Analysis of Toyota’s Marketing Strategy Essay

Surendra Bhandari1 [available at: http://papers. ssrn. com/sol3/papers. cfm? abstract_id=1624068 ] Abstract Toyota was established in 1937 in Japan. First time it introduced its product Corona in the US in 1965. By the 70’s, Toyota was the best-selling import brand in the US. During the 80’s, it started manufacturing vehicles in the US. In 2006, it had globally become the second largest car seller and third largest car sellers in the US having more than fifteen percent market share. It is estimated that by 2008 it is going to be the number one car producer and seller both in the US and across the world. This profound success of Toyota is associated with its most proficient market strategy. The case of Toyota notably proves that how important is market strategy in the life of a company to be a market leader. 1. Mission Toyota’s mission statement is as follows: â€Å"To sustain sustainable growth by providing the best customer experience and dealer support. † (Toyota, 2007) Customer satisfaction is the driving force for Toyota, which inspires it to provide the highest quality products and services. â€Å"Kaizen† is a word that Toyota upholds, which means â€Å"continuous improvement† of its technology, products, and services. In short, Kaizen for customer satisfaction is Toyota’s mission. Toyota further explains its mission as follows: 1 Dr. Bhandari can be contacted at: bhandarisurendra@gmail. com â€Å"Around here our values are just like yours. We are hard working. We are active in community. We are creating jobs. We celebrate our diversity. We are building cleaner greener cars. And this is just the beginning. † (Toyota, 2007) 2. Distinctive Competencies Among others, three distinctive competencies of Toyota are remarkable. These distinctive competencies appeal the consumers, build trust with them, and make them satisfied. These competencies are as follows: i. Popular Economy Car: Toyota is best known for ‘popular economy car’. It has successfully branded the concept of ‘popular economy car’, by producing cars matching to the concept. It has garnered its success by selling the concept to the consumer. It has also become profoundly successful in segmenting, targeting, and positioning. As a result, based on the pricing reports generated by over ten million visitors, out of top ten cars, three are Toyotas – Toyota Camry (No. 2), Toyota Corolla (No. 4), and Toyota Avalon (No. 8). (Kelly Blue Book, 2007) It produces eight varieties of cars. Among them, the prices for the four varieties cars range 10,000. 00 US $, three varieties range 15,000. 00 US $, and one variety ranges slightly over 20,000. 00 US $. ii. Cutting-edge Technology: Toyota simply did not stop to the concept of ‘popular economy car’. This concept could have easily turned into product maturity and decline. But Toyota continuously engaged in improving technology – design, looks, comfort, fuel efficiency, environmental friendliness, and other technical improvements. For example, Toyota Corolla was first introduced in Japan in 1966 and in the US in 1968 as a first generation Toyota Corolla. Since then roughly in every three years it is being developed and marketed in a new model. By 2006, tenth generation of Toyota Corolla was already launched with significant technological improvements. Toyota’s hybrid cars can be taken as another example. It started producing hybrid cars in 1995 however till 1999 Japan was 1 the only market for its hybrid cars. Coming to 2005, it became successful to capture a large chunk of US market. Today, it is selling almost seventy five percent of its hybrid cars alone in the US market. iii. Low Operating Cost: Why consumers purchase Toyota? The simple answer is that Toyota’s cars are distinctive with the properties of low operating cost. For example, a survey carried out by Toplin Strategy Group in 2007 has revealed that 73% of Prius owners had bought Toyota Prius because of financial incentive to purchase the vehicle such as lower sticker price or lower operating cost than other choices. (Marketing Green, 2007) Similarly, based on 45% highway driving and 55% city driving with annual 15,000 miles Toyota Prius has been proved to be the most fuel efficient car than any of its competitors such as Honda Civic Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, and Lexus GS 450. (Fuel Economy, 2008). 3. Trends / Conditions Among many other factors, demand for energy efficient and greener cars, demand for low operating cost, and demand for high level of safety and comfort are the most significant factors that are influencing the trends and conditions of automobile marketplace. Today’s automobile sector can be best described as one of the sectors that are trying utmost to respond these important marketplace demands. Based on these demands, there is both good and bad news for the auto industry, including for Toyota. Good news is that there is surprisingly robust vehicle sale in the market. The bad news is that some of the leading automakers are shedding thousands more jobs. Some of the automakers are also projecting downward market trends. These trends are important because, automobiles are responsible for 13. 3 million US jobs, and US $ 675 billion revenue in the US economy. 2 On a year-on-year basis, Toyota sales has surged 10. 5%, General Motors Corp. has showed a year-on-year improvement posting 12. 1% sales gain, and Chrysler has taken a 15% year-on-year sales dive, whereas Ford Motor Co. has stayed mostly flat, down 0. 5%. In terms of global sales, Toyota is in second position following GM. In terms of sales in the US market, Toyota is in third position having 14. 9% of market shares in 2006. Union of concerned scientists in their 2007 report state that Toyota has regained second place overall in the environmental rankings as well and is the only automaker to make consistent improvements on its global warming score since 2001. Toyota has the best global warming performance in six out of ten classes and better than average performance in the rest. If past trends continue, Toyota may overtake Honda’s global warming score within two years. Doing so will require continued investment in hybrids. Globally, 53 millions new cars are sold in 2007. Out of them, 15. 9 millions are sold alone in the US. In 2007, around the world, it is estimated that there will be 806 million cars and light trucks on the road, out of them 244 million will be in operation in the US alone. Currently, these vehicles burn nearly 260 billion gallons of fuel yearly and by 2020, the number of cars and light trucks is estimated to reach above 1 billion. The years of 2004 through 2007 will long be remembered as a pivotal period in the automobile industry as during this period gasoline prices started a sea change among US consumers that is finally creating a significant demand for fuel efficient vehicles. As a result, this has lead to the phenomenal demand for Toyota’s Prius hybrid car. Responding to the demands of consumers Toyota has expanded its investments in Georgetown, Kentucky plant to enable to manufacture 48,000 hybrid cars yearly. Ford launched its first hybrids, and other carmakers, including GM, were greatly encouraged in their own efforts to bring more hybrids to the market. However, response to hybrids from U. S. makers has been lukewarm at best. Consumers 3 generally aren’t as impressed with U. S. hybrid technology as they are with that of Toyota models. In short, while the US based Big Three struggle, Toyota is being more strategic. It has increased its capacity to manufacture over 1. 5 million vehicles yearly in North America. On a global scale, the company plans to sell 10. 4 million vehicles by 2009, up from 8. 8 million in 2006. The big news is that Toyota is most likely surpassing GM in global sales by 2008, making Toyota the world’s largest carmaker. 4. Organizational Objectives Toyota has set seven fundamental objectives. Among them, to dedicate in providing clean and safe products and enhance the quality of life everywhere through better production and services is the main objective of Toyota. Similarly, its other objectives are: to honor the law, language and culture of every nation with fair corporate activities; contribute to economic and social development of communities around the world through corporate activities; create and develop advanced technologies and provide outstanding products and services to customers; foster individual’s creativity and teamwork value; pursue growth through innovative management; and work with business partners for mutual benefits. To achieve these objectives and their effective implementation, it has clearly set fourteen principles that are widely considered as Toyota’s Ways. Based on these principles, Toyota takes management decisions on a long-term philosophy, even at the expenses of a short-term financial goal. It believes in a continuous process flow to bring problems to the surface, uses visual control so that no problems are hidden, uses pull system to avoid overproduction, and works like tortoise and not the hare. It standardizes the tasks and processes as the foundation for continuous improvement and empowers employees by which it further enhances its ability to use only reliable and thoroughly tested technology that serves the customers. 4. Similarly, its organizational objectives are further substantiated by its idea of developing exceptional people and teams who follow the philosophy of Toyota, respect the network of partners and suppliers, and learn from the practices. It believes in making decisions slowly by consensus thoroughly considering all options and once the decisions are taken, it implements the decisions rapidly. On top of that, by becoming a learning organization through relentless reflection and continuous improvement of its products and services, Toyota can be exemplified as a case that has achieved its organizational objectives successfully. 5. Strategic Business Unit Toyota offers energy efficient, green, and popular economy cars, SUVs/Vans, hybrids, and light trucks with safety and comfort measures in place. It produces more than two dozen varieties of products. All of its products are globally very popular. Its products are sold in over 200 countries across the globe. On top of that, the US is the biggest market for Toyota. For example, till 2006 it had sold more than 7 million Toyota Corollas alone in the US. In the financial year 2006-07, in consolidated terms, it sold its products of 226. 06 billion US $ (23,948. 00 billion yen) and earned net income of 15. 17 billion US $ (1,644. 0 billion yen). (Toyota, 2006) In 2006, Toyota was engaged in a variety of projects designed to solidify its foundations while continuing to grow. On the product front besides its two dozen already launched products, Lexus has launched its new flagship model, the LS, and the new global Camry went on sale. In manufacturing, several new projects were started around the world. In May 2006, manufacturing of the Camry began in Guangzhou, China, while in the United States, the Kentucky plant, which in October 2006 celebrated 20 years of production, has started manufacturing the first Toyota hybrid vehicle to be made in North America, the Camry Hybrid. In November 2006, the Texas plant began producing the new Tundra truck, a key vehicle in Toyota’s North American lineup. 5 In Japan, Toyota Motor Kyushu, Inc. has begun full-scale operations at its engine factory, and Toyota Motor Tohoku Co. , Ltd. has increased its manufacturing capacity. In human resources development sector, following the establishment of the Asia Pacific Global Production Center in Thailand in August 2005, Toyota has established the North American Production Center in the U. S. in February 2006, and the European Global Production Center in the United Kingdom in March 2006. Established as branches of the Global Production Center in Japan, these were created to spread Toyota’s manufacturing knowledge and skills throughout the world in pace with the rapid growth of Toyota’s overseas manufacturing. In R&D side, Toyota has focused its efforts on three key areas: environment, safety, and energy. It has made a special effort in the area of the environment by expanding its lineup of hybrid vehicles, and has worked on R&D relating to plug-in hybrid. In addition, as part of Toyota’s efforts to respond to the diversification of energy, in 2007 Toyota has introduced a flex fuel vehicle in the Brazilian market that will run on 100% bio-ethanol fuel. From this point on, based on the philosophy of providing â€Å"the right car, in the right place, at the right time,† and in accordance with the infrastructure and customer needs of each region, Toyota is striving for promoting efforts to develop environmentally friendly technology and vehicles. 