Obama and Romney 2012 campaigns Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Obama and Romney 2012 campaigns - Assignment Example The poster ad might not be very effective, since it is specifically targeted at the middle class, while negating all the other American economic classes. The image portrays President Obama smiling. The campaign poster has rows of texts that are inscribed atop of the image of President Obama, carrying different messages. The text on the first row states that because of Barack Obama, the combat mission in Iraq ended. The other texts states that it is because of Barack Obama that ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ is now history. There are also other texts stating that because of Barack Obama, there is a first Latina is in Supreme Court, while 32 million people will benefit from healthcare. The producer of this campaign poster targeted to deliver a message on the achievements that President Obama had made during his first term in office, and thus lure the voters into voting him once again back to office. The poster Ad is effective since it highlights some of the achievements that cannot be associated with any other USA president who served before, such as nominating the first Latina to the Supreme Court. The image is that of a Mitt Romney campaign Ad that does not carry his image, but only texts that are inscribed on a black-poster background. The texts on the poster are to the effect that there are still over 20 million young people in America who are still living with their parents. The other texts state that it’s the voters’ choice to move in with the parents or to take up one of 12 million new job opportunities. The producer of this poster Ad is specifically ridiculing the first term presidency of President Obama. The intent of the producer of the poster Ad is to show that President Obama is incapable of creating job opportunities for the young Americans. Thus, the Ad gives the young people a choice in Mitt Romney as the

Report Develping Marketing plan for Cancer Society Essay

Report Develping Marketing plan for Cancer Society - Essay Example The programs and activities whereby this organization focuses is the key figure to bringing about the success of the goals and aims of this society in the hope of improving overall health status of New Zealand in the years to come. The aim of the programs set by the New Zealand Cancer Society is to proliferate and increase funding to further various programs aimed at the early detection of cancer as part of the preventive schemes set to minimize the occurrence or prevalence of cancer as well as to support cancer victim who are somehow affected by the enormous sky-high medication cost. It identifies areas with which to focus upon, but there is no concrete program plan designed to make each goal and aim possible. Although there is a concrete identification of the aims and goal on where the programs are headed as well as a clear cut definition at why this organization is created, there is a lacking well defined promotional activities and communication program that will convey the message across. A good integrated marketing communication plan consists not just of well defined plans and goals, but rather a well conceptualized and comprehensive plan employing various communications such as general advertising, direc t response as well as sales and public relation (the American association of Advertising Agencies). According to Duane Sprague, Integrated Marketing Communications is a comprehensive, consistent; goal oriented, focused and planned methodology to marketing and communication. This is in fact the newest trend in marketing communication today (Sprague, 2006). The program identified by the Daffodil Day and the Relay for Life Program also lacks the clarity in terms of a well defined plan. There should have been a through discussion of marketing and promotion strategies that will fuel the excitement and thus make the program interesting and colorful. There isn't even a mention of pre-activities promotional strategy that will serve to aware the masses of the upcoming event. There was a failure to elaborate how the selling of the daffodils will take place and what are the strategies to help promote in advance the advantage of (Sprague, 2006). The very core of a good IMC strategy is a mission marketing program that is more or less, similar to a, goal oriented marketing scheme. Since the overall primary goal would be to increase funds by tapping all available avenues, there should be a perfect campaign which consistently interweaves a big creative idea into every communications message. This big creative idea must be a viable means to position t he event, explain the key benefit, portray significance and advantage, and demonstrate the target and aim of the strategic plan. This 'big idea' should be presented and emphasized in such a way that this will hit like a lightening bolt community in general and the business community, thus making them realize the impact of their contribution as well as the impact of the program in general. Through the National Health Promotion Committee of New Zealand, health promotion, social behavioral research, cancer statistics, treatment, detection and

What is the role of the Arab League and Saudi Arabia in settling the Essay

What is the role of the Arab League and Saudi Arabia in settling the conflict between Hamas and Fatah - Essay Example Hamas became more popular than its rival party, Fatah (McGeough, 2009). In the January 2006 elections, Hamas amassed majority seats in parliament and became the lead player in the Palestinian government. However, the West and the US have viewed Hamas as a terrorist group due to its violence activities directed towards Israel and its allies. Fatah, founded in 1965 by the late leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization Yasser Arafat, is the mainstream Palestinian nationalist movement. It has run the Palestinian Authority since 1994, when it took control of the Palestinian areas following the Oslo accords. Fatah, whose strongest support base lies in the West Bank, recognizes Israels right to exist and is formally committed to peace talks with Israel. But growing disenchantment with the leadership among ordinary Palestinians led to the party losing Palestinian elections to Hamas in January 2006 and becoming part of a coalition government. Since June 2007, its authority has been confined to the West Bank (JÄ miÊ »at al-Kuwayt, 2011). The interest of the Arab League in the Palestinian cause has continued, despite the apparent impotence and loss of credibility in making applicable decisions, and effectively implementing them on the ground. ‘Amr Musa, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, has been concerned with the Palestinian cause as the central Arab cause in the Arab world, But the complexities brought to light the official Arab regime incapacity to adopt a unified stance on its implications. This had an impact on the Arab Summit Conference held in Damascus, which was boycotted by some Arab countries. In its meetings, the Arab League has been calling for lifting the siege on the GS, reopening the crossings, and achieving national reconciliation between Hamas and the PA in Ramallah, without achieving any of these objectives (JÄ miÊ »at al-Kuwayt, 2011). The failure of the Arab official regime to play an active

Current Therapy Trends for Specific Phobias and Their Long-term Essay

Current Therapy Trends for Specific Phobias and Their Long-term Effectiveness - Essay Example A simple phobia, which was earlier known as simple phobia is thus a lingering and unreasonable fear that is caused by the presence or thought of a specific object or situation that normally poses little or no real danger. Faced by such an object or situation the response is an immediate reaction that causes the individual to feel severe anxiety that. The consequence is that the individual avoids the specific object or situation. The severe distress caused to the individual interferes with the ability of the individual to function normally. Though adults with specific phobia recognize and understand that the fear they feel is excessive or not given to reason, they find themselves unable to overcome such fears (Specific Phobias). â€Å"Persistent fear of a circumscribed stimulus (object or situation), other than fear of having a panic attack (as in panic disorder) or of humiliation, or embarrassment in certain social situations (as in social phobia). The fear or associated avoidance behavior significantly interferes with the person’s normal routine or with usual social activities or relationships with others, or there is marked distress about having the fear. Specific phobias are of different types and are classified based on the object or situation that causes it. Specific phobias include animal phobias like fear of dogs, snakes, insects, or mice; situational phobias like flying, riding a car, driving, going over bridges or tunnels, or of being in an enclosed space; natural environment phobias like fear of storms, heights, or water; blood-injection-injury phobias like, fear of seeing blood or of invasive medical procedures, such as blood tests or injections, or fear of being injured; other phobias like fear of falling down, fear of loud sounds, or fear of costumed characters, such as clowns. An individual could be affected by one or more specific phobias (Specific Phobias). The U.S.

