Grenz Review

TY 170 February 23, 2009 Grenz Review As time passes, different themes are presented throughout society. These themes tend to make attempts at disproving its predecessor. In Stanley J. Grenz’ book, A Primer on Postmodernism, he discusses the two most recent ideas supported by the public; modernism and postmodernism. The opposition is apparent between the eras of modernity and postmodernity. As described by Grenz, modernity focuses on the individual, using reasoning as a source of the truth. This belief causes truth to be relative.Postmodernity’s focal point is the group, rather than the individual. Truth, in the postmodern view, is created by intuition and feeling, causing it to be constructed. Grenz also discusses both the problems postmodernity pose on Christianity and the similarities between postmodernism and Christianity. Grenz’ portrait of postmodernism is accurate for what society is facing today. In order to understand the differences between modernism an d postmodernism as Grenz has defined them, first understanding of how each was created is needed.Modernity is based around meta-narratives; stories that connect everyone together. The most profound meta-narrative of modernity is the universal truth of science. One of the most important constructs of modernity is individualism, upon which all modern thinkers based their work. â€Å"Most historians suggest that the modern era was born when the Enlightenment brought new hope to war-ravaged Europe† (57). The Enlightenment had four principles; â€Å"Reason, nature, autonomy, and harmony† (68). These principles created the foundation for modern thinkers.Many modern thinkers throughout the era, regardless of their discipline, â€Å"Turned to the reasoning subject rather than divine revelation as the starting point for knowledge and reflection† (65). Through these foundations set for modernity, the modern philosophers turned to science in support for their hypotheses. à ¢â‚¬Å"Thinkers such as Descartes, Newton, and Kant provided the intellectual foundation for the modern era† (80). Rene Descartes was one of the first modern thinkers of his time, â€Å"often being referred to as the father of modern philosophy† (63). When Descartes irst set out on his journey for knowledge, he set out with doubt, in search of absolute truth that doubt could not deny (64). Like many other thinkers of that period, he â€Å"Attempted to introduce the rigor of mathematical demonstration into all fields of knowledge,† because he believed that the truths of mathematics were more concrete than knowledge based on observation (64). Descartes eventually reached the destination of his searching; the one thing that could not be doubted was one’s own existence. His new way of thinking led to a different outlook of the human person.His work defined â€Å"The human being as thinking substance and the human person as an autonomous rational subject† (64). This new definition supported Augustine’s philosophy; â€Å"Cogito ergo sum – ‘I think, therefore I am,† (64). Although Descartes’ work did not discover subjectivity, â€Å"the chief importance of his contribution lies in his emphasis on personal experience and personal knowledge, on knowledge arising from the individual’s unique point of view† (64). His role in the Enlightenment paved the path for his modern-thinking successors.Following Descartes’ work, Newton began making his own imprint on the world, emphasizing the importance of science. His work focused on trying to explain the workings of his universe that he saw as a â€Å"Grand, orderly machine,† (67). Newton’s idea of the world as a machine provided the framework for modernity. Newton believed that by viewing the world as a machine, he would be able to know its movements because it would follow a set of distinct laws (67). His design led modern thi nkers to have a mechanistic understanding of the world, as opposed to a natural view (50).Although Newton looked at the scientific explanations of the world, his intent was to explain the existence of God. Similar to Descartes, Newton used the power of reason to enhance the meaning of theology. â€Å"The modern world turned out to be Newton’s mechanistic universe populated by Descartes’ autonomous, rational substance† (67). Through Newton’s work, other philosophers had the foundation needed to make their own impressions on the world of modernity. Eventually, philosophers began questioning the Enlightenment and modernity as a whole.Through Immanuel Kant’s work, he strengthened the ties between society and modernity, which associated himself with the beginning of the Enlightenment. Kant’s most important contribution to modernity was his publication of Critique of Pure Reason (57). His critique strengthened the support of modernity and terminat ed all questioning of it. Kant sought to create a more concrete platform for metaphysics through his writing (76). He hypothesized that the mind is systematical in organizing sensations from the external world. â€Å"According to Kant, the human person is not only a creature capable of sense experience bus also a moral being† (77).Kant believed that by living morally, one lives the way he wishes all people would live. He argued that the moral aspect of human existence is essentially rational (78). This view of existence created the realm of practical reason, which encouraged other modern philosophers to concentrate on the individual self. This attentiveness came from Kant introducing the idea that the self is â€Å"not just the focus of philosophical attention but the entire subject matter of philosophy† (79). Through this notion, Kant directed his attention to the individual imposing reality.Kant’s work provided future philosophers with the concepts needed to u nderstand and eventually deconstruct modernity. Johann Gottlieb Fichte operated off of Kant’s discoveries. He accepted Kant’s work but also â€Å"Was enabled to explode it from the inside† (87). Fichte did not want to eliminate Kant’s ideas, but instead wanted â€Å"To expose the Kantian ‘fiction’ of an objective world existing in its own right beyond the self,† (87). Through his work, Kant emphasized the idea â€Å"that the self creates and determines the objects that constitute its own external world† (87). Hence, the realm that Kant claims to know through ‘pure’ reason, Fichte claims to produce through the exercise of ‘practical’ reason† (87). His work has created a freedom that â€Å"is important because it holds the potential of liberating us from a single way of understanding the world,† (88). Fichte managed to dissolve Kant’s idea of an absolute reality through â€Å"eliminat ing the noumenal realm† (88). Although he worked against Kant in many ways, Fichte managed to uphold Kant’s concept of the absolute self (87).Fichte, along with other thinkers’, beliefs led to what is now considered to be the postmodernism era by questioning the context of modernity and its constructors. Postmodernism is the mere rejection of the ideas that modernism and the Enlightenment support. The main theory that postmodernism rejects is the construct of individualism. In its denunciation of modernism, it also rejects the modern theme of meta-narratives, except for its own. The postmodern world does not believe that all knowledge is good, nor that knowledge is objective. They view life on earth as fragile and believe that the continued existence of humankind is dependent on a new attitude of cooperation rather than conquest† (7). Postmodern beliefs have a more pessimistic view on the world, as opposed to the modern idea. Postmoderns believe that the wo rld is â€Å"historical, relational, and personal† (7). The main postmodern view is that everything is different from everything (7). â€Å"Many voices have joined the postmodern chorus. But of these, three loom as both central and paradigmatic – Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and Richard Rorty.They constitute a trio of postmodern prophets† (123). Michel Foucault was persistent in the rejection of the modern worldview. He argued that â€Å"reason and rational discourse are problematic.. , because they require that we squeeze the variety of reality into the artificial homogeneity that accommodates our concepts† (127). His intentions were not to present the ideas of a better society, but to understand order. This new society that Foucault presented was called â€Å"’heterotopia,’† as opposed to the modern view of â€Å"utopia† (20).Foucault focused on the connection between knowledge and power in regards to social systems, sta ting that â€Å"every interpretation of reality is an assertion of power† (6). Foucault believed that this power was â€Å"the power of violence† (59). He used genealogy to gain a better understanding of how we arrived to the beliefs supported by society (135). â€Å"According to Foucault, the practice of genealogy informs us that history is not controlled by destiny or some regulative mechanism but is the product of haphazard conflicts† (136).He reveals himself to be the model postmodern by making the assertion that â€Å"no natural order lies behind what we invent through our use of language† (137). Foucault provided a new outlet for the newly formed notion to be interpreted by future philosophers. Subsequent to Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida reinterpreted some ideas of postmodernism. Unlike Foucault, Derrida had different views on what was in correct about modernism. He focused on defying logocentrism: â€Å"The philosophical method that looks to th e word as the carrier of meaning† (141).He began, in a sense, where Kant left of by questioning â€Å"what foundation can we offer for our use of reason† (140). Derrida was critical of Western philosophers in saying that they view writing as a demonstration of speech. He spent his lifetime of work trying to deconstruct the idea that written language represents reality. Unlike Foucault, Derrida did not try to create new ideas for postmodernism on the basis of old ideas; he rather deconstructed or disproved the foundations of modernism. Derrida wanted to demolish the modern construct that â€Å"views philosophy as pure, disinterested inquiry† (148).Along with that, he also wanted to renounce the popular idea that there is a clear link between language and the external world, (148). â€Å"Derrida’s primary goal is to divest us of logocentrism by showing the impossibility of drawing a clear line between reality and our linguistic representations† (148). Overall, Derrida’s target for deconstruction was Western philosophy as a whole. The ideas represented by the philosophy were viewed as hopeless by Derrida. The notions that Derrida brought to the table allowed thinkers to move past the modern ways and seek refuge in postmodernism.After Derrida, came a philosopher with a new way of thinking, Richard Rorty. Unlike his predecessors, Rorty expressed his belief in a clear style. Rorty is considered to be â€Å"the central figure behind the renewed interest in the American pragmatist tradition† (151). His pragmatist outlook abandoned an Enlightenment idea; â€Å"The mind is the ‘mirror of nature’† (151). In pragmatism, the view of truth is that it is a result of human convention, thus it is constructed. Similar to Derrida, Rorty believes that language does not have the capability to represent the world accurately.He views language as a device used to satisfy one’s wants and needs. Working against modernism, he also states that â€Å"we give up the idea that the goal of science is to produce models that correspond perfectly with reality† (154). Rorty believes that science is just one way to view the world, but there are many other ways to perceive it. Through the work of Foucault, Derrida, and Rorty, a new way of thinking was born which opened the world up for questioning. Postmodernism and Christianity have a working relationship. That is, Christians support and also disagree with some postmodern concepts.When postmodernism was first presented as an idea, Christians did not know how to approach it. A concern that Christians have with the postmodern view is the rejection of meta-narratives. The concept of stories uniting a group as one is the foundation for Christianity. As Grenz states, â€Å"We simply do not share the despair over the loss of universality that leads to the radical skepticism of the emerging era† (165). In addition to the rejection of meta-narr atives, postmodernism focuses on the inability to discover an all-encompassing truth. Here lies the major dilemma Christianity has with postmodernity.Christians believe that God includes the truth about everything, but postmodern thinkers do not believe that an â€Å"all-encompassing truth† is possible to reach (163). The postmodern rejection of individualism worries Christians because they â€Å"must always keep in view the biblical themes of God’s concern for each person, the responsibility of every human before God, and the individual orientation that lies within the salvation message† (168). On the other hand, Christians support the rejection of the Enlightenment idea that â€Å"the rational, scientific method is the sole measure of truth† (166).Also, the postmodern denial that all knowledge is good and objective strengthens the ties between Christianity and postmodernism (168). Christians also support the postmodern finding that no person can be sepa rate from creation. As years pass, Christians are more accepting of postmodern concepts and are more rejecting of the modern ideas they once supported. Grenz’ view of the postmodern world is acceptable for what society faces today. The postmodern views have been mirrored throughout the public. Even in school, teachers focus more on group projects and group activities rather than the individuals.Children judge each other on the amount of time they spend with others, as opposed to the ability to spend time alone. Now, it is a must for children to always be with their friends. It is also represented in the working world. Bosses would prefer group presentations rather than individual. Most people do not like to be alone or even to be singled-out. Also, as the economy is closer to being in a recession, the postmodern idea that the world is not getting better every day is strengthened. People no longer believe â€Å"that humanity will be able to solve the world’s greatest r oblems or even that their economic situation will surpass that of their parents,† (7). Every day it seems as though the world is not capable to overcome what it has started, such as wars. It seems as though the world is no longer a â€Å"happy† place at most times. The postmodern pessimistic view is presented daily. It is awkward for others when people are optimistic about their life. Overall, people seem accepting to the postmodern views. Over the years, the world has seen different phases sweep through, and each one is eventually accepted. The most current themes are modernity and postmodernity.The modern views were set forth by Rene Descartes, Isaac Newton, and Immanuel Kant. Modernism is the idea of focusing on the individual in means of scientific explanations. Also, modern thinkers believe that all knowledge is inherently good. Johann Gottlieb Fichte is partially responsible for the beginning of questioning modernity. Once Fichte opened the doors, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and Richard Rorty put an end to the modern way of thinking. What their idea created was postmodernity. The postmodern thinker steps away from the individual, focusing more on group relations.Also, postmodernism denies that all knowledge is essentially good. This new way of thinking has made Christians question how to respond. Christians agree, but also disagree with some of the postmodern views. As a whole, the world has come to terms with postmodernism by accepting it. What is going to happen when philosophers begin to question postmodernity? How will the world be viewed once people stop accepting postmodernism? Works Cited Grenz, Stanley J. A Primer on Postmodernism. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996.

