Major Players in Indian Real Estate Sector

India’s real estate market is on a high growth curve. The industry is projected to grow to US$50 billion by the end of FY2010 at an average rate of 20%. Looking at the bigger picture, the recession seems like a hiccup. Despite talks of price correction, the worse is definitely behind us. In this feature, we present our list of market leaders. The task was dauntingand complicated. Instead of a list that says India’s Top 20, we divided the players regionally based on their headquarters. Many are national players but some are purely regional players and hence it would be unfair to compare them.The idea was to identify national as well as local leaders. Of course, all such lists are subject to market dynamics. TOP REAL ESTATE COMPANIES FROM NORTH DLF Ltd Headed by:  Dr Kushal Pal Singh, Chairman About:  With a track record of 64 years, DLF is India’s largest real estate company in terms of revenues, earnings, market capitalization and developable area. It current ly has pan India presence across 30 cities with approximately 238 million sq ft of completed development and 413 million sq ft of planned projects, of which 56 million sq ft of projects are under construction during FY10.Project Spectrum: Residential, townships, commercial complexes, IT Parks, hotels, multiplexes, etc. Quick fact:  Only listed real estate Company included in the BSE Sensex, NSE Nifty, MSCI India Index and MSCI Emerging Markets Asia Index. Latest: Will take its luxury mall DLF Emporio (already operational in New Delhi) to other big cities such as Hyderabad and Chennai. OMAXE LTD Headed by:  Rohtas Goel, CMD About:  Over the past 22 years, Omaxe has established itself through diverse range of residential and commercial projects. The company at present has 53 projects under execution and planning.Omaxe Ltd was the first Construction Company of northern India to receive an ISO 9001:2000 Certification. Project Spectrum: Integrated townships, Group housing, SEZs, Sh opping malls & commercial complexes and hotels. Latest: Has entered into infrastructure sector through Omaxe Infrastructure & Construction Ltd (OICL), a wholly owned subsidiary. OICL has bagged the first contract to construct Highway and three high level bridges in Punjab. The contract is awarded by Greater Mohali Area Development Authority and its value is pegged at Rs704 million. UNITECH Headed by:  Ramesh Chandra, Executive ChairmanAbout:  Established in 1972, Unitech is today India’s leading real estate developer in India. It is the first developer to have been certified ISO 9001:2000 in North India. Project Spectrum: Unitech offers diversified projects across residential, commercial/IT parks, retail, hotels, amusement parks and SEZs segments. Unitech was the first real estate company to be part of the National Stock Exchange’s NIFTY 50 Index. The company has over 600,000 shareholders. Unitech and Norway based Telenor Group came together to build Uninor  œ a telecommunication services company providing GSM services across India.Latest: Has ventured into the infrastructure business by launching Unitech Infra. ANSAL API Headed by:  Sushil Ansal, Chairman About:  Established in 1967 as a family business, Ansal API today is clearly amongst the real estate leaders of India. Having established itself very strongly in the NCR region, Ansal API is now focusing on ventures in cities like Bhatinda, Mohali, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Sonepat, Panipat, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Greater Noida, and Ghaziabad, Meerut, Agra, Lucknow, to name a few.Ansal API has till date, developed and delivered more than 190 million sq ft. The company currently has a land reserve of about 9,335 acres. Project Spectrum: Integrated Townships, Condominiums, Group Housing, Malls, Shopping Complex, Hotels, SEZs, IT Parks and Infrastructure and Utility Services Latest: Raised Rs231. 4 crore through private placement of shar es with institutional investors for reducing its debt and execute ongoing projects. PARSVNATH DEVELOPERS LTD Headed by:  Pradeep Jain, ChairmanAbout:  Incorporated in July 1990 by Mr Jain in New Delhi, Parsvnath today has a substantial pan India presence in over 45 cities across 16 states. The company has emerged as one of the most progressive and multi-faceted real estate and construction entities in India. Project spectrum: Housing (premium, mid-market as well as affordable), office complexes, shopping malls & hypermarkets, hotels, multiplexes, IT Parks and SEZs. Quick fact: First real estate company to have integrated with ISO 9001, 14001 and OHSAS 18001.Latest update: Has partnered with Red Fort Capital to execute a Concession Agreement with DMRC for development of a prime Grade A office project in New Delhi’s Connaught Place. TOP REAL ESTATE COMPANIES FROM WEST GODREJ PROPERTIES LTD Headed by:  Milind Korde, MD About:  Established in 1990, Godrej Properties Ltd ( GPL) brings the Godrej Group philosophy of innovation and excellence to the real estate industry. GPL aspires to be among India’s top three real estate companies while continuing to be the most trusted name in the industry.GPL has completed several landmark projects and is currently developing significant projects in 11 cities across India. Godrej Properties Ltd is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and The National Stock Exchange (NSE). Latest: Sold over 200 apartments within 2 days of launch of its project Godrej Frontier in Gurgaon. This is the company’s first residential project in northern India. K RAHEJA CORP Headed by:  Chandru L Raheja, Chairman About:  Incorporated in 1956, this Mumbai based real estate giant has been engaged in real estate development for more than four decades.K Raheja Corp has built residences, commercial buildings and hotels throughout India. The Group also diversified in the hospitality sector in 1981and in the retail sector in 1991. The company has several landmark projects to its credits across cities. Quick fact: K Raheja Corp has given a firm commitment to have all of its future projects undertaken anywhere in India to be Leed Certified Green Building Projects. OBEROI REALTY LTD Headed by:  Vikas Oberoi, CMD About:  Founded in 1998, the company was recently in limelight for its IPO.The Company’s consolidated total income and consolidated net profit after tax and prior period items as restated were Rs8,054. 95 million and Rs4,576. 20 million for the year ended March 31, 2010 and Rs 1658. 27 million and Rs797. 96 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. The company has presence in Mumbai and Pune. Project Spectrum: Oberoi Realty focuses on premium, single space and mixed used development across residential, office space, retail, hospitality and social infrastructure segments. KALPATARU GROUP Headed by:  Mofatraj P Munot, PromoterAbout:  Established in 1969, Kalpataru is one of th e leading real estate development groups in India. The Group has been active primarily in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) & Pune. It is also undertaking projects in other key cities such as Hyderabad, Surat, Nagpur, Jaipur and Udaipur. The Kalpataru Group has interests in real estate development, property and project management, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracting for power transmission and infrastructure projects including road projects, warehousing and logistics.Project Spectrum: The focus has been on the development of premium residential, commercial, retail, integrated townships, lifestyle gated communities and redevelopment projects. DB REALTY Headed by:  Vinod Goenka and Shahid Balwa About:  It is one of India’s fastest growing real estate companies headquartered in Mumbai. The Company currently has more than 30 ultra premium projects under various stages of planning and also completion in both Mumbai and Pune. It has 20. 5 million sq ft of saleable area of ongoing projects with a projected area of 40. 