Wiki, Blog, and Podcast analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Wiki, Blog, and Podcast analysis - Essay Example Such a transition may require one or more strategies from the following as defined by Ballard (2008): This presentation is pertaining to the feasibility analysis of Wiki, Blogs and Podcasts for Smith Systems Consulting for the purpose of two way interactions with the customers. The paper is presented in the form of feasibility study and proposal for Smith Systems Consulting. The organization is in the business of web site development for the customers staring from conceptualization to productionization. Smith Systems Consulting uses cutting edge programming, database & networking tools, methods and techniques to develop the websites for their customers. In order to keep in touch with the customers, Smith Systems Consulting wants to carry out research on Wiki, Blogs and Podcasts to verify their feasibility for this purpose. The author hereby presents their feasibility analysis in the next section. Austin and Coates et al. (2009) define the Wiki as a fully editable website on which users can read and add content to contribute to a framework of collaborative knowledge. One of the most prominent examples of Wiki is the Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia that comprises of more than 2 million articles available in 265 languages. The content on Wiki's can be updated by any user through a web interface that allows almost instantaneous updating of the content. The system is subject to reviews like peer reviews, expert reviews, abuse control, etc. Wikis can be public (editable by anyone) or private (editable by a closed user group). i. Type of Information that Wiki can effectively convey Wiki is used as shared knowledge database in which content is added and managed related to a particular subject matter, project, reporting matter, conference, discussion groups, on-line terms & glossaries, dictionaries, collaborative software development, etc. Hence Wiki can be used for any collaborative environment for knowledge sharing. The content in Wiki can be entered and

Indian Automobile Industry Essay Example for Free

Indian Automobile Industry Essay A. Introduction The Automotive Industry in India is one of the larger markets in the world and had previously been one of the fastest growing globally, but is now seeing flat or negative growth rates. Indias passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturing industry is the sixth largest in the world, with an annual production of more than 3.9 million units in 2011. According to recent reports, India overtook Brazil and became the sixth largest passenger vehicle producer in the world, grew 16 to 18 per cent to sell around three million units in the course of 2011-12. In 2009, India emerged as Asias fourth largest exporter of passenger cars, behind Japan, South Korea, and Thailand.In 2010, India beat Thailand to become Asias third largest exporter of passenger cars. As of 2010, India is home to 40 million passenger vehicles. More than 3.7 million automotive vehicles were produced in India in 2010 (an increase of 33.9%), making the country the second (after China) fastest growing automobile market in the world in that year. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, annual vehicle sales are projected to increase to 4 million by 2015, no longer 5 million as previously projected. The majority of Indias car manufacturing industry is based around three clusters in the south, west and north. The southern cluster consisting of Chennai is the biggest with 35% of the revenue share. Chennai, with the India operations of Ford, Hyundai, Renault, Mitsubishi, Nissan, BMW, Hindustan Motors, Daimler, Caparo and PSA Peugeot Citroà «n is about to begin their operations by 2014. Chennai accounts for 60% of the countrys automotive exports. The western hub near Mumbai and Pune contributes to 33% of the market. The Chakan corridor near Pune, Maharashtra is the western cluster with companies like General Motors, Volkswagen, Skoda, Mahindra and Mahindra, Tata Motors, Mercedes Benz, Land Rover, Jaguar Cars, Fiat and Force Motors having assembly plants in the area. Nashik has a major base of Mahindra Mahindra with a SUV assembly unit and an Engine assembly unit. Aurangabad with Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen also forms part of the western cluster. The northern cluster around the National Capital Region contributes 32% of the Indian market. Gurgaon and Manesar in Haryana form the northern cluster where the countrys largest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki is based. Another emerging cluster is in the state of Gujarat with manufacturing facility of General Motors in Halol and further planned for Tata Nano at their plant in Sanand. Ford, Maruti Suzuki and Peugeot-Citroen plants are also set to come up in Gujarat. Kolkata with Hindustan Motors, Noida with Honda and Bangalore with Toyota are some of the other automotive manufacturing regions around the country. B. Major Players The Major Market Players C. Product Segmentation While there are multiple ways of segmenting this industry like based on price and engine size but the most prevalent and the official method is based on dimension. i.e. the length of the vehicle under consideration. A1 Segment Mini – Up to 3400mm (M800, Nano) A2 Segment Compact – 3401 to 4000mm (Alto, wagon r, Zen,i10,A-star,Swift,i20,palio,indica etc) A3 Segment – Midsize – 4001 to 4500mm (Manza, City, Sx4, Dzire, Logan, Accent, Fiesta, Verna etc) A4 Segment Executive – 4501 to 4700mm (Corolla, civic, C class, Cruze, Optra, Octavia etc) A5 Segment Premium – 4701 to 5000mm (Camry, E class, Accord, Sonata, Laura, Superb etc) A6 Segment – Luxury – Above 5000mm (Mercedes S class, 5 series etc) B1 Segment Van – Omni, Versa, Magic etc B2 Segment MUV/MPV – Innova, Tavera, Sumo etc SUV Segment CRV, Vitaraetc While it is easy for SIAM to segment the vehicles as per dimensions but for consumers, it becomes a tad difficult. This is primarily because of the widely varying / spread out prices of the vehicles. A 2 segment, as per the above criterion, will range between 3 lakhs to 7 lakhs. And A 3 will be between 4.5 to 9 lakhs. Such wide variation in prices has distorted the image of segments in the minds of consumers. Hence, for simplicity purposes, a different segmentation has cropped up. The details are as follows:- A Segment – Approximately