Introduction Of Gibraltar Mine Commerce Essay

Gibraltar mine is the 2nd largest unfastened cavity Cu mine in Canada, which is located near Williams Lake in British Columbia. The Gibraltar sedimentation is a copper-molybdenum porphyritic rock. The chief primary mineral is sulphide mineral Pyrite and Chalcopyrite. As the militias proclamation at December 31, 2008, Gibraltar mine got a mine life to at least 2035. After finishing the Phase I & A ; II undertakings, the Gibraltar mine achieves the capacity of 55,000 metric tons per twenty-four hours. There are two sorts of mineralization ores, which are sulfide ore and oxide ore. The former 1 could be done by the regular mineral processing method, and the latter one should be done by the method called SX/EW ( solvent extraction electro-winning ) . Gibraltar mine besides updated their excavation and processing equipments for the development. Additional, Gibraltar mine has done a great occupation on the environment and sustainability issues.OverviewLocationThe Gibraltar copper-molybdenu m mine is located about 65 km Northwest of Williams Lake in south-central British Columbia with a well-developed substructure. The mine is accessible by a combination of main roads ( 97 ) and paved roads, and it is close to a rail web that provides service for cargo of Cu dressed ores through the Pacific Ocean port of North Vancouver ( Taseko, 2009 ) . Figure 1: Gibraltar – Regional Location ( Beginning: Taseko, 2009 )PropertiesThe Gibraltar mine is the 2nd largest unfastened cavity Cu mine in Canada ( Gibraltar, 2009 ) . The mine is a 46,000 metric tons per twenty-four hours operation with a life of mine mean one-year production of 100 million lbs of Cu and 1.1 million lbs of Mo. The mine is undergoing an enlargement and modernisation undertaking that will increase one-year Cu production capacity to 115 million lbs by 2011 ( Taseko, 2009 ) . Figure 2: The Satellite View of the Gibraltar Mine ( Beginning: Google Earth, 2009 )Brief historyThe development of the mine is as follow ( MREP, 2009 ) , 1910 The Gibraltar ore sedimentation was foremost discovered 1971 Originally built by Placer Development 1972 Began operation, 24 hours/day, 7 yearss a hebdomad 1998 Shutdown by Boliden due to the low Cu monetary values after 26 old ages operation 1999 Acquired by Taseko Mines Limited ( 100 % ) , put on standby 2003 Copper monetary values begin to increase, explorative boring plan began 2004 Reopened, and the SX-EW works was being restarted 2006 An extended boring plan discovered extra 30 % of militias 2008 Gibraltar proven and likely militias are increased by 28 % to 472 million metric tons, or 2.7 billion lbs of recoverable Cu widening mine life to 2035 ( Gibraltar, 2009 ) 2009 Prosperity Environmental Assessment study is submitted to both Provincial and Federal authoritiessGeologyFigure 3: Gibraltar – Minesite layout ( Beginning: InfoMine, 2009 ) The Gibraltar sedimentation is a copper-molybdenum porphyritic rock. The chief primary mineral is sulphide mineral Pyrite and Chalcopyrite. The ore occurs in seven detached zones, all within a 204 million twelvemonth old flinty stone. The mineralized zones are Gibraltar East, Pollyanna, Gibraltar West, Gibraltar West Extension, Gibraltar North, Connector and Granite Lake ( MREP, 2009 ) . â€Å" The cavities occur within the Granite Mountain batholite in a wide zone of shearing and change. The Sawmill zone lies about 6 kilometres to the South, along the southern border of the batholite, within a complex contact zone between the batholite and Cache Creek Group stones † ( InfoMine, 2009 ) . The mine site covers about 109 square kilometres and consists chiefly of 251 mineral claims and 30 excavation rentals ( InfoMine, 2009 ) . When the mine restarted in 2004, militias were merely 149 million metric tons, or about 12 old ages of mine life. The mission for the Gibraltar mine direction squad is to increase militias and widen the mine life. Over the past four old ages, over $ 20 million has been spent on three major drill plans, each plan ensuing in a important addition to turn out and likely militias. The most recent drill plan, in the spring and summer of 2008, resulted in a 28 % addition to turn out and likely militias, as announced in December 2008. Under present militias, the mine is expected to stay in current operation state of affairs until at least 2035. Here is the proclamation at December 31, 2008. Table 1: Calpe Militias and Resources at December 31, 2008 Class ( at 0.20 % Cu Cut-off ) Size ( M Tonnes ) Class Recoverable Metallic element Contained Metallic element Cu ( % ) Mo ( % ) Cu ( B pound ) Cu ( B pound ) Proven & A ; Probable Militias 472 0.315 0.008 2.7 3.0 Measured & A ; Indicated Resources 959 0.298 0.008–5.7 ( Beginning: Gibraltar, 2009 )FinanceTaseko Mines Limited Owns the 100 % of the Gibraltar mine ‘s involvement. The production of the Gibraltar mine is showed as below: Table 2: Summary of the Operating Statisticss Q2 20091 Fiscal 20082 Fiscal 2007 Entire metric tons mined ( 1000000s ) 14.8 51.8 35.4 Metric tons of ore milled ( 1000000s ) 6.5 13.6 9.5 Depriving ratio 1.2 2.7 2.6 Copper class ( % ) 0.35 0.351 0.328 Molybdenum class ( % ) 0.011 0.009 0.011 Copper recovery ( % ) 83.0 75.8 77.5 Molybdenum recovery ( % ) 30.6 31.8 29.6 Copper production ( 1000000s lb ) 39.0 76.9 51.8 Molybdenum production ( 1000s lb ) 404 840 580 Copper production costs, cyberspace of by merchandise credits, per pound of Cu US $ 0.94 US $ 1.87 US $ 1.03 Off belongings costs for conveyance, intervention ( smelting & A ; refinement ) & A ; gross revenues per pound of Cu US $ 0.29 US $ 0.43 US $ 0.35 Entire hard currency costs of production per pound of Cu US $ 1.23 US $ 2.30 US $ 1.38 Notes to postpone: 1 Q2 2009 relates to the 6 months stoping June 30, 2009 2 Fiscal 2008 relates to the 15 months stoping December 31, 2008. ( Beginning: Taseko, 2009 ) From the above tabular array, we can happen that the depriving ration of the Gibraltar mine is at a significantly reduced compared with the anterior old ages. Harmonizing the Taseko mines Second Quarter Results, the Gibraltar mine â€Å" operated for the first six months of 2009 under a program initiated in November 2008, based on 45,000 metric tons per twenty-four hours factory † ( Taseko, 2009 ) . â€Å" This new operational program along with worsening input costs, and the realisation of the Phase I enlargement, resulted in well reduced costs compared to prior old ages. The mine is presently reexamining a return to lodge mean strip ratio based on recent strength in Cu and molybdenum demand and corresponding additions in metal monetary values † ( Taseko, 2009 ) . As known, the market of metals suffered a historical hardest clip during 2008 and 2009, due to the planetary fiscal crisis. However, the entire hard currency cost of production per pound of Cu of Gibraltar mine declined aggressively to US $ 1.23 in 2009. Therefore, even though the monetary value of Cu has declined, Gibraltar ‘s net income border has still improved.MiningMining OperationMining at Gibraltar is carried out utilizing conventional unfastened cavity methods in the Pollyanna on the east side of the belongings, which is 1.8 kilometer long by 0.7 kilometers at its widest point. Drilling is done by a fleet of 3 rotary blast hole drills, which drill 32 centimeter diameter holes and 15 m deep. Blasting is done two to three times a hebdomad and creates 13.7 m high benches in the cavity wall ( MREP, 2009 ) . â€Å" Blasted ore is loaded by one of three P & A ; H shovels into one of 11 draw trucks that hold between 205 and 240 metric tons each. They haul the ore about 2.4 kilometers to a gyratory crusher located above the cavity near the factory edifice. The draw trucks transport most waste stone to dumps along the north wall of the Pollyanna cavity where they are bit by bit make fulling in the cavity. Some waste stone that contains oxidized Cu mineral ore is hauled out of the cavity to a reserve for polishing procedure † ( MREP, 2009 ) . Harmonizing to the Annual General Meeting Presentation, the building for the Phase I enlargement and modernisation was completed in January 2008, accomplishing 46,000 metric tons per twenty-four hours steady province. And Phase II enlargement undertaking was completed in March 2009, to increase the capacity to 55,000 metric tons per twenty-four hours ( Gibraltar, 2009 ) .Mining EquipmentGibraltar mine acquired new excavation equipment in topograph ic point to manage higher factory rates, as below. Figure 4: New Mining truck – 240 ton TEREX MT 4400AC ( Beginning: TEREX, 2009 ) Figure 5: New Mining Shovel – P & A ; H 4100C Electric MS ( Beginning: Zlotnikov, 2009 ; P & A ; H Mining Equipment, 2009 )ProcedureFigure 6: Mill Flowsheet of Gibraltar Mine ( Beginning: Gibraltar, 2008 )Comminution ProcedureComminution is a procedure, which breaks the stone from big balls into smaller pieces and so to finer atoms. There are crushers used for interrupting the big stones and bomber to finer atoms. In Gibraltar mine, the new provender & A ; crunching circuit described as, ROM goes in to a gyratory crusher ( 54Ãâ€"74 ) followed by four parallel secondary crushers ( 13Ãâ€"84 ) in closed circuit. Then, the crushed ores are conveyed into the 34 pess SAG factory through a 45A ° conveyor at a rate of 49,000 metric tons per twenty-four hours. The ore was distributed to 6 ball factory circuits, which pulverize the ore to sand. Then, the stuff discharged from Millss is separated by hydro-cyclones ( The flood & lt ; 0.5mm, underflow & gt ; 0.5mm ) . In add-on, there are 2 re-grinding factory, which are used to cut down the rougher floatation merchandises from under 0.5 millimeter to under 0.1 millimeter ( Chen, 2008 ) .Flotation ProcedureThe froth floatation is really a physical procedure that uses wetting agents and wetting reagents to increase the hydrophobicity of the minerals. The sulfide minerals, such as copper pyrites and peacock ore, are water-resistant ( hydrophobic ) . Ther efore, foams are added to the slurry to do aggregator ( bubbles ) stronger adequate to keep the affiliated minerals to the surface ( EduMine, 2009 ) . From the Millss the slurry is piped into floatation cells, which float a assorted Cu and moly dressed ore, which is piped to a Mo floatation circuit where the moly and Cu dressed ores are separated. These dressed ores pass through a thickening before being dried. In the Copper-Moly Separation Circuit, NaHS is added in this circuit as a Cu sedative in order to forestall the Cu from drifting. Meanwhile, the moly can still drift ( Chen, 2008 ) . Figure 7: Original and Modernized Flotation Circuit ( Beginning: Gibraltar, 2009 )Polishing ProcedureIn the early phase, Gibraltar besides operated a SX/EW ( solvent extraction electro-winning ) works on site to retrieve cathode Cu from Cu oxide minerals, viz. azurite, malachite, chalcocite and cuprite. The procedure involved fade outing these minerals in sulfuric acid with the aid of of course happening bacteriums in out-of-door hemorrhoids of waste stone, followed by electroplating the dissolved Cu metal from the acid in the enclosed refinery edifice. Gibraltar ‘s SX/EW works produced around 38,430 metric tons of cathode Cu from 1986 to 1999. The installation was reopened in 2007 and is one time once more bring forthing Cu cathode at a rate of 1.1 million kgs per twelvemonth ( MREP, 2009 ) . The chiefly intent of the SX/EW works is to pull out Cu from the pregnant leach solutions ( PLS ) collected from the site ‘s leach mopess and heap leach tablet. â€Å" The procedure takes PLS and extracts the Cu in three extraction mixer-settlers. The Cu is extracted through a liquid ion-exchange reagent carried in kerosine. † The Cu is selectively transferred to the organic stage, due to the chemical reaction. The laden organic stage is separated and flows to a strip mixer-settler where the Cu is transferred from the organic to the electrolyte. â€Å" The electrolyte is filtered and heated before being passed through the electro-winning cells where the Cu is plated out on chromium steel steel cathodes. Sporadically, the cathodes are removed from the cells, washed and the Cu sheets automatically harvested. The attendant high quality cathode Cu is bundled and sold † ( InfoMine, 2009 ) .ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITYGibraltar Mine besides locates in the bosom of BC ‘s Cariboo Chilcotin tableland, which is a high interior part of assorted cone-bearing woods and grasslands. â€Å" It is home to many different types of wild animate beings, cervid, moose, reindeer, black bears, wolves, every bit good as farm animal. † The intent of Gibraltar ‘s renewal program is to return the site to the wild animate beings. In 1999, an environmental appraisal complete when Taskeo bought the mine concluded the cost to be $ 32.7 million for both renewal and H2O direction. Final inside informations have non been mapped out, but so far grass and legume vegetive screens have been established on disturbed land to instantly command air current eroding and supply eatage ( MREP, 2009 ) . Meanwhile, Gibraltar formed a successful partnership with the Cariboo Regional District ( CRD ) , which designed, built ( 2003 ) and now maintains a landfill on one of the mine ‘s waste stone shit. The landfill accepts 13,000 metric tons of family waste from CRD communities each twelvemonth ( MREP, 2009 ) . The public gave a agree ballot to the landfill site plan, because they believed that set uping such a installation at a mine site would be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable, and could be developed as a public private partnership ( InfoMine, 2009 ) . â€Å" Under the understanding, Gibraltar would stay responsible for the waste stone and drainage below the landfill and the Cariboo Regional District would be responsible for the air infinite above the waste stone † ( InfoMine, 2009 ) . The benefits of set uping the landfill at the Gibraltar mine ‘s waste stone shit are legion: ( InfoMine, 2009 ) Located on industrial land, with no demand to construct roads and upset new land, environmental impact and extra cost of building were eliminated. Large on-site mine equipment could construct the landfill at half the cost. The landfill would congratulate mine renewal. The mine ‘s extended surface and groundwater monitoring system would besides function the landfill.DecisionPut a short decision, non like Fisher!