Driving License Essay

The childhood is the stage when all our fantasies start to grow. That was the stage when a fantasy about motor bike grew up into my mind and I got interested in driving bike. As my fantasy supported me I started to fulfill my interest and started to learn driving. At that time my uncle who was experienced in this line; he started to teach me driving. After a few months my fantasies boosted up because I was learning a bit how to drive. After learning driving for about two years, my parents came to know the matter and thought that I was in a stage to have a driving license, since they heard that I was harassed in the roads many times by the police for not having a driving license while driving. As a result, my parents gave me the permission to have a driving license. So, I found out that there is an association responsible to delivering the driver’s license in Bangladesh, which is the Bangladesh Roads and Transport Association (BRTA). I went there to get the license, but later o n I came to know that there are many problems which I have to face while getting the driving license. I took it as a challenge to overcome those problems and get the license in a legal way; since I was able to become a good driver within that time. The other point that made me interest to take this topic was the sudden death of two of my closest friend in the road accident, which was as a shock in my life. Why only the accident of my two friends, there were 3,917 highway accidents in the year 2012 (â€Å"Ensure safety†). Many people argued that the road accidents occur because of the bad condition of the road, but most of the highways in Bangladesh are now treated as of standard quality highways. There are also some other people arguing that the road accidents occurs because of the unfit vehicles running on the road; but still a majority portion of the people agrees with me that most of the road accidents occur because of the inexperienced driver’s. Then a question came up in my mind that â€Å"Why are the drivers inexperienced?† I was able to solve  this question and came up with the answer that since the driver’s are getting the license in an illegal way, so they are becoming inexperienced and be coming the cause of the accidents. Later on another question came up in my mind, â€Å"Why the driver’s are getting the license in an illegal way, since there is a way to get the license in a legal way?† It was tough for me to solve this question, but when I went to BRTA to get my own driving license I found out that every person who goes there are harassed a lot, only if they wants to get the license in a legal way. Still, if someone wants to get the driving license in a legal way then he is forced to give bribes during the procedure. Then, my interest grew to find out the hazardous experience of the people while getting the driving license. We all know that bribe plays a vital role in the Bangladesh society. So, it makes two ways to get the license; legal way and illegal way. In the legal way one has to pass the test required to get the license. There are mainly one written test and three practical tests. If someone even passes the test successfully, the officials over there will not make them pass until they get the money. During the process, if someone denies giving bribe, he will have to wait for at least 6 months to get the license. But, in the illegal way, just give the bribe and sit back in your home, the brokers will process the license and will give it after 3 months. The rate that they have fixed to get the license in an illegal way is Tk. 5,000/= per license. Sometimes we will find many people around us, who are not ready to pay any illegal fees. So, first they prepare themselves to get the license in the legal way. But, after passing the written test when they go to give the practical test and sees that every thing is on the examiners hand, they gets scarred. Most of the time if someone passes the exam but refuses to give the minimum amount of money, then the examiner harasses the person and in a sense force him to fail. Then, those people who went there in an intention to get the license in a legal way loose their faith on them and agree to get the license in an illegal way. Background â€Å"Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) is the only association in Bangladesh who is responsible for the promotion of road safety and traffic regulations, by delivering the license of the drivers and also by registering the vehicles in Bangladesh. BRTA was first institutionalized in 1987 and started its function from January 1988. BRTA is the regulatory body for the control and management of the road transport system and road safety related activities of the Republic of Bangladesh. BRTA maintains its function with total manpower of 291 through the head office in Dhaka, 19 circle and 20 zonal Offices spread all over the country† (Brta). All the zonal offices can deliver driving license, but to get the license one have to pass one written test, one oral test and three practical tests. First of all one have to fill a form, requesting for getting a driving license, giving the adequate information about him, regarding his name, father’s name, age, sex, address, blood group, etc. After submitting the form one would get the â€Å"Learner’s License†. It will cost one Tk. 750. Actually getting the learner’s license means that one has got the permission to learn the driving. After getting the learner’s license one would get 3 months of duration to prepare himself. According to that date and time mentioned in the Learner’s License, one has to go and attend the written and oral test. The written and oral tests don’t take place except Thursday. The result will be published on that day and after that they will give a seal in the learner’s license and also provide the date and time of the practical exams. The entire practical exam will be held on one single day. The first practical exam is known as the â€Å"Zig-Zag† test. The model is given below: In this test one have to go with his car from A side to B side and again come back with his car in the reverse gear from side B to side A, without moving or touching the flags that will be there at each points of the line. The width on the two lines will be 1.5 times the wide of the car. If someone touches the flags, he will fail the exam. In that case, he have to resubmit the fees and appear the test again after getting the date and time approved by the BRTA. The second test in known as the â€Å"Ramp† test. The model is given below: In this test, one has to go driving the car on the slope. The examiner will be sitting beside him. While going up the slope the examiner will tell him to stop the car and the person have to stop the car at the slope. The examiner will again tell the person go to up the slope without letting the car go back. This is the hardest part of getting the license. Most of the people fail in this stage because while moving the car front, the car’s weight forces the car to go down the slope. Since, many people fail in this test, so the examiner tries to take the advantage of the bribe over here. The examiner tells that if he gets money, then he will make the person pass, or else he will fail him. The third test is called the â€Å"Road Test†. During this test the examiner will be sitting beside the person and will be told to drive the car in the busy roads. This test is mainly taken to check whether the person knows the rules and regulation of the traffic system and also to drive safely. The examiner might say suddenly to park the car in the no parking zone. If one stops the car there that means that he doesn’t knows the rules and regulation and thus, he is going to fail in the exam. If one passes the entire exam then only he is capable of getting the driving license in a legal way. But, the present situation of the BRTA supports that; one must have to give bribe to pass the exams. Many people think that just passing those exams doesn’t makes one an experienced driver. In that case, they concluded that knowing the driving is the main thing, it doesn’t matter that whether you got the license in a legal or illegal way. But, a majority of the people says that, if someone knows how to drive well then he will also be able to pass the exams of BRTA without giving the bribe and thus can get a license in a legal way. Hypothesis Since, the driving license is being delivered by a Government institution people are to follow a lot of procedures in getting the driving license.  From my research, I expect to find that the corruption in delivering license illegally and problems are faced by the driving license owners. I will try to find out the reasons why car owner’s doesn’t want to hire a driver who has an illegal license. I think that a person who is well-educated knows that there are many problems that the other drivers have to face if he hires that drivers, this is the most important reason why they don’t want to hire illegal license owner. From my opinion our license delivering system should be stricter. Limitations of the Study: There are some limitations of my research paper. They are pointed out below: In my survey, I was unable to target those students who don’t have a driving license, because if they don’t have a driving license, how they are going to have an experience in getting the driving license. I had to stay between the age boundaries of 19-22. As my research topic states, my target group is the NSU students and most of them are from the age of 19-22. The major limitation of my research is that I was able to target especially those who had the driving license to drive the private cars only. The driving license is delivered actually for three categories of vehicles- light, medium and heavy. One who has got the license for the first (light) category will be able to apply for the second category (medium) after three years. To get the license of the heavy category one has to get another three years experience of driving the medium vehicles (Hossain). Since, my age boundary is from 19-22. So, most of them have the license of the light category, which gives them the permission to drive only the private cars. I am not able to get any information from the officials of the BRTA, because they aren’t ready to talk with me about their situation, which is also another major limitation of my research paper. I think that they could have unveiled a lot of information, which could be of great use in my research paper. The last and also the most important limitations of my research paper is the time factor and the present situation of our country. I am not getting enough time to do my research thoroughly on this topic. Research I have used the BRTA’s website; some posted articles in the Internet and the newspaper as my secondary sources, which were being used throughout the paper.  