Energy Essay Essay Example for Free

Energy Essay Essay However out of this whole trouble taken from these processes only 30%-35% of the potential energy stored is actually transformed to electricity. And if we sum up the advantages and disadvantages, we see the following: Advantage: Disadvantage: Produces a lot of energy Expensive to build Does not pollute the environment Expensive to maintain 2. Fossil Fuels: Fossil fuels are a type of power that has also caused a lot of controversy, because of the negative effects they have on the environment (e. g. global warming and green-house effect). Fossil fuel actually comes from the remains of Dead Sea animals that died millions of years ago. And actually what happened to them, is that their bones were crushed with each other and pressured by several of the earth piling on top of them until they finally formed fossil fuel but also the heat of the earths core, played a vital factor. The basic energy transformation that takes place in fossil fuel is that the potential energy stored, breaks down through to give heat energy, and that heat energy is transferred to kinetic energy, which drives a steam turbine that will generate electricity. The two very known fossil fuels are coal and oil. However out of this energy transformation process, only 40-45% of the potential energy stored is actually transferred to electricity. And if sum up the advantages and disadvantages, we see the following: Advantage: Disadvantage: Cheap to produce Not good for environment Is not hazardous to peoples health We are running out of them After discussing the non-renewable sources, I am now going to talk about the renewable sources, and to be exact I am going to talk about the following 3 sources: 1. Hydroelectric power: The main energy transformation that takes place in hydroelectric power is that the kinetic energy of the waves, forces generators, which function like a pendulum, swing to vibrate and once they vibrate, they generate electric energy. Out of this small process, the efficiency is only 35% out of the whole energy conversion. But this also however will depend on the wave velocity, because if it is greater, then more kinetic energy will be supplied, if we sum up the advantages and disadvantages, we see the following: Advantage: Disadvantage: Cheap to maintain Expensive to build Delivers a lot of energy. Changes the ecology of the area 2. Solar Power: We can use the power of sun in 2 ways. The first way is by using the sunlight itself into making electrical energy; this is done by the help of photovoltaic cells. And basically what happens is that the sunlight hits the cells which convert these light signals into electrical signals. The second type is done by using the heat of the sun to heat the water which can be used to heat up houses directly or to drive steam turbines which will generate electricity. Also one thing that must be taken into account, in this whole solar power issue. And that thing is the solar constant. The solar constant is the power collected at the top of the atmosphere by a unit area. But basically this can be summed up by saying that it describes the solar radiation, that falls on an area above the atmosphere at a certain angle. This constant, isnt much of a constant because it actually varies on earth with the time of day and year, as well as with the latitude and weather. The maximum values vary between 0. 8 and 1. 0 KW/m2. As for the efficiency of solar power, well it is disappointing to know that it is only 30% of the suns energy is actually transferred to electricity. And if we sum up the advantages and disadvantages, we see the following: Advantage: Disadvantage: Renewable The photovoltaic cells are very fragile Can supply the whole world on its own Useless if used in a place where there is no sun 3. Wind power: A wind generator works by having the blades rotated by the wind, which causes a dynamo (which is like a generator) to spin and then electric energy is produced. The power delivered by a wind generator, varies on the area with the rotor length being the diameter. This is given by the following formula: P=Ek/t And the efficiency of this wind generator is only 25% which is quiet poor really. And of we sum up the advantages and disadvantages, we see the following: Advantage: Disadvantage: Provides all the energy the world needs Expensive to maintain Renewable Rotor blades are extremely fragile After summarising, both renewable and non-renewable sources, it is time for me to chose the best type of energy resources to use for our homes. The energy resources I suggest are more than 1. First of all the energy resources should be renewable, so that we dont have to worry about the environment and peoples health (unlike fossil fuels and nuclear power). The second thing is that this renewable source, should not affect our environment or ecology (which means hydropower is dropped out! ). Also the energy resource should be efficient, so that we can meet our basic demands for energy, (which means that wind energy also drops out! ). After mentioning these three requirements (which seem essential in my own personal view), it is quiet obvious that the only energy source that I am talking about is Solar!. But however to improve this even more, would be if we insulate our homes well and do not waste our energy for no apparent reason(e. g.like leaving the lights of a room turned on, when no one is in the room. And also buying energy saving equipment). Because like I said at the beginning of this essay, without light we will become extinct. And we all know that we dont want to become extinct, so lets do something about it and try and save our planet. 1 U= Uranium N=Neutron X+Y= Elements Z= Number of Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our  GCSE Electricity and Magnetism  section. Download this essay Print Save Not the one?

Automobile and Business Model Essay Example for Free

Automobile and Business Model Essay ?Introduction In 2000, Inspired by car-sharing concept in Europe, Chase and Danielson started Zipcar to pursue the opportunity of car sharing in U. S. market. By mid-October of 2000, Zipcar had enlisted nearly 250 members with 19 vehicles located throughout Boston. I will evaluate this potential venture and its progress based on the framework of â€Å"OUTSIDE1†, including opportunity, uncertainty, team, strategy, investment requirement, deal and exit. Opportunity Market – The market size of this industry is estimated at 26,400 members, which is 0. 04%2 of general population3 lived in Top 20 U. S. Markets. Usage of this industry grows rapidly at 30% annually. There are two competitors in U. S. market, but they focused on the environmental impact rather than convenience and cost effectiveness. Customer – Target segment are college-educated costumers who drive less than 6,000 miles per year and live in urban area. Acceptance of this business is very high referring to Major players in Europe market, whose marketing investment in this industry is low but the growth rate is continuously high (30% annually). Uncertainties Competition – Two current competitors in U. S. market and potential competitors from car manufactures Acceptance – Customer acceptance is to be proved in Boston before the business model could be replicated to other cities Management team – Co-funder’s commitment is not very convincing and the structure of the management is poorly organized Financing – Overhead continues to grow against limited financial resources Team. There are missing pieces in its team as founders are lack of experience in operation and relationship with car manufactures As a co-founder, Danielson commits not enough as she still have full time job and focus more on family Strategy Chase keeps pushing to start business operation maintain their promise to investors although the company is not ready. This Strategy would have negative impacts in the future. Using technology platform to improve cost effectiveness and adopting word-of-mouth are consistent with its current situation. Investment Requirement. Zipcar’s cash flow requirement is very high. It spent $375,000 in first year, and need additional 1. 3 million to complete technology platform, prove the business model and better understand demand. Overhead excess the projection and continues to grow, which will further increase the requirement of cash. Deal The current investors holds plenty of convertible loan, which would have negative impacts on future share holders. Exit The options for exit are available as this industry grows rapidly. The founders are not in a very strong position to potential exit. Business Model Car sharing business provides a hassle-free â€Å"ownership† for urbanite who don’t need to own a car but need the convenience to run occasional errands4. In the model before December 1999, it’s revenue comes from $25 application fee and $300 annual subscription fee, plus $1. 5 hourly driving charge and $0. 4 driving charge per mile. However, Chase decided to change the pricing model with a lower membership fee and a tiered pricing structure, increasing hourly charge to between $4. 5 and $7 and adding a maximum daily rate. The data from actual operations in September gives me a concern as seen in Exhibit 1, that the net contribution from actual operation in September is negative because of the very low revenue, though cost is only a little bit over the estimation. Conclusion The next step for Zipcar is to adjust its pricing model to increase its revenue. Chase need to pitch investors in Springboard forum by focusing on this: Though its cash flow is negative now, Zipcar is a unique business model with cutting-edge technology and well-established customer base. Zipcar will provide a great chance for investors to be rewarded a new market with 30% annual growth. Citation: 1 This framework is developed by Professor Steven Kaplan from University of Chicago 2‘At The Wheel, Volkswagen Pioneers Car Sharing Programs,† Fastlane, October 1997 3U. S. Census, http://census. gov/population/censusdata/90den_ma. txt, December 9, 2002 4According to the case Exhibit 1 Financial Plan in May 2000 September Operation Data Total Revenue 29,616 14,645 Number of Cars 12 19 Revenue per car 2,468 771 Lease per car 367 400 Access Equip 42 42 Fuel 90 99 Insurance 142 142 Maintenance 33 33 Parking 50 63 Cost per car 723 778 Net Income per car 1,745 (7) Source: Company Data.

