TATA Company International Business

Introduction International business refers to commercial transactions that are conducted across political boarders. The boarder may describe countries, nations, states or even regions. International business is normally undertaken for purposes of profit making though transactions by governments at times carry political benefits.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on TATA Company’ International Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This paper seeks to discuss aspects of international business with respect to a case study about TATA Company. The paper will look into the case study to identify contemporary issues that are facing the company and to carry out an evaluator analysis into the company’s position and environment. The house of Tata The house of Tata is a family enterprise that was established in the year 1868. Having been established as a trading organization, the firm evolved over time to expa nd and diversify its operations in different sectors. Just six years after its establishment, the firm turned into dealing in textiles. The company also expanded in its financial capacity and was able to establish a luxury hotel in the country in the year 1903. Four years later, the firm established a steel company. Though the firm then took time before entering into another venture, it made a major step in the year 1932 to own an airline. The house of Tata also developed a subsidiary firm that, in the year 1968, deals in software. Besides its economic significance, the Tata group has been identified as a socially sensitive enterprise following its participation in charity activities. By the year 1938, the group had expanded to thirteen companies following the ventures that established its subsidiaries. One of the administrative approaches that the group developed under J. Tata as its chairman was the autonomy that the subsidiaries were granted. A level of independence in management was advocated for which led to the group’s firms expanding to overlap in their products. By the end of J. Tata’s reign as the group’s chairperson in the year 1991, Tata group had expanded from thirteen companies to three hundred companies. The entrance of R. Tata in the year 1991 to head the group was characterized with a lot of change in the organization. Ratan managed to revive some of the organization’s subsidiaries that were not stable such as the steel company and the motors company. He also restructured the firms many subsidiaries to work in groups that were based on the type of products offered. His restructuring reorganized the group into sectors that were â€Å"information systems and communications; engineering; materials; chemicals; consumer products; energy; and services† (Khanna, Palepu and Bullock, 2009, p. 2). Some of the company’s later significant developments have been international ventures through acquisitions and merger s with foreign companies (Khanna, Palepu and Bullock, 2009, p. 2).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Contemporary issues facing the company The long time duration in which the Tata group has existed has been characterized with features of opportunities, threats, strengths and even weaknesses. One of the issues that have been evident with the group, with specification to the Tata motors, has been its exploration and existence in the global market (Tata, n.d., p. 1). The group has a record of entry into the international market since the beginning of the twenty first century. The move by the company that includes acquisitions and integrations has been its strategy for exploration of and expansion into markets. The bid by the company to acquire Jaguar and Land Rover that were out for bids in the United States was an example of such explorations. Surowiecki reports that by the ye ar 2008, Tata Company had not explored the motor vehicle industry in the United States and its brand of product were not even available on the American roads. Though the company had a strong history with productions in India, it was not even yet known in the United States. The company’s dominance in its domestic market without any significant feature in foreign markets such as the United States and European markets, according to Surowiecki were due to the economic environment that surrounded the global market (Surowiecki, 2008, p. 1). Another international move by Tata motors was its partnership with MG rovers of Britain in the year 2003 that enabled the company to explore the European market. This move led to the introduction of â€Å"the Indica into the European market as the CityRover† (Khanna, Palepu and Bullock, 2009, p. 11).  In the partnership, Tata exported the brand of vehicle that was then sold in Europe by MG motors. Other acquisitions and partnerships wer e made with respect to companies in countries such as Spain, Brazil and Korea among others (Khanna, Palepu and Bullock, 2009, p. 14). The compa ny’s engagement in international trade is still on its course with an increasing trend being registered in the company’s exportation of vehicles. In April 2010 for example, the company exported one unit of a Nano brand of car that it had developed. The level of exportation of the same brand grew to reach four hundred and ninety eight by April 2011. The company is also reported to be making plans to further expand its international influence with plans to establish production units in regions such as the Latin America and Africa. Marketing techniques to expand its market in the already explored areas are also international avenues that are still being explored (News, 2011, p. 1).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on TATA Company’ International Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/ page Learn More Apart from the direct establishment of the company in the external markets, it has been deriving mutual exchange of expertise from the regions in which it expands. Acquisitions have for example been relinquishing technological rights to the company. The company has also to a great extent benefited from exchanging its management within its structure in different regions. A movement of a manager from one environment to another will lead to transfer of skills to the new region (Tata, n.d., p. 1).  