Oedipus Rex Essay Example for Free

Oedipus Rex Essay I believe the main point Sophocles was trying to convey in the story â€Å"Oedipus Rex† was that you have to be accountable for your actions. He shows this by the use of dramatic, situational, and many more different kinds of irony. Sophocles also uses foreshadowing to show how Oedipus needs to be accountable for his actions. Sophocles is teaching his audience an important life lesson. Sophocles shows his audience that you have to be accountable for your own actions. He does this by showing the audience that no one could have stopped Oedipus from fulfilling his life’s prophecy. In the play â€Å"Oedipus Rex† Sophocles tells the story of a man, who is now king of Thebes. He was born in a different land and was told a prophecy that he would kill his own father and wed his mother. When he heard this he fled from the land and came to Thebes where he claimed the throne and became their king. Oedipus is a head strong person. Who often doesn’t think before he speaks, such as when he says, â€Å"And for myself I pray that if he should, with my knowledge, become a resident of my house, I may suffer the same things which I have just called down on others. Oedipus says this not knowing that he himself is the murderer and that he will punish himself. Oedipus also makes judgments and decisions before he knows all the facts. One example of this is when Creon says, â€Å"Kinswoman, Oedipus, your husband, wants to do one of two terrible things to me, either thrust me from the land of my fathers or to arrest and slay me. † Oedipus is so angry with Creon that he does not think before accusing him even though Creon is trying to protect Oedipus. Since Oedipus’ character is flawed it helps support Sophocles’ point of saying that you are accountable for your own actions. This is shown the best when Oedipus tells his wife, Jocasta, that while he was traveling to Thebes he ran into a man on the road who tried to push Oedipus from the path. Oedipus, having a short temper, struck out and slayed all the men in and leading the carriage. This was not a good thing to do in the first place, but what Oedipus did not realize was that the man in the carriage was Laius. Laius was the former king of Thebes and was Oedipus’ biological father. When he killed Laius he fulfilled half of his prophecy. This fulfillment is also an example of situational irony. It is situational irony because Oedipus believed he would be the hero and banish the murderer of Laius from the land. He believed he would end all the suffering, but in fact he was the murderer. Another example of irony that supports Sophocles’ idea that you are accountable for your actions is when Oedipus says, â€Å"†¦ who declared that I was doomed to slay my father? But he is dead, and lies beneath the earth, and here I am, not having put my hand to any spear†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This is dramatic irony. Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows more than the characters in the story. In which case things said and events in the story take on different meanings to the characters and to the audience. In this case Oedipus thinks he has overcome his life’s prophecy because he did not kill the man he believed to be his father. But the audience knows that Oedipus’ real father is Laius. The audience also knows that Laius was the man on the road that Oedipus murdered. So to the audience this just ads to the suspense of Oedipus finding out that he is the murderer. Foreshadowing also plays a huge role in showing Sophocles’ point that you are accountable for your own actions. In the play, Oedipus Rex, foreshadowing is used in the lines said by Jocasta, â€Å"No. Soon after he returned and found you ruling in Laius’ stead, he pled with me, with hand laid on mine, to send him to the fields, to the pastures of the flocks, that he might be far from the sight of this town. † This is foreshadowing because the audience knows that the man fled because he saw Oedipus, the same man who had murdered his king, ruling the city. Oedipus though only now is starting to question the event in which he killed men on the same road that the Laius was killed on. This is a foreshadowing of Oedipus finding out that he is Laius’ son and that he fulfilled the prophecy by killing his father and marrying his mother. Sophocles was trying to convey the message that you are responsible for your actions because you never know what might happen because of your mistakes. He shows this message in â€Å"Oedipus Rex†. He uses irony, foreshadowing and the flaws in Oedipus’ character to relay his message.

