Business case studies

Human Resource and Organization Behavior Case Studies

1.Employee Motivation and Retention Strategies at Microsoft Corporation

The case examines the employee motivation and retention strategies of the US based Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft). Since its inception, Microsoft was appreciated for its employee-friendly HR practices. However, during the late 1990s, as the company was growing rapidly in size, it lost the popular elements of its work culture. Moreover, several racial discrimination lawsuits and antitrust proceedings affected the company's corporate image and financial performance adversely. In the early 2000s, in order to improve its profit margins, Microsoft started cutting several employee benefits, which demotivated its employees. To boost the employee morale, in 2006, Steve Ballmer, the then CEO of Microsoft, appointed Lisa Brummel as the Senior Vice-president of HR.

After taking charge, Brummel announced a plan to significantly revamp some of the existing HR management practices at the company. She announced a plan named 'myMicrosoft,' which included developing appropriate systems to enhance communication between the employees and the HR department, making changes in the company's performance review system, introducing several new employee benefits, and designing new workplaces in an effort to attract and retain employees. The case analyzes in detail the HR initiatives taken by Brummel. It ends with a discussion on the benefits realized from the initiatives implemented by her.

Issues:

» Study the corporate culture and HR practices at Microsoft.

» Analyze the problems faced by Microsoft on HR front during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

» Evaluate the measures taken by Brummel to motivate employees.

» Discuss the benefits of the strategies implemented by Brummel.

» Appreciate the importance of recruiting the right people for a particular job.

Key Words:

Microsoft Corporation, Employee Value Proposition, myMicrosoft Program, Work Culture, Performance Review System, Racial Discrimination, Class Action Lawsuit, Antitrust Trial, Stock Option Program, Employee Benefits, One Microsoft Way, Employee Communication, Career Development, Management Training, Compensation System, Forced Curve System, Commitment Rating, Workplace Advantage Strategy, Workplace Design Lab

2.Success at What Cost? - A Case Study in Managerial Ethics & Compliance

Abstract:

This case study is about SuperDrugz, a mid-sized pharmaceutical company in India. Initially starting off as an entrepreneurial venture, the company had been put in the hands of a professional management group. The new team strove to cultivate a performance culture through strong results-based controls and weeding out non-performers. However, a whistle-blower brought out into the open serious ethical lapses in the company. Shortly after joining as an Area Manager in the country's North Eastern Region, the person found that the team (including his seniors) was adopting unethical/illegal means to meet the high sales targets.

Faced with the dilemma of whether to conform to the team or comply with law, he chose the later. Now the founder of the company had to put in place mechanisms to ensure that everyone in the company complied with the company's code of ethics and the law of the land.

Issues:

» Understand the issue in managerial ethics and challenges in ensuring compliance.

» Understand the factors that influence ethical behavior.

» Understand the mechanisms for ethical control and compliance.

Keywords:

Training & Development, Sales training, Coaching, Return on investment (ROI), Line and Staff conflict, On-the-job training (OJT), Classroom training, Implementation, Transfer of learning, Individual development plans

3.Improve Performance through Change Management

Abstract:

These caselets deal with the issue of change management. Caselet 1 discusses how the implementation of change management in an organization can bring about dramatic improvement in profits and help it become a market leader. It also highlights the role played by management and employees of an organization in implementing planned change. Caselet 2 discusses the importance of changing employee behavior and managerial practices for change programs to be successful in organizations. Caselet 3 examines the difficulties encountered by management in merging two unequal

organizations and the steps to be taken to overcome employee resistance to change.

