Alpha Tyre Essay Example

Alpha Tyre Essay Example Alpha Tyre Essay Alpha Tyre Essay Alpha Tyre Company Case is intended to be a part of instruction material developed for teaching at a Marketing class in Business Schools. Alpha is not a real company – any resemblance to a real corporation is co-incidental. Case facts are for discussion only and are not intended to be a demonstrator of correct or incorrect handling of management situation. Alpha Tyre Company (ALPHA) is engaged in the manufacture and sale of car tyres. Most of ALPHA’s business is conducted primarily through the OE (Original Equipment) route, selling to automobile manufacturers such as Maruti, Hyundai, Tata, Honda, Toyota and Hindustan Motors. The company has a strong presence in the OE market and it wants to protect its dominance in this space. However, ALPHA is lagging behind in the replacement market with minimal brand recall in the market place. In the overall tyre market, ALPHA has a small share since it specializes in car tyres only. The big Indian players in the market like MRF, CEAT and JK wield a wide range of tyres – for two-wheelers, three-wheelers, cars, utility vehicles, and commercial vehicles i. e. trucks and buses. The company’s new CEO, who has recently been brought in from a Consumer Durables company, fears that a low brand recall in the replacement market would adversely affect their OE market share and therefore wants to develop a growth strategy to expand the company’s replacement market share. The Marketing department at ALPHA did not have a consistent and researched understanding of what drove tyre sales and how customers went about buying car tyres. Past research findings by ALPHA on consumer preferences have been sketchy and market information has been collected on ad-hoc basis. There is no evidence of any extensive study conducted on consumers and most of the theories going around in the company are based on hunches and ‘gut-feel’. Various strategies were used in the past to reach the customer target groups. The tyre-dealers were targeted through a rigourous sales process along with target-based schemes. Mechanics and Car Service Stations were reached through direct schemes. Mass Media and PR were used to communicate with end users. The Sales department has a different approach on what needs to be done in the replacement market – they believe that pushing the product with better dealer margins is the way to go and that the Marketing department is wasting time with Positioning and Brand Building. The quality of tyres is judged, among other factors, on the wear rate of the tyre, which was measured with a calibration device after certain specified usage intervals. ALPHA has a modern tyre testing lab and most of their tyres compare well vis-a-vis their competition in lab tests and road tests conducted by the company. To formulate a marketing strategy, Alpha needs to understand – a) What drives each type of customer to buy a particular brand of tyres. b) Each type of influencer that impacts a brand. c) The relative impact of customers and influencers on sales. d) What cues a good tyre and a good tyre company e) The gaps in the Strength and Weaknesses of its brand vis-a-vis the competition in the OE business and in the replacement market. You are doing your internship at Alpha tyres and the Senior VP of Marketing and Sales has asked you to build a marketing and sales plan†¦

Book Review Louis Harlans edited edition of Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington essays

Book Review Louis Harlan's edited edition of Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington essays Booker T. Washington's body of work, study, and his life as a whole, as most notably encompassed within the text his own autobiography, entitled, Up From Slavery, is often set against the live of W.E.B. Du Bois. As noted by the scholar Louis T. Harlan, conventional wisdom holds that Booker T. Washington advocated a fairly conservative point of view, regarding the place of African-Americans in American society, in contrast to Du Bois's advocacy of immediate political as well as economic equality for the races of America. Booker T. Washington's ethos of putting down one's bucket' where one stood, as an African American, is seen as fundamentally conciliatory to white society, rather than offering a potentially liberating point of view to America's community of oppressed African Americans. Blacks under the tyranny of Jim Crow's de facto segregation, or even the de jure educational and economic segregation of the North, were hungry not simply for economic advancement, but for political and spiritual justice. By over-focusing on economics, as opposed to integrated education and justice and intellectual advancement, Washington is said to have sold himself short, as well as his people. (Historians in their understanding of Washington's life quite deliberately However, Washington was a far more complex individual than this initial gloss might allow. Louis Harlan's introduction to Washington's life is particular important not simply because Harlan offers a comprehensive reading of an important figure in American history and African American history. Harlan is the author of a biography of Washington, and his reading of Washington's life is important for the redemptive reading he offers of a figure so frequently misread by history and even by African Americans today, intent upon finding a scapegoat for the lack of advancement for individuals within the community during the f...