The Global Cement Industry and Cemex’s Penetration Strategy Into International Markets

The Global Cement Industry and Cemex’s Penetration Strategy into International Markets My report argues that demand and capacity creation in developing economies is a major driver in the global cement industry, which given the nature of the product (high transportation costs arising from its bulk) is prone to major company expansion by mergers and acquisitions. Cemex’s expansion strategy focuses on merger and acquisition (M&A), mainly exploiting its expertise of operating in difficult institutional environments and taking advantage of opportunities arising from difficulties in developing market economies.The company successfully adapts best practice and technologies from its acquisitions throughout the wider company. My report begins with definitions, presents an overview of the global cement industry (section two) key players in the industry (section three) and M&A trends (section four). I then analyse Cemex’s entry strategies by exploring in turn the regions in to which it has expanded (section five) drawing conclusions on its penetration strategy. 1Introduction and definitionsCement is a binding substance, which sets and hardens independently binding other materials together. It is intended for use in building or construction material and can withstand varying environmental conditions. About 75% of cement production is used in ready-mixed concrete to be utilized in construction. The remaining 25%, Portland Cement Association (2009) shows, is used for paving roads or extracting oil. As Selim and Salem (2010) indicate basic raw materials for cement production are iron, aluminium, silicon and calcium.Normally cement is divided as Portland cement, Portland cement blends and non-Portland hydraulic cements. Portland cement, which can be roughly divided into White Portland and Gray Portland, is the most commonly used type as it is the basic ingredient of concrete (Cemex, 2013a, PCA, 2013). There are two different processes used in the manufactur e of cement – dry process and wet process. In the wet process, the raw materials, after properly proportioned, are ground with water, thoroughly mixed and fed into the kiln in the form of a â€Å"slurry† (containing enough water to make it fluid).In the dry process, raw materials are ground, mixed, and fed to the kiln in a dry state instead. In other respects, the two processes are essentially alike (PCA, 2013). However, the dry process was considered to be more sufficient than the wet one since it consumes less energy. On the other hand, the dry process requires more investment in equipment and plants. Cement manufactures in developing countries have widely adopted the wet process but the transformation to the dry process is underway on a large scale. 2An overview of the global cement industryThis section discusses the nature of the global cement industry, including the market size and market potential, the nature of cement products, market supply and demand and relat ed environmental issues, to provide a broad view to understand the nature of competition. The following are the main characteristics of the global cement industry. Huge market – especially emerging markets Cement is the primary and indispensable material in infrastructure construction for every country. Although it only accounts for around 6–13% in construction costs (Chandramouli, 2012), there are few substitutes for it (Wesley, 2009).Hence there is a potential huge global market with strong contracts between developed and developing countries. While the developed countries mostly have steady and limited demand for cement, the developing world is a more promising market, as a result of large-scale constructions: the demand of cement is positively correlated with a nation’s economic development. World demand for cement is growing by 4. 7% per annum reaching 6% growth in 2012, with total consumption of 3. 78 million tons (CW Group, 2012).Consumption in developing countries drives this growth in Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Middle East regions; China is the strongest driver. In contract, consumption in Europe has been stalled and the growth rate of consumption in the US is a steady 2%. Therefore, developing countries are the main drivers of the growth in cement demand – a trajectory likely to continue. Cost is dominated by oil price and transportation Due to the specificity of cement products, in the cement industry, oil price and transportation cost are dominant factors affecting cost.The cement industry is energy intensive and thus fuel costs is the most critical part in cement manufacturing, constituting 35% of total cost of production (Das, 2011). Therefore, the fluctuation of fuel price, especially oil price, has impacts greatly on production cost. During the first quarter of 2012, the oil price had kept rising and was 12% up by the end of 2011. At that time, the cement industry increased prices to cover hig her fuel cost. In June 2012, Caribbean Cement Company Limited increased the price of bagged cement by 9. %, and the company claimed that its ex-factory was still among the lowest in five other regional markets. Cement is, clearly, a type of high weight-to-price ratio product and it is usually purchased in bulk. As a consequence, transportation expenditure is relatively high and restricts the spatial reach of markets. It is more feasible to produce cement domestically or to import cement products from neighbouring countries to reduce the transportation fee. Hence, the scale of international cement trade is small (5%-7%) when compared with total cement production worldwide (Selim and Salem, 2010).The demand of cement can be unpredictable Since cement production is largely dependent on infrastructure constructions, as Wesley (2009) argues, national construction polices and projects drives demand: sales volume is more sensitive to construction levels than to price. Over the long-term pe rspective, changes in social factors such as population and economic growth also affect cement consumption. The residential day-to-day demand for cement can be uncertain; it may be disrupted by unexpected situations such as bad weather (Wesley, 2009). Constantly related with environmental issuesAlthough cement is locally produced in most cases, the impact of cement production is global, especially its environmental aspects; as Selim and Salem (2010) argues. The mass production with high-energy consumption brings pollution, producing 5% of the world’s total emission of greenhouse gases Loreti (2008) and Uwasu et al. (2012) estimate This pollution is produced mainly in developing countries, which are the main production locations of cement. China alone, being the world’s leader in carbon dioxide emission and cement production, has 15% of its emission contributed by cement the World Resources Institute (2008) suggests.The environmental issue becomes extremely urgent and p ushes major global players to set up stricter emission standards on the cement industry. 3Top players and in global cement industry The table below shows the largest 20 cement producers in the world. It can be seen that top global players in this industry are either from Western Europe or from emerging markets, especially China. Rank| Company/Group| Country| Capacity (Mt/yr)| No. of plants| 1| Lafarge| France| 225| 166| 2| Holcim| Switzerland| 217| 149| 3| CNBM| China| 200| 69| 4| Anhui Conch| China| 180| 34| 5| Heidelberg Cement| Germany| 118| 71| | Jidong| China| 100| 100| 7| Cemex| Mexico| 96| 61| 8| China Resources| China| 89| 16| 9| Sinoma| China| 87| 24| 10| Shanshui| China| 84| 13| 11| Italcementi| Italy| 74| 55| 12| Taiwan Cement| Taiwan| 70| -| 13| Votorantim*| Brazil| 57| 37| 14| CRH**| Ireland| 56| 11| 15| UltraTech| India| 53| 12| 16| Huaxin| China| 52| 51| 17| Buzzi| Italy| 45| 39| 18| Eurocement| Russia| 40| 16| 19| Tianrui| China| 35| 11| 20| Jaypee***| India| 34| 16| Table 1 Global cement companies 1-20 ranked by capacity Source: Global Cement Magazine, 2012 * Includes 15Mt/yr of capacity from Cimpor shares. * Cement capacity calculated from clinker capacity assuming clinker factor of 95%. ***As in April 2012. Table 2 indicates top cement producing countries – again, fast-developing countries are the main force driving cement production. Rank| Country| Capacity (Mt)| 1| China| 2000| 2| India| 210| 3| USA (inc. Puerto Rico)| 68. 4| 4| Turkey| 64| 5| Brazil| 62. 6| 6| Russia| 52| 7| Iran| 52| 8| Vietnam| 50| 9| Japan| 47| 10| Korea, Republic of| 46| 11| Egypt| 45| 12| Saudi Arabia | 44| 13| Thailand| 36| 14| Italy| 35| 15| Mexico| 35| 16| Germany| 33| 17| Pakistan| 30| 18| Indonesia| 22| 19| Spain| 20. 7| Other countries (rounded)| 480| | World total (rounded)| 3400| Table 2: Top global cement producing countries by installed capacity (2011, estimated) Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2012 From the tables above, it can be concluded that China is the leader in both cement production and consumption due to its large scale infrastructure construction and fast development, representing more than half of the world’s total consumption. India follows China as the second largest consumer while also having large producing capacity. The United States is the largest cement consumer in the developed world. Major M&A trends As the Economist (1999) illustrates, larger players in the cement sector frequently undertake mergers and acquisitions (M&A) domestically and globally, to increase market share and benefit from economies of scale. The Economist goes on to argue that this high level of M&A activity is driven by the nature of the cement industry since cement production is localised and transportation costs are high; thus global producers need to purchase local companies to enter new markets, especially when a domestic market is saturated or in downturn.Since the 1970s, the cement industry in the developed world has bee n saturated and there is little space for market expansion. Developing countries have consequently become the target market for expanding new capacity and seizing market share a trend clear since the 1990s. The industry is therefore becoming more of a monopoly with oligarchic key players taking the important decisions, making M&A decisions, guided of course by changing economic and market conditions. In the 1990s, global cement giants saw great opportunities for M&A and competed to purchase market share in rapidly developing markets at good prices.For example, the Mexican Peso crisis (1994) resulted in a currency flight to US dollars and Peso devaluation, a situation Cemex turned to their advantage, Wesley (2009) argues, by purchasing Latin American cement companies at undervalued prices. Similarly, after the Asian financial crisis in 1997, the Asian cement industry fell into a downturn. Global cement giants took advantage and purchased leading cement companies in the Philippines, T hailand and Indonesia as bargains.At that time, six global giants purchased seventeen of the nineteen Philippine cement companies leaving Lafarge, Holcim and Cemex controlling 88% of the nation’s cement capacity. When the regional economy recovered, Cembusiness (2006) suggests, the price of cement rose again quickly and these multinational giants benefited from huge profits in Southeast Asia. 5Cemex’s entry strategy into international markets Cemex is currently the world’s third largest cement producer headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico.Although Cemex founded 107 years ago, it had been a domestic player for its first 80 years and did not start its global expansion until the 1990s. Its M&A progress has been remarkable: it now operates profitably in 50 countries in the world with 44000 employees and annual sales of US$15. 