Social Enterprise Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Social Enterprise - Literature review Example Although studies acknowledge the existence of tensions between social goals and business ventures there is inadequate systematic analysis. The paper addresses the issue by considering tensions arising from social mission and commerce ventures by highlighting their prevalence and differences. The paper also explores the way organizational theories provide insight into tensions; and goes ahead to develop schedule for future research by expanding on the phenomenon. Research in social enterprise has increased because several years ago only a limited number of colleagues recommended scholars to consider social enterprises seriously (Nyssens, Adam & Johnson, 2006). Social enterprises aim at attaining the common good through use of business disciplines and power within the marketplace in advancing social, environmental and human justice (Hines, 2005). Social enterprises are distinguished by the ability to directly address intractable social needs in serving the common good with commercial activity being its strong revenue driver. Although the notion of social enterprises arouse obvious appeal in many, their ultimate influence within the, market place has not yet been established. There are challenges that emerge preventing the concept from attaining its full potential like the bleak economic outlook that decreased availability of investors and credit as well as donors and customers. Although currently there is no comprehensive guidance mechanism f or linking social concerns with capitalism in order to enhance social welfare, the paper establishes a framework of duality by analysing social actions within organizations. The paper begins by grounding the concept within social enterprises; however, the emerging complexity in organizational response to social concerns increases marketplace confusion and unpredictability (Massetti, 2012). Even though the meaning regarding social enterprise is contested, many

Planning strategy analysis with case study Essay

Planning strategy analysis with case study - Essay Example Brief Summary of Housing in London City London city area is the largest metropolitan city in the United Kingdom as well as the largest all over Europe. London city has also a diverse range of people, religions and culture. Currently, there are plans underway to improve the housing system in London. One such idea is the London plan (Books, 2010). The draft of the London plan was written by the Mayor of London and published by the Greater London Authority on February 2008. The plan identifies areas of opportunity with an aim of reducing social deprivation a well as creating sustainable development. Such areas will be able to accommodate 2,500 homes. They will also be popular town centers. The objective of the London plan is be able to accommodate London’s growth for the years to come. Every occupant in London city will be able to afford a home as well as gaining accessibility to housing policies for example house insurance. This is meant to improve quality of life as well as cre ation of jobs. Another policy used in London to plan and build homes is the Council house which is popularly known as local authority house. The council houses were built and operated locally in areas surrounding London city. There were also houses newly built and spacious to attract interested persons. However, they mainly targeted the working class persons as they could rent the houses at reasonable prices while some were able to purchase houses. Over the years, many people have migrated to London city which has led to population increase. This is viewed as a negative aspect because houses have become less than the people leading to a vice called urban blight. The council responsible for providing houses is now faced with a challenge to relocate the excess people or build more homes. Optioning to build more homes has not primarily solved the issue as there is now reduced space for expansion in London city. Subsequently, this has led to the leaders of London city to consider buildi ng homes in the less developed areas of United Kingdom. Statistical analysis have shown 15% of the population in London having migrated decongesting the city. Nonetheless, a substantial 40% of London city still live in the council housing (Thorpe, 2010). They claim that the new housing schemes built in the less developed areas are not up to standard with the council houses. In light of this, the council has had to hire top architectures that drew new designs of houses that are at per with the tenants standards. The houses to be built were primarily rental homes. Since there were new designs of houses drew by the architectures, they required new building materials as well as new technology in order to achieve their goal. Technology and Building Materials Strategizing and making a low energy building needs planning and design. A lot depends on the type of weather. In a hot climate, the design needs to mainly focus on keeping the building cool meaning small windows and thick insulating walls on the side that receives the most sun. It has also must a good circulation system to draw out hot air while drawing in cooler air. In a cold climate, the main focus is keeping the building warm. The side of the house receiving the most sun should have a conservatory or large

Structural Adjustment Programs in Developing Countries

Structural Adjustment Programs in Developing Countries INTRODUCTION Development economics can be divided into two broad categories which are neoclassical economics and structuralism. The structuralist sees the world as inflexible. Change is inhibited by obstacles, bottlenecks and constraints. People find it hard to move or adapt, and resources tend to be stuck. In economic terms the supply of most things is inelastic. Such general inflexibility was thought to apply particularly to Least Development Countries. Entrepreneurs were lacking; and communication was poor, this alleged inflexibility was married to the evident fact that production structure of developing countries was very different from that of developed countries. To achieve development it had to be changed rapidly. The sturcturalist view of the world provides a reason for distrusting the price mechanism and for trying to bring about change in other ways. If supplies and demands are very inelastic large price changes are needed to achieve small quantitative adjustments. Large price changes are disturbing both directly and also because they result in changes in income distribution, if the losers are powerful they may be able to resist the change through organized industrial or political action. Structuralism primarily seeks to provide a reason for managing change through administrative action. Structural adjustment is a term that is used to explain policy that are driving change in countries Economic relationships especially the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) towards developing countries. In one way or another are among the conditionalities imposed by the international organization, thus Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) these are programs implemented by IMF and World Bank in what is said as helping developing countries to survive in their economic failure but with conditions to abide to. The main objective of structural adjustment programs (SAPS) is to make economic changes to Governments of developing countries but with conditions the IMF and World Bank grants loans to developing countries to make these economic changes in their Economies. Initially Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) was created as a method