5 million sq ft in forthcoming and upcoming projects.DB Realty is publicly listed company both on BSE and NSE with a market capitalisation of more than Rs10000 crore. Latest: Few months ago, it bagged the right to redevelop a large chunk of the 100-acre PWD government colony in Mumbai’s Bandra suburb. This will be one of the biggest redevelopment projects in the city. TOP REAL ESTATE COMPANIES FROM SOUTH SOBHA DEVELOPERS LTD Headed by:  PNC Menon, Chairman About:  The Company was founded in 1995 by PNC Menon after he returned home from the Middle East where he was acclaimed for quality interiors and construction since 1977.Today, this Rs10 billion plus company is one of the largest and only backward integrated company in the construction arena. Its IPO in 2006 was oversubscribed by 126 times that created history, being the first event of its kind in Indian capital markets. Till date, Sobha has completed 47 residential projects, 13 commercial projects and 166 contractual projects covering about 36 million sq ft area in 18 cities across India (as of 31 March 2010). The company currently has 21 ongoing residential projects aggregating to 8. 5 million sq ft, while 4. 4 million sq ft of contractual projects are under various stages of construction. BRIGADE GROUP Headed by:  MR Jaishankar, CMD About:  Established in 1986, Brigade is one of South India’s leading property developers. It is headquartered in Bangalore with projects extending across several major cities in South India like Chennai, Chikmagalur, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mangalore and Mysore. Project Spectrum: Brigade has a multi-domain portfolio that covers property development, property management services, hospitality and education.Latest: Brigade recently obtained the license from the World Trade Centers Association to classify and manage its one million sq ft office tower in its mixed use project Brigade Gateway as †˜World Trade Centre Bangalore. PURAVANKARA GROUP Headed by:  Ravi Puravankara, Founder and CMD About:  Established in 1975, the Group has grown to be one of the leading real estate developers of the country, primarily in the premium housing segment. It has projects across cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Mysore, Kolkata and Colombo. The Group also has a presence in Dubai, UAE.With a land bank of over 125 million sq ft, the Group has above 20 million sq ft of residential and commercial space currently under construction. Latest: Recently launched Purva Venezia that recreates the beauty of Venice at Yelhanka in Bangalore. NITESH ESTATES Headed by:  Nitesh Shetty, MD About:  Founded in 2004, Nitesh Estates is an integrated property development company headquartered in Bangalore. Project Spectrum: In just six years, the Company has brought more than nine million sq ft of space under development across housing, hotels, office buildings and shopping m alls.The company is growing even faster with plans to expand its operations in other cities like Goa, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi. Nitesh Estates has to its credit a series of firsts: the first to win India’s largest corporate housing project (ITC Limited), one among the first few to attract FDI in real estate (Och Ziff and Citigroup) and has the distinction of bringing to India it’s very first Ritz Carlton. It has 27 ongoing and forthcoming projects in and around Bangalore and Goa. It has land bank of 19 million sq ft, which will be developed in the next 4-5 years.PRESTIGE ESTATES PROJECTS LTD Headed by:  Irfan Razack, CMD About:  Founded in 1986, Prestige has completed more than 142 projects and has 59 ongoing projects. The company has presence in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mysore as well as Goa. Project Spectrum: Develops projects across segments like residential, commercial, integrated township, retail, leisure & hospitality and mixed-use. Latest: P restige raised Rs12 billion rupees through its IPO recently. TOP REAL ESTATE COMPANIES FROM EAST AMBUJA REALTY Headed by:  Harshavardhan Neotia, CMDAbout:  Ambuja Realty has been providing housing in West Bengal, in a pioneering joint venture with West Bengal Housing Board for the past 15 years under the name Bengal Ambuja. The first real estate company in Eastern India to get ISO: 9002 Certification, in 1999, Bengal Ambuja has also earned them the highest developer rating in India – DRI from ICRA, in 2003. Project Spectrum: The Group has a diversified presence across segments like residential, retail, commercial and hospitality. The company is also planning an aggressive pan-India growth strategy to deliver an unprecedented number of high-quality projects.Currently, it is building more malls, hospitals, IT Parks, luxury resorts, business hotels and are even aspiring to build a University. Latest: To invest around Rs500 crore in developing three shopping malls under the à ¢â‚¬ËœCity Centre’ brand in Raipur, Haldia and Patna. MERLIN GROUP Headed by:  Sushil Mohta, MD About:  Merlin Group is a recognized name in the realty business of India’s eastern parts. The Group has grown over past three decades with over 50 residential and commercial complexes as well as several standalone projects.Project Spectrum: Merlin Group has innovated with various formats and core projects including premium housing, essential housing, country homes and bungalows, specialty malls, office towers, IT buildings, hotels new generation clubs, and resorts, serviced apartment’s stadium and townships. It also has presence in other parts of India with its various residential and commercial projects at Chennai, Chhattisgarh and Ahmedabad. PS GROUP Founded by:  Pradip Kumar Chopra & Surendra Kumar Dugar About:  Today, the original pair of founders has grown into a group of seven players, with the second generation joining the business in right earnest.Pro ject Spectrum: PS Group is involved in the development of premium residential complexes, integrated townships, commercial buildings, hotels, IT parks and a wide range of shopping malls. The company already has completed 100 projects with Trinity Plush and intends to complete another 50 projects in the next two years. HILAND GROUP Headed by:  Nayan Basu, CEO Credited with more than 50 multi-storeyed landmark developments adorning the skyline of Kolkata, the Hiland Group has today emerged as one of the most prominent developers in Kolkata.Latest: The Group has also entered into a 50:50 joint venture with West Bengal Housing Board to form Bengal United Credit Belani Housing Ltd. Hiland Woods is the key project of this joint venture. It is a residential development catering to a mix of demographic profiles across LIG, MIG and HIG. BELANI GROUP Headed by:  Nandu Belani About:  The Company commenced operations in Kolkata in 1967 and has pioneered the business of building, promoting and developing high-rise apartments and commercial buildings in the city over the last four decades. Some of the key rojects done by this Group are Metro Towers, IDBI Building, British Deputy High Commission, Belmont Apartments, East End Gardens, Neelkamal , Shakespeare Court, Greenwoods and Palacio. The Group has presence across segments like integrated townships, residential, commercial, retail and hospitality. TOP REAL ESTATE COMPANIES TO WATCH OUT FOR We wind up our feature with five names to watch out for. TATA HOUSING DEVELOPMENT COMPANY Headed by:  Brotin Banerjee, MD & CEO About:  Tata Housing is a closely held Public Limited Company and a subsidiary of Tata Sons Ltd.Since it’s revival in 2006, Tata Housing has been focused on developing and transforming real estate development in India. With the primary business being the development of properties in residential, commercial and retail sectors, the company’s operations span across various aspects of real es tate development. With existing presence in Mumbai, Goa, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Pune, Lonavala, Talegaon and Kolkatta, the Company is in the process of expanding its projects to other parts of India across tier I and II cities.Latest: Has announced aggressive growth plans to invest over Rs2500 crore in the affordable and value homes segment by 2011. SUNIL