Education in the Twisted Military School

Not many of the boys who enter the Carolina Military Institute as freshmen leave the school as graduates. Set in South Carolina, this is a story seen through the eyes of Will McLean, a sensitive, yet rebellious young boy, who aspires to be an â€Å"institiute man†. He is an intelligent, honest, sarcastic and incredibly funny Irish, working class youth who doesn't hide from the truth or his fears. Secondary characters Dante Pignetti, Mark Santoro, and Tradd St. Croix, come into Will's life as he studies at the institute. Tradd is a fragile young man who chooses military training to please his father. He is sensitive, loyal, and caring. Pig and Mark are the â€Å"big men† of the group. Will considers them his protectors because of their size and sense of loyality. 0n the surface, the institute apppears to be just another military school engaged in training fine southern men to defend the country during the Vietnam War. But behind the clean walls of the school and the stern faces of the upperclassmen is a horrifying secret. The Lords Of Dicipline is a book about four young men, Will, Pig, Mark and Tradd, who are trying to recieve an education in this twisted military school. It's a school where â€Å"the system† rules instead of the teachers. The â€Å"system† is run by upperclassmen, obsessed with upholding the school's reputation for turning out the finest men the country has to offer to the war. Will watches as the boys in his class are dismantled and reassembled to become military men. He watches as boys are tortured because of their differences, as they are run out of the school, and even as they are driven to the threshold of sucide. The instutite seems to change everyone who remains there. It seems to harden them, to turn them into the very men they feared as freshmen. Will fears that he too will be corrupt by the brutality that surrounds him. When Will, Tradd, Pig, and Mark discover that there is a secret oragnization called â€Å"The Ten† that upholds and enforces â€Å"The system† Will becomes determined to expose them and bring to justice the students who were their victims. The Lords of Discipline is a wonderfully chilling and realistic book with believable characters and a great story line. It strtesses the fact that one way of thinking isn't always the right way and if you feel that something is wrong, you should stand up for what you believe in. I really liked this book and I reccomend it to everyone.

Becoming a Cosmetologist

Janae Benton English 12 Kujawski 7 March 2018 Becoming a Cosmetologist My long-term goals is to become a licensed Cosmetologist and to pursue a career in the field of Cosmetology. This dream began for me when I was fifteen years old; it started as a hobby. I would do my sisters hair, my mom's hair, and even my own hair. My passion for doing hair was further kindled by watching hair tutorials on Youtube and it inspired me to be more artistic. Right now, I'm working towards getting my GPA up to a 3.0 because I believe this will improve my chances for being accepted into a Cosmetology School. I believe that I will be a good candidate for a Cosmetologist. As I go after my lifelong dream, I want to know what are the necessary prerequisites needed in order to become a licensed Cosmetologist, in particular the educational requirements, as well as the character traits of successful people in this line of work , and employment opportunities within the industry. The standard requirements for being accepted into a cosmetology school is to have a GED or a high school diploma and be at least 16 years of age. The length of time to complete the program is as little as nine months or two years. They will be assessed with the scalp massages, styling, hair coloring, chemical treatment, and doing makeup. Occasionally, several cosmetology students starts off as a shampooer, in others words, as an volunteer worker.Benton 2 In the process of being a Cosmetologist you will need to study the health and hygiene in many salons such as bacteriology, sanitation, and first aid. Also they have some other training requirements in order to take the board exam. Supposing that if you don't attend for this program that it is not state approved then you will not receive your license. â€Å"There are plenty of programs that you may be interested in; it can be hair braiding, nail technician, or cosmetologist (hair, skin, nails, makeup)†. While working, you may have to spend a lot of time on your feet while working with clients. â€Å"A lot of client turns to either him or her for a recommendation about what styles or colors will work well for them.† To hold to the latest and greatest, you can complete the course throughout the year. â€Å"Numerous of Cosmetologist has earned the licensed and became business owners but not everyone gets to be an entrepreneur†. So there is plenty for you to start your own business. Many self-employed Cosmetologist start off when by renting a building in order to facilitate their business.

A specific foreign culture Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A specific foreign culture - Assignment Example That is to say that the paper will brief us on how different was communication in the past as compared to the present in terms of the reasoning and therefore give the outcome. These and many more will be featured in this research project. Culture can be said to be the communication system. It is the way people relate to one another in terms of customs and values. It is the focal point in terms of peoples’ relationship. What am saying is that culture brings people together and they are able to understand from each other, relate to one another and able to identify themselves from the rest of the groups. And in fact, Eric O. Ayisi in his book: Introduction to the Study of African Culture, defines culture as a sum total of the material and intellectual equipment whereby they satisfy their biological and social needs and adapt themselves to their environment (1). It is therefore the people’s practices and beliefs that differentiate them from others. On the other hand, interp ersonal communication is a close link in terms of passing of ideas between two or more people but within a small group. It is all about passing of information from one individual to the next with the view of enhancing fluent communication. The kisii people have got a culture that defines and give them identity. Their communication systems were arranged in such a way that hierarchical order was the determinant factor; that no information could be passed to the children without first reaching the elders from which the information would pass to the rest of the community members. This was to ensure that respect is in place and that the elders are much more experienced in community issues and any emerging issues can be easily dealt with by the elders than it could be done by women and children. Perhaps it is good to mention different ways through which information was passed for easy communication. First, we will look at how communication was done within the context of the family and the n communication within the community at large. The interpersonal communication within the family was very basic. As Owen Hargie puts it in his book: Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice, communication therefore represents the very essence of the human condition (2). This is where every member of the family was required to keep in touch with one another. All male children were directly linked to their father and their counterparts, the female children linked to their mother. Not at any time one could break such a system. In fact, Scott Loveless and Thomas Holman in their book: The Family in the New Millennium: World Voices Supporting the "Natural" Clan, Volume 1 puts it clearly that the family is the exclusive social unity sanctioned to nurture the inborn, instill human behaviors, and ensure that human rules and laws spinning around emotions and interactions are respected (94). All male children were therefore advised by their fathers and the elders on t he task ahead of them. For instance, getting ready to take care of homestead at large or even getting prepared to be the warriors of the village. On the other hand, female children were advised by their mothers and the grandmothers on how to cook, fetch water and how to behave more especially in front of the elders and men at large. Children were there

The importance of implementing a Enterprise Resource Planning System Research Proposal

The importance of implementing a Enterprise Resource Planning System - Research Proposal Example The age of competition and globalization has necessitated the need for organizations to show flexibility in their attitude as the business climate is considered to be highly turbulent which requires constant changes in the business model of an organization. ERP packages help in providing solutions in manufacturing, supply chain, Customer Relationship Management and E-commerce. The popularity of ERP packages could be gauged from the fact that even public sector organizations have started implementing ERP solutions in their business processes (Nah, 2002, p.1). The figure above shows the integration of various business processes using ERP. ERP packages help in integrating the various functions or business processes of an organization. This helps organizations in aligning their business processes which helps in maximizing the efficiency of an organization. The enterprise mode considers an organization as a single system in which all its departments are its sub-systems. This helps every department to keep a track on what is happening in other departments. ERP focuses on three major aspects namely, relevancy, accuracy and timeliness. ERP packages attempt to authenticate that the information served is accurate and relevant for the decision making body of the organization. It also ensures that proper timing is maintained so that decision making is not delayed. Organizations implementing ERP in their business processes have ability to provide accurate and timely information to its customers or employees (Leon, 2007 p.5-8). Organizations like Wal -Mart have implemented ERP packages in supply chain management which has helped it to gain sustainable competitive advantage. ERP has helped Wal-Mart to access real time information of the stock of its products which in turn ensures that the shelves of its stores never run out of stock for a particular item or goods. ERP packages have also been implemented in the field of Human Resource

Sociology of Health and Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sociology of Health and Healthcare - Essay Example Sociology maintains a belief that the way individuals act, the challenges they face, the opportunities open to them, and the path they choose to tread are not just dependent on their personal or individual efforts, but are likewise greatly determined by society. Aside from being distinct individuals, each person is a social being and an integral part of the society. Each person is influenced by culture and the norms of the members of the society. The immediate family has the greatest influence because of proximity and exposure. Other significant influences include the peer group, ethnic group, the social or economic class grouping, and gender affiliation. This is not however to discount the fact that individuals have the ultimate control of their lives, but this control is a reflection of who and how the person is within a societal context. Society generally shapes human behavior like the way people react and respond to events and circumstances, the way people deal with crisis, the way people perceive and understand the attitudes and actions of other people within and outside of their community. The doors of opportunity are opened or closed depending on the dictates of society based on age, gender, race or economic status. Sociology explores how individuals and groups build, sustain and change social organization in a variety of ways. It studies the sources and outcomes of change in social processes and institutions, and it examines the fulfillment and difficulties of planning, achieving and adapting to the change. Sociology looks at how people interact with each other in relation to the different aspects of society and the different societal institutions. It aims to analyze the degree to which individuals attain optimum growth and development through the policies and programs of the different institutions and the constraints in the attainment of this development like social inequality, which are present in society. It also aims to determine how the aspects of society like gender, age, economic capability, health condition, race, and religion bring forth advantages or disadvantages to certain individuals or groups. The study of social dynamics include topics in values, culture, socialization, cooperation, conflict, exchange, power, inequality, social control, order, deviance, social change, and violence (Whati is Sociology, 2003). Sociology encompasses the study of all human relationships, groups, societies and institutions. The scope covered by the field of sociology include class, gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality, social inequality, the family, work, the mass media, religion, the environment, organizations, the body, health and illness, and the national and global economy (What aspects of society and social life do sociologists study). II. A Focus on the Health and Ageing Area of Study in Sociology Sociology has several areas of study all dealing with social interactions in different areas of society and everyday living, and the basis and consequences of these interactions. One area of study is Health and Ageing. The Health and Agei

Exam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Exam - Assignment Example Entrepreneurship involves implementation of alternative ideas to develop a business venture which is profitable (Chapman, 2012). An entrepreneur should be able to conceive alternative ideas from time to time. Since opportunities are available for a specific period, entrepreneurs should be able to implement the most profitable alternatives and will vary as situations vary. Therefore, before any investment is undertaken, an entrepreneur should be able to regulate all available alternatives and then select the most viable from the available alternatives. Innovation results to efficiency in production both in terms of time saving and resource utilization (EMAP Ltd. 2010.) Skilled and creative individuals have different alternatives of producing commodities. They will apply the most effective approach in each situation thereby resulting to effective utilization of resources. For example, utilization of automated teller machine (ATM) in the banking system has resulted to increase in the number of transactions completed in a day. This has resulted to a tremendous growth of the banking industry across the globe. Quality improvement results from efficient in utilization of resources. To obtain excellent quality, the producers have to utilize current technology (EMAP Ltd, 2010). Excellent quality products have minimal rejects and utilize all available resources effectively. Due to decline in waste as a result of excellent quality product, the producers are able to gain more from their production activities. For example, hospital offering excellent medical services will have minimal legal cases and will also increase their clients hence increase in productivity. An excellent leader should establish a team through whom they will be working together. A team leader should be someone who can be able to coordinate all the members to achieve desired results (Team Building Leadership,

Donald Palmers introduction to Western Philosophy Essay

Donald Palmers introduction to Western Philosophy - Essay Example A country’s constitution is used to protect the laws and rights of people residing in that country at any particular time. The constitution also gives guideline on how the law should be applied and interpreted. Politicians are given the mandate of changing the constitution and coming up with new laws that are meant for the greater good of the people and the country as well. A popular trend noticed during the campaigns is the issue of a personal manifesto, which stipulates what the politician will do for the people. Some greedy leaders have constantly exploited the authority given politicians by the constitution to change the laws. Such cases are popular in the African countries where there have been incidents whereby the president convinces his fellow politicians to change the constitution so that he or she can hold office for a longer period. This is where the current president’s political party has more people in parliament of political positions and this makes it eas y for him or her to do such a thing. Greedy politicians have passed laws that are in their favor failing to consider the greater good of other persons. There have been the passing of laws in some country that exempt the politicians from paying taxes and in order to cover for the lost tax, they increase the basic tax for the ordinary person. They also change the laws making them become the well-paid employees in the country.  Ã‚  To stress the impact of rules on people he quotes a person who was giving his experience on oppressive rules.