For my primary research I have prepared a questionnaire and also have interviewed two people how have got bad experience in getting the driving license. The first person whom I interviewed is a regular student of NSU and the other person is a professional driver. Their interview helped me a lot in my research paper. The questionnaire that I have prepared consists of 13 questions. I have given 40 people to fill up my questionnaire. From Figure 1, we can see that 8 of them, which make 32% of my sample size, claimed that they have owned the license in a legal way. From the rest of the students, 13 (52%) of them said that they got the driving license in an illegal way and the rest 4 (16%) claimed that they have got the driving license through a driving school. But still, one student who have got the license through a driving school, said that he have passed all the exams of the BRTA to get the license, but for the rest three people, who are all female, said that they have got the driving license without appearing the tests. They made an agreement with the driving school, which states that after they have learned how to drive, the driving school will be responsible to deliver them the driving license and in exchange they will be giving a certain amount of money. So, after that I can see that only one person from the driving school have got the license in a legal way. From the rest of my sample, only 8 (32%) of them ; who got the driving license in a legal way, have said that they have appeared and passed all the exams, without considering the case that they have failed in the exam and passed it again by giving bribe. Actually the people; especially the brokers, won’t let one pass the exam without giving the bribe. So, in a way those people who have been learning to drive for last 6 months and want to get the license in a legal way are forced to give bribe. From Figure 2, we can see that 6 (67%) of the NSU students; who have got the license in a legal way, agreed with this statement, and told that they have been forced during the exams to give bribe, since everything is on the examiners hand, if he likes to pass one, he will make him pass, but if he wants to fail one, then that person will be harassed a lot until he fails. But, still 3 of the students were luck enough to contradict with me and claimed themselves to pass all the exams without giving the bribes. They also stated that they weren’t even forced during the exams to give bribes. The students who have got the license in an illegal way is not considered in this case because at the beginning when they decided to get the license, they took the illegal way to get the license, so they have given the bribe in the beginning and they don’t need to or forced to give the bribe again during the exams. Since, the students have faced a bit of the hazardous experience, so I asked them again whether that was the ending of the harassment process or not. But, many of them answered no and said that getting the license was the starting of a new harassment process. They were then caught by the police and harassed without any reason. In most of the times police claimed that the licenses are illegal. Then the students have to come out from there by giving bribe, it doesn’t matter that whether you really got the license in a legal or illegal way. In some exceptional case I have found out that the police also said that the picture that they have in the driving license doesn’t matches with the students. I was really shocked to hear that how the police can claim those type of fake reasons to harass a people. I also came to know that a student was saying that he was in a hurry, because his mother was admitted in the hospital, but still the police didn’t tried to hear that and filed a case against him, fining him for driving faster. After all the claims that the police stated, I asked them â€Å"What do you think about BRTA?† One can’t imagine about the response that I have got from this answer. I gave them five options. Within those the first option that I gave them was â€Å"They are all corrupted†. After, reading this option, most of them didn’t go to read the other options. From the figure 3, it is clearly stated that 20 of the students; which means 80%, thinks that BRTA is corrupted and  we can’t do anything about it except going with the system. Within those 13 students, 7 of the students have faced the problems face to face by getting the license in a legal way and 13 of them knew earlier that BRTA is corrupted, so they have got the license in an illegal way. The other 2 of the students told that the existing system should be developed, which means that BRTA should not be privatized, since the corruption level hasn’t gone beyond the limit. But, the rest 3 of the student’s answer was quiet interesting; they all have got the license in an illegal, and think that BRTA’s corruption level has gone beyond our limit and that is the reason it should be privatized. None of the students told that the system is all right and they are operating in the way they should operate, which is quiet interesting. Summary of Findings From my primary research I was able to find out that the harassment process of getting the driving license doesn’t ends also after getting the driving license. The exam pattern is set in a way that will make the people harass. Most of them who have seen the exam pattern with their own eyes think that the existing exam pattern should be updated a bit, because it is designed in a way that will force the people to give bribe. One by knowing the BRTA’s license delivering system doesn’t likes to get the license in a legal way, because they know that they have to give the bribe by hook or by crook. So, most of them are targeting to get the license in an illegal way. It was found out that 80% of the driving license delivered by the BRTA is forged. (Hossain). So, it is clear that because of the harassment that the BRTA does to the people, many people try to get the license in an illegal way. That is also the reason why most of the people think that BRTA is corrupted. In a recent newspaper article is was being posted that because of the corruption level in BRTA, every year Bangladesh Government is loosing 100 crore taka, which also can be the reason why people and I personally think that BRTA should be privatized (Mehedi). Suggestions Regarding all the problems that BRTA has, I think that there is a scope for the government to play role. Government should implement new rules and establish a new driving license delivering exams, which will be able to solve the harassment problem of the normal people a bit. Those policies obviously should not be designed in such a way that there will be scope to get or give bribe. It should be designed in a way that will examine those people who are getting the license are eligible and also quiet well qualified to get the license. Thus, it will obviously help to decrease the road accidents in Bangladesh. Every time we can see that the Government is coming up with new laws and policies, but they are not implemented in a nice way. If that happens, it is better to privatize the BRTA, without updating the existing system. Now days, we are also able to find out that many female are driving their own cars. It becomes more hazardous for them to get the license in a legal way. So, they are going to the driving schools to learn driving. In my survey, I have find out that almost all the female have got their driving license through the driving school and also in an illegal way. The driving learning school should also be developed, because they are the ones responsible for teaching the people to drive well. If they gets corrupted and gives the driving license to those peoples who doesn’t deserves it then the problem will be huge. Conclusion For us, those who have the adequate amount of money, getting the driving license is not a matter of fact for them and thus they may also disagree that getting the driving license is a harassment process. But, consider about those people who think thousand times before spending Tk. 100. For a professional driver, it really becomes hard for the first time to get the driving license. After doing this research I was really satisfied a bit that I was able to fulfill a bit of my childhood interest and also able to find out a valid  reason for my friends death. But still, I personally think that there should be another research done on the unfit vehicles running on the road, which can also be held responsible for the increase in the road accidents in our country. Works Cited Brta. Home page. 01 Jan. 2004. 30 July 2005 . â€Å"Ensure Safety basic rights of the People.† Nation. Ittefaq.com 11 June 2005. 01 July 2005 . Hossain, Moazzem. â€Å"Roads, Highways turn into Virtual Death Trap.† Newagebd.com 21 May 2005. 01 July 2005 < http://www.newagebd.com/2005/may/21/front.html>. Islam, Nurul. Telephone interview. 20 July 2005. Karim, Raihan Bin. Telephone interview. 20 July 2005. Mehedi, Rashed. â€Å"Corruption in BRTA, Government loosing 100 crore taka every year.† Daily Janokhantho 24 July 2005: 1.

Rape Shield Laws Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Rape Shield Laws - Research Paper Example Center of discussion in this paper are rape shield laws, court rules or statutes which limit the defendant’s counsel ability to introduce the sexual history, past conduct or reputation of the accuser or victim as evidence during a trial relating to rape. Therefore, rape shield laws can prevent the victim from being discredited by the irrelevant information to the defendant’s innocence or guilt. In the United States, each state and the District of Columbia has a rape shield law applying to criminal cases and a few to civil cases. Rape shield laws apply to both state and federal criminal and civil cases except the certain limited circumstances, such as when the accuser’s consent can be illustrated or when the accused and the accuser have a shared history. Also, the defense may be required to prove that such evidence’s exclusion would amount to violation of constitutional rights of the defendants. Most of these laws were adopted in a bid to combat the practic e where the victims are discredited through introduction of irrelevant information concerning their reputation, sexual history or chastity. Most of these laws were adopted in the 1970s; the first rape shield law was passed in the state of Michigan in 1974 and since then all states have enacted one. Even though these laws were popular in the US, they were criticized for violating the rights of the defendant to confront the accuser as enshrined in the Sixth Amendment. It has also been criticized for being overly arduous for the defense, as well as violating civil liberties like the freedom of speech. (Flowe et al, 2007). So, what do rape shield laws do? Commonly, rape shield laws bar the introduction of reputation and opinion regarding the sexual history of the accuser. Additionally, they prove that evidence about victim’s specific sexual conduct is supposedly irrelevant unless such evidence is direct source of disease, pregnancy, or injury that may be an issue in the case, or has relation to particular sexual conduct with the defendant (The National Centre for Victims of Crime, 2011). Rape shield laws in eleven states have an exception which is known a â€Å"catch-all† which allows the judge to permit the introduction of evidence of any nature, even those that are normally barred by rape shield laws, if it is necessary to introduce that evidence in order to protect the accused constitutional rights. Various rape shield laws allow the judge to decide if the evidence in question is relevant or not. If it is relevant, the judge determines whether the evidence’s potential prejudicial impact outweighs its relevance, or not. Rape shield laws are relevant in the criminal justice system as they guard against the introduction of irrelevant evidence of the innocence or guilt of the defendant, but which can potentially prejudice the jury against the accuser or the victim (The National Centre for Victims of Crime, 2011). Flowe et al (2007) explain that rape shield laws are important to the victims as they help in ensuring that the rape victims are treated with respect, dignity, and fairness during criminal trial by making sure that the victim is not subject to a public airing about his or her past conduct, sexual reputation, and any other information which might be irrelevant. More importantly, rape shield laws increase the possibility that victims will report rape cases as they will be more likely to come forward to report. If the sexual history of the victims would have been examined or revealed in court as part of rape trial, it is very likely that victims will not report the rape cases with increasing regularity. However, it should be noted that rape shield laws only guard against the introduction of evidence or irrelevant information during trial, but do not protect the victims from publicity prior to the trial. This may probably deter many victims from reporting rape cases. Rape shield laws have been credited for the decrea sing

