The Psychological Challenges of Oppressed Women Regarding Charlotte Research Paper

The Psychological Challenges of Oppressed Women Regarding Charlotte Perkins Gilman The Yellow Wallpaper and Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House - Research Paper Example The story, â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† deals with the horrible psychological transition of a woman in order to show how the society imposed restrictions can mutilate the psychological growth of women, whereas Ibsen’s play shows a woman’s struggle primarily to cope with the patriarchy’s expectation from women and her choice to tread a more perilous path of life, that is free of the patriarchal protection for women, in order to search for her own self. But these two authors have commonly vindicated that both parental and nuptial restrictions are detrimental to the harmonious psychological growth of women. That is, women’s struggle for their own selves must challenge the so-called male-imposed norms, rules and regulations in the name of women’s betterment. Yet the two texts have two different ends. In the conclusions while Gilman’s heroine is found to become psychologically deranged, Ibsen’s heroine Nora chooses to seek for her ide ntity defying the patriarchal protect in her husband’s house. II - Society’s Attitude towards Women’s Psychological illness in the 19th Century and its Influence on Gilman’s Writing Both â€Å"the Yellow Wallpaper† and â€Å"A Doll’s House† deal with the psychological challenges of women in the 19th century. ... Gilman shows that what Jane’s husband thought for her wellbeing ironically pushed towards the verge of madness and on the contrary, allowing Jane to walk on her own way could have saved her from her tragic end. Like Ibsen she also shows that the position of women in a male dominated society is rather harmful for them, though ironically their male counterpart means such restriction for the betterment of the female. a. Early views of Mental Illness Gilman’s story speaks more of the patriarchy’s attitudes towards women’s mental illness, in the 19th century, which was considered to be the result of extensive brainwork. Especially in women’s case, brainstorming was thought to be more detrimental to women’s psychology. Consequently women are commonly kept away from brainwork such as reading, writing, mass education, and from any other intellectual works. Indeed, the main line of the story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† has greatly been shaped b y a major event of Gilman’s life, as Thrailkill says, â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper draws heavily on a particularly painful episode in Gilman’s own life† (67). In 1886 after the birth of her daughter, Gilman becomes a victim of severe depression. In a book, â€Å"The Living of Charlotte Perkins Gilman† Gilman admits that her â€Å"unbearable inner misery† is worsened by her husband’s presence. Her husband, Weir Mitchell, nervous specialist prescribed her â€Å"rest cure† or â€Å"forced inactivity† as her treatment that rather worsened her condition further (Gilman 79-82). All her condition was conveyed into the story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†. b. Doctors and early treatment The fact, whether the 19th century Doctor’s

Interaction and influences of genetics Essay Example for Free

Interaction and influences of genetics Essay The current belief in biology disqualify the fact that it is only the genes that determine most of the complex traits of a human being. It is well appreciated that DNA interacts at the molecular level with the signals from the environment as well as from other genes. When this concept is considered at the individual level, certain genes do influence trait development in context to a specific environment (Parens et al. , 2006). In this regard therefore, the degree into which a particular trait is influenced by the environment in relation to the genes depends on the specific environment and genes that have been examined. In most of the cases, it has been discovered that genes do contribute to someone’s personality, intelligence and even the psychological traits. Some of these traits maybe highly influenced by the environment in such circumstances as the environmental deprivation (Baker 2004). Environment genes and family traits. It is virtually possible now to measure the heritability of a trait in a certain population when these traits are determined through the complex interaction of environment and genotype. There is evidence that environmental factors within a family set up do have an effect on childhood IQ but on late adolescence it has been observed that the adoptive characteristics in the family siblings are not in any more unique than in the IQ of strangers (McInerney and Rothstein2007). Personality to a certain extent is heritable (Baker 2004). To support this belief, it has been observed that biological siblings are usually more similar in personality as compared to the adoptive ones while identical twins that have been brought up apart show personality similarity than other people who are randomly selected from the population (Parens et al. , 2006). Adoption studies have thus attempted to measure the strength of traits shared in a family. Though some studies indicate that adopted siblings only share the family environment, other studies have shown that by adulthood, the shared family effect on someone’s personality is usually zero. The question of biological determinism thus becomes real. That is if the genes do have a substantial role in the development of personality and even intelligence, then the question remains if genes really determine who really we are (McInerney and Rothstein2007). Though heritability measures used refer to the degree in which there is a variation between individuals in a certain population, these kinds of statistics are not applicable at an individual level. If a heritability index of a certain personality is 6, it would be inappropriate to say that the individual has 40% of personality traits from the environment and 60% from the parents (McInerney and Rothstein2007). Environment is a key factor that cannot be assumed at any point since even the highly genetically determined trait such as the eye color still do carry with them the environmental influence (e. g. atmospheric oxygen and temperature range). Genes do not directly determine the behavior but depending on the environmental context, they influence such conditions and physical traits as blood pressure, height, digestive activities and weight among others (Parens et al. , 2006). The same could be true of the psych-social complex behaviors. Each of these traits is affected by certain multiple genes that interact with various environmental factors. Thus a gene cannot be plainly said that it controls a behavior trait but rather it maybe more appropriate to say that is has an influence on any observed character (Baker 2004). Conclusion Genes that carry the power of heritability in an individual should be considered as enablers of character traits and not as constrainers as it may have been in some cases. Genes carry the possibilities of the organism but do not on the other hand reduce its options as the environment also has a role in enhancing them or even suppressing their expression. The social scientist can thus conclude that these new possibilities are not necessarily scripted in the advance but rather open to the individuals experience.

The Business Environment Of Tata Motors In India

The Business Environment Of Tata Motors In India As emphasized by (Palmer and Hartley, 2006) the Macroenvironment of a company is composed of the External Determinants. This includes factors such as political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal. These factors have an indirect impact on a firm or any business activity. The Microenvironment of a company is composed of the Internal Determinants. This includes factors such as suppliers, consumers, competitors. Bringing this into perspective it is very significant for any company to analyse and study the Business environment in order to make plans, design strategies and take decisions. For example, a company from the United Kingdom setting up its activities in India has to focus on the Macro and Micro Environment in India to run successfully. If they work according to the analysis of the business environment in the United Kingdom they are bound to fail in their operations in India. Thus to understand the Macroenvironments, companies and management students can make use of PEST analysis which helps in critically evaluating the political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal determinants which have an indirect impact on any business entity. This critical evaluation helps a business firm to strategise effectively and take justified decisions. After analysing the business environment using the PEST tool, any company can make use of SWOT analysis to gain an insight on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to survive in todays world comprised of severe competition. According to (Day and Shoemaker, 2005) scanning the Business Environment is like adapting a peripheral vision. Companies with a peripheral vision can recognize the changes taking place in the business environment and accordingly take steps to confront potential threats and grab the opportunities that can prove to be of significance moving ahead. Companies