Category: Industry

Hardware industry is a traditional and new and modern industries. Hardware products widely used in the past, people call it hardware, such as nails, scissors, wrench, tool what is, and we need time to shop can be bought several smoothly, no one how much these things as objects. But Do not look at these small metal products, and now has developed into a world influence of the largest industry.
1, hardware development in various categories
With the development of the times, hardware toward personal wealth is that people can feel. Only a small lock, for example, before the family is just general household locks locks, bicycle locks, but with the motorcycle, automobile industry, high-end residential development, a number of companies to develop modern means of transport suitable for all kinds of motor lock, car lock, anti-theft security lock. Not only lock varieties has increased, and the integration of traditional products showed the trend of high-tech, electronic locks, fingerprint lock, and so one after another; traditional tools hardware, but also changed: garden tool to in-depth extension of a simple pruning twig of the scissors, step by step for the new development of family-and community-building manual, power tools, weeding machine, etc. replaced.
According to statistics, China’s hardware products from the early 80s of last century, 40 kinds of products, less than 500 varieties, surge to the present more than 10,000 varieties, an increase of 20 times; product categories have also been the traditional daily-use hardware from the past, Architectural Hardware, tools, door hardware three categories increased, including shower rooms, gas appliances, range hood, kitchen equipment, cooking utensils and other 10 products.
2, hardware, enterprise economies of scale
The number of enterprises in China hardware from the early 80’s to 50000 more than 2,000. Ultra-billion-scale enterprises from the ring in 1988 when the statistics, Zhang Koizumi, solid edge, the Great Wall Seiko, Wen Deng Wei Li, 14 enterprises, the rapid rise to the present more than 100. Today, the hardware scale enterprises are mostly owned by a modern factory. For example, 10000 and the company’s production workshop, the tall plant to natural light, modern style, both conducive to the production, but also environmentally friendly and completely get rid of the hardware business in the past in people’s minds, “small, poor, chaotic,” the backward image.
In the coastal areas of Zhejiang, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Shandong and other places, has formed a number of characteristics of the economic industrial base, metal industry has become the backbone of local industry or focus on the development industry and hardware industry in the country have played an important role, such as Guangdong Xiaolan Town, Yuhuan County, Zhejiang Province has become China’s leading hardware production and export base; Yangjiang, Guangdong has become China’s largest production base of knives, scissors; Wenzhou, Zhejiang, was awarded the “Chinese locks are” title; Hebei Anping wire mesh industry base built , Asia 80% of the mesh from Anping.
China’s hardware industry to an annual growth rate of 20% of steady development, the annual output value of 4,000 billion yuan, higher than the household appliances industry. Data show that exports of metal products in 2005 amounted to 30.512 billion U.S. dollars, year on year increase of 26.44%. China’s exports of light industry as a whole accounts for about 25% of the country’s total exports, hardware industry, light industry exports ranked the top three.
Three, metal industry, highlights the international competitive edge
In recent years, China’s hardware industry’s international competitiveness has been increasing. Our hardware products, trade specialization index (TSC Index) remained at between 0.78-0.85, and increased year by year, which shows that our hardware products, import and export trade status has been greatly improved, and the whole still in a relatively advantageous position . On the other hand, China’s comparative advantage index of metal manufactures (RCA index) is basically maintained at 0.8 to about 0.9, indicating that China’s hardware products with a moderate international competitiveness. But it should be noted that in recent years, China’s hardware products, RCA index showing a declining trend, mainly because of China’s hardware products are labor-intensive products, due to capital, technology and content is not high, in the international market more susceptible to the developed countries barriers to trade restrictions. Die 100-hui Luo, CEO pointed out that the view from the products and the enterprises themselves, and many hardware companies approach is a form of processing trade, technological innovation capability is not strong, which makes China’s hardware industry has insufficient capacity for competition in the international market gradually lost their advantage , in the future course of development, for the major comparative advantage of labor costs on hardware industry, at the same time weakening the comparative advantage will increasingly need to rely on and enhance their competitive edge to maintain and enhance the international competitiveness of the industry. According to Die 100-hui Luo, CEO survey said that at present China has formed the Pearl River Delta, Yangtze Delta and the Shandong Peninsula three hardware industry zone, Yongkang, Zhejiang appeared, Zhongshan Xiaolan, and Jiangsu Qidong other metal industry cluster.
The development of China’s hardware industry cluster reveals eight major advantages:
One is beneficial to the depth of the division of labor between enterprises and technological innovation. Every enterprise will be fully funding, focus on the most advantageous to do their part, that the enterprise’s core competencies, other related outsourcing to professional company to complete, each product is a summary of a number of core competence.
Second, it helps to save transaction costs. Enterprises are faced with the nearest, a large number of raw materials suppliers and equipment suppliers can lower costs, higher demands, faster speed to purchase a variety of inputs, including raw materials, spare parts, machinery and equipment, the kinds of services and human resources.
Thirdly, it is beneficial to industry and the professional market, pushing each other forward. Industrial cluster is conducive to the formation of the professional market, but also has a greater impact at home and abroad the professional market, both pro-business product sales, but also conducive to the information, and timely adjustment of product structure.
Fourth, it helps to stimulate the sense of competition. The same kinds of products from a large number of production among enterprises will naturally compete, so as to continuously improve product quality and grade.
5 is conducive to Investment. Supporting industries within the industrial cluster system and perfect service system, starting a business with low entry costs and exit costs, not only conducive to attracting foreign direct investment, but also conducive to the cluster of enterprises within the domestic and international capital markets.
6 is conducive to governance “credit deficit disorder.” As the regional industry concentration, among many enterprises to know the root Zhidi, once late payments, forgery, and avoiding the debt and other dishonest acts, it will immediately at the local spread, promises difficult for enterprises to locally based, so the phenomenon of corporate dishonesty between low probability.
7, it helps to promote business innovation. A variety of the latest market, product and technical information gathered, coupled with frequent exchanges between a variety of information within the cluster to promote a greater chance of collision of innovative ideas. LAW 100-hui said the competition within the cluster, as well as personnel exchanges also makes businesses more intense desire to learn, easy to drive innovation in the whole industry.
8 is conducive to the creation of regional brands. Regional industrial advantages and product features are conducive to the formation of regional brand, brand high-impact areas to attract more outlets, suppliers, investors, and various talents. Thus further contributing to the prosperity of the upstream and downstream industries, the development of regional economy as a whole are very favorable.

