about the new pope :: essays research papers

â€Å"A New Pope but Not a New Path.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this article about the new Pontiff, Benedict XVI, the author tells about Cardinal Ratzinger’s life. He was known as Pope John Paul II enforcer. Cardinal Ratzinger was called many things for this such as â€Å"Joe the Rat† and God’s Rottweiler†. Cardinal Ratzinger is one of the most conservative men in the Roman Catholic Church today. He holds many of the beliefs that his predecessor held. Cardinal Ratzinger holds that Roman Catholicism is the one â€Å"true† religion and he does not believe in same sex marriage, or women priests, and stem cell research. Because of his conservative beliefs, Cardinal Ratzinger has alienated many liberal Roman Catholics here in America and in parts of Europe. For these reasons the Roman Catholic Church in Europe might see a steep decline because the new Pope views them as a morally decaying society in what is already a Roman Catholic declining society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To be fair, the author of the article talks a little about the new Pope’s youth. In the 1960’s, Pope Benedict XVI was a liberal academic who served as an advisor to the Second Vatican Council. While serving the Council he supported many of their endeavors to opening the church. When Marxism reared its head in the late 1960’s Cardinal Ratzinger was pushed to become a conservative. He became involved in the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, and became its leader in which he loosed much liberation in Africa and in Latin America.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many Roman Catholics want to see their church reignited in Europe and the West. Unfortunately, under this new Pope, these hopes have been obliterated. While he undoubtedly is a great and capable theologian, he lacks pastoral experience and the compassion it takes to view others beliefs. While his name Benedict would seem that his mission is to rekindle the church in Europe and the West, his achievements throughout his life and his lack of openness speak for themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I believe that this author has done a good job to explain where the Roman Catholic Church is and where it needs to be going. The author does a good job in detailing who the new Pope is by pointing out important facts of his history.

The United States’ Lack of Mental Health Care Essay -- United States, h

About 75-80 million people in the United States are mentally ill to some extent (For the Mentally Ill, Finding Treatment Grows Harder). Many people are unaware of the treatments for the mentally ill and how few resources are available. Yes, if society looks from where society has come with the development of treatments, it has come a long ways. There is still more knowledge to be uncovered to ensure the United States gives the mentally ill care equal to what the United States gives the physically ill. Even though research has advanced immensely in the understanding of sanity vs. insanity, the United States needs to do more for those who are mentally ill through diagnosis and aid. â€Å"Mental illness refers to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior† (Mayo Clinic). Mental disorders can happen many times through one’s life, but mental illness is classified as an ongoing problem with the symptoms that can affect the ability to perform normal day to day tasks (Mayo Clinic). Many people look at those afflicted with mental disorders as being crazy or clinically insane, while the reality is a problem many people live with on a daily basis with help from medications, psychologist visits, family, friends, help groups, and many other support systems. The lack of support available to mentally ill patients, the more that will refuse treatment and refuse to find help for their disorders. Many people who were born with mental disorders grow up knowing they have a problem, but people who develop them later in age don’t understand how to cope with it. In prehistory, the idea of a mental illness was challenging to comprehend. The people of these ancient times thought it was magical spirits o... ..."10 Mind-Boggling Psychiatric Treatments." Mental Floss http://mentalfloss.com/article/31489/10-mind-boggling-psychiatric-treatments Fields, Gary. "For Mentally Ill, Finding Treatment Grows Harder." Wall Street Journal 16 January 2014. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304281004579218204163263142 Mayo Clinic. 2014. 18 March 2014 http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/basics/definition/con- 20033813 Society, British Psychology. Recent Advances in Understanding Mental Illness and Psychology Experiences. Leicester, 2000. http://www.schizophrenia.com/research/Rep03.pdf Thompson, Marie L. Mental Illness. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2007. University, Harvard. "The Prevalence and Treatment of Mental Illness Today." November 2005. http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Prevalence-and-treatment-of-mental-illness- today.htm

cloning :: essays research papers

Introduction The possibility of human cloning, raised when Scottish scientists at Roslin Institute created the much-celebrated sheep "Dolly" (Nature 385, 810-13, 1997), aroused worldwide interest and concern because of its scientific and ethical implications. The feat, cited by Science magazine as the breakthrough of 1997, also generated uncertainty over the meaning of "cloning" --an umbrella term traditionally used by scientists to describe different processes for duplicating biological material. What is cloning? Are there different types of cloning? When the media report on cloning in the news, they are usually talking about only one type called reproductive cloning. There are different types of cloning however, and cloning technologies can be used for other purposes besides producing the genetic twin of another organism. A basic understanding of the different types of cloning is key to taking an informed stance on current public policy issues and making the best possible personal decisions. The following three types of cloning technologies will be discussed: (1) recombinant DNA technology or DNA cloning, (2) reproductive cloning, and (3) therapeutic cloning. Recombinant DNA Technology or DNA Cloning The terms "recombinant DNA technology," "DNA cloning," "molecular cloning,"or "gene cloning" all refer to the same process: the transfer of a DNA fragment of interest from one organism to a self-replicating genetic element such as a bacterial plasmid. The DNA of interest can then be propagated in a foreign host cell. This technology has been around since the 1970s, and