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Friday, December 27, 2019

Campbell University Acceptance Rate, SAT/ACT Scores, GPA

Campbell University is a private Christian university with an acceptance rate of 76%. Founded in 1887 and located in Buies Creek, North Carolina, Campbell is located midway between Raleigh and Fayetteville. Undergraduates can choose from over 100 majors and concentrations, and the majority of majors have an internship component. Campbell University has a 16-to-1  student/faculty ratio. On the athletic front, the Campbell University Camels compete in the NCAA Division I  Big South Conference. Considering applying to Campbell University? Here are the admissions statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores and GPAs of admitted students. Acceptance Rate During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, Campbell University had an acceptance rate of 76%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 76 students were admitted, making Campbells admissions process somewhat competitive. Admissions Statistics (2017-18) Number of Applicants 6,240 Percent Admitted 76% Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 17% SAT Scores and Requirements Campbell requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 66% of admitted students submitted SAT scores. SAT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile ERW 520 610 Math 510 600 ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing This admissions data tells us that most of Campbells admitted students fall within the top 35% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to Campbell scored between 520 and 610, while 25% scored below 520 and 25% scored above 610. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 510 and 600, while 25% scored below 510 and 25% scored above 600. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1210 or higher have particularly competitive chances at Campbell University. Requirements Campbell does not require the SAT writing section. Note that Campbells admissions policy states that if a student takes the SAT exam multiple times they may submit their highest scores to the school. ACT Scores and Requirements Campbell University requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 67% of admitted students submitted ACT scores. ACT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile English 18 24 Math 18 25 Composite 19 25 This admissions data tells us that most of Campbells admitted students fall within the bottom 45% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to Campbell received a composite ACT score between 19 and 25, while 25% scored above 25 and 25% scored below 19. Requirements Campbell does not require the ACT writing section. Note that Campbells admissions policy states that if a student takes the ACT exam multiple times they may submit their highest scores to the school. GPA In 2018, the average high school GPA of Campbell Universitys incoming freshmen class was 3.86. This data suggests that most successful applications to Campbell have primarily A grades. Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph Campbell University Applicants Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph. Data courtesy of Cappex. The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Campbell University. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in with a free Cappex account. Admissions Chances Campbell University, which accepts over three-quarters of applicants, has somewhat selective admissions. If your SAT/ACT scores and GPA fall within the schools average ranges, you have a strong chance of being accepted. Keep in mind, however, that Campbell also has  a holistic admissions process involving other factors beyond your grades and test scores. Academic requirements include completion of a college preparatory curriculum comprised of a minimum of four credits of English; three credits of college-prep math; and two credits each of social science, natural science, and a foreign language). Classes such as AP, IB, Honors, and Dual Enrollment courses can strengthen your application. Campbell is also looking for applicants who participate in meaningful extracurricular activities. Note that an application essay  and letters or recommendation  are optional pieces of the Campbell University application. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still rec eive serious consideration even if their grades and test scores are outside Campbells average range. In the graph above, the blue and green dots represent students who were admitted to Campbell University. You can see that most had SAT scores (ERWM) of 900 or higher, ACT composite scores of 16 or higher, and a high school GPA of 2.7 or better. If You Like Campbell University, You May Also Like These Schools: University of North Carolina - Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina - CharlotteEast Carolina UniversityWestern Carolina UniversityAppalachian State UniversityDuke UniversityHigh Point University All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and Campbell University Undergraduate Admissions Office.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Issues of Global Warming and Industrial Pollution

