Media Function Essay

For individual, the function of media can be thought of as the motives or reasons. Why individual use media products? They do that in order to feel satisfactions; they receive from the use of these products Herta Herzog 1944 She studied the motivation and gratification of radio soap opera listeners Her interest was to try to understand (why women become such ardent fans of the radio soaps The goal of the study was to determine (what satisfactions listeners Said they derived coupled with a psychological evaluation of these listeners The functional approach: sought to account for (why audiences attended to particular content on the assumption that the act of attending served some function for the individual. Herzog found that such programs served function for these women: the provided emotional release, they served as a source of advice What sorts of lessons did soap operas provide? Herzog found that the lessons of the soaps often applied in unlikely situation for ex. One women reported going to the doctor before started her diet because someone on the soap had done so Katz 1959 he relabeled the approach uses and gratification For Katz, uses and gratifications research would empirically test some of the critiques of popular culture that had been made the in 1950s. Katz 1959 he relabeled the approach uses and gratification For Katz, uses and gratifications research would empirically test some of the critiques of popular culture that had been made the in 1950s. Social function of the media Mobilization| Entertainment| Continuity| Correlation| Information| Campaigning for society’s objectives in the field of politics, war, economic development, work, and sometimes religion| -providingentertainment interestingnessand the means of relaxation- reducing social tension| -Expressing the dominant culture and recognizing subcultures and new culture developments-Forming and maintaining commonality of values| -Explaining and commenting on the meaning of events and information-providing support for established authority and norms -socializing-coordinating separate activities-consensus building-setting orders of priority | Providing information about events and condition in society and the world| The assumption of uses and gratification model -The audience is active and hence use of media is goal-directed -Audience have expectation of what certain kinds of content have to offer them, and these expectation help shape their selection. That is, particular audiences can take the initiative in linking their needs to the ability of particular media products to gratify those needs -The media compete with other sources of need satisfaction (such as reading, talking with friends, taking a walk, sleeping). The needs potentially satisfied by the mass media are only part of a wider range of human needs. People are sufficiently aware of their needs, media choices, and the gratifications they receive from media use to be able to tell researchers what motivates their media behavior. -The audience is active and hence use of media is goal-directed -Audience have expectation of what certain kinds of content have to offer them, and these expectation help shape their selection. That is, particular audiences can take the initiative in linking their needs to the ability of particular media products to gratify those needs -The media compete with other sources of need satisfaction (such as reading, talking with friends, taking a walk, sleeping). The needs potentially satisfied by the mass media are only part of a wider range of human needs. People are sufficiently aware of their needs, media choices, and the gratifications they receive from media use to be able to tell researchers what motivates their media behavior. THE CRITIQUE OF FUNCTIONALISM Uses and gratification research has been serious criticisms; This approach ignores the social dimensions of media consumption and reduces media use to an individual psychological relationship In fact, uses and gratification researches offers no way of understanding the connection between individual psychological needs and social structures and processes Uses and gratification research has been serious criticisms; This approach ignores the social dimensions of media consumption and reduces media use to an individual psychological relationship In fact, uses and gratification researches offers no way of understanding the connection between individual psychological needs and social structures and processes The major work on uses and gratifications research has been to catalog the various uses and gratification that audience report obtaining from their media consumption The major work on uses and gratifications research has been to catalog the various uses and gratification that audience report obtaining from their media consumption Entertainment| Integration and social interaction| Personalidentity| information| -Escaping from problemsRelaxing-Getting intrinsic culturalFilling timeEmotional releaseSexual arousal-| -Gaining insight into circumstances of others-Identifying with others -Gaining a sense of belonging-Finding a basis for conversation and social interaction -Helping to carry out social rolesEnabling one to connect with family, friends, and society| -Finding reinforcement for personal values-Finding models of behavior-Identifying with valued others-Gaining insight into one’s self| -Finding out about events and conditions in immediate surroundings ,society, and the world-Seeking advice on functional matters or opinion and decision choices-Satisfying curiosity -Learning, self-education-Gaining a sense of security through knowledge| Narrative is another valuable tool in our textual analysis toolkit Narrative tends to be associated with the way a fictional story is told terms of how events unfold and are revealed to the audience Narrative is an important element in the construction of both fiction and non-fiction texts. Although it is a logical tool to reach for when we undertake the analysis of moving image texts In media studies, looking at narrative structure implies that we explore the way in which the inf. Contained within a text is revealed to us. It has implication for the way in which print texts, images and sound texts are constructed Narrative is another valuable tool in our textual analysis toolkit Narrative tends to be associated with the way a fictional story is told terms of how events unfold and are revealed to the audience Narrative is an important element in the construction of both fiction and non-fiction texts. Although it is a logical tool to reach for when we undertake the analysis of moving image texts In media studies, looking at narrative structure implies that we explore the way in which the inf. Contained within a text is revealed to us. It has implication for the way in which print texts, images and sound texts are constructed NARRATIVE AS AN ANALYTICAL TOOL Enigma code Roland Barthes has defined the key narrative device as enigma code, use to guess the next piece of information to be reveled Think of trailers at the cinema or cliffhangers in TV serial drama The enigma is a useful narrative device to keep the reader interested by whetting his appetite to find out more (magazine front covers are another example of enigma code Work as narrative in the sense of offering a frozen moment. We are invited to compete in our minds what happened before and after the frozen moment Narrative can be said to organize the flow of info on the page, determining how we read the text Enigma code Roland Barthes has defined the key narrative device as enigma code, use to guess the next piece of information to be reveled Think of trailers at the cinema or cliffhangers in TV serial drama The enigma is a useful narrative device to keep the reader interested by whetting his appetite to find out more (magazine front covers are another example of enigma code Work as narrative in the sense of offering a frozen moment. We are invited to compete in our minds what happened before and after the frozen moment Narrative can be said to organize the flow of info on the page, determining how we read the text On important aspect of the narrative is how the flow of this information is controlled. The flow of this information to the reader is controlled through the headline, the opining paragraph, or intro, the illustration and the outcome. On important aspect of the narrative is how the flow of this information is controlled. The flow of this information to the reader is controlled through the headline, the opining paragraph, or intro, the illustration and the outcome. Three main reasons for studying media narrative. One- it shifts the focus of attention from content to the structure and process of storytelling Two- it allows us to investigate the similarities and differences in narrative media forms Three-it can reveal how the meanings of the narrative forms relate to the wider disposition of social power Three main reasons for studying media narrative. One- it shifts the focus of attention from content to the structure and process of storytelling Two- it allows us to investigate the similarities and differences in narrative media forms Three-it can reveal how the meanings of the narrative forms relate to the wider disposition of social power ADRIAN TILLY argues that although story telling often appears invisible, it is in fact a complex process He points out; narrative is an important part of our socialization as it moderates our behavior The nature of media narrative and their relation to our social study situations is the object of narrative study. ADRIAN TILLY argues that although story telling often appears invisible, it is in fact a complex process He points out; narrative is an important part of our socialization as it moderates our behavior The nature of media narrative and their relation to our social study situations is the object of narrative study. PARADIGM SHIFT: FROM A RATIONAL WORLD PARADIGM TO A NARRATIVE ONE NARRATIVE PARDIGM| RATIONAL –WORLD PARADIGM| -people are essentially storytellers-we make decision on the basis of good reasons, which vary depending on the communication situation -history, biography, culture, and character determine what we consider good reasons-narrative rationality is determined by coherence and fidelity of our stories-the world is a set of stories from which we choose, and thus constantly re-create, our lives (a theoretical framework that views narrative as basis of all human communication)| -people are essentially rational-we make decision on basis of arguments -the types of speaking situation determines the course of our arguments-rationality is determined by how much we know and how well we argue-the world is a set of logical puzzles that we can solve through rational analysis(a scientific approach to knowledge that assumes people are logical, making decisions on the basis of evidence and arguments)| Encoding and decoding One of the key issues in audience studies, concern the relationship between producer, text, and audience This equation is about a balance of power: assessing the extent to which audiences are influenced by media text and what extent they appropriate them in ways quite different to the producers’ intentions Encoding and decoding One of the key issues in audience studies, concern the relationship between producer, text, and audience This equation is about a balance of power: assessing the extent to which audiences are influenced by media text and what extent they appropriate them in ways quite different to the producers’ intentions Meaning structures one Meaning structures one Meaning structures two Meaning structures two Stuart Hall’s Encoding/Decoding model In the diagram, he represents the two sides: Encoding, which is the domain of the producer Decoding, the domain of the audience The process of communicating a message requires that it be encoded in such a way that the receiver of the message is able to decoded Ex. Televisual message is encoded through the use of camera technology, transmitted as a signal and then decoded using a television set if you do not have a TV you don’t have the means to understand One reason that the encoded and decoded messages may not be the same is the capacity of the audience to vary its response to media message Stuart Hall’s Encoding/Decoding model In the diagram, he represents the two sides: Encoding, which is the domain of the producer Decoding, the domain of the audience The process of communicating a message requires that it be encoded in such a way that the receiver of the message is able to decoded Ex. Televisual message is encoded through the use of camera technology, transmitted as a signal and then decoded using a television set if you do not have a TV you don’t have the means to understand One reason that the encoded and decoded messages may not be the same is the capacity of the audience to vary its response to media message Why the audience vary in response to media message? Because they are influenced by their social position, gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, experience, beliefs, where they are, what they are doing, when they receive a message Hall categorised three kinds of audience response: Dominant- the audience agree with the dominant values expressed within the preferred reading of the text Negotiated- the audience generally agree with the dominant values expressed within the preferred reading but they may disagree with certain aspects according to their social background Oppositional- the audience dis agree with dominant values expressed within the preferred reading of the text One concept that has been challenged subsequently by theorists is the notion of preferred reading This refers to the way the encoder would prefer the audience to interpret a media message, above all other possible readings. However, it could be argued that some texts are deliberately created to remain open interpretation Why the audience vary in response to media message? Because they are influenced by their social position, gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, experience, beliefs, where they are, what they are doing, when they receive a message Hall categorised three kinds of audience response: Dominant- the audience agree with the dominant values expressed within the preferred reading of the text Negotiated- the audience generally agree with the dominant values expressed within the preferred reading but they may disagree with certain aspects according to their social background Oppositional- the audience dis agree with dominant values expressed within the preferred reading of the text One concept that has been challenged subsequently by theorists is the notion of preferred reading This refers to the way the encoder would prefer the audience to interpret a media message, above all other possible readings. However, it could be argued that some texts are deliberately created to remain open interpretation

The Golden Ages

In about the 2nd century AD. Rome had its golden age. Also, around 500 to 300 BC was the Greek golden age. They both had many achievements during they’re golden ages, and many of them have affected us today. In Rome’s golden age they made concrete and roads. This helps us today because concrete is used in many different ways. Concrete makes up most of the building structure on this earth. Before even the use of concrete for roads, it was used to make simple things, such as pots to cook in, new types of housing etc. nce buildings came into affect, jobs then formed, business started, then grew and so on. They also constructed roads. Something as simple as a roadway opened up new civilization to the early Romans. Places they never could have known about, or gotten to by foot or horse and carriage. Concrete really had the biggest impact on our infrastructure. Concrete today is still in high demand, and is still a source of employment for many people. In Greece’s golden age they made mathematics, and architecture. By them making math, it affects us today because without math, a lot of things wouldn’t be able to get done. For example bills being paid, buildings and cars being made, and even having some jobs. Mathematics started early by drawing a line each time the sun rose or set. Counting turning into simple math has changed the course of our world. Math in this era is totally different even than just 20 years ago when our parents were young. Mathematicians can even calculate weather, due to the eventual discovery of physics, they have found that math is even at the basics and almost every level of medicine and how the physiology of the body works. Archetecture started back when they used natural beautiful material to construct buildings. We have moved on to use less expensive and less beautiful materials, but have changed our architectural design. Those are some of the achievements of the Roman and Greek golden ages. Romans made concrete and roads that helped us have buildings and to get places. The Greek’s came up with mathematics, and architecture.

