Creation Myth Compare and Contrast

Usually, creation myths have a lot of similarities and seem to convey the same message. A creation myth is a symbolic narrative of how the world began and how people first came to inhabit it. There are many different creation myths that have been passed down from generation to generation and in â€Å"Enuma Elish† â€Å"Osiris, Isis and Horus† and â€Å"Genesis† you are able to see just how similar they are, but also slight different. One of the first things you will notice in these myths is that they are all based on gods.Each myth has an evil entity that helps set the myth to tell a story on what happened and to get the message across. Each evil entity plays a big part in the myth and eventually loses the battle to show that good always prevails.1. Osiris, Isis and Horus – Set was the son of Geb and Nut who chose to be born on the third day. Set was aggressive from the very beginning choosing the time and manner of his birth. Osiris became king of Upper a nd Lower Egypt. Set wanted to take over the country and established a plan to trick Osiris by showing a beautiful wooden box during the feast.Set said that anyone who can fit in the box perfectly was able to keep the box – little did everyone know that Set secretly measured the box to fit Osiris. Once Osiris had his turn to fit in the box, it was nailed shut with him inside. They then poured melted lead to make sure that he suffocated. Isis eventually was able to bring Osiris back to life and in the mean time their son, Horus, was born. Horus was born to avenge his father’s death and kill Set. Isis would not allow Horus to kill Set, so they battled each other, and Horus won each time.2. Enuma Elish – Tiamat was encouraged by her son Kingu to seek revenge her children to avenge the death of Apsu and for creating a fourfold wind that kept them awake and disturbed their bodies. Tiamat created monsters to help her win this battle against the other gods, but they had something else in mind. They made Marduk fight the battle against Tiamat because the others were not strong enough and Marduk was the wisest and strongest of all of the gods. Marduk won the battle against Tiamat and killed her to make the heavens and the earth from her body.3. Genesis – The evil entity in Genesis is the serpent that convinces Eve to eat the apple off of the tree of wisdom. God specifically told Adam and Eve not to eat this fruit as it was forbidden. Eve gave in and ate the fruit and then had Adam do the same. Because of the serpent, Adam and Eve ate the fruit and they were all punished and put out of the Garden of Eden. As you can see, each myth’s evil entity lost their battle during the story. None of them achieved what they wanted to, which shows that good always overcomes evil, even though there are conflicts raised from it.Sometimes you have to fight for what you know is right, but eventually, the good always shines. Enuma Elish and Genesis are mo st similar in a few different ways. With these myths, you are really able to tell that most creation myths are a foundation on the way different cultures are made up. Some of the similarities between Enuma Elish and Genesis are;1. Both myths imply that there was nothing in the beginning. In Genesis it states, â€Å"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. † The myth of Enuma Elish starts by stating â€Å"In the beginning, only water and the mist that hovered above it existed. † As you can see, both myths beginning started with nothing until the Gods created something.2. The Enuma Elish is recorded on seven tablets where as Genesis states that everything was created in seven days.3. In both myths, water is divided into upper and lower waters.Both of these creation myths have a similar beginning as well as a similar plot †“ they both created human life to worship God and the gods, to serve them. Both had an evil entity in them that tried to cause chaos to the gods. Although I do think that all three myths are very similar, I believe that Enuma Elish is most different from Osiris, Isis and Horus. The difference between the two is shown when it comes to the creation of the world around them. The difference between the two myths is;1. In Osiris, Isis and Horus doesn’t mention anything about the creation of the heavens, earth, etc.  in the beginning.The myth starts out with the parent’s of Osiris and Isis and the story of how Nut was not allowed to give birth in any month of any year.2. The beginning of the the Enuma Elish starts out with what all existed and how the waters were split between gods.Each myth has a lot of similarities as well as differences but they each tell a story on how things were created. All of the myths had gods that tried to do good for the other gods and had an evil entity try to change that. Each of the explained how good will always outweigh evil even though evil is always in the world.

Are Cell Phones Dangerous? Essay

Ninety-one percent of American adults and sixty percent of teens own this device that has revolutionized communication in the 21st century — the cellphone. While cell phones provide an efficient and easy way to communicate with friends, family, and co-workers, excessive use can take a toll on your health. Twenty-three percent of auto collisions involved cell phones last year, that’s a little more than one million crashes. Also, leading scientists are saying that cell phones can cause vision problems and can lead to headaches and unnecessary stresses. I’m not saying cell phones are bad, I just think the time used on cell phones should be moderated. Psychologists from the University of Utah have published a study showing that drivers who just operate a cell phone are as impaired as drunken drivers. Drunken drivers really aren’t as accident-prone as cell phone drivers, there are just more drivers talking on the phone rather than drinking alcohol. Cell phone use is far from the only distraction for motorists. The researchers cite talking to passengers, eating, drinking, lighting cigarettes, applying makeup and listening to the radio as the â€Å"old standards† of driver distraction. I don’t think we shouldn’t use cell phones, I just think that it’s important for people to know how much damage it’s causing. Driving isn’t the only problem that cell phones are tied to. Many adults have been complaining that their teenager is never looking up, and glued to their cell phone every hour of the day. In general, smartphone ownership is up, as well, with thirty-seven percent of American youth owning a smartphone compared to twenty-three percent in 2011. That doesn’t seem like a big deal honestly, but it has been proven that children with cell phone addiction have caused more parental concern. Parents want to be able to monitor and ensure safety for their kids, and cell phones make it much more difficult with the accessibility to almost anything or anybody. This issue really is up to the parent’s choices, whether or not they want to restrict their children’s access to the phones. Top doctors in the United States such as Dr. Oz have been raving about the increase in patients losing vision. This is called CVS symptom. The eye’s natural focal point is about 20 feet in front of the face. However, most people hold their cell phone 1-2 feet in front of their face. When this occurs, your eye is over-compensating to focus on the screen. The screen on your cell phone is not a normal object for your eyes to focus on, and this is causing loss of vision over time. The first symptoms of this are dry eyes and headaches. We all know that people can’t and shouldn’t just stop using cell phones all together, that’s just insane. What leading doctors recommend is to use your phone no longer than 10 minutes without taking a break for at least 30 seconds. Also, when in doubt, blink it out. If your head starts hurting, or eyes become dry, blink rapidly to try to create more lubrication in your eye, or if you have eyedrops that would be helpful too. As I mentioned before, I’m not against cell phones, I use my cell phone all the time for various tasks. I just think it’s important to know the side-effects and problems that relate to owning a cell phone. Every issue stated above can be resolved, it just takes moderation and responsibility when using these devices.

Logistic management report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Logistic management report - Essay Example different logistics activities that can add significant value to a humanitarian emergency aid response in terms of form, place and time utility, diverse challenges along with the factors that can help in overcoming these challenges has been taken into concern. Moreover, a humanitarian organisation i.e. UNICEF has been considered in order to demonstrate the different logistics activities such as warehousing, transportation and coordination amid others that can add significant value to a humanitarian emergency aid response in terms of place, form and time utility. The significance of logistics management is incessantly mounting in different fields due to increased level of globalisation as well as nationalisation. Logistics management is fundamentally described as an imperative part of supply chain procedure that intends to plan, employ as well as control the flow of services along with information and storage of goods for the purpose of meeting the requirements of the customers. The conception of logistics management has been proved to be quite beneficial especially for dissimilar industries, which supports them to optimise their distribution procedure which ultimately results in raising their effectiveness as well as competitiveness by a significant level (Tseng & et. al 2005). The governments belonging to diverse nations have recognised the significance of execution of en effective logistics management procedure that can impose considerable impact upon their respective economies (Australian Government n.d.). In this similar context, the co nception of humanitarian logistics refers to a specialised network that is generally created through effectual flow of services, information and finances between different suppliers and beneficiaries among others with the intention of delivering physical support to them. It has been apparently observed that the idea of humanitarian logistics not only enhances the different logistics activities that occur at every phase of

Firm Resources and Sustainable Competitive Advantage Research Paper

Firm Resources and Sustainable Competitive Advantage - Research Paper Example Since strategic management influences each and every department of the company it, therefore, takes each and every department into consideration while developing the hardcore organizational goals and policies. Thus from this we can gather that strategic management is basically used to give a sense of direction to the organization, it provides each and every department the goals that it needs to achieve and a policy to work towards these goals, such as the importance of strategic management for an organization and hence this is handled directly by the board of directors or the CEO and rightly so. Many a companies have failed to make it right to the top because they have placed lesser emphasis on strategic management and they have also overlooked the fact, most conveniently, that for different situations there needs to be different strategy altogether and since each and every firm is different, much like individuals, the difference in cost structures and other factors should be taken i n to consideration while developing a strategy. For this to be done the company must keep a keen eye on the competitor i.e. a competitor analysis should be done whenever the need arises this is extremely important because in certain market structures there exists a high level of interdependency and hence the decisions one's competitor makes is of great importance to the company itself. The company needs to indulge in self-evaluation as well because to ascertain where the company is heading and what the current situation within the company is, a self-evaluation is of great importance. Self-evaluation also pinpoints the choke points or the points where the company needs to focus and remove the hindrances in order to move forward. The third player in any market is the government or the economy of that particular area and hence to have a successful strategy it is extremely important that company evaluates the economy on the macro as well as the microeconomic scale. As far as the iron ore and steel industry are concerned it is extreme ly important that the carry out the macro and micro-economic studies because this industry is the provider of raw material to a number of other industries and hence if the macroeconomic situation is good enough then the company would do better and it should also be able to predict what is going to happen in the next 6-12 months and hence plan accordingly because a steep fall in demand can cause huge losses to an industry that is as large as this.  

History Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

History - Coursework Example ent nations were motivated to dominate other nations by the need to enlarge and control foreign trade which would serve their insatiable appetite for luxuries, such as silks and spice and they were also trying to obtain raw materials and supplementary sources of labor, passages for extra capital and markets for surplus goods. Another explanation suggests the political determinants of imperialism, according to which the nations of Europe in the 1500s were motivated to expand chiefly due to the desire to gain power, defense, and diplomatic advantages, and their desire to implement military force and compete with other European nations was served by imperialism and conquests. â€Å"Reversing causation, trade could precipitate the extension of European empire. However, European power politics (together with European technological advantages) gave a stronger impetus to imperialism.† (Aldcroft and Sutcliffe, 121) Therefore, economic and political explanations of European imperialism in the 1500s are highlighted in the analysis of the factors that drove European civilization to get involved in imperialism and conquest. However, there are other important explanations such as the explanations based on the ideological or moral motives of European imperialism in the 1500s, according to which imperialism as a missionary activity was caused by cultural or religious beliefs. Similarly, the religious explanations of European imperialism in the 1500s emphasize the desire to spread

Analyze the companys cost structure (e.g., variable vs. fixed costs, Essay

Analyze the companys cost structure (e.g., variable vs. fixed costs, manufacturing vs. non-manufacturing costs, direct vs. indirect costs, job costing or process costing, etc) for starbucks - Essay Example When allocating the rent of the Starbuck store rent it is advisable to divide the rent by the number of coffee bags sold (Maryanne, 109). Manufacturing and non manufacturing costs: Manufacturing costs are indirect factory related costs that are incurred during the manufacturing process. The cost of manufacturing overhead cost must be assigned to each unit produced so that inventory and cost of goods sold can be valued. For the case of Starbuck Company non manufacturing costs include direct material and direct labor. Again the non manufacturing costs represent manufacturer’s expenses that occur apart from the manufacturing function. These expenses are not product cost and are reported in a financial statement as expenses incurred. They include interest on business loan, marketing and advertising costs, taxes and salaries of the staffs (Maryanne, 110). Job costing and process costing: Job costing is a way of determining the cost to a company for each unit of item. This is done by taking each job as independent and how much each job cost to produce a number of units. This allows manager and executives to calculate the amount of profits made from each job. The Starbuck Company for each type of drink it delivers a certain price. This is an effective way of controlling the price of a product. Process costing is a process in which the company come up with long term statistics to know how the price keep on changing over time (Maryanne, 112). It also simplify record keeping hence allowing the company to when changes need to be made. Direct and Indirect Costs: Material, labor and other expenses which are directly or easily traceable to a product, service or job are known as direct costs. In the production of coffee, materials are purchased, wages are paid to workers and certain other expenses are incurred directly (Wiley & Sons, 34). All these take an active and direct part in the manufacture of a product and are, therefore, called direct

Population Ecology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Population Ecology - Essay Example This underpinned one of the lectures important contents, which is the demonstration of how life history traits are determined as a response to environmental factors such as in the case of survivorship or mortality patterns. I have chosen to attend this lecture because it is related to my field of study, which is Health Studies and I am interested to gain more insights about the nature of the courses I am going to study later on. I think that human ecology is related to my course because it is a framework that could explain the incidence of many health issues. When I attended the lecture, I already know that human ecology studies the relationship between population and the environment. After the lecture, this was further enriched by new information such as how the field could predict or project vital statistics and health issues such as death and diseases. At first, it was challenging for me to take notes and follow the lecture since it is a new experience for me. But I learned to focus on the structure of the lecture and identify contexts so that I was able to understand the difficult contents better. All in all, the lecture is important to my academic goals because it gave me a glimpse of the content of one of the courses I plan to take for my undergraduate

Choose a topic Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Choose a topic - Research Paper Example Fluctuations in prices and wages were a proof of such, as did sudden changes in the patterns of transactions and relations between agricultural workers and landowners. For instance, sharecropping became widespread in northern Italy, and many assume that feudalism in Europe was completely disintegrating because of the grave need of landlords for eager workers (Byrne 57-58). A number of destitute became wealthy, and the wealthy became wealthier as resources were reallocated by means of inheritances and additional economic prospects. This paper analyzes how the Black Plague changed Europe, particularly the region’s economy. Governments were forced to modify their techniques of collecting revenue, while getting involved in at times radical means to sustain the status quo between the rich and the poor. The cursing by the plague of the clergy right together with their supporters changed numerous beliefs of the people about the Church and its part in holding humankind within God’s mercy. Women and men took part in religious activities without the precaution previously performed to educate, train, and screen them, and detractors commented about the unfavorable outcome (Spielvogel 234). It is not an exaggeration to say that the foundations of Protestantism were built after the massive plague. European culture transformed as well, while vernacular literature and learning progressed against the Latin of the Church and governments. Not merely were there substantially raised demands and additional prospects for priests, craftsmen, and farm laborers, but also for teachers, doctors, legal officials, and law yers. Newly built universities and schools seemed to fulfill the need and demand, and several of them supported reforms that finally ended the medieval period (Spielvogel 234-5). However, the greatest impact of the Black Plague was on the European economy. The epidemic took the lives of both those who supplied the goods and those who demanded them, yet generally

The Affordable Health Care Act Essay Example for Free

The Affordable Health Care Act Essay The Affordable Health Care Act Introduction            This paper puts into a critical and analytical focus the diversity and benefits of the Obama care. It seeks to answer fundamental questions about the advantages and necessity for the act. The affordable healthcare act mirrored with both merits and demerits deciphers its complex nature. The bill signed into law on twenty-third of March 2010 to make critical reforms in the health sector. The health care provision has attracted much of sharp reactions especially from the wealthy society protesting hefty taxes.            The goal of the Obama care is to give access to all Americans quality and affordable health care. This plan focuses on the reduction of growth in health care spending. A significant percentage of the benefits will accrue to the low and middle-income families and citizens. It achieves this through consumer protection, subsidies, taxes, regulation and insurance exchanges. Fundamentally, the Obama care provision is not a replacement to Medicare, private insurance or Medicaid (Wilensky, 2012). The primary focus of the health care facility is regulation of health insurance and practices that affect the sector.            Nevertheless, the contrasting fact is that the Obama care posse’s a lot more significant bunch of questions. Is there a need for health insurance for the richest country in the world? Is it the best the government can offer for the needs of Americans? However, the complexity of the answer to these questions is not a fragment of a sentence. Therefore, before the induction of such a debate some ground rules are principal (Mulligan, 2014). First is an agreement of the fact that the government cannot have an individual approach to protecting the desires of every citizen. Secondly is that the health cover such as the Obama care primary target, is the vulnerable middle class and poor society.            The wealthy society though consistently and constantly complaining about the plan also will benefit from the program. An optimistic look at the system ensures the acknowledgement of certain advantages. The policy prevents against gender-based discrimination, unjustifiably high insurance rates. Significant benefits worth discussion with regard to the annual limits imposed by insurance firms, as well as the right to rapid appeal of the insurance company decisions. This benefits cut across the divide from the middle class to the wealthiest in the society.            The health care industry has seen to the growth in wealth and stature of many fraudulent characters. This includes one who prescribes very expensive drugs even though the cheaper ones can work just for profits (Tate, 2012). The doctor who insistent on surgery whiles a consistent observation of the patient will ensure recovery. A doctor is busy ensuring the readmission of patients who he can monitor at home. Some companies sell machinery at extraordinary hiked prices just for profits. These cases among others ascertain an advantage of the rich over the employed middle class and the poor.            This trend in the health sector increases the cost of living since most Americans are profoundly concerned about their health. A critical look at the developed world countries alienates the United States in health insurance policies. Most of the developed world has a medical insurance policy. In contrast, one of the most riches of them argues about, politicizing the fact that it is a necessity. Fact remains that the multinational companies and big business have created their wealth through the citizens. Most of them are taking advantage of the smaller businesses or the society’s lack of knowledge. Through the articulation of the health care, the businesses get to give back to the society. This may deem improper by many who are in this class, but to some extent, it is a kind gesture.            However, the consideration of certain healthcare statistics is important. A significant 30.1 million people purchase private insurance. Many of them have had their plans cancelled by the company since it does meet the ten essential health thresholds. The cost of replacement of such is very high due to services such as maternity that they may not need. A significant 4 million people could lose their company sponsored health care plan (Wilensky, 2012). This is because many companies will prefer paying the fines and allow their employees to buy their plans. Conclusion            There is a genuine sense in negative approaches to affordable health care. Nevertheless, framework solutions created specifically will solve these issues. A trivial approach to the impediments may have worse negative repercussion to the minority in the society. This will result to the upwelling of negative economic growth. The return of the United States to the set-up of insurance policies existent before will not solve problems in the health sector. Rather a degradation and increase in fraud in the health care section will form complete dominance. The health care program will be successful if approached with a positive mindset and inclusion of all individuals with equality. References Mulligan, C. B. (2014, September 8). The Myth of ObamaCares Affordability. The Wall Street Journal . Tate, N. (2012). ObamaCare Survival Guide . West Palm Beach: Humanix Books. Wilensky, G. R. (2012). The Shortfalls of Obamacare. The New England Journal of Medicine , 1479-1481. Source document

