Monday, September 30, 2019

Essay on Assam Essay

Assam has been aptly described by some as ‘the Shangrila of the North-Eastern India’ – a state having breathtaking scenic beauty, rarest floras and faunas, lofty hills, lush tea gardens, undulating plains, mighty waterways, dense forests, fertile valleys, etc. It lies as a jewel of exquisite beauty and charm on the Northeastern horizon of India. Since the days of Hiuen-Tsang it has fascinated the rest of the world with her aura of myth and mysteries, history and folklore, music and dance. Known as Pragjyotishpura (land of Eastern lights) in ancient time and Kamrupa in medieval times, Assam is the anglicised name for the state. The name of the state may have come from the word ‘Ahom the people who migrated to the Brahmaputra valley in the early 13th century and gave shape to the Assamese of today. The state lies between 89 °. 50†² to 96 °, 10†² E. longitude and 24 °. 30†² to 28 °, 40†² N. latitude. Seven Indian states and two foreign countries touch its boundary. Spread over an area of 78, 438 sq. km. State has a total population of 26, 638, 407 according to Census, 2001. We have a clear picture of Assam only from the early 13th cent, when the country was conquered by Ahoms. Later they were ousted by the Burmese, who handed over the area to the British by the treaty of Yandaboo in 1826. All the major races of the world such as, Austro-Asiatic, the Indo- Aryans, Indo-Tibetans, Indo-Burmese, Mongolians, etc. have combined to make the great Assamese people of today. Assam, however, has remained practically a land of Tibeto- Burmese people. Assamiya or Assamese is the lingua franca of the state. Assam can be divided into three natural regions, namely the Brahmaputra valley, the Barak valley and the Hilly regions. These regions are quite distinct from one another with regard to the composition of people, manner of living and culture. The mighty Brahmaputra along with Barak has nourished the state from time immemorial and has been a source of solace as well as a source of sorrow for the people of the state. The economy of the state is overwhelmingly agricultural and about 75% of the population directly or indirectly depends on this sector for their livelihood. Rice, fruits, aracanut, jute, sugar cane, and tea are the chief agricultural produce of the state. The state also produces nearly half of the country’s total output of tea. he state is rich in natural resources such as oil, gas, coal, and limestone. The perfect fusion of heritage, tradition, faiths, and beliefs of  numerous races has resulted in many festivals in the state. The main festivals of Assam are the ‘Bihus’ which are celebrated all over the state by every one with great pomp and grandeur. The most colourful amongst the three ‘Bihus’ is the spring festival known as Rongali Bihu. Nature has abundantly blessed Assam with charming sights and exciting natural scenery. Kaziranga National Park and Manas Sanctuary are the chief tourist centres famous for Royal Bengal tiger, one-horned rhinos and golden langur. The other attractions of the state are the famous Kamakhya temple near Guwahati, Umananda temple, Navagraha temple, Kareng Ghar, Rang ghar, Talatal Ghar, Majuli island, Jatinga, etc. Nestling in the Himalayan foothills the state is rich in cultural heritage, natural beauty, and mineral resources. There is no denying the fact that the state of Assam during the last fifty years has made great strides in many fields. But a lot more remains to be done to bring the state to the forefront of development and progress. Given better political stability, adequate stress on industrialisation, proper utilisation of resources available and less militancy, the state can leap forward to an era of prosperity and all-round development.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Competitive Advantage and Objectives Analysis Essay

Competitive advantage and objectives analysis go hand in hand in determining how marketers will determine product positioning. The main goal of a marketer is to create the image of the company or the product brand. Then the job becomes establishing or positioning the same image or brand into the target market. Positioning is putting the concept into the minds of the prospective consumer. It is important for a marketer to understand the different types of analysis and know how to compare the strengths and weaknesses of each type of analysis. In the following paper a comparison of this analysis will be introduced and explained. Different Types of Analysis Used Product Positioning Product positioning analysis is an important step in the marketing plan. Product positioning is when marketers design and image and value so that consumers in the target market understand how the product is important to them. The goal of marketers is to develop the image so it appeals to consumers and builds the competitive advantage. Product positioning is like the tactical factor or analysis that is part of the overall marketing strategy. It is important when developing the positioning strategy that each part of the mix is incorporated including price, how the product will be distributed, what type of advertising will be used, and most important how well will after – sell customer service be generated. Level Two Heading Replace the level two heading with the words for your heading. The heading must be in bold font. Read more about APA headings on the APA Style Blog. Conclusion The closing paragraph is designed to bring the reader to your way of thinking if you are writing a persuasive essay, to understand relationships if you are writing a comparison/contrast essay, or simply to value the information you provide in an informational essay. The closing paragraph summarizes the key points from the supporting paragraphs without introducing any new information. References This is a hanging indent. To keep the hanging indent format, triple click your mouse on this line of text and replace the information with your reference entry. You can use the Reference and Citation Examples (Center for Writing Excellence>Tutorials and Guides>Reference and Citation Examples) to help format your source information into a reference entry. The reference page always begins on the top of the next page after the conclusion.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Buddhism, Legitimation, and Conflict: The Political Functions of Urban Thai Buddhism Essay

