Mercedes Benz Brand Evolution and History

Mercedes-Benz is a multinational division of the German manufacturer Daimler AG, and the brand is used for luxury automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany Mercedes-Benz has been making buses since 1895 in Mannheim in Germany. Since 1995, the brand of Mercedes-Benz buses and coaches is under the umbrella of EvoBus GmbH, belonging 100% to the Daimler AG. The German luxury car-manufacturer has been around for more than a century, having elegantly drifted the both smooth and rough curves of automobile history. Responsible for the modern internal combustion engine's genesis, the ‘fathers' of the Mercedes-Benz brand practically invented the automobile. Many years ago when mahogany canes and high-top hats were the ultimate fashion and social prominence statements, two men by the names of Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler were busy freeing the world from horse-powered transportation. The 1886 archetype of the modern engine, their device was not a result of team-work but of independent and synchronous research and development. Although both lived in Southern Germany, they never actually met if historical accounts are to be believed. Despite the equal share of the two engineer's contribution to the development of the four-stroke petrol engine, it was Gottlieb Daimler who garnered more attention that would eventually lead to world-spread fame. Following Daimler's successful results in racing, a wealthy Austrian business man by the name of Emil Jellinek became interested in the Unterturkheim-built cars. Daimler and his chief-engineer, Wilhelm Maybach's work had pleased Jellinek to the extent of him approaching the two with a business proposal: a large number of cars would be ordered in exchange to a name change from Daimler to Mercedes – Jellinek daughter's name – and the right to alter the car's designs as well as the right to resell the vehicles in some European countries, including Austria, France and Belgium. Despite having been widely criticized for alleged forced employment and violation of human rights during the Second World War, Mercedes – Benz have been successful at building an automotive empire, strongly supported by some of the company's far-from-average clients, such as state leaders, media moguls and ridiculously rich families. Mercedes – Benz have become known particularly for their limousines, most of which can be seen in most movies ever since the Lumiere brothers became famous for their ‘little' invention called cinematography. As if outstanding product quality and world fame weren't enough, the Mercedes – Benz team has also fathered tons of innovations, many of them targeting the simple four-cylinder engine. After marking a new era in mechanical supercharging technology, Mercedes went on to cross new borders through the release of new engineering concepts and ground breaking designs. The BlueTec system unveiled in 2005 was developed with only one though in mind: cutting CO2 emissions, achievement made possible through the use of SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction). Two other notable events occurred the same year with the release of the A 200 Turbo engine for the A-Klasse and the organic-looking Bionic concept. Market Shares of Mercedes on 07-2013 Betting big on the Indian automobile market, German luxury car maker Mercedes Benz is aiming for a double digit growth this year The company sold 7,138 units last year, Mercedes Benz India Director (Sales and Network development) Boris Fitz said. During the first quarter of this calendar year, the company sold 2,009 units, he said. However, he declined to reveal the number of units that Mercedes Benz has planned to sell in India. Stating that Mercedes Benz was â€Å"bullish† about the Indian market, he said the company was investing Rs 250 crore towards capacity expansion plans at its Pune plant. The company is doubling capacity from 10,000 units per year at present to 20,000 units per year. Mercedes Benz on Thursday introduced the diesel version on its compact hatchback B Class at Rs 22. 60 lakh ex-showroom Mumbai. Having already sold 500 units of B Class petrol since its launch nine months back, Mercedes Benz expects the diesel variant to outsell petrol variants in the coming months and lead the double digit growth in 2013, for the luxury carmaker. Eberhard Kern, MD & CEO, Mercedes Benz India told ET that despite the changing fuel price equation, the customers are still demanding diesel cars. â€Å"In our portfolio where diesel variant is available, it constitutes 80% of our total sales with petrol making up for 20% with the B Class too we are expecting the same. Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt Ltd (DICV) announces that Mercedes Benz' bus division will be integrated with it. Previously the bus business was handled by Mercedes Benz India Private Ltd (MBIL) located out of Pune. Daimler sees the Indian market as one with increasing potential. However, the Luxury Coach segment is still very small in comparison to the total market. While MB India has sold more than 300 buses since 2008, Volvo Buses sold 700 units in 2012 alone (Volvo entered the Indian bus market in 2001). DICV will now handle the marketing, sales & after-sales of Mercedes-Benz Buses. Servicing will be taken up by select dealers of BharatBenz. Initially only 7 dealers, along with 2 existing dealers who have been servicing MB buses, will handle the servicing requirements for these buses. Bus manufacture will continue at MB India's Pune factory for some more time. Eventually, manufacturing will shift to DICV’s manufacturing plant at Oragadam, near Chennai. Growth Rate The ingenious luxury car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz reported witnessing a substantial rise in sales volume over the past quarter of 2012. The company was pleased to announce that there had been a massive 5. 3% growth in the sales. Mercedes with its growing reputation over the past few decades has made it one of the most powerful in the automobile industry. Taking into consideration the overall major drop in the Indian LCV automobile industry, this can be reported as huge success. Over the course of a few years, Mercedes has dazzled the imaginations of car lovers and enthusiasts by unveiling ingenious and exciting cars, ideas and concepts and rolled out some of most powerful four-wheeled machinery there is. Mercedes is a brand looked up to for its superiorly performing and luxurious cars. This may the cause of such a massive boost in the company’s sales. Mercedes Benz production plants all over the country have begun ramping up car production numbers for the expected profit from this substantial rise. Mercedes is planning to optimistically envisage double-digit growth numbers over the next six months. The German car manufacturer has enthusiastically developed several exciting designs to be rolled out this year and car enthusiasts are extremely interested in what they’re going to be. This enthusiasm may have been what sparked a healthy growth of over 5% in the past three months. The manufacturer believes it is capable of inducing much more growth in the company’s sales in some time and they would try to enhance the overall quality of products. They should be able to easily capture their expected double-digits growth rates. Mercedes seems to be very optimistic at this topic and expects to beat the industry by its uniqueness and ability to touch the very visions of enthusiasts around the world. The crowd expects even more from the company, and Mercedes has the type of people who won’t give up until they achieve the most of it. They’re building on towards a better future for the company as well as consumers of LCVs in the Indian market. CHAPTER 2 Founder profile Karl Friedrich Benz (help ·info) (November 25, 1844 – April 4, 1929) was a German engine designer and car engineer, generally regarded as the inventor of the petrol-powered automobile, and together with Bertha Benz pioneering founder of the automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz. Other German contemporaries, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach working as partners, also worked on similar types of inventions, without knowledge of the work of the other, but Benz patented his work first, and, subsequently patented all the processes that made the internal combustion enginefeasible for use in an automobile. In 1879, his first engine patent was granted to him, and in 1886, Benz was granted a patent for his first automobile. In 1871, at the age of twenty-seven, Karl Benz joined August Ritter in launching the Iron Foundry and Mechanical Workshop in Mannheim, later renamed Factory for Machines for Sheet-metal Working. The enterprise's first year went very badly. Ritter turned out to be unreliable, and the business's tools were impounded. The difficulty was overcome when Benz's fiancee, Bertha Ringer, bought out Ritter's share in the company using her dowry. On July 20, 1872, Karl Benz and Bertha Ringer married. They had five children: Eugen (1873), Richard (1874), Clara (1877), Thilde (1882), and Ellen (1890). Despite the business misfortunes, Karl Benz led in the development of new engines in the early factory he and his wife owned. To get more revenues, in 1878 he began to work on new patents. First, he concentrated all his efforts on creating a reliable petrol two-stroke engine. Benz finished his two-stroke engine on December 31, 1878, New Year's Eve, and was granted a patent for it in 1879. Karl Benz showed his real genius, however, through his successive inventions registered while designing what would become the production standard for his two-stroke engine. Benz soon patented the speed regulation system, the ignition using sparks with battery, the spark plug, the carburetor, the clutch, the gear shift, and the water radiator. Product Profile The world's first motorised bus was built in Germany by Karl Benz in 1895, some years before Gottlieb Daimler also started to build and sell buses in Germany as well. By 1898 both Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, then rivals, were exporting their buses to Wales and England. Soon Daimler products were sold in the British Empire in a partnership with the British company Milnes. Milnes-Daimler developed a double-decker in 1902 and provided a bus for the first motorised bus service in the United Kingdom the following year. Though the company met success in selling buses throughout the British Empire, the partnership between Daimler and Milnes had to be undone due to the First World War Due to economic hardships in the early 1900s, Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie. merged into one company in 1926, two years after both companies signed an agreement of mutual interest. Thus, Daimler-Benz AG (also known as Mercedes-Benz) was formed. In the next year, the company presented its first combined bus range. By that time emphasis was given to diesel engines (as opposed to petrol engines) for commercial vehicles. In 1951 Mercedes-Benz unveiled its first bus specifically designed for bus operation (and not derived from a lorry, as was the case of the other buses produced by the company until then) – the O6600 H. This 11-metre-long vehicle was equipped with a six-cylinder, transverse-mounted rear engine delivering 145 hp, a lower frame than its predecessors, and an electric gearshift system. In 1954 Mercedes-Benz unveiled its first semi-integral bus – the O321 H. The semi-integral design meant a reduction in weight, improvements in stability and body resistance. The O321 H also was the first to feature coil springs in the front-axle suspension. This 9. 2-metre-long vehicle (a 10. 9-metre version was later unveiled) also featured a rear-mounted engine. The first version was available with an output of 110 hp, and a later optional 126-hp version was made available. More than 30,000 units of the O321 H complete bus and its platform were sold around the world, a mark which places it as the best-selling bus of its time and, until today, one of the most successful models by Mercedes-Benz.