With the popularity of network, e-marketing on integrated ceiling industry comes into being accordingly. According to the development of internet marketing concept, The Development of the E-marketing concept on Integrated Ceiling Industry can be divided into the following follow stages: Online display stage, group buying stage, integrated marketing, e-commerce. This article will present more details on each stage.

Online display stage: Household enterprise pay more attention on web design before the year 2005,. In this stage, Many enterprise just displayed their ceiling products on their websites, and nearly all the enterprise are only do business about bathroom heater and ventilator. The main function of the website in this stage is to promote corporate image and advise the products they sell. After 2005, Due to the networking groups grows intensified, few people with a keen sight started to pay attention to sell products on line. many household enterprise tends to advise on internet. They broadcast products such as fiberglass ceiling board, decorative plaster cornice , black fiberglass panel. Some companies who has no enterprise website start to budget on the building of website, and the budget of the enterprise turns from traditional media into internet advertisement.

Group buying stage: Integration ceiling distributors who are doing building materials products business are never thought to sell their products on internet. With the rapid development of e-marketing, more and more netizens want to buy building materials on internet. To meet the netizens’ demand for decoration materials (such as suspended ceiling materials), a new half-E-commerce model appears in integrated industry. Through network organization, people appointed a time and place to arrange the meet of sellers and buyers which is like the way catching a freak show in a country. In industry, enterprises called this as network group buying. This model of group buying was very popular in 2007-2009. Some company in the market focus on internet group buying business which brings profits to them.

integrated marketing stage: After 2006, the network has entered fast lane of development, the number of net citizens grows exponentially. From the year 2009, the ways on enterprise network marketing of integrated ceiling industry also presents different branches, such as blog marketing, BBS, network news marketing, search marketing, viral marketing. Enterprise network marketing also turned from pure advertising to a variety of integrated application of marketing methods. However, there is no business model of substantive changes, it is still only supports offline business.

