Definition of Buddhism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Definition of Buddhism - Essay Example 500 B.C. on the basis of pantheistic Brahminism. The speculations of the Vedanta school of religious thought, in the eighth and following centuries, B.C., gave rise to several rival schemes of salvation" (Definition of Buddhism n.d.). Things might appear to be solid and self-existing, but with the development of the insight gained through meditation one discovered that this was not so. Also, Buddhists believe that the Buddha's death is only an illusion and that he remains accessible to suffering humanity. Sunyata, one of the central concepts, means emptiness and it is the logical development of the earlier Buddhist concept that the human being does not possess an enduring soul and that all things were conditioned by preexisting conditions (New Oxford American Dictionary 2001). The four Noble Truths are (1) life is suffering, (2) the origin of suffering is attachment, (3) there is an end of sufferings, (4) there is path out of suffering (Buddhism Information and Education Network 2007). Believers suppose that the first of these is that life is, in its essence, unsatisfactory. The second of these is the idea that the unsatisfactoriness of the world stem from the constant cravings which arises in the human being and from ignorance of the true nature of reality. The third Noble Truth is that this need not be the fate of all human beings, and that there is a way to cease being enslaved to this unsatisfactory world. The final Noble Truth is that the way to cessation of bondage to the world lay in the Eightfold Path. The eight components of this path of liberation are 1) right (i.e. correct or proper) viewpoint, 2) right intention, 3) right speech, 4) right actions, 5) right livelihood, 6) right effort, 7) right mindfulness, and 8) right concentration (Buddhism Information and Education Network 2007).. Here, encapsulated in a very few easy to remember steps, lies the entire Buddhist plan for salvation. When examined more closely this list divides into three separate parts. The first part, right viewpoint and right intention, relates to the underlying core of one's understanding of the nature of reality. In order for his program of liberation to be effective, the Buddha knew that its practitioners had to change fundamentally the way in which they perceived the world. In old tradition, this was the purpose of right viewpoint, an orientation away from the understanding of the world as made up of material things that were acted upon, and toward an understanding of the world as a series of constantly changing and interacting processes. From this new understanding of the world came the second step on the Eightfold Path, right intention. This was achieved when the individual decided that the Buddhist analysis of existence was correct and determin ed to follow the Buddhist plan for salvation. This meant acting in a benevolent, non-harmful manner and practicing the steps of the Eightfold Path (Definition of Buddhism n.d.). The next three steps on the Eightfold Path were designed to take the insights gained from the first two steps and to put them into practice in the world. Right speech, as its name implies, was based on a proper use of speech, but it really involves the entire way in which human beings interact with one another. Thus one was enjoined not to lie, not to slander, not to backbite, not, in a word, to say (or presumably even

Thirty Years War Essay Example for Free

Thirty Years War Essay History is explicitly encompassed of many significant events that are attributed and related to the continuous and rapid development of the human civilization. In Europe, many wars were fought over by the different kingdoms and societies to rule over the other states and gain political supremacy in the land. On of the many historical wars that occurred in the early European civilization is the Thirty Years War. The Thirty Years war explicitly encompassed thirty years of very chaotic political and military conditions among the nations of the early European civilization. During this time, dominant nations in the western continent are fighting over for their claim of land, political dominance and the right of their religious order. This war is fought in 1618 until 1648 over the European lands of what is now Germany. The origin of this devastating war among the European nations can be attributed to two major aspects. First, the decline and instability of some of the dominant kingdom in the Western continent due to factors of internal monarchial conflict and lack of successor. Another important factor regarding the origin of this war is the social discrimination and stratification of the European society as a whole to the different religions and their sects. Some of the nations and their civilization developed religious tension with their neighboring countries will soon later becomes political and social dispute due to events of harassment and violence. The war later progressed to even more devastating condition thus, a solutions to end this dispute is very much needed. To answer this heed, a series of treaties were made and signed by the involved political parties to settle the dispute among them. These treaties were collectively called the Treaty of Westphalia, which main principles were to settle the sovereignty and land claims of the different nations involved in the war and end the controversy between the different religious parties that are involved. Summarily, the Thirty Years War is a product of the religious dispute mainly between the Protestants and the Catholics that is further aggravated by chaotic political conditions of the nations involve. From the political aspect, it seems that this war is a dispute that could not be overlook without an aspect of war due to the political agenda and the militaristic principles of the nations involved. Thus, diplomatic measures must be applied to settle the dispute and end the war among these European societies, which is primarily the main reason of the Treaty of Westphalia. Bibliography Atkinson, Chris (2005). The Thirty Years War. http://www.pipeline.com/~cwa/TYWHome.htm. November 6, 2006. LaRouche, Helga Zepp (2001). The Peace of Westphalia. The Schiller Institute. http://www.schillerinstitute.org/strategic/hzl_t_of_w_0599.html. November 6, 2006.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL (BY CHARLES DICKENS) :: English Literature

A CHRISTMAS CAROL (BY CHARLES DICKENS) â€Å"By Close Analysis of Staves One and Five Show How Dickens Portrays the Transformation of Scrooge and To What Effect† In December 1843, Charles Dickens wrote and published â€Å"A Christmas Carol.† He published this book when he needed money; he needed money badly because he was in debt. He decided to link it to things that are happening; that Christmas was not taken seriously, it was fading out and ghost traditional Christmas tales. Dickens used the genre of ghost stories, but Dickens did something unusual, he changed the fact that ghost stories are meant to be frightening, in this book, the ghost stories were scary. In 1843 (ancient times), there were no security, pensions, national health nor compulsory education. You were expected to work six days a week and on Sunday, you go to church (only if you had a job). Those who had no job couldn’t go to church, because they were probably in prison or workhouse. There were no holidays, you had to work on Boxing Day, and if you ended up in debt, you would be put in debt prison. Dickens grew up in this prison with his dad, he started work at the age of 12 (it was a terrible work). Looking at the Book, it was about ghosts, and ghost stories were always told during Christmas. Books were always in chapters, but Dickens wrote his in staves; musical notes. Dickens starts to compare, first, looking at the full title, â€Å"A Christmas Carol in prose,† to have a carol in prose means a contradiction (to speak against). The book written in staves, which is a music stave, is already contradicting the title. In the preface, he uses another contradiction (repetition); we will also be looking at jokes and humours. Stave1: Marley’s Ghost â€Å"Marley was dead; to begin with† this is a contradiction; we already begin to make assumptions about the story. Stave1, beginning with a negative statement; â€Å"Marley was dead..........† (A quick reference to stave 5), and stave 5; a positive statement; â€Å"Yes!† with an exclamation mark, showing that there is an excitement there, even in the first paragraph. Dickens uses repetition in the first paragraph of stave 1; clergyman and clerk, undertaker and chief mourner, and Scrooge was also emphasised twice. He uses a simile; â€Å"Old Marley was dead as a door nail†, he was being humorous; in the book he explains why he used it, but we figured out that Dickens uses these to slow down the â€Å"pace† and change the â€Å"atmosphere†, this was meant to be funny (in1843), he used this to divert people’s attention from the