6. Boston Consulting Group Matrix Based on the Boston Matrix, the market situation of Toyota is Healthy. To support this statement, three products are chosen here – Camry, Prius, & Corolla. These all fall into the category of Star as they are holding high market share and high market growth. All these three products are well established and the growth is exciting. These are creating fantastic opportunities. The only challenge is Toyota needs to maintain its Stars. And, it seems that for at least a couple of years Toyota will maintain its Stars. 6 Toyota Corolla: It is a compact car, very popular throughout the world since it was first introduced in 1966. In 1997 it became the bestselling car in the world; in 2004 it was the number one selling car in the US in its segment with over 30 million sold as of 2007. In the US alone, more than 7 million Toyota Corolla cars have been sold. Over the past 40 years, one Toyota Corolla car has been sold on average every 40 seconds. Today, it is manufactured in 16 countries in the world. It has been almost steadfast in face-lifting each generation after two years, and replacing it with an all-new model every four year. As a result, it has brought in market its 10th generation model in 2006 in Japan and has been introduced to the US market since October 2007. This product strategy of Toyota Corolla has helped it to be continuously in the Star quadruple. Toyota Camry: It is a mid-size car manufactured in the US, Australia, China, and Japan. In some markets, the top range Camry models are seen as executive cars. The Camry has been the bestselling car in the US, its largest consumer market, for nine of the last ten years starting in 1997, with the only exception in 2001. The first generation Camry was introduced in 1983 and in 2007 the sixth generation Camry has been introduced. The sixth-generation Toyota Camry is the first generation in which it has been available as a gasoline/electric hybrid. EPA fuel economy estimates for the 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid 38 MPG in city and 40 MPG on highway. Toyota Prius: It is a hybrid electric vehicle and one of the first such vehicles to be massproduced and marketed. The Prius first went on sale in Japan in 1997, and worldwide in 2001. By the end of 2003, nearly 160,000 units had been produced for sale in Japan, Europe, and North America. The Prius has won several awards, including the Car of the Year Japan in 1997/98, the North American Car of the Year 2004, and the European Car of the Year 2005. EPA has recently revised environmental standards and the Prius 2007 has been acknowledged as the most fuel efficient car sold in the US. Its market share in the US is growing each year. In 7 2000, Prius market share in the US was very negligible but by 2005 out of its total sale the US alone had consumed about seventy percent. 7. Organizational Strategy for Growth Toyota has already got market over 200 countries across the globe. Only in 2006, it sold 8. 52 million of its products and has planned to be a number one car producing and selling company by 2008. This ambitious strategy of market penetration is associated with its proficient demographic and psychographic segmentation and targeting. It has successfully got high level of positioning in the mind of the consumers with its brand and distinctive competencies as discussed above disseminating through integrated market communication (IMC) techniques. Toyota has diversified its product with a brand of right car in the right place. For example, it has introduced a flex fuel vehicle in the Brazilian market that will run on 100% bio-ethanol fuel. It has introduced hybrid electric car (Prius) mostly for the market in the US, Japan, and EU. On top of that in each two year it improves looking of its product and in each four year transforms model into new one. By upholding this strategy of product development, Toyota has become successful in managing product life cycle, more specifically it introduces product and keeps the product growing without letting them to be matured and decline. Its exceptional organizational strategy for growth is importantly nurtured by its strategy working with around 522 subsidiaries around the world and successfully creating a wider market chain around the globe. Another way of Toyota’s organizational strategy for growth is that it reads the public mind through its research department that monitors the industry and keeps tabs on demographic and economic developments. Its mission: to predict consumer trends and create a lineup of cars and trucks to capitalize on them. Each professional is expected to spend time out in the field talking 8 to car buyers. The Japanese have a name for it: genchi genbutsu – go to the scene and confirm the actual happenings. 8. Market Share While looking at the market share of Toyota in the US market since 1980 to 2006, it is realized that its market share is continuously growing. For example, in the 80s Toyota’s market share in the US was about 5% and that has risen to above 15% by 2006. So in a twenty-five years time Toyota has outstandingly tripled its market share in the US. On the other hand, market share of its three major competitors GM, Ford, and Chrysler is gradually declining. In the 80s GM’s market share in the US was above forty-five percent. But by 2006 GM’s market share has shrunk to 24%. Similarly, in the 80s Ford had more than twenty-three percent market share but by 2006 its market share has come down to sixteen percent. By being successful in increasing market share, Toyota has become the world’s most profitable automaker. In 2006, it sold 2. 5 million cars and trucks in the US market alone. Because, Toyota is already bigger than Chrysler in the US and is about to pass Ford by 2008, Toyota’s presence in the US is now so prominent that the 3,322 business leaders surveyed by Fortune have named Toyota as one of America’s most admired companies. On the financial side, Toyota’s net revenue for the fiscal year 2007 is 23. 94 trillion yen, which is an increase of 13. 8 percent compared to the fiscal year of 2006. In 2007, its operating income has increased by 19. 2 percent to 2. 23 trillion yen. Its net income has increased by 19. 8 percent to 1. 64 trillion yen. All of these figures marked record high. It is estimated that the consolidated vehicle sales for the fiscal year 2008 will be 8. 89 million units. The revenue for the fiscal year 2008 is estimated to be 25. 00 trillion yen. While we compare its net income from 2004 to 2006, it is clearly shown that its net income is increasing each year. For example its net 9 income for the year 2004 was 1,162,998 million yen that increased to 1,171,260 million yen in 2005, and in 2006 that further increased to 1,372,180 million yen. 9. Elements of Marketing Strategy Toyota’s segmentation and target market is guided by its philosophy of ‘right car in the right place’. Toyota has employed both demographic and psychographic form of multiple segmentations and targeted its market on that basis. For example, it has segmented all the countries across the globe as its market. But has also identified its focused market such as the US, Canada, EU, Australia, China, India, and Indonesia. On top of that US is its first priority being the biggest market. It is because, US consumes almost 30% of its products. Its products range with different prices from US $ 10,000. 00 to 30,000. 00 plus. The economy class cars are targeted to lower and middle level income people and the luxury cars are targeted to higher middle and higher income group people. With a variety of product attributes it targets different age group and professional groups of people. For example, for sport people it has sport cars. For environmentally sensitive people it has Prius – environmentally green car. Likewise, it has offered 100% bio-ethanol fuel car in Brazil, where is bio-ethanol potential. Likewise, those who are truck lovers or professional who need trucks, it offers them different variety of trucks. In fact, its marketing strategy – segmentation, targeting, and positioning is nurtured by its variety of offers and product attributes. Further, it has designed its market strategy at different levels – global level, regional level, and national level based on the assessment of customer needs and choices. Toyota focuses its products in market with comfort, kindness, and excitement. Toyota claims that its products harmonize ecology and emotions. One of the key factors for designing segmentation and targeting, Toyota’s analysis is always based on the condition of market, economy, purchasing 10 capacity, and consumers’ choices. Based on these factors Toyota is launching its global motorization strategy with leading-edge technology. Likewise, Toyota has upheld a very strong promotional strategy using integrated market communication (IMC) tool. On top of that, Toyota blog (http://blog. toyota. com) is another very successful mechanism of advertising and promotion. On its blog, Toyota closely pays attention to the voices of its customers and provides responses to a large amount of inquiry. 10. Elements of Market Planning Toyota has adopted three important elements in its market planning – green, safety, and low operating cost. Being based on these three important factors, Toyota has become successful to garner the market opportunity. On the whole, there seem more opportunities for Toyota than threats. However, there are some threats that cannot be denied. Opportunities: Toyota’s market share is growing each year. From about 5 percent market share in 1986, it has acquired more than 15 percent market share in the US in 2006. Its competitors’ market share is declining each year, which is the biggest opportunity for Toyota. Toyota and its competitors have similar segmentation and targeting but in creating positioning Toyota has come off much ahead than its competitors because of its products’ attributes. Further, it is also ahead of its competitors in technology front. For example, it is the first automobile producer that introduced hybrid in the market. Today, the market share for its hybrid is growing exponentially. At the same time, hybrid products of its competitors are not successful. Threats: Besides opportunities in the marketplace, Toyota’s most illustrated product – Prius has not got much success in Europe and its market share is declining in Japan itself. Further, its competitors – GM, Ford, and Chrysler have become more strategic and are being focused on 11 from cutting-edge technology to leading-edge technology. Toyota is growing with ambition to pass the GM but still GM is the number one automobile in the US and the globe. 11. Conclusion From the perspective of marketing strategy, Toyota can be taken as a company that has successfully achieved its mission statement, successfully branded its distinctive competencies, and profoundly achieved its organizational objectives. This success is based on its successful market strategy. This is corroborated by the fact that all of its products studied in this paper (Toyota Corolla, Camry, and Prius) do fall into Star quadruple under the Boston Matrix. In quintessence, it can be said that Toyota is an outstanding case for learning how to build and implement market strategy, get penetration in the market, manage product life cycle, uphold market positioning, best use of integrated market communication (IMC), and branding its product in the mindset of the customer. In short, Toyota is a notable example that proves how important is marketing strategy in the life of a company and managers. References CNNMoney, (2007), America’s Best Car Companies, Mrach 7, 2007 available on http://money. cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/03/19/8402324/index. htm visited on Nov. 20, 2007. Fuel Economy, (2008), 2008 Hybrid Vehicles, available on , http://www. fueleconomy. gov/feg/hybrid_sbs. shtml , visited on Nov. 22, 2007. Kelly Blue Book, (2007), The Most Researched Sedans, available on http://www. kbb. com/kbb/ReviewsAndRatings/default. aspx? trid=3&gclid=CKrS8rHMgI8CFTa oGgodgyqT2w#ManufacturerId=49&ModelId=286 visited on Nov. 27, 2007. Kotler, Phlipe & Keller,Kevin Lane (2006), Marketing Management, Prentice Hall, 12th ed. 12 Marketing Green, (2007), Hybrids Shift into the Mass Market, available on http://marketinggreen. wordpress. com/2007/04/29/hybrids-shift-into-the-mass-market/ visited on Nov. 20, 2007. Plunket Research, (2007), Automotive Industry Overview, available on http://www. plunkettresearch. com/Industries/AutomobilesTrucks/AutomobilesandTrucksStatis tics/tabid/90/Default. aspx , visited on Nov. 19, 2007. Spirou, Patricia (2007), Three Step Process in Determining the Market/Position Initiatives in Strategic Planning, available on BB.

