N 750 words, discuss and provide support for the evolutionary origins Essay

N 750 words, discuss and provide support for the evolutionary origins of the following organisms or disease HIV,and how or why it spread to humans - Essay Example evidence put forward by a new team of researchers suggests that the AIDS pandemic dates back to as early as 1884 and that the virus responsible for causing the disease began circulating among humans in the Sub-Saharan African regions between the years 1884 and 1924 (National Geographic, 2012). Also, studies indicate that the first instances of this disease were observed among African primates who were detected with a virus closely related to the HIV, known as SIV (Simian immunodeficiency virus). The SIVs are known to have been transferred to humans through hunting activities and the consumption of primate meat by the humans in the African region (Hahn et al., 2000). The study of molecular phylogenies indicates the various cross-species transmission of the virus to humans. The exact number of cross-species transfer of this virus is difficult to estimate, however studies have shown that the incidence of HIV among humans is likely to be caused by as many as three such transfers in case of HIV-1 whereas the sub groups M, N and O are likely to be of independent origin (Gao, 1999; Sharp, 2001). The Evolutionary Theory: In order for any virus transferred from an animal to affect the human, it is essential for it to adapt to the new host. This is a rarity, since mostly viruses transferred from animals to humans do not affect the latter. However, this theory posits that if the virus transmitted from the animals have had several opportunities to enter the human body, it is highly likely for the said virus to adapt to it and latch on to the receptors thus affecting the human cells in the process. The same has been observed in case of the SIV virus which is a virus originally found among animals but successfully adapted to the hosts thus mutating into HIV, thus converting itself into a human virus (Kirkland, 2010). The Hunter Theory: Some researchers believe that the HIV virus is a mutation of the SIV virus commonly found among primates and has been transferred to humans

Tuition Fees In England

Tuition Fees In England English universities are well-known throughout the world for their excellence. Yet, in less than twenty years, Higher Education was reformed. Before 1988, Local Education Authorities was in charge of Higher Education, its funding, its functioning, and of students grants of its area. The adoption of the 1988 Education Act under Margaret Thatchers government marked the beginning of long series of reforms. The last to date made the headline news because of the students manifestations which followed from the bill. Indeed from 1998 to nowadays, the issue deals with the tuition fees a fee paid for instruction its legitimacy and its price. This issue is largely controversial even within the Labour party. Why such shift for prestigious Higher Education system? How the Higher Education was reformed? Why did students manifestations follow from the bill? To figure it out, we are going to focus at first on the creation of a new system in order to then analyse the rising of tuitions fees and the students protest and finally we are going to analyse the new students hardships. The creation of a new system a cost sharing system 1998 : Turning point 1998 marked a turning point in the history of English education the Local Education Authorities no longer covered the student scholar fees (ten years before, in 1988) and the students were then involved in the payment of fees for their study. Indeed, in 1996 the government commissioned a report on the funding of the Higher Education that is to say, how Higher Education should develop to meet the needs of the UK over the next 20 years. The National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education was chaired by Sir Ronald Dearing Chancellor of the University of Nottingham. The report was published in 1997 and it stated that more than  £2 billion would be needed to adapt the Higher Education to the new demands (increasing numbers of students) and needs. The solution proposed was made up with a hundred recommendations. The most important one was the participation of the student on the payment of their own study. The report praised the introduction of the means-tested tuition fees based on familys income. The 1998 Teaching and Higher Education Act was the governmental response to this report. It was enacted under Tony Blairs government. It introduced the means tested tuition fees as follows: Student whose family income was inferior to  £23,000 per year would not pay tuition fees. Student whose family income was situated between  £23,000 and  £35,000 would pay a percentage fees in function of their means. The tuition fees would be  £1,000 per academic year. By setting this mean testing system, 1/3 of students would not have to pay tuition fees. Yet, the maintenance grants (grants to help students with the living costs) would be replaced by maintenance loans. Students would begin to pay off their loans when they would work and earn at least  £10,000 per year. It met little active opposition from students. But this act created debate within the Labour party itself, some members of the party were strict opponent to the end of the Free Higher Education. Reason of introduction of tuition fees But why did the government need to implement such a system? The major reason was the lack of funding in Higher Education. In less than 20 years the Higher Education shifted from an elite system to a mass system. Indeed, the number of students going to university rose from 6% to around 33% between 1962 and 1996. So, universities have to adapt their infrastructures, equipment, and by consequence they needed money. Moreover, the aim of the government was to make it more accessible for all students from all backgrounds with the introduction of mean testing tuition fees. Creation of top up fees In 2004 another measure would be adopted by the Labour Party. Despite the former act which created the tuition fees up to  £1,000, Tony Blairs government concluded that the funding of Higher Education was not enough. In this sense, the Labour Party proposed another act in 2004, The Higher Education Act. It enabled universities to set their own tuition fees depending on their own needs of funding: it was called top up fees. It could go up to  £3,000 per academic year. These tuition fees could be pay at the end of the degree, it would take the form of a loan student would pay off this loan when he would have a job and earn more than  £15,000 per year. The debt would be written off after 25 years. Another feature was the reintroduction of the maintenance grants in order to help the poorest students (yet students could win private bursaries through the universities competitive). The main objections of the opponents were the expensive fees which created pressure upon students, and they estimated the variable fees as the form of privatisation of Higher Education. Those measures were a first step to higher education reform. The government was going to take further measures in the forthcoming years. Tuition fees rising and students protest The investigation By November 2009, Gordon Browns government launched a new investigation on Higher Education; it would be a review on fees and university funding. It was chaired by Lord Browne of Madingley and composed of some Vice-Chancellor of Universities such as David Eastwood and Julia King. The Independent Review of The Higher Education Funding and Finance was published on October 2010. It established few principles such as more investment for Higher Education, fair access to all, affordable payments, same treatment for part-time students as full-time students, and underlined that no one should have to pay loans until they start to work. In order to respect those principles, the major proposals were the following ones: Universities could charge any fees it seemed necessary, there would be no cap the up-front fees were removed and replaced by tuition fees loans No means testing maintenance loans and additional financial support for poorest families (under  £60,000) which would be paid back only when the graduate would have an income of at least  £21,000 per year. If the graduates work stops whatever the reason the repayment stops. The debts would be written off after 30 years. The government proposal Meanwhile, the government passed from a labour government to a coalition one with the election of David Cameron as Prime Minister and Nick Clegg as Deputy Prime Minister in May 2010. The government proposal to the Browne Report responded on November 2010 and it included several features. The main one was the rejection of the Brownes proposal to remove the tuition fees cap, and government proposed to cap the tuition fees to  £9,000 per year. As for loans, government aligned itself with the Browne recommendations by declaring that students would begin to pay off once they would earn between  £15,000 and  £21,000. The MPs had to vote if they agreed or not on this proposal by December. The new elected Liberal Democrat had been pledged to the National Union of Students to not increase the tuition fees before being elected. Once the report was published, Nick Clegg, leader of Liberal Democrats, claimed that the Browne Report could be fair and sustainable. While the coalition government allowed the Liberal Democrats to abstain the vote on this issue, Nick Clegg wrote to his MPs I am painfully aware of the pledge we all made to voters on tuition fees ahead of the general election. Departing from that pledge will be one of the most difficult decisions of my political career. He was going to break his pledge. This bill sparked off some waves of demonstrations throughout the entire country. Students riots On November, 10th, students began to demonstrate against the government bill, and showed their anger towards the expensive rate of fees. It was organized by the National Union of Students (NUS) and the University and College Union (UCU) prior to the government vote in order to convince MPs to not vote in favour of the bill. Those demonstrations took place in several cities such as Cambridge, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ but the most important one set up in London. The march in London was composed of more than 50,000 persons, but was overshadowed by violence. Indeed, the demonstration turned into a violent riot when some demonstrators began to attack the headquarters of the Conservative Party breaking some windows and burning some Nick Cleggs and David Camerons effigies on the roof of the building. David Cameron answered to the media that he would not change his mind on this bill and denounced the extreme violence of this riot. Another march was organized on November 2010, 24th by the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC). Taking into consideration the event of November, 10th the Metropolitan Police deployed more than 1,000 policemen throughout London. This time, this protest turned into a violent clash between policemen and protesters. On December, 9th, date of the governmental vote, another protest happened in Trafalgar Square. More than clashes between policemen and rioters, this time some protestors attacked a Royal car transporting Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. The couple was not injured by the attack. To understand why this protest turned into a violent riot, one has to understand the impact of such a measure on students lifestyle. New students hardships Students indebted All those changes in less than 20 years largely impacted students lifestyle. The tuitions fees are extremely expensive, and could be a curb on students choice to go or not at university. Students have to choose between being in debt or to abandon the idea of studying. This is an important feature to take into account especially for the poorest students. According to The push universities guide (a British organisation which informs students on higher education), the average student debts could hit  £53,000 for the students starting their course in 2012. For those who started courses in 2011, it was estimated at  £26,100. The largest students indebted are the Londoners. It is easily understandable considering the expensive cost of living in the city. For example, a student who wants to pass a degree will have to pay  £27,000 just to have access to universities (if the university charges  £9,000), then will be in debt of more than  £28,000 (the inflation has to be taken into account). If the graduate begins to work and has an income of  £19,000, it is estimated that the student will pay off during 30 years before the debt would be written off. So, the student would have paid back around 67% of his debt. If the graduate has an income of  £25,000, he will pay off his debt during 18 years. The internal government figures reveal that only one quarter of students will be able to pay off their debt. Therefore, the majority of indebted student will never be able to pay off their loans. If the estimation turns to be accurate, it would underline a huge issue in the created system (millions of pounds would be lost) as well as the inefficiency of the measure taken. Several difficulties Students have to cope with others difficulties such as the need for a job. The number of full-time students with jobs rose by 54% in the last 10 years stated the Trades Union Congress in 2006. Most of students have to take part time jobs in order to survive because their families cannot afford the cost of the student life and because the maintenance loans do not offer enough money. 61 % of the students who have a part time job come from family with poor background. The average hours of a part time job for a student are 14 hours per week. Such an amount of hours have clearly an impact on their studies: they often miss classes, lectures, which lead to poorer attainments than the others students. Furthermore, those students have less leisure time, less social life than the other students. This phenomenon is not very different from France but the majority of students do not have the financial pressure of beginning their life with such an amount of loans. Moreover, by creating such a financial pressure, the students choice about his job would depend on this income (in order to be able to repay his debt and to afford a high standard of living). Some jobs might be abandoned by the graduates because of their salaries, and could create a new societal problem. Another feature is that students could not give up after a year to reorientate towards another course of study an academic year can cost up to  £9,000 to choose a wrong course of study can be very expensive. To sum up, Higher Education underwent some mains shifts by the last decades, and the end is not yet in sight. Tuitions fees are still a burning issue. Indeed the reforms come into force only this year, in September 2012, that is the reason why we cannot analyse yet the real impact on the society and also there are only estimations. But some shortcomings already appear such as the inefficiency of the Student Loan system, which could lead to another social problem: if the majority of students would not be able to pay off their debts, who would reimburse it? Moreover, after the breaking pledge of Nick Clegg on the rising of tuition fees he recognized and apologized publicly in the media only on September 2012 the deputy prime minister went down in the opinion polls. Sources http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=409011 http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/nov/10/student-protest-fees-violent http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuition_fees_in_the_United_Kingdom http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/only-a-quarter-of-all-graduates-will-pay-off-loans-2158168.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/5302082.stm http://www.3s4.org.uk/drivers/changing-student-lifestyle http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2004/jan/27/tuitionfees.students http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8057871/Grants-loans-and-tuition-fees-a-timeline-of-how-university-funding-has-evolved.html http://www.ifs.org.uk/wps/wp1004.pdf http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11954333 http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/nov/24/student-school-pupils-protests-walkout http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11877034

evilmac Free Macbeth Essay - From Good to Evil in Shakespeares Macbeth :: GCSE Coursework Macbeth Essays

From Good to Evil in Macbeth A person could make a dramatic change of character when they go from a heart of good to a heart of evil. Macbeth is motivated to kill Duncan by Lady Macbeth, but Macbeth is then motivated by fate, and finally motivated by impulse to carry out his next succession of crimes. Macbeth had a hand, or was involved in 3 murders in the story. The first murder was of King Duncan at the beginning of the story with the aid and instructions of Lady Macbeth. The second murder was of Macbeth’s best friend Banquo, which Macbeth used the service of three murders to accomplish. It was fate for Macbeth to eliminate Banquo because Banquo was to be the father of kings while Macbeth would not. Finally, the third murder was of Macduff’s wife and children. One murderer does the job this time and Macbeth decides from this murder on to act on impulse and not think or feel remorse for any action he does from there on. All these murders indicate that Macbeth doesn’t know how to make things right after he has done something wrong, so he does the only thing he thinks is right, and that is to be more violent with each act he commits. When Macbeth is first introduced, the first impression that we have of him is that he was an incredible and worthy fighter and the King speaks very highly of him. An example of this is "O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman!" The phrase shows that Duncan is very proud of Macbeth, his soldier, and his cousin. In the witches prophecies, Macbeth was told he would be Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and then eventually become King. He was already Thane of Glamis and he becomes Thane of Cawdor shortly after the execution of the previous Thane, but one prophecy sticks in his mind. He is to become King. Macbeth had the thoughts of becoming King but there was no way he would ever think of murdering his King. He had neither the heart nor determination to do such a violent act. He expresses his discomfort with this in a soliloquy. "That tears shall down the wind. I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself, and falls on the other." Mac beth mentions he has no motive to do the deed.

