Reflective Analysis Of A Students Induction Week

Reflective Analysis Of A Students Induction Week Reflective Analysis has gained a high level of recognition in higher education, it is now used to structure students learning ability, Reflective Analysis as helped me to be able to analyse and assess current and past events, situation and experience. Ann Mathews (2007) state that it is a way whereby an individual turn out to be self independent so as to be able to solve problems the purpose of reflection depends on hypothesis, this deals with putting into practice all the achieved knowledge from academic and organisational environment, its also deals with the skills and ability that an individual has to pass these achieved information to someone else with the aim that the person with hit upon the information judiciously. Kolb (1975) state that when an individual comes up with ideas and re-assess old knowledge into learning however it also deals with turning or re-cycling old and new experience learnt into knowledge so as to use them for future purposes this is an important aspect when writing a report in higher education because it helps students to come up with new and old ideas on how problems are solved. These are what I attained while writing my applied management project: 1) Reflective learning helped me while writing my applied management project because I was able to come up with past and present experience and this aspect helped me in analysing all the necessary concepts on how to get and compile informations so as to achieve my aims and objective. 2) Reflective learning as also helped in turning my experience to learning, these has helped me to assess seriously all the process of learning and as also improve my learning experience academically. RECOLLECTION OF EXPERIENCE Now that the induction week is over, it is now time for me to commence with my dissertation, the induction week lasted for 1 week and it started on the 8th of February 2010 which was on a Monday although we were divided into two cohort and I was lucky to be part of cohort B, the first day of the induction was generally about the introduction to the unit which was given by Vincent Org and Peter Patrick, the second day was more interesting because Alan Bullimore and Peter Patrick talked about how to source for informations and referencing, on that same day we were all asked to form a group of seven to eight member and topics where given out to each group accordingly, on that same day Steve Briggs and Prof Brain Mathew talked about writing a report, Plagiarism and TurnitinUK, During this lecture we were told that the rest of the week will be a group discussion and we will be able to ask necessary questions about the topic from how tutors and we where also told that after the ends of the se induction week no one will be able to receive any help or assistance from any tutor. After the end of the induction week I realised that it was time for me to commence with my chosen topic although I came across a lot of challenges, this gave me a lot of concern because I was the only person in my group so I had to no one to exchange ideas with, I had to draw up a strategy to monitor my progress while I was busy writing on my chosen topic, I knew I had to start searching for relevant journals and articles which helped me a lot to understand what the topic was all about, I had no choice than to build up courage more over this is the finally stage that will determine if I would be awarded a master degree in Logistics Business and Management. Even though this is my second attempt, I knew I had to prove a point by making sure that I dont make that same mistake I made while I was writing my first chosen topic, while writing on my chosen topic I noticed some shortcomings which I realised that I had no choice than to tackle or find a solution to them. The follow were my sho rtcomings SHORTCOMINGS 1) Insufficient Fund: while I was writing on my chosen topic, I came across some relevant articles and journal online which were for sale and very expensive to purchase, this particular weakness was heartbreaking because at that particular moment I was not financially stable to purchase all the relevant journal and articles online. 2) Lack of understanding: Understanding the chosen topic was another challenge I faced while I was writing on my chosen topic, at first I had less idea about how to come up with relevant and necessary information and particularly the kind of information I need to include in the headings and sub-headings, I spent a lot of time on these before I figured out things. CORRECTION MADE 1) With the help of the learning resources centre, I was able to get more journals, articles, magazines, books and newspapers relating to my chosen topic, corporate social responsibility. 2) I had to call my sponsor about my present financial situation, I was given all the necessary support I needed, this really helped me because I had more opportunity to assess more journal, articles and books online. GROUP FORMATION On the 9th of February 2010, Vicent Org and Peter Patrick asked everybody in each department to form a group of seven to eight members, unfortunately I am just the only person in my group because this is my second attempt, there was no-one to relate or exchange ideas with, I had to some up courage within myself so that I would be able to accomplish my aims and objectives of coming to the university of Bedfordshire to study, I drew up a strategy which I used to check my progress while I was writing my chosen topic, I gave myself a target which I had to meet up with at the end of each day. LEARNING EXPERIENCE Although this is my second attempt that I am writing this same module (Applied Management Project), I have gained a lot of experiences both from my first and second attempt, writing a dissertation is a huge challenge so I had to apply all the necessary skills learnt from both past and present knowledge. These are the lessons learnt while writing on my chosen topic: 1) I have learnt how to be efficient and effective in problem solving and also produce a quality outcome. 2) I am capable of handle my own learning and career process efficiently and effectively. 3) I have learnt how to be self motivated and this as also improved my decision making skills, I can now work on my own without getting assistance from group members. 4) I have learnt how to manage my own time set a realistic target and monitor my progress while working on my chosen topic. 