German Automobile Industry Background Essay

The automobile industry in Germany was born on in the earlier 1886 when the first â€Å"vehicle powered by a gas engine† was assembled and registered. 125 years has passed, and with it the industry has acquired an incredible growth and global recognition. The industry now is one of the most powerful and reliable of the world that actually competes â€Å"vis a vis† with the one of the most dominant car industries of the world: Asian automobile industry. The German automobile industry is one of the stronger and successful industries in the world, it is the fourth global manufacturer in terms of volume (numbers of cars assembled) after China, United States and Japan. In fact, German automobile industry is responsible for of the manufacturing of 17% of the total global car production. Furthermore, it represents the main sector of Germany’s economy (main driver of growth) as well as the largest automotive market in the whole European continent. One of the key factors of success of this industry has been the large budgets invested in automotive development and research, which has allowed them to manufacture and offer vehicles with latest technology that in most of the cases fits better with consumer insights; in other words, an evolutionary process of application of innovation and cutting-edge technology has lead into one of the main industries in Germany. A good example of this fact is the development of environmental friendly vehicles, which makes â€Å"Germany the most innovative auto nation in the world†. German cars are known globally due to its attributes in terms of comfort, luxury, security, efficiency, reliability, design and image. In addition, the industry counts with one of the higher qualified labor forces, as well as modern infrastructures and research facilities. The industry actually employ 747,600 people just within Germany, and this rate is increasing sharply over the years. The result, Europe’s largest automobile market: about 5. 4 million passenger cars manufactured in 2012; 46 automobile assembly and engine production plants with a capacity over one third of the total automobile production in Europe. Giving the importance of German automobile industry is not a surprise to find some of the most influent companies of the world setting their headquarters and principal assembly plants in the country. The market is dominated by Audi, BMW, Ford Germany, Mercedes Benz, Opel, Porsche and Volkswagen. All these companies have a common characteristic: global demand. Therefore, even when domestic economy is huge –including Germany and the European Union- the industry growth is predominantly due to the exports of vehicles to other countries. Also, as well as the manufacturing of passenger cars, the industry in comprised in an important proportion by the manufacturing and trade of auto parts. The latest reports indicate that last January was a historic month for German automotive industry in which they experienced a sharp increase in demand due to past few years’ trends that have been defining market behavior. Audi and Mercedes Benz sold more cars around the world in January than any corresponding month in the past. The Volkswagen subsidiary Audi sold 117,500 cars, the higher quantity of monthly sales in its history. Also, it increased the worldwide distribution by 16% the same month. The trend was indicating in the past years a significant growth in trade especially with the Asian market, last January the trend was confirmed. Even though the sales increase in all regions, in China the increase was of 38. 5%. Giving this, is possible to identify the markets that represent the clusters of largest demands of German cars as: Asia (mainly China), US and Europe. Bibliography Bibliography IANS. (2013, 02 13). German Cars in Global Demand. Retrieved from Zeebiz. com: http://zeenews. india.com/business/automobiles/auto-news/german-cars-audi-mercedes-benz-in-global-demand_69691. html Invest, G. T. (n. d. ). Automotive Industry. Retrieved from Germany Trade and Invest : http://www. gtai. de/GTAI/Navigation/EN/Invest/Industries/Logistics-mobility/automotive. html Invest, G. T. (n. d. ). The Automotive Industry in Germany. Retrieved from Ixpos. de: http://www. ixpos. de/IXPOS/Content/EN/Your-business-in-germany/_SharedDocs/Downloads/automotive-industry-in-germany. pdf.