Positive And Negative Effects Of Gaming

Video games are frowned upon by parents as time-wasters, and worse, some education experts think that these games corrupt the brain. Violent video games are easily blamed by the media and some experts as the reason why some young people become violent or commit extreme anti-social behavior. But many scientists and psychologists find that video games can actually have many benefits – the main one is making kids smart. Video games may actually teach kids high-level thinking skills that they will need in the future.Positive Effects of Video Games:†¢When you play video games, it gives the brain a real workout. In many video games, the skills required to win involve abstract and high level thinking. These skills are not even taught at school. Some of the mental skills enhanced by video games include: o Following instructionso Problem solving and logic o Hand-eye coordination, fine motor and spatial skills. o Planning, resource management and logistics. o Multitasking o Quick t hinking, making fast analysis and decisions. o Accuracyo Pattern recognition o Estimating skillso Memory . o Concentration o Improved ability to rapidly and accurately recognize visual information o Teamwork and cooperation when played with others o Management†¢Video games increase your self-confidence and self-esteem as you master the games. In many games, the levels of difficulty are adjustable.As a beginner, you begin at the easy level and by constant practicing and slowly  building skills, you become confident in handling more difficult challenges. Since the cost of failure is lower, you don’t fear making mistakes. You take more risks and explore more. You can transfer this attitude to the real life.Negative Effects of Video Games:†¢Most of the bad effects of video games are blamed on the violence they contain. Children who play more violent video games are more likely to have increased aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and decreased prosocial help ing, according to a scientific study (Anderson & Bushman, 2001). The effect of video game violence in kids is worsened by the games’ interactive nature. In many games, kids are rewarded for being more violent. The act of violence is done repeatedly. The child is in control of the violence and experiences the violence in his own eyes (killings, kicking, stabbing and shooting).This active participation, repetition and reward are effective tools for learning behavior. Indeed, many studies seem to indicate that violent video games may be related to aggressive behavior (such as Anderson & Dill, 2000; Gentile, Lynch & Walsh, 2004). However, the evidence is not consistent and this issue is far from settled. Many experts including Henry Jenkins of Massachusetts Institute of Technology have noted that there is a decreased rate of juvenile crime whch coincides with the popularity of games such as Death Race, Mortal Kombat, Doom and Grand Theft auto.He concludes that teenage players are able to leave the emotional effects of the game behind when the game is over. Indeed there are cases of teenagers who commit violent crimes who also spend great amount of time playing video games such as those involved in the Columbine and Newport cases. It appears that there will always be violent people, and it just so happen that many of them also enjoy playing violent video games. †¢Too much video game playing makes your kid socially isolated. Also, he may spend less time in other activities such as doing homework, reading, sports, and interacting with the family and friends.†¢Some video games teach kids the wrong values. Violent behavior, vengeance and aggression are rewarded. Negotiating and other nonviolent solutions are often not options. Women are often portrayed as weaker characters that are helpless or  sexually provocative.†¢Games can confuse reality and fantasy.†¢Academic achievement may be negatively related to over-all time spent playing video g ames. Studies have shown that the more time a kid spends playing video games, the poorer is his performance in school. (Anderson & Dill, 2000; Gentile, Lynch & Walsh, 2004). A study by Argosy University's Minnesota School on Professional Psychology found that video game addicts argue a lot with their teachers, fight a lot with their friends, and score lower grades than others who play video games less often. Other studies show that many game players routinely skip their homework to play games, and many students admitted that their video game habits are often responsible for poor school grades.†¢Although some studies suggest that playing video games enhances a child’s concentration, other studies, such as a 2012 paper published in Psychology of Popular Media Culture, have found that games can hurt and help children's attention issues — improving the ability to concentrate in short bursts but damaging long-term concentration. †¢Video games may also have bad eff ects on some children’s health, including obesity, video-induced seizures. and postural, muscular and skeletal disorders, such as tendonitis, nerve compression, carpal tunnel syndrome. †¢When playing online, your kid can pick up bad language and behavior from other people, and may make your kid vulnerable to online dangers.†¢A study by the Minneapolis-based National Institute for Media and the Family suggests that video games can be addictive for kids, and that the kids' addiction to video games increases their depression and anxiety levels. Addicted kids also exhibit social phobias. Not surprisingly, kids addicted to video games see their school performance suffer. †¢Kids spending too much time playing video games may exhibit impulsive behavior and have attention problems. This is according to a new study published in the February 2012 issue of the Journal of Psychology and Popular Media Culture. For the study, attention problems were defined as difficulty eng aging in or sustaining behavior to reach a goal.

Internship Argumentation

Faith Rivers Dr. Gul Celkan English 1101 October 22, 2012 Internship Argumentation Internships are opportunities that many students take before graduating from college. Whether paid or unpaid, they’re beneficial to students, nonetheless. They provide experience that can’t be learned elsewhere, and also gives them an edge in comparison to students that don’t take the opportunity. Of course, internships can have their downfalls in which they may not be taken as seriously as a ‘real world’ job but the pros that internships offer outweigh the cons.As I’m naturally a clumsy person, I would feel much more content knowing that when I go to the hospital, skilled physicians are treating me. I wouldn’t feel too safe if I knew that the doctor treating me was straight out of college, and had no experience under his belt. I would question the care that I’m under. Internships are another way for students to gain priceless experience rather tha n learning only from a textbook. These students are able to work in the job market, and put their skills to use. In good timing of course! They also have the chance to watch and learn from experienced personnel.Another advantage to internships is the contacts that they make while there. They’re able to branch out under these facilities, which provide them with a network of contacts to rely on. Having the note, ‘intern at ‘x’ company’ sticks out like a green checkmark on their resume as companies appreciate this when looking at a graduates resume. It immediately makes them more competitive in the job market, and has more significance to a company. Companies know that these graduates have had similar work, and experience that they can put to good use in the company’s facility as well.Graduates are also generally prepared for the work force. These earlier interns know what they’re getting into when they’re applying for these jobs an d they’re prepared. This is useful for the organizations that they’re applying to because the companies can be assured that they’ve had some sort of training in the field before. Confidence is key! This is a popular saying and needs to be applied in this scenario. Internships provide a safety net for graduates in multiple ways. The graduates can rest assured that they have an understanding of what they’re doing, and how to apply that knowledge in the job market.It’s common that most companies hire back their interns, which is beneficial to both sides of the party. It’s beneficial to the companies because the employees have had the chance to meet the intern and work alongside them. In the same way, it’s favorable to the graduate because they’ve been able to put their knowledge to use, and have had the opportunity to work in that respected facility and get an idea of what it’s like. Despite all of the advantages that inter nships offer, the downside is that if a student takes an unpaid internship, then the student won’t find any motivation towards it.In most jobs, people work hard to keep their jobs in order to receive the reward: their paycheck. With an internship, students will just look at it as a volunteer activity and not fully appreciate it or the knowledge that it provides. The internship would just be another thing to check off of the list. Also, interns won’t receive the regular training in that job. Since companies know that the student is only interning for a select amount of time, companies won’t train as thoroughly.Additionally, the students won’t get the same work as that of a regular employee. The companies will figure that since the students are still in school and only interning, then the students won’t grasp the process of everything or won’t do it correctly. There are many opinions on the advantages and disadvantages of internships, but look ing at the facts, it’s evident that internships are extremely beneficial to students. Companies realize this as well when looking at graduates’ resumes, because these past interns are eye-catching to companies.Internships also show companies that these grads have potential working in their facility. The past interns know what they’re getting into and are knowledgeable and prepared. Comparing a student’s resume with one that did an internship compared to that of one that didn’t, the company would have more interest in the student that was an intern before. Internships provide students experience that can’t be learned from a textbook or elsewhere! Dent, Ashley. â€Å"Internship Argumentation Essay. â€Å" Macon State College. Warner Robins, GA. 2012

Assassination of Robert Kennedy

Assassination of Robert Kennedy Shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy was shot three times after giving a speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Robert Kennedy died of his wounds 26 hours later. Robert Kennedys assassination later led to Secret Service protection for all future major presidential candidates. The Assassination On June 4, 1968, popular Democratic Party presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy waited all day for the election results to come in from the Democratic primary in California. At 11:30 p.m., Kennedy, his wife Ethel, and the rest of his entourage left the Royal Suite of the Ambassador Hotel and headed downstairs to the ballroom, where approximately 1,800 supporters waited for him to give his victory speech. After giving his speech and ending with, Now on to Chicago, and lets win there! Kennedy turned and exited the ballroom through a side door that led to a kitchen pantry. Kennedy was using this pantry as a shortcut to reach the Colonial Room, where the press was waiting for him. As Kennedy traveled down this pantry corridor, which was filled with people trying to catch a glimpse of the potential future president, 24-year-old, Palestinian-born Sirhan Sirhan stepped up to Robert Kennedy and opened fire with his .22 pistol. While Sirhan was still firing, bodyguards and others tried to contain the gunman; however, Sirhan managed to fire all eight bullets before being subdued. Six people were hit. Robert Kennedy fell to the floor bleeding. Speechwriter Paul Shrade had been hit in the forehead. Seventeen-year-old Irwin Stroll was hit in the left leg. ABC director William Weisel was hit in the stomach. Reporter Ira Goldsteins hip was shattered. Artist Elizabeth Evans was also grazed on her forehead. However, most of the focus was on Kennedy. As he lay bleeding, Ethel rushed to his side and cradled his head. Busboy Juan Romero brought over some rosary beads and placed them in Kennedys hand. Kennedy, who had been seriously hurt and looked in pain, whispered, Is everybody all right? Dr. Stanley Abo quickly examined Kennedy at the scene and discovered a hole just below his right ear. Robert Kennedy Rushed to the Hospital An ambulance first took Robert Kennedy to the Central Receiving Hospital, which was located just 18 blocks away from the hotel. However, since Kennedy needed brain surgery, he was quickly transferred to Good Samaritan Hospital, arriving around 1 a.m. It was here that doctors discovered two additional bullet wounds, one under his right armpit and another just one-and-a-half inches lower. Kennedy underwent three-hour brain surgery, in which doctors removed bone and metal fragments. Over the next few hours, however, Kennedys condition continued to worsen. At 1:44 a.m. on June 6, 1968, Robert Kennedy died from his wounds at age 42. The nation was severely shocked at the news of yet another assassination of a major public figure. Robert Kennedy was the third major assassination of the decade, following the murders of Roberts brother, John F. Kennedy, five years earlier and of the great civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. just two months earlier. Robert Kennedy was buried near his brother, President John F. Kennedy, in Arlington Cemetery. What Happened to Sirhan Sirhan? Once police arrived at the Ambassador Hotel, Sirhan was escorted to police headquarters and questioned. At the time, his identity was unknown since he was carrying no identifying papers and refused to give his name. It wasnt until Sirhans brothers saw a picture of him on TV that the connection was made. It turned out that Sirhan Bishara Sirhan was born in Jerusalem in 1944 and emigrated to the U.S. with his parents and siblings when he was 12 years old. Sirhan eventually dropped out of community college and worked a number of odd jobs, including as a groom at the Santa Anita Racetrack. Once the police had identified their captive, they searched his house and found handwritten notebooks. Much of what they found written inside was incoherent, but amidst the rambling, they found RFK must die and My determination to eliminate RFK is becoming more [and] more of an unshakable obsession...[He] must be sacrificed for the cause of the poor exploited people. Sirhan was given a trial, in which he was tried for murder (of Kennedy) and assault with a deadly weapon (for the others that were shot). Although he pleaded not guilty, Sirhan Sirhan was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to death on April 23, 1969. Sirhan was never executed, however, because in 1972 California abolished the death penalty and commuted all death sentences to life in prison. Sirhan Sirhan remains imprisoned in Valley State Prison in Coalinga, California. Conspiracy Theories Just as in the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., many people believe there was also a conspiracy involved in the murder of Robert Kennedy. For Robert Kennedys assassination, there seem to be three main conspiracy theories that are based on inconsistencies found in the evidence against Sirhan Sirhan. Second Shooter- The first conspiracy involves the location of the fatal shot. Los Angeles Coroner Thomas Noguchi conducted the autopsy on Robert Kennedys body and discovered that not only had Kennedy died from the shot that entered just below and behind his right ear but that there were scorch marks around the entry wound.This meant that the shot must have come from behind Kennedy and that the muzzle of the gun must have been within an inch or so of Kennedys head when it was fired. By nearly all accounts, Sirhan had been in front of Kennedy and had never gotten closer than several feet. Could there have been a second shooter?The woman in a Polka-Dot Skirt- The second piece of evidence that easily lends itself to conspiracy theories is the multiple witnesses who saw a young woman wearing a polka-dot skirt running from the hotel with another man, exuberantly exclaiming, We shot Kennedy!Other witnesses say they saw a man who looked like Sirhan talking to a woman in a polka-dot skirt ear lier in the day. The police reports bypassed this evidence, believing that in the chaos that followed the shooting, it was more likely the couple was crying out, They shot Kennedy! Hypno-Programming- The third takes a bit more of a stretch of the imagination but is one advocated by Sirhans lawyers during pleas for parole. This theory claims that Sirhan was hypno-programmed (i.e. hypnotized and then told what to do by others). If so, this would explain why Sirhan asserts that he cant remember any of the events from that night.

