Brand and company analysis of Titan

Brand and company analysis of Titan In early 80s, it was identified by the Tata Group that the watch industry is a huge potential consumer market for the group to enter. A Tata veteran, Xerxes Desai who was the MD of Tata Press was chosen to head this initiative. Titan was conceived in Tata Press in 1984- a joint venture between Tata the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation. Like most consumer markets in India during the pre-liberalization era, the watch industry was way behind the rest of the world. The technology at that time was reliable, but outdated. Tata Group entered the watch market with Quartz technology and the brand Titan. Brand identity-Kapferers Model Physique is an exterior tangible facet conveying brand qualities, form, physical specificities and colour. Physique is the starting point of branding. TITAN: Elegant corporate wear, Life-style watches Personality is an internal intangible facet which forms the character, brand personality and soul which are relevant for brands. TITAN: A complement to dress than just a time showing machine Relationship is an exterior facet with tangible and intangible areas, and defines the behaviour that indentifies the brand the way the brand connects to its customers. TITAN: Watches as a practical luxury with a function other than beauty Culture is an internal intangible facet to integrate the brand into the organization which is essential in differentiating brands. TITAN: Indian, traditional and premium quality Reflection is an external intangible facet reflecting the customer as he or she wishes to be seen as a result of using a brand. TITAN: Lives life to the fullest, multi-faceted, revives aspirations Self-Image is an internal intangible facet reflecting the customer attitude towards the brand. These inner thoughts connect personal inner relationship with the brand. TITAN: Be whatever you want to be and extract more from life Stage in the PLC Xylys Fastrack Sonata 1984 Extension of Maturity phase through REPOSITIONING Sales Time Titans winning story began in the year 1984 when there was a joint venture between the Tata Group and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation. Introducing Titan quartz watches which donned an international appearance, Titan Industries completely transformed the Indian watch industry. After the launch of Sonata, a value-for-money brand which offered functionally styled watches at reasonable prices, Titan Industries aimed to reach the youth of the nation with its third trendy and chic brand Fastrack. Till date, Titan has sold 100mn watches worldwide and it produces 12mn watches per annum. Steps taken by brand at each stage At Product Level Stage I: Introduction Titan offers a broad variety of choices to numerous segments across taste, gender, age and economic status. in the early days, Titan used this approach path as the cornerstone of its leadership strategy. Their former range had discrete offerings for specific requirements: Gold plated cases having fine leather straps were Formal watches launched specially for the executive Gold plated cases having ornamental bracelets were Dress watches launched for those who prefer jewellery All steel watches with functionality were the Rugged watches for those whose usage demanded more durability Stage II: Growth Launched Aqura In 1989, the trendy range for the youth Raga in 1992, the ethnic range for the sophisticated Indian woman Insignia in 1993, typical and international appearing high-end watches, for those who seek exclusivity Launched psi 2000 in 1994, the rugged, sporty and masculine watches with serious sports features for those who seek adventure. Dash in 1996, the bright and colourful collection for kids Launched Sonata in 1997, the affordable, good quality range for the budget-conscious Stage III: Maturity Titan came out with Fastrack in 1998, the cool, fashionable and funky range for the young Nebula in 1999, the solid gold and diamond-studded range of luxury watches for affluent people Steel in 2001, the smart and contemporary collection for the young 21st century executive In 2006, launched its premium watch brand Xylys Also in 2008, Titan came out with unique collections like the Octane, Diva, WWF and Zoop At Communication Level Stage I: Introduction Titan decided to invest to a great extent into exhibiting all its innovations to the prospective consumers using advertising. From the very first day, the catalogue advertising of Titan was used and it turned out to be its hallmark as it was applied regularly and was very effective in merchandising new models. These catalogue ads were also very helpful to the customers in shopping off the newspaper page, almost deciding which model they were interested in picking up. Retailers also got used to viewing customers who would walk into shops with newspaper cuttings, specifically asking for the models depicted there. The same approach is continued till this day, with almost the same effect. The most persisting part of the Titan advertising has been its music track. It was a segment from Mozarts 25th Symphony which was chosen for its class and western vibes and has become Indian Advertisings most unforgettable track. It started in 1987 in its pure classical versions with only one violin playing the melody and over the years, this piece of music has been delivered in innumerable innovative versions. Stage II: Growth In the early 90s, Titan focused on building up the Gifting market. Watches had always been favourite things to gift and Titan benefited from that. A set of 3 films were developed in 1991 around 3 relationships, where the gifting of a Titan climaxed in a touching personal moment and strengthened the bond between the protagonists. All these films were very big hits and they created a separate genre of advertising films lasting around 8 years. During these years, a series of films involving a variety of characters such as a father, a daughter, a teacher, a boyfriend etc.; with local flavour were created and released. These helped in building a huge gift segment for Titan and also became Titans Theme Campaign. Another flourishing customer-facing aspect about Titan has been its stores. In a pioneering attempt which drastically altered the industry standards, the World of Titan was born. Located in the newer parts of a city, the showrooms immediately stood out on the street and ended up in attracting a lot of walk-ins. One could get a better idea about the collection through a contextual presentation and could make up his mind which collection was right for his requirement. Stage III: Maturity Titan Industries decided to revamp its flagship watch brand with the purpose of making it more youthful and relevant to the changing times. The brand underwent a major repositioning exercise in 2005, when Hindi film actor Aamir Khan was appointed brand ambassador and it was followed by the tagline Whats Your Style? campaign. It tried to increase watch consumption per person, by suggesting the use of different watches for different occasions. In 2008, Titan moved from style statements to personality statements. With the explosion of options in a persons life, their core consumer was changing. Titan has evolved and adopted the tagline Be More. It denotes the aspirations of consumers to make more of their lives and be whatever they want to be. Market Scenario/Challenges Majority of the watch customers tend to prefer Titan because of the appealing designs and supreme quality of Titan watches. However, there is a misconception in the minds of the consumers about the prices of Titan products as they find them to be pretty expensive. Titan is now trying to get hold of newer customer segments and are attempting to target all the adults in SEC A and SEC B. Titan is also considering advanced retail strategies and is projecting to launch modern product collections. Summary Titan is the 5th largest branded watch producer in the world with four major brands in the market namely Titan, Sonata, Fastrack and Xylys, all having several sub-brands and collections. Titan Industries commenced operations with groundbreaking offerings, i.e. Quartz watches which altered the look of the Indian watch industry. Ideas which were ahead of their times at Titan Industries led to substantial accomplishments such as Single Point Solutions to each and every Original Equipment Manufacturer customer. Titan watches are available at exclusive World of Titan outlets, Fastrack outlets, multi brand dealers, Multi brand outlet Helios and multi brand stores. Taking the forecast of brand fatigue earnestly, the brand recreated itself with the flawlessly styled Euro watches collection. In the near future, Titan can introduce an exclusive assemblage for Executive men and women which is contemporary and goes well with both the traditional as well as western wear. Also, the brand needs to spread more awareness about the availability of its lesser-priced watches in lower segments of the society as most of the consumers feel that Titan brand is synonymous with premium watches.