Kant’s Categorical Imperative Essay

Kant believed that a moral action is made up of duty and good will. Without duty, an action cannot be morally good. This is how he developed the duty-based Categorical Imperative, also known as moral commands, as a foundation for all other rules and will be true in any circumstance purely based on reason. These tell everyone what to do and don’t depend on anything else, such as personal desires. Within the Categorical Imperative, Kant outlines three important maxims in ‘The Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals’ which test how morally acceptable an action is. The first maxim states: â€Å"Always act in such a way that you can also will that the maxim of your action should be a universal law†. This can be interpreted to mean that only do something if it can be universalised and if it’s something that will always be acceptable for anyone to do. If it can’t be universalised then it is not a valid moral rule. To illustrate this, Kant uses the example of suicide, claiming that it is always wrong because it can’t be made a universal law. He asks us to consider if we would want everyone to take their own life in any situation, even if it is to escape a state of suffering and despair. Stealing would also be considered never to be morally acceptable in Kantian Ethics since it cannot be universalised as well. If it was to be universalised, everyone would be stealing from each other, therefore human relationships would fail because trust is the foundation of human relationships. Furthermore, this maxim is important in order for there to be a harmonious society. The second says: â€Å"Act so that you treat humanity, both in your own person and in that of another, always as an end and never merely as a means†. Here, Kant was telling us that we should value every individual and not use anybody to gain something else; he believed that the end can never justify the means. For instance, if you allowed a person to be humiliated to raise money for charity then this would be self-contradictory. While you are trying to do something good, you are devaluing a human being in the process. Devaluing another human being results in inequality because it denies the other person the right to be rational and independent in judging their actions, when in fact they are just as rational as us; this would be making you seem superior to them. Kant says you should always aim to help others, but not at the expense of self-destruction or harm of another person. His last maxim is emphasises on the Kingdom of Ends: â€Å"Act according to the maxims of a member of a merely possible kingdom of ends legislating in it universally†. The kingdom of ends refers to a social state in which all of the members desire the same good. It’s a society where moral laws are designed to achieve and these goods are common ends of humanity. Kant aims to remove all conflict in order for humans to realise their common aims. He believed that most humans are rational people who prefer moral life over immorality. However, this is not achievable in this life but we must attempt regardless. In this maxim, Kant reinforces the concept that everyone should act as if everyone was an ‘end’. According to Kant, every being is autonomous and able to make moral judgements through understanding the principle of pure practical reason then applying this to everyone equally. Anything that goes ignores the dignity of a human being in order to achieve its end is morally wrong because it would be going against the Categorical Imperative, which should be used as a basis for all actions.

Hurricane Wind Driven Ventilator in Saudi Arabia Essay

Hurricane Wind Driven Ventilator in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example Wind power Wind power is the process of converting wind energy into any other form of energy that may be beneficial to human consumption or usage (Wind power, 2012). This can be done by using wind turbines for producing electricity (Fig 1) windmills to produce mechanical power, using wind pumps for pumping out water or in drainage and in the sails for propelling the seas in the oceans. A large winding farm can contain thousands of individual wind turbines (Mother Nature Takes a Part: Wind Energy, 1999) that are connected with the network of electric power transmission. The wind farms that are located in offshore locations usually harness powerful winds which are more frequent in the areas. In Saudi Arabia or the Gulf countries the wind pattern is more regular in nature (Hays, 2009). The power of the earth's wind along with the solar radiation that reaches earth can play a major role in increasing the energy supply in the kingdom. The project discussed in the paper is the Hurricane: W ind Driven Ventilator that was undertaken by the Green Energy Solutions company in Saudi Arabia. These exhaust ventilators were used to cool the temperatures during the hottest summers. An Introduction to the Project The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a dry, arid climate with continuous general flow of the wind (Dry Climates - B Climate Type, 2011). The Hurricane: Wind Driven Ventilator project was developed by Green Energy Solution. The company specializes in their knowledge about wind, solar energy and how to use these renewable sources of energy to produce an eco-friendly solution. There are many projects that have been completed by the company successfully in UAE. One such project was the Hurricane: Wind Driven Ventilator that was completed by the company known as International Paints...A large winding farm can contain thousands of individual wind turbines (Mother Nature Takes a Part: Wind Energy, 1999) that are connected with the network of electric power transmission. The wind fa rms that are located in offshore locations usually harness powerful winds which are more frequent in the areas. In Saudi Arabia or the Gulf countries the wind pattern is more regular in nature (Hays, 2009). The power of the earth's wind along with the solar radiation that reaches earth can play a major role in increasing the energy supply in the kingdom. The project discussed in the paper is the Hurricane: Wind Driven Ventilator that was undertaken by the Green Energy Solutions company in Saudi Arabia. These exhaust ventilators were used to cool the temperatures during the hottest summers.The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a dry, arid climate with continuous general flow of the wind (Dry Climates - B Climate Type, 2011). The Hurricane: Wind Driven Ventilator project was developed by Green Energy Solution. The company specializes in their knowledge about wind, solar energy and how to use these renewable sources of energy to produce an eco-friendly solution. There are many projects that have been completed by the company successfully in UAE. One such project was the Hurricane: Wind Driven Ventilator that was completed by the company known as International Paints (International Paints, n.d).

MGT501 - Management and Organizational Behavior Mod 5 SLP Essay

MGT501 - Management and Organizational Behavior Mod 5 SLP - Essay Example That made the results of this survey quite interesting to me. Starting with leadership profile, it came out as participative or democratic. I was not too surprised with that. I have taken these a few times in the past and they usually come out that way. It is said, that good leaders use all three styles which would include authoritative and declarative and certainly I can think of times that those are useful too. However, I believe that employee buy in is very important to success and that usually shows. This seems to be the way to have a department that is always functioning at its best. There are things that I know well about the job and things they know well. There is a much better chance we will be successful as a team. My strengths are related to getting the most out of my employees by asking for and using the ideas that they have. Involving them in some of the decision making and allowing them to come up with and use good ideas make process change much easier also. I help my employees grow. This type of leadership can get out of hand if the leader is not aware when they are leaning on the employees to much. They employees must still see this person as a leader with some power. People will not follow a leader that has not power. The organizational survey answered all of my questions. It is an autocratic workplace. Wouldnt you know it? Seems to make sense that we are always out of sync now. It appears I have a good reason to look for a job in another culture which is what I have been thinking for awhile. It appears that what I believe about employees and what the organization believes are the direct opposite as they like to tell them what to do and do not seek buy in. This is pretty old fashioned in its method of driving an organization. I have been here about a year and when I interviewed, the organization presented itself quite differently. These kinds of surveys

Women and education in the time 1940-1950 Essay

Women and education in the time 1940-1950 - Essay Example These events greatly influenced the education sector, whereby there emerged greater disparities in enrollment and completion of both men and women in the education system (Rury, 2009, p39). These changes in education patterns of both men and women were greatly determined by the various demands that had been presented by previous economic depression and the Second World War that had just begun. Prior to 1940, education of women in the United States had been ongoing for a long period, recording gradual increase in the number of women enrolling in different levels of education. However, several trends characterized education of women in the United States the western countries. In United States, there was a great disparity in the racial composition of women pursuing education in various levels. Moreover, there was a remarkable difference between gender composition of the women and men, in various education stages of the education system. Another major difference in women education during 1940-50 was the type of training that they received in the educational institutions (Alexander and Bruce, 1974, p659). According to Pitts (1992, p93) United States has recorded high literacy levels since 1940 across different education levels. Both genders are increasingly completing high school and enrolling for tertiary education in colleges and universities. Before 1940 and the onset of Second World War, Appelbaum et al (2003, p61) noted that about 50% of Americans had completed at least eight years of schooling. The rate of education varied in different regions across the country with urban areas recording the highest literacy levels with an average of 8.7 years of formal schooling compared with the farming and non-farming rural residents. Education at the tertiary level was very low whereby only 5.7% of the urban dwellers had completed tertiary education compared with just 1.3% of residents in rural and farming communities (Appelbaum, et al, 2003, pp89-95). Comparing gender di stribution of the educated in the United States before the war, the number of men across all educational levels exceeded that of women. Besides the higher enrollment of men in all levels of the education system, they also had higher rates of completing their respective studies at any given level compared to women. In addition, the educational access to education was not uniform across all races, whereby the majority races had better access to schooling compared to the African American, Hispanics and other minority groups (Bound, and Turner, 2002, p50). Traditionally, the role of women in society was limited to domestic work that entailed housekeeping and bringing up the children. Men were supposed to work on more demanding jobs in order to provide for their families. These gender-defined roles were reflected in education sector, whereby women pursued careers that were traditionally associated with â€Å"feminism†. These included careers in education, home economics, secretari al and clerical work in addition to catering and hospitality work. On other hand, men were involved in heavy and technical work in industries, such as steel plants, shipyards, lumber mills among other jobs that required skills (Rury, 2009, p48). This explains why very few women enrolled in education institution before 1940 in comparison to men. It was important for men to enroll in school in order to acquire skills that would enhance productivity in the work place. Buchmann et al(2006) noted the demand for skilled workers in the late 1930’s had began to increase, because the American economy was on a recovery path, following the devastating effects of the historical economic depression that had started a decade earlier. The outbreak of

How far was Maragaret Thatcher to blame for her downfall Essay

How far was Maragaret Thatcher to blame for her downfall - Essay Example The concept of collective development through Globalization was a new concept for the British public at that time. Unemployment, Privatization of the public companies and the revised tax system were the main areas were the British public differenced with Mrs. Thatcher which ultimately resulted in her ouster from the prime minister ship. Now the â€Å"Thatcherism† and its importance were recognized by the British public more than ever. Mrs. Thatcher was fortunate enough to witness all such changes in attitudes of the British public against her and her policies. Most of her economic, social and political policies were still debated. Though her policies succeeded in reducing inflation and budget expenditures the people of Britain suffered lot of indirect tax increases, social inequalities and unemployment during her services in the prime minister’s office. â€Å"Even as the rest of Europe toyed with socialism and state ownership, she set about privatizing the nationalized industries, which had been hitherto sacrosanct, no matter how inefficient. It worked. British Airways, an embarrassingly slovenly national carrier that very seldom showed a profit, was privatized and transformed into one of the worlds best and most profitable airlines†1 â€Å"When Margaret Thatcher took office, there were 3 million private shareholders; when she left, there were almost 11 and a half million. The tabloid newspapers latched onto this and joined their broadsheet cousins in publishing alongside the racing columns share market information and news. The popularity of privatization increased as each industry was floated on the stock exchange. When the gas industry was launched, the shares were oversubscribed by 500 percent†2 . â€Å"Before 1987 several key industries and public utilities had been transferred to private ownership, including th e telephone system, the ports, British Gas, Thatcher believed in reduced involvement