Training in Clinical and Counseling Psychology

Training in Clinical and Counseling Psychology Graduate school applicants who want a career in the field of psychology often assume that training in clinical or counseling psychology will prepare them for practice, which is a reasonable assumption, but not all doctoral programs offer similar training. There are several kinds of doctoral programs in clinical and counseling psychology, and each offers different training. Consider what you want to do with your degree counsel patients, work in academia or do research when you decide which program is best for you. Considerations in Selecting Graduate Programs   As you consider applying to clinical and counseling programs remember your own interests. What do you hope to do with your degree? Do you want to work with people and practice psychology? Do you want to teach and conduct research at a college or university? Do you want to conduct research in business and industry or for the government? Do you want to work in public policy, conducting and applying research to address social problems? Not all doctoral psychology programs will train you for all of these careers. There are three types of doctoral programs in clinical and counseling psychology and ​two different academic degrees. Scientist Model The scientist model emphasizes training students for research. Students earn a  Ph.D., a doctor of philosophy,  which is a research degree. Like other science Ph.Ds., clinical and counseling psychologists trained in scientist programs focus on conducting research. They learn how to ask and answer questions through conducting carefully designed research. Graduates of this model get jobs as researchers and college professors. Students in scientist programs are not trained in practice and, unless they seek additional training after graduation, they are not eligible to practice psychology as therapists. Scientist-Practitioner Model The scientist-practitioner model is also known as the Boulder Model, after the 1949 Boulder Conference on Graduate Education in Clinical Psychology in which it was first created. Scientist-practitioner programs train students in both science and practice. Students earn Ph.D.s and learn how to design and conduct research, but they also learn how to apply research findings and practice as psychologists. Graduates have careers in academia and practice. Some work as researchers and professors. Others work in practice settings, such as hospitals, mental health facilities, and private practice. Some do both. Practitioner-Scholar Model The practitioner-scholar model is also referred to as the Vail model, after the 1973 Vail Conference on Professional Training in Psychology, when it was first articulated. The practitioner-scholar model is a professional doctoral degree that trains students for clinical practice. Most students earn Psy.D. (doctor of psychology) degrees. Students learn how to understand and apply scholarly findings to practice. They are trained to be consumers of research. Graduates work in practice settings in hospitals, mental health facilities, and private practice.

Grant Writing Courses You Can Take Online

Grant Writing Courses You Can Take Online Grant writers connect people and groups seeking funding with funding sources. They work in a wide range of settings including nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, local governments, and businesses. If youre interested in a career in grant writing, consider developing your skills through an online program. Grant writing is the process of completing applications for financial grants, which are non-repayable funds provided by organizations such as government departments, corporations, and foundations. Before choosing an online grant writing program, assess your finances, available time, and career goals. Are you looking to earn a certificate or degree in grant writing as a step towards a future career, or are you mid-career and seeking to improve your grant writing skills? Once youve answered these questions, you can easily determine which program is best for you. Free Online Grant Writing Resources You can find plenty of grant writing tips, general information, and even a few classes online for free. These resources rarely offer official certification, credit, or continuing education units. However, if youre good at independent learning or are simply looking to beef up your existing skills, the following options might work well for you. Coursera Coursera is home to a grant proposal course created by the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. The course carries a fee if you wish to have graded assignments and earn a course certificate, but you can audit all of the course videos for free. MIT Open CourseWare The Massachusetts Institute of Technology provides a wide range of classes for free through MIT OpenCourseWare. The institutes graduate level Advanced Writing Seminar covers much more than grant writing, but youll find some excellent lessons on grants as well as writing and presentation tips that can improve your grant writing skills. Minnesota Council on Foundations The Minnesota Council on Foundations guide, Writing a Successful Grant Proposal, provides an overview of the key elements of a successful grant application. Nonprofitready.org If youre working for a nonprofit, nonprofitready.org offers two free online courses: Getting Foundation Grants and Grantsmanship Essentials. Youll need to create a free account to take these courses. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency The United States Environmental Protection Agencys EPA Grants 101 Tutorial walks you through four steps of the grant application process. While the tutorial is focused on applying for EPA grants, the advice is useful for many other types of grant proposals. Online Grant Writing Classes You can find many reasonably-priced options for online grant writing courses. Below, youll find some examples of these courses, along with course descriptions and costs. University of Georgia The University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education offers two courses: an introductory-level course called A to Z Grant Writing, and a higher-level course called Advanced Grant Proposal Writing. Each course provides 24 hours of instruction for a cost of $159. The classes are offered on the ed2go.com platform. Udemy Udemy delivers over a dozen courses on different aspects of grant writing. Options range from introductions to the grant writing process to more specialized classes on nonprofits and NIH grants. Courses are broken down into short lectures, and total course time ranges from 45 minutes to 5.5 hours. Each course costs $10.99. University of Wisconsin The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee offers an Introduction to Grant Writing course for $150. The course covers fundraising strategies and explores the six stages of grant writing. The class carries .5 continuing education units. Online Grant Writing Certificate Programs Many colleges offer online grant writing certificate programs. Costs vary, with typical prices ranging from a few hundred dollars to about $1,500. The required time commitment also varies significantly across courses. These large variations in cost and time commitment reveal one of the problems with certificate programs: they tend to not be accredited programs, and some of the certificates merely represent that you paid for a program and made an attempt at completing the instruction modules. When choosing a program, look carefully at the curriculum and the depth of the instruction to ensure that the course is worth the investment. Start your research with this list of examples: University of South Carolina USCs Grant Writing Certificate Program involves thirty hours of classes covering four courses: Introduction to Grant Writing, Needs Based Assessment, Intermediate Grant Writing, and Program Development and Evaluation. Both online and classroom options are available for a fee of $1,322. Arizona State University Arizona State University offers two levels of grant writing certificates: Grant Development- State and Foundation Proposal Certificate for $999; and Advanced Grant Development- Federal Proposal Certificate for $1,175. The courses take six weeks, and students can expect to spend 12 to 15 hours a week on coursework. University of Colorado at Colorado Springs UCCS offers an intensive credit-bearing certificate program, Graduate Certificate in Grant Writing, Management, and Program Evaluation. To apply for the program, students must hold a bachelors degree. Completion of the certificate requires a grade of B- or better in four courses: Evaluation, Grant Writing, Grant Management, and an elective. Both classroom and online options are available. University of Central Florida The University of Central Floridas Division of Continuing Education, in partnership with ed2go, offers a non-credit Certificate in Grant Writing and Nonprofit Management. The program includes four courses: Introduction to Nonprofit Management, Marketing Your Nonprofit, Writing Effective Grant Proposals, and Advanced Grant Proposal Writing. The cost is $465. Fort Hays State University Fort Hays State University offers an Eight-Week University Grant Writing Certification Program for $175. The class meets online for two months. Participants must receive a score of 70% or higher on the final exam to earn a certificate. Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University offers a Grant Research and Writing Certificate Program through WorldEducation.net. This is a more thorough (and more expensive program) than many others with 150 hours of instruction at a cost of $2,995. To earn a certificate, students must complete five courses: Introduction to Grant Research, Introduction to Grant Writing, Specialized Techniques for Grant Writing, Technical Writing, and Advanced Grant Writing. The program can typically be completed in six months. Online Grant Writing Degree Programs Grant writing is generally not offered as a college major, so you wont find many degree programs focused solely on grant writing. Instead, grant writers tend to major in writing-focused fields such as English, marketing, or communication studies. That coursework is then supplemented with specialized coursework, a certificate program, or internship experience focused on grant writing. One exception, however, is the MA in Grant Writing, Management and Evaluation program offered at Concordia University Chicago. Concordias program takes an multidisciplinary approach to grant writing that includes collaboration with your student cohort and partnering with organizations relevant to your professional goals. The program is 100% online, requires 30 credit hours of coursework, and can be completed in 20 months. The cost is over $13,000, but unlike many graduate programs, financial aid is available.

EASTERN PHILOSPHER LETTER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

EASTERN PHILOSPHER LETTER - Essay Example Of these different relationships, filial piety is the most important. Good family relationships can reform a society and thereby the government of any nation. Filial piety is the greatest virtue, and should be shown towards both the living and the dead. It is the love and respect for one’s parents and ancestors. Filial piety extends beyond the physical care of the parents. It means not to be rebellious, show love, respect and support. It means to uphold fraternity among brothers, to conceal their mistakes, advise parents when necessary, display sorrow at their sickness and death and most importantly carry out sacrifices after their death. Juniors should feel a strong sense of duty and reverence towards the seniors but at the same time, the seniors too should maintain duty of benevolence and concern towards the juniors. The soul of the departed relatives is dependent for happiness upon the conduct and attitude of their living descendents. One can fulfill duty by living a life of virtue, which contributes towards the glory and happiness of the dead. Everyone is born with good nature and this should not be spoilt by external influences. Temptations to evil appetites have to be resisted. Ignorance leads to attainment of vices and knowledge alone can lead one to lead a virtuous life. If students show solicitude for their parents at the end of their lives, and continue this with sacrifices when they are far away, then the virtue is restored to fullness. To perform the role in governing any nation or in the society, it is first necessary to perform the familial role successfully. If the emperor loves his subjects as he would love his own children, they in turn would love, respect and be loyal to him as their father. Filial devotion is not blind loyalty to one’s parents. A man shows true love and respect for one’s father if he remains loyal to his intentions for several years after the father’s death. During the father’s lifetime, you observe

Michael Collins movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Michael Collins - Movie Review Example The British government had ruled the country for over 700 years and the cruelty with which it subjected the rule in the country made them revolt into armed resistance. However, what aggravated the situation more was the killing of a group of Irish rebels who had staged a six-day siege at Dublin’s General Post Office. Among the rebels in the group, only one of them survived the attack, De Valera who was an American citizen of Irish blood. All the other rebels succumbed to shootings in the execution. When a number of De Valera’s supporters are arrested and imprisoned, one of them, Michael Collins walked out of jail with the belief that a new approach was needed to free Ireland from the British rule. He and several other volunteers organized armed resistance by using a combination of terrorists’ acts of violence and guerrilla warfare. The movie is based at the first and fourth stages of insurgency. The first stage of insurgency is characterized by initial use of ter rorism acts in fighting before their increase in numbers to get the capacity to stage a guerrilla fight. If the rebels succeed with their terrorism, they receive support from other angry men and women who form similar groups and join in the fight. The reaction of the dominant government is disruption of lives and hurting the innocent people. This stage is marked in the movie by the use of a combination of terrorism acts of violence and guerrilla war tactics. The various groups attacked the British military in the regions where it showed signs of weakness. The rebels also used informants, with Collins having a key inside informant who gave them crucial information on the plans of the British military. Despite the violent war that they faced from the British, the rebels remained focused and fought with undeterred determination to secure their freedom. Stage four of an insurgency is characterized by the departure of foreigners, while the local surrogates give-up power. The guerrilla fi ghters become superfluous while the leaders of the insurgency become leaders of the government. In the movie, this stage is demonstrated by the announcement of the British government’s willingness to negotiate with the fighters. This lead to the group led by Collins to consider negotiations and bring the war to end. When the negotiations began, radicals such as Collins loosened their view of the war and rebellion when they realized that the violence was causing numerous deaths to innocent people. Collins himself wanted negations to start while the likes of De Valera felt that negotiations were not the best way to go in the struggle to secure Ireland’s freedom. The agreement was that the final political control would be left in the arms of the British, which was an indication of a crucial journey, according to Collins, in achieving true freedom of the people. The rivalry between the two rebel leaders caused violence among the pro-and anti-treaty group factions. The movi e used a guerrilla type of insurgency, where the rebels used armed rebellion against the British authority instituted in Ireland. The rebels organized themselves into groups of volunteer guerrilla fighters, who staged armed war against the dominating British rule. They opted to attack the weakest points of the British military, thereby weakening its forces the country. With the help

Cybersecurity Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Cybersecurity - Coursework Example g to the increasing significance of technology in the daily lives of mankind, many people share their personal information on the internet which can at times prove dangerous due to web hackers who can misuse the data due to immoral practices. Anonymity helps to maintain the secrecy of individual’s identity. This also helps to protect specific actions performed by the individuals. For instance, anonymity helps protecting funds and monetary transfers made by individual over internet. It has often been observed that people feel uncomfortable to share banking or personal information on the internet as it might hamper their personal interests. Anonymity is often regarded as the option which can be useful in such situations as it creates a sense of security and helps to protect privacy by a large extent. There are many negative effects of anonymity on individuals as well. To be illustrated anonymity also helps people who have malicious intentions to hamper the interests of other users and escape without being identified. It also creates misrepresentation about the user’s profile on internet. In the recent phenomenon, the most apparent negative effect of anonymity can be identified as cyber crime. Hence, as it can be observed from the above discussion, to a certain extent, the negative impacts of anonymity tend to be stronger and more effectual than its benefits, which in turn outweigh its advantages. Question: 2 Are non-literate internet users at a higher risk for experiencing identity theft? Explain specifically how end-user tracking and recording technologies may either increase or reduce cyber security risks for non-literate users when using the internet, or when shopping at a brick and mortar establishment The non-literate internet users have a high risk because of the increasing cyber crime, as they tend to share personal information without having proper knowledge of the website. At times, the information of those non-literate users is hacked by the cyber

Software Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Software - Essay Example Additionally, it is against the software piracy policy and rules those outline that a software licensing rules must be followed. In this scenario, there is a need to strictly follow these rules and regulations to avoid any legal actions. In addition, software piracy is about illegal copying a software application. It is recognized as an unethical activity that negatively affects all the users by driving up costs as well as minimizing funds for development and research of future software developments. Furthermore, it is a negative practice that is currently catching attention of software industry trade associations (National Academy of Engineering). The use of an unlicensed copy of a software application is totally illegal and unethical. In fact, it can increase the number of thefts thus this kind of activity should be neither tolerated nor practiced at TI. Consequently, how would we manage any other circumstances concerning potential misuses of a technology based assets? Can we ignore the illegal borrowing or change of a $200 for an application or other piece of system that is associated either to roommate or to fellows? Of course not (National Academy of Engineering; Shelly, Cashman and Vermaat). On the other hand, at the present, the majority of students believe that they are supporting and helping one another by sharing licensed software with other students. They believe that software costs are prohibitively high, and consider that, as students, they should not bear such extensive software costs. In this scenario, there are numerous solutions for the effective management of these issues. One of the primary solutions of such issue is the online websites where they can purchase such software at low cost by providing details of their institution and student enrollment. Another very good solution is that, institutions can as well establish their membership with the student welfare programs where