Cultural Diversity in the Workplace | Literature Review

Cultural Diversity in the Workplace | Literature Review In todays increasingly globalized world, the phrase diversity in the workplace tends to pop up everywhere. The main reason being that modern technological advances in transportation have shrunk the globe to such an extent that it is no longer a problem to move to any part of the world be it for entertainment, studies and especially work. This paper explicitly focuses on literature that relates to cultural diversity in an organization and its implications on employee performance and the performance of a corporation as a whole. It will also take a look at cultural diversity from either side of the mirror, that is, the positive as well as the negative aspects and how to manage such an employee base. Please also note that, while there has been some debate on whether race and culture should be thought as the same thing, this paper regards them as inter-usable so as to avoid confusion. So what exactly is cultural diversity? It has been described as the composition of work units (work group, organization, occupation, establishment or firm) in terms of the cultural or demographic characteristics that are salient and symbolically meaningful in the relationships among group members (DiTomaso, Post, Parks-Yancy, 2007) .The time has gone by when you expect an employee from a different cultural background to just blend in and start producing results (Amaram, 2007). Organizations have realized that a multi-cultural workforce can prove to be a great asset especially if the business is to be expanded to international markets. So the focus has somewhat shifted to come up with strategies to handle such an employee base and how to sustain that program. In his assessment of the value of a multi-cultural workforce, (Konrad, 2003) states three reasons why companies are changing their attitudes and strategies regarding recruitment of employees with different backgrounds. Firstly, the best talent is not always local; you need to look globally to recruit the best minds in the business. Secondly, he talks about market share, that is, a culturally diverse workforce can better cater to an increasingly diverse customer base, hence increased market share. The insight that a local can provide into the workings of the local market and also of the mindset of the local consumer is invaluable. Finally, he states that each culturally different individual brings with him something different to the table, and when you combine all these different attributes, it results in making the organization more competitive. In a non-business related argument, (Jayne Dipboye, 2004) suggest that increasing workforce diversity is the ethically right thing to do an d also that it is a better way to address race and gender issues. This argument may seem insignificant considering that the current competitive environment means companies care more about capital than the right thing to do. But (Amaram, 2007) brings up a very interesting argument about why corporations are moving to diversity programs. In addition to ethical and social responsibilities, he says that these programs have become necessary to avoid legal problems namely due to civil rights laws. Furthermore he states that to gain competitive advantage corporations have been forced to bring forward new strategies to bring out the best from a diverse workgroup and avoid conflicts. Even at the Govt. level it has been realized that effectively managing cultural diversity is vital to economic success. One example is the Australia Govt. policy, where diversity management is governed by a state policy namely, Productive Diversity. The aim of this policy is to make full use of the experiences and skills of people raised overseas, therefore gaining priceless Intel on international markets. (Leveson, Joiner, Bakalis, 2009) However what has been discussed above is based on theories and rhetoric. Is there any solid evidence that cultural diversity leads to a prosperous organization? The answer is a big maybe. Countless research and studies have looked at this issue from many different angles, each with their own differing conclusions. After reviewing various researches on this issue Jayne Dipboye (2004) came up with four conclusions regarding the relationship between cultural diversity and organizational performance. Increased diversity does not necessarily improve the talent pool Increased diversity does not necessarily build commitment, improve motivation, and reduce conflict Increased group-level diversity does not necessarily lead to higher group performance. Diversity does not necessarily improve organizational performance A study (Choi Rainey, 2009) suggests that it all comes down to the type of diversity i-e race, gender, religion etc. The findings were consistent with previous research (Milliken and Martins, 1996; Williams and OReilly, 1998) that suggest that racial diversity is inversely proportional to organizational performance due to less cohesion within the group and more conflict. It should be noted however that this study was specifically based on US federal agencies so it cannot be considered to represent the global business environment trend or even the national business environment of the US as a whole. Various other studies on the subject matter provide some very interesting results. McMahon (2010) in her article surveys the more recent studies on diversity. Here I would like to talk about two of them. First, (Richard, 2000) carried out a research on the US banking industry. He chose 63 banks from 3 states based on 3 different factors: California (high racial diversity), Kentucky (low racial diversity) and North Carolina (financial wealth). The study showed that there was no direct relationship between diversity and performance instead it depended more on the firms business strategies. When the strategy was more focused on growth there was a positive relation between diversity and performance but the result was opposite when the strategy shifted towards downsizing. Again, the above study, even though regarded as valuable information, only included the US banking industry so it cannot be said to depict the complete picture, (Richard, Murthi, Ismail, 2007) therefore widened the scope to other industries and studied the relationship between racial diversity and intermediate as well as long term firm performance and the role that environmental context plays in this. The results showed that at high as well as low levels of racial diversity, there was a curvilinear positive relation between racial diversity and intermediate firm performance. The result also showed a positive correlation between racial diversity and long term firm performance. But these results were dependent on the type of industry and environmental stability, meaning that the U-shaped relationship between racial diversity and firm performance would be weaker in unstable environments compared to a stable one. Till now I have reviewed how cultural diversity affects businesses and also related the theoretical assumptions to actual studies done on this very important issue. In the next portion I will try to review literature that primarily focuses on the best practices for managing diversity. Effective management of diversity is based on recognition of commonalities and awareness of differences (McMahon, 2010). Managing cultural diversity involves identifying the best practices. A best practice is a technique, method, process, activity, incentive, or reward that is believed to be more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, process, etc. when applied to a particular condition or circumstance (Wikipedia, 2010). So what are these best practices that I referred to? Amaram (2007) gives a few suggestions about them. He gives particular importance to diversity training programs, giving managers diversity related goals and making sure they are met and finally, giving respect to people of all races, that is, making room for religious holidays, diet preferences etc., because sometimes its the little things that matter the most. Jayne Dipboye (2004) suggest conducting a thorough needs assessment so that the diversity initiatives are tailored to the situation. Another suggestion is to develop