Project On Bajaj Auto Limited

November 14, 2009 Project On Bajaj Auto Limited Submitted by Team TiTanS -Amit Sheth -Anand Dube -Darshna Chande – Mrinal Kaul -Subrato Das -Vinay Chaudhary Page 1 of 23 1 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 Index 1. 0 Introduction 2. 0 PRODUCT PORTFOLIO. 2. 1 Product life cycle of the various products. 2. 2 A BCG Matrix of Various products. 3. 0 Key Brands – Top Three in terms of volume and revenue 3. 1 Bajaj Pulsar. 3. 2 RE (3 Wheeler). 3. 3 Discover. 4. 0 Positioning of the top three brands of the company. 4. 1 Pulsar. 4. 2 Discover. 4. Bajaj Auto (Commercial Vehicle). 5. 0 Competitors and the differentiation of each based on positioning. 5. 1 Pulsar key Competitors. 5. 2 Bajaj Auto Commercial Vehicles. 5. 3 Discover key Competitors.6. 0 Key marketing communications and the evolution of the same since 1995 7. 0 The Future. 7. 1 Recommendations. 8. 0 Graphs. 8. 1 Sales data of BAL and Industry Comparison. 8. 2 BAL in International Market. 8. 3 3 Year Projection for Comme rcial unit of BAL 8. 4 BAL projection for Domestic Sales 9. 0 References. Page 2 of 23 2 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 BAJAJ AUTO LTD 1. Introduction Bajaj Auto is India's largest and the world's 4th largest two and three-wheeler manufacturer. It is based in Pune, Maharashtra, with plants in Akurdi and Chakan (near Pune) and Waluj and Patnagar in Uttaranchal. Bajaj Auto produces and exports scooters, motorcycles and auto rickshaws. Over the last decade, the company has successfully changed its image from a scooter manufacturer to all round two wheeler manufacturer. Its product range encompasses scooters and motorcycles. Founded in 1926, at the height of India's movement for independence from the British, the group has an illustrious history.The integrity, dedication, resourcefulness and determination to succeed are characteristics of the group even today and can be traced back to its birth during those days of relentless devotion to a common cause. Jamnalal Bajaj, founder of the group, was a close confidant and disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. In fact, Gandhiji had adopted him as his son. This close relationship and his deep involvement in the independence movement did not leave Jamnalal Bajaj with much time to spend on his newly launched business venture.His son, Kamalnayan Bajaj, then 27, took over the reins of business in 1942. He too was close to Gandhiji and it was only after Independence in 1947, that he was able to give his full attention to the business. Its’ real growth in numbers has come in the last four years after successful introduction of a few models in the motorcycle segment. The company is headed by Rahul Bajaj who is worth more than US$1. 5 billion. Bajaj Auto came into existence on November 29, 1945 as M/s Bachraj Trading Corporation Private Limited. It started off by selling imported two and three-wheelers in India.In 1959, it obtained license from the Government of India to manufacture two and three-wheelers and it went public in 196 0. In 1970, it rolled out its 100,000th vehicle. In 1977, it managed to produce and sell 100,000 vehicles in a single financial year. In 1985, it started producing at Waluj in Aurangabad. In 1986, it managed to produce and sell 500,000 vehicles in a single financial year. In 1995, it rolled out its ten millionth vehicles and produced and sold 1 million vehicles in a year. Kamalnayan Bajaj not only consolidated the group, but also diversified into various manufacturing activities.The present Chairman of the group, Rahul Bajaj, took charge of the business in 1965. Under his leadership, the turnover of the Bajaj Auto the flagship company has gone up from Rs. 72 million to Rs. 46. 16 billion (USD 936 million), its product portfolio expanded and the brand has found a global market. He is one of India's most distinguished business leaders and internationally respected for his business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit. Page 3 of 23 3 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 2. 0 PRODUCT PORTFOLIO Product Portfolio Two Wheelers Three Wheelers Entry Level Mid Level PeformancePassenger Carrier Goods Carrier Platina 100cc & 125 cc DTSi Kristal DTSi XCD 135 cc DTSi Discover 100cc & 135 cc DTSi Pulsar 150, 180, 200 & 220 cc DTSi Avenger 200 DTSi RE-2 Stroke 2 Diesel & CNG RE – 4 Stroke Diesek & CNG GC MAx Diesel & CNG In 1972, it introduced Ba Bajaj Chetek. The company formed a joint venture with . Maharashtra Scooters in 1975. Bajaj Auto established Waluj production plant in Aurangabad, in 1985. In the following year, the company entered into the technical tie-up with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japan to produce a range of two up Japan two-wheelers in India.The company signed agreements with Kubota, Japan for the development of diesel engines for three-wheelers, and with Tokyo research and development for un wheelers, ungeared Scooter and moped development, in 1995. In 1999, Bajaj Auto commenced the production at Chakan plant. The company introduced Bajaj Saffire in 2000. In the following year, Bajaj Auto launched Eliminator and Pulsar bikes. Bajaj Auto launched Bajaj Wind 125, Pulsar 150cc and 180cc sports styled bikes, in 2 180cc 2001. In the next year, Bajaj Auto launched Bajaj CT100 and Bajaj Discover DTS The company DTS-i. aunched Bajaj Discover, Bajaj Avenger DTS i, and Bajaj Wave DTS in 2005. In DTS-i, DTS-i, the following year, it launched Bajaj Platina. Bajaj Auto launched 200 cc Pulsar DT DTSi, and Bajaj Kristal DTS-i in February 2007. Bajaj Auto started a new plant at i Pantnagar, Uttarakhand in April 2007. In the following month, the company demerged to form three separate entities: Bajaj Auto (automobiles); Bajaj Holdings and Investment Limited (an investment company); and Bajaj Finserv Limited (wind ited power and financial services company).Bajaj Auto launched its ‘XCD 125 DTS DTS-Si', a 125cc motor bike in September 2007. In May 2008, Bajaj Auto, Renault and Nissan Corporation formed a joint-venture company to develop, produce a nd market the car ure code-named ULC with wholesale price range starting from $2500. The joint named joint-venture company would be 50% owned by Bajaj Auto, 25% by Renault and 25% by Nissan, and to construct the plant in Chakan (Maharashtra state) in India with an initial (Maharashtra planned capacity of 400,000 units per year. In February 2009, Bajaj launched XCD Page 4 of 23 4BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 135 cc DTSi. Bajaj Auto has a distribution network in 50 countries and presence in India, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Bangladesh, Mexico, Central America, Peru and Egypt. The company has global partnerships with the shipping lines of Maersk Sealand, P&O Nedloyd and APL. The company's subsidiaries include: Bajaj Auto International Holdings, a 100% Netherlands based subsidiary; and PT Bajaj Indonesia which assembles and markets Pulsars in Indonesia. 