Origin of the term black money Essay Essay Example

Origin of the term black money Essay Paper †¢ The term black money is of a recent beginning which foremost came to be used around the twelvemonth 2000. It is another fluctuation of progress fee fraud and is besides called a ‘wash wash scam’ . The cozenage came to be known as black money cozenage was originally handled by defrauders or conmen who fraudulently obtained money from their victims by working their assurance. They convinced their victims that a trunk-full of existent money had been dyed black to avoid sensing by imposts. The bole really contained bank-note sized documents dyed black. They would someway carry their victim to pay for the chemicals to rinse the money with a promise to give him / her portion from the returns. In this manner. the conmen duped their clients stating them that the chemical required to take the black dye was really dearly-won and fraudulently obtained a good amount of money from the fleeceable and guiltless We will write a custom essay sample on Origin of the term black money Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Origin of the term black money Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Origin of the term black money Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Term black money as used in modern times †¢ In the modern universe. the term black money is used for the money which is unaccounted and no statutory revenue enhancements are paid to the governments since it is kept within the state of abroad hidden from the eyes of the governments. This belowground. live and irregular billboard of wealth in any signifier is what is said to be running a shadow economic system or a parallel economic system in a state. Black money can besides be termed as production of goods and services whether done lawfully or illicitly but which is non taken into history for the official appraisal of the country’s Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ) because it is neither detected by the governments nor is declared by its Godheads. India’s stands at the tenth place every bit far as the richest people in the state are concerned. This list is created by taking into history the sum of white money which is available for investing and does non include personal assets whether movable or immoveable. J ust see what will India’s place among the richest people in the universe if the sum of black money is besides take into consideration while roll uping this list of the affluent individuals in the universe. The paradox is that it is go oning in a state where more than 50 per cent of the population is populating below the poorness line ( BPL ) . Causes for the creative activity of black money Corrupt patterns indulged into by corrupt people at all degrees †¢ There are several causes due to which the black money is created in a state. Black money is created by the corrupt patterns indulged in by politicians. administrative officials and other high and low degree civil retainers. They take immense or little payoffs which are unbroken hidden as they illegal beginnings of gaining money. The minutess in black money do take topographic point in the market due to which the term parallel economic system comes into being. Merely really seldom these minutess are caught and most of the wrongdoers of creative activity of black money are neer known to the authorities. The 2nd of import ground that these minutess remain concealed is that both the wrongdoers and the executors of jurisprudence collude with each other and go the partakers in black money. Peoples in all walks of life from the rich concern barons. the high degree politicians. the senior administrative officials. high ranking officers of the authorities. large contractors to the low degree authorities retainers including category IV employees are involved in this phenomenon of black money creative activity. Recently a racket of bogus certifications of OBCs and SCs has been found for admittance into Delhi University. It is reported that Rs. 3 – Rs. 5 hundred thousand were paid to obtain these payoff certifications. Complex revenue enhancement construction and corrupt revenue enhancement functionaries †¢ Adding fuel to the fire. is the country’s complex revenue enhancement construction and corrupt revenue enhancement functionaries which is the cause of creative activity of black money. The honest and sincere people who may otherwise be willing to pay revenue enhancements shy off from paying them before the complex processs. signifiers and returns involved in the payment of revenue enhancements. Merely a few sincere authorities employees whose income is paid from the authorities estimations are made to compulsorily pay the revenue enhancements. But the bulk of the concern community. bargainers. professionals and all incomes which do non come within the organized sector are left to the earnestness of the earners to unwrap their wealth. Complicated and drawn-out regulations and ordinances which are even beyond the comprehension of the common earners stand in the manner of revenue enhancements to be paid by them. There are no inducements to the rise the morale of the hones t taxpayers. The honest taxpayer rumblings when he or she sees that how his or her difficult earned money is is swindled by the corrupt functionaries of the authorities. The financess allotted by the authorities for developmental undertakings are drained half manner by the corrupt functionaries before they eventually reach the donees. Foreign Bankss are oasiss for black money hoarders †¢ Foreign Bankss particularly the Swiss Banks which do non unwrap the specifics of the history holders have become a safe oasis for the people who want to conceal their income without paying the revenue enhancements. There are different versions by different beginnings as to amount of the black money stashed in Swiss Banks. As alleged by Baba Ramdev during his agitations against black money. the sum of black money stashed in the Swiss Bankss scopes between Rs. 50- 75 lakh crores of rupees. Even if there is merely half the truth in the allegation. so besides the money stashed in the Swiss Bankss is so high that it can do our economic system rather sound if this can be brought back to India and deposited in the authorities exchequer. Harmonizing to one study the Swiss Banks have admitted that Indians stand at the top in the list of the people who have deposited money in the Swiss Bankss. The black money in Swiss Bankss became a hot argument in 2009 general elections when the issue was raked up by the BJP premier ministerial campaigner Mr L K Advani. He quoted from Global Financial Integrity Study undertaken in 2006 which estimated Rs. 43 – Rs. 51 lakh crores lost by developing states over a period of five old ages due to illicit fiscal escapes from these states including India. Lot of black money is transacted during election runs †¢ The election procedure of our state is besides a large generator of black money. Election runs run by the campaigners for parliamentary or assembly elections or for any local organic structures generated crores and crores of black money during the period of election. A survey by the Mumbai-based Centre for Monitoring Indian Economics ( CMIE ) found in 2006 that each parliamentary canvass generates between $ 10. 19 billion and $ 11. 33 billion of black money. It will go a shocking and head boggling figure and the black money so created will run into several crores of rupees if we besides include the elections to the legislative assemblies of the provinces and brotherhood districts and the local organic structures. Black money washing fiscal companies and chit financess †¢ Money washing fiscal companies and chit financess are another beginning of making black money. Cases have come to detect that several fiscal companies had been running and might still be running without paying any income revenue enhancement paid for their minutess which are non brought to the cognition of the authorities. We know that there are several lakhs of unauthorized chit financess which are running by persons in the settlements of the towns and metropoliss and even in small towns including certain authorities offices and industrial composites where the money is collected and circulated among little clip single earners. The operation of non-banking fiscal companies ( NBFCs ) had become so uncontrolled that the authorities had to convey in a statute law on the Non-Banking Financial Companies in 1997 and a separate Department of Non-Banking Financial Companies was opened in all offices of the Reserve Bank of India in March 1997 to do these companies to follow the ordinances laid down under the Act. Consequently several 100s of those NBFCs which could non follow with the regulations and ordinances of the authorities went out of operation. Unscrupulous charitable trusts and societies create black money †¢ Unscrupulous charitable trusts and societies including spiritual establishments manipulate the financess of the establishments run and managed by them and make black money. A blunt illustration of this has come to visible radiation when crores of rupees in difficult hard currency and several more crores of rupees deserving jewelry. diamonds and other valuables have been taken over when the personal Chamberss of the late Satya Sai Baba were opened late at Puttaparthy in Andhra Pradesh. There are a batch of treatments traveling on in the affair whether the money found at Satya Sai Baba’s Ashram at Puttaparthy is accounted or unaccounted money. Merely sincere probes undertaken by the authorities in this affair can happen out the exact truth. This is one illustration which has come to light and many more are still likely to be running this deceitful concern merely because such establishments had been exempted to subject the studies of their income and outgo. It is feared that a batch of black money is being generated by the spiritual. societal and educational trusts throughout the length and comprehensiveness of the state. Hawala concern is a great beginning of black money minutess †¢ The minutess of hard currency made through the hawala path are besides one of the greatest beginnings of creative activity and usage of black money. Several hawala rackets were busted by the constabulary on many occasions but the hawala operations are still traveling on. Minutess through hawala path are thought to be the south Asia’s biggest money minutess system. The hawala minutess are common across our national and international boundary lines where money alterations hands through non-banking channels and therefore goes live and becomes black money. The persons running hawala rackets have developed their ain codifications to transact this illegal concern. Such revenue enhancement hedging cozenages have been found several times particularly in Maharashtra and Gujarat. two of India’s rich provinces. Daily hawala minutess are reported to be running transacting in foreign exchange therefore robbing the authorities of the revenue enhancements which should otherwis e hold gone to the government’ exchequer. Investings in belongings. jewelry. luxury autos. rare pieces of art etc †¢ Investings in belongings. jewelry. diamonds. dearly-won and rare pictures. luxury autos. rare pieces of art etc. are some of the other beginnings where black money is transacted. It was reported sometime back that when the functionaries raided a few builders in Mumbai a few old ages back. it was revealed that the hired comptrollers had advised their clients to conceal their black money in rare art aggregations. It was found that a man of affairs had in invested $ 4. 50. 000 in a picture. The governments found that builders had invested over a crore of rupees of their undeclared income in pictures bought from local art galleries of Mumbai. Investing of unaccounted income is done at a big graduated table in gold and diamond jewelry. It is pertinent to observe that India is one of the largest consumers of gold. Stock market is another channel to put black money. One can gain large net incomes after one pays a little sum of capital additions revenue enhancement @ 10 % . Past instances of stock cozenages have shown that agents. Bankss. industrial houses have all colluded to trip the stock markets. A few old ages back a adult female from Gujarat named Roopal ben Panchal reportedly opened 10. 669 bogus histories. In a handbill dated December 2. 2005 the Reserve Bank of India had alerted the Bankss with sing to the black-money laundering activities traveling on and wanted them to hold ticker on any leery banking activity. But what when the Bankss themselves start conspiring with the stock agents to consequence the monetary values in the stock market. Contributions to educational establishments transacted in black money †¢ The heavy contributions paid for admittances in establishments of higher acquisition and even big corporate schools and colleges are another large beginning of creative activity and go arounding black money. Are these contributions received and paid by checks? Are the proper grosss issued for the minutess? Are the minutess written in the official histories of the establishments as they are done? The reply to all these inquiries is possibly is a large ‘No’ . This is non done because many of these private establishments are run by the administrative officials. politicians and industrial houses that are either do it in collusion with the jurisprudence implementing governments or corrupt them the black money they create. Black money minutess take topographic point in the scene and leaking of inquiries documents and aid rendered in scrutiny Centres to acquire certain pupils pass through unjust agencies or to acquire some of them the top ranks in the scrutiny. This non merely involves black money minutess but is besides doing the jeer of our educational system and scrutinies. Issue of licenses. contracts to Indian and foreign companies †¢ Large industrial houses. large contractors. administrative officials and politicians all collude with each other in really heavy minutess and underarm traffics are indulged when publishing licenses and come ining into contracts even with the foreign houses. The agents are agents are involved in the minutess on heavy fees. All these minutess among these people are non routed through normal banking channels. The great cozenages like the Bofors. 