Barack Obama - Speech Before a Joint Session of Congress

Barack Obama First Speech to a Joint Session of Congress delivered 24 February 2009 Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of the United States (who is around here somewhere): I have come here tonight not only to address the distinguished men and women in this great chamber, but to speak frankly and directly to the men and women who sent us here.I know that for many Americans watching right now, the state of our economy is a concern that rises above all others. And rightly so. If you haven’t been personally affected by this recession, you probably know someone who has a friend; a neighbor; a member of your family. You don’t need to hear another list of statistics to know that our economy is in crisis, because you live it every day. It’s the worry you wake up with and the source of sleepless nights. It’s the job you thought you’d retire from but now have lost; the business you built your dreams upon that’s now hanging by a thread; the college acceptance letter your child had to put back in the envelope. The impact of this recession is real, and it is everywhere. But while our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before. The weight of this crisis will not determine the destiny of this nation. The answers to our problems don’t lie beyond our reach. They exist in our laboratories and universities; in our fields and our factories; in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth. Those qualities that have made America the greatest force of progress and prosperity in human history we still possess in ample measure. What is required now is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face, and take responsibility for our future once more. Now, if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that for too long, we have not always met these responsibilities as a government or as a people. I say this not to lay blame or look backwards, but because it is only by understanding how we arrived at this moment that we’ll be able to lift ourselves out of this predicament. The fact is, our economy did not fall into decline overnight. Nor did all of our problems begin when the housing market collapsed or the stock market sank. We have known for decades that our survival depends on finding new sources of energy. Yet we import more oil today than ever before. The cost of health care eats up more and more of our savings each year, yet we keep delaying reform. Our children will compete for jobs in a global economy that too many of our schools do not prepare them for. And though all these challenges went unsolved, we still managed to spend more money and pile up more debt, both as individuals and through our government, than ever before. In other words, we have lived through an era where too often, short-term gains were prized over long-term prosperity; where we failed to look beyond the next payment, the next quarter, or the next election. A surplus became an excuse to transfer wealth to the wealthy instead of an opportunity to invest in our future. Regulations were gutted for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market. People bought homes they knew they couldn’t afford from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway. And all the while, critical debates and difficult decisions were put off for some other time on some other day. Well that day of reckoning has arrived, and the time to take charge of our future is here. Now is the time to act boldly and wisely to not only revive this economy, but to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity. Now is the time to jumpstart job creation, re-start lending, and invest in areas like energy, health care, and education that will grow our economy, even as we make hard choices to bring our deficit down. That is what my economic agenda is designed to do, and that’s what I’d like to talk to you about tonight. It’s an agenda that begins with jobs. As soon as I took office, I asked this Congress to send me a recovery plan by President’s Day that would put people back to work and put money in their pockets. Not because I believe in bigger government – I don’t. Not because I’m not mindful of the massive debt we’ve inherited – I am. I called for action because the failure to do so would have cost more jobs and caused more hardships. In fact, a failure to act would have worsened our long-term deficit by assuring weak economic growth for years. That’s why I pushed for quick action. And tonight, I am grateful that this Congress delivered, and pleased to say that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is now law. Over the next two years, this plan will save or create 3.5 million jobs. More than 90% of these jobs will be in the private sector – jobs rebuilding our roads and bridges; constructing wind turbines and solar panels; laying broadband and expanding mass transit. Because of this plan, there are teachers who can now keep their jobs and educate our kids. Health care professionals can continue caring for our sick. There are 57 police officers who are still on the streets of Minneapolis tonight because this plan prevented the layoffs their department was about to make. Because of this plan, 95% of the working households in America will receive a tax cut a tax cut that you will see in your paychecks beginning on April 1st. Because of this plan, families who are struggling to pay tuition costs will receive a $2,500 tax credit for all four years of college. And Americans who have lost their jobs in this recession will be able to receive extended unemployment benefits and continued health care coverage to help them weather this storm. I know there are some in this chamber and watching at home who are skeptical of whether this plan will work. I understand that skepticism. Here in Washington, we’ve all seen how quickly good intentions can turn into broken promises and wasteful spending. And with a plan of this scale comes enormous responsibility to get it right. That is why I have asked Vice President Biden to lead a tough, unprecedented oversight effort – because nobody messes with Joe. I have told each member of my Cabinet as well as mayors and governors across the country that they will be held accountable by me and the American people for every dollar they spend. I have appointed a proven and aggressive Inspector General to ferret out any and all cases of waste and fraud. And we have created a new website called recovery.gov so that every American can find out how and where their money is being spent. So the recovery plan we passed is the first step in getting our economy back on track. But it is just the first step. Because even if we manage this plan flawlessly, there will be no real recovery unless we clean up the credit crisis that has severely weakened our financial system. I want to speak plainly and candidly about this issue tonight, because every American should know that it directly affects you and your family’s well-being. You should also know that the money you’ve deposited in banks across the country is safe; your insurance is secure; and you can rely on the continued operation of our financial system. That is not the source of concern. The concern is that if we do not re-start lending in this country, our recovery will be choked off before it even begins. You see, the flow of credit is the lifeblood of our economy. The ability to get a loan is how you finance the purchase of everything from a home to a car to a college education; how stores stock their shelves, farms buy equipment, and businesses make payroll. But credit has stopped flowing the way it should. Too many bad loans from the housing crisis have made their way onto the books of too many banks. With so much debt and so little confidence, these banks are now fearful of lending out any more money to households, to businesses, or to each other. When there is no lending, families can’t afford to buy homes or cars. So businesses are forced to make layoffs. Our economy suffers even more, and credit dries up even further. That is why this administration is moving swiftly and aggressively to break this destructive cycle, restore confidence, and re-start lending. We will do so in several ways. First, we are creating a new lending fund that represents the largest effort ever to help provide auto loans, college loans, and small business loans to the consumers and entrepreneurs who keep this economy running. Second, we have launched a housing plan that will help responsible families facing the threat of foreclosure lower their monthly payments and re-finance their mortgages. It’s a plan that won’t help speculators or that neighbor down the street who bought a house he could never hope to afford, but it will help millions of Americans who are struggling with declining home values – Americans who will now be able to take advantage of the lower interest rates that this plan has already helped bring about. In fact, the average family who re-finances today can save nearly $2000 per year on their mortgage. Third, we will act with the full force of the federal government to ensure that the major banks that Americans depend on have enough confidence and enough money to lend even in more difficult times. And when we learn that a major bank has serious problems, we will hold accountable those responsible, force the necessary adjustments, provide the support to clean up their balance sheets, and assure the continuity of a strong, viable institution that can serve our people and our economy. I understand that on any given day, Wall Street may be more comforted by an approach that gives banks bailouts with no strings attached, and that holds nobody accountable for their reckless decisions. But such an approach won’t solve the problem. And our goal is to quicken the day when we re-start lending to the American people and American business and end this crisis once and for all. I intend to hold these banks fully accountable for the assistance they receive, and this time, they will have to clearly demonstrate how taxpayer dollars result in more lending for the American taxpayer. This time, CEOs won’t be able to use taxpayer money to pad their paychecks or buy fancy drapes or disappear on a private jet. Those days are over. Still, this plan will require significant resources from the federal government – and yes, probably more than we’ve already set aside. But while the cost of action will be great, I can assure you that the cost of inaction will be far greater, for it could result in an economy that sputters along for not months or years, but perhaps a decade. That would be worse for our deficit, worse for business, worse for you, and worse for the next generation. And I refuse to let that happen. I understand that when the last administration asked this Congress to provide assistance for struggling banks, Democrats and Republicans alike were infuriated by the mismanagement and results that followed. So were the American taxpayers. So was I. So I know how unpopular it is to be seen as helping banks right now, especially when everyone is suffering in part from their bad decisions. I promise you – I get it. But I also know that in a time of crisis, we cannot afford to govern out of anger, or yield to the politics of the moment. My job – our job – is to solve the problem. Our job is to govern with a sense of responsibility. I will not spend a single penny for the purpose of rewarding a single Wall Street executive, but I will do whatever it takes to help the small business that can’t pay its workers or the family that has saved and still can’t get a mortgage. That’s what this is about. It’s not about helping banks – it’s about helping people. Because when credit is available again, that young family can finally buy a new home. And then some company will hire workers to build it. And then those workers will have money to spend, and if they can get a loan too, maybe they’ll finally buy that car, or open their own business. Investors will return to the market, and American families will see their retirement secured once more. Slowly, but surely, confidence will return, and our economy will recover. So I ask this Congress to join me in doing whatever proves necessary. Because we cannot consign our nation to an open-ended recession. And to ensure that a crisis of this magnitude never happens again, I ask Congress to move quickly on legislation that will finally reform our outdated regulatory system. It is time to put in place tough, new common-sense rules of the road so that our financial market rewards drive and innovation, and punishes short-cuts and abuse. The recovery plan and the financial stability plan are the immediate steps we’re taking to revive our economy in the short-term. But the only way to fully restore America’s economic strength is to make the long-term investments that will lead to new jobs, new industries, and a renewed ability to compete with the rest of the world. The only way this century will be another American century is if we confront at last the price of our dependence on oil and the high cost of health care; the schools that aren’t preparing our children and the mountain of debt they stand to inherit. That is our responsibility. In the next few days, I will submit a budget to Congress. So often, we have come to view these documents as simply numbers on a page or laundry lists of programs. I see this document differently. I see it as a vision for America – as a blueprint for our future. My budget does not attempt to solve every problem or address every issue. It reflects the stark reality of what we’ve inherited – a trillion dollar deficit, a financial crisis, and a costly recession. Given these realities, everyone in this chamber – Democrats and Republicans – will have to sacrifice some worthy priorities for which there are no dollars. And that includes me. But that does not mean we can afford to ignore our long-term challenges. I reject the view that says our problems will simply take care of themselves; that says government has no role in laying the foundation for our common prosperity. For history tells a different story. History reminds us that at every moment of economic upheaval and transformation, this nation has responded with bold action and big ideas. In the midst of civil war, we laid railroad tracks from one coast to another that spurred commerce and industry. From the turmoil of the Industrial Revolution came a system of public high schools that prepared our citizens for a new age. In the wake of war and depression, the GI Bill sent a generation to college and created the largest middle-class in history. And a twilight struggle for freedom led to a nation of highways, an American on the moon, and an explosion of technology that still shapes our world. In each case, government didn’t supplant private enterprise; it catalyzed private enterprise. It created the conditions for thousands of entrepreneurs and new businesses to adapt and to thrive. We are a nation that has seen promise amid peril, and claimed opportunity from ordeal. Now we must be that nation again. That is why, even as it cuts back on the programs we don’t need, the budget I submit will invest in the three areas that are absolutely critical to our economic future: energy, health care, and education. It begins with energy. We know the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the 21st century. And yet, it is China that has launched the largest effort in history to make their economy energy efficient. We invented solar technology, but we’ve fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it. New plug-in hybrids roll off our assembly lines, but they will run on batteries made in Korea. Well I do not accept a future where the jobs and industries of tomorrow take root beyond our borders – and I know you don’t either. It is time for America to lead again. Thanks to our recovery plan, we will double this nation’s supply of renewable energy in the next three years. We have also made the largest investment in basic research funding in American history – an investment that will spur not only new discoveries in energy, but breakthroughs in medicine, science, and technology. We will soon lay down thousands of miles of power lines that can carry new energy to cities and towns across this country. And we will put Americans to work making our homes and buildings more efficient so that we can save billions of dollars on our energy bills. But to truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy. So I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America. And to support that innovation, we will invest fifteen billion dollars a year to develop technologies like wind power and solar power; advanced biofuels, clean coal, and more fuel-efficient cars and trucks built right here in America. As for our auto industry, everyone recognizes that years of bad decision-making and a global recession have pushed our automakers to the brink. We should not, and will not, protect them from their own bad practices. But we are committed to the goal of a re-tooled, re-imagined auto industry that can compete and win. Millions of jobs depend on it. Scores of communities depend on it. And I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it. None of this will come without cost, nor will it be easy. But this is America. We don’t do what’s easy. We do what is necessary to move this country forward. For that same reason, we must also address the crushing cost of health care. This is a cost that now causes a bankruptcy in America every thirty seconds. By the end of the year, it could cause 1.5 million Americans to lose their homes. In the last eight years, premiums have grown four times faster than wages. And in each of these years, one million more Americans have lost their health insurance. It is one of the major reasons why small businesses close their doors and corporations ship jobs overseas. And it’s one of the largest and fastest-growing parts of our budget. Given these facts, we can no longer afford to put health care reform on hold. Already, we have done more to advance the cause of health care reform in the last thirty days than we have in the last decade. When it was days old, this Congress passed a law to provide and protect health insurance for eleven million American children whose parents work full-time. Our recovery plan will invest in electronic health records and new technology that will reduce errors, bring down costs, ensure privacy, and save lives. It will launch a new effort to conquer a disease that has touched the life of nearly every American by seeking a cure for cancer in our time. And it makes the largest investment ever in preventive care, because that is one of the best ways to keep our people healthy and our costs under control. This budget builds on these reforms. It includes an historic commitment to comprehensive health care reform – a down-payment on the principle that we must have quality, affordable health care for every American. It’s a commitment that’s paid for in part by efficiencies in our system that are long overdue. And it’s a step we must take if we hope to bring down our deficit in the years to come. Now, there will be many different opinions and ideas about how to achieve reform, and that is why I’m bringing together businesses and workers, doctors and health care providers, Democrats and Republicans to begin work on this issue next week. I suffer no illusions that this will be an easy process. It will be hard. But I also know that nearly a century after Teddy Roosevelt first called for reform, the cost of our health care has weighed down our economy and the conscience of our nation long enough. So let there be no doubt: health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year. The third challenge we must address is the urgent need to expand the promise of education in America. In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity – it is a pre-requisite. Right now, three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require more than a high school diploma. And yet, just over half of our citizens have that level of education. We have one of the highest high school dropout rates of any industrialized nation. And half of the students who begin college never finish. This is a prescription for economic decline, because we know the countries that out-teach us today will out-compete us tomorrow. That is why it will be the goal of this administration to ensure that every child has access to a complete and competitive education – from the day they are born to the day they begin a career. Already, we have made an historic investment in education through the economic recovery plan. We have dramatically expanded early childhood education and will continue to improve its quality, because we know that the most formative learning comes in those first years of life. We have made college affordable for nearly seven million more students. And we have provided the resources necessary to prevent painful cuts and teacher layoffs that would set back our children’s progress. But we know that our schools don’t just need more resources. They need more reform. That is why this budget creates new incentives for teacher performance; pathways for advancement, and rewards for success. We’ll invest in innovative programs that are already helping schools meet high standards and close achievement gaps. And we will expand our commitment to charter schools. It is our responsibility as lawmakers and educators to make this system work. But it is the responsibility of every citizen to participate in it. And so tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma. And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It’s not just quitting on yourself, it’s quitting on your country – and this country needs and values the talents of every American. That is why we will provide the support necessary for you to complete college and meet a new goal: by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. I know that the price of tuition is higher than ever, which is why if you are willing to volunteer in your neighborhood or give back to your community or serve your country, we will make sure that you can afford a higher education. And to encourage a renewed spirit of national service for this and future generations, I ask this Congress to send me the bipartisan legislation that bears the name of Senator Orrin Hatch as well as an American who has never stopped asking what he can do for his country – Senator Edward Kennedy. These education policies will open the doors of opportunity for our children. But it is up to us to ensure they walk through them. In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, and read to their child. I speak to you not just as a President, but as a father when I say that responsibility for our childrens education must begin at home. There is, of course, another responsibility we have to our children. And that is the responsibility to ensure that we do not pass on to them a debt they cannot pay. With the deficit we inherited, the cost of the crisis we face, and the long-term challenges we must meet, it has never been more important to ensure that as our economy recovers, we do what it takes to bring this deficit down. I’m proud that we passed the recovery plan free of earmarks, and I want to pass a budget next year that ensures that each dollar we spend reflects only our most important national priorities. Yesterday, I held a fiscal summit where I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office. My administration has also begun to go line by line through the federal budget in order to eliminate wasteful and ineffective programs. As you can imagine, this is a process that will take some time. But we’re starting with the biggest lines. We have already identified two trillion dollars in savings over the next decade. In this budget, we will end education programs that don’t work and end direct payments to large agribusinesses that don’t need them. We’ll eliminate the no-bid contracts that have wasted billions in Iraq, and reform our defense budget so that we’re not paying for Cold War-era weapons systems we don’t use. We will root out the waste, fraud, and abuse in our Medicare program that doesn’t make our seniors any healthier, and we will restore a sense of fairness and balance to our tax code by finally ending the tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs overseas. In order to save our children from a future of debt, we will also end the tax breaks for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. But let me perfectly clear, because I know you’ll hear the same old claims that rolling back these tax breaks means a massive tax increase on the American people: if your family earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: not one single dime. In fact, the recovery plan provides a tax cut – that’s right, a tax cut – for 95% of working families. And these checks are on the way. To preserve our long-term fiscal health, we must also address the growing costs in Medicare and Social Security. Comprehensive health care reform is the best way to strengthen Medicare for years to come. And we must also begin a conversation on how to do the same for Social Security, while creating tax-free universal savings accounts for all Americans. Finally, because we’re also suffering from a deficit of trust, I am committed to restoring a sense of honesty and accountability to our budget. That is why this budget looks ahead ten years and accounts for spending that was left out under the old rules – and for the first time, that includes the full cost of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. For seven years, we have been a nation at war. No longer will we hide its price. We are now carefully reviewing our policies in both wars, and I will soon announce a way forward in Iraq that leaves Iraq to its people and responsibly ends this war. And with our friends and allies, we will forge a new and comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan to defeat al Qaeda and combat extremism. Because I will not allow terrorists to plot against the American people from safe havens half a world away. As we meet here tonight, our men and women in uniform stand watch abroad and more are readying to deploy. To each and every one of them, and to the families who bear the quiet burden of their absence, Americans are united in sending one message: we honor your service, we are inspired by your sacrifice, and you have our unyielding support. To relieve the strain on our forces, my budget increases the number of our soldiers and Marines. And to keep our sacred trust with those who serve, we will raise their pay, and give our veterans the expanded health care and benefits that they have earned. To overcome extremism, we must also be vigilant in upholding the values our troops defend – because there is no force in the world more powerful than the example of America. That is why I have ordered the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, and will seek swift and certain justice for captured terrorists – because living our values doesn’t make us weaker, it makes us safer and it makes us stronger. And that is why I can stand here tonight and say without exception or equivocation that the United States of America does not torture. In words and deeds, we are showing the world that a new era of engagement has begun. For we know that America cannot meet the threats of this century alone, but the world cannot meet them without America. We cannot shun the negotiating table, nor ignore the foes or forces that could do us harm. We are instead called to move forward with the sense of confidence and candor that serious times demand. To seek progress toward a secure and lasting peace between Israel and her neighbors, we have appointed an envoy to sustain our effort. To meet the challenges of the 21st century – from terrorism to nuclear proliferation; from pandemic disease to cyber threats to crushing poverty – we will strengthen old alliances, forge new ones, and use all elements of our national power. And to respond to an economic crisis that is global in scope, we are working with the nations of the G-20 to restore confidence in our financial system, avoid the possibility of escalating protectionism, and spur demand for American goods in markets across the globe. For the world depends on us to have a strong economy, just as our economy depends on the strength of the world’s. As we stand at this crossroads of history, the eyes of all people in all nations are once again upon us – watching to see what we do with this moment; waiting for us to lead. Those of us gathered here tonight have been called to govern in extraordinary times. It is a tremendous burden, but also a great privilege – one that has been entrusted to few generations of Americans. For in our hands lies the ability to shape our world for good or for ill. I know that it is easy to lose sight of this truth – to become cynical and doubtful; consumed with the petty and the trivial. But in my life, I have also learned that hope is found in unlikely places; that inspiration often comes not from those with the most power or celebrity, but from the dreams and aspirations of Americans who are anything but ordinary. I think about Leonard Abess, the bank president from Miami who reportedly cashed out of his company, took a $60 million bonus, and gave it out to all 399 people who worked for him, plus another 72 who used to work for him. He didn’t tell anyone, but when the local newspaper found out, he simply said, I knew some of these people since I was 7 years old. I didnt feel right getting the money myself. I think about Greensburg, Kansas, a town that was completely destroyed by a tornado, but is being rebuilt by its residents as a global example of how clean energy can power an entire community – how it can bring jobs and businesses to a place where piles of bricks and rubble once lay. The tragedy was terrible, said one of the men who helped them rebuild. But the folks here know that it also provided an incredible opportunity. And I think about Ty’Sheoma Bethea, the young girl from that school I visited in Dillon, South Carolina – a place where the ceilings leak, the paint peels off the walls, and they have to stop teaching six times a day because the train barrels by their classroom. She has been told that her school is hopeless, but the other day after class she went to the public library and typed up a letter to the people sitting in this room. She even asked her principal for the money to buy a stamp. The letter asks us for help, and says, We are just students trying to become lawyers, doctors, congressmen like yourself and one day president, so we can make a change to not just the state of South Carolina but also the world. We are not quitters. We are not quitters. These words and these stories tell us something about the spirit of the people who sent us here. They tell us that even in the most trying times, amid the most difficult circumstances, there is a generosity, a resilience, a decency, and a determination that perseveres; a willingness to take responsibility for our future and for posterity. Their resolve must be our inspiration. Their concerns must be our cause. And we must show them and all our people that we are equal to the task before us. I know that we haven’t agreed on every issue thus far, and there are surely times in the future when we will part ways. But I also know that every American who is sitting here tonight loves this country and wants it to succeed. That must be the starting point for every debate we have in the coming months, and where we return after those debates are done. That is the foundation on which the American people expect us to build common ground. And if we do – if we come together and lift this nation from the depths of this crisis; if we put our people back to work and restart the engine of our prosperity; if we confront without fear the challenges of our time and summon that enduring spirit of an America that does not quit, then someday years from now our children can tell their children that this was the time when we performed, in the words that are carved into this very chamber, something worthy to be remembered. Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America. Source: WhiteHouse.gov