14 billion (Cemex, 2013a). In general, as Hill (2008) points out, a firm’s entry modes into foreign markets include exporting, contracts (licensing or franchising), foreign direct investment (joint venture and wholly owned subsidiary, including M&A) and strategic alliances.As discussed above, global cement giants, including Cemex, mainly enter foreign markets through M&A. Specifically, as a global player from an emerging market, Cemex needs to build its own competitive advantage during its internationalisation processes to cope with its disadvantageous competitive position vis-a-vis companies from developed countries. In short, Cemex is diversifying its market position through internationalisation (Liu, 2013). As Cemex’s expansion history extends spatially, I now turn to discuss its entry strategies into the global market by regions, which are shown in table 3. Cement production capacity (Million metric tons/year)| Cement plants controlled| Sales (millions of US dollars)| Mexico| 29. 3| 15| 3,474| United States| 17. 1| 13| 2,521| Northern Europe| 11. 9| 7| 4,729| Mediterranean| 18. 8| 12| 1,719| South, Central America and the Caribbean| 12. 8| 11| 1,745| Asia| 5. 7| 3| 505| Others| -| -| 445| Total| 95. 6| 61| 15,139| Table 3: Global review of Cemex’s operations As of December 31, 2011 Source: Cemex Annual Report 2011 Europe Europe was Cemex’s first step in global expansion.In July 1992, as Wesley (2009) reports, Cemex acquired two of the largest cement companies – Valenciana and Sanson – in Spain, with Valenciana becoming its regional hub holding company for all of Cemex’s future international acquisitions. However, significant movement into Spain, Europe did not become the main destination of Cemex as this region had limited potential for growth. More importantly, European players such as the French Lafarge and German Heidelberg controlled the European region.These European giants had advantages of scale, market share and advanced technology. What Cemex needed was not only the action of acquiring: it needed the advantages of the post-merger integratio n to catch up and improve. After purchasing Valenciana and Sanson, Cemex integrated its two Spanish subsidiaries by merging and streamlining the organisations and improved its technological and operational implementation. Cemex’s other substantial step in Europe was the purchase in 2005 of RMC, the world’s largest producer of ready-mixed concrete based in the UK.With this acquisition Cemex doubled its size, adding 20 mainly European markets (Cemex, 2013a) and managed to extend its product mix, becoming top producers of not only cement but also concrete and other construction aggregate (China Cement Net, 2005). Latin America Cemex made a series of acquisitions in Latin America, benefiting from the close psychic distance and geographic proximity to Mexico. Furthermore, in the 1990s, Latin America was an underdeveloped market with a high growth trajectory.Although at that time, Latin American countries were in a turbulent political and institutional condition with poor in frastructure and limited market information, Cemex viewed these conditions as advantages Fleury and Fleury (2011) argue, exploiting its experience in dealing with chaotic market environments in its home country and captured the opportune moment of the Peso crisis in 1994. Cemex moved into Latin America, including Central America and the Caribbean, by acquisitions in Venezuela (1994), Panama (1994), Dominican republic (1995), Colombia (1996), Costa Rica (1999), Nicaragua (2001), and Puerto Rican (2002) (see Cemex, 2013a).Latin America has been an important destination for Cemex, especially in the decade since the Peso crisis. During this decade foreign cement giants divided up the Latin American market due to the collapse of local producers and Cemex gained the dominant position. After acquiring those companies, Lessard and Reavis (2009) suggest, Cemex also upgraded its administration, production and technologies in this region, exploiting learning from the company’s operation s in Mexico and Spain. Although Cemex has a noteworthy presence in Latin American countries, its production capacity in South,Central America and the Caribbean accounts for only 13. 4% of its total sales in 2011, less than its capacity in the United States, Northern Europe and Mediterranean respectively and less than half of its domestic capacity (Cemex, 2011). However, there has been a rapid increase in South America and the Caribbean since mid-2000s, as a result of higher levels of public expenditure on infrastructure, industrial and commercial development and housing construction (United Nations ECLAC, 2007).Hence Cemex controls its closest emerging market area, with the exception of Brazil. The USA The United States, unlike other developed countries, remains a major consumer and producer of cement products; however, few its cement producers are American-owned. In the 1970s, Wesley (2009) points out, when Cemex was a domestic firm, most US cement producers were already taken over by European companies. Cemex’s significant incursion into US market was the purchase of American producer Southdown in 2000.Southdown was one of the largest American cement producers and it was state-owned. Cemex’s purchase followed a 20-year joint venture with Southdown called Sunbelt in 1986: following disagreements on management fees and the price of imported cement, the partnership dissolved and Southdown supported anti-dumping measures against Mexican producers (Wesley, 2009). By late 1990s, Southdown was making profits from its upgraded plants and lower costs whilst unsatisfactorily performing on the stock market, enabling Cemex to buy Southdown for $2. billion in November 2000 (Cemex, 2000), becoming North America’s largest cement producer, obtaining Sothdown’s advanced production capacity and markets and circumventing anti-dumping duties. Another Cemex step into North America (Black, 2007) was the purchase of the Rinker Corporation, an Australia- based concrete maker that had about 80% of its sales in the US, notably increasing its share of the U. S. concrete market. Asia Cemex turned its attention into Asia after 1997, seeing the potential in Asian growth and M&A opportunities following the financial crisis in southeast Asia (Wesley, 2009).In the next few years, Cemex made acquisitions in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and India. Following rapid economic development and large-scale construction in Asia, by 2011 Cemex only managed to have the capacity of 5. 7 million metric tons in this region, representing only 6% of Cemex global capacity. Cemex failed to gain significant market share in China and India, the two largest Asian cement markets: the company continues to pay attention to the burgeoning Chinese and Indian markets (China Cement Net, 2005), however, institutional restrictions inhibit its growth.Indeed, the cement industry in China has excess capacity following slowdown in construction growth: many cement plan ts having been built during the boom. Currently Cemex does not have specific expansion plan of for China although it expresses a lot of interest (China Cement Net, 2006). In India, Cemex is more positive and in negotiations to acquire several Indian producers. Middle East and Africa (MENA) In 1999, Cemex acquired Assiut Cement Company, the largest cement producer in Egypt, started operating in Africa and increased its capacity following acquisitions (Wesley, 2009).Cemex also has operations in Israel and United Arab Emirates. The total presence in Middle East and Africa is limited since the African cement market is underdeveloped and as Digital Cement (2010) point out, the MENA cement markets are locally controlled. In summary, Cemex’s expansion into the global market is not only the strategic choice about competing and bidding for acquisitions, but also the integration process that ensued, as an opportunity to drive change, and as a result, continuously evolve as a corporatio n (Lessard and Reavis, 2009). 6ConclusionsCemex’s penetration strategy is shaped by the nature of the product and structure of the industry. Since cement is bulky and costly to transport global-global entry strategies are unavailable to it. The industry structure reflects the product in a wide array of regional-scale producers. Like other major players in the industry (such as Lafarge, Holcim and Heidelber) has sought to penetrate international markets by M&A rather than direct investment, strategic alliances or licensing. Another characteristic of the global cement industry is that developing economies are the drivers of demand.Often these markets remain difficult to enter being overly regulated, protected or subject to corruption and political interference. Cemex uses its origins in a developing market as an advantage: the company has expertise in overcoming these barriers, knowledge it has successfully exploited in numerous markets. Additionally, Cemex has taken advantage of other adverse trading conditions in its target markets (Asian financial crisis, Peso crisis) to conclude M&A deals when target company prices are depressed. Bibliography 1. Black, T. , 2007.Cemex Wins Control of Rinker With $14. 2 Billion Offer (Update3). [online] Available at: . 2. Chandramouli, R. , 2012. Cement contributes to less than 10% of construction cost. The Times of India. [online] Available at: . 3. Cembusiness, 2006. (The opportunities in the cement industry under the upsurge of international industrial capital M&A). online] Available at: . 4. Cemex, 2000. Annual Report 2000. [PDF] Available at: [last accessed 28/02/2013]. 5. Cemex, 2011. Annual Report 2011. [PDF] Available at: . 6. Cemex, 2013a. About us. [online] Available at: . 7. Cemex, 2013b. Product and Services. [online] Available at: . 8. China Cement Net, 2005. â€Å" †Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€? CEMEX †¢ (The master of acquisition – interviewing Armando Garcia, executive director of Cemex). [onli ne] Available at: . 9. China Cement Net, 2006. Cemex (Cemex clearly expresses its interests in the Chinese market). [online] Available at: . 10. CW Group, 2012. CW Group: Global cement demand to reach 4bn tons by 2013. CemWeek. [online] Available at:

Charter and private schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Charter and private schools - Essay Example On the other hand private schools are schools that do not lie under the jurisdiction of the local as well as the state government and are basically run on the funding based on the fees collected from the students (Haertal 1987). The charter and private schools have different methods of running their administration and have comparable differences in their working and student selection. Charter schools are basically schools that are run from the public funds and they may be started by parents or other groups in community. They have their own teaching standards and they are not liable to strict regulations of the state that imply for other public schools. These implications include the production of specific results during a particular time period. But another important feature of these schools is that if they fail to provide for certain set standards by the state, they may be closed. Charter schools are free and do not charge fees from the students. This has called for their importance amongst the poor groups and communities who would otherwise not be able to send their children to schools. Also the charter schools may be started in old buildings and they do not follow the structural norms of public schools. It is believed that the basic goal of these schools is to provide for education of those people who may otherwise not be able to attend public schools.

Just War Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Just War Theory - Essay Example Orend observes that a state may also indulge in war for defending its territories to achieve internal and inter-boarder peace. Orend believes that for war to be justified, it must engage use of weapons and be well organized and arranged in advance before strike. Orend defines a just war as an intentional, actual organized and armed attack between aggressors. Just war theory is based on two points of view; classic and contemporary just wars. Schall reports that theorists like the Father Webster and Mr. Cole insist that for a war to qualify as just, it must base on classic concept and should not involve evil actions like fighting the perceived innocent and noncombatant individuals. Father Webster and Mr. Cole believe that a justified war should transpire through certain criteria. The contemporary concept of just war permits armed attack under the claims of self-defense by a country. The contemporary concept of just war recognizes permission granted for coercion to be based on the defen se of the individual state and the collective world. Contemporary concept of just war also proposes international support to the state subjected to attacks by the aggressor. The contemporary concept of just war argues that international community can merge to execute collective defense to a member state facing attack from internal militia who get support from foreign aggressor. The contemporary concept of just war advocates for use of military force in intervening cases that involve serious abuse of human rights (Johnson 33). This argument was passed to be a moral cause of just war waged against the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The contemporary concept of just war further argues that the just war should not be fought in a manner that exempts the attack and harm of the noncombatants. From this argument, the proponents of contemporary concept stood to rebuke the air bombing dropped during the war against Iraq, which harmed many noncombatants (Johnson 34). Contemporary concep t of just war allows the military troops to breach the laws of right conduct in war when overwhelmed by the opponent superior forces (Johnson 35). The Iraqi militia forces when resisting the new Iraqi government employed this principle of just war. The contemporary concept also justifies a war conducted against a state perceived to bear threats to the aggressor and the entire UN. This perception led to the collective synergy of the UN and Bush Administration in conducting disarmament attack against Saddam Hussein. The contemporary concept further argues that any killing conducted during war is wrong and can only be exceptional under sufficient justification. The classic concept argues that provoking just war is permissible to a political community that enjoys peace in its surroundings but faces danger of attack from the aggressors. A responsible political authority is permitted to use armed force as tool perceived to the only mean offering protection to citizens and ensuring peace i n a war threatened state. The classic concept of just war injustice and the threats linked to injustice are the basic moral problems that need to be addressed. The use of force in accomplishing just war is considered harmless under the classic point of view. The classic concept of just war argues that the measure of morality of force depends on the one using it and the reason behind the use of the force (Johnson 36). Classic concept justifies war when based on just cause and the right intention for provoking the war

Publi Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Publi Law - Essay Example The Prime Minister of the UK is the leader of the Majority Party in the House of Commons. In the UK the legal system is founded on the concept of rule of law and endeavours to provide justice, equality and procedural fairness to all. (MSI Legal and Accounting Network Worldwide, n.d.). In the British Constitution, Supremacy of the Rule of Law is the main guiding principle. In order to achieve and ensure this Supremacy, it is essential to have independent judiciary who are not a part of the legislature. To surmount the trap laid by tyranny and despotism, the UK constitution has evolved in such a manner that there is separation of powers and this in turn provides protection against oppression. The rule of law was introduced to exclude the arbitrary authority of the government and to provide legal safeguards for the protection of the individuals and their rights. This concept was developed by Professor A.V. Dicey, a well known authority on the English Law, and published in the year 1885 in his magnum opus Law of the Constitution. The rule of law comprises of three principles, namely supremacy of the law, equality before the law and the predominance of the legal spirit. Dicey emphasized the role of the courts of law as guarantors of liberty and suggested that these ri ghts would be secured more effectively if they were enforceable in the courts of law rather than being merely declared in a document. In the case of Entick V. Carrington (1765), government officials raided the plaintiff's printing press and damaged his property. This was done without any reasonable grounds whatsoever, except for the reason that this had been ordered by the secretary of state. The House of Lords in their decision condemned the government's actions and awarded 300 to the petitioner as compensation. This illustrates the absolute supremacy of the law. In the case Padfield V. The Ministry of Agriculture (1968), milk producers in South - East England petitioned the Minister to appoint a committee of investigators to look into their complaints regarding the levels of subsidy to be granted to milk producers according to the England Agriculture Marketing Act, 1958. The Minister rejected this request. The House of Lords found fault with this rejection and ordered the Minister to appoint a committee of investigators. This case demonstrates the concept of equality before the law alongwith the concept of absolute supremacy of the law as described by Dicey in his Rule of Law. The enforcement of the law is, by a process of devolution, placed within the ambit of the people and this process is known as Trial by Jury. In this exemplary procedure enforcement and legislation are separated. Such separation constitutes the strongest safeguard as it subjects the enforcement of the statute of the law to a test of acceptance by the common law in the hands of the people. The Sovereign power of the nation is vested with the constitutionally limited monarch in the United Kingdom. The House of Lords and the House of Commons determine the context and contents of the bill that are enacted by the granting of royal assent. Royal assent is the prerogatory power of the monarch who is sworn contractually to abide by the coronation oath, the bill of rights, etc,. The monarch is bound by oath to govern the people according to the laws and customs of the nation (Bingley, 2005). The essential features of democratic constitutions which exist in one form or another, in virtually all

How lawyers reason, within field of litigation and how lawyers form Essay

How lawyers reason, within field of litigation and how lawyers form legal argument within field of litigation - Essay Example These supporting tools are of great help in terms of their importance in making the minds of judiciary to decide. II. How lawyers reason, within field of litigation   A. Litigation   The legal professions in England and Wales are divided into two segments a) Barrister and b) Solicitor. Bar Standards Board is the regulatory authority of Barrister. A Barrister must be a member of one of the Inns of Court. These are a) The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn b) The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn c) The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple and d) The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple. Mentioned courts are located in Central London, which is very near to the Royal Courts of Justice1. In England, public representatives may have the services of a barrister directly. They are there to provide legal advice and assistance in almost all spheres of laws. Barristers are entitled to represent on behalf of their clients in any court of law in England and Wales provided he or she recei ved instructions from his client to plead the case. Before taking up the case of any client, Barrister has to complete a course, which is known as special course2. The Public Access Scheme was introduced in the United Kingdom to liberalize it for public and at a cheaper fee. It further bridges the gap between solicitors and barristers. The role of Barrister and Solicitor is clearly defined in rules of business for the ease of public.    B. Precedent   Legal rulings are known as legal precedents, come from the cases of law. Rulings of the competent court of law are binding until and unless void by the superior courts. We may categorise the precedents into three categorise a) Original b) Binding and c) Persuasive. It can be used in place of statutory law in civil cases, which is familiar as common law. Judges pursue the know principles of superior courts3. Original Precedent Original Precedents are those which have never gone through the legal process ever before. Take the example of London bombing case, which was never heard by the UK Judge as this sort of incident has not been witnessed earlier. Hence, ruling in the mentioned case, is considered as Original Precedent4.    Binding Precedent If a ruling of a competent jurisdiction is the same as it was held in some similar case, this can be treated as binding precedent. For example if a person commits murder and the judge keeping in mind the circumstances, not finds the accused guilty and orders to release innocent person, therefore a case of equal standing can have the same ruling. Judges always try the cases on merits of the case5. Persuasive Precedent Persuasive precedents in fact are the decisions of subordinate courts. The decision has the legal validity provided higher court deems it fit and appropriate. There are circumstances where lower courts take the decision and the higher court did not endorse it taking into account the merits of the case6.    Precedents as Common Law Now, the courts of Engl and and Wales use precedents as Common Law. The extraordinary cases usually try in the competent court of law and their decision is binding. Precedent may be used in a similar case being heard. The rulings of circuit court or the high court are binding. However, rulings of the subordinate courts are not binding since they are challengeable in mentioned superior courts7.   Ã‚   It would not be out of place to mention that number of post 9/11and 7/7 Cases heard in UK courts were â€Å"