Psychology Opinion Paper Essay

There are a total of six approaches to psychology covered in chapter one, these six approaches include: neurobiological, behavioral, humanistic, psychoanalytic, cognitive and socio-cultural approaches. Of these six approaches I’ve found the neurobiological and socio-cultural approaches to be the most persuasive and believable for my personal views. The Neurobiological approach in psychology is defined as viewing behavior as the result of nervous system functions and biology. I believe strongest in the Neurobiological approach because the obvious physical changes and processes your body creates under specific conditions are regularly seen, in times of relaxation, fear or anything in between. In everyday life my own behavior is commonly the result of Neurobiological behavior. I believe that our internal functions have almost complete control over our actions and decisions. An example of a Neurobiological action in behavior can be seen when I was recently I was calmly resting on my bed and suddenly I saw a centipede crawling across my stomach; instinctively my body and mind reacted by get frightened; creating a racing heart beat and my nervous system went into its flight instinct which caused me to jump away from the predator and end up with a bite on the side of my waist. Another example of Neurobiological behavior becomes evident in someone who commonly abuses drugs such as Ecstasy (MDMA), which is known to cause changes to the brain’s chemistry, specifically the serotonin levels. The depletion of serotonin level in the brain often seen with common Ecstasy use often can be seen as a cause of depression in some people. That is not to say that other factors do not contribute to depression but this is just one example. This just simply proves that it is not only the outside world that affects our behaviors. I firmly believe that many of our choices in life are affected extensively by our biological composition. The next approach in psychology that I particularly agreed with was the sociocultural approach. This approach by definition means that behavior is viewed as strongly influenced by rules and expectations of specific social  groups or cultures. I believe that this issue is also very dominant in affecting the way we behave. Living in Hawaii, which happens to be a very culturally diverse state allows be to see many different lifestyles and behaviors all combined into one area. The school that I attend is extremely multi-cultural students are Tongan, Hawaiian, Japanese, Caucasian, Filipino, Spanish and so on. With such a vast array of cultures all living in one area one can easily notice the different views, standards, languages, goals, and activities that are influenced by one’s ethnic and cultural background. Also falling under the sociocultural approach is how people act and based primarily on the social behavior of their peers or the society in which they live. It is especially common for adolescents to follow something that they ordinarily would not do simply because it is â€Å"cool† and it appears â€Å"everyone is doing it.† In my opinion, I think that most drug use and other inappropriate behavior stems from this theory that people make decisions based on their outside influences.

Cellphone

Spending six hours without my cellophane was a very difficult task for me because I have created an android dependency without being aware of it. I personally don't make too many calls; instead I use excessively the Watchstrap Application for free text messages, and what makes me dependent or attached to it is the feeling of being â€Å"connected† to my friends and family at any time.At first, It was frustrating, I went through the anxiety of finding it and turning It on but gladly I did not; the same kind of anxiety I have experienced in the past when I went too meeting and I had denuded touched my pocket to feel my mammals cellophane, only to find It minutes later In my purse. Then, told myself â€Å"It's going to be Just 6 hours, I can handle that, I will be okay†, and tried to concentrate on other matters. I am glad today that I was able to accomplish a lot of things without my cellophane and computer In those 6 hours.First, I got some homework done rather quickly: it took me no more than two hours to read four chapters of two different subjects, Archeology and American Politics. After that, I rote some basic ideas on a piece of paper in relation to an assignment I needed to do later. Then I went to the Supermarket and came back to my room, where I placed all the groceries in the kitchen and refrigerator. And finally, I went out for dinner at a local restaurant.Perhaps the most difficult task I had to adjust to without my cellophane was reading, because I have acquired in the last few years the bad habit of checking my cellophane constantly, especially when I felt bored or distracted. Nonetheless, I tried to incinerate on my reading, which was hard at the beginning, but as I kept doing it, the cellophane anxiety went away and I honestly felt really good with myself. After the 6 hours passed, I didn't felt the urgent necessity to run and turn the cellophane or the computer on.I confess that I am happily surprised that I was able to go about dur ing 6 hours of my day without my cellophane and computer, and engaged instead in very productive work. I am now convinced that I wouldn't have been able to finish my homework and other tasks In time with my cellophane or computer around. At the end of the day, I really felt relieved that I TLD have to be expecting anxiously at all times, as I had before, all the multiple notifications, e-mails and Watchstrap messages I normally receive on any day of my life.Cellophane By greenmailed have created an android dependency without being aware of it. I personally don't â€Å"connected† to my friends and family at any time. At first, it was frustrating, I went through the anxiety of finding it and turning it on but gladly I did not; the same kind of anxiety I have experienced in the past when I went to a meeting and I had denuded touched my pocket to feel my missing cellophane, only to find it minutes later in my purse.Then, I told myself â€Å"it's going to be Just 6 hours, I can h andle that, I will be okay', and lot of things without my cellophane and computer in those 6 hours. First, I got some homework done rather quickly; it took me no more than two hours to read four engaged instead in very productive work. I am now convinced that I wouldn't have been able to finish my homework and other tasks in time with my cellophane or computer around. At the end of the day, I really felt relieved that I didn't have to be