2. 1 Product life cycle of the various products is shown below.INTRODUCTION STAGE: Products like Discover 100 DTSi and Pulsar 220cc. GROWT H STAGE: Products like Discover 135 cc have a great potential to grow and become market leaders in their segment. MATURITY STAGE: Products like Bajaj Pulsar 150 ; 180cc are at their maturity stage. DECLINE STAGE: Bikes like Avenger, Platina, Pulsar 200 cc market have ready substitutes available resulting in lower demand and lower market share. 2. 2 A BCG MATRIX OF VARIOUS PRODUCTS ARE SHOWN BELOW STARS BAJAJ PULSAR SERIES DISCOVER 100cc COWS DISCOVER 125CC DISCOVER 135CC Page 5 of 23 5QUESTION MARK XCD 125CC PLATINA 100cc DOGS AVENGER KRYSTAL BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 3. 0 Key Brands – Top Three in terms of volume and revenue 1. Bajaj Pulsar 2. RE (3 wheeler) 3. Bajaj Discover 3. 1 Bajaj Pulsar It is a motorcycle brand owned by Bajaj Auto in India. It was developed by the product engineering division of Bajaj Auto in association with motorcycle designer Glynn Kerr, Tokyo R;D. Currently there are four variants available with engine capacities of 150cc, 180cc and two var iants with capacities of 220cc. More than a million units of Pulsar were sold by November 2005.Pulsar 200 variant was discontinued in July 2009. With monthly sales of more than 48,000 units in June 2009, Pulsar is the leader in the 150 cc + segment in India with a market share of 43%. The following is the sales data of Pulsar Brand for the last five months. Month Sales (Units) June 48062 July 49621 August September October 65000 55413 56000 3. 2 RE (3 Wheeler) The leading three wheeler manufacturers in India are Bajaj Auto, Mahindra ; Mahindra and the Italy-based Piaggio. In the three wheeler segment, the classification is broadly in terms of carriage and passenger vehicles.Since the former does have a very limited capacity to carry goods and is not preferred by many, the three wheeler manufacturers are more into the passenger three wheelers. Bajaj Auto has a range of models for passenger three wheelers namely RE 2S,RE 4S,RE 4S CNG,RE 4S LPG,RE Diesel and RE Diesel mega . Page 6 of 23 6 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 TVS Motor has recently entered the fray with its own model of a three wheeler and with the market recording an impressive 18% CAGR rate over the last fiscal, the three wheeler manufacturers still have plenty to laugh about. 3. . Discover The Bajaj Discover a motorcycle made by Bajaj Auto in Chakan, India, debuted in 2004. This is the second indigenous bike from Bajaj. During mid 2005, the Discover was made a single variant model. It was revamped with new graphics, and other features like sns(spring in spring) suspension, self-start, etc. The Bajaj Discover has been the highest selling 125 cc bike in India since the day of its inception and has proven to be a very popular executive commuter. 135cc model has recently released which features a front disk brake, auto-start and black alloy wheels.The following are the sales figure for the last two months for Bajaj Discover. Month Sales (Units) September 94000 October 95139 4. 0 Positioning of the top three brands of the company 4. 1 Pulsar Pulsar was launched in direct competition to the Hero Honda's ‘CBZ' model in 150 cc plus segment. The campaign bore innovative punch line of â€Å"Definitely Male† positioning Pulsar to be a masculine-looking model with an appeal to the performance sensitive customers. The Pulsar went one step ahead of Hero Honda's ‘CBZ' and launched a twin variant of Pulsar with the 180 cc model.The model was a great success and has already crossed 1 million mark in sales. The Big Idea was to position the bike as World's first bike endowed with a gender. Page 7 of 23 7 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 Pulsar changed its tagline to â€Å"The Fastest Indian† for its 220cc bike. After dumping the â€Å"Definitely Male† tagline, Pulsar advertisements never were a thriller. The product qualities made the brand a huge success. The new ad and new tagline gives a remarkable boost to this brand. It is very wise for the brand to own th e highest superlative.Pulsar has owned the â€Å"Fastest† superlative, which means another brand cannot be faster than the fastest. This is a powerful positioning strategy adopted by the brand. Pulsar has become synonymous with Bajaj. It single handedly brought Bajaj from a state where it was thought that it would be sold or it was running for family prestige. Pulsar Mania was supposed to be the answer to MTV hero Honda roadies which had become synonymous plus a huge success between the youth. Target Audience Bajaj targeted the 18-24 with Pulsar but later found that the brand appealed to a much older audience.This helped Bajaj to change its target audience to 21-35 years 4. 2 Discover Pulsar helped Bajaj to establish itself as a serious player in the Indian motorcycle market. Bajaj had failures in establishing its presence in the executive segment where Hero Honda's Splendour rules. Hence Bajaj launched Discover DTSI with Page 8 of 23 8 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 much f anfare. The brand ambassador was none less than the legendary Jackie Chan. Things were perfect for a bestseller. But had Discover delivered? Still, No.This was partly because Bajaj was still struggling with the positioning of its brand. The same mistake was done with Calibre. Bajaj was trying to sell Discover by its looks. But then the new commercial suggested something else. The new commercial with a Harry Potter look alike was well executed but had no marketing significance. What was being communicated to the customer? Just like the Hoodibaba campaign involving cartoon characters which actually killed the product, Discover campaigns was based on fantasy. Positioning has to be realistic and hould differentiate the product from its competitors. That is the theory and it works also. So, Bajaj decided that the platform at which Discover is going to be placed is going to be sold as both stylish and performance bike. This bike is the perfect choice for the people with average height as people with more six feet of height may face some difficulty in adjusting their knee position on the tank. Otherwise, this bike offers the great comfort and handling due to its well placed seat and handles. It offers a good mileage of 70-80 kmpl. Therefore it is positioned as a fuel efficient bike.Also, Bajaj wanted to make this bike for masses, so it launched Discover in different variants of 100cc, 125cc, and 135cc. Next year Bajaj is also planning to launch the Page 9 of 23 9 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 bike in 150 cc to cater the needs of the power hungry people who can’t afford Pulsar. So overall Bajaj is trying to position Discover as a bike for each segment of people. 