Human Relations School of Thought compared to a Taylorist Fordist Essay

Human Relations School of Thought compared to a Taylorist Fordist perspective - Essay Example The human relations school of thought is to a great extent superior to Taylorism given the value it attaches to people and the role of the motivated employee in the workplace. The approach changed Taylor's view of the workers as machines and instead shifted the attention from the task to the worker. It is in the human relations approach to management that for the worker was viewed as being an important component of the organization. The manager's perception of the workers in the human relations school was holistic as opposed to Taylor's focus on the bundle of aptitudes. The human relations approach was aimed at changing the attitudes of the managers towards their subordinates. Managers embrace such propositions today and are significantly concerned with how they relate to their workers. The human relations school of thought proposed the need for managers to create a sense of satisfaction and belonging for their workers by demonstrating an interest in the welfare and personal success. Taylor’s misleading assumption that people could only be motivated by financial incentives and the individualistic approach he gave to work performance make the scientific management approach a lesser evolved management approach compared to the human relations approach. The importance of a two-way communication approach between the manager and the subordinates is emphasised in the human relations school of thought. The human relations school of thought views the productivity of the employees as being dependent on the satisfaction of the employee.

Career Development in Financial Accounts in a Bank Assignment

Career Development in Financial Accounts in a Bank - Assignment Example Academic qualifications area must have, but the soft skills describe a person’s readiness to learn and work. Experience is a definite bonus in any job qualification specifics. As an accounting student at the university, it is with no doubt that I am on the verge of getting the basic as well as the preliminary skills required to work as a bank teller. Academically, I took various subjects during my first year which are relevant to finance and banking. Accounting and management accounting are among the units I took. I did well in my exams thus my confidence in working as a bank teller. I have full comprehension of the fundamental theoretic in those subjects among others. Additionally, I have covered other subjects including business environment, people and organization. This subject entails the relations at a workplace and how to create an effective environment in order to achieve the workplace objectives. This is knowledge needed in the bank industry according to the career research I undertook. Having worked as a sales assistant, I have experienced firsthand how to deal with customers. It is very interesting and engaging and bank tellers do it similarly. They engage with customer issues and ensure they deliver the services to suit the customer’s needs. The experience as a sales assistant proved to many as well as myself that I am a reliable person in my work among other qualities like teamwork. A sales job involves teamwork and assisting your colleagues where necessary. A quality that I always employed. Moreover, my current job as a cashier at a petrol station has increased my knowledge in customer service. I enjoy my work in relating to customers. On the other hand, I work voluntarily in Oxford church. In my work, we always get involved with different people in the society and attend to them. We clean public halls, collect litter, as well as visit old people homes and orphans. The work is a worthwhile experience as it builds my eagerness to want to help people in the society where I have the means.  Ã‚  

BUSCOM wk2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BUSCOM wk2 - Essay Example Most importantly, in a highly diverse society in the current era of rapid globalization and advancing technology, effective communication becomes the major enabling element of promoting cross cultural understanding and resolving conflicts amicably. Hence, within the wider scope of human interaction, the various modes of verbal and non-verbal communication facilitate development of mutually beneficial bonds. The demonstrative or non-verbal communication especially, becomes highly pertinent as it can create misunderstanding or resolve differences between two people to forge long lasting association. The non-verbal formats of communication are very important elements that send critical message to speaker as well as to the listener. Sender and receiver both are keys to demonstrative communication. These messages are sent through body language vis-a-vis gestures, behavior, tone of voice that is used in conversation, physical appearance and dress code etc. They are important elements to di sseminate essential information like sincerity, consciousness, confidence and integrity of the individuals (Guirdham, 2002). Facial expressions strongly send messages of personal emotions. They reflect positive or negative sentiments of the sender or receiver when messages are sent or acknowledged. Different meanings are attached to myriad facial expressions. A smile shows happy demeanor while grimace shows distaste. These can also carry different message to different cultures. Negative expressions tend to spoil relations and create animosity. Grin is another facial expression with ambiguous message that may convey happy state, interest or even reflect arrogance. But mostly, smile expresses positive feeling as a result of finding something funny in the communicated message. It is therefore construed as positive communication. I try not to grimace even when something does not please me as it might adversely impact social or professional relationship. Indeed, facial expressions are cr itical factors that carry often carry different messages in different cultures. In Arabic culture, too much smiling reflects shallowness. Body language is vital means of expressing moods and attitude of individuals. Slouched posture or fidgeting often indicates discomfort while upright position shows confidence. Eye contact reveals that person would be honest in his communication and indicates confidence on his knowledge of the subject which he/she believes can be clearly communicated. On the other hand, if an individual is either looking down or focusing elsewhere, he is either lacking in confidence or he has not been honest. As such, his verbal communication would be less effective and would not promote trust. Listening intently is also very crucial aspect of no-verbal communication that helps develop mutual trust and confidence. In professional arena, it serves as important tool for reassuring colleagues and team mates or subordinates that their view points are being listened to. In an office, listening intently to the problems of others helps to sort it out early and facilitates in creating an environment of shared learning and mutual respect. Another very significant format of demonstrative communication is the tone of the voice while exchanging messages or information. The tone of the individual is powerful tool that is able to send strong positive or negative emotions. When one is