Geothermal Energy - Tapping the Earths Heat Supply

Geothermal Energy - Tapping the Earths Heat Supply As the costs of fuel and electricity rise, geothermal energy has a promising future. Underground heat can be found anywhere on Earth, not just where oil is pumped, coal is mined, where the sun shines or where the wind blows. And it produces around the clock, all the time, with relatively little management needed. Heres how geothermal energy works. Geothermal Gradients No matter where you are, if you drill down through the Earths crust you will eventually hit red-hot rock. Miners first noticed in the Middle Ages that deep mines are warm at the bottom, and careful measurements since that time have found that once you get past surface fluctuations, solid rock grows steadily warmer with depth. On average, this geothermal gradient is about one degree Celsius for every 40 meters in depth or 25 C per kilometer. But averages are just averages. In detail, the geothermal gradient is much higher and lower in different places. High gradients require one of two things: hot magma rising close to the surface, or abundant cracks allowing groundwater to carry heat efficiently to the surface. Either one is sufficient for energy production, but having both is best. Spreading Zones Magma rises where the crust is being stretched apart to let it rise- in divergent zones. This happens in the volcanic arcs above most subduction zones, for instance, and in other areas of crustal extension. The worlds largest zone of extension is the mid-ocean ridge system, where the famous, sizzling-hot black smokers are found. It would be great if we could tap heat from the spreading ridges, but that is possible in only two places, Iceland and the Salton Trough of California (and Jan Mayen Land in the Arctic Ocean, where no one lives). Areas of continental spreading are the next-best possibility. Good examples are the Basin and Range region in the American West and East Africas Great Rift Valley. Here there are many areas of hot rocks that overlie young magma intrusions. The heat is available if we can get to it by drilling, then start extracting the heat by pumping water through the hot rock. Fracture Zones Hot springs and geysers throughout the Basin and Range point to the importance of fractures. Without the fractures, there is no hot spring, only hidden potential. Fractures support hot springs in many other places where the crust is not stretching. The famous Warm Springs in Georgia is an example, a place where no lava has flowed in 200 million years. Steam Fields The very best places to tap geothermal heat have high temperatures and abundant fractures. Deep in the ground, the fracture spaces are filled with pure superheated steam, while groundwater and minerals in the cooler zone above seal in the pressure. Tapping into one of these dry-steam zones is like having a giant steam boiler handy that you can plug into a turbine to generate electricity. The best place in the world for this is off limits- Yellowstone National Park. There are only three dry-steam fields producing power today: Lardarello in Italy, Wairakei in New Zealand and The Geysers in California. Other steam fields are wet- they produce boiling water as well as steam. Their efficiency is less than the dry-steam fields, but hundreds of them are still making a profit. A major example is the Coso geothermal field in eastern California. Geothermal energy plants can be started in hot dry rock simply by drilling down to it and fracturing it. Then water is pumped down to it and the heat is harvested in steam or hot water. Electricity is produced either by flashing the pressurized hot water into steam at surface pressures or by using a second working fluid (such as water or ammonia) in a separate plumbing system to extract and convert the heat. Novel compounds are under development as working fluids that could boost efficiency enough to change the game. Lesser Sources Ordinary hot water is useful for energy even if it isnt suitable for generating electricity. The heat itself is useful in factory processes or just for heating buildings. The entire nation of Iceland is almost completely self-sufficient in energy thanks to geothermal sources, both hot and warm, that do everything from driving turbines to heating greenhouses. Geothermal possibilities of all these kinds are shown in a national map of geothermal potential issued on Google Earth in 2011. The study that created this map estimated that America has ten times as much geothermal potential as the energy in all of its coal beds. Useful energy can be obtained even in shallow holes, where the ground isnt hot. Heat pumps can cool a building during summer and warm it during winter, just by moving heat from whichever place is warmer. Similar schemes work in lakes, where dense, cold water lies on the lake bottom. Cornell Universitys lake source cooling system is a notable example. Earths Heat Source To a first approximation, Earths heat comes from radioactive decay of three elements: uranium, thorium, and potassium. We think that the iron core has almost none of these, while the overlying mantle has only small amounts. The crust, just 1 percent of the Earths bulk, holds about half as much of these radiogenic elements as the whole mantle beneath it (which is 67% of the Earth). In effect, the crust acts like an electric blanket upon the rest of the planet. Lesser amounts of heat are produced by various physicochemical means: freezing of liquid iron in the inner core, mineral phase changes, impacts from outer space, friction from Earth tides and more. And a significant amount of heat flows out of the Earth simply because the planet is cooling, as it has since its birth 4.6 billion years ago. The exact numbers for all these factors are highly uncertain because the Earths heat budget relies on details of the planets structure, which is still being discovered. Also, Earth has evolved, and we cannot assume what its structure was during the deep past. Finally, plate-tectonic motions of the crust have been rearranging that electric blanket for eons. The Earths heat budget is a contentious topic among specialists. Thankfully, we can exploit geothermal energy without that knowledge.

Moonboom Island Feild Report; report on a field study of Moonboom Island in South-East Queensland, Australia

Moonboom Island Feild Report; report on a field study of Moonboom Island in South-East Queensland, Australia BACKGROUNDOver three days, from the 19th to the 21st of July, we conducted a field study on Moonboom Island. Moonboom Is. is situated in the Great Sandy Straits between Maroom and Fraser Island and is privately owned. Moonboom is approximately a twenty to thirty minute boat trip form the Maroom boat ramp.There is no in-ground plumbing on Moonboom. Moreover, the key source of drinking and cleaning water found on Moonboom is rainwater stored in a tank. A large portion of Moonboom Is. is made up of mangroves.Part of the field study was undertaken at Gary's Anchorage, a popular spot on Fraser Island's west coast. The different types of organisms found during the study include mangroves, yabbies, crabs, sand flies, ants and a variety of fish. Most of these organisms were found using transects; a technique commonly used when looking at coastal ecosystems.AIMThe main objective the field study conducted on Moonboom Island was to find out exactly what forms of life exist there.Photo taken on the mangrove walk St Kilda, South A...And, later on establish why they live there as well as the relationships shared by the species of an ecosystem. It was a study of the biotic and abiotic factors of Moonboom Island. The study also served as a platform to demonstrate the practical skills of sampling and identifying species.APPARATUSTape-measureMeter rulerAnemometerBait netsCast netsYabby pumpsWeather wallMETHODA sampling technique known as transect was employed to ascertain information about particular populations within the ecosystem of Moonboom. A transect is a line through an ecosystem along which sampling can take place. In groups, we carried out this technique, resulting in a number of different transects each 30m in length.Our transect began just past the high tide mark at the edge of the trees and continued through...

