SWOT and PEST Analysis of Indias Telecom Sector

SWOT and PEST Analysis of Indias Telecom Sector INTRO Indian telecom industry worlds fastest growing industry(last three years 42%) and adding millions of customer monthly and reach to mark of more than 700 million customer mark in the end of year 2010. It is the most dynamic industry and based on the tough competition, price war emerged in the 3rd quarter of 2010. It has lowest tariffs in the world and highest telephone density. It also suffers from highest churn rate 2% and 5% for postpaid and prepaid respectively. It also has lowest ARPU (average revenue per user). It is second largest network in the world (in terms of number of subscriber #1st china) The wireless sector has become so dominant that it is has almost made the landline part dormant with no new happenings/activities/technology in that domain of telecommunication services. A look at their contribution to the total telephone services shows the rapidly change face of the telecommunication industry in India. This sea change has been caused by a number of factors varying from reduction in tariffs and cost of mobile handsets to change in government policies to mindset of the general public. Market Structure Indian telecommunication market is divided into a total of 23 circles, which include 4 metros, and 19 other circles. These circles are further classified into A, B and C type of circles base in the certain economic parameters and revenue potential. Circles were categorized as A,B, C based on the revenue potential as per the 1st auction in 1995. Total Market Size: US $ 60 Billion Telecommunication Services can be broadly classified under 3 heads: Telephone, Broadcasting and Internet. An exponential growth in the number of subscribers has been witnessed over the recent years with the annual growth going as high as 47%. Indian tariffs are very low in comparison to world standards. The COMPANIES which I am going to analyze is top 5 as per the market share shown by above table BHARTI AIRTEL IDEA VODAFONE BSNL AIRCEL PEST ANALYSIS It is the frame work designed to assess the macro environment of any country, organization or company. It is basically include the following four factors but now days it extends further to PESTELED the extension denotes as ENVIROMENT -LEGAL-ETHICS-DEMOGRAPHICS. This analysis tries to find all details related to its four heads, which has some meaning to business and affect business activities.it is the part of external analysis while conducting strategic analysis for business. It is useful tool to understand business growth opportunities and if any previous decline why was decline. With the increase of competition and fast changing global scenario each firm is doing this to be dynamic in its position. POLITICAL FACTORS GOVERNMENT TYPE LABOUR LAW, FREEDOM OF PRESS, RULES OF LAW, BUREAUCRACY, CORRUPTION TRADE RESTRICTIONS/ TARIFFS POLITICAL STABILITY ECONOMIC FACTORS ECONOMIC GROWTH INTEREST RATES EXCHANGE RATES INFLATION RATE BUSINESS CYCLE STAGE SOCIAL FACTOR CULTURAL ASPECTS BUYING BEHAVIOR POPULATION GROWTH RATE AGE DISTRIBUTION INCOME DISTRIBUTION LEVEL OF EDUCATION TECHNOLOGICAL FACTOR RATE OF OBSOLESCENCE RD FACILITIES SPEED OF TECHNOLOGICAL TRANSFER POLITICAL FACTOR- these factors are related to the politics of the country, it has huge impact as India has close environment before 1991 and its difficult or impossible to set up a business. Government type the current UPA government of India is progressive and liberal which laying path to economic development SWOT ANALYSIS It denotes STRENGTH -WEAKNESS-OPPERTUNITY-THREAT and this technique used to analyze a company during strategic planning. This technique is credited to Albert Humphery who led a convention at Stanford University in the 1960s and 1970s using data from Fortune 500 companies. BHARTI AIRTEL: Bharti airtel limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa. The company offers mobile voice data services, fixed line, high speed broadband, IPTV, DTH, turnkey telecom solutions for enterprises and national international long distance services to carriers. bharti airtel has been ranked among the six best performing technology companies in the world by business week. bharti airtel had 200 million customers across its operations. STRENGTH Bharti Airtel has more than 65 million customers (July 2008). It is the largest cellular provider in India, and also supplies broadband and telephone services as well as many other telecommunications services to both domestic and corporate customers. Other stakeholders in Bharti Airtel include Sony-Ericsson, Nokia and Sing Tel, with whom they hold a strategic alliance. This means that the business has access to knowledge and technology from other parts of the telecommunications world. The company has covered the entire Indian nation with its network. This has underpinned its large and rising customer base. Weaknesses An often cited original weakness is that when the business was started by Sunil Bharti Mittal over 15 years ago, the business has little knowledge and experience of how a cellular telephone system actually worked. So the start-up business had to outsource to industry experts in the field. Until recently Airtel did not own its own towers, which was a particular strength of some of its competitors such as Hutchison Essar. Towers are important if your company wishes to provide wide coverage nationally. The fact that the Airtel has not pulled off a