Ideally, Buddhism is a religion with a huge following whereby the believers in the religion follow and interact socially with the Dharma doctrine which is basically what the Buddha taught or his way of living. Dharma is the path to attain such enlightenment and the teachings of Buddha and through the following of Buddhists traditions shows the variances in attaining Dharma and reaching enlightenment. The Buddha way of teaching is only considered helpful to individuals if it is practiced with discipline what the Buddha’s themselves called the VinayaCITATION Jac07 p 44 l 1033 (Jackson 44). The understanding of Buddhism is expressed by the acts of those who abide unwillingly to the apparition of Dharma-Vinaya and preach its beliefs to the masses. Like many other religions, Buddhists have multiple sects and traditions. In essence, the ultimate goal for all Buddhists is to attain enlightenment. Theraveda Buddhism accounts for nearly ninety five percent of the population in Thailand and this shows just how much Buddhism more than any other religion is influential in Thailand. In the long history of the existence of Thailand, the citizens seem to have been predominantly Buddhist by religion at least from the moment they were acquainted with it. Current historical records show that all the previous kings of Thailand were adherents of Buddhism. Most notable is the fact that the Thai constitution clearly states that a Thai King must be a Buddhist and as a result, must be the ultimate upholder of Buddhism. Theravada School of Buddhism has been one of the three major forces that have influence in the country. Despite the existence of substantial regional and local variations, the major themes of Buddhism in Thailand are provided by the Theravada schoolCITATION Mac07 p 87 l 1033 (Mackenzie 87). Traditionally, Pali is the language of religion in Thailand as evidenced by the fact that the scriptures are recorded in Pali through the older Tham and Khom scripts or the modern Thai script. As the primary religious Thai text, Pali is also used in religious rite despite the little number of Thai citizens who understand it. Hindu beliefs from Cambodia also serves are a significant influence on Buddhism in Thailand especially during the Sukothai period. The Thai kingship institution was largely influenced by Vedic Hinduism just as it did in Cambodia which as a result exerted influence in the creation of law and order in the society and religion of Thailand. There are certain rituals that are still practiced in modern Thailand by monks or specialists in Hindu rituals that can clearly be related to Hind practices or of Hindu origin. Essentially, Hindu influence can still be seen within Buddhist ceremonies and institutions in Thailand despite the fact that the visibility of Hinduism within Thai society has diminished significantly during the Chakri DynastyCITATION Suk10 p 34 l 1033 (Suksamran 34). Folk religion is the third major influence on Thai Buddhism as seen in the Buddhist rituals and precepts that are used in trying to appease the local spirits. Although the Thais who have received Western education often tend to define the line between practices of folk religion and Thai Buddhism, this is quite a gray area given the practices of the rural locales. An in-depth analysis of these three influences can clearly be traced through the current development and practices within the political system of Thailand. One of the most striking things that one notices upon arrival in Thailand is the magnificent Buddhist temple with its exquisite architecture coupled with the sight of monks and novices in yellow clad especially in the wee hours of the day. This sight serves as an inevitable reminder to both residents and foreigners of the dominance of Buddhism in the Thai nation Despite the fact that Thailand currently exists as a constitutional monarchy, its political system is quite a reflection of the string Southeast Asian tradition of Buddhist supremacy nature that link the legitimacy of the government to its support and protection for Buddhist institutions. This link has progressed into the modern era as seen in cases where Buddhist clergy and institutions are given special treatment by the Thai government as well as being subjected to a special government oversightCITATION Jac07 p 90 l 1033 (Jackson 90). Besides the cleric leadership of the Sangha, Buddhist temples and monks in Thailand are supervised by a profane government ministry. Good examples of these occurrences have been seen in the legal state of reform movements and Buddhist sects. For example , the case of Santi Asoke received legal prohibition from referring to itself as a Buddhist denomination and in the prosecution of monks who have been persecuted in the case of ordaining women by trying to revive lineage of the Theravada bhikkhuni and in so doing tried to impersonate clergy members hence their demiseCITATION Mac07 p 111 l 1033 (Mackenzie 111). A further examination of the Buddhist ways reveals certain themes and guidelines in the religious teachings of Buddha. The Srakakayana literally translates as the disciples. This is important to the Thai faith because as Buddhists listen to the teachings of Buddha and practice the teachings therefore becoming disciples. They thus listen to the text and scriptures then they can f ind their way to salvation. Generally, this concentration allows them to realize Dharma through listening and practicing. For a monk in Thailand to obtain a passport in order to travel abroad, one must have a Buddhist monk identification card, an official letter granting the permission to travel outside Thailand from the Sangha Supreme Council, any initial Thai passport or a certified equivalent thereof and a copy of House Registration. Beside these insurmountable acts of state recognition and support from the Thai state like the official gifts to monasteries from officials within the royal family and the government , Buddhist monks have quite a number of special rights bestowed upon them. Buddhist monks have access to free public transportation in airports and train stations where they often have special seating allocations. There is no law that directly forbids members of Buddhist institutions like monks and nuns from being candidates in the enrollment for recruitment as government officers. However, both the Sangha Supreme Council which serves as the supervising agency for Thai Buddhist communities a nd the Council of Ministers have placed such prohibition in cases of appropriateness in accordance with the Memorandum of the Administrative Department of the CabinetCITATION Suk10 p 127 l 1033 (Suksamran 127) . On the contrary, it is a crime for ordained monastic to stand for office or vote in elections. No member of the Buddhist community or other religious communities is entitled to either elect or be elected for any government position. The Thai constitution disfranchises a monk, novice, clergy member or priest of Buddhist religion from holding any government post. In addition, any member who is elected as a representative will lose membership upon becoming a Buddhist monk, nun or clergy. This illustrates a clear fact that Buddhist members are not in any way appropriate for Thai politics. The existence of Buddhists members like monks and nuns highly depends on the respect of the public and as a result, society expects them to behave in a way that calls for respect for the entire public and not a specific affiliate communityCITATION Jac07 p 221 l 1033 (Jackson 221). Any involvement by a Buddhist member either in support or participation of an election is considered a breach of the unusual conduct of the law and the Buddhist member is considered to have disgraced his religion, community as well as himself. Thus failure of monk or nun to uphold these stipulated rules is ground enough for them to condemned, disrespected and balked at in various ways. Since 2007 there have been several calls by Thai Buddhists to acquire recognition within the new constitution of Thailand as a state religion. Initially, this suggestion received rejection from the committee that was responsible for drafting the new constitution which consequently triggered quite a number of protests from those who supported the initiative such as a hunger strike by twelve of the Buddhist monk and various protest marches within the capital of ThailandCITATION Mac07 p 210 l 1033 (Mackenzie 210). Opponents of the plan, including Sulak Sivaraksa who is a renowned Thai social critic and scholar, did so based on claims that political gain is the driving force behind the call to declare Buddhism as a national religion and that it may have manipulated by the Thai supported Thaksin Sinawatra who had just been ousted as the country’s Prime Minister. As expected the Committee drafting the constitution later on failed to vote in support of the special status of Buddhism and in so doing provoked intense reaction from religious groups which criticized the committee for being impartial to religious affiliates. The issue also caught the attention of the Queen of Thailand who raised concerns over the matter and on her birthday, she delivered a speech through which she highlighted the notion that Buddhism goes way beyond politics. The reclusive politics of Thailand is in complete upheaval. The Sangha can no longer be dismissed as political force and simply perceived as a legitimacy fount for the country and for the monarchy. The role played by hundreds of monks in ProThaksin redshirts between March and May of 2010 are a clear proof of the growing apprehension within Buddhism. However, beyond these intense displays of complete lack of satisfaction, an important fact is the Buddhism and in this case the Sangha, faces quite a number of serious challenges. From a Buddhist perspective, the solution of Thailand’s approach to Buddhism is twofold. First and foremost, there should be a link between Buddhist base communities in Thailand to create a relatively decentralized society that can thereafter serve as a model for religion. The second solution lays in the attainment of a society that is more just on a national level through fighting for political reforms steered by Buddhist thinkers. The newly established Thai constitution that includes a democratic process that is reformed with a balance of power and structural check serves as a stepping stone towards structural change within Thailand’s political system. References Jackson , Peter A. Buddhism, Legitimation, and Conflict: The Political Functions of Urban Thai Buddhism. Bangkok: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2007. Mackenzie, Rory . New Buddhist Movements in Thailand: Towards an Understanding of Wat Phra Dhammakaya and Santi Asoke. New York: Routledge, 2007. Suksamran, Somboon . Buddhism and Politics in Thailand: A Study of Socio-political Change and Political Activism of the Thai Sangha. Bangkok: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2010. Source document

Friday, September 27, 2019

Profile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Profile - Essay Example To me, Smith is a real hero. I believe that a hero is someone who makes appositive a contribution in the life of others. This is what I see in Smith. After his birth in 1969, Smith undertook his high school education in Pershing High School, Detroit before proceeding to Michigan State University in which he demonstrated his heroism by becoming the First Team All American basketball player. Later, in 1991, he joined the Miami Heat then he shifted to Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Hornets, San Antonio, and Charlotte Bobcats and finally went back to Miami Heat in 2004 before eventually retiring in the year 2005. All these achievements qualify Smith as a real hero. Despite such achievements, Smith still remains an unsung hero. I consider him so because he has not been recognized or the great accomplishments he has realized in his life so far. I consider him an unsung hero because, rather than actively engaging in basketball, Smith has established himself as a reputable philanthropist. After founding his foundation called Steve Smith Charitable Fund, Smith has been selflessly serving the underprivileged. As a charitable personality, he believes in equality which he says can only be attained through the empowerment of the less fortunate. With such an ideology in his mind, Steve dedicated his efforts to help in offering scholarship to the needy and bright African-American students who do find it challenging to fulfill their educational goals. This was not a mean achievement in the society. it is very hard to find people who can sacrifice all their savings for others (Olivier 129). This is a virtue that can only be found in people like Smith who only do it for the sake of others. Sometimes, people might be tempted to start a foundation in aid of others, but end up squandering contributions for their own benefits. This could not be heard of in Steve Smith Charitable Fund whose main role is to eradicate poverty

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Knowledge Management and Organisational Learning Essay

Knowledge Management and Organisational Learning - Essay Example The fundamental role of knowledge management is to extract tacit knowledge and make it available for others to use2. Explicit knowledge exists in the form of words, documents, data, computer programs or software and other explicit forms. Knowledge management involves planning, organizing, motivating and controlling of workers and arrangements in the firm to make sure that knowledge related assets are improved and effectively employed. By motivating the creation, dissemination and application of knowledge, KM initiatives help organizations embed knowledge and learning into organizational processes so that it can improve its practices and behaviors to achieve its goals. Organizational learning helps the organization sustainably improve its utilization of knowledge. OL is the capability that enables organizations to practice the most suitable and precise management practices, structures and actions to facilitate and encourage learning. Recruitment and Selection Recruitment is the proces s of hiring a pool of people who are capable of working in an organization. Selection involves the use of specific instruments to choose from a pool of applicants the persons who are most likely to excel in a job relative to the management’s goals and legal requirements3. ... When organizations hire workers who possess relevant knowledge, skills and aptitudes, the process plays a pivotal role in shaping an organizations effectiveness and performance. The organization recruitment process should be modified to accommodate knowledge management practices. The most innovative organizations in knowledge management select individuals with the appropriate skills and attitudes as such employees have the ability to assimilate knowledge from various sources.4 Traditional approaches to selection may be revised to capture unpredictable knowledge flows especially in innovation projects. This is because it may be difficult to specify the requisite knowledge and expertise in advance for such projects. The social process model of recruitment and selection derived from social psychology has been adopted by different firms. This model assumes that people change constantly in the course of their careers and that subjective self-perceptions are critical to their work motivati on and performance. Self-perceptions are influenced by assessment selection procedures, and that modern jobs involve interaction, negotiation and mutual influence, which take place in multi-skilled, flexible and self-directed work teams.5 Firms use the social model to recruit persons who are most likely to share and acquire knowledge. Some researchers have argued that traditional recruitment and selection practices obstruct knowledge sharing among groups or departments in firms organized in accordance to the functional principle. For instance, in one pharmaceutical company, the assessment centers for selection of graduates were functionally focused with sales assessment centers and marketing assessment

Mercosur and the Creation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas Essay