Empress Dowager Cixi - Chinese History

Empress Dowager Cixi - Chinese History Few people in history have been as thoroughly vilified as the Empress Dowager Cixi (sometimes spelled Tzu Hsi), one of the last empresses of Chinas Qing Dynasty. Depicted in writings by English contemporaries in the foreign service as cunning, treacherous and sex-crazed, Cixi was painted as a caricature of a woman, and a symbol of Europeans beliefs about the Orient in general. She is not the only female ruler to suffer this indignity. Scurrilous rumors abound about women from Cleopatra to Catherine the Great. Still, Cixi received some of the worst press in history. After a century of defamation, her life and reputation finally are being re-examined. Cixis Early Life The Empress Dowagers early life is shrouded in mystery. We do know that she was born November 29, 1835, to a noble Manchu family in China, but even her birth-name is not recorded. Her fathers name was Kuei Hsiang of the Yehenara clan; her mothers name is not known. A number of other stories - that the girl was a beggar who sang in the streets for money, that her father was addicted to opium and gambling, and that the child was sold to the emperor as a sex-slave - seem to be pure European embroidery. In truth, Qing imperial policy forbade the publication of personal details, so foreign observers simply made up stories to fill in the gaps. Cixi the Concubine In 1849, when the girl was fourteen, she was one of 60 nominees for the position of an imperial concubine. She was probably eager to be chosen, since she once said, I have had a very hard life ever since I was a young girl. I was not a bit happy when with my parents... My sisters had everything they wanted, while I was, to a great extent, ignored altogether. (Seagrave, 25) Fortunately, after a two-year preparation period, the then-Empress Dowager selected her as an imperial concubine from among the large pool of Manchu and Mongol girls. Qing emperors were forbidden from taking Han Chinese wives or concubines. She would serve Emperor Xianfeng as a fourth-rank concubine. Her name was recorded simply as Lady Yehenara after her fathers clan. A Birth and a Death Xianfeng had one empress (Niuhuru), two consorts, and eleven concubines. This was a small assortment, relative to earlier emperors; as the budget was tight. His favorite was a consort, who bore him a daughter, but while she was pregnant, he spent time with Cixi. Cixi also soon became pregnant  and gave birth to a boy on April 27, 1856. Little Zaichun was Xianfengs only son, so his birth greatly improved his mothers standing in court. During the Second Opium War (1856-1860), Western troops looted and burned the lovely Summer Palace. On top of existing health problems, this shock is said to have killed the 30-year-old Xianfeng. Co-Empresses Dowager On his death-bed, Xianfeng made contradictory statements about the succession, which was not guaranteed to Zaichun. He did not formally name an heir before he died on August 22, 1861. Still, Cixi made sure that her 5-year-old son became the Tongzhi Emperor. A regency council of four ministers and four nobles assisted the child emperor, while the Empress Niuhuru and Cixi were named co-Empresses Dowager. The Empresses each controlled a royal seal, meant to be a mere formality, but which could be used as a form of veto. When the ladies opposed a decree they refused to stamp it, converting the protocol into real power. The Xinyou Palace Coup One of the ministers on the regency council, Su Shun, was intent on becoming the sole power behind the throne or perhaps even wresting the crown away from the child emperor. Though Emperor Xianfeng had named both Empresses Dowager as regents, Su Shun tried to cut out Cixi and take her imperial seal. Cixi publicly denounced Su Shun and allied herself with Empress Niuhuru and three imperial princes against him. Su Shun, who controlled the treasury, cut off food and other household items for the Empresses, but they would not give in. When the royal household returned to Beijing for the funeral, Su Shun was arrested and charged with subversion. Despite his high post, he was beheaded in the public vegetable market. Two princely co-conspirators were allowed to die by suicide. Two Young Emperors The new regents faced a difficult period in Chinas history. The country struggled to pay indemnities for the Second Opium War, and the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) was in full swing in the south. Breaking with Manchu tradition, the Empresses Dowager appointed competent Han Chinese generals and officials to high office in order to deal with these problems. In 1872, the 17-year-old Tongzhi Emperor married Lady Alute. The following year he was made emperor regnant, although some historians charge that he was functionally illiterate and often neglecting matters of state. On January 13, 1875, he died of smallpox at just 18. The Tongzhi Emperor did not leave an heir, so the Empresses Dowager had to select an appropriate replacement. By Manchu custom, the new emperor should have been from the next generation after Tongzhi, but no such boy existed. They settled instead on Cixis sisters 4-year-old son, Zaitian, who became the Guangxu Emperor. At this time, Cixi was often bed-ridden with a liver ailment. In April of 1881, Empress Dowager Niuhuru suddenly died at the age of 44, possibly of a stroke. Naturally, rumors quickly spread through the foreign legations that Cixi had poisoned her, although Cixi was herself probably too ill to have had any part in a plot. She would not recover her own health until 1883. Guangxu Emperors Reign In 1887, the timid Emperor Guaungxu came of age at 16, but the court postponed his accession ceremony. Two years later, he married Cixis niece Jingfen (although he reportedly did not find her long face very attractive). At that time, a fire broke out in the Forbidden City, which caused some observers to worry that the Emperor and Cixi had lost the Mandate of Heaven. When he took power in his own name at 19, Guangxu wanted to modernize the army and bureaucracy, but Cixi was wary of his reforms. She moved to the new Summer Palace to be out of his way, nonetheless. In 1898, Guangxus reformers in court were tricked into agreeing to cede sovereignty to Ito Hirobumi, Japans former Prime Minister. Just as the Emperor was about to formalize the move, troops controlled by Cixi stopped the ceremony. Guangxu was disgraced and retired to an island in the Forbidden City. The Boxer Rebellion In 1900, Chinese discontent with foreign demands and aggression erupted into the anti-foreign Boxer Rebellion, also called the Righteous Harmony Society Movement. Initially, the Boxers included the Manchu Qing rulers among the foreigners they opposed, but in June 1900, Cixi threw her support behind them, and they became allies. The Boxers executed Christian missionaries and converts all over the country, tore down churches, and laid siege to the foreign trade legations in Peking for 55 days. Inside the Legation Quarter, men, women and children from the UK, Germany, Italy, Austria, France, Russia and Japan were huddled, along with Chinese Christian refugees. In the fall of 1900, the Eight-Nation Alliance (the European powers plus the US and Japan) sent an expeditionary force of 20,000 to raise the siege on the Legations. The force went up-river and captured Beijing. The final death toll from the rebellion is estimated at almost 19,000 civilians, 2,500 foreign troops and about 20,000 Boxers and Qing troops. Flight from Peking With the foreign forces approaching Peking, on August 15, 1900, Cixi dressed in peasant garb and fled from the Forbidden City in an ox cart, along with Emperor Guangxu and their retainers. The Imperial Party made its way far to the west, to the ancient capital of Xian (formerly Changan). The Empress Dowager called their flight a tour of inspection, and in fact, she did become more aware of the conditions for ordinary Chinese people during their travels. After some time, the Allied Powers sent a conciliatory message to Cixi in Xian, offering to make peace. The Allies would allow Cixi to continue her rule, and would not demand any land from the Qing. Cixi agreed to their terms, and she and the Emperor returned to Peking in January of 1902. The End of Cixis Life After her return to the Forbidden City, Cixi set out to learn all she could from the foreigners. She invited Legation wives to tea  and instituted reforms modeled on those in Meiji Japan. She also distributed prize Pekingese dogs (previously kept only in the Forbidden City) to her European and American guests. On November 14, 1908, the Guangxu Emperor died of acute arsenic poisoning. Although she was quite ill herself, Cixi installed the late Emperors nephew, the 2-year-old Puyi, as the new Xuantong Emperor. Cixi died the following day. The Empress Dowager in History For decades, the Empress Dowager Cixi was described as a devious and depraved tyrant, based largely on the writings of people who did not even know her, including J.O.P. Bland and Edmund Backhouse. However, contemporary accounts by Der Ling and Katherine Carl, as well as later scholarship by Hugh Trevor-Roper and Sterling Seagrave, paint a very different picture. Rather than a power-mad harridan with a harem of faux eunuchs, or a woman who poisoned most of her own family, Cixi comes across as an intelligent survivor who learned to navigate Qing politics  and rode the wave of very troubled times for 50 years. Sources: Seagrave, Sterling. Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China, New York: Knopf, 1992. Trevor-Roper, Hugh. Hermit of Peking: The Hidden Life of Sir Edmund Backhouse, New York: Knopf, 1977. Warner, Marina. The Dragon Empress: The Life and Times of Tzu-Hsi, Empress Dowager of China 1835-1908, New York: Macmillan, 1972.