There are also a number of issues that face the company in the form of weaknesses. One of such is the brand of vehicles that the company has been producing. Its brands have been associated with middle economic class which can not afford expensive cars. The brands are also outdated in the environment that has realized innovations from competitive companies. With the availability of many companies in the motor industry in the Indian market and the competition pr ovided by international automobile producers, the company has been struggling to cope with the market that is influenced by new car models in fashion (Research, 2009, p. 7). Also significant among the issues facing the company is the quality of its products in relation to those from other producers in the industry. A survey that was conducted over manufacturer’s ratings in the motor vehicle industry reveals that the company is not among consumer’s favorites. The result of the research that was based on factors such as â€Å"safety, quality, value, performance, environmental friendliness, design and technology† revealed a preference of other manufacturer’s vehicles as opposed to those of Tata. In relation to safety of vehicles, there are competition from brands such as â€Å"Volvo, Ford, Subaru† among others that are rated above Tata (Consumer, 2010, p. 1). Quality also rates brands such as â€Å"Toyota, Honda and Ford† among others as prefer red and value ranks â€Å"Honda, Toyota and Ford† among others in the level of preference (Consumer, 2010, p. 1). With brands such as those of Toyota, Honda and Ford among others being preferred over Tata with respect to all the aspects of the research, it is a clear indicator that regardless of the lower price of the Tata brands, they might not be preferred among those that have enough money to purchase the brands such as Toyota which have also diversified to realize production of cheap car models. The lowly priced productions of the company which has been associated with inefficiency with respect to aspects such as safety, value and quality among other car properties has thus in the long run worked to the disadvantage of the company. Other companies in the motor vehicle industry therefore have the capacity to beat Tata both in the international market as well as in India which the companies have infiltrated (Consumer, 2010, p. 1).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another survey that ranked vehicle brands with respect to number of problems registered per one hundred vehicles also reveals lack of efficiency in the vehicle model. According to the survey, Honda closes the list of top five with ninety nine problems registered out of every one hundred vehicles sampled. Tata vehicles are therefore characterized with at least 100 problems per 100 sampled vehicles. This reveals a probability that each and every Tata brand of vehicles have problems. Such cases of problems associated with its vehicles may turn customers away from the company’s brands (Top, 2011, p. 1).  Tata together with the entire Indian auto mobile industry has also been criticized with poor strategy in its attempt to acquire market for its products. Though the company has realized growth in market control, it is feared that this influence could be short leaved. The company has been criticized for not employing modern technologies in its production and marketing processes. One of the poor strategies that have been realized of Tata is the offensive move to counter competition that it realizes in the market without appropriate long term plans. A move that Tata has not yet identified though is perceived to be of great benefit to it is the reduction in its expenditures and development of the quality of products that it offers (Rediff, 2004, p. 1). Weaknesses facing the company are also reported to include lower return on investment which gives reflection of low profitability. The company’s sales in India are also reported to be less than its targets besides its inability to capture the market of luxury cars (MBA, 2009, p. 1). The issue of Tata’s acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover Though Tata has had a past of acquisitions and mergers with other companies especially in the bid to expand its market influence, it ought not to acquire the two brands of vehicles, Jaguar and Land Rover. Available options to Tata group Though the Tata group has m ajorly resorted to mergers and acquisitions in its bid to expand, especially to the international market, it in general terms has a variety of options for expansion of its market in foreign countries. Ansoff’s growth matrix One of the strategies that the group can adopt is the matrix approach that is based on consideration of both market forces and the organizations products. Under this approach, considerations are made with respect to existing markets and products as well as possible new markets and products. The approach then gives rise to elements such as â€Å"market penetration, product development, market development and diversification† (Action, n.d., 1). Market penetration: market penetration refers to the move by a firm to increase its control of an existing market. Under this move, the Tata group can make efforts to capitalize on the control of its domestic market that it has experienced and has good knowledge of. This approach may be less risky and relativel y cheaper for the company as compared to the acquisitions that are directed to new and distant markets from the firm’s original location. Market development as an approach to the matrix method on the other hand entails the introduction of an organizations existing product into new markets. The market could be the organization’s domestic or a foreign one. Under this approach, the group can resort to exploring its unexploited markets in terms of geographical regions and social classes. It can take its products to these markets and employ marketing strategies to increase its sales in these markets. This, if successful can enable the company to increase its sales and hence its revenues and profitability.  