Nascot and Park Essay Example for Free

Nascot and Park Essay How do the land use, housing and environmental quality in Tudor, Callowland, Nascot and Park wards of Watford affect the relative desirability of the wards? I will now discuss primary data regarding the four wards, and not to include any secondary data, including census data or researched data from the Internet. A colour coded map will provide an easy visual report of the distribution and separation of various housing types, as well a where forests and parks are laid out, and link that to the environmental quality of each of the four wards. I will discus each ward separately and then conclude it in a final paragraph at the end of this section. The concluding paragraph will contain graphs and charts to help enhance the comparisons. Of course when discussing the desirability of somewhere, you have to take into account who it is for. For example, a student would not live in a 5 bedroom detached house. PARK WARD This was the first ward visited and due to the fact that this was the first time I had visited these wards, this ward has left an indentation in my mind of my first impression of Watford. We commenced north up Hempstead road and took a left into Stratford way, where our fieldwork began. Small detached housing covered this area. The field sketch below shows you how close the houses boundaries are, as well as the style and age of the houses. When we were at the junction of Stratford Way and Parkside Drive, the first environmental quality survey was taken. The results have been tabulated within the comparison and concluding paragraph at the end of this section. We then took a right, and headed up Parkside Drive, taking into account that we were on the boundary of detached housing and the Cassiobury Park. As we continued up Parkside Drive, we were confronted with semi-detached housing immediately after Richmond Drive on the right hand side. Semi-Detached housing could now be seen on either side of the road. We were due to take the next turning on the right which led us into Langley Way. On the junction of Langley Way and Parkside Drive, the second environmental quality survey was taken. As we turned up into Langley Way, we noticed semi-detached housing on either side of the road until Richmond road on the right, and until Bellmount Wood Avenue on the left. The stream of detached housing continued from there onwards. We carried on up Langley Way, until we met a roundabout which split Langley Way and Cassiobury Drive. Our first sighting of local shops were seen on the opposite side of the roundabout, this is coloured in RED on the colour-coded map. Besides these few shops and a pub on the left hand side, detached housing was all around us. We contined up Langley Way until Devereux Drive was seen at a 90 angle to Langley Way. We proceeded left and were still surrounded by detached housing. At the top of Devereux Drive, we could see that the further up we went, the more trees and greenery were to be seen behind the houses, and at the top of the road, we took a footpath left which led us into Rough Wood. We followed the footpath round until we came into Glen Way, which was where we came across our first sightings of terraced houses. The third and final environmental quality survey for this ward was taken here. We followed Glen Way round to the right and hit the main road called Hempstead Road where we crossed onto the other side and took a left until we came across Rosecroft Drive on the right hand side. Where we left Glen Way and entered Hempstead Road, was the border between the two wards, Park and Nascot. So in summary, Park ward contains small detached houses in a calm atmosphere and well kept away from the busy Hempstead Road. Even though Cassiobury Drive, Parkside Drive and Woodland Drive are the three main roads of Park ward, they do not encounter problems of traffic which leaves Park ward as a calm and family-friendly area. The large park within the ward will indefinitely contribute to the property prices as property prices are strongly based on location, location, location, and due to the fact that they are detached, this leaves a good image in my mind of my first impression of Watford. Nascot Ward As we commenced our journey down Hempstead Road and into Rosecroft Drive, we noticed that although Hempstead Road is very busy, the houses within Rosecroft Drive and the surrounding road were fairly large detached houses. At the junction of The Ridgeway, and Rosecroft Drive, the first environmental quality survey of this ward was taken, which received high marks when taking into account its location next to an extremely busy road. We then took a right down The Ridgeway, and noticed how the houses were in good keep and fairly big. The road we were in (The Ridgeway) was fairly quiet and in good condition due to the fact that off road/private parking was available. The field sketch below, shows a typical house within Nascot ward.

Main objectives and policy instruments of poverty reduction

Main objectives and policy instruments of poverty reduction While much of the western world benefits from decades of economic growth, it is hard to conceive that a large proportion of the population still struggles for survival as a result of extreme poverty and deprivation. To date, approximately 1 billion people still have an income of less than $1 per day (OECD, 2007). The question of what policies and strategies are most effective in achieving sustained poverty reduction is among one the most important and complex challenges that face policy makers involved in economic development. In light of this question, this paper will review the objectives and policy instruments associated with poverty reduction. Firstly, the paper will very briefly give an outline of the objectives of poverty reduction through considering the Millennium Development Goals. Secondly and of greater focus, the paper will consider the importance of economic growth as a policy instrument associated with poverty reduction. Policy Objectives Before it is possible to implement strategies and policy focussed at reducing poverty, it is firstly essential to set specific and measureable objectives targeting the areas in which poverty exists. Poverty by definition is complicated and must give consideration to a number of dimensions. The OECD (2001) defines poverty as the inability of people to meet economic, social, and other standards of well being. Poverty, therefore, can encapsulate deprivation in areas such as health, income, gender, education and politics. Objectives of poverty reduction must extend to include all dimensions in which individuals are deprived or debilitated. The most widely recognised objectives regarding poverty reduction are provided through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). On September 2000 the MDGs were adopted by 189 countries as a guideline for the objectives of poverty reduction to be achieved by 2015 (DFID, 2001). The MDGs outline 8 objectives central to the eradication of poverty (UNDP, 2010). These objectives are broken down into 21 different targets that are measured by 60 indicators (A full outline of the criteria to meet these objectives can be seen in Table 1): Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty Achieve Universal Primary Education Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women Reduce Child Mortality Improve Maternal Health Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases Ensure Environmental Sustainability Develop a Global Partnership for Development The MDGs highlight that objectives of poverty reduction are not solely confined to improvements in income but also incorporate objectives of human development, sustainability, and equality. Broadly speaking, these objectives help to provide a global criterion for measuring progress in poverty reduction and provide a scale of measurement adaptable in all countries. It is important to note, however, that although the MDGs provide a framework for developing countries to use, poverty reduction strategies must be country specific taking into consideration the causes of poverty as well as the precedence of what objectives need be tackled (OECD, 2001). With these objectives of poverty reduction in mind, this raises the question of what instruments are best suited in achieving these objectives. As a comprehensive overview of all the main policy instruments associated with poverty reduction is well beyond the scope of this paper, the following section will concentrate on the importance of economic growth as a policy instrument associated with poverty reduction. Policy Instruments Economic Growth Historically, the main instrument associated with poverty reduction has been economic growth. Economic growth is associated with poverty reduction on a number of levels. Firstly, increases in GDP per capita are associated with improvements in human development. For example, increases in the average income of a country are associated with improvements in life expectancy, infant mortality, and primary school enrolment all key elements of the MDGs (Moser and Ichida, 2001). Secondly, economic growth helps to creates jobs which are essential to improving employment opportunities and raising incomes in the long-term (DFID, 2001). However, although economic growth is associated with improvements in income and human development, there still remains debate over the extent to which growth benefits the poorest individuals in society. In an attempt to understand the effect of economic growth on poverty, Dollar and Kraay (2002) examined the relationship between changes in the average GDP per capita income against the income of the lowest quintile of the population in 80 countries. Dollar and Kraay found than on average the income of the poorest quintile increased proportionately with increases in average GDP per capita. Dollar and Kraay concluded that the effects of economic growth benefit the poor as much as others in society. They suggested therefore that standard growth enhancing policies should be at the heart of poverty reduction strategies. The results from Dollar and Kraay emphasise the importance for countries to adopt frameworks that are conducive to growth as a means of poverty reduction. This is a view shared by Kruegar (2004) who highlights that economic growth is the principal route to lasting poverty reduction. Indeed, economic policies such as openness to trade, liberalisation and sound fiscal policy which are seen as conducive to economic growth are also associated with favourable poverty reduction (World Bank, 2000). Moreover, generally poverty reduction has been most substantial in those countries which have benefited from the most impressive rates of growth (AusAid, 2007). However, the results produced by Dollar and Kraay (2002) do not come without scrutiny. The findings illustrate that economic growth benefited the lowest quintile proportionately on average yet there are cases where economic growth does not always benefit the poorest individuals in society Botswana is perhaps an extreme example and likew ise at the other end of the scale, some countries have demonstrated that the poor have benefited substantially more than other groups during times of economic growth (World Bank, 1993). This raises a further question of why growth influences poverty reduction in some countries more than others. Pro-Poor Growth More recently, a greater focus is being placed on levels of inequality within a country as a determinant on the effect of economic growth on poverty reduction. The OECD (2001) suggests that only half the increases of those in poverty are a result of GDP growth whereas the other half comes from strategies that target the composition, distribution and sustainability of growth. Ravallion (1997) measured the effect of growth on poverty elasticity in countries with initial levels of low and high-income inequality. Ravallion found that economic growth reduced poverty in low income inequality countries almost twice as much as those in high income inequality countries. In other words, countries with high levels of inequality would need growth rates twice that of low inequality countries to match similar levels of poverty reduction. The findings by Ravallion highlight that policies targeting poverty reduction therefore must also consider the distributional aspect of growth. This places a grea ter emphasis on pro-poor growth. That is, growth that is combined with objectives of rapid and sustained poverty reduction (OECD, 2007). Pro-poor growth strategies must attempt to target the areas in which poverty and inequalities exist, and as mentioned this can occur in a number of dimensions. Typically, those in poverty have a lack of access to basic provisions and services, such as education and healthcare, and therefore inequalities are perpetuated due to a lack of opportunity. Pro-poor Policies must attempt to maximise the opportunities of the poor through utilising their skills and capabilities (DFID, 2003). This can be done through a number of channels, and the role of both the private and public sector are important. For example, in the private sector providing the poor with access to markets and credit is seen as essential for involving the poor in the economy and creating jobs (ODI, 2008). Recently microfinance schemes have been extremely beneficial in providing access to credit and vocational training for the poor. However, participation in markets is only conducive to pro-poor growth if there is appropria te regulation and policies which can protect the poor in the event of market failures (OECD, 2007). Pro-poor policies must attempt to promote macroeconomic stability within a country to ensure that the poor are not affected by market-shocks and rising inflation (DFID, 2003). Additionally, the distribution of government spending is seen as a key instrument in the promotion of pro-poor growth. In developing countries, government spending has been found to be largely inefficient in that it tends to be focussed disproportionately towards higher income groups at the expense of the poor (Wilhelm and Fiestas, 2005). Pro-poor government spending can increase the participation of the poorest individuals through efficient and fair fiscal policy increasing access to these basic services which in turn can reduce inequalities and promote economic growth. Indeed, countries which have a fairer distribution of government spending are more likely to have lower levels of inequality (Lopez, Thomas, and Wang, 2008). It is important to note that finding the appropriate balance between both policies that are good for poverty reduction and policies that are good for growth is extremely complicated and may required trade-offs. Pro-poor strategies such as redistribution through increased taxes may act to finance increased government expenditure in poor areas, however this may damage growth through reduced savings and investment which could consequently reduce the impact of poverty reduction in the long run (DFID, 2001). For instance, in the mid-part of Malaysias industrialisation, policies focussed on equity were seen as excessive and blamed for constricting economic growth (Hassan, 2004). Broad-Based Growth An essential factor of pro-poor growth is that it should be broad-based and target the areas where poverty is widespread. Three quarters of poverty exists in rural areas, yet policies targeting growth are predominantly focussed on the urban sector (Anriquez and Stamoulis, 2007). Indeed, widespread inequality is most substantial between rural and urban areas (Lopez, Thomas, and Wang, 2008). Recently, in the 2008 World Development Report titled Agriculture for Development, the World Bank (2008) highlighted that investment in agriculture is increasingly becoming an important engine for poverty reduction. Investment in rural infrastructure and small-scale enterprises and services has been found to be highly effective in increasing productivity and creating employment. For example, reductions in poverty have been most substantial in countries which experienced the most significant improvements in rural productivity. From 1971 to 1999 agricultural productivity per capita in East Asia, wher e poverty reduction was most rapid, increased by 45% compared to sub-Saharan Africa with an increase in productivity of only 4% (DFID, 2003). Moreover, growth in agriculture is more conducive to poverty reduction than any other sector (DFID, 2003). Indeed, the World Bank (2008) highlights the improvements in the MDGs of raising the income of all individuals above $1 has been primarily due to falling rural sector poverty whereas urban poverty has remained constant and had little effect. However, again, increases in agricultural productivity and growth are strongly influenced by levels of inequalities within the rural sector in particular levels of land inequality. Pro-poor policies which target poverty reduction through agricultural growth must also give consideration to the potential impact of redistribution strategies. Land reform policies have been cited as a particular strategy as a means of facilitating growth, reducing inequalities and ultimately poverty reduction (Hanmer, Healey and Naschold, 2000). Conclusion In conclusion, this paper has highlighted the importance of growth, and in particular pro-poor growth as an instrument associated with poverty reduction. Growth is inevitably a necessary condition of alleviating poverty through raising the incomes of individuals and through wider associations with improvements in human development. However, growth by itself is not always sufficient in achieving sustained poverty reduction and the effects of economic growth on the poor are inhibited by the level of inequality within a country. Of equal importance, therefore, is the structure of pro-poor growth. Governments must take an active role in poverty reduction strategies and reduce inequalities through increasing the opportunities of the poor to access basic provisions and services, and this in turn can facilitate both poverty reduction and economic growth. Moreover, it is important that pro-poor growth targets where poverty is abundant. An increasing emphasis is being placed on growth and dev elopment in the agricultural sector as a key driver of poverty reduction. Finally, it is important to mention that although this essay has emphasised the importance of growth, it has barely scratched the surface of the complexity of poverty reduction. Poverty is multidimensional and there are areas of poverty and human development which are barely affected by improvements in growth and therefore require policy instruments and strategies to target them directly e.g. gender inequality (Thomas, 2000). Furthermore, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to poverty reduction and each country must identify the causes of poverty and the independent strategies required to achieve sustained poverty reduction. Only then can the diverse objectives of the Millennium Development Goals be realistically achieved.