it has become a common practice in molecular biology labs today. Scientists studying a particular gene often use bacterial plasmids to generate multiple copies of the same gene. Plasmids are self-replicating extra-chromosomal circular DNA molecules, distinct from the normal bacterial genome (see image to the right). Plasmids and other types of cloning vectors are used by Human Genome Project researchers to copy genes and other pieces of chromosomes to generate enough identical material for further study. To "clone a gene," a DNA fragment containing the gene of interest is isolated from chromosomal DNA using restriction enzymes and then united with a plasmid that has been cut with the same restriction enzymes. When the fragment of chromosomal DNA is joined with its cloning vector in the lab, it is called a "recombinant DNA molecule." Following introduction into suitable host cells, the recombinant DNA can then be reproduced along with the host cell DNA. See a diagram depicting this process. Plasmids can carry up to 20,000 bp of foreign DNA. cloning :: essays research papers Introduction The possibility of human cloning, raised when Scottish scientists at Roslin Institute created the much-celebrated sheep "Dolly" (Nature 385, 810-13, 1997), aroused worldwide interest and concern because of its scientific and ethical implications. The feat, cited by Science magazine as the breakthrough of 1997, also generated uncertainty over the meaning of "cloning" --an umbrella term traditionally used by scientists to describe different processes for duplicating biological material. What is cloning? Are there different types of cloning? When the media report on cloning in the news, they are usually talking about only one type called reproductive cloning. There are different types of cloning however, and cloning technologies can be used for other purposes besides producing the genetic twin of another organism. A basic understanding of the different types of cloning is key to taking an informed stance on current public policy issues and making the best possible personal decisions. The following three types of cloning technologies will be discussed: (1) recombinant DNA technology or DNA cloning, (2) reproductive cloning, and (3) therapeutic cloning. Recombinant DNA Technology or DNA Cloning The terms "recombinant DNA technology," "DNA cloning," "molecular cloning,"or "gene cloning" all refer to the same process: the transfer of a DNA fragment of interest from one organism to a self-replicating genetic element such as a bacterial plasmid. The DNA of interest can then be propagated in a foreign host cell. This technology has been around since the 1970s, and it has become a common practice in molecular biology labs today. Scientists studying a particular gene often use bacterial plasmids to generate multiple copies of the same gene. Plasmids are self-replicating extra-chromosomal circular DNA molecules, distinct from the normal bacterial genome (see image to the right). Plasmids and other types of cloning vectors are used by Human Genome Project researchers to copy genes and other pieces of chromosomes to generate enough identical material for further study. To "clone a gene," a DNA fragment containing the gene of interest is isolated from chromosomal DNA using restriction enzymes and then united with a plasmid that has been cut with the same restriction enzymes. When the fragment of chromosomal DNA is joined with its cloning vector in the lab, it is called a "recombinant DNA molecule." Following introduction into suitable host cells, the recombinant DNA can then be reproduced along with the host cell DNA. See a diagram depicting this process. Plasmids can carry up to 20,000 bp of foreign DNA.

Research Paper On Gun Control

There is a old saying that guns dont kill people, people kill people. This Is a known saying that comes out all the time when this conversation pops up. The media portrays gun control in a positive light, they believe that this is something that would work: believe that gun control will never work and giving people guns to protect themselves and taking guns from people the public judges or deems unfit is a terrible Idea.It Is unsafe, and also endangering people's lives and Is unfair, plus It Is oing against the second amendment which many have died to protect. The Article (â€Å"We Need More Gun control, whether You Know It or Not†) Is an pro-gun article that explains how most americans think you need a background check and go through all these test to be able to buy a gun, â€Å"but such laws don't exist†. First thing that concerns me with this article Is the how he acquired the stats and comments he obtained.Most of them are only from a small group consensus and was n ot open up to the public to thus meaning that it is only one sided and not taking an opinion from thers sides ot this topic. The second bit ot information that was about this article was that he has no ethos and have no real credited sources of his information. An picture I found on the web from (â€Å"accessories. com†) was an perfect example for gun rights. This pictures describes that George Bush is saying â€Å"Free People Ought To Be Armed†.This picture basically saying that George Bush a person that fought for the rights of people Is saying that they should be dble to keep their guns. I Agree with statement the government now is trying to take away guns from people and give uns to untrained people who would hurt themselves and kill someone on accident â€Å"Ilke a kid with a gun†. On the website (â€Å"Twitter. com†) there is an anti-gun control picture. This picture is saying that a man named Joe Salazar Is being claimed an Idlot because he states that college women should not have guns because women fearing rape may â€Å"pop a round at someone†.I agree with this statement. Having untrained women and some men carrying weapons will endanger people around them, the said so person, and his/her self. This is a terrible compromise to having people protected and putting in pro gun ontrol laws which end up benefiting no one In the end of It all. â€Å"l guess Dy nature, I'm a oestructlve one Ana trutn De told, tne saTety was never on. So warning bells should have rung when I was trained wrong. For you knew I was the trigger happy and sought.I'm thinking ‘goodbye' would have been for the best Instead. But now I found you dead, with my bullets in your chest. † A tragedy like this could be avoided if people where to realize that gun control is a terrible idea for the peoples safety and needs to be thinked over. Yes, there will be death cause by insane eople Just unloading rounds into people but thats not a guns fau lt is it the persons who is pulling the trigger that needs to be blamed.