General Motors Analysis: SWOT and Porters Five Forces Analysis

General Motors Analysis: SWOT and Porters Five Forces Analysis Automotive legend of the last century, GM, is one of the biggest corporations in the world. Although GM had big turmoils in its business, it still operates successfully in all over the universe. The aim of this assignment is to determine the GMs business strategies with rises and falls by looking into their history, having the data of what and how did they do in their businesses and analysing their company activities. Being a leader and pioneer of the automobile industry since this sectors infancy times , General Motors Corporation still keeps its successful place in this competitive business. Since 1908, General Motors Corporation (GM) is one of the largest auto producer in the world as measured by global industry sales, whose headquarters is in United States of America. William C. Durant was the founder of General Motors Company with being an innovator in automobile technology. As being a multinational automobile manaufacturer General Motors employes about 280 million people all around the world with the total assets of 149 billion US Dollars. The company manufacturers the cars and the trucks in 55 different countries (exluding US and Canada). General Motors has sub-brands under its management. Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Hummer, Pontiac, Saab, Vauxhall, Holden, Saturn and Wuling are some one the names of General Motors brands. The General Motors Company placed into a global market throughout the 1920s. Meanwhile, the company built itself as a firm which provided prestige, power and the other options. As a competitor, Ford, that focused on lower costs and lower prices, reversely GM targeted customers who had likely money to spend on more featurative products. During the World War II, General Motors Company manufactured armament and military vehicles,both for Allied and Axis forces. GM had improved its business level and becomed the largest corporation in the United States after the world war II. During the 1950s, style, desing, and engineering innovations are applied into the companys production line. In 1960s, GM also focused on insurance, home appliances, financing, electronics, locomotives and banking etc. In request for the smaller cars of European producers , GM introduced Chevrolet Corvair, that was ciriticized for safety issues in following days. In the next decade, oil prices went up and as well as the oil costs , environmental problems are taken into consider at those times. Therefore, there were a shift from huge oil guzzling cars to smaller European cars increased with the first energy crisis. After that , second crisis followed quickly by rising the concern for pollution and controlling of over emission and safety problems resulted GM lose of its market share to more economical and smaller vehicles. Especially between 1980s and 1990s , the Japanese imports rocketed ( See Appendix 1) ,so that, that time of a period was a hardship for GM, which was plagued by high competition with Japanese companies. As a result of this, GM had chenged its strategies like redesingining and reengineering of its car models. However , because of the high production costs , GM had continioued its high losses in the market with huge numbers. In 1990s, General Motors Company had started to close many of its plants and also cut the jobs. With these turmoils among the company, GM followed different strategies ,like buying Saab and Daewoo, and a little portion of Subaru and Suzukis shares, that were sold later for increasing the money. As follows, GM merged with FIAT car company which lasted five years. In the late-1990s, General Motors Company seemed on the way to big recovery, with sales stabilizing and stock increasing. However, end of the 2001 September, the company started to have challenges, and the system was changed again. In the following next few years, General Motors became a survivor in the highly competitive automobile industry with the economic recession in 2008, therefore the company had bailed out by the government for avoiding bankruptcy. (bbc.co.uk, 2010) In the first quarter of 2009, the auto giant posted a 6 billion dollars loss and said that it burned through 10.2 billion dollars of cash in the first three months of the year as revenue plummeted by 20 billion dollars'(about.com, 2010). However, besides these hard circumstances, in the first half of 2010, the General Motors sold more vehicles in China than in the US. (Constantini,2010) 3. STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF GENERAL MOTORS Analysing the companys internal and external environments, there are many different frameworks and models exist for companies. By having some strategies enables the firms to get better understanding of the critical factors for their future success. Some sof the strategic analysis methods are Dunnings Eclectic Paradigm (Cavusgil et al., 2008), Porters Diamond and Five forces, Directional Policy Matrix, Mintzbergs School of Thoughts (Mintzberg et al., 2003) Value Chain Analysis (Johnson et al., 2008), SWOT analysis (Kotler and Keller, 2009), etc. The suitable frameworks choosing is depends on what the company needs to address and in what circumstances it needs to do so (Johnson et al., 2008). This is because many firms today operate both on a national, regional and global basis and as such need appropriate strategy for each individual environment (Schlie and Yip, 2000). As being a multinational enterprise, GM operates in approximately 57 countries, including Canada and US, and they serve and operate in variety of services from improvement, marketing, manufacturing of cars, trucks to economy and insurance services (Datamonitor, 2009). A potent tool and a flexible framework that could assist in describing and assessing competitive pressures in an industry and industry attractiveness is the Porters five forces (FF) model (Niederhut-Bollmann and Theuvsen, 2008). The model helps a company to decide how and where to make strategic changes for gaining and sustaining competitive advantages over rival firms and thereby generating above-average return on investments (Niederhut-Bollmann and Theuvsen, 2008). In addition, one the school of the Mintzberg Ten School of Thoughts, The Design School, gives us another highly essential analysis for the firms. According to Mintzberg, The Design School sees strategy formation as achieving the essential fit between internal and external aspects'(Mintzberg et al., 2003:p23). Meanwhile, strenghts and weaknesses are given as the internal capabilities, on the other hand, opportunities and threads are seen as the external possibilities. Therefore, in this assignment, the General Motors Company will be analysed through company strategies. Firstly competitive advantage and analysis will be done according to Michael Porters five forces. Secondly, internal and external analysis will be given according to Mintzbergs Design School by applying the SWOT analysis. Finally, in the last to secion Value Chain and BCG Matrix Analysis will be examined. 3.1. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE ANALYSIS OF GM ACCORDING TO MICHAEL PORTERS FIVE FORCES The competitive analysis of a company is an essential element of identifying components which are a threat to reduce profitability. For assesing over the competitive problems , Michael Porters five forces analysis is the one of the most efficient way. Porter (2004) has brought the light of five such factors: (1) Rivalry between existing competitors, (2) Barriers to entry, (3) Pressure of price from Substitutes/Complementaries, (4) Bargaining power of buyers, (5) Bargaining power of suppliers. Therefore, General Motors Corporations competitive advantage analysis will be done according to Michael Porters five forces . 