2 G Scam. the Commonwealth Games Scam. Adarash Society Scam. etc have already come to the visible radiation of the populace. Many such cozenages may be lying concealed and might non be brought out at all. There have been hard currencies where difficult hard currency had been discovered in the ownerships of politicians like Sukhram and others. The Mauritius Route to utilize black money †¢ Taking advantages of loopholes in the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention ( DTAC ) concluded two decennaries ago. certain people claiming themselves to be the Mauritanian occupants set up paper companies in Mauritius. These companies so masqueraded at Mauritanian companies. These companies so invested in India. Thus they avoided paying revenue enhancements in India amounting to crores of rupees under the screen of dual revenue enhancement turning away understanding between India and Mauritius. Consequences or the impact of black money Loss of gross to the authorities and running of parallel economic system in state †¢ The circulation of black money has a deep impact on the economic system ensuing in a lessening in authorities grosss. A portion of the black money which circulates in the economic system could hold gone into the custodies of the authorities in the signifier of revenue enhancements. Such is the volume of the black money in the state that a parallel economic system is said to be running in the state with the black money entirely. Harmonizing to some estimations the sum of black money in the state equals 40 per cent of our gross domestic merchandise. ( GDP ) Black money and corruptness signifier a barbarous circle †¢ Since most of the minutess done in black money are illegal. it adds to already bing high degrees of corruptness. All payoffs for whatever ground they are paid goes unaccounted wrinkling more black money in the society. This barbarous circle of corruptness bring forthing black money and black money bring forthing corruptness will neer come to an terminal. unless some serious stairss are taken by the authorities to control this evil pattern. Black money effects existent capita income and national income of state †¢ Since the black money go arounding in the state is non recorded in the government’s books of histories. the existent per capita income of the people and the national income of the state are shown as low. If all the black money go arounding in the economic system is flowed back into the national economic system of the state. there will a significant rise in the existent incomes of the people and the national income of the state. For illustration. although the incomes earned by the immigrant labor of our state aid to better the criterion of life of the people gaining them. yet they don’t acquire added into the revenue enhancement cyberspace of the state if transacted through hawala. So they can non be taken into history in calculating the national income and per capita income of the state. Black money causes lessening in quality of public goods and services †¢ When payoff which are to paid as black money to the manufacturers of goods and supplier of services. it is but natural that they will supply the quality of goods and services merely to the people who pay payoffs whereas the general populace has to endure as the same quality and service is non provided to everyone. For illustration. if you have to acquire a occupation done in office. your work will be done without any hold if you pay payoffs to the functionaries who have to make your occupation. But for the same sort of occupation. another individual who does non corrupt the functionaries has to wait for several yearss. hebdomads or even months. Black money consequences in higher revenue enhancement and rising prices †¢ The authorities revenue enhancements the people to gain gross for its disbursals in order to equilibrate the budget. It is but natural that if the black money go arounding in the economic system is brought back to the government’s exchequer. the authorities will hold more money in its manus for its disbursals and thereby the revenue enhancement load on the people can be reduced. Similarly the rising prices consequences with excessively much money pursuit excessively few goods available in the market. The accounted money in the market is hyped by the figure of unaccounted money in the market and the existent money in circulation becomes much more to trail the goods produced in the state taking to higher inflationary tendencies. Black money causes trouble in the formation of pecuniary and financial policy †¢ Since the authorities can non take into history the black money in circulation in the economic system while organizing its pecuniary and financial policies. the policies so formed by the authorities can non be realistic. It is hard to organize these policies in the absence of the exact computation of the black money and without conveying it in the accounting processs of the authorities. Black money consequences in increased condemnable activities †¢ The dirty money in the market consequences in all kinds of condemnable activities that go on in the society including corruptness of all kinds in the society. It encourages its illegal usage particularly during elections. The black money is used to back up terrorist activities which undermine even the security of the state. It is used to acquire illegal arms in the custodies of the groups of unsocial elements. The illegal money is squandered on big graduated table in nines and hotels on all types of illegal activities including drug trafficking. Even slayings are got done for political retaliations where black money alterations hands among the liquidators and the people who engage these liquidators to prosecute in these offense. It is said that money corrupts and the surplus of it corrupts highly. And it is more so when such extra money is in the signifier of black money. The munificent and pretentious manner the hoarders of black money live in India and the uneconomical outg o they indulge in observing their societal. political and even spiritual maps is a societal offense even though the jurisprudence does non take awareness of it. How to command the black money Normally. the authorities has to take two classs to command the black money. The first is to change over the bing black money into white money through assorted steps. The 2nd is to take appropriate steps to forestall the creative activity of black money. So. the controlling of black money can be discussed under these two caputs. Controling black by money by its transition into white money †¢ First of all. the authorities should stop up loopholes in its two decennaries old Double Tax Avoidance Convention entered into with Mauritius to look into influx of black money into India by fake companies of Mauritius which evade paying revenue enhancements in India under the screen of this bilateral understanding between India and Mauritius. Voluntary revelation of income strategy ( VDIS ) †¢ Though such steps were initiated by the authorities earlier including gilded bond strategies. but this was resorted on a big graduated table when the authorities launched a Voluntary Disclosure of Income Scheme ( VDIS ) on June 18. 1997 whereby the tax-defaulters were given an chance to unwrap their hidden incomes at the prevalent revenue enhancement rates by giving them unsusceptibility from major Torahs associating to economic offenses from 01 July 1997. The so Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said that the VDIS aggregations amounted to collection about Rs. 8. 000 crores from about two hundred thousand declarents when the strategy closed down on December 31. 1997. The authorities may one time once more denote such a strategy with proper guidelines to enable the people concealing their black money to declare the strategy. The authorities at the same must demo its political will to ordain a measure with rigorous penalties against the people who were found with unrevealed incom e after certain specified day of the month. How to convey back money from the Swiss Bankss †¢ A similar option must besides be given to the people concealing their money in the Swiss Bankss giving them a one clip chance to voluntarily convey backtheir money from the Swiss Bankss and sedimentation it in the Indian Bankss by paying the revenue enhancements as per the Indian Torahs. At the same clip a terrible penalty may be threatened for the people who were found with black money in the Swiss Bankss after a specified day of the month. Entering into bilateral understandings with the foreign authoritiess †¢ The authorities should take all possible steps to come in into bilateral understandings with the foreign states to unwrap the names of the history holders and the money deposited in foreign Bankss. The authorities has already initiated some stairss in this way by revising the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement to supply agencies for probes of black money in Swiss Bankss in August 2010. This alteration is likely to take consequence in January 2012. To control black money. the Indian authorities has besides signed Tax Information Exchange Agreement ( TIEA ) with 10 states. viz. – Bahamas. Bermuda. the British Virgin islands. the Isle of Man. the Cayman Island. the British island of Jersey. Monaco. St. Kitts and Nevis. Argentina and the Marshal Islands. The authorities should take immediate stairss to subscribe more such understandings with other states as good. Block loopholes in the Mauritius path †¢ The authorities should barricade loopholes in the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention ( DTAC ) entered into about two decennaries ago to forestall unscrupulous investors to get away from paying revenue enhancements in India. Court instances and terrible penalties for economic offenses †¢ The tribunals in India should give due importance to the instances affecting black money and must give the severest of the penalties to the individuals involved in the instances. The Supreme Court of India is making a applaudable occupation in this regard. The Supreme Court asked the authorities in January 2011 as to why the names of those have stashed money in the Liechtenstein Bank have non been disclosed. In April 2011. Hasan Ali Khan was arrested on charges of hoarding over Rs. 36. 000 crores in foreign Bankss. This is one case where a individual has been arrested for hoarding black money in the foreign Bankss. but there may be many more against which the authorities can take action merely with a strong political will and strong belief. Baba Ramdev had even gone to the extent of proposing that black money wrongdoer should be treated as treasonists of the state and should be given the severest of the penalties. Demonetization of currency notes of high value like Rs. 500 A ; Rs. 1000 †¢ Another step suggested to delve out black money is to demonetize the currency of higher denominations like bank notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000. But the authorities has already rejected this suggestions as it is non economically feasible suggestion. Issue of Particular bonds by the authorities †¢ Particular bonds may be issued by the authorities inquiring the black money hoarders to put in them by supplying them unsusceptibility from condemnable continuing bing under the bing jurisprudence. Controling black by money by preventative steps Restructuring revenue enhancement system A ; terrible penalty to errant revenue enhancement functionaries †¢ The authorities should reconstitute its revenue enhancement system including GST and VAT doing it more convenient and easy for the income earner to pay the revenue enhancements. All the cumbersome processs in entry of signifiers and returns should be done off with. The authorities has become cognizant of this and have done a batch of work to better the system. It has late come out with an proclamation that salaried employees with salary income up to Rs. 5 hundred thousand and salvaging bank involvement up to Rs. 10. 000 need non to register income revenue enhancement returns for the twelvemonth 2011-12. Much more needful to be done by simplifying the regulations and ordinances in this regard. The authorities should broaden the revenue enhancement base and should convey all people in whatever is the beginning of income including agricultural income if the income exceeds Rs. 5 hundred thousand a twelvemonth. All people above this bound should be taxed with no freedoms. No retur n needs to be filed by any individual if the income is below Rs. 5 hundred thousand. Similar revenue enhancement reforms should be made in the corporate direct revenue enhancement and all other indirect revenue enhancements. Severe penalty should be mooted out to the revenue enhancement forces who are found to be involved in the corrupt patterns including the individuals who are found to hold paid payoffs to the revenue enhancement functionaries to avoid revenue enhancements. These should include revenue enhancement advisers and hired comptrollers who guide the revenue enhancement remunerators with tips to avoid revenue enhancement taking advantage of loopholes in the revenue enhancement Torahs. Use of electronic media and Bankss for money transportations †¢ Maximum usage of electronic media should be made for money transportations. Most of the money minutess should be encouraged to be made through the banking channels. Restriction should be laid down for hard currency minutess in any trade. Use of PAN and individuality card should be made compulsory for all minutess amounting immense sums. There should be a powerful Income Tax and Vigilance section. Peoples should be continuously made aware of the benefits of paying revenue enhancements. Peoples should be made cognizant of the immorality of black money on a continual footing †¢ Peoples should be made cognizant of the effects of black money. The recent motions run by certain reputed personalities like Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare whether successful or non has brought about a societal revolution in the society to do the people aware of this great immorality. It has alerted the authorities at all degrees to take awareness of the affair and the authorities is said to hold constituted a high degree commission to travel into this facet. Decision †¢ It may be pointed out that many more steps be taken which might hold been left out in composing this article. There are many masterminds and intelligent individuals in our state including economic experts of distinction who can propose steps to the authorities to make off with the threat of black money afflicting our state. Conversion of black money into white money is merely a short term step. but it is the preventative steps which can root out this evil for good. The most of import facet of nationality and love for one time state in all facets must be taught to our kids from their basic educational system. It should get down from their earlier school instruction because whatever the kid learns in his / her formative old ages is carried frontward towards the ulterior phases in his or her life.