E-commerce Stage E-commerce is a type of industry where buying and selling of product or service is conducted over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. With the emergency of e-commerce, household websites, enterprise, famous chain household manufacturers attach importance to household electricity commerce. A professional once pointed that household electricity commerce may be the last wave of electric business boom which suggest that there is a great profit space in this area while other other industry is saturated. All the integrated ceiling enterprises in the mall, start to build household enterprise network Marketing Department, and set personnel responsible for online sales and to develop network sales channels, these facts presents the household electronic commerce has come.

In late May, the Santa Clara County, Calif. District Attorneys Office charged a former escrow officer with 32 counts of embezzlement and grand theft for allegedly living high on the hog on the tab of her clients.

Melanie Melim, a former escrow officer with Alliance Title Co., faces up to 21 years in prison for allegedly stealing more than $1 million from client escrow accounts funds that were considered to be guarded by a neutral third-party to the real estate transaction.

Instead, Melim used the funds to attend concerts and sporting events, take trips to Las Vegas and go on shopping sprees, authorities alleged.

As much as the allegations against Melim are personally troublesome, they also raise questions about the security of the escrow industry, a staple of the real estate business in California for more than a century.

But as the California escrow industry juggles confronting incidents such as these, waiting for the filing of a controversial rulemaking that would drastically cut its rates and pacing the floor of the state Capitol, one trade group has hinted that the industry may be gearing up for its toughest challenge yet.

An aligning of the stars
Members of the Escrow Institute of California (EIC), a trade group that represents the states licensed, independent escrow industry, are laying the groundwork for a cross-industry meeting of the minds to bring stability to an industry confounded by a confusing maze of uneven regulatory oversight.

The EIC has officially opened the door for formal discussion of a proposal to bring Californias escrow practitioners who, depending on their primary real estate business, must answer to one of five different state regulators under the umbrella of a comprehensive, uniform escrow law with a single regulator.

According to EIC President P.J. Garcia, its a system that could do much to solve the escrow industrys problems and relieve it of the burden of a regulatory structure that just doesnt make sense.

There is a broad array of bureaucracries that regulate escrow in California, to the extent that not even the regulators have an integral grasp of the picture, Garcia said. If that is the case, how can the consumer possibly understand it and know who to turn to? Its a question of enhancing consumer protection and streamlining government, both of which we think are good goals.

However, its an idea that has been tossed around before, without much agreement. Still, Garcia describes initial discussions among the various affected industries and regulators as encouraging.

Theres the sense that there is an aligning of the stars, she said. But the devil is in the details. What we have to do is build a consensus.

In the beginning
Independent escrow corporations have been providing closing services to California consumers in California since the late 1940s. The state Escrow Law, which was enacted in 1947, defines escrow providers as neutral, third-party agents for all principals in a real estate transaction.

The Escrow Law requires all corporations engaged in the escrow business as escrow agents to be licensed as independent escrow companies by the California Department of Corporations (DOC). However, in order to reach Californias more rural consumers, the state began to allow other real estate practitioners to provide escrow services to give consumers greater flexibility.

Thus, the state excluded the following groups from the licensure requirements of the Escrow Law:

Any person whose principal business is that of preparing abstracts or making searches of title that are used as a basis for the issuance of a policy of title insurance by a company doing business under any law of this state relating to insurance companies. These individuals are regulated by the Department of Insurance (DOI).

Any real estate broker licensed by the real estate commissioner while performing acts in the course of or incidental to a real estate transaction in which the broker is an agent or a party to the transaction and in which the broker is performing an act for which a real estate license is required. These individuals are regulated by the Department of Real Estate (DRE).

