Professional Athletes’ Salaries

In today's society, the American people can't get enough of their favorite teams and athletes. Entire cities are infatuated with these teams and as a result, people spend much of their time and money watching and rooting, hoping for a victory. There is nothing wrong with enjoying and marveling at the talent of these professional athletes, but what happens with all these resources that go into the sports? They go straight to the players. Although our society idolizes and cheers on our favorite athletes, they are significantly overpaid. The amount of money some of the best athletes make in a year is astonishing.Professional baseball player, Alex Rodriguez, will have made 33 million dollars this year, just based on his salary, not including endorsements (Freedman). Tiger Woods made almost 23 million dollars in his winnings from various golf tournaments in 2009, and add on another 105 million from his endorsements and you get the highest paid athlete in the world (Freeman). Endorsements are another subject entirely, but it makes you understand how important it is for companies to have their logo on someone's hat, or have a big star in their commercial.Keep in mind not all athletes are paid in millions, we are talking about some of the best in the most popular sports. That being said, the average MLB player's contract will be around three million dollars, and the minimum being 400 thousand dollars (MLBPA). This means a player sitting on the bench the entire season will make nearly ten times what the average teacher will make. The reason all of these players get paid so much is because all professional sports leagues are essentially a business. And with all these countless numbers of sport fans (myself included), business is booming.It is important to understand how the business works when you need to fix a problem. The Managers and Owners want their team to do well to bring in the fans, which in turn brings in the money. If a team is doing well they will make expone ntially more money because of the sellout crowds and the jersey's flying off the shelves. The best way to improve your team is to get the best players, and that is done by paying for them. When a player is a free agent (does not have a contract to a specific team), teams will essentially bid and negotiate, and in most cases the highest paying team will get that player.This is why teams like the Yankees have so many of the best players, because of their humungous fan base, they have a seemingly unlimited amount of cash to bring in the best players. So all this money is coming in from tickets and clothing and other sources of income and it has to go somewhere, right? Many people think athletes are rightfully paid all the money they have earned. Some argue that football players have short careers and many health problems after they are retired, so they will then need money for their injuries.With the average NFL player making 310 Thousand dollars in a year (NFL Player†¦ ), and the y play 10 years for example, they should be okay financially. Some young athletes will receive their first big check and go blow it all immediately. This is why some players are broke years after their career, and try to use it to justify their pay check, and make it seem as if they aren't paid that much at all. In reality it is their poor money managing skills; they still make a ridiculously larger amount of money in their career than any normal person will make in their lifetime.Another argument is that not all athletes are paid so highly. This is true, a professional volleyball player, or even a minor league baseball player, will probably not make as much as a A-Rod or Tiger, but they are making a living by having fun playing a sport. What more could you ask for? When you take a look at an athlete's salary and compare it to a teacher, fireman, or even a doctor, it doesn't even come close. There are so many other occupations that are paid much less than a pro athlete, but contribu te much more to our community.Teachers are having to have more and more students in their classes and many of them are having to find a new career because of the pay. A good teacher can change the lives of some students and provide so much knowledge, but it is hard to aspire to be a teacher rather than an athlete when you compare the two's salary. Think of all the money we could put into education, health, the environment, just to name a few. Just being able to live by playing a sport is something players shouldn't take for granted.It is the very fans of the sports who are responsible for such high salaries (Callahan). The main way to lower professional athletes' salaries would be for people to stop paying so much for tickets, jerseys, and sports packages on television. Frankly, that will not be happening anytime soon with the current way we worship these people. What needs to happen is the big professional sports leagues (NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL), need to recognize what is going on. The y need to see how our economy is hurt and how our society needs the financial support.Ticket prices need to be slashed. Jersey prices need to be slashed. The best athletes can still be rewarded and paid a few hundred thousand, not millions and millions. They can still make great money from endorsements. And those extra funds need to be given back to the cities that have given so much to the sports franchises. The people need them to rebuild our educational and health systems, and our overall economy. Players can still have a great standard of living, but it is just wasted money if they are sitting among America's richest.Many of these arguments can also be said for corporate CEO's and that needs to change. These people are at the top of the food chain while everyone below them is hurting. The sports leagues are blinded by greed and stardom; not only is it the athletes being paid so much, but the team owners as well. It is okay to look at these pro's as a personal hero, but we need t o step back and cut down on how much we idolize them if we want to see improvement. In the end, it is all a business and it is their job to step up and make a change to better our society.

Claire Fahys’s ‘Over There’ Essay

Fahys’s work ‘over there’ is part of her depiction for the new metropolis, a series of work portraying the overcrowded, polluted urban life. The work is representational of urbanization and the dehumanized materialism of the modern society. The composition is a striking combination of bold color strokes against a black and white backdrop. Bright red, orange and streaks of highlighter green are combined with black, white and shades of grey to achieve a distinguished tonality of color for the frame. A three dimensional perception is created with the contour lines of the buildings vanishing in perspective. The artist has used mixed media to create a unique effect on cardboard. The artwork conveys a very gloomy image and represents chaos and destruction in the very composition or depiction. The buildings are distorted at unruly angles and the general composition is deliberately disorderly conveying the intended message to the viewer. The main content is the confusion and the chaos surrounding the urban landscape. The work portrays a concrete jungle in contortion posing an analogy to the mechanical unearthly life pattern of the urban society. The subject matter is urbanism; gigantic cities, towering skyscrapers and expansion of human population. Cities and vertical expansions were once considered to create a communal environment however â€Å"these giant cities that aim at developing human relationships do have a dehumanized aspect. In the transition from the old real world to the new virtual world, human beings will make the scaring experience of their smallness relative to the mass† (‘Claire Fahys and the new Metropolis’, n . d) . Art here is used as a convincing medium of communication to convey a message, on the fearful aspect of dehumanization, to the community. Iman Maleki’s ‘Memory of that house’ Image from http://imanmaleki. com/en/Galery/wish. htm Iman Maleki is a contemporary realist artist. The image chosen here does not fit into the conventional sense of art, as it looks more like a photograph than a work of traditional art. The image is a three dimensional work of art with depth, perspective and an interesting play of light and shade. The medium used is oil on canvas. The various objects and forms are combined creatively rendering a well balanced organized outlook to the composition. The texture is soft and natural. The reflection of light on the wall is captured well. The openness of the house and its relationship to the various elements of nature represented in the work is conveyed clearly through an objective rendering of the sky, the greenery and the building itself. The woman portrayed is seemingly well absorbed in world of her own. The frame rekindles memories of a house with the many remembrances associated with it. The work has the effect of transporting the viewer to another plane of imagination, to another space altogether; a space that comes refreshingly alive in memory. The rendering of the brick, cement mortar, the weather marks on the brick and cement mortar, the woman in her traditional clothing, the exposed part of her skin and every other element is captured to the finest detail. The image is objective and is representational of the house that is depicted in the framework. The main subject matter is the house itself detailed brick by brick and fond memories of that house conveyed visually. The colors used are soft, subtle and natural. References Claire Fahys and the new Metropolis, n . d. www. thefrenchartstudio. com. 26 July 2009

How To Get Your Student To Take Academic Responsibility

As parents, you probably feel that your student is incredible. To you, they are intelligent, motivated, intellectual, creative, and everything that colleges would ever want in a student. However, as brilliant as your student may be, you may recognize that they don’t always try their best when it comes to schoolwork. It’s important that you as a parent note that this kind of apathetic behavior towards school work is perfectly normal. As the school year drones on and the spring semester gets well underway, students often lose interest in academics. It’s possible that they have been in the same classes for so many months that they may be getting bored of the subject. It’s also possible that they may not fully understand how much is riding on their academics from a college admissions perspective. Either way, if you feel like your teenager is lacking academic responsibility or may be losing interest in school, here are some suggestions you can try to help get your student back on track. Just because high school and college applications were a certain way when you were in high school doesn’t mean that that’s how they are now. In fact, with the advent of technology in the classroom and the increased diversity of the US student population, the likelihood of there being similarities between your high school experience and theirs is pretty slim. Thus, when you’re talking to your child about schoolwork and assessing whether they’ve lost interest in academics, it’s important to not compare your high school career to theirs. You truly don’t know everything about what they’re going through, so the, â€Å"When I was your age, we did†¦Ã¢â‚¬  argument is truly irrelevant here. Of course, you should try to give your child advice but only where you think you are qualified to give it. A good method is to not tell your teenager what you did when you were their age but instead tell them what you would do if you were in high school now. Finally, make sure that it is clear to your child that just because times have changed doesn’t mean that you are not still knowledgeable and capable of helping him/her. Getting through to a teenager usually takes more than a few stern warnings or even some gentle encouragement. As a parent, you need to take an active role in making sure that your teen not only knows the importance of getting back on the academic track but also is constantly taking steps to improve himself/herself. This means that you’re going to have to first sit your student down and explain to them that you’re not seeing them doing their best in their academics and that you’re just looking out for their well-being. Then, in the next few weeks, you need to constantly motivate, encourage, and work with your student to make sure they’re getting back on track. This can include looking at and helping them with their homework, proofreading their essays, or even setting up a reward system for getting good grades. Our Early Advising Program helps students in 9th and 10th grade discover their passions and build strong academic and extracurricular profiles to succeed in high school. The fact of the matter is that you are your teenager’s parent, not a cool teacher or a counselor who your teen may feel comfortable sharing their struggles with. It’s important for you to try and break down that communication barrier by presenting yourself as someone who is here to help rather than rigid old Mom/Dad with impossibly high expectations. A great way to try and break down that communication barrier to start by assuring your teen that it is okay for them to make mistakes as long as they learn from them and that you are always there to help them if they need it. You need to also stress that when he/she talks to you, they are in a no-judgment zone. Your only goal should be to help your teen, not criticize them. If your teen knows that you are serious about that, they will be more motivated to share their life with you. Hopefully, by creating this safe environment for your student to talk, your student will be able to open up about his/her academic struggles. From there, you two can work together to find the root of the issue and start working to get your student back on track. It’s not that easy to get back on the right academic track by yourself, especially as a busy high school student with a host of other responsibilities that have nothing to do with academics. Thus, it is often necessary to bring in others to help fix an academic situation in need. It is up to you, as the parent, to make sure your child has all of the tools that they need to succeed. Be sure to stress to your teen that you are there to help them succeed academically, whether it be helping them with their homework or getting them some school supplies to be more organized. You can also tell them that you’re more than willing to outsource the help to a professional like a near-peer mentor, counselor, or tutor who can better relate to them and understand their academic struggles. If your teen knows that there are all of these resources at their disposal and tons of people who are rooting for him/her to succeed, they may start to get the sense that academics are important. It may even motivate them to start improving their grades on their own. Teens are often in an emotional state while they’re in high school, and can you blame them? The high school environment is not always kind, what with the prevalence of bullying, cliques, and other social pressures in many high schools. Try to put yourself in their shoes for a moment and understand what they might be going through emotionally. Their emotional state and their school environment all factor into their academic performance. If you create an open, loving, and tolerant environment for your teen to share what their experiences in school are like and overall what is going on with them, your teen may be more open and honest with you. They may also respect you more and be more likely to take your advice on getting their academics back on track. When it comes to eliciting change from your student, it’s important to create an open, non-judgmental conversation with the sole aim of helping your teen. Let them know that their problems are your problems and that you are only interested in their success. From there, you can foster a positive relationship that will lead to your teen’s academic improvement. For other helpful advice for the parents of high school students, check out these previous blog posts: Feeling like your child needs a little boost in high school? Check out ’s Neer Peer Mentorship Program , where they will be matched with a successful college student who is on the same path as they are when it comes to your academic, career, and college goals. This mentor will meet with you and your student to provide helpful advice on all topics from college admissions to career goals, and they’ll make sure that your student is poised to succeed throughout high school.