Indian Automobile Industry Essay

A. Introduction The Automotive Industry in India is one of the larger markets in the world and had previously been one of the fastest growing globally, but is now seeing flat or negative growth rates. India’s passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturing industry is the sixth largest in the world, with an annual production of more than 3.9 million units in 2011. According to recent reports, India overtook Brazil and became the sixth largest passenger vehicle producer in the world, grew 16 to 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.In 2010, India beat Thailand to become Asia’s third largest exporter of passenger cars. As of 2010, India is home to 40 million passenger vehicles. More than 3.7 million automotive vehicles were produced in India in 2010 (an increase of 33.9%), making the country the second (after China) fastest growi ng automobile market in the world in that year. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, annual vehicle sales are projected to increase to 4 million by 2015, no longer 5 million as previously projected. The majority of India’s car manufacturing industry is based around three clusters in the south, west and north. The southern cluster consisting of Chennai is the biggest with 35% of the revenue share. Chennai, with the India operations of Ford, Hyundai, Renault, Mitsubishi, Nissan, BMW, Hindustan Motors, Daimler, Caparo and PSA Peugeot Citroà «n is about to begin their operations by 2014. Chennai accounts for 60% of the country’s automotive exports. The western hub near Mumbai and Pune contributes to 33% of the market. The Chakan corridor near Pune, Maharashtra is the western cluster with companies like General Motors, Volkswagen, Skoda, Mahindra and Mahindra, Tata Motors, Mercedes Benz, Land Rover, Jaguar Cars, Fiat and Force Motors having assembly plants in the area. Nashik has a major base of Mahindra & Mahindra with a SUV assembly unit and an Engine assembly unit. Aurangabad with Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen also forms part of the western cluster. The northern cluster around the National Capital Region contributes 32% of the Indian market. Gurgaon and Manesar in Haryana form the northern cluster where the country’s largest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki is based. Another emerging cluster is in the state of Gujarat with manufacturing facility of General Motors in Halol and further planned for Tata Nano at their plant in Sanand. Ford, Maruti Suzuki and Peugeot-Citroen plants are also set to come up in Gujarat. Kolkata with Hindustan Motors, Noida with Honda and Bangalore with Toyota are some of the other automotive manufacturing regions around the country. B. Major Players The Major Market Players C. Product Segmentation While there are multiple ways of segmenting this industry like based on price and engine size but the most prevalent and the official method is based on dimension. i.e. the length of the vehicle under consideration. A1 Segment – Mini – Up to 3400mm (M800, Nano) A2 Segment – Compact – 3401 to 4000mm (Alto, wagon r, Zen,i10,A-star,Swift,i20,palio,indica etc) A3 Segment – Midsize – 4001 to 4500mm (Manza, City, Sx4, Dzire, Logan, Accent, Fiesta, Verna etc) A4 Segment – Executive – 4501 to 4700mm (Corolla, civic, C class, Cruze, Optra, Octavia etc) A5 Segment – Premium – 4701 to 5000mm (Camry, E class, Accord, Sonata, Laura, Superb etc) A6 Segment – Luxury – Above 5000mm (Mercedes S class, 5 series etc) B1 Segment – Van – Omni, Versa, Magic etc B2 Segment – MUV/MPV – Innova, Tavera, Sumo etc SUV Segment – CRV, Vitaraetc While it is easy for SIAM to segment the vehicles as per dimensions but for consumers, it becomes a tad difficult. This is primarily because of the widely varying / spread out prices of the vehicles. A 2 segment, as per the above criterion, will range between 3 lakhs to 7 lakhs. And A 3 will be between 4.5 to 9 lakhs. Such wide variation in prices has distorted the image of segments in the minds of consumers. Hence, for simplicity purposes, a different segmentation has cropped up. The details are as follows:- A Segment – Approximately below 3.5 lakhs – Alto, Eon, Nano, Spark, 800 B 1 Segment – Hatchback largely below 6 lakhs – Wagon R, Indica, Beat, Santro, A Star, Micra, Estilo B 2 Segment – Hatchback majorly below 7.5 lakhs – Swift, I 10, I 20, Ritz, Figo, Polo, Liva, Vista, Jazz, Punto, Brio, Fabia, Pulse, Aveo UVA C 1 Segment – Sedan below 8 lakhs – Dzire, Indigo, Etios, Sunny, Fiesta Classic, Verito, Accent, Ambassador, Aveo C 2 Segment – Sedan below 9.5 lakhs – Linea, Manza, Verna, Rapid, Vento, City, SX 4, Verna New, Optra D 1 Segment – Premium Sedan below 15 lakhs – Corolla, Civic, Cruze, Laura, Jetta, Fluence D 2 Segment – Luxury Sedan below 25 lakhs– Superb, Passat, Accord, Camry, Sonata, Teana, Kizashi B1 Segment – Van – Omni, Versa, Magic etc B2 Segment – MUV/MPV – Innova, Tavera, Sumo etc SUV Segment – CRV, Vitaraetc If we analyze the 1st Quarter of 2012-13, then total vehicle sales has been around 6.32 lakh units. The hatchback segments has totaled to 56% of the entire passenger car sales in India. This comes to 355857 units. This clearly shows the popularity of smaller cars in the Indian market. Alto continues to be the top selling brand with 17422 in July. It is followed by Swift (11421) and Wagon R (9582) – all Maruti brands. This is an indication of how well the Maruti team has understood the Indian market. i 10, I 20, Nano, Beat, Figo, Santro& Polo are some of the high selling models in these segments and these models continue to clock more than 3000 units monthly. Nano has been a disappointment so far with huge expectations but it is showing some kind of resilience off late. As a segment, the Utility segment is showing the maximum growth. In fact, this segment has outclassed the other popular segments of A, B 1 & B 2. With 128110 units under its hood in the 1st quarter, the segment is definitely making some good progress. Maruti’sErtiga, Mahindra’s XUV 500 & Bolero has been instrumental in pushing the volumes of this segment. Innova and Omni too are raking in good numbers. What has been disappointing is the performance from the Tata Motors stable Venture, Safari and Sumo have been showing steady decline in the numbers per se but definitely possess huge potential to challenge the other models. Among the sedans, Maruti Dzire continues to lead the pack. With 11413 numbers in July, it is way ahead of its next model Verna (5300). The iconic models of City, Linea, SX4 have been showing consistent under growth and seriously calls for some introspection by their respective manufacturers. Vento & Rapid also showed some slack but given the aggression of VW and Nissan, it wont be long before they start to pull in good numbers. Tata’s Indigo and Manza were on a slightly negative terrain all these months but somehow the trend has been reversed in July. 6816 for these 2 models augurs well for the company. D. Indian Automobile Industry : Barriers to Entry (and Exit) Barriers to entry (or, BTE) are anything that hinders the movement of firms into an industry. That is, BTE reduce or eliminate the entry of new businesses into an industry. Sometimes BTE can be almost insurmountable: no new firms can enter an industry. Other times BTE can slow down the entry of new firms: new firms appear but only slow. Very low BTE, however, means that new firms can enter the industry relatively rapidly. What can act as a BTE ? 