Product development on the other hand establishes new products into an existing market. With this approach, the firm can enter into innovations of new brands of commodities such as its own initiatives into new brands of luxury vehicles for example. With its originality, the organization can then take advantage of the good will that it has over time developed in India and its other markets. Following the company’s ability that has given it market share in the past, its newly introduced products will be acceptable and even perform better if they are associated with developed quality and efficiencies. Tata can similarly introduce its new products and venture them in entirely new environments. Such could have been the case instead of acquisitions. The company could have been introducing its originally invented products into markets such as the United States, Europe and even other regions like Latin America and Africa. The diversification approach can be in the organization’s lines of production or can be ventures into other lines such introduction of a different commodity (Action, n.d., 1). Franchising and licensing The use of franchising and licensing over intellectual property is another avenue that the company can employ to help it im prove its revenues. With relatively less investments into inventions, the company can earn from contracts over its intelligence. The advantage behind franchising is the fact that it is not capital intensive and is therefore less risky once the property is established. Such moves will also help Tata in developing capacity into innovative moves for more quality products (Action, n.d., 1). Public equity Generating funds from public investors into major development steps that could only be unaffordable to the company can also be a strategy. Given enough resources such as finances, the firm can for instance have the capacity to develop new brands and their manufacturing sites in its domestic and foreign markets. Direct ventures such as increasing its direct exports into foreign markets are also a positive move (Action, n.d., 1). Foreign direct investments Another venture that Tata could have adopted in its initiative to diversify into international market is through foreign direct invest ments into its target countries. With the general wave of countries encouraging for foreign direct investments with even government initiatives to facilitate the same, Tata could take the advantage to establish its production units in foreign markets (Bento Joao, 2009, 2). Evaluation The decision against Tata’s acquisition of the two models is based on the circumstances that have surrounded the vehicle brands. One of the issues that clouded the acquisition of the brands is the economic downfall in the brand’s dominant markets which is the United States and Europe. With the melt down, Tata company was undertaking a risk that could impact its financial stability. This is because the vehicle brands had in the first place been associated with significant loses and coupled with the poor economic status in their markets; Tata stood a risk of failing to recover its investments in the two brands. The currency factor that would over time change due to cross border transactions also posed a threat to Tata’s financial interests in the transaction. The move thus put Tata’s profitability at great risk (Icmirida, 2008, p. 7). Another challenge to the acquisition would be the barriers in the culture between the operational set ups of the acquired brands and that of Tata’s India. In India for instance, there is an established culture that any business that is crumbling can be revived even under limited resources and poor business environment. Though this is a good philosophy, it is not very promising in environments where productions are based on efficiencies and resource limitation is not a factor. The two brands that are at their poor financial states might not be successfully revived to a competitive level with other European and American brands as would be possible in India where domestic competitors depend on the philosophy (Thite, Wilkinson and Budhwar, n.d., p. 2). The poor quality production reported of Tata, that could be associated with its Indian philosophy of working under limited resources, could as well pose a threat to the development of the already loss oriented car brands. This is actually significant in the environment where unlike India, quality is given preference. The investment might therefore not pick up to sustainability (Hall, 2011, p. 1). The general trend that was adopted by the firm in its move to venture into the international market appears to be more risky relative to other available options for expansion into international markets. Measures such as the growth matrix and exportation allow an investing entity a basis of originality that could drive well among customers. Direct foreign investments that are well initiated with established authority and rights of the investor are another positive avenue for expansion. Acquisitions and mergers especially with entities that are not profit making in on the other hand a more tasking initiative (Action, n.d., 1), (Bento Joao, 2009, 2). Recommendat ions Regardless of the company’s moves to expand its market control in the motor vehicle industry, it is still faced with problems such as inefficiencies in its production processes leading low quality products. The company should therefore develop a strategy into transforming its operations to be in line with the level of technology and quality