5) With the help of Alan Bullimore and Peter Godwin I have learnt how to search and retrieve important and relevant information from recognised sources. LESSON FOR FUTURE PROJECT 1) Time Management: Time management is an organised use of common sense tactic and planning, when writing or embarking on a project or dissertation, one should be cautious about time management because it basically deals with how and when to meet up with targets if it is used effectively and efficiently, time should be made for errors and corrections, I now see time management as a continuous process in life in other to achieve aim goals and objectives. 2) Self Management: Self Management is the actual process of utilizing time marginally and making a technical decision so as to achieve ones aims and objectives, before embarking on a project one as to have the following attributes: self confident, self reliance and self control, these qualities are very important while writing a project or before embarking on a project because they help during and after the research process. 3) Measuring Performance: When writing a dissertation, it is advisable for students to set up a realistic tactic or strategy which will be used to measure their progress while writing on their chosen topic, this lets students know if he or she is working as scheduled, these aspect helps to achieve the major aim of writing this project which is handing in the project or dissertation before deadline. 4) Risk Management: Risk Management is a process of minimizing risk not actually eradicating the risk but counting the loss before the situation occurs, while writing on my chosen topic I had to create the risk of set backs in my target so as to accomplish my mission or else I might have encountered obstacles which might cause delay or set back in my project. 5) Loss of work and Plagiarism: When writing a report or dissertation, it is necessary that all the vital informations and datas gathered are saved in a safe and secured place to avoid damage, furthermore while writing on my chosen topic I was careful about coping directly from authors, inaccurate referencing and chunking because It is a serious academic offence. PERSONAL ENCOUNTER The applied management project is a formidable tax; it has being a terrible experience for me because I had to write this particular module all over again, although the module as facilitated me in gaining more knowledge and also applying these gained knowledge to real life situations. I came across several complications while writing on my chosen topic, the first problem I came across was how to analyse and evaluate my chosen topic; since I was the only person in my group I had no one to exchange ideas and relevant informations with, I had to build up courage so as to achieve my aim and objective which is handing in a good report and rounding up the report two weeks before deadline so as pass my report to my brother to proof read so that necessary corrections can be made, furthermore other difficulties were sourcing for relevant journals, articles, newspapers and books but following all the informations gathered from the induction weeks I was able to draw up strategies on how to tackle this problems and to the best of my knowledge my strategies worked out fine. WRITING THE INTRODUCTION This is a very important part when writing a report or dissertation, I found it really difficult to start writing the introduction because it took awhile before I could apprehend what my chosen topic was all about, I had to go into a serious research so as to have a full idea about the topic, because I wanted a good and perfect report I came up with a strategy to guide me through the process of writing on my chosen topic, this strategy was really helpful since i used it to monitor my progress while writing on my chosen topic, it took me up to two weeks to round up this part, moreover because of my kind of topic I had a lot of informations to discuss on, despite the fact that I was struggling to round up this part I realized that I had some distractions which resulted to me relocating from Luton to Merseyside so as to achieve my key aim and objective of coming to the university of Bedfordshire to study. WRITING THE LITERATURE REVIEW This is the most complex part when writing a report or dissertation, I had to take my time to compile and gather informations since the literature review determines ones strengths and weakness on the chosen topic, furthermore this part of the report requires me to prove to the reader the kind of knowledge, facts and ideas that I have set up on the chosen topic, this part is a channel concept which consist of problems, issues and basically argumentative theories, according to my laid down strategy it took me up to a month to round up this part because I was checking and scrutinizing my work so that I dont get myself involve in plagiarism and chunking. WRITING THE ANALYSES AND DISCUSSION This part is another difficult aspect when writing a report, it entails evaluating, analysing and discussing all the relevant informations in the previous chapters, it took me one week to round up this part because it requires careful interpretation and discussion of each headings and sub-headings furthermore I make sure that all my arguments were logical and reasonable. Although this part was not really taxing because I was self-assured that I was on the right track. Although I came across challenges while writing the analyses and discussion but I was able to tackle it with the help of my laid down strategy and previous experience. WRITING THE CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION Coming up with a reasonable and logical recommendation and conclusion was another taxing experience because it requires proper concise, clarity, consistency, accurate and objectivity, I spent a lot of time trying to round up this part so as to make my report interesting and attractive, I had to lay emphasis on all the literatures I studied and also explain how they justify or contradict each other, with the help of my laid down strategy it took me up to four weeks to round-up this part. CONCLUSION The process of writing this dissertation as been a great experience and achievement for me, even though this is my second attempt I have been able to motivate myself morally and academically on how to be efficient and effective in whatever I encounter in life, This module (Applied Project Management) is a vital aspect during the process of a masters degree programme, I have learnt all the necessary requirements, process, methods and structures of writing a standard and professional detailed report. In addition, through out my learning process at the University of Bedfordshire I have being able to develop my presentation skills, analyse and evaluate academic write-up, business issues and finally gaining a deep understanding about my course (Logistics and Business Management). Finally Applied Project Management is basically about the development of academic skill and ability.