1. Amount of capital The amount of capital required to enter the auto industry is in billions of dollars. So, very few outsiders can ever hope to enter the industry. This major financial requirement services as a significant barrier to entry for many industries. The auto manufacturing industry is considered to be highly capital and labor intensive. The major costs for producing and selling automobiles include: * Labor While machines and robots are playing a greater role in manufacturing vehicles, there are still substantial labor costs in designing and engineering automobiles * Advertising Each year automakers spend billions on print and broadcast advertising, furthermore, they spent large amounts of money on market research to anticipate consumer trends and preferences 2. Limited capacity of parts suppliers Existing parts suppliers have downsized their operations to the point that they do not have excess capacity. 3. Competition There are already significant numbers of well established competitors. 4.Government regulations The stringent regulations regarding safety, design, emission standards and fuel efficiency may sometimes act as a deterrent. 5. Patent protection laws This may prevent the use of certain innovations at low cost. 6. Marketing Marketing a new brand can be difficult and very expensive. 7. Economies of scale Economies of scale give large producers a significant cost advantage over small rivals. Where a firm has grown very large and significant economies of scale exist, they can have cost competitiveness. New entrants generally start small and therefore, have much higher unit production costs than the giant firms. These new, small entrants find it nearly impossible to survive against the large rival because they just can’t be price competitive given their much larger unit production costs. 8. Entry-deterring behavior A firm can protect itself from competition by deliberately acting in a way that convinces potential competitors not to enter the industry. Some firms spend huge amounts of money on advertising to keep new rivals from starting up business. Or, firms can act exceedingly aggressive if faced with new competition by perhaps starting a major price war every time a new competitor enters their market. Lawsuits against new rivals have been used to drive them out of business or to, at the very least, raise the cost of entering the business to very high levels. 9. Knowledge and Technology Ideas and Knowledge that provides competitive advantage over others when patented prevent others from using it and thus creates barrier to entry. For eg. TATA motors have great knowledge/ experience in the automobile industry and have renowned technological advantage because of the recent acquisition and mergers. 10. Product Differentiation and Cost Advantage The new product has to be different and attractive to be accepted by the customers. Attractiveness can be measured in the terms of the features, price etc. For an entrant to attain this, it requires lot of effort as compared to an established player. TATA Nano is an example where till now, no new entrant has entered as a competitor. Barriers to Exit: Obstacles or impediments that prevent a company from exiting a market. A company may decide to exit a market because it is unable to capture market share or turn a profit or for some other reason altogether. High barriers to exit might force it to continue competing in the market. The factors that may form a barrier to exit include: 1. High investment in non-transferable fixed assetsThis is particularly common for manufacturing companies that invest heavily in capital equipment which is specific to one task. 2. High redundancy costsIf a company has a large number of employees, employees with high salaries, or contracts with employees which stipulate high redundancy payments (layoff costs), then the firm may face significant cost if it wishes to leave the market. 3. Other closure costs. Contract contingencies with suppliers or buyers and any penalty costs incurred from cutting short tenancy agreements. 4. Potential upturn Firms may be influenced by the potential of an upturn in their market that may reverse their current financial situation. 5. Government policies In India, the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 puts restrictions on employers in the matter of reducing excess staff by retrenchment, by closure of establishments and the retrenchment process involved lot of legalities and complex procedures. Also, any plans of retrenchment and reduction of staff and workforce are subjected to strong opposition by trade unions. E. Role of Non-Pricing Competition Non-price competition refers to firms competing with one another not in terms of reducing the price to attract consumers instead, in form of brand name, advertising, packaging, free home- delivery, free service, sponsorship deals and so on. These are the different forms of non-price competition. The main aim of non-price competition is product development. As products are differentiated in monopolistic competition, to prove and show how ones product is superior than others- colour, appearance, packaging, skill level etc. It is been done to create an inelastic demand for the product. Following parameters can be used for competition instead of reducing cost: Quality: If consumers must choose between two products of the same price but they can see that one is of a higher quality, they generally pick the product of higher quality. In this way, if a firm can figure out how to produce an item at a cost comparable to what its competitor charges but make it of higher quality, that firm may be able to steal the market from its competitor. Now in case of automobiles, within a given price range people generally don’t comprise with the quality aesthetics. For example : Recalls of vehicles sold. Recently, Honda Cars India Ltd recalled 42,672 units of second generation Honda City cars manufactured in 2007 and 2008 to replace their power window switch. HCIL carried out preventive part replacement of power window switch. The company is proactively replacing Power Window Switch which may malfunction in case water or any other liquid enters the driver side window. Honda Cars India is carrying out the part replacement as part of a global exercise by Honda Motor Company to ensure stringent quality standards for its