effects of depression :: essays research papers

Effects Of Depression   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John had a decision to make and he had to make it now, he had to decide if he would go to see his doctor or if he should just ignore the symptoms. Many people would say if John needed to go to the doctors because he was sick, than he should just go because that is what you would do if you where sick. What you don’t know about Johns symptoms is that he is depressed. There are many reasons why a person can get depressed, however this subject is not talked about in public very often. However, many people go through life having been depressed at one time or another.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Depression can be especially cruel in that it doesn't affect just the depressed person, but everyone around them, too. Someone who is depressed can be very difficult to deal with. What makes this so cruel is, that as a relationship with the depressed person become strained to the point where others avoid having anything to do with them, this further contributes to a deeper depression and makes the person feel even more isolated which might intensify the depression.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being depressed can affect three major areas in a persons life, in the first area it can affect your workplace. Your fellow workers might look at it as though you are a moody person, that goes through mood swings at the drop of a hat. Your boss may look at it as though you have an attitude about your job and that your production level is down and that you just don’t care about work anymore. Your customers may look at it as 2 though you don’t want to deal with them anymore or don’t want their business, these are a few ways that your depression can affect your job because of a misunderstanding and misdiagnosed symptoms.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Depression may cause you to lose your job without the right diagnose and treatment. It can also affect your family and loved ones also with them pulling away from you, because your mood swings and temper is just to much for them to handle, as the relationship with the depressed person become strained to the point where others avoid having anything to do with them. Life has become unbearable with you around them, so the tend to avoid you. As you go deeper into a depressed illness everything and everyone around you just don’t seem important anymore.