Tea Industry Analysis

INDUSTRY ANALYSIS Indian tea industry The tea industry in India is about 170 years old. It occupies an important place and plays a very useful part in the national economy. Robert Bruce in 1823 discovered tea plants growing wild in upper Brahmaputra Valley. In 1838 the first Indian tea from Assam was sent to United Kingdom for public sale. Thereafter, it was extended to other parts of the country between 50's and 60's of the last century. However, owing to certain specific soil and climatic requirements its cultivation was confined to only certain parts of the country. Tea plantations in India are mainly located in rural hills and backward areas of North-eastern and Southern States. Major tea growing areas of the country are concentrated in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The other areas where tea is grown to a small extent are Karnataka, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Sikkim, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Bihar and Orissa. Unlike most other tea producing and exporting countries, India has dual manufacturing base. India produces both CTC and Orthodox teas in addition to green tea. The weightage lies with the former due to domestic consumers’ preference. Orthodox tea production is balanced basically with the export demand. Production of green tea in India is small. The competitors to India in tea export are Sri Lanka, Kenya, China, Indonesia and Vietnam. Tea is an agro-based commodity and is subjected to vagaries of nature. Despite adverse agro climatic condition experienced in tea growing areas in many years, Indian Tea Plantation Industry is able to maintain substantial growth in relation to volume of Indian tea production during the last one decade. There has been a dramatic tilt in tea disposal in favour of domestic market since fifties. While at the time of Independence only 79 M. Kgs or about 31% of total production of 255 M. Kgs of tea was retained for internal consumption, in 2006 as much as 771 M. Kgs or about 81% of total production of 956 M. Kgs of tea went for domestic consumption. Such a massive increase in domestic consumption has been due to increase in population, greater urbanisation, increase in income and standard of living etc. Indian tea export has been an important foreign exchange earner for the country. There was an inherent growth in export earnings from tea over the years. Till 70s’, UK was the major buyer of Indian tea Since 80s’ USSR became the largest buyer of Indian tea due to existence of the trade agreement between India and erstwhile USSR. USSR happened to be the major buyer of Indian tea accounting for more than 50% of the total Indian export till 1991. However, with the disintegration of USSR and abolition of Central Buying Mechanism, Indian tea exports suffered a set back from 1992-93. However, Indian Tea exports to Russia/CIS countries recovered from the setback since 1993 under Rupee Debt Repayment Route facilities as also due to long term agreement on tea entered into between Russia and India. Depressed scenario again started since 2001 due to change in consumption pattern, i. e. switch over from CTC to Orthodox as per consumer preference and thus India has lost the Russian market. Another reason for decline in export of Indian tea to Russia is offering of teas at lower prices by China, South Asian countries like Indonesia and Vietnam. The major competitive countries in tea in the world are Sri Lanka, Kenya, China and Indonesia. China is the major producer of green tea while Sri Lanka and Indonesia are producing mainly orthodox varieties of tea. Kenya is basically a CTC tea producing country. While India is facing competition from Sri Lanka and Indonesia with regard to export of orthodox teas and from China with regard to green tea export, it is facing competition from Kenya and from other African countries in exporting CTC teas. Because of absence of large domestic base and due to comparatively small range of exportable items, Sri Lanka and Kenya have an edge over India to offload their teas in any international markets. This is one of the reasons of higher volume of export by Sri Lanka and Kenya compared to India. Another important point is that, U. K has substantial interest in tea cultivation in Kenya. Most of the sterling companies, after Indianisation due to implementation of FERA Act started tea cultivation in Kenya. So, it makes business sense for U. K. to buy tea from Kenya and Kenya became the largest supplier of tea to U. K. Tea is an essential item of domestic consumption and is the major beverage in India. Tea is also considered as the cheapest beverage amongst the beverages available in India. Tea Industry provides gainful direct employment to more than a million workers mainly drawn from the backward and socially weaker section of the society. It is also a substantial foreign exchange earner and provides sizeable amount of revenue to the State and Central Exchequer. The total turnover of the Indian tea industry is in the vicinity of Rs. 8000 Crs. Presently, Indian tea industry is having (as on 31. 12. 2006 ) 1655 registered Tea Manufacturers, †¢ 2008 registered Tea Exporters, †¢ 5148 number of registered tea buyers, †¢ Nine tea Auction centres. The Indian tea industry is witnessing a strong revival of fortunes with exports rising and domestic consumption gearing up. The industry saw an impressive 8. 