4. 3 Bajaj Auto (3-Wheeler) Talk of passenger vehicle, and first thing that comes to mind is Bajaj Auto. It is very popular throughout India, and people use them in quite frequently as daily means of transport.Bajaj in auto rickshaws, is already the global market leader. In the domestic market of app roximately 6 million motorcycles annually. Bajaj Auto launches eco-friendly auto rickshaw the vehicle incorporates the latest Gasoline Technology – the Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engine, to achieve substantially lower emissions than even alternative clean fuels like Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Combusted Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles 5. 0 Competitors and the differentiation of each based on positioning 5. 1 Pulsar Key Competitors: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Apache CBZ Hunk Karizma Pulsar is the Flagship brand of Bajaj.It has been the great success story of modern Bajaj from â€Å"Hamara Bajaj â€Å" to â€Å" Distinctly Ahead â€Å" . The basic differentiation strategy, loaded with the first movers’ advantage, was the technological edge it had over others (Using a patented technology). It mixed performance with killer looks, unlike any of its predecessors was targeted to capture the minds of youth which it did with great success. It was the first bike w hich took India towards full auto-ignition and power bikes. Every now and then it comes with something new and innovative and no doubt Bajaj bikes have mass appeal as well.TVS: With its presence in 160 cc and 180 cc market it is the most potent threat to Pulsar, but erratic nature of TVS motors may pull it down in the longer run. Honda / Hero Honda: The real first mover in 150 cc segment, with CBZ has been the traditional rival, has always been there but has never been really able to really challenge pulsars supremacy. It has launched Hunk and Karizma but never lived up Page 10 of 23 10 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 to the expectations because of its steep price as against the brand of Pulsar that has a presence across all the segments (150, 180, 200, 220) ranging from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 80,000. 5. 2 Bajaj Auto Commercial Vehicles: Key Competitors: †¢ Mahindra and Mahindra †¢ Piaggio In the three wheeler segment, the classification is broadly in terms of carriage and pass enger vehicles. Since the former does have a very limited capacity to carry goods and is not preferred by many, the three wheeler manufacturers are more into the passenger three wheelers. Bajaj Auto has a range of models for passenger three wheelers namely RE 2S, RE 4S, RE 4S CNG, RE 4S LPG, RE Diesel and RE Diesel Mega while its existing carriage three wheeler is called GC 1000.It has enjoyed monopoly in this market. In this segment it achieved differentiation on basis of trust and reliability from its competitors; moreover it had a huge first movers’ advantage. The basic customers for this product are low end business men. Mahindra ; Mahindra has got the Champion range of three wheelers. There are Champion pick up and Champion delivery vans while the Champion Passenger carrier is mostly seen in the western parts of the country. The Alfa three wheeler carriages of the M;M has a wide and tall cabin, heavy duty gear box, unique designed chassis and hydraulic shock absorbers.Th e Italian auto major Piaggio manufactures Ape 50 in association with Bajaj Auto at Pune with a 150cc engine. This three-wheeler has different body forms and matches the specifications of various countries wherever it is produced. TVS Motor has recently entered the fray with its own model of a three wheeler and with the market recording an impressive 18% CAGR rate over the last fiscal. 5. 3 Discover Key Competitors: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Ambition ( Hero Honda ) Splendor CD Dawn Star City Page 11 of 23 11 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 The Discovers as of now seems to enjoy a bull run in the market as there is no visible completion from anyone.It beats its competition on both looks as well as power; in fact it doesn’t have any direct completion in 135 cc segment. The target customer for this bike is the middle aged middle class who are looking for a bike with a bit of looks a bit of power, a bit of economy as well as an affordable price. 6. 0 Key marketing communica tions and the evolution of the same since 1995. Bajaj was the undisputed ruler of the Indian 2-wheeler market . It continued its domination in through the 1980 into mid 1990’s. Then the tagline used to be â€Å"HAMARA BAJAJ â€Å".This brand image was employed to instil a patriotic fervour in the minds of the middle classed dominated Indian society. With this campaign they tried to reach the masses, which had dreams and aspirations to become big. â€Å"Hamara Bajaj† †¦. Became a household jingle and Bajaj marched to become the leading two wheeler manufacturer in the absence of any significant completion. During this phase Bajaj had a monopoly over the scooter market with its flagship brand Chetak. But by the beginning of 1990 things started to change; new players were entering the market in JV with the local entities.New and advanced technology was now available. Honda aligned with Kinetic and Hero group of Munjals while Suzuki partnered with TVS. Hamara Bajaj w as facing the brunt without any partners and new technology to harbour them. They were continuously focusing on continuous reduction of production cost, thus overlooking the threat of new entrants consequently their market share kept on declining. Page 12 of 23 12 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 Declining market Share of Bajaj The biggest problem faced by the Bajaj was that it was losing the scooter market. People were no longer interested in scooters as the market was looded with many new models and variants. Honda was gaining momentum in the Indian market. By 1998 Bajaj was looking right down the barrel. They were facing a tough choice â€Å"To replace a legend is never easy. To replace a legend when