Ldr-324 Application Paper 1 - 580 Words

Application Paper 1 Select one of the eight leaders discussed in the Wills text in Chapters 1 through 8 and discuss why a consideration of his or her leadership at a former point in time is important to an understanding of leadership today. Note: This activity will require that you read about the leader in additional sources. Be sure to properly document any additional sources you use. In selecting a leader within the first module, I chose the person who I knew of, yet I knew very little about in Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR). In our readings, and through further research it is clear that through his leadership, FDRs legacy strives in our world today. Many leaders throughout history have been known to face their share of†¦show more content†¦With his distinguished list of accomplishments, the question we must ask ourselves is, how does FDRs contribution to leadership, influence our understanding of leadership today? Clearly, FDR is a historical visionary who possessed the charisma to connect with his followers. His strength of character was solidified as he was challenged with adversity in the form of polio, which he overcame and persevered. He was a leader of the people, and listened to his followers with a sense of patrician duty or responsibility toward others. FDRs leadership, as well as the other leaders discussed in our text, are individuals whom are a learning tool for the future. As demonstrated throughout history, leaders and society continually learn from our progress, development, and our continue to evolve effectively. History has taught us that it is wise to learn from our past. In this specific case, learning and teaching ourselves of the traits and leadership that FDR possessed is an important lesson in understanding how leadership evolved to where it stands today. FDR also teaches us about the effectiveness of visionary charismatic leadership, and the impressive obstacles that can be conquered using this specific set of character strengths. Work Referenced Wills, G. (1994). Certain

Making an Advertising Campaign - 3402 Words

A Project Report on Making an Ad Campaign and Beyond... Submitted To: Prof. Neela Rao Submitted By: The 6th Element - Shamli R Bhojwani (20737) - Monica S Jedhe (20746) - Rashika N Chanchlani (20739) - Sameeksha S Makhijani (20748) - Pooja M Wadhwani (20763) Remarks: Dated: 16/09/09 TOPICS 1) Introduction - 5 M’s of Advertisement - Hierarchy of Effects Model 2) Setting of Objectives 3) Establishing the Budget - Factors affecting the Budget - Methods of making an Ad Budget 4) Message Generation 5) Selection of Media 6) Running an Ad Campaign 7)†¦show more content†¦Besides 5 M’s of advertisement the next model on advertisement is HEIRARCHY OF EFFECTS MODEL, this model helps in giving a breakdown analysis on any advertisement. It shows clear steps of how advertising works. This model can be explained with the help of pyramid. First the lower level objectives such as awareness knowledge are accomplished. 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Corporate Governance of Woodside Petroleum

Question: Discuss about the Corporate Governance of Woodside Petroleum. Answer: Introduction This report is basically discussed about the company Woodside petroleum and the governance policies and practices adopted by the company. Woodside petroleum is Australian gas and Oil Company. It is a well-known company in the market for its capabilities as an explorer, a producer, a developer and a supplier. Services of the company are based on environmental performance and strong safety. The mission of the company is to provide higher returns to its shareholders and vision of the company is to become the leader in the market of oil and gas (Woodside, 2016). Woodside petroleum has a great history and it has get lots of achievements during its operations. Company believes in doing right things and delivering the best services to its customers. Company is famous in whole because it provides the unique services with core values. Apart from this, the company always tries to protect environment and society and keeps them safe. Company has a unique strategy for the business so that it can maintain its strong position in the market by delivering best services to the customers. It also has the strategy for the employees so that employees get higher satisfaction level (The Australian, 2016). Health and safety: Woodside petroleum believes that health and safety should be the priority for employees. It has a policy of no one gets hurt, no incidents for the employees. Company gives full protection and support to the employees so that they live better life with their work. The objective of the company is to provide health and safety performance. There is a behavioral framework of the company our safety culture which help the employees because they play a vital role in companys safety culture. Company has a strong focus on the process of managing risks (Woodside, 2014). Working Process of Woodside petroleum The company Woodside petroleum has maintained a strong financial position in the market. It has continuously maintained a strong balance sheet and operating cash flow. There are three main operations of the company: Exploring, developing and producing. In exploring, the company focus on the building a material for the future growth opportunities of the business (Letts, 2016). Company takes bids and finds out commercial oil and gases in different areas. In developing, company expands its LNG portfolios through developing and identified growth opportunities. The third operation of the company is producing, by which company produces LNG assets. Australia is the most experienced LNG operator because of the Woodside petroleum. The company operates its business through value chain. There are four value chains adopted by the company: Acquire and Explore: To manage the risk and increase the returns for shareholders, company explores globally. The company does global exploration and corporate acquisition. Once company has proved the presence of hydrocarbon in the assets, it has sent the asset for development process. Develop: Company works closely with its customers, shareholders, partners, suppliers and government to get the opportunities for the development process. After the confirmation and the approval of resources, the company moves to delivery of project and construction. Operate: The Company has the experience of around 30 years in operating of oils and gas facilities with the performance of environmental safety. When the development of resource is completed, it moves to operation part. Market: Company believes in the safe and reliable delivery of services to its customers. It is the leading supplier of oil and gas in Asia specific region and the Australian domestic gas market. It has strong capability in contracting, marketing and trading (Smith, 2015). Woodside petroleum is also investing in new technologies by discovery, development and innovation. The company is focusing on four technological areas i.e. subsurface technology, disruptive technology, upstream technology and downstream technology. It is continuously trying to develop new technologies that would help to increase the production of the company. Apart from the work, Woodside petroleum also established social relationship with its customers. Company gives responses on the issues which are raised by the customers and try to meet with the expectations of the customers and shareholders. Company invests in the programs which are beneficial for the health, economic and social development and welfare for the local community. It has also made a management team named security and emergency management for the safety of people and assets (Woodside, 2015). Corporate unethical issue in Woodside Petroleum An unethical practice refers to harm of the people, animals and environment due to business of company. It may be different issues such as child labor, unfair wages, forced labor, dumping toxic waste into environment etc. There are also some unethical issues in Woodside Petroleum which was criticized by the public. First issue was that Woodside Petroleum failed in climate advocacy fund and shareholder raised the issue to disclose its carbon price assumption. But company was failed to do so (The climate institute, 2011). In an annual general meeting of the company, Woodside Petroleum had failed in carbon disclosure issue. The company always claimed to have strong environmental identification but it had failed in the carbon disclosure issue and people of Australian super fund considered that there are risks in Woodside black box (Just invest, 2011). Second issue was raised by public when company reduced the cost to maintain its profit. To earn the same profit, company had cut more than 300 jobs and it had also done the same thing in previous year (Janda, 2015). It impact on lots of employees who were working for the company. The decision of job cut was an effort to adjust the fluctuation in the oil price, but it affected the livelihood of many employees. Third, Company had faced a strike of shareholders on the issue of incentive and bonus payment structure. Along with this, they wanted the answer regarding the growth strategy of the company. Some investors were concerned about the long term growth opportunity in the company (Smith, 2016). These some problems were criticized by the public and it has impacted on the image of the company. Review of Governance of Woodside petroleum Woodside petroleum is devoted to proper corporate governance and has developed a culture that values ethical behavior, integrity and respect in the work. Company believes that adopting and operating with high level standards of corporate governance is necessary for long-term performance and value creation of the company (ACCA, N.D.). Company has a proper structure for the operations. It has a core framework of corporate governance including mission, vision, strategic direction and core values of honesty, admiration, working together, regulation and quality of work within the company. The governance framework is for each person who is the employee of the company. The model of corporate governance of Woodside petroleum is discussed below: Figure 1: Corporate governance of Woodside (Source: Woodside, 2015) Board composition: The figure provides a clear description of governance of the company. The business and related issues of the company are to be managed by the direction of the Board. The Board has permitted an official Board Charter which includes the role, powers, duties and functions of the board. Along with this, the Board in the Board Charter also has the responsibility of the management of companys business activities which is managed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He is responsible to the Board. The Board Charter and the designation of Board authority to the CEO are to be observed on a regular basis. The composition of board should be according to some principles i.e.: The chairman should be independent and should not be the member of the company, The role of the chairman and CEO should not filled by the same person, The CEO should be full time employee of the company, The board should be the composition by the independent or non executive persons, and The board should have members of experienced, qualified as per the requirement of the company. The board of directors should have necessary skills and experience to govern the company (Woodside, 2015). Role and Responsibilities of Board: The main role of the Board is to set the companys strategic direction, to select and assign a CEO and to manage the companys management and business activities on daily basis. The Chairman of the company is accountable for the effective performance of the Board and for the protection of relations between directors and management which are important, agreeable and good for the company. The responsibilities of chairman are properly described in the Board of charter. The Board and its committee members try to give assurance to the shareholders that the Board selects the right skills, knowledge, experience and diversity which is necessary to govern the company. There are some powers and responsibilities of the Board for taking decisions: They have power to appoint the CEO, remove the CEO or any other executive directors and company secretary and determines their duties and services, They have power to approve the succession plans for senior management and give permission on the any changes of organizational structure, They have duty to approve the annuals and half years reports, future financial performance plans, financial projections, change in any policy or plan and disclosure of them in the market, and They have authority to appoint the directors who will come before shareholders (Woodside, 2015). Standard and guidelines principles relevant for the issues There are some standards and guidelines principles which are necessary for the operations of any business. The aim or purpose of the guideline principles is to improve the operating environment and ability to adapt the change within the company. These guidelines principles help the companies to work ethically in the market. The standards and guidelines principles for the company are described below: Organizations should adopt at the political level broad programs of regulatory reforms so that it can set the clear purpose, objectives and framework for the operations of the organizations. Organizations should review the guidelines and regulations systematically so that goals and objectives can be achieved successfully an effectively in changing social and complex environment. Organizations should ensure that the regulations and its implementations of those regulations in the working process are transparent. Organizations should review and implement the competitive policy effectively where it is necessary to implement. Organizations should design the economic regulations in all sectors to face the competition. Organizations should use those regulations which seem the best in the operations of the business. Organizations should remove unnecessary regulations as barriers. Organizations should also eliminate such regulatory barriers which stop the organization in trading and investment. Organizations should adopt such regulations which strengthen efficiency and the competitiveness of the organization. Organizations should identify more appropriate and profitable regulations which help organization in achieving and fulfilling the target, goals and objectives in an effective and proper way. These are some regulatory framework under the governance of a company which helps the company to behave ethically with the employees and the society (OECD, N.D.) Critical review on Woodsides Governance The Woodside Petroleum has an effective team of governance. Company has made a code of conduct which has sets of practices, standards and principles related to personal and corporate behavior. It refers to how company adopts practices and regulations in daily business. Company made zero-tolerance policy against un-ethical behavior. There are disciplinary policies which will be taken against any unethical behavior. If someone is engaged in unlawful and inappropriate behavior in work related place and in work hours, disciplinary actions will be taken. The issues which are criticized by public will be addressed by the immediate supervisor or the senior member available on the business unit, human resource manager or another higher authority in the HR team, antifraud or corruption advisor, a member of legal team, the CEO or a head of internal audit (Woodside, 2016). Operations in governance: Company has made rules and policies related to health and safety of the employees and rules regarding the issues raised by operations which impact on the environment. The regulations and policies made by the company are: Company focused on health and safety policies so that every employee may be safe and secure in the organization. The aim of these policies is to provide safe environment for the employees of the company. For this, company made operating standards, Health, safety, environment and quality policy, supporting processes and control etc. Company also focused on the protection of environment in which it operates. Company believes that the success of long term business depends upon the healthy environment. Company set operating standards, supporting process in the Health, safety, environment and quality policy. Along with this, company tried to make the best place for the work. Company set the regulations and policies to deliver higher returns to shareholders. The policy of the company includes managing and hiring the employees on the basis of their experience, competence and performance regarding age, gender, beliefs, physical ability and cultural background. Company has promoted diversity through interactions and treated every person according to the values of Woodsides. There are some duties of directors of the company. The general duties of director are to act for the welfare of the company and efficient and effective use of his duties and powers for the best of company. There are certain duties of managers and supervisors under each business unit and they have to follow them on their work place. There are policies and regulations for the managers such as Information management operating standards and security operating standard. Along with this, there are policies related to research and development of products and their innovations made by the company. The name of this policy is Technology development and registered intellectual property operating standards. There is one more important policy regarding the shareholders. This is the duty of the company to release the information to its shareholders. The full report of the activities of Woodsides should be released to the shareholders. In order to fulfill these obligations, company has made a policy named Continuous disclosure and market communication policy. To conduct the business effectively, Woodside has to deal with government and companys decisions are directly affected by the decisions of government. To deal with the government related issues, company has also made a policy named Company bribery and corruption policy (Woodside, N.D.). Customer satisfaction is the important part of the companys operating environment. By these policies and regulations, company is able to operate its business in effective and proper way. These regulations also help the company to overcome from the critics made by public. Conclusion By the above discussion, it has been analyzed that Woodside petroleum is famous and established Oil and Gas Company in the Australia. It has strong team of governance to handle the issues raised by the public. Company has a unique strategy for the business so that it can maintain its strong position in the market by delivering best services to the customers. Woodside petroleum makes social relationship also with its customers. Company gives responses on the issues which are raised by the customers and try to meet with the expectations of the customers and shareholders. To overcome from the critics, company has made different policies and regulations in different areas of business. From the report, it can be seen that Company has made a code of conduct which has sets of practices, standards and principles. It is expected that by practicing these relations and policy, company will operate its business for long time. Recommendations: Here are some recommendations for the Woodside petroleum which can be adopted by the governance team: Company should assure its shareholder regarding the future growth by showing the report of business activities of the company, Company should find out new ways so that it can reduce the impact of decreasing oil prices because it is the problem which can be faced by the company again and again. So, there should be a proper solution for this issue. Company should focus on the livelihood of the employees because when company cuts the jobs, it impact on their lives, and From the explorations, company releases carbon which affects the environment. Company should be more focused on the carbon related issue and policy should be strict regarding the environmental protections. References ACCA, (N.D.), Disclosures on corporate governance, , accessed on 13th September 2016 from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/13120504.pdf Janda, M., (2015), Woodside Petroleum set to cut around 300 jobs as profit rises 38pc, accessed on 13th September 2016 from, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-18/woodside-petroleum-posts-38pc-profit-rise/6138366 Just Invest, (2011), Woodside chairman dismisses carbon Price disclosure resolution, accessed on 13th September 2016 from https://www.justinvest.net.au/2011/05/woodside-chairman-dismisses-carbon-price-disclosure-resolution/ Letts, s., (2016), Woodside half-year profit drops 50pc as oil crash bites, accessed on 13th September 2016 from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-19/woodside-half-year-profit-drops-50-pc-as-oil-crash-bites/7765632 OECD, (N.D.), OECD GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR REGULATORY QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE, accessed on 13th September 2016 from https://www.oecd.org/fr/reformereg/34976533.pdf Smith, A.G., (2015), Design work on Woodside's Browse floating LNG project to start, accessed on 13th September 2016 from https://www.smh.com.au/business/design-work-to-start-on-woodsides-browse-floating-lng-project-20150630-gi23v4.html Smith, A.G., (2016), Woodside Petroleum investors seek answers on growth, MA, accessed on 13th September 2016 from https://www.smh.com.au/business/woodside-petroleum-investors-seek-answers-on-growth-ma-20160513-gout6r.html The Australian, (2016), WPL details, accessed on 13th September 2016 from https://markets.theaustralian.com.au/shares/WPL/woodside-petroleum-limited The climate change institute, (2011), Woodside petroleum dodges climate change resolution, accessed on 13th September 2016 from https://www.climateinstitute.org.au/articles/media-releases/woodside-petroleum-dodges-climate-change-resolution.html Woodside, (2014), realizing our Global Vision, accessed on 13th September 2016 from https://www.woodside.com.au/Investors-Media/announcements/Documents/18.02.2015%202014%20Annual%20Report.pdf Woodside, (2015), Corporate governance statement, accessed on 13th September 2016 from https://www.woodside.com.au/Investors-Media/announcements/Documents/17.02.2016%202015%20Corporate%20Governance%20Statement.pdf Woodside, (2015), sustainable development report 2015, accessed on 13th September 2016 from https://www.woodside.com.au/Investors-Media/announcements/Documents/18.03.2016%202015%20Sustainable%20Development%20Report.pdf Woodside, (2015), The Woodside Innovation Technology Hub, accessed on 13th September 2016 from https://www.woodside.com.au/Working-Sustainably/Documents/WITH_Brochure.pdf Woodside, (2016), experience the energy, accessed on 13th September 2016 from https://www.woodside.com.au/Pages/home.aspx Woodside, (2016), Reconciliation Action Plan, accessed on 13th September 2016 from https://www.woodside.com.au/Working-Sustainably/Documents/2016_RAP.PDF Woodside, (N.D.), Woodside policy, accessed on 13th September 2016 from https://www.woodside.com.au/supplying_to_woodside/Documents/Code%20of%20Conduct%20(December%202015).pdf.