Should Greece leave the European Union, or the Eurozone Essay

Should Greece leave the European Union, or the Eurozone - Essay Example In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler wanted to conquer the whole of Europe. In all these cases, the goal was to control and dominate Europe. For many centuries, wars were fought in Europe for religious and political reasons but with no positive results. After the World War II ended, it became clear that war and violence cannot create a unified Europe. By the end of the war in 1945, there was destruction depicted in all the European cities. Many people lost their homes and families. Production and trade were also crippled as factories were destroyed. Many bridges and railroads were also destroyed by bombings. Many Europeans who lost their homes and means of income were devastated as they became helpless and did not know how to rebuild their lives. It became apparent that the need was to adopt an entirely new kind of strategy and concept to recreate the nation, and guide the Europeans to bring their lives back on normal track. For this, it was required that the European people make a peaceful co mmunity by working together to rebuild their nation. The traditional concepts of capturing and controlling Europe because of rivalries had to be eliminated and had to be replaced by a â€Å"new spirit of cooperation.† This new philosophy of cooperation was remarkably followed in the post WWII era. The two instances were the Marshall Plan and the Berlin Airlift, and these were examples of how the allied nations helped the defeated nations of WWII. This was the beginning of a new phase in the history of Europe, and paved the way for a peaceful unification of Europe. During the WWII, smaller countries like Netherlands and Belgium entered into economical and trade agreements; the idea was that economical unification of smaller countries will make them competitive rivals of larger countries. This concept was already established in 1921 by the governments of Luxemburg and Belgium. In 1948, the Benelux Customs Union was formed which â€Å"enabled the free movement of goods, workers , services, and capital between the countries.† In 1952, six European countries began the phase of forming the European Union (EU). The Benelux treaty was signed in the year 1958 which formally provided free trade facilities to the Benelux countries (Introduction to the European Union, n.d., p.2). This paper focuses on Greece joining the EU in 1981, the economic crisis faced by the country and in the final part it has been discussed whether Greece should or should not continue to remain as an EU member country. Decision-making in the European Commission EU has a standard process of making decisions which is termed as joint decision. This means â€Å"the European Parliament has to approve EU legislation together with the Council based on a proposal from the Commission.† (Decision-making in the European Commission, n.d.) There are three major institutions which participate in decision making process of EU. The first one is the European Commission which looks after the int erests of EU and makes decisions that are in favour of the interests. It also has the responsibility to formulate proposals for any new laws to be established in Europe. It has the additional duty of ensuring that the EU policies are efficiently implemented and also manages the spending of EU funds. The second institution is the Council of the European Union where the ministers representing each EU country assemble to generate new laws and implement policies. It also approves the annual budget of EU and has signing authority on any agreements between and other countries. The third and final institution is the European Parliament which is a body of members elected by citizens of each EU country which it is a representative body of the countries’ common people. The European Parlia

Criminal Law and Criminology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Criminal Law and Criminology - Essay Example As may be inferred from the above stated, the subjectivism/objectivism debate effectively mirrors the existent tension between the principles of deed and equal culpability. The objectivist camp believes that criminal liability should be limited to what the person actually did, while the subjectivist camp upholds the expansion of criminal liability towards the embrace of the person's state of mind. Accordingly, the objectivist camp upholds the principle of deeds and the subjectivist camp that of equal culpability.3 The complex nature of prevailing criminal law lies it that it is neither one nor the other but seeks the embrace of both positions. This lends to several questions, all of which combine to underscore the controversies inherent in the law of criminal liability. The first of these questions pertains to the concept of mens rea. ... As per the objectivist and the subjectivist divide, there are two answers to this. The first define intention as implying that "the agent would necessarily commit an offence in carrying it out."6 The second response states that "intention should only be required for the conduct and the result elements, but not for the circumstance elements, of criminal attempts."7 (Husak, 1997). Divergent responses, reflective of the objectivism/subjectivism divide, only compound the complexities inherent in the determination of criminal liability within the context of the law of attempts. Divergent interpretations of the concept of attempt, as illustrated in the preceding paragraph, are problematic when considering the import of attempt within the context of English criminal law. As Lord Goddard maintained in Whybrow [1951]8 "intent [is] the principle ingredient of the crime." Indeed, the Criminal Attempts Act of 1981 has embodied this principle.9 As stated in the Criminal Attempts Act of 1981, "If, with intent to commit an offence to which this section applies, a person does an act which is more than merely preparatory to the commission of the offence, he is guilty of attempting to commit the offence.'10 The implication here is clear. If a person intends to rob a house but fails, he/she will be held liable for intended robbery and if he/she planned to enter a house and kill its occupants, but fails, he/she will be held guilty of attempted murder. If, on the other hand, a person enters a nursing home with the intention to rob, while knowing full well that if seen by a ny of the residents, the resultant alarm and shock could incite a heart attack culminating in death, he/she will only be held guilty of attempted robbery despite his/her knowledge of

Should Greece leave the European Union, or the Eurozone Essay

Should Greece leave the European Union, or the Eurozone - Essay Example In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler wanted to conquer the whole of Europe. In all these cases, the goal was to control and dominate Europe. For many centuries, wars were fought in Europe for religious and political reasons but with no positive results. After the World War II ended, it became clear that war and violence cannot create a unified Europe. By the end of the war in 1945, there was destruction depicted in all the European cities. Many people lost their homes and families. Production and trade were also crippled as factories were destroyed. Many bridges and railroads were also destroyed by bombings. Many Europeans who lost their homes and means of income were devastated as they became helpless and did not know how to rebuild their lives. It became apparent that the need was to adopt an entirely new kind of strategy and concept to recreate the nation, and guide the Europeans to bring their lives back on normal track. For this, it was required that the European people make a peaceful co mmunity by working together to rebuild their nation. The traditional concepts of capturing and controlling Europe because of rivalries had to be eliminated and had to be replaced by a â€Å"new spirit of cooperation.† This new philosophy of cooperation was remarkably followed in the post WWII era. The two instances were the Marshall Plan and the Berlin Airlift, and these were examples of how the allied nations helped the defeated nations of WWII. This was the beginning of a new phase in the history of Europe, and paved the way for a peaceful unification of Europe. During the WWII, smaller countries like Netherlands and Belgium entered into economical and trade agreements; the idea was that economical unification of smaller countries will make them competitive rivals of larger countries. This concept was already established in 1921 by the governments of Luxemburg and Belgium. In 1948, the Benelux Customs Union was formed which â€Å"enabled the free movement of goods, workers , services, and capital between the countries.† In 1952, six European countries began the phase of forming the European Union (EU). The Benelux treaty was signed in the year 1958 which formally provided free trade facilities to the Benelux countries (Introduction to the European Union, n.d., p.2). This paper focuses on Greece joining the EU in 1981, the economic crisis faced by the country and in the final part it has been discussed whether Greece should or should not continue to remain as an EU member country. Decision-making in the European Commission EU has a standard process of making decisions which is termed as joint decision. This means â€Å"the European Parliament has to approve EU legislation together with the Council based on a proposal from the Commission.† (Decision-making in the European Commission, n.d.) There are three major institutions which participate in decision making process of EU. The first one is the European Commission which looks after the int erests of EU and makes decisions that are in favour of the interests. It also has the responsibility to formulate proposals for any new laws to be established in Europe. It has the additional duty of ensuring that the EU policies are efficiently implemented and also manages the spending of EU funds. The second institution is the Council of the European Union where the ministers representing each EU country assemble to generate new laws and implement policies. It also approves the annual budget of EU and has signing authority on any agreements between and other countries. The third and final institution is the European Parliament which is a body of members elected by citizens of each EU country which it is a representative body of the countries’ common people. The European Parlia

A Capstone Experience introduction 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A Capstone Experience introduction 1 - Assignment Example First, the company has to identify projects for change. The management has to prioritize what needs immediate attention. Such case is more successful if the company consults with as many people as possible. The feedback for each person will determine the plans that would serve the firm better (Bryson, 2011). Secondly, the company has to develop an effective communication plan. The communication strategy has to be easily adapted by the whole company. A good communication strategy will make it easy for all employees to understand the proposed project. Additionally, the management will get the feedback in time. The third step is to eliminate implementation barriers. Most of these barriers are the people who do not welcome the change in the firm. Moreover, executives who insist on other employees to implement change are barriers. Such executives are not sure about the change and fear any form of risks. There should be extra time to deal with potential resistance to eliminate the challenge (Hawkins, 2012). The last step is to develop a good change plan. The company needs to formulate a simple and clear vision for its goals. Additionally, it is important to design an action plan. After all this has taken place, the firm then sets timeframes for implementation and

Structure And Organization Of The Petroleum Industry Economics Essay

Structure And Organization Of The Petroleum Industry Economics Essay From driving industries globally to heating our homes and fuelling our cars, oil plays a major role in our lives as consumers but most people are yet to ask themselves how the industry that produces this oil has evolved to what it is now. The petroleum industry has evolved overtime and the use of its products has also grown to become an essential part of todays global economy (Business and Economic Research Advisor, 2006). The petroleum industry is involved in the global business of discovering oil, extracting it from the subsurface, refining it into a variety of useable products, distributing it through pipelines and oil tankers, and finally marketing it for public use (Wikipedia, 2010). While some companies in the industry (integrated companies) perform all these functions, others only perform one or some of them (independents) (Davies, 1999). The source of energy that currently provides most of the worlds energy demands as well as raw material that the petroleum and chemical industries refine into a variety of essential industrial and chemical products came with the development of the petroleum industry in the nineteenth and twentieth century. These products include amongst others fertilizers, pesticides, solvents, pharmaceuticals and plastics. Products derived from crude oil refining are grouped into gasoline (motor spirit/fuel), heating oil, middle distillates (jet fuel, diesel for vehicles and other motor engines), kerosene for cooking and fuel oil (boiler fuel for industry, power and shipping). According to the American Petroleum Institute, the industry is divided into sectors that cover all the procedures involved in finding, producing, processing, transporting and marketing oil and gas. These include: upstream- involved in exploration and production of oil and gas using advanced geology to high-tech offshore drilling platforms; downstream- involved in refining and marketing. It also includes the transportation of products using tankers from local terminals to service stations and ownership and operations in retail outlets; pipeline- involved in the movement of oil from ocean platforms and wells on land to refineries and finally to terminals where they are released to retail outlets; marine- comprises all aspects of petroleum and its products movement by water, including port operations, maritime fighting and oil spill response; service and supply- includes companies that provide supplies, services, design and engineering support for exploration, drilling, refining and oth er operations. Prior to oil being commercially discovered and drilled in 1859 in Titusville, Pennsylvania, which saw the birth of the modern petroleum industry, natural petroleum served the primary purpose of kerosene for lighting and heating. In the early twentieth century, the use of coal as the worlds primary energy source was eventually replaced by oil and as gasoline for the newly invented internal combustion engine (Jones, 2005). Oil and gas development has evolved overtime. Their use has also grown to become an essential part of todays global economy. As oil and gas powers todays economy, its availability and control was important in both world wars and it still remains the critical fuel source that powers industry and transportation (BERA, 2006). With oil being commercially available in the US, the first major oil company, the Standard Oil Company was formed by J.D Rockefeller in 1870 and United States became the worlds giant in oil production until the end of World War two when the Middle East countries took the lead. The post world war era witnessed the union of Anglo-Saxon companies called the Seven Sisters as coined by Enrico Mattei, an Italian entrepreneur. They included four companies and three others ( Standard Oil Companies of New Jersey- Esso, New York- SOCONY, and California- SOCAL) formed by the break-up of Standard Oil Company in 1911 by the U.S government when the Companys operations were declared monopolistic and infringing the Countrys unique antitrust law as of then (Jones, 2005). The Seven sisters were vertically integrated international companies according to Jones (2005) that arose because of the need to ensure efficient operations of the refineries to assure and manage oil flows, secure outlets for crude oil and adjust to short-run changes in the demand for different products in different areas. They were involved at all stages in the industry from exploration and production of crude oil to marketing the products to its final consumers. They also diversified into fertilizers, pe trochemicals and other industries that utilized petroleum derivatives as raw materials. Except in North America and the communist countries, the seven sisters were responsible for 85% of gross crude oil production and 72% of refinery globally in the 1950s and they all made the list in the 1956 ranking of the worlds largest industrial firms by revenue (Jones, 2005). Intra-firm trades and the vertically integrated status of the multinationals had began to decline at the beginning of the 1950s as host governments policies to increase ownership and control over resources did not favour them. This was the period of nationalization with the majors, who had been strong players in the Middle East and other OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) countries, being dealt massive blows by the nationalization of assets in the Middle East and other countries (Davies, 1999). From the late 1960s, this trend led to the expropriation of foreign assets (nationalization without compensation) and the formation of national cartels intended to enhance the bargaining power of host countries against the seven sisters. A typical case was the formation of OPEC in 1960 by Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. They were involved in product pricing and quota sharing but overtime their influence was no more successful than the seven sisters in price re gulation in the long-run (Jones, 2005). The state owned national oil companies sprung up as a result of the nationalization during this period and foreign ownership of resources declined. Significant in the industrys development in the 70s and 80s was a change in the corporate structure of the industry and the policies of the host governments. New entrants emerged as the industry became more global in nature. Other world markets in Europe, Asia and Russia and began to play a much greater role and the seven sisters now had competitors. Amongst these were the U.S European State-owned oil companies like ENI, Italys AGIP and Frances CFP. Others who joined the competition for concession and market were independents like the U.S Occidental, Getty Oil, Continental and Amerada. Their involvement, increased the bargaining power of producer governments, weakened the control of multinationals over world oil prices and made the industry highly competitive forcing the incumbent multinationals to diversify into other industries but this was hardly successful (Jones, 2005). Despite the extensive global changes in the technology, markets and geopolitics, the structure of the industry had remained fairly intact some few years ago but in 1998/99 a period of corporate consolidation was introduced bring an abrupt end to this era of fair constancy (Davies,1999). From a series of mergers and acquisition between 1998 and 2002 in response to a severe deflation in oil prices was the emergence of the super majors in the industry. They included non-state owned companies like British Petroleum (BP), Total, ConocoPhilips, Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron. In an attempt to hedge against oil price volatility, improve economies of scale and reduce large cash reserves through reinvestment, they began merging in the nineties. BP acquired Amoco in 1998. From a merger of Esso and Mobil, ExxonMobil arose in 1999. Total Fina Elf arose from the merger between Total, Petrofina and Elf Aquitaine in 2000. A merger of Chevron and Texaco in 2001 created Chevron Texaco and finally in 2002 Conoco Inc. and Philips Petroleum Company became ConocoPhilips (Wikipedia, 2010). In some cases, these mergers at the micro-level increased profit but they were insufficient at having a major impact upon corporate level returns and profitability (Davie, 1999). Presently, the only survivors of the seven sisters are BP, Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron contributing only 10% of the worlds oil and gas production and they hold only 3% of reserves with the states from developing countries owning the remainder. This notwithstanding, their integrated nature pushes their revenue higher than those of the new entrants (Jones, 2005). An interesting development as reported by the financial times of March 11, 2007 is the existence of the new seven sisters. They have become the most influential state-owned companies controlling nearly a third of the worlds oil and gas production. They include Gazprom (Russia), National Iranian Oil Company (Iran), Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia), Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Malaysia), China National Petroleum Company (CNPC), Petroleos de Venezuela, (Venezuela) and Petroleo Brasileiro, Brazil (Wikipedia, 2010). From current trend of events, the industry is still evolving and further change is anticipated by some factors discussed herein. Firstly, oil reserves will decline because of the increased demand for petroleum resources globally. This will prove the Peak oil theory propounded by M. Hubbert in 1965. Regrettably, this has been unsubstantiated because of the continuous oil finds being made in other parts of the world and technological advancement which has allowed old oilfields once thought as depleted to be produced. Secondly, exploring in some parts of the world where finds has been made will require complex and cutting-edge technology making exploration difficult, expensive and highly risky. This may only favour the large companies as they will be equipped financially and technologically. Thirdly, the future petroleum industry will be increasingly competitive for oil prospect which may favour the super majors as they possess more technical know-how, finance and popularity. Nevertheless, the nationally-owned companies (NOCs) may be a strong match for them as they are supported by their state governments and also have the wherewithal to seek for concession. Fourthly, the wish of some countries to create their own oil companies and the concern about energy security is likely to increase resource nationalism in the near future. Unfortunately, this will be a minus for the super majors but a plus for the NOCs. As aftermaths of these possible future changes, there are likely to be more mergers and acquisitions, drop in the quota contributed by the individually-owned multinationals, shift of investment from petroleum to alternative energy forms and complete diversification of the majors from production to become companies servicing the NOCs. In conclusion, the petroleum industry plays a vital role in driving worldwide economy because its resources are considered amongst the worlds most important. This importance attached to petroleum would be reduced if the world diversified to alternative energy forms, some of which are renewable. This will not only reduce the influence of the industrys giant but it will also prolong the life of petroleum reserves, encourage the use of alternative energy such as natural gas, wind and nuclear power, and make our environments safe by reducing air pollution, global warming, acid rain and other environmental issues. Despite participation by the NOCs in international oil markets, the industrys boundaries have widened. There are potentials for the majors to improve their profitability but they will not have the unique advantages that could allow them dominate the industry (Davies, 1999). From the popular saying, change is the only constant thing in nature, the petroleum industry has had its fair share of structural and organizational changes over the past years, which has resulted in the industry having the state-owned companies, five supermajors, over a dozen large independents (e.g Amerada Hess, Marathon etc) and small independents (e.g Anadarko, Talisman, Lasco, British Borneo etc) and the specialist firms (e.g Schlumberger, Weatherford, Halliburton etc) as its current structure.