the legacy needs a major overhaul is even more difficultâ€Å", but desperate situations call for desperate measures, Bajaj auto decided to go big time into motorcycles and do away with its flagship brand of Chetak. During this passage they launched several products †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Boxer Caliber Wind 115 Saffair Legend Page 13 of 23 13 BAJAJ AUTO LTDNovember 14, 2009 But somehow they all failed to capture the target market. Ever since losing its leadership position, Bajaj Auto Limited (BAL) was trying out new strategies including use of new technology and new marketing communication campaigns. For instance, in the early 2000s it started focusing more on the motorcycle market with new product launches, complemented by new communication campaigns to inject vibrancy into the Bajaj brand. The ad spots launched in late 2001 showed ‘slice of life' situations of â€Å"new age â€Å"India. . Porter’s 5 Forces for Bajaj during 1990’sBy now Bajaj had come a long way from Hamara Baja to its latest message, trying to capture the new India, the young India, the fast paced India, and The ever changing India. With this intention Bajaj made a last effort re-launch itself, repositioning the Hamara Bajaj in the minds of the young v ibrant India. Page 14 of 23 14 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 But it failed to gel in the market. The Bajaj was dying. Its JV with Kawasaki was falling apart and the killer blow came from Hero Honda CBZ in 1999. First time in its lifetime the market share of Bajaj went below 40%.The Change in the Brand message of Bajaj From Hamara Bajaj they transformed to Inspiring Confidence, thus trying to emphasize on the fact they are such an old name in the market and their name inspires confidence. But unfortunately this did not work for them and within two years they again changed their tagline to Distinctly Ahead. This time around they emphasized on the fact that they had better technology than anybody else in the market. And it worked. For that they went for a complete overhaul. Page 15 of 23 15 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009Bajaj logo : Brand transformation They underwent a complete change in the brand image; they changed their logo, which was done in 2004. The reason behind Bajaj cha nging its logo was that people used to associate Bajaj with its old image of â€Å"Hamara Bajaj† and carrying that image Bajaj was not able to communicate its message that effectively to the youth who is its major target customer now as the market for the scooters is almost over and 80% of the 2-wheeler market is covered by bikes. The new logo flying B as it has been named represents style and technology.It connotes speed and open for denotes transparency. Today Bajaj is known with â€Å"Distinctively Ahead â€Å". The recent ad campaigns for Bajaj are associated with stunts and modern gizmos. The concept of Definitely Male was well accepted by the people and Bajaj came out with some astonishing ads. Though the DTSi technology was new, people accepted it very well. It easily conveyed the message it wanted to. The following picture strips conveys the advertisement: Getting on to his bike, a man gets all set to make a move. As he puts his helmet on, a message appears on the w indshield,While the biker cruises through the city, some army men are out for their jog. Just before they cross a road, a zebra crossing forms ahead them and disappears after them, while the biker waits patiently. Page 16 of 23 16 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 A young lady talks to her beau on the phone, while an image of his forms before her. She switches the phone off and the image disappears, in time for her to catch a glimpse of the bike. Riding on, he spots a child playing with a remote controlled toy. In the next shot the toy turns out to be a roller coaster, with children inside enjoying the ride.On arriving home, the biker is greeted by a As he takes off his helmet everything turns robotic dog. back to it's usual self. MVO: â€Å"Imagine a world as advanced as the new Pulsar DTSi†¦ After these ads were successful, Bajaj came out with a second ad wherein a man is shown performing various stunts on his DTSi Pulsar. Even this one was an outstanding one. . The Latest Pu lsar Campaign Page 17 of 23 17 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 DTSi came out to be a good one with proper publicity advertisements and that too without any highly paid brand ambassadors.Unlike its rivals who have highly paid actors or cricket stars as their brand ambassador. 7. 0 The Future Although the avalanche of motorcycles offered Indian consumers a wide variety of models to choose from, it also resulted in increased pressure on the companies to concentrate on cost-cuts, technology enhancements, upgrades and styling. Their margins came under pressure as marketing costs escalated. The companies were forced to reduce prices and offer discounts to survive the competition. Moreover, analysts were skeptical about the segment's ability to maintain the growth rate in the years to come.One of the major assumptions underlying the motorcycles rush was that if the market was considerably large and was growing at a constant pace, there was room for a profitable existence for all brands. I n 2001, there were over 30 motorcycle brands in the market. However, with the top five brands accounting for more than 60% of the market, only 40% of the market was available for all other new brands put together. Despite the launch of more vehicles, the survival prospects of many of the individual brands were deemed to be rather bleak. Page 18 of 23 18 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 SWOT Analysis for Bajaj AutoFurther, the growth in the motorcycle segment was dependant on continuing favorable market conditions. Analysts claimed that to sustain this growth rate, the segment would have to completely cannibalize the market for scooters and a considerable part of the market for scooterettes and mopeds. Considering the fast growing scooters segment, with high demand from female customers, followed by the moderately growing moped segment and the restructuring in the scooter segment with major national and foreign players reinforcing their presence, it was unlikely that the entire growt h in the two-wheeler sector would be due to motorcycles.Analysts also commented that as the two-wheeler industry had grown steadily for eight years, stages in the product life cycle would apply to the field sooner, rather than later and the decline stage would invariably come some day. There was little differentiation between the