Sunday, January 26, 2020

Design Thinking and Decision Analysis

Design Thinking and Decision Analysis Topic: How can decision analysis support the decision making process in design thinking in selecting the most promising properties during the transition fromdivergent toconvergent thinking phases? Executive Summary Table of Content Executive Summary List of Figures List of Tables Index of Abbreviations 1.Introduction 2.Overview of Design Thinking and Decision Analysis 2.1.A New Approach to Problem Solving 2.1.1.What is a Design Thinker? 2.1.2.The Iterative Steps of Design Thinking 2.2.Decision Analysis 2.2.1.Decision Analysis Process 2.2.2.Multi Attribute Decision Making 3.Application Based on a Case Study 3.1.The Design Challenge 3.2.The Static Model 3.2.1.The Alternatives 3.2.2.Objectives and Measures of Effectiveness 3.2.3.Multi Attribute Decision Making 3.2.4.Sensitivity Analysis of the SAW Method 3.3.The Case Study’s solution 4.Conclusion List of Literature Statutory Declaration Appendix List of Figures Figure 1: The IDEO process a five step method (Kelley and Littman, 2004: 6-7) Figure 2: Figure 3: The HPI process a six step model (Plattner et al., 2009) Figure 3: Fundamentals of Decision Analysis (Ralph L. Keeney, 1982) Figure 4: Schematic form of a decision tree (Keeney and Raiffa, 1993) Figure 5: A choice problem between two lotteries (Keeney and Raiffa, 1993) Figure 6: MADM Decision Matrix Figure 7: The tree main idea clusters Figure 8: Decision Making Matrix Figure 9: Decision Maker Matrix for the Design Challenge List of Tables Table 1: Different ways of describing design thinking (Lucy Kimbell, 2011) Table 2: Realization of attributes in alternatives scale Index of Abbreviations DADecision Analysis DCDesign Challenge DM Decision Maker DTDesign Thinking HPIHasso-Plattner-Institute HMWHow Might We IWITMI Wonder If That Means MADMMulti Attribute Decision Making MCDMMulti Criteria Decision Making SAWSimple Additive Weighting 1. Introduction Everyone is in the need to make decisions every day. Those decisions may be shaped by an outstanding problem which just needs to be solved or it may just be the question whether to buy a new pair of shoes or not. Moreover, the problem may easily be solvable by a simple equation or there might be the necessity to formulate the problem in the first place since the difficulty is too diffuse to be absorbed. Due to the huge variety of different problems our society faces every day and with all divergent needs for a solution process, there is a constant need to draft and identify methods that support everyone in making decision. Undoubtedly, there are many methodologies and approaches out there that support the decision making process for daily small decisions that need to be made to life changing decisions. Decision analysis (DA), which is one of the formal methods and design thinking (DT), which is one of the innovative methodologies out there, are two instances of problem solving method s. Both methods have been applied in similar fields, such as business, technology, and personal life but with divergent intentions. On the on hand, there is DT which is one of the more recent methodologies that helps to get from a problem to a solution with the support from a finite number of iterative steps that the design thinker will follow. Brown, who is the CEO of IDEO, describes DT as a method that is so powerful and implicit that can be used from teams broadly across the globe to create impactful innovative ideas that can be realized by the society or companies (Brown, 2010: 3). On the other hand, there is DA which is an approach that includes a variety of procedures that helps to find a formal solution to an identified problem and creates a more structured solution procedure. Howard was the person who shaped the term DA in 1964 and has been irreplaceable for the development of DA (Roebuck, 2011: 99). This paper will combine DA and DT to investigate whether DA can leverage the DT process in order to find the most viable solution to a problem. Moreover, this paper will find out whether or not those two approaches can profit from each other. Selected procedures of DA will be integrated in the DT process by reference to a case study. Over and above, the solution generated by the DA technique will be compared with the chosen alternative in the case study that followed the regular DT process. Comparing those two outcomes, this paper will work out whether or not DA can support the DT process. The second chapter is descriptive of the fundamentals of DA and DT. After the outline of the foundations, the third chapter will apply chosen DA procedures into the DT process on the basis of a case study. Moreover, the chosen alternative by the design thinking team in the case study will be analysed. In the final chapter, the major finding will be summarized and evaluated. 2. Overview of Design Thinking and Decision Analysis 2.1. A New Approach to Problem Solving Design Thinking is an iterative and innovative approach to solve problems of all kinds that the society is facing. Moreover, it is a human-centred and at the same time investigatory process that puts its emphasis on collaboration, prototyping, and field research (Lockwood, 2010: xi). It is a set of fundamentals than can be applied by different people and to a huge range of problems (Brown, 2010: 7). DT is not a linear, but an iterative process in which the designers are constantly learning from mistakes and improving their ideas. Designers hope to find a linear model that will help them to understand the logic behind a design process; therefore, it is a constant search for decision making protocols that would support the designers’ processes (Buchanan, 1992). In sum, DT is a user-centred approach to solve a variety of problems with the aim to integrate people from various fields; ranging from consumers and business people to designers. There are a variety of ways to describe DT, as illustrated in Table 1. According to Brown, DT is an organisational resource with the goal to create innovation. Cross describes the method as a cognitive style with the purpose of problem solving. Another famous definition concludes that â€Å"Design Thinking means thinking like a designer would† (Roger, 2009). However, the purpose and aim of DT is in its core identical, whether one is applying the processes modified by Cross or Brown (Plattner et al., 2009: 113). Table 1: Different ways of describing design thinking (Lucy Kimbell, 2011) Over the last five years, the term DT has become very present in our society. On top of that, DT is a new term in design and management circles, which shows the demand for creative and innovative methods across various sectors (Kimbell, 2011). Nevertheless, this method is still underdeveloped when it comes to applying design methods at the management level (Dunne and Roger, 2006). But why is the interest in design growing and the term has become ubiquitous? The society is facing a lot of challenges; from educational problems to global warming and economic crisis. Brown sees DT as a powerful approach that can be applied to a huge variety of problems and as a consequence creates impactful solutions to these challenges. On top of that he argues that design has become nothing short of a tactic of viability (Brown, 2010: 3). The method is not limited to the creation and design of a physical product, but it can also result in the conception of a process, tools to communicate, or a service (Brown, 2010: 7). Therefore, it is a method that helps to learn from mistakes and to find impactful and sustainable solutions. 