Princess Diana- Media Victim or Media Manipulator :: essays research papers fc

Princess Diana "Lady Diana was born into a privileged family as the daughter of the 8th Earl Spencer and Lady Frances Althorp in Norfolk, England. Princess Diana was raised by nannies, separated from her parents by divorce and isolated from her sisters and brother when sent to boarding schools. Her life was filled with activities, friends and social events that 'bred' her for royal status and community involvement". At first glance we can easily assume that such a person would easily be one who knew how to handle themselves in front of a camera, being that royalty were never left alone by the media. When she first married the prince the world of the media was rather new to her, and not necessarily unappreciated or ignored in the sense that it could give her a bad name. Considering that she was raised in royalty to some degree, it was only natural that she takes advantage of the media, once she knew how. Yet, at the same time Diana seemed destined to work for others through her status as royalty, which may have been manipulation, but seemed far more sincere than that. In an interesting spiritual judgment of her personality: "Diana's first trait determined how she made choices. In balance, this trait gave her a strong desire to stabilize all aspects of her life. Because of that pull, Diana's goals focused on the equilibrium between motherhood, attention to her nation, charity work and responsibility to her husband. Without effort to achieve balance in one's life, those with this trait in excess can become lifeless--at times lacking the desire to work towards stability and only existing. Through Diana's much publicized life, depression and immobilizing mental turmoil threatened at times her very existence" (Anonymous Diana Frances Spencer George diana.html). She married into royalty and though, at times, got caught up her status and her appearance, slowly changed her focus to people in need, which caused her conflict in relationship to here station in life, which caused her turmoil and misery. Yet, she pursued these events at whatever the cost. Before her death she had become known as a powerful force for good in the world as she "embraced all those requiring care, even breaking the barriers associated with AIDS, leprosy, and those maimed from land mines. She had such a deep concern for each individual taught the world for which we will be forever blessed" (Anonymous Diana Frances Spencer George diana. Princess Diana- Media Victim or Media Manipulator :: essays research papers fc Princess Diana "Lady Diana was born into a privileged family as the daughter of the 8th Earl Spencer and Lady Frances Althorp in Norfolk, England. Princess Diana was raised by nannies, separated from her parents by divorce and isolated from her sisters and brother when sent to boarding schools. Her life was filled with activities, friends and social events that 'bred' her for royal status and community involvement". At first glance we can easily assume that such a person would easily be one who knew how to handle themselves in front of a camera, being that royalty were never left alone by the media. When she first married the prince the world of the media was rather new to her, and not necessarily unappreciated or ignored in the sense that it could give her a bad name. Considering that she was raised in royalty to some degree, it was only natural that she takes advantage of the media, once she knew how. Yet, at the same time Diana seemed destined to work for others through her status as royalty, which may have been manipulation, but seemed far more sincere than that. In an interesting spiritual judgment of her personality: "Diana's first trait determined how she made choices. In balance, this trait gave her a strong desire to stabilize all aspects of her life. Because of that pull, Diana's goals focused on the equilibrium between motherhood, attention to her nation, charity work and responsibility to her husband. Without effort to achieve balance in one's life, those with this trait in excess can become lifeless--at times lacking the desire to work towards stability and only existing. Through Diana's much publicized life, depression and immobilizing mental turmoil threatened at times her very existence" (Anonymous Diana Frances Spencer George diana.html). She married into royalty and though, at times, got caught up her status and her appearance, slowly changed her focus to people in need, which caused her conflict in relationship to here station in life, which caused her turmoil and misery. Yet, she pursued these events at whatever the cost. Before her death she had become known as a powerful force for good in the world as she "embraced all those requiring care, even breaking the barriers associated with AIDS, leprosy, and those maimed from land mines. She had such a deep concern for each individual taught the world for which we will be forever blessed" (Anonymous Diana Frances Spencer George diana.

Shakespeares Macbeth - A Tragic Hero :: Macbeth essays

Macbeth: A Tragic Hero         Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Macbeth character in Macbeth by William Shakespeare can be played many ways.   Macbeth's relationship with other characters in the play and Aristotle's theory of a tragedy are ways in which Macbeth is shown as a tragic hero.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At the very beginning of the play, Macbeth and Banquo are returning to Scotland from a fierce battle between the Norwegians and the Scottish. They have just won the war for Duncan.   This shows a noble virtue of Macbeth, a requirement of a tragic hero according to Aristotle.   It shows that Macbeth is a loyal person to the King and that he is a great warrior. As they are returning to Scotland, three witches appear and make prophecies about Macbeth and Banquo.   The three witches say â€Å"All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis!   All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!   All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!† (A 1, S 3, 48). Here, Macbeth is interested in what the witches have to say, but he does not really believe them.   A few minutes later, Ross enters.   He tells Macbeth that the thane of Cawdor is in line for death and that Duncan has named Macbeth the new thane of Cawdor.   Now, Macbeth is absolutely shocked. The witches prophecy has come true!   He can not believe it!   But now Macbeth has a lot more on his mind; the third prophecy about becoming the King.   Macbeth knows that if something were to happen to Duncan, Malcolm and Donalbain, Duncan's sons, would be the rightful heirs to the throne. How can Macbeth be King when he is nowhere near the next in line to the throne?   Another requirement for a tragic hero is that he must have a tragic flaw.   Macbeth's tragic flaw is that of ambition; Macbeth's ambition will cause him to decline.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At this point, Lady Macbeth knows all about the witches prophecies. She really wants to be Queen of Scotland so she encourages Macbeth to do what he has to do to get rid of Duncan.   Lady Macbeth is putting an enormous amount of influence on Macbeth.   He thinks that Duncan is a great King and he considers Duncan to be a good friend.   Finally Macbeth gives in to Lady Macbeth and decides that he will kill Duncan while he is visiting Macbeth's castle that same night.   That night, Macbeth kills Duncan. However, afterwards, Macbeth is feeling very sorry for himself.   He can not believe what he has just done.   His ambition has caused him to kill a good friend and even worse, the King!   Here, Macbeth is going crazy.