brands being launched apart from styling as most companies had introduced their four-stroke vehicles. Focus on High Margin Products: Around 50% of the two-wheeler consumers buy high quality products (products of executive and premium segment motorcycles). Margins on these products are higher. Page 19 of 23 19 BAJAJ AUTO LTDNovember 14, 2009 BAL should adopt a deliberate strategy of focusing on executive and premium segment motorcycles and three-wheelers, and a couple of brands on lower-end of motorcycles (to grab the market share) and scooters segment. High margin products – Pulsar, Discover, Three-wheelers, Avenger. Low margin products – Plat ina, Scooters, Mopeds. Second Hand Market: Second hand market in 2-wheeler is one of the most un-tapped market without any competitor. BAL must try and establish a unit dealing with the sales of Second Hand Vehicle something on the lines of Maruti True value and Mahindra First.Car Market: With the launch of the low budget car it can capitalize this market as there are not many players in this market and they already have the network and the knowhow of the elements of the local market as well as the technology (from its foreign partners). 7. 1 Recommendations: Below are the recommendations: †¢ Company should keep focusing on the fast growing motorcycle segment. †¢ In view of the new threat posed by Honda Motors in the scooter segment, the company needs to review its products line-up and launch new products to cater the changed demand. The company needs to take a look at its ungeared scooter offerings and need to adapt to the latest trends(compete with models like Honda Acti va) †¢ The company needs to tap the export market more efficiently as there is a huge potential to make India as the world's two-wheelers production base. For this, it needs to look for joint ventures abroad. †¢ Look to expand their base outside further. It already has a strong presence in Africa and other South Asian Countries. †¢ It needs to target the young age group more effectively as this group is extremely trend savvy.The advertising should have a fresh look and the product should live up to the Gen-X's expectations †¢ Focus on Easy Credit Lending – In the present economical crisis, Bajaj can utilize its subsidiary, Bajaj insurance in coming up with schemes that will help consumers buy two wheelers on friendly terms. †¢ BAL needs to scale up its service centers both in numbers and in capacity. Keeping in line with its growth target for the next 5 years, its service centers should not only cater to two wheelers but should also be upgraded to cat er to the needs of four wheelers that Bajaj plans to launch.Page 20 of 23 20 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 8. 0 Graphs 8. 1 Sales data of BAL and Industry Comparison. 8. 2 BAL in International Market Page 21 of 23 21 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 8. 3 : 3 Year Projection for Commercial unit of BAL 9. 1 BAL projection for Domestic Sales Page 22 of 23 22 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 9. 0 References. Marketing Management by Philip Kotler & Kevin L Keller www. wikipedia. com www. Bajajauto. com www. howstuffworks. com www. bikeadvice. in BAL Annual Report www. youtube. com Page 23 of 23 23

Prosody and the Music of Speech

Prosody and the Music of Speech In phonetics, prosody (or suprasegmental phonology)  is  the use of pitch, loudness, tempo, and rhythm in speech to convey information about the structure and meaning of an utterance. Alternatively, in literary studies prosody is the theory and principles of versification, especially in reference to rhythm, accent and stanza. In speech as opposed to composition, there are no full stops or capital letters, no grammatical ways in which to add emphasis as in writing. Instead, speakers utilize prosody to add inflection and depth to statements and arguments, altering stress, pitch, loudness and tempo, which can then be translated into writing to achieve the same effect. Further, prosody does not rely on the sentence as a basic unit, unlike in composition, often utilizing fragments and spontaneous pauses between thoughts and ideas for emphasis. This allows more versatility of language dependent on stress and intonation. Functions of Prosody Unlike morphemes and phonemes in composition, features of prosody cannot be assigned meaning based on their use alone, rather based on usage and contextual factors to ascribe meaning to the particular utterance. Rebecca L. Damron notes in Prosodic Schemas that recent work in the field take into consideration such aspects of interaction as how prosody can signal speakers intentions in the discourse, rather than relying solely on semantics and the phrasing itself. The interplay between grammar and other situational factors, Damron posits, are intimately connected with pitch and tone, and called for a move away from describing and analyzing prosodic features as discrete units. As a result, prosody can be utilized in a number of ways, including segmentation, phrasing, stress, accentuation and phonological distinctions in tone languages - as Christophe dAlessandro puts it in Voice Source Parameters and Prosodic Analysis, a given sentence in a given context generally expresses much more than its linguistic content wherein the same sentence, with the same linguistic content may have plenty of different expressive contents or pragmatic meanings. What Determines Prosody The determining factors of these expressive contents are what help define the context and meaning of any given prosody. According to dAlessandro these include the identity of the speaker, her/his attitude, mood, ages, sex, sociolinguistic group and other extralinguistic features.   Pragmatic meaning, too, help determine the prosodys intended purpose, including the attitudes of both the speaker and audience - ranging from aggressive to submissive - as well as the relationship between the speaker and the subject matter - his or her belief, confidence or assertiveness in the field. Pitch is a great way to also determine meaning, or at least be able to ascertain the beginnings and endings of thought. David Crystal describes the relationship in Rediscover Grammar wherein he states we know whether [the thought] is complete or not by the pitch of the voice. If the pitch is rising ... there are more items to come. If it is falling ... there is nothing further to come. In any way you use it, prosody is pivotal to successful public speaking, allowing the speaker to convey a broad range of meaning in as few words as possible, relying instead on context and cues to the audience in their speech patterns.