Mercosur and the Creation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas - Essay Example In this scenario, the bilateral relation between MERCUSOR and the United States takes a more significant stance (Lorenzo and Marcel). In order to understand creation of free trade in the Americas, it is vital to look at the economic incentives on private and social levels of distinct alternatives for trade liberalization. This implies that information is processed to comprehend the distinct negotiation process that is the bilateral as against plurilateral considering specific national interests in the region. The incorporation process includes many subjects such as intellectual property, harmonization of local policies on competition and labor and environmental standards. The main focus is aimed at looking at alterations in market access linked with the proposed trade liberalization, thus, opening ways for free movement of goods in America. The U.S population and pre-capital product are larger than that of the MERCOSUR countries; this gives the U.S an economic weight than the MERCUSO R countries. The United States has not ignored MERCOSUR countries as a tangible and valid voice in the FTAA negotiations; it has instead preferred to concentrate its efforts towards global ambit. Bilateralism could soon become the new aspect in bringing dynamism to the negotiation process. For instance, in 2003, there was accelerated trade negotiation between the United States with Caribbean and Central American countries. MERCOSUR was created in 1991 and since then, it has achieved regional integration as the fastest means of advancing the process of economic development in global arena. The process of creating free trade is an intricate process in that it includes unilateral opening, pluri-lateral preferential agreements, and multilateral negotiations. The main agenda for MERCOSUR was the establishment of free trade area for Americas (Lorenzo and Marcel 43). For instance, in South America, MERCOSUR has included Chile and Bolivia as associated nations and proposed establishment and creation of free trade area with States of the Andean community of Nations. In addition, MERCOSUR is focused in developing external negotiations because members states have demonstrated the potential to negotiate which increased their credibility. Despite the fact that MERCUSOR is focused in creating free trade in the region, these Nations have experienced internal tribulations that have eventually led to delays in completing their customs unions; this, in turn, has greatly damaged the regions or blocs credibility and negatively influenced its power to negotiate externally. As far as free trade area is concerned, the MERCOSUR is determined in accessing the U.S market and on ground that the free trade area will be beneficial if the U.S accepts access to its markets. At some point, MERCUSOR countries have demonstrated distinct degree of commitment to negotiations in the FTAA platform but their participation in these talks is inevitable because staying out from the negotiation is not a prudent idea since other nations are engaging in the negotiation. MERCOSUR members understand that the best and brilliant way is to work as a bloc or region since this strengthens their negotiating power (Lorenzo and Marcel 59-62). For regional or bloc countries, resolutions on matters of the old agenda such as agricultural rules,

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Contemporary ethical challenges and Leadership Essay

Contemporary ethical challenges and Leadership - Essay Example Things which people perceived as wrong in the past are now viewed as tolerable and acceptable. This change in the way people think has brought about numerous challenges which leaders have to face. Moral behaviour was initially judged on the basis of religious teachings. Irrespective of which religion an individual belonged to, the human life was focused on the religious teachings. However with the passage of time, the human focus has shifted from religion. With secular societies and nations being on the rise, religion is not viewed as the fundamental basis of how one should act. Consequently, the error theory and the meta-ethics have developed over time. In the present times, age old principles are not used as the basis of governing a situation. Be it an issue in economy or a problem faced in the business, people consider the present situation and weigh their pros and cons before terming an action as either ethical or unethical. It is believed that times have changed so immensely, th at the age old principles do not apply any longer to the issues faced by the people today (Mackie, 110). In a world, where people often do not abide by the rules of religion, it is very important for national leaders to be ethical. Similarly it is very important for business leaders and the executive managers to be ethical. Businesses are run on the basis of trust and ethics. An increasing number of business schools now teach philosophy and ethics as a part of their curriculum so as to avoid their graduates from following prey to scandals and breach of ethics in the real world (Fulmer, 308). The ethics of leadership have been analyzed time and again using the disciplines of science and humanities. While scientific scholars aim at providing people with descriptions and explanations, the humanities scholars deliver an understanding of the topic (Ciulla, 304). Every leader has to face his personal set of ethical challenges. These challenges may differ from one leader to another. In the case of national leaders, there are situations where their moral luck is to be blamed. Certain leaders are not unethical, but the situations that they have to face might lead them to make certain decisions which may look immoral. The decisions which leaders have to make on a daily basis are very sensitive and risky. At times they do not have complete information or may lack the time to gather the required information. When it comes to national decisions, leaders may often have to opt for a strategy which will cause the least amount of damage, but will cause damage nonetheless. Kant’s argument holds true in these situations. The argument was that since humans cannot guarantee the results of their actions, the judgments should be based on the right principles which a certain individual follows and not on the outcome (Ciulla, 309). The business scenario today is changing almost too rapidly. In such situations leaders have to be constantly on their toes, in order to keep themsel ves updated and be a step ahead of their competitors. Every business leader has numerous stakeholders to think about when making a decision. Every single decision made by the CEO of a company affects either the employees, vendors, consumers and shareholders or in certain cases all of them. Numerous companies today operate globally. They are not owned by a single person or family, but are publically owned companies. Multinationals like Unilever and Johnson & Johnson are

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

'NGOs legitimacy and representation at the global level' Literature review

'NGOs legitimacy and representation at the global level' - Literature review Example ons and an annual addition of 1200 new ones (Yearbook of international organizations, 2013).This essay seeks to examine the concepts of legitimacy and representation of these NGOs at the global level. In addition, the essay intends to find out the ways in which accountability and representation can be enhanced. As a point of departure, a pressing question on the legitimacy and present political debate on reclaiming the democratic projects in the context of globalization has arose and it needs to be answered. Numerous institutions and scholars have always argued out the extent to which these NGOs are legitimate, responsible and answerable (MACDONALD, 2008). These aspects directly affect the subjects. For instance, the reason for the recent mounting of pressure of high profile campaigns for democratization of powerful international organizations such as the IMF and world Bank includes the belief that, these organizations are neither not representatives of the subjects, nor do they exhibit the aspects of accountable bodies. Montesquieu, a balanced democrat argues that any leadership that is a representative of subjects must get consent of the governed. This follows that, a legitimate NGO should be attributed to the consent of the governed either through elections or by acclamation. This follows that, democracy is exhibited in these institutions if Montesquieu principle is applied (LOY, 1968). On the other hand, Locke confirms that the aspect of legitimacy must be derived from the subjects and once a legitimate body has been consented, then subjects have a preserve of their rights through these bodies. Locke believes that, the interests of the subjects must come first before personal interests (LOCKE, 1990). The question that arises is that who bestows responsibilities to NGOs and how representation of citizens is gained? This follows that, the aspect of representation is challengeable. Despite MACDONALD’s assertion that, alternative non-electoral mechanism of

Monday, September 23, 2019

Summery and Critical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summery and Critical Analysis - Essay Example The company also has to ensure that the marketing analysis is done perfectly and this involves issues such as surveying the potential markets and finding out the types of markets that their services can supply without any issues. It is also necessary that an individual realize their niche in the market to ensure that they give the best services they can to their clients. The chapter is very exhaustive on the topic of marketing as the reader gets to know the various issues about marketing and the way that the design marketer can get his company to get more and more clients. The chapter is exhaustive on the four principles of marketing which include the price, the product, the place and the promotional strategy put in place to ensure that the product is well known among the customer base. A marketing plan is include in the chapter which helps in enabling the reader on how to come up with a good plan to market the products and how to reach out to the most suitable markets in the industry (Russel). Promotional basics talks of the different ways that a firm makes their products known to the public. While promotion includes things such as advertising, public relations is concerned more with the fact the company’s image in the eyes of the public. One of the major ways that firms can establish coverage is by having press releases. Press releases is one of the major ways that firms get exposure and people get to know of the firm and the goods that they deal in. There is also promotion through social media as people are increasingly using the internet to find goods and products. Therefore, it would be useful for a design company to advertise their services on the social media platforms available (Russel). One advantage of social media is that it is a much cheaper way of advertising and it is easy to attract customers through the pictures posted. Newspaper advertisements are also

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Marketing Mix Essay Example for Free