Dissertation conclusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dissertation conclusion - Essay Example It is also expected that more babies will be born at home and this could endanger the health of infants and their mothers. The respondents also perceive that the downgrading and closure proposals will be disruptive to a feeling of community. Residents of Ealing will have to leave their community for the purpose of obtaining medical health care in a number of cases. This renders the community fragmented. The reality is, Ealing Hospital is a part of the Ealing community and will not serve the greater population of Ealing. In the meantime, the campaigns have served to bring the community together, if only for a temporary and limited purpose (See Figures 1 and 2). One respondent, a community member, felt that the proposed downgrading of the A&E ward was a necessity and served the greater good of the local community. In particular, the respondent noted that things could not continue as they were. For example between 50% and 60% of patients reporting for A&E services were not casualties an d therefore overtaxed an already overburdened health care system operating on a limited budget. Downgrading would reduce the budgetary demands and would redirect services elsewhere. If things continued as they were, the trusts in the area would eventually close altogether and everyone would lose access to much-needed health care services. Cuts were therefore not only necessary to avoid closure, but also to ensure that those who need health care services the most would be able to access it. As for the impact of downgrading and in particular the proposed closure of the maternity ward, the respondent did acknowledge that there were protests within the community. However, the respondent felt that whenever there are changes to a system, there will always be disappointment. This disappointment did not equate to evidence of negative outcomes. In fact, the respondent stated that there was no evidence of a negative impact on the local community. This respondent’s impressions were quit e different from the remaining respondents. The remaining respondents were far more pessimistic about the future trajectory of Ealing Hospital and the community impact. For example, a respondent member of the Trans Union participating in the Save Our Hospital campaign predicted that the hospital changes â€Å"will be a disaster†. This prediction was based on the medical needs of residents in Ealing and in particular the large population of disadvantaged residents with medical needs. One respondent who is a medical doctor, felt that the downgrading was due to budgetary constraints, debts, and the move toward privatisation which was a persistent trend in government services. Even so, the doctor did not think that downgrading was the solution to the problem. If anything, services in the Ealing hospital should be expanded. This is particularly so for the elderly, the uneducated, migrants and ethnic minorities service users. These categories of service users typically use public t ransport and in doing so will now have to make the journey farther away to access services

Mangment Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Mangment - Speech or Presentation Example Secondly, it is impossible to calculate the beginning work in progress since it obtained from a previous year’s end work in progress, which is not contained in the extract provided. Lastly, since the units for measuring the direct labor cost is not provided, it is impractical to calculate the cost using the information in the manufacturing account extract (Lal & Srivastava 404-423). The estimated overhead rate allocation rate on the basis of direct labor cost = (15,000/10,000) = $ 1.5 per direct labor cost. Therefore, overhead cost to be added to job Q at the year end = (1.5*8,000) = $ 12,000 (Lal & Srivastava 404-423). The overhead allocation rate = 120% of direct labor. From this, the overhead cost of job 413 = (120/100) *8, 000 = $ 9,600. Therefore, the total manufacturing cost assigned = overhead cost + direct materials cost + direct labor cost = (9,600 + 12,000 + 8,000) = $ 29,600. The unit product cost for job 413 = total manufacturing cost/ number of units = (29,600/200) = $ 148 (Lal & Srivastava

Answering the Quastion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Answering the Quastion - Essay Example Domestic violence is a social crime because it leads to severe mental problems and psychological breakdowns due to which the victimized spouse is often considered as an abnormal person. Statistics make us think why mostly women are killers in homicides. The reason is the fact that when husbands physically or mentally abuse their wives, the latter develop such mental problems and anxiety disorders that lead them to kill their husbands and get rid of the abuse once and for all. It is not only a social crime but also a religious crime. Bible stops humans to be abusive toward their life partners. Chopp (239) states in her book, â€Å"†¦we recognize that the church is not immune to such problems as alcohol and sexual abuse.† God wants humans to spread peace and live with love, and nurture family system with care and honesty. Hence, domestic abuse is both a social and a religious crime. Question # 4 Christians have developed ways for thinking about those who are different, and this has lead to strikingly different kinds of treatment of different people. For Christians, it is the message of God to spread love and humanity, and to treat all people on equal basis. No person from another socio-economic or cultural background is inferior. No matter what the background is, all people should share the same status and respect. Christianity encourages thinking about different people in a caring way, which should include right kind of treatment of others. For example, America enjoys a diverse population, and people from different cultural, ethnic, and societal backgrounds live with each other. Students from different backgrounds study together in same schools, and this has lead to the promotion of equality and brotherhood. Christianity encourages that people should treat others with kindness, care, love, and concern, so that such a society must be established where no one feels insecure and unstable. â€Å"God has done God’s part and the rest is up to us,â €  says Moore (69). Hence, it is now our responsibility to devise and implement ways and strategies that should be able to treat all humans from different backgrounds on an equal basis. We should promote justice and fairness in the society, and should resist against racial, sexual, and gender discrimination. This is how different people are treated so that they feel loved and accepted in a strange society. Question # 5 We are living in a post-modern world. Post-modernism has made us understand the realities of life more distinctly and truthfully. It started in later twentieth century, and focuses on the reality of things from a critical point of view. Post-modernism also boosts feminism, and rejects the idea of women being kept at homes for household only. Modernism struggled against the home captivity of women, and post-modernism saw the liberation of women. Not only this, post-modernism has given new meaning to arts, culture, social norms, politics, agriculture, and economics. One aspect of post-modernism is that people are no longer ready to accept things as they are. They have started questioning the realities of life, and do not accept ambiguous realities. This has given rise to research and rejection of olden times’ myths and suppositions. For example, the existence of God has been debated upon in the post-modern world, and it has been proved with facts and logics. â€Å"

Missoni Brand Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Missoni Brand Architecture - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that  Missoni has diversified as part of its brand extension, and ventured into other industries that are a continuation of the lifestyle that the company seeks to offer. In this case, it has ventured into the hotel industry and already established a number of high-end hotels in other locations being on the company’s overall plan. Currently, the company’s lines of operation include the signature Missoni line, which is the mother company with divestment into other famous Missoni lines. These lines include M Missoni, which is a less expensive line; Missoni Sports, which deals with sports apparel; Missoni perfumes; Missoni Home collection, which deals with furniture; and Hotel Missoni.This paper highlights that Missoni has taken a number of measures to ensure that it remains at a favourable position among its competitors. In the fashion industry, the key determinants of brand positioning are the pricing and the direction of the brand. In line with this, the direction of the brand is the target market that the company ventures in, with some companies focusing on conservative apparel while others focus on directional apparel. On the other hand, the pricing of the products that competitors in the industry offer determines the market offering cheap products for the lower class. For Missoni, the company primarily offers products that were conservative and luxurious in nature with these products being either in the fashion industry or in the hotel industry.  ... These products include the services offered in their hotels and the products popular in the fashion industry. As a luxury brand, Missoni competes with various brands for high-end markets in both the fashion and hotel industries (see Fig. 2). Figure 2: Brand Conceptual Map of Missoni Brand Positioning In order to position itself competitively in the luxurious fashion industry, Missoni has taken a number of measures to ensure that it remains at a favourable position among its competitors. In the fashion industry, the key determinants of brand positioning are the pricing and the direction of the brand (Manlow 156). In line with this, the direction of the brand is the target market that the company ventures in, with some companies focusing on conservative apparel while others focus on directional apparel (see Fig. 1). On the other hand, the pricing of the products that competitors in the industry offer determines the market offering cheap products for the lower class (Carroll). For Misso ni, the company primarily offers products that were conservative and luxurious in nature with these products being either in the fashion industry or in the hotel industry. However, to set itself apart, the company has carried out a number of measures that have ensured that the brand positioning was for unique and luxurious products in the competitive fashion industry. Brand Differentiation Missoni’s success has been a result of the differentiated products that it has continually offered to its clients. In this regard, brand differentiation focuses on creating products that cannot be easily counterfeited due to the unique nature of the products (Manlow 156). By creating a concept that is characteristic of