below 3.5 lakhs Alto, Eon, Nano, Spark, 800 B 1 Segment – Hatchback largely below 6 lakhs – Wagon R, Indica, Beat, Santro, A Star, Micra, Estilo B 2 Segment – Hatchback majorly below 7.5 lakhs – Swift, I 10, I 20, Ritz, Figo, Polo, Liva, Vista, Jazz, Punto, Brio, Fabia, Pulse, Aveo UVA C 1 Segment – Sedan below 8 lakhs – Dzire, Indigo, Etios, Sunny, Fiesta Classic, Verito, Accent, Ambassador, Aveo C 2 Segment – Sedan below 9.5 lakhs – Linea, Manza, Verna, Rapid, Vento, City, SX 4, Verna New, Optra D 1 Segment Premium Sedan below 15 lakhs – Corolla, Civic, Cruze, Laura, Jetta, Fluence D 2 Segment – Luxury Sedan below 25 lakhs– Superb, Passat, Accord, Camry, Sonata, Teana, Kizashi B1 Segment Van – Omni, Versa, Magic etc B2 Segment MUV/MPV – Innova, Tavera, Sumo etc SUV Segment CRV, Vitaraetc If we analyze the 1st Quarter of 2012-13, then total vehicle sales has been around 6.32 lakh units. The hatchback segments has totaled to 56% of the entire passenger car sales in India. This comes to 355857 units. This clearly shows the popularity of smaller cars in the Indian market. Alto continues to be the top selling brand with 17422 in July. It is followed by Swift (11421) and Wagon R (9582) – all Maruti brands. This is an indication of how well the Maruti team has understood the Indian market. i 10, I 20, Nano, Beat, Figo, Santro Polo are some of the high selling models in these segments and these models continue to clock more than 3000 units monthly. Nano has been a disappointment so far with huge expectations but it is showing some kind of resilience off late. As a segment, the Utility segment is showing the maximum growth. In fact, this segment has outclassed the other popular segments of A, B 1 B 2. With 128110 units under its hood in the 1st quarter, the segment is definitely making some good progress. Maruti’sErtiga, Mahindra’s XUV 500 Bolero has been instrumental in pushing the volumes of this segment. Innova and Omni too are raking in good numbers. What has been disappointing is the performance from the Tata Motors stable Venture, Safari and Sumo have been showing steady decline in the numbers per se but definitely possess huge potential to challenge the other models. Among the sedans, Maruti Dzire continues to lead the pack. With 11413 numbers in July, it is way ahead of its next model Verna (5300). The iconic models of City, Linea, SX4 have been showing consistent under growth and seriously calls for some introspection by their respective manufacturers. Vento Rapid also showed some slack but given the aggression of VW and Nissan, it wont be long before they start to pull in good numbers. Tata’s Indigo and Manza were on a slightly negative terrain all these months but somehow the trend has been reversed in July. 6816 for these 2 models augurs well for the company. D. Indian Automobile Industry : Barriers to Entry (and Exit) Barriers to entry (or, BTE) are anything that hinders the movement of firms into an industry. That is, BTE reduce or eliminate the entry of new businesses into an industry. Sometimes BTE can be almost insurmountable: no new firms can enter an industry. Other times BTE can slow down the entry of new firms: new firms appear but only slow. Very low BTE, however, means that new firms can enter the industry relatively rapidly. What can act as a BTE ? 1. Amount of capital The amount of capital required to enter the auto industry is in billions of dollars. So, very few outsiders can ever hope to enter the industry. This major financial requirement services as a significant barrier to entry for many industries. The auto manufacturing industry is considered to be highly capital and labor intensive. The major costs for producing and selling automobiles include: * Labor While machines and robots are playing a greater role in manufacturing vehicles, there are still substantial labor costs in designing and engineering automobiles * Advertising Each year automakers spend billions on print and broadcast advertising, furthermore, they spent large amounts of money on market research to anticipate consumer trends and preferences 2. Limited capacity of parts suppliers Existing parts suppliers have downsized their operations to the point that they do not have excess capacity. 3. Competition There are already significant numbers of well established competitors. 4.Government regulations The stringent regulations regarding safety, design, emission standards and fuel efficiency may sometimes act as a deterrent. 5. Patent protection laws This may prevent the use of certain innovations at low cost. 6. Marketing Marketing a new brand can be difficult and very expensive. 7. Economies of scale Economies of scale give large producers a significant cost advantage over small rivals. Where a firm has grown very large and significant economies of scale exist, they can have cost competitiveness. New entrants generally start small and therefore, have much higher unit production costs than the giant firms. These new, small entrants find it nearly impossible to survive against the large rival because they just can’t be price competitive given their much larger unit production costs. 8. Entry-deterring behavior A firm can protect itself from competition by deliberately acting in a way that convinces potential competitors not to enter the industry. Some firms spend huge amounts of money on advertising to keep new rivals from starting up business. Or, firms can act exceedingly aggressive if faced with new competition by perhaps starting a major price war every time a new competitor enters their market. Lawsuits against new rivals have been used to drive them out of business or to, at the very least, raise the cost of entering the business to very high levels. 9. Knowledge and Technology Ideas and Knowledge that provides competitive advantage over others when patented prevent others from using it and thus creates barrier to entry. For eg. TATA motors have great knowledge/ experience in the automobile industry and have renowned technological advantage because of the recent acquisition and mergers. 