearchReports/FDI%20in%20Indian%20Retail%20Sector%20Analysis%20of%20Competition%20in%20Agri-Food%20Sector. pdf Futures group Official website, http://futuresgroup. com/ BIBLIOGAPHY Economics by Samuelson and Nordhaus ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Lifestyle formats include departmental stores and specialty stores [ 2 ]. Value formats include supermarkets and hypermarkets [ 3 ]. Retailers can use price differentiation to gain from the consumer surplus [ 4 ].Private  labels or private  brands  Ã‚  are the brands that are owned and sold by  Ã‚  retailers at their stores   and are typically  priced lower  (5-15 percent)   as compared to  the existing  brands. [ 5 ]. These factors will result in a shift of demand curve to the right [ 6 ]. Source: CRISIL [ 7 ]. Organised retail penetration expected to cross 10 per cent by 2016-17 [ 8 ]. In such cities, the number of market players is very large forming a monopolistic market, brand positioning thus becomes very important to create great brand recall value. [ 9 ]. Unique Selling Proposition [ 10 ]. Opened up multi brand retail in phases.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

PhD Finance - Effects of Corporate Governance Assignment

PhD Finance - Effects of Corporate Governance - Assignment Example 55), most of these techniques are implemented by organizations since they believe that they add value to the overall organization. According to, good corporate governance entails a much more soporific structure aimed at improving the process of decision making whilst creating appropriate avenues for shareholder’s engagement (American Law Institute, 1997, p. 272). Therefore, the concept of good corporate governance does not merely entail the creation of a governance structure or decision making. There are a number of good corporate governance techniques that an organization can adopt in a bid to increase the firm’s value. These techniques may include analyzing and disclosing the various risks facing the organization, choosing and compensating the management team, enabling the shareholders to vote on board elections and efficiently dealing with employee and management compensation issues (Tully, 2005, p. 18). Implementing these techniques will not only boost the employees’ morale to work at full efficiency but also enable the investors to be optimistic in terms of the investment returns. Whereas the practices of good corporate governance may vary from one organization to another, there is developing agreement on what the various ideal practices of good corporate governance are. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), has come up with an ideal good corporate governance model that can be adopted by organizations (Goldin & Reinert, 2012, p. 261). However, apart from this model, many organizations have developed good corporate governance models which can be adopted by other companies thereby enabling them to maximize their firm’s value. Therefore, the models of good corporate governance are significant in the general performance of the organization since they create a highway of value maximization. American Law

Friday, September 27, 2019

Aristotelian theory of virtueand the rule of the golden mean Essay

Aristotelian theory of virtueand the rule of the golden mean - Essay Example This essay discusses that these are the reasons why Categorical Imperative requires choosing the option to help the roommate, notwithstanding that it may influence the results of the crucially important life-changing test. Mill’s Utilitarianism is based on the claim that people should act in accordance with what will make them happier and bring as much utility as possible. However, moral actions in this context are those that would also make other people happier and reduce the overall amount of unhappiness. Thus the moral doctrine, in general, proclaims looking for a compromise that would satisfy both a person and the other person who needs help. In the given situation, it is important to find a solution that would allow me to sleep enough and not to fail the test and help the friend to get home safe. Driving the friend home myself can affect my test score, which would not bring me any utility; although living my friend alone in such situation would not only be bad for him but also would make me think of what an immoral person I am, which turns out to be bad for me as well. Thus the best compromise in this situation is probably to call a taxi and pay the driver to bring my friend home. While the taxi would be delivering the roommate, I would be able to keep sleeping, so I wouldn’t fail the exam of my life. Therefore this compromising decision would both help my friend and allow me to get some sleep which is required to succeed on the exam, which is of crucial importance and can’t be failed whatsoever.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Freedom, I Write Your Name Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Freedom, I Write Your Name - Essay Example Some of libertarians uphold the perspectives of economist Friedrich August von Hayek. Hayek concluded that the rules of conduct in a society are evolving, that they survive because they are useful and help that society survive. To his mind, the free market had survived the test of time, in that most successful societies were market based in some way. Hayek considered free market capitalism to be superior to other economic systems because it handles human ignorance by passing information in coded form through the price mechanism, which indicates areas where profits could be made and resources efficiently used. Additionally, it allocates resources without being predicated on any specific objectives or assuming what the objectives of individual people are. It also facilitates freedom, in that for it to work there need to be rules demarcating â€Å"protected domains† for each person, where no other has the right to interfere. This facilitation manifests in private property rights. Hayek viewed strong property rights and the free market as the best way of protecting liberty. But, Hayek did not argue for the total abolishment of tax, or even that it should be restricted to law enforcement and defense. Hayek thought taxes, levied rightly, could be used for welfare—a kind of â€Å"bleeding heart libertarianism†Ã¢â‚¬â€or to provide certain goods which the market might fail to adequately supply. However, in practice Hayek believed it would hardly ever be necessary to use taxes in this way.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Human Resource Management of Utiliscan Limited Essay