College Burnout Detect and Fight

College Burnout Detect and Fight Being in college should be one of the most exciting times of your life. For most students, it is their first chance at a life beyond the apron strings of the parents. For the first time they get to make decisions for themselves and learn what it means to be an adult. However, it is also a period of life when there is a lot of pressure. Thats why many students are at risk to experience college burnout. Not only do they have manage getting to class on time and tackling extremely difficult courses, but most will also have to juggle these things along with a job, paying rent, food shopping, and managing a family all at the same time. It’s no secret that college students lead extremely demanding lives and can easily become overwhelmed with this type of major change in lifestyle. For many, it can become so stressful that it can get to be just too much to deal with and some students consider dropping out of college. Two Options So, when struggling students finds themselves behind the gun with the deadline for an assignment coming due, they usually see only two options. Take the easy way out and hire someone to do the work for them or they can spend endless and sleepless nights trying to get done, many times neglecting other responsibilities in the process. This may work for a while but what happens after you have completed all that work and you don’t get the results you want? Your grades do not measure up to the amount of work you put in. You become exhausted, irritated, and discouraged. If this happens repeatedly, no matter how hard you try, your sense of dedication and the enthusiasm you felt at the beginning of the term will begin to wane. And if you’re like most people, you’ll begin to show signs of college burnout. What Is College Burnout? No matter how excited we get about going to college, it is literally impossible to remain upbeat 100% of the time. It is also impossible to remain on point for every task we have to face. After all, we are only humans and our brain power has to be refueled on a regular basis. If not, we can become overextended and fatigue will begin to set in. This is completely normal and nearly everyone goes through it. However, if you reach a point where occasional breaks are not enough to refuel your spirit you may be trying to cope with college burnout. So, how can you tell the difference between just regular exhaustion and college burnout? Health Problems: As your level of depression gets stronger, your immune system weakens and you’ll find yourself getting sick more often. Aside from headaches and unusual aches and pains, you may have bouts of insomnia (leading to a lack of energy), lingering colds, and other issues with your health. Cognitive Abilities Diminish: As your stress level increases, your normal brain functions will begin to diminish. You’ll notice that you become forgetful and your decisions become erratic. Your ability to concentrate on your studies is affected and you begin to make the kinds of mistakes you would never normally do. This will naturally lead to even lower grades automatically sending you into a downward spiral leading to further depression and an even stronger sense of failure. Lack of Motivation: One of the first signs of burnout is a lack of motivation. Your initial desire to do well in your studies gives way to a defeatist attitude. Your mind tells you that you’re not going to do well anyway and you have a sense that you will let people down no matter how hard you try. As a result, you are unable to muster up any desire to try. Boredom/Lack of Interest in Things: Boredom will set in and you’ll have no interest in anything, even things you once enjoyed. Your hobbies and interests will not be enough to pull you out of your negative mood. Even when you are successful in something there will be no sense of pride or satisfaction in the work you’ve done. Relationships Begin to Suffer: Burnout causes many students to pull away from relationships. You’ll find yourself avoiding people and go into a hibernation mode not wanting to communicate with anyone around you. All of these symptoms are a direct result of stress the student may experience. When you’re suffering from college burnout, you might lose control of your emotions and end up fighting over insignificant things, your attention will automatically drift to the negative side, and you can become very judgmental. Anyone experiencing these kinds of symptoms is most likely dealing with college burnout. The question at this point is ‘what can you do about it?’ How to Deal With College Burnout? One of the challenges of this unpleasant state is that you don’t have a lot of time to let the negativity run its course. You have deadlines to meet, courses to study for and the longer you linger in the depressive quagmire the worse your situation can become. You need to do something that can address your situation quickly. Tip #1:Seek Counseling Your university likely has a counselor that can help you to cope with your problems. Seek their guidance, they are there to give you support during those tougher than usual times. Make an appointment and take their suggestions seriously. They may recommend a semester of study off-major to give you a break from the pressure or they may offer other suggestions you may not have thought of to get you back on track. Tip #2: Take Care of Your Physical Needs First Most of the problems you’re dealing with in college burnout are all inter-related. But you won’t be able to recover from any of them if your body is not strong enough to fight back. It is more important to maintain your physical health before attempting to deal with your psychological and emotional issues. Start by eating healthy meals (even if you don’t want to) and making sure you get enough nutrition. When your body is well nourished, you will naturally sleep better, which will automatically help you better manage your emotions and mental state. If you do not see any improvement from managing your physical needs, it is very important that you see a doctor to make sure there are no other underlying causes that you aren’t aware of. Tip #3: Re-evaluate Your Goals Sometimes eager students are determined to push through their college years faster than usual. They may take on more classes than they need to or they have not seen the value in taking breaks. At times, to get over burnout may be as simple as setting smaller, easier to achieve goals. If youre feeling that your planning skills are not good enough, read our guide on how to improve your planning skills to perform better in college. Tip #4: Meditation Other students have discovered that practicing meditation and mindfulness has been very effective in getting you back on track. Even some thing as simple as positive self talk can help you to improve your overall outlook. Once your body and your mind are in sync, you will find that your entire attitude will begin to make the shift from negative to positive and you’ll be back on task before you know it. Everyone experiences burnout from time to time. It is a common occurrence with anyone who lives a busy life. Dealing with college burnout is not the end of the road and chances are you’ll deal with other types of it later on in life. The good news is that these feelings don’t last forever and with the right mindset and tools to fight it, you will be back to your studies and living the life of a college student in a very short period of time.

The Turn-A-Card Behavior Management Plan

The Turn-A-Card Behavior Management Plan A popular behavior management plan most elementary teachers use is called the Turn-A-Card system. This strategy is used to help monitor each childs behavior and encourage students to do their best. In addition to helping students display good behavior, this system allows students to take responsibility for their actions. There are numerous variations of the Turn-A-Card method, the most popular being the Traffic Light behavior system. This strategy uses the three colors of the traffic light with each color representing a specific meaning. This method is usually used in preschool and primary grades. The following Turn-A-Card plan is similar to the traffic light method but can be used throughout all elementary grades. How it Works Each student has an envelope containing four cards: Green, Yellow, Orange,  and Red. If a child displays good behavior throughout the day, he/she remains on the green card. If a child disrupts the class he/she will be asked to Turn-A-Card and this would reveal the yellow card. If a child disrupts the classroom a second time in the same day he/she will be asked to turn a second card, which would reveal the orange card. If the child disrupts the class a third time he/she will be asked to turn their final card to reveal the red card. What it Means Green Great job! Working well throughout the day, following rules, demonstrating appropriate behavior, etc.Yellow Warning Card (breaking rules, not following directions, disrupting the classroomOrange Second Warning Card (still not following directions) This card means that the student loses free time and takes a ten minute time out.Red A Note and/or Phone Call Home A Clean Slate Each student starts off the school day with a clean slate. This means that if they had to Turn-A-Card the previous day, it will not affect the current day. Each child starts the day with the green card. Parent Communication/Report Student Status Each Day Parent-communication is an essential part of this behavior management system. At the end of each day, have students record their progress in their take-home folders for their parents to view. If the student did not have to turn any cards that day then have them place a green star on the calendar. If they had to turn a card, then they place the appropriate colored star on their calendar. At the end of the week have parents sign the calendar so you know they had a chance to review their childs progress. Additional Tips It is expected that each student stays on green throughout the day. If a child does have to turn a card, then kindly remind them they get to start fresh the next day.If you see that a particular student is getting a lot of warning cards then it may be time to re-think the consequences.When a child has to turn a card, use this as an opportunity to teach the child the correct behavior that should have been displayed.Reward the students that stay on green all week. Have Free-Time Friday and allow students to choose fun activities and games. For the students that flipped over an orange or red card during the week, they will not be able to participate.

Pervasive Computing in Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Pervasive Computing in Security - Essay Example Authentication is the process of proving that you are who you say you are and establishing proof of identity. Authentication can be achieved through the use of passwords, smart cards, biometrics, or a combination thereof. People are the next most important security component. Often, people are the weakest link in any security infrastructure. Most corporate security relies on the password a user chooses. If the user chooses his or her first name as the password, the time, energy, and money spent evaluating, purchasing, and implementing security solutions go out the window. Numerous methods exist to gain access to a system. Social engineering preying on the weakest factor in any security infrastructure, the human-is one of the most successful methods. From pretending to be a helpdesk worker and asking users to change their passwords, to dressing up as the copy machine repair technician to gain physical access to a building, social engineering is effective in gaining access to an organization's systems. (Andress, 2003) Other methods include trying to guess username and password combinations and using exploits in operating systems and applications to gain access to systems. Some common exploits include buffer overflows, Windows exploits, and Web server application exploits. The most popular tool for information theft attacks is the network sniffer. With a sniffer, an attacker monitors traffic on a network, usually looking for username-password combinations. (Andres, 2003) The use of sniffers is known as a passive attack because the sniffer's snooping does not require any action on the part of the attacker. Active attacks, on the other hand, do require action. Examples of active attacks are "dumpster diving" or calling up an individual at a target company and asking for information. Security Awareness Security awareness can be provided at the utmost by conducting seminars and awareness campaigns. Such campaigns work well in explaining topics like password selection, screen locking, document labeling, and physical (door) security. Posters, e-mails, screensavers, and mouse pads printed with security tips and expectations help provide day-to-day reminders. Some companies even establish security incentive programs for their employees. Multifactor Authentication The three major types of authentication which are commonly used now a days are: Something you know-personal identification number (PIN), password. Something you have-SecurID, smart card, iButton. Something you are-that is, some measurable physical characteristic of you, such as fingerprints