Background International concerns with human rights, health and environmental protection have expanded considerably in the past several decades. In response, the international community has created a vast array of international legal instruments, specialized organs, and agencies at the global and regional levels to respond to identified problems in each of the three areas. Often these have seemed to develop in isolation from one another. Yet the links between human rights, health and environmental protection were apparent at least from the first international conference on the human environment, held in Stockholm in 1972. â€Å"Man is both creature and molder of his environment, which gives him physical sustenance and affords him the†¦show more content†¦During the course of evolution of the human race, civilization has transformed the environment in countless ways and on an unprecedented scale. Use of fire, domestication of animals and early agricultural practices are the major steps to modify the already existing conditions. In the early periods of human history, They were very much close to nature and natural resources as we find In historical documents. The ancient people developed many effective measures to safe guard our ecosystems and environment which reflect sustainable development in true sense. From Manusmriti, written in the post-Vedic age, we can realize that religion plays diversified role in saving the integrity of the natural environment. Manusmriti is the world‟s first ethical compendium on human jurisprudence, presented by Maharshi Manu, originated sometimes immediate to the post Vedic age. In the dicta for prevention of pollution in Manusmruti, we can get the reflection of ecological awareness: Biodiversity means all living forms broadly ascribed as Chara (movable living world) and Achara (immovable: plant kingdom). Importance was given for conserving and domesticating animals, biodiversity protection, and vegetarian food habit. According to Manu, agriculture caused injury to animals, specially the insects and germs in the soil. One of the worst industrial disasters of all time took place in Bhopal, India , in December 1984. In theShow MoreRelatedEnvironment Issues Are Destructive Effect From Human Activity On The Nature1288 Words   |  6 PagesEnvironment Issues and Pressures Environment issues are destructive effect from human activity on the nature. In the day ages, there are many types of environment issues in the Earth. Most countries focus on environment issues and there are more pressure when government solving these problems. Earth s environment is an important factor in the survival of mankind and environmental issues that affect human life. Therefore, Protecting the environment is human responsibility. And Equal protection ofRead MoreGlobal Warming : Causes And Effects880 Words   |  4 PagesGlobal warming has increased significantly since the 1800s and is becoming a significant impact in our everyday lives. It is considered one of the most challenging environmental problems that exists today. Due to global warming, temperatures on Earth are rising and it’s affecting the way people live. Many people feel concerned about this issue while others could not care less. Developing countries do not understand the impact global warming has and h ow they should contribute to it while developedRead MoreAir Pollution and Global Warming - Summary1696 Words   |  7 PagesAir Pollution and Global Warming SCI 275 Cheryl Wilson September 30, 2012 Tori Robinson Air pollution causes global warming through the greenhouse effect, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. 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Air pollution occurs when chemicalsRead MoreThe Effects Of Human Activities On The Environment And The Natural Resources1011 Words   |  5 Pagesand over about the danger of our actions that cause many problems such as air and water pollutions, global warming, and deforestation. Human activities have been contributing to the issue way more than we have ever imagined. Water is an essential ingredient of all life today. Yet people in countries have been remarkably irresponsible in this respect. A major issue that the earth is facing right now is pollution. Many companies have had continuing to release toxics into the air and into the water systemRead MoreGlobal Warming And Climate Change1332 Words   |  6 Pages Global Warming and climate change have effected pop culture since the late twentieth century. Human pollution and consumption began in the eighteenth century due to the industrial revolution (Richard Smith). There is a huge difference in what scientists have studied and what is out in pop culture. Eyes Wide Open,† by Gotye is a wakeup call to the world about human pollution and consumption, and how humanity knowingly is causing global warming without the blink of an eye. Since the late nineteenthRead MoreThe Biological Old Regime Occurred Between The 15th And 18th Centuries1497 Words   |  6 Pagescould be supported by agricultu re. A shift in society occurred during the 19th century. This marked the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Although things became easier, it also negatively affected the ecosystem. The top important environmental consequences resulting from the Industrial Revolution are an increase in population, pollution, and global warming. The Industrial Revolution began in Britain during the late 1700s. It took place during the 18th and 19th centuries. Document 3 displays