Security Issue s In Ecommerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Security Issue s In Ecommerce - Essay Example acy of result, frankness and convenience of payment processes, loss of collateral information, globalisation, and rise of new commerce models (Laudon & Traver, 2008). Small firms seek to venture into ecommerce with the main aim of increasing revenue through reaching new markets and winning more clients. Ecommerce will enable the small business shorten procurement cycles through the use of on-line cataloguing, checking and payment, gain access to global markets at a smaller portion of traditionalcosts, ensure product, marketing information and prices are always up to date, allow them to compete with large businesses over a common platform, and increase sales opportunities. In addition, ecommerce will enable these small firms ease the audits they conduct on their systems because electronic data is easier to audit. It will also enable them reach out to clients in remote areas, and ensure the goods are available 24/7 for anyone to purchase. This will surely lead to increased generation of revenues. As we all know, fraudsters would aim on the big firms in the ecommerce business. Their enormousconsumer base is like mouth-watering bait for fraudsters. That may safe to think, however, it has been a big misconception.While the aim of fraudsters is to access money, they are not aiming at big ecommerce stores. They go for the small companies for the key reason that smaller e-commerce sites appear to have disregarded one important element – strict security measures. The easy access to critical information and the susceptibility of security systems trap these fraudsters to these smaller stores that are engaging into ecommerce. Campbell et al (2010, p.37) estimates that 90 per cent of credit card safety compromises in the ecommerce industry originate from Level 4 Merchants (ecommerce websites that process fewer than 1 million total card payment dealings and less than 20,000 ecommerce dealings in a year. As a small business, it is important to understand the reasons that

Incarceration Rates in Juvenile Offenders Essay

Incarceration Rates in Juvenile Offenders - Essay Example are all strongly linked to the drug business. The Juvenile Justice System is the legal system responsible for looking after cases involving the minors. The system came into being in 1899 in the US policy so that the young people can understand the effects of their actions, and comprehend the irreversible reality of committing a criminal act. The other reason that the Juvenile Justice System was formed was because of the peril youth faced in the adult prison. Young offenders were at a great risk of being molested at the hands of adult criminals and committing suicide. Those children who end up in adult institutions, however, have it worst of all. Children in any adult institution are more vulnerable and more likely to be exploited as the Amnesty report says that they are eight times more likely to commit suicide, five times more likely to be raped, and thrice more likely to be crushed by workers than are kids in juvenile confinements. (Amnesty, 1998) America's juvenile justice system is there to keep its nationals safe and guiding delinquent youth on the right track. Fulfilling these two major responsibilities has put the policymakers and public in general, in a tight spot; as in which of the two aims should receive the most weightage, and thus, funding. (Juvenile Justice) In a stark contrast to the bas... (Mears 2006).The 1990s saw legislatures across the country enact laws under which an increasing number of delinquents could be tried in criminal courts and sent to prison. In almost every state of the US, youths aged 13 or 14 (or less) can be prosecuted and punished as adults for a broad range of offenses, even including nonviolent crimes. Even within the juvenile system, punishments have grown progressively crueler. Amnesty's findings say that there are 200,000 children per year are prosecuted in general criminal courts, and approximately 7,000 of those children locked up in jails before trial. Over 11,000 delinquents are presently being imprisoned in adult correctional facilities (Amnesty International 1998). State Level Variation Though an exponential increase in juvenile incarcerations, little thought has been given to the inter-state variations. According to Mears in his Prison Journal (2006) these are four possible reasons: First, expenditure in juvenile incarceration would be greater where symbolic intimidations to social order are pretty high. Second, it would be more in those states where crime rate, especially juvenile violent crime, is high. Third, juvenile incarceration would imitate those deemed appropriate for adult offenders; so the states with higher adult incarceration rates may incarcerate more juveniles. Finally, if the juvenile incarcerations are culturally accepted then it would lead to higher rates of juvenile incarceration. Public Opinion Matters This trend can be attributed to the public concern about the threat of youth after highly publicized crimes such as school shootings etc. But the fact is that the assorted opinion surveys which have