Types of Slavery in Africa and the World Today

Types of Slavery in Africa and the World Today Whether slavery existed within sub-Saharan African societies before the arrival of Europeans is a hotly contested point between Afrocentric and Eurocentric academics. What is certain is that Africans, like other people throughout the world, have been subjected to several forms of slavery over the centuries, including chattel slavery under both the Muslims with the trans-Saharan slave trade and Europeans through the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Even after the abolition of the slave trade in Africa, colonial powers continued to use forced labor, such as in King Leopolds Congo Free State (which was operated as a massive labor camp) or as libertos on the Portuguese plantations of Cape Verde or Sao Tome. Major Types of Slavery It can be argued that all of the following qualify as slavery- the United Nations deems slavery to be the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised and slave as a person in such condition or status. Slavery existed long before European imperialism, but the scholarly emphasis on the African transatlantic slave trade led to a neglect of contemporary forms of slavery until the 21st century. Chattel Slavery Chattel slavery is the most familiar type of slavery, although they make up a comparatively small proportion of slaves in the world today. It involves the complete ownership of one human being by another, whether captured, born, or sold into permanent servitude; their children are normally also treated as property. Chattel slaves are considered property and are traded as such. They have no rights, are expected to perform labor (and sexual favors) at the command of a slave master. This is the form of slavery which was carried out in the Americas as a result of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. There are reports that chattel slavery still exists in Islamic North Africa, in such countries as Mauritania and Sudan (despite both countries being participants in the 1956 UN slavery convention). One example is that of Francis Bok, who was taken into bondage during a raid on his village in southern Sudan in 1986 at the age of seven and spent ten years as a chattel slave in the north of Sudan before escaping. The Sudanese government denies the continued existence of slavery in its country. Debt Bondage The most common form of slavery in the world today is debt bondage, known as bonded labor, or peonage, a type of enslavement resulting from a debt owed to a moneylender, usually in the form of forced agricultural labor: in essence, people as used collateral against their debts. Labor is provided by the person who owes the debt, or a relative (typically a child): the borrowers labor pays off the interest on the loan, but not the original debt itself. It is unusual for a bonded laborer to ever escape their indebtedness since further costs would accrue during the period of bondage (food, clothing, shelter), and it is not unknown for the debt to be inherited across several generations. Faulty accounting and huge interest rates, sometimes as much as 60 or 100 percent, are used in extreme cases. In the Americas, peonage was extended to include criminal peonage, where prisoners sentenced to hard labor were farmed out to private or governmental groups. Africa has its own unique version of debt bondage called pawnship. Afrocentric academics claim that this was a much milder form of debt bondage compared to that experienced elsewhere since it would occur on a family or community basis where social ties existed between debtor and creditor. Forced Labor or Contract Slavery Contract slavery is defined as that created when the slaveholder guarantees employment, luring job seekers to remote locations. Once a worker arrives at the place of promised employment, he or she is violently coerced into labor without pay. Otherwise known as unfree labor, forced labor, as the name implies, is based on the threat of violence against the laborer (or his or her family). Laborers contracted for a specific period would find themselves unable to escape enforced servitude, and the contracts are then used to mask the slavery as a legitimate work arrangement. This was used to an overwhelming extent in King Leopolds Congo Free State and on Portuguese plantations of Cape Verde and Sao Tome. Minor Types Several less common types of slavery are found throughout the world and account for a small number of the total number of slaves. Most of these types tend to be restricted to specific geographic locations. State Slavery or War Slavery State slavery is that which is government-sponsored, where the state and army captures and forces its own citizens to work, often as laborers or bearers in military campaigns against indigenous populations or for government construction projects. State slavery is practiced in Myanmar and North Korea. Religious Slavery Religious slavery is when religious institutions are used to maintain slavery, One common scenario is when young girls are given to local priests to atone for the sins of their family members, which is thought to appease the gods for the crimes committed by relatives. IPoor families will in effect sacrifice a daughter by having her marry a priest or a god, and end up often working as a prostitute. Domestic Servitude This type of slavery is when women and children are forced to serve as domestic workers in a household, held at force, isolated from the outside world and never allowed outside. Serfdom A term usually restricted to medieval Europe, serfdom is when a tenant farmer is bound to a section of land and was thus under the control of a landlord. The serf can feed themselves by working on their lords land  but is liable for the provision of other services, such as working on other sections of land or military service. A serf was tied to the land, and could not leave without his lords permission; they often required permission to marry, to sell goods, or to change their occupation. Any legal redress lay with the lord. Although this is considered a European condition, the circumstances of servitude are not unlike those experienced under several African kingdoms, such as that of the Zulu in the early nineteenth century. Slavery Around the World The number of people who today are enslaved to a degree depends on how one defines the term. There are at least 27 million people in the world who are permanently or temporarily under the complete control of some other person, business or state, who maintains that control by violence or the threat of violence. They live in nearly every country in the world, although the majority are believed to be concentrated in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. Slavery is also endemic in southeast Asia, Northern and Western Africa, and South America; and there are pockets in the United States, Japan, and many European countries. Sources Androff, David K. The Problem of Contemporary Slavery: An International Human Rights Challenge for Social Work. International Social Work 54.2 (2011): 209–22. Print.Bales, Kevin. Expendable People: Slavery in the Age of Globalization. Journal of International Affairs 53.2 (2000): 461–84. Print.Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery, as adopted by a Conference of Plenipotentiaries convened by Economic and Social Council resolution 608(XXI) of 30 April 1956 and done at Geneva on 7 September 1956.