of economic recovery from the second world war (WWII) it was a mechanism for dealing with the balance of payment (BOP) problems that resulted from the second world war which its effects in world economies as there was massive economic recession of late 1970`s and 1980s by this time many developing countries were adopting socialist or command economy, therefore IMF and World Bank aim was to change these countries to the other form of economy that is change these countries to free market economy or commonly known as laissez fair it was not easy for the IMF and World Bank to change these countries as there could be resistance to change that is why the World Bank and IMF decided to implement these policies. The main tools for economic changes which the IMF and World bank were implementing consisted of major changes in countries economic, the conditions imposed in order for the developing countries to get loans included the following:- Devaluation of currencies in relation to us dollars, Cutting or removing subsidies on products and services, Price controls on consumer goods or minimum wage labor laws are often removed (Bakker 1994), Liberalization of trade and privatization of public sectors, Encouraging Least Developed Countries(LDC`S) to invite multinational companies to invest in these least developed countries(LDC`S) Political changes from single party to multiparty political system late 1980`s Those were the main changes which the World Bank and IMF were implementing towards the developing countries which I am going to explain it more later, in general I am trying to gather more information to gain confidence about the contribution of Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) towards these developing countries that is why Im conducting this study to assess the contributions of Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) towards the economy of Tanzania. At the end of this study leaders will be able to understand more about Structural Adjustment Programs(SAPs) and its contribution in the economy of least developed countries(LDC`S) especially for the case of Tanzania. 1.1 BACKGROUND OF TANZANIAN ECONOMY AND STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMS (SAPs) Tanzanian economy and Structural Adjustment Programs(SAPs) can be traced from when Tanzania got independence in 9th December 1961 when it was under the reins of late Mwl, J K Nyerere By this time Tanzania was under socialist economy, under socialist leadership from 1961 to 1985 enjoyed a peaceful socioeconomic environment however Tanzania is composed of many ethnic background but both were united by the national language of Kiswahili introduced by the late father of the national Mwl,J K Nyerere. In the late 1970`s and 1980`s there was economic failure in many developing countries especially Tanzania, making Tanzania among the poorest country in the world thus this is where IMF and World Bank started to provide conditionality to least developed countries(LDC`S) so that they can recover their economy. 1.2 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BEFORE STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMS (SAPs) After independence the government of Tanzania was not prepared to control and guide the national economy as the system of control of the economy used after independence was that of the British economy. During this period the main products were law materials to Europe in consisted of the following cash crops such as sisal, cotton, coffee and tea in this period agriculture contributed more than 50% to Gross National Product (GNP) and sisal, coffee and cotton contributed about 60% to foreign exchange earnings (Taube 1992) In 1967 Tanzania implemented the Ujamaa policy of villagization by the Declaration of Arusha this program helped the villages with greater accessibility to input and output markets in our country it helped to improve the infrastructure in Tanzania such as transport system, water and energy supply together with health and education facilities. In 1978 to 1979 Tanzania went in a war with Uganda where Idd Amin Dada was Dictator in Uganda this war went off in 1979 with a lot of negative consequences to the national economy and wellbeing of Tanzanians together with the collapsing world market prices and it was this period when Tanzania was required by the IMF and World Bank to transform its economy from socialist economy (Command economy) to free market economy by trade liberalization and privatization of the public sector. Tanzania was doubtful to make this transition under the reins of late Mwl, J k Nyerere he was not ready to make this transition but because the country was in serious economic problems it started to implement the policy. Tanzania after negotiating with the IMF on a standby loan failed in 1979, due to this failure the country launched the first Self Guided National Economic survival program (NESP) in 1981 the objective of this program was conditional liberalization of the economy. In 1982 the government adopted a three year plan of SAP at first the program did not add any significant changes in the national economy. At the end of the fiscal year of 1984/85 Tanzania launched its significant economic reforms. The aim of this transformation was trade liberalization. The economic transformation consisted of some policy measures to be abided to these policy measures included the following (Taube 1992: Wenzel and Wiedemann 1989):- Prices of agricultural products were raised by 46-55 percentage, Cooperative unions for crops were formed, Depreciation of Tanzania shillings by 40 percent, Frozen government budget deficit at prior year amounts, Rise in government wages at an average of 29.9 percent, Domestic trade of food were liberalized, Elimination of subsidies both consumer price and agricultural subsidies, (Taube 1992: Wenzel and Wiedemann 1989) The own fund import scheme which allowed imports purchased with foreign currency deposited was initiated. Those measures were welcomed by international donors as the first step towards economic development, although those measures affected the economic performance with very little margin. 1.3 THE ORIGIN OF STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM IN TANZANIA FROM 1986 Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) started in 1986 it was welcomed by the new political leader, it is when Ali Hassan Mwinyi was a president after 24 years of the rule of Mwl Julius K Nyerere the new Government adopted a three year ERP (1987/88-1989/90, the main objective of ERP was to increase growth rate per capital income, a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) target growth of 4.5% and reduce inflation bellow 10% 1.4 TANZANIAN ECONOMY Tanzania is among the poorest countries in the world Economies in terms of per capital income. Tanzanian economy depends heavily on agriculture, which contributes more than 40% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), provides 85% of exports, and employs 80% of the work force. Climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated crops to only 4% of the land area. Industry traditionally featured the processing of agricultural products and light consumer goods. The World Bank, the IMF, and bilateral donors have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzanias out-of-date economic infrastructure and to alleviate poverty. Long-term growth through 2005 featured a pickup in industrial production and a substantial increase in output of minerals led by gold. Recent banking reforms have helped increase private-sector growth and investment. Continued donor assistance and solid macroeconomic policies supported a positive growth rate, despite the world recession. Tanzanian economy Through Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the end of 2009 consist of the main three sectors namely Agriculture, industry and service sector where agriculture contributes 26.6%, industry sector contributes 22.6% and services sector contributes 50.8% to the national economy, in general service sector contributes more than any other sector in the national economy consider the following figure:- Source:-www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/Tanzania/tanzania_economy.html 2. THE CONTRIBUTION OF STRUCTURAL ADJASTMENT PROGRAM TO THE ECONOMY OF TANZANIA Following the above explanations I will now turn my focus by discussing the contribution of Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) to the economy of Tanzania; the introduction of structural adjustment programs (SAPS) in Tanzania has a lot of advantages and disadvantages to the national economy. Starting with the Economic recovery program (ERP) of 1987/88-1989/90 financial year of Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPS) the following are the Advantages of structural adjustment programs (SAPS) in Tanzania. 