Tales of Simple free essay sample

Tales of Simple and the Symbolic Undertone Longboats Hughes is considered to be one of the most well known poets/writers in the modern era. One of his most notable works was a series of fictional short stories called Tales of Simple. In these tales, Hughes uses symbolism to express his feelings and views on African American history through the character Jesse B. Simple. In literary terms, the word symbolism Is defined as being a person, object or event that suggests more than its literal meaning.In Longboats Hughes Tales of Simple, the author uses the main characters name, feet and view on a type of Jazz music to homelike the life of an African American and the effect of slavery, discrimination and racism on blacks. One of the first examples of symbolism that Longboats Hughes uses is the naming of the mall character In the tales: Jesse B. Simple. Hughes explains that it would be impossible to live in Harlem and not know at least a hundred Simples (97).Hughes chose the name Simple to symbolize the average mans perspective the tales were being told from. By doing this, Hughes gives the readers a constant reminder of the characters background and social makeup. This reminder also shows how African Americans during that time viewed and approached things in life. Hughes also uses the name Simple to showcase the state of mind and the effect the hard life African Americans endured because of lack of bare necessities in their lives. The name Simple is an example of symbolism in and of itself.However, the symbolism displayed through the mall character throughout the book Is most prominently displayed by repeated references about his feet. Similes feet symbolize the hardships that he has faced, the experiences in his life, and in general, encompasses everything about him and his life. Hughes writes In his tale Feet Live Their Own Life, If you want to know about my life dont look at my face, dont look at my hands. Look at my feet and see if you can tell how long I been standing on them (99). This quote by Simple describes the symbolic importance of a mans feet.The point Hughes makes was that a black man during that time was focused on work and providing for himself and his family. And work was done while standing. Hughes shows that the true tale of an African American was at the physical foundation of a person: the feet. The symbolic nature of Simples feet goes beyond the mindset of African Americans at that time. Hughes uses Similes feet to symbolize the poverty experienced by blacks. These feet have walked ten thousand miles working for white folks and another ten thousand keeping up with the colored.These feet have stood at altars, crap tables, free lunches, bars, graves, kitchen doors, betting windows, hospital clinics, WAP desks, social security railings, and in all kinds of lines from soup lines to the draft. (100) As the title of the tale states, Similes feet do have their own life. Not only do Similes feet showcase the thousands of miles working for white looks, but they also tell the tales of where he has been when not working. All of the aforementioned places are either associated with poverty or things viewed as aid by Americans because of the poverty most encountered at the time. Longboats Hughes symbolizes the life of hard labor lived by a black man through the continued reference to Similes feet: The corns Vive cut away would dull a German razor. The bunions I forgot would make you ache from now till Judgment Day (100). Simple is describing the physical toll the hard labor has taken on him. Hughes use of such a throng metaphor emphasizes his point of the profound effect slavery, racism and discrimination has taken on African Americans. While this is more of a metaphor, the common symbolic feature is once again Similes feet. Similes feet being physically worn down is not the final thing about his feet. Simple talks about how he can be summed up by the shoes he wears: Cant you tell by the shoes I wear-not pointed, not rocking-chair, not French-toed, not nothing but big, long, broad, and flatthat I been standing on these feet a long time and carry some heavy burdens? (99). Hughes directly explains the symbolism of his shoes to illustrate once again the working nature of Simple and the average man he represents.Hughes uses one other prominent symbolic example to describe the life of an African American. The author showcases how the history of slavery and suffering has affected African Americans by Similes explanation of the origins of Be-Bop music: From the police beating Negroes heads. Every time a cop hits a Negro with his Billy club, that old club say, BOP! Where Be-sop came from, beaten right out of some Negroes head into them horns and saxophones and IANA keys that plays it. (104-105) The quote by Simple in the tale Bop displays how Simple views the origin of Be-Bop music, and how they are mildly misconstrued. The term bop is defined in Merriam-Webster Dictionary as Jazz characterized by harmonic complexity, convoluted melodic lines, and constant shifting of accent and often played at very rapid tempos. The origins of Be-Bop are based on these things and the improvisation of the artist. Whether it is a lack of knowledge or a skewed view of life, to Simple this is an example of police brutality.This goes to show the storied viewpoint his experiences have given him. Hughes use of symbolism throughout Tales of Simple is the main literary technique used in this collection of work. Hughes symbolizes the view of an African American through most notably the feet of Simple. Hughes goes as far as explaining the symbolism in such a direct way so as to ensure his point is understood by the reader. It is this direct commentary and giving of specific examples that I believe almost takes away some of the symbolic content by not letting the reader discern this for him or herself.