Any person doing business relating to banks, trust companies, building and loan or savings and loan associations. These individuals are regulated by either the DOC or the DRE.

Any person licensed to practice law in California who has a bona fide client attorney relationship with a principal in a real estate transaction and who is not actively engaged in the business of an escrow agent. These individuals are regulated by the state bar.
Garcia argued that while the current regulatory structure may have made sense when it was created, times have changed, and so should the system.

I think the market has changed over the last 60 years or so, particularly in the last 10 or 15 years, she said. Technology has made a lot of changes. Were no longer a predominantly rural state. Even the rural areas arent just rural anymore.

Moreover, escrow practitioners licensed by the DOC are subject to a higher regulatory standard than those who are exempt from the Escrow Law, Garcia said. DOC licensees undergo background checks and fingerprinting by the Department of Justice and are bonded by the Escrow Agents Fidelity Corp., while those who are exempt from the Escrow Law get the all-clear from their primary industry regulator.

Such uneven standards may be a factor contributing to incidents such as the one involving Melim, Garcia said.

Whenever something is reported, it is just reported as escrow. There is no distinction made as to who the regulator is, Garcia said. We all sort of get painted with the same broad brush, and that is not something we have been happy about.

Mike Belote, legislative advocate for the California Escrow Association (CEA), a trade group representing all escrow practitioners, agreed change is needed, but said the discussion has been simmering for 25 years without coming to a boiling point.

We think if you were creating an escrow regulation system from scratch, you wouldnt do it this way, Belote said. Everyone understands its a weird system we have now, but its been this way for over 50 years. The question is, how do you conform all of that if there is no political will to do that?

Winds of change
Its no secret that for more than a year, the DOI has been focused on implementing regulations to drastically reduce title insurance premiums and escrow rates by $1 billion annually. The DOI has been colorful in its depiction of the title insurance industry as a system rife with illegal kickbacks and gratuities, and the department was generous enough with its brush to paint the escrow industry as middlemen who only further drive up prices for consumers.

This included DOC licensees, who were baffled that they were lumped into a regulation proposed by a regulatory authority other than their own. The EIC spent most of last year fighting the proposal and standing beside the group was the California Land Title Association (CLTA), which linked arms with the EIC on many occasions, including a contentious day-long DOI hearing last August.

Bridges built and alliances formed, the EIC is hopeful it will be able to bring the CLTA, the California Association of Mortgage Brokers (CAMB) and the California Association of Realtors (CAR) together to hash out a proposal in time to introduce legislation in the 2008 session. While details are still sketchy at this point, Garcia said one suggestion is to bring all escrow providers under the DOCs jurisdiction.

Logistically speaking, all of the people who know escrow best are at the Department of Corporations, Garcia said. But again, the devils in the details. I couldnt give any commitment on how that might look in the end. Of course, it will have to be done collaboratively because if the other industries are flat-out opposed to it, it would obviously be a lot more difficult to do.

Craig Page, executive vice president and counsel of the CLTA, and Jack Williams, president of CAMBs executive board, both said their groups are open to the discussion, but as pen hasnt yet been put to paper, they declined to state formal opinions on the proposal. Garcia said the DOC and DOI have also been receptive to initial talks.

CAR and the DRE, which historically have been the most resistant to the idea, did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

The process of going through the Department of Insurance hearings really brought home to us once again that this is a very fractionated and confusing process, Garcia said. 2007 is paving the way. Were pleasantly surprised by the response we have received so far.

Movement is life. This principle is true for business as well. Every business must develop otherwise it will fail sooner or later. Loss of competitive advantage results in loss of customers. There is a tough competition in all markets, and customers of free to choose any products they like. If a customer is not buying from you it will most certainly buy from your competitor. This is true for all businesses, including hotel business. This industry is highly competitive as there are hundreds of hotels in every country. When high season comes hotel top managers do everything possible to attract customers and make them stay in their hotels. Of course, they do not only promise high quality services but the actually offer them. Hotel is not just a place where you spend the night. Some people want to feel at home in a hotel. This is possible in case you come to a top quality hotel.