in the market. This will help the company’s products to gain preference among consumers. The company should also take measures to directly improve its image in the market. Contrary to moving to have acquisitions as a strategy to increasing its sales, the company should concentrate its efforts on marketing its cheap brands in developing country where customers might resort to lower cost as opposed to expensive brands. The company also has better and safer approaches into the international market. Instead of rushing into acquisitions and mergers, the firm can independently make avenues into the international markets. Foreign dire ct investments, exportation and market expansion would be better for the Tata group of companies. Conclusion The Tata group having been established as a family business developed over time to have independent subsidiaries. Its development has also included diversification of its market by acquiring enterprises in international markets. The company is however characterized by a weak system that produces poor quality products. Its move to acquire Jaguar and Land Rover don’t seem to be a good move following its weaknesses and the threats that such acquisitions are associated with. On the contrary, the firm should have adopted other techniques in exploring the international market. References Action. (n.d.). growing your business- growth and expansion. Available from: http://www.ace.org.sg/Site/Page.aspx?id=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000013421. Bento Joao. (2009). Economic Integration, International Trade and the Role of Foreign Direct Investment: The Case of Portuguese Manufact uring. Berlin, Germany: LIT Verlag Mà ¼nster Consumer. (2010) Most important factors in buying a car. [Online] Available from: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/news/2010/01/2010-car-brand-perceptions-survey/most-important-factors/brand-perceptions-most-important-factors.htm Hall, W. (2011) Jaguar Land Rover: Halewood makes its case. [Online] Available from: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/41a5ef84-8dbf-11dd-83d5-0000779fd18c.html#axzz1NflZEKu0 Icmirida. (2008) Tata motor’s acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover. [Online] Available from: http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Business%20strategy/BSTR313.htm Khanna, T., Palepu, K and Bullock, R. (2009) House of Tata: Acquiring a global footprint. New York: Cengage Learning. MBA. (2009) TATA motors swot analysis. [Online] Available from: http://www.mba-tutorials.com/marketing/251-tata-motors-swot-analysis.html News. (2011) Nano goes global as Tata Motors begins export. [Online] Available from: http://ne ws.24by7info.net/nano-goes-global-as-tata-motors-begins-export/ Rediff. (2004) The big threat to Indian autos. [Online] Available from: http://www.rediff.com/money/2004/sep/21guest2.htm Research. (2009) Automobile sector. [Online] Available from: http://www.slideshare.net/Nisha08/research-3372818 Surowiecki, J. (2008) The Tata invasion. [Online] Available from: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2008/01/28/080128ta_talk_surowiecki Tata. (n.d.) SWOT Analysis-Tata motors limited. [Online] Available from: http://www.marketingteacher.com/swot/tata-motors-swot.html Thite, M., Wilkinson, A and Budhwar, P. (n.d.) Internationalization of India Inc. [Online] Available from: https://www.google.com/url?sa=tsource=webcd=2ved=0CCgQFjABurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shrm.org%2Fabout%2Ffoundation%2Fresearch%2FDocuments%2FThite%2520India%2520Paper%25204-11.docxrct=jq=acquisition%20of%20jaguar%20by%20tata-%20cultural%20barrierei=ejjhTY_9C4rAhAfU09HWBgusg=AFQjCNGGw6IcSVzGg87ej21DtOKdnTxz8wcad=rja To p. (2011) The top 5 car brands with the least quality problems. [Online] Available from: http://www.top5ofanything.com/index.php?h=24788248 This report on TATA Company’ International Business was written and submitted by user Jillian Farmer to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Macbeth Blood motif essays

Macbeth Blood motif essays In William Shakespeares Macbeth, the motif of blood plays an important factor in the framework of the theme. A motif is a methodical approach to uncover the true meaning of the play. Macbeth, the main character in the play, thinks he can unjustly advance to the title of king without any variation of his honest self. The blood on Macbeths hands illustrates the guilt he must carry after plotting against King Duncan and yearning for his crown. Shakespeare used the image of blood to portray the central idea of Macbeth, King Duncans murder. The crime is foreshadowed in the second scene of the first act. The king shouts, What bloody man is that? (I,ii,1) He is referring to a soldier coming in from battle. The soldier then explains to King Duncan of Macbeths heroics in battle. One assumes that Macbeth is bloody just like the soldier. The soldier describes Macbeth in action Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel, Which smoked with bloody execution. (I,ii,17-18) This line connects Macbeth with killing, and hints at the future. The evil deed of murdering the king becomes too much of a burden on the Macbeths. The blood represents their crime, and they can not escape the sin of their actions. Macbeth realizes that in time he would get what he deserves. Since he can not ride himself of his guilt by washing the blood away, his fate may have been sealed. They try to use water for vindication, but Macbeth says that all the water in the ocean could not cleanse his hands. He imagines the blood from the murder staining the ocean red. Lady Macbeth differs from her husband in this aspect. She believes her conscience would be cleansed at the time her hands are physically cleaned. She tells her husband to have the same beliefs as she or he would be driven to insanity. Ironically, Lady Macbeth is the one that is driven to the brink of lunacy as she commits suicide at t...