Proton Vehicles

1. Background of the Company It all began in 1979 when Malaysia’s Father of Modernisation, Tun Mahathir Mohamad, mooted the idea of establishing an automotive assembling and manufacturing industry in our country. It was Tun Mahathir’s dream to accelerate Malaysia’s industrialisation capabilities to match those of developed nations. His dream became one step closer to reality when the Cabinet approved the National Car Project in 1982. The dream was fulfilled when PROTON was officially incorporated on May 7, 1983. Our very first model, the Proton Saga was commercially launched on July 9, 1985.The name â€Å"Saga† was chosen by Ismail Jaafar a retired military soldier and derived from â€Å"saga† (Adenantherapavonlna) a type of seed commonly found in Malaysia. The first new market for the Proton Saga was Singapore, right across the Straits of Johor. In 1986, barely a year after the first car was launched, celebrated the official rollout of the 10000th Proton Saga. The following year, launched the Proton Saga 1. 5l saloon and Aeroback models. By then, over 50,000 units of the Proton Saga had been produced and sold in Bangladesh, Brunie, New Zealand, Malta and Sri Lanka.Soon after, PROTON cars were distributed in the United Kingdom. In 1988, PROTON debuted at the British International Motorshow, walking away successfully with three prestigious awards for quality, coachwork and ergonomics. PROTON progressed towards in-house engine operations in 1989. In quest to upgrade our technological prowess, a Transmission Assembly Plant was also set up in Shah Alam. In 1996, 1 millionth car was produced. This achievement was buoyed by several significant new model launches including the Proton Tiara, Proton Wira 2. Diesel and the two-door Proton Putra, in addition to existing line up of the Proton Wira, Proton Satria and Proton Perdana. In the same year, acquired a controlling stake in Group Lotus. Even as the new millennium dawned, PROTON sho wed no signs of slowing down. In 2000, unveiled prototype CamPro engine at the Lotus factory in Norwich, United Kingdom. The CamPro engine is aimed to show PROTON’s ability to make their own engines that produce good power output and meet newer emission standards. In 2009, PROTON EdarSdn. Bhd. nd EdaranOtomobilNasionalBerhad entered into a new Master Dealership Agreement to rationalise the sales and services network of vehicles, to ensure a more efficient nationwide distribution system. In January 2010, Petronas became official sole lubricant supplier, in a 10 year agreement that covers all markets in which cars are sold. In 2008, launched the latest iteration of PROTON logo, in conjunction with the rollout of 3 millionth cars. PROTON top mark retained its diamond shape although the tiger motif and colour scheme were changed to reflect the PROTON’s new direction.To further cement successes, launched new production models including the new Saga, Waja CPS, Gen 2 CPS and the Persona Special Edition. PROTON brand is the most valuable asset for all the companies in PROTON group. It embodies a unique set of perceptions about products and services that are triggered in the minds of our public by how others judge what we do, how we behave and what we say. 1. Proton Ideology Audacious Goal – Driving Malaysia’s transformation into a global leader in technology and quality. Vivid Description – Deliver innovative and superior quality products and services.PROTON brands inspire confidence and pride. Purpose – Passionate group of people working together, creating exhilarating products and services for global markets, synonymous with great styling, innovation and leading technology. 2. Proton Core Values Each PROTON employee practices in the Company’s shared values to guide their behaviour with each other and PROTON customers. These precious values form the foundation of how they work and conduct business as follows: Quality à ¢â‚¬â€œ Ensure continuous quality improvements for customers by delivering products that are positively conceptualised and manufactured.Customer Focus – Customers remain priority at PROTON. PROTON deliver on promises to customers’ satisfaction. Innovation – Challenge the convention, always seeking new and better ways to do things. View changes as opportunities. Teamwork – PROTON trust, respect and share knowledge to foster teamwork at the workplace. Speed – PROTON have a ‘can-do’ attitude and will not rest until the problem is solved. – PROTON have an inherent sense of urgency in everything PROTON do. Caring – As a responsible corporate citizen, PROTON invest in safety, health and the environment. Honesty Let’s be transparent and take responsibility for own actions. 3. Proton Vision Proton strives to become a successful Malaysian Automotive Manufacturer globally by being customer oriented and producing competitivel y priced and innovative quality products. Since inception, PROTON have gained a significant international presence bringing PROTON to 27 countries across South-East Asia to the Middle-East, China, South Africa, Australia and the United Kingdom. Over the years PROTON have increased cost-efficiency, realibility and quality through the use of automation and robotics in manufacturing processes.The launch of Research and Development facilities has contributed a most critical activity, innovation in design and creative engineering methods. Consumers can now expect PROTON to deliver more unique, stylish and attractively priced cars. 4. The Proton Personality PROTON have challenging but unique opportunities to change people’s perceptions of what stand for by asserting a clear brand personality founded on a set of brand attributes that should guide all our activities and communications. Proud – Although relatively brief, PROTON company history is one of the remarkable achieveme nts of which PROTON proud.In PROTON pride lies the vital energy that drives us forward and forces PROTON to take on new challenges. Reliable – PROTON committed to providing quality products and services. More important, however is receiving recognition for such quality from customers, business associates and shareholders who need to trust our ability to deliver on PROTON promise of quality Innovative – PROTON ability to innovate is also geared at developing collaborative relationships with other national projects to assist in the development of indigenous products able to compete in the international markets.Knowledgeable – PROTON is committed to the acquisition of intellectual capability in design and technology, which will propel the nation to achieve the status of an industrialised nation. Caring – PROTON responsible corporate citizen, commited to building a friendly organisation centred on personal touch and sensitivity to customers’ needs, wit h clear communications leading to mutual understanding. 2. Consumer Behaviour of the Target Market: Proton Holding Berhad 1. Definition on Consumer BehaviourConsumer behaviour is the study of how individuals, groups, and organizations select, buy, use, and dispose of goods, services, ideas or experiences to satisfy their needs and wants. Consumers are exposed to a myriad of marketing and other external stimuli on a daily basis for which the marketer has to consider consumer characteristics and consumer psychology to successfully position a product or service. Consumer characteristics include; culture, social and personal factors and consumer psychology include motivation, perception, learning and memory. . Consumer Behaviour on Proton Research conducted by Hossein Nezakati1*, KemOon Kok2 and Omid Asgari3 Department of Management and Marketing, Faculty of Economics & Management, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) MBA student, Graduate school of Management (GSM), Universiti Putra Malaysi a (UPM) Founder & CEO, Delta Consulting Group (DCG), Tehran, Iran. The title of research is Do Consumer based-factors influence consumer buying behavior in automotive industry? (Malaysia Evidence). 3. Research MethodUsing primary and secondary data as well as sampling technique. The target population on this study consists of consumers from region of Klang Valley. Most of the respondents were Malay where contributing 98 respondents, followed by Chinese were 56 respondents, Indian were 35 respondents and others races were 21 respondents. Majority of the respondents were aged 18 to 28 years old and most of them in the highest education level were bachelor degree. Some of the respondents were still student where they are attending class as part-time students.The income level, some of the respondents were below RM1,800 but most of the respondents were average monthly income were RM1,800 to RM3,000. From the reliability results, it was found that majority respondents was beliefs them sel f about the quality of the car before they made decision to purchase. Factors influencing consumer behavior on local car like Proton are as follows:- a) Price consciousness- consumers will enormous search information and see the financial performance before acquiring automobile. ) Value consciousness- consumers seems to be equivalently beliefs them self regarding perceptive of the import car, meaning that they purchase car based on the experience from the past where they belief which car will suitable for them. They also act like a consumer seeker whereby they will keep forward looking for the new design of the imported car. Some of the consumer beliefs which car they are prefer to drive and which car they are not prefer or dislike. ) Price-quality inference – Most of the respondent believed that imported car were made by high quality material in term of interior design, more quality in term of engine performance and also more towards science and technology. In this results s how that Malaysia consumers are concern on the value that they receive when they purchase imported car. To be intention to purchase imported car, they will consider how far the price and quality they concern. d) Risk Awareness- In this study, we also found that most of the respondent beliefs that imported car were more safety to drive due to test safety before launching new model.Other than that, they also believe imported car were made by high quality material in term of interior design, more quality in term of engine performance and also more towards science and technology. To successfully compete in the Malaysia and international market, PROTON must emphasize the quality of the products in order to gain competitive advantages in the market. PROTON and its group of companies must remember quality is the factors that will influences consumer’s beliefs and also will influence the intention to purchase.PROTON is also should increase their product quality in order to increase t he consumer’s beliefs about the products by maintaining the quality to gain competitive advantage. 4. SWOT Analysis On Proton The SWOT analysis is an extremely useful tool for understanding and decision. The SWOT analysis is an extremely useful tool for understanding and decision-making for all sorts of situations in business and organizations. SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats.The SWOT analysis headings provide a good framework for reviewing strategy, position and direction of a company or business proposition, or any other idea. Use SWOT analysis for business planning, strategic planning, competitor evaluation, marketing, business and product development and research reports. To enable this to happen cleanly and clearly, and from a logical point of view anyway when completing a SWOT analysis in most business and marketing situations, Strengths and Weaknesses are regarded distinctly as internal factors, whereas Opportunities and Threats are regarded distinctly as external factors. Strengths |Weaknesses | |Strong brand image |Concentrated Operations | |Received various 8 awards, recently, i. eFrost & Sullivan Malaysia |Although Proton has expended to other international regions, it| |Excellence Awards 2011. (Value-for-Money Car of the Year (1. L and |still depends on the Malaysia market for majority of its | |above), Auto Industry Awards 2011, â€Å"Best People’s Car† for the Saga FL |revenue. | |andâ€Å"Best Value-for-Money Family Car† for the Inspira. | | | |Declining profit trend | |Strong recognition |PBT declined by 17% for FY2011.These mainly due to economic | |Gives it competitive advantage compared to its other competitors. |slowing down and increase in its production cost. | | | | |Strong focus on R & D |Marginal increase in revenue | |PROTON TechnologyAdvisory Council (PTAC) in 2011 and PROTON Technology |Sales increased by marginally at 9% for FY2011.This | |roadmap (PTR) serves as a blueprint for the Company in shaping PROTON’s |performance was the result of encouraging sales recorded by the| |car of the future. |three core models – the Saga, Persona and Exora. This is | | |forcing PROTON to rethink its strategy to optimize plant | |Strong management team |utilization and if possible minimize additional required | |Had strong management in terms of qualifications and leadership, lead by |investment. |Dato’ Sri Haji Syed ZainalAbidin B Syed Mohamed Tahir. Most of the | | |directors have collectively 25 to 40 years of experience in their |Declining market shares | |respective field. |Proton also arrested the decline at 24% in 2010 and gradually | | |increased the same to just below 30% for FY 2011. |Encouraging continuous learning | | |PROTON Critical Mass Scheme-increasing the ratio of PhD and Master | | |Holders in the company. | | | | |Various types of models | | |Through the years the PROTON Group has collectively realized ove r 24 | | |various models. | | | | |Strong staff strength | | |Total staff strength close to 12,000 employees | | |Worldwide. | | | | |Strong cashflows | | |PROTON’s cash and cash equivalentsare maintained above the RM1 billion. | |Opportunities |Threats | |Strategic alliance |Intense Competition | |Entering into strategic agreements, acquiring assets or organizations to |Proton faces intense competition from local manufacturer | |further strengthen its position in the industry. . e Lotus Engineering |i. ePerodua as well as international manufacturer, i. eToyata and| | |Honda, which customers’ perceive better value for their money | |Collaboration with other country |in terms of quality and safety. | |Iran SAIPA, Iran to explore Iran and Middle East market. | | | | |Strong government support |Economic slowing down and volatile global market | |In 2009-Second Stimulus Plan. Current global economies slow down and the uncertainties that | |2010- Economic & Gove rnment Transformation program and 10th Malaysia Plan|currently prevail, especially in Europe, Japan and the USA. | |and attractive loan package. This shows government participations on the | | |growth and sustainability of PROTON. Other country rules and regulation | | |Proton has to abide with the other countries’ regulation in | |Accelerate Strategy into China market |order to penetrate the market. | |PROTON will upgrade the current Representative Office in Hangzhou, | | |Zhejiang Province to a Wholly Owned Foreign Entity (WOFE) in Shanghai |Increase fuel price | |which will be operational by end 2011. The automotive industry is highly affected by fluctuation in | |WOFE will allow PROTON to conduct business and pursue new opportunities |the fuel price. When the fuel price increases significantly | |in China. |people would choose other economical public transport i. e train| | |and monorail/LRT. |Technology transfer | | |PROTON has worked on a feasibility study programme with King Abdulaziz | | |City for Science and Technology (KACST), to develop the plan to achieve | | |full automotive development and manufacturing capability in the Kingdom | | |of | | |Saudi Arabia. | | 3. Situational Analysis 1. Basis of Segmentation A market segment consists of a group of customers who share a similar set of needs and wants. The marketer’s task is to identify the appropriate number and nature of market segments and decide which one(s) to target.They are researcher define segments by looking at descriptive characteristics such as geographic, demographic, and psychographic. Other researchers try to define segments by looking at behavioral considerations, such as consumer responses to benefits, usage occasions, or brands. The major segmentation variables are geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral segmentation. a) Geographic Segmentation Geographic segmentation divides the market into geographical units such as nations, states, regions, counties, cities, or neighborhoods. The company can operate in one or a few areas, or it can operate in all but pay attention to local variations.In that way it can tailor marketing programs to the needs and wants of local customer groups in trading areas, neighborhoods, even individual stores. In a growing trend called grassroots marketing, such activities concentrate on getting as close and personally relevant to individual customers as possible. b) Demographic Segmentation In demographic segmentation, we divide the market on variables such as age, family size, family life cycle, gender, income, occupation, education, religion, race, generation, nationality, and social class. One reason demographic variables are so popular with marketers is that they’re often associated with consumer needs and wants. Another is that they’re easy to measure.Even when we describe the target market in non-demographic terms (say, by personality type), we may need the link back to demogra phic characteristics in order to estimate the size of the market and the media we should use to reach it efficiently. c) Psychographic Segmentation Psychographics is the science of using psychology and demographics to better understand consumers. In psychographic segmentation, buyers are divided into different groups on the basis of psychological/personality traits, lifestyle, or values. People within the same demographic group can exhibit