Marketing Mix Essay Abstract In this paper I will define what a good marketing mix requires and describe how a company uses this process to market their product. I have chosen Anytime Fitness as my company to do my paper on. Anytime Fitness is a unique style of fitness club that is in a very competitive market place. Their marketing mix focuses on all of the four Ps to attract customers. They locate small neighborhood clubs close to where people live and work. They are a no frills workout center that offers weights and cardio equipment. This allows people with busy lifestyles to workout whenever they have time. Anytime Fitness also offers a very good pricing plan for individuals and families. Marketing Mix Even with the economy that appears to be slowing down some business are still growing. With people wanting to lose weight and get in shape some fitness clubs are still expanding. The low cost approach that Anytime Fitness has may be a big reason for their continuing growth. With a good marketing mix Anytime Fitness is a fast growing business. They have tailor made their fitness clubs with the busy person in mind. Anytime Fitness offers small workout centers within three miles of most of their customers homes or work. I will show in this paper what different type of marketing mix Anytime Fitness uses to be a leader in market. Definition A good marketing mix includes four main points. These are considered the four Ps of marketing. Product is the first item; this can be an actual product or a service. Other things that are considered part of the product are the quality, style, and even packaging. The next item is price decision. This includes pricing strategy, suggested retail price, volume discounting and wholesale price. There could be other items included in pricing but not limited to seasonal and bundling pricing (The Marketing Mix, 2007). Place is the next of the items that make up a good marketing mix. This is also considered the distribution of the product or lets just says getting the product to the customer. This could be the location you plan to provide your service or product. Generally speaking distribution includes warehousing, distribution centers, order processing and transportation. The  final stage of a good marketing mix is promotion. This stage includes promotional strategy, advertising, personal sales and sales promotions (The Marketing Mix, 2007). Product The term product refers to tangible, physical products as well as services (The Marketing Mix, 2007). I believe the product that Anytime Fitness offers is a great product which is a basic workout center. They have free weights, weight lifting machines and cardiovascular equipment. They also offer free unlimited tanning with most memberships. All the workout centers are open twenty-four hours a day, three hundred and sixty-five days a year. This is possible by allowing members in the gym when it is not staffed. This also helps to reduce the cost of operating the facilities as well. To allow this to happen, each member receives an electronic key that opens the door. They have a monitor that sounds an alarm if two people try to walk in at the same time. The also have several security cameras that can be monitor at any location a manager or owner may want to use. Place Place is concerned with all the decisions involved in getting the right product to the target markets Place. A product isnt much good to a customer if it isnt available when and where its wanted (McCarthy and Perreault, 2005 P 39). Anytime Fitness lives and breathes this statement. This is one of the items that made me change from the mega gym that I was previously a member of. Anytime Fitness locates all their workout centers in small shopping centers close to their members home or places of work. The average distance a member travels to reach a workout center is three miles. They are also opening new clubs at rate of more than one a day. They also are one of a few fitness franchises to succeed in smaller population centers traditionally ignored by larger clubs (Anytime Fitness, 2008). Price You might think that lowest price is always going to win. This statement could not be farther from the truth. The best price for the product or service is a more accurate statement. I have one fitness club that charges eighty dollars a month per member. They offer a product that is more than just a workout center. I do not know all what they offer but it appears they offer activities for the kids, rock climbing classes and basically just a  place to relax. So for some people the eighty-dollar price tag is a good deal. The gym I was formally a member of offered all different types of group workout type classes and individual trainers. They also had a smoothie bar, a large locker area with a sauna. The price there was forty-five dollars a month. This was a good price point for what was offered. Anytime Fitness price is only thirty-five dollars per month but as I have described earlier this club just offers a basic workout facility. Promotion When planning a promotion you have to also have planned a budget for your promotions. Publicity and public relations are also part of the promotions part of a good marketing mix. Anytime Fitness is not only the largest fitness club but also the fastest growing, fitness club franchise in the world. They nearly doubled in size from 308 to 604 clubs in 2007. They plan to open their 1000th club in 2008 (Anytime Fitness, 2008). One of their promotions that I took advantage of was a pricing promotion. This was a grand opening pricing promotion. When my son signed up for thirty-five dollars a month he was told that his whole family could sign up for a monthly rate of fifty-five dollars. I was currently paying forty-five dollars a month for just myself. I now have my wife and daughter signed up with my son and myself for only fifty-five dollars. Good promotions will usually draw in new customers but you also have to weigh the cost of every promotion. Conclusion There are many different factors involved in a good marketing mix. Even though there are only four main categories, these points are broken down into many different points. This is all a part of a good marketing plan. The market place is very competitive all going after the same customers. The companies that succeed find ways to attract a large portion of these customers. As you can see different people have different opinions on what a good deal is. Anytime Fitness is marketing their product to the busy person who is looking for more of a convenience style club than a club with many different options for exercising or in some cases even entertainment. I personally prefer this style club to the mega clubs. I was a member of a small club very similar to Anytime Fitness when it built a mega club and closed all the smaller clubs in the surrounding area. I  constantly had trouble finding open equipment to use and when I was finally done workout and needed to shower to go to work there was never a shower open. Anytime Fitness found a market they had a chance to succeed in. Their marketing program has help to make them a very successful company. References: (2008). The Anytime Fitness Story. Retrieved April 5, 2008, from Anytime Fitness Web site: http://www.anytimefitness.com/corporate/about(2007). The Marketing Mix. Retrieved April 6, 2008, from Net MBA Business Knowledge Center Web site: http://www.netmba.com/marketing/mix/McCarthy, E, Perreault, W (2005). Basic Marketing.New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Impact of Exports, Imports and Stock Exchange on Pakistan