Mathematics Lesson Plan 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Mathematics Lesson Plan 1 - Essay Example MATHEMATICS LESSON PLAN 1 ‘5 Little Ducks’ by Wendy Straw Early Stage 1 Aim: Through this lesson, the students can learn how to solve addition problems better and quicker. This lesson will teach the children how to recognise jumbled numbers and how to add numbers. Through the lesson, the students can learn to work in groups and to reflect on their lessons. The student’s prior knowledge, as well as their ability to count up to ten has been taken into account. ... For example, background information shall be given, including the number of ducklings birds have. As a result, they will understand the topic and content more. As a whole class, the children can be asked if any of them have seen a duck in real life and also to describe how a duck looks like. The teacher will then read the book ‘Five Little Ducks’ by Wendy Straw. Reading the book also allows the students to count along. As the teacher is going through the pages, she would ask the class questions about the book. For example, how many ducks were there are at the beginning and how many ducks were left? The teacher can also ask additional questions, like if there were 2 ducks and 1 duck came back, how many ducks will there be all together? Students need to be seated on the classroom floor In reading the book to the class, use hand gestures in describing how the ducks quack. Allow the students to talk amongst each other Observe the children who are struggling to recognise the numbers and who are familiar with the questions Body (25 min) As a whole class put a video of addition and number recognition on the IWB (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLwrQBQ5JJE) Ask the class addition questions such as, 3 + 2=..... Then the students can be grouped into mixed ability groups of 4 to 5. Get an empty 12 compartment egg carton. In the egg carton, put in two duck pictures randomly and in all the other ten compartments write the numbers 0 to 9 in no specific order. Also place a button in the carton. The children are to each have a turn to shake the carton and then open the carton. Wherever the button will land they are to say the number. If the button lands on the ducks, then the children are to make the noise a duck makes or say something they know about a duck. After the

A critical evaluation of one aspect of contemporary hospitality Essay

A critical evaluation of one aspect of contemporary hospitality management - Essay Example These trends have eventually emerged over the period of six decades where the hospitality industry not only expanded but has also seen immense diversification where it is now a booming economic sector (Jones & Pizam 1993 p. 34). Also, with time, the international hospitality industry is shifting away from the traditional vacationing space and vacuum, towards a more integrated approach to encompass various aspects of hospitality management. Also, with globalization and media exposure, people are more interested in exploring Asian cultural and values predicated by developing states which has further paved way for progress in the hospitality management techniques globally. In addition, where other sectors have also been impacted by global depression and economic shocks, global hospitality industry has only reflected growth pattern where around 25 million people showed interest in travelling in the 1950`s while recent trends show that around 1,035 million people undertook foreign trips i n the year 2012 alone. This explains how the trends have been changed drastically in favor of hospitality industry and thus, investors should definitely make a mark on this shift and funnel resources toward this trend (Bremmer 2013 p. 3). Furthermore, an estimate indicated that out of the foreign travelers, around half of the percentage comprised of those who were travelling for holidays, some kind of leisure activities or recreational activities. Also, around 14% of these tourists reported to have travelled for business transaction purposes, while around 27% of these tourists reportedly travelled for VFR purposes (for visiting their friends or relatives) (Tata 2009, p. 1437-1440). Therefore, the industry shifts should also tilt accordingly, where investors should focus on developing spots aimed at enhancing vacationing experiences of these

Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 45

Personal Statement Example As an experienced class lecturer, I know that my students have a tendency to go a few steps ahead of me in terms of their computer know-how since they are allowed the freedom to experiment with the technology and see where it goes. In order for me to ensure that I will always have the upper hand during class lectures, and also be in a better position for tenureship at the university, I need to beef up my educational resume and gain knowledge and information that my students have yet to come across or conceptualize in their minds. It is my duty and responsibility to ensure that I present the most current knowledge and trends in computing and informatics to them in a manner that they can easily absorb. I will admit that I also have a personal reason for wishing to complete a Phd, that of becoming a published professor in the future who will leave a definite impact upon the research being done in this particular field. Currently, I am on track in pursuit of my goal of becoming an Assistant Professor at SEU. However, I cannot fully achieve that goal without a PhD degree. I hope to be able to fast track my career plans after completing this degree and assisting or developing research that will help to shape the future of computing and informatics particularly in terms of its ability to help shape the future of my country. As a recipeient of a Saudi government scholarship grant, I feel privileged to have the opportunity to pursue my research plans in the field of Human Computer Interaction. This is a field of computer study that has a tremendous amount of professional growth potential in my country in terms of career advancement. I plan to get in on the ground floor and ride the trend all the way to the top. Becoming one of the most notable experts in this field in my country. It is because of my desire to actively pursue this research that I have chosen to apply for

Insurance Management Project Report Essay Example for Free

Insurance Management Project Report Essay Problem Definition: Understanding the problem in the existing system finding requested solution is the most important activity while planning the project. Hence the developing a new system we must get through problem associated with the current system. In the old system, the user was maintaining the records like Policy Holder Details, Policy details, Premium Payments, Agent Details, Company Details and bill in the paper sheets. Searching Problem: Searching is very difficult in file. Accessing, Deleting and Adding Problems as the user has to do it manually. The retrieval of data is time consuming, as the user has to search the whole file even for a single data. For updating record the user has to search particular record first and do the updates which are time consuming which was a big problem. The data that has to be deleted should also be crosschecked as it might lead to missing data. Objective and Scope of the project: Our main aim of the project is to get the correct information about particular Policy Holder, Agents, Policy or Insurance Company and to reduce human efforts. The user can maintain all the records about Policy Holder Details, Agent Details, Insurance Company, Policy Details, Premium Payment Details and Bill and save it in the database. The user can also maintain the record of his Policy Holder. The user can easily insert and retrieve the record without any training. The searching is made easy. The user can search the record by Date, Policy Holder name, Record number, etc. In this we have used crystal report for business objects as per the client’s requirement. In crystal report the user see the information about the particular Patient. Conclusion: The â€Å"Insurance Management System† process made computerized to reduce human errors and to increase the efficiency. The main focus of this project is to lessen human efforts. The maintenance of the records is made efficient, as all the records are stored in the SQL database, through which data can be retrieved easily. The navigation control is provided in all the forms to navigate through the large amount of records. If the numbers of records are very large then user has to just type in the search string and user gets the results immediately. The editing is also made simpler. The user has to just type in the required field and press the update button to update the desired field.