10. Product Differentiation and Cost Advantage The new product has to be different and attractive to be accepted by the customers. Attractiveness can be measured in the terms of the features, price etc. For an entrant to attain this, it requires lot of effort as compared to an established player. TATA Nano is an example where till now, no new entrant has entered as a competitor. Barriers to Exit: Obstacles or impediments that prevent a company from exiting a market. A company may decide to exit a market because it is unable to capture market share or turn a profit or for some other reason altogether. High barriers to exit might force it to continue competing in the market. The factors that may form a barrier to exit include: 1. High investment in non-transferable fixed assetsThis is particularly common for manufacturing companies that invest heavily in capital equipment which is specific to one task. 2. High redundancy costsIf a company has a large number of employees, employees with high salaries, or contracts with employees which stipulate high redundancy payments (layoff costs), then the firm may face significant cost if it wishes to leave the market. 3. Other closure costs. Contract contingencies with suppliers or buyers and any penalty costs incurred from cutting short tenancy agreements. 4. Potential upturn Firms may be influenced by the potential of an upturn in their market that may reverse their current financial situation. 5. Government policies In India, the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 puts restrictions on employers in the matter of reducing excess staff by retrenchment, by closure of establishments and the retrenchment process involved lot of legalities and complex procedures. Also, any plans of retrenchment and reduction of staff and workforce are subjected to strong opposition by trade unions. E. Role of Non-Pricing Competition Non-price competition refers to firms competing with one another not in terms of reducing the price to attract consumers instead, in form of brand name, advertising, packaging, free home- delivery, free service, sponsorship deals and so on. These are the different forms of non-price competition. The main aim of non-price competition is product development. As products are differentiated in monopolistic competition, to prove and show how ones product is superior than others- colour, appearance, packaging, skill level etc. It is been done to create an inelastic demand for the product. Following parameters can be used for competition instead of reducing cost: Quality: If consumers must choose between two products of the same price but they can see that one is of a higher quality, they generally pick the product of higher quality. In this way, if a firm can figure out how to produce an item at a cost comparable to what its competitor charges but make it of higher quality, that firm may be able to steal the market from its competitor. Now in case of automobiles, within a given price range people generally don’t comprise with the quality aesthetics. For example : Recalls of vehicles sold. Recently, Honda Cars India Ltd recalled 42,672 units of second generation Honda City cars manufactured in 2007 and 2008 to replace their power window switch. HCIL carried out preventive part replacement of power window switch. The company is proactively replacing Power Window Switch which may malfunction in case water or any other liquid enters the driver side window. Honda Cars India is carrying out the part replacement as part of a global exercise by Honda Motor Company to ensure stringent quality standards for its products. However, a problem with this approach is that it may take some time for consumers to realize any difference in quality. Perception and Branding: In some cases, little possibility of quality differentiation exists between two products. However, the long-term sustainability of such an approach may be difficult because, as such brand advantages arise through consumer trends, consumer trends may also lead to their demise. We can take example of Hyundai’s Eon and Maruti’s Alto 800. Maruti being a well-known brand it was difficult for Hyundai Eon to compete with it. Hyundai India offers its Eon fleet within a price bracket of Rs. 2.8 to Rs. 3.8 lakhs in the country. Maruti Suzuki has pitched its Alto 800 models with a slightly humble pricing falling in the range starting from Rs. 2.4 lakhs that goes on till Rs. 3.6 lakhs in the Indian auto market. Sales Comparision between Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 and Hyundai Eon Source: http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/car-nama/2012/07/13/alto-vs-eon-eight-months-on/ Product Design: In some cases, firms may compete by changing the design of their products to make them more appealing without significantly changing production costs or quality levels. Such a strategy can prove effective at stealing business from competitors, but it can also backfire, because it can cause the company to alienate its existing consumers, who may be knowingly choosing the existing design over other products with different designs specifically because it appeals to their tastes. Product Differentiation: Not all consumers are the same. By offering a range of similar products geared toward different market sectors, firms can expand their market base. However, such product differentiation can result in significantly higher overhead costs for production. For example every model has variants in following aspects: Fuel used (petrol, diesel, LPG, CNG) Cost varients (low end to high end with addition of features like sunroof, airbags etc.) Model| Price (INR)| Mileage| Volkswagon Vento PetorlTrendline| 7,29,000| 15.04| Volkswagon Vento Petrol Comfortline| 7,75,805| 15.04| Volkswagon Vento Petrol Style Limited Edition| 8,10,805| 15.04| Volkswagon Vento Diesel Trendline| 8,44,000| 20.54| Volkswagon Vento Petrol Highline| 8,74,805| 15.04| Volkswagon Vento Diesel Comfortline| 8,90,805| 20.54| Volkswagon Vento Diesel Style Limited Edition| 9,25,805| 20.54| Volkswagon Vento Petrol Highline AT| 9,74,805| 14.4| Volkswagon Vento Diesel Highline| 9,89,805| 20.54| Sales Structure: When two firms are competing with similar products, one may be able to enjoy more market share and a deeper level of penetration due to a more effective and aggressive sales structure. By engaging in direct sales, firms can appeal to prospective buyers who otherwise would not feel compelled to buy due to advertising or other kinds of marketing. Multilevel marketing is one way in which firms rapidly build their consumer base. However, by turning buyers into sellers as well, such schemes may require significantly higher prices. A typical supply chain in Indian Automobile Industry Source: ImaginMor, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation The description and the role of