Bend It Like Beckham and 10 things I Hate about You - comparison Essay

Bend It Like Beckham and 10 things I Hate about You - comparison - Essay Example That being said the themes of the two movies are a lot more similar despite their obvious differences. Both films include theme of stereotyping and labeling, a depiction of personal values, conformity, accepting differences, domesticity vs. freedom, parents vs. children, self definition and change (Lawson, 2003). These themes are highlighted and portrayed through the central characters of these films. The character of Jasminder Bhamra, the British-born daughter of orthodox Sikh parents, who is perceived by others to be very much like any other Indian girl; polite, family oriented and spiritual. It is presumed that she will fall into her parent’s plans of completing school, learn to prepare a full traditional Punjabi dinner, and then marry a proper Indian boy. However appearances can be deceptive as Jess has other plans for her life. She loves David Beckham. Her room was a partial shrine dedicated to the Manchester United star. Her love for Beckham was not due to his good looks but she herself happened to be a footballer, and she admired his athletic skills in particular. â€Å"Nobody can bend it like Beckham,† she often beamed, referring to his extraordinary ability to get the ball to the goal and wishing one day her dream of scoring for Manchester United alongside him could come true. She takes every opportunity she can to play, away from her parents scrutinizing gaze who highly disapproved of her soccer playing and her mother often described her idol as ‘this skinhead boy.’ This brings us around to the fact that the only thing keeping Jess from fulfilling her ambition was her heritage (Fuchs, 2003). Katerina Stratford from ’10 things I hate about you’ is the central character of the movie whose character is analogous with that of Jess. She also does not fall into the typical category of a high school girl. Based in the American city of Seattle, in Padua High School the society which Kat Stratford is a part of is create d in this high school and it â€Å"mimics and exaggerates aspects of a main stream, late 20th century, American high school† (Nebo literature, web). Conformity is an issue that is a lot more prevalent in ‘10 things I hate about you’ than in ‘Bend it like Beckham’. As a character Michael from ‘10 things I hate about you’ uses the terms ‘basic beautiful people, coffee kids, white Rastas, cowboys, future MBA’s, yuppie breed’ to class the various students at Padua (Nebo literature, web). Kat Stratford did not fall into any of these categories she was strong, independent, and feministic and rejects boys who did not have any relevance to her feministic style. She had a sense of style and was attractive but did not show it to the outside world simply because it did not fit in with her behavior and how she was perceived. Her dream was to get through high school and go to a university far away from her home, something her fath er disapproved of. Personal values are what both the main characters in these two movies have in common. Jess bound by her heritage and yet hopeful and struggling to fulfill her dream while at the same time striving to not incur her parent’s disapproval. Kat on the other hand dreamt at excelling at her education, standing up for what she believed in and was indifferent to high school norms. Both these women did not conform and stood out from everyone else. However

Afghanistan War Essay Example for Free

Afghanistan War Essay Afghanistan has been in war with the U. S. mainly because, The Taliban refuses to follow through with the commands that the U. S. gave them, as well as ‘The Three Phases’, Also the planned attack in 2001, but mainly because the U. S. wants the mineral resources that are found in Afghanistan. The Taliban refused to undertake 3 simple tasks: shutting down the terrorist training camps, giving up the Al-Qaeda leaders and returning all American and Foreign citizens, which is part of the reason that we went to war with Afghanistan in 2001. The ‘Three Phases’ started in 1987-present the first phase was to topple the Taliban and destroy all terrorist camps from 1987-1997, the second phase was to defeat the Taliban military and re-build core institutes in the afghan state from 1997- September11, 2001, and the third phase was to turn to counterinsurgency doctrine due to increased military troop presence from 2001-present. America was planning an attack on Afghanistan to start off the third phase but what they didn’t know is that Afghanistan was planning an attack to the Twin towers to get back at the U.  S. for what they did in the past years. The main reason to the war in Afghanistan was to get most of the mineral resources in Afghanistan that are very valuable, and costs lots of money. Afghanistan and The U. S. A. are at war d The Taliban has refused to do the commands that the president of the U. S. (Mr. Bush) told them to do. More than two weeks ago from October 7th, 2001 the Taliban refused to shut down their terrorist camps, give up their leaders, and return all American and foreign citizens. Even though the U. S. s at war with Afghanistan, president Bush set up an arrangement so that afghan people who were suffering from starvation and medical issues could be cured with the droppings of food, medical aid and, clean drinking water so that they can survive and keep the afghan population alive, and for them to know what America can do when other Countries are in a time of need. George W. Bush on Sunday October 7th, 2001 said â€Å"The Military action is a part of our campaign against terrorism†¦We will win this conflict by the patient accumulation of successes, by meeting a series of challenges with determination and will and purpose. (Bush) This quote states that America will do everything in its power to get revenge on Osama bin Laden (Jerry Robinson) the person that President Bush thinks that he was behind the attack of the Twin Towers. Barack Obama dramatically increased the military troop presence in Afghanistan to have a larger force to protect the population from Taliban attacks due to, the ‘Three Phases’. The Three Phases consist of: 1) Toppling the Taliban 2) Defeating the Taliban military and rebuilding core institutions of the afghan state 3) a turn to counterinsurgency doctrine due to the increasing rates of military troops in Afghanistan(Witte). Phase one had lasted from 1979-1989 when soviet troops were withdrawn. Phase two lasted from1989-2001 the forces the United States and its allies had trained and armed now fought each other in complex coalitions for control of Afghanistan. The Third Phase lasted from September 11, 2001-present during Phase three on September 22, 2001 The United Arab Emirates and later Saudi Arabia withdrew their recognition of the Taliban as the legal government of Afghanistan, leaving neighboring Pakistan as the only remaining country with diplomatic ties. o some extent most of the Terrorist camps in Afghanistan were destroyed, and the government was ousted. Also, The Taliban surrendered within two months, much more quickly than expected. The Taliban and al-Qaeda began to regroup in 2003, after the United States shifted its military efforts to fighting the war in Iraq, and attacks on U. S. and NATO troops have continued since. The overall aim now is to ensure a stable Afghanistan that is no longer a hotbed for terrorist organisations. This all happened due to the Three Phases.

Scenarios of Stereotypes Essay -- Illustrative Stereotyping Stereotype

Scenarios of Stereotypes Stereotypes can have excessive damage and it can have a very negative effect on the person in view or as a whole group. Stereotyping is not just another form of making fun of people, it also encourages rejection and outcast. Stereotyping is not only cruel and harmful to people, it can also have major effects on how a person behaves and acts towards other people. It also makes who ever is stereotyping look like a fool. It also forms barriers in communication and everyday life. In this essay I’m gonna give senario’s that will give evidence to what I’m trying to say. But first let me give you a short definition of stereotyping. Stereotyping is putting a label on someone or a group who is different in a way that society looks down upon, Like looks, beliefs, an...

Marketing scenario Essay

Introduction Positioned as an premium offering focused to lowest overall cost to end users through superior overall performance. Leader in quality , performance and technological innovation Product lines Carton sealing and industrial tapes Specialized adhesives Other packaging products K2 tape – Manufactured using patented technology and a brand name for pressure sensitive carton sealing tape Very high tensile strength and sheer resistance Positioning High Price K2 Products Low Quality High Quality Ipack Tensile New Product Low Price Problem Statement †¢ K2 tape competed against inferior economy grade products in carton sealing type †¢ IPACK offered 25-35% lesser price †¢ Revenue of K2- $68.6 million IPACK – $28.5 million in 2012 †¢ Tensile – a new competitor had $2.7 million dollar sale with one sales representative Should PST stay with high quality product or enter the economy grade segment ? Option 1: Enter the economy grade segment under the same brand PROS Access to the economy segment Defend market share against competition Diversification of product portfolio CONS Dilution of the brand image as a maker of  technological superior product Cannibalization of its own product offering Cluttered product line Option 2: Enter the economy grade segment under different brand Implications for: PROS CONS Customer †¢ Ability to fulfill need of price sensitive  customers †¢ Possibility of change in perception of  being a quality leader Distributor †¢ Possibility to offer a low end PST  product †¢ Even wider product range; Limited  sales force Sales Force †¢ Ability to offer more variety in terms of  price levels †¢ More effort to explain product  differences Brand †¢ No positive impact †¢ Negative impact on brand image Option 2: Stay with high-quality products Implications for: PROS CONS Customer †¢ Maintaining image of quality Leader †¢ Loss of Market share; Not targeting  price sensitive consumers Distributor †¢ No need for adjustment in  distribution policy †¢ Low-price offer only from competitor not from PST Sales Force †¢ Consistent and easy product  quality †¢ No ability to offer solution for price  sensitive customer Brand †¢ Consistent overall brand image †¢ No negative impact Recommendation PST should enter the economy grade segment NEW BRAND †¢ New name (unrelated to PST) to avoid negative impact on brand image †¢ Marketed completely independent PRODUCT LAUNCH †¢ Development and launch of two new products to compete with Tensile †¢ Competitive pricing strategy (similar to Tensile) ENTER MARKET †¢ Make use of well established distribution network †¢ Offer economy equivalents for RD-48 & RDS-72 SUCCESS FACTORS †¢ There is a projected growth in demand (e.g. packaging segment 2.2%) †¢ PST has an established sales force and distribution network in the tape market †¢ There is a lack of brand loyalty of price sensitive customers (switching to PSTs new brand) †¢ There was suitable equipment and capacity for quick production Distribution Plan †¢ Distribution through existing network for faster brand growth †¢ Hire more sales people to increase service quality & sales in PSTs tape business

Segmentation, Target Market Selection and Positioning Practice in Automotive Industry