deal with South Africas MTN could signal the lack of any real emerging market investment opportunity for the business once the Indian market has become mature. Opportunities The company possesses a customized version of the Google search engine which will enhance broadband services to customers. The tie-up with Google can only enhance the Airtel brand, and also provides advertising opportunities in Indian for Google. Global telecommunications and new technology brands see Airtel as a key strategic player in the Indian market. The new iPhone will be launched in India via an Airtel distributorship. Another strategic partnership is held with BlackBerry Wireless Solutions. Despite being forced to outsource much of its technical operations in the early days, this allowed Airtel to work from its own blank sheet of paper, and to question industry approaches and practices for example replacing the Revenue-Per-Customer model with a Revenue-Per-Minute model which is better suited to India, as the company moved into small and remote villages and towns. The company is investing in its operation in 120,000 to 160,000 small villages every year. It sees that less well-off consumers may only be able to afford a few tens of Rupees per call, and also so that the business benefits are scalable using its Matchbox strategy. Bharti Airtel is embarking on another joint venture with Vodafone Essar and Idea Cellular to create a new independent tower company called Indus Towers. This new business will control more than 60% of Indias network towers. IPTV is another potential new service that could underpin the companys long-term strategy. Threats Airtel and Vodafone seem to be having an on/off relationship. Vodafone which owned a 5.6% stake in the Airtel business sold it back to Airtel, and instead invested in its rival Hutchison Essar. Knowledge and technology previously available to Airtel now moves into the hands of one of its competitors. The quickly changing pace of the global telecommunications industry could tempt Airtel to go along the acquisition trail which may make it vulnerable if the world goes into recession. Perhaps this was an impact upon the decision not to proceed with talks about the potential purchase of South Africas MTN in May 2008. This opened the door for talks between Reliance Communications Anil Ambani and MTN, allowing a competing Inidan industrialist to invest in the new emerging African telecommunications market. Bharti Airtel could also be the target for the takeover vision of other global telecommunications players that wish to move into the Indian market. VODAFONE- Vodafone Essar is the Indian subsidiary of Vodafone Group and commenced operations in 1994 when its predecessor Hutchison Telecom acquired the cellular license for Mumbai. The company now has operations across the country with over 127.34 million customers. In a survey conducted by Indias leading business weekly, Vodafone Essar was awarded Most Respected Company in the Telecom Sector for 2010.Vodafone is one of the worlds leading international mobile communication group STRENGTH Presence in many countries and backed by number one telecom country. Provider of 3G and blackberry services and business solution. Number one gainer due to MNP 50,000 customer. WEAKNESS THREAT OPPORTUNITIES Emerging markets and expansion abroad Innovation Product and services expansion Growing data business and 3G auctioning VAS as a means to increase ARPU (big boss, Zoo Z00) Growing Enterprise solution market (10.2% in 2009 anticipated) Large capital can be raised by listing Vodafone on Indian Stock Exchange(IPO) Tower sharing business with Indus Towers iDEA- idea is the 3rd largest mobile services operator in India, in revenue terms, and recorded a subscriber base of over 78 million as on end November 10. It became a pan-India integrated GSM operator covering the entire telephony landscape of the country, and expanded its NLD and ILD operations in FY 2010. During the year, Idea increased its revenue market share by over 1%, despite stiff tariff war in the market. The company has won license to offer 3G services in 11 service areas, which generate over 81% of the companys total revenue. Ideas 3G services will be launched in the year 2011. STRENGTH WEAKNESS THREAT OPPORTUNITIES AIRCEL The Aircel group is a joint venture between Maxis Communications Berhad of Malaysia and Sindya Securities Investments Private Limited, whose current shareholders are the Reddy family of Apollo Hospitals Group of India, with Maxis Communications holding a majority stake of 74% .Aircel commenced operations in 1999 and became the leading mobile operator in Tamil Nadu within 18 months. In December 2003, it launched commercially in Chennai and quickly established itself as a market leader a position it has held since. STRENGTH WEAKNESS THREAT OPPERTUNITIES BSNL Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. formed in October, 2000, is Worlds 7th largest Telecommunications Company providing comprehensive range of telecom services in India: Wire line, CDMA mobile, GSM Mobile, Internet, Broadband, Carrier service, MPLS-VPN, VSAT, VoIP services, IN Services etc. Presently it is one of the largest leading public sector unit in India. STRENGTH WEAKNESS THREAT OPPERTUNITIES Industry- pestel, porter, 7s Firm- swot,sap,etop,competitor, internal,externalpestel external factor external factor etop industry analysis competitors analysis competitors analysis mraketing analysis internal factor analysis swot pestel external factor external factor etop industry analysis competitors analysis competitors analysis mraketing analysis internal factor analysis swot pestel external factor external factor etop industry analysis competitors analysis competitors analysis mraketing analysis internal factor analysis swot

