Automotive industry Essay Example for Free

Automotive industry Essay Maruti Suzuki India Limited generally famous as Maruti is an ancillary company of the Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corporation. It has a market share of 44.9% of the Indian passenger car market as of March 2011. Maruti 800 and Alto are their entry level cars. Ritz, A-Star, Swift, Wagon-R, Estilo are their hatch back models. DZire SX4 are Maruti’s Sedan class models. Eeco and Ertiga are Maruti’s C segment class. Grand Vitara is their Sports Utility Vehicle which is directly imported from Japan. Maruti is the 1st company in India to turn out and sell more than a million cars. Maruti Udyog Limited is renamed as Maruti Suzuki India Ltd on 17th September 2007. Maruti companies head quarter is in Nelson Mandela Road, New  Delhi. The company was customary in 1989; however the actual production commenced in 1983 with their Maruti 800. Till 2004 Maruti 800 was the India’s largest selling packed in car ever, since it was launched in 1983. More than a million units of this car have been sold worldwide so far. Maruti imports diesel engines for all their diesel cars from Fiat motors. Maruti’s manufacturing plants are located at two amenities Gurgoan and Manesar south of Delhi. Gurgoan plants installed capacity is of 9, 00,000 units per annum and Manesar plant with a capacity of 5, 00,000 units per year and a diesel plant with an annual capacity of 1, 00,000 engines and transmissions. Maruti has 933 dealerships crossways 666 towns and cities in all states and union territories of India with 2,946 service stations (inclusive of dealer workshops and Maruti Authorised Service Stations) in 1,395 towns and cities all over India. It has 30 Express Service Stations on 30 National Highways across 1,314 cities in India. Service is a major source of proceeds to the company. Most of the service stations help many stranded vehicles on the highways by sending across their repair man to the vehicle. 1.2 Definition Of Marketing According to American Marketing Association (AMA) Board of Directors, Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value of customers, clients, partners, and society at large. Dr. Philip Kotler defines, marketing as â€Å"the science and art of exploring, creating, and delivering value to satisfy the needs of a target market at a profit. Marketing identifies unfulfilled needs and desires. It defines measures and quantifies the size of the identified market and the profit potential. It pinpoints which segments the company is capable of serving best and it designs and promotes the appropriate products and services†. 1.3 Customer Perceived Value Customer Perceived Value (CPV) is the distinction between the prospective customer’s evaluation of all the benefits and all the costs of an offering and the perceived alternatives. 1.3.1 Customer Perceived Value of Maruti Suzuki with reference to Holbrook Model Typology of Customer Value Holbrook (1994 p. 27) asserted â€Å"Value is an interactive relativistic preference experience†. Based on this Holbrook proposed a typology of consumer value having three different dimensions: Extrinsic/Intrinsic: The consumer perceives value in using or owning a product or services as a means to and end versus an end in itself. Self-oriented/Other-oriented: The consumer perceives value for the consumer’s own benefit as against the benefit of others. Active/Reactive: The customer perceives value through direct use of an object as against apprehending, appreciating or responding to an object. These three dimensions give rise to eight types of customer value Extrinsic Intrinsic Self-oriented Active Efficiency Play Reactive Excellence Aesthetics Other-oriented Active Status Ethics Reactive Esteem Spirituality Thus for a company like Maruti it would be very apt to use this model considering that the products that Maruti Suzuki has to offer fits in quite easily in different dimensions as presented in the typology. 1.3.2 Customer Perceived Value of Maruti Suzuki with reference to Monroe Model Monroe (1990, p. 46) observes, â€Å"Buyers perceptions of value represent a trade-off between the quality or benefits they perceive in the product relative to the sacrifice they perceived by paying the price† Monroe has expressed the concept of customer perceived value as the ratio between perceived benefits and perceived sacrifice: Customer Perceived Value= Perceived Benefits ________________ Perceived Sacrifice According to Monroe perceived benefits has a positive influence on consumers perception of product value at first, and later on it may influence consumers purchase intentions. In contrast, perceived sacrifice first has a negative influence on consumers perception of product value, and later on it may influence consumers purchase intentions. Perceived Benefits Here the benefits include customers’ desired value, e.g., quality (Monroe, 1990). Sacrifices, on the other hand, include monetary (price) (Dodds, et al., 1991) and non-monetary (time, effort) (Cronin, et al., 2000) considerations. Therefore, value includes three key factors: (1) quality, (2) price, and (3) convenience (Lemon, et al., 2001), where convenience is the time and effort expended by the customers (Cronin, et al., 2000) In context to Maruti, the customer’s desired value is the quality of the car and services rendered there off. Whereas the sacrifices include the price of the car, maintenance cost, etc. 1.3.3 Customer Perceived Value of Maruti with reference to Woodruff’s Model A Value-Hierarchy Model Woodruff (1997) proposed that â€Å"Customer value is a customer’s perceived preference for and evaluation of those product attributes, attribute performances and consequences arising from use that facilities achieving the customer goals and purposes in use situations.