2.1 IMPROVEMENT IN AGRICULTURE One of the objective of Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPS) in 1985/86 was to increase the output of food and export crops that is to say cash crops this was possible by improving the market structure for these crops not only this but also providing more incentives for production. Today even in the past ,agriculture is still the back born of our national economy thus improving agriculture was the only way to help Tanzanians because about 80 percent of the population of Tanzania are living in rural area where agriculture is taking place thus many Tanzanians could benefit much from this program. Initially the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) responded positively gross domestic product increased from 21.8 to 25.3 to 40.6 percent during 1990-1992. As seen on the Annual growth rate of GDP at factors costs, 1989-99 figure 2.1 below. From the above agricultural sector contributes 552 of the gross domestic product Percent, from the above figure it shows gross domestic product falls much in 1994 because of the government reduced effort to implement the structural adjustment programs(SAPs) measures following this the IMF and World Bank withdraw from supporting the government and even other donor countries refused to give grants/loans, again the country performance shows to fall down in the year 1998 this fall in economic performance was due to poor weather condition at the end of 1998 elnino rainfall lead to the destruction of peoples properties and crops as agriculture is the back born of the national economy, it lead to the poor performance thus low gross domestic product, not only agriculture was affected but even other economic activities were badly affected. 2.2 IMPROVEMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE OF TANZANIA Early 1986 structural adjustment programs (SAPS) through Economic Recovery Program the IMF and World Bank started among other measures to improve the Tanzanian infrastructure through rehabilitation of the existing infrastructure which were inherited from the colonial government, there were need for improving these infrastructures because they were in bad conditions, and they included roads, railway, airports and harbors. The main importance of infrastructure is for fostering the economic development in our country together with making the country more accessible in all regions. Road infrastructure helps to make transport and communication so smooth in a country, making agricultural activities to grow and expand the market from rural areas to urban areas and together with making exportation of cash crops abroad so easy. As Tanzania was transforming its economies from command economy to free market economy that is privatization in place where private investors are increasingly investing in the country, infrastructure is one of the ingredients of the national economy. These infrastructure were improved in this phase from 1995-2000 and 2001-2005 Tanzania transport network have improved significantly. Today if you want to travel from any part of Tanzania you can reach without any problem this is the success of structural adjustment programs (SAPs) and the Government at large because structural adjustment programs (SAPs) cannot be able to run itself. 2.3 PROVIDING GREATER SUPPORT FOR PRIMARY EDUCATION AND BASIC HEALTH SERVICES One of the major areas which the structural adjustment programs (SAPS) contributed to the national economy was for funding for these basic needs of human beings, providing education and health services is one way of developing the nation and making the country more productive, further more is the way for preparing the country for future development. If we compare from when the country got independence, now primary education have changed a lot even the number of primary school and secondary school have increased in 1980`s we were speaking of one school in each district by those years they were known as middle schools but nowadays every ward is having at least two secondary school as from 2005 to date and a lot of primary schools approximately every village is having its primary school in Tanzania today, this is also the contribution of structural adjustment programs(SAPs). 2.4 TRADE LIBERALIZATION AND PRIVATITATION OF PUBLIC SECTORS Starting from 1985/86 among conditionalities imposed by the IMF and World Bank was to change the country economy that is change to free market economy together with privatization of public sector in Tanzania, privatization lead to many advantages some of them includes, recovery of dead industry increase national output as I remember in 1978/79 Tanzania experienced a lot of Economic problems as the country were coming from the war with Uganda. Generally the world economy was down, trade liberalization was like an incentive to attract many external and internal investors to come and invest in Tanzania indeed the number of investors increased and the national output increased too, not only that but also trade liberalization lead to removal of many trade barriers such price and market reforms, tariffs, embargoes, custom duties and other duties. Trade liberalization was preparing Tanzania and other developing countries to the system of open market where the forces of demand and supply are the only determinant of price in the market, therefore the government is not supposed to interfere in any matter, farther more, it also lead to freedom of expression which later I am going to discuss, through freedom of expression the country also lead to change in the political system from single party system to multiparty political system which I see as development. 