each of the contributors to the supply chain are discussed below. Third Tier Suppliers: These companies provide basic products like rubber, glass, steel, plastic and aluminium to the second tier suppliers. Second Tier Suppliers: These companies design vehicle systems or bodies for First Tier Suppliers and OEMs. They work on designs provided by the first tier suppliers or OEMs. They also provide engineering resources for detailed designs. Some of their services may include welding, fabrication, shearing, bending etc. First Tier Suppliers: These companies provide major systems directly to assemblers. These companies have global coverage, in order to follow their customers to various locations around the world. They design and innovate in order to provide â€Å"black-box† solutions for the requirements of their customers. Black-box solutions are solutions created by suppliers using their own technology to meet the performance and interface requirements set by assemblers. First tier suppliers are responsible not only for the assembly of parts into complete units like dashboard, breaks-axel-suspension, seats, or cockpit but also for the management of second-tier suppliers. Automakers/Vehicle Manufacturers/Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs): After researching consumers’ wants and needs, automakers begin designing models which are tailored to consumers’ demands. The design process normally takes five years. These companies have manufacturing units where engines are manufactured and parts supplied by first tier suppliers and second tier suppliers are assembled. Automakers are the key to the supply chain of the automotive industry. Examples of these companies are Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Toyota, and Honda. Innovation, design capability and branding are the main focus of these companies. Dealers: Once the vehicles are ready they are shipped to the regional branch and from there, to the authorised dealers of the companies. The dealers then sell the vehicles to the end customers. Parts and Accessory: These companies provide products like tires, windshields, and air bags etc. to automakers and dealers or directly to customers. Service Providers: Some of the services to the customers include servicing of vehicles, repairing parts, or financing of vehicles. Many dealers provide these services but, customers can also choose to go to independent service providers. The increased usage of IT at different tiers of the supply chain is on the increase in all the companies in India. An important finding that emerged from the findings was that the integration of supply chain is being done at all the cities in the country i rrespective of the market share. F. Key Developments in Indian Auto Sector Major Developments Investments * Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd is expecting to sell over 60 per cent more units this year on the back of the launch of its upgraded small car Nissan Micra * Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) exported its first lot of 64 Fuso trucks manufactured at its Oragadam plant in Chennai. * Mahindra USA, a subsidiary of Mahindra and Mahindra (MM), will set up an assembly and distribution centre, expanding one of the four tractor facilities in North America, by January 2014 * The Japan-based automobile manufacturer Isuzu Motors local subsidiary Isuzu Motors India has entered into an agreement with Hindustan Motors (HM) for contract manufacturing of Isuzu SUVs and pickup trucks * A year after introducing the popular MINI range of cars in India, luxury car maker BMW has started local production of MINI Countryman at its facility in Chennai * New Holland Fiat India plans to invest Rs 1,100 crore (US$ 184.56 million) to set up a new green-field plant in Maharashtra and also to increase its tra ctor manufacturing capacity by 50 per cent in the next three years * Hero MotoCorp has bought a 49.2 per cent stake in its US-based technology partner Erik Buell Racing (EBR) for US$ 25 million. This is Hero MotoCorps first-ever equity purchase in an overseas company. Also, Hero MotoCorp has entered into the African continent with launch of its brand and products in Kenya, where it has also set up an assembly unit. The company has also partnered with Ryce East Africa to sell its two-wheelers in the country * Daimler is developing its Indian commercial vehicle operations as an export hub. Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) will export locally assembled trucks from the conglomerates Mitsubishi Fuso range in 15 markets in Asia and Africa. Government Initiatives The Government of India plans to introduce fuel-efficiency ratings for automobiles to encourage sale of cars that consume less petrol or diesel, as per Mr. Veerappa Moily, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. The Union Budget 2013-14 announced by Mr. P Chidambaram, the Union Finance Minister, Government of India, in the Parliament on February 28, 2013, had a few add-ons for the industry. The analysis by Deloitte on the Union Budget highlighted the following: * The period of concession available for specified part of electric and hybrid vehicles till April 2013 has been extended upto March 31, 2015 * The basic customs duty (BCD) on imported luxury goods such as high-end motor vehicles, motor cycles, yachts and similar vessels was increased. The duty was raised from 75 percent to 100 percent on Cars / motor vehicles (irrespective of engine capacity) with CIF value more than US$ 40,000; from 60 percent to 75 percent on motorcycles with engine capacity of 800cc or more and on yachts and similar vessels from 10 percent to 25 percent * In addition, an increase in excise duty from 27 to 30 per cent has been allowed for SUVs with engine capacity exceeding 1,500 cc, while excise duty was decreased from 80 to 72 per cent, in case of SUVs registered solely for taxi purposes * An exemption from BCD on lithium ion automotive battery for manufacture of lithium ion battery packs for supply to manufacturers of hybrid and electric vehicles * The excise duty on chassis of diesel motor vehicles for transport of goods reduced from 14 per cent to 13 per cent Moreover, the Government of India allows 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the automotive industry through automatic route. The Government also plans to accelerate the supply of electric vehicles over the next eight years. It is expected that there will be a demand