Impact of Exports, Imports and Stock Exchange on Pakistan Impact of Exports, Imports and Stock Exchange performance on GDP of Pakistan. CHAPTER NO 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background The stock market plays an important role in the economy by mobilizing domestic resources and channeling them to productive investment. This implies that it must have a significant relationship with the economy. The relationship can be seen, in general, in two ways. The first relationship views the stock market as the leading indicator of the economic activity in the country, whereas the second focuses on the possible impact the stock market may have on aggregate demand, particularly through aggregate consumption and investment. In other words, whether changes in stock market cause fluctuations in macroeconomic variables, like Consumption Expenditures, Investment Spending, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Index of Industrial Production (IIP), etc., or are caused by these variables is an interesting issue to be examined. The former case implies that stock market leads economic activity, whereas the latter suggests that it lags economic activity. In addition to stock market another significant factors that are likely to effect on any economy around the world are imports and exports. As far as Pakistan is concerned its economy is highly reliant on the imports like industrial inputs, machinery, fuel and essential food stuffs. Pakistan major imports are petroleum, machinery, transport equipment, chemical, dyes, steel, iron, products, tea chemicals and many other products of goods and services which are not easily available in Pakistan. All the major transactions are in terms of million from the year of 2009 to 2011 having a percentage of GDP effect the economy of Pakistan. The major exports of Pakistan are the agriculture products, industrial goods, hosiery products, garments, cloth, fabrics and many other items which are excess in Pakistan Shabbir, Mahmood, Niazi, (1992). A country can avail numerous benefits from its exports. Firstly, trade expansion will bring about enhanced productivity through greater economies of scale in the export sector. Secondly, increased competition encountered in the international markets will undoubtedly provide greater incentives for technological advancement and better management, the effects of which will spill over into the non-export sectors, and thus raise the over-all productivity of the economy. Thirdly, increased export earnings will ease constraints on growth by enhancing the capacity to import essential goods, especially imports of intermediate and capital goods. In other words, export expansion promotes capital accumulation and, consequently, over-all economic growth. Fourthly, exports may have a positive imp act on productivity owing to better allocation of resources through specialization based on comparative advantage. Lastly, an export-oriented approach in a labor-surplus economy permits rapid expansion of employment and real wages. The importation and exportation of goods and services take a vigorous role in the progress of the economic development of Pakistan. It is observed that both factors import and exports help the economy to grow in the local and international market as well. Now due to energy crises the ratios of exports are very less as compared to imports. The rate of population of Pakistan is increasing day by day, which means a high increase of the demands and needs. The importation and exportation of goods and services play a dynamic role in the progress of the economy of Pakistan. It is observed that both factors import and exports help the economy to grow in the local and international market as well. Now due to energy crises the ratios of exports are very less as compared to imports. Therefore, the study will analyze the imports/exports and stock exchange growth with respect to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Pakistan. 1.2 Problem Statement A country like Pakistan whose economy is dependent on taking loans from International Monetary Fund (IMF) has to increase it exports and decrease its imports in order to reduce its dependency on foreign aid and loans. Moreover, owing to economic and political un stability the stock exchange of Pakistan fluctuates all over the year. Both imports/exports and stock exchange is effecting the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Pakistan over the years. Therefore, the study wants to find the impact of Imports/Exports and Stock exchange growth on GDP of Pakistan. 1.3 Research question What is the impact of imports, exports and stock exchange growth on GDP of Pakistan? 1.4 Research Objectives To analyze the impact of imports and exports on GDP of Pakistan. To investigate the impact of Stock exchange growth on GDP of Pakistan. 1.5 Rational of the study The study is based on the time series data from year 2001 to 2015. Data has been collected from authentic sources such as World Bank, world development index and Pakistan stock exchange. On the contrary the stock exchange performance was gathered from Pakistan stock exchange. Imports, exports and stock exchange performance will be used as independent variables and GDP will be used as dependent variable. In order to find the impact of imports, exports and stock exchange performance on GDP of Pakistan the research will use and Regression analysis. 1.6 Significance of the Study The study will be significant to the overall economic sector of Pakistan. Government can avail benefits from research findings in such a way that it can help the government while making their relevant policies for exportation and importation of goods. Furthermore, the government of Pakistan can see the fluctuations in the stock exchange growth over the years through which they can predict the stock exchange performance for years to come. All in all, the whole research will be beneficial to the relevant government sector if they want to increase the economic performance of our country. CHAPTER NO 2 LITERATURE REVIEW Following section contains viewpoints of various authors around the world and from Pakistan with respect to imports/exports and stock exchange growth on GDP of Pakistan. Literature review is an essential part of any research reason being it gives us the direct and indirect perspectives and establish a ground on which current research is taken place. It is inappropriate to conduct a new research before reviewing past research related to the topic on which we are going to conduct research. 2.1 Literature Review The empirical literature on export, import and economic growth nexus are distinguished between two stands in the methodological point of view. The à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rst stand uses the cross-country approach in order to test the economic theory about export and economic growth nexus by using rank correlation approach, OLS method, 2SLS and random effect estimation method. These studies are supported for a positive relationship between export and economic growth McNab and Moore, (1998). The second stand uses the time series techniques. In the beginning of time series literature on export, import and growth nexus, the researchers have widely used causality methods to find out the results. Ahmad and Harnhirun, (1995) employed cointegration and error-correction modeling approach in case of à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ve Asian countries, i.e. Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, annual data of 1966-1990 are employed. They found out bidirectional causal relationship between export and economic growth. In case of China, Shan and Sun, (1998) investigated the ELG hypothesis by using the monthly data 1987-1996. They found bidirectional relationship between export and economic growth. Lie et al. (1997) examined the long-run relationship between trade openness (exports plus imports) by using the quarterly data from 1983 to 1995. They found bidirectional relationship between trade openness and economic growth and suggested higher degree of trade openness associated with the higher level of economic growth. Narayan and Smyth, (2004) used Cointegration and error-correction method in order to check the link between real export, human capital accumulation and economic growth. They found long-run relationship only when real export is the dependent variable. Mah, (2005) the ELG is tested using the ARDL model. The results are in favor of a long-run bidirectional relationship between real GDP and export growth. Conversely, Tang (2006) reviewed the ELG hypothesis in China with import as an additional variable in the model. He used two Cointegration methods, i.e. ARDL approach to Cointegration, and JJ cointegration methods. The results of two approaches indicate no cointegration between export, import and real GDP. Herrerias and Orts, (2009) examined the relationship between the import, investment, output and productivity by using the data 1964-2004. They concluded in the long run both import and investment have promoted output and labor productivity but on the other hand neither investment causes import nor import causes investment. Muhammad Adnan Hye, (2012) conducted a research in China the purpose of this paper is to investigate the export-led growth, growth-led export, import-led growth, growth-led import and foreign deà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cit sustainability hypothesis in the case of China, using annual time series data from 1978-2009. The results conà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rm the bidirectional long run relationship between the economic growth and exports, economic growth and imports, and exports and imports. These à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ndings guided the authors to conclude that the exports-led growth, growth-led exports, imports-led growth and growth-led imports hypothesis is valid, and foreign deà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cit is sustainable for China. The long run elasticities are the elasticity of economic growth with respect to exports is 0.591, and elasticity of exports with respect to economic growth is 1.635. The elasticity of economic growth with respect to imports is 0.621, and elasticity of imports with respect to economic growth is 1.392. Fur thermore, the elasticity of exports with respect to imports is 1.322, and imports elasticity with respect to exports is 0.975. Using time-series and panel data from 1986 to 2004, Hsiao Hsiao, (2006) examines the Granger causality relations between GDP, exports, and FDI among China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand, the eight rapidly developing East and Southeast Asian economies. After reviewing the current literature and testing the properties of individual time-series data, we estimate the VAR of the three variables to à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ nd various Granger causal relations for each of the eight economies. We found each country has different causality relations and does not yield general rules. We then construct the panel data of the three variables for the eight economies as a group and then use the à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ xed effects and random effects approaches to estimate the panel data VAR equations for Granger causality tests. The panel data causality results reveal that FDI has unidirectional effects on GDP directly and also indirectly through exports, and there also exists bidi rectional causality between exports and GDP for the group. Our results indicate that the panel data causality analysis has superior results over the time-series causality analysis. Wacziarg (2001) analyzed the association between trade policy and economic growth by taking 57 countries over the period 1970-1989 by employing fully specified empirical model. He constructed openness index with the help of three trade policy variables, tariff barrier, non-tariff barriers and a dummy variable of liberalization. The results concluded that trade openness affects growth mainly by raising the ratio of domestic investment to GDP and by FDI. Nath and Mamun (2006) investigated the causality between trade, investment and growth through Vector Auto regression (VAR) framework for the period 1971-2000 in Bangladesh. They presented that trade openness has promoted investment in Bangladesh. Although study suggested that growth causes trade but this study found little evidenced that trade affecting economic growth in Bangladesh. By employing ARDL Approach to Co-integration on two Asian countries, India and Korea, Sarkar (2005) has found no meaningful relationship between the per capita real GDP and trade openness. Although India and Korea, opened trade and shares of trade in their GDPs also rose significantly. But none of the countries experienced a positive long-term relationship between opening up and economic growth. Parikh and Stirbu (2004) used fixed effects, random effects, OLS and SURE models for panel of 42 developing countries i.e. Asia, Africa and Latin America over the period 1970-1999. They analyzed the relationship between liberalization, growth and trade balance or current account. Their results concluded that liberalization contributes significantly to economic growth, openness and investment rates. The studies dealing with the causal relationship between stock market and macro variables focus on the relationship of stock prices with consumption expenditures, investment spending, and economic activity. In these studies, the economic activity is generally measured by Gross Domestic Product. (A) Stock Prices and Consumption Expenditures The relationship between stock prices and consumption expenditures is based on the life cycle theory, developed by Ando and Modigliani (1963), which states that individuals base their consumption decision on their expected lifetime wealth. Part of their wealth may be held in the form of stocks linking stock price changes to changes in consumption expenditure. Thus, an increase in stock prices will increase the expected wealth, which, in turn, will increase the consumption expenditures, suggesting the direction of causality from stock prices to consumption expenditures. On the other hand, an increase in consumption expenditures may result in an increase in the corporate sectors earnings, which will result in higher stock prices, implying causality from consumption expenditures to stock prices. (B) Stock Prices and Investment Spending The relationship between stock prices and investment spending is based on the q theory of Tobin (1969), where q is the ratio of total market value of firms to the replacement cost of their existing capital stock at current prices. According to the theory, the firms would increase their capital stocks if q is greater than one, implying that the market value of firms is expected to rise by more than the cost of additional physical capital. Thus an increase in stock prices will result in an increase in the market