Western Influence on Japanese Business Management Essay -- essays rese

Japanese management: how the western influence and the 1990s crises have modified management practices in Japan, and in Japanese companies broadly speaking? Introduction Japan has been the second largest power in the world for several decades, now. As a quite remote island in Asia, its history and development shaped a country with its own way of thinking and behaving, and as far as we are concerned, with a great economy and a technological lead over its Asian neighbours. After the Second World War (WWII), Japan started from scratch, and its business succeeded very well, first on the domestic market and then on a world-scale. In the 1970s, Westerners were looking at Japan in awe, and tried to know how it could be such a good competitor in various sectors (e.g. electronics, car making and so on). The Japanese management myth was born to last. Some of the main characteristics are: participative decision making, bottom-up management, lifetime employment, "amae-dependency relationships", lean production, total quality management, total cost management, and infrastructure support. Though, since the 1990s, with intense globalization and several crises which impaired their economy, Japan companies have changed their way of running a business, but to which extent? One will try to tackle this issue by first analysing the core components of traditional Japanese management, and how it was shaped by culture and history. Then one will the influence it had on other countries, and reversely how Westerners made this style of management evolve into a new one. General background - Cultural elements Japan was quite isolated from the rest of the world for a long time, under the Tokugawa dynasty (17th and 18th), thus the inimitab... ...isation of work. History, too, fashioned Japanese management: the need for revenge after the humiliation of WWII was used in a very positive way to foster industry and achieve the Emperor?s dreams in a pacifist way, that is conquering Asia on an economic viewpoint. As a conclusive word one will cite Mauri Kaoru Kobayashi?s essay: in Japan, ?The traditional paradigm of organizational structure is no longer adequate for [its] long term survival... adult business education provision in private sector shows that employees are increasingly taking initiatives for their professional education rather than their companies? dictating what skills they should have?. Even though the core components of Japanese management are still present, today the country?s companies must their Human Resources policies evolve in order to keep a central position in the global market economy.

Welcome to the Underground :: Free Essay Writer

Welcome to the Underground While America sleeps safely at night, safe and secure in their world, there is another world taking place, a menacing and wild world. Right beneath their noses, taking place in their super markets, in empty warehouses, abandoned buildings, parks, and at roller skating rinks. Many will never know or hear about this world, for it may be safer not to know. For if one knows, he may be tempted to want to experience this world. Just indulging one night has been known to alter many lives. For once you go to the underground, there is no turning back. We walked towards the castle, drawn like magnets, already sensing the buzz of activity that lay inside. My friends were overly excited from the many energy drinks they had consumed earlier, so as to give them ultimate performance. My friend explained to me that a man named John Bishop built this castle single handedly, with little help from his family in 1963 and that every year he would add something new to it. It was nestled in the foothills of Pueblo, Colorado. As we walked closer the butterflies in my stomach flapped faster and more vigorously. The moon was shining brightly over our heads; the time about midnight, and still our journey had just begun. There were people frolicking everywhere; people of all ages, mostly teenagers though. They were dancing, hugging each other and running around zestfully. Most were dressed in Baggy jeans. One girl wearing a see-through plastic skirt with her pink daisy underwear displayed for all to view. Others had on doctor's masks, were carrying glow sticks, and some even had pacifiers in their. I looked at myself, jeans and a T-shirt. "I don't think I'm dressed right." I whispered to my friend, a so-called Rave expert. "Don't worry babe, nobody is going to care." He replied. Everyone seemed to know everyone else, except for myself. I knew no one. We were now nearing the entrance to the castle, each grasping our tickets as if they were the golden ticket in Willy Wonka. I handed my ticket to the doorman, which was exchanged for a half hearted pat down by the security guard. I stepped into the world of the rave.