Stagnation of Manufacturing Productivity in the United States Research Paper

Stagnation of Manufacturing Productivity in the United States - Research Paper Example Unites states is considered to be one among the top ranking nations when it comes to Manufacturing Productivity. (Dept of Commerce, 2004). The citizens involved in the manufacturing production activities are considered to be the backbone of the American Economy to achieve a huge growth rate. An overall economic development can be achieved by good manufacturing productivity. Manufacturing productions are the major aspect of inventing and deploying the various technological trends, providing jobs to the numerous citizens of all ranges, and the developers usually end up investing a huge amount of resources in the economy depending on the market trends in the manufacturing sector thus forming the essential part of economic development aspects.International trade can be always the major factor for the progress of the global economy, and to overcome the extreme competitiveness the armaments utilized are manufactured goods. But the new technology trends involved with globalization have mani folds expanded the scope of competitiveness by demanding a high rate of production to be the end result of minimized resources. The following have been quoted by (Kevin L. Kearns and Alan Tonelson, 2003) as the reasons for stagnation in the manufacturing economy.The manufactured goods had not brought the expected profits to the nation as there was a lack of opening in the market. This did not consume the required goods in the apt amounts of productions thus bringing in huge losses to the manufacturing economy.... Kearns and Alan Tonelson, 2003) as the reasons for stagnation in the manufacturing economy. Inefficiency in introducing foreign consumption markets. The manufactured goods had not brought the expected profits to the nation as there was a lack of opening in the market. This did not consume the required goods in the apt amounts of productions thus bringing in huge losses to the manufacturing economy. Inability to meet the requirements of the home market. The required materials where not produced at the right time to the home market. As the manufacturers were short of the basic resources to produce goods with innovation it affected the home market drastically. Difficulty in managing the imbalances arising due to international debts. As the manufacturing economy was in running in losses due to lack of proper production of goods in demand; the amount of debts increased. These debts created huge imbalances at the international level. Downturn in the employment base. As the manufacturing units ran into losses; the inefficiency of providing proper wages and retaining the workers increased manifolds. This on a large scale affected the overall employment base of the entire nation. Manufacturing crisis leading to a dependable maintenance of world- leading military. The necessity to be the universal power had always demanded for high-tech military armaments. The secure military base was built by gathering the diverse technologies from the long-term allies. The dependency to gather technology from various other nations has also become a major factor. Threat to the industrial base due to an extreme loss in tax revenues. As the domestic taxes increased the economy had some manufactures losing their production activities in the market. This indeed has brought a

The Importance of Soil Ph Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Importance of Soil Ph - Essay Example This paper will expansively present the importance of soil Ph and other important factors related to the very same concept will also be presented comprehensively in this paper. There are several food crops and plants that thrive under either neutral or slightly acidic soil which means that the Ph of the soil must be 7, on the other hand there are a few other plants that thrive under highly acidic conditions, potatoes and strawberries just to name a few. The weathering rate is arguably one of the most important aspects when it comes to deciding hoe acidic the soil is It depends on a factor called mineralogy which means the presence of easily weathered minerals in the soil. There are other important aspects too like the texture of the soil, the presence of moisture in the soil etc. "A plant's growth is affected to a large degree by the relative concentrations of hydrogen ions (H+) and hydroxyl ions (OH-) in the surrounding soil solution (soil pH). Acid soils (pH

Applying theories to the novel The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Essay

Applying theories to the novel The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down - Essay Example The author dexterously manoeuvres the plot of the book so that the readers can identify with the more complex socio-psychological paradigms of the multicultural societies and the challenges that the medical fraternity has to meet to overcome the prejudices of the Hmong family. The book is fascinating in its treatment of the seemingly mundane but highly relevant issues of the different cultures and the modern society that heavily relies on science. The story of Lia Lee, a small girl who is diagnosed with epilepsy by the medical fraternity in Merced, California but which is differently interpreted by the Hmong family as ‘qaug dab peg’. The intense conflict in the treatment of the little girl and the frustrations of both the girl’s family and the healthcare system is brilliantly captured by the author. The book throws great insight into the differing views and perspectives of the cultures that clash with the value system of the healthcare practitioners. The institutional indifference to the cross cultural values and the trials and tribulations of the immigrant family that finds itself strangely vulnerable in the alien surrounding is the highlight of the narration. The socio-psychological imperatives found in the book are of great relevance to the contemporary environment of globalization. The behavioral and cognitive theory can explain the ongoing struggle of the Hmong family that tries to work along with healthcare system towards the common goal of saving their daughter’s life. Cognitive science is basically an amalgamation of philosophical thoughts and scientific theories that try to rationalize the working of conscious and unconscious thoughts of a man and co-relate them with his subsequent actions and reactions. The theory of cognition, thereby, tries to explain why and how the events take place and subsequent pattern of behavior of man under certain condition involving emotional

Diversity and Cross Cultural Management (HR) Essay

Diversity and Cross Cultural Management (HR) - Essay Example London is among the most diverse: It is only 65% White (Dunnell, 2009). Immigration both internal to the former Commonwealth and current Commonwealth nations such as from India, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong, and from the Middle East, is changing the ethnic background of the country. Against this backdrop, it is vital to understand the United Kingdom from a Hoftstedian framework of power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism and collectivism, masculinity and femininity, and long-term orientation. The United Kingdom has a middling power distance ranking (Kwintessential, 2010). Power distance is an indicator that looks at the way that people at the bottom of organisations or structures perceive both the fact and the justice of unequal arrangements. Kwintessential (2010) states, â€Å"The UK's score in this dimension is 35. This indicates that rank, status and inequalities between people are reasonably low† Legislation at the macro level is designed to protect minority right s from majoritarian intervention. At the micro level, office relationships among peers, superiors and subordinates is relaxed, with plenty of ability to question and give input up the chain. Ceremony is at kept at a minimum. This matches the Gini index being 34%, but unfortunately, inequality at least in strictly economic terms in increasing in the UK: During recessions, such as the one that the UK is currently coming out of, the Gini index and inequality tend to increase (Office for National Statistics, 2010). Acceptance of social distance has to be paired with a reduction in individualism. People who are too individualistic are socialized not to tolerate too wide a variation in power or distance, since that steps onto their autonomy. Unsurprisingly, then, the UK is also highly individualistic. â€Å"The UK scores 89 for Individualism. This is high and therefore points to that fact that British culture values and promotes individuality† (Kwintessential, 2010). The nuclear fa mily trumps other more collectivist kinship structures, and individuality is highly valued at a personal level. However, the United Kingdom does certainly have collectivist trends. The dole and other social welfare policies are protected and respected, and the idea of loyalty to the Commonwealth is still popular. Uncertainty avoidance in the UK is relatively low. The UK scores at 35, which indicates that British culture is open to risks and change. Laws are constantly revised and experimented upon and with by Parliament. Conflict between equals, peers and even inferior-superiors is healthy and accepted. Masculinity is ranked at a 66 (Kwintessential, 2010). Gender bias is certainly real in the United Kingdom, and traditionally masculine values still dominate. However, it is an important fact to bring up that it is important not to be culturally deterministic or monolithic. The construction of what masculinity is certainly has changed in the United Kingdom. Segal (1997) points out tha t there are many types of masculinity that are key to the ascribed and self-expressed social identity of men: Tough, camp, gay, super-macho, classy, â€Å"metrosexual†, sophisticated and refined, rough-and-tumble... men view their masculinity in dozens of ways as there is a changing gender battlefield in the UK. The UK, like many Western countries and like its Anglo-Saxon descendants the US and Canada, is transaction-focused

ADFP Advanced Strategy Advice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

ADFP Advanced Strategy Advice - Assignment Example This assessment focuses primarily on strategic recommendations in a financial planning context. It encompasses your knowledge base acquired across previous modules within the Diploma of Financial Planning and the Advanced Diploma of Financial Planning. The assessment is aimed at utilising your skills in understanding and applying some of the concepts contained in the FirstTech Super Guide from Colonial First State. Although it is called a Super Guide, this text goes beyond just superannuation concepts and also addresses taxation, social security and insurance, as all of these topics are interrelated. This assignment contains 6 assessment activities each containing specific instructions. Grading for this assessment will be deemed â€Å"competent† or â€Å"not-yet-competent† in line with specified educational standards under the Australian Qualifications Framework. These answers contain relevant and accurate information in response to the question/s with limited serious e rrors in fact or application. If incorrect information is contained in an answer, it must be fundamentally outweighed by the accurate information provided. This will be assessed against a marking guide provided to assessors for their determination.

The Scramble for Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Scramble for Africa - Essay Example 5). The impact of globalization on Africa has illustrated its dangers. Just as capitalism needed to be regulated in the United States and other market economies in the industrial age to protect people from the abuse of companies in the name of profit, a worldwide effort arguably needs to be made to protect the most vulnerable people in the world from corporate abuse when their own governments will not do so. According to Simon Taylor, director of Global Witness, a globalization watchdog, G8 countries need to take the lead in preventing this kind of abuse, as their companies are the most likely to be benefiting from it. He asserts, "Western companies and banks have colluded in stripping Africa's resources. We need to track revenues from oil, mining and logging into national budgets to make sure that the money isn't siphoned off by corrupt officials" (par. 4). The potential for Africa to produce huge profits for foreign investors is undeniable. The continent is shaping up to be the highest potential investment area in the world. "Sub-Saharan Africa may be the poorest region in the world but it is also its most profitable investment destination. According to the World Bank's 2003 global development finance report, the continent offers 'the highest returns on foreign direct investment of any region in the world'" (Wright 2005, par. 7). It is only a matter of time before this fact will influence the behavior of foreign companies. "At the moment only around 1% of the private capital that is sloshing around the globe finds its way into sub-Saharan Africa. But there is an increasing band of intrepid international companies that are initiating a new scramble for Africa. Like the colonial pioneers before them, they have found that the strategy can be risky but the potential rewards are enormous" (par. 8). The African continent's wealth of oil and diamonds is the primary target of this latest "scramble." Oil in particular has led developed nations to eye Africa, particularly given the recent escalation of prices. "Spurred by rising global oil prices and depleting reservoirs nearer home, the world's biggest energy-consuming countries have re-discovered Africa. Oil production across that least-developed continent is set to double by the end of the decade, with the US alone importing more than a quarter of its requirements from there. Africa is expected to supply one-fifth of global output by 2010" ("Oil exploration" 2005, par. 2). Competition for this African resource is fierce, and threatens to inflict serious injury on local populations. "As the world's oil becomes depleted, the energy-intensive developed countries face each other in mounting competition for the remaining resources. This trend could have major economic, political, social and environmental implications for regions such as Africa" (par. 1). Unfettered by the kind of government regulation constraining huge multinational oil companies in developed countries, there is a grave risk that they could fail to implement environmental and other safeguards, thereby risking the health and safety of the local populations. Further, an environmental disaster such as an oil spill or refinery explosion could have tremendous economic

History of design Essay Example for Free

History of design Essay The design history is commonly defined as the study of the objects in their stylish and historical context. This includes social, economical, technical, Cultural and aesthetic. The history of design has in it the study of all designed objects including the fashions, interiors, graphics designs, industrial and product design. The history of design has to incorporate the heroic criticism of its discipline in material culture establishment. History of design has played a major role in understanding the forma used methods of doing work until the discovery and innovations of machines in the 19th and 20th century. The role of machine in 19th and 20th century Machine is the most defining entity in the 19th and 20th century. Its entrance in the turn of the centuries was significance to the modern age and was facilitated by energy and its productivity. The innovation of the machines contributed to many changes including the shifting of people from the rural areas to the urban areas. This made people see the world in different perspective and felt as if everything was possible. The innovation of the machine had an effect to the labor practices. The aspect on which the work was being done changed, machines was viewed a savior as it would do more work at a shorter time compared to human and animals. The cultivation and tilling of land was made easy as machines would different types of work under control of one person and hence increased production. The labor practices on the other hand had some negative impact in the innovation of machines. The work that several people would be hired to do, would be done by one machine therefore contributing to the losing of jobs. (Dee, 2005) Industrial design can be defined as an applied art where aesthetic of large quantity of produced products can be improved for marketing. The industrial designer role is creating and executing design and solutions for problems of form, engineering, brand development, usability, sales and user ergonomics. The introduction of machine in the industrial design enables the given firm a chance to have mass production of products. In the 19th and 20 nth century, the introduction of machines enabled the crafts firms have more production therefore increasing profit margins. With the introduction of machines, some countries were able to put themselves in a competitive footing with other countries that had the same level of innovation. (Arthur, 1988) According to the Carma Gorman, an industrial design reader, logo has a shouting power to market the industry. The industrial designer should take into consideration the distinctiveness of the company in the market which may be determined by the designed logo. As the work of the designer is to create all the solutions that would ensure the industry has a competitive footage with others of the same field. Gorman, 2003) Innovation of machines increased efficiency in doing work. Much work could be done with the innovation of machine and be completed in a shorter time compared to work done manual. Due to high power production by the machine, some of the hard task could be done that could have otherwise required some people to accomplish. Besides doing difficult tasks, machine would do more work effectively compared to human or man power. Due to effectiveness of the machines, it was easy to predict how much work would be done and how much time would be taken to accomplish the task. Ornament is decoration detail that is mostly used to decorate or beautify part of a building or the interior furnishing. As this is done on various surfaces ranging from soft to hard surfaces like on stones, wood, metal, clay and plaster, it would require a machine to this king of work. Before the innovation of machines, this was done by hand which consumed much time and energy. The introduction of machines helped in making more complex designs on clothes, ceramics, furnishers, metalwork and on clay. (John, 1963) Machines have strengthened the cultural identity and have increased our standard of living by creating wealth in the economy. In the hierarchy of designs have gone to an extent of explaining how helpful machines are to our modern life. There has been a continued development and need for the machines to do the most complex work that cannot be done without the help of the machine. (Baker, 2007), Conclusions The innovation of machines has helped in the formation new tread of performing different duties. It was through the introduction of machine more complex work was done in a short time. This helped in improving on efficiency and increase in the quantity production.