An Analysis of Gulivers Travels;Voyage to Liliput essays

An Analysis of Guliver's Travels;Voyage to Liliput essays Generations of schoolchildren raised on the first Book of "Gulliver's Travels" have loved it as a delightful visit to a fantasy kingdom full of creatures they can relate to_little creatures, like themselves. Few casual readers look deeply enough to recognize the satire just below the surface. But Jonathan Swift was one of the great satirists of his or any other age, and "Gulliver's Travels" is surely the apex of his art. "Gulliver's Travels" tells the story of Lemuel Gulliver, a ship's surgeon who has a number of rather extraordinary adventures, comprising four sections or "Books." In Book I, his ship is blown off course and Gulliver is shipwrecked. He wakes up flat on his back on the shore, and discovers that he cannot move; he has been bound to the earth by thousands of tiny crisscrossing threads. He soon discovers that his captors are tiny men about six inches high, natives of the land of Lilliput. He is released from his prone position only to be confined in a ruined temple by ninety- one tiny but unbreakable chains. In spite of his predicament, Gulliver is at first impressed by the intelligence and organizational abilities of the Lilliputians. In this section, Swift introduces us to the essential conflict of Book I: the naive, ordinary, but compassionate "Everyman" at the mercy of an army of people with "small minds". Because they are technologically adept, Gulliver does not yet see how small-minded In Chapter II, the Emperor of Lilliput arrives to take a look at the "giant", and Gulliver is equally impressed by the Emperor and his courtiers. They are handsome and richly dressed, and the Emperor attempts to speak to Gulliver civilly (although they are unable to understand one another). The Emperor decrees that every morning Gulliver is to be delivered "six beeves, forty sheep, and other victuals," along with as much bread and wine as he needs, his basic needs are to be ...

Adults living with Crohns Disease essays

Adults living with Crohn's Disease essays Crohn's disease is a chronic, nonspecific, idiopathic gastrointestinal inflammatory disease first reported by Dr. Burrill Bernard Crohn in 1932 (Chen, 2000). Crohn's disease can attack any part of the digestive system from the mouth to the anus (Figure I), but most commonly affects the lower portion of the small intestine or the colon. Crohn's disease is a lifelong condition that may move in and out of remission. It presents with multiple complications, both from the disease process itself and from the drugs taken to induce remission. In persons with Crohn's disease, the gastrointestinal tract becomes inflamed and weak, making digestion difficult, leading to a variety of conditions often resulting in general physical debility (Life Extension, 2003). Crohn's disease affects men and women equally and seems to run in some families. About 20 percent of people with Crohn's disease have a blood relative with some form of Intestinal Bowel Disease (IBD) (NDDIC, 2003). Crohn's disease usually begins before age 35, with peak incidence between 14-24 (Chen, 2000). Although patients can treat the symptoms of Crohns Disease, at the present there is no cure, nor definitive cause. The most popular theory is that Crohns is an autoimmune response to a virus or bacterium causing inflammation (NDDIC, 2003). Inflammation occurs when the body's own immune system attacks a part of the intestine, further resulting in thinning of the bowel wall, leading to scarring, thickness, abnormal bowel function, and malabsorption of nutrients. Therefore, suppression of the inflammation is key to decreasing the injurious effects that the immune system inflicts on the Crohn's patient (Life Extension, 2003). The most common symptoms of Crohn's disease usually begin with ulcerations of the mouth, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, rectal bleeding, anorexia and weight loss. As inflammation continues, patients may develop a palpable right lower quad...

Ford Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ford Company - Essay Example During the early stages according to Weiss (2003; pp.104) the Company produced few cars from its factory located in Detroit. Most of the employees were contractors, and each car was under two men. During the great depression, Ford Company fought all odds and emerged as the only Company which survived the harsh economic times. In 1908, there was the introduction of the first engine with a cylinder head which was removable. This invention accelerated the assembling of a Model A which was the first car which had a safety glass. The first low priced V8 engine began its operations in 1932, leading to the offering of the Lifeguard safety package. In the same year, the company introduced the child-roof locks for the doors and the standard deep-dish steering wheel. In the 1980’s in regard to the study work of Tiffany & Peterson, (2005; pp.89) there was the acquisition of the Jaguar Cars and Aston Martin by Ford Company so as to increase its level of competition. At the onset of the 21st century, the Companys operations were low on corporate bonds resulting from high U.S health care costs for the work force which was aging, eroding market share, soaring gasoline prices and much dependence on the SUV sales which were declining. After coming up with a way forward, there was the introduction of the Crossover SUV’s and developed the Ford Escape Hybrid SUV for the hybrid electric power train technologies. In 2001 according to Smith and Carl, (2007; pp.101) the company appointed Bill Ford as the chief executive officer and later appointed Alan Mulally as the president. In 2006, the company was able to raise its level of borrowing to 25 billion dollars and thus securing the credit line through the corporate assets. Currently, the Ford Company upgraded its bonds from junk to investment grade leading to lasting improvements and citing sustainable as seen in the research work of Shurtleff & Aoyagi (2011; pp.65). At the inception of the Ford

Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 11

Letter - Essay Example In this case, a major in Computer Information System would help me achieve my ambition in life by enabling me become equipped to join the information and technology world and develop the technology required to continue making the life of human beings better on earth.  While emphasizing on the importance of changing my major to Computer Information System, humanity cannot live oblivious of the fact that experiences at home, school, and work are undergoing many changes due to the various technological advancements taking place in today’s world.  Hence, as an individual who desires a career in a fast-changing environment, whereby I will always improve my performance while at the same time improving my knowledge, I believe that a major in Computer Information System will help me achieve this long-held ambition. Therefore, I kindly request you to help me achieve my ambition and realize my full potential. In addition, it is my considered opinion that I will be able to make an impact,  however  small, once I undertake a major in Computer Information System. In case of further clarification, please contact me by phone at [phone number] or by email at [e-mail

Emergent Multimedia Technology (Cloud Streaming Technology) Essay

Emergent Multimedia Technology (Cloud Streaming Technology) - Essay Example The paper tells that the world of technology is a dynamic one with scientists and technicians coming up with high-tech gadgets by the day. This has not always been the case. Technology has come a long way off. From the time of the dark ages where the only form of data storage was the primitive human mind not to mention the ancient writings preserved in stone. The short comings of these methods of storage called for better ways of data preservation hence the discovery of paper and later secret safes that were used to store classified information. Decades later, the world enjoys an unlimited number of technological options to choose from. Modern technology too has continued to grow in leaps and bounds with incremental and disruptive developments being made daily. Incremental development is whereby a development in one sector is so as to improve on a previous development that had already been made. These inventions come in with highly sophisticated and efficient apparatus. Machines that more than double human output, this means that production is taken to a higher level thus the supply to consumers is made easier and available thanks to these inventions. A good example can be drawn from the development of play stations which was a follow up of the traditional brick games. Other examples of incremental development are the use of tractors in agriculture as an improvement on the traditional hoe used to plough, use of modern processing and storage facilities instead of the previous versions of the same and the use of electric trains is also an improvement on the locomotive.... Modern technology has converged together for a common goal. This can be explained by equating technology to an abstract entity. The entity slowly moves towards other entities in the same field with similar goals. At the end, they form one big entity that is more efficient. This simple yet complex technological advancement is the reason why today, we are able to easily access audio, video and even application data more efficiently than before. This convergence of technology has been made possible by massive funds that have been channeled into research by both private and commercial developers. The end result is that the new development from this mergence is more progressive and has competitive advantage over the redundant ones. There has been a number of emerging technologies in various fields ranging from information technology to medicine, agriculture, robotics and even biotechnology. Emerging technologies in the field of medicine include new surgical equipment and procedures and th e development of new drugs to combat emerging diseases. Development in the field of medicine has seen the mastery of new procedures such as artificial insemination and the use of test tube babies, a fete that was once thought impossible. Furthermore, vaccines against diseases like tuberculosis, malaria and even HIV/AIDS have been developed. Doctors are now able to treat and sometimes cure diseases like cancer which were previously unmanageable. This has consequently improved the life expectancy in the country. Child mortality rates have also decreased significantly (Hung, D & Khine, M. S., 2006, p 567). In the fields of agriculture, emerging technology such as genetic engineering has made