products. However, a problem with this approach is that it may take some time for consumers to realize any difference in quality. Perception and Branding: In some cases, little possibility of quality differentiation exists between two products. However, the long-term sustainability of such an approach may be difficult because, as such brand advantages arise through consumer trends, consumer trends may also lead to their demise. We can take example of Hyundai’s Eon and Maruti’s Alto 800. Maruti being a well-known brand it was difficult for Hyundai Eon to compete with it. Hyundai India offers its Eon fleet within a price bracket of Rs. 2.8 to Rs. 3.8 lakhs in the country. Maruti Suzuki has pitched its Alto 800 models with a slightly humble pricing falling in the range starting from Rs. 2.4 lakhs that goes on till Rs. 3.6 lakhs in the Indian auto market. Sales Comparision between Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 and Hyundai Eon Source: http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/car-nama/2012/07/13/alto-vs-eon-eight-months-on/ Product Design: In some cases, firms may compete by changing the design of their products to make them more appealing without significantly changing production costs or quality levels. Such a strategy can prove effective at stealing business from competitors, but it can also backfire, because it can cause the company to alienate its existing consumers, who may be knowingly choosing the existing design over other products with different designs specifically because it appeals to their tastes. Product Differentiation: Not all consumers are the same. By offering a range of similar products geared toward different market sectors, firms can expand their market base. However, such product differentiation can result in significantly higher overhead costs for production. For example every model has variants in following aspects: Fuel used (petrol, diesel, LPG, CNG) Cost varients (low end to high end with addition of features like sunroof, airbags etc.) Model| Price (INR)| Mileage| Volkswagon Vento PetorlTrendline| 7,29,000| 15.04| Volkswagon Vento Petrol Comfortline| 7,75,805| 15.04| Volkswagon Vento Petrol Style Limited Edition| 8,10,805| 15.04| Volkswagon Vento Diesel Trendline| 8,44,000| 20.54| Volkswagon Vento Petrol Highline| 8,74,805| 15.04| Volkswagon Vento Diesel Comfortline| 8,90,805| 20.54| Volkswagon Vento Diesel Style Limited Edition| 9,25,805| 20.54| Volkswagon Vento Petrol Highline AT| 9,74,805| 14.4| Volkswagon Vento Diesel Highline| 9,89,805| 20.54| Sales Structure: When two firms are competing with similar products, one may be able to enjoy more market share and a deeper level of penetration due to a more effective and aggressive sales structure. By engaging in direct sales, firms can appeal to prospective buyers who otherwise would not feel compelled to buy due to advertising or other kinds of marketing. Multilevel marketing is one way in which firms rapidly build their consumer base. However, by turning buyers into sellers as well, such schemes may require significantly higher prices. A typical supply chain in Indian Automobile Industry Source: ImaginMor, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation 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. 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. The increased usage of IT at different tiers of the supply chain is on the increase in all the companies in India. An important finding that emerged from the findings was that the integration of supply chain is being done at all the cities in the country i rrespective of the market share. F. Key Developments in Indian Auto Sector Major Developments & Investments * Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd is expecting to sell over 60 per cent more units this year on the back of the launch of its upgraded small car – Nissan Micra * Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) exported its first lot of 64 Fuso trucks manufactured at its Oragadam plant in Chennai. * Mahindra USA, a subsidiary of Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M), will set up an assembly and distribution centre, expanding one of the four tractor facilities in North America, by January 2014 * The Japan-based automobile manufacturer Isuzu Motors’ local subsidiary Isuzu Motors India has entered into an agreement with Hindustan Motors (HM) for contract manufacturing of Isuzu SUVs and pickup trucks * A year after introducing the popular ‘MINI’ range of cars in India, luxury car maker BMW has started local production of ‘MINI Countryman’ at its facility in Chennai * New Holland Fiat India plans to invest Rs 1,100 crore (US$ 184.56 million) to set up a new green-field pl ant in Maharashtra and also to increase its tractor manufacturing capacity by 50 per cent in the next three years * Hero MotoCorp has bought a 49.2 per cent stake in its US-based technology partner Erik Buell Racing (EBR) for US$ 25 million. This is Hero MotoCorp’s first-ever equity purchase in an overseas company. Also, Hero MotoCorp has entered into the African continent with launch of its brand and products in Kenya, where it has also set up an assembly unit. The company has also partnered with Ryce East Africa to sell its two-wheelers in the country * Daimler is developing its Indian commercial vehicle operations as an export hub. Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) will export locally assembled trucks from the conglomerate’s Mitsubishi Fuso range in 15 markets in Asia and Africa. Government Initiatives The Government of India plans to introduce fuel-efficiency ratings for automobiles to encourage sale of cars that consume less petrol or diesel, as per Mr. Veerappa Moily, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. The Union Budget 2013-14 announced by Mr. P Chidambaram, the Union Finance Minister, Government of India, in the Parliament on February 28, 2013, had a few add-ons for the industry. The analysis by Deloitte on the Union Budget highlighted the following: * The period of concession available for specified part of electric and hybrid vehicles till April 2013 has been extended upto March 31, 2015 * The basic customs duty (BCD) on imported luxury goods such as high-end motor vehicles, motor cycles, yachts and similar vessels was increased. The duty was raised from 75 percent to 100 percent on Cars / motor vehicles (irrespective of engine capacity) with CIF value more than US$ 40,000; from 60 percent to 75 percent on motorcycles with engine capacity of 800cc or more and on yachts and similar vessels from 10 percent to 25 percent * In addition, an increase in excise duty from 27 to 30 per cent has been allowed for SUVs with engine capacity exceeding 1,500 cc, while excise duty was decreased from 80 to 72 per cent, in case of SUVs registered solely for taxi purposes * An exemption from BCD on lithium ion automotive battery for manufacture of lithium ion battery