Issues:

» How managerial practices and employee behavior can affect the organizational performance, the role of management and employees of an organization in facilitating planned change, significance and advantages of implementation of change program in organizations

Keywords:

Change management, implementation, dramatic improvement, profits, market leader, planned change, employee behavior, managerial practices, unequal organizations, employee resistance

4.Parquesoft - A Unique Social Entrepreneurship Initiative

Abstract:

Colombia based ParqueSoft is a social entrepreneurship initiative by Orlando Rincón Bonilla (Orlando). ParqueSoft is a network of science and technology parks. It acts as incubators for young entrepreneurs from marginalized communities of Colombia. ParqueSoft's incubation business model is unique as it required an entrepreneur to have an innovative product or solution to be eligible for availing its services. Entrepreneurs are provided with basic infrastructure and seed capital to start their organization within ParqueSoft. An informal work environment was maintained and organizations within ParqueSoft interacted with each other to solve their problems. Organizations are provided with services like marketing, legal, finance management, market research etc. which are non-core activities for a technology company.

All the products developed in the company are branded as ParqueSoft's products to cut costs of branding individual organizations. The company operated on a ‘pay-it-forward' model where the major part of profits earned by the organizations in ParqueSoft is used to support new entrepreneurs and incubate more companies.

Issues:

» Get insights on a low cost model of incubating companies.
» Study an innovative social entrepreneurship initiative.
» Appreciate the importance of a sustainable business model for social entrepreneurs.
» Examine the benefits of collaborative approach in IT ventures.

Keywords:

ParqueSoft, Social Entrepreneurship, Sustainable Business Model, Orlando Rincón Bonilla, Schwab Foundation, Marginalized Communities, Business Incubator, Social Inclusion, Very Small Enterprises, OpenManga, Pay-it-Forward Model, Business Philosophy, Strategic Alliances, Enterprise Development, E-Learning, Software Quality Assurance, Financial Strength, Venture Capital, Strategic Marketing Plan, Conceptualization of Opportunities, Colombian IT Sector, Colombian Economy

ParqueSoft is a social initiative that happens to use science and technology as a vehicle. Its objective is to stimulate democracy and social justice through the inclusion of previously marginalized young people living in low-income communities, transforming them into protagonists of their own enterprises, not employees." ¹

- Orlando Rincón Bonilla, Founder, ParqueSoft, in March 2008.

"I saw more creativity in Colombia than I've seen in India. ParqueSoft is a national asset. They are leading a revolution." ²

- William Musgrave Jr., President and CEO, The Enterprise Network³, in April 2006.

Introduction In November 2008, Colombia-based non-profit organization ParqueSoft, a network of science and technology parks, announced that it aimed to incubate a total of 1000 micro-enterprises by 2012. With the number of companies incubated since its inception in December 1999 till November 2008 standing at 270, industry observers wondered whether ParqueSoft's aim was a little too ambitious. ParqueSoft was recognized as one of the most innovative business models in the field of IT in Colombia and had received several awards at national and international forums.

Economics Case Studies

The Economic Consequences of Population Aging

Population aging is an unintended outcome of human development and with more countries showing economic progress, the phenomenon is expected to become more widespread. The case discusses the impact of aging populations on the economies of some developed countries. It examines the reasons for the phenomenon of aging populations and describes some of the measures that can be taken to counter its effects. The case also discusses some of the initiatives taken by governments to increase birth rates, and expand the workforce, and ends with a discussion on the future challenges facing countries with aging populations.

Issues:

The case has the following objectives

» Understand the phenomenon of an aging population.

» Learn more about the reasons for an aging population.

» Analyze the possible economic effects of aging populations.

» Evaluate policy measures to tackle the economic consequences of population aging.

This case is meant for MBA/PGDBM students and is designed to be a part of their Economics or Business Environment curriculum.

Keywords:

Aging Population, Age Structure, Low Birth Rate, High Life Expectancy, Economic Effects of Aging Population, Pension Reforms, Change in Consumption Patterns, Dependency Ratio, Saving and Investment, Female participation in workforce

The Economic Consequences of Population Aging

A substantial degree of population aging is expected over the next few decades in all regions of the world. Ideally, policy responses should be put in place ahead of time to ease adaptation to these long-term demographic changes." ¹

- An excerpt from the World Economic and Social Survey 2007, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, released in June 2007.