2.1.1. What is a Design Thinker? Many individuals have their own personal picture of what a designer is and mostly, would not associate themselves with such a term. Nevertheless, the expression designer is not only limited to creative graphic designers that are working in agencies. There are many professionals who would fall under the term designer, from people that are working in corporations and are trying to implement a new innovative way of thinking to people who are creating a new customer experience (Porcini, 2009). Mauro Porcini puts a lot of emphasis on the fact that describing design is a huge challenge, since design can be anything from recognizing impactful solutions to the personal experience that the answers will originate (Porcini, 2009). According to Brown design thinkers have four characteristics in common (Brown, 2008): Empathy Design thinkers have the ability to walk in the shoes of someone else; they view situations from the perspective of other people. This talent allows them to see a lot of thing that others are not able to observe which leads to solutions that are especially tailor-made for the users. Integrative thinking Integrative thinking allows the design thinker to go beyond simple solutions by seeing and assembling all the noticeable coalitions to a solution. The ability to not confide on the processes that are characterized by an A or B choice, allows them to involve even antithetic solutions. Optimism and Experimentalism Design thinkers are individuals who are confident that to each existing solution there is another one which is more impactful and feasible for the corresponding stakeholders. By experimenting with new information and the existing circumstances and moreover, by asking the most powerful questions, design thinkers are able to ascertain long-lasting innovations. Collaboration Another key aspect of the design thinking process is the ability to collaborate with experts from a variety of fields. This talent allows to not only integrating the designers and producers, but also the end user. Moreover, a design thinker him/herself has experience in many different fields and is not only an expert in DT. 2.1.2. The Iterative Steps of Design Thinking As already mentioned above, there are many ways to describe DT. On top of that, the process may sometimes be described in three, five or six steps in literature. For example, at IDEO, which is one of the leading design consultancies in the world, the designers are working with a five step model (Kelley and Littman, 2004: 6-7). Figure 1: The IDEO process a five step method (Kelley and Littman, 2004: 6-7) However, at the Hasso-Plattner-Institute in Potsdam, the process consists of six steps. The two processes consisting of a different amount of steps only differ in their emphasis on the overall process and a different description but not in their principles (Plattner et al., 2009: 113). In order to describe the process which will later be applied to a case study, the thesis will focus on the six steps process described by Plattner et. al. (Plattner et al., 2009: 114). Figure 2: Figure 3: The HPI process a six step model (Plattner et al., 2009) Understand The iterative DT process starts with a phase called understanding, which includes defining the problem and explaining the scope. Defining the so called Design Challenge (DC) is crucial for the success of the method since the whole team working on the challenge needs to have the same understanding of the problem to be solved. Moreover, the target group needs to be identified by the team in order to be able to move to the next phase. In the first phase, the emphasis is put on obtaining the knowledge that is required to solve the formulated DC. Observe The aim of the second phase is to become an expert. The DT team observes all the existing solutions to the identified problem and challenges them; more specifically the team tries to improve their understanding why there has not been an adequate solution up to that point. The team tries to get a 360 ° degree view on the problem, integrating all participants and people affected. One of the main activities in this phase is the direct contact with the future users or clients of the product/service for the intended solution. It is crucial to involve the future users since those people are building the target group and know what their wishes, requirements, way of behaviour and needs are. In addition, the team needs to examine carefully the processes and ways of behaviour. In order to do so the team needs to walk in the shoes of the end users. In sum, the second phase emphasises the need to reproduce the end user’s ways of behaviour while being able to fully understand the end use r’s perspective. Point of View The third phase, called point of view, is the stage where all the findings from the previous phases are interpreted and evaluated. Since in most cases the team has branched out in the second phase, this phase brings everyone together in order to exchange findings. The team will segregate the relevant facts from the dispensable information. This separation helps to define the point of view more precisely which will lighten the fourth phase for the whole team. A method which is often used at this stage is the creation of a persona. A persona is a fictive and ideal-typical end user of the product or service. During this exercise the whole team deploys their findings from the second stage, the observing phase, with the aim to find the right viewing angle on the DC. For the purpose of finding the right perspective, it is important to question and realign the problem from a huge variety of different viewing angles. Recapitulatory, during the third phase the team assembles the key aspects f rom the end users in order to be able to start finding ideas in the next phase. Ideate The ideation phase is characterized by the reorientation of the team’s thinking process from divergent to convergent thinking. In the beginning of the phase, the team is still in a divergent thought process the group of people is generating as many ideas for a solution as possible. All these concepts should contain a potential solution to the DC and should not be debated by the team in the beginning. It is a phase during which the team experiments with a variety of ideas and invests in the creative thinking process by leaving as much room as possible for everyone to generate constructive ideas. In contrast to the first half of the ideation phase, the second half is shaped by the convergent method. During the convergent thought process, the team’s goal is to identify the one solution or the best solutions to the DC. This process consists of logical steps towards the exploration of solution/s. There are some creative techniques on how to narrow down the ideas in the ideation phase, for example (Center for Care Innovation, 2013-2014): Sticky note voting: Every team member gets three stickers and places those next to the ideas that are most viable and feasible to him/her. The ideas with the most stickers will be prototyped in the next phase. Idea morphing: Each idea will be presented in front of the whole team. After each presentation the team is looking out for synergies to merge some ideas or mixing some elements. In sum, during this phase the team generates ideas for the exploration of solutions with the help of the information gathered during the last three phases. Prototype This phase appears for many people to be really different to what they have been used to during solution oriented processes. The aim of this phase is to visualize the ideas for the users; thereby, the users are able to give feedback more easily and may also be able test the idea. The prototype should not be the perfect visible idea, but the preproduction model should be able to transfer the message, show the strengths and weaknesses of the idea, and moreover, it should help the team to improve the idea even further. It is a visualization of the idea with the use of, for example, modelling clay, paper, Lego figures, and any material that might be within reach. If the solution is a service function, the prototype might be a theatrical performance. Moreover, some teams create a virtual prototype if the idea that cannot be visualized in a real model. All in all, the intention of the phase is to make an idea come alive and visible to the users. Test During the testing phase the idea will be tried out with the user. The most important part of this step is that the idea will be tested with the end users and not only within the DT team itself. The testing phase is about identifying the idea’s strengths and weaknesses together with the end user. It is about identifying mistakes because only from these misconceptions the team can learn and further improve the idea, since it is all about the user who will be making use of the idea. Therefore, the team has to put a lot of emphasis on learning from that experience. 