A Diagram For Railway Management Systems

A Diagram For Railway Management Systems Summary: I have prepared use case diagram for the given scenario. Along with the use case diagram, I have prepared specification for individual use cases. Besides, I have prepared an activity diagram. (a) Class Diagram -Staff ID Staff +Create new staff -Staff Name +Delete existing staff +Update staff Clerical Assistant -Clerical Assistant ID -Clerical Assistant Name Clerical Assistant Contacts -Join Date + Print address label +Record customer details +Print ticket and sale ticket Station Master -Station Master ID -Station Master Name -Station Master Contacts -Join Date + Provide hand to hand ticket +Record ticket type details Rail way manager -Manager ID -Manager Name -Manager Contacts -Join Date + Record time details +Record engine details Ticket Booking -Customer ID -Booking date -Booking rate + Create Booking + Delete Booking Customers -Customer ID -Customer Name -Customers contacts + Give Tickets + Give requirements + Get booking Booking via mail -Customer ID -Booking date -Booking rate + Create Booking + Delete Booking Booking over telephone -Customer ID -Booking date -Booking rate + Create Booking + Delete Booking Booking In person -Customer ID -Booking date -Booking rate + Create Booking + Delete Booking Figure 2.1: Class Diagram (b) Attributes and methods: Class Name: Staff. Attributes: Staff ID Staff Name Method: Create new staff() Delete Existing Staff() Update existing Staff() Class Name: Railway manager Attribute: Manager ID Manager Name Manager Contacts Join date Operations: Record time details() Record engine details() Class name: Station Master Attribute: Station master ID Station master Name Station master contacts. Join date Operations: Provide hand to hand tickets() Record ticket type details() Class name: Clerical Assistant Attribute: Clerical Assistant ID Clerical Assistant Name Clerical Assistant contacts. Join date Operations: Print address labels() Record customer details() Print and sales ticket () Class name: Customer Attribute: Customer ID Customer Name Customer contacts. Operations: Give tickets() Give requirements() Get booking() Class name: Ticket Booking Attribute: Customer ID Booking date Booking rate Operations: Create Booking () Delete Booking() Class name: Booking in person Attribute: Customer ID Booking date Booking rate Operations: Create Booking () Delete Booking() Class name: Booking over telephone Attribute: Customer ID Booking date Booking rate Operations: Create Booking () Delete Booking() Class name: Booking via mail. Attribute: Customer ID Booking date Booking rate Operations: Create Booking () Delete Booking() Summary: I have prepared a class diagram and described the attributes and methods for each of the classes. Task 3 Introduction: In this task, I have to prepare three different diagrams based on analyzing the system. These three diagrams will be behavioral models using object oriented method. Sequence diagram: A sequence diagram is a model showing sequences of events and interactions that happen within several layers and persons within the system. In need of behavioral modeling, sequence diagram helps to understand relevant behavior of the potential system. Following diagram shows the sequential diagram for the suggested system. Sequence Diagram Customers Staffs Ticket Booking Request for ticket booking Check Booking Info Check customer info Request customer details Give customer detail Choose ticket Confirm ticket booking Figure 3.1: Sequence diagram State Machine: State machine is close to activity diagram. Whereas in activity diagram, interactions are displayed, here the state of the different layers of the system is displayed. Following diagrams demonstrates state machine diagrams for ticket processing and providing it to customers hand to hand, to address or via mail. Requesting ticket booking Checking ticket availability Ticket not available Cancel Provide ticket information Make choice of ticket Ticket not chosen Confirm ticket booking Cancel Print ticket Provide ticket to customer Figure 3.2: State Machine Diagram Communication Diagrams: 2. Select customers () 2.1. Show customers () 3. Select Ticket Availability () 3.1. Show ticket availability () 4. Choose ticket () 4.1. Show ticket () 1. Start UI {} : Ticket booking : Ticket booking 3.2 Get ticket information ()Staff 4.2 confirm ticket booking 2.2 Get customers details () : Ticket booking : Customers Figure 3.3: Communication Diagram Summary: I have prepared three different diagrams representing behavioral modeling of the proposed system. Task 4 Introduction: In this task, I have to demonstrate the data protection laws available in the locality. Besides, I have to describe how they can be implemented. This discussion has to be practical enough in contrast with the real scenario. Some words on data protection laws: Data protection laws deal with the intellectual property of any organization. In a general sense, this talks about how the intellectual property should be protected and what will be happened if the data is damaged. And if it is deliberate, then what procedure will be used to prevent any further approach. Data protection laws in a sense is a vital approach that establishes promise to protect any companys intellectual property. (a) Our countries scenario with data protection laws: Unfortunately, in our country there are no governmental data protection laws available. Since protecting intellectual property is the major thing for any organization, organizations use their own protocol for protecting data. Big IT dependent companies across the country have their individual data protection laws. Following sections cover data protection management available in our country- Accessibility Restriction: Accessibility within a particular system area is determined by administrators, which prevent wrong persons to be in a wrong place. Any person with no prior knowledge on any advance part of a system can cause damage to it even though unintentionally. Within the area of confidential data sources, not everyone should be allowed to access. User Authentication: After ensuring minimal user restriction, establishing user authentication allows the system to be protected from unauthorized activity. A system is bound within limit; users are bound with limits of usage or activities, which lead into the necessity of user authentication. Distribution of level: This is another major approach by which it is ensured that there are multiple levels of the system within which multiple levels of users are allowed to do activity. System Security: System must be protected both physically and logically. Tickets room must be preserved from free access. Data stored should be encrypted. Disk partitions usage should be restricted to bare minimal. (b) Implementation of protection laws against the railways system: The computer system being developed can be secured by implementing one of the above-mentioned ways. Following points cover some of the ways that would be sufficient for the railway: The most usable way is user authentication method. To access the system, user has to enter the username and password. The password should match length and complexity requirements. This authentication procedure can protect the system from any unauthorized access of the system. Different level of authentication can be implied. While somebody is trying to breach the system, he may find one of the passwords, but not likely will get all to breach all the data. Level of accessibility is another approach highly effective for the new system. Administrator will have the full access when other will have limited access within their usage limitation. (c) Ensuring data protection in the current system: Testing: Testing all the security procedure potentially available and planned for the current system. Validation: Validation procedures would be set for the system. When users will try to enter the system with passwords and usernames, system will check for validity and permission limitation. Encryption: System will have the capability to encrypt potential sensitive data. This will protect data from being unveiled to a wrong hand. Summary: I have gathered information on security and protection laws and application of the laws with the current system. Possible details of methods that can be implemented for the current system are also given. Task 5 Introduction: In this task, I have to demonstrate the systems capability of preparing tickets. Along with preparing tickets, I also have to describe that how the system will be able to prepare tickets that cannot be copied easily and will be easy to print with cost effective printing medium. Besides, I also need to describe the hardware related with printing by researching available options. New system will mainly deal with the tickets. Preparing tickets is one of the major jobs with protection features from being copied. Following section demonstrates some methods by which tickets cant be copied- Copy prevention methods: In each ticket, ticket creator will give a 12 digit number as a barcode. Each time tickets barcode will be checked by checker software or barcode scanner. Ticket must not be printed on any typical paper. Each ticket will be printed on specialized printing paper that is not likely to be copied or available. Each ticket will carry individual customers identification along with the seat number. Every detail must be unique within all the tickets. Practically watermarks are given with conventional software. So, specialized watermark should be printed on the ticket. Specialized hologram is another way to protect ticket from being copied. Allowing customers to select multiple tickets of different types: There are several procedures here to allow customers to make choice from different types of ticket. In person: When station master will deal with the booking of a ticket, he will deal with a person face to face. Customer can practically look through available tickets and make choice that suits them the most. Via telephone: When a client will get connected through a telephone, then clerical assistant will provide with enough information. When customers will ask clerical assistant for ticket booking, assistant will provide available options after knowing the destination of the customers. Via email: When customers will request for a ticket via email, clerical assistant will record the email. Then he will send a feed back by giving all detailed options that are available. Then after processing all data, selected ticket will be confirmed. Printing hardware and media details: For printing the tickets, several system components will be necessary. Printers, printing servers, computers will be necessary. Among the conventional products for these purposes, there are so many which can be used here to establish the printing service for the labels and tickets. Details of suggested conventional product for printing Device Vendor Price ($) Computer HP 500 Ticket Printer HP 150 Computer maintenance 250 Application software Atlas developer ltd. 250 Power Supply 200 Printing Server 1000 Figure 5.1: Hardware details Brief details of some components: Application Software: Application software for preparing tickets and printing them on a media is customized software developed by a conventional developer. Rather than buying mass market software, its better to have one specifically made for specific purpose. This will also be a better option for security issue Ticket printers: Rather than installing general purpose printers, ticket printers are suggested to be used. Ticket printers are specially made for printing tickets. Following image shows a typical ticket printer- Figure 5.2: Ticket Printer Printing Server: Printing server is a typical server installed for printing purposes. This server is established by computers. Summary: I have demonstrated several issues on printing and printing media for ticket serving purposes. I have also discussed about the hardware that could be set to establish system for printing those tickets. Task 6 Introduction: In this task, I have to prepare several normalized table with relevant information within different levels. After completing normalization tables, I have to prepare data dictionary entries for all items included in the database design. Task 6 (a) Ticket booking normalization: Normalization refers to dividing a database into several tables to determine their relationship among each other. Data Aggregation: Serial No. Booking Type Customer ID Customer Name Customer Address Date Staff Type Staff ID Staff Name Seat No. Total. 2. Choosing key: Serial No. 3. Converting to 1NF (Removing repeating data): Serial No (PK) Booking name Booking type Customer Id Customer name Customer address Date Staff type Staff Id Staff name 4. Converting to 2NF (Removing Partial Key Dependency): Serial No (PK) Booking name Booking type Customer Id Customer name Customer address Date Staff type Staff Id Staff name 5. Converting to 3NF (Removing non-key dependency): Ticket Booking Serial No (PK) Booking name Booking type Customers: Customer Id Customer name Customer address Date Staff Staff type Staff Id Staff name Task 6 (b) Data Dictionary for Customer: Data dictionary Railway System: S5D Type: structure Name: customer Alias : Client Definition: Customer= customer Id+ customer name+ Customer contacts+ Occurrence: Picture: Author: Rajan Khan Date 10.2.2011 Figure: Data dictionary for customers. 2. Data dictionary for staff Data dictionary Railway System: S5C Type: structure Name: Staff Alias : employee Definition: Staff: Staff Id+ Staff name+ Staff Contacts Occurrence: Picture: Author: Rajan Khan Date 10.2.2011 Figure: Data Dictionary for Staff 3. Data dictionary for ticket booking. Data dictionary Academic theater System: S8c Type: structure Name: Ticket Booking Alias Ticket Booking Definition: Ticket booking : Ticket serial No+ Ticket Booking date+ Ticket Booking rate+ Occurrence: Picture: Author Rajan Khan Date 10.2.2011 Figure: Data Dictionary for ticket booking Summary: I have completed normalized data tables and dictionary entries for all the items that will be included in the database. Task 7 Introduction: In this task, I have to remark the objected oriented methodology for designing system or developing system. Besides, I have to relate my remarks with the system design that I have done for the previous tasks. Then, along with describing object oriented methods, I also have to remark structured methods. Differentiation between both methods: For Task 1: Object Oriented: For designing diagrams in task 1, use case diagram and activity diagram are used. For analyzing every detail use case diagram include detailed specification. Structured: As per the requirements stated in structured diagram, DFD (Data Flow Diagram) could solve the problems of task 1. For task 2: Object Oriented: Since object oriented methods are practically dependent on object-class architecture, here class diagram is used. Structured: In structured methodology, ERD (Entity Relationship Diagram) is used. For task 3: Object Oriented: Here the sequence and communication diagram are used. Structured: Here the ELH (Entity Life History) would be used. Object Oriented Methods: Advantage: System can be very large. In object oriented method, modularization divides whole system into several manageable smaller parts or objects. In that way, when parts are developed, they can be synchronized to make the whole system working. Object oriented applications are more scalable than the structured tools. With looking at the modules of the system, it is possible to make an overview on how the system is going to be. Disadvantage: Legacy Systems are built in structured programming languages. So when it is necessary to convert those systems, it becomes a tough job. Object Oriented Database Management Systems are not available. Since there are many choices with object oriented methodology, sometimes unexpected confusion can rise. Structured Methods: Advantage: In structured programming, system requirements are defined much before programming starts. With proceed of development, amount of necessary changes starts to decrease. Disadvantages: Every detail should be planned and structured. Without any direct link, its impossible to go in a random manner, unlike the object oriented. Overview of a system before it is developed is not likely to be available. Summary: I have remarked advantages and disadvantages of both the structured and object oriented methodology. Besides, I have remarked the application of both the methodology with task 1 to task 3. Task 8 Introduction: In this task, I have to produce a comprehensive report with detailing all the tasks that I have completed. Then I will have to make an appendix reviewing my works. Executive Summary Preparing functional modeling: This includes two diagram and one specification details for one of the diagrams. Use case diagram (With Specification) Activity Diagram. Structural Modeling: Class Diagrams. Detailed attribute and operations. Behavioral Modeling: Sequence diagram State machines Communication Diagrams. Data Protection issues: Available data protection laws. Implementation of the issues with the system. Safe ticket management: How to create safe tickets. How the customers will be able to select multiple choices. What hardware will be used to print the tickets? Relational database designing: Creating normalized tables. Creating data dictionary. Evaluating object oriented method: Advantage and disadvantages of object oriented methods. Contrasting with structured method. Report Within all the phases of the tasks, several designing and evaluating have been done. In this report, all of them will be included for a better demonstration. Following section covers comprehensive details of task 1-7 respectively. Task 1: Functional Modeling Use case diagram for railway management system: Use case diagrams are useful to understand the system from the viewpoint of user. In this part there are three objects. There are customers, clerical assistant and ticket booking. Customers request for the ticket booking then clerical assistant check ticket information and clerical assistant get booking information. Clerical assistant request to customer their information then customer give details information and customer choose ticket set. At a last customer confirm ticket booking to clerical assistants. Several use case diagrams could be set into the scenario. But one compact use case diagram is used to cover potential features of the system rather than creating multiple diagrams. This has saved a lot of time. Activity Diagram for Railway Management System: Railway managements potential activities are shown in this diagram. Railway manager will record the time information and hauling engine information, station master will sale ticket hand to hand and clerical assistant will serve through mail or telephone- everything is covered in this activity diagram. Task 2: Structural Modeling Class Diagrams: Several classes can be found from the proposed system. Class diagrams are drawn based upon those classes found from the railway management systems scenario. These classes include attribute and operations details within each of the class. Task 3: Behavioral Model Sequence Diagram: This diagram outlines the sequential presentation of occurrence within the system. By the help of this diagram, expected behavior of the system can be understood. Comprehensive presentation of all the persons interacting with the system in a flow based order; this really helps to understand the system State machine diagram: This diagram demonstrates the states of the processes. From recording time details to processing ticket booking, every state is defined in this diagram. This clearly shows the end of activity. Communication Diagram: In this top order diagram, only the main operation and interacting persons are displayed in a comprehensive and technical way. Task 4: Data Protection Issues Our countries scenario: Big IT dependent companies across the country have their individual data protection laws. Accessibility Restriction: Accessibility within a particular system area is determined by administrators, which prevent wrong persons to be in a wrong place. Any person with no prior knowledge on any advance part of a system can cause damage to it even though unintentionally. Within the area of confidential data sources, not everyone should be allowed to access. User Authentication: After ensuring minimal user restriction, establishing user authentication allows the system to be protected from unauthorized activity. A system is bound within limit; users are bound with limits of usage or activities, which lead into the necessity of user authentication. Distribution of level: This is another major approach by which it is ensured that there are multiple levels of the system within which multiple levels of users are allowed to do activity. System Security: System must be protected both physically and logically. Tickets room must be preserved from free access. Data stored should be encrypted. Disk partitions usage should be restricted to bare minimal. (b) Implementation of protection laws against the railways system: The computer system being developed can be secured by implementing one of the above-mentioned ways. Following points cover some of the ways that would be sufficient for the railway: The most usable way is user authentication method. To access the system, user has to enter the username and password. The password should match length and complexity requirements. This authentication procedure can protect the system from any unauthorized access of the system. Different level of authentication can be implied. While somebody is trying to breach the system, he may find one of the passwords, but not likely will get all to breach all the data. (c) Ensuring data protection in the current system: Testing: Testing all the security procedure potentially available and planned for the current system. Validation: Validation procedures would be set for the system. When users will try to enter the system with passwords and usernames, system will check for validity and permission limitation. Encryption: System will have the capability to encrypt potential sensitive data. This will protect data from being unveiled to a wrong hand. Task 5: Evaluating ticket processing procedure Copy prevention methods: In each ticket, ticket creator will give a 12 digit number as a barcode. Each time tickets barcode will be checked by checker software or barcode scanner. Ticket must not be printed on any typical paper. Each ticket will be printed on specialized printing paper that is not likely to be copied or available. Each ticket will carry individual customers identification along with the seat number. Every detail must be unique within all the tickets. Practically watermarks are given with conventional software. So, specialized watermark should be printed on the ticket. Specialized hologram is another way to protect ticket from being copied. Allowing customers to select multiple tickets of different types: There are several procedures here to allow customers to make choice from different types of ticket. When station master will deal with the booking of a ticket, he will deal with a person face to face. Customer can practically look through available tickets and make choice that suits them the most. When a client will get connected through a telephone, then clerical assistant will provide with enough information. When customers will ask clerical assistant for ticket booking, assistant will provide available options after knowing the destination of the customers. When customers will request for a ticket via email, clerical assistant will record the email. Then he will send a feed back by giving all detailed options that are available. Then after processing all data, selected ticket will be confirmed. Printing hardware and media details: For printing the tickets, several system components will be necessary. Printers, printing servers, computers will be necessary. Among the conventional products for these purposes, there are so many which can be used here to establish the printing service for the labels and tickets. Device Vendor Price ($) Computer HP 500 Ticket Printer HP 150 Computer maintenance 250 Application software Atlas developer ltd. 250 Power Supply 200 Printing Server 1000 Brief details of some components: Application software for preparing tickets and printing them on a media is customized software developed by a conventional developer. Rather than buying mass market software, its better to have one specifically made for specific purpose. This will also be a better option for security issue Rather than installing general purpose printers, ticket printers are suggested to be used. Ticket printers are specially made for printing tickets. Task 6: Normalization and data dictionary Normalization: Here database is scattered into several tables to determine relationships within each of them. Data Dictionary: Data dictionary is build with entries from all the items that will be included in the database. Task 7: Evaluating Object Oriented Methodology Differentiation between both methods: For Task 1: For designing diagrams in task 1, use case diagram and activity diagram are used. For analyzing every detail use case diagram include detailed specification. As per the requirements stated in structured diagram, DFD (Data Flow Diagram) could solve the problems of task 1. For task 2: Since object oriented methods are practically dependent on object-class architecture, here class diagram is used. Structured: In structured methodology, ERD (Entity Relationship Diagram) is used. For task 3: Here the sequence and communication diagram are used. Here the ELH (Entity Life History) would be used. Object Oriented Methods: Advantage: System can be very large. In object oriented method, modularization divides whole