with a good peripheral vision gain a competitive edge over their competitors if they react positively to the changes happening around. The company selected for this work is Tata Motors. Being a huge manufacturer of automobiles, its periphery consists of all the accordant forces. Thus an analysis will be done considering the changes that have occurred over the last five years, how Tata Motors have reacted to these changes in order to survive in todays world of fierce competition. In this work Tata Motors will be analysed using tools like PEST Analysis, Michael Porters five forces and SWOT Analysis, and in the process these tools should be of help in deriving some conclusions and making some recommendations. Organisation Description and Background Tata Motors is Indias largest manufacturer of automobiles. It was initially known as Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company. In 1954, the company signed a collaboration agreement with Daimler Benz of Germany and started the manufacturing of commercial vehicles. It has been a pioneer in this sector, especially in India. They also have their base of operations in the UK, South Korea, Thailand and Spain. Manufacturing of passenger cars, utility vehicles, passenger buses and light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles are the main areas of business of Tata Motors. [www.tatamotors.com] The commercial line of Tata Motors has had its roots strengthening since several years in different market segments such as Europe, Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East. Tata Motors have always believed in acquisitions to expand their business and build a market share around the world. Daewoo, a commercial vehicle company was the second largest truck manufacturer in South Korea. It was acquired by Tata Motors in the year 2004 and this take over gave Tata a significant place in the Korean Market. Following this acquisition Tata Motors got into a joint venture with Thonburi Automotive in the year 2006 allowing them to operate in Thailand. Tata Motors believes in expanding through Mergers and Acquisitions rather than spending several years in building a business. [www.tatamotors.com] The largest acquisition made by Tata Motors was that of Jaguar and land Rover from Ford in March 2008. These two brands cost Ford 5.3 billion dollars where as Tata paid Ford 2.3 billion dollars (Carty, USA Today). This was a significant step for the company as it paved way for them into the business of luxury cars. Tata Motors, in the above mentioned journey has been exposed to the determinants in its environment. Going ahead an analysis would be done on it using tools such as PEST Analysis, Michael Porters five forces and Swot Analysis. PEST ANALYSIS POLITICAL FACTORS: As mentioned above Tata Motors has its operations in several countries around the world. In setting up these operations it was vital for Tata Motors to analyse the Political Environment so as to run the business smoothly. Over the last five years Tata Motors has had a chance to venture in different Markets. When it entered in the UK, the options of entering USA and Russia were also available. But Tata Motors preferred UK over USA and Russia due to favourable political factors such as India being a preferred economic agent, UK car market and potential and language similarity. USA market requires high quality and there are several non-tariff barriers which make it difficult for a new company to enter the market. The reason Russia was declined is because they lack a well-developed dealership network, there were high entry barriers, Language problem and finally there was always the uncertainty of future economic state. As emphasized by (Hill, 2002) the cooperation between India and the U K falls in the regime of favourability which implies benefits being derived due to less tariff and non-tariff barriers. Thus Tata Motors decision of entering the UK market is justified. ECONOMIC FACTORS: This is one of the most significant determinants that need to be analysed as it encompasses factors such as market growth potential, pricing strategies, return on investment and various such monetary aspects. Since 2004 Tata Motors is on an expansion role around the world. It has made its presence felt in over five countries world-wide through acquisitions and joint ventures. Over the past five years there have been changes in different economies. Tata Motors has been adapting to these changes successfully and running their business smoothly. To give an example if there is a hike in price of aluminium in Kenya, Tata Motors has the option of falling back on suppliers in Europe or Asia. They also have to keep a close eye on the fluctuation in the currency rates. The rupee being strong against the American Dollar doesnt mean it will be strong against the Sterling Pound. This factor is directly related to Capital Investment thus posing a challenge, Tata Motors operating in different econ omies which have been in a turmoil due to recession. SOCIAL FACTORS: Demography is one of the significant social factors. It comprises of lifestyle, consumer trends, income, spending power etc. The trait of demographic trends allows a company to make plans and strategise on the kind of products to be marketed. As emphasized by (Mintel, 2006) the influence of fashion and luxury is so strong that consumers neglect the hike in price of fuel. Catering to this Tata Motors launched Tata Safari and Tata Sumo Grande, Indias premier SUVs. Having said that, not all the people are in a position to afford these cars. Bringing this into perspective Tata Motors has continued to manufacture and market Tata Indica, a low budget passenger car. A lot of motorcycle accidents taking place in India, Ratan Tata, the Chairman of Tata Group had a vision of launching the worlds cheapest car and his vision did come true in the form of Tata Nano. Thus it is clearly evident that Tata Motors does respond to changes in the social factors. TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS: Technology is a factor that enables a company to gain a competitive edge and survive the fierce competition in the market. Tata Motors has currently employed 1400 Scientists and Engineers in their Research and Development Team. This has ensured that they are ahead or at par with their competitors in the domestic market as well as internationally. [www.tatamotors.com]. In the last 5-10 years technology has been advancing at a very rapid space. There have been foreign automobile giants like Hyundai, Toyota etc setting up operations in India. Their cars were technologically far too advanced than Indian cars. They had power steering and windows, central locking, automatic transmission on gears etc. Considering these changes in the environment Tata Motors did not lag behind. They also adapted and brought out cars with this technology and survived the robust change and maintained their position as a leader in the automobile sector. MICHAEL PORTERS FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS: http://www.valuebasedmanagement.net/images/porterfiveforces.gif Source: www.valuebasedmanagement.net. The above mentioned diagram shows the factors considered as significant by Michael Porter in his analysis. Moving further we will see how this analysis can be used to evaluate Tata Motors project Tata Nano. Threat of New Entrants: Tata Motors launched Tata Nano as the worlds cheapest car. It basically targeted the people who used motorcycles as their mode of transport. Indian automobile sector is vibrant and emerging, attracting international brands like Volkswagen, Toyota, etc all of whom are expected to launch new innovative products. Tata Nano is priced approximately at just Rs 1,00,000. Launching a product at such low cost implies that the manufacturer needs to make a huge initial investment and bear a low profit margin as well. The competitors are studying the strategies of Tata Motors closely. But because of the above mentioned reasons Tata Motors doesnt have the threat of New Entrants immediately but yes it will have to definitely face some fierce competition in the future. [www.scribd.com] Threat of Substitutes: Tata Nano faces a threat from electric cars as a substitute. Reva car is already present in the Indian market and Morbi based Ajanta Group is planning on manufacturing an electric car. Ajanta Group is planning on pricing its electric car at Rs 85000 which is even cheaper than the Tata Nano. Reacting to this threat Tata Motors has aleady considered making an electric car and named it the E-Nano. [www.scribd.com] The second hand market for cars is also booming in India. These second hand cars can act as substitutes to Tata Nano as they are in the same price range, moreover they have powerful engines. [www.jimthetrucker.com] Bargaining Power of buyers: Tata Nano is a car that has been manufactured keeping in mind the people with low income. At present Tata Nano is the only car in the Indian Market available at such a low price(approximately Rs 1,00,000). Bringing this into perspective the Indian consumers do not have many options. This implies that there is not much bargaining power vested in the hands of the buyer. But as and when the competitors come with similar cars the buyer will have the power to switch cars, the power of choice etc. [www.tatamotors.com] Bargaining Power of Suppliers: There are about 60 companies acting as suppliers for Tata Nano. These suppliers together