Human Resource Management of Utiliscan Limited - Essay Example In relation to the study the company which has been selected is Utiliscan Limited, a number one division in the United Kingdom that provides site investigations, safe digging solutions, and specialized drilling services. Notably, the majority of the company’s employees are programmers and engineers who are responsible for designing and installing proprietary software that regulate and track electricity and gas pipelines. Additionally, Utiliscan limited only employs devilish best, highly experienced surveyors to work in their fields and to utilize their current and state of the art equipment. The company is wholly owned by subsidiary adp Group Limited. However, it is management separately and provides services of drilling and vacuum excavation. The umbrella company under which Utiliscan was founded, adp Group Ltd, has lasted for twenty-seven years; historically in partnership and not as a limited company. The adp Group Ltd had been operating in numerous ventures including agric ulture and civil engineering before it ventured or diversified it service provision to site investment, surveying trade, and Vacuum Excavation that led to the birth of Utiliscan. The Utiliscan has its base in the south west of England, and its regional office is found in Southern France. The adp is committed in providing and fulfilling the society’s various needs in Topographical, Utility and Land Surveying, Diamond Coring, Environment and Borehole Drilling, Hydro and Pneumatic Vacuum Excavation requirements. However, with the current expansion of the company, the company has indulged into some new and demanding ventures; thus, it has been experiencing new demands of the services delivery. This has led to a rising needs of hiring new experts into the firm. For instance, the company has currently ventured in the sales of equipment, particularly within the entre western east of Europe and United Kingdom. Some of the equipment being sold by Utiliscan includes its sales of Vector Vacuums in the Western Europe and Air Spade in the United Kingdom. Additionally, it has specialized in sales, hire, and safe service delivery in all digging equipment. The company has achieved it objectives and goals because of its qualified workforce in its different fields. The company has qualified surveyors, drillers, operators, mechanics, engineers, managers, and directors from varied backgrounds. These experts have boosted the company to its vast knowledge, especially within its service sector. Therefore, the company is actually capable of providing standardized work and services in an effective, smoother, cleaner, quicker, effectively, and in a safer manner. Therefore, it can effectively help other constructors in achieving the same goals in the same zero strike record it has ever enjoyed. Notably, according to the research that was carried by the company’s former Director of Hr., Paul, it is apparent that the company had many problems that needed immediate attention. The analysis of the research indicated that not all of the employees were satisfied by the services offered by the organization. However, the size of the company may make it a little bit difficult for the management to find an amicable solution for the identified problems. Nonetheless, it would be particularly vital for the Utiliscan management to correct the already identified problems soonest to improve the rational, morale, and the performance of the employees. The initial step that was to be taken by the management has already by Paul. That is, he has already identified the existing problem in the company that may affect the performance of the company. The serious problems that are affecting the employees include fear of safety, dead end job, lack of incentives, lack of continued education, and profits that the employees deemed below average. Since the problems that are affecting the employees have been identified, it is; therefore, vital for the managemen