Ancient Egyptian :: essays research papers

The ancient statues and pottery of the Golden Stone Age of Greece were much advanced in spectacular ways. The true facts of Zeus’s main reason for his statue. The great styles of the Kouros and the Kore. The story of The Blinding of Polphemus, along with the story of Cyclops. The Dori and Ionic column stone temples that were built in Greece that had an distinctive look. The true colors of the vase, Aryballos. The vase that carried liquids from one place to another. The Lyric Poetry that was originally a song to be sung to the accompaniment of the lyre. Zeus was considered, according to Homer, the father of the gods and of mortals. He did not create either gods or mortals; he was their father in the sense of being the protector and ruler both of the Olympian family and of the human race. He was lord of the sky, the rain god, and the cloud gatherer, who wielded the terrible thunderbolt. His breastplate was the aegis, his bird the eagle, his tree the oak. Zeus presided over the gods on Mount Olympus in Thessaly. His principal shrines were at Dodona, in Epirus, the land of the oak trees and the most ancient shrine, famous for its oracle, and at Olympia, where the Olympian Games were celebrated in his honor every fourth year. The Nemean games, held at Nemea, northwest of Argos, were also dedicated to Zeus. Zeus was the youngest son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea and the brother of the deities Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter, and Hera. According to one of the ancient myths of the birth of Zeus, Cronus, fearing that he might be dethroned by one of his children, swallowed them as they were born. Upon the birth of Zeus, Rhea wrapped a stone in swaddling clothes for Cronus to swallow and concealed the infant god in Crete, where he was fed on the milk of the goat Amalthaea and reared by nymphs. When Zeus grew to maturity, he forced Cronus to disgorge the other children, who were eager to take vengeance on their father. Zeus henceforth ruled over the sky, and his brothers Poseidon and Hades were given power over the sea and the underworld, respectively. The earth was to be ruled in common by all three. Beginning with the writings of the Greek poet Homer, Zeus is pictured in two very different ways.

Genetically Modified Foods: The Downfall of Monsanto Essay -- Monsanto

Executive Summary Monsanto ¡Ã‚ ¦s downfall could be attributed to several reasons. The passion of Alan Shapiro ¡Ã‚ ¦s vision blinded the Company into making rash decisions and the large amounts of money spent pursuing the objective prevented any U-turns later. The company ¡Ã‚ ¦s unshaken beliefs that it was correct had made it arrogant and not listen to the outrage all around. Monsanto underestimated consumer resistance. There was no obvious benefit in the products introduced. It may have been a different story if the products were introduced in developing counties where transport is poor or people starving from crop failures. Monsanto also ignored cultural differences. Canada and US were indifferent to genetically modified products but there was anger in Europe and the UK. Recent blunders by government handling the BSE and  ¡Ã‚ §Mad Cow ¡Ã‚ ¨ outbreaks dampened people ¡Ã‚ ¦s confidence in genetically modified products. Selling the idea of genetically modified crops is not easy. The industry needs to persuade people of the benefits and the companies must be seen to be socially responsible, socially responsive and ethical. Companies mission statements must not seem to be solely profit driven. Introduction - Monsanto and Alan Shapiro's Vision "It's about the earth, it's about the environment, and it ¡Ã‚ ¦s about food. It's about health and nutrition. Those are deep, ancient things for civilisation, and they are for the people." - Alan Shapiro The Monsanto Company in 1995 led by Alan Shapiro was involved in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, food and chemicals. Shapiro's passionate vision was the application of biology to food, nutrition and human health. He believed that people would want the products offered by Monsanto. The products themselves are protected by patents, thus restricting competition. All Monsanto needed to do was dominate and position all their products as either number one or two in their respective markets. Consolidation started in the seed market that was already concentrated in the hands of a few companies. By 1999 Monsanto spent more than $8 billion making acquisitions. Four corn seed companies had controlled 87% of the US market in 1996. Monsanto acquired two of them, Holden's Foundation Seeds and DeKalb. Delta & Land Pine controlled 75% of the cottonseed market and Monsanto made a bid for that company too. It was a simple winning strategy preac... ...d user safety. Figure 3 shows a suitable process where products are assessed prior to introduction and results evaluated. It is important for organisations operating in this area to be ethical. The organisation must be socially responsible, i.e. monitor social developments, forecast potential problems and even conduct surveys to determine social requirements. The organisation must have special departments, taskforce or committees e.g. DuPont that are responsive to the changing social sentiments. The company must persuade people of the benefits of biotechnology and genetically enhanced products listen to all stakeholders and not underestimate consumer resistance. Bibliography Byrne, J.  ¡Ã‚ §How Jack Welch runs GE ¡Ã‚ ¨  ¡V Business Week 8 June 1998 Genetically Modified Crops: The Ethical and Social Issues - www.nuffieldfoundation.org Batalion, N.  ¡Ã‚ §50 Harmful effects of Genetically Modified Foods ¡Ã‚ ¨ - www.cqs.com Specter, M.  ¡Ã‚ §Food that Bit Back ¡Ã‚ ¨ - Good Weekend 10 June 2000. Hewett, J.  ¡Ã‚ §DuPont turns into a green crusader ¡Ã‚ ¨  ¡V Sydney Morning Herald 4 June 2001 Adventa Home Page - www.advantacan.com Sygenta Home Page - www.syngenta.com Pioneer Hi-Bred Home Page - www.pioneer.com