The Horse Business Essay Example for Free

The Horse Business Essay Introduction The Horse Industry is unique. Throughout the world, people use horses for consumption as well as for non-consumption purposes. Horses are bred either for the purposes of horseracing – an internationally popular sport, or for purposes of consumption particularly in countries where horsemeat is considered a delicacy. Breeders rear thoroughbred horses specifically for racing purposes. A horse is a very viable and valuable commodity, so much so that commercial insurance policies customarily offer protection for owners of high quality racehorses against theft, injuries and other diseases. The government of the United States and several European countries maintain strong controls on horse reproduction. There are governmental limitations on the use of artificial insemination and sometimes owners have to register their horses. Evidently, this industry is unique and reaches across the private as well as the public sector. Racing is an entertaining and interesting business (Chenault, 1994). Those involved in the horseracing industry are always keen on increasing their horse’s abilities so that they may attract a broader consumer base and thus increase their returns from horseracing. These owners therefore explore numerous and varied opportunities to profit from their racehorses including investigating other racing choices such as simulcast races, which involve off-track wagering. Slaughterhouses slaughter, for consumption, horses which have outlived their usefulness, and are in poor health condition. Customers who use horsemeat in their diet purchase the slaughtered meat in large quantities (House of Commons Hansard, 2002).   The main objective of this paper is to highlight those strategies and techniques of business that can contribute to improvements in the horse industry for the firms in either the public or private sector who are involved with the racehorses or slaughter of horses. This research will seek to discover ways that this industry can become more efficient as well as examine the existing or needed policies that could contribute to the necessary improvements. Problem Statement Horseracing and the slaughtering of horses are two key industry areas involving the use of horses and both private and public sector corporations have some amount of share in either industry area. As with any other animal group it is no surprise that there is a continuing debate on the ethics of both horseracing and horse slaughtering for consumption. These twin industry areas have been the targets of concerns raised on the ethic of slaughtering horses, particularly those that would have previously been used in the horseracing industry but which are no longer of further use to their owners for a variety of reasons. These horses may be diseased, injured or ill and have little prospect for future recovery. To ensure that they do not suffer a complete loss, owners of racehorses sell these unwanted horses to slaughterers. Some people are totally against the slaughtering of horses. In America and European countries, horsemeat is comparable to the meat of other large animals such as the buffalo, goat, sheep, pig and others. Since people throughout the United States and Europe desire to have horsemeat as a part of their diet then naturally, the slaughter industry too has its own place. Thus, while persons object to the slaughtering of horses, there are those who have little or no objection to the consumption of horsemeat. Similarly, there are objections to the use of horses for racing because of the reported cruel treatment of these animals and their injection with dangerous substances and steroids to enhance performance. This is a very sore issue in the horse industry. Even sorer is the slaughtering of these horses when they are no longer profitable in the horseracing industry. This debate is challenging the viability of the equine industry, putting industry shareholders in an uncomfortable position. Both the racehorse and the slaughtering industries are producing at their full capacities in the US and the rest of the world. Like any other business these industries whether private or public need to adopt sound business management strategies through appropriate training so as to be good in business and to provide the best service to buyers and consumers. The care and the right use of horses is also the matter of concern. The primary use of horses is for racing. However, one cannot avoid the fact that the slaughterhouse, rather than the racecourse, becomes the home for horses unfit for racing. Every year, the number of unfit horses increases thus the number of slaughterhouses also increases. Slaughter industries in the public and private sectors purchase the unwanted horses. Traditionally, the hunter-jumper market has acquired most former racehorses that have no signs of muscular-skeletal abnormalities, and some use previous standard-bred racehorses for driving carriages. Horses that obtain career-ending injuries are not useful anymore for the owners and fall into the category of unwanted horses. Figures produced by the U.S. department of agriculture reveal, however, that the majority of horses slaughtered (92.3%) are quite healthy and not, in fact, neglected. An overwhelming majority of Americans and members of Congress oppose slaughtering horses for human consumption (HSUS, 2007). One of the options in dealing with these unwanted horses is for slaughtering and distribution for consumption. The precise number of horses that make up this category of unwanted is unknown. However, some research reveals that 50,000 horses fall to slaughterhouses each year in the USA. The real number of unwanted horses is much higher than that reported. Horses used on farms are costly to owners, specifically maintenance costs for food, wastage disposal and land use. The slaughter industry appears to be the most attractive option in dealing with these horses. Purpose Statement The basic aims of the study are to suggest methods of enhancing business productivity for persons involved in slaughtering or horseracing within the public and private sectors and to identify better ways of setting goals and objectives for their racehorses. Additionally this paper will attempt to identify and recommend alternative uses for unwanted horses besides slaughtering. The research will be dealing with both facts and numbers from the available resource material as well as opinions and comments from surveys. Therefore, this paper will adopt a mixed research method using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. American horse council estimates that almost 10% of all the horses die every year due to illness, injury, lack of proper environment and food provisions. There is a need for proper treatment and laws from the government to support the cause of increasing horse reproduction. California passed a law in 1998 protecting against horse theft and this has been effective in reducing such theft. Additionally regulations need to govern management aspects of the horse industry. Often the lack of proper means of transporting horses for slaughtering has contributed to the unnecessary death of horses. The usual means of transporting horses are more suited for shorter and smaller animals such as cows, pigs and cattle. These transported force horses, which have a longer neck and body, into these cramped positions often causing injury. Those involved in the transportation of horses and are unable to afford the proper form of transportation have very little alternative and thus horses continue to suffer and their numbers decrease. The Government could provide subsidies to such persons working on small-scale to fulfill their needs. Forces of demand drive the market. Consumers world over with affirmative attitudes and who demand that meat products are nourishing, tasty and of the best quality, and reasonably priced relative to income, availability, quality and relevance to life-style remain the leading driving forces in the market. However if discussions on meat production in developed countries raises speculation this could negatively affect demand negatively. In this regard, government has to seriously consider and reconsider their policies towards this industry. Undoubtedly, the meat industry not necessarily need information awareness programs but need to modify practices in order to satisfy fully customer needs. In fact, technologists and scientists can contribute positively to this industry by developing newer strategies that are more efficient. These strategies include applying practices that result in less environmental damage, depend less on stimulants and additives, and that consider sensitive exploitation of the new genetics and with more consideration for the animals involved. Research Questions The following questions will guide the research: What are some guidelines for success in the horse industry? What are some key principles of the horse industry? What business ethics govern the horse industry? What alternative exist for racehorses that are no longer useful for racing? The research will also attempt to find out what are some of the business ethics, social stewardship, business leadership/management and stakeholder values for the Racehorse Industry, the Slaughter Industry and the Private sector? Proper ethics should govern and guide the operations of the private sector, the racehorse industry and the slaughter industry in their business management strategies in order to ensure effective leadership and social stewardship. A prospective entrepreneur in the racehorse industry should consider all necessary information to determine the size of the market and the possible share of his prospective business within the market. There should be some insurance plan for such businesses. The major point in focus for any business holder around the globe is to maintain profit. The ways to success are confusing and indefinite. â€Å"The NFIB estimates that over the lifetime of a business, 39% are profitable, 30% break even, and 30% lose money† (Blue Ribbon Consulting, 2006).    Core Literature The racehorse industry has been demonstrating positive levels of success and has had a considerable impact on the market overall. A 2003 summary report provided by the Louisiana State University summarized the successes and contributions of the horse industry as follow: â€Å"The race horse industry is composed of 1,178 breeders who own 10,161 mares that produced 5,971 foals that were sold in 2003 for $35.8 million. These breeders own 1,977 stallions that were bred to 5,313 mares, generating income from stud fees of $13.3 million. The total income generated from racehorse production was $49.1 million. An additional 2,229 racehorse owners owned 10,903 racehorses in training or on the track at a value of $109 million. The impact of racehorse owners and breeders’ activities in 2003 was $158.1 million. The show and competition horse industry (horse shows, barrel racing, cutting, roping, team penning, etc.) is composed of 2,600 breeders who own 7,847 mares that produced 4,901 foals that were sold for $14.7 million. These breeders own 718 stallions that bred 8,351 mares, generating $12.5 million in income from stud fees. The total income generated from show and competition horse production was $27.2 million. Another 4,634 owners compete on their 14,901 horses valued at $59.6 million. The total impact of the show and competition horse industry is $86.8 million. A large portion of the horse industry is recreational. The horse is used for comfort, exercise and enjoyment. About 20% or 8,570 of the recreational horse owners bred 21,554 mares and sold 11,392 foals in 2003 for $17.1 million. These horsemen own 933 stallions that were bred to 5,924 mares, generating income from stud fees of $592,400. The total income from production in the recreational horse industry was $17.6 million in 2003. Another 25,453 recreational horse owners have 61,366 horses valued at $61 million. There are 129,022 registered horses in Louisiana, owned by 45,331 horsemen. These horses are valued at $324 million. An additional 70,000 grade and other equines are owned by 25,000 people who have a $210 million impact on the economy. In addition to the value of horses produced and maintained in Louisiana, the activities of the horse industry generate a tremendous cash flow. The four racetracks employ 3,000 people and generate expenditures of about $1 billion per year. The show and competition industry conducts an estimated 500 activities per year and generates $12.5 million in expenditures. With the value of horses, expenditures on horses and the activities in which they engage, the impact of the horse industry is estimated at $1.6 billion per year.† (LSU, 2003). Apparently, the industry is heading in a positive direction. However, there needs to be better regulation of the industry, particularly in the development of appropriate business ethics to govern those involved in the industry. Sensible business ethics are one of the keys to organizational success. As a corporate strategy businesses involved with horses should lobby for effective legislation to protect the consumer, the business owner and the horse. In the U.K., for example, all horses are required to possess a passport according to a legislation that came into effect on 31 December 2003. Other European countries have similar requirements. Even though horse owners previously registered horses this was on a voluntary basis for horses born after 1 January 1998. The new requirement ensures that all horses, particularly those specifically reared for the purposes of slaughtering and consumption, have a passport containing a history of veterinary medicines so that certain medicines do not pass along the food chain to humans. This requirement is also a more effective way of controlling over breeding in certain areas (Defra, 2002). Policies such as these are useful guidelines for conducting business so that managers adopt correct strategies in all aspects of the industry. Organizations must provide these business ethics and rights to employees (as well as to the livestock of the agriculture or farm industry) to safeguard their needs, to maintain friendly working environment, and to provide boost to a certain industry. Managers cannot anticipate that there will not be challenges in implementing certain principles that will contribute to eventual organizational success. Jonash (2005) warns that business owners need to be willing to face the challenges that go along with difficult business decisions and strategies. He holds that achieving short, medium and long-term success is not easy. He suggests that managers accept the reality that there are no quick fixes to organizational problems and thus should be willing to follow through with tested and proven strategies even if the implementation process seems difficult. The above-mentioned statistics show clearly that this system is working very well in the US and can even improve if the overall racehorse industry follows proper policies and procedures. Research Activities/Methods The research activities of the paper under study are mainly through the books and Internet and other credible journals. These research materials are primary sources of information as they are already from the credibly written scholarly articles and journals. However, the point of view is solely from the writer’s perspective. Operational Definitions Livestock: farm animals Slaughter: using an animal for food. Equine: Of or like a horse (adjective) Simulcast Races: Races broadcast across the world and seen in casinos.    Assumptions and limitations This paper assumes that the horse industry can benefit from promotions and other ad campaigns. The scenarios, the examples and data are the tools that will make this study a success. This study is limited to the racehorse and slaughter horse industries, the business leadership skills and the methodology of the management and leadership. The horse industry has many problems like the transportation, accommodation, handling the lack of subsidies granted and others, but these are just a few. There are many more topics and issues surrounding this industry but those are beyond the scope of this paper.    References Blue Ribbon Consulting. (2006). Horse Consulting. Retrieved Sep 22, 2007 from, http://www.horseconsulting.com/services.htm. Chenault, E. A., (1994, Oct 28). Race horse industry analysis featured in Jan. 14 Meeting. Retrieved August 1, 2007, from, http://agnews.tamu.edu/stories/AGEC/horsrace.html DEFRA (Department for environment, food and rural affairs). (2002, Feb 14). Horse Passports and Database. News Release. Retrieved August 15, 2007 from, http://www.lipizzaner.org.uk/defra.htm. House of Commons Hansard. (2002). Written Answers. Retrieved August 21, 2007 from http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmhansrd/vo020214/text/20214w39.htm. Humane Society of the United States, The (HSUS) Animal Net. (2007, Mar 17). HSUS responds to rumor of horse abandonment in KY: Calls it an act of desperation from the foreign-owned horse slaughter industry. Retrieved August 1, 2007, from http://archives.foodsafety.ksu.edu/animalnet/2007/3-2007/annet_march_20.htm Jonash, R. S. (2005). Driving sustainable growth and innovation: Pathways to high performance leadership. Handbook of Business Strategy, 6(1), 197-202.    Louisiana State University. (2003). Agriculture and natural resources summary: Horses. Retrieved August 15, 2007 from, http://www2.lsuagcenter.com/AgSum2003/narrative.aspx. Virginia horse industry board news and event calendar. (2007-2008). Retrieved August 1, 2007 from, http://www.vhib.org/virginia-horse-industry-board-news.html.