International Maritime Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Maritime Policy - Essay Example However, the regime formation process has been extremely slow paced since the very beginning. Issues associated with national sovereignty and political interests of national players were arguably among the key reasons for that. The threats are not distributed evenly between different coastal countries. As a result, domestic policies of each country seek to address those problems which are present in its coastal area while problems perceived as less serious draw much less attention. However, these problems may be primary for the neighbouring countries: this difference in assessment of threats results in numerous difficulties accompanying the attempts to find a solution acceptable for the involved parties. Long-entrenched political interests prevent many states from giving the problem of creating effective international marine environment protection system. For example, during the negotiations over NOWPAP disputes over political issues (such as use of the name 'Sea of Japan' and legal terminology) not environmental issues dominated. Although regime building efforts have accelerated due to such events as the Nakhodka oil spill in January 1997 the overall progress in the field leaves much to be desired. Recent research into the factors that clarify the content, timing, and membership in various environmental agreements clearly demonstrates that the power and political or other interests of influential states create pressures for, or constraints on, progress in formation of effective environmental governance (Mitchell 2003). Apart from national and political interests that can be reasonably addressed as the most serious obstacles on the way of formation of effective marine regime, the issue of fitting the new regime into the existing framework of domestic and international legislation seems to be almost equally important. Many traditional norms of international and domestic marine law must be modified and removed in order to make the new marine regime a genuinely effective tool of dealing with contemporary threats. Therefore, research and political and legislative dialogue should continue in order to find the most adequate guidance that would help create effective marine regime without going into the traditional stumbling blocks of national sovereignty, long-entrenched national interests of different kind, etc. Question 2 The tragedy of the commons is a very interesting environmental theory which involves a conflict between short-term individual interests and the common good. The basic idea of the tragedy of the commons as presented by ecologist Garrett Hardin in his famous paper is the following: free access to limited communal resources, coupled with absence of restrictions for their use will inevitably lead to negative consequences for the whole community. Hardin demonstrates this rule using a simple example of sheep and herders, whom over-exploit a communal pasture paying attention only to selfish economic benefits, but it is also true for any other kind of resources such as water, fertile soil, forests, etc. The tragedy occurs because the benefits of exploiting such resources accrue to individuals, and each of these individuals wants to maximize use of the resource to further increase the benefits while the costs of such intensive exploitation of finite resources falls upon the whole

Operations management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Operations management - Essay Example Operations management in an organisation is concerned with the management of people, processes, technology and other related resources in order to produce quality goods and services. In general Operations Management is concerned with the following four interrelated modules; ii. Supply chain modelling: Supply chain forms the backbone of any company and for a production company in particular, the implementation of TQM policies can only be carried out if the supply chain is reliable and quality conscious iii. World class production systems: This aspect can be very well taken care of by the individual company. But the rapid pace with which technological advancements is taking place calls for regular updates on production requirements as well. Lowering the production costs is indeed one of the tried and tested formula for achieving break even and promising profitability for any organisation. But under the globalization regime costs is not the prime factor for the long term survival of the business prospects. Small (1998) contends that, "Over the past two decades there has been a shift in the basis of competition in manufactured product markets. Firms that previously focused almost exclusively on lower costs have adjusted to a focus that places just as high and often higher premiums on quality and flexibility." Therefore managing the operations of an organisation requires it to adjust to these changes. Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) is the name given by industry experts to the technological advancements being implanted in the production sector. Managing Diversity Liberalization and globalization has opened up newer vistas of trade and business all around the globe. The car market in particular has become very competitive with major players like GM, Ford, Toyota, Audi, BMW, VW etc. besides the local players in some markets. With technology playing a major role in advancement of the features in a car, IT/ICT's help in making the car more intelligent has become very crucial. Besides adding features into the car itself, IT plays an important role in coordinating different aspects related to other departments. Developing effective marketing communication techniques is another such area requiring contribution of IT. Therefore, it appears from the case study that Daimler-Chrysler (DC) has its hands full. The company has not only to take care of the merger after-effects, but it has to keep the company ready to take on the competition from other car makers. As of now the wide culture gap between Stuttgart and Auburn Hills appears to be causing too man y problems for the company. The global economy has made it almost mandatory for international corporations that an effective strategy is adopted for managing the diversity. Companies are moving towards flatter organisational structures, and the global economy is allowing the movement of the workforce across national boundaries, effective interaction amongst

Ecological Design A strategy for business practice Dissertation - 1

Ecological Design A strategy for business practice - Dissertation Example Development of an eco design through research and subsequently incorporating the same in a business operation is the challenge faced by most companies. This general factors influencing eco design, the areas of change where eco design is applicable, the methods adopted by companies in introducing products and the manner in which an eco design is integrated with business operations form a part of this dissertation. Eco-Design is the design and development of products that are both environment friendly and economically viable. The word derives its origins from the concept of a synergy between design, economy and ecology. (Miriam Borchardt, Leonel A.C.Poltosi, Miguel A Sellito and Gianfraco M.Pereira, 2009) A design which is able to satisfy all three requirements in an effective manner is said to be a successful eco-designed product. With the world globalising at a fast rate there has been a rapid increase in the both the demand and consumption of goods. New players emerging and competin g in the global market, has put a severe strain on the available natural resources and the idea of creating a environment friendly product has been relegated to the background. The three basic issues that an eco-design addresses are (1) The new age customer is getting more information regarding the dangers of environment pollution. He is thus getting more informed regarding the choices he can make while selecting a product. Thus he is able to demand products that are safe and environment friendly which leads to a direct pressure.