Is It Possible to Have a Prejudice Free Society Essay

Is It Possible to Have a Prejudice Free Society - Essay Example It is human behaviour to simply distrust or dislike someone and such simple latent feelings often convert into sharp hatred, making people form strong assumptions and theories about why they are prejudiced against others. Such hatred often even causes people to cause others injury and thus is only a matter of attitude within a person’s conscience. The fact of the matter remains - whether or not the society we live in can be free of prejudice at some point. When children are born, their minds are free of all kinds of thought; they usually soak in all the positivity from the environment around them as they are sheltered under the wings of their family members. However, with time, as they begin interacting with different parts of the society, they are taught ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ according to their family members. This causes a change in their attitudes and thus makes them take certain choices which may portray the growing level of prejudice that they feel for other people. Many people have been raised in a way so as to hate other groups of people; for example the shudra caste in olden India was said to be a group of untouchable people whom no one would interact with or even touch for fear of being heralded with sins. However, as the freedom movement gained momentum, leaders like B.R Ambedkar began educating society about how these people were also children of God and deserved a free right to life among other people. They could not be shunned without any reason, without having committed a serious crime or being a grave danger to the other people. In Europe and America, most white skinned people were prejudiced against people belonging to different races; black or brown skinned people were frowned down upon and given the status of slaves. They were supposed to serve their white masters and were stripped off various rights including using the same transport, eating at the same places as well as visiting the same places of worship. Case s of Rosa Parks, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King have helped to define the border line for letting people give in to apartheid and accept such discrimination and prejudice caused against people belonging to different races. Today, there are a number of reforms and laws laid down that have helped to abolish such practices all over the world. With time, more and more people have been educated about living together with differences and learning to accept another person’s thoughts, opinions and perspectives on living life. The world we live in has helped us expose each other to a plethora of new cultures and this gives people the hope that it is possible to live in a world free of prejudice at some point. This is because with time, gradually people are coming to an understanding and learning that every person is after all trying to live his own life and make a living for himself and his family. Every man is trying his best to provide for food, shelter and clothing. The basi c necessities of life are what is important for people to survive, not prejudice. Today, many people around the world have a problem with those practicing the religion of Islam because they feel that after the 9/11 attacks, all Muslims have a single goal of terrorism; however, with time, more and more people are coming to the realization that even Islam is a beautiful faith to follow and that the people following it are not doing

Joe dimaggio's life and significance in his era Research Paper

Joe dimaggio's life and significance in his era - Research Paper Example In 1936 DiMaggio joined New York Yankees and he played for them till 1951 (Anonymous. â€Å"Life Story†). Yankees managed to win nine championships by using the leadership and class of DiMaggio. He is the only player who was an important part of four world champion teams and eventually these were his first four fulltime seasons (Anonymous. â€Å"Life Story†). This is an incredible record in the history of North American sports. DiMaggio’s skills were incomparable and to honor his potentials he was chosen as the most valuable player of the American League. To his fans he was known as â€Å"Joltin’ Joe†. Broadcaster Arch McDonald used to call him ‘Yankee Clipper’ for his gracefulness in the ground. In his career DiMaggio scored 361 home runs. Furthermore there are 389 doubles and 131 triples under his name. There were almost 4529 put-outs that involved DiMaggio. In the year 1954, DiMaggio was given place in the ‘National Baseball Ha ll of Fame’ (Dennis Gaffney. â€Å"Joe DiMaggio†). Off the field DiMaggio was not as successful as he was inside the field. As a person he was known to be a shy individual. Dorothy Arnold (Oomph Girl) was his first wife, but their marriage crumbled after three years. He took retirement in 1951 and worked as a commentator, but unfortunately he was not liked very much. Then he worked as a coach as well as vice president of Oakland Athletics (Dennis Gaffney.

To What Extent Might the Current Approach to International Carbon Essay

To What Extent Might the Current Approach to International Carbon Reduction be Described as Neo-liberal - Essay Example The present carbon reduction approaches cannot be regarded as purely neo-liberalism since it mostly runs under market mechanisms, but is also impacted by political aspects. â€Å"Neo-liberal† is political-economic restructuring and often is called â€Å"structural adjustment programs† (Russ, 1999). Russ (1999) mentioned that â€Å"neo-liberalism has the features that include privatization, free-market, austerity, and comparative advantage.† Specific to carbon trading aspects, the features of a neo-liberal market should be as follows. First, the transaction of carbon and its related facilities, in addition to resources, should be owned by the private sector or multinational enterprises. Secondly, neo-liberalism means that the price of all factors that are related to carbon transactions should be set by the global market. These factors include market price, salaries of employments, shipping fees, etc. Last but not least, it includes the decreasing of public spendin g. This means that all services related to carbon trading shall be under market conditions and without government â€Å"interference.† The Kyoto Protocol was created for the purpose of carbon reduction emission obligations for industrial countries (Sander, 2010, P7). All the current methods are largely based on the Kyoto Protocol. Annex I countries have a goal to control carbon emissions by a certain amount at the end of the Kyoto Protocol. Thus, it gives these Annex I countries the opportunity to engage in the market of global carbon emissions. In this case, they are able to do transactions with flexible mechanisms through the Kyoto Protocol. These mechanisms include International Emissions Trading (IET), Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), and Joint Implementation (JL) (Sander,... This essay declares that the present carbon reduction approaches cannot be regarded as purely neo-liberalism since it mostly runs under market mechanisms, but is also impacted by political aspects. â€Å"Neo-liberal† is political-economic restructuring and often is called â€Å"structural adjustment programs†. Russ mentioned that â€Å"neo-liberalism has the features that include privatization, free-market, austerity, and comparative advantage.† This paper makes a conclusion that specific to carbon trading aspects, the features of a neo-liberal market should be as follows. First, the transaction of carbon and its related facilities, in addition to resources, should be owned by the private sector or multinational enterprises. Secondly, neo-liberalism means that the price of all factors that are related to carbon transactions should be set by the global market. These factors include market price, salaries of employments, shipping fees, etc. Last but not least, it includes the decreasing of public spending. This means that all services related to carbon trading shall be under market conditions and without government â€Å"interference.† Trading among these countries is worth over $100 billion each year. The free market, private sectors, and international trading play essential roles in the global emissions trading scheme. The market of carbon trading effectively helps reduce carbon levels. Meanwhile, there were not any t argets set for developing countries. Fast growing economies in the developing world, such as China, India, Thailand, Egypt, and Iran, have increased their need for emissions trading.

Henri Matisses Fauvism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Henri Matisses Fauvism - Research Paper Example The involvement of his mother in advising customers on the best colors in his father’s shop that sold house-paints is what made him develop some interest on color. Thus, it was from his mother that he developed the sense of color. This is also justified by her mother who was not only a skillful painter, but also a fashionable artist. Unfortunately, Matisse grew as an awkward youth who disregarded the rigors of the North. He despised winter seasons with passion. He was also a contemplative child though not very bright. Despite undergoing growth and development, Matisse never lost interest on nature; he still valued his native soil as well as growing things (Ferrier, 1996). Matisse worked as a court administrator in his hometown, Le Cateau-Cambresis, after gaining his qualification in Paris. Matisse discovered his real profession in a unique way. He started painting in 1889 when he was still recovering from appendicitis through the aid of his mother who brought him art supplies. It was also through his mother’s advice that Matisse decided to follow his emotions in pursuing his interest in the profession he loved. His mother had advised him to follow his own emotions instead of the rules of art. A year after his recovery appendicitis, 1891, Matisse returned to Paris to further his studies in art at Acadenie Julian. It was also in Bouguereau that he learnt essential lessons of classical painting. He also did many drawing exams so as to have a chance of joining Ecole des Beaux-Arts.