Knowledge Management System: Case Study Essay

Margaret House, CEO of Bounce fitness and the Board of Directors are keen to have the four Centres registered with fitness Australia (www.fitness.org.au). They feel that standards required to be met as a registered fitness centres would not only ensure the credibility of the organization in the eyes of the public but provide goals for the Centre Managers and Teams. Registration will require meeting the code of conduct for the state in which each Centre is located and ensuring that all trainers meet, or immediately undertake training to meet, certain standards, and information about the registration can be obtained by going to the Fitness Australia website and clicking on the Register Your Fitness Business tab. The Codes of conduct for each State are also linked here if you scroll down the page. The minimal educational qualification required by Bounce Fitness for all Trainers is the Certificate III in Fitness Instructing and all the trainers must hold this to continue to work as a tra iner of classes and individual clients. At this point in time, this has not been consistently applied. In Cairns all are qualified, in Brisbane two (2) need the basic training, two (2) also in Brisbane and in Melbourne there is one (1). It is intended under the change management initiative that all trainers, once they have completed the basic training will continue to pursue further training, The Certificate IV and Diploma, annually as personal development. Bounce fitness will pay for the training fees and other incidentals such as text book requirements and provide one (1) paid hour per week for study leave. Bounce Fitness will also reimburse travel and accommodation for compulsory study attendance sessions. You can get more information on this at Fitness Australia website under the Fitness Careers/Get qualified tab. It is expected that the change management process will be fairly smooth if adequate measures are taken and the processes is well managed. The major resistance will come from the five (5) trainers who do not have this qualification and have learnt through experience. That is why they do not have it now. They will also not want to participate in the further training initiative. If the whole standardisation process is not managed carefully, there is potential for dissatisfaction and all Centres may not comply with the standardised procedures. This is a major concern for the Executive;  hence your recommendations are crucial. You have been asked to investigate the feasibility, benefits and practicality of entering into such a relationship with Fitness and make recommendations. Prepare a report for submission to the CEO and Board. Task 1 – Practical: Obtain Information Task 1 requires you to gain background information. On your own paper, address the following points to ensure you have all the necessary information: 1.1 Review the information in the Case Study; examine the information on the bounce fitness Website. 1.2 Identify, define and analyse the business problems and issues. 1.3 Identify what information you will require to provide to the CEO and Board of Directors to allow them to make a decision. 1.4 Investigate the information on the Fitness Australia website. How do you know that the information you are gathering is reliable. 1.5 Check the information and ensure that the information you select to use is not contradictory or ambiguous. 1.6 How will you obtain anecdotal and other information not held in formal networks from the Centres? Print and include any documents you use from the Bounce Fitness website and reference any other information for your assessor. The following activity has been designed for all learners to complete.Task 2 2.1Why is it important to research stakeholder requirements for an information or knowledge management system? Give examples of how you might collect information from internal and external stakeholders. 2.2Consider a system that provides information to external stakeholders; for example, allowing suppliers to provide quote information or customers to make purchases. 2.3Describe the main objectives of this system. 2.4Develop a strategy for training the external users of this system. Include information about the method of training, how it will be contextualised for the external users and what resources may be required. 2.5How would you assess success of the training activity? 2.6Describe how you would promote the system to the external users. 2.7Describe how you would protect the system integrity while providing  access to external users. 2.8Suggest strategies for resolving the following information management system problems: 2.9You want to summarise sales information by customer type but the report does not exist in the customer management system. 3.0Your computer is crashing regularly, causing you to lose data. 3.1Select a component of an information or knowledge management system that you are familiar with. Describe the strengths and weaknesses of that system. 3.2Describe SWOT analysis. Give examples of how it may be used to measure the effectiveness of an information management system. 