packs for supply to manufacturers of hybrid and electric vehicles * The excise duty on chassis of diesel motor vehicles for transport of goods reduced from 14 per cent to 13 per cent Moreover, the Government of India allows 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the automotive industry through automatic route. The Government also plans to accelerate the supply of electric vehicles over the next eight years. It is expected that there will be a demand for 5-7 million electricity-operated vehicles by 2020. The contribution of automotive sector in the gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to double, reaching a turnover worth US$ 145 billion in 2016, with special focus on export of small cars, MUVs, two & three wheelers and auto components, as per the Automotive Mission Plan (AMP) 2006-2016. Road Ahead Global and Indian manufacturers are focusing their efforts to develop innovative products, technologies and supply chains in the industry. Car makers are launching a slew of car models, mostly compact SUVs, in the coming months. The automobile body SIAM expects the launches to be able to brighten the market. Lastly, the vision of AMP 2006-2016 sees India, â€Å"to emerge as the destination of choice in the world for design and manufacture of automobiles and auto components with output reaching a level of US$ 145 billion; accounting for more than 10 per cent of the GDP and providing additional employment to 25 million people by 2016.† G. Major Challenges and Suggested Measures Challenges: 1. Strong decline in economic growth- * It affects the consumer buying behavior- Buyers driven by fear of job loss, moved aggressively to increase their rate of saving. At the same time, high cost and growing longevity of motor vehicles prompted buyers to postpone purchases that they might have otherwise made. * Freezing of credit markets meant cancelledorders, unpaid supplier invoices, and ‘temporarily’ shuttered plants. * High excise duty- 12 % for sub 4 meters cars and 24 % for over 4 meters cars. * High interest rates as well as difficulty to obtain loans for purchase. 2. Duplicate spare parts- Indian market has always suffered from duplicate products and cheap counterfeits. This puts pressure on OEMs to reduce the prices and compete with these cheaper counterfeits. According to the study conducted by market research agency nielson co with acma, 41 % of total spare parts belong to OEMs and OESes, 23 % belong to imported segment and 36 % are duplicate. 3. Lack of infrastructure- Lack of proper road infrastructure, resulting into heavy Traffic has become major concern in most of the cities in India. Parking problem, parking cost adds to it. Bad roads, Bad drivers on road further add to the problem. 4. Availability of skilled man-power- As per data published by NSDC(National Skill Development Corporation), automobile sector in India is going to face a shortfall of 35 million skilled manpower by 2022. Limited availability of skilled manpower is bound to pose a great challenge to the positive growth of the Indian automotive manufacturing industry. 5. High Ownership cost- Small car sales are likely to fall by a couple of percentage points in 2013-14 due to continued uncertainty over income growth, high fuel costs arising from a deprecating rupee and still relatively high inflation.Diesel cars will lose their sheen, particularly in the small car segment, due to the gradual deregulation of diesel prices and the expected fall in petrol prices. 6. IR related issues- The $73 billion automobile sector has witnessed abhorrent industrial unrest in the recent 5 years with disputes in Maruti Suzuki, Hero Honda, Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India, Rico,Hyundai, Ashok Leyland, MRF, Apollo Tyres, Sona Koyo and Toyota Kirloskar Motors Ltd. Thissector, to generate double revenue needs a flexible workforce of 25 million with an amicableatmosphere to hire and fire workers to cope with the cyclical swings in demand for cars, trucksand bikes but the archaic labour laws governing employment of contract labour has fan thesetensions. This speculates the lack of efficient implementation machinery. Industrial unrestsaccompanying murders of the executives have also been committed in 2-3 instances recently,demonstrating the urging to address the issue by the social partners. 7. Global competition— Competition will only increase in the years to come, as more international players enter India and the pace of innovation accelerates. This would elevate both R&D and selling and distribution costs, thereby impacting margins. Despite these headwinds, India would continue to remain an attractive market, as volumes across segments are projected to grow at a five-year compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 10 per cent. Suggested Measures India has a very low car penetration about 10 per 1000. This number is expected to become 382 by 2025, this means that there is plenty of room to each automobile giant to grow in Indian market without affecting the volume of other competitors. Few of the following suggested measures may have a bounce back effect on the Indian Automobile Industry; 1. Friendly government policies: Tax benefits for R&D development and Skill related investments, subsidies for hybrid vehicles are the measures if taken can boost the Indian automobile sector. Similarly extension of 200 % weighted deduction of R & D expense under income tax law andweighted deduction of 150 % for expenditure in skill development by industries seem to be positive steps towards the cause. 2. Healthy Industrial Relations through better contract worker policies: As in most of the developed countries thecontract workers are covered under the social security provisions and are paid at par with the permanent workers. Such transparent policies may definitely promote positive industrial relations and foster industrial growth. 3. Technology up gradation measures-Automobile industry is slowing down, but at the same time we are seeing long waiting periods for new launches, which means people are no longer going for same old trusty brands and models and want more value for their money. Which gives me hopes that if Auto makers focus on launching more new models and more global launches they will surely find customers. 4. Promoting Hybrid vehicles or better fuel efficiency—To counter the problems of high fuel prices, it’s the need of the hour to develop higher fuel efficient products and also the products running on alternative fuel to decrease the ownership cost. For this concession on import duty on specified parts of hybrid vehicles are necessary. Stringent laws and strict exercise to eliminate spurious auto-spare part business. 5. Ensuring easy loan availability–The industry should also approach the banks and NBFCs for better and easier loan availability to the car buyers. 100% finance and lower EMI with longer loan tenure will definitely help.