8 percent increase in average tea auction prices in the five months ended August 200 4. The tea industry is one of the oldest organized industries in India with a large network of tea producers, retailers, distributors, auctioneers, exporters and packers. Tea is grown in more than 32 countries among which India is the largest producer. The industry provides direct employment to more than a million workers of which a sizeable number are women. More than two million people derive their livelihood from ancillary activities associated with production, value addition and marketing of tea. The tea trade is a major contributor to the country’s economy. Substantial foreign exchange earnings with negligible import content, contribution to the State and Central exchequers, preserving a pollution free biosphere and soil conversation are some of the important features of the tea industry. Tea Exports increase Due to global supply imbalance, tea exports from India during the Jan- Aug 2004, period increased to 107. 7 million kg against 92. 4 million kg in the corresponding period last year. However, the average price realizations dropped to Rs 83. 20 per kg in 2004 from Rs 100. 51 per kg in 2003. The rise in export volumes has been boosted by higher demand from Pakistan, Iran, Iraq and other gulf countries. The unconventional destinations like Japan, Germany, Singapore, Australia, USA and Canada have emerged as potential destinations in recent months where Indian tea is being exported in greater volumes and has recorded 88 percent growth in the first five months of calendar year. The all-India average export realization tumbled drastically by 17. 2 percent to Rs 83. 20 per kg in the five months ended August 2004, from Rs 100. 51 per kg in the corresponding previous period. The fall in the average export realization was relatively modest at 5 percent to Rs 118. 8 per kg in north India, while it was steeper at 16. percent to Rs 58. 61 per kg in south India. Even as exports rose, imports too, jumped sharply. There was a 225 percent increase in tea imports to 17. 83 mn kg in the five months ended August 2004 compared to 5. 47 mn kg in the corresponding period last year. {draw:frame} Tea is indigenous to India and is an area where the country can take a lot of pride. This is mainly because o f its pre-eminence as a foreign exchange earner and its contributions to the country's GNP. In all aspects of tea production, consumption and export, India has emerged to be the world leader, mainly because it accounts for 31% of global production. It is perhaps the only industry where India has retained its leadership over the last 150 years. Tea production in India has a very interesting history to it. The range of tea offered by India – from the original Orthodox to CTC and Green Tea, from the aroma and flavour of Darjeeling Tea to the strong Assam and Nilgiri Tea- remains unparalleled in the world. Tea trading in the domestic market is done in two ways- Auction and Private Selling. Market Reports are received from the six major auction centres in India, namely, Calcutta, Guwahati, Siliguri, Cochin, Coimbatore and *PEST ANALYSIS GLOBALLY *( u. k tea market ) Political Factors The UK Government supports the fair trading commitment for both the local consumers and foreign producers (News BBC, 2005). This is observed by a requirement on labeling that a stamp of â€Å"Fairtrade† must be included in the products for consumer reference. This is a way to give the buyers a chance to patronize those companies that are producing tea responsibly. However, this also shows that the UK Government do not have strict policies on fair trade. Due to this, the recent calls of Indian workers for the UK Government to act against Unilever due to unfair trade acts and the inability of the latter to act speedily on the matter have adverse consequences on future exporters. If big and global companies such as Unilever continue to rip profits un-scaled with the source plantation abroad, the competitiveness of new entrants would be reduced. For example, Unilever can engage to price wars as well as incur substantial growth funds. To address this scenario, prospective exporters are expected to create a niche market to go away with direct competition with large companies. In 2004, the calls of EU Commission against the UK Government to implement the â€Å"tea break† law concretized the significant role of tea in the country as well as the Union as a whole (BBC News, 2005). In contrast but in support to the increasing importance of tea in the UK, the Government used the gesture of providing free to all British to motivate them to go to the cherished Millennium Dome. Also, tea giving is also used to foster cohesion among British especially in 2005 where terrorist attacks plague the country (Watley Website). Throughout the UK political history since the introduction of tea in Britain by Catherine of Braganza and rationing of tea to UK soldiers of First World War, tea played a major role in government affairs. Thus, it can be concluded that the approach of the Government to tea imports are positive. However, there is still a question of protecting their local producers. Specifically, imports will only be allowed if local production is under shortage or if the country cannot get the internal benefits greater the cost of doing business with foreign tea manufacturers (Tea Website). In contrast, there are similar adverse actions that the Government imposed on tea campaigns (BBC News, 2007). For example, the Advertising Standards Authority apprehended the UK Tea Council, for dis-informing the market about the benefits of tea. Even though the Council cited several papers to prove that the press release is facts, the Authority argued the lack of substantial evidence. More importantly, the Authority wanted the council to avoid making ill-supported ads that may run counter to the health policies of the Government. Due to this, it can be said that the Government does not have a firm stand about the health benefits of tea. In effect, future ads to increase the market for tea may have weaker impact to consumers due to absence of full government support. However, as history suggests which includes events dated back as far as Opium Wars, UK Government places a substantial importance in tea trade. But the role of exporters such as Chinese merchants fell as UK have established its own tea fields in UK areas such as Cornwall. Economic Factors Comparing the UK tea prices of today and 1977 figures, supermarkets are selling tea bags much cheaper compared to several decades ago (Telegraph Website). This is a good opportunity for exporters because the natural resources as well as cheap labor in their home countries can be used to engage in price competition in the UK. However, there is a pitfall. This is true when the price of exported teas is so low that the operations of the exporters are in jeopardy once the market continuously put pressure on tea prices. There are several risk factors that influence of price reduction in of UK tea which can include competitive policies of retailers to as far as the weak US dollar. Due to this environment, exporters might not have much incentive in selling in the UK given that there are trade constraints and disincentives coupled with heavy competition. Ultimately, exporters have to battle with volume rather than quality. In contrast, there is an advantage of exporters who can offer innovative products. In this way, the market will not rely on price factors to affect their decisions rather to the qualities of tea products which is also the source of loyalty. There are numerous characteristics of UK that makes it an attractive destination for exporter goods. Being the second largest economy in Europe, UK is also one of the most globalized advanced economies the world (UK Statistics). There is an opportunity for exporters to exploit the inclusion of UK in the EU and the latter influence in the trade agreements of the former. When this is enforced, entry to UK market may serve as a window of opportunity to infiltrate EU state members. Free market is also the main framework of UK institutions which limits the influence of UK in trades. According to National Statistics, UK also has low inflation, unemployment and interest rates and ranked one of the most superior economies in the region. With this in mind, exporters can easily attached bulk of positive issues to the production, start-up and marketing environment in the country. In the contrary, UK still has problems in reducing income inequality. Although not a good sign in aggregate, exporters can use niche marketing to exploit this bottleneck. Competition, thus, is reduced when direct rivalry is spread over the income boundaries of the people. With respect to some concepts on tea business, influx of tea exports can reduce the capacities of monopolist but this can result to intense rivalry (Market Trade Fair). Thus, exporters can reduce the competitiveness of local producers. With cheaper labor and known abundant natural resources in developing countries, UK tea industry may not have the ability to coupe with them. Further, switching costs of tea products are low which makes customers have the higher bargaining especially in terms of price and quality. Considering this, exporters that have the upper hand in bringing broader variety of teas compared to local producers. With Asian touch to the products, the market may also feel that exports have higher nutritional value than local counterparts. However, there is a very high risk of failure in the industry especially if the location is UK. Profits margins are low, fixed assets are high, inventory are perishable and local producers may have been embedded. This is to exclude adverse corporate responsibility that may result to low margin such as the example of Unilever criticized approach in Indian tea farms. Social Factors It is internationally claimed that tea is the second most popular drink after water (Rico Magda Research, 2006). There are at least 800 million cups of tea that are consumed in a global scale. Of this figure, UK is the country that has the highest share per capita on a daily basis. Without demographic restrictions on the market regarding their preference of tea (i. e. at all ages), the UK tea market loomed to at half a billion value with everyday demand of tea at 160 million cups. According to Mintel Report, green tea is preferred by the market apart from red and black variants of tea because of green tea's relatively higher pleasurable taste and health benefits. As the country is on the peak of its becoming a cafe society culture (Elopak Website), numerous tea-makers all over the world saw opportunity of this trend. Not only is the basic qualities tea encouraging UK market to buy them. As a matter of fact, several new entrants that introduced different varieties and innovations on tea products are also becoming