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Data Collection and Sampling in Qualitative Research †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Data Collection and Sampling in Qualitative Research. Answer: Introduction: Interviewing or collecting data from the entire population would result to accurate information since each element will have given their opinion unlike when they would have been represented by others. The spread, expenses, time and all difficulties involved in surveying the entire population makes the researchers to prefer a sample. The quantity representing the proportion of the population is referred to as sample size. Coming up with suitable and correct size of the sample is vital in the collection of accurate information. For the collected information to be reliable, the sample size has to be correct and accurate. The sample size is calculated using the formula as follows; The percentage guess can be a pick such as 40%, 50%, 60% etc. now, depending on which percentage pick has been made the size of the sample will vary. In most of the cases, 50% is normally preferred due to its bisection of the population and conservativism when determining the sample size. Considering that we had a population of 69,000 bank workers, taking the percentage pick at 50%, margin error of 0.05 and the confidence level at 95%, the accurate and correct number of bank workers that were supposed to be surveyed is 384. Choosing to survey 15,000 bank workers lead to working with large sample size since the number was far much above the recommended sample size of 384. Working with large sample sizes has advantages and disadvantages as they will be discussed. Advantages and disadvantages of large sample size. It is advantageous working with large sample sizes since they help in minimizing marginal error. As a result, the outcomes accuracy of the ample are therefore improved. The statistic and point estimator confidence interval will tend to be in such a way that the population parameter is covered, this is according to (Clearly et al. 2014). The two research institutions that were incorporated to conduct the research being that they worked with the sample size of 15,000 bankers, it is therefore in our speculation that they must have obtained more accurate information concerning the subject in question as compared to when they would have worked with smaller sample size. Large sample size is also preferred because of their representativeness since most of the characteristics or elements in the population are covered including the outliers unlike small sample sizes (Belli et al. 2014). One of the disadvantages associated with large sample size is that it is more expensive. The expenses involved in collecting data from large sample size might involve covering a wider geographical area which will involve more cost unlike small sample size (Goodman et al. 2013). For instance, Union of Belgian Banks will incur much cost through the research institution in surveying 15,000 banker that were spread around the country. Additionally, working with large sample sizes is time consuming since a lot of time is involved to reach the individuals from various banks in various part of the country. The prior information that is known by the researchers about the topic that is under study is one of the factors that should be considered when choosing sample size. This prior information might help to make a decision on whether to increase or reduce the sample size since the estimators such as mean and variance can be used to carb the variation in the sample (Button et al. 2013). Another factor is the risk of values involved, that is, if the risk involved is to be high then small sample can be used but when the risk involved is to be low, then the sample size is to be made large to reduce the marginal error. Out of the population of 69,000 bank workers, only 15,000 bankers were ought to be surveyed by the research institutions. The process of selecting members that will represent the groups from the population under study is referred to as sampling method. In this case therefore, the research institutions used stratified sampling method. This sampling method was preferred for used due to some of the advantages it offers. One such advantages is that stratified sampling method reduces the sampling errors, this is according to (Ye et al. 2013). The population is divided into subgroups called strata where they are spread to ensure for representativeness of the population. Characteristics in the strata are selected by simple random sampling method in order to reduce or eliminate selection bias. The spread of strata and wide coverage by stratified sampling method ensures that the population of interest is highly and well represented in the selected sample. One of the disadvantages of stratified sampling method is that it takes a lot of time to identify and select the sample from the strata through simple random sampling method, this is according to (Acharya et al. 2013). Devising what to base on in categorizing the population into strata tend to be difficult and as a result researchers do tend to shun this method hence making it not widely used. Research institutions first selected the bank institutions in Belgium then further select bankers from their various working banks which in this case acted as strata where they were to be picked to form a sample by simple random sampling method. Effectiveness of the sampling methods is what drive the researchers to choose them for use in collecting certain types of data. I hereby recommend that the number of strata should be increased to ensure for high effectiveness of stratified sampling method. By so doing, representativeness of the population will increase in the same manner. A tool used by the researchers to collect a particular point time information from the already collected data is referred to as cross-sectional design. Use of this tool is always associated with some advantages and disadvantages. Worthiness of assumptions can be established in the study through cross-sectional study by cross-sectional