The role of educators to promote human rights and social justice Essay

The role of educators to promote human rights and social justice - Essay Example Therefore, this will mean that the social justice activists will articulate their mission as they mention human rights. This is maintained in pedagogy to create a community of learners that understands and values rights of humans recognizing that every human being has to be dignified. The aim of this dissertation is to examine social justice and education by focusing on the integration of human rights in curricula, policies, and practices of secondary schools. The context describes the focus of the research topic in secondary schooling and the terms used in this study.   The third section looks at three issues relevant to the research topic, namely, the relationship between human rights and education, the stakeholders in human rights education, and the integration of human rights education in secondary schools.The function of education within a social justice framework involves the empowerment of learners to become active change agents in the community. Secondary school education i n human rights should focus on developing the learners’ critical thinking skills in relation to their knowledge about human rights. Teaching about human rights entails transmitting information and ideas on human rights and promoting attitudes and values that support such rights. This is associated with the position that teaching for human rights is characterized by examination of fundamental components that consist of human rights including equality, freedom, justice, and life, and the disparaging impact of pain.

Abortion Ethical Issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Abortion Ethical Issue - Essay Example Abortion, to the pro-life supporter, is simply without a doubt, murder. Millions of people feel that it is unethical and immoral. When you watch TV and you see stories about children that have been beaten or killed by their parents, relatives, or even by a complete stranger. People become completely upset and outraged and want to know how something like this could happen? Thousands of people are crying for those poor innocent, defenseless, unborn children. But yet, when it comes to abortion everybody is quick to say that it’s not murder because the child is not born yet. Those who are against abortion would disagree, they believe that from the moment of conception the embryo or a fetus is full of life and then consider a living being. People don’t realize how these babies are being destroyed. For instead one form of abortion is to cut out the fetus into pieces with serrated forceps before being removed. Then piece by piece is removed by a vacuum aspirator. Another form of abortion is to bring the fetus feet first into the birth canal, only to puncture its skull and sucking out the brain tissue. Then the body parts are removed being labeled as letters instead of being called what they really are. Then the remains of the fetus into plastic bags and then thrown in a dumpster to be disposed of. Then, on the other hand, you have a pro-choice supporter. They believe that women have the right to do to their body whatever she sees fit. Obviously, people will never agree on the abortion issue. They will either be Pro-Life or they will be Pro-Choice. Whatever they decide it will always be hot issues to debate-lifers believe that each human being from the time of fertilization to natural death has immeasurable dignit y and an unalienable right to life. An embryo is distinctively human life so should be provided the equivalent respect, moral status, esteem and dignity given to an infant, child or adult.  Ã‚  

FRS and ASPE Interpretation Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

FRS and ASPE Interpretation - Term Paper Example 6 Difference and similarities of financial statements †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..7 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦8 Expectations for Canada and around the world Introduction Statistics Canada is reporting the Canadian financial system recorded its strongest performance in life span of eight months in November. It showed a growing 0.4% on a month over month basis. This gain has exceeded its market expectations since it is the result of a strong performance by the servi ce sector as we as gas and oil grilling. In a research done it shows that the increase in November yield divines well for a final fourth quarter gross domestic product (GDP) annualized expansion which was 2.3% that would match with the bank of Canada forecast. In this research it shows some decline in other sectors such as; construct ion and manufacturing. The Canadian dollar later gained its value after the statistics release while outputs on Canadian bond rose slightly. It is good number as well as it is going forward to December’s gross domestic product (GDP) which exited in 2010. Many economists believed that this renaissance in the service area may be short-term while customer demands appeared to be more stringent mortgage and cooling insurance rules which may reduce the housing market and measured growth in the construction and service area yield through 2011 (Donald E. K.,2002). A Convergence of Expectations Full convergence is estimated by 2011 but there are a number of serious activities that require to be completed prior to 2011 either to satisfy regulatory needs and financial reporting or to make sure that when first month of 2011 arrives, everything will be in a position to en sure a smooth transition. The main goal of this is to assist financial account preparers in determining what conversion activities are crucial now and which activities can wait until later. Through the implantations and careful planning of good thought out implantation plan, change to IFRS can be cost effective and smooth exercise. This will help Canadian publicly liable financial accounts preparers in scoping out the important activities of the change from Canadian GAAP to IFRS. Convergence of accounting standards toward a common set of top quality account ting principles is seen in the public best interest and later will provide a more common language for financial reporting g. By improving GAAP, it will help to achieve convergence. The fast conversion and increase o f complex standard might bring in challenges for some stakeholders such as financial account preparer community. Enough time to react to the change, new standard and intensive efforts to tell all stakeholders of the conversions; will require to be provided with global implementations (Donald E. K., 2002). IFRS This is an international financial reporti