successful. Specialty teas such as those with spicy flavors are widely-accepted. The UK market continues to support tea-makers and retailers as long as they are able to address the health, safety and taste needs while innovation serves as a good foundation to introduce new products. If accepted, these innovations can make a demand shift from ordinary tea features to creative ones. Another illustration is the changing lifestyle of the UK market. The preceding features can also be successful if they are able to make tea as a representation of the one's consuming them. This is when stylish tea from niche players became critical. Thus, the growth in of tea industry in the UK is expected to be at least 7%. Delving to other health products, UK's consumption of oatmeal including porridge from 2003 to 2005 significantly increased at least 20% (Baker Website). This indicated that the health consciousness of consumers have revived several years ago. The interesting part is the large part of UK consumption of these products is sourced from cafes shops similar to teas. Convenience in eating as well as provision for healthy diet is two of the primary motivation of the consumer of their increased support. Parallel to iced tea, the positioning of cold cereal market is good with annual increase of at least 10%. This means that the typical intake of healthy products is changing (Food Quality News). With the aid of governmental information efforts, more UK people are developing the habit of evaluating the nutritional content of each product label before actual purchase. This improvement is an extension of 2000 shifts on health beliefs of the population. There are many benefits of tea from the Asian tests and experiences that are not yet as many as UK (Info Cancer Website). In fact, there are minimal UK studies to confirm that Asian evidence of cancer-minimizing capabilities of green tea. However, the UK market as well as some UK analyst has concluded that the Asian benefits are yet to be acquired by the country simply because the former is relatively consuming less quantities of tea. On the other hand, there are UK laboratory test that observed that tea has higher caffeine content than regular cola, energy drinks and chocolate. Caffeine is a substance that has positive effects to people such as increased alertness, treatment of asthma and aids blood flow. To be in safe levels of consumption, a person should not exceed 6 cups of tea in a day. Finally, increase caffeine consumption would lead to inability to sleep, nervousness and frequent palpitation of the heart (Tea Website). There are also studies that showed increased risk of bone illnesses such as osteoporosis and adverse effects on pregnancy if caffeine intake is not regulated. Technological Factors In European standards, UK agricultural production and its level of technology is efficient and highly-automized. As illustration, only 2% of its labor is in required to support sixty percent of its agricultural sector (Nutri-Ingredients). However, the list of main agricultural outputs of the country excludes tea. This is because that tea is abundant and typical to Asian regions. There are private companies such as Unilever that are able to re-produce tea in the UK. But this is generally limited in variety and in texture. For example, in 2003, White tea became a successful product introduction in the UK because it is an exotic plant to the consumers. Obviously, the advantage of producing and selling exotic teas in the UK is that it is a good hedge in any technological advancements and efficiency in production of developed countries. Also, medicinal value is believed to be redeemed for products that do not undergo intensive technological application. To this part, exporters would be encouraged to enter and compete the UK market because what they are offering are unique products. Historically, unique products have the ability to run against market trends (e. g. avoidance of lower prices). UK is one of those developed economies that maintained the role of agriculture in the economy despite radical shift of sectors towards service and manufacturing industries (IATC Website). In fact, the country is one of the leading nations that produce safe and efficient harvests. The quality of UK's products is reflected in its consumer protection against low quality and sometimes foreign foods. This can be a source of weakness against tea products from developing countries. The good issues are that China is a close trading partner of UK. The topography of UK includes fertile farmlands, favorable climate, pioneering breeding practices and application of science. However, these features may as well highlight the competitive advantage of Asian tea which is deriving in traditional, religious and cultural uniqueness. Even if some varieties of Asia teas are being able to be re-produced and propagated in UK, the impressions of healthy and effective may not be synonymous to all UK customers. Conclusion The PEST analysis above showed that Chinese tea exporters have a good opportunity in the UK market. The tea sector in the country has variety of advantages against exporters. This includes regulatory compatibility, consumer familiarity, efficient production practices, arable lands and high purchasing power of the people. On the contrary, Chinese exports have also its advantages such as traditional approach to production, unique land setting, embeddedness of tea