research design, this is according to (Shen and Bjrk, 2015). Little time is spent when cross-sectional research design is used when it is compared to other research designs. It is associated with taking less time since it is concerned with extracting information from already information that had been collected and only taking specific point time information. Additionally, cross-sections research design incurs less cost as compared to other research designs such as longitudinal research design. On the other hand, longitudinal research design is seen to bear the potential of showing the design of variables or variables for a certain time coverage as one of its advantages. Some of the disadvantages that are encountered when using cross-sectional design is its lack of reliability to give the prediction of the existence of a relationship between variables and results due to unavailability of time element being that only point time information is measured. Cases for events that last for relatively longer time, cross-sectional research design tend to show the prevalent of the results from such events even if they could be of less importance. Due to the time factor covered by longitudinal research design, being that the time involved is long, the research design is termed more expensive and also time consuming. Time consumption of longitudinal research design tend to be higher than that of cross-sectional research design due to its ability to forecast the pattern over a period of time. (Shen and Bjrk, 2015) further stated that longitudinal research design becomes less efficient wen the results that are expected are less. Data from the respondents can be collected using different data collection methods such as using interviews or questionnaires. The research institutions used questionnaires to collect data from the banker in various banks in Belgium. A questionnaire is a set of questions structured in accordance to the subject under study (stress in this case) with the aim of collecting responses from the respondents. The questions in the questionnaire can either be closed ended or open ended or the scaled questions like those provided in the Likert scale. On the spaces provided, the participants are to provide their responses. This method of data collection is in most cases faced with some of the problems as discussed below; Dishonesty by the respondents is one major problem faced when the questionnaires are used to collect data from the participants (Chernik et al. 2011). The respondents can willfully or intentionally be untruthful in the answers they proved to the presented questions in the questionnaires. This can be experienced when the participants feel that their identities will not be kept private. When this is let to happen and continue, the questionnaire will risk collecting deceitful information that will later affect the results of the study in the results and discussion part of the report. This problem can be combated by assuring the respondents that their privacy will be held and highly valued, ensuring that unauthorized persons are not given access to the data and also assuring the participants that confidential information will be maintained confidential. This will boost the confidence of the respondents and the chances of the problem reoccurring will be reduced. Lack of common understanding of the questions as provided in the questionnaire is another problem. This problem mostly occur where the questionnaires are sent to the respondents without any physical contact between the researcher and the respondents hence no clarity of the questions. Varied understanding that people have will lead to varied responses to the same questions as indicated in the questionnaires. Complicated questions can also lead to such problems due to its complexity. Dealing with this problem require the researcher to compose and create the questions whose structure are simple and are easy to understand and answer. Problem with analyzing responses provided for questions in the questionnaires. Construction of the questions in the questionnaires are supposed to be well thought of since so many open ended questions will always result to respondents opinions that are often varying from one individual to another. Coding and analysis of such data becomes too difficult as the data also becomes too much than can be handled. This problem can be eradicated by making the correct choice of question types i.e. using the closed ended question or Likert scale questions other than the open ended questions (Chernik et al. 2011). The closed ended and Likert scale questions are easier to code and therefore as well simpler to analyze. Skipping the questions and leaving them unanswered is another crisis with questionnaires. In some of the cases, the respondents can decide to leave some questions with the idea that they will answer them later only to end up collecting the without answering them. Failure to answer the questions can be as a result that either the questions were complicated and not well understood by the respondents or the question required the information they do not have knowhow about. This problem can be dealt with by ensuring that the constructed questions on the questionnaires are uncomplicated, simple to understand and making the survey as short as possible to help in raising the completion rate of the questions. For the online surveys, they normally tend to make all the fields required property such they all have to be filled before proceeding to the next step. Second hand information that are collected from archives or databases are referred to as secondary