Relationship Literacy Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Relationship Literacy Article - Essay Example Fundamentally speaking, most forms of abuse originate for the abuser, as a learned behavior. In fact, most abusers were in fact abused themselves as children in the case of either sexual, physical or emotional abuse. When this type of behavior is exhibited to children and youth as a ‘normal’ means of interacting, the individual then proceeds into their future social interactions with the ideology that abusive behavior is not only acceptable but also normal. By implementing relationship literacy on an early childhood educational level and on through the adolescent years, individuals will be more readily equipped with the social and moral tools to properly interact with others throughout their life. This is a two fold process. By teaching and modeling proper human interaction within the school system, children will certainly have a comprehensive understanding of what is socially expected of them as a member of society. Furthermore, the rule of no tolerance towards school v iolence, verbal threats and abuse and sexual forms of abuse; will further instill within children a sense of accountability and consequence. The question of where to begin the approach to relationship literacy training can be answered by approaching the topic where it is most needed. In fact, the origin of the program began in inner city environments, ten years ago, with an approach to anger management as well as an emphasis on the overall importance of personal relationships and healthy social interaction. In so many cases, violence and abuse prevail simply because so many are not equipped with proper mechanisms of dealing with anger and conflict. By placing emphasis on virtues such as sympathy and apathy, programs offering relationship literacy training can prepare children and youth for future appropriate and healthy relationship interaction. With the growing need to address national

W1 Disc Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation Essay

W1 Disc Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation - Essay Example In an article entitled â€Å"Managing Technological Innovation – Opportunity Recognition and Conflict Management† written by Agarwal (2010), the other provided two guidelines for strategic management of technology and innovation through market analysis and creative thinking. This is consistent with the guidelines discussed by White & Bruton (2011) who emphasized the need to be â€Å"proactive rather than reactive† (p. 26). The assumption of a proactive stance is analogous to the proposed conducting of a market analysis to â€Å"create the need for innovation† (Agarwal, 2010, p. 4). Likewise, as revealed, â€Å"there was some creating thinking that led to the emergence of IT† (Agarwal, 2010, p. 4). The encouragement of creative thinking is one of the crucial motivational tools that managers could instill as part of assessing the strengths of weaknesses of the organization’s work force, which is a necessary element in strategic management. The advice of Agarwal (2010) corroborates the managerial guidelines expounded by White & Bruton (2011) to manage technology and innovation

Saudi ARAMCO Compensation Scheme Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Saudi ARAMCO Compensation Scheme - Assignment Example Given that the company operates in over 200 nations across the globe, it is faced with the need to make a choice of whether to globally standardize their products and thus benefit from economies of scale operation (Bell 12). It is also faced with the need to adapt their products to a specific market segment or adopt integrated approaches that simultaneously make use of both approaches. Much literature has been produce regarding the external and uncontrollable factors that may impact on the company’s strategic positioning. This study is meant to look at the internal variables and the externalities in order to derive the â€Å"best fit† tactical and strategic approach. The paper seeks to illustrate how the company’s tactics and international strategy harmoniously work after a deep consideration of the external forces existing in the global market. Organizational and strategic effectiveness are very vital for the success of any business organization, although they are very different. According to Bell (57-9), strategic positioning is unique in the sense that it seeks to integrate both organizational and strategic effectiveness in a manner that serves to differentiate a business organization in the market place and thus drive success. When looking at a product strategy, management in a borderless world does not necessarily mean managing by the ave rages. It does not also mean that to make a product appealing to the customers means removing the localization of the product. It rather means setting the stage for the management of the product to thrive locally and internationally. The company sells non-alcoholic beverages and it currently operates in more than 200 countries globally. The company is famous for its innovative soft drink, â€Å"Coca-Cola† although it can presently boast of over 230 brands. It employs almost 30,000 people across the world. It is noted that 80% of the company’s profit and 70% of its

Strategy implementation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategy implementation - Essay Example The second step that StilSim Company needs to work on is statement of values, support and maintains it. Stilsim Company needs to make a list of actions and strategies to help the company to succeed. An organizational design, Stilsim Company needs an organizational structure to help determine the risks that come in the way of StilSim Company as well as making a backup plan in case this plan did not work. StilSim Company needs to utilize a behavioral control system and contemporary control as well as establishing reward and incentive to create a high performance culture. Finally, it is important for StilSim Company to be ethical in their line of work as well as making plans for any legal issues that exists. With all this implementation we can definitely say it is a new beginning and era for StilSim Company to dominate the competition and the market. We know people. Our name StilSim was created to reflect the excitement we feel about our business. It flows from the public recognition that we receive for our work and the applause we get in the community and marketplace. It is different, because we are different! With three offices in Central Ohio, and over twenty five years of experience our Ohio workforce consists of huge number of registered associates providing flexible staffing to our clientele’s accounts annually. Our extensive experience in this business community helps us understand the challenges in our marketplace therefore we can supply you with the quality staffing and services to meet those challenges. StilSim Company values integrity, honesty, quality customer service, openness, personal excellence, continual self improvement and mutual respect. We are committed to our customers and cliental. We have the passion to provide the best service out there. We hold ourselves accountable to our customers, shareholders, partners, and employees by honoring our commitments, and providing results. Our brochures and handbook will be provided to our

Criminal Justice- Ethics Policy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Criminal Justice- Ethics Policy - Term Paper Example The ethical policy of the criminal justice system is to be based on the values where the members of the Academy should respect the dignity, worth and rights of every individual – even though they are criminal. This should be the basis of the ethical policy that is to be established for the criminal justice agency. It is necessary to inculcate the actual meaning of ethics in the minds of the members of the agency in order to truly and ethically establish the ethical policies in the agency (Pollock 1998). It is highly necessary to first educate the members of the agency about the importance of ethics in criminal justice. I, as the Head of the criminal justice agency, will first educate my members of the agency about values and importance of ethics in criminal justice system before establishing the same. At the same time the local community and neighborhood watch program should also be considered. The best way is to involve the members of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), which has over 14000 members in 68 countries. The reason for utilizing them for drafting the document is that they make the most universally representative police association. The IACP always emphasizes the needs and importance of ethics training in law enforcement agencies. Hence there cannot anything better than them to draft the document. They are the most experienced and right people for this job (Souryal, 2010). There will at least a few members of this universal body be available who can take the lead in drafting the document. One aspect that is worth mentioning is incorporation of code of ethics outlining standards of professional conduct in the IACP rule making them the choice of drafting the document. As mentioned earlier the ethical code of conduct outlining the standards of professional in the IACP rule would be the biggest reference for drafting the ethical code document for the

Challenges and responses in housing management Essay

Challenges and responses in housing management - Essay Example In addition to that the dissertation will also include the responses that the housing management system or process have received. This proposal attempts to provide a clear understanding regarding the main dissertation. It includes a proper description of the research question. Other crucial details regarding the dissertation are also included in the proposal. The proposed dissertation will attempt to address the two above mentioned research questions. The main objective of this research will be to identify and analyze the challenges that the housing management system or process have been facing throughout the world. This research will aim to gain insight of these challenges. In addition to that another major objective of this research is to find out the responses that the idea of housing management has received till now. The research will focus on the organizations that are associated with housing management and the responses that they have received so far from the society as a whole. The concept of housing management was first seen as an area of practice during the period of 1860 to 1864. At the present global scenario housing management is referred to â€Å"the management of all the present and potential housing resources of an area so as to contain and ameliorate, as well as to eliminate, its inherent problems† (Chiu, 2007). Challenges to housing management in the present global society may come from various sources. Challenges can be in the form of political, financial, social as well as legal. In addition to that challenges may arise due to lack of infrastructure. Like various challenges, there are different types of responses that the housing management system has been receiving throughout the world. All the literatures that are related to housing management and the challenges that it has been facing over the past few years, will be described in the dissertation. During the process of search of relevant literature both