Major Earthquakes are Inevitable in Indiana’s Future Essays -- Earthqu

Major Earthquakes are Inevitable in Indiana’s Future An earthquake felt throughout the Midwest on June 18 was a shaky reminder that earthquakes can occur anywhere. The earthquake, whose epicenter was located north of Evansville, was felt through most of Indiana and surrounding states, as reported by the Indianapolis Star. The quake was not the largest in Midwestern history, only registering a 5.0 on the Richter scale, nor did it do much damage. However, it was a wake-up call reminding those who haven’t paid attention to past warnings about the possibility of larger, more destructive earthquakes. Earthquakes, by Webster’s dictionary definition, are, â€Å"a shaking or trembling of the earth that is volcanic or tectonic in origin.† World Book Encyclopedia reports scientists believe that more than 8,000 earthquakes occur each day without causing damage. A little more than 1,000 each year are strong enough to be felt. Earthquakes occur in the general sense, anywhere on land. Other earthquakes go by different names, such as volcanic eruptions and tsunamis, large tidal wave storms that occur underwater, primarily in the Pacific Ocean. Earthquakes are a natural part of the Earth’s evolution. Scientific evidence leads many geologists to believe that all of the land on Earth was at one point in time connected. Because of plate tectonic movements or earthquakes, continental drift occurred separating the one massive piece of land in to the seven major continents today. Further evidence supports this theory, starting with the Mid-Atlantic ridge, a large mass of plate tectonics, which are increasing the size of the Atlantic Ocean while shrinking the Pacific. Some scientists believe that the major plate moveme... ...nd others for injuries, look for and extinguish small fires, inspect your home for damage, listen to the radio for instructions, and expect aftershocks. Tectonic plate movement can occur as close as two and up to 450 miles below the Earth’s surface. According to the Indiana Geological Survey, Indiana’s fault lines are further underground than those in California and Alaska, causing more minor quakes in the Midwest. However, Hoosiers should heed the recent earthquake as a warning for future quakes. Earthquakes can and do happen in Indiana, and almost anywhere else in the world. This is the one natural disaster that people cannot avoid no matter their location on Earth. And, being unprepared can have devastating results. Samuelson said, â€Å"Another earthquake or series of them the size of the New Madrid earthquakes is inevitable in Indiana’s future.†