value of firms, implying that firms would increase their capital stocks reflecting an increase in investment spending. Another link, though less direct, between stock prices and investment spending is based on the neoclassical or cost-of-capital model. The model assumes that firms first determine the desired stock of real capital on the basis of prices of labor, capital, and expected sales and then determine the rate of investment depending on how fast they wish to reach the desired capital stock in the face of significant adjustment cost. Thus, the expected changes in sales and planned output are the major factors affecting investments. However, as noted by Bosworth (1975), if higher earnings are implied by higher expected output that increases stock prices, then the market valuation model implicitly accounts for the effect of expected output. (C) Stock Prices and Economic Activity Finally, the relationship between stock prices and economic activity is investigated to examine the role of stock market, that is, whether it leads or lags economic activity. Moreover, the relationship of stock prices with the components of aggregate demand, consumption, and investment sometimes provide conflicting results, causing an ambiguity concerning the direction of causality between stock price changes and macro variables. As mentioned above, the economic activity is generally measured by GDP and/or IIP. In addition to above in any study of the aggregate economy, one of the key elements is the aggregate amount of goods and services produced over a certain period of time. The measure is called the nominal gross domestic product (the GDP). This is the market value of the total quantity of final goods and services produced over the specified time period. The GDP is actually measured quarterly, but the number is then multiplied by four, so that the amount is in annual terms Mankiw, (2011). The components of this measure of GDP are Consumption(C), Investment (I), Government Expenditure (G) and Net Exports (NX). Net exports represents the money value of domestically produced goods that are sold outside the country (i.e., our exports) minus the purchase of goods and services produced in other countries (i.e., our imports). Our exports are part of our domestic production, so obviously must be included. Our imports are subtracted here, because they are goods and services produced by foreign countries, but they have already been included in our consumption, investment and government expenditures. If imports increase, but all other parts of the GDP remain the same, the GDP will not change, because the imports are first included in the calculation of C + I + G, and then they are subtracted out. Thus, Y = C + I + G + NX. A large number of studies tested the Export Led Growth (ELG) hypothesis, using different econometric procedures, ranging from simple OLS to multivariate co-integration, but previous empirical studies have produced mixed and conflicting results on the nature and direction of the causal relationship between export growth and output growth. Ghatak and Price (1997) test the ELG hypothesis for India for the period 1960-1992, using exports as regressors and measure of GDP that nets out exports, along with exports and imports as additional variables. Their Cointegration tests confirm the long-run nature of this relationship. However, imports do not appear to be important for the case of India. Asafu-Adjaye et al. (1999) consider three variables: exports, real output and imports (for the period 1960-1994). They do not find any evidence of the existence of a causal relationship between these variables for the case of India and no support for the ELG hypothesis, which is not too surprising given Indias economic history and trade policies. Ramos (2001) investigates the Granger-causality between exports, imports, and economic growth in Portugal over the period 1865-1998. His empirical results do not confirm a unidirectional causality between the variables considered. There is a feedback effect between exports output growth and imports output growth. Nidugala (2001) finds evidence in support of the ELG hypothesis for the case of India, particularly in the 1980s. He finds that export growth had a significant impact on GDP growth. Further, his study reveals that growth of manufactured exports had a significant positive relationship with GDP growth, while the growth of primary exports had no such influence. Studies related to Pakistan Mukhtar, Rasheed, (2010) empirically examines the long run relationship between exports and imports for Pakistan using quarterly data for the period 1972-2006. The econometric framework used for analysis is the Johansen Maximum Likelihood Cointegration technique, which tests both the existence and the number of Cointegration vectors. Results show that there is a long run relationship between exports and imports and the country is not in violation of its international budget constraint. Furthermore, for testing the stability of long run equilibrium relationship and direction of causality, vector error correction model (VECM) technique has been applied. The findings confirm the stability of the long run equilibrium relationship between exports and imports. Under Granger causality tests, it has been found that there exists bidirectional causality between exports and imports. Ullah and Asif (2009) investigated export-led-growth by time series econometric techniques (Unit root test, Co-integration and Granger causality through Vector Error Correction Model) over the period of 1970 to 2008 for Pakistan. In this paper, the results reveal that export expansion leads to economic growth. They also checked whether there is unidirectional or bidirectional causality between economic growth, real exports, real imports, real gross fixed capital formation and real per capita income. The traditional Granger causality test suggests that there is unidirectional causality between economic growth, exports and imports. On the other hand, Granger causality through vector error correction was checked with the help of F-value of the model and t-value of the error correction term, which partially reconciles the traditional Granger causality test. After going through viewpoints of different authors it is evident that imports, exports relationship with economic development has been explained in Pakistan scenario and all over the world. However, the variables such as imports, exports and stock exchange performance are not being analyzed with respect to GDP specifically in Pakistan scenario which is the gap of the study. 2.2 Theoretical Framework Independent Variables Dependent Variables Reference: Mukhtar, T., Rasheed, S. (2010). Testing long run relationship between exports and imports: Evidence from Pakistan. Journal of Economic Cooperation and Development, 31(1), 41-58. 2.2.1 Operationalization of Variables Imports and Exports are measured as merchandise imports and exports (US $) and GDP is measured as per capita growth in percentage form Whereas, stock exchange performance is measured by market capitalization of all domestic companies registered on Pakistan stock exchange formally known as Karachi stock exchange. 2.3 Hypothesis H1:Imports, Exports and Stock exchange performance has a significant impact on Gross domestic product of Pakistan. H2: Imports, Exports and Stock exchange performance have no significant impact on Gross domestic product of Pakistan. CHAPTER NO 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Sample The sample size for this research consists of time series data of 15 years starting from 2001 to 2015. Data has been collected from authentic sources such as World Bank, world development index and Pakistan stock exchange. The research is secondary in nature because market research thats already compiled and organized for us are the examples of secondary information that includes reports and studies by government agencies, trade associations or other businesses within our industry. 3.2 Instrument and Measures Regression analysis, Anova and Coefficients of regression were the instruments that were used to measure the impact of exports, imports and stock exchange performance on Gross domestic performance of Pakistan. Furthermore, to check the validity and appropriateness of data reliability analysis was done for dependent and independent variables. 3.3 Procedure Statistical package for social sciences program SPSS version 20 was used to analyze the dependent and independent variables to see out the impact of exports, imports and stock exchange performance on GDP of Pakistan. CHAPTER NO 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 4.1 Regression Analysis Table 4.1.1 Model Summary Model Summary Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate 1 .830a .689 .681 1.72691 a. Predictors: (Constant), SE_Per, Exports, Imports Interpretation The proportion of variation in dependent variable as a result of the independent variable is given by R square. Estimated 68% variation was found out in dependent variable as a result of the independent variable. Following the adjustments made the data related to variation in dependent elements due to the independent ones is represented by R square. Table 4.1.2 ANOVAa Model Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig. 1 Regression 55.198 3 27.599 91.914 .000 Residual 24.962 11 2.982 Total 80.160 14 a. Dependent Variable: GDP b. Predictors: (Constant), SE_Per, Exports, Imports Interpretation A perfect fit of the model is indicated by the ANOVA table. Furthermore, the p value of 0.000 indicates a perfect position regarding the independent and dependent variables. Table 4.1.3 Coefficients Coefficientsa Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig. B Std. Error Beta 1 (Constant) -.082 .220 -.876 .400 Exports .437 .073 .506 5.972 .018 Imports -.472 .103 -.390 -4.598 .027 SE_Per .094 .043 .762 2.213 .023 a. Dependent Variable: GDP Interpretation The coefficient stresses the influence of the independent variable on the dependent one. The direction in which the dependent variable is led towards by the independent one is ascertained from the Beta value. The p value is significant at less than 0.05. In our scenario all the variables that are exports, imports and stock exchange performance are significantly impacted the dependent variable that is Gross Domestic Product (GDP). But, the noteworthy thing in the results is that exports and stock exchange performance is positively impacted the GDP whereas, imports are negatively impacting the GDP of Pakistan but it is statistically significant. Hence our Hypothesis (H1) is accepted whereas H2 is rejected. CHAPTER NO 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 Conclusion After above empirical results it has been proved that all the independent variables that are exports, imports and stock exchange performance are significantly impacted the dependent variable that is Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Hence our Hypothesis (H1) is accepted whereas H2 is rejected. In addition to our results previous studies conducted in Pakistan and outside Pakistan found out similar results such as Ullah and Asif, (2009) investigated export-led-growth by time series econometric techniques over the period of 1970 to 2008 for Pakistan. Their results reveal that export expansion leads to economic growth. However, outside Pakistan in case of our neighbor country India Asafu-Adjaye et al. (1999) consider three variables: exports, real output and imports (for the period 1960-1994). They do not find any evidence of the existence of a causal relationship between these variables for the case of India. 5.2 Recommendations Government should take strong measures to increase exports and decrease our imports. Interest free loan should be provided to the minor scale organizations to make rise in their productivity. Taxes should be cuts for the exporter country and taxes should be improved for importer companies to decrease the import. If we want to make a rapid growth in Pakistan economy, then it is necessary to reduce its imports and increase in exports. But in Pakistan the situation is reversed. The relationship between exports and economic growth is positively correlated but the relationship of imports and economic growth is negatively interrelated. If net exports are of positive value, the nation has a positive balance of trade. If they are having negative value, the nation has a negative trade balance. Lastly, our government should ensure political stability in our country as we see that whenever there is a political chaos in our country the stock market goes down and vice versa which is severely hurting Pakistans economy.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Tescos Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Tescos Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Introduction Tesco Plc is considered as the king of supermarkets in Britain. Its business is related to the small grocery stores under the Tesco Metro brand name, big supermarkets outside cities (Tesco Extra) and 24-hour stores. Its stores are not limited to food sector but also to provide books, CD/DVD/mini-discs, hi-fi and household appliances, household equipment, flowers, wine, apparel and many other items. In January 2003, Tesco takes over its key competitor in the British Territory, T S Stores. Currently, it employed 270,800 fulltime employees worldwide. Tesco has adapted rapid technological changes to boost its sales. Such as its on-line sales site Tesco.com, is now heavily contributing to its profits in recent years. The Group currently holds almost 1,988 stores in the UK and 1265 stores outside UK (Annual Report, 2007). Today, its market capitalization has reached  £36.60 billion. (Reuters, 2007) Tesco plc is a British based grocery and general merchandise international retail chain. It is the largest British retailer by global sales and domestic market share with profits exceeding  £2 billion. In 2008, the company achieved German retail giant Metro AG to make the third largest retailer in the world, the first movement among the top five since 2003. Originally specializing in food, has diversified into areas such as clothing , consumer electronics , consumer financial services , retail selling and renting DVDs , CDs , music downloads , Internet service , consumer telecoms , consumer insurance , consumer dental plans and software . Part 1: Project Objectives and overall research approach. Tesco Background. In 1919, Tesco Plc was established by Jack Cohen, by utilising the bonus which he achieved for his services in the World War I army. Then in 1924, he purchased a tea consignment from the company TE Stockwell. He decided to put the initial three alphabets of TE Stockwell and the initials of his name Cohen collectively to name his brand TESCO. In 1929 Cohen opened the very first Tesco store in Edgware, London. Originally, Cohens formulated the strategy of Piling it high, selling it cheap. Despite the fact that this strategy assisted Tesco in