Customer Satisfaction of Banglalink

A report on â€Å"Customer Satisfaction Of Banglalink† Submitted to: Dr. Mamun Habib Course Instructor, Research Methodology; Sec: C; AIUB Prepared BY: GROUP: A ? Huda Md. Nazmul08-11678-2 ? Rahman Md. Masudur08-11030-2 ? Imranuzzaman Md. 08-11471-2 ? Shahzahan Masum Bin08-11636-2 ? Haque Shajabul08-11554-2 ? Munsi Md. Hasan (Sec: E)08-11417-2 ? Hasan Md. Khalid08-11024-2 AMERICAN INERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY-BANGLADESH Date of Submission: April 19, 2011 April 19, 2011 To Dr. Mamun Habib Course teacher, Research methodology; Sec: C; AIUB Subject: Request to accept the research paper. Dear Sir We have the privilege to present our group work set by yourself & permitted by your guidance. We are obliged to you for giving us such an opportunity to make a study on the topic named â€Å"Customer Satisfaction of Banglalink†. Finally we seek your favorable consideration as for permitting us to submit this report before you. Yours truly, Huda Md. Nazmul (08-11678-2) { On the behalf of the Group} Acknowledgement This study is the outcome of a research work. At first we want to thank The Almighty who has created us and gave up ability to do a type of research work. We are thankful to them who have spontaneously assisted us in conduction the research. Specially, we are thankful to our honorable teacher Dr. Mamun Habib course instructor of Research Methodology; Sec: C; AIUB. He helped us in every step of starting and completing our research paper promptly. Without His help it was impossible for us to complete the research. We are thankful to all those people who co-operate us with their kind patience. We are also thankful to all those people who helped us for collecting Information to survey. We are thankful to all the group members of the group. Without their help we would not able to complete our study successfully. We like to thank our friends who directly and indirectly helped us a lot by providing different information. Abstract Banglalink is one of the biggest mobile phone companies at Bangladesh. It started its operation in February 2005. Previously it was known as Sheba telecom Pvt L. T. D that had been GSM (Global Service of mobile) Service in Bangladesh since 1998. Orascom Telecom brought 100% share of Sheba telecom in 2004 & gave it new name as Banglalink. Every company’s existence depends on its customers. So, each and every company tries to satisfy & retain its customers providing attractive services. So, we’ve conducted our research on the customers of Banglalink to find the satisfaction level towards the company. As the satisfaction level indicator we used the following contents: Today’s market is highly competitive. So, every time competitors try to find the weakness & want to beat those points. So, the company should take customer feedback on continuous basis. That’s why excessive market research is required. Finding the customer’s demand & recommendation will help to take right decision. Table of Content . Chapter-1 (Introduction)(6-10) ? Introduction of the study 6 ? Research Objective 7 ? Limitation of the study 8 ? Significance of the study 8 ? Scope of research 8-9 ? Statement of Problem 9 2. Chaptre-3 (Research Framework) 10 3. Chapter-4 (Research Methodology)(11-13) ? Methods of research used 11 ? Respondents & sampling procedures 11-12 ? Researc h Instruments 12 ? Statistical Treatment of Data 13 4. Chapter-5 (Presentation of Data & Discussion of results)(14-17) 5. Chapter-6 (Summary, Conclusion & Recommendation) (18-20) ? Summary of the Findings 18-19 Conclusion 19 ? Recommendation 19-20 Bibliography 21 A. Appendix : (Questionnaire) (22-24) Chapter-1 Introduction Introduction of the study Banglalink is the second largest cellular service provider in Bangladesh after Grameenphone. As of November, 2010, Banglalink has a subscriber base of 12. 99 million. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Orascom Telecom. Banglalink had 1. 03 million connections until December, 2005. The number of Banglalink users increased by 257 per cent and stood at 3. 64 million at the end of 2006, making it the fastest growing operator in the world of that year. In August, 2006, Banglalink became the first company to provide free incoming calls from BTTB for both postpaid and prepaid connections. On August 20, 2008, Banglalink got past the landmark of 10 million subscriber base. Organization overview In Bangladesh, Banglalink aims to understand peoples' needs best and develop appropriate communication services to improve peoples' life and make it simple. All our work is aimed towards meeting our vision. All members of the Banglalink family are highly passionate individuals, fully committed to achieving the vision that we have set ourselves. Our customers' needs matter most to us- making their life simple and improving it is all we want. To ensure our vision is achieved, we have set ourselves a few values, we want to be †¢ Straight Forward †¢ Reliable †¢ Innovative †¢ Passionate All the Banglalink family members have one thing in common- a passion to serve to go that extra mile, so that you can have the best possible service Investing in the future of Bangladesh. The biggest barrier today for people is the cost of handsets. We will strive to lower the total cost of owning a mobile. We are here to make a difference in people's lives by providing affordable and reliable connectivity will strive to connect people and link their lives by listening to them and by understanding their needs. We are here to help you speak your language. Research Objective Our research objective is to find out the satisfaction level of banglalink customer. The purpose of the study is to provide a specific and accurate definition of the overall PR & communication department of banglalink. As a 2nd largest company how they are managing the public relations. †¢ Provide an overview of the banglalink To identify the factors influencing on the marketing plan of the company †¢ To find out the strategies need to implement for achieving its long term goal. †¢ To measure and improve your performance †¢ To know customers are satisfied or not by taking service †¢ To supply products at competitive prices. †¢ To explore public relation activities in the market. Limitatio n of the study: Every work when started that to face some limitations. So in our research we face some problem. Our main limitation is time. Because we do not enough time for make this project but we tried our label best to make this report is a good one. Our second limitation was our different class schedule that why it was creating some problem when we making the survey. Our third limitation was financial fund because we are student. Significance of the study: Our research is based on the satisfaction of banglalink customers. We think from our research banglalink company will get more benefits. From our research banglalink customers relationship management can get some information about their customer’s satisfaction. In sort they can know from our research how they provide their services for their customers and how the customers react their services. So when banglalink management observes our customers satisfaction research result based on this result they can take their decision. Scope of Research: Research type: This research is a type of descriptive study which defines the relationship between the customer satisfaction and the banglalink management. Here the customer’s satisfaction is about the measurement of the wants of banglalink customers. On the other hand, banglalink customers are the population of our project as well the respondent. Those customers who are using the banglalink sim card and use their given services. Sample: Here the sample means the customers of banglalink those who are using the banglalik sim card and use their given services. Measurement: Basically we are come through a solution of our problem with Survey Questionnaire. And we make this Questionnaire to identify how much the customers of banglalink are satisfied. Statement of Problems: We have a solution of our problem by briefly discussed and we conducted a survey on the students group of AIUB. For that, we arrange a set of questionnaire and seeking some help from some loyal customers of banglalink. And those customers are basically ongoing users or once used Baglalink connection and also those customers who are use from their beginning. How is their satisfaction as a customer of banglalink in their real experience? Then we are the seven members work jointly to complete a strong semester project on customer satisfaction of Banglalink whatever we get acquire knowledge from our honorable course instruct Dr. Mamun Habib during this whole semester. Chapter-3 Research Framework Research Hypothesis: Hypothesis means the assumption. We are assuming some questionnaire to our respondents and try to analysis those. This research is coming through â€Å"One-Tailed Test† that is defined as the direction of the project. For example is that (Low/High) HO: Customers satisfaction would be greater than, less than their expectation Ha: Customers satisfaction would be less than, greater than their expectation Chapter -4 Research Methodology Methods of Research Used Difference types of research technique we are selecting descriptive research because we are finding customer satisfaction of Banglalink based on primary data. How many people are satisfied or not. Descriptive: Describes characteristics of a population or phenomenon, objects, organizations. Some understanding of the nature of the problem. Respondents & Sampling Procedures Population is any complete group of people, sales territories, stores . Sample subset of a large population we are select people among university student they are satisfy or not. There are three types of sample size we select formula for known and unknown population because firstly select BANGLALINK service users or not. Probability sampling we use to get our respondents. This process has to each element of population an equal chance to be selected . Known, nonzero probability for every element. Different categories sampling among these category we select simple random sampling. Simple random sampling: A sample procedure that ensures each element in the population will have an equal chance of being included in the sample. Research Instruments: Here different tools for questionnaire survey: †¢ Simple Attitude scale †¢ Category scale †¢ Likert scale †¢ Semantic scale †¢ Numerical scale †¢ Constant sum scale †¢ Stapel scale †¢ Graphical Rating scale †¢ Graphics rating scale stressing visual communication From these survey scales we used Five point Likert Scale for conducting our survey. We asked different questions based on BANGLALINK customer care service and collected answers through likert scale. Statistical Treatment of Data SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences): Based on SPSS we complete our statistical treatment. Descriptive analysis: Demographic information of respondents and estimate proportion among respondents. | | | | | | | | |Valid |52 | | |Missing |0 | Mean |1. 31 | | | | | | |N |Valid |52 | | |Missing |0 | |Variance |. 217 | Chapter-5 Presentation of data and discussion of results There are several tools available for data analysis. Like Excel, SPSS, AMOS, LISREL etc. For the collective data analysis we have used MS Excel & SPSS (Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences). The respondents’ percentage based on gender: [pic] â€Å"Banglalink’s call rate is reasonable with compare to other operators†: pic] â€Å"Banglalink provides good services at their customer care centers:† [pic] Banglalink’s network s ystem is very strong: [pic] Banglalink has huge opportunities to become market leader of Telecommunication Industry: [pic] Chapter-6 Summary, Conclusion & Recommendation Summary of the findings: Banglalink is one of the largest telecom companies in Bangladesh. After commencing their operation in Bangladesh, Banglalink captured a large number of customers. So, other mobile operators’ customers switched the brand. But now from our research we are finding a complete different scenario. In person we are the customers of Banglalink. So, we conducted our research on our friends & the different students’ group of AIUB to get quick access to the information. Our research shows that for the last few years Banglalink’s performance is falling gradually & failing to meet the customer’s requirement. †¢ Most of our respondents have agreed that Banglalink’s call rate is not so high with compare to other operators. But there is also a larger group of respondents who didn’t comply with this statement. †¢ Banglalink’s offered packages are somewhat attractive according to our respondents. A major portion of respondents have agreed that Banglalink is good at promotional activities. †¢ Banglalink’s customer care services are satisfactory in the view of the respondents. †¢ Banglalink has developed its internet facility recently. So, the current customers are satisfied with new services. †¢ In terms of network s ystem there are different opinions among the respondents. In the cities & towns the network is good, but at villages or remote places this service is very bad. As our all respondents are from Dhaka city, the respondents are satisfied with the network service. Banglalink has somewhat contribution in social development regarding our respondent’s view. †¢ There are a few large telecom companies in our country. For the last few years GrameenPhone has been holding the market leader’s place. From our research we can see that Banglalink has no possibilities to become the market leader. Conclusion: In the country Banglalink has come with the mission of â€Å"Din Bodoler Pala†. At their market entrance they showed huge possibilities to become the market leader. They captured the most of their customers within their first two years of operation. But with times customers are leaving Banglalink. Recently a new operator has penetrated into the telecom industry. Besides the former operators are diversifying their packages & offerings. But Banglalink had failed to cope up these new changes in the industry. They also offered some new packages, but those are not sufficient to cope up the situation. To attract different group of customers, Banglalink should take different approaches to gain new customers. Recommendations: Banglalink is a large organization & they are skilled & well experienced to take any decision. Our research shows that dissatisfaction is generating among the customers of Banglalink. So, we have come up with some recommendations: Bibliography To prepare our report we took help from several internet based websites. We are cordially grateful to those internet site authorities & author who provides the information. †¢ www. google. com †¢ www. banglalinkgsm. com †¢ www. wikipedia. com A. Appendix: Questionnaire Survey (Banglalink’s customer satisfaction evaluation) 01. Have you ever used Banglalink connection? ? Yes. ? No. 02. Which product did you used or using? ? Pre-paid. ? Postpaid. 3. How long have you used or have you been using Banglalink connection? ? Less than 6 months. ? 6 months – 1 year. ? 1 – 2 years. ? 2 – 3 years. ? More than 3 years. 04. Banglalink’s call rate is reasonable with compare to other operators. 05. Banglalink’s offered packages are very attractive. ? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 06. Banglalink’s promotional activities are very effective. ? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 07. Banglalink has its customer care centers at convenient and important places. ? Strongly agree Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 08. Banglalink provides good services at their Customer care centers. ? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 09. Banglalink’s employees are skilled & highly professional. ? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 10. Banglalink provides attractive internet services. ? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 11. Banglalink’s information is highly available. ? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 12. Banglalink’s network system is very strong? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 13. Banglalink has significant contribution towards social develo pment? ? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 14. Banglalink has huge opportunities to become market leader of Telecommunication Industry. ? Strongly agree ? Agree ? Neutral ? Disagree ? Strongly disagree 15. Your gender: ? Male ? Female 16. Your age: ? Less than 18. ? 18 – 22 ? 23 – 25 ? 26- 35 ? More than 35 17. Your profession: ? Student ? Service Holder ? Businessman ? Housewife ? Unemployed[pic][pic][pic] ———————– THANKS