GIS applications and Juvenile crimes in Philadelphia Research Paper

GIS applications and Juvenile crimes in Philadelphia - Research Paper Example team with necessary information that not only assists in the detection of the crime but at times might also prevent the occurrence of several crimes (Johnson). The present study focuses on the application of the GIS for the decrease of juvenile crimes occurring in Philadelphia and thus, tries to determine whether the use of GIS might enable such crimes to reduce. The study of the juvenile crimes in Philadelphia was significantly considered by Kempf-Leonard along with other researchers who have derived that the juvenile crimes in the city are equally of severe concern for the government and the public as there are high rates of adult crimes. This study has also thrown light on the proportions of the male and female delinquents who were caught as offenders. The studies reflected that many of these juvenile offenders were found to have contacts with the adult criminals. While there were some others who were not associated with severe offenses and were not in touch with adult criminals. Among the males who were considered in the study of age below 18 years, it was found that around 51 percent of them were serious offenders, 26 percent were violent in nature, 23 percent were chronic delinquents, 21 percent were both serious and chronic, and 14 percent were violent as well as chronic. Among the females in the study, serious offenders constituted a round 17 percent, 7 percent were violent offenders, 7 percent of them were chronic in their behavior, 4 percent were serious and chronic, and 2 percent were violent as well as chronic (Howell, 62-63). The above mentioned cases of juvenile crimes also reflect on their encounters with the police and the investigation teams. The incidents varied from theft to murder, and arrests had taken place in several of these cases, while in others the offender had not been taken into custody. The study also obtained that those groups of delinquents who were serious and chronic, and those who were violent and chronic reflected higher

IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force): Protocol Engineering

IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force): Protocol Engineering The IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force): The protocol engineering and development arm of the Internet    I chose this working group because I had not been aware of its existence and wanted to learn more about it. I am very familiar with the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) from various research projects over the years that I have been required to complete for other Strayer class assignments. (Rouse, M 2017) IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) Retrieved from: http://searchsoa.techtarget.com/definition/IETF writes: The IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) is the body that defines standard Internet operating protocols such as TCP/IP. The IETF is supervised by the Internet Society Internet Architecture Board (IAB). IETF members are drawn from the Internet Societys individual and organization membership. Standards are expressed in the form of Requests for Comments (RFCs). Simply put, as it is written: (Alvestrand, H. 2004) Network Working Group Request for Comments: 3935 Retrieved from: https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3935.txt: The goal of the IETF is to make the Internet work better. The mission of the IETF is to produce high quality, relevant technical and engineering documents that influence the way people design, use, and manage the Internet in such a way as to make the Internet work better. These documents include protocol standards, best current practices, and informational documents of various kinds. The Need of the IEEE 802 Standard for Networking The IEEE 802 Standards for Networking are needed to ensure compatibility for network devices and it also simplifies networking product development. The standard makes the comparing of competing vendor products easy to understand and spurs product development. I believe that it establishes protocols that can be globally adopted and these can be applied across many markets that encourage international trade, key especially today in the global landscape business wise. Standards make it easier for new products to be developed and the markets for these products verifiable. The IEEE 802 Standards for Networking addresses the Data Link and Physical layers of the OSI (Open System Interconnection) networking reference model. Standards Organizations Overview Organization IEEE ISO ANSI Purpose The IEEE Standards Association defines such wireless technologies as Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15.1) and WiFi (802.11) International Organization for Standardization American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Other Information 802.11 Standards for wireless LANs 802.1- Standards and recommended practices for: 802 LAN/MAN architecture, internetworking among 802 LANs, MANs, and other wide area networks, 802 overall network management, and protocol layers above the MAC and LLC layers. One important area of standardization deals with the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) communications architecture and the standards at each layer of the OSI networking reference model. a private, non-profit organization. that administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment system. Data communications and networking. ANSI coordinates the U.S. voluntary consensus standards system, providing a neutral forum for the development of policies on standards issues and serves as a watchdog for standards development and conformity assessment programs and processes. Important for communication technology? Yes and I would surmise most important for communication technology since the standards created by the IEEE 802 are also adopted by the other two organizations listed in this table Yes Yes The Need for a Federal Regulating Body of Standards (Such as NIST) The National Institute of Standards and Technology was created in 1901 and it is now part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The agency was created by Congress to ensure that the U.S. Industrial infrastructure was competitive with those of the United Kingdom, Germany, and other countries. The creation of NIST and other Federal standardization bodies are beneficial in several ways. I believe that they provide product safety, ensure competitiveness, provide consumer protection, and also can act as a means of compliance. In my opinion these standards also are of benefit to the U.S. marketplace and the ability of consumers to switch to other competing products if they are dissatisfied with their initial choice. Federal Standards act as guidelines that all businesses can and should follow and with Federal Standards in place, there can also be mechanisms established that punish those that try to operate not in the best interest of the U.S. or its citizens. Federal Regulating Body of Stand ards can provide the following benefits: Product Safety and reliability Business benefits: provide a solid foundation to develop new technologies Encourage innovation Provides Consumer choice, new features and options References Alvestrand, H. (2004) Network Working Group Request for Comments: 3935 Retrieved from: https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3935.txt Rouse, M (2016) IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Retrieved from: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/IEEE-Institute-of-Electrical-and-Electronics- Engineers Rouse, M (2017) IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) Retrieved from: http://searchsoa.techtarget.com/definition/IETF Stallings, W (2009) Standards Organizations Retrieved from: http://www.box.net/shared/9dtnzvwys8/1/15730219/164146343/1 Child Health Case Study: Acute Otitis Media Child Health Case Study: Acute Otitis Media Michael-Jon Rosslee Child Health Portfolio Case General Information Report: Infant between 1-6 months of age Sex: Female Age: 4 months CDC: Grassy Park Disease Narrative A 4-month-old girl, was brought into Grassy Park Community Day Clinic (CDC) by her mother, who was concerned that she was pulling and touching her ears more than usual for the past two days. Mrs X had taken her to visit a private doctor two weeks prior due to a runny nose but she has otherwise been well since. The child now, in addition to presenting with ear problems, is more irritable and restless than normal and is waking at night from ear pain resulting in Mrs X to seek health care for her daughter. She does not have any discharge from her ear or associated fever and Mrs X has not attempted any form of treatment of the ear infection with home or over the counter remedies. Mrs X, who works as a caterer in Kingsbury hospital, feared for her daughters health after having seen other children with ear infections display similar signs and wanted to ensure that the problem was seen to by a medical health professional as soon as possible. This is the first time this set of symptoms has occurred, and, other than the visit to the private doctor, the road to health card and mother both indicate the child is growing well and is is a happy healthy child. As both the childs parents work during the day time, she is looked after by a friend of Mrs X, who, in affectionate terms, is termed a day mother by the family. Health System Experience Mrs X luckily has experienced health care from both the public and private health care system, with the choice of health care service dictated by many factors such as illness, time available and finances. On reflection she notes she is happy with the health care service provided by both the private and public system, but further goes on to say that within the private health care system it seems that the doctors and nurses go further in providing all round health care, whereas in the public system it seems they just do the minimum in treatment in order to move patients along. As a result, she enjoys the experience more within the private health care system than that of the public healthcare system. Mrs X does go on to note that at Grassy Park CDC appointment times and quick queues have made the experience better and under normal circumstances, Mrs X would have been able to arrive at the specified time for the appointment and not have to wait too long to be seen. In contrast, today, Mrs X arrived at the clinic at 9H00 without an appointment and would have otherwise waited for an extended period of time had not the medical students seen to her and her child. Mrs X notes this as an isolated incidence in not having an appointment. The students performed a general examination which included weight, length, MUAC as well as a specific systemic examination of the ENT in order to investigate the complaint of an ear infection. Generally, Mrs X also further goes on to note, the positive attitudes of the health care workers who; always give you the full information, ensure that she is kept abreast of all the developments in regard to her daughters health and enquire after her health and the context of the family. This has resulted in Mrs X perceiving a high quality of care received from the CDC. Lastly, she made a call for more sisters, nurses and doctors, as, although there is a high quality of care, she feels that as a result more patients could be helped and cared for at the CDC. Family and Financial Cost Both Mr and Mrs X both work full time, thus having to take the child to the CDC or private doctor for a health issue is a burden on their capacity to earn and support their family. Nonetheless, Mrs X feels that it is worth the cost in her time as she wants to be in the consultation with her child, as then she knows what is wrong with her and how best to treat it. Financially, attending a private doctor is only done when necessary, which is in contrast to the public health care system where the care is cheaper/free but can sometimes spend longer waiting and thus not earning money due to the time taken off work. Thereby, it seems it is a cost-benefit problem for the family as both Mr and Mrs X get paid monthly, they cannot absorb unexpected costs. The family is otherwise under no heavy financial burden and receive no grant. Mrs X notes a good value of service received from the CDC and is always able to make time and money available for the small expenses required in the caring for of h er daughter. Preventable-Promotional Aspects The child was confirmed to have an acute ear infection and preventable and promotional aspects of her care thereafter can be seen in three dimensions, mainly; downstream, midstream and upstream measures. Upstream and midstream measures would simply consist of general education and health promotion targeted towards carers of infants in order to allow them to care for/prevent ear infections in infants themselves and what danger signs warrant the seeking of medical attention. Downstream would consist of treating the acute ear infection. Amoxicillin and Paracetamol syrup were prescribed and the mother health promoted on administration of medication, bottle hygiene, the Vitamin A and deworming schedule, and to return if danger signs noted. Mrs X is aware of general ear care with regard to; not using ear buds to clean her daughters ears, not placing foreign objects within the ear canal, but is otherwise not aware or any ameliorating factors that may have prevented the ear infection in the first place. Upon further discussion, it is noted that when washing her daughters head, the ear does become submerged in the bath water and water does enter the ear canal which does worry Mrs X. Health education to alleviate the worry was conducted. Pathophysiology Acute otitis media is a common ear infection among infants where parts of the middle ear become infected and swollen with fluid build-up and entrapment behind the tympanic membrane. Signs and symptoms of acute otitis media can vary but usually consist of ear pain/tugging or pulling at the ears, trouble sleeping, ear discharge, restlessness. It aetiology is usually bacterial in nature and is often preceded by/associated with a sore throat or upper respiratory tract infection. Children and infants are more predisposed to acute otitis media due to the fact that the Eustachian tubes are smaller and more horizontal than in adults. This facilitates tracking up of bacteria and decreased drainage of fluid from the ear even in normal circumstances. Local inflammation of the Eustachian tube and inner ear can cause blockage and thereby further encourage fluid build-up within the middle ear. Diagnosis is made by history and findings on general and ENT examination. Treatment consists of; an antibiotic (usually Amoxicillin), an analgaesic such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, a follow-up visit 5 days later and health promotion on general aspects of infant/child health such as immunisations and Vitamin A administration. Research Articles Kilpi T, Ahman H, Jokinen J, Lankinen K, Palmu A, Savolainen H et al. Protective efficacy of a second pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against pneumococcal acute otitis media in infants and children: randomized, controlled trial of a 7-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide-meningococcal outer membrane protein complex conjugate vaccine in 1666 children. Clin Infec Dis. 2003;37(9):1155-1164. Del Mar C, Glasziou P, Hayem M. Are antibiotics indicated as initial treatment for children with acute otitis media? A meta-analysis. BMJ. 1997;314(7093):1526-1526.