"People are living longer and, in some parts of the world, healthier lives…. Societal aging may affect economic growth and many other issues, including the sustainability of families, [and] the ability of states and communities to provide resources for older citizens." ²

- An excerpt from a report presented at the Summit on Global Aging³ in March 2007.

Introduction

In July 2007, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications published a report on the changing demographics in the country. According to the report, the proportion of people aged 65 or over had grown to around 21 percent in 2007, from 17.3 percent in April 2000.4 With this, Japan displaced Italy to become the country with the highest percent of aged people5. The report added that if current trends continued, the population of elderly people in Japan would account for 40.5 percent of the total population by 2055 - and there would only be 1.3 people of working age (15-64 years) to support each person over the age of 65 years in 2055 (down from more than 3 people of working age6 in 2007).

The report predicted average life span of 90.34 years for women and 83.67 years for men⁷ by 2055 (Refer Exhibit I for the projected life expectancy of the Japanese). In recent times, aging populations – characterized by an increase in the mean or the median age of the population, and a decline in the proportion of those aged 15 or lower and a rise in the proportion of those aged 65 or over in the total population – and their consequences have become an area of focus for economists, marketers, sociologists, and policy makers.

The phenomenon was expected to affect almost all countries, whether developed or developing. However, developed countries would experience it sooner than others or were already experiencing it. Countries with large and growing young populations - referred to as the 'youth bulge' - could, for the present, enjoy the benefits of a young population; but, with time, these countries too would have aging populations. The aging of populations occurred primarily for two reasons – declines in the birth rate and increases in life expectancy

A substantial degree of population aging is expected over the next few decades in all regions of the world. Ideally, policy responses should be put in place ahead of time to ease adaptation to these long-term demographic changes." ¹

- An excerpt from the World Economic and Social Survey 2007, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, released in June 2007.

"People are living longer and, in some parts of the world, healthier lives…. Societal aging may affect economic growth and many other issues, including the sustainability of families, [and] the ability of states and communities to provide resources for older citizens." ²

- An excerpt from a report presented at the Summit on Global Aging³ in March 2007.

Introduction

In July 2007, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications published a report on the changing demographics in the country. According to the report, the proportion of people aged 65 or over had grown to around 21 percent in 2007, from 17.3 percent in April 2000.4 With this, Japan displaced Italy to become the country with the highest percent of aged people5. The report added that if current trends continued, the population of elderly people in Japan would account for 40.5 percent of the total population by 2055 - and there would only be 1.3 people of working age (15-64 years) to support each person over the age of 65 years in 2055 (down from more than 3 people of working age6 in 2007).

The report predicted average life span of 90.34 years for women and 83.67 years for men⁷ by 2055 (Refer Exhibit I for the projected life expectancy of the Japanese). In recent times, aging populations – characterized by an increase in the mean or the median age of the population, and a decline in the proportion of those aged 15 or lower and a rise in the proportion of those aged 65 or over in the total population – and their consequences have become an area of focus for economists, marketers, sociologists, and policy makers.

The phenomenon was expected to affect almost all countries, whether developed or developing. However, developed countries would experience it sooner than others or were already experiencing it. Countries with large and growing young populations - referred to as the 'youth bulge' - could, for the present, enjoy the benefits of a young population; but, with time, these countries too would have aging populations. The aging of populations occurred primarily for two reasons – declines in the birth rate and increases in life expectancy

The Nordic Economic Model

The Nordic economic model, characterized by market-based economies and generous welfare systems, seemed to be working well, with the countries in the region figuring at the top of various lists that ranked countries on the basis of human development, per capita income, economic freedom, etc. The case discusses the history of the Nordic economies over the years. It then explains the main features of the Nordic economic model and goes on to examine some of the reasons behind the global competitiveness of the Nordic economies.