for 5-7 million electricity-operated vehicles by 2020. The contribution of automotive sector in the gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to double, reaching a turnover worth US$ 145 billion in 2016, with special focus on export of small cars, MUVs, two three wheelers and auto components, as per the Automotive Mission Plan (AMP) 2006-2016. Road Ahead Global and Indian manufacturers are focusing their efforts to develop innovative products, technologies and supply chains in the industry. Car makers are launching a slew of car models, mostly compact SUVs, in the coming months. The automobile body SIAM expects the launches to be able to brighten the market. Lastly, the vision of AMP 2006-2016 sees India, â€Å"to emerge as the destination of choice in the world for design and manufacture of automobiles and auto components with output reaching a level of US$ 145 billion; accounting for more than 10 per cent of the GDP and providing additional employment to 25 million people by 2016.† G. Major Challenges and Suggested Measures Challenges: 1. Strong decline in economic growth- * It affects the consumer buying behavior- Buyers driven by fear of job loss, moved aggressively to increase their rate of saving. At the same time, high cost and growing longevity of motor vehicles prompted buyers to postpone purchases that they might have otherwise made. * Freezing of credit markets meant cancelledorders, unpaid supplier invoices, and ‘temporarily’ shuttered plants. * High excise duty- 12 % for sub 4 meters cars and 24 % for over 4 meters cars. * High interest rates as well as difficulty to obtain loans for purchase. 2. Duplicate spare parts- Indian market has always suffered from duplicate products and cheap counterfeits. This puts pressure on OEMs to reduce the prices and compete with these cheaper counterfeits. According to the study conducted by market research agency nielson co with acma, 41 % of total spare parts belong to OEMs and OESes, 23 % belong to imported segment and 36 % are duplicate. 3. Lack of infrastructure- Lack of proper road infrastructure, resulting into heavy Traffic has become major concern in most of the cities in India. Parking problem, parking cost adds to it. Bad roads, Bad drivers on road further add to the problem. 4. Availability of skilled man-power- As per data published by NSDC(National Skill Development Corporation), automobile sector in India is going to face a shortfall of 35 million skilled manpower by 2022. Limited availability of skilled manpower is bound to pose a great challenge to the positive growth of the Indian automotive manufacturing industry. 5. High Ownership cost- Small car sales are likely to fall by a couple of percentage points in 2013-14 due to continued uncertainty over income growth, high fuel costs arising from a deprecating rupee and still relatively high inflation.Diesel cars will lose their sheen, particularly in the small car segment, due to the gradual deregulation of diesel prices and the expected fall in petrol prices. 6. IR related issues- The $73 billion automobile sector has witnessed abhorrent industrial unrest in the recent 5 years with disputes in Maruti Suzuki, Hero Honda, Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India, Rico,Hyundai, Ashok Leyland, MRF, Apollo Tyres, Sona Koyo and Toyota Kirloskar Motors Ltd. Thissector, to generate double revenue needs a flexible workforce of 25 million with an amicableatmosphere to hire and fire workers to cope with the cyclical swings in demand for cars, trucksand bikes but the archaic labour laws governing employment of contract labour has fan thesetensions. This speculates the lack of efficient implementation machinery. Industrial unrestsaccompanying murders of the executives have also been committed in 2-3 instances recently,demonstrating the urging to address the issue by the social partners. 7. Global competition— Competition will only increase in the years to come, as more international players enter India and the pace of innovation accelerates. This would elevate both RD and selling and distribution costs, thereby impacting margins. Despite these headwinds, India would continue to remain an attractive market, as volumes across segments are projected to grow at a five-year compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 10 per cent. Suggested Measures India has a very low car penetration about 10 per 1000. This number is expected to become 382 by 2025, this means that there is plenty of room to each automobile giant to grow in Indian market without affecting the volume of other competitors. Few of the following suggested measures may have a bounce back effect on the Indian Automobile Industry; 1. Friendly government policies: Tax benefits for RD development and Skill related investments, subsidies for hybrid vehicles are the measures if taken can boost the Indian automobile sector. Similarly extension of 200 % weighted deduction of R D expense under income tax law andweighted deduction of 150 % for expenditure in skill development by industries seem to be positive steps towards the cause. 2. Healthy Industrial Relations through better contract worker policies: As in most of the developed countries thecontract workers are covered under the social security provisions and are paid at par with the permanent workers. Such transparent policies may definitely promote positive industrial relations and foster industrial growth. 3. Technology up gradation measures-Automobile industry is slowing down, but at the same time we are seeing long waiting periods for new launches, which means people are no longer going for same old trusty brands and models and want more value for their money. Which gives me hopes that if Auto makers focus on launching more new models and more global launches they will surely find customers. 4. Promoting Hybrid vehicles or better fuel efficiency—To counter the problems of high fuel prices, it’s the need of the hour to develop higher fuel efficient products and also the products running on alternative fuel to decrease the ownership cost. For this concession on import duty on specified parts of hybrid vehicles are necessary. Stringent laws and strict exercise to eliminate spurious auto-spare part business. 5. Ensuring easy loan availabilityThe industry should also approach the banks and NBFCs for better and easier loan availability to the car buyers. 100% finance and lower EMI with longer loan tenure will definitely help.