2.5 TRANSFORMATION OF POLITICAL SYSTEM IN 1985 In 1985 Tanzania changed its political system from socialist economy to free market economy this decision come as a result of structural adjustment programs (SAPs) in order to make the economy more free from government intervention, the transformation went together with trade liberalization. The political transformation was successful in 1985 but the first election under multiparty election was in 1995 were the first president elected was Benjamin William Mkapa who were the first president to implement the Structural Adjustment Programs(SAPs) seriously than any other president. By transforming the political system it had many merits including the country performed poor the public could question about what went wrong, not only that but also it introduced in the country the rule of law and freedom of expression both of these are very important ingredients of economic development in any country, rule of law and freedom of expression are the foundation of peace and security in any country failure to have rule of law and freedom of expression it can lead to retardation in countries economic development. Thus the current economic development is a result of the peace and security 2.6 GLOBALIZATION OF THE WORLD MARKET Trade liberalization of 1980`s lead to the world market as a single market that is to say globalization is the process of making the world as a single village where through technology communication makes integration and linkage in the world market wherever you are you can be able to communicate and make business by using your mobile phone, as evidenced today many people have mobile phone, to date a lot of transactions are done using a mobile phone, including bank transactions, saving money for any emergency (Vodacom and Tigo service known as M-Pesa and Tigo Pesa). Today you can transact via mobile phone, all these are the results of Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) through the effort of IMF and World Bank is through liberalization which attracts foreign investors to invest in developing and developed country as a result of integrations in the world market it also lead to the growth of industrial and financial sector. At the same time Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) creates conditions for developed country to exploit by the process known as neo-colonialism. 3. THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF THE STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMS (SAPs) Structural Adjustment Programs apart from having advantages it has a lot of negative consequences of which the SAPs measures and conditionalitys imposed to developing countries including Tanzania perhaps that is why our late Mwl.J K Nyerere was reluctant to implement the Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs). Mwalimu thought about the fund and World Bank to set conditions for future financial support he saw it as infringement on Tanzania`s national sovereignty. On the other hand devaluation of currency Nyerere argued that it would be political suicide and could lead to riots in the street. The following are the negative consequences of Structural Adjustment Program (SAPs) in Tanzania today:- 3.1 REMOVAL OF INPUT SUBSIDIES Before the introduction of structural adjustment programs in Tanzania late 1970`s farm inputs were highly subsidized making these inputs available at a cheaper price and even the agricultural produce were available at low price, but after introducing structural adjustment programs in 1980`s, things changed subsidies were removed in 1984 they were not permanently eliminated but they were eliminated in phases but in 1995 subsidies were completely eliminated, soon after this elimination farm input such as fertilizers in combination with inflation lead to increase in prices and even farm produce shoot up unexpectedly. 3.2 DEPENDENCE THEOREM AND GOVERNMENT DEBT Introduction of structural adjustment programs in one way or another was the way of making least developed countries to become dependent instead of independence as seen from all these countries few African countries are independent, this is the evidence of those conditionalities imposed by the IMF through structural adjustment programs of 1986 in Tanzania. Perhaps this is a source of todays massive national debt, no country could say no to structural adjustment programs, as doing that was meaning that loosing the grants, loans and any other assistance from donor countries, thus the only way was to accept those conditionalities in order to survive from the economic problems. Generally structural adjustment programs are making conditions so that these countries are supposed to follow on the other hand it makes developing countries to have no say to developed countries. 3.3 DEVALUATION OF TANZANIAN SHILLINGS The main aim of devaluation of currency was to encourage exportation of farm production, but on the other hand devaluation of currency was affecting those farmers who were producing not for exportation and not only that but also the value of Tanzanian shillings in relation to other currency it was depreciating, the depreciation of currency has some big impacts to Tanzanians as it goes together with inflation in the country. Higher inflation in the country means harming the economy as the inflation of 1992 it caused a lot of problems to farmers as farm inputs were so high and even prices of goods and services were very high. 3.4 ELIMINATION OF GOVERNMENT CONTROL ON THE ECONOMY Structural adjustment programs through privatization of public entities to private sector lead the government to have little control of the national economy that is to say the decision about the price of goods and services are now left in the hands of the forces of demand and supply that is market mechanism to decide one of the major weakness to leave the market to decide is that the government have no power to decide on economic variables, even to control monopolies and other market failure, it does not mean that the government have no control it have control but not as much as it had during socialist economy, this is evidence that Tanzania inflation is increasing every year the government have failed to control this inflation. 4 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION From the explanations about structural adjustment programs (SAPS) contribution to the national economy of Tanzania I can be able to draw my conclusion by saying that structural adjustment programs have contributed much to the national economy where it was able to bring up new technology in our country in Swahili we call it UTANDAWAZI was possible to come in our country as a result of trade liberalization and privatization of the public sector. Late 1980`s the country were transformed into a new political system that is multiparty political system which brought about the rule of law and freedom of expression to allow individual to freely express their views about the national development it is a good news to us Tanzanians as now we can be able to express ourselves without fear from any one unlike during single party political system today in Tanzania economic development is a result of frequent critics from opposition parties such as CHADEMA,CUF,UNDP,TLP AND NCCR MAGEUZI just to mention a few. On the other hand structural adjustment programs have contributed much in building and extending the development in social services through the Economic recovery program (ERP). It has helped to rehabilitate the countries physical infrastructure, increase the output of food and export crops, increase capacity utilization in industry by allocating scarce foreign exchange to priority sector and firms. Structural adjustment programs not only contributed to the growth of national economy but in one way or another it has some negative consequences to the national economy such negative impacts such as removal of subsidies to farm inputs, devaluation of currency in relation to us dollars both of these lead to worsening the balance of payments of our country together with increasing the inflation in Tanzania. Lastly but not least structural adjustment programs lead to our country being a dependent to developed country, hence lead to increasing the government debt even today Tanzania is having a high rate of debt to many friendly countries these are the result of structural adjustment programs, not only developing countries are dependent to developed countries but also developed countries are dependent to developing countries for raw materials such as minerals, cotton, tea and other natural resources.