The case also recounts some challenges that these countries face as well as the criticisms of the welfare model adopted by these countries. The case ends with a brief discussion on the outlook for these countries.

Issues:

» Understand the evolution of Nordic economies.

» Analyze the reasons behind the competitiveness of the Nordic economies.

» Evaluate the sustainability of the welfare policies adopted by Nordic economies.

» Analyze the future of the Nordic region in the light of challenges such as aging populations, globalization, etc.

Contents:

Keywords:

Nordic economic model, Welfare state, Competitiveness of Nations, Government policy, High tax rates and economic growth, Pension reforms, Aging population, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland

Introduction :---

The September 2007 issue of Reader's Digest, a general interest magazine, ranked 141 countries on the basis of quality of life. The Nordic countries topped the list, with Finland taking the first place followed by Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Denmark was placed tenth. The ranking was based on statistics derived from the Human Development Index⁵ and the Environmental Sustainability Index⁶.

The Nordic countries had consistently figured at the top of such lists during the previous decade. Economists credited these countries' economic model for their success as measured by important social and economic indicators such as per capita GDP, employment levels, etc.

The Nordic economic model was characterized by high taxes, a large public sector, and moderate market regulation. These countries were welfare states, with healthcare, education, and other social services provided free for all citizens. Negating the commonly held belief that high tax rates curtailed growth, the Nordic countries showed growth despite high taxes mainly because they were able to achieve efficiency and bring about innovation in the public sector. Besides, with the Nordic economies being only slightly less liberal than Anglo-Saxon economies such as the UK and Ireland, foreign investment was high in these countries.

Also, these economies had benefited from the absence of corruption and red tape.

However, there were challenges. With globalization, immigration, and aging populations, there was increasing pressure on the welfare model. The Nordic countries had responded by introducing reforms in pension and healthcare in the early 2000s. As of 2007, though the Nordic economies were among the best performers globally, reforms to sustain growth and support government expenditure were still being conceptualized and implemented.

Volkswagen's Marketing Strategy in India

Abstract:

The case examines the marketing strategies of Volkswagen Group India, the Indian subsidiary of German automobile manufacturer, Volkswagen AG (Volkswagen). Volkswagen entered the Indian passenger car market in 2001 by launching its car brand - Skoda. In 2007, two of its other brands Audi and Volkswagen, were also launched in India. Volkswagen Group India emphasized on all aspects of marketing mix including product, price, place and promotion. The company offered three brands including Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen that together comprised of 15 different models as of late 2009. Volkswagen Group India mainly catered to the luxury segment of the Indian car market. The company had established presence in India through separate distribution channels for each of its brands.

In its initial years, Volkswagen Group India primarily used the print media to promote its products. However, considering the growth potential of India's automobile market, the company started using electronic, digital and out of home media along with print media. In November 2009, the company launched an integrated marketing campaign to strengthen its brand image. The case describes the marketing campaign and ends with a discussion on the growth prospects of the company in future.

Issues:

» Understand the dynamics of the Indian passenger car market.

» Examine the growth strategies of Volkswagen Group India over the years.

» Analyze the marketing strategies of Volkswagen Group India.

» Study the future prospects of Volkswagen Group India.

Contents:

	Page No.
Introduction	1
About Volkswagen	2
Marketing Strategy in India	3
Promotion	5
The Road Ahead	9
Exhibits	11

Keywords:

Volkswagen Group India, Volkswagen India Private Limited, Indian Passenger Car Industry, Marketing Mix, Brand Awareness, Beetle, Skoda, Audi, Product Positioning, Promotional Campaigns, Volkswagen Group Sales India Private Limited, Skoda Auto India Private Limited, Pricing, Print Ad Campaign, Television Commercials, Corporate Branding Strategy, Integrated Marketing Campaign, Roadblock, Iconic Brand Campaigns, Out Of the Home Campaign, Curves are Back

Introduction Contd...