2.2. Decision Analysis Every human being constantly takes decisions throughout the day. On the one hand, there are many minor decisions from the preference of food each day, the question if one should stay in bed or not, to the colour of clothes someone wants to wear. On the other hand, people face situations where they have to choose whether to take a job or not or which car they would like to purchase. Some decisions have a larger and more significant impact than others; therefore, it is important to understand the consequences of the decisions that are being made (Gregory, 1988: 2). Decision Analysis is designed to help when dealing with difficult decisions by offering more structure and guidance (Clemen, 1996: 4). DA supports the decision making process: it helps to better and fully understand the obstacles that are connected with having to make a decision and, on top of that, helps to make better choices (Clemen, 1996: 3). Moreover, DA permits the operator to make any decisions in a more effective and consistent way (Clemen, 1996: 4). In consequence, DA is a framework as well as a tool kit for approaching various decisions. Nevertheless, the judgement of each DM differs from person to person. One DM may have a preference which manifests itself in the chosen attributes and alternatives. Another DM may not have a preference and, on top of that, the judgement skills may vary from DM to DM as well (Hwang and Yoon, 1981: 8). According to Keeney, the DA approach concentrates on five fundamental issues that are elementary for all decisions (Keeney, 1982): Figure 3: Fundamentals of Decision Analysis (Ralph L. Keeney, 1982) In order to be able to address multidisciplinary problems, the decision problem is divided into several parts which are analysed and integrated during the DA process (Keeney, 1982). Over the last years, various approaches have been identified, such as the shaped DA process by Keeney or the Multi Attribute Decision Making (MADM) method. The later one supports the decision making when a finite number of alternatives have been identified with various, mostly conflicting attributes. 2.2.1. Decision Analysis Process Over the last decades, many analysts have been working on modifying and improving the DA steps included in the process; therefore, there are many procedures out there with a common purpose: Choosing the best alternative. Keeney describes the DA process in five major steps (Keeney and Raiffa, 1993: 5-6): Preanalysis During the first phase the focus is on gathering the alternatives and clarifying the objectives. The decision maker (DM) faces a situation where there is indecisiveness about any steps that are relevant in order to solve the problem. At this stage the problem is already at hand. Structural analysis At this stage the DM is confronted with structuring the problem. There are several questions that the DM will need to answer; for example, what call can be made? What are the decisions that can be delayed? Is there specific information that supports the choices that could be made? Figure 4 shows a decision tree in which the abovementioned questions are systematically put into place. The decision nodes which are displayed as 1 and 3 (squared) are the nodes that are controlled by the DM and the chance nodes, shown as 2 and 4 (circled), are the nodes which are not fully controlled by the DM. Figure 4: Schematic form of a decision tree (Keeney and Raiffa, 1993) Uncertainty Analysis The third phase, called the Uncertainty Analysis, starts with assigning the probabilities to each path that is branching off from the chance nodes (in Figure 4, these are the paths left and right from points 2 and 4). The assignment of the probabilities to the branches of the decision tree is a subjective procedure (Keeney and Raiffa, 1993: 6; Gregory, 1988: 172). Nevertheless, the DM makes the assignments by using a variety of techniques based on experimental data. These assignments will be checked for conformity. Utility or Value Analysis The objective of the fourth step is the assignment of so called utility values to each path of the decision tree, whereas these represent the consequences connected to that path. The decision path that is shown in Figure 4 represents only one plausible path. In a real problem, many factors will be associated with the path; such as economical costs, psychological costs as well as benefits that the DM considers r

Saturday, January 18, 2020

A Dream Shattered or Still a Big Potential Essay

A DREAM SHATTERED OR STILL A BIG POTENTIAL: A CASE STUDY OF TATA NANO Abstract Keeping the potential of Indian Automobile Industry in mind, a few years back, around 2006 Ratan Tata conceived the idea of a tiny car with even a tinier price tag for rapidly growing middle class segment. Tata Nano was seen as a triumph of home grown engineering ; as making a product which encapsulates the dreams of millions of Indians with all the elements of mix i.e. safety, engineering, design, efficiency, style at a price tag of one lakh was in itself a challenge. The intense media scrutiny about the few cases of Nano catching fire brought a remarkable dent in Nano sales and shattered the customers’ confidence in car. Since then Nano is struggling hard to regain its strong image in the eyes of its customers as still the huge potential of middle segment is unexplored. The discussion arises about the turnaround strategies of Nano keeping in view its initial launch success, a few quality failures and distorted perceptions in the minds of its customers. This discussion will further add to the design of strategies for future new products which are well strategized for success with clear and defined conceivable about the costs, and market segments but fail due to a few small but significant mistakes. Keywords: Product Development,, USP (unique selling preposition), Buzz marketing, Communication Complacency, Strategic Repositioning, Resurrection. *This case study is developed during the resurrection phase of Tata Nano in March 2012 for classroom discussion as a perfect illustration for analyzing various aspects in the launch of an innovative product,,its market acceptance , Changing people perceptions etc. National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1087 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Introduction Just a few months back, India overtook Brazil as the sixth largest passenger vehicle manufacturer in the world (Wikipedia Automobile industry). This proves the fact that the Indian Automobile Industry is moving at a fast pace. India is a growing market for Hatchbacks, Sedans, SUVs MUVs, Crossovers and MPVs. Among these small cars have emerged as a clear winner. In fact the country has become a leading centre in producing small cars. Keeping this potential of Indian Automobile Industry in mind , a few years back, around 2006 Ratan Tata conceived the idea of a tiny car with even a tinier price tag for rapidly growing middle class segment. Tata Nano achieved instant success when it was introduced as world’s cheapest car in the year 2009. Tata Nano was seen as a triumph of home grown engineering ; as making a product which encapsulates the dreams of millions of Indians with all the elements of mix i.e. safety, engineering, design, efficiency, style at a price tag of one lakh was in itself a challenge. And Tata’s seemed to fulfill all the promises to its customers by offering Nano. Majority of Indian population belong to middle class, when it comes to purchasing cars they look for the affordable vehicles. Few studies related to consumer buying behavior show that if an individual belonging to middle class wants to own a car then he can easily shell out `1 lac to `1.5 lakh. Thus, while buying a car, price tag becomes a prime factor. Though pricing is the prime factor, performance, style and durability also matter. So, Nano essentially being a dream project for Tatas, satisfied very competently all the criteria’s of a successful launch ,that is, tiny price tag, performance, design, style, brand, welcoming customers, mileage, space, interiors, looks, elegance and so on. But the irony started when the safest acclaimed car of Tata’s caught in flames while its way back from showroom to home. The intense media scrutiny about the few cases of Nano catching fire brought a remarkable dent in Nano sales and shattered the customers’ confidence in car. Since then Nano is struggling hard to regain its strong image in the eyes of its customers as still the huge potential of middle segment is unexplored. National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1088 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano The discussion arises about the turnaround strategies of Nano keeping in view its initial launch success, a few quality failures and distorted perceptions in the minds