Business Management And Leadership - Leading (U4DB) Essay

Business Management And Leadership - Leading (U4DB) - Essay Example 1). He simply does not take people’s feelings into account over his own. His self-regulation skills are strong, which includes, â€Å"the ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods and the propensity to suspend judgment and to think before acting† (Goleman, 1998, pg. 1). His patience in this area is key. Another strong area of his is motivation, which is, â€Å"a passion to work for reasons that go beyond money and status† (Goleman, 1998, pg. 1). He has always been persistent in pursuing his goals. Unfortunately, he is weak in the area of empathy, which is, â€Å"the ability to understand the EMOTIONAL makeup of other people.† I believe that he oftentimes leaves employees out of important decision-making processes. Finally, his social skills, which are â€Å"proficiency in managing relationships and building networks and an ability to find common ground and build rapport† (Goleman, 1998, pg. 1), could use help as well. Again, it ti es into having a weak bond with employees as individuals. The areas of emotional intelligence that directly involve the feelings and opinions of others should be addressed first in order to turn this situation around. Most likely, the employees in this scenario do not feel as if they matter very much to the company. First, it is imperative that I learn to recognize the feelings and emotions of the employees as individuals. It is also important that I learn to understand the emotional makeup of other people. Social skills will also be very important so that healthy relationships can be built within the workplace. There are several things that organizations can do in order to help develop the emotional intelligence of their managers as well as their other employees. The first step is making sure that the management team and employees have the skills necessary to

Business Ethics and corporate social responsibility(new) Essay

Business Ethics and corporate social responsibility(new) - Essay Example This is apparent in the company’s advertising and sales catalogues which depict aspirational youths maintaining the physical characteristics the company believes are stimulating to other youths who look toward reference groups to determine and shape their identities. The brand engages the desirable and shuns what the business considers the undesirable, the less attractive (Logue 2013). The CEO Mike Jeffries made an explicit commentary that the business hires only nice-looking individuals as sales representatives and managers in-store and that the company does not want people who are not cool to wear the company’s clothing (Levinson 2013). The majority of the branded clothing merchandise provided by Abercrombie & Fitch serves as a billboard for the company, presenting the business’ trading name in very visible and eye-catching font. As the CEO believes that this aspirational brand should retain its most loyal markets, this being trends-focused, attractive and yout hful buyers, the company believes that marketing to other market segments would depreciate the brand value of the organisation and make it less inspiring to loyal consumers. Offered the CEO in a 2006 interview (which has recently resurfaced in mass media), â€Å"Candidly, we go after the cool kids. A lot of people don’t belong in our clothes, and they can’t belong† (Levinson 2013, p.1). These comments angered one famous celebrity, Hollywood actress Kirstie Alley, who recently shed considerable weight and after having been the victim of media taunting about her explosive weight gain in recent years. Offered Alley, â€Å"blah, blah, blah, blah. That would never make me buy anything from Abercrombie. I’ve got two kids...they will never walk in those doors† (Winston 2013, p.1). In addition, advocates for the rights of overweight consumers have even developed mock advertising campaigns in an effort to bring public attention to the alleged unethical beha viours of the company. Figure 1: Mock A&F Publicity Exposing Hostile Sentiment about CEO Comments Source: LeTrent, S. (2013). ‘Attractive & Fat’ ad spoofs Abercrombie, CNN Living. [online] Available at: http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/23/living/abercrombie-attractive-and-fat (accessed 21 May 2013). The CEO responsible for creating this negative public backlash had, historically, stood by his comments, defending the statements as justifiable with brand strategy and corporate rights. However, with a sudden 17 percent drop in retail sales in the United States as a result of the controversy (Become Gorgeous 2013), the CEO offered, â€Å"We look forward to continuing this dialogue and taking concrete steps to demonstrate our commitment to anti-bullying† (News Limited 2013, p.2). However, prior to this apologetic statement, Abercrombie & Fitch had been the historical target of special interest groups and general societal stakeholders for unethical business behaviours associ ated with alleged pornographically-centric depiction of its advertising models and for offending youth markets that are, essentially, shunned by the business and its representatives. Sales continue to fall with this company quarter by quarter. Literature review – Ethical leadership and stakeholder values Some of those who argue that Abercrombie & Fit

Business Management And Leadership - Leading (U4DB) Essay

Business Management And Leadership - Leading (U4DB) - Essay Example 1). He simply does not take people’s feelings into account over his own. His self-regulation skills are strong, which includes, â€Å"the ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods and the propensity to suspend judgment and to think before acting† (Goleman, 1998, pg. 1). His patience in this area is key. Another strong area of his is motivation, which is, â€Å"a passion to work for reasons that go beyond money and status† (Goleman, 1998, pg. 1). He has always been persistent in pursuing his goals. Unfortunately, he is weak in the area of empathy, which is, â€Å"the ability to understand the EMOTIONAL makeup of other people.† I believe that he oftentimes leaves employees out of important decision-making processes. Finally, his social skills, which are â€Å"proficiency in managing relationships and building networks and an ability to find common ground and build rapport† (Goleman, 1998, pg. 1), could use help as well. Again, it ti es into having a weak bond with employees as individuals. The areas of emotional intelligence that directly involve the feelings and opinions of others should be addressed first in order to turn this situation around. Most likely, the employees in this scenario do not feel as if they matter very much to the company. First, it is imperative that I learn to recognize the feelings and emotions of the employees as individuals. It is also important that I learn to understand the emotional makeup of other people. Social skills will also be very important so that healthy relationships can be built within the workplace. There are several things that organizations can do in order to help develop the emotional intelligence of their managers as well as their other employees. The first step is making sure that the management team and employees have the skills necessary to

Conflict Prevention, Development, And Peace-Building Assignment

Conflict Prevention, Development, And Peace-Building - Assignment Example   In saying this, the author generalized his assertions, insinuating that all Secretary-General’s successes have been predetermined by the performance of their predecessors. Research shows that Secretary Generals, like Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Dag Hammarskjold, introduced new approaches to the UN’s operation and were largely successful in terms of changes made and the resources available to them at the time.   The author provides a comprehensive and critical examination of the issues highlighted at the beginning of the article. Although some of the claims are misplaced, there is no ambiguity in his approach to the discussion.   I have learned that peaceful settlements and conflict resolution are multidimensional concepts that require good interplay between multiple entities.   For example, from a superficial point of view, it often seems like the UN is at fault for most of the conflicts witnessed thus far. However, the author takes time to inform the reader tha t the UN is just a proxy for member states; it does what it is told, not the other way round.   People are often quick to ask, "where is the UN?" and "what is the UN doing?", when in actual sense it is the member countries that determine its course of action.   Countries that sit on the UN Security Council are especially guilty of micromanaging the organization because of their influence.   For example, in the Korean War, the United States was primarily responsible for the UN's decision to enter the conflict.