Raj Sawant, Business Head of Automark Motors, a Volkswagen dealer in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, said, "There are already over 170 advance bookings across India, and we have started delivering the cars as well. Going by the initial euphoria, we expect to sell around 300 Beetles in 2010."3 Volkswagen Group India, the Indian subsidiary of leading automobile manufacturer, Volkswagen AG (Volkswagen), based in Wolfsburg, Germany, had entered the Indian passenger car market in 2001 by launching its car brand - Skoda. In 2007, two of its other brands Audi and Volkswagen, were also launched in India.

Over the years, Volkswagen Group India not only launched several products, but also ensured that its brands were well known among the Indian consumers. Although, the company had had a presence in the Indian car market since 2001 and the Skoda and Audi branded cars were well known among consumers, the Volkswagen brand was not well recognized in the country.

Therefore, in November 2009, the company launched an integrated marketing campaign to build its brand image. It also launched a marketing campaign for its iconic model, the Beetle. Volkswagen India expected that with its brand building exercise, it would be able to increase its sales and capture a significant market share in the Indian car market...

Kraft Foods' Mobile Marketing Strategy

Abstract:

This case is about US-based Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Company Kraft Foods' (Kraft) mobile marketing strategy. Due to a reduction in consumer spending on packaged goods, Kraft decided to tap the mobile channel to promote its products as this channel had the capacity to enable value-added marketing. The company's mobile marketing campaigns were designed to meet the needs of customers and to help them integrate the company's brands into their everyday lives. The case discusses the mobile marketing campaigns launched by Kraft Foods and their objectives. In 2008, Kraft launched a mobile campaign in Germany to promote the launch of its new instant coffee brand called Jacobs 2in1.

It was the first large-scale European product launch which used a mobile sampling campaign to enhance brand awareness. The campaign was integrated with traditional media and allowed customers to request samples and order products from their mobile phones. This was followed by the launch of a mobile cooking application for iPhone users called the iFood Assistant in December 2008. The application allowed customers to search for and download recipes, manage their shopping lists, and locate local stores thereby delivering value to the customer while at the same time promoting the company's products. The case also talks about the mobile website created by Kraft to facilitate consumer engagement on mobile devices, and how Kraft was taking its mobile marketing initiative further in countries such as Germany and the UK.

The case discusses whether the campaigns were successful in enhancing brand awareness and consumer involvement. It concludes by providing the reactions of analysts to Kraft Foods' mobile marketing campaigns. Analysts were of the view that the mobile marketing initiatives adopted by Kraft would serve the purpose of establishing a direct dialogue with customers as the mobile phone was a powerful communications device with respect to mobility, reach, and immediacy. Marketers should take advantage of the mobile medium and adopt it as part of their channel mix to gain a competitive edge, they said.

Issues:

» Study the mobile marketing strategy of Kraft Foods
» Understand the issues and challenges in creating and rolling out a mobile advertising campaign.
» Analyze the mobile marketing campaigns launched by Kraft Foods.
» Discuss and debate whether the mobile marketing campaigns of Kraft Foods would be able to achieve their objectives.
» Explore ways in which the company could make its mobile marketing campaigns more effective.

Introduction Contd...

Based in Northfield, Illinois, Kraft is the largest food company in North America with sales in more than 150 countries worldwide. Some of its well-known brands are Kraft cheeses and dressings, Maxwell House coffees, Oscar Mayer meats, Philadelphia cream cheeses, Nabisco cookies and crackers, Toblerone and Milka chocolates, and Tang powdered beverages. For the year 2008, the company reported US$ 42 billion in annual revenues. Since the early 2000s, marketing through mobile phones had gained in popularity because of the value it delivered to the end consumers.

CPG companies embraced mobile marketing and employed elements such as SMS alerts, mobile banner ads on targeted sites, mobile coupons, and mobile loyalty programs to promote their products.