SEGMENTATION, TARGET MARKET SELECTION AND POSITIONING (STP) PRACTICE in AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY | Marketing Management| | CONTENTS GENERAL INFORMATION2 OVERVIEW OF THE INDUSTRY2 PROCESS OF SEGMENTATION6 Demographic Features7 Age Factor7 Gender Factor7 Income Factor8 CHOICE OF TARGET MARKET9 Five Patterns of Target Market Selection9 Single-Segment Concentration9 Selective Specialization9 Product Specialization9 Market Specialization10 Full Market Coverage10 POSITIONING10 Perceptual Maps11 Value Map12 APPENDIX (TABLES)13 SOURCES18 SEGMENTATION, TARGET MARKET SELECTION AND POSITIONING PRACTICE IN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY GENERAL INFORMATIONCompanies cannot connect with all customers in large, broad, or diverse markets. But they can divide such markets into groups of consumers or segments with distinct needs and wants. A company then needs to identify which market segments it can serve effectively. This decision requires a keen understanding of consumer behaviour and careful strategic thinking. T o develop the best marketing plans, managers need to understand what makes each segment unique and different [1]. Companies, instead of scattering their marketing efforts, are focusing on these consumers they have the greatest chance of satisfying.Contrast of mass marketing, nowadays, marketers 1) Identify and profile distinct groups of buyers who differ in their needs and preferences (market segmentation), 2) Select one or more market segments to enter (market targeting), 3) For each target segment, establish and communicate the distinctive benefit(s) of the company’s market offering (market positioning) [1]. OVERVIEW OF THE INDUSTRY Motor vehicles are the products that includes a motor and are used to carry goods or passengers; they are manufactured according to some specific regulations and includes four or more wheels.The industry that manufactures these products is called â€Å"automotive main industry†. On the other hand, â€Å"automotive subsidiary industry â⠂¬  manufactures parts, modules and systems for the companies which produces vehicles. â€Å"Automotive Industry† is the sum of these two industries [2]. In this paper I’ll focus on the â€Å"automotive main industry†. The main products in this industry are automobile (personal car), bus, midibus, minibus, truck, pick-up and tractors. Table 1 shows the players of the automotive industry in Turkey.As shown in Table 1, we can see that automotive industry is very big in Turkey and data in hand shows that it is one of the first three industries in Turkey. Turkey became one of the biggest production area of the big automotive manufacturers on the world. Custom Union Agreement (1996) was one of the milestones for Turkey’s automotive industry. After this agreement, exportation has increased. In 1967, Turkey’s â€Å"local† automobile called â€Å"Anadol† was manufactured. With the begining of industrialization and developments in trade in Tu rkey, tradesman needed pick-ups.Then Otosan began to produce Anadol pick-ups. In 1971, because of the increasing interest in automobiles in Turkey, Renault branded automobiles began to be produced. Because of Turkey’s geographic conditions, like wide rural areas, Renault automobile, which was convenient for these conditions became very popular in Turkey [2]. Parallel to the improvements in automotive industry, the distribution channels of it also improved. At first, only â€Å" made in Turkey † vehicles was distributed in this network, but after 1996, imported vehicles also took place in the distribution network.Until the 1980s, the selling and after sales services were provided in small galleries, but then the service began to be provided in auto-plazas. After the 1990s, in Turkey, including multi-national companies in this industry, modern management ideas, quality, human resources management, production process, continuous development ideas, research & developme nt, marketing channels, customer demand analysis, lean-production, team work, production without stock, 6-sigma and just in time production ideas took place in automotive industry [2].Table 2 shows the Automotive Vehicles Park in Turkey and Table 3 shows the Motor Vehicles by Types and Provinces for the year 2007. As shown in Table 3, the province involves the biggest number of motor vehicles is Istanbul, and an interesting data is â€Å"the number of personal cars in Istanbul is bigger than the total amount of motor vehicles of each province†!!! Another interesting data is â€Å"the number of trucks in S? rnak, different from other provinces, is 5 times bigger than the number of personal cars!!!After the year 2001, the variety of products manufactured in Turkey increased. Technology, qualified human resources and globalization made it necessary to produce various products. In general, it was an obligation for Turkey’s automotive industry to use modern technology, to produce according to scale economy principles, and to be competetive in price and quality in international market. As a result, product diversification has emerged. In 2001 economic crisis, the capacity usage in production decreased until 29%, but today it is almost 86% [2].In 1993 exportation / production rate was 2%, but with the decrease in demand by the effect of exchange rates and economic crisis, manufacturers headed towards mostly exporting their products to other countries. In 2007 exportation / production rate was 73%, as a result [2] (see Table 4 in appendix). High rivalry in global automotive industry causes good improvements in technology. Every year new and advanced models are being produced. These models have high standards and customers prefer these models. Especially after 1997, importation from Germany has increased because of the exchange rate of Mark was under the inflation rate [2].In 2001 economic crisis, exchange rates was high and then importation began to dec rease. Despite the increase in manufacturing in Turkey, about 57% of the Turkey automotive industry provides its products by importation. As shown in Table 5, Renault, Tofas and Ford have bigger market-share in Turkey. Renault and Tofas has mostly personal cars-share and on the other hand Ford has mostly pickups-share in Turkey. When buses are considered, Mercedes has the biggest share. By July 2008, 55 kinds of brand are being sold in Turkey [2]. Improvements in technology made it necessary to merge for different companies in order to compete in market.As a result of these merges, quality and competitiveness increased. The leader manufacturer of * Personal cars is Oyak – Renault * Pick –ups is Ford Otosan * Trucks is Mercedes Benz Turk * Buses is Mercedes Benz Turk * Minibuses is Ford Otosan * Midibuses is Karsan * Tractors is Turk Traktor in Turkey. The leader exporters are Ford, Oyak – Renault, Tofas and Toyota in Turkey. The most profitable companies are For d, Oyak – Renault, Mercedes and Tofas in Turkey (According to Turkey’s ISO-500 report)[3]. In Turkey’s exportation list top-10, there are 4 automotive companies that show us the impotance of automotive industry for Turkey’s economy.Let’s look at from the global view: * World Motor Vehicle Production : Japan is leader, Turkey is not bad, but 10% of Japan. * World Commercial Vehicles Production : Turkey is in a competitive position but the leader is United States. * World Light Commercial Vehicles Production : Turkey is in a good position(in Europe, one of the two leaders). * World Personal Cars Production: Turkey’s share is only 0,1% in the world. Leader is Japan. * World Heavy Trucks Production: China is the leader. Turkey is not good enough. * World Buses Production : Russia and Turkey are leaders in Europe.China, India, Brasil and US are the leaders worldwide. PROCESS OF SEGMENTATION Almost 100 years passed after Henry Ford had said that à ¢â‚¬Å"all automobiles must be black† and produced Model-T. Now there is a very competitive environment in automotive industry and understanding customer needs, expectations and forecasting demands are very important factors. Market segmentation is one of the strategies to be competitive in this industry as I told before. General Market Segmentation Activities are as follows: 1) Define the market to be segmented (automotive products buyers, individual consumers or business buyers, or both). ) Decide how to segment (geographic, demographic, psychographic, behavioral segmentation) 3) Form segments 4) Finer segmentation strategies 5) Strategic analysis of segments, if needed turn to #1. Target marketing involves breaking a market into segments and then concentrating your marketing efforts on one or a few key segments. Target marketing makes the promotion, pricing, conception and distribution of ideas/goods/services easier and more cost effective. It provides a FOCUS as Porter advi ced as one of the marketing strategies.It also provides Porter’s other strategy of being the COST LEADER. According to the Kotler and Keller’s book, steps in segmentation process are: 1) Needs- Based Segmentation 2) Segment Identification (demographic, behavioral .. distinctives) 3) Segment Attractiveness (market growth, access) 4) Segment Profitability 5) Segment Positioning (Create value – proposition and product-price positioning strategy) 6) Segment â€Å"Acid Test† (test the attractiveness of each segment’s positioning strategy) 7) Marketing –Mix Strategy( Product, Price, Promotion and Place aspects) [1].In automotive industry, companies generally segment the market according to demographic features (age, income, gender, family size, social class etc. )[4]. Demographic Features Age Factor In US, automobile buyers are mostly under age 25. For example Mazda has developed its MX-3 model, having shiny colours for ages around 20 and has deve loped its 929 model for middle aged people segment. From their advertisements, we can understand what the target segment is. A Japanese company has seen that the population’s average age is getting higher and targeted the segment of these old people.It manufactures an automobile which can detect the loss of attention of the driver. Toyota has maintained a simple radio system to Carry model for old people. General Motors placed a display which has big bright letters/numbers in front of the fore-glass of car for old people. But sometimes targeting may not be stable after segmenting according to age. For instance, Ford firstly manufactured Mustang model for youngs prefering low priced sportive automobile; but then they saw that this model is bought by all age groups of people. Gender Factor Women take place in working life more than before.So the target market structure changes day by day. Increasing income of a working woman and the quick time of city life the consumption behav iour changes and also total demand increases. Automobile manufacturers develop strategies according to this new market. An investigation made in US, states that woman spends lots of money for automobiles and they have a strong effect (80%) for buying a new car and their car-ownership percentage is 49%. Toyota observed that 60% of car owners of Toyota is woman. An interesting example of Volvo is: â€Å"A woman- team of Volvo has created a concept car designed only for women in 2004.It has many properties especially for shopping-hungry women. It has a motor that sends message to the service-center when the maintenance time comes. It has wide doors opening up and down, which makes it easy to get on and off with shopping packages†. In Turkey, the woman-effect can be seen in automobiles easily. In the wide spread of automatic gear in automobiles, there is an obvious woman effect. The automobiles having child security systems draws interest of woman. An investigation made by IBS Ma rketing Research company shows that a high percentage of woman prefences for an automobile is safety properties [4].If this is provided, then women prefer small automobiles. Income Factor The motor power, accessories, chassis of an automobile shows its class. The class of an automobile affects its price. People whose incomes are higher, prefers good quality, safety, performance and comfortable models. The most expensive cars are class E and F. For example Porche, BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, Ferrari, Bugatti, Lamborghini are among the most expensive cars in the world. B and C class automobiles are for people having intermediate level of income. There are lots of kinds of automobile in these classes branded Toyota, Opel, Renault etc.This segment of cars has the biggest percentage of sales. Some companies by modifying the car’s function and equipments, targets low-income market segment. Only for this reason, Opel has manufactured a low-cost model for its China market. Toyota Yaris is one of the economic models. Dacia company also targeted the low-income market segment with its cheap automobiles [4]. Other segmenting variables, may be used in automotive industry are: * Geographic (country, climate, state, nation†¦ ) * Psychographic (lifestyle, activities, interests, opinions, personality, core values†¦ * Behavioral (occasions, benefits, loyalty status, buyer-readiness†¦ ) Market segments must rate favorably on five key criteria: 1) measurable (the size, purchasing power etc. ), 2) substantial (large and profitable), 3) accessible, 4) differentiable (distinguishable segments respond differently), 5) actionable [1]. CHOICE OF TARGET MARKET How well does a potential segment score on the five criteria mentioned above? Does a potential segment have characteristics that make it generally attractive, such as size, growth, profitability, scale economies, and low risk?Does investing in the segment make sense given the firm’s objectives, competencies , and resources? These questions should be asked before selecting the target market. The firm must look at two factors: 1) the segment’s overall attractiveness, and 2) the company’s objectives and resources [1]. Five Patterns of Target Market Selection Single-Segment Concentration Volkswagen concentrates on the small-car market and Porche on the sports car market. Through concentrated marketing, the firm gains a strong knowledge of the segment’s needs and achieves a strong market presence. However, there are risks.A particular market segment can turn sour or a competitor may invade the segment. For these reasons, many automotive companies prefer to operate in more than one segment. A benefit of this is a company carrying fixed costs (sales force, store outlets) can add products to absorb and share some costs. Selective Specialization A firm selects a number of segments, each promises to be a moneymaker. This multisegment strategy has the advantage of diversifyin g the firm’s risk. For example Mercedes selects premium segment (Sedan model) and young and alone consumer segment (Smart model).Product Specialization The firm makes a certain product that it sells to several different market segments. For example small cars are manufactured for different market segments such as young/alone consumers and small families living in crowded cities. Market Specialization The firm concentrates on serving many needs of a particular customer group. In automotive industry there is no such example that sells of all its products only to one kind of segment. For example an automotive company doesn’t produce for only old people or doesn’t produce for only high-income people.In order to compete in the industry they also have different product lines serving other segments too. However, Turk Traktor may be an exception, because it produces tractors for people dealing with agriculture. But this must not be considered as one segment. It also inc ludes more than one segments inside, such as high income and low income customers. Let’s remember that a segment must have five key criteria. These two segments do not have the same characteristics and responds differently to different marketing-mix elements (price, place, promotion and product).Full Market Coverage The firm attempts to serve all customer groups with all the products they might need. Only very large firms such as General Motors can undertake a full market strategy. Large firms can cover a whole market in two ways: through undifferentiated and differentiated marketing [1]. Undifferentiated or mass marketing is the result of the decision to aim its resources at the entire market with one particular product. For example Turk Traktor has a narrow product line that keeps down the costs of production, marketing research, advertising and product management.As a result, Turk Traktor, owned by Koc Holding, is one of the fastest growing companies in Turkey [5]. In diff erentiated marketing, the firm operates in several market segments and designs different products for each. In automotive industry, we can say that all automobile manufacturers aim several market segments such as high and low incomed, young and old, looking for comfort or usableness, women and men etc. POSITIONING Positioning is the act of designing the company’s offering and image to occupy a distinctive place in the minds of the target market [1].Positioning is a managerial activity using marketing instruments, mainly promotional and communicational, to influence costumers’ perceptions and to secure a clear and distinctive place in their minds [6]. For an example of value proposition, see Table 6. The starting point for brand positioning is to determine â€Å"category membership†-the products or sets of products with which a brand competes and which function as close substitutes. To determine the proper competitive frame of reference, marketers need to underst and consumer behavior and the consideration sets consumers use in making brand choices.Then marketers must define the appropriate points-of-difference (PODs) and points-of-parity (POPs) (necessary conditions which should be included for brand choice) associations. POD of Lexus is quality. POP of BMW is performance and luxury with respect to performance cars and luxury cars. Because BMW positioned the brand as the only automobile that offered â€Å"both† luxury and performance [1]. Perceptual Maps Perceptual maps provide a visual picture of the positioning activity. They help you understand what consumers think about your and competitors’ brand and help you build an effective marketing strategy [7].One of the most important issues in producing perceptual maps is defining the proper range of competitive products. It has been found that perceptual maps of direct substitutes may better support positioning decisions. So, in an investigation made on Hungary automotive indust ry in 1997, they decided to include â€Å"only direct substitutes† from the medium and lower medium-sized car market in this country instead of â€Å"all† cars. As a result, after the surveys they made on consumers, the perceptual map was like that in the figure. The survey results in value-price relationship says that customers donot simply buy on price, they buy on value [6].So it is very important for an automotive company to position itself correctly. Value Map The analytical framework of the value-price relationship is often called the value-map. The horizontal axis of the value map quantifies the perceived benefits that a product provides to the customers, while the vertical axis represents the perceived price. Positions on the value equivalence line represent a balance between the value and price perceptions of a product. As seen in figure, Skoda and Lada have the value disadvantage and arenot positioned well in consumers’ minds.It is more difficult for m arketers to change perceptions than the physical features of the product [6]. APPENDIX (TABLES) Table 1: Players of the industry in Turkey (Sorted according to the ISO 500 list increasing row number) [3]: 2009 row number| Company| 3| FORD OTOMOTIV SANAYI A. S. | 5| TOFAS TURK OTOMOBIL FABRIKASI A. S. | 6| OYAK-RENAULT OTOMOBIL FABRIKALARI A. S. | 13| TOYOTA OTOMOTIV SANAYI TURKIYE A. S. | 22| MERCEDES-BENZ TURK A. S. | 43| HYUNDAI ASSAN OTOMOTIV SAN. VE TIC. A. S. | 71| MAN TURKIYE A. S. | 84| TURK TRAKTOR VE ZIRAAT MAKINELERI A. S. | 8| BMC SANAYI VE TICARET A. S. | 100| HONDA TURKIYE A. S. | 123| TEMSA GLOBAL SANAYI VE TIC. A. S| 134| OTOKAR OTOBUS KAROSERI SANAYI A. S. | 162| KARSAN OTOMOTIV SANAYII VE TICARET A. S. | 293| ANADOLU ISUZU OTOMOTIV SANAYI VE TIC. A. S. | Table 2: Automotive Vehicles Park in Turkey: Years| Personal Car| Truck| Pick-Up| Minibus| Bus| Tractor| Total| 1963| 72. 034| 49. 356| 30. 739| 7. 543| 11. 726| 50. 844| 222. 242| 1996| 3. 274. 156| 453. 796| 442. 788| 182. 694| 94. 978| 988. 142| 5. 436. 554| 2007| 6. 472. 156| 729. 202| 1. 890. 459| 372. 601| 189. 128| 1. 327. 334| 10. 80. 880| Table 3: Motor Vehicles by Types and Provinces for the year 2007 Provinces| Personal Car| Minibus| Bus| Pick up| Truck| Total| Agr? | 7. 513| 1. 945| 214| 2. 779| 2. 275| 14. 726| Ankara| 820. 355| 24. 777| 14. 922| 149. 602| 58. 797| 1. 068. 453| Bal? kesir| 103. 987| 4. 584| 3. 737| 35. 208| 11. 125| 158. 641| Diyarbak? r| 28. 864| 5. 253| 821| 11. 252| 6. 235| 52. 425| Gumushane| 4. 587| 1. 028| 116| 1. 805| 1. 151| 8. 687| Istanbul| 1. 711. 773| 63. 816| 49. 640| 447. 530| 130. 790| 2. 403. 549| Izmir| 457. 791| 14. 487| 15. 357| 150. 132| 36. 511| 674. 78| Mersin| 123. 253| 5. 679| 5. 047| 49. 872| 22. 059| 205. 910| S? rnak| 3. 326| 706| 50| 2. 085| 15. 961| 22. 128| Source: Turkey Statistics Foundation Table 4: Table5: Table 5 continued: Table 6: Example of Value Proposition [1]: Company and Product| Target Customers| Benefits| Price| Value Pr oposition| Volvo (station vagon)| Safety-conscious â€Å"upscale† families| Durability and safety| 20 % premium| The safest, most durable wagon in which your family can ride. | SOURCES 1. Marketing Management, P. Kotler & K. L. Keller, 13th ed. , Prentice Hall 2. Istanbul Ticaret Odas?Otomotiv Sektor Raporu, F. Karbuz & A. Silahc? & E. Cal? skan,2008 3. Otomotiv Sanayi Dernegi, Turkiye’nin 500 Buyuk Sanayi Kurulusu Icinde Otomotiv Sanayi Raporu, Temmuz 2010 4. Otomobil Sektorunde Uygulanan Onemli Demografik Bolumlendirme Kriterleri, Yrd. Doc. Dr. Bulent Bayraktar, 2005 5. http://www. turktraktor. com. tr 6. Segmenting the Hungarian automobile market brand using perceptual and value mapping, G. Rekettye & J. Liu, Journal of Targeting, Measurement and Analysis for Marketing, Oct 2000 7. http://hausmanmarketresearch. org/256/how-to-build-perceptual-maps/