Research and analyze company's current IT situation Essay

Research and analyze company's current IT situation - Essay Example The first outlet of Wal-Mart was opened in the same area in 1962 by the name of Wal-Mart discount store. Thereafter, another 12 retail stores under the ownership of Walton’s family were opened (Wal-Mart). However, it was not until 1969 that the Wal-Mart stores chain was founded (Wal-Mart). The strategy on the basis of which Wal-Mart was founded was providing everyday low prices at any place. It was not until 1970 that the first stock was traded with the formation of Wal-Mart as a public limited company (Wal-Mart). Thereafter, the company’s operations expanded and its distribution centers increased leading to increased growth through acquisitions. Competition also increased with retailers such as K-mart, Costco, Dillard's, Dollar Tree, J.C Penny, Sears and Target (NASDAQ). The bargaining power of customers, therefore, increased with the availability of greater substitutes. This increased the need to manage the operations efficiently and effectively which meant the compan y had to make use of information systems and manage them to sustain their competitive edge. Perhaps the primary reason behind the rapid growth of Wal-Mart is its high responsiveness to customer needs and cost reduction through the integration of information technology and information systems into its supply chain and logistics. This is reflected in Wal-Mart being the first retailer to have adopted the hub-and-spoke system of centralized distribution (Banjo). The hub-and-spoke system revolves around the idea of systems integration with the inflow of products from various places to distribution centers where the orders are consolidated and sent to their respective destinations (Banjo). These enable companies to reduce cycle times, inventory as well as costs of transportation. Wal-Mart has carefully synchronized its business strategy with its MIS strategy. This is in line with literature which suggests that the operational, managerial and strategic needs of corporation must be aligned with the information systems. The model of strategic alignment suggests that the business, IT, Organizational infrastructure and IT infrastructure must be aligned with each other (Venkatraman, Henderson and Oldach). The strategic drivers in the case of Wal-Mart included intense and growing competition, the need to shift to online operations and cutting costs to enhance profits. All these have resulted in Wal-Mart resorting to the use of Management Information Systems in its operations. Although traditionally classified as a brick and mortar company with physical operations only, Wal-Mart can now be categorized as a dot.com corporation as well owing to the foundation of walmart.com. Wal-Mart presents a case of a retailer that has used information technology to achieve and maintain a competitive edge in the market. As mentioned earlier, this is based on the company’s business strategy of offering lowest possible prices (which can come through lowest possible costs). Therefore, cost reduction and responsiveness to customer needs have been at the heart of Wal-Mart’s business strategy. The company has catered to the needs of most of its stakeholders including its vendors, suppliers and customers through the adoption of information systems. Wal-Mart has invested huge sums of money for tracking its inventory across all outlets. The satellite communication system developed in

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HOW CAN MORAL RESPONSIBILITY BE ASCRIBED TO COMPUTER SYSTEMS - Research Proposal Example Aside from this, a computer system is only helpful if its functions well and with ample amount of security. By this, it has a system that works the way it is as it is expected to work that way and be much reliable (Bace, 2000, p.29; Forester and Morrison, 1993). In other words, a computer system is created to maximise its benefits. We can actually see this happening now. Below are some actual observations we can associate with a computer system and its various benefits it offers to the humanity. Today, wherever we go, we always encounter highly systematic and computerized services, gadgets and other related technologies. Starting with our private and personal needs, many of them are now integrated with computer systems. Our mobile phones for instance, are designed with high ability to function based on a complex computerised system. Mobile phones for instance, have been revolutionised into smartphones with various features aside from their basic functions. With smartphones, we can co nnect to the whole world; extend our social networks and make it live wherever we go; we can shop in abundance or initiate business and conduct other related transactions; we can download and upload almost everything at anytime with all convenience and more. These are just some added features we can encounter with a highly innovative smartphones today aside from the very basic features of calling and sending or receiving short message service (SMS). For online access, we can even connect it anytime and almost everywhere to Wi-Fi zones and fast-speed internet broadband connections, which also perform at their best via assistance of a computer system. In addition to meeting our personal needs, the design of musical gadget such as iPods can play music and do more complex tasks with the use of simple features and commands, all are made possible because of intricate and powerful design of a working computer system. Furthermore, we can withdraw and transfer money from anywhere because of Automated Teller Machines (ATM) working online, 24 hours a day in a week, which allow us to insert our ATM cards designed to function in perfect compatibility with various banking machines. In fact, our banking transactions can even be made more complex as one could now initiate cross-banking services, all because of the upgraded computer system. Without any question, we now rely on a computer system our very crucial transactions like these. We might be unconscious about it, but we gave in to the promise of computer system into our lives, to the extent that we trust that our confidentiality will have a high value of assurance. In fact, various businesses offering service and product offerings are now depending their entire transactions on a computer system in order to meet the demand for more convenience, profitability and tough competition for gaining competitive advantage. As the world transforms and as the lifestyles of many change, we tend to rely on the capability of a computer system in order to aid our life for convenience and other substantial benefits it could possibly offer us. In addition, for various health services, we also depend on