The China-US Economic Relationship

The China-US Economic Relationship China and the United States, as the two largest economy groups in todays world who own more than 30 percent of the worlds GDP, have the ability to decide and change the destiny of world economy. The United States has been dominating the worlds economy for a long time as the only superpower after World War II. It has the most powerful currency, US-dollar. The US dollar is the worlds main reserve currency and settlement currency. Most of the oil trading is done by USD, and USD is the only currency that links to gold. The worlds new-star of economy, China, rose since the ending of last century. China has surpassed Japan and become the second largest economy of the world in 2010, two years after its achievement of becoming the largest holder of U.S. debt in September 2008. It is now the largest goods producer of the world, and also a hypo-power in East Asia. The financial crisis last during last four years has proved that it is unsafe to let only one country determine how the world economy should go. China and the U.S. should be working together to ensure the stability of world economy. The relationship between the United States and China is strong, and they are all depending on each other. Chinese goods are demanding greatly by U.S. customers because of its low prices. As the result of the global financial crisis, the U.S. had to lower the value of its debt to due to the bad economy, but this also made the relationship between China and U.S. became unstable. Economists suggest that the relationship has contributed a lot to both countries. In 2010, the U.S. goods trade relation with China hit a record high of $273.1 billion. (Roya and Christopher) China as a large but not well-developed country, while rich in labor and resource but lack of capital and the technological capacity, seeks foreign investment and technologies to help its development. US have the most advanced technologies in the world and a large capital flow in the market. The US and China was naturally a perfect match. US can provide the financial and tech support in exchange for Chinas cheap products and resources. Both sides have benefited in this arrangement. For China, the benefit is not only in the direct investments made by American companies and firms, but also in the massive amount of daily products that are sold to most American people. The growth of Chinas economy is majorly from exporting. For Chinas rising in last thirty years, it is fair to say that the U.S. has played an important role and contributed a lot through trade. From 3% in 1990, the imports from China has grown dramatically for the U.S., 19.1% of U.S. imports in 2010 were from China. And automatically, China became indispensable as an import source for the U.S, from eighth in 1990, to fourth in 2000, to second in 2004-2006, and then to the first in 2007-2012 (Morrison). Chinese trade has grown tremendously, from $20.6 billion and 0.8% of the world total in 1978 to $2.97 trillion and about 7.8% in 2010. Compare to Germany, Japan, and the United States, China has huge advantages on its low-cost labor, growing technology and undervalued currency. These advantages let Chi nese goods have much lower prices than the others. That is the reason why China became the worlds largest manufactured goods exporter. (Brown) As for US, the benefit is obvious. Chinas relative low-cost advantage makes it focusing on producing labor-intensive goods, and thanks to the vast, seemingly unlimited Chinese work force, people in US can purchase Chinese made shirt for a fraction of the price of a US made shirt at a relatively same quality, and its not only the shirts, its almost everything. And for most American companies it was good too. Many companies can benefit from the huge Chinese labor force and Chinese markets. U.S. imports of low-cost goods from China greatly benefit U.S. consumers, and U.S. firms that use China as the final point of assembly for their products, or use Chinese-made inputs for production in the United States, are able to lower costs and become more globally competitive. (Morrison) All in all, it would seem like a win-win for both China and America. While China is getting many jobs from companies from United States, U.S has been experiencing high unemployment rate for years. There are voices from some of the media or even politicians claim that outsourcing to China is one of the major causes for high employment. But in fact, outsourcing actually sustains American jobs in a long run (Zhu). This can be illustrated by a simple example. If China can make a cellphone more cheaply, it makes more sense to import cellphone from China than make it domestically. Such transaction actually is good for both sides, brings real incomes, with added growth in the exporting country, and lower prices in the importing country (Economist). When the price of cellphone becomes cheaper, there will be more people can afford them than before, which is good for the market. Consequently, more cellphone related jobs such as maintenance and communication services are created. Therefore, more free trade between China and the U.S. can increase jobs instead of decreasing them (Yi). By analyzing trade and industry data, statisticians have discovered some fact. They find that job dislocation is not majorly because of outsourcing and offshoring in the manufacturing and service. They find the real causes of job losses were weak domestic demand, rapid productivity growth, and the dollars strength which dampened U.S. exports (Baily and Lawrence). U.S. consumers has greatly benefited from importing low price goods from China, their purchasing power has been increased. This also helped the United States maintain at a low inflation rate. Actually, trade with China has helped directly or indirectly to create jobs in the United States, and this is much more important. The U.S. merchandise trade deficit has increased from $1.7 billion in 1986 to $295 billion in 2011 (US Census Bureau), because U.S. imports from China have risen much faster than U.S. exports to China. The U.S. trade deficit with China has kept growing rapidly during the last quarter century. At present, trade imbalance is huge between China and U.S, 43% of the U.S. trade deficit is accounted for by China. And it is one of the major concerns in U.S. China relation. The U.S. deficit with China is the major part of U.S deficit. It was larger than the combined U.S. trade deficits with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the 27 nations that make up the European Union (EU27), and the 10 nations that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). (Morrison) The connection between China and U.S will be even stronger in the future. They will continue to benefit from each other. They are both the most important market to each other. Trades between these two countries will increase even more and create more great opportunities for businesses in both countries. As the two strongest economic powers in the world, if China and U.S keep the win-win strategy, they can ensure the growth of global economy. Work Citied Baily, M. N. and Lawrence, R. Z., Dont blame trade for US job losses. The McKinsey Quarterly, Issue 1. 2005. Web. 9 Nov. 2012 Brown, A.S., Manufacturing at the crossroads. Me-Magazine., 2010. Web. 13 Nov.2012 Karabell, Zachary. Can an Eagle Hug a Panda? Time. Nov. 30, 2009. Web. 1 Nov. 2012 U.S. Census Bureau. 2011. Web. 8 Nov. 2012 Wu Yi. WSJ: Its Win-Win on U.S.-China Trade. Council on Foreign Relations. May 17, 2007. Web. 11 Nov. 2012 Wolverson, Roya, and Alessi, Christopher. Confronting U.S.-China Economic Imbalances. Council on Foreign Relations. November 2, 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2012 Zhu, Zhi Qun. China and the United States: Learning to Live Together. Centre for World Dialogue . Spring 2007. Web. 7 Nov. 2012