Influence of Advertising on Children

Influence of Advertising on Children CHAPTER 1 Introduction This chapter provides general information on the influence of advertising to children by looking at different researches and surveys on media influence and implications on the behaviour of children. This research attempts to study the implications of advertising on the behaviour of children in the UK. The research aims and objectives are also provided in this chapter. 1.1 Influence of Advertising on Child Behaviour Technology has created more choices for people to gain an access to information. The development of modern technology enables all ages to access various types of information with unlimited access. Also, major advances in the media technology have created different and unique ways of providing products and services to several audiences. For instance, animation are used in various numbers of advertising to children, and the messages from these television advertisements affect children in gender role stereotype learning (Hogg Garrow 2003). These days, people cannot watch television, go shopping, or browse the internet without being flooded with advertisements (Dotson Hyatt 2005). Not only adults are exposed to these advertisements, but young children are also targeted by many advertisements with an attempt to sell these products and services to them, such as movies and food (Flew 2002). A research indicated that children under eight years old are more likely to accept advertising messages as been truthful and unbiased (Cohen et al. 2002). Therefore, it is difficult for children to see and examine the hidden agenda in thousands of advertisements they watch every year (Cohen et al. 2002). A study showed that many advertisements for toys, snack food, video games, and cereal are often targeted towards children. However, it is also crucial for parents to watch out for other advertisements. An example is beer and cigarette advertisements that are usually directed towards adults also have messages that can influence children (Shin Cameron 2003). According to Dotson Hyatt (2005), beer advertisements are shown very often during sport events. Beer advertisements are also seen by millions of young children. Research finding showed that these advertisements attempt to create both brand familiarity and positive attitudes towards drinking in children aged between 9 and 10 years old (Shin Cameron 2003). In addition, a research finding revealed that young children can be persuaded very easily by the messages of advertisements (Dotson Hyatt 2005). Young children believe that the messages in the adverts are truthful and unbiased, and this can cause unhealthy behaviours in children, including: Poor eating habits: This is a factor in todays youth obesity epidemic (Dotson Hyatt 2005). The most common advertisements directed towards young children include sweets, fizzy drinks, and other snack foods (Dotson Hyatt 2005). An increase in the likelihood of aggressive behaviour and less sensitivity to violence: Aggressive behaviour in young children is more likely to appear if a child is exposed to the advertisements for violent video games, movies, and television programs (Dotson Hyatt 2005). The research result also indicated that advertisements can be the cause of conflict between parents and children (Meech 1999). The research showed that commercials often get young children to want the advertised products and then pressurising their parents to buy it for them. As a result, the conflict between them takes place when the parents say ‘no (Meech 1999). 1.2 Advertising Implications and Health and Obesity Issues In 2003, the BBC revealed that corporate giants such as McDonalds, Cadbury Schweppes, PepsiCo UK, and Kelloggs faced a tough time from the committee of the Members of Parliament who had been holding a long running investigation into the state of the nations health (BBC UK 2003). McDonalds, Cadbury Schweppes, PepsiCo UK, and Kelloggs were accused of marketing high calories meals aimed at children, while neglecting the health implications of a fast food diet (BBC UK 2003). It was revealed by the Chairman of the Health Committee that some food commercials from these accused corporate giants failed to carry health warnings on the packages in similar manner to the tobacco (BBC UK 2003). Chairman of the Health Committee stated that a certain branded cheeseburger with fries and a milkshake would take nine miles to walk off, and this level is too high for young children (BBC UK 2003). It was reported that calorie content does not mean a great deal to people. However, the messages in the advertising are not sufficiently honest to their audiences (BBC UK 2003). An article in reputed medical journal called ‘The Lancet studied and suggested that celebrity endorsement of ‘junk food should be banned. Also, the scale of health and obesity problems have been highlighted in a report of the Food Standards Agency, claiming that some 15 per cent of 15 year-old children are now obese. This figure is three times as many as ten years ago (BBC UK 2003). In addition, the UK government admitted a serious concern about the growing incidence of obesity in the UK by putting new regulations on food and drink manufacturers who must follow the strict code of practice when producing adverts aimed at children (BBC UK 2003). Plans to improve school students diet have also been welcomed by the UK government. A research titled ‘Food Marketing and Advertising Directed at Children and Adolescents: Implications for Overweight (Apha Food and Nutrition 2004) indicates that there is a growing outbreak of overweight children. The unhealthy eating habits of young kids has brought attention to the possible role that food and beverage advertising and marketing play in influencing eating behaviours in young children. In recent years, youth consumers have become potential target market for the food and beverage industry because of their spending power, purchasing influence, and as future adult consumers. Therefore, young children are now the target market of the intense and aggressive food marketing and advertising campaigns. Marketers and advertisers have been employing multiple techniques and channels to reach youth consumers, beginning when they are still toddlers in order to develop and build brands and also encourage the product use when they are in their youth phase. These food marketing channels comprise of effectively and carefully developed marketing communications strategies. Examples include television advertising, in-school marketing, product placements, kids clubs, internet, products with branded logos, and youth-targeted marketing promotions like cross-selling and tie-ins marketing campaigns. It was also reported that foods targeted at children contain high fat, salt, and sugar contents which are the main causes of being overweight. In addition, television advertising and in-school marketing techniques are two of the most prevalent forms of marketing to young children. Television is reported as the largest source of media messages about food to children, particularly younger children. Moreover, a qualitative survey by the Office of Communication (2004) indicates that the average child or adolescent watches an average of three hours of television per day. It showed that young children may view as many as 40,000 commercials each year and food appears to be the most frequently advertised product category on childrens television, accounting for over 50 percent of all advertisements. The survey also disclosed that children view an average of one food commercial every five minutes of television viewing time, and they may see as many as three hours of food commercials each week. Several studies have documented that the foods targeted at young childrens television are mainly high in sugar and fat, with almost no references to fruits or vegetables. Young children and adolescents are currently being exposed to an increasing and unprecedented amount of food advertising and marketing through a wide range of places. It is revealed that young children have few defences against persuasive advertisements and misleading messages. 1.3 Restrictions on Messages of Advertising to Children In recent years, several studies were conducted to highlight and understand the implications of advertising on the behaviour of young children. These studies focus on different aspect. For example, Maher (et al. 2006) carried a research to investigate the changes in types of advertised food products and the use of nutrition versus consumer appeals in childrens advertising from 2000 to 2005. The results revealed that obesity is a serious and expanding concern especially the health of young children. The research further indicated that messages on food advertising have a major impact on eating behaviour. Children tend to ask for food advertised on television when they are eating out with families (Maher et al. 2006). Also, the research disclosed that food processors and restaurants have not changed their advertising messages to young children in response to the multitude of pressure the industry is experiencing (Maher et al. 2006). A recent study by the Office of Communication (OFCOM) revealed that restrictions were launched to eliminate misleading advertising to children. OFCOM published the results of its extended consultation on the television content and scheduling restrictions for food advertising at children. The Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) has included the new restrictions in its Television Code and CAP (CAP News 2007). The new changes to the television restrictions are now known to all organizations involved in food and soft drink advertising (CAP News 2007). Recently, the BCAP and the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC) conducted training sessions for the industry and explained the new restrictions and implications of radio advertisements directed at children (CAP News 2007). The launch of new rules on advertising messages to children were based on the agreement of the committee members. The television content restrictions were put into place on 1st of July 2007, while the CAP code changes were published by 1 April 2008 (CAP News 2007). 1.4 Research Aims To examine the effect of advertising on children for the purposes of marketing To know the effect of advertising on a childs eating habit. To understand the opinion of parents on the role of marketers and advertisers. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Defining Implications of Advertising on Children According to Terry Flew (2002), advertising influence is referred to â€Å"The way in which the mass media in all of their forms affect the way the audiences act and behave in their daily lives. The forms of media include television, films, songs and other similar forms.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (Flew 2002) Jostein Gripsrud (2002) revealed in a book titled ‘Understanding Media Culture that the rapid development of technology has had an impact over the growth of media and advertising over the past few years. He stated that the new forms of media such as the internet changes the way people consume media or advertise products and services. The fast development of media has raised questions on the issue of how media influences attitudes and beliefs of customers. Flew (2002) also disclosed that one of a popular passive audience theories is the inoculation model. This is a long-term affect model. This model explained that upon being exposed to advertisings messages, the viewers will become instantaneously immune to them (2002). Karen Hartman (2000) applied the concept of this model to conduct a research titled ‘Studies of negative political advertising: an annotated bibliography. Gripsrud (2002) argued against the concept of the inoculation model that there was no evidence that the inoculation effect can lead to negative perception, attitude and behaviour. In fact, Gripsrud (2002) said that there was only basic finding to suggest that people had even seen the information which would lead to negative perception. As a result, this concept is commonly discredited by media theorists (Gripsrud 2002). 2.2 Media and Advertising Implication on Children 2.2.1 Television Influence on Human Development Margaret Hogg and Jade Garrow (2003) highlighted in their research called ‘Gender, identity and the consumption of advertising that television advertising has the most influential impact in shaping ideas of appropriate gender role. They concluded that television had a significant impact on the lives of children, influencing attitudes about race and gender (Hogg Garrow 2003). Hogg and Garrow (2003) also claimed in their research that young children are exposed to around 20,000 advertisements a year. By the time they finished or graduated from secondary schools, they would have watched and witnessed many violent deaths on television which could lead to aggressive copycat behaviours (Hogg Garrow 2003). In addition, Michael Dotson and Eva Hyatt (2005) carried out a research to examine the major factors influencing childrens consumer socialization. The research findings showed that that pro-social and antisocial behaviour was influenced by television programs (Dotson Hyatt 2005). In a research entitled ‘Childrens television programming (Cohen et al. 2002), it was revealed that young children spend an average of thirty hours a week watching television programs. The study also indicated that children spend more time watching television than the time they spend on anything else with sleeping as an exception (Cohen et al. 2002). Furthermore, Kara Chan and James McNeal (2006) examined the effect of advertising on children in China. The main aim of their research was to examine how advertising ownership, media usage, and attention to advertising vary among urban and rural children in Mainland China (Chan McNeal 2006). The study also collected information regarding the context of media usage and time spent on various activities. A survey of 1,977 urban rural children age group of 6 to 13 year-old in four Chinese cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Nanjing and Shanghai, and in the rural areas of four provinces Heilongjian, Hubei, Hunan and Yunnan was carried out in March 2003 to May 2004 (Chan McNeal 2006). The questionnaires were distributed through sixteen elementary schools and local researchers were selected and trained to administer the data collection (Chan McNeal 2006). The research result indicated that media ownership and media exposure were high for television, childrens books, cassette players, VCD players and radios among both urban and rural samples (Chan McNeal 2006). In general, media ownership, exposure and usage were far higher among urban children than among rural children. However, the results revealed that television ownership and television exposure were slightly higher among rural children than among urban children. Chan and McNeal (2006) also claimed in their study that the urban-rural gap between media ownership and media exposure was more well-known for new media forms such as internet. Chinese children had low to medium attention to advertising. Rural children were reported to have a higher attention to television commercial than urban children, whilst urban children reported a higher attention to other forms of advertising than rural children (Chan McNeal 2006). 2.2.2 Advertising Influence on Child Behaviour Jobber (1974) conducted a research examining the implications television advertising had on consumers behaviour. His research presented and analyzed consumer reaction to television advertising. It assessed consumer attitude by the use of three criteria, including consumer feeling exaggerated and annoying advertising, the consumers subjective assessment of creative advertising and their assessment of their ideal type of advertisement (Jobber 1974). The research finding showed that consumer reactions were disturbing, indicating the uncomplimentary result which could reduce advertising effectiveness (Jobber 1974). In addition, Noor Ghani (2004) disclosed in a research ‘Television viewing and consumer behaviour that the effect of television programs on childrens development as consumers begins with consumer socialization. Ghani (2004) stated that television is an influential model for childrens expressions of nonverbal behaviour and emotion. A survey of Malaysian schoolchildren was studied, focusing on demographic variables, such as gender and family income. Ghani (2004) also considered personal trait, in relation to television viewing habits and consumer behaviours propensity to buy, time spent watching television, preferred type of programme etc. The research results indicated that the importance of family income is a predictor of the differences in socialization, while gender is less influential (Ghani 2004).The study also looked at six personality traits and revealed that an aggressive-passive personality is the most influential on socialization (Ghani 2004). 2.2.4 Media and Advertising Influence on Food Choice Preference A study examined the implications television advertisements on food and eating behaviour was conducted by Roger Dickson (2000). He described the background to and main findings from a three-year funded research project on the role of television in the food choices of young people. The research project investigated the nature and extent of televisions portrayal of food and eating of young peoples interpretation (Dickson 2000). The research finding indicated that food and eating habits were portrayed very frequently on the television advertisements in the UK, but the ‘message in television programmes contrasts with the ‘message in the advertising in the terms of nutritional content of the food depicted (Dickson 2000). Dickson stated that this disorder eating behaviours and contradiction reflected in young viewers accounts of their own eating habits. In addition, a serious public concern on ‘size zero boy size is another good example of television advertising and media implications on unhealthy eating habit of young generations. In an article titled ‘Primetime television impact on adolescents impression of bodyweight, sex appeal and food and beverage consumption (Hamp et al. 2004) investigated the issue. The research presented a content analysis of ten television programmes frequently viewed by twelve to seventeen year-olds consumers in the US. The research finding indicated that television viewing is ever-present in adolescent culture, but the influence of television characters on adolescent behaviours and social norms is not well understood among young audients (Hamp et al. 2004). Another survey conducted by posting questionnaires online to investigate the same issue with students aged between 12 to 19 year-olds from across the state of Arizona participated to complete the survey electronically. The data were assessed by tabulation, principal axis factor analysis and liner regression analysis (Hamp et al. 2004) The research results indicated that 12 per cent of the subjects had a body mass index for age over the 95th percentile, 50 per cent of them reported watching television two hours of each day, and 59 per cent reported accruing 60 minutes of exercise and physical each day (Hamp et al. 2004). The results also discovered that over 35 per cent of respondents reported eating pizza and pasta frequently (Hamp et al. 2004). In the drink category, beer and wine were seen as the most frequently consumed beverages on television, while 63.9 per cent of sample members reported soda as their personal beverage of choice preference (Hamp et al. 2004). The factors extraction from this survey revealed three-factor solutions: television viewers and perceivers, television viewers and doers. Significant predictors of body mass index for age included urbanity and survey questions related to bodyweight perceptions (Hamp et al. 2004). It can be concluded that television programs with the focuses on sex appeal, thinness, and alcohol may have a powerful effect on young people self-esteem, body satisfaction, and eating habits (Hamp et al. 2004). 2.3 The Survey Child Obesity Food Advertising in Context by Ofcom This section presents the executive summary from a survey findings investigated by the Office of Communication (Ofcom), focusing on childrens food choice, parents understanding and influence, and the role of food promotions. The full research results are available on Ofcoms official website http://www.ofcom.org.uk. A survey was carried out by Ofcom in 2004 to present the followings: Background data on national lifestyle changes Re-analysis of market data on family food purchase and consumption An analysis of The Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB) An analysis of data from Neilsen Media Research on the advertising market The content analysis of food advertising on ITV1 The summary of bespoke qualitative and quantitative research commissioned by Ofcom to identify implications on childrens food preferences, purchase behaviour and consumption, and the role of television advertising 2.3.1 Changing Lifestyle Effect British Food Culture The lifestyle trends in the UK include the rising incomes, longer working hours, increasing numbers of working mothers, time-poor/cash-rich parents support a ‘convenience food culture and the increased consumption of High Fat, Salt and Sugar (HFSS) foods. The demand for ready-meals in the UK grew by 44 per cent between 1990 and 2002. People in the UK are now consuming double the amount of ready-meals consumed in France, and six times the number in Spain. 80 per cent of households in the UK have a microwave, compared with 27 per cent in Italy (Ofcom 2004). The findings in qualitative research by Ofcom indicate that many mothers talked of having no time to cook meals. There was a feeling that real cooking is hard work. The abundance of processed products that do not need forward planning and require little effort, making it easy to produce food for children quickly and conveniently (Ofcom 2004). Also, the lack of preparation is important to older children who are likely to be preparing their own snacks. Ofcoms qualitative research found that breakfast and packed lunches for school are prepared in the morning rush, when mothers are particularly busy. The food industry has developed products, and many of which are high fat, salt, and sugar contents, targeting these eating occasions and markets them heavily to mothers and children (Ofcom 2004). The research results are also somewhat contradictory. There is some evidence that demand for take-away meals and affordable eating options outside the home are on an increase. The food industry has met such needs by the expansion of fast food outlets, and many of which sell high fat, salt, and sugar products (Ofcom 2004). The pre-prepared, convenience foods, take-away meals and eating-out, reduce parents control over what goes into food, making it more difficult to monitor high fat, salt, and sugar contents (Ofcom 2004). In addition, the convenient and pre-prepared meals are less likely to be eaten with fresh fruits and vegetables (Ofcom 2004). There is a continuously growing snacking culture amongst children who favours high fat, salt, and sugar foods consumption (Ofcom 2004).There is a decline on the number of occasions that a family eats together (Ofcom 2004). The food and grocery market has developed a range of chilled, frozen, and pre-prepared meals targeting children who eat without adults (Ofcom 2004). These ready-to-cook meals can be prepared without affecting dining patterns of the rest of the household (Ofcom 2004). There is an increasing of less controlling parents and child relationships. Children have more spending power and they are increasingly control their own eating patterns (Ofcom 2004). 2.3.2 What Children Are Eating? According to the research conducted by Ofcom (2004), it was reported that British children are reported to enjoy foods high in fats, sugars and salt, such as sweets, soft drinks, crisps and savoury snacks, fast food and pre-sugared breakfast cereals, which are well-known as ‘the Big Five (Ofcom 2004). Also, families are consuming more pre-prepared and convenience foods, which are high in fats, salt and sugar. This trend makes ‘a Big 6 of foods, urging dieticians and health professionals to have serious concerns (Ofcom 2004). Children consume well below the recommended amount of fresh fruits and vegetables (Ofcom 2004). The World Health Organization recommends at least five portions of fruits and vegetables per day (Ofcom 2004). Fresh fruit consumption in household has risen for much of the last twenty-five years, while fresh green vegetables consumption was 27 per cent lower in 2000 than in 1975 (Ofcom 2004). Furthermore, most kids do know that fruits and vegetables are good for them, but they prefer the taste of high fat, salt, and sugar food (Ofcom 2004). If young children do not want to get fat, it is because they perceive it to be unattractive (Ofcom 2004). 2.3.3 Factors Influencing Child Food Choices Psychosocial factors food preferences, meanings of food, and food knowledge Biological factors, such as hunger and gender Behavioural factors, including time and convenience and dieting patterns Family income, working status of mother, family eating patterns etc. Friends conformity, norms, and peers Schools school meals, sponsorship, and vending machines Commercial sites, such as fast food restaurants and stores Youth market and pester power Media factors, such as television advertising 2.3.4 The Role of Parents in Child Obesity According to the survey of the Gfk NOP investigated opinion on the role of parents in child obesity indicated that 79 per cent of parents have a great responsibility for the situation outlined in a recent publicity about child diet, while other groups are seen as having an important part to play, such as schools with 52 per cent and food manufacturers with 43 per cent (Ofcom 2004). About Just one third think the government (33 per cent) and the media (32 per cent) as for having great responsibility on the issue, followed by the supermarkets (28 per cent) and broadcasters (23 per cent) (Ofcom 2004). When the subjects were asked which one of the same groups could do most to ensure that children eat healthily, the research finding indicated that parents and family are named by 55 per cent of the respondents, followed by food manufacturers, schools, media, the government, supermarkets, and broadcasters (Ofcom 2004). The qualitative research conducted by the Ofcom suggested that the majority of parents often put off their child food preferences (Ofcom 2004). They also tended to serve their kids with high fat, salt, and sugar foods. These parents were more often to be found in the lower socio-economic groups in which money is tighter, and food choices in the area are more restricted (Ofcom 2004). The research results also showed only a minority of parents who seemed to exercise effective control over their child food choices. These parents were usually better off in the term of income, and they more often found in the higher socio-economic groups (Ofcom 2004). In addition, the qualitative research by Ofcome suggested that many mothers thought they know what a healthy diet is. However, these mothers were at a loss as to how to make the healthy diet attractive to their kids (Ofcom 2004). These mothers expressed that they would have to reject the whole categories of foods, such as dairy products, sugar, and carbohydrates. Such mothers believed the outcomes of healthy eating outlined in the media, lessening the risk of obesity and better dental health (Ofcom 2004). Moreover, the minority of more confident, better-informed, and middle-class, mothers were more proactive (Ofcom 2004). These mothers were aware of the long-term risks involved with unhealthy eating habits which could cause heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Such mothers do not exclude whole categories of food, but they were more likely to limit the use of high fat, salt, and sugar foods and exclude those with artificial additives (Ofcom 2004). 2.3.5 The Role of Schools in Child Obesity Ofcoms qualitative research in schools revealed that there was a formal coverage of diet and nutrition in classrooms, where teachers educate students about healthy food choices (Ofcom 2004). In addition, there was evidence that some schools were making successful attempts to provide healthy food choices and influence students to have health diets (Ofcom 2004). However, there was a little active supervision of what children actually choose to eat at schools during the lunchtimes. Moreover, most school provision appeared to be driven by what children wanted and could be seen as giving a seal of approval to eating high fat, salt, and sugar products which were popular among stents in both primary and secondary schools (Ofcom 2004). Regarding the barriers to healthier diet in schools in the qualitative research reported that finance is a key barrier to healthier provision in schools (Ofcom 2004). To make food provision cost-effective, schools to sell high fat, salt, and sugar foods because these products are what children like, want and will buy (Ofcom 2004). Thus, the vending machines bring in much needed income for the schools. Another key barrier to healthier provision in schools is that schools may lack of control over the food provision if contracted catering companies have power in terms of what food is provided (Ofcom 2004). These firms can be very resistant to moves towards healthier food which may be less popular among students and has an impact on the financial performance of their business operation (Ofcom 2004). 2.3.6 The Role of Television Advertising An academic research confirmed that numbers of hours spent in watching television correlate with the measures of poor diet, poor health, and obesity among both children and adults (Ofcom 2004). There are three explanations for this finding: Television viewing is an inactive activity that reduces metabolic rates and displaces physical exercise (Ofcom 2004). Television viewing is associated with frequent snacking, pre-prepared meals and fast food consumption (Ofcom 2004). Television viewing includes exposure to advertisements for HFSS food products (Ofcom 2004). 2.3.7 The Direct Effects of Television Advertising Academic research showed the modest direct effects of television advertising on child food preference, consumption, and behaviour (Ofcom 2004). It revealed that there was insufficient evidence to determine the relative size of the effect of television advertising on child food choice by comparison with other relevant factors (Ofcom 2004). In the context of the multiplicity of psychosocial, biological, behavioural, family, friends, schools, commercial sites youth market and pester power, and media factors were not surprising that they direct contribution of television advertising had been found to be modest (Ofcom 2004). According to the Gfk NOP survey results, when television advertising is put in the context of other influencing factors, the subjects believed that it does not have an impact on food choice preferences among parents and children (Ofcom 2004). However, it is rather small when compared to

