Process Analysis and Problem Solving

Introduction The level of competition in different industries in which organizations operate today is high and calls for increased competitiveness. In order to improve the competitiveness, firms could engage in different firm activities that may include process improvement.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Process Analysis and Problem Solving specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This may call for analysis of the problem and seeking different ways of solving the issues. In order to improve business processes, an organization needs to have the necessary knowledge and expertise. The business process could be attained through establishment of change such as business process reengineering. In spite of the good intentions of the changes, there is always resistance to change that could lead to project failure as examined in this paper. In addition, this paper examines reengineering as an example of process improveme nt in organizations. History of Process Improvement Change is a constant element in organizations given the dynamic business environment that firms operate in. Organizations operate in many business environments that are characterised by free entry and exit, increasing competition and technological advancement. In order for organizations to maintain their competitiveness, they need to embrace change and improve their manufacturing processes, service delivery and operations. Process improvement has occurred in firms over many years. Over many years, quality improvement in firms was done using regular inspection and changed over time to total quality management and the modern six sigma approach. Process improvement concept was first used by Harrington James in 1991 when he published in his book on process improvement. The method involves redesigning and reengineering business process in order to improve quality of an organization’s output while gaining a competitive edge at the same time.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Since its introduction, process improvement has been able to be applied in many firms. The application of information technology in the process is a vital ingredient that will revolutionalize the future of process improvement in firms. Process Improvement in Firms The improvement of business processes in an organization has not been smooth for most firms. As the management of an organization introduces change in the company, there is always resistance to change with most employees opting to remain with the current processes of the firm. Reengineering According to Hammer Champy (2000, p. 2), process improvement in organization requires reengineering, which is defined as the ability of an organization to disregards all its assumptions and traditional way of doing business and instead developing and adopting a new process ce ntred business organization. The adopted new process should help an organization improve its performance. In order to achieve the required process reengineering for an organization, an organization needs to adopt a fresh perspective and approach. In order to acquire change through process reengineering, it is necessary that an organization rethink and establish radical redesigning of its processes in order to generate the required dramatic improvements. The process could be well illustrated in the figure below. As indicated in the above diagram, Hammer Champy (2000, p. 3) notes that reengineering requires starting over for an organization. In order for an organization to succeed in the modern environment, there is need for its processes to be fast, of high quality, flexible and of low cost.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Process Analysis and Problem Solving specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The initia l phases of organizational change began long time ago with Adam Smith who proposed labour specialization, followed by establishment of infrastructure, the assembly line and hierarchical structure of the firm. In spite of the importance of these principles, their application in the modern business environment could result in delays, rigidity and high overhead costs in the production process. The first step of reengineering begins with the focus on the fundamentals of the company. The fundamentals of an organization relate to the main activities of the firm, why they are done the way they are and the tacit rules and assumptions of present activities. According to Hammer Champy (2000, p. 4), reengineering concentrates on what ought to be or should be done and ignores what is done. The radical redesign phase is concerned with the reinvention of the organization. This does not involve making of superficial changes or marginal enhancements to the firm but changes and designs that enhance new features of the organization. The potential dramatic result is the phase that the firm realizes the outcome of reengineering. According to Piderit (2000), reengineering leads to quantum leaps in the performance of an organization rather than incremental improvements. Business process orientation involves evolving of the firm around its business processes. The processes undertake inputs in order to generate valuable outputs to the customer. In order for a business process to work, it must produce added value rather than internal activity.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Various organizations could undertake the reengineering process. According to Revilak et al. (2007, p. 56), companies that operate in a competitive industry could undertake reengineering to increase their competitive advantage. Other sets of companies are those whose management could realize approaching issues along their paths of operation. The third sets of organizations are those that have ambitious management teams that perceive reengineering as a means of achieving market dominance and leadership. Process improvement of an organization through reengineering is characterised by various features. To begin with, the processes that an organization uses to perform its operations are simplified with the description of jobs being expanded to become multidimensional. Introduction of change in an organization increases employee autonomy and empowerment with power distance in the organization being reduced. Employees work as teams with group work and cooperation being enhanced. As the ma nagement of the organization adopts a flatter arrangement from a hierarchical structure, professionals within the firm become the key personnel to steer change. Employees are motivated to work for the firm and the measurement for performance of employees moves from activities to outcome of each employee. The managers no longer act as supervisors but coaches that help employees attain their maximum potential. Lastly, the organization and employees do not focus on pleasing the management but the end user of products and services, the customer (Hammer Champy 2000, p. 8). Change in organizations can be in different forms. Incremental or first order changes are minor changes that alter small aspects of the firm while leaving the general business environment the same. Transformational or strategic changes in organizations aim at changing the entire business framework of a firm. Change Management Process In order to apply the required change, an organization needs to identify the problem it is facing in order to find and develop the best solution to the problems. According to Brown Kusiak (2007), lack of proper diagnosis of the problem could lead to implementation of the wrong process in the organization. The outcome could worsen performance rather than improve the performance of the organization. The problem identification process involves various steps as outlined below. Problem Identification Organizations face many issues some of which are complex while others are simple. The identification of problems of the firm needs to be followed by prioritizing the issues so that the company can make decision on which issues to be solved first. Symptoms: the establishing of the issues affecting the organization needs to be followed by diagnosing the features or symptoms of the problem. The symptoms of the problems of the firm should be distinguished from the causes of the problem. According to Brown Kusiak (2007), business analysts usually hear many issues affecting the firm and they give many solutions. It is important that the firm does not ignore any solution given. However, the solution provided should be argued out with the management of an organization in order to establish its effectiveness (Boeker 1997, p. 155). Alternatives: after serious analysis of a given situation in an organization and hearing possible solutions from a business analyst, it is important that the organization develops alternatives for its problems. The approaches that could solve the problem of an organization could come with different consequences and costs that make it necessary for the management to discuss each alternative exclusively. After discussion of each alternative, it is important that the management makes a decision regarding the best solution to fix its issues. The decision should be based on the best approach that solves the problem affecting the firm while leaving it with the least negative effects. The decision made should be followed by implementation and follow up of the effectiveness of the approach. According to Brown Kusiak (2007), follow up is important for organization to ensure that the approach follows the set guidelines and that it has no side effects. In the process of solving an issue affecting an organization and effecting change in the firm, firms do use various methods. Some approaches include cause effect approach and business process reengineering. Unsuccessful Process Improvement Not all initiatives of change in firms end up being successful. Some processes end up failing. According to Pardo del Val Martà ­nez (n.d. p, 3), the failure of change management process for firms is due to the resistance to change within the organization. He further notes that resistance to change in the firm introduces unanticipated delays and many costs in the process of change that the management must now consider in the entire process. In spite of the resistance to change as a cause of failure to change, it has been hailed as a source of important information that could help an organization transform its business framework. The sources of resistance to change are many and while some show up during early stages of planning, others show up in the later stages of implementing the planned changes. As noted by Boeker (1997, p. 153), early sources of resistance could be due to distorted perception