Nuclear Power Advantages and Disadvantages

Nuclear Power Advantages and Disadvantages The title question of my case study is: Should Nuclear Power be Banned. I have chosen this question as I believe it is a key topic at this present moment in life, with a lot of information about it in the media, such as on the news and in the papers each day. Also it is something that will affect the life in which we live in the future. So because of these reasons it is something that people need to be aware of and need to actually understand what nuclear power is and how it is affecting us or is going to affect us in the years to come. Evidence for: One major problem that could occur with nuclear power is that there is always the risk that there could be a leakage of radioactive fluids, which will have a massive impact on the environment and its surroundings. These radioactive fluids that may leak from the power stations can cause cancers and very harmful illnesses in humans. So for this reason people will believe that yes, nuclear power should be banned, especially those people living around or near a nuclear power station, or those that have close relatives that may be affected if something like this were to happen. -I think that this is a reliable piece of information as it is a very valid reason, and can be found elsewhere on the internet, on various other sites which proves to us that other people are also using this information as evidence for their arguments, so we should as well. Evidence against A reason against banning Nuclear power is that it provides a lot of our energy sources, and can be used to generate electricity and to power ships, so therefore we need nuclear power to continue doing these things, and if we were to get rid of it then we would only have to resort to finding another way of providing this energy, which is only going to cost even more money, on top of what wed already be paying to get rid of the nuclear power plants that exist at this moment in time.. Without the use of the ships that are powered by the nuclear power, we would have a lot of difficulty in transporting goods such as food and material from one place to another. (http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090121112744AAxRJTv) 25th September 2010, 10:30. I think that this is a genuinely reliable source of information in the respect that it is a reasonable argument for why we shouldnt ban nuclear power. Although this may also be seen as not so reliable as it is written by a member of the public, someone that may not have a lot of knowledge on the topic, but has heard bits about it. Besides that fact, I agree with this argument against banning nuclear power so therefore am going to use it as evidence in my case study. SCIENCE BEHIND NUCLEAR POWER Nuclear power is made and generated by using Uranium. Uranium is a metal that is mined in various different parts of the world. Most on worlds Uranium is mined from Australia, Canada and Kazakhstan. The first ever large-scale nuclear power station was opened in 1956, in England in the city of Cumbria at a place called Calder Hall. There are a number of military ships and submarines that contain nuclear power plants as their engines in order for them to keep up and running. Nuclear power produces approximately 11% of the worlds energy source and can produce very large amounts of energy from only a small amount of fuel. As well as this there isnt all the pollution along with it like there is when you burn fossil fuels. (This can therefore be seen as an argument against banning nuclear power plants as there is the burning of fossil fuels that is taking place which are producing greater amounts of pollution than what nuclear power stations are giving off.) The equation above shows us what happens in a nuclear power plant and the stages in which it goes through before it reaches our homes and provides us with the energy sources that we use in everyday life. It is in the Nuclear fission where the Uranium is used, this starts off the process for nuclear power to be generated. Nuclear fission is the process of atoms splitting, so when a heavy nucleus such as Uranium splits into two smaller, lighter nuclei. In this reaction, the strong nuclear force which is the attractive force, is acting on the electrostatic force which is the repulsive force, these can be knocked out of balance on each other when they gain the energy from either a photon or a neutron. The two forces are affected by the gain of this other element and will try to act on each other to regain the state in which they were in, but in nuclear fission the electrostatic force will gain more power than the nuclear force, therefore causing it to repel and for the nucleus to split apart, also releasing energy as it does so. To make this slightly easier to understand, imagine a load of marbles in a rough circle shape on a flat tabletop (this is going to be representing the original atoms nucleus, where all the forcing are acting the same on one another and are equal, so all the marbles/atoms are stable). What if I were to then throw or roll another marble into this group of stable marbles? All the marbles would spread apart and move out into the space around them, this marble that is being rolled into them is acting as the photon or neutron that is being gained in the nucleus. This is unbalancing the forces and causing the atoms to all move around as they react to the change that is taking place, but seeing as all the marbles move out, and away from each other shows to us that the repelling force has gained more control, as the attractive force wasnt able to keep them all together, and this is exactly what happens in nuclear fission. (http://library.thinkquest.org/17940/texts/fission/fission.html) (http://physics.about.com/od/glossary/g/nuclearfission.htm) Both of the sites above were visited on the 30th January 2011, 15:15. -I think that both of these sites are reliable sites to use as evidence in my case study, and one of them is a site specifically focusing on physics topics and gives very scientific definitions to certain topics involved in physics. Also the other site is made by university students, that did a study on nuclear fission and how it takes place, they then put all their information together on this site for other students to look at and use if they need the information required. I have combined the information from both websites to give an overall example of how nuclear fission takes place and what it involves. Nuclear power that is made by Uranium is not renewable, this means that once we have dug up the Earths supply of Uranium there will be no other way of getting any more, so once its gone its gone. There are several advantages and disadvantages to nuclear power these include: Nuclear power costs roughly the same amount as coal, so in that respect its not too expensive, so this is an advantage. Although, millions of pound has to be spent each year to supply the safety that is required in a power plant, this is because if they were to take the chance and something went wrong like a nuclear accident, then this would result in a major disaster. The making of nuclear power does not give off a smoke or carbon dioxide, so therefore we can be sure that this is not contributing to the greenhouse effect that is causing global warming, unlike the burning of fossil fuels which do contribute to this, so this then puts nuclear power at an advantage. Also, as mentioned previously, huge amounts of energy can be made by just a small amount of fuel. With only small amounts of waste being produced, once again putting nuclear power at an advantage. Saying that, although there isnt much waste being produced, that that is produced is extremely dangerous and would have to be stored, sealed up and buried for thousands of years to allow the radioactivity to die away. During this time it has to be kept far away from any potential natural disasters such as Earthquakes, Volcanic eruptions, flooding and terrorist attacks. This can be very difficult at times. Another disadvantage is that in the 1990s was the fastest growing source of power in most of the world. However, in 2005 this then deteriorated to being the second slowest growing source of power throughout the world. (http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/nuclear.htm) 30thJanuary 2011, 17:00. -This is a website purely based of evidence for and against nuclear power, and its advantages and disadvantages, it has lots of information solely on nuclear power, which makes it a reliable source of evidence to be used. There are many different reasons and opinions to why people think nuclear power should be banned, some of which are due to things that have happened previously, and if were to happen again could cause a massive uproar throughout the world. Others are what people are scared could happen, and because of this they believe that nuclear power should be banned. Here are some examples of previous accidents that have happened involving nuclear power, which could be a reason influencing peoples decisions on whether or not this should be banned: March 28, 1979 Near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Americas worst nuclear accident occurred. A partial meltdown of one of the reactors forced the evacuation of the residents after radioactive gas escaped into the atmosphere. The radioactive gas that got released into the atmosphere is a cause to cancer in the human body, and as we all know, cancer kills very easily! It may take 20 years or so, for the residents to even realise that they have cancer, as it takes time to affect and the gas in the atmosphere lingers for years. April 26, 1986 The worlds worst nuclear accident occurred after an explosion and fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. It released radiation over much of Europe. Thirty-one people died in the immediate aftermath of the explosion. Hundreds of thousands of residents were moved from the area and a similar number are believed to have suffered from the effects of radiation exposure. As you can see already from this 31 innocent people died from a nuclear power accident, thats hundreds of people left without a family member, and what if this was to happen again, but this time it could be even worse, and possibly even more people killed. Also from this event, thousands and thousands of people were once again exposed to the radiation which can cause cancerous cells in our bodies, which could lead to a number of deaths years down the line, all from this one accident that happened because of nuclear power. (http://www.atomicarchive.com/Reports/Japan/Accidents.shtml) 25th September 2010, 19:30. -This website is a university website, which is very factual and all its points appear to be logical and true, also the fact that its scientists writing the points and information only gives us more reason to believe its true and reliable. Many risks are taken when using nuclear power, there is always the risk of a meltdown occurring, or even a leakage of radioactive waste. There is also a risk to the workers safety and well-being as storing waste from nuclear reactors can be a problem in some cases. A nuclear meltdown is when the cooling systems fail, and the nuclear reactors reach such a temperature that they melt straight through the reactor or damage the reactor wall. With this melting, then allows the spread of radioactivity, which as before can cause great damage in the human body. There is also the chance of contamination within the environment if there was to be a leakage of radioactive waste in that area. Radioactive waste, if gotten into the workers at a nuclear power plant, can also poison them, which furthermore, would take their life. On the other hand, there are also many reasons as to why people believe that nuclear power shouldnt be banned, some of which are listed below; Nuclear power generation does emit relatively low amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). The emissions of green house gases and therefore the contribution of nuclear power plants to global warming is therefore relatively little. This technology is readily available; it does not have to be developed first. It is possible to generate a high amount of electrical energy in one single plant. (http://timeforchange.org/pros-and-cons-of-nuclear-power-and-sustainability) 28th October 2010, 17:35. -I think that this is a reliable website to get information from as it is based on the pros and cons of nuclear power, and what needs to be done to make a change, and what needs to stay the same. It cannot be edited or changed by anyone other than the creators, and the creators are have done a lot of research to make the website to the high standard of what it is now. In 2005, approximately 6.3% of the earths energy supply relied on nuclear power, and gradually over the years, this has increased slightly to 14% in 2009. It also provided 15% of the worlds electricity in 2005 and again in 2009. If we were to ban nuclear power then there would have to be other ways in which this supply of electricity was formed, and therefore more money is going to have to be spent out in order for this supply of electricity. As you can see from the statements above, it clearly states that nuclear power can generate a lot of electrical energy in just one single plant, and with there being 440 plants across the world; this would cost an awful lot of money to get rid of and then replace the energy and electricity in which it supplies us with. Nuclear power also provides for ships and submarines, which we need to transport food and goods from country to country, without these ships we would have to find another way of transporting the items, say if we were to use a plane for example, then this would only be adding to global warming which is another issue known world-wide. (http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf01.html) 27th September 2010, 18:35. -I believe this graph to be a reliable source of evidence as it is from a website specifically focused on the use of nuclear power all over the world, in various different countries. Also it is not biased in any way, and it completely based on facts and figures rather than opinions, so therefore this is a reliable piece of information to be used in this case study. As you can see from the graph above, most of the large MEDC (More Economically Developed) countries reply on nuclear power as a source of energy and electricity. Although there are other ways of them getting their energy supply, with the loss of nuclear power, they would only have to increase one or more of their other supplies in order to make up for what they have lost from the lack of nuclear power. SHOULD NUCLEAR POWER BE BANNED? Taking into account both sides of the argument, we can see that there are many reasons for nuclear power being banned, just as well as reasons for nuclear power to not be banned. The main reason that people believe nuclear power should be banned is that there is always the risk of a spillage of nuclear gases, or a leak in the power stations, which would have a great impact on humans health. The main reason as too why nuclear power shouldnt be banned is that it provides a huge amount of the worlds energy and electricity source. As you can see from the for and against arguments on the previous pages, I think that overall the benefit of nuclear power outweighs the risk so therefore nuclear power SHOULDNT be banned, and I think this becauseto get rid of all the nuclear power stations over the world would cost an awful lot of money for the governments and thats money that could be put to a better use elsewhere. Also after paying out to get rid of the nuclear power plants throughout the earth, we would then also have to pay for other methods of providing the electricity and energy resources that these plants provided, it would be easier and more efficient to just spend the money into finding more ways in which we can prevent a leakage at a power plant and how we would handle such a situation, if another one were to occur. Nuclear power plays too big a role in everyday life, we just take it for granted and dont actually realise how much we do rely on it. Furthermore, as for the number of deaths that have occurred from nuclear power accidents; there are so many things nowadays that could kill people, we just try not to look at them in that way, for instance there could be a massive pile-up on a motorway and kill a numerous amount of drivers, passengers and general citizens, but that doesnt mean that people are going to stop driving does it? So why should nuclear power be banned because of the risk of there being a fault that could cause deaths among humans? The workers in nuclear power plants, are fully aware of the risks they take every day and the risks of the radiation, but safety measures are in place to protect these workers from getting harmed, and they are trained of what to do in the case of emergency, so therefore its entirely down to them to do the job or not, at no point are they being forced to work under such conditions that are putting themselves at risk.