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Role of government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Role of government - Essay Example In the 19th century, the government had little concern about the economy of the country. The government only ensured that its people had sufficient food and basic necessities (Zeckhauser and Leebaert 84). However, current governments are concerned with the improvement of the economy. The government takes the responsibility of funding projects that will benefit the citizens an also generate income to the nation. Unlike the olden governments, the current government also invests in other nations so that the country has a larger income. The government facilitates international trade that has an economic benefit for the nation. The changes have come as a result of the economic competition between countries and the desire for development. The government protects the rights of all people regardless of their race or gender. Current governments are focused on gender and race equalities and hence the laws that are developed and enforced have a lot of respect for gender and race equality. This has come up as a result of modernization and evolvement of cultures. The government plays a vital role in enforcing rights and freedoms of its citizens. The governments of the 19th century favored the natives, but the situation has long changed due to the pressures for equality. The modern governments are very helpful in preparation for disasters and offer a lot of help when natural disasters hit (Zeckhauser and Leebaert 171). The current governments have implemented programs and set up departments that deal with natural disasters. Through such departments, the government is able to help its people during disasters. The situation was different during the 19 century since technology levels were low, and the government roles were not well defined. Programs such as the FEMA have been developed specifically to ply for the needs of the citizens during disasters. The government has made an improvement in its role in the medical and education sectors. In the past, the role

Monday, September 23, 2019

Crime Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Crime - Research Paper Example It is vital to maintain the devices used to commit the crime as evidence when reporting electronic crimes. How can one protect him or herself or their family against e-crime? By educating themselves on basic online safety through recommended websites (Ghosh & Turinni 291). Individuals can also educate their families about online safety. Individuals can also set up basic protection against malware such spyware and anti-viruses. Are e-crimes punishable by jail time? If found guilty of a cyber-crime by the court, one is probable to get punished through jail time. Sentences for cyber-crimes are getting tougher by the day and cyber-crime attorneys are increasingly finding it challenging to defend their parties. Most cyber-crimes sentences get served in months, however depending on the degree of the crime, the accused may receive years in jail time. What methods get used to detect e-crime? There is no single, clear cut method of detecting cyber-crimes. E-crimes get detected by chance. There are informal methods such as regular audit of the systems, looking for mistakes, and the use of government agencies such as the police or IRS to detect the crime. What is computer forensics? Computer forensics refers to a form of forensic science that involves legal analysis of evidence located in electronic devices or computers (Ghosh & Turinni 232). Computer forensics helps to discover the actual cause of a computer system malfunction. It may also get used by professionals to determine situations where individuals may have unlawfully used a computer or network with the intention of hacking or harming a computer

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Walmart and Ethics Article Summary Essay Example for Free

Walmart and Ethics Article Summary Essay The article was acquired from http://knowledge. wharton. upenn. edu/article. cfm? articleid=2999, titled Everyone’s Problem: Looking Beyond the Wal-Mart Bribery Case. This is article’s purpose is to show how common bribing of public officials is using Wal-Mart’s case as an example. Wal-Mart is still having issues building up their ethical perception to the public. They had many shareholders investing in Mexico and these shareholders wanted answers on why the bribery was overlooked by upper management. The article gives many examples of countries that regularly participate in acts of some kind of bribery or countries where it is socially accepted. Many researchers believe this bribery is hard to track because people won’t speak up and most activity happens under the table. However, ‘Shaun Donnelly, vice president of investment and financial services at the United States Council for International Business, a New York City-based nonprofit, says that â€Å"the trend is in the positive direction. The public sentiment is that bribery is not an acceptable way to do business. † ‘(1) On the other side of things William s. Laufer, Wharton Professor of legal studies in business ethics, thinks that even with increased FCPA enforcement that acts of bribery of public officials is still on the rise. In the case of Wal-Mart the only excuse to remotely explain these acts would be the difference in culture, and what is and is not socially expectable. This article argues that corporate political influence can increase acts of bribery. The authors of this article used appropriate examples and sources for their facts, and the quotes throughout the article were from people with prestige. I enjoyed this article and as a publisher I would print because it brings about factual evidence supporting a claim that there is an unseen uprising in bribery involving public officials. I believe a point was reached in that the case of Wal-Mart was used as example of corporate political influence. The author backed up his main idea with showing how common bribery among public officials is and the influence a big corporation can have on a countries government. This article does lack some evidence from the corporation’s point of view. The article could contain quotes and/or opinions from corporations themselves or top management. There probably is some other evidence out there countering that bribery on the corporation level is not abused so often. However, this article flaws are covered up by a strong main idea and conclusion. This article is very sound in that has factual evidence and quotes to back up a main idea that uses Wal-Mart as its main example.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Mining Excellence at Redmond Minerals Essay Example for Free