In order to improve hotel services owners and managers of our hotel need to know where to start from. In other words they have to be aware of current performance in order to make plans for the future. Until recently performance evaluation was about measurement of financial indicators for the past periods. Such approach is not perfect since it misses nonfinancial indicators that are extremely important in any industry. It is not enough just to announce implementation of new plans and improvements in hotel. A real work begins when these improvements are implemented and measured.

For example, if a new service, say, WiFi connection in all rooms is introduced the hotel spends a certain amount of money to buy equipment and maintain network. Then, the quality of Wireless Network has to be evaluated. However, what is more important is the attitude of customers towards this new service and the way they use it. If it turns out that only 10% of hotel guests actually use wireless network and only half of them really require high speed Internet there is probably no point in spending huge money for super speedy Internet. If most of hotel guests are business people for whom high speed Internet is necessity than well established wireless connection is a must.

If improvements concern reception service top management of a hotel needs to understand who their guests are and why they come to their hotel. If most of them are tourists than it would be reasonable to introduce new services like offering information on sightseeing tours, contact details of various Entertainment Services, taxi phone numbers etc. As time passes by, efficiency of these improvements needs to be tested in order to introduce amendments if necessary.

Such evaluation of improvements can be performed with the help of Balanced Scorecard which is a very efficient performance evaluation and strategic management system. Balanced Scorecard will coordinate efforts of all services and business units of a hotel and align strategies of different departments, for example restaurants and hairdressers service. This is a flexible system which means changes can be easily introduced.

Impact of Globalization on Indian Textile Industry (Author: S.Hariharaputhiran, Associate Prof. Dept.of Mgt.Studies VSB Engineering College, Karur)

ABSTRACT

Impact of Globalization on Indian Industry started when the government opened the country’s markets to foreign investments in the early 1990s. Globalization of the Indian Industry took place in its various sectors such as steel, pharmaceutical, petroleum, chemical, textile, cement, retail, and BPO.

Globalization means the dismantling of trade barriers between nations and the integration of the nations economies through financial flow, trade in goods and services, and corporate investments between nations. Globalization has increased across the world in recent years due to the fast progress that has been made in the field of technology especially in communications and transport. The government of India made changes in its economic policy in 1991 by which it allowed direct foreign investments in the country. As a result of this, globalization of the Indian Industry took place on a major scale.

The various beneficial effects of globalization in Indian Industry are that it brought in huge amounts of foreign investments into the industry especially in the BPO, pharmaceutical, petroleum, and manufacturing industries. As huge amounts of foreign direct investments were coming to the Indian Industry, they boosted the Indian economy quite significantly. The benefits of the effects of globalization in the Indian Industry are that many foreign companies set up industries in India, especially in the pharmaceutical, BPO, petroleum, manufacturing, and chemical sectors and this helped to provide employment to many people in the country. This helped reduce the level of unemployment and poverty in the country. Also the benefit of the Effects of Globalization on Indian Industry are that the foreign companies brought in highly advanced technology with them and this helped to make the Indian Industry more technologically advanced. The various negative Effects of Globalization on Indian Industry are that it increased competition in the Indian market between the foreign companies and domestic companies. With the foreign goods being better than the Indian goods, the consumer preferred to buy the foreign goods. This reduced the amount of profit of the Indian Industry companies. This happened mainly in the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, chemical, and steel industries. The negative Effects of Globalization on Indian Industry are that with the coming of technology the number of labor required decreased and this resulted in many people being removed from their jobs. This happened mainly in the pharmaceutical, chemical, manufacturing, and cement industries.