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W8last-OD Report - Essay Example If the top management has a proactive feel about the change avenues, it will always make sure that the organization is geared to achieve success on a consistent basis (Berkowitz 2003). These steps should be undertaken by the organization to make sure that the change regimes are in place and are being adopted by the different tiers within the realms of the organization. The performance regimes depend a great deal on the ways and means through which the organization is gauging the facts and figures and in light of the same, the different recommendations and conclusions are drawn up from time to time. In essence, it is always a good practice to have as much consistency within the efforts as possible as this will bring in a huge amount of success. Ethical discussions are pertinent because these embody the basis of its success in the long run from a holistic perspective. Moral values and justifications are important from an organizational standpoint as these are looked upon in a very positive way. These help the basis of building hierarchies within an organization and thus bank on the premise of bringing about a solid change, a change that is long-lasting and happens on a consistent basis (Streatfield 2001). An assessment for any organization will suggest that ethical considerations are significant and that these will tie up the employees with the rules and policies that the business concern teaches from time to time. In fact the human resources management concern has a huge role to play within the entire mix as it dictates the basis of success or failure as far as the ethical talks are related. Any organization would direly require the correct incorporation of ethics within its folds because this embodies its criteria for att aining success or the lack thereof, in the long run scheme of things (Robbins 2004). The organizational assessment gains quite a fair amount of share within the discourse that

Impact of Internet Addiction on Social Skills

Impact of Internet Addiction on Social Skills The world continues to progress all the time with the rapid development of new technologies. Inventions like telephone, television, computers, and Internet being one of  the most recent in a series of technological developments have proven that people are no  longer limited by geographical boundaries. Almost everyone will agree that Internet is  the largest and most flexible source of information in the world today. It is widely used  by the business world for conducting their daily work or research and by individuals for  communication, entertainment, learning and relaxing. However, apart from the  advantages there are some disadvantages of the excessive use. Internet has been  responsible for decreased family time, relationship problems, lower productivity in  employment, continuation of false information and the increasing of psychological  problems (Beard, 2005). The development of Internet is increasing worldwide and the  excessive use leads to Internet addic tion that became a common problem nowadays. The nature of the term addiction is difficult to define. Addiction has been referred  as an uncontrollable compulsive behavior that despite of the negative consequences it is a  repeated behavior. This behavior includes using more of the substances than intended;  having unsuccessful attempts to stop, and experiencing problems in their social and work  environment (Kring, Johnson, Davison, Neale, 2010). Internet addiction disorder was first seen in the U.S press in 1995, in an article  that was published in New York Times with the title The Lure and Addiction of Life On  line ». The author of the article, O Neill, stated that health professionals related excessive  Internet use to obsessive shopping, exercise, and gambling (Chack Leung, 2004). Goldberg (1996) presented the first definition for Internet addiction, describing it as a  behavioral addiction that took the criteria from substance dependence from the DSM-IV. Griffiths (2000) expanded the definition by stating that technological addictions are a  subset of behavioral addictions that include six components (salience, mood  modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict and relapse). Also Internet addiction might  be caused by many aspects of internet use like distant communication, the fact that there  is no face to face contact, and other online activities like chat rooms (Griffiths, 2000). A  second definition that was called Problematic Internet Use (PIU) took criteria from DSM-IV and was associated with pathological gambling (Young, 1996). The author stated that  in order for a person to be addicted he/she has to meet five of the eight criteria. Some of  these criteria are, obsession with internet, environmental problems, withdrawal when  reducing internet etc. Also according to Young, Problematic Internet Use could be more  related to impulse control disorder that substance dependence. The problem that arises  out o f these two definitions is that they neither exclude co-morbidity as an important  factor nor determine whether the time spent on the internet is related to their normal work  or to a pathological addiction. Both defitions support a pathological etiology that has no  theoretical base (Hall Parsons, 2001). By