Stages of Nien Chengs Life :: essays research papers

Nien Cheng is the author of the autobiography, Life and Death in Shanghai. This book takes place in Shanghai, China, starting around the first few days into the Cultural Revolution. Nien Cheng was a widow in her 50's working as a senior partner for Shell in Shanghai. In late 1966, Nien Cheng was arrested and her house lay looted and vandalized. She was sent to the No.1 Detention House, where staying for six and one-half years, she was punished and pressured for a false confession that she was a spy for the imperialists. She consistently to confess refused and as a result, was tortured many times. She had a daughter named Mei Ping who, refusing to criticize about her mother, was murdered by the Red Guards. Nien Cheng was released in 1973 and was relocated to a house that had 2 bedrooms. (Which she had to live in with another family who spied on her) She stayed in China until 1980, and when she applied for a visa to the United States. She was accepted and she emigrated to Canada and v ery soon, Washington D.C. When Nien Cheng was transferred to the No. 1 detention house, she went through a big change in her way of living. Before going to the prison, she and her daughter, Mei Ping, had a lifestyle in which only a few dozen out of 10 million back in that time could enjoy. They had a three-story house filled with all sorts of antique furniture, books, and works of art. There was a piano, much entertainment, and three servants. In the prison, however, it was a single-celled room, very old and dirty. All that was in the room was a dirty toilet, a hard bed, a dusty window, and a tightly bolted door. Even with her efforts to clean the room, the room gave off an aura of depression and loneliness. The only companion she ever had during her six and one-half years was a pea-sized spider living on the rusty bars of the cell. As a result of these years, she became more conservative to what she uses, and even when she lived a good life in Washington D.C. many years later, she never bought more than wha t she would need or use. Before being sent to the No. 1 Detention House, Nien Cheng was a woman who didn't really care about the Cultural Revolution or people she didn't know.

Bisleri and Aquafina Essay

1. INTRODUCTION The tradition of bottled water and mineral water is not very old. Even in western countries the practice of bottled drinking water started in 1950s. The trend of having mineral water gained grounds in the market. Now around 100 companies sell an estimated 424 million liters of bottled water valued at around Rs. 200 crores in the country annually. Since ancient time people have used water from mineral springs, especially hot springs, for bathing due to its supposed therapeutic value for rheumatism, arthritis, skin diseases, and various other ailments. This started the trend of using mineral water for drinking purpose to exploit the therapeutic value of the water. This trend started gaining momentum in mid 1970s and since then large quantities of bottled water from mineral springs in France and other European The concept of bottled has been quite prevalent in western countries due to greater health consciousness and higher awareness about health and hygiene countries are exported every year. In India, with exposure of media and international life styles, deteriorating levels of potable water, drastic increase in a number of water borne disease cases, increased in awareness about health and hygiene and other related factors led to acceptability of concept of mineral water. The market has not looked back ever since then and has grown leaps and bounds to such an extent that a number of genuine as well as fly-by -night operators have entered it to milk it. In 1967 Bisleri set up a bottling plant for manufacturing and marketing its mineral water but failed. The brand was later sold off to Parle in 1968-69. Mineral water market had its seeding as early as 1968-69 when Parle Group acquired the Bisleri brand from Bisleri of Italy for launching Soda water but later launched bottled water also. The launch at that time was a big flop as concept of buying water that too in bottled form was not accepted by the Indian public. The market remained dormant for quite long (for a period of 20 years or so). The market throughout this period was formed only by the premium products that too available through 5-star hotels. In early 1990s with onset of liberalization policy by the Indian government, coming in of cola majors, sell off of local soft drink brands of Campa, Thumps up, Gold Spot etc by Parle to Coke and other factors led Bisleri to test waters again. Bisleri re-launched its bottled water in 1994. 