very different psychographic profiles. One of the most popular commercially available classification systems based on psychographic measurements is Strategic Business Insight’s (SBI) VALSâ„ ¢ framework. d) Behavioral SegmentationIn behavioral segmentation, marketers divide buyers into groups on the basis of their knowledge of, attitude toward, use of, or response to a product. Below are the criteria to evaluate market segments: a) Identifiable The differentiating attributes of the segments must be measurable so that they can be identifie d b) Accessible The segments must be reachable through communication and distribution channels c) Substantial The segments should be sufficiently large to justify the resources required to target them d) Unique needs In order to justify separate offerings, the segments must respond differently to the different marketing mixes e) DurableThe segments should be relatively stable to minimize the cost of frequent changes An ideal market segment meets all of the following criteria: a) It is internally homogeneous means the potential customers in the same segment prefer the same product qualities b) It is externally heterogeneous means the potential customers from different segments have basically different quality preferences c) It responds similarly to a market stimulus d) It can be cost-efficiently reached by market intervention. Proton Holdings Berhad (Proton) uses demographic segmentation as their market segmentation a) Age Consumer needs and wants change with age. The marketing mix m ay therefore need to be adapted depending on which age segment or segments are being targeted. Proton Holdings Berhad (Proton) is targeting their customer age ranging from 18 years onwards.It is due to the affordable price, variety of car models such as Proton Exora, Proton Saga FL, Proton Persona, Proton R3 Satria Neo, and Proton Inspira, variety of promotional installment package offered by Proton Edar as a Proton dealer. Basically Proton cars model are suitable for teenagers to an adult. b) Gender It involves dividing a market into different groups based on sex. Proton realizes that the purchasing power of women and men nearly the same. All the marketing campaigns through motorsport exhibition and advertisement done via media electronic, such as television, radio and internet had attract both gender, women and men to purchase Proton cars. With the attractive interior design, up-to-date technology such as GPS navigator install at Proton Exora and variety color schemes had attract both gender to purchase.Besides that Proton emphasize on safety factors of their car manufacture which is desired to market their cars to women, as well as men. c) Family Size For Proton Saga and Proton Satria Neo model, the car model is suitable for small family size whereby the family consist of 2 adults and 2 children. For medium size family whereby the family member consist 4 to 5 members, Proton Persona is suitable for them and for big family size whereby it consist of 6 to 8 members in the family, Proton Exora is suitable for them. d) Life Cycle Stage Market can de divided into different groups based on customer life-cycle. People change the goods and services they want and need over their lifetime.Life cycle stage of customer can be categorized as: †¢ Bachelor Stage whereby the customer is young, still single and not living with their parents. Most of them just finished studied either at university, college or school leaver †¢ Newly Married Couples whereby they stil l young with no children and just enter marriage life †¢ Married couples with dependent children †¢ Married couples with no children living with them †¢ Married couples and they had retired with no children living with them †¢ They had retired and still unmarried Proton car’s model is suitable for every life cycle either the customer is bachelor or an adult or the customer had retired. Their car model can cater every life stage needs and wants.For example, Proton Gen-2 had a modern design, masculine and sporty character in term of design and interior styling and also performance. The car is suitable for bachelor stage and newly married couple who loves very particular about style. Proton Exora is suitable for consumer who has a family member with size of 3 to 6 members. The price of the car is affordable and competitive. Besides that Proton Exora is also suitable for retiree. a) Generation Proton car’s model has been in the automotive sector for 25 years. Proton Holdings Berhad (Proton) has produced over a dozen car models to date that have sold more than 3 million units and has exported to more than 25 countries. Proton Saga was the first Proton model.It rolled off the Shah Alam assembly line for the first time in September 1985. The 100,000th Proton Saga was produced in January 1989. The second proton’s car model is Proton Wira which was produced in the year 1993 followed by Proton Satria in the year 1995, Proton Putra in the year 1995, Proton Perdana in the year 1995, Proton Tiarain the year 1996 t, Proton Perdana V6 in the year 1999, Proton Juara in the year 2001, Proton Waja in the year 2000, Proton Arena in the year 2002, Proton Gen-2 in the year 2004, Proton Savvyin the year 2005, Proton Satria Neo in the year 2006, Proton Personain the year 2007, Proton Saga FL in the year 2008 and Proton Inspira in the year 2010.Until today, Proton car’s model still in demand with new development of the car design, up-to -date technology and car features. According to Dato’ Sri Haji Syed ZainalAbidin Syed Mohamed Tahir, Group Managing Director of PROTON Holdings Berhad during the launching Proton Saga FL 1. 6 on 25th May 2011 said that the Proton Saga FL is suitable for younger generation of purchaser and car owner because the car has more attractive design, affordable price, cost-effective and powerful alternative. b) Income Income segmentation involves dividing a market into different income groups. Marketers of products and services found that income segmentation very useful. Companies with luxury goods and convenience services target well off consumers.Income segmentation is also used to identify and target lower-income groups, so that they can be approached with appropriate products, prices and distribution outlets. Proton Holdings Berhad (Proton) targeted their customer with monthly salary of RM 2,000 and above. The price of the car is affordable and value for money. Proton model is tar geted for people who just enter the working world whereby they need car as a mode of transportation beside public transport such as public bus, taxi, Putra LRT, Commuter or Star LRT. Below is the price of Proton’s car models. |Proton Car Model |Price Starting From | |Proton Exora |RM 59. 48 | |Proton Inspira |RM 78,549 | |Proton Gen-2 |RM 54,538 | |Proton Persona |RM 46,499 | |Proton Saga FLX |RM 38,148 | |Proton Satria Neo |RM 57,313 | |Proton R3 Satria Neo |RM 79,797 | |Proton Savvy |RM 39,693. 68 | |Proton Waja |RM 56,888 | (Souces :www. proton-edar. com. my) c) Life Style It involves classifying people according to their values, beliefs, opinions, and interests. There is no one standardized lifestyle segmentation model.Market research firms and advertising agencies are constantly devising new categories, which will best help target possible consumers of their client’s products. As for Proton’s customer, each of their car models is targeted to different life style of customer. For example, Proton Satria Neo is suitable for your generation who love style and sporty looks. The had an interactive interior design and built-in technology that attract young generation especially college and university student to owned it. d) Social Class Is the single most used variable for research purposes, and divides the population into groups based on their type of occupation as such it can be seen as a socio-economic scale.Description of occupation can be categorized into: †¢ Higher managerial, administrative or professional †¢ Intermediate managerial, administrative or professional †¢ Supervisory, clerical, junior administrative or professional †¢ Skilled manual workers †¢ Semi and unskilled manual workers †¢ State pensioners with no other income, widows, casual and lowest grade earners As for Proton Holdings Berhad (Proton), they will not separate their car model purchaser according to social class. The mos t important element in buying the proton car model is the affordability of the customer to pay down payment and monthly installment. e) Religion Malaysia is multicultural and multiconfessional. The dominant religion in Malaysia is Islam. The large Chinese population in Malaysia practices a mix of beliefs, with influences from traditional Chinese religions such as Buddhism and Daoism.Hinduism is practiced by the majority of Malaysian Indians. Christianity has established itself in some communities, especially in East Malaysia. It is not tied to any specific ethnic group. Other religions, such as the Baha'i Faith and Sikhism also have adherents in Malaysia. All the world's major religions have substantial representation in Malaysia. The Population and Housing Census 2010 figures show approximately these proportions of the population following these religions: †¢ 61. 3% Islam †¢ 19. 8% Buddhism †¢ 9. 2% Christianity †¢ 6. 3% Hinduism †¢ 1. 3% Confucianism, Taoi sm and other traditional Chinese religions †¢ 0. 7% Atheist †¢ 1. % Other religions or no information The majority of Malaysian Malay people are Muslim. Most Malaysian Chinese follow a combination of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and ancestor-worship. Statistics from the 2010 Census indicate that 83. 6% of Malaysia's ethnic Chinese identify as Buddhist, with significant numbers of adherents following Taoism (3. 4%) and Christianity (11. 1%). Christianity is the predominant religion of the non-Malay Bumiputra community (46. 5%) with an additional 40. 4% identifying as Muslims. Many indigenous tribes of East Malaysia have converted to Christianity, although Christianity has made fewer inroads into Peninsular Malaysia.Proton car model is suitable for all religion. There is separation between religions in order to own the car. The most important element to purchase the car is the affordability and the interest of the features of the Proton car’s model. f) Education Lev el of education that purchase proton’s car can be categorized as customer who had obtain education until secondary school and who had obtain tertiary education in universities or colleges. Basically customers with tertiary education are more detailed in analyzing the car model from the car design, car features, the function of the car and the technology installed in the car. Usually the will study before deciding to purchase the car.Basically Proton car’s is suitable for everybody either the customer is educated or just finished the secondary school level such SijilPelajaran Malaysia. The car’s model has not separated in term of level of education. The most important things in purchasing the Proton car’s model is knowing to read and write. It is because the manual book will be given to all customer in order for them to know more about the car’s model such as the technology built-in, features and the function of the car. g) Ethnicity The population of Malaysia consists of four main ethnic groups which are malays, chinese, Indians and other ethnic group in Sabah and Sarawak.Malays and other indigenous groups are known as Bumiputras. Non-Malay indigenous tribes constitute about half of Sarawak's residents; the largest indigenous group consists of the Sea Dayaks, or Ibans, followed by the Land Dayaks, or Bidayuh. The majority of Sabah's population consists of indigenous peoples, principally Kadazans, Bajaus, and Muruts. The balance is dominated by Chinese. Basically as for Proton Holdings Berhad (Proton), ethnic will not play an important role in targeting purchaser of proton car. Every ethnic group in Malaysia has the opportunity to purchase proton car models regardless where they come from in the state in Malaysia.The most important thing is they attract to the design, features and the technology built-in to the car. 2. Target Market The target market is the part of the qualified available market the company decides to pursue. The Malaysian automotive market is certainly one of the more significant markets in Asia Pacific. It is estimated that over 21. 25 million vehicles have been registered in Malaysia to date with every 3 in 10 Malaysians owning a vehicle. Uniquely, Malaysia is one of the few countries in Asia Pacific  to have its own national carmakers, further adding spice and flavour to this market. Malaysia is also one of the few right- hand- drive ( RHD ) markets in the world.The Top 50 best selling cars in Malaysia for the year of 2011 ( Up until October 2011 ) |Rank |Car |Total sold | |1 |PeroduaMyvi |65,783 | |2 |Proton Saga |63,615 | |3 |Perodua Viva |49,636 | |4 |Proton Persona |40,666 | |5 |PeroduaAlza |30,398 | |6 |Toyota Vios |25,485 | |7 |Proton Exora |18,165 | |8 Toyota Hilux |18,015 | |9 |Nissan Grand Livina |10,620 | |10 |Honda City |10,470 | |11 |Proton Inspira |8,028 | |12 |Mitsubishi Triton |6,974 | |13 |Toyota Camry |6,679 | |14 |Toyota Avanza |6,660 | |15 |Honda Civic |6,121 | | 16 |Toyota Corolla Altis |5,178 | |17 |Isuzu D-MAX |4,871 | |18 |Naza ( Kia ) Forte |4,783 | |19 |Honda Insight |4,085 | |20 |Honda Accord |4,058 | |21 |Honda CR-V |4,007 | |22 |Suzuki Swift |3,962 | |23 |Nissan Teana |3,876 | |24 |Ford Fiesta |3,753 | |25 |Toyota Innova |3,735 | |26 |Proton Satria Neo |3,367 | |27 |Nissan Navara |3,122 | |28 |Hyundai Sonata |2,605 | |29 |Nissan Sylphy |2,385 | |30 |CheryEastar |2,251 | |31 |Proton Waja |2,159 | |32 |Hyundai i10 |2,115 | |33 |Toyota Rush |1,988 | |34 |Ford Ranger |1,900 | |35 |Mercedes- Benz E- Class 1,857 | |36 |Mercedes- Benz C- Class |1,823 | |37 |Hyundai Tucson |1,757 | |38 |Peugeot 308 |1,732 | |39 |BMW 5- Series F10 |1,723 | |40 |Toyota Prius |1,640 | |41 |Volkswagen Golf TSI |1,633 | |42 |Mazda 2 |1,591 | |43 |Naza ( Kia ) Citra |1,575 | |44 |Mazda 3 |1,555 | |45 |Toyota Hiace |1,550 | |46 |BMW 3- Series Sedan |1,513 | |47 |Nissan Urvan |1,447 | |48 |Toyota Fortuner |1,376 | |49 |Volkswagen Polo TSI |1,298 | |50 |Peugeot 207 Sedan |1,282 | Source: Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) 3. Target market for Proton Holdings Berhad The Proton Persona had won the Frost & Sullivan for the Best Value of Monet Car of Year 2011 with total sales of 4,000 units per month. For the year 2011, there are 156,487 units of Proton Persona already on the road.Proton Persona is one of the top selling cars in the domestic market. According to the Dato’ Sri Haji Syed ZainalAbidin, Proton Holdings Berhad (Proton) competition is in the domestic market is so competitive. Proton is trying to take advantage these opportunities by introducing variety of new Proton car’s model in order to give variety of Proton cars for their customer to choose. In Malaysia, PROTON ranked second in terms of market share at 26%. With proper sales and marketing strategy combined with product launches of the Exora MC, Saga FL and Inspira, the performance in FY 10/11 was 3% higher at 162,012 units compared to 157,170 units in FY09/10.The launch of the latest addition, Proton Inspira, to the family, has allowed PROTON to capture more customers from different segments. The new sporty sedan contributed 6% to our monthly sales, the fourth largest contributor after the Saga, Persona and Neo. Saga remained the strongest contributor making up 45% of sales, continuing this multi award winning car’s reign as the most preferred amongst PROTON models especially after the introduction of the Saga FL. The introduction of Exora MC has also enabled PROTON to maintain their MPV sales performance while offering their customers a fresher look and feel. Besides that PROTON also had export their car to the international market such as China, Australia and Middle East Region.For the year 2011, the five top performing markets were Thailand, Australia, Indonesia, Egypt and Syria. In Thailand, Proton models were gaining higher acceptance gauging from various feedback from the customers, dealers, motorshows and mass media. The Exora received accolades as one of the Top Ten Passenger Cars 2010 in the Bangkok Post. The introduction of Saga FL and improvement initiatives at dealer network will be a hopeful stream for PROTON to achieve greater success. In Indonesia, PROTON has established itself as the 12th top brand in the market and managed to increase volume by 23% in 2010, in which the Exora has again been the best selling model and has remained the core product for PROTON Indonesia.With the current outlook and barring any unforeseen circumstances, PT PEI is expected to perform better in the new fiscal year. In 2010 China continued to record robust growth with 18. 