Rural Marketing - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1132 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/09/24 Category Advertising Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? Solar Energy Products Marketing In Rural India Rajshekhar Patne The recently released Global Status Report on renewable says that grid-connected solar Photovoltaics (PV) has been the fastest growing energy technology in the world with 50 per cent annual growth in cumulative installed capacity in last two years. The majority of the above capacity comes from Germany, Japan, Spain, and the US which have installed small PV systems (a few kilowatts to tens of kilowatts) on their rooftops, feeding the electricity into the grid through two way meters and enjoying the benefits of net metered electricity bills at the end of the month. Of the total reported 25 lakh homes worldwide that use solar home systems today, about 3. 6 lakhs are in India, second only to China which has 4 lakh solar home system users. Though this figure looks good the actual situation is very scary. According to the Ministry of Power, Government of India, about 7. 6 crore rural homes still use kerosene for lig hting. Lighting the basic amenity is not provided to 56. 5 per cent of the 13~8crore rural homes and 12. 4 per cent of roughly 5. 37 crore urban homes in India which continue to burn biomass, wax candles and kerosene lamps, spending Rs. to 5 per day. Apart from the low levels of illumination provided by these devices, smoke and fire hazards due to accidental pilfering of kerosene and tipping of candles are common. The task of providing electricity to the rural households is a large one. The task is made more challenging by constraints such as the lack of an extensive transmission network throughout the country, the limited generating capacity to serve additional rural markets, and the scarcity of capital for investments in generation, transmission, and distribution. Economic extension of rural electrification is further constrained by the generally small loads and greater dispersion of rural customers, making it difficult to justify the costs of distribution networks. Alternative options to the conventional grid based electrification, such as low cost isolated grid systems, solar, wind and micro hydro are under consideration for serving remote villages and other clusters of customers. Another strong contender, particularly for disbursed consumers and clusters with combined loads too small to justify grid systems is the use of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels for electrification of individual homes or buildings. These are commonly called solar home systems (SHS). The solar lantern, a portable lighting device that uses CFL, has its own rechargeable battery inside that can be charged every day using an 8 to 10 watt solar panel. This is an ideal device to light up homes that currently use biomass or kerosene for lighting. The solar lantern with its solar panel currently costs about Rs. 3,200-3,600 of which the user generally pays only 50 per cent as the remaining amount is supported through a central subsidy. However, an upfront payment of Rs. 1,800 often b ecomes a deterrent for the prospective user who can afford and probably is willing to pay smaller amounts on a daily or weekly basis. Such scenario can be resolved by Micro finance and effective business model. Dynamics of rural markets differ from other market types, and similarly, rural marketing strategies are also significantly different from the marketing strategies aimed at an urban or industrial consumer. Strategies to be followed in Indian Rural Market- a) Marketing Strategy: Marketers need to understand the psychology of the rural consumers and then act consequently. Rural marketing involves more exhaustive personal selling efforts compared to urban marketing. Different schemes can be proposed for the solar lightning in Rural area: 1. Cash purchase through a single payment (with subsidy) . Cash purchase through payment in monthly installments. 3. Cash purchase of main equipment and charging service fee on daily or weekly basis. 4. Loan to Self Help Group people to buy so lar products. b) Distribution Strategy Apart from making financing schemes we need to think about distribution and promotional model for the same. As the value chain for solar lightning is Manufacturer ( Regional Distributor ( Local distributor (Local retailer (at village level) this makes product costlier. This longer chain can be cut down by making hub spoke model by manufacturer. This model not only for supply of equipments but also should be there for service/repair. According to the Indian Market Research Bureau, around 8000 such melas are held in rural India every year. Rural markets have the practice of fixing specific days in a week as Market Days called Haats when exchange of goods and services are carried out. This is another potential low cost distribution channel available to the marketers. At local level a service person can be appointed who can work on partly basis and repair the solar lanterns. Also if partial equipment is purchased by people then company can e stablish solar charging station at center and this local person can collect and charge lanterns on daily basis. As most of the time the lanterns are used during 6 pm to 10 pm, a local person can collect these lanterns during morning time, charge it entire day and return it in the evening time. Apart from this he can also collect mobile/telephone batteries, smaller pump batteries and charge it with some minimal amount. This will take care expenses of local service provider. These solar charging stations would be operated and maintained by local youth, NGOs and local enterprises that can be selected through a process offering maximum equity (or any other criteria) and can be trained and incubated for a pre-specified time. These charging stations can be set up using resources from the government (they can be treated as basic infrastructure) or from corporations setting up rural outlets for their own products and services. c) Promotional Strategies: Bottle Water: In most of villages in India drinking water is major problem. To promote solar products in such villages, company can distribute reusable water bottle to villagers which can be filled every day with some minimal amount. A local person can be appointed who can daily distribute water to these homes and also collect solar lanterns for charging at central station. With help of very marginal amount such business model can work in self sustainable basis. Initial setup support can be get from Government in the form of Subsidy, NGO or Charity. Fertilizer Company tie-up: Company can make promotional offers having tie-up with fertilizer companies. This way they can channelize their business with short supply chain. Also this will help to provide free system on bulk purchase of fertilizers pesticides. Conclusion: Solar lightning penetration to 3. 5 lacs house hold compared to more than 7 crore household who are awaiting to see the light in their life is very scary and very opportunistic. The right way of d istribution, service and promotional model in rural area will be a great opportunity for many Solar Product manufacturing companies. Micro finance and NGOs are very supportive to initialize proper self sustainable business model. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Rural Marketing" essay for you Create order