The effects of globalization on Indian Industry have proved to be positive as well as negative. The government of India must try to make such economic policies with regard to Indian Industry’s Globalization that are beneficial and not harmful. Impact of Globalization on Indian Textile Industry The initiation and development of globalization and Indian textile industry took place simultaneously in the 1990s. The Indian textile industry, until the economic liberalization of Indian economy was predominantly an unorganized industry. The economic liberalization of Indian economy in the early 1990s led to stupendous growth of this Indian industry. The Indian textile industry is one of the largest textile industries in the world and India earns around 27% of the foreign exchange from exports of textiles and its related products. Further, globalization of India textile Industry has seen a paradigm increase in the ‘total industrial production’ factor of this Industry, which presently stands at 14%. Furthermore, the contribution of the Indian textile Industry towards the gross domestic product (GDP) of India is around 3% and the numbers are steadily increasing. The process of globalization and Indian textile industry development was the effect of rapid acceptance of ‘open market’ policy by the developing countries, much in the lines of the developed countries of the world. The initiation and its subsequent development of globalization and Indian textile industry respectively, was effected by the Ministry of Textiles under the Government of India. The aggressive policy that was undertaken for the rapid development of globalization and Indian textile industry were really praiseworthy. The most significant step amongst them was introduction of “The National Textile Policy 2000”. This policy envisaged to address the following issues –