A Study in Factors Affecting Customer Satisfaction

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1. 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY Customer satisfaction is defined as the measurement of how a company’s products or services meet or surpass its customer’s expectations. It is also a measure of how the customer perceives the way the company’s representatives dealt with his or her needs. Customer satisfaction plays an important role in determining the likelihood of an organization’s success and profitability over the long term. It is an important way of business to develop customer loyalty that in turn builds repeat business through customer retention.Generally speaking, there are three different levels of customer satisfaction: Dissatisfied customers who are seeking for another supplier; satisfied customers who will buy from the company in the future and loyal customers who will remain so despite competitive offers. Unless a business organization develops a base of satisfied customers, it will be difficult if not impossible to remain v iable in the market place. Moreover, any business not focused on satisfying its customers will be at the mercy of competitors who will eventually satisfy that persons needs and desires.Taking prompt action to resolve a customer’s problems can make the 85% of them repeat customers. It costs on the average six times as much to find a new customer as it does to keep an existing one happy. This underscores the importance of customer satisfaction. â€Å"In researching satisfaction, firms generally ask customers whether their product or service has met or exceeded expectations. Thus, expectations are a key factor behind satisfaction. When customers have high expectations and the reality falls short, they will be disappointed and will likely rate their experience as less than satisfying.The study Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction Of Mahindra’s Passenger Vehicles At TVS & Sons, Maradu, Ernakulam helps to find out the satisfaction level of customers towards the company ’s product and services of the Mahindra through TVS & Sons, cochin. It tries to suggest the management of TVS & Sons, Cochin, the ways through which the customers can be satisfied and the way at which the Mahindra can satisfy their customers by making very small changes in their products. 1. 2 INDUSTRY PROFILEINDUSTRY PROFILE; AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY The  history of the  automobile  begins as early as 1769, with the creation of  steam engined  automobiles capable of human transport. In 1806, the first cars powered by an  internal combustion engine  running on  fuel gas  appeared, which led to the introduction in 1885 of the ubiquitous modern gasoline- or petrol-fueled internal combustion engine. Cars powered by  electric power  briefly appeared at the turn of the 20th century, but largely disappeared from use until the turn of the 21st century.The early history of the automobile can be divided into a number of eras, based on the prevalent means of propulsion . Later periods were defined by trends in exterior styling, and size and utility preferences. In the beginning automobile industry was dominated by steam powered engines. The vehicles were expensive and difficult to maintain. The incidences of frequent boiler explosions and other safety problems has made the prospective buyers from the passenger cars. Commercial history of the automobile started with the invention of gasoline powered internal combustion engines.The German inventor Karl Benz invented the first gasoline powered internal combustion vehicle in 1885 at Mannheim, Germany. Commercial production of the Benz started in 1885. Panhard ET Levassor of France was the first company exclusively builds and sells automobiles from 1889. The early 1900’s saw so many automobile companies came into existence in a number of European countries and United States. The first automobile produced in US was the curved dash’s old mobile. It had a three horse power machine and sold 5 ,000 by 1904.In 1960’s a big invention in the automobile industry has happened. The 1960’s saw rapid rapid developments in the automobile manufacturing technology. A milestone in the history of automobile was achieved by the invention of efficient fuel injection process and independent suspensions and turbo chargers. Pontiac Tran s AM was the best selling car from 1969 to 1980. Computer Aided Design (CAD) was introduced for design of vehicles from 1980’s. Ford Taurus was the first vehicle to be built using CAD.The automobile business is evolving rapidly on a worldwide basis. Car and parts manufacturers are emerging, component design and manufacture are now frequently outsourced instead of being created in-house, brands are changing and the giant automobile companies are expanding deeper into providing financial service to the car buyers. Meanwhile, all of the biggest, most successful automobile industry firms have become global in nature. Globalization is in evi dence throughout in the automobile industry.The evolution of the automotive industry has been influenced by various innovations in fuels, vehicle components, societal infrastructure, and manufacturing practices, as well as changes in markets, suppliers and business structures. Some historians cite examples as early as the year 1600 of sail-mounted carriages as the first vehicles to be propelled by something other than animals or humans. However, it is believed by most historians that the key starting point for the automobile was the development of the engine.The engine was developed as a result of discovering new energy carrying mediums, such as steam in the 1700s, and new fuels, such as gas and gasoline in the 1800s. Shortly after the invention of the 4-stroke internal combustion gasoline-fueled engine in 1876, the development of the first motor vehicles and establishment of first automotive firms in Europe and America occurred. During the 1890s and early 1900s, developments of oth er technologies, such as the steering wheel and floor-mounted accelerator, sped up the development of the automotive industry by making vehicles easier to use.Almost simultaneously, in America, the societal infrastructure that would provide fertile ground for the proliferation of automobiles was being set. Driver’s licenses were issued, service stations were opened, and car sales with time payments were instituted. Famous vehicle models such as Ford’s Model T were developed during these times and, by 1906, car designs began abandoning the carriage look and taking on a more â€Å"motorage† appearance. During the 1910s, the development of technologies and societal infrastructure continued in addition to new manufacturing practices and business strategies.Traffic lights started appearing in the U. S. and thousands of road signs were posted by B. F. Goodrich on over 100,000 miles of U. S. roads. Henry Ford’s famous assembly line was launched in 1913, which al lowed vehicles to be mass produced and thus achieved economies of scale. Ford also introduced the concept of using interchangeable and standard parts to further enable the mass production process. Automakers also started to merge with other companies (e. g. , GM acquired Chevrolet) and to expand to other markets (e. g. GM of Canada). In the 1920s, the development of infrastructure, adoption of new manufacturing practices, and the merging of companies continued (e. g. , Benz and Daimler, Chrysler and Dodge, Ford and Lincoln). In the U. S. , the Bureau of Public Roads and the enactment of the Kahn-Wadsworth Bill helped facilitate road-building projects and develop a national road system. In manufacturing, mass production methods became better established, which led to the availability of a wide range of satisfactory cars to the public.While Ford had focused on a single model, GM adopted a new production strategy for providing greater product variety, which helped the company increase their market share by 20% and reduce Ford’s by 24%. In the 1930s, several new vehicle brands were developed (e. g. , Ford Mercury, Lincoln Continental, Volkswagen) and trends in vehicle consumer preferences were established that differentiated the American and European market. In the U. S. market, consumers preferred luxurious and powerful cars, whereas in Europe consumers preferred smaller and low-priced cars.Also during this time, GM’s product variety strategy continued to give them a competitive advantage over Ford, allowing GM to continue increasing their market share while Ford kept losing theirs. In the 1940s, during World War II (WWII), automotive factories were used to make military vehicles and weapons, thus halting civilian vehicle production. After WWII, the economies of most European and some Asian-pacific countries, such as Japan, were decimated; this required the development of new production and business strategies such as those of Toyota, which began to develop what is now known as Just in Time (JIT) manufacturing.Most of the first models produced were similar to the pre-war designs since it took some time for the plants to revamp their operations to make new designs and models. In the 1950s and 1960s, more technological innovations, such as fiberglass bodies and higher compression ratio fuels, allowed vehicle developers to appease the growing consumer interest for vehicle comfort, look, and feel. Car designs were highly influenced by emerging safety and environmental regulations. Vehicle speed limits and front seat belts became standard, in addition to other features such as heating and ventilation equipment.The 1970s were marked by stricter environmental regulations and the oil embargo of the early 70s, which led to the development of low emission vehicle technologies, such as catalytic converters, and a 55-mph nationwide speed limit in the U. S. Foreign cars like the Japanese Honda Civic started appearing in the U. S. market. T he Civic was marketed as a fuel efficient and low-emissions vehicle, which given the recent high oil prices and strict environmental regulations made it well-received. Despite the entrance of new competitors into the U.S. market, U. S. automakers underestimated the threat of foreign automakers to their market shares. In the 1980s, the U. S. automotive industry began losing market share to the higher quality, affordable, and fuel efficient cars from Japanese automakers. In response to this market share loss, U. S. automakers began focusing on improving quality by adopting different Japanese manufacturing management philosophies, such as JIT. Although their adoption of JIT and other philosophies helped improve the quality ofU. S. vehicles, it did not fully bridge the gap between the quality of U. S. and Japanese cars. This gap remained because U. S. automakers tried applying JIT techniques without a full understanding of the whole Japanese manufacturing system, while Japanese automake rs had decades to develop, refine and master their JIT approach. Another significant paradigm of the 1980s was the global nature of vehicle manufacturing. Automakers started assembling vehicles around the world.This trend was accelerated in the 1990s with the construction of overseas facilities and mergers between multinational automakers. This global expansion gave automakers a greater capacity to infiltrate new markets quickly and at lower costs. The increased product offerings in many markets led to consumers having a greater variety of vehicles from which to choose. To this new vehicle buffet was coupled the explosion of the internet, which made vehicle-related information readily accessible to consumers.Internet-informed and empowered consumers now wanted a vehicle that was â€Å"personalizable,† inexpensive, reliable, and quickly obtainable. Consumers desired vehicles that were less harmful to the environment, which led to the introduction of hybrid vehicles by Japanese automakers in the late 1990s. In the current decade, the recent trend of increasing sophistication and empowerment of the consumer has led automakers to identify new and more specialized markets within saturated markets with diverse customer bases, such as that of the U. S.Another trend is to infiltrate new emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and Latin America, which has further motivated the establishment of production facilities overseas and the establishment of global alliances and commercial strategic partnerships with foreign automakers. Of these new markets, China appears to be the most promising. An Overview of the Indian Automobile Industry Starting its journey from the day when the first car rolled on the streets of Mumbai in 1898, the Indian automobile industry has demonstrated a phenomenal growth to this day.Today, the Indian automobile industry presents a galaxy of varieties and models meeting all possible expectations and globally established industry standards. So me of the leading names echoing in the Indian automobile industry include Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra, Hyundai Motors, Hero Honda and Hindustan Motors in addition to a number of others. During the early stages of its development, Indian automobile industry heavily depended on foreign technologies. However, over the years, the manufacturers in India have started using their own technology evolved in the native soil.The thriving market place in the country has attracted a number of automobile manufacturers including some of the reputed global leaders to set their foot in the soil looking forward to enhance their profile and prospects to new heights. Following a temporary setback on account of the global economic recession, the Indian automobile market has once again picked up a remarkable momentum witnessing a buoyant sale for the first time in its history in the month of September 2009. The automobile sector of India is the seventh largest in the world. In a yea r, the country manufactures about 2. million cars making up an identifiable chunk in the world’s annual production of about 73 million cars in a year. The country is the largest manufacturer of motorcycles and the fifth largest producer of commercial vehicles. Industry experts have visualized an unbelievably huge increase in these figures over the immediate future. The figures published by the Asia Economic Institute indicate that the Indian automobile sector is set to emerge as the global leader by 2012. In the year 2009, India rose to be the fourth largest exporter of automobiles following Japan, South Korea and Thailand.Experts state that in the year 2050, India will top the car volumes of all the nations of the world with about 611 million cars running on its roads. At present, about 75 percent of India’s automobile industry is made up by small cars, with the figure ranking the nation on top of any other country on the globe. Over the next two or three years, the c ountry is expecting the arrival of more than a dozen new brands making compact car models. Recently, the automotive giants of India including General Motors (GM), Volkswagen, Honda, and Hyundai, have declared significant expansion plans.On account of its huge market potential, a very low base of car ownership in the country estimated at about 25 per 1,000 people, and a rapidly surging economy, the nation is firmly set on its way to become an outsourcing platform for a number of global auto companies. Some of the upcoming cars in the India soil comprise Maruti A-Star (Suzuki), Maruti Splash (Suzuki), VW Up and VW Polo (Volkswagen), Bajaj small car (Bajai Auto), Jazz (Honda) and Cobalt, Aveo (GM) in addition to several others. History of the Automobile industry in IndiaThe economic liberalization that dawned in India in the year 1991 has succeeded in bringing about a sustained growth in the automotive production sector triggered by enhanced competitiveness and relaxed restrictions pre vailing in the Indian soil. A number of Indian automobile manufacturers including Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra and Mahindra, have dramatically expanded both their domestic and international operations. The country’s active economic growth has paved a solid road to the further expansion of its domestic automobile market.This segment has in fact invited a huge amount of India-specific investment by a number of multinational automobile manufacturers. As a significant milestone in its progress, the monthly sales of passenger cars in India exceeded 100,000 units in February 2009. The beginnings of automotive industry in India can be traced during 1940s. After the nation became independent in the year 1947, the Indian Government and the private sector launched their efforts to establish an automotive component manufacturing industry to meet the needs of the automobile industry.The growth of this segment was however not so encouraging in the initial stage and through the 1950s and 1960s on account of nationalization combined with the license raj that was hampering the private sector in the country. However, the period that followed 1970s, witnessed a sizeable growth contributed by tractors, scooters and commercial vehicles. Even till those days, cars were something of a sort of a major luxury. Eventually, the country saw the entry of Japanese manufacturers establishing Maruti Udyog. During the period that followed, several foreign based companies started joint ventures with Indian companies.During 1980s, several Japanese manufacturers started joint-ventures for manufacturing motorcycles and light commercial-vehicles. During this time, that the Indian government selected Suzuki for a joint-venture to produce small cars. Following the economic liberalization in 1991 and the weakening of the license raj, several Indian and multi-national car companies launched their operations on the soil. After this, automotive component and automobile manufacturing g rowth remarkably speed-up to meet the demands of domestic and export needs. Experts have an opinion that during the early stages the olicies and the treatment by the Indian government were not favorable to the development of the automobile industry. However, the liberalization policy and various tax reliefs announced by the Indian government over the recent past have pronounced a significantly encouraging impact on this industry segment. Estimates reveal that owing to several boosting factors, Indian automobile industry has been growing at a pace of about 18% per year. Therefore, global automobile giants like Volvo, General Motors and Ford have started looking at India as a prospective hot destination to establish and expand their operations.Like many other nations India’s highly developed transportation system has played a very important role in the development of the country’s economy over the past to this day. One can say that the automobile industry in the country has occupied a solid space in the platform of Indian economy. Empowered by its present growth, today the automobile industry in the country can produce a diverse range of vehicles under three broad categories namely cars, two-wheelers and heavy vehicles. Exports of Automobile Industry Today, India is among the world’s largest producers of small cars.The New York Times has rated India as a very strong engineering base with an incomparable expertise in the arena of manufacturing a number of low-cost, fuel-efficient cars has encouraged the expansion plans of the manufacturing facilities of a number of automobile leaders like Hyundai Motors, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen and Suzuki. On 22 February 2010, Hyundai motors exported its 10,00,000th car, the feat which was achieved by the firm in just over 10 years. Hyundai Motors is the largest passenger car exporter and the second largest car manufacturer in the country.In the similar lines, General Motors has announced its plans to expo rt not less than 50,000 cars made in India by the year 2011. In yet another proposal, Ford Motors is to setup a manufacturing facility costing about US$500 million in India with an annual capacity of 250,000 cars. The firm has stated that the facility will play a major part in its strategic plan to make India a hub for its global production business. In yet another significant move, Fiat motors has stated that it will source a big volume of auto components from India worth about US$1 billion.In the year 2009, India overtook China by emerging as the fourth largest exporter of cars in Asia . Various Segments