of change and misinterpretation of the change to be introduced. The organization could also fail to look ahead in future. Other causes could be denial to introduced changes, perpetuation of ideas and making of implicit assumptions. Ford, Ford D’amelo (2008, p. 5) note that communication barriers in addition to organizational silence could also casus misunderstanding within an organization thereby leading to resistance to change. There is another source of resistance to change. This is noted by some researchers as lack of motivation for change within the firm especially for employees of the organization. The low motivation could be due to low costs, cannibalization costs, cross subsidy comforts and past failures that hinder progress. Lorenzo (2000) argues that resistance to change could also be caused by different interests between employees and the management of an organization. For instance, employees could be for proposed changes while the management could be against change. Pardo del Val Martà ­nez (n.d. p, 367) posits that the third set of resistance to change causes inadequate creative responses. Lack of creativity in an organization could be caused by complexity of the business environment and fast changes that do not allow for environmental scan, reactive mindset that could result to resignation and inadequate strategic vision for the firm. The implementation phase of change is a vital stage that requires total concentration in an organization. However, there is resistance to change during implementation. The resistance could also be caused by various sources such as a poor imple mentation climate in the organization that is brought about by different organizational values and culture. Others are departmental politics and incommensurable beliefs or disagreements. The last set of causes to resistance to change includes inaction of leadership in firm, routines that are embedded in the firm and collective action problems in the organization. Successful Reengineering Process: Ford Motor Corporation Ford Motor Corporation applied the process analysis and problem solving in the 1980s by examining its employee accounts of about 500 employees. After a careful examination of the accounts payables, it was revealed that the company took much of the time in the department to track down discrepancies between orders that were purchased, shipping receipts and invoices. The realization of the problem led to a rethink of possible solutions and reengineering was the only viable solution. The company took various steps as explained below. The management began by establishing an online database mainly for the purchase orders whereby all orders issued by buyers were recorded in the database. Goods were received at the dock while there was an individual to check in the database. The match of the shipment and what is in the database led to the reception of the goods and vice versa. This eliminated possibilities of any discrepancies between orders that were made and what is received. Once the shipment is received, the database is updated immediately to reflect the change. In addition, a check was generated automatically and issued to the vendor in time. The process improvement applied by Ford Motor Corporation was a success. This is because the head count people in the purchasing department reduced drastically from 500 to 125 employees with efficiency in time management being improved dramatically. According to Piderit (2000, p. 785), the reengineering process as applied at Ford Motor Corporation is a lesson to be emulated by many firms wishing to reenginee r their processes. The changes that the company implemented could not have been achieved without the aid of the modern information technology. The process reengineering reflects old processes that have undergone new wrinkles. Another lesson learnt is that reengineering depends on a large scale on information technology. Planning the reengineering process in advance cannot work since what is experienced in the course of the process changes the reengineering plan. Innovation for Organizational Growth Knowledge is an important aspect in every organization. An organization is made of human resources that end up being of great importance since they are involved in the productivity of the products of the organization. The human resources could either be skilled, semi skilled or non-skilled. Skilled employees comprise of employees that and endowed with specific knowledge in a given field or sector in the firm such as management, information technology and manufacturing among many others. S emi skilled employees do posses little knowledge in specific fields. However, they extent of know how is limited. Lastly, non skilled employees do not posses any form of knowledge or expertise in any field in the organization. Most of non skilled employees are usually employed by firms as casuals or non-permanent staff of the firm. Skilled employees are important in an organization. It is important that an organization derives the best ways to manage its knowledgeable employees in order to motivate them and improve their performance and the performance of the organization. Knowledge is important for an organization because it helps an organization undertake research and development that is highly needed for innovation to take place. According to Hansen Birkinshaw (2007, p. 122), knowledge management should be customized for a given set of tasks within an organization. Innovation and value added in the output of a firm is as a result of application of knowledge in order to improve, change or develop a specific task and activities (McDermott, 1999). Therefore, innovation could be termed as the primary purpose of knowledge in an organization. In spite of its importance, innovation could be a complex idea that involves uncertainty and political activities. It might involve people with different experiences and teamwork or group work that is extended over long periods of time. In addition, it requires combination of different knowledge endowments within an organization in order to produce expected results in the form of new products or services produced by a firm. As noted by Hansen Birkinshaw (2007, p. 125), innovation does not only occur through research and development, but also through mainstream work activities within an organization. Innovation is characterised by invention, diffusion and implementation. Therefore, it more than just coming up with a good idea, but is more of putting the ideas into practical use within the organization. The creation of new k nowledge and ideas is an important aspect of innovation. However, they must be accompanied by bringing the ideas and knowledge into widespread use and applying them to solve issues affecting the organization. There is also product and process innovation that is vital for the success of an organization. Product innovation involves the application of new knowledge to the development of tangible products of an organization. On the contrary, process innovation involves the application of new knowledge and ideas to the establishment of new processes within the firm. All these are innovations that utilize knowledge at different levels (Nemeth 1997, p. 63). Based on the above description of innovation, knowledge and knowledge management should be linked to innovation. The innovation process involves different steps that range from formation of an agenda through establishment of a routine to the manufacture of a new product or process. In every step of innovation, there is an emphasis of di fferent aspects of knowledge and management of knowledge. Therefore, it can be concluded that knowledge cannot be separated from innovation as it necessitates the innovative ability of the firm. The firm should always struggle to motivate and maintain its knowledgeable employees in order to maintain its innovative ability and competitiveness in the market. Conclusion Problems analysis and problems solving in an organization is an important aspect of every organization. The modern business environment is dynamic and full of many challenges that organizations needs to develop different mechanisms of solving their issues. The process of solving a problem involves first identifying the issue affecting the corporation and determining possible ways of solving the issues. Out of the many alternatives, the management could choose one. Process improvement and reengineering is one of the many methods of solving issues affecting the firm. The reengineering process is vital since it helps an or ganization develop new processes and frameworks of the firm. One of the successful reengineering was conducted by Ford Motors in the 1980s in which it introduced new process of recording purchases thereby ending up cutting down its costs dramatically. Reengineering process could be accompanied by knowledge and innovation. List of References Boeker, W 1997, ‘Strategic change: The influence of managerial characteristics and organizational growth’, Academy of Management Journal, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 152-170. Brown D Kusiak, J 2007, ‘Problem Analysis Techniques’, IRM Training white paper, IRM Training Pty Ltd. Ford, J, Ford, L D’amelo, A 2008, ‘Resistance to Change: The rest of the Story’, Academy of Management, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 362-377. Hammer, M Champy J 2000, ‘Reengineering the Corporation: A manifesto for business revolution’, https://summaries.com/. Hansen, A Birkinshaw, J 2007, ‘The innovation value chainâ€⠄¢, Harvard Business Review, June 2007, pp. 121-130. Lorenzo, J 2000, ‘Barreras en los procesos de cambio en las organizaciones: studio de un caso’, Paper presented at the X Congreso Nacional de ACEDE, Oviedo (Spain). McDermott, R 1999, ‘Why information technology inspired but cannot deliver knowledge management’, California Management Review, vol. 41, pp. 103-117. Nemeth, C 1997, ‘Managing innovation: When less is more’, California Management Review, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 59-74. Pardo del Val, M Martà ­nez, C n.d., ‘Resistance to change: a literature review and empirical Study’, Universitat de Valà ¨ncia, Spain. Piderit, S 2000, ‘Rethinking resistance and recognizing ambivalence: a multidimensional view of attitudes toward an organizational change’, Academy of Management Review, vol. 25 no. 4, pp. 783-794. Revilak, A et al. 2007, Knowledge management and innovation: an analysis of knowledge factors controlled by gove rnments and their impact on patent creation, George Washington University, Washington. This research paper on Process Analysis and Problem Solving was written and submitted by user Nora Ewing 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.