Plato and the Development of the Academy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Plato and the Development of the Academy - Essay Example This goes on to illustrate his logical reasoning and rational approach towards the underlying focus of all his ideas, that is, ethics (Encyclopedia Britannica 2008). It was his work that enabled Euclid to form his systematic approach to mathematics (JOC/EFR 1999). The Academy of Plato, or the Platonic School, is a major topic to be discussed when discussing Plato and his contributions to the field of philosophy, because it was through this institution that he was able to impart his doctrines and ideas to his students, and it formed an important part of his intellectual life where he devoted many years as its Head. He worth and merit of this institution can be judged from the fact that such thinkers and philosophers like Aristotle, Xenocrates and Eudoxus of Cnidus were members and heads of the Academy. However, there are some issues related to the Academy and its concept as we may have today that need to be discussed first in order to form a better and accurate understanding of its workings and its personality. The place where Plato taught was a park in Athens that was named after a mythical and legendary ancient Greek hero called Academus, or Hecademus, with a wall surrounding it and encompassing a grove of olive trees, and a river flowing nearby to make the dry land fertile (University of St Andrews 2004). Before Plato started teaching there, it was dedicated to gymnastics, sports events, funeral activities and other festivals (University of St Andrews 2004). Around 387 B.C., Plato, who had a house and a garden nearby, began teaching in the park to a group of interested students, and this gathering of intellectuals, teaching and learning, took the name of Academia, or the modern Academy, from the park, and hence, indirectly, from Academus (University of St Andrews 2004). Therefore, it can be seen that the Academy had no connection with a physical place of learning, as the modern concept of the term Academy denotes, nor does it refers to a school of strict and formulated learning where a set curriculum is imparted according to the doctrines of the Head. In fact, the place it self had nothing to do with teaching or learning, as mentioned earlier, but was a place of gymnastics and other athletics. The School, that is the body of scholars who adhered to the Platonic way of thinking, was continued to be called Academy even after it was shifted to Alexandria (The Catholic Encyclopedia 1911). Another aspect that needs to be cleared is that the Academy was not dominated by Plato, even though he was the founder and the Head of the institution, and he did not inject his doctrines into his students like would happen in a modern academy where students adhere to a fixed concept. The

Death of A Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Death of A Marriage - Essay Example In my lifÐ µ, and spÐ µcifically in my marriagÐ µ, I havÐ µ undÐ µrgonÐ µ Ð µxpÐ µriÐ µncÐ µs which support thÐ µ points of both of thÐ µsÐ µ authors. I havÐ µ liÐ µd to protÐ µct my partnÐ µr’s fÐ µÃ µlings, and wÐ µ havÐ µ liÐ µd to oursÐ µlvÐ µs togÐ µthÐ µr as a tÐ µam, whilÐ µ thinking that wÐ µ wÐ µrÐ µ bÐ µing moral. As Еricsson notÐ µs, wÐ µ all liÐ µ. It is nÐ µarly impossiblÐ µ to gÐ µt through lifÐ µ without strÐ µtching thÐ µ truth; it is oftÐ µn in our sÐ µlf intÐ µrÐ µst to do so, and wÐ µ Ð µxcusÐ µ thÐ µ bÐ µhavior if it gÐ µts us ahÐ µad. â€Å"WÐ µ liÐ µ. WÐ µ all do. WÐ µ Ð µxaggÐ µratÐ µ, wÐ µ minimizÐ µ, wÐ µ avoid confrontation, wÐ µ sparÐ µ pÐ µoplÐ µ's fÐ µÃ µlings, wÐ µ convÐ µniÐ µntly forgÐ µt, wÐ µ kÐ µÃ µp sÐ µcrÐ µts, wÐ µ justify lying to thÐ µ big-guy institutions. LikÐ µ most pÐ µoplÐ µ, I indulgÐ µ in small falsÐ µhoods† (Еricsson, 2011). In my m arriagÐ µ, my spousÐ µ and I both rÐ µalizÐ µ this, and wÐ µ also rÐ µalizÐ µ it about Ð µach othÐ µr. WhÐ µn wÐ µ fight, wÐ µ may call Ð µach othÐ µr liars, but on a basic lÐ µvÐ µl, wÐ µ both know that lying is somÐ µthing wÐ µ also do togÐ µthÐ µr. Еricsson dÐ µscribÐ µs this act of lying togÐ µthÐ µr in social groups, in hÐ µr Ð µssay as groupthink.

Linking Marketing to Other Functional Areas Part II Assignment

Linking Marketing to Other Functional Areas Part II - Assignment Example Having said this, I see the finance area of the organization as one other area that will be affected by the transition, particularly when it comes to readjusting budget to cater for the additional human resource training and resource acquisition that the transition will come with. In all of these, I have learned that even though changes with the marketing structure may be challenging at first, its end result will always be beneficial. Perreault Jr, Cannon & McCarthy (2014) identified communication as an important tool that links the organization’s marketing team to the outside world, particularly customers. It is therefore not surprising that you point to communication as one of the company’s core issues with the change from direct sales to online distribution. With this noted, I am confident that one way in which the organization can mitigate potential impacts that communication can have on other functional areas is to ensure that there is an organizational structure in place that allows for easy flow of information and resources. This is because where there are bureaucracies in the flow of information, communication becomes challenging (Achrol & Kotler, 2012). On the other human resource issue of training, I will admonish training becomes a constant part of the organization rather than an isolated event. Reading through your post has really made me learned that to create a cross-function means bri nging as many other functions as possible together. Some of these include accounting, procurement, IT, manufacturing, shipping, R&D, and

Devils man Essay Example for Free

Devils man Essay This scene is also very captivating as there are so many different storylines and agendas going on in it, on the surface you have Elizabeth Proctor lying for her husband which results in them having a dire consequence, and Hales dramatic change of opinion. Underneath you have Abigail pushing Mary to join her by getting herself and her tools (other girls from Salem) to act as if they are being possessed by Mary and Mary has transfigured herself into a yellow bird Oh Mary this is a black art to change your shape. Abigail knows she has to win Mary over to her side so all are ganged up against John Proctor as he has started violently accusing Abigail Give me a whip, Ill stop it and Abigail realises these accusations have to stop. Abigail knows it will not take long for Mary to cave in, and this is what makes Abigail such an alluring character, as in this scene I cannot help but quite like her as she is so over the top and melodramatic, from a modern day reader of the play the ridiculousness but intelligence of her ideas provide a lot of the appealing aspects of the play and especially this scene. It would be a mistake to say Abigail is totally evil as in the same way it would be a mistake to say Proctor is totally good as although in the end of the play he dies a martyr as he refuses to confess to witch-craft we cannot forget he did commit adultery and has had more than a few feuds with other members of Salem (most notably Parris). Abigail also witnessed her parents deaths and therefore was bought up with no family around her. She also is totally in love with John Proctor and would do anything to wed him and by accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft all she is doing is trying to get closer to John. Another engaging aspect of this scene is the fact that the audience watching the play experiences so many emotions. There is the anxiety and suspense felt when Elizabeth has to say if her husband was a lecher, and then there is the tragic, saddened emotion when you realise what is going to happen to John Proctor as Elizabeth said he had had no affair. There is the excitement when Abigail fakes Marys possession of her, and also the shock of Hales remarkable change in character. I believe what makes this play so popular, and what is particularly represented in this scene is all the characters are so human, their personalities so deep and structured. I feel this is for many reasons although predominately because Miller wrote the characters from The Crucible from historic evidence in Salem town records- many of the characters names appear in the records and even Proctors affair is recorded. Also what makes these characters so realistic is there are no characters who are purely good or purely bad and what makes them so enthralling is they all have their little faults for example (Proctor to Elizabeth) You ought to bring some flowers in the house. Oh I forgot! I will tomorrow. This shows us Elizabeth can at times be forgetful which makes the audience able to relate to her and the rest of the characters as everyone has their own imperfections. John Proctor is an extremely enchanting character, however at times personally I felt he became a little tiresome especially during the end when he keeps on at Elizabeth whether she will forgive him if he confesses to witchcraft and lies to God I would have your forgiveness, Elizabeth. In this scene though Proctor has an unnerving desperation about him pleading for his wifes and his own lives. It only hit me when I had just finished the book the similarities between John Proctor and Arthur Miller himself as they were both persecuted and punished for things out of their control (Miller for not being anti-communist) and John Proctor (for being accused of trafficking with the Devil). They also both refused to confess as neither of them felt they were guilty of a crime and therefore were in effect Martyrs although Miller did not die. Principally, however the main reason I like this scene so much is from a dramatic point of view. It would be fantastic to perform as there is so much going on and the characters are so well formed by Miller. There is also a vast contrast of characters to play in the scene. What also makes it appealing from a theatrical aspect is the roller coaster of emotions and changes of emotions, which happen so quickly. This passage is also a prime example of why Miller wrote the play, which is a further reason I admire the scene so much. This scene shows not only the persecution of a man who is innocent like the persecution of the communists, but also shows the power of religion, and how when the majority of people in a community believe something so passionately in this instance God and Christianity, arguing against it will do far more harm than good. It shows the dangers of living in a theocratic society where everything is kept behind closed doors, and when it is exposed the consequences can be literally in Salem in the seventeenth century, fatal. This scene is strengthened by the 17th century language, which adds a certain harsh quality to the way the line sounds. The ending of the scene is my favourite part of the passage, this is because the is when Mary sees Danforth is believing Abigail more and more and she knows that she will be hanged if she does not join Abigail. Therefore she admits to speaking with the Devil, but says to the court (Mary pointing at Proctor) You are the Devils man! This surprises everyone probably even Mary herself as she didnt think she was strong enough to do it, but she realises fighting against Abigail was fighting a losing battle. Throughout the play there are many interesting and dramatic scenes, which captivated my imagination, however this scene stood out above all others largely because of the acting potential and the tremendous depth to the characters although the reasons above also played a part in why I enjoyed the scene. Recently Arthur miller was stated saying, At least the play is still living I believe it certainly is.

Piagets Developmental Psychology Essay Example for Free

Piagets Developmental Psychology Essay Piaget (1896-1980) believed that there was a quantitative difference between the intelligence of adults, young children and older children. He believed adults have better knowledge of the world and because children do not use the same logic in there thinking. He believed that childrens logic changed as they developed through their four stages of life Piaget came to this conclusion after completing his cognitive development test. Unlike psychologist Siegler and Huges, Piaget is a theoretical psychologist and carried out many experiments to illustrate his theories. These stages have been critisied by many psychologist including Hughes, Siegler, Rose, Blank. Sensorimotor Stage Piaget believed that a new born had basic biological motivations, and acquired knowledge by accommodation and assimilation, and once a child has acquired these schemas it would be at equilibration. It has been argued that Piaget underestimated the intelligence of a newborn. Piagets sample did not illustrate a wide variety of children therefore his experiment cannot be related to every child at that relevant age. His study was also only preformed on his own children therefore results could have been bias. Similar experiments were devised by other psychologist giving different conclusions, indicating Piagets results were not always reliable. Piagets first stage stated that a baby (0-2) first explores the world using motor and reflex actions. For example a child reaches towards an object and after many attempts will be able to eventually grasp the object and then bring the object to its mouth and will continue to explore it uses the senses of taste and smell. A child is said to have completed this stage of development once they have obtained object permanence (a child understands that an object still exists even when it is not visible). This theory was tested by giving a 5-6 months old child a toy to play with, the toy was covered with a cloth and the babys behavior observed. Results showed that a baby immediately lost interest as if the object never existed. However when tested with a 10 month old child it would continue to reach for the toy although it could not see it. Another explanation is that the child did not think the toy had seized to exist but was distracted by the movement of the cloth, which is why the child looks away and appears to have forgot the toy. Bower and Wishart (1972) argued that it does still exist in a babies mind even when it may not be visible. There experiment was done on a baby less than four months; the baby was offered a toy but as it reached for the toy the lights were switched off this showed that even when the lights were off the child continued to reach for the toy. It can be argued that the child was not reaching out for the toy but was just reaching due to the discomfort of the sudden darkness. This study could also go against the ethics as the child could have been experiencing fear from the sudden loss sight. Pre-operational Stage At this stage a child develops symbolic thinking; another characteristic of this stage is egocentrism. Piaget devised a three mountain task to test this theory. A child was sat in front of a three mountains model, a doll was then placed at varies positions in the modeled mountains and pictures were presented, they were asked to pick the picture that represented what the doll could see. Four and five year olds selected the picture showing what they could see, this suggested that they thought the doll could see what they could identifying egocentrism. However most seven years old were able to identify the correct picture. Due to Piagets selection of children it was very difficult to apply his findings to others, his own children were used throughout most of his experiment and any others were from well educated backgrounds. It can be argued that this experiment lacked ecological validity as the child could not relate to the situation they were presented with. Hughes devised a task to test egocentrism in a child but relating to an everyday situation, children as young as three and a half answered the question correctly, and 90% of children tested altogether were able to give the correct answer. Concrete operational stage A child enters this stage when they understand the appearance of something may change although the item itself remains the same. Piaget tested this stage by setting out a row of counters in front of each child, than asking the child to make another row the same as the first one. Piaget would than spread out his row of counters and ask the child if there were still the same amount of counters. This experiment tested a childs conservation of numbers. Most seven year olds were able to answer this question correctly concluding by the age of seven children are able to conserve numbers. To test the conservation of liquid Piaget collected two identical glasses A + B and a taller thin container C and asked the child which container held more, he then transferred the liquid from A+B to C and asked the child again. When a child was able to identify that both containers held the same amount of liquid they had achieved the concrete operational stage. Many aspects of this test have been criticized, including the social context of the childs understanding. Rose and Blank argued that when a child is asked the same question twice they assumed there first answer was incorrect and changed their answer. When Rose and Blank replicated this experiment and only asked the question once most six years olds gave the correct answer. McGarriglr and Donaldson (1974) argued that as the adult changed the appearance children would assume this was significant so devised an experiment were the appearance of the items were changed accidently. Children tested were between four and six, results showed that more than half tested gave the correct answer. Confirming children conserve at a younger age than Piaget claimed. Formal Operational Stage A child shows logical thinking but generally needs to be able to work through sequences with actual objects. Once a child can manipulate ideas in their head it has entered the formal operational stage. Piaget tested this by giving each child string and weights and told them to find out which factors affects a complete swing of the pendulum they could vary the weights, length of string and strength of push. Piaget found children who had entered the formal operational stage approached the task systematically testing one variable at a time. Psychologist Robert Siegler (1979) tested children aged five and upwards, by using the balance beam test. Results showed that eventually the child would take into account the interaction between the weight and the disc but would not achieve this ability until they were between 13 and 17. This concluded that childrens cognitive development is based on acquiring and using rules in increasingly more complex situations instead of stages. Conclusion Piaget tested his children and well-educated professionals therefore making his findings ungeneralised and potentially bias. Subsequent questions relating to the childs individual answer may have led children to give the answer researchers were looking for. Piaget underestimated the ability of childrens social understanding. A childs perception of an adult the importance of a familiar context and the meaning of a second question all affect a childs performance. Weaknesses in Piaget experiment prevent children from showing what understood. Piaget overestimated the age at which children entered the formal operational stage (Siegler). As Piaget focused on individual children he failed to take social settings into account. He failed to show that development is continuous and not in stages Evidence suggests that environmental factors, ethics and gender could alter a childs development. Small samples and controllability of variables were not taken into account. Piagets had very little evidence to support his findings and believed that his finding could be applied to every child. Piagets focus on qualitative development has played an important role on education. Piaget opened the opportunities for others to learn and discover more on how children development.