† (p146) Accordingly the customer value hierarchy suggests that customers conceive of desired value in a means-end way. Basically it can be known as a system to run businesses throughout the country by understanding customer’s goal and satisfaction over it (Lister, n.d.) Desired Customer Customer Satisfaction Value with Received Value Customer’s Goals and Purposes Desired Consequences in Use Situations Desired Product Attributes and Attribute Preferences Starting at the bottom of the hierarchy, customers start to think about products as bundles of specific attributes and attribute performances. While purchasing and using a product they form desire or preferences for a certain attribute based on their ability to facilitate achieving desired consequence experiences. Looking down the hierarchy from the top, customers use goals and preferences to attach importance to consequences. Also the customer’s use situation plays a critical role in evaluation as well as in desires. Maruti Suzuki, being an automobile manufacturing company faces a lot of competition. Thus such a model would be very essential for their company. 1.3.4 Consumer perceived value of Maruti with reference to Zeithaml Model Means-End Model An adaptation of a model first proposed by Dodds and Monroe (1985), Zeithaml with her study in 1988 about price, quality and value towards consumers defined this into the concept of Means-End model. (Source: Means-End Model, Zeithaml, 1988) 2. Value Proposition Definition of ‘Value Proposition’ A business or marketing speech that summarizes why a customer should buy an item for consumption or use a service. This statement should prove a potential buyer that one meticulous product or service will add more value or better solve a problem than other like offerings. Companies use this statement to target customers who will benefit most from using the company’s products, and this helps maintain an economic moat. The ideal value proposition is concise and appeals to the customer’s strongest decision-making drivers. Companies pay a high price when customers lose slight of the company’s value proposition. 2.1 Value Proposition of Maruti Suzuki ‘Way of Life’ is the Value Proposition of Maruti Suzuki. As India is a country where comfort is vital while travelling, Maruti has always been the first option. As mileage is a big criterion with cars for Indians, Suzuki proves to be better than quite a few other names in cars as its vehicles have a higher mileage; for example Swift gives 22km/ltr while if you compare a Honda City gives around 12-13 km/litre. 2.2 Mission Vision of Maruti Suzuki The Company Mission To make available a wide range of modern, high quality fuel efficient vehicles in order to meet the need of different customers, both in domestic and export markets. The Company Vision We must be an internationally competitive company in terms of our products and services. We must retain our leadership in India and should also aspire to be among the global players. Their focus is on: Building a continuously improving organization adaptable to quick changes Providing value and satisfaction to the customer Aligning and fully involving all our employees, suppliers and dealers to face competition Maximising Shareholder’s value 2.3 Target Market Definition of target market: A specific group of consumers at which a company aims its products and services. Maruti Suzuki has adopted a focused approach and wisely created segments within a large market to promote their cars. Lower Income Group- Maruti 800, Alto  Middle Income Group- Wagon-R, Swift, Swift DZire, Ritz High Income Group- Maruti Suzuki Kizashi, Suzuki Grand Vitara Suzuki Grand Vitara would obviously have no takers amongst the lower income group. 2.4 Market Attractiveness Market attractiveness is a term that describes the profit possibilities available in a given market or industry. The more attractive a market is, the higher the potential profits. Companies in the process of considering entires into new industries or markets conduct a number of analyses to determine whether or not such a move would be good for the business. One such analysis is a market attractiveness analysis, conducted to find out if entering a particular market or industry would be profitable and how much the company could potentially earn. The automobile industry is a huge and diversified market. It can be divided into different segments each satisfying different needs of the customers. These different segments can be classified as: SUV’s, Sedans, Hatchbacks, C segments etc. This gives an automobile company ample amount of opportunities. Maruti Suzuki  is prevalent in all of these segments and is considered as one of the premium brands in all of these segments. In this very market other than the different segments of automobiles also is the service rendered by the company to the customers. Thus the market is as attractive as one would hope for giving Maruti Suzuki a chance to make the most of it.