as cultural medicine, competitive prices and a new look to tea products. The last feature and the health value Chinese tea exports would be the most critical factors for today's slowing tea sector. To address this issue, iced tea is the answer. This will defeat UK-based products especially if the Chinese exporter can offer cold and unique recipe of tea. Specifically, the ability of its product to be preferred by customers as hot or cold can be an indispensible characteristic to increase its market share abruptly. {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Silver Step Exports is a trading and packaging company that specializes in high quality INDIAN TEAS RICE SUGAR WHEAT FLOUR vision : To be india’s foremost tea exporters. ACHIEVE MARKET THROUGH LEADERSHIP FOR BRANDED TEA WORLD WIDE. TO BE PERCIEVED AS MOST INNOVATIVE IN TEA BASED BEVERAGES LONG TERM PROFITABLE GROWTH VALUES : RESPONSIBILITY- Be responsible and sensetive abiding all the norms regulations of various countries. Product portfolio : Tea ( primary) Rice ( secondary ) Sugar( secondary) Service portfolio : Packing for reputed groups like :- Goplajee Hope life consumer care MANAGEMENT SUMMARY : Management comprises of highly qualified mangers at all the levels of the organization, experienced managers and consultants along with strong market research team forms the strong base for SILVER STEP EXPORTS. Top management has the clear vision to achieve and form the policies and strategies and take the organization to new heights . SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGHTS : Real strength of SSE lies in its capacity and capability to produce any kind of tea in any quantity with best possible quality. The capability and expertise of top management enables the organization to take quick and effective decisions. With a wide variety of product to offer SSE enjoys a premium segment of customers to which it caters with best quality product. Strengths at a glance : Superior quality Best prices Standardized product Total quality management programs Flexibility and adaptability. Innovation WEAKNESS Organizations operate in an economic and social environment which are to be taken care of by the organization itself, weakness Is not merely due to one specific factor but aggregate of many , Main weakness lies in, is of inventory a wide variety of tea ( approx. 30 flavours ) are available in the market keeping all the stock ready at one point of time is sometimes risky as thw quality may detoriate over a period of time. Hence, piling up inventories is sometimes a problem for the organization. Inventory management Price fluctuations ( industry based factor) OPPORTUNITIES Tea is an incredibly ancient beverage. For thousands of years leaves have fallen into the cups of great rulers, philosophers and spiri tual leaders. Man has learned the way of the leaf. We have made this revered beverage a central part of almost every world culture. Can there be anything new to add? It's a question I ponder every year. And, at the beginning of every year here I sit at the computer like a cartoon figure with an angel on one shoulder and a tiny devil on the other, a victim of my own conflicting opinions. With increasing demand for tea worldwide and with innovation taking place every now and then creating new and better products SILVER STEP EXPORTS aims to achieve a high growth rate capturing new markets in DOMESTIC as well as INTERNATIONAL markets. With the ever increasing demand for tea SSE has a long way to go adding new products to its basket and creating new and bigger markets globally. SSE also has RICE AND SUGAR in its baskets which also has a very high market and potential to grow even better so SSE can also aim at exporting these products along with the excellence in tea trade. OPPORTUNITIES AT A GLANCE. : Capturing more market share. Domestic market capturing Exporting tea Exporting rice and sugar. Creating new brands. THREATS There has been a significant value erosion in the tea market, with regional players offering mediocre products at low prices or with ttractive promotions Despite the fact that tea is the most traditional and affordable beverage in India – and probably because of as well – it is perceived as being old fashioned and less functional than some substitute products. With increasing delicacy it is difficult to retain customers for using quality products as the duplicate products are of che aper quality and therefore are available for low prices Increasing local players. Duplicacy Cheap quality at lower prices General competition level Consumer taste and preferences. BUSINESS MODEL Marketing plan & its strategies makes product race incompetitive situation and executes brand image, which givesloyal customers to the company. It helps the product to make its independent identity offer diverse brands after taking local tastes into account. Our products vary in terms of blend, pricing and packaging formats to cater to the unique needs of each segment. † strategy is to invest in long-term brand building for sustained growth. Strengthen our business in existing geographies †¢ Expansion into new geographies New product development and building business in – Black Tea – Fruit and Herbal Infusions – Ready to Drink Teas – Out of home †¢ Building operational capability to enable the commercial business to achieve growth †¢ Management Strength Increase market share. †¢ Generate brand awareness within consumer target