How to Teach the Present Continuous to ESL Students

How to Teach the Present Continuous to ESL Students Teaching the present continuous usually takes place after the present, past, and future simple forms have been introduced. However, many books and curricula choose to introduce the present continuous immediately after the  present simple. This order can be confusing as students may have difficulties understanding the subtlety of something that happens as a routine and an  action that takes places at the moment of speaking. No matter when you introduce this tense,  its important to provide as much context as possible by using appropriate time expressions, such as now, at the moment, currently, etc.   How to Introduce the Present Continuous Start by Modeling the Present Continuous Begin teaching the present continuous by speaking about what is happening in the classroom at the moment of introduction. Once students recognize  this usage, extend to other things you know are happening now. This can include simple facts such as The sun is shining at the moment. Were learning English at the moment. etc. Make sure to mix it up by using a number of different subjects. Im teaching the present continuous right now.My wife is working in her office at the moment.Those boys are playing tennis over there.etc. Choose a magazine or web page with lots of activity, go through a number of pages, and ask students questions based on the photo. What are they doing now?What is she holding in her hand?Which sport are they playing?etc. To teach the negative form, use the magazine or web pages to ask yes or no questions focusing on eliciting a negative response. You may want to model a few examples before asking students. Is she playing tennis? - No, she isnt playing tennis. Shes playing golf.Is he wearing shoes? - No, hes wearing boots.(Asking students) Are they eating lunch?Is she driving a car?etc. Once students have practiced a few rounds of questions, distribute magazines or other pictures around the classroom and ask students to grill each other on what is happening at the moment. How to Practice the Present Continuous Explaining the Present Continuous on the Board Use a present continuous timeline to illustrate the fact that the present continuous is used to express what is happening at the moment. If you feel comfortable with  the level of the class, introduce the idea that the present continuous can be used to speak about what is happening around the present moment in time. Its a good idea at this point to contrast the present continuous auxiliary verb to be with other auxiliary verbs, pointing out that ing must be added to the verb in the present continuous form. Comprehension Activities Comprehension activities such as using photos in magazines will help with the present continuous. Present continuous dialogues can also help illustrate the form. Present continuous worksheets will help tie in the form with appropriate time expressions. Review quizzes contrasting present simple with the present continuous will also help. Continued Activity Practice Its a good idea to compare and contrast the present continuous with the present simple form once students have understood the difference. Using the present continuous for other purposes such as discussing present projects at work or speaking about future scheduled meetings will help students become familiar with other uses of the present continuous form. Challenges with the Present Continuous The greatest challenge with present continuous is understanding the difference between a routine action (present simple) and an activity occurring at the moment. Its quite common for students to use the present continuous to speak about daily habits once theyve learned the form, so comparing the two forms early on will help students understand the differences. The use of the present continuous to express  future scheduled events  is best left for intermediate level classes.  Finally, students might also have difficulties understanding that stative verbs may not be used with continuous forms. Present Continuous Lesson Plan Example Greet the class and talk about what is happening at the moment in class. Make sure to pepper your sentences with appropriate time expressions such as at the moment and now.Ask students what they are doing at the moment to help them begin using the form. At this point in the lesson, keep things simple by not diving into the grammar. Try to get students to provide correct answers in a relaxed conversational manner.Use a magazine or find pictures online and discuss what is happening in the picture.  As you discuss what he/she or they are doing in photos, begin to differentiate by asking questions with you and we.  At the end of this discussion, write up a few example sentences on the whiteboard. Make sure to use different subjects and ask students to identify the differences between each sentence or question.  Point out the helping verb be changes, but note that the main verb (playing, eating, watching, etc.) remains the same.Begin contrasting the present continuous with the prese nt simple by alternating questions. For example:  What is your friend doing at the moment?  and  Where does your friend live?   Get student input on the differences between the two forms. Help students understand as necessary. Make sure to point out differences in time expression use between the two forms.  Ask students to write out ten questions, five with the present continuous and five with the present simple. Move around the room helping students with any difficulties.  Have students interview each other using the ten questions.  For homework, ask students to write a short paragraph contrasting what a friend or family member does every day and what they are doing at the moment. Model a few sentences on the board so that students clearly understand the homework assignment.