Grand Alliance 1945 Free Essays

?Why did the foundations for mistrust and suspicion between the members of the Grand Alliance already exist by 1945? In 1945 the war had been fought on one side by the nations of Great Britain, USA and USSR, the members of the Grand Alliance achieved victory in WW2. It was more important than ever the victorious powers remained united as they faced the enormous task of reconstructing war torn Europe. However, as they sought to do this, their unity was already weakened by the existence of mistrust and suspicions between them. We will write a custom essay sample on Grand Alliance 1945 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Despite the outward appearance of unity, these nations were fundamentally divided by their ideological rivalry which had already existed between them since 1917: the disagreements and strains they experienced; and their competing aims and ambitions for the future of post-war Europe on which their societies were based. The fundamental struggle between the communist system of USSR and capitalist ideas of USA and Great Britain ideological rivalry is evident to be the most significant explanation for the existence of mistrust and suspicion between them. Due to the fact, it lies at the basis of the other casual factors. The long term issues of their ideological rivalry which was present between the USSR and the West since the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 was a significant contributory factor in the development of a hostile relationship between them. The great power rivalry was evident during the years of 1917 to 1941; the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 saw the rise of Lenin which meant a rise in Communism. It can be said the Soviet foreign policy was driven by communist ideology rather than national security. This was a threat of a totalitarian state. Ideology of Marxism was alien to the USA as left wing politics were unheard of; this was especially threatening as Marxist ideology saw the destruction of capitalist societies such as the USA. Its egalitarian values and its attacks on the freedoms held to be so important in a Liberal Democracy. Truman adopted a strident policy to combat spread of communism towards the Soviet Union; in 1945 he upbraided USSR’s foreign minister Molotov, over Soviet occupation of Poland. A greater source of fear in the West was the communist belief in the inevitable conflict between capitalism and communism views. The idea of communism succeeding to worldwide revolution and this meant the downfall of capitalism. In addition, Europe faced the growing threat from Nazi Germany. In the years of 1939 saw the introduction of a non-aggression pact between Russia and Germany. Seen by many as what gave Hitler the confidence to invade Poland which sparked WW2. Stalin feared Germany would go against them in war and were not ready arms wise in the battle to fight against them. It can be said Hitler didn’t want to fight war on both East and West fronts, that’s why he wanted to attack Poland, already achieving taking over Czechoslovakia. These approaches were rejected by the British government whose ideological opposition to Fascist Germany. Their differences in ideology created British suspicions to rise, as Stalin appeared to be confirmed in August, in the view of the British making the outbreak of war in Europe inevitable. 1941, when the Grand Alliance was formed, it was out of a mutual need to defeat a common enemy (Hitler. ) Not a natural alliance of allies but an alliance of ideological enemies. The suspicion and mistrust relationship between them continued to exist below the surface. This helps to explain why despite the superficial show of unity, there were extensive dissimilarities and strains in their wartime relationship which further served to fuel the latent hostility between them. The strands in the Grand Alliance were due to the ideological suspicions that arose between them. The disagreements that they experienced in the years building up to 1945, was due to the fact their key personalities and how they dealt with situations. The constraints and pressure they were put in as national leaders, added to their layer of mistrust and suspicion between them. Despite improved relations there were also cracks in the Soviet-American Alliance during the years of 1942 to 1944. Two sides argued about the opening of a second war front against Germany; as Stalin wanted the USA and Great Britain to invade Western Europe in order to relieve pressure on the Red Army in the east. Knowing that Stalin approached a different aspect of leadership, with his dysfunctional personality and suspicious nature, he remained wary of capitalist West authority, actions that the USA choose to take only proved his xenophic style of leadership to be expressed in his government. As early as 1942, Roosevelt promised to this however his following actions contributed to the suspicions. In the end the D Day landings didn’t occur until June 1944; in the meantime millions of Russians had died. The preoccupation with Stains obsession with Soviet security, USA wasn’t in a position to appreciate USSR deep sense of insecurity in 1945. This delay drove Stalin’s suspicions that USA and Britain were hoping that Germany and the USSR would ‘kill each other off. ’ This theory was viewed by many people; the revisionist. They asserted the USA’s policies of capitalist expansionist such as not helping USSR, was primarily responsible for the onset of the Cold War. The war never saw Russia and the USA fight alongside each other. Also, Soviet spies infiltrated the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos, New Mexico where US scientists