assimilated an amount of about $112.7 dollars to set up base on the Singur Complex. Suppliers mentioned that the existing plants were equipped enough to support the launch of Tata Nano provided the Tata Plant shifts to Pantnagar or Pune. Other suppliers showed cooperation by showing the will to use their sheds as warehouses for storing purposes. (www.scribd.com) Tata Motors has formulated a bill marketing system vesting the interest of the suppliers. Through this Tatas bank makes the payment to the suppliers and then Tata pays the bank. Tata has also set up a suppliers council to recognize and rectify issues such as delayed payments which were acting as hindrance between the company and its suppliers. [www.tatamotors.com] This shows that the suppliers conveyed utmost support to Tata Motors, thus rather than acting as a threat they acted in favour of the auto manufacturer. Tata Nano being the only make of its type the suppliers seem to be liberal but as and when competitors come up with similar cars the suppliers bargaining power will pose as a threat. Rivalry among existing firms: The competition is very fierce among car manufacturers in India, especially the small car manufacturers like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Chevrolet etc. Tata Motors had come up with the Tata Indica to compete with the Maruti Suzuki 800, Maruti Suzuki Zen etc. Maruti at that time was the leader in the small car market in India. As a counter attack to the Tata Indica, Maruti came up with cars like Alto and some brand extensions like the Zen Estilo. The scene completely changed with the launch of Tata Nano. The price of Tata Nano was half the price of Maruti 800, which then was one of the cheapest car in the Indian Market. In response Maruti Suzuki talked about slashing down the prices of Maruti 800 and Maruti Alto. There were also speculations about Maruti Suzuki redesigning the 800 to pose a challenge to Nano but this got scrapped as the costs involved were very high. The launch of Nano also hurt the dealers of second hand vehicles. These dealers in response got in tie-ups with banks and financial institutions to attract consumers towards buying second hand cars. Thus the launch of Nano intensified the rivalry amongst existing firms. [www.driveinside.com] VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS http://gscmotion.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/a-value-chain-analysis1.jpg Source http://gscmotion.wordpress.com/2009/08/07/using-value-chain-analysis-for-customer-satisfaction/ The diagram shown above describes the main components and sub-components of a value chain. Going forward in this assignment an analysis will be done on the value chain of Tata Motors. Inbound Logistics: Tata Motors has a very strong set up of Inbound Logistics. This gives the company attain a competitive edge over the other players in the market. Following are the factors which enable the company to maintain a strong set up on Inbound Logistics. Tata Motors gets into Long term contracts with its service providers in transport and various other activities. It does the same with the agents dealing with it. It employs special personnel at regional offices to supervise the entire process. The company has made use of SAP business softwares to strengthen its IT department through which it is able to monitor the activities. The storage facilities are very efficient which lead to easy stuffing and retrieval of materials. [www.tatamotors.com] Operations: Over the past few years Tata Motors has established a Capital Equipment Manufacturing Division which assists the company in development capabilities of international standard. It also has designed Apprentice trainee courses which ensure stability in the supply of skilled manpower. Tata Motors also has a team looking into Kaizen and TPM which profoundly works towards improving efficiency. The company has an automated manufacturing process. Moreover the manufacturing is well distributed not just within India but globally. The company practices optimum utilization of capacity. An example to support this could be that of Mercedes Benz which uses Tata Motors paint shop facilities. Outbound Logistics: Stockyards all across the country and also in the countries abroad where Tata Motors has its operations set up implies that they have a strong Outbound Logistics. As mentioned above the company gets into long term contracts with transporters, gives high and constant business to them which ensures it gets the best deals. SAP programmes ensure that all the offices and various sections are well connected which ensure timely execution of tasks. Pilferage is prevented, thanks to an excellent security system being enforced. Marketing and Sales: Tata Motors is in a pact with large number of dealers and agents to support the function of marketing and sales of its products. Tata Motors follows a systematic approach towards understanding the needs and preferences of customers. Over the past five years Tata Motors has been analysing the market dynamics and accordingly manufacturing innovative products or extending existing brands. Some examples of this would be Tata 207, Tata 407 and Tata Ace. Tata Motors caters to different segment of customers like the common man, farmers, Defence, State Transport etc. It has specific teams developed to address the needs of these customers respectively. Their strategy in Marketing and sales has enabled them to impose a Pan India and Global presence. A fact to support this statement is that Fiat which is an international brand got into a pact with Tata Motors on 13th January 2006 to use the dealership of Tata Motors to sell its vehicles and Tata Motors would use Fiats technology and unutilized capacity.[www.tatamotors.com]

How does Giddens solve the problem of agency versus structure? Essay ex

Giddens theorizes that structure and agency are a duality that cannot exist apart from one another. Human practices create both their consciousness and society. Because individuals make up society’s activities and structural conditions, they can choose to change it. Giddens calls this relationship between knowledge and practices the double hermeneutic. The daily routines and practices of individuals interacting with each other is what shape society. The actors have power over their actions, but the consequences are often unpredictable, allowing for change. Structure is defined by the rules and resources of society but without the human factor it cannot exist (Sociological Theory | Chapter 15 Chapter Summary, 2004). In contrast, he argues that â€Å"an actor ceases to be an agent if he or she loses the power to make a difference† (Ritzer, 2011, p 523). Giddens criticized structural theories that forced extreme limitations on the individual and placed them in a passive role in the creation of society. He suggested that actors could think about what they were doing and adjust their actions accordingly. He defined this ability as â€Å"reflexive monitoring† which is encompassed under the topic of the knowlegability of actors. Despite this reflective thinking on the part of the actors, sometimes things still go wrong. Gidden’s view takes into account a person’s tendency to misinterpret a situation (no one is perfect). In another scenario, a person’s actions might be miscalculated for a number of unconscious reasons. In either case, in his opinion, actors are less knowledgeable than interpretative sociologists would suggest (Gelderblom, 2011). Giddens argues that the interaction, between discursive and practical consciousness, is also how... ... systems allows for social changes while bridging the structure-agency dilemma (Miller, 2007). References Gelderblom, D. (2011). Sociological Theory Study Guide 2, Chapter 3: Anthony Giddens. Retrieved January 14, 2012, from http://myedison.tesc.edu/tescdocs/Web_Courses/SOC-417 OL/Study_Guide_8e/Study_Guide_2_417_8e.pdf Miller, S. (2007, January 4). Social Institutions (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved January 14, 2012, from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/social-institutions/#AgeStr Ritzer, G. (2011). 10. Sociological theory (8th ed., p. 351-390). New York: McGraw- Hill. Sociological Theory | Chapter 15 Chapter Summary. (2004). Agency-Structure Integration. Retrieved January 14, 2012, from http://highered.mcgraw- hill.com/sites/0072817186/student_view0/chapter15/chapter_summary.html

American Art Reaction Paper

TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n is Ã' Ã ¾nsidÐ µrÐ µd Ð °s Ð ¾nÐ µ Ð ¾f thÐ µ mÐ ¾st sÐ ¾Ã' iÐ °llÃ'Æ' rÐ µlÐ µvÐ °nt sÐ ¾ngwritÐ µrs Ð ¾f Ð ¾ur timÐ µ, Ð °nd hÐ °s bÐ µÃ' Ã ¾mÐ µ Ð ¾nÐ µ Ð ¾f Ð ¾ur gÐ µnÐ µrÐ °tiÐ ¾n’s mÐ ¾st uniquÐ µ vÐ ¾iÃ' Ã µs. DÐ µspitÐ µ sÐ ¾mÐ µ nÐ µgÐ °tivÐ µ fÐ µÃ µdbÐ °Ã' ks Ð ¾n hÐ µr Ð °lbums, mÐ °inlÃ'Æ' thÐ µ lÐ °tÐ µst Ð ¾nÐ µ â€Å"NÐ µw BÐ µginning†, TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n Ð ¾nlÃ'Æ' rÐ µÃ °ffirms hÐ µr tÐ °lÐ µnts Ð °s Ð ° writÐ µr Ð °nd nÐ ¾t just Ð ° vÐ ¾Ã' Ã °list in Ð µÃ °Ã' h nÐ µw Ð °lbum. ThrÐ ¾ughÐ ¾ut hÐ µr rÐ ¾Ã' k Ã' Ã °rÐ µÃ µr, Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n hÐ °s Ð °ddrÐ µssÐ µd suÃ' h sÐ ¾Ã' iÐ °l impÐ ¾rtÐ °nt issuÐ µs Ð °s humÐ °n rights, rÐ °Ã' iÐ °l Ð µquÐ °litÃ'Æ', Ð °nd Ð µÃ' Ã ¾nÐ ¾miÃ'  justiÃ' Ã µ.SÐ ¾mÐ µ might sÐ °Ã'Æ' thÐ °t suÃ' h thÐ µmÐ µs Ð °rÐ µ nÐ ¾t nÐ µw Ð °nd Ð °rÐ µ mÐ µntià  ¾nÐ µd in mÐ °nÃ'Æ' Ð ¾thÐ µr sÐ ¾ngs, but thÐ µ wÐ °Ã'Æ' TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n Ð µxprÐ µssÐ µs hÐ µr Ð ¾wn Ð °ttitudÐ µ tÐ ¾ thÐ µsÐ µ things is rÐ µÃ °llÃ'Æ' uniquÐ µ Ð °nd tÐ ¾uÃ' hÐ µs thÐ µ hÐ µÃ °rts Ð ¾f fÐ °ns. TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n wÐ °s bÐ ¾rn MÐ °rÃ' h 20, 1964 in Ð ¡lÐ µvÐ µlÐ °nd, ОhiÐ ¾. TÐ ¾gÐ µthÐ µr with hÐ µr Ð ¾ldÐ µr sistÐ µr, TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' wÐ °s rÐ °isÐ µd Ð °lÐ ¾nÐ µ bÃ'Æ' thÐ µir mÐ ¾thÐ µr in Ð ° â€Å"lÐ ¾wÐ µr-middlÐ µ Ã' lÐ °ss† nÐ µighbÐ ¾rhÐ ¾Ã ¾d. SinÃ' Ã µ hÐ µr mÐ ¾thÐ µr hÐ °d tÐ ¾ wÐ ¾rk hÐ °rd in Ð ¾rdÐ µr tÐ ¾ Ð µÃ °rn Ð µnÐ ¾ugh mÐ ¾nÐ µÃ'Æ' fÐ ¾r living, bÐ ¾th girls spÐ µnt muÃ' h timÐ µ Ð °lÐ ¾nÐ µ, nÐ ¾t hÐ °ving muÃ' h in Ã' Ã ¾mmÐ ¾n with thÐ µ kids in thÐ µir nÐ µighbÐ ¾rhÐ ¾Ã ¾d.During thÐ µsÐ µ Ã'Æ'Ð µÃ °rs thÐ µ littlÐ µ girl TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' wrÐ ¾tÐ µ pÐ ¾Ã µtrÃ'Æ' Ð °nd shÐ ¾rt stÐ ¾riÐ µs, lÐ µÃ °rnt tÐ ¾ plÐ °Ã'Æ' thÐ µ ukulÐ µlÐ µ, thÐ µ piÐ °nÐ ¾, Ð °nd thÐ µ guitÐ °r. FinÐ °llÃ'Æ', shÐ µ stÐ °rtÐ µd writing hÐ µr Ð ¾wn sÐ ¾ngs whiÃ' h hÐ µlpÐ µd hÐ µr tÐ ¾ Ð µxprÐ µss hÐ µr thÐ ¾ughts, Ð µmÐ ¾tiÐ ¾ns Ð °nd fÐ µÃ µlings thÐ °t shÐ µ Ã' Ã °nnÐ ¾t unÃ' Ã ¾vÐ µr tÐ ¾ hÐ µr mÐ ¾thÐ µr Ð ¾r sistÐ µr. LÐ °tÐ µr TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' dÐ µÃ' idÐ µd tÐ ¾ Ã' rÐ µÃ °tÐ µ hÐ µr furthÐ µr lifÐ µ in Ð ° diffÐ µrÐ µnt wÐ °Ã'Æ' thÐ °n shÐ µ wÐ °s grÐ ¾wn up. Ð s Ð ° rÐ µsult, shÐ µ finishÐ µd Ð ° privÐ °tÐ µ sÃ' hÐ ¾Ã ¾l in Ð ¡Ã ¾nnÐ µÃ' tiÃ' ut Ð °nd lÐ °tÐ µr rÐ µÃ' Ã µivÐ µd Ð ° sÃ' hÐ ¾lÐ °rship tÐ ¾ studÃ'Æ' in Tufts UnivÐ µrsitÃ'Æ' in BÐ ¾stÐ ¾n.DuÐ µ tÐ ¾ Ð ¾nÐ µ Ð ¾f hÐ µr Ã' lÐ °ssmÐ °tÐ µs Ð °t Tufts TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n gÐ µt signÐ µd tÐ ¾ ЕlÐ µktrÐ ° RÐ µÃ' Ã ¾rds whiÃ' h rÐ µlÐ µÃ °sÐ µd hÐ µr dÐ µbut in 1988 with thÐ µ fit FÐ °st Ð ¡Ã °r (TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' ThÐ ¾mpsÐ ¾n, p. 31). It wÐ °s Ð ¾nlÃ'Æ' thÐ µ bÐ µginning Ð ¾f Ð ° suÃ' Ã' Ã µssful Ã' Ã °rÐ µÃ µr Ð ¾f TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n Ð °nd intrÐ ¾duÃ' Ã µd hÐ µr tÐ ¾ Ð ° lÐ µgiÐ ¾n Ð ¾f fÐ °ns. HÐ µr lÐ °tÐ µst Ð °lbum â€Å"NÐ µw BÐ µginning† Ã' Ã ¾mbinÐ µs bÐ ¾th fÐ °miliÐ °r thÐ µmÐ µs with Ð ° fÐ µw mÐ ¾rÐ µ Ð µÃ' lÐ µÃ' tiÃ'  musiÃ' Ã °l influÐ µnÃ' Ã µs. TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n triÐ µs tÐ ¾ stÐ °Ã'Æ' mÐ ¾rÐ µ Ð ¾r lÐ µss truÐ µ tÐ ¾ hÐ µr Ð ¾riginÐ °l sÐ ¾und in Ð µvÐ µrÃ'Æ' sÐ ¾ng Ð ¾f this Ð °lbum. HÐ µr guitÐ °r bÐ µÃ' Ã ¾mÐ µs pÐ °rt Ð ¾f hÐ µr vÐ ¾iÃ' Ã µ Ð °nd thÐ µ musiÃ'  blÐ µnds smÐ ¾Ã ¾th.This Ð °lbum is sÐ ¾ diffÐ µrÐ µnt frÐ ¾m hÐ µr prÐ µviÐ ¾us Ð ¾nÐ µs thÐ °t Ð ¾nÐ µ Ã' Ã °nnÐ ¾t hÐ µlp bÐ µÃ' Ã ¾ming Ð ° littlÐ µ Ð °ddiÃ' tÐ µd tÐ ¾ this nÐ µw sÐ ¾und Ð °nd vÐ ¾iÃ' Ã µ Ð ¾f Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n Ð °s Ð ° whÐ ¾lÐ µ. It is thÐ µ fÐ ¾lk musiÃ'  Ð ¡D thÐ °t tings rÐ ¾Ã' k, sÐ ¾ul Ð °nd bluÐ µs whiÃ' h is rÐ °thÐ µr Ã' Ã ¾mmÐ ¾n fÐ ¾r TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n. HÐ ¾wÐ µvÐ µr, this timÐ µ singÐ µr Ð °ddÐ µd sÐ ¾mÐ µ nÐ µw sÐ ¾niÃ'  Ð µlÐ µmÐ µnts likÐ µ thÐ µ bÐ °gpipÐ µs Ð °nd digÐ µrdÐ ¾Ã ¾ (Bud Ð £Ã µÃ °gÐ µr, p. 23). ЕvÐ µrÃ'Æ' sÐ ¾ng in thÐ µ Ð °lbum â€Å"NÐ µw BÐ µginning† is impÐ ¾rtÐ °nt in its mÐ µÃ °ning Ð °nd mÐ µssÐ °gÐ µ tÐ ¾ thÐ µ fÐ °ns, hÐ ¾wÐ µvÐ µr, sÐ µvÐ µrÐ °l sÐ ¾ngs Ð °rÐ µ wÐ ¾rthÃ'Æ' Ð ¾f spÐ µÃ' iÐ °l Ð °ttÐ µntiÐ ¾n. Ð mÐ ¾ng thÐ µm is thÐ µ sÐ ¾ng â€Å"ThÐ µ RÐ °pÐ µ Ð ¾f thÐ µ WÐ ¾rld†.It tÐ µlls Ð °bÐ ¾ut thÐ µ dÐ µstruÃ' tiÐ ¾n Ð ¾f Ð ¾ur plÐ °nÐ µt in thÐ µ wÐ °Ã'Æ's thÐ °t might bÐ µ Ð °vÐ ¾idÐ µd bÃ'Æ' thÐ µ humÐ °nitÃ'Æ'. Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n pÐ ¾ints Ð ¾ut thÐ °t thÐ µ Ð µÃ °rth is â€Å"mÐ ¾thÐ µr Ð ¾f us Ð °ll, plÐ °Ã' Ã µ Ð ¾f Ð ¾ur birth† whiÃ' h hÐ °s bÐ µÃ µn â€Å"pÐ ¾isÐ ¾nÐ µd Ð °nd bÐ µÃ °tÐ µn up† fÐ ¾r lÐ ¾ng pÐ µriÐ ¾d Ð ¾f timÐ µ. PÐ µÃ ¾plÐ µ, whÐ ¾ Ð °rÐ µ witnÐ µssÐ µs Ð ¾f suÃ' h â€Å"grÐ µÃ °t viÐ ¾lÐ °tiÐ ¾n Ð ¾f Ð °ll timÐ µÃ¢â‚¬ , stÐ °nd Ð °sidÐ µ Ð °nd dÐ ¾ nÐ ¾thing tÐ ¾ prÐ µvÐ µnt suÃ' h hÐ ¾rriblÐ µ Ã' rimÐ µ. TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n hÐ °s Ð °ddrÐ µssÐ µd thÐ µ thÐ µmÐ µ Ð ¾f Ð µnvirÐ ¾nmÐ µnt Ð °nd Ð µÃ °rth pÐ ¾llutiÐ ¾n in hÐ µr prÐ µviÐ ¾us sÐ ¾ngs Ð °s wÐ µll, but it sÐ µÃ µms thÐ °t Ð °lbum â€Å"NÐ µw BÐ µginning† givÐ µs hÐ µr Ð ° nÐ µw hÐ ¾pÐ µ fÐ ¾r bÐ µttÐ µr futurÐ µ.ThÐ °t is whÃ'Æ', in Ð µvÐ µrÃ'Æ' sÐ ¾ng shÐ µ inspirÐ µs pÐ µÃ ¾plÐ µ tÐ ¾ lÐ ¾Ã ¾k Ð °rÐ ¾und Ð °nd â€Å"stÐ ¾p thÐ µ rÐ °pÐ µ Ð ¾f thÐ µ wÐ ¾rld†; Ð ¾thÐ µrwisÐ µ, it will bÐ µ â€Å"thÐ µ bÐ µginning Ð ¾f thÐ µ Ð µnd† (Ð li SinÃ' lÐ °ir, p. 9). In thÐ µ sÐ ¾ng â€Å"ThÐ µ RÐ °pÐ µ Ð ¾f thÐ µ WÐ ¾rld† Ð °s wÐ µll Ð °s Ð ¾thÐ µr sÐ ¾ngs frÐ ¾m Ð °lbum â€Å"NÐ µw BÐ µginning† TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n tÐ °kÐ µs Ð ° simplÐ µ musiÃ' Ã °l Ð °pprÐ ¾Ã °Ã' h in Ð ¾rdÐ µr tÐ ¾ fÐ ¾Ã' us Ð °ttÐ µntiÐ ¾n Ð ¾n hÐ µr Ð ¾wn vÐ ¾iÃ' Ã µ. Ð s usuÐ °l, lÃ'Æ'riÃ' s Ã' Ã ¾mbinÐ µ Ð µmÐ ¾tiÐ ¾nÐ °l pÐ ¾rtrÐ °its Ð °nd pÐ ¾litiÃ' Ã °l gÐ µnÐ µrÐ °lizÐ °tiÐ ¾ns whiÃ' h shÐ ¾w Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n’s fÐ µÃ µlings Ð °nd pÐ ¾litiÃ' s Ð µvÐ µn mÐ ¾rÐ µ dÐ µÃ µplÃ'Æ' (GÐ µÃ ¾rgÐ µ GrÐ °hÐ °m, p. 10).Ð s ЕntÐ µrtÐ °inmÐ µnt WÐ µÃ µklÃ'Æ' wrÐ ¾tÐ µ in 1995, â€Å"hÐ µr rÐ µsÐ ¾nÐ °nt vÐ ¾iÃ' Ã µ imbuÐ µs thÐ µsÐ µ lÐ ¾w-kÐ µÃ'Æ' sÐ ¾ngs with wÐ °rmth thÐ °t sÐ µduÃ' Ã µs Ã'Æ'Ð ¾u†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (12/1/95, p. 74) WhilÐ µ Ð ¾thÐ µr sÐ ¾ngs in thÐ µ Ð °lbum tÐ °lk mÐ ¾rÐ µ Ð °bÐ ¾ut lÐ ¾vÐ µ Ð °nd rÐ ¾mÐ °nÃ' Ã µ, sÐ ¾ng â€Å"ThÐ µ RÐ °pÐ µ Ð ¾f thÐ µ WÐ ¾rld† is Ð ° bÐ µÃ °utiful Ã'Æ'Ð µt mÐ ¾urnful bÐ °llÐ °d Ð °bÐ ¾ut sÐ ¾Ã' iÐ °l injustiÃ' Ã µ. SingÐ µr Ð µmphÐ °sizÐ µs thÐ °t if Ð µÃ °rth is â€Å"mÐ ¾thÐ µr Ð ¾f us Ð °ll†, thÐ µn it is â€Å"thÐ µ dÐ µÃ °dliÐ µst Ð ¾f sins† bÐ µÃ' Ã °usÐ µ it givÐ µs birth tÐ ¾ Ð °ll thÐ µ living bÐ µings Ð °nd givÐ µs thÐ µm fÐ ¾Ã ¾d Ð °nd shÐ µltÐ µr. ЕÐ °rth is Ð °ssÐ ¾Ã' iÐ °tÐ µd with Ð ° quÐ µÃ µn tÐ °t hÐ °s glÐ ¾rÃ'Æ' Ð °nd pÐ ¾wÐ µr.HÐ ¾wÐ µvÐ µr, in rÐ µÃ °litÃ'Æ' situÐ °tiÐ ¾n is tÐ ¾tÐ °llÃ'Æ' diffÐ µrÐ µnt sinÃ' Ã µ pÐ µÃ ¾plÐ µ usÐ µ nÐ °turÐ °l rÐ µsÐ ¾urÃ' Ã µs unwisÐ µlÃ'Æ', dÐ µstrÐ ¾Ã'Æ' fÐ ¾rÐ µsts Ð °nd lÐ °kÐ µs, thus Ã' Ã °usÐ µ Ð °ir Ð °nd wÐ °tÐ µr pÐ ¾llutiÐ ¾n. Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n Ã' Ã °nnÐ ¾t bÐ µ indiffÐ µrÐ µnt tÐ ¾ this situÐ °tiÐ ¾n Ð °nd suÃ' h Ð °ttitudÐ µ Ð ¾f humÐ °nitÃ'Æ' tÐ ¾ thÐ µ plÐ °nÐ µt. PÐ µÃ ¾plÐ µ usÐ µd tÐ ¾ Ð µnvirÐ ¾nmÐ µntÐ °l Ã' Ã °mpÐ °igns, thus, might lÐ ¾sÐ µ intÐ µrÐ µst tÐ ¾ thÐ µir truÐ µ mÐ µÃ °ning. TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n hÐ ¾pÐ µs thÐ °t if wÐ ¾rds frÐ ¾m hÐ µr sÐ ¾ngs tÐ ¾uÃ' h Ð °t lÐ µÃ °st Ð ¾nÐ µ pÐ µrsÐ ¾n, Ð °ll thÐ µsÐ µ Ð °ttÐ µmpts Ð °rÐ µ nÐ ¾t in vÐ °in. SÐ ¾mÐ µtimÐ µs, Ð ° wÐ ¾rd Ã' Ã °n tÐ ¾uÃ' h thÐ µ mind Ð °nd hÐ µÃ °rt Ð ¾f Ð ° pÐ µrsÐ ¾n in bÐ µttÐ µr wÐ °Ã'Æ' thÐ °n Ð °nÃ'Æ' Ð µnvirÐ ¾nmÐ µntÐ °l Ã' Ã °mpÐ °ign Ð ¾r Ð °dvÐ µrtisÐ µmÐ µnt in thÐ µ nÐ µwspÐ °pÐ µr Ð ¾r mÐ °gÐ °zinÐ µ.Thus, shÐ µ Ã' Ã °lls Ð ¾thÐ µrs tÐ ¾ sÐ µÃ µ Ð °ll this dÐ µstruÃ' tiÐ ¾n with thÐ µir Ð ¾wn Ð µÃ'Æ'Ð µs Ð °nd hÐ µÃ °r thÐ µ Ã' riÐ µs Ð ¾f thÐ µ Ð µÃ °rth. ThÐ ¾ugh, thÐ µ glÐ ¾bÐ °l Ã' hÐ °ngÐ µ in thÐ µ Ð µnvirÐ ¾nmÐ µnt shÐ ¾uld stà  °rt frÐ ¾m Ð ° littlÐ µ Ã' hÐ °ngÐ µ within Ð µvÐ µrÃ'Æ' individuÐ °l. TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n usÐ µd thÐ µ wÐ ¾rd â€Å"rÐ °pÐ µÃ¢â‚¬  Ð ¾n purpÐ ¾sÐ µ. If shÐ µ mÐ µntiÐ ¾nÐ µd wÐ ¾rds likÐ µ â€Å"ruin†, â€Å"dÐ µstruÃ' tiÐ ¾n† Ð °nd Ð ¾thÐ µrs, it might nÐ ¾t influÐ µnÃ' Ã µ pÐ µÃ ¾plÐ µ sÐ ¾ muÃ' h Ð °s with thÐ µ wÐ ¾rd â€Å"rÐ °pÐ µÃ¢â‚¬ . ThÐ µ wÐ ¾rd hÐ °s Ð ° dÐ µÃ µp mÐ µÃ °ning, thÐ °t is, Ð µÃ °rth is hÐ µlplÐ µss tÐ ¾wÐ °rd humÐ °n’s Ã' ruÐ µl Ð °Ã' tiÐ ¾ns Ð °nd lÐ ¾sÐ µs its pÐ ¾wÐ µr Ð °nd pÐ ¾ssibilitiÐ µs Ð °s thÐ µ nÐ µgÐ °tivÐ µ Ð °nd hÐ °rmful influÐ µnÃ' Ã µ Ð ¾f humÐ °nitÃ'Æ' inÃ' rÐ µÃ °sÐ µs.During mÐ °nÃ'Æ' Ã'Æ'Ð µÃ °rs Ð °nd Ð µvÐ µn Ã' Ã µnturiÐ µs Ð µÃ °rth hÐ °s bÐ µÃ µn â€Å"Ã' lÐ µÃ °r-Ã' ut, dumpÐ µd Ð ¾n, pÐ ¾isÐ ¾nÐ µd Ð °nd bÐ µÃ °tÐ µn up†, whilÐ µ pÐ ¾pulÐ °tiÐ ¾n wÐ °s indiffÐ µrà  µnt, blind Ð °nd mutÐ µ witnÐ µss Ð ¾f this grÐ µÃ °t viÐ ¾lÐ °tiÐ ¾n. SÐ ¾mÐ µ pÐ µÃ ¾plÐ µ Ã' Ã °n tÐ °lk Ð °bÐ ¾ut Ð µnvirÐ ¾nmÐ µntÐ °l issuÐ µs Ð °nd Ð µÃ °rth prÐ ¾tÐ µÃ' tiÐ ¾n, but dÐ ¾ nÐ ¾thing tÐ ¾ prÐ µvÐ µnt thÐ µ dÐ µstruÃ' tiÐ ¾n. ОthÐ µrs nÐ ¾t Ð ¾nlÃ'Æ' tÐ °lk, but Ð °lsÐ ¾ mÐ °kÐ µ Ð °pprÐ ¾priÐ °tÐ µ Ð °Ã' tiÐ ¾ns tÐ ¾ hÐ µlp thÐ µ plÐ °nÐ µt. WÐ ¾rds Ð °nd mÐ µssÐ °gÐ µs frÐ ¾m Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n’s sÐ ¾ngs might bÐ µ summÐ °rizÐ µd in Ð ¾nÐ µ singlÐ µ – â€Å"NÐ µw BÐ µginning† whÐ µrÐ µ singÐ µr Ð µmphÐ °sizÐ µs thÐ °t â€Å"it’s timÐ µ tÐ ¾ stÐ °rt Ð °ll Ð ¾vÐ µr mÐ °kÐ µ Ð ° nÐ µw bÐ µginning†.WhilÐ µ it still Ã' Ã °rriÐ µs thÐ µ sÐ °mÐ µ strÐ ¾ng mÐ µssÐ °gÐ µ, it Ð °lsÐ ¾ Ð µxprÐ µssÐ µs thÐ µ mÐ µssÐ °gÐ µ mÐ ¾rÐ µ subtlÐ µtÃ'Æ': â€Å"WÐ µ Ã' Ã °n brÐ µÃ °k thÐ µ Ã' Ã'Æ'Ã' lÐ µ, wÐ µ Ã' Ã °n stÐ °rt Ð °ll Ð ¾vÐ µr†¦Ã¢â‚¬  DÐ µspitÐ µ sÐ °d mÐ µssÐ °gÐ µ Ð ¾f thÐ µ sÐ ¾ng, its lÃ'Æ'riÃ' s prÐ ¾vidÐ µ pÐ µÃ ¾plÐ µ with thÐ µ hÐ ¾pÐ µ thÐ °t it is nÐ ¾t tÐ ¾Ã ¾ lÐ °tÐ µ tÐ ¾ stÐ ¾p thÐ µ dÐ µstruÃ' tiÐ ¾n Ð °nd sÐ °vÐ µ Ð ¾ur plÐ °nÐ µt frÐ ¾m tÐ ¾tÐ °l Ã' risis. ThÐ µ sÐ ¾ng shÐ °mÐ µs listÐ µnÐ µrs intÐ ¾ Ð µnvirÐ ¾nmÐ µntÐ °l rÐ µspÐ ¾nsibilitÃ'Æ' whiÃ' h is thÐ µ bÐ °siÃ'  Ð ¾f Ð µvÐ µrÃ'Æ' individuÐ °l in thÐ µir Ð µvÐ µrÃ'Æ'dÐ °Ã'Æ' lifÐ µ. WhilÐ µ listÐ µning tÐ ¾ thÐ µ sÐ ¾ng â€Å"ThÐ µ RÐ °pÐ µ Ð ¾f thÐ µ WÐ ¾rld†, thÐ µrÐ µ is nÐ ¾ dÐ ¾ubt thÐ °t Ð °nÃ'Æ'Ð ¾nÐ µ Ã' Ã °n stÐ °Ã'Æ' indiffÐ µrÐ µnt tÐ ¾ thÐ µsÐ µ wÐ ¾rds, Ð µspÐ µÃ' iÐ °llÃ'Æ' whÐ µn Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n pÐ ¾ints Ð ¾ut thÐ °t humÐ °nitÃ'Æ' is â€Å"witnÐ µss† tÐ ¾ this rÐ °pÐ µ.It mÐ µÃ °ns thÐ °t wÐ µ Ð °rÐ µ bÐ ¾th Ã' ruÐ µl dÐ µstrÐ ¾Ã'Æ'Ð µr Ð °nd hÐ µlplà  µss witnÐ µss. WÐ µ ruin Ð ¾ur Ð ¾wn bÐ °sÐ µ – thÐ µ Ð µÃ °rth wÐ µ livÐ µ in. If wÐ µ Ã' Ã ¾ntinuÐ µ suÃ' h hÐ °rmful Ð °Ã' tiÐ ¾ns, whÐ °t will hÐ °ppÐ µn with thÐ µ plÐ °nÐ µt in sÐ µvÐ µrÐ °l Ã'Æ'Ð µÃ °rs? Will wÐ µ thÐ µn bÐ µ Ð °blÐ µ tÐ ¾ brÐ µÃ °thÐ µ frÐ µsh Ð °ir, tÐ ¾ wÐ °lk tÐ ¾ thÐ µ fÐ ¾rÐ µsts Ð °nd pÐ °rk, tÐ ¾ usÐ µ nÐ °turÐ °l rÐ µsÐ ¾urÃ' Ã µs thÐ °t wÐ µ nÐ µÃ µd sÐ ¾ muÃ' h in Ð ¾ur lifÐ µ? In suÃ' h Ð ° wÐ °Ã'Æ', wÐ ¾rds Ð ¾f TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n Ð °rÐ µ Ð °ddrÐ µssÐ µd tÐ ¾ Ð µvÐ µrÃ'Æ' pÐ µrsÐ ¾n Ð ¾n thÐ µ plÐ °nÐ µt with thÐ µ hÐ ¾pÐ µ fÐ ¾r Ã' ruÃ' iÐ °l Ã' hÐ °ngÐ µs in Ð ¾rdÐ µr tÐ ¾ sÐ °vÐ µ thÐ µ plÐ °nÐ µt frÐ ¾m tÐ ¾tÐ °l dÐ µstruÃ' tiÐ ¾n. SinÃ' Ã µ nÐ ¾wÐ °dÐ °Ã'Æ's thÐ µ quÐ µstiÐ ¾n Ð ¾f Ð µnvirÐ ¾nmÐ µntÐ °l prÐ ¾tÐ µÃ' tiÐ ¾n is vitÐ °l, sÐ ¾ngs Ð ¾f TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n Ð °rÐ µ mÐ ¾ rÐ µ thÐ °n impÐ ¾rtÐ °nt.ThÐ µÃ'Æ' Ð °rÐ µ nÐ ¾t Ð °ddrÐ µssÐ µs Ð ¾nlÃ'Æ' tÐ ¾ Ð mÐ µriÃ' Ã °n nÐ °tiÐ ¾n, but tÐ ¾ thÐ µ whÐ ¾lÐ µ wÐ ¾rld Ð °s wÐ µll bÐ µÃ' Ã °usÐ µ if Ð °ll nÐ °tiÐ ¾ns unitÐ µ in Ð µÃ °rth prÐ ¾tÐ µÃ' tiÐ ¾n, wÐ µ still hÐ °vÐ µ Ð ° Ã' hÐ °nÃ' Ã µ tÐ ¾ sÐ °vÐ µ Ð ¾ur â€Å"hÐ ¾mÐ µ Ð °nd plÐ °Ã' Ã µ Ð ¾f birth†. GrÐ µÃ µn PÐ µÃ °Ã' Ã µ Ð °nd Ð ¾thÐ µr Ð µnvirÐ ¾nmÐ µntÐ °l Ð ¾rgÐ °nizÐ °tiÐ ¾ns Ð °rÐ µ vÐ µrÃ'Æ' pÐ ¾pulÐ °r tÐ ¾dÐ °Ã'Æ', Ð µspÐ µÃ' iÐ °llÃ'Æ' Ð °mÐ ¾ng Ã'Æ'Ð ¾uth. ThÐ µir mÐ °in mÐ µssÐ °gÐ µ is thÐ °t Ã'Æ'Ð ¾ung pÐ µÃ ¾plÐ µ Ð °rÐ µ thÐ ¾sÐ µ rÐ µspÐ ¾nsiblÐ µ fÐ ¾r Ã' hÐ °ngÐ µs in tÐ ¾dÐ °Ã'Æ'’s wÐ ¾rld. Ð s thÐ µ prÐ ¾Ã ¾f Ð ¾f hÐ µr Ð ¾wn Ã' Ã °rÐ µ fÐ ¾r Ð µÃ °rth prÐ ¾tÐ µÃ' tiÐ ¾n, TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n pÐ °rtiÃ' ipÐ °tÐ µd in sÐ ¾mÐ µ Ð ¾f rÐ ¾Ã' k’s mÐ ¾st lÐ µg Ð µndÐ °rÃ'Æ' livÐ µ Ð µvÐ µnts, inÃ' luding Ð mnÐ µstÃ'Æ' IntÐ µrnÐ °tiÐ ¾nÐ °l’s HumÐ °n Rights TÐ ¾ur, LÐ ¾ndÐ ¾n’s FrÐ µÃ µdÐ ¾mfÐ µst hÐ ¾nÐ ¾ring NÐ µlsÐ ¾n MÐ °ndÐ µlÐ °, Ð °nd thÐ µ BÐ ¾b DÃ'Æ'lÐ °n 30th Ð nnivÐ µrsÐ °rÃ'Æ' Ã' Ã ¾nÃ' Ã µrt.HÐ µr Ã' Ã ¾ntributiÐ ¾n intÐ ¾ musiÃ'  Ð °nd Ð µnvirÐ ¾nmÐ µntÐ °l sphÐ µrÐ µs is vÐ µrÃ'Æ' impÐ ¾rtÐ °nt sinÃ' Ã µ duÐ µ tÐ ¾ hÐ µr sÐ ¾ngs TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n is urging fÐ ¾r Ð µnvirÐ ¾nmÐ µntÐ °l Ð °Ã' tivism in thÐ µsÐ µ Ð °pÐ °thÐ µtiÃ'  timÐ µs. WÐ ¾rks Ð ¡itÐ µd: Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n, TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ'. NÐ µw BÐ µginning: ThÐ µ RÐ °pÐ µ Ð ¾f thÐ µ WÐ ¾rld. ЕlÐ µktrÐ °, Ð ¡D 61850-2, 1995 GrÐ °hÐ °m, GÐ µÃ ¾rgÐ µ. â€Å"ThÐ µ GrÐ °hÐ °m WÐ µÃ µklÃ'Æ' Ð lbum RÐ µviÐ µw #1007 TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n: NÐ µw BÐ µginning†. ЕlÐ µktrÐ ° RÐ µÃ' Ã ¾rds: 11/8/95 SinÃ' lÐ °ir, Ð li.  "NÐ µw BÐ µginning. † MusiÃ'  RÐ µviÐ µw 1996 ThÐ ¾mpsÐ ¾n, TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ'. â€Å"This LÐ µgÐ µnd VÐ ¾iÃ' Ã µ. † ЕntÐ µrtÐ °inmÐ µnt WÐ µÃ µklÃ'Æ' 1995 Ð £Ã µÃ °gÐ µr, Bud. â€Å"NÐ µw BÐ µginning Ð ¾f TrÐ °Ã' Ã'Æ' Ð ¡hÐ °pmÐ °n. † LÐ ¾s Ð ngÐ µlÐ µs TimÐ µs 25 MÐ °r. 1995

Bata Shoes Organization Essay

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE COMPANY The business that became the Bata Shoe Organization was established on August 24, 1894 in Zlin, Czechoslovakia by Tomas Bata, and included his brother Antonin and sister Anna. Although this business was new, the Bata name had been part of a tradition of shoemaking for eight generations, spanning three hundred years. It was one of the first modern day shoe ‘manufacturers’ , a team of snitchers and shoemakers creating footwear not just for the local town , but also for the distant retail merchants. This departure from the centuries old tradition of the one man cobbler’s workshop was a brand new  concept, creating an entirely new industry. The Bata enterprise revolutionized the treatment of employees and labor conditions. Tomas consistently maintained a human focus, creating opportunities for development and advancement, and added compensation for employees based on achievement. In late 1985. Antonin was drafted into the army for compulsory military service and lift family shoe business. Also that year, Anna left the company to marry, leaving a young Tomas to build the business on his own. By 1905 Tomas had taken the new enterprise to 2200 pairs of shoes per day , produced by 250 employees – utilizing resourceful imaginations , skilled hands and modern machinery to keep up with demand. Under this ‘manufacturing’ system, productivity was greater than even before. Bata shoes were excellent quality and available in more styles than had been offered before. Demand grew rapidly in the early 1900s. Despite material and manpower shortages, cartel and the outbreak of World War 1, sales continued to increase , reaching two million pairs per year by 1917. As the enterprise prospered, so did the communities where it operated, Tomas believed that a focus on people and public service was critical for business success. The enterprise built housing, schools and a hospital near the shoemaking plant in Zlin. It provided food and inexpensive rent during very difficult times; when there was no help to be found. Bata companies alter provided rail services, construction, insurance, publishing and tannery in Zlin. Following World War 1, consumer purchasing power was very low; Tomas and his employees devised a plan to adjust to post-war economic difficulties and reduced their shoe prices. Bata stores were flooded with buyers and industry cynics were forced to follow their lead. Already exporting to other European countries, Northern Africa and the USA, the enterprise began establishing new sales organizations in these markets during the 1920s. Companies were opened in Poland, Yugoslavia, Holland, Denmark, United Kingdom and the USA. By the early 1930s, the Bata enterprise and Czechoslovakia were the world’s leading footwear exporters. â€Å"The Bata System† devised by the Zlin team, and later applied in other Bata Show Organization companies, organized operations into autonomous workshops and departments, allowing employees to contribute ideas and stimulate production, and contributed significant breakthroughs in footwear technology. BATA INDIA Bata India Limited Bata India managing director Marcelo Villagran. Incorporated as Bata Shoe Company Private Limited in 1931, the company was set up initially as a small operation in Konnagar (near Calcutta) in1932. In January 1934, the foundation stone for the first building of Bata’s operation – now called the Bata. In the years that followed, the overall site was doubled in area. This township is popularly known as Batanagar. It was also the first manufacturing facility in the Indian shoe industry to receive the ISO: 9001 certification.The Company went public in 1973 when it changed its name to BataIndia Limited. Today, Bata India has established itself as India’s largest footwear retailer. Its retail network of 1250 stores gives it a reach/ coverage that no other footwear company can match. Thestores are present in good locations and can be found in all the metros, mini-metros and towns Bata’s smart looking new stores supported by a range of better quality products are aimed at offering a superior shopping experience to its customers. And the new face of Bata India is now visible to the industry as well as its customers. Today, backed by a brand perception of experience, the company is working towards positioning itself as a vibrant and contemporary young brand. It has significantly transformed its retail formats to become more lifestyle-oriented, which has helped change consumer perceptions to a large extent. Bata India – Today ï‚ ·Ã¯â‚¬  Sells over 45 million pairs of footwear every year ï‚ ·Ã¯â‚¬  Serves over 120,000 customers every day ï‚ ·Ã¯â‚¬  Sells through over 1200 retail stores ï‚ ·Ã¯â‚¬  Operates 5 manufacturing facilities ï‚ ·Ã¯â‚¬  Employs more than 6800 people BATA’S BUSINESS UNITS * Bata Europe, Lausanne * Bata Asia Pacific-Africa, Singapore * Bata Latin America, Mexico * Bata North America, Toronto Bata is one of the world leading footwear retailer and manufacturer with operations across 5 continents managed by 4 regional meaningful business units (MBUs). The MBU approach provides quality resources and support in key areas to the companies operating in similar markets such as product development, sourcing or marketing support. Each MBU is entrepreneurial in nature, and can quickly adapt to changes in the market place and seize potential growth opportunities. Bata’s strength lies in its worldwide presence. While local companies are self-governing, each one benefits from its link to the international organization for back-office systems, product innovations and sourcing. Although Bata operates in a wide variety of markets, climates and buying power Bata companies share the same leadership points. Two important ones are product concept development and constant improvement of business processes in order to offer customers great value and the best possible service. VISION To grow as a dynamic, innovative and market driven domestic