The Evolution Of Database Management System

The Evolution Of Database Management System In the ancient times when there was no computer, the data began to be stored in voluminous data repositories, called books. And eventually with the improvement in technology and expansion in knowledge the whole communities of books transferred to the first real database libraries. The main objective of the database is to ensure that data can be stored and retrieved easily and effectively. It is a compilation of data (records) in a structured way. In a database, the information is stored in a tabular form where data may or may not be interlinked. Hence we can say that basically database is a compilation of database files and each database file is further a collection of records. Database models: Flat files (1960s 1980s): Flat file database is a database that stores information in a single file or table. In a text file, every line contains one record where fields either have fixed length or they are separated by commas, whitespaces, tabs or any other character. In a flat file database, there is no structural relationship among the records and they cannot contain multiple tables as well. Advantages: Flat file database is best for small databases. It is easy to understand and implement. Fewer skills are required to handle a flat file database. Less hardware and software skills are required to maintain a flat file database. Disadvantages: A flat file may contain fields which duplicate the data as there is no automation in flat files. If one record is to be deleted from the flat file database, then all the relevant information in different fields has to be deleted manually making the data manipulation inefficient. Flat file database waste the computer space by requiring it to keep the information on items that are logically cannot be available. Information retrieving is very time consuming in a large database. Implementation of a flat file database: Flat file database is implemented in: Berkeley DB SQLite Mimesis TheIntegrationEngineer etc. Hierarchical database (1970s 1990s): As the name indicates, hierarchical database contains data in a hierarchically-arranged data. More perceptively it can be visualized as a family tree where there is a parent and a child relationship. Each parent can have many children but one child can only have one parent i.e.; one-to-many relationship. Its hierarchical structure contains levels or segments which are equivalent to the file systems record type. All attributes of a specific record are listed under the entity type. In hierarchical database, the entity type is the main table, rows of a table represent the records and columns represent the attributes. In the above figure, CUSTOMER is the parent and it has two children (CHCKACCT SAVEACCT). Advantages: In a hierarchical database pace of accessing the information is speedy due to the predefined paths. This increases the performance of a database. The relationships among different entities are easy to understand. Disadvantages: Hierarchical database model lacks flexibility. If a new relationship is to be established between two entities then a new and possibly a redundant database structure has to be build. Maintenance and of data is inefficient in a hierarchical model. Any change in the relationships may require manual reorganization of the data. This model is also inefficient for non-hierarchical accesses. Network database (1970s 1990s): The inventor of network model is Charles Bachmann. Unlike hierarchical database model, network database allows multiple parent and child relationships i.e., it maintains many-to-many relationship. Network database is basically a graph structure. The network database model was created to achieve three main objectives: To represent complex data relationships more effectively. To improve the performance of the database. To implement a database standard. In a network database a relationship is referred to as a set. Each set comprises of two types of records, an owner record which is same as parent type in hierarchical and a member record which is similar to the child type record in hierarchical database model. Advantages: The network database model makes the data access quite easy and proficient as an application can access the owner record and all the member records within a set. This model is conceptually easy to design. This model ensures data integrity because no member can exist without an owner. So the user must make an owner entry and then the member records. The network model also ensures the data independence because the application works independently of the data. Disadvantages: The model lacks structural independence which means that to bring any change in the database structure; the application program must also be modified before accessing the data. A user friendly database management system cannot be established via network model. Implementation of network database: Network database is implemented in: Digital Equipment Corporation DBMS-10 Digital Equipment Corporation DBMS-20 RDM Embedded Turbo IMAGE Univac DMS-1100 etc. Relational database (1980s present): Relational database model was proposed by E.F. Codd. After the hierarchical and network model, the birth of this model was huge step ahead. It allows the entities to be related through a common attribute. So in order to relate two tables (entities), they simply need to have a common attribute. In the tables there are primary keys and alternative keys. Primary keys form a relation with the alternative keys. This property makes this model extremely flexible. Thus using relational database ample information can be stored using small tables. The accessing of data is also very efficient. The user only has to enter a query, and the application provides the user with the asked information. Relational databases are established using a computer language, Structured Query Language (SQL). This language forms the basis of all the database applications available today, from Access to Oracle. Advantages: Relational database supports mathematical set of operations like union, intersection, difference and Cartesian product. It also supports select, project, relational join and division operations. Relational database uses normalization structure which helps to achieve data independence more easily. Security control can also be implemented more effectively by imposing an authorization control on the sensitive attributes present in a table. Relational database uses a language which is easy and human readable. Disadvantages: The response to a query becomes time-consuming and inefficient if the number of tables between which the relationships are established increases. Implementation of Relational Database: Oracle Microsoft IBM My SQL PostgreSQL SQLite Object-oriented database (1990s present): Object oriented database management system is that database system in which the data or information is presented in the form of objects, much like in object-oriented programming language. Furthermore, object oriented DBMS also facilitate the user by offering transaction support, language for various queries, and indexing options. Also, these database systems have the ability to handle data efficiently over multiple servers. Unlike relational database, object-oriented database works in the framework of real programming languages like JAVA or C++. Advantages: If there are complex (many-to-many) relationships between the entities, the object-oriented database handles them much faster than any of the above discussed database models. Navigation through the data is much easier. Objects do not require assembly or disassembly hence saving the coding and execution time. Disadvantages: Lower efficiency level when data or relationships are simple. Data can be accessible via specific language using a particular API which is not the case in relational databases. Object-relational database (1990s present): Defined in simple terms, an object relational database management system displays a modified object-oriented user-display over the already implemented relational database management system. When various software interact with this modified-database management system, they will customarily operate in a manner such that the data is assumed to be saved as objects. The basic working of this database management system is that it translates the useful data into organized tables, distributed in rows and columns, and from then onwards, it manages data the same way as done in a relational database system. Similarly, when the data is to be accessed by the user, it is again translated from processed to complex form. Advantages: Data remains encapsulated in object-relational database. Concept of inheritance and polymorphism can also be implemented in this database. Disadvantages: Object relational database is complex. Proponents of relational approach believe simplicity and purity of relational model are lost. It is costly as well. Web enabled database (1990s present): Web enabled database simply put a database with a web-based interface. This implies that there can be a separation of concerns; namely, the web designer does not need to know the details about the DBs underlying design. Similarly, the DB designer needs to concern himself with the DBs web interface. A web enabled database uses three layers to function: a presentation layer, a middle layer and the database layer. Advantages: A web-enabled database allows users to get the information they need from a central repository on demand. The database is easy and simple to use. The data accessibility is easy via web-enabled database. Disadvantages: Main disadvantage is that it can be hacked easily. Web enabled databases support the full range of DB operations, but in order to make them easy to use, they must be dumped down.