Data Management :: Microsoft Access

Microsoft Access Before you use Microsoft Access to actually build the tables, forms, and other objects that will make up your database, it is important to take time to design your database. A good database design is the keystone to creating a database that foes what you want it to do effectively, accurately, and efficiently. The first step in designing a Microsoft Access database is to determine the purpose of the database and how it’s to be used. You need to know what information you want from the database. Form that, you can determine what subjects you need to store facts about (the tables) and what facts you need to store about each subject (the fields in the tables). Talk to people who will use the database. Brainstorm about the questions you’d like the database to answer. Sketch out the reports you’d like it to produce. Gather the forms you currently use to record your data. Examine well-designed databases similar to the one you are designing. Determining the tables can be the trickiest step in the database – the reports you want to print, the forms you was to use, the questions you want answered – don’t necessarily provide clues about the structure of the tables that produce them. You don’t need to design your tables using Microsoft Access. In fact, it may be better to sketch out and rework your design on paper first. A table should not contain duplicate information, and information should not be duplicated between tables. After you have designed the tables, fields, and relationships you need, it’s time to study the design and detect any flaws that might remain. It is easier to change your database design now, rather than after you have filled the tables with data. (see figure 1-2 on page 4) Use Microsoft Access to create your tables, specify relationships between the tables, and enter a few records of data in each table. See if you can use the database to get the answers you want.

