US Macroeconomic policy 2006-2008 Research Paper

US Macroeconomic policy 2006-2008 - Research Paper Example With the global political situation ever changing, foreign policies fluctuation in split second, the economy has suffered too over the recent years. This paper describes the United States of America's macroeconomic polices in the recent years and their impact on the people. We shall consider the past three years and look at how the changing economic policies changed business interests and how they impact the overall economic situation of the state. In 2006 U.S economy was still suffering from the effects that the hurricanes such as Katrina had on the U.S. economy and because of their reverberations in 2006. The health of the national economy was facing threat, due to the severe beating that the infrastructure took-most notably the infrastructure for energy. For the preceding year and a half, energy prices had surged worldwide. When the storms hit at the end of August, economic activity had been quite robust for several years, supported by monetary accommodation and strong productivity growth. Real GDP had grown steadily at, or above, its potential or long-run sustainable pace, which is estimated at around three and a quarter percent. This pattern continued even during the third quarter-immediately following the hurricanes-when real GDP grew by just over four percent. In the fourth quarter, growth did drop sharply to about 1 percent. However, a good deal of this slowdown appears to have been due to several temporary factors, non e of which were related to the hurricanes. In 2006 the US economy was facing a great deal of un-certainty; the economy appears to be approaching a highly desirable glide path. First, real GDP growth currently appears to be quite strong, but there was good reason for it to slow to around its potential rate as the year progresses. Second, it appears that US economy operating in the vicinity of "full employment" with a variety of indicators giving only moderately different signals. The Fed raised the federal funds rate by 25 basis points a total increase of 350 basis points. However, once the rate got to 4 percent, the issue of exactly how much accommodation actually remained in the economy became more of a judgment call. As a result, some further policy firming was needed to keep the risks to the attainment of both sustainable economic growth and price stability roughly in balance. The U.S. Economy and Policies in 2007 In 2007 the data showed payroll employment growing at a rather robust pace for all of last year. Moreover, the unemployment rate had declined by half a percentage point over the past year; this suggests a degree of tightness in the labor market, The decline started toward the end of 2005 and residential investment has fallen-in absolute terms-by a total of 13 percent. This sector alone which represents only a small fraction of U.S. real GDP-subtracted a hefty 1 percentage points from real GDP growth. Housing starts have followed a similar pattern, reaching a climax in January 2006 and then falling by roughly 40 percent through January of 2007. In addition to housing, weakness in

Religion Essay Example for Free

Religion Essay 1.) As a person of goodwill, explain the necessity of establishing rapport, amity, and concordance among the various religions in Asia and the world; and more specifically among Muslims and Christians in the Philippines. Why is religion a positive contributor towards peacemaking but at the same time can be a source of societal turmoil? In what way can Asian religions transcend divisiveness by standing side by side with other religions, without losing their very own unique creeds or belief-systems? Based on the films about Muslim Filipinos shown in class, please explain in what way Christians and Muslims can utilize their respective religions for peace and harmony in Mindanao? Answer these questions by citing concrete cases to prove your point (30 points). It is necessary to establish rapport, amity, and concordance among the various religions in Asia and the world more specifically among Muslims and Christians in the Philippines in order to better understand their systematic beliefs, values, and behavior, acquired by people as a member of their society. These patterns are systematic because their manifestations are regular in occurrence and expression: they are shared by member of a group. It is also necessary to build friendship and connection among diverse religions in Asia and the world to build a better society and to have peace in every nation. In such a society it is very important to have harmony and respect amongst the different religions. We must distinguish between belief and respect. Belief refers to total faith, which you must have in your own religion. At the same time you should have respect for all other religions. This tradition of believing in ones own religion and having respect for others. In every religion, there are transcendent things that are beyond the grasp of our mind and speech. For example, the concept of God in Christianity and Islam and that of wisdom truth body in Buddhism are metaphysical, which is not possible for an ordinary person like us to realize. This is a common difficulty faced by every religion. It is taught in every  ­religion, including Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, that the ultimate truth is driven by faith. As far as the Muslims are concerned it is appropriate for them to have complete devotion to Allah while praying in the mosques. This is also the same with Buddhists who are completely devoted to the Buddha when they pray in Buddhist temples. A society, which has many religions should also have many prophets and sources of refuge. I want to emphasize that it is extremely essential to sincerely believe in their respective religions. Usually, it is very important to distinguish between belief in one religion and belief in many religions. Religion is a positive contributor towards peacemaking but at the same time can be a source of societal turmoil because religion is a perennial and perhaps inevitable factor in both conflict and conflict resolution. Religion, after all, is a powerful constituent of cultural norms and values, and because it addresses the most profound existential issues of human life (e.g., freedom and inevitability, fear and faith, security and insecurity, right and wrong, sacred and profane), religion is deeply implicated in individual and social conceptions of peace. To transform the conflicts besetting the world today, we need to uncover the conceptions of peace within our diverse religious and cultural traditions, while seeking the common ground among them. Traditionally many people focus on how wars and conflicts are seemingly undertaken for religious reasons, or at least undertaken in the name of religion. A significant problem with organized religion and belief, as this relates to peace and conflict, is individuals and groups often confuse the map (their socially-learned version of reality or culture or religion) with the territory (or ultimate reality). Thus people believe that their personal or subjective version of reality or religion is valid, while other views are invalid. Instead it can be argued that the many maps are different, but possibly equally valid interpretations and attempts to understand the same underlying reality or territory. Asian religions can transcend divisiveness by standing side by side with other religions, without losing their very own unique creeds or belief-systems through banding together in interfaith dialogue, cooperation, and religious peacebuilding. The first major dialogue was the Parliament of the Worlds Religions at the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair, which remains notable even today both in affirming universal values and recognition of the diversity of practices among different cultures. The 20th century has been especially fruitful in use of interfaith dialogue as a means of solving ethnic, political, or even religious conflict, with Christian–Jewish reconciliation representing a complete reverse in the attitudes of many Christian communities towards Jews. Christians and Muslims can utilize their respective religions for peace and harmony through sharing the main morals and conducts that are for the benefit of humanity and nature. They believe in the same basic morals that are important for people to follow in order to live in peace, harmony, and love in communities with different faiths and cultures. And to through tolerance, respect and cooperation with respect in each other’s religions. 