Literary Villains: Iago and Krogstad Essay

In â€Å"Othello† and â€Å"A Doll House†, the two plays resulted in destruction of two families due to one’s jealousy and revenge. The antagonist in â€Å"Othello† is Iago who served as Othello ancient in the play was against him from the start. Iago had several motives for plotting against Othello, because they did not give him the rank of Lieutenant and he did not approve of the marriage between Othello and Desdemona. In â€Å"A Doll House†, Krogstad was an employee of Mr. Helmer and he knew that he was going to lose his job. These two characters had motives, which resulted in them to develop plots that were not similar, but they both had the same life-altering outcome and were successful. In the play, â€Å"Othello† Iago provided clues that he was going to destroy Othello. In Act I, Scene 1, Iago and Rodrigo (a gulled gentle man) were talking about the promotion of Michael Cassio (Othello’s Lieutenant) and he (Iago) should have been the one to receive the promotion. Iago states â€Å"One Michael Cassio, a Florentine (A fellow almost damned in a fair wife) that never set a squadron in the field, nor the division of a battle knows more than a spinster; unless the bookish theoric, wherein the togged consuls can propose as masterly as he†. He means that Cassio is not married and that he has no experience of leading troops into the battlefield, because Cassio has not gone into war. Iago is jealous that he was did not receive that promotion and he his disloyalty towards Othello. Othello were reference as him, Moor (black) and thick-lips according to the definition in the play it means â€Å"An Elizabethan epithet for blacks, including Moors†. Iago did not approve of Othello and Desdemona’s elopement. Iago informed Brabantino (Desdemona’s Father) of her daughter’s marriage to Othello, he states, â€Å"I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs†. Iago is also an instigator; he wanted to get Brabantino angry over his daughter’s marriage. In Act I, Scene II, Brabantino states â€Å"O thou foul thief, where hast thou stowed my daughter? Damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted her! † Everyone was against Othello with the assistance from Iago. In â€Å"A Doll House† Nils Krogstad knew that his employment at the bank was ending and that Nora’s husband (Torvald Helmer) is now in charge of the bank. Nora took out a loan from Mr. Krogstad without Mr. Helmer (Nora’s husband) knowledge and he threatens that he will tell her husband about the loan. Mr. Krogstad is also aware that there are forged signatures on the loan documents. Nora tried to convince her husband not to fire Mr. Krogstad, but Mr. Helmer is appalled at his wife for taking Mr. Krogstad’s side. The conversation between Nora and Helmer resulted in him sending Mr. Krogstad’s notice immediately. Iago and Krogstad were successful in their plans. In â€Å"Othello†, Iago used numerous schemes to turn everyone against each other. The first one was to turn Othello against Cassio; the second was to make Othello believe that Desdemona and Cassio were having an affair and thirdly his plan for the death of Cassio with hopes of them killing each other. The outcome of Iago’s plan was the death of Rodrigo (who was set up to kill Cassio), Othello killing Desdemona, the death of Emilia (wife to Iago and Desdemona’s friend) and the death of Othello (suicide). In â€Å"A Doll House†, Ms. Linde (Nora’s friend and ex friend of Krogstad) convinced Krogstad that they should belong together and he no longer wanted to blackmail Nora. Ms. Linde was going to convince Krogstad to take his letter back, but she decided that it is best for Nora to be honest to her husband. Mr. Helmer read the letter and was furious. He stated that â€Å"Oh what an awful awakening! In all these eight years- she who was my pride and joy- a hypocrite, a liar- worse, worse- a criminal! † Mr. Helmer reconsiders when he reads the apology letter from Krogstad, but Nora declines. The two plays were similar in the plots to ruin lives, but they do not share the same outcome, because Krogstad apologized for threatening Nora but this revelation opened a door for Nora to end her marriage with Mr. Helmer.