A Review of Recessive Genetic Diseases in Cattle

A Review of Recessive Genetic Diseases in Cattle Huan Yu Introduction Cattle are susceptible to a wide range of genetic diseases. The majority of inherited genetic diseases recognized in cattle are autosomal recessive, mainly due to the practice of â€Å"line-breeding†. The defective calf receives error gene inherited from both its sire and dam. However, if the inherited mutant gene comes from only one parent, such individual usually turns out to be a carrier of the disease without any symptoms (Patel, 2010). Genetic abnormalities contribute to poor performance and structural unsoundness to semi-lethal and lethal diseases. Since most genetic diseases are breed-specific, artificial insemination a widely used technique for cattle breeding may lead to high levels of inbreeding and an inevitable increase in the prevalence of recessive defects. Hence, it is imperative to increase the awareness of genetic diseases in cattle among animal breeders and farmers. This will stimulate strategies to reduce the economic loss due to such genetic diseases in cattle. More so, genetic tests for DNA markers such as Citrullinemia and BLAD may be utilised to identify animals with inherited defects at a very young age based on PCR-RFLP marker (Gholap, Kale and Sirothia, 2014). Also, there is need for cooperation among government agencies, veterinarians, animal scientists and farmers in the control of genetic defects among commercial cattle populations, by formulating and adopting good monitoring and control measures. This paper reviews some recessive genetic diseases in cattle with particular reference to its definition, genetic cause (DNA mutation) and the clinical symptoms. Furthermore, it also discuss some best practice to control the genetic disease in breeding population of dairy and beef cattle breeds. Recessive Genetic Diseases 1. Double Muscling or Muscular Hypertrophy Animals are described a â€Å"double-muscled† (see Fig. 1) when they have a myostatin mutation. Double muscle gene is caused by the mutation of the muscle growth inhibition gene located on the second chromosomes. It is a negative regulatory factor of the skeletal muscle growth, a member of the TGF-ÃŽ ² supergene family (Fiems, 2012). McPherron et al., (1997) noticed that these diseases are mainly found in Belgian Blue and Piedmontese cattle, which usually have an incredibly muscular look even if they do not exercise. Although, DM animals are touted to be beneficial to farmers, meat industry and consumers due to their valuable carcasses, however, they are more susceptible to respiratory disease, stress and dystocia, resulting in a lower robustness. Fig. 1. A fullblood Belgian Blue bull showing the double muscling phenotype. Adapted from McPherron et al., 1997. 2. Bovine Progressive Degenerative Myeloencephalopathy (Weaver Calf) Bovine Progressive Degenerative Myeloencephalopathy (see Fig. 2) is a recessive neurological disease most commonly reported in Brown Swiss pure and crossbred cattle since the 1970’s in Northern America and Europe. It is usually caused by mutations in the EZH2 gene and some rare reported cases have implicated mutations in the NSD1 gene (Gholap, Kale and Sirothia, 2014). Clinical signs of the disease includes hind limb weakness, ataxia, and dysmetria appear in homozygous individuals around 6 months of age with a progressive weakness extending over 2-3 years. The occurrence of this disease can be determined by mapping Bos Taurus autosome (BTA) 4:46-56 Mb and a commercially available diagnostic test marker for 6 microsatellite (MS) (McClure et al., 2013). Fig. 2. Eighteen-month-old Brown heifer affected by â€Å"Weaver syndrome† Adapted from Gentile and Testoni, 2006. 3. Arachomelia Arachnomelia is a monogenic recessive disease in cattle characterized by skeletal abnormalities and usually found in Brown, German Fleckvieh-Simmental cattle (Drà ¶gemà ¼ller et al., 2010). The causative mutation is due to SUOX gene (BTA5) encoding molybdohemoprotein sulphite oxidase and deleting c.1224-1225delC (Gholap, Kale and Sirothia, 2014). The affected cattle presents with fragile, thinner and longer legs in combination with stiffened joints. The fetlock joints are deformed and the skull malformations are characterized by shortened lower jaw, pointer head (see Fig. 3). Fig. 3. Phenotype of bovine arachnomelia in Brown Swiss cattle Adapted from Drà ¶gemà ¼ller et al., 2010. 4. Neuropathic Hydroceohalus (Water Head) Hydrocephaly is an abnormal increase in the amount of cerebrospinal fluid within the cranial cavity. It is accompanied by expansion of the cerebral ventricles, enlargement of the skull and especially the forehead, and atrophy of the brain which may result in stillborn or dummy calves (Arsdall, 2011). One mutation causing NH in the descendents of GAR Precision 1680, and a popular AI sire in high marbling Angus bloodlines. This disease most commonly found in Angus and Angus infused beef cattle. Affected calves are born dead with an extremely large cranium with little or no brain material or spinal cord (see Fig. 4). It is probable that a large percentage of mortalities relating to NH occur through embryonic or fetal loss during gestation, which causes the defect to go misdiagnosed or unnoticed. Fig. 4. Deformity in a stillborn calf due to neuropathic hydrocephalus Adapted from Vetbook.org, 2013. 5. Chondrodysplasia (Dwarfism) Bovine chondrodysplastic dwarfism (BCD) is an autosomal recessive disorder with the phenotype of short limbs, joint abnormality, and ateliosis (see Fig. 5). This disorder mainly results from the mutation of a single nucleotide substitution leading to an activation of a cryptic splicing donor site and a one-base deletion resulting in a frameshift mutation (Takeda et al., 2002). Clinical signs of the disease may present with wide variation, but the main feature is reduced length of bones with an endochondral growth pattern. The Dexter cattle that inherit two copies of the ACAN mutation will abort during the third trimester, while the heterozygous individuals will show the desired miniature cattle phenotype (Arsdall, 2011). Fig. 5. An example of the degree of dwarfism expressed in carriers Adapted from Davidson, 2008. Strategies for Controlling Genetic Defects Most genetic diseases are breed-specific that can cause the huge economic losses due to poor animal performance; structural unsoundness reduces the production and reproductive potential of the animal. Consequently, it is necessary to determine the cause of inherited defects. Moreover, controlling genetic diseases, ethical and legal considerations are also important methods to minimise the genetic diseases in breeding population of dairy and beef cattle breeds. Firstly, farmers should have good breeding records for each animal which include their sire and dam, date of breeding, the date of breeding, abnormality descriptions and photos or videos and causes of death, if the farmers cannot find the reason of death, they should ask help from veterinarians or state diagnostic laboratory (Jane and Trent, 2010). Some of the recessive genetic diseases are somewhat difficult to recognise because mutant gene inherited from only one parent is usually without symptoms. Therefore, good records by breeders will help to know the causes of death in controlling diseases and good diagnosis for the congenital defects. Secondly, animals that carry a defective gene should be prevented from passing it on to their offsprings by culling. DNA testing is currently available for the genetic diseases. The calf should be made to undergo blood typing within one-month of age to allow early diagnosis of underlying disease. Importantly, Bulls or semen should be purchased from reputable breeders, produced by parents who are not known to carry undesirable genes (Schalles, Leipold and McCraw, 1914). Although, the DNA testing is a huge financial burden as well as time consuming, however, a good diagnosis from one dead calf can save many others. In the last decade, the development of DNA tests for detecting BLAND and Citrullinemia has been effective in breeding population (Gholap, Kale and Sirothia, 2014). Furthermore, seed stock producers have an obligation to be honest with the customers and to ensure that their customers understand the consequences of using offspring from know carriers. Otherwise, the breeder’s reputations will be at stake, as well as reflect negatively on the entire breed. Conclusion Genetic diseases in dairy and beef cattle affect the economics of animal breeders and farmers, and it is a long way to developing DNA tests for the diagnosis of most diseases to check the spread of undesirable genes effectively. Farmers should cooperate with the breed association, extension and university personnel and veterinarians to eliminate and avoid these problems. The government also need to raise public awareness of genetic diseases in breeding population of dairy and beef cattle breeds via social media, advertisements and journals. References Arsdall, D. V. (2011). Neuropathic Hydrocephalus (NH) Water Head [online] Available from: http://calfology.com/library/wiki/neuropathic-hydrocephalus-nh-quotwater-headquot [Accessed 12 May 2015] Arsdall, D. V. (2011). Dwarfism (Condrodysplasia) [online] Available from: http://calfology.com/library/wiki/dwarfism-condrodysplasia [Accessed 12 May 2015] Carol Davidson (2008). American Dexter Cattle Association [online] Available from: http://www.dextercattle.org/adca/adca_article_chondrodysplasia.html [Accessed 13 May 2015] Drà ¶gemà ¼ller, C., Tetens, J., Sigurdsson, S., Gentile, A., Testoni, S., Lindblad-Toh, K. and Leeb, T. (2010). ‘Identification of the Bovine Arachnomelia Mutation by Massively Parallel Sequencing Implicates Sulfite Oxidase (SUOX) in Bone Development’, PLoS Genetics, vol.6, no.8, pp.e1001079 Fiems, L. (2012). ‘Double Muscling in Cattle: Genes, Husbandry, Carcasses and Meat’, Animals, vol.2, no.4, pp.472-506 Gholap, P. N., Kale. D. S. and Sirothia. A. R. (2014). ‘Genetic Diseases in Cattle: a Review’, Research Journal of Animal, Veterinary and Fishery Sciences, vol. 2, no. 2, pp.24-33 Gentile, A., Testoni, S. (2006). ‘Inherited disorders of cattle: a selected review’, Slov vet Res, vol.43, no.1, pp.17-29 Jane A. Parish and Trent Smith (2010) Managing Genetic Defects in Beef Cattle Herds [online] Available from: http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p2622.pdf [Accessed 13 May 2015] McClure, M., Kim, E., Bickhart, D., Null, D., Cooper, T., Cole, J., Wiggans, G., Ajmone-Marsan, P., Colli, L., Santus, E., Liu, G., Schroeder, S., Matukumalli, L., Van Tassell, C. and Sonstegard, T. (2013) ‘Fine Mapping for Weaver Syndrome in Brown Swiss Cattle and the Identification of 41 Concordant Mutations across NRCAM, PNPLA8 and CTTNBP2’, PLoS ONE, vol.8, no.3, pp.e59251 Patel, R. K. (2010). ‘Autosomal Recessive Genetic Disorders of Cattle Breeds Worldwide-A Review’, Journal of Livestock Biodiversity, vol.2, no.1, pp.35-41 Schalles, R. R., Leipold, H. W., McCraw, R. L. (1914). Congenital Defects in cattle [online] Available from: http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/Beef%20Cattle%20Handbook/Congenital_Defects_Cattle.pdf [Accessed 13 May 2015] Vetbook.org (2013) Neuropathic hydrocephalus – Cow [online] Available from: http://vetbook.org/wiki/cow/index.php/Neuropathic_hydrocephalus [Accessed 13 May 2015]

Dialectoc Composition In Purgatorio V :: Purgatorio V Poem Poetic Essays

Dialectoc Composition In Purgatorio V In this canto there appear to be none of those cruces on which contemporary criticism often fastens as basic for the understanding of the poem's deeper meaning. It nevertheless contains some of the most vivid episodes of the journey, especially in its second part, involving the stories of three memorable characters. As is characteristic of the whole cantica, and is especially evident in the first cantos, we find that the three souls we meet here are, by the very definition of their realm, in a liminal state between two forms of existence, the earthly and the celestial. They are gradually shedding the prejudices and passions that had made them cling to the illusory goods of their earthly existence, and getting ready, through their painful purgation, for the permanent bliss to come. We shall see how, by the very progression that distinguishes them among themselves, the three main characters are increasingly detached from the worldly values and increasingly ready for the final step. In one of the more recent  «lecturae » Giambattista Salinari (1969, 311 and 313f) finds that this canto is marked by a high degree of lyricism, considering the progression of the three generic ingredients of the whole poem, namely the descriptive (or epic), the dramatic, and the lyric. He also stresses here the particularly conspicuous presence of what he calls the three types of  «contrappunto » in which Dante excels, namely the  «horizontal » (when contrasting episodes are juxtaposed for the sake of variation and emphasis), the  «vertical » (when over several characters the same situation or theme is developed through rising tonalities), and finally the  «stylistic » (when in the same episode the epic or narrative element is expressed through elegiac description, the dramatic through dialogue, and the lyric through monologue). This is, in short exposition, an interesting analytic point that concerns a striking yet little noticed feature of Dante's method o f composition, and which this writer has attempted to define and analyze under the term of  «dialectic composition ». The structure of Purgatorio V leans, as it were, backward and forward, tying in with the conclusion of the episode of the lazy in the preceding canto and then concluding the episode of the violently slain, who properly occupy this canto, in the following canto, when the same group continues to crowd around Dante in order to secure prayers on their behalf from the living.