Other Minds? :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Other Minds? Bertrand Russell expressed his belief on knowing other minds, in an article based primarily around the notion of ‘analogy’, meaning similar to or likeness of. His belief is that, "We are convinced that other people have thoughts and feelings that are qualitatively fairly similar to our own. We are not content to think that we know only the space-time structure of our friends’ minds, or their capacity for initiating causal chains that end in sensations of our own" (Russell 89). Russell speaks of the inner awareness, such as being able to observe the occurrences of such things as remembering, feeling pleasure and feeling pain from within our own minds’. This would then allow us to presume that other beings that have these abilities would then be that of having minds. The term ‘analogy’ is very vague in nature, but when used in this context, we assume that the behavior of other people is in many ways analogous in reference to causes. These causes being behavior directed from sensation or thought. It is apparent and observable that people or beings other then I behave in ways in which we behave when placed in different situations. For example sadness or the nature of anger or happiness can be seen in others. Others then can and do react to different causes similar to the way in which I do as well. Another consideration is that of shared experience. Russell uses the example of two friends having a conversation in which memoirs are explored. These two individuals have shared experiences together. They eventually discover that each other’s memories aid each other in recalling information forgotten with time. (Russell 89) It can factually be said that beings in which can think, therefore have a mind, thus have causes for behavior. "As it is clear to me that the causal laws governing my behavior have to do with ‘thoughts’, it is natural to infer that the same is true of the analogous behavior of my friends" (Russell 89). Thus the aspect of inference is now the main concern when relating to analogy. Can we infer that other beings have thoughts and feelings to result such causes, as that in which is observable? Russell explains this notion with the example of mother and her thoughts. "We find ourselves believing in them when we first begin to reflect; the thought that Mother may be angry or pleased is one which rises in early infancy" (Russell 90).

?Chemical Medications or Natural Healing

?Chemical Medications or Natural Healing Many times when people get sick they go to the doctor to be diagnosed, then they make their way to the pharmacy to pick up the prescriptions the doctors say you need to cure the problem. What if the prescription is wrong? But is there a better solution? Natural healing is much better than any chemical medication the doctor prescribes to you because they are natural and more effective. Many prescriptions are easy to overdose on, and usually end in death or serious health problems. Overdosing on NSAIDs also can damage kidneys† says transplant pharmacist McDevitt, a clinical specialist in organ transplantation at Tufts Medical Center. Prescriptions aren’t the only drug that people can overdose on. It is very common for people to overdose on over-the-counter drugs such as Tylenol, Aleve, and ibuprofen. â€Å"People play loose and free with Benadryl,† says Ausim Azizi, chair of the department of neurology at Temple University Sc hool of Medicine. â€Å"There are a lot of side effects.One is loss of memory in the imediant period after taking it, and disorientation in older people. † Experts are trying to get the manufacturers to make it harder for people to overdose, but what if they got rid of all the chemical ingredients and replaced them with natural herbs and plants? Without the chemicals made in medications, then people wouldn’t have to worry about overdosing and cause damage to their body. Chemical medications have very serious side effects that can cause death in extreme cases.Many people just ignore these serious effects because they think they have no other choice. Chemical medicines do work, but natural medications work better and longer. â€Å"The best thing is to find the best medicine that will be fast and effective. And in the health market out there, there are tons of medicines that will promise to do that, yet at the same time, the small print tells us to beware of the side eff ects. This little warning is one that we often ignore. Yet at the same time it is important to acknowledge its existence so that we do not end up making ourselves sicker.Natural health medicine has the benefits in that it is one of the few medicines that have little or no side effects. The only side effect that it might have is if you are allergic to a certain ingredient and you didn’t know it. † [Crosshealth, Emmanuel Aubrey] Approximately 25% of the prescription drugs sold in the United States are plant based. These medications are better for the body but not as good as the all natural medicine. When the chemicals are added to the pills, they cancel out the healing powers of the plant.Natural medications actually heal the sickness and infection, instead of just covering up the symptoms. Chemical medications are made to cover up the symptoms so people can go on with their days without having to suffer with misery of the illness. â€Å"Conventional medicine focuses on symptoms and uses ‘drugs’ (man made synthetics) to ‘suppress,’ (NOT heal) those symptoms. Natural health and alternative medicine focuses on the ‘causes’ and getting to the ‘root cause,’ which always improves your overall health.This is the right way of curing health problems, instead of just ‘masking’ it. † [Jonathan Benson] Natural healing does take longer than the quick chemicals, but they heal thoroughly and have a no chance of making someone sicker or killing. Doctors say that natural cures are dangerous and a misuse of public money. They call it encouraged quackery. Professor Marcello Costa of Flinders University said: â€Å"It is disturbing to see a centre of learning†¦ perpetuating health practices based on beliefs in principles that are totally unscientific. Doctors are wrong about natural healing not being proven scientifically. The NCCAM (National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine) has proven and backed up many alternative treatments such as chiropractic and acupuncture practices. Natural healing should be the first thing given to a patient when they have been diagnosed by a doctor. Chemical medications have been known to be overdosed on, to have caused serious side effects, and have been known to not heal the problem but to just simply cover up the symptoms that let a person know something is wrong.