Barack Obama - Speech to a Joint Session of Congress on Health Care Reform (9 September 2009)

Barack Obama Speech to a Joint Session of Congress on Health Care Reform delivered 9 September 2009 Madam Speaker, Vice President Biden, members of Congress, and the American people:When I spoke here last winter, this nation was facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We were losing an average of 700,000 jobs per month. Credit was frozen. And our financial system was on the verge of collapse.As any American who is still looking for work or a way to pay their bills will tell you, we are by no means out of the woods. A full and vibrant recovery is still many months away. And I will not let up until those Americans who seek jobs can find them until those businesses that seek capital and credit can thrive; until all responsible homeowners can stay in their homes. That is our ultimate goal. But thanks to the bold and decisive action weve taken since January, I can stand here with confidence and say that we have pulled this economy back from the brink. I want to thank the members of this body for your efforts and your support in these last several months, and especially those whove taken the difficult votes that have put us on a path to recovery. I also want to thank the American people for their patience and resolve during this trying time for our nation. But we did not come here just to clean up crises. We came here to build a future. So tonight, I return to speak to all of you about an issue that is central to that future and that is the issue of health care. I am not the first President to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last. It has now been nearly a century since Theodore Roosevelt first called for health care reform. And ever since, nearly every President and Congress, whether Democrat or Republican, has attempted to meet this challenge in some way. A bill for comprehensive health reform was first introduced by John Dingell Sr. in 1943. Sixty-five years later, his son continues to introduce that same bill at the beginning of each session. Our collective failure to meet this challenge year after year, decade after decade has led us to the breaking point. Everyone understands the extraordinary hardships that are placed on the uninsured, who live every day just one accident or illness away from bankruptcy. These are not primarily people on welfare. These are middle-class Americans. Some cant get insurance on the job. Others are self-employed, and cant afford it, since buying insurance on your own costs you three times as much as the coverage you get from your employer. Many other Americans who are willing and able to pay are still denied insurance due to previous illnesses or conditions that insurance companies decide are too risky or too expensive to cover. We are the only democracy the only advanced democracy on Earth the only wealthy nation that allows such hardship for millions of its people. There are now more than 30 million American citizens who cannot get coverage. In just a two-year period, one in every three Americans goes without health care coverage at some point. And every day, 14,000 Americans lose their coverage. In other words, it can happen to anyone. But the problem that plagues the health care system is not just a problem for the uninsured. Those who do have insurance have never had less security and stability than they do today. More and more Americans worry that if you move, lose your job, or change your job, youll lose your health insurance too. More and more Americans pay their premiums, only to discover that their insurance company has dropped their coverage when they get sick, or wont pay the full cost of care. It happens every day. One man from Illinois lost his coverage in the middle of chemotherapy because his insurer found that he hadnt reported gallstones that he didnt even know about. They delayed his treatment, and he died because of it. Another woman from Texas was about to get a double mastectomy when her insurance company canceled her policy because she forgot to declare a case of acne. By the time she had her insurance reinstated, her breast cancer had more than doubled in size. That is heart-breaking, it is wrong, and no one should be treated that way in the United States of America. Then theres the problem of rising cost. We spend one and a half times more per person on health care than any other country, but we arent any healthier for it. This is one of the reasons that insurance premiums have gone up three times faster than wages. Its why so many employers especially small businesses are forcing their employees to pay more for insurance, or are dropping their coverage entirely. Its why so many aspiring entrepreneurs cannot afford to open a business in the first place, and why American businesses that compete internationally like our automakers are at a huge disadvantage. And its why those of us with health insurance are also paying a hidden and growing tax for those without it about $1,000 per year that pays for somebody elses emergency room and charitable care. Finally, our health care system is placing an unsustainable burden on taxpayers. When health care costs grow at the rate they have, it puts greater pressure on programs like Medicare and Medicaid. If we do nothing to slow these skyrocketing costs, we will eventually be spending more on Medicare and Medicaid than every other government program combined. Put simply, our health care problem is our deficit problem. Nothing else even comes close. Nothing else. Now, these are the facts. Nobody disputes them. We know we must reform this system. The question is how. There are those on the left who believe that the only way to fix the system is through a single-payer system like Canadas where we would severely restrict the private insurance market and have the government provide coverage for everybody. On the right, there are those who argue that we should end employer-based systems and leave individuals to buy health insurance on their own. Ive said I have to say that there are arguments to be made for both these approaches. But either one would represent a radical shift that would disrupt the health care most people currently have. Since health care represents one-sixth of our economy, I believe it makes more sense to build on what works and fix what doesnt, rather than try to build an entirely new system from scratch. And that is precisely what those of you in Congress have tried to do over the past several months. During that time, weve seen Washington at its best and at its worst. Weve seen many in this chamber work tirelessly for the better part of this year to offer thoughtful ideas about how to achieve reform. Of the five committees asked to develop bills, four have completed their work, and the Senate Finance Committee announced today that it will move forward next week. That has never happened before. Our overall efforts have been supported by an unprecedented coalition of doctors and nurses; hospitals, seniors groups, and even drug companies many of whom opposed reform in the past. And there is agreement in this chamber on about 80 percent of what needs to be done, putting us closer to the goal of reform than we have ever been. But what weve also seen in these last months is the same partisan spectacle that only hardens the disdain many Americans have towards their own government. Instead of honest debate, weve seen scare tactics. Some have dug into unyielding ideological camps that offer no hope of compromise. Too many have used this as an opportunity to score short-term political points, even if it robs the country of our opportunity to solve a long-term challenge. And out of this blizzard of charges and counter-charges, confusion has reigned. Well, the time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed. Now is the season for action. Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together, and show the American people that we can still do what we were sent here to do. Now is the time to deliver on health care. Now is the time to deliver on health care. The plan Im announcing tonight would meet three basic goals. It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance. It will provide insurance for those who dont. And it will slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government. Its a plan that asks everyone to take responsibility for meeting this challenge not just government, not just insurance companies, but everybody including employers and individuals. And its a plan that incorporates ideas from senators and congressmen, from Democrats and Republicans and yes, from some of my opponents in both the primary and general election. Here are the details that every American needs to know about this plan. First, if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, or Medicare, or Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. Let me repeat this: Nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have. What this plan will do is make the insurance you have work better for you. Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a preexisting condition. As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it the most. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or in a lifetime. We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick. And insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies because theres no reason we shouldnt be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse. That makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives. Now, thats what Americans who have health insurance can expect from this plan more security and more stability. Now, if youre one of the tens of millions of Americans who dont currently have health insurance, the second part of this plan will finally offer you quality, affordable choices. If you lose your job or you change your job, youll be able to get coverage. If you strike out on your own and start a small business, youll be able to get coverage. Well do this by creating a new insurance exchange a marketplace where individuals and small businesses will be able to shop for health insurance at competitive prices. Insurance companies will have an incentive to participate in this exchange because it lets them compete for millions of new customers. As one big group, these customers will have greater leverage to bargain with the insurance companies for better prices and quality coverage. This is how large companies and government employees get affordable insurance. Its how everyone in this Congress gets affordable insurance. And its time to give every American the same opportunity that we give ourselves. Now, for those individuals and small businesses who still cant afford the lower-priced insurance available in the exchange, well provide tax credits, the size of which will be based on your need. And all insurance companies that want access to this new marketplace will have to abide by the consumer protections I already mentioned. This exchange will take effect in four years, which will give us time to do it right. In the meantime, for those Americans who cant get insurance today because they have preexisting medical conditions, we will immediately offer low-cost coverage that will protect you against financial ruin if you become seriously ill. This was a good idea when Senator John McCain proposed it in the campaign, its a good idea now, and we should all embrace it. Now, even if we provide these affordable options, there may be those especially the young and the healthy who still want to take the risk and go without coverage. There may still be companies that refuse to do right by their workers by giving them coverage. The problem is, such irresponsible behavior costs all the rest of us money. If there are affordable options and people still dont sign up for health insurance, it means we pay for these peoples expensive emergency room visits. If some businesses dont provide workers health care, it forces the rest of us to pick up the tab when their workers get sick, and gives those businesses an unfair advantage over their competitors. And unless everybody does their part, many of the insurance reforms we seek especially requiring insurance companies to cover preexisting conditions just cant be achieved. And thats why under my plan, individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance just as most states require you to carry auto insurance. Likewise likewise, businesses will be required to either offer their workers health care, or chip in to help cover the cost of their workers. There will be a hardship waiver for those individuals who still cant afford coverage, and 95 percent of all small businesses, because of their size and narrow profit margin, would be exempt from these requirements. But we cant have large businesses and individuals who can afford coverage game the system by avoiding responsibility to themselves or their employees. Improving our health care system only works if everybody does their part. And while there remain some significant details to be ironed out, I believe I believe a broad consensus exists for the aspects of the plan I just outlined: consumer protections for those with insurance, an exchange that allows individuals and small businesses to purchase affordable coverage, and a requirement that people who can afford insurance get insurance. And I have no doubt that these reforms would greatly benefit Americans from all walks of life, as well as the economy as a whole. Still, given all the misinformation thats been spread over the past few months, I realize I realize that many Americans have grown nervous about reform. So tonight I want to address some of the key controversies that are still out there. Some of peoples concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost. The best example is the claim made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but by prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. Now, such a charge would be laughable if it werent so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple. There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false. The reforms the reforms Im proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-South Carolina: You lie! President Obama: Its not true. And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place. Now, my health care proposal has also been attacked by some who oppose reform as a government takeover of the entire health care system. As proof, critics point to a provision in our plan that allows the uninsured and small businesses to choose a publicly sponsored insurance option, administered by the government just like Medicaid or Medicare. So let me set the record straight here. My guiding principle is, and always has been, that consumers do better when there is choice and competition. Thats how the market works. Unfortunately, in 34 states, 75 percent of the insurance market is controlled by five or fewer companies. In Alabama, almost 90 percent is controlled by just one company. And without competition, the price of insurance goes up and quality goes down. And it makes it easier for insurance companies to treat their customers badly by cherry-picking the healthiest individuals and trying to drop the sickest, by overcharging small businesses who have no leverage, and by jacking up rates. Insurance executives dont do this because theyre bad people; they do it because its profitable. As one former insurance executive