The Sound of the Sea Essay Example for Free

The Sound of the Sea Essay â€Å"The Sound of the Sea† is a sonnet by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, describing the sounds of the sea and relating it to human inspiration. Through only auditory images of the sea and other powerful natural forces, Longfellow effectively alludes to the nature of human inspiration. Through detailed and sensory imagery, Longfellow communicates the subtle details of the human soul and how inspiration functions. The Sound of the Sea† consists of fourteen lines and a particular rhyme scheme (abba abba cde cde). The first eight lines of the poem consist of one drawn out sentence, which is the description of the sound of the sea and other natural forces, which then in the final sestet, which also consists of only one sentence, are used by Longfellow as a metaphor to allude to the inspirations of the human soul. The change in the rhyme scheme of the sonnet and the two concrete sentences, serve to aid this transition from description of the sea to meditation on the source of inspiration. Longfellow uses this depiction of the sea to communicate the nature of human inspiration, which he claims comes to us from an unvisited and solitary space in our soul and though we credit it to ourselves, it is in fact something beyond our control or understanding, something of a divine nature. With the starting line, Longfellow effectively conveys this concept that inspiration comes from an â€Å"inaccessible† space within us by describing the sea as having â€Å"awoken† at â€Å"midnight†, as midnight is associated with the center of the night, the dark and the unknown, this suggesting that inspiration is aroused within dark dimensions of ourselves, somewhere our conscious mind has not strayed. This also suggests that the sea, whose many vast dark depths remain unexplored, represents this unknown space within our soul, and this imagery is furthered by the description of the wave of the tide rushing onto the â€Å"the pebbly beaches far and wide†. Beaches are the extremities of the sea, where land, a terrain very well known to us, begins and sea ends, and this imagery suggests that these beaches are the edge of our consciousness. Furthermore the labial sounds of the letters â€Å"p† and â€Å"b† in â€Å"pebbly beaches† give an uneven pronunciation to the words, which are contrasted with the smooth drawn out â€Å"ar†, â€Å"ide† sounds in the words far, wide and tide. This contrast serves to communicate the scattered nature of our consciousness with the unity, elegance and fluidity of our subconscious. Furthermore, these drawn out sounds serve to also further the imagery of the tide’s â€Å"uninterrupted sweep† which is particularly effective in conveying the image of the wave rushing to envelope the shore, the word â€Å"uninterrupted† conveying this sense that the wave of inspiration is all smooth and relentless. This imagery is furthered by the 3 line-long segment, uninterrupted by punctuation. Yet, the central point made in these four lines is when the speaker states that â€Å"(he) heard† the waves. The description of the sea gives you a mental image, but Longfellow stresses upon the fact that the speaker only hears the tide, as this can be seen reflected in the title of the poem â€Å"The Sound of the Sea†. Hearing is an auditory action that allows one to be aware of the presence of the object through the sound, but not visually or physically grasp it. This suggests that inspiration is similar, in the sense that one can be aware of it but cannot consciously grasp, control or dominate it. In the fourth line, Longfellow states that it’s â€Å"A voice† from the â€Å"silence of the deep†. Here, the reader once again encounters this concept of being limited to only the auditory senses, yet in this instance, a â€Å"voice† is something distinctly human. The concept of a voice you can listen to and follow, but not see the source, is usually associated with a divine presence. This concept is solidified by the description in the following line, describing it as a sound â€Å"mysteriously multiplied†, as the word mysterious suggests that its provenance is not known and the word multiplied insinuates this multiplication of the strength of the voice, communicating a sense of power. This sense of power is furthered by the natural descriptions in the two consecutive lines, where the voice is compared to a â€Å"cataract from the mountain’s side† and a â€Å"roar of winds upon a wooded steep†. Both these descriptions are natural phenomenons of immense power, and who’s sources one can’t see, the wind being invisible and the cataract having its source deep within the mountain. These four lines can be related to the last four lines of the poem, where it claims that these inspirations aren’t our own, but some â€Å"divine foreshadowing and foreseeing of things beyond our reason or control†. This insinuates that this inspiration is in fact some sort of divine glimmer, a voice shedding light, and that these divine influences are like the tide, beyond our human understanding or control. There is a cyclical pattern in the poem, where the content of the first four lines with rhyme scheme abab, are tied with the content of the first three lines with the rhyme scheme cde and conversely between the second and fourth part of the poem. The first and third part of the poem insinuate that inspiration comes from within an unknown part of your soul, conveyed through imagery of the sea, and the second and fourth part convey the sense that these inspirations are actually due to a divine presence, communicated through imagery of powerful natural occurrences. These two concepts are intrinsically interlinked, and Longfellow uses this poem structure to further this concept, which is that inspiration comes from within you because God is within you, and he uses natural imagery to communicate God within nature. In conclusion, â€Å"The Sound of the Sea† effectively creates a parallel between the metaphor of the sound of the sea with the divine nature of inspiration. Longfellow does so effectively through finely detailed imagery that gives rather precise insight into the human soul.