Fire: Nutrition and Destructive Forces Essay

Fire is one of our greatest tools and also one of our most destructive forces. So is it an enemy or a friend? Fire has been around since creation. In fact, it appears that fire had a hand in creation itself. Therefore, man did not discover fire. It is believed that he discovered its use. Before he discovered its use, man was probably at its mercy. Fires started in nature, by lightning or by the sun, it must have terrified the early man. He did not use it to cook meat as early man ate raw meat. Then one day he discovered that fire, which burnt and hurt, could be useful. From that time, fire ceased to be an enemy and became man’s best friend. Today, we can hardly conceive a life without fire. It cooks our food, provides warmth and burns away rubbish. Fire plays a major part in our lives from birth till we are cremated. Since it has been discovered that food tastes much better and is healthier when cookked, cooking has evolved over the years. Now, there are countless dishes to prepare using fire. Yet, this great friend can be a very dangerous enemy. In its natural state, fire can break out at any moment – usually through careless handling – causing devastating harm. Destruction of lives and property by fire is one of the, almost, daily disasters in the world. Not even the most developed countries are exempt from this. All anyone can do is take as many precautions as possible to fight it when it occurs. Frequently when fires break out, humans are helpless and great losses occur before the fires are brought under control. Even in the wild, fire does not have to be a villain. Fire is actually vital to the survival of several species. It remove slow growing underbush, cleanses the forest floor of debris, opens it up to sunlight and nourishes the soil. Established trees have to compete with undergrowth for nutrients and space. Fire clears the weaker trees and returns health to the forest. Clearing bush from the forest floor with low intensity flames helps prevent large damaging wildfires that spread out of control and completely destroy forests. Wildlands provide habitat to forest animals and birds. Fire clears wildlands of heavy bush, leaving room for new grasses, herbs and regenerated shrubs that provide food and habitat for many wildlife species. So fire is both a bosom friend and a deadly enemy. When it is kept under control, it is one of the greatest boons known to humanity. However, when it gets out of control or when used for destruction, it is a devastating force which leaves man completely helpless and even dead. Fore also kills diseases and insects that prey on trees and provides valuable nutrients that enrich the soil More trees die each year from insect infestation and disease than from fire. Fire kills pests and keeps the forest healthy. Vegetation that is burnt by fire provides a rich source of nutrients that nourish remaining trees. One another note, man too uses fire for destructive purposes. Most weapons are based on the principle of fire. This applies to simple devices like handguns, artillery pices of fire and nuclear bombs. The main destructive element in weapons or at least the trigger is fire based. In this case, it is not fire, which is a danger in itself but rather because it is used for destructive purposes. Uncontrolled fire which spreads and becomes big is a deadly enemy. It destroys properties, belongings and takes away lives.

Are we True Muslims of Allah Essay

Today I am going to discuss whether we are true servants of Allah. Many of us say that we are Allah’s servants but do are actions really confirm it. There are three ways in which we can check if we really are the true servants of Allah. First we must know that he is our master and we are his slaves and we are entirely devoted to him. Secondly, we should only do those actions which will earn his pleasure and stay from the actions which will make him angry. Third, we must know that all our possessions belong to Allah and therefore we should us it as he has commended. Coming back to the first point that we are his slaves and he is our master we must realize that as his slaves we must always submit 100% to the will of Allah. There is a story recorded in history in which a very well mannered and understanding slave saw that his master was very worried. The slave asked his master why he was so sad. The master responded that he had a high debt but no money to pay them off. The slaves suggested that he should be sold in the market and use the money pay off the debts. The master refused because his debts were so high that even if he were to sell the slave it would not be enough to cover his debts. So the slave said to set the price at the amount of the debts and if anyone asks questions regarding the high price then to just tell them that this slave knows the rules relating to servitude and being a slave very well. So the master went to the market and was trying to sell the slave at the price that his debts were. When people saw the price of the slave they just laughed and who can really blame them. I mean who would want to buy a slave that’s really expensive when you can get one that s 10 times cheaper. After a little while a man came and asked the reason for the high selling price. To this the master responded that this slave knows the rules to servitude very well. The man decided to purchase him on the condition that if this was not true he would want a refund for the slave. Now the new master took the slave home and in order to see if this slave really knew the rules to servitude was true or not, the new master gave an order to whip this poor slave. In response to the torture, the slave did not cry or scream – nor did he even ask the reason for the beatings! After some time, the man asked the slave, Do you not feel any pain? and If you do, then why don’t you say anything. To this the slave said, I am the slave and you are the master and it is not appropriate that a slave questions his master – rather, he should agree 100% with whatever his master commands. If you grant me some blessings  then I will submit to you and if you punish me, still I will submit to you. Now although in this story the whipping is completely not justified its shows that we must all be like this poor slave. Like the slave said when he was getting whipped if you grant me blessings then I will submit to you and if you punish me I will still submit to you. For us this means that if something good happens in our life than we should thank Allah and if something bad happens to us or to those that we love then we should not blame Allah. We must accept that Allah knows best and keep on thanking him for what good he has brought in our lives and be patience with any hardship that we face. One who does not understand the secret behind being the slave of Allah would fall into the quranic verse of Sura Marij ayats 19-21 which mean Surely man is created of hasty temperament Being greatly grieved when evil afflicts him And stingy when good befalls him These ayahs basically just mean that when something good happens we thank Allah but when something bad happens we get upset at Allah. Also in the quran in sura sad ayats 82-83 shaytan is telling Allah Then by Your Might, I will certainly make them all live an evil life, except Your servants from amongst them, the ones whom You have purified (of sin).. Now if were not counted as the servants of Allah then unfortunately we are in shaytans side. And like the ayah said that the ones who are not the servants of Allah will live an evil life. The second point is that we must remember that Allah can be both angry and pleased with us. Therefore, we must always be careful to do only those acts  which will gain the pleasure of Allah and stay away from those things which will anger him. Ayatollah Khomeini used to emphasize the fact that there is no such thing as a minor sin – rather all sins are major – of course they are on different levels. However, one must keep In mind that we are displeasing and sinning against him, not that we feel that a certain sin is unimportant or small. Any kind of sin will displease Allah and therefore will displease the prophet and the imams. In a narration we read that Allah has said, Do not think that if you do 1 sin its no big deal because it may be for that 1 sin that Allah removes his protection on you. And also do not think that if you do a good dead it’s also not really a big deal because that one good dead may be the dead that makes Allah protect you. The third point to remember as part of being true servants to Allah is that we must realize everything belongs to Allah, whether it is our wealth, children, intellect or anything else. If one accepts this fact, then it is very easy for us to give our time, wealth, or anything else for the cause of Allah. As an example, if someone gives you one hundred dollars to distribute among the poor, we would see how easy it is for us to give out this wealth since the money was not ours. If we think about it whatever money we have is not really ours. rather, it is a trust that Allah has given to us that must be spent in His way how He has commanded it to be used. We must realize that everything we have is from Allah. Therefore, in conclusion, in order to be considered as true servants of Allah, we must be very careful of the three things 1. We must know and remember at all times that we are His slaves and He is our Master, and so we must submit entirely to Him. 2. We must perform only those acts which will earn His pleasure and stay from those things that will make him angry. 3. And finally we must know that whatever we have is really His property and it should be spent or used as He has commanded us.