information. Secondary data to be used must first be checked and ensured that they are relevant to the subject being studied. Much such as accuracy and competency of data in regards to the subject of study is to be confirmed before data is used to check for the representativeness of the sample (Piwowar and Vision, 2013). Secondary data provides the researcher with clear picture of what is expected from the sample, as a result, this saves time. Secondary data is cheaper and easier to retrieve as compared to primary data. Secondary data that were collected from large sample do have high statistical precision since most of the population elements are represented. References Acharya, A.S., Prakash, A., Saxena, P. and Nigam, A., 2013. Sampling: Why and how of it.Indian Journal of Medical Specialties,4(2), pp.330-333. Belli, S., Newman, A.B. and Ellis, R.S., 2014. Velocity dispersions and dynamical masses for a large sample of quiescent galaxies at z 1: Improved measures of the growth in mass and size.The Astrophysical Journal,783(2), p.117. Button, K.S., Ioannidis, J.P., Mokrysz, C., Nosek, B.A., Flint, J., Robinson, E.S. and Munaf, M.R., 2013. Power failure: why small sample size undermines the reliability of neuroscience.Nature Reviews Neuroscience,14(5), pp.365-376. Chernick, M.R., Gonzlez-Manteiga, W., Crujeiras, R.M. and Barrios, E.B., 2011. Bootstrap methods. InInternational Encyclopedia of Statistical Science(pp. 169-174). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Cleary, M., Horsfall, J. and Hayter, M., 2014. Data collection and sampling in qualitative research: does size matter?.Journal of advanced nursing,70(3), pp.473-475. Goodman, J.K., Cryder, C.E. and Cheema, A., 2013. Data collection in a flat world: The strengths and weaknesses of Mechanical Turk samples.Journal of Behavioral Decision Making,26(3), pp.213-224. Khberger, A., Fritz, A. and Scherndl, T., 2014. Publication bias in psychology: a diagnosis based on the correlation between effect size and sample size.PloS one,9(9), p.e105825. Piwowar, H.A. and Vision, T.J., 2013. Data reuse and the open data citation advantage.PeerJ,1, p.e175. Shen, C. and Bjrk, B.C., 2015. Predatoryopen access: a longitudinal study of article volumes and market characteristics.BMC medicine,13(1), p.230. Ye, Y., Wu, Q., Huang, J.Z., Ng, M.K. and Li, X., 2013. Stratified sampling for feature subspace selection in random forests for high dimensional data. Pattern Recognition,46(3), pp.769-787.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Tata Group free essay sample

Out of seven general environmental sectors, following three trends pull the most attention. Economic sector. Steel industry depends on the cyclical economic condition and highly reliant on many other industries such as automobiles, construction, appliances and so on. If the economy is negatively affecting on its dependent industries, it will influence negatively for the Tata Steel. In 2007, when Tata Group acquired British based Corus Company, it became the 6th largest Steel Producer in the world, however it affected very negatively at the time because of U. S economic crisis. As the economy is recovering year by year, the Corus Company acquisition is giving tremendous benefits and profit for the Tata Group. Therefore, overall today’s economy has a positive effect on Tata Steel. Sociocultural Segment. According to the Tata Steel Annual Report, Tata Steel got the Golden Peacock Global Award in 2009, and this award is the evidence to all customers and suppliers that the company acclaimed the highest honor and accreditation in the business. We will write a custom essay sample on Tata Group or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Tata Steel Company has wonderful cultural values, which are proven in their business ethical behavior and constant improvement of their employees and their families’ lives. Furthermore, Tata Group donates and improves in health issues, economic well-being, and education facilities to the India. All these factors are positively affecting for the company, and it is building much stronger brand name. Political/Legal Segment. Tata Steel operates in few unstable countries like Iran, Bangladesh, and Mozambique, and sometimes this brings some political uncertainty issues in those countries. Furthermore, Indian government plays a key role in the economics of Tata Steel. It has a role as a resource allocator of mining policies, as a regulator, and as a competitor for being the public sector steel company. In a global environment, steel business is hindered by the large presence of tariffs. In order to avoid high tariffs, it is usually better to acquire plants within tariff-protected areas to reach those markets. Overall, the political/legal segments are negative because Tata Steel Company does not have 100% control over its resources and future outcomes. Porter’s Five Forces: Based on Exhibit 1, Steel industry is unattractive industry because both rivalry and power of buyers are pretty high, and suppliers have medium power. Despite of unattractive industry, Tata Steel performs highly profitable because they chose the proper competitive position within the industry. The most significant three forces were bargaining power of buyers, rivalry, and threat of substitute products. First, the bargaining power of buyers is high because steel companies have very small product differentiation and low switching cost. Therefore, buyers can put some pressure on steel companies. However, Tata Steel has made a good control system for buyers who can maintain lower inventories and order more frequently. Second, the threat of substitute products is moderate. Although there are few substitute materials such as plastics, aluminum and other advanced composites, the steel market is pretty stable due to the improvement of technology. Plus, nothing can replace steel in automobiles and construction industries in near future. At last, the intensity of rivalry among competitors in steel industry is pretty high because there is very small product differentiation among the competitors. Now, most of the big steel companies are concentrating on emerging markets, especially China, and it brings a huge war among them. Forces Ratings Reasons Threat of New Entrants Low Entering steel industry requires high capital investment for manufacturing and logistics. Setting up supplier and customer relationship is time consuming and costly. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Moderate There are many raw material sources out there, and suppliers do not offer highly differentiated components. Instead, they offer standardized product. Plus, lots of steel industries are their own suppliers of raw materials. Bargaining Power of Buyers High Price competition steams from buyers having low switching costs and low product differentiation. Buyers have the power to negotiate down a deal to their terms. Rivalry Among Competing Firms High There are more than 20 competitors ranging from large-scale operations to the small and regional. Competition among these competitors causes a cyclical effect within the industry. Ultimately, the company with the lowest fixed costs will survive the longest and most profitable. Threat of Substitute Products Moderate Plastics and composites are getting more and more popular these days, and it eventually started replacing some of the steel because it is cheap (automobiles industry). Competitor analysis: There are many competitors for Tata Steel Company such as JFE, Arcelor Mittal, Nippon Steel, Posco, and so on. These companies are all located in relatively high-wage countries. Therefore, Tata Steel has a small advantage in terms of labor-cost. However, its biggest competitor, Arcelor Mittal manages to perform very efficiently last couple decades. Netherland based Arcelor Mittal Company is the largest steel company in the world, and its biggest advantage would be its humongous resources and capabilities. Arcelor Mittal Company makes each and every person working on their behalf feel valued. It also has the number one RD in the steel industry; over 1,400 full time researchers with budget of approximately $300 million. Another big advantage of Arcelor Mittal would be its distribution network, which provides customized steel solution for more than 200,000 customers (arcelormittalsa. com). However, this company has few weaknesses as well. First, it has very high investment cost with low. Second, it is struggling with Chinese market because of all the regulation on FDI in steel industry and political conflicts. Arcelor Mittal current strategy is to gain higher market share from Chinese steel industry and maintain their cost-competitive position in Europe and Asia. They are also planning to keep investing in their RD and try to find the new markets around the world (Mittal Annual Report). Therefore, they are inferior to its competitors because they do not have as strong operations or logistics as Tata Steel in Asian market Internal Analysis: ************** Add the chart at the end The major advantages in the value chain for Tata Steel include operations and human resources management (See exhibit 2). First of all, Tata’s operations are highly efficient. Within last ten years, Tata Steel managed to reduce the workforce by 30,000 while at the same time nearly doubling the production. Also, Tata Steel has been praised as the world’s best steel company (World Steel Dynamics) Second, its human resources management built very healthy organizational culture by providing outstanding health and financial satisfaction for their employees. In return, Tata Steel gained their employees’ loyalty and devotion, which is shown by their productivity within the company. Developing core competencies are crucial for creating competitive advantages. For Tata Steel, their main tangible resources include their solid financial status, which gives them favor for their foreign companies’ acquisitions. Their intangible resources would be their strong commendable vision and leadership culture from its beginning. Tata Steel has created outstanding employer-employee and customer relationships over the time. For their employees, they even built nice flourishing city named Jamshedpur, and now it is one of the highest living standards city in India. From exhibit 3, the two most important core competencies are the company’s ability to utilize its human resources and perception of its brand name, which automatically implies great quality. Human resources are the main basis for its competitive advantage. They emphasized the vision from the top management level, which made it possible at the ground level. They also created beautiful environment for their employees that easily attract some talents. Within last ten years, it doubled its productions and got awarded as the world’s best steel company. Customer’s perception of Tata Steel brand is also a key core competency. Comparing to other competitors, Tata Steel affiliated with its parent company Tata Group, which is very well respected and well-known company. Moreover, it is been in steel business over a century and is definitely hard to imitate its quality branding. All these facts provide the company a sustainable competitive advantage. Resources