of the Indian Automobile Industry Motor cycles manufacture makes up the major share in the two-wheeler segment of the Indian automobile industry. About 50% of the motorcycles are manufactured by Hero Honda. While Honda manufactures about 46% of the scooters, TVS produces 82% of the mopeds running on the Indian roads. About 40% of the three-wheelers manufactured in India are used f or transporting goods with Piaggio manufacturing 40% of the vehicles sold in the Indian market.On the other hand, Bajaj has emerged as the leader in manufacturing three-wheelers used for passenger transport. The firm produces about 68% percent of the three wheelers used for passenger transport in India. The Indian passenger vehicle segment is dominated by cars which make up about 80% of it. Maruti Suzuki manufactures about 52% of passenger cars while the firm enjoys a complete monopoly in the manufacture of multi-purpose vehicles. In the utility vehicles segment Mahindra makes up a 42% share. Tata Motors is the leader in the Indian commercial vehicles market while it holds more than 60% share.Tata Motors also enjoys the credit of being the world’s fifth largest manufacturer of medium and heavy commercial vehicles. Potential of Indian Automobile Industry There is a very stiff competition in the automobile industry segment in India. This has helped many to realize their dreams of driving the most luxurious cars. During the recent past, a number of overseas companies have started grabbing a big chunk of the market share in both domestic and export sales. Every new day dawns in India with some new launches by active players in the Indian automobile arena.By introducing some low cost cars, the industry had made it possible for common men to buy cars for their personal use. With some innovative strategies and by adopting some alternative remedial measures, the Indian automobile industry has successfully come unaffected out of the global financial crisis. While the automobile industry in India is the ninth largest in the world, the country emerged as the fourth largest automobiles exporter on the globe following Japan, South Korea and Thailand, in the year 2009.Over and above, a number of automobile manufacturers based in India have expanded their operations around the globe also giving way for a number of reputed MNCs to enthusiastically invest in the Indian automobile sector. Nissan Motors has revealed its prospective plans to export 250,000 vehicles produced in its India plant by the year 2011. General Motors has also come up with similar plans. During the current fiscal year, the Indian automobile industry rode high on the resurgence of consumer demand in the country as a result of the Government’s fiscal stimulus and attractively low interest rates.As a result the total turnover of the domestic automobile industry increased by about 27 per cent. A reply produced in the Lok Sabha recently has quoted data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers and has revealed that the total turnover of the Indian automobile Industry in April-February 2009-10 was 1,62,708. 77 crore. This is a remarkable achievement compared with the total revenue of Rs 1,28,384. 53 crore reported during the same period of last fiscal year. Specifically, the segment of commercial vehicles witnessed the biggest jump in revenues by 31 per cent by repo rting Rs 38,845. 9 crore. During the same period, the passenger vehicle segment in the country witnessed a growth of 27 per cent over the last fiscal year by reporting a total revenue of Rs 76,545. 96 crores. These figures imply a highly prospective road lying immediately ahead of the Indian automobile industry. Predictions made by Ernst and Young have estimated that the Indian passenger car market will have a growth rate of about 12 percent per annum over the next five years to reach the production of 3. 75 million units by the year 2014.The analysts have further stated that the industry’s turnover will touch $155 billion by 2016. This achievement will succeed in consolidating India’s position as the seventh largest automobiles manufacturer on the globe, eventually surging forth to become the third largest by the year 2030 behind China and the US. The Automotive Mission Plan launched by the Indian government has envisaged that the country will emerge as the seventh la rgest car maker on the globe thereby contributing more than 10 percent to the nation’s $1. 2-trillion economy.Further, industry experts believe that the nation will soon establish its stand as an automobile hub exporting about 2. 75 million units and selling about a million units to be operated on the domestic roads. 1. 3 COMPANY PROFILE TVS & SONS T V Sundram Iyengar & Sons Limited, established in 1911 is the parent company of the TVS Group and is a leading automobile distribution company in India. During the year 2010-11 the company attained a turnover of  6000 Crores and has direct employee strength of 6000. It operates through its three divisions namely – TVS, Sundaram Motors and Madras Auto Service.Being the trading and distribution arm of the group, the business activities of TVS & Sons include Dealerships for automobile vehicles, Distribution of spares for after –market, sales and service support for Garage Equipment, products for off-highway applicatio n like Construction & Material handling. The global business operation of the company includes establishing & managing Joint ventures/ Alliances for automobile distribution / dealership business, sourcing and supply chain related activities. Currently it has its presence in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.TVS & Sons distributes Commercial vehicles, Multi Utility & Sports Utility vehicles, three wheelers, passenger cars representing leading automobile vehicle manufacturers such as Ashok Leyland, Mahindra & Mahindra, Mahindra Navistar, Daimler Chrysler, General Motors, Honda, Renault, Volkswagen and off highway equipment manufactured by Escorts, JLG, Ingersoll Rand, Pal Finger & Leyland Deere. The company has more than 150 outlets and sells around 60000 vehicles and services more than 600000 vehicles per annum.Being the leading automobile distribution company in India, we have nine retail fuel outlets in Tamil Nadu representing Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited. The company is also the la rgest distributor of automobile spare parts in the country, handling more than 80 suppliers,8090 customers and 35000 part numbers and markets TVS Quality Branded Products. TVS & Sons Ltd. , a dominant dealer in South India until 90s, has now become a PAN India organisation in automobile after-market vertical over the years.All the outlets are constantly been upgraded in order to provide the right ambience to the customers; the company is also known for its contribution to the customers by reducing the down time of the vehicles and improve the profitability of customers using tools like Kaizen & LEAN. Joint Ventures: TVS Lanka (Private) Ltd TVS Lanka is a Joint Venture between TVS & Sons and United Motors Lanka Ltd of Sri Lanka. Based in Colombo, TVS Lanka is the authorized Distributor & Dealer for TVS range of Two Wheelers & three wheelers.In a very short span, considerably increased sales of TVS Two Wheelers and is the third highest seller of two wheelers in Sri Lanka. TVS Auto Ban gladesh Ltd (TVS ABL) TVS Auto Bangladesh Ltd is a joint venture between TVS & Sons and Rian Motors of Bangladesh. Within three years of operation Company has become the third highest seller of two wheeler in the country among the Indian makes. TVSABL derives its synergies in the form of local knowledge from Rian Motors and expertise of TVS & Sons in managing distribution business for more than five decade. Mahindra & MahindraTVS & Sons are authorized dealers for Mahindra & Mahindra's range of Utility Vehicles, Micro Commercial Vehicles and Cars in Kerala. To facilitate convenient access for the customers, it has set up service and spares outlets across Kerala. Mahindra made its entry into the passenger car segment with the Logan in April 2007 under the Mahindra Renault joint venture. M;M will make its maiden entry into the heavy trucks segment with Mahindra Navistar, the joint venture with International Truck, USA. Mahindra†s automotive division makes a wide range of vehicles including MUVs, LCVs and three wheelers.It offers over 20 models including new generation multi-utility vehicles like the Scorpio and the Bolero. At the 2008 Delhi Auto Show, Mahindra executives said the company is pursuing an aggressive product expansion program that would see the launch of several new platforms and vehicles over the next three years, including an entry-level SUV designed to seat five passengers and powered by a small turbodiesel engine. [19] True to their word, Mahindra ; Mahindra launched the Mahindra Xylo in January 2009, and as of June 2009, the Xylo has sold over 15000 units.Mahindra ; Mahindra grew from being a maker of army vehicles to a major automobile and tractor manufacturer. Mahindra ; Mahindra (M;M) was first known for assembly under licence of the iconic Willys Jeep in India. The company later branched out into manufacturing light commercial vehicles. The company†s flagship UV, Scorpio, hit the Indian Markets and the success of this multi-utili ty vehicle saw the company winning the consumers hearts. M;M made its entry into the passenger car segment with the Logan in April 2007 under the Mahindra-Renault joint venture.Its plants in Mumbai and Nasik manufacture multi-utility vehicles and their engines are produced at the Igatpuri plant. Utility Vehicles, Light commercial vehicles and 3 wheelers are manufactured at the Zaheerabad plant in Andhra Pradesh and three-wheelers at the Haridwar plant. The company has an established dealer network which is estimated to be more than 500. The well established company is now eyeing the hatchback†s and will bring in some competition when it launches the Mini-Xylo in India. The company too has plans to go green with hybrid versions of their car models.MAHINDRA ; MAHINDRA LIMITED  (M;M) Mahindra  ;  Mahindra  Limited  (M;M)  is  an  Indian  multinational  automaker  headquartered in  Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is one of the largest  automobile manufactu rers  by production in India and a subsidiary of  Mahindra Group  conglomerate. The company was founded in 1945 in  Ludhiana  as Mahindra ; Mohammed by brothers K. C. Mahindra and  J. C. Mahindra  and  Malik Ghulam Mohammed. After India gained independence and  Pakistan  was formed, Mohammed emigrated to Pakistan where he became the nation's first  finance minister.The company changed its name to Mahindra & Mahindra in 1948. It is ranked #21 in the list of top companies of India in  Fortune India 500  in 2011. History Mahindra & Mahindra was set up as a steel trading company in 1945. It soon expanded into manufacturing general-purpose utility vehicles, starting with assembly under license of the iconic  Willys  Jeep  in India. Soon established as the Jeep manufacturers of India, M&M later branched out into the manufacture of  light commercial vehicles  (LCVs) and agricultural  tractors.Today, M&M is the leader in the utility vehicle segment in I ndia with its flagship UV Scorpio and enjoys a growing global market presence in both the automotive and tractor businesses. Over the past few years, M&M has expanded into new industries and geographies. They entered into the  two-wheeler  segment by taking over Kinetic Motors in India. M&M also has controlling stake in  REVA Electric Car Company  and acquired South Korea's  SsangYong Motor Company  in 2011. The US based Reputation Institute recently ranked Mahindra among the top 10 Indian companies in its ‘Global 200: The World's Best Corporate Reputations' list.Automobiles Mahindra & Mahindra is a major automobile manufacturer of utility vehicles, passenger cars, pickups, commercial vehicles, and two wheelers. Its tractors are sold on six continents. It has acquired plants in China  and the United Kingdom,  and has three assembly plants in the USA. M&M has partnerships with international companies like  Renault SA,  France  and  International Truck an d Engine Corporation, USA. M&M has a global presence  and its products are exported to several countries. Its global subsidiaries include Mahindra Europe Srl. ased in Italy,  Mahindra USA Inc. , Mahindra South Africa and Mahindra (China) Tractor Co. Ltd. M&M made its entry into the passenger car segment with the Logan in April 2007 under the Mahindra Renault joint venture. M&M will make its maiden entry into the heavy trucks segment with  Mahindra Navistar, the joint venture with  International Truck, USA. M&M's automotive division makes a wide range of vehicles including MUVs, LCVs and three wheelers. It offers over 20 models including new generation multi-utility vehicles like the  Scorpio  and the  Bolero.It formerly had a joint venture with  Ford  called  Ford India Private Limited  to build passenger cars. At the 2008 Delhi Auto Show, Mahindra executives said the company is pursuing an aggressive product expansion program that would see the launch of sever al new platforms and vehicles over the next three years, including an entry-level SUV designed to seat five passengers and powered by a small turbodiesel engine. True to their word, Mahindra ; Mahindra launched the  Mahindra Xylo  in January 2009, and as of June 2009, the Xylo has sold over 15000 units.Also in early 2008, Mahindra commenced its first overseas CKD operations with the launch of the Mahindra Scorpio in Egypt,  in partnership with the Bavarian Auto Group. This was soon followed by assembly facilities in  Brazil. Vehicles assembled at the plant in Bramont, Manaus, include Scorpio Pik Ups in single and double cab pick-up body styles as well as  SUVs. Mahindra planned to sell the diesel SUVs and pickup trucks starting in late 2010 in North America through an independent distributor, Global Vehicles USA, based in  Alpharetta, Georgia.Mahindra announced it will import pickup trucks from India in  knockdown kit (CKD)  form to circumvent the  Chicken tax. CKD s are complete vehicles that will be assembled in the U. S. from kits of parts shipped in crates. On 18 October 2010, however, it was reported that Mahindra had indefinitely delayed the launch of vehicles into the North American market, citing legal issues between it and Global Vehicles after Mahindra retracted its contract with Global Vehicles earlier in 2010, due to a decision to sell the vehicles directly to consumers instead of through Global Vehicles.However, a November 2010 report quoted John Perez, the  CEO  of  Global Vehicles USA, as estimating that he expects Mahindra’s small diesel pickups to go on sale in the U. S. by spring 2011, although legal complications remain, and Perez, while hopeful, admits that arbitration could take more than a year. Later reports suggest that the delays may be due to an Manindra scrapping the original model of the truck and replacing it with an upgraded one before selling them to Americans. In June 2012, a  mass tort  lawsuit was filed against Mahindra by its American dealers, alleging the company of conspiracy and fraud.Mahindra ; Mahindra has a controlling stake in  Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles. In 2011, it also gained a controlling stake in South Korea's SsangYong Motor Company. Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M), has launched its much awaited SUV, XUV 500, code named as W201 in September 2011. The last ‘500’ in the name is pronounced as ‘5 double-O’ (alphabet). The new SUV by Mahindra has been designed in-house and it is developed on the first global SUV platform that could be used for developing more SUVs. In India, the new Mahindra XUV 500 comes in a price range between Rs 14 lakh to Rs 15 lakh.Besides India, the company also targets Europe, Africa, Australia and Latin America for this model. M & M President Mr Pawan Goenka told that the company plans to launch six new models this fiscal. The company launched CNG version of its mini truck Maxximo on 29 June 2012. A new v ersion of Verito in diesel and petrol options was launched by the company on 26 July 2012 to compete with Maruti's Dzire and Toyota Kirloskar Motor's Etios. Mahindra Xylo, MPV will now be available with a warranty of 3 years / 1,00,000 kilometres and this warranty is   extended across all Xylo variants.This new warranty is likely to lure customers towards buying this happy leg vehicle from the stables of Indian manufacturer Mahindra. With its chic looks and user friendly features,  Mahindra Xylo  has already carved out a niche for itself in   the Indian MPV segment. Better known as ‘Happy legs car’   Mahindra Xylo is already famous for its spaciousness and comfort and   now with the new warranty it is likely to garner sales as it has gone upscale in terms of customer confidence and satisfaction. The Xylo has been a successful product for Mahindra and has helped the company to smartly position itself in the budget utility vehicle segment.The all new Xylo has been launched early this year has come out carrying 50 new changes and features. At present the Xylo lineup includes five variants which are powered by three distinct engine options including the 120 BHP m Hawk engine. Mahindra XUV 500 bookings are now open again for two weeks across 19 selected cities of India after February 2012. As per official announcement, 9 months production capacity for the XUV 500 is sold out due to overwhelming response from customers in the first 2 rounds of booking. Now, to meet the growing demand, the production capacity has been ramped up to 4000 vehicles per month.Mahindra has also unveiled the XUV 500 in Indore with a  price tag of Rs. 11. 83 lakh (ex-showroom)  . Mahindra XUV 500 SUV price will be on similar lines for Patna and Jaipur, also this Cheetah inspired utility vehicle will soon be available in other Indian cities. Designed and developed in-house, the XUV 500 was Mahindra India’s first crack at the monocoque design, front wheel dr ive and transverse engine Mahindra Bolero, the flagship Sports utility vehicle from homegrown manufacturer Mahindra has clocked in 1, 00,686 units in FY 2011-12 registering a 21% increase.Bolero was once again bestowed with the highest selling SUV title in India for the sixth consecutive year; also this was the highest annual sales garnered by the Bolero since it came into being. In March 2012, only the SUV managed 10,026 unit sales which is also the highest ever monthly sales till now. Mahindra Bolero sold 83,112 units of sales in 2010-11 FY. M&M’s Bolero has risen up to the seventh position in the top selling passenger vehicles in India in FY 2011-12 from the 9th position it had in the year 2010-11. Noticeably  Mahindra Bolero  is the only SUV to feature in the top selling passenger vehicles in India.Mahindra Scorpio SUV is going under scalpel and W105 is the code name given to Mahindra’s facelift project. The refreshed version of Mahindra Scorpio is likely to ar rive in the year 2014. The all new  Mahindra Scorpio  is likely to lose weight and the auto major has designed a special project called T026 to reduce down the weight of the car by 260 kilograms with the incorporation of fibre parts which is going to increase the efficiency level of the car and is going to make it more frugal. Mahindra is likely to add an all-new heart to new Scorpio; the  2. L engine from the Cheetah XUV 500 that churns out 140bhp-330Nm  torque is likely to go under the hood of Scorpio. To increase the legroom space in the middle row, Mahindra is eyeing to increase the wheelbase. Mahindra Verito Mahindra India has unearthed the  Ã¢â‚¬ËœNew Look Verito’ with a price tag of Rs. 5. 27 lacs    for Petrol, BS4 & Rs. 6. 26 lacs   for Diesel BS4 (both prices ex-showroom New Delhi). Refreshed 2012   Verito is available in both fuel options , the gasoline powered is made available in   2 guises , G2 and G4 and the diesel powered will have   D2, D4 and D6.Mahindra Verito has gone under the scalpel to become more stylish, contemporary and premium, with the improved ergonomics; in all the refreshed Verito sports 23 new changes and features. The core strength will be the powertrains running the new Verito sedan, Renault 1. 5 LDCi diesel engine and Renault 1. 