Nursing Care Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Nursing Care Plan - Assignment Example Discuss with the client the entries in the notebook and teach alternative responses to maladaptive behaviors. Ventilation of feelings provides a release of emotional tension. It will also facilitate the exploration of underlying reasons of committing suicide. Active listening and silence allows the client to verbalize feelings, anger and fear (Townsend 2003). Community resources and crisis centers provide adequate social support. Phone numbers of these agencies are helpful for the client especially when there is a sudden impulse to commit suicide (Videbect, p.365). Furthermore, client reported â€Å"having no suicidal ideation† and â€Å"desire to live life and correct mistakes†. She identified community resources and phone numbers to call at the first instance of impulse to harm self. The client gained independence in deciding to engage in individual psychotherapy and counseling. In addition, client kept a record of her emotions and developed insights as to the situations that cause her to think about committing suicide. With a non- judgmental attitude, provide feedback for each client attempts to interact with other people. Help the client identify her negative behaviors and practice by role- playing on alternative ways on communicating effectively. After learning to interact with the nurse, the client can be ready to engage in group interaction. Recognizing the client’s absence in each group activity reinforces the idea that the client is valued and her feelings are being considered (Townsend 2003). Client attempts of interaction need to be corrected as necessary to ensure that the client develops effective techniques of communication. Role- playing facilitates learning and strengthens therapeutic nurse- client relationship (Townsend 2003). Cognitive restructuring aims to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Thought- stopping intends to halt the negative patterns of self- thought by

Tim Burton Analytical Essay Example for Free

Tim Burton Analytical Essay The dark lighting showed Edwards loneliness, however, the bright lighting of the town and Pegs house showed how he was able to create a relationship with the towns people, which he was unable to do previously in the tower. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka did not have a good relationship with his father, so the flashbacks of his childhood are in a darker light. The dark lighting in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Edward Scissorhands stresses the importance of relationships. In accordance with dark lighting, Burton also uses contrasting sets exemplify the mportance of relationships. In Big Fish, when Edward Bloom unexpectedly arrives in Spectre for the first time, the town is green and lush with vegetation, and the townspeople are happy and worry free. While he was in Spectre, he promised a little girl he would return. However when he returned after many years, the town was barren and businesses were closed. This contrasting set shows he was not there for the town when they needed him; therefore the town was barren when he returned for the second time. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka creates an amazing hocolate factory to substitute the happiness of having a good relationship with his father. Contrastingly, Charlies house may not be as extravagant as the factory, but Charlie has a loving family. The opposing sets between the factory and Charlies home shows the importance of relationships. In Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, contrasting sets show the importance of relationships Moreover, the use of close ups exemplifies the importance of relationships. In Big Fish, when Edward Bloom is lying in the hospital bed, and Will Bloom, Edwards son, inished the story of his fathers fantasy death, there is a close up of Wills face. Will knows his father is going to die and that all of the tall tales that his father told were true. The close up shows that if Will had trusted his father, they would have a better relationship. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, whenever the conversation of parents began, Wonka would act uncomfortable. From afar the viewer does not see the sadness, but the close up shows the sadness in his eyes. Wonka is sad he does not have a good relationship with his father, therefore the close up shows that elationships are important. In Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the close ups of the characters show the importance of relationships. Burton has a passion for making movies, and he puts all of his effort into creating extravagant sets and costumes in his movies. As seen in Big Fish, Edward Scissorhands, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Burton creates personal messages to convey his inner feelings. In these movies, Tim Burton utilizes dark lighting, contrasting sets, and close ups to epitomize the importance the importance of relationships.