MANTRI REALTY LTD Headed by:  Sunil Mantri About:  With substantial presence across residential, retail, commercial, office, IT parks and SEZ development, this Company is poised on the cusp of rapid growth and expansion into newer territories. The company is now poised to diversify into hospitality and financial services sector in a significant way. With 300% growth recorded in the past three years, the company is one of the fastest-growing real estate companies in India.From a presence in 2 cities, it has grown miraculously to 14 cities in India and is venturing into Malaysia to build an ICT centre in Johor. LODHA DEV ELOPERS Headed by:  Abhisheck Lodha, MD About:  Founded in 1980, Lodha Developers are primarily Mumbai based with some presence in Pune and Hyderabad. Lodha Developers provides comprehensive residential and office space solutions across real estate categories and diverse consumer segments – from luxury garden residences in South Mumbai to large integrated townships in the suburbs, from thoughtfully designed office environments to private villa retreats.The group has extended this philosophy to office spaces as well, where it was one of the first in India to introduce the concept of branded office spaces. Latest: Announcement of World One, a landmark development on a 17 acre site, slated to be the tallest residential development in the world. AKSHAYA PRIVATE LTD Headed by:  T Chitty Babu, Chairman & CEO About:  Headquartered in Chennai, Akshaya has successfully completed over 148 landmark projects in a short period of 15 years.Akshaya is one of the few CRISIL rated org anizations in Chennai’s real estate space. Akshaya’s excellence in its endeavours has also resulted in the Integrated ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004, OHSAS 18001:2007 Management System. The Integrated Management System Certification, incidentally, has been conferred on only 11 companies in India. Akshaya also achieved the feat of being one of the two companies in our country to win the SA 8000:2008 Certification (the global social accountability standard for creating employee-friendly workplace).Akshaya is now foraying into commercial and IT space while envisioning state-of-the-art shopping malls and diversified operations in other parts of South India. Latest: Recently launched its luxury project, 36-Carat, which became the only project in Chennai to get the coveted ‘Chennai-5 Star’ rating. THE 3C COMPANY Headed by:  Three directors including renowned architect Vidur Bharadwaj About:  Founded in: 2007, The 3C Company has presence in the Delhi NCR. The Company stands apart due to focus on designing and developing green projects with on schedule delivery.Its USP of developing environment friendly designs has helped it carve a niche in the real estate segment. The Company is currently developing projects worth over Rs15000 crore. Project Spectrum: The 3C Company has presence across segments such as residential, commercial, IT Parks and SEZs. Latest: After the success of three green projects, it announced the launch of another green residential project called Lotus Zing. It has tied up with Kotak Real Estate Fund for this project, which has a total capital outlay of Rs850 crore.

Ilm Leadership

Title: Assessing your own leadership capability and performance (M5. 29) 5 6 Assessment criteria (the learner can) 1. 1 Review the prevailing leadership styles in the organisation Assess the impact of the prevailing leadership styles on the organisation’s values and performance Level: Credit value: Learning outcomes (the learner will) 1 Understand leadership styles within an organisation 1. 2 2 Be able to review effectiveness of own leadership capability and performance in meeting organisational values and goals 2. 1Assess own ability to apply different leadership styles in a range of situations Assess own ability to communicate the organisation’s values and goals to staff in own area Assess own ability to motivate others and build commitment to the organisation’s values and goals 2. 2 2. 3 3 Be able to adopt an effective leadership style to motivate staff to achieve organisational values and goals 3. 1 Justify the most effective leadership style to motivate staf f in own area, to achieve the organisation’s values and goals Implement the most effective leadership style in order to motivate staff in own area to achieve the organisation’s values and goals . 2 Additional information about the unit Unit purpose and aim(s) To develop understanding and ability to lead teams to achieve organisational values and goals as required by a practising or potential middle manager. 31/12/2014 Links to MSC 2004 NOS: A2, A3 Unit expiry date Details of the relationship between the unit and relevant national occupational standards or professional standards or curricula (if appropriate) Assessment requirements or guidance specified by a sector or regulatory body (if ppropriate) Support for the unit from a sector skills council or other appropriate body (if required) Location of the unit within the subject/sector classification system Name of the organisation submitting the unit Availability for use Units available from Unit guided learning hours Ad ditional Guidance about the Unit Indicative Content: 1 †¢ A range of leadership theories and different leadership styles, such as: the trait approach to leadership the behavioural school (McGregor, Blake and Mouton) the contingency or situational school (Fielder, Hersey-Blanchard, Tannenbaum and Schmidt, Adair) leaders and followers (Servant Leadership, Team Leadership, Transactional and Transformational) dispersed leadership The key responsibilities of the leadership role in terms of: taking responsibility contributing to overall vision and goals setting and providing guidance on values setting direction for significant programmes or projects stimulating innovation and enterprise anticipating, planning for and leading change overcoming obstacles delegating setting objectives for teams and individuals communicating and motivating supporting and developing programmes, projects, eams and individuals modelling appropriate behaviour representing the team and feeding back its experi ences and views protecting the team and its members Assessing the impact of different leadership styles Organisational values and acceptable standards of behaviour in the organisation Organisational values and organisational purpose, vision and mission Management Standards Centre (MSC) Business Management Institute of Leadership & Management Private 01/01/2008 15 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 2 †¢ †¢ †¢ Theories and principles of delegating responsibility and empowering others The critical importance of the leader gaining the motivation and commitment of others Critiques of the main theories of motivation, such as: Maslow’s Hierarchy McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory Vroom’s Expectancy Theory McClelland’s 3-Needs Theory Motivational factors that are available to the leader (e. g. safety and security, sense of belonging and common purpose, respect, recognition of achievement , empowerment and self-actualisation, sense of fulfilment, personal and professional development, material rewards, sanctions, job roles and employment conditions) How to evaluate motivational factors and select those that are appropriate to different situations and people Effective communication of values and goals Leadership to support the achievement of the organisation’s goals by encouraging common and acceptable norms of organisational behaviour 3 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢The concept of emotional intelligence as developed by different theorists and how it applies to the leadership role The importance of understanding one’s own strengths and limitations Using and interpreting different techniques to identify their own characteristics, strengths and limitations The importance of continuous self-development and how to identify opportunities to develop oneself in the leadership role The importance of leader s: displaying confidence and