were attempting to build the first atomic bomb; this soviet operation was on a massive scale. The residual mutual suspicion and disagreement on specific issues, (the second front) suggests the two sides had already mistrusted each other by 1945; due to their unprecedented cooperation. Considering all the factors, only when you get the opportunity to get them into a close contact that’s when ideology rivalry becomes the most significant factor in the foundations for mistrust and suspicion between the members of the Grand Alliance. The strains caused between them in the build up by 1945, may have been an ultimate trigger to anguish the mistrust and suspicion. Never the less, ideological rivalry is a catalyst in terms of in accelerating a difference between them. Therefore, leading the members to have completely different competing aims and ambitions in post-war Europe. Growing tensions and suspicions between the members of Grand Alliance which already existed through their ideological rivalry and strains steered them to having opposite aims and ambitions in post-war Europe. The reality of Soviet Union and the West having different competing aims and ambitions only put the final layer of the mistrust and suspicion to become an alarming problem. Despite having won the war together, the USA and USSR faced the post-war world with more differences than similarities. Stalin demands regarding Germany where that the future of the Soviet Union was to be secured, to prevent repercussions of the effects of WW2 happen again; such as 2,700,000 of its citizens being killed. Also, the opportunity of friendly governments and he wanted to seek revenge as the whole of Russia was destroyed; 70,000 villages were destroyed. The chances of USSR achieving these aims regarding Germany were unlikely as the West would be against them. The mistrust and suspicions which had already been implanted in the leaders’ minds caused the USA not to contribute, because of the threat of impact in ideological differences. However, they did agree in the principle of dividing and occupying Germany among the victory and have a shared goal of continued cooperation after war; this could re-kindle the trust between them. In 1944, they had different ideology which was based on their different economic and political ideas within their government. This was evident in their communist and capitalist ideas. USA had a very fixed idea about the shape of the world economy after the war. USA had become strong advocates of free trade, the unrestricted exchange of goods between nations based on their capitalist ideas. Individual countries should operate in Open Door policies, having production and distribution of goods should be on responsibility of a private sector and not the state. However, USA aims and ambitions for a free market were completely different to those of USSR government, they saw the preference of the command economy and state control necessary. The economy of the government was organised along the communist financial principles, a command economy. In addition, their aims and ambitions also differed in political ideology. Where the USA was in favour of (liberal democracy) democracy and right, a system where by freedom of speech was apparent which formed the basis of the post-war Europe. These rights were unheard of in the USSR and were not seen as fundamental or important; as they were in contrast to the ideas of USA. The fear of capitalist ideas spreading towards the East added to the mistrust and suspicion of Stalin; as his role was an expansionist communist. They believed in (one-party state) freedom of speech and dissents were not tolerated in any basis, within a party or society at large. Along with that, the recent devastating effects of WW2 for Russia, Stalin pursued in creating a belt of friendly states on Russia’s western border. USSR had experience mistrust and twice in Stalin’s lifetime Russia had been invaded by Germany through these eastern neighbours, he longed for a sense of security. But, Roosevelt wanted no empires or sphere of influence in the world. He believed that all states had no right to self-determination. Their differences in post-war agreements added tension in their fragile relationship. These events would sow the seeds for the eventual collapse of the Grand Alliance; these can be detected in the agreements made at Yalta even though ironically these marked the highpoint of allied unity. Ideological rivalry and a history of mistrust and suspicions made the potential for the continuation of Grand Alliance to deteriorate. Contrasting post-war visions held by the USA and USSR reflected their different value systems, different historical experience and different security needs. The chances of them working together in a complacent way were stacked against them as they were expected to cooperate in the reconstruction of post-war Europe. Ideological rivalry was extremely important in whether the members of Grand Alliance trusted or grew intense suspicions on each other by 1945, as it was an inner-deep layer of foundation which hidden their capitalism and communism ideology differences. The long term effect of mistrust and suspicion had only been waiting underneath the layer of the foundations to be exposed, through their close proximity of being allies with one another. That’s when their differences and strains come to light. Dissimilarities in the Grand Alliance were fundamentally being reflected on their ideological differences in their economic and political state. Therefore, creating a complete contrast in competing aims and ambitions in post-war Europe; between capitalist West and communist Soviet Union. How to cite Grand Alliance 1945, Papers