3.1.1. Rivalry Between Existing Competitors: Rivalry occurs, because one or more competitors either feels the pressure or sees the opportunity to improve position (Porter, 2004 :p.17). Additionally, The strategies pursued by one firm can be successful only to the extent that they provide competitive advantage over the strategies pursued by rival firms. ( David, 2011 :p.107-108). Therefore, if we look at the GM motors in this section, in the 1970s and 1980s, competition in the US automobile industry had become much more strong with the increase of foreign rivals such as Honda, Toyota and Nissan (See Appendix 2). Although GM was a leader of the automobile industry at that period of time, its rivals had started to compete with GM providing some different offers. For example, Toyota started to produce cars with lower price than GM cars , whereas the quality of cars were high. So that, the competitros of GM became well-known brands ,while GM had difficulties with competing with them. 3.1.2. Barriers To Entry: According to Porter, new capacity may be brought to an industry by new entrants. Furthermore, gaining the market share, and getting high proportion of resources can be achieved by new entries. Meanwhile, the presence of of new corporations in an any industry can push the prices down and may decrease the profitability. Although these entries may seem as a threat, those may protect the established companies. During the both world wars, GM made a high profit, and it enlarged its business. Being a leader of the sector and being a well-known brand placed the GMs competitors very difficult positon to entry the industry. Especially for the smaller firms, competing with the GM was very hard. In early 20s, GM invented self-starters by differentiating itself from Ford, later on , in 1970s, Japanese and European companies introduced their fuel-efficient models to the industry. 3.1.3 Pressure of Price From Substitutes/Complementaries : All of the companies are in the competition broadly with the industries manufacturing substitute and complementary products (Porter, 2004). In this highly competitive automobile industry, any change in the prices on complementaries such as gas, tires, could have a important effect on the demand for automobiles. If we look at the GM, recent rising gas prices are highly to get a bigger effect on GM. Because, generally GMs cars are energy inefficient. Therefore, this will have great impact on GM. 3.1.4. Bargaining Power of Buyers: Buyers compete with the industry by forcing down prices, bargaining for higher quality and more services, and playing competitors against each other, all at the expense of industry profitability'(Porter, 2004 p:24). As a result of highly improved information technologies, and as well as with globalization, customers of the GM (like for the other companies) became more aware of the what were they buying and how much were they paying. Furthermore, getting the information the rivals of GM from the internet increased the bargaining power of dealers of GM. 3.1.5. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Suppliers of an industry plays a significant role for their businesses. They may reduce the quality of the products, or may raise the prices up. For GM, raw materials and machine parts suppliers threat is very low, because there many suppliers for those sections (Nytimes, 2011). However, the powerful labour union, United Auto Workers (UAW), is a potential threat to GMs economical capability and endurance. For example, the liability of pension and health-care costs acquired an additional 1,400 to the cost of every vehicle comes from GM place compared with competitor products (The Economist, 2008). This is a magnificent amount and GM needs to search ways to cut this liability, therefore, GM may get more economical improvement and the growth of the company. 3.2. INTERNAL EXTERNAL ANALYSIS OF GM ACCORDING TO MINTZBERGS DESIGN SCHOOL Mintzberg explained The Design School as in the following: The Design School sees strategy formation as achieving the essential fit between internal and external aspects'(Mintzberg et al., 2003:p23). In this definition, internal factors are given as strenghts and weaknesses. Besides this, opportunities and threats are described as external factors. Therefore, for analysing the GENERAL MOTORS external and internal factors we should do a SWOT Analysis with the light of Mintzbergs Design School. 3.2.1. Strengths: During the 20th century, GM has been the automotive leader in car industry. Although the company had some turmoils, its market share is still very much competitive in the sector. GM is well established not only in US but all around the world. Moreover, GM also have an rising share in the Chinese market (See Appendix 3). If GM takes the right decisions, there will be no reason for GM becoming a boss of the car industry again with. In addition, GM has wide range of brands such as Cadillac, Chevrolet, and Vauxhall. Company operates in more than hundred countries in the world with employing the approximately 250,000 people (gm.com, 2010) . Therefore, General Motors, with its global experience and its huge market share in the world, is still keeps the professional place in the automobile industry. General Motors Corporation uses OnStar Satellite Technology. This technology provides its customers security and safety facilities. For example, in the event of emergency , the system allows the driver to communicate with OnStar personnel just away a button immediately. GM has been controlling the costs by alliance and partnership with corporations like Shanhai Automobile Industry Corp., Toyota Motor Corp., Daimler AG. So that, GM improved its cost reduction system by sharing the company costs. 3.2.2. Weaknesses: For analysing the GMs weaknesses, first, we should consider that, this company is an US firm. So that, from its early years until present times, it is still over dependent to US market. The company should take the benefit for expanding globally. According to an article issued by Associated Press (2010), GM had low credit ratio which is determined as junk-credit (BB-). On the other hand, another problem is downsizing. GM put on the market some of its brands and it closed them completely. Additionally, the inactive profitability is the other issue of GM. After the global economic recession in 2008 , companys profit margins and sales went down dramatically. Staying one step behind on alternative energy movement is the biggest weakness for General Motors Company. The competitors of GM like Honda, Toyota, are using fuel efficiently, and also that are producing more ecological and environment friendly vehicles. Therefore, this may led problems such as decrease of market share and loss in company profit. GMs organizational structure is designed vertically. This causes a lack of information between the levels in the company, from bottom to top. So that, many problems can be occur because of the operational and top managerial levels uncommunicative situation. 3.2.3. Opportunities: One of the lightly opportunities of GM is maintaining the Global Expansion. In the last few years, GM achieved a substantial rise in the Chinese market, that made the GM alarm to major on the foreign markets. The other advantage for GM to take is the catching up the hybrid technology cars. Although they had lagged behind the alternative energy, it is not late for the automotive giant becoming again once it was. Recently, GM started to operate Green-Manufacturing systems, such as water-borne technology, reduction goals for hazardous and non-hazardous waste at source ( See Appendix 4). Developing new vehicle models and designs is the big advantage for GM. Because, as we know, what is in today will be out tomorrow. Therefore, focusing on innovations should be the urgent mission through the GM company. 