3. PESTLE ANALYSIS OF THE INDIAN BOTTLED WATER DRINKING INDUSTRY Political * There are various political parties protesting against the pricing of mineral water. * There is stable government at the centre with liberal policies. * The government has imposed price ceiling on bottled water. Economical * Increase in per capita income. * Expansion of multinationals, IT and BPO companies in Tier 1 and 2 cities. * There is no licensing policy adopted in this sector. * Availability of affordable labor. Social * Bottled water was earlier considered as a status symbol. * Bottled water is now the only source of pure drinking water in areas where there is scarcity of water. * The bottled water is considered to be safe as compared to ordinary tap water. * There in increase in health consciousness of people. Technological * The bundling of technologies like distillation, reverse osmosis, activated carbon filter, etc helps in better quality of water. * There has been a shift in packaging from bottles made of glass to bottles made of PET. This helps in recycling and reducing environmental pollution. Legal * Governed by PFA and BIS standard. * BIS has provided standards for mineral and drinking water. The BIS approval was made mandatory from 1999. * Mineral water should be packed in clean, colorless, transparent, odorless, tamper proof bottles made up of polyethylene. * PFA and BIS lays standard for metals like lead, mercury, arsenic, aluminum and barium. Environmental * The use of Plastic for bottled water increases environmental pollution. * The increase in consumption of bottled water causes depletion of valuable fossil fuels. 4. INDUSTRY ANALYSIS (PORTER’S FIVE FORCE MODEL) a) Determinants of entry As the Packed bottled water is growing at the rate of 19% in India and is expected to grow from 8000 crores to 10000 crores by 2013 it is the most lucrative and fastest growing sector currently. The market capitalization is 50-50 i.e. 50% by organised players and 50% by unorganised players. There are more than 200 players in the segment: 1- High demand sector. 2- Unorganised labour requirement. 3- Absolute Cost Advantage. 4- Low switching cost. 5- Recession proof industry. b) Determinants of rivalry The rivalry is not only among the top and the organised players in the sector but also among the unorganised players who are weak in brand identity. The major reasons are * Distribution channels * Retailer’s shelf space * Price * Flexible packaging of the water to suite the purchasing power of the consumer. c) Bargaining power of buyers The bargaining power of the buyers is very high in the B2C and the B2B segment because of the number of players present in the market. d) Bargaining power of suppliers-   The bargaining power of the supplier of the raw materials to the industry is very high because of lack of substitute of the raw material. Also since the demand of the end product is very high and the industry is growing the suppliers can demand a premium for the services rendered. e) Substitution threat Though theoretically speaking there is no substitute for water but then we can say the following can be considered as a substitute for it * Aerated drinks. * Juices 5. BISLERI 5.1 Brand Tagline: â€Å"Play Safe† Mission Statement: â€Å"To provide the highest quality product, keeping in mind all aspect including freshness, purity and safety and making it easily available to the consumer at very affordable price.† 5.2 Company Background Parle Bisleri Ltd is the biggest domestic player in soft drinks in India. It is a private company owned by Ramesh Chauhan. The company sold off the Thumps Up and Gold Spot brands to Coca-Cola India in the early 1990s. Since then, the company has focused solely on bottled water in India. Due to the vast number of players present in bottled water in India, Parle Bisleri has tried to differentiate its brands from the competition. The company shifted its slogan from â€Å"Pure and Safe† to â€Å"Play Safe†, following the attempt of many regional players to emulate the look of the company’s brands. Parle Bisleri is credited with revolutionizing bulk bottled water in India through the introduction of innovative 20-litre jar packaging. The company developed consumer-friendly packaging for its 20-litre jars by adding threaded fittings and valve caps, as opposed to other brands that feature snap-on fittings. These innovations facilitated easier draining of water from the jar. 5.3 History The origin of BISLERI lies in Italy and the brand owes its name to its founder MR.FELICE BISLERI, an Italian entrepreneur. In 1967, BISLERI set up a plant in Bombay for bottling and marketing actual mineral water, which did not quite work. By 1969, BISLERI wanted to exit the business and to help him out the Chauhan’s bought the brand, intending to turn it into a soda brand. Since then it has come a long way. Now, it owns a large percentage of shares in the Indian market and also it has its presence in International Water Market. 5.4 Products Bisleri offers a wide gamut of pack and price options. It offers 7 packaging options; a 250-ml cup and bottles in 500 ml, 1-litre, 2-litre, 5-litre, 12-litre and 20-litre packs. The 1-litre bottle accounts for nearly 50 per cent of the sales, with the 2-litre bottle taking up 20 per cent of the sales. The remaining sizes share the balance. 5.5 Production †¢ Parle Bisleri Ltd operates a network of 55 plants spread across the country. This ensures an extensive reach for the company’s products. The company reportedly has plans to increase production capacity further in 2008. †¢ Parle Bisleri’s latest product, Bisleri Mountain Water, is bottled in two plants in Uttarakhand (formerly Uttaranchal) and Himachal Pradesh. The company plans to invest Rs100 million to increase the new brand’s manufacturing and distribution capacity.