To Hang or Not to Hang Essay Example for Free

To Hang or Not to Hang Essay The debate and controversy surrounding the issue of death penalty has been revisited numerous times.   Bohm (1991) rightly concludes that â€Å"over the last decade and a half, few issues have received greater attention in criminology and criminal justice than the proper role of capital punishment in this society.†[1](p.4)   And like most social debates, the battle has been fought beyond the legislative halls and into the everyday grind of daily life.   Opinions are abundant as individuals passionately make the cases in support of or in opposition to the penalty of death.    And through the written word, this writer wishes to contribute to the debate. Thesis   It is this writer’s view that the death penalty should be abolished.   However, it must be clearly stated that this opinion is not primarily founded on the usual moral or religious reasons.   Rather, abolishment of the death penalty should be had as it is a waste of potentially productive human life and is contrary to the interests of the state.   This paper, in the latter sections, will also introduce an alternative model to death penalty that will reconcile the points-of-view of those in favor and those opposed to the penalty. In order to sufficiently discuss the arguments for the abolition, it is necessary that the movement, dubbed the ‘Abolitionist Movement’, be traced to its roots.   According to Schabas (1997), â€Å"the abolitionist movement finds its roots in the writings of European theorists Montesquieu, Voltaire and Bentham, and English Quakers John Bellers and John Howard. However, it was Cesare Beccarias 1767 essay, On Crimes and Punishment that had an especially strong impact throughout the world. In the essay, Beccaria theorized that there was no justification for the states taking of a life.†[2] (p.13)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Those in favor of abolishing the death penalty usually present a case founded on the following arguments that the death penalty (1) is a cruel, inhumane and degrading punishment, (2) does not serve as an effective deterrent to crime and (3) is morally reprehensible as only the Supreme Power has the right to take a human life, especially considering that the courts’ pronouncement of guilt may be subject to error.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first argument is reiterated by Amnesty International (AI), the leading international non-governmental Human Rights organization calling for the abolition.   According to AI, â€Å"[a]n execution, just like torture, involves a deliberate assault on a prisoner. Even so-called humane methods such as lethal injection can entail excruciating suffering.†[3]   In Why Abolish the Death Penalty? (2007), the same organization called on the United Nations to abolish the penalty by likening it to torture: â€Å"[l]ike torture, an execution constitutes an extreme physical and mental assault on a person already rendered helpless by government authorities.†[4] If tortuous acts are now found to be universally reprehensible, there is no logical argument why capital punishment could not be considered in the same light.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Secondly, the statistics with regard to the relationship between capital punishment and crime rates are contradictory and inconsistent.   Many factors affect criminality in the society: socio-economic conditions, poverty rates, levels of education etc.   By saying that the institution of capital punishment will ensure a crime-free society, or atleast lessen the incidences of criminality, is misleading and uncorroborated by statistical data.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thirdly, there is a question of morality involved in this debate. Does the state have the moral ascendancy to take away a person’s life?   There are obviously religious issues that are interlocked within this debate. However, even despite whatever religious arguments there may be, there is still the great issue of the court’s fallibility.   There have been many cases, well-documented at that, wherein a pronouncement of guilt has been overturned. How then could one ensure that we are not killing innocents? Upon closer examination, â€Å"the practice of the death penalty reveals that no criminal justice system is, or conceivably could be, capable of deciding fairly, consistently and infallibly†¦ criminal justice systems are vulnerable to discrimination and error. Expediency, discretionary decisions and prevailing public opinion may influence the proceedings.†[5] Anti-Thesis Those who support the continued application or the reinstitution of the death penalty use the issue of deterrence as their main argument.   It is the first and foremost duty of the state to protect its citizens from dangers to their persons and property.   The death penalty is one way of accomplishing this task. In Debating the Death Penalty: Should America Have Capital Punishment? The Experts on Both Sides Make Their Best Case (2004), Bedau writes that â€Å"[p]erhaps the most straightforward argument for the death penalty is that it saves innocent lives by preventing convicted murderers from killing again.†[6](187) This conclusion is rooted in the logic that for those of reasonable intelligence and unimpaired faculties, there is usually a thought-process (even if short-lived) that precedes the commission of an act; a thought process that weighs the pros, cons and possible consequences. In the above quoted work by Bedau, Professor James Q. Wilson explains that     Ã¢â‚¬Å"[p]eople are governed in their daily lives by rewards and penalties of every sort. We shop for bargain prices, praise our children for good behavior and scold them for bad, expect lower interest rates to stimulate home building and fear that higher ones will depress it, and conduct ourselves in public in ways that lead our friends and neighbors to form good opinions of us. To assert that ‘deterrence doesnt work’ is tantamount to either denying the plainest facts of everyday life or claiming that would-be criminals are utterly different from the rest of us.†[7] (189) â€Å"In order to understand the complex question of capital punishment as a deterrent,† writes Bedau in The Death Penalty in America: An Anthology (1964), â€Å"it is necessary to place it within the context of the nature and purposes of punishments in general. Punishments under law are usually framed with a two-fold purpose—retribution and prevention.†[8](258) A punishment serves to incapacitate the offender in order that he or she will no longer to able to commit more crimes.   This may be done relatively (through incarceration) or absolutely (through capital punishment).   â€Å"But by far the most common way to employ a punishment as a preventative of crime is to adopt a sufficiently severe penalty so as to compel general obedience out of fear of the consequences of disobedience—the classic doctrine of deterrence.†[9] (260) It must be noted that the State is not a gleeful party in this debate that revels with each death of a wayward citizen.   The death of a citizen is a tragic event; tragic but necessary with the view of safeguarding the rest of the unerring population.   Not only will it ensure that rapists and murderers will feel the full brunt of the law’s retribution, it will discourage others with similar deviant tendencies. Those who cry for abolition, twist Sacred Scripture to suit their needs.   An example of how misleading abolitionists’ arguments can be is reflected in this passage from Bedau (1964)[10]: Many who oppose capital punishment make a strong argument out of the Sixth Commandment: Thou shalt not kill ( Exod. 20:13). But they fail to note the commentary on that Commandment which follows: Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. If a man willfully attacks another to kill him treacherously, you shall take him from my altar that he may die ( Exod. 21:12,14). It is faulty exegesis to take a verse of Scripture out of its context and interpret it without regard to its qualifying words. (124)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Capital Punishment, therefore, is a necessary measure to ensure that the state has sufficient leverage against those who commit heinous crimes.   Its modern application is spared for those individuals who have insurmountable evidence against them.   Supporting the death penalty does not mean that there are some people who deserve to die.   Rather, it means that every individual in society deserve to have safe streets for themselves and for their children. Synthesis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Like the proponents for each faction in this debate, I too have a passionate argument for the abolition of capital punishment.   However, I oppose it not merely on the bases of the conventional arguments, outline in the first section.   Personally, I am not wholly convinced with the arguments and rationale of either side. To clarify my claim, I cannot in good conscience support capital punishment because it is a waste of a potentially productive human life.   Furthermore, on some level, I feel that death is not the ultimate retribution.   For heinous crimes like the rape of a minor or the murder of a child, as a citizen, I would expect nothing less than the full wrath of the law unto a person. If the death penalty were abolished from systems entirely, the remaining ‘heavy’ retributive method left for the state would be lifetime imprisonment without the possibility of parole.   This would, and is probably already, straining the resources of the states by having to build more prisons with money that could have otherwise gone into other areas of society that need rehabilitation: healthcare, education, etc. Therefore, I see another model as an alternative: Death Penalty should be the choice of the condemned person.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If the thought of death is unpalatable to the inmate, as it could understandably be, there should be a system of Death row livelihood put into place.   But instead of the inmates getting the revenues or even a portion of it, the money created should either be put back into the government system, using the funds to benefit causes like education that are definitely of more societal worth than expending money on killing these people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are many non-threatening jobs that could be done by inmates from the safety of their own prison cells, like sorting mail or doing laundry.   This would create an entire labour force that supports itself.   Unlike slavery or involuntary servitude, these inmates have been found guilty of heinous crimes, none of which (ideally) would be of having the wrong skin-tone.   One of the main reasons for the existence of a penitentiary system is not merely to punish but also to rehabilitate those who have been found of being a danger to the rest of civilized society. How then does killing them or keeping them incarcerated accomplish that? We would be making more animals than saving human beings.   By putting them to work, it would not only make the abolitionists happy but also the coffers of the state would get healthier. And more importantly, it cannot be involuntary servitude should the inmate opt to work instead of being injected with a deadly cocktail, or being electrocuted, hung or shot by a firing squad.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Surely after years of human evolution, we can find a better, more intelligent way of punishing those that dare to wreak havoc and endanger the rest of civil society. Reference Page Amnesty International.   Death Penalty. Retrieved from www.amnesty.org on 22 July, 2008 Amnesty International. Why Abolish the Death Penalty (2007). Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   www.amnesty.org on 22 July, 2008 Bedau, A. (2004). Debating the Death Penalty: Should America Have Capital Punishment? The Experts on Both Sides Make Their Best Case. Oxford University Press. New York. Bedau, A. (1964) The Death Penalty in America: An Anthology. Aldine Publishing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chicago. Bohm, R. ed. (1991) The Death Penalty in America: Current Research. Anderson   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Publishing Co. Schabas, W. (1997). The Abolition of the Death Penalty in International Law. Cambridge University Press, second edition    [1] Bohm, R. ed. (1991) The Death Penalty in America: Current Research. Anderson Publishing Co. [2] Schabas, W. (1997). The Abolition of the Death Penalty in International Law. Cambridge University Press, second edition [3] Amnesty International.   Death Penalty. Retrieved from www.amnesty.org on 22 July, 2008 [4] Amnesty International. Why Abolish the Death Penalty (2007). Retrieved from www.amnesty.org on 22 July, 2008 [5] ibid. [6] Bedau, A. (2004). Debating the Death Penalty: Should America Have Capital Punishment? The Experts on Both Sides Make Their Best Case. Oxford University Press. New York. [7] Ibid. [8] Bedau, A. (1964) The Death Penalty in America: An Anthology. Aldine Publishing. Chicago. [9] Ibid. [10] Ibid.

The Rocking Chair Test Essay Example for Free

The Rocking Chair Test Essay By saying The Rocking Chair Test, Jeff refers to the time when he will be old and spend most of his time in the rocking chair thinking about things he has done in his past. Jeff wants to bring the facts of life to the readers notice and suggests that the rocking chair is not very far. He wants to show how small things which he did would reflect on his future and in the end, would it be worth the effort, put in for that action. Jeff figuratively points out whether the work that he does today capitalizes in future. Rather than wasting his time on smaller, irrelevant things, he could do something that may be more memorable or productive and would make him happy whenever he thinks about it. Jeff wants to cherish all the time that he will have lived when he will be old and sitting in his rocking chair thinking of his past. Jeff suggests, everyone should apply daily activities to the rocking chair test. He thinks that if everyone relates their daily chores to the rocking chair test, everyone would lead a cheerful life when they are older. Everyone will be contended by doing everything worthwhile in the past. In one of the extracts Jeff also portrays that doing something is better than owning. According to Jeff, a person will not cherish what he would had bought, more than what he could had done, in the past. 2]. According to Jeff, balancing the enjoyments of the present with the responsibilities of everyday life is trickier than what it sounds. It is mostly a personal opinion on what one would like to spend his time on. One has to decide individually, whether the acts done in the present would satisfy the doer when he thinks of it when he is old. Jeff wants to instill the rocking chair in everyone’s lives, but he says that the test results could vary for different people with different opinion. Both, leisure and work are an essential part of our lives. We often aren’t able to decide, what the best course of action is, and generally land in a dilemma. Jeff suggests gauging all acts against the satisfaction scale of the rocking chair test. It is a potential answer to this problem. Everyone has obligations, they need to honor. Some of these may be quintessential. The rest may just be of PPatil Page 2 4/12/2017 no relevance. Rationalize on what would be more pleasing to you when you think about it, sitting on your rocking chair. There will always be options that may entertain you, but then will it really amuse you when you think of it in your old age. The rocking chair test is certainly a good principle to live by if you want to live happily ever after. 3]. Things that would not pass Jeffs rocking chair test may not necessarily fail for everyone. One may give more importance to reading books and the other would feel that firsthand experience would be of more relevance. The decision would be purely personal based on individual thought pattern. If I get to apply the rocking chair test to my life, there would be a number of things I would eradicate from my schedule. Things like smoking would make no sense on the rocking chair test. I will never feel, Damn, I should have smoked some more. Health related stuff would gain priority so that the rocking chair stays as far as possible. I would take a more logical approach towards the future with the rocking chair test at hand. The rocking chair test will restrain television time to almost negligible. I certainly don’t want to miss reviewing a few, recent artist albums but I think experiencing a big release concert would make all the more logic. Also when applied to job, I would make most out of my time and effort, only to cherish the present achievements in future and reap their benefits. Jeff concludes that the rocking chair is closer than we think and I think that Jeff is right by all means.