3.3Select a component of an information or knowledge management system that you are familiar with. 3.4Assess the effectiveness of this system, explaining how you collected the information to complete the assessment. 3.5Identify possible improvements that could be made to the system. 3.6Suggest other employees who may be involved in assessing the system and designing improvements. 3.7Write a report summarising your assessment and possible improvements. Task 3 Read the case study, and then complete the questions that follow. Smart Sports sells a range of sporting equipment at retail stores throughout Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. The head office produces most marketing material but allows the stores to conduct their own direct marketing activities to their own customers. Each week, the store manager places an order to the warehouse for additional stock. The manager also provides a report to head office about the hours each employee has worked, so head office can process the pay. 1.Describe the information or knowledge management systems that may exist at the following locations: a)a Smart Sports store b)the warehouse c)Smart Sports head office. 2.What measures might be used to assess effectiveness of each of these systems? 3.What legislative requirements may apply to the systems at each Smart Sports location? 4.Imagine you are conducting a review of the warehouse system at Smart Sports. a)How might you measure the effectiveness of this review? b)What challenges might you expect when implementing the upgrade to this system? c)How might you resolve these challenges? Case study (cont’d) Ngoc is a graduate marketing analyst for Smart Sports. One of her key responsibilities is summarising sales results for each store, and developing comparisons between stores, regions, and competitors. Ngoc develops reports on these figures, which she presents to monthly management meetings. Ngoc’s supervisor, Andreas, feels that she is struggling with these regular reports and decides he needs to organise some training. 5.Develop a report for Andreas to submit for approval of Ngoc’s training. The report should include: a)a summary of the skills and knowledge she may require b)suggested methods for this training c)resources required for the training d)how success will be measured.

Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville Essay - 661 Words

Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville Herman Melville, an American novelist and major literary figure explored psychological themes in many of his works. Herman Melville was born in 1819 in New York City into an established merchant family. The familys fortune had taken a decline that led to bankruptcy and caused insanity to enter into his fathers Life. Through his writing, Melville recreated a part of life that existed then, and is prevalent in our society today. Low self esteem along with self perception and how others percieve us, can be a factor leading to depression. Depression, if left untreated can become so severe that it is possible to cause someone to lose the will to live.I will clarify this illness†¦show more content†¦As time passed Bartleby verbally stated when asked to comply with his work responsibilities I prefer not to. His protest for the work was very direct and yet very passive. Bartleby seems to have a distinctive, dysfunctional personality. But he wrote on silently, palely, mechanically. This passage shows the debilitating effects of such a depressed life. I prefer not to. seemed to be the only verbal communication he was capable of at the present time. Although he appeared to be referring to his work subconsciously his true feelings for death were stated as I prefer not to. As the story continues it becomes obvious that Bartleby it becomes obvious that Bartleby could not be saved from himself, nor did he want help from anyone else. Bartleby seemed to put up a brick wall between himself and the world. He would not allow anyone into his self destructive detorating world.Strangely huddled at the base of the wall, his knees drawn up, and lying on his sides, his head touching the cold stone, I saw the wasted Bartleby. From this excerpt, we see that depression is a powerful and vengeful illness that caused Bartleby his life.. And I trembled to think that my contact with the scrivener had already and seriously affected me in a mental way. Although it was Bartleby who was the victim of depression it had its ill effects on people around him. I found Bartleby the Scrivener a disturbing sto ry due to its reality.Show MoreRelatedBartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville597 Words   |  3 Pages â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener† is an interesting short story written by Herman Melville for Putnams magazine at a time when Melville was in need for money (Davis 183). The narrator opens with a description of himself, his employees, and the fact that his business has recently grown. Soon after, the narrator, who is a lawyer, hires an additional employee by the name of Bartleby, the namesake of the story. He then proceeds to tell the reader all he knows of Bartleby: how he started off copying as desired;Read MoreBartleby, The Scrivener, By Herman Melville1291 Words   |  6 PagesIn short, Herman Melville’s story â€Å"Bartleby, the scrivener†, tells the tale of a successful lawyer hiring a new copyist and the challenges he faced with his new hire. Initially, the new hire, Bartleby, was extremely driven and very efficient. He had a great work ethic, and ha d an extraordinary output of writing for the head lawyer. On the third day Bartleby stunned his boss by preferring not to comply with his boss’s request. Bartleby’s refusal to comply was at first directed at anything outsideRead MoreHerman Melville s Bartleby The Scrivener1455 Words   |  6 Pagesto make the commands and orders pertaining to the employee, however in Herman Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener, this situation is not the case, and in fact opposite. 