a strategy keeping in mind the environmental context of the organization thereby echoing the results of the research carried out by Richard, Murthi and Ismail (2007). One more point that they touched in their paper was the need for inventing a system to evaluate the effects of diversity management strategies developed by organizations so that new and improved strategies can evolve by learning the mistakes from previous ones. CONCLUSION The increasingly diverse workplace is consistently posing newer challenges for an organization. Therefore there is a need for organizations to realize the importance of devising diversity management strategies. These strategies require thorough planning and looking at all aspects as well as the resulting consequences that will arise from a particular strategy because a good strategy can do wonders for an organization. At the same time these strategies could backfire if there is a lack of planning or research before implementation. After reviewing the above mentioned literature, one can see that cultural diversity is a complex phenomenon. Its role in improving organizational performance depends on various factors, for example, the environmental context, the type of industry, organizational strategies, etc. Furthermore cultural diversity alone does not guarantee immediate, tangible improvements in organizational, group, or individual performance. Nevertheless, achieving a culturally di verse workforce and effectively managing this workforce can yield huge benefits. Audi And Lamborghini: Analysis Audi And Lamborghini: Analysis The study aims at understanding the Companys position in relations to its competitors, as well as working to identify a firms core competencies and other competitively distinct company resources. Also analyze the profits the firm is generating from various product lines and customer accounts. Also a study of competitive strategy to analyze the industry context in which the firm operates. These include Porters five forces, SWOT analysis, analysis of strategic groups of competitors and others. Depending on the industry, the regulatory context is also examined in detail. In Competitor analysis, profiles of each competitor in the market, focusing especially on their relative competitive strengths and weaknesses using SWOT analysis is done using the benchmarking which also includes examining competitors Product differentiation, Present Sales, Future Sales, Marketing and Promotion Strategies, Technologies and other key factors. Introduction Audi AG is a German manufacturer of automobiles marketed under the Audi brand. The company name is based on the surname of the founder August Horch, the name itself an English cognate with the English word hark, meaning listen which, when translated into Latin, becomes Audi.(Wiki 2010) The Audi Group with the two brands Audi and Lamborghini is one of the worlds most successful car manufacturers in the premium segment. Sporty, sophisticated and progressive the premium vehicles from the Audi brand Customers are delighted by Audis technological innovations, pioneering, and design and build quality. The companys main aim is to satisfy the customer by providing world class technology, designs, safety and comfort. Sales of Audi vehicles by region 2009 Share in percent Germany 228,844 24.1% Europe without Germany 390,010 41.1% China (incl. Hong Kong) 158,941 16.7% USA 82,716 8.7% Other 89,218 9.4% Summary 949,729 100.0% Audi AG today Volkswagen AG is the largest shareholder of Audi AG which holds over 99 percent of the share capital. (Viknesh 2006) Audis saw a dramatic growth since 2000s, by delivering 653000 to 1003000 in 2008. The sales increase came globally specially 19.3% from Eastern Europe, 17.2% from Africa, 58.5% from Middle East with China coming into action in 2009 with a numerous increase to 108000 vehicles. Audi Vision Audi is a manufacturer of exquisite cars beautiful, sophisticated machines that embody technological perfection. Our success is built on our core values of creativity, commitment and enthusiasm, and keeping our customers desires at the heart of everything we do. We strive to lead the way through constant innovation, setting new standards that define Vorsprung durch Technik.(Anon, 2008) Mission: To delight customers worldwide This is companys core strategy for the year 2020 and therefore mission statement: We delight customers worldwide. Audi defines the delight in terms of not only its customers innovativeness but also its emotional products which turn out to be highly efficient models providing an unmistakable experience that are particularly noted for the familiar attributes of sophistication and reliability. Investor Relations Corporate strategy Audi: the number one premium brand Keeping in mind the future availability of the natural resources, Audi has kept in mind its future mission and vision of being a premium brand by actually reinforcing the emotional pull and continuing to delight the customers in long term. (Investor Relations 2010) Present Financials Performance Audi starts New Year with big results surge Audi achieves a new sales record of 360,760 deliveries in the January to April period First-quarter operating profit up more than 30 percent to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬478 million Audi has made a successful start to the 2010 fiscal year. The Ingolstadt-based carmaker sold 360,760 units in the first four months of the year a new record for the Company making very good progress with full throttle. Audi also achieved a double digit growth in all of its sales regions all over the world in the first quarter of the year with unit sales up by 23.7% on comparative period last year. (Quarterly Report, 2010) Future Plans for 2010 After being interrupted by the global crisis in recent years Audi is trying to get back to increase their deliveries by double along with the aim to increase to the operating profit more than that of the revenue and continuing to pursue its goal of becoming the most successful premium brand. In addition to the efforts made to achieve the long-term goals Audi has planned 12 launchings which are very interesting for the customers which includes a mix of performance, luxury, environment friendly and hybrids Situation Analysis Macro Environment PESTEL framework for Audi Political Scrappage scheme for cars 10 years older (United Kingdom) A government funded voluntary scheme in which the cars older than 10 years could be traded for a new vehicle and a discount of  £2000 is given on the new vehicle purchased. Emissions target of 130gm/km CO2 All car manufacturers are required to meet an average of CO2 emissions of 130gm/km by 2015 across all their products as a standard.( Alan 2009) Economical Cost of oil likely to go up, which may in turn have an effect on consumer buying behaviour. UK still trying to come out of recession, July- September 09 Economic Report shows a fall of 0.4% in GDP. (BBC News) Lowest interest rates in years, 0.5% set by Bank of England, affects consumer savings since March 2009.