Feminization Of Migration Philippine Workers Welfare Sociology Essay

Feminization Of Migration Philippine Workers Welfare Sociology Essay Introduction and Background In most places throughout the world, the term migrant conjures images of men, while the phrase, migrants and their families introduces women and children into the picture. Yet, statistics show that half of all migrants globally are female and studies document that women are active participants in migration, both within and between countries (Boyd, 2006). Philippine migration started as early as 1900s during the time of American colonial rule. The first Filipinos to migrate came from Ilocos and they worked in pineapple plantations in Hawaii, agriculture in California and fish canneries in Washington and Alaska in 1920s. During 1960s, different category of Filipino workers migrated to America, Canada, and some European countries. They were the so-called professionals working as nurses, doctors, and medical technicians. In 1970s, Filipinos were in demand in industrialized countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and Malaysia. They filled up the labor shortages in these countries and worked as construction workers, nannies, domestic workers, nurse and entertainers. The phenomenon in Philippine labor migration started during these years since large numbers of workers leave the country for employment. However, in 1980s a different trend in Philippine labor migration has emerged called feminization of migration. (Explain why?) This means that more and more women participated in the area of labor migration. (Add further explanation) A lot of factors attributed to the proliferation of women migration. In the previous studies, women migration could be a result of poverty, globalization, and pressure from family, among others. But the most common reason of these women who wants to find better opportunities in their chosen countries of destination is poverty. To escape poverty, these women leave their work and try their luck overseas. Some of them are professionals while others are a mere high school graduates working mostly in the services sector. However, the basic question lies in their welfare and protection in the third country. Hence, this study is conducted to identify the common issues and concerns encountered by these women and try to examine the Philippine government policy thru the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to ensure the welfare and protection of these women in their chosen country of destination. If possible, this study will try to influence the DOLE policy makers by presenting sufficient data to justify the need to formulate policies specifically for women migrant workers (if there is none). Theoretical Framework Several theories are presented in this section to help the readers understand or gain insights on the migration of Filipino women migrant workers. Below are some of the theories: Feminist theory, according to Wikipidia (13 April 2009), aims to understand the nature of inequality and focuses on gender politics, power relations and sexuality. While generally providing a critique of social relations, much of feminist theory also focuses on analyzing gender inequality and the promotion of womens rights, interests, and issues. Based on the same source mentioned above, the feminist legal theory is based on the belief that the law has been instrumental womens historical subordination. The project of feminist legal theory is twofold. First, feminist jurisprudence seeks to explain ways in which the law played a role in womens former subordinate status. Second, feminist legal theory is dedicated to changing womens status through a reworking of the law and its approach to gender. One of the theories that best describes the outflow of Filipino women abroad is the theory on globalization. Globalization (Wikipedia, 11 April 2009) in its literal sense is the process of transformation of local or regional phenomena into global ones. It can be described as a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society and function together. This process is a combination of economic, technological, socio-cultural and political forces. Globalization is often used to refer to economic globalization, that is, integration of national economies into the international economy through trade, foreign direct investment, capital flows, migration, and the spread of technology. Another theory that explains migration is the neoclassical economic theory (Sjaastad 1962; Todaro 1969). It suggests that international migration is related to the global supply and demand for labor. Nations with scarce labor supply and high demand will have high wages that pull immigrants in from nations with a surplus of labor (family.jrank.org, 2009). The segmented labor market theory (Piore 1979) argues that First World economies are structured so as to require a certain level of immigration. This theory suggests that developed economies are dualistic, they have a primary market of secure, well remunerated work and a secondary market of low wage work. Segmented labor market theory argues that immigrants are recruited to fill these jobs that are necessary for the overall economy to function but are avoided by the native-born population because of the poor working conditions associated with the secondary labor market (family.jrank.org, 2009). World systems theory (Sassen 1988) argues that international migration is a by-product of global capitalism. Contemporary patterns of international migration tend to be from the periphery (poor nations) to the core (rich nations) because factors associated with industrial development in the First World generated structural economic problems, and thus push factors, in the Third World (family.jrank.org, 2009). In the Todaro-Harris model, the decision to migrate is largely determined by the individuals expectation of earning a higher income, with expected income being defined as actual urban income multiplied by the probability of obtaining employment (Ullah, 2004). Conceptual Framework Figure 1 presents the research paradigm of the study. Figure 1: Research Design As shown in the diagram, Filipino women migrant workers are also experiencing some issues and concerns in their chosen country of destination. This study will find out how these issues and concerns will affect the formulation of Philippine labor policy. Statement of the Problem This study deals on the Feminization of the Philippine Labor Migation as well as its implications on the countrys policy on workers welfare and protection. Specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions: What is the personal profile of the respondents based on the following: Age Marital Status Level of Education Employment Status Nature of Employment Length of Contract What are the common issues and concerns encountered by migrant women in the receiving/destination countries? What are the roles of the government particularly the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in ensuring the well-being of the Filipino women migrant workers? What is/are the policy/ies of DOLE in dealing with the migration of women in terms of: Welfare Protection With reference to question 2, what are the implications of these common issues and concerns in the formulations of labor policy/ies directed to Filipino migrant women? Hypothesis The following hypotheses were considered by the researcher in the study: The common issues and concerns encountered by migrant women in the receiving/destination countries are not significant. The roles of the government particularly DOLE are minimal in ensuring the well-being of the Filipino women migrant workers. The policy/ies of DOLE in dealing with the migration of women are not significant in terms of: Welfare Protection With reference to question 2, the implications of these common issues and concerns are not significant in the formulations of labor policy/ies directed to Filipino migrant women. Significance of the Study Since the onset of the phenomenon called feminization of Philippine labor migration in 1980s, a number of researchers attempted to determine the factors that trigger Filipino women from leaving the country in search for a better opportunity abroad. This study will try to delve into the implications of the common issues and concerns encountered by migrant women in the destination countries to the formulation of labor policies/programs by DOLE. Further, the conduct of this study will acquaint the public on the difficulties encountered by the Filipino women migrant workers abroad. This will also serve as a guide to the Philippine government thru DOLE to formulate policies addressing specifically the issues and concerns of the women migrant workers. Scope and Delimitation of the Study This study focuses on the common issues and concerns faced by Filipino migrant women and its implications on the formulation of government policies to ensure their welfare and protection. The respondents shall be the women migrant workers employed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). In 2008, KSA was the top destination country for newly hires Filipino migrant workers with a deployment of 76,148. Of this figure, 24,508 were female workers. To save time and money, Slovins formula shall be employed to determine the sample size of the population. Particularly, this study shall concentrate gathering data in Alkhobar, KSA wherein one of the two POLOs in Saudi Arabia is located. Sets of questionnaire shall be disseminated to the respondents with the assistance of POLO-Alkhobar. The distribution of questionnaires shall be done in the POLO office wherein the respondents paid visit to request for assistance, asking for an advice and other grievances among others. The researcher shall also use interview method with the concerned government officials, non-government organizations (NGOs), private sectors and internet to facilitate the conduct of the thesis. Definition of Terms The following are the common terms used in this study. The terms were defined according to the context of the study. Some terms were taken from the DOLE and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Glossary for Migration: Country of Origin A country where the women workers permanently resides. Feminization of Migration The increasing participation of women in the field of labor migration. Labour Migration The movement of persons from their home state to another for the purpose of employment. Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) The POLO serves as the DOLEs overseas operating arm in the implementation of Philippine labor policies and programs for the protection and promotion of the welfare and interests of Filipinos working abroad. Push-Pull Factors Push factors are the reasons that trigger the workers to migrate in their chosen country of destination whereas pull factors are the attracting forces that lead them to migrate. Receiving Country The chosen country of destination by the worker. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE This chapter presented the different literature and studies conducted by different authors both local and foreign to support the concepts and theories of the phenomenon called Feminization of Labor Migration. Related Literature In a study entitled, The Feminization of Philippine Migration in Europe (05 March 2009), the Philippine Migration is brought about by a combination of socio-cultural, economic, and political factors in the Philippines that push Philippine women to migrate, as well as factors in Europe that pull them to immigrate. The economic crisis in the Philippines has led to an increasing unemployment and underemployment, with practically no work available within the country. According to that same study, it was mentioned that as migrant workers, Filipinas experience a host of problems related to their employment situations. Because they are women, who come from the so called Third World, they are allowed to work only in the lowest job categories. They are particularly vulnerable to various forms of exploitative labour practices, being employed in jobs, which make use of their highly skilled and qualified labour at very low cost. The fact is women migrants are indeed subject to various forms of abuse when they work overseas they are paid low wages if they are paid at all, they work in terrible working conditions, and are subject to various forms of physical, sexual and psychological violence calling for necessary interventions on the part of the state (Rodriguez, 1995). With reference to the study entitled The Feminization of Philippine Migration in Europe (05 March 2009), it was stated that the withholding of wages and documents such as passports, low pay, long working hours, the lack of opportunities for meaningful career advancement, and the lack of work benefits and job security, are only some of the problems, which Filipina migrant workers experience in the work place. Many believed labor export exposed women migrants to harsh forms of sexual violence. Others believed that the out-migration of women was weakening the Philippines social and moral fabric and still others, believed that the out-migration of Filipinas as domestic workers and entertainers threatened the Philippine states subject status on the world stage (Rodriguez, 1995). The feminization of Philippine overseas labor migration, which had been male-dominated until the 1980s, belies the failure of womens empowerment in society. The increasing out-migration of women indicates a decline, or continuing limitation, in the share of work available to women in the production process; employment opportunities remain restricted and income insufficient. The majority of female OFWs are still in traditional reproductive work such as domestic work and cultural entertainment, health care and nursing, where the pay is low and the nature of the work involves a higher exposure to physical, sexual and other abuse. This in turn underscores the international division of labor, in which the Third World, or the South, does the labor-intensive and lower-paid work. It also demonstrates a persistent gendered division of labor at the global level, with the South taking on the menial aspects of reproductive work, which are thereby feminized, secondary, subservient, and inferior t o the masculine, dominant North (de Guzman, 2003). The increased understanding of the situation of migrant women should provide the basis for the formulation of policies and programmes that promote their equality with migrant men and that safeguard their well-being (UN, 2004). Related Studies For a long time, the typical migrant has been viewed as male and until 3 decades ago, female migration was generally overlooked. Since the middle of the 1970s, there has been a growing interest in womens immigration, first with the increase in family reunification, especially in Europe and from the 1980s, until today, the growing recruitment of migrant women for labour market needs especially in service (Casas and Garson, 2005). In recent years the term feminization of migration has become commonplace, even entering the public domain through media reports (INSTRAW, 2007). According to Nancy V. Yanger, in her study on the Feminization of Migration (2006), there has been a change in the international migration patterns of women: more are moving from one country to another on their own than to join their husbands or other family members. This feminization of migration raises several key policy concerns about womens security and human rights in sending and destination