Importance of Using the ACARS System

Importance of Using the ACARS System Abbreviations ACARS: Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System ADS-B: Automatic dependent surveillance broadcast CMU: Communication Management Unit CDU: Control Display Unit FMS: Flight Management System ATC: Air Traffic Control AOC: Aeronautical Operational Control AAC: Airline Administrative Control NOTAM: Notice to Airmen VHF: Very High Frequency VDL: VHF Data Link MAC: Message Authentication Code AES: Advance Encryption Standard SHA: Secure Hash Algorithm CA: Certificate Authority ICAO: International Civil Aviation Organisation IPsec: Internet Protocol Security In this report the importance of using the ACARS system in the communication between the aircrafts and the ground units such as Air traffic control (ATC), aeronautical operational control (AOC) and airline administrative Control (AAC). (2) Also, the need of securing the communication channel against passive and active attackers will be identified and analysed. The ACARS system is used to transmit data both from aircraft to ground and from ground to aircraft. The data transmitted from the aircraft to the ATC will communicate requests and receipts for clearances and instructions when the aircraft is on the ground, during the phases of take-off and landing and finally during the time the aircraft is in the air. The ACARS is system is also used for communication between the aircrafts and the AOC and AAC ground units. The data transmitted between these three entities is about various aspects of the aircraft, weather information and observations, NOTAMS, flight plan and any diversion from the flight plan, technical performance, possible system failures and any special information regarding the flight and its passengers. ACARS system to transmit data to the ground receivers, the FMC hardware is used on newer aircrafts or the CDU on older ones. The communication is accomplished by using the FMS unit and a small printer in the aircrafts and similar hardware on the ground. The FMS transmits the data to either a satellite or a ground antennas, regarding the altitude of the aircraft. After either the satellite or the antenna will transmit the data through the communication network to the appropriate ground unit using a private network. Due to the reason that these data are crucial and must not be altered or even sometimes monitored by unauthorised users the security of the communication channel and the data should be the top priority of the airlines. To achieve that the data transmitted should always maintain the three major aspects of information security which are: Confidentiality Integrity Availability During the early years of the aviation industry communication channels were only needed between the ATC and the pilots. There were no ways to transmit data regarding the aircrafts avionic systems, engines and integrity, mainly due to the reason that there was not such advanced technology, on both the communication channels and on the aircrafts. The only communication channel available was the VHF channels that in our days is the least trusted protocol. As the aircrafts developed, the boundaries were extended, and led to a rapid increase in air traffic. In order to co-op with this, the aircrafts manufacturers decided to improve the quality and quantity of the systems aboard the aircrafts in order to protect them from mid-air collisions and also help the ATCs to manage the traffic easier. From the moment that the aviation instruments on board the aircraft changed from analogue to digital, a breakthrough was achieved, leading many companies to develop software and hardware that allowed the improvement of the communication and data transmission between the aircrafts and the ground. Along with these improvements, the aircrafts critical systems were able to continuously provide the data recorder information regarding their condition. During this phase the CPDLC was developed in order to minimize the acoustic misunderstandings (6) provided accountability and made the communication easier, more efficient and safer to transmit and receive l ong messages (6). Although in my opinion this system would make the communication between the pilots and the ATC easier and safer, it wasnt widely used because of security threats like message manipulation or injection (6) that were not possible to be detected. Also, a major backdoor to the system in my opinion was that there was no authentication leading to eavesdropping or spoof clearances (6). For the improvement of safety and to be able to improve the accident investigations, the authorities decided that it would be helpful, that these data should be transmitted to the ground and in order to improve the communications between the aircrafts and the ATCs, a new system was developed, which is called ACARS. Along with it new techniques of communication and data transmission were introduced that allowed the aircraft, ATCs and airlines headquarters to communicate with each other by sending short texts. ACARS was introduced during the 80s and as the years passed it became very popular among the airlines. It allowed direct communication between aircrafts and ATCs for requesting and receiving instructions and clearances. The ability of communicating between the aircraft and the AOC and AAC was introduced, that allowed the exchange of information about the weather, possible issues with the aircrafts systems, NOTAMs, passenger information, etc. In the early years of aviation, the computers were not very capable in intercepting or manipulating a message that was transmitted and therefore there was little need for that system to be secure. As the years pass and computers became stronger, together with the knowledge of people, possible unauthorised monitoring of message transmission or even manipulating the messages transmitted between the aircrafts and the ground was a threat to aviation. In order to solve this issues, security mechanisms were placed in order to protect the communication channels and the data transmitted. The security mechanisms placed, are updated regularly in order to maintain the information secure against new threats and attackers. The difficulty of maintaining a secure communication channel is becoming greater, due to the reason that the cost of hardware that allow you to monitor the information transmitted by aircrafts are very cheap and easily accessible. This together with the increasing knowledge of people on how to use them the wrong way and with the intention to cause harm for various reasons, makes the work of the ones trying to protect these systems, very difficult and crucial for the safety of the passengers and aircraft crew lives. As the workload for the pilots in command increased greatly due to the increased traffic, reduction of the crew members in aircrafts and the need to maximize profit without undermining safety and in order to protect the pilots from making mistakes or forget to complete the necessary steps for the safe conduct of a flight, researchers were working on a new way of communication between the aircraft and the ground operations. That software was ACARS and was developed in the 1980s. ACARS is a digital datalink system (3) that allows the pilots, ATC and the airlines headquarters to exchange short messages no matter of the location of the aircraft around the world. In order to achieve that the aircraft is equipped with an avionics computer which is called Communications Management Unit (CMU), a control display unit (CDU) and a printer. The CMU was designed to be able to send and receive digital messages (3) regarding aspects of the flight, instructions and clearances from the ATC, weather forecasts, NOTAMs and information to and from the companys headquarters regarding the aircrafts performance and special needs about the passengers. In order to achieve the level of communication needed, the ACARS system is using different types of communication media. The two media used to communicate between the aircraft and the ground by using satellites when the aircrafts are at higher altitudes and radio antennas at lower altitudes. Before the first implementations of the ACARS system, the communication between the aircrafts and the ground was performed by VHF voice channels. As the technology advanced, new way of communication were developed. During the first periods of implementation of the ACARS system the ARINC organisation, developed a service that a allowed for the VHF communication service to be upgraded by a new service that allowed the use of digital telex formats (3) to the VHF communication channel. During the 90s this led to the standardization of a VHF Digital Link. As the implementation of the ACARS software by airliners became widespread, new services were developed in order to make the communication channels more efficient. SITA company, during this phase had developed a large ground communication network that was connecting places around the world. In order to further enhance the abilities of ACARS, SITA integrated their ground communication network to be able and cooperate with ACARS already existing communication channels between aircraft and ground. In my opinion the ACARS system was designed very cleverly because it was able to cooperate with many types of aircraft communications equipment such as VHF, Inmarsat, sitcom, iridium satellite, VDL and high frequency data link (6). More detailed, SITA managed to merge both VHF and VDL air to ground communication channel together with the ground network it had already developed and to provide an end to end communication channel between aircrafts and ground operations no matter the type of flights. Both short haul and long haul routes were supported. Figure .1 ACARS Setup (9) ACARS security is very important for the safe conduct of flights. Two different types of security were implemented. The first one was called DSP-based architecture and is only capable to protect ACARS messages during transmission from the aircraft to the ground, leaving the ground network unprotected and risking attacks from hackers open. For that reason, there is an end to end security architecture was proposed and developed. In order for the security of the ACARS system to be complete it will have to maintain confidentiality, integrity and availability to the information transmitted at all times, both in the communication channel between the aircraft and the ground and also in the ground network. On the end to end solution proposed in the article The Approach of ACARS Data Encryption and Authentication (5), The proposed security will be using symmetric and asymmetric cryptography, a hybrid system that could solve the problems of using just one of the methods of cryptography, along with digital signatures to provide adequate privacy and integrity (5) to the messages. The issues that came up with the symmetric cryptography were that in order to communicate with each other, a key had to be exchanged between the sender and the recipients of the message. This unique key was designed to be known just by the sender and the recipient of the message in order to protect it from unauthorized users. This proved to be very difficult to maintain secure due to the large number of users that are using ACARS to communicate. On the other hand, asymmetric cryptography was able to solve this problem but it required the use of a large size keys that led to a rather large amount of bandwidth requi red just for the exchange of the keys that kept secure the communication, which was a problem due to the limited amount of bandwidth the ACARS system was designed to require. This hybrid system that was proposed, made use of a key derivation algorithm called Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman which is using an elliptic curve and certain points in order to find the private key. By using the elliptic curve along with the private key, it was able to generate the public key of both the aircraft and the ground station (sender and recipient). By using this technique, the communication channel was secure because it was very difficult for the attacker to find the private key even though the exchange of public key is intercepted (5). For the receiver to be able to decrypt and use the private key a key derivation function is needed which in this case is the MAC. In order to provide encryption to the data transmitted the AES algorithm is used in combination with the SHA 256 algorithm. The number 256 after the SHA acronym means the length of the random binary sequence that is used as the key for the AES (5) algorithm. Due to the reason of the limited bandwidth that ACARS is designed to be using, the message data transmitted and the necessary data transmitted to provide security should be compressed as much as possible. In order to do so every letter, number or symbol will have to be encoded to a 6bit stream during the encryption phase. In order for the recipient to be able to decode it and read the correct message, the MAC of the encrypted data will have to be read and be decrypted to an ACARS readable character. Also, the correct MAC value will have to be calculated in order for the message to be authenticated. During the testing phase of the above end to end security mechanism, eavesdropping was possible to be done but no actual data were able to be read, due to the AES that was used in the encryption of the message, so confidentiality was achieved. Privacy was also achieved because if the message was manipulated, the MAC value would have been changed and the recipient would have detected the change in value. Finally for the digital signature to be correct, the assumptions that the CA was trustworthy had to be made. Wireless Communication Security Due to the reason that the main communication channel between the aircraft and the ground stations will always be wireless, some necessary aspects of security will always have to exist in order to able to say that the channel is secure. According to the authors of the article (7), in order for a security protocol be acceptable, it must meet some requirements. The first one is the mutual entity authentication which is able to provide security by identifying the sender and the receiver. Also, the Asymmetric algorithms are very critical according to my opinion, regarding the key distribution that will allow the sender and the receiver authenticate each other messages. Next in order to prevent unauthorised people to access the communication channel, the two parties must agree to the keys used and to be able to confirm them when needed along with being able to control them, maintain the key freshness (7) so no replay attacks could be performed and also to protect secrets of old communications in the case that an unauthorised person gains access to a session key. All the above aspects, in my opinion are critical in order to maintain privacy in the communication channel. According to the article (7) which I agree with, some compromises should be taken in order to have the security options tailored to the needs of your systems. In our case the ACARS system was designed to have a small amount of load in transmitting data and therefore and IPsec with fixed pre-shared keys (7) would be very helpful because it has limited data exchanged in order to provide security. On the other hand, protocols based on asymmetric cryptosystems (7) are able to provide better security but in a higher data load cost. Wireless Communication Threat Model In order to be able to provide better solutions in the wireless communication channel, we must be able to identify the threat that are possible to be faced during the transfer of data. In order to do so we must have a threat model that is tailored to our needs. In order to create a threat model, we must also know the adversaries capabilities. In the case of wireless networks according to the article (8) authors, which are the one that ACARS uses, the adversary usually has the ability to receive and transmit data (8), should be able to monitor the network and in order to do the previous two, he must have knowledge on how the network was setup. Commonly, if the attacker is able to eavesdrop a wireless, he will be able to inject traffic (8) into the network. All of the above capabilities in my opinion are depended to the knowledge he has and to the money he is willing to spend in order to be able to perform such tasks. The main attacks he can perform to a wireless network has to do with spoofing attacks (8), replay attacks (8) which I believe is easily solved by the freshness aspect of security, eavesdropping (8) compromise or introduction of nodes, wireless jamming (8) and finally a denial of service (8) attack by increasing extremely the load of the network. ACARS Security per Honeywell Per Honeywell, ACARS is using a message security system that is able to provide message authentication, confidentiality and data integrity, which are the basic aspects that need to be protected. Based on an ICAO document regarding the security plan a public key infrastructure and other cryptographic algorithms are used in order to protect the data transmitted. More specifically, according to the ARINC specification 823 (4) the security of the messages is split in two different parts. The first part was published on 2007 and contains everything regarding the framework of the security, such as algorithms, protocols and message formats. The second parts are about the key management of this security mechanism and was published 1 year later and contains information regarding the key life cycle and the how a certificate is managed. Furthermore, two different security provisions were developed and each of them had different characteristics regarding the mechanisms used in order to protect the data transmitted. The first one is called ATN/OSI Security and it was described in the ICAO document 9880. This kind of security foresight used digital signatures which uses the Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman cryptographic algorithm combined with a SHA256 in order to generate and verify the signatures. As for Message authentication, it uses hashed MAC with a 32bit MAC length. A key agreement is used in order to share the public key that will then be used in order for the recipient to be able to derive the secret key and be able to decode the message sent. The second one is called ACARS Security ARINC 823. This one also uses the digital signatures in order to sign the message and the specifications of the digitals signatures are similar to the first security foresight, making use of the elliptic curve Diffie-Hellman algorithm combined with a SHA256 for the signature generation and verification. Again, for the message authentication a hashed MAC is being used but in this case the length of the MAC is not standard. It could be 32 bit, 64 bit or even 128 bit, with the default one to be the 32 bit. The main difference between the two security foresights is that the previous didnt require a confidentiality mechanism to be in place. On the other hand, this one uses for encryption and AES128 cipher algorithm that is mainly used to encrypt and decrypt the messages. Finally, the key establishment mechanism is similar on both security foresights, meaning that both of them use an elliptic curve Diffie-Hellman with SHA256 algorithm to provide the communication channel with a secret key agreement, shared public key and the derivation of the secret key. Threats As the technology is improved, the computers become more powerful, leading in the implementation of better security mechanisms but also in increasing amount of computing power that possible attackers have in their hands. This along with the ability given to the public to be able to track the flights using the ADS-B can have possible backdoors that can threaten the safety of the flights. The main use of this surveillance technology is for the improvement of the safety and efficiency of the flights. This technology also lead to the creation of a web application and smartphone application, that gave the ability to anyone to be able to track any aircraft in the world that had this technology active. Anyone with a cheap hardware setup could receive the information sent to the ground by the aircrafts. If an attacker is able to intercept these signals, he is able to perform passive attacks like eavesdropping the communications or furthermore, block the response from the ATC (jamming) and finally send his response back (message injection), could result in the attacker to be able to perform an active attack and penetrate the aircrafts navigation system. Another possible attack according the article (6) this attacks could result in the virtually modifying the trajectory of an aircraft (6). After the attacker, has gained access to the aircraft systems, he can receive information via the ACARS system. If the ACARS system is not protected correctly, the attacker will be able to exploit the systems and either insert false information to the avionics or just attach a virus or malware and have a constant access to the aircrafts avionics and information. Furthermore, the attacker could gain access to the FMS he will be able to mess with the navigation and flight planning such as waypoints, altitudes, speeds, alternate the destination airport of the flight etc. This will result to the attacker being in complete control of the aircraft, with the pilots not being able to do much in order to gain back the control of the aircraft. Although the ACARS system was updated regularly and the ACARS AMS was developed in order to provide end to end security, many airlines decided to not use it and instead provide some security by obscurity (6), which according to my opinion could lead in more risks and better security because no one has tested the security algorithms that are used and therefore if there is any vulnerability in the security algorithm, the company will never be aware of it, leaving the communication channel open to zero day attacks. The cost of the hardware needed to complete such an attack is not high. Using online shopping web applications or other sellers, the possible attacker will be able to buy the necessary hardware such as FMS hardware, air to ground transmitters, ACARS manager hardware and other hardware, in order to perform such an attack. By using one of the most known flight simulator software, combined with the necessary hardware and finally by exploiting any vulnerabilities in the security of ACARS and FMS systems, they can manage to gain control of the aircraft with low cost. There are many ways the attacker could gain access or perform attacks against the aircrafts. These ways may include attacks via the internet by exploiting bugs in web applications, vulnerabilities against software, SQL injections to databases or other vulnerabilities that are not fixed in mobile applications. There are two different threat models according to the authors of the article On perception and reality in the wireless air traffic communication security (6). The two different threat models are the traditional aviation threat model (6) and the Modern threat model (6). The main difference between these two according the article are that the software-defined radios are widely available to the public and along with them to possible attackers and the change between analogue instruments and digital instruments, with the second ones to give the ability to the users to transmit more data in electronic form. These could lead to an increase in the abilities hackers to eavesdrop, modify and inject data on the communications channel. The traditional threat model is used from when the first forms of communication were implemented in aviation. As years passed the communication channels were improved and the amount of data that was transmitted increased rapidly. The authors of the article characterize the article as naÃÆ'Â ¯ve (6) of the reasons of inferior technological capabilities and financial capabilities, requirement of inside knowledge and the use of analog communication. (6). I can agree with their opinion because I believe that indeed the threat model is very old and due to the new technologies, along with the low cost of a setup that could allow to interfere with the communications of an aircraft, the risk will be much higher. The second threat model is the modern threat model. It has major changes from the first one due to the increased digitalisation and automation (6) of the aircrafts communication channels. Also, the increased technological capabilities (6) such as cheap hardware could lead to possible attacks that could not be performed when the first threat model was developed. Finally, people could easily gain aviation knowledge (6) from the internet, flight simulator software, which could increase the seriousness of the attacks that could be performed. For the above reasons and from my own experience with aviation knowledge and flight simulator software, I would agree that this model is more up to date and more tailored to identify the threats that todays aircraft face. Concluding on the above-mentioned information, the aviation world and more specifically the security of the aircrafts, crews and passengers are far from safe. This is because even with the security measures that are already researched, the airlines do not always implement them. Also, the technology required and the cost of acquiring such technology makes it easier for attackers to perform either passive or active attacks against aircrafts. The above when combined with the knowledge of an attacker can lead to great threats against the aircrafts. In order to maintain the aviation world safe, the need to reassess the risk of attacks under realistic system models and the development of appropriate countermeasures (6) should be identified and embraced along with new end to end security implementations are proposed and if approved implemented by airlines. Such security mechanisms must be tested in order to be totally sure that all vulnerabilities are patched and that it will never have a backdoor that could allow an attacker to perform an attack. In my opinion in order to be able to be sure that a security mechanisms that will be placed is totally secure, we must first learn our adversaries, understand their capabilities, intentions, motive and upon all knowledge and financial state. Next, we must understand what passive and active attacks an adversary can perform. If we manage to understand the above aspects of our adversaries, then we must understand what has to be done in order to prevent them from launching an attack against the aircraft- ground communications channel and ground network. By having the necessary information about the adversaries and the protection mechanisms that we can implement, then we must evaluate those already implemented and find ways to enhance them. References Smith, M., M. Strohmeier, V. Lenders, and I. Martinovic. On the security and privacy of ACARS. (016 Integrated Communications Navigation and Surveillance (ICNS)): 1-27. Web. 15 Feb. 2017. Aircraft Communications, Addressing and Reporting System. Aircraft Communications, Addressing and Reporting System SKYbrary Aviation Safety. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS). Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS). N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. Olive, Michael . ACARS Message Security (AMS) as a Vehicle for Validation of ICAO Doc. 9880 Part IV-B Security Requirements. Proc. of ICAO ACP WG-M Meeting, Belgium, Brussels. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 1-12. Print. Yue, M., and X. Wu. The Approach of ACARS Data Encryption and Authentication. 2010 International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Security (2010): 556-60. Web. 10 Feb. 2017. Strohmeier, Martin, Matthias Schafer, Rui Pinheiro, Vincent Lenders, and Ivan Martinovic. On Perception and Reality in Wireless Air Traffic Communication Security. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems (2016): 1-20. Web. Akram, Raja Naeem, Konstantinos Markantonakis, Keith Mayes, Pierre-Francois Bonnefoi, Damien Sauveron, and Serge Chaumette. Security and performance comparison of different secure channel protocols for Avionics Wireless Networks. 2016 IEEE/AIAA 35th Digital Avionics Systems Conference (DASC) (2016): n. pag. Web. Akram, Raja Naeem, Konstantinos Markantonakis, Royal Holloway, Sharadha Kariyawasam, Shahid Ayub, Amar Seeam, and Robert Atkinson. Challenges of security and trust in Avionics Wireless Networks. 2015 IEEE/AIAA 34th Digital Avionics Systems Conference (DASC) (2015): n. pag. Web. Network Graphic. Digital image. ATC Data Link News. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