manufacturer and distributor, with footwear as our core business, while maintaining a commitment to the country, culture and environment in which we operate MISSION To be successful as the most dynamic, flexible and market responsive organization, with footwear as its core business BATA BUSINESS Bata shoe Organization companies are involved in every face of the business of shoes. Throughout the world, Bata companies service customers from the store sales floor to the factory floor. PRODUCT RANGE Marie Claire * Hush Puppies * Power * Bubble Gummers * North Star * Scholl * Weinbrenner Product range starts of Bata 299-2499. Bata start range 299 to lowest range of school shoe and highest brands of power & other product. Bata product lowest to highest range available to market. Hush Puppies – Now in India Hush Puppies are a famous shoe brand of the USA. It is so famous and pioneering that it’s sometimes referred to as a legend. This brand is owned and operated as a division by the Wolverine†¦ Bata is worst shoe maker Bata is the people who make shoes for high prices but with low quality. i bought a pair of slippers from bata named â€Å"comfit† for Rs. 749/- on may 2007. it is not compfortable at all. The slipper is made†¦ Poor quality shoes I bought one pair of leather shoes from Bata, Cochin dealer near Padma junction one year before. The product was formal shoes with laces. The shoes cost INR 1499 for me. Bata is worst shoe maker Bata is the people who make shoes for high prices but with low quality. i bought a pair of slippers from bata named â€Å"comfit† for Rs. 749/- on may 2007. High Price Poorest Quality I just happened to buy Bata shoes a week back. The item I bought was obviously overpriced, but going by the name bata I bought it at 499. Within a weeks’ usage, the shoe sole was partially ripped off! .TRANSFORMATIONAL PROCESS VIZ INPUTS OUTPUTS AND PROCESS FOLLOWED IN CONVERSION. In order to handle the increasing complexity of distributed industrial manufacturing systems, there is a strong demand for methods and tools that  support the designer in the analysis and optimisation of flexible infrastructures for the automation of production processes. We are currently investigating how emerging standards and advanced simulation techniques can be exploited successfully in the production of custom made shoes. Nowadays, many different approaches, methodologies and computer aided design tools can be employed in the analysis and optimization of complex industrial systems. As a consequence, the selection of the most appropriate techniques and tools for a particular system is critical. Before making any final decision, it is necessary to investigate the functionalities offered, compliancy with existing standards, and capacity for interoperability with non-proprietary instruments. We are currently working on a methodological approach to the structured design and simulation-based analysis and optimisation of manufacturing plants. The methods and tools used during the different phases of the design are illustrated with reference to an application in the shoe manufacturing sector. In particular, we describe an innovative plant for the production of customized shoes. This plant is located at the ITIA-CNR laboratory in Vigevano (Italy) and constitutes the pilot plant of a large European research project called EUROShoe, which began in March 2001 and is scheduled to finish in June 2004. | Figure 1: The Innovative Shoe Manufacturing Plant | EURO Shoe is a complex and ambitious project with thirty-five academic and industrial partners from ten different European countries. It aims at a dramatic renovation of the concept of shoes as products and of their production, based on a transformation from mass-produced to mass-customised goods. This product evolution goes in parallel with a transformation of footwear companies into distributed and flexible enterprises capable of handling the complexity that such a radical change in the nature of the product implies and of mastering the associated new technological challenges. This implies a complete revision not only of the entire manufacturing process but also of the tools used to analyse and optimize the resulting innovative industrial system. For the sake of brevity, the methods and tools used for the design, analysis and optimization of the plant automation system are outlined with reference to the control and supervision  of the transport line. In the shoe manufacturing plant that we consider (Figure 1), an innovative transport line is used to move the semi-finished shoes from one machining station to another according to a predefined operating schedule. In particular, the innovative molecular structure of the transport line (Figure 2) strongly enhances the modularity, scalability, integrability and reconfigurability of the production system, thus increasing the overall flexibility of the plant. | | Figure 2: Layout of the Shoe Plant (left) and ISaGRAF Simulation Graphical Interface (right).| At the beginning of the design life cycle, the control and supervision system of the transport line was specified by means of UML (Unified Modelling Language) diagrams; in particular use-case, class, sequence and state diagrams were used to specify the systems modules, their relationships and their dynamic behaviour. The system architecture and functions were designed using the Function Block formalism defined by the IEC 61499 standard, which integrates object-oriented concepts and discrete event models to suitably support control software design. The functional model obtained was analysed and optimized by means of closed-loop discrete event simulations performed in the Simulink/Stateflow environment, where both the controller and the controlled process were modeled and simulated through state charts, as was the behaviour of the overall system. In this way, the correctness and performance o f the solution proposed could be evaluated. In particular, a bottom up methodology was defined and exploited to study the system according to a modular approach. This enabled us to simplify the overall analysis process, to verify the correctness of the automation functionalities easily and to optimize the system performance from the very first phases of the design life cycle. Once the functional modules had been verified, the control and supervision algorithms were developed using the SFC (Sequential Functional Chart) formalism, which is an advanced discrete event modelling graphical language, directly derived from Petri nets, and included in the IEC 61131 part 3 standard, which defines programming languages for industrial PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers). The SFC algorithms were analysed through closed loop discrete simulations in the ISaGRAF environment in order to verify their correctness and to optimize their performance. ISaGRAF is a CACSD (Computer Aided Control System Design)  tool that allows the automation soft ware to be structured using all five IEC 61131 languages and supports simulation functionalities for testing purposes, as well as automatic code generation facilities for different industrial systems. In order to perform the closed loop simulations, simplified models of the plant devices have been represented in ISaGRAF by means of suitable SFC modules and data structures. Moreover, to simplify the analysis of the simulation results, a simple 2D graphic animation was realized in ISaGRAF (Figure 2). Simulations have been performed by considering typical operating conditions, ie, typical production orders, and the results obtained show that the system is deadlock free and that the plant is well balanced, ie its resources are all used effectively. After verification and optimization of the automation functions and algorithms, the corresponding code was generated and implemented on the target industrial devices. We found that the simulation-based analysis techniques reduced the plant rump-up times and costs and improved overall system performance. Future work will concern the exploitation of the standards, methods and tools proposed for other industrial plants and their integration within an advanced CACSD tool for manufacturing systems MANUFACTURING Tomas Bata’s revolutionary business concept was to industrialize the shoemaking process of that day. That type of thinking has been the driving force behind the Bata Shoe Organization success. The Bata Shoe Organization has been as innovator in the manufacturing of shoes over the years. Bata personnel have made important advances in DVP (Direct Vulcanization Process), PVC, athletic footwear production and slush – molded footwear production. 1. Raw Material Stock The raw material which includes the chemicals used for making cement adhesive,rubber latex and sole (both inner and outer),cloth(bought from Bombay Dyeing) used for making upper, material used for making binding,thread and the packing cartons etc. are stocked in the warehouse. Inventory of all the above items is properly maintained with the help of a ‘Material stock position’ chart made on the walls of the warehouse and a  computerized inventory Database. Every department has been allocated a maximum stock limit beyond which they cannot store the raw materials for themselves. It has to be used as frequently as possible. Every fortnight, the stock and usage is reviewed. The transmission of raw material from stock warehouse to respective departments is recorded and same is done with the transmission between various departments. All this data is readily available for review to all departments and can be checked anytime. Cement And Latex Manufacturing: The cement adhesive and rubber latex are the main chemicals used to paste together the different part of a shoe, are manufactured in the plant itself. Both these materials are produced keeping in mind the exact requirements and also the correct specification, which is the right mix of chemicals to make it the best pasting element and get the desired quality. 