3.2.4. Threats: The threat of the increase in the supply costs is very common in automobile industry like as the other industries. This threat pushes the firms to reduce manufacturing and production costs as much as possible, without carrying away the product quality. For instance, the fluctuation in the steel prices between 2005 and 2010 had a negative impact on GMs production costs, especially as a result of the economic crisis , the rise in 2008, put a negative impcat on GM ( See Appendix 5). The other danger for GM is the increase in fuel prices (See Appendix 6). As same with the rising in the steel prices, after the economic recession in 2008, the sales have plummeted considerably. Therefore, soaring in fuel costs has played a magnificant role in enhancing the advantage for development of hybrid and more fuel efficient vehicles respectively. The increasing competition factor is the another big threat for General Motors. Because, GM is not a leader once it was, currently there are many different brands in the industry, which are working hard for competing with their rivals. Therefore, GM should always keep the innovation on top for competing in the industry. 3.3. VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS OF GM Value Chain is called to add value to the product and remove excess waste of resource consumption, in other word, to maximize the value of work done by the systematic and asset management. Supplier of products and processes that increase the effectiveness of all stages up to final customers and to maintain, so used to gain competitive advantage. Value Chain Management focuses on the destruction of waste inside the company and also focuses on the customers satisfaction inside the company . Value Chain assits to the companies to identify activities where it may well apply its presence potentials (Diez-Vial, 2009) and also identify which activities to outsource in order to decrease prices by getting opportunity of country-specific advatages. One of the compenent of manufacturing is outsourcing which is congress the features of GMs activities that needs a much more labour to the other countries where labour costs are cheaper, and this could relieve GM from employment responsibility . Additionally, recently GM could be able to resolve problems with United Automobile Workers. Michael Porter (2004) examined a set of interconnected generic activities common to a variety of companies. GM, for instance, gives highly importance on its customer relationships. For the theory part, Service activities are the activities that continue and enhance the products value including customer support, repair services, etc. Meanwhile, for the GM strategy, they are using OnStar Technology which enables the customers get in touch with the call center of GM in an emergency situations. 3.4. BCG MATRIX ANALYSIS OF GM The BCG Matrix method is based on the product life cycle theory that can be used to determine what priorities should be given in the product portfolio of a business unit ( Lancaster and Reynolds, 2004) . To ensure long-term value creation, high-growth products and low-growth products should be undertaken by the companies in need of cash inputs and generate a lot of cash respectively. As I mentioned above, determining the factors of industry and as well as firms businesses is playing an essential role for gaining competitive advantage in the global market. Till before the two decades, oil prices had gone up with high percentages. So that, this and the environmental factors had oushed the automobile sector to the fuel efficiency vehicles. With the consideration of BCG Matrix applied to the GM, GM should pull off the brands like Pontiac, Hummer which are fuel-efficiency and oil-guzzling cars. Furthermore, more investment should put into producing smaller fuel-efficient vehicles, and also HEVs ( Hybrid Electric Vehicles). 4. CONCLUSION In conclusion, analysing the General Motors Corporation is done by using some strategical analysing methods, such as Porters FF, Value Chain, BCG Matrix, and Swot Analysis. Searching and applying the systems into the GM is quite broad because of the companys long time history which is more than a hundred years. In to the this content, the Company is analysed in detail according to factors of competitive advantage, internal and external. Therefore , I reached up a conclusion for GM. Of course, every single company and firm can make mistake in their business life cycle, however, minimizing those mistakes is one of the essential area for the firms. If we turn to GM, they had been really successful in the industry when there were no any other competitors. However, once GMs rivals entered to the business, GM started lose its market share globally. Because they overlooked at them, they didnt do many things until they lose their profits. After that , they changed some system, they started to struggled with their rivals. So that, with consideering all the analysed strategic forces above and the company, some recommendations should be done. For forthcoming improvements, first of all, General Motors should describe possible and suitable sector to serve. And also GM should concern about arrangement application and differentation strategy. For example, Focus strategy may assist GM to enable to reduce the costs as GM diverge from broad-line manufacturer to another varieties. By doing his, GM will be able to differntiate its product from the other rivals , because of focusing on a specific niche market that may perform much more better . The other one is to stay ready for even every hard and difficult circumstances, such as financial crisis. Although , generally it is an unexpected factor, companies, and also GM, should gain their SWOT analysis under the line of Threats. Staying in prepare positon always gives high competitive advantage with the other competitirs in the global industry. Last but not least is maintaining the speed of rivalry environment, GM should enhance and improve its product development. Alongside with the product development, environmental factors should be considered as well for gaining the high quality of business. 5. RECOMMENDATION In my opinion, General Motors should follow some strategies such as restructuring, product development, liquidation and market development. If GM does the product development, this would allow them to sustain the speed of rivalry environment. As a pratic example of this theory is Hybrid SUV vehicles, which matches the GM shape with continuing the portion of SUV, basically that allocate the company to keep on with trend models. My another recommendation for GM is reevaluation of the market. Global market is a market that which changes frequently. First GM vehicles had got tradition style, however, among the changing industry, they started to produce big cars, especially for the US market. One practical example for that case is to produce ultra-modern vehicles. If they manufacture that futuristic cars before the Honda or Toyota Company, they would gain an advantage in competitive industry. Lastly, liquidation is very essential for GM. The reason for that is, its assets are much more than its incomes. If General Motors can get the assests through the cash, therefore, GM could be more available finance. Moreover , when they achieving that process, GM wouldnt have to rely on US market, they could be independent in global industry. 6. APPENDIX Appendix 1 Imported Japanese Cars Develoopment: Source: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1501956HYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1501956show=htmlHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1501956show=htmlshow=html Appendix 2 Auto Sales Monthly Change: Source: http://www.wstreet.com/investing/stocks/19359_gms_fire_sale_and_auto_sales_preview.html Appendix 3 -China Car Market Soars: Source: http://seekingalpha.com/article/243737-outlook-2011-china-says-no-more-cars-down-goes-auto-industry Appendix 4 Green Manufacturing Processes: Source: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1863551HYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1863551show=abstractHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1863551show=abstractshow=abstract Appendix 5 Steel Prices Between 2005 and 2010: Source: : http://www.ttiinc.com/object/ME_Materials_Steel Appendix 6 Rise in Fuel Prices Between 2009 and 2010: Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12098981 7. REFERENCES 1. Associated Press, 2010. General Motors Gets Junk Credit Rating From Fitch. Michigan Live LLC. [Internet] Available at: http://www.mlive.com/auto/index.ssf/2010/10general_motors_gets_junk_credit.html [Accessed 28 January 2011] 2. BBC News, 2011. Petrol Duty and VAT Rises To Increase Price Of Fuel. Business. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12098981 [Accessed 28 January 2011] 3. Cavusgil, S. Knight, G., and Riesenberger, R., 2008. International Business, Strategy, Management, and the New Realities. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. 4. Chu, D.L., 2010. China Says No More Cars, Down Goes Auto Industry. Outlook 2011. [Online] Available at: http://seekingalpha.com/article/243737-outlook-2011-china-says-no-more-cars-down-goes-auto-industry [Accessed 31 January 2011] 5. Constantini, F., 2010. General Motors. The New York Times. [internet] . Available at: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/general_motors_corporation/index.html [Accessed 10 February 2011] 6. Datamonitor, 2009. General Motors Corporation. Company Profile. [Online] Available at: www.datamonitor.com [Accessed 28 January 2011] 7. David, F.R., 2011. Strategic Management Concepts. 13th edition. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. 8. Diez-Vial, S., 2009. Firm Size Effects on Vertical Boundaries, Journal of Small Business Management, 47 (2): 137-153. 9.Generals Motors, 2010. Company Profile. [Online] Available at: http://www.gm.com/corporate/about/company.isp [ Accessed 10 February 2011] 10. Hamer, T. Hamer, M., 2010. General Motors-It Wasnt Always This Bad. Learn About Classics. [Online] Available at: http://classiccars.about.com/od/classiccarsaz/a/GM.htm [Accessed 10 February 2011] 11. Johnson, G. Scholes, K. and Whittington, R., 2008. Exploring Corporate Strategy, 8th edn. London: Prentice Hall. 12. Kotler, P. Keller, K. L., 2009. Marketing Management, 13th edn. New Jersey: Pearson Education. 13. Mintzberg, et al., 2003. The Strategy Process: Concepts Cases. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. 14. Niederhut-Bollmann, C. Theuvsen, L., 2008. Strategic Management in Turbulent Markets: The Case of the German and Croatia Brewing Industries. Journal for East European Management Studies, Vol. 13, No.1, pp. 63 88. 15. Nunes, B. Bennett, D., 2010. Green Operations Initiatives in the Automobile Industry: An Enviromental Reports Analysis and Benchmarking Study. An International Journal. [Online] Available at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1863551HYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1863551show=abstractHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1863551show=abstractshow=abstract [Accessed 13 February 2011] 16. Nytimes, 2011. United Automobile Workers. Organizations. [Online] Available at: www.nytimes.com [Accessed 31 January 2011] 17. Porter, M.E., 2004. Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analysing Indystries and Competitors. New York: Free Press. 18. Seidenfuss, K. Kathawala, Y., 2005. Voluntary Export Restraint (VER) Without Market Restraints?: The Case Study of the Monitoring Agreement (1991-1999) Between the Japanese Car Manufacturers and the European Union. European Business Review. [Online] Available at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1501956HYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1501956show=htmlHYPERLINK http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1501956show=htmlshow=html [Accessed 10 February 2011] 19. Silver, D., 2009. GMs Fire Sale Auto Sales Preview. Wall Street Strategies. [Online] Available at: http://www.wstreet.com/investing/stocks/19359_gms_fire_sale_and_auto_sales_preview.html [Accessed 8 February 2011] 20. Schlie, E. Yip, G., 2000. Regional Follows Global: Strategy Mixes in the World Automotive Industry. 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The Formation Of The Pakistan Army History Essay

The Formation Of The Pakistan Army History Essay Pakistan came into being on 14 Aug 1947 as one country comprised mainly of contagious Muslim areas. Today even after more than sixty years down the line the country is struggling to become a nation. Pakistans army has had the distinction of holding of reigns of the country for more than thirty-eight years. Martial law regimes have come up in Pakistan in spite of democratically elected governments, the Army continued to exercise control even when civilians were titular rulers of Pakistan. There are many possible questions as to why the Pakistan army is so different then the Indian Army although both the armies share a similarity in cultural heritage and an inherited legacy of political neutrality from the British. . How and under what circumstances did Pakistan Army gained such colossal proportion of importance in the social fabric of Pakistan so as to be the major factor in deciding the policies, relations and thus the destiny of Pakistan in the new world order. Army in Pakistan gained importance which continued to grow steadily, maybe after the first instance of employment of Army for internal security problem on 06 mar 1953,the place was Lahore. The situation was brought under control within two days. The soldiers were withdrawn on 14 May and two days later Dawn newspaper commented that Memories of the Army rule in Lahore will linger for a long time to come and a new look that Lahore has acquired and the sense of discipline among its people inculcated by the Army will bear eloquent testimony to the good work done by Maj Gen Azam Khan and his men. This probably was the building block through which Pakistan Army got itself entrenched to seats of power in future. Many scholars have also raised the question of the age old problem of humankind that is economics driving the force behind the Pakistan Army being reluctant to give away its stake in power.The initial patriotism changed to self sustenance and then to safeguard the vital economic interests of the army. Over the years we have seen that Pakistan has been able to force the world opinion and aid towards itself as per Dr Philip Colhn pakistan is a nation which puts barrel a pistol on its head and demands aid,help otherwise it would shoot itself. This argument merits considerstion as due to its unique geopolitical position it has become a major player and a strategic partner for the sole superpower USA in the fight against terror. The crux of the problem are the bribes the Pakistani military establishment openly seeks from the international community for any move on its part whether it is to help rein in Taliban or severe its institutional support to India directed terror groups. Another point which drives the behavior of Pakistan is that it has to live with the fact that it lacks strategic depth and so it has raised its stakes in Afghanistan which it considers its strategic depth and the militant outfits operating with the blessings of Pakistan Army,more in particular of ISI are also considered as strategic partners which would come to play when the need arises. METHODOLOGY Statement of the Problem The Pak Army traditionally preoccupied itself with political, social, economic security concerns of the nation. It started with Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan ( 17 Jan 1951 Apr 1969) since then there has been many instances when power was bestowed on civil regimes but due to their corruption and mis governance people of Pakistan turned back to their Army leadership for solace. The role of the Pakistan army in politics, is contributing to dissonance with India. Hypothesis The army has been supreme power centre and has played its role in all the major time lines in the history of the nation irrespective of the global and geo strategic positions prevailing at that time. The foreign policies and political issues are dictated to a certain extent by the GHQ. This role of Pakistan army in