Homer & The Odyssey :: essays research papers

Homer, name traditionally assigned to the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, the two major epics of Greek antiquity. Nothing is known of Homer as an individual, and in fact it is a matter of controversy whether a single person can be said to have written both the Iliad and the Odyssey. Linguistic and historical evidence, however, suggests that the poems were composed in the Greek settlements on the west coast of Asia Minor sometime in the 8th century BC. Both epics are written in an elaborate style, using language that was too impersonal and formal for ordinary discourse. The metrical form is dactylic hexameter (see Versification). Stylistically no real distinction can be made between the two works. Since antiquity, however, many readers have believed that they were written by different people. The Iliad deals with passions, with insoluble dilemmas. It has no real villains; Achilles, Agamemnon, Priam, and the rest are caught up, as actors and victims, in a cruel and ultimately tragic universe. In the Odyssey, on the other hand, the wicked are destroyed, right prevails, and the family is reunited. Here rational intellect-that of Odysseus in particular-acts as the guiding force throughout the story. Besides the Iliad and the Odyssey, the so-called Homeric Hymns, a series of relatively short poems celebrating the various gods and composed in a style similar to that of the epics, have also been attributed traditionally to Homer. The Odyssey describes the return of the Greek hero Odysseus from the Trojan War. The opening scenes depict the disorder that has arisen in Odysseus's household during his long absence: A band of suitors is living off of his wealth as they woo his wife, Penelope. The epic then tells of Odysseus's ten years of traveling, during which he has to face such dangers as the man-eating giant Polyphemus and such subtler threats as the goddess Calypso, who offers him immortality if he will abandon his quest for home. The second half of the poem begins with Odysseus's arrival at his home island of Ithaca. Here, exercising infinite patience and self-control, Odysseus tests the loyalty of his servants; plots and carries out a bloody revenge on Penelope's suitors; and is reunited with his son, his wife, and his aged father Penelope, in Greek mythology, daughter of Icarius, king of Sparta, and the wife of Odysseus, king of Ithaca. Penelope and Odysseus had a son, Telemachus.