Automobile Scenario of India Essay

The Automotive industry in India is one of the largest in the world and one of the fastest growing globally. India manufactures over 17. 5 million vehicles (including 2 wheeled and 4 wheeled) and exports about 2. 33 million every year. It is the world’s second largest manufacturer of motorcycles, with annual sales exceeding 8. 5 million in 2009. India’s passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturing industry is the seventh largest in the world, with an annual production of more than 3. 7 million units in 2010. According to recent reports, India is set to overtake Brazil to become the sixth largest passenger vehicle producer in the world, growing 16-18 per cent to sell around three million units in the course of 2011-12 In 2009, India emerged as Asia’s fourth largest exporter of passenger cars, behind Japan, South Korea, and Thailand. As of 2010, India is home to 40 million passenger vehicles and more than 3. 7 million automotive vehicles were produced in India in 2010 (an increase of 33. 9%), making the country the second fastest growing automobile market in the world. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, annual car sales are projected to increase up to 5 million vehicles by 2015 and more than 9 million by 2020. By 2050, the country is expected to top the world in car volumes with approximately 611 million vehicles on the nation’s roads. The dominant products of the industry are two wheelers with a market share of over 75% and passenger cars with a market share of about 16%. Commercial vehicles and three wheelers share about 9% of the market between them. About 91% of the vehicles sold are used by households and only about 9% for commercial purposes. The industry has attained a turnover of more than USD 35 billion and provides direct and indirect employment to over 13 million people. The supply chain of this industry in India is very similar to the supply chain of the automotive industry in Europe and America. This may present its own set of opportunities and threats. The orders of the industry arise from the bottom of the supply chain i. e. , from the consumers and go through the automakers and climbs up until the third tier suppliers. However the products, as channeled in every traditional automotive industry, flow from the top of the supply chain to reach the consumers. Interestingly, the level of trade exports in this sector in India has been medium and imports have been low. However, this is rapidly changing and both exports and imports are increasing. The demand determinants of the industry are factors like affordability, product innovation, infrastructure and price of fuel. Also, the basis of competition in the sector is high and increasing, and its life cycle stage is growth. With a rapidly growing middle class, all the advantages of this sector in India are yet to be leveraged. Note that, with a high cost of developing production facilities, limited accessibility to new technology and soaring competition, the barriers to enter the Indian Automotive sector are high. On the other hand, India has a well-developed tax structure. The power to levy taxes and duties is distributed among the three tiers of Government. The cost structure of the industry is fairly traditional, but the profitability of motor vehicle manufacturers has been rising over the past five years. Major players, like Tata Motors and Maruti Suzuki have material cost of about 80% but are recording profits after tax of about 6% to 11%. The level of technology change in the Motor vehicle Industry has been high but, the rate of change in technology has been medium. Investment in the technology by the producers has been high. System-suppliers of integrated components and sub-systems have become the order of the day. However, further investment in new technologies will help the industry be more competitive. Over the past few years, the industry has been volatile. Currently, India’s increasing per capita disposable income which is expected to rise by 106% by 2015 and growth in exports is playing a major role in the rise and competitiveness of the industry. Tata Motors is leading the commercial vehicle segment with a market share of about 64%. Maruti Suzuki is leading the passenger vehicle segment with a market share of 46%. [18] Hyundai Motor India and Mahindra and Mahindra are focusing expanding their footprint in the overseas market. Hero Honda Motors is occupying over 41% and sharing 26%[18] of the two wheeler market in India with Bajaj Auto. Bajaj Auto in itself is occupying about 58% of the three wheeler market. Consumers are very important of the survival of the Motor Vehicle manufacturing industry. In 2008-09, customer sentiment dropped, which burned on the augmentation in demand of cars. Steel is the major input used by manufacturers and the rise in price of steel is putting a cost pressure on manufacturers and cost is getting transferred to the end consumer. The price of oil and petrol affect the driving habits of consumers and the type of car they buy. The key to success in the industry is to improve labour productivity, labour flexibility, and capital efficiency. Having quality manpower, infrastructure improvements, and raw material availability also play a major role. Access to latest and most efficient technology and techniques will bring competitive advantage to the major players. Utilising manufacturing plants to optimum level and understanding implications from the government policies are the essentials in the Automotive Industry of India. Both, Industry and Indian Government are obligated to intervene the Indian Automotive industry. The Indian government should facilitate infrastructure creation, create favourable and predictable business environment, attract investment and promote research and development. The role of Industry will primarily be in designing and manufacturing products of world-class quality establishing cost competitiveness and improving productivity in labour and in capital. With a combined effort, the Indian Automotive industry will emerge as the destination of choice in the world for design and manufacturing of automobiles. History The first car ran on India’s roads in 1897. Until the 1930s, cars were imported directly, but in very small numbers. Embryonic automotive industry emerged in India in the 1940s. Mahindra & Mahindra was established by two brothers as a trading company in 1945, and began assembly of Jeep CJ-3A utility vehicles under license from Willys The Company soon branched out into the manufacture of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and agricultural tractors. Following the independence, in 1947, the Government of India and the private sector launched efforts to create an automotive component manufacturing industry to supply to the automobile industry. However, the growth was relatively slow in the 1950s and 1960s due to nationalisation and the license raj which hampered the Indian private sector. After 1970, the automotive industry started to grow, but the growth was mainly driven by tractors, commercial vehicles and scooters. Cars were still a major luxury. Japanese manufacturers entered the Indian market ultimately leading to the establishment of Maruti Udyog. A number of foreign firms initiated joint ventures with Indian companies. In the 1980s, a number of Japanese manufacturers launched joint-ventures for building motorcycles and light commercial-vehicles. It was at this time that the Indian government chose Suzuki for its joint-venture to manufacture small cars. Following the economic liberalisation in 1991 and the gradual weakening of the license raj, a number of Indian and multi-national car companies launched operations. Since then, automotive component and automobile manufacturing growth has accelerated to meet domestic and export demands. [21] Following economic liberalization in India in 1991, the Indian automotive industry has demonstrated sustained growth as a result of increased competitiveness and relaxed restrictions. Several Indian automobile manufacturers such as Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra and Mahindra, expanded their domestic and international operations. India’s robust economic growth led to the further expansion of its domestic automobile market which has attracted significant India-specific investment by multinational automobile manufacturers. [22] In February 2009, monthly sales of passenger cars in India exceeded 100,000 units[23] and has since grown rapidly to a record monthly high of 182,992 units in October 2009. [24] Objectives of study: Since the Auto Component industry is growing substantially, it is very important to know and identify how the industry is growing and creating its own place in the industrial sector helping the economy to grow. So the objectives of the study are: 1. To understand and analyse the current status of Indian Automobile Industry. 2. To Analyse the trends in the automobile industry in India. 3. To study the growth potential and challenges faced by automobile industry in India. Market and its Growth. The automotive industry of India is categorized into passenger cars, two wheelers, commercial vehicles and three wheelers, with two wheelers dominating the market. More than 75% of the vehicles sold are two wheelers. Nearly 59% of these two wheelers sold were motorcycles and about 12% were scooters. Mopeds occupy a small portion in the two wheeler market however; electric two wheelers are yet to penetrate. The passenger vehicles are further categorized into passenger cars, utility vehicles and multi-purpose vehicles. All sedan, hatchback, station wagon and sports cars fall under passenger cars. Tata Nano, is the world’s cheapest passenger car, manufactured by Tata Motors – a leading automaker of India. Multi-purpose vehicles or people-carriers are similar in shape to a van and are taller than a sedan, hatchback or a station wagon, and are designed for maximum interior room. Utility vehicles are designed for specific tasks. The passenger vehicles manufacturing account for about 15% of the market in India. Commercial vehicles are categorized into heavy, medium and light. They account for about 5% of the market. Three wheelers are categorized into passenger carriers and goods carriers. Three wheelers account for about 4% of the market in India. Domestic Market Share for 2010-11(%)| Passenger Vehicles| 16. 25| Commercial Vehicles| 4. 36| Three Wheelers| 3. 39| Two Wheelers| 76. 00| Source: Society of Indian Automotive Manufacturing (SIAM) GROSS TURNOVER OF THE AUTOMOBILEINDUSTRY IN INDIA| Year| (IN USD MILLION)| 2004-05| 20,896| 2005-06| 27,011| 2006-07| 34,285| 2007-08| 36,612| 2008-09| 38,238| The production of automobiles has greatly increased in the last decade. Automobile Production. Automobile Production Trends (Number of Vehicles)| Category| 2004-05| 2005-06| 2006-07| 2007-08| 2008-09| 2009-10| 2010-11| Passenger Vehicles| 1,209,876| 1,309,300| 1,545,223| 1,777,583| 1,838,593| 2,357,411 | 2,987,296 | Commercial Vehicles| 353,703| 391,083| 519,982| 549,006| 416,870| 567,556 | 752,735 | Three Wheelers| 374,445| 434,423| 556,126| 500,660| 497,020| 619,194 | 799,553 | Two Wheelers| 6,529,829| 7,608,697| 8,466,666| 8,026,681| 8,419,792| 10,512,903 | 13,376,451 | Grand Total| 8,467,853| 9,743,503| 11,087,997| 10,853,930| 11,172,275| 14,057,064 | 17,916,035 | Automobile Sales. Automobile Domestic Sales Trends(Number of Vehicles)| Category| 2004-05| 2005-06| 2006-07| 2007-08| 2008-09| 2009-10| 2010-11| Passenger Vehicles| 1,061,572| 1,143,076| 1,379,979| 1,549,882| 1,552,703| 1,951,333 | 2,520,421 | Commercial Vehicles| 318,430| 351,041| 467,765| 490,494| 384,194| 532,721 | 676,408 | Three Wheelers| 307,862| 359,920| 403,910| 364,781| 349,727| 440,392 | 526,022 | Two Wheelers| 6,209,765| 7,052,391| 7,872,334| 7,249,278| 7,437,619| 9,370,951 | 11,790,305 | Grand Total| 7,897,629| 8,906,428| 10,123,988| 9,654,435| 9,724,243| 12,295,397 | 15,513,156 |. Automobile Exports Automobile Exports Trends(Number of Vehicles)| Category| 2004-05| 2005-06| 2006-07| 2007-08| 2008-09| 2009-10| 2010-11| Passenger Vehicles| 166,402| 175,572| 198,452| 218,401| 335,729| 446,145 | 453,479 | Commercial Vehicles| 29,940| 40,600| 49,537| 58,994| 42,625| 45,009 | 76,297 | Three Wheelers| 66,795| 76,881| 143,896| 141,225| 148,066| 173,214 | 269,967 | Two Wheelers| 366,407| 513,169| 619,644| 819,713| 1,004,174| 1,140,058 | 1,539,590 | Grand Total| 629,544| 806,222| 1,011,529| 1,238,333| 1,530,594| 1,804,426 | 2,339,333 | Supply Chain of Automobile Industry. The supply chain of automotive industry in India is very similar to the supply chain of the automotive industry in Europe and America. The orders of the industry arise from the bottom of the supply chain i. e. , from the consumers and go through the automakers and climbs up until the third tier suppliers. However the products, as channelled in every traditional automotive industry, flow from the top of the supply chain to reach the consumers. Automakers in India are the key to the supply chain and are responsible for the products and innovation in the industry. The description and the role of each of the contributors to the supply chain are discussed below. Third Tier Suppliers: These companies provide basic products like rubber, glass, steel, plastic and aluminium to the second tier suppliers. Second Tier Suppliers: These companies design vehicle systems or bodies for First Tier Suppliers and OEMs( Original Equipment Manufacturers). They work on designs provided by the first tier suppliers or OEMs. They also provide engineering resources for detailed designs. Some of their services may include welding, fabrication, shearing, bending etc. First Tier Suppliers: These companies provide major systems directly to assemblers. These companies have global coverage, in order to follow their customers to various locations around the world. They design and innovate in order to provide â€Å"black-box† solutions for the requirements of their customers. Black-box solutions are solutions created by suppliers using their own technology to meet the performance and interface requirements set by assemblers. First tier suppliers are responsible not only for the assembly of parts into complete units like dashboard, breaks-axel-suspension, seats, or cockpit but also for the management of second-tier suppliers. Automakers/Vehicle Manufacturers/Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs): After researching consumers’ wants and needs, automakers begin designing models which are tailored to consumers’ demands. The design process normally takes five years. These companies have manufacturing units where engines are manufactured and parts supplied by first tier suppliers and second tier suppliers are assembled. Automakers are the key to the supply chain of the automotive industry. Examples of these companies are Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Toyota, and Honda. Innovation, design capability and branding are the main focus of these companies. Dealers: Once the vehicles are ready they are shipped to the regional branch and from there, to the authorised dealers of the companies. The dealers then sell the vehicles to the end customers. Parts and Accessory: These companies provide products like tires, windshields, and air bags etc. to automakers and dealers or directly to customers. Service Providers: Some of the services to the customers include servicing of vehicles, repairing parts, or financing of vehicles. Many dealers provide these services but, customers can also choose to go to independent service providers. Indian automotive companies †¢Chinkara Motors: Beachster, Hammer, Roadster 1. 