of its customers. This discussion will further add to the design of strategies for future new products which are well strategized for success with clear and defined conceival about the costs, and market segments but fail due to a few small but significant mistakes. This discussion can further continue for strategic repositioning and turnaround of products accepted well in their initial stages of ‘PLC’ but matured very shortly due to certain significant marketing mistakes. Conceiving of the Idea The idea conceived about Nano was a dare dream of Tatas’ not because of its unbelievably affordable price but also because of the promise it held for providing safe personal mobility to a huge section of the Indian two wheeler riding population. It was an entirely new product Source: Statistics by Society of Indian Autommobile Manufacturers segment with a whole different dimension of its need to contain costs within a preset target of `1 lakh. The Nano price was the only certainty at the time idea was conceived . And then starting from a clean sheet of paper , the car was designed and developed keeping manufacturing costs, material costs and production costs at lowest possible level along with maintaining its character, style, adorable looks and finished quality. National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1089 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Problems in the Product Development Phase Ride for Tatas in the production of Nano had been anything but smooth. Tata built a Nano plant in West Bengal but was forced out in Oct., 2008 due to violent protest from farmers .This event resulted in the temporary delay in the production along with causing a huge loss of infrastructure costs of a plant almost ready for car production. Another plant was built at Sanand in Gujrat where the production finally started. These initial bottlenecks in the production somewhere affected the enthusiasm about the project and resulted in limited early availability which caused pre-bookings and lottery deliveries. This priced out many buyers negatively snatching out the momentum from the market. Almost from the start the project was plagued by problems and were magnified by intense media involvement. Most Awaited launch When India’s Tata Motors launched Nano in 2009, the concept of the world’s cheapest car in one of the fast growing vehicles markets seems pre-destined for success. At its launch , car buying dynamics seemed to be undergoing a subtle change. Tata dealers were flooded with queries from prospective buyers. People mainly middle class were anxiously waiting for it. Being the world’s cheapest car, Tata Nano had an edge over its competitors in terms of its pricing , which helped Tata to register decent sales figures initially. While choosing between Maruti Suzuki 800 and Tata Nano, people gave letter more weightage in terms of price and design. Its biggest USP (unique selling preposition ) was its attractive looks at lowest price. In March 2009, when Tata was launched it got advance bookings upto 2,00,000 cars but it went through lottery route to give the first 1,00,000 nanos to its lucky customers. Nano became the most coveted thing for two wheeler riders and Tata was so confident about its product that it did’nt go into any marketing plan for Nano. Its intense hype was itself doing its buzz marketing1. So, Tata got busy in producing Nanos to fulfill its intense demand but at the same time being very complacent about the market and customers perceptions of the car. 1. Buzz marketing is word of mouth recommendations by its existing users National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1090 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Sudden No-No for Nano Among all this hype when the new emerged middle segment of car owners were enjoying their ride in their sparkling stylish Nanos , first case of Nano catching fire was reported in March, 2010 while its trip from showroom to customer’s house. Another incident quoted the car went on flames soon after the driver reported a spark from the rear side of the car. The assurance of Tata’s cheapest car being safest proved ironical and the media which was giving intense scrutiny to the project did its job well during the bad times also. The security failure of the car completely broke the trust of the customers in Nano. A drastic decrease in sales was noticed in November 2010 (from 9000 units to 509 units per month) when company called its existing customers to install the safety devices in the car. So with in a year the brainchild of Tatas started seeming like a failure as its sales went nearly half within a year. Sales were far off the target of 25000 cars a month and the Nano plant with an annual capacity of 250000 cars kept producing only 8000 units a month till March 2011. Table 1: Sales Excerpts (From July 2009 to March 2012) Month and year Nano units sold July 2009 2475 Dec 2009 4001 March 2010 4710 April 2010 3525 July 2010 9000 Nov 2010 509 Dec 2010 5784 Source: various websites of Tata motors Month and year Jan 2011 April 2011 July 2011 Dec 2011 Jan 2012 Feb 2012 Mar 2012 Nano units sold 6703 10012 3260 7466 7723 9217 10475 National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1091 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Tata Nano Performance vs Automobile Industry Production (Passenger Vehicles) Industrial Scanning and analysis showed that the passenger vehicles production in the country was growing tremendously ( Fig. 3), but Nano sales showed a mixed trend till the mid of 2011 (Fig 2). The company took to replace the starter motors in the older models and launched a new model in 2012 but replacing of the parts could also affect the further sales of new model as well said , ‘Indian customers do not forgive easily’. So, there was a great challenge for Tata to retain its brand image. Inappropriate Market Positioning: Cheaper vs Affordable After the several months of disappointing sales of Nano, it became clear by the end of 2011that its cheapest tag has actually shunned its sales . The status conscious customer didn’t want to get associated with its ‘cheap’ tag and rather opted for slightly pricier rivals . Nobody wanted to be caught with a tag of ‘poor man’s car. So rather being a functional step above a motorcycle it became known as a cut-price car. Crucially car has struggled to find a core market. The overwhelming interest in the car brought all the mixed segments of the customers in the market. So, a distinctive strategy was missing to give a correct positioning and segmentation to the extremely distinctive product. Communication complacency Tatas relied heavily on the publicity rather than a definitely designed communication strategy. There was huge involvement from media, industry and public at large . Rather than leveraging this publicity Tata became complacent about the communication. It became the first car to be launched at zero cost of advertising with a huge success. The publicity generated was far greater than what could be generated through any conventional campaign. Tatas plea was that problem was not of the complacency. Because the Nano plant had to move from West Bengal to Gujarat, production timelines were difficult to maintain. With not enough cars being made, the company felt it didn’t have to advertise or even set up efficient distribution channels. But the hype about the car died down, and the stories about the fires gained prominence. National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1093 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano On the hindsight, apart from being delayed, the first ads were not the most appropriate .They showcased couples ensconced in Nanos , While those on two wheelers stared at them balefully. It seemed to be just for people who have to stretch themselves to buy a car; rather it could have been for housewife or a youngster who had just turned 18. But the advertising focused at parity level. Tata seemed to ratify the media story about it being a Garibrath rather than a cool car. Another ad in the early 2011 also projected the same image featuring a girl in a decidedly rustic setting awaiting the family Nano. Initial ads of Tata Nano: Khushion ki Chabi Such mistakes by Tatas actually fuelled the perception of a poor man’s car. The car is too much of an emotional purchase . It’s the second biggest achievement after a house and the cheapest tag proved disastrous for Nano. Resurrection by Tatas Nano is the dream of Tatas and seeing the market flooded with so many small cars Tatas still see a huge potential in Nano and is seeming to undo its mistakes in the past. As quoted by Ratan Tata on the eve of Auto expo 2012 , ‘Nano is not a flop. We have lost an early opportunity due to mistakes in positioning and marketing the product.’ The new marketing campaign by Tata is all set to change the perception from a Garib rath to a cool car as it allows young to be so whimsical with the cool car that they can drive the several kilometers for a cup of perfect tea! Road to Lal Tippa National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1094 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Tata is going to launch Tata Nano CNG by the end of 2012. The company has given the car a new makeover by additional features like new interiors, a powerful gasoline engine, better fuel efficiency and attractive colors like champagne gold and papaya orange. Another initiative is offering Tata Nano happiness guarantee which more than doubles the car’s warranty from 18 months to four years insisting on its reliability. Offering fast track financing for buyers with loan approvals in 48 hours and reducing down payments to just `15000 is another measure. Tata is planning to enter new global market such as Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia and Bangladesh with Nano. The 2012 version of Nano was unveiled by the Tata in the end of 2011 and now as the fiscal year ended in March, the new efforts to promote the 2012 Nano in the Indian market have started paying off. After July 2011 till March 2012 Tata Nano has registered an increase in sales and crossed the 10000 mark at the end of the fiscal year 2011-12 (March 2012, 10475 units, Table1). The lovely Nano is a big beneficial car in small package and its value is being recognized gradually by the customers. Hence, with the conviction in mind that the potential of Nano market remains as vast as it was originally predicted; Tata is moving with some strong steps in the market as it is also planning to launch a diesel variant of Nano in near future which will prove a value preposition for its customers. Long way ahead Nano has to go a long way in realizing its dream of 20,000 plus units per month that would get its plant in the western state of Gujarat running full throttle which is presently moving at the level of around 10000 units per month. Hailed as a showpiece of innovation spawned from and targeted at the emerging upper middle class ; Nano is working hard to undo its mistakes in the past. As small car segment is having very strong potential, there is a flood of small car brands in the Indian market. It has to face strong competition from its near rivals such as Bajaj’s RE 60 , Maruti Suzuki Cervo ( approx. ` 1.5 lakh) , Maruti Alto and slightly pricier options Hyundai Santro, newly launched Hyundai Eon etc. Nano faces rising competition from used car segment National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1095 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano also. Apart from the strong competitors, high inflation and slow economic growth also put another challenges for Tata Nano. Tata is doing hard to resurrect the product segment by intensive reliability engineering, advertising innovations for repositioning and strong distribution and service facilities to recollect the trust of its customers. Let’s see how Nano makes its makers proud amidst conflicting perceptions of customers, the immense competition and rising inflation by maintaining expected performance at its tiniest tag!!! Questions 1. What do you think were the reasons due to which Nano was such a welcome launch more than any other car launch in the industry previously? 2. As Cheapest car being its USP (Unique selling Preposition), how it went against the sales performance of Nano subsequently. Give key reasons. 3. â€Å"Intense Media attention about the product went for and against it also.† Elaborate . 4. How the changed perceptions about the car impacted its sales? Also give other key reasons for such a vast variation in its sales performance. 5. Despite the various resurrection efforts by Tata what potential do you see of Nano in rapidly growing small car segment in coming years in the view of rising competition in the segment? References: ‘Auto Expo 2012: Tata Nano is not a flop, just an opportunity wasted: Ratan Tata’, Economic Times, Jan 6, 2012. ‘No Takers: Is the Tata Nano Running Out of Gas?’, India Knowledge@Wharton, January 27, 2011 Buddiraja S. , ‘ Case Analysis in Marketing Management’, Tata Mcgraw hills, New Delhi. Dhingra Mayank, ‘Marketing Case Study: Tata Nano — Document Transcript’,( Aug 2009), Slideshare. India Today/ Business/Story New Delhi ,Jan 6 2012. Kotlar Phillip , ‘Marketing Management: a South Asian Perspective’ 13th Edition , Pearson Education,New Delhi. Statistics by Society of Indian Mobile Manufacturers ,http://www.siamindia.com/scripts/market-share.aspx Economic Times ,’World’s cheapest car’ tag backfires’, ,24 Jan, 2012 Web Sources: www.tatamotors.com/media/press-releases.php?id=732 www.zigwheels.com/tata-nano/ www.iol.co.za/business/business-news/home-sales-of-world-s-cheapest-car-backfire -1.1219524 Various websites of Tata Motors National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1096

Friday, January 10, 2020

Private finance initiative

PFI PrinciplesThe PFI, known as Private Finance Initiative, is a type of Public Private Partnership procurance method implemented in UK building industry in 1992. ( Chinyio and Gameson, 2009 ) As an of import portion of Government ‘s scheme for presenting high quality populace services, Private Finance Initiative requires the private financers to set its ain capital at hazard to present clear defined public undertakings for a long term period, guaranting the quality of the work delivered within the clip and budget. ( HM Treasury, 2009 ) OGC ( 2007, p.6 ) defined PFI as â€Å" Where the public sector contracts to buy quality services, with defined end products from the private sector on long term footing, and including maintaining or building the necessary substructure so as to take advantage of private direction accomplishments incentivised by holding private finance at hazard. † PFI has now covered most of public services such as wellness, instruction, defense mechanism, prisons and transits. Typically, PFI procurance involves undertaking the full undertaking bundle including design, building, finance, operation and care, to a group of private companies which consists of a reasonably skilled building house and a installation direction house, for a long period of 20 – 30 old ages. The authorities besides provides specifications bespeaking the services and criterions it requests, and leave the control right of design and building and operation entirely to the private group for the contract period. ( Bennett and Iossa, 2006 ) It is merely recommended for undertakings to take PFI path when the capital cost is likely to transcend & amp ; lb ; 20m. ( OGC, 2007 ) Bennett and Iossa ( 2009 ) say that it ‘s more likely to utilize PFI procurance if the outwardness is positive and the invention on residuary value is big.AdvantagesLong-run RelationshipPFI is non merely concentrating on the value for money, it besides stressed the development of long term relationship between public sector and private sector. Robinson and Scott ( 2009 ) indicates that long-run relationships in PFI undertakings can supply a powerful inducement in order to larn from each other, portion the cognition, innovate and continuously better the public presentation between private sector and public sector in project bringing. Partnering is a important key of PFI procurance, the good public presentation of which will take to the success of the undertaking. Spackman ( 2002, pp.283-301 ) addresses â€Å" Success can be achieved merely if the public authorization and the contractor attack the undertaking in a spirit of partnership, humor apprehension of each other ‘s concern and a common vision of how best they can work together. †Public SavingPFI/PPP procurance has the possible to cut down the cost, and present better quality work with the same cost in o ther procurances. ( Bing and Akintoye, 2003 ) Research shows that the authorities ‘s investing utilizing PFI procurance in the UK is now about 10-14 % in its entire