(Bank of England) Social Estimated UK population of 70 million by 2029. Population shift to an increasing older generation. People have a more active lifestyle, related to improved life expectancy. Technology Constantly Changing Environment Turbo Technology This impressive technology marks a departure from the noisy, thirsty diesel engines of the past. The TDI diesel engine delivers power, performance, low fuel consumption and reduced CO2 emissions. (Audi 2010) Recuperation While decelerating, the energy created is lost. Brake energy recuperation recycles this energy to lighten the load on your engine. It can reduce fuel consumption by up to 3% and CO2 emissions. (Audi 2010) Aerodynamics Aerodynamic performance plays a vital role in reducing fuel consumption. Streamlined for efficiency, the cars produce less air resistance, improved handling, better stability and lower CO2 emissions. (Audi 2010) S-tronic The revolutionary S-tronic transmission combines the agility and responsiveness of a manual gearbox with the convenience and smooth, uninterrupted power of an automatic. Fewer revs per minute and shorter gear changes mean greater fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions. (Audi 2010) Strong Research and Development culture and facilities with high expenditure. Lack of natural resources hence moved to hybrid cars. Global shift to cut CO2 emissions, Kyoto Agreement to work towards reduce green House gases. More Greener lifestyle now. Legal Health and safety, Euro NCAP safety test on all cars. Road Tax brackets Insurance Groups Micro Analysis SWOT Analysis Strengths Diverse ranges of Products Audi and Lamborghini Great Cash Flow Position Increase turnover and trading profits Sound Balance Sheet Leading quality manufacturers Brand Awareness Human resources Abilities to turn resources into advantages Audi boosted quality more than any other carmaker in the past five years, cutting defects by 60% Weaknesses Perception of High Prices Frequency of the interest of the customer may deteriorate Pollution: A major issue for the environment Knowledge of the purchaser with sophistication Alternate products and technology Opportunities New products with better technology Globalisation Innovation Alliances Change of customers preference to cheap and comfortable cars Diversification New horizons in Technologies Threats Old and New competition Fluctuations in Price of Fuel New rules and laws Result of the oil crisis Economic recession Market shift to globalisation Extremely high competition for customers and resources Porter Five Forces Model Porter explains that there are five forces inherent in a market, which will jointly determine the intensity of competition and profitability of Audi and the automobile industry. The five forces analysis gives an improved understanding of the frequency of competition within the business area. The analysis shows that the industry is highly competitive, with buyers having a very powerful influence to the massive number of alternate brands available to them. Bargaining Power of Customers Looking at the current situation when UK is trying to get out of the recession and the economy is also becoming stable, the buying power of the individuals will also increase and thereof the consumers will also look upon the various alternatives available in the market along with good bargains. Therefore the buying power force is gradually getting stronger. Bargaining Power of Suppliers This force is strong for both Audi and the entire automobile industry which possess a massive amount of substitute suppliers therefore use the aggressive pricing strategy. This results in a very strong competition in the industry. This is a result of very lesser degree of differentiation in the product offered. Finally the threats from the suppliers power to bargain which is fairly very low in the automobile industry because of multiple sourcing strategies and use of alternative supply sources for the spares and parts. Degree of Rivalry The degree of rivalry is the main point of concern for the company now as all the major competitors (BMW, Mercedes) are doing all their possible bits in terms of new product development, advanced technology, better services and providing wider choices etc. to bring customers under their umbrella. Threat of Substitutes There are a number of models of many brands like Mercedes Benz, Jaguar and BMW which can result in a little threat but they dont possess a great degree of threat as such because it depends on the relation of price-performance of the product. And an AUDI is a name for the people who love technology with luxury. Also changing to a substitute is possible if the substitution cost is low and that is not a valid factor here. Therefore a frequency of threats from the substitutes is low. Threat of New Entrants For the new entrants, the customer loyalty is a very important factor to be considered because it is very difficult to convince the customers in this era even if you possess a better than the best peoples product. But also the entry of the one who manufactures cheap cars does pose a significant threat. So, the frequency of the threat from new entrants is on a very lower scale. Competitive Advantage Audis competitive advantage is in their engineering of building their engines. They are able to fetch maximum power out of the minimum resources along with great fuel efficiency. A V6 engine is available, but 9 out of 10 buyers choose the 211 horsepower turbocharged 2.0 liter 4-cylinder, and thats the A4s competitive advantage. The Audi is the only German luxury sedan available with a 4-pot motor. While a smaller engine may not be a traditional selling point for a sports sedan, the A4 pulls off the inconceivable combination of being the most fuel efficient and quickest entry-level model of the bunch.(Anon, 2009) Benchmarking Benchmarking is the process of comparing ones business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and/or best practices from other industries. Dimensions typically measured are quality, time, and cost. Improvements from learning mean doing things better, faster, and cheaper. Benchmarking involves management identifying the best firms in their industry, or any other industry where similar processes exist, and comparing the results and processes of those studied (the targets) to ones own results and processes to learn how well the targets perform and, more importantly, how they do it. Benchmarking allows organizations to develop plans on how to make improvements or adapt specific best practices, usually with the aim of increasing some aspect of performance. Benchmarking may be a one-off event, but is often treated as a continuous process in which organizations continually seek to improve their practices.(Anon 2008) Benchmarking Criteria: Sales between Audi, Mercedes and BMW in U.S markets BMW sold 109,043 vehicle in North America may which was better than that of the previous but still lagged a 27% when compared to the last year. The sales decrease of a -18.3% gave them a fair chance to stand better in the second half of the year. Top Seller Position of Luxury Vehicles Company May 2008 Numbers Percentage Year-To-Date Percentage BMW 90,643 -18.1% 408,370 -20.9% MINI 18,348 -19.1% 79,260 -22.6% Rolls-Royce 51 -53.6% 276 -27.6% BMW Group 109,042 -18.3% 487,906 -21.1% Mercedes-Benz 86,300 -12.1% 383,000 -22.3% Smart 11,000 -14.9% 50,100 -9.9% MB Cars 97,300 -12.4% 433,100 -21.1% Audi AG 82,800 -6.1% 374,750 -12.1% BMW as a brand was down by 18.1% in May by selling 90,643 vehicles which further decreased to 20.9% to 408,370 vehicles. In Germany, Mercedes-Benz increased sales by 11% and sold 25,600 with furthermore sales boosts on models such as A-class, B-class and C-class which in turn helped Mercedes-Benz in gaining western European Market Share namely Spain, France and UK. Another sales boost of 59% was seen in China where Mercedes Benz grew fastest than to Brazil where it was 39% and Canada 17%. Whereas Audis sales were down by just 6.1% from the previous results and 12.1 from January to May 2008 which was 426,194. In Western Europe, the brand further reduced the gap to last years record result by giving just a -10.9% which was 52,650 vehicles in May. Also, they sold about 243,250 vehicles with a -14.6% which was 284,656 vehicles. Despite generally shrinking markets, Audi was able to sell more vehicles Europe namely Italy with a 7.1% increase, Belgium with a 7.3%, Switzerland with a 7.6% which resulted in the brands premium market share by 3.9%. Audi also increased their market share in US by 2% to attain 8.8% share in the High Import Group by posting a small decline of 12.1% to 7,503 vehicles. In the Asia-Pacific region, Audi achieved strong growth of 24.1% by selling 15,650 vehicles which further went up by 5.4% more. In China also sales in May rose by 27.8% in the consecutive month which was earlier up by 6.8% resulting in Audi confirming its position in the global market in the Australia and South Korea. (Global Sales 2009) Growth strategy Audis Growth Strategy Outlined Auto Shows Intensive hard work in key metropolitan areas Strong Dealer network Increasing the number of successful dealers who can sell 2000 cars annually. With a strong dealer network, a capable organization, and with excellent products in the future, AUDI will grow. It has ambitious plans in terms of the product portfolio, and further more interesting launchings.