countries. About half of all migrant workers are now women (IOM, 2008), with more women migrating independently and as main income earners rather than accompanying male relatives (Martin, 2005). Insofar as men are increasingly unable to fulfill their traditional roles as economic providers to their families, and the demand for female caregivers continue to rise in the industrial countries, the pressure on women to seek new survival strategies for their families will continue to fuel the increase of female migrants worldwide (INSTRAW, 2007). The feminization of migration had also produced specifically female forms of migration, such as the commercialized migration of domestic workers and caregivers, the migration and trafficking of women for the sex industry and the organized migration of women for marriage (UNESC, 2006). Women are often recruited internationally to do reproductive work in other peoples houses or for service sector jobs such as waitressing or entertainment that are poorly and marked by high instability and turnover. Many of these jobs are unregulated because they are of borderline legality (such as sex work) or because they are not included in the scope of the destination countrys labor laws, which primarily cover productive work. The unregulated nature of reproductive work, which allows no recourse through the legal system, places many women migrants at risk of exploitation in the form of low wages, poor working conditions, or physical or sexual abuse (Yinger, 2006). Perhaps the most notable feature of female migration is the extent to which it is founded upon the continued reproduction and exploitation of gender inequalities by global capitalism. For the most part, female labor migrants perform womens work as nannies, maids and sex workers the worst possible occupational niches in terms of remuneration, working conditions, legal protections and social recognition. In this way, gender acts as a basic organizing principle of labor markets in destination countries, reproducing and reinforcing pre-existing gender patterns that oppress women. But it is not only women who perform these jobs, but women of a particular race, class, ethnicity and/or nationality i.e. gender cross-cuts with other forms of oppression to facilitate the economic exploitation of women migrants and these relegation to a servile (maids) and/or despised (sex workers) status (INSTRAW, 2007). In the north, the growing involvement of immigrant women in paid work is mainly the result of an increase in the demand for labour in unskilled and poorly paid jobs in the service sectors in immigrant-receiving countries. Domestic service, hotels and restaurants and personal care are all sectors that have large recourse to foreign migration labour and the development of exclusively female migration flows (Sassen, 1993). Immigrant women work in those jobs that are abandoned by the receiving country nationals (Casas and Garson, 2005). INSTRAWs Columbia case study found a significant number of middle-age women whose main reason to migrate was not related to economic or family reasons (as their children are already grown up) but rather to the expectation that new relationship opportunities are easier to come by in Spain than in Columbia, where women their age have a difficult time finding new sexual partners. Both the Columbian and the Dominican case studies found that unsatisfactory marriages factored in many womens decision to migrate, as it was easier for them to end the relationship after they had moved to another country (which contradicts the common assumption that the migration itself is the cause of the marital break-up) (INSTRAW, 2007). The studies have revealed the 2 dimensions of the role played by immigrant women in the economies of both their sending and their receiving societies: an active role on the labour market, sending remittances, becoming heads of household, etc. Certain academic and political circles would see to have established a link between feminization of migration, the active role of women as economic and development agents and empowerment. It is important to note that even though immigrant women participate in the economics of their countries of origin and destination, by sending large remittances and maintaining transnational households, this role as social and economic agents does not necessarily imply an increase in their status (empowerment) (Casas and Garson, 2005). As INSTRAWs (2007) (and many other) case studies show, by allowing women to become economic providers for themselves and for their transnational families, migration can increase their self-esteem, personal autonomy and status. Migrant women often measure their achievements only in terms of the benefits they are able to provide to their families and they are praised by others in similar terms. Migration can provide a vital source of income for migrant women and their families, and earn them increased autonomy, self-confidence and social status (IOM, 2008). In a study conducted by Monica Boyd entitled Women in International Migration: The Context of Exit and Entry for Empowerment and Exploitation (2006), women migrant workers who are admitted legally but temporarily, may be poorly protected by existing labor law in destination countries and they may have little recourse to state protection if abuse occurs. In countries of origin and also in countries of destination (IOM, 2008), female migrants may be victims of negative attitudes about women working at all, attitudes that affect their rights to leave the country without permission to receive further education or training and to engage in certain occupations. Globally, the International Labour Office (ILO) reports that the most frequently encountered issues regarding the working conditions of women migrant workers are low remuneration, heavy workloads with long working hours and inadequate rest periods, limited training facilities and poor career development. In some countries such workers also lack freedom of movement. Women migrant workers jobs are normally located very low on the occupational ladder and usually not, or only inadequately covered by labour legislation or other social security or welfare provisions (ILO, 1999). The broader theoretical approach to the analysis of networks as a factor behind migration now extends to the role of women in migration. A further factor that favours the increased visibility of female immigration is that migration is no longer considered to be the result of an individual decision but rather is best viewed as an integral part of family and community strategies (Stark, 1984) (Casas and Garson, 2005). Women migrate to work abroad in response to gender-specific labour demand in countries of destination that reflects existing values, norms, stereotypes and hierarchies based on gender. Thus, although laws regarding the admission of migrant workers are generally gender neutral, the demand for domestic workers, nurses, and entertainers focuses on the recruitment of migrant women. Moreover, in countries of origin as well, female labour supply is the result of gender norms and stereotypes that gear women to certain traditionally female occupations. Recruitment intermediaries, whether private or official, also contribute to reinforce gender segregation in the labour market (UN, 2004). Women have always been present in migratory flows, traditionally as spouses, daughters, or dependents of male migrants. Nowadays women are increasingly migrating as the main economic providers for their households meaning that they migrate autonomously as breadwinners a contribution that has served to increase their visibility within migratory flows (UN-INSTRAW, 2006). The global demand for migrant labour now prioritizes womens specific skills and traditional roles, such that: a) paid domestic work is increasingly performed by women who leave their own countries, communities and often their families; b) domestic service draws not only women from poor socio-economic classes but also women of relatively high status in their own countries; and c) the development of service-based economies in post-industrial nations favours the international migration of women workers. In the developed world, the combination of womens increased participation in the labour force and the failure to develop family-friendly labour policies and child, elderly, and disabled care options have lead to a strong demand for migrant women workers. Migrant women are thus a central support system for womens freedom in the developed world and they make a contribution that is under-recognized and undervalued (UN-INSTRAW, 2006). The increasing feminization of the Philippine labor export industry suggests that womens desperation to overcome the hardships brought about by worsening socioeconomic conditions in the country is the major push factor that drives them to leave, to bet on a brighter future abroad while turning almost a blind eye to the risks involved (Philippine Migrants Rights Watch, 2004). The feminization of international labor migration in the Philippines can be seen from several vantage points. For one, it can be seen as an extension of the freedom of mobility afforded Filipino women. For another, the involvement of Filipino women in international labor migration can be seen as a response to the demand for women workers in the more developed countries. The demand for women migrant workers also came at a time when the demand for male workers was slowing down in the Middle East, which was the major destination of migrant workers in the 1970s and the early 1980s. Countries of origin such as the Philippines were poised to respond to the demand for women migrant workers given the experience they had gained with large-scale overseas employment in the 1970s (Guerrero, et. al, 2001). Although women give different reasons why they consider overseas employment as a work option, these reasons invariably boil down to economic or financial considerations. Migrant workers mention the following specific or immediate reasons: to get a job, to support family needs, to send siblings and children to school, to pay for medical treatment of parents, to pay debts (Villalba, 2002). Compared to other countries of origin, the Philippines has, in fact, instituted various measures to ensure the protection of women migrant workers. Early on and several times thereafter, the government had instituted several bans on the deployment of domestic workers (1982 for Saudi Arabia, which did not push through; a general ban in 1987 and the gradual lifting of the ban as better conditions obtain in the receiving countries; ban for Singapore in 1995) and in the deployment of entertainers to Japan in 1991, in the hopes of stopping the migration of women migrant workers. Bans, as our experience showed, do not work; instead they only lead to irregular migrations, which puts women migrant workers in greater danger. Under the circumstances, the government instituted various approaches to protect women migrant workers (Guerrero, et. al, 2001). Republic Act No. 8042 (POEA, 1996) popularly known as the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 is an act instituting the policies of overseas employment and establish a higher standard of protection and promotion of the welfare of migrant workers, their families and overseas Filipinos in distress, and for the other purposes. Specifically, Section 2, paragraph d (Declaration of Policies) stated, The State affirms the fundamental equality before the law of women and men and the significant role of women in nation-building. Recognizing the contribution of overseas migrant women workers and their particular vulnerabilities, the State shall apply gender sensitive criteria in the formulation and implementation of policies and programs affecting migrant workers and the composition of bodies tasked for the welfare of migrant workers. In addition, Section 4 (Deployment of Migrant Workers) declared, The State shall deploy overseas Filipino workers only in countries where the rights of Filipino migrant workers are protected. The government recognizes any of the following as a guarantee on the part of the receiving country for the protection and the rights of overseas Filipino workers: a) it has existing labor and social laws protecting the rights of migrant workers; b) it is a signatory to multilateral conventions, declarations or resolutions relating to the protection of migrant workers; c) it has concluded a bilateral agreement or arrangement with the government protecting the rights of overseas Filipino workers; and d) it is taking positive, concrete measures to protect the rights of migrant worker (POEA, 1996). Implications of the Reviewed Studies and Literature to the Present Study The reviewed studies and literature were presented to support or refute the theories and concept employed in the study. Further, it is one way to appreciate the reasons behind the out-migration of women since 1980s and the risks and hardships involved. CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Method of Research The researcher shall made use of the descriptive research. According to Calderon and Gonzales (1993), descriptive research is a purposive process of gathering, analyzing and tabulating data about prevailing conditions, practices, beliefs, processes, trends and cause-effect relationships and then making adequate and accurate interpretation about such data with or without the aid of statistical method. Population and Sampling The respondents in this study shall be the Filipino women migrant workers employed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) as professionals and household workers among others. To determine the sample size of the population, the researcher shall employ the Slovins formula. In 2008, 24,508 women workers were deployed in KSA. Using Slovins formula, the sample size of 24,508 is 100 respondents. Alkhobar, KSA is the preferred place for the conduct of this study wherein one of the two POLOs in Saudi Arabia is located. The researcher shall made use of the Convenience Sampling in survey questionnaire in the selection of respondents and Purposive Sampling Technique in identifying the interviewees. Data Gathering Tool/s Primary and secondary instruments shall be utilized to aid the researcher in gathering data/information. A questionnaire shall be constructed that details the profile of the female migrant workers as well as the common issues and concerns encountered by Filipino women migrant workers. Webster Dictionary defines questionnaire as a set of questions for obtaining statistically useful or personal information from an individual. The questionnaire shall be presented in a question-answer format with suitable answers so that the respondents can easily indicate their response by placing a checkmark on the space corresponding to the answer. The researcher shall also conduct interviews on DOLE officials, non-government organizations, and Filipino women migrant workers here and abroad to solicit views necessary for the conduct of this study. Books and electronic data/information were also sourced out in this study. Data Gathering Procedures Questionnaires thru the assistance of POLO-Alkhobar shall be disseminated to the respondents by June until August 2009. Interviews shall follow after the result of the survey is finalized. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) deployment statistics shall be utilized to identify the Filipino women migrant workers deployed from 1980s to 2008. The same data shall be used to also identify the sector dominated by Filipino women mi