market and business target market. †¢ The road ahead promises plenty. The goal is to m ove the brand portfolio from its current 19 per cent value share to a 25 per cent value share in the medium term {draw:frame} DISTRIBUTION PLAN draw:frame} {draw:frame} COMETETIVE ANALYSIS FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE Organization has grown at a rapid pace capturing new markets in a very short span of time of its operation. *KEY SUCCESS FACTOR & strategies*. Success mantra for SILVER STEP EXPORTS lies in the : Procurement of raw materials . Suppliers Manpower No compromise on quality. Top level management of SSE allows the organization to work in the most effective and efficient manner . SSE believes in providing best value to its customer, Hence no compromise on quality. Market segmentation: â€Å"It consists of a group of customer who share similar set of wants † Geographically †¢ South India, southeast India, southwest India, north india , J&k , Punjab and haryana Social class**: †¢ Working class, middle class, upper middle class FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS Training was u ndergone in the field of marketing wherein a detail study of tea market was carried out as in what type of product is liked in various parts of the world. SSE has a very wide scope in the domestic as well as international market A strong hold in domestic markets like J&K , Punjab , Haryana, U. P serves SSE as a base , an opportunity to build on its market and create a name for itself by securing more customer base This is possible on through the supply chain The Super stockiest , agents, wholesalers and retailers Which has been a strength for SSE. SSE has been a market leader in flavoured tea market. KEY LEARININGS IN THE ORGANIZATION : During the course of my internship I gained a lot from the organization way of working , its mission , objectives and methods adopted to accomplish it, Some key learnings are : Brisk decision making Creating harmony among the levels of organization. Effectively control the supply chain. No company owned retail outlets. No direct reach to the consumers. CONCLUSION : The road ahead promises plenty. Tea market has a very wide potential to grow with wide variety of tea available and increasing demand of tea worldwide, Tea Trade has emerged as a new dimension of trade to the world with ever increasing rise in consumption of tea it has opened a wide new markets to explore and cater to their demand. Besides the domestic consumption a surplus is found to exist in the end which can be used to cater demand of other countries so that

Shane as a Hero

â€Å"He was the man who rode into our little valley out of the heart of the great glowing West and when his work was done rode back whence he had come and he was Shane. † He was a murderer, that’s what he thought. Thus, he left. But the community found another definition for his mysterious departure. He was now known and remembered as a hero of the West. In the novel written by Jack Schaefer, there are several actions and attitudes that develop the prime example to the important characters in the book, and depict them as either a hero or a villain.Through his accomplishments and failures, Shane, the character of whom the book speaks, is represented as a hero. Shane embodies the essence of a hero on the first day he arrives to that small valley, with his luxurious worn-out coat, matching pants, and a black hat; clothes that no homesteader that resided there and Bob, the main character and also the narrator, have seen before. Shane demonstrates humility, a trait that man y heroes, either they’re super or not, possess; Shane is also down-to-earth and humble, and is aware of the fact that one does not have the right to take another man's life, and when one does so, that marks him for life.Above all the qualities that Shane has, the one that seems the most hero-attributed is his selfless acts of protecting someone else; in this case the homesteaders and their homes. Shane expresses the qualities of a hero, both physically and mentally, that is, he is both strong and loyal. Shane has many traits that illustrate that of a hero; such as how he portrays himself, his ability to be humble, and his need to protect others. Heroes aren’t considered as such just because of their strength, but also because of their aptitudes and intellectual capacities.Shane is admired for his good judgment when solving problems. He doesn’t give up when he attacks Chris and Morgan as well as the stump in the farm which are obstacles in his apparently smooth t rail. Shane audaciously defeats Wilson to defend Joe and the other homesteaders, thus demonstrating he is a hero by fighting with the gunman to support Joe for his right to his land. Shane only challenges the rival because he unconsciously protects others from danger.The whole idea of Shane facing Wilson was to prevent Starrett’s family from handing their farm over to Fletcher, as well as ending that nightmare within the other homesteaders’ homes. He alone decided to face and vanquish ‘evil’, as he shoots down both Wilson and Fletcher. After this occurrence, however, he feels the need of disappearing into thin air, as if he’s implying that his work is done. After the incident in the bar, â€Å"The folks in town and the kids at school like to talk about him. † Shane had become a legend amongst the residents of the Valley.

Essen und Trinken or Eating and Drinking in German