The Patriot Act Essay -- essays research papers

The Patriot Act The patriot act: â€Å"THE UNITING AND STRENGHENING OF AMERICA BY PROVIDING APPROPRIATE TOOLS REQUIRED TO INTERCEPT AND OBSTRCT TERRORISM.† What do you think of when you hear this phrase? This is the phrase used to introduce what we call the patriot act. Pretty much the patriot act allows government officials to search your house which is called a â€Å"sneak and peak† without you being aware of it, or even the tracking of your car, or maybe even listening to your phone calls.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Patriot Act was designed to protect the United States from further terrorist attacks by allowing more information to be recorded for investigation on people that could be possible terrorists. This is needed because in order to arrest someone, they need to commit a crime firs...

Waterlily By Ella Cara Deloria :: Waterlily, Ella Cara Deloria

Waterlily by Ella Cara Deloria Waterlily is a book based on the events that happen within a particular Dakota Indian family's life. Not only does it depict the affairs of blue Bird's life and her family, but it documents the rituals and culture of the Dakota people. With illustrative words and graphic details, the incidences within the story can be visualized and understood.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story begins with the occurrences that take place with a certain individual, Blue Bird. Blue Bird is traveling with a camp of Dakotas and is carrying a baby while doing so. While on the path, Blue Bird feels it is time to have her baby and went off into the trees to have her baby. Seeing how beautiful her baby was Blue Bird exclaimed, â€Å"How beautiful you are! As beautiful as the waterlillies. You to are a waterlily, my waterlily.† (p. 6). Blue Bird ends up marrying a man, Star Elk, whom doesn't favor her grandmother very much. Star Elk is a lazy, jealous man who is sub-standard in Dakota male value. He demonstrates this effectively when he â€Å"throws away his wife† (p. 16) at a victory dance. Men weren't suppose to publicly display emotion in Dakota tradition. After being publicly humiliated, Blue Bird, her grandmother and Waterlily luckily and happily ran into their family's tiyospaye. The reason why it was so fortunate is because Blue Birds parents and brothers were killed one day when Blue Bird was about fourteen. They were taken in and made to feel at home. Along with finding their family, Blue Bird also met her new husband, Rainbow. Rainbow was a good provider, hard worker and a widow who had a son.