2.) Explain why Islam is considered the â€Å"most misunderstood religion†. What are some historical, sociological and cultural reasons that paved the way for a misunderstanding of the true nature of Islam among non-Muslims and even among Muslims? Islam means â€Å"submission to the will of God in all areas of one’s life†. Muslim means, â€Å"One who submits to God’s will†. These Arabic words are actually non-sectarian terms if we look at the context of these words in the Qur’an. Can we use the term â€Å"Muslim† in its universal implication to include all believers in One God? Can we use the term â€Å"Muslim† to any person (irrespective of religions) who strives sincerely to submit to the will of God in his life? [Hint: Consider the Islamic doctrine of Risalah (Progressive Revelation) and the Islamic view of the universality of God’s calling of prophethood] (30 points). Islam is considered the â€Å"most misunderstood religion† because most of the time it is considered as a violent religion and is likely â€Å"to encourage violence among believers†. And there is also some outright falsehood for example, â€Å"God sent prophets to every nation for their guidance.† But, According to the â€Å"Doctrine of Progressive Revelation†, Islam is very universal since it admits that Allah sent prophets to everyone whereas Jews believe that prophets only come from them because they are the â€Å"chosen people of God.† Another example, â€Å"One of the missions of the Prophet of Islam was to bring peace and unity to the feuding tribes, the Jahiliah or the ignorant Arabs of the pre-Islamic days. This he succeeded in doing as narrated in several verses of the Qur-an†. The message of Allah were brought by one Prophet and recorded in one holy Qur-an. There is no other Qur-an, or versions or it, or editions which carry different texts. The hold Qur-an is not in the form of Gospels by Muslim saints or ulama. The holy Qur-an is just the record of the messages of Allah in the Arabic of the period. Translations of the Qur-an may be different in minor ways, but they are not accepted as the holy Qur-an. Only that in the original Arabic is accepted. So there can be no differing text or Gospels or versions which can result in differences in the messages or teachings of Islam. Yet, clearly there are differences, serious differences, so serious that Muslims are divided sometimes into warring sects. One of the reasons that paved the way of misunderstanding the true nature of Islam among non-Muslims and even Muslims are the â€Å"media†. Media is the greatest factor on how people view their surroundings. Somehow, criticizing the Islam brings them more readers/viewers. We tend to judge and generalize things without knowing the exact story behind those issues. Infact, the worl Islam means peace, purity, submission and obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means submission to the will of God and obedience to His law. Yes, we can use the term â€Å"Muslim† in its universal implication to include all believers in One God, as well as, to any person (irrespective of religions) who strives sincerely to submit to the will of God in his life because â€Å"Muslim† believe that God is eternal, transcendent, absolutely one (the doctrine of tawhid, or strict or simple monotheism), and incomparable; that he is self-sustaining, who begets not nor was begotten. 3.) Write a â€Å"reflective synthesizing essay† that answers the following questions: In the future prospect, will the Asian religions move from rhetoric unity and act as one to solve the common problems affecting humanity? As for Asian countries, will they achieve political independence from the clutches of Western neo-colonialism? Is there a need to abandon our cherished worldview and values in the name of development? How will the Asians reconcile their adherence to Asian ethos and at the same time open to the demands of globalization? How will the differing Asian worldviews and religions be properly harnessed to promote nationalism among Asians and global cooperation among countries in the world? (30 points) Yes. In the future, the Asian religions will move from rhetoric unity and act as one to solve the common problems affecting humanity to have a better nation, to have a respect on one another, to fix the unjust and destructive situations. There is no need to abandon our cherished worldview and values in the name of development but rather preserve it and continue following those values to build a progressive and advance nation. With their differing Asian worldviews and religions they can create different ideas and new innovations but with respect with one another’s point of view, and to accept what other countries have made, to promote nationalism among Asians and global cooperation among countries in the world. 4.) Explain what made Japanese civilization unique in its approach to establishing a pro-active Asian civilization capable of having positive ethical patterns as fountainhead of their development? Explain why it is not just enough to simply support one’s parents for one to be called â€Å"filial†; what are therefore the other requirements to be able to truly say that one has completely conducted oneself as â€Å"filial son/daughter† to one’s parents? What makes Indian civilization stuck into conservatism? What are some of the positive role that the caste-system plays in Indian civilization? What are also the negative aspects of the caste system to Indian civilization? Explain in what way did Japan show a purposive and planned-out blueprint for development in their history? (30 points) It is not just enough to simply support one’s parents for one to be called â€Å"filial† because we owe our parents a lot- because of them we able to eat three meals a day, sometimes even more. They give us clothes and sometimes the things that are beyond our needs. They send us to school. But more than simply supporting us in the most basic sense of supporting, our parents loves us. It now becomes something different because when we love them back, we do not do so out of indebtedness. We give our love freely, and not as a payment with a certain interest. Most of all, because of this special filial relationship with them that we had since birth, we also respect and obey them. We not only support our parents, but serve them. The Indian â€Å"caste system† made it stuck into conservatism. The positive roles that the caste-system plays in Indian civilization, provides a sense of community and belongingness. And the two main strands of thought: Divine will- the belief that a hierarchical social structure is part of the divine intention for natural order, and the Purity- the need to emphasize the importance of ritual purity and impurity. But there is also a negative aspect of caste-system to Indian civilization. For example, marrying someone from a different caste, whilst not officially outlawed, is generally discouraged. They only lived, ate, and worked within their group. This was based on the idea that people are different and should have different roles. And a person born into one caste never changed castes and very seldom mixed with members of other castes. Castes were unchanging groups but people from the lowest caste were told that they have to serve the other castes so that they can be reborn into a higher caste in their next life.