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Although unjustly criticized for the â€Å"purposeless extravagance† and â€Å"disorderliness† of his writing, due to his digressions into many different topics while discussing a single one, especially in his most celebrated novel today, though most criticized and unappreciated in his time, Moby Dick, Herman MelvilleRead MoreHerman Melville s Bartleby The Scrivener938 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener† delves into the life of a worker at a New York City Law firm. Herman Melville provides a drab and bleak outlook on the conditions of labor and mental state of the workers at the firm. Though the story can be seen as a depiction of the isolation and lack of passion found in big city labor, I believe that Melville provides much more in his writing. Within the details provided in the story, he manages to forge a metaphor for the power of transcendental ideals such as self relianceRead MoreHerman Melville s Bartleby The Scrivener1402 Words   |  6 Pagestackle these walls. Herman Melville gives us a glimpse at how walls can eventually destroy us if we give into them. In his short story, Bartleby the Scrivener, the narrator tells the story of a clerk he once employed, Bartleby. At first, Bartleby seemed to be the perfect employee, but he eventually began to shirk his work and depart into himself. Through the narrative, the narrator gives his account of how he dealt with Bartleby and gives the reader a look at the walls Bartleby dealt with in partRead MoreThe Lawyer and the Pandhandler in Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville540 Words   |  3 PagesIn the story of Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville, there is a lawyer who narrates the entire story. He owns his own law practice and also has an assortment of scribes who work for him. The first scrivener, named Turkey, was a hard worker until 12 o’ clock noon daily. Following that time, his work begins to diminish. The second, who they called Nippers, was the complete opposite. He worked best during the afternoon and evening hours. Lastly, Bartleby didn’t do much work at all. He was lazyRead MoreAllusions in Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville Essay546 Words   |  3 PagesIn â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener† the author, Herman Melville, uses indirect references to hint to many historical, literary, and biblical events. â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener† contains many allusions about important events that help connect this fictional story to actual events in Melville’s time period, before, and beyond. Melville uses allusions frequently throughout â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener† to help build connections with the real world and the fictitious world of this short story. One of the biggestRead MoreBartleby, the Hero in Herman Melville‚Äà ´s Short Story Bartleby the Scrivener1373 Words   |  6 PagesBartleby, The Hero in Herman Melville’s short Story Bartleby the Scrivener In Herman Melville’s short story Bartleby the Scrivener, Bartleby is the hero. The reasons as to why Bartleby is considered the hero of the story are that first, the character refuses to write in his job in the law office. He even starves himself to death by refusing to eat, but in the end, the spirit of Bartleby still remains alive and haunts the narrator. Throughout his life, the narrator remains haunted by the spiritualRead MoreBartleby, The Scrivener, By Herman Melville And The Fall Of The House Of Usher Essay1754 Words   |  8 Pages â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener† by Herman Melville and â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† by Edgar Allen Poe both use isolated characters in a main role. These stories deal with how the isolation of man leads to the death of humanity. In a historical reference, the isolation of mentally ill men and women led to gruesome and inhumane practices while in the care of other people. Through the Middle Ages and until the establishment of asylums, treatments for mental illness were offered by â€Å"humanistic physicians

The Olmec Royal Compound at La Venta