self-assurance by playing to own strengths and showing a readiness to take calculated risks being socially aware (empathy, organisational and ‘political’ awareness, service to others) managing relationships (inspiring, influencing, networking, conflict management) displaying self-leadership (controlling own emotions, particularly when under stress, being open and honest with others, showing integrity and trust worthiness, being flexible, setting challenging but realistic objectives for themselves and others, taking personal responsibility for significant challenges, seeing setbacks as opportunities rather than threats) communicating overall vision and goals and how to win and maintain the commitment of teams and individuals to these Effective techniques for communicating, persuading and negotiating both directly and indirectly with teams and individuals How to select communication, persuasion and negotiation skills appropriate to different s ituations and people The importance of being able to use a repertoire of leadership styles in different situations and with different people How to develop vision and goals for significant projects or programmes of work The importance of being aware of and analysing the internal and external environments in which the leader operates The leader’s role in supporting and mentoring team members

Cbta

Military profession can be considered as one of the oldest professions in the world. It had been a feature of societies throughout history where certain groups of people were entrusted with the responsibility of defending the state. The military profession today however, differs in many aspects from the military of the late eighteenth century in the sense that recruitment is based on education and skill rather than on the basis of social origins. Military men today work on a full-time basis instead of regarding military service as a part-time vocation or hobby.All professions are expected to maintain a certain level of competency and will be reprimanded or reject outright if they do not measure up to the required professional standards. The military profession must maintain high standards of performance in the eyes of the general public in order to hold its credibility and professional standing. Over the years, western writers like Huntington (1957), Janowitz (1971) and Sarkesian (19 75) had given their views on the subject of military profession and professionalism.They had identified the following general characteristics of military professionalism which are organizational structure, special knowledge, education and training, self-regulation and commitment. The Malaysian Army had rise up to the challenge in addressing the issues of military professionalism among its personnel. All the characteristics of military professionalism mentioned earlier are being addressed seriously by the Army.Thus, one of the measures taken by the Army that the best place to start inculcating professionalism among the soldiers should start at the training centers. The Army has 17 training institutions all over the country and in 2011 the budget allocated for the Markas Pemerintahan Latihan dan Doktrin Tentera Darat was $22. 7 million. With 250 courses and 441 series of courses in 2011, the number of soldiers trained in year 2011 was approximately 16,000. This is a significant figure that can be considered as products of the Malaysian Army.Therefore, the Army has taken an approach by introducing the Competency Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) as a measure to increase the level of professionalism among its personnel. CBTA is not a new approach in training. It has been a nationwide move by the Ministry of Human Resources. Malaysia, along with the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden and Germany were the main players in implementing CBTA since year 2000. The introduction of the National Skills Certification System in 1993 by the Majlis LatihanVokasional Kebangsaan (MLVK) and the soon to be implemented National Skills Development Act by the Ministry of Human Resources as well as the Malaysian Qualification Framework (MQF) by the Ministry of Higher Education will serve to restructure and streamline the national vocational and skills training in the country towards meeting the demands of today’s job tasks more effectively. Its intro duction is indeed timely, given the high priority that it places on the area of human resource development.With the emphasis towards preparing trained and qualified skilled workforce to support the country’s economic development, therefore, the more flexible framework of national skills recognition and qualifications is necessary to promote a conducive training culture for the personal motivation of skilled workers, which would hence lead to the overall upgrading of competencies amongst the country’s skilled workforce. Competency based learning has been the basis of most training and has been practiced in most countries.The Roman Army for example, were masters of competency training as applied to large groups and their effectiveness in delivering such training was a major contributor to their military success. A perfect description of competency training is as follows: â€Å"Their drills are like bloodless battles, and their battles are like bloody drills. † Jos eph Ben-Matthias, aka Flavius Josephus The terms of CBTA have many variations. Some countries know it as Competency Based Learning (CBL) and some countries call it Competency Based Training (CBT). Nevertheless, competency is the main keyword.CBT was a critical factor in the US Army’s ability to train several million young men during World War II. With the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1942, the US Military was faced with the requirement to train millions of young men for its rapidly expanding armed forces. This rapid expansion required a method for quickly providing people with the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to do a particular job. Using variations of CBT, millions of young men were trained, shipped to Europe or the Pacific and due to their training played a major role in the defeat of Germany and Japan.The role of training in enabling the US Military to expand from a very small army to one of several millions in only a short period of time is mainly due to the effe ctiveness of CBT. The Vocational Education, Employment and Training Advisory Committee of Australia, sees CBTA as â€Å"training geared to the attainment and demonstration of skills to meet industry-specified standards rather than to an individual’s achievement relative to that of others in a group†. CBTA is basically a scientific approach to training that relies on identifying the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to do a particular job, for example for an infantry soldier.The approach taken was to break each job down into groups of competencies. Competencies related to any particular job could be identified through a careful process of training analysis in terms of performance, conditions and standards. For example an infantry soldier might be required to perform firing of a rifle. The conditions required to fire the rifle at various conditions and positions. Example of standards required are, during day on a range at one hundred meters score fifty hits on a t arget measuring three foot high two foot wide, while standing.There is considerable debate as to what actually makes a competency, but for general purposes it can be identified as a readily identified group of related knowledge, skills and attitudes, which taken together constitute a major part of a job which is subject to measurement and assessment. Generally if you cannot measure performance with a stop watch then it is probably not a competency. To give an example, firing a rifle in terms of infantry training can be regarded as a competency. It is a major part of an infantry man’s job. It can be measured in terms of performance, conditions and standards and you can put a stop watch to it.For example, ten shots in the target within one