Enhancing Employees Literacy Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Enhancing Employees Literacy Skills - Essay Example Among the consequences of low levels of workplace literacy and numeracy are: time and costs wasted in having to repeat assignments; inefficient work teams, wasted material, poor training, miscalculated finances, injuries in the workplace, unsafe practices and difficulties recruiting and retaining skilled staff (AI Group, 2010). The consequences of low levels of literacy in the workplace are therefore far-reaching. Campbell (2005) informed that â€Å"literacy skills are vital to high performance and productivity† in the workplace (p. 1). The reality is, low adult literacy in general has negative impacts not only on business activities, but on the individual and the country’s economy as a whole. Poor literacy constrains an individual in terms of career choices, impairs a business’s competiveness and thus undermines the country’s ability to compete globally (Campbell, 2005). It therefore follows that improving literacy skills in the workplace is an urgent mat ter. This paper proposes a project aimed at resolving this dilemma and thus suggests a program directed at employers that will enhance literary skills in the workplace. The program thus directs attention to workplace change that can enhance literacy in the workplace. ...Thus the workplace literacy program suggested is one that not only offers literacy training for employees but also ensures that literacy learning is a part of the workplace environment. Employees are not only encouraged to participate in literacy learning programs, but are also engaged in the workplace in such a way that fosters literacy improvement. The proposed workplace literacy improvement project is realistic in that it readily accepts that workplace literacy is low and in order to improve workplace literacy change must occur in the workplace first and foremost. This workplace literacy enhancement project takes the position that a learning environment in the workplace is conducive to enhancing literacy. Thus the re is an emphasis on the utility of investing in information technology and information technology training in the workplace as a supplement to general literacy training and education in the workplace. An examination of the literature identifies the efficacy of fostering a learning environment and in particular investing in and using information technology as a training and educational tool as well as a tool for business operations. A Review of the Literature Smith et al (2000) admitted that schools around the globe have systematically failed to produce the requisite number of skilled and talented workers. This may not be entirely true as a number of persons have literacy deficiencies because they either did not complete school or simply failed to attend school at all.

Legalization of Medical Marijuana in United States Essay

Legalization of Medical Marijuana in United States - Essay Example The medical use of marijuana can be dated long back in the world history of medicine. It has been found to be used in several countries and cultures to relieve chronic pain and in the treatment of various ailments like asthma, nausea, migraine, hypertension, anxiety, insomnia, epilepsy and even cancer. But the wide use of marijuana as the recreational drug was also common historically. The active ingredient in marijuana, the delta-tetrahydrocannabinol, was found to boost mood, perception, and consciousness. This property of marijuana resulted in controversy related to the legalization of its use. The critics argue that legalization of marijuana may provoke its use for recreational purpose rather than medical purpose. Some critics also disagree with the medical benefits of marijuana. The current paper concentrates on the issue of legalization of the medical use marijuana focusing on the pros and cons of its use and on the medical, government and legal approaches regarding the controve rsy.The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes was common historically. Its earliest written evidence was found in Chinese literature from fifteenth century B.C. Several articles were published in medical journals regarding the therapeutic use of marijuana. The modern phase of therapeutic use of cannabis began about 140 years ago when reports on its effectiveness as an analgesic and anticonvulsant were found. At about the same time its use in melancholia and other psychiatric illnesses was also demonstrated.

Film Review (Life of Pi) Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Film (Life of Pi) - Movie Review Example However, in a serious context, there is much to the movie than what it discernibly professes to be. The movie tends to rake the consciousness of the unsuspecting viewers at many levels, provided they are patient and willing to extend to it the time and the scope that many modern day movies seldom demand. The movie besides being a tale of adventure and courage undeniably tends to have a spiritual facet that is brought out and embellished by the director Ang Lee using a range of thematic approaches and the commensurate technological innovations that amply succeed in bringing out the actual quintessence of the story. As far as the genre of Life of Pi is concerned, the tale indeed happens to be a modern day masterpiece of magic realism. The movie pokes the viewers’ attention with an ever shifting setting into which the director intends to weave a vivid sense of abject realism so far as the representation of ordinary and mundane facts are concerned, embellishing it much with descri ptive details and nuances, yet brining out the philosophy and message inherent in the movie by resorting to a dreamlike and fanciful imagery, borrowing a lot from sources like fairy tales and myths (French 21). Though, the settings in the movie are deeply etched in the pragmatic realism, yet the visual appeal owes much that could be interpreted and reinterpreted by the viewers in an utterly personal subjective context. The writer of the script of Life of Pi tends to retain much of the realism when it comes to hunger, animal instinct, survival and persistence, thereby making the viewers have a sense of the inevitable and the unavoidable; while at the same time the writer tends to insert in much of the fantastical elements like a bio-island infested with meerkats and the trees that happen to be carnivorous. Doing so, the script enables the viewers to deviate from the mundane realities of the real world, even though for a moment, to allow oneself to be immersed in a creative space wher e it is possible to reconcile the baser human instincts that are akin to bestiality and animalism, with the best that is inherent in the human mind that is expressed as theology, philosophy, empathy, respect for all forms of life, resolution, persistence and hope, thereby making way for an experience that is both human and bestial at the same time. If Life of Pi has been able to emerge as a creative and commercial success, much credit goes for this to the director Ang Lee. Lee has been able to successfully weave a web of survival and coexistence, where the religious iconography and an abjectly Darwinian struggle for survival coexist with each other, hand in hand to bring forward the fact that not only the life is sacred, but as long as there is a trace of life existent on earth, it will do everything at its disposal to survive and sustain (Stern 36). However, it goes without saying that Lee to some extent overestimated the scope and power of the visual effects at his disposal (Gilbe y 84). Many a times the seascapes contrived by Lee though appearing fantastical and attractive, somehow ended up as being imbued with a childlike fancy and appeal, which could have been a bit difficult to be accepted or perhaps digested by the adult viewers (Quinn 44). Yet, much of these shortcomings could be ignored by the realization that Life of Pi happens to be a movie that is as much a technological marvel as a

Problems with Social Network Services Research Paper

Problems with Social Network Services - Research Paper Example , fast, and simple way to communicate jokes, photographs, it can help families and friends separated by great distances to keep in-touch in ways that was not always possible in the past; unfortunately, the effects of social media are not entirely positive. In fact, there are some negative side-effects of our modern social media obsessed society today, which includes, issues of privacy, hacking and â€Å"witch-hunting,† as well as, other societal effects and concerns, However ,the predominant issue caused that has evolved on social media is cyberbullying. This unpleasant phenomenon is affecting 1000s upon 1000s of children in the United States and all over the world. The nature and trends in today’s social media facilitates cyberbullying and effective changes must be made. Social media was intended to be entertainment and was established as an opportunity to communicate with friends and family far away, make new friends in other states, and all over the world. Unfortunately while many may approach social media sites with reserve and responsibility as an entertainment form, that behavior is not universal. However, the side effects of social media’s potential positives are becoming more and more serious. People are becoming too involved with the â€Å"cyber† life and less involved in their actual lives. Addiction to technology and social media is being acknowledged and those instances appear to be increasing. The excessive or overuse of technology, like social media, can have some serious psychological, social, and even physical repercussions. However, as cyberbullying began to manifest all too often on internet sites the dangers of social media began to effect the youth in horrific ways (The Movement Against Bullying). Cyber bullying is the direct offspring of social media. Bullying, unfortunately, is a long-lived reality of children, tweens, and teens throughout their years of schooling. These instances can be horrific for the victims, embarrassing, hurtful,