Business Strategy of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

Business Strategy of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) TATA group of companies: Tata Group of companies is the largest private corporate group in India and has been recognized as one of the most respected companies in the world which was founded by Jamsedji R Tata in 1991. The company has operations in more than 85 countries across six continents and its companies export products and services to 80 nations and the Tata Group comprises (114) companies and subsidiaries in seven business sectors (Tata Sons Ltd., 2010). SBUs of TATA group 🙠 For details please refer to appendix no.1) SBUs which form a major part of the Tata group include: Tata steel Tata motors Ltd. Tata consultancy services Tata Technologies Tata tea Tata power Tata Communications Tata Teleservices Tata hotels 1.1 Company profile: Tata consultancy services (TCS) SBU of Tata group: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ftrqMPzMyAWhIM::t=1usg=__pSSLT1wgbnRMMkApfc8zl-8DYsg= Source: http://biet.beadvg.org/images/logos/tcs_logo_cmyk.jpg Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is one of the SBU of Tata group of companies. It is a Software services consulting company which is a subsidiary Tata group .It is the largest provider of information technology (IT) and business process outsourcing services in Asia. It has offices in 42 countries with more than 142 branches across the globe. The company is listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange(BSE) of India.TCS mainly offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of IT and IT-enabled services delivered through its unique strategic Global Network Delivery Model which is recognized as the benchmark of excellence in the IT industry (LinkedIn Corporation, 2010) .TCS is currently investing in new technologies, new processes people in order to achieve an competitive edge (Amdocs Ltd., 2010).(For details please refer to appendix no.2) TCS helps some of the worlds largest companies to adopt the right technology-enabled solution that helps them in following manner (Tata Sons Ltd., 2010). Optimize business performance Facilitate alignment of business with technology Connect their extended supply chains Reduce product development time Improve product differentiation Provide real-time business insight Lower operational costs TCS business structure: Following diagram illustrates operating structure of TCS: Fig 1.TCS operating structure Source: http://www.allbusiness.com/glossaries/organizational-structure/4943569-1.html 2 Business Level Strategies: TCS has developed its business level strategy by assuming as world financial institutions are in a tremendous shock of crisis and think of scaling up revenue from other industries. (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). TCS names its business divisions as Industry Service Practice which will help them to collect maximum revenue from Banking Financial Services and Insurance Sectors. (Please refer to appendix no. 3) Generic Business Strategies of TCS: TCS provides low cost Global delivery with the help global strategy. TCS mainly focus on customer relationship management customer retention in order increase the business revenue. TCS provides timely delivery of IT services with the help of proven delivery quality framework called as (iQMS) TCS uses differentiation strategy by providing low end services in terms of cost, resources. TCS also diffenciate its high end services such as consulting in term of niche offerings. TCS has strong knowledge management system resource Strength by which they has successful in reaching the overall cost leadership in the (IT) industry. TCS has develop a resolute strategy where they are providing (IT) services according to the requirements of customer and the nature of business. targeting new markets like Middle East, Europe, and Asia-pacific. Currently TCS Focus on Centres of Excellence (CoE) to hold ability so as to construct technologies such as service-oriented architecture, testing, and virtualization which will help TCS to attempt outsized projects so as to alter customers (IT) applications. Business level strategy model: Following diagram illustrates various business level strategies of TCS which are closely related to the company. Fig 2. Business level strategy model-TCS Source: Author Business level Strategies are listed below: Global Strategies Strategic Alliance strategy Acquisition strategy TCS: Co innovation network (coin) strategy (1) Global strategy: TCS global strategy structure tend towards its global operations to implement a Customer centric and integrated approach which will help them to control external factors arising from the Economic Meltdown in western countries. TCSs global operation units is divided into five main divisions includes the established markets like North America K Western Europe as well as the new markets includes mainly Latin America, Middle east, India and Eastern Europe. TCS was the first one to set the global delivery centre in China which distinguished TCS from other corporate companies (Mitra, 2005). This global strategy of TCS will Increase Companys market growth rate at the rate of 40% every year. TCS is establishing global delivery centres outside India which demonstrate TCS as a Global company. In recent years TCS was frequently changing its approach towards global market. (For details please refer to appendix no .3) Global strategy map: Following map illustrated the countries where TCS collaborate its global strategy Mainly includes US, Mexico, China, India, Hungary, UK, West-Europe etc. http://htmlimg3.scribdassets.com/entwg1s84irfuww/images/15-8f526c1a8f/000.jpg Fig.3 Global Strategy map Source: http://www.cogmap.com/chart/tata- consultancy-services 2 Strategic Alliances strategy: Tata consultancy services have been holding a strategic relationship with various International technology (IT) vendors such as Intel, Hewlett-Packard (HP), IBM this distinguished as service provider, customer, supplier, and alliance partner. (Mitra, 2005). The relationships with the international technology vendors have made TCS to maintain a holistic approach to create a joint venture opportunities with these international vendors on joint research by which each others strengths will provide a strategic advantage by following ways(For details please refer to appendix no.4) It creates joint engagements with (IT) vendors. It provide new or improved solutions on problems It helps to adopt a Joint go-to-market strategy for the specific (IT) solutions. 3. Acquisition strategy: TCS divides its acquisition strategy into two components. Organic means and inorganic means (Mitra, 2005). The Inorganic way of acquisitions of companies this has business sense to TCS as part of its strategy to look at expansion options has set up an internal team which will focus only on acquisition strategies.(For details please refer to appendix no.5) 4. Co- innovation network (coin) strategies: TCS have implemented a Co-innovation strategy in order to face the competition in todays globalization world. Where competition among the IT companies is increasing day by day. TCS has developed implement an innovative technology which will result in collaborating a Globally Distributed Network (GDN) (Mitra, 2005). (Please refer to appendix no.6) Bowmans strategic clock: Business level strategy of TCS can also be explained with the help of Bowmanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s Strategic clock (work of Cliff Bowman) (For details please refer to appendix no.7) Fig 4. Bowmans strategic clock Source: Adopted from (Faulkner Bowman, 1995) Based on the competition faced by TCS they are using two parallel strategies so as to sustain in the (IT) sector. Differentiation:-TCS use differentiation strategy by offering its low high end services such as consulting in term of niche offerings terms of cost resources. Expertise that is different from those of the competitors in (IT) industry which are valued by the customers. Low price:-TCS has achieved cost (price) leadership in the (IT) industry with the help of its strong knowledge management system as compare to competitors. According to Bowmans strategic clock differentiation Low price strategy comes under hybrid strategy. So, it is evident that TCS use these strategies in order to keep up with the emerging (IT) trends and working out towards its goal of being the most chosen brand in the (IT) industry. TCS Business level Strategies can also be identified and explained with the help of Ansoff matrix which divides the strategy of a company into four different categories namely, (i) Market Penetration Strategy (ii) Market Development Strategy (iii) Product Development Strategy (iv) Diversification Strategy TCSs growth and development strategies based on Ansoffs matrix Ansoffix growth matrix 🙠 For details please refer to appendix no.8) TCSS Business level Strategies can also be identified and explained with the help of Assnsoff matrix as follows: Existing Products New Products (Market Penetration) Existing Markets: USA and Europe Existing Products: ADM, BPO, KPO, consultancy services software products. (Product Development) Existing Market: USA and Europe New Product: Consultancy and package implementation services in relatively growing sectors life sciences healthcare, aviation sector, and KPO services (Market Development) New markets: India, Middle-east and Australia Existing Products: ADM, BPO, KPO, consultancy services Software products (financial products). (Diversification) New products: vertical- Specific services packages, TCS Financial Solutions, and Platform-based BPO New markets: Latin America, Eastern Europe, Middle East Africa and India), Existing Market New Market Fig 4. Ansoffix growth matrix of TCS Source: Author (i) Market penetration strategy: As per the growth matrix TCS is currently penetrates its range of services into USA and Europe where they provide ADM, BPO, KPO, consultancy services (in BFSI, manufacturing and retail firms) as well as they provide software products (financial products) to the firms as most large clients in US and Europe are concentrating on cutting costs of (IT) related services (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). TCS needs to be more aggressive on cost cutting strategy with good quality. (ii) Market development strategy: As per the growth matrix TCS is concentrating on new markets like India, Middle-east and Australia where they provide products like ADM, BPO, KPO consultancy services (in BFSI, manufacturing and retail) and software products (financial products) (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010).Since these are the most fast developing IT market where TCS needs to keep a paradigm as a shift in focus from US EU markets to these new markets. (iii) Product Development Strategy: As per the growth matrix TCS is selling its new products such as Consultancy and package implementation services in relatively growing sectors especially in life sciences healthcare, aviation sector, and KPO services into existing markets like USA and Europe (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). This strategy will definitely help on building expertise in these domains by strategic acquisitions. (iv) Diversification strategy: As per the growth matrix TCS has diversified their new products like vertical- Specific services packages, TCS Financial Solutions, and Platform-based BPO into new markets like Europe and other emerging markets where the market growth of the company has increased by 40 % (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010).TCS diversified its function to new markets like Latin America and Middle East for considerable expansion. In order to penetrate a new market TCS has established delivery and offshore centres in countries like Brazil, Uruguay and Mexico. 3 Strengths weaknesses based on business Level Strategies: Following table illustrates (TCS) strengths and weaknesses: Strengths Weaknesses Extensive Universal reach Strong economic performance Strong brand name and awareness Unique service Offerings Employee Management Skills (HR Skills) Innovation lab system Fame of founder Momentous publicity to financial markets Lack of focus on the domestic markets. Deficient in level of consulting Operations Source: Author 3.1 Strengths: (1) Extensive Universal reach: TCS has widespread a global reach by its product and services throughout its branches all over the world includes in UK, U.S, Middle east, Australia, Europe etc. (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). This provides a diverse revenue base for the company to have an active control on its business operations universally. (2) Strong economic performance: TCS has made apparent and strong economic presentations around the globe which makes its clients to be financially confident about the company and hence it will increase companys reputation. (3) Strong brand name and awareness: As the popularity of the brand TCS (Tata consultancy services) has been reach all over the world which made TCS a reputed brand image in the Global information technology (IT) and software industries. (4) Unique service Offerings: TCS provides a unique range of services including business consulting; information technology, business process outsourcing (BPO), infrastructure, and engineering which distinguished them from competitors belong to IT industry (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). (5) Employee Management Skills (HR Management Skills): The domestic base of TCS i.e. India is well -known for its skilled employees in IT field which naturally made TCS a very strong in HR management .TCS is also recruited its board of Directors are from overseas countries in order to adopt the strategies from all the parts of the world. (6) Innovation in lab system: TCS have most effective infrastructures and innovative labs all over the world with most modern technologies which help its employees to have an access to update the most up-to-date information to make research in various IT related fields (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). This provides TCS an competitive edge. (7) Fame of founder: Tata is recognised as the most renowned brand in Asia as well as the fame of the founder Mr.Ratan J Tata also added value to TCS (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). 3.2 Weaknesses: (1) Momentous publicity to financial markets: The Excess exposure on the financial service markets at a global level (Datamonitor, 1998). Which generally necessitate to be keep confidential as they it displays companys private policies and legal terms which is considered as the primary key weakness of Tata consultancy services (TCS) (2) Lack of focus on the domestic markets: As per the strength of TCS it has an Extensive Universal reach by its product and services throughout it are all over the world branch which provides a diverse revenue base for the company. (Datamonitor, 1998). But at the same time domestic markets are also affected due to lack of focus by the company. This is the key weakness of Tata consultancy services (TCS). (3) Deficient in level of consulting operations: Lack in Effective consulting team which show a strong reflection of decline in the growth Cycle of the TCS, Being a company which mainly works on Outsourcing on scale large projects and assignment which generally needs a very good effective consulting team which acts as the link between the Clients and company (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010).TCS company is lacking behind in its level of consulting operations. Report to the Board of Directors To, The Board of Directors, Tata consultancy services Ltd. Subject: Recommendations for the (TCS) business unit. Respected Board members, In the report which is attached along with a critical research and analysis has been done on the corporate strategy followed by your company. The research and analysis has been conducted by using various corporate strategy tools and methods and the companys past and current strategies have been highlighted. On the basis of the strengths and the weaknesses of these strategies we have stated so; following are the recommendations which I was able to generate after studying the strategies adopted by the TCS: TCS should create specific value propositions aimed directly at the relevant stakeholders which include business executives, IT personnel in order to improve your market positioning in domestic markets. The excess exposure on the financial service markets which usually need to be kept confidential is considered as the main weakness of TCS so they can should focus more on increasing their IP (Intellectual Property) assets in order to lower the momentous publicity to financial markets (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). TCS can also go for isolation strategies with premium services like IT solutions and focus on a niche market. In market Meltdowns (recession) marketing can work as a differentiator. TCS can alter its focus from Low cost advantage to high quality services considering quality being pioneer in the (IT) industry. TCS can offer diverse services to refrain from being over-dependent and increasing exposure to the vulnerabilities of few sectors like USA. TCS can adopt ADM (Application Development and maintenance) system to increase value added services, BPO to Consulting and Package Implementation (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). Consolidation and strategic acquisitions are essential for future growth of revenues. The HP-EDS merger (one of the biggest ever merger in this industry) is evidence to this. TCS should prepare for such opportunities which are strategic fit for the company. TCS has rightly placed SMB (Small and Medium Businesses) as a separate strategic unit, which should be focused aggressively. They should also focus consulting practice on the same business unit (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010).