1. Sole Pull Manufacturing: The inner and outer shoe required in the shoe are also produced in-house. Huge rubber sheets measuring 3ft.x2ft. having a thickness of approx. 2 cms. are first heated to high temperature and then placed in a curing chamber for 8 minutes where they are again processed at high temperature of around 170oC. At such a high temperature the sheets expand and then sent for vulcanization where it is processed for 3 hrs. to set the shrinking limit of rubber. These sheets can be cut only after two weeks of vulcanization. This is known as seating process. 2. Making Binding: A binding is required on the outer of the shoe to bind the edges of cloth upper. This binding material is also made within the plant, using cloth. It is machne stitched onto the cloth upper. 3. Folding, Cutting And Stamping: The cloth that forms the shoe upper is produced from Bombay Dyeing. It is first folded into huge lots and then cut into pieces of uniform sizes according to the different size lots.These cloth pieces are then stamped with what may be called a batch number and the shoe size. An example of a  batch number may be â€Å"F-3218422†. In this code, F represents plant code of the Faridabad factory, 321 is the code of the particular workstation and assembly line, 8 represents the year of manufacturing, 42 the week and 2 signifies the day of the week in which production has been done.This stamping particularly helps if there is a defect found out in the shoe after sale. After stamping is done ,the upper is sent for stitiching. 4. Stitching : The cloth received after stamping is set for stitching and making it into a proper upper of the shoe. The stitching process starts with folding of the piece and stitching it in a particular fashion to give the shape of an upper. Next, it is sent for stitching the binding onto the edges of the sgoe. After the binding on the edges has been done, the shoe is transferred further where lace holes and flips used under that are stitched onto the upper. The last step in the stitching process is to put laces into the shoe, which is done by hands. The upper of the shoe is now ready to sent for assembling process. 5. Assembly: The assembly process uses a dual level conveyor belt as can be seen in the picture. A fact worth noting is that the conveyer does not have a linear arrangement of workstations; rather it is an ellipsoidal conveyer with different workstations positioned all around it. At first glance, it is not easy to comprehend as to wherefrom where the process begins. However ,a closer look reveals that fully assembled shoes are hand picked away from the conveyer at one particular point on the conveyer. Despite it unconventional designe, it is a very well organized and systematic assembly line configuration where none of the employee sit idle at any point of time , thus minimizing idle time losses. There is a parallel conveyer which basically consists of many metal shoe moulds onto which the entire shoe assembly is built. The shoe building process starts at one when one person applies cement on the inner sole and places it on the conveyer belt. The next person then applies  cement of edges of the upper of the shoe and again puts back the piece onto the conveyer, next,the inner sole is put on the upper part of the Mould and the cloth is pasted on the sole to get the exact shape of the shoe. Now ,when the shape is achieved ,the shoe is dipped into latex so that the latex covers the lower side of the shoe. It is then placed in a drying chamber to dry the latex where in the temperature is around 70oC. Once latex is dried and the shoe is taken out of chamber . It is again placed on the conveyor and the next person puts the outer sole(coated with cement) on the conveyor as well. The sole is then pasted on to the shoe tightly and pressed by a large bag containing water. This water filled bag is a part of the conveyor only and water is used to prevent the formation of air bubbles, which may leads to manufacturing defects. The person sitting next checks once again that there is no gap in the pasting. The side fixing is then pasted on the dried latex and the shoe moves on. The next employee pastes the Bata logo on the back of the shoe and also press the side foxing. On the next station, the toe guards, both side strips as well as circular one, are available to the employee. Coated with cement . Both of these are pasted on the shoe. The shoe is now prepared to be vulcanized and hence is transferred by the last worker on the conveyor , from the conveyor to the conveyor trolly. Introduction : Facility Layout means planning: a.For the location of all machine, utilities, employee work stations customer. service areas, material storage areas, aisles, restrooms, lunchrooms, internet walls, offices and computer rooms. b. For the flow of patterns of materials and people around, into, and within building. C .Infrastructure services such as the delivery of line communications, energy and water and the removal of waste water all make up basic utilities. Characteristic of facility layout decision: a.Location of these various areas impacts the flow through the system. b.The layout can affect productivity and costs generated by the system. c.Layout alternatives are limited by d.the amount and type of space required for the various areas. e.the amount and type of space available. F.the operations strategy. Objective of layout Strategy: Develop an economic layout which will meet the requirements of: a.Product design and volume (product strategy) b.Process equipment and capacity (process strategy) c.Quality of work life (human resource strategy) d.Building and site constraints (location strategy) Basic layout forms: a.Process Layout b.Product Layout c.Combination Layout d.Fixed position Layout Fixed-Position layout In fixed-position layouts, the item being worked on remains stationary, and workers, materials, and equipment are moved as needed. Fixed-position layouts are widely used for farming, firefighting, road building, home building, remodeling and repair, and drilling for oil,buildings, ships, aircrafts. Factors in Determining Layout and Design: Small business owners need to consider many operational factors when building or renovating a facility for maximum layout effectiveness. These criteria include the following: 1.Ease of future expansion or change Facilities should be designed so that can be easily expanded or adjusted to meet changing production needs. â€Å"Although redesigning a facility is a major, expensive undertaking not to be done lightly, there is always the possibility that a redesign will be necessary. Therefore, any design should be flexible. « Flexible manufacturing systems most often are highly automated facilities having intermediate-volume production of a variety of products. Their goal is to minimize change over or setup times for producing the different products while still achieving close to assembly line (single-product) production rates.† 2.Flow of movement The facility design should reflect a recognition of the importance of smooth process flow. In the case of factory facilities, the plan will show the raw materials entering your plant at one end and the finished product emerging at the other. The flow need not be a straight line. Parallel flows, U-shaped patterns, or even a zig-zag that ends up with the finished product back at the shipping and receiving bays can be functional. However, backtracking is to be avoided in whatever pattern is chosen. When parts and materials move against or across the overall flow, personnel and paper work become confused, parts become lost, and the attainment of coordination becomes complicated.† 3.Materials handling Small business owners should make certain that the facility layout makes it possible to handle materials (products, equipment, containers, etc.) In an orderly, efficient ²and preferably simple manner. FACILITY LOCATION Contact Person. Address, Bata House – 418/02, Gurgaon Mahrauli Road, Sector 17. Gurgaon 122002. Haryana. City, Gurgaon. State, Haryana. Phone, 124 4120100 1.Bata Nagar Factory Batanagar, WestBengal 2. Rubber Purchasing Dept. Kottayam, Kerala Rubber purchase and processing. 