8S, Rockster, Jeepster, Sailster †¢Hindustan Motors: Ambassador †¢ICML: Rhino Rx †¢Mahindra: Major, Xylo, Scorpio, Bolero, Thar, Verito, Genio †¢Premier Automobiles Limited: Sigma, RiO †¢San Motors: Storm Tata Motors: Nano, Indica, Indica Vista, Indigo, Indigo Manza, Indigo CS, Sumo, Venture, Safari, Xenon, Aria. Foreign automotive companies in India Vehicles manufactured or assembled in India †¢BMW India: 3 Series, 5 Series, X1. †¢Fiat India (in collaboration with Tata Motors): Grande Punto, Linea. †¢Ford India: Figo, Ikon, Fiesta, Endeavour. †¢General Motors India †¢Chevrolet: Spark, Beat, Aveo U-VA, Aveo, Optra, Cruze, Tavera. †¢Honda Siel: Jazz, City, Civic, Accord. †¢Hyundai Motor India:Santro, i10, i20, Accent, Verna Transform, Sonata Transform. †¢Land Rover:Freelander 2 †¢Maruti Suzuki: 800, Alto, WagonR, Estilo, A-star, Ritz, Swift, Swift DZire, SX4, Omni, Versa, Eeco, Gypsy. †¢Mercedes-Benz India: C-Class, E-Class. †¢Mitsubishi[80] (in collaboration with Hindustan Motors): Lancer, Lancer Cedia, Pajero †¢Nissan Motor India: Micra. †¢Renault India:Fluence †¢Toyota Kirloskar: Etios, Corolla, Innova. †¢Volkswagen Group Sales India: †¢Audi India: A4, A6, Q5. †¢Skoda Auto India: Fabia, Laura, Superb, Yeti. †¢Volkswagen India: Polo, Vento, Jetta, Passat. Opel was present in India until 2006. As of 2011, Opel only provides spare parts and vehicle servicing to existing Opel vehicle owners. Vehicles brought into India as CBUs †¢Aston Martin: Vantage, Rapide, Virage, DB9, DBS, One-77. †¢Audi: A7, A8, S4, S6, S8, Q7, TT, R8, RS5. †¢Bentley: Arnage, Azure, Brooklands, Continental GT, Continental Flying Spur, Mulsanne. †¢BMW: 5 Series GT, 6 Series, 7 Series, X3, X5, X6, X6 M, M3, M5, M6 and Z4. †¢Bugatti: Veyron. †¢Chevrolet: Captiva. †¢Ferrari: California, 458 Italia, 599 GTB Fiorano, FF. †¢Fiat: 500, Bravo. †¢General Motors: Hummer H2, Hummer H3. †¢Honda: Civic Hybrid, CR-V. †¢Hyundai: Santa Fe. †¢Jaguar: XF, XJ, XK. †¢Koenigsegg: CCX, CCXR, Agera. †¢Lamborghini: Gallardo, Murcielago. †¢Land Rover: Discovery 4, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport. †¢Maserat: Quattroporte, GranTurismo, GranCabrio. †¢Maybach: 57 and 62. †¢Mercedes-Benz: CL-Class, GL-Class, M-Class, R-Class, CLS-Class, S-Class, SL-Class, SLK-Class, Viano, G-Class, SLS. †¢Mitsubishi: Montero, Outlander, Evo X. †¢Nissan: Teana, X-Trail, 370Z, GT-R. †¢Porsche: 997, Boxster, Panamera, Cayman, Cayenne, Carrera GT. †¢Rolls Royce: Ghost, Phantom, Phantom Coupe, Phantom Drophead Coupe. †¢Skoda: Yeti, Superb. †¢Suzuki: Grand Vitara, Kizashi. †¢Toyota: Prius, Camry, Fortuner*, Land Cruiser, Land Cruiser Prado. †¢Volkswagen: Beetle, Tiguan, Touareg, Phaeton. †¢Volvo: S60, S80, XC60, XC90. *Toyota Fortuner is imported as a CKD kit from Toyota Motor Thailand Commercial vehicle manufacturers in India Indian brands †¢Force †¢Hindustan Motors †¢Premier †¢Tata †¢AMW †¢Eicher Motors Joint Venture Brands †¢VE Commercial Vehicles Limited – VE Commercial Vehicles limited – A JV between Volvo Groups & Eicher Motors Limited. †¢Ashok Leyland- originally a JV between Ashok Motors and Leyland Motors, now 51% owned by Hinduja Group †¢Mahindra Navistar – a 51:49 JV between Mahindra Group and Navistar International †¢Swaraj Mazda – originally a JV between Punjab Tractors and Mazda, now 53. 5% owned by Sumitomo Group †¢Kamaz Vectra – A JV between Russia’s KaMAZ and the Vectra Group Foreign brands †¢Volvo †¢Tatra. †¢MAN – as a JV with Force Motors, makes MAN Trucks in India †¢Mercedes-Benz sells luxury buses in India †¢Daimler AG – manufactures BharatBenz, a brand of trucks based on the Fuso and the Mercedes Benz truck platforms, which Daimler AG owns †¢Scania †¢Iveco †¢Hino †¢Isuzu †¢Piaggio †¢Caterpillar Inc. Electric car manufacturers in India †¢Ajanta Group †¢Mahindra †¢Hero Electric †¢REVA †¢Tara International †¢Tata Opel was present in India until 2006. As of 2011, Opel only provides spare parts and vehicle servicing to existing Opel vehicle owners.. *Toyota Fortuner is imported as a CKD kit from Toyota Motor Thailand. Market Characteristics Market Size The Indian Automotive Industry after de-licensing in July 1991 has grown at a spectacular rate on an average of 17% for last few years. The industry has attained a turnover of USD 35. 8 billion, (INR 165,000 crores) and an investment of USD 10. 9 billion. The industry has provided direct and indirect employment to 13. 1 million people. Automobile industry is currently contributing about 5% of the total GDP of India. India’s current GDP is about USD 650 billion and is expected to grow to USD 1,390 billion by 2016. The projected size in 2016 of the Indian automotive industry varies between USD 122 billion and UDS 159 billion including USD 35 billion in exports. This translates into a contribution of 10% to 11% towards India’s GDP by 2016, which is more than double the current contribution. Demand Determinants Determinants of demand for this industry include vehicle prices (which are determined largely by wage, material and equipment costs) and exchange rates, preferences, the running cost of a vehicle (mainly determined by the price of petrol), income, interest rates, scrapping rates, and product innovation. Exchange Rate: Movement in the value of Rupee determines the attractiveness of Indian products overseas and the price of import for domestic consumption. Affordability: Movement in income and interest rates determine the affordability of new motor vehicles. Allowing unrestricted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) led to increase in competition in the domestic market hence, making better vehicles available at affordable prices. Product Innovation is an important determinant as it allows better models to be available each year and also encourages manufacturing of environmental friendly cars. Demographics: It is evident that high population of India has been one of the major reasons for large size of automobile industry in India. Factors that may be augment demand include rising population and an increasing proportion of young persons in the population that will be more inclined to use and replace cars. Also, increase in people with lesser dependency on traditional single family income structure is likely to add value to vehicle demand. Infrastructure: Longer-term determinants of demand include development in Indian’s infrastructure. India’s banking giant State Bank of India and Australia’s Macquarie Group has launched an infrastructure fund to rise up to USD 3 billion for infrastructure improvements. India needs about $500 billion to repair its infrastructure such as ports, roads, and power units. These investments are been made with an aim to generate long-term cash flow from automobile, power, and telecom industries. Price of Petrol: Movement in oil prices also have an impact on demand for large cars in India. During periods of high fuel cost as experienced in 2007 and first –half of 2008, demand for large cars declined in favour of smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles. The changing patterns in customer preferences for smaller more fuel efficient vehicles led to the launch of Tata Motor’s Nano – one of world’s smallest and cheapest cars. Key Competitors Tata Motors:Market Share: Commercial Vehicles 63. 94%, Passenger Vehicles 16. 45%. Tata Motors Limited is India’s largest automobile company, with consolidated revenues of USD 14 billion in 2008-09. It is the leader in commercial vehicles and among the top three in passenger vehicles. Tata Motors has winning products in the compact, midsize car and utility vehicle segments. The company is the world’s fourth largest truck manufacturer, and the world’s second largest bus manufacturer with over 24,000 employees. Since first rolled out in 1954, Tata Motors as has produced and sold over 4 million vehicles in India. Maruti Suzuki India: Market Share: Passenger Vehicles 46. 07% Maruti Suzuki India Limited, a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan, is India’s largest passenger car company, accounting for over 45% of the domestic car market. The company offers a complete range of cars from entry level Maruti-800 and Alto, to stylish hatchback Ritz, A star, Swift, Wagon-R, Estillo and sedans DZire, SX4 and Sports Utility vehicle Grand Vitara. Since inception in 1983, Maruti Suzuki India has produced and sold over 10 million vehicles in India and exported over 500,000 units to Europe and other countries. The company’s revenue for the fiscal 2010-2011 stood over Rs 375,224 million and Profits After Tax at over Rs. 22,886 million. Hyundai Motor India:Market Share: Passenger Vehicles 14. 15% Hyundai Motor India Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of world’s fifth largest automobile company, Hyundai Motor Company, South Korea, and is the largest passenger car exporter. Hyundai Motor presently markets 49 variants of passenger cars across segments. These includes the Santro in the B segment, the i10, the premium hatchback i20 in the B+ segment, the Accent and the Verna in the C segment, the Sonata Transform in the E segment. Mahindra & Mahindra: Market Share: Commercial Vehicles 10. 01%, Passenger Vehicles 6. 50%, Three Wheelers 1. 31% Mahindra & Mahindra is mainly engaged in the Multi Utility Vehicle and Three Wheeler segments directly. The company competes in the Light Commercial Vehicle segment through its joint venture subsidiary Mahindra Navistar Automotives Limited and in the passenger car segment through another joint venture subsidiary Mahindra Renault. In the year 2009, on the domestic sales front, the Company along with its subsidiaries sold a total of 220,213 vehicles (including 44,533 three wheelers, 8,603 Light Commercial Vehicles through Mahindra Navistar Automotives and 13,423 cars through Mahindra Renault), recording a growth of 0. 6% over the previous year. Mahindra & Mahindra is expanding its footprint in the overseas market. In 2009 the Xylo was launched in South Africa. The company formed a new joint venture Mahindra Automotive Australia Pty. Limited, to focus on the Australian Market. Ashok Leyland: Market Share: Commercial Vehicles 16. 47% Against the backdrop of the sharp slump in demand for commercial vehicles, during 2008-09, Ashok Leyland registered sales of 47,118 medium and heavy commercial vehicles (M&HCV), 37. 5% less than in the previous year. This includes 16,049 M&HCV buses and 31,069 M&HCV trucks respectively, 8. 7% and 46. 3% less than in the previous year. Hero Honda Motors: Market Share: Two Wheelers 41. 35% Hero Honda has been the largest two wheeler company in the world for eight consecutive years. The company crossed the 15 million unit milestone over a 25 year span. Hero Honda sold more two wheelers than the second, third and fourth placed two-wheeler companies put together. Bajaj Auto: Market Share: Two Wheelers 26. 70%, Three Wheelers 58. 60% Bajaj Auto is ranked as the world’s fourth largest two and three wheeler manufacturer and the Bajaj brand is well-known across several countries in Latin America, Africa, Middle East, South and South East Asia. Despite falling demand in the motorcycle segment, the company has succeeded in maintaining an operating EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) margin of 13. 6% of net sales and other operating income. From 1. 66 million motorcycles in 2007-2008, the company’s domestic sales fell by 23% to 1. 28 million units in 2008-2009. Key Success Factors The key to success in the industry is to improve labour productivity, labour flexibility, and capital efficiency. Having quality manpower, infrastructure improvements, and raw material availability also play a major role. Access to latest and most efficient technology and techniques will bring competitive advantage to the major players. Utilising manufacturing plants to optimum level and understanding implications from the government policies are the essentials in the Automotive Industry of India. Effective cost controls – Close relationship with supplies and goods distribution channels. Establishment of export markets – Growth of export markets Having an extensive distribution/collection network – Goods distribution channels Successful industrial relations policy – Ethical and tactical industrial relations Both, Industry and Indian Government are obligated to intervene the Indian Automotive industry. The Indian government should facilitate infrastructure creation, create favourable and predictable business environment, attract investment and promote research and development. The role of Industry will primarily be in designing and manufacturing products of world-class quality establishing cost competitiveness and improving productivity in labour and in capital. With a combined effort, the Indian Automotive industry will emerge as the destination of choice in the world for design and manufacturing of automobiles. Growth Potential: 1. Increasing demand for vehicles: Increase of disposal income ,easily availability of finance,invreasing consumer awareness and close linkage with global automobile trends. 2. Stable economic policies adopted by successive Governments: The Government of India has continuously made several reforms for the groeth of automobile sector in India. It has lowered the excise duties and have relaxed many policies to boost the local demand . Implemeentation of VAThas helped India to position itself as one of the leading low cost manufacturing sources . 3. Availability of low cost skilled manpower: The cost of quality manpower in India is one of the lowest in the world . Each year the huge number of engineering graduates are produced who provide their skill at comprising salaries . 4. Quality standards: Manufactured in India or â€Å"Made in India† brand is rapidly getting associated with quality. The Indian manufacturer have focussed on quality and most of the leading automobile manufacturer are ISO certified Key Challenges Faced by Indian Automobile Industry Indian auto industry is one of the most promising and growing auto industries across the world. But at this juncture the Indian auto industry is facing various challenges catering to the growing domestic market. Recently, SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) organized an Annual Convention in association with the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises to discuss the current scenario of the auto industry as well as to define the key challenges faced by the industry. The meeting focused to pave a way to transform challenges into business opportunities and boost the status of automotive industry in India. Some of the key challenges discussed faced by auto industry are fuel technology and nurturing talented manpower. These challenges are explained below in detail: Fuel Technology: Technology is significant and needed to ignite the growth of auto industry. Whether it’s a two-wheeler or a car, technology drives the growth. The challenge of alternative fuel technology ensures a brighter vision of the auto industry in the country. The increasing environmental pollution has become a concern for manufacturers and all associated with the industry. All of them are struggling hard to come up with a holistic and integrated approach to reduce carbon dioxide emission. Some of the initiatives to reduce the level of automotive emission include introduction of fuel-efficient cars, obligatory periodic maintenance, and inspection of automotives, designing automotives with recyclable materials, use of alternative fuels like CNG, LPG, biodiesel, and introduction of electric and hybrid cars. Car manufacturer like Maruti Suzuki has already introduced the new concept of using recyclable substance for car production in its dazzling car Maruti Suzuki A-Star. After the production of Maruti Suzuki A-Star, the company thrives to apply the same concept in all its future car models. In addition, it is believed that the Bharat IV Emission Norms are stringent and are to become mandatory in the next couple of years. The growing industry is hunting for more advanced ways and measures to meet the stringent norms. Some of the cars and other automotives may even be phased out during that period. Nurturing Talented Manpower: Manpower and human resources has always been a key growth driver in any industry including the automobile industry. Though India has a vast pool of talented and skilled professionals, the country needs initiatives and support to treasure these resources to excel in all arenas of the industries. Automobile industry is no exception and highly skilled manpower will further become the most reliable source of competitive advantage across the global as well as Indian automobile industry. More than even before creativity, innovative ideas, and expertise in different areas have become an asset these days. Talking about cars, car designers infuse their creativity in their designed car models and that’s something which attracts car customers Further to that, the industry has to foster the talent for servicing and maintenance as well.