Film Glory Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Film Glory - Movie Review Example Rawlins revised his style to transformational leadership, which was effective in producing the necessary attainment of the group's mission and goals. There had been a slew of films about the American Civil War but the movie "Glory" stood out because it was unique and because it not only focused its energies on bombings, hand to hand combats and killings but it featured the African American people's aspirations to prove its self-worth, courage and dignity under fire and under pressures of racial prejudice and honor amidst the backdrop of a bitter divisive war between the northern Union states and the southern Confederate states. Moreover, the film illustrates the anatomy of leadership as a young colonel was given the daunting task of recruiting, training and leading an all-black regiment, which was the first such black regiment to fight under the American flag, many of whom were older than he was and most of whom were embittered by the demeaning experiences they had under the white men. This film showed that heroism knows no color and its significance was that after the 54th Massachusetts regiment showed to all and sundry their he art-wrenching guts and heroism, President Lincoln conscripted more of such black regiments, assigning them challenging roles in a number of major battles. The 54th regiment was the start of black power in military warfare. It explained why blacks were worthy of being endowed with citizenships to the United States. The Relationships Among the Dramatis Personae Bonding within an infantry led by young white officers and composed of colored men,Glory 3 majority of whom had experienced indignities, brutalities and acts of inhumanity as former slaves from white men, was almost an unattainable situation. Leadership was even an impossible dream. But the regiment had to be formed as ordered by abolitionist Massachusetts governor John Andrew (Blatt et al,2000,p.19) and in its formation, everything had to start with an effective leadership or else the infantry will only be in a state of disarray and disintegration. It was incumbent upon Col.Robert Gould Shaw portrayed by Matthew Broderick to alter the relationship which started from distrust, aversion, contempt, bigotry and even hatred. He had to turn things around to make the regiment functional. This had to be accomplished without the needed boost and support from the command force and worse, from a flip-flopping stance of the command higher-ups who even issued absurd orders designed to make the regiment a nonentity. This was due to the belief that blacks had no capacity to fight and th at they would merely incite the border States to defect from the Union. There

Masters of Science in Information Management at Syracuse University Essay

Masters of Science in Information Management at Syracuse University - Essay Example Some of the most interesting and useful courses that make part of the program are ’Web-Design and Management’ and ‘Application Programming for Information System’. Designing web and making java programs are some of the key skills contemporary organizations expect to find in the graduates of Information Management. ‘Intro/Info Based Organization’ is a very good course whose knowledge guides the professionals in maximizing benefits for the company through informed decision making. The courses ‘Info Reporting and Presentation’ and ‘Global Financial System Architecture’ helped improve my social skills as I had to frequently work in collaboration with my teammates and develop business plans. These courses and the exercises they comprise have interesting ways of inculcating the required skills in the students. Reflecting upon my past experience with this field of study, I am positive that studying it at Masters level would p ave the way for new opportunities for me both in academia and industry. After almost four years of study in the Syracuse University, I have become quite aware of this university and this city. The school faculty is very helpful and is always available to guide the students through matters related to studies, career, or life in general. Syracuse University organizes many educational and recreational events every semester. Syracuse University maintains a high profile in sports as well; as a royal basketball fan, I believe that Syracuse University is second to none in offering the students' growth opportunities in sports along with studies. Since Syracuse University can offer me both good quality study and rich leisure life, it is really a place where I can draw a balance between studies and life. My parents can finance my studies. They can pay for the tuition either by international wire transfer or by credit card.

Song analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Song analysis - Essay Example The song in question, written and produced by a group known as â€Å"Aviation† and entitled â€Å"You were my Everything† will be the focus of this particular analysis. It is the hope of this author that the reader will gain a more informed understanding with relation to the ideas and core levels of understanding/emotions that the songwriter attempted to convey; rather than merely a cursory level of understanding with respect to the fact that a simple love song has been represented. In much the same way that a literary critique seeks to focus a level of discussion and analysis upon the mechanisms that the writer uses, the core themes that are leveraged, and the use of language as a means of promoting understanding; the following analysis will engage in much the same manner of consideration with regards to this particular song. Firstly, the song itself starts with a brief introit that is spoken rather than sung. Although this may not seem as an important aspect of analyzing the particular song, it serves a vital function as it helps to set the stage with respect to the information that will be presented, the tone, and the ultimate understanding that can be drawn from the contents of the song. Beginning by stating that the singer has lost something that is dear to him, the listener is instantly engage with the understanding that love loss and the hope of gaining at once again will come to be represented within the song itself. However, another element that is presented directly before the singing commences has to do with the frustration and inability of the singer/songwriter to express his emotions in any other way. Out of exasperation, the singer finally says â€Å"it’s just†¦I don’t even know – just listen†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This level of hopelessness with regards to seeking to expl ain the position that the singer/songwriter understands only all too well but is probably quite difficult for anyone else to engage helps to foreshadow the angst and

Discuss the relevant ethical and legal issues based on the case study Essay

Discuss the relevant ethical and legal issues based on the case study - Essay Example Nevertheless, medication has its confines. Whereas these restrictions may change with developments in science and technology, it is misleading to behave as if medicine can defeat all illnesses and death itself. The cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) public view has been one of over-assurance; this is somewhat because of the incorrect resuscitation portrayal in TV dramas in which it is recognized as an epic event where the patient attains a remarkable recovery. Regrettably, this is not mirrored in the signs of subsistence to discharge. Within hospital cardiac-arrests, normally, less than one in 7 (15%) patients live on. This essay examines the ethical and legal issues of placing DNR adult without informing the patient or the family. The NFR order Expert assistance has been issued by the UK’s Resuscitation Council concerning the usage of advance NFR orders. They affirm that NFR orders must be rendered after contemplation of prime matters: the patient's recognized or ascertainab le desires; the possibility of successfully reviving the breathing and the heart of the patient as well as the patient's human-rights, such as the privilege to life plus the privilege to be uninhibited from demeaning treatment (Herbert 2008). A NFR order designates that cardiopulmonary resurgence will not be instigated during a patient's respiratory or cardiac arrest, but does permit for any other remedial interventions. Nonetheless, some liken having a NFR directive with the removal or denying of other therapeutic interventions that is not the purpose. This absence of precision causes fear amongst the overall public (Kerridge Lowe & Stewart 2009). There has been current public concern concerning the NFR orders usage after a number of cases where patients or even their families have objected that resuscitation directives have been included in their medical records without their consent or knowledge, mainly in the circumstance of old patients, a better example is Mrs Lily scenario . Two concerns have arisen: firstly, that of clandestine decision-making and, secondly, ageism. Following much debate within the media plus including Age Alarm, the Health Department dispensed a memo to every NHS trustasking that chief administrators guaranteed that suitable resuscitation policies that respect patients' privileges were briefed. Some investigations have revealed that, with escalating age, CPR has worse results, nevertheless; a more current study exhibited that oldness was not a noteworthy influence when considering the aftermaths of cardiac-arrest. Corresponding to this, other findings have established that patients above the age of seventy with slight or no co-existing severe ailment were as expected to live as fresher patients. Age, therefore, in itself ought not to be a contra-suggestion to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (Hayward, 2009). Advance directives An 'advance directive' provides patients the lawful right to provide, or deny, assent to particular medical cure s prospectively. Their use must ensure that health experts are sentient of specific patients' desires if their state should worsen and they undergo loss of psychological capacity. The British Medical Association (2000) issued a protocol of practice that specified that competent cognizant adults have a reputable legal entitlement to reject medical processes beforehand and that, where lawful and appropriate, an ’

Ghandi Case Essay Example for Free

Ghandi Case Essay Ghandi was cool and liked cats one time he was chilling with his cat foo foo ba mo mo and it totally attacked his foot and he was like ow that hurt bad kitty and he smacked his cat but then he felt really bad so he ran fast to the gas station that also sold cat toys and other various pet items and bought him a lovley cat toy made of the finest lace and cat nip. Well after that the cat was very happy and danced around to thriller by micheal jackson becuase he was a little stoned after all that cat nip so he chilled for a while but then he really had the muchies and was graving taco bell, NOT TIME, taco time is over priced and not even that good, anyways he got his reallly cool motor scooter and hauled ass to america becuase india is so cheap to have anything as awesome as taco bell and he got a job doing tricks to earn the money he needed and after that he made it to america and ate a nachoes supreme and was super stoked but totally had the worst cotten mouth so he was in a mad dash to find the nearest seven eleven becuase they had this new flavor of slushie that sounded really dank at the time it was like watermelon or somehting i dont even know but after a while of catting around he located one and went in and had like two dollars so he had to buy a small