Sorry for Partyin Essay Example For Students

Sorry for Partyin Essay â€Å"Coming home this weekend! Bonfire at my house Saturday night! † This one simple text, sent to me by my neighbor and really good friend, Dylan, changed what was going to be a typical boring weekend at my house into a crazy adventure that none of us expected. Having bonfires at Dylan’s house was a highlight of my summer. They usually consisted of Dylan, Devin, who we jokingly call Kevin, another Devin, and myself. The four of us could never have just a small fire; it had to be a towering inferno. As I pulled down the gravel road leading up to my house, I could already see the fire. I had volunteered to bring a wagon full of cardboard and firewood to add to the fire. I pulled my big utility wagon a quarter of a mile from my house to Dylan’s. As I walked up the drive, Dylan, Kevin, and Devin had the stereo system set up with our usual country playlist blaring. Sitting around a bonfire listening to music and talking with friends is one thing that will never get old. While we were sitting around, Kevin decided to sit in my wagon, which somewhat resembles a black cage with four big rubber tires. As he climbed in, our favorite party song, â€Å"Sorry for Partyin’† by Thomas Rhett came on. At that point Kevin started to beg Devin and I to pull him up and down the road in the wagon, so for the sake of fun we went along with it. After nearly an hour of full speed pulling up and down the hill filled, pitted gravel road along our houses, we wanted to be a bit more reckless. We began to search Dylan’s tool filled garage for some sort of rope, and within ten minutes, I had found a tow strap that seemed perfect. We soon convinced Devin to fire up his beautiful white Mitsubishi Eclipse convertible. As I meticulously wrapped the strap around the frame of the car, I began to have an eerie feeling. Once the strap was securely fastened, Kevin climbed back into the wagon and listened to my explicit directions. â€Å"I will be in the car with Devin, and I will count down from three. When I get to one, you let go of the strap. † Kevin nodded his head in agreement, so I turned to Devin and gave him his instructions. Get the car up to fifteen, then I will countdown and when I get to one you speed up to thirty to get out of the way of the wagon. † When I finished, Devin also nodded, and we got in the car and told Kevin to hold on tight. Devin began to roll down the gravel road, and my feeling kept worsening, but it was too late to turn back. We kept accelerating until we got to fifteen miles per hour and I gave the countdown. â€Å"Three Two One! † I felt the car speed up, but Kevin did not let go. â€Å"Kevin, let go! † I was screaming at him, but whether out of stupidity or panic, he did not let go. As one could imagine, a wagon being towed behind a car at thirty miles per hour on a bumpy gravel road may not end well. As the car hit thirty, my bad feeling peaked into almost nausea. The next thing I saw behind the white Mitsubishi was Kevin take off flying out of the wagon, his body as limp as a rag doll as he flew. The wagon flipped three times and came to a rest upside down. Devin and I looked at each other in the car and at the same time screamed â€Å"oh shit! † He slammed on the brakes and we sprinted over to Kevin, where fortunately he was not severely injured. .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd , .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd .postImageUrl , .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd , .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd:hover , .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd:visited , .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd:active { border:0!important; } .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd:active , .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u05ad70abeb36fe3fe949d6de6cb34ebd:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Diabetes The Silent Killer EssayWe pulled the wagon back and helped Kevin into the car to take him back to the garage. When we were all gathered in the light, Kevin noticed that his pants were torn from his hip all the way down to his knee, and he had blood dripping down in a jagged cut, but luckily that was his only injury. After the crash, we all decided to call it a night. When we woke up the next morning, we noticed a big skid mark in the gravel that could only have been from Kevin’s body. Although there was an injury, we had a blast. On top of it all, we truly were not sorry for partying.