Standing Out in a Group Essays

Standing Out in a Group Essays Standing Out in a Group Essay Standing Out in a Group Essay Personal Learning Journal 1 Company Name: Fliers for Fires Mark Pond 12930775 Over the last 5 weeks I have come to learn a lot about my group not only in terms of working in unity as one company, but each member within it on an individual level. My first impression of the group was one of surprise and ambiguity as I was a little hesitant whether or not we would work well as a team. This is due to the fact we have six members spread across three totally different countries/cultures with these being America, Australia and Saudi Arabia. When initially getting together and meeting everyone for the first time our group suffered from a mild case of shy-ness which ultimately resulted in Groupthink. This phenomenon was most prominent when we were presenting our various ideas to the rest of the group because we all tried to minimize conflict and reach a consensus without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas. 1] Evidently, as time went on and we got to know one another on a more personal level both inside and outside of the classroom and the formation of ideas and group discussion evolved allowing us to bond as a group and establish the foundations of a promising company. Throughout the last 21 years of my life I have come to understand that I am a person of two differing characteristics. As such I have come to realize that I am both introverted and extroverted. When discussing matters as a group I become extremely introverted, unless I have pre-prepared what I wanted to say. This was prevalent in our first group meeting where we had to come up with ideas of what we could do for our project this semester. It was in this meeting that I held back from discussion and merely absorbed what others had to say. However, at the end of the meeting and after we learnt about brainstorming in class we all went away and formulated as many ideas as we could think of for potential events we could host. The following week when we re-gathered to express our ideas, I stole the thunder as I was well-prepared and had multiple proposals that could be used. It was during this meeting that our first concept (hosting a fair) was agreed upon and it so happened to be my idea that received the thumbs up/consensus from the rest of the group. After learning about Belbin’s team roles and completing the questionnaire, we as a group discovered a lot about one another. When comparing our results we discovered that we all seemed to fall under differing categories regarding our personality in terms of work ethic, organizational skills and how we could all contribute to the project. In saying so I was able to identify certain characteristics and traits from each group member, allowing me to assign them to a role within the company. My results are as follows: James Severance (CEO): Team Coordinator and monitor (great leadership skills) Luke Wilson: Shaper (due to his ability to propose various concepts on the same idea allowing us to create the best event within the idea we agree on) Alexey Potpov: Team Worker (he is good at contributing ideas and thoughts from all departments) Sarah Osman: Specialist (Sarah has excellent writing and drafting skills, as such she can specialize in editing and improving the report). Mohammed Almelahi: Team Worker, resource investigator Mark Pond (Myself): Team Worker, Completer/finisher, Implementer After having our idea of the fair being disproved by BUSA due to OHS issues, we were ultimately back at square one in terms of coming up with an idea for our project. After learning further in class about creativity and types of thinking we sat down and tried to implement what we had learnt. We discovered that there are two types of thinking: 1. Vertical thinking involving rational and logical steps resulting in an evaluative decision. The second type being lateral thinking, which is not as creative or logical and often results in distracted group members where their mind is everywhere but the task on hand. The second type of thinking was obvious when we sat down using the Delphi technique and tried to come up with a new idea that would be less prone to rejection. As such Luke, Alexey and myself were easily distracted and started discussing what we were going to do that night instead of trying to brain storm new ideas for the group. However, once we went away from one another and tried brainstorming on our own, Luke came up with an excellent idea that is now the forefront focus of our company. The most important element of our group is the way that no-one solely dominates group discussions. James our CEO does a wonderful job at getting the group focused and initiates conversation but in particular it is excellent the way he will move around the group and get ideas and opinions from everybody on each matter. This type of leadership works particularly well especially since Sarah and Mohammed are the quieter ones in the group. James’s ability to relate to the introverted-ness of some of our members allows for all individuals to speak up and provide their honest input into the decision making process. Due to the enthusiasm and initiative taken by our CEO James Severance, we are able to function as a group without any members being self-limited and overruled due to lack of expertise/knowledge on the subject. Furthermore as we have all proposed various ideas and come to a unanimous agreement on one event, no one has been pressured, undermined or bullied into agreeing to do anything they didn’t feel confident about compared to other groups that have experienced this dilemma. After studying the article ‘When members raise a White flag’ we were able to draw many aspects of how to create and maintain a well-rounded, on the ball, task orientated group. This article/exercise helped us become more accustomed to one another’s presence and allowed us to learn a little bit about each other in terms of teamwork, confidence in each member’s ability to not raise a white flag/give-up and ultimately establish certain goals and objectives we wish to achieve at the conclusion of the event. One of the most important things I have learnt over the past five weeks, is that in order for a team to function to the best of its ability, trust/friendship my first be established. At the start of the semester and after the groups had been chosen by the different CEO’s we found it difficult to connect as a group. This was because we didn’t know one another and the only reason we had to meet was because of the project at hand. However, as the week’s rolled over and we began to communicate outside of class, I felt that team unity was developing, especially between Luke, James and myself where we have started to call each other even when it’s not work related. This out of class friendship has strengthened our work ethic as a team and has increased the communication level between group members. I believe this has provided me with greater confidence to express my ideas and opinions and ultimately speak up a lot more than I did at the start when I was self-limiting myself due to not knowing anyone. After completing the Hofstede exercise on cultural dimensions in class this week, it was interesting to note the cultural differences between our group members. Unfortunately only Mohammed, James and myself were present for this exercise but at least I was able to determine the different quality’s between all three cultures in our group. As James is from USA, their wasn’t much of a difference between our cultures as our countries are very similar in almost every aspect. The biggest difference I discovered was with Mohammed’s cultural background. Mohammed is from Saudi Arabia and as such his country was found to have a relatively high power distance. In most circumstances this will relate to members from that country expressing their own ideas and not being suppressed by others even if they are in an authoritarian position. Most importantly however countries with this high power distance usually analyse and think about an idea before making any rash decisions and diving into the deep end of the pool. The fact that Mohammed simply agreed with everyone’s idea’s and didn’t propose any of his own had me startled as his culture would suggest that he do the exact opposite. Furthermore, anyone who comes from the Middle-East and in particular Saudi Arabia seems to be brought up in a very reserved and conservative society, where they must establish some sort of trust/friendship with someone before conducting business. Perhaps as Mohammed simply agreed with the ideas and didn’t really speak his mind he was intimidated by how quickly we got passed the ‘getting to know one another’ stage and was forced into ‘shy-ness’, thus becoming introverted. To date we have come along way as a group. Together we have overcome hurdles, had our proposal rejected by BUSA, further formulated ideas, built on our friendship’s on an individual level between group members and ultimately have had a great time thus far working as team ‘Fliers for Fires’. I feel that I still have a lot more to learn from/about my group members as they do about me, and I believe once we begin to put our proposal into action we have the commitment and ability to conduct a fantastic event with all proceeds going towards Victoria’s fire victims. [1] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Groupthink