Free Essays on A Dolls House: Breaking Away :: A Dolls House Essays

Breaking Away in A Doll's House The central theme of A Doll's House is secession from society. It is demonstrated by several of its characters breaking away from the social standards of their time and acting on their own terms. No one character demonstrates this better than Nora. During the time in which the play took place society frowned upon women asserting themselves. Women were supposed to play a role in which they supported their husbands, took care of their children, and made sure everything was perfect around the house. Work, politics, and decisions were left to the males. Nora's first secession from society was when she broke the law and decided to borrow money to pay for her husbands treatment. By doing this, she not only broke the law but she stepped away from the role society had placed on her of being totally dependent on her husband. She proved herself not to be helpless like Torvald implied: "you poor helpless little creature!" Nora's second secession from society was shown by her decision to leave Torvald and her children. Society demanded that she take a place under her husband. This is shown in the way Torvald spoke down to her saying things like: "worries that you couldn't possibly help me with," and "Nora, Nora, just like a woman." She is almost considered to be property of his: "Mayn't I look at my dearest treasure? At all the beauty that belongs to no one but me -that's all my very own?" By walking out she takes a position equal to her husband and brakes society's expectations. Nora also brakes society's expectations of staying in a marriage since divorce was frowned upon during that era. Her decision was a secession from all expectations put on a woman and a wife by society. Nora secessions are very deliberate and thought out. She knows what society expects of her and continues to do what she feels is right despite them. Her secessions are used by Ibsen to show faults of society. In the first secession Ibsen illustrates that despite Nora doing the right thing it is deemed wrong and not allowed by society because she is a woman. While the forgery can be considered wrong, Ibsen is critical of the fact that Nora is forced to forge. Ibsen is also critical of society's expectations of a marriage. He illustrates this by showing how Nora is forced to play a role than be herself and the eventual deterioration of the marriage.

I.T. Tools for Remote Communication

CAPE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY UNIT TWO MODULE TWO – I. T. TOOLS FOR REMOTE COMMUNICATION USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TOOLS TO ACCESS AND COMMUNICATE WITH REMOTE INFORMATION SOURCES Information technology – the tools and techniques used to process and communicate information Remote information source – information held in or on a computer or other medium which is not located in the same physical location as the person wanting access to this information.In order to access remote information sources one will need a tool or a set of tools which are both hardware and software. The following is a list of such tools – some hardware, some software, some both: Communication software – programs used to provide remote access to systems, and exchange files and messages in text, audio and/or video formats between different computers or users. Communication software runs on computers, tablets, mobile phones and other specialized devices.Some examples of remote co mmunication software are terminal emulators, file transfer programs; instant messaging programs, real time chat programs (IRC), teleconferencing and video conferencing software, and email programs. Browsers – short for web browser – a software application used to locate, retrieve and also display content on the World Wide Web. The content handled by web browsers includes text, images and video. A web browser is made up of HTML code and operates under the HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) Email systems – software for creating, sending, receiving and organizing electronic mail.Modern desktop email clients like Microsoft Outlook, Windows Live Mail and Mozilla Thunderbird offer advanced features for managing email, including WYSIWYG editors for composing email messages, anti-spam and anti-phishing security protection, advanced search capabilities, and rules and filters for more efficiently handling and organizing messages and email folders. A large number of online email services, called webmail, exist with features and functionality for managing e-mail similar to their desktop email software counterparts.Some of the more popular online email services are Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Hotmail and AOL Mail. Email systems also need an email server which is a computer configured to be the email post office with the task of managing the email service. It receives stores and dispatches email messages to and from email addresses. Facsimile systems – A facsimile machine is a device that can send or receive pictures and text over a telephone line. Fax machines work by digitizing an image i. e. dividing it into a grid of dots. Each dot is either on or off, depending on whether it is black or white.Electronically, each dot is represented by a bit that has a value of either 0 (off) or 1 (on). In this way, the fax machine translates a picture into a series of zeros and ones (called a bit map) that can be transmitted like normal computer data. On the receivi ng side, a fax machine reads the incoming data, translates the zeros and ones back into dots, and reprints the picture. A fax machine consists of an optical scanner for digitizing images on paper, a printer for printing incoming fax messages, and a telephone for making the connection.Telephone – colloquially referred to as a phone, the telephone is a point-to-point telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. It's most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other. A business telephone system is a system where multiple telephones are used by businesses in an interconnected fashion that allows for features such as call handling and transferring, conference calling, call metering and accounting, private and shared voice message boxes, etc.A business telephone system can range from just a few phones in a small business up to a complex private branch exchange (PBX) system utilized by large busine sses. Business phone systems can function over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and/or over the Internet (Internet telephony or VoIP). Business telephone systems can also be delivered as a hosted service (typically referred to as a centrex), which can free companies from having to invest in costly equipment.Mobile telephones – many individuals no