The Treaty Of Versailles - Source Based Questions Essays

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Advice topic - Essay Example The Chinese culture focuses on molding children into morally upright individuals of the society. Many life teachings as championed by early prominent persons such as Confucius are at the center of upbringing in the Chinese culture (Colson, 45). I have learnt many lessons from the teachings, which guide me in my daily dealings. For instance, Confucius’ teaching on unlocking personal excellence has propelled me to success and within reach of my full potential. Confucius says that â€Å"choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.† The Chinese culture has shaped me into a morally upright member of the society. Confucius lessons are instrumental in personal empowerment and decision-making on issues such as choosing a career path (Hall, Mod. 1). The sensitivity of an individual to other cultures is paramount in establishing good relations. The important aspects of the Chinese culture have made me sensitive to other cultures. Initially as I grew up, I ignored other cultures simply because they were not part of my life. However, after moving to America, I have been able to learn new things and life became more interesting as I integrated other cultures into my way of life. There should be no fear of other cultures and instead for individuals to reach their full potentials, they should explore the diversity of cultures (Hall, Mod. 1).The diverse nature of Chinese culture has helped me make formidable relationships with my peers from other cultures. The anxiety to learn from each other and empower ourselves has been the key driving force to this course. Due to different cultures, individuals have different personalities. This has made it easier to form all-round academic and social groups with friends and classmates (Hall, Mod. 1). Belief System and Discipline are important values of any culture. My parents use guan as the primary practice of valued discipline. Confucianism is a feature of

Strategy and organizational learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategy and organizational learning - Essay Example Flow of information, knowledge, technology and capital has transcended geographic and national boundaries due to globalization. With such fast, easy and fluid flow of information, knowledge and technology the major asset of an organization has become knowledge and not production. Rate of an organizations ability to learn and adapt is considered to be the only real source of competitive advantage. How organizations can become a learning organization? Does individual learning and social learning has any relationship with organizational learning? What is the difference between an organization that learns and a learning organization? Is it just mastery of words or there is some substance in it? This paper aims at answering all these questions with the help of theory and its critical analysis along with the examples from the business world. Emergence of Knowledge/ Learning Organizations Charles Darwin said â€Å"It is not the strongest of the species who survive, nor the most intelligent ; as a matter of fact, it is the ones who are the most agile to change†. The same point stands valid for organizations too. The organization who wishes to remain relevant and thrive in the long run, learning better and faster is the solution or the technology. Learning is not only the key to success but perhaps vital for survival for today’s organizations. For this purpose organizations must strive to enrich knowledge through continuous internal and external learning. A learning organization is one that encourages and values learning and realizes the role learning can play in enhancing organizational effectiveness. This attitude and importance of learning is reflected in the vision of the organization and a learning strategy that supports the inspiring vision for learning. Building a Learning Organization A learning organization depends on a lot of internal and external factors. External environment includes economy, society, polity and technology. The subsystem of lear ning organization includes organization, people, knowledge and technology. Each subsystem not only interacts with each but also support for learning to permeate all across the organization. The importance of learning is communicated by leaders. An effective communication system is developed to avoid the development of silos and ensure smooth lateral flow of knowledge across structural boundaries. Both planned and emergent learning needs are emphasized. For building effective learning organization following steps must be taken, strategy development, collaboration mechanism, knowledge sharing and learning, management techniques and knowledge capture and storage (Serrat, 2009). Social Complexity and Organizational Learning Organizational learning is a very complex social phenomenon. Emergent and fluid nature of organizational learning makes it more complex. The two most important determinants of complexity science are schemas of diversity and interaction interdependence. Presence of bo th in learning organizations makes it a complex. Tensions within and between internal and exte