4 L MPFi petrol engine which are best in class and extremely frugal. The revamped front fascia has new headlamps, refreshed bumper, redesigned bumper and front grille. The rear has also been refreshed with new clear   lens tail lamps , deck lid and cheome applique and sleek bumper.The cabin area has also gone classy with two tone instrument panel, elegant fabric upholstery and contemporary grey tone interior color theme. New Mahindra Thar four wheel drive variant is officially launched with air conditioner with heater. The factory fitted AC and heater, however, has resulted in an increase in price of  Thar 4X4 with CRDe engine which now cost at Rs 6. 75 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai). M&M has launched this upgraded Thar SUV bang on time as the scorching sun is setting just above the head making the summers unbearable without an AC. 1. 4 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMMeasuring customer satisfaction is a relatively new concept to many companies that have been focused exclusively on income statements and balance sheets. Companies now recognize that the new global economy has changed things forever. Increased competition, crowded markets with little product differentiation and years of continual sales growth followed by two decades of flattened sales curves have indicated to today's sharp competitors that their focus must change. Customer satisfaction is the state of mind that customers have about a company when their expectations have been met or exceeded over the lifetime of the product or service.The achievement of customer satisfaction leads to company loyalty and product repurchase. Companies recognize that in a global market, they will need to gain a greate r understanding of customer satisfaction in order to adapt and mould their services for the customer. Understanding the wants and needs of your customers is a very important element of business and customer satisfaction reviews are the best way to achieve this. As a very reputed vehicle retailer, TVS ; Sons, Maradu, Cochin has their primary concern as their customer’s satisfaction.They treat their customer as the king and they need to know up to what extend their customers are satisfied with the Mahindra vehicles they are providing and related services that they are providing with the vehicles, the financing, after sales services and so on. This is the reason that the study on customer satisfaction of Mahindra passenger vehicles been carried out in TVS ; Sons, Maradu, Cochin. 1. 5 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY Primary objective * To study the factors responsible for satisfaction of MAHINDRA passenger vehicles Customers of TVS ; Sons.Secondary objective * To study the role of after sales services provided by the organization towards the customer satisfaction * To recommend the management of TVS ; Sons, Kaloor, with certain measures to be taken in order to improve the level of customer satisfaction * To inform the MAHINDRA Automobiles, about customer needs and wants on their current vehicles and improvements suggested by the customers. 1. 6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY Customer satisfaction is an important factor that leads to sales effectiveness of the company.It is important which will help the organization in increasing its future sales, profits and market demand. â€Å"Customer satisfaction, a  business  term, is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass  customer expectation. † This research work consists of the study of the factors influenced towards MAHINDRA light passenger vehicles with reference with the leading automobile distributor, TVS ; Sons. This study is an attempt to examine and analyze the factors influenc ing the satisfaction level of the customers of TVS to Mahindra light passenger vehicles.This study will be beneficial to both the companies to improve themselves its efficiency after this study. The scope of the study was congested only to the district of Ernakulam and to the customers of TVS ; Sons. 1. 7 REASEARCH METHODOLOGY Descriptive research methods are used to better describe marketing problems, situations, or markets such as market potential for a product or the demographics and attitude of customers. Sample design Sampling is the process by which the selection of some parts of an aggregate or totality on the basis of which a judgment or inference about the aggregate or totality is made.Sampling unit: existing users of the Mahindra passenger vehicles who purchased from TVS ; sons, Maradu and Kaloor Sample size: 50 Sampling method: convenient sampling is used. A fraction of population being investigated which selected by convenience sampling method for the easier collection o f data. Source of data: the Primary data will be collected from existing users of the Mahindra passenger vehicles who purchased from TVS ; sons, Kaloor. The SECONDARY data will be collected from company records, journals and websites.Period of study: 20th august 2012 to 12th September 2012 Tools uses for the study * Personal interview * Questionnaires * Telephonic interview Research Instruments for data analysis and interpretation * Graphs and percentage methods for easy interpretation of data 1. 8 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY * A bigger sample size would have revealed information in much more depth * A higher time frame more than 23 days would have helped gaining more insights to be research work * Analysis, finding and suggestion were based on the information selected from the respondents. Any accuracy issues nvolved in the researcher might have affected the latter works of the researcher. * There is a chance of people related errors. Busy people or relatively aggressive people may gi ve wrong feedbacks * The study was conducted in a festive season in Kerala namely onam. The number of people who should be available in the survey area has gone for vacations. It has made an impact on the results and feedback of the customers. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE REVIEW OF LITERATURE Marketing The following definition approved by the American Marketing Association Board of Directors; approved from 2007 October.Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. Marketing Research: Marketing research is the function that links the consumer, customer, and public to the marketer through information–information used to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems; generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance; and improve understanding of marketing as a process.Marketing resear ch specifies the information required to address these issues, designs the method for collecting information, manages and implements the data collection process, analyzes the results, and communicates the findings and their implications. Customer value: It is defined as the difference between what a customer gets from a product, and what he or she has to give in order to get it. It helps people and companies unlock their inner creative power and achieve amazing results. Relative performance identifies how the product or service gives customer value relative to what competitors offer.In order to generate more thought about customer value, and to reach out to a customer base, a business might promote a customer value proposition. The customer value proposition is basically a promise of benefits from a vendor to customers. Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction is defined as the measurement of how a company’s product or services meet or surpass its customer’s expecta tions. It is also a measure of how the customer perceives the way the company’s representatives dealt with his or her needs.The Wikipedia defines the term customer satisfaction as the number of customers, or percentage of total customers, whose reported experience with a firm, its products, or its services (ratings) exceeds specified satisfaction goals. According to PHILIP KOTLER, the definition of customer satisfaction is ‘the level of a person's felt state resulting from comparing a product's perceived performance (or outcome) in relation to the person's expectations. Customer satisfaction is important because many researchers have shown that customer satisfaction has a positive effect on an organization’s profitability.Due to this, the consequences of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction must be considered. There is also a positive connection between customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention. Therefore, customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention are all very important for an organization to be successful The customer satisfaction plays a major role in determining the likelihood of an organization’s success and profitability over a long term. An important way for a business to develop customer loyalty that in turn builds repeat business through customer retention.Generally speaking, there are three different levels of customer satisfaction: dissatisfied customers who are seeking another supplier; satisfied customer who will buy from the company in the future and the loyal customer who will remain so despite of competitive offers. Unless a business organization develop a strong base of satisfied customers, it will be difficult if not impossible to remain viable in its marketplace. Moreover, any business not focused on satisfying their customers will be at the mercy of competitors who will eventually satisfy that person’s needs and desires.Taking a prompt action to resolve a customer’s problems can make the 85 % of them repeat customers. It costs on an average six times as much to find a new customer as it does to keep an existing one happy. This underscores the importance of customer satisfaction. The steps in measuring and managing customer satisfaction The following are a sound and simple approach for measuring and managing customer satisfaction: * Know who your customer’s are; * Understand your customer’s needs; * Measure your customer service performance; * Focus on their priorities Improve your processes Methodologies Frameworks for evaluating customer satisfaction with products Kano model of Customer Satisfaction The Kano et al. (1996) model of customer satisfaction classifies product attributes based on how they are perceived by customers and their effect on customer satisfaction. (Kano, serkau et al. 1996). According to this model, there are three types of product of attributes that fulfill customer satisfaction to a different degree: * Basic or expected attributes * Performance or spoken attributes * Surprise and delight attributesA competitive product meets basic expected attributes, maximizes performance attributes, and includes as many â€Å"excitement† attributes as financially feasible. In this model, the customer strives to move away from having unfulfilled requirements and being dissatisfied. The Kano model (Kano, Seraku et al. 1996) The performance or spoken attributes (the central line of the model) are those expressed by customers when asked what they want from the product. Depending on the level of their fulfillment by a product or service these requirements can satisfy or dissatisfy consumers.This basic or expected attributes (lower curve in the model) are basic attributes, which customers take for granted and they are so obvious that they are not worth mentioning. While the presence of these attributes is not taken into account, their absence is very dissatisfying. The surprise and delight attributes (upper curve in the mo del) lay beyond the customer’s expectations. If they are present they excite the customer, but their absence does not dissatisfy, as customers do not expect them. A successful combination of expected and exciting attributes provides a company with an opportunity to achieve competitive advantage.A successful company will correctly identify the requirements and attributes and use them to document raw data, user characteristics, and important service or product attributes. To make information about the identified requirements about the attributes understandable and useful for designers, a so called Quality Function Deployment (QFD) approach is often being used. The goal of QFD is to assure that the product development process meets and exceeds customer needs and wants and that customer requirement are propagated throughout the life cycle of the product.The approach uses a number of matrices, which helps in translating customer requirements into engineering to design parameters, specifying product features, manufacturing operations and specific instructions and controls. QFD allows for the minimizing of errors and maximizing of product quality for customers. This approach is probably the only existing quality system with such strong orientation to customer satisfaction. Innovation framework The process of adopting new products has also been studied within innovation adoption literature, and in particular the Rogers’ (1995) innovation framework.The framework suggests five steps, through which an adopter goes to the adoption of a new product or a service (Rogers 1995:36) First  knowledge  of  an  innovation  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  forming  an  attitude  toward  the  innovation decision to adopt or reject implementation of the new idea confirmation of this decision Rogers’ model closely resembles the customer satisfaction model by Engel et al. (1995). The first knowledge is acquired when an individual is p rovided with the information about the innovation. The attitude is formed evaluating the features of innovation and a resolution on  accepting or rejecting the product follows.Implementation corresponds to the consumption and confirmation refers to the need to reaffirm the decision about the innovation adoption. Rogers also maintained that people accept innovation differently, depending on their personality, their innovativeness, and interpersonal communication, and according to this could be classified into innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. Innovators seek newness and value the time period  that is passed  since the product launch. Laggards seek reassurance and confirmation about product or service qualities through interpersonal communication and word-of-mouth.A large number of studies have analyzed the differences between earlier and later adopters based on socio-economic, demographic, cultural, or psychological criteria (Tornatsky,Eve land et al. 1983), (Gatignon and Robertson 1985), (Frank, Sundqvist et al. 2001),(McMeekin and Tomlinson 1998), (Cestre and Darmon 1998). Time of adoption of innovation Economists, for example, suggest that for social innovation to take place, innovators should first accept innovation and then create institutional framework that would trigger the acceptance of new practices.For the laggards to join in another mechanism – the desire not to be left out of the group – can be used to speed up dissemination of more sustainable practices. Besides adopter categories, Rogers also identified a range of factors affecting the rate of  adoption: * Perceived attributes of the  innovation * Relative advantage * Compatibility * Trial ability * Complexity * Observability * Type of  innovation-decision * Communication channels * Nature of the social system * Extent of change agents’ promotion efforts.These factors are often used in many innovation studies as evaluation cri teria, based on which questionnaires for consumer surveys are developed. Frameworks for evaluating customer satisfaction with services Service Quality Model Service  Quality  Model According to Gronroos (1982), the quality of a service perceived by customers will differ depending on what strategy the company chooses to deliver and promote that service. The service quality model by Gronroos holds that the quality of a service, as it is perceived by the customer, can be divided into technical quality and functional quality dimensions.The former denotes what the customer receives as the output of a service production process and the latter how the technical quality is produced and transferred to the customer during buyer-seller interactions. Gronroos posits that the technical quality is the â€Å"basic condition for a positively perceived total quality, but the functional quality is the one that adds competitive edge† (Gummesson and Gronroos 1987). Furthermore, in the relati onship marketing, the growth of the importance of functional quality in comparison to technical quality become a strategic one (Gronroos 1993).The distinction is  also made in  the model between perceived and expected service quality and it is suggested that the quality is perceived subjectively. Gronroos (1988) further develops the model by positing that in the case of a company,  which extends product offer with services, it is more appropriate to talk about total perceived quality. According to him, a high perceived quality is obtained when the experienced quality meets customer expectations, i. e. the expected quality. However, if the expectations are unrealistic, the total perceived quality will be low, even if high quality was experienced (Gronroos 1988).The expected quality is heavily influenced by market communication (advertising, sales campaigns, PR and direct mail), word-of-mouth, company image, and customers’ needs. While a company directly controls market c ommunication, the word-of-mouth and company image are outside its immediate reach. Gronroos conclusion is that the total perceived quality is not only defined by the level of technical and functional dimensions, but also by the gap between the expected and the experienced quality. The  SERVQUAL  model Given the growth of services in the last decades, many researchers have recognized the need to develop measures of service quality.One of the most often used measures is the SERVQUAL based on extensive research in generic determinants of perceived service quality (Parasuraman, Berry et al. 1985; Parasuraman, Berry et al. 1988; Zeithaml, Parasuraman et al. 1990; Parasuraman, Berry et al. 1991; Parasuraman, Berry et al. 1993;Parasuraman, Berry et  al. 1994). The model measures the difference between customers’ expectations about general quality of  a certain group of service providers and their perceptions about the actual performance of a service provider from that group. It uses a set of service quality determinants (explained in Box 1) measured by a 22-item scale. The model defines customer satisfaction as perceived service quality, which is the gap between expected service and perception of service actually received. The determinants of service quality used in the model. * Access means approachability and ease of contact; * Communication means informing the customers in an understandable way and listening to them. It may imply that companies need to use different languages to talk to different customer groups (i. e. professional and private customers) in i. e. xplaining what the service comprises, how much various service elements and offers cost, and other features of the service; * Competence means possession of required skills (i. e. organizational and personal) and knowledge to perform the service; * Courtesy comprises politeness, respect, friendliness of the service provider personnel; * Credibility includes trustworthiness and honesty; * Rel iability means that the service is performed with high accuracy and thoroughness every time; * Responsiveness concerns the willingness of employees to provide the service and how fast the service is provided. Security comprises physical and financial safety and confidentiality; * Tangibles include all physical products that are involved in service delivery, and even other customers; * Understanding the customer  means taking steps to know customer better, learning their specific requirements, providing individual attention, recognizing regular customers. While being widely applied, the SERVQUAL model has also received criticism for not including prices in the assessment or for the inclusion of expectations as a variable in measuring service quality (Boulding, Kalra et al. 993). Perhaps the most often heard criticism pertains to the lack of  a clear link between satisfaction and perceived service quality identified by some research (Duffy and Ketchard 1998). An alternative model (SERVPERF) was later developed for these reasons, based on the findings that service quality does not depend on expectations and can be directly measured by simple performance based measures of service quality (Cronin and Taylor 1994) Toolbox for measuring the