Henry IS :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is evident that after reading The Red Badge of Courage, there are many different interpretations as to what kind of person Henry is. Some argue that Henry’s change at the end of the novel turned him into an honor earning, noble man. While one battle can change a man, there are always the underlying traits that will never fade away. The beginning of the novel is where Henry’s psychological background is set. Henry’s personality is brutally self-centered, the only person in his mind is himself, and that’s the way it always will be.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Henry informed his mother that he was leaving to go to war, he was upset with her reaction. He expected a huge dramatic scene with his mother in tears and begging him to stay home. To his dismay, Henry received a stoic response, in which his mother told him to simply be careful. It was evident through the subtly of his mothers response that she was overly upset by her sons decision, and chose to support him as a good mother would. Henry was too busy worrying about the dissatisfying reaction from his mother to realize that she was hurt and distraught. This example is just a beginning to the selfish thoughts that pollute Henry’s mind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Henry was overly obsessed with obtaining a high reputation on the battlefield. He hoped that an impressive performance during battles would immortalize him as a hero among the rest of the soldiers. Henry holds his head high throughout the entire beginning of the novel, and while he makes mistakes, he does not blame it on himself. Also, Henry ran away from battle, which ends up with one less person in line to fight. Henry was not thinking of the other soldiers he put at risk when he fled, but only his own fear and life. Although he was just one soldier, one soldier can make a difference. When Henry fled from battle, afterwards he blamed it on the other soldiers who did not follow in his footsteps. He found them to be fools for not protecting themselves from death as he did. In order to further increase his high self-image, he faked a wound. Getting hit in the head by the butt end of a rifle is not a hero like quality, so he went along with the lie of getting shot. Luckily, the unsuspecting soldiers believed that a bullet grazed his head, and the bump on his head wasn’t the only factor to how huge Henry’s head looked.

A Case Analysis on Starbucks’ Mission Essay

Summary Named after the first mate in Moby Dick, Starbucks was founded in 1971 by three partners in Seattle’s renowned open-air Pike Place Market. Starbucks is now the third largest restaurant chain in the country, nearly 1,000 stores in 55 countries. It was the intention of director of retail operations and marketing Howard Schlutz to make Starbucks into â€Å"the third place† consumers frequent, after home and work. You can find a Starbucks in various settings including office buildings, bookstores, and university campuses. Starbucks promotes convenience by selling its products through retail outlets. In order to remain competitive, Starbucks has introduced many new products over the years. The recent global recession brought a change in policy, causing Starbucks to cut back on expansion in the US and focus more on international markets. See more:  Perseverance essay Taking necessary measures to remain relevant, Starbucks has come up with successful, â€Å"keep customers coming† methods such as, Breakfast pairings, VIA instant coffee, Starbucks card, even a mobile app. Another key part of the Starbucks image involves its commitment to ethics and sustainability, â€Å"people first, profit last†. Because of its strong corporate culture, Starbucks has been ranked Fortune’s â€Å"100 Best Companies to Work for† for nearly a decade as well as being voted â€Å"Most Ethical Company† Founder and chair Schlutz is a true believer that ethical companies do better in the long run. Starbucks is also actively involved with nonprofit organizations around the globe including but not limited to Bono’s Product RED who raise money for HIV and AIDS research. The company also makes $14.5 in loans t poor farmers around the world. Schlutz key to maintaining a strong business is â€Å"creating an environment where everyone bel ieves they’re part of something larger than themselves but believes they also have a voice.