Creating a Suitable Braking Assembly

Creating a Suitable Braking Assembly To understand the advanced material and processing technologies specifically to study the interaction between different materials and the design process to create a suitable braking assembly consisting of disc, caliper and brake pads. Disc A disc brake or rotor is used to stop or slow down a moving vehicle. There are two types of disc brakes namely solid and ventilated disc .The rotating disc is connected to the axle and rotates with the wheel. When brake is applies the kinetic energy is converted to thermal energy. The temperature range of a disc braking under braking is 400C-600C. The weight if the disc also matters. For better braking and longer disc life. The disc should have grooves to disperse water to give maximum performance under wet conditions. Disc which are likely to corrosion are coated with anti rust paint. It should be resistant to wear and tear. The reliability of the disc increases when it responses fast and gives safety in all situations. Caliper The main function of the caliper is to hold the brake pads and to hub the brake fluid. The caliper is the actuator in braking and is attached to the steering knuckle. The pistons inside the calipers push against the brake pads which rub against the disc. There are two types of caliper-floating and fixed calipers. Fixed type does not rotate and are fixed. Floating type rotates in relation with the disc on an axis. The caliper should be clean and dirt free for maximum performance. It should also be corrosion resistant. Since calipers are actuators, they have to be made for maximum safety. Need to check if all the pistons are working or if they are engaged. Calipers should also dissipative heat produced. The calipers should provide complete safety in all conditions. Brake pads Brake pads are friction materials mounted on the caliper. They have high friction and help stop the vehicle. They wear out and have to be replaced for better braking. Brake pads or friction pads are the most important part in a brake assembly as this is the part that stops the vehicle. The most important property of the pad is the have a constant high coefficient of friction in a wide range of temperature. The pads should have enough surface area. Heat produces during braking should be dissipated or absorbed. It should have high melting point or the pads could face a phenomenon called brake fade. The brake pads must not wear out rapidly neither should it wear the disc. All the braking action should be quiet, even and stable. Disc Since the disc is thin, the material should be high compressive strength and should not deform under pressure or stress. Therefore the disc rotors need to have high melting point, high dynamic and thermal stability. Rotors should also be wear and rust resistant. The material should also have high dampening to absorb all the vibrations and noise when braking. It should also high have high thermal conductivity and should dissipate heat quickly. It should be able to minimize thermal expansion and should also be hard enough to withstand cracking. Finally the material should have superior machineability and castability. Caliper Material selection for caliper is crucial as it takes in high pressure and stress. It should be light and should have high tensile strength. The pistons should be made of high strength materials to transfer the force from the hydraulic fluid to the brake pads for effective braking. The material should not deform under high stress. Caliper design can get complicated so it should be easy to machine. The material should help in absorption and dissipation of heat and vibrations. Moreover it ought to be rust and dirt resistant. It should also exhibit high dynamic and thermal stability. Brake Pads The material selection for brake pads must have high coefficient of friction for a wide range of temperature and high melting point. Moreover it should withstand heat and dissipate quickly. Another desirable quality of the material is low dust and also low NVH which gives brakes a quiet operation. The material should provide a fade free operation and help eliminate rotor squeal. Pads should have long life but should be rotor friendly also. Since the pads are replaced frequently the pads should be easily machineable and the materials should be easily available. Disc and Caliper The material selected for Disc rotors and caliper is Cast Iron. Cast iron is an alloy of iron and carbon, where the carbon presence is about 3%-4.5% by weight. It is popular because of its low cost and ability to take complicated shapes and ease of machineability. The mechanical properties can be divided into the following Tensile strength-Cast Irons have comparatively less tensile strength but it serves the purpose in disc brakes. The strength is of the magnitude of 7 tonnes per square inch. Hence making the disc brake safe under tensile loading. Compressive strength-Cast iron is popular for its high compressive strength and can take the high compression from the friction material under braking. Consequently brake caliper can take in high load and resist bending or crack. High melting point-The melting ranges from 1140C to 1200C, which is more than sufficient for disc rotors. This helps in removing the disc fade phenomenon and helps braking more efficient at high temperature. Resistances to deformation-Cast irons resist any form of deformation and give a very rigid frame. Hence any form of cracking or breaking is eliminated by careful manufacturing methods. Resistance to Corrosion-Cast iron provides resistance to rust as it inhibits the oxidation of iron. But any part subjected to rust is coated with paint for extra protection. Wear and tear The chosen material is known for its hardness. Wearing out or eroding cast iron is incredibly difficult. Cast iron has proved its excellent abrasion resistance for years. For this reason, cast iron has been selected for disc rotors and caliper for excellent braking performance. Durability and Environment Issues Cast Iron are known to have high durability against fuels where the disc and caliper are often in attendance. The hydraulic fluids used in calipers cause no harm to the metal and hence provide good braking. Cast irons are environmentally friendly material which can be recycled and also doesnt require high energy in machining which reduces cost and pollution. Therefore Cast Iron proves to be the suitable material for disc rotors and brake caliper as it serves the entire design requirement. Adding to the qualities is the dampening ability which helps in NVH free running. It even has an extremely low coefficient of expansion .moreover it also has low sound emission level and also dissipates heat quickly. All these qualities add up to make the cast iron the suitable material. Pads The material selected for brake pad is Asbestos because of its high coefficient of friction. It mainly found in silicate minerals and usually found as long, thin fibrous crystals. Asbestos became popular with its physical properties and came to be used widely in spite of its health hazards. The physical properties are divided below. Tensile Strength Asbestos is known to have very high tensile strength which makes it perfect for use as brake pads. As the brakes are applied at high speed, the pads are rubbed against the disc at high speed producing high tensile force. Therefore asbestos provides the require strength to counter it. High Melting point Asbestos has melting point in the order of 1200C-1500C.This helps in removing the fear of brake fade giving high performance even at high temperatures. Resistance to deformation Asbestos is found to be flexible material. The flexibility of the material helps it to change angle and help increase the braking as the surface of the pads will be evenly run over the disc generating excellent braking. Adding to flexibility is its high tensile strength. Wear and tear Asbestos has high coefficient of friction which makes it perfect but since asbestos are fibers, they tend to wear out but on a reduced or controlled rate according to the manufacturing method. They are designed to wear out eventually. But asbestos are durable material resistant to a number of elements. Environmental issues Asbestos are not environment friendly material neither is it safe for humans. Its fibers often cause health risk which makes it quiet dangerous to use. Asbestos has a number of outstanding abilities such as heat, fire, chemical, friction, electrical, acoustical resistance. All these qualities help in providing a smooth braking feat. It insulates heat and helps dissipate heat quickly. The acoustical properties help absorb the noise and sound and give a quieter operation. Since its chemically inert, it helps in operation in any conditions. Moreover it is insoluble in water and corrosion has no effect. All these qualities add up to prove that asbestos is a good material for brake pads. Disc Disc brake rotors are made using a simple process of casting. Casting is a manufacturing process where the selected material is poured into a mold which has the shape and geometry of the design and then allowed to solidify. Once the metal is solidified, the finished product is taken out by ejection or breakage of mold. Casting is also helpful in mixing two or more materials.The current manufacturing route for the disc brake rotor is casting as cast iron has excellent cast ability and machineability. Since casting has been used for a very long time, it has been developed over the years too. Its economical because of the low equipment cost and tooling cost which helps keep cost down. Disc rotors are made using sand mold. The disc shape is made in a sand cavity and molten cast iron is poured into the cavity. The liquid metal flows to all the space and empty crease in the cavity and takes the shape of the mold. Once the mold shape is taken, it is allowed to cool. After the mold has been cooled to a temp where it can be taken out of the mold, the product can be ejected or the mold can be broken to take the product. Once it is casted, the shape of the disc rotor has been created. It then goes for machining where it is trimmed to final dimensions and level the surface for critical surfaces/dimensions. After machining, the disc is taken over to surface abrasive section where all the rough edges and surface are made clean and smoothen to increase smoothness. After all the work has been done it might be given a coat of anti rust or left over for packaging. Many disc manufacturers drill holes and mill the disc rotors for better air flow and heat dissipation. Casting is a low cost process but often it come with flaws. The rotors would have sand inclusions, bubbles, porosities and usually end up in one piece which can induce really high stress. This can cause uneven cooling or heating and produce cracks in the rotor. Once a crack is formed in a disc, it can lead to the destruction of the whole disc. Therefore the cracks should be taken care of beforehand. To counter this problem, many companies resort to what is called ASTM high temperature cast iron. They use vacuum assist degassed to eliminate the pososite to help stop cracking. Caliper The selected material for caliper is cast iron. Since cast iron have good castability, calipers are also made from casting. But since calipers take a very complex shape and have minute detailing, a high pressure casting is used. High pressure casting is similar to sand casting except that very high pressure of the order 14-140MPa is used to force the liquid to the mould giving good surface finish and also production of very thin sections. The process involves the cast iron melted to be flowing liquid. A mold of the caliper is made and the liquid is injected to the die using a plunger. The liquid fills the die cavity and since high pressure is used, the liquid goes to the smallest creases and takes the whole of the die space leaving less room for inclusions or porosity. Once the liquid is cooled, the die is opened and the product is taken out for further processing. Since the surface finish is good, there is less need to machining. It may be treated with chemicals and all the complicated shapes are cleaned. The caliper is given a protective paint coating for anti rust property. The major advantage is of the high pressure casting is the high production rate compared to sand cast. This is the current route of the manufacturing of calipers using cast irons. Pads Pads are manufactured rather traditionally. Basic process involves cutting of 2 metals one with a friction lining and then sticking them together to make the brake pad. The process starts with cutting two sheets metal. One metal will have the friction material and the other metal will act as a carrier. Once the sheet metals are cut, the two metals are bonded together by a damping layer. The damping layer is an adhesive that sticks both the metals together. Its a layer is a peroxide-cross linked polyacrylate adhesive of a thickness of about 75 ÃŽ ¼m or a peroxide-cross linked silicone adhesive of a thickness of about 100 ÃŽ ¼m. First the damping layer is applied onto one material and then the metal is pressed to the other metal. Few individual supports are punched out from the metal bonded together, providing support on one side and friction on the other. Thus the brake pad is manufactured and the process is very simple. d) Alternate Material Disc The alternate material that can be used is Carbon Ceramic rotors. Carbon ceramics rotors were into application in high performance cars because it called in for high performance.CC rotors are very heat resistant and much more durable than cast iron brake. Advantages of Ceramic Brakes over Cast iron Carbon Ceramic s rotors have more frictional force which helps in stopping the car quickly. They dissipate heat quickly which helps reduce brake fade which is the loss of friction at high temperature Since the heat buildup is lesser, the wear and tear is also reduced The overall weight of the rotors are reduced which help in reducing the weight of the car especially the unsprung mass which helps in handling. CC rotors can withstand 2.5 times the heat steel can withstand which enables it to work in extreme heat. Ceramics have found their place in most of the high performance cars. Ceramics are still under the development stage. Disadvantages of Ceramic Brakes over Cast Iron CC rotors are limited to open wheel configuration because of the high temperature generated. The major disadvantage is the low coefficient of friction in wet or damp condition. CC rotors phenomenally expensive They cannot be repaired if cracked or damaged The production process is very complicated too. Ceramic Rotors are perfect selection for sports car and high performance cars but they seem to be inefficient for normal passenger cars. There are many researches going on in ceramics as they seem to give the best of all the worlds. The potential for ceramics are immense in automotive industry. They are widely used in aerospace now. The manufacturing process is also being refined which are moderating the cost which enables ceramics in a wider driving spectrum.CC rotors help reduce the weight of the vehicle as it is 4 times lighter than cast iron which increases fuel efficiency and help reduce the unsprung mass of the vehicles which gives better handling.CC rotors are made from a carbon reinforcement impregnated with a carbon matrix which is subjected to long and expensive process. There is new ceramics under development and this field is expanding. Caliper The alternate material used in caliper is aluminum. Aluminum is a very light material and can be cast without much expense. Aluminum is used because it is light weight, stiff and non corrosive. Advantages Light weight material comparing to cast iron which helps reduce the upsprung mass of car It can be manufactured easily and tooling is inexpensive. It can be anodized for better look and protection Stiff material and gives sufficient strength Non corrosive and is not affected by water under most conditions. Disadvantages over cast iron Material not strong enough and have lesser compressive and tensile strength. Aluminum has low damping and doesnt absorb vibrations More expensive than cast iron, more manufacturing process Poor ability to transfer heat, aluminum is a poor thermal insulator. Aluminum is widely used to make calipers in modern cars due to its properties and charactertics. More research is being carried out to make aluminum stiffer and harder. Many new aluminum alloys are being produced and tested. Aluminum calipers are larger in size when compared to cast iron calipers; this is due to the fact that the required stiffness is reached only within a certain size. The pistons used in the caliper vary from steel to titanium. The caliper needs good surfaces finish and should also take high stress and shape. Aluminum delivers all the required design specification and making aluminum the best alternate material to be used in calipers. Pads As the increasing rate of technology, brake pads have improved over the years. Asbestos were replaced by semi metallic and now replaced by ceramic pads. Asbestos pad caused health issues and semi metallic pad were noisy and eroded the rotors. Ceramic brakes have been selected as the alternate material for brake pads. Advantages The major advantage is low dust formed when braking. Improved braking over semi metallic and asbestos Stable and even friction available at all temperature range Extremely quiet performance and provide comfort to the passenger The pad life has also been extended also the rotor life as the pads dont erode the rotors. Disadvantages The only disadvantage till now is the rather expensiveness of the brake pads, but with constant manufacturing up gradation, the prices will come down. Ceramic brake pads are found to be an ultimate product, but research is continuing in the process of making it more efficient and cheaper. The dusts produced by ceramics are minimal and are not noticeable making the disc more cleanly in appearance. The ceramic pads are made up of a carbon-ceramic mostly with carbon fibers within silicon carbide matrix(C/SiC).This gives all the qualities to the brake pads according to the design requirement. e) Manufacturing Route for Alternate material Disc The manufacturing process of a ceramic disc rotor is complex and involves a number of steps. Rotors are expensive because of the expensive manufacturing process. The process starts with the preparation and arrangement of multiple layers of fiber fabric. Forming a material in with all the properties involves complex manufacturing process and the properties depend on the selection and densification process. The fibers are taken and heated to a point where they dont melt or burn. Fiber arrangement range from random chopped mat to woven fabric. Then the fiber material is formed in mould to produce the disc shape and then heated to eliminate non carbon elements. After this a process known as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is used. In CVD porous product is heated in vacuum and then hydrocarbon gas is supplied in to diffuse all the cracks. In isothermal CVD, densification occurs at uniform temperature. Once the specific density and porosity is obtained, the disc is taken out and mach ined, drilled and treated with an antioxidant or special paint for protection. The process is a very length one and takes about 30 to 40 days. The manufacturing process increases the cost of the brakes. Research is being done to reduce the process while maintaining the property of the ceramic disc rotors. Caliper The manufacturing process used to make calipers out aluminum is Gravity Die Casting (GDC).This is different from High pressure die casting used for cast iron. This involves pouring the liquid gently into a reusable metal die. In this process the cores make the difference, the cavity formed due to the cores help the movement of liquid through the core. It includes two cores where one is moveable. The liquid is poured into the die and due to gravity it flows to the cavity and fills the gaps. Once it is solid and set, the die is removed and the finished is removed. After that it is machined to give it a surface finish. The main advantage of gravity die casting over sand casting is the production speed. The same die can be used for hundreds of casting. This process also gives a dimensional accuracy and surface finish. This process is widely used in cast aluminum alloy calipers. Pad Ceramic brake pads are manufactured similar to the cast iron brake pads. The ceramic material is cut into the shape and another metal piece is taken and the both are cold pressed into green compact. Sintering is carried out in vacuum where the organic binding agent concentrations get pyrolized and the metal particles bonded by reaction to carbon. Several binding agents are suited for pyrolysis.eg silicon carbide. One side of the pad will have the friction material and the other will have the support. Thus the manufacturing process for brake pad for alternate material uses expensive materials and process making it more expensive than conventional brake pads.