attracting a great amount of consumers, it also assisted Tesco in branding itself as a store for average class consumers and even earned an image as a low-end store. When Imperial Tobacco Company decided not to acquire Tesco because the company thought that the deal could damage its reputation, after considering of buying the company, Tescos brand image was further thrashed. Throughout the seventies, numerous analysts recommended the Tesco to transform the name of the company. Tesco obtained several companies during the seventies such as Williamsons, Burnards, John Irwins, Harrow Stores, Victor Value and Charles Phillips. However, all these businesses were not incorporated appropriately with Tesco, and a large number of these stores were not well organised. Furthermore, Tesco had small and poorly equipped stores as well. The only competitive edge Tesco had was the price. The products that were available at the store seemed to be of ordinary. Due to the rise in the income of customers in Britain, the customers did not want to look for bargains. They were now seeking high quality products. In order to cater these changing demands of the customer, Tesco decided to close down its numerous stores to focus on superstores to provide improved quality. Brief data Aims and Objectives. Tesco is one of the biggest food retailers in the world, functioning over 3,200 stores. The assembly is furthermore one of the biggest online food retailers. The objective of this study is to investigate the Tescos business ethics and corporate social responsibility. The business analysis will be conducted through PEST analysis and SWOT analysis. The target is to have an analysis of Tescos corporate social responsibility policies including business ethics and their impact on its business practice and its key stakeholders. Industry Activities. Tesco is one of the biggest food retailers in the world and biggest food retailer in the UK. It functions round 3,300 stores. In supplement to food, it furthermore functions in the non food segment. The company functions through multiple shop formats encompassing Extra, Superstore, Metro, Express and hypermarkets. The company functions in three geographical segments: the UK, Rest of Europe and Asia. The organisation is one of the biggest online retailers in the world. Tesco has a long period strategy for development, founded on four key parts: development in the Core UK, to expand by increasing internationally, to be as powerful in non-food as in food and to pursue clients into new retailing services. Tesco is undoubtedly an entire shopping centre in itself. Everything is literally discovered in one roof. No longer restricted to food shop pieces, it boasts services that would permit a consumer to avail of everything in one stop. Besides the additional trading of publications, cds, digital melodies, videos, blossoms, sport and gardening they furthermore supply economic services (e.g. borrowing cards, borrowings, mortgages, savings) protection services (e.g. vehicle, house, life, travel) telecoms services (e.g. Internet, residence and wireless phone) and wholesome household services (through its Tesco eDiets and wholesome household club) .Tesco has evolved diverse types of Tesco shops extending from Tesco Extra, Metro Tesco and Tesco Express in its extending quest to correctly address the desires of their diverse clients when and where they desire it. According to information gleaned from the web, the British retail group Tesco returns in recent weeks, an image blurring. It symbolizes the many facets of the reputation of a company facing a diverse audience, especially in times of crisis. Like many entrepreneurs, the boss of the group, Sir Terry Leahy, is firmly committed to the greenway, including offering reusable bags, which allowed him to avoid the production of 2 billion bags plastic. Tesco is also involved in the Global Social Compliance Programme (Global Social Compliance, GSCP), an initiative of distribution groups, which involves Carrefour. Created in 2006, the GSCP is to converge in terms of their supply chain standards for social audits, share best practices and contribute to the improvement of working conditions. The platform intends to issue a single message, consistent and shared based on ILO standards and the UN to all suppliers. She met 26 companies including Carrefour. GSCPs Advisory Council is composed of the International Federation of Human Rights, the UNI Commerce, CSR Asia and the UN Office for International Partnerships. Although this initiative is not under ground, it remains unknown to the general public. In addition, the group Tesco, which has 280,000 employees in Britain, has actively supported Marie Curie Care Centre, giving him 6.3 million pounds, twice more than expected. This sum is intended to fund over 315,000 hours of nursing care to more than 5,600 terminally ill patients and their families, all at home. Some  £ 500,000 has been collected outside of Tesco stores, 2 million pounds were lifted further by the store staff,  £ 500,000 by the distribution centre employees and the remainder from the rest of the group. The Tesco Charity Trust. The Tesco Charity Trust has brought its side 20% of the amount raised by staff. Yet, at virtually the same period, the website of UNI Global Union deals with social conflict in a Tesco supermarket in Douglas, Ireland, in which the union intervenes Mandate. Moreover, Greenpeace believes that Tesco, Marks and Spencer but are complicit in the Amazonian deforestation by importing Brazilian beef. This breeding would have dramatic consequences for biodiversity and global warming. According to an AFP dispatch, other multinationals, major commodity in this region, are singled out: Adidas, BMW, Carrefour, Ford, Honda, Gucci, IKEA, Kraft, Toyota and Wal-Mart. Faced with such a stream of positive news or disturbing, it appears that a company that cares about its reputation must advance on all fronts at the same time taking into account all its stakeholders, the difficulty being that they are extremely diverse for a group the size of Tesco. Part 2: Information gathering and accounting/business techniques. This study is established on both primary as well as secondary data. The study methodology utilised is the review of diverse literatures which are accessible online. This study engaged investigations from the brief reports, items from periodicals, and online material accessible on the web. Using the methodology checked in preceding investigations, this study started with a very broad review of the literature. The outcome and deductions are founded on the secondary data. The methodology utilised for the purpose of this study is established on the secondary data. This study is more or less founded on the review of publications and the reasonings are drawn on the cornerstone of genuine assets recorded in the references. Financial facts and numbers will be accumulated from the yearly accounts of Tesco. Primary data is mainly obtained through the annual report of Tesco 2010 which is available online. Primary data assemblage is essential when a investigator will not find the data required in secondary sources. Market researchers are involved in prime facts and figures about demographic/socioeconomic characteristics, attitudes/opinions/interests, awareness/knowledge, aims, motivation, and behavior. Three basic means of obtaining prime facts and figures are observation, surveys, and experiments. The alternative will be leveraged by the environment of the difficulty and by the accessibility of time and money. Examples encompass reviews, meetings, facts, and ethnographic research. Agood investigator knows how to use both prime and secondary causes in her writing and to integrate them in a cohesive fashion. An important source of primary data is survey research. The various kinds of surveys (personal, posted letters, computer, and telephone), are described ahead. Experiments are another significant source of data for trading research tasks. The environment of experimentation, the types of untested designs, and the uses and limitations of this procedure of getting data are furthermore clarified ahead. Experiments are conducted in either a laboratory setting (most advertising exact replicate pretests) or in a field setting (test marketing). Electronic and computer technologies have revolutionized both these environments, which are recounted later. Conducting prime research is a helpful ability to come by as it can substantially supplement study in lesser causes, such as periodicals, publications, or books. Primary study is an very good ability to learn as it can be useful in a kind of backgrounds encompassing business, personal, and academic. The secondary data that are accessible are somewhat quick and cheap to get, especially now that computerized bibliographic search services and databases are available. The various sources of the lesser facts and figures and how they can be obtained and utilised are described ahead. Tesco provides an inclusive offer. It describes Tescos ambition to cater its customers of top, middle and low income in the same stores. Tesco has invented a reward system known as the Club-card which collects the essential consumer data that is used to provide specific service to cater the needs and potential wants of consumer. When shoppers sign up for the Club-card, they initially submit their profile which includes gender, age and address. Tesco could divide their customers into segments by relying on these aspects. The information of the goods purchased is instantly uploaded into Tescos database the minute the consumer purchases it. Product information was used to sell cross-sell additional products and services such as delivery of groceries. Beginning in 1997 when Terry Leahy took over as CEO, Tesco began marketing itself to using the phrase the way to Tesco to describe the purposes, values, principles, and goals of the foundation of the company. This phrase became the standard marketing speak for Tesco as it expands nationally and internationally under Leahys leadership, implying a change in the company to focus on people, customers and employees. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be defined as the active and voluntary contribution to improving social, economic and environmental factors by companies, usually with the aim of improving its competitive position and its value . The performance evaluation system throughout the organization in these areas is known as the triple bottom line. Under this concept of administration and management encompasses a set of practices, strategies and business management systems that seek a new balance between economic, social and environmental. The history of CSR can be traced back to the nineteenth century under the Cooperatives and Associations who sought to reconcile business efficiency with social principles of democracy, self-help, community support and distributive justice. Its leading exponents are now companies social economy , by definition Socially Responsible Companies. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) aims for excellence within the company, taking with special attention to people and their working conditions and the quality of their production processes. Corporate social responsibility is the set of actions that take into account the companies so that their activities have a positive impact on society and affirm their principles and values that govern both in their own internal methods and processes in its relationship with other actors. CSR is a voluntary initiative. It is the conscious and consistent commitment to comply fully with the mission of the company both internally, and externally, considering the expectations of all participants in the economic, human and social environment, demonstrating respect for ethical values, people, communities and the environment and to build the common good. The responsible management of the company implies that this act reconcile (balance point) between business interests and expectations that it is the community (particularly its stakeholders-stakeholders) The main ethical responsibilities of business with the workers and the community are: Serve the society with useful and fair. Create wealth in the most effective way possible. Respect human rights to decent working conditions that promote health and safety and human development and professional workers. Ensure the continuity of the company and, if possible, to achieve reasonable growth. Respect the environment wherever possible avoiding any kind of pollution minimizing waste generation and more efficient use of natural resources and energy. Enforced laws, regulations, rules and customs, while respecting the legitimate contracts and commitments. Ensure equitable distribution of wealth generated. Business ethics and therefore business morality generally result from an individuals own moral standards in the context of the political and cultural environment in which the organization is operating. Ethics are founded on moral principles that are themselves grounded in effects. This holds true whether you subscribe to the idea that a moral judgment must fulfill only formal conditions that are universal and prescriptive or whether you think it must also meet a material condition for the welfare of society as a whole. Social responsibility, another term for good citizenship, means producing sound products or reliable services that dont threaten the environment and contributing positively to the social, political and economic health of society. It also means compensating employees fairly and treating them justly, regardless of the cultural environment in which you operate. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a concept that describes the activities of companies beyond revenue; the term is increasingly used to describe the role of any business in society. CSR involves a wide commitment by companies to social health and the common good and policies that support them. This involves not only the products a company produces, but also be a good corporate citizen in terms of employees hired and how to find them. It also has to do with protecting the environment and participating in the local community and the wider culture in which the company engages in business. Broadly speaking, CSR has three key components: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The basic values, ethics, policies, and practices of a companys business; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The voluntary contributions made by a company to community development; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The management of environmental and social issues within the value chain by the company and its business partners-from the acquisition and production of raw materials, through the welfare of staff, to product sale, use, and disposal. Part 3: Results, Analysis, Conclusions and Recommendations. This part discusses the corporate social responsibility initiatives of Tesco and its impact on the internal and external environment of the company. It details the activities undertaken by Tescos management and employees to contribute to the benefit of the society and the community in which the company operates. It also discusses the active role played by Tesco in protecting and regenerating the environment and in extending the CSR initiatives to its suppliers. It also highlights a few criticisms against Tesco including polluting the environment in some countries and not adhering to its CSR standards. Issues: Examine a companys responsibility towards the society Understand the importance of social and environmental issues Determine how a companys stand on social and environmental issues can contribute to enhancing the companys image Benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility In the last decade, a large number of companies have recognized the benefits of incorporating basic practices and social responsibility policies. Their experiences have been backed by a series of empirical studies that show that the RS has positive impacts on business values, measured in several ways. Companies have also been encouraged to adopt or expand efforts of RS as a result of pressure from consumers, providers, community, investors, activist organizations and other stakeholders. As a result of studies in recent years, the RS has increased dramatically in companies of all sizes and sectors that have developed innovative strategies. These benefits are numerous and can be measured both quantitatively and qualitatively, is also found that the company may enjoy greater loyalty from consumers, employees work more comfortable, the shares have greater stability, and saves costs potential legal and administrative sanctions. The advantages found are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Financial Performance Improvement The study published in 1999, Business and Society Review, showed that 300 large corporations found that companies that made a public commitment to honor their code of ethics, performance showed a three times higher than those who did not, on the parameter value added in the market. In another recent study by Harvard University found that companies with a balanced action between employees and shareholders showed a growth rate four times higher and employment growth rate eight times higher than those of companies focused only to shareholders. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Reducing Operating Costs There are several initiatives that can help a company reduce its operating costs and increase productivity, particularly those related to the environment and the workplace. By way of example are: programs for balance between personal life and work to help reduce absenteeism and increase employee retention as well as allow companies to reduce costs in recruitment and training or retraining initiatives aimed at eliminating scrap costs and generates revenue through the sale of materials. There are several practical examples of significant environmental savings. For example, Dow Chemical Co. and the National Resource Defense Council established an alliance in order to reduce the production of 26 toxic chemicals to only one. For this reason they have managed to save 5.4 million a year, and as an added benefit the quality of their products. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Improved brand image and reputation In the global economy, brand image and reputation are among the most valued strengths. Responsible marketing practices, by nature, are highly visible to consumers and have the potential to strengthen or weaken the publics opinion about a company or brand. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Capital Markets The latter continue to grow at high rates in most developed countries have begun to grow in developing countries. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Innovation Socially responsible organizations have an innate tendency to innovation in products and processes, which helps them to anticipate events allowing lead changes in the composition of their products, improve quality and human security of their production processes, improve security and quality of domestic activity, ahead of the competition in the launch of new products, the implementation of different types of future legal regulations, etc. Corporate social responsibility: the internal dimension The views that are considered to fall within the internal dimension, the company has under Social Responsibility (SR), are: human resources management, health and safety at work, adapt to change and environmental impact and management of natural resources. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Human resources management: When it comes to RS the first thing you think is that a company be socially responsible before the society or community in which it resides, it must be with the employees taking into account that one of the biggest challenges is to have people trained and sense of belonging in this context the company should include measures such as lifelong learning, improving the information on the company, a better balance between work, family and distraction, greater human resource diversity, equal pay and prospects opportunities for women, participation in profits or shareholder of the company and the consideration of employability and safety in the workplace. Another way to be socially responsible is when you discriminate against persons because of race, color or sex, responsibility and accounting practices that help meet the countrys economic policies such as employment generation. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Health and safety in the workplace: Usually the health and safety have been addressed from a legal standpoint, but now companies, governments and sectoral organizations seek new ways to penetrate and promote this issue, especially now that both companies and consumers are more sensitive to values and ethical issues related to the production process. This and other practices such as SA8000 Certification which will be detailed in the next article help the company to be socially responsible. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Adapting to change: Any country suffers when companies are restructuring because of manpower cuts can generate economic and social crisis of great magnitude, but the community suggests that a restructuring from the point of view socially responsible means to balance and take into account the interests and concerns of all affected by the changes and decisions. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Management of environmental impacts and natural resources: The corporate social responsibility is closely related to the environmental impact generated by the proposed objectives and that directly affect communities. Therefore the environmental field can be considered as a solid framework for the promotion of corporate social responsibility. Corporate social responsibility: the external dimension The company should be socially responsible with local communities, business partners, suppliers, customers, employees, shareholders and the environment among others. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Local communities: The corporate social responsibility with local communities to be expressed in: 1. Integration of the companies in their local environment. 2. Contribution to community development in terms of employment generation. 3. Establishment of training commitments of the community, environmental conservation, and procurement of socially excluded people, caring for children in daycare, sponsoring cultural and sports activities at the local level, donations to charity. 4. Participation in social welfare projects. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Business partners, suppliers and consumers: Relationships with partners, suppliers and consumers are especially important for businesses, thereby reducing costs and increasing quality. The main features to be emphasized as the relationship with partners, suppliers and consumers are: 1. Large companies are both partners of the smaller companies either, as customers, suppliers, contractors and competitors. 2. Companies are aware that their social performance can be affected by the practices of their partners and suppliers throughout the production chain. 3. The companies are responsible for promoting entrepreneurship in its location, for example, tutoring, or assistance provided to small businesses for their contribution to social responsibility and reporting. They also support small businesses with venture capital, facilitating their expansion. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Human rights: As for human rights companies ensure that their trading partners are respecting the values they considered essential and what is the approach to be taken and how to work in countries where there are frequent violations of human rights. Although companies establish codes of conduct for the respect of human rights, labor conditions and environmental factors must be taken into account that they are no substitute for national and international laws, nor the provincial and municipal. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Global environmental problems: Because environmental problems have reached beyond the boundaries and that companies are directly related to and with the consumption of resources in the world, it is important to begin a drive to reduce the environmental impact of its activities throughout production chain. The stakeholders perspective. In much of the twentieth century, proper responsibility for the wider impacts of business, has been social. Recently, it was recognized that the concept of stakeholders has a central role. In this perspective, each organization will have different stakeholders: for companies, their stakeholders they typically include consumers, suppliers, shareholders and staff from a wide range of other, for governments, organizations can include employers, unions and NGOs. As you increase the influence of key stakeholders-oriented companies will be the adoption of corporate responsibility deeper and more solid. The detailed discussion of these issues highlighted the following aspects: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The leadership role in promoting a set of core values in business. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The need to ensure that Corporate Social Responsibility is an integral part of the overall business à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ To consider CSR as essential philosophy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The importance of follow the process properly, that is, through transparency and consultations. An analysis of stakeholders, recognize that shareholders are always among the most important stakeholders of corporations. In recent years, however, its role has been changing in two ways: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ First, for most shareholders, the importance of organizational governance has become an increasingly pressing issue, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ second, the volume of socially responsible investment (SRI), which can be defined as investment for social goals and financial, has grown rapidly in recent years. TESCOs CSR Approach Once a year, the board of directors of Tesco Plc consider the companys strategy of corporate social responsibility and the review of the overall performance on this subject is discussed after every three months. Members of the board and the executives of the company receive review on corporate social responsibility performance, due to which the company can assess future opportunities and risks. In 2001 the company established the Corporate Responsibility committee which encompasses of cross functional executive. These executives meet several times in a year to discuss the matter of corporate social responsibility of the company. The first corporate social responsibility report was published in 2001 by the Corporate Responsibility committee. The committee used Steering Wheel framework of Tesco evaluate its accomplishment of Corporate Social Responsibility performance. Corporate Social Responsibility is a crucial part of the Tescos steering wheel framework so as to to guarantee that CSR is a crucial part of the everyday performance of the company. Environmental Responsibility Tesco has always realised that strategies that may pose harm to the environment should not be a part of the company. These sort of strategies would have a negative impact on the companys image and may result in damaging the brand name, the clients and the environment as a whole. Conserving the environment is an important part of Tescos corporate strategy as it is believed to be associated with the companys economic goal. Nevertheless, Tesco has made sure to commit itself to maintain an environment which is healthy for everyone. Tesco has made all workers to play an dynamic part in its initiatives towards healthy environmental. Energy, Water and Fuel In 1996, Tesco initiated a campaign where it provides awareness towards energy consumption. The employees were expected to play a dynamic role in it. Managers in all Tesco depots, stores and offices supervised energy consumption and put an effort in reducing waste. During 1997 and 2005, Tescos energy consumption reduced 35% per square foot. Tesco is planning to further reduce it by 5% by the year 2006. Societal Responsibility As Tesco is large in size and it has huge scale of operations, it was able to impact the society on a large scale in numerous ways, through encouragement of its staff and consumers in order to achieve social responsibility. Tesco implemented numerous programmes to achieve social responsibility. These responsibilities include fund raising, charity for a foundation and to promote education. Tesco believed that it had a key part to play in order to promote healthy food for its consumers and struggled to make sure that healthy food is accessible at reasonable charges. These inititives were not only for the UK but were made available for other countries where Tesco was originated. Communities Tesco donated one percent of its before tax profit to charity, in the form of gifts and donations. In the year 2004 and 2005, the companys total donations as charity were around 21,762,931 pound. The companys charitable trust granted donations of 878,556 pounds to local and national charitable organisations in Britain. Economic Responsibility Tesco has taken great initiatives to achieve the economic growth and development in all the localities around the world. Tesco has played a dynamic role in reducing unemployment, supply of products at reasonable prices and giving opportunities to the community to grow and expand. Regeneration Tesco deliberately moved into areas with high unemployment and low development to trigger growth, and to make the areas commercially attractive. In 6 years duration, Tesco has helped in providi