(Stadler 2010) Additional Capacity Plant Decision in view of US markets BMW- Have a manufacturing plant in US Mercedes- Have a manufacturing plant in US Audi- planning to set up a plant in states but keeping everything in mind, the hedging effect in taking the engine and its parts from Europe to America and on the contrary taking a large number of manufactured parts from America to Europe and then paying a 10% tariff is of no use. So, AUDI has to think strategically on this issue, not that it is taking its hands out but has to consider a lot many factor than one can image before setting up a plant in America, no wonder American has a large growing market and huge potential. Basis BMW AUDI MERCEDES Growth Strategy Identifying potential growth. Recognising where our strengths lie Make the best use of every opportunity. Following a clear strategy Intensive hard work in key metropolitan areas Strong Dealer network Capable organization, Excellent products in the future, More product portfolio and launchings premium price to our competitors To offer customers the best value To keep the incentives to a minimum, To reduce incentives further by focusing on attractive vehicles and customer service Analysis of Growth Strategies BMW is following a very straight growth strategy where they work in the direction where they have faith in themselves to do it best, they do the best of whatever they start, utilize all the resources possible which is their strengths without leaving their roots. Audi follows a growth strategy by increasing their product portfolios, management capabilities, ambitious plans and distribution network so that they can cater to the larger markets as well as groups by increasing their dealer networks. Mercedes has all the more different perspective on their growth strategy where they aim at being the most premium and luxurious brands out of the three and aim to sell cars at their own premium prices and focus on the consumer by providing incentives in the form of an extra-ordinary customer service which they think is their unique selling proposition. Audi can do a blend of their competitors strategies and give their future an excellent shape because all the three companies have different approaches towards their future which makes them different from one another. By doing this AUDI can improve on a wide perspective be it their production, technology, distribution, management or their human resource or even the customer groups. Forecasted Sales in 2020(based on CAGR) Assuming the American market, a large market for the Bimmers and the Mercs remains bad and Audi continues to perform well since. Audi have fairly good chances to overpower Mercedes by 2010. Looking at the CAGR, its pretty sure that Audi will be selling more cars in 3-4 years if everything goes the way it is. Looking at the previous figures it seems that Audi will pass on BMW as well by 2014, but practically speaking it should be around 2016 if it may happen. In the year 2008, Audi had a luxury market share of 9 in the world which was achieved without any incentives when the competitors cars were resting in the lots. It is one thing which the others are not doing or are not being able to do which is Innovation which started from Quattro to FSI to TDI, they have been very smart as to where to spend money intelligently in the racing and then bring them to the live world cars which would mark the growth of technology. Basis BMW AUDI MERCEDES Sales in 2020(in CAGR) Growing fluently with a CAGR of 4.1 percent for last 4 years. Audi is even quicker to achieve this at the CAGR of 6.51% in the last 4 years Its been a stand still for the Mercedes with (combined annual growth rate) of 1.4% in the last 4 years Technology Basis BMW Audi Mercedes Technology Efficient Dynamics Hydrogen 7 Dynamic Drive Clean Energy Night Vision- Infrared Vision at night Valvetronics xDrive Dynamic Stability Control(DSC) Quattro Asymmetric/dynamic torque distribution Recuperation- charging the batteries with the brake force energy Audi Space Frame TFSI engines were the first to combine petrol direct injection and turbo charging to provide greater power with reduced fuel consumption DIS with Gear Shift technology International standard ISO 14062 Design for Environment Use of water-based paints with less than 10% solvent and the use of solar energy to heat industrial water BlueEFFICIENCY ECO start-stop function F-Cell Hybrid Technology Analysis of technology BMW with a wide variety of technologies namely Efficient Dynamics, Hydrogen-7 work on the performance of the car in view of the environment with many useful cosmetic technologies that work in the interior of the car and its drivability with a very unique safety feature such as Infrared Vision at night. Audi on the other hand works on its Quattro technology which makes the car the best thing to drive in any road condition with its complete traction, safety features such as an extra-ordinary Space Frame which is Audi trademark and tested in a wind tunnel at their testing research and development centre along with other technologies for making a fuel efficient vehicle keeping environment in mind. Mercedes has made a little more effort than the AUDI or BMW by reaching the International Standards ISO-14062 for the design of environment by which they take care of all the products used in making their cars till the final disposal of them. Also working towards state of the art F-Cell Hybrid concept technology which can make a vehicle spit zero emissions. Looking at a wide perspective, all the three majors are doing their best to cope up to the changes in the environment and also provide more and more innovations whether its performance, safety driveability or joy. Keeping everything in mind they are laying their growth strategies. Advertising with analysis BMW AUDI Mercedes Advertising Marketing This article is an analysis of BMWs current global promotional strategy which places huge emphasis on Joy. For very many years, BMW branding centred on Drive, and the manufacturer proudly promoted itself as the Ultimate Driving Machine. This tagline became synonymous with BMW, but in 2008 it began to shift its emphasis on to Joy. We are a car company, but we dont just make cars. We, we make joy Thats the story we want to tell the World now. This Audi ad from across the pond stops short of dancing around and singing Audis rule, BMWs drool, but only just. The reason for the gloating, so the ad says, is Audis run of three straight victories over BMW in comparison tests in American car magazine Car and Driver. Wed love it if there was something similar over here.. But what we really cant wait for is BMWs response will it remain aloof and keep a dignified silence, or take the bait and slag Audi off in response. Mercedes Benz understands that its customers are not simply buying a car to get from point A to point B, so before they actually sell a car they must first sell an idea about that car. Mercedes Benz sells their ideas through promotion and advertising. Mercedes Benz wants to change the perception of their brand at the personal level and reposition their brand so that they are more appealing to young professional men of all ethnicities. Secondly, Mercedes Benz is communicating to its target market the idea that they are a more approachable, personal, fun, and energetic brand. Unique selling Proposition or Differentiation Basis BMW AUDI Mercedes .Unique Selling Proposition or Differentiation BMW is able to distinguish its self from its competition because it is more then just a luxury car. It has met the demands of customers craving luxury while also offering versatility to customers. An Audi feeling that communicates convenience and comfort to the driver. In view of the high quality claimed for Audi models, everything has to match: the shape of the door handles, the sound of the doors closing, the hand wheel for adjusting the back restraints, the indicator lever or the surface quality of the gear lever knob. Mercedes Benz differentiation once centred on the safety, luxury, and precision engineering of its cars, but due to increase competition in the luxury car industry and changing consumer attitudes about the Mercedes Benz brand, that strategy has changed. Now their strategy is more life style oriented and is focused more on presenting the more fun loving, approachable, and energetic side of Mercedes Benz.