Quality Management Essays -- continuous improvement

Executive Summary This report shows the use of Quality management techniques that are essential in the growth of performance in the field of manufacturing and services in business firms. Effective quality management can underpin organizational success. It is a field that is relatively new and growing market as it developed from the 1920s gradually to the contemporary society. Originating from principles of quality control that were the initial stages of the growth of the business, the idea has given growth to the standards of estimation of management standards like the ISO certification that most organizations pursue. The major areas that have stimulated quality management concern the satisfaction of the final consumer, continuous improvement of the processes, and the participation of the employees in the management. Various scholars formulated models that aid in the implementation of quality management techniques in the companies that are highly productive and desire highly effective and efficient performance in its operations. They include Six Sigma, Quality Improvement Techniques (QIT), Management by Objectives (MBO) among others. These have been modified into the ISO Certification models that continue to improve after almost every year. The concept of Total Quality Management has come as an advanced style of quality management that still lays emphasis on the fundamental principles of continuous improvement, focus on the consumer, teamwork and communication and has seen great successes in reputable companies which have had their own way of implementing them. Introduction Quality management is a concept that is needful to organizations of all kinds in order to sustain an exceptional performance in the competitive ma... ... 11/6 pp 419 – 425,1999 (17) McKee, B., 1992, "Turn Your Workers into A Team," Nation's Business. (18) Muir, J., 2004, Collecting & analyzing benchmarking data, Universal City, TX: Library Benchmarking International. (19) Pasmore, A., 1994, "Developing Self-managing Work Teams," Compensation and Benefit Review. (20) Pett, T. & Miller, T., 1994, "Employee Empowerment" Southwest Academy of Management. (21) Reynolds, L., 2005, â€Å"The feds join the quality movement†, Management Review 81, 39-40. (22) Spanbauer, J., 1990, "A Quality System for Education," Quality. (23) Stein, E., 1994, Next Phase of Total Quality Management, Marcel Dekker, Inc. (24) Stokes, Jr & Stewart, L., 1991, "Is Without Managers," Information Strategy the Executive's Journal, Fall.Proceedings. (25) Wellins, R., 1995, "Texas Instruments Gets from Here to There," Training & Development .

Moral Education and Emotional Lying Essay -- Philosophy Papers

Moral Education and Emotional Lying There is a long tradition, fathered by Aristotle and recurring like some recessive gene in recent virtue theorists, that holds that the emotions, like acts, must be 'trained'. Consider the following: [In Beckett's portrayal,] "Emotions are not feelings that well up in some natural and untutored way from our natural selves, that they are, in fact, not personal or natural at all, that they are, instead, contrivances, social constructs. We learn how to feel, and we learn our emotional repertoire. We learn emotions in the same way that we learn our beliefs — from our society." (Nussbaum 1990, p287) "Emotions, in Aristotle's view, are not always correct, any more than beliefs or actions are always correct. They need to be educated and brought into harmony with a correct view of the good human life ... with regard to both passions and actions". (Nussbaum 1994, p96) "Developing moral character ... requires training and developing passions and patterns of desire, choice, and emotion." (Stocker, 1980) According to Stuart Hampshire's 'second theory' in Two Theories of Morality (Oxford, 1977), Aristotle's proponent asserts that "one's childhood morality needs civilizing adjustment". (quoted by Stevens, p.6) "If [moral] education does not revolve around issues such as what to fear, what to be angry about, ... I do not know what it is. ... As Aristotle perceived, we are concerned with ... the education of the emotions." (Williams 1973, p225) Rorty (1980b), following Aristotle, also holds that emotions are learned. Now, it is clear that people can be trained to exhibit 'appropriate' emotions at the 'appropriate' time and to the 'appropriate' degree, or they learn to do so in... ...d. Explaining Emotions. Berkeley, 1980. (Rorty 1980b) Rorty, Amà ©lie Oksenberg. "Introduction". Pages 1-7 in Rorty (1980a). (Stevens 1981) Stevens, Rex P. Kant on Moral Practice. Mercer University Press, Macon, Ga., 1981. (Stocker 1980) Stocker, Michael. "Intellectual Desire, Emotion, and Action". Pages 323-338 in Rorty (1980a). (Williams 1973) Williams, Bernard. "Morality and the Emotions". Pages 207-229 in Problems of the Self (Cambridge, 1973). (Williams 1981) Williams, Bernard. "Moral Luck", pages 20-39 in Moral Luck. Cambridge University Press, 1981. (Williams 1993) Williams, Bernard. "Moral Luck: A Postscript", in Statman, Daniel, ed. Moral Luck. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1993; reprinted in Williams (1995), pages 241-247. (Williams 1995) Williams, Bernard. Making Sense of Humanity. Cambridge University Press, 1995.

Cancer Genesis and Cancer Treatments: an Overview Essay -- Health, Dis

The human body is made up of trillions of living cells all working together. Normally, these cells grow, divide, and die. However, sometimes the process is mismanaged; and during this time, uncontrolled cellular growth and division occurs. The uncontrolled growth and division lead to tumors, which usually leads to cancer. However, not all tumors lead to cancer. In addition, the word cancer is a general name given to over 100 diseases, which begin with uncontrolled cellular growth. If these growths are left untreated, they can cause severe illness and even death. In the United States, half of all men and one-third of all women will develop cancer sometime during their lifetimes. The threat of developing cancer can be reduced by changing one’s lifestyle. A better diet (Ames, 2001; Bergstrà ¶m et al., 2001), daily physical activity( Kampert et al., 1996), limiting sun exposure (Elwood et al., 1997), quitting smoking (Peto et al., 2000), and reducing excessive alcohol consumption (Tsugane et al., 1999); all add up to a reduced the probability of developing cancer. In addition, the earlier a cancer is diagnosed and treated, the less likely that that individual will die of it. Therefore, the combination of early diagnosis, therapies and lifestyle changes can beat the occurrence of cancer. Cancer Genesis Cancer begins when a cell starts to grow out of control. All cancers begin with out-of-control growth due to damaged DNA. DNA is the genetic material found in every cell, it contains instruction and blue prints for cellular growth, division, and death. Normally, when DNA damage occurs the cell has mechanism to either repair the damage or initiate its own death. However in cancer cells, the DNA damage is not repaired nor does the cell com... ...l activity involving regulatory, metabolic and healing processes. Electrical currents that occur at the site of injuries such as bone fractures are considered a sign of healing energy. In salamanders this contributes to the processes involved in limb regeneration† (O’Clock, 1999). Another type of energy medicine is Ayurveda, which is an ancient Indian medicine system .The therapy re-establishes harmony between the body, mind, and forces of nature to cure cancers and other illness. The therapy requires exercise, herbal remedies, lifestyle changes, and meditation. Practitioners of Ayurveda strengthen and purify their bodies and mind and increase their spiritual awareness. A recent clinical study, by the National Institutes of Health, showed that in 79% of cases, patients with chronic disease had significant improvements after Ayurvedic treatment (Treatments, 2011).

Importance of Karachi in Pakistani literature Essay

Discuss the connection between 1947 partition and the fiction of second generation writings. In 1947 partition when people started to migrate most of the Urdu speaking settled in Karachi. The local Sindhis were not very literate but laborers, workers etc but when the Urdu speaking migrated, most of them were highly educated, thus the white collar jobs were given to them. This gave rise to a major conflict between the local Sindhis and the Muhajirs. Mujajirs were looked upon with hatred because the local people thought they’ve snatched their rights. There was a tussle between the two groups. Karachi was becoming the battleground of ethnicity. Karachi is the biggest metropolis of the country with its economic, industrial and financial hub and the main commercial port. According to past census, half of Karachi’s 8.9 million populations had Urdu as its mother tongue, another quarter was made up of speakers of Pashtu and Punjabi while Sindhis were just five per cent of the p opulation of the capital of Sindh, and half of them lived in the suburban area of Malir. On the other hand, Karachi had more Pashtuns than Peshawar, the capital of Pakhtunkhwa! In late 70s and early 80s there were economic issues over the country and the workers from different areas migrated to Karachi, especially the Pathan and Punjabi purely of economic reason. Most of the transport system was dominated by Pathans so it was a blow for the local Sindhis that these strangers are coming to our cities snf tking jobs that belong to us. Same was the case with the Punjabis. They were laborours who used to work on low wages but the main thing was that they were employed. Karachi is a multiethnic, multilingual, multicultural and multireligious metropolitan city. There are many communities in Karachi. There are: Ethnic minorities Sectarian minorities Religious minorities Same thing was happening with the karachians as it was with Bengalis. Bengalis were immigrants on 1947 but in 1971 they were once again asked to leave the country and move to Bangladesh. There was ethnic crisis in Karachi in 1980s and 1990s. It was really hard to live there at that time. Every single day people were massacred. When you have grudges in your mind, it multiplies, you can’t forget about it. These conflicts are highlighted in  Kamila Shamsie’s novels as well as in Tawfeeq Rafat’s poems. In his poem â€Å"Karachi 1968† he writes, â€Å"No, I do not think I shall come in terms With this grey place. It shortens my breath And pinches my eyes.†According to Tawfeeq Rafat, Karachi is a dead city. There is no activity there except that of violence. There is eco melancholia everywhere. Jonathan Raban has described city into two types. Hard city: Material fabric of built environment. Soft city: individualized interpretation of city. So when the karachians dream about Karachi, how it will return to its normal place is example of soft city. Likewise Tawfeeq Rafat talks about a positive region. â€Å"Children salute smartly as we pass, And the old women gathering faggots Have a smile to spare for the stranger.† The people of Karachi never truly got independence. They are suffering from 1947 till now. All they do is hope for a positive region where they can live happily, where they are not taunted for being a muhajir, where they can live a peaceful life according to their own will and all these things are highlighted by the second generation writers. They refer back to 1947 because all of this started from that point.