Same Idea, Different Medium Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Same Idea, Different Medium - Essay Example Some victims of plagiarism have the reason that, actually their work is not plagiarized, but contain common knowledge while others are purely lazy to the extent that they plagiarize through â€Å"copy and paste† from an internet source. This paper analyzes and relates two articles; the in-class essay and the internet object (IO) that address the issue of plagiarism by focusing on two different examples. The article â€Å"Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age† by Trip Gabriel, which appeared in â€Å"The New York Times† in August 1, 2010 was the in-class essay while the article â€Å"The Plagiarist’s Tale† by Lizzie Widdicombe, which was featured in â€Å"The New Yorker† in February 13, 2012 is the internet object. Gabriel in her article â€Å"Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age† writes about various students in learning institutions who have plagiarized their works from the internet (Gabriel, 2010). Consequent ly, Widdicombe in her article â€Å"The Plagiarist’s Tale† has analyzed a fiction novel tiled â€Å"Assassin of Secrets† by Quentin Roman, which was highly plagiarized from other fiction novels (Widdicombe, 2012). In both instances, the plagiarists, who are the students and the fiction novel author, did not formally acknowledge the source of information. The in-class essay by Widdicombe and the â€Å"internet object† (IO) by Gabriel relate in that they both entail cases of plagiarism on two different levels; professional and academics. On one level, the in-class essay depicts plagiarism in a mass-market publishing while on the other level; the (IO) essay shows plagiarism in college academics. In essence, Widdicombe discusses how the author Quentin Rowan plagiarized his works from many different sources during his earlier writing career. Moreover, the article by Gabriel depicts how various students plagiarized their college assignments from the internet. W iddicombe portrays how a professional author, Rowan, becomes mediocre in the field of fiction writing through copying excerpts from other published novels, without giving any credits (Widdicombe, 2012). Gabriel on her part presents a description on how college students knowingly or unknowingly copy and paste essays from internet sources, also without giving credits (Gabriel, 2010). Gabriel in the (IO) article presents three cases of plagiarism by students from different institutions. The students are ignorant of their ill act since they are not aware of the importance of giving credit or citing borrowed words. Gabriel asserts that educators have discovered that students who use online information do not put into consideration originality, intellectual property and copyright issues. This is because in the digital technology, to â€Å"copy paste† is very easy. Widdicombe in the in-class article presents a case of plagiarism by Rowan, particularly in his novel â€Å"Assassins o f Secrets†. Rowan was accused of including in his book more than thirty cases of plagiarism. Interestingly Rowan admitted that he had taken excerpts from books by different authors while the students admitted copying and pasting from online sources. Academic assignments by students can be scrutinized for plagiarism through using a plagiarism software, however, the same is not possible for novels, and as a result, editors have to read manuscripts word by word if plagiarism is to be detected (Widdicombe, 2012). In many instances editors, discovered copied texts in