longer have a landline and have turned to mobile computing for all their telephone needs. Young people especially do more than half there communicating using a cellular phone which allows them to not only have voice calls but to send text messages Pager – A pager is a small telecommunications device that receives (and, in some cases, transmits) alert signals and/or short messages. This type of device is convenient for people expecting telephone calls, but who are not near a telephone set to make or return calls immediately.A typical one-way pager fits easily in a shirt pocket; some are as small as a wristwatch. A m iniature, short-range wireless receiver captures a message, usually accompanied by a beep. The simplest one-way pagers display the return-call telephone number of the person who sent the message. Alternatively, a code can be displayed that indicates which of several designated parties is requesting a return phone call. Sophisticated one-way pagers can display short text messages. Until recently, pagers were designed as receive-only devices.However, despite the engineering challenge, a two-way pager, also called a two-way messaging device or two-way interactive system, has been developed. A typical unit is about the size of a pocket calculator and has a built-in, miniature keyboard and a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen that can display several lines of text and/or simple graphics. Mobile phones have replaced pagers for most users. However, because they are reliable in some situations where mobile phones are not, pagers are still widely used by essential services personnel, such a s those in the medical and emergency-related professions.New uses for pagers have also arisen. For example, restaurants often use pagers to let customers know when their tables are ready. Computer – The transmission of data from one computer to another, or from one device to another is called data communication. A communications device, therefore, is any machine that assists data transmission. The computer is one such principal machine. For the computer to assist in communications it must be running programs that make it possible to transmit data i. e. communication software.Word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software, desktop publishing software – these productivity tools can be used to create, edit, and print documents. While of all computer applications, word processing is the most common, the product of the others can also be printed. The output from productivity tools can be snail-mailed, emailed, uploaded to websites, and communicated using other www techn ologies Internet Tools Interactive online services – is a business that provides its subscribers with a wide variety of data transmitted over telecommunications lines.Online services provide an infrastructure in which subscribers can communicate with one another, either by exchanging e-mail messages or by participating in online conferences(forums). In addition, the service can connect users with an almost unlimited number of third-party information providers. Subscribers can get up-to-date stock quotes, news stories hot off the wire, articles from many magazines and journals, in fact, almost any information that has been put in electronic form.Of course, accessing all this data carries a price. Three of the largest online services are America Online, Compuserve and MSN. telnet – terminal emulation is a program for networks that connects pcs to the server on the network and allows one to enter commands on the pc and have them executed directly on the server as if one w as sitting in front of the server. This enables you to control and communicate with other servers on the network. Telnet is a common way to remotely control Web servers.As this is a service that allows local computers to control remote computers, technical personal in organizations can use it to troubleshoot problems in other branches and hackers use these kinds of programs to connect to and control servers on unsecured networks. ftp – Short for file transfer protocol, this is the protocol for exchanging files over the Internet. FTP is most commonly used to download a file from a server using the Internet or to upload a file to a server (e. g. , uploading a Web page file to a server). The owners of website rarely host them themselves.But maintaining the content of the website is still up to them. They create the new content for their websites on their local machines. They then use an ftp program to connect to and upload and download the files from their website on the remote server to and from their local machine. When they have completed this task we can then see the new pages on their websites. You can access FTP sites by two different methods: either directly through your web browser, or using an FTP application (such as Winsock FTP). Both methods require a logon procedure.Some FTP sites allow anonymous login and allow you to enter your email address as a password. Other FTP sites also allow anonymous login but require a special password (such as â€Å"guest†, â€Å"visitor†, or other password. ) Still other sites have restricted login and passwords limited to specific people or groups message boards aka bulletin board system (BBS) – An electronic message board is a computer running software that allows users to log in and perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging messages with other users.Message boards allow threaded conversations in which the comments on a posting are attached to that posting in an indented manner. Message boards for example can be for a class in which students get to communicate with each other and the teacher and discuss assignments and class material. It is often used in this manner in on-line courses. newsgroups – This is a special interest online discussion group or forum where one can post and reply to posted messages on particular topics.It is like a public message board but with the topic of interest pre-selected by the person who set up the newsgroup. Users are required to subscribe to a newsgroup. mailing list – while any individual or company can have a mailing list in their email the formal definition of a mailing list is a list of people who have subscribed to a particular service and have given permission for their contact information to be released to anyone who provides this service.Newsgroups e. g. will have a mailing list to whom they send notices when something changes in the newsgrou p. internet telephony refers to communication services such as voice, fax, SMS and/or voice messaging services which are transported via the internet instead of the public switched telephone network. VoIP – voice over internet protocol is a slightly broader term which covers voice communication over any IP network.