† The company’s efforts at transparency, the treatment of its workers, and its dozens of philanthropic commitments demonstrate how genuine Starbucks is in its mission to be an ethical and socially responsible company. Its reputation is built on product quality, stakeholder concern, and a balanced approach to all of its business activities. In spite of Starbucks efforts to maintain high ethical standards, the company has garnished harsh criticisms on issues such as lack of fair trade coffee, hormone added milk, Schlutz alleged financial links to the Israeli government and that the company’s relentless growth has forced locally run coffee shops out of business. The challenges that the company has experienced and will continue to experience have convinced it to focus on its strengths. And despite setbacks, allegations, and the recession, the future looks bright for Starbucks. Questions 1.Why do you think Starbucks has been so concerned with social responsibility in its overall corporate strategy? Starbucks has been so concerned with social responsibility for two main reasons, to investigate its negative impact on the company’s financial and nonfinancial rewards. According to our textbook, Starbucks has been engaged in responsible business practices almost from day one. Being socially responsible Starbucks has its financial and nonfinancial rewards say Schultz. â€Å"Whom is a firm believer of ethics, they do better in the long run. Because of Starbucks’ dedication to their employees and their suppliers, Starbucks had earned their loyalty. During the 2008-2009 recession, they decided to refocus their strategy. They closed several hundred underperforming locations in response to the economic downturn. They also introduced â€Å"breakfast pairings†, a Starbucks-styled value meal, for an affordable price. They even introduced an instant coffee consumers can brew at home. Due of their substantial growth over two decades, they have spent a considerable amount of time defending their image, due to their â€Å"clustering† strategy to many small coffee shops out of business and many consumers began to wonder if there really was a need for two Starbucks right across the street from each other. Finally Starbucks has been so concerned with social responsibility in its overall corporate strategy because it’s popular! Also it helps the company’s image, to care about the community and the environment. Those are positive standpoints that define the company’s self portrayal, it’s important how you look on the outside but in the end it’s all about sales! 2.Is Starbucks unique in being able to provide a high level of benefits its employees? Most companies, though they value their employees, have not been known to put them on the pedestal employees of Starbucks have been put on. Founder Schlutz key to maintain a strong business is â€Å"creating an environment where everyone believes they’re part of something larger than themselves but believes they also have a voice.† Nonetheless Starbucks benefits package is a key reason why it has remarkable low employee turnover and high productivity. 3.Do you think that Starbucks has grown rapidly because of its ethical and socially responsible activities or because it provides products and an environment that customers want? Both aspects have lead to the growth of the company. Its clean ethical nature has allowed for the company to be deemed trust worthy but all those involved with in it. The consumer friendly accommodations have kept the customers happy. Its community involvement has shown its concern for more than just profit. The company’s efforts at transparency, the treatment of its workers, and its dozens of philanthropic commitments demonstrate how genuine Starbucks is in its mission to be an ethical and socially responsible company. Thus far gaining growth.