Scarlet ibis essay Essays - Style, The Scarlet Ibis, Ibis, Hurst

Scarlet ibis essay Essays - Style, The Scarlet Ibis, Ibis, Hurst Scarlet ibis essay The setting of a story can set the mood for what is happening in the story and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. In James Hurst?s short story The Scarlet Ibis, he uses the setting to make the reader feel not just read what is happening in the story. Hurst?s eloquent diction tells how much of a safe haven Old Woman Swamp is. The swamp is described as a ?green dimness with palmetto fronds? that ?whisper.? Every time the children are here nothing to their dislike happens. The colors and imagery that the author uses reveals the swamp to be a comforting place. In addition, it brings to mind the thought of a caring mother or female guardian. The calmness and beauty of the swamp reinforces the motives of a supporting, loving person. The author, clearly, wanted to make a point when describing the barn loft. The majority of the items within were a symbol of death, ?it was covered in Paris green sprinkled to kill the rats, and screech owls had built their nest inside it.? There were screech owls, Paris green, a coffin, and it was dark. All of these things symbolize death, and foreshadows what will eventually happen to Doodle. Further, Hurst?s barn of death only causes distress and fear for the boys, ?when he touched the casket he screamed. A screech owl flapped out of the box into our faces, covering us in Paris green.? The death and darkness in the barn loft gives the reader a sense of uncertainty of what will happen next. Hurst?s dreary diction for describing the Horsehead Landing is significant to the ending of the story. When Doodle and the narrator were at the landing last there was a storm brewing as they floated down the creek and it was dark, cold, and mysterious. When Hurst describes how Doodle and the Narrator race the storm after rowing back to the landing it makes it seem as if they are running for there very lives, ?the rain was coming, roaring through the pines, and then like a bursting Roman candle, a gum tree ahead of us was shattered by a bolt of lightning.? Lastly Hurst describes running through the rain at full speed as, ?The rain drops stung my face like nettles, and the wind flared the wet glistening leaves of the boarding trees.? He doesn?t describe using colors in this setting, he instead uses the fear of Doodle and the narrator and the suspense to paint a picture in the readers head of what the boys are going through. Though the lack of information is minimal for this setting it makes the reader create their own image. In conclusion, the settings used in this story compliment the plot. Hurst?s learned diction provides the reader with the perfect mental picture of the story and the way he describes every setting makes the image seen in flawless vision.

Dont Trust the Microsoft Word Thesaurus! - Proofread My Paper

Dont Trust the Microsoft Word Thesaurus! - Proofread My Paper Dont Trust the Microsoft Word Thesaurus! A common problem many of our customers have is that they use the same word again and again throughout their work. If English is not your first language, you might find it difficult to think of synonyms (alternative words) for common words like because or says. The natural reaction is to use the inbuilt thesaurus in Microsoft Word. However, there are some problems with this, as well now explain Thesaurus Problems The main issue with using the inbuilt thesaurus is that most English words have more than one meaning. Thus, if you search for an alternative to a word, the thesaurus might suggest a word with a completely different meaning. As an example, take the word run. Its a simple word, but it has tons of meanings! If we wanted to change the word run in the following sentence: I take my dog Boris for a run in the park every day We could use MS Words thesaurus. However, the synonyms it suggests are not all appropriate. The first it gives is course: I take my dog Boris for a course in the park every day But this is based on the definition of run as a journey or route. It also suggests enclosure, but this would only make sense if we were describing a chicken run. Shakespeare in Synonyms As a further example, here is what Shakespeares sonnet Shall I Compare Thee to a Summers Day would look like if we replaced the key words with synonyms from Microsoft Words thesaurus: Shall I equate thee to a solstices date? Thou art more good-looking and more comfortable. Bumpy winds do shake the darling outgrowths of May, And summer’s tenancy hath all too squat a date. Sometime too boiling the watch of dreamland shines, And habitually is his gold tone reduced; And every fair from fair sometime falloffs, By coincidental, or nature’s changing possibility, untrimmed; But thy infinite season shall not diminish, Nor lose custody of that dispassionate thou ow’st, Nor shall expiry brag thou wand’rest in his blind, When in eternal shapes to spell thou grow’st. So long as men can puff, or discriminations can get, So long resides this, and this bequeaths existence to thee. Not quite so impressive, right? But what can you do if you are unsure which synonym is right? The best course of action is to look for example sentences that use the word you have chosen. A good dictionary will always give an example as well as the meaning of the word you are looking for. Of course, you can also let the experts check your work for you, too!

GANGS AND GANG SUBCULTURES CJM 330 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

GANGS AND GANG SUBCULTURES CJM 330 - Essay Example Among the various areas of the US, the region of Los Angeles is deemed to be crowded with considerable number of ganging activities. Contextually, in the present day scenario, there are various gangs operating in the city, out of which, the street gangs are seen to be quite notorious and dangerous (Howell, 2011). Among the major gangs active in Los Angeles today, the Mexican Mafia is regarded as one of the most dangerous gangs. The gang is one of the oldest in the US and work in parallel with other traditional gangs of the country. The gang is quite organized and operates following specific rules made by them. Its major rivals include Black Guerrilla Family and Hispanic gang among others. The gang is primarily formed on grounds of ethnic issues as they claim to protect the integrity and wellbeing of their races thorough their activities. To be noted, the gang has been involved in numerous criminal activities in several decades but in the recent times it became quite active in Los Ang eles. The leader of the group was arrested in the 2012 for involving in activities of drug dealing in the northern area of Los Angeles. Reports also suggest that the gang was also involved in harassing and torturing the black people in southern regions (Inside Prison, n.d.). Conclusively, it can be affirmed that the gang is quite active in Los Angeles with their continuous criminal activities over the last decade. As a matter of concern, the police declared Mexican Mafia, active in Los Angeles, as one of the most dangerous and notorious gangs in comparison to other smaller groups within the community. The primary intention of this particular assignment is to depict the emergence and the growth of traditional gangs in the US over the past decades. Contextually, it has been noted that gangs started to emerge in this particular region of the world during the 1920s and is continually flourishing in the modern day era. The reasons of gang formation

Is celebrity culture part of a social hierarchy Refer to at least two Essay

Is celebrity culture part of a social hierarchy Refer to at least two academic sources in your answer and provide examples - Essay Example While political leaders and aristocracy still hold high importance and are themselves now celebrities, being a celebrity no longer requires political attachment. Television and film have become vehicles for celebrity, created through popularizing the image of actors and putting their personal lives in view of the public. In the more recent period of time where new media has become a concept from which public attention is developed, anyone with the proper equipment can find a way in which to gain the notice of the public, creating a sensation that provides instant, if often short-lived, celebrity. While gaining celebrity requires the smallest reason in order to gain the public’s attention, status within the category of celebrity has an informal, but crucial range of importance. Rolph and Kirby define the term celebrity through earlier English terminology in contrast to contemporary usage. Earlier terminology refers to giving honour and dignity upon someone who had earned this s tatus. The current usage refers only to someone who has gained attention, the concept of honour and dignity far removed from the culture of celebrity. In reference to the more contemporary usage, Rolph and Kirby state that a celebrity is someone who has â€Å"the condition of being much extolled or talked about† (Rolph and Kirby, 172). ... They argue that while some scholars consider the concept of ’celebrity’ to have been in existence throughout history, going back as far as Alexander the Great in order to define those who have had celebrity status. Other scholars suggest that celebrity is primarily a social construct that came into existence with the equalization of the common man through the â€Å"democratization of reputation† (Rolph and Kirby, 174). They further the argument of the contemporary nature of celebrity by suggesting that it is more defined by the late twentieth century as it has been â€Å"premised on the economic conditions of capitalism† as reputation has become commoditized (Rolph and Kirby, 174). Celebrity has been developed through the need to create attention for individuals who then capitalize on that attention in order to earn money. However, it must be noted that often it is the managers and owners of the medium through which the celebrity works who promote the sens ationalized popularity of the individual on whom the celebrity is centred. Social hierarchy has existed throughout history, different sets of people being divided by sometimes arbitrary definitions from which status is gained or lost. According to Sidanius and Pratto, social hierarchy that is defined by gender and age are universal across cultures. However, groups that have been created in response to the development of the culture have more arbitrary definitions for how social hierarchy is defined. The creation of arbitrary sets of social groups, like that of celebrity, is usually caused by the increase economic surplus as it is sustained within a culture (Sidanius and Pratto, 299). In other words, as disposable income rises and survival is less relevant in priority,

Medieval Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Medieval Philosophy - Essay Example Aquinas further says that â€Å"for what which can one day cease to exist must at some time have not existed† (Bowie, 59). For all creatures that do exist, there must have been some time when they were not in life, a time when the first butterfly, for instance, came into existence. Aquinas proposes that butterflies weren’t always fluttering about, but rather that a first butterfly was created from which all following butterflies were procreated. Consequently, the bigger question turning to be what caused the creation of the first butterfly? Aquinas said: â€Å"If everything could cease to exist, then at one time there could have been nothing in existence† (Bowie, 59). This indicates that since all things in nature can cease to exist, or to never begin to exist, then at one time there would have been nothing in existence, since that the first thing came into life and procreated all successors. To this, Aquinas states that â€Å"if this were true, even now there would be nothing in existence, because that which does not exist only begins to exist by something already existing† (Bowie, 59). Thus, this indicates that if there was nothing in being, then there would be nothing in existence now, but we know this is not correct due to the immense amount of unique animals and plants on Earth, not to mention the immensity of space and surrounding galaxies. (Gilson, 1956) Anything in motion, according to Aquinas, is moved by something else. He then describes one type of motion as the diminution of something from potentiality to realism, and states that nothing can make this movement apart from a thing that is already in realism in the same esteem as the first object is in potentiality. For instance, something which is in fact hot, like flames, makes something which is potentially hot, like wood, to be really hot. (Weisheipl, 1974) Clearly stated, it is obvious to realize that those beings that can’t owe their existence