Hcl marketing stratergies

Later there was limited choice for mostly products and companies didn't have to put much efforts to sale their product. But today's scenario is totally different. Consumers have choice because of availability of varieties and options. We can say today's consumer is the king of market. So it is important to know his buying behavior and try to fulfill his demand. Company's aim should be customer delight not costumer satisfaction. The purpose of this dissertation project is to know the marketing strategies which HOC Manifestoes Ltd. Sees to become the market leader in the field of Personal Computers and Different marketing strategies adopted by HOC to compete with others. HOC Manifestoes how much is fulfilling the customer needs and try to sale the maximum of personal computer This dissertation report making was really good learning period for me. I got opportunity to know the theoretical knowledge related to marketing strategies. This dissertation report is part of course of PAGE progr am, which is set by CACTI, and it is necessary for every student to under go for dissertation project.This project report is also made for submission to Institute of Management Education, Sahib's. Sustains including in this report are research methodology, analysis of activities, conclusion and bearing from this project Bibliography is also given in last to know from where information has been taken to complete this project. I hope this project will serve the purpose. IT HARDWARE INDUSTRY: AN INTRODUCTION The Indian IT industry is, undoubtedly, a shining Jewel in the country crown. The achievements of our IT companies have earned us the respect of the most developed nations of the world.The skills, ingenuity, dedication and drive of our young IT professionals is acknowledged worldwide. Today, there will hardly be a company of any stature anywhere in the globe where Indian IT professionals are not making a stellar contribution. However, most of the growth in IT has been in the softwa re services and support segment. I do believe that if we are going to continue our thrust and growth in the IT industry, it is imperative that we develop a robust hardware industry and emerge as an important destination for high end product development.While software development has been the more visible face of our IT industry, we cannot deny the fact that ultimately it is ‘hardware' that runs the ‘software'. While ‘hardware' is of no use without software, the converse is also equally true. The development of a vibrant ‘hardware' industry in India has been lagging behind on account of various factors. The underlying fact is simple. Unless companies are able to manufacture products that can compete with the world's best in quality and unless they manufacture in volumes that make them cost efficient and globally competitive, they will not survive.A major bottleneck in the development of the ‘hardware' industry has been the lack of a strong local componen t industry. It is my humble suggestion that the government, both at national and state levels do everything in their power to promote such industries so that by the end of this decade, we can have a strong and world-class component industry. Sure, we have a long way to go to catch up with Taiwan or China or even Malaysia, but I believe with the right encouragement we can develop a strong ‘hardware' industry. I must make a point here about the viability of ‘hardware' as an industry in India.It is a myth that the ‘hardware' business is not profitable. This point of view has been largely perpetrated on account of the large number of players who made half hearted or weak attempts to enter this business. To be a success in the hardware business requires both vision and grit. I often give the example of my own company D-Link (India) which, starting out as a small manufacturer of modems has grown to become a RSI. Billion company with a product range that extends from mode ms to routers. But success has not come easy.We have made massive investments in both plant and people and have spared no effort in getting the best of equipment and talent. More importantly, we have set up a strong R&D backbone to support our manufacturing. Which brings me to the next point: the importance of R&D? Technology in the IT space changes very rapidly. Technological obsolescence is not just a ‘click'- it has thrown strong companies out of business. In this scenario, the importance of R&D can hardly be overemphasized. It is vital that those who venture onto ‘hardware' industry are seized of this fact.Only through strong R&D can manufacturers ensure continuous product improvements and keep their offerings truly ‘state-of-the-art'. Over a period of time, with a strong R&D base, Indian companies can look forward to developing innovative products and own Intellectual Property Rights (par's) on such products. I dream of the day, and I believe it's not too far away, when technology for products developed by Indian companies would be licensed to global manufacturers as well as innovative products manufactured by Indian companies would be available worldwide.The state of our hardware industry and R&D infrastructure is quite the same as that of the software industry a couple of decades ago. Visionaries like Unmannerly and Skim Preemie have shown that we have the potential to achieve global stature in a business. Extending our sights a little further, we have seen how a Armband or Dry. Redder have got recognition for Indian R&D in the Pharmacy industry. There is no reason, therefore, why we can't develop a strong R base in the IT industry as well.The development of a strong hardware industry base would also go a long way in increasing the IT penetration in our country, which is still very low. I do believe that we have all the elements to become a significant player in both IT hardware as well as R. As IT penetration increases, as organizatio ns across the country network, as we build more robust IT backbones in various spheres of our activity, we will need more and more hardware. Rather than be totally dependent on imports, we need to have a thriving component and hardware industry backed by strong R.Along with our strength in software services, it will provide another cornerstone towards India truly becoming a global IT superpower. India a Global IT Super Power The Indian computer hardware industry has growing at a rate of over 30 per cent annually for the past few years and this pace is expected to be maintained until 2005. As the first table above shows, domestic manufacture has been increasing, but so also have imports. The locally