investing. ( Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 ) Local governments are acute to utilize PFI to present a undertaking via partnership as they do non necessitate to borrow money from the Bankss. Spackman ( 2002 ) finds the authorities constrains its adoption because it concerns about future revenue enhancement, economic demand, costs of the adoption, and flexibleness reacting to future economic system dazes. The involvement cost of public debit in UK is at 2-2.5 per centum, nevertheless for the cost of private 1 is merely approximately 1 per centum. ( Spackman, 2002 ) Anon ( 2009, p.3 ) declares that â€Å" In the UK, deficiency of hard currency is coercing the authorities to look at utilizing PPPs for more loosely. † The economy for the authorities is non merely from the adoption revenue enhancement facet, but besides in entire value of the undertakings compared with traditional procurance. Parker and Hartley, 2003 ( in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 ) claim that PPP contracts for UK defense mechanism services save cost scope from 5-40 per centum compared traditional public procurance.Private Net incomeOne of the benefits for private sectors to take PFI is that under the long term ownership, they can derive incomes and net incomes under their direction and operation, or exchange benefits with the local governments. Carrillo at EL. ( 2008 ) indentifies that one of the cardinal drivers for the motive of the PFI is the steady and long term income watercourse and higher returns and profitableness. Spackman ( 2002, pp.283-301 ) besides mentions â€Å" it ‘s easier to increase charges to run into a contract with a private operator than by voting in local or national authorities, and private moneymans might see income from users as a less hazardous beginning of gross. †Better Management SkillsAs p rivate financers are more capable for direction in concern in assorted Fieldss, the authorities believes that the private sector has a better function to offer project direction accomplishments, advanced design and installation and hazard direction. ( Carrillo at el. , 2008 ) Spackman ( 2002 ) stresses that the monitoring force per unit areas on contractors from private sectors may be stronger than those from the populace sector which is taking to a quality work.Long Term ContractIn PFI, contractors are tied into a long-run committedness, so that it reduces that a contractor can walk off during the undertaking if no sufficient support is in topographic point. Even though contracts might curtail this from go oning, but it is hard to plan and enforce wide articles and clauses in the contract for a long contractual period. ( Spackman, 2002 )Hazard TransportationHazard transportation is besides an of import component for presenting a good PFI undertaking. Carrillo at EL. ( 2008 ) claim that PFI will cut down the hazard degree carried by the authorities and reassign it to the contractors. Grimsey and Lewis ( 2005, pp.345-378 ) concludes that â€Å" The transferred hazard is frequently a cardinal determiner of value for money in PPPs, and one that may necessitate to be updated as dialogues processed, to let for fluctuations in hazard allotment. † Apart from public procurance cost hazard, there are besides other hazards such as site usage, site operation and entree, edifice criterions, operations and direction, fiscal conditions, cares and services, residuary value and gross etc. ( Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 ) Those hazards can all be considered and transferred to private side. In UK, there is a long list of samples for public funded undertakings being delayed or finished with over budget. Such hazards being transferred from public sector to private sector through a PPP path is considered to be adding value for money for public undertaking, as private sector will entirely pull off the undertaking cost, clip and quality. ( Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 )Less Construction TimePFI is considered to be one of the procurances which can present undertaking under or on clip. MacDonald, 2002 ( in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 ) reviewed 50 big UK public procurance undertakings in the past 20 old ages, and found 11 were utilizing PFI/PPP, norm of which were completed under-time. HM Treasury, 2003b ( in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 ) reviewed 61 PFI undertakings, 89 per centum of which were completed under or on clip. Compared with traditional procured undertakings, 30 per centum of which delivered on clip, PFI undertakings could be completed on clip with a 76 per centum. ( UK National Audit Office, 2003, in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 )Delivery against BudgetPFI is besides considered to be one of the procurances which can present undertaking under or on budget. HM Treasury, 2003b ( in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 ) reviewed 61 PFI undertakings, all of which were all finished within the budget. Compared with traditional procured undertakings finished with 27 per centum on budget, PFI undertakings completed on budget with a 78 per centum. ( UK National Audit Office, 2003, in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 )Innovation ApproachPFI strategies allow the private bidders to research their appetency to develop creational and alone undertakings which can besides run into the needed criterions from the authorities. ( Bing and Akintoye, 2003 ) When the undertaking is under the ownership of public sector, renegotiation between the private moneymans and the public clients must be carried out before the invention is applied. However, when the undertaking is the ownership of private sector, following authorities ‘s specifications, private moneymans has ain power and freedom to implement an advanced attack to run into its ain demands. ( Bennett and Iossa, 2006 )DisadvantagesTime TakingResearch shows that most providers complain that during the procurance, the PFI procedu re takes excessively long for direction determinations. ( Spackman, 2002 ) Li ( in Bing et al. , 2005a, pp.25-35 ) claims that the most negative factor associated with PFI/PPP procurance is â€Å" a batch of direction clip spent in the contract dealing, length holds in dialogue and high engagement cost † . Furthermore, Carrillo at EL. ( 2008, pp.138-145 ) province that PFI undertakings are complex than traditional procurance taking longer lead-in clip before the start of the building. It besides adds â€Å" It is unsustainable for a private company to hold staff involved on a undertaking for a 5 old ages period without a positive result † .Hazard AllotmentIt is an advantage for public sector that their hazards during PFI have been allocated off to private subdivisions. However, it would be a defect for private bidders to transport the hazards someway. OGC ( 2007, p.10 ) indicates that: â€Å" building undertakings are undertaken by the private sector, which are incent ivised by holding private finance at hazard. †High CostHarmonizing to research from Bing et Al. ( 2005b ) , PPP/PFI procurance has jobs such as high stamp cost, complicated dialogue, invention cost restrains and conflicting in aims between stakeholders. Carrillo at EL. ( 2008 ) besides find complain from both of client and contractors that the costs for the command, design and building are higher than the traditional procurances.Lack of ExpertnessThere are still many public professionals non experienced with PFI as it is so complex to get by with. Carrillo at EL. ( 2008 ) indicates that deficiency of expertness in public sector in footings of experience is one of the issues for PFI procedure. It adds further that the deficiency of expertness has negative impacts on the PFI undertakings, and the local governments who are limited with the experience are besides fighting to maintain up the private spouses, which influences the partnering development.Government InfluenceThe author ities is someway bombarded that it is seeking to demo positive sides of PFI every bit much as it can in order to promote execution of PFI. The research and surveies carried out so far by the authorities have been utilizing a limited sum of undertakings with certain focal point. It is recommended to name for more independent and 3rd party surveies for a broad scope of undertaking research and roll up feedback from the clients in all types of undertakings to analysis the PFI public presentation. ( Carrillo at el. , 