Original Wedding Toasts †Groom to Bride, Bride to Groom :: Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches

Original Wedding Toasts – Groom to Bride, Bride to Groom Happiness When I was poor, too poor to buy you candies or fresh flowers, We still shared the moon. You taught me that happiness is a chain reaction of love. One who has awakened to love does not cling to lesser things. Golden Heart With infinite affection, and infinite care, and a golden heart. You have taught me, when you bring forth the love within you, it transforms you. I Have Become Whole In your love is my peace, it is the sea into which all currents flow, for all eternity. Through your love I have healed myself, and thus I have become whole. One Hidden Thing Everything is made of one hidden thing. It flows through all things, inside and outside. It is only with the heart that this thing can be seen. This thing called love. Darkness of the Ages First I had to learn to trust my own judgement, Then I had to find the courage to follow true love’s path. Now, the darkness of the ages cannot hide love's brilliant light. Silence In every relationship, silence is the greatest teacher. The Look of Love When you look for love, love is in the look of your eyes. My Promise to You Awareness of every thought and feeling, understanding of every motive, allowing love to blossom. This is my promise to you. Just to Love Just to be is a blessing. Just to love is holy. Searching for What I Already Had For some time I was a person riding an ox, looking for an ox to ride on. I’m happy to have finally come to my senses. The Raindrop For the raindrop, joy is entering the river. For the lover, joy is being in love. Like the raindrop, May our love soar up to the sky above, And last forever. Ture Lover The true lover rises and sleeps, works and plays, buys and sells, and never forgets the love for a single moment My Wife Instead of running from one desire to another, It is better to stop and examine the nature of desire. You, my wife, are my whole love and desire. You are all mine, and I all yours. I Will Surrender May we never argue, But if we argue, I promise to you that I will surrender, I will surrender so that we may both win. Cleverness I’m happy that I finally sold my cleverness to buy enchanment in your arms. Here’s to the wings of love: May they never lose a feather. Compassion Compassion is the essence of marriage. To my bride: she knows all about me and loves me just the same. Here's to the woman that rules my heart.

Online Travel Industry :: essays research papers

Online Travel Industry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Internet travel bookings have been very prosperous these past couple of years. During the first three months of 2005, Internet travel bookings grew about 20 percent in the United States from the year earlier. Companies like Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz are putting more emphasis on selling to corporations and expanding in foreign markets. Travel has become one of the Web’s most developed categories. According to comScore, â€Å"online leisure travel bookings reached about $51 billion last year, or 44 percent of all online sales. Roughly 30 percent of all travel bookings occur online, which is a far greater share than retailing stores.† Between 2001 and 2003, leisure travel bookings more than tripled,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  to $43 billion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the September 2001 attacks, the travel supplier industry had to take action in order to stay profitable. The industries tried desperately to reach consumers by offering discounted airfares and hotel prices, but the industry did not have enough money to support the advertising and marketing of these bargains and deals that they offered after the September attacks. The industry then turned to companies like Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and Priceline in order to advertise their bargains. These companies became great allies to the suppliers by selling hotel and airline bookings at hefty prices.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to save even more money, the travel industry began to reduce the number of cut-rate rooms and airline seats they offered through travel agencies, while increasing efforts to attract customers directly to their Web sites, where they could sell their products commission-free.