Chinese Face Reading Essay Example for Free

Chinese Face Reading Essay Picking up personality can be a very fun and adventurous process. Many cultural societies have many ways to do it and so many people to test; you’re never going to get the same results. One very interesting way of determining someone’s personality is Face Reading. This is a type of physiognomy that can show you your hidden personality, history, current situation, your future, even how well your health is. Face reading was developed from Ancient China by a man known as Mr. Guiguzi (481-221 B. C. ). Although it is one of many ways of measuring personalities, face reading has twelve ways of being used. The first method is called Fortune House, or also known as â€Å"Fude Gong†. This method shows whether your life is going smoothly or not. When reading someone’s face with Fortune House, the face should be round and smooth with no markings or scars that are out of the ordinary. If there happens to be any marks or scars, they will show any issues you have, such as illness, bad relationships, financial troubles, etc. The second method of face reading is Parents House, or â€Å"Fumu Gong†. It tells you whether you had a good or not so good childhood with your parents. This procedure reads the face by its forehead. If it is big, round and/or shinning, means the individual had an excellent relationship with his parents and had an enjoyable life as a child. However, if the forehead was ugly and/or damaged, then the person had a painful and difficult life when he/she was young. The next way is called Career House, or also known as â€Å"Guanlu Gong†. This method is somewhat similar to the Fortune House because it is searching for round and smooth features on a face as well. If your cheek bones stick out and have eyebrows that project, you will most likely have a better chance of having a successful career. House of Travel, or â€Å"Qianyi Gong†, would be another style of face reading someone. It is designed to examine how your travels from one place to another would be positive or negative. When you have a feature of scars or lines on your face, means you shouldn’t go anywhere at all. So whenever you would like to go out to eat at a restaurant and need to drive or take a bus, it might be safer to have a pizza delivered to where ever you are staying. Another method is Assets House (Tianzai Gong), which emphasizes the eyes as an indicator of your intelligence, temperament, and financial assets. If your eyes are set deep into your head, or if you are constantly looking high, you are considered an idiot. Narrow eye lids would represent impatience in an individual. Large pupils, clean and clear whites, and large eyes are favorable characteristics of a person’s Assets House. Health House (Jie Going) governs whether your body has excellent health or is ill. Wrinkles, stains, or other marks anywhere that is found shows that you need to go to the clinic for a checkup. However, having none of the disliked features on the face means you have nothing to worry about when it comes to your health. Any characteristic from the eyebrows and above will symbolize House of Siblings (Xiongdi Gong). This particular type of face reading decides your friendship with other people in your life. It also shows how well your genetic make-up is when the person was conceived. Thick, dark, long, and smooth eyebrows that are high above eyes tell the face reader that the subject is a brave, affectionate, and relaxed person. However, if your face shows the opposite of these facial features including scars and lines, you basically have completely different qualities. Life House (Ming Gong) will tell the person how easy or challenging your life would be. The level of difficulty in your life is determined by how close the eyebrows are to each other, and any dimples and/or marks. If smooth and shinny like the other face reading styles, shows a comfortable an easy journey in his/her life. Like the other face reading methods, House of Children (Ernu Gong) looks for smooth and round features for positive outlook in the individual. If the face seems to be gentle and round, shows that you have a successful love and sex life. Although, if you show moles or other disfeatures, you may have issues when it comes to sex and you may have a difficult time parenting your children in regards to their development and well-being. House of Marriage (Qigie Gong) shows the reader whether or not the man/woman’s marriage is going well. So fundamentally, when somebody has a gentle, smooth, and clean face, it indicates a happy marriage. A receding and/or scarred face with moles means you have a wife that you might wish to divorce. Wealth house (Caibo Gong), is quite different from most of the other Houses. This style of face reading is determined by the nose. If a nose that is large and round with nostrils that does not show and a straight bridge, then the person has excellent health, a positive attitude, and has a sufficient and satisfying amount of wealth. When the nose has certain deficiencies, the person will meet these three possible situations. If the subject is to have a crooked nose with unhidden nostrils, shows that they have a problem with their money, career, and personality. If it shows any blood vassals, indicates that he/she is on the verge of becoming bankrupt. And if the nose turns into a bloody red, it signals that tragedy and an unpleasant life will be stepping up to his/her door soon. Finally, the Popularity House (Nupu Going) is the house that governs your relationship with your friends and acquaintances, and what will come to be when you grow much older. When the face is round and smooth, then the individual is graced with popularity, and when the old age comes, you will have much support from others. But, if it is not round or smooth, you need to prepare yourself for supporting yourself instead of others helping. An excellent example of some of these face reading methods is a well known person, Quasimodo, also named as â€Å"The Hunchback of Notre-Dame†. He is a man with a face that most people would not be attracted, and is definitely unable to straighten his back. His facial features show how much his life is painful. They also show how he has had a rough and emotional time growing up when he was an infant. A disfigured face brings you nothing but negativity and misery in that person’s life. But having attractive facial features will always give you the upper-hand when reading an individual’s face. All the styles of face reading are determined by how smooth the face is, the amount of scars, lines, moles, shape of the nose, and wrinkles the face has. Each feature of the face tells about your past, what is happening now, and what is yet to come.

Essay --

As children, we all have extravagant aspirations of what we want to do in our lives. I too pondered the million dollar question, â€Å"what will I be when I grow up?† Of course, like most young boys, I wanted to be a professional athlete, Hollywood actor, or astronaut. However, after a semester in this psychology class, my eyes have been opened to another possible future career. I have begun to consider a possible career in psychology, particularly counseling. The field of psychology really has peaked my interest and I enjoy it very much. Also, I am a very social creature, a people person, so a field that enables me to help people using the interesting field of psychology, is a prime job for me. Not everyone is cut out for a career in counseling. It is a very rewarding field, but with its fair share of drawbacks. You have to be extremely patient and dedicated to the person seeking your help. As a counselor, you must also be very warm and kind. It demands you to be tremendously gentle and considerate of your client’s feelings. Without making your client feel secure and safe trusting you,...