At Kraft, the strategy was to demonstrate the values and attributes of Kraft's brands in an interactive way and provide consumers with relevant information such as recipes and nutrition information. The motive behind mobile marketing was to involve consumers and help them integrate the company's brands into their everyday lives.

In 2008, to respond to a reduction in consumer spending on packaged goods, Kraft adopted interactive marketing and decided to get onto the mobile Web by launching a mobile campaign in Germany in January 2008, to promote the launch of its new instant coffee brand called Jacobs 2in1. This was the first large-scale European product launch to use a mobile sampling campaign. The campaign was integrated with traditional media and allowed customers to request for samples and order products through their mobile phones...

Tourism Kamloops

Abstract:

The case discusses the promotion of Kamloops city as a vacation destination and the initiatives taken by Tourism Kamloops to transform the city into a favorable tourist destination. Over the years, the tourism industry in Kamloops had been growing steadily and had played a major role in contributing to the local economy. The case discusses the growth of Kamloops as the 'Tournament capital of Canada'. Sport tourism is one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism sector in Kamloops and the city has actively developed and promoted sports facilities for tournaments and hosted some major sporting events. The case also discusses the marketing campaign with TV personality and meteorologist Mark Madryga as brand ambassador to promote Kamloops as a vacation destination. The case talks about some of the challenges faced by Tourism Kamloops and how they might affect the tourism sector in Kamloops in the future.

Issues:

» Analyze the tourism industry in Kamloops and study the factors which contributed to the growth of the tourism industry in the region.

» Understand the role played by marketing, particularly the promotional campaigns, in developing the tourism industry of a country.

» Analyze the initiatives taken by Tourism Kamloops to promote the city of Kamloops as a vacation destination.

» Explore the strategies that Tourism Kamloops could adopt to develop the tourist sector in the region.

Introduction

In November 2009, Tourism Kamloops' 'Hometown Boy' advertising campaign won the Innovative Marketing Campaign Award at the first-ever tourism summit organized by the Canada-based Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association1 (TOTA). The campaign was given the award for successfully using various advertising mediums such as TV, print, direct mail, and online advertising to attract tourists to the city of Kamloops. Talking about the campaign, TOTA chairman, Michael Ballingall (Ballingall), said, "This campaign has been a huge success on many levels. It matches a likeable personality with the Tourism Kamloops brand, which presents Kamloops as a place that blends energizing recreational opportunities with a culture of warm, welcoming people, allowing visitors to let loose and just play."2

Kamloops, a city in south central British Columbia³, Canada, is considered as British Columbia's Friendliest City. It is famous for its spectacular landscapes, fresh water lakes, abundant wildlife, and pleasant climate.

The region draws visitors from around the world because of its established reputation for water sports and fishing. Golf, mountain biking, and hiking are other popular outdoor activities for tourists in Kamloops. To promote the tourism sector in the region, the tourism association of British Columbia started Tourism Kamloops in 2005. Tourism Kamloops is one of the largest destination marketing organizations of British Columbia and has as its objective the marketing of Kamloops as a major tourist destination. Over the years, the tourism industry in Kamloops had been growing steadily and had played a major role in contributing to the local economy.

In 2008, about 5 million tourists visited Kamloops from all over the world. In order to develop Kamloops as the preferred tourist destination in British Columbia, Tourism Kamloops planned to come out with more innovative advertising strategies in the future.

However, analysts expected the provincial government's move to dissolve Tourism British Columbia⁴ and integrate it with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts to have a profound affect on the functioning and investments of the Tourism Kamloops...