1 million vehicles sold which represent a 33% increase over 2009. The growth was mainly powered by favorable government incentives, urban economic development and China’s stimulus package to boost the economy. PROTON expect China’s long-term growth to remain intact and continue in the next few years due to the current low motorization r ate and buoyant economy. CAAM (China Association of Automotive Manufacturers) expects China’s TIV to reach 20 million units in 2011.To accelerate PROTON’s strategy into China and serve the market better, PROTON will upgrade the current Representative Office in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province to a Wholly Owned Foreign Entity (WOFE) in Shanghai which will be operational by end 2011. The WOFE will allow PROTON to conduct business and pursue new opportunities in China. The Satria Neo, Artiga Concept Car and Lotus Europa were displayed during the Shanghai Motor Show in April 2011 to enable PROTON to gauge market acceptance and pursue future opportunities for these products. Currently, PROTON cars are being sold under the Youngman brand through 100 appointed dealers throughout China.Thailand’s automotive industry in 2010 showed a significant increase of 46% against 2009 despite domestic political instability. The remarkable growth in the Thai automotive industry is due in part to the reduction in excise duties for small passenger cars. This reduced the prices of cars and the added advantage of credit availability was instrumental in increasing demand. The rise in petroleum prices did little to dampen the automotive market growth in Thailand. PROTON continues to make headway in the Thai market with our strategy of practical designs at affordable prices. The Proton Exora which was introduced in December 2009 was voted as a Top 10 model by Bangkok Post for the year 2010.In 2010 PROTON also saw the introduction of Saga FL in the market, competing heads on with Eco cars. Currently, through PROTON Thailand distributor, Phranakorn Auto Sales Co. Ltd (PAS), PROTON has a network of 40 dealers (all 3S outlets) throughout Thailand. The current in service models consist of Savvy, Saga FL, Neo, Neo CPS, Gen. 2, Persona and Exora. PT Proton Edar Indonesia (PT PEI) was established on 16 August 2002 but commenced full operations on 16 March 2007, as part of PROTONà ¢â‚¬â„¢s brand expansion and AMLO strategies to spread out its presence intensely and dynamically. PT PEI till end 2010 offered the Indonesian market seven attractive models to target the different segments.The models are Savvy, launched in July 2007, that received 2 Awards for Best City Car from Majalah Mobil Motor and Auto Bild Indonesia; the Gen. 2 and Neo (also launched in 2007), with the more sporty and stylish outlook within the hatchback categories and not forgetting the highly comfortable and functional mini sedan class, the Gen. 2 Persona, and Waja (launched July 2007) and the Saga (launched March 2009). Saga has won the â€Å"2009 Best Budget Sedan†, awarded by Indonesia Otomotif Awards. In a country where there is a large preference for MPVs, the Proton Exora gathered the most accolades. This model has become the biggest sales contributor to PT PEI since its launch and debut at the Indonesian International Motor Show in 2009.Exora has been awarded by Indonesia Otom otif Awards the â€Å"2011 Best Budget MPV†. On the dealer network aspect as of 31st March 2011, PT PEI has appointed 17 sales outlets and 30 after-sales service centres or authorized workshops throughout Indonesia and PT. PEI is looking at expanding its sales coverage to 25 outlets in FY 2011/2012. Over this period the Australian industry volume increased by 10. 5% compared to the previous year. Improved economic conditions and heavy promotion by industry competitors lead to an overall volume of 1. 035 million sales. The sales result was the second highest annual volume recorded in the Australian market. Proton Cars Australia recorded a 16. % increase in sales on the back of the improved trading environment. The main sales increase came from the successful launch of the S16 (Saga) which was overwhelmingly accepted by the Australian public 4. Proton Financial Aspects | |2007 |2008 |2009 |2010 |2011 | |Revenue |4687. 3 |5621. 6 |6486. 6 |8226. 9 |8969. 9 | |Profit/(Loss) bef ore taxation |-618. 1 |144. 3 |-319. 2 |260. 9 |214. | |Profit/(Loss) after taxation |-589. 5 |184. 6 |-301. 8 |218. 9 |155. 6 | |Retained earnings attributable to shareholders |4319. 2 |4476. 2 |4174. 5 |4372. 8 |4526. 4 | |Dividend paid |-27. 5 |- |-20. 6 |- |-82. 4 | |Retained earnings carried forward |4291. 7 |4476. 2 |4153. 9 |4372. 8 |4444 | Table 1. 1 Table of Financial Summary & Highlights [pic] Graph 1. 1 Graph of Sales in 5 years [pic] Graph 1. Graph of Net Income/Loss in 5 years In the financial year 2007, the weakened industry state of affairs and the cumulative impact of various legacy issues had adversely affected PROTON during the financial year under review. Domestic sales volume for the period declined by 46. 8% to 88,635 units in comparison to the 166,656 units recorded in the previous financial year. PROTON's market share in Malaysia also declined to 29. 7% during the financial year compared to 39. 1% in the previous year, due to persistent competitive pressures w ithin the automotive sector. Such conditions and circumstances have led PROTON to a net loss after tax of RM590 million on a turnover of RM4. billion, as compared to the previous year's results of a net profit after tax of RM46 million on a turnover of RM7. 8 billion. The Group's losses for this financial year were also accentuated by various provisions, which included right-sizing costs incurred by a foreign subsidiary, higher component and raw material costs as well as the impact of legacy issues such as additional expenditure recognized in respect of vendor claims for previous years' project development costs and settlement of onerous contractual obligations previously committed. In addition, accounting adjustments to PROTON's deferred tax assets also adversely impacted the financial results. Accordingly, for the financial year ended 31 March 2009, PROTON recorded a loss after tax of RM301. million albeit on the back of improved revenue of RM6. 5 billion. This decline was largely due to the one-off exceptional provision for the impairment of property, plant and equipment and inventory write-down for certain models impacted by declining demand. Additionally, PROTON’s financial performance for the second half of the financial year was also adversely affected by the accelerated amortization of dies and jigs for certain models as well as higher commodity prices, increased costs of components and raw materials which arose from higher foreign currency exchange rates, particularly, the Japanese Yen and the US Dollar, coupled with allowance for doubtful debts.During the financial year 2011, the Group recorded a net profit of RM156 million (2010: RM219 million) which was lower than the previous financial year. The decrease was substantially due to higher losses from Lotus Group International Limited (‘LGIL’) whilst better contribution from the Proton cars business partly offset the decline. Growth in domestic sales volume, as well as introduction of models with better profit margins mainly accounted for the improved performance of Proton cars. In line with its transformation plans, LGIL incurred higher branding, marketing and restructuring costs in the rebuilding of the brand and improving production capabilities respectively. PROTON ranked second in terms of market share at 26%.With proper sales and marketing strategy combined with product launches of the Exora MC, Saga FL and Inspira, the performance in FY 10/11 was 3% higher at 162,012 units compared to 157,170 units in FY09/10. In terms of Service Marketing, more intense activities are being carried out to capture the â€Å"after warranty† customers in order to promote their visits to Proton EdarSdnBhd (PESB) service centres. Better values for money packages have been introduced to boost the said segment. In addition, tactical campaigns are also implemented every quarter to induce the element of surprise and enhance a ‘feel good’ sentiment among our customers. 5. Marketing Mix StrategiesIn Malaysia for the last 10 years, the car industry was practically taken over by Proton brand. 70 percent of vehicle sold are Proton sales. Some 25 other manufacturers compete for the remaining 30 percent. The previous best selling car like Nissan Sunny was totally wipe out almost overnight since Proton huge takeover in market sales more than 10 years ago. A marketing mix consists of four items or the four basic marketing mix tools that is product, price, place and promotion. This tools make up the marketing or advertising programs a company uses to entice consumers into purchasing specific types of products. Successful strategies typically maximize each piece of the marketing mix.Many people think a product is tangible, but a product is anything that can be offered to a market to satisfy a want or need, including physical goods, services, experiences, events, person, places, properties, organizations, information and ideas, (Kotler , 2012). In PROTONcontex, product refers to cars that Proton produce like Proton Saga, Proton Iswara, Proton Wira, Proton Satria, Proton Perdana, Proton Tiara, Proton Putra, Proton Savvy, Proton Gen2, Proton Persona, Proton Exora and Proton Inspira. PROTON offer unquestionably the best warranty package of any manufacturer and the most important part being the power train warranty, which guarantees the engine and transmission assemblies against failure for six years.The PROTON Invention and Innovation Competition (PICC) which was established in 2009 is an annual events which enables PROTON staff to generate new ideas and interest in creating next generation cars and also for employee to feel that their ideas and contribution are valued by the company. In marketing mix, price is the amount of money charged for each item. Before the product is developed, the marketing strategy is formulated, including target market selection and product positioning. There usually is a tradeoff between product qua lity and price, so price is an important variable in positioning. Because of inherent tradeoffs between marketing mixelements, pricing will depend on other product, distribution and promotion decisions.PROTON car has varieties types of car price according to their models offered. Generally consumers feel that the prices of PROTON’s products are affordable as compared with other brands in the category with which it compete. Pricing for PROTON car will eventually affects other marketing mix elements such as product features, distribution channel decisions and the aggressively promotion held nationwide. Place is the location at which customer purchases the product, including stores and websites. Proton has two distribution channels which are PROTON EDAR and EON. With this two distribution channels all prospect customer can easily accessible as it can be reached in all major towns in Malaysia.Besides that PROTON also opened a branch at another countries like China, Thailand, Indo nesia, Singapore, Australia and United Kingdom. China In 2010, China continued to record robust growth with 18. 1 million vehicles sold which represent 33% increase over 2009. The growth was mainly powered by favourable government incentives, urban economic development and China’s stimulus package to boost the economy. PROTON expect China’s long term growth to remain intact and continue in the next few years due to the current low motorisation rate and buoyant economy. CAAM (China Association of Automotive Manufacturers) expects China’s TIV to reach 20 milion units in 2011. Thailand PROTON continues to make headway in the Thai market with strategy of practical design at affordable prices.The Proton Exora which was introduced in December 2009 was voted as a Top 10 model by Bangkok Post for the year 2010. In 2010, PROTON also saw the introduction of Saga FL in the market, competing heads on with Eco cars. Currently, through PROTON Thailand distributor, Phranakorn Auto Sales Co. , Ltd (PAS), PROTON has network of 40 dealers (all 3S outlets) throughout Thailand. Indonesia PT Proton Edar Indonesia (PT PEI) was established on 16 August 2002 but commenced full operations on 16 March 2007, as part of PROTON’s brand expansion and AMLO strategies to spread out its presence intensely and dynamically. PT PEI till end 2010 offered the Indonesian market seven attractive models to target the different segments.The models are Savvy, launched in July 2007, that received 2 Awards for Best City Car from Majalah Mobil Motor and Auto Bild Indonesia, the Gen-2 and Neo also launched in 2007 with the more sporty and stylish outlook within the hatchback categories and not forgetting the highly comfortable and functional mini sedan class, the Gen-2, Persona and Waja launched July 2007 and the Saga launched March 2009. Saga has won the â€Å"2009 Best Budget Sedan† awarded by Indonesia Otomotif Awards. Singapore The new car market in Singapore is regul ated by the Certificate of Entitlement quota (CEO) which is issue by the Land Transport Authority (LTA). TIV has consistently outgrown the road space development which leads the LTA to introduce a drastic change in the formulation of quota supply.This new measure has created a drastic decline of quota supply and as a S$18,502 to S$47,604) within the year 2010 which is a ten year record high. Australia Over this period the Australian industry volume increased by 10. 5% compared to the previous year. Improved economic conditions and heavy promotion by industry competitors lead to an overall volume of 1. 035 million sales. The sales result was the second highest annual volume recorded in the Australian market. PROTON Cars Australia recorded a 16. 1% increase in sales on the back of the improved trading environment. The main sales increase came from the successful launch of the S16 (Saga) which was overwhelmingly accepted by the Australian public. United KingdomThe retail buyer segment saw a 7% decrease in sales and this would have been significantly lower had it not been supported by the government scrappage scheme which ended in the first half of 2010. High fuel prices and economic factors drove demand for smaller more fuel-efficient cars, with â€Å"B† segment (Supermini) vehicles accounting for 37% market share and diesel vehicles increased consumer demand for these models. Promotion is the communication method companies use to inform customers about goods and services. The very first promotion Proton used was to organize the car naming contest, and it was from here that a certain brand belonging patriotism towards Proton SAGA name was instill among Malaysian.The government itself also relentlessly pursue the promotion of Proton car on a nationwide scale with the Prime Minister launching almost every new model category in the Proton car lineage. This itself has been widely covered in all major newspaper for the benefit of market brand awareness. As in r ecently the Prime Minister as a prime mover in promoting PROTON cars have launched numerous world events namely the World Cup Golf ’99, and Le Tour De Langkawi, awarding a Proton car to its winners. The recent achievement of Malaysian athletes who had set and broken records in Kuala Lumpur 98XVI Commonwealth Games was also not forgotten, as the athletes were each awarded a Proton PERDANA.Besides this Proton through its marketing arm EON, have also been sponsoring world events to promote the car namely, FIFA/Coca Cola IXth World Youth Club, 34th International Youth Skill Olympics, Motor Rallying Activities and the Malaysia Thomas Cup team to restore the badminton glory. These intensive promotions especially at world function have nevertheless promoted Proton Proton cars to a vast majority of people in Malaysia as well as overseas. Marketing mix strategies concern either one item or the entire group. For example, product strategies may consist of selling brand new items or subs tituting goods for item already in the market. Prices can be extremely high to create a sense of exclusiveness or inexpensive. The place may be in-store or at special location, with wide ranging promotion using multiple methods. All four pieces of the marketing mix helps companies set the price for their goods and services.In economic term, the best price is at equilibrium, or the price at which consumers will buy the most products and the company will make the most profit. 6. Forecasting for the Near Future To say that a lot has happened recently to the world of automotive marketing and CRM would be an understatement. Since the days when marketing managers were schooled in the marketing mix of the four â€Å"Ps† — Product, Price, Place and Promotion — practitioners have applied these fundamentals in time- and battle-tested ways, ever honing their craft. Marketing as we have known it is undergoing a radical transformation as the internet plays an ever-increasing role in consumers' lives. For consumers, the internet has become the primary research tool used to determine the best car to purchase.And for Proton, it is now the path to reach and learn from these consumers — providing automotive professionals with a vastly better way to quantify and qualify the most important aspects of consumer attitudes, shopping behaviors, vehicle demand and the conversion of demand to sales. The internet has enabled customer acquisition techniques and efficiencies that were never before possible. Furthermore, it has enhanced the quality of intelligence and accelerated its availability. Given the power that these changes have ushered in, we can no longer rely on the traditional â€Å"P's†, lest we fall victim to what marketing guru Ted Levitt referred to as â€Å"marketing myopia. † The fundamentals are no longer adequate to effectively win and keep consumers and, as such, a powerful new entrant — a fifth ‘P' — has eme rged in the marketing model: Process.Process calls for grounding tactical and strategic marketing decisions in the insights that can be drawn from online consumer data and leveraged across the predecessor Ps. With Process, online data regarding consumer preferences and shopping behavior is used to precisely pinpoint, measure and analyze consumer activity and build more effective marketing programs that cost-effectively increase sales and profit per vehicle. With more than two-thirds of new vehicle buyers going online to research purchases before buying a new vehicle, insights derived from these data can be used to develop highly customized marketing programs geared toward consumers' specific purchasing behavior.In short, Process, powered by online data, enables companies to quickly optimize the return on their marketing investments and drive overall marketing efficiency. It is no longer enough to place a product and price and promote it; instead, marketers must ‘connect the do ts' and utilize data to its fullest advantage to transform the way they identify and reach potential buyers. There