Orsat Gas Analysis

Orsat Gas Analysis Experiment I. Objectives To analyze the dry exhaust gas (DEG) from a combustion system using the Orsat apparatus. II. Apparatus As shown in figure, the Orsat apparatus consists of a water-jacketed 100-m1 burette B connected at its top to a glass manifold M and at its bottom to a leveling bottle L. The glass manifold M is connected to three reagent bulbs called pipettes P1, P2 and P3 via three cocks C1, C2 and C3. Each tube is filed with its own absorbing chemical solution: P1: potassium hydroxide (30 % w/v) to absorb CO2 P2: alkaline pyrogallol to absorb 02 P3: cuprous chloride in hydrochloric acid to absorb CO.Pipettes P1 and P2 are partly filled with glass tubes to increase the contact surface area between liquid and glass. P3 contains copper wire to protect acid against possible oxidation. The 3-way cock C4 is used to connect manifold M to the atmosphere (via suction pump SP), to connect it to the sampler tube or to isolate the trapped gas. III. Procedure a) Pre paratory Steps -Fill the system with water & chemicals as applicable. -By opening one of the cocks C1, C2, C3 at a time and keeping all other cocks close, and manipulating bottle L bring the solution in each pipette to the top mark on the stem of the pipette.Then close the isolating cock. -Now connect the sampler line to suction pump SP by turning the 3-way valve C4. Operate the pump to purge all air from the sampler line. b) Trapping the Gas Sample -By turning the cock C4 connect the glass manifold M to the sampler line. -Lower bottle L slowly until the water level in burette B is slightly below the zero mark on the scale. Then close C4 and disconnect the sampler line. -Slightly lift cock C4 off its seat to equalize the pressure inside burette B with the ambient pressure. Then raise bottle L gently until water level in the burette coincides with the zero mark.This ensures that the burette now contains 100 ml of exhaust gas at atmospheric pressure. c) Absorption of Gas Constituents The following steps should be done for each pipette, one at a time, in the order P1 then P2 then P3. -Open cock C1, and slowly raise bottle L to allow the gas to flow into pipette P1 until water in the pipette reaches the (100)-mark. -Slowly lower bottle L to let gas leave pipette P1 and re-enter burette B until the chemical solution in pipette P1 reaches the top mark on its stem. Close C1. -Bring the levels of water in burette B and bottle L to coincide.Read the scale on burette B to get the volume of CO2 absorbed, measured at atmospheric pressure. -Repeat this procedure a few times until the reading becomes constant which means that all CO2 has been absorbed. Then close cock C1. -For the next pipettes, the volume absorbed is obtained as the difference between the current scale reading and the one just preceding it. IV-a Experiment No. 1: Get acquainted with the apparatus and the procedure by measuring the volume fraction of 02 in atmospheric air. A value of 79% should be obtained. IV-b Experiment No. : Measure the volume fractions of CO2 and 02 in a sample of dry combustion products from the continuous combustion unit in the heat engines laboratory (fired with LPG). V. Requirements 1. Your report about the experiment should be detailed. In particular you should write the combustion equation assuming the fuel composition to be unknown, and representing it by an equivalent hydrocarbon CxHy. Show details of your calculations. 2. Based on the results of the dry exhaust gas analysis, calculate: (a) The atom ratio (y/x) in the fuel formula b) The air/fuel ratio [A/F] (c) The relative air/fuel ratio ? 3. Compare your results under item (2-a) with the volumetric composition of LPG as consisting of 30% propane C3H8 and 70% butane C4H10. v. Observations Ambient Conditions: PA= KPa, TA= OC Zero Reading Ro= ml –> Vsample= 100-Ro= CO2 Reading RCO2= ml –> VCO2= RCO2-Ro= O2 Reading RO2= ml –> VO2= RO2-RCO2= CO Reading RCO= ml –> VCO= RCO-RO2= Vo lume of Nitrogen –> VN2= 100-RN2=