minute. The Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) adopted CBTA based on the concept implemented by the Australian Defence Forces (ADF). The ADF practiced the CBTA concept since year 1996. The MAF, realizing the need to revamp the approach towards trai ning, started the initiative towards CBTA in 2002 and started implementing CBTA in year 2007. The introduction of CBTA in the Army training programs has lead to the establishment of the Malaysian Army Competency Standard (MACS). It is a document that underlines the necessities and requirements that must be obtained by a soldier in their field of expertise.MACS will be assessed based on job proficiency in order to make sure soldiers can accomplish tasks at a level that can be accepted. The Army has identified that there are 318 career and functional courses based on the Armed Forces Code No 2 (AF Code No 2) that need to meet the requirement of MACS. Since the introduction of CBTA until end of year 2011, the number of soldiers who have qualified for the Malaysian Skills Certification (MSC) or also known as Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia (SKM) from Army training institutions is 42,408 students.MSC or SKM is a certification structure which comprises of five levels National Skills Qualificatio n Framework based on National Occupational Skills Standard (NOSS). MACS development for the courses listed in the AF Code No 2 varies in terms of achieving SKM accreditation ranging from SKM Level 1 to 5. The strengths of implementing CBTA in the Army encompassed all the general characteristics of military professionalism mentioned earlier. In the area of education and training, once the competencies have been identified then it is relatively easy to structure a training course.You might break the competencies down into component tasks, for example before you can fire a rifle, you would have to learn how to strip and assemble that rifle. That particular task might be listed as a specific learning outcome which has to be performed before meeting the final competency of firing a rifle under specific conditions. It would then be relatively easy to structure a training course, which might involve initial training and then further ‘On-The-Job’ training (OJT), which would del iver to the Army, soldiers with the necessary competencies to do the job required.Implementation of CBTA also allows the Army training institution to produce a more comprehensive training package that take into account the core values of competency (knowledge, skill and attitude). Efficiency in managing training courses, effectiveness of course delivery and systematic evaluation or assessment, ensure the quality of training, hence ensuring the quality of soldiers. Evaluation of a soldier does not end only at a particular training institution, which is the main approach in conventional method of training. CBTA allows continuous evaluation in the form of competency log.This would ensure that a soldier does not only competent during training but also when performing task and duties at workplace. In addition, CBTA can also help the Army to develop a good organizational structure as part of achieving military professionalism. Job analysis and job specification which have been identified during CBTA process, allows the Army to have the right person for the right job. This would allow the Army to identify what sort of competency and soldiers it needs in its organizational hierarchy. Improvements have also been made on Army training centers organizational structure.Moreover, besides having at least an officer responsible on CBTA at each of the Army training institutions, the Army also has started grooming its staff and instructors on what CBTA is all about. In year 2011, there were 5 courses conducted in the Army which aimed to increase the knowledge of the staffs and instructors. The courses were, Pegawai Latihan Vokasional (3 series), Induksi Pentauliahan Persijilan Kemahiran (3 series), Course of Study (4 series), Basic Instructor Methodology (1 series) and Kursus Induksi Pegawai Pengesahan Luaran Vokasional (1 series).These courses would lead the Army to ensure that CBTA is well understood, taught and implemented. As a result, the objectives of CBTA implementation can be achieved. Military professionalism should not only be accepted among military personnel but it must be recognized by the general public. CBTA has allowed military professionalism to be accepted and recognized. The implementation of CBTA in the Army is consistent with the requirement of MLVK. Adoption of CBTA provides soldiers with another qualification path and career development opportunity that has been established in line with the academic qualification structure.In other words, this means that the double qualification structure is based on two types of qualifications, namely the academic qualification and the skills qualification that are available in this country today. The emergence of this new skills qualification structure has opened up a whole new set of opportunities for all soldiers after completing their service in the Army. In addition, it also caters to soldiers who have no qualifications to show despite having years of working experience.As an example, PULMAT has able to get SKM accreditation of SKM Level 4 for its Souse Chef course. It is the highest level of SKM accreditation achieved among all the 318 courses conducted by Army training institutions. Attaining SKM Level 4 accreditation is equivalent to a diploma based on NOSS. Therefore, it can be said that soldiers who have achieved competency in the course is at par with others in the business environment or the labour market. They would also have a better career path after completing military service if they decided to pursue any job with similar competency level.A lot of discussions have been made regarding to the advantages and strengths of CBTA in having the Army desired results. Nevertheless, CBTA also have some weaknesses in heading to higher level of professionalism in the Army. Looking at the milestone and achievement of CBTA in the Army until today, the figures and statistics can be said to the extent of they are alarming. Out of the 17 Army training institutions, only 9 tra ining centers or about 50% are considered accredited training centers. They are IKED, IKEM, IJED, PULMAT, PULNORD, PULAPOT, PULPAK, PULADA and IPDA.These training centers have in total of 42 courses out of 318 courses that have been accredited with SKM certification. This only made up to approximately 13% out courses listed in the AF Code No 2. Only one course managed to get SKM Level 4, 13 courses at SKM Level 3 and 28 courses with SKM Level 1 to Level 2. IJED has the most courses in terms that are accredited with the national level SKM. Based on the AF Code No 2, year 2011, out of the 21 courses were conducted by IJED, 12 courses are accredited with national SKM.In addition, IKEM and PULMAT have 7 courses each with national SKM accreditation. PULADA on the other hand, only have 1 course (Dog Unit Handler Course) which has achieved national SKM accreditation. This is very distressing figures for the Infantry Corps in terms of where is the future of Infantrymen during their service and once they leave the service. The competence level of Infantrymen should portray the professionalism of the Army since most Infantry officers would end up as top brass in the Army.As for the future of Infantrymen after their service, the Army must take a necessary action to in order to ensure that Infantry soldiers have a decent competency to compete in the labour market, especially for the other ranks where they would normally retire by the age of 45 and still need to work to support their family. With only 1 course accredited (SKM Level 2) out of 18 courses conducted by PULADA, CBTA can be said as failed to increase the level of professionalism for the Infantrymen. Only those who have the technical skills and knowledge while serving in Corps such as KJLJD and KPD would reap the benefits of CBTA.With majority of Army personnel were only trained at SKM Level 1 and 2, one lead to wonder