testified before Congress, insurance companies are not only encouraged to find reasons to drop the seriously ill, they are rewarded for it. All of this is in service of meeting what this former executive called Wall Streets relentless profit expectations. Now, I have no interest in putting insurance companies out of business. They provide a legitimate service, and employ a lot of our friends and neighbors. I just want to hold them accountable. And the insurance reforms that Ive already mentioned would do just that. But an additional step we can take to keep insurance companies honest is by making a not-for-profit public option available in the insurance exchange. Now, let me be clear. Let me be clear. It would only be an option for those who dont have insurance. No one would be forced to choose it, and it would not impact those of you who already have insurance. In fact, based on Congressional Budget Office estimates, we believe that less than 5 percent of Americans would sign up. Despite all this, the insurance companies and their allies dont like this idea. They argue that these private companies cant fairly compete with the government. And theyd be right if taxpayers were subsidizing this public insurance option. But they wont be. Ive insisted that like any private insurance company, the public insurance option would have to be self-sufficient and rely on the premiums it collects. But by avoiding some of the overhead that gets eaten up at private companies by profits and excessive administrative costs and executive salaries, it could provide a good deal for consumers, and would also keep pressure on private insurers to keep their policies affordable and treat their customers better, the same way public colleges and universities provide additional choice and competition to students without in any way inhibiting a vibrant system of private colleges and universities. Now, it is its worth noting that a strong majority of Americans still favor a public insurance option of the sort Ive proposed tonight. But its impact shouldnt be exaggerated by the left or the right or the media. It is only one part of my plan, and shouldnt be used as a handy excuse for the usual Washington ideological battles. To my progressive friends, I would remind you that for decades, the driving idea behind reform has been to end insurance company abuses and make coverage available for those without it. The public option the public option is only a means to that end and we should remain open to other ideas that accomplish our ultimate goal. And to my Republican friends, I say that rather than making wild claims about a government takeover of health care, we should work together to address any legitimate concerns you may have. For example For example, some have suggested that the public option go into effect only in those markets where insurance companies are not providing affordable policies. Others have proposed a co-op or another non-profit entity to administer the plan. These are all constructive ideas worth exploring. But I will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans cant find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice. And I will make sure that no government bureaucrat or insurance company bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need. Finally, let me discuss an issue that is a great concern to me, to members of this chamber, and to the public and thats how we pay for this plan. And heres what you need to know. First, I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits either now or in the future. I will not sign it if it adds one dime to the deficit, now or in the future, period. And to prove that Im serious, there will be a provision in this plan that requires us to come forward with more spending cuts if the savings we promised dont materialize. Now, part of the reason I faced a trillion-dollar deficit when I walked in the door of the White House is because too many initiatives over the last decade were not paid for from the Iraq war to tax breaks for the wealthy. I will not make that same mistake with health care. Second, weve estimated that most of this plan can be paid for by finding savings within the existing health care system, a system that is currently full of waste and abuse. Right now, too much of the hard-earned savings and tax dollars we spend on health care dont make us any healthier. Thats not my judgment its the judgment of medical professionals across this country. And this is also true when it comes to Medicare and Medicaid. In fact, I want to speak directly to seniors for a moment, because Medicare is another issue thats been subjected to demagoguery and distortion during the course of this debate. More than four decades ago, this nation stood up for the principle that after a lifetime of hard work, our seniors should not be left to struggle with a pile of medical bills in their later years. Thats how Medicare was born. And it remains a sacred trust that must be passed down from one generation to the next. And that is why not a dollar of the Medicare trust fund will be used to pay for this plan. The only thing this plan would eliminate is the hundreds of billions of dollars in waste and fraud, as well as unwarranted subsidies in Medicare that go to insurance companies subsidies that do everything to pad their profits but dont improve the care of seniors. And we will also create an independent commission of doctors and medical experts charged with identifying more waste in the years ahead. Now, these steps will ensure that you Americas seniors get the benefits youve been promised. They will ensure that Medicare is there for future generations. And we can use some of the savings to fill the gap in coverage that forces too many seniors to pay thousands of dollars a year out of their own pockets for prescription drugs. Thats what this plan will do for you. So dont pay attention to those scary stories about how your benefits will be cut, especially since some of the same folks who are spreading these tall tales have fought against Medicare in the past and just this year supported a budget that would essentially have turned Medicare into a privatized voucher program. That will not happen on my watch. I will protect Medicare. Now, because Medicare is such a big part of the health care system, making the program more efficient can help usher in changes in the way we deliver health care that can reduce costs for everybody. We have long known that some places like the Intermountain Healthcare in Utah or the Geisinger Health System in rural Pennsylvania offer high-quality care at costs below average. So the commission can help encourage the adoption of these common-sense best practices by doctors and medical professionals throughout the system everything from reducing hospital infection rates to encouraging better coordination between teams of doctors. Reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid will pay for most of this plan. Now, much of the rest would be paid for with revenues from the very same drug and insurance companies that stand to benefit from tens of millions of new customers. And this reform will charge insurance companies a fee for their most expensive policies, which will encourage them to provide greater value for the money an idea which has the support of Democratic and Republican experts. And according to these same experts, this modest change could help hold down the cost of health care for all of us in the long run. Now, finally, many in this chamber particularly on the Republican side of the aisle have long insisted that reforming our medical malpractice laws can help bring down the cost of health care. Now there you go. There you go. Now, I dont believe malpractice reform is a silver bullet, but Ive talked to enough doctors to know that defensive medicine may be contributing to unnecessary costs.So Im proposing that we move forward on a range of ideas about how to put patient safety first and let doctors focus on practicing medicine. I know that the Bush administration considered authorizing demonstration projects in individual states to test these ideas. I think its a good idea, and Im directing my Secretary of Health and Human Services to move forward on this initiative today. Now, add it all up, and the plan Im proposing will cost around $900 billion over 10 years less than we have spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans that Congress passed at the beginning of the previous administration. Now, most of these costs will be paid for with money already being spent but spent badly in the existing health care system. The plan will not add to our deficit. The middle class will realize greater security, not higher taxes. And if we are able to slow the growth of health care costs by just one-tenth of 1 percent each year one-tenth of 1 percent it will actually reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over the long term. Now, this is the plan Im proposing. Its a plan that incorporates ideas from many of the people in this room tonight Democrats and Republicans. And I will continue to seek common ground in the weeks ahead. If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen. My door is always open. But know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that its better politics to kill this plan than to improve it. I wont stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. If you misrepresent whats in this plan, we will call you out. And I will not and I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now. Everyone in this room knows what will happen if we do nothing. Our deficit will grow. More families will go bankrupt. More businesses will close. More Americans will lose their coverage when they are sick and need it the most. And more will die as a result. We know these things to be true. That is why we cannot fail. Because there are too many Americans counting on us to succeed the ones who suffer silently, and the ones who shared their stories with us at town halls, in e-mails, and in letters. I received one of those letters a few days ago. It was from our beloved friend and colleague, Ted Kennedy. He had written it back in May, shortly after he was told that his illness was terminal. He asked that it be delivered upon his death. In it, he spoke about what a happy time his last months were, thanks to the love and support of family and friends, his wife, Vicki, his amazing children, who are all here tonight. And he expressed confidence that this would be the year that health care reform that great unfinished business of our society, he called it would finally pass. He repeated the truth that health care is decisive for our future prosperity, but he also reminded me that it concerns more than material things. What we face, he wrote, is above all a moral issue; at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country. Ive thought about that phrase quite a bit in recent days the character of our country. One of the unique and wonderful things about America has always been our self-reliance, our rugged individualism, our fierce defense of freedom and our healthy skepticism of government. And figuring out the appropriate size and role of government has always been a source of rigorous and, yes, sometimes angry debate. Thats our history. For some of Ted Kennedys critics, his brand of liberalism represented an affront to American liberty. In their minds, his passion for universal health care was nothing more than a passion for big government. But those of us who knew Teddy and worked with him here people of both parties know that what drove him was something more. His friend Orrin Hatch he knows that. They worked together to provide children with health insurance. His friend John McCain knows that. They worked together on a Patients Bill of Rights. His friend Chuck Grassley knows that. They worked together to provide health care to children with disabilities. On issues like these, Ted Kennedys passion was born not of some rigid ideology, but of his own experience. It was the experience of having two children stricken with cancer. He never forgot the sheer terror and helplessness that any parent feels when a child is badly sick. And he was able to imagine what it must be like for those without insurance, what it would be like to have to say to a wife or a child or an aging parent, there is something that could make you better, but I just cant afford it. That large-heartedness that concern and regard for the plight of others is not a partisan feeling. Its not a Republican or a Democratic feeling. It, too, is part of the American character our ability to stand in other peoples shoes; a recognition that we are all in this together, and when fortune turns against one of us, others are there to lend a helping hand; a belief that in this country, hard work and responsibility should be rewarded by some measure of security and fair play; and an acknowledgment that sometimes government has to step in to help deliver on that promise. This has always been the history of our progress. In 1935, when over half of our seniors could not support themselves and millions had seen their savings wiped away, there were those who argued that Social Security would lead to socialism, but the men and women of Congress stood fast, and we are all the better for it. In 1965, when some argued that Medicare represented a government takeover of health care, members of Congress Democrats and Republicans did not back down. They joined together so that all of us could enter our golden years with some basic peace of mind. You see, our predecessors understood that government could not, and should not, solve every problem. They understood that there are instances when the gains in security from government action are not worth the added constraints on our freedom. But they also understood that the danger of too much government is matched by the perils of too little; that without the leavening hand of wise policy, markets can crash, monopolies can stifle competition, the vulnerable can be exploited. And they knew that when any government measure, no matter how carefully crafted or beneficial, is subject to scorn; when any efforts to help people in need are attacked as un-American; when facts and reason are thrown overboard and only timidity passes for wisdom, and we can no longer even engage in a civil conversation with each other over the things that truly matter that at that point we dont merely lose our capacity to solve big challenges. We lose something essential about ourselves. That was true then. It remains true today. I understand how difficult this health care debate has been. I know that many in this country are deeply skeptical that government is looking out for them. I understand that the politically safe move would be to kick the can further down the road to defer reform one more year, or one more election, or one more term. But that is not what the moment calls for. Thats not what we came here to do. We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it. I still believe we can act even when its hard. I still believe I still believe that we can act when its hard. I still believe we can replace acrimony with civility, and gridlock with progress. I still believe we can do great things, and that here and now we will meet historys test. Because thats who we are. That is our calling. That is our character. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America. Source: WhiteHouse.gov