Slump Test With Relevant British Standards

Slump Test With Relevant British Standards Describe the slump test in accordance with relevant British Standard and indicate why it is an important test. How would concrete workability be determined if the concrete is required to be very dry? In accordance with relevant British Standards (BS EN 12350-2:2009), the slump test is important as it determines the consistency of fresh concrete. The fresh concrete is compacted into a mould in the shape of a cone. When the cone is withdrawn upwards, the distance the concrete has slumped provides a measure of the consistency of the concrete. This is the basic principle of the slump test. The sample of the concrete is obtained in accordance with BS EN 12350-1(British Standards Institute, 2009a). When undertaking the task of the slump test, the mould and base plate are dampened and the mould is placed on the horizontal base plate. During filling of the mould, it is held firmly against the base plate by clamping in place or by standing on the two foot pieces. The mould is filled in three layers, each approximately one-third of the height of the mould when compacted. Each layer is compacted with twenty five strokes of the tamping rod. The strokes are uniformly distributed over the cross section of each layer. For the bottom layer the rod is slightly inclined and positioned approximately half the strokes towards the centre. The first layer is compacted throughout its depth, taking care in not striking the base. The second layer and the top layer are compacted throughout its depth, so that the strokes just penetrate into the immediately underlying layer. In filling and compacting the top layer, the concrete is heaped above the mould before tamping is started. If the tamping operation of the top layer results in subsidence of the concrete below the top edge of the mould, then more concrete is added to keep an excess above the top of the mould. After the top layer has been compacted, the surface of the concrete is struck off by means of a sawing and rolling motion of the compacting rod (British Standards Institute, 2009b). Subsequently, the spilled concrete is removed from the base plate. The mould is removed from the concrete by raising it carefully in an upwards direction. Immediately after removal of the mould, the slump is measured and recorded by determining the difference between the height of the mould and that of the highest point of the slumped test specimen as shown in figure 1. The consistency of a concrete mix changes with time. This is due to hydration of the cement and loss of moisture. Thus, tests on different samples should be carried out at a constant time interval after mixing, if comparable results are to be obtained (Wikipedia, 2010a). The test is only valid if it yields a true slump. This is the slump in which the concrete remains substantially intact and symmetrical as shown in Figure 2(a). If the specimen shears, as shown in Figure 2(b), another sample is taken and the procedure repeated. If two consecutive tests show a portion of the concrete shearing off from the mass of the test specimen, then the concrete lacks the necessary plasticity and cohesiveness for the slump test to be suitable. This is why the slump test is important and appropriate for concrete mixes of medium and high workability concrete. There are other tests to establish workability of concrete. If the concrete is required to be very dry, then this will depend on the water/cement ratio (w/c) of the mixture which has a control over the final properties of the concrete. Selection of a w/c ratio gives the engineer control over two desirable properties. These are strength and workability. A mixture with a high w/c will be more workable than a mixture with a low w/c i.e. it will flow easier. The less workable the mixture, the stronger the concrete will be. The water/cement ratio needs to be about 0.25 to complete the hydration reaction. Typical values of w/c are between 0.35 and 0.40 because they give a good amount of workability without sacrificing a lot of strength (Concrete, 2010). The vebe test is appropriate for concrete mixes of low and very low workability. This method is a mechanised variation of the slump test and determines the workability of concrete. The concrete is subjected to vibration after removal of the slump cone. It is then mounted upon a vibrating table operating at a fixed amplitude and frequency. The time to complete the required vibration gives an indication of the concrete workability. The vebe test is done in accordance to BS EN 12350-3:2009 (British Standards Institute, 2009e). Workability of fresh concrete and the fluidity of the concrete at different water/cement ratio will affect the casting and finishing of the concrete specimen. Strength of the concrete will also be affected. Concrete workability can be determined by many methods. This includes confined flow test methods e.g. compacting factor test, free flow test methods. These methods include slump test and vibration test methods e.g. the vebe test as previously mentioned (ELE International, 2010). (816 Words) In concrete mixing, describe briefly the mixing procedure. Why concrete is being mixed in dry state for 60s first, then after water is added and further mixed for 90s? Concrete is formed by mixing cement, coarse aggregate, fine aggregate and water. This is with or without the incorporation of admixtures and additions, which develops its properties by hydration of the cement. Mixing the water with the cement glues the aggregate together, fills voids within it, and allows it to run more easily. The object of mixing concrete is to coat the surface of all aggregate particles with cement paste and to blend all the ingredients of concrete into a uniform mass. This uniformity must not be disturbed when discharging from the mixer (Neville, A. M, 1981a, p226). With concrete, there is an inclination on site to mix it as quickly as possible. It is therefore important to know what the minimum mixing time necessary to produce a concrete uniform in composition and of satisfactory strength. The time varies with the type of mixer and number of revolutions which is the criteria for adequate mixing and not essentially the mixing time. The are three main options for mixing concrete. These options are mixing by hand, which is probably only suitable where less than about  ¼m ³ of concrete is required; using a cement mixer, which is generally suitable where between about  ¼m ³ and 2m ³ of concrete is required; and finally buying in ready mix for jobs requiring more than about 2m ³ of concrete which is best and cost effective to buy in a lorry load of ready mixed concrete. The above quantities are only rough guidelines (Practical DIY, 2010). With mixing concrete, the mixing procedure includes the loading method, the discharge method, the mixing time, and the mixing energy. The loading method includes the order of loading the constituents into the mixer and also the duration of the loading period. The duration of this period depends on how long the constituents are mixed dry before the addition of water and how fast the constituents are loaded. The loading period is extended from the time when the first constituent is introduced in the mixer to when all the constituents are in the mixer. Dry mixing is the mixing that occurs during loading but before water is introduced. Wet mixing is the mixing after or while water is being introduced, but still during loading. This means that materials are introduced any time during the loading period: all before the water, all after the water, partially before and partially after. The loading period is important because some of the concrete properties will depend on the order in which t he constituents are introduced in the mixer. The discharge from the mixer should be arranged so that it increases productivity and it does not modify the homogeneity of the concrete (Concrete-Catalog, 2010). Figure 3 shows the relationship between the range of strengths of the specimen made from the given mix after a specific mixing time. Figure 3 is based on Shalons tests. It shows how compressive strength is affected by the mixing time. It also shows the minimum, mean and maximum values (Neville, A. M, 1981b) Figure 4 shows the same tests but plotted as a coefficient of variation against mixing time. From the graph it shows that mixing for less than sixty seconds and ninety seconds produces a noticeably more variable concrete. Prolonging the mixing time beyond the values results in no significant improvement in uniformity. (Neville, A. M, 1981c) This would suggest why the mixing process is no less than sixty seconds and ninety seconds for each process e.g. when mixing the dry state for sixty seconds then adding water and mixing for a further ninety seconds. Figure 5 shows the results of Abrams tests. It shows how the average strength of concrete also increases with an increase in mixing time. The rate of increase falls quickly beyond one minute and is not significant beyond two minutes with sometimes a slight decrease in strength been observed (Neville, A. M, 1981d). This would suggest why concrete is mixed in dry state for sixty seconds first as the strength falls quickly beyond this and why after water is added it is mixed for a further ninety seconds. This is because the strength increase would not be significant beyond this time with a slight decrease in strength observed as stated earlier. The influence of mixing time from thirty seconds to one minute permits a saving in the cement content of as much as thirty kilograms per cubic metre. This was calculated by Shalon which shows how within the first minute the influence of mixing time on strength is of significant importance. This would assist the fact why the concrete is mixed for sixty seconds first. Thus saving cement content which would have an effect on strength as well as cost. With the concrete being mixed in a dry state for 60 seconds, then water added and further mixed for 90 seconds, there are no universal rules in the order to add the water and concrete. This can depend on the properties of the mix and the mixer. The mixing time is from the time all the solid materials have been put in the mixer. When a dry mix is used however, it is necessary to feed some water and the coarse aggregate as otherwise the surface does not become adequately wetted. If the coarse aggregate is not present to begin with then sand or the cement could become stuck in the mixer. If the cement or water is fed too fast then balls may form. Normally, a small amount of water should be fed first followed by the materials. These are, if possible fed simultaneously into the mixer. The greater part of the water should be fed during the same time if possible with the remainder fed after the solids (Neville, A. M, 1981e). With stiff mixes, it is found to be suitable to feed the sand first, part of the coarse aggregate, cement, then the water and lastly the remainder of the coarse aggregate to break up any round masses of mortar (Neville, A. M, 1981f). (1,022 Words) Describe different ways to be applied to cure concrete on site Curing concrete on site can be done using many methods. These include retaining formwork in-situ, constant fog spraying, ponding, polythene sheet, steam cure, hydrothermal processes and surface applied materials. Fogging during and after placing and finishing also helps minimize plastic cracking in concretes with very low water-cement ratios. This is especially around a water-cement ratio of 0.30 or less (Curing Concrete, 2010). Ponding as a curing method is easily done. A waterproof wall is needed to form around the concrete, using either the form the concrete was poured into, or a wall of sandbags. Once the wall is formed, the concrete is flooded with water. The added moisture from the flood will keep the concrete from drying out before the bonding process is completed (E-How, 2010). Airtight polythene sheeting is an efficient way of preventing moisture loss. It should be placed on a concrete slab as soon as the concrete is hard enough to prevent surface damage or marking. With sprayed membranes, these are designed to form a superficial seal on the concrete, preventing water evaporating. Although some prevent subsequent adhesion of screeds or applied finishes (BRMCA, 2010a). Steam curing is a process for hardening concrete that involves exposure to warm steam. Steam curing requires a fraction of the time involved with traditional curing and quickly strengthens the products so they can be used immediately (Wisegeek, 2010). (218 Words) Why is curing important? Curing is important to prevent concrete from drying out too soon. Well cured concrete is stronger, more resistant to chemical attack and traffic wear. It is also more watertight with curing. It withstands freezing and abrasion better with the processes of curing. Most curing is done by using polythene sheeting or a sprayed membrane. Leaving the formwork in place is also possible, except for slabs, where the large surface area will soon dry if left unprotected. Curing should always start before the concrete begins to dry out and continue for a period depending on the strength gain of the concrete. Poor curing will result in poor concrete, lower strength, lower durability, dusty surface and a weaker surface (BRMCA, 2010b). To obtain good concrete it must be cured in a suitable environment to allow the concrete to achieve its strength. Hydration and hardening is critical for the first three days. Curing is important In order for sufficient heat and humidity to be maintained within the mix during hydration. Curing allows concrete to achieve its strength, minimise cracking, minimise shrinkage and prevent losses of water. Well cured concrete has better surface hardness and therefore is more watertight. Concrete needs to be cured under controlled temperature and humidity in order to obtain good concrete (Wikipedia, 2010b). As previously discussed, sufficiently cured concrete will exhibit greater durability, wear resistance, and gain strength faster. Cured concrete will also have better resistance to freeze thaw damage. Improperly cured concrete can be subject to plastic shrinkage cracking (loss of moisture from fresh concrete) and drying shrinkage (loss of moisture from concrete that has set) among other undesired side effects (All Concrete, 2010). Curing is of particular importance on horizontal surfaces; dry, hot or windy conditions; wear resistant floors; and high strength floors. Abrasion resistance is dependent on good curing but also relies on other factors (Newman, J and Choo, B, 2003). (301 Words) Discuss the use of recycled concrete aggregate in concrete Recycled concrete aggregate is aggregate resulting from the processing of inorganic material previously used in construction and principally comprising crushed concrete (British Standards Institute, 2006). The process of recycling of concrete is a fairly straightforward process. It involves breaking, removing, and crushing existing concrete into a material with a specified size and quality. The quality of concrete with recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) is dependent on the quality of the recycled material used. If there is reinforced steel and other embedded items, these must be removed, and care must be taken to prevent contamination by other materials that can be difficult, such as asphalt, soil, chlorides, glass, paper, plaster, wood etc. The removal of the contaminants is done through selective demolition, screening, air separation and size reduction which is done in a crusher to aggregate size. After this, the crushed concrete can be used as new concrete for pavements, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, structural grade concrete and also bituminous concrete (Concrete Technology, 2010). The use of recycled concrete material (RCM) as an aggregate substitute in pavement construction includes its use in granular and stabilized base, engineered fill and Portland cement concrete pavement applications. Other applications include its use as an aggregate in flowable fill, hot mix asphalt concrete and surface treatments. To be used as an aggregate, RCM must be processed to remove as much foreign debris and reinforcing steel as possible as discussed previously. Reinforcing steel is sometimes removed before loading and hauling to a central processing plant. Most processing plants have a primary and secondary crusher. The primary crusher breaks the reinforcing steel from the concrete and reduces the concrete rubble to a maximum size of 75 mm to 100 mm. As the material is conveyed to the secondary crusher, steel is removed by an electromagnetic separator. Secondary crushing further breaks down the RCM, which is then screened to the desired grade. To avoid inadvertent segregation of particle sizes, coarse and fine RCM aggregates are stockpiled separately (TTHRC, 2010). Recycled concrete aggregates can be used in many things. With bitumen bound materials, recycled concrete aggregate can be used in a variety of base course and binder course mixtures. In concrete, recycled concrete aggregate is permitted for use in certain grades of concrete. In pipe bedding, a suitably graded recycled concrete aggregate is used. In hydraulically bound mixtures (HBM) recycled concrete aggregate can be suitable for use in HBMs with suitably graded recycled concrete aggregate used as a subbase. In capping, recycled concrete aggregate is suitable for capping applications and embankments. Suitably graded recycled concrete aggregate can also be used as fill (Wrap, 2010). With regards to RCA properties, research carried out in Australia indicates that in general, recycled concrete can be used as natural aggregate in ready mixed concrete with satisfactory performance for low grade concrete. There are also marginal differences in compressive strength and a 10% reduction in strength characteristics. The issues are due to drying shrinkage which is higher compared with natural aggregates as well as a 10% difference in tensile properties (Guy R. Woolley, 2000). Waste arising from construction and demolition constitutes one of the largest waste streams within the European Union and many other countries. Construction demolition waste has become a global concern which is why a sustainable solution is needed. This is why recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) should be promoted, although the aggregate for concrete applications must meet the requirements set in relevant specifications for its particular use. Recycling and reuse of demolition waste may not always be economic or practical and in some cases may be impacted by the external issues i.e. regulatory and planning controls. If the construction industry and its need for aggregates are considered, then recycling of concrete would give both economic and environmental benefits as well as making the construction industry more sustainable (M C Limbachiya et al, 2004). (673 Words)