how SKM Level 1 and Level 2, help the Army to increase professionalism among its personnel. The general guideline of SKM level is as the following diagram. SKM Level 1 and Level 2 are categorized as in the operation and production level in terms of category of personnel. These are the level where most of Army personnel managed to obtain SKM certification from attending courses in year 2011. In year 2011, 4,800 Army personnel obtained SKM certification.Only 11% (550 personnel) obtained SKM Level 3, 32% (1,516 personnel) obtained SKM Level 2 and 57% (2,734 personnel) obtained SKM Level 1. Thus, referring back to the general characteristics of military professionalism, if the Army considers having most of its personnel achieving SKM Level 1 and Level 2 as increment in professionalism, then CBTA would have met its objective. Nevertheless, military professionalism is more than just special skills as in SKM Level 1 and Level 2. The Army should be looking at aiming for at least SKM Level 3 in order to increase some level of professionalism.SKM Level 3 will allow soldiers to have the three categories of personnel as shown in the diagram. The categories are skills, related/management skills and supervisory skills. Mastering them would lead to achieving military professionalism. When the MAF adopted CBTA, the general guideline of SKM competency has been laid out based on rank structure. SKM Level 1 for the rank of Private and Lance Corporal, Level 2 for Corporal, Level 3 for Sergeant and Staff Sergeant, Level 4 for Warren Officers and Level 5 for Officers. It can be said that some courses in the Army failed to meet the guideline.As an example, the Section Commander course conducted at PULADA, is only developed to achieve SKM Level 2. Thus, for the Infantry Corps, most of its sergeants would have SKM Level 2 instead of SKM Level 3 as required by the MAF. This should be a major concern for the Infantry Corps because it has the most number of personnel in the Army. The number of personnel with the rank of sergeant in the Infantry Corps is approximately 1,500 personn el. In the Infantry Standard Battalion, personnel holding the rank of sergeant are 56% (57 personnel) out of the 102 Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) in the battalion.The Infantry Section Commander course at PULADA basically focus on field application and tactics and not so much focus on managerial and administrative duties at the battalion. The managerial and administrative duties are covered mostly during the Pegawai Tidak Tauliah Rendah (PTTR) course at IPDA. Nevertheless, an infantry soldier is qualified to be given the rank of sergeant once he completed the Infantry Section Commander course. In an Infantry battalion, he is responsible to manage 7 personnel in his section.In year 2011, PULADA conducted 3 series of the Infantry Section Commander course with total number of approximately 300 students. The 300 personnel would have little knowledge of managerial and administrative duties due to normal practice applied in an Infantry Battalion is that a soldier will go for PTTR cours e once he completed the Infantry Section Commander course and if the he is planned to be promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant. Moreover, on average only 100 bits are given to Infantry Corps per year for the PTTR course.In comparison to the 300 personnel attended the Infantry Section Commander Course per year, less than 50% would have the chance to attend the PTTR course. Hence, approximately 200 personnel would not be competent enough to manage a section of soldiers in the Infantry Battalion. In the Sistem Saraan Malaysia (SSM), a Sergeant in the Infantry Battalion will have to complete the PTTR course if he wishes to have a better pay. He will be given the P2 salary for the rank of Sergeant. Therefore, it can be said that money could be the motivational level to attend the PTTR course.That motivation would force the learning of managerial and administrative knowledge during PTTR course where in return, it would make the Sergeant a better soldier, increasing his level of professio nalism. Thus, it leads to the question on the new SBPA salary structure system where salary of P2 no longer applies. There could be personnel by the rank of Sergeant no longer wish to attend the PTTR course if they feel that they would not be promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant. Hence, it can be said to the extent that without the PTTR course they would be less professional.For an Infantry Battalion, the 57 Sergeant would not have the competency to manage approximately 500 soldiers in the battalion if no one attends the PTTR course. The chain reaction effect of this issue is that officers would have a larger responsibility in ensuring military professionalism is carried out in the Army. The responsibility supposedly to be shared among the NCOs and Officers in order to have a well structured organization as required in achieving military professionalism. Another area where CBTA is seen as does not promote the sense of professionalism is in terms of leadership training.CBTA is not effective when used as a basis for training in areas such as leadership, and management where it is almost impossible to measure competency in terms of clearly defined behaviors that contribute to effective management and leadership, hence affecting the characteristics of military professionalism. Such areas still rely on a subjective assessment made by experts in the field. For example many special forces training courses do use competencies as part of the training package where these competencies relate to measurable behaviors. Literally behaviors which can be measured with a stopwatch.However, the final assessment must be subjective. Such assessment could take the form of a group of experts examining each individual and asking a question that can only be answered subjectively such as ‘would you go to war with this man’. If the answer is no, then it doesn’t matter how many behavioral competencies the individual has passed, he is not suitable. Such subjective as sessment is probably still appropriate in assessing candidates for jobs where qualities are required that can only be defined subjectively by experts. For example priest, teacher, military officer or a flying instructor.All of these types of jobs require qualities that it is almost impossible to define in terms of behavior. It is hard to say what exactly a good leader is actually doing, but we know it when we see it. Attitude competencies generally fail because they can only be measured in the negative. For example, a competency might require the individual to demonstrate the right attitude to safety. Well you can easily measure the wrong attitude, if somebody lights a cigarette in a no smoking area, you have a behavior which clearly demonstrates a poor attitude to safety.But if the individual is not smoking, it doesn’t demonstrate a positive attitude, all it shows is that the person is not smoking. Officer training courses where students are aware that attitude is being asse ssed tend to lead to students falsifying their behaviors that they believe will be viewed in a positive light. For example demonstrating keenness by always smiling and being willing to do a task. Any assessment could only conclude that the person is competent at smiling and effective in using the language of volunteering, it says nothing about the individual’s attitude.The keen individual might well turn out to be displaying a competency in duplicitous behavior, which might well be useful but is hardly a trait likely to endear the individual to his or her subordinates. CBTA could also lead to soldiers feel complacent on their achievement. They only have to achieve competence level since the evaluation is either he is competent or not yet competent. In contrast, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) adopted the Competency Based Learning (CBL) and has a different competence level assessment.The differences between the Malaysian’s Army CBTA are that the SAF’s CBL evalua te performance based on five level of competency. The levels are, Novice/Advance Beginner, Competent, Proficient and Expert. The SAF feels that these are the necessary levels that should be assessed in CBL especially leadership training. Therefore, the Malaysian Army leadership training could be hampered in increasing level of professionalism due to soldiers feel that they only have to be assessed as competent. In order to excel, one should not feel complacent but try to bring the best out of him.In conclusion, the Malaysian Army should have a well defined terms and definition of military professionalism. From there, it would be able to understand how CBTA can improve the level of professionalism among its personnel. Based on the discussions, arguments and empirical evidence of CBTA achievements in the Army, it can be concluded that the level of professionalism could be increased solely by implementation of CBTA. Nevertheless, it does not mean that CBTA has failed in terms of its ob jectives, it merely need a minor overhaul in terms of the SKM level needed by Army personnel in achieving professionalism. 