Five forces Analysis of Two-wheeler industry Essay

As shown above, the business model is formulated as input ïÆ'   process ïÆ'   output. For a two wheeler industry, The inputs to the OEM constitutes of 1. Import of parts: the basic ingredients for model building are the parts such as drive chains, engines, components, transmissions etc. 2. Auto Component Manufacturer: There are 300+ players in the industry which manufacture auto parts components and perform tasks such as castings, forgings, tires etc 3. Raw material Supplier: This forms the initial requirement for the development of any vehicle. The raw material of which it is composed of consists of sheet metal, aluminium etc. The processing involves: 1. Manufacturer Original Equipment Manufacturer(OEM): The industry is highly concentrated with 3 players constituting 80% of the market share, namely Hero Moto, Bajaj Auto & Honda Motors. This industry has a turnover of 55K Cr by producing over 13.33mn units in the FY 2011. 2. Dealership Network Dealer: In the Indian domestic market, the dealer are numbered over 2000 Sub- Dealer: The sub dealers, also known as the touch points are over 12000. This dealership network forms the competitive advantage of a company in the market Service Centers: These provide after sales service for the two wheeler industry and form the part of maintenance and helps in building customer loyalty. The output part of the business model comprises of 1. Domestic Customers: There is a low penetration in the domestic market with coverage in rural market as low as 7%. 2. International Customers: The major markets for two wheelers are Africa, Latin America & South East Asia INDUSTRY ANALYSIS The industry is highly concentrated and there is a strong foothold by 3 major players in the industry namely Hero Moto constituting 39% of the market share, Bajaj Auto constituting 27% of the market share and finally Honda Motors with 14% market share. So, these 3 major players sum to 80% of the total industry market share. The Indian Auto sector had a volume growth of 13% CAGR over the last 5 years- Driven by two wheelers which account for 80% of the total volumes Two wheeler sales reached INR 55K Cr and volumes reached 13.3 mn units clocking a CAGR of 15% and 13% respectively over 2006-2011. This works to an average realization – Rs 42000 or 1.2x the real per capita GDP of India. Domestic volume growth has been strong over the past five years growing at 11% CAGR Exports have been a significant factor to contribute to overall volumes with a growth of 27% CAGR over the last 5 years. Year to date, the volume sales growth in two wheelers has surpassed all other automobile segments. FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS What is it? Five Forces Analysis is a tool that enables managers to study the key factors in an industry envi ­ronment that shape that nature of competition: (1) rivalry among current competitors, (2) threat of new entrants, (3) substitutes and complements, (4) power of suppliers, and (5) power of buyers. When do we use it? In a strategic analysis, Five Forces Analysis is an excellent method to help you analyze how competi ­tive forces shape an industry in order to adapt or influence the nature of competition. Collectively, the Five Forces determine the attractiveness of an industry, its profit potential, and the ease and attractiveness of mobility from one strategic position to another. Because  of this, the analysis is useful when firms are making decisions about entry or exit from an industry as well as to identify major threats and opportunities in an industry. Why do we use it? This analysis was originally developed by Michael Porter, a Harvard professor and a noted author ­ity on strategy. While all firms operate in a broad socioeconomic environment that includes legal, social, environmental, and economic factors, firms also operate in a more immediate competitive environment. The structure of this competitive environment determines both the overall attractive ­ness of an industry and helps identify opportunities to favorably position a firm within an industry. Porter identified five primary forces that determine the competitive environment: (1) rivalry among current competitors, (2) threat of new entrants, (3) substitutes and complements, (4) power of sup ­pliers, and (5) power of buyers. 1. Rivalry Among the direct and obvious forces in the industry, existing competitors must first deal with one another. When organizations compete for the same customers and try to win market share at the others’ expense, all must react to and anticipate their competi ­tors’ actions. 2. Threat of Entrants New entrants into an industry compete with established companies placing downward pressure on prices and ultimately profits. In the last century, Japanese automobile manufacturers Toyota, Honda, and Nissan represented formidable new entrants to the U.S. market, threatening the market position of established U.S. players GM, Ford, and Chrysler. The existence of substantial barriers to entry helps protect the profit potential of existing firms and makes an industry more attractive. 3. Substitutes and Complements Besides firms that directly compete, other firms can affect industry dynamics by providing substitute products or services that are functionally similar (i.e., accomplishing the same goal) but technically different. The existence of substitutes threatens demand in the industry and puts downward pressure on prices and margins. While substitutes are a potential threat, a complement is a potential opportunity because customers buy more of a given  product if they also demand more of the complementary product. For example, iTunes was established as an important complement to Apple’s iPod, and now the firm has leveraged connections among its suite of products including iPhone, iPad, and the like. 4. Power of Suppliers Suppliers provide resources in the form of people, raw materials, com ­ponents, information, and financing. Suppliers are important because they can dictate the nature of exchange and the potential value created farther up the chain toward buyers. Suppliers with greater power can negotiate better prices squeezing the margins of down ­stream buyers. 5. Power of Buyers Buyers in an industry may include end consumers, but frequently the term refers to distributors, retailers, and other intermediaries. Like suppliers, buyers may have important bargaining powers that dictate the means of exchange in a transaction. According to Porter, successful managers do more than simply react to this environment; they act in ways that actually shape or â€Å"enact† the organization’s competitive environment. For example, a firm’s introduction of substitute products or services can have a substantial influence over the competitive environment, and in turn this may have a direct impact on the attractiveness of an industry, its potential profitability, and competitive dynamics. I. Bargaining power of buyers: High Who are the buyers of this industry: Individual customers who purchase and use two wheelers for the purpose of transportation. This category of customers considers two wheelers as a necessity than a luxury. In a developing country like India, especially in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, two wheelers are extremely popular amongst families and students. Scooters are considered to be utility vehicles transporting a family of 2-3 at a time and providing good mileage. Bikes on the other hand come in a variety of segments. They can cost less, acting as utility vehicles. They can be costing very high, acting as luxury products for their owners. The  following points can be aggregated to determine the relative bargaining power of buyers against the automobile manufacturing firms. The bargaining power in this case would mean to what extent the buyers can negotiate prices of the two wheelers. This buying power would determine the market price of the two wheelers in the long run. It also indicates the intensity of rivalry amongst the existing firms in the market. Product Differentiation: Low The features in two-wheelers produced by the Indian manufacturers like Bajaj, Honda, TVS etc. are very close to each other. These features include appearance, Price, Quality and other functional features. This implies that: The buyers can shift from one product to another, as they do not have affinity for any specific product Information Availability: High High availability of information over the internet, leads to higher bargaining power with the buyer to compare the various features and price of products thus leading to lower bargaining power with the manufacturing firms. Type of Economy: Developing India being a Developing economy, is a big hub for two wheeler manufacturers. A two wheeler is a necessity in small towns even today. The large number of customers lowers their bargaining power to some extent. However, this is offset by the large number of suppliers. This is good news for the automobile firms as their product is going to remain in demand for a while at least and they don’t have to worry about declining sales for some time in India. Number of Suppliers: High The number of companies manufacturing automobiles is high in India. With each major player opening showrooms in not only Tier I but II and III cities, the consumers have a wide variety of options to choose from. The number of buyers and sellers in market is high. These two effects offset each other. This implies that: The bargaining power of consumers is high because of this effect as the consumers have the option of going to another brand if they do not like the functional features or price of one brand. In case of utility  vehicles manufacturing category, Rohtak alone has two showrooms of the major players in the market. This implies an empowered consumer. Switching Cost: Moderate The switching costs are higher than FMCG goods however are low compared to many other high involvement products. A basic two wheeler starts from about Rs 40,000. This cost maybe high for some people and not so significant for others. However as two wheelers hardly have any associated products, which would require compatibility with the product, the switching cost is low. Also due to a well-established second hand market in India, the vehicles can be easily resold these days. This also covers up for the switching costs to some extent. II. Bargaining Power of the Supplier : LOW Organizations would be at a disadvantage if their suppliers are powerful. They should preferably not be dependent on any supplier. Now suppliers can be powerful if the number of firms providing thie particular service or product are few in number( eg. A monopoly, oligopoly).The number of the firms determine their bargaining power. The power gets by the increase in existence of switching costs for the various firms. Moreover, firms in an industry have power if they have many alternative sources of supply or if they have a credible threat of integrating backward to provide their own sources of supply. So even supply chain management is particularly important in industries where the potential power of suppliers is high. Now, for a 2 wheeler Industry there would be various suppliers which can be broadly classified into 4 broad categories:- 1)Steel industry 2)Tyre industry 3)Auto components industry 4) Battery industry Steel Industry The 2 wheeler industry in India mostly imports all the automotive steel. Around 65% of the steel is imported for automobiles. The cheap import duty helps the 2 wheeler industry to import high quality steel. So the prices of  steel is determined by mostly international markets, so the bargaining possibility is less for the steel suppliers. Demand for automotive steel such as inner components and outer body parts comprises just 7-8 million tonnes (mt) a year out of India’s total production of about 78 mt, but is growing at 10-20% a year even as overall demand growth lags economic growth. The companies in India which develop automotive steel have now decided to expand in this area and many companies have entered into joint ventures with various international companies like Sumitomo + Bhushan Steels, Jfe+jsw, Tata+Nippon joint ventures. So the 2 wheeler industry has a lot of vendors both nationally and internationally to choose from. Thus, the bargaining power of the supplier is low. Auto components and Battery Industry Both the Auto Components industry and the Battery industry in India are highly fragmented .There suppliers highly outnumber the 2 wheeler companies. Examples of a few companies which provide auto components in the automobile industry are Rico Auto Industries Ltd, JBM Group, Sona Koyo Steering Systems and Lumax Industries, Indication Instruments Ltd Aisin Seiki Co.,BorgWarner,Continental, Delphi, Denso Corporation, Eaton, FAG, Faurecia, GKN,Honda Foundry Co. Ltd., Honeywell,Knorr Bremse, Koyo,Magna,Magneti Marelli, Mando Corporation, Meritor,Mitsuba Corporation, NHK Spring,Robert Bosch,Showa Corporation, Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Toyoda Gosei, USHIN, Valeo, Visteon,Yazaki and many more. Amaron ,exide,luminous,kaycee ,sumangal,action,tata batteries are just a few examples of the Battery Companies in India.Thus, since the number of suppliers is huge the bargaining power they enjoy is low. Tyre Industry It can be clearly seen in the pie chart below that for tyre industry in India, 53% of the tyre consumption is by the 2 wheeler industry. The benefits are given to them as they are buying in bulk and the relation gives the tyre firms a strong brand association. At present there are 40 listed companies in the tyre sector in India.Major players are MRF, JK Tyres, and Apollo Tyres & CEAT, which account for 63 per  cent of the organized tyre market. The other key players include Modi Rubber, Kesoram Industriesand Goodyear India, with 11 per cent, 7 per cent and 6 