Mining Excellence at Redmond Minerals Essay The HR department now must attain and evaluate each employee contributions to the company on a scale relevant to their position. This is where a high performance work system comes in to play which creates the best possible fit between their employee social system and their equipment technical system. This function of having a high performance work system is based on the reliance of knowledge workers, the empowerment of employees to make decisions, and the use of team work. The HRM practice has to incorporate various measures to create outlets for performance management, training, work design, and compensation to demonstrate the importance for successful output. This in turn allows HRM to focus on the strategy of the company putting emphasis growth and efficiency; allowing the department to implement total quality management practices. Those practices consist of methods and processes that are designed to meet the needs of internal and external customers, every employee in the organization receives quality training, quality is designed into a product or service so that errors are prevented from occurring rather than being detected and corrected in an error-prone product or service, the organization promotes cooperation with vendors/suppliers/and customers to improve quality and hold costs down, and managers measure progress with feedback based on data. (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, Wright, 2009, p. 7) This practice is also parallel to the reengineering of the company new product focus plan, instead of focusing low costs and low prices the focus became concentrated on unique products which catered to a unique target market of consumers. This will prompt the HR department to help design and implement change so that all employees will be committed to the success of the reengineered organization. This may require addition al training for the new restructuring of their new product line and will give everyone an opportunity to feel comfortable with the new way of operation. Suggestions for Internet Improvements At the organizational level, a successful Human Resources Development program prepares the individual to undertake a higher level of work, â€Å"organized learning over a given period of time, to provide the possibility of performance change† (Nadler 1984). In these settings, Human Resources Development is the framework that focuses on the organizations competencies at the first stage, training, and then developing the employee, through education, to satisfy the organizations long-term needs and the individuals’ career goals and employee value to their present and future employers. Human Resources Development can be defined simply as developing the most important section of any business its human resource by attaining or upgrading employee skills and attitudes at all levels to maximize enterprise effectiveness. The people within an organization are its human resource. Human Resources Development from a business perspective is not entirely focused on the individual’s growth and development, â€Å"development occurs to enhance the organizations value, not solely for individual improvement. Individual education and development is a tool and a means to an end, not the end goal itself†. (Elwood F. Holton II, James W. Trott Jr Journal of Vocational and Technical Education, Vol. 12, No. 2, p7). The broader concept of national and more strategic attention to the development of human resources is beginning to emerge as newly independent countries face strong competition for their skilled professionals and the accompanying brain-drain they experience. If I was tapped for the job of HR Specialist, three ideas that I would suggest in utilizing the internet for HRM would be to use a â€Å"human resource information system† which a computer system used to acquire, store, manipulate, analyze, retrieve, and distribute information related to an organizations human resource. I would also suggest an electronic human resource management application which allows employees to enroll and participate in training programs online, as well as elect benefits packages and read company news. Another aspect to include the technological aspect of HR would be for the basis of record keeping and information sharing. I would implement a â€Å"self service† which means employees have online access to info about HR such as training, compensation, and contracts. My ideas support Roberts’s ideas of running the company because he took on the responsibility of making his employees a priority. He understood the makeup of the niche company and the important resourced asset that will differentiate his product line from his competitors. His ability to be receptive to suggestions from his employees along with giving them the ability to be empowered in their position shows trust in his employees attributes that they will positively add to the success of the company. By creating an open growth focused atmosphere it will stimulate productivity and allow creative ideas to be a foundation for present and future employees to stand on. Willingness to Change From the reading the original owners felt that empowering their employees as a risky move so their stockholding shares were sold to Robert. I believe that Robert’s strategy prompted change and realizing that in order to accomplish goals of the company that his people must be in the forefront. People are your most important asset, because technology, products, and structures can be copied by competitors. No one can match highly charged motivated people that care about the operation of your business and talented creative human capital is the prime ingredient for organizational success. Before within the company it appeared as if the employees under previous management were overworked and underappreciated which caused for lack of growth and stagnated direction overall. By understanding the attitudes of your employees and presenting an atmosphere that is conclusive to the strengthening of a positive work related environment your customers will ultimately reap the benefits and will be the basis for customer retention. The more top management wants an internal commitment from its employees, the more it must involve employees in defining work objectives, specifying how to achieve them and how they will be rewarded and recognized once attained. Reference Noe, R. , Hollenbeck, J. , Gerhart, B. , ; Wright, P. (2009). Trends in Human Resource Management. In J. Weimeister (Ed. ), Fundamentals of Human Resource Management (p. 36). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.