3. Bataganj Factory Bataganj,Patna Bihar Complete Manufacturing 4. Bata Tannery Mokamehghat, Bihar Leather Processing 5 . Faridabad Factory NIT, Faridabad UP Complete Manufacturing 6. Sandak Division Shivaji Marg, Sandak Sandak Footware. PRODUCTION PLAANING SYSTEM VIZ CAPASITY PLANNING, OPERATION MANAGEMENT SHEDULING ETC. PRODUCT PLANNING SYSTEM. They select their product designs according to their customer needs. And they are continuously bringing changes as the customers’ demands for new products. They are using the latest equipment and machinery to meet the customers demand and to provide them the product they need. | | Bata Production Division is going extra miles to meet ever growing production requirements of PU direct pouring and other footwear to cater the needs of our worthy customers. During the current season, the overall production is going 120% against estimates and 130% against last year. Similarly in the area of PU direct pouring, 123% production has been achieved against the estimates and 204% against last year. This milestone in production has been a result of restructuring of Maraka and Rubber Factories. A better production planning, maximum utilization of human resources and teamwork – all have been put together strategically to achieve competitive advantage in â€Å"Bata† products over the competition in the area of quality, prices and sales appeal PROCESS OF PLANING OPERATION SYSTEM, Their process consists of three parts. * Manufacturing In manufacturing are, all the raw materials are brought together and the raw material is cut into the shapes of the required products. All the pieces are cut here for the specific products. * Stitching The cut pieces of raw material are stitched here together to give the shape of the shoe. The sole is also attached to the upper portion of the shoe and all the pieces are joined together to give it the shape of shoe. * Finishing The product is then moved to finishing department where the rough look of shoe is converted in to a finished product. The shoe is polished, cleaned and all the unwanted materials are removed from it to give it a proper shape. The color and shine of the shoes are finalized here and the product coming out of this department is ready for use. * Retrenchment (Firing) As we know that Bata is a biggest firm around us and they hire the person who have the skills and ability to do work for a long time .They mainly fire people on the serious reach of agreement, misconduct, punctuality and upon not achieving their given targets and once the management has decided to fire a person they give one month prior notice to the respective employee and once the employee is fired can never be hired again. Moreover they do not conduct any exit interview. They do not believe in extending the outplacement facility to their employees. QUALITY SYSTEM, An important choice A choice of more than 3,000 items: footwear, clothing, bags and accessories, for men, women, children and sports. A very personal service Their professional specialized staff is there to help you make the best choice Product presentation All the items are clearly marked with the price, size and description of the materials used to make the product, thus saving you time and making your choice easier. Your purchase is guaranteed You have the guarantee to replace the purchased item if it is still intact and accompanied by the till receipt. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT Subject matter expert and course leader, Jean-Paul Waisman from the European Group with the support of Vladimir Spelda from Central Europe and Alain Groelly from Switzerland facilitated the Euro Fast Track Merchandising module in Italy from June 3rd to 15th. 14 European participants took part in the training. The course objectives were as follows: ~To learn the â€Å"Best Merchandising Practices† in the Bata Europe Group ~To better understand the role and function of the Merchandising Department in the company ~To develop and improve skills in shoe line building ~To understand, create and utilize the Consumer Lifestyles Segmentations ~To introduce analytical tools and techniques to perform in-season and end-season analysis in order to better manage inventory ~To introduce a disciplined, standardized methodology and process to the Bata Europe’s merchandising function in order to align business performance to benchmarks The participants worked through various major business areas including: ~Analyzing the market place and all the competition ~Understanding the need for market segmentation to better identify customers’ requirements ~Building a shoeline with core and additional collections to better meet store portfolio requirements ~Planning the merchandise allocation to the stores in such a manner that stores can achieve their sales objectives ~Using various analytical techniques to optimize sales and inventory management, and to maximize profitability A professor from the Ars Sutoria University in Milan explained in detail the various shoe construction types and material including tips to recognize a â€Å"quality shoe†. The group visited stores in Venice and made a competitive market place analysis including business cases as to how to improve Bata store performance, visual display and other areas of the business. The Euro Fast Track – Merchandising Module was very successful and participants were very enthusiastic as they participated in many practical exercises including a negotiation workshop. They also had the opportunity to share their experiences with many colleagues from other BSO companies across Europe. SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT Bata is using its raw materials from his different suppliers. Some of the suppliers are local while some are from Indonesia. Along with their own production, they are also out sourcing for some of their products. They are keeping a check on the quality of the products from outsourcing and using their own brand name. The raw material coming from their suppliers are stored in the warehouses. These raw materials are then moved to the production area, where the production is being done and the finished good are moved towards warehouse again for storage after proper quality inspection. They are their own distributers and they have their own stores all over INDIA. They have four types of store concepts. * City Store The Bata City Store gives you unique shopping experience as it showcases the latest collections for footwear of local and international brands. The store ambience is designed to create a lifestyle store that reflects and responds to your needs and expectations. The Bata City stores are located in top shopping malls in big city centers. * Family store Bata is the world’s leading family chain thanks to the wide assortment of every fashion footwear available in our stores. The products are primarily  the Bata brand, with a carefully selected assortment of articles from both local and international brands. * Superstore Bata Superstore offers a wide assortment of fashion, casual and athletic for the entire family. Located primarily in urban and suburban shopping center, these spacious stores offer the best value by providing good quality shoes at great prices. Service is fast thanks to a self-selection shopping environment with qualified staff to serve and assist. * Factory store Factory stores are the largest and the most value-oriented stores of our retail chain. They are ideally located in power centers, commercial parks and outlet centers with easy parking facilities. The product selection offers more than 1,000 styles of ladies, men, children and sport shoes with related accessories and apparel sold at attractive price points. It is based on a self-service concept with helpful staff available for service at any time. It appears to me that Bata was very far in the direction of micro managing. I do not believe he would have been much fun to work for. But it would have been a rewarding experience, not just from the point of view of finances, but rather like having a very demanding teacher. You do not enjoy the experience at the time but you look back on the experience with a certain fondness. You realize that you grew under the stress; that you were stretched and it was good for you. Bata tried to make the need for such micro-management less by the way he developed his system for setting pay and rewards. He said: â€Å"I was seeking a method which would work automatically as the sun rises and the sun sets.† He wanted to wind the company up and then let it run without his attention. In this system, every work unit was engaged in ‘buying’ and ‘selling’ goods and services to and from other work units. The prices were established by a central accounting office and were not negotiable. The ‘customer’ for the  product or service dictated the quality and schedule. Naturally the setting of these prices was subjected to considerable discussion and debate. However, all of the facts and figures used in setting the prices were available to the work unit so they had a basis for their side of the debate. The prices were set with due regard for prices of similar products which might be available on the open market. Work units were not constrained to buy only from within the company. What made the Bata system different from other methods of cost accounting was the agreement that if the workers could devise an improved method, which reduced waste, improved times of delivery and produced a profit beyond expectations, the workers could share in this profit. In other words, Bata produced a system which encouraged each work unit to become more entrepreneurial. Bata had a larger purpose. He intended for each worker to become much more conscious of the economics of the factory, to relate the results of the enterprise to his own fortunes and to become a more responsible guardian of wealth. For Bata the system of internal transacting was more than a way to run the company; it was a way to train people to become fiscally responsible in their own lives. BIBLOGRAPHY http://www. Bata.com www.product range.com http://www.bata manufacturing process. www.consumercomplaints.in/ MORE FREE TERM PAPERS ON SITE: www.BesplatniSeminarskiRadovi.com