politics, especially in the present sub-continental context, is the major cause of dissonance with India. Justification of the Study The Pakistan Army has been able to influence the political, social and religious aspirations of the people of Pakistan. In doing so it has been able to justify its involvement in almost all spheres of the governance .As a powerful organization ,it has been able to present a picture to the population that in the present scenario it is the only organization in Pakistan which can safeguard the nations integrity and security from the biggest enemy, India. This study proposes to see the correlation between the Army and the governance and power structure of Pakistan further if its this mindset is the root cause of dissonance with India. Scope The study will deal with the historical backdrop and the symbiotic relationship which has emerged between civil and military relations in Pakistan. The role played by army in politics and its subsequent effect on relations with India. The study will cover the military regimes in brief along with the three wars and the proxy war in Kashmir resulting in fomenting trouble against India . Method of Data Collection The means and sources of gathering information , which would assisted in completing this paper are appended below:- guest speakers . Articles of significance in Indian and Pakistani newspapers. Periodicals and Journals. Books written by various writers in the subject. A bibliography of the above means and sources is appended at the end of the text. Organisation of the Dissertation In the course of the dissertation, the subject is proposed to be analysed in the following parts: (a) Chapter II. Historical Perspective of Pak Army Ideology. (b) Chapter III. Pak Failed Democracy or State (c) Chapter IV. Wars with India, their impact on policy formulation.. (d) Chapter V. Civil Military Relations and their dynamics. (e) Chapter VI. Influence Of Pak Army On Relations With India. (f) Conclusion. (g) Bibliography CHAPTER II HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF PAKISTAN ARMY IDEOLOGY As we look into the events that unfolded after 14 Aug 1947we would come to the conclusion that very few nations come into existence as India and Pakistan came into being. The partition of British india into two independent nations of India and Pakistan has a long and sorrow saga of violence, mistrust, betrayal and a sense of unfullfillment Of the objectives for which this division was sought by their political leaders. The initial problems have continued till date and there is little hope for a peaceful, permanent solution.The problems which have become a more or less a permanent feature in relations between the two countries are (a) The territorial claims of J K (b) Disproportionate arms acquisition as seen by each other. (c) Nuclear Status. (d) Partition of undivided India. The partition of British India also included division of the Army between India and Pakistan.The war department was split on 19 July 1947 and many units began moving components to the destinations on either side of the border. The task was not an easy one as the numbers were large the British Indian Army was 400,000 strong.It was decided that Indian Army would get 2,60,000 with balance allotted to Pakistan. Out of the twenty nine infantry regiments Pakistan received eight a similar ratio of division took place in other fighting arms. The transformation was not easy and in most of the cases it ended in sorrow while in some cases it ended in slaughter although it was not of a soldier killing a fellow soldier. Creation of a new stste did not have an auspicious beginning. It is not surprising that the distrust engendered by mass slaughter has continued to linger on even today. Another reason for the distrust formulated in the psyche of the Pakistan was the fact that in the middle of chaos and terror the newborn armies had a tough and challenging task of creating a balanced fighting forces.India got a large proportion of base installation as most of the stores, depots were located within India.It had been worked out that 170,000 tons of equipment and stores were to be dispatched to Pakistan in 300 train loads actually Pakistan only received three railway wagon loads from India containing obsolete or useless items such as prophylactics left over from early treatment centers set up during the Second World War in Burma as recalled by General Gul Hassan . This denial of equipment to Pakistan contributed to the rapid souring of relations. The territories were to be distributed by two commissions chaired by Sir Cyril Radcliffe, an eminent jurist who lacked knowledge about the subcontinent. Mountbatten the then Viceroy of British India is supposedly to have used all his charm to persuade the rulers of approximate 500 independent Princely States to accede to India rather than to Pakistan. He succeeded but with three exceptions of Hyderabad, Junagarh and Kashmir.The Nawab of Junagarh immediately after partition declared accession to Pakistan it was within Indian territory so it accession was not practicable ,as it had only 20 percent muslim population its accession was not logical either. Hyderabad was also a similar problem as 86 per cent of its population was hindu but Kashmir was a muslim dominated state with a hindu ruler who wanted to be independent. Thus amidst this chaos India did military action in Junagarh after its Nawab fled to Pakistan .The Nizam of Hyderabad Osman Ali had not decided to opt for either of the countries the and there was a standstill which lasted till 13 september 1947 when Indian troops took over the state. Thus,in two of the desputed territories there had been solutions one in Junagarh involved plebiscite favouring India and other at Hyderabad involving military action .The problem of Kashmir was similar but was not solved and has led to was and tension between two countries since then. The actions by India in Junagarh, Hyderabad and the Kashmir dispute had a very negative effect in the general psyche of Pakistan towards India who now came to be seen as a nation which could use force to re-unite the subcontinent. This fear was the initial trigger in formulation of policies within Pakistan and was instrumental in deciding its international policies and relations .We can argue that these notions were not correct and an extension of imagination by Pakistan but it should be remembered that when it was critical for Pakistan to stabilize its internal situation India ,although was also doing the same inside its territories ,was insensitive and committed actions without taking Pakistan into confidence thus augmented Pakistans fears against India. In view of the above arguments it is clear that the problems and the inadvertent actions by India to solve then coupled with the scars of a bloody partition made Pakistan security conscious and its leaders were of the opinion that with a large neighbour who doe not hesitate to use force Pakistans territorial integrity was at a risk. This formulated the foundation of Pakistan policies to be formulated and followed. The policy of leaders, whether civil or military, was to strengthen defense of Pakistan at all conditions and cost. The chaos and internal problems made the political elected representatives dependent on the bureaucracy to run the administration and on the army to safeguard territorial integrity of the nation and maintain law and order . The army should only be called for maintenance of law and order duties only in exceptional cases but in Pakistan it became a regular feature and paved the way for future role which the Army had to play. Although Indian and Pakistani armies had a common origin in the old British Indian Army their employment and conduct differed drastically some differences are :- (a) Pakistan Army has been ruling the nation for more than 32 years since it attained independence and so it has acquired great influence and powers within the politics and society. (b) The Pakistan army was created from scratch