Free Essays on The Masque Of The Red Death“

Symbolism of Death in â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† Edgar Allen Poe's The Masque of the Red Death is an elaborate allegory that combines objects in the story with visual descriptions to give focus to the reader's imagination. In the story, a prince named Properso tries to dodge the Red Death through isolation and seclusion. He hides behind impenetrable walls of his abbey and lets the world take care of its own. But no walls can stop death because it is unavoidable and inevitable. Visual descriptions in the story are used to symbolize death. Edgar Allen Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809 and died in Baltimore on October 7, 1849. Poe's parents, David Poe Jr. and Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins both died before he was three years old, and he was taken into the home of John Allan in Richmond, Virginia. After a dull and boring childhood he entered the University of Virginia in 1826 but only stayed for a year. Although he was a good student, he ran up large gambling debts that he could not pay. Allan did not return to the university for a second year and broke off his engagement to Sarah Elmira Royster, his Richmond sweetheart. With nowhere else to go, Poe enlisted in the army. Even though he dropped out of college he had already written and printed his first book, Tamerlane and Other Poems in 1827 at his own expense. After returning to college at West Point he dropped out due to disobedience of orders. After his removal from the college his fellow students supported him financially with his next publication, Poems by Edgar A. Poe ... Second Edition in 1831. After a short but prosperous writing career Poe revisited Richmond in 1849 and was accepted â€Å"anew† by the fiancee he had lost in 1826. After returning home he was found unconscious on a Baltimore street. In a brief obituary the Baltimore Clipper reported that Poe had died of "congestion of the brain." The first symbolic mean of death in â€Å"The Masque of the Red Deat... Free Essays on The Masque Of The Red Deathâ€Å" Free Essays on The Masque Of The Red Deathâ€Å" Symbolism of Death in â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† Edgar Allen Poe's The Masque of the Red Death is an elaborate allegory that combines objects in the story with visual descriptions to give focus to the reader's imagination. In the story, a prince named Properso tries to dodge the Red Death through isolation and seclusion. He hides behind impenetrable walls of his abbey and lets the world take care of its own. But no walls can stop death because it is unavoidable and inevitable. Visual descriptions in the story are used to symbolize death. Edgar Allen Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809 and died in Baltimore on October 7, 1849. Poe's parents, David Poe Jr. and Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins both died before he was three years old, and he was taken into the home of John Allan in Richmond, Virginia. After a dull and boring childhood he entered the University of Virginia in 1826 but only stayed for a year. Although he was a good student, he ran up large gambling debts that he could not pay. Allan did not return to the university for a second year and broke off his engagement to Sarah Elmira Royster, his Richmond sweetheart. With nowhere else to go, Poe enlisted in the army. Even though he dropped out of college he had already written and printed his first book, Tamerlane and Other Poems in 1827 at his own expense. After returning to college at West Point he dropped out due to disobedience of orders. After his removal from the college his fellow students supported him financially with his next publication, Poems by Edgar A. Poe ... Second Edition in 1831. After a short but prosperous writing career Poe revisited Richmond in 1849 and was accepted â€Å"anew† by the fiancee he had lost in 1826. After returning home he was found unconscious on a Baltimore street. In a brief obituary the Baltimore Clipper reported that Poe had died of "congestion of the brain." The first symbolic mean of death in â€Å"The Masque of the Red Deat...