of mice and men :: essays research papers

Of Mice and Men is a book about the socially oppressed and about migrant workers. The workers went through a lot of things in this story. There are many themes in this book, which had to do with them. These themes are violence, nature, loneliness and dreams. Out of these themes I think that loneliness was the most important. However, all the themes played a part in the workers lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A dream is pictures and ideas a person has in their mind. Dreams are special to people and show how they feel. George and Lennie were the main characters, who had a dream. George and Lennie have been together for a long time and they talked about their dreams. They both just would like to own a farm with animals and a garden. They don’t want to have anyone bossing them around anymore. They just want to be their own boss and do what they want to do. They want to be able to run everything their way and no one else’s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Violence is a force, which is damaging and negative. There were a few characters that experienced violence in this book. The main one was Curley. He always likes to pick fights with bigger guys and cause trouble. He also likes to threaten people about them getting close to his wife. Another person who caused violence was Lennie. Lennie isn’t a violent person he just can’t help hurting things. He doesn’t mean to cause any of the violence that he puts out. He wouldn’t be violent at all if he could just control his strength. Carlson was another person that showed some violence. He kept on pushing Candy about killing his dog. When he ended up killing Candy's dog it didn't even bother him he just did it and went on with his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nature is living things like the animals and plants. Nature is a beautiful thing that is being ruined by man. In the book the workers cut down trees and build things with it. They don’t care about nature at all they just ruin it. The only person that might have liked nature was Lennie, when he mentioned about living in a cave.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Loneliness is when a person feels isolated on the inside, not really important to anyone. Loneliness is a very big theme in this book. Many of the characters experienced this. This is a very sad thing, which I think no one should have at all.

How animal research has advanced the understanding of depression :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Animal models have made numerous progresses in the last century. This type of research has made a difference in the way we look at psychological issues such as depression. This paper is a review of the literature on animal models of depression. The issue of what advances have been made will be explored. The effects of serotonin on many issues have been studied. In this paper stress, learning, memory, brain derived neurotrophic factor, ovarian hormone withdrawal, and effects of certain drugs will be looked at. Let’s look at stress and serotonin first. Stress   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A study done by Grippo, Sullivan, Damjanoska and colleages (2004) shows that chronic mild stress provokes behavioral and physiological changes and may change serotonin receptor function in rats. In this study sixty four Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Half were male and the other half were female. The following stimuli were used as stressors which include:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Continuous light for 2 12 hour periods   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Forty degree tilt along vertical axis of cage for 6 hour period   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paired housing for a 16 hour period and 4 hour period   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Damp bedding with 300 mL water spilled on bedding for 16 hour period   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Water deprivation for 16 hour period   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Empty water bottle following 16 hour water deprivation for 1 hour   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stroboscopic light with 300 flashes a minute for a 6 hour period and 4 hour period   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  White noise at approximately 90 dB for 4 hour period of continuous noise and a 3 hour period with random intermittent noise All the stressors were given over a period of one week, and randomly presented for 3 additional weeks for a total of 4 week trial. All the rats were injected with a receptor agonist and were decapitated 15 minutes after the injection for the trunk blood. The 4 week trial resulted in the rats showing signs of depression, and satisfied adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) responses to the receptor agonist. The trials also sparked a lack of pleasure in both male and female rats.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another studied related to stress was done by Gregus, Wintink, David and Lalynchik (2005). This study looked at corticosterone injections and stress and how this relates to depression. Sixty naà ¯ve Long-Evans male rats were used. The rats were randomly assigned to 4 groups and were given corticosterone injections (CORT), vehicle injections, repeated restraint stress and repeated handling. These treatments were given for 21 days. The CORT group and vehicle group were given injections at random times during the light and dark cycles.

Death and Women in Sadegh Hedayat’s “The Blind Owl” Essay

INTRODUCTION Sadeq Hedayat’s ‘The Blind Owl’ is one of the most important literary works in Persian language. The original Persian text of The Blind Owl, marked â€Å"not for sale in Iran,† appeared as a mimeographed publication in India in 1937. It was assumed at the time that Hedayat feared the repressive rule of Reza Shah; he feared especially that with the publication of this work he might have violated the established norms. He was aware that the propagation of a message that focused on the strangulation of the Iranian people, on the denial of individual human rights, and on the need for individual enlightenment would not remain undetected for ever. The central theme of the story is an attempt toward the resolution of the writer’s dualistic experiences of the real versus unreal, the sensual against the spiritual and death as opposed to life. Underlying his problems are sexual fear, association of women with death (a common theme in literature) and disgust af filiated with death and women. Perhaps no other modern Iranian writer has been claimed by his countrymen more than Sadegh Hedayat has. A tale of one man’s isolation, the novel contains a maze of symbols, recurring images, social commentary, allusions to opium-induced states, contemplations of the human condition, interjections on art, and references to literary and religious texts—all of which have, for decades, made it fertile ground for critical interpretation. The most long-standing theory was espoused by the Iranian Communist Party (Tudeh), with which Hedayat for a time sympathized. The Tudeh’s claim was that the black mood in the book is an allusion to life under Reza Shah, who ruled Iran from 1925 until 1941. But as scholar Homa Katouzian points out in Sadeq Hedayat: The Life and Legend of an Iranian Writer, while Hedayat did oppose the shah’s tyrannical reign, the book is a far more universal statement about alienation. Often compared to the work of Franz Kafka (whom Hedayat admired), The Blind Owl also brings to mind Fernando Pessoa’s The Book of Disquiet in its stark meditation on dejection. ‘â€Å"There are sores which slowly erode the mind in solitude like a kind of canker,† begins the book, and in the pages that ensue we glimpse this solitude, through the narrator’s room, which â€Å"stands upon the ruins of thousands of ancient houses†¦ like a tomb†; through the landscape of â€Å"crouching, accursed trees,† between which there are â€Å"ash-grey houses† where â€Å"no living creature could ever have dwelt†; and through the narrator’s estrangement from the â€Å"rabble-men† who bear â€Å"an expression of greed on their faces, in pursuit of money and sexual satisfaction. An ethereal girl appearing throughout offers hope. She is the image the narrator paints on his pen cases, a vision he falls in love with, and the portrait on an ancient jar, inside â€Å"an almond-shaped panel† (perhaps a reference to a mandorla, an almond-shaped contour