The Ottoman Sultans Were Not Very Turkish

The Ottoman Sultans Were Not Very Turkish The Ottoman Empire ruled over what is now Turkey and a large portion of the eastern Mediterranean world from 1299 until 1923. The rulers, or sultans, of the Ottoman Empire had their paternal roots in Oghuz Turks of Central Asia, also known as the Turkmen.   The History of Concubine Mothers However, most of the sultans mothers were concubines from the royal harem - and most of the concubines were from non-Turkic, usually non-Muslim parts of the empire. Much like the boys in the Janissary corps, most concubines in the Ottoman Empire were technically members of the slave class. The Quran forbids the enslavement of fellow Muslims, so the concubines were from Christian or Jewish families in Greece or the Caucasus, or were prisoners of war from further afield. Some residents of the harem were official wives, as well, who might be noblewomen from Christian nations, married to the sultan as part of diplomatic negotiations. Although many of the mothers were slaves, they could amass incredible political power if one of their sons became the sultan. As valide sultan, or Mother Sultan, a concubine often served as de facto ruler in the name of her young or incompetent son. Ottoman Royal Genealogy The Ottoman royal genealogy begins with Osman I (r. 1299 - 1326), both of whose parents were Turks. The next sultan likewise was 100% Turkic, but beginning with the third sultan, Murad I, the sultans mothers (or valide sultan) were not of Central Asian origins. Murad I (r. 1362 - 1389) was 50% Turkish.  Bayezid Is mother was Greek, so he was 25% Turkish.   The fifth sultans mother was Oghuz, so he was 62.5% Turkish. Continuing in the fashion, Suleiman the Magnificent, the tenth sultan, had about 24% Turkish blood.   According to our calculations, by the time we get to the 36th and final sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed VI (r. 1918 - 1922), the Oghuz blood was so diluted that he was only about 0.195% Turkic. All of those generations of mothers from Greece, Poland, Venice, Russia, France, and beyond really drowned out the sultans genetic roots on the steppes of Central Asia. List of Ottoman Sultans and their Mothers Ethnicities Osman I, TurkishOrhan, TurkishMurad I, GreekBayezid I, GreekMehmed I, TurkishMurad II, TurkishMehmed II, TurkishBayezid II, TurkishSelim I, GreekSuleiman I, GreekSelim II, PolishMurad III, Italian (Venetian)Mehmed III, Italian (Venetian)Ahmed I, GreekMustafa I, AbkhazianOsman II, Greek or Serbian (?)Murad IV, GreekIbrahim, GreekMehmed IV, UkrainianSuleiman II, SerbianAhmed II, PolishMustafa II, GreekAhmed III, GreekMahmud I, GreekOsman III, SerbianMustafa III, FrenchAbdulhamid I, HungarianSelim III, GeorgianMustafa IV, BulgarianMahmud II, GeorgianAbdulmecid I, Georgian or Russian (?)Abdulaziz I, RomanianMurad V, GeorgianAbdulhamid II, Armenian or Russian (?)Mehmed V, AlbanianMehmed VI, Georgian