Climate Change Problems For The Fiji Islands

Climate Change Problems For The Fiji Islands This paper explores the risks that climate change poses to the tourism development in Fiji islands. It shows the adverse effects of the changing climate and the dangers pose by the tourism activities and also pose a major hazard for the local people in the region. It also deals with the dangerous carbon emissions and CO2 effect on the landscape, food, water, energy. Key words: pacific, climate change, carbon and CO2 emissions. Introduction The pacific is the world`s largest ocean with a surface area of 175 million sq km and constitutes for 40% of the planet`s waters. Located in the tropical latitudes, it covers more than half the globe`s circumference. Temperature of the surface water in the western tropical regions is always more than 28 ÃÅ'Ã…  C over a depth of several hundred meters. This makes up the world`s storage of thermal energy for exchange with atmosphere. Here the interaction between atmosphere and ocean is most extreme and influences the climate not only regionally but planet-wide. The nations of the pacific are obscured human settlements absorbed in this vast fluid universe. The ocean is the most important factor controlling the environment and life. Hence any change in oceanic conditions and climatic changes are important for environment and life (Philander, 1990). The mean climate of a region is defined by the average conditions observed over 3 decades or more, considering all characteristics that makes weather felt by everyone and predicted by meteorologists. The main characteristics are temperature, wind conditions, atmospheric pressure, cloud cover and rainfall. The south pacific is bounded by an area of low pressure near the equator and high pressure around 30 S parallel. North-south pressure creates the regular winds in these two areas known as the south-east trades (Philander, 1990). Any change in earth`s climate has an impact on mankind, biodiversity, health and services provided by ecosystems worldwide. For adapting to such climate changes it is necessary to understand variation of climate, why and how the climate changes, and how it impacts the earth`s ecosystems. Climate mode is an important way of understanding climate variability, changes and impacts. Earth`s climate is changing and such changes tend to take place with different patterns which may be characterised by one or many modes of the climate systems (Philander, 1990). Fiji is the largest tourism destination in the south pacific but international arrivals are unstable over the last 5 years because of harmful events like political coup in Fiji in 2000, terrorist attacks in United States on 11th September 2001, the Bali attack in 2002, and severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in Asia in 2003. Tourism is endangered to natural hazards and disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, flood, droughts, and cyclones. Climate change is an important characteristic in disaster management as it is likely to affect Fiji through sea level rise and storm surge, changing temperature and extreme weather events (Wilbanks, 2003). About 400,000 tourist visited Fiji in 2002 with an average length of stay of 8 days. While most visitors come for rest and relaxation linked to beach environments, current marketing campaigns aim to shift the image from pure beach promotion to a wider experience (Ministry of tourism-Fiji, 2003). The main aim of this journal paper is to analyse effects of climate change in Fiji islands and adapting and minimizing climate change by the tourist resorts. The reason for behind this is that surveys and interviews were undertaken resulting in many operators already prepared for climate related changes and adapt to potential impacts resulting in climate change. Method Tourism in Fiji is largely based on resorts therefore accommodation sector is prominent tourism sub-sector. Tourists spend most of their time at the resorts. For the above reasons it was appropriate to focus on this analysis of accommodation. Effects of climate change on tourism in Fiji Tourism operators are familiar with ecological factors like strong reefs and plain water crucial for tourism in Fiji. Operators were conscious of the climate change associated impacts like cyclones, the thrashing of coral reefs and flooding. Polluted water was related to mounting water temperature and climate change. Increasing sea levels were mentioned by three businesses, two of which lie in low lying Mamanuca Islands. Generally accommodation business had experienced at least one of the climate related impact. The most common impacts were erosion, water availability, and interruption of electricity. Many resorts were affected by cyclones resulting in coral bleaching and property harm (Short, 2004). Climate related impacts previously experienced Frequency out of 25 Comments by respondents Shore line/beach erosion 9 Banks on edge property/beach give way Reduced water availability 9 In recent droughts Interrupted supply chain 8 Power cuts Coral bleaching 8 Noticed by tourists, snorkelling affected Damage to property 5 From sea surge Sea level rise 3 Storm frequency and intensity 3 Maintenance of gardens (Short, 2004). Eight businesses said that they were not affected by any of the factors listed. There are five areas located in the Mamanuca Islands, which are relatively exposed to climate change due to the risk of cyclones, sea level rise, poor water quality, disappearing corals, and inadequate water availability. There is need of understanding of climate change problems and the managers do not share the problems faced by climate change (Short, 2004). Tourist accommodation uses large variety of energy resources with electrical energy created from hydropower or diesel generator being most important for energy use. Petrol and diesel is use for business vehicles and other purposes. Also liquefied petroleum gas is used by most businesses mostly for cooking, hot water and in laundry. Energy utilization and greenhouse gas emissions differ broadly for diverse businesses. The standard of accommodation and geographical location are the two factors that have major influence on energy consumption and carbon-dioxide emissions (Becken, 2002). Tourist accommodation in the Mamanuca Islands is around 2-3 times as  carbon-intensive as that in  Viti  Levu. The key cause for this is in electricity generation, which is to a great extent less  carbon-intensive in  Viti  Levu. Because of the high quantity of renewable energy sources (hydro and bagasse) compared with diesel production on islands with its natural inadequacy (about 65-70% of e nergy input is lost during the process of generation). Resorts on remote islands run more or less self-sufficiently, and hence have supplementary energy needs (e.g., sewage treatment, freezing rubbish). Transport energy utilization is also high given that not only do tourists have to be transported to and from the resort, but so also do food supplies, energy (diesel and gas), water and other devices required for operating the resort (Becken, 2002). The rough feasible estimate is obtained of energy use and carbon monoxide emissions related with tourism for the Fiji. The total number of visitor nights spent in Fiji was 2,891,295 in 2002 (Department of energy, 2003). 82% of visitor-nights were spent in hotels, 13% in backpacker/budget accommodation, and the remaining nights were being spent in motels, on boats or in other forms of commercial and non-commercial accommodation. Total energy used due to tourist accommodation was calculated at 1,078,373,475 MJ per annum which is equivalent to national energy use of 6.5%. in terms of carbon monoxide the accommodation industry emits 68,219 tonnes per annum.( Department of energy, 2003) Tourism in Fiji is extremely exposed to climate change related hazards such as cyclones, flooding and storms, sea level rise, erosion, transport and communication interruption, and momentarily less water availability. Another most important apprehension for the tourism industry is the deprivation of natural systems, such as coral reefs and forest ecosystems, further exasperated by climate change. Tourism businesses in common are affected in the form of physical damage from a  cyclone  or storm surge, erosion, and coral bleaching. In spite of the high risk linked with tourist facilities built on the waterfront, most new developments spotlight on coastal areas. Mangroves are been cut down in large scale who in turn acts like a protection against climate related changes (Jones, 2003). Tourist accommodation providers adapt to climatic conditions that may affect their business, and in doing so they are also prepared for impacts that may result from a changing climate. Typically, operators focus on relatively concrete and foreseeable high-risk impacts, such as cyclones and storm surges, for example by  cyclone-proofing their structures and erecting seawalls. A number of accommodation providers have insurance cover against cyclones and storm surges. Generally, it seems that the risk of accumulative impacts or more abstract impacts are less recognised and addressed. Pollution control, sewage treatment, and water management are examples of this. The vulnerability to extreme climate-related events can be reduced when climate change adaptation is integrated in the development process from the earliest stages (Jones, 2003). The exact location of the development and design such as building material, orientation, structures and landscaping helps in reducing the vulnerability. There is a opportunity to change tourism development in at destinations less vulnerable to climate change, with current attempts to diversifying Fiji`s tourism product in relation to ecotourism. New and unique tourism products can be developed in Fiji on high land areas using Japanese concept of shakkei (borrowed landscape), where hotel layout, garden landscaping and scenery are mixed together into an overall experience of ecosystem that is different from the typical beachfront (Ayala, 1995). A number of greenhouse gas moderation procedures are in place such as adapting generator sizes, switching off lights, energy efficient light bulbs and solar hot water. There is a huge potential for solar energy and wind-generated power especially on the Coral Coast, the Mamanuca Islands, and Sonasavu, these technologies are taken up slowly, inhibited by lack of knowledge, capital, capacity and government incentives. Often, the energy demand of a single tourist resort is too small to justify investment in a wind turbine. The policy focus and interests of resort operators in Fiji are development-driven, although there is a strong recognition of the concept of sustainable development. Climate change is mainly seen from the perspective of tourisms vulnerability and adaptation. Mitigation seems to be less pressing, although in the medium term increasing greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., as a result of increasing tourist arrivals) could undermine Fijis credibility in international negotiatio ns on climate change. The above order of Government and industry priorities has to be recognised when trying to implement any climate-change-related measures (Ayala, 1995). Climate change can be mixed with sustainable development by identifying key problems and then linking those to climate change. In the case of Fiji tourism these major local problems are land use issues, old stock accommodation, lack of new capital and investment, limited air capacity, dependence on air travel, economic leakage, lack of unique selling point, environment degradation and political instability (Narayan, 2000). Environmental problems like pollution, deforestation and excessive use of resources are to be considered. Potential issues in addition to these problems are more likely to be funded by donor agencies, stakeholders and industry members (Hay et al., 2003). Recognizing co-benefits of climate change policies is as important as its effect, for example, heavy use of air conditioning leads to increase in greenhouse gas emissions or the relocation of sand adds to local environmental impacts. Future work would need to take into account technological and economic aspects, as well as the expected amount of reduced or increased greenhouse gas emissions (Dang et al., 2003). Energy is a major cost driver