Brazil Government Essay

Brazil entered the new millennium mired in economic difficulties. Macroeconomic conditions will have a great influence on political stability, what kinds of laws are passed, the ability of businesses to succeed, the pace at which new technology is used, the availability of jobs, and on incomes, poverty and crime. Brazil is a constitutional republic of federated states, the federal districts, and territories. This present constitution was proclaimed in October 1988, replacing a 1969 document. The states of Brazil have their own government with the powers in all matters not specifically reserved for the Brazilian government. The 1988 constitution abolished the national Security Law, which had been used to stifle political disagreement; outlaws torture. The National Security Law provided for various forms of popular voting, initiatives, and referendums; forbids virtually all forms of censorship; guarantees privacy rights and extends the right to strike to all workers. The military retains its power to intervene in the political system to preserve law and order. Brazil has long been recognized for its large population, great natural resources, bold ideas and potential for growth. It has made progress in economic adjustment over the last several years, opening trade, reducing inflation, succeeding with privatization and garnering investor confidence. However, there have been concerns inside and outside of the country about government finances and especially public pensions, political stability and political will, vulnerability to international economic and financial developments and to the return of high inflation, relatively low investment in export industries, and the social and political consequences of income inequality. Several studies on Brazilian public opinion towards this country’s vulnerability and its domestic stability prove there is consensus that vulnerability is an impeding factor to the country’s aspiration to a more strategic place among the world powers. The Brazilian elite views the interests of their country and those of the U. S. as essentially incompatible. During the Expansion of 1600’s, Gold was discovered. Brazil’s other natural resources are bauxite, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, and timber. General Electric is among the many powerful transnational corporations and UE employers with factories in Brazil. Economy overview is possessing large nd well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing and service sectors, Brazil’s economy outweighs that of all other South American countries and is expanding its presence in world markets. The maintenance of large current account deficits via capital account surpluses became problematic as investors became more risk averse to emerging market exposure as a consequence of the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and the Russian bond default in August 1998. After crafting a fiscal adjustment program and pledging progress on structural reform, Brazil received a $41. billion IMF led international support program in November 1998. In January 1999, Brazilian Central Bank announces that the real would no longer be pegged to the US dollar. This devaluation helped moderate the downturn in economic growth in 1999 that investors had expressed concerns about over the summer of 1998, and the country posted moderate GDP growth. Economic growth slowed considerably in 2001-2002 to less than 2% because of a slowdown in major markets and the hiking of interest rates by Central Bank to combat inflationary pressures. Poor economic conditions may lead to resistance to external cultural influences, while improvement may mean greater acceptance of practices associated with success in other nations and more interaction with cultures that differ in behavior or values. Economic recovery and growth may ease the difficulties of restructuring business and public affairs and opening markets to competition. It may lead to more trade and foreign investment, and a greater role for Brazil in the region and the world. Alternatively, crises may be the catalysts for change and adaptation to a changing world. The international debt crisis of the early l980s led multinational agencies, the governments of wealthy nations, and a growing number of poorer nations to adopt a reform agenda intended to restore economic stability, restart growth, reduce debt to manageable proportions, and restructure economies to reduce their vulnerability and improve prospects for sustained growth. This international reform agenda expanded dramatically in the course of the l980s and l990s. At the beginning of the debt crisis, attention focused on macro-economic stabilization measures. That initial task was quickly expanded to include structural changes regarded as essential to restore growth and reduce debt. John Williamson’s 1989 summary of the Washington Consensus listed, in addition to fiscal, monetary, and exchange rate measures, reforms to reduce government intervention and permit markets to function more effectively, including trade and financial liberalization, increased receptivity to foreign direct investment, deregulation, and privatization. These structural changes mostly entailed dismantling government regulations and restrictions on private economic transactions. The closest the Consensus came to more complex institutional reforms was the rather tentative inclusion, as the very last item, of property rights protection. Williamson noted that this was intended to signal recognition that institutional features were also important determinants of growth. By l989 the World Bank was beginning to use a broader concept, â€Å"creation of an enabling environment [for effective markets]. Williamson remarked that concept might be preferable, but it remained largely undefined. More than a decade later, at the beginning of the new century, the reform agenda has ballooned to include a broad array of institutional reforms, and to emphasize poverty reduction as well as growth and stability. Responsible macro-economic management and reduced state intervention in the economy remain crucial, but they are now viewed as far from sufficient for growth and poverty reduction. Reform of the state itself, including the civil service, the police, the system of justice, and reduced corruption are part of the essential â€Å"enabling environment. † Social sector reforms in pensions, health and education, as well as far-reaching changes in labor markets and industrial relations are also squarely on the expanded international agenda. These further reforms are much more demanding than the initial agenda: they require not merely the dismantling of regulations, tariffs, and subsidies but fundamental changes in the design and operations of core public functions and institutions. The Brazilian society is divided in those who approve Cardoso’s programs of stabilization and reforms, and those who favor a rather ‘desarrollista’ (developmental) kind of policy. Those who blame the government and those who blame the opposition for the failure in adopting the reforms needed to avoid the financial crisis regionally, neighboring countries agreed upon Brazil’s high performance in industry, trade, new investments and competitiveness, but their evaluation of Brazil’s ability to guarantee economic and political stability were rather low. In contrast, the Brazilian public opinion proved much more confident concerning this matter. When the analysis of the public opinion takes into account structural factors, long-term policy results and a rather contemporary perception of competitiveness, it excludes short-term populist expectations, paternalistic and contradictory demand and any resentful mood concerning the international context and the globalized economy. The politics of economic reforms have been much analyzed over the past two decades. The question of what political capacities and institutional arrangements are key to effective reforms has been one major focus of attention. During the l970s and l980s there was an on-going debate between those who asserted that only authoritarian governments could sustain sufficient macro-economic discipline to manage economies effectively, and those who challenged that view. By the late l980s, it was quite clear that broad generalizations about types of regimes — democracies versus authoritarian systems — were far too crude to offer useful generalizations and explanations. A much narrower version of the old debate persisted, however, in the effort to determine whether effective economic reforms required considerable concentration of executive authority and power (within the framework of more or less democratic as well as authoritarian systems). Party leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (known universally as Lula), will stick to his recent promises of honoring outstanding contacts. Lula inherited an economy in shambles. Working people suffered as the former government carried out neoliberal policies, including privatization and cutbacks in social programs. Two million people are unemployed in Sao Paolo alone, the most industrialized region in Brazil, with 1. 5 million young people entering the labor force each year. Lula’s government decided to continue neoliberal monetary policies to reassure business and encourage investment. The results have helped regain economic stability: the value of bonds has increased from 38 to 90 percent of their face value, meaning that far less is spent on public debt. Banks lowered Brazil’s risk assessment. Credit lines are back and new lines of credit are open. But these results reflect decisions by the government to maintain high interest rates and prioritize growth over income distribution at least in the short run. At the time of the CUT congress, the new government’s most controversial proposal aimed at cutting retirement payments to higher-paid public employees, averting bankruptcy of the system and moving towards an equalization of public and private benefits. This is essentially a proposal from the old government. Default is inevitable, and should be undertaken by Lula as soon as possible, because delaying default simply increases Brazil’s liabilities. Brazil’s ratio of debt to gross domestic product, even after more than $100 billion of privatization proceeds, has doubled since Fernando Henrique Cardoso became president in 1994, from about 30 percent to 58 percent today – a figure that is climbing as the Brazilian real declines. Of this debt, approximately 20 percent is international (after the country’s foreign exchange reserves have been netted out), of which half is owed to the international financial institutions. In addition, a very large portion of Brazil’s debt is greatly increased in cost by economic turmoil. Forty percent of total debt is denominated in dollars, so increases as a percentage of GDP when the Brazilian real drops in value against the dollar. An additional 37 percent of debt is linked to the Selic overnight money market rate, so becomes very expensive when, as for most of the last 8 years, uncertainty raises domestic interest rates. A further 8 percent of Brazil’s total debt is inflation-linked, so has been a â€Å"good deal† for the country in the last eight years but could become very expensive if the country returns to hyperinflation. Brazil’s public debt over the 1994-2001 period was 16. 