per cent share respectively. Dunlop,Falcon, Tyre Corporation of India Limited (TCIL), TVS-Srichakra, Metro Tyres and Balkrishna Tyres are some of the other significant players in the industry. Thus , with so many players in the market and also with the power to give tyre companies brand association, the 2 wheeler industry is at a huge advantage and the bargaining power of the tyre suppliers is low. III. Threats of Substitutes : LOW Number of Substitutes: High Substitutes can be cars, electrical vehicles, public transport and rickshaw/taxi. There are many players in the market for four-wheelers. Also, in metros and some of the tier-II cities, public transport facility is quite good. Thus, this can be a negative factor for two-wheeler industry. But two-wheeler may be a better option for 2 people in the same price range. Flexibility is also high compared to public transport. These facts nullify the negative effect of this factor. Public Transport Infrastructure: Moderate As of today, public transport is not very well developed in India but its developing day by day. In tier-1 cities, people have started preferring public transportation for routine tasks but people in other regions don’t have an option. Scope of Differentiation: High There is a high scope of innovation in this industry as the technologies are ever changing. Customization according to the customer needs is important and attracts consumers’ attention towards one vehicle from another. Lifestyle in India: Changing Common Man’s lifestyle is changing in India and number of people working in a family are increasing. Most of them prefer one vehicle per head to commute. For a middle class family, two wheeler is the only feasible option in such cases looking at its flexibility and affordability. Thus, changing lifestyle  is a positive sign for this industry. Cost of Switching to Substitutes: High People switch to substitutes for a reason. Given below are some of the reasons why people switch to substitutes. Cars: Comfort, status Symbol, safety Public Vehicles : Affordability, Safety, Cost, Pollution, Time saving Electrical Vehicles: Environmental friendly, Maintenance cost Here is the negative side of switching to substitutes. Public transport vehicles are not readily available for transportation within the city/town/village except in a few cities in India. For the regions where public transports are not available, only four-wheeler or electrical vehicles remains the substitute to a two-wheeler. Electrical vehicles at present not competitive with respect to present petrol running vehicles. No established player is offering Electrical vehicles. Switching cost from a two-wheeler to a four-wheeler is quite high as investment will be needed to switch the product. Also running cost is more for a four wheeler. The above table shows the calculation of running cost of a two-wheeler and a four-wheeler per km. The numbers are rationally assumed for reaching to quantified figures. As we can see from above calculations, running cost of a four-wheeler is almost 3.5 times more than that of a two-wheeler. Thus, we conclude that the cost of switching to substitutes is LOW in the case of two-wheelers. Seeing all the five factors contributing to Threats of Substitutes, it can be safely concluded that this threat is LOW. Lower running costs, higher addressable market and lack of public transport make two wheeler industry attractive. IV. Threat of New Entrants : MODERATE-WEAK Capital requirements: Moderate High capital requirements mean a company must spend a lot of money in order to compete in the market. The investment made by the company depends upon the type of expansion. High capital requirements positively affect 2 Wheeler Industry India. â€Å"High Capital Requirements (2 Wheeler Industry India)† is an easy qualitative factor to overcome, so the investment will not have to spend much time trying to overcome this issue. Easy to overcome this disadvantage High sunk costs High sunk costs make it difficult for a competitor to enter a new market, because they have to commit money up front with no guarantee of returns in the end. High sunk costs positively affect 2 Wheeler Industry India. This statement will have a short-term positive impact on this entity, which adds to its value. â€Å"High Sunk Costs Limit Competition (2 Wheeler Industry India)† will have a long-term negative impact on this entity, which subtracts from the entity’s value. â€Å"High Sunk Costs Limit Competition (2 Wheeler Industry  India)† is an easy qualitative factor to overcome, so the investment will not have to spend much time trying to overcome this issue. 5 Forces analysis: High negative impact in the long run High positive impact in the short run Easy to overcome this disadvantage Strong brands If strong brands are critical to compete, then new competitors will have to improve their brand value in order to effectively compete. Strong brands positively affect Two Wheeler Industry India. The 3 major players contribute to 80% of the market share Hero Moto, Bajaj Auto, Honda Motors. Advanced technologies Advanced technologies make it difficult for new competitors to enter the market because they have to develop those technologies before effectively competing. The requirement for advanced technologies positively affects Two Wheeler Industry India. Economies of scale Economies of scale help producers to lower their cost by producing the next unit of output at lower costs. When new competitors enter the market, they will have a higher cost of production, because they have smaller economies of scale. Economies of scale positively affect Two Wheeler Industry India.†Industry Requires Economies of Scale (Automobile Industry India)† has a significant impact, so an analyst should put more weight into it. â€Å"Industry Requires Economies of Scale (Two Wheeler Industry India)† will have a long-term negative impact on this entity, which subtracts from the entity’s value. This force has significant impact High negative impact in long run Patents Patents that cover vital technologies make it difficult for new competitors, because the best methods are patented. Patents positively affect Two Wheeler Industry India. Customer Loyalty It takes time and money to build a brand. When companies need to spend resources building a brand, they have fewer resources to compete in the marketplace. These costs positively affect Two Wheeler Industry India. High learning curves When the learning curve is high, new competitors must spend time and money studying the market before they can effectively compete. High learning curves positively affect profits for industry. High switching costs High switching costs make it difficult for customers to change which products they normally purchase, due to costs. High switching costs positively affect Two Wheeler Industry India. High Switching Costs for Customers has a significant impact, so an analyst should put more weight into it.†High Switching Costs for Customers will have a long-term positive impact on this entity, which adds to its value. This statement will have a short-term positive impact on this entity, which adds to its value. This force has significant impact High positive impact in long run High positive impact in short run Strong distribution networks Weak distribution networks mean goods are more expensive to move around and some goods don’t get to the end customer. The expense of building a strong distribution network positively affects Two Wheeler Industry India. â€Å"Strong Distribution Network Required † has a significant impact, so an analyst should put more weight into it. â€Å"Strong Distribution Network Required – Two Wheeler Industry India† will have a long-term positive impact on this entity, which adds to its value. â€Å"Strong Distribution Network Required – Two Wheeler Industry India† is a difficult qualitative factor to defend, so competing institutions will have an easy time overcoming it. This force has significant impact High positive impact in long run Difficult to defend advantage High entry barriers When barriers are high, it is more difficult for new competitors to enter the market. High entry barriers positively affect profits for Two Wheeler Industry India. So to sum it all, for the two wheeler industry the threat of new entrants is moderate to weak. INTENSITY OF RIVALRY AMONG EXISTING COMPETITORS : MODERATE Among the direct and obvious forces in the automobile industry, existing competitors must first deal with one another. When organizations compete for the same customers and try to win market share at the others’ expense, all must react to and anticipate their competitors’ actions. There are 3 main factors along which the intensity of rivalry amongst existing players in the automobile industry have been identified 1. Number Of Competitors:- The number of competitors within an industry is a direct correlation to the intensity of competition, all else being equal. The industry concentration was studied using Hirschman-Herfindahl Index. The data for studying HHI was obtained from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy. Yearly sales volume data for various brands of two-wheelers in the three segments were obtained for the period 2008- 2012 and was computed. The above figure shows that the 2 Wheeler Industry is oligopolistic in nature and there is less competition even after deregulation of the Indian Economy. The Motorcycle segment is characterised by a few large players who have established their presence. The leading player is Honda Motorcycles with almost 50% market share. The Moped industry is a monopoly and TVS is the only player which has been able to capture the entire market. The scooter industry has crossed the shakeout phase post 2004 when the Activa type models were being imitated by all major players across the segments. This too has a HHI of .309 indicating less competition. 2. Incentive to Fight:- The incentive to fight is primarily related to finding out how competitors  fix prices i.e whether they engage in price wars, or engage in aggressive activities with the aim of increasing market share. This shall further be explored among 3 other parameters. A. Growth In Automobile Industry There has been substantial growth in the automobile industry in India and it has already crossed the 25 Billion Rupee mark and has had a 13.7% CAGR over the past 5 years. Over the medium term, the 2W industry is expected to report a volume CAGR of 9-11% to reach a size of 24-26 million units by 2016-17. This will be due to the (a) favourable demographic profile, (b) increasing personal income as well as (c) moderate penetration in relation to other Emerging Markets. Therefore there is substantial opportunity for growth leading to less competition. B. Demand – Supply Gap Most two wheeler have idle capacity as the supply exceeds demand. Moreover as many players are planning to increase manufacturing operations, it is estimated that the total supply will exceed demand by almost 15 to 20%. This problem has been compounded by the fact that foreign entrants are planning to enter India as growth in European and American markets have stagnated. This will lead to more competition. C. Nature of Demand The nature of demand is highly cyclical in nature. In times of high growth in the Indian Economy there is corresponding revenue growth for all 2 wheeler companies. This can be seen more from the growth of the 2 Wheeler Industry during recession which slowed substantially. In fact the motorcycles segment had dipped to negative growth during that period. Our group believes that after evaluating the three factors, there will soon be a tendency for the firms to engage in fierce competition as the stakes are increased manifold. This will ultimately lead to more competition for existing players and international players who are thinking of venturing into the industry. 3. Coordination between competitors According to the Indian Constitution, â€Å"The Competition Act, 2002, as amended by the Competition (Amendment) Act, 2007, follows the philosophy of modern competition laws. The Act prohibits anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominant position by enterprises and regulates combinations (acquisition, acquiring of control and Merger and Acquisition), which causes or likely to cause an appreciable adverse effect on competition within India† which prevents firms from colluding implicitly or explicitly colluding. Till now there has been no tendency amongst firms of colluding, hence the market is still competitive in terms of the coordination between competitors. Considering all the factors, the competitive landscape within the industry is still not yet clearly defined. Even though firms are capacity constrained, there is still ample room for growth. Therefore our group believes that the competition is still low. The way ahead With consumers becoming increasingly aware about products and buyer power increasing, the manufacturers will have to differentiate their products. Then comes the era of green vehicles which will be powered by battery or green fuels and will provide mileage of 100 km/Rs 8. The relationship between suppliers and manufacturers is nasty at this point of time. It needs to be reworked. This will provide room for improved consumer feedback mechanism which will lead to improved product for consumers The projected sales of two wheelers in India in FY15 are 18MN. There is scope in the unisex category of scooters as already there are plenty of motorbike owners in the country. Companies could leverage on that. Another scope is there in rural areas and tier II, III cities. This market is relatively untouched by two wheeler marketers and hence this should be explored and custom made vehicles should be designed for people residing in these areas. Since the purchasing capacity of these people is low it should be kept in mind while making utility products for them.