How has the European Convention on Human Rights contributed to Dissertation

How has the European Convention on Human Rights contributed to international human rights law - Dissertation Example The researcher states that the twentieth century became a landmark in the evolution of the international human rights law. The atrocities of the Nazi regime and mass exterminations of humans during the two world wars led the world to review its attitudes toward the fundamental human rights. The European Convention on Human Rights was created with the goal of extending the coverage of the international human rights laws on European countries, enforcing compliance with the foundational standards of human rights protection, and ensuring greater integration among the European states. Since its inception, human rights protection has become the main aspect of states’ legislative and judicial performance in Europe. The contribution of the European Convention on Human Rights to the international human rights law is difficult to overestimate. The convention meets the standards of subsidiarity in the international human rights law and creates the foundation for interpreting the most con troversial emerging human rights issues. Simultaneously, the convention by itself and its principles are not without controversy. Despite the significance of the European Convention on Human Rights, its effectiveness and results greatly depend upon the political and social atmosphere in European states; many states choose to enforce the Convention only for the purpose of membership in the European Union. As a result, the effectiveness of the European Convention on Human Rights is more virtual than real and does not extend beyond the actual court cases to tackle with the discrimination against the fundamental human rights.... Another reason was that European states needed greater unity and integration, and a convention similar to the ECHR could glue the European states in their way to achieving the common economic and social objectives. This being said, the ECHR became the first and, probably, the most significant political and legal achievement of the Council of Europe in 1949 (Ware & Miller 1998). At that time, the Council of Europe was made up of only 10 states (Ware & Miller 1998). Nevertheless, â€Å"every member of the Council of Europe had to accept the principles of the rule of law and of the enjoyment by all persons within its jurisdiction of human rights and fundamental freedoms† (Ware & Miller 1998, p.7). In other words, all member states of the EC had to enforce strict compliance with the principles and premises of the Convention. It is no secret that one of the main goals of the ECHR was European integration (Weil 1963). The philosophy of European integration was rooted in the pre-firs t-world-war conditions of politics, which suggested that fragmentation, separation, and opposition weakened European states in the fight for peace and stability. The idea of uniting Europe lost its relevance between the two world wars, and during the Second World War Hitler managed to unite Europe by force (Weil 1963). However, as soon as the hostilities were over, and Winston Churchill became a leader of the European movement toward peace, the idea of building a union similar to that in the United States, was revived (Weil 1963). It should be noted, that Britain made one of the major contributions to the development and implementation of the ECHR: the final version of the convention owed a lot to British ideas of human rights and European statehood (Ware & Miller 1998). Simultaneously, when

Societal Standards Essay Example for Free

Societal Standards Essay Imagine a 62 man with broad shoulders, deep voice, hairy body, masculine personality, and pink glittery nail polish. His friends give him a hard time about it, they say that he is not a real man. He decides to hang out with more woman and when more and more people start to consider him gay, he becomes it. Men do not have the wiggle room to explore the feminine stereotypes. Masculine stereotypes are more confining than feminine stereotypes in the social and professional world. Social masculine stereotypes are more confining than feminine stereotypes. Men are more strictly contained while women are more open to explore a variety of stereotypes. In a recent, USA Today article Gender Stereotypes author Seine Wenig writes on a strict line drawn between masculine and female stereotypes. Yet how this line is slowly fading the woman. Wenig reiterates how for girls There is ample room to maneuver and how Ever-growing range of tomboys sports options which in the past were mostly the domain of boys. Girls can now be free and engage in activities and sports which boys dominate. While male stereotypes and stereotypical fathers cause men to have a more confined space in which they could explore and move due to the fact that stereotypical fathers expect athletic success rather than academic success. Girls are Given more room to explore their counterparts culture while males are stuck in a much tighter box to move about in meaning they are not able to explore the feminine stereotypes. Therefore ,masculine stereotypes are more confined than feminine stereotypes in the social aspect. Masculine stereotypes are more professionally confining than feminine stereotypes. There are fewer choices for careers for men that then for women due to stereotypes. In a 2011 article from USA Today, Gender Stereotypes Easing More for Girls than Boys. Author Seth Wenig describes the ultimate confinement for men in the professional mainstream society. He restates how, women now make up close to half to enrollment in US law and medical schools up from 25% a few decades ago. Now due to the ever-changing world girls now have more choices for careers then their male counterparts. More females are going and graduating from schools which prepare them for a lifelong career not just being nurse as it was thought to be in the past. Men choose not to be nurses because main stream society would not find being a nurse very masculine because it is a mostly female occupied feel due to the fact it has to do with the Female stereotype of caring for another human being. Women are given more opportunities than men to succeed in the professional world, which leave men with fewer choices for careers. Therefore masculine stereotypes are more professionally confining than feminine stereotypes. Addressing the problems of social standards of man and woman requires the ultimate settlement of what it means to be a man and what it what it means to be a woman. Men do not have them of wiggle room to explore the female stereotypes while free to roam all round all stereotypes. When a female try to succeed in a mostly male dominant profession, she is led to shine while when a man tries to do the same he is shun. If men continue to be confined by so societal standards, this will cause a civilization in which it is easier to be a woman than to be a man. Leading men to either join the female standard and gender or collapse under the confinement of their own standards.