Listening Teaching Demos for Intermediate Level Essay - 1

Listening Teaching Demos for Intermediate Level - Essay Example it can be seen that providing a discussion and class participation module with respect to cardinal points can have both primary, secondary, and tertiary impact upon a litany of different aspects of furthering the educational process. Firstly, it targets participation and encourages students to become actively engaged in the learning process through working in teams and seeking out solutions. Secondly, it utilizes only a handful of instructional materials as a way of making the point and providing the active forms of education that have been previously delineated. Thirdly, it organizes the classroom environment in a non uni-directional way. What is meant by this is that the teacher is not responsible for providing the students with an endless stream of information and then expecting them to regurgitate this back to him/her. Rather, the active part of learning within this particular scenario is taken part in by the pupils themselves. Although it is understood by this particular educato r that it is not my role and/or responsibility to be responsible for teaching each of these different subject matters in their entirety, providing the linkage between them and allowing the students to explore and improve their education based upon these determinacy’s has a marked level of educational benefit.

How Has the Internet Influenced the Nature of Community Involvement in Assignment

How Has the Internet Influenced the Nature of Community Involvement in Development Decisions in Urban Planning - Assignment Example According to the International Association of Public Participation IAP2, any method which involves the public in making decisions or solving problems is known as a stakeholder engagement. The Internet has contributed significantly in increasing stakeholder engagement in the urban planning process. This paper attempts to investigate how far the Internet has been successful in doing so. Urban Development Planning The Planning Authorities formulate development plans for the urban, semi-urban and rural sectors. The entire development planning process involves the services of a wide range of professionals. They include civil engineers, architects, environmental engineers, geographers, real estate and property managers, surveyors, cartographers, community association managers, surveying technicians and also market and survey researchers (U.S Department of Labor, 2008, p. 222). The Role of the Internet The Internet has primarily been used to computerize the existing processes of communicati on between the Government and the community people. Citizens have used the e-mail to exchange information with the Government officials instead of writing hard copies of letters. The Community people have accessed information regarding urban development activities, on specific websites instead of reading pamphlets and reports. They could download this information from the Internet as a digital copy if they required it. Many urban planning bodies have posted an extensive amount of information regarding their plans and programmes on these websites. Earlier there used to be newspaper notices and official records regarding the same. The citizens can access a wide variety of planning related documents on the internet which sometimes also includes the agendas of urban planning board. Many planning agencies have adopted Geographic Information Systems (GIS) on their websites which have allowed the citizens to access GIS data and design their own maps. In 2004, a survey was conducted on the websites of 582 cities of the U.S.A which had recorded a population of 50,000 or more in the 2000 Census. It was found that 55% of the websites posted the urban plans of the Civic Authorities and 35% of them provided an e-mail address for the citizens to communicate. 37% of the websites also enumerated the major points of discussion of planned meetings with the community people. (Goodspeed 2008 p29; Conroy & Cowley, 2004) Brody, Godschalk and Burby have identified five areas where the Internet has played a significant role in facilitating community participation in urban planning and development. Some of these areas still offer considerable scope for the Internet to function as a significant medium of communication (Goodspeed, 2008). 1) Providing Information to the Community and Providing them with Opportunities to influence Planning Decisions: There are urban planning websites that have a provision for the citizens to write their views in an open forum where the planning authoritie s can clarify these opinions following a process of exchange of views. The website of PlanNYC (a student run site concerning urban planning) has allowed website visitors to post their comments. Similarly, blogs have been launched on the internet by some communities that have the provision for the residents to post their opinion on a variety of topics relating to urban development planning. A group called E-Democracy.org has launched a forum which facilitates