Increased global competition in the post 2005 trade regime under WTO Huge import volume of cheap textiles from other Asian neighbors High production cost with respect to other Asian competitors Use of outdated manufacturing technology Poor supply chain management and huge transit cost Huge unorganized and decentralized sector Further, this policy also aims at increasing the foreign exchange earnings to the tune of US $ 50 billion by the end of the year 2010. It includes rational projections for the overall development and promotion of all the sectors involved directly or indirectly with the Indian textile industry. Furthermore, this policy also envisages the inclusion of the huge unorganized and decentralized Indian textile sector under the organized textile industry. This is because the unorganized textile manufacturing sector in India accounts for 76% of the total textile production. The globalization of the Indian textile sector was the cumulative effect of the following factors – Huge textile production capacity Efficient multi-fiber raw material manufacturing capacity Large pool of skilled and cheap work force Entrepreneurial skills Huge export potential Large domestic market Very low import content Flexible textile manufacturing systems The Indian textile industry consist of the following sectors – Man-made Fiber Filament Yarn Industry Cotton Textile Industry Jute Industry Silk and Silk Textile Industry Wool & Woolen Industry Power loom Sector An approximate number of textile manufacturing companies operating in India are given below – Badges, emblems ribbons and allied products – 175 Bed covers, curtains, cushions and other draperies – 2471 Carpets and rugs – 270 Embroidery and embroidered garments, made ups and furnishing – 848 Fabrics and textiles – 3013 Yarns and threads – 1201 Jute products – 337 Kids apparel and garments -1052 Ladies apparel and garments – 2932 Men’s’ apparel and garments – 2936 Miscellaneous garments, textile and leather accessories – 1658 Yarns and threads – 1201 Wool, woolen garments, blankets and accessories – 468 Textile chemicals, dyeing and finishing chemicals – 239 The overall growth of the Indian textile industry can be attributed to the globalization. Today, the Indian textile industry employs around 35 million personnel directly and it accounts for 21% of the total employment generated in the economy. Globalization of the Indian textile industry has also facilitated introduction of modern and efficient manufacturing machineries and techniques in the Indian textile sector. Thus, much of India’s economic growth is largely dependent on textile manufacturing and exports. Impact of globalisation of textile industry on traditional weaving operations: It is significant to note that in spite of growing competitions and pressure caused by a modern textile sector and shortage/irregular availability of raw materials, almost all the weaver families surveyed have still been continuing their weaving operations to a limited scale. Nearly 26.5% of the surveyed women reported that the weaving activities of the family has seriously been affected due to competitive pressure of modern textile industry. About 58% of the women reported that their weaving operation has moderately been affected. The effect has been more sever for those women working under the co-operative societies and production centres. Majority (98%) of the women reported that modern textile items are available at relatively cheaper prices affecting market for handloom products. Nearly 87% of women respondents reported that growing consumer preference and test, in recent times, towards variety of modern fabrics has severely affected the demand for handloom items. Textile products being manufactured by organized spinning mills offer variety of design and fabrics and attract more number of consumers, squeezing the market size for traditional handloom products, as reported by 58% of the women respondents. The growing consumer preference for modern textile products is directly attributed to increasing investment made by the organized sector on advertisement and promotion. The opinion of the surveyed women respondents call for modernization and technological upgradation of the traditional handloom industry in order to retain its unique position and to achieve economy in competitive environment. Provision of sustainable supply of good quality of raw materials can greatly aid in smoothening the operational crisis in handloom sector. There has been steady decline of the functional performance of the weaver co-operative societies and production centres as a result of growing competition caused by the organised modern textile industries. Nearly 66.7% and 17.5% of the women respondents alleged that the functioning of their societies and production centres have severely and moderately been affected due to the competitive situation caused by the modern textile industry. The competitive situation caused by the modern textile industry has resulted in complete stoppage and stagnation of the societies, decreased sales volume, low and irregular supply of raw materials, irregularity of wage payment, reduction of members, weakening of the financial status, stoppage of bank credit loan etc. Nearly 52.5% of the respondents under co-operative sector reported that the function of the co-operative societies and production centres has drastically reduced to very low level. Even several societies and production centres have stopped working. The strength of membership has gradually been reduced in several societies and centres, as reported by 15.8% of the surveyed women. Sales volume of several societies has considerably been reduced. In spite of stiff competition and resulting weakening of their traditional business, almost all the surveyed weaver families are still continuing their traditional business, with much hardship. At present, nearly 69.4% of the surveyed families reported having one working loom with them. Hardly 2.9% of them reported the status of their loom as non-functioning condition. Nearly 27.7% of the surveyed weaver families reported possessing two working looms. It is noticed that maximum proportion (72.5%) of the weaver families is operating their looms 46-75 hours in week. The actual hours of utilisation of looms by surveyed families fall far behind the actual available hours per week. The low level of utilisation of loom is directly attributed to inadequate and irregular supply of raw materials, low demand/sales of the handloom products and associated financial problems faced by weavers and cooperative societies as well. The reasons for low utilisation looms mainly relate to stagnation of demand, shortage of raw materials, shortage of loom accessories etc. Excessive delay in receiving the raw materials through co-operative societies and production centres has greatly reduced the level of utilisation of their weaving assets as reported by 12.3% of the surveyed families. Only 26% of the surveyed weaver families reported that there is no scope of further increasing the level of operation, but remaining 74% of them expressed their hope for further increasing the level of operation. Nearly half of the surveyed families expressed their need for modernizing their loom either by replacement or by repairing their old looms. Most of the weaver families are conversant with their