extending the definition of Young, Davis (2001) suggests that problematic  internet can be regarded as Specific Pathological Internet Use and Generalized  Pathological Internet Use. The first is using the internet to increase an addiction that has  occurred before (gambling), while the second is about the general use of internet  (searching, chatting). Another definition that was presented for internet addiction was  named Internet Behavior Dependence. This definition suggests that excessive Internet use  can cause problems to cognitive, behavioural, and emotional functioning in a generally  healthy person. The dependence that a person has on internet can been seen by the  following: deficient in satisfaction with all areas in his life, like school, work or home,  use of internet with less pleasure, feels worry when not using, failure in controlling the  use regardless of all the physical, psychological and social problems. No matter how  someone call it, Int ernet- related disorders are arising as a serious problem for which  people need understanding, help and change. The internet because of its rapid spread is reachable nowadays by almost  everyone and especially college students. They tend to be more vulnerable than others  because of the developmental stressors, like social relationships, and because internet can  be easily accessed. Many students use it nowadays for many purposes, like preparing  course works, search information, communicate, and entertain those selves (Ceyhan,  2008). Also online relationships differ from real relationships ». Through internet  anonymity is provided and anxiety is reduced because there are no face to face  interactions. The self- presentation of a person in an online activity may prevent him from  being judged for his appearance or personality style (Kandell, 1998). Therefore students  are more likely to develop problems with internet than others. Many studies have been  conducted using DSM- based criteria and showed higher rates in internet use among  college students than in gen eral population (Morahan- Martin Schumacher, 1999;  Yang, 2001). In the literature there is a great number of studies showing that Internet  addiction has been related to many variables apart from social skills such as gender and  internet expertise (Morahan-Martin Schumacher, 1997), age and grade level  (Johansson, 2004), online experiences and the amount of time spent online (Morahan-  Martin, 1999), depression, with increased levels of depression being associates with  internet addiction (Young, Rogers, 1998), and impulse control disorder (Shapira, 2003). Social skills are a fundamental factor in the development of the relationships. They include all the behaviours that a person should have in his/her interactions and  communication with other people (Teodoro, 2005). Caplan (2002) developed a theory  imploring deficient social skills. The author claimed that people who are depressive and  lonely tend to have a negative view towards their social skills. Another explanation can  be that people who tend to be low in social skills are attracted by some special features of  online communication. These features allow the person to adopt another self-presentation  that cannot be developed through face to face interaction. Through this, a person may  exaggerate and present himself different than he is in real life (Caplan, 2002). Thus, for  some people Internet is a place much easier and safe because of its anonymity and  because it requires less interpersonal communication. It is a place less stressful where  they can control their social skills better than having a face to face interaction (Shaw   Black, 2008). There have not been conducted a lot of studies until now that measure internet  addiction and social skills in college students. Most of the studies focused on excessive  internet use and how it affects the development of social skills in children and  adolescents (Harman, Hansen, Cochran, Lindsey, 2005). The research that has been  conducted focused in some specific aspects of social skills like shyness, loneliness, social  adjustment. There is a contradiction in the literature referring to these specific aspects of  social skills and internet addiction. Engelberg (2004) in his study about internet use,  social skills and social adjustment found out that individuals who use excessively internet  tend to be lonelier and have problems in their social adjustment in work and in their spare  time. On the other hand, another research found out that by talking online in chat rooms,  loneliness is reduced and social support is increased (Waestlund, Norlander, Archer,  2001). Also another study conducted by Morahan-Martin (2003) found out that lonely  people tend to use internet for emotional support and that their social behaviour is  increased by making online friends. In a study it was shown that shyness and locus of  control were associated with internet addiction. It was found that persons scored higher  levels of internet addiction tend to be shier and indicating more difficulties in their social  life. (Chack Leung, 2004). Most of the studies that have been conducted measured  some specific aspects of social skills that are most of them loneliness, shyness and social  adjustment and social comfort. There is a contradiction in the studies referring to  loneliness and social comfort, with studies indicating different results (Engelberg, 2004;  Waestlund et al., 2001). Due to this contradiction further research should be conducted to  measure whether these aspects of social skills are related in a negative or in a positi ve  way with the use of internet. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship  between compulsive internet use and four dimensions of social skills that are loneliness/depression, impulse control, social comfort and distraction. Methods Participants An approximately number of 70 undergraduate college students is going to  participate in the current study. Their age will range from 18 to 35 years  old. The study will be conducted in an English University in northern Greece and  students will be recruited from different departments, the psychology, computer and   business department. The measuring tools will be given in English since they know and  understand the language. Also participants will not be from the same ethnicity but from  different countries like Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Serbia and Fyrom. Measures Online Cognition Scale (Davis, Flett, Besser, 2002). The OCS is a  multidimensional questionnaire that was designed to measure Problematic Internet Use. It  is consisted of 36-items that cover four subscales, six items measure loneliness/  depression, ten items measure diminished impulse control, distraction is measured by  seven items and social comfort by thirteen items. Respondents will rate in a seven-point  Likert scale with answers ranging from 1- strongly disagree, 4- neither agree/ nor  disagree to -7 strongly agree. Students will respond to statements such as: I feel safest  when I am on the internet; I use the Internet more than I ought to; I am less lonely  when I am online and I often use the Internet to avoid doing unpleasant things. In  order to avoid order effects the items of the online cognition scale were presented in a  random order. The author in order to establish the validity of the Online Cognition Scale  investigated the association betw een various cognitive and behavioural variables and the  OCS dimensions of problematic internet use. Item-total correlations were highly  significant, ranging from 0.47- 0.77 for social comfort, 0.49- 0.81 for loneliness/depression, 0.50-0.76 for diminished impulse control, and 0.55-0.80 for distraction. Compulsive Internet Use Scale (Meerkerk, Eijnden, Vermulst, Garretsen,  2009). The CIUS was designed to assess the severity of compulsive Internet use. It  includes 14 items and participants will respond in a five-point scale: 0, never; 1, seldom;  2, sometimes; 3, often; 4, very often. The questions included in the scale are like: How  often do you think about the Internet, even not online; How often do you go on the  Internet when you are feeling down. The author in order to test the validity of the test  used another test the online cognition scale. Pearson correlations were high and  significant between CIUS and OCS with p Procedure The sample will be obtained by college students randomly during class or break. Participants are going to fill in the three questionnaires individually with all the useful  instructions provided. They will have the chance to fill them right away or hand them  over later to secretary. Also with the questionnaires they will receive a consent form that  have to sign in order to show that they agree to participate in the study. Participants will  be encouraged to answer as honest as they can, but someone can be never sure about the  answers and if someone will feel offended or upset by a question. Participants will have  the right to withdraw anytime they do not want to continue for any reason, without  receiving any penalty. Confidentiality and anonymity were provided and explained that  the study is only for research. Also, the instructor will be there ready to answer any  question in case of any doubt. Design The design of the study is a correlation design that will measure the two variables,  Internet addiction and the level of social skills. Proposed Analysis Pearson correlation will be conducted for the data analysis that will investigate  the correlation between the severity of compulsive internet use and the level of social  skills.

Compare the portrayal of men and women in Turned and in Tony Kytes, the arch -deceiver :: Charlotte Perkins Gilman Thomas Hardy

‘Turned’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and ‘Tony kytes, the arch-deceiver’ by Thomas Hardy, are both short stories. They are about the relationships between men and women. ‘Turned’ is a more severe story. It is about a man called Mr Marroner going abroad for work, and his wife finding out that Mr Marroner had slept with their servant Gerta. Gerta then becomes pregnant and, consequently Mrs Marroner tells Gerta to leave. However, Mrs Marroner soon realises that it was Mr Marroner’s fault, and therefore Mrs Marroner and Gerta leave before Mr Marroner returns home. ‘Tony Kytes, the arch deceiver’ is a more light-hearted story. Tony is a man that likes a lot of women, and there are a lot of women that like Tony. Tony is supposed to be engaged to a young women named Milly, however on a journey home from town he meets two other girls. Both are previous girlfriends and they start flirting with him. Tony ends up with two girls hiding in the back of his wagon and one sitting beside him. He gets in a bit of a muddle. However he ends marrying Milly. This story is about a man who is unsure about how he feels towards his fiancà ©. Mrs. Marroner from ‘turned’ was a well educated, high society woman. She lived in Boston, an upper-class suburb, had a Ph.D. and once lectured at university. A woman being highly educated was very rare for the early 20th century. Because of her suburban upbringing and education she was a confident, free thinking and independent women who relied on no one. She was the more dominant person in her marriage. We know that she has interesting life as the author says ‘her well-filled, well-balanced mind, her many interests.’ This proves that she has an interesting life and has many interests. Mrs Marroner’s feelings for Gerta change a lot throughout the story. When she first found out that Gerta was pregnant, she was devastated, very emotional. She could not believe that something like this could happen because Gerta was almost like a daughter to Mrs Marroner. When Mrs Marroner had thought about what had happened her feelings for Gerta changed again, she re alised that it was Mr Marroners fault. She then decided to forgive Gerta. Many women would put up with a bad husband rather than have no husband, however, Mrs Marroner isn’t like this. She leaves her husband to take care of Gerta.