The Olmec Royal Compound at La Venta: La Venta was a great Olmec city which thrived in the present-day Mexican State of Tabasco from around 1000 to 400 B.C. The city was built on a ridge, and on top of that ridge are several important buildings and complexes. Taken together, these make up the â€Å"Royal Compound† of La Venta, an extremely important ceremonial site. The Olmec Civilization: The Olmec culture is the earliest of the great Mesoamerican civilizations and is considered by many to be the mother culture of later peoples such as the Maya and the Aztecs. The Olmecs are associated with several archaeological sites, but two of their cities are considered more important than the others: San Lorenzo and La Venta. Both of these city names are modern, as the original names of these cities have been lost. The Olmecs had a complex cosmos and religion.a including a pantheon of several gods. They also had long-distance trade routes and were extremely talented artists and sculptors. With the fall of La Venta around 400 B.C. the Olmec culture collapsed, succeeded by the epi-Olmec. La Venta: La Venta was the greatest city of its day. Although there were other cultures in Mesoamerica at the time La Venta was at its apex, no other city could compare in size, influence or grandeur. A powerful ruling class could command thousands of workers for public works tasks, such as bringing huge blocks of stone many miles to be carved at Olmec workshops in the city. Priests managed the communications between this world and the supernatural planes of the gods and many thousands of common people labored in the farms and rivers to feed the growing empire. At its height, La Venta was home to thousands of people and directly controlled an area of around 200 hectares – its influence reached much further. The Great Pyramid – Complex C: La Venta is dominated by Complex C, also called the Great Pyramid. Complex C is a conical construction, made of clay, which was once a more clearly defined pyramid. It stands about 30 meters (100 feet) high and has a diameter of about 120 meters (400 feet) It is man-made of nearly 100,000 cubic meters (3.5 million cubic feet) of earth, which must have taken thousands of man-hours to accomplish, and it is the highest point of La Venta. Unfortunately, part of the top of the mound was destroyed by nearby oil operations in the 1960’s. The Olmec considered mountains sacred, and since there are no mountains nearby, it is thought by some researchers that Complex C was created to stand-in for a sacred mountain in religious ceremonies. Four stelae located at the base of the mound, with â€Å"mountain faces† on them, seem to bear out this theory (Grove). Complex A: Complex A, located at the base of the Great Pyramid to the north, is one of the most important Olmec sites ever discovered. Complex A was a religious and ceremonial complex and served as a royal necropolis as well. Complex A is home to a series of small mounds and walls, but it is what is underground that is most interesting. Five massive offerings have been found in Complex A: these are large pits which were dug out and then filled with stones, colored clay and mosaics. Many smaller offerings have been found as well, including figurines, celts, masks, jewelry and other Olmec treasures given to the gods. Five tombs have been found in the complex, and although the bodies of the occupants decomposed long ago, important objects have been found there. To the north, Complex A was guarded by three colossal heads, and several sculptures and stelae of note have been found in the complex. Complex B: To the south of the Great Pyramid, Complex B is a large plaza (referred to as Plaza B) and a series of four smaller mounds. This airy, open area was most likely a place for the Olmec people to gather to witness ceremonies that took place on or near the pyramid. Several noteworthy sculptures were found in Complex B, including a colossal head and three Olmec-style sculpted thrones. The Stirling Acropolis: The Stirling Acropolis is a massive earthen platform which dominates the eastern side of Complex B. On top are two small, circular mounds and two long, parallel mounds that some believe may be an early ballcourt. Many fragments of broken statues and monuments as well as a drainage system and basalt columns have been found in the acropolis, leading to speculation that it may have once been the royal palace where the ruler of La Venta and his family resided. It is named for American archaeologist Matthew Stirling (1896-1975) who did a great deal of important work at La Venta. Importance of the La Venta Royal Compound: The Royal Compound of La Venta is the most important section of one of the four most important Olmec sites located and excavated to date. The discoveries made there - in particular at Complex A - have changed the way we see the Ancient Olmec culture. The Olmec civilization, in turn, is very important to the study of Mesoamerican cultures. The Olmec civilization is important in that it developed independently: in the region, there are no major cultures that came before them to influence their religion, culture, etc. Societies like the Olmec, which developed on their own, are referred to as pristine civilizations and there are very few of them. There may yet be even more discoveries to make in the royal compound. Magnetometer readings of Complex C indicate there is something in there, but it has not yet been excavated. Other digs in the area may reveal more sculptures or offerings. The royal compound may yet have secrets to divulge. Sources: Coe, Michael D and Rex Koontz. Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs. 6th Edition. New York: Thames and Hudson, 2008 Diehl, Richard A. The Olmecs: Americas First Civilization. London: Thames and Hudson, 2004. Grove, David C. Cerros Sagradas Olmecas. Trans. Elisa Ramirez. Arqueologà ­a Mexicana Vol XV - Num. 87 (Sept-Oct 2007). P. 30-35. Miller, Mary and Karl Taube. An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya. New York: Thames Hudson, 1993. Gonzalez Tauck, Rebecca B. El Complejo A: La Venta, Tabasco Arqueologà ­a Mexicana Vol XV - Num. 87 (Sept-Oct 2007). p. 49-54.