Negative Effects of Genetically modified food Essay

Since the beginning of life, nourishment is the first requirement for all kind of alive. According to Chassy (2007), early humans lived a hunter gatherer lifestyle and that around 10000 years ago they started to transition into an agricultural lifestyle. Also they feed animals to their milk, meat and eggs. Later, some people interested in agriculture in order to survive and earn money. In today’s world, technological developments and medical improvements resulted in higher life standards and world population become more and more crowded. Lots of farmers and food companies emerged in order to meet the needs of this growing population. Organic foods started to be insufficient for human beings because of the increasing population. As a result of this insufficiency, people seek different kind of foods with the help of technological developments and they created genetically modified foods (GM foods). Genetically modified crops first appeared commercially in the mid-1990s and today GM crops are grown commercially by 8. 25 million farmers on 200 million acres spread throughout 17 countries (Schmidt, 2005). Genetically modified foods or biotech foods can be described simply as foods derived from genetically modified organisms. These crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. In his essay â€Å"Genetically Modified Foods: An Insight† Raaz Maheshwari (2012) explains that â€Å"Genetically modified foods are derived from genetically modified organisms. Genetically modified organisms have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering, using a process of either Cisgenesis or Transgenesis. These techniques are much more precise than Mutagenesis (mutation breeding) where an organism is exposed to radiation or chemicals to create a non-specific but stable change. † At the beginning, these crops have a bright and promising future. However, safety of genetically modified foods was started to questioned and become a central issue driving the genetic engineering controversy today (Carman, 2004). Although some scientists claims that food derived from GM crops on the market does not have greater risk to human health than organic foods, there is a idespread research on several negative effects of GM foods , including safety issues, economic concerns and environmental hazards. Recently, concerns about GM foods have raised by all environmental activists, religious organizations, public interest groups, professional associations, other scientists and government officials. Also, they criticized potential hazards of GM food (Whitman, 2000). Specifically, this study posed the r esearch question: What are the general negative effects of genetically modified foods on earth’s ecology and human health. As I mentioned earlier, humanity always requiring all kind of food. Although they meet their requires from hunting very beginning, agriculture is the main food resources when the first crop harvested. However food resources doesn’t enough for humanity because of huge crowds, because of th? s reason people find a new form of food which named genetically modified foods or biotech foods. These foods derived from genetically modified organisms. Since mid-1900s genetically modified foods using our daily meal and from these time these foods always negotiated. There is no exact consequences of these negotiations. However, there are lots of negative effects of genetically modified foods on earth’s ecology and human health such as; allergetic diseases, poisoning both human and animals and killing beneficial insects. To begin with, lots of result of researches show us genetically modified foods are dangerous for natural life. According to Batalian(N. D. ) studies about GM products shown that these products can kill beneficial insects which most notably the monarch butterfly larvae. He also said there are other studies related to the death of bees which are died during a contained trial with Monsanto’s Bt cotton, springtails and ladybird beetles. He said his same essay other studies about GM potatoes, spliced with DNA from the snowdrop plant and a viral parameter, show us these potatoes was poisonous to rats. Between the many insect pollinators of agricultural crops, honey bees are the best known (O’Callaghan, 2005). According to O’Callaghan, cotton nectar is really attractive to them and produces useful honey, but if these cottons are genetically modified from engineers it can be harmful for bees why these cottons not natural and it includes different types of proteins and concentrations. Another effect of GM foods on natural life about gene transfer to non-target species. Deborah B. Whitman said his article â€Å"Another concern is that crop plants engineered for herbicide tolerance and weeds will cross-breed, resulting in the transfer of the herbicide resistance genes from the crops into the weeds. These ‘superweeds’ would then be herbicide tolerant as well. Other introduced genes may cross over into non-modified crops planted next to GM crops. † Genetically modified foods effects the natural life where the people plant them. For example GM trees or ‘super-trees’ are being developed which can be sprayed from the air to kill literally all of surrounding life, except the GM trees (Batalian,N. D. ). He also said these trees are often sterile and flowerless which is in contrast to rainforest teaming with life, or where a single tree can host thousands of unique species of insects, fungi, mammals and birds in an interconnected ecosphere. There are also terminator trees which has developed plants with the New Zealand Forest Research Agency to create still more lethal tree plantations. These super deadly trees are look like super-trees, however these kind leaves exuding toxic chemicals to kill caterpillars and other surrounding insects(Batalian,N. D. ) Like the other effects of GM foods it also causes increasing numbers of resistant pests. According to Mellon (N. D. ), â€Å"There are signs that the most popular HT crops-those resistant to the herbicide glyphosate-will lose effectiveness as weeds become resistant to the herbicide. Scientists expect that BT crops, too, will succump to pests that evolve resistance to the BT toxins. Secondly, consumption of genetically modified foods from humans effects their health negatively. First effect of GM foods on human health is allergenicity. According to Bakshi (N. D. ), food allergy is a very important health issue with the prevalence of immunoglobulin E antibody-mediated food allergies among adults being approximately 2% and nearly 5% in children. Bakshi also said consumption of genetically modified foods may trigger all ergic reaction. For example Bakshi said kiwi fruit not associated with any allergies in the 1960s. However , there are some people who are currently allergic to it; the allergenic protein in the kiwi fruit was identified to be actinidin. Bakshi also said â€Å"Genetically modified foods can introduce novel proteins into the food supply from organisms that are never consumed as foods. Some of those proteins could be allergenic. † Second effects of GM foods on human health is antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is the ability of an organism to be unaffected by the antibiotic, occurs naturally by evolution. According to Bakshi(N. D. , genetic engineering usually involves the use of genes for antibiotic resistance as ‘selectable markers. ’ These markers help to choose cells that consolidated foreign genes. There are concerns that these chosen genes might recombine with pathogenic bacteria in the environment or with naturally occurring bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals who consume genetically modified food, contributing to the growing public health risk associated with antibiotic resistance for infections that cannot be treated with traditional antibiotics. It must be true negative effects of GM foods because lots of European countries including Britain have refused to allow the Novartis Bt corn to be grown because the ampicillin resistance gene might be transferred from Bt corn to bacteria which these bacterias making a far less effective antibiotic against bacterial infections (Bakshi,N. D. ). Similarly Bakshi , enhs. umn. edu, said â€Å" In recent years health professionals have become alarmed by the increasing number of bacterial strains that are showing resistance to antibiotics. Bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics by creating antibiotic resistance genes through natural mutation. Third effect of GM foods on human health is cancer and degenerative diseases. According to article of Batalian (N. D. ) , lots of researches show us GM foods or hormones which is used for increased milk production in cow causes breast and prostate cancer. Also he said some of Canadian researches prove that GM organism which injected rats mammals l ike humans, this organism damaged thyroid cysts and internal organ. Besides , consuming GM foods causes autoimmune diseases, inflammation, arthritis and lymphoma(Batalian,N. D. ) Lastly, gene transfer from GM foods to body cells can cause disease. According to WHO(N. D. ), â€Å"Gene transfer from GM foods to cells of the body or to bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract would cause concern if the transferred genetic material adversely affects human health. This would be particularly relevant if antibiotic resistance genes, used in creating GMOs, were to be transferred. † In the light of all above mentioned studies, it could be said that scientist have not discovered the true researches consequences about genetically modified foods. They growth a non-natural nutrition, however they do not know their effects on human body and environment. It can be cause lots of bad diseases on human body and harm environment. Because it is dangerous for all kind of alive and natural systems, GM foods production processes should be controlled by new ministry and GM foods may be tested before selling in markets. Those who are support GM foods said these foods have benefits on future hunger and they also support we all need these foods in future. According to Feuilherade (2011),humanity needs 40% more foods by the middle of the century and GM foods is the only solution of this big problem. He also add these foods are healthy for human body because if we change the DNAs of foods, lots of vitamins and drugs may added inside the foods. However, www. webmd. com(N. D. ), mentioned these foods are not natural and has no guarantees, also has some important risks, such as; introducing allergens and toxins to food, accidental contamination between genetically modified and non-genetically modified foods, antibiotic resistance and adversely changing the nutrient content of a crop. Scientists and governments always discuss this topic, however there is no exact result about harms or benefits of GM foods. Nobody do not know consequences of GM foods. Maybe after 50 years it will cause lots of diseases even will kill millions of people. There should be more and more researches about these foods and scientist and governments should give more importance, also all government which country interest growing GM foods, they should open new ministry and specific research center of GM foods before sell these product to innocence people. In conclusion, about GM foods, there are lots of researches and its effects on health and environment are not obvious. The scientist will move to improve these foods and sell them billions of people worldwide. With the support of governments and big bosses, poor and ignorant people buy these uncertain foods. Finally, I personally believe that GM foods will cause lots of die forth coming years, because of these reason these procedure should limited and controlled strictly by the government before selling. Also natural agriculture should be supported and use of organic food promoted.