Scorpio - Marketing an Automobile Brand

Abstract:

The case examines the marketing strategies adopted by Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), leading Indian automobile manufacturer, for its newly launched sports utility vehicle 'Scorpio' in the early 21st century. It traces M&M's evolution from being just another Mahindra Group company into a major Indian business conglomerate. The reasons for the decision to develop the Scorpio are explained and details on the efforts that went into the creation of the vehicle are provided. Thereafter, the case discusses the marketing strategies (positioning, advertising, pricing and promotion) adopted by M&M for Scorpio. The case not only examines M&M's strategies for popularizing Scorpio, it also explores the increasing competition in the Indian SUV market.

Issues:

• Understand how changing market dynamics can force an industry leader to restructure its strategies (in terms of modifying the product mix and entering new segments)

Scorpio - Charging Ahead

In June 2003, 'Scorpio,' a sports utility vehicle (SUV3) from Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. (M&M), a leading Indian automobile company, celebrated the first anniversary of its launch. This one year journey had been quite fruitful for Scorpio, which had impressed many industry observers and customers. A year ago, within the first eight days of its launch, Scorpio had attracted over 10,000 customers to its dealer showrooms and over 3,000 customer enquiries, resulting in 1000 order bookings. According to company sources, by the time it completed its first birthday, Scorpio had sold 15,000 units across India.

Media reports, automobile enthusiasts and industry analysts had all given the SUV extremely positive reports. With demand for the vehicle growing steadily, M&M even had to increase its production from 1,800 units per month in 2002 to 2,000 per month in June 2003, and 2,500 per month by late 2003.

Thanks to the high decibel advertising support, Scorpio had acquired high brand recall among consumers. In fact, it was said to be one of the very few automobile brands in India that successfully boosted the image of their parent companies (in this case M&M) as well. Since its launch, Scorpio had won many prestigious awards, such as 'Car of the Year 2003' from Business Standard Motoring, BBC World Wheels and CNBC Autocar. Besides improving M&M's image as an automobile company, Scorpio was reported to have played a major part in increasing the company's revenues for the financial year 2002-03.

The company's automotive segment witnessed a 37% increase in revenues, up from Rs 18.28 billion in 2001-2002 to Rs 25.11 billion in 2002-2003.

Also, M&M's automobile sales increased by 16% in 2002-2003 (68,852 units) over the previous year's sales (55,920 units).

The most important aspect of Scorpio's growing popularity was the impact it seemed to be having on the country's automobile market.

Scorpio had made other automotive manufacturers look afresh at the utility vehicles segment, which till now was believed to have little scope for growth in India.

Voice

VOICE:

In traditional grammar, voice refers to the quality of a verb that indicates whether its subject acts (active voice) or is acted upon (passive voice). The distinction between active and passive voice applies only to transitive verbs.

Ø  Objective is changed into subject; modal auxiliary if any is kept the same and appropriate form of ‘be’ (i.e. is, am, are, was, were, been, being) + V₃ is used.

Ø  Subject is changed into object if it is not vague, otherwise omitted.

Ø  If a sentence starts with primary auxiliary ‘do’ (do/does/did) then passive voice starts with appropriate form of be (i.e. is, am, are, was, were)

Ø  ‘Who’ changes into ‘by whom’ in passive voice?

Ø  Why, when, how, used in the beginning of active voice does not change its form in the passive voice.

Ø  Passive of imperative sentence begins with ‘let’.

Conditionals

CONDITIONALS:

Conditionals are verb tenses that are used to indicate that an action or state of being is dependent on the occurrence of a condition.  The conditionals are used to talk about real or unreal situations; they are sometimes called if-clauses. Real Conditional describes real-life situations. Unreal Conditional describes unreal, imaginary situations.

Condition                                                         If Clause                                            Main Clause

1. First conditional (possible action)                    If + V₁/V₅                                            Simple future

2. Second conditional (hypothetical action)          If + V₂/were                                        would + V₁

3. Third conditional (Impossible)                         If + had + V₃                                       would have + V₃

4. Zero conditional (cause and effect)                 If + V₁/V₅                                             present/imperative

Causatives

CAUSITIVES:  (have, get, make)

_{A causative form is, in linguistics, an expression of an agent causing or forcing a patient to perform an action or to be in a certain condition.}

1.      Subject + have/get + object (thing) + V₃

2.      Subject + have + object (person) + V₁

3.      Subject + get + object (person) + to + V₁

4.      Subject + make + object (person) + V₁

Important points

1. Get is possible instead of have, usually in informal spoken English. 

I'm going to get my car fixed tomorrow.