Avoid These 5 Mistakes When NetworkingÂÂ

Avoid These 5 Mistakes When Networking   We all know how daunting networking can be. It’s often the last thing we want to do: going out to â€Å"socialize† when we could be on the couch with take-out and Netflix, having to sell ourselves in every conversation, having to get in front of the right people to make the right impression. But, it has to be done. And it should be done right. Here are 5 common networking pitfalls and how to avoid them.1. Don’t get caught with your pants downEven if you make a last-minute decision to attend, make sure you’re prepared. Don’t forget your business cards. Don’t go up to anyone uninformed. Spend 15 minutes before you hit the party making a game plan- who you’d like to introduce yourself to, what specifically you’d like to accomplish, etc. Do some research into the people and companies you’re likely to run into; this will make for better conversations and you’ll come across as intelligent and on top of your game. Pick yo ur marks and take accurate, appropriate shots.2. Don’t be unprofessionalYou don’t need to  make a special hair appointment or show up in a cocktail dress to a casual after-work event, but you also shouldn’t dress like a slob. Go no lower than business casual, and when in doubt, take your cues from coworkers or other contacts you know are also attending.Once you’re there, act like a professional human. Don’t dismiss people just because they don’t look important. Don’t go around collecting business cards as if you were trick-or-treating. Don’t lie- you’ll always get caught. And make sure to have your elevator pitch practiced and ready to go. There’s nothing worse than being asked what you’re looking for and having to reply â€Å"Uh†¦. Um†¦. Work and stuff?†3. Don’t be naà ¯veAct like you’ve been to a networking event before. Don’t expect a job from every decision-maker you happen to shake hands with. And make sure not to ask for too much from everyone you meet. This is where a little strategic planning can really come in handy. Plan your big asks before you go. Once you’ve made them, try to  relax, act normally, and enjoy yourself. People are just people, after all.4. Don’t be selfishNobody likes a party hog. Don’t be the kind of networker who talks only about herself, thinks only about her needs, barges into conversations uninvited, and otherwise monopolizes everything and everyone. That goes for the shrimp puffs, too.5. Don’t forget to follow upThis is perhaps the most important. If you’ve made good contact with anyone, make sure to send a polite follow-up email the following day. Or even a phone call, depending on your level of connection! And if anyone does you any favors- i.e. puts you in touch with someone or agrees to circulate your resume- make sure to send a gracious thank you ASAP.

Will GM's Strategic Plan Lead to Future Success Case Study

Will GM's Strategic Plan Lead to Future Success - Case Study Example The third strategy that GM has implemented is the premium pricing strategy that has led to higher margins and prices thus ultimately leading to higher profits per unit sales. GM has cut the incentives for the dealers in order to attain higher margins. The fourth strategy linking the executive compensation to company performance through ensuring the executive bonuses are dependent on the margins posted by the company. The company has also carried out staff rationalization in order to reduce the boated wage bill. Based on the case study, GM’s vision is to become the most profitable automaker in the world. The company is not interested in expanding its market share, but its strategies aim at reducing the operating costs and increasing the unit margins in order to improve the profitability of the company (Daft 183). The vision is realistic since it managed to regain from Toyota as the largest automaker in term of sales figures and has increased its profit margins. The company has also controlled costs. In this case, higher margins and sales volumes will make GM the most profitable automaker if the measures implemented in controlling costs are successful. The first SMART goal is to raise profit margins by 10 percent. This goal is specific and measureable since the current profit margin is 6 percent and this could go up to 10 percent after restructuring the company and improving operational efficiency. The reduction in engineering and manufacturing costs through downsizing the auto platforms will significantly reduce the manufacturing costs. Use of standardized plants and assembling will also improve efficiency of operations and lower costs. Other companies that have few auto platforms have managed to attain a return of 10 percent of sales and this goal is realistic and time-bound since GM will have only 14 auto ‘platforms’ by 2018. The second SMART goal of GM is to make more than $ 10

Reclaiming a social agenda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reclaiming a social agenda - Essay Example In this context of understanding one of the major considerations is the dichotomy between art and science. Whereas science functions to question existing paradigms in a generally progressive way, aesthetic practice â€Å"begins answer, by reinventing itself, by building upon a past principle and ethical relationship† (Mockbee, pg. 2). When one considers this approach in terms of activist practice it’s clear that the parallel is that social or community change can occur through the complete re-imagination of the status quo. One recommended example of this perspective is in considered in rural Alabama, where theorist Mockbee argues that a harmonious architecture that brings together both disenfranchised and wealthy must be implemented. In addition to the above-considered abstract intents of activist practice, there are a number of clear strategic examples that have emerged. From an overarching perspective, it’s noted that many semblances of, â€Å"communities in the process of creating and sustaining their cultural identities by designing and often rebuilding their own world† (Ward, pg. 56). In this context of understanding, it’s seen how the traditional artistic means of re-imagination have emerged and been implemented in communities that previously experienced significant blight and hardship. In terms of specific case examples, it’s noted that the Pratt Institute Center for Community and Environmental Development (PICCED) is one such emergence of strong activist architecture. When considering the weaknesses of activist practice, it’s clear that recent rejections of activist forms of architecture represent a significant concern. In this context of understanding, theorists have referred to what is known as the post-political concern. In characterizing this post-political turn it’s been noted that, â€Å"Not only have American architectural