Doublespeak: Nineteen Eighty-four and George Orwell Essay

The definition of language is expressing our wants or needs to other people. Whether we realize it or not, language is a very important part of our everyday lives. Through our body language, eyes, tone or volume of our voice, words, or appearance, we can communicate things that we want (or sometimes not want) to other people. Unfortunately, language can sometimes be confusing and open to misinterpretation. One instance of this is doublespeak, a vague type of speaking that deliberately shields the meaning of the word, or making the word nicer without ruining its true meaning. Wherever doublespeak is used, ignorance and chaos is sure to follow. Doublespeak is often used by people in power such as senators, presidents, CEOs, and prime ministers. Typically, the speaker may use more complex words which the general public might not know the meaning of. It pretends to communicate, when in reality it leaves the intended audience with little to no idea of what was said and the public becomes ignorant. The term was inspired by George Orwell’s dystopian novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Nineteen Eighty-Four takes place in a totalitarian world where the public has become limited to the thoughts of serving The Party, and only The Party. It has become so restricted to the point where a new language has been created in order to stifle the thoughts of its people. This language, Newspeak, is a diminutive version of the English language generated to prevent its oblivious nation with coming up with such foreign concepts as freedom, love, and resistance. The district of Airstrip One is plagued by never ending war, constant surveillance by a being called â€Å"Big Brother,† which is never clear if he actually existed or just a symbol to represent The Party. The Party also used excessive amounts of doublespeak. For example, at one point, the protagonist Winston remembers the chocolate ration to be forty-three grams a week, only to hear the woman on the newsreel inform him that chocolate rations had gone up to twenty-three grams. While this novel is a bit more extreme, there are many similarities to the world that George Orwell created, and our own, the most notable being the excessive amount of doublespeak. William Lutz uses multiple examples of doublespeak used in real life in his essay The World of Doublespeak. He describes an incident in 1978 where an airplane had crashed in Pensacola, Florida, airport where twenty-one people got injured and three people died. The plane was also destroyed in the incident. Because the plane’s insured value was better than the book value, National Airlines received a tax insurance benefit of 1.7 million dollars on the accident. Later in their annual report, they claimed that the 1.7 million dollars was due to an ‘involuntary conversion of a seven-twenty-seven,’ which explained the money effectively without even mentioning the deaths of the three people or the crash in general (Lutz, 179). He also mentions that â€Å"the U.S. navy didn’t pay $2,043 apiece for steel nuts; it paid all that money for ‘hexiform rotatable surface compression units† and that â€Å"the U.S. Air Force paid $214 apiece for Emergency Exit Lights, or flashlights.† Both examples use complex words. While the authors of each example might be trying to compose each statement with the greatest intentions, they both come off stale. In his essay Politics, Propaganda, And Doublespeak, George Orwell states â€Å"people who write in this manner usually have a general emotional meaning- they dislike one thing and want to express solidarity with another- but they are not interested in the detail of what they are saying. A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: What am I trying to say? What words will express it? What image or idiom will make it clearer? Is this image fresh enough to have an effect? And he will probably ask himself two more: Could I put it more shortly? Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?† (Orwell, 170) If the authors of the examples had asked themselves such, what they were trying to say might have been a bit clearer to the average member of the public. Sadly, the authors probably did not have these intentions in mind, for this type of doublespeak is purposely meant to mislead. This is the same type of doublespeak that keeps people ignorant, like in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Some aspects of the novel are already upon us. Doublespeak can intentionally and successfully deceive the general public with its vague tendencies. If it continues to be used in excess, we can very possibly end up with a world very similar to Nineteen Eighty-Four- full of chaos and ignorance. Doublespeak is a misuse of language and abuse of communication by those who are in control, and it must be eliminated.