Valuable Rare Inimitable Non-substitutable Core Competencies Captive Mines Yes Yes Yes Yes Sustainable Human resources Yes Yes Yes Yes Sustainable Brand name Yes Yes Yes Yes Sustainable Product quality Yes Yes Yes Yes Sustainable Customer relationship Yes Yes No Yes Temporary Organizational culture Yes Yes Yes Yes Sustainable Channel of distribution Yes Yes Yes Yes Sustainable Business-level strategy Low-end products Highest quality mini milled steel Offer low and competitive prices Lean management style Corporate Level strategy Optimize existing operations Use Greenfield technology Acquisitions Go global Strategy: Low-cost leadership strategy. Being a low-cost provider, they gave incentive workforce and advance technology and processes. Their plants are built inexpensively and operate efficiently. nVertical CSA  §Partnering firms share resources capabilities from different stages of the value chain to create a competitive advantage. nHorizontal CSA  §Partnering firms share resources capabilities from the same stage(s) of the value chain to create a competitive advantage  §Commonly used for long-term product development and distribution opportunities SWOT Analysis Strengths Successful marketing strategies High RD capabilities Strong retail and distribution network Decentralized business units, high employee empowerment Opportunities Acquisition strategies Leverage, extend technology advantage High demand of steel in all sectors New market opportunities and improved bargaining power through acquisitions and mergers Weaknesses High cost of *************** mill operation Exposure to economic, business cycles of customers Lack of international presense************** Threats High price of raw material Increasing consolidation/Oversea competitors Changes in the cost of electricity and natural gas Strengths Impact on Opportunities or Threat Successful marketing strategies High RD capabilities Tata Steel Part II: Analysis of TATA Steel 1. Application of Business Strategy Model’s to TATA Steel 10. 1 SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is done for a company, to find out its overall Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats and opportunities leading to gauging the competitive potential of the company. The SWOT Analysis enables a company to recognize its market standing and adopt strategies accordingly. Here SWOT analysis of ICICI bank is made to understand the positioning of the bank better: STRENGTHS 1. Tata Steel’s Indian operations are self-sufficient in the case of its major raw material iron ore through its captive mines. 2. Very advanced Research and Development wing which is carrying out researches and experiments in the areas of raw materials, blast furnace productivity, steel making, product development, process improvement etc. Several thrust area projects were taken up 3. Tata had a strong retail and distribution network in India and SE Asia. Tata was a major supplier to the Indian auto industry and the demand for value added steel products was growing in this market. 4. The Company is on its way to reach a crude steel capacity of 10 million tonnes per annum by FY 2011. The first phase of reaching the crude steel capacity of 6. 8 million tonnes per annum, Brown field projects, is nearing completion 5. The Company has in place adequate internal control systems and procedures commensurate with the size and nature of its business. The effectiveness of the internal controls is continuously monitored by the Corporate Audit Division of the Company. Corporate Audit’s main objective is to provide to the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors, an independent, objective and reasonable assurance of the adequacy and effectiveness of the organisation’s risk management, control and governance processes. Corporate Audit also assesses opportunities for improvement in business processes, systems controls and may provide recommendations, designed to add-value to the organization. It also follows up on the implementation of corrective actions and improvements in business processes after review by the Audit Committee and Senior Management. 6. Tata Steel has been on a path of accelerated growth with foray into several geographies and markets through aggressive mergers and acquisitions. 7. Tata Steel now is in the process of implementing a structured approach in risk management called Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). The key objectives of the Company through ERM are: To enshrine the process of ERM as a usual Business Process and integrate into all decision making and planning processes. To ensure that all levels of Management identify and monitor risks through a properly defined framework. To provide periodic information and updates to the Board and the Shareholders on the significant risks and the ways of mitigating the same. 8. Tata Steel addresses the risk of cyclicality of the Steel industry by marinating rich product mix and higher value added products whose volatility is lower. Moreover, the industry itself has been undergoing some structural changes with Consolidations. These changes are expected to bring in greater stability to prices. 9. Tata Steel with its modernization plans has ensured that it deploys the best technologies to ensure quality, cost-efficiency and environment-friendly processes. Through acquisition of Corus and with new Greenfield ventures, Tata Steel has ensured that it has diversified the concentration risk in single technology of Iron Steel making WEAKNESS 1. Endemic Deficiencies: These are inherent in the quality and availability of some of the essential raw materials available in India, eg, high ash content of indigenous coking coal adversely affecting the productive efficiency of iron-making and is generally imported. Advantages of high Fe content of indigenous ore are often neutralized by high basicity index. Besides, certain key ingredients of steel making, eg, nickel, Ferro-molybdenum are also unavailable indigenously. 