The Schopenhauer Cure

The Schopenhauer Cure Alyssa K. Engblom Winona State University In the book The Schopenhauer Cure, Yalom portrays a group therapist, Julius, who uses a variety of group facilitation techniques in order for the group to be run effectively. The first technique Julius uses in the group is to switch the focus from content to process. â€Å"Julius intervened by using the group therapist’s most common and most effective tactic—he switched the focus from the content to the process, that is, away from the words being spoken to the nature of the relationship of the interacting parties† (Yalom, 2005, p. 132).During this scenario, Bonnie is feeling insecure about herself and confronts Rebecca about â€Å"preening† for the men in the group. Phillip is still new to the group, and the other members are not too sure what to think of him yet. In order for the group to be refocused, Julius tells everyone to â€Å"take a step back†¦and to try to understand whatâ€℠¢s happening. Let me first put out this question to all of you: what do you see going on in the relationship between Bonnie and Rebecca? † (Yalom, 2005, p. 132). Julius does not want everyone to focus solely on what Bonnie and Rebecca are saying to each other, but rather on their relationship with each other.The second technique Julius uses is to have group members focus on the â€Å"Here and Now. † An off-shoot of the Here and Now technique is to have members of the group talk directly to each other, instead of talking about them. Julius â€Å"had done what the good group therapist should do: he had translated one of his patient’s central issues into the here-and-now, where it could be explored firsthand. It was always more productive to focus on the here-and-now than to work on the patient’s reconstructions of an event from the past or from current outside life† (Yalom, 2005, p. 158).During this group meeting, Julius is trying to get to the root o f why Bonnie feels that everyone else is more valuable or more important to the group than her. However, all of her explanations are all external and the other group members feel that her answers are regressive or don’t make sense. Julius then moves into another technique. â€Å"In his view the work in therapy consisted of two phases: first interaction, often emotional, and second, understanding that interaction. That’s the way therapy should proceed—an alternating sequence of evocation of emotions and then understanding† (Yalom, 2005, p. 60). To get to this second stage, Julius asks the group to look back at what occurred in the past few minutes. He was trying to get Bonnie to see that she takes situations or comments and then punishes herself with them. The third technique Julius â€Å"taught to his group therapy students was: Members should never be punished for self-disclosure. On the contrary, risk taking must always be supported and reinforced† (Yalom, 2005, p. 218). At this point in the book, the group members are upset at Gill for not telling them sooner that he has a drinking problem.They are angry that he was blaming all his difficulties on his wife, Rose, and not talking about the real problem. Julius then goes on to use a fourth facilitation technique, Horizontal vs. Vertical Disclosure. â€Å"Julius always taught students the difference between vertical and horizontal self-disclosure. The group was pressing, as expected, for vertical disclosure—details about the past, including such queries as the scope and the duration of his drinking—whereas horizontal disclosure, that is, disclosure about the disclosure, was always far more productive† (Yalom, 2005, p. 19). He then asks Gill what made it possible for him to open up to them at this particular meeting. At the beginning of the story, Philip did not seem like an appealing character. However, by the end of the book and after I got to know his c haracter a bit more, I could see certain strengths peeking out. Philip is an extremely intelligent, bright, and committed individual. He was dedicated to finding a solution to his sexual addiction, and worked hard to achieve the result he desired. In the group experience, he offered up bits of advice to the other members.The advice may not have helped them extensively, but at least he was trying to contribute. Philip also challenged the other members of the group as well as Julius. His personality was not very inviting, but this forced the others (and Julius) to try harder to understand him and what made him tick. When Pam returns to the group from her retreat, the mood immediately becomes darker when she sees Philip in her â€Å"cozy† group. She does not feel comfortable having him in the group because he had caused her so much pain in the past.Julius found it hard to find â€Å"forgiveness† for Philip, but he tried to identify with him to try to understand why he wou ld have done the things he did. Tony sided with Pam and questioned some of Philip’s statements, whereas Rebecca defended Philip against Tony’s â€Å"attacks†. Stuart also seemed to protect Philip against Tony’s attacks. He reminded Tony that he hadn’t seemed sorry for his sexual assault charges in the past. At the end of this confrontational chapter, Pam behaved towards Philip as if he were invisible.Farther on into the â€Å"role changes†, Pam revealed that she felt defiled that Philip was a part of her group. He was also, in a way, taking away her role as the intellectual of the group. In order to handle these various changes, Julius tries to understand where each person is coming from, whether it is Pam, Philip, Tony, etc. Additionally, he made sure that each group member voiced what they were feeling and if they were comfortable with how the group was proceeding. Bonnie and Rebecca each have different things to say about their own beauty and attractiveness. Bonnie does not believe that she is attractive in any way.She feels that she isn’t interesting or worth anyone’s time. In her words, Bonnie â€Å"was the little fat girl in your grade-school classroom. Very chubby, very clumsy, hair too curly. The one who was pathetic in gym, got the fewest valentines, cried a lot, never had best friends, always walked home alone, never had a prom invitation, was so terrified that she never raised her hand in class even though she was smart as hell and knew all the right answers†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Yalom, 2005, p. 129-130). She even mentioned that Rebecca was the type of person she envied and wished she could be.Some of those feelings are probably still raw for Bonnie. Those