6 polite and professional ways to call out a lazy coworker

6 polite and professional ways to call out a lazy coworker It’s not your job to motivate or police your coworkers. If it were, you would be their boss. But if you have a lazy coworker it can be a drag on your department or a team project- and in large and small ways, a coworker’s laziness can grate on you and affect your work life for the worse. Mix in a sense of unfairness about what some coworkers get away with, and you have a recipe for frustration and job dissatisfaction. But you don’t just have to throw up your hands and despair- there are a few ways to make sure someone else’s laziness doesn’t create a dysfunctional work day for you.1. Be directThe worst thing to do would be to engage in passive-aggressive behaviors- jokes, subtle hints, and sarcasm rarely land the way you want them to and your message may not be taken seriously or received at all. Make it easy on yourself: sum up the problem and how it affects you in one sentence and ask to have a short conversation with your coworker. You donâ€℠¢t need to agonize over a carefully worded email. Don’t be too confrontational or accusatory; just keep it simple, like: Could you pay more attention to this? When you don’t, I have more work to do. Sometimes laziness continues precisely because no one points it out. The simple antidote? Be direct.2. Be quickNever call out a coworker when you are truly annoyed, because that will surely lead to unprofessional behavior. On the other hand, it’s best to address an issue soon after it happens, so your coworker is clear on a specific time they were engaging in lazy behavior, and they don’t perceive you as nursing a weird grudge. Waiting too long after the fact can make it seem like you’ve been stewing for days- and rehashing the past can add another toxic element to the mix, causing your coworker to become defensive. Again, be direct, and point out something concrete that will make things better, and help your coworker snap out of their lazy habits.3. As k a favorIf either of the first two options seem too confrontational, you can directly ask your coworker for help on a project. It’s easy for some to ignore a task; it’s much harder to ignore a human being asking for help. This puts the lazy coworker in an awkward position: either they have to take the strong stance of saying â€Å"No,† or simply help. Just something to keep in mind- a lazy person is not necessarily a discourteous person, but the favor will pit their laziness against their sense of decency to their coworkers.4. Set up check-in meetingsA deadline can be a great taskmaster for the go-getter. Why not try this out for the lazy? A check-in meeting where each coworker sums up their progress on a project creates a certain level of accountability. The lazy coworker will be lagging behind, have nothing to report, and it will be obvious to everyone in the room. In essence, the lazy coworker will call themselves out, and the burden won’t be on you.5 . Suggest a better workflow to your supervisorThis doesn’t mean rat someone out or complain about their laziness to a supervisor, because that may not appear professional either. This option acknowledges that it’s not your job to pick up the slack for coworkers, nor is it your job to get them to do their work. If you see a better way to divide and conquer a task and you suggest it, this shows you are taking initiative and can help change the dynamic of how your team or department works together.6. Form a bondSometimes the only real thing you can change about your work situation is how you react and feel about it. If your frustration over your coworker’s laziness has reached the boiling point, take it down a notch. You don’t know what personal life issues your coworker may be facing. Be friendly. Bond with your coworker and try to reach a better understanding of them on a personal level. This can help reduce your frustration and make it easier if you ever do need to call them out on their behavior in the future.

An Exploration of Cultural Differences in Perceptions of and Responses Dissertation

An Exploration of Cultural Differences in Perceptions of and Responses to Sexual Harassment in a Title One High School - Dissertation Example In the current research participants from grades 7 through 11 were studied using a phenomenological approach to understand their perception and response to sexual harassment and correlate this with their cultural background. Interview and observation were used as tools for data collection. An Exploration of Cultural Differences in Perceptions of and Responses to Sexual Harassment in a Title One High School Introduction Sexual harassment (SH) is a gender based phenomenon of extreme concern affecting the present and future life of many young students of either sex throughout the world (Rahimi & Liston, 2011). In U.S. SH in middle and high school has been of common occurrence with almost half (48%) of students confirming to have experienced some form of sexual harassment in a 2011 survey, with approximately 87% admitting that it has an adverse impact on them. This comes as surprise since SH in schools has been infrequently reported (Hill & Kearl, 2011). Sexual harassment, a term origina lly coined with reference to workplace behavior has also come to include incidences in school. In school it refers to sexual conduct that negatively affects students’ academic interests. ... Girls are more frequently a target compared to boys (56% against 40%), with their experiences being more physical and intrusive compared to that of boys (Hand & Sanchez, 2001). Most harassers belong to peer with lesser number of incidences involving school staff (Eckes, 2006). In 1980, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recognized two forms of actionable SH; the quid pro quo harassment and the hostile environment harassment. The former refers to threat or assurance of consequences due to forbidding or offering of sexual favors. These favors may be demanded explicitly or implicitly and must involve substantial consequences. On the other hand hostile environment type of sexual environment refers to the work or school environment becoming totally offensive or difficult as a consequence of sexual overtures, conduct or physical gestures. In either case the environment is uncomfortable and unsuitable for pursue individual goals (Zimbroff, 2007). Legal provisions dealing wit h SH in schools are provided by the Title IX, the Education Amendments, passed by the Congress in 1972. The act states that ‘no person in Unites States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving financial assistance (p1681)’. The law also addresses peer-on-peer sexual harassment and considers it as a discrimination occurring in school premises and during school hours thus rendering it as a suitable cause of action against school authorities (DeSouza & Solberg, 2003). There have been several controversies and confusions with respect to legal definitions of perceptions of hostility and psychological harm that renders a SH case as