Istihsan and Sharia Law - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1793 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Law Essay Level High school Did you like this example? Basically, the rulings that had been made by the Companions and Successors were often based on their own understanding for the spirit and Shariah purpose. So, the rulings that are made by the Companions and Successors are not in restricted manner and also not in giving the exact meaning of the rules because they are not literalist. Therefore, istihsan has been made as the antidote to literalism which gives a wide interpretation of the law in order to sustain equality and also righteousness which is considered as the fifth role of istihsan. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Istihsan and Sharia Law" essay for you Create order For instance, oral evidence is the regular type of gaining the evidence and proof in Islamic law[1]. Normally, in oral evidence it needs two upright (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"adl) witnesses except if the law had stated otherwise for instance in proving zina (adultery), it needs to have four witnesses in order to prove adultery. Al-Quran had clearly stated regarding the matter of number of witnesses that are needed however as for the matter on how to gain the evidence it had been determined by using consensus that it should be made verbally. The Muslim jurists believe that the direct testimony of a witness in front of the judge without any intermediary is the best way of discovering the truth. However, the question that arises is that whether one should still insist on oral testimony at a time when there are other methods like photography, sound recording, laboratory analyses, etc. which provide equally in order to establish the truth. Thus, alternative ruling should be taken into account while departing from the established rule. By using istihsan it would validate these new techniques in order to uphold the spirit of establishing the truth rather than just using oral testimony to establish the truth[2]. By looking at the oral testimony example, it can be seen clearly that the Companions and Successors had given specific type of method in order to establish the truth which is oral testimony but by using istihsan the methods of proving the truth should be broaden by not only giving oral testimony but also other methods like photography and sound recording. Therefore, it show us that istihsan does have the role of as an antidote to literalism in which it had taken the broader way in order to bring justice and fairness. Another role of istihsan is that it is a principle which approves the parting from an established rule with another ruling which is stronger compared to the previous ruling. It can be seen clearly by looking at the definition that had been given by Ibn Taymiyyah which is one of the Hanbalià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s jurist. IbnTaymiyyah said that istihsan is the desertion of one authorized rule (hukm) with another rule which is more better or stronger on the basis of the Al-Quran ,Sunnah or consensus[3]. In addition, Abu Zahrah which is one of the Hanafià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢sjurist had stated that the essence of istihsan is to formulate a decision which sets apart an established analogy where by doing such withdrawal to the ruling can maintain the greater meaning of the Shariah. In addition, according to the majority of jurists, istihsan involves the departure from qiyas jali (obvious analogy) to qiyas khafi (hidden analogy). Qiyas Jali is a straightforward qiyas or clear qiyas where can be easily intelligible to the mind. Example of qiyas jali can be seen in the analogy between wine and herbal drink where herbal drink is considered as drink that can cause intoxication. Both wine and the herbal drink had the same effective cause (illah) whic h of being intoxicating. However, qiyas khafi can be defined as a form of analogy where it is not clear or obvious which cannot be seen to the naked eye and it will only be intelligible through a deeper thought. Qiyas khafi which can also be called as istihsan is better and also more operative in keeping away the hardship compared to qiyas jali. This is because qiyas khafi does not arrived from shallow thought of similarities but it had been done by going through deeper thoughts and analysis[4]. When the jurist faced upon a problem which there is no ruling can be found in the Al-Quran or Sunnah then the jurist can pursuit in looking for a ruling and also try to find the best resolution by using analogy. The act of jurist to find for the best alternatives will end up with two different resolutions; where one that are based on an obvious analogy and another one which is based on the hidden analogy. However, if there are any clashes between the two analogies then the prior analogy m ust be overruled by the latter analogy. The hidden analogy is more preferable compared to the obvious analogy and this is one form of istihsan. An example of istihsan that consist of parting from qiyas jali to qiyas khafi is in waqf (charitable endownment) of cultivated land which comprises the assignment or transferring of all the additional rights which are attached to the property like the right of water, right of passage and right of flow. Even though, all the ancillary rights are not explicitly stated in the waqf itself but it will be considered that the waqf is valid and this ruling is based on qiyas khafi (istihsan)[5]. To explain it in further, it can be seen that in Islamic