CRM in the telecom industry

CRM in the telecom industry Ch 6: (Discussion ) Conclusion ( future recommendations) Leading companies with competitive advantage find their success by listening to customers in order to understand their needs and in turn, offering the best solution/product possible. This is essentially customer service, and this is what differentiates companies in the marketplace. Customer relationship management systems capture customer activity and offer business a process whereby to measure and manage customer interaction. Social media encourages participation in an open community environment where users can share information and make comments in a two way conversation that connects people, sites and resources. Combining Customer relationship management systems and social media will give businesses an opportunity to partake in real customer interaction and help them to improve their product and services from feedback posted on social media. Telecommunication pays a significant role in connecting friends and family and is a major customer oriented business, so it is important for the telecom industry to engage customers by using social media within its customer relationship management system. The main objective of this thesis was to find the level of awareness of social media in mobile phone users in Pakistan and to emphasize how social media can be used to the benefit or detriment of companies. Second objective of this thesis was to find the problem faced by the current implementation of CRM in telecom industry and what are the basic actions taken by the organization to resolve these problems but on the other hand customer experience is changed by the social media revolution and they are becoming more interactive with companies therefore it is important to find what telecom industry in Pakistan is doing to capture this rich customer experience using social media. After studying the literature, a series of problems were identified specific to CRM in the telecom industry, such as dirty data problems, adaptation by end user and security and fraud. Beside these, CRM experts also emphasize the use of social media in CRM and depict it as CRM 2.0. Hence, the challenge was to highlight the importance of social media with respect to the telecom industry and to analyze CRM 2.0 with respect to problems faced by the current CRM. To achieve this task, a survey was conducted to find the awareness of social media and the customer satisfaction level in the mobile phone consumer in Pakistan. Interviews were also conducted to find what telecom companies were doing to resolve the problem of CRM and their views about the CRM 2.0. The subsequent section will summarize the life-cycle of this research. This study began with research questions regarding the new concept of CRM, which as yet has not been introduced into business, and of which there is no existing example. The first question was to find the benefits of CRM 2.0 for the telecom industry. However, after studying literature and analyzing the main component of CRM 2.0 which is social media, the study had to slightly adjust its research question to finding awareness of social media in the consumers of the telecom industry in Pakistan along with customer satisfaction. This social media allows consumers to generate content which has revolutionized all previous concepts of business and consumer interaction. Therefore it was necessary to adjust research question and come up with question which will enrich the context of this research and provide additional benefits, which proves that consumers in Pakistan are also aware to social media. Therefore the new question is to find awareness to social media among the consumers and to find relationship between the social media and customer satisfaction. In the previous section, findings of the literature review were analyzed, and the survey and interviews mapped to find a suitable answer. The findings of the consumer survey revealed that 92.5% of the responding population was fully aware of social media and using it in their daily lives. This result is again tested by using binomial test to confirm our hypothesis. The result of the test illustrates that 74% of the population are aware of 4 or more types of social media. Both results show that there is very high level of awareness of social media in the population of Pakistan. To discover the relationship between social media and customer satisfaction, the Pearson product Moment correlation was used for calculation; with the result that a positive correlation between the social media and customer satisfaction was found. This meant that consumers could use social media against companies if their satisfaction level was low or vice-versa. The second question concerned the problem of whether in achieving quality customer data, adaptations by the end user will be solved by new CRM. After studying literature and conducting interviews, it was clear that dirty data is a persistent issue and there is a high probability of these issues occurring in the new CRM 2.0. However, companies have in-house tools which could help them to resolve this problem. This study also found that these issues occurred due to layered architecture in the enterprise system and there is a high chance that CRM 2.0 will use a different architecture and we strongly recommend that before starting the CRM 2.0 initiative organization must keep in consideration of these two issues. In the case of user adaption, frequent training is the answer to this problem and results show that the companies have developed improved mechanized methods to undertake staff training, which has helped to minimize user adaption problems. The same methods can be used for CRM 2.0. The third question on data security and fraud reduction methods was put to the companies. This research found in accordance to Gates (2007), that Web 2.0 provides a â€Å"relationship-based† and â€Å"fine-grained† technique to provide security. From interview, it was also deduced that both telecom companies have security and fraud reduction methods which are managed by a separate department. Secondly CRM provides a wide range of security techniques such as password security, profile-based access levels and audit trails. The technology mention by Gates (2007) and current method of security used in the organizations can be used in CRM 2.0. Finally, the title of this thesis is Customer in Control. The study has found that the customer is ready to start a conversation and is ready to form an online community to help companies receive better feedback about their products. However, companies are not ready to listen to the customer because they only consider social media as another marketing tool.

Nihilist Philosophy Essay -- Analysis, Ivan Turgenev

Ivan Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons takes place in midnineteenth century Russia. Throughout the text Turgenev explores the pros and cons of the nihilist philosophy and how nihilism, coupled with the presence of generational and class based animosities, affects the greater Russian identity. Properties of nihilism are examined and tested as the characters encounter aristocratic lifestyles and the redeeming power of love. The female characters in Fathers and Sons represent a wide range of socioeconomic positions and temperaments, these women test the thinking of the nihilists by their propensities towards emotion, order, feminism, shyness, and propriety. This exploration of gender roles and the balance of power between women and the men that they control is subject to their ascribed classes and the relationships they hold. These women fall into two major categories: the autocratic and the dependent. The aristocratic â€Å"mothers† and dependent â€Å"daughters† of Fath ers and Sons bring about the reevaluation of Bazarov and Arkady’s nihilistic beliefs and furthermore utilize their feminine qualities to manipulate the men in their lives. The aristocratic women or rather the â€Å"mothers† enjoy the benefits of wealth and high society and use their perspective abilities to influence men. These women portray three very different kinds of female roles. Arina Barzarova the selfless caretaker, Evdoksya Kukshina the independent feminist, and Anna Odintsova who is both guardian and liberal, but all maintain emotional, social, and romantic control over the men in their lives. Arina Vlasevna Bazarova, the overly emotional mother of Enyushka Bazarova, is an intensely superstitious woman who â€Å"believed in all manner of omens, soothsayings, incantations, and pr... ... destroy and reinstate the bonds of family and Russian nationalism. Turgenev explores hoe this generational divide interacts with the division among classes and how the powers of the aristocracy affects the younger generation and feminine identity. Throught these interactions the power of love as redemption is seen in the relationship between Arkady and Katya as well as Anna and Bazarov. The women in Fathers and Sons symbolize the diversity found within the same class and generational margins these women challenge the men they encounter and cease power over their relationships. The struggle for power, between the sexes is dependent upon the roles and social standings of the perspective character. The female characters whether aristocratic or dependent, â€Å"mothers† or â€Å"daughters† find power in their gender and utilize their womanly intellect to find eventual resolve.

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.

Belief Fact Infer

There is this one belief that I feel strongly about and that is religion. I believe that it is important to have a religion. A religion where you can rely on, where in your faith is based on having belief towards God. Religion is a man’s expression of his acknowledgement of the divine. Throughout the ages and throughout the world, people have been baffled by the unknown and the mysteries of life for which they have no ready answer. As I look around and observe the magnificent things, I can really say to myself that how awesome is he who created the heavens and the earth.I can truly say to myself that there is someone up there, who is greater than us and omnipotent. There are times that I try to figure out things but the truth is I cannot fathom it; thus, that is how religion came in. But there is one thing that I have great doubts with, and that is if Religion is still important today as it was before? Are the religious convictions still present in this generation? Many people nowadays are much busier than before. They are too preoccupied with other things such as money, success, fame, treasures and material possessions.And even if they do not religiously go to church and have an established religion, they still manage to be so happy and successful. I really wonder why. And there are others who have an established religion, but live their lives with miseries. Is not it unfair? As we all know critical thinking is a process where in one carefully analyzes a certain situation that serves as a tool for something to achieve or to be done. Suppressing critical thinking is sometimes the effect of minding too much of other things and avoid getting so stressed out and pressured.Sleeping, eating, winding up and having fun are some of the methods used to suppress one’s critical thinking. Fact is the truth. A thing can be made a fact when it is being supported with theories, and evidence. A fact is real when it is already accepted by great theorist, scientist , sociologists and others and also backed up with tangible evidences. Yes, facts are open to subjective interpretation, since we have our own ways of conceiving things.Some of us do not accept established facts while others do. To infer means to prove, to display truth. No, I think it is not the same as fact. Because in fact, it is already made evident or true while to infer is to make something into a truth or a fact. There is still a process involved in it. For example; The student is asking their professor to infer that humans really came from apes; The student nurse is to infer that the reason why she was absent from her duty was due to her hospitalization.