World Hunger Essay Example for Free

World Hunger Essay Hunger can arguably be called the greatest and most intimate of all tragedies, for the reason that the necessity to eat it is the most basic, intrinsic, and immediate human need. Clearly, no one deserves to remain hungry. In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, every human being’s right to adequate food has been stated clearly. It is speculated that there is enough food in the world to feed the global population twice over (International Food Policy Research Institute [IFPRI], 2007), yet a child continues to die from hunger or other malnutrition-related diseases every few seconds. It is ironic how in view of the present day technological advancements, issues like hunger, malnutrition, and chronic poverty still persist. Why is the world plagued by hunger and mal nutrition on such a massive scale, anyone with a conscience or common sense may wonder. In the ancient times, natural calamites like drought and famine were responsible for shortage of food. However in modern times, factors like war, environmental degeneration, displacement, unfair trade agreements, trade embargoes, and smuggling are some of the complex reasons behind world hunger, all of which are manmade. The interdependent nature of these elements needs a closer analysis: First and foremost, the main reason behind world hunger is the problem of poverty, access, and affordability. Under privileged, discriminated, and marginalized segments of the population lack the power to purchase even the minimum amount of food needed for survival. Those having moderate income can afford to adjust , shift, and improvise their spending habits, but those having low-income have lesser flexibility and thus have to cutback the expenditures on their basic needs. Thus, as long as inflation rate keeps spiraling upwards, people’s purchasing power would continue to diminish, and they would go hungry. According to Koc, MacRae, Mougeot, and Welsh (1999), â€Å"access to food has been perceived by many as a privilege, rather than a basic human right, and it is estimated that about 35,000 people around the world die each day from hunger† (p. 1). Over a three year span, prices of basic food commodities have doubled and continue to steep. The main reason behind inflation is the increase in oil prices, which is pushing the production, transportation, and distribution costs of food upward. The growing demand and diminishing supply rule is also applicable here, where the highest bidder has an unfair advantage over others having moderate means yet an immediate need. In the developing countries, since people spend a bulk of their income on buying basic commodities, making ends meet is becoming increasingly difficult for them. This desperation has a domino effect and has lead to a wave of social unrest and even in rioting in countries around the globe. There has been a shift in the world’s economic trends, which is another reason for world’s food crisis. Agricultural countries are rapidly moving away from agriculture to industrialization. The agricultural ones are investing more in growing cash crops like cotton, tobacco, corn-ethanol, etc. There is no sense of self-sufficiency anymore. The governments of industrialized countries are willing to buy food from other agricultural countries on high prices, thus providing food to their own populace at higher prices and creating shortage and deprivation in the agricultural economies. Definitely, when precious agricultural land use is diverted to non-productive, or even destructive use, it has a disastrous affect on the country’s economic and social conditions. Another prominent reason of food shortage lies in its wastage. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) states: It is estimated that 130 pounds of food per person in the United States ends up in landfills. The annual value of this lost food is estimated around $31 billion. But the real story is that roughly 49 million people could have been fed by those lost resources. (p. 21) Alarmingly, over half the food produced today is wasted or discarded, which is an important factor contributing to the golbal food shortage. Also, excessive consumption of food or gluttony is also taking away food from the mouths of the hunger and destitute into the belly of the well-fed. Not to mention that this wasted food also leads to environmental pollution due to emission of methane gases. Changing weather patterns, environmental degradation, and soil conditions too are responsible for the decrease, destruction, and depletion of food production. The recent wave of droughts and hurricanes in several parts of the world has reduced the crop production. The worlds agricultural land has become degraded due to the excessive use of fertilizers, pesticides, soil contamination, over drafting of groundwater, etc. Ironically, the measures to counter hunger such as food dumping and foreign aids also form a part of the world hunger problem rather than the solution. These measures are deceptive and harmful, as they create a sense of dependency in the poor nations rather than encourage them towards self-reliance. Many a times, these donations are conditional, dictatorial, discriminatory, and restrictive in nature. The donor countries may have their own vested interests in an impoverished region, which may lead to military and political insurgency and consequently to social unrest and chaos. Conclusively, issues like hunger, poverty and mal nutrition are a direct consequence of human decisions, greed, insecurity, and cruelty. It is thus vital for global policy makers to take into account the myriad causes behind hunger, as well as the problems that result in hunger. There is a need to understand that the problem of hunger and the human right to adequate food includes not only the issue of availability of adequate food, but it is also a matter of fair income distribution, reconsideration of agricultural trade and aid policies, curtailment of inflation and poverty, improvement of the agricultural conditions, reduction of environmental pollution, and a reduction of wastefulness. References International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). (2007). A future with no one living in poverty and hunger: Highlights from an international youth writing contest. Washington: Intl Food Policy Res Inst. Koc, M. , MacRae, R. , Mougeot, L. J. A. , Welsh, J. (Eds. ). (1999). For hunger-proof cities: sustainable urban food systems. Canada: International Development Research Centre.

The Role Of Zeus in Homers Iliad :: Iliad essays

The Role Of Zeus in Homer's Iliad In the era of Homer, divine intervention was thought to be typical, and one of his foremost works, The Iliad, reflects this. Nearly all of the Greek gods are involved in the outcome of the Trojan War, which happens to be the background story of this epic poem. The gods are used by Homer to add twists on an otherwise standard plot of war. I shall concentrate on Zeus, however, and reflect on his actions and their outcomes on the Trojan War, and more importantly, the story of The Iliad. Zeus, very untypical of a Greek god in his lack of involvem7ent in the Trojan War for selfish reasons, was portrayed as the father figure, being impartial and fair to both sides of the war. He remains this way to serve as a check for each god's involvement in the war. Without his presence at the head of the inner circle of Olympus, it is likely that the activity of the Trojan War would become chaotic, possibly even becoming a playground of war for the gods. With Zeus's majestic power, above all of the other gods combined, along with his experience, he is quite befitting to his role in the storyline of The Iliad. The Iliad was thought to be written by a Greek minstrel named Homer. The Iliad was the first of the major epics credited to him, the second being The Odyssey. Discussion about Homer among scholars inevitably leads to controversy on nearly every conceivable issue, ranging from his birthplace to his actual composition of either of these epics. Because of our lack of reliable information, we have but a small fragment of knowledge agreed on by scholars about the writer of the first great piece of literature of Western civilization. Homer in ancient Greece was conceived as a "blind, old man, singing or reciting his own compositions" (History of Horticulture), and at least seven ancient Greek cities claimed to be his birthplace. His work has been questioned as to two separate ways: if one minstrel, possibly named Homer, composed these works alone, and if so, if this minstrel wrote both of these epics. It has been argued that Homer is, in fact, the collective progression of minstrels that have passed this