Study of Maruti Suzuki Alto

SDM INSTITUTE FOR MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT| STUDY OF MARUTI SUZUKI ALTO SDM IMD| REPORT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN MANAGEMENT| | | Submitted to, Dr. H GAYATHRI Submitted by, Anuja Rani (12128) Harish K P (12140) Namratha Subramani (12152) Roshan V Shetty (12158) Sriharsha V (12170) Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENT3 INDIAN AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY4 Historical Background4 Trends in Production6 Drivers of Indian Auto Industry8 Growth forecasts for Indian auto industry10Current industry scenario10 MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LIMITED12 VISION13 Manufacturing Excellence13 Maruti Suzuki and Motor Sport14 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LIMITED14 SALES AND SERVICE NETWORK16 ALTO – Let’s GO19 Alto Variants19 SALES GROWTH OF MARUTI ALTO20 STUDY OF ALTO IN THE CONTEXT OF MARKETING21 SWOT ANALYSIS21 STRENGTHS21 WEAKNESSES21 OPPORTUNITIES22 THREATS22 MARKETING MIX23 PRODUCT23 PRICE23 PROMOTION24 PLACE24 SEGMENTATION, TARGETI NG AND POSITIONING24 ?Segmentation24 ?Targeting25 ?Positioning25 COMPETING PRODUCTS26 Hyundai Motor India Limited26 Models26 Hyundai EON27 Tata Motors27Models27 Tata Nano27 General Motors India Private Limited28 Models28 Chevrolet Spark28 COMPARISON WITH COMPETITORS29 References30 Figures and Tables Figure 1: Category-wise automobile production4 Figure 2: Production Trend6 Figure 3: Percentage change in production7 Figure 4: Trends in production, sales and exports of automobiles8 Figure 5: Key drivers of Indian Auto Industry9 Figure 6: Sales growth of MSIL14 Figure 7: Profit after Tax and Sales Value15 Figure 8: Company Networth over Years15 Figure 9: Growth in Sales Network16 Figure 10: Market share of Passenger car segment. Source SIAM, 12/200917Table 1:Category-wise sales and production of automobile in India7 Table 2: Indian pockets growing deeper9 Table 3: Maruti's Competitors across various segments18 Table 4: Variants of Maruti Alto20 Table 5: Pricing of Maruti Alto Variants2 3 Table 6: Comparison of Alto with Competitors Products29 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The successful completion of this project would not have been possible without the help and constant support of many involved directly or indirectly. The team is grateful to Dr. H Gayathri, Dean – Administration and Professor, SDMIMD, Mysore for giving us an opportunity to conduct this study.The Management and administration of SDMIMD, Mysore has supported and guided us throughout and no amount of words can express our gratitude towards them. Last but not the least; the team is thankful to their parents and family members for their constant support. Group VIII, Section C PGDM 2012-14 INDIAN AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY Indian automobile industry is one of the fastest growing in the world. It is one of those manufacturing industries which have grown significantly since the liberalization of India’s economy in 1990s. The industry is also known for many innovations.In 2010, India has emerged as the second fa stest growing car market in the world next only to China. Sales of two wheelers crossed 10 million units during the year, a first, with all major two-wheeler manufactures registering high double digit growth. India in 2010 is the largest tractor manufacturer, second largest two wheeler manufacturer, fifth largest commercial vehicle manufacturer and the eleventh largest car manufacturer in the world. Figure 1: Category-wise automobile production Historical Background Since its establishment, the Indian automobile industry has undergone constant evolution.Some of the famous car that was manufactured in those times was Ambassador, Fiat 500 and Fiat 1100. In 1953, the government of India modified the regulatory framework and ensured that only those companies which have a manufacturing program in India would be allowed to operate. Seven companies including Hindustan Motors, Premier Automobiles Ltd. and Tata Engineering and Locomotives Company received approval to operate in Indian market . During the decade of 1960s, the three wheeler industry was established in India. In decade of 1980s, Maruti Udyog Ltd. as established and this catalysed the growth of automobile industry significantly. The introduction of Maruti 800 models led to the purchase of more and more vehicles by Indian Consumers. MUL (later named as Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. ) has a technological tie-up with Suzuki Motors of Japan which ensured substantial up-gradation of technology in the Indian car industry. Several multinational players like Mercedes-Benz, Ford, GM, Hyundai, Peugeot and Volvo and Global auto-component firms have also established their bases in India with the view to catering to the demand of not only the domestic market but also to the export markets.Later half of 1990s and early part of 21st century saw the Indian automobile industry making the extensive leap forward. Since then Indian companies have been emerging globally competitive. They have been making significant strides outside the boundaries through mergers and acquisitions. The evolution of Indian auto component industry is closely associated with the trends in the automobile industry due to strong inter-industry linkages. India started manufacturing components locally by establishing tie-ups with multi-national players for technological up-gradation.Hence India became major outsourcing destination for the auto majors of the world. The growth of automobile industry was aided by increased economic activity and infrastructure development, growing middle class population with disposable incomes and availability of consumer finance facilities. India’s turnover and exports have surged over the years. Industry has started establishing manufacturing and marketing base abroad. Since 1991, the number of manufacturing facilities in India has grown significantly.There are around 15 manufacturers of passenger cars and multi utility vehicles, around 10 manufacturers of commercial vehicles, around 15 of 2/3 whe elers. The Indian automobile industry accounts around 5% of the national GDP. The turnover of the automobile industry was around US $ 35 billion and that for components industry was at US $ 18 billion in 2007-08. The total investment in automobile and auto components sectors which was estimated to be at Rs 50,000 crores in 2002-03, has gone up to Rs 80,000 crores by the year 2007-08.The saturation of traditional automobile markets of Europe, USA and Japan has led to the increasing growth of automobile market in India. About two decades ago, Indian automobile market was supply driven with few vehicular models, which has changed now to a demand driven market catering to the cross section of the society with more than 150 models and variants. Trends in Production Over the last few years there has been an increase trend in the production of vehicles both in value and quantity terms.The only lean patch in production was during the year 2000-01 and recently in 2007-08 during which the gro wth in absolute number declined marginally. The momentum in the production may increase further with India being considered favourably as a outsourcing destination. Figure 2: Production Trend From the above graph, it can be seen that the production of automobiles is increasing gradually every year but it has reduced in 2007-08 due to recession. The figure 3 shows the percentage change in production of vehicles ever year. Figure 3: Percentage change in production Category| 2003-04| 2004-05| 2005-06| 2006-07| 2007-08| |Production| Sales| Production| Sales| Production| Sales| Production| Sales| Production| Sales| Passenger Vehicles| 989560| 902096| 1209876| 1061572| 1308913| 1143076| 1545223| 1379979| 1762131| 1547985| Commercial Vehicles| 275040| 260114| 353703| 318430| 391078| 351041| 519982| 467765| 545176| 486817| Two Wheelers| 5622741| 5364249| 6529829| 6209765| 7608697| 7052391| 8466666| 7872334| 8026049| 7248589| Three Wheelers| 356223| 284078| 374445| 307862| 434424| 359920| 55 6126| 403910| 500592| 364703| Grand Total| 7243564| 6810537| 8467853| 7897629| 9743112| 8906428| 11087997| 10123988| 10833948| 9648094| Table 1:Category-wise sales and production of automobile in India Figure 4: Trends in production, sales and exports of automobiles The production, sales and exports of automobiles have registered continuous growth from 2002 to 2007 except the year 2007-08. Exports as a percentage of production have also increased during the analysed period. The improvement in the export as a percentage of production from 4. 89% in 2001-02 to 11. 3% in 2007-08 shows the growing capability of the Indian automobile industry to meet the international norms and standards and increasing acceptance of automobiles manufactured from India in the global market. Drivers of Indian Auto Industry The growth of the Indian Auto industry is catalysed by various factors. * The passenger car penetration in India is at 8. 5 vehicles per thousand people absolute terms. It is among the l owest in the world. As per capita GDP of a society grows, mobility needs for its population rapidly increase. * The proportion of young people, who are economically active, is rising in the overall population. This has led to increasing urbanisation and the need for mobility which translates into a higher demand for two and four wheelers in India. Relatively good availability of money and a favourable interest rate regime has also been a strong contributor to sustained demand. * The Indian auto industry is expected to get a boost from the road development programmes that the country has undertaken (Golden Quadrilateral and NSEW corridors). Changing Lifestyle Changing Lifestyle Key Drivers Driversdr Key Drivers Driversdr Exchange of Cars Exchange of Cars Low Car Penetration Low Car Penetration Poor Public Transport System Poor Public Transport System Favourable Duty Structure Favourable Duty Structure Rising Family Income Rising Family Income Improved Infrastructure Improved Infrastr ucture Finance Availability Finance Availability Figure 5: Key drivers of Indian Auto Industry Annual Income in ? No of households in 2010(millions)| Expected household in 2015(millions)| More than 10 lakh| 1. 2| 3. 3| 5 -10 lakh| 2. 4| 5. 5| 2-5 lakh| 10. 9| 55. 1| 90 thousand-2 lakh| 91. 3| 106| Less than 90 thousand| 101. 1| 74. 1| Total| 206. 9| 244| Table 2: Indian pockets growing deeper From the table 2, it can be observed that Annual Income of the households is expected to grow at higher rate. By 2015, it is estimated that the number of households with Annual Income Rs 2-5 lakhs will be around 55 million. Growth forecasts for Indian auto industry * The Passenger Vehicle market of India will even cross Japan by selling about 5 million Vehicles by 2017-18. The Indian auto exports will be up to $5. 62 billion in the year ending march 2011 and the same will grow to $ 17. 64 billion in 2015-16. * India’s share in global auto exports may also triple by 2016. * India’s passenger vehicle production projections: * By 2015 – 5. 1 million vehicles * By 2020 – 9. 7 million Experts state that in the year 2050, India will top the car volumes of all the nations of the world with about 611 million cars running on its roads. Predictions made by Ernst and Young have estimated that the Indian passenger car market will have a growth rate of about 12 per cent per annum over the next five years to reach the production of 3. 5 million units by the year 2014. The analysts have further stated that the industry’s turnover will touch $155 billion by 2016. This achievement will succeed in consolidating India’s position as the seventh largest automobiles manufacturer on the globe, eventually surging forth to become the third largest by the year 2030 behind China and the US. Current industry scenario At present major Indian, European, Korean, Japanese automobile companies are holding significant market shares. In commercial vehicle, Tata Mot ors dominates over 60% of the Indian commercial vehicle market. Tata Motors is the largest medium and heavy commercial vehicle manufacturer.Among the two-wheeler segment, including scooters and mopeds- motorcycles have major share in the market. Hero Motocorp contributes 50% motorcycles to the market while Honda holds 46% share in scooter and TVS makes 82% of the mopeds in the country. In the three wheeler industry in India, Piaggio holds 40% of the market share. Bajaj is the leader by making 68% of the three-wheelers. Car manufacturers in India dominate the passenger vehicle market by 79%. Maruti Suzuki is the largest car producer in India and has 52% share in passenger cars and is a complete monopoly in multi-purpose vehicles. In utility vehicles Mahindra holds 42% share. Hyundai and Tata Motors are the second and third largest car manufacturers in India.MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LIMITED Maruti Suzuki India limited (MSIL, formerly Maruti Udyog Limited) is a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Co rporation of Japan. Maruti Suzuki is a leading manufacturer of passenger vehicles in India. It is lovingly referred to as people’s car maker, over the past three decades. Maruti Suzuki has changed the way people in India commute and travel. The Company has two manufacturing facilities located at Gurgaon ; Manesar, south of New Delhi, India. Both the facilities have a combined capacity to produce over a 1. 5 million vehicles annually. The company plans to expand its manufacturing capacity to 1. 75 million by 2013.The Company offers 15 brands and over 150 variants ranging from people's car Maruti 800 to the latest Life Utility Vehicle – Ertiga. The portfolio includes Maruti 800, Alto, Alto K10, A-star, Estilo, WagonR, Ritz, Swift, Swift DZire, SX4, Omni, Eeco, Kizashi, Grand Vitara, Gypsy and Ertiga. In an environment friendly initiative, in August 2010 Maruti Suzuki introduced factory fitted CNG option on 5 models across vehicle segments. These include Eeco, Alto, Estil o, Wagon R and Sx4. With this Maruti Suzuki became the first company in India to introduce factory fitted CNG vehicles. In terms of number of cars produced and sold, the Company is the largest subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation.Cumulatively, the Company has produced over 10 million vehicles since the roll out of its first vehicle on 14th  December, 1983. Maruti Suzuki is the only Indian Company to have crossed the 10 million sales mark since its inception. In 2011-12, the company sold over 1. 13 million vehicles including 1,27,379 units of exports. The Company employs over 9000 people (as on 31st March, 2012). Maruti Suzuki's sales and service network is the largest among car manufacturers in India. The Company has been rated first in customer satisfaction in the JD Power survey for 12 consecutive years. Besides serving the Indian market, Maruti Suzuki also exports cars to several countries in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa and Oceania VISIONThe Company believes that thei r core values drive them in every endeavour * Customer Obsession * Fast, Flexible and Fast mover * Innovation and creativity * Networking and Partnership * Openness and Learning Manufacturing Excellence Maruti began its operations in 1983, with the first the Maruti 800 rolling out from its Gurgaon plant. Over the next two decades Maruti Suzuki car models led by Maruti 800 brought about a revolution in the Indian car market. As the automobile market grew so did the company’s production capabilities, production process and infrastructure. Its scale and manufacturing today is completely different from when it began.Today Maruti Suzuki’s plants are comparable with the best in the world in terms of quality, productivity and operational efficiency. Exports In recent years, the company has expanded its presence in the overseas markets. It is not uncommon to find a Suzuki badge car in countries as different as Algeria, Netherlands, Chile, Sri Lanka, France and Italy. The Compa ny has exported over one million units cumulatively. Some leading overseas markets for the Company include advanced Western Markets such as Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy and U. K beside non-European markets like Australia, South Africa, Algeria, Chile, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Nepal.Today, Maruti Suzuki exports models such as A-star, Alto , Estilo, Ritz, M-800 across to over 125 countries. In 2011-12 the Maruti Suzuki exported over 127,300 units. For its sustained efforts in developing new international markets Maruti Suzuki won the Business world International Business Award 2012 (In Exports Auto and Engineering Category). Maruti Suzuki and Motor Sport Maruti Suzuki has been actively promoting motorsports in the country for over a decade now. To popularize action sport, the Maruti Suzuki motorsport calendar is packed with exciting motoring events. Be it for a motorsport enthusiast, an amateur or a professional, there are events that offer the thrill and joy of motorsport t o one and all.The events include Autocross, Treasure Hunt and professional rallies including Maruti Suzuki Raid-de-Himalaya, Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm and Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare. These events provide rallying thrills as well as promote safe driving habits. For families, there are events like Women's Fun Drive and Treasure Hunt throughout the year, across cities. This year we will be organizing the fourth edition of Maruti Suzuki Autocar Young Driver contest, a nationwide search for India's best young driving talent. FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LIMITED The performance of Maruti Suzuki India Limited has been showing continuous growth in terms of Sales value and sales volumes. The company has been able to maintain its momentum by adopting to the changing environment.The below graph shows the sales of Maruti Suzuki India Limited Figure 6: Sales growth of MSIL The below graph shows the Sales achieved and the Profit After tax of MSIL over the past 5 years. Figure 7: Profit after Tax and Sales Value The Company’s NETWORTH over the years has continuously increased. The growth in the company’s Networth is depicted in the chart below. Figure 8: Company Networth over Years SALES AND SERVICE NETWORK Maruti Suzuki boasts of the largest Sales and Service network in Indian Passenger Vehicles Market. The company has a Sales Network of 1100 in 801 cities across the country. The Company also has over 2,900 service points pread across 1408 cities across the country. The graph below depicts the growth in the sales network of Maruti Suzuki Figure 9: Growth in Sales Network MAJOR COMPETITORS Maruti Suzuki enjoys a market share of 45% in the Indian Passenger Car Market. However it has been facing stiff competion from other market players such as Hyundai with a market share of 16%, Tata Motors with a market share of 14%, Mahindra with a market share of 8%, Chevrolet with a market share of 4%, Toyota with a market share of 3 % among others. A breaku p of the market share of various players in the passenger car segment is shown below. Figure 10: Market share of Passenger car segment. Source SIAM, 12/2009It may be observed from the above chart and the sales growth of Maruti Suzuki, that the company has been facing stiff competition. The company being the Market Leader has been able to tide through the tough challenges effectively by employing various strategies. The company’s enormous service base and dealer network has enabled it to maintain its stronghold in the Passenger car market. Companies such as Hyundai, Tata Motors and Chevrolet have been launching products targeting the entry level car segment. However Maruti has been able to hold on to its customer base. Various challenging products launched by its competitors are given in the following table. Sl.No| Segment Description| MSIL Products| Competitors Products| 1| Passenger Cars: Mini| M800, A Star, Wagon-R, Alto| Chevrolet Spark and Beat, Tata Nano and Indica, Hyun dai Eon| 2| Passenger Cars: Compact| Swift, Estillo, Ritz| Hyundai i20, Volkswagen Polo, Skoda Fabia, Ford Figo, Fiat Punto, Nissan Micra, Renault Pulse, Honda Brio, Toyota Etios Liva| 3| Passenger Cars: Super Compact| DZire| Tata Indigo, Manza, Mahindra Verito, Hyundai Accent, Chevrolet Optra| 4| Passenger Cars: Mid-Size| SX4| Honda City and Civic, Hyundai Verna, Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Fiesta, Fiat Linea, Nissan Sunny, Toyota Corolla, Renault Fluence| 5| Passenger Cars: Executive| Kizashi| Hyundai Sonata, Honda Accord, Volkswagen Jetta, Skoda Laura, Toyota Camry| 6| Utility Vehicles| Gypsy, Ertiga, Grand Vitara| Toyota Innova, Tata Safari, Sumo, Mahindra Xylo, Scorpio, Renault Duster| 7| Vans| Omni, Eeco| | Table 3: Maruti's Competitors across various segments Even with the kind of competition, Maruti has been able to hold on to its position with its revolutionary products such as the Alto and Swift. Alto has been continuously the highest selling Passenger Car. Swift enjoys a high m arket share in the Compact Hatchback segment.With its presence in 801 cities across the country with over 1300 authorised service centers, Maruti has been able to hold on to its customers. Maruti also faced competition from the used car sales market, for which the company found a novel solution by launching True Value outlets for used cars. ALTO – Let’s GO Maruti Suzuki launched ALTO in the Indian market in 2000. Alto was launched in the entry level Hatchback segment alongside Maruti’s own M800 which was launched in 1983 and since then had revolutionised the Automobile market in India. Alto stood generations ahead of the M800 in terms of technology and interior space. Alto showed the industry what a mass car could offer. It was also the first car that showed that car sales in India could log high sales volumes.Alto achieved cumulative sales of 20 lakhs during March 2011, the highest for any Indian Car. It also recorded the highest ever number of sales for any In dian Car in March 2011 by selling 38,065 units. As of July, 2012, Maruti Suzuki Alto stands at the no 1 position with 17,422 units sold during the period with a share of 9% of overall passenger car sales. It is worth mentioning that the top three spots are all held by Maruti’s Products. Second position is held by Swift at sales of 11,421 units and DZire at sales of 11,413 units. Maruti Alto was also the world’s highest selling small car of the year in 2010. Major Achievements of Maruti Suzuki Alto: 1. World’s Largest Selling small car for two consecutive years. 