Disposition of Toxic Drugs and Chemicals Lab Report

Disposition of Toxic Drugs and Chemicals - Lab Report Example The evidence is processed and note taking is performed during serology analysis as this is the first time the evidence is unwrapped in the laboratory. It is the responsibility of the serologists for documenting the type, quality and packaging of the evidence that is received in the laboratory. The serological methods adopted for the Forensic serology examination are straightforward. The identification of biological fluids is performed using presumptive and confirmatory testing. The presumptive encompass sensitive and specific test of the bodily fluid. It narrows the areas to be focused on. It provides the possibility of presence of bodily fluid in the specimen. This may result in false positives and therefore confirmatory tests are performed specific to the bodily fluid (Gefrides, L). Semen is a bodily fluid produced by male individual for fertilization. In the forensic study the semen is simplified in two components: seminal fluid and spermatozoa. Seminal fluid is rich in amino acid s, sugars, salts, ions and other organic and inorganic materials elaborated as a heterogeneous gelatinous mass contributed by seminal vesicles, the prostate gland and Cowper’s glands. Spermatozoa refors to â€Å"sperms†, the male gametes or sex cells produced in the testis. It is evident that all men do not produce spermatozoa, especially those who have had a vasectomy, birth defects or as a result of some diseases, the seminal fluid will either not contain spermatozoa or contain very few. Body fluids like blood, saliva, urine.... It is imperative that the time between the assault and the examination can be a critical factor in the accurate diagnosis of bodily fluids because longer the time span more will be the loss of the evidence (Gefrides, L). The evidence is processed and note taking is performed during serology analysis as this is the first time the evidence is unwrapped in the laboratory. It is the responsibility of the serologists for documenting the type, quality and packaging of the evidence that is received in the laboratory. The serological methods adopted for the Forensic serology examination are straightforward. The identification of biological fluids is performed using presumptive and confirmatory testing. The presumptive encompass sensitive and specific test of the bodily fluid. It narrows the areas to be focused on. It provides the possibility of presence of bodily fluid in the specimen. This may result in false positives and therefore confirmatory tests are performed specific to the bodily fl uid (Gefrides, L). Semen is a bodily fluid produced by male individual for fertilization. In the forensic study the semen is simplified in two components: seminal fluid and spermatozoa. Seminal fluid is rich in amino acids, sugars, salts, ions and other organic and inorganic materials elaborated as a heterogeneous gelatinous mass contributed by seminal vesicles, the prostate gland and Cowper's glands. Spermatozoa refors to "sperms", the male gametes or sex cells produced in the testis. It is evident that all men do not produce spermatozoa, especially those who have had a vasectomy, birth defects or as a result of some diseases, the seminal fluid will either not contain spermatozoa or contain very few. It is therefore imperative to forensically examine the

Classroom Observation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Classroom Observation - Essay Example While determining how the teacher controls the behavior in the classroom the observer was informed that the code of conduct in each class of the school was created in the beginning of the year. As an example the observer found that the punishment for talking when the teacher is teaching has four stages. If the student is caught talking for the first time the teacher gives him verbal reminder. If the student is caught talking after the first reminder then the second time the teacher not only gives him verbal reminder but also reminds him of the class's code of conduct. If despite the two reminders the student does not stop then the teacher gives him the third and final warning verbally. If these three stages have not worked and the teacher finds him talking continuously then the teacher asks him and his other classmates if involved, to immediately leave the classroom and return only when they have controlled themselves completely. The teacher does not lay down the code of conduct alone but students are also involved in it. This approach helps the teacher in controlling the behavior in the classroom as current research shows that rules made together are usually more successful than teacher made rules. It gives the students a chance to voice their opinions and take ownership for the code of conduct. According to Cole et al. "Activities cannot be seen or planned in isolation. The way all the adults who are involved with the children share their strategies and the child's response is vital. This is not a one way or single channeled process." (2) Therefore when the students are sent out as a punishment they do not have any option but to obey the teacher as they too were involved in formulating this rule. They do not hold any grudges against the teacher later also due to this fact. Does the teacher integrate the content areas The observer witnessed that the teacher very skillfully integrated the content areas. It was not much difficult for her to do so because with science as a subject, it becomes easy to integrate many of the content areas. Social Studies- map skills; math- formulas for speed, time, reading charts and graphs; ELA- writing conclusions and coming up with hypothesis were all integrated by her. This made her teaching very interesting to the students. Cole et.al rightly pointed out that " children need to be challenged, the activities exciting and dynamic." (2) It has been found that students perform better when skills overlap in each area of their curriculum. The school that the observer visited believes in team teaching where policies and procedures remain constant for all content area classes. How does the teacher influence the classroom atmosphere In order to promote a congenial classroom atmosphere it is not enough to just lecture students on what to do and what not to. The students scrutinize teachers and try to find out whether teachers themselves are practicing what they are preaching. Teachers should be the role models of appropriate behavior. Only then can she influence the classroom atmosphere in a positive way. The observer found that the teacher of the classroom that he visited is an excellent model of appropriate behavior, language and decent dressing. She carried herself well and thus