found around images of Mary—the almond representi ng virgin birth). But the girl has a â€Å"double nature,† resurfacing as the narrator’s cunning mother, and, later, as his promiscuous wife. SYMBOLISM OF DEATH AND WOMEN IN SADEGH HEDAYAT’S THE BLIND OWL The word manic is important in connection to the story. The narrator wants the ethereal woman to remain in the world of death. Furthermore, she must remain out of touch and not to be seen by others. Later on, when the ethereal woman and the mother image become the same, one realizes why the narrator is so pre-occupied with woman as a focus of the problem of life and death. Mother is the birth giver. The narrator is mystified by the strange psychic state of his mother. The mother withdraws and there is an intense need to find her. The ethereal woman becomes the mother. How could anyone bear a sex encounter with her, to enter her body? Therefore any suggestion of love intimacy with women in the sexual sense must be avoided. For him it is not possible. At this point, sexual love becomes the focus of the collapse of security and of being. A tendency for suicide arises when he believes that a world in which it is not possible to distinguish the reality from the painted appearance is exists. This weariness with life is a symbol of schizoid suicide, which leads into withdrawal into death, into a ghostly world. In the unconscious, the narrator believes that the corruption of relationships through sexual contact brings nothingness. This again indicates the presence of a schizoid element in his mind. A person with a schizoid mind seeks isolation. Union with a woman will not take him into the path of separateness, so he buries the woman. Now he can be free. He is alone but alive. In the process, he is denouncing the â€Å"inferior† half of himself, the woman in him, the part that he fears may corrupt and make him diseased. He expresses the intolerable perplexity of woman as a focus of appearance and reality. But this distrust of women is not misogyny. It is a result of profound pondering of problems of human nature and being. Hedayat’s association of women with death, his inability to deal with realism through the horror of the tragic, and a paranoid attitude accompanying his inability to tolerate and accept his own mortal reality indicates a form of dissociation from reality which serves as a clue to his existence problem. In â€Å"the Blind Owl†, the writer fails to establish existential authenticity and freedom. This is because in his struggle through re-birth, his view of self, others and the world in general is dominated by his rejection of his female elements of being and knowing. Such rejection is mainly due to his schizoid problems, but it is also magnified by the prevailing attitudes toward women in his native country. CONCLUSION To take you inside such a mind in such a brief book is an achievement up there with Poe and Kafka- to perceive the hell of isolation within one’s own head is to show how the narrator’s madness is an endlessly coherent vision of the world. It corresponds to the way that he sees the world- and that vision is not inconsistent or inadequate in its own terms. He functions as a system of epistemology, processing new information, but never progressing and never learning. A feminist critique might stop there- but I don’t think we should- I think there is more to say here about the way he thinks of women and the way that that relates to the way he thinks about truth. The male intellectuals of the period and long after accepting principles of equality and freedom for both the sexes and at the same time growing up with the traditional notions of good, non sexual, virginal woman no doubt would have had problems coping with the new image. They did not know whether to be on their knees to her in reverence to her as the good mother figure, or full of sensual contempt for her as the whore. Ultimately, these men would be in need of her presence or impelled to destroy her. Hedayat would have been no exception. His preference for the spiritual, non-sexual contact with women can also be attributed to his inability to cope with the emergence of the new woman. The female characters therefore may be seen as dramatizations of endopsychic situations, to be understood as attempts to express the writer’s attitudes to women and to his own female element, and to embody these attitudes to the female knowledge in order to deal with problems of identity and being. In turn, his cultural experiences and the masculinity of the society in which he lives also influence such dramatizations. In a masculine society, such as Iran, a great deal of the contemporary culture needs to be explained in terms of the development of modes of false strength, which are based on a certain male dynamic. Where there is a deep insecurity of existence, this male dynamic is employed as a substitute for the female element of â€Å"being†. In these societies reality is normally located in the masculine paradigm, in which all female elements of being and knowing have been eradicated. In these situations, men will have problems accepting their culturally unacceptable and inferior female element. It should also be noted that men of Hedayats’ era, for the first time in the Iranian history, witnessed the transformation of the traditional Iranian women into modern twentieth century women—the kind who joined the ranks of the political parties, rallied, had lovers; had abortions and even bore illegitimate children. They also challenged the bipolar image of women as the virtuous v ersus women as prostitutes. REFRENCES _ Ghotbi, M.I. This is The Blind Owl. Tehran: Tabesh P, 1934. _See :http://assets.cambridge.org/052159/1953/sample/0521591953web.pdf . _ See :The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat , http://www.almaclassics.com/excerpts/blindowl.pdf . _ See : Campbel, J., The Masks of God, Condor Books, London Press, 1973. _ Jung, C.G. 1950, Psychology and literature in The spirit in Man, art and literature Ark Edition Publication, London, 1967. _ 1920, â€Å"Trauma of Birth† ,Dover Publication, 1993. _ The Double ,The university of North Carolina Press 1971, KARNAC, London, 1989. _ See : http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/bashiri/BlindOwl/blindowl.html . _ See : http://therumpus.net/2010/10/why-i-love-sadegh-hedayats-the-blind-owl/. _ The Era of Reza Shah.† Washington: Library of Congress, 1998: . Yarshater, Ehsan, ed. Sadegh Hedayat: An Anthology. _Colorado: Westview P, 1979. _See : http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/clcweb> . _ Mannani, Manijeh. â€Å"Modern Middle Eastern Literature.† Department of Comparative Literature Lecture Series, Department of Comparative Literature, University of Alberta, September 1998. _Rahimieh, Nasrin. â€Å"A Systemic Approach to Modern Persian Prose Fiction.† World Literature Today 63 (1989): 15-19. _Beard, Michael. Hedayat’s Blind Owl as a Western Novel. New Jersey: Princeton UP, 1990. _Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth. Trans. Constance Farrington. New York: Grove P, 1963. _ ale Ahmad, Jalal. â€Å"Iranian Education and the University.† Trans. Michael Hillmann. Iranian Society: An Anthology of Writings. By Jalal ale Ahmad. Ed. Michael Hillmann. Kentucky: Mazda Publishers, 1982. 116-21. _ ale Ahmad, Jalal. â€Å"Epilogue.† Trans. Michael Hillmann. Iranian Society: An Anthology of Writing. Jalal ale Ahmad. Ed. Michael Hillmann. Kentucky: Mazda Publishers, 1982. 143-48. _ Yasamine C. Coulter, â€Å"A Comparative Post-Colonial Approa ch to Hedayat’s The Blind Owl†. _ Comparative Literature and Culture 2.3 (2000):

Pragmatist Curriculum