2.Second Maruti Suzuki brand to sell over 2 million, with the first being Maruti 800. 3. Crossed the 20 lakh sales mark in just 11 years 9 months in June 2012 4. Only car brand in India to cross the 3,00,000 unit sales mark in a single financial year. 5. First Indian Car to successfully pass a 24hrs endurance test. 6. Has been the highest selling car brand in the domestic market consecutively for the past 7 years. Alto Variants Maruti Suzuki launched the Alto brand in various variants such as Standard, LX, LXi. VX and VXi. The table below gives a brief outline of the various variants and the features that it offered Sl. No| Variant| Features offered| 1| Standard| Introduced as the basic model.Had an advantage over M800 in that it had more space and introduced the 5th gear for cruising at high speeds| 2| LX| Model Introduced along with Air Conditioning| 3| LXi| Model Introduced along with Air Conditioning and Power Steering features| 4| VX| This model sported a 4 cylinder V engine along with Air-Conditioning| 5| VXi| This model sported a 4 cylinder V engine along with Air-Conditioning and Power Steering feature| 6| Alto K10| This model was recently launched in 2010 with a powerful 1000cc engine| Table 4: Variants of Maruti Alto Alto has been highly performing in the market and forms the major sales generating cars for Maruti Suzuki.The company’s effective positioning of the br and enabled it to gain the market leader position in a short period of time. With huge growth of the Brand, MSIL slowly and in a phased manner closed down several of its production lines of M800. Thus Alto allowed MSIL to cannibalise its own product. Alto’s Brand name made Suzuki market A-Star under the Alto brand in Europe. Recent Developments: Recently Alto has been facing stiff competition by players such as Chevrolet (GM), Tata Motors and Hyundai. Launch of Tata Nano was expected to eat into the sales of Alto. Chevrolet launched Spark and Eon’s launch by Hyundai have been expected to eat into Maruti Alto’s sales.However the company has adopted aggressive marketing strategies to combat the same. The company launched the Maruti Alto Xplore feature with a number of additional features. Alto K10 introduced in 2010 also helped the company combat some combination, which helped it to maintain combined sales of 20,000 units per month. The company is also expected to launch a new 800cc car to be named as Alto 800, with a price in the sub 2 lakh range making it around 40,000 cheaper than the regular Alto. This may be the company’s answer to Nano from Tata Motors. Maruti’s Alto 800 will replace the Iconic M800 and is likely to cash in on the 28-year legacy that the car has created.Also Maruti is expected to launch the model during the 2012 Indian Festival season to push up sales volumes. SALES GROWTH OF MARUTI ALTO Alto since its inception in 2000 has been posting increasing sales. The sale of Alto in FY 2009 was 212,000 units and grew to 235,000 units in FY 2010. FY 2011 saw sales of 347,000 units and during FY 2012 the brand recorded a sales of 308,000 units. STUDY OF ALTO IN THE CONTEXT OF MARKETING In the course of this work an attempt has been made to study Maruti Alto in the context of Marketing by applying various marketing techniques and models. An effort has been made to apply relevant models to study the success of the bra nd.We start with studying the brand in the context of 4 P’s, make a SWOT analysis on Maruti Alto and discuss the Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning. SWOT ANALYSIS The Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for Maruti Alto as a brand is analysed below STRENGTHS Company Reputation: Maruti enjoys a very good reputation in the Indian Passenger Car Market. The company has built on the reputation from its M800 which revolutionised the market. As a brand Maruti Alto enjoys a similar reputation as the most selling small car. Market Share: Maruti being the market leader in the Passenger car segment enjoys a large market share of over 40%. Alto also enjoys a huge market share in terms of volume sales at around 9% of the overall passenger car sales.Customer Satisfaction: Maruti Suzuki is Ranked No. 1 in J D Power Customer Satisfaction Index consecutively for 12 years. Distribution Effectiveness: Maruti has a vast distribution and service channel. This has helped the compa ny penetrate into the whole geographical reach of India. The company has a total sales network of 1100 dealers and has covered 801 Indian cities. It has over 1305 Dealer workshops and around 1653 authorised service centres spanning 1408 cities. Geographical Coverage: The Company has covered the width and breadth of the Indian Subcontinent. With its huge sales and service network the company has been able to maintain a strong foothold in the market. WEAKNESSESTechnical Manufacturing Skills (Diesel Car Segment): Maruti Suzuki has by far been the best performing company in the passenger car segment in the petrol variants. Its major sales have been in the Petrol variants. However the company lacks experience in the diesel cars manufacturing and is relatively new to the segment. However with the introduction of the diesel versions of Swift and Swift DZire the company has alleviated the absence in this segment. However Alto completely misses out in this segment. The company has recently r eported that it is planning to launch a car with an 800 cc diesel engine. Workforce: Maruti Suzuki has a large workforce; however most of this workforce has been contract personnel.The company has been witnessing regular strikes by the workforce. A recent turmoil at the companies Manesar Plant is evident of the volatile workforce of the company. Export Market: Maruti Suzuki has been the leader in domestic sales; however the company lags behind in exports. Hyundai its closest competitor in the domestic front holds the leader position in exports. Though Alto has made a name in European roads, the company has not been able to capitalise on the same due to lack of experience. OPPORTUNITIES Purchasing Power: The growing purchasing power and Income of the Indian Middle Class family is an opportunity that the company can capitalise upon.Diesel Car Segment: Though Maruti Suzuki and Alto as a brand suffer from their relative absence in the diesel car market, the diesel car segment is a lusci ous opportunity for the company to cash upon. With subsidised diesel prices and better diesel engine technologies in the market, many customers are willing to try diesel cars. Therefore a growing diesel car market segment is an opportunity for Maruti. THREATS Competition from Foreign Players: Maruti Suzuki faces a major challenge from the new players entering the Indian Market from foreign countries. This was already witnessed after the launch of Chevrolet (General Motors) in India. Competition from Second hand / Used Cars Market: Many first timers tend to buy used cars. This eats into the sales of Maruti Suzuki’s products.However the company has been able to alleviate it with the launch of its very own True Value outlets selling used cars. MARKETING MIX An attempt is made to analyse the Brand with reference to the 4 P’s of marketing: Product, Price, Promotion and Place. PRODUCT Large Portfolio of products: Maruti Suzuki has a large variety of products as shown in tabl e 3. Apart from this the company also has a variety of products under its various brands. Maruti launched Alto in a number of variants such as Standard, LX, LXi, Vx and VXi (referred in table 4) Design: Maruti Alto was so designed to increase the interior space of the car in comparison with the M800. Also the car featured a fifth gear which was absent in the erstwhile leader M800.Features: Feature additions have been taking place as per the requirements of the customers. Features such as power windows are now a part of the new models K10 and Xplore. Warranty: MSIL offered a warranty of 2 years or 40,000 kms of running whichever is earlier from the date of delivery to its first owner for all of its cars. Also MSIL provides extended warranty services on payment of a premium. The warranty can be extended to 3 or 4 years (60,000 kms or 80,000 kms). PRICE Various variants of Maruti Alto is priced as per the table below: Sl. No| Model| Price (non Metallic) in Rs| Price (Metallic) in Rs| 1 | Alto Standard| 2,49,477. 98| 2,52,745. 62| | Alto LXI| 3,01,249. 97| 3,04,517. 61| 3| Alto LX| 2,82,489. 77| 2,85,757. 42| 4| Alto K10 LXI| 3,24,319. 31| 3,27,587. 10| 5| Alto K10 VXI| 3,37,736. 80| 3,41,004. 92| Table 5: Pricing of Maruti Alto Variants MSIL has been recently adopting Aggressive pricing to capture higher market share and to counter the attack by other manufacturers such as Hyundai with the launch of EON. Maruti During the initial days of launch of Alto had put Alto under the A2 segment. The A1 segment had only 1 Brand, the M800. The A2 segment contained 3 brands viz. , Alto, Zen and Esteem. Thereby Maruti scaled down the Alto LX model to Alto Standard priced at over 2. 4 Lakhs.This enabled Maruti to play 2 brands in the A1 segment which earlier had only one car. Also it may be noted that Alto initially priced the Alto in the A2 segment as most of the components were imported. Efforts of Import Substitution led to increase in the local content and Maruti was thus a ble to reduce the prices of the models. Maruti is seen adopting aggressive pricing recently. It is reported to be planning the Alto 800 in the sub 2 lakh Rupees segment, cheaper by almost Rs 40,000 than the regular Alto. PROMOTION Maruti Suzuki adopted various sales promotion and Advertising efforts. They target the market with taglines such as â€Å"Ghar Ghar me Maruti†, â€Å"Mera Sapna Mera Maruti†, â€Å"India comes home in a Maruti†.Ads telling Maruti Alto – Lets Go stressed on the fuel efficiency of the cars. Maruti’s Advertisements were targeted at the mileage savvy Indian consumer. Ads in which people would ask a guide â€Å"Kitna Deti Hai† were clearly targeted at the Indian Consumer. The ads noted in the end that â€Å"For a Country Obsessed with Mileage, Maruti makes the most fuel efficient cars†. Maruti also offered discounts during festival seasons to increase its sales volumes. Maruti choose many channels for its promoti on. It advertised on the print media, broadcasted its advertisements and also advertised over the Internet. Alto was promoted everywhere as a fuel efficient Brand. PLACESales Channels: Maruti expanded from a sales network of 375 in 227 cities in 2005-06 to 801 cities in 2011-12 with a total sales network of 1100. The company has a service network spread across 1408 cities. Coverage: Maruti has been able to launch its products across all states of the country. Its sales network presence in 801 cities indicates to the fact that Maruti has been able to launch its products across the Indian Subcontinent. SEGMENTATION, TARGETING AND POSITIONING * Segmentation: Maruti Suzuki segmented the market on the basis of income and age. In this way they employed demographic segmentation. * Income: For high income groups models like SX4, Kizashi, Swift Dzire and Ertiga were launched.For middle income groups models like Alto, A Star, Ritz, Wagon-R and Swift under premium hatchback segment were launch ed. * Age: Maruti Alto was targeted at the Indian Youth. The company launched AD campaigns which showcased it as a car for the youth. However the car appealed for all the age segments. * Targeting: Maruti Suzuki targeted the Indian youth and the middle income group. The company looked at the vast population who were looking to switchover from two wheelers to four wheelers. * Positioning: Maruti Suzuki positioned Alto as the car for the youth along with their existing position as a fuel efficient brand. Their advertisements depicted Alto as a fuel efficient small car for the youth.This can be also known from the Maruti Suzuki’s note on Alto as â€Å"Epitomising freedom and independence, the Alto offers high fuel efficiency and is easy on maintenance. The Alto is the perfect option for the ever-mobile youth of today†. COMPETING PRODUCTS Ever since its Launch Maruti’s Alto has been clocking large sales. The company capitalised on the growing Income of the Indian Ho usehold and targeted the Indian Youth. It may be noted that as mentioned earlier, 27% of Alto’s sales came from youth under the age of 29. This was noticed by other major players in the Indian Sector. Thus most of them launched products challenging the position of Maruti Alto. Hyundai, General Motors and Tata Motors came up with products supposed to challenge Maruti Alto.Below a brief discussion is made about these companies and their competing products. Hyundai Motor India Limited Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company (HMC), South Korea and is the largest car exporter and second largest car manufacture in India. HMIL presently markets models of passenger cars across different categories. HMIL’s manufacturing plant is located near Chennai with the total capacity of 600000 units per annum. It claims to have the most advanced production, quality and testing capabilities in the country. To support its growth and expansion plans, HMIL currently has a 336 strong dealer and 721 strong service points across India.Models The following are the models available currently from the HMIL. 1. Hyundai Accent Executive(Launched 2003) 2. Hyundai Santro Xing(Launched 2003) 3. Hyundai Uber Cool i20(Launched 2008) 4. Hyundai Next Gen i10(Launched 2010) 5. Hyundai Fluidic Verna(Launched 2011) 6. Hyundai EON(Launched 2011) 7. Hyundai Santa Fe(Launched 2010) 8. Hyundai Sonata(Launched 2012) Among these models, Hyundai EON is the nearest competitor for Maruti Alto. It is priced between Rs 2. 7 lakhs to Rs 3. 7 lakhs and gives the Maruti Alto a strong competition. Hyundai EON Maruti is facing stiff challenge from its direct competitor Hyundai Motors after the launch of EON.There was slight slowdown in Alto’s booking and sales ever since HMIL announced the launch of its new product EON. Hyundai EON was also targeted at the same segment of Indian Youth which was the major segment generating revenues for Maruti Alto. EON achieved bookings of 6315 units during October 2011 during which period the sales of Alto clocked 15,197 units. Tata Motors Tata Motors is the India’s largest Automobile manufacturing company, world’s 4th largest truck manufacturer and 2nd largest bus manufacturer. It is ranked 3rd in the passenger car segment. It has auto manufacturing and assembly and assembly plants in Jamshedpur, Pantnagar, Lucknow, Sanand, Dharwad and Pune.It has also operations in the UK, South Korea, Thailand and Spain through subsidiaries. It has sold over 6. 5 million vehicles in India since 1954. Models Under passenger cars division of Tata Motors, the following are the models available currently. 1. Tata Sumo / Grande / Gold 2. Tata Safari 3. Tata Indica / Vista 4. Tata Indigo / Marina / Manza 5. Tata Nano 6. Tata Xenon XT 7. Tata Aria Among these models, Tata Nano is the significant competitor for Maruti Alto. It is priced very aggressively around Rs 1. 5 lakhs. Tata Nano The Nano was a household name even before its launch. The launch of Tata Nano expanded the Indian car market by 65% (according to CRISIL). At present, the Nano comes with a 4 years / 60000 km warranty.The launch of Nano lessened the price gap between the two wheelers and the four wheelers. The Nano was expected to be a major challenge for the Alto and was expected to eat into the sales of Alto. During October 2011 Nano recorded a sales of 3868 units against Alto’s sales of 15,197 units. General Motors India Private Limited General Motors India Private Limited is the fifth largest automobile manufacturing company in India after Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata Motors and M&M. In 1996, GM launched its first model Opel Astra. General Motors India manufacturing plant is located at Halol, Gujarat and they entered the Indian Auto market with total investment of US $ 252 million.In 2003, the company entered the MUV segment by launching the Chevrolet brand in India through Forester. In 2004, the comp any launched another MUV model, the Tavera. The Tavera was quite successful in capturing the attention of tours and travels operators after the exit of Toyota Qualis. Following this the company launched various models in different categories under Chevrolet brand. Models GM India motors discontinued all the models under the Opel brand in 2006 and replaced by Chevrolet. The following are the current models available under the Chevrolet brand. 1. Chevrolet Optra (Launched 2003) 2. Chevrolet Tavera(Launched 2004) 3. Chevrolet Aveo / U-VA (Launched 2006) 4. Chevrolet Spark (Launched 2007) 5.Chevrolet Captiva (Launched 2008) 6. Chevrolet Beat (Launched 2010) 7. Chevrolet Cruze (Launched in 2007 and upgraded in 2012) Chevrolet Spark GM launched Chevrolet Spark in 2007 targeting the entry level segment with a price tag between Rs 3. 14 – Rs 3. 68 lakhs. . Chevrolet Spark was also launched on the same platform as that of Alto targeting the youth. Chevrolet introduced additional featu res such as airbags to its variants in Spark. Chevrolet also offered a 3 year / 100000 km warranty for Spark while Maruti offered only a 2 years / 40000 km warranty for Alto. During October 2011 Chevrolet Spark Clocked a sales of 1782 units as against Alto’s sales of 15,197 units.COMPARISON WITH COMPETITORS In the previous section the close competitors of Maruti Suzuki Alto were discussed. Here an attempt is made to compare the brands on various aspects. The table below shows the comparison. Factor of Comparison| ALTO| HYUNDAI EON| TATA NANO| CHEVROLET SPARK| Company Reputation| High| High| High| Good| Brand name| High| High| Good| Good| Product Quality| Good| Good| Good| High| Product Features| Less| Good| Less| Good| Market Share| High| Low| Low| Low| Product Variants| Good| Less| Less| Less| Table 6: Comparison of Alto with Competitors Products It may be noted that Maruti Suzuki Alto stands ahead of its competition.However, during recent times it is seen that the market sh are of the company and the brand has reduced due to other promotional strategies employed by its competitors as well as the features and services offered. Various strategies that may be adopted by Maruti Suzuki to help retain its market share are given below: 1. Product Reformulation: Maruti may adopt various product reformulation strategies to increase its image. The interiors of Alto have been noted to be boring and less spacious. Maruti should work towards improving the interiors of Alto and also to increase the leg space. 2. Feature Additions: Maruti Alto suffered a setback to Hyundai Eon as Eon sported Airbags among other safety features. Maruti can also introduce features such as Airbags, Anti-Lock Braking system and Power Windows. 3.Product Quality Improvement: Maruti Alto was reported to have hard gears in comparison to Hyundai cars. Maruti may work on the same to improve the quality of the cars. References [1] | M. Goyal, â€Å"How Maruti keeps meeting India's demand ; wha t makes Swift and Dzire so popular,† The Economic Times, 19 August 2012. | [2] | â€Å"www. ibef. org/industry/automobiles. aspx,† [Online]. | [3] | â€Å"http://amitbiswal. blogspot. in/2011/08/market-share-analysis-of-indian-car. html,† [Online]. | [4] | S. R. Anjan Ghosh, â€Å"Indian Passenger Vehicle Industry: Growth Momentum To Continue†. | [5] | M. M. Mr. S. Prahalathan, â€Å"Indian Automotive Industry:At The Crossroads,† Quest Publications, 2008. [6] | Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, â€Å"Annual Report 2011-2012†. | [7] | â€Å"http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Maruti_Suzuki,† [Online]. | [8] | M. Singh, â€Å"Maruti Adapts Aggressive Marketing Strategy For Alto To Combat EON Effect,† Caredekho. com, 20 October 2011. | [9] | â€Å"http://bestsellingcarsblog. com/category/india/,† [Online]. | [10] | â€Å"http://management-punditz. blogspot. in/2012/04/indian-automobile-statistics-fy-2012. html,† [Online]. | [11] | â€Å"http://www. marutisuzuki. com/,† [Online]. | [12] | N. S. Gupta, â€Å"Maruti may position Alto in the A segment,† The Economic Times, 23 April 2004. | [13] | â€Å"http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Automotive_industry_in_India,† [Online]. |