law of contract, the contract of sale must clearly mentioned the object of contract and if it is not specified then it will not be included. By looking at this ruling, we can make a direct analogy (qiyas jali) between sale and waqf because both involve in transfer of ownership. Thus, it can be conclud ed that if the additional rights had been explicitly stated in the waqf then only it will be included in the waqf but if it does not explicitly stated in the waqf then it will not be included in the waqf. The issue that arise is that this direct analogy (qiyas jali) if being followed, it will lead us to unequitable results where the waqf of cultured lands that are without its additional or ancillary rights would prevent the essential rationale of waqf which is to ease the use of property for charitable purposes. Therefore, in order to avoid this hardship, an alternative analogy should be taken into account where it is called qiyas khafi (istihsan). In this case, the qiyas khafi is to draw similarity with the contract of lease (ijarah) and not with contact of sale. Both ijarah and waqf can be compared to each other because both also involve the transfer of usufruct. By using the alternative analogy, it can be said that waqf is included even without explicitly specify the ancillary ri ghts of the property[6]. Other than that, there is another type of istihsan which is called as exceptional istihsan (istihsanistithnaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢i) where the role of this type of istihsan is to make an exception to the general rule of the present law when the jurist believed that by making such exception, justice and equity will be uphold better. The decision that the jurist had made is as a result of the jurist personal ijtihad or the exception had been supported by the nass (Al-Quran and Sunnah), ijmaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, approved custom, necessity (darurah), or considerations of public interest (maslahah)[7]. One of the example of exceptional istihsan that had been supported by the Al-Quran is regarding bequests to relatives ( Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 180). This Quranic verse signifies the exception from the general rule of Shariah where that a bequest (inheritance) is basically not valid because bequest controls the partition of the land once the testator had died and the n ew rule do not allow the act of quicken the process of bequest. Since a bequest although had been made while the testator was alive but it will only be effective after the testator had died, it is basically ultra vires and it is an equivalent to an intervention in the rights of the legal heirs[8]. However, the Al-Quran had permitted bequest to be an exception to the general principle where it considers a fair distribution of wealth in the family by way of exceptional istihsan[9]. Another example of exceptional istihsan can be seen based on necessity (darurah) where regarding on the method of adopting for the purification of polluted wells. Water in a well cannot be used for ablution if it has been polluted by impure substances and the water in the well also cannot be purified by removing the part which is impure. It also cannot be poured either because of the continuous contact with the water that flows in the well. In order to solve this matter, it had been found through istihsa n where wells that had been contaminated can be cleansed by eliminating particular amount containers of water from the well. The precise amount of containers of water that should be eliminated from the contaminated well will be determined by looking at the type and the intensity of pollution that had been made. In this matter, istihsan had prevented human from going through hardship by reason of necessity[10]. Moreover, istihsan can also be used as a method that can improve the existing law where it can strip of the unreasonable and unwanted components in order to enhance it by making necessary exceptions. In other words, basically istihsan functions within the boundaries of the current situation and it does not pursue a fundamental amendment in the present law even though it has the potential to effect innovation and refinement. Usually judges and lawyers are unwilling to advance from the present law or to make any exceptions even if there are evidence that clearly shows that th e departure will bring fairness and justice. This is due to the judgeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s role itself where they need to enforce and follow the law in whatever means. Therefore, it is advisable if the legislature can allow the judges to use istihsan in cases where that is the only way in order to achieve justice and fairness and it also can improve the existing law to be much better[11]. [1] Shah Abdul Hannan. Istihsan (Juristic Preference).Retrievved from https://thequranblog.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/istihsan.pdf [2]Mohammad HashimKamali. (1991). Principes of Islamic Jurisprudence (2nd ed.). Ilmiah Publishers. [3]Ibid [4]Ibid [5]Ibid [6]Ibid [7] Ibid [8]Mohammad HashimKamali. Istihsan and The Renewal of Islamic Law. Retrieved from https://www.google.com.my/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=3ved=0CCwQFjACurl=https://www.iais.org.my/e/index.php/publications-sp-1447159098/articles/item/download/33_eb478d70dc61015675330077d946987b.htmlei=PiLyU9HVIcGcugSKqoCoDAusg=AFQjCNG8Q1FNiaBt5l6swEFewJq_qDMWRwsig2=DyXYDy-5VYu9ppxaLm6tPg [9]Mohammad HashimKamali. (1991). Principes of Islamic Jurisprudence (2nd ed.). Ilmiah Publishers. [10]Ibid [11]Ibid