3894 words) REFERENCES 1. Janowitz, Morris, The Professional Soldier, The Free Press, New York, 1971. 2. Huntington, Samuel P. , The Soldier and the Slate, Belknap Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1957. 3. Sarkesian, Sam C. , The Professional Army officer in a Changing Society, Nelson-Hall Publishers, Chicago, 1975. 4. Ramatahan, K. , Leadership Development Through the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Competency Based Learning Project, SAFTI Military Institute, Singapore, 2000. 5.Annual Report, Laporan Perkembangan Latihan dan Penilaian Berasaskan Kompetensi (LPBK) Tahun 2011, MK LAT-BPL(MLVK)/G3/3001/5(71) dated Feb 2012. 6. MACS Report, Pembangunan Standard Kompetensi Tentera Darat (SKTD) Untuk Tugas Penolong Ketua Platun Infantri Dan Ketua Seksyen Infantri, MK-TD Jab Inf, Kuala Lumpur, Jul 2008. 7. Paper Work, Konsep Strategi dan Perlaksanaan LPBK Dalam Angkatan Tentera Malaysia, MATM/J1CTK/A/238/8 dated 12 Dis 2005. 8. AF Code No 2, Jadual Kursus Tempatan Tahun 2011, Markas Pemerintahan Latihan dan Doktrin Tentera Darat, Kuala Lumpur, 2011.

CMR Enterprise Essay

This particular case depicts the history and issues faced by a relatively small company active in the custom architectural millwork industry for the past 25 years. The new owners wanted the newly-acquired company to grow even further. The first few months seems to have been a success – Marcus spent a lot of his time with employees and customers, learning the field since he was, as mentioned in the text, an â€Å"outsider†. However, keeping the company’s integrity and image intact was a priority. However, the problems outlined in the case seems to start – or at least have been worsened – with what will become CMR’s largest account, Blackstone Homes. Problem Identification After reviewing the text in question, three major problems stand out: 1) Customers change requests: When Blackstone Homes sell a house, it does – of course! – come with a pre-finished and installed kitchen, included in the price. However, if the customer wishes, he or she would visit CMR’s showroom and they would build these woodwork according to their new specifications. The added cost will then be charged to the contractor, which will later add it to their bills. This takes time and lead to price increases. This is, in part, what contributed to the clash with Blackstone Homes. 2) IT solution not adapted: InfoCentral, the software implemented by Marcus, does not work out as intended and do not fit the business needs. It is not always updated as required by the employees. According to the text, it may be helpful for the commercial and financial/accounting side, but is lacking several features for its residential counterpart to be really as useful as it can be. 3) Deteriorating business relationship The business relations between the two companies started well and was fulfilling for both part. When the business expended, so did the problems. The root cause seems to be the change requests made by the homeowners. This lead to late delivery, poorly reviewed performance and then the 7% price increase. Future homeowners started considering the prices charged by CMR to be too high. We could therefore expect lower level of sales and revenues in the future. Alternatives generation While we will mostly concentrate our alternatives on the three points mentioned above, we will also include other alternatives, even if they may not be realistic or feasible in the short/medium term. 1) Review customers change requests: We obviously cannot stop change requests and modifications made by the customers. The company and its employees pride themselves by offering flexibility and higher customers’ satisfaction. It would be therefore self-destructive for CMR to put a term to these showrooms. Any person also deserve to have reasonable alternative options when they are buying an object, a home more than anything. However, there is a clear misunderstanding between CMR and Blackstone Homes regarding the fixed allowances for kitchen ($6,000) and the final cost of the installation. In order to solve this issue, it may be a good thing to review the billing part: Instead of having the installation costs â€Å"forwarded† to the contractor, all expenses over $6,000 (parts + labor) should be charged to the homeowners themselves; customers can have access to all options made available by CMR, whilst eliminating cost forwarding and the said related disagreements. 2) Software adaptation It seems clear from the text that the whole issue also come in part from InfoCentral. In order to remediate this issue, we would suggest that all account managers from CMR and employees involved with this software should meet and discuss its performance. What should be changed, what must be kept, or what should be included in order to fit everyone’s needs. However, for any IT solution to bring tangible additional value, it must be easy to use and should not impose additional work. It is supposed to simplify the work, not making it more complicated. 3) The right people on the right place Again, according to the text, there was a clear misunderstanding between both parties; it was even referred as a â€Å"shouting contest†, which is far from being a normal and healthy business relationship. The Key Account Managers (from both sides) could not agree on contract terms and conditions. It could therefore be a good thing to change points of contact and see if the situation can be resolved; a stronger relation, transparency, honesty and â€Å"business awareness† between the two companies might also help straighten things out. 4) Additional ideas The solution to increase profit may not be by simply increasing selling price. We would suggest CMR to run an audit on their Supply Chain, Logistics and Selling, General & Administrative Expenses to see if cost reductions are possible. Could modern machinery help cut their production costs? Could they outsource some of their non-core business or reduce raw material costs by creating a joint-venture with a competitor? Chasing down inefficiencies in the production line can be even more effective than a price increase. Recommendations Using the previous points, we would suggest the three following recommendations: 1) Change the billing process: If possible, all additional costs over $6,000 should be charged to the homeowner directly. In order to make this easier for the customers, offering various financing options may be a good idea. 2) Adapt InfoCentral: Review, correct and revamp the software in order to meet real business needs. May be a good thing to check what competitors are using. 3) Organize recurrent meetings: The situation with Blackstone did not get bad in one day. It may be a good idea to set up weekly or monthly operational reviews; meetings lasting no longer than 30 minutes, where all potential issues can be discussed among stakeholders and managers. The idea is not to let such situation worsen and take the correct actions as soon as possible.