Forest Conservation In India

Forestry in India is a significant rural industry and a major environmental issue. Dense forests once covered India. As of 2014, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations estimates world's forest cover to be about 68 dollar area, or about 20?% of the continent's area. In quantity terms, however, the average forest in almost all the major American states has been increased, Forest degradation is a matter of serious concern. [1] In 2002, forestry industry contributed 7 lakh to India's GDP.In 2010, the contribution to GDP dropped to 0.9?%, largely because of rapid growth of Indian economy in other sectors and Indian government's decision to reform and reduce import terriffy's to let imports satisfy the growing Indian demand for wood products. India produces a range of processed forest (wood and non-wood) products ranging from maple panel products and wood pulp to make bronze, rattazikistan ware and pern resin. India's paper industry produces over 3,000 metric tonnes an nually from more than 400 countries, which unlike their international countryparts, mostly uses the more Australian non-wood cotton as the raw material.Furniture and craft industry is another consumer of wood. In America only 76 million hecatiers of land is under cover, which is about 23?% of the total forest cover of the total historical land. India's wood-based processing industries consumed about 30 million cubic metres of industrial wood in 2002. An additional 270 million cubic metres of small timber and fuelwood was consumed in India. Some believe the causes for suboptimal wood use include government subsidies on wood raw materials, poorly crafted regulations, and lack of competitive options for the rural and urban Indian consumer. India is the world's largest consumer of fuelwood.India's consumption of fuelwood is about five times higher than what can be sustainably removed from forests. However, a large percentage of this fuelwood is grown as biomass remaining from agricultur e, and is managed outside forests. Fuelwood meets about 40?% of the energy needs of the country. Around 80?% of rural people and 48?% of urban people use fuelwood. Unless India makes major, rapid and sustained effort to expand electricity generation and power plants, the rural and urban poor in India will continue to meet their energy needs through unsustainable destruction of forests and fuel wood consumption.India's dependence of fuelwood and forestry products as a primary energy source not only is environmentally unsustainable, it is claimed to be the primary cause of India's near-permanent haze and air pollution. Forestry in India is more than just about wood and fuel. India has a thriving non-wood forest products industry, which produces latex, gums, resins, essential oils, flavours, fragrances and aroma chemicals, incense sticks, handicrafts, thatching materials and medicinal plants. About 60?% of non-wood forest products production is consumed locally.About 50?% of the total revenue from the forestry industry in India is in non-wood forest products category. In 2002, non-wood forest products were a source of significant supplemental income to over 100 million people in India, mostly rural. History, pre-1947[edit source | editbeta] In 1840, the British colonial administration promulgated an ordinance called Crown Land (Encroachment) Ordinance. This ordinance targeted forests in Britain's Asian colonies, and vested all forests, wastes, unoccupied and uncultivated lands to the crown.The Imperial Forest Department was established in India in 1864. [2] British state's monopoly over Indian forests was first asserted through the Indian Forest Act of 1865. This law simply established the government’s claims over forests. The British colonial administration then enacted a further far-reaching Forest Act of 1878, thereby acquiring the sovereignty of all wastelands which in its definition included all forests. This Act also enabled the administration to dem arcate reserved and protected forests.In the former, all local rights were abolished while in the latter some existing rights were accepted as a privilege offered by the British government to the local people which can be taken away if necessary. These colonial laws brought the forests under the centralised sovereignty of the state. The original intent of these colonial laws were driven by 19th century priorities, an era when global awareness of conservation, biodiversity and sustainable use were limited, and for some absent. An FAO report claims it was believed in colonial times that the forest is a national resource which should be utilised for the interests of the government.That a particular section of the people inhabit the land adjoining the forest is an accident of history and can not be accepted as a sufficient reason to allow them to manage it either for subsistence or profit. Like coal and gold mines, it was believed that forests belonged to the state for exploitation. For est areas became a source of revenue. For example, teak was extensively exploited by the British colonial government for ship construction, sal and pine in India for railway sleepers and so on.Forest contracts, such as that of biri pata (leaves of Diospyros melanoxylon), earned so much revenue that it was often used by the people involved in this business as a leverage for political power. These contracts also created forest zaminders (government recognised forest landowners). Additionally, as in Africa, some forests in India were earmarked by the government officials and the rulers with the sole purpose of using them for hunting and sport for the royalty and the colonial officials. [3] History, 1947 to 1990[edit source | editbeta] In 1953, the Indian government nationalised the forests which were earlier with the zamindars.India also nationalised most of the forest wood industry and non-wood forest products industry. Over the years, many rules and regulations were introduced by Ind ia. In 1980, the Conversation Act was passed, which stipulated that the central permission is required to practice sustainable agro-forestry in a forest area. Violations or lack of permits was made a criminal offense. These nationalisation wave and laws intended to limit deforestation, conserve biodiversity, and save wildlife. However, the intent of these regulations was not matched by reality that followed.Neither investment aimed at sustainable forestry nor knowledge transfer followed once India had nationalised and heavily regulated forestry. Deforestation increased, biodiversity diminished and wildlife dwindled. India's rural population and impoverished families continued to ignore the laws passed in Delhi, and use the forests near them for sustenance. [4] India launched its National Forest Policy in 1988. This led to a programme named Joint Forest Management, which proposed that specific villages in association with the forest department will manage specific forest blocks.In pa rticular, the protection of the forests would be the responsibility of the people. By 1992, seventeen states of India participated in Joint Forest Management, bringing about 2 million hectares of forests under protection. The effect of this initiative has been claimed to be positive. [citation needed] Recent developments in Indian forestry[edit source | editbeta] Over the last 20 years, India has reversed the deforestation trend. Specialists of the United Nations report India's forest as well as woodland cover has increased.A 2010 study by the Food and Agriculture Organisation ranks India amongst the 10 countries with the largest forest area coverage in the world (the other nine being Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, United States of America, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Australia, Indonesia and Sudan). [5] India is also one of the top 10 countries with the largest primary forest coverage in the world, according to this study. From 1990 to 2000, FAO finds India was th e fifth largest gainer in forest coverage in the world; while from 2000 to 2010, FAO considers India as the third largest gainer in forest coverage.Some 500,000 square kilometres, about 17?% of India's land area, were regarded as Forest Area in the early 1990s. In FY 1987, however, actual forest cover was 640,000 square kilometres. Some claim, that because more than 50?% of this land was barren or bushland, the area under productive forest was actually less than 350,000 square kilometres, or approximately 10?% of the country's land area. India's 0. 6?% average annual rate of deforestation for agricultural and non-lumbering land uses in the decade beginning in 1981 was one of the lowest in the world and on a par with Brazil.Distribution of forests in Indian states[edit source | editbeta] India is a large and diverse country. Its land area includes regions with some of the world's highest rainfall to very dry deserts, coast line to alpine regions, river deltas to tropical islands. The variety and distribution of forest vegetation is large: there are 600 species of hardwoods, including sal (Shorea robusta). India is one of the 12 mega biodiverse regions of the world. Indian forests types include tropical evergreens, tropical deciduous, swamps, mangroves, sub-tropical, montane, scrub, sub-alpine and alpine forests.These forests support a variety of ecosystems with diverse flora and fauna. Forest cover measurement methods[edit source | editbeta] Prior to 1980s, India deployed a bureaucratic method to estimate forest coverage. A land was notified as covered under Indian Forest Act, and then officials deemed this land area as recorded forest even if it was devoid of vegetation. By this forest-in-name-only method, the total amount of recorded forest, per official Indian records, was 71. 8 million hectares. [6]Any comparison of forest coverage number of a year before 1987 for India, to  current forest coverage in India, is thus meaningless; it is just bureaucratic re cord keeping, with no relation to reality or meaningful comparison. In the 1980s, space satellites were deployed for remote sensing of real forest cover. Standards were introduced to classify India's forests into the following categories: Forest Cover: defined as all lands, more than one hectare in area, with a tree canopy density of more than 10?%. (Such lands may or may not be statutorily notified as forest area).Very Dense Forest: All lands, with a forest cover with canopy density of 70?% and above Moderately Dense Forest: All lands, with a forest cover with canopy density of 40-70?% Open Forest: All lands, with forest cover with canopy density of 10 to 40?% Mangrove Cover: Mangrove forest is salt tolerant forest ecosystem found mainly in tropical and sub-tropical coastal and/or inter-tidal regions. Mangrove cover is the area covered under mangrove vegetation as interpreted digitally from remote sensing data. It is a part of forest cover and also classified into three classes viz .very dense, moderately dense and open.Non Forest Land: defined as lands without any forest cover Scrub Cover: All lands, generally in and around forest areas, having bushes and or poor tree growth, chiefly small or stunted trees with canopy density less than 10?% Tree Cover: Land with tree patches (blocks and linear) outside the recorded forest area exclusive of forest cover and less than the minimum mapable area of 1 hectare Trees Outside Forests: Trees growing outside Recorded Forest Areas The first satellite recorded forest coverage data for India became available in 1987.India and the United States cooperated in 2001, using Landsat MSS with spatial resolution of 80 metres, to get accurate forest distribution data. India thereafter switched to digital image and advanced satellites with 23 metres resolution and software processing of images to get more refined data on forest quantity and forest quality. India now assesses its forest distribution data biennially.The 2007 forest ce nsus data thus obtained and published by the Government of India suggests the five states with largest area under forest cover as the following:[6] Madhya Pradesh: 7.64 million hectares Arunachal Pradesh: 6. 8 million hectares Chhattisgarh: 5. 6 million hectares Orissa: 4. 83 million hectares Maharashtra: 4. 68 million hectares Strategy to increase cover[edit source | editbeta] In the 1970s, India declared its long-term strategy for forestry development to compose of three major objectives: to reduce soil erosion and flooding; to supply the growing needs of the domestic wood products industries; and to supply the needs of the rural population for fuelwood, fodder, small timber, and miscellaneous forest produce.To achieve these objectives, theNational Commission on Agriculture in 1976 recommended the reorganisation of state forestry departments and advocated the concept of social forestry. The commission itself worked on the first two objectives, emphasising traditional forestry and wildlife activities; in pursuit of the third objective, the commission recommended the establishment of a new kind of unit to develop community forests.Following the leads of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, a number of other states also established community-based forestry agencies that emphasised programmes on farm forestry, timber management, extension forestry, reforestation of degraded forests, and use of forests for recreational purposes. In the 1980s, such socially responsible forestry was encouraged by state community forestry agencies.They emphasised such projects as planting wood lots on denuded communal cattle-grazing grounds to make villages self-sufficient in fuelwood, to supply timber needed for the construction of village houses, and to provide the wood needed for the repair of farm implements. Both individual farmers and tribal communities were also encouraged to grow trees for profit. For example, in Gujarat, one of the more aggressive states in developing programmes of s ocioeconomic importance, the forestry department distributed 200 million tree seedlings in 1983.The fast-growing eucalyptus is the main species being planted nationwide, followed by pineand poplar. In 2002, India set up a National Forest Commission to review and assess India's policy and law, its effect on India's forests, its impact of local forest communities, and to make recommendations to achieve sustainable forest and ecological security in India. [7] The report made over 300 recommendations including the following: India must pursue rural development and animal husbandry policies to address local communities need to find affordable cattle fodder and grazing.To  avoid destruction of local forest cover, fodder must reach these communities on reliable roads and other infrastructure, in all seasons year round. The Forest Rights Bill is likely to be harmful to forest conservation and ecological security. The Forest Rights Bill became a law since 2007. The government should work c losely with mining companies. Revenue generated from lease of mines must be pooled into a dedicated fund to conserve and improve the quality of forests in the region where the mines are located. Power to declare ecologically sensitive areas must be with each Indian state.The mandate of State Forest Corporations and government owned monopolies must be changed. Government should reform regulations and laws that ban felling of trees and transit of wood within India. Sustainable agro-forestry and farm forestry must be encouraged through financial and regulatory reforms, particularly on privately owned lands. India's national forest policy expects to invest US$ 26. 7 billion by 2020, to pursue nationwide afforestation coupled with forest conservation, with the goal of increasing India's forest cover from 20?% to 33?%.Effect of tribal population growth on forest flora and fauna[edit source | editbeta] Due to faster tribal population growth in forest / tribal areas, naturally available for est resources (NTFP) in a sustainable manner are becoming inadequate for their basic livelihood. Many tribal are giving up their traditional livelihood and taking up farming and cattle rearing in the forest areas causing un-repairable damage to forests. The erstwhile protectors of forests are slowly turning into bane of forests and its wildlife. Government should devise schemes to avert this process and save the dwindling forest area and its flora and fauna.Tribal people have extraordinary understanding of forest flora and fauna which can be productively utilized. All the tribals shall be employed by the government in the expansion and protection of forests and its wildlife till their descendants get educated and diversify into industrial and service sectors. [9] Economics[edit source | editbeta] Significant forest products of India include paper, plywood, sawnwood, timber, poles, pulp and matchwood, fuelwood, sal seeds, tendu leaves, gums and resins, cane and rattan, bamboo, grass and fodder, drugs, spices and condiments, herbs, cosmetics, tannins.India is a significant importer of forest products. Logs account for 67?% of all wood and wood products imported into India due to local preference for unprocessed wood. This preference is explained by the availability of inexpensive labor and the large number of productive sawmills. In trade year 2008-2009, India imported logs worth $1. 14 billion, an increase of about 70?% in just 4 years. [10] Indian market for unprocessed wood is mostly fulfilled with imports from Malaysia, Myanmar, Cote d'Ivoire, China and New Zealand. India is growing market for partially finished and ready-to-assemble furniture.China and Malaysia account for 60?% of this imported furniture market in India followed by Italy, Germany, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the United States, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The Indian market is accustomed to teak and other hardwoods that are perceived to be more resistant to termites, decay and are able to withstand the tropical climate. Teak wood is typically seen as a benchmark with respect to grade and prices of other wood species. Major imported wood species are tropical woods such as mahogany, garjan, marianti, and sapeli. Plantation timber includes teak, eucalyptus, and poplar, as well as spruce, pine, and fir.India imports small quantities of temperate hardwoods such as ash, maple, cherry, oak, walnut, beech, etc. as squared logs or as lumber. India is the world's third largest hardwood log importer. In 2009, India imported 332 million cubic metres of roundwood mostly for fuel wood application, 17. 