existing types of looms and hence needed replacement of similar type. About 40% of the weaver families, who expressed their need for modernisation, felt the need for repairing their old looms to make it more productive and functional. Around 43% of weaver families expressed the need for adding few more number of looms to their existing set up. All the weaver families opting for modernisation reported that such modernisation could result in increase in the processing of yarns and improving their level of operation. Nearly 17.5% of the weaver families who opted for modernization reported that such modernisation would contribute to improving the quality of their handloom products. It is noticed that the average quantity of yarns being processed per weaver family per month, in the co-operative sector, in the past was 4.9 kg. per month which has marginally come down to 3.9 kg. per month per household, in the current period, due to decline in sales of handloom products. In case of families under non-co-operative sector, the average consumption of yarn per family per month has marginally declined from 4.9 kg. (past) to 4.1 kg. in the current period. The average monthly consumption of dyes per household has marginally declined from 583 gm. (past) to 517 gm. in the current period, showing a decline of 11.3%. In keeping with this stagnating market for handloom products in the face of increasing competition posed by modern textile sector, demand for yarns per month per household shows decline from 5.1 kg. (past) to 4.7 kg. in the current period. As a whole, the monthly requirement of yarn in the current period varies in the range of 2 kg. to 12 kg. per household. The wide variation of requirement as well as consumption of yarns and dyes by different households reflects the great deal of variation of time and efforts needed for different type of handloom products, quality design and highly crafted fabrics needing relatively more time and processing efforts. As a whole, the actual monthly requirement of yarns per households is nearly 17.5% higher over what they receive and process, in the current period. The average monthly demand of dyes per household show a decline from 591 gm. to 520 gm. (a decline of 12 %) in the current period. Among the beneficiaries procuring yarns, the extent of dependance on co-operative societies as sources of supply has greatly decreased and most of the beneficiaries are now depending on local market for procuring yarns. While 54% of the weaver families were depending on co-operative societies as the source of supply of yarn. Currently only 9% of them are depending on the societies for this purpose. It is important to note that majority (89%) of the weaver families reported depending upon local market for procuring yarns for their weaving operation, while only 46% of them were depending on the local source of supply in the past years. The co-operative societies, which are earlier playing an important role for supplying raw material for traditional weaving, have been relegated to a very miserable position in this context. The scarcity of funds and operational weakness of most of the co-operative societies has been responsible for decreased dependence of the weaver communities on them for procuring raw materials. About 53% of the weaver families reported facing shortage of yarns and dyes required for processing their handloom products, at present. However, 47% of the surveyed families reported that they did not face any shortage of yarns and dyes. The percentage of weaver families reporting shortage of yarns and dyes relatively belongs more to the co-operative sector as compared to those not supported by co-operative sector. Nearly 40.5% of weaver families, who reported shortage of yarns and dyes to meet their production requirement, stated that their weaving operation has moderately been affected due to such shortage, at present. The weaver co-operative societies have failed to ensure steady supply of yarns and dyes to its members to maintain continuity in handloom operation. Nearly 50.5% of the surveyed families expressed their dissatisfaction on the role and performance of the co-operative societies in the context of arranging and supplying required quantity of yarns and dyes to its weaver members, at present. The major reasons of dissatisfaction of the weaver families on the services of co-operative societies mainly pertain to irregularity in supply, inadequate of quantity of supply and poor quality goods delivered. About 56.1% of the weaver families, who expressed dissatisfaction on the services of the societies, reported that supply of yarns and dyes by the societies is frequently irregular. Among the various kinds of woven goods, it is interesting to note that almost all the households engaged in weaving produces sarees. Only small number of families produces other items like dhotty, bedsheets, cloth pices, towels etc. The average number of pieces of sarees produced in a month per weaver household is nearly 8. The average number pieces of sarees produced per weaver households have come down form 10 (past) to 8, at present. Similarly, there has been reduction in monthly production of different category of woven products, as reported by surveyed weaver families. The average value of production of saree per household per month shows a decline from Rs.4,300/- (past) to Rs. 4,000/- at present. The handloom products having its own superb and distinct position in textile sector enjoy a wide spread market in both rural and urban areas. The competitive pressure exerted by modern textile products has not created any perceptible change in the acceptance and the choice of customer segment for handloom products. Due to growing deterioration of functional performance of the weaver co-operative societies and production centres, majority of the weaver community has switched over to direct marketing. The average monthly sale per household of handloom products in terms of pieces through co-operative societies has declined from 15 (past) to 3, at present. On the other hand, the average monthly sales of different handloom goods per month per household have increased from 7 (past) to 13 (current), through open market. In terms of change in value of woven products sold through co-operative societies, it is found that the average value of monthly sale per household has decreased from Rs. 5,000/- (past) to Rs. 1500/- at present. Conclusion : With liberalization of Indian economy, the modern textile industry has posed serious threat to the traditional handloom industry. Rapid technological upgradation and automation in modern textile industry has made high volume of production of a variety of quality synthetic and cotton textile items, enjoying competitive advantage over the handloom products. The handloom industry, both in co-operative and private sector, with its vast rural work force especially of weaver communities is confronted with challenge of competitive economic environment. The weakening position of handloom sector in the wake of global competition of textile industry has posed a serious threat to the socioeconomic life of the traditional weaver communities, in general and to the socioeconomic status of rural women of these weaver communities in particular.

Key word: Textile industry, Modern Textile Products, Traditional weaving operations.