and it led to a mixed legacy of pride and bitterness at having to create a virtually new army in the face of active Indian hostility. (c) The basis of creaton of Pakistan was to created as an Islamic state, so its army had to adapt to Islamic principles and practices and used it to build upon its strength. (d) After partition the responsibility of the defence of the North West Frontier Provinces was that of Pakistan , changing its entire strategic outlook. The unique feature of composition of Pakistan Army is that it is dominated by Punjabi Muslims. The Pakistan army had something like 60 percent Punjabi Muslims and the next bigger chunk from the North West Frontier Province. Thus, the army came to be dominated by the Punjabi-Pathan, psyche and culture of defiance, unwillingness to accept defeat, and not accepting responsibility for it by transferring it to someone else, further an urge to dominate, certain recklessness and a deep desire for revenge. As has already been mentioned that Punjabi Muslim officers formed the majority of the Offr cadre and thus acquired a influential position in the newly formed state of Pakistan: they stressed that the intrinsic worth of Pakistan was the Islamic character of Pakistan this was in turn to be reflected in the Islamic character of the military. They propagated , the history of Pakistan had its origin to Muslim dominance in South Asia and Pakistanis were natural conquerors of the region as their purer religion was an asset and their aggressive character. These beliefs led to the belief of the supremacy of Pakistani martial classes over Hindu India. Since its inception the military rulers have had a great say in formulating policies ,laws which shaped Pakistans destiny. The Army is dominated by Punjabis which come from affluent land lord ,industrial class ,these classes traditionally have been the ruling elite thus the Army officers belonging to these regards military ascendancy of politics not only as a right but as a duty as well. The degree to which military represent interests of others is a debatable issue further , the army has steadily extended its field to include protection of the national ideology, as per its own interpretation . Under Zia ideology of Pakistan being a Muslim state changed, in due course of time, to an Islamic polity and now it has further changed to Pakistan being a nation of enlightened moderation. General Zias Islamisation campaign affected both Pakistani society and the Army Zia tried to build a more puritanical and devout Army and allowed some religious groups like Tabligh e Jamat .to become acti ve in the Army.He was also the first Army Chief to attend the annual conventions of this group.Zia religion to be integrated in the syllabus of the staff college and encouraged the study of Islams teachings regarding the conduct of war. The unquestionable military professionalism of the Pakistan army is resultant of the fighting traditions and natural instincts of people of North-West India. The problem of Pakistan Army is that it has a constricted base of its recruitment, and a far larger role is played by tribal and clan factor which tend to deal with proficient matters in a similar manner which on a hindsight is constricted ethnic viewpoint. This clan background increases the stress to prove that one is more courageous and aggressive than the other, with little consideration to the cost of such action an institute like would have to pay and an example of such foolhardiness in Pakistan Army can be that of the Kargil misadventure undertaken by it on such considerations. The Pakistan army guards their integrity , protects their position in the society, and wants to protect a foundation or an idea since the day Pakistan was created. Further it has been dynamic in establishment of internal law and order. Furthermore, it has forever regarded itself as the special expression of the idea of Pakistan, and a few officers have advocated an activist role in reforming the society where it has fallen below the standard of excellence set by the military. The professionalism of the Pakistan army has been strongly influenced by the philosophy of Pakistan. During 1980s the army began to assume the role of the only defender of the countrys ideological frontiers. This resulted in change in the social culture of the army, and its officer corps. The Pak army officer corps influences the defense policy as well as politics of Pakistan. The military has maintained its supremacy in politics has been successfully projecting itself as saviours of the state, it has laid claim of the sole agency capable of promoting and safeguarding national integration and prevailing only when it becomes necessary to prevent collapse. Post independence, the Pakistan army identified and stressed that Islam was a unifying force. There are regular attempts by military think tanks to decrease the degree of influence of British Indian army patterns and the need to alter as per Islamic principles. A Lieutenant General involved with training in the army states , Islam is a religion in which certain amount of regimentation is germane. You have a system, a core, so basically therefore, for a Muslim, as I see it; he gets a certain orientation, a certain organisation and a certain discipline. General Zia tried to change the ethos of the army, making Islamic custom and teachings part of the armys day-to-day activities. He changed the motto of the army from Jinnahs Unity, Faith and Discipline to Iman, Taqwa, Jihad fi Sabeelillah (Faith, Obedience of God and Struggle in the Path of Allah) and even allowed members of the fundamentalist Tableeghi Jamaat to preach at the PMA. Many Muslim officers had to choose between India and Pakistan during partition and a fairly large number chose this option. Most probably they thought that they would have more opportunities in an Islamic state vis a vis a secular democracy having a Hindu majority. The occurrence of partition established the worst doubt of these officers. It taught Pakistani officers one basic rule: trust no one in a situation of a Hindu or Sikh vs. Muslim and take nothing for granted, except when you have the force to defend yourself. This suspicion (but not fear) of communal enemies was imprinted on the psyches of almost all officers in the new Pakistan army. Later the distribution of military stores and non receipt of the promised stores from India, Indian actions in Kashmir,Junagarh and Hyderabad, made Pakistan officers formulate a sense of distrust and perception- real or imagined that India was dishonest in its dealings especially when it come to Pakistan are part of the inheritance of the present-day Pakistan army. Pakistani officers of subsequent generations believe in this mistrust of India as a primary postulation, which is as true as the formulation of their country and it would take a herculean effort of both sides to completely erase this belief from the subconscious mind. . Pakistan Army is perceived to be a highly motivated and a disciplined organisation. The people have conventionally shown great admiration, even high regard, for its officers and soldiers, who have time and again performed when the time of reckoning, come. On the other hand the military leadership has frequently let the military and the country down. Slowly, respect, has been replaced by a feeling of fear and hatred and has generated dialogue on the army and its role in the countrys polity. During the Zia regime in the late 1980s, people were so fed up with the uniform and its interference in daily life that many Army officers desisted going in public places in uniform . During 1990s, hatred of the military was due to the fact that the army was seen encroaching into the commercial life of the cities and even agriculture.Even during the time Musharraf was in power People minced no words when it came to criticizing the military but they taked within the four walls of their houses.They adjusted to the military rule which it seems to have become habit of sorts.