1 percent a year, and the projected real interest rate on Brazil’s public debt for 2002 is 21 percent. If interest rates remain at these levels, the debt will become unmanageable, rising above 100 percent of GDP in 2006-2009, and spiraling thereafter, if policy remains as at present. Brazil’s balance of payments would also be a problem, because public debt is 4 times the level of the country’s export earnings. The government’s economic policy in 1994-2002 has followed IMF recommendations closely, and been fairly restrictive, with the primary budget surplus (before interest payments) in the range of 3 percent to 4 percent of GDP, although in Cardoso’s first term, 1994-98, budgetary policy was less tight, with only a small primary surplus. The first popularly elected president in Brazil in 30 years, Fernando Collor de Mello took office on March 15, 1990. In September 1992, Collor was impeached by the lower house of the Brazilian legislature on charges of corruption. In December 1992, Collor resigned as president of Brazil, and the Brazilian Senate convicted him of the corruption charges. There needs to be a change in Brazilians’ elite mentality of entitlement and privilege – in detriment of the nation’s general good. This mentality was inherited from colonial times. Brazilian society is very corrupt and stratified. Each class defends very specific and sometimes conflicting interests, dismissing what is best for the country as a whole. This will take time to change and until it does, the country won’t live up to its potential. Brazil will only have a bright future when its basic needs such as health and education and issues such as social inequality and wealth concentration are dealt with in a continuous and serious manner. In Brazil, the role of government is much more intrusive than in the United States. This is not only a matter of taxation, but also in legal organization and in the regulatory role. In small and medium businesses, this aspect is less evident. In large-scale foreign investment situations, a close personal official relationship is fundamental. Lobbying by large corporations and trade groups is even more aggressive than in U. S. Government contracts are often awarded according to relationships and connections rather than pure technical or financial merit. This is a result of the paternalistic, nepotistic culture that has existed for hundreds of years. Brazil has one of the most complex systems of tax law in the world, which consequently makes Brazilian goods more expensive because companies pay more taxes than in other countries. Brazil’s overall tax burden is equivalent to 30% of the country’s gross domestic product, while neighboring countries such as Chile and Argentine have a tax burden equivalent to 15% and 20% of gross domestic product respectively. Experts say that due to the high tax rates, tax evasion is estimated to be 30% of the total revenue. The Brazilian government is seeking a constitutional change that would simplify the country’s tax system and so make Brazilian goods more competitive internationally. Pedro Parente, executive secretary at the Finance Ministry said the government plans to propose a constitutional amendment to eliminate taxes on industrialized products, a state value-added tax, a city tax on services and two types of social contributions. It place of all that, the government would like to impose a nationwide value-added tax, state and city consumer taxes and an excise tax on a select list of products as well as remove value-added taxes on goods for export. To change the tax system, the government must amend the constitution, which requires approval by two- fifths of both lower and upper houses of Congress in two voting rounds. New president DA SILVA, who took office January 1, 2003, has given priority to reforming the complex tax code, trimming the overblown civil service pension system, and continuing the fight against inflation. Tax revenues were indexed to inflation but many government expenditures were not. Salaries were frozen; basic goods were only chilled down a bit. Government spending far exceeded income, so inflation worked as a mechanism to hide the sins of the federal government. For most of the latter half of the 20th century, inflation has been a way of life for the Brazilians. Basically this was a tax imposed on the poor, allowing government to spend freely. It has been for more than four decades a primary source of public sector financing. In short, different kinds of reforms pose quite different political challenges, for reasons intrinsic to the character of the reforms themselves. The fact that late-stage reform agendas concentrate on complex institutional reforms helps to explain why the pace of reform in most countries almost always slows substantially after initial stages. To move beyond the broadest generalizations regarding the politics of economic reform and the capacities required to promote them, the concept of reform itself must be taken apart. Different kinds of reforms pose quite different political challenges. Even the different phases of any specific reform entail different political tasks and demand different tactics and capacities. Discussions of the politics of reform often fail to recognize these variations. Many economists used to B and some still do B talk about â€Å"political will† on the part of top-level leaders as the necessary and sufficient requirement for effective reform. Some of the metaphorical language used in discussions of reform convey a similar message: â€Å"bite the bullet†, â€Å"just do it. That implicit image of the reform process may roughly describe a single-shot devaluation decision. But it is clearly very misleading for more complex measures. Recognizing the varied character and political challenges of different reforms, and the tendency for complex institutional changes to be late and slow are first steps toward understanding why some kinds of reforms move faster than others, and why the pace of reforms tend to slow down almost everywhere. At the far end of the spectrum are systemic reforms in the major social services, primarily education and health care finance and delivery. Multiple models are available, influenced by very different national and regional traditions and histories. More important, there is only limited consensus among technical specialists regarding basic principles of reform. Experts argue bitterly over the merits of, say, single-payer health care systems or charter schools. They agree only very partially on the principles that should guide the degree and design of privatization or decentralization. Therefore, public debate regarding the design and priorities of reform tends to be diffuse and inconclusive. Even after initial agreement is reached regarding social service reforms, implementing them is extremely complex. Executive agencies and legislatures at national, state, and local levels are usually involved. Reforms intended to increase efficiency and save money in the long-run may nonetheless have high up-front costs. Not only the Ministry of Finance but often sub-national financial authorities must concur. Many social sector reforms require years to implement. A great deal of detailed information is required to fine-tune design of successive steps. Much of that information is not available without new arrangements to gather it. All of these complications are reinforced by the fact that, even where there is widespread dissatisfaction with the status quo, postponing action does not carry obvious and prompt risks. The varied character of different reforms — availability or absence of a consensus model or clear parameters for debate, timetable, number and variety of actors, information requirements, apparent costs of delay — shape the political challenges. If many actors must co-operate to put a reform into effect, any one of them can weaken or stop the reform. In other words, there are many potential veto actors. Decisions taken by the executive run high risks of being blocked in the legislature or sabotaged in the course of implementation. Moreover, the large number of actors increases transaction and enforcement costs. If implementation takes many years, there are many potential veto opportunities. The length of time required to get most complex institutional reforms up and running also means that the benefits of the reforms may not become apparent for some time. Therefore it may be hard to mobilize pro-reform coalitions to counter opposition from vested interests, which are likely to resist from the outset. Information requirements also affect the course of reform. Lack of information may stall action; new information may alter perceptions and reopen debates. Complex institutional reforms are the result of an extended process, not an event. The process is subject to stops and starts; issues regarded as closed may be re-opened and steps already taken may need to be repeated. The process is not linear, but iterative. The varied characteristics of different kinds of reforms also suggests why reforms in some sectors have made much more progress than others, in cross-national perspective. For example, far-reaching pension reforms have been adopted in many more countries, in and beyond Latin America, than have introduced similarly basic changes in education or health care systems. In conclusion, I believe that International Widgets will find that Brazil would be a great place to open shop (do new business). Brazil’s future is largely in it’s own hands. With there constitutional tax reform there are many changes which in turn will enhance social rights such a job stability, foreign and national capital enterprise, and several other areas pertaining to basic human rights. Brazil risks serious setbacks and instability if it fails to proceed with reform. Inflation, government spending and foreign investment has remained stable. There was general agreement on the need for policy changes. International pressures will help Brazil to make difficult but necessary choices. There was strong agreement that Brazil would benefit from becoming more international in its business relationships. Nearly all believed Brazil needed to expand its export industries. However, three out of four felt that Brazil was highly vulnerable to international economic and financial disruptions. Doing more to deal with social issues now is important to maintain stability so growth can proceed. Brazil’s economy will soon recover from its recession. -Brazilians believed that Brazil’s economy will be more stable in the future and so do I. Brazil will continue to have to strike a difficult balance between budget cutting and other policies to promote economic growth and addressing social issues. Domestic stability, in a context of vulnerability to external shocks resulting from globalized factors, is distinctively credited to political, economic and demographic processes whose outcomes can only be expected to occur in the long run. A transition towards a more pragmatic, pedestrian view of politics and politicians is emerging and a highly demanding electorate should be expected to voice new interests and needs.