2. India is deficient in raw materials required by the steel industry. Iron ore deposits are finite and there are problems in mining sufficient amounts of it. Indias hard coal deposits are of low quality and the prices of coking and non-coking coal are ever increasing. 3. Raw materials for steel production are rapidly depleting and are nonrenewable; company has to come up with sustainable methods in steel production. 4. Steel production in India is also hampered by power shortages. 5. Insufficient freight capacity and transport infrastructure impediments to hamper the growth of Indian steel industry. 6. Low Labour Productivity: In India the advantages of cheap labour get offset by low labour productivity; eg, at comparable capacities labour productivity of SAIL and TISCO are 75 t/manyear and 100 t/manyear, for POSCO, Korea and NIPPON, Japan the values are 1345 t/man year and 980 t/manyear. 7. High Cost of Basic Inputs and Services: High administered price of essential inputs like electricity puts Indian steel industry at a disadvantage; about 45% of the input costs can be attributed to the administered costs of coal, fuel and electricity, eg, cost of electricity is 3 cents in the USA as compared to 10 cents in India; and freight cost from Jamshedpur to Mumbai is $50/tonne compared to only $34 from Rotterdam to Mumbai. OPPORTUNITIES 1. The biggest opportunity before Indian steel sector is that there is enormous scope for increasing consumption of steel in almost all sectors in India. 2. Unexplored Rural Market: The Indian rural sector remains fairly unexposed to their multi-faceted use of steel. The rural market was identified as a potential area of significant steel consumption way back in the year 1976 itself. However, forceful steps were not taken to penetrate this segment. Enhancing applications in rural areas assumes a much greater significance now for increasing per capital consumption of steel. The usage of steel in cost effective manner is possible in the area of housing, fencing, structures and other possible applications where steel can substitute other materials which not only could bring about advantages to users but is also desirable for conservation of forest resources. 3. Excellent potential exist for enhancing steel consumption in other sectors such as automobiles, packaging, engineering industries, irrigation and water supply in India. New steel products developed to improve performance simplify manufacturing/installation and reliability is needed to enhance steel consumption in these sectors 4. It is estimated that world steel consumption will double in next 25 years. Quality improvement of Indian steel combined with its low cost advantages will definitely help in substantial gain in export market. 5. The Tata Steel Group is leveraging the Group’s collective Research and Development experience in the Group’s various geographies to further enhance the Group’s performance and also the integration process. 6. Corus acquisition bring in a tremendous technological advantage by access to best practices in global steel industry 7. Global MA brought in following synergies †¢ Greater productivity leading to increased output and market size. †¢ Greater economies of scale leading to cost reduction through combined buying †¢ Cross fertilization of Research and Development capabilities and operational best practices, leading to greater innovation and operational efficiencies. 8. Booming infrastructure has opened up high demand for steel worldwide THREATS 1. In the developed world, industries have been facing rising environmental costs due to the increased concerns on Global Warming. It is, therefore, a challenge and responsibility for the Steel industry to be the trustee in conservation of nature for future generations 2. It is recognised that the steel and aluminium industries are significant contributors to man-made greenhouse gas emissions as the manufacture of steel produces carbon dioxide (CO2), and the manufacture of primary aluminium generates both CO2 and perfluorocarbons (PFCs). 3. High raw material input cost and scarcity of nonrenewable raw materials are a threat to the industry. (eg: Coal, limestone etc) 4. Threat of Substitutes: Plastics and composites pose a threat to Indian steel in one of its biggest markets automotive manufacture. For the automobile industry, the other material at present with the potential to upstage steel is aluminum. However, at present the high cost of electricity for extraction and purification of aluminum in India weighs against viable use of aluminum for the automobile industry. Steel has already been replaced in some large volume applications large diameter water pipes (RCC pipes), small diameter pipes (PVC pipes). Recommendation: I would recommend to Dan DiMicco to acquire Mittal Steel, dominate the domestic market, continue brand marking, all plants should be ISO 9000/14001, continue foreign JVs, innovate backward integration, reduce dependence on acquired scrap steel and iron ore and divest forward integration. Strategy Recommendation: Acquire plants abroad, especially in emerging markets like China. By catching a market share in China or other emerging markets will serve as a basis for growth within these economies as they themselves grow.