feelings were recreated in the group when Rebecca started â€Å"preening† for Philip when he entered the group as a new member. Rebecca, on the other hand, used to stop conversation when she walked into restaurants. She never had to worry ab out feeling unattractive or unwanted. However, now that she is getting older, her outward beauty is fading from what it used to be. She no longer stops conversation like she used to. Philip seems to sum it up perfectly: â€Å"Bonnie and Rebecca have similar afflictions.Bonnie cannot tolerate being unpopular, whereas Rebecca cannot tolerate being no longer popular†¦ Happiness, for the both of them, lies in the hands and heads of others. And for both the solution is the same: the more one has in oneself, the less one will want from others† (Yalom, 2005, p. 157). As the group gives Bonnie and Rebecca feedback, the criticism is not always taken happily. The comments sting, but they do help both women. Rebecca realizes that she likes to be admired, loved, and adored. She likes love. She then goes on later to discuss why she relates more with men than with women.In her discussion with Bonnie, she admits that she finds it more exciting to related to men or to date rather than s pend time with girlfriends. After this group discussion and feedback session about why Bonnie and Rebecca react the way they do to beauty/attention, they both seem to be more aware of their unconscious actions or why they seem to do certain actions. When Pam first returned to the group after her retreat, it was a huge shock to see Philip sitting in the room. I’m sure she never expected to see the man who made her life so confusing and turbulent at just age 18.Pam was extremely upset and did not seem to have any inclination towards ever forgiving Philip for what he did to her, as well as to her friend Molly. Philip did not even seem to have any emotions about the whole situation, which was frustrating for the whole group. How could anyone not have any emotion about such an important confrontation? Over the course of the group, Philip showed small changes in his behavior. He started to make eye-contact and use the group members’ names when addressing them in conversation . Pam starts to acknowledge Philip in the conversation eventually, though it was heated.On page 290, Philip and Pam get into an argument. In response to Pam’s assertion that some things are not forgivable, Philip says, â€Å"Because you are unforgiving does not mean that things are unforgivable. Many years ago you and I made a short-term social contract†¦ I explicitly stated in our conversation following that event that I had a pleasurable evening but did not wish to continue our relationship. How could I not have been clearer? † (Yalom, 2005, p. 290-291). In a meeting a few weeks later, Pam receives a lot of feedback from the group concerning her rage and why exactly the decided to have an affair with Tony.Philip observes that she â€Å"honors† contracts when it suits her. When Philip broke off their social contract, Pam was livid, but when she broke off her social contract with Tony, she didn’t seem to have many emotions about the situation at all. After this particular meeting, Philip could not keep his mind off of Pam. Later on, Pam explains that it is easier for her to forgive others because she wasn’t a personal victim of their offenses. With Philip, her life was altered by what happened. â€Å"But there’s more. I can forgive others here because they’ve shown remorse and, above all, because they’ve changed† (Yalom, 2005, p. 16). Philip eventually confesses to everyone that he thought about Pam after the previous session. It was the first time he had actually opened himself up to everyone. On page 328, Philip actually admits to needing therapy, because he needs to get his intentions and his behavior on the same page. He needs to be congruent. Ultimately, Philip breaks down when he describes what he thinks he truly is: â€Å"A monster. A predator. Alone. An insect killer. Full of blind rage. An untouchable. No one who has known me has loved me. Ever. No one could love me† (Yalom, 20 05, p. 334).Pam shows great strength and kindness when she comforts Philip. â€Å"I could have loved you Philip. You were the most beautiful man†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Yalom, 2005, p. 334-335). After Julius died and the group members went their separate ways, Philip, Pam, and Tony all stuck together. Through all the feedback, criticism, and hard-work, Pam and Philip were able to move past the â€Å"event† of the past and live in the present. When in a working group, one does not only focus on his or her own problems. Each group member brings different life experiences, opinions, and feedback to the table.This creates a unique environment in which each member can receive feedback from more than one person. Members may receive advice or feel a bond they might not have had with the group leader/one-on-one therapist. Most of the 12 â€Å"universal healing factors† appear in The Schopenhauer Cure, but I will only discuss a few of them. Instillation of hope and Universality seem to go hand-in-hand with each other. As the members of this group talked about their personal problems and fears, they discovered that other members shared some of these same problems and fears. This gave them hope that they could potentially overcome these issues.Altruism is an especially helpful factor for Bonnie. The other members helped her put her self-esteem issues into perspective and to see that she is, indeed, important. Pam used Catharsis when she recapped her traumatic experience with Philip. This probably lifted a huge weight off her shoulders of the event being a secret. The positive response of the group members to support her after her confession brought them together even more. Group cohesiveness played an extensive part in this novel. Without a cohesive or trust-worthy group, nobody would ever open up and reveal their problems.When various members, Gill, Pam, Tony, Rebecca, etc. , revealed potentially humiliating information about themselves, it was essential that they trusted their fellow group members to keep the information confidential. The Schopenhauer Cure was an excellent example of a working group. It was great to see the different techniques used in diverse scenarios throughout the book. Without these examples, I wouldn’t have the good outline of how a group works that I do today. Reference Yalom, I. D. (2005). The Schopenhauer Cure. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.