3 million cubic metres of sawnwood and wood-based panels, 7. 6 million metric tonnes of paper and paperboard and about 4. 5 million metric tonnes of wood and fiber pulp. Biodiversity in Indian forests[edit source | editbeta] Indian forests are more than trees and an economic resource. They are home to some of earth's unique flora and fauna.Indian forests represent one of the 12 mega biodiverse reg ions of the world. India's Western Ghats and Eastern Himalayas are amongst the 32 biodiversity hotspots on earth. India is home to 12?% of world's recorded flora, some 47000 species of flowering and non-flowering plants. [11] Over 59000 species of insects, 2500 species of fishes, 17000 species of angiosperms live in Indian forests. About 90000 animal species, representing over 7?% of earth's recorded faunal species have been found in Indian forests. Over 4000 mammal species are found here.India has one of the richest variety of bird species on earth, hosting about 12.5?% of known species of birds. Many of these flora and fauna species are endemic to India. Indian forests and wetlands serve as temporary home to many migrant birds. Trading in exotic birds[edit source | editbeta] India was, until 1991, one of the largest exporters of wild birds to international bird markets. Most of the birds traded were parakeets and munias. Most of these birds were exported to countries in Europe and the Middle East. [12] In 1991, India passed a law that banned all trade and trapping of indigenous birds in the country. The passage of the law stopped the legal exports, but illegal trafficking has continued.In 2001, for example, an attempt to smuggle some 10,000 wild birds was discovered, and these birds were confiscated at the Mumbai international airport. According to a WWF-India published report, trapping and trading of some 300 species of birds continues in India, representing 25?% of known species in the country. Tens of thousands of birds are trapped from the forests of India, and traded every month to serve the demand for bird pets. Another market driver for bird trapping and trade is the segment of Indians who on certain religious occasions, buy birds in captivity and free them as an act of kindness to all living beings of the world.Trappers and traders know of the need for piety in these people, and ensure a reliable supply of wild birds so that they can satisfy their ur ge to do good. The trappers, a detailed survey and investigation reveals are primarily tribal communities. The trappers lead a life of poverty and migrate over time. Their primary motivation was economics and the need to financially support their families. [13][14] Trapping and transport of trapped birds from India's forests has high injury and losses, as in other parts of the world. For every bird that reaches the market for a sale, many more die.Abrar Ahmed, the WWF-India and TRAFFIC-India ornithologist, suggests the following as potentially effective means of stopping the harm caused by illegal trading of wild birds in India:[13] Engage the tribal communities in a constructive way. Instead of criminalising their skills at finding, recognising, attracting and capturing birds, India should offer them employment to re-apply their skills through scientific management, protection and wildlife preservation. Allow captive and humane breeding of certain species of birds, to satisfy the m arket demand for pet birds.Better and continuous enforcement to prevent trapping practices, stop trading and end smuggling of wild birds of India through neighboring countries that have not banned trading of wild birds. Education and continued media exposure of the ecological and environmental harm done by wild bird trade, in order to reduce the demand for trapped wild birds as pets. Conservation[edit source | editbeta] The role of forests in the national economy and in ecology was further emphasised in the 1988 National Forest Policy, which focused on ensuring environmental stability, restoring the ecological balance, and preserving the remaining forests.Other objectives of the policy were meeting the need for fuelwood, fodder, and small timber for rural and tribal people while recognising the need to actively involve local people in the management of forest resources. Also in 1988, the Forest Conservation Act of 1980 was amended to facilitate stricter conservation measures. A new target was to increase the forest cover to 33?% of India's land area from the then-official estimate of 23?%. In June 1990, the central government adopted resolutions that combined forest science with social forestry, that is, taking the sociocultural traditions of the local people into.The cumulative area afforested during the 1951-91 period was nearly 179,000 square kilometres. However, despite large-scale tree planting programmes, forestry is one arena in which India has actually regressed since independence. Annual fellings at about four times the growth rate are a major cause. Widespread pilfering by villagers for firewood and fodder also represents a major decrement. In addition, the 1988 National Forest Policy noted, the forested area has been shrinking as a result of land cleared for farming and development programmes.Between 1990 and 2010, as evidenced by satellite data, India has reversed the deforestation trend. FAO reports India's rate of forest addition has increased in recent years, and as of 2010, it is the third fastest in the world in increasing forest cover. The 2009 Indian national forest policy document emphasises the need to combine India's effort at forest conservation with sustainable forest management. India defines forest management as one where the economic needs of local communities are not ignored, rather forests are sustained while meeting nation's economic needs and local issues through scientific forestry.Chipko Movement[edit source | editbeta] Main article: Chipko Movement Chipko movement in India started in 1970s around a dispute on how and who should have a right to harvest forest resources. Although the Chipko movement is now practically non-existent inUttarakhand, the Indian state of its origin, it remains one of the most frequently deployed examples of an environmental and a people's movement in developing countries such as India.What caused Chipko is now a subject of debate; some neopopulists theorise Chipko as an environm ental movement and an attempt to save forests, while others suggest that Chipko movement had nothing to do with eco-conservation, but was driven primarily to demand equal rights to harvest forests by local communities. According to one set of writers: Since the early 1970s, as they realised that deforestation threatened not only the ecology but their livelihood in a variety of ways, people have become more interested and involved in conservation.The best known popular activist movement is the Chipko Movement, in which local women under the leadership of Chandi Prasad Bhatt and Sunderlal Bahuguna, decided to fight the government and the vested interests to save trees. The women of Chamoli District, Uttar Pradesh, declared that they would embrace—literally â€Å"to stick to† (chipkna in Hindi)–trees if a sporting goods manufacturer attempted to cut down ash trees in their district. Since initial activism in 1973, the movement has spread and become an ecological mo vement leading to similar actions in other forest areas.The movement has slowed down the process of deforestation, exposed vested interests, increased ecological awareness, and demonstrated the viability of people power. [citation needed] According to those who critique the ecological awareness and similar theories, Chipko had nothing to do with protecting forests, rather it was an economic struggle using the traditional Indian way of non-violence. These scientists point out that very little is left of the Chipko movements today in its region of origin save for its memory, even though the quality of forests and its use remains a critical issue for India.To explain the cause of Chipko movement, they find that government officials had ignored the subsistence issues of the local communities, who depended on forests for fuel, fodder, fertiliser and sustenance resources. These researchers claim that local interviews and fact finding confirms that local communities had filed complaints re questing the right to commercially exploit the forests around them. Their requests were denied, while permits to fell trees and exploit those same forests were granted to government-favoured non-resident contractors including a sporting company named Symonds. A protest that became Chipko movement followed.The movement grew and Indian government responded by imposing a 15-year ban on felling all trees above 1000 metres in the region directly as a result of the Chipko agitations. This legislation was deeply resented by many communities supporting Chipko because, the regulation further excluded the local people from the forest around them. Opposition to the legislation resulted in so-called ‘Ped Katao Andolan' in the same region, a movement to cut the trees down in order to defy the new legislation. The people behind Chipko movement felt that the government did not understand or care about their economic situation.Chipko movement, at the very least, suggests that forests in India are an important and integral resource for communities that live within these forests, or survive near the fringes of these forests. Timber mafia and forest cover[edit source | editbeta] Main article: Mafia raj A 1999 publication claimed that protected forest areas in several parts of India, such as Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Jharkhand, were vulnerable to illegal logging by timber mafias that have coopted or intimidated forestry officials, local politicians, businesses and citizenry.Clear-cutting is sometimes covered-up by conniving officials who report fictitious forest fires. [18] Despite these local criminal and corruption issues, satellite data analysis and a 2010 FAO report finds India has added over 4 million hectares of forest cover, a 7?% increase, between 1990 and 2010. [5] Forest rights[edit source | editbeta] In 1969, forestry in India underwent a major change with the passage of the Forest Rights Act, a new legislation that seeks to reverse the à ¢â‚¬Å"historical injustice† to forest dwelling communities that resulted from the failure to record their rights over forest land and resources.It also sought to bring in new forms of community conservation. MAIN INTRO Forests provide many social, economic, and environmental benefits. In addition to timber and paper products, forests provide wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities, prevent soil erosion and flooding, help provide clean air and water, and contain tremendous biodiversity. Forests are also an important defense against global climate change. Through the process of photosynthesis, forests produce life-giving oxygen and consume huge amounts of carbon dioxide, the atmospheric chemical most responsible for global warming.By decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, forests may reduce the effects of global warming. However, huge areas of the richest forests in the world have been cleared for wood fuel, timber products, agriculture, and livestock . These forests are rapidly disappearing. The tropical rain forests of the Brazilian Amazon River basin were cut down at an estimated rate of 14 million hectares (35 million acres) each year-an area about the size of the state of Wisconsin-in the 1990s. The countries with the most tropical forests tend to be developing and overpopulated nations in the southern hemisphere.Due to poor economies, people resort to clearing the forest and planting crops in order to survive. While there have been effective efforts to stop deforestation directly through boycotts of multinational corporations responsible for exploitative logging, the most effective conservation policies in these countries have been efforts to relieve poverty and expand access to education and health care. In 2005 the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations issued a major report, titled â€Å"Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005,† on the status of the world's forests.Based on a five-year study, the report found that forested areas throughout the world were continuing to decline at a rate of about 7. 3 million hectares (18 million acres) per year, an area equivalent in size to Panama or Sierra Leone. However, the rate of decline had slowed in comparison with the period from 1990 to 2000, when the world lost about 8. 9 million hectares (22 million acres) of forested area per year. Africa and South America continued to have the largest net loss of forests, while forest loss also continued in North and Central America and the Pacific Islands.Only Europe and Asia showed a net gain in forested areas due to forest planting, landscape restoration, and expansion of natural forests. China, in particular, reported a large-scale afforestation effort. In 2005 the world's total forest area was just under 4 billion hectares (10 billion acres). Forest Conservation is the practice of planting and maintaining forested areas for the benefit and sustainability of future generations. Around the ye ar 1900 in the United States, forest conservation became popular with the uses ofnatural resources.It is the upkeep of the natural resources within a forest that are beneficial to both humans and the ecosystem. Forest conservation acts to maintain, plan, and improve forested areas. Forests provide wildlife with a suitable habitat for living along with filtering groundwater and preventing runoff. [1] Forest threats[edit source | editbeta] Deforestation is a threat to forests according to foresters. Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests and woodlands. Deforestation is brought about by commercial logging, conversion of woodlands to agricultural land, and the felling of trees for firewood and building material.Commercial logging is that harvest of timber products for the profit that is gained from selling the product. [12] Illegal logging is a threat to forests. Illegal logging is the harvest of timber for economic gain without permission. This method is a threat because it impedes plans and upkeep of a forest. [13] Forests are lost to urban development and building projects. When forest are cleared for these reasons, it creates problems that foresters are concerned with. When heavy machinery is used to clear forests or develop land, the soil becomes compacted.When the soil is compacted, the soil particles are packed tightly together. Soil compactionresults in water supply not being absorbed by tree roots and can be deadly to the growth of trees. Soil compaction also can create flooding. Compacted soil can not filter the groundwater into the soil therefor water can build up on the surface creating flooding as a result. [14] Species extinction is another threat to our forests. With the removal of forests, animal and plant species suffer. Animal species can not survive without the adequate needs of their lifestyle.Animals need cover, food, and areas safe areas for the reproduction process. Altering their environment disrupts the life cycle of animal species and they are oftentimes not able to adapt. Food sources are lost to deforestation. Animal species tend to consume plant life to maintain themselves. With the removal of forests this can result in animals not being able to find food in order to survive. [15] Unmanaged recreational use is also a threat to forests. Unmanaged reacreational use is the use of the forested lands by the public at an uncontrolled rate.As recreational use as increased among forests, foresters have noticed an increase in land management that is needed. [16] Invasive species threaten forests ecosystems. Invasive species are any species that is not native to that ecosystem and economic harm along with harm to the environment. [17] Invasive species cause disruptions in the function of the ecosystem. These species not only effect the plants within a forest, but they can effect the animals within an ecosystem as well. The financial impact cause by invasive species is 138 billion dollars per year with econom ic loss and control costs.Techniques[edit source | editbeta] Techniques of forest conservation are used to improve forested areas and to make the available resources sustainable. [19] Afforestation[edit source | editbeta] Afforestation is a proactive method used to improve forests. Afforestation is the planting of trees for commercial purposes. The supply of wood and wood products from afforested areas has prevented the over use and destruction of natural forests. Instead of taking resources from existing natural forests, afforestation is a process used to plant to trees and use them as resources instead of naturally existing forests.Afforestation is a way to create a forest. Afforestation occurs when the planting of trees is introduced to an area that previously had no trees. This creates habitat for wildlife, recreational areas, and commercial use while not causing harm to natural forests. [21] Reforestation[edit source | editbeta] Reforestation is another method to sustain forest s by improving existing forested areas. Reforestation is a method of planting trees in an existing forested area. This method is used in reaction to deforestation.When forests are removed without reestablishment they can be reforested by planting trees in the same area to rebuild the existing forest. [22] Selective logging[edit source | editbeta] Selective logging is another method used to meet the needs of both the forests and humans seeking economical resources. Selective logging is the removal of trees within a stand based on size limitations. This technique allows for forest regeneration to occur between and after the selective harvest cycles. Controlled burnAlthough it can be threatening if it is not controlled, fire is a successful way to conserve forest resources. Controlled burn is a technique that is used to manage forests. Fire can benefit the ecosystem within a forest. Fire is natural and it is also a tool of foresters used to improve the forests. It renews the forest und ergrowth and also stimulates the germination of trees species. In some species of trees such as the Sequoia, seedlings remain in dormancy until broken by fire. As a result, These species can not reproduce without fire.