manufactured computers cater to low-end applications while the imported computers continue to facilitate CAD, CAM, CASE, multi-media, and other high-end applications.Indian computer hardware and peripherals industry segments are dominated by U. S. Joint ventures and suppliers. IBM in coll aboration with Tats, Hewlett Packard in association with HOC Limited, Digital Equipment Corporation with Hindsight Group, Silicon Graphics with Tats, Oust to mention four major Joint ventures) manufacture computer hardware for the domestic and export markets. Compact, Silicon Graphics, and Dell have opened offices to sell their computers in India. Sun Microsystems and Apple distribute their products through Wiper Information Technology Limited.Most business firms in India have not computerized. Many of those who have, still use outdated products such as dot-matrix printers instead of laser and ink-Jet printers. As more and more international companies set up office in India, the demand for hardware will increase. The growing awareness of the case to shed fat in the public sector will call for more automated operations; this too will generate demand for computers. The prospects for both exports to, and investment in, this sector are excellent.IT hardware manufacturing in India is a c lassic case of the chicken and egg syndrome. Should we wait for the market to grow to high volumes that Justify creating a manufacturing base in India, or should we Just kick-start manufacturing so that prices then come down and thereby create volumes? The debate has raged on long enough and no consensus seems to be emerging. Rather, things took a turn for the worse with recent years witnessing a perceptible decline in manufacturing activity.Therefore, when a recent MATT study, conducted Jointly with Big Five firm Ernst & Young, concluded that the Indian hardware industry had the potential to reach a size of $62 billion by 2010, it not only raised many an eyebrow, but derisive laughter from skeptics. Sample some salient conclusions of the study which paint a rosy future for India Hardware Inc: By 2010, the Indian hardware industry has the potential to grow to twelve times its existing market size, with the domestic market counting for $37 billion and exports accounting for another $ 37 billion.The study has identified major export opportunities in the areas of innovative new devices, contract manufacturing and design services. The study says that component exports offers an opportunity worth $5 billion, while that of design and related services in embedded systems and wireless telecommunication services can bring in another $7 billion by 2010. Further, ambitious projections have been made in the area of contract manufacturing, which represents a $11 billion opportunity if India succeeds in capturing a share of only 2. Percent of the global pie by 2010. Though the rosy projections look good on paper, is this growth really possible?Skeptics deride the study as an attempt by the hardware industry to copy its software counterpart, which has been tom-timing Mascot and Muckiness's projection of $87 billion in software revenues by 2008. MATT officials are however quite upbeat. Says Avian Deckhands, president of MATT, â€Å"There are four key steps which we need to ta ke to make India a manufacturing-friendly country. Firstly, market India as a hardware destination and build a brand akin to software. Making India manufacturing-friendly through improvements in infrastructure and logistics should follow this.We should also emphasis on design and innovation through the development of Indian solutions for Indian needs. All these initiatives need to be backed up by the government with adequate funds. † The bright side For a country whose economy is so heavily dependent on agriculture, a vibrant hardware industry has the potential to generate three million Jobs, especially for Indians who come from economically underprivileged sections, who aren't very highly educated. So, in the words of Deckhands, the hardware industry can be some sort of a panacea for Indian's unemployment problem.Also, with the size of the contract manufacturing industry expected to be over $500 billion by the year 2010, Indian firms could grab a significant chunk of the pie in a manner pretty similar to Indian's emergence as a key player in the global BOP stakes. And, with a potentially huge market in embedded systems emerging, Indian firms with the right mix of hardware and software can be big players here. For the record, of all the high-end processors produced in the world, only 6 percent are used in PC's and the remaining 94 percent are used in entertainment electronics, non-PC devices, communication products and embedded electronics.The hardware revolution is also essential for the continued high growth of the software industry. As Vine Meta, director of MATT, puts it: â€Å"India can lose out on the software advantage it has already built up, and the future potential, if it does not concentrate on the hardware front. For example, the estimated domestic hardware requirement by 2008 to meet the software target of $87 billion is $160 million. † And now the problems But before India Inc. Can go into ballistic mode on the hardware front, there are lots of serious issues that need to be addressed.Issues like lack of local availability of input raw material, ever changing government policies, inconsistent sales tax structures in different states, high interest rates, customs duties on capital goods, poor infrastructure, inordinately long and variable transit times all add to uncertainty, delays and increased costs. Something that hardware manufacturers dread. Explains Mango Church, country manager-manufacturing, IBM India, â€Å"Everyone in India cribs about duty, but even China has a similar duty structure.The main reason why companies prefer to locate their manufacturing operations in China is because customs processing in China is much faster. Here, even after a manufacturer's raw material arrives at a port it might take another month or so before the goods reach his factory. In the fast changing world of technology, that's virtually suicidal for companies into hardware manufacturing. Besides, labor laws in China are al so very flexible. In India, laments Raja Sara, chairman and managing director of Zenith Computers, there are a lot of restrictions for the hardware industry. The software industry has grown in leaps and bounds simply because there have been no restrictions. On the other hand, even if I do manufacture in an SEE in India, I Anton sell my products in the domestic market. The government says everything should