for the operation of a tourism accommodation business, especially when energy is derived from fossil fuels either for transport or electricity generation. The operation of diesel generators is costly, because of inefficiencies, transportation costs (diesel shipment), maintenance, and salaries for powerhouse staff. Thus, managers have an economic interest in keeping electricity consumption low. The crux with diesel generators, however, is that once a generator is purchased, the optimum range of electricity generation is determined at about 80% of the maximum performance. Mini hydropower schemes are less relevant for coastal resorts, but could be an option for tourism ventures operated in inland communities (referred to as ecotourism operators by the Fiji Ministry of Tourism and Visitor Bureau). The capital costs are very high, however, and consequently the uptake is minimal. The Department of Energy currently assesses potential sites for mini hydropower s chemes, and it is also exploring potential for geothermal electricity generation on Vanua Levu, the second largest island of Fiji. Wind energy is not widely used in Fiji, but the Coral Coast, Mamanuca Islands, and Sonasavu are promising locations for wind-powered generation. Wind energy systems are available at different scales, ranging from small 1-kW ones to 100-700  kW schemes (medium scale), or even larger ones (UNEP, 2003). Tourist resorts would need small- to medium-scale wind systems if they want to meet their whole electricity demand by wind power. Small islands are unlikely to erect wind turbines because of lack of space and noise pollution. Resorts on larger areas are in a better position to pursue wind energy. No renewable energy sources are currently seriously discussed for transport, although one resort looked into wind-driven boats, and there are explorations into replacing fossil fuel with bio-fuel, for example derived from  coconut  (copra) oil (Sopac, 2004). Steps to minimize the effect of climate change in Fiji Reforestation is the most important means of reducing climate change. Trees minimizes vulnerable nature of cyclones, improve microclimate and enhances landscapes which are used in tourism activities. Trees reduce carbon content in the air and are useful in adaptive measures like erosion control and watershed management. Forest protection and plantation should be done under adaption policies. Developing small scale technologies for wind and solar energy on the remote island would help reduce the dependency on imported fossil fuel and economic leakage (Dang et al., 2003). Adaptation Impact on mitigation Impact on environment Tree plantation Reduces net CO2 emissions through carbon sinks Benefits biodiversity, water management, soils Water conservation Reduces energy costs for supplying water Positive in areas where water is limited Renewable natural resources Reduces CO2 emissions Overall, less polluting than fossil fuels Natural building materials Small carbon footprint for locally produced materials Depends on sustainability of plantations Reducing water pollution Increased energy used for sewage treatment Positive for coral reefs and marine life Marine protection Neutral Positive for marine biodiversity Rain water collection Saves transport energy for supplying water Possibly interrupts the natural water cycle Guest education Neutral Increases awareness Setting back structures Neutral Positive when structures built away from beachfront Diversifying markets Positive if markets are eco-efficient Depends on environmental impacts of new markets Weather proofing tourist activities Depends on the type of activities Depends on the type of activities Water desalinisation High energy costs Takes pressure off freshwater resources Increasing beach conditioning Increases CO2 emissions Air pollution in case of diesel generation Beach nourishment Energy use for mining and transportation Disturbs eco systems Reducing beach erosion with sea walls Neutral Disturbs natural currents and cause erosion (Dang et al., 2003). There is no common strategy to address interactions between climate change and tourism in Fiji, nor is there a sector-wide industry association that could promote any climate-change-related initiatives. However, there are isolated examples among industry members that reveal a high understanding and advanced use of technology and management to address climatically unfavourable conditions. Those operators are also best prepared for increased risks resulting from climate change. Also, a number of operators engage in wider environmental management, energy conservation, and therefore climate change mitigation, although the greenhouse gas emission aspect is rarely the reason for the mitigating measures undertaken Overall, there is a need for tourism-specific information on what climate change is, how it will affect tourism, and what operators could do to adapt and mitigate. In the medium term it would also be important to include climate change in the curricula of tertiary education for students in the field of tourism, resource management engineering and architecture. Since the scope and costs for many adaptation and mitigation measures are largely determined by the design of tourist facilities, the incorporation of these aspects into architectural courses is particularly important. Alongside information and education initiatives, the Government could assist businesses in undertaking energy audits, facilitating the implementation of Environmental Management Systems (e.g., Green Globe 21), and providing incentives, for example for the uptake of renewable energy sources. Climate change could form part of a wider risk management plan for tourism. Such an initiative is currently being discussed between the Ministry of Tourism and the Disaster Management Office. A two-level approach could be possible, where guidelines are provided for tourism operators to develop their own risk or disaster management plan at the business level, while Government covers wider issues beyond individual businesses, such as tourism infrastructure and larger evacuation plans. The current attempt by the Fiji Visitor Bureau to diversify the product could be seen as part of national-level risk management, as they attempt to spread risk across different markets (e.g., event tourism, sport tourism, nature tourism) and seasons. Fewer initiatives exist to weather-proof tourism, as suggested for tourism in Phuket, Thailand (Raksakulthai, 2003). Another important step towards implementing a nation-wide risk management strategy for tourism and climate change would be the mapping of all tourism infrastructure, as well as the risk of various hazards in different locations. The Department of Environment in their climate change policy or the Ministry of Tourism in their risk management plan are best advised to pursue measures that offer win-win situations, namely for adaptation, mitigation, wider environmental management and development. Examples of such measures are reforestation, water conservation, and the use of renewable energy sources. It is recommended that the synergies between adaptation, mitigation, and sustainable development be explored further and that the effects be quantified where possible; i.e., how much  carbon  can be saved as a result of a particular measure and what costs are involved. This is even more important given the lack of resources in Fiji, which requires maximising benefits from any implemented measure (Dang et al., 2003). Reducing the consumption of hot water for laundry and showers and reducing the water temperature are saving measures. Other energy use reductions measures in accommodation are lighting, including energy efficient light bulbs, sensor lighting in the garden, solar panel lights, and room keys used to operate lights inside the room. Although energy efficient bulbs are good option they are expensive and do not last long because of the fluctuating supply of power from generators. In the smaller islands the energy costs of shipping are higher, so the managers tend to increase the ship load with passengers on board with food, waste or water. One way of saving fuel is to minimize shipping trips. The increase in global mean temperature to 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels is necessary to keep the risk of dangerous climate change at an acceptable level and to limit climate impacts. Temperatures increase certain level of atmospheric concentration. The results indicate that in order to have a good chance of limiting global average temperature in the long run to 2 degrees atmospheric concentration of all greenhouse gases needs to be stabilised. Intergovernmental policy on climate change i.e. IPCC indicates that keeping concentration in the range of 445-490 ppm requires global emissions to peak by 2015, and to fall by between 50-85% by 2050. Current trends would result in much higher concentrations and high risks of catastrophic climate change. The clean development mechanism means to make compliance with easier target commitments , the Kyoto Protocol allows using offset credits from emissions reduction projects in developing countries, under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Governments can propose and implement emissions reductions on a project-by-project basis under CDM. The resulting credits are bought by governments that are under emissions reduction obligations. Large projects categories are renewable energy mainly using hydropower instead of fossil fuels, reduction of methane emissions from landfills and coal mines, emissions from cement production, and destruction of potent industrial gases. There were over three thousand CDM projects underway in may 2008, which, is implemented and approved, would yield expected emissions reductions of 2.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide. The Asian Pacific region accounts for 80 per cent of the CDM credits that expected to be generated. The World Bank cites supply estimates of 1 .4 to 2.2 billion credits by 2012 Conclusions and recommendations Global concern over climate change impacts and risks has increased greatly in recent times, and climate change is recognised not only an environmental challenge but also an economic challenge. The Pacific region is home to the fast growing, large economies in the world and the dominant source of growth in greenhouse gas emissions. To limit and reduce emissions action is required in developing countries. There is large number of opportunities to reduce emissions but most of these are expensive and cannot be implemented unless policy settings change. More ambitious policies will be needed to turn emission trends around in developing and developed countries. The international dynamics are of the mutually reinforcing type: one country`s action depends on other countries doing their bit. The more countries commit to significant policies, the easier it will become to draw others in. In contrast, if some countries refuse to take part in collective action, others will also refuse to do so. A n effective response to global climate change will need to involve bilateral deal or multilateral agreement. Large and medium sized economies will need to be a part of it. For an agreement to succeed, the door must be kept wide open for developing countries to engage fully in policies, with the support of high income countries. Climate change analysts predict that within the coming decades, sea level will rise gradually. So the affecting nation might have begun identifying the effects of climate change on tourism activities and overall people living in that region. Small islands are at risk to adapt to the adverse affects of climate change because of high costs as well as benefits. Not only just people but unique human cultures are also at high risk. Migration is another option for local people but again the cost factor is crucial, as most of these people are illiterate and unemployed. They will have to relocate unwillingly. Survival is the main concern in this case. It is also highly impossible for any recipient nation to grant asylum to an entire country. The larger impact of climate change will challenge the capacity of the country. The secondary impacts will be water scarcity, food security, health services, land scarcity. At some point many land areas will become incapable of sustaining life and people will be forced to migrate.