The remaining condition Essays

The remaining condition Essays The remaining condition Essay The remaining condition Essay The aim of the experiment was to investigate whether using pairs of either similar or dissimilar stimuli during a dual-task would affect response times. Participants were asked to complete a dual-task in which they selected either colours or numbers from a list of words, while at the same time verbally answering a series of mental arithmetic questions. The results of the experiment showed that response times when similar stimuli were used (both tasks relating to numbers) were slower than when dissimilar stimuli were used (tasks related to colours and numbers). This provides support for the theory that we have pools of resources which are allocated to processing different types of stimuli, and thus drawing on one resource pool for two tasks will increase the response time compared to drawing on two separate resource pools. Hypotheses  The experimental hypothesis tested in this experiment was:  Participants will take longer to complete a dual-task that requires responding to similar stimuli than a dual-task that requires responding to dissimilar stimuli. This was a one tailed hypothesis.  The null hypothesis was:  There will be no difference in the time taken by participants to complete a dual-task that requires responding to similar stimuli than a dual-task that requires responding to dissimilar stimuli. Method  Design The experiment employed a between-participants design. Participants were asked to carry out two tasks at the same time (dual-task) the tasks were selecting a particular type of word from a list, while answering mathematical questions verbally. The independent variable was the type of words that the participant had to select (by placing a tick) from a list. There were two conditions in the first, participants were asked to place a tick next to words which were the name of a colour. This was the control condition, requiring two dissimilar responses. In the second, participants were asked to place a tick next to words which were numbers. This was the experimental condition, requiring two similar responses. In both conditions, while the participant was selecting words as instructed, a series of simple sums were read out and the participant was asked to calculate the answer mentally and respond verbally. The dependant variable was the time taken to complete the word selection task, to the nearest second this was recorded using a clock with a second hand. The task ended as soon as the participant had selected all the appropriate words in the list. The lists in both conditions were identical except for the words relating to the condition itself. The lists contained the same number of words, with the condition-relevant words appearing in the same positions in both lists. Words that were not relevant to the condition itself were the same for both conditions. The sums, which were read out to the participants, were the same for both conditions. The participants were allocated to a condition randomly using a coin toss until one of the conditions contained enough participants, then the remaining participants were allocated to the remaining condition. Participants The participants for the experiment were family and friends of the researcher. None of them had any specific knowledge of psychology. They were recruited by asking if they would be happy to take part in a short psychological experiment. The age range of the participants was 24 64 years and there were five men and five women. This data was added to the provided data, so that the total participants came to twenty four. Materials A clock with a second hand was used to time how long it took each participant to complete the task. The lists of words for each condition consisted of thirty six words, presented in two columns of eighteen on a sheet of A4 paper. In each column, nine words were relevant to the condition (e.g. they were a colour or a number) and these words appeared in the same position in the column for both conditions. The non-relevant words were the names of animals and were the same in both conditions. Each word had a box next to it for the participant to place a mark in if the word was a colour (condition one) or a number (condition two). The researcher used a sheet of paper with a list of sums on it to read out as the participant was completing the word selection task the same sheet was used in both conditions. Copies of these materials can be found in the appendix. Procedure Each participant was asked if they would be willing to be tested as part of an experiment. A coin toss determined which condition the participant was allocated to (until one of the conditions had enough participants, then the remaining condition was used). The age and sex of the participant was recorded. The participant was then asked to turn the piece of paper in front of them over when signalled, and to place a tick next to all the words that were the names of colours/numbers (depending on the condition) as quickly as possible. The participant was also told that they would be asked a series of mathematical sums at the same time as completing the word task. The exact instructions given to the participants in each condition can be found in the appendix. The test commenced when the second hand of the clock was at a suitable position. As the participant worked through the list ticking the relevant words, the mathematical sums were read out. The mathematical task continued until the word selection task was completed, then the time was noted again. This allowed the time taken for the task to be calculated and recorded. The participant was then told how long it had taken them to do the task, and asked whether they had any questions or comments. Results  The experimental hypothesis being tested was:  Participants will take longer to complete a dual-task that requires responding to similar stimuli than a dual-task that requires responding to dissimilar stimuli. This was a one tailed hypothesis.  The data collected was the time (seconds) it took each participant to complete the task. The mean and standard deviation for each condition are shown below.