Aviation’s Most Critical Human Factors Challenges: Past and Present

Human error has been documented as a primary contributor to more than 70 percent of commercial airplane hull-loss accidents. While typically associated with flight operations, human error has also recently become a major concern in maintenance practices and air traffic management [1].Human factorsThe term â€Å"human factors† is often considered synonymous with crew resource management (CRM) or maintenance resource management (MRM).   Human factors involves gathering information about human abilities, limitations, and other characteristics and applying it to tools, machines, systems, tasks, jobs, and environments to produce safe, comfortable, and effective human use [1].Human factor specialists study each factor which can influence on the human activity on the cockpit. The job of an aviation psychologist is to reduce human error during flight. The main and most general objective of their work is optimisation of the human-computer interaction. From the one side electronic equ ipment should provide the full control of the flight and make easier pilot job. But just one error of board computer may be the cause of the disaster.Therefore crew should be aware and control all situation along with computer program to be able correct its mistake.   Because of high level of system automation often pilots even do not know what it is doing and why. Despite rapid gains in technology, humans are ultimately responsible for ensuring the success and safety of the aviation industry. They must continue to be knowledgeable, flexible, dedicated, and efficient while exercising good judgment [2].Events of aviation human factorsSince the world's first airplane was invented in 1903 by Wilbur and Orville Wright people studied human factors in aviation and tried to make easier pilot work by all known methods. The first navigation aid was introduced in the USA in the late 1920s.It was airfield lighting to assist pilots to make landings in poor weather or after dark. The concept o f approach lightning was developed from this in the 1930s, indicating to the pilot the angle of descent to the airfield, which later became adopted internationally through the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).With the spread of radio technology, several experimental radio based navigation aids were developed from the late 20s onwards. These were most successfully used in conjunction with instruments in the cockpit in the form of Instrument Landing Systems (ILS), first used by a scheduled flight to make a landing in a snowstorm at Pittsburgh in 1938.A form of ILS was adopted by the ICAO for international use in 1949. Following the development of radar in World War II, it was deployed as a landing aid for civil aviation in the form of Ground Control Approach (GCA) systems, joined in 1948 by Distance Measuring Equipment (DME), and in the 1950s by airport surveillance radar as an aid to air traffic control [3].After numerous air incidents and accidents w ere also solved (or minimized a danger of) a lot of technical problems like positive lightning, engine failure, metal fatigue, delamination, stalling, fire, bird strike, volcanic ash, etc.Much progress in applying human factors to improving aviation safety was made around the time of World War II by people such as Paul Fitts and Alphonse Chapanis. However, there has been progress in safety throughout the history of aviation, such as the development of the pilot's checklist in 1937. The ability of the flight crew to continually maintain situation awareness is a critical human factor in air safety [3].During WWII, psychologist Norman Mackworth studied performance of radar operations as he watched for German aircrafts to cross the English Channel. He noted the difficulty of attending to the radar operations for more than a few minutes.After WWII, Paul Fitts studied selective attention and how pilot's eyes scanned an aircraft's instrumental pattern. He questioned how the brain knows wha t is important in the environment and how much information can the eye take before moving to another fixation point [4].Decades after WWII, the focus of research was on aircraft flight design, layout of instrument displays, and basic tasks of flying. Flight simulators were invented for pilot training and would allow for teaching of skills in a safe environment on ground which would transfer into performance in the real task. In the 1950's jet aircrafts were invented with faster speed and less stability.In the 1970's, the focus was on the mental workload and limits of human attention in performing several tasks at once. Finally, in the 1980's a focus on on-board computer power changed the pilot's task from an active pilot to more of a monitoring role [4].To reduce the commercial aviation accident rate modern aircraft companies establish human factors departments. Human factors specialists work closely with engineers, safety experts, test and training pilots, mechanics, and cabin crew s to properly integrate human factors into the design of airplanes. Their areas of responsibility include addressing human factors inFlight deck design. Design for maintainability and in-service support. Error management. Passenger cabin design.Flight deck design should satisfy such validated requirements as customer input, appropriate degree of automation, crew interaction capability, communication, navigation and surveillance traffic management. For instance Boeing commercial airplanes propose flight decks which are designed to provide automation to assist, but not replace, the flight crew member responsible for safe operation of the airplane.These systems support instrument displays with visual and tactile motion cues to minimize potential confusion about what functions are automated. Flight crew communication relies on the use of audio, visual, and tactile methods. This includes crewmember-to-airplane, crewmember-to-crewmember, and airplane-to-crewmember communication.Design for maintainability and in-service support includes chief mechanic participation, computer-based maintainability design tools, and fault information team and customer support processes [1].Boeing has developed human factors tools to help understand why the errors occur and develop suggestions for systematic improvements. The tools are: Procedural Event Analysis Tool (PEAT) and Maintenance Error Decision Aid (MEDA). PEAT is an analytic tool created to help the airline industry effectively manage the risks associated with flight crew procedural deviations.MEDA began as an effort to collect more information about maintenance errors. Three other tools that assist in managing error are: Crew information requirements analysis (CIRA), Training aids, and improved use of automation. CIRA provides a way to analyze how crews acquire, interpret, and integrate data into information upon which to base their actions.The passenger cabin represents a significant human factors challenge related to both passengers and cabin crews. Human factors principles usually associated with the flight deck are now being applied to examine human performance functions and ensure that cabin crews and passengers are able to do what they need or want to do. Some recent examples illustrate how the passenger cabin can benefit from human factors expertise applied during design.These include: automatic over wing exit and other cabin applications. The improved version of the over wing emergency exit opens automatically when activated by a passenger or cabin or flight crew member [1].ConclusionThe list of events in the history of aviation can be endless as the list of events of aviation human factors. However the number of aircraft accidents had not been reduced to zero. Along with legacy achievements should be provide more efficient and modern ones. Therefore aviation industry is an extensive field for specialists of various directions.BibliographyCurt Graeber, Human factor engineering, Boeing commercia l airplanes, July, 2005Robert R. Tyler, An interesting career in psychology: aviation human factors practitioner, October, 2000Wikipedia (free encyclopedia), 6 July 2005. History of human factors, Human performance training institute, July, 2005