Chinese Pottery Essay -- essays research papers

Chinese pottery The earliest Chinese pottery of which we have any records is the Neolithic ware from the river plains and loess highlands of north and north-west China. It was made between 5000 and 2000 B.C. and contains bowls, jars, pots and beakers of low-fires earthenware. This pots were not turned on a wheel but were buildt up by what is known as the Coil Method. That is, a long sausage of clay was wound carefully up into a coil shape and this coil was smoothed and patted by hand into the shape of a pot.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the T’ang Dynasty China became the greatest and most widespread empire in the world . T’ang pottery is powerful and lively with sweeping sinuous curves while its decoration is often made up of flamboyant shapes and contrasting colours.   &...

Christian G. Appys Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam :: American History

The Vietnam War, which lasted for two decades (1955-1975), was probably the most problematic of all American wars. US involvement in Vietnam occurred within the larger context of the Cold War between the US and the USSR. It was, and remains, morally ambiguous and controversial. The Vietnam War was slated as both a war against Communism and a war aimed at suppressing dangerous nationalist self-determination. Christian G. Appy's book, Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam, is a graphic and perceptive portrayal of soldiers' experiences and the lasting effects the Vietnam War has had on the American culture and people. Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam, is an analytical work that has three major purposes: 1. to show that those who fought in Vietnam were predominantly from the working class 2. to convey the experiences of the soldiers who served in Vietnam and 3. to offer his own scathing commentary of American actions in Vietnam. After World War II ended, Cold War alignments emerged. In 1946, Winston Churchill spoke against the USSR in his "Iron Curtain" speech. George Kennan's "Long Telegram" introduced the concept of containment, arguing that the US could keep communism from spreading by deterring Soviet expansion at critical points. Critical occurrences in1949 brought American communist fears to an extreme level. The Berlin Blockade and the Berlin Airlift, followed by Mao Zedong's triumph over Chiang Kai-Shek's Chinese Nationalist forces, and the successful atomic bomb tests of the USSR all contributed to the hysteria. America was gripped by paranoia, embodied by Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy Communist witch hunts. The escalation period of the Vietnam War, which lasted for a decade (1955-1965) reflected the Cold War conflict in which the US and USSR avoided direct combat and thus avoided the possibility of nuclear war. Instead, the two superpowers battled though puppet forces. While the US backed South Vietnamese government was weak and corrupt, the USSR backed North Vietnamese government was a proud and group of nationalists willing to fight fiercely for Vietnamese unification and against foreign influence. The US faced an enemy that believed deeply in its nationalist as well as communist cause and hated US, and for that matter any foreign intervention. In Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam, Appy estimates that approximately eighty percent of the soldiers who experienced combat in Vietnam were the sons of blue-collar workers. He presents his definition of