2008 )Procurement ComparisonIn order to secure the undertaking of residential development for Wulfruna University in UK, PFI and Design and Build are taken into history for the undertaking procurance. Comparison and analysis are carried out as following.Design & A ; BuildDesign & A ; Build is one of the popular procurance methods implemented in the building industry. Since April 2000, D & A ; B has been nominated as one of the procurement recommendations along with PFI and Prime Contracting by the authorities organic structure. ( OGC, 2007 ) The basic rule of D & A ; B procurance is, as fig.1 shown, the client sets up the demands and criterions, and so send on them to the D & A ; B contractor for the bringing of the work. There is ever possible option for client to confer with other design professionals for initial inventions and design constructs. Once, the client is contracted with the D & A ; B contractor, its duty of design engagement is wholly reduced. Risks displacements to the D & A ; B undertaking squad, dwelling of interior decorators, providers and subcontractors, who will take full duty to transport out the design and building of the undertakings. ( OGC, 2007 )Brief AnalysisWith the purpose of analysis the brief, following cardinal points have been indentified:Existing 12,500 pupils with 800 hall of abode and 450 on proposalExisting 65 % males and 60 % full timersProposed 450 bed hall of abodeProposed edifice with comprised different types of adjustmentProposed edifice with a modern criterionProposed edifice to engage out to tourers or public members during vacationsAnalysis:The current pupil figure is 12, 500, and full clip pupil is about 7,500. But the figure of the halls is merely 1,250 ( including the 1 on proposal ) . This figure is merely approximately 16.7 % of the current full clip pupil figure, if 1,2500 suites are wholly counted as individual units. There is a possibility of future development of more student halls of abode.If current full clip pupil figure is about 7,500 who need pupil adjustment, there could be about 4,875 male pupils. It is common that the care and cleansing for the suites rented out for male pupils are more likely harder and hard than the 1s for female pupils. So that the proposed edifice should be quality ensured with good care strategy in topographic point.450 bed hall of abode with modern criterion and assorted types of suites could increase the undertaking cost, and it is likely to o ver the & A ; lb ; 20m bound. Such a figure of pupil ‘s adjustment besides needs a good direction and disposal.The demand of different types of adjustment might affect fluctuation during design phase of the undertaking.A modern criterion might affect client into the design for its appetency of invention attack and criterion.Renting out tourers and other public members could increase excess income for the proprietor. Good direction and operation are required from experience direction houses to supply professional services.PFI versus Design & A ; BuildUndertaking TimeIt is clearly indentified in the old subdivision that the bulk of PFI undertaking delivered under or on clip. D & A ; B comes with 2 options for viing undertakings usually. One is fixed monetary value undertaking ; hence, the undertaking will be delivered decidedly within the budget or no excess costs for the clients if it ‘s over. But the clip of the undertaking is unsure. The other option is fixed clip under taking, which can vouch the undertaking clip, but the cost of the work could be more than what clients expects. Therefore, in footings of undertaking clip, both PFI and D & A ; B are all suited for the undertaking.Undertaking CostPFI is considered to be cost efficient bringing, and it ever meets the budget or even under the budget. But it may be more for the command cost for the contractors. D & A ; B can use fixed monetary value option so that both procurement methods can run into the demand of cost even though the cost demand is non clear in this brief. However, and once more, the clip will non be guaranteed.Undertaking QualityDue to PFI is involved a long term contract for the contractor and private moneymans, it guarantee the quality and care of the undertaking. However, D & A ; B is someway has more opportunity to present a less choice work depending on the morale and motive of the contractor, contractor might cut down the quality of the work in footings of stuff or skilled lab ors etc to salvage a net income for its ain. Harmonizing to the analysis B, PFI is more favorable for the quality work in this undertaking.Client ‘s EngagementWhen the private moneyman claims the ownership, engagement of design is more likely to go on in order to input invention attack to accomplish the appetency of moneyman ‘s ain. Therefore fluctuation is allowed to happen within the PFI. However, D & A ; B contractor procedure the undertaking from design to building, there is non involvement for the client. Any fluctuation for the undertaking will take an excess fee to be implemented by the contractor. Harmonizing to the brief analysis vitamin D and vitamin E, PFI is decidedly better for D & A ; B in this instance.Hazard AllotmentIn PFI, hazards will be transferred to the private moneyman for the development. In D & A ; B, client merely have a individual contractual nexus with the contractor, shown as in fig. 1. The hazard the client carried is small and passes most o f it to the contractor.Undertaking NaturePFI procurance is suited for complex undertaking, in which the undertaking cost is more than & A ; lb ; 20m harmonizing to the debut from OGC. D & A ; B, nevertheless, is besides suited for the complex undertaking. As in the brief analysis degree Celsius, it indicates complex types of adjustment demand, both PFI and D & A ; B can secure this undertaking.Partnering ApproachIt is no uncertainty that PFI is the merely one procurance which required partnering for undertaking compared with D & A ; B. Good partnering can take to exchange of acquisition, cognition sharing and betterment of bringing. In the brief analysis a, there is a possible development of pupil halls in the hereafter if the figure of pupils supports increasing. Good partnering and relationship are the keys for quality bringing. PFI is so better than D & A ; B to be selected.Management Operation & A ; MaintenancePFI is a long term contractual pattern which involves design, buildin g, direction, operation and care for a period of 20 to 30 old ages. Private sector sometimes has better direction accomplishments than public sector. Analysis degree Fahrenheit stresses the demand of good Management and Operation, and besides analysis B once more claims the importance of care. PFI, hence, is one time once more the lone option for this demand contrasted with D & A ; BChoice RecommendationHarmonizing to HM Treasury ‘s Central Unit on Purchasing, 1992 ( in Masterman, J.W.E. , 2002 ) , choice of an appropriate procurance method can be achieved following the undermentioned stairss:Reappraisal of contract schemeAnalysisOptionsChoice of best schemeExecutionThe papers suggests clients or undertaking directors to hit how each procurance method meet the demand of the aims in assorted facets, in which manner the rating of the procurance is carried out. ( Masterman, J.W.E. , 2002 ) As fig. 2 shown, each criterion standard has its ain demand ‘s comparative weighting scope from 1 to 4. A satisfaction mark scope from 1 to10 should so be given to the procurance fiting with the standard standards. After the marking, a computation should be done by utilizing the procurance mark on one of the standards multiplied by the deliberation for the matched standards. Then add up all the consequences to acquire a entire mark. For case, in fig. 2, the underlined figures show the timing weighing for the undertaking and traditional procurance ‘s mark on this facet for the undertaking, so it should be calculated as: 4 X 4 = 16, and 16 is the entire mark for the traditional procurance ‘s public presentation on timing. Then add the remainder scores for fluctuation, undertaking nature etc. The more the mark is, the more suited the procurance will be. It is recommended that the client, the Wulfruna University, should foremost analysis and place the importance of each aim for the full undertaking, and supply the graduated table weighing on the object standards harmonizing to the importance degree. Then follow the sample shown above to name