A Dream Shattered or Still a Big Potential Essay

A DREAM SHATTERED OR STILL A BIG POTENTIAL: A CASE STUDY OF TATA NANO Abstract Keeping the potential of Indian Automobile Industry in mind, a few years back, around 2006 Ratan Tata conceived the idea of a tiny car with even a tinier price tag for rapidly growing middle class segment. Tata Nano was seen as a triumph of home grown engineering ; as making a product which encapsulates the dreams of millions of Indians with all the elements of mix i.e. safety, engineering, design, efficiency, style at a price tag of one lakh was in itself a challenge. The intense media scrutiny about the few cases of Nano catching fire brought a remarkable dent in Nano sales and shattered the customers’ confidence in car. Since then Nano is struggling hard to regain its strong image in the eyes of its customers as still the huge potential of middle segment is unexplored. The discussion arises about the turnaround strategies of Nano keeping in view its initial launch success, a few quality failures and distorted perceptions in the minds of its customers. This discussion will further add to the design of strategies for future new products which are well strategized for success with clear and defined conceivable about the costs, and market segments but fail due to a few small but significant mistakes. Keywords: Product Development,, USP (unique selling preposition), Buzz marketing, Communication Complacency, Strategic Repositioning, Resurrection. *This case study is developed during the resurrection phase of Tata Nano in March 2012 for classroom discussion as a perfect illustration for analyzing various aspects in the launch of an innovative product,,its market acceptance , Changing people perceptions etc. National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1087 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Introduction Just a few months back, India overtook Brazil as the sixth largest passenger vehicle manufacturer in the world (Wikipedia Automobile industry). This proves the fact that the Indian Automobile Industry is moving at a fast pace. India is a growing market for Hatchbacks, Sedans, SUVs MUVs, Crossovers and MPVs. Among these small cars have emerged as a clear winner. In fact the country has become a leading centre in producing small cars. Keeping this potential of Indian Automobile Industry in mind , a few years back, around 2006 Ratan Tata conceived the idea of a tiny car with even a tinier price tag for rapidly growing middle class segment. Tata Nano achieved instant success when it was introduced as world’s cheapest car in the year 2009. Tata Nano was seen as a triumph of home grown engineering ; as making a product which encapsulates the dreams of millions of Indians with all the elements of mix i.e. safety, engineering, design, efficiency, style at a price tag of one lakh was in itself a challenge. And Tata’s seemed to fulfill all the promises to its customers by offering Nano. Majority of Indian population belong to middle class, when it comes to purchasing cars they look for the affordable vehicles. Few studies related to consumer buying behavior show that if an individual belonging to middle class wants to own a car then he can easily shell out `1 lac to `1.5 lakh. Thus, while buying a car, price tag becomes a prime factor. Though pricing is the prime factor, performance, style and durability also matter. So, Nano essentially being a dream project for Tatas, satisfied very competently all the criteria’s of a successful launch ,that is, tiny price tag, performance, design, style, brand, welcoming customers, mileage, space, interiors, looks, elegance and so on. But the irony started when the safest acclaimed car of Tata’s caught in flames while its way back from showroom to home. The intense media scrutiny about the few cases of Nano catching fire brought a remarkable dent in Nano sales and shattered the customers’ confidence in car. Since then Nano is struggling hard to regain its strong image in the eyes of its customers as still the huge potential of middle segment is unexplored. National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1088 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano The discussion arises about the turnaround strategies of Nano keeping in view its initial launch success, a few quality failures and distorted perceptions in the minds of its customers. This discussion will further add to the design of strategies for future new products which are well strategized for success with clear and defined conceival about the costs, and market segments but fail due to a few small but significant mistakes. This discussion can further continue for strategic repositioning and turnaround of products accepted well in their initial stages of ‘PLC’ but matured very shortly due to certain significant marketing mistakes. Conceiving of the Idea The idea conceived about Nano was a dare dream of Tatas’ not because of its unbelievably affordable price but also because of the promise it held for providing safe personal mobility to a huge section of the Indian two wheeler riding population. It was an entirely new product Source: Statistics by Society of Indian Autommobile Manufacturers segment with a whole different dimension of its need to contain costs within a preset target of `1 lakh. The Nano price was the only certainty at the time idea was conceived . And then starting from a clean sheet of paper , the car was designed and developed keeping manufacturing costs, material costs and production costs at lowest possible level along with maintaining its character, style, adorable looks and finished quality. National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1089 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Problems in the Product Development Phase Ride for Tatas in the production of Nano had been anything but smooth. Tata built a Nano plant in West Bengal but was forced out in Oct., 2008 due to violent protest from farmers .This event resulted in the temporary delay in the production along with causing a huge loss of infrastructure costs of a plant almost ready for car production. Another plant was built at Sanand in Gujrat where the production finally started. These initial bottlenecks in the production somewhere affected the enthusiasm about the project and resulted in limited early availability which caused pre-bookings and lottery deliveries. This priced out many buyers negatively snatching out the momentum from the market. Almost from the start the project was plagued by problems and were magnified by intense media involvement. Most Awaited launch When India’s Tata Motors launched Nano in 2009, the concept of the world’s cheapest car in one of the fast growing vehicles markets seems pre-destined for success. At its launch , car buying dynamics seemed to be undergoing a subtle change. Tata dealers were flooded with queries from prospective buyers. People mainly middle class were anxiously waiting for it. Being the world’s cheapest car, Tata Nano had an edge over its competitors in terms of its pricing , which helped Tata to register decent sales figures initially. While choosing between Maruti Suzuki 800 and Tata Nano, people gave letter more weightage in terms of price and design. Its biggest USP (unique selling preposition ) was its attractive looks at lowest price. In March 2009, when Tata was launched it got advance bookings upto 2,00,000 cars but it went through lottery route to give the first 1,00,000 nanos to its lucky customers. Nano became the most coveted thing for two wheeler riders and Tata was so confident about its product that it did’nt go into any marketing plan for Nano. Its intense hype was itself doing its buzz marketing1. So, Tata got busy in producing Nanos to fulfill its intense demand but at the same time being very complacent about the market and customers perceptions of the car. 1. Buzz marketing is word of mouth recommendations by its existing users National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1090 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Sudden No-No for Nano Among all this hype when the new emerged middle segment of car owners were enjoying their ride in their sparkling stylish Nanos , first case of Nano catching fire was reported in March, 2010 while its trip from showroom to customer’s house. Another incident quoted the car went on flames soon after the driver reported a spark from the rear side of the car. The assurance of Tata’s cheapest car being safest proved ironical and the media which was giving intense scrutiny to the project did its job well during the bad times also. The security failure of the car completely broke the trust of the customers in Nano. A drastic decrease in sales was noticed in November 2010 (from 9000 units to 509 units per month) when company called its existing customers to install the safety devices in the car. So with in a year the brainchild of Tatas started seeming like a failure as its sales went nearly half within a year. Sales were far off the target of 25000 cars a month and the Nano plant with an annual capacity of 250000 cars kept producing only 8000 units a month till March 2011. Table 1: Sales Excerpts (From July 2009 to March 2012) Month and year Nano units sold July 2009 2475 Dec 2009 4001 March 2010 4710 April 2010 3525 July 2010 9000 Nov 2010 509 Dec 2010 5784 Source: various websites of Tata motors Month and year Jan 2011 April 2011 July 2011 Dec 2011 Jan 2012 Feb 2012 Mar 2012 Nano units sold 6703 10012 3260 7466 7723 9217 10475 National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1091 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Tata Nano Performance vs Automobile Industry Production (Passenger Vehicles) Industrial Scanning and analysis showed that the passenger vehicles production in the country was growing tremendously ( Fig. 3), but Nano sales showed a mixed trend till the mid of 2011 (Fig 2). The company took to replace the starter motors in the older models and launched a new model in 2012 but replacing of the parts could also affect the further sales of new model as well said , ‘Indian customers do not forgive easily’. So, there was a great challenge for Tata to retain its brand image. Inappropriate Market Positioning: Cheaper vs Affordable After the several months of disappointing sales of Nano, it became clear by the end of 2011that its cheapest tag has actually shunned its sales . The status conscious customer didn’t want to get associated with its ‘cheap’ tag and rather opted for slightly pricier rivals . Nobody wanted to be caught with a tag of ‘poor man’s car. So rather being a functional step above a motorcycle it became known as a cut-price car. Crucially car has struggled to find a core market. The overwhelming interest in the car brought all the mixed segments of the customers in the market. So, a distinctive strategy was missing to give a correct positioning and segmentation to the extremely distinctive product. Communication complacency Tatas relied heavily on the publicity rather than a definitely designed communication strategy. There was huge involvement from media, industry and public at large . Rather than leveraging this publicity Tata became complacent about the communication. It became the first car to be launched at zero cost of advertising with a huge success. The publicity generated was far greater than what could be generated through any conventional campaign. Tatas plea was that problem was not of the complacency. Because the Nano plant had to move from West Bengal to Gujarat, production timelines were difficult to maintain. With not enough cars being made, the company felt it didn’t have to advertise or even set up efficient distribution channels. But the hype about the car died down, and the stories about the fires gained prominence. National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1093 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano On the hindsight, apart from being delayed, the first ads were not the most appropriate .They showcased couples ensconced in Nanos , While those on two wheelers stared at them balefully. It seemed to be just for people who have to stretch themselves to buy a car; rather it could have been for housewife or a youngster who had just turned 18. But the advertising focused at parity level. Tata seemed to ratify the media story about it being a Garibrath rather than a cool car. Another ad in the early 2011 also projected the same image featuring a girl in a decidedly rustic setting awaiting the family Nano. Initial ads of Tata Nano: Khushion ki Chabi Such mistakes by Tatas actually fuelled the perception of a poor man’s car. The car is too much of an emotional purchase . It’s the second biggest achievement after a house and the cheapest tag proved disastrous for Nano. Resurrection by Tatas Nano is the dream of Tatas and seeing the market flooded with so many small cars Tatas still see a huge potential in Nano and is seeming to undo its mistakes in the past. As quoted by Ratan Tata on the eve of Auto expo 2012 , ‘Nano is not a flop. We have lost an early opportunity due to mistakes in positioning and marketing the product.’ The new marketing campaign by Tata is all set to change the perception from a Garib rath to a cool car as it allows young to be so whimsical with the cool car that they can drive the several kilometers for a cup of perfect tea! Road to Lal Tippa National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1094 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Tata is going to launch Tata Nano CNG by the end of 2012. The company has given the car a new makeover by additional features like new interiors, a powerful gasoline engine, better fuel efficiency and attractive colors like champagne gold and papaya orange. Another initiative is offering Tata Nano happiness guarantee which more than doubles the car’s warranty from 18 months to four years insisting on its reliability. Offering fast track financing for buyers with loan approvals in 48 hours and reducing down payments to just `15000 is another measure. Tata is planning to enter new global market such as Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia and Bangladesh with Nano. The 2012 version of Nano was unveiled by the Tata in the end of 2011 and now as the fiscal year ended in March, the new efforts to promote the 2012 Nano in the Indian market have started paying off. After July 2011 till March 2012 Tata Nano has registered an increase in sales and crossed the 10000 mark at the end of the fiscal year 2011-12 (March 2012, 10475 units, Table1). The lovely Nano is a big beneficial car in small package and its value is being recognized gradually by the customers. Hence, with the conviction in mind that the potential of Nano market remains as vast as it was originally predicted; Tata is moving with some strong steps in the market as it is also planning to launch a diesel variant of Nano in near future which will prove a value preposition for its customers. Long way ahead Nano has to go a long way in realizing its dream of 20,000 plus units per month that would get its plant in the western state of Gujarat running full throttle which is presently moving at the level of around 10000 units per month. Hailed as a showpiece of innovation spawned from and targeted at the emerging upper middle class ; Nano is working hard to undo its mistakes in the past. As small car segment is having very strong potential, there is a flood of small car brands in the Indian market. It has to face strong competition from its near rivals such as Bajaj’s RE 60 , Maruti Suzuki Cervo ( approx. ` 1.5 lakh) , Maruti Alto and slightly pricier options Hyundai Santro, newly launched Hyundai Eon etc. Nano faces rising competition from used car segment National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1095 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano also. Apart from the strong competitors, high inflation and slow economic growth also put another challenges for Tata Nano. Tata is doing hard to resurrect the product segment by intensive reliability engineering, advertising innovations for repositioning and strong distribution and service facilities to recollect the trust of its customers. Let’s see how Nano makes its makers proud amidst conflicting perceptions of customers, the immense competition and rising inflation by maintaining expected performance at its tiniest tag!!! Questions 1. What do you think were the reasons due to which Nano was such a welcome launch more than any other car launch in the industry previously? 2. As Cheapest car being its USP (Unique selling Preposition), how it went against the sales performance of Nano subsequently. Give key reasons. 3. â€Å"Intense Media attention about the product went for and against it also.† Elaborate . 4. How the changed perceptions about the car impacted its sales? Also give other key reasons for such a vast variation in its sales performance. 5. Despite the various resurrection efforts by Tata what potential do you see of Nano in rapidly growing small car segment in coming years in the view of rising competition in the segment? References: ‘Auto Expo 2012: Tata Nano is not a flop, just an opportunity wasted: Ratan Tata’, Economic Times, Jan 6, 2012. ‘No Takers: Is the Tata Nano Running Out of Gas?’, India Knowledge@Wharton, January 27, 2011 Buddiraja S. , ‘ Case Analysis in Marketing Management’, Tata Mcgraw hills, New Delhi. Dhingra Mayank, ‘Marketing Case Study: Tata Nano — Document Transcript’,( Aug 2009), Slideshare. India Today/ Business/Story New Delhi ,Jan 6 2012. Kotlar Phillip , ‘Marketing Management: a South Asian Perspective’ 13th Edition , Pearson Education,New Delhi. Statistics by Society of Indian Mobile Manufacturers ,http://www.siamindia.com/scripts/market-share.aspx Economic Times ,’World’s cheapest car’ tag backfires’, ,24 Jan, 2012 Web Sources: www.tatamotors.com/media/press-releases.php?id=732 www.zigwheels.com/tata-nano/ www.iol.co.za/business/business-news/home-sales-of-world-s-cheapest-car-backfire -1.1219524 Various websites of Tata Motors National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1096