be exported. But it should realism that the industry will always flock to an area where there are least restrictions. † The government can also take a cue from the fact that if the industry is allowed to grow to three times the size it currently is today, it can earn more tax from its revenues.The manufacturing industry in India also suffers from a lack of proper environmental standards. With environmental concerns mainly ignored or casually overlooked by Indian corporate, Macs desist from setting p manufacturing bases here since there is no compliance with ISO 14000 standard s, which deal with environmental issues. On the design front too, there are lots of opportunities left to be explored. Design exports are a $7 billion opportunity in areas like embedded systems and wireless telecommunications.While Indian firms do some work on hardware design exports, many unfortunately show this as software exports to avoid tax. Fact is, some experts say a robust design sector could play a huge role in bringing down PC prices too a significant reason why PC penetration remains low in India. For example, on a CPU that costs $150, the material cost is not even $4. Adds Deckhands, â€Å"If we can get a design, like say a PI, made either by ourselves or if we can get the government to buy out a design and start manufacturing here, this would bring costs down substantially in PC's. The silver lining The Indian hardware industry could learn a thing or two from the Taiwanese hardware industry, where companies started off as component assemblers some years ago. Today, the same firms are world leaders, and in fact outsource their manufacturing designs to other countries. A majority of Taiwanese firms are now original manufacturers of chippies. Another instance that could inspire companies to set up local manufacturing bases is the example of D-Link. D-Link is one of the very few hardware companies in India that does local manufacturing.Recently, the company tied up with Taiwan-based Gigabyte Technology to manufacture and market motherboards locally. D-Link will manufacture approximately 30,000 motherboards per month. Besides giving D-link a key advantage in terms of technology, it also means utilization of D-Links manufacturing facilities. The cost savings per motherboard when manufactured here works out to be approximately $5. Hence, if illume are huge, it does makes sense to outsource contract manufacturing to India.And for skeptics who doubt the quality of Indian products, Ram Augural, managing director, Wiper peripherals has a ready answer, †Å"Doubting Thomas who keep on questioning the quality of Indian products should know that Legend computers, the largest maker of PC's in China, buys network interface cards from India. † Going forward, if the government and the hardware industry proactively decide to work together and solve issues rather than have one hand clamoring for duty concessions, and the other avoiding issues, the Indian hardware industry could finitely go the software way-as MATT and Ernst & Young have said.The only question to ask is whether the government and the industry are up to it. Around the world, enterprise IT spend has been on the decline. The economic downturn coupled with inconsiderate or unplanned spending on IT in the last decade, has contributed to all this. So what is the scenario in India? As per last year's survey (IS 2002-?June issue of Network Magazine), Close had committed to spend an average of RSI 554 Lack on IT-related investments. This spending was more or less equal to what t hey had spent in the previous year (2001-2002). So, did Indian enterprises spend that amount?As per this year's survey, the average amount spent on IT was only RSI 468 Lack. This implies there has indeed been a decline in IT spending. Close did not fully utilize the amount they had budgeted for IT related projects. The largest spenders in 2002-03 were BIFFS, Telecoms/ IT/TIES, and Gobo. /US. The average amounts spent were RSI 1109 Lakes, RSI. 954 Lack, and RSI 649 Lack respectively. All other industry verticals show modest spends. Technology is a key component for BIFFS and Telecoms/let/lets verticals. This explains why spending on IT is high in these sectors.Also, nationalized banks have been spending substantial amounts on computerizing. Us have traditionally been big spenders, given the need to link distant locations. And with various state governments and quasi-government institutions pushing initiatives like e-governance, technology has been of high-priority here too. So, which were the technology verticals that received a maximum chunk of the shrunken IT budget? 68 percent Close said they invested in Bandwidth/connectivity last year. 64 percent in Enterprise hardware procurement, and 48 percent in Enterprise packaged software.Security comes fourth with 47 percent having invested in this area. More or less ? We were keen to find out the number of Close who had spent more than the amount budgeted. Nearly 60 percent said they had spent the exact amount budgeted for IT in 2002-03. 20 percent said they had spent less, while only 1 5 percent claimed to have spent more than the amount budgeted. A majority of those who had spent less than the amount budgeted are from large-sized companies (turnover exceeding RSI. 500 scores). Nearly 22 percent large-sized companies spend less on IT.The reason Enid this is obvious: Most of the large-sized companies already have sizable investments in IT when it comes to automating back-end and front-end processes. In this particu lar case, the reasoning was to build a buffer within the IT budget, to provision for any last minute or unforeseen procurement/maintenance costs that may arise. Even in the case of leading IT spenders like BIFFS, Telecoms/ IT/TIES, Gobo. / Us, more than one-fifth of companies have spent less than the amount budgeted, indicating a slowdown in IT spending.On the rise again The IT spend in 2003-04 is on the rise again, albeit slowly. This year companies plan to spend on an average RSI 493 Lack, indicating a 5 percent increase in IT spending. The major spenders are again the BIFFS, Telecoms/ IT/TIES, and Gobo. / US verticals. The BIFFS vertical is registering significant spends; their average budget has climbed from RSI 1109 Lack in 2003-04, to RSI 1310 Lack in 2004-05. In Telecoms/let/lets and Gobo. / US, both major spenders last year, the allotted budget is same when compared with last year.In almost all other verticals, companies are registering a small increase in the budget allotte d for IT. In terms of turnover, IT spending in medium-sized impasse is expected to grow by 20 percent, while in large organizations the IT budget may actually shrink by 11 percent. What technology? This brings us to our next question: Which technologies are companies investing in? The top areas of IT spend, in terms of technologies, are: Bandwidth/connectivity (57 percent plan to invest), Enterprise hardware (55 percent), Storage (46 percent), and Security (46 percent).Both Storage and Security are clearly gaining prominence in the BIFFS sector where information security and availability is critical. The Indian IT and Electronics market in 2003-04 was worth SIS$ 20. 3 billion of which SIS$ 12. 7 billion consisted of software. Electronics and IT hardware production stood at SIS$ 7. 93 billion. Some 3,500 units are engaged in electronics production manufacturing goods as diverse as TV tubes, test and measuring instruments, medical electronics equipment, analytical and special applicat ion instruments, process control equipment, power electronics equipment, office equipment, components etc.Market researcher DC estimates that the market-value estimate over next 3 years for hardware products is RSI. 75,OHO scores. The Indian electronics and hardware industry as been lagging behind the impressive performance of the software sector. Most of the hardware requirements of the burgeoning software and telecoms sectors are met by imports which are about 25%. The Ministry of Information Technology, Gobo. Of India has estimated that the total requirement of hardware and components by 2008 would be in range of SIS$ 160 billion and the investment required in the manufacturing facilities would be US$ 16 billion.MASCOT, the leading IT industry body estimates that to achieve a software export target of SIS$ 87 billion in 2008, the hardware requirement would be US$ 50 billion. By far the most comprehensive study was carried out by Ernst & Young in association with MATT, the hardwar e industry body in 2002. It estimates that given the right incentives, Indian's electronic hardware industry has the potential to reach SIS$ 62 billion by 2010, twelve times its existing size with the domestic market accounting for SIS$ 37 billion and exports of SIS$ 25 billion.The major export opportunities would be in the area of innovative new products, contract manufacturing and design services. This shows that there are large opportunities for Indian companies to increase their strength and grave these opportunities for future growth. HOC Manifestoes Ltd is one of those companies which are working to increase their network and making innovative new products. HOC Manifestoes Ltd. Is currently engaged in selling manufactured hardware (like PC's, servers, monitors and peripherals) and traded hardware (like notebooks, peripherals) to institutional clients as well as retail channel partners.Besides, it offers hardware support services to existing clients through annual maintenance c ontracts, net work consulting and facilities management. In 2003-04, He's total hardware turnover was RSI. 12. 97 billion, higher by around 24% veer the corresponding fugue for 2002-03. Of this, manufactured hardware constituted 60%, traded hardware 32% and hardware support services 9%. The company's reported operating margins in 2003-04 (including six months of OH, telecommunication and software businesses) increased to 6. 7% from 5. 9% in 2001-02, primarily because of better margins in hardware.While average material costs declined in 2003-04, the company was able to retain a part of the margins in its product realizations. Better margins in hardware resulted in the return on capital employed (RACE) from hardware increasing from 1 1. 9% in 2002-03 to 25. % in 2003-04. In the domestic home PC organized sector, HOC Manifestoes is the market leader. Other players include Zenith Computers, MM, Sun Microsystems, Wiper, Hewlett Packard. Assembled personal computers have a large presence in the domestic home PC market, accounting for a chunk of the total sales.The overall market for desktop personal computers registered a 28. 2 percent growth during calendar year 2004 as compared to the previous year. What is significant is that branded PC's continue to make impressive gains against the gray market. According to DC, the share of branded PC's grew from 36. Percent in 2004 to 49. 2 percent in 2005, registering an impressive growth rate of 74. 3 percent. Interestingly, the gray market remained flat, registering a growth of 2. 2 percent, while the total desktop PC market registered a growth of 28. 2 percent.According to DC, the recent re-surfacing of finance-based purchase options had an accelerating effect on the consumer desktop market, which is already witnessing a consistent drop in end-user prices for both the branded and unbranded PC segments. Among the vendors, HOC Manifestoes emerged as the market leader with a share of 13. 7 percent. The company registered a 9 1. Percent growth during 2004 as compared to the previous year. HP followed HOC with a market share of 1 1. 9 percent. HP too grew at a blistering pace registering a growth rate of 73. 03 percent.IBM is in the third place with a market share of 6. 2 percent. DC is not the only research firm confirming the signs of robust growth. Gardner, in a recent report, states that the Indian desktop market grew by 31. 5 percent in 2005. Says Viand Nair, Analyst, Computing Systems, Gardner India, â€Å"Peaking business confidence based on strong economic growth catcalled PC purchases in both consumer and corporate segments throughout 2005. † While every research firm has given different figures, one thing is common-the PC market is booming at double-digit growth rates.MATT (Manufacturers Association of Information Technology) estimates that the desktop PC market grossed 17. 1 lakes units in the first half of fiscal 2004-05, registering a growth of 37 percent over the same period of the pr evious fiscal. With the Indian economy booming, MATT estimates that PC sales will touch the 40 lakes mark in fiscal 2004-05. The buoyancy in PC sales can be attributed to increased consumption by traditional industry verticals such as telecoms, banking, financial services and insurance, BOP, manufacturing and government.Consumption also increased in non-traditional sectors such as education, retail outlets and self-employed professionals. In future, He's hardware sales to the institutional segment are likely to remain stable, with sustained hardware spending by all the verticals, especially the banking and financial services sector. Besides, in retail hardware sales, a continued reduction of price points, facilitated in part by the recent reduction in excise duties on PC's,