Health Insurance Example

Health Insurance Example Health Insurance – Coursework Example Your full January 12, The development of MCOs has improved health care in the United sManaged Care Organizations or MCOs use a variety of techniques to reduce the cost of health care services and at the same time improve the quality of health care before providing these services to the members or other organizations. MCOs provide health insurance plans by making agreements with health care providers and medical associations with the aim that the members are provided health care services at low cost. The development of MCOs, which has increased in the past 10 years, has definitely improved the status of health care in the United States (Scutchfield et al.). In the United States, there are many types of MCOs, the major ones of which are preferred provider organizations (PPO), exclusive provider organization (EPO), and health maintenance organizations (HMO). All of these MCOs are working to improve the overall quality of health care and, in turn, they are also benefitting from the manag ed care in that they can attract and retain employees who are offered medical services at reduced costs. So, it is a win-win situation for both the MCOs and employees. MCOs gain employees to stay competitive in the market, and employees in turn enjoy improved and affordable health care services. MCOs also tend to provide focused care to the patient since the current problem is focused on and treated, and the patient also does not have to waste time in a private physician’s waiting room. Although there are some pitfalls too, but still I believe that MCOs are playing their part in improving health care in the country. Scutchfield, F. Douglas, Bosomworth, Peter M., Lee, Joel, and Dana Patton. â€Å"Managed Care in the United States.† Journal of Public Health, 19.3(1997): 251-254.

National Security and Homeland Defense Research Paper

National Security and Homeland Defense - Research Paper Example This paper shows that the various agencies involved at the state, federal or local agencies make a perfect team in making the country safe for its entire citizen. Introduction There are many threats that face us daily in the society that we live. Whether it is from terrorist attacks, theft attack, attack amongst ourselves or threat issues, we are still faced with danger all around us. Many agencies are deployed to protect us from such kinds of attack. They investigate in to the matter and come up with solutions to our problems. They assure us that we will be all right and every single matter will be handled professionally in accordance with the laws that govern us. Given their different roles in the society, they work together to protect its citizens. The agencies involved are federal, State Law Enforcement agencies or local agencies that are the municipal or county police. The federal Given to them the duty under the United States Code, the Federal agencies that exist in the United States have the authority to enforce laws only at the level of federal. The federal agencies have the same powers as the police in that they both act together with the police. They are only given the permission to investigate issues within the range of power they are endowed. Their investigate powers is clearly seen nowadays especially after the USA patriotic act was passed. At the federal level, most of the duties of enforcement are placed under the department of Justice. An instance of a federal agency is the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Marshals. In addition to that, the homeland security department has many federal agencies that work together with it. An instance of a federal agency that works with the department of homeland security is the United States Secret Service and the Transportation Security Administration (Reiss & Albert 1992). Since the government of the United States is structured as sovereign states in which each state is responsible for mai ntaining their own military, police and any other agency involved in the law making process, the constitution has not given the federal agencies to practice the benefits that a normal police has. The constitution has only allowed the federal agency to exercise their powers on affairs between states and any affair that is foreign. In the case of policing, if a crime happens at a different state, then the federal agency does not have any power. If the federal agency acts on a different state, then they have gone against the law of federal that governs the interstate relation and they can be charged by the jurisdiction of federal. The United States Secret Service As a part of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the United States Secret Service is an example of a federal agency that exists in the United States. The United States Secret Service is involved in many responsibilities in the federal department. Responsibilities of the United States Secret Service The primary d uty of the United States Secret Service as stated in their mission is to protect the financial system and the payment process of systems n the United States. They are usually involved in crimes that involve any financial fraud whether it is institutional, electronic, identification of false documents or any money laundering process. It is also responsible for the protection of the President of the United States. That is the second main mission of the United Sta

Industry - Strategic Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Industry - Strategic Analysis - Research Paper Example Industry-Strategic Analysis This industry comprises of a number of establishments known as ‘Home Centers’ that are primarily engaged in retailing of products relevant to the repair and maintenance of homes. Such goods include lumbers, plumbing, electrical goods, hardware, tools, and lawn and garden supplies. Home centers also provide building materials and other consumer goods relevant with the repair and maintenance (census.gov). These goods are either purchased from domestic or international manufacturers of suppliers. Operators then retail these goods to the ultimate consumers through their stores (IBISWorld, 2006). Industry’s Dominant Economic Features This industry has a vast market size which is the dominant economic factor of the industry. Other economic factors are significantly affected by the market size in the industry. The annual sales of the industry are estimated at $135.4 billion. As the products offered by home centers are utilized by consumers in all the segments of the market, therefore the market size is extended to all the levels of the market. The business conducted in the industry is comparatively easy to operate therefore the industry is growing at a very fast pace. This scenario has initiated a stiff competition within the industry and major home centers are increasing at an unprecedented rate at the expense of smaller entities in the industry (Sinderman, 1997). The number of rivals within the industry is high. Since the goods produced by the industry are not dependent upon technology therefore the abrupt technological changes do not affect the operations of the industry to a significant extent. This allows the industry sufficient time to acclimatize with the changing trends. The products in the industry are mostly of a generic nature therefore there is not much differentiation between the products. The segments within the industry include specialized home stores that retail specialized goods only such as stores speci alized for plumbing, electronic goods etc. Such stores do not retail any other goods other than the specialized goods. Porter’s Five Forces Porter’s Five Forces analysis is conducted to determine whether an industry is attractive for entrepreneurs (Hitt, 2009). In order to analyze the home centers industry, the analysis is being conducted on Home Depot. Home Depot is an American retailer of home improvement products. Home Depot is the largest retailer of home repair and maintenance products in the US therefore it is one of the most important constituents of the industry (Form 10-K, 2010). Following is the Porter’s Five Forces analysis of Home Depot. Threat of Substitute Products Threat of substitute products outside the industry is low because there are no or less substitutes for the home repair and maintenance products. It was determined by the following facts. In case of plumbing, there is not other industry that produces such goods. Similarly, in case of good s like carpets, home decor goods, and other electronic goods for home maintenance, there are no substitute goods produced by any other industry. Therefore home depot has a low threat of substitute products. The main products produced by the company are tools, shelves, indoor and outdoor