Mini Usa Essay

Although there is millions of people watch the ads in TV, the most of â€Å"right† viewers miss it. For example, if only 1% of total viewers are potential consumers, the ad is not cost effective. – Recall or hold the information. It is difficult for people to recall or hold the information if they are interested in the product currently or in future. Internet advertising and online customization Emphasize on internet advertising and make an online customization service to potential consumers to design their own unique motors. MINI USA may take full advantage of customization of cars. This may also find some unknown consumers. Pros: -Huge viewers. Internet advertising can be viewed by a lot of viewers. -Internet advertising had reached a tipping point and was about to enter a period of accelerated growth. -Low cost Cons: -Senior citizens are not online in the same numbers as younger generations. -People may ignore ads when they are browsing webpages. Most people do not browse webpage aimless and they have a goal to find what they want, so they may ignore the ads. Recommendation Internet advertising and online customization would be recommended due to several reasons. Firstly, internet advertising is cost effective since it has a lower cost and can be viewed by a lot of people. Secondly, the television advertising and printed ads are declined. However, internet advertising was about to grow. Thirdly, online customization would be interesting, so consumers may send their customized motors to their friends and it may create more participants and discover more potential consumers. Finally, the potential buyers of MINI are

Elephant (2003)

On Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School near Denver, Colorado, two senior students embarked on a massacre, killing twelve students, one teacher, and injuring over twenty more students. The two troubled students then committed suicide. It is the fourth deadliest school massacre in United States history. The phrase â€Å"elephant in the room† is used as a metaphor to describe an obvious truth that goes unaddressed, or simply ignored. Everyone knows it is there, but no one will say what needs to be said, or acknowledge the problem that is in front of them.Gus Van Sant’s, Elephant, is a cinematic response to the 1999 Columbine High School shootings. Van Sant’s open-ended treatment of the Columbine event is one example of how his creative strategy is able to focus the social complexity behind the incident, and stimulate curiosity from the audience. This style of film steps far past the traditional boundaries to the point, demonstrating that this is only s cratching the surface, suggesting that there is much more depth than what is shown in plain view.Elephant refuses to adjust to conventional views of cause and effect, and instead weaves an inescapable spell on its audience with its distinctive long takes, diegetic and non-diegetic sounds, and an interweaving, realistic narrative structure, all contributing to its remarkable visual harmony and an everlasting emotional affect on those who witness it. One creative strategy that Van Sant employs throughout the movie’s entirety is its distinctive, but unique long takes. This unconventional way of filming helps determine the atmosphere of the film as a whole.Van Sant takes the audience on a trancelike journey as the camera follows each character around the school. The action is moved along by the continual course of the camera tracking behind different students as they navigate the school halls, cafeteria, library, and football field. During these long takes, the audience is given the perspective of a passive witness to the action as it unfolds unavoidably. As a result, it becomes a slow-moving film with a snowballing and powerful impact. As Van Sant puts it, â€Å"No cutting is better than cutting.A fabricated story isn't as good as something that's more organic†(Van Sant). These long scenes are repeated, but through the eyes of different characters each revealing a new perspective of the scene, which increases the sympathy for these students who have no idea what is coming, but was already revealed to the audience. With these distinctive and realistic long takes, the scenes become preserved in the audiences memory due to what seems like a first hand experience of the traumatic event.Another key component to this movies inescapable spell that it places on its viewers is the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. Throughout the movie there is always a constant sound, whether it is the echoes of voices in the hallways and locker room, or the sound of Beethoven playing beneath the diegetic sounds. The use of these diegetic sounds help create a more realistic perspective for the audiences. As they follow behind each character closely, Van Sant makes sure to add every little detail he can to ensure that the audience gets as raw and as authentic of a view as possible.For example, the group of young girls in the cafeteria or in the locker room, there are no sound affects added, what you see is what you hear, creating a naturalistic atmosphere. As another way to increase the tension, Van Sant strategically places the non-diegetic sound of a piano playing classical music to create an ominous mood in the selected scenes. There are only a few scenes at which the piano is played, and it easily goes unnoticed. The sounds of classical music playing beneath the diegetic sounds places the audiences in a dreamlike state, as all they can do is sit back and watch as the story unfolds.The interweaving and realistic narrative structure of this fil m helps show the multiple points of views of this tragedy, giving the audience the ability to become â€Å"the ideal imaginary observer† and feel as close to the real thing as possible. After reviewing the film, Manohla Dargis of the LA Times states, â€Å"Every so often, Van Sant repeats a scene from another perspective, as if he were winding back time, and decelerates the bustling to put the film into slow motion so we can pay witness to this heartbreaking animation, to the aliveness of these children.I think this is why Van Sant made â€Å"Elephant† — he wants to honor the lives of the Columbine dead, to remember all the kids in their radiant, burning life. †(Dargis). The same scenes are replayed multiple times from different perspectives to show the magnitude of the situation, and just how powerful what is taking place really is. Instead of casting big name actors, Van Sant casts regular high school teenagers, who improvise their dialogue to make it s eem as realistic as he could.By keeping this narrative structure away from the glamour and artificiality of classic Hollywood films, Van Sant allows the story to unfold naturally and is able to preserve the films true meaning, which is to focus on the traumatic event that is right in plain view, but yet no one wants to address. Throughout the film, the audience is given an in depth look at what took place that tragic day. As far as authenticity, this film is as realistic of an interpretation as there can be without dipping into the glamour of Hollywood, and distortion for the sake of a better script.This film is as real as it gets, and it is because of the creative, non-traditional style that Van Sant employs throughout it. There are several different elements that go into creating this film, such as an interweaving narrative structure, or the use of creative and unique shots that help make it extremely impactful. Some elements can be seen with the naked eye; others require a little bit more intellect. Regardless of whether or not the audience can see why this film is more creative and spell bounding than the next, they at least know something is there like the elephant in the room.