I. Introduction As the writer of this paper tried to look around his school, he eventually listened to the noisy swarm of sstudents and suddenly quiet as pupils and teachers move into classrooms and doors close. Suddenly, questions came into the writer’s mind; what’s happening behind those doors? What are sstudents learning? How are the teachers teaching? As school leader, you are bombarded with so many student needs, parent's concerns, teacher concerns, paper works that it seems futile to think of improving the teaching of every teacher. What, indeed, can the writer as only one person, do?Thinking about curriculum is an old thinking about education; it is difficult to imagine any inquiry into the nature of education without deliberate attention to the question of what should be taught. The question of what to teach and how to teach it involves a selection from a vast array of knowledge and beliefs within a culture. Since it is impossible to teach everything, that selec tion from the culture reflects in part some sense of what is most worthwhile in that culture as seen in relation to the kind of institution the school is and what it can reasonably accomplish.According to Dewey education is â€Å"a continuous lifelong process which had no ends beyond itself but is its own end†. Within learning organizations, Senge stated that â€Å"humane, sensitive and thoughtful leaders transmit their value system through daily behavior†. Bolman and Deal developed a unique situational leadership theory that analyzes leadership behavior through four frames of reference: structural, human resources, political and symbolic. Each of the frames offers a different perspective on what leadership is and how it operates in organizations; and in this case, schools.These frames are maps that aid navigation, tools for solving problems and getting things done†. Leaders especially administrators need to understand their own frame preference and its limits an d ideally, combine multiple frames to gain â€Å"clarity, generating new options, and finding strategies that work†. As in all organizations, schools need leaders who can impart a persuasive and durable sense of purpose and direction. In the area of curriculum design and planning, educational researchers shared values, and tacit knowledge about what â€Å"should as a defining aspect of school culture.Values are often ‘espoused’ as opposed to â€Å"in-use’, that is, what people say should and ought to be is often inconsistent with their actual behavior. Schein said that one must look deeper than values to find the essence of a culture. Values, enduring beliefs or tendencies to prefer certain modes of conduct or state of affairs over others are often viewed as the most articulated component of culture. The writer, as the institutional head of the organization is composed of 9 teachers, 4 non-teaching staffs and 1 finance officer which find it easy to lead the organization as one.On the other hand, since this is a parochial school, the organization is connected to the Diocesan Bishop as the president of the corporation and led by the school director. Values define a standard of goodness, quality and an excellence that undergirds behavior and decision making and what people care about. Values are not simply goals or outcomes, values are deeper sense of what is important. Deal and Peterson posited that values focus attention and define success. Given the moral ppluralism of today’s society, moral discipline closely related to intellectual values is important.The goals of academic excellence and value-centeredness need to be operational in the education we offer. II. The Need to Revise: Diocesan Goal of Catholic Education Social forces that can influence curriculum planning can come from far and wide. The ideas and values of various groups of people include their social goals, ideas about cultural uniformity and diversity, social pleasures, ideas about social change, their plans for the future and their concept of culture. Educational decision making as it relates to the school’s mission is important.For example, various groups may attempt to influence educational ppolicy and therefore curriculum better meet the needs of children in urban environments and on the other hand, a group may be trying to do the same for rural children. This illustrates how social forces, issues and values can influence curriculum design. Doll a famous curriculum designer once stated that there tends to be a crisis in current social forces and cultures: economic, political and standards funding as well as technology, special needs, ethnic diversity and mobility issues. These apidly changing demographic factors call for self directed curriculum planners who show responsibility for their local and world communities. Global perspectives and understanding, the ability to communicate clearly and the ability to relate well interpe rsonally are critical in a multicultural society and a technology- orientated world market. Curricula for the future emphasize the learner’s development as much as the content to be learned. Critical and creative thinking serve as the point and counterpoint as sstudents construct knowledge using multiple perspectives, talents, modalities and mediums.Tthroughout our lives, in the various stages of development, we experience change in our behavior, feelings, attitudes, thoughts, values, etc. Many of these changes are highly individual and can be a response to life events to a simple unfolding of our unique characteristics. Nonetheless, there are regular and predictable physical, mental and social changes that most people undergo in some way. Part of our life is determined by biological heritage (nature) while part is due to environment (nurture).The interplay of these has been studied by developmental psychologists and three have become legendary in the fields of development: P iaget (cognitive), Kohlberg (moral) and Erickson (identity). Like Piaget, Erickson came to the conclusion that children should not be rushed in their development, that each developmental phase was important and should be allowed time to full unfold. Kohlberg followed the development of moral judgment beyond the stages studied by Piaget, who said that logic and morality develop through constructive stages.Kohlberg determined that moral development continues through the person’s lifespan. Curriculum is no longer a simple matter of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Today, curriculum includes what sstudents can do with the content and how well they think, problem solve and work as a member of a team. Instruction goes beyond isolated memory drill to helping sstudents synthesize information to gain a deeper understanding of concepts and generalization that will have lasting value as they structure knowledge and interpret their world.Thus, diocesan directors of parochial school are currently working on the transition for change of curriculum. It is very crucial to know and be very cognizant to the changes, and as much as possible to have a paradigm shift of accepting contemporary techniques and curriculum, as connected to the instruction itself. Curriculum planners must ask themselves what skills; knowledge, attitudes and abilities must sstudents possess to operate successfully in the 21st century. Thus, the curricular design of the Diocese in connection to K to 12 caters to the challenges of the 21st century education.Some curricula draw lessons from the past and all curricula prepare sstudents for the future. To successfully prepare student to live and work within globally networked systems, curriculum developers must listen to business and economic futurist. Curriculum and instruction are heavily weighted with innovation, in deciding how to proceed; curriculum planners need to weigh today’s educational needs against past practices and their beliefs a bout teaching and learning for the future. III. Revising the Whole Curriculum: Religion as Core of the CurriculumAs a neophyte administrator, the writer dreamt big especially in his school. Thus, he decided to try and suggest to have a taste of a different curriculum where both teachers and sstudents would benefit. As committee of the new curriculum starts the design for the diocesan school, it was decided to have a transition plan so that in one way or another it will be very helpful in implementing the curriculum to the member schools. As a member of the committee, the researcher was task to craft the necessary transition plan for the velvetiness of the transition.Thus, the transition plan of the Catholic School of the Diocese of Imus was attached to this action research for reference. The new time allotment of the subjects for the new curriculum is also attached to be able see and determine the strengths and weaknesses for better development in each subject area. As a Catholic Sc hool within the vicinity of the Diocese of Imus, it was agreed upon that the school where the writer is connected will implement the RCC or the Religion as the Core of the Curriculum using the WBLS (Whole Brain Learning System) as strategy.Thus, in very evident that the new curriculum that will be implemented the next academic year will be somehow different for it allocates a more time on subjects like Christian Living Education (CLE) and Values Education using the Transformative Values as initiated by the CEAP (Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines). RCC or the Religion as Core of the Curriculum is shared mandate that distinguishes Catholic schools from private and public schools.