common procurance methods and give a mark to each one. In the terminal, to take the most scored procurance for the pupil hall of abode undertaking. However, there are besides other types of choice, but the chief rules are all similar to each other.DecisionIn this study, it has reviewed PFI procurance. The reappraisal has recognized PFI can supply quality undertaking within the clip and budget graduated table, freedom of invention, long term relationship, hazard transportation from public sector to private sector etc, but has besides underlined some drawbacks such as long determination devising, high command cost and deficiency of experience for both side etc. Meanwhile, it has compared two chosen procurance types PFI and Design & A ; Build, both of which are recommended by the authorities organic structure. Harmonizing to the brief analysis, it has listed some cardinal points and demands for the undertakings and comparing against each demand between PFI and D & A ; B are carried out. It is clearly that PFI can supply more to run into the demand of the undertaking brief. Furthermore, a recommendation for procurement choice is besides provided with an illustration of how the procurance is selected is besides presented. The recommendation stressed the importance of the analysis and designation of of import demand of the aims and criterions for the undertaking.MentionsAnon ( 2009 ) The large hiccup.Public Private Finance [ online ] . February 2009:3. P.3 [ accessed on 25th November 2009 ] Available from: Business Source Premier, EBSChost. ISSN 17420334.Bennett, J. and Iossa, E. ( 2006 ) Building and managing installations for public services. Journal of Public Economics, 90 ( 1 0-11 ) , pp.2143-2160.Bing, L. and Akintoye, A. ( 2003 ) An Overview of Public-Private Partnership. in Akintoye, A. , Beck, M. and Hardcastel, C. ( explosive detection systems. ) Public-Private Partnership Managing Risks and Opportunities. Oxford: Blackwell Science Ltd. pp.3-24.Bing, L. , Akintoye, A. , Edwards, P. J. and Hardcastle, C. ( 2005a ) The allotment of hazard in PPP/PFI building undertakings in the UK. International Journal of Project Management, 23 ( 1 ) , pp.25-35.Bing, L. , Akintoye, A. , Edwards, P. J. and Hardcastle, C. ( 2005b ) Critical success factors for PPP/PFI undertakings in the UK building industry. Construction Management and Economics, 23 ( 5 ) , pp.459-471.Carrillo, P. , Robinson, H. , Foale, P. , Anumba, C. and Bouchlaghem, D. ( 2008 ) Engagement, Barriers, and Opportunities in PFI: The United Kingdom Experience. Journal of Management in Engineering, 24 ( 3 ) , pp.138-145.Cartlidge, D. ( 2006 ) Public Private Partnerships in Construction. Abingdon: Taylor & A ; Francis Group.Chinyio, E. and Gameson, Rod. ( 2009 ) Private Finance Initiative in Use. in Akintoye, A. and Beck, M. ( explosive detection systems. ) Policy, Finance & A ; Management for Public- Private Partnerships. Chichester: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, pp.3-26.Grimsey, D. and Lewis, M. K. ( 2005 ) Are Public Private Partnerships value for money? : Measuring alternate attacks and comparing academic and practitioner positions. Accounting Forum, 29 ( 4 ) , pp.345-378.HM Treasury ( 2009 ) Public Private Partnerships [ online ] . [ accessed on 24th November 2009 ] . Available at: & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ppp_index.htm & gt ;Masterman, J.W.E. ( 2002 ) An illustration of contract scheme ( procurement system ) choice. Introduction to Building Procurement Systems. 2nd ed. , New York: Jack W E Masterman. P.175Masterman, J.W.E. ( 2002 ) Introduction to Building Procurement Systems. 2nd ed. , New York: Jack W E Masterman.Morledge, R. , Smith, A. and Kashiwagi, D.T. ( 2006 ) Building Procurement. 1st ed. , Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.Morledge, R. , Smith, A. and Kashiwagi, D.T. ( 2006 ) Design and Build. Building Procurement. 1st ed. , Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. p. 118.OGC ( 2007 ) 06 Procurement and Contract Strategies [ online ] . [ accessed on 24th November 2009 ] . Available at: & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/CP0066AEGuide6.pdf & gt ;Robinson, H. S. and Scott, J. ( 2009 ) Service bringing and public presentation monitoring in PFI/PPP undertakings. Construction Management and Economics, 27 ( 2 ) , pp.181-197.Spackman, M. ( 2002 ) Public-private partnerships: lessons from the British attack. Economic Systems, 26 ( 3 ) , pp.283-301.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

New York Radical Women 1960s Feminist Group

New York Radical Women (NYRW) was a feminist group in existence from 1967-1969. It was founded in New York City by Shulamith Firestone and Pam Allen. Other prominent members included Carol Hanisch, Robin Morgan, and Kathie Sarachild. The groups radical feminism was an attempt to oppose the patriarchal system. In their view, all of society was a patriarchy, a system in which fathers have total authority over the family and men have legal authority over women. They urgently wanted to change society so that it was no longer entirely governed by men and women were no longer oppressed. Members of New York Radical Women had belonged to radical political groups that called for extreme change as they fought for civil rights or protested the Vietnam War. Those groups were usually run by men. The radical feminists wanted to usher in a protest movement in which women had power. The NYRW leaders said even men who were activists did not accept them because they rejected the traditional gender roles of a society that gave power only to men. However, they found allies in some political groups, such as the Southern Conference Educational Fund, which allowed them the use of its offices. Significant Protests In January 1968, NYRW led an alternative protest to the Jeannette Rankin Brigade peace march in Washington D.C. The Brigade march was a large gathering of womens groups who protested the Vietnam War as grieving wives, mothers, and daughters. The Radical Women rejected this protest. They said all it did was react to those who governed the male-dominated society. NYRW felt that appealing to Congress as women kept women in their traditional passive role of reacting to men instead of gaining real political power. NYRW therefore invited the Brigade attendees to join them in a mock burial of womens traditional roles at Arlington National Cemetery. Sarachild (then Kathie Amatniek) delivered a speech called Funeral Oration for the Burial of Traditional Womanhood. While she spoke at the mock funeral, she questioned how many women had avoided the alternative protest because they were afraid of how it would look to men if they attended. In September 1968, NYRW protested the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Hundreds of women marched on the Atlantic City Boardwalk with signs that criticized the pageant and called it a cattle auction. During the live telecast, the women displayed from the balcony a banner that said Womens Liberation. Although this event is often thought to be where bra-burning took place, their actual symbolic protest consisted of placing bras, girdles, Playboy magazines, mops, and other evidence of the oppression of women into a trash can, but not lighting the objects on fire. NYRW said that the pageant not only judged women based on ludicrous beauty standards, but supported the immoral Vietnam War by sending the winner to entertain the troops. They also protested the racism of the pageant, which had never yet crowned a black Miss America. Because millions of viewers watched the pageant, the event brought the womens liberation movement a great deal of public awareness and media coverage. NYRW published a collection of essays, Notes from the First Year, in 1968. They also participated in the 1969 Counter-Inauguration that took place in Washington D.C. during Richard Nixons inaugural activities. Dissolution NYRW became philosophically divided and came to an end in 1969. Its members then formed other feminist groups. Robin Morgan joined forces with group members who considered themselves more interested in social and political action. Shulamith Firestone moved on to Redstockings and later the New York Radical Feminists. When Redstockings began, its members rejected social action feminism as still a part of the existing political left. They said they wanted to create an entirely new left outside the system of male superiority.