2. We can also use to have someone do something to talk about giving instructions or orders -- more common in American English. 

I had my assistant type the report.
I'll have my lawyer look into it. 

Connectives

A connective, or a conjunction as it is more formally known, is a part of speech that connects two words, phrases, or clauses together. 

1.      Reason connectives (because/as, because of, since)
a.   statement + as/because + reason.    (because is used for more important reason).
b.   statement + because of + reason(noun phrase).
c.   statement + since +reason(negative).

2.      Purpose connectives (to/in order to, so that, for)
a.   action + to/in order to + purpose (command sentence)
b.   action + so that + purpose (complete sentence)
c.   action + for + object(sub. Purpose) + to + V₁                  (second sentence – purpose sentence)

3.      Unexpected results connectives (although/though/even though, despite/in spite of )
a.   though/although/even though +situation + unexpected results.
b.   despite/in spite of + situation(noun phrase) + unexpected results.

4.      Defining relative clause
a.   which/that for things (subject).
b.   who for person.
c.   what/that for things(object).
d.   where for time.
e.   when for time.
f.   whose for possessive.

Question Tag

QUESTION TAG:

A question tag or tag question is a grammatical structure in which a declarative statement or an imperative is turned into a question by adding an interrogative fragment (the "tag"). The term "question tag" is generally preferred by British grammarians, while their American counterparts prefer "tag question".

Ø  Question tag is made with auxiliary and pronoun of the subject.

Ø  Negative auxiliary verb is changed into positive and vice versa.

Ø   If there is no auxiliary in the sentence then appropriate forms of auxiliary ‘do’ is used i.e. ‘does’ for the singular in present tense, ‘do’ for the plural in present tense and ‘did’ for both singular and plural in past tense.

Ø   Plural auxiliary and pronoun is used for the sentence beginning with someone, everyone and no one.

Ø   ‘will you?’ is used for imperative sentences and ‘shall we?’ is used for the sentences beginning with ‘’Let’s’’.

Ø   Others:-
Sentence beginning with                                              Question Tag
I am                                                                                      aren’t I?
I am not                                                                                am I?

Articles

ARTICLES:

An article (abbreviated art) is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. Articles specify the grammatical definiteness of the noun, in some languages extending to volume or numerical scope. The articles in the English language are the, a, and an. (Some can in certain circumstances function as a plural of a/an.)

Ø  ‘A’ is used before a singular common noun or collective noun beginning with a consonant sound.

Ø  ‘An’ is used before a singular common noun or collective noun beginning with a vowel sound.

Ø  ‘The’ is used before a definite countable noun and before those things or group of things which are unique or unique of its kind such as the sun, the earth, The Alps, The Taj Mahal, etc. It is also used before the things of invention, musical instruments, superlatives, parts of body, ordinals, newspapers, date, title/post, seasons, religious books. It is basically used to particularize a common noun.

Ø  ‘the’ is also used before the proper names which give a particular meaning(e.g., the Punjab, the Saptakoshi) or before country names composed of either more than one common nouns(e.g. The USA, The UK) or if they seem plural i.e. end with ‘s’ ( e.g. The Netherlands)

Ø  In general, article is not used before proper noun, abstract noun and material noun. If ‘the’ is used before proper noun, it becomes common noun.

Ø  ‘The’ article is omitted before a common noun used in its widest sense (e.g. man is mortal), before languages and before school, college, church, bed, table, hospital, market, prison, etc when these places are visited or used for their primary purpose unless they are particularized.