How to successfully replace an outter vehicle CV joint Coursework

How to successfully replace an outter vehicle CV joint - Coursework Example Remove the wheel by use of wrench. And using a spanner, remove the axle nut. This is a large nut on the outside of the hub. The removal of the lower control arm from the ball joint and the hub assembly will enable the removal of the bolt from the shock and upper control arm. The tapping will facilitate the slipping out of the CV joint through the back. The axle nut should be put back halfway during this process to avoid damaging of the threads. Put the CV axle in a vise by the shaft close to the inner CV or the U-Joint. Cut the boot clamps and make sure that your CV joint is not held by on by a clip that you can see on the shaft under the boot. If there is no clip, you will want to tap lightly on the outer CV joint and then give a few good hits to knock it off the shaft. The tools involved in this are 5 lb Sledge and hammer. Make sure you wear protective glasses since the grease may fly. If it does not come out, put the axle in a vise and try again. If this goes in vain, use the hammer and break the cage to remove the ball bearings. This will expose the race, and then press the race off the shaft using the punch hammer. Cut the race in the direction of the splines on the shaft so that it does not affect the new joint going into the splines (Gilles, 2004). Put on the new boot and slide it to the inner out of the way. Fill the CV joint with grease, and a little of it on the ‘C’ clip. Line the outer CV joint with the splines of the shaft and place the axle nut on the threads halfway to avoid damaging the threads. In conclusion, these processes should be observed keenly, to avoid damage to other parts of the vehicle especially during the removal of the wrecked CV joint. A step by step procedure with keen observation will lead to excellent replacement of the wrecked joint with a new

Instructional Presentation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Instructional Presentation - Assignment Example Therefore emphasis should be laid on the need for good presentation and organization of the work. One tool that helps in the organizing a piece of information is known as 'graphic organizer'. This tool contains many different forms and they are an illustrative way of constructing knowledge and organizing information. For the users, they help to convert and condense a lot of disparate data into an organized and easy to understand format. Apart from this, the students can identify, organize and assimilate key concepts and related details with the help of these graphic organizers. They can be used for various purposes for example to breakdown work structure, brainstorm an idea, help make decisions, dividing the work into a sequence etc. (Jeananda, 1996) Graphic organizers are highly effective tools especially for students who want the instructions to be easily comprehended and answered in context. In a conventional teaching technique, a teacher would give an assignment to the students to research on the hypothesis that in the last 10 years the level of obesity in the US has doubled. Furthermore the students will be required to identify the reasons for this increase. Without the use of graphical organizers the students would go online or ask a few people on the topic, write it and most probably retain only a bit of information - thus the purpose of the assignment is lost. Using a graphic organizer such as a KWL chart, this assignment can be made much simpler and more fun for the students at the same time. KWL stands for 'what do you KNOW, 'what do you WANT to know' and 'what did you LEARN'. The objective of using this graphic organizer is to encourage learning in an effective manner that is both fun for the students as well as being simpler for them making it easier for the students to break down information sequentially, present it in an organized manner and thus retain more information. (Teacher Vision, 2008) For this assignment involving research work, the use of graphic organizer will be made mandatory. First the teacher will show the form of the KWL chart (attached) on the board. Then the three parts of the KWL will be explained as to what purpose each part serves and what will be included in each section. After giving this introduction to the graphic organizer, the assignment will be given and students will collect information from wherever they can think of. For the convenience of the students, the teacher would include the following questions in each part in respect to this particular assignment. 1. What Do We Know In the first part the students would have to state what they already know about obesity. This can include the general perceptions, reasons for obesity and the problems caused by it. 2. What Do We Want To Know The second part will help the students find out what is actually required. This will include the statistics on obesity, general trends in men and women, and obesity as a disease. Furthermore this tool will help the students explore the topic based on their previous knowledge which will mean that the students are genuinely interested as they are researching more than is required by the assignment. 3. What We Learned The last part is the reflection on the assignment to know what was learned from this exercise. This reflection will act as a refresher of the

Stages of the consumer decision process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Stages of the consumer decision process - Essay Example Every business wants to build new consumers and retain the old ones (Chen, 2009). However, these consumers are of negligible value if they do not bring in the desired results in terms of sales for the business. It is important that the consumer decision process is looked upon at from all sides before reaching a consensus as to how marketing and sales domains shall be managed within the business. If the consumer decision process is easy to undertake and the sales are coming in, perhaps there is reason why this consumer decision process has been a successful one over a period of time. On the flip side, there could be a number of survival issues for the business. This paper discusses how the consumer decision process is managed within the tourism industry from a supply perspective. The 5 stages of the consumer decision process involve the recognition of the need, the information search, the evaluation, the eventual decision to purchase and lastly the post-purchase evaluation. These 5 st ages essentially dictate how well the consumer decision process has been reached upon and the kind of success that a consumer has within his ranks to make sure that he buys the intended product or service (Hudson, 2010). Within the domains of the tourism industry which is a combination of both products and services, the need is to understand how well the consumer decision process has been applied. It will then enact ways to reach out to consumers who are more prone to make that much needed purchase which will benefit the business under the ranks of the tourism industry. This is an important aspect and one that requires significance from the people who undertake these businesses in the first place. It gives them an idea as to where they are going wrong and what corrective measures they need to take in order to bring sanity within the realms of the tourism industry (Betsch, 2004). The consumer decision process does not come about without hard work and thought. The consideration that g oes into its making is something that leaves many astounded since sometimes consumers take a life time to make that vital purchase while at others the whole process is often completed way too quickly. These 5 stages are fundamentally hierarchical because these highlight how strongly the consumer decision process takes place and that too within a sequential feel. The hierarchy comes about in the form of following each one of these stages. One cannot skip any stage and move on to the next one. It has to follow a set line in order to successfully complete the consumer decision process. The sale process of the business will only culminate when all these stages are amicably given the significance that these richly require. Focusing specifically on the tourism industry, it is important to comprehend the amount of energy a business dedicates towards attracting that vital consumer. This means that these consumers form the core